They seem to be enjoying this aura of mystery and these big, high-production value reveals. As someone who works in a creative agency, this is a bad way to collaborate. The client (in this case us, the EA ‘backers’) either feels like they’re settling for something not quite what they asked for or the studio has to do a lot of extra work to bring it in line. Communicating effectively can avoid all of this.
Early Access doesn't mean made-to-order, and even if it did not all players want the same things. The responsibility for creating a fun game with effectively inter-locking systems is Larian's. Designing to specs laid down by the noisiest players doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
Early Access also doesn't mean to take the money and run with it. Everyone is allowed to have a different opinion on how close Larian should follow feedback but weeks and months of practically radio silence and not engaging any conversation with the people paying for your work isn't really a sign of being at eye level with your customers. Sure, some people are fine with that and that's ok but some people are expecting a little bit more when they take their time to test everything (basically doing the work others get paid for) and provide suggestions and feedback about what could be done differently. And honestly, just a little weekly or biweekly community update about how things are going and what is being worked on and discussed with the team would go a long way. People are not expecting a two-page article every single time, just a little update. And again, if you personally don't care about such things, that's fine as well.
