Ok 747X Opinion Time!

[craig_read 43]

All,I've been reading a lot of posts about the performance issues in FSX etc, which I can sympathise with.. I've read some posts about the aircraft performance being a bit unrealistic.. well here is my take..I think it's pretty good and close to the money.. I'm currently half way through a long haul over the Atlantic at the moment from EGLL to KJFK. I've got real weather on and I've set up the sim with a low level of detail to improve frame rates, and to my surprise even on my rig (AMD64 3500+ 1GB X800 ATI 256MB) it's not too bad at all..The aircraft sound is the thing that I noticed immediately, it's absolutely fantastic, I can't praise that enough. The rumble tone is superb, the sound of taxing is good, I think with a good speaker system I could sit and admire it idling on the tarmac while I have a cup of coffee quite happily.. (sad I know)..The flightdeck is as I thought, I couldn't really notice too many differences, it's all quite subtle I think, perhaps when I go to use the FS9 version (which I've not touched since getting this one) I'll see a difference. Let's start with some of my observations, some of the lights can be seen in the flightdeck like the beacon etc. I imagine this is an FSX limitation and to be honest I am really nit picking there it's about as minor as they come. So let's get to the good bits! There are a couple of changes to the FMC which I noticed and welcomed, cruise page seems to have been changed, fix page changed slightly, etc. Also the speed at which the FMC loads routes has greatly increased, not that it was really a problem in the first place but that's something I noticed. The lighting however is something I really noticed, that is much, much, MUCH better than in FS9. I had problems with it being quite dark at times and that has all gone away with this version. The FMC would get dark in FS9 and I couldn't see what I was doing, that's all gone, not so sure I like the pogo stick on the flightdeck though, we're supposed to be professionals aren't we!? lol Could that be an option? lolThe exterior model looks much better, I like the older, work horse look to some of the liveries with the darkened areas around the APU exhaust. The wing flex is so much smoother and the new views that FSX gives us make it so much more enjoyable. Most of you will be pleased with the wing views! It's great watching turns from the wing view, a bit like watching those videos of landings on movie sites. The movement of various parts of the plane seem to me (or is it my imagination) more fluid and less jerky. It looks like a lot of work has gone into the new model and it's a big improvment in my book.One thing I have read on the forum and don't quite understand is the references to the aircraft performance? I think the performance is quite close based on some of the video footage I've seen. Climbouts are about right, still needs a bit of help to get in the air when she's heavy. Banking still gives the heavy feel, and stall speeds etc seem to be consistent to me. Overall I think the performance must be so close to the FS9 version that I don't really notice too much difference. Perhaps those that aren't so sure should check their payload information in the menus, I found mine was set to 0 at one point which accounted for my lightening fast takeoff. Although, the take off of a 747-400 with little to no payload and low fuel is very very very quick, I think it would surprised you.The new menu interface is a big help, the fact you can change the payload and fuel load while FSX is running really makes a big difference to me. It's not half as much of a mess about as it was to get the aircraft setup. All the original options are still there with some extra features for good measure. It's good that the payload and fuel managers for the 747X have been integrated into one single tool too, rather than having two separate programs. Advantage of developing both the PAX and F version at the same time.The commonality between the FSX and FS9 versions for SID STARS and routes is good too as it means it's an easy change from one to the other, and other packages that develop plans for these aircraft can continue to do so with no hassle. I simply copied all my flight plans into the new folder and hey presto job done.Things I'd love to see in the future, and they'll probably kill me for this.. hehe.. is the 747ER and Dreamlifter.. ok ok ok.. I will be quiet :).. Oh and heat haze.. Seeing heat haze from the engines while she's stood waiting to taxi would be fantastic! I imagine that's more an FSX thing than PMDG though.Sad to say FSX is just as rubbish at saving flights as FS9 was, reloading she immediately did a nose dive and I had to manually pull her back on course and reset all the automatics.. but was ok after.. But hey.. you can't have it all can you?! lol FS9 was terrible for it, and I just gave up with it in the end. I pause my flights now, unless I am saving sat on the tarmac.So overall? I think that if you have a rig as good as mine and are prepared to sacrifice some of your hi-res needs, you can fly this 747X without too much hassle and with a ok performance (I won't say it's brill, but then again my PC is 3 years old.. what do I expect? I'm waiting for the new hardware to come out and then I'll get that added performance) I think the soundset alone and the new look to the aircraft really make it worth it. The sound is just the bees knees, as my previous post, it's obvious a lot has gone into that. I've setup my sim to make the scenery detail low and the aircraft high, it looks good and seems to run well like that.. So long as your performance expectations are reasonable, I think you'll get a lot out of it... for me.. it'll be the 747X probably 80% of the time (20% of the time I might want airport scenery and traffic along with radar contact etc..) until I get my new machine, then I can get more FSX bells and whistles. I must admit, seeing how well I could get this to run has really made me optimistic when it comes to the MD-11 performance. I'm pretty sure it will be similar, and I won't have the same concerns the next time around.Thanks guys! CheersCraig

