Netorase Phone version 0.31: A Bit Burned Out
Hello everyone, and welcome to a surprise Netorase Phone release.
This version doesn't add new chapters, instead focusing on bug fixes, improvements to earlier chapters, with some side content (Interludes & Squaregram).
What Happened?
Simply said, the plans I had for Chapter 59 weren't the right ones. A lot of people weren't feeling it, and it turned out I wasn't either. The focus wasn't the right one, and as much as some of you like Ashley and Tara, Laura is still the main character.
I tried pushing on, but the direction I was aiming for wasn’t the strongest fit. I tried, over the last few chapters, to experiment with new ways to make things fun and meaningful, but your feedback clearly told me I should focus on what made you enjoy Netorase Phone at first: memorable events, and a clear and visible story progression. And, above all, a focus on your girlfriend having fun with other men, and telling you all about it, while the other girls act as support characters (don't worry, I'm not going to deprive you of Ashley and Tara).
I could have held this update back to add content to it, but it also includes fixes and improvements that I didn’t want to keep people waiting on. And with the holidays, it might have been an inconvenient release date anyway. Which is why I decided to release it now, and will follow up with the next chapters once I've settled on a better plan.
What's Next?
Over the 2 or 3 days to come, I'll try to get out of my current headspace for a bit. Then, my main goal will be to think about the future of NTS Phone, and how I can improve it.
I'll try my best to make new plans for the near future, with content showing more progression. I'll decide on a meaningful Chapter 59, that will make the story progress in a better way. I'm dedicated to making NTS Phone a great game, and since this is the most prevalent complaint right now, that's what I'll focus on.
I'm sorry for the disappointment this release might create. Be assured I will do my best to make up for it with a renewed story progression in the very near future.
As usual, here's a picture of Tara to help you forgive me. Since the post will become public though, it has to be SFW, so I'll let your imagination do the rest. There are some nice NSFW ones in the update though. ;)
Here's version 0.31 update notes:
Story:
- Made various small improvements to Chapters 5 through 7.
- Adjusted the numbers of non-story pictures to account for the story soon reaching 1000 pictures. Vignette pictures now start at 2000, Interludes at 3000, SquareGram at 4000, Dre's Harem at 5000, and System at 6000.
- 3 new Interludes.
- 10 new pictures.
Functionalities:
- Made various optimization to the Pictures app.
- The Pictures app now remembers your settings between sessions.
Issues corrections:
- Corrected an issue making autosave trigger a black screen on starting the game.
- Corrected an issue making Chapter 1 unplayable.
- Corrected an issue making picture 868 unreachable.
Comments (74)
I dont know if it was this update or an earlier one but the game took a hard turn from amazing to absolute garbage and I'm really bummed out about it. Early on, you encounter Oliver and he is a grade-A asshole. I get that some folks enjoy that content and I'm happy they have that option but I was THRILLED with the ability to tell GF that you dont like Oliver and dont want him in the game anymore. That was one of the BEST parts of the game, the options and ability to choose a path. Then very late in the playtbrough, there is the "GF from the future" and he comes back. You cant get rid of him and if you try to tell GF you arent okay with him, she turns into a grade A asshole, a complete flip from the sweet, loving, concerned, fun GF the entire rest of the game. Honestly, it took a sweet, dedicated, faithful relationship and turned her into a cold-hearted asshole. As far as I'm concerned, the game ended right there because even if there isnt an option to break up with her as far as I'm concerned, she broke the rules of the relationship so bye, bye to her. This game was something unique and special in that it was one of the few actual games in this genre where you could have a loving, equal relationship without the humiliation and then you took that away, destroyed player choice and agency. It is an absolute shame because you caved to a small number of whiners and ticked off actual fans.
So many words and this dude only said facts
i keep getting the black screen right after starting. any solution?
is there any plans for possible laura pregnancy?
Finally A long awaited whole lot more of Tara, She has always felt like a side character now she finally feels like she is joining the party, and coulnt be happier have been waiting for content from her. looking forward to the next chapter
and I couldn't find the link to download the game in Mr. stag recent post. Can someone tell me where to download the latest game updates,😢
Have you tried the big "Click here to Download" button?
