30AUG13 - PMDG 777-200LR/F Release Plan Update (Important!)

[Alaska 19]

Peoe get bent out of shape because of some of the hype that's put out by the staff. For instance Wed was supposed to be the start of the days the 777 could be released. Even though it was well known that there could be a hold up because of the bug. Now today we find out its a no go for this weekend. So people are a little on edge. To avoid this just make a hey we are making this project thread and at the end hey we are releasing this thread when the project is finished. But I think the constant it's coming soon and oops we found a bug now it's much later is making potential customers get irritated. Now that I'm done I can't wait for this bird to be released.

 

Thanks Anthony Slattery

[Mijitman 147]

I've heard this like a million times already.

 

And yet you remain impatient. Good things come to those who wait.

 

I've slept a grand total of about 10 hours this entire week while we've tried to finish this

 

For the love of god Ryan take a nap! You've earned it.

[SpeedBird219 183]

BLAST! *head slams on desk*

 

Looks like 50/50 chance whether I'll be able to fly it before work starts flooding my house again after a few months off. Usually I get Christmas day off in a year, so, wow....May REALLY have to use the Time accel feature.

 

 

 

Having said that, you don't have to be a genius at math to work out that Thursday-Wednesday=1 day, so it's only 1 day over the expected time frame. Ok, it'll come later than this weekend, but i'll put a brave face on, put my mind in understand and sympathy mode, and destroy any work I get as soon as I can, to fly it

[AlbertM 32]

Receding horizons are a lovely thing, aren't they ? <_<

 

The problem was fixed, several people test run it and confirmed it's fixed, but they really neeeeeed a hundred more people to test it for another week to confirm it, of course they found and will  find another few nitpicky things which they will fix right away and break a few other things by doing so and so it's going on and on and on...

 

That's what I was talking about in the release date contest ... they're so badly stuck now in their perfectionist death spiral that they are SCARED like hell to release it because somebody could find out it was NOT perfect on release (oh no!!), so let's better test it and tweak it and finetune it for another couple weeks to come ... and repeat... and repeat ...

 

There WILL be bugs found after release, no matter how long you hold it back and no matter what you do. So just release it and leave the nitpicky crap to the hotfixes and services packs it'll need anyway.

 

We are absolutely going to love it ? Now you tell us something, huh ? -_-

[philip2004uk 1]

Captains-

 

(I've been trying to post this since this morning...  Couldn't get the forum to respond...  Sorry for the delay!)

Sometimes, the worst part about being an airline pilot is when you hear ATC call you on the frequency and say, "We have holding instructions for you, advise me when you are ready to copy..."

 

I will keep this short and sweet- but I wanted to let you know that we currently have had the 777 release in holding for a few days while we tried to sort out a problem that we felt was capable of putting the release "At Risk."  (You will recall I mentioned this in my post from Monday morning...)

 

The problem turned out to be a bit more complex than we expected, and the fix was not confirmed until our staff meeting this morning at 1300Z.  

 

The good news, is that the problem has been identified, a fix was found and it was implemented overnight last night.

 

There really isn't any "bad" news per-se, but we have decided to reset the clock on final testing of the release-build, which puts our release window out into the Monday-Thursday time-frame of next week.

 

We do not currently have any major items we are working with, and as long as the Tech and Beta teams don't pop up with some new, unseen critical problem, you will be flying the airplane at some point before next weekend!

 

So here are a few questions some might ask:

 

1) If we are so confident that product is ready- why not just release now?:  We are absolutely committed to making certain that we have fixed the problem without breaking anything further.  The only way to do this is to take the time to test the product properly.  We have a responsibility to our customers, our testers and our development team to make sure we don't rush this out the door just because everyone is excited to fly...  Just like when flying a real airplane, we want to make sure the fix is correct- and THEN we'll go fly.

