Traffic Manager:
* Just continue routing until we run out of flights. This change removes one of the major requirements for setting the "Home port" field.
* Add a time restriction requirement for the aircraft scheduler; this became necessary after removing the limited-to-home-port routing restriction.
* Added a new field to the heuristics calculation: take into account whether an aircraft has already been used in a previous session. Rotate aircraft assignments for greater variability across sessions.
* Added a revision number to the cache files, so that old cache results, which are no longer compatible with the new file format, are discarded.
Groundnetwork and traffic control:
* Added a revision number to the cache files, so that old and incompatible results are discarded.
* The caching algorithm probably didn't store the correct data for airports that were processed while the user was quite far away. This is now corrected by checking whether the cached elevation data are equal to the generic airport elevation.
AIAircraft:
* I've been searching for the infamous aircraft bend-over-backward bug, that can occur during initialization, but to no avail yet. The only variable potentially responsible (tgt_vs) wich can explain the irregular jumping behavior, as well as the weird pitch results is initialized in AIAircraft's only constructor (through AIBase), and I can't find any situation in the ground handling code where this variable could get bizarre values. But,
* a couple of tgt_vs. calculations appear to be completely redundant. This value was calculated twice inside the ProcessFlightplan function, and subsequently again in the updateSecondaryTargetValues function. I have removed the calculations in the process flightplan function, without any apparent side effect.
- Better transistion between taxi and takeoff phases.
- Skipping the pushback stages when a gate doesn't require push-back.
- Some test code always chooses the user aircraft as the one that has to hold position.
- Change AIFlightPlan::waypoint into an independent class FGAIWaypoint
- Don't update leg count until the aircraft has passed the last waypoint that was created by the corresponding leg
- Clear ground network rendering for controllers that are no longer active.
* Allow position and intentions to be monitored and updated by the Startup controller
* Added a "parent" pointer to the startup controller to allow communication with the groundnetwork.
* Implemented a render() function for the Startup controller
* Renamed "FGGroundNetwork::getRenderNode() to FGGroundnetwork::render()
- Fixed a bug in AI aircraft ground steering code: When aircraft were not moving, the value of headingchangeRate kept increasing to insane levels. Although this was clamped to a maximum of 30 degrees per second, the initial rate could still push the aircraft in the wrong direction. In practice, this bug would be visible when an AI aicraft would be pushed back, when it tended to veer to the right.
- Make sure that the aircraft slows down well ahead of the pushback point. This change ensures that the AC will actually reach the pushback point. It also ensures a slightly tighter steering range.
- AI ground steering rate is tuned to 30 degrees per second at a nominal taxispeed of 15. I now modulate the heading adjustment rate by manipulating the adjustment using a non-linear function (the sqrt). This allows for a slightly tighter turn radius at speeds < 15 and slightly looser turns at speeds > 15.
- The AI Flightplan generation code can return false. This can be used to determine whether any additional AI aircraft may be created. Currently, the function returns false when no more parkings are available. This should limit the build-up of huge AIAircraft tower stacks.
- The ground network can now graphically display all aircraft actitivy on the ground network by using a virtual marker system.
* New features
- More realistic descent paths
- Separation during descent and approach
- ATC approach controller (still silent)
- inbound traffic flow will start immediately
* Bug fixes
- Properly handle vertical speed when on ground
- Departing aircraft now wait for taxiclerance before moving
- Traffic manager waits for proper weather initialization
- Fixed instabilities in the preferential runway usage code
- Fine tuning of waypoint following code.
* AI aircraft distance to user proximity detection works again (lat/lon were inverted).
* The parking uses by the user aircraft is marked as such to prevent it being reused by an AI aicraft
* AI aircraft won't receive permission for pushback until the user aircraft is at a fair distance.
The current code still has some rough edges, in particular memory still
needs to be deallocated where possible, and the actual use of the code
needs more testing. This code has been running without noticable problems,
so I think it's ready for some wider exposure. Detailed changes include:
- Finetuning of the SID/STAR data concept.
- Preloading of all SIDs, from one xml file.
- ATC determines which SID should be used and echoes this over the com1 or
com2 radio.
* Changed the runway XX. ATC message to actually report the real
designated departure runway
* In case of multiple active runways, select the one with a heading that is
closest to the direction of the ultimate departure destination / lines up
with the arrival path.
some prepratory work for assigning different operations to different
frequencies. It also returns a stub for returning an ATIS message ID.
Currently, the ATIC information ID is hardcoded to "Sierra", which needs
to be replaced by a dynamic ID once ATIS services are fully integrated
with the new trafficcontrol code. At least, it's marginally more realistic
then the previous information XX. :-).
- Runways are now part of an airport, instead of a separate list
- Runways are no longer represented as a boring struct, but as a class
of their own.
-Improved runway access to unify various runway access methods.
Various other patches that have been lingering around for a while:
* Moved trafficcontrol.[ch]xx from the Airports directory to ATC, where
it really belongs.
* AI aircraft will request startup clearance, and ground control will
approve.
* Starting AI Aircraft will be pushed back to a predefined holding point
on the ground network, and wait a while before taxiing out to the runway
