A.I.

[heavy1216 35]

Ok is there anyway you could keep the default airplane flightplans and still have WOA packages

[RFields5421 1]

Not yet

[Guest Phantoms]

New to FSX, but can't you just copy the original traffic file, rename it to something else and then install WOAI?

[RFields5421 1]

No one has figured it out yet - but only occasionally are we able to have traffic files generated by the FSX TrafficDatabaseBuilder program work with traffic files generated by Traffic Tools.The FSX default traffic is apparently created with TDB - at least TDB in the automatic mode generates the same aircraft, at airports, the same size file, etc.World of AI uses Traffic Tools to create their traffic files.

[Guest Phantoms]

Reggie, thank you for explaining. I assume TDB is the TT of FSX. Is there a write up of it's features and usage anywhere?

[RFields5421 1]

Microsoft has used TDB since FS2002. It was the original traffic creation program for FS.Traffic Tools was written by Lee Swordy to generate FS2002 traffic files in a format very close to TDB traffic files.Lee added many options to Traffic Tools - including the ability to decompile existing traffic files.He also removed much of the error checking which is a critical part of TDB - things like ensuring the aircraft range was not exceeded, ensuring there was adequate parking available, ensuring that the aircraft have the climb ability to clear enroute terrain, ensuring the runways are long enough, and hard surface if required for the aircraft.Writing 'realistic' flight plans would be a very different task if the flight planners had to consider these requirements. Also, since many of the TDB checks are based upon a scan of the computer - you could easily have TDB flight plans which work on my computer and my scenery, and not on yours.Most of Lee's work was in direct response to requests from many of the people who shaped our semi-realistic AI world concepts.Lee had a lot of good ideas. Some of which MS borrowed to include in FS2004.Lee made Traffic Tools open source - releasing the code to the public so that other developers could refine it and correct some issues. That never happened.When FS2004 was released, MS had updated TDB and the resultant traffic files. Lee did a quick patch to Traffic Tools so that it could be used with FS2004, but never really worked on trying to update the program for the new things in FS2004.The newest verison of TDB was released in the SDK with FSX.There are some new things, but the big one is that many "errors" will be noted in the log files, but TDB will allow you to compile the traffic file. Previous version would stop when an error was encountered and not compile a traffic file.Many of the biggest changes in each version of FS are not in the compiling of the traffic files, but in the way FS reads and used the traffic files.For FS2004 - the ability to have multiple traffic files was a BIG deal.For FSX - apparently FS is able to identify that TDB and Traffic Tools file are different and have to be handled differently. What is absolutely astounding to me is that if both are present - FSX keeps the older addon traffic file operational and suspresses the default FSX traffic file.However, even with TDB there are some major issues with FSX AI traffic. No matter which type of traffic file - week flight plans run one day late. I.e. a flight scheduled for Sunday UTC, flies on Monday. This behavior is exhibited with both TDB and TrafficTools traffic files.

[Guest Phantoms]

Reggie, thank you for the history. Since Lee has not decided to update TT, and you stated it's open source, mabye someone will pick up the torch and update it. Or, maybe someone will come out with a TT to TDB convertor (or vice versa).As for the original post, can you decompile the original traffic file with TT? If so, then you can just Decompile it and Recompile it and then it'd be in the same format as WOAI, correct?

[Mace 1,922]

>>However, even with TDB there are some major issues with FSX AI>traffic. No matter which type of traffic file - week flight>plans run one day late. I.e. a flight scheduled for Sunday>UTC, flies on Monday. This behavior is exhibited with both TDB>and TrafficTools traffic files.I noticed this too. I made those flights leave a day early to compensate.RhettAMD 3700+ (@2310 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 2.5-3-3-8 (1T), WD 250 gig 7200 rpm SATA2, CoolerMaster Praetorian case

[RFields5421 1]

No - the FSX file is different enough that TTools cannot read it - even moved to the FS9 folder and renamed.Yes there was at least one person working on a TTools replacement.The problem is of course trying to make a program which matches our unrealistic expectations of how much FS can efficiently handle as far as AI traffic, the strong desire of flgiht plan writers to not be responsible for ensuring the airports can support the aircraft, or the aircraft can fly the FP legs, and a file format which is easy to edit.Microsoft apparently uses a good programming practice of never decompiling files. If something is not right, the modify the source code and compile a new file to test.Unfortunately there are some times when we must be able to decompile to understand what is in the files.