I'm sorry man, but I don't agree with you on any of this. The player makes the choice to buy into early access at a discount. It's their choice to buy into an unfinished product. There is nothing morally binding about on how it develops at all. Dev's want their games to succeed and they take the path they think will get them there. People choose this when they buy into early access. The problem is that people feel entitled. I'm personally not a fan of early access but people really got to stop thinking they are owed a game tailored to their own personal tastes just because they chose to buy it before release. Buy into the vision and offer constructive feedback along the way. That is the most effective way to make positive changes.
So with that being said, I'm really excited about the colonies option and that is where I'll be spending my time but I am happy they are offering the Empires mode so people like you can enjoy the game as well.