19JUL14 - SP1 Feedback Items we are monitoring...

[rsrandazzo]

Captains-

 

I wanted to give a quick update to let you know that overall we are pretty pleased with the first day's performance with SP1 and the 300ER.

 

As is always the case, we have a couple of items that we are monitoring, we are collecting feedback and looking at fixes to some of the more severe items that we see.  Normally we do this quietly and in the background, but during the past few releases we have also made it a point to make sure you know we are doing this- so this release is no different.

 

I always hesitate to identify any specific item that we are watching because invariably someone will feel compelled to jump in with "well are you also going to fix X?"  There is no way we will be able to address all things that might come up in a wide release- and we instead try to triage the really major impact items and the really simple fixes.  (Simple in OUR terms, not yours...  LOL)

 

Right now there are two items that are getting most of our attention:

 

1)  A few users after release of the PMDG 777-200LR/F Base Package in September 2013 reported experiencing "pauses" in FSX where the sim would simply stop responding for a period that ranged in reports from 1 minute to 15 minutes to even a few reports of 30 minutes...  Then the sim would resume as if nothing had happened.  We have never identified a reason why FSX would do this- nor have we determined that it definitely ORIGINATES in the 777.  Our research on the topic has caused us to believe we are seeing a condition that originates outside the 777, but we are pretty comfortable saying that the 777 clearly aggravates the condition into constancy on some user's machines. 

 

We made some changes internally to the 777 with SP1 that we thought might have an impact on these pauses, but after release of SP1, we are still seeing some users report them.  It is interesting to us that for the most part- those users who had them prior to SP1 still have them.  This tells us that our suspicions/changes are apparently unrelated and that means we are still in "investigative mode."

 

If any users are having these pauses, we would like to hear from you.  We want to know everything there is to know about your hardware, your installed applications, your scenery, any externally used applications such as FSUIPC, REX, ASN, etc.  We also want to know what your traffic program is- what your traffic settings are, etc.

 

 

2) We are currently working to identify the source/cause of "airplane flight control/cockpit display freezes" that a few users have reported to us via our support portal.  This condition is different from the pausing condition described above in that the simulator continues to run normally, but the airplane because all or mostly unresponsive.  The flight controls are frozen, the displays cease updating (or update very very slowly) and the airplane eventually departs the desired flight path and crashes.

 

This particular condition is new with SP1, and we are working with a handful of individuals who have saved very detailed flight files that we are using to attempt to reproduce and debug the issue.

 

If you experience this condition- please reach out to us at tech support with as much information as you can provide regarding your flight.  We want to know if you started with a panel state file, we want a copy of your flight plan, we need to know SID/STAR/APPR/RWY... we want to know what weather program you are running, we want to know what hardware you have attached to your machine, we want to know what color socks you were wearing when it happened....

 

 

Right now these are the two MAJOR items we are tracking because they severely impact the enjoyment of the software for those folks who have them.

 

There ARE other items we are working with, and there are some other items we already vacuumed up and resolved...  We will likely push an update out in short order to address these major items and possibly some of the little ones...

 

I'll keep you posted in that regard- but our concern right now is to find/kill these two big items....

 

Thank you for those providing feedback on these items- we appreciate your feedback and your patience.  Hopefully with enough information we will identify a pattern that allows us to replicate either or both of these problems.  One we can replicate them, we can kill them pretty quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

[Captain Kevin]

Captains- we want to know what color socks you were wearing when it happened....

What if we weren't wearing socks.

[SirStiggie]

What if we weren't wearing socks.

I would think that a lack of socks could also contribute to the issue....

[Boomer]

What if we weren't wearing socks.

 

What if the ONLY thing we wearing at the time was socks?

 

BTW, I had that pause yesterday with SP1 whereby FSX is running but the PMDG 777 is frozen, persisted over 20 minutes and had to shut down FSX. if it happens again I will reach out to you.

[rsrandazzo]

Chris-

 

Out of curiosity- refly that same flight and see if it happens in the same spot?  If it does- teach me how to replicate it.

 

We are grasping at straws with this- but I have no doubt we will find this and kill it.

[Captain Kevin]

I would think that a lack of socks could also contribute to the issue....

I don't wear socks when I'm at home unless I'm either out mowing the lawn or I'm about to go out and I'm wearing sneakers. If I can get away with wearing sandals, I generally do.

 

What if the ONLY thing we wearing at the time was socks?

I don't think I want to know....

[Boomer]

Out of curiosity- refly that same flight and see if it happens in the same spot?  If it does- teach me how to replicate it.

 

 

Robert, I will see if I can replicate it over the next few days and advise if so.  Cheers.

[davidzill]

I can confirm that I have experienced freezing/pausing twice since SP1, both in the 300ER idling on a runway, and in the 200LR cruising at 33000 feet. I think it has been a year since my FSX froze, so I'm sure its a condition possibly aggravated by SP1?

[Avwriter]

 I think it has been a year since my FSX froze, so I'm SURE its a condition POSSIBLY aggravated by SP1?

 

 

I mean no offense, but the wording is here is contradictory.

 

Andrew Jones

[wiryantono]

I experienced freeze in pmdg 737ngx and 777-200LR particularly when use REX but now it's no longer happen even with SP1 or 777-300ER after I change affinity mask in fsx config from 15 to 14 means only 3 cores of 4 that are dedicated to fsx and 1 left for system, and I disable hyperthreading for my i7-4770K system

[rsrandazzo]

Gents-

 

We believe we have identified and resolved item #2, above...  (Note:  we are talking about two different items above... a "PAUSE" where all of FSX pauses and then resumes for no obvious reason, and a "FREEZE" which is where the 777 ceases responding, the displays stop updating, controls lock out, etc....  I'm talking about the FREEZE here...)

 

We are doing some internal testing with it- and if it does fix the issue, we will let you know.

[HamSammich]

Cap'n,

 

First off, this is such a rich new flying experience. The FBW takes some adjusting to, but once it clicks, you can really carve up the sky. So thanks!

 

Second, no freezes or stutters with me. However, I came across a different glitch, some kind of Z-Order problem with the activation window. With the sim in full-screen mode, it pops up behind the maximized main window, instead of, well, popping up. I needed to run FS in windowed mode to access the pop-up and authenticate the plane.

 

This might be a side-effect of running in 125% fonts mode in Win 7. As the product is now activated, I can no longer test how the pop-up pops up in 100% magnification.

 

Other than that, I love it. She's stable, stately, regal and a whole lot of fun. I've been emailing vids and screenshots to a 777 captain friend of mine and he's simply flabbergasted at the fidelity of your work to his workplace.

 

Best!

 

Marshall Arbitman

[Aviators]

solution? Switch to Prepar3d... PMDG developed now to P3D Please...

[EGFF 772]

Not sure if this will help but the last time I experienced the freeze described as issue #1, it was because I was using FSX saved flights to load up in the same state as I left the aircraft in last. It was quite some time ago now but from what I remember it would be fine from the push back, up until I throttle up on the runway. It didn't always freeze but got annoying after a while and after a bit of testing I realized it was the saved flights causing the problem for me.

Regards,

[Zuendholz]

And don't forget to tell Robert your tweaks in the FSX.cfg you've done. Maybe it's connected to the .cfg too? 

 

If I'm totaly wrong, please delete this post.

 

@Aviators: Not helpful and you have to sign your name here!