Yep. Anyone that's been around these games long enough has been stung. You just have to pay attention and recognize the warning signs.
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I totally understand your views on this when it comes to people / fans giving their support and sometimes the VN gets delayed for whatever reason and it doesn't get released in the timeline expected, and also when the Devs / Creators fail to deliver overall.
When people / fans believe in the VN works done by the Devs / Creators / Artists, and they are happy to give support each month, that also helps the Dev / Creator in their works to do a better job overall and deliver quality works for everyone. Not to mention, eventually many folks get the VN for free over time. Being late with delivering a VN project is acceptable to me personally when I see that the quality of the work is good, and because I understand creative works take time, especially if I like and support the VN Dev / Creator and their work. On the other hand, for those that do not like waiting, simply pause your support and pay when the VN releases as an alternative support option. Everyone has the option to do this.
* However, for Devs / Creators that don't actually deliver at all and mislead their fans and supporters - those are the ones we need to watch out for. In saying that, I had the very unfortunate experience for the first time last year of getting scammed and defrauded by a known Dev / Creator in the VN world, which I never thought He would do such a thing. I won't mention any names for now since my attorney is handling the matter, but I got screwed over pretty bad by someone in the VN world I blindly trusted - and you're right, I got
stung by someone I never expected in this industry. Eventually, the facts will speak for themselves. As the saying goes: "
What comes around goes around in life."
Nevertheless, this bad experience didn't discourage me from continuing my support for other VN creators, including The East Block, and again, I am happy to continue giving my support and offering help when I am able to some Devs / Creators that I like, especially for those that do quality good works like
The East Block, not to mention their VN works are definitely entertaining.
That's my input and feedback on this subject, and now it's time for some early morning coffee in NYC! Cheers!
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