Carrier Building

[MaddogK]

S'cuse me if this is the wrong forum for this:

I recently built my first carrier and for the life of me cant figure out how to get the AI aircraft to 'spawn' on the carrier when I start the game from that carrier. My AI flightplans have them doing T&G's (from/to this carrier) but I'm assuming they cant do those T&G's if they aren't physically in their parking space when I start on the carrier.

Also can/how do I create an AI traffic BGL for this one ship ? Do I need to edit the traffic.BGL or can I create a BGL just for the AI on this ship.

S'cuse the noobie questions- point me to a doc explaining this if you can.

[Collin]

I presume this is in CFS2?

Its possible to have AI as a deck park, but I'm not sure you can have your own flight on the same deck as you waiting for you to take off.

I have watched AI aircraft take off from a different carrier, but they were also a different flight.

The CFS2 forum is the place to find an answer to this question.

regards Collin:ernae:

[MaddogK]

My bad- FS9.

Is there a such thing as start locations for the AI ?? Didn't think about it till just now, I thought the AI parking spaces were the AI start locations, as the player has his own start location.

[MaddogK]

UPDATE: I figured I had a funky start position or node so I started tweeking with AFCAD (again) and now I have a carrier thats 'sunk' up to the flight deck. My ocean flatten file won't correct it anymore, the working model from a couple days ago is now sunken as well. Ive restored the unaltered traffic files, wiped the scenery cache, replaced the current carrier files with the working backups from a couple days ago, restored the original game config file and restored the original weather files and 'uninstalled' the other 23 working carriers (as well as their flatten files) and still have a sunken carrier- what did I miss ?

[The_Editor]

If you want more than one aircraft to take off from a carrier, for example you and two wingmen:

Carrier Multi-Aircraft Take Off Tutorial. This process will place a virtual runway over the flight deck of the aircraft carrier, and allow wingmen or groups of AI aircraft, to populate or take off, from the carrier deck.



To make things easy, I created a new airbase in the airbase.dat file, (located in the CFS2\INFO folder.).


1. Create entry in airbase.dat file.

(You can have more then one just increase xxx numbers and change name)



Here is Data for the Airbases.dat file. Fill in the XXX with the next numbers in sequence and do not delete the little square eof marker.


[runway.xxx]
id=xxxx
name=Fake runway one
heading=40
allegiance=0
units_across=1
base_lat=N6* 8.70'
base_lon=E135* 4.68'
base_alt=+64
takeoff_start_pos=28,0
takeoff_stop_pos=1600,200
landing_start_pos=5000,350
landing_touchdown_pos=5,0
landing_stop_pos=150,0



2. Build mission with yourself taking off from carrier.(Start with two wingmen)
(Make sure starting speed of carrier is zero.)

(Try to make the starting heading of the Carrier either North, South, East ,or West.)

This will make things easier when you decide to advance from here.

3. Fly mission, PAUSE, then Hit Shift-Z, and write down starting info. IE- lat, lon, alt, heading.

4. Exit mission Builder.

5. Edit the new "Fake runway one" airbase entry that you placed in the "airbase.dat" file. (use data from step 3)

6. Restart mission builder and load mission.

7. Change takeoff from "Name of Carrier" to "Fake runway one" airbase.

8. Save and Exit



9. Enjoy

Note: If the carrier speed is greater than 20 knts. your wingmen will start their takeoff roll as soon as you start your engine.


B24Guy

P.S. I some how left out the allegiance=0 section of the airbase entry.
I hope this has not caused anyone any problems.
Last edited by The B24 Guy : 22nd July at 03:51.

[MaddogK]

I finally discovered the reason why my carrier flight deck is sitting on top of the water instead of 68 feet above it (where it should be), the apron. Seems the apron is pulling the entire model down to the surface of the water, but when it's removed the model reverts to its correct position above the water and the runway is correctly positioned 68 feet above the water.

Now my question becomes- is it possible to alter the altitude of the apron instead of allowing it to sit on top of the earths surface (the surrounding water) but leave everything else where it currently is ?

[MaddogK]

figured it out, seems I accidentially deleted my taxi link from my flatten file (months ago), now it's all there- aprons, runways, nav aids, ship on top of water, plane on top of flight deck.

Whew, thought I was going nutz.
:isadizzy::ernae::ernae::ernae:

NOW- back to the A.I. issue....