AI Aircraft

I have been reading a tutorial on how to create flightplans.....in the demo the author says to pick an aircraft from the FS9 aircraft folder to use as the AI...this to me says that you can use any aircraft in that folder regardless of whether it has been installed as an AI or a flyable ......is this correct....if so why bother to install AI aircraft. To the well informed this might seem like a stupid question, but to a beginner it is a bit confusing.:confused:

Although I don't use AI aircraft myself I can see the logic here as some AI aircraft are "flyable". So why not use those in the Aircraft folder to make AI versions?

 

Dijvid

While it is possible to use any aircraft in your sim as an AI, it is not advised. The greater detail in flyable (especially payware) aircraft means that your sim will be using more resources to display it. One or two probably wont make a difference, but a whole fleet of flyably aircraft may bring your sim to a standstill.

 

The other reason is that the dynamics of ai are such that they will takeoff and land realistically when under control of the ai engine. Your flyable aircraft are not designed the same way. Some will be ok, some won't.

One or two probably wont make a difference, but a whole fleet of flyably aircraft may bring your sim to a standstill.

If you have a weak system, certainly. Of my several hundreds AI about fifty percent are flyable, and I got never a CTD because of these. Problems don't occure with dynamics, but with the textures which could kill FPS. So let everybody do their own experience.

 

Bernard

Another important consideration is that AI aircraft usually have simpler LOD models (Level of Detail) which will often keep the frame rates up on final approach, a very important time for good frame rates.

 

My general rule is that if there is a good looking AI aircraft available, I use that. If not, then I use a flyable aircraft, as long as it will not place too many at one airport and bring the frame rate down. This is easily tested by trying it at their hub or a complex airport with many of them present.

 

By "to a standstill", he did not mean a CTD, but instead a lower frame rate.

Thanks for your reply.

I have been reading a tutorial on how to create flightplans.....in the demo the author says to pick an aircraft from the FS9 aircraft folder to use as the AI...this to me says that you can use any aircraft in that folder regardless of whether it has been installed as an AI or a flyable ......is this correct....if so why bother to install AI aircraft. To the well informed this might seem like a stupid question, but to a beginner it is a bit confusing.:confused:

 

I used to like lots of AIs and kept the settings to the max, but there are a couple of problems - frame rates become poor because there are so many AIs, and when you andd there's nowhere for you to park! So I had to turn back the levels to about 75% AI. They can be fun and are a brilliant part of the sim - better than the lonely skies of FS98.

If you can edit the AFCAD of the airport, I create a few parking spots with XXX as the parking code. This will "reserve" them for me to park there, as long as the airport is not completely full.