I felt that the storyline in chapters 1-47, where Laura was the main character and Ashly and Tara were supporting characters, with smaller parts where Ashly and Tara were the main characters and Laura was a supporting character, felt particularly good. It felt like a warm little group, a family, making the game very comfortable to play, as if I were a member of this warm family. I hope this won't change. I didn't really like some of the updates after chapter 47, especially the story update before the chapter with the vibrator control game; it felt very jarring. Please keep "The Asylum," keep this "bitch family," and please keep this family warm and loving. Please.😢😢
Especially when Ashley and Laura were competing in the house to see who was more like a bitch/slut, Ashley finally took off her clothes and showed off a boastful and proud expression. I think that was the climax of this game at that time. I hope to see similar storylines in the future, where the slut teacher Ashly and her slut student Laura compete with each other to see if it's Ashly, the teacher is indeed the teacher, or if Laura's student is better than her. This plot has a surreal yet super romantic and beautiful feeling, like heaven。🥺🥺Then Tara looked at Laura and Ashley's happy expressions, her bottom line that she had been sticking to wavering little by little. Then she sent a message to MC After the party, chatting about her thoughts and feelings, "Is it really happy to be a bitch？”thenMC“If you want to become a bitch, I can help you, 😈and all of us, Laura and Ashley,we can help you☺️”Then Tara got angry, and MC said, "If you don't like that kind of statement, we are your best friends. We can help you find your true happiness, or we can stay with you until you find your true happiness，Then Tara sent a crying expression, and I seem to know why Laura has always liked you so much.😆
I found a grammar, right before chapter 5.5 ended at the bar should be "we" is in favt " whe".did a screen, cant send it here.
I am reading all these messages hear and realize, I think you have a very large fan base that has been enjoying your content a lot including the recent stuff. The unfortunate side effect is when people are content with what is being provided, they tend to forget to praise it. I see a lot of people her really liking the side content and are now worried it is going away. I hope that does not happen along the people who are here as well.
Yep. Its almost always the ones that are critical that are the loudest, which can make even a tiny majority seem like "everyone" dislike something, while the majority that is fine or like something dont actually leave more feedback. Talking in general and its the case for a lot of different fields.
It would be awesome if there was a nested loop to make it more sandboxy. All of MozgSans comments make sense; a "spinner" point where the MC gets to decide the direction would be fantastic, and you could add event timers to change up how it plays between runs, depending on what order the MC chooses to go encounter them
You already cooking a lot right now you need just choose between them (Tara date , mysteries married women, foursome Nathan and his gf, Ashley and her bf too, like do swap and tells the story in Mad group, mick gf)that for confident stag for cock maybe ( Nathan or Oliver outside date and MC follow them ,you can make mysteries girl husband cock and you the bull, you can make MC watch Ashley bf have Laura and Ashley threesome) maybe if you play the game you will find more content, anyway i hope you rest well bro
The people saying don't listen to feedback are so shortsighted. There is no game without supporters. Most people will eventually vote with their wallets, I definitely did and I always encourage everyone to do so. I support the author, and his vision but it is not an oath of fealty. Are you going to take up the slack when 1000 subscribers leave? What happens when the earnings drop and the author suddenly has to find additional work?Netorase Phone was THE best game because it was about sharing your girlfriend. Not because of the pseudo harem that some guys seem to want. Those games are dime a dozen and most have already failed after the 10th update or so.
Well there were more people not complaining than there was complaining.
This is probably the best news I've heard recently and I hope we go back to focusing on Lara. Looks like it's actually the people here who are the vocal minority. Why shouldn't the creator listen to feedback? It is Patreon. That is literally the point of this platform. There's a difference in having side characters and developing them, even having a chapter dedicated to them. But multiple chapters? Even saying things like Lara slut era then shifting focus after a few chapters? Yeah I hope people like me, who was subbed every month early in development vote with their wallets. Most likely people who supported the game and the premise finally got tired when the game started shifting to something else. There are so many other games if you want content like Ashley and Tara. I hope the author takes his time, delays like this are expected and acceptable but I hope we get back to the original focus on what made the game great and it wasn't ashley or tara.
There arent actually other games for content like Ashley or Tara. There are harem games and There are NTR games but this one WAS a nice middle ground where both the MC and the GF could have fun. It was cool and unique but now it's just going back to a stereotypical NTR game and losing its uniqueness.
