Still no pictures of this elusive tablet... fingers crossed the beta is smooth for the T7 and maybe we'll see some pictures of that tablet next month.

https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/244464-22mar23-pmdg-737-for-microsoft-flight-simulator-su12-updates-followup-and-some-other-bits

[22MAR23] PMDG 737 for Microsoft Flight Simulator: SU12 Updates followup and some other bits...

Today, 15:46

 

Captains,

A quick thanks to Chris Makris and Henning van Rensburg for jumping in to manage yesterday's update release cycle on the 737. We knew that my schedule would have me unavailable, but we have the team and pieces in place to be able to push updates - so in spite of the fact that I forgot to hand off the NOTAM post contents- we were happy to have SU12 compatibility updates out to you immediately upon release of SU12, yesterday. The guys did a great job with it and provided me with plenty of abuse via SMS.

PMDG 737 for MSFS SU12 Update Changes:
We have a tremendous amount of core/structural work going on inside the 737 series currently in order to better support future modularity with the upcoming PMDG Universal Flight Tablet, as well as the pending change to the navdata format. This focus tends to shorten the change list a bit, as most of what we are doing is pretty deep inside the simulation product and won't be visible because it is foundational to support other larger changes.

General chages that have been made this update cycle are listed here:
0012039: [FMS - Functionality Problems (General)] Pressing CRZ cancels ENG OUT Cruise Page (emvaos)
0012307: [Main Panel - PFD] 600/700 Flap speed limits w/ short field package (emvaos)
0012319: [FMS - Route/Legs Pages] HDG/TRK until distance waypoint calculation enhanced (emvaos)
0012080: [General - Engines] Initial EGT on panel state load on ground with engines off (emvaos)
0012081: [FMS - Performance Pages] Fuel report error between FMS and actual readjusted (emvaos)
0012095: [FMS - Performance Pages] Automatic CLB->CRZ N1 limit switch upon AFS vertical mode change as appropriate (emvaos)
0011856: [FMS - Performance Pages] Reservers should be able to accept 0 as a value (emvaos)
0011610: [Main Panel - EICAS Display Issues] Fuel Display shoud show only one 0 when tank is empty. (emvaos)
0012130: [FMS - Route/Legs Pages] Auto DES FORECAST request with CRZ wind request (emvaos)
0012136: [FMS - Performance Pages] Pack Switch / APU Bleed N1 Value calculated wrong (emvaos)
0011893: [General - Engines] Target N1 increase/split with Packs off/Bleed off condition (emvaos)
0011646: [FMS - Performance Pages] RTE WIND data can be entered without PERF INIT EXEC'd (still needs CRZ ALT) (emvaos)
0011137: [Main Panel - PFD] MCP altitude set to zero should only show four zeros rather than five (emvaos)
0011398: [FMS - Setup/Options Pages] Cold and Dark EGT loads at 350 degrees (emvaos)
0011922: [Systems - Air Conditioning/Heating] Enhancement of BLEED/PACK/ISOL VLV switch logic for TO/GA N1 limit boost (emvaos)
0010649: [Main Panel - PFD] G/S forced to arm if ILS APP defined in FMC and correct frequency set even if temporarily FS reports no GS (due to distance) (emvaos)
0010971: [FMS/AFDS - VNAV] Automatic CON->CRZ N1 limit switch upon AFS vertical mode change as appropriate (emvaos)
0011231: [FMS - Performance Pages] PLAN FUEL Indication on PROG PAGE when Plan Fuel is entered (emvaos)
0012015: [FMS - Functionality Problems (General)] Several Issues After Go Around (emvaos)

SU12 Parking Brake Changes:
The SU12 beta introduced a bug to the platform that broke the parking brake logic in the 737. This bug took some coordinated work with Asobo to trace down and identify. Asobo will feed a fix for that problem into the platform as they are ready to do so, but in the mean time we modified the 737 to be a bit lenient on the platform problem in order to give mostly normal operation to the parking brakes. Most users won't notice a difference, but if you have good hardware you might be able to set/release the parking brake without having BOTH pedals fully depressed. This is a temporary accommodation until Asobo publishes a fix to the problem and then we'll return the correct logic to the 737.

It was pleasant to work with Asobo to hunt this one down and get it sorted out.

PMDG 737 in Marketplace:
We have various 737 products in various stages of preparation for Marketplace. Microsoft has recently announced changes to the way in which products will be ingested to the Marketplace environment and this will dramatically speed the process, in our opinion. We are still learning how best to manage marketplace builds and updates and thus it I hesitate to speak authoritatively on release timelines and the like.

Obviously, our updates and releases through our own system are fastest, but we are committed to fully supporting releases through Marketplace for those customers who wish to use that portal. We are "learning the ropes" with 737 as it were and we anticipate being able to offer smarter feedback once we have been through the process a few times.

PMDG 737 on XBox:
Many users have been asking when we will release the 737 on the XBox platform and the answer here is similar to above; we aren't entirely sure, but we are working in that direction.

