The real problem is seeing "inside the box". Most games are buggy and unfun for at least 90% of development time, and change direction several times as certainl

The real problem is seeing "inside the box". Most games are buggy and unfun for at least 90% of development time, and change direction several times as certainly things are found to work, or not work. The problem now is people are, reasonably, expecting what's in the original design document, and then getting annoyed when they get something else. Also, as you say, having people's money already removes the need to finish -- and that push to polish and finish so you can release and get some money in my experience is what makes games good.