Think about it, do you really think that I would choose such a formulation if I had not already given something in the past.
Like all those who complain about a dev supposed to be milking, slacking, doing it bad, or whatever which one among the eternal complaints, yes, you would without a single hesitation.
Your major mistake is that you think criticism is something negative.
Really ? Just because I gave only one example and it was a negative one ?
What I said apply as well for positive criticism. I'm still not a cosmetic and perfume expert and, not being a customer, nor even a possible one, saying that whatever brand have good products, prices, or whatever, would be as ridiculous.
[...] and try to discredit it with personal insults [...]
So, "pathetic", that is the sole word addressed to you, is a personal insult ? Well, why not.
Everything else was explicitly targeting a behavior, and not a person. Therefore, if you took it for yourself, it's your problem, not mine, and you should reconsider your life choices.
The very fact that the developer suspends the contributions is a sign that things are not running smoothly and that the developer realizes that more is expected.
It just prove that she's honest. It's far to be something new. She expect X months of development, and when she goes over this time, or are not effectively working on the next chapter, the pledges are frozen.
Did she plan badly ? Perhaps, but not more than all professionals are doing. And in the end it's her who's impacted by it, not us. It's a game, not a drug, one can perfectly live without it and if, what have near to no risk to happen, the game is not finished, it will not kill us.
There's thing more important in life than complaining, almost days after days, about the same thing on a forum thread. And I'm not talking about war, famine or whatever. I'm talking about things that can add something to your daily life ; family, friends, and whatever is your passion. But well, if your passion is to bitch on a forum, I'll not starts to kink shame you.
Anyway, I think it is important to point out that as a developer, you are selling the idea of the project, and therefore you have entered into a certain moral obligation also towards the previous patreons.
And once again the subscription bias...
When I tip a waiter, he have no moral obligation towards me, in fact he have no obligation at all. You don't pledge on the future, you pledge as reward for what have been previously done. It's a part of the reason why, by example, there's still people willingly pledging for ICSTOR ; from their point of view his years of creation and ~10 finished games still worth it, this whatever he's now doing.
As indie and amateur developer, the only obligation you have is towards yourself. Unlike the waiter from my example, that have for obligation to serve you, because he's payed for it, an indie amateur developer have no obligations. (S)he can perfectly develop on his own and never release anything. If there's people who decide to pledge in those conditions, it's not the developer fault, nor her/his responsibility. They are knowingly doing this on their own, for their own reasons, and you have no say on this ; you aren't more an expert on money spending, than you are on game development.
There is no use in trying to gloss over further delays with more and more long messages.
And there's even less use in trying to change this by pilling up, days after days, posts carrying exactly the same message, on a place that is barely read by the person you want to address this message. Yet you are doing it since some times now, and clearly believe that it's the right thing to do.
It is also important to consider whether the goals have been set too high, and whether perfectionism is standing in the way of the completion of the game.
Who is saying that it's standing on the way of the completion of the game, except you ?
From Notty point of view, the game will be completed only when she'll be fully satisfied by it. Therefore whatever if she's releasing chapter 5 this night, it would change nothing, the chapters 1 to 5 wouldn't be completed yet. It's for you, and only for you, that it would change something, because you would finally be able to play this said chapter 5.
So, stop hiding behind what you expect to be noble principles. The truth isn't that you care about the delay, the truth is that you want to play the game, and to see its conclusion, as soon as possible, this whatever the quality it will come with.
And, in before, she's perfectly aware that life can be a bitch and that she can die tomorrow ; what obvious I don't wish her. But the fact is that she prefer to deceive Heavy Five fans by letting the game unfinished because life would have decided that way, than to deceive both the fans and herself by releasing something she find purely imperfect (to stay polite).
This is known since years, and if you effectively were a patron for four months in 2019, you already know it.
Ultimately, i think, we all have the goal of seeing this game completed.
No. I, and I know that I talk in the name of some here when saying this, have the goal to see Notty be happy by what she did. Whatever if the game is completed or not, as long as she's smiling, it's good for us. We are a bunch of crazy old folks (some older than others), and it's how we see life.
But you also have to face reality and, if necessary, say honestly and directly that things are really bad at the moment.
We can't say that things are really bad at the moment, and in the same time be honest. After months of near depressive state due to her car crash, Notty is smiling, and have a lot of fun working on her game. Therefore, things are really good at the moment, way better than they were six months ago.
It's from your point of view, that worth any other one, that things are bad. You are waiting for you dose, feeling withdrawal, and you have difficulties to face it.
That doesn't mean that things can't get better again, but maybe that requires an understanding that something has to change.
Well, learn patience, starts to appreciate things like and when they come, and stop to over care for what is nothing more than a game. You'll see, this simple change will make things get better again for you.