[MatthewS 761]

Nice review, thanks!I have AMD3500+,1GB,7900GT. What sort of FPS are you getting? In LDS 767 I get around 20fps in VC.Also, surely someone could figure out how to approximate engine heat haze in FSX? A smoke effect?

[Guest AJ]

I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised at the Queen's performance on my old rig (Athlon 64 4000+, 1.5 gigs ram, Raedon x1300). Of course I had to crank down the sliders a little, but I'm getting a solid 15-20 in the air and 10-14 on the ground. I know those framrates don't sound great, but even so it flies very smoothly. I was afraid I would get a slideshow, but apparantly not. However, I do think I will invest in some more ram in the near term. As to the improvements I've noticed, taxiing seems to be better and does not require as much breakaway thust as before. I also liked that they moved the TO/GA button in the VC from the front side of the trottles to the back side. It's much easier to reach now. As Craig said, the lighting is also greatly improved.Andrew

[Jeff Nielsen 1,386]

Craig,Very well said for an 'off the cuff or wing' review. :-)That really makes me can't wait till I get my FSX rig in the next month.:-)

[craig_read 43]

>Nice review, thanks!>>I have AMD3500+,1GB,7900GT. What sort of FPS are you>getting? In LDS 767 I get around 20fps in VC.>>Also, surely someone could figure out how to approximate>engine heat haze in FSX? A smoke effect? >>To be honest I don't pay any attention to the FPS.. it either works to a point where I can happily use it or it doesn't.. With my setup and the settings very low for everything but the aircraft, I can fly this without too much trouble. It's not perfect, but my PC is 3 years old and I wasn't expecting miracles.. But if I can do it, anyone with a better PC than me can, and it would seem yours is about the same if not a bit better.CheersCraig

[G7USL 117]

Best review I have read so far, Craig.Now you HAVE whetted my whistle ;-)

[engwerda 0]

Great review as always Craig but did you get any answers to your engine problem starting thread? it seems to have been deleted. One remains but I can't find your follow up one on the same topic.Gerry

[craig_read 43]

>Great review as always Craig but did you get any answers to>your engine problem starting thread? it seems to have been>deleted. One remains but I can't find your follow up one on>the same topic.>>GerryYes, it's caused by the battery drain model, which is inaccurate. You can stop it happening by cycling the SBY POWER switch.http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...d=139011&page=1It's on their to do list I think. I'm picking up things all the time, there seems to be a glitch with the displays too, sometimes after cycling through views, all the internal displays just freeze. You have to go to the 2D cockpit view then back to the VC view for them to become active again. I am also noticing an oscilation when cruising, but I'm not convinced that's the PMDG model, I think it could well be the FSX wind model playing up, because the aircraft cruised well for about 40 minutes, after a step climb the oscilation occured, I think it's FSX wind related.What I might do is FRAPS it, and e-mail it in..CheersCraig

[NicholasB 0]

Hi Craig, i have noticed this oscilation issue too. I cant say whether this is wind related or not as i dont have the same situation when i fly the LD 767.I hope someone can give us some feedback on this one as does get very annoying when your on the long haul.Cheers,Nicholas Boskovic

[G7USL 117]

>Best review I have read so far, Craig.>>Now you HAVE whetted my whistle ;-)Well that review was convincing enough for me to buy it!Craig gave me his settings and now FSX really fly's (Pardon the pun?) I never beleived my FSX would run so smooth and has rstored my loyaly to the best simulation available, period!It sounds and goes fantasticly now thanks to Craig.

[Guest clear to land]

hi guys , In England we have an avert on television for a product its marketing phrase is " does what it says on the tin " well the PMDG 747 -400 does just that.we av all had time to upgrade our machines to match specs above and lets face it above and way above !! 15 months in fact. 6 months in the computer world is a decade else where. i upgraded in preperation, result of continuous upgrade ?? creame del la creame. thanks pmdg.neville (egnt newcastle int )