This is probably the first time I comment on this thread, I just saw you had a very skewed perception of the size of the game and, since I was already commenting to correct it, took the opportunity to provide you with context as for why the thread is what it is right now. I personally don't see the point in complaining either but there's no denying that BD brought this upon himself and there's nothing subjective about the lies I was referring to, missing this deadline by half a year is just the current catalyst.
I suggest you take a page out of your own book and read my comment without the negative confrontational lens you appear to be looking through. All I did was provide information that actually supports your view and you managed to see a fundamental disagreement. This time I do disagree with you on the lack of importance of predictions when money is predicated on them because that's called a scam, whether it's intentional or through ineptitude. Many people here were supporters for a long time and many were banned, if they weren't on this forum they'd have no access to content for which they already paid more than a AAA game costs. If you subscribed to Prime to watch the Fallout series and they removed it before you finished watching I'm sure you wouldn't be very happy either. Of course that doesn't mean they should let it affect their wellbeing, no one here is making that claim, they're mostly goofing around while making sure newcomers know not to trust the promises and keeping BD accountable.
And one thing I noticed you talking about, if people are still here after all the development mess it's safe to assume most of them like the game and want to see it finished or at least did at some point, you're preaching to the choir, they just don't believe the priest anymore.
I just had a great walk in the sun.
BD did not bring it upon himself. He's not actually here reading any of it. The people whom it gets brought down on are completely unrelated to the cause of their frustration. I hate how overused this quote is but "Insanity is doing the same thing an expecting a different result.". Applies to our expectations of the external world as well. No matter how much you want the grass to turn blue when it rains, it's not going to turn blue.
If I pay for a streaming service I pay for the selection that they're licensed. That's in the ToS. I can't demand my money back because I expected to be able to watch something. I can quit my subscription, vote with my wallet. It's the same with crowd-funded games. You're not paying for the game you're expecting to get. You're paying for a vaguely defined product. There is no explicit deadline to finish the product. Progress reports are not legally binding deadlines either. Crowd-funding and early-access projects always have a risk factor. Sometimes you strike gold, most of the times you spend money on an amateur with a dream which they soon find to be more difficult to realize than they thought.
If you willingly buy a bag with "something" in it, then you have no legal recourse when you get a bag of "something". Most people get scammed at some point in life. But if someone pays "more than a AAA title price" for a VN game made by an unknown dev with no previously released work.... they scammed themselves. They could've gone with the 1 euro package, waited 5 deys after every release (what's 5 days on a couple of months eh?) and gone to a nice dinner with their gf/wife/mother. Or not spent any money and waited 6 days after every release.
And my point is exactly that if they want to see the game finished, it's probably not a good idea to disrupt the financial incentives of the creator. That's like shooting the horse you just bought because it has a bad leg. Patreon's ToS and business model give leeway to underqualified producers selling a dream. It also gives that chance to qualified individuals with a passion. Patreon doesn't care because they get a share of the profits in both cases and their ToS is specifically written to legally cover it.
Crowd-funding lingo implies this rather strongly. Paying "members" are "backers" or "supporters" who "pledge" money to a creator, rather than "customers" or "clients" buying a product. If BD decides to write an improvised ending and make it after next patch, there's nothing anyone can do. The membership "benefits" are all about access to information.
Me debating this with you has nothing to do with me being adversarial. When I disagree with something, I verbalize it. It's nothing personal. In fact I rather like you. But if I disagree, I disagree. I'm just pointing out why it's pointless, illogical and bothersome. Getting duped is a lesson. Not the lesson that people shouldn't dupe each other (that's a lesson people learn if they dupe the wrong person), but that there are hollow golden eggs out there, how to recognize them and how to prevent buyer's remorse buying them (In the EU: don't buy something where you can't figure out if you like it or not within 14 days).
