Military AI Works

For those that use FS2020 I released my Coningsby scenery for the new sim. Lakenheath is not too far behind.

It can be downloaded here:

https://flightsim.to/file/10045/egxc-raf-coningsby

Cheers

Ian

Wow - simply wow! First step to maybe change to MSFS is done! First military airbase which is really worth to visit!
Even if I do not use MSFS until now, thank you for making many MSFS users happy!

Oh - excellent! We just need the AI to go with it, but I think we may be waiting quite a while.

is they a update scenery of raf coningsby for flight sim 2004

read the title ADO it says MSFS2020 !!! and not RAF Coningsby update for FS9.

That's a major breakthrough Ian - well done. I know you told me off-line, that Pete managed the conversion of my FSX F-15's to enable them to work in FS2020 and hat's off to him for doing it. I know you said that there are still some glitches, but Is it too early to write up a step by step guide to the AI conversion process please? I'd like to see how complex it is and whether that will induce me to buy FS2020 so that I can experiment myself.

Ado, why on earth would Ian concern himself with updating Coninsgby for FS9, 3 sims back, when he's at the leading edge of FS2020? Please stop repeatedly asking for FS9 stuff. If you want updated packages, switch to P3D, or just live with the limitations of what you have.

John

Fantastic Ian !

Oh Wow, and here I am stuck at work! Wish I had some PTO available so I could go home and install this magnificent scenery. Ian, I’ve said it before, but you are the Man!

Thank you Sir

Your scenery looks great in MSFS, Ian. However, does anyone else get irritated by the tendency of HDR graphics to wash-out colours and give a filtered look to everything? It's something I first noticed with P3Dv4, but at least in P3D it can be turned off (and, IMO, is much better for it), but MSFS doesn't give that choice - I think. I also find the perspectives a little odd on my 34" QHD monitor. I'm not a paid-up convert to MSFS yet!

I have the same feeling about P3D Tim. I find the colours quite muted and dull no matter what I do with the settings. For me, FSX gives the best rendition of the 3 sims I have.

John

I had the same problem with P3D HDR. When I disabled HDR, EA and dynamic reflections the sim did look much better. And imho v5 has better colors/contrast than v4. Maybe it is because I am old, my monitor is not made for HDR and I cannot get used to different colors after using FSX for so many years...

Henk.

John Young wrote: ↑17 Mar 2021, 07:07 That's a major breakthrough Ian - well done. I know you told me off-line, that Pete managed the conversion of my FSX F-15's to enable them to work in FS2020 and hat's off to him for doing it. I know you said that there are still some glitches, but Is it too early to write up a step by step guide to the AI conversion process please? I'd like to see how complex it is and whether that will induce me to buy FS2020 so that I can experiment myself.

Ado, why on earth would Ian concern himself with updating Coninsgby for FS9, 3 sims back, when he's at the leading edge of FS2020? Please stop repeatedly asking for FS9 stuff. If you want updated packages, switch to P3D, or just live with the limitations of what you have.

John

Hi John

I have no idea the process myself as that is not my expertise. Pete has done all the AI side of things and has a better understanding than me. I am sure he will comment once he has finished tweaking it and is further ahead with it.

TimC340 wrote: ↑17 Mar 2021, 13:43 Your scenery looks great in MSFS, Ian. However, does anyone else get irritated by the tendency of HDR graphics to wash-out colours and give a filtered look to everything? It's something I first noticed with P3Dv4, but at least in P3D it can be turned off (and, IMO, is much better for it), but MSFS doesn't give that choice - I think. I also find the perspectives a little odd on my 34" QHD monitor. I'm not a paid-up convert to MSFS yet!

Thanks

Yes I had this when I got P3D V2 onwards. I think some of the problem is you get used to how colourful FS9 and FSX are in any conditions. Then when you switch to P3D or FS2020 it has a more real look to it which isn't always colourful. I never turned HDR off in P3D so I am now used to it with it on.

Hello,

How to use the Ai package and exactly which one?
MSFS

Thank you,
Zsolt

Hi,

I hope you are all keeping well, ‘ long time no see ‘ as the saying goes !

To compliment Ian’s fabulous Scenery Packages, Coningsby, Lakenheath and Honington, we have set about with the possibility of populating these bases with some of Johns equally fabulous AI Aircraft.

As I am sure many of you will already be aware, AI is not very well featured in MSFS 2020 at this current time and dare I say it, Military stuff probably even further from the majority of people’s minds to boot.

Ian has already briefed John as to what and where we are at the moment with this, followed up by an email to John this afternoon from myself.

So, what are we able to do ?

As it stands at this moment, without hacking any models etc, we are able to package ( currently, F-15’s, Typhoons, Tornado GR1A’s ) Johns FSX AI Aircraft and use them inside of MSFS 2020. Both myself and Ian are very pleased with what we are seeing so far. So just to be clear on this, these Aircraft haven’t been ported or anything, they work and appear as is. ( As if brought straight over from FSX ).

Glitches ?

Yes, as mentioned already, the MSFS 2020 AI system is currently far from perfect, but the alternative would be to wait possibly months or years for something better to come along, if at all ?
As the MSFS legacy system is not 100% compatible, animation of the Aircraft wheels rotating, is missing.
On occasions, the Aircraft appear to ‘ Jump ‘ as they are Taxiing, this is due mainly to the terraforming of the terrain. Unlike in FSX, where an airfield could be totally flat, MSFS airfields have the terrain much more realistically terraformed.

What Next ?

Work continues to improve the behaviour of the Aircraft.

Much of this has been achieved by using an AI Aircraft config template from the MSFS SDK samples. A more realistic and longer take off and landing run is just one of the end results of using the template parameters, this wasn’t possible using the standard FSX Aircraft config and air file. These have now been decommissioned.
Also,Aircraft lights such as navigation and beacon lights are now working on the F15’s , Typhoons and soon to be working on the Tornado’s too.

So, that’s where we are at currently, there are still some other fixes I am looking at, but I remain confident with these can be sorted.

Best Regards,

Pete Beeby.

I wish you more good work!

Thank you,
Regards,
Zsolt

Pete, that sounds like really good progress.

As I said in my e-mail, feel free to hack away at my models if it might help our understanding on how we might get AI working in FS2020 as well as it does in previous sims.

John

As Pete said, I think one of the master problems will be the terrain.
Guys, as soon as you are able to bring back (military) live into MSFS, I will buy this sim and only because of this!
Ian, how did you manage the curved runways, please? This is outstanding work, the shots are stunning!

Manschy wrote: ↑17 Mar 2021, 21:10 As Pete said, I think one of the master problems will be the terrain.
Guys, as soon as you are able to bring back (military) live into MSFS, I will buy this sim and only because of this!
Ian, how did you manage the curved runways, please? This is outstanding work, the shots are stunning!

You can create terraform ploys and sloped rectangles in the scenery editor. The ground poly which is a projected mesh follows the terrain as does the AFD taxi links/parking etc. Everything can be snapped to ground. Quite easy to do once you learn.

The UK has had a recent update and this means there is super high terrain resolution which is so good that even the fuel mounds are present. Some areas can then be smoothed where the necessary.

Coningsby has a full flatten as I had not figured that out at that point although the runway is not flat.

Cheers

Ian