 

2) So what was it that you were looking for and why was it considered "High Risk?":   Late in beta testing, we got a couple of passing reports from one or two members of our testing teams that "occasionally the switches in the cockpit cease being clickable."  They reported to us that it was usually transient... for a few seconds...  We started digging around and found nothing, and decided it was one of those odd "sim'isms" that seem to plague any complex software that runs with FSX.  At PMDG we use many of the same techniques that are used on the flight deck- and our normal process of polling members of the team for "reservations/concerns" caused us to decide that we needed to take one good, long serious look at this little item.  We established a team to dig into the matter, and found that we could replicate it on only one machine, and that replication was random...  Our risk analysis on the item told us that, based on the intermittent nature of the problem it wouldn't necessarily prevent us from releasing- but we were worried because we could not predict the failure, nor could we identify what was causing it or give you instructions on how to avoid it...   That put it into a very serious risk category...  We don't like to have unknowns buried in a release.

 

3) So did you solve it?:  Yes, Yes we did.      It took four days...  or- 72hrs, depending on how you want to measure it.  Alex, Henning, Michael and Vin worked about 18hrs a day for four straight days to find the problem.  They identified a mistake we made, corrected the mistake, and then spent another 10 hours verifying that the fix cured the condition that we could replicate.   We have now pushed the fix out to our testing team, and we have heard back from one of the four people able to replicate the problem that it has fixed the issue for him.  The other three are testing now... and we anticipate hearing the same from them.

 

4) So why make us wait until next week? We want it NOOOOOW!  (And you said August!):  Yes, Yes we did.      This is a classic example of the reason we never give release dates.  You guys know the product is about to release and you are excited about it.  We WANT you to be out flying the airplane...   But we want to make sure we are really and truly finished before we release her to you.  That means giving the testing process time to percolate out to a natural conclusion.  I expect you will be flying her by next weekend.

 

5) Could this happen again next week?  With another delay?:  I do not expect it will.  BUT:  If we find something that will prevent some users from being able to enjoy the product- we will keep holding it until we have that issue resolved.  That is because we care about product quality- and we have made mistakes in the past that we don't think any of us want to repeat.  I recognize that our decision to HOLD until we have the problems fixed is a bit unusual in the modern marketplace, but it is how PMDG operates.

 

6) Pricing?:  All release details will be published next week!

 

Okay- so...  

 

Enjoy your weekend-  we will keep you posted on the testing progress during the weekend with comments (most likely in this thread) and we will see you for the release sometime between Monday and Thursday!

 

You are really really going to love this airplane...  I promise!

 

Usually the non clickable button happens even in other aircraft it's when you sit too far back in the seat that the seat is covering your mouse even though you can't tell from just a small distance.

 

philip bobble

[Wolfgang Lang 17]

It was always worth the wait for pmdg products.... specially now for the T7

[Remys 4]

thanks for the updates ROB, as usual PMDG has and will always be Number 1 in all its releases. you are just giving your customers  extraordinary products , we waited for two consecutive years, 1 week or so won't be an issue. 

 

I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO PUT MY HANDS ON THIS UPCOMING BEAUTY....

 

Sincerely,

 

Remy

[IAF747 8]

Oh come on.......! Like he can fly the T7 anyway...   Good one....! LMAO

 

PMDG, take your time we are here waiting patiently. Thanks for keeping us up to speed get that MEL cleared and book signed....! I think PMDG staff should get out and enjoy the weekend.... Calm before the storm

 

+1

 

Signed

 

Regards,

 

Daniel

[pilottj 198]

 

 

I had the good fortune to be at UAL when we brought the 777 into service- and I had the good fortune to be around this airplane during a good portion of my UAL career.  You all know that my heart is evenly split between the 744 and the DC-3, but darn if this thing isn't a blast to fly....

 

 

Oh glorious Gooney Bird.  My grandfather was a C-47 driver with the 96th TCS during WWII.  It brought him home every time, so the Gooney is a very special bird to me.  Glad the DC-3 has a spot in your heart too. :smile:

 

I have a dream..  The PMDG team joins forces with Scott and his A2A team to create the ultimate DC-3 and C-47 project.  Can you imagine what FS magic would be created from such talent pool if PMDG and A2A collaborated to create the legendary Gooney Bird? :wub:  :Praying:

 

Anyway, back to reality.  Instead of a Gooney, there is this beautiful 777 on short final, really looking forward to it.  :Big Grin:

[gregoryv 9]

Thanks for update!

