Umm...

[+Erik 1,731]

My passion and love for this community is what has kept me going these 17 some years. That's where my passion comes from, that's where it lives. I've seen them come and go in all shapes and sizes, I'm still here.. Anyone who knows me knows I'll take the bread off my plate to give to the night watch dog around here, if I have to. Sometimes that same passion compels me to say things I normally wouldn't, and sometimes not say things I normally would. I'm loyal to a fault, and I pick a team and fight with it until we're all dead or I'm carrying the last man out. It's how I am. It's why I answer all the questions, from the good ones to the not so good ones. So don't let my passion and strong convictions cause any stress for you. This isn't a site squabble or anything like that at all. I think you guys got a raw deal and I did what I could, I felt in many ways like I'd failed you, but today I know better.

 

So as my late granny used to say, "If I didn't care I wouldn't have said anything." She's right, I would have sat back and watched the show. But now as a "not official" forum we can voice an opinion that otherwise might not have been seen in an official forum. We can be more relaxed and enjoy ourselves. We can do things our way and the stop controls are off. That almost makes it worth all my complaining right there, doesn't it?

 

So in the end I get to hang out with you all, I'm great. The loss, this time, isn't mine.

 

[Olham 164]

This OFF Forum is an OFF-Pilots-Forum since some time now, and I think you are right:

it may give you and us more freedom and less rules. I know the "wolf pack" around here

can handle that; they behave quite decent most of the time ("Hey, you eaglet over there,

I can see you! Put that beer down and don't touch it again, or I'll come over there!").

 

Errh - where was I?

Well, all interaction, requests and assistence from your end has always been finest,

and the whole design and handling of this place is more than just one step beyond

many other places I know.

In one line: I'm glad you and us can and will carry on together.

 

PS: in our family we use the same saying your granny did.

 

("Now where's that beer? Where did that feller go, chaps?!")

Edited June 14, 2013 by Olham

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Well, since it seems we are passing round the talking stick let me have a go.

 

As a business person with a limited base of customers, (ambulance sales and service in the upper midwestern US is the archetypal niche market), I completely understand Erik's frustration over the sudden move to SimHQ.  I am heavily invested in every squad/town/hospital I supply my goods and services to and my company takes great pride in providing the best to all our customers.  I have left at 2:00am on a Sunday morning and driven ten hours to get a loaner ambulance to a service whose main rig was knocked out of commission in an accident; worked 36 hours straight to get a rig delivered so that the town receiving it could have it there for their 4th of July parade; carried a squad for several months while they scraped together enough money to pay off the used ambulance they bought from us; and on and on.  So when one of my longtime customers suddenly buys a rig from my competition without so much as a phone call letting me know they are shopping I take it very personally.  "What the F**K!" is what I want to say to them, but instead I politely ask them to explain what happened.  If it's something I did wrong I want to know so that I can correct it for the future, but usually it boils down to someone just making a snap decision.  What really pisses me off is when, after the fact, my old loyal customer comes up with some excuse to justify the move.  "Remember that time last year when we needed a light bulb for one of our dome lights and you were out of stock and couldn't ship it right away." Forget the hundreds of times over the years we sent them parts next-day UPS, or the time we let them use a loaner free of charge while theirs was in the shop.  I understand sometimes folks simply want to try something different and I would have far greater respect for them if they would just come right out and say that rather than cook up some flimsy excuse to justify their actions.  Man up, dammit.  But then that is the way of business and human nature I suppose.  Doesn't mean I have to like it though and so to repeat, I totally get where Erik is coming from on this.

 

Now then, I do understand the devs were chomping at the bit to post new information about their project of love and can fully get the anxiety they were experiencing when CA was down for several days with no word as to when things might be back online.  That being said, I still maintain that making the a decision on the fly to permanently move the OFF community forums to SimHQ was detrimental to our little cadre.  A temporary forum somewhere would have been a far better way to go IMHO.  I for one was gutted by the whole affair, to the point where I lost the desire to stop in and catch up with the day's OFF events.  My life is crazy busy and there are many days where I don't have time to visit even one forum for more than a few minutes, let alone two or three or more.  And, from a business point of view, splitting an already small base of "customers" even further is never a good thing.  It can put folks off, (some pun intended), cause confusion and mixed loyalties, drives some to other markets, and is just generally bad for business.  KISS is a great model to follow, (Keep It Simple, Stupid).  Not the case here with our old "Pilot's" forum at CA, the "Dev's" forum at SimHQ, the official OFF website, and now a soon-to-be official WOFF website.    Maybe I'll just go for a walk instead.

 

Let me end this rambling on a high note though: I am confident things will change for the better when WOFF is finally released.  Hell, I might even start posting new episodes of Paul Blum's story again.  

 

 

 

hee hee, Jim as A Vulcan.  Fascinating.

 

.

