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[Zangi]

If it weren't for the people here relaying some of the pay-only information I would have completely forgotten about this game about a week after the kickstarter ended, because for all I'd know it could have been abandoned.

I'm fine with contests, or behind-the-scenes stuff, early access to tools, early play, all that going to backers... but "this game isn't dead"-level of information really should be public access.

I am so confused by the 'backers only updates' system that seems to be so prevalent. I just don't understand it - why would you want people NOT to know about your game?! Fair enough, keep some background posts just for backers, but so many games only use the backers area for their updates that the project just looks dead if you're not a backer.

First impressions make a huge impression.  Less exposure after the initial funding stage is a valid tactic, if they ain't really looking for more funding. Cause anything they release can give the wrong first impression to newcomers. 
They'll want more people to know about their game... after they have something solid for people to see.

[i2amroy]

Yeah, ideally when you make a kickstarter you want everyone who is going to back you to know about it and be hyped, and nobody else until you actually release the game in a playable state. That way the people who don't care about playable things will still back you on kickstarter, and the people who do care don't find out about the game till it's actually playable. The only exception is, of course, those kickstarters like the Shantae one that would prefer to keep pulling in funding and moving towards stretch goals through a sort of "extended kickstarter" where you could continue to pledge for the lower tiers on their website.

[Retropunch]

I can definitely understand not wanting to over-hype anything or give the wrong impression, but due to the nature of kickstarters where many fade/die out/have problems, having some updates so that those that didn't back know it's still alive seems necessary.

Admittedly, technical details and what's going on behind the scenes can/should all stay just for backers, but there are many projects that I haven't backed due to financial constraints that just end up with me thinking they had just died off.

[Cthulhu]

I'm not really sure there's much more to actually provide.

We backers haven't been privy to any cool stuff you guys haven't been privy to, they've been in crunch getting mod and beta tools ready for the past few weeks, most of the fun stuff has already been done and most of the relevant fun updates were also posted to kickstarter.

[Lapoleon]

What Cthulhu says. Most info from project updates posted on the forum finds it way onto the Kickstarter page, the only information you miss is the enormous Ask Us Anything threads which mostly contain very minute details.
We're currently waiting for the mod tools, which are coming out first because they basically consist of the complete dataset of the game and a basic GUI. Current troubles are technical in nature and will hopefully be fixed soon. Once the mod tools are released all that stands in way of the beta is adding some more events and AI-code (and random mistakes, Unity up- and downgrades etc.)

They've also promised to start gameplay videos as soon as the mod tools are out. But considering their track record in that area we don't know what that promise is worth.

[nenjin]

"Setting hype thrusters to idle, Captain."

[Egan_BW]

There are no stops on the hype train, but there are tunnels.

[i2amroy]

I can definitely understand not wanting to over-hype anything or give the wrong impression, but due to the nature of kickstarters where many fade/die out/have problems, having some updates so that those that didn't back know it's still alive seems necessary.

Why? If you are a backer then you get access to development logs, so you know that your money is being used to do something and the project hasn't died. If you aren't a backer then you didn't invest anything in it, nor do you really have any stake beyond a tertiary one in the way the game develops. (Other than risking hype burnout).

I mean, you haven't spent anything on it, nor are you going to spend anything on it until it's actually ready for release, so why is it important that you know that it's still chugging until it's actually approaching time for said release? Even if you forget about it for a while ideally you should hear about it again through several channels when it actually releases and shows up on steam or something similar. After all that's kind of the point of kickstarter updates; to show that the kickstarter is still chugging along to those who put money in despite the fact that there isn't going to be any visible developments for everyone else for quite some time.

I get that it's nice to be involved, but I'm not quite sure where you are getting the sense that developers necessarily need to show to the people that didn't (and can't) give back to them in any way until they are actually done that they are still working on a particular project.

[nenjin]

I can definitely understand not wanting to over-hype anything or give the wrong impression, but due to the nature of kickstarters where many fade/die out/have problems, having some updates so that those that didn't back know it's still alive seems necessary.

Why? If you are a backer then you get access to development logs, so you know that your money is being used to do something and the project hasn't died. If you aren't a backer then you didn't invest anything in it, nor do you really have any stake beyond a tertiary one in the way the game develops. (Other than risking hype burnout).

I mean, you haven't spent anything on it, nor are you going to spend anything on it until it's actually ready for release, so why is it important that you know that it's still chugging until it's actually approaching time for said release? Even if you forget about it for a while ideally you should hear about it again through several channels when it actually releases and shows up on steam or something similar. After all that's kind of the point of kickstarter updates; to show that the kickstarter is still chugging along to those who put money in despite the fact that there isn't going to be any visible developments for everyone else for quite some time.

I get that it's nice to be involved, but I'm not quite sure where you are getting the sense that developers necessarily need to show to the people that didn't (and can't) give back to them in any way until they are actually done that they are still working on a particular project.

There sadly is something to be said for keeping hype current outside your pool of supporters. In an ideal world projects could go visibly dark to the rest of the world and 3 years later when they're done they reveal and everyone who originally wanted to buy it does so. Sadly, that is not how the world of vidya games works for everyone. Games have to compete for the purchaser's attention, and those that have kept their attention the longest are the ones most likely to be purchased IMO. I don't think developers need to constantly shovel out production status to everyone, backers or not. But I can see why some non-backers feel like it'd be a smart idea to.

[dennislp3]

Though if non-backers care about the news so much that it is upsetting to them...why not become a backer?

[Xgamer4]

Though if non-backers care about the news so much that it is upsetting to them...why not become a backer?

. 

They don't have money either at all, or for their desired award, being the two most obvious reasons. Or they think the premise is interesting, but the rewards overpriced. 

[Cthulhu]

Honestly I agree, if you're not a backer I don't see why you should be getting all the insider info.  There's plenty of stuff on kickstarter and to be honest we've gotten very little more than you have.

[nenjin]

For real doe. I take one look at the 17,000,000 million threads on the forums and my desire to find out more just fizzles. I appreciate the KS posts because it condenses down a lot of that to something more manageable. I suppose if I was only living for TWS, I'd dig into all of it. But I don't have the bandwidth available to dedicate to just one game like that.

[forsaken1111]

I'm more worried that all the "can we have it now?!" stuff will dishearten the team and cause them to compromise on quality in order to meet fan demands. I'd rather they take another year and get it right than release a compromised product because people are impatient.

[ventuswings]

My only qualms with them is that they seem to over-promise (even utilizing ubiquitous soon^TM might have been better), but regarding the rate they release information, I have absolutely no problem. At least compared to other games I am waiting:

* Stardew Valley -> approximately monthly dev updates which is similar to KDG's kickstarter updates.
* Routine -> developers apparently intending to be in complete radio silence until the game is released. The project might legitimately be dead, but if they have good promotion right before the game's release, who cares there was no news for years?
* SOMA -> another game I think has been given very sparse information until now, even with the incoming release.