I'm not sure how I feel about being able to buy into a pre-alpha game on Steam. I noticed more and more of these offerings showing up on Steam over the last six months or so.
On one hand its like buying a new car before the design is even settled on. You get a frame, wheels and a drive train but nothing else. New pieces will arrive in the mail every month or so. Sure it runs but you can only go 5 mph around the block once. Oh, and don't get used to what you have because it might change with no notice. There is no way to tell if your going to end up with what you thought you were buying or something totally different due to bad choices and compromises by the designer. Then you have the whole mess that can come from too many suggestions shouted out by a committee of people who have no clue what they are talking about. Been there done that and the result is never pretty. I have been in on and observed new products being designed and older products being improved. A small team with clear goals always does better than a huge committee made up of individuals whose only goal is to get their way for what ever reason. And finally, there is the chance the project will never get completed.
On the other hand you have access to the game from the beginning and can offer up feed back and suggestions for improvements. You get to watch how things change and grow leading up to the final product. For a price you can even get your name in the credits listing.
I have not made up my mind yet. There are advantages for and against this approach to developing a game. What is everyone elses opinion?