Captains-

Normally on days where I have an update planned, I grab Jason or Vin prior to the end of the day and have them generate a good screen capture to use as window dressing for the update.

We were so busy tonight I forgot to grab them before they vanished at the end of the day- so tonight is just a quick update.

Our primary focus at this juncture is split pretty evenly into two key areas:

• Tidying up sounds around the airplane, with specific focus on trimwheel and engine/apu start-and-stop sounds.
• Continued analysis of a particularly troublesome failure mode during landing.

We have pushed multiple builds to our testing team over the past day and we are working with further builds internally to continue iterative testing on this landing issue. I anticipate we will have a clearer picture of whether we are moving in the right direction with a fix for this item when we push our next build to the beta and technical teams on Wednesday. We *do* feel that we have a good idea what causes it, but I am going to refrain from discussing what we think or what the fix might be because the details aren't absolutely certain. As such there is still some risk for being wrong, and I'd prefer to know for certain we are correct before declaring victory.

A number of folks have been following along as a few streamers with whom we have relationships have experienced the issue. Please understand that they have been very useful to us in data collection but we have not shared with them what we think causes the issue for the same reasons as stated in the paragraph above. I recognize that there has been some conjecture as to the cause- but again I think it is responsible to verify we have a solution before saying "we think this is it."

In other areas of the airplane, continued cleanup is taking place smoothing out small items that our beta and tech team report. Additionally we are working on graphic updates and documentation and various other details to bring the airplane closer to release readiness.

We recognize that many of you are incredibly excited for this release. Please know that we are as well, and we will have it in your hands the moment we feel it is ready and can provide you with great enjoyment. That day is not far off- and once we set the release date we will tell you.

In the mean time: Please be kind to one another, and to the many new participants in this forum. We can see some users developing fatigue with new members wandering in and asking about the release or expressing frustration that it is taking a while. There is no need to be unkind to anyone for this- and please do remember that much of the insistence comes from excitement. Heck some members of the PMDG team even internally have been asking "so are we setting a date, yet?" 

Believe me: We are all excited.

Okay- enough from me tonight... Time for sleep.

 

https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/172101-26apr22-developer-update-pmdg-737-for-msfs-just-a-quick-update

Edited April 26, 20224 yr by bendead

Thx for sharing 🙂 Exciting times, MSFS 2020 is about to take a great leap forward !

Cheers,

2Low2Slow

As a very long time PMDG user, really have to say what an immense pleasure it has been listening to Emanuel's Youtube video series on the 737 Beta in recent days/weeks.  Just so impressed with the fine detail and aircraft quirks he has shown while setting up the FMC, performing various checklists, explaining his logic (as a realworld 737 pilot).  No hype, just down to business with really interesting and useful information.  Even the way he "drives" the MCP and follows the LNAV course throughout the flight (by manually following with HDG from time to time even with CWS engaged) makes you feel like you've snuck into the jumpseat of your fav local airline underneath Harry Potter's invisibility cloak.

You have to be in the mood to set up a decent airline sim session, and so looking forward to this one now some of the elements of basic and advanced flights coming back and reducing my fear of having forgotten half this staff since uninstalling P3D.

 

Most recent one here - wait a moment - he's done another 5!!!   Happy Days:  🙂

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJku5jC23Y0MkmPqU7CZhog/videos

 

Edit:  Reading his "About" page on Youtube, the project has been a bit of an experiment - so did my first "Buy me a coffee" for him as small token of respect.

 

 

Edited April 26, 20224 yr by RobF2

Sounds like Randazzo is more confident they are closer to setting a release date, provided they can clean up the nagging minor issues, and of course, fixing that landing bug. Based on the tone of this Randazzo posting, you would think that a release date in May is very likely.  Of course, Randazzo can push back the release date by a lot and bring up some bad news in his next post, as he has done in the past, so I wouldn't put too much faith in this post alone.

Edited April 26, 20224 yr by abrams_tank

2 minutes ago, abrams_tank said:

Sounds like Randazzo is more confident they are closer to setting a release date, provided they can clean up the nagging minor issues, and of course, fixing that landing bug.

I'd imagine that he is very keen to try and release the 737 around about the 30th of April like some of the other devs are with their aircraft. If they do release around the same date, the 737 will be my first purchase out of all the complex airliners. We have a very exciting (and expensive) couple of weeks coming up.

