You should perhaps bear in mind the reviews Avsim does; they will normally address any issues the reviewer has found and also point out the merits or lack thereof where support is concerned. As you may or may not know, Ariane Design famously had a bit of a spat with Avsim many years ago, and so relations were a bit frosty between the two, which was why they sent no products in to Avsim for review. I decided that since at the time, Ariane's was the only 737NG you could get for FSX, I would try to end the impasse by purchasing the Ariane 737 900ER and reviewing it for Avsim anyway, which was a decision the Avsim reviews editor agreed with. So I did that.

 

Needless to say, Ariane Design treated my approach to them with some suspicion, but after numerous PMs and emails to them, I did gain their trust and they were pretty helpful to me in the end, which I will be honest surprised me given that a poor reputation preceded them, which it turned out for me at least, was perhaps not as deserved as I had thought, particularly in view of the fact thast Avsim at that time was pretty much 'the enemy' and my approach was tantamount to nervously walking through no man's land waving a big white truce flag LOL.

 

The review went ahead and you can read it in the Avsim Reviews archive if you are curious about it, the point being that prior to the release of the iFly and PMDG NGs for FSX, it was the only game in town and the info was there for anyone who sought it out. I do agree that their support is not the most open that there ever could be, and they hurt themselves in being that way. I also agree that they do blow their own trumpet a lot for their products, perhaps a little over ambitiously, but one can hardly blame them for doing that, since every other developer does that too on occasion. These days it is hard to justify the Ariane 737 NG as a purchase at its price point and when comparing its features alongside the competition which is now also available, but even so, it is a pretty good stab at an NG which does get good FPS and does have some unique features as well, although the fact that it is sold as a single model and repaints are payware are not things I like about it. All of this info was in the review, and I wrote it for the benefit of flight simmers, to enable them to make an informed choice.

 

On a similar note, you will find that it was me who also wrote quite a few of the CS product reviews for Avsim, including the FSX 707 and the FSX 727, and both of these products received a similarly in-depth treatment from me when writing those reviews, again so that people could make an informed choice. I certainly did not shy away from noting any bugs I found, or any discrepancies between these simulated aircraft and their real-world counterparts, even pointing out where one could actually find fixes for things which I thought mattered.

 

Support from CS has improved a lot over the years - I agree, it used to be attrociously bad, but now I actually think CS are among the better developers in this regard, not least because of a lot of back up by people on the forums, notably CoolP among them. After all, those who have been buying flight sim stuff for a long time will probably recall that even PMDG's support was a bit lacking back when their 737 first came out.

 

The main point here is that all of the Avsim reviewers write their reviews as a service to the simming community, so that people can either choose, or avoid the products which either would or would not meet their standards. So it is always worth giving the Avsim reviews section, and indeed the user reviews section of this forum a fly-by if a potential purchase is on your horizon. Failing that, as you note, one could always ask around in the forums.

 

Neither the Ariane 737 NG, nor the CS 707, or the 727 were recommended for an award from Avsim when I reviewed them, although I can tell you that the CS FSX 707 did come very, very close to it. You might be interested to note that it is normally some little flaw or a bug or a support issue which hauls this possibility back from triggering, but I wouldn't mind betting that whoever ends up reviewing the CS 737 will seriously consider recommending it for some sort of Avsim Gong, as there is no doubt in my mind that Captain Sim are improving tremendously with every new product they release, although there can be little doubt that CS have quite a mountain to climb with their 777 given that PMDG are also developing one, and are likely to get it out of the hangar door first.

 

Al

CS have quite a mountain to climb with their 777 given that PMDG are also developing one, and are likely to get it out of the hangar door first.

A very good point, Al. This is going to dent whatever strides they make with their present offering because we are now accustomed to a developer that has set a very high benchmark as can be seen by the numerous 'I want this, will they do that' posts'.

 

I got their FSX 707 following your Review, and fully agree with your anecdotes here that it missed that 'gong' by a whisker, but give credit where credit is due, a fine aircraft at that relevant time in FSX history, nevertheless. Still fly it regularly. Only wish there was a tutorial for the CIVA INS.

Actually, there are quite a few tutorials for the CIVA kicking about. Just type 'CIVA INS Tutorial' into Google and you'll find plenty, including a video one on youtube. I'm pretty sure CLS birds have one in their manuals, too, and that Simcheck A300 if I recall correctly.

 

Al

Thanks for that Al. In fact, not brought the Simcheck A300 out for quite a while. Now with your h/u re:the CIVA, it may be worthwhile to do so.

When it comes to CIVA questions, just use this thread if you like. The included docs in the CIVA folder offer a tutorial, but the rather cryptic nature of that small display thingy surely is a task on the first few attempts, even with some folks explaining the thing. By the way, seems like the PDCS is another cryptic tech item on the old birds.

