Time to let your wishes be known

Jetjockey10 · August 9, 2019 at 3:22 AM

I'm thinking that we haven't heard any rumors of what might or might not be coming down the line from Just Flight. Maybe nothing, maybe a wonderful new product. I suppose we will all know in due time. Meanwhile, I just read the post from Jeff about his upcoming "Aerofly Life Project" where he mentioned the "possibility" of including aircraft flying around even doing some touch and go's.

Putting 2 and 2 together, it could just possibly be about time for some sort of AI. No I don't have any sort of inside scoop, just thinking if he can put planes in the air and control them, then maybe a main line professional developer like Just Flight might actually want to explore the possibility of adapting their newest flagship traffic program that is already on short final for the other flight sims to our quiet and peaceful, oh so peaceful skies.

I am going to start with a tweet suggesting exactly that and see what the response is. Maybe if others are interested to attracting their new Traffic Global to Aerofly FS2 you can contact Just Flight and make your case.

https://www.justflight.com/product/traffic-global

Jet-Pack (IPACS) · August 9, 2019 at 7:42 AM Official Post

As far as I know the aircraft are not controlled, they are moving as animated vehicles similar to the cars but not "snapping to the ground".

Flamingpie · August 9, 2019 at 10:31 AM

Quote from Jetjockey10

Putting 2 and 2 together, it could just possibly be about time for some sort of AI. No I don't have any sort of inside scoop, just thinking if he can put planes in the air and control them, then maybe a main line professional developer like Just Flight might actually want to explore the possibility of adapting their newest flagship traffic program that is already on short final for the other flight sims to our quiet and peaceful, oh so peaceful skies.

I think in this case 2 and 2 doesn't make 4 but 3. In other words: the flying planes Jeff is talking about will most probably be similar to the boats the previous demo gave us. So the planes will fly preprogrammed patterns all day long, giving the idea there is traffic but it won't be AI. Jeff can put planes in the air and control them just like he did with the boats but that's it. Don't expect too much of it...! AI will wait until we get ATC. In that regard this traffic stuff clearly seems to be a side project from Jeff and not an official project from IPACS because as we all know IPACS never ever does things twice: they like to do things once and perfect. So giving us some sort of fake traffic now and real traffic later is a departure from regular proceedings.

EDIT

Oh LOL sorry, I totally missed Jan's post which says the same but in less words...

Concerning Just Flight adding their newest flagship: I doubt if that will work because the AI will have to work together with the upcoming (?) ATC... and we know nothing about the ATC yet. What if Just Flights finds a way to add their traffic to AFS2 and then IPACS releases ATC (that'll be the day...!) and they won't work together?

I don't expect to see true AI in AFS2 before the release of ATC. So I'd say: keep dreaming for a few more years. Until then a few preprogrammed planes flying patterns will have to do.

nickhod · August 9, 2019 at 12:10 PM

Quote from Jetjockey10

I'm thinking that we haven't heard any rumors of what might or might not be coming down the line from Just Flight. Maybe nothing, maybe a wonderful new product. I suppose we will all know in due time. Meanwhile, I just read the post from Jeff about his upcoming "Aerofly Life Project" where he mentioned the "possibility" of including aircraft flying around even doing some touch and go's.

If there was a way, via the SDK, to get a handle to a scenery object and set its animation path as a series of vectors, it'd actually open up a lot of possibilities like this.

Having to pre-bake animation paths into the model export holds things back at the moment.

pmb · August 9, 2019 at 12:20 PM

Personally, I would like to see AeroflyFS2 traffic based on Real-World Traffic. This can be done based on the Real Traffic program (http://www.inside.net/ss/realtraffic-for-psx/) providing the data for PSXSeeconTraffic (https://www.lekseecon.nl/ Prepar3d) or Live Traffic (https://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/fil…49-livetraffic/ X-PLane). It would not require a complicated algorithm trying to model what routes planes might follow. It just requires (naturally) a buch of models and an importer making them follow the routes reported from transponders.

I don't say this approach isn't without issues (notably on ground) but it's amazing to watch planes following their real-world routes.

And the latest incarnations of Real Traffic even sport buffered traffic for a day, thus no longer empty aiports in Europe when simming at night.

