(Regarding the "hiring a small team" bit, that... well, it wouldn't work for a large number of reasons. I feel like this has come up before, but here's a quick list: 1) not nearly enough money, 2) can't just find good people with a similar vision quickly, which ties into #1 and makes things take longer, 3) it's a creative endeavor and throwing more bodies at the problem is more likely to hurt than help in terms of overall quality, even if - and that's a big if - that helps it reach a "finished" state more quickly.)
I really appreciate all the support here, by the way. Thank you!
Alex,
I want to start by saying that I think you are an excellent developer and a good person based on both the quality of the product you put out and the interaction that you have with the community here on the forums so please do not take anything I say personally, but I do think it needs to be said.
You made a commitment to us, the customers, when you chose to charge money for an unfinished product. Now as I've said before, I think the quality of Starsector and the amount of enjoyment I got out of it more than justifies that price but I know that is not true for everyone. And even if it is, there is still an expectation that you would live up to the standards that you set out for yourself and provided to us at the start of the project.
Starsector has been in development for a long time and at this point the slow pace of development is hurting the game and your brand. GiantBomb did a video preview of the game today. Here are a all of the quotes from the comments that have to do with the game -
1) Hey it's this game. I bought it back when it was still called whatever it was. I forgot the name of it, so thanks for the reminder. It's crazy that it's not out yet. It seemed pretty nice back then.?
2) I just realized I have a preorder code for Starfarer in my Gmail from August 2011. I had totally forgotten this game was even a thing, and now I'm kind of annoyed it's been almost 5 years and it's still not out.?
3) this game has been in development forever?
Every other comment is unrelated to the game. Every comment posted that had anything to do with the game complained about the long development time. This thread does as well. The post above mine does as well.
With that out of the way - your comment from above
1) not nearly enough money - There are a number of ways to raise funds - from Kickstarter and similar sites, Steam Early Access sales, investors etc. This is a difficult process and I understand that but the number of avenues available to Indie games is at an all time high.
2) can't just find good people with a similar vision quickly, which ties into #1 and makes things take longer - This is true of every business in the world. It is not an excuse or a reason to not hire a team.
3) it's a creative endeavor and throwing more bodies at the problem is more likely to hurt than help in terms of overall quality, even if - and that's a big if - that helps it reach a "finished" state more quickly. - This is simply not true. Ignoring the fact that 99% of every game ever has been made by a team, you already use a team. Art and music are contracted out and have not hurt the quality of the game.
It is clear that you cannot deliver a game of the scope and quality that you want with your current resources in a reasonable amount of time.
I want Starsector to be a success and I know that you do as well. But the current development pace is making that harder and harder. The space game category is not the barren wasteland that it was a few years ago and competitors are plentiful. The opinions of people who own the game are starting to turn sour, and speaking personally - I cannot recommend the game to any of my friends simly due to how slow development has been. I am confident that this is true of other people as well.
You may not agree with me or my assessment but I hope that you atleast give it due consideration.
PS - Pardon the formatting, and grammar/rambling nature of it, I wrote it over a quick break at work.