PMDG 777 Christmas update

[lwt1971 7,464]

https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/277531-25dec23-grab-some-eggnog-and-enjoy-a-bit-of-holiday-cheer-on-the-pmdg-flight-test-ramp

Looking darn good must say, and sounds like beta testing is going well.. some excerpts below. RSR talks about the fly-by-wire engineering, "full C*U simulation with all control laws", "very true-to-life simulation in all phases of flight- and in all phases of system misbehavior", performance very close to the 737 at this early beta stage, etc and generally seems rather excited about it hehe. Will be interesting to see if/how more deeply simulated it is compared to the P3D version.


Whether you are the type of simmer who never leaves your seat on the flight deck, or whether you like to roam the cabin, or if your particular fancy is to take photo-quality images of the airplane from the outside during flight- the 777 is going to be a tremendously satisfying airplane to add to your hangar.

The good news is that at this phase of testing, we are seeing performance very close to what we experience with our 737 product line- so if you can run those well, then 777 should not be a stretch for your hardware. As always- the development team have put a tremendous amount of effort toward ensuring that we manage memory and code resources efficiently in order to preserve performance. A quarter century designing products for platforms that were severely processor limited has given us more than our share of skill when it comes to maximizing simulation and performance simultaneously- and that really comes to play in the highly automated, fly-by-wire 777.

And while the previews tend, in the beginning, to focus on the visual arts- let us not forget the fact that the 777 is a true fly-by-wire engineering marvel- and we give you that quality in the PMDG 777. A full C*U simulation along with all of the various control laws combine to give you a true fly-by-wire experience, just as Boeing designed her. The 777 is a marvelously true airplane to fly, behaving precisely as a pilot expects an airplane to behave, but with the rough edges smoothed over through the marvels of mathematics and control law. We have a very true-to-life simulation of the airplane here, in all phases of flight- and in all phases of system misbehavior, too- since we are PMDG, after all. (we like to give you the tools to torture yourself realistically, if you choose! )
...

The flight testing program continues to run well. This was a busy week for the beta team and they reported back to us with nearly 200 fault reports during the course of the first phase of testing. About half of those were resolved by late saturday evening, and another new build will go to them on Christmas Day in order to keep them focused on testing/finding faults/validating fixes. (Their union did not secure the coveted Christmas holiday during the last contract negotiation period, but we did agree to double their pay from it's 2003 level. )

We will have more previews in the days and weeks ahead- and overall I want you to know that I am very happy with the pace and character of the testing we have done thus far. We are going to deliver to you a truly remarkable ship. We promise.

Two of the four pics (with RSR's commentary about the details below):

Now, some things I want to direct your attention to: If you look closely, you can see the color distortion that takes place as light reflects through the cockpit glass from this angle. That effect comes from the unique methods used to treat the glass for additional strenght, but also from the methods used to heat it as part of it's strength preservation and anti-icing qualities in flight. If you look closely, you can see the detail of the skin doublers, the subtle application of flush riventing, and the slight surface irregularities that occur around the join-lines of the nose radome and the forward gear bay doors.

These details are incredibly subtle, but when you view the airplane from the outside- they become incredible convincing to the eye- and they show up incredibly well in the MSFS rendering engine.

In the same lighting, as we work our way closer and forward of the nose, you can see how Jason has created some subtle effects of the paint failing in certain spots around the panel lines in high air-friction zones about the cockpit windows. The effect is really reserved, but goes a long way toward convincing your eye that you are looking at a live airplane.
 

Edited December 25, 2023 by lwt1971

[Steve Dra 7,605]

A Merry Christmas Everyone

She is going to be a stunner...and as one of my favorite aircraft, a very welcome edition to my hangar.  The beta test team is still grumbling about the contract negotiations about having today off...but the increase in salary has been nice! 🤣

I think everyone will agree that 2024 is shaping up to be the biggest release-fest in all of Flight Simulation history!  From near-zero long haul options to just about every one in the skies....

