Guess we're not watching PMDG updates as closely as pre-737 times as I don't think this was posted here... but some interesting bits in https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/186707-14may22-hello-and-happy-737-weekend-some-bits-of-news-and-a-temporary-notam

Some highlights with my own bolding:

On Monday 17MAY22 we will be pushing a small update for the PMDG DC-6 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This update includes a sweep up of some changes we have made since the previous update. We will post a list of those changes at the time the update is published, but you can get the update at no cost via the PMDG Operations Center.  --- assume typo here and he meant Monday 16th

For those who are new to PMDG: We have a very aggressive method of collecting, categorizing, researching and tracking issues that get reported to us. You will find that once we get through the initial cloud of release week, we tend to push updates that will contain anywhere from 25-200 ranging from major corrections/changes to tiny, inconsequential obscuria that we noticed along the way. We expect to be pushing updates out for the 737-700 at a weekly pace initially so if you have run into something that is creating problems for you- there is a good chance it will get swept up into an update soon enough.

We have a couple of major research efforts underway that we want to tell you about also:

Customers seeing flickering artifacts on the displays: We have gotten a few reports at tech support, and in threads here in the forum that some users are seeing flickering artifacts on the displays. They are often reported as "when turning" but this is a distractor, because the turning causes a redraw mechanism that fails. We can reproduce this in house in the EFIS/MAP layout, which is why that layout is disabled in the initial release. We believe this to be related to a problem in the GDI+/NANO layer and brought it to the attention of Asobo in October, but I believe it was viewed as a lower priority item as we were able to code our way around it with some ingenuity. Unforunately, when SU9 landed, the problem returned to the EFIS/MAP layout and this resulted in us disabling that option and re-floating it to Asobo for their review. It has not been reviewed as of this juncture as the individual responsible was not in the office last week. We are hoping it will get some attention this week. We will keep you posted.

"Low FPS Control Animation" is a phrase that took some time to sort out, since it is a mixed metaphor that doesn't really describe the issue well. Working with a few folks here in the PMDG forum we were able to get some examples of what users see when they report this issue. We have a few theories on what causes it and are hoping to have a chance to test some corrections with folks that we know to see it during the coming week. It is a curious item that may be caused by a particular combination of settings- but that usually means it is something we can code out of the product. We shall certainly try.

I liked the very last bit after the usual spillage of RSR verbage :)

We are just getting started. Vin promises me we will be able to start previewing the 777 "soon™"

 

Edited May 16, 20224 yr by lwt1971

Really want the efb back. 

Just now, micstatic said:

Really want the efb back. 

Yup, hopefully that drops earlier than later in the next 2+ months they've allotted for 737 new enhancements. Should drop earlier since it's not gated by anything they're waiting on Asobo for (unlike the LNAV 2.0, etc ... see https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/169846-19apr22-pmdg-737-development-update-let-s-talk-about-early-adopter-and-continued-maintenance-phases)

I could really do with an HUD fix, it's off center

This last line that RSR mentioned caught my attention:

Quote

Vin promises me we will be able to start previewing the 777 "soon™"

 

Edited May 16, 20224 yr by captain420

3 hours ago, micstatic said:

Really want the efb back. 

We'll get it.

This version feels like the original NGx to me. It has all of the same bugs. Programmed trim buttons sometimes only work with the down button but not the up button (only on the ground before engine start), one of the stall warning test buttons also sometimes not working, and a couple other little quirks. I've flown it enough to recognize the original it spawned from. The 600 will probably be the same.  

I think the 800 will be the NGXu which will give us the EFB - incentive for folks to buy that one in addition to the 700 - to get the EFB.

I'm hoping the Max series will be a completely new one.

51 minutes ago, MDFlier said:

[...] one of the stall warning test buttons also sometimes not working [...]

That's not a bug, that's accurate. The aircraft needs 5 minutes of uninterrupted AC power for the stall warning test to work.

Edited May 16, 20224 yr by psychedelic_tortilla

6 hours ago, psychedelic_tortilla said:

That's not a bug, that's accurate. The aircraft needs 5 minutes of uninterrupted AC power for the stall warning test to work.

My mistake. It is the right stick shaker button doesn't always work. I just tried it on my current flight departing Denver. Pressed it three or four times during the loading process and once again after engine start. Didn't work. it worked when I got takeoff clearance.

Edited May 16, 20224 yr by MDFlier
very bad grammer.. and spleling

I hope the Fenix will be so good that it forces PMDG to update their products to current standards. However, it looks like they‘re trying to port as many products to the new platform as fast as they can, rather than fixing some of the core functionality like the LNAV system. And I‘m not willing to go along with that.

12 minutes ago, thepilot said:

I hope the Fenix will be so good that it forces PMDG to update their products to current standards. However, it looks like they‘re trying to port as many products to the new platform as fast as they can, rather than fixing some of the core functionality like the LNAV system. And I‘m not willing to go along with that.

It sounds like you deem the PMDG a lame duck at release? Sure it is not on par with the P3D versions, but come on. Can we be happy with the plane at least? Happy that it is here at all? Hmm..? It is flyable!

