rsrandazzo

Captains, This morning we awoke to news that Dovetail Games has taken the long expected step of pulling the plug on Flightsim World, their hard-scrabble effort to re-invigorate the flight simulation genre abandoned by Microsoft. I don't think anyone in the developer community is particularly surprised by this news, except perhaps that it took as long as it did for the inevitable to sink in. You may recall that I took Dovetail to task eleven months ago, for what we perceived to be Dovetail's position as a dishonest broker within the long established community of developers and consumers of flight simulation. (You can read that original post here: ) While all of us very much wanted to see them succeed in the development effort, it had became clear that Dovetail endeavored to subsume developers like PMDG by killing off established distribution channels, ending existing developer-customer relationships and forcing all developers to become subservient to their own marketplace established using rigid constraints designed to limit competition. The end result was predictable, if not entirely inevitable. You see, from the very beginning, this community has thrived on the concept of individual innovation and success. The innovators of the late 1980s begat the tools and concepts that lead many of us to begin development for flight simulation in the very early 1990s, and the results of those efforts created companies like Aerosoft, Flight1, Justflight, PMDG, and scores of others that you recognize today. Each developer and company worked hard to create new ideas, innovate new approaches and create a relationship with the community based on trust, openness and creativity. Along the way, individuals have sprung up from time to time that attempted to unbalance the community through selfishness or greed, (How many of you remember the Papa Tango fiasco?) In all of those instances, the community of simmers and developers banded together to keep things moving forward, pointed in the right direction. Developers acting with the community's best interest at heart have long been supported by simmers, and the marketplace continues to expand and thrive with new entrants, new ideas and innovation. I don't think you could find a more pure example of free market economics anywhere in the online world. Five years ago, a group of us were involved in attempting to purchase the rights to FSX and Microsoft Flight from Microsoft with the intent to continue development for the benefit of this community. None of us had the financial strength to complete the transaction alone, so we joined together (sometimes uneasily) in order to build a marketplace in which all developers would be given a chance to grow and thrive in a living platform. Our fledgling conglomerate was grossly out-bid by Dovetail Games in part because we just weren't well funded, but also in part because Dovetail leveraged their established, largely positive reputation along with a costly high bid. They knew from day-one that their plan was to subvert the third party development community and enforce high fees on their own distribution channel that we would all need in order to survive. They tried to gain cooperation by assuring us that this wasn't the case, but the reality proved to be different than their promises and many of the long-standing trade names in this community (including PMDG) opted not to play along, which presented the dual problem of optics and finances. And THIS leads me to the entire point of this post: I like this community. Very much. I like simmers, I like our customers, I like our fellow developers, even those with whom we compete. (Okay, maybe not that one that stole from us, but that is another story for another day.) This community, for all of it's trials and tribulations and ups and downs has a way of weeding out the bad actors, the malefactors, the thieves, the cheats and those who would do the community harm. You often don't see it, but the development community supports one another, communicates with one another, and genuinely enjoys seeing one another succeed and thrive. So at PMDG, we don't view today's news as negative. Sure, we feel terribly for the developers who's project was just trashed, because we know what it is like to pour your heart and soul into something for years on end- but this also wasn't THEIR fault... The fault lies with whomever made the decision that all of us (simmers and developers alike) would follow a concept to certain death, simply because it was held out before us. This proved not to be the case, however.

Gents, Seems we still have some issues afoot. I have alerted the vendor. We will keep you posted. (Also: Gentle reminder: If you don't sign your posts, we will remove them... and if you do it repeatedly we will remove you. Please don't make us do that. )

Captains, At approximately 0330Z/21APR18, we were able to resolve the outstanding issue with our activation server, and bring it back online. I am very sorry to those who had their activation process disrupted all day Friday, but I am happy to report that the problem was located and resolved. Thank you for your patience as we worked through the process.

