The last few years (since ~mid 2015) have just been a bear. Changed careers. Two kids now. Lots of other life bullshit. I used to have a pretty slack day job, working from home, easy enough to get online and post in battles. Or I didn't have kids yet. Now after kids are out for the night, wife wants my attention (the nerve!) and I'm usually so shot mentally that I don't feel like making a post. Working on rule sets is different -- no pressure to post in 24 hours, etc. I find that pressure actually makes me avoid it, since I am already tired and not in the mood, and feel bad for not being active, and once I miss a day, two days... its like what's the point and I give up.
I don't know if there is a solution for me to be more active in terms of game design; i think its just life at the moment?
Its weird cause with game building, I have a lot of fun and find time. But its different... the windows of time are smaller usually and scattered, I also tend to get very obsessive when I dig in and then my wife DOES get pissed eventually.
It would be cool to have a game where we have truly async build up, organizing, etc... and a battle is a sort of set it up and let it play itself out.
I once worked on a game engine that took star wars units and made them battle sort of like units in Civ 3. I should pick that up again maybe... you set up your fleets units and their instructions (like fight to death or retreat before death if possible, etc) and dump them at a planet, and the battle is automated and posted all at once. The game then becomes empire management, strategy in terms of deployments and unit pairings, etc., and writing.
I don't know, though. That is so far from simming roots that I really do miss. If we could ever figure out a game with one ship per player I feel like I could totally do it. But the game would move so slowly itd be unbearable.
/end whining rant
Also, good luck on the job hunt Hale!