 

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Holiday Season.  We fight like brothers and sisters here at times, but in the end we should remember we're all just passionate about our hobby and we should harbor no ill-will towards anyone in our extended family.  Peace and Prosperity to all.

[lwt1971 7,464]

13 minutes ago, Steve Dra said:

I think everyone will agree that 2024 is shaping up to be the biggest release-fest in all of Flight Simulation history!  From near-zero long haul options to just about every one in the skies....

Absolutely Steve!, with all these coming long haul options, and all the other aircraft that keep dropping, and MSFS 2020 SU15+ and MSFS 2024 to fly them in, next year definitely will be one for the books. But what a way to close 2023 though 🙂 And it's not done yet with the ini A300 coming this week. Cheers and merry Christmas.
 

Edited December 25, 2023 by lwt1971

[DD_Arthur 1,105]

Looks magnificent! Hopefully that big chunk in the middle that the wings are bolted to will enter beta testing soon as well.👍

[Swe_Richard 1,175]

Looking sweet and the definition of an insta-buy. 

[MikeH99 157]

Nice will wait for 77W.

[Vitold69 47]

1 hour ago, Steve Dra said:

  We fight like brothers and sisters here 

https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/277531-25dec23-grab-some-eggnog-and-enjoy-a-bit-of-holiday-cheer-on-the-pmdg-flight-test-ramp

Interesting RSR posted screenshots have been taken from position you can't distinct what model is it. -200 or -300. To avoid usual screaming I believe. One is clear - it's not a freighter. 

There's a 777X on one screenshot as well.

Edited December 25, 2023 by Vitold69

[outermarker 237]

43 minutes ago, Vitold69 said:

https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/277531-25dec23-grab-some-eggnog-and-enjoy-a-bit-of-holiday-cheer-on-the-pmdg-flight-test-ramp

Interesting RSR posted screenshots have been taken from position you can't distinct what model is it. -200 or -300. To avoid usual screaming I believe. One is clear - it's not a freighter. 

There's a 777X on one screenshot as well.

N777PM was used on the -200LR in P3D so that's what it is most likely.

[Steve Dra 7,605]

1 hour ago, DD_Arthur said:

Looks magnificent! Hopefully that big chunk in the middle that the wings are bolted to will enter beta testing soon as well.👍

You should try testing just the front and rear of the aircraft!  Rob is being so secretive about the model that he not even letting the beta testers know.   I have to say it looks odd sitting on the ramp with the middle missing...and the CG and weights are totally messed up, but the parts we've been given to test are looking really good so far. 🙂

 

 

[Merawen 53]

I hope we get the 300ER version first.

[G-YMML1 586]

777X has 78X cockpit layout, so this might prompt 78X potential development.

[fluffyflops 1,865]

1 hour ago, Merawen said:

I hope we get the 300ER version first.

No chance.  They will do their marketing and sales trick of releasing the lowest selling model first like they did with the 736 then 737 then 738/9

 

It's all about the sales.  Don't be fooled 

[lwt1971 7,464]

1 hour ago, G-YMML1 said:

777X has 78X cockpit layout, so this might prompt 78X potential development.

Are you talking about the 777X in the screenshots? If so, those are just static models in the Dzerweicki Design Studios KPAE airport scenery Robert is using.
 

Edited December 25, 2023 by lwt1971

[Luis Hernandez 591]

IIRC, it was the -700 first, then the -600 and then -800 and -900. I'm not sure about the latter 2.

I guess the -200 LR would be either the first or the cheapest one.

[Pilot53 544]

41 minutes ago, fluffyflops said:

No chance.  They will do their marketing and sales trick of releasing the lowest selling model first like they did with the 736 then 737 then 738/9

 

It's all about the sales.  Don't be fooled 

Unfortunately you are probably right.  I hope it wont be too long a wait for the -er variants.  It would be kind of a bummer if the first variant released for the most anticipated long haul aircraft in the sim happened to be the one that represents only 3.5% of the total operations of that aircraft type.

 

Either way, back to positivity, it looks beautiful, Merry Christmas to all.