36 minutes ago, Amon1973 said:

I'd imagine that he is very keen to try and release the 737 around about the 30th of April like some of the other devs (…)

Chances for this to happen are very slim, as they are still working on it and they haven’t fully diagnosed the landing issue. They also slowed down the marketing campain. They began releasing tutorial videos saying that they are going to release a new video for every phase of a demo flight each couple of days up to the day of the public release. But that has completely stopped for now. The thing is, the plane isn’t ready for release yet, or they would have set a release date. End of may, beginning of june at the earliest is my bet the first variant gets released.

Edited April 26, 20224 yr by petz_e

Ya the landing bug has shifted their focus away from putting out more videos on the PMDG youtube channel, but their beta tester and IRL 737 pilot Emi (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJku5jC23Y0MkmPqU7CZhog/videos) is more than making up for it with his excellent tutorials and full flight videos (as RobF2 says above). I'd say the "indirect" marketing campaign is still going strong given all the attention the beta testers are giving it on social media & forums.

It's complex software, complex bugs happen, and devs do the right thing by debugging and fixing impactful bugs such as these before releasing... I don't think it's going to take until May-end or June to fix this and polish other issues however. Based on RSR's "We *do* feel that we have a good idea what causes it, but I am going to refrain from discussing what we think or what the fix might be because the details aren't absolutely certain" statement, it sounds like a release earlier in May rather than later.

In any case, given the very soon to be released MD80 and other high fidelity jets incoming for MSFS, the patient jet sim pilots can keep themselves busy with those and wait till the PMDG 737-800 drops in around 12 weeks, which will have various all-new features and further bug fixes 🙂

Edited April 26, 20224 yr by lwt1971

Testing her as I type.....newest build....just sublime.   Guys....the hype is justified (IMO of course).

In my 20+years of simming....never has it been this good!

DISCLAMER: Screen is of the 737 in beta.  You know the spiel. 😉 

My WestJet livery rocketing out of Key West during a stunning Florida sunrise on her way to Tampa for a short beta test fight.  Guys...you will love this bird...and if you don't...I just give up. 🙂

 

Edited April 26, 20224 yr by Steve Dra

5 minutes ago, Steve Dra said:

Testing her as I type.....newest build....just sublime.   Guys....the hype is justified (IMO of course).

In my 20+years of simming....never has it been this good!

DISCLAMER: Screen is of the 737 in beta.  You know the spiel. 😉 

My WestJet livery rocketing out of Key West during a stunning Florida sunrise on her way to Tampa for a short beta test fight.  Guys...you will love this bird...and if you don't...I just give up. 🙂

 

Wowsa... in addition to paint/livery skills you sure have a keen eye for lighting and scene composition, are you into photography? Don't mean to offshoot a tangent on this thread, but that's yet another wonder of MSFS in how it allows you set up a scene in any part of the world with the terrain, sun, moon and weather in any way you want to simulate a close to real-life scene as possible, and effectively simulate photographing it.

6 minutes ago, lwt1971 said:

Wowsa... in addition to paint/livery skills you sure have a keen eye for lighting and scene composition, are you into photography? Don't mean to offshoot a tangent on this thread, but that's yet another wonder of MSFS in how it allows you set up a scene in any part of the world with the terrain, sun, moon and weather in any way you want to simulate a close to real-life scene as possible, and effectively simulate photographing it.

Thanks....no...no real formal training/experience in photography...just 20+ years of doing it...if my pics didn't look like this by now...I shoulda' taken up basket weaving long ago. 🤣

MSFS has been a painters/photobug's dream...and I'm fully capitalizing on it every chance I get...like this: 🙂

Kinda' shows off my paint too....a win-win as it were. 😉 

29 minutes ago, Steve Dra said:

 

 

 

An elongated cylinder under a tartan, that's very Scottish 😁

3 minutes ago, bendead said:

An elongated cylinder under a tartan, that's very Scottish 😁

I swear I was like this the whole time I was painting it:

And OMG...I just noticed that the pattern is almost an exact match! ??

1 hour ago, Steve Dra said:

 

MSFS has been a painters/photobug's dream...and I'm fully capitalizing on it every chance I get...like this: 🙂

 

Please tell me you plan on making a sexy BBJ livery like this:

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/9177673

@Steve Dra keep working. Try to do as much as you can before the release.

1 minute ago, Alaska738 said:

keep working. Try to do as much as you can before the release.