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TonyB

Ultimate Traffic X anybody?

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All of the three commercial packages are so different that there really isn't a common comparison.My Traffic X has the strongest, most active support. The most new models. My Traffic X still continues to have models with untextured parts, uses less than 50% of the possible repaint area. My Traffic includes aircraft at a lot more airports because they put airlines into airports where those airlines do not fly in the real world. But most of the real increase in GA and Military Traffic.The current version of My Traffic X is a work in progress with a major update - V 5.1 currently being tested.My Traffic uses Microsoft's TrafficDatabaseBuilder program to create traffic files - so using other packages like World of AI or Project AI will result in the My Traffic aircraft disappearing from your AI skies.However to be honest, TDBB traffic files have many fewer issues than TrafficTools created traffic files in FS2004 and FSX.The current retail price for My Traffic X download is 34 euros without VAT - approx $45.85Traffic for FSX - also has new models and support is ramping back up. They have made an effort to upgrade their repaints recently, but their models still suffer from occasional untextured areas and using less than 1/2 of the available space for repaints.They have really stepped up the quality of repaints with bringing one of the premier repainters onto their staff.Traffic used to use representational flight schedules like My Traffic. Their package now says they have many real world flights - so they may have changed their scheduling concept.Because Traffic uses Traffic Tools to compile flightplans, low cost carriers like Ryanair and Southwest Airlines can have quick turnarounds - something impossible with Microsoft's TDBB which My Traffic uses. Traffic for FSX will incorporate the default FSX GA traffic into your AI world.Traffic for FSX costs - 29.95 Euros / $34.99Two extra packages of Military aircraft, one of Commuter Aircraft and one of Jetliners are available for 11.95 Euros / #13.99 each.Ultimate Traffic's strong point has always been it's easy customization - to replace the provided models with better freeware and better repaints when available.It's other strength is for people who want real world airline schedules - because the Ultimate Traffic schedules are the most comprehensive available. And unlike the freeware downloads available, the airlines all over the world are current to a single date.Since UT purchases schedule data from sources like OAG, they have better schedule data than is available to freeware flight planners through airline websites, flight tracking services, etc.Ultimate Traffic still uses FSPainter and Project AI models, which are a bit old. Ultimate Traffic has brought a very good AI painter who has many repaints on this library on board to complete a new set of repaints.Ultimate Traffic has a very effective efficient update system to replace and add repaints.Since UT uses the PAI and FSP models - they have much more texture area repainted than My Traffic or Traffic for FSX and much better detail in textures.Not as goods as AIA or EVAI packages - but still pretty good.

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could someone please post a few close-up screenshots of a few airliners? maybe a 767, 757, 330??thank you!


Denis Kosbeck

KPHX

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Thanks, Rfields. Does it mean with UT I can switch and swap models and textures quite easily? I prefer flexible packages.

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It is getting easier to substitute models with all the packages.UT has had the ability even back in FS2002 to - for example - replace all the supplied AAL F100's with AIA MD-8X repaints with only a few mouse clicks and a recompile.My Traffic and Traffic for FSX are getting better.It's a little harder to add a new aircraft model to a schedule, because you have to substitute it for one already in the schedule.If you are looking for the airline specific registrations - none of these packages will do.If you want real world schedules - UT, Traffic for FSX, My Traffic in that order.If you want Military and GA - My Traffic, Traffic for FSX, UT in that order.UT had a differnence in concept/ viewpoint with My Traffic from the very start. Flight1 put a lot of effort into designing the control interface and functionality. My Traffic was more a manual builder, tweaker concept. Traffic was in between.The separation is getting smaller, but UT still has a strong advantage.None of these programs is perfect. Just the huge number of aircraft, models, repaints they try to cover force some speed over quality compromises. Otherwise they would never get released.They will never meet the loving detail which you see in recent fourth generation EvolveAI and The Fruit Stand models and repaints. But we'd be on FSXX before a comprehensive AI world could be built to that standard.The "highest quality" is always going to be a hand tweaked system where every model and every repaint are checked and installed individually. Where every flight plan is checked, verified and installled individually.Such an AI system is extremely expensive $20,000 - $30,000 - in man hours. Many people would rather fly and put up with somewhat less detailed quality in return for the extra thousand or more hours flying in a year.I own the FS2004 and FSX versions of all three packages. I have them ready to use for AI testing in their default format.But for my personal flying world, UT is the umbrella. I use World of AI and Project AI packages when available. I use a lot of individual models and repaints with individual airline AI schedules - all freely available and created by some fantastic people.But I use some Traffic and My Traffic models and repaints. I use some of the My Traffic Military and GA.I'm not the type of person happy with 50% of the airlines at Heathrow - I want to see them all. Some just look like their budget is tight and their paint jobs are suffering.

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Guest dcrandall

I have Traffic X, but have no traffic at small airports.I have GA Traffic by Markus Brunner and did have traffic at small airports but lost it after installing Traffic X.I was thinking about getting UT but not sure if I want to spend more money for airline traffic. Traffic X has good airline traffic and GA traffic at larger airports (class B,C and D). Does UT have traffic at small airports? If so I will most likely get it.

