Honestly if you aren't just a little informed about the process of game development then you probably shouldn't be backing projects, especially ones that promise to be huge systemic open worlds let alone a persistent universe focused on pvp.
Game development is a lot more complex and time consuming than dev diaries would have you believe. It takes a long time just to get things playable let alone how long it takes things to get finalized.
I understand that. I understand that game development takes a lot of time. I totally do, but you can't argue against a breach of trust.
But saying people shouldn't donate to projects if they think something looks cool is but don't understand game development is... Well, I'd say a lot more kickstarters would flop. I'd hazard a guess and say that the majority of people don't know how the game is made; They just know what they're being told and think that sounds cool. I donated to a Kickstarter that made wooden spellbooks for tabletop-related goodies. Should I have not donated since I don't understand carpentry whatsoever?
You're not a consumer, you've merely donated to a project
I would expect people to do some research into a cause before donating
The line between consumer and someone who donates is getting thinner and thinner. Especially with Kickstarter things and the ability to get refunds--can I get a refund from the Red Cross if I donate to their cause?
And what kind of research? What kind of easily accessible research is available to people that tells them how difficult it is to implement a physics engine, or how certain engines are hard to work with?
GAF knows because insiders talk about it and we're enthusiasts. The expectation that people should do actual, factual research when the entire
point of a Kickstarter campaign is, "LOOK AT THIS SHINEY STUFF. LOOK AT OUR PITCH. LOOK AT ALL THIS
INFORMATION WE'RE GIVING YOU!" is the precise kind of marketing that keeps people from wanting to do research. It's the reason Kickstarter now requires a working prototype. You can't just blow smoke up people's asses without showing that you're capable of what you're saying you can do.
And it works. It's proven time and time again that it works. Telling people to get better educated is fine and all, but it's never going to happen.