Laura is getting boring I don't wanna read about how she slept with another man I wanna explore new characters for the mc Tara and Ashley are great but we need new characters for our MC to hook up with and share with the group
Tara actually gets some focus finally and thats gets shit on? Laura has a whole game full of focus, and personally find Laura kind of stale atm, while Ashley and especially Tara fresh. What I have liked most is that the NTS and openess havent been one-sided (Like most of these games are in my experience) and increasing focus on the MC and the other girls with Laura experiencing that side too. To be honest as much as i like Laura, and I really do, I think I would have dropped or taken a big break from the game by now if Tara and Ashley werent in the game or started getting more content. Honestly did take a small break in recent months when I felt Tara was getting barely any progress. So I am worried by this post that its going to slow down again. Sorry if I misunderstood what the complaints were, but thats atleast my personal feelings about the game atm. Not trying to change anything, cause the developer should always do what they want and plan, if they try to change everything based on feedback (which can often be a vocal minority), it often hurts the quality and long term life of the game in my experience of other games I have seen.
I think the issue is that Laura has already had very slow(burn... But slow nonetheless) progression throughout the game. To your point, it would have gotten pretty stale without Tara and Ashley to spice things up in the meantime. The problem is that since we're finally getting to the "payoff" with Laura, focusing an entire chapter on Tara or Ashley, much less multiple chapters in a row as was I think initially planned for chapter 59, just feels like Laura is failing to progress even more. It wouldn't be that big of a deal in the finished game, but since it's still in development and we have to wait weeks between chapters, its a bigger deal if Laura and MC aren't making meaningful progress in their sharing relationship.
I dunno what kind of feedback you were getting but the last update was pretty good. You need moments to just relax and have other things to do to focus on the other characters a bit. Expand the world a little. Not that same old shit over and over and over. That's when you run into problems and burn out. People can be easy with opinions and suggestions but they aren't the ones creating, they are the ones consuming and they just want what they want. Fuck that shit. You should also NEVER feel obligated because some one is paying you. I have always made it clear to my supporter that their money will never steer my course, make me change anything or force me to add what they want. Tara actually needed this attention and I loved it. I loved the fact that I wasn't forced into situations I might not have wanted my boyfriend involved in. Like his co-worker. If I have one complaint it's genuine. Saying no to the co-worker should have had a completely different path and not the same path with the co-worker renamed. THAT was lame and lazy. That was the single flaw with it. Nothing else. There is nothing wrong with character building. Keep doing that <3
Well said
En lo particular si me molestó el error de la pantalla en negro tuve ke borrar los datos y empezar denuevo para ke me permitiera jugar nuevamente que bien ke esté solucionado 💙 y después de todo tomarse unos días mentales para relajarse es bueno para que no ayan trabas mentales hay que tener una mente Sena y despejada
A mi me estaba gustando como Iban las cosas también me gustó bastante el otro juego tener una novia a distancia y ver cómo se desencadenan las cosas
Nice happy 30th birthday to meee
Its great to remembet the roots being laura having sex and telling us about it we cant forget a series evolves either. As long as we still get our coffee date with tara. Last chapter was honestly refreshing. As much as i like laura it was a needed character break. Letting a character take over a chapter was a great idea.
the zip file from mega keeps coming up as corrupted when trying to unzip it with winrar
The Edward content was goated and so was the latest Tara content!
But honestly I love almost all your content. It is currently some of the very best NTS content out there.
I much prefer the Tara and Ashley stuff, so the last Tara chapter was fantastic. So was the birthday one.
What he said! Tara is awesome, and it is nice to see a game where the male lead gets to have some fun of his own, but I'm looking forward to whatever comes our way next!
Wow, nice chapters, someone know if is a rute were laura get a gangbang with the three office guys on this chapters? I have the vibe that would happen
i really liked the character focus chapter with Tara. i hope there is more content focused on side characters.
Guess I am in the minority. I find the MC relationship with Laura mid and Tara and Ashley top-tier! The last few updates with more Tara have been personal favorites.
yea same.i was finding the mc relationship with laura out of balance and getting stale, so tara and Ashely are my favs dont worry you aint alone lol
Yo I think it is good to be in touch with the community, but I think you might be being exhausted by a vocal minority. I think you're doing great. The game is doing great. Don't listen to people *too* much. You have a vision and you can execute on it.