[NGXfanatic 85]

This is not so much bad news to me, as I had some more flights I wanted to accomplish in the NGX before I surely retire her when her big sister arrives.  Also, I have lots of reading/practicing to do when it comes to the recent release of PFPX.   I can't handle two highly anticipated FSX releases at the same time, this delay will allow me to concentrate on PFPX so that I properly utilize it when I prepare for the many long hauls in the British Airways 777-200 I anticipate flying in a few weeks time!

 

Take your time to get it right!

[IAF747 8]

Gents-

 

(Well... and that guy who can't seem to remember to sign his posts... him too... I suppose....)

 

I have to tell you that I really appreciate your understanding on our decision to hold the release until we could properly assure that we had fixed the problem.

 

Tonight, I have flown the airplane KLAX-KSFO-KBOS-KIAD... (had to be home tonight... you know how it is...) and for the first time in a while I can say that I think we are finished.

 

I found two little minor picky items I am going to fix in the morning- because I can.  B)

 

In about 24hrs we are going to build what I expect to be the final release version... and then we will give the Tech and Beta teams a few days to make CERTAIN we didn't miss anything truly bad.

 

For those who wonder:  we have about 60 people using the airplane and reporting back.  Some of these guys are flying short hops like I did tonight... and some are flying 16 hour legs in real time. 

 

Why would they do this?

 

To help us make sure it works.

 

I had the good fortune to be at UAL when we brought the 777 into service- and I had the good fortune to be around this airplane during a good portion of my UAL career.  You all know that my heart is evenly split between the 744 and the DC-3, but darn if this thing isn't a blast to fly....

 

You guys are going to absolutely LOVE this airplane.  I promise.

 

Thanks again for the words of encouragement and the patience...  It is almost in your hands!

 

 

Thanks for the awesome update Robert! I know I am going to love it. I am massive 777 fan. I just love the Cathay Trent 800 birds (-300s)..... I know you aren't releasing the -300 just yet...but.

 

Once you know the FD of one 777 then how could you not want to fly even the 200s. Hey even Cathay have the -200s.

 

I'm not busting for it to come out thought its good to know its coming out in the next few days.

 

I think PMDG will become one of the finest developers in the FS community and the name is going to be recognized all over. I think it already is.

 

Thanks for a great aircraft in advance. I have the original FS9 PMDG 737, the FSX PMDG 737X and the 747 by PMDG. I love them. They keep getting better and better!

 

 

Signed,

 

 

Regards,

 

Daniel

[Morvious 43]

I am so glad that school is starting again if you read some of those replies above me.

 

Developing software can be a pain in the .... If you have a bug, can repoduce it and you know where it is comming from, how big it is you can descide to fix it now or later depending how serious it is and unther what circumstances it occures.

If you know theres a bug but you don't know how to repoduce it you are in trouble.

 

PMDG did the only right thing to hold up release and fix it. I know how its like to look at coding 18+ hours a day. Sometimes the only solution to find a bug is a good night sleep. Turning on the computer in the morning and seeing the problem right away :-)

 

And besides, they only added two more days on the release window.

 

Thanks for the update. I will buy this beast when I come back from my holliday within 2 weeks!

[IAF747 8]

This is not so much bad news to me, as I had some more flights I wanted to accomplish in the NGX before I surely retire her when her big sister arrives.  Also, I have lots of reading/practicing to do when it comes to the recent release of PFPX.   I can't handle two highly anticipated FSX releases at the same time, this delay will allow me to concentrate on PFPX so that I properly utilize it when I prepare for the many long hauls in the British Airways 777-200 I anticipate flying in a few weeks time!

 

Take your time to get it right!

 

 

I will be buying the 777 but I am really waiting for the -300 version. I want the Trent 800s.....

Anything 777 and I'm in.....

 

Signed

 

 

Regards,

 

 

Daniel

[overdog 4]

It's interesting how much more I've learnt about the NGX in the past couple of weeks. All the T7 hype got me totally re-excited about the NGX again.

So from that point of view I'm trying to enjoy the wait by giving the 738NGX a couple of more hours of airtime before the 320,000lb baby brother is born.

 

Kudos and an awful lot of respect to RSR for sticking to the commitment to and not caving in to what sadly is "widespread demand".

And so many thanks to all the team at PMDG for the incredible efforts of late in order to keep the waiting time as short as it can possibly be!

 

I vote for PMDG being re-named to "Perfection Masterclass Development Gods" :rolleyes: