Alternatives to PMDG 73x?

[Noel]

Used their birds for decades but at the moment I'm not happy w/ PMDG 738 on several fronts which are as follows:

1. Of my 4 planes frequently in use in A Pilot's Life w/ Self Loading Cargo, the PMDG 738 is the only one that causes problems w/ SLC in a few critical areas.  I don't blame the dev there this plane has some features that apparently make it difficult to work with and he owns it and keeps trying to grapple with having it always work as do the other planes I use.
2. We waited for weeks for PMDG to fix the lame 90 degree yoke rotation issue.  Just now, I had to hit RESTART 3 times on a nice fresh clean boot of Win 11 and MSFS, because the fricking VC suddenly become unresponsive, until the 3rd restart.  This happens now and again and has nothing to do w/ the EFT.  I'm starting to believe the issues SLC has w/ this plane are related to this kind of issue, the same ones that suddenly cause the VC to become unresponsive, or the rotated yoke issue.
3. Why is it that freeware/donationware FBW 320nx has no problem implementing using your keyboard to input data into the FMS, whereas PMDG didn't offer this, yet did in past versions in other sims.
4. The EFT has no simple on/off button like every other EFT has, does it?
5. When I load up the FBW or WT787X and pull in SimBrief OFP thru their procedures to do so, it works as it should.  So does PMDG's, except for this:  MSFS ATC which I use DOES NOT offer to use the IFR plan in the FMS like it does for FBW and WT 787X.
6. Never have been able to start fully cold and dark.   Always there is power to the MCP and this triggers ATC if I happened to leave AI Radio Comm on.

As we all know PMDG does a lot of very nice stuff with these planes but these annoyances have me willing to look at alternatives.

Thanks in advance

Edited September 14 by Noel

[btacon]

WOTS says iFly 737 Max soon.

-B

[Abriael]

There's no alternative unless you want to wait for iFly's MAX, which we don't know when it'll come, regardless of influencers speculating. It may be soon, or it may not. 

Of course, MSFS2024 will have its own default MAX, and considering the quality reached by the default 787, I wouldn't count it out.

Edited September 14 by Abriael

[sloppysmusic]

1 hour ago, Noel said:

Never have been able to start fully cold and dark

Have you created a custom cold dark state or used the FMC pmdg options to select CD as the DEFAULT start up state? 

Works for me. Their 737 is to my fickle tastes the only non Airbus comjet in msfs that is system satisfactory. It's also the last one I will ever buy from them as they curtly dismissed pleas from simmers with accessibility issues like myself and removed their now legacy and perfect control scheme to go full Asobe compliant. 

I switch between their planes and sims a lot. In p3d their 777/747 are in a different class to anything I can find in msfs. I've also looked for other devs for Boeing jets but it's hopeless unless you only care about textures. 

The 737 in msfs performs flawlessly for me but it does not cooperate with other addons in a friendly way. I do everything manually from route programming to startup state management and pretend it's me, my plane and the world to explore. It's lonely but it feels more realistic than the cartoony addon integration it has. 

When I think of PMDG and Asobe I can't help thinking of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. 

[Noel]

3 hours ago, sloppysmusic said:

Works for me

Is the MCP on the glareshield not lit up initially for a few seconds, then they turn themselves off?

[Noel]

3 hours ago, sloppysmusic said:

The 737 in msfs performs flawlessly for me but it does not cooperate with other addons in a friendly way.

It's only this plane that is causing issues in Self Loading Cargo, at least versus my other 3 planes used frequently which all work well.

[Gazzareth]

12 minutes ago, Noel said:

Is the MCP on the glareshield not lit up initially for a few seconds, then they turn themselves off?

I think it's only whilst it is loading in it's saved state. 5 seconds and you are cold & dark.

G

[Noel]

11 minutes ago, Gazzareth said:

I think it's only whilst it is loading in it's saved state. 5 seconds and you are cold & dark.

G

I know, that's the problem--no can START cold and dark.

[Gazzareth]

4 hours ago, Noel said:

I know, that's the problem--no can START cold and dark.

I think that's more on you forgetting to turn off your AI CoPilot. It's cold & dark enough for most other users it seems as I've never seen that complaint before, it's also the way the PMDG birds worked in P3D.

