PMDG 737 NGX: PMDG's attitude toward realism

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Captains-Well- I thought for certain I'd be giving you our second update much more quickly than I did. Sorry! Take some solace in knowing that when you don't see us here in the forum, it is because we are neck deep in the NGX final development push!The airplane is really coming together nicely now, so you will begin to see more and more of the product as time ticks away toward release. Our goal with these little exposes is to get you a more and more detailed picture of what we expect to be the nicest looking and functioning product we have ever put on the market.Over the next few weeks we are going to remain focused on the flight deck, showing you individual displays, the whole cockpit and some odds and ends that we think you will find intriguing. Additionally, we are going to give a pretty blunt comparison of this new 737 version against it's primary competition... Our old 737NG. :( I anticipate giving you two updates in rapid succession here, so stand by for some fun during the next few days!So lets talk about "realism" in the sim world for a moment: All of us on the PMDG development team are fairly heavy consumers of add-ons, and we frequently have internal discussions about quality, realism and detail. Specifically, we tend to focus on what makes one product truly stand out, while another product might not set the world on fire. One of my personal pet peeves (that is shared by a few members of the PMDG team) in the sim market is that it can be so hard for consumers to wade through all the claims of "most detailed," "most realistic," and "most complex" that seem to litter the marketing pages of every aircraft add-on maker out there. (Including ours! Oh no... I see a website update coming. )This trend goes back a few years, but after many internal discussions on the topic we have often maintained that installing a product on your machine and looking at it critically has the effect of wiping away all the marketing hype. As a result, we have long made it our goal that the "product should do the talking."So how, exactly should a developer do that?This was the question we set out to answer during development of the BAe JS4100. While the J41 has its own quirks, we think that the techniques we used to develop that product provide the end product with the best possible simulation of a regional airline turboprop flight deck. It looks right, it operates honestly, and it just "feels" right.So with the PMDG 737-NGX product line, we decided to clean-sheet the design and start over from a blank page. This has allowed us to eliminate wasteful or inadequate techniques that we had carried in our products for a few years- and it also allowed us to start the NGX development cycle without any limitations or barriers based on old product strategies. Whatever we wanted to accomplish was possible, with an eye toward giving this product the best chance to be THE simulation we've dreamed of providing for a number of years.This means paying attention to the little details. It means leveraging our strategic relationship with Boeing and some airline partners in order to gain access to the knowledge, experts. resources and environments that will make the product truly soar. The experience has been exciting, but it has also set the bar pretty high. After all, the folks and organizations helping us with this product are expecting to be impressed with the end product, so we have our work cut out for us!With a few compromises here and there, we could have released this product nine months ago, but for us the NGX is as much about meeting our own expectations as it is about exceeding yours!Here is an example of what I am talking about:Yesterday morning, (as a joke!) Alex sent an email out to the team that was titled "A Quiz."The email contained the image below, and asked us to identify which of the images was taken inside our 737-800 resource airplane, and which was taken in FSX.I hope you will agree that the visual accuracy is evident. The quest for accuracy doesn't stop on the front glass, however. We are working with manufacturers documentation to determine proper update rates, functionality and limitations, too. The displays in the NG are fully switchable, respond to daylight changes accurately, and provide an accurate overall look and feel that is true to the airplane.This level of detail hunting is also carried to the systems (more on these later) and the FMS and of course, the autoflight system that operates at the heart of every modern airliner.The goal for us is to provide you with a simulation that allows you to dive deeply into the robust nature of flying a well tested airliner like the 737. The simulation should respond to you precisely how the airplane would respond to you- without excuses and without having to give leeway because it is "just an MS platform."So in short- we are getting closer and closer to turning the airplane over to you. We'll have some cockpit images for you very shortly, and an overview of what you can expect to be included in the product when it lands on your hard-drive in the near future!Okay- I'm off to continue developing a mathematical model for heat retention by hydraulic fluid at various pressures... Yes... Exciting, I know...Next up- a VC preview!Late Edit: Did anyone pick up on the "attitude" joke in the title? I put lots of thought into those you know...

[Sumits81 9]

Nice one!!

[MVelasquez 12]

Can't wait for the next update thanks RSR!

[mthornton 0]

Absolutely insane stuff. You guys are really setting the bar here as usual.

[JusJ 1]

Can't wait!

[MorsAbAlto 19]

Wow, it took me a few seconds to tell which picture was taken in FSX. In the end the lighting gave it away. The modelling accuracy is impressive, it looks like a perfect replication to the millimeter. Hats off to the artists! It always amazes me, how much research and effort goes into your products. Looking forward to those cockpit shots. Is there any special relevance to the picture being taken at Minneapolis Saint Paul International airport? Is one of your airline partners maybe Sun Country Airlines? Hm...Cheers.

[N8015X 0]

That looks fantastic. It was difficult at first glance to figure out which was the PMDG image, but at a second glance, I could tell it was the lower one. Very impressive modeling and while it's hard for me to say this, I think the 737 NGX VC will look better than the JS4100. The JS4100 has the most realistic looking VC to date. I know everyone is excited about the NGX, but I'm also eager to find out more about the Dash8. Do you have a timeframe to start releasing details/pictures of the Dash?Regards,Chad

[Heino 0]

Thanx for the update Robert.

[Turbine777 13]

Okay- I'm off to continue developing a mathematical model for heat retention by hydraulic fluid at various pressures... Yes... Exciting, I know...

Haha, now that's what I'm talking about!

[xender 459]

Hi!!Please, also remember to show us the external model for the first time!thanks a lot for this proyect.

[DylanC 181]

Thanks much for the update Robert!

[NoahBryant 26]

Unbelievable image Robert, keep up the great work - Out of curiosity, any idea how many lines of code you have into this beauty?

[travis26 1]

lol still can't tell which one is real!-Travis

[Murawski 21]

Definitely looking good PMDG... In the bottom (assuming PMDG ) pic, i see the "PWS" is not illuminated... Too bad FSX didnt have a good weather system and you could simulate that function in as well!Too soon to bring up the Wx stuff again??? :Whistle:All kidding aside... looks great... Cant wait til the next update!

[Ayster 73]

very nice Robert! :(