After the release of their MD-11 add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, TFDi Designs is still improving some areas of this aircraft and other add-ons. The developer released a development update for this month shared via their website giving insight into the changes coming to their add-ons. They have been working with Echo 19 to overhaul the sounds of the MD-11. TFDi also released a small preview video of new engine sounds. The developer also released news about upcoming improvements to smartCAS and PACX.
MD-11 Sound and Other Improvements
Most of this development update was focused on showcasing the new and upcoming changes for the MD-11. TFDi alongside Echo 19 has made some improvements to the aircraft’s sounds with multiple changes ranging from sound improvements to new sounds being added to the aircraft. These upcoming changes added new interior sounds that have been recorded by the TFDi team for the MD-11. They added a sound for the aircraft’s packs in the cabin. APU and cockpit sounds have been given proper locations to prevent hearing them where they are not supposed to. Multiple sounds have been improved like ground roll, wind, and mechanical sounds.
The overall balance and stereo field of the audio have also been improved in this update. Additionally, TFDi released a preview of the new sounds for the GE CF6 engines. The video shows what to expect from these sounds from the cabin, cockpit, and exterior.
All these changes have already been released to the public via a patch for the MD-11. TFDi is expecting some feedback on these changes from the add-on users. The developer has also made clear that most of these changes are available only in the MSFS version and not in the Prepar3D version (P3D). These sound changes are not the only thing TFDi shared in this update for the MD-11.
In this development update, they showcased screenshots of the upcoming exterior model update. The developer plans on improving improperly shaped aircraft parts and adding missing components like ports and smaller details. The exterior model detail and mapping have also received an overhaul. The update will be ready once they finish the new textures.
Other parts of the development team have also worked on the aircraft, primarily the code team. The changes made to the aircraft’s code revolve around an update to the ILS system. With these changes made, the experience has been smoother and more reliable regarding tracking and capturing the ILS and localizer. The FADEC of the aircraft has been re-tuned for the GE engines, they will also change the PW engine FADEC next. The engine response time is now better with these adjustments made. These changes are yet to be released for the MD-11.
smartCARS and PACX Changes
This development update also mentioned some changes coming to other TFDi products. smartCARS will receive a future update bringing improvements to the layout and search in the flight center. An option for Pro users will be added giving them route suggestions via the scheduled search results. Finally, flight tracking will also receive improvements.
PACX recently received an update addressing issues for a better user experience. The items included in these fixes are related to the IFE and record loading system. An application crash was fixed in this update and the libraries were updated for a better performance. In the future, this add-on will receive a major update bringing enhancements and new features. TFDi also shared some ideas that could be worked on for a future update. These changes range from minor improvements to interface changes.
To finalize this development update, TFDi shared some general changes made for the Boeing 717’s add-on manager, TrueGlass, and RealLight which are now compatible with Prepar3D V6 (P3DV6). This was all the news shared by TFDi for October. You can read more about TFDi and their work here at FSNews.
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