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REDUX lights and AI planes. FS9

All things Military AI that don't fit anywhere else.
texas sally
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REDUX lights and AI planes. FS9

Post by texas sally »

Edited:
For examples of AI planes with Redux lights.

http://militaryaiworks.com/forum/viewto ... 2098#32098
http://militaryaiworks.com/forum/viewto ... 2098#32098
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Could anybody maybe explain the working of an AI plane as I have a problem with the redux 3D lights.

I have added Seymour Johnson AI planes. Nick Black's F-15's.

I added the redux lights to the plane (add entry for lights type 5 to Aicraft.cfg). I also added the gear gauge entry to the panel. When AI F-15 plane take off and retract the landing gear it, the landing light stays on. AI plane is doing circuits and bumps in flightplane, but I can see that the landing gear is retracted (I zoom in and see that hapening but lights stay on) just after takeoff, but light stay on. This kinda look weird..!!

I then fly the AI plane itself as a test to see if it is working or not. (a panel has been added for the plane to accomodate the shockwave VC "gear" gauge entry ) Yes I did actually take off with the same F-15 as in the AI set-up, because it is in FS menu and this is even weirder as plane show open canopy, but it was flyable so I gave it a go to see what happen if I manaully select gear up/down. When I retract the landing gear, the 3 D landing light get switched off as it is supposed to work.

No why does the landing light not switch off when AI plane goes airborne and retract the landing wheels?

Anybody experienced this. ?

The lights just work perfect with all my flyable planes. It just seem that AI traffic the light do not want to be switched off. I also repeat the process with another plane and I see the same is happening.

Any suggestions out there ? What is different to when AI plane is flying and when you fly the plane. The gauge just say that when landing gear is near 100% switch off the landing light, because you cannot have landing light on when the gear has been retracted.

I have also posted this on the shockwave forum, but maybe here is someone that can explain the working of AI plane and why system do not regognise landing gear being retracted to switch off the landing lights.
Last edited by texas sally on 19 Mar 2008, 19:37, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Firebird »

I must admit that I haven't tried the system myself, although I am tempted to get it as it does look really good.
Can I assume that you are using the FS9 version? If so if you find the answer it would be really helpful to post it here so that I can fix the same problem when I get it.
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Post by FlyEF »

Hey texas sally,

i think the AI-Aircraft don't use any gauge (you can use ai's without panels), and so the AI don't switch off the special landing light.

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Post by nickblack423 »

Texas Sally,

To reply to this and your PM.

The lights on User aircraft are manually controlled. i.e. you press CTRL-L to turn your Landing Lights on, and if you dont turn them off they will stay on. AI Aircraft use a dfferent system. The lights are turned on at different stages of the flight leg. My AI aircraft, and alot of others, are set up with a special part called LIGHT_LAND which is tagged to another part c_gearlight. What these parts do is make a landing light shine down from that part, and the c_gearlight part tells the light to turn off when the gear reaches a certain point of its cycle. This isnt controlled by any part of the aircraft.cfg, it is hardwired into the xml coding of the model file. And so putting a landing light into the aircraft.cfg with the landing light tag, will allow that to be turned on and off as a user aircraft, but on AI aircraft it will only turn on when the aircraft lines up for taxy, and off when it turns off the runway after landing I think.

Sorry mate cant help anymore. It is as far as my knowledge tells me, impossible to ammend this particular problem.

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texas sally
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Post by texas sally »

Thank you sir. Much appreciated for clearing that up
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Post by texas sally »

As summary regarding AI traffic and Redux lights:

Mr Black explained the AI thing to me (see his post). Its hard coded into the model to switch on lights etc.

SO bottomline. Is it still worth adding Redux lights to AI traffic.
YES, ABSOLUTELY,
These 3d lights are awesome. However, dont add the lights as landing lights but as Taxi lights to AI traffic, unless you want to see planes flying ALL TIMES with landing lights on.

What I now have done is to add the redux lights only as taxi lights to make AI traffic a bit better at airports but left the standard landing lights out. so at least the planes look better as they move around at an airport.

Rather keep the landing lights for your flyable planes. These 3d lights make a HUGE difference to flightsimming experience.

