DarthVader

New here, but i cannot stress enough how much i agree with Number 2. I think it is important to keep an air of mystery about the game as its developed in order for any significant interest to build. I have been a part of multiple early access games where the core interested population gets burned out from seeing everything in the alpha/beta. Even worse, i think that sometimes the buy-in for alpha reduces the quality of the testers and brings in people that are expecting a more polished game and maybe aren't quite as ready to spend time in the grind finding bugs and providing constructive criticism. 
 
Alpha should be for testing and i think a kickstarter is a good idea, but i think the early access needs to be done on a more private scope where the emphasis is on improving the game and not publicizing it.

So the core of this idea is based off of a UI element that is community driven, - Like  newspaper... 
 
For example there you will access the Wiki, the Developer blog, In-game forums linked to here(Not sure can be done), then you can have the RP sections.. where you can story develop aspects of current events of major Factions...
 
Example: X Faction is Attacking plant Y from Faction B... Read more here: Click into the webpage and you go to another tab... 
 
Or even place the market place on it, making it open and not blocked up like old game MMO Auction house markets. - Where you can list things and describe...
There you have friends list and so on, all things in a more immersive and connective way, so then there isn't this game immersion breaking press a key and open a friends list, but rather a Linking way into the game universe manner. 
 
So many things can be added to it...