AI Carriers .NET

[PhantomTweak]

Sorry, but VR is useless to me. You need TWO working eyeballs for VR to function. Kinda leaves me out, since a horse got mine back in '92. Ran smack-dab into him at 60MPH on my motorcycle. Scraped me off the bike, and I bounced down the road for ways. Glad I was wearing a helmet, but the impact, well, anyway.
Egad, how long ago was that!
Anywho, since VR doesn't work for me, I have no idea if it works with P3d, of any version.
Sorry I can't be of more help...
Pat☺

[rotorhub66]

Thanks for your reply and sorry to hear about the crash Pat. Most people with two eyeballs don't like VR anyways :-). There are issues with VR, but I like the experience of dimension. Looking at the Carrier bridge and deck in real size is awsome.

[Tregarth]

After a long absence I have decided to install AICarriersNet into P3Dv3.  I have downloaded AICarriersNET2r2 from this site and unzipped it into a new folder /Lockheed Martin/Prepar3D v3/AICarriers.  I have then run Setup.exe which initially wanted to use Java but I browsed to the LM main folder but it stopped at "Can't write\SimObjects\Boats\Veh_Carrier01\TexturePack\Sim.cfg

I supect this is because it is going into a clean P3D install which does not have any of the old FSX carriers already present.

I have looked at the Manual install but can't see where to put the apprpriate files.  There are also some .jar files present but am not sure if they should be used.

Could someone please help me install AIC into P3D v3?

Thank you,

Tregarth

Been having a think, I may have downloaded the JAVA version of AIC from (Page 1) by mistake.  I should have used the web link on page 3 post 43 which is Orion's NET version.  Thank you, Orion.

[PhantomTweak]

Hello, Tregarth,
I am certain the link in Orion's signature on his posts will take you to his blog, or at least send you to where the .NET version download is. You can tell for certain you got the .NET version by checking the Readme file in the .zip file you download. It has Orion's name at the top, in the title area.
If you want to manually install it, BTW, just unzip the .zip file the download is in to a Temp folder of some kind. Make a folder, AICarriers, where ever you like, although I've read that some folks needed to install it under the P3D root folder, as you did originally. Make certain you download and install the .NET Framework specified in the Readme file. Copy all the files in the temp folder into the AICarriers folder, where-ever you placed it. Now update the EXE.XML, if you want AICarriers to start when P3D does, using the example included. If it doesn't exist, you need to make it yourself, using NotePad or NotePad++. It is critical to get the path correct.
If you don't want AIC to start automatically, just make a shortcut to the AICarriers.exe file on your desktop, or wherever you like, and when you want AIC to run, click it. Make sure you start AIC as Administrator.

Sometimes you need to do a cold reboot after installing the .NET Framework to get everything to work properly.

Good luck, and enjoy!
Pat☺

[Tregarth]

PhantomTweak,

Thank you for the advice, I had managed to download the Java version.  Now have the NET version and all is well.  I am not clear as to the difference between AICarriers.cfg and the conf.d folder.  I have added SBD's USS Enterprise (and installed it into P3D v3/Ecosystem).

It seems I can copy the carrier formations into the .cfg file (and can add/delete formations in this file to taste) or copy the CVN65_Enterprise.cfg into the conf.d folder.  Do you know why there are 2 routes to add the formations to AIC - is one better than the other?

Thank you.

Tregarth

[PhantomTweak]

Hi Tre!
I'm lazy, so if I shorten words, I'm sorry.

The main reason, I think, that there is the .cfg file, and the conf.d folder is so that you can swap formations in and out more easily.
I leave the AICarriers.cfg file alone. If I want to add formations, or hoist loads, etc, I just drop a .cfg file into the conf.d folder. All done, or want something different, remove the one you were using, drop in the new one. I personally make a BACK folder under the conf.d folder, and keep all my .cfg files there. I only have what seems like a few hundred If I want to use one, drop a copy into the conf.d folder. New one in, delete the old. Saves a ton of time.
Remember the fewer formations, boats, hoist loads, etc you have to sort through in the SHFT+J menu, the quicker and easier it is to find what you want. I would  rather have 2 menu pages than 10 to search through. And, as I mentioned, I'm lazy. If you keep adding things to the AICarriers.cfg file, you wind up with a long, unwieldy SHFT+J menu.
It is also more dangerous. What happens if you corrupt the AICarriers.cfg file somehow? It can mess up the entire program, or stop it from opening entirely. Safer to drop .cfg files into the conf.d folder, and delete them when adding something else. Just make sure you keep an original stashed away someplace so you can re-use it any time you like.

Long-winded, I know, but that's me
Pat☺

[ols500]

Hi I click the link on Page 1 to Github and download Aicarriers but there is no download for the .net?

-Ollie

[PhantomTweak]

If it's the one authored by Orion Lyau, THAT's the .net version. Do you see in the Readme that you need to DL and install the .NET Framework 4.0 Client Profile? Other than the author, that's another way to check you have AICarriers.NET. You need thee 32 bit version (X86).
It's virtually identical to the .EXE version. The file names are all the same. It's referred to as AICarriers.NET at Orion's request, to make it easier to differentiate his version from the original, JAVA based version. Notice the extension .NET is always capitalized, again, at Orion's behest, to ensure everyone knows which version is being discussed.

It's functionality is identical as well. The biggest difference I've seen is that the .NET version uses much less in the way of computer resources. Memory, CPU cycles, the whole nine.
Some have said, also, that it's the only one that works in FSX:SE and P3D, but I only have SE, so I can't speak to it one way or the other.

Over-all, and this is just an opinion, I believe the .NET version just to be better.
But that's just me.

Does that help, Ollie?
Pat☺

[Tregarth]

Sorry to be slow in replying.  The reason Orion produced the .NET version is that it does not use Java code which apparently is not very secure.

I have used the orian version, it works exactly the same as the original with the advantage it is more safe.

Good luck,

Tregarth