Count me in the category of people who absolutely loved the character focus chapters! The recent Tara one was absolute gold and my favorite, and I was definitely looking forward to Ashley too! However, absolutely respect you recognizing the creative doubt and pulling back to reassess, and appreciate still getting an QoL update. You rule, I trust in whatever you get out next!
I am enjoying the Ashely and Tara aspects of the game. There a ton of games out there with just a single girl focus, Your game has been amazing with the various perspectives and interactions. I do hope you take the time for yourself. However, don't let a loud dissonant few keep you from building something you seem to be enjoying. Take all the time you need.
Listening to a few mentally ill that have enough free time to flood with their mental illness doesn't seems to me like a good idea. If you are feeling burned out you should take a well deserved rest first and then think about how to continue.
I love the parts with Ashely and Tara. There is plenty of room in the story for all. I for one don't really like one sided relationships, so the parts where the MC finally gets a little action are nice.
I think you're too hard on yourself. Make what you want and let us enjoy it. I personally like Tara and would love more of her. Hell, I'd want a spin off being her BF.
Where do I sign up for the spin off?
Good post. Transparent and informative. I feel that I'm kept in the loop, and I'm told enough about the "where, when, and why" to have confidence in the future of the project and how it's managed and developed, despite this admitted setback. Keep up the good work. The Tara-picture is accepted. It being SFW is no downside, as I'm kind of a pervert. Her wearing a tight white top and blue jeans painted on her hips and thighs is foreplay to me. I'd ask for consent to grope her outside her clothes, as if I was some kind of pervert. Which, as mentioned above, I am.
If you want ideas from my real life adventures, feel free to message me.
👍🏻 In bygone times, one had to flog oneself and shout "Mea culpa" for forgiveness. Nowadays we may accept a Tara-Picture as a currency for salvation (although my true love will allways belong to Laura😍)!
I still just get a black screen after swiping to open on android... No change from last release and very disappointing...
Ow. Could you hop on Discord, and share your saves in the Bug Report channel, please?
Thank you everyone for your comments. I was a bit stressed about this update, and expected some angry comments. I don't deserve your support. I'm taking a few days off to refocus, and will come back to give you better content! =)
That's a shame that all people want is Laura, I think the game is so successful and well written because you're following your interests and letting them flow. I think the block/burn out your feeling might be because the comments could be weighing you down too much and suppressing your creativity/want to produce. This last chapter with Tara was definitely one of my favorites, there's been so much progress throughout the game to try to get Tara to explore a little, be more comfortable with herself and it delivered in a way that felt right. Her opening up to you that she felt left out and also wanted to be seen in the way you see Laura/Ashley, you did her justice! I honestly do not see the problem the others are, the Laura scenes vastly outnumber any scene the MC has with Ashley/Tara. The overall pacing is great and the interaction between the MC and Ashley/Tara is awesome, canning any sexual interaction between the MC and the girls and just pushing Laura to play with more and more guys is going to get stale and kill the game for me personally. Especially if there's less story line that solidifies that you are and will always be the only man for Laura, the rest of the guys are just fun. The Stag/Vixen lifestyle isn't one sided so hopefully we won't lose future content where the MC explores Laura's fetish that's been developed of seeing her partner with other girls and doesn't just turn into a cuckold sim like every other game. I hope I don't come off as rude in this comment, just wanted to share my opinion. Enjoy the holidays and the well deserved break, spend some time with family and let your brain rest a bit because your dedication and consistency is second to none, thanks for giving all us of something to always look forward to!
Like you said there are already a million ntr games that are just cuck simulators. Anyone complaining that the game is too heavy on Ashley/Tara can go play one of those. This is netoRASE phone not netoRARE phone. Don't let the vocal minority that want to live in cages win.
