Radiant Dev post 04/05/2024:
Newcomers: Let's talk about your concerns! (FAQ)
This post is addressed to "newcomers," as a lot of what I will go over here are things I've already thoroughly discussed in previous subscriber posts and on the game's official Discord. However... I acknowledge that many of you only recently started playing and may have missed this, or perhaps you've been around but didn't catch the discussion. Either way, I encourage all of you to read on... especially if you're someone who has "concerns" or issues with the game's development, story, etc.
#1: The many girls of Radiant
This is quite a common concern I hear players voicing. It's usually something in the ballpark of:
• Radiant is a game that will be roughly 23 total chapters in length. If we exclusively focused on a cast of three girls... I think it's pretty safe to say that things would get rather boring or repetitive, eventually.
• In each chapter of Radiant, the "main cast" are given roughly 60-75% of screen-time. This has always been the case, and will always be the case. This means that even if I were to introduce another 3-4 girls into the story (I'm not, don't worry)... the screen-time afforded to the main girls: the triplets and Brooke included, would remain unchanged.
• Every character in Radiant's "side cast" has a very important, integral role to play in the game's story. Yes, even very minor "side girls," like Vanessa: I am very confident that players will grow to really love them. As I mentioned above... they get less screen-time. This means that their development will be slower. Do not worry: this is completely by design. Using Mira as an example: she is considered one of the game's "side girls," meaning we didn't see a lot of her early-on. But I'm confident that after her date scene in Chapter 6, she's grown on many of you quite a lot, right? That is completely intentional: much like Mira eventually got her "time in the spotlight" and wormed her way into your hearts... the same will eventually happen with the other girls, and I'm very confident that nearly all of you will be glad of their involvement and satisfied with their roles in the story. Let them cook!
#2: The consequences of sleeping around
This concern is usually something like:
Radiant... is a HAREM game! You will never be punished for pursuing multiple girls. In fact it's the opposite: I encourage all of you to romantically pursue each and every girl. This is the optimal/ideal way to play... and will result in the best/happiest possible outcome for all involved. Of course... this doesn't mean that there won't be any consequences. Rather just... said consequences are fairly minor and will work themselves out so long as players make smart choices and don't outright tell the MC, "I no longer want this girl."
To be clear: you will never lose a girl because you decided to sleep around in Radiant. The MC is a clever guy, and with your help... he will find a way to navigate the web of relationships he's developed. Something I've never been a fan of is when harem games just gloss over the fact that people have feelings. I want the harem to feel... real... and earned.
Things like jealousy, possessiveness... these are normal human emotions and I think they make for some very interesting storytelling. Every girl in Radiant is written to be different, to react to things differently and to be as real as possible (within the confines of adult fantasy). A little drama never hurt anybody, right? So yeah. At most, hurt feelings, broken hearts... a catfight or two (cough)... that's what you'll have to contend with, but everyone will be happier/better off for your antics in the end. It's up to you, as the player, to shape the story and make them love you (or fear you) enough to deal with your shenanigans. Try to have fun with it!
#3: Where is my gallery?
As previously discussed, a gallery is indeed planned for Radiant in the future. However... the way I plan to go about this is actually quite unique and extensive. Personally, I find the existence of a gallery that is simply "click button to replay scene" a little boring. I want to make an extensive system that will actually give players a good amount of new content, not just replaying the same content.
The drawback of this, of course... is that this is something that will be quite difficult and time consuming to implement... so it's currently a low priority. After all, new game updates takes precedence. But yeah, for those who were wondering... it's definitely a planned feature in the future. If you're not a fan of waiting, there's quite a few "Walkthrough Mods" out there that add a gallery to the game: just keep in mind that said mods are unofficial, and I can't link to or personally endorse them in any way.
#4: How long until we've bedded the main cast
A very common concern is something along the lines of...
Of course... it might seem like it's taking a long time... and there's unfortunately not much I can do about that. The simple fact of the matter is that yes, there will be a 4ish month gap between each update, whereas in the actual game itself... so far only a few weeks have passed since the triplets' arrival. In the context of the game itself, though... let's just say big things are coming and they will most likely happen sooner than you're expecting (without feeling unnatural or rushed).
#5: Lust, Purity, and Darkness (choices)
Another common concern:
This is why I've put such a large emphasis on not needing a walkthrough mod or some sort of guide to play Radiant. This is also why the status screen is reserved for the end of each chapter. It's more of a summary screen that says, "Hey look! This is the impact of the choices you made! Cool, right?" – I wanted the game to be an immersive experience and I wanted players to avoid manipulating their stats/trying to closely adhere to a single path.
