So reading around the forums I see one thing keep popping up constantly about bugs or issues. Everyone like to repeat that the game is still in it's alpha stage... Since 2011. Now I'm not here to bash the game at all and with 705 hours currently clocked in through steam I would say that I definitely got my moneys' worth out of the software. As with everyone here I have been eagerly awaiting the .24 patch and it got me thinking, "Why is this still alpha in alpha development?" The patches are getting fewer and father between just as with any other release of game after it has actually been released. KSP has made the top 5 selling list on steam so obviously people think the software is done enough to pay for. So why keep the alpha stage going for so long? I'm thinking it is simply a convenient excuse. "Oh the aerodynamics are all messed up? All good it is in alpha and will get fixed eventually." "The game lags when building stations? All good it is in alpha and will get fixed eventually." "----Insert issue here--- All good it is in alpha and will get fixed eventually." Now that being said I see nothing wrong with a game releasing early and many factors can play into this such as budget limits, Publisher pressure, administrative calls, ect. But the game at some point needs to actually make it out of its' early development phase and actually call it a finished product. We can only speculate as to how many copies have been sold of KSP but as of now and since 2011 the developers have completely skipped accountability in maintaining or finishing the software by simply adding the phrase "the game is in alpha stages". If someone has a legitimate complaint the primary thing that person is told is that the game isn't finished and that they will just have to wait. What gets me mainly is that there is no timeline or contract with a purchase like this. It should work out like "I give X dollars and you give a finished product by x time". Think about it logically, Would you be happy with contractor that you hired for your roof if they kept saying 3 years after you paid them that "it is all good that it leaks as I'm still not done with it." After paying for the unfinished software the development team essentially becomes contractors finishing up on the software that you already purchased. So given that I have already laid out cash for the said software then people frown on asking when it will be done or when the next patch will come out. After all that person is just asking how far along their investment is. If you hired someone to build a car for you would you not ask them at the very least occasionally when that car would be done? After all you already paid for it and you need to make sure your investment is going to pan out. A lot of people including myself look at this game as an investment especially with the marketing scheme they use as the game gets more expensive the closer it gets to being finished. I took a risk, bought a game early in it's development, and now I expect to be told how this risk is panning out. It is issues like these that arise when you decide to release a game early.
