Hey all,

I feel it's necessary to say this in person, rather than just "disappearing." I'm done. The GrumpyBadger is officially grumpy. And I want all of you to know, it has nothing to do with you.

I'm just a console player I guess. To put it plainly, I like how I can go into the game store, buy a game for "XBox360" and have a 90% chance the game will play really well, and is highly polished. But more importantly, I don't have to worry about "system requirements" or anything else. I just put the game in the console, and hit play.

I've been away from computer games and computers for the most part for well over 15 years. I feel that it's all gone way past my skills. I also feel that instead of being an asset to the community, I've become a burden.

I was hoping that the unlimited number of campaigns, missions, free online play, and let alone realistic flight models would be good enough for me to enjoy this game. However, I've given it my 100% and it sure as shit isn't working out well for me. I also think this is because of my ineptitude, not because of the game.

so, I'm just saying goodbye, it's been fun though here, and in all the forums. The community is about the only thing that has kept me going for as long as I have.

fair winds and following seas

Pat "GrumpyBadger" Sr. Chief USCG Ret.

WTF,, Dustoff 39 here.
Why not talk about what you need to get you moving
on the right track.
I think both you and I are coming from some of the same shit holes . As for me, it was Vietnam
PM me. My name is Chris. AKA RDDR
Cheers Chris

Farewell, Grumpy. Sorry IL-2 didn't work for you. Good Luck with the consoles. Over and Out.

What happened Grumpy? I was so happy to see (finally, after a long time) some one new with the potential, will and with a healthy basis to go learn the art of skinning. You were doing so well, why stop now?

Reading your lines about the "easiness of console gaming" kind of reminded me of one of the fundamental glitches of humanity of today. It is so easy to just turn away from things that don't work out immediately by the press of a button. For example to make a really good template or a skin demands surprisingly much from the skin maker... but.

Once you have it successfully finished and being utterly exhausted after giving so much to it, you will feel deeply grateful and satisfied for having done it. Because its your own achievement, came from your fingertips. You have every right to be happy about it, even proud. Better yet, once you share the results of the sometimes difficult process of skin/template making, you also give something of yourself to the people - all over the world thanks to the net. When you see people downloading your skins and giving you thanks, you know you made a difference: You made people HAPPY. It's a thing not so easily done in our time and age; and to me personally - and I don't think I'm wrong if I say that I'm sure it's the same for all of us modders, campaign builders, skinners etc. - ultimately the most rewarding moment of the whole process is seeing people enjoying the things I... we did for them. This is something that the few gaming communities such as the Sturmovik is unique to still be able to offer to the player. Console games not so much.

The line of skinners is thin these days, I was glad to see you go for it and perhaps join the ranks of new skinners still too few around these days.

None of the above may fit to your situation but these were the thoughts passing briefly through my mind when reading your post and I felt I had to write them here, no offence.

Reconsider please,
eMeL

Damn, this is a bit of a bummer; as Emel pointed out it's not often that we get someone new who shows some enthusiam for a flight sim and skinning. I can understand the appeal of consoles of course, I used to be a heavy console player myself and I'd be the first to admit that sims (and skinning) only appeal to a small portion of players... basically it's a very niche form of gaming.
Flying IL2 and skinning isn't something I do in all my spare time, I often take quite a break from it after completing a skinning project as I would risk it becoming a chore rather than a hobby if I tried to force myself to stick to it all the time... my point being that there's no problem with doing skinning every now and then when the urge takes you and then playing consoles when that's what you feel like.

I've been away from computer games and computers for the most part for well over 15 years. I feel that it's all gone way past my skills. I also feel that instead of being an asset to the community, I've become a burden.

GrumpyBadger

Funnily enough that's how I feel about console games, they seem way too fast for me these days! I stick to MMOs instead. As for being a burden, 99% of the membership at sites such as A&A, M4T, SAS etc are only there to enjoy the fruits of the 1%'s labour. That's fine of course but consider that only a very small % of members ever bother to post on the forums, let alone try their hand at creating something for the wider IL2 community to use. You're not a burden for seeking advice on how to skin... heck, we want people to seek out our advice! We want to help because we hope that one day we'll help a skinner reach a level where he/she becomes a real artist and an asset to the IL2 community (and it is a case of 'one day', time and experience is the only way of getting there, there's no quick and easy way to learn how to make good skins).
Regardless, I hope to see you back here one day and wish you well,

HB

First off,

Let me please clarify some things. I posted this at every IL-2 based forum I'm on. And skinning has the least to do with any of it.