Alex, You have asked this question a number of times, and the answer has remained the same: We will, at some point, and we are not in a position to share any information on the topic just yet. I recognize that in your world, all factors are completely static, which allows you to remain on the steel rails of your life plan, but PMDG exists in a world that is significantly more dynamic and thus requires quite a bit of open minded creativity with respect to our development schedule and use of resources. To simplify it a bit: You have three hours in which to accomplish six tasks but I am only giving you resources to accomplish two tasks, each of which take one hour. You need to prioritize and continually evaluate your goals and resources in order to maximize output. On my end, I have a very clear idea of exactly what set of circumstances I am looking for in order to trigger the 200ER work cycle, but I am certainly not going to share any of that information with you because it is constantly evolving and we have seen time and time again how warmly this community reacts to changes that don't suit their personal wants/needs. (Think of some of your own posts on this same topic, or the many MD-11 demands for P3D or pretty much anything related to XPlane...) So yes, Alex- thank you for your interest- but please try to understand that we don't just wake up in the morning and chase the next sparkly bangle that goes by the window...

Ian, I wasn't sure what I was going to find looking into this thread. Do you happen to have FSUIPC installed? If so, delete the config file and remap the controls... If not- it might be worth looking at whatever software/driver you use for your throttle: Disconnect the hardware (pull the plug out of the machine) and use the F2/F3 keys to move the throttle up/down... is the problem cured? If yes- then it is definitely the software connecting your throttle to the software... Hope that helps- and thanks for the snicker. (Yes- we will always be teenage boys...)

Chris, You may want to see your doctor. Early detection is key to survival...

Gents, We will certainly let you know when our official forum location moves. At this stage we are planning to take our time and get that site ready for the inevitable influx of new users that will arrive in the first few days of operation. I would appreciate it we could keep the nose-thumbing to a minimum with regard to people's opinions of AVSim. AVSim has been PMDG's home for nearly two decades, and it is that affiliation that has brought us all to where we are today. If you come into my home and began to tell me what a horrible host I am, I will show you the door. You should treat AVSim no differently.

Scott, NEVER touch the dusty buttons. EVER!

Gents, We don't know either. Have been trying to get someone from AVSim to communicate with us on it, but no joy thus far.

Gents, You guys will be nasty to one another about literally ANYTHING. As the guy who coded the wing flex, yes- I think the impact of static droop is too much. It is something I have continued to play with and improve over time. The version of this that will roll out with the 748 release is much closer to correct, I believe. For all the know-it-alls (and since you know-it-alls know-it-all, you know I'm talking to YOU... ) One of the reasons there is too much static flex is because of our efforts to tame the COMPLETELY BOGUS turbulence effects of the variou weather engines. I spent about a month creating a process that will dynamically adjust the stiffness of the spar based on how high on the "Ridiculous Scale" the wing flex goes because of bogus weather engine turbulence. It isn't perfect and definitely has it's flaws- but I got bored and started thinking about ways to try and make our product look and behave correctly in spite of the ridiculousness of 15-20G turbulence bursts that are so favored by the weather engines. So I created a deflection scale (actually called it the Scale of Turbulence Ridiculousness) and the damping mathematics work downward from there. So stop beating one another over the head for stupid stuff, will you?

Harry, You have me a bit confused. What policy are you speaking of? I am the person who sets product policy at PMDG and I have no clue what you are talking about- so that tells me you probably don't either. Our product update policy has, if anything, become significantly more liberal to the benefit of customers over the years. In 1998, we issued new products for each new platform change. If MSFS changed from version X to version X+1, you had to purchase the product anew. We developed, advertised for, and released an XPlane product for XPL10. We then shifted development resources to other projects, as we always do when a project is released. The fact that XPL has updated to v11 in the mean time is completely and totally irrelevant to our development timeline. I hate to make you do any actual work here, Harry- but have you taken even 10 seconds to read anything I have posted in this forum on this very topic? Or are you just pulling stupid ideas out of thin air because you are upset that you aren't getting what you want, when you want it? I am sorry that you are disappointed by it, but you can rest assured that everyone else in this forum joins you in knowing more about how PMDG should be run than I do- because you guys are quite vocal in your viewpoint that "PMDG are doing it wrong." Yet somehow we survive... I'll try harder to do better for your personally next time, Harry- but if you or someone who DOES know-it-all would please make a habit of being around when we are making decisions next time- that would be helpful...

Finn, This is a magnificently geeky and cool idea. I shall try it at my first opportunity!

