Military AI Works

Time for the 2007 State of AI Address everyone!
I'd like to open my address by saying thank you everybody at MAIW who have put out the fantastic packages you have been using as well
as everybody at the forums who helps keep AI going!



First off is civilian AI. It has been a mixed year for civil AI. The general aviation craze seems to have died down a lot.
This has not been helped by the absence of Henry T. and his promised Piper Aircraft package, and the fact that Ultimate GA is
practically dead. However there is still hope out there. There are plenty of models out there that could be done in packages.
In fact along with the common models of King Airs and Citations there are a lot of smaller models for less well known planes,
however these planes would be fantastic to have in FS! So all quiet of the Gen Av front.
The situation is a bit different in commercial aviation though. PAI has been rejuvinated, and although packages are not
flying out the door, its better than the dead PAI we used to know. An interesting, and very recent, development was the momentary of
ai aardvark for christmas. The updating of some 737 models and the release of some NEW Embrear models was fantastic! Aside from that there were almost no real commercial models released, though there are not many airliners left to model! The A380 was released without fanfare, as were some russian birds, but its pretty quiet right now. I personally cannot wait until an AI Dreamliner! The real good news for civil AI is that World of AI is as busy as ever! Packages are coming out every week, and they are the best that can be found!
In addition to the contemporary civil AI, there is little real news for helo and ship AI, although FSX added some boats by default there have been no real additions to the simulator. It seems another fad is dead.



Now for the REAL story in AI this year. Military AI! Military AI has been growing exponentially. With the efforts of MAIW more and
more new models are released. Tis year alone there has been the F-15, B-2, Eurofighter Typhoon, P-3, F-22, and more! Some 3rd party models were
released as well, most notably the F-4 Phantom! Although there have been a few losses in the community, notably Fernando Martinez, Elvis, and Dan
the friendly MAIW leader, the community has not been permanently damaged. After a quiet period MAIW has started releasing packages again
and more are on the way!In a short time military ai has gone from 2 models (f-16 and c-130) to so many that making flightplans for
all the examples of each model would take a lifetime!


I hope everybody enjoyed the year in AI, and I hope the next one is as good as it looks like it will be.

Well........

I can promise the Gripen.

Basic single seat clean model and LODs are complete, just LODing the weapons now.

All the usual stuff from MAIW modellers, plus realistic working canards that also double as brakes during touchdown.

FS2004 pic of it on the main page, just wait for it to come up.

Already something exciting!

A great summary Calvin and I echo your sentiments.

I would slightly disagree on the commercial aviation model scene. The Fruit Stand have released several of the larger Boeing and Airbus models and AI Aardvark have produced not only the updated 737s and new Embraers, but the list of smaller Airbuses too.

Things are indeed looking good for 2008 with the raft of new utilities for FSX, which can only help push the whole community forward.

Here's to a great New Year!

I agree about the rise of TFS, it has allowed me to start retiring my FSPainter models, and also the welcome return of Charles Dayhuff in the guise of the AI Malcontent.
The one dark cloud that I can see on the horizon as far as the Civil AI is the very recent acrimonious divorce between Craig Ritchie and EvolveAI but its too early to tell how that is going to pan out.

Steve

Yeah, sad to see all the arguments. Hopefully it will all calm down...

Too much of that in FS
Barry

btaylo24 wrote:Hopefully it will all calm down...

It seems like it will... but not the way we all hoped for. EvAI is closing. You were a few hours too early to call 2007 an uneventful year for civilian AI, Calvin. So sad

Thank God MAIW is on the right track !!

Greg

Tirithon wrote:

btaylo24 wrote:Hopefully it will all calm down...

It seems like it will... but not the way we all hoped for. EvAI is closing. You were a few hours too early to call 2007 an uneventful year for civilian AI, Calvin. So sad

Thank God MAIW is on the right track !!

Greg

That is sad to hear EvAI is closing, I JUST downloaded some of their fp's this morning we don't really know the circumstances but for whatever reason, also sad to see another member of the AI community fade away

Typical... I do the address early... and something happens right before the year is out..

Good thing there is still WOAI to make packages! As for models... idk, idk anything about the fruit stand. Do they have a site?

Also notable is the ever increasing realism of the AI models. ie moving pilot heads, tags moving in the wind, deploying drogue chutes, appearing/disappearing ground vehicles, fire bottles, ladders, opening-for-serviceing nose cones, hydro-action landing gear, more detail in the landing gear extend - retract, and on and on. And all with less poly's. Wow! What a time we've had! I hear we will be seeing flexing wings and more soon for AI. I've even seen some work on improved AI approaches to airfields to avoid terrain. It's all just great!

Ron

Here ya go Calvin:

http://www.the-fruit-stand.com/

They really have some great looking AI models.

Calvin Gwin wrote:As for models... idk, idk anything about the fruit stand. Do they have a site?

The Fruit Stand's members are mostly ex-Aardvarks and guys who separated from EvolveAI in its early days. Funny to see how they have become the biggest modeling group now. Their models are most excellent by the way, and make the old FSPainter models look like bricks.

http://www.the-fruit-stand.com/

Edit: Oops I missed your post Mike

Sheesh, its a shame that this thing happens on a regular basis. The main reason that FS9 is still so popular, I believe, is down to the really smart people who are able to constantly expand the envelope of what is possible by trial and error.

Its hard to think of anybody who actually wins out of this situation.

How good is the AI Malcontent 767-200? I thought about replacing some of my Aardvark 767-200's with the Malcontent model.

Well Joseph, I like it, I replaced all my AIA 767-200 fleet with the exception of the two schemes that so far have not been covered.

I would say try it and see what you think, I do not think that you will disappointed. I am trying to remember where I read the specs on the model but I believe that there is at least one more LOD and all the latest XML stuff like flaps and thrust reversers.

P.S. When you go through he readme, I would take his comment about not doing a 767-300 with a pinch a salt. My guess would be that this is there to stop people asking when its going to be released, of course I could be wrong.

my old my.

Just been reading all the posts on EVAI, what a mess.
Why cant people just get on.....Its a computer GAME for heavens sake!

Barry

Barry, my thoughts entirely - life's too short for this sort of silliness!

That's the reason I left PAI. All the things that happened in the background were just too much for something that was supposed to be 'fun'.

Even though it's 'just a game', egos tend to run rampant when something becomes popular and the payware developers come calling.

Yes I am so sad because of what's been happening over at EVAI......

I can't understand why it has to go like this!

Imagine if it are the really important things in life like food, water and a roof above your head!

It's a hobby created by people that are so nice to make models for us the users, so we can use them which I really like because I cannot make them.
So I am ever so gratefull for them, modelers, painters, flightplan-creators etc.

A good thing though that I have not seen nothing (and I hope it will remain that way!) like what caused EVAI to stop, over here at MAIW.

Because in the end it's a hobby and in real life there are much more important causes to be really concerned about!

Anyhow hope that everybody has a good new year!

Calvin,

Have I missed something? Are Fernando Martinez and Elvis out of production for good. I realised we hadn't heard from Fernando for some time but I didn't realise that was the end of his wonderful creations. And Elvis, what happened there. I know it sounds totally selfish but where are we going to get F4E/F/G etc and KC135s that were clearly on the way?

Chris