Just to add to what others have been saying, if you want an example of how some people react to a game in early access, they had a period where people were actually demanding the Chucklefish guys turn over their financial records and share salary information and such.
I think that stuff is funny because of the pure ridiculousness factor, but I recognize that I’m not a dev and the vitriol can be pretty chilling in terms of motivation and general job satisfaction. Really, anyone moderating the community will probably have their handful once/if it finally goes Early Access.
I think Early Access should come with some strict guidelines and perhaps legal implications to protect the supporters. Right now it just seems way too easy. I’m thinking ideas like having a free trial weekend so those who want to throw in for early access can actually see the state it is is.
I personally feel some of the detriments to this EA business is that developers seem to usually over estimate how far along they are, so if you do the research and read up on the subject they are typically exaggerating. Videos of gameplay are often also an exaggeration that typically do not capture the real essence of the game. Ultimately I feel maximum transparency should be the norm, so everyone can see that the money isn’t being used to buy expensive office furnishings and is actually being thrown into the game.
There needs to be at least some rudimentary safeguards in place.