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[19MAY23] Full Broadside of MSFS Updates for DC-6 and 737 Fleet

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    [19MAY23] Full Broadside of MSFS Updates for DC-6 and 737 Fleet

    Captains,

    A few moments ago we made live a series of updates for the DC-6 and the entire fleet of MSFS 737s. Details are as follows:

    PMDG 737 for MSFS (all versions):
    This update is largely focused on small changes and items that are focused on structural code improvements, preparations for new functionality, and back-side improvements that improve the overall stability of the product line. Along the way we also clean up some small service reports, builds upon continued improvements to the AFDS and adds some background preparations for the PMDG Universal Flight Tablet, that is about to enter into beta testing.

    The change list from tracking is pretty small, since most of the changes are background, but for those who like lists, here is a non-exhaustive sample:

    0012284: [Virtual Cockpit - Geometry/Textures] Small hole on VC (vscimone)
    0011971: [General - Engines] Handling MSFS inbuilt model for in flight engine restart at high altitudes (emvaos)
    0012338: [Main Panel - PFD] Meters Marker remains after deselection (abashkatov)
    0011178: [Main Panel - PFD] SINGLE CH Annunciation shown with green frame (abashkatov)
    0012358: [FMS/AFDS - LNAV] Custom waypoint off another custom waypoint naming (emvaos)
    0011698: [General - Flight Model] AP roll channel revised with emphasis to engine out situations (emvaos)
    0012348: [Virtual Cockpit - Geometry/Textures] Typo in VC (vscimone)
    0012346: [General - Comms/Navs] Aircraft Type Not Used by MSFS ATC (cbpowell)​​

    There are also a number of changes designed to smooth entry of the product into the Xbox environment.

    These updates can be pulled via the PMDG Operations Center for pmdg.com users. Marketplace users will receive the update once Microsoft completes their intake process.

    PMDG 737 for MSFS - XBOX:
    Xbox Releases: The 737-700 and 737-800 are both involved in the Microsoft MSFS Marketplace intake process. We did not see any progress for a week, and thus haven't yet been able to run a final round of testing on these builds in the Xbox environment, so that must still take place. To do that we need Microsoft to release the airplanes to us in the test environment- which we had expected would happen last week, but still has not happened.

    If everything goes perfectly, we currently estimate they will may go live to customers on either 25MAY23 or 01JUN23, depending upon Microsoft and depending upon whether we find problems that need further testing updates. It seems the intake process has been running more slowly than it was, so patience is the best strategy at this juncture.

    PMDG DC-6 for MSFS (all versions):
    The PMDG DC-6 received a small update today that is focused on UI improvements that became important with the introduction to Xbox. The Marketplace PC/Xbox version went live yesterday for Marketplace customers. All other customers can update to Build 2.00.0049 using the PMDG Operations Center.

    The change list for this build is as follows:

    - Tablet now clicks to stow / unstow (instead of drag)
    - Additional gust lever click spot for easier access
    - Easier clickspots on the tablet's Fuel & Load Manager
    - Bugfix: whole tablet no longer glows blue when clicked to stow


    PMDG Universal Flight Tablet (737):
    We expect the tablet will go into beta testing before end of May- which means we will begin considering a release timeframe for users. We still want to take the UI/UX through a round of improvements and clean-up, so no- we won't be previewing it for you until later.

    We are also now evaluating logistical problems that will impact how we distribute the tablet to Xbox users. Our goal is to provide a seamless, unified distribution mechanism for the tablet, but there are some barriers we are hitting that will change how we distribute the tablet to Xbox users. We are evaluating how best to deal with these issues and will have more information on them at a later date.

    A quick refresher for those who wonder why this tablet has taken so long: PMDG have included a tablet in our products going back a decade. Tablets aren't anything new- nor are they terribly difficult or magical. All PMDG airplanes are coded in C++, which is a good, solid engineering language for simulation. The use of C++ within the MSFS environment takes place within a container that limits some of the "normal" C++ capabilities for communication with the outside world. (I suspect this was done for security/commonality across PC and Xbox- but I don't honestly know... this is my guess...)

    In order to ensure our tablet can communicate with the outside world, we wrote that in script language. Script language is great for stuff like this- and has great support from Asobo. The technical challenge comes when it is time to hand information between the tablet and the airplane- and this has necessitated the creation of an entire language parsing module to respect the limitations placed on C++, while leveraging the capabilities of script language. If you are reading this sentence and this doesn't make sense to you- think of it this way: We Imagine you are speaking your language, and you have to talk to someone else in their language, but you can only do so using the numbers 0-9.

