So the 1-10 option at the end is how we rate? I always assumed it was just kinda there 
But thatās good to know so thanks!
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Congrats on your game finally getting published, Iām honored to have helped in beta-testing.
I can promise as soon as I get money Iāll buy the entire game. I already have plans on my head for a True Tail themed playthrough where I play as Doh-Li as the MC parent raising Melody as her adopted daughter.
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I think itād be a waste of time to understand trolls better. Iāve read some of those negative reviews barely any had any legitimate point. The only critical review I can see any logic in is the one complaining about the lack of replayability. My guess would be that if we choose to see all events then the replay wouldnāt show much new content except the imediate responses to our choices. But thatās just a guess since I didnāt evem finish my first playthrough yet.
Anyway I like this so much that Iām considering recommending this to my soon to be born nephews motherā¦ Hmm, thinking of it maybe the birth of my nephew within a few days (supposedly) is a part of why I decided to give chance to this game.
Anyway another thing I like beside those things mentioned before (tho Iād emphasize again that the humor quite often makes me smile) how this game only has a few stats. I think thatās perfect for the topic: It makes me think more about what Iād do if I were in the moms (in my MCs case) place rather than trying to figure out which is the most rewarding choice (the metagamer method).
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I was one of the few people to buy and love NPT, since I love Sci fi comedies. I really love this game as well which is surprising since I have never wanted kids, but I am a sucker for games with a lot of heart.
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I just wanted to chime in here as well that I really enjoyed your game; I can also guarantee that while it is unlikely, if it does show up on Steam I will purchase a second time.
The only quibble I had was already mentioned by othersā¦the lack of a romance for the parentā¦but I also completely understand your decision not to do it (the extra work, etc.)
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Agreed. Not just for the obvious reason āwe like romancesā, but also itād be interesting how the kid takes someone getting that close to MC and how MC would go about dealing with possible tensions between RO and the kid who I imagine would worry about losing their #1 status in their parents life.
But as I see this is something already discussed I wonāt bring this up again.
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Personally, I feel like adding romance into this game would be like putting a denim patch on a silk shirt.
In all three scenarios of how the parent became single, the parent has been hurt.
In Scenario 1, I would not be surprised if they swore off serious relationships until the child turned 18 (I could see the high-Self parents having flings and short-term relationships that are unmentioned in-game, but meeting no one worth introducing the child to), because no matter how the player plays, the parent will still try to be a parent first (even their reasoning for taking the promotions is that the child is better supported with the extra money). In Scenario 2, the parentās dead partner is described as their lost love, and grief affects people in many and varied ways (even if they did feel okay to date, it doesnāt mean that a potential partner wants to deal with the emotional baggage/knowledge that if the parent had their way, theyād still be with the dead partner). Scenario 3 (adoption) seems like Scenario 1, but with catastrophic failure of a long-term relationship ( most likely divorce proceedings were finalized by the time TPS begins) thrown in, and if the parent was burned in Scenario 1, they would now have an even more jaded view of romantic relationships thanks to their own experiences (maybe even believing that the very concept of romantic love was made up by Hollywood to sell movie tickets). If they were a single adopter, then they would probably be devoted to being a parent first (any other obligations to anyone else second).
But thatās just my two centsā worth.
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I see your logic but I still think romance could be still included without ruining the game as you implied. Even if MCs past experiences with relationships are bad or they donāt believe love to be like itās portrayed in books and movies, MC could still meet someone interesting enough. And well maybe they donāt experience it the way itās portrayed in movies, but finding it nice to experience a certain intimacy (not only sex) with someoneā¦ At least thatās how I imagine an actually working relationship. Especially when the child gets a bit older (not necessarily 18, I donāt like when people act like hitting the age of 18 is when kids are able to grasp anything adult related, kids get The Talk before that age to name just one example). Anyway Iām sure this was thoroughly discussed in the WIP thread already soā¦
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I can understand that feeling 
And I agree with you about your section in spoilers; having romance would change that dynamic.
In my case, I admit my mentioning it was mostly because I loved the work and would love to explore it moreā¦and the 19 hours I have on Nuclear Powered Toaster does show I love Mattās work.
Of course, I realize this may make a writer/creator feel pressuredā¦and that is certainly not my intent.
At least stuff I saw from projects I worked on, I view similar comments/critiques as a positive (as long as they are respectful, of course) since it means the reader was engaged enough to commentā¦and they would have liked more (what I mention above).
