50 minutes ago, alanlj44 said:

Could people here be kind enough to elaborate with actual examples what makes this plane so much above the rest? Just saying "Fidelity is even better" just doesn't mean anything. When I looked at HotStart CL650 videos, I could tell right away everything that was ground breaking and which has raised the bar compared to other payware. With Leonardo's MD-80, I can't do the same as obviously and easily. But seeing how you praise this plane, there definitely has to be some things that clearly blows everything out of the water and that is going to be apparent in a single glance to any newcomer. Thanks in advance 🙂 

I'd suggest watching videos in this case, too. They can tell you more than we can with words. If I have to say something, I'd say it's maximum level of systems fidelity (Hotstart level IMO), an excellent flight model, great visuals and excellent usability / user friendliness (EFB, ACARS, SERVICE BASED FAILURES, TURNAROUND MODE [=aircraft will be exactly how you left it, the next time you start a new flight, every button, every switch, even battery load or hydraulics fluid volume), MAINTENANCE etc.). It just ticks all the boxes a flight simmer has. But as I said, this won't tell you much until you SEE it coming all together in a video or in the sim.

Edited April 26, 20224 yr by Fiorentoni

32 minutes ago, alanlj44 said:

mmmm... no new sounds (for understandable reasons, but still) and hardly any changes to the 3d model, especially the VC, and most importantly the texturing techniques from the P3D version. All of this but striking to be the highest priced payware for MSFS... although I won't argue that to a certain extent graphics are less important than system fidelity, MSFS have certainly set a new level of expectation in that department in which you ALSO have to reach an absolute top notch degree if you want to charge 70+ IMO. It is obvious when you have a look at the PMDG marketing material so far that they seem to have raised the bar a lot compared to their previous releases on visual grounds, because MSFS is now in an entire different league than previous sims regarding this.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for the Maddog, and it certainly will be a vast improvement regarding the rotate md-80 I used back in X-Plane, according to everyone here. However, despite the utter lack of hype material (why not after all), they just pretty much reused everything in the visual department. It is apparent if you look at some comparison shots between MSFS/P3D versions. I find it a bit deceiving for such a highly regarded dev that they didn't find a way to fully embrace the MSFS rendering engine capabilities (there's some nasty textures here and there for example, the PBR texturing is also kinda lackluster). However, the VC still being certainly of high quality in the P3D version, it still manages to look even better in MSFS.

But still, it's supposed to be the Porsche of MSFS according to some, at this price tag vs the rest of the market, and given the apparent reputation of the dev team, I expected a level of visual fidelity to be no less than stellar through and through, which it is not as far as I can see...

That being said, it seems to be a extremely highly regarded product and I'm super glad it comes to MSFS. So many people hold Leonardo's MD80 in such a high esteem that it can't be wrong obviously. However, given there's not much material to get a grasp of the product compared to PMDG, I'd be curious to know why people here say that it is 2 level above PMDG. I can't see exactly how far it goes beyond a PMDG 737 just by looking at the material.

Could people here be kind enough to elaborate with actual examples what makes this plane so much above the rest? Just saying "Fidelity is even better" just doesn't mean anything. When I looked at HotStart CL650 videos, I could tell right away everything that was ground breaking and which has raised the bar compared to other payware. With Leonardo's MD-80, I can't do the same as obviously and easily. But seeing how you praise this plane, there definitely has to be some things that clearly blows everything out of the water and that is going to be apparent in a single glance to any newcomer. Thanks in advance 🙂 

This is both an awkward and exciting time in the flightsim community, and trying to set an appropriate price for a premium product is certainly one of most challenging tasks Devs face.

In the Pre-MSFS simming world....dedicated (meaning very demanding) simmers would not even blink at this price point and would snap it up without hesitation.  Devs in those days had a customer pool at least 100th the size of MSFS, and had to set prices to reflect estimated sales.  Now we see such a large pool of customers who'll apparently buy anything that looks good...even with no cockpit...that many devs in the market is scrambling to push out their software as quick as possible to make a fast buck.