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Guest firehawk44

"I can now only manage 3-8 FPS with the Traffic set at 30-50% + minumum airport activity + 10% roads."I guess you mean you get 3-8 FPS w/traffic set at 30% and the same at 50%? I have my traffic set at 32% and see no noticable FPS hit. I have duo core processors running at 3.46GHz and dual 8800GTX GPU's which may also be the reason why I see little changes in FPS on my rig w/Ultimate Traffic X installed. I assume, by your benchmark, I can move the traffic slider up to 50% and get the same good FPS I'm receiving now at 32%. I really don't understand how you can do "a few flight [sic] using benchmark scenarios". As time changes, more or less scenery textures appear such as more or less clouds and more or less traffic as UTX uses airline schedules. Computer system resources may also change while testing. I think a better benchmark would be the difference between FSX w/o the traffic and FSX w/the traffic on each FSX system.Best regards,Jim

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Thanks a lot, Rfields. You've told me what I need.

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Thanks Reggie for taking the time to list the highlights of the current AI options. Your are on the mark when you say that no 'Perfect' AI solution exist currently. I just want to add that for me, UTX is a nice (cheap), easy to implement replacement to the default FSX AI that results in a reasonable representation of real-world traffic.jjjallen


Jim Allen
support@skypilot.biz
SkyPilot Software home of FSXAssist / P3DAssist

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I second that. The UT traffic models are now 4 years old and haven't been improved, while other AI packages (WoAI, MyTraffic) have been constantly upgrading and optimizing the models.(Quote UTX product page: "Also, this version uses the original models. As a result there are some minor graphics and LOD texture issues with the default Ultimate Traffic aircraft.")Pat

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Severely disappointed, but I am not sure it is UT's fault!!!!!First let me state what my comparison is: In fS9 I was perfectly happy with the PAI package and that is what I used. Granted, if you got too close and peeked at the 8 sided engines (not sure I have the right geometry pick plus or minus a couple of sides) it was a bit dingy, but served my purposes. Plenty of aircraft all over the place at any and all airports. Granted, the UT aircraft do look a bit better (at least close up).In FSX, with Ultimate Traffic (again, which I did not have in fS9 and may have been the cat's whiskers), Aircraft that show up (even @ 100%) are minimal. AT KJFK, I slewed around the airport and only saw less than ten aircraft. At other airports, it was a bit better, but still way below what I was use to with PAI in FS9.Suspicion: I fear that the problem is with fSX, not UT. FSX Default aircraft show up at a minimal rate as well. If this is the case, UT as well as PAI (assuming they join the battle) and all other contributiors may be limited as well. As an example, the only way I can see the only airline flight into my home airport programmed into UT is @ 85% or above in FSX for airline traffic (Don't know what happened to the rest of the traffic in the summer for this location, KLWB).Second suspicion: ME!!!! I have followed the forum advice (Compile + Clear All + Select all + Check to compile aircraft that have not been painted with an airline livery). Yet, I am not sure that I have covered all of the bases yet. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I feel sure that individual additions might solve this problem, but might be still negated by FSX limitations without 100% traffic selection.The fill in for non painted aircraft leaves something to be desired too in my book as all I see are "Flight One" aircraft in their place, but this is probably no fault of UT as well.The battle goes on, but I am coming to believe that we are getting there (however so slowly).Respectfully:RTH

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AI is a three legged platformAircraft (which includes repaints)FlightplansAirports with adequate parkingThe second is great in UTThe first is fair out of the box, but fixable, and UT will be having more and more updated textues soon.The third will be coming slowly - the flood gates will open later this year when the replacement airport parking programs are completed.

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There will be an FSX only UT sometime this year:- http://ultimatetraffic.flight1.net/forums/...PID=16284#16284"Later in the year there will be a brand new version of UT released which will be for FSX and this will include new models and options."> Ask any UT owner and they will tell you that the AI repaints are the best available.As a UT owner, I strongly disagree with that statement.> Anyone serious about AI puts Ultimate Traffic at the very bottom of the list and uses some of the better free stuff like World Of AI.But I also strongly disagree with that statement. I can only talk about FS9, but UT is the best backbone for AI. Free packages and schedules only a cover a fraction of what the UT schedules offer. The aircraft assignment utility makes it very easy to replace models. And you can very easily import a new airline or replace an existing one. That makes it a winner. The best of both worlds really. Great program and accurate schedules for a crazy amount of airlines, default models replaced with the best available.


Mike...

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What's involved with converting FS2004 AI to FSX? I am interested in getting some Aardvark AI planes into UT FSX. Any idea how performance for aircraft like those from Aardvark compare to the default UT? In FS2004, I think I got comparable or even better performance with the Aardvark.Tony

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RFields,thanks for your detailed and knowlegable post.I have a Q.What I really need is lots of aircrafts at the airports...most of them simply parked. Few aircrafts actually flying around... even if they are, they could simply take off and land around the airports. i.e. I want a busy looking airport with few framehits. i.e. I want 90% traffic like parking. and 20% traffic actually alive. I wish UT can generate two traffic files. One for parked aircrafts... and another one for flying ones.Is that possible? How would I manage that with UT? or with any other package?I don't care for realistic schedules but I need realistic airliners at the right airport. AA at DFW for e.g.Manny


Manny

Beta tester for SIMStarter 

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I replaced my FS9 UT traffic in FSX with the newly release UT for FSX.Here is the deal. At DFW, With Airline Traffic set to 0% and GA traffic set to 0% I get 23FPS (Max 25FPS)I increase Airline traffic to 30% and the FPS drops to 14FPS.I increase GA traffic to 20% and the FPS drops further to single digit (7FPS)This SUCKS!What I need is...Airports filled with dummy Aircrafts and very minimal flying air traffic. this is the only way to deal with FSX.'MAnny


Manny

Beta tester for SIMStarter 

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