Aerosimmer A320 first impressions.

[Dillon 2,197]

I went ahead and took the plunge with the hope that Aerosimmer comes to their senses and realized an upgrade option is the best way to go. Judging by the serious backlash here and on their forums this should be a no brainer for them. This is this developers first FS project so I'm sure they'll get it...Anyway here goes:Quick and dirty, if you are familiar with the Wilco/Feelthere A320 you've got this one nailed. I don't care what advanced features they add to later models Feelthere gave us a good impression of what the A320 is all about and those that know the Feelthere model will be hard pressed to get lost here.Pros:1. Outstanding VC on many levels. All switches work or should I say clickable (all will work with the Advanced version), the various displays have a luminance that really helps during dawn/dusk flight minus any dome lighting, cabin is realistically represented featuring an economy configuration (Jet Blue style), and night lighting goes without saying.2. Sounds are outstanding there's really nothing more to say on this one.3. FDE feels great in all phases of flight...4. You get a functioning MCDU and TCAS.Cons:1. A nagging CTD problem...For a 'Basic' add-on this thing is on the level of PMDG's 737NG with a more advanced VC/visual model (the 737NG was what we called Hardcore a few years ago). The visual model is on the level of PMDG's 744. I shudder to think what the 'Advanced' model will have.The MAJOR bug I'm finding is a CTD problem. One really can't get through a whole flight with this thing in most cases without a CTD. I found the VC textures to be way too large (4,000kb) which creates performance issues. I converted them all to DXT3 formant and the problem was solved.Overall for a Basic add-on you get all of what you would get with the Feelthere/Wilco Airbus series when it comes to avionics and airplane functionality. In short this is not a Basic model at all but rather an intermediate type add-on. If it weren't for the CTD problem this bird truly represents in quality the best this community can deliver short of being totally hardcore. The various models (A318/19/21) aren't included with this add-on but all the liveries one could ever want is available for download via their TabletPC which is very easy to use.I understand the angst against how this thing was released which I've commented about it. If they get that resolved I highly recommend this bird. There's no telling when the Advanced model will be out as they need to fix this version. Once the CTD issue is taken care of there's really no other show stoppers I'm seeing. This is truly an outstanding effort and once it's said and done this thing will rival the best we have in this community (Level-D' complexity, Captainsim's visual models, PMDG's attention to detail). The only bird this model won't catch even when it implements failures is Leaonardo's MD80. Unless they figure out how to have this model punish you for improper operation (which Airbus's computers compensate for) nothing beats Leonardo's effort with things like blown engines and brakes to name two. Airbus is designed by nature to prevent a pilot from damaging the bird. All that being said I'm truly impressed and look forward to that CTD problem being addressed. I'm glade I gave this thing a shot because I've waited for over three years for a decent A320, I can safely say today we have one. We just need a couple more months to get all the crap straighten out on various ends (sales and product issues). After seeing this I can just imagine how nice the A330/340 is going to be from this team...

[teeps 0]

Thanks for posting a balanced view of it Les. I'm on the ET, although real life has prevented me from doing much testing the last few weeks. However, I do know the development team are working very hard on nailing the CTD's, so I am positive you'll see a successful patch before too long.

[JP_Visser 3]

Finally,a cool head that gives an unbiased review of the plane,instead of cryingconspiracy etc etc.Thanks for that Les.I'll hold on to my trusty Dash 8 though,that one just feels so much better.cheersJP.

[Epikk 62]

The name is Airsimmer not "Aerosimmer"... lol.

[mgh 89]

The MAJOR bug I'm finding is a CTD problem. One really can't get through a whole flight with this thing in most cases without a CTD.

I would have thought a bug like that rendered it totally unfit for purpose. Isn't the whole point of Flight Simulator to be able to get through a whole flight?

[Luc Brusselmans 1]

Good show Les,Can you elaborate on the CTD.I have the impression that it's more an Out Of Memory, considering your remark about the large textures....Of course I can be very wrong...Luc Brusselmans

[Gavin 99]

LesThanks for a sensible, balanced opinion, though I must say that I agree completely with mgh.

[Guest SebGevers]

I just wanted to add my thanks for a good, balanced review. Performance is the thing holding me back from buying this, as I get pretty poor performance with the Wilco A320 offerings (about 20fps, alright for some, but unusable for me). Your comment about the large VC textures worries me - at the risk of going OT, how does one convert textures to DXT3? Personally, I'll hold off until the CTD is fixed (or at least acknowledged by Airsimmer), and there's at least 1 patch out. I've been waiting months for this bird to come out, so a few more months won't harm. .... then again :( .... Flight1 offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, i wonder if this applies to people who get poor peformance from the add-on ...

