Black AI aircraft.

[J G 927]

I use Simstarter NG and have an ongoing issue with black AI aircraft.

 

I am almost sure that the reason for this is that I use Simstarter NG livery manager to remove any liveries I dont want. This effectively removes some installed/default from the FSX aircraft selection screen as I have disabled all of their liveries. I think that FSX is looking at the installed and default aircraft for AI colours and not finding them as they are effectively taken out of FSX.

 

To overcome this there seems to be several actions I could take:

 

• Un-hide all installed aircraft in the secure knowledge that all will be well. (Not ideal as there will be lots of redundant aircraft and liveries to wade through to find the one I want)
• Un-hide at least one of each installed aircraft in the hope that the IA will pickup that one livery. (Not ideal as there will still be many redundant aircraft to wade through to find the one I want)
• Install a traffic program in the hope that it will fulfill all AI requirements and prevent FSX from attempting to use data from installed aircraft. (Unsure that the program will exclude installed real aircraft)
• Find a way of exposing hidden aircraft to FSX's AI generation processes. (This may involve moving/copying files in the guts of FSX and still not guarantee the exclusion of live aircraft).
• Find another way of solving this issue that someone who sees this may know of. (if I am lucky!!)

 

Any advise or suggestions would be very helpful

 

JG. 

 

 

[Andrew Godden 934]

JG,

 

As to your possible actions:

1. un-hiding all will not work as the AI aircraft used are defined in the FSX AI traffic file and FSX will continue to look for them.
2. un-hiding at least one will not work either for the exact same reason above.
3. a 3rd party traffic add-on may not stop default FSX AI without some intervention, though Ultimate Traffic 2 does give you the ability to edit AI traffic including removing default FSX AI.
4. exposing hidden AI to FSX's AI generation process can only be done by editing the AI traffic files.
5. you are lucky, but you need to adopt Option 3 and put your hand in your pocket, unless you want to get into some extensive AI traffic file editing.

End of advice and suggestions.

 

Cheers

Andrew

[J G 927]

I think I have found a work around. Time lurking around busy airports will test it.

 

I dug out and installed my copy of JF's Traffic 360.  There is a tool that you can use to manage all of the AI aircraft that the program detects.  One of its features it to allow a start and end date for the aircraft's availability as traffic.  This is to allow you to set the date to say 1940 and step into your favorite Spitfire and not have to wait for a 747 to take off before you as you head off to deal with the beastly Hun.   

 

Found in the list of AI aircraft are all of the installed default and add-on aircraft you can fly in FSX.  The default and add-on aircraft have both the start year and end year set to blank which means whenever you fly they will be available. I have set both the start and end dates of the aircraft I have hidden in Simstarter to 1900, so unless I change the date to a day in 1900 then I shouldnt get AI traffic with no textures.  Job done  ....I hope!

[Andrew Godden 934]

Well, I guess that fits under Option 3...you just didn't mention you already owned Traffic 360, but I'll thank me for the advice anyway.

[J G 927]

When you have finished thanking yourself Andrew, add some thanks from me as well . 

 

Unfortunately my solution didnt work. It seems that Traffic 360 allows you to change the start and end years but despite promises in the manual, it dosent save them.  .  

 

Not even if you run the thing as admin.