AI Carriers .NET

[Orion]

hi, it's not work for me:( i have installed and full updated framework, and i think it include client, or i'm worng there? thank you
actually java work ok for me, but i realy interested use this too, it's realy fun have  two similar things for found some different
when i start simulator net version is start but not connect, just stay in try and popup messages wrote "not connected"
have a nice day, happy ney year, and good luck

While FSX is running, try right clicking the AI Carriers .NET icon, clicking exit, and then launching the AI Carriers .NET executable file.  Also make sure that AI Carriers 2 by Lamont Clark is not running at the same time.

[einherz]

hi, it's not work for me:( i have installed and full updated framework, and i think it include client, or i'm worng there? thank you
actually java work ok for me, but i realy interested use this too, it's realy fun have  two similar things for found some different
when i start simulator net version is start but not connect, just stay in try and popup messages wrote "not connected"
have a nice day, happy ney year, and good luck

While FSX is running, try right clicking the AI Carriers .NET icon, clicking exit, and then launching the AI Carriers .NET executable file.  Also make sure that AI Carriers 2 by Lamont Clark is not running at the same time.

heh, now connected:) so it's just no time to connect from autostart:(, i use p3d 2.4
thanx, i has to guess start it as manual
now connected ok with auto from xml:) look like firewall some jammed
any way, vlso better start manualy just when sim opened and ready, and without vlso carriers no fan, so i do this:)
@echo off
@start "1" "c:\PROG\AICarriers_NET\AICarriers.exe"
@start "2" "c:\PROG\LSO\vLSO.exe"
and <disabled> true in xml now
thank you, work good, some time p3d crashed when exit, may be it was by java's cause, who know, i doesn't use event log and any other logs lol

[jandjfrench]

Hi,
The program works with both the disc and Steam FSX versions on my system.  I noticed that after exiting either version of FSX I had high CPU usage.  After shutting down AI Carriers.NET the CPU load dropped to normal.  As a test I flew in a complex scenery area (ORBX PNW KBFI) with AI Carriers both activated and not.  There is a noticeable performance decrease with AI Carriers activated.
Has anyone else noticed this? 
I haven't done an equivalent check with the Steam version but due to the high load after exiting either version I'm assuming a similar performance hit.  If I double click AICarriers.exe outside of FSX I get the security warning but after clicking Run nothing seems to happen (No CPU hit, no taskbar icon). 
Jim F. 

[Orion]

I noticed that after exiting either version of FSX I had high CPU usage.  After shutting down AI Carriers.NET the CPU load dropped to normal.

AI Carriers .NET will automatically exit when it receives the SIMCONNECT_RECV_ID_QUIT structure from the simulator.  If AI Carriers .NET does not automatically exit, the simulator may have not exited properly.

As a test I flew in a complex scenery area (ORBX PNW KBFI) with AI Carriers both activated and not.  There is a noticeable performance decrease with AI Carriers activated.

All the SimConnect logic in AI Carriers .NET is identical (or as close to identical as I could make it) to Lamont Clark's original AICarriers2r2.  There are no changes in the logic beyond what was required to rewrite things in C# rather than Java.  The user interface and logging system were completely new, but differences in performance should be negligible (if not better).  Have you profiled the performance of Lamont Clark's Java AICarriers2r2?

If I double click AICarriers.exe outside of FSX I get the security warning but after clicking Run nothing seems to happen (No CPU hit, no taskbar icon).

AI Carriers .NET is designed to only run when a SimConnect server (i.e. FSX, ESP, P3D, P3D v2, or FSX Steam Edition) is running.  If the user attempts to launch AI Carriers .NET when SimConnect is unavailable (e.g. if the simulator is closed or if SimConnect hasn't initialized), the program will exit on its own.  Similarly, AI Carriers .NET only permits a single instance and will not run if you attempt to launch AI Carriers .NET with another instance already running.

[jandjfrench]

Hi,
I don't believe I have anything much to offer but I did reinstall the Java version to FSX disc and did not notice a similar performance impact.  I edited exe.xml accordingly.  However, when I brought up the menu screen and attempted to deploy any vessels nothing appeared; haven't checked further.  Incidentally, I always restart the computer before doing checks.
I always exit either FSX version by Ctrl+Break.
After, exiting the Java version AI Carriers is no longer running.
As the Java version always ran without any problems on FSX disc I intend to pursue why that's not the case now.  It may point to other problems.  I don't know enough to proceed any differently.
Jim F.

[Orion]

I'm not familiar with using Lamont Clark's original Java AICarriers2r2, but its implementation is near identical to what I wrote for AI Carriers .NET.  There should be virtually no difference between AICarriers2r2 and AI Carriers .NET as far as the simulator is concerned -- just make sure you aren't running both simultaneously.

There isn't anything I can think of that should cause AI Carriers .NET to be any less performant than AICarriers2r2; however, if for whatever reason you find you get better performance using AICarriers2r2, I'd advise continuing to use that rather than AI Carriers .NET, as there is currently no difference in functionality.

