[13JUN18] XPlane User Updates

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Captains,

It has been an unfortunately long time since I had any NEW information to share with our XPlane users, but I *finally* have something new to share this evening.

First, for those that have been waiting, tapping fingers on the table, lifting up the phone receiver to make sure it is still working, checking the mailbox and otherwise doing anything possible to be patient for me to have more news-  thank you.  I know at times it might seem like we simply ignore a subject- but... in a way that is true when we know we don't have the free resources at a particular moment in time.

We have just entered a period where some resources are going to begin freeing up- so we have some pieces moving around the planning table and some of those pieces involve XPlane.

 

PMDG DC-6 Update to XPL11

With the PMDG 747-8 (FSX/P3D) entering beta testing, we are beginning to evaluate when we will devote attention to the PMDG DC-6 for XPlane in order to move compatibility from XPL10 to XPL11.

I do not have a clear answer to this question just yet, but discussion of the topic has begun, and we will be making decisions in the coming weeks and months to sort out how we are going to fill out development time for the remainder of the year.  Once we get the DC-6 on the schedule, we will still have a bit of "known unknowns" to wrestle, as we determine just how much work will be required to bridge the gap between the two simulator versions.  It might be minimal or it might be huge.  We just don't know at this moment- but obviously we are hoping for minimal.  😎

I'll let you know once we have a clearer idea when to expect this product to be available.  I anticipate it will be provided to you as an updated installer capable of managing either XPL10 or XPL11 installation as you wish.  (To be clearer- this will be a service update, not requiring any further purchase from XPL customers.)

 

Further Products Beyond DC-6:

Immediately after Flight Sim Expo 2018, we had some very interesting and engaging discussions with Laminar Research.  These were private discussions on numerous business and technical issues so I won't go into any detail here, but they represented the first true face-to-face exchange of thoughts and ideas between PMDG and Laminar- and we really enjoyed them.  In some fashion or other, we have known Laminar for many years, but just by the very nature of our business, the only face-to-face contact has been fleeting and wasn't intended to be a hearty discussion.

The best part of this discussion came when we sat down later in the day with Ben from Laminar and had a discussion about technical aspects of developing on both the Prepar3D and XPL platforms without significant negative impact to the development investment.  XPL is a growing platform, and we are constantly evaluating when and how to begin the process of moving our complex airliners into that simulation environment.  It is neither easy, nor quick, and we must constantly evaluate the revenue potential for investing the time required vs. investing that time in other locations.

At this point there are no clear answers beyond "we are very interested in doing so" but we haven't found a way to make it happen without an unacceptable degree of risk to our development timelines and revenue position..  We are still evaluating and exploring ways to make this happen.  It may simply require that we hire additional developers but this isn't a simple or guaranteed route, as there are significant technical differences between the platforms.

We will be scheduling followup discussions with Ben and his team at Laminar once we get beyond the 747-8 release in order to see if we cannot compact the challenges into as small a space as possible.

We love this kind of "shared decision making" because we think that our customers will benefit from wider simulation platform choices, and we also think we can capitalize on some of XPL's unique features to bring new ideas forward in our products.

We will keep you posted on that as we progress- but please expect it to be slow!

 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2018 by rsrandazzo

[anden145 2,285]

Thanks, Robert for the insight.

It doesn't sound like further X-Plane development is around the corner.
(I may be misreading it, though...)

Edited June 13, 2018 by Anders Bermann

[Ausflight 32]

Well here is my two cents worth if you ditch making planes for MFS then there be more room for the other platforms to concentrate on.🤔

Danny.

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

22 minutes ago, Anders Bermann said:

Thanks, Robert for the insight.

It doesn't sound like further X-Plane development is around the corner.
(I may be misreading it, though...)

Anders,

I will tell you precisely what we told Laminar:  It isn't a matter of "if."  It is a matter of "when."  These are extremely complex decisions that must be made with care. 

I should also state very clearly:  None of this is "new" per se.  We have always stated that the goal of the DC-6 development was to learn what we could so that we can make informed decisions regarding the future development.  The decision was not "we aren't gonna." 

We are beginning to evaluate when and how, now.  Just as we always promised we would!

 

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

9 minutes ago, Zdenek said:

Well here is my two cents worth if you ditch making planes for MFS then there be more room for the other platforms to concentrate on.🤔

Danny.

Danny,

You have room in your house for all of us to live if we did that?    Oh, and you have to have room for the dog... 

 

[GCBraun 2,390]

That is a very positive development! Looking forward for the updated DC-6 and also for what the future might hold in this PMDG/LR partnership. 🙂

Thanks for the update!

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Hey Thiago!

I hoped you would think so!

 

[redsonssi 7]

This update doesn't delay the release of the 747-8, does it?

[ZKOKQ 984]

You keep pumping those planes out Robert, and I will fly them. I retire in 5 years, so get cracking LOL

 

Julian Evans

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

2 minutes ago, redsonssi said:

This update doesn't delay the release of the 747-8, does it?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh, I see what you did there.  😎

Please sign your posts in this forum, but thanks for the laugh. 

 

[DhruvK 2]

Guess I can refrain from blowing up the Reddit rumor machine by posting the discreet spy photo I got of you guys sitting down with Ben.

As an aside, it was a pleasure to briefly meet all of you guys face to face at Expo. I’m a very platform agnostic consumer at the moment, a fact of which Kyle is very much aware. Selfishly, I’m glad you guys and Laminar at least had dialogue. I’m not anticipating any miracles, but if it means they develop stronger relationships with developers regardless of you guys’ plans it’s good for the platform!

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Dhruv,

That conversation was sort of impromptu.  Ben came over and started off with words to the effect of, "how can we work together to make this easier?"

From one dev to another, that was really a great conversation opener, and i think we really had a great dialogue.  Ben is a pro, and we got to know him during the DC-6 development cycle, and we put faith in his word and his sincerity.  Chris and I spent quite a bit of time chatting with Ben, right up until the venue managers asked us to leave so that they could close the place down.

So much made-up drama in the FS community.  I love when devs work toward common goals.

 

[redsonssi 7]

1 hour ago, rsrandazzo said:

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh, I see what you did there.  😎

Please sign your posts in this forum, but thanks for the laugh. 

 

I'm sorry I didn't write down my name.
Did I say English sentence strangely?
I could not understand because I could not speak English

 

Youngju kim

Edited June 13, 2018 by redsonssi

[Britfrog 37]

I herald any close liaison between 2 companies for their joint benefit. Having moved on after 30 odd years of using FSX and it follow ups to XP11 I now want to also benefit from Having at least the PMDG NGX in my hangar , yes I know there is a reasonably decent freeware one around , but the PMDG one for me is the dog's danglies more power to your Albow capt. RR

[tonywob 4,768]

I didn't attend the show, but watched several live streams and it's good that there are now more big named P3D/FSX devs embracing other platforms. Although PMDG's post doesn't say there will be an NGX out next week, it's a positive thing that LR is so open and willing to work with third-parties to move the platform forward. I personally think this is a good thing for all of us