Gomly, thanks for the kind words. My primary reason to be on Patreon is not for the money, although I'd be lying if I said I wasn't grateful for the support that people do offer there. My primary reason is that it's really the perfect platform for reaching a lot of people, easy to keep updated, and obviously, the biggest benefit is that if people do feel so inclined, they can choose to support me financially.
That being said, the one and only reason I mentioned the financial investment I've made to create this game, as well as more in the future, is to reiterate just how committed I am to making this succeed. Will it be perfect? Of course not, compared to a lot of game developers out there I'm still an amateur. Releasing early revisions on Patreon is a great way to improve the game beyond what I'm capable of, by getting everyone's feedback. And this is my first game, so I know I have a lot to learn.
I get what you're saying about games that start out, look good, then disappear, I've been a fan of this game medium for many years, and supported a few financially myself. I've seen that happen more times than I can remember. I only decided to give it a try myself after teaching myself a bit of Ren'Py usage to assist another game developer with translating his game dialog into English.
So for any and all those out there who are thinking of supporting me, your words are going to mean a whole lot more than your dollars, any day. I'm here to produce a game, hopefully brighten up your lives a little bit, and most of all to have some fun watching this develop. And I'll tell you, hard as it is at times when something won't work the way I want it and I'm bashing my head against a wall, I'm having a blast. I'll always back that up by releasing the game free, no month wait for those who don't pay, and most of my posts on Patreon will be public, so no one should ever feel they have to pay anything to enjoy the game, feel left out because they can't see what's going on, and most importantly, no need to pay to participate in development of it. Patrons will get some extra perks, it's only fair, but I'm here for everyone, not a select few.