I disagree. A good author plots out the main story line and then creates notes on the direction and everything need to support the story. When it comes to something like a visual novel the best thing is story board it. so you have a visual representation of each of the paths.I honestly prefer max side of the game, I love the whole 'corrupt everyone in your family' aspect. I just feel bad knowing there are people out there waiting specifically for the kate side of the game. As for the state of the game for max and kates sides of the story, the dev isn't the exact same person he was when he threw his pitch originally, he has probably went though many different ways the story was supposed to progress for kate and it's entirely normal for authors and developers to lose focus or sight of where they originally wanted their characters to go.
For myself I built a tool that shows me all the scenes and how they are connected together. When I want to add a new scene I I right click and add a scene. I then can go back to another scene type in what I want and it draws a line over to the new scene that is targeted. Yes, most developers don't have that but there is software out there besides creating your own that lets you storyboard. Hell I plenty of other authors have managed to do that with pen and paper for decades.
I'm just lazy if I can make a tool to make my life easier I generally make it especially if I don't want to spend the money on someone else's.
So the excuse is garbage.
It doesn't really matter the life changes a person goes through. Breaking your word is breaking your word. If he wanted to make the max story he should have completed the first story then moved onto it. I mean if this had been a normal transaction and not on patreon he would have found his ass sued 10 different ways to Sunday.
As for Max. Even if you go back to BB Max is a stooge. He's the guy that thinks he knows how to do stuff but isn't smart enough to know how to actually do something and get away with it. He's annoying kid in school who took computer class has low grade read legend of a super hacker and thinks he knows how to do something and ends up pissing a ton of people off.
You probably seen someone like him in school got his ass kicked half a dozen times in a year. Even the principle wants his ass out of school because he is nothing but a problem.
I have no idea why the authors wrote him this way because it is a massive plothole / story conflict with what he is supposed to do. This is the type of poor writing you see out of a super dweeb who writes fiction about himself being able to get away with and do shit.