I supported Fen on Patreon for a couple of years, but I stopped when I realised how much of a massive drop off of information there's been. At one stage, you'd get a blog post every couple of days; a new patch or just an update. Then it dropped off, maybe a week or two between posts. Its picked up again, but its not at the pace it used to be. Its a decent game, but with 10 probe planets planned and we've only just gotten to the fifth planet, I can't see Fen and co sustaining the game for another 5 or 6 years.
As for why Fen keeps getting that level of support? Honestly, I think most people have forgotten they support him on Patreon.