Keeping in mind that we have no experience with the XBox process and that the testing process was just returned to developers by Microsoft, we are in the process of developing our testing and validation process which involves acquiring specific XBox consoles as approved devices for testing internally. We are also doing some look-forward to how such things as navdata updates and the like will be handled, as well as ensuring the Universal Flight Tablet will be operable properly on the XBox console.

We are taking our time with XBox as this is an entirely new arena for us and want to be sure we fully understand what limitations (if any) may exist so that we can properly communicate them to users as well as working to minimize any platform differences that must be attended in the process.

We expect to take our time with this process- and we'll update you on this process as we get closer to kicking off a few of the 737s for Xbox. Ultimately our goal is to have all PMDG products appear on both the PC/Xbox because it is good for us and helps to increase our market exposure to new customers. For those in the PC simming environment it gives you additional flexibility for where you wish to do your simming also.

Universal Flight Tablet Progress:
We are beginning to experience a slight bit of joy with respect to progress on the tablet development process. We now have the Operational Performance Tool working normally and correctly providing data to the user. This along with charting capability are two core features that have been the focus of work and will soon be sent to testing for validation. Prior to that, we need to spend some time cleaning up UI/UX as it hasn't gotten as much attention while we focused primarily on functionality and not prettiness. (This is why we don't show you screenshots, by the way...)

For those who are following along with the difficult gestation of our tablet, here is a quick recap: We opted to toss out the Boeing Class I EFB because it is both ugly and rarely used in the real world due to lack of connective functionality. Most airlines have gone to software driven tablet solutions and we felt it was a good idea to mirror that change in capability for PMDG flight crew. This change brings with it a few technical hurdles that had to be cleared because we use an engineering software language to create our simulations, not a script based language. At the time we began the process, C++/WASM based projects like ours had no access to standard networking tools in order to communicate with the outside world. This effectively mean that we had to write the tablet in script langauge as an independent project and then develop a communication medium between the script based tablet and the C++ based airplane. That took a huge amount of time and was far more complex an endeavor than we would have liked.

Along the way, we got some communication capabilities within the C++/WASM environment which eased the pain (thank you Asobo!) but we still have some barriers to communication between the two functions that had to be resolved. We are beyond that hurdle now and deep into building out the functionality that uses the capabilities in order to create the tablet operation for you.

This is the first time this has been done in this manner within MSFS and it has been challenging at times- but we are pretty certain we have the match won now... Once we get through putting a pretty face on the UI/UX it will be out the door to you- and then we'll follow along with more functionality that we think you will really enjoy.


NAVDATA Progress:
I've mentioned a number of times that we are working to expand our navdata reading capability to use Navigraph's modern data format. This has been on our "to do" list for about 7 years now but keeps taking lower priority than things like "staying in business" but is finally working it's way through the dev process. It means practically nothing to most of you, except that it will finally allow us to unlock some advanced FMS lateral path management capabilities that we currently "mimic" but don't handle precisely as the airplane should. We hope to have this piece in testing within a few months and then will hand it off to you. These changes will roll into your 737 as a free update, of course.


PMDG 777 for Microsoft Flight Simulator
Development work on the PMDG 777 is sailing along at great pace and we are looking forward to entering the beta testing phase with this project. As is normal, we are not showing the build to anyone outside of PMDG at this time, but are very excited to begin doing so at the proper time. One point I can make that is executing(to me at least) has to do with the growth in our capability and understanding of the MSFS platform. As is normally the case, the longer we work with a platform, the better we get at leveraging it's capabilities- and this is proving to be very true with the 777. We are really really pleased with how this magnificent new product is coming along- and I cannot wait to show it to you because we think you will also see the positive changes.

All in all, things are moving along quite well all over PMDG. We haven't been busy with updates here in the forum primarily because we are "head down" on the work and making exceptionally good progress. It is about to get busy again in here, however as we have many heavy pieces that are about to click into place to enhance your current and new PMDG products.

As always- thank you for your friendship and support. We do most appreciate it!

Edited March 22, 20233 yr by Keirtt

Thanks for posting. Just saw the update before but didn’t try it yet. Many words as usual but better than silence. Beta in sight for the T7 sounds promising but well, if it shares the fate of the EFB…

Thanks for the update.

The PMDGs are some of the best simulated aeroplanes available for this platform and I am very often flying them, even over the Fenix which I also have.

I did notice some improvements in braking operation today in the 737-900ER. Taxiing out at PANC to RWY07R, quite a long taxi with lots of braking and acceleration across taxiways, was smooth and problem free and brake clearly went on and off as it should. However, after landing at PAJN RW08, and coming to a stop just clear of the runway, I had a heck of a job to get the plane moving again to taxi to the gate. The parking brake worked OK and looked as if it was off, but something was still holding the plane back from taxiing.

