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AI Traffic: Difference between revisions
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→Some Details: TrafficManager, Aircraft, and Flights
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In FlightGear, we wouldn't have to be so strictly considerate about the turnaround times as a real-world airline would, but in the not-so distant future, we also want to be able to see realisticly crowded terminals at our simulated airports, so considering the turnaround time in the schedules is a good thing. Therefore, most of the long-haul aircraft will need to be scheduled to fly more than one route. Hence, each AI aircraft has one or more routes assigned to it, which repeat on a weekly, daily, or hourly basis. | In FlightGear, we wouldn't have to be so strictly considerate about the turnaround times as a real-world airline would, but in the not-so distant future, we also want to be able to see realisticly crowded terminals at our simulated airports, so considering the turnaround time in the schedules is a good thing. Therefore, most of the long-haul aircraft will need to be scheduled to fly more than one route. Hence, each AI aircraft has one or more routes assigned to it, which repeat on a weekly, daily, or hourly basis. | ||
The FlightGear traffic manager system, periodically checks the approximate position of a each aircraft in its database. This database | The FlightGear traffic manager system, periodically checks the approximate position of a each aircraft in its database. This database was originally constructed on the basis of a fixed routing table that was assigned to each aircraft. As in the real-world, when a route ends at one airport the next one has to start from the same airport as well. An important difference between the real world and these FlightGear traffic patterns is that while in the real world aircraft schedules are frequently rotated the FlightGear routes remained the same, unless a major update to the database were to take place. Real aircraft require maintenance, and are therefore taken out of service periodically, FlightGear aircraft have the advantage that they do not require maintenance in this respect. | ||
There were still some significant drawbacks to this approach, nevertheless. Consider the MD11 a little further. In real life, KLM operates this aircraft on many routes that are serviced at relatively irregular intervals. For example, many flights to the Carribean are served only two or three times a week, making it extremely complicated to build completely accurate traffic files for these routes. | |||
To circumvent these problems, a new database format was introduced in FlightGear 1.9.0. In this new format, flights are no longer directly and rigidly assigned to specific aircraft. Instead, a more generic description of a fleet is given, along with a series of flights that need to be carried out. The routing is then taken care of by FlightGear itself. | |||
== Realistic == | == Realistic == | ||