I only just played the last update yesterday. The stuff with Tara was FIRE 🔥. I think there is room there for more, while playing in the bounds of your relationship with Laura and the understanding of Tara's comfort. I guess I don't know about every play style, but at least in the submissive routes, Tara knows you are a pervert, sure (just like everyone), but you are safe. This last chapter with her felt like her opening up to you because she knew you would compliment and appreciate her, but any "pressure" would just be playful. Versus the pressure from the girls feels different. I think exploring your overlapping kinks together is a great direction to open up. Ex the idea of being together with Tara (not intimately exactly) while Laura is in another room with a guy and you can hear them. And the understanding is that you two will peek/watch if Tara becomes comfortable enough (all set up ahead of time with Laura so everyone knows and is comfortable). Anyway, I think they're are great ways to start expanding and exploring similar content with the twist of Tara's involvement and have it feel vastly different from Ashley's style of involvement. The excuse to text can exist as well because a) Tara is too shy/ashamed/embarrassed to actually say what she's thinking and b) she wants to be quiet so you don't disturb/interrupt them. Everyone loves and wants Tara content, but doesn't want to lose the focus on Laura. Sure we all probably want a threesome with Laura and Tara, or some version of that. But that's too much of a leap to jump into. I like establishing the MC as the safe place/person for Tara to add a new dynamic, while keeping #1 Laura and #2 Ashley as the visual vice for these encounters. Great work all around. Sure, some sections of the story have felt stale at times (when you just play one at a time at release), but when you step back and play through it...I don't think it feels that way. You are doing great stuff and I love that the loving Laura and mc centric part of the story has never been lost. I love that Laura turns you down sometimes (when you tell/entice her to be with others) and declares she just wants you tonight. I don't know, just saying you are doing a great job and I like it! Sorry for the ramble! 🔥❤️🙌
Just reread through my comment, and had a thought to add to me last line of thinking. I also like that, even though you recently talked through your boundaries and likes with Laura; if you told her that some denial play was also your jam, she would probably still have times where she's like, "No sorry, I want you to take me until the sun rises!" Meaning, she'd play with denial at different times (rather it's you asking for sex or just denying you the opportunity to reclaim), but then she would have out of box moments where she's like "Nope, just you and me today baby!". And the fact I don't doubt that things will be like that, means (to me) that you've done a good job developing and affirming a loving dynamic between them. Where her love and lust for you aren't diminished by all the other excitement. Okay I'm done I swear! 😶
You are the only developer on Patreon who acually listens to us. Thank you for that. Take as much time off as you want. Respect.
Just wanted to add my two cents here Dev. First of all, I hope you’re taking the rest you deserve, I wouldn’t want you to feel bored and burned out pushing updates for this game which has been amazing so far. Secondly, while I’m happy you’re continuing your focus on Laura and other men (I’m especially interested in future Laura+Nathan/Oliver, Laura’s threesomes and Hugo’s story, which now that I wrote all this is basically Laura+everyone 😅), I hope you can still continue MC’s situation with other girls as well, or even MC + Laura + someone else (male or female). I know that some people want this game to purely focus on the “cuckolding” part and don’t want MC to have a significant part to play, but I still hope you offer that opportunity anyway because I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his games and escapades with Laura herself, Ashley and (most importantly, of course) Tara, and wouldn’t want his progress to stop abruptly. I also wonder if we’re going to see anything related to MC, Laura, Nathan and Sophia in the future (maybe a double date of sorts? 👀). Anyway, enjoy your rest and your Christmas vacation!
Don't worry, Ashley and Tara will still be there and have a role. ;)
I think the most important thing to remember, as you decide which direction to take the story, is to take it in a direction that inspires you. The inspiration provides authenticity, which comes through in how the characters communicate. Ashley was interesting for me, because at first, I was like, "wait, this is an NTR story... I don't want to do anything with her" but then, Ashley became my favorite character, and I yearned for any interaction with her. Because the inspiration coming from the creator was genuine, and it resonated with me. I couldn't have told you what I wanted, and have been right, though. Please absolutely pivot into whatever direction provides a mix of success and inspiration. But try to remember that without the inspiration, it will all feel more like a job, and the quality will suffer. And whatever direction you pick, will lose some people either way, so try to stay true to your vision in the process. Love your work, and appreciate you!
I hope you get the rest you need, you are the only Dev I can think of that never takes time off so it is a long time coming. you make an excellent game so I know you'll come back well. "a focus on your girlfriend having fun with other men, and telling you all about it" this is the only part that worries me, does this mean it's only going to be the onesided cuckold relationship from now on? I was most looking forward to the MC actually getting action of his own as normal cuckoldry doesn't do a whole lot for me, and being in a one sided dynamic isn't something I can accept. anyway I hope you have a great break and Christmas with your family and can come back happier and healthier, Merry Christmas and happy new year
No, no, the MC will get action too. But I will try to not specifically focus on it too much. So, less dedicated chapters, and more "while I'm fucking another man, why don't you have fun too?" content.
