I do find this disturbing. It's not necessarily putting me off, but like schem, I do worry about diplo issues, fleet formations issues, advent balancing issues etc, but I do have faith in SD, and since SD is siding with IC, I have faith in IC, i just hope it isn't ill placed.

We are of like mind on these issues. I dread the thought of a patch having to be released within the first couple months or so unless it is hardware or OS specific.

Any game play tweaks, rebalancing issues, user interface, system augmentations, network play and other such changes simply makes us as beta testers look bad. I for one wont like that especially when my hands were tied when it comes to many aspects of the core game play elements. I have promoted this game to many and can already account for several sales.

Once it is released I have many clients, friends and family members who have told me they want to get it to see what I been "working" on for nearly the past year in my spare time at all hours of the night.

Let the developers focus on the retail release + release patch please, the dice have been cast now.

I am sure that the "patch" is being incorporated into the final release.  

When it's too late to discover any serious balance issues before the final release. Like I said, I have hope, I just hope I'm not let down.