Just 2 days ago, we reported on TFDi Design pushing the first release candidate of v1.1 of their 717 to their Community Opt-In Beta program. Today, 7/17 at 7:17 EST, TFDi made version 1.1 live, brining the aircraft out of open beta and signifying beginning of the end of full time, active development on the 717!
Users who have been using the Opt-In Beta will not notice all that much of a difference aside from the brand new external model and a few miscellaneous bug fixes. Users who haven’t, however, are in store for the biggest update to a product they’ve probably ever seen. A few things users can expect to see changed is a totally revamped exterior model complete with wingflex and cabin lighting, a paint kit, official P3D v4 support, huge improvements to the AFS and MCDU, ADF simulation, improved engine performance, improved FADEC and throttle behavior, improved taxi behavior, and so much more. A non-inclusive highlight of the changes can be found below, with the full beta changelog being available for viewing here. Users can download 1.1 via the Addon Manager with all liveries needing to be reinstalled due to the new model. (speaking of liveries, all of their official liveries have been updated to be compatible with the new model and are now available to download on the TFDi download page!)
In addition, lead programmer Collin Biedenkapp outlined what we can expect from TFDi now that v1.1 has finally released. First off, it was said that active development of the 717 was winding down but TFDi will periodically update the product over the coming weeks, months, and years with new features and fixes they deem appropriate. Although development will be slowing down significantly, customers can still expect the award winning support they’ve come to expect from TFDi. Going into the future, their recently announced Passenger and Crew Experience, or PACX, will be their immediate focus while other projects they have in the pipeline getting attention in the future. Colin ended by personally thanking every one of their customers for their support and patience throughout the development cycle and expressing his excitement towards seeing users enjoying the 717!
That was all that was said, with his full press release being available here. With such a big milestone being reached, we can only congratulate TFDi for a job well done on the 717 and wish them all the best in their future projects that we are looking very much forward to seeing announced!
Major Changes from Version 1.0.8.0
- A totally revamped exterior model including wing flex and cabin lights
- Paint kit
- Official Prepar3D v4 support
- Major AFS and MCDU improvements, such as
- Better NAV logic
- Better PROF logic
- Proper ATS CLAMP functionality
- Improved altitude, speed, fuel, and time predictions
- Various new MCDU functions
- Improved MCDU interaction and display
- Improved leg sequencing and insertion
- HOLD support
- AFS-guided VOR tracking support
- ADF simulation
- Scroll and drag support for documents on the tablet
- RemoteCDU integration
- Improved VOR simulation
- Improved ND PLAN mode
- Pause at top of descent option
- Improved engine performance throughout various stages of flight
- Settings page within the tablet for applicable on-demand settings
- Revamped terrain display
- Improved air manifold pressure and demand system
- Improved FADEC and throttle behavior
- Improved ground taxi behavior
- Various minor improvements to cockpit and night lighting textures
- New performance options via the Addon Manager
- Yoke light
- Improved hardware and MCDU keyboard interaction
- Improved internal logic to improve system resource utilization
