I want everything AI. Is it better to roll your own using freeware and freeware tools, or better to buy Ultimate Traffic?

 

It is far far better to make your own - if you have the time for it. I use a combo of WOAI and AIG + AIFPv2.

 

If it hadn't been for the many legal hurdles imposed by the makers of AI models and repaints we could have had a superb package for everyone that would have taken less than a minute to install and would have surpassed any payware offering in terms of realism and quality.

I will check them out, thanks.

 

 

I want everything AI. Is it better to roll your own using freeware and freeware tools, or better to buy Ultimate Traffic?

 

A lot of your question depends on how much time and energy you want to put forth. If you have the time to create your own by downloading all the models, paints, schedules, then compiling all of it you're in good shape. Plus you need to have a good understanding of how to do all of that.

 

Of course you can always use freeware stuff as well like the excellent WOAI packages that come with an installer, then you can proceed to build your own stuff for packages and airlines that they dont provide.

 

Prior to their being any payware packages for FSX, I used WOAI exclusively and built my own stuff to fill in what they were lacking. However, these days I am using UT2 as a base package for a few different reasons, and then for airlines it doesn't come with or for paints its missing, I fill it in with WOAI or my own creations.

Really there is no right or wrong way to go about AI. Its really up to the user, his or her abilities, and how much time you want to spend setting it up. I can warn you though, creating your own AI packages can be addictive. There was a spell I went through years ago when I just had to make sure every airport I flew to had the exact real airlines flying there in FSX as they did in real life. I spent weeks hunting down flight plans, paints and models for a lot of airlines and putting it all together. I got to the point I was spending more time making AI and watching it that I was actually flying.

 

Good luck whatever you decide to do. 

Yeah, it seems a lot more work than I initially expected. There seems to be a great AI package from Just Flight.

Yeah, it seems a lot more work than I initially expected. There seems to be a great AI package from Just Flight.

I wouldn't get that one, unless you just want something to occupy your airports and don't care about realistic routes and good looking AI models. Go with WOAI- it's free and you can download airlines individually based on where you fly. 

I wouldn't get that one, unless you just want something to occupy your airports and don't care about realistic routes and good looking AI models. Go with WOAI- it's free and you can download airlines individually based on where you fly. 

Is the Just Flight traffic that bad? I was starting to lean toward the commercial route.

 

 

Is the Just Flight traffic that bad?

 

This is what you need

http://secure.simmarket.com/mytraffic-x-professional-5.4-b.phtml

put your hand in your pocket and buy Ut2 and the summer fall 2013 its fantasic. then pm me and ill talk you through how to add extra schedules to compliment it. the only people who dont like ut2 are people who dont add and tweak the schedules

 If you do look towards My Traffic X be sure to have a good look at as many screenshots or videos as you can to assess if the quality of the models and repaints and if they suit your needs. Personally I wouldn't use it if it was free.

 

 

 If you do look towards My Traffic X be sure to have a good look at as many screenshots or videos as you can to assess if the quality of the models and repaints and if they suit your needs. Personally I wouldn't use it if it was free.

 

I agree, while its a nice package and includes a lot of planes, flights and paints, if you look at the models and paints in detail it more like quantity over quality. Personally I like UT2 plus it comes with a 30 day money back guarantee, so if you try it and dont like it you can get a refund. The other payware AI packs dont offer that, so I would try it first before you spend money you cant get back.

There seems to be a great AI package from Just Flight.

I agree with the others on that package, it's most likely the worst of the available commercial packages.

 

 

 

I agree, while its a nice package and includes a lot of planes, flights and paints, if you look at the models and paints in detail it more like quantity over quality.

I'd like to say that this is not necesarily true. I have paid attention to the quality of the aircraft models, and I have to say that the most common planes (B737, A32x) look pretty nice - in fact I am pretty sure that all commercial packages actually have the same source at least for some AI models. As for the less common aircraft, they do look bad in MTX, but IIRC there have been complaints about this same issue in UT2 as well.

The 30 day money back guarantee is an argument for UT2, though, if you're just getting into this hobby.

 

For further information of this subject, may I provide the following links (which may also contain some further links):

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/409236-best-ai-traffic-solution/,

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/412793-which-ai-traffic-package/

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/398880-ultimate-traffic-2-my-traffic-x-trafficx-whats-your-favorite/

 

Be aware that ther simply is no "best" solution - it all depends very much upon what you want. I for one used MTX for a long time, but since my reinstall I only do GA tours within the Eastern part of Austria, hence I don't actually need AI at all, there's enough to keep me occupied already.

 Sorry Florian, but the most common planes, ie any of the Airbus or Boeing in MTX look rather poor in comparison to the AIA, DJC and TFS models used in UT2. Add in the newer freeware FAIB 737's and smaller Airbuses and the MTX models are simply put to shame.

 

 

Sorry Florian, but the most common planes, ie any of the Airbus or Boeing in MTX look rather poor in comparison to the AIA, DJC and TFS models used in UT2.

No need to say sorry, Dave - you're as much entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. I have taken quite a close look at the MTX models (which do look quite good to me, although I wouldn't like to have them as user aircraft, I guess), but I can't recall how the UT2 models look (but the product screeshots look just as good as the MTX models to me). If someone could show me some comparison shots, I shall stand corrected, though.

Anyway, I would always prefer AI models of lower visual quality over such with high details, if there is a significant preformance difference, which was true for me.

MyTrafficX Pro has great variety, but the models are mostly FS2002 standard, and many repaints are bad and outdated.