Not really impressed by the -8 visual upgrade from the -4

[forshaw 28]

Hi Folks;

 

I purchased the 747-8 upgrade to give my aging PMDG 747-4 a facelift, and I must say for $24.00 I am not really impressed. It's not about the money it's a hobby for me so 24 bucks is a "rounding error" for me. I thought PMDG would have done a better job at the texture and sound upgrade. I have freeware 747-8 from AVSIM that will rival the PMDG upgraded texture, as for as the sound it's not that much better.

 

The flaps texture isn't that great, when the flaps are retracted the wing looks good but when extended it's somewhat disappointing, very plain. The audible bumps on the runway as you takeoff is not that much better so is the gear up / down movement. The lease they could have done was include a 3rd. party sound upgrade like iFly did, that's easy enough. Again. I have freeware that will rival that.

 

Don't get me wrong I love the PMDG line, I have the 777 and also the 737, but since there are so many newer 747 on the market I figure I get the upgrade to see if it's any better while I wait for the v2. Who knows when that will be out. The aircraft still fly's like a dream.

 

Just thought I'll share my thoughts and findings.

 

I am also looking to get the iFly 747-400 v2 and see how that stacks up.

 

Best Regrads.

 

Forshaw.

 

 

 

[Sbacchini 15]

You started a topic a few days ago asking if the -8i was a visual improvement over the base package. You were answered that no, it was just a model upgrade, the visuals were all the same. And now you come here complaining that you bought it and it wasn't a visual upgrade? Really?

 

Anyway lad, you are talking about a, what, 5 or 6 years old product, if I'm not mistaken. What could you expect? It is still the best (and only) simulation of the -8i. The Ifly v2 is a pretty good plane, at least in my experience, but a lot of people complain about frame rate issues. And have in mind that Ifly only made, until now, the 400 model. You don't get the -8i nor the 400F.

 

Cheers!

 

PS: Oh, and PMDG requires that all posts be signed with your full name

[TheNerd 11]

As Stefano said, it's not a visual upgrade/improvement. It was essentially made just to change the look of the engines.

[flyerboy 114]

Why didn't you wait for the new 747 to come?

[forshaw 28]

Hi Folks;

 

Yes I do remember my post asking and yes I did get the correct response. I however, thought that there was some improvements based on what the PMDG home site said about the -8 upgrade. Below is the quotation from their website. I guess I should paid more attention to the response I got rather than getting a little carried away with what was stated by PMDG :smile:

 

Quotation from PMDG website:

"This high definition visual model raises the bar on large airliner modeling by showing the 747-8i and 747-8F in exquisite detail. Transparent cabin windows, fully detailed flight controls, 3D engine cores, scalloped nacelles and the incredible 747-8 wing flex are all presented in vivid detail. The model is covered with high definition textures, giving an incredibly lifelike appearance to the model, right down to the finest details.

The PMDG 747-400X -8i/F Product Model Extension will also please your ears, as we have included a new GEnx based engine sound set so that you can experience the amazing audio experience of the new GEnx engines mounted under-wing".

 

Thanks again.

 

Anthony Forshaw.

 

Cheers    

[netshadoe 117]

You can't expect the -8 expansion pack released 5 years ago for the original -400 that was released 8 years ago to compare with the newer NGX and 777 and soon to be 747v2.

[scandinavian13 5,189]

 

 

I guess I should paid more attention to the response I got rather than getting a little carried away with what was stated by PMDG

 

I think you should have also considered that we said that 5 years ago. That's important, as even BetaMax was touted as revolutionary...in 1975. By today's standards, it would seem very old and outdated.

 

 

Two hours was a big deal back then.

 

Now? It doesn't record more than two stations simultaneously while allowing me to watch another, for up to 60 hours of stored content? Get out of town...

[forshaw 28]

You can't expect the -8 expansion pack released 5 years ago for the original -400 that was released 8 years ago to compare with the newer NGX and 777 and soon to be 747v2.

Actually I never compared it to the NGX or 777. My comment in my post was I love the PMDG line and also have the 737 NGX and 777 to prove it. I never compared the upgrade with either of those.

 

My idea was not to bash the product. I was stating that I have had the PMDG 747 since it was released and needed to get a "face lift" since I didn't really know when the v2 would be released.

 

I was basically stating that I didn't see a real noticeable improvement on the base model. My expectation was a little higher, that's all. 

 

Anthony Forshaw.

[alexzar14 5]

iFly 747 v2 isn't anything like PMDG NGX or a 777.

At first I liked it for its good looking modern virtual cockpit visuals, so PMDG 747 was retired forever I thought.

But iFly has no other advantages, it is "old" in all other aspects: there is no VC lighting (what there is is horrible) the ground connection/doors and all other interface is via drop down menu same as PMDG, AP/FMS programing is same, so the only difference is the good looking VC. On the other hand, iFly has issues with VNAV, AT and some others, also it is a bad performer heavily affecting both fps rate and available memory, so... I went back to PMDG 747. Same old thing, flies a bit better, no fps/memory issues!

 

This summer iFly will release a major update (they say), will see what that is.

[forshaw 28]

iFly 747 v2 isn't anything like PMDG NGX or a 777.

At first I liked it for its good looking modern virtual cockpit visuals, so PMDG 747 was retired forever I thought.

But iFly has no other advantages, it is "old" in all other aspects: there is no VC lighting (what there is is horrible) the ground connection/doors and all other interface is via drop down menu same as PMDG, AP/FMS programing is same, so the only difference is the good looking VC. On the other hand, iFly has issues with VNAV, AT and some others, also it is a bad performer heavily affecting both fps rate and available memory, so... I went back to PMDG 747. Same old thing, flies a bit better, no fps/memory issues!

 

This summer iFly will release a major update (they say), will see what that is.

Great feedback, thank you. Yes I was going through the same process, I had the 747 for awhile and with no real timeline for the release of V2 I needed a change. I tried the 8-I as a stop gap since I want hold out for the v2.

 

I was looking at the iFLY v2, for a couple of reasons 1) great looking VC cockpit (as you pointed out), 2) visual external modeling and great sounds. However, I didn't really expect it to fly any better than the PMDG 747, I still think the PDMG 747 it is the best flying aircraft. I'll wait for the bug fixes to be released for th iFly v2 this summer and then I'll decide if I want to give it a try or not. Hopefully by then we'll have a better idea of PMDG V2 timeline.

 

Thanks again for the great feedback.

 

Best Regards.

 

Anthony Forshaw.

[Dan208B 0]

Hi Folks;

 

I purchased the 747-8 upgrade to give my aging PMDG 747-4 a facelift, and I must say for $24.00 I am not really impressed. It's not about the money it's a hobby for me so 24 bucks is a "rounding error" for me. I thought PMDG would have done a better job at the texture and sound upgrade. I have freeware 747-8 from AVSIM that will rival the PMDG upgraded texture, as for as the sound it's not that much better.

 

I am a real-world airline pilot and have flown the 747-400 and 747-8. I want to point out that the PMDG 747-8 sounds are excellent. From the pilot's perspective it's a pretty quiet airplane and the sounds seem to be on-par with the real airplane. I'm not sure what you were hoping for but you can't get much better than real!