I haven't played campaign for a while

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

I dunno about you guys, but sometimes OFF can be so immersive, that one needs to take a break, and focus on other things.

About a month ago, maybe two...I began to realise, that life was passing me by a bit...and OFF (either playing or skinning) was starting to get a little too much...which led me to think, that this must be 200% more so for the Devs.

 

I assume, they all hold down a job...and have families and friends...and I wonder how much sleep they get?

 

Although, with my work being quiet at the moment...recession and all that...I have more time to play OFF...but I feel really guilty using my PC for amusement during the working day...just my ethos I guess....and there are more constraints of a different nature, which have suddenly appeared.

 

So, I got to thinking...how long do YOU guys spend playing OFF...and if you find it difficult to play as much as you'd like?

 

Do you find that computer time takes up TOO much time?...do you get bitched at by loved ones?......Do you have enough time to go out and live a bit?

 

Just a thought

[+daddyairplanes 10,241]

at home it can be a struggle to get time in there to go aviating. when deployed its a different creature for me tho. no modding or flying on duty time of course, but one can find themselves with a bunch of down time if lucky. (all my deployments have been to airfields fortuneatly, lotta resources avail) you figure 20-60 min to talk to the family back home and then the rest of the day is yours. dont get me wrong in my case i'd rather be at home but if i got to be gone might as well take advantage the lack of family time. thats for SF2 but i figured the input for this thread would be good whatever era you fight in, virtually or in RL!

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

at home it can be a struggle to get time in there to go aviating. when deployed its a different creature for me tho. no modding or flying on duty time of course, but one can find themselves with a bunch of down time if lucky. (all my deployments have been to airfields fortuneatly, lotta resources avail) you figure 20-60 min to talk to the family back home and then the rest of the day is yours. dont get me wrong in my case i'd rather be at home but if i got to be gone might as well take advantage the lack of family time. thats for SF2 but i figured the input for this thread would be good whatever era you fight in, virtually or in RL!

 

Great stuff m8...lovely to hear how other guys do their thing!

[Slartibartfast 153]

I am lucky just moving to a new country and all that as I spend most good weather days going somewhere and exploring etc the bad days I devote to my favourite games... also helps being single sometimes...

 

Somedays though when nothing of nothing is happening gaming goes to town and I end up losing the day planing games...

Edited June 15, 2011 by Slartibartfast

[Rickitycrate 10]

Since I've become gainfully employed I fly much less. Wife is never a problem. I do though consider the things I need to be doing in my free time so as to have a somewhat clear consience. I am inspired to attain a better desktop computer for my OFFing. I just bought an HDTV 42" and have set it up as a monitor to my laptop. My first foray into a larger OFF experience is near at hand and I imagine I shall flying about in HD, surround-sound glory for some time. I just need to perform some maitenance on my laptop for the meantime. Also I acquired a PS3 and that has been getting most of my gaming attention lately. P4 will get all my attention upon it's release.

 

By the way, Hello, Widowmaker! You old scoundrel of the skies... with a bit of panache...

[Olham 164]

Good points there, Widowmaker.

I found very soon, that I can hardly do more than two missions per day; rather only one.

I'm not in the twenties anymore like those pilots, and I find it pretty straining, if I want to survive.

 

So it's ca. 1 hour of flying (almost every day),

plus 1/2 - 1 hour for skinning

 

Then there is also the forum, which I visit very often every day.

I am lucky - as a graphic designer, the PC is my workplace anyway.

 

As for the devs: I admire the endurance and detemination to build THE WW1 air combat simulation.

It is actually more - it is a history lesson.

Edited June 15, 2011 by Olham

[Wayfarer 5]

My wife and several daughters are still doing courses at present, and this takes up a great deal of computer time. Our rule has always been 'work first', so I try and fit into the quiet gaps when they occur. This means I usually get in a mission a week, sometimes two.

I have a quick look at the OFF and Aerodrome forums most days though.

I do occasionally get into 'figure frenzy'. As a wargamer and figure painter in my youth I am still get captivated by the by the variety, quality and painting standard of many wargames figures displayed on websites, and have sometimes shocked myself at how long I have spent following links from one figure site to another.

Away from the computer, I still persist in trying to teach myself to play the fiddle and try to get in an hours playing (if you can call it that) on as many evenings as possible.

I would spend more time with my daughters, honest, but their ages range from 17 to 22 next month so they have more exciting things to do nowadays!