When I accelerated the throttle, a red parking brake message flashed up and a warning sound went off. As this behaviour is not explicitly called out above, I am not sure whether this is part of the problem mentioned as still to be resolved by an MSFS update, or something I was doing wrong. This also happened during the SU12 beta by the way, so this update did not make any difference in this respect..

I use Saitek rudder pedals and the Thrustmaster Warthog stick and throttle, programmed via SPAD NeXt, which seems to otherwise be working great.

Be good to know if anyone has any advice, or has experienced something similar...

I just fired up the PMDG OPs center and no update that I can find. Are you talking about the one from yesterday that was released just after SU12? That would be 3-21-23. 

Edited March 22, 20233 yr by Bobsk8

5 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

I just fired up the PMDG OPs center and no update that I can find. Are you talking about the one from yesterday that was released just after SU12? That would be 3-21-23. 

No. They posted a progress update on their forums.

11 minutes ago, rayharris108 said:

Fenix which I also have.

As an aside, I have the TCA Throttle as well. Do you have a snippet for the Fenix? I can't find one.

16 minutes ago, rayharris108 said:

When I accelerated the throttle, a red parking brake message flashed up and a warning sound went off. As this behaviour is not explicitly called out above, I am not sure whether this is part of the problem mentioned as still to be resolved by an MSFS update, or something I was doing wrong. This also happened during the SU12 beta by the way, so this update did not make any difference in this respect..

What do you mean by parking brake message and warning sound? There is neither for the parking brake other than the red light next to the lever. The only sound I can think of is that you might have pushed the throttle forward so much that the takeoff configuration warning went off.

1 hour ago, Keirtt said:

PMDG 777 for Microsoft Flight Simulator
Development work on the PMDG 777 is sailing along at great pace and we are looking forward to entering the beta testing phase with this project. As is normal, we are not showing the build to anyone outside of PMDG at this time, but are very excited to begin doing so at the proper time. One point I can make that is executing(to me at least) has to do with the growth in our capability and understanding of the MSFS platform. As is normally the case, the longer we work with a platform, the better we get at leveraging it's capabilities- and this is proving to be very true with the 777. We are really really pleased with how this magnificent new product is coming along- and I cannot wait to show it to you because we think you will also see the positive changes.

All in all, things are moving along quite well all over PMDG. We haven't been busy with updates here in the forum primarily because we are "head down" on the work and making exceptionally good progress. It is about to get busy again in here, however as we have many heavy pieces that are about to click into place to enhance your current and new PMDG products.

As always- thank you for your friendship and support. We do most appreciate it!

"Looking forward to entering the beta testing phase with this project." Sounds like the beta testing phase for the 777 may start in a few months? I would assume 3 or 4 months, if what Randazzo wrote here is accurate. 

It would be weird to write that line if beta for the 777 were still 6 or more months away.

Edited March 22, 20233 yr by abrams_tank

37 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

I just fired up the PMDG OPs center and no update that I can find. Are you talking about the one from yesterday that was released just after SU12? That would be 3-21-23. 

PMDG update 3.0.64

18 minutes ago, Nixoq said:

What do you mean by parking brake message and warning sound? There is neither for the parking brake other than the red light next to the lever. The only sound I can think of is that you might have pushed the throttle forward so much that the take-off configuration warning went off.

The red light next to the brake was off. You are right in that I was having to push the throttle so far well forward (with the brakes apparently off) that the no take off warning must have sounded and the red light on the panel came in. But why was it so hard for me to mover he plane after landing? I know the 739 is big but its not that heavy (remember I had no problems with it on taxi before take off).

34 minutes ago, rayharris108 said:

The red light next to the brake was off. You are right in that I was having to push the throttle so far well forward (with the brakes apparently off) that the no take off warning must have sounded and the red light on the panel came in. But why was it so hard for me to mover he plane after landing? I know the 739 is big but its not that heavy (remember I had no problems with it on taxi before take off).

Check your failures page the next time you see this. I saw this after a questionable landing and found that I had blown a tire with my aggressive braking.

1 hour ago, rayharris108 said:

The red light next to the brake was off. You are right in that I was having to push the throttle so far well forward (with the brakes apparently off) that the no take off warning must have sounded and the red light on the panel came in. But why was it so hard for me to mover he plane after landing? I know the 739 is big but its not that heavy (remember I had no problems with it on taxi before take off).

I see. This happens sometimes even without any blown tires and it's a bug. I've seen this two or three times myself and a lot of thrust is the only solution to break out of it.

.

Edited March 22, 20233 yr by Nixoq

1 hour ago, rayharris108 said:

PMDG update 3.0.64

That was the update that was released on 3-21-23, yesterday. 

30 minutes ago, Nixoq said:

This happens sometimes even without any blown tires and it's a bug

The -900 does not respond well to aggressive manual braking. The wheels heat up and the thermal fuse plugs blow out causing the tires to deflate. If this happens often, you might want to submit a ticket to PMDG's support system, just to be sure. I don't own this model, but am thinking of buying it just for the tail strike and tire blow out opportunities. 😉