I have similar views. Pre-purchasing / donating a modest sum to support a game that sounds like something you want is one thing, but for me spending hundreds of dollars on virtual space ships in a game that I may not even like (not to mention we have no idea how these ships will be even balanced in a practical sense) is a big no. Kudos to all who supported it with hundreds of dollars, but in today's economy I can't really afford to blow that much money on an unknown quantity. Sure, the game may end up being awesome, or I may try it for an hour and decide it's not for me. This isn't just any game, their description is basically going after being the mother of all space sims, and being an MMO to boot. That's a tall order, and games that want to "do it all" can in theory turn out amazing, or they can go the way of Derek Smart. Can they deliver? It's not just about throwing enough money at it.. it takes lots of very hard work, and creating a functional, fun to play MMO that won't die after a year isn't easy at all. Don't get me wrong I wish this game all the best but there's no way in hell I'm spending hundreds of dollars on it without knowing for sure what I'll get in return.
And there's also the thing that I like a sense of progression with these games. Not sure if anyone still remembers Privateer 1 - I loved it dearly back in the day. Starting out with a horribly equipped crapbucket and ending up with a fully armed Centurion death machine took some work, and it was at least half the fun. I'm a bit worried about this mechanics of "give us hundreds of dollars to start the game with a death dealing machine". Smells too much like pay to win to me.. again, just my opinion but progressing from a crapbucket to something awesome is usually what keeps me interested. We'll see how getting insurance that's not life time will work in the game, I guess. Again, just my opinion, whoever feels justified throwing hundreds of dollars at it, all power to you.