It can also draw up possible scenarios/scenes in future works. In some ways, the Parenting Simulator reminds me of the nephew in Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven 2ā¦yes, there are people where kids would be a turn-offā¦but it also shows there is an audience where such things can be a draw.
And hey, it can bring up some interesting discussionā¦like I said, I do agree with your summation @Snowflower with how the scenarios would have changed.
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For the record, I have read what all of yāall said in the edits and I would rather you didnāt delete it. Itās a fine conversation to have, youāre raising salient points in a polite fashion, and you donāt have to worry about pressuring me. I love having input, but in the end I am still going to do what Iām comfortable with, because I am old and obstinate. There may be a day when I feel at peace with writing romantic content. But Iām not there yet. And either way, I always knew I didnāt want it here. To do it well would have split the focus of the story beyond my intended vision. To not do it well is, at least to me, worse than not doing it at all.
And to all those showing love for Nuclear Powered Toaster, thank you very much! Itās not a perfect story and a lot of the criticism it earned was justified, but I still love it and hope to continue it in some fashion one day.
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We have a review from an IF blog, which is pretty cool!
https://ifadventure.com/blogs/26/Game-Review-The-Parenting-Simulator
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Thatās such a lovely review! Itās always nice when a reader connects your writing to their real life. Thatās such a special relationship to have as an author. 
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Hi just wanted to say i love this one. I always dreamed of having a kid even if i have to raise one on my own. Iām very into romance so i thought i wasnāt going to enjoy this but im happy i tried it. Emotions is what i always look for a book and this book gave a lot of that.
Thank you for this.
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Yeah, he mentioned how putting in his sonās name really made him invested in how the digital kid came out, but in the same vein hearing about someone putting their own kid in here makes me feel the same way, like I sincerely hope the game lives up to his expectations as a real parent.
@Zeroken09 Glad we expanded your horizons a bit today, and you are very welcome! Thanks for reading and taking the time to share how much it meant to you!
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I have a few thoughts on this game that I felt like sharing.
One: It was really awesome and so sweet getting to see/help the bond between your little family grow and change in a way we havenāt got to do before.
Two: I found a lot of the interactions and scenarios both equally funny and cringe-worthy as many of them Iāve had to deal with when helping my sister with her little gremlins.
Three: I know everyone has already talked about this but I just wanted to say that as much as romance is nice and it is donāt get me wrongā¦ itās just personally I donāt mind that itās not a thing because at the end of the day itās a game just about raising a kid the best you can or the worse you canā¦
Four: Iām not a big fan that it ends when your kid turns 18 because yeah you may not be raising them anyway but youāre still their mum/dad and there are plenty of things in life that your kid will need you for even after the big 18.
Five:
For the love of god your kid doesnāt really do anything wrong or stupid except bully someone.
If Iām wrong please let me know but after playing a few times and even trying to have a bad kid it just didnāt happen there was no drinking, no drugs, no coming home to say they were pregnant or got someone pregnant no bad stuff at all like really no kid has ever grown up that well or good.
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You are 100% right that they donāt stop needing you after 18. But it does tend to become a bit more infrequent, and not quite varied enough to allow for multiple events per year.
Also, I was tired, yo. Iāll never be able to write one of those super-long stories because I get stir-crazy after a while and need to get on to the next story in line. Or in this case, take three months off to recharge, spend some time with the girls, beef up our eBay store a bit and most of all determine what the next story might be.
As for the other, all I can say is that I call it idealized realism. I think I went in-depth on the perspective about thirty posts back.
Switching gears a bit, does anyone with a Google Play device know if this is charting over there? I normally just look at it on a web browser and it doesnāt have that info, but I saw something that said #7 trending on my janky old Android tablet. Yet when I clicked on it I didnāt see it anywhere. Also, it is still not searchable by the name on the store, so hopefully Google finally gets it on there soon. No sense naming a story something dry and easily searchable if no one can actually, you know, search for it.
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I canāt see it in the top 100 trending games (unless I missed it? Or maybe itās because Iām a different country store.) App Annie can show you how the game is doing in different categories.
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That must be what it meant, I guess at the time it was #7 on the simulation list and slipped since then. Well, I always wanted to get one onto the top 10 RPG list on iOS back when Apple allowed us to have separate app releases there. Iād say this was close enough for government work.
I really need to check our App Annie.
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I myself donāt like children but this was amazing 
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