Freeware AI installer app from AIG

[Christopher Low 5,332]

That is why I am reluctant to start paying for those FSPX AI models at SimMarket. There are perfectly good freeware models available (that have green starboard navigation lights rather than blue ones)

Edited November 19, 2018 by Christopher Low

[F737MAX 5,542]

2 hours ago, jabloomf1230 said:

I am a firm believer that AI is the one area in flightsimming that doesn't lend itself to being payware. Real world routes and liveries just change too frequently and such an add-on is better handled by a large, dedicated freeware community like AIG. Eventually, every developer of a commercial AI package has fallen behind and has given up. 

While it's very evident that payware cannot keep up with the latest real world airline developments, payware AI packages have their place. I no longer have the ability to spend a week solid on downloading various models, liveries and timetables to compile in to traffic.bgls to get decent worldwide traffic coverage, and I imagine there's a significant number of others in the same position. Therefore 'plug and play' payware AI is very beneficial in spite of its flaws.

I'm hugely indebted to people kindly giving their time and patience to producing AI2UTL / AIG AI Manager / other workarounds in UTL, so that I can fly with relatively up-to-date liveries and schedules. I cannot go back to AIFP compiling or I wouldn't be able to fly in over a month!

[Skywolf 992]

11 minutes ago, F737NG said:

While it's very evident that payware cannot keep up with the latest real world airline developments, payware AI packages have their place. I no longer have the ability to spend a week solid on downloading various models, liveries and timetables to compile in to traffic.bgls to get decent worldwide traffic coverage, and I imagine there's a significant number of others in the same position. Therefore 'plug and play' payware AI is very beneficial in spite of its flaws.

I'm hugely indebted to people kindly giving their time and patience to producing AI2UTL / AIG AI Manager / other workarounds in UTL, so that I can fly with relatively up-to-date liveries and schedules. I cannot go back to AIFP compiling or I wouldn't be able to fly in over a month!

Totally agree with Plug & Play Payware.  I absolutely hate fidelity with settings and what not.  I need plug & play, my time is very valuable and tweaking things is almost 100% waste of time.

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

17 minutes ago, Christopher Low said:

That is why I am reluctant to start paying for those FSPX AI models at SimMarket. There are perfectly good freeware models available (that have green starboard navigation lights rather than blue ones)

Unlike schedules and paints, real world models don't change that quickly. They probably evolve more slowly than do real world airports.

[Drumcode 1,892]

On 11/16/2018 at 9:38 AM, Flic1 said:

I am close to ditching UT Live and going back to using AIFP.  

Same here. I was doing a lot of AI work within the last week or so mapping UTL to not existing repaints in the package and was randomly checking the amount of destinations in the AIG plans versus UTL and the validity of UTL plans is way below my expectations with the current AIG plans.

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

16 minutes ago, F737NG said:

I cannot go back to AIFP compiling or I wouldn't be able to fly in over a month!

But that's the point of developing the one click AI Manager. No one likes to spend time hunting down and installing all those schedules and paints. Right now, the utility is not available, so we will have to wait. 

[bosflo 53]

I also got rid of of all my payware AI packages and started from scratch. It think I have all of them but none have fulfilled their promises. I spent so much money only to use free stuff but it comes with the territory..You can get the models you want and change out the liveries when a super cool one comes out and you have total control over what you see. It is a little bit of work and at times I wanted to toss my computer off the roof but in the long run it works out. I have found a great face book group that has made it much more stress free. 

[Flic1 972]

1 hour ago, bosflo said:

I also got rid of of all my payware AI packages and started from scratch. It think I have all of them but none have fulfilled their promises. I spent so much money only to use free stuff but it comes with the territory..You can get the models you want and change out the liveries when a super cool one comes out and you have total control over what you see. It is a little bit of work and at times I wanted to toss my computer off the roof but in the long run it works out. I have found a great face book group that has made it much more stress free. 

I just went back to AIFP from UTLive this past weekend.  I actually somewhat enjoy messing with AI and even created/uploaded several airline schedules way back in 2002!  UTLIve is still pretty good and would recommend it for a plug and play solution but I have always enjoyed having more control over it.  I may change my mind again in a year...we'll see....😄

Edited November 20, 2018 by Flic1

[duckbilled 310]

I'm really looking forward to this. To be usable, this tool will need to prevent installation of models that are not compatible with V4.

