I have played various games, most via Steam (or Epic), where the game was still in early access (some even after full release, but still being added to) AND allowed the player to OPT-IN to get, play and hopefully report any problems with the testing (Test Branch) version. THIS way, any MAJOR problems can be identified and hopefully fixed in a SEMI-REGULARLY PUSHED OUT UPDATE. And as the version gets more and more stable, a finalized 'STABLE' Branch is generally pushed out to the general populace that they can then better check to see if that still needs much more major work and the test branches can more work on the other problem items that come about.
THIS also allows for the (hopefully) more rapid FIXES to Major Game Breaking things (the type that often requires full game restarts, but not always) and verify those fixes in the "testing" community. And Yeah, this game has many interlocking things that require a LOT of things to fully test. Which can become harder to fully test, without putting it out to the people to play and report on.
And Yeah, being on someplace like Steam, can allow you to have a bit more viability and expanded Community. Plus secure payment options as well as a few other things that the platform provides.
I DO like this game and like to watch various content creators play this game as well as me playing it as well. With a game like this, there is SO much that can be different, depending on what you do at anytime in the game. But if those same content creators have to dump a LOT of time and online content, because they have to restart and try to replay things to be close to where they left off, because they FINALLY got an update that broke their current play through, without knowing that the game was in that kind of state.
And I was seriously looking to play the newer version, but everything that I have seen here and other places, show me that I'll just have to wait, it would seem, a few more MONTHS before I should even think about getting the newer version and give it a spin...