It’s been a bit of a slow couple of weeks, but I have plenty to look forward to. Here’s my list of things I want to do for the next few weeks:

Racing
I’ve slowly gotten back into PC racing games. I’ve been playing Forza 7 and The Crew 2 for a few weeks, and while they are a bit of fun, I’m not completely satisfied with them…I just want a bit more.

I launched up Assetto Corsa for the first time in months and played around the Nurburgring using my Logitech G920 Wheel and Shifter, Oculus Rift, and DXRacing Chair setup. I found it satisfying. I did the same in Project Cars 2 and found it just as satisfying.

Assetto Corsa is great on one hand for the realism and the online play. But for graphics and single player, Project Cars 2 takes the cake. I’m not really at the point of choosing one versus the other as they both have strengths and weaknesses…but in a way they seem to compliment one another.

I’m going to try out iRacing tonight for its online play. I’ve heard many great things about it, and while I’m not completely a fan of the subscription pay, it does help weed out the trolls who aren’t serious about competitive racing. I also enjoy the aspect of gradually earning your license and rating in races, series, and seasons. I especially appreciate that it has a practice mode, so I don’t ruin my rating for accidentally crashing into someone else as I learn a new track.

Flight Simulators
I’m enjoying Prepar3D immensely. Doing some low altitude VFR flights in a C-182, I was able to see some famous landmarks around places in Germany. I wouldn’t be able to do this in X-Plane 11 due to the lack of landmarks and scenery elements in the simulator.

Unlike racing sims on the other hand, I’m finding it more difficult to see P3D and XP11 compliment each other. In most cases, I can get the same aircraft and the same scenery in both simulators. I don’t want to pay twice to have the same aircraft in both sims, or pay for New York City scenery twice…for example. I feel I must chose between one or the other as far as addons.

So far I’m leaning more towards P3D. It has the best scenery textures, the best weather engine, and the best Cessna 182 and Boeing 737 simulation out there. The downside is the nav data is a bit out of date, and many of the airports in the sim are greatly in need of an overhaul (which costs money).

Fortunately there’s a third option that I usually overlook: DCS.

While DCS is a combat simulator, it’s self contained in that I don’t need external third party addons to enjoy it. Most aircraft have excellent compatibility with my stick and pedal setup (especially the A-10C which my HOTAS is modelled after). It also has excellent VR compatibility that works great with my system setup. The multiplayer in DCS is simply fantastic, and I enjoy joining in on the Acrobatics server just to practice flying around and doing fun stunts in VR.

With that said, I’m going to attempt to do more DCS flying in the weeks to come. I’d also like to do some Prepar3D flying if I have some extra time. I’m currently set up to fly between Leipzig and Nuremberg, Germany. I’d also like to do some FSEconomy flights, but that’s low on my priority list.

Train Simulator
I’ve been playing around between London and Portsmouth with a new route addon that came out recently. It’s fun, but I feel in some ways…kinda done with Train Simulator 2018.

It’s hard to explain why. I love the variety of routes, especially to places I’ve been or plan on visiting. It just feels a bit stale I guess? Jump in a train, stop at a bunch of stations, and finish up after an hour or so.

The graphics engine is outdated, the sounds are weak, and it feels more like a chore going through some of the scenarios. Quick Play on the other hand helps with the monotony of the scenarios, but it’s limited by some stuff, such as lack of AI traffic, proper signals, and goals.

Train Sim World, which is the latest iteration of the simulator is much better in that regard. The graphics are fantastic, the trains are fully detailed and you can manipulate practically every switch and knob. My only issue is that it’s still a bit buggy, especially when I save/resume scenarios. Also, the routes are much shorter than their TS2018 counterparts.

Still, I’m going to invest some more time in TSW. I have a lot of scenarios I’d like to play through as well as services that are fun to play through as well.

Gaming
Not much going on with games. I’m currently playing just Octopath Traveller. It’s a decent RPG though I wish there was interactions between the different characters. Still, the stories are good and I have no complaints so far. I’m trying to limit myself to just a one or two games as having a more broad focus is just way too much for me to handle with the limited time I have and Octopath Traveller is the perfect game to fill that void.

TV
Likewise, with gaming, I’m also limiting myself to just a couple shows: Bakemonogatari (an anime) and Stranger Things Season 2.

D&D
I’m also planning on possibly attending a D&D game tomorrow. Unfortunately I haven’t had the time to develop a new character (I’d like to play as a Bard, if possible). I have a Level 3 Ranger I can play as, but it depends on the group and where their progress is in their campaign.

Sometimes though, especially after 10 hours of work, I can be a bit anti-social and a bit too exhausted to do a 4 hour game session. But maybe I can have some fun and make some new friends in the process.

Other Hobbies
I have the Jesta Gundam model kit to work on, I’m about 50% done with assembly.

I haven’t picked up much on One Piece this week. It’s usually a bit easier for me to find time to read before I go to bed, but after my recent vacation I’m trying to catch up to my old sleep schedule and I’m just too exhausted to do much of anything by 9:30PM, let alone read a book or a manga.

I haven’t picked up on much as far as figures and statues (a good thing because I have way too much and I’m trying to cut back). I’ve placed a couple preorders on some new figures that are due to release this month (most likely next month).

Also ordered some new clothes this week, so they should be trickling in the mail over the next week or two.

That’s about it for the Life of Scott. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming trying to do everything that I like. Sometimes I wish life were just simpler: Come home, do some chores…watch some Netflix, go to bed…

But no, especially due to ADHD I have just way too many hobbies. Some days I’m happy, some days I’m not…it’s just sometimes I don’t know if I should embrace it, or fight it? That’s a question best left for another day…all I can do is just my best.