 

The Simcheck is pure fun with the INS (even without) and shouldn't be forgotten when it comes to great FSX addons. Not the optical class of e.g. CS when it comes to some textures, but superb systems and a very unique plane in my eyes. The support side is very good too and the guy now works on the FSL Airbus, adding to their team.

Thanks for that CoolP. That was precisely what put me off from getting too embroiled with the CIVA.And the oddest thing of it all was that I used to program the INS cards for our Concorde fleet while at BA. Yes, the cryptic nature and the small display puts one off from all the hassles of programming it.

 

I generally tend to fly the Simcheck without the INS for the same idle reasons above, and I think like your observations, which are valued, the general consensus is that it is a plus FSX Add-on.

No they are not! At least not in the department of: We will help you when you find out all the little details we missed or were to lazy to fix.

 

Remember Ariane Designs? Regardless, CS is on my list: Schisters list. NTDBWA (Never To Do Business With Again). Just a matter of time before they make your list.

100% Agreed.

 

CS Customer support works very bad. Long time Between patchs...when they release patchs.

In the CS727 still waiting....They need care his customers..

 

Today the Addon's bssiness is very busy....PMDG, Ifly, Majestic, Aerosoft, Flight1, Carenado, Milviz......CS is in my NTDBWA list too.

Have we all found the Approach Plate on the Yoke? It's quite an interesting approach...

Have we all found the Approach Plate on the Yoke? It's quite an interesting approach...

And you don't even need any engines for that one. ^_^

 

I generally tend to fly the Simcheck without the INS for the same idle reasons above, and I think like your observations, which are valued, the general consensus is that it is a plus FSX Add-on.

I went from the haters to the lovers of that small gauge, which may explain why I always post somehow enthusiastically about it. And expect me wishing it to hell while learning it. Seems like a normal stage in the process.

PDCS question:

 

am I correct that there's no entry required (or available) for trip distance?

There's a 'submode' TRIP on the #9 button for that kind of data.

I wrote a bit on the PDCS here. http://www.captainsi...=1335137601/4#4 No claiming of accuracy, but you'll get some screenshots and fancy texts.

Is the rest of us allowed to use Captain Sim products or the ones of any other devs in the business without your approval, Marc? I mean, it's not like we don't offer any help to your problems leading to the bashy attitude on this or that dev.

 

Sorry man but I am a realist. Buy the products if you want to I really do not care. I certaintly wish I had taken the time to read negative reviews before I shelled out money for the CS767. Maybe it is just that I am so used to PMDG products that work right out the door. Their is a definate disingenous nature with CS and if you are awake and aware and get a little unlucky you will quickly find out for yourself. SO part of a forum is to allow the dissemination of information about companys that are less than stellar with ethics, customer service, products, etc. If you do not like my negativity do not read my post. Hopefully I can warn someone who thinks as they read the CS info to say their 767 and thinks they are getting one thing but really are getting another. :Nerd:

 

If all you expect is a nice external model, a ported over default FSX Boeing engine start, plenty of bugs that need fixing and to top it off, one of the most condesending customer experiences you can have buy a CS product.

Maybe it is just that I am so used to PMDG products that work right out the door.

 

There are just under 40 items listed as having been 'fixed' in the recent PMDG patch for the FSX NG, with this not being the first patch it has had either. Don't get me wrong here, the PMDG NG is a stellar piece of work and I've not actually had any real issues with it myself, and I still maintain that the PMDG 747 is the finest thing ever made for a flight sim, with the possible exception of A2A's Fortress, which is my favourite FSX add-on, but to suggest that any of these were perfect right out of the gate is simply not true, even the best stuff gets patched.

 

If you've had crappy support from CS, then fair enough, you are entitled to be miffed, but by the same token they've always been okay with me, and in the case of the CS 737, I've been fairly amazed with the rate at which they managed to put out updates. I don't think anyone would deny that a few years ago, the support from CS was fairly poor, but in recent years I've been happy enough with it.

 

Al

... as there is no doubt in my mind that Captain Sim are improving tremendously with every new product they release, although there can be little doubt that CS have quite a mountain to climb with their 777 given that PMDG are also developing one, and are likely to get it out of the hangar door first.

 

I think if CS is smart with their pricing, and marketing they will be able to carve out a niche for themselves.

 

There's a lot of customers out there that regardless of how stellar a product is simply will not shell out $70 for one addon plane.

 

CS can appeal to that crowd (which many will not be so into the systems), but if they price it in the same ballpark as PMDG does, then it will definitely be a challenge for them.

 

Regards.

Ernie.

Maybe it is just that I am so used to PMDG products that work right out the door.

 

This is a joke right? There were so many patches and updates in the first months of the NGX release I couldnt keep up with them.