MSFS Add-Ons & Releases

boomerang10 · February 7, 2022, 9:27pm

Gonna be a great time for the airliner crowd soon with PMDG, Fenix, and Ini seemingly nearing release of their jets.

Great, but expensive.

HiFlyer · February 10, 2022, 12:08pm

Welp, its that time again!

boomerang10 · February 13, 2022, 5:04pm

[12FEB22] Developer Update: PMDG 737 for MSFS Enters Beta Testing

Today, 00:05

Captains,

This week has been a busy one for the dev team, but the end results were certainly worth the effort. As of today, the first product in our new series of products for Microsoft Flight Simulator has entered beta testing in a form that will mostly conform to the final product.

Primary development focus for this week is similar to last week but with a couple of beta-focused changes:

Further adjustments to the 3D model of the Heads Up Guidance System, including improvements in the combiner glass technique and positioning.

Scale work, detail and adjustments over all of the 3D models, including VC and external models.

Implementation and testing of TCAS II v7.2 with both online/offline traffic.

Continued work on shadow models and texturing

Verification of hundreds of hardware/equipment/functionality options.

Updated models and textures for ground handling equipment.

Improved accuracy for automated pushback features, including user-driven pushback tractor.

Continued system logic checks, verification and adjustment to resolve previously and currently reported system logic service reports.

Implementation of client side installer and server-side installer assets.

Functionality verification for flight plan loading from outside tools (simBrief, etc) as well as saving/loading of FMS generated flight plans.

This week can be summarized in long form by saying that it was a big week for cleaning up details all throughout the airplane as we are finally to a point of product stability where we can zoom the focus out a bit, look at the larger details and begin to focus on systems, operation and refinement. Up to this point we have been heavily focused on integrating large pieces of the airplane’s functionality in order to get it to full capability. Now we are starting to look at refined details.

We are also shifting into a mode where we go searching for distinct “platform-PMDG issues” that fit into a group of issues that arise from our own lack of familiarity, lack of understanding and lack of experience with the MSFS platform. For example, the 737s appearing all over the world as AI traffic are showing up with their landing gear in the retracted position, (which looks odd unless you happen to be parked next to the Mos Eisley cantina- in which case you fit right in. ) so we are working through what causes this, among a number of other minor nuisance items.

From our standpoint the airplane is feeling very complete and as such we made the decision on Thursday to move forward with transitioning it into beta testing!

All of our testers have now received the airplane and have just begun to put it through paces. We have embargoed their feedback to just the designated PMDG beta testing spaces for now, as we want to get them up-to-speed with it before we turn them loose to start showing you what they are experiencing. Normally our embargo periods last through a few build versions until we know the product is stable, then we turn them loose pretty much without restriction.

In the mean time, here is a quick couple of shots from some of Jason’s internal testing that will whet your appetite for the fun that lies ahead!

First up we have a look at the HUD, which is finally coming into it’s own. It works well both in daylight and in night modes, with variable dimming of the projected image to suite your needs. The HUD includes all of the flying modes that you would normally use in flight, and the image is fully collimated to the outside world as you can see in the image here below. (For those who don’t know what collimation is: This is the method of projection on the combiner glass so that the image appears to be placed an infinite distance from your eye, and conforms to the outside world so that if the airplane’s path vector touches an object on the earth’s surface, such as the touchdown markers on a runway, that is the point at which the airplane’s path will intersect with the runway. This makes flying in marginal conditions very intuitive and low workload.)

One of my favorite features of the HUD is that it outlines the runway environment for you when landing in IMC conditions, providing great spatial awareness while landing in low visibility. One of a few things I am trying to work into video for you to see.

image_15298 (1)1920×1080 175 KB

Much like our PMDG DC-6 for MSFS, all of the lighting has been built from the ground up to capitalize on the MSFS rendering engine, which really shines at night. (Wow- that was a terrible pun, sorry. ) This image looking into a setting sun with all of the reflected light and the glow of the panel flood lighting really shows how great the lighting is. We think you will love this airplane at all times of day and night.

image_152971920×1080 104 KB

A number of folks have asked about performance. This week we expect to be able to give you some pretty solid performance numbers now that many of our beta testers have the airplane in a conformal build. On the development side, we work with a development build that is built specifically for the purpose of development, but when we hand builds off to beta testers and to you as customers, it gets built as a product release that involves a significant amount of optimization. As of right now the results we are seeing are right in line with other products available in the platform. I hesitate to provide raw numbers because my mid-life development machine is usually running the sim, a debugger attached to MSFS and debugger running the 737 attached to Prepar3D at the same time (since we still don’t have native debugging tools for MSFS…) and my FPS are well usable and stable in that configuration. Last night I tested the beta release by simply loading MSFS without any of the other development tools and I was quite pleased with the performance result. So much so in fact that I thought something must be wrong.

Anyway- we’ll get you some raw numbers from our betas once they have had a chance to weigh in.

Okay- that is all for now. I had thought I would spend time in the video editing booth this past week, but it wasn’t to be. Hopefully this coming week? We shall see…

HiFlyer · February 15, 2022, 5:53pm

THE AIG AI TRAFFIC SERVERS ARE NOW BACK ONLINE!

Download AIM and TC, replace your old files with the new ones!

https://www.alpha-india.net/aigfiles/files/Software/AIG_AIManager_1.1.zip

https://www.alpha-india.net/aigfiles/files/Software/AIG_TrafficController.zip

HiFlyer · February 17, 2022, 2:34am

UPDATED BETA BUILD RELEASED

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/discussion-new-beta-build-1-23-11-0-update-available-now-for-xbox-ms-store-and-steam/498970

Chaz · February 17, 2022, 11:47am

HiFlyer · February 18, 2022, 12:01am

HiFlyer · February 19, 2022, 9:44am

Getting closer…

I am not as excited as some, because I’m an A320 fan, but I’m also someone who might end up grabbing this just because I can feel myself giving into the hype, and because of curiosity since I’ve never flown a Boeing.

