I was wondering with the A340 being discounted on Marketplace, if it was worth it or if the aircraft had a similar amount of bugs like the 300 or 350 had on initial release? I’m a bit split towards ini and their reputation for putting out things in a quick manner without adequate quality check. Also, I normally prefer the A320, 777 or MD-11, is the 340 still recommend or should I wait until a heavy discount may come in autumn or towards black week?
Your input is highly appreciated.
Kind regards
Normally I would recommend the A340 without hesitation. The interior and exterior modeling are solid, and after the latest updates I’ve more or less made peace with the systems too, performance is okay as well.
But unfortunately, the Damocles sword of WASM crashes is still hanging over the A340 just like it is over many other iniBuilds aircraft. I bought the A300 and the A350 and had the same issues there. I ended up getting the A340 as well because I thought they’d eventually get things under control but that turned out to be a mistake.
And it’s not just my personal experience, there are tons of those “orange WASM crash screens” being reported here and on the iniBuilds forum. On top of that, iniBuilds has acknowledged the bug and even set up a dedicated “Master WASM Crash Thread” for each aircraft.
For me, that’s a dealbreaker. After all the prep and hours in the sim, not being able to finish roughly every fourth flight because the thing crashes is just unacceptable. The only positive thing I can say is that they’re open and friendly about the issue when talking with users on their forum, and they’re actively collecting data to get closer to the root cause.
So my personal recommendation is to hold off until a changelog clearly and credibly shows that the issue has been fixed and that the community actually confirms it too.
My usual flights are medium haul of four to five hours at max, but mostly it’s around two to three hours. Do you think that might make a difference? But you nailed it, the WASM issues are a reason I hesitate to support them. Would’ve loved the A340-300 as I had many flights on it, but preferably on a stable plane.
Kind regards.
There are also random WASM crashes reported, but those seem to be pretty rare. If you dig into the bug reports, you’ll notice that most crashes are tied to changes in the flight plan like when you create pilot waypoints, select STARs, etc.
So in my opinion, the likelihood of it happening isn’t really time based, but more about how much you “stress” the flight plan in the MCDU. If you stick to the standard playbook load SimBrief and don’t touch anything afterward the chances are lower than if you’re constantly working the MCDU.
That’s just the conclusion I’ve come to after spending a lot of time digging into the issue and reading pretty much every report I could find on it.
And just to add to what @ChrisChromeFist says, I never use Simbrief or touch the MCDU, and I never get WASM crashes. There are WASM crashes reported all over the sim, not just with Inibuilds.
When I want to fly an Airbus I reach for the Inibuilds A340. It checks all the boxes for me. They are great about fixing issues with frequent releases.
I’m sorry, but that’s ridiculous. You can’t do too much with the MCDU or it crashes lol??? I’d just like to point out that I’ve done 23 flights with AeroLiss A340 since it was released and I haven’t experienced a single issue. I’m glad I haven’t spent a penny on inibuilds products.
I didn’t say you can’t use the MCDU at all, that wouldn’t be objective.
What I did say is that, based on all the bug reports I’ve read, most WASM crashes seem to happen when you modify the flight plan. That’s still bad enough though because you need to be able to do that like when you’re using ATC, or if you have to switch the STAR because the wind shifts and a different runway ends up being in use.
Btw. did you actually read the post I replied to and my previous one?
Then you’re seeing the post you replied to me about in a different context.
So is there a connection btw using simbrief in Inibuilds products and WASM crashes?
There’s two kinds of WASM crashes that I’ve seen reported: code and data. Data errors are tricky to debug. If you add a flight plan via Simbrief or the MCDU, and some element of that plan is missing data, then when the sim goes to retrieve that data element and gets a null pointer instead, you get a crash. Since I don’t use Simbrief or enter data via the MCDU, there is nothing to miss. Nothing to update on the Nav Data screen, nothing to update on the cruise screen in the MCDU. So, where’s the data coming from, what part of the data is missing, and what’s the WASM doing when it hits the null pointer? If Aerosoft is never getting WASM crashes, what did they do that’s different? It’s a complex problem.
So how do you plan a flight without using simbrief or the MCDU - Do you just use in sim EFB?
I hand fly in VFR conditions. I usually do the same routes, so after doing a few flight plans you know where to go, you don’t really need them. If I’m exploring, then I fly until I see an airport I like, then I execute an approach just like all the other approaches I’ve done. The speed bugs are basically the same every time. Climb out is the same, so is descent. I turn off ATC voices. Life is simple.
You hand fly VFR in an A340?
Every time.
I’m pretty sure most of us want to and will use the MCDU, and we don’t expect anything more or less than for the features provided by iniBuilds to actually work without issues.
Just to add … do note you can’t pop out the display units …Having corresponded with inibuilds, they confirm that this is a “feature” and I am the stupid one for not reading their small print. They have refused to refund me either … so that’s the end of me parting with my money for their products. Totally disappointed at their product and more especially their customer service.
I do have to say the A340 performs much better than the A350. It’s a shame because Inibuilds are extremely talented and their artwork and textures are sublime for both their aircraft and airport sceneries. They have a lot of potential… But I feel they took on more than they can chew with how many aircraft they already develop and support for such as: stock MSFS and first party aircraft (famous flyers etc), there own aircraft’s and sceneries and how often they release all these products.
Yes I have heard they are a large team but any team no matter of the size can always be overwhelmed with their workload. If only they cut down on what they develop and use that extra time by spending it on their current and active products then I believe they would be so much more productive with better quality control.
Let’s just hope Inibuilds read all this and seriously consider taking extra time on products and give the community what they need.