Can you control AI Traffic AND ATC?

[vstokes]

Does FSUIPC allow a programmer to control the AUI ATC?

For example, I want to write a better ATC system. I want to watch and analyze the traffic. Then, make decisions on what the best course of action is. Eample - have ATC issue a HOLD to separate traffic (since the FS9 does not really separate IFR traffic).

I do not want to only control the TRAFFIC, but I want to control the instructions ATC gives to all traffic (AI and REAL).

Is this possible? Or am I reinventing the wheel and there is a program that will do this already?

[Pete Dowson]

Does FSUIPC allow a programmer to control the AUI ATC?

No, sorry. We all wish to be able to do that, but there is no way known to get into the FS ATC system. Perhaps one day Microsoft may release some sort of toolkit, but I doubt it.

There isn't even any way to control AI traffic either. I think there's probably a way to delete it, but nothing else.

Regards,

Pete

[Sascha Ternes]

Hi Pete,

I am thinking about disabling MS-ATC and writing my own ATC via FSUIPC.

Since it seems to be difficult or impossible to disable ATC in normal mode, I thought using multiplayer mode could make it possible, but I would loose all AI traffic then.

My question is: Do you know a way to enable AI traffic in multiplayer mode? I looked into the FSUIPC SDK and found some AI related variables - is there a general switch for AI traffic? And because custom ATC has to manage AI traffic, can you make use of some write-access variables to control AI traffic?

I sadly guess Multiplayer AND AI will be impossible... :(

Sascha

[Pete Dowson]

I am thinking about disabling MS-ATC and writing my own ATC via FSUIPC.

Check out Radar Contact and VoxATC first. Version 3 of Radar Contact doesn't deal with AI traffic, but version 4 is in Beta and looks very promising in this area.

My question is: Do you know a way to enable AI traffic in multiplayer mode?

No. And Microsoft themselves says you can't have both operating together.

I looked into the FSUIPC SDK and found some AI related variables - is there a general switch for AI traffic?

No, only the density setting, which you can change via added FSUIPC controls (see the User Guide and Advanced User guide). But these won't accomplish anything in MP mode.

And because custom ATC has to manage AI traffic, can you make use of some write-access variables to control AI traffic?

You can do some things with AI traffic through the control interface FSUIPC offers via offset 2900. You would need to experiment though. Mostly I think you have to put them into slew mode to make them do what you want -- changing A/P settings and so on doesn't seem to help.

Best thing is to download Microsoft's own traffic toolbox and experiment with that -- you can try sending the AI aircraft all sorts of FS controls there, then apply what you learn via FSUIPC's offset 2900.

Regards,

Pete

[Sascha Ternes]

Hi Pete,

thank you very much for your quick and informative reply.

I checked out Radar Contact and VoxATC. They both seem to do what I want. But they don't disable MS-ATC, right? I wonder if MS-ATC is still active and calls AI planes when running Radar Contact. And AI planes can still get in your way if they are not controlled by the custom ATC I think.

Sascha

[Pete Dowson]

I checked out Radar Contact and VoxATC. They both seem to do what I want. But they don't disable MS-ATC, right? I wonder if MS-ATC is still active and calls AI planes when running Radar Contact.

You can do that, but Radar Contact 4 (in Beta still, as I said) will deal with AI aircraft and you are better turning the MS ATC volume right down.

And AI planes can still get in your way if they are not controlled by the custom ATC I think.

Well, I think you'll be surprised what Radar Contact will be able to dobut it has taken a lot of development work and experimentation, and there's no release date set yet.

I really don't know so much about VoxATC. I think its main claim to fame is the voice control side. I saw a brief presentation by the Author at the Birmingham FS Show last year, but didn't have enough time for questions.

If you want to do your own thing be aware it is a very big job. The ins and outs of ATC are many and varied even if you are going to only concentrate on one area of the world and with one type of flight. For AI interaction you will need to experiment with the areas I mentioned.

Regards,

Pete

[Sascha Ternes]

Hi Pete,

what you write about Radar Contact 4 sounds great!

But I wonder how it will manage to have exclusive control over AI if MS ATC is still giving instructions to it, even if you turn off the volume and disable automatic opening of the ATC window.

I think AI traffic has to be hidden from MS ATC somehow; maybe RC will contain it's own AI traffic engine?

[Pete Dowson]

But I wonder how it will manage to have exclusive control over AI if MS ATC is still giving instructions to it, even if you turn off the volume and disable automatic opening of the ATC window.

The latter two are trivial. That is a user thing, nothing to do with Radar Contact.

Sorry, but you will have to wait to see what has been accomplished, or experiment for yourself. I did tell you how to start! :wink:

Regards,

Pete

[GHD]

You need to consider carefully whether to use the slew feature with AI. I am having great difficulty with FS Nav and Traffic View Board observing AI helicopters landing on oil rigs. Each rig has an associated flatten at sea level and the afcad is at the pad height. If I slew to the rig using either the FS Map option or either of the two aforementioned programs, the sea and hence the rig is raised to the pad height.

Here is a view from TVB:

and here from a nearby rig:

George

Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

[Pete Dowson]

You need to consider carefully whether to use the slew feature with AI.

Turning slew on individually for a specific AI aircraft doesn't change the user simulation into slew mode. Your own flight continues as normal. It simply allows the position and path of the particular AI aircraft to be changed, or frozen -- for instance to precent AI traffic encroaching onto a runway which a third-party ATC program has cleared you for landing.

It is worth experimenting with MS's own Traffic Toolbox to see what can and cannot be accomplished with AI traffic. I would hope that MS will provide a programmable interface for it in future FS versions.

Regards,

Pete

[GHD]

Turning slew on individually for a specific AI aircraft doesn't change the user simulation into slew mode. Your own flight continues as normal.

I agree, what I mean is that using either Map/coordinates for the user aircraft, or TVB (which slews the user aircraft to the AI position) causes the scenery anomaly shown above.

George