Twin Otter Extended Preview (FSX,P3D)

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

Am I the only one on most forums who likes a few screenshots and that's all? I prefer some surprises when I buy it, so from me, more info, less shots, shorter time until release and more surprises on your first flight. I´m not trying to be too negative, but a certain scenery developer showed around 120 shots of an airfield recently, day night, all seasons, every building, what is there to find once you buy it!

We'll I think we show more than just about any other developer (ok not 120 shots of an airport, lol), but right now there is just not a lot to show. work on the cabin is progressing and after that the float and ski models will be done.

[Finn 873]

Am I the only one on most forums who likes a few screenshots and that's all? I prefer some surprises when I buy it, so from me, more info, less shots, shorter time until release and more surprises on your first flight. I´m not trying to be too negative, but a certain scenery developer showed around 120 shots of an airfield recently, day night, all seasons, every building, what is there to find once you buy it!

I guess that I know what You mean...

You don´t want too many screenshots, which would reveal too much of what will be found once installed.

I can fully follow You on that, problem is just that some people cannot get enough details while others rather like to be surpriced (hopefully positive).

You see... it´s somewhat of a balance we have to do.

Just one note!

Screenshots actually reveals little about system feature richness, anim smoothness and sounds.

For those asking for more details on systems the plan is to show the various features in a few Youtube videos in a not so distance future. Just note that we still aren´t at the point where this makes sense yet.

Most actually works, but needs further testing. It would be counterproductive to post viseos that would do nothing but reveal bugs.

Finn

[jovic11 1]

how can i be a beta tester????

[Plasma 3]

Be a real Twotter pilot.

[jovic11 1]

dam hahaha i was in a dream once haha

[Emi 5161]

how can i be a beta tester????

Basicly by waiting until Aerosoft starts looking for testers. If they do they will write in on the forums. They you need to send an application explaining why they should you and no one else. Best is if you have some real world experience or much experience in simming, togeather with a bit knowledge of how the simulator actually works and where it's flaws are.

Also you need to be good in english as you have to be able to tell the developers where problems are. In our Skype groups good english will be good anyway as we're almost only communicating in english even in private smalltalk if we get the time.

If you have all this and are lucky and catch a point of time where we're looking for testers I'm sure you'll have no problem in joining the team.

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

Shot of the cargo hold in progress... Still needs a lot of details here and there though.

[Snave 466]

Beta Testing? Enthusiasm no substitute for experience...

[Snave 466]

Kristian, reviewing the Terms and Conditions on the Airplane Pictures website, I hope you sought permission for posting those images...

[marvic 183]

My question, does eveyone know how BATA testingis performed? It seems a lot of want to be testers and have a an Idea that you get the plane and you just do with what you want. I was told by a beta tester for another product. Everything was calculated, all results kept. Flying the same approach over and over again. Do the same testing on one system, over and over again. For some, I'm sure it would be a great experience. After a while, with all the time given

and all the work performed, he recommended to me to stay away.

Is this how the same for Aerosoft BETA tesers? Maybe let us know how it is and maybe people would stop begging to be one..... Just a thought.

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

Kristian, reviewing the Terms and Conditions on the Airplane Pictures website, I hope you sought permission for posting those images...

Indeed always be careful about that.

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

My question, does eveyone know how BATA testingis performed? It seems a lot of want to be testers and have a an Idea that you get the plane and you just do with what you want. I was told by a beta tester for another product. Everything was calculated, all results kept. Flying the same approach over and over again. Do the same testing on one system, over and over again. For some, I'm sure it would be a great experience. After a while, with all the time given

and all the work performed, he recommended to me to stay away.

Is this how the same for Aerosoft BETA tesers? Maybe let us know how it is and maybe people would stop begging to be one..... Just a thought.

I am not sure if you mean indeed BATA testing (could not find any relevance on Google for that) but our beta tests are rather strict and indeed a lot of testers drop out. But in the end they are testing just as the customers would use the product so just fly as much as you can helps us a a lot. In the pre beta testing things are different. During the Airbus testing the same flight was flown over 2000 times and some pilots did the same flight several times a day.

[KyleD 1027]

During the Airbus testing the same flight was flown over 2000 times and some pilots did the same flight several times a day.

EDDF 07C SULU7D UZ650 VEMUT UZ37 BUDEX UZ205 VENEN VENE2W NER4L ILS 16 LOWW.

A route none of us will ever forget...

