I guess my question is somewhat vague.  Can someone answer these questions about the Level D?

1) Does it support surround sound?  A lot of addons have Stereo sound that only supports engine sounds out of the two front speaks.  In this day in age I find that unnaceptable.  I want to hear the engine sounds from behind the cockpit, since that is where they are.

2)  What issues will I have to deal with under Win7/Acceleration?  I've heard that there are some problems, but going through their forums, it is kind of difficult to come up with a "summary" that I can use to make an informed purchasing decision.

Thanks

awe poor fellow....guess some questions are harder to answer 

I do not have the 767 model but like you I have the MD-11 from PMDG. Recently I decided I needed another airliner and was drawn in by the PMDG 747, which I purchased with the 800 series also. I was a little disappointed in the 747 and I guess that was because the MD-11 is so damned good. I believe that the MD-11 is the widebody king and anything else will be less.
    Do you have the FSLABS Concorde? It covers alot of ground and is challenging to learn, very well done and runs well on my system. The outside engine sound effects is a little off, but that is my only gripe.  Skip

The LDS 767 is quite a solid tube.

I owned the LDS for FS9, though never repurchased it for FSX because I became more interested in lighter aircraft and because I was drooling at the visuals with the Captain Sim 767 and went with that instead.  I probably would have bought the LDS had I not already purchased the CS version, but since I already have a 767 in the hanger, I decided to skip.

The sounds on the LDS is quite authentic, and I know since I've worked outside at the airport for a number of years.  I don't know if it supports surround sound though, since I do not currently have such a setup on my computer. 

In terms of systems, I find that the LDS is a little bit better than PMDG, since it intricately models how a lot of the systems interact with each other.  For instance, you can have INS errors if your aircraft is not constantly triangulating itself with reference to VOR stations, and stuff like that. 

I believe the FSX version of the LDS is more or less the same as the FS9 version.  The plane is basically a port-over, and so you will see a flat overhead panel in the VC, low-res, and perhaps bland textures.  It simply does not look as great as some addons you see in FSX. 

If you don't mind having some dated visuals, however, then LDS is an excellent choice.  It still probably has the best systems modeling for the 767 to date.  Doesn't look as good as the Captain Sim, but its light years ahead in terms of systems IMO. 

With all this said, you might find that its just another tube.  If you already own the PMDG 747... then to be frank, you've probably seen most of what needs to be seen in flying a heavy jet.  If you can fly one Boeing, then you can probably fly them all.  Thats part of the reason that my more recent payware purchases consisted of lighter and smaller planes

As far as issues with Windows 7, all I know is that with the FS9 version, I hadn't had any problems back when I was flying it on Windows 7.  Maybe its different for FSX... I dunno.

Now, the Good News.  I guess I'm several years late in joining a chorus of praise for this airplane, but I now will add my compliments as well.

All of the issues that have affected Acceleration users, namely a problem involving engine-start, have been fixed (apparently, the latter, within the last couple of months).

Once you get this plane up and running, fully patched up to spec, with the Winglet addition, the VC texture enhancements, and some better sound...maybe throw in some McPhat liveries (which are being released for this plane now), and you have, as Rocket_Bird said, a "solid tube"

I was expecting this plane to be dated...but it isn't.  Aside from the 2 D overhead, which doesn't look all that bad, this plane is every bit the equal of the PMDG 747 in terms of fidelity.  I am inclined to think it is even better, if only because it is a lot more frame friendly.

I'm very happy.  I didn't want to have to spend several hours getting it to run, and up to speed, but now that it is up and working, it is Fabulous.  I don't see any faults at all, whatsoever.

I see many enjoyable, rewarding, Flight-simmin' hours ahead with this plane!!!

Landing on the numbers after a perfect test flight.  Now we need to visit Mcphat Studios, and see what we can do about paint jobs!

bunky wrote on Jun 8^th, 2011 at 2:54pm:


The updates I applied:

1)Andre Folkers(sp?) VC mod, to update the look with better textures
2)The Winglet mod
3)The Acceleration "Engine Start Fix"
4)EHSI fix, which addresses a minor issue with magnetic heading versus true heading.

All of these patches and upgrades can be found in the Members section of the Level-D forums.

Additionally, I purchased several McPhat liveries


Sound:  Right now, I have simply aliased my sound to the default 737-800.  The sounds aren't GE CF6's, but they sound a heck of a lot better than the stock Level-D sounds, and they come out of the correct sound channel on your 5.1 speakers.  Because certain sounds are hardcoded into the Level D model, you will still get certain Level D specific sounds, like button clicks, Crew voices, etc.  At some time in the future, I might revisit this issue to get sounds more accurate to certain engine variants, but for now, I think that is your easiest and quickest bet. It isn't bad, and at least you won't be ANNOYED by the sounds.

Also:  There is apparently an issue in the LD in that the GPWS sounds only get initialized correctly by loading up the main 2D panel.  The workaround is simple.  While you are sitting in the VC, just hit Shift-A to load the main 2D panel for a second or two, and then return to VC.  Easy to forget to do, but not a big deal.

I agree completely that the MD-11 is the "better of the 2".  The Level D is an older product though, and the plane itself has a more conventional philosophy, so I enjoy them both on their own merits, without making a direct comparison.  The MD-11 has a lot of the attributes of Fly by Wire, so it definitely takes a different mindset.  I like the look and feel of the PMDG 747 better than the level D, but the Level D is a lot easier on framerates.  My biggest complaint with the Level D right now is the mouseclick design, the 'sticky' knobs, and the fact that if you move the VC viewpoint too far back the buttons and knobs are 'out of reach'.  Have you noticed these things?


When the NGX comes out, that will probably be the best though.