Are TTools and AFCAD Still The Best Way?

[Guest 727Fan]

With regard to FS9, are Traffic Tools and AFCAD still usable to manipulate airport parking and AI flight plans?I ask that because I read somewhere that Lee Swordy, the author of this software, was reluctant to update his originals from FS2K2. His reluctance was TTools became a bit unstable in FS9 and could cause CTDs.So what would anyone suggest? Have you all been satisfied that TTools and AFCAD use in FS9 hasn't destablized the traffic .bgl and caused CTDs???If it has, then what would you recommend?Thanks. Trying to track down the reason I had a CTD in New Mexico.Rick in MKE ( 3rd blizzard of the winter goin' on right now!)

[Jim Robinson 122]

I think his reluctance may be in making an FSX compatible version, there are no FS9 CTD issues with Traffic Tools compiled .bgls that I am aware of. Most if not all AI traffic manipulation apps use Traffic Tools to ultimately compile their flight plans anyway.Both AFCAD and Traffic Tools have always worked flawlessly for me.Jim

[RFields5421 1]

TTools is very much an FS2002 product with a couple tweaks to make it work in FS2004.Lee created Traffic Tools and made the source code public so that the community could take on the task of finding and cleaning up the areas where the files were not fully compliant with FS2002. He said that he reluctantly updated it to FS2004 because no one had taken up the challenge.But that he was through with Traffic Tools after the summer of 2003.AFCAD for FS2004 is very non-compliant with FS2004 standards. It is also exceptionally stable and reliable. It is non-complaint because Lee did all his work months before MS released the SDK.There are several inherent problems with AFCAD2, but those are how it handles, or fails to handle code and linked elements between the various files which hold airport data.I've never know well done AFCAD files to cause a CTD. But there are many things which AFCAD will compile which are fundamental errors and will cause CTD.To rule them out, I'd recommend you temporarily move all the AI aircraft, traffic files and AFCAD files out of FS.Fly the flight. If you do not have a CTD, start adding stuff slowly.In my experience, corrupt AI aircraft textures are much more likely to cause a CTD than a traffic file. AFCAD files can be culprits, but the texture is where I'd start looking.