My thoughts on YSFlight.

[Not1011]

YSFlight is dying. Many are retiring, and few are coming in to replace them.

To me, this seems pretty grim. I've received messages on some of my topics that these new users can bring new life into this game and it's associated forum, YSFHQ. However, I am riddled with work, and am fearing the day I go into the workforce. Taxes, job obtaining, keeping up with work demands... I'll essentially be at war with life. "Peacetime" only lasts the first 18 years of someone's life, after all. And I am sure what I just said applies to every new user, both young and old.

However, I've met a lot of good users on this forum, and there are some who still play the game. Someday, there will be an influx of new users, and we, the old ones, will be there to guide them. These new users will be the ones who breathe new life into this forum.

And Soji? Well, I don't know. At this point, he's given up on this game, and has moved on in life. However, I feel that someday, he will realize the value of YSFlight, and will start to develop the game again.

Ah well, it's December, and I should be getting ready for Christmas. I'll be playing this game for as long as possible, though, and will enjoy it every second.

Here's to YSFlight.

[Midnight Rambler]

I've been playing YS for 12 years and still hang around. The game hasn't really changed in that entire time, but the community is the only thing that has kept me around this long.

I play all sorts of different games with the people I've met on here which is why I hang around, haven't played YS in a fair while now.

[Neocon]

One thing that has been consistent with YSF at least for the last eight years is the monthly lamenting of the death of the once great game.

[Welshy]

Maybe we should just stop the resuscitation at this point?

[waspe414]

I should make a screenshot compilation of all these YS IS DYING threads. A lot of them died with YSP, almost seven years ago (holy shit time flies), which gives you a good idea how long this trend has been going. Also in the last couple months we've had like six old folks come back, and a handful of new ones join, so that's good.

[Sierra]

cool story bro

tell it again

[Swift]

YS is dead
My heart bleeds red
Soji is a stooge
Who practices subterfuge
And yet here we are
Sitting at the bar
YSflight is dead

It'll keep chugging as long as we stick around <3

[Lupus 1]

Welp, I have just returned from exile and have adopted a new callsign... so...

[waspe414]

[Not1011]

IT IS LUPUS INDEED

[acf492]

Thank you for your thoughts. They're not very useful though. Just makes the situation seem... well as you said, grim.

If we assume that there will always be people who enjoy using a flight simulator (either the military or the civilian kind), the problem can't be a lack of people.

A more useful discussion would be about where those people are, a confirmation if there is a reason they are not coming -- or that they are coming but not staying with us and our game. Then the question will become whether or not it is desirable for us to change something.

(On a personal note, I once thought the same way you did about adult life. I actually justified not completing my homework some nights because "I want to have fun while I'm still a kid." Having a job does NOT preclude ever enjoying your life again, and if computer games are a stress reliever, you'll need them more than you ever did before!)

[Flake]

A more useful discussion would be about where those people are, a confirmation if there is a reason they are not coming -- or that they are coming but not staying with us and our game. Then the question will become whether or not it is desirable for us to change something.

Agreed in full.

Expectency theory is quite real: If you expect shit to go bad, you will not make an effort to improve the situation and then the bad things happen. Vice versa, if you expect shit to go well, then you are motivated to put in the effort to succeed and good things happen.

We should focus on a strategy to improve our situation more than pessimism. You're not wrong, I share the sentiment, but as others have said it's been done to death. We should focus on what we can do to make things better.

So lets itemise:

What's wrong?
What would be better?
How can we make that better thing?

For example:

What's wrong? Soji has all but adandoned stable game development.
What would be better? Sticking to a stable prior version that everyone can agree with.
How can we make that better thing? We should come together, and choose a version to stick with, and focus our efforts on promoting and playing that version.

[Gunny]

Just my thoughts at 2:19 AM CST from a tired old man. That somethings need changing is a foregone conclusion folk. But as to what is the salient point. A thought, stop trying to be all things to all people, find a target user group and concentrate on them, who seems to be more active? Servers and of those which ones seem to be more active? Then start recruiting for that group. Just some random thoughts. Nite all.

[Flake]

It's a great suggestion Gunny and I do agree with it in principle. The tangency of what we actually do is another matter to sleep and think on. Gimme a week or so. Suggestions very welcome. I'd love to work with everyone to try and find what's good here.

[Not1011]

What would be better? Sticking to a stable prior version that everyone can agree with.

Ah yes. Thing is, the version you might want to stick with would be the latest stable version. That way you don't have to deal with the bugs of past versions. As for your other suggestions, we should come together and promote that version. It does help, even when the game is pretty much abandonware.

[halberdier25]

Swift, lay off Soji. You know better. Dude is a thousand percent occupied at CMU. Honestly, a super great dude.

[Flake]

Thing is, the version you might want to stick with would be the latest stable version. That way you don't have to deal with the bugs of past versions.

It is the wide consensus that the new YSF builds have more bugs, not less.

[Not1011]

Thing is, the version you might want to stick with would be the latest stable version. That way you don't have to deal with the bugs of past versions.

It is the wide consensus that the new YSF builds have more bugs, not less.

I meant the latest release. Forget the beta builds.

Kinda sucks that YSF ain't open source, that way we the community can take matters into our own hands, to say the least.

[Flake]

Story of my life dude. Story of my life.