[rjw 47]

Erik;

 

I for one just want to thank you for keeping the OFF forums up and running. The CA site is by far the best of the two and all my posts and file hosting will continue to be on CA. I consider it my home. That being said, my attention has  been brought to the point that I have been getting all this great service at no lost to me so far. I have always been an advocate of the saying "You get what you pay for in life". That often is more of an ideology than a fact these days, but in the case of CA forums I feel it is time I anti up and so I will be sending funds as contribution for my membership. I can't honestly justify my free ride for ever.

[+Erik 1,731]

.

 

Well, since it seems we are passing round the talking stick let me have a go.

 

 

 

I couldn't have said it better myself. Sometimes it takes being there to help understand an idea, philosophy, and principles by which others live. You get it and thanks!

 

In my case when OFF lost their home at SimOuthouse they came to us by way of invitation. I dropped everything to put a place together and get it furnished so everyone would have a home and not have to feel cast out or left in the dark, the devs especially. The sleepless nights I've had making sure the OFF forums were working after an upgrade, seeing they were horked and having to redo their entire skin to get them back live. When I think about the hours I spent making images and changes to fine tune the look they become endless but are gone now.

 

Time for a new book. We all know the ending to this one.

Erik;

 

I for one just want to thank you for keeping the OFF forums up and running. The CA site is by far the best of the two and all my posts and file hosting will continue to be on CA. I consider it my home. That being said, my attention has  been brought to the point that I have been getting all this great service at no lost to me so far. I have always been an advocate of the saying "You get what you pay for in life". That often is more of an ideology than a fact these days, but in the case of CA forums I feel it is time I anti up and so I will be sending funds as contribution for my membership. I can't honestly justify my free ride for ever.

 

Thank you. You guys are true gentlemen. Brandy top shelf and our box of finest cigars to go around.

[Olham 164]

Kepp the cigars, Erik - but where's that brandy you mentioned? ...

Ah, clever - in this thick mockup book! "THE GREAT WAR"...

Good one!

[RamblingSid 3]

Oh dear, some discontent it seems.

 

Hellshade, I think you have it. For good or ill, expectations over the release of WOFF were raised and then dashed.

This is not helpful imo and I am glad that OBD has stopped releasing "teaser" screenies/vids. I made a decision not

to look at any more some time ago - preaching to choir in any case - and, other than hoping to win Eric's draw  ,

now don't really care that much about the When.

 

For me, CA will always be the "home" of OFF/WOFF, thanks Eric - will be sorting out subscription this weekend.

 

Siggi: I don't use Lothar's mod (don't care for role-playing) but I do use HPWs and the ENB bloom thingy, they work

very well with absolutely no impact on frame rates etc. If you haven't tried them give them a go - much more juice left

in OFF believe me.

 

Cheers.

 

RS

[Hauksbee 103]

For good or ill, expectations over the release of WOFF were raised and then dashed...and I am glad that OBD has stopped releasing "teaser" screenies/vids.

I could not disagree more. I'll take all the screenies I can get. That way I know there is progress being made. The worst of waiting is the glacial silence on the part of the Devs. I understand the need to play their cards close, and no one is proof against serious illness and deaths in the family. But I was much heartened when Pol revealed that at some time in the near past there was actually a release date planned. (even if it had to be scrapped). It tells me that the end is in sight. Screenies, periodically posted, tell me that there will be an end, eventually.

[gaw 5]

love seeing screenies and vids....keeping the faith....somebody, somewhere is working on something cool....I LIKE to know it's still happening....there's real time, there's geologic time....then there's dev time.  so great there's still a mystery that may reveal itself in our lifetime....cool!!!

[RamblingSid 3]

Just my personal preference, Hauksbee, but I do think there is something

to the raising and disappointment of expectations.

 

They can post as many as they like, I just won't be viewing them.

I've seen enough to be sure that WOFF will look superb, I never had

any doubt abt that. Fingers crossed that the AI has been as well sorted.

 

Besides, I would like some pleasant surprises and you can't have that if

too much is known beforehand. Silly, I know, but there you are.

 

All the best

 

RS

[Olham 164]

Just stumbled across one post, that might explain what keeps the devs so long.

If this is one of the reasons - wow, then I'll wait patiently...

 

http://combatace.com/topic/37650-aerodromes/?do=findComment&comment=254866

[JFM 18]

All good posts recently.

 

As far as being a "Vulcan," that's hysterical! And, really, very, very, VERY close to one of my decade's old nicknames: Spock. Admittedly, some truth to it. Mostly because I don't transfer/personalize everybody else's problems. 

[Olham 164]

Being a Vulcan partly or completely cannot be that bad.

Spock didn't get irritated emotionally, but he was a true friend and always helpful.

[Flyby PC 23]

Being a Vulcan partly or completely cannot be that bad.

Spock didn't get irritated emotionally, but he was a true friend and always helpful.

Yeah, but it wouldn't kill T'pol to smile once in a while.