It's indeed laughably naive, and in fact, nobody in devs team think something like that. Apparently
@virtuvoid just likes to sow discord, so if I were in you I would stick to that old internet adage - don't feed the trolls.
It's obvious that abandoning DMD would result in a complete disaster both on a reputational and an economic level, and the devs have EVERY intention of completing it (even though at a certain point I might be forced to reduce my personal contribution to the project because of university duties, when I'll finally start writing my PhD thesis - but I am just a freelance writer hired by mrdots). It would be a big, big failure if DMD got cancelled, and believe me, everybody involved in its development would suffer a great deal.
What I argued on this board a while ago was simply that, even in the DISATROUS event that, for whatever unpredictable reason, DMD had to be abandoned, the whole enterprise would still not be a scam. Sure, the backers would have any right to feel disappointed, but in the end on patreon you support creators you believe into, you don't buy products. Pledging for a month doesn't give you the right to a finished game, just the right to expect the creator's unidivided commitment to a project. As long as he/she gives his/her best to realize such project (and I think it's clear that MrDots is doing exactly that, never missing a deadline and releasing a lot of content each month), it can't be a scam in my opinion. It would be a scam if he was a lazy dude living off patrons' pledges. But if at a certain point he simply won't have anymore the energy, or the creativity, to complete the game (and I want to be clear: I am pretty sure it won't happen, he is really professional, way more than me XD - I am just making a more general point here), well, he will be really sorry, I will be really sorry, backers will be really sorry, the whole studio would probably collaps, but it still won't be a scam. That's my opinion at least, the same I have expressed on other forums when people talk about sueing George Martin because he might not complete A Game of Thrones, or when they throw shit at Yoshihiro Togashi for getting Hunter x Hunter on hiatus. By starting a creative work you don't (you can't) sign a contract where you ASSURE you'll be able to complete it. If you fail to do so even after having honesly tried, you might be labeled an incompetent, but definetely not a swindler.
Finally, I want to be clear on the fact that I am NOT the spokesperson of the devs-team - I already said this in the past, but
@virtuvoid doesn't seem to get it. As I wrote above, I am not part of a "MrDots Games" studio; I am here as a private adult games fan (mods upgraded my accont with a "game developer" label, and that's perfectly ok with me since I am one - but I didn't ask for it), and as a matter of fact I don't think that other members of the team like pirate sites (with understandable reasons I'd say), and would not understand why I "waste" my time on this board. But I have my own ideological allegiances, don't believe in copyright, make a point of honor in being as "ecumenical" as possible, and appreciate support however it's expressed. But that's just me. Don't project my ideas on MrDots or on other devs. You would be gravely misguided.
