14FEB14 - PMDG 777-200LR/F SP1 & 300ER Update

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Captains,

 

I am going to keep this update pretty short, as it is Valentines Day and I'm sure all of us have other places to be than here in the forum...  :wub:

 

On 19JAN14, I told you that we were "a few weeks" from pushing the SP1 and the 300ER into beta testing- but that proved to be a bit optimistic.  It turns out one area of the SP1 udpate has been giving us a bit more trouble than we anticipated, and we needed quite a bit more time to smooth it out properly.

 

On the positive side, the team has added a bunch more functionality for you that we think will really give you goose-bumps...  Mostly stuff we have been working on that we have not told you about, and we'll showcase a bit of it once we actually push these two into testing.

 

Once again, I anticipate testing taking place "soon" (don't you hate that word?!) possibly as soon as this coming week.

 

Based upon our own internal testing, I expect the full-on beta testing process to be pretty short. 

 

The change-list so far for SP1 is pushing 160 tracked items, and Ryan has been keeping an unofficial list of untracked items and it is up around 30 or so, I believe.  (Tracked Items are reports in our bug-tracking system from you guys, our beta testers or our own discoveries.  Un-Tracked items are just things that we discovered on our own while testing and that get fixed without much fuss...In most cases you guys have't even noticed them because they are logical issues not actual "bugs.")

 

Okay- so since today is all about being in love- I thought I would share this little gem with you:

 

 

 

Jason has a new tool that he is using to layer some really complex texturing on the ANZ fleet.  Meanwhile Pete is still out polishing the All Blacks livery....  (You should see that one...  wow....)

 

I can't wait for you guys to get a chance to fly the 300ER...  It is rapidly becoming one of my favorite airplanes because it just FEELS right.  It is an entirely different flying experience than the 200LR...

 

And yes- it cantilevers properly!  The cantilver process was designed back during the 200LR/F build- and it was designed not to just be a "visual trick" but to actually give you the additional clearnace under the tail skid that the 300ER enjoys using this innovative technique.

 

We did a bunch of measuring and we are within about 1/4" from the actual increase in clearance.... 

 

LATE EDIT:

I keep forgetting to mention the issue of the taxi cameras:  Yes- the 300ER will ship with them, and yes they work.  There are some limitations, however because of the way FSX works and how it renders to the screen.  When you activate the cameras- you will get a 2D popup of the external cameras screen.  In it you will see the airplane (live, animated, in real time) and you will see the world surrounding the airplane.  From that standpoint they work PERFECTLY and provide you with an identical view to that you get in the actual 300ER, which is pretty fun.  The down side is that it is an absolute KILLER on frame rates even for high end machines- and we cannot get them to appear on the screens natively within the VC.  (FPS example: At Fly Tampa OMDB I normally see 40fps+.  When i bring up the camera, it drops to 15...  Your mileage may vary.)

 

We considered simply removing them because they have such a high impact on FPS- but we decided in the end to leave them in because some of you are running extremely heavy hardware that will handle them without problem.  Ultimately- we are giving them to you as a "use 'em if you like" option...  If the FPS hit is too high- simply turn them off by pushing the button a second time...Personally I have found them to be very useful when turning tight corners- and once I am done making certain that the mains will clear the edge of the taxiway- I just turn it back off.

 

In a future update I'll show you a sample and explain to you the amount of bending and twisting we had to go through to make them work...   It was fascinating research, actually... but the end result is that the sim was never designed to do what we made it do... and it doesn't like it.  :ph34r:

 

Okay...  Now this time I am REALLY off to enjoy a glass of wine with The Lovely Dr. Randazzo....    See you all shortly!

[mullvaden83 42]

Great news!

Thanks for the update!

=)

 

 

btw: First!.o.O

[Avantime 81]

Thanks for the update. Mr Randazzo have you made a decision yet on the -300's taxi cameras?

[cosnowboarder_777 11]

Looks great guys!

[Tatave 57]

Thanks for the update Robert. Can't wait to fly around in the ANZ special liveries! :smile: 

 

By the way, (This might just be my limited 777-300ER knowledge), what do you mean by "Cantilever"? 

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Iian,

Thanks for the update. Mr Randazzo have you made a decision yet on the -300's taxi cameras?

 

I just added a late edit to the original post- thanks for reminding me!

[rquick 19]

Thanks for the update. Sounds like a lot to look forward to.

[ruemenapp21 108]

Dear PMDG, would you please define soon?  This plane is looking great. 

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Adam-

 

Dear PMDG, would you please define soon?  This plane is looking great. 

 

Sure!

 

Soon is less time than "Later" and more time than "Now."

 

Is that more clear?  B)

[ruemenapp21 108]

Adam-

 

 

Sure!

 

Soon is less time than "Later" and more time than "Now."

 

Is that more clear?  B)

I have two more words for you to define 

[jetsflier 87]

Really excited!

 

IS there any mention of an approximate price point?

 

I can't buy anything until Easter so PMDG hold off until then please!!  :ph34r:

[xplanery 250]

Thanks for update, looking forward to flying the 300ER.

 

Regards

 

Joona L

[flyerboy 114]

Great!

[Falconfly 61]

Great !! Thanks for the update.

[pilottj 198]

Thanks for the update Rob B)