[Hellshade 110]

Do I spend "too much" time playing video games? I'm sure from many people's perspective I probably do. But I've come to a point in my life where I think to myself, If playing games and using my imagination to enjoy experiences that I otherwise could never have makes me happy, why shouldn't making myself happy be considered productive? I own my own home, I have two cars and for the moment at least I have a good career going. The lawns mowed, the laundrys done, the bed is made, the bills are paid, the house is clean, the kids are well taken care of and my wife has literally finally run out of things to buy. Everyone has what they want and the necessities of life are taken care of. If gaming makes me happy, then I feel I deserve to put as much effort into my own happiness as I do into making my family happy. If someday I change my mind and decide going out and climbing mountains is what will make me feel happy and passionate about life, then I'll turn off my system and put on a pair of climbing boots. To me, it's not about how much time you spend doing a particular thing that makes you happy. It's about how happy it makes you feel as long as doing it is not somehow holding yourself or someone else that you love back in life. And really, if they love you as much as you love them...shouldn't they get as much joy out of seeing you happy as you get when you see them living their dreams?

 

I would hate to see my wife or children ever feel guilty about doing what they enjoy most in life. I give myself the same gift. If you ever think you are somehow holding yourself back in life or missing out on something because of your flying time in OFF, then step back and ask yourself what it is that you really want out of life that you are missing. Go do that. But feeling guilty over doing something that makes you happy? No sir. Making ourselves happy is just as important as making a living. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's just how I see it.

 

Hellshade

 

 

 

 

 

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

And hello to you Rickitycrate...we don't see anywhere near enough of you these days, you old Rapscallion!.....don't be a stranger Sir!

[Pips 5]

My partner works shift work, two weeks on days followed by two weeks on nights; whereas I work days. So whilst she is on nights I'm either flying OFF intensely or reading (history of course).

 

Then when she is on days my time is spent with her.

 

A happy balance. :)

[phantom67 0]

What can I say, being a university student with only a part-time job, living with parents has its advantages. That, and the missus is also heavily into gaming, so most of the time she lets me play my own games, provided we game together at some point. That being said, I COULD probably spend a bit more time on my studies as well as teaching myself new things in my spare time.

[TSmoke 2]

Right now I have the idea situation when it comes to wives or significant others bitching about flight time and or game play.

 

She works nights WHoooooo Hoooooooooooooo!!!! After being married for 31 years it is a slice of heaven.

 

I generally try to get in an hour or two an evening. More likely more seeing as how hockey playoffs just finished.

[Shiloh 12]

I fly whenever time permits - usually 3-4 times per week. I did have a stretch where I didn't fly at all for 3 weeks as I was busy but usually I can find the time. I'm a full-time dad during the day to two young kids who need a lot of attention so it's as time permits. I work at night for 3-4 hours so that's not really the best time.

 

Lately, when I put my son down for a nap in the afternoon and put on a Dora the Explorer video for my daughter I can get an hour of flight time in. I also have the benefit of learning toddler-level Spanish while flying.

 

It's all about balance as others have said. I will never put this before my family or other responsibilities but it does have a place as it's one of my only forms of recreation and I deserve this bit of fun in my busy life.

 

P.S. I did change a poopy diaper and help my son build a house of blocks during the writing of this post.

Edited June 16, 2011 by Shiloh

[carrick58 23]

I try and get in 2 hrs of playtime a day. OFF mostly, other games, and making a stab at Skinning.

[DukeIronHand 8]

Unfortunately I don't get near enough "OFF time."

 

With a full time job, part time commitments, house in the country, large property, etc, etc things tend to be busy especially in nicer weather. Thank goodness for winter!

 

Mercifully the children have grown so that has freed up much time.

 

With luck I get maybe 1 to 3 campaign missions a week but yes, I would play more if I could.

 

The main problem, for me as a campaign player, is the difficulty of finding 60 minutes of uninterrupted time to play.

 

I get 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there, hence my forum, skinning, attempts at modding time, but large blocks of time are tough.

 

If OFF had a mid-flight "save game" feature I probably could crank out much more game time.

 

A P4 possibility?

[Dej 17]

New house, new location, new job, new friends, too many interests... I have very little time for anything bar an odd QC here and there. I've too much of a backlog of WW! reading and research to do too. This forum is my main link to OFF and I'm glad of that. Things will change, but more money don't buy you more time, sure.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

I fly whenever time permits - usually 3-4 times per week. I did have a stretch where I didn't fly at all for 3 weeks as I was busy but usually I can find the time. I'm a full-time dad during the day to two young kids who need a lot of attention so it's as time permits. I work at night for 3-4 hours so that's not really the best time.

