This developer was collecting 'friends' (read as 'simps') for about a year (or more) by making fan arts of the popular VNs and then started his own project while his friends were promoting his demo in all discords. It was quite annoying to say the least.
Props to the dev, genius strategy exploiting simps.
It's kinda cute how you're trying to paint a vivid picture of the situation but the truth is far less Machiavellian. Yuno is a great DAZ artist, one of the best in the business right now but as a game developer ? He lacks experience, he's struggling and he manages his communication poorly.
I used to be one of his OG pledge, I have supported him for almost a year and I stopped supporting him last month because I lost interest. To be honest, he has never asked for my support just like he has never asked for any help. He didn't use his fans to promote his game, they did on their own. Unlike a lot of milkers, he has never lied, missed a delay or made any false promises. He didn't make any suggestion, most of us were glad to help him because Yuno is relatable.
He was a simple user. He was very active on game & OT threads, he spent a lot of time bonding with others users, he talked a lot about his favorite girls, was angry and disappointed just like any of us when a game was abandoned or when a DEV started milking or lying, he waited impatiently for the next update/preview... He wasn't just a random DEV popping out of nowhere,
we knew him.
In short, he was just like most users. Many people admire his skills as a DAZ artist but most of his pledge supports him because he's a friendly individual and he uses to be very active here or on his discord.
Are the critics justified ? Yes, I'm the first to admit it. More than seven months would be ok for games in advance development stages with lots of branching plots and stuff, not for a second update. It's even more frustrating considering his first chapter is short, pretty much a Beta. And he doesn't even have to put complexe time consuming features like huge cinematics, mini-games or big free-roams. At this point, his patreon page is made up of 70 % of wallpaper and customs renders. He barely posted any previews which is annoying. As for the communication aspect, writing a short progress report every month seems to be a big deal for him. Has hasn't post any progress report for 50 days which is completely unprofessional.
That doesn't make him a "milker". He's just doing a bad job probably due to his personal issues and his lack of experience. Am I angry about it ? No, I'm not. Am I disappointed ? Hell yes, that's why I no longer support him. But it's on my own. I should have known that supporting someone with little experience was a bad move. Pledging on Patreon is always a bet even with an experienced developer. I just bet on the wrong horse. That's all and that's life. At least I'll be more cautious next time.