HB, I couldn't agree more with you on certain console games. I'm a single-player RPG type (think Bioware) more than anything. I've had enough real life FPS experience to last, well more than a fair share's of a lifetime. RDDR, Chris, yeah, mine was desert instead, and worse yet, here at home.

Emel, and HB. You're both absolutely right. I've done quite a few things, that have cost hours, blood, sweat, tears (of joy and sorrow) of my life and been rewarded from the efforts. I know exactly how that feels.

Hence, why I now feel posting this little good-bye here, was definitely premature. Minus the little SNAFU that got fixed wicked fast here and a big thanks to Juri_JS for that, I've had practically zero issues with skinning.

It's the game. I had no flightstick, and I still landed on the carrier deck in every plane I tried. Full real too. I can navigate, I can bomb, I can dive-bomb, and with a stick, I'd be fairly competent already at ACM. so the "difficulty" isnt' it either.

To start with, it took me 4 days to figure out the SNAFU of even just getting the game to work. But then, I couldn't get even one mission to load from M4T. WSBS, Through the Mist, From the Farm, Straight Down...
none of them would load? So for me, that was like a killing blow after everything else going wrong elsewhere with mods and updates, and just getting the game to work in general.

however,
skinning has never gotten me "grumpy" and you're both absolutely right.

I may not play the game except to check how my skins look.

But I'll keep on skinning. That has hands down been the most rewarding thing I've done in quite a while.

fair winds and following seas, and thanks
GB

It's the game. I had no flightstick, and I still landed on the carrier deck in every plane I tried. Full real too. I can navigate, I can bomb, I can dive-bomb, and with a stick, I'd be fairly competent already at ACM. so the "difficulty" isnt' it either.

GrumpyBadger

You can land on a carrier without a joystick? Colour me impressed!

Hi GB,

Glad to see you're back

You can land on a carrier without a joystick? Colour me impressed!

HBPencil

I second that.

Honestly, you are not alone having these "flooring" experiences with Il-2. For years I too have been trying to make my Il-2 the way I'd like it to be, and still I get frustrated not being able to quite be "there".

Happy skinning,
and happy flying,
eMeL

It's the game. I had no flightstick, and I still landed on the carrier deck in every plane I tried. Full real too. I can navigate, I can bomb, I can dive-bomb, and with a stick, I'd be fairly competent already at ACM. so the "difficulty" isnt' it either.

GrumpyBadger

You can land on a carrier without a joystick? Colour me impressed!

HBPencil

I never had a flight stick either, but I got a B-25J down on a carrier just fine.

Landing on a carrier?
Yep, I can. It's all in the trim to be honest, just like it should have been for them back then, and as it is now, usually.

I line up on the carrier at elevation, get my slip and yaw correct, then start making the "circle" to land. As I go, I drop consecutive flaps while also lowering the throttle. Usually about 50% throttle seems to work well for how I land.

My last turn, unless it's a Wildcat, I'll drop the landing gear and tailhook. Double check my slip and yaw, line up and use my elevator trim to gently bring her down about 100ft per minute, and she lands on the deck all on her own

I can also navigate just fine, "set and drift" trimming my aircraft to a specific speed and elevation, and getting to the target and back just fine. It is kind of hard to dogfight without a stick though.

so yes, I can fly. I just checked out the HOTAS I ordered, and "you get what you pay for" is true. *sigh* definitely won't work as a HOTAS for me, not enough axis, dials, or even buttons for that matter. Pretty much the final nail in the coffin for now on flying with a stick, or online.

but yes, I'll keep my hand at skinning, and who knows? maybe somehow along the way everything else will sort out as well?

I understand the allure of this game, all it has available. But damn, if it isn't a pain because it's on the computer, and that's just way above and beyond me.