Most of you are probably already aware of this, since it has made a lot of noise on all FS forums already, but I thought I would create a topic here as well.
During the weekend, A2A Simulation have announced their next product: it will be a Lockheed Constellation L-049 !
The important information is that plane will be fitted with Accusim and Captain of the ship.
For those of you who don't know what Accusim is, this is what makes the A2A birds the current state of the art in the world of piston-engine addons. Accusim is a module that simulates the internal 'organs' of the plane, comprising electrical, hydraulics, fluids and mechanics. Instead of the simple ON/OFF, Accusim simulates all of the small details that make a system work, or not work, or work but not so perfectly etc... It also records in real time the wear and damage that the plane organs receive, depending on your way to use them. This wear/damage state is then saved automatically during each flight, so the plane gets old from a flight to another. When you close your sim and restart it a few days later, you don't get a new plane: you get the plane you had when you left it. Damage and wear greatly influences the behavior of the plane, making the engines more difficult to start or handle, impacting the performance (fuel and oil consumption), vibrations, functionalities etc...
Concerning "Captain of the Ship", this is another module which acts a bit like FSPassengers if I understood correctly. It greatly enhances your experience as a captain. The module simulates your flying crew (copilot, engineer and hostesses/stewards) and your passengers, and your performance as a pilot gets rated depending on your skills. You have to handle the flight as a real one, which includes handling the pressurization and cabin temperature for passengers comfort, triggering the lunch times, etc... You can also delegate some tasks to your copilot and engineer, including the handling of cowl flaps, RPM, intercoolers and anything that keeps you away from piloting the plane. You get rated on the quality and comfort of your flight, including the smoothness of the landings for example (and trying NOT to land while passengers are having lunch...). There are many more features but I don't know them all.
The Connie will be the second aircraft with "Captain of the ship"; the first one being the Boeing 377, released some years ago. If I read it correctly, the Connie will enter the beta-testing phase in a few weeks, so we can expect it to be released within the next 6 months. From my side, I just cannot wait and already entered in the "Shut up and take my money!" phase. An Accusim Connie is something I stopped dreaming about a long time ago. This project was totally unexpected from the FS community, and it's quite a nice surprise, to say the least