There will be updates... MSFS is monthly evolving.

Besides, Asobo is continuesly updating MSFS. As it looks now there would be no 3PD developers plane at all if you would go for 1001% excellence!!!

Edited May 16, 20224 yr by Piotr007

13 minutes ago, thepilot said:

I hope the Fenix will be so good that it forces PMDG to update their products to current standards. However, it looks like they‘re trying to port as many products to the new platform as fast as they can, rather than fixing some of the core functionality like the LNAV system. And I‘m not willing to go along with that.

PMDG will only feel the push to update their standards if the Fenix a320 begins to eat into their sales, which is highly unlikely to happen as the 737 and the 320 are different aircrafts with not a significant number of people preferring one over the other.

My guess is is they’ll improve their standards only if they receive a lot of customer criticism to up their game. 

Edited May 16, 20224 yr by FAZZ3

7 minutes ago, FAZZ3 said:

PMDG will only feel the push to update their standards if the Fenix a320 begins to eat into their sales, which is highly unlikely to happen as the 737 and the 320 are different aircrafts with not a significant number of people preferring one over the other.

My guess is is they’ll improve their standards only if they receive a lot of customer criticism to up their game. 

Maybe true for diehard Ryanair or Southwest flyers. For the rest the manufacturer hardly matters as long as the plane is good. For me, it was what I‘d call the „FSL effect“. Ever since I got the A320 (for P3D), I have hardly used the NGXu anymore, even though it‘s a solid addon in absolute terms. But not relative to the Airbus. The Fenix looks to be of similar quality, likely on par with the FSL, maybe even better. It will be interesting to see how the community responds.

Looking forward to the DC6 update. OTOH, the PMDG Ops center can't even contact its home server right now...

Quite frankly all this dumping on PMDG from a vocal minority around these parts especially now that more info is out about Fenix is quite silly and misplaced IMHO.  PMDG has been around for years, and built up a huge codebase for their aircraft systems/flight-model/etc written from the ground up in C++ and honed over the years. So very understandably it made sense for them to go the WASM/C++ route for developing for MSFS, and therefore then had to face the well explained technical limitations for which they need Asobo to provide further changes to overcome (which have been well communicated between PMDG and Asobo, and are soon to come). 

Given all that, and despite all that, they managed to put out an initial 737-700 release that's effectively at par with the P3D release, and the never-seen-before features like new EFB, LNAV 2.0, etc are soon to come in next 2+ months, for free. What's so bad about this?? Would you rather have waited for 2-3+ months more before getting their first 737 in MSFS? I'd think not.

And no, they're not "trying to port as many products to the new platform as fast as they can, rather than fixing some of the core functionality like the LNAV system" ... once again, clearly reading what PMDG have actually said always helps to clear all doubt: LNAV 2.0 is coming in the next 2+ months for all 737 variants, for free.  Yes they're also working on the next bird to drop which is the 777, for which they will show previews soon... but that's not at the expense of LNAV 2.0 for 737 first 🙂

Fenix, since they are brand new to MSFS, don't have to worry about existing codebases so they've chosen a path that provides the least impediments for them, not to mention being able to build upon an existing systems codebase like ProSim. And that's great they did that, we're about to see the fruits of their labor. But it's silly to compare them to PMDG.

I like RSR's response when someone on their forum tried to compare Fenix to PMDG: https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/186707-14may22-hello-and-happy-737-weekend-some-bits-of-news-and-a-temporary-notam?p=187359#post187359

The MSFS market is about to see further high qualified passenger planes which in real used to be build predominantly in Finkenwerder/Toulouse. Now the time starts where real competition is there with different suppliers -some are ‚new kid on the block‘ facing the same difficult MSFS as PMDG does. Maybe the updates need to become a bit more extensive in the very near future.

#30.1

rsrandazzo commented

Yesterday, 20:10

Jonathan- I know that people like to try and create drama out of thin air- but really. It is a hobby. There is plenty of room for plenty of developers with plenty of different design features in their products. It has always been this way- and that makes the hobby vibrant. Buy what you like- and try to minimize the effort spent in creating imaginary conflicts between them. Only small minded people enjoy such things. - RSR

Edited May 16, 20224 yr by lwt1971

4 minutes ago, lwt1971 said:

The MSFS market is about to see further high qualified passenger planes which in real used to be build predominantly in Finkenwerder/Toulouse. Now the time starts where real competition is there with different suppliers -some are ‚new kid on the block‘ facing the same difficult MSFS as PMDG does. Maybe the updates need to become a bit more extensive in the very near future.

#30.1

rsrandazzo commented

Yesterday, 20:10

Jonathan- I know that people like to try and create drama out of thin air- but really. It is a hobby. There is plenty of room for plenty of developers with plenty of different design features in their products. It has always been this way- and that makes the hobby vibrant. Buy what you like- and try to minimize the effort spent in creating imaginary conflicts between them. Only small minded people enjoy such things. - RSR

Completely agree with Randazzo’s future orientated reply here. The dev vs dev or sim vs sim arguments are pointless and get very boring very quickly.