World Traffic - Classic Jet simulations

[anthony_d 32]

I just tried the evaluation copy here:

http://www.classicjetsims.com/WorldTraffic/

Overall I'm very impressed by what they've made here.  Compared to the AI you get for fsx, there's a lot of extra features.  Engine startup and shutdown sounds, and a whole host of AI traffic features (including approach seaparation) make it superior in many ways to the framework offered in fsx.  There's some few missing features here and there (including the ability to add daily / weekly itineraries for each aircraft), but overall the framework for creating AI traffic looks pretty robust.

So why am I hesitating with buying this?

One answer:  There's no living, breathing ecosystem to go with it, and there will probably never be one.   No world-of-ai,  No ai aardvark, no chance of setting up any such hobby websites for x-plane.

This paragraph right here in the manual will kill off a living, breathing world of AI Traffic.
 

If you want to create your own aircraft for World Traffic, you will have to e-mail me for a key which is entered in the aircraft definition file. I have paid Aircraft3D to make several payware aircraft packages so I need to cover these costs first...............................If users wish to make payware or freeware aircraft for World Traffic, this is not a problem if the aircraft are not on our list.

So if an author wants to make many variants of the B737 (as is the case on ai aardvark - for free), such as the B737-200 they can't.  Because a one-size-fits-all B737 is being developed by a third party developer already, who wants a cornered (and probably very small) market.

Without that freedom, we're not going to see this promising add-on take off.  Until it does, I think my money will be best spent elsewhere.  A shame.

[deetee 164]

Yep nice tool but just a tool, no AI planes or world traffic out of the box.

Hopefully he will team up with Burk (MyTrafficX) or someone who can supply the rest, especially if one will be able to convert FSX flight plan BGLs.

[anthony_d 32]

If someone can:

a.  Convert fsx ai models and repaints to x-plane

b.  Re-map Ttools flightplans and aircraft lists to x-plane

 

Then we we'll have a winner on our hands.  There's been a lot of hard work put into the ai-traffic fsx community.  The ability to avoid a duplication of effort would be very beneficial.

 

However I think for now that's just wishful thinking.  However reading the The CJS forum, it seems like the author is very receptive to new ideas, so there may be some hope in the future.

[starflight 8]

So if an author wants to make many variants of the B737 (as is the case on ai aardvark - for free), such as the B737-200 they can't.  Because a one-size-fits-all B737 is being developed by a third party developer already, who wants a cornered (and probably very small) market.

 

That's an interesting point I hadn't thought of. Have you written the developer with this concern? Maybe the 3rd-party 737s will ship with all or most of the variants already (would certainly explain why it's taking so long for even the first add-on plane package to materialize).

 

Or, this is something that just hadn't crossed his mind before. I was surprised at a couple of things he hadn't thought about, but once discussed he added to his to-do list. The developer focused a fair bit on the military side of things, so it's possible (if unlikely) that it slipped his mind that that visual differences in civilian plane variants can be much more pronounced.

[starflight 8]

I asked the developer on the org and the response was:

Here's a couple of screenshots of the planes Aircraft3D is building. I'm not sure what type of 737 that is:

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=60922&page=2#entry670880

 

I think Aircraft3D will make some more planes in future add-ons but others are free to add other 737 types.

 

 

The post has a picture of a 737 and an A320.

 

The 737 has winglets, so looking at the diagrams on Wikipedia, it's a 700, 800 or 900 model. The very next comment after the images were posted said it was a 737-800, and based on the spacing between wings and tail I'd agree with that.

 

(Edited to change 747 to 737)

[starflight 8]

More from the developer: "The next post as you mentioned does indeed list it as a 737-800.  Anyone else can build any other variant.  I've only paid for that one.  And don't be afraid to ask.  I'm not going to be a tyrant about this as I want lots of different planes with all the various types available."

 

So our concerns about variants should be put to rest, potential aircraft modellers should just check with the developer first.

[Woogey 0]

Well it appears that FS9 stuff converts much better than FSX stuff.  Can we hope for a Partnership with Military AI Works? (MAIW)  If an agreement can be reached, I will get to work on converting the Scenery.  Someone with more knowledge with have to convert the Aircraft.  MAIW is a worldwide consortium of Freeware developers with great Military models..... 

[Colonel X 1,430]

World Traffic was dead on arrival. What a useless piece of software, sorry.

[razalom 19]

I saw over at the .org that this has had a recent update. Does anyone use this at all and if so what is it like? I find x-plane so empty without AI stuff around.

[charleslee201 19]

I saw over at the .org that this has had a recent update. Does anyone use this at all and if so what is it like? I find x-plane so empty without AI stuff around.

ITS a great plugin you have to make your ground route at your airports , its a bit of work and there's some you can download , onces its all setup Its awesome its really not like fsx or p3d , you can see the traffic in the distance ...

 

Chopinet is doing a automated ground route editor , this plugin has a great future

[marty2756 65]

I'm using it always ... and there is not turning back.

Having major airports filled with intensive traffic is not possible with default AI because of FPS and 20 AI limit.

 

By the way.. last updates removed the need for keys for user added aircrafts.

[saed45 38]

I'm using it always ... and there is not turning back.

Having major airports filled with intensive traffic is not possible with default AI because of FPS and 20 AI limit.

 

By the way.. last updates removed the need for keys for user added aircrafts.

 

are there a lot of planes from different airliners and a lot of planes? how are the quality of said planes?

[RocketDuck 7]

It's a lot of work setting it all up, but it adds so much to the otherwise empty XP airports.

Definitely worth the money.

[marty2756 65]

are there a lot of planes from different airliners and a lot of planes? how are the quality of said planes?

Yes lots of them.

Well quality its a little subjective, but is ok for me.

You can download most of the airbuses, boeings from the org. There is a separete category for it.

[razalom 19]

OK so if I am reading the above correctly you need to actually set up the flights yourself within the program?