Hi Paul,what are the serious FLAWS you mentioned for the Lago Maddog ? For me it has just one flaw (the LOC intercept issue) and another patch seems to be in the works (was reported to the JetCity guys). Besides that single flaw, I am really pleased with the Maddog, their AP is excellent.>> then I can't personally see why you wouldn't want BOTH the MDMax AND the F1 Super80.I would be OK with the price of the MDMAX, but it just allows one single shot for activation. Then users are dependent from goodwill and working hours of the developers to get their 60 Euro product working again. That is unacceptable for me.The Lago Maddog can be installed when- and whereever you want, also Flight1 has a really fair license policy. That is sometimes more worth than the latest and greatest system switch in the MDMax.For those that don't have an MD yet, I'd choose the Flight1 MD80. With the incredible support and very responsive developer I am sure it will become a long time classic after a patch or two :).Mike

Hey Mike,I didn't have to reactivate the madmax yet but before I bought it, I read their forum for several days. All reactivation requests were fullfilled and that gave me the confidence to go ahead. I would prefer a less restrictive license as well, but from what I could see in their forum, they are handling this issue really well.Cheers,Daniel

Hi Daniel,hmmm, I got a different impression from lurking in their forum from time to time. There were numerous complains and problems about the activation procedure and handling, but usually these messages do not survive very long ...I remember, I has asked them once if I could use the product on my Desktop PC and Laptop, because I occasionally travel a lot. The answer was - "NO". So I would have to spend 120 Euro for two licenses. Hmmm, OK, then I asked if I could get a second license at a discount price. The answer was again - "NO". Well, OK, but if I then read about users waiting for their activation on weekends or developers answering with : "Sorry, but our working hours are only from X to Y", it was easy to decide spending my money elsewhere. Sure payware companies can do what they want - fortunately potential customers can do the same ;-)Mike

Mike,Just for info, I have the MDMax (And the Lago and the Flight1 version)I like all of them. As far as re-activation goes, I've uninstalled and re-installed the MDMax several times along with reformating my FS drive. I'm running FS on a seperate hard drive. Never had to send a re-activation request. My guess is that the registration is saved in the Windows registry and as long as you don't re-format your system drive all is OK.

Hi Mike,Yeah, it's good we have the freedom. And now OT, how is the Tu-154M coming along ;)Regards,Daniel

I registered for their forum and read some of the posts. Why anyone in 2005 would pay over $70 for a package that does not include external sounds and a fully functioning working virtual cockpit is completely beyond me. Plus, these dudes didn't even bother designing their own model. Flight 1' ATR, Dreamfleet's 727, LDS, and PMDG have demonstrated that there is no contradiction whatsoever in having all the eye candy as well as all the technical functions. So, any company that claims otherwise (that is, that you can only have one or the other) is really way behind the curve and shouldn't be in the business of selling flight simulator addons. ricardo

Well Ricardo, to each his own. I couldn't care less for a WC in the virtual cabin or even for a VC for that matter. But I do like to pay attention to avoid a hot start, to have an anti icing system that actually does something and the list goes on and on. I agree PMDG and LDS are great products but IMO the MDmax goes even further in systems simulation. It's a bit like PS 1.3, which doesn't really look good but delivers elsewhere.

Well Mike, IMHO the inability to capture a localizer is a pretty serious flaw ... although certainly one which you can recover ... other than that I like the Lago Maddog ... and have flown many many hours with the previous releases ... Having said that, Lago, again, IMHO ... is horrid in their lack of support ... they started out very well with Maddave responding all the time, then total silence ... I guess the 1.50 patch breaks the silence and speaks very loudly ... but I think most people would like one lousy post to their forum from Lago ... "OK Guys we see the LOC issue and will have a 1.51 patch in 1 or 10 months" ... whatever ... but something, even an %%%% you is better than nothing. Lago has never kept their commitment to JCA ... although Dean Chamblee has worked very hard to keep the merge situation ok. But still you are absolutely correct, other than the loc intercept issue, the AP is working very well, and I do like the whole package.On the second issue of MDMax installation, I have found that any issues I have are handled very efficiently by "wideview" .. and expect that they are like me, working their 60 hours a week, but have some time off ... and they have said somewhere in their forum what their business hours are ... so the customer expectation is at least level set.If LAGO fixes the Maddog, I will have a difficult time deciding which to fly ... but hey ... choice is always GOOD. Best Regards,Paul BenoitKSAN

George,hmmm, OK. I have just seen too many deleted messages to really feel comfortable there. And I'm quite Ok with the two MDs I have. The Lago has a nice 'being there' feel and very smooth AP. Yes, you have to put the dog on the lead and fly the ILS manually for now, but others aren't perfect either.And I couldn't imagine any more sympathic MD than the Flight1 anyway, with some small workarounds it works fine already. Besides that, Espen has the most impressive and responsive attitude I have seen from a payware developer since ages. That alone deserves all support.Mike

Daniel,let's keep that an MD thread :)Mike

Well said Daniel, thank goodness we can make our choices. When MDMax was first published, it immediately felt like a PS1.3 class piece of software, and I still feel that way ... their documentation is excellent, and like yo, I don;t really care for VC, interiors .. but am very very pleased they chose the JCA model ... which I do like!!! and they have integrated the JCA model nicely into thr flow of things ...O well to each their own I guess. But, choice certainly is a good thing.!!TGIFPaul BenoitKSAN

Paul,Yeah, it seems LAGO has given up support completely. A pity for the Maddog developers, I understand it's an external team. Due to the support attitude of LAGO also the plane "is talked" bad and that is certainly not what it deserves. However, I wouldn't be surprised if LAGO will be history soon.Mike

Mike,Ok.Paul,Yes, I agree that the JCA model looks very good and more importantly the integration with the panel is really great in my opinion. You see the Cargo and the catering being loaded, everything with the proper animation AND action from panel. So there's even some eyecandy connected to the special functions :) , eventhough I could fly a square polygon if the systems were done well ;) .I didn't buy the Mdmax when it was released and decided to wait for the FMC which I feel is an essential part of the experience in such a plane. As the FMS and the JCA merge were released I waited for another week to read the MDmax forum and it looked like there was no severe bug in the release, something seldom nowadays.I bought the Full package then and in my opinion it's a masterpiece. It has also an excellent documentation as you pointed out, which is worth a lot in my book.Regards,Daniel

I have complained about a few things, but I think the product is good overall for the F1 Super80. From waht I have seen, the support has been very good and am sure Espen will follow with an update patch. I would recommend the product even with the few issues. Now, I have my sights on the MDMax... :)regards,Macs.

Indeed, Espen has been very helpful with the few glitches that have come up. This MD80 is definitely recommended to those interested in an early version. Now back to the MDMax, can anyone comment on the framerates?Miltos