Interaction with AI

[Guest CowlFlapsOpen]

Hi all. I'm begining to really enjoy ,ost elemens of this product. However, I hope that the program's interaction with AI can be improved. I made two long flights into KSTS over the past few days, both ending with collisions with AI and other AI anomolies. Here is the story I'm trying to understand. Approaching KSTS, 40 miles out, I am told to expect rwy 32. I request full ILS. The winds are southernly (195 @4-10kts), so runway 19 would be more appropriate. But I understand that RC will assign the runway that AI are using even if it is not oriented well for the wind. So I just accepted the oddity. On the final approach, I notice that aircraft are landing and departing on the runway, 19-1, as I would have preferred. What gives? I continue the landing and after exiting the runway and taxiing a departing aircraft taxiing intersects the taxiway I am on and turns head on to me. He stops a few feet in front of me, blocking me way. In an effort to go around I hit his wing, collision. FSPassengers goes crazy and my company repitatoin and finances tanks. Okay, I know that RC has no ground awareness. But had they been assigned the runway I landed on he would have turned on to the taxiway heading the same direction I was, and I would have simply followed him, which was what I assumed he would do. I shrug it off a little wiser and intending to be more careful next time.Re-do the flight the next day. Winds even more northerly this time, making 14 the best runway. But I am assigned 32, giving me a 10kts tailwind on a very short runway. No problem, the manual says to expect these types of problems in order to integrate with AI traffic. On final this time, at middle marker and fully cleared for landing, the TCAS goes crazy and I see a plane liftoff headed in my direction. I go missed and he passes just under me. I declare missed and am sent for another try at 32. I assumed that by now the AI would be sorted out. This time I approach and touch down, but on rollout another plane taxies into position and begins take off roll, hitting me head on. No warning, etc. FSPassengers goes crazy and my company tanks and I lose a pilot I have been developing for 6 months. Yes, Interact with ATC is checked. How can such things happen? I was prepared to live with the unfavorable winds to enjoy this program and integrate smoothly with AI but now I get bad winds and AI that seems completely impervious to me. I don't miss much about the default ATC except its ability to have me go missed, stop traffic from taking the runway when I'm cleared for landing, warnings about taxiing traffic and holding traffic on taxiways to let me clear, and reliabily putting me on the same runway as the AI. Thanks for any help.

[jd 57]

without a log, i can only guess.open up your fsuipc.ini file in the fs9 modules directorycouple lines down, what does yourTCASrange=say? mine says 0. if yours is anything else, then i'm only looking at ai that number of miles away. it sounds like i don't see the ai when i determine the runway, and use the old method (ils and wind, ils and then wind if no ils). then by the time you're in the pattern, the ai are doing something else.on the other hand, if there are no ai in the air when you get your runway assignment, and then all of a sudden a whole slew of the appear out of thin air to land, not much i can do there.again, without a log, i'm guessing, fishing, speculating.even if you are on downwind, and figure out the ai are doing the opposite of you, you can request a change of runway.

[Guest CowlFlapsOpen]

Flew the route again. I'm a glutton for punishment. AI was assigned 32 this time, as was I. Winds were perpendicular and favored the other runway, but... I suspect that the because 32 has the only ILS, this factor is overriding everything else. This time an AI took the runway and took off just in front of me. I was on tower but never heard him cleared on the runway or for TO (and this time I was listenig eally close). Luckily he was in the air just as I flared. Then I suffered a hydrolic failure--no brakes on the right side! (I can thank Fs Passengers for that, nothing to do with RC of course). This airport is cursed! Landed and rlled out safely and even recieved a few bonus points from FSP for handling the difficulty(!)Anyway, I will check the TCAS setting. Are you saying that it should or should not be zero? If it is zero, does that mean RC is not monitoring any AI? Do you want a number larger? One thing I've noticed is that RC gives me traffic calls before the red labels are visable visually in the sky. The same traffic doesn't show up on my TCAS until I zoom out to at least 15 miles. Do you know how far out MSFS assigns the red labels over traffic? Reason is, RC will call "Traffic at 2:00" but by the time I can see it would be at 4:00 or 5:00, etc. No biggy.Thanks as always.

