Ok, I didn't keep track of the constant on-sale status of the game. That's a mistake on my part. But the transparency... I don't know about that, chief. I doubt new people dig through the past development logs to figure out what the current status of the game is. So, the most prevalent source of information is the game's main page. And that gives off the vibe of a more complete game with intricate systems and a lot more variety than there actually is at this point in time.
I know it's probably dumb of me - who has bought this game over a year ago and is looking forward to it's completion in the future - to make such a fuss about it, but trying to look at it from the perspective of someone who just stumbles across it, it feels... insincere (I know it's not meant to be).
And yes, it's just a lack of adequate adaption of the main page.
And yes, new people could try to dig deeper into the actual, current state of the game.
But not everyone does this, especially when they believe that the main page is giving them a summary of the current state of the game.
Viewing post in Sapphire Safari (Early Access) comments
I feel that this is 100% valid criticism in the games current state.
Cutscenes that don't seem to be implemented in the game used into marketing material, promises of things you can experience, but not currently implemented in the game. Even if you are straightforward in backchannels, you shouldn't be representing it as the state of the game on the page where customers are actually purchasing it. If you are being transparent, add the details described to the games description ^ up there.
I also think that this game can be quality and successful, but I think in the current state it's in, you are presenting a bait and switch.
Maybe I'm the odd one, but I always check the past logs and comments before I pay for something in places like this, and I figured others did too? Is it really that rare?
I guess I just know that these things are works in progress, so while I may grab a free game on a whim without looking into it, I want to make sure the developers are active in there games so we don't end up with another Monster Girl Island type situation.
I haven't bought this game yet because it seems like it's still in it's early stages, but I've saved it to a folder of stuff I want to keep an eye on, because Kinky Fridays does seem to post updates fairly often, relative to what I've seen from a lot of others on here, and the quality of what they're making shows promise. I'm just waiting for it to get further along before I spend the money is all. It seems a bit harsh to fault the dev for people not looking into what they're spending their money on.
There are different ways to look at it. It's fair to say that people could invest the time and go through devlogs and comments to see the current state of a game. But a good number of people also look at the front page to see if it's a work in progress, a demo, a small but basically finished indie game, and so on and so forth. So, the front page should give at least a somewhat concise summary of the game's current state. The blame doesn't lie solely with the devs, but it's equally not right to blame people for not wanting to spend time digging through logs and comments when the front page is - at first glance at least - well-managed and informative. Something simple like "This is an early (or relatively early) alpha build for our game that's still WIP. Here, have a roadmap or a short summary of already implemented systems. Otherwise, look at our latest development logs" would already help increase transparency and give people a 'fair warning' and a gentle nudge to look more into it if they are unsure.
The things currently on the front page don't do that and give off the vibe of a much more complete game. By which, I don't mean to imply it is done purposefully to lure people in or anything along those lines. It was probably done to share this game's goals and ideas. The problem is it can be very easily misinterpreted as intent and drive people away. Which I would like to prevent because I think this game could be great. Putting just a little more information and transparency on the front page can reduce that risk and show that the developers care about clear communication with this game's (potential) buyers and the people who follow their progress. Yes, it's a little extra work to put in, but it gives off a better feeling and can help increase trust in this project and the devs.