BeyondATC - AI traffic inbound

[Fiorentoni]

The BeyondATC main dev has said that they will present a fully interactive BATC-with-AI-traffic version on the Expo: https://discord.com/channels/1082413096045391915/1117856079527804999/1250158066180030535

Also the supporter edition users will „soon“ get their hands on a version with AI traffic: https://discord.com/channels/1082413096045391915/1234931086996541472/1250163711520280697

After this final test it should then be released to all users; when exactly depends on the feedback from the supporters and bugfixing etc.
The initial version of AI traffic will communicate with ATC (using free basic voices or the non-free premium voices, depending on the user setting). It will not yet have fully-managed separation between AI aircraft (speed instructions, vectors for separation, holdings etc.), this will come in the next major AI traffic version.

Me personally I‘m positively suprised they are already this far, I thought it would take months before they get AI traffic out.


EDIT: further info: "any combination of FSLTL, AIG or FS Traffic you have installed" will work with BATC. He's talking about models and liveries.

Edited June 12, 2024 by Fiorentoni

[thepilot]

35 minutes ago, Fiorentoni said:

Me personally I‘m positively suprised they are already this far, I thought it would take months before they get AI traffic out.

They have already shown some previews with AI traffic, but I'm surprised as well to see it at this stage already. That was fast. I will upgrade to the supporters edition.

Edited June 12, 2024 by thepilot

[jcomm]

Even without it's upcomming Traffic capabilities I am already enjoying my experience with BATC and using the free FSLTL liveries and the in-sim Real World Traffic... 

I just have to be carefull to avoid other arriving / daparting aircraft at crowded airports...

I miss FSHUD's built in and controlled  Traffic injection but that dependency on an active navigraph subscription makes it difficult for me to use FSHUD only... This month for instance I decided not to renew my navigraph subscription. Will stay like that probably until October, and at least with BATC I have and up2date navigation Database from late May 2024...

Also BATC allows me to practice my radiotelephony skills 😁

Edited June 12, 2024 by jcomm

[virtualstuff]

Reminder for FSTL some models and FX effects will hurt FPS pretty hard... (Some bugs)

[martinboehme]

1 hour ago, Fiorentoni said:

Me personally I‘m positively suprised they are already this far, I thought it would take months before they get AI traffic out.

I'm positively surprised too.

On the one hand, they don't really need to treat AI traffic any differently than the player aircraft: They can give an AI aircraft the same instructions that they would give to the player aircraft in the same situation. So they "only" need to run their existing code for AI traffic as well as the player aircraft (and they've said in the past that exactly this is their approach).

On the other hand, my "only" above glosses over some details:

• They need to make the AI aircraft actually follow the instructions that they're issuing to it. Since they're doing traffic injection, this means (IIUC) that they need to keep track of the trajectory of each AI aircraft and how it reacts to the instructions they're issuing. This includes following routes, flying approaches, performing realistic takeoffs and landings, and doing all of this at speeds and climb/descent rates that are realistic for the aircraft type.
• The ATC instructions need to be good enough that the AI aircraft don't "get lost". Human players can compensate if the instructions that BeyondATC is giving are, shall we say, suboptimal. AI traffic will simply follow the instructions to the letter, and if that leaves an AI aircraft at FL 200 with 30 miles to run, the results won't be pretty. On the flip side, all of the improvements they're making here to improve the experience of the human player will also benefit AI traffic.

What remains to be seen is how well AI traffic will work without separation. At a large airport with realistic levels of traffic (KLAX, EGLL, EHAM...), will this result in aircraft landing on a runway that's already blocked by another aircraft? Or will we see the kinds of "go-around fests" that we're used to from builtin ATC?

In any case, I'm excited to see this in action!

Edited June 12, 2024 by martinboehme

[Redge]

I picked up FS HUD the other week, and I haven't touched BATC since, largely because of the lack of traffic injection, so this sounds promising!

Last night I was on arrival into a busy KBOS (I think it was the ROBUC3 arrival to 22L). It was great being just one of the planes on the arrival, being given clearances to lower altitudes, and then hearing the planes further ahead being vectored for the ILS approach knowing that it would be our turn soon. Once I was on the ground turning off the runway, I was able to glance around to see the Virgin Atlantic and BA heavies that had been a couple of planes ahead on the radio, already almost taxied to their gates.

If BATC can give me that kind of experience then I'll be very happy!  (I realise it won't be that polished with this first iteration)

Edited June 12, 2024 by Redge

[jcomm]

1 hour ago, virtualstuff said:

Reminder for FSTL some models and FX effects will hurt FPS pretty hard... (Some bugs)

What's the best - free - alternative then?

 

[Shack95]

Sounds great. The only thing that‘s slightly worrying me are the costs. I‘m so used to the premium voices by now, I hope I’ll be able to live with basic-voice AI traffic. Otherwise this is going to be ridiculously expensive (not the dev‘s fault, obviously).

[Tuskin38]

45 minutes ago, jcomm said:

What's the best - free - alternative then?

 

AIG

 

@Fiorentoni

Unless people are in the discord server, those links won't work. Probably should screencap them.

Edited June 12, 2024 by Tuskin38

[Fiorentoni]

Further info: "any combination of FSLTL, AIG or FS Traffic you have installed" will work with BATC. He's talking about models and liveries.

I'm *really* happy I'll be able to continue to use the excellent variety and quality of AIG, provided by @Kaiii3

Edited June 12, 2024 by Fiorentoni

[roland_lfor]

54 minutes ago, Fiorentoni said:

Further info: "any combination of FSLTL, AIG or FS Traffic you have installed" will work with BATC. He's talking about models and liveries.

I'm *really* happy I'll be able to continue to use the excellent variety and quality of AIG, provided by @Kaiii3

And what about the AI flightplan source? Are they real time or historical like AIG?

[Fiorentoni]

4 minutes ago, roland_lfor said:

And what about the AI flightplan source? Are they real time or historical like AIG?

They haven't revealed that yet.

[bennyboy75]

All my most recent experiences with BATC have been pretty good and it’s now a rarity that my flights go south. There’s still work to do but it’s become way more robust in a short time frame than I’d have expected and it’s good to hear that AI traffic is inbound. 
 

[roland_lfor]

Just now, bennyboy75 said:

All my most recent experiences with BATC have been pretty good and it’s now a rarity that my flights go south. There’s still work to do but it’s become way more robust in a short time frame than I’d have expected and it’s good to hear that AI traffic is inbound. 
 

I absolutely agree!

[Piotr007]

Will BATC Ai traffic lean on sim based injection that has biggest flaw? 

Namely no Ai traffic on return legs on ground at airport. If that is still the case it won't be a game changer.