Thursday, January 25, 2007

When I attempted to restart ATFW in 2004, I didn't realize the path I would take. I was without internet for a few months and then I was back at work and had to juggle All the Myriad Things in Life. As time passed, I figured I eventually might have time here and there to update. Brian helped out for a while, but keeping up on something like this can be damned near impossible when you have a job, a social life, a significant other, other priorities, and need the elusive shot of Me Time.

I had hoped for many months that I would be able to return with some sort of renewed passion, but really, the moment has passed. Unless you have good chunks of time on multiple occasions each week, there are simply not enough hours in the day to scoop up news, to play and to write, and to publish after a day of work, a night out, or a night in. Five or ten hours per week isn't enough to successfully keep ATFW zooming.

I still game, mostly on the 360 (where the space combat I've experienced still suffers from console-suck. SW Battlefront II--yup, I'm pointing at you.) I don't game as much as I used to, and writing lots about one genre, which means also mostly playing just one genre, doesn't appeal to me now. I tend to write far more fiction these days than non-fiction in any case, and that's where I want to be.

The conclusion is: if you can only manage something half-assed, you might as well just engage ramming speed and go with the pretty boom. Some things do have to end, after all.

Stargamer.net is up and running, however, and they're trying to build some momentum. Hopefully, they will put together a solid staff that will share in duties and really start cracking. I may even pop in there from time to time, writing what I want to write and ignoring the day-to-day news that can take so long to compile.

I am sorry this took as long as it did, but surprise--perhaps I am a nostalgic optimist.