[BeaverDriver 37]

My question, does eveyone know how BATA testingis performed? It seems a lot of want to be testers and have a an Idea that you get the plane and you just do with what you want. I was told by a beta tester for another product. Everything was calculated, all results kept. Flying the same approach over and over again. Do the same testing on one system, over and over again. For some, I'm sure it would be a great experience. After a while, with all the time given

and all the work performed, he recommended to me to stay away.

Is this how the same for Aerosoft BETA tesers? Maybe let us know how it is and maybe people would stop begging to be one..... Just a thought.

Mathijs may chime in here, but in my experience what you do and how you beta test varies quite a bit. There is much to be said by simply flying as you would normally, but this is where being a RW pilot comes in especially handy as you will tend to fly flights in ways that are realistic. By doing flights like this, you start to expose bugs and anomalies. Once bugs start to be identified, that's when the "tedium" might set in as you want to try and reproduce the problem under as many conditions as possible. In this way you narrow down the actual cause. It doesn't help much to tell the developer that "the ILS needle loses the signal on approach sometimes." It's far, far better to say, "the GS needle deviates 2 bars off center high when 1.7 nm from the threshold." (for example). So it really depends. It also helps to be familiar with the aircraft itself, but there aren't a lot of people out there with RW Airbus or Twin Otter time (I have lots of time on Beavers, but nothing on Twin Otters, and they are two very different airplanes, so I'm not of a lot of help from that respect). But somewhere you need to have someone who has an idea as to what the airplane **should** feel like. For example, from experience I know that STOL airplanes can utilize very steep approaches due to the wing and flap design, and this is true of the Beaver, Twin Otter, Dash 7, etc., etc. It's simply a characteristic of that type of airplane and airfoil. And, as someone else mentioned, a lot of time with FS (i.e. preferably going back a couple of generations anyway so you know what FSX does and doesn't do well). Lastly, you'd better be a good communicator. You have to explain in terms a developer can understand, when something isn't right. "It doesn't fly right" is of no use to anyone. "It tends to fly left wing low when below 80 kts indicated and at reduced power settings" is of much more help and gives the developer a place to start at least.

Anyway, it's a long process, and mostly extremely enjoyable. But it is something you have to commit to and follow through on. If you can't/won't do that, you'd best save yourself and the developer a lot of time and frustration and wait for the release.

[Keith Talbot 34]

Mathijs may chime in here, but in my experience what you do and how you beta test varies quite a bit. There is much to be said by simply flying as you would normally, but this is where being a RW pilot comes in especially handy as you will tend to fly flights in ways that are realistic. By doing flights like this, you start to expose bugs and anomalies. Once bugs start to be identified, that's when the "tedium" might set in as you want to try and reproduce the problem under as many conditions as possible. In this way you narrow down the actual cause. It doesn't help much to tell the developer that "the ILS needle loses the signal on approach sometimes." It's far, far better to say, "the GS needle deviates 2 bars off center high when 1.7 nm from the threshold." (for example). So it really depends. It also helps to be familiar with the aircraft itself, but there aren't a lot of people out there with RW Airbus or Twin Otter time (I have lots of time on Beavers, but nothing on Twin Otters, and they are two very different airplanes, so I'm not of a lot of help from that respect). But somewhere you need to have someone who has an idea as to what the airplane **should** feel like. For example, from experience I know that STOL airplanes can utilize very steep approaches due to the wing and flap design, and this is true of the Beaver, Twin Otter, Dash 7, etc., etc. It's simply a characteristic of that type of airplane and airfoil. And, as someone else mentioned, a lot of time with FS (i.e. preferably going back a couple of generations anyway so you know what FSX does and doesn't do well). Lastly, you'd better be a good communicator. You have to explain in terms a developer can understand, when something isn't right. "It doesn't fly right" is of no use to anyone. "It tends to fly left wing low when below 80 kts indicated and at reduced power settings" is of much more help and gives the developer a place to start at least.

Anyway, it's a long process, and mostly extremely enjoyable. But it is something you have to commit to and follow through on. If you can't/won't do that, you'd best save yourself and the developer a lot of time and frustration and wait for the release.

