Looking for a TTools tutorial/manual for FS2004 AI traffic

TTools for FS2004 AI traffic – quick “manual” + how to get started

Hi Andrea,

TTools is old-school but once you see the workflow it clicks. It basically converts the compiled AI traffic file into 3 editable text files (and back again).

What TTools works with
FS2004 AI traffic is made of three plain text files:

• Aircraft.txt = a numbered list of the flyable “AI aircraft” titles you want to use (these titles come from each aircraft’s aircraft.cfg).
• Airports.txt = a numbered list of airports (ICAO + lat/long + elevation).
• Flightplans.txt = the actual schedules (who flies where, on what days, and at what times).

Then TTools compiles them into a single BGL traffic file (the one the sim reads).

Step-by-step basic workflow

1) Make a safe workspace

• Create a folder like C:\TTools_Work\
• Copy your AI traffic BGL into it (so you’re not experimenting directly in the sim folder).

In FS2004 the default traffic file is typically in:
...\Flight Simulator 9\Scenery\World\Scenery\

2) Decompile the traffic BGL
In TTools you’ll use the decompile function and point it at the traffic BGL. You should end up with:

• aircraft.txt
• airports.txt
• flightplans.txt

If you decompile and one of these doesn’t appear, or you get an error, that’s usually a clue (bad format, corrupted BGL, etc.).

3) Edit the text files (carefully)
Use Notepad (or similar). Two big “gotchas” that trip people up:

• Aircraft titles must match exactly what’s inside each AI aircraft’s aircraft.cfg under the title= line. One extra space or different punctuation = no show.
• Airports must exist in airports.txt for anything referenced in flightplans.txt. If an ICAO isn’t listed, compile will fail.

4) Compile back to a BGL
Once edits are done, compile in TTools. It will create a new traffic BGL.

5) Install and test in FS2004

• Put the compiled BGL into:
  ...\Flight Simulator 9\Scenery\World\Scenery\

• Make sure you don’t have two traffic files providing the same airline at the same time (not “illegal,” but it can make it confusing when testing).
• Set AI traffic density high enough in FS9 settings to actually see the flights.

Common reasons “it compiled but I see no traffic”

• AI aircraft not installed, or title= mismatch vs aircraft.txt
• Traffic slider too low
• Flightplan times/days don’t match what you’re testing (easy one to miss)
• Airport ICAO mismatch (old sceneries sometimes use odd ICAOs)
• The aircraft is set up as flyable only and missing key AI bits (less common, but some models just aren’t happy as AI)

A couple quick questions so I can point you to the right “level” of tutorial

• Are you trying to edit existing traffic (like the default FS9 traffic), or create brand new schedules?
• Do you already have an AI aircraft installed that you want to use (and if so, which one)?
• When you try to decompile/compile, do you get any error messages? If yes, please paste them (exact wording).

If you tell me what your end goal is (example: “add one daily flight from LIRF to LIMC using aircraft X”), I can walk you through a simple first flightplan line-by-line so you’ve got a working template.