    Quick. Go!

    Anyway- we have that piece solved and we are on to the fun part of actually fleshing out the functionality. We are working with our first external-to-PMDG dev who will be adding some cool functionality to the tablet that is unique to his own application as well- just to strut our stuff and show what the tablet is capable of.

    Initial release of the tablet will bring you a number of features, with a few more coming over time. Navigraph and simbrief users will be pleased by the care that has gone into ensuring a nice, tight weave between our technology and theirs. I am still not going to project a release timeline for this item, but once I get a green light to share a bit of this with you I will.

    PMDG 777 for MSFS (all versions):
    Work is progressing on this project, and we are really really happy with how things are going. There has been some dev-time bleed off as we continue to support the work needed for continued improvements on the 737, tablet development, Xbox testing and workout- but overall things are moving along and the pieces are finally coming together in a polished form. I do not anticipate showing you in-development shots until later. The reason for this is that we are leveraging much of what we learned during 737 development between 2020 and the present, and it is yielding some absolutely spectacular results and features that we know you will love. Rather than dribble them out in partial form, we want to show them to you as they are ready so as to preserve the "moment of ah!" that comes from seeing something new and exciting that incorporates ideas and changes that come from our work and your suggestions.

    Note: These last two notes are direct copies from previous notes since the information hasn't changed. That is intentional.

    We hope you all have a nice weekend- and that you have some fun flying planned to far-flung destinations!


    Robert S. Randazzo
    PMDG Simulations
    http://www.pmdg.com



    #2
    Robert,

    you forgot something...

    0011179: [Main Panel - MCP] removed mouse wheel input from bank selector (thatguyincharge)


    one can dream at least...
    Ryzen 7 5800X3D, RTX4080, 32GB DDR4 RAM @3600MHz, 4k
    Marc Eland
    GFO Beta

    Comment


    • Ephedrin
      Ephedrin commented
      Editing a comment
      It can indeed.. It's just the wheel entry in the VIrtual Cockpit xml that comes with the PMDG mouse options. I have to do it manually after every update which is cumbersome but doable. But apparently it was a deliberate decision by PMDG after someone complained that he had to use the mouse button twice. And this has nothing at all to do with XBox compatibility or so, it's only about the PMDG mouse options. sigh.. I don't get it.

    • Ephedrin
      Ephedrin commented
      Editing a comment
      around Line 15648 and 15702

      (M:Event) 'WheelUp' scmp 0 ==
      if{
      (L:SwitchID, number) 7 + (>L:SwitchID, number)
      }
      (M:Event) 'WheelDown' scmp 0 ==
      if{
      (L:SwitchID, number) 8 + (>L:SwitchID, number)
      }

      this has to be deleted. But for every model. It takes a while.
      Last edited by Ephedrin; 21May2023, 13:20.

    • HansRoaming
      HansRoaming commented
      Editing a comment
      Would be such a great UX fix, lost count of the times I've changed it because of a small movement.

    #3
    Wonderful Robert and team thankyou for the updates.
    Danny Z.Cebis

    Comment


      #4
      Thank you very much for the update, Captain. I’m really looking forward to the 777 😃
      Pablo Vazquez
      Flight Attendant for a major US airline

      Comment


        #5
        Now it's less than when I bought the 737, thanks for the updates.

        Comment


          #6
          Thanks for update!
          Kimi Häkkinen

          Comment


            #7
            Thank you Mr. Randazzo and the Dev team.
            Rocky Jet Melendez
            RTX 4090 13Gen i9-13900K-DDR5 32gb RAM-1300 Gold PSU, 2TB Samsung Pro SSD x2-4k Monitor. Cockpit Master CDU/EFIS/MCP. Alienware x17 R1 Laptop-RTX 3080-11 Gen 11980K-DDR4 32gb RAM 4k Native Resolution Samsung Pro 2TB SSD x 2

            Comment


              #8
              Like I said, the frustration of these delays is growing, not a shot at PMDG at all, not their fault, but what was May 18 or May 25 is now May 25 or Jun 1, next it will be by 4th of July then it will be by end of Sep.

