I have been trying War Thunder recently, it's fun. Far from a flight sim, very much a game, a bit of premium stuff, but otherwise fun. I have also been looking at IL-2 1946 (Yes, that one) for a simulator, but I do not have a joystick...
I play sandbox more, and sometimes roleplay a "career" in sandbox mode. The beginning of the tech tree just seems weird to me. I may try some modded tech trees, though.
About as easy as I had expected. A-class is training-level easy, E-class is huge. Still not too difficult if you know your way around. (DISCLAIMER: I have not yet found a E-class asteroid)
But you can remove the ARM GameData folder. The asteroids are parts, so they can be removed easily. I wonder how easy or difficult it would be to get one in the parts list?
My account was not lost; it didn't exist yet. I was a lurker when the forum derp occurred, I was checking the forum every day to see if it was back up.