FS Traffic

[Skybird]

I am taking into account to eventually get into a traffic software for FS9, too. but there are so many, and little comparison on the frames they are eating. My Traffic, Ultimate Traffic, Traffic 2005 (now simply called Traffic), and two freeware/shareware projects - what would you recommend, especially: what offers the best out-of-box compatability with the German Airports series by Aerosoft?

I currently tend to go for Traffic 2005, which additionally is available for less money. I do not plan to drown my airports with traffic, just to fill them and the sky with a little bit more life. Must I expect massive frame drops? How does the frame drop compare to that of the FS9 default traffic?

[Chock]

I manually altered Ultimate Traffic's FS9 'traffic file' so that it would work in FSX, this is largely just a case of copying and pasting bits from FS9 to FSX. seems to work okay, so I've never bothered with any FSX-specific traffic add-ons.

Here is me buzzing some AI traffic in FSX in the Me262, traffic generated by the FS9 traffic bgl pasted into FSX.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j105/AlanBradbury/262737FLY-BY.jpg

:D Chock

[waste gate]

If your flying heavy metal Skybird the reality is that you won't recieve many advisories from ATC about conflicting traffic. The stray indian country call which shows up on TCAS, but because of the seperation rules usually the most you will get is follow company.

[Skybird]

Yep, I do not expect to run into a stream of airships when skimming in some god-forsaken valley in the Alpes, but EDDF or EDDH or EDDM, for example certainly should see a bit more company from the air than they have right now. I saw a video of traffic 2005 ( at the bottom: http://www.justflight.com/product.asp?pid=68 (http://www.justflight.com/product.asp?pid=68) ), which seems to deliover what I am seeking for. The only question is if my frames can afford it. My system handled my old FS-2002 installation without problems, with plenty of airport sceneries, and now on FS 2004 it deals quite well as long as i do not use VC. Unfortunately, I use VC almost exclusively now, and so frames have become critical again. when taxiing I can live with that, but on approach and during landing at least, I prefer them to be at least "roughly fluid" (>15).

that's why I jumped onto 2004 when X came out last winter. My calculation was that if I would need a new PC cause the old one is brakling down, that rig would have frame troubles again with FSX when using complex airliner modules and complex sceneries - while any FS9 instakllation probably would run smooth as silk.

But you must get all addons now that you ever may wish for FS9, because slowly but surely they are runnin out. I bought all stuff second hadn in winter, saving lots of money, people were spending on FSX and wanted to get rid of their old addons. This situation has chnaged - what I had no problem to find second hand back then, now has become rare, and slowly but surely is deleted from producer's lists as well.

but some FSX addons featuzre the older 2004 versions as well. For exmaple the Helgoland scneery that I got (damn short runways, photorealistic, most beautiful scenery, but very small, of course: two islands, a frigate and an oil rig).

[Seeadler]

I am taking into account to eventually get into a traffic software for FS9
try skAI
http://www.aviation-photos.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=28

[Skybird]

I am taking into account to eventually get into a traffic software for FS9
try skAI
http://www.aviation-photos.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=28

Downloading 450 MB with 280 bytes per second, wowh! No wonder the author is complaining that nobody knows that program! :lol:

Thanks for the link, but I will try it again tonight.

[Lafferty]

thanks for posting these i have been looking for some of these so i will use them.

[Skybird]

Tried the download several times now, always it is in the BYTES per second range. No lock, no go anymore. Have bought Traffic 2005 via ebay now. Wonderingn what it will do ty my German Airports 1-3 collection. AFCAD is new terrain for me.

[Stryker412]

Do any of you know how to get the AI to use your downloaded skins? Everytime I fly free flight the AI only uses the default skins.

[Skybird]

Got Traffic 2005, and it does the job it is supposed to do. At 50%, frame loss is minor even at night with all the landing and taxi light moving around, but turns Frankfurt into a reasonably crowded place (8-16 planes in line waiing for take-off). Using a dedicated special scenery for Frankfurt airport, I am highly impressed by that place now.

[Tikigod]

I use:
http://www.projectai.com/ (http://www.projectai.com/)
(airline packages and entire AFCAD collection)
http://www.mostrealisticai.com/ (http://www.mostrealisticai.com/)
(realistic schedules to merge with project reality airline packages)
http://www.world-of-ai.com/ (http://www.world-of-ai.com/)
(airline packages with built-in ai aardvark skins (http://www.ai-aardvark.com/ (http://www.ai-aardvark.com/))

All the packages are free easy to install and better quality than the payware traffic packs that are out there.

[Skybird]

I use:
http://www.projectai.com/ (http://www.projectai.com/)
(airline packages and entire AFCAD collection)
http://www.mostrealisticai.com/ (http://www.mostrealisticai.com/)
(realistic schedules to merge with project reality airline packages)
http://www.world-of-ai.com/ (http://www.world-of-ai.com/)
(airline packages with built-in ai aardvark skins (http://www.ai-aardvark.com/ (http://www.ai-aardvark.com/))

All the packages are free easy to install and better quality than the payware traffic packs that are out there.
I do not compare the packages, since I do not know any other than Traffic 2005 now. I bought it via ebay, for 10+2 euros. The one charm it has over freeware packages is - you auto-install it, you auto-install the patch, and you're done.

I do not know any of the real world flightplans and thus do not really care if the flightpans in the sim are realistic or not. I only fly in Germany again, and use the german airport series. It's airports are tweaked to reflect realistically that certain carriers dock at certain gates.

