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yes
Brief description of the issue:
Filed as Zendesk ticket #163844 with more info. Summary:
I have spent 15 hours trying to identify a bug with invisible C172’s on multiplayer after SU9. A quick fix can be implemented in a few minutes, preferably by Asobo. Bug:
After SU9 there is a bug where the multiplayer and AI modelmatching will load invisible models for Cessna 172’s (both G1000 and classic) if you don’t have the specific livery or mod the other player is flying. Cause:
c172 G1000 Aitraffic 00 - 03 are the randomized fallbacks for c172 modelmatching.
C172 G1000 float and ski versions have Aitraffic versions listed, but no model or texture files.
SU9 updated C172 G1000 float and ski AItraffic entries to have unique names, but still no model or texture files, making these entries pointless and harmful to modelmatching. Workaround suggestion for SU10:
Delete flightsim entry 01-04 in aircraft.cfg of float and ski versions (The AI entries). This lets the sim correctly show the Aitraffic liveries for base as fallbacks. They currently serve no purpose anyway. I have made a community package as a proof of concept for this fix. Proper fix:
Make Aitraffic liveries for float and ski versions? edit to add: And add a way for the system to differentiate between wheels, float and ski versions in modelmatching.
Provide Screenshot(s)/video(s) of the issue encountered:
invisible
Detailed steps to reproduce the issue encountered:
Install custom liveries for C172 G1000 (or classic) on PC1 but not on PC2. Load up on multiplayer at the same airport.
On PC1 use a C172 (any version) with custom livery. On PC2 observe if PC1’s plane is visible and which fallback livery is selected. The name of the fallback livery can be seen on PC2 under the Fakesim header in the Simobjects Statistics window in Dev Mode.
Every time PC1 changes livery to a livery not installed on PC2, PC2 will use a random C172 G1000 livery to fall back to for PC1’s plane. Sometimes this results in PC2 loading one of the Aitraffic liveries for Ski or Float version, which don’t exist and the plane is invisible with only lights showing.
PC specs and/or peripheral set up if relevant:
Build Version # when you first started experiencing this issue:
1.26.5 ? Probably SU9.
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Do you have the same issue if you follow the OP’s steps to reproduce it?
Provide extra information to complete the original description of the issue:
If relevant, provide additional screenshots/video:
Do you have the same issue if you follow the OP’s steps to reproduce it?
Answer: YES
The OP has done a great job in analyzing the issue, determining exactly what is causing it, and providing the solution to correct the Bug. (Missing AI models).
All that is really left is for Asobo to include the Missing AI Models and Textures, Models and Textures that already exist in the lower LOD versions of their respective flyable planes
I think for now the best solution is to just remove those float and ski AI entries, as I may have done some experimenting. As the sim can’t differentiate between wheels, float and ski versions when they have the same ICAO identifier and it will just do a random modelmatch between them and there’ll be about a 67% chance of modelmatching with the wrong type if they’re added at this point. Which is why we’re so frequently seeing the invisible ones swapped in.
(1) Standardize on an optional Extension to the UCAO code, to diffentiate different aircarft variants, (For Model matching purposes)
or even better ( and more backwards compatible)
(2) Add an optional ICAO extension parameter, that does the same thing, and is attemped to be matched, after the main ICAO code
ie a Parameter like “ICAO_Sub_Model”
Whatever the chose solution, something should be done to address this, to stop seeing , for example, a Cessna with Wheels, on the water in MP where there should be a float version.
In this case: I was using a beta account without premium. Jummivana here was flying a C172 steam gauge. My sim was therefore falling back to randomly picking liveries for Jummivana’s plane every time I got in range and half the time it picked the non-existing AI liveries and showing only the lights.
I restarted with my fix installed and everything was fine as expected.
Thanks @WombiiActual for bringing this up again, as it was not addressed in previous SU updates. (and thanks for the temporary “FIX” )
Confirm as 100% repeatable
Caused by two things. ?
(1) Missing Model for for the fall back matched AI Planes ( missing models need to be added by Asobo )
(2) Further made worse by random model matching/ fall back between wheel, ski & float version of the C172, as all 3 have the same ICAO code: C172 … so unable to identify which variant they are if an Exact match by livery is not available, ( better matching is needed ,as in h case of the C172 ICAO code being the same for wheel, ski & float planes)
Maybe an ICAO code extension, or a secondary ICAO code ?
NOTE: When model matching for MP was initially designed, there was only the Wheel version of the C172 in MSFS. It was not till the Ski & Float version were later added, that the inability to distinguish between these variants started to be an issue.
With the addition in SU11 of a C172 Tow plane, does his fix need to be updated to prevent the possibility of the tow plane becoming invisible in MP – assuming the MP Pilot’s tow plane even shows up in other player’s MP sessions ?
Are we just dropping the extracted folder into the C172 folder? I don’t see any instructions included with that zip file, nor any mention here. (unless I missed it)
Sorry, this was intended as a bugreport and not download site, so I didn’t include user instructions. I was hoping it would be fixed by now.
There are two options: Either manually remove the faulty entries in the official c172 folder or install the fix I made. For the record: I advise against editing official files and also installing unknown addons.
Third and best option: Find my " Duck AI/MP replacements " addon on .to which replaces the invisible cessnas (and default generics) with ducks.
Hopefully, his temporary patch fix t will no longer be needed, when Asobo sort out Model matching, and ensure that all AI models are included where needed, in the Sim.
Difficult for both Pilots and Devs to figure out exactly what is happening, without any Formal SDK documentation of how Model matching is “meant” to work.
This is still an issue in SU12 and it completely breaks GA Offline AI traffic.
In many cases most of your GA AI traffic will be Cessnas. Because of this bug all that traffic will be invisible and make it appear as if there is no GA traffic at all. Installing this fix from last year fixes the issue.
Come on Asobo, the community identified this bug and even provided the fix for you, and yet 3 major releases later you still haven’t fixed it? And you wonder why your reputation with the community is what it is!
I know this is old but I seem to be having this problem - I’ve been doing a few multiplayer group flights recently with me flying the C172 Skyhawk (analog classic edition) with the stock default livery and the other players can only see my nameplate and lights! No add-ons at all. It’s frustrating because I bought the deluxe edition specifically to get access to this plane.
Edit: If I change planes to something else (example C152 or TBM 930), everyone can see me. - So my multiplayer settings and connection are fine.
Yes, this problem is still there after SU14. I guess no one reported this in the bug tracking system, because otherwise this would be like 1 minute of dev time to fix. Does anyone know the correct procedure how to properly report this bug? I’ve never done that.
Sadly the zip is no longer available at that link. But, I manually applied the fix by deleting the FLTSIM.x entries as described in the OP, and I’m seeing skyhawks flying and not just their lights!
So the fix works.
And I’d class those entries as erroneous since they point to non-existent model files. There’s no ski or float AI flight plans either.
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