All of that said, here's some important clarifications...
• Without restricting yourself from pursuing multiple girls and playing like a nun, it's pretty impossible to not accumulate some "dark" and/or "lust" points.
• Do not worry: the game will never punish you for having said "dark" points.
• Pure is very similar to Lust... however a "Pure" MC is more selfless and respectful of others, while a "Lust" MC is more selfish and degenerate, generally prioritizing his own desires over that of others. That being said, the Lust MC is still generally a pretty good guy. Dark MC... not so much. He's selfish, controlling, dominant, quick to anger, etc. Of course, this isn't a lecture on morality or anything: it's a game after all... and the path is designed to be enjoyed by sadists or people who enjoy dominance/corruption.
• The game checks to see which stats players have the most points in: prioritizing the highest two out of three. For example, a player with 40 Pure, 25 Lust, and 10 Dark will not suddenly find themselves going down the path of the "Dark MC." Rather, the game will acknowledge that you're a Pure/Lust focused player who generally avoids Dark.
• Only in very rare, specific circumstances will players be "locked out" of certain choices. For example, there's certain "Dark Path" choices that a Pure/Lust centric MC will not even know exist... as presenting them with this choice wouldn't make much sense. For the most "diversified" experience where you see everything... consider having a mixed Pure + Lust save-file... and a Dark save-file.
• Expanding on the above, wherever it's possible/makes sense... the game will always give players the option to choose what happens... rather than making the choice for you. As I said, sometimes giving players a choice just outright doesn't make sense... but this is fairly rare/doesn't happen too often. This allows players to dynamically control the flow of their playthrough in a way that few games offer.
Anyways, that's all folks!
I hope writing this helped many of you have a better understanding of where I'm going with this game... and cleared up your questions or concerns. That being said, if I missed or glossed over anything, please do feel free to point it out in the comments below and I'll consider updating the post!
Love you guys,
SirD.
I appreciated this update and clarification and thought to pass it on.
Cheers!!
Newcomers: Let's talk about your concerns! (FAQ)
This post is addressed to "newcomers," as a lot of what I will go over here are things I've already thoroughly discussed in previous subscriber posts and on the game's official Discord. However... I acknowledge that many of you only recently started playing and may have missed this, or perhaps you've been around but didn't catch the discussion. Either way, I encourage all of you to read on... especially if you're someone who has "concerns" or issues with the game's development, story, etc.
#1: The many girls of Radiant
This is quite a common concern I hear players voicing. It's usually something in the ballpark of:
So let's quickly talk about that...
• Radiant is a game that will be roughly 23 total chapters in length. If we exclusively focused on a cast of three girls... I think it's pretty safe to say that things would get rather boring or repetitive, eventually.
• In each chapter of Radiant, the "main cast" are given roughly 60-75% of screen-time. This has always been the case, and will always be the case. This means that even if I were to introduce another 3-4 girls into the story (I'm not, don't worry)... the screen-time afforded to the main girls: the triplets and Brooke included, would remain unchanged.
• Every character in Radiant's "side cast" has a very important, integral role to play in the game's story. Yes, even very minor "side girls," like Vanessa: I am very confident that players will grow to really love them. As I mentioned above... they get less screen-time. This means that their development will be slower. Do not worry: this is completely by design. Using Mira as an example: she is considered one of the game's "side girls," meaning we didn't see a lot of her early-on. But I'm confident that after her date scene in Chapter 6, she's grown on many of you quite a lot, right? That is completely intentional: much like Mira eventually got her "time in the spotlight" and wormed her way into your hearts... the same will eventually happen with the other girls, and I'm very confident that nearly all of you will be glad of their involvement and satisfied with their roles in the story. Let them cook!
#2: The consequences of sleeping around
This concern is usually something like:
Allow me to make one thing very clear...
Radiant... is a HAREM game! You will never be punished for pursuing multiple girls. In fact it's the opposite: I encourage all of you to romantically pursue each and every girl. This is the optimal/ideal way to play... and will result in the best/happiest possible outcome for all involved. Of course... this doesn't mean that there won't be any consequences. Rather just... said consequences are fairly minor and will work themselves out so long as players make smart choices and don't outright tell the MC, "I no longer want this girl."
To be clear: you will never lose a girl because you decided to sleep around in Radiant. The MC is a clever guy, and with your help... he will find a way to navigate the web of relationships he's developed. Something I've never been a fan of is when harem games just gloss over the fact that people have feelings. I want the harem to feel... real... and earned.
