Well, yeah, pre-ordering something with no idea of what it is, is pretty much similar to kickstarting something. Never know what you'll get. But still, I pre-ordered Warhammer for 25% off (huge deal for a new game) from greenmangaming. I also got chaos DLC for "free" (granted you could get that for an entire week). I pretty much knew what to expect from Warhammer Total War, and was pretty sure I was gonna like it since I loved Rome 2 (even on release) (Attila was meh though).
For this game, I would NEVER pre-order. So this game being up for pre-order debate makes sense in that, they are literally being rather shady about what the game actually is. This game is heavily reminding me of Spore pre-release. In fact, this game and SPORE are pretty much 100% similar in how people are hyping it, and the company behind it is acting.
But at same time, pre-ordering some games I find is fine. I'll pre-order the next Elder Scrolls game, there has never been a ES game I did not like. Granted, I greatly disliked Fallout 4, so there is that. Still, they are the most moddable games out there, as far as AAA games go. But do I need to actually pre-order it? Probably not, its not like you said, going to a store and it running out of stock. But, if I'm buying it at release day, might as well pre-order it. At very least, I get it cheaper (even if its a few dollars off, makes a big difference) and (sometimes) get goodies. Otherwise, if I plan to wait for reviews, that be dumb (obviously) to pre-order.
But yes, this game is shady as hell. Like I said, heavily reminding me of Spore pre-release. Doesn't mean it will end up as a huge disappointment like Spore, but it is reminding me heavily of how people were acting with that game.