AI ship traffic tutorial

Is there someone who can show me step by step or a tutorial on how to program AI ship traffic either static or AI ships to run on the sea. I've seen youtube tutorial but it is programmed in japanese. Is there an english version of a step by step tutorial on how to create or program ai ships to cruise either around a city or another port so that it will make me visit an airport like Meigs in Chicago so I can see shps so I can put a lot of ships aournd the airport when I land would be nice. Please, show me step by step how to do this. The one in YOutube is not so clear and has no instructions, just music playing in the background and a fs2004 sim in japanese which you can't understand. Hope you can help. I wish some one out there could make a tutorial in english where one could understand and not in a foreigh one. I would be eternally grateful. Thank you so much.

ai_ships.zip by Holger Sandmann is the go-to tutorial.

First of all: are you used to handle with AI aircraft traffic and creating Afcad /ADE? Do you already knew

the necessary tools? That would be more important, than reading any tutorials before.

 

Be aware that adding ship traffic won't work at every place, as lakes and seas aren't flat everywhere.

You could easily get some bouncing ships. Maybe you could add static ships instead. The effect isn't worse, especially if you add animated wakes. From the top it really looks like moving traffic.

 

Bernard

Edited December 13, 2020 by leuen

I have afcad and ade but I don't know how to program together so it can work with fs2004. I also have ttools but there are some developer tutorials out there that are programmed by developers, but none that are for beginners who want to learn how to program ai traffic as a step by step tutorial. the ai_ships download shows tools on how to add ai ships but not in a step by step tutorial on how this is done. Is there a filgiht simmer who can show me as a biginner on how to program ai traffic for fs2004.

I would suggest that first you download a simple AI ship traffic like 'KBOS AI Ship Traffic' available here: https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/fslib.php?do=copyright&fid=91295.

 

Than do following steps:

 

- install the Aircraft folder in your FS9

- install 'Traffic_BOS_ships.bgl' in your 'Scenery\World\Scenery' folder

- install the three bgl files of Afcad folder in Addon Scenery\Scenery folder

 

After that you should see the ships at Boston Harbour.

 

Furthermore I suggest to install Traffic Toolbox in order to 'go to' the ships and follow them. With the Afcad tool you will see how the three Afcad are done. It's more or less like an airport, besides that the ships use small or greater circled taxiways for moving.

 

They start from an oversized parking spot and end at a very short runway. Like this here:

 

 

BTW, Afcad tool has the advantage that runways could be reduced to 0.4 feet and get them invisible.

 

Use TTools to decompile 'Traffic_BOS_ships.bgl' in a separate folder, maybe named TTools. There you will get Aircraft_BOS_ships.txt, Airports_BOS_Ships.txt and FlightPlans_BOS_Ships.txt files.

 

If later you like to do more such traffic at different places it strongly recommand to use AFX tool of Flight1. It's a payware, but it's worth the price. The tool has an interface which allows an extremely useful 'WYSIWYG'. It enables to create traffic in branched harbours.

 

In any case you rather should go step by step, than reading long torturials. The one of Holger Sandmann is certainly very helpful but IMO not quite manageable for beginners.

 

Bernard

Thanks very much. At least it's a start. When I get the hang of it, maybe I might get AFX or do some more epxerimenting with other ships to start.

That's a reasonable way. Don't hesitate to ask for further informations or advices.