Deacon211 · February 19, 2022, 1:46pm

How is the Freeware A320 mod coming along? I haven’t done much with it since the stock flies a little wonky. I’d definitely buy/fly a PMDG level Bus if there was one.

I’ve flown both the Bus and the 73. I think they both have their charms, and warts. Actually, since the 73 has always retained some portion of its legacy roots for type rating purposes, there is probably more interaction value for those who like their switch flipping!

And the shots of the HUD are quite nice…

HiFlyer · February 19, 2022, 2:17pm

In all my years of simming, I pretty much ignored the big planes. The dated graphics and general clunkiness of our legacy sims never created an atmosphere that encouraged me to put in the work.

Consequently, except for short GA flights in favorite areas, I really never felt a strong incentive to go further, since the rewards of flying in a game that looked like a leftover from the 70’s was never worth it to me, despite sinking what felt like zillions of dollars into scenery that futilely (for the most part) attempted to create something resembling a plausible world.

(landclass sucks)

MSFSs changed that for me, and suddenly there was a world worth exploring, with locations that felt unique, interesting and attractive. With that, came the urge to spend more time in the sim, and with that came the level of renewed engagement necessary to draw me into expending the effort to go further than I ever had before.

The flybywire was/is the beginning of my big-jet journey, though the latest enhancements really are moving beyond me at a steady pace now, begging the question of whether I know enough to stand pat, or should I continue to delve (possibly never to be seen again) into the jungles of apparently endless minutia…

DanTDBV · February 19, 2022, 3:09pm

Ahh.
An Airbus H125 for MSFS aka Ecureuil AS-350 and with the right skin, a stand-in for the AS-550 Fennec used by the Danish Army and later transfered to RDAF.

https://news.flightsim.to/freeware-airbus-h125-helicopter-updated-to/

I am coming much closer to to dusting of my RDAF AS-550 skin project. There is now a Fennec in MSFS and there is a mod version in the works for DCS World.

Now Asobo just needs to update the Danish Ortho maps in MSFS.

I have 5 specific points I wish to land on, but the Ortho is so old that the features does not exist in the sim.

It started up for FSX/P3D and was abandoned as I could not get FSXSteam to work with 2 GPU’s in my system and the same Ortho features missing in P3D. MSFS was coming out and it sounded like the Ortho would be in there. I asked Nemeth Design if they would make a version for MSFS and it would not be in the foreseeable future, so I stopped working on the skin.

Happy Simming

boomerang10 · February 20, 2022, 2:38am

Quite nicely. A lot of the features are still WIP, especially with some of the MCDU functions and guidance logic (full LNAV approach capabilities are not implemented yet, for instance), but it’s well above the default A320 in the game.

It’s already loaded with features and continues to constantly be updated with new additions. It makes me wonder if I’ll purchase the Fenix whenever they release, the longer and longer they take the less likely that becomes.

The PMDG is looking quite nice! I’m hopeful we’ll get a release within the next few months. One thing missing from the video was an appearance from the EFB but I suppose that one isn’t ready to be shown off.

HiFlyer · February 23, 2022, 3:00pm

Global Vehicle Traffic

This addon replaces the stock/default road vehicle traffic with more detailed and more realistic vehicles that are more frequently seen in the different regions of the world.

Replacement of road vehicle traffic with different sets for diverse parts of the world, for North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa.
Vehicles that resemble real world type of traffic
Compact cars, vans, buses, Trucks.
Different logos for many of the trucks with real world companies.
More realistic vehicles than the stock/default with no impact on performance.
The country of New Zealand couldn’t be modified.

Magnum50 · February 25, 2022, 4:28pm

Got to recommend this $15 pack called “Beautiful World”, located in the in-game marketplace…

PaulRix · March 2, 2022, 5:21am

The Staggerwing was released today… there are a few rough edges (I still haven’t figured out how to turn on the Nav/Com and the trim wheel seems to spin the wrong way…but it looks and sounds great. It also flies nicely. For $15 it is a no-brainer…

Deacon211 · March 2, 2022, 12:00pm

That thing is GORGEOUS!

Aginor · March 2, 2022, 1:05pm

I’ve seen one at the Hahnweide air show, they are very pretty in real life as well.

apollon01 · March 2, 2022, 1:36pm

I got the one for P3D and flew it probably for some 45 minutes (maaaybe 46 ). So I hesitate a bit… but then the 15 euros is a too good price not to give it another 45 mins in the MSFS too. That’s 0,33 cents per a minute of fun

Will grab it probably next time I launch MSFS.

Deacon211 · March 2, 2022, 1:48pm

Are you guys generally getting things through the marketplace, or from outside sites?

It feels like external websites get updates much faster than the Marketplace, but remembering where the heck I got all this stuff is only getting harder.

PaulRix · March 2, 2022, 2:07pm

Keeping track is a problem at times. I tend to buy aircraft from 3rd party vendors where possible. OrbX Direct is a good one because they automatically update aircraft just by launching their app.
SimMarket seems to get almost all aircraft first…and for me, that tends to win them the sale if I’m at home, itching to fly the latest shiny toy. I like to buy a few things from the market just to do my part to keep the bean counters at MS happy, but mostly scenery because there is less urgency with the updates. Also, buying any military aircraft from the Marketplace is not a good idea because of the no weapons rule MS have imposed - if I want to bolt a couple of inert Sidewinders under the wing of my Hawk then I should be able to do so…