I'm close to make a decision about getting UT2 but just wanted to ask if any of the issues listed in this thread were addressed with SP1? I am currently using WOAI only, should I expect nicer models from UT2 on top of all the cool other features? Should I pretty much get rid of all the commercial and GA traffic from WOAI keeping Military traffic only? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Well you gonna get both answers. For me SP1 removed all performance issues, mailny cos I never really suffered the pauses that others report. I can only report that for me (with a nice fresh new machine and install) UT2 was always great.The issue of traffic re-insertion still remains and I believe always will remain. Again, with the sequencing of how i start up my flights this is not an issue to me but you would need to bear it in mind. Not all menu options trigger this behaviour (views are ok for example) but going to the map, weather, payload etc screens will. For me, this is simply a non-issue.One negative of SP1 was that I believe they tuned down the traffic density a notch. Now since I got great performance before, perhaps they will allow this density to tune up once the code base (largely new) has settled down.They are also starting to provide tools to allow the import and creation of UT2 style traffic from more traditional BGL type traffic. This will help close off the biggest failing for me, GA traffic could be more dense (though there is quite a lot, rarely visit anywhere without something going on) and of course no cargo or military movements.Finally, one remaining issue and one that I think contributes to a lot of peoples misunderstanding of the package, UT2 only generates static aircraft that have flown recently or are due to fly soon. This can lead to some airports that you might expect to be chokka with aircraft at the gate to look a little sparse, though I guess it helps frame rate. I run all UT2 sliders to max, in all honsetly pegged at 25fps I rarely see dips, especially as you can now tune down the distance at which AI is generated and also what height you will see AI from when they on the ground.OK, ended up longer than I thought, but it seems to me the AI traffic programs are still in religious war ferour status (like graphics add-ons used to be) so read all posts with that in mind.Having bought and tried all the solutions, FOR ME with the flying I DO on MY SYSTEM UT2 is the best solutionLet the games begin......Ian

Thanks for the input, I really appreciate it.

Yeah since they got the latest SP done I haven't looked back. I love it and is the best AI package I have used yet. I run it at 100% into large hubs and dont even see much performance hit since they updated some of the models. Plus I love the fact that I can "clear approach" with one key stroke if I am about to run over or get run over by another plane while landing. I have yet to notice a lack of AI that some have reported. One reason that some may have that issue is because UT2 doesn't have every paint for 100% of the airliners, so for the small percent they are missing they have a generic repaint. Depending on where you are flying if the airport contains one of those with a defauilt paint and you have default paints turned off to display, then you could see less traffic. What I have done is used their UI to list the airliners missing paints, then simply assigned those to WOAI models that had the paint I needed. Now, I have very little in the way of airliners missing paints. I have posted some screen shots of KATL and KORD in the past few weeks with 100% AI showing and you can see there is a lot of traffic, and it is on realworld schedules, if that is important to you.

So I understand AISmooth is no longer needed when running UT2?Where could I see these shots?

So I understand AISmooth is no longer needed when running UT2?Where could I see these shots?

Well, you could use it if you wanted to, however I dont. It's rare that I need to clear the approach, but sometimes at really busy hubs like JFK or ORD, I will occasionally need to clear the approach if I am being over taken. Either method would work though. If you clear the appraoch, the a/c that disappeared will reappear and be reinjected for its next flight whenever that maybe.You can see the shots in the screen shot forum. They aren't exclusively AI shots, but you can see some of them in the shots.

I came across this when searching for something else, but being someone who bought UT2 on DVD and then sold it on again almost right away, I'll add my thoughts.There is a delay when traffic is injected. I can't say I noticed that while flying, but whilst on the ground, it is odd to see the airport empty for a period and have your system slow right down and AI suddenly appear all around you.What I couldn't put up with though is that this refreshes every time you go out of your cockpit view, even if it's to an FSX window to load a flightplan or something. Others have said that but what they haven't said is that it doesn't put the AI back in the same place. So you can be sitting at your stand looking at a British Airways 777 next to you, load a flightplan and now it's a South African 747. Watch a plane taxi past your cockpit window, change your view and it's gone.Can't speak about Traffic X but UT2 wasn't for me I'm afraid.

I have the same problem with the AI refreshing. I really have tried to use and enjoy UT2 for the past month but its not working out.

Meh, the refreshing doesn't bother me at all, plus with my solid state drives, it takes about 2 seconds for the refresh to complete.

I have the same problem with the AI refreshing. I really have tried to use and enjoy UT2 for the past month but its not working out.

Well I can echo the experiences of the two guys above. My biggest bug, though, was the lack of commercial aircraft at the large airfields/airports around Seattle, and the lack of GA anywhere. Using Google Earth over Renton, for e.g. - there are dozens of aircraft, large and small. With UT2 there were six at the most, and one or no GA at any of the smaller fields. I tried most all of the fixes available at the time, but UT2 was fairly new (it included sp1, i think) I could see no quick resolution for these problems, so I went to MyTrafficX 5.2b - and boom - every field was covered with aircraft, with a super-easy "MTX Communicator" web interface. Basically - it's fire and forget. I'm not interested in "accurate" timetables, etc., - I want the atmosphere, although MTX supposedly uses r/w timetables: there are lots of UPS/Fedex and other cargo carriers, too - plus loads of GA and a good smattering of military aircraft at any field you visit.

After reading this thread I feel that I must have gotten the pick of litter when I bought my copy and applied the final version of SP1 to it.I can access the menus, change views, load a flight plan, etc. and the traffic still remains the same and doesn't refresh. The only time mine will refresh is if I change the time, which of course it to be expected. After the last service pack it solved my problems with the injection pauses as well, which I admit were pretty bad in the first version.I have found that the lack of airliners is sometimes caused by some missing paints, which after I filled those in with some WOAI models and paints fixed that problem, and also the lack of parking spaces for some airports which I fixed by using some of Ray Smith's ADEs. Flight1 also released an updated traffic database in March that has increased the amount of GA considerably.

I bought it, installed it and couldn't be happier.

I bought it, installed it and couldn't be happier.

Yeah, it is sweet, especially with correct AFCAD parking assignments. I love seeing the aircraft parked at their proper gates. Also, my UT2 AI still shows up when I am on VATSIM with FSInn , which is really cool.

How are traffic levels outside of North America and Europe. Is there a lot of traffic in Asia?

One feature I like about UT2 is the flight routing. If you plan and fly a route using High (or low) altitude airways you will meet many ai aircraft flying in the sky with you. I was flying in the USA the other day in my ES Citation II and a 737 that was on the same route came from behind and above me (about 1 mile separation). It overtook me of course but I was observing that aircraft and its vapour trail for about 10 minutes. It is nice to turn on ai labels and read the AI aircraft routes as thet pass over you or to one side. I found that the South West USA is a happy hunting ground for many vapour trails visible at the same time.