              You guys made a critical error, you made a 737 with an actual 737 cockpit, if instead you just used a 747 cockpit or no cockpit at all then your stuff would get priority on the marketplace including liveries and it would have all been released together weeks ago.
              Tyler Hull

              Comment


              • rsrandazzo
                rsrandazzo commented
                Editing a comment
                Tyler- If you are unhappy with the way MS is handling their approval process- I'd recommend you take the argument up with them in their forum. I should point out that I disagree with your assessment that they have given priority to garbage products. I simply don't think that is true. We find that they seem to be trying to communicate well and run things on a predictable schedule- but over the past month or so it seems to have fallen apart for reasons I know nothing about.

                I have a pragmatic view of it all- as I am looking at it from THEIR point of view and recognizing the vast and varied concerns they have for stability and fitness of the platform. It takes time.

                I want to stress that I don't know anything about what is going on behind the scenes, except what I experience directly. From my point of view it seems they advertised changes to the process to make it more efficient but the actual mechanical process didn't actually change... So there is that. -RSR

              • SirPsychoT
                SirPsychoT commented
                Editing a comment
                I have

                And like I said my rant wasn't directed at you guys, it's not your fault at all, just more in general and because the 737 is the plane I've looked forward to the most

              #9
              Thanks for the update! The 737 continues to be an exceptionally good package and a fond firm favourite of mine (for now!)
              ​​​​...and now my appetite is well and truly wet for those 777 in-development screenshots 😅


              Luke Carter | Flight Sim Content Creator & PPL Student Pilot
              youtube.com/britishavgeek

              Comment


              • rsrandazzo
                rsrandazzo commented
                Editing a comment
                Luke- Oh- just you wait. It is better than you have imagined it to be. :-) -RSR

              • gweilo8888
                gweilo8888 commented
                Editing a comment
                I hereby forbid it to be better than the 737, simply on the basis that I prefer the 737 in the real world and don't want to feel FOMO every time I fly it in the sim. Thankfully, y'all already made the 737 pretty amazing so that leaves vast scope for the 777 to excel too. 🤣

              #10
              Wonderful to see this update Captain. Very nice to see the Fenix dev update as well.
              Thomas Allensworth,
              KCRQ
              Carlsbad
              Cessna 414AW and PMDG enjoyer

              Comment


                #11
                i dont belive 777 will arrive untill end of this year
                Božo Sibinčić

                Comment


                  #12
                  Originally posted by KingKobraSLO View Post
                  i dont belive 777 will arrive untill end of this year
                  We have the fifth month and the 777 is a highly complicated fly by wire aircraft.. if we consider the end of the year as Nov-Dec I think that‘s a realistic expectation. And if it releases earlier you‘ll be happy. Everything done right 🤣
                  Ryzen 7 5800X3D, RTX4080, 32GB DDR4 RAM @3600MHz, 4k
                  Marc Eland
                  GFO Beta

                  Comment


                  • Mickel
                    Mickel commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Happy? Flight simmers, happy? You jest, surely.

                    :-)

                  • Ephedrin
                    Ephedrin commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Muhaa I am Mike. Since I stopped to get hyped over every statement I have beentotally relaxed and happy. If there wasn‘t that mouse wheel 🤣

                  #13
                  Hi Robert, is it safe to assume the 777 is projected to be a PC and Xbox release day one release? Thx for your patience.
                  David D. - Flying on Xbox Series X - Creating MSFS Content on YT.

                  Comment


                  • Ephedrin
                    Ephedrin commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I wouldn‘t expect so. Every release will require a number of quick updates that can easily be done for PC via the Operation Center. Once this settles sending the plane to Marketplace makes sense. It will still take a week or two to release there. Of course PMDG might decide to do differently this time but I don‘t think it would make sense to them.
                    Last edited by Ephedrin; 20May2023, 12:00.

                  #14
                  Thank you Robert for the update let's hope MS will release the 737 in the xbox test environment sooner rather than later and im assuming you will test it pretty much straight away 👍🏻
                  Tom cole

                  Comment


                    #15
                    Many thanks again to Captain Robert keeping us informed consistently.

                    But to be honest: As a B737-800 homecockpit builder I miss any infos resp. progress for some strongly needed functions:
                    - Possibility to popout ISFD and RMI instruments. Every time I leave the ground without seeing these instruments displayed, I have a bad feeling... and in reality no way to go, true?
                    - Make disappear the VR cockpit to see just the environment, hopefully increasing fps significantly. The special homecockpit mode in MSFS for this purpose doesn't work.

