PAI AI..Can't get it working

[Guest lcseds]

I'm trying to install PAI AI and I'm getting nowhere. I have FS9 installed and updated. I have ADS Roads/Rails installed. And that's it. It's a pretty clean install of FS for the moment.Anyway, I renamed the traffic BGL file to "old". I ran the PAI installer V2.5. I ran the stock AI removal programs for GA and Comm. Then loaded the PAI AI for both. Everything churned along to completion without error. I see the PAI BGL in the scenery folder. It's 14,618k. Slightly larger than the BGL from the stock file. So everything looks in order, but all I get is FS9 AI on the ground. Checked at O'Hare, Seattle, etc. Same planes.What am I doing wrong with such a simple program? And even if something went wrong, shouldn't I see no planes instead of the FS9 planes since I renamed the BGL to something FS9 shouldn't recognize?'Bout ready to buy UT, but I only want some eye candy, not "real" flight plans. And obviously, I need something easy!:-hmmm

[Guest Charlie Hall]

I can't think why you are still getting stock AI planes other than that you must still have another traffic BGL file somewhere. As for PAI, I installed everything a few weeks ago just as you have done. There were no planes at airports I looked at where there should have been many. Not giving up easily, I eventually found that many of the PAI planes' aircraft.cfg files need some changes in order to work. There are two things you need to check in every cfg for every plane which will take you a while to do but it is worth it. Open each one and look at the entries for each livery near the end of the file. The first listed one (often referenced to .XX) will have a message about removing the comments before use. Just put a double slash // before each comment where they are not already seen. Also check the airfile reference for each livery. Some point to the wrong airfile name. Look at the airfile names in each planes' folder to check the proper names. I found most that were wrong needed changing from V5 to V6 (there was no airfile V5 in most but one or two planes had both as far as I remember, in those cases leave unchanged). There are also a few dummy airfiles that have no contents. Check the file size to identify them and ignore them. I have no idea of their purpose but I just left them alone and did not delete them. If you go through every plane and every livery carefully you should then see all the PAI planes. I am very pleased with my PAI set up and I am in no way complaining. The extra work is worth it considering there is no cost involved except a little time.

[Guest yarvelling]

I know that PAI have updated a lot of their models recently, so I'm not trying to discount what you are saying, but I have, and keep updating, all the PAI packages, and have never had to fiddle about with the config files to make the aircraft appear. The packages have always worked flawlessly!To the original poster: As for the default AI still apearing..when you renamed the Traffic.bgl, what did you change? If you just renamed it to something like 'Traffic_old.bgl', then that will not work...you need to change the .bgl part....FS9 will read ANY type of .bgl file and use it if it can! If you want to kill the default AI traffic, you need to rename the .bgl portion to something like '.lgb', or even just delete it!Note: the default traffic bgl has a long number in the name; 'Traffic537654.bgl', or something like that....the PAI will be just called 'Traffic.bgl', or 'Traffic_PAI.bgl'. The one to amend or delete is the one with the long number!! If you only have the one default traffic file in you scenery/world/scenery folder, then you are sending the PAI traffic to the wrong folder and so it can never appear...make sure that your installation path is correct!Hope this helps....

[Guest Charlie Hall]

Well, I'm wondering if I caught a changeover period. I think it was early December 2004 when I installed everything and all the downloads were done on the same day. I noticed that some planes were OK but many of the Boeings were not. Perhaps when I update it won't happen again.

[tgibson 11]

Hi,You must install PAI files in this order:1. PAI Installer2. PAI Airline Packages3. PAI Aircraft and Flight Models (optional, not really needed).If you install #3 before #2 you will get incorrect aircraft.cfg files.Hope this helps,--Tom GibsonCal Classic Propliner Page: http://www.calclassic.comFreeflight Design Shop: http://www.freeflightdesign.comDrop by! ___x_x_(")_x_x___

[Guest Charlie Hall]

Thanks Tom! So the aircraft files are already included with the airline files? If so, could you please explain why the aircraft files are even available if not needed?

[Guest yarvelling]

The aircraft are available seperately in order that you can do your own repaints and flight-plans that are not covered yet by the packages...I have populated a few military bases in this way with KC-135's, KC-10's and L1011's, and also used it to create a fleet of FedEx aircraft.

[Guest Charlie Hall]

Thanks very much for the information. But something I don't understand yet, why am I seemingly ignorant of all this new (to me) information, might I have missed something on the PAI site? Or is it only by visiting their forum that these answers become clear?

[Guest lcseds]

Hey, my thread! :-lol The Commercial package and GA package downloaded from PAI do have aircraft with them correct? I haven't downloaded any planes or paints, just the PAI installer, commerical and GA packages.

[GHarrall 494]

The commercial and GA packages are uninstallers, ie they remove FS9 default AI in a "non clean installation" or reinstalls the default AI if you choose the installer from the special packages page.If you have a clean install of FS9, then all you need to do is rename the traffic.bgl to something like traffic.bgl.xx where xx is whatever you want it to be.Then you go to this page:http://www.projectai.com/packages/installers.phpGO TO THE 'AIRLINES' SECTION FOR THE PACKAGES.DO NOT USE THE FS2004 SPECIAL PACKAGES ON THE INSTALLER PAGE - These are not for installing the airlines, they are there to simply reinstall the default AI if you wish to. Not sure why you would though....THE ONLY FILE YOU NEED FROM THE PAI INSTALLER PAGE IS THE PAI INSTALLER V2.5 - HERE - http://www.projectai.com/packages/installer.phpdowload as many airline pacakages as you want from the AIRLINES (and CARGO if you wish) page, unzip them and install using the PAI installer program.It sounds like all you have done so far is try to run the uninstaller program for the default AI and then installer program from 'SPECIAL PACKAGES' to reinstall the default AI.Also, there is nothing else to download other than the .pai packages from the above page. All flightplans, models etc are installed at the same time from within the package.Hope this helps,Glenn

[GHarrall 494]

Ok, my last answer got messy - do it in these steps:Rename traffic030528.bgl to something like .lgb or similar. This will disable the default FS9 AIDownload the PAI installer v2.5 from this page:http://www.projectai.com/packages/installer.phpNow download as many airlines or cargo carriers as you wish from these pages.http://www.projectai.com/packages/installers.phphttp://www.projectai.com/packages/cargo.phpSimply unzip the .pai files from the above downloads to a location of your choosing.Run the pai installer v2.5 program.Select all of the .pai packages (from your above location) and press 'open'The install process will now begin. When the installer has finsished, boot up FS9 and away you go.The only thing left to do is get AFCAD to add more gates to the default aiports so you can 'see' more of the 1000's of flights you have installed, but thats a whole different tutorial......Hope this helps.Glenn

[n4gix 4,947]

You don't even need to "unzip" the aircraft. When you install the "installer," the file extension of the a/c packages is tied to the PAI Installer.Doubleclick on the a/c .zip file, then doublelick on the xxx.pai file...The Installer will run and install the a/c for you! :)

[Guest lcseds]

Thanks alot folks! That makes sense as to why I renamed my original bgl file to something different then had original AI reloaded again. PAI was installing the original AI back for me.I was missing one critical item......planes!Now I have to wait to get back to work to download, my 26k modem connection at home won't cut it.Thanks for helping out a AI noob here.