Things like jealousy, possessiveness... these are normal human emotions and I think they make for some very interesting storytelling. Every girl in Radiant is written to be different, to react to things differently and to be as real as possible (within the confines of adult fantasy). A little drama never hurt anybody, right? So yeah. At most, hurt feelings, broken hearts... a catfight or two (cough)... that's what you'll have to contend with, but everyone will be happier/better off for your antics in the end. It's up to you, as the player, to shape the story and make them love you (or fear you) enough to deal with your shenanigans. Try to have fun with it!
#3: Where is my gallery?
As previously discussed, a gallery is indeed planned for Radiant in the future. However... the way I plan to go about this is actually quite unique and extensive. Personally, I find the existence of a gallery that is simply "click button to replay scene" a little boring. I want to make an extensive system that will actually give players a good amount of new content, not just replaying the same content.
The drawback of this, of course... is that this is something that will be quite difficult and time consuming to implement... so it's currently a low priority. After all, new game updates takes precedence. But yeah, for those who were wondering... it's definitely a planned feature in the future. If you're not a fan of waiting, there's quite a few "Walkthrough Mods" out there that add a gallery to the game: just keep in mind that said mods are unofficial, and I can't link to or personally endorse them in any way.
#4: How long until we've bedded the main cast
A very common concern is something along the lines of...
And the answer to this is a resounding no. I've never been a fan of slow burn games myself, and I don't plan to make players wait that long for sexual content with the main cast, which should be obvious after Chapter 6 (I won't say more, for fear of spoiling).
Of course... it might seem like it's taking a long time... and there's unfortunately not much I can do about that. The simple fact of the matter is that yes, there will be a 4ish month gap between each update, whereas in the actual game itself... so far only a few weeks have passed since the triplets' arrival. In the context of the game itself, though... let's just say big things are coming and they will most likely happen sooner than you're expecting (without feeling unnatural or rushed).
#5: Lust, Purity, and Darkness (choices)
Another common concern:
So I want to explain how the choices in this game work very clearly: there is no "correct" way to play, there are no game overs, and none of the outcomes are designed to punish players. Instead, the variety offered by the choices you make in this game are narrative-focused. Forcing yourself to be adherent to one single path, while optional... is not actually optimal. Instead, the "best" way to play Radiant is to simply make the choices that you want to make.
This is why I've put such a large emphasis on not needing a walkthrough mod or some sort of guide to play Radiant. This is also why the status screen is reserved for the end of each chapter. It's more of a summary screen that says, "Hey look! This is the impact of the choices you made! Cool, right?" – I wanted the game to be an immersive experience and I wanted players to avoid manipulating their stats/trying to closely adhere to a single path.
All of that said, here's some important clarifications...
• Without restricting yourself from pursuing multiple girls and playing like a nun, it's pretty impossible to not accumulate some "dark" and/or "lust" points.
• Do not worry: the game will never punish you for having said "dark" points.
• Pure is very similar to Lust... however a "Pure" MC is more selfless and respectful of others, while a "Lust" MC is more selfish and degenerate, generally prioritizing his own desires over that of others. That being said, the Lust MC is still generally a pretty good guy. Dark MC... not so much. He's selfish, controlling, dominant, quick to anger, etc. Of course, this isn't a lecture on morality or anything: it's a game after all... and the path is designed to be enjoyed by sadists or people who enjoy dominance/corruption.
• The game checks to see which stats players have the most points in: prioritizing the highest two out of three. For example, a player with 40 Pure, 25 Lust, and 10 Dark will not suddenly find themselves going down the path of the "Dark MC." Rather, the game will acknowledge that you're a Pure/Lust focused player who generally avoids Dark.
• Only in very rare, specific circumstances will players be "locked out" of certain choices. For example, there's certain "Dark Path" choices that a Pure/Lust centric MC will not even know exist... as presenting them with this choice wouldn't make much sense. For the most "diversified" experience where you see everything... consider having a mixed Pure + Lust save-file... and a Dark save-file.
• Expanding on the above, wherever it's possible/makes sense... the game will always give players the option to choose what happens... rather than making the choice for you. As I said, sometimes giving players a choice just outright doesn't make sense... but this is fairly rare/doesn't happen too often. This allows players to dynamically control the flow of their playthrough in a way that few games offer.
Anyways, that's all folks!
I hope writing this helped many of you have a better understanding of where I'm going with this game... and cleared up your questions or concerns. That being said, if I missed or glossed over anything, please do feel free to point it out in the comments below and I'll consider updating the post!
Love you guys,
SirD.
I appreciated this update and clarification and thought to pass it on.
Cheers!!
