20 replies to this topic

[Zacca]

Sometimes it's good to take a look back in time, in our experiences, the people we met, and try to see how they helped build up who we are today... or maybe that's just me, and I'm too sentimental.

 

Anyway, Airlines Empires, in many ways brings us some kind of nostalgia: either the feeling of living in the 2000s when browsing through the forums or by the experiences you had here, the friends you made, stuff you learned. In my personal view, as someone who - as said before - takes everything very sentimental, AE has an important share of who I am today and I keep so many good memories about this site and its community. When I went through some dark days in my personal life, I always had that online plane game were I have some friends, and those times make me see this community as a family. Family is not about kinship and relatives, family is about affinity, family are people you choose to have around; so when I was down, I choose to have this community around me.

 

When I look back on the 5 years I've been here, I remember seeing the gallery with a twinkle in my eye, as I wanted to do just as good as the liveries and whole brands I saw; I saw the rise of Med's templates and how they changed this website and took the livery design hobby to another level. When I meet some outsider livery designer, often from instagram, in my mind, I feel so proud of being part of the community that creates and is constantly enhancing these templates. I saw the chat dies and the AE discord born, and all the others dissidences that came after. When I joined AE, the alliances were a big deal, and joining Unitedwings was such a big deal for me. There were good times...

 

I saw so many users that, in my mind, were big and influential, growing up and leaving; then I saw a new generation coming up and now they're leaving, because they grew up just like the ones past them, and just like me. Seeing people leaving again and again brings me this werid nostalgia feeling. Even though I create some sort of affective bond to everyone here, I can't control their feelings, neither the urge to grow up, their realization that life is something more than just online forums. It's natural, it happens to everyone, it has happened to me before, and I left AE for a while, but the affection I've got for this community made me come back and I don't leave, even if I keep AE only as a remembrance in my favorites tab.

 

Maybe, the state of disrepair this site and community are in today is just a transition between the 'big and influential' members, or maybe it's doomed forever to be just a website to download cool airplane templates. I don't know. Maybe the world ends tomorrow. And maybe this is all bull****. Just rumbles of a depressed kid.

 

I just like to think how random people from random parts of the world can change who we are, even if it's something you will realize only a couple of years after, and also to remember the good times.

 

But anyway, this is just a online plane game.

[TNT88]

Same, I've been here for around 7 years. How times have change.

[KJS607]

I definitely agree with the nostalgia, I've been here for well over a decade now (**** I'm getting old) and nobody is around from when I joined other than Yuxi

[TNT88]

I definitely agree with the nostalgia, I've been here for well over a decade now (**** I'm getting old) and nobody is around from when I joined other than Yuxi

 

Yeah, you're hella old for joining in 2009. LOL.

[Mobeer]

Been here on and off for nearly 9 years. I think the absence of activity in forums and in alliances just comes from a lack of development. When I joined all the talk was of features for AE4. Now it seems no-one bothers mention AE4, nor any ideas for changes.

[Zacca]

Been here on and off for nearly 9 years. I think the absence of activity in forums and in alliances just comes from a lack of development. When I joined all the talk was of features for AE4. Now it seems no-one bothers mention AE4, nor any ideas for changes.

when I joined, AE4 was a meme already. now, no one even talks about it 

[Pacific]

I just wish I had the same amount of wisdom and maturity I have now than back in 2005-2006. Alliance fights were passionate and toxic back then and I didn't handle it well.

[TNT88]

I'm currently learning Python. I don't think it would be useful for development of this website.

[gvgch]

Why are we here, get a life you all.

 

Ok. I'm sorry

[aerospaceair]

I remember Airline Empires being big back in middle school in the mid 2000s. Haven't played a round in a long while but I do remember at the time being in the Ace Alliance (when they existed) under Timsher's leadership constantly duking it out with the WAA (which I later joined). I do see another WAA member in this thread though which makes me happy.

[Someguy]

I remember being a stupid middle schooler and my robotics teacher came and saw that I was playing this game and asked "what are you doing?" and I thought that he was actually interested in what I was doing and told him that I was playing a game where you run and airline and then I got in trouble. 

[Qaz]

I have nostalgia here but I wish I had the attitude to life then I have now because I couldn't have cared less what happened and when. However, due to the fact I didn't, I can't say I miss the chat arseholes all that much.

[kellykeli]

I'm new here...

...but I like the game so far lol

just wished I was here for its golden days

[Zacca]

I have nostalgia here but I wish I had the attitude to life then I have now because I couldn't have cared less what happened and when. However, due to the fact I didn't, I can't say I miss the chat arseholes all that much.

You were really nice to me back when I was new. It really helped me a lot

[SUJETO]

Sometimes...

 

Still love the game. I glad this game its not be a crap by that "rat boy" tendency to mess all with ultimate high performance fashion. Like HTML 5 and another crap that you cant play in a old computer.

 

I hope the game sill vintage and some day some bugs being corrected.

 

If you see. there are a lot of people that still playing. 

 

IMHO

[Jeb]

With many interruptions and two accounts i´m here around sind June 2013 when i was in elementary School (in Berlin until the 6th grade).

I had much fun with building Airlines from little underdogs to #10 Airlines in the USA or Mexico.

Or played at my "special" places Colombia, Switzerland and South Africa.

Although i grew since 2013 from 1,65M to 1,90M and now shortly before the conclusion of my school education, AE is some of the few places which proved a huge continuity over these years, in negative and also in positive consequences.

And that something which doesn´t happen often.

[eSPeWe]

I joined this game back in 2011 when the old version still lingered around and current version was in beta. Buggy as hell back then but I had a lot of fun with the community.

Talks about AE4 was in all-time high till might be essentially everyone gave up waiting for it and now it's in long decline. Personally I would kill for AE4 but the game is fun even in its current state. Never get good enough to expand the airline anyway lmao.

Just signing in to say this, gotta linger around for a while and back to my life once again.

[Avelo]

This place was what sparked a deeper interest in the aviation industry for me, even though I don't have plans to pursue a career there. Became fascinated with pretty much everything about this industry from the history of airlines right down to liveries.

And speaking of liveries, I couldn't have gotten better at making them without the advice and assistance of designers here whose advice has helped me grow.

[Denver.]

(sorry to get this thread back active after two years!)

 

I'd totally agree, AE shaped and molded who I am today and the many conversations I've been able to have with people on the length and breadth of this forum has surely played an instrumental role growing up. Even though I spent most of my 12-15 year old time on this site, the feeling of coming back everyday after school and running airlines and alliances added so much value to my childhood. 

 

While I try to come back now every time I remember this site exists, it's much more difficult to do anything substantial than just have a nosey on what's changed around here or read some old thread I started, and laugh on the awful sentence structure (obviously!). Anyways, I hope everyone else is doing fine (at college or work or whatever you do!) and I hope the next generations of AE, certainly enjoy their time on here. 

[Mattéo]

The other day at work I had a chat with my colleague on our own unique knacks and talents. After giving it some thought I realized mine was memorizing lots of airports' names around the world.

Told her "name a city, I'll tell you the airport". Barcelona is El Prat, Manila is Ninoy Aquino, Phoenix Arizona is Sky Harbor, and more. She was bewildered, but it all felt automatic to me. Only then I remembered this was the result of those hours well wasted in middle school playing AE.

To everyone here - and my five mates, who downright dominated World S1 together with me some time in 2013 - hope life is treating you guys well.