I only advocate for reasonable behavior and constructive communication. I do not defend specific individuals. I am not a lawyer. As for the developer, I can only base my judgments on the factual data available. Specifically, this informative message:
'Note: 0.15.502 & v0.15.503 have minimal content; most of the previous content has been removed by the Dev to be restored in later updates (starting with v0.15.504, apparently).' Beyond that, I have no other information. I see no reason to accuse the developer of deception until it becomes blatantly obvious. If a long time passes with no update and the developer disappears—then it’s all clear, and there’s no point expecting further content. There won’t be an update. Will I feel negatively toward the developer because of this? Absolutely not. The fact is, I haven’t spent a single dollar on a subscription. I’m a consumer of free content. The developer owes me nothing.
You could also factor in unforeseen circumstances in the developer’s own life—what’s going on with them? I have no idea; I don’t know them. But! I can imagine all sorts of personal hardships a person might face.
I want to clarify one thing regarding promises: I agree that it’s not good to make promises and then fail to keep them. Opinions may vary here—there could be real issues (as I’ve already mentioned), or the person might be dealing with depression. I’m not ignoring the fact that we’re all human, with our own complex social dynamics. Blaming someone is the easiest thing in the world; showing understanding is much harder. That’s my take