As a relative newcomer to this forum you are welcome to your opinions but as you can see there are some of us who think otherwise to you.
I do apologize if my post was intended as an argument, by any means, I had no such intention!
Yes I am new to this forum, but I am not new to using ADE to modify airports for a better AI management, and I always encountered plenty of nonsense stuff hardly-coded by FS9/FSX/P3D that made airport developing quite challenging.
That is why I am thinking MS/LM has never dedicated much time for AI development (opinions by other simmers and developers on P3D forums seem to agree with mine).
If I am not wrong, the only changes in the ATC/AI engine were from FS2002 to FS2004 (introduction of AI pushback and "line up and wait" for departures), and from FS2004 to FSX (introduction of QNH difference from hPa to mmHg).
It is not me thinking they are not using layering for taxiway, as it is in the SDK, it is clear that the parameter is there and might have a function.
I am not even thinking you are wrong when saying that layering affects AI ground behavior, it most probably does.
I was simply considering that it is unlikely that the sim developer did extensive testing of this function (the default AI traffic is not dense enough to cause congestion even at big airports).
So far, I understand that multiple taxiway layer will somehow reduce the annoying ATC telling "hold position, caution XXX on taxiway" with no apparent reason, am I right?
I am really interested in this new possible feature, but we definitely need more evidence to consider this a usable and solid function.
What I always try to do is to keep my approach to any problem the most scientific possible.
I will try to modify some long taxiways I have in my airports to see if this affects AI ground behavior. I expect this, as tgibson said, not to be a straightforward work.
I think there are multiple parameters to consider when talking about taxiway layer:
- Does layer/UP vs layer/DOWN changes something in the way ATC will process AI routing?
- Does ARRIVING vs DEPARTING AI traffic changes when considering taxiway layer it is taxying on?
- Can taxiway layer be used to force specific routing, or the ATC will calculate the shortest way (which is annoying since planes might be routed via aprons, avoiding main taxiways)
If this can be further developed, I think it would be an excellent idea to make layers visible in ADE.
I am looking forward for discussion of this feature.
Bye!