Q&A Answers (Patreon)

Hello Hello!

We got in a wonderful number of questions for our very first QA. No long preamble, let's jump right in!

Naoto asks:

Hi, I have a question and /or a suggestion: will we be able to choose when to advance our romance with the characters. I think it adds a time management aspect to the game ( I think Persona).

Luciana's Answer:

Absolutely fielding this one to Cambion.  Your ball, dear.  

Cambion's Answer:

Ball taken! When we implemented the romance system, I did think about this a fair bit (I am also a fan of Persona). The main issue was giving the romance time enough to develop. Games like Persona are tens if not hundreds of hours long, and can break themselves into 9 or 10 distinct chapters to gate off content. Paradise Heights can probably be maxed out in an hour and currently has two chapters. We want to give you choice, but also don't want to see you declaring your eternal love in your first week at the office.  That being said, when the romance is available to 'finish' that task will be much less locked into the time gate. When you decide to address your romantic interest's needs and finish whatever their side quest is, that will be something you can do whenever you decide to. I can't talk too much about the systems in place (To be honest, until we actually do them, they're still hypothetical) but we'll make sure there's a reward worthy of the journey for all of those possibilities.

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Astercrash asks:

Paradise Heights has worked in a lot of fetishes that are normally framed as non-consensual and given them an enthusiastic, if somewhat uninformed, consensual makeover. What was the inspiration behind this approach and have you encountered any challenges sticking to that tone?

Luciana's answer:

Cambion and I actually have butted heads over this one. If you've read any of my solo material, it's no secret that I write darker and more taboo adventures.  In Paradise Heights you can specifically see my hand in the Xavier!Vampire, Petra!DarkElf, and Sara!Kitsune side of things.  Cambion has had to slap my wrist several times now and remind me that PH is essentially fluffy and feel-good erotica, and that any whips and chains need to stay happily consensual. 

The 'why' behind that is, alas, business.  Patreon's Community Guidelines specifically forbid some of the darker or more risqué material I would like to indulge in.  They have become increasingly strict over the past few years regarding what material they will allow from adult creators, and they have even gone so far as to ban creators based on the content of their non-Patreon platforms.  For example, if you have your own private website, neither hosted by nor connected to your Patreon page, with 'objectionable' material on it, Patreon might still ban you until you removed the material from your own website!  (And, in fact, even in the posts we write we are careful to avoid certain key words and terminology, to make sure we continue to fly under Patreon's radar.)

Since we rely on Patreon for our revenue stream, we have to play very nicely according to their rules, and in this case, Patreon specifically forbid the 'darker' stuff as I would normally write it.