AI Traffic tail numbers

[baw19]

Hi Peter,

I use WideTraffic to display VATSIM planes on two networked FSX PCs, but I've had problems with the wrong liveries or aircraft types appearing on the second machine. The effect is that (for example) a 747 taxis from one monitor onto the next where it appears as a Cessna. All very irritating, especially during Worldflight or big VATSIM events.

I've dug around and think the problem lies with the tail number in the TCAS tables. When I'm flying offline the TCAS tables contain tail number from the aircraft.cfg files for each AI plane. However when I'm online with VATSIM the same field appears to contain the call sign of the pilot, not the tail number, which stops Widetraffic from finding a matching plane on my seconds PC (because it uses the tail numbers in the aircraft.cfg files to match planes and liveries on both machines).

I've spoken with the author of WT but he's reluctant to help so I've been mulling over what else could be done to make it work. This got me to wondering whether the call sign is actually needed for anything in FSX or FSInn. All my comms are done by voice and I don't display callsigns on my monitors so I wondered if you could expand the dropdown box in FSUIPC to let me put the tail number from the Aircraft.ini file back in the tailnumber slot of the TCAS tables? This may give WT what it needs to work as it should.

It's just a thought - I'm at my wit's end trying to work out a fix for this. It may be impossible or it may be that in doing so the rest of the multiplayer logic falls over in FSX or FSInn but I thought I'd ask in case you think it'd work?

Cheers

Ian

[Pete Dowson]

I've spoken with the author of WT but he's reluctant to help so I've been mulling over what else could be done to make it work. This got me to wondering whether the call sign is actually needed for anything in FSX or FSInn. All my comms are done by voice and I don't display callsigns on my monitors so I wondered if you could expand the dropdown box in FSUIPC to let me put the tail number from the Aircraft.ini file back in the tailnumber slot of the TCAS tables?

"WideTraffic" doesn't even use FSUIPC, so there's no change I can ever make which will change anything. And the FSUIPC option with the dropdown is a selection, not an input field, and you can already select tail numbers.

It's just a thought - I'm at my wit's end trying to work out a fix for this. It may be impossible or it may be that in doing so the rest of the multiplayer logic falls over in FSX or FSInn but I thought I'd ask in case you think it'd work?

It will be FSInn or FScopilot which will be injecting the aircraft into FSX, so only they can change the data they provide.

Pete

[baw19]

"WideTraffic" doesn't even use FSUIPC, so there's no change I can ever make which will change anything

Ah, that's a shame. Guess it's a dead end then!

And the FSUIPC option with the dropdown is a selection, not an input field, and you can already select tail numbers.

Yes that's the very field I'm talking about - I was hoping it could be expanded to offer both callsigns and tail numbers but from you've just said that sounds quite pointless!

It will be FSInn or FScopilot which will be injecting the aircraft into FSX, so only they can change the data they provide.

Sadly (for me at least) FSInn is dead in the water! Will have a sniff around Squawkbox to see what it can offer...

Thanks Pete,

Ian