[Guest CowlFlapsOpen]

TCAS range = 40From your post I am confused. Your setting says 0, and you indicated that this is the number of miles away RC is looking at AI. 0 means none, correct? Is my setting bad or good? Thanks

[jd 57]

that would be the problem. set it to 0. that means, give me the 99 closest aircraft. regardless of distancejd

[jd 57]

it's possible that you are having a similar problem as the people being told to taxi into position and hold, when there are planes in front of you. this was due to a problem with fsuipc, and fixed in an interim version (3.604).in your case, the runway information coming from fsuipc is 0 for ai landing and departing your arrival airport. in your case, maybe 3.604 might fix your problem as well. if you want to give it a try, send me an emailjd

[Guest CowlFlapsOpen]

Thanks, as always. i will change the setting and send you an email. cheers

[jd 57]

i'd change it for surebut i believe your problem will be fixed with fsuipc 3.615 as posted at the top of the forumjd

[Guest CowlFlapsOpen]

Changed the setting but no luck. Landed at KMFR and an Alaska Airlines landed on the runway moments before me coming in the opposite direction. Went missed again. I will try the download. Does it matter that this is a widefs setup?

[jd 57]

i think updated fsuipc and widefs will fix your problemjd

[Guest CowlFlapsOpen]

Okay, I updated FSUIPC and WIDEFS and changed the FSUIPC.ini file in the Modules directory to TCASRange = 0. Flew the flight again. There was less traffic this time so it is harder to judge, BUT I was again assigned 14 at KMFR and after landing uneventfully and taxiing to the Gate an Alaska Airlines 737 next to me pushed back and departed a few moments later on 32. I suppose RC might have held the Alaska if I had been on approach, but it also seems likely that I would have been looking into their cockpit face-to-face if I had landed 5 minutes later. In other words, seems like I might still be having the problem. Rwy 32 also had the more favorable wind. Frustrating

[jd 57]

keep in mind, i'm not trying to control taxi on the ground. it's possible that if you were 5 minutes later, you would have been assigned 32it all depends on what i see landing/departing at the arrival airport.run these flights with debug, and zip up the .log and send them to me with your comments, and i'll tell you what ai was doing what which influenced the runway you were assigned.the .log will also tell me whether the fsuipc fix is working, and i'm now seeing runway information for the ai.without a .log, i'm guessing, and that is frustrating for mejd

[Guest CowlFlapsOpen]

JD you have the patience of Job. Okay I flew KACV to KSTS with debug on. As soon as I figure out how I will send the debug file. You will see: Assigned rwy 32 which was consistent with wind. I asked for the full ILS and was granted it. A landing AI looked like it was sent away. On final an AI taxied to 32 and appeared to hold short for me. but at about 25' AGL I was sent Missed, told to climb to 6k and head 010. At about pattern height (2500)I asked for the Visual instead of being sent 35 miles away (how long it would take to climb to 6K). Approach said "Ok" contact tower, but while tower was tuned there was never any option to contact them. Hand flew the pattern and landed (no AI in sight) but the only options available to me were Terminate Radar and Quit IFR. No ground, etc. Tuned ground and still no one was listening. Parked. Just curious if I did something wrong. Anyway, hope the debug is informative.

[jd 57]

include this info in the emailjd

[chris41 0]

"if there are no ai in the air when you get your runway assignment, and then all of a sudden a whole slew of the appear out of thin air to land, not much i can do there".The above quotation was from JD. I was having a problem in the air with TCAS having to tell me to descend immediately due to traffic and not RC. I think I fixed it. My ini file also read 40 instead of 0 like what was addressed earlier in this posting. I've changed that. My immediate question is why do aircraft automatically "appear out of thin air"? That seems to happen to me quite often. I'll be flying along and all of a sudded FS will refresh/reload and as soon as everything comes back up i'll be surrounded by 3-4 aircraft, some of which are coming right at me.Thanks,Chris Porter