(By the way this issue I have is in FS9. I dont know if it will be different for FSX.)
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Post by Firebird »

Thanks very much for the info, very useful.
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Post by texas sally »

Maybe we could ask mr Black if he does not want to add a command to his code that says when wheels retract, perform key press Cnrl L to switch off landing light and when landing gear lowers, perform keypress Cntrl L to have it switched back on.

Surely this must be possible to re-enact the flyable scenario into a model.

Man then these awesome F-15' of mr Black will be just downright incredible.

I will post a screenshot with these F-15 and redux lights as taxi lights and you will see what I mean.
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Post by Firebird »

Well we can ask. Personally I would love to see some pics of the Redux in operation. It would give me a better idea of the product.
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Post by Greg »

Yes me too, I'm getting very interested certainly now AIG has placed the settings for the popular AI models on their website.

Would like to see how the effect looks on our military models.

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texas sally
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Post by texas sally »

I will post a few pics tonight.

Just sat down and thought about that commands I want inserted. Dont think that that gonna work. You busy flying and suddenly an AI took off and it do the Cntl L thing for AI plane and whoops their goes your lights off. Hahahaha... but I am pretty sure that there are a few gurus out there that will solve the thing for us..
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Post by nickblack423 »

Mmmmm maybe its possible. The xml code is built into the current FS MakeMDL SDK. It is a predetermined part, much the same as the lights levers are for user aircraft. I'd need to see whether AI aircraft actually do deploy the landing lights or whether they are a different command all together. I will investigate when I get a chance and let you know.

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Post by Weescotty »

Could try this Nick -

c_gearlight is a part name that only turns the taxi light on when its 'deployed'.
Used it on the T-38's.

Using that as a parent for a LIGHT_LANDING poly might have the same effect.

[edit]
Just realised -
As we used model based taxi and landing lights, c_gearlight wont help with this particular problem. As they are not dependant on an aircraft config entry.
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Post by texas sally »

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Post by Firebird »

Is the F-16 Henry T's one? If it is, does it have the same landing gear light problem as the F-15?
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texas sally
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Post by texas sally »

Yes I it is.

Did not check with the f-16 however. Checked the F-15's and the KR135's from Seymour Johnson base. I also checked with some other GA planes and they all have the same effect. I will actually check this F-16. The F-16's I just got to taxi for the screenshots and did not want to waste time with them going through the whole thing. Will start up those f-16 and confirm for you.

Sally

What u think of the light effects?
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Post by texas sally »

Weescotty wrote:Could try this Nick -

c_gearlight is a part name that only turns the taxi light on when its 'deployed'.
Used it on the T-38's.

Using that as a parent for a LIGHT_LANDING poly might have the same effect.

[edit]
Just realised -
As we used model based taxi and landing lights, c_gearlight wont help with this particular problem. As they are not dependant on an aircraft config entry.
Weescotty

What is funny is that the plane do use the light effect added to the aircraft.cfg. I mean chnage the navlight of AI plane and u will see that the light do change on the AI plane. and why do the taxi light (as defined in aircraft.cfg) switch off at the hold short and the landing light (as defined in the aircraft.cfg file) get switched on. It is just that after takeoff the landing light stay on. Somewhere there must be a connection to the aircraft.cfg file.
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Post by Greg »

Sally, just a thought:

Go above 10,000 feet and see if the landing lights are still on.

I remember an ICAO recommendation to keep landing lights on below 10,000 feet (although we don't use it in the Belgian AF).

I wouldn't be surprised if the AI aircraft adopt this rule and switch landing lights on or off when resp. descending or climbing through 10,000 feet.

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Post by texas sally »

Thank u I will try and give feedback about 10 000 thing. If this works then I will just not add the landing light to gear but rather to the wings. That might look a bit odd on some planes like f-16, but rather that than nothing
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Post by Weescotty »

Tirithon wrote:Sally, just a thought:

Go above 10,000 feet and see if the landing lights are still on.

I remember an ICAO recommendation to keep landing lights on below 10,000 feet (although we don't use it in the Belgian AF).

I wouldn't be surprised if the AI aircraft adopt this rule and switch landing lights on or off when resp. descending or climbing through 10,000 feet.

Greg
That would make sense -

As we use landing and taxi lights that are part of the model they retract with the gear.

Aircraft config entries are a fixed point, but they 'should' go off over 10k.

It may be possible to overcome this in FSX as I believe you can attach effects to models.
This isn't possible with aircraft for FS2004 though.
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