Now that I think of it, wasn't something like this tried a few years ago? Buy the early edition PDF and be able to upgrade to the finished edition for free or at a discount? I think it was called a beta version of something? Why not do something similar with these TROs or other long awaited books?
In this case it seems the reason is that CGL has considered it and decided it's not a good idea for them.
What RM is remembering is
the Beta for BattleMech Manual from January 2017, where you bought the Beta PDF for (IIRC) $9.99, with the option to do a survey and get $5.00 off something in the CGL store. There was also one done for
Interstellar Operations, but I was solely an editor then, and I'm not aware what the discounts or anything might have been for that one.
There was a Closed Beta for
MechWarrior: Destiny which was limited to KS backers, so we do still do them. But it's infrequent--and IMO, should remain so.
The problem with CGL doing Betas, or "raw" editions like you're describing, is that they jam up the production pipeline, which already has certain bottlenecks. For instance, with Destiny, we're essentially making the book twice--and on a tight timeline to hit the KS delivery dates. The Beta went through a full edit cycle, a full layout cycle, and had various art produced/reviewed/revised/inserted both for the Beta, and for the final. Now, with the feedback, there's new writing, which needs editing, then it's inserted into the manuscript, which needs re-proofing, and then layout has to at least flow the text in again, but probably a lot more.
That's a justifiable use of resources (both monetary and personnel-bandwidth) when it's a "big" book that you want to get right. The BMM qualified, Destiny qualified (mostly), and for other companies, things like D&D 5th and Pathfinder 2nd were worth doing that way. But to do it for less-impactful products, or to do it frequently, is going to clog the production pipeline terribly.
Personally, I'd rather have an unfinished product than spend money and wait for years and never get anything.
So, it's the second part of that, "wait for years and never get anything," that's what really needs to be addressed and what I feel like the core concern is here. That's the part that many of us involved in producing the game discuss a lot - building an effective, smooth production process so that
stuff comes out. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "spend money and wait" (preorders? buying into a game initially?). But the basic sentiment that
you want more BattleTech, as frequently and as high-quality as possible, that I 100 pct hear and agree with. If we can knock down that challenge, and you're getting lavishly-illustrated, engaging products a couple times a year to spice up your games...that's where I want to be, too. We shouldn't
have to produce half-finished stuff just to get things out to you.