dcc
P-38 nut
Made my very first MSFS in-game add-on purchase today and picked up the Seneca V from Carenado that was just released. I am delighted to finally get a piston-powered turbocharged twin, with counter-rotating 3-bladed propellers and classic gauges. It's not the plane with those same characteristics that a I really want 
but it'll have to do.
Being fresh out of the oven it has some issues as one might expect with an initial release. Overall I'm pretty happy with it. Price was a bit steep, but oh well.
Initial impressions:
The good
- 3D model seems on par with the defaults I'm familiar with, the textures are nice, the model looks real good, not too frame-rate intensive and there are several liveries. Plenty of eye-candy in the cockpit and passenger compartment. I like the opening/closing doors and window. (It's weird that the defaults don't have animated doors.)
- It handles well and has good power for its weight and size, don't know how realistic the model is but it seems ok. Haven't spent too much time with it yet.
- it seems most of the important systems are functional. The weather radar is pretty cool.
- love the classic gauges and simple GPS and autopilot. I'm not a fan of glass cockpits.
The not-so-good
- I was disappointed to see that one cannot edit the flight model, just like the so-called 'premium' planes. Certainly understandable, and I supposed it is the trend nowadays in payware (I don't have any others to compare to). It does take some of the fun out of customizing a plane to one's liking. So this isn't a criticism of the model, just disappointment from a FS veteran longing for the good ol' days.
- I work with sound professionally, and I'm am probably a bit hyper-sensitive to the sound design, but I am disappointed with the sounds. The sounds are not on par with the defaults' , and kind of underwhelming. They'll do -- and there are a few things that are nice -- for instance, the outdoor sound when you open a window or door, or a nice low-frequency thud when you land -- but it's clear that sound was a lower priority for this package. They're website says the sounds were recorded from a real Seneca, but in my opinion the processing leaves much to be desired. There are some very noticeable processing artifacts that make it sound rather artificial. Maybe they will improve the sounds in an update sometime.
- finally, some of the switches and pilot views don't work with the mappings on my controllers, so they must be doing something different with those commands than the default planes. Hopefully those will get fixed at some point.
Looks like I'll be putting the Baron and the DA42 into the hanger now that I've got this one to satisfy my cravings for a piston powered twin. Hopefully someone someday will make the one I'm really looking for.
-dcc
but it'll have to do. Being fresh out of the oven it has some issues as one might expect with an initial release. Overall I'm pretty happy with it. Price was a bit steep, but oh well.
Initial impressions:
The good
- 3D model seems on par with the defaults I'm familiar with, the textures are nice, the model looks real good, not too frame-rate intensive and there are several liveries. Plenty of eye-candy in the cockpit and passenger compartment. I like the opening/closing doors and window. (It's weird that the defaults don't have animated doors.)
- It handles well and has good power for its weight and size, don't know how realistic the model is but it seems ok. Haven't spent too much time with it yet.
- it seems most of the important systems are functional. The weather radar is pretty cool.
- love the classic gauges and simple GPS and autopilot. I'm not a fan of glass cockpits.
The not-so-good
- I was disappointed to see that one cannot edit the flight model, just like the so-called 'premium' planes. Certainly understandable, and I supposed it is the trend nowadays in payware (I don't have any others to compare to). It does take some of the fun out of customizing a plane to one's liking. So this isn't a criticism of the model, just disappointment from a FS veteran longing for the good ol' days.
- I work with sound professionally, and I'm am probably a bit hyper-sensitive to the sound design, but I am disappointed with the sounds. The sounds are not on par with the defaults' , and kind of underwhelming. They'll do -- and there are a few things that are nice -- for instance, the outdoor sound when you open a window or door, or a nice low-frequency thud when you land -- but it's clear that sound was a lower priority for this package. They're website says the sounds were recorded from a real Seneca, but in my opinion the processing leaves much to be desired. There are some very noticeable processing artifacts that make it sound rather artificial. Maybe they will improve the sounds in an update sometime.
- finally, some of the switches and pilot views don't work with the mappings on my controllers, so they must be doing something different with those commands than the default planes. Hopefully those will get fixed at some point.
Looks like I'll be putting the Baron and the DA42 into the hanger now that I've got this one to satisfy my cravings for a piston powered twin. Hopefully someone someday will make the one I'm really looking for.
-dcc
For the record, I was not familiar with David's P-38 either, and I took up flight simulation just after the Wright Brothers. This is not a knock on David and his airplane. I am just not a fan of the P-38. It is something about a fighter with a control wheel. Reminds me of driving a hot car with an automatic back in the 60's and 70's. It was not manly. Still, the fighter pilot's fighter pilot, Robin Olds got his start in the P-38. So just who am I to question the airplane.