Kind regards, Michael

drhotwing1 (IPACS) · August 9, 2019 at 2:25 PM Official Post

Please allow me to clarify, my aircraft will not be AI controlled at the moment but it will provide a nice real-world feel. Keep in mind, my demo is just what is states; it's a demo, or more like a proof of concept project. Everything that i'm doing here is my own project but it's not to say that we will not add improved versions of this into future builds.

But with that said, I am working on my own AI as well that follows designated points but it's too erratic at the moment to release into my demo, however it does somewhat work

Jetjockey10 · August 9, 2019 at 2:38 PM

I got a return on my tweet. It is too early for Just Flight to make a decision on further work for AFS2, but, they did say their Traffic Global was too large a project at this time.

Thanks Jeff for the additional information. Any movement is a move in the right direction.

I’m surprised we still don’t have animated wind turbines. Maybe you can add a spinning windmill to the Life project.

Maybe we just need to give the CoPilot a little more freedom. He/She can do most of the work already.

drhotwing1 (IPACS) · August 9, 2019 at 2:51 PM Official Post

Quote from Jetjockey10

Maybe you can add a spinning windmill to the Life project.

They work the same as any other animation in Aerofly. I can probably add one into my tutorial...

nickhod · August 9, 2019 at 2:52 PM

Quote from drhotwing1

But with that said, I am working on my own AI as well that follows designated points but it's too erratic at the moment to release into my demo, however it does somewhat work

Curious about this Jeff. I assume you mean by editing the simulator code itself? I can't see how anything other than pre-made animation paths are possible at the moment to 3rd party developers.

pmb · August 9, 2019 at 2:54 PM

Quote from drhotwing1

Please allow me to clarify, my aircraft will not be AI controlled at the moment but it will provide a nice real-world feel.

Speaking for myself, this would already be a nice enhancement indeed.

Kind regards, Michael

drhotwing1 (IPACS) · August 9, 2019 at 2:56 PM Official Post

I'm mostly using 'path constraint' in 3DS Max to make animations. The caveat is that you need to export any animation as an aircraft at size 10000

It's easier than you think.

I will get that tutorial out as soon as I can. I've been trying for years to grow more arms to make multitasking easier but i've yet to accomplish that

Jetjockey10 · August 9, 2019 at 2:56 PM

Quote from drhotwing1

They work the same as any other animation in Aerofly. I can probably add one into my tutorial...

Most excellent. I am getting tired of having to fly to Germany to see spinning wind turbines. Our new Object Gen program could have a field day with some of those static wind farms. 🤪

drhotwing1 (IPACS) · August 9, 2019 at 3:03 PM Official Post

Currently you can ONLY use 3DS Max to make animations. The quick and dirty steps are;

1) import the OBJ model of choice into your project

2) follow my steps in my wiki Max tutorial to add a reference image

3) make a path using 'line, circle, etc.' and close it by completing the circuit

4) click on the object model and select 'path constraint' under animations and connect the object to the path

5) export it using our IPACS plugin and select 'aircraft' (change the number to 10000 if it's not set to that currently)

6) in your project folder TSC add the lines under animations

I will have a very detailed tutorial to show all of this

Jetjockey10 · August 9, 2019 at 3:23 PM

Maybe the three users that own 3dMax can make a few pro bono tracks for the general users.

Hartman · August 9, 2019 at 4:49 PM

Quote from drhotwing1

I've been trying for years to grow more arms to make multitasking easier but i've yet to accomplish that

Don't give up .....

Overloaded · August 9, 2019 at 4:54 PM

Different circuits for C 172s and 747s Jeff?

drhotwing1 (IPACS) · August 9, 2019 at 5:10 PM Official Post

Quote from Overloaded

Different circuits for C 172s and 747s Jeff?

I can add whatever I want with this. Right now just some flight paths and maybe a Cessna or Piper doing some touch and go's

emfrat · August 10, 2019 at 11:38 AM

My main wish is that the people who keep demanding an instant FSX clone would just shut up and let the IPACS team get on with developing AFS2.

Flamingpie · August 10, 2019 at 1:20 PM

Just a note: planes doing touch and go's might get in the way during take off but specially during landing. Having planes flying around in the near distance is nice but are touch and go's really a good idea...? I don't know how large the patterns will be but since these are in fact basic moving objects they will be doing touch and go's all day (and night) long, over and over again.

ApfelFlieger · August 10, 2019 at 3:40 PM

I would have an application that could interest one or the other Simmer:

- Air refuelling tankers can do their rounds forever in the simulation.

Bye, Michael