In part you can understand us backers being annoyed we aren't even allowed to have our KEYS until a day or so before release, despite the fact others can preorder it.. I mean come on.. at least let us have it sitting waiting in our game library if your going to let others stream it.
And something that gets me too we constantly see 'backers have this feeling of being owed' or 'backers are over indulgent' or 'backers don't have any right to feel'.. Stop, yes while kickstarter is a means to get funding in the end it is also a promise from the developers to the backers that they will honour their promises to the best of their abilities and backers some times risk a lot to get things made. You can not blame anyone who laid out money 3 years ago for being upset when they see others getting to play the game when they do not.
Yes a lot of us understand that Youtube, Twitch etc streamers are advertising these days and that yes they will help sell product and it's a very cheap way of doing it and yet at the same time those going 'entitle whiney brats' etc need to stop and remember that the Backers have to date had:
1. The release date pushed back.
2. Features cut.. not just delayed but out right CUT that they helped fund.
And HBS themselves acknowledged that there was already a lot of bad blood in the water when they started the kickstarter, for a lot of people here they are just here for the game forgetting that there is a good sized group of Battletech fans who laid money out on this project even after being burned very baddly by another Battletech game only a short time before HBS started this one (Tactics).
So yeah I can perfectly understand why some of us feel like its a slap in our faces when we watch others getting to play the game we helped fund and have been waiting on for 3 years to play especially given there seems little reason for the Backer Beta to have been taken away.
On the other hand beyond letting Mitch, Mike, Jordan etc know how we feel by posts that aren't going to change the fact that Paradox have already locked the marketing in etc there is little we can do.
What I personally notice is different this time is that with SH:R, SH:HK etc there certainly didn't seem to be this much lead time on streams (if any from memory).. so personally I think that the stream idea etc is a PARADOX item over a HBS one. I also don't agree with those saying that HBS has been treating us backers more and more like just a purse to get their games made because of the recent changes in things, I think that due to a publishing deal they made some things have been shifted slightly out of their hands because advertising etc is not their roll any more.
Why do I believe this? because as annoyed and (in my opinion rightfully peeved off) as I was that they dropped features we helped fund (Solaris for example) at the same time HBS to date have been down right honest about everything they have done, from the reason for the delay that caused the backer beta to push by 3 months to the reason why we would not see the game launch until this year.. Do I think HBS need to maybe rethink the time frame on giving out keys etc? Yes but hey again beyond telling them that there is little more that I can do.
So in short yeah there are likely a lot of people who feel some what 'entitled' if you stop and look at the reasons for it, that is justified and those people have only 2 means of communicating why they are upset. Posting here and/or on the KS page and letting Mitch, Mike and Jordan know that they are upset and why, or talking with their wallets come next game.. I know which I'd prefer happen.. They post here let the HBS guys know why they/we are upset and that the HBS guys can take it under advisement and look at maybe how they can do things better in the future.. Because if people decide that they are being treated like dirt too often and HBS needs to do another kickstarter (say for Crimson skies???????) there is the chance that those whom feel they where treated like dirt this time around etc won't put the money down etc.
That is something every one should remember.. How the backers feel they where treated and how they tell others by word of mouth etc has an impact on future business it always will.
Anyway just my short essay
no doubt some one will try and flame it or something like normal.