                    Are these issues already on the change list? I made tickets in the past, but no results up to now. Any infos would be most appreciated.
                    Urs Meyer
                    Homecockpit B737-800

                    Comment


                      #16
                      Personally I only see small changes,
                      which for the purpose of the simulation do not change anything, I think, that after years of programming the Pmdg 737Ng I would have expected something more that a 737-800 for MSF2020 same as the 737-800 I use on Prerpar3D V5​.

                      Anyway thanks for the work you are doing I hope you make the 737-Max in the future
                      Roberto.



                      Comment


                        #17
                        Oh dear how we wait for that 777......!!!!
                        Thanks for very good job on 737. Still going strong after near 25 years. I rember the first 737, at that time we did not name "PMDG" we said Precision Manuals... remember???

                        Comment


                          #18
                          Thank you for the updates.

                          I love the 737 so much, and rarely fly anything else.
                          Kaitlynn A - 737 'Air Hauler 2' Cargo SimPilot

                          {- Thrustmaster TCA Boeing Yoke - Honeycomb Bravo (with 737 style levers) - Thrustmaster TPR Pedals - HP Reverb G2 VR Headset -}

                          Comment


                            #19
                            Originally posted by Costanzo1967 View Post
                            Personally I only see small changes,
                            which for the purpose of the simulation do not change anything, I think, that after years of programming the Pmdg 737Ng I would have expected something more that a 737-800 for MSF2020 same as the 737-800 I use on Prerpar3D V5​.

                            Agree with you very much Roberto. Personally, I was hoping for a third engine or at the very least rocket-assisted takeoff.

                            However, it is what it is; a 737-800.

                            Comment


                              #20
                              Rob, you shouldn't have mentioned the "intentional direct copies". I was just about to go to the store to get my microwave popcorn!
                              Peter Webber

                              Prepar3D v5 & MSFS / Windows 10 Home Edition / CPU i7-7700K / MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium / Samsung 960 EVO M.2 500GB / Corsair Vengeance DDR4 32GB 3000MHz / MSI Geforce GTX 1080Ti Gaming X

                              Comment


                              • rsrandazzo
                                rsrandazzo commented
                                Editing a comment
                                Peter- You'd be amazed how many people PM'd me to ask me if I knew... I assured most of them that it was internet latency, and that the rest of the world saw a new paragraph- it was just the internet in their home area that retained the old one. I don't think most of them understood the joke. LOL - RSR

                              #21
                              Good Morning, any possibility to put Copilot on panel state to choose? so eliminate for me to update the file PMDG 737-(all)NG_VC.gltf at every update of yours?

                              Comment


                                #22
                                Robert, Thank you for the update, and all the hard work.
                                Ken Hand
                                AMD 3900X, EVGA RTX 380 XC, X570 wifi, 128GB ram.

                                Comment


                                  #23
                                  I really love reading your updates Robert. I'm rarely flying any other aircraft these days than your trusty 736/7. I'm more than happy with the state of the product , and yet, still it continues to evolve and more functionality is added when the time is right.

                                  Orbx have just released their long awaited Version 2 of London City airport and as a Version 1 user I got the new version for about 5 bucks. It now occurs to me that although the short field 600 version is not certified to operate out of there I'm going to be doing some serious flight testing to see if it is at all within the capabilities of the aircraft, in MSFS at least. Should be fun shooting that 5.5 degree ILS slope. Maybe the UFT might not be so impressed with my idea, but you never know. I don't think it would excite me so much IRL, but that's why simulators are so fascinating and yours is the best I've ever seen bar none.
                                  Eddie Zetlein, Surrey.

                                  Comment


                                  • rsrandazzo
                                    rsrandazzo commented
                                    Editing a comment
                                    Eddie- Oh- I hadn't noticed the new LCY available. I'll have to go grab that. I'm currently in the middle of taking the DC-6 across the atlantic for a bit of weekend fun. - RSR

                                  • jsmarko3
                                    jsmarko3 commented
                                    Editing a comment
                                    rsrandazzo Rob, curious how you make the crossing in terms of navigation. Do you use the excellent, but intimidating CelNav mod for MSFS, or another method?

                                  #24
                                  Bug / behaviour change:

                                  I have a Cold + Dark profile which I load and it has the brake lever pulled and on. This newest update releases the brakes upon load.