Well Beaver driver. I love the challenge of beta testing the Twotter" I have Real world experance On the twotter with the MNR doing forst fire runs and water drops that is how i joined the team i look forward to testing every time i get the chance. Not much testing right now until the next update is out that being the cargo area, But sure can't wait for the Float version to come our way. My last thought is i sure injoy this and very happy i am apart of the team. Yours truly

Regards, Keith

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

Mathijs may chime in here, but in my experience what you do and how you beta test varies quite a bit. There is much to be said by simply flying as you would normally, but this is where being a RW pilot comes in especially handy as you will tend to fly flights in ways that are realistic. By doing flights like this, you start to expose bugs and anomalies. Once bugs start to be identified, that's when the "tedium" might set in as you want to try and reproduce the problem under as many conditions as possible. In this way you narrow down the actual cause. It doesn't help much to tell the developer that "the ILS needle loses the signal on approach sometimes." It's far, far better to say, "the GS needle deviates 2 bars off center high when 1.7 nm from the threshold." (for example). So it really depends. It also helps to be familiar with the aircraft itself, but there aren't a lot of people out there with RW Airbus or Twin Otter time (I have lots of time on Beavers, but nothing on Twin Otters, and they are two very different airplanes, so I'm not of a lot of help from that respect). But somewhere you need to have someone who has an idea as to what the airplane **should** feel like. For example, from experience I know that STOL airplanes can utilize very steep approaches due to the wing and flap design, and this is true of the Beaver, Twin Otter, Dash 7, etc., etc. It's simply a characteristic of that type of airplane and airfoil. And, as someone else mentioned, a lot of time with FS (i.e. preferably going back a couple of generations anyway so you know what FSX does and doesn't do well). Lastly, you'd better be a good communicator. You have to explain in terms a developer can understand, when something isn't right. "It doesn't fly right" is of no use to anyone. "It tends to fly left wing low when below 80 kts indicated and at reduced power settings" is of much more help and gives the developer a place to start at least.

Anyway, it's a long process, and mostly extremely enjoyable. But it is something you have to commit to and follow through on. If you can't/won't do that, you'd best save yourself and the developer a lot of time and frustration and wait for the release.

I agree with all you say. But beta testing is not a well defined word. We got testers that get very early copies and we got some testers that only get the release candidates. They all got different jobs. However a comment like 'It does not fly right' is exactly what a customer would say as as such very valuable to me.

I feel much beta testing done these days is far too clinical and done for the developer and not the customer. The products we make are not intended to simulate the aircraft directly but to simulate what the customer expects it to be. That sounds strange but it is true. A customer expects to hear the APU and flaps motors from the cockpit because all addons do that. The fact you simply do not hear that in the real aircraft is of little consequence. We do not make our add-ons for our own pleasure but for the pleasure of the customers. And that is why real pilots are incredibly valuable for testing, but testers who are like customers are more valuable.

[DagR 3]

I watch this topic from time to time and every time I am absolutely amazed at the level of detail on this aircraft. Outstanding work! The nomal mapping is absolutely superb! Great work Stefan and crew.

Best

DagR

[Twinotter_Pilot 13]

DagR, I absolutely agree.

Being one of the testers I can hardly leave my fingers off the new Twin Otter. The level of detail is excellent as well as the flight behaviour - there is so much to explore around the new DHC-6.

[cosnowboarder_777 21]

Speaking of beta, not sure if this has already been discussed, but will the twin otter have the beta range simulated on the engines?

[ricky76 0]

Regardless of it's distace to the finish line, she is looking great! Can hardly wait to push heavy items out the side doors while in flight!!!

[jovic11 1]

im so looking forward to this. But one thing. could you make a 2D pop up so that we can use a water rubber on the twin otter for easier water operations.

joe

[liazkam 1]

Great plane. I'm looking at this forum couple of times a week, hoping for a release date or pre-sale announcement.

Hope it will be announced soon.

Those amazing screenshots don't make waiting any better :-)

[Emi 5161]

Great plane. I'm looking at this forum couple of times a week, hoping for a release date or pre-sale announcement.

Hope it will be announced soon.

Those amazing screenshots don't make waiting any better :-)

Most propably there won't be a pre-sale. Aerosoft sees no need for a pre-sale for download products.

[jovic11 1]

either way i want to get it straight away and add it to my maldives x scenery

[Hueyman 10]

Speaking of beta, not sure if this has already been discussed, but will the twin otter have the beta range simulated on the engines?

Yeah, I'm interested too.

Is the low range of the PCL will actually directly control blade pitch as well as fuel schedule like it does on real PT6's ? I don't know how efficient would this be in FSX as the default Turbine model is so far from reality, but in X-Plane we would see a direct effect in taxi or even in steep beta descents.