BTW, I have been using some version of Ultimate Traffic since the program was in public beta (2003). Of course, things need to get updated faster than UT releases schedules, so I have always had a mix of UT and other traffic. There is no need to uninstall UTL to use BGL traffic. Just deactivate the airlines in UTL that you no longer need.

 

[Drumcode 1,892]

For anyone who recently ditched UTL for AIG. Did you notice an increased amount of traffic apart from altitudes being proper? Are there any disadvantages of going full bgl traffic?

[Dave_YVR 968]

  The huge one is that BGL traffic flies only from point A to B vs UTL flying on actual routes. Keep in mind however that those "routes" are most often nothing more than what you would get when using the default FSX/P3d flightplanner routes. This being said, they have improved drastically over the past few years and WAY MORESO from UT2 (those routes were a complete rubbish compared to what UTL includes).

 Opposite to Drumcodes question, however, is a big disadvantage that UTL has over BGL. This being that UTL really doesn't have any idea that A/C 1 arriving in 15 mins will then turn around 45-90 mins later on its next leg. So what it then often does is spawn another aircraft at the gate for its next departure resulting in more dormant traffic that you would see with BGL traffic.

 BGL traffic, err let me correct that. Well optimized BGL traffic (namely AIG as MyT6, and TG are not optimized at all) is based on real and actual airline fleet numbers and fits the airlines schedule based on the number of aircraft in its fleet. No, it's not perfect, but it's the best that is currently available by far. ADS-B traffic options are awesome, but there are still many areas and entire regions without coverage at all, let alone down in the lower altitudes in areas with higher terrain or no with ground coverage.

 just my 2 cents

[JoeFackel 760]

1 hour ago, Dave_YVR said:

This being that UTL really doesn't have any idea that A/C 1 arriving in 15 mins will then turn around 45-90 mins later on its next leg. So what it then often does is spawn another aircraft at the gate for its next departure resulting in more dormant traffic that you would see with BGL traffic.

I must say that happens not so often as i thought. I lately installed the Napoli add-on and checked the AI traffic, not one AI plane was spawned in advance, only the traffic that was to leave in a few minutes. All others arrived and left 30 mins. later for their next leg.

I see aircraft spawning mostly on huge hubs like EDDF or EGLL, at the moment i don't have a clue what could be the precondition to let an AI spawn instead of waiting for the arrival of the plane.

I'm curious about this AIG tool, if i can use this just to organize the GA traffic (commercial traffic i would still prefer by UTL) than it would be a really cool add-on to my install.

Edited November 20, 2018 by JoeFackel

[Christopher Low 5,332]

My experience with Ultimate Traffic 2 suggested that the AI planes behaved better at startup than the BGL driven planes. You know, that weird first 15 minutes or more where some AI planes dive down from altitude like Stukas, or land short of the runway threshold. I have even seen the odd one land in a field somewhere close to the airport and......well......kinda not do much else Daft stuff that should have been corrected a LONG time ago.

Edited November 20, 2018 by Christopher Low

[honanhal 1,420]

5 hours ago, Dave_YVR said:

  The huge one is that BGL traffic flies only from point A to B vs UTL flying on actual routes. Keep in mind however that those "routes" are most often nothing more than what you would get when using the default FSX/P3d flightplanner routes. 

I’d just note that the freeware AI Controller utility will also put AI aircraft on flightplans using airways. Also not perfect, but actually not bad either.

James

[jason99vmi 157]

14 minutes ago, honanhal said:

I’d just note that the freeware AI Controller utility will also put AI aircraft on flightplans using airways. Also not perfect, but actually not bad either.

James

And there is a caveat to that.  If you use AI Controller 1.4B the AI taxi perfectly but you only get the SIDS and STARS for the airports the app give you..   AI Controller 2.0 you get SIDS and STARS for every airport (granted you have PMDG folder with all the airports) but it has some very weird glitches with taxiing.  

I went back to 1.4B since I considered the taxiing to be more important.  For now.