Apparent Scenery & AI Incompatibility...?

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davem
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Apparent Scenery & AI Incompatibility...?

Post by davem »

Hi all,

Not sure this has ever been noted before (It must have surely!) but in FSX, I've discovered a scenery/AI incompatability issue.

I can't find any FSX scenery for RAF Mildenhall, so downloaded an FS9 version (by Matt Magner) and put it in. Expecting some scenery / code issues and a major hit on frame rates due to SCASM presence, I was pleasantly surprised to find it worked well, but then amazed to find it had killed all my Mildy AI. What was more, I slewed 'next door' and all my AI at Lakenheath had disppeared as well... I uninstalled the Mildy scenery from the addon library and hey-presto the LN F15s were back as were the '135s at Mildy.

Just to save any questions along the 'have you' lines, all my traffic files are already converted to FSX compatability in AIFP, there was no hidden traffic file in the Mildy scenery (as far as I could tell...) and I've tried the sceneries both above and below each other in the addon list in case of any exclusions causing this.

I'm a tad confused by this as I thought it was only clashing traffic files that cancelled out AI...???

Anybody know different??

TIA

Dave.
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Post by Ford Friendly »

FWIW, I have no such traffic issues when running FSX in Vista using that scenery. Traffic from multiple MAIW packages shows up when and where it's supposed to - both at Mildenhall and Lakenheath.

That suggests there's something specific to your installation.

OTOH, there are texture issues that make this scenery unacceptable for me - "normal" FS9 to FSX incompatability stuff.

Hope you get it worked out.


BTW, I think that there's a UKMIL scenery for RAF Mildenhall you might try if you can't get this to work on your system.


Edit: There was an included traffic file with this scenery. It was an FS9 format bgl. As such, unless it was specifically converted before installing, you would get the results you describe - no traffic elsewhere, though I don't know why you wouldn't see the traffic associated with that file (unless you didn't have the proper aircraft files themselves already installed.).
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davem
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Post by davem »

This link is the version on avsim...
http://library.avsim.net/download.php?DLID=71876

And what is presumably the same thing on Simviation
http://simviation.com/fs2004scenery63.htm

Just to clarify I have NOT used the included flightplan files and sadly the UKMIL version is not SP2 compatible, although when they get the downloads fixed for that file I'll give it a go anyway.

Thanks!

Dave.
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Post by Firebird »

Dave,
For me the key thing here is that the traffic reappeared after you deactivated the Mouldyhole scenery.

Now I am guessing here, that the MAIW Mildenhall traffic works fine no matter what. I am also guessing that the Lakenheath scenery is fine no matter what. If this is incorrect then let us know.

Now there are two reasons why this would happen, that I know of. One is that there is an FS9 traffic file in the MH scenery folder itself, but you have discounted this, or secondly that in the MH scenery folder there is an afcad for LN that is taking precedence and is wiping out the parking at LN.

Now it maybe that you have have another FS9 traffic file, somewhere, that doesn't normally cause a problem but something in the MH scenery triggers it. To prove or discount this it might be worth doing the following.
1. Activate the MH scenery again.
2. Remove all of your traffic files, with the exception of your MAIW LN and MH files. I normally just create a folder name 'UNASSIGNED' and drop all the files in there.

Load and see what happens.

Now as I don't have FSX this next idea is pure conjecture and I can't prove or disprove it. I know that you have to convert afcad files for FSX as well, did you convert the afcad file in the MH scenery? To test zip it up or create an 'UNASSIGNED' folder and drop it in there.
My thinking here is that the fs9 afcad is being loaded first and forcing the ignoring of the LN FSX afcad, by some weird MS logic.
Steve
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davem
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Post by davem »

Firebird wrote:Now as I don't have FSX this next idea is pure conjecture and I can't prove or disprove it. I know that you have to convert afcad files for FSX as well, did you convert the afcad file in the MH scenery? To test zip it up or create an 'UNASSIGNED' folder and drop it in there.
My thinking here is that the fs9 afcad is being loaded first and forcing the ignoring of the LN FSX afcad, by some weird MS logic.
Hi Steve, thanks for all that, I tried most things and even ended up opening the FS9 AFCAD into ADE, made the necessary changes according to the fault finder and then it would not compile no matter what I did stating various XML parse errors so given the amount of time I do not have at the moment, I think I'll give this one a miss and either get the UKMIL FSX AFCAD when the links are restored or just make do with a blank area of tarmac but with '135s and '130s sat on it!

Thanks!

Dave.
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Post by davem »

Just been fiddling with it again - it may be the case that AI is present but is INVISIBLE... I slewed over to LN and was run over by an invisible Combat Talon. Of course when AI is not moving there are no labels on them so they could have been there all along but just invisible... :?:

Anyway I have now reverted to the original MAIW AFCAD and AI traffic but no buildings.
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Post by Firebird »

I have done a brief search and found a couple of things that can cause the invisible aircraft syndrome in FSX.
Firstly there is at least one bgl that is not FSX compiled, that has been mentioned, but I have found a tool that will convert from one to the other, and that's more or less all it will do, but you can add an FSX/FS9 extension to the end so that you can easily tell.

The only place that I now its available from is here http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showth ... fpc&page=3 the tool is an attachment in one of the posts from the author. Its called AIFPC.

Secondly, if you have SP2 and DX10 invoked then that is also a cause. Switch back to DX9 mode and you may fix the problem.

Of course, as you can tell now, I am going on hearsay.

P.S. Just found a third cause, with SP2, if you have aircraft shadows on disable that option and they may come back http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php?topic=1073.0.
Steve
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davem
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Post by davem »

Firebird wrote: Of course, as you can tell now, I am going on hearsay.

P.S. Just found a third cause, with SP2, if you have aircraft shadows on disable that option and they may come back http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php?topic=1073.0.
Ain't hearsay GREAT!!! (Pure & Simple.... :oops: )

The cast shadow issue was the cause!

Many thanks!

:smt041 :smt058
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Post by Firebird »

Blimey, I can even fix things that I don't have. I best be careful. :shock:
Steve
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