Making AI boat plans and traffic - advice needed please.

**expat** · October 21st, 2014, 08:07

Thrilled to report I made a working track for a single ship (Yankee station with the Midway beta) all by myself recently. Been daunted by the Google Earth part of this but it was somehow a success. Like most things with this hobby, once you enjoy a small step breakthrough like this in no time you want to do something more. So, I tried to make three parallel tracks (CV + 2 nearby parallel escort ships) but it won't compile in the AIBTC and I can't find anything on the net about this. Opened someone's working "fleet" Routes.kml and saw that on the left there were duplicate entries, e.g. _

1001
1001
1002
1002
1003
1003

for a three ship in one Routes.kml. When trying again, I discovered I could right click the mouse over my 1001 on the left list and click a window "add" then "path" and then it looked like to add a second path directly over this. Did the same for the other two and then the left hand list in GE looked just like the working kml in GE. BUT I still can't compile and get an error.

What is the step I am missing to put multiple ships in the same Traffic.bgl?

expat

**Essex** · October 21st, 2014, 10:14

For fleet action you may prefer to use this
http://z13.invisionfree.com/Flying_S...?showtopic=367
Seems to have potential.

**DaveB** · October 21st, 2014, 10:17

I wish I could reply with some confidence expat. Having watched a mate make a 3 ship track for me (ferry).. he made track 1 first followed quickly by tracks 2 and 3 then compiled it. I asked about the duplications you see in GE after compilation (2 lots of track 1, track2 and track3) and I 'think' he said that it's either GE or AIBT which does this. Do you see duplicates of track 1 in your original KML in GE or have you already edited that?
Hopefully, someone who knows what they're talking about will jump in!

ATB
DaveB

**expat** · October 21st, 2014, 13:27

Thanks guys. Essex, I think that package is for "AI Carriers" where you plant a carrier after you load FSX. This help avoid all the bother of finding and then starting on the boat, if I understand it correctly. I am dealing with "Carrier Tracks" where the boats are always sailing along a path when you enter the sim. I can find them with the RFN TACAN and Dieter's A4S gauge pretty readily. I am doing something wrong after making my three parallel track, the way I am saving it in GE. I want three routes in one kml file but think I am still making three separate "routes" whereas I want three track all in one route.

**expat** · October 21st, 2014, 13:29

Here is the kml:

Yankee.zip

**Essex** · October 22nd, 2014, 11:57

Originally Posted by expat

I think that package is for "AI Carriers"

It is similar, except that the fleet follows a kml track.

**expat** · October 22nd, 2014, 13:12

Essex thanks. I woke up last night realising my response was wrong - my apologies (!).

Downloaded the FlyingStations zip today, had a closer look and you are indeed right it does follow a track. However, I think it relies on already set track locations and then assist with starting flight on the cv, whereas I would like to be able to decide where the tracks are set anywhere. I have achieved this by creating a working track for a single ship but cannot find anywhere the essential step - probably in Google Earth - that lets you have have two or more tracks within a single "Routes.kml."

It can be done. I have the payware SDB Enterprise which comes with a number of Traffic.bgl's that have three boats/helos and looking inside the kml's with Notepad those files have much more data than mine, so I am saving the three paths - which I see in GE - somehow incorrectly.

I am sure more than one SOH member out there knows exactly what the trick is ..

**DaveB** · October 22nd, 2014, 13:49

expat..

Here's the 3 ship traffic file my mate made.. DevonShips

As I said above, he made track1 first then, with GE still open, made track2 and finally track3. The KML file GE produces contains a lot of rubbish (that needs to be removed as you know) then the 3 files in the zip were compiled using AIBT. The 3 ships are on a FERRY with an 8hr cycle. Hopefully.. you'll see something in there that'll be of help

ATB
Dave

**DaveB** · October 22nd, 2014, 13:50

sri.. managed to get a duplicate post of the above!

**Essex** · October 22nd, 2014, 15:15

Originally Posted by expat

I think it relies on already set track locations

Yes, there is a file Cruises.kml that you should be able to edit and add your own track. The .ship file is for defining escorts and air group etc.
I'm very new to this myself.

**expat** · October 23rd, 2014, 04:29

Essex - thanks, will definitely try this out now (instead of making wrong assumptions about it!)

he made track1 first then, with GE still open, made track2 and finally track3.

As did I. It is somewhere saving it in GE I think it is going wrong.

The KML file GE produces contains a lot of rubbish (that needs to be removed as you know) then the 3 files in the zip were compiled using AIBT.

Well, now that's interesting, no, I have never read anywhere that you need to remove things. I have looked at several route.kml's others have made - opening them in Notepad - and they don't look like and contain much more data than mine do. Otherwise mine look the same - I think - in GE. This has to be a rare case of someone wanting to **** but there is no FM.

**expat** · October 24th, 2014, 10:17

It was something to do with creating a folder first in "My Places" I guess that was messing it up. I think it was actually the second time I saved the file - correctly without realising it - that it came up in Notepad looking right. Happy camper here + thanks guys for the support.

expat

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