[Guest Astradan]

.... then again :( .... Flight1 offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, i wonder if this applies to people who get poor peformance from the add-on ...

The Flight 1 30 day refund guarantee is 'no quibble' - you can get a refund within 30 days regardless of the reason. I intend to buy this Airsimmer A320 Basic and I will keep it as long as I don't get constant CTDs, because as others have said, what is the point in an aircraft that you can't complete a flight in ?!At the moment I am having to wait for FS2004 to be delivered as I sold my copy 2.5 years ago when I went to FSX ! So had to buy again on eBay! I have a decent system, that gives good performance in FSX, so I am hoping the AS A320 will run well on it, and fingers crossed, I won't get the CTD.I am pleased with the views that Les has given - I don't need failures and uber-advanced systems coverage - I just want to fly the plane using the realistic features and functions (like CLB and OP CLB), in the normal flight envelope.

[oldbear 33]

:( .... Flight1 offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, i wonder if this applies to people who get poor peformance from the add-on ...

I don't think Flight1 would query your reasons - it's a no-quibble guarantee. I only availed myself of their refund system once, because I just didn't get on with the product. Simple as that.Flight1 offer outstanding customer service and support. Ian@ David - SNAP! :(

[Guest SebGevers]

@oldbear & @astradan, thanks for your replies. I've sent an email to Flight1 to verify the money-back thing. I should mention of course that I'll be downloading, not geting a boxed set. The perils of this hobby of ours is that as soon as a super-sexy add-on appears, I'm like a kid in a toy shop at Christmas, wanting the best pressies and wanting them NOW! Common sense would say that I should wait until the add-on settles down a bit and becomes more stable, but like I said, I've been waiting sooooo long for a decent A320 (and *this* add-on in particular) that I'm tempted to just go for it, and to hell with common sense. It's like an AA thing: "Hello, my name is Seb, and i'm addicted to Flight Simulator" ....

[out 769]

Hi, Les!I must say I'm quite surprised you bought it after all this stuff from the 5-page AirSimmer thread.Never mind, let me use this occasion to ask you a few questions as you're an airsimmer A320 user now.I'll be really greatful if you find a moment to answer at least some of them. You or anyone else using it, of course.Thanks in advace. So...1. Is there an option to assign key strokes?2. How much functional is the MCDU in the Basic version? Any significant limitations influencing the whole flight?3. Is the fuel load taken into consideration by MCDU?4. What AIRAC does it use and is it updatable?5. How is the 2D panel (the visuals, functionality, night lighting and FPS)?6. Are there side views for the 2D panel?7. Are the VC and no-VC models separate?8. Are there wing views modelled?9. And do you really recommend a product that will CTD before you complete a flight? :(

[tf51d 284]

For a 'Basic' add-on this thing is on the level of PMDG's 737NG with a more advanced VC/visual model (the 737NG was what we called Hardcore a few years ago). The visual model is on the level of PMDG's 744. I shudder to think what the 'Advanced' model will have.Since the 737NG had a higher functional FMC (ie: no speed/altitude calculations) I wouldn't put it in that class. It's probably more in line with CLS!

[flightwatch 68]

For a 'Basic' add-on this thing is on the level of PMDG's 737NG with a more advanced VC/visual model (the 737NG was what we called Hardcore a few years ago). The visual model is on the level of PMDG's 744. I shudder to think what the 'Advanced' model will have.Since the 737NG had a higher functional FMC (ie: no speed/altitude calculations) I wouldn't put it in that class. It's probably more in line with CLS!

If this plane is as good as PMDG, then why are there so many people requesting refunds. You guys are wanting this plane to be good so bad(as do i), that you are grasping to any little good thing somebody says about it and running with it. If you want a comparison, try visuals with CaptainSim, with less functionality than Wilco.There is no doubt in my mind that the bus will be an awesome plane once the issues get ironed out, but as it stands right now...it's...well...disappointing.

[Guest SF22]

Please don't compare this plane to PMDG. Do you have the Airsimmer Airbus? It is not on par with PMDG.

The advanced version is supposed to be far more advanced than the PMDG 737.