Originally posted by Kalysm:

I bet this is why a lot of games don't get released until finished. Constant complaining and whining about "non progress". Let them take their time and do what they feel is right. Go play other games until they release something. Some of you people speed thru games and then cry about lack of content. You are your own worst enemies. Put the controller/keyboard down and step outside for a bit. You just may like the way the sun feels on your skin. Oh and wear lotion because you will burn. BTW I average 12 hours a week on games, in a good week, that is.

A lot of games aren't released until finished because that's been the market standard for ~50 years. Distribution methods didn't even really allow for "easy" patching until the 90's. Not many people in those days would've knowingly bought unfinished products. Particularly buggy games that got rushed to market on deadlines would quickly (for the time) gain notoriety. Years of development go into a game before it goes to market. Increased complexity over time has also increased that timeline.

That standard expectation hasn't really gone anywhere.

The digital crowdfunding method for development and delivery is relatively new. Just leaving it's nascent stages. There's been a significant enough number of failures/scams/flameouts/whatever, that people are quick to turn already. The goals are often lofty and people want to back those ideals but they're rarely delivered in the time frames that are given.

I think part of it is that some of these games are hitting the market sooner than they really should. Shielded under the vague umbrella of being early access. I also believe eagerness to share the project/work leads into this. The newer digital market allows the creative minds to sidestep the publishers as middle men somewhat, allowing for that. In some cases, if not most, the need for additional funding probably plays a role as well.

I don't doubt that the majority of the Early Access flame outs wanted to deliver on their goals. Particularly in the indie developer circles. Many at the consumer level are just burnt out on repeated failures. That burnout gets unfairly turned on the whoever is the next in line, even if they don't deserve the weight of others failure tossed at them. It's easy to excuse it under "It's EA, don't buy it if you aren't willing to wait." but for many of these games, the peak of their hype occurs in that space of time, and the funding is beneficial for them. It's a bit reductive and simplistic when people dismiss concerns out of hand in that regard. It's more indicative that something in the current EA structure is just falling short of meeting consumer satisfaction.