As mentioned in the previous development update, PMDG’s Robert Randazzo has taken to the Forums once again this week, disclosing further information about their aircraft development for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, which is releasing next month. Unfortunately, though, some saddening news came with this development update as well, regarding the PMDG’s Boeing 737 MAX.
Updating Aircraft Before the MSFS 2024 Release
Currently, the PMDG team is also working on moving a significant update to the 737 series for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This update should be released before the next simulator version is released. This update focuses on bringing the 737 series on par with the 777. The version, where the new navigation data takes action in the 737 is already in internal testing.
Most planned changes to the 737 series should be released by the second half of October. This should have been a series of updates instead, that would have been released throughout September and October. However, the memory corruption issue on the 777-300ER took valuable time from the developer’s hands.
The 777-300ER is also getting some polishing updates before the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. One was pushed yesterday already, about which you can read more in this article. The next update is planned to take place with the release of the 777 Freighter variant by the end of this month.
Updates for Aircraft After MSFS 2024 Release
PMDG team doesn’t have the upcoming Microsoft Flight Simulator version in their hands. Thus, the updating process and making the aircraft compatible might take a little while. The team doesn’t know what changes are going to be required on this newest simulator platform.
Interpreting game-play features to PMDG’s aircraft is also something the team wants to take a look into. This includes the walk-around mechanics and career mode. Robert mentions that the team’s goal is to make the best use of these new features. All of this is going to affect the 777, the 737, as well as the DC-6.
In parallel with the current Microsoft Flight Simulator and the upcoming Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, the team wants to release the Boeing 777-200LR by the end of this year. The team anticipates that this variant is going to be released at the same time for both platforms.
Unfortunate News on PMDG 737 MAX, Previews of Upcoming Planes
The PMDG team has decided to de-prioritise the development of Boeing 737 MAX for Microsoft Flight Simulator and decided to focus on other projects. According to the post, this is only a temporary decision, and the development was only halted, and not cancelled completely.
On the other hand, the developer showed two previews, one of them being the sideframe of the Boeing 747 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The 747 is the first project that is built with fully customized 3D scanning of both the interior and exterior of the aircraft. This is greatly going to enhance the details visible on the aircraft. Moreover, the first software build of this aircraft might be out for testing before Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 releases.
There is no set release date for the Boeing 747, as the development is going to be impacted by the transition to the simulator engine.
The next and last project Robert talked about in the development update is the secret project, a new aircraft that is currently in development, we could have seen some non-suggestive previews of the aircraft already in the past. However, this time, we received a blurred image of a standby instrument.
There’s no further information shared about the PMDG’s work. However, we might expect more development updates soon.
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