Absolutely take the time you need to make the release you feel is best. Your communication, honesty and willingness to share the details of your work are all commendable and I hope you spend the holiday season with your loved ones and not think too much about the game :) take the rest you need and deserve On another note, I think I generally agree that Laura should be more of the focus of the main game, but learning more about Tara's voyeuristic tendencies and dealing with Ashley being a professional attention whore is fun as well, we do get to see a little of that in the interludes. That might not be enough, but you also have another vessel for "side content": vignettes. Why not after a milestone (say once every 3 updates) put out a vignette to explore side character progression? You can control the pace and the timing of these updates and even use them to fill out details of past chapters freely If you want you can even put it to a vote like say Tara vignette, Ashley vignette or Beach day or some such. I think it's great that your game comes with so many features that are fun to interact with but even without new ones, the ones that exist can be explored in more depth. Anyway enough of my rambling Rest well and come back stronger! I believe in you!
Rest, clear your mind, everyone deserves peace and quiet. I like the idea of going back to the 'roots,' but what hooked me about the story isn't what you have in mind. "Your girlfriend having fun with other men and telling you all about it" isn't what I liked most about this game. I was hooked when Laura longed to go home to be claimed by the MC. Or when Laura told her boyfriend, "No kinks today, I only want you today." Obviously, the "sharing your girlfriend" content is necessary and has to be the main focus. But I loved those little chapters where Laura made it clear that there was no one better than her boyfriend. I think the latest updates have leaned more towards cuckold or subcuckold content, and people love it. But I wouldn't want this game to become "Laura sleeps with everyone and the MC just watches." Because it wasn't like that at the beginning. I believe in you; you have a lot of talent, and I'm sure you'll find the right path. There will be people who don't like it, of course (myself included), but I think you'll be able to convey the experiences of 'a healthy couple who try new things.' I wish you all the best and a Merry Christmas.
Oh, don't worry, that content is part of the NTS fantasy, and it's not going away. I'll probably even try to focus on it a bit more.
Do what is best for yourself and the game! we get it!
No need to apologize. You are doing what a lot of other adult game devs refuse to do: polish the game! I’ve seen so many games refuse to go back and fix earlier content that clearly needed a bit more attention, and it made the overall experience worse, so I think this is a great use of your time. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished, take a deep breath, and get back to brainstorming for future content whenever you feel ready.
Honestly, you're the most consistent creator i follow here. So if every once ln a while, this is what the situation calls for ln the best interest of the game and your own headspace, I can't make myself say a bad word about it. Use the holidays to get out of the "slump" and comeback with a fresh attitude on the other side. I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store. Happy holidays!
Take time to take care of yourself! I love the content both ways. NTR with Laura and mc messing with other girls. Thanks for the bug fixes update!
Not Every new Update needs to add meaningfull Story to the Game you know? Its a fun 18+ Game and its completly fine when you add stuff Just for fun, Not Every Dialoge needs to Push the Story Line. Btw, do you have an Idea on WHERE exactly the Story ist gonna lead to? Like, If you wanna add Important stuff to Push the Story, you should probably have a Goal in mind where it should lead to in the First place
I had ideas, and made a relatively strict plan... and it kinda lead to the current issues, so... ^^"
Enjoy the holidays and take the time you need to get your vision straight again. Having said that I also have to add: I really like the side adventures with Ashley and Tara, so no complaints from this end if they pop up 😉
I trust your vision and judgement, but not having Ashley chapter is sad.
Don't worry, you'll get more Ashley in the future. But this chapter felt uninteresting, it would have been a waste of the character.
Personally, I like how the game is progressing. It's true that the main focus should always be Laura. However, in my mind, considering the level of involvement they have in Laura's story, I consider Ashley and Tara like a co-protagonists. So I don't mind that every now and then there are chapters dedicated entirely to them. The last one with Tara was amazing, top 3 chapters so far for me.
Please take all the rest you need I personally love this game and would love whatever direction you think it's best i hope you can get your head in a good space with a decent break thank you for always delivering for us
1000% agree with Roch, take care and see you next time :)