I think that'd be worse because a goal does create a rallying point, and is also used as a signal for how realistic funding this project is (keeping in mind tha

I think that'd be worse because a goal does create a rallying point, and is also used as a signal for how realistic funding this project is (keeping in mind that people irrationally want to back a sure thing). Yes, it's a problem, though not like IndieGoGo's flexible funding. But I don't take it in isolation - determined creators can make a lot happen with a little money, I know. I look more closely at the level of detail of what has been done and what needs to be done, and judge whether I think these people have few enough unknowns to complete it. But that's not a metric that most people are able to judge themselves, which is why it's a problem, and also where the Kickstarter community of other backers should kick in.