Rotate MD-80

[hhbrbg 136]

On 9.4.2017 at 2:28 AM, atgcab said:

In the meantime we have recently released version 1.3 Pro of the MD-80, which is also compatible with X-Plane 11.

Very impressive, your  airplane could be in my virt. hangar soon.

Tom

[Anxu00 176]

10 hours ago, richie894 said:

I would be very cautious with ATS. They released their MD-80 about 5 months ago. It got terrible reviews so they pulled it from the store. Made up some BS story and said it would be back for sale a month after. Now we are in July still nothing and the people who bought it originally were given no refunds.

They then went on a rant and publically complained about Rotate who announced they were bringing out a MD-11, when they wanted to do one. They got slammed on the XP forums and not heard from since.

So do you recommend the Rotate MD-80? I have read a few reviews about the latest 1.3 version.  I am still on the fence.

[richie894 45]

I dont have the Rotate so can not comment. Like you I read the reviews and they seem pretty favorable since the big update. I know it is on sale until end of tomorrow. I would recommend looking through Rotate section at XP forum to get a feel for problems being reported and feedback.

Personally I am holding out to get the new CRJ-200 v2 when it released and interested to see how the SSG CRJ-700 turns out. 

[Anxu00 176]

4 minutes ago, richie894 said:

I dont have the Rotate so can not comment. Like you I read the reviews and they seem pretty favorable since the big update. I know it is on sale until end of tomorrow. I would recommend looking through Rotate section at XP forum to get a feel for problems being reported and feedback.

Personally I am holding out to get the new CRJ-200 v2 when it released and interested to see how the SSG CRJ-700 turns out. 

New? The JRollon one?

[richie894 45]

Just now, Anxu00 said:

New? The JRollon one?

Yes, he is working on updating the exisiting one to v2 with better textures etc. Not due anytime soon though, I think it is months rather than weeks away.

[richie894 45]

Did you end up getting the Rotate MD-80? I picked up the 767. It flies nice, but disappointed with the cockpit textures. It is definitely not as nice as the 757.

[GusRodrigues 1]

version 1.31 is good in xp11.

[Glenn_C 135]

I purchased when it first came out but did not use it much back then as there were a few 'bugs' and unfinished work, however I now nearly fly it on a daily basis. Hand flies like a dream, the FMC is pretty good by x-plane standards ;-) and those 4K textures are just yummy.

It's a bit of a handful to fly with all the old fashioned steam gauges and switches all over the place but that's just how the real Maddog  was.

 

 

 

[jenxy 12]

 

[Guest-475 81]

I wouldn't judge the Rotate MD-80 by that review completely. A lot of things have been added and corrected since then. The plane has gotten much more mature in the current version already, and it keeps getting updates.

[p2P1 2]

The Rotate MD-80 Pro is one of my favorite planes to fly, almost right there with IXEG's 737.  I imagine, if the developers keep working on it as they have, it can potentially surpass IXEG impo.  I love both planes and I must admit, Rotates customer service is second to none.  That's really a shame about ATS, I hope they get back on their feet. Competition is healthy and keeps the developers on their feet ;)

[Gabe777 132]

So how is the Rotate MD88 now in late 2019 ?

How will I find it, given I have the Leonardo in P3D ?

Anyone advise me about any airliners or rehional jets that even attempt to be near study level, or  am I stuck with GAs and choppers, in X plane ?

Thnx

[dbw1 444]

On 8/14/2019 at 3:23 AM, Gabe777 said:

So how is the Rotate MD88 now in late 2019 ?

How will I find it, given I have the Leonardo in P3D ?

Anyone advise me about any airliners or rehional jets that even attempt to be near study level, or  am I stuck with GAs and choppers, in X plane ?

Thnx

I'm interested too. I do miss the MadDog of Leonardo's in P3d. I'm curious what the latest iteration of the Rotate aircraft is like. The FMS is not the X-P one and that would be nice if it is somewhat close to the MadDog's.

[Alan_A 1,650]

I'd really been hoping somebody more experienced than I am would have responded to this thread, but since that hasn't happened, here goes...

Background - I'm a P3D veteran but quite new to the Leonardo Maddog.  I'm not really steeped in X-Plane 11 - I'm currently experimenting seriously with it - but I do own the Rotate MD-88.

My take - if you like the Leonardo Maddog, you'll find that the texturing on the Rotate version isn't quite at the same level.  But it's nice in it's own right and you adjust to it.  You'll also find that the Rotate doesn't offer quite the same system depth - for example, engines aren't as temperamental.  But the system representation is satisfying and things like autoflight perform well.  The FMS is similar to the Maddog's and you'll be able to find your way with it.  I've had some wonky moments with it but that may well be operator error.

Flight dynamics reflect the differences between the platforms - the Maddog is either more solid or more "on-rails" depending on your preferences, the Rotate is a bit more dynamic or "rubbery" (e.g. the nose wanders in pitch a bit more on final).  Both perform on the numbers and deliver MD-8X experiences - such as screaming down the approach and hanging out the drag at the last minute.

Overall, the tradeoff between them is really the tradeoff between the two platforms - more pure study-level depth in the Maddog, but with P3D's environmental compromises; slightly less depth in the Rotate (but still a lot), balanced by the upside of the more dynamic, more attractive X-Plane environment.

Hope this is helpful, but again, please be mindful of my limitations.  I'll gladly defer to anyone who has more experience with either or both aircraft.

EDIT: Oh, about X-Plane airliners in general - there are a few that wind up on most of the shortlists, and they're the ones I've been trying out as a new arrival.  Among those on my current or near-future list are the ZIBO Mod 737 (a very sophisticated freeware refinement of the default 737 - check out Flightdeck2Sim's videos on YouTube for a detailed look, he's a RW 737 FO and moved over to it from the PMDG NGX); the IXEG 737-500; the Flight Factor 757 and the Leading Edge Saab 340. The Flight Factor 75 and the IXEG 73 ,in particular, are a match for P3D "study-level" systems depth.  If you want to go old-school, the FlyJSim 737 and 727 are quite good.  Again, others will have their own suggestions and this list, like everything above, reflects my newcomer status - for example, I haven't mentioned the Flight Factor A320 because I haven't gotten near it yet. 

Worth noting also that the IXEG 73 is getting some blowback because of the slow pace of updates.  Q8 Pilot (another great YouTube channel) just featured it in video where he flags some of the issues.  Mentioned for what it's worth.

Again, hope this helps.

Edited August 18, 2019 by Alan_A

[dbw1 444]

Alan, Thanks for your input. I too am new to X-P with just about 4 months in. I've got the FF757, Toliss A319, FlyJSim 727 & 737, Zibo 738 - All good. Also the carenado SF340 which is pretty good (I've got a few years RW time on it), the LES SF340 that I've had issues and have parked it till the next patch....some have no issues with it. Two smaller aircraft worth checking out are the TBM900 (very good, G1000 excellent) and the milviz C30rt (good as well). I think I will add the Rotate after reading your description of it.