AIG AI Manager OCI for MSFS – Development Announcement
AIG is proud to announce the start of developing AIG AI Manager for MS Flight Simulator including our famous One-Click-Installer (OCI).
Who is AIG?
AIG, or Alpha India Group, that consists of multiple individuals who all have the same shared interest in AI traffic and making the AI as realistic as possible.
AIG have been around since 2008, but our story goes even further back where some of our members were in other AI groups or were independent developers. Taking full advantage of each other’s knowledge, the user’s knowledge and knowledge from people with just an interest in learning how the AI engine in FS9, FSX and later P3D works, we have been able to deliver products that have been praised for its high quality and high standards. These products include of course our main thing, AI flightplans but also AI models, AI repaints, AI callsigns and airport files known as AFCAD or ADE.
We don’t release anything without it being tested at least twice to make sure all the standards we have are met. This also includes tests of the repaints being painted for us by independent repainters, who only want to do the best of the best for the repaints.
The data we use to create our AI flightplans comes from the best sources available on the internet and with multiple internal tools, we have been able to set a standard of AI that have never been seen in any Flight Simulator. This includes even live traffic and payware AI packages.
And now it’s time to get AIG into a new era with the development of the OCI and AI Manager for MSFS 2020.
What is OCI?
The AIG AI Manager comes with a unique module called OCI, or One Click Installer. OCI allows the user to install AI flightplans, AI models and AI repaints fully automatically, without the need to download and install all stuff manually. It uses a configuration file provided in each AI flightplan with information about what models are required, were the AI repaints are located and how to install them.
Some users might know an old group called “World of AI”. They made an installer, that could install AI, using packages that contained everything. OCI is an even better way to do this, as it only requires the user to download and install the program and select the airlines the user want. It simply can’t be easier than this. Everything is done for you as a user.
This is a major advantage compared to full packages:
- AIG does not need any permission to include others work in their package, because we do not provide anything other than the Software – AIM is downloading all files from the original servers like a normal user would do.
- For updates (flightplans, models, repaints) users do not need to redownload the whole package
- The user can decide what airlines to install
- Does not use any of the Live traffic or Generic ground AI that is currently in MSFS.
Yes, there are some disadvantages:
- Setup takes a bit longer
- First time users might be blown away by the amount of Airlines
Features of OCI based AI Traffic
- Regular updated flightplans
- Airlines from all over the world
- Dedicated Repaints and Models
- Support for offline and online traffic
Why does this seem so easy?
Well, it is actual very easy. Over the last years the AI community has grown and the amount of freeware and payware files available is almost countless and each day new stuff is getting uploaded.
For a long time, installation of big AI setups was a huge task and only a few user’s actual did that. But thanks to OCI this has now changed. The dedicated members of AIG are developing the flightplans and are collecting all needed information about the models and repaints that are available online, so OCI can install them for the user.
All this is only possible because there are so many active contributors to the community.
When is OCI going to be released for MSFS?
We could release soon, BUT we have decided against a release soon, because we want the best possible product available. Therefore, it will not be a rushed release for several reasons:
- We want to provide a 100% working solution from day 1.
- Currently there only a few, maybe even no AI Models in the native MSFS model format yet. Our team is currently working on plans to update existing FSX Models to the new format (conversion permissions have been granted in most cases already – for the rest we have a special treatment).
- FSX models and repaints are not looking good in MSFS so far.
- The MSFS202 SDK is still not done, and there might/will be changes to it, especially for the AI.
- Effect files like landing lights, beacons and similar are still WIP. Sadly the current FSX models can’t use the effect files that is included in MSFS.
There will be a public beta before the release (same as we had already for our releases for Prepar3D and FSX). The reason is to give people a chance to help improve the program and to get it even better, so we can get the best possible AI traffic into MSFS.
More information:
Discord: Alpha India Group
Forum: https://www.alpha-india.net/forums/
Previews
Here some sreenshots from within the Sim:
