alt Hacker NewsSame experience mostly. I distinctly remember trying and then ignoring Unarmed combat and Psionics as cumbersome nonsense. Encumbrance was only enforced for a huge hoard, range penalties were usually irrelevant, and any sort of weapon factor was out. Most important was hp, AC, attacks/round, spells, magic items, STR, DEX, and saving throws.
Particularly in my earlier days we used psionics a lot, but it's because we were young and recognized them as being OP. So of course everyone just happened to have rolled their way into psionic powers when no one was looking.
Like yourself, encumbrance was one I rarely saw used. There was usually a rough sense of "too much" but otherwise no one cared.