I know lots of people prefer AI generated traffic in the sim, I used to use it a lot but have foregone it all and now only use Live Traffic (available at XPlane.org) this is a little contributed freeware plugin that generates traffic in the sim derived from real traffic data currently available on the web. It is a bit fiddly to get setup and to derive the full traffic experience you do need to get a subscription to a Live Traffic Site (ADSB data) only costs $5 a month so no big deal really.  The results are stunning really. At busy places you can be swamped it seems with traffic coming and going, if it is not busy like an out of the way place, you will be surprised at what can turn up for time to time and you need to keep your eyes open when on the ground because they do not know your there!! Once airborne the feed continues although at this point unless your going to collide with the generated traffic you mostly see small specks or contrails. 

Still could not sim without it now! Here are a few screenshots taken at YSSY this morning in peak hour. My aicraft is the Shensee B707.  Waiting my turn to take off/ 

Still holding for arrivals

On the way at F300 contrails of traffic visible

I have Live traffic and use most of the time. Especially now that included sounds for the aircraft that really brings the airport to life. I turn down the sounds in XPrealistic just for that reason. Its tricky sometimes when you dodging aircraft when lining up for takeoff in a very busy airport but don't feel alone either. One of the best experience I had with it was coming across Lake Michigan and seeing all of aircraft as we followed the STAR procedure in to the final approach going to KMDW.  I didn't even think about how realistic is was since it was all in realtime and keeping my aircraft on profile and speed as I was make my way around toward the approach. Or other flights where I don't feel anxious to make that final turn when I have traffic ahead of me and enter that turn where I see a gap. Sometimes I may even have the realatc running where I can listen and watch the traffic. 

For the moment I'm not using atc however there is a al traffic program that can be uses with the default atc that I will try out as well. It is his first time introducing this concept to Xplane. His is working on his latest version .02. Once that is out I will give it a try, while I had skip the first version after learning about a few issue, nothing too major. He wants to use some form of real traffic to spawn aircraft in its correct position and feels he has a plan for that for future. That is something to keep an eye for that.

https://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/forums/topic/283071-v02-update-progress-ai-traffic-pack-for-x-plane-12-beta/   

 

 

Yes that is an interesting one as well, we shall see if it gets some of the issues it has sorted out!

I agree, LiveTraffic is great. It has been acting strange in the past day or so but it usually delivers lots of company in the skies. I keep it down to 15 planes displayed. It is very immersive seeing their contrails, and having company while taxiing. I don't use ATC yet, but I'm moving toward adding that level to my repertoire.

I think the new airplane addon (it is not a plugin really) referred to above, the AI planes, is suffering from woes caused by LR and XP, and not by his work updating them. I have been flying with the XP11 AI planes occasionally using built-in XP12 AI for a few months now. These are unmodified, copied directly from XP11. They don't spiral or dive to the ground like the new ones, and they work with ATC like they should. More than 3 is a burden on my system. It is the same with these new AI planes, with no apparent FPS improvement on my system.

Live Traffic + LiveATC.  Great combo.  An XP essential for me.

Ah, LiveATC.net for greater immersion. I often open a channel to my local airport while surfing the web just for giggles. There is a two minute delay between hearing the LiveATC and seeing the LiveTraffic planes, and if you are plane-watching that hurts a bit. Some time ago I looked into a method to reduce or eliminate the delay between LiveTraffic and LiveATC.net. I did not find a free solution but there is professional audio software that can do it.

Now I use X-ATC-Chatter to replace LiveATC. Less hassle because it goes where you go automatically. It didn't bother me to switch, the immersion is still there and I'm busy flying my plane anyway.

Is anyone having luck with LIveTraffic enabled when Zink is enabled? XP crashes right to desktop until I remove it. Latest nVidia drivers, no additional scenery.

I am only trying Zink because it will be required eventually and I want to get ahead of the curve. I am having problems with other plugins too but I really want to use LiveTraffic above all others.

My LUA scripts that change the artwork also crash the sim.