[snowsub]

I recommend World of AI packages, I've installed them all.
PAI I'm not so fond of their models atm, but I certainly recommend AI Aardvark's ones.

I prefer my FS world to have realistic traffic and a little retro AI to (Pam Am :D, Ansett etc). Great airlines shouldn't have to die-off :ping: .

[Tikigod]

I used Ultimate Traffic which is similar to your Traffic 2005. I used to think same way it was simple install and easy to update. But, after using freeware ai project packages I noticed the quality of models in Ultimate Traffic is inferior to what you can get from freeware package using the same amount of frames.

I find it just as simple to install freeware packages as it was to install ultimate traffic. You click maybe 1-2 times to install the entire Project AI collection. World of AI makes you click 1-2 times each airline. Its very simple and is a poor reason for switching to Payware package. The quality of AI is far greater in the freeware packages than you can ever get from the payware packages. Plus you can pick and choose what airlines you want if you want just germany and european airlines.

All the packages above include base routes of a given year so they are already far beyond what you would get with default fs9. I just use Most Realitic AI routes because it has the most routes you can get in any package (which will generate more traffic you see in the sky) I don't care about updating the routes to have current schedules but, I do want to see more traffic.

Below is comparison I made with AI Packages I am familiar with:

Ultimate Traffic (Payware)
PROS:
-1 Click Install
-1 Click Updates
-Tons of Airlines (commercial, general, and small business)
-Tons of Routes
-Includes a huge collection of airport AFCADs located all over the world.
-Can pick and choose which airlines you want to install (example European and German packages only)

CONS:
-Commercial Traffic Only (no military flights)
-Semi-Crappy Models
-No updates or long-term support. (they stopped providing updates for this product)
-No new or updated AFCADS
-Simple AFCADS (ai will only take off and land using same runways rather than crossing runways)

DEVELOPER LOGIC:
Easy AI management Interface for AI packages. Provide Public with one click updates for seasonal realworld traffic routes. Sacrifice long-term open source development to provide public with quick easy solution now. Simple model LOD will allow best frames for realistic routes.

MyTraffic (Payware)
PROS:
-1 Click Install
-Most World-Wide Routes of any Payware Package

CONS:
-Very Crappy Models (worse models and skins available for any AI package)
-Includes Military Traffic
-No updates or long-term support. (they stopped providing updates for this product)

DEVELOPER LOGIC: Provide most routes available sacrificing quality of model. Sacrifice long-term open source development to provide public with quick easy solution now. Extremely simplified LOD models will improve frames and allow the largest amoutn of routes to be installed.

Project AI (Freeware)
PROS:
-2-Click Mass Installer (can install all the packages you download at once)
-Better Models and Skins (than whats found in Payware)
-Includes basic realistic routes (more than you see in default fs9)
-Can enable Most Realitic AI routes within installer (increasing the amount of traffic that comes with default installer package)
-Can pick individual airline packages (ex. German packages only)
-Commerical, Cargo, Business Aviation, and Military Packages available.
-Continuous Support by Community
-Continous AFCAD packages available by community.
-Provide updated AFCAD packages (you can download a collection of AFCADS. This collection is always updated after it is tested)
-Provides the most amount of AFCAD packages than any site out there.
-Many included complex AFCADS (ai will take off amd land on crossing runways)

CONS:
-Must download each individual package.
-Novice may get confused which package to install (they provide all-in-one packages, just 3-D models, or just skins which could get confusing to first time visitors)
-Setup installer may be unfamiliar to novice. Must read tutorial to use installer. (any idiot can install it, its just a matter of reading directions)
-Only provides Project AI models and skins withing simple installer packages. (will not use AI Aardvark or any other customized skins in simple installer packages but, instead provides you tools to tweak your own)
-AFCADS are not included in installer (must download them and istall seperately)

Developer Logic: Slow attention to detail and open source development over time will make the best AI collection over time. Provide most amount of unique commerical, cargo, and military airlines world-wide. Make easy installer for customizing ai traffic packages. (allowing users to install their own traffic routes in installation setup) LOD of models can look good and be optimized for large amounts of traffic if developed over-time by team. Will only use Project AI models and skins. (Will not use other freeware skins in packages)

World of AI (Freeware)
PROS:
-Best Skins and Models (of any free or payware package)
-Most Frame friendly models (AI Aardvark models and skins)
-Includes basic realistic routes (more than you see in default fs9)
-Can pick individual airline packages (ex. German packages only)
-Continuous Support by Community

CONS:
-Must download each individual airline package.
-AFCADS are not included in installer (must downlaod them on your own)
-1 click install for each airline package (no mass installer for all airline packages you download)


DEVELOPER LOGIC:
There should be an easy all-in-one installer of favorite ai packages without going to various sites or being limited to one type of model package.
Make easy one step installer for all novices of AI packages and routes. (any idiot can install it)
Provide collection of best freeware AI models available on the internet. (will use any AI models and skins if permission is given by developer.)



I do not compare the packages, since I do not know any other than Traffic 2005 now. I bought it via ebay, for 10+2 euros. The one charm it has over freeware packages is - you auto-install it, you auto-install the patch, and you're done.

I do not know any of the real world flightplans and thus do not really care if the flightpans in the sim are realistic or not. I only fly in Germany again, and use the german airport series. It's airports are tweaked to reflect realistically that certain carriers dock at certain gates.