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MSFS AI Traffic

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As noted elsewhere in this forum. I have now updated AIFP to program AI traffic in MSFS2020 - which uses the same traffic file format as FSX. However, AI operation in MSFS2020 is VERY different from FSX. Unfortunately, Asobo has not released the SDK on AI traffic. So, we're discovering things by accident.

AIFP allows you to select any stock or custom aircraft saved in standard MSFS2020 for use as AI. The stock aircraft.cfg files designate certain variations as "useable for air traffic" with the "isAirTraffic" flag. But not all stock files include this flag. From experimentation, it doesn't seem the state of this flag matters for AI traffic file generation by AIFP purposes.

MSFS2020 has the capability to automatically park suitable models in unoccupied parking spaces. In earlier versions of Flightsim, this was the exclusive role of AI traffic. From early experimentation, it's clear this capability interacts with AI traffic in unexpected ways. The SDK when available may resolve this. But, for the time being, all I can say is that it appears MSFS2020 accepts and controls the AI programmed in AIFP-generated traffic file, but the aircraft that appears and performs the task of a given AI may not be the aircraft model programmed. As noted in Section 4.8 of the AIFP User Manual, it is helpful to disable in MSFS2020 the default AI traffic and use of generic models for Ai purposes. The instructions for doing so are in the AIFP User Manual.

I plan to update this post as further information becomes available.

Some information on MSFS2020's ability to generate parked traffic can be found in the Living World section of the SDK documentation. Open Living World Configuration and scroll to the very bottom. There, you will find a link entitled "examples section". Click that link. You'll be taken to Living World Configuration - Examples and behind the Scene. One of the links near the top of the page is entitled "Parked Aircrafts". That's what you are looking for.
 
Using MSFS I just flew out of KBWI and I converted AIG's 2019 SWA flightplan using ADE and the 4 IVAO FAIB SWA B737-800 paints. I'm sure that the AIG paints would work also but I didn't want to get too complicated with my first test. It worked great. There were about 50 B738 on or around KBWI. They followed the ATC guidance correctly and both taxied, took off and landed without issues.

The only issue I that noted was that the MSFS ATC refers to the registration rather than the flight number, but I believe that point has been made previously about the MSFS AI traffic.

It also seems necessary to edit stock airports with ADE to have parking spots use the correct sizes and airline ICAO codes or else the aircraft park in weird locations.
 
Further to my notes above, it appears Options/General/Traffic/Ground Aircraft Density is the MSFS control that determines how many parking spots get filled automatically, as opposed to the Options/General/Graphics/Use Generic Plane Models (AI Traffic) as indicated in the AIFP User Manual. whether or not to disable default AI traffic is a personal choice.

I have received several positive reports about AIFP's new capability.
 
After Don fixed up an issue for me where AIFP wouldn't start if only MSFS was on the box - i've been compiling flight plans quite successfully in MSFS. The process that copies them to the community folder from within AIFP makes that really easy. Bigger airports look fantastic with real traffic compared to the generics. One problem that appears to exist right now is that the AI Airline quantity slider that exists when offline AI is selected doesn't seem to have any control over the external traffic BGLs. Doesn't matter what you set it too 1% or 100% you get all the traffic from the compiled schedules. This typically leads to a CTD within about 2 mins as all that traffic is really heavy on the machine! Hopefully Asobo will put some time into AI in the near future.
 
James, if that slider serves the same purpose as in FSX, for example, it's purpose is not to limit traffic to a specified percentage of the total. Rather, it is to allow or disallow individual flight plans based in the Activity Level specified in that flight plan. For example, if you set the Activity Level to 20%, then that flight plan will only run (and the associated aircraft will only appear) when the traffic slider is >20%. If your Activity levels are all 1%, all your traffic will always appear if the relevant slider is not hard-left.
 
Just confirming the slider in MSFS does still work the way you describe Don. Was able to get nicely controlled level of traffic using the activity levels and the slider - helping prevent CTD. At the moment it seems if you have anything more than around 50 active AI aircraft CTD is quite likely. One of our team looking at MSFS AI has a monster rig and even they get CTD when you have real world traffic levels at say KLAX.
 
Maybe FSUIPC 7 will eventually implement its traffic limiter, which works in P3d5. Little Navmap presently tracks the AI traffic, so finding and counting individual AI aircraft isn’t a problem. The question is what would happen if an external program deletes an AI aircraft. P3d5 doesn’t care but MSFS might. I tend to doubt it though because it seems like a lot of behavior in MSFS is inherited from FSX.
 
Hopefully something happens in MSFS to improve the stability. I had an offline plan set that add 30 different AI models flying between KLAX and KSAN with no issue at all, completely stable. But then when you introduce bigger plans, but have less active aircraft, say 20 it becomes unstable and crashes. So it seems at the moment that MSFS is very sensitive to the overall traffic quantity in the BGL as opposed to the number of aircraft / models actually visible to the user. Speculating - but thats what i see right now - of course it could be something completely different. But with no real error handling to tell you why it crashes or a log file of any kind in MSFS - hard to know!
 
I have a strange problem with some of my self compiled AI traffic. It seems to be more apparent with large carriers over one of their hubs where you would expect them most. The aircraft almost immediately begin to strafe the airports flying at about 1000ft above the ground from what seems like random directions and at fairly high speeds. They never seem to even attempt to get on an approach path. Strangely I did have one of these aircraft actually manage to land but shortly after touching down he veered left off the runway, ploughed into the terminal building and crashed in a ditch. He didn't disappear as I thought he might, just wallowed about there stuck. MSFS AI traffic is so weird. Somebody needs to have a quiet word with them. BTW I'm using the IVAO traffic set for most of my AI traffic with some MSFS modifications.
 
That's fairly typical. Prior to SU5, the IVAO models paired with offline traffic bgl files worked more or less okay. Since then the AI traffic is completely unpredictable.

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Jay Bloomfield said:
That's fairly typical. Prior to SU5, the IVAO models paired with offline traffic bgl files worked more or less okay. Since then the AI traffic is completely unpredictable.

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OK, thx for clearing that up for me. I guess I'll just have to wait until the AI Traffic is fixed along with everyone else, whenever that might be ...
 
Or try using Alpha India Group's software. It works more or less ok and they keep improving it within the limitations imposed by Adobo on AI traffic.
 
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