While I agree that not getting everything promised is a let down, realistically having stretch goals get cut is going to be pretty standard, and not just for KS funded games.
Well, I hope not, because after several KS projects that I have backed and where I felt that promises were not kept and the "bad news" were communicated rather poorly I am pretty much in Drithius' camp. I'm going to be much more conservative in spending my money in the future, backing at minimum level -if at all- instead of the $1xx+ category that I have chosen for quite a few projects in the past.
This should never become a standard. Stretch goals should be evaluated very carefully and when there is the slightest doubt about feasibility simply not be presented to the pledgers. It is bad form and not fair to dangle a carrot in front of the euphoric masses and then yank that carrot away later on.
If they propose a goal like "help us reach $1 million and we'll make this available" then that's a promise that should be kept at all costs. Otherwise the KS devs run the risk of appearing just as sleazy as the dreaded publishers and gamers like Drithius or me will become more wary as to how we spend our cash.
Games with publishers end up cutting stuff too because over the course of development you find out that it just won't work. Even the best laid plans go out the window when the bullets start flying.
You really can't compare this to a published game (or any other software project where the money is not coming directly from the customers
in advance). The publisher funds development. They can decide freely what to do with their money and what to cut or what to implement.
However, if a KS dev proposes a stretch goal then there is a direct correlation between the pledged funds and the featured item because what they are saying is "this is what we will be using your additional funds for". If the goals are not honored then that's a real problem in my opinion. Why even have stretch goals if you're going to throw them out the window later on?
Again, I hope that (not only) Larian have learned their lesson and will be much more careful and conservative in their stretch goal evaluation.
A KS can probably be a bit like a gold rush when the money keeps pouring in but that should not cloud a KS dev's judgment. They need to stay cool and analyze what is really feasible within time and budget. Plan carefully, plan ahead so you don't have to make up goals on the fly. And whenever in doubt, just don't. It takes a lot to build trust and very little to destroy it.
With all that said, I still love D:OS and the guys and gals at Larian!