Gents, Another important consideration for you all to ponder: Some 747-400s (mostly UAL airplanes) have 4 pneumatically driven hydraulic demand pumps. (Called ADPs.) instead of the standard 2 ADP and 2 EDP configuration. In this case, if the load on the bleed system is extremely high and there is a deficit in production, you **could** conceivably trigger a flaps primary condition because the leading edge devices use pneumatic pressure as their normal motive power. (I would have to go back and sniff around some schematics to see if you would get it in the situation Robert created... Please forgive me for not doing so tonight...) And to those of you who immediately suspected a problem in the hydraulic system, remember that this would give you a problem on the trailing edge, not the leading edge. Not exactly germane to this discussion- but worth pointing out since a number of you immediately went for hydraulics as the source of motive power for the LEDs. Also- points to everyone for the engagement in the discussion. I love when someone stumbles into something non-normal that shows off the depth of the simulation value. Most users don't touch even 10% of the simulation value in this product- and if I constantly pointed things out- you guys would grow bored of my constant lectures. To EVERYONE: When you get EICAS messages- make sure you read them. Then go to the QRH and look at the trouble shooting process. You will learn some REALLY interesting things about your airplane!

Gents, This is why we so often recommend that folks turn off their various extras when something odd starts happening. Then turn them back on one at a time until it happens again. Then you know which of the extras is to blame for the issue.

Hey Kyle, when you have a moment, can you get back to me on my request to know what, exactly, you do around here?

Pat, There is no such thing as "abandonware." Our decision not to continue development of the product line, and our decision to remove it from the market DOES NOT DISSOLVE OUR OWNERSHIP OF THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, nor does it diminish our intent to protect same. I am already spending money defending PMDG's property from such stupidity as you have suggested. Please do not make me spend more to demonstrate to you that we are serious, and willing to do so. Further discussion of your uninformed self justification is not desired.

"They do not have people and skills" Oh boy. To quote Star Wars fans: The Stupid Runs Strong in This One.

Wow. Very nice!

Bertie, We have a case of 1,000 pairs of white, cotton gloves that we require crewmembers to wear when touching the polished aluminum propellers on the DC-3. No joke. We do. I hate fingerprints!

Michael, Ah! See? I have a significant amount of experience flying various kinds of airplanes in various kinds of ice. I find the same effects in XPL to be completely unrealistic, **based upon my own experience and expectations.** Doesn't mean one of us is right- just means we have different opinions on it. But blue is still the best color, no matter how you approach it. <-- see what I did there? More Nerd Stuff. LOL

Leo, Fantastic! Thank you!

Gents We disabled this because it was acting up. It will be making a comeback, in far better fashion with the 748 update.

Wilhelm, Putting fingerprints on the glass in the cockpit of my airplane is a sure way to get a long and very boring lecture... Except for the bloody touch-screens we have. I love them but doggonit the FINGERPRINTS!

Gents, For those who insist upon proselytizing for their favorite sim: Always remember to insert the phrase "in my opinion" in such discussions. One of my pet peeves is how many people in the world today cannot discriminate between a statement of fact and an opinion. Blue is a color <- statement of fact. Blue is the best color <- opinion. Blue is light years ahead of red! <- opinion No, they appear that way because they are moving in different directions relative to one another. <- fact (see what I did there? Nerd moment. sorry.)

Matt, Repeating: Not an allegation in this case. I used it as an example. You would be amazed the crap we find in airplanes that isn't legal to be there. This is the reason a conformity check is so damned important when putting an airplane on a certificate for operation. You NEED to know that nobody has monkeyed with it. Something else that you see occasionally: Many large airlines have their own repair/modification approvals, meaning they self certify to the regulator that any changes they make or repairs they make are valid and in compliance with the over-arching goals of the manufacturer and the regulator. But those repairs/modifications are only valid if that operator is the one in possession of the airplane. As soon as they sell it, those repairs/modifications become invalid and the new operator must conduct repairs according to the manufacturer's specifications, and return the airplane to original condition. (This sounds sketchy to anyone unfamiliar with how the airline world works. it does NOT mean that they can skimp. In many cases what they do is better than what is required- it just isn't "the manufacturer's method" so it isn't street-legal when you sell the airplane.) In these cases, the airline will usually cut up their airframes at end of life... Their own repair/modify authority has saved them money during the life of the airframe, but they would have to incur cost returning the airplane to spec- or take a bath on the sale price since the buyer would have to incurr those costs... and the operator simply doesn't need that hassle so the smelt the thing and make beer cans out of it. Don't even get me started on the stuff we find in business jets (or 80 year old douglas airplanes, for that matter. LOL)