PMDG 777 goes into beta and flight testing

[Konterhalbe]

1 hour ago, abrams_tank said:

Randazzo is going to repeat what he did for the 737, for the 777. Release the most popular version later, and release a less popular version first.

This will get the "impatient" buyers to buy the less popular version first (ie. 737-700), and some of these "impatient" buyers will then buy the more popular version after (ie. 737-800). You can be guaranteed that Randazzo will repeat the same formula for the 777, to increase the revenue that PMDG can earn. PMDG practically has a monopoly on the high fidelity modern passenger Boeing series in MSFS, with iFly as the only other competitor making a high fidelity modern passenger Boeing for MSFS.

 

100% sure they'll be releasing the 777 just like they did with the 737, as you said (and it's their good right to milk impatient customers, no one is forced to spend money on the 777).

Gladly Austrian Airlines has six 772 in their fleet; makes me waiting a lot less than those waiting to do UAE 77W OPS.

[regis9]

Luckily my national airline actually flies the -200LR so I’d be buying it anyway even if it wasn’t first.  

I just hope the variants aren’t so spread out as with the 737…can’t tell me that wasn’t all about market management vs dev time needed for airliners that are largely the same.

Edited December 18, 2023 by regis9

[JBDB-MD80]

Yeah my guess is the 777-2LR and F will release first before (CTP) Vatsim cross the pond in April and by their dialog it will probably be out in February. 747 any version may even release at the end of 2024 but it will probably be the 748. 737 max may release before the 777 certainly before the 747. That's my 2 cent speculation. 

[regis9]

2 hours ago, rlashier said:

My own peeve - those who use the term “irregardless” when regardless is more than sufficient. 
Rich

David Cross has a bit (probably 20 years old now?) where he makes fun of how people misuse “literally” when they really mean “practically”…comedic gold 😀

Edited December 18, 2023 by regis9

[Stearmandriver]

11 hours ago, Fiorentoni said:

Well that's like saying the NG is just a variant of the Classic, meaning they could easily just add the 737 Classic too. But that's probably up how to how you define "variant", so let's leave it there.

That's irrelevant, because PMDG does study level airplanes so they *will* put all those systems with all those failures in place, which takes a lot of time.

My actual guess is that they already had the MAX ready for P3D, but were forced by Boeing to hold it back after the unfortunate events back then. Now this still means they'd have to port it over to P3D, which will still take at least half a year. It's possible they might have actually been working on that the past year, but I doubt they'd take ressources away from the 777 development. Getting the 777 out ASAP is what will make PMDG rich, nothing else.

Not meaning to be pedantic, but just want to clarify this: the NG IS just a variant of the Classic, which IS just a variant of the Jurassic.  It's not a subjective term but a legal one: a pilot typed on a 737-100 is legal to fly every version up through the Max9, because they're all classed as 737 variants.  Systems are similar enough that from a sim standpoint, almost all you'd need to do is replace the motors and swap the screens for round dials, and you'd have a Jurassic.

I agree that PMDG makes high fidelity simulations, but no reason to go overboard and expect that they've modeled every single system and obscure failure on a Max.  They certainly didn't on the NG; I can go through the QRH and pick out dozens of failure modes that don't exist in the PMDG.

Don't get me wrong, that's not a slight at PMDG. They've certainly done light years better of a job at failure modeling than any other dev, with accurate single engine performance etc.  It's just... It's a sub-$100 game representation.  You can't really expect 1 to 1 parity with reality.  The sims that actually try to do that literally cost millions, and they STILL aren't 1 to 1 parity with a real airplane.  

So, ya know, we'll get what we'll get with the PMDG Max and I expect it'll be great.  But perfect?  No such thing...

[Farlis]

2 hours ago, Konterhalbe said:

Gladly Austrian Airlines has six 772 in their fleet; makes me waiting a lot less than those waiting to do UAE 77W OPS.

Not that your profile picture should have given this away but now it finally clicked and I understood what your name means.

The half litre beer you drink in the morning against the hangover. 🤦‍♂️

[Tuskin38]

I am very excited for a proper 777

[WestEnd]

On 12/17/2023 at 11:14 PM, micstatic said:

I agree.  The 747-8 I've never really been into.  But can't wait for the 744.  I'm also looking forward to the 777 though

I prefer the 744 too.

[Cognita]

34 minutes ago, WestEnd said:

I prefer the 744 too.

Yea, I had both the 400 and 8 in P3D and I virtually never flew the 8. 

The next year should be exciting with the release of 2024 and these long haulers! 

[SKEWR]

Interesting how everyone is different. I enjoy the 400 but really prefer the -8. Either way I’ll be happy. Bring on the Queen!

[rick celik]

+1 for the 744. Cant wait for that Queen with all its glory in MSFS.

[JBDB-MD80]

PMDG is going to make folks wait for the 744 like they made them wait for the 738 by releasing the least popular models first (737,736) . Book it.  while we guessing 773 will not be the first 777 come out either its a good business model on their part to sell more of the lesser favorites first.

Edited December 19, 2023 by JBDB-MD80

[jcomm]

I'll refrain from buying this one until I can see people checking that C*u Law implementation, which was never fixed in the FSX / P3D versions. 

[Fiorentoni]

9 hours ago, Stearmandriver said:

Not meaning to be pedantic, but just want to clarify this: the NG IS just a variant of the Classic, which IS just a variant of the Jurassic.  It's not a subjective term but a legal one: a pilot typed on a 737-100 is legal to fly every version up through the Max9, because they're all classed as 737 variants.

I think we are talking at cross purposes here: From a type rating (or more general: pilot‘s) perspective this is a variant, yes, but here we are talking about a developer making a simulated aircraft. The things they have to code are not necessarily the same the pilot has to know about. E.g. the pilot does not have to know how the cockpit screens in his 737 are populated with data from an IT point of view, but PMDG has to know - because they have to code it. The pilot „only“ has to use / fly the aircraft and that‘s what the type rating is for; but a developer has to do much more. And since the difference (from a dev’s POV!) between a -800 and a MAX8 is much bigger than between a -800 and a -700, it will be much more work.
E.g. The A320 neo is arguably much closer to the A320 ceo than the MAX is to the NG. Still no dev was yet able to casually develop a study level neo version just like that while also doing other things. FSL has apparently been working for over 2 years on the neo, and they certainly have a lot of experience in developing a study level A320 I‘d say.

[threexgreen]

9 hours ago, Stearmandriver said:

I agree that PMDG makes high fidelity simulations, but no reason to go overboard and expect that they've modeled every single system and obscure failure on a Max.  They certainly didn't on the NG; I can go through the QRH and pick out dozens of failure modes that don't exist in the PMDG.

Boeing actually gives PMDG a list of failures they're allowed to simulate, so regardless of what PMDG would want to simulate, they are bound by what they can legally do.

Obviously, you're not going to be able to simulate an MCAS failure, whether in its original form or what it is now.

Edited December 19, 2023 by threegreen