They also don't copy your route to MSFS because they don't use the MSFS flight planner or for that matter MSFS AIRAC. Much like the Fenix / BAE146.... Just export your flightplan and load it into MSFS from SIMBRIEF/LNM - that's what I used to do before I switched completely away from MSFS ATC.

As for the keyboard / turning off (or hiding) the tablet I am surprised that neither are implemented, even more so that they haven't managed to get on top of the freezing issue.

G

[sloppysmusic]

8 hours ago, Noel said:

I know, that's the problem--no can START cold and dark.

The plane/sim isn't loaded in the background before audio and video are initialized and output is the reason. I don't notice that as I go and grab a drink while loading starts and walk back to the cd plane. 

As mentioned above the plane always loads the same then applies your save state. It's semi annoying but like I said, it's the sim load order not being perfect. Been flying pmdg for a decade now and there is always a click, a buzz and a pop before my plane is ready. 

If you want to role play imagine you enter the cabin just as your company service guys are finishing up replacing a couple fuses 😉😎

[micstatic]

14 hours ago, sloppysmusic said:

Their 737 is to my fickle tastes the only non Airbus comjet in msfs that is system satisfactory.

The Maddog MD-80 is every bit (or more) systems satisfactory as the PMDG.  Just saying. 

[Aglos77]

Just now, micstatic said:

El Maddog MD-80 es tan (o más) satisfactorio en términos de sistemas como el PMDG. Solo lo digo. 

For me it is the best MFS airliner by far.

[Noel]

7 hours ago, Gazzareth said:

I think that's more on you forgetting to turn off your AI CoPilot.

Well sure, that is the WORK AROUND for the fact the plane is not truly Cold and Dark.

[sloppysmusic]

5 hours ago, micstatic said:

The Maddog MD-80 is every bit (or more) systems satisfactory as the PMDG.  Just saying. 

The ONLY reason I have not already purchased this plane is whether it is better in P3d or MSFS and with or without sound packs. I can see system wise it is on par with the PMDG. I've had my eye on it for a LONG time, since FSX.

I consider sounds more important than textures. I can ignore rivet resolution but not ignore sounds. It's a (very) minor quibble I have with A2A. For instance in cockpit perfection. Outside view, sounds weak. T6 engine interior incredible then switches to someone mowing their lawn a mile away from the outside.

I'm using p3d a lot these days hence the hesitation which version to get but this is so off topic I'll stop before another comment of mine is deleted for good..

[BufordTX]

1. For decades, PMDG have stopped work on planes when they're about 98% done.  Never expect them to run to ground those last few bugs. 

2. PMDG are 100% focused on things that bring additional revenue....like xbox compatibility.  E.g., the DC-6 is all but abandoned, and there are still a few bugs.  Nothing they do will bring any more revenue.  Everyone that wants the DC-6 already has it.

3. The 737's are nearing abandonment.  Whatever bugs are there, will stay forever, soon.  Look at radar.  This whole time they said that PMDG=perfection& realism.  They cannot implement radar properly (due to MSFS), so they won't do it as it would not be 100% realistic.  That's their line.  Then they put it in the 777....because people were still making purchasing decisions...and it might add to revenue.

4. They're on to the 777 freighter now.  That will bring more $$$, so it gets 100% focus.  After that?  Some new secret plane...rinse...repeat.

5. Either they have no clue why the 737's are locking up (right-turned wheel) and systems freeze in flight (usually on descent)....or it's an interference with their anti-you-know-what system.  If it's the latter, don't hold you breath for a solution.  Maybe with MSFS 2024.

In the meantime, I forced the game to recompile the wasm code when the lockups happened.  Run this in the batch file with the game closed.  This clears the compiled code for the 600, 700, and 800.  This causes one long 737 load time (the first run), but then no more issues (for me, YMMV). 

cd %userprofile%\appdata\Roaming\"Microsoft Flight Simulator"\Packages

cd pmdg-aircraft-736
del /s *.cache
del /s *.dll
del /s *.lib
del /s *.obj
cd..

cd pmdg-aircraft-737
del /s *.cache
del /s *.dll
del /s *.lib
del /s *.obj
cd..

cd pmdg-aircraft-738
del /s *.cache
del /s *.dll
del /s *.lib
del /s *.obj
cd..