                                  Ideas?
                                  Sincerely,

                                  Wojtek Pietrusiewicz

                                  Comment


                                  • jrw4
                                    jrw4 commented
                                    Editing a comment
                                    You might want to recreated that custom C&D panel state based on one of the defaults that come with the new release. There have been numerous issues reported here regarding broken custom panel states that have been resolved in that way.

                                  • Moridin
                                    Moridin commented
                                    Editing a comment
                                    Thanks jrw4 I didn't see this new option. Changed it so will hopefully work on the next flight.

                                  #25
                                  There's a new option in the settings that would have been nice to be informed about;
                                  You can now choose between simple or realistic parking brake activation, and the default setting is simple. But you need to press the toggle twice for the brake to disengage.

                                  John

                                  Comment


                                    #26
                                    Thanks for the info, saw this and thought it was another update bug.

                                    Comment


                                      #27
                                      Originally posted by DD_Arthur View Post

                                      Agree with you very much Roberto. Personally, I was hoping for a third engine or at the very least rocket-assisted takeoff.

                                      However, it is what it is; a 737-800.
                                      Hello,
                                      Rocket-assisted takeoff, SpaceX already takes care of it for take-off and landing, and it must be admitted that their Software is wonderful​ 😊

                                      I would like to have in my Pmdg 737Ng FMC software release at Version U14.0 installed in the 737Ng in May 2019​, Actual U10.8 Release del 18 Feb 2009

                                      I like to implement all the circuit Breakers, or the essential, example the P6-3 ( B7 ) FUEL CROSS FEED VALVE asked to check in
                                      QRH CROSSFEED SELECTOR INOPERATIVE and many More​.

                                      I still don't understand why the RUNWAY INHIBIT switch and Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RASS) are not implemented​ 🤔

                                      Nao Then we have the New Audio Control Panels ( ACP ) IF041-IF045​, and Final the Cockpit Door it never worked always INOP in the​ ceck-list Ceck Cockit Door Locked....

                                      anyway I apologize to all, mine was just a guess on what I want in my 737-800
                                      Costanzo Roberto






                                      Last edited by Costanzo1967; 21May2023, 15:35.

                                      Comment


                                      • stopnicki
                                        stopnicki commented
                                        Editing a comment
                                        Hi Roberto
                                        Just as a side note, I am sure you know (being here since 2020) that you are supposed to sign your full name.
                                        Also, as you are here since 2020, and if you read Robert’s detailed updates, you must be aware of the difficulties that developers had, and still have, to include all features in this, MSFS, simulator.
                                        All that is slowly coming, but some things are in the hands of the simulator’s (Asobo) developers and not those of the add-ons, like PMDG.
                                        And, reading your posts, I cannot help but wonder, is there anything that Roberto likes?
                                        Have you gone for a long, challenging or relaxing, flight in the 737-800, or did you just close the sim because you couldn’t open the cockpit door?
                                        If you did go for a flight, why don’t you tell us what you enjoyed. Was there anything?
                                        Many regards,
                                        Roberto
                                        (I hope Robert knows that I am this Roberto, not that Roberto!)

                                      #28
                                      One more thing:

                                      Requesting Winds from a downloaded flightplan on the LEGS page will load them for the LEGS and after a few seconds, they will be automatically downloaded for the DES / FORECAST page as well. Previously this required 2 separate requests / downloads.

                                      Is this by design or a bug?
                                      Sincerely,

                                      Wojtek Pietrusiewicz

                                      Comment


                                      • DDowns
                                        DDowns commented
                                        Editing a comment
                                        This was by design and included a build or two earlier.

                                      #29
                                      Thanks Captain. Looking forward to the B777.
                                      Andreu Escuain


                                      i7-10900 @ 3.60 GHz - be quiet! Dark Rock 4 - HyperX Kingston 32GB RAM @ 3200 MHz DDR 4- 2TB m.2 SSD WD Blue - MSI GeForce GTX 2080 Super 8GB GDDR

                                      Comment


                                        #30
                                        Mr. Randazzo, thank you for keeping the 737 updated, however allow me to inform that, after this update, there is again an issue with the brakes.

                                        When the aircraft is with parking brake ON, pressing the brakes key on the joystick does not release the brakes, as it did before.
                                        Best regards,
                                        Miguel Conceicao

                                        (LPPT)

                                        Comment

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