Hi!
In the free game/mod community, there seems to be some sort of "I deserve this" mentality in a lot of fans. "Why isn't this done yet?", "You should release now, you owe it to your fans", "If you don't add this feature you're betraying your fans because they're the reason this game exists".
Freeware development is hell.
-Angry Lawyer
I simply had to quote this for truth.
The thing is, I see a lot of "I deserve this!" mentality on the internet and I have seen how it has caused a lot of harm. I don't know why (maybe subtle encouragement by some big software house?), but the English-language internet tends to live in a myth of absolute lawlessness and disrespect. Artists and creators are simply used and abused by people redistributing their creations without giving due credit in order to get cheap praise by the masses and if they dare have anything else to say about their own art other than "I put it in PD", they get ignored if they are lucky or condemned.
Personally, I see two types of creations: Commercial and private.
A commercial creation would be a commission or something published as a (semi-)professional product to be sold. It's main goal for the creator is earning money, and so it is basically created to cater for the needs of the customers.
A private creation is anything that is not mainly created for the profit, and despite the donation system, I consider DF to be a private creation. Private creations are an expression of their creator. They reflect the thoughts, feelings, and wishes of the creator.
Respect for me means that I have to accept that private creations are not created for me as the audience but rather for the creator to express themselves. So, while I may give constructive criticism or express that I have different preferences, it would be unfair to make demands or complain about it not catering to my needs. It is not about me, so why should it cater to my needs?
Another aspect I wish people would keep in mind is the emotional bond. While the commercial product is often merely a product for sale, a private creation is more often than not something special for the creator: It is their brainchild, something they have invested part of their personality in. So, being abusive towards a private creation also means being abusive towards its creator, much more so than with a commercial creation, and possibly with greater impact.
I really wish people would have more respect for creators and actually think about what they are saying before they say it.
Sorry about this strong negative post, but this is really something I consider a major issue on the English language internet that has caused a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Deathworks