 

Lately, when I put my son down for a nap in the afternoon and put on a Dora the Explorer video for my daughter I can get an hour of flight time in. I also have the benefit of learning toddler-level Spanish while flying.

 

It's all about balance as others have said. I will never put this before my family or other responsibilities but it does have a place as it's one of my only forms of recreation and I deserve this bit of fun in my busy life.

 

P.S. I did change a poopy diaper and help my son build a house of blocks during the writing of this post.

 

wow Shiloh...reading your post just sent me back 10 yrs, to when my Son was 3.

 

My wife worked full time, and I was part time...so looked after him a lot...hardest damn job in the world!...but great fun too....He used to have a sleep in the afternoons (most times)...so I would get an hour or so on 1942 Pacific Air War....it used to save my sanity!..lol

 

Enjoy every minute...it goes so fast

 

Now he's 13...I get even less time on the PC...cos he's on it!

Edited June 16, 2011 by UK_Widowmaker

[themightysrc 5]

"Do I spend "too much" time playing video games? I'm sure from many people's perspective I probably do. But I've come to a point in my life where I think to myself, If playing games and using my imagination to enjoy experiences that I otherwise could never have makes me happy, why shouldn't making myself happy be considered productive? I own my own home, I have two cars and for the moment at least I have a good career going. The lawns mowed, the laundry's done, the bed is made, the bills are paid, the house is clean, the kids are well taken care of and my wife has literally finally run out of things to buy. Everyone has what they want and the necessities of life are taken care of. If gaming makes me happy, then I feel I deserve to put as much effort into my own happiness as I do into making my family happy. If someday I change my mind and decide going out and climbing mountains is what will make me feel happy and passionate about life, then I'll turn off my system and put on a pair of climbing boots. To me, it's not about how much time you spend doing a particular thing that makes you happy. It's about how happy it makes you feel as long as doing it is not somehow holding yourself or someone else that you love back in life. And really, if they love you as much as you love them...shouldn't they get as much joy out of seeing you happy as you get when you see them living their dreams?

 

I would hate to see my wife or children ever feel guilty about doing what they enjoy most in life. I give myself the same gift. If you ever think you are somehow holding yourself back in life or missing out on something because of your flying time in OFF, then step back and ask yourself what it is that you really want out of life that you are missing. Go do that. But feeling guilty over doing something that makes you happy? No sir. Making ourselves happy is just as important as making a living. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's just how I see it.

 

Hellshade"

 

Worth reposting, because it goes beyond the nuts and bolts of time allotted to OFF (or otherwise). It's easy to forget that happiness is a reciprocal process within a community of people. If I gain, you gain. This is not a zero sum game.

[Shiloh 12]

wow Shiloh...reading your post just sent me back 10 yrs, to when my Son was 3.

 

My wife worked full time, and I was part time...so looked after him a lot...hardest damn job in the world!...but great fun too....He used to have a sleep in the afternoons (most times)...so I would get an hour or so on 1942 Pacific Air War....it used to save my sanity!..lol

 

Enjoy every minute...it goes so fast

 

Now he's 13...I get even less time on the PC...cos he's on it!

 

It's something how people's lives can be so similar if only for a short time Widow. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world getting to spend so much time with my kids. OFF gives me a release from parenting/work that I don't get with anything else - it's freeing in a way. I thought about when my son gets older and I'm trying to figure out whether I'll need to get him a gaming PC so we can play together. I let my 4 year-old daughter take the controls from time-to-time and she likes doing loops and stuff.

 

Here's to family - drink up my friend.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

haha Shiloh.

 

Yes indeed!...I remember showing my Son how to play various PC games, which he has gone on to whip my ass at on the LAN!...my reactions must have slowed over the years, and he is a crack shot with a Rifle in the likes of COD!...it's VERY frustrating...the pupil is now better than the teacher!!

 

I raise my glass to you Sir...raise them well, you get but one chance!....but just reading what you write, shows me that you're a good un m8

[Shiloh 12]

Raising our kids Widow is the most important thing we will ever do - not our jobs, or anything else. And the way I figure it, If I raise them to be good responsible adults, they will surely change my diaper when I'm 90 when no one else would. It comes full circle after all.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Amen to that!

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Many things posted here by you folks are so familiar to me as well. Work continues to keep me extremely busy and on the road a lot. However, home life has been a bit quieter as of late. It's just Jane and I now in the old farm house as all the kids are grown and on their own. My OFF flying is about three times a week, in the very early morning hours, when I can get in the odd campaign mission. Still doing the full immersion thing, with the 'paper map' pulled up on my second computer, so I require about two hours of real time for each mission I fly.

 

.