I don't see any other threads being swamped with bug reports, but maybe this dev makes more mistakes than other dev's, I don't know, but it doesn't look like that to me. I only found that one bug playing the game so far, and I did play it for quite awhile.
The process Sam uses is roughly as follows:
– Every 3-5 days or so, there is a test build, containing all the newest features and bugfixes. And new bugs. This is made available to higher tier Patreon members, and anyone else Sam decides to give access to. Plus, of course, filthy stinky pirates who know where to look. (The build mislabelled "stable" here is one of these builds.)
– Once a month, usually, the latest test build is lightly bugfixed, and made available to regular Patreon members. Plus, of course, filthy stinky pirates who know where to look. (The v21 found here is one of these builds. And, if memory serves, an unusually buggy one. You finding just the one is probably due to being new to the game. Though bugs that lead to Ren'Py throwing a hissy fit are rare in these builds.)
– Whenever there is enough new content to justify it, or a specific part of content is complete, a public build is made available directly from the dev for free on Patreon, Itch and Discord. This, like all software, still has bugs, but an effort is made to find and eradicate as many as possible.
– Finally, the public build receives a round or three of post-release fixes, creating the stable build.
And then we go back to the top.
As for being swamped with bug reports, most of that sort of thing happens over at Discord; I have no idea how often Sam pops in here to see what is going on.
Why would I play an old version when a newer version is available?
There are plenty of reasons, but whether any of them apply to you is a different question.
– Public/stable is provided directly from the dev, and thus far more trustworthy than what you can find here. (Which is not a slight on this site, but the fact remains that every step taken between dev and end user is a step where someone could insert harmful code before passing it on. Every step that is removed from that pipeline removes part of that risk.)
– Some may not care about trying out all the new stuff as soon as it is created, but instead prefer a bigger chunk of new stuff at longer intervals. With the added benefit of a more bug-free experience.
– Since the public version is offered for free from the dev, some may decide to respect that and wait for those releases instead of grabbing the paid ones. Yes, I know this is a subtle difference on a pirate forum, but different people keep different standards, even here.
– Whatever else I cannot be arsed to type, or simply have not thought of.