Comment by manfredo

I think the core issue is that people don't have a good grasp on the amount of money it takes to develop games, and the paltry amount of money that niche titles rake in. Take computer wargames and flight sims, for example.

Hardcore wargames (e.g. Combat mission, Graviteam tactics, Grigsby's War in the *, etc.) are a very niche market. Even popular ones make a fraction of the sales that more popular titles bring in. Thus, it's not uncommon for the developers of these games to be 2-3 man shops, or even one-person companies.

The consequence is that these games either have to cut down on quality or jack up prices. Why do modules in DCS often cost $60-$70 for just one plane? Because the small numbers of sales means that they will need to have a higher revenue per sale to break even. Why do so many wargames use 2d counters and hex grids? Because 3d art is expensive, and they need to keep costs low.

Some people bring up color palette, and that this dev just doesn't have a good eye for art. Maybe that's the case, but the fundamental market principles still apply. He could spend money to hire an artist or spend time improving his art skills, but resources do not permit it.