This is certainly not the case for both PMDG and Leonardo.  Integrity, Pride, Dedication are adjectives you can apply freely to each of these Devs without hesitation...those words have no meaning to Devs who push out cockpit-less planes.

This fact in itself carries value to a lot of simmers who've grown up with their products, and that value is worth to them, the extra $10-20 we might see on the price as a mark of gratitude for doing it right and staying true to the spirit of the hobby.

It absolutely cracks me up that some of the same people (not referring to you or anyone here) who go bananas when the price of a finely crafted aircraft  "seems" too high are the same ones gifting subs at popular streamer sites, buying "bits" just to drop a robotic voice bomb on an unsuspecting streamer...or otherwise spending money there for a brief "3 seconds of fame", where if they thought about it really hard...could be spending that same money on Devs who give us the very reason to be excited about our hobby.  Pretty crazy thought huh?

Anyway, for an example....I am on the PMDG beta team, I got the DC-6 for free (yes...a very cool perk of being on the team), yet when they put it out for release, I bought it, just to say "thank you" for all the enjoyment they've given me over the years.  I will also get (have) the 737 at no cost, but will probably do the same, as I appreciate all the work they've put into it.  And trust me....being a beta tester, I am unequivocally qualified to make that statement.  Every bit of their hard work has passed thru my hard drive (well,,,Nve actually, lol), and trust me..they've earned it! 

They give us this....

 

And this:

Words are not necessary....those pics kinda say it all 🙂 

On 4/25/2022 at 6:56 PM, ark4diusz said:

Source: https://www.flythemaddog.com/forum/index.php?/topic/13500-msfs2020-development-news/

Hi captains,

I don't get lost in chatter talk but I'll tell you immediately what many of you have been waiting to know for quite some time: the release date is set for April the 30th 2022 and the price will be 75 € + VAT. Fly the Maddog X will be available via SimMarket only.

I could add so many details but I will do it in the next few days, the most important thing is the addition of the EFB, initially not planned in the feature list, and the introduction of a new 3D model for the passenger cabin in line with the new graphic standards of FS2020.

See you soon in MSFS2020!

 

 

 

 

Great news 🙂

19 hours ago, FS Professional said:

Seems like it won’t be an alpha or beta version unlike PMDG is planning to release. Have to wait and see the first impressions.

PMDG are not releasing a beta let alone an alpha version. Please read the updates they give beyond just the words "early adopter" (with which PMDG clearly didn't do themselves any favours).

2 hours ago, Fiorentoni said:

I'd suggest watching videos in this case, too. They can tell you more than we can with words. If I have to say something, I'd say it's maximum level of systems fidelity (Hotstart level IMO), an excellent flight model, great visuals and excellent usability / user friendliness (EFB, ACARS, SERVICE BASED FAILURES, TURNAROUND MODE [=aircraft will be exactly how you left it, the next time you start a new flight, every button, every switch, even battery load or hydraulics fluid volume), MAINTENANCE etc.). It just ticks all the boxes a flight simmer has. But as I said, this won't tell you much until you SEE it coming all together in a video or in the sim.

I'm going to be honest here, none of that proves anything about if it's in its own league or not. I don't think anyone of us who hasn't actually flown all these aircraft IRL can make a statement on which one offers a higher fidelity of systems. I find this is mostly just statements that are tossed around unless the poster knows about it from a real pilot's, mechanic's or engineer's view (or a developer's who did their homework for that matter).

Then plenty of other aircraft have an excellent flight model and great visuals. EFB, service based failures, panel states that save fluid quantities, maintenance actions, etc. also come with several other aircraft.

I've had the MD-80 in P3D (or was it FSX) and it was amazing back then, too and it definitely is one of the best you can get. Nonetheless, there are a lot of statements with no real substance. One poster says the best one is the FSL Airbus, next one says it's PMDG, other times it's Leonardo, Majestic, Hotstart, ... which actually goes to show how good a time it is to be a simmer.

