Military AI Works

Since the loss of “Muffin” I’m finding that the time previously spent out dog walking is being absorbed into my flight sim work time, particularly in these winter months, when I’d rather not be out in the garden. I'd rather be out dog walking, but it’s given me the opportunity to have a crack at Minot AFB and being active mentally, also helps me cope with the loss.

It’s going to be a detailed scenery using all custom-made objects, built in composite models to keep the draw calls and the frame rate low. There’s quite a bit of reference material on the net if you look long enough.

The primary reason for picking Minot was to accommodate the Huey’s based there. The existing MAIW FS9 scenery is just not suitable for FSX and P3D. There are too many big transparency issues. That’s a pity really because it might prevent a whole host of B-52’s from being seen by many FSX and P3D users. The default Minot can be adapted by it is very sparse and in the wrong place. It’s been enjoyable so far, but a lot of work. I’m probably about half way through the project.

So, welcome to Minot in FSX and P3D ………



As you can see, the helicopters are working well:



These are the MAIW B-5’s that have already been converted by the team, for FSX and P3D. I want to add more detail to the ramp, with relevant GSE and a few other bits:





This is the alert “Christmas Tree” on the eastern side of the airfield along with the crew facility. I made the maintenance “Bread Vans” from my USAF ambulance model, but again I want to add some more detail, including the alert vehicles and the new armoured cars used by the security forces.





This is the fire station and the new control tower:





Finally for now, the weapons storage area on the eastern side of the airfield (there’s another one to go on the western side). There are many components to this part of the scenery, including 100 security lights, but everything is drawn from a single composite model with a shared texture sheet to give just 1 draw call and optimised welded texture vertices for best frame rate:



Next step is to make a start on the myriad of objects on the north side of the airfield to flesh that out. I’ll add some trees when all the structures are in place and the night lighting is going to be a huge job, particularly as FSX and P3Dv5 use different processes for ground splashes that are not compatible with each other.

John

Nice work, JY.

Excellent work. Congratulation.

This looks gorgeous, John.

Last working day today for this year - this weekend I will have my first look at your Hueys and Minot

Great!

Only -12C today in Minot, AI crews don't mind. Great looking scenery and attention to detail, like the crew alert facility. I converted the FS9 version and it has been workable, the Hueys fit right in for the most part during my testing.

Quite a lot of progress since my last post, fleshing out the buildings behind the flight lines:







It's quite painstaking work, trying to find reference information to work from, never mind the monotony of working with simple shapes most of the time, rather than the intricacies of AI aircraft, but I'm getting there. Still a few more buildings to add, then some trees and finally the night lighting.

John

Well worth the effort, I feel.

Looks brilliant John

Had a dose of flu over the past week, but I did manage to do quite a bit, continuing to flesh out a variety of buildings, as best I can determine. I had a fascinating reading and video watching excursion into the world of Minuteman ICBM maintenance and the use of the transporter/erector trucks. I have made the model and added a few to the Minot scenery:



I wanted a reason to have a version with the container in the fully vertical position, but that really only happens over the missile silo they are visiting. I was surprised how much information is readily available about the deployment of the missiles and positions, dispersed over large areas of North Dakota, in the case of the Minot Wing. Although I found the coordinates, it was fascinating to play "Where's Wally" roaming over Google Earth to find a few of the individual launch sites. They are so small, discrete and hardly discernible in Street View. I wonder if anyone thinks about what they are driving by, or whether it's all second nature.

John

The silos are actually reasonably unobtrusive when you drive by. When I lived in Colorado I once looked for one to the east of Fort Collins, and only saw it for real after I found out I missed it and turned back.

Jorgen

Hello John,

Great work again, it will greatly accomodate your new model, for sure

Fred

Hi John

I have KML files for every launch silo and control bunkers at all three of the current missile squadrons. amazingly they are readily available on Wikipedia.

John,

Hope you feeling better.

The locals very much know where the sites are, and a dead giveaway you are on a gravel road supporting a LCC or LF is the road is in immaculate condition. Missiles and "potholes" are not a good mix.

The maintenance teams will have a training pad where they practice backing the truck in and getting it lined up. Below is time lapse photography of the team lowering the trailer to horizontal on the training pad at Malmstrom.

https://imgur.com/gallery/malmstrom-afb-te-scJWk0F

Superb work John

Nearly there. The trees are now added as is the night lighting for both FSX and P3D. I have also added switchable seasonal textures for P3D so that a snowy Minot can be seen. That was easily done with MCX, but unfortunately it doesn't work with FSX. It might be possible to do it with SODE, but I don't really want to go down that route. I have instead provided replacement textures so that users can switch seasons manually if they wish.

I'll post some screen shots of the snow and the night lighting soon. The past couple of weeks though, I have been building the vehicles needed to help bring Minot to life:

Some fuel tankers:



The alert vehicles:



There is also a Police version of the Ford F-150 pickup:



Lenco Bearcats used by the security forces:



The maintenance crews' "bread vans":



The rescue vehicles at the fire station:



The last job (I think is to add some GSE to the B-52 ramps and then I can start to assemble the package.

John

This looks stunning, John!

The AI vehicles really do add so much to the scenery, need those at all my USAF bases.

I have some Launch Control Facilities that I made for the Huey's to fly to. I just need to tweak them to make sure everything looks ok. They cover all the current and former bases that had the Huey's. May be a bit before I am able to get them, but I'll upload for those wanting them.

I was thinking about those too. The difficulty is placing a 300ft helicopter runway within the small area of the facility which is surrounded by a fence. My best option, I think, would be to place the runway over the access road which is 1000ft in length. If the end closest to the helipad is then closed for landing, arriving helicopters would head towards the pad and turn off without much manoeuvring. Similarly, if the end furthest from the helipad was closed for take-off, that would obviate the need for a long taxi and U-turn.

How have you configured your runway?

John