Steam, the video game sales platform, offers developers a chance to release PC games before the game is complete. This allows independent publishers the chance to earn money while they code their new games. It's called "Early Access."
I've purchased a few of these games in the past. They require a lot of patience to enjoy. You can wait an entire month for the next update and only receive a few minor changes to the user interface. Wait another 3 weeks, there are now clouds in the sky. Wait another few weeks, there are now new trees and shadows, plus bug fixes from previous releases. You can purchase one of these games and never have a chance to play the completed version for months if not years down the road.
In the Steam forums for an early access game, you see much of the same discussion. People want their finished product long before it's finished and many don't seem to understand you need to take steps to get to the finished product. It can't just happen at the snap of a few fingers.
Since I'm somewhat used to this experience and these discussions, I'm hardly phased by Steemit and it's current form. I have no problem being patient and waiting for things. I'm sure this discussion has occurred a few hundred times already. I doubt the development team is ignoring the issues. I just know they take time to execute.
I'm currently writing a series. One episode at a time. Many other authors are writing books, one chapter at a time. This method could, in a sense, be called "Early Access" as well. I hope nobody comes along demanding the ending before the climax, for that would not make any sense.
Have a great day!
I understand all of that, really. The concern I have is the constant focus on band-aids. The "solutions" to the "problems" here seem to be consistently off. See the comment I just made to @markrmorrisjr for a reply "fully." (Think, Half-Baked)
It's very similar in the gaming industry. Place holders. That island in the distance used to be a strange, ugly blob of pixels. People would complain. Developers would say, "work in progress." People would complain. Developers would finish what is required to make that distant island actually look like an island in the distance... people would find something new to complain about. :)
I should add, I don't disagree. I've simply been exposed to these things in the past and know what to expect. I'm able to let a few things slide, because I know the bells and whistles come last.