Writing software is long, tedious work. The price often reflects that.

23 minutes ago, threegreen said:

I don't think anyone of us who hasn't actually flown all these aircraft IRL can make a statement on which one offers a higher fidelity of systems.

It is the Leonardo Maddog - Just trust those who have used this product for years, it is remarkable.  I suggest you don't buy it until you read many reviews on here & YouTube etc - this should take about three minutes to convince you and then you can buy it.

@MrBitstFlyer My computer specs are identical to yours. I am placing my faith in the comments from the long time commercial jet flyers here. Believe it or not, the Maddog will be my first big jet purchase in my 35 odd years of this hobby!

Just now, Doering said:

@MrBitstFlyer My computer specs are identical to yours. I am placing my faith in the comments from the long time commercial jet flyers here. Believe it or not, the Maddog will be my first big jet purchase in my 35 odd years of this hobby!

Wow!  I have flown just GA in MSFS since release, but the Maddog will be my first airliner.  It has been so good in previous flight sims I just have to have it again!

A lifetime ago some carrier let me fly their MD-80's for 2 years. That was long enough ago for me to forget everything about it, but the Leonardo rendition checks all my "This is it" feelings. With all other sim planes I fly, like the ASOBO 172, I consistently encounter things that just aren't right, like the G1000 AP or mixture simulation.

Don't get me wrong, nowadays I can't even remember how many pax we used to carry, but when I last flew the Leonardo, back in the day, it was just perfect.

I firmly believe the praise, and the price, is earned.

15 minutes ago, Doering said:

@MrBitstFlyer My computer specs are identical to yours. I am placing my faith in the comments from the long time commercial jet flyers here. Believe it or not, the Maddog will be my first big jet purchase in my 35 odd years of this hobby!

Well hang on buddy because the MD-80 makes lots of scary noises while you're flying it.

8 minutes ago, skully said:

Well hang on buddy because the MD-80 makes lots of scary noises while you're flying it.

Well that’s okay providing we have no master warnings up front!

Just now, Doering said:

Well that’s okay providing we have no master warnings up front!

Right! 😐

I have to say the sounds are authentic they just sound a little lo-fi and maybe a tad bit out of balance. I had the Immersive Audio sound pack that made it much better. Actually the sound pack made the engines even less audible from the cockpit than default which is completely accurate. The engine sounds were also very lacking on the exterior. I don’t think it’s a simple task of drag and drop from the sound folder to improve them either but rather a lot of tinkering involved. This is truly the only negative I can think of and the only thing I wish would be improved.

To me the textures look great and were never lacking and the model looks even more detailed than ever in msfs. I think this was one of the first aircraft to make use of 4k high quality textures and pbr in P3D. Leonardo has always been on the cutting edge in that respect. Performance was also top notch in P3D, probably the best performing tube liner I had. Hoping that continues to be the case.

37 minutes ago, JasonPC said:

I have to say the sounds are authentic they just sound a little lo-fi and maybe a tad bit out of balance. I had the Immersive Audio sound pack that made it much better. Actually the sound pack made the engines even less audible from the cockpit than default which is completely accurate. The engine sounds were also very lacking on the exterior. I don’t think it’s a simple task of drag and drop from the sound folder to improve them either but rather a lot of tinkering involved. This is truly the only negative I can think of and the only thing I wish would be improved.

To me the textures look great and were never lacking and the model looks even more detailed than ever in msfs. I think this was one of the first aircraft to make use of 4k high quality textures and pbr in P3D. Leonardo has always been on the cutting edge in that respect. Performance was also top notch in P3D, probably the best performing tube liner I had. Hoping that continues to be the case.

I had the first versions in FSX and loved the bird, curious how it will be in MSFS 🙂

The most popular MD-80 YouTube video. Viewed almost 1.5 million times. Uploaded 9 years ago.