[jandjfrench]

If I end a flight by using ESC and X out of FSX, AI Carriers NET shuts down properly.  It does not shut down by using Ctrl+Break.  Problem solved.
I'm using the Java version with my disc FSX and the NET version with FSX:SE.  I haven't run any tests on FSX:SE to determine any performance impact with AI Carriers NET.

[jandjfrench]

Steam performance seems normal with AI Carriers NET.  During my previous checks I had uninstalled the Java version so I'm certain it was not running concurrently with the NET version.  The only thing that occurs to me is that by not exiting FSX in a way that shuts down AI Carriers NET, I may have had multiple instances of NET running.  In any event all seems well now.  And, Orion, thank you very much for your great work!  My biggest disappointment with FSX:SE was the inability to run AI Carriers.  No longer an issue!
Jim F.

[PhantomTweak]

A question, if I may:
In the EXE.xml file, if I want to start AICarriers.NET and, as an example, vLSO.exe both, should each portion started by <Launch.Addon> be ended with </Launch.Addon>, or would there just be one <Launch.Addon> section that includes the 4 entries for all the addons before the </Launch.Addon> occurs? In other words, do I have a <Launch.Addon>, followed by the 4 lines for ONE addon, like AICarriers, then a </Launch.Addon>, or a <Launch.Addon>, followed by the 4 lines for all the addons, then a </Launch.Addon>? Or do I just need the path command for each addon, and the other 3 lines are common to all of them, so there is the <Launch.Addon>, the next three lines, 2 or 3, or however many, <path>.........</path> lines (one for AICarriers, one for vLSO, for example) then the </Launch.Addon> line?
Can you tell I'm not super familiar with xml encoding? 
Thanks for any help you provide to this tyro, I sure appreciate it!
Pat☺

[Orion]

The former.  Each addon requires its own opening <Launch.Addon> and its own closing </Launch.Addon>.  For example:

Code: [Select]

<SimBase.Document Type="Launch" version="1,0">
  <Descr>Launch</Descr>
  <Filename>exe.xml</Filename>
  <Disabled>False</Disabled>
  <Launch.ManualLoad>False</Launch.ManualLoad>
  <Launch.Addon>
    <Name>AICarriers</Name>
    <Disabled>False</Disabled>
    <ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>
    <Path>REPLACE WITH PATH TO AICarriers.exe</Path>
  </Launch.Addon>
  <Launch.Addon>
    <Name>vLSO</Name>
    <Disabled>False</Disabled>
    <ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>
    <Path>REPLACE WITH PATH TO vLSO.exe</Path>
  </Launch.Addon>
</SimBase.Document>

[PhantomTweak]

Thanks for the quick reply, Orion! I appreciate the help 
Pat☺

[Orion]

You're welcome!  Glad I could help.

[Paddles]

Orion,
While working on a new vLSO version I came to an idea of adding a new vLSO add-ons menu option, allowing to spawn a carrier near the user's aircraft. I wanted this part of the program to count carrier's heading and speed so that the ship would sail into the wind with the resulting WOD blowing straight down the angled deck, with the desired speed. But very soon I found myself re-inventing the already existing wheel. It's AI Carriers' business, right? And then I thought wouldn't it be easier to add this feature to the existing AI Carriers .NET program rather than having two different add-ons, which side-by-side implement almost the same functionality?

The first thing that came to mind is a menu option, something like 'Turn into wind', which could be followed by another submenu to choose the desired WOD...

What do you think? Is it difficult?

[Orion]

Possible?  Sure.  Difficult?  Depends.

To avoid a crosswind the deck angle offset would need to be known.  Maintaining an internal lookup seems troublesome; instead, I could read a new entry from the configuration files, but that would require users to define the deck angle for each boat.  I suppose if the entry is missing I could assume no angled deck and put the boat straight into the wind, but that seems like bad user experience if users fail to make the modifications when there is an angled deck.

Also, since AI Carriers .NET is almost identical to AICarriers2r2, the main menus aren't very extensible.  It probably wouldn't be too troublesome in this situation since there's room for one more option (since SimConnect text menus only have space for 10 options and only 9 are currently used), but additional changes beyond that may present a challenge.

Additionally, AICarriers2r2 (and thus, AI Carriers .NET) uses throttle to set the boat movement.  To be able to have the secondary menu to select wind over deck would likely require implementing a PID controller (or similar), which may need to be configured per boat (as the acceleration/deceleration constants may differ).  It might be possible to set the AI DESIRED SPEED variable and let the AI system control the boat, but from what I recall, using that resulted in small variations in speed, and there were some instances where the boat would yield to the user (i.e. stop each time the user taxied forward of the center of the model).

Like AICarriers2r2, AI Carriers .NET remains open source software.  However, while AICarriers2r2 is public domain, AI Carriers .NET is available under The MIT License.  Anyone is free to modify and submit pull requests with improvements should they desire.

[Essex]

The first thing that came to mind is a menu option, something like 'Turn into wind', which could be followed by another submenu to choose the desired WOD...

What do you think? Is it difficult?

Have a look at this
http://z13.invisionfree.com/Flying_Stations/index.php?showtopic=367