I have a feeling I am going to need to add my response to my FAQ the next time I post it. This seems like an obvious answer, but it is getting asked quite a bit:
- To start from Day 1 or the content from the previous update: download and play v0.89.8 (Season 1-4) and then,
- To start at new content (Day 144): download and play v0.95.7 (Season 5)
I've seen netorare fans both complain and fawn over the content. It's the urination fetish in the netorare route and the scat fetish in the main route that seems to get the consistent heat for the respective route fans (at least what I am reading here and in discord) outside of the usual sour grapes and the missing announced content. I also think the overall content sucked in both routes and no one is calling for lostraven to be fired for the main route.
Uberpie should be taking responsibility for any complaints, legitimate or not, that's his role as lead developer - his is the final word on including content. Even lostraven has stated he's nothing but a hired gun, tries to influence but in the end it's Uberpie's decision and he writes the content he's asked to write. I am 99.44% sure the scat and urination fetishes are Uberpie's ideas. I am similarly sure for many of the decisions for this update. Whether or not Uberpie takes responsibility is a whole other issue.
I think it will eventually be retconned, just like the main route was retconned back in v0.82.4. They should have started the netorare route at the beginning and not on Day 144 and that had to be an Uberpie decision. They had several points of entry already scripted in the early part of the game to branch off from. He chose to do this the hard way instead of simply building off what they already had. Until they may retcon, they will need to patch the beginning points to the new content in this update as they roll out the downloadable Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4 with the split of main route and netorare route included. They will eventually find they wrote themselves into a corner and that's when the retcon discussion will probably occur.