How have you seen people change over your time here?

[Kerbalstar]

Sorry if it's a bit vague, if anyone has a better idea for a title, please tell me. Anyway, I was wondering what things have changed in the time you've been here. What I mean by that is that when I started with the forums, some of the "household names" of the forum were a bit different. For example, @Vanamonde was a lowly normal mod, and people like @Red Iron Crown, @sal_vager, @SpaceplaneAddict, and @(@tagging isn't working @Brotoro, @Gesss(I don't know how to spell his name) were very active, and now they're all gone. @Kuzzter was only on Duna Ore Bust, and @Just Jim had just started or hadn't started his famous saga. People who you see all around now like @Snark and  @Ultimate Steve didn't even exist forum-wise, as far as I know. Some people have lived through, like Vanamonde @5thHorseman (not working again), and @Kuzzter, but a lot have come and gone.

While I was writing this, I realized that even though I think of myself as a relative forum noob, but thinking about that list of people, I wonder if I'm not. 

Anyway, my question for you is: Who have you seen come and go? Who do you think of as "household names" of the forum? 

[Ultimate Steve]

I remember back when @sal_vager was someone you'd see incredibly often, and who would always throw you off when he switched avatars. I closely followed Kuzzter's comics early on... It was good at the beginning and now it's amazing. I hope he finishes them someday.

Also, the naval battle club also used to do stuff, and back then every single shot wasn't a guaranteed 1 hit kill. I think I've been here under many different community managers... I remember back when it was PD TV. I remember the original KSP weekly... I lurked hear a while before I made an account. I played the game for just under three years before I came here, actually, so I've "been" on the forum since 2013.

The rocket builders was a thing. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Also @Geschosskopf appears to have gone missing.  I enjoyed the circus.

And universally in almost all of the writers I have noticed a trend. They all tend to get better over time.

[Kerbalstar]

36 minutes ago, Ultimate Steve said:

I remember back when @sal_vager was someone you'd see incredibly often, and who would always throw you off when he switched avatars. I closely followed Kuzzter's comics early on... It was good at the beginning and now it's amazing. I hope he finishes them someday.

Also, the naval battle club also used to do stuff, and back then every single shot wasn't a guaranteed 1 hit kill. I think I've been here under many different community managers... I remember back when it was PD TV. I remember the original KSP weekly... I lurked hear a while before I made an account. I played the game for just under three years before I came here, actually, so I've "been" on the forum since 2013.

The rocket builders was a thing. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Also @Geschosskopf appears to have gone missing.  I enjoyed the circus.

And universally in almost all of the writers I have noticed a trend. They all tend to get better over time.

Yeah, the avatar switching would throw me off! I too hope @Kuzzter finishes his comics!

I remember the old KSP weekly, yeah.

I've been here since ... 2015, as that's when I heard about the game, and a few months later I joined the forums.

I don't remember the rocket builders, I hear it was fun though...

I enjoyed the circus too. @Geschosskopf, come back!

That they do.

[Vanamonde]

Of the people I was familiar with, too many to list have come and gone. 

[Gargamel]

One of the coolest aspects I've seen in the forums is watching the younglings grow up.     I'm old, middle aged, cranky, and pretty set in my ways.   But it's really cool when I can see a new player, mid teens or so, discover the game.  And then over time, we get to see the maturity come along just by reading the inane posts we all write.  Not only do things like grammar and syntax improve, but the way they have learned to look at problems differently, quite often a skill taught by playing this game.   Then seeing some of them fall in love with aerospace so much, they are attempting to make a career of it.   And even if they don't, the passion for science and engineering this game invokes in people is a wonderful change to see happen. 

[Kerbalstar]

1 minute ago, Gargamel said:

One of the coolest aspects I've seen in the forums is watching the younglings grow up.     I'm old, middle aged, cranky, and pretty set in my ways.   But it's really cool when I can see a new player, mid teens or so, discover the game.  And then over time, we get to see the maturity come along just by reading the inane posts we all write.  Not only do things like grammar and syntax improve, but the way they have learned to look at problems differently, quite often a skill taught by playing this game.   Then seeing some of them fall in love with aerospace so much, they are attempting to make a career of it.   And even if they don't, the passion for science and engineering this game invokes in people is a wonderful change to see happen. 

I agree. Before I started here I knew nothing about space. I thought rockets launched straight up! Now I know a lot about space and space exploration, and there’s so much more to learn! 

[SpaceplaneAddict]

@kerbalstar, gonna be totally real with you bud, I got really burnt outta this game. I've picked it up recently again, maybe this new dlc might bring me back. *shrug* 

[Kerbalstar]

7 minutes ago, SpaceplaneAddict said:

@kerbalstar, gonna be totally real with you bud, I got really burnt outta this game. I've picked it up recently again, maybe this new dlc might bring me back. *shrug* 

Okay, I get it, I’ve taken a couple few month hiatuses. Thanks!

[HansonKerman]

Me? I remember nothing of your experiences, but I quite liked seeing @The Minmus Derp joining.

I also have noticed @KSK has not been visiting the threads they used to much.

20 hours ago, kerbalstar said:

Okay, I get it, I’ve taken a couple few month hiatuses. Thanks!

Nice how those can make you relaxed and worried at the same time.

[Kerbalstar]

2 minutes ago, HansonKerman said:

Me? I remember nothing of your experiences, but I quite liked seeing @The Minmus Derp joining.

I also have noticed @KSK has not been visiting the threads they used to much.

Nice how those can make you relaxed and worried at the same time.

You’re right, @KSK hasn’t been around nearly as much recently. 

Oh?

[HansonKerman]

@kerbalstar "Oh", what?

[Kerbalstar]

Just now, HansonKerman said:

@kerbalstar "Oh", what?

 

7 minutes ago, HansonKerman said:

Nice how those can make you relaxed and worried at the same time.

How so?

[HansonKerman]

@kerbalstar Well... The relaxing effect: "Well, one less game to worry about, now I can have more time with ____. (in my case, Pokémon)"

Worry effect: "OMG What about my mission reports!? Or my fan-fiction?" (And, if you have an imagination like mine, as you're walking along at school, you think) "Ooo, that's a nice chapter, let's see if I can do that! Wait! But I'm too immersed in _____ (Pokémon for me), will I have time?"

[Kerbalstar]

Just now, HansonKerman said:

@kerbalstar Well... The relaxing effect: "Well, one less game to worry about, now I can have more time with ____. (in my case, Pokémon)"

Worry effect: "OMG What about my mission reports!? Or my fan-fiction?" (And, if you have an imagination like mine, as you're walking along at school, you think) "Ooo, that's a nice chapter, let's see if I can do that! Wait! But I'm too immersed in _____ (Pokémon for me), will I have time?"

I see. I just got a bit burnt out. I stopped looking at the forums for a few months, and then came back before I really started playing the game again, then started looking at stuff and wanting to do it, and then I got a bit burnt out on the other game I was playing (for me Stellaris), and came back to KSP.

[Chel]

It's always interesting to see how the KSP community 'evolves' on here. 

[KSK]

On 10/1/2018 at 2:53 AM, Ultimate Steve said:

And universally in almost all of the writers I have noticed a trend. They all tend to get better over time.

Practice does that.  I wouldn’t like to comment on anyone else’s writing but I’ve certainly noticed the changes in mine over time. I think they’ve been changes for the better but others might reasonably disagree.

But back on topic, since folks have been kind enough to mention me. There’s a few reasons why I haven’t been around as much lately and thinking about it, they all kind of feed off each other.

The main one is that I haven’t actually played KSP for ages and I don’t really have much of an urge to pick it up again. For me, the fun was in the learning to play - it turns out I’m not as into the sandbox elements of the game as I thought I’d be, which limited its replayability once I got to a certain level of competence. I’ve tried career mode several times but that’s never really clicked for me either. Making History seems to be largely aimed at players who enjoy the forum Challenges and those who like building replica craft. Neither of those are aspects of the game that have really appealed to me.

So it goes. It’s been fun, I regret nothing, but nothing lasts forever either.

Not playing the game has made it that bit harder to engage with the forum in general and, on a number of topics, I think I’ve said everything I want to say anyway. Plus, regrettably, there have been a number of threads which I’ve found personally depressing and which, to me, exposed an uglier side to the community which I don’t like or wish to engage with. That’s  a personal opinion only of course and this certainly isn’t the place to elaborate or name names.

Finally, my personal life over the last couple of years has been rather stressful for a number of reasons and, as you’ll probably have gathered by now, KSP hasn’t really been my game of choice for unwinding with of an evening.  Hence the urge to ‘pick it up and give it another try’ hasn’t really been there.

Edit: And last but not least, I’ve also seen the forum change and players that I had a lot of respect for and/or enjoyed what they brought to the community, have now gone. That takes its toll after a while too.

Edited October 10, 2018 by KSK

[Guest]

On 9/30/2018 at 10:33 PM, Kerbalstar said:

Yeah, the avatar switching would throw me off! I too hope @Kuzzter finishes his comics!

Yeah, me too  Hopefully I can do so before I forget what everyone was going to do next! But it's not going to be for at least another few months... wish I could tell you all what I've been doing instead, and I do miss both the game and the Forums

[Kerbalstar]

@KSK, I get it. It seems as if most of the people who we saw around for a while got burnt out on the game. It's very sad.

2 hours ago, Kuzzter said:

Yeah, me too  Hopefully I can do so before I forget what everyone was going to do next! But it's not going to be for at least another few months... wish I could tell you all what I've been doing instead, and I do miss both the game and the Forums

While, at least you haven't gone missing! I thought you had. Thanks for the reply! A few months is better than nothing! 

[EchoLima]

When I joined back in 2013,  @Capt'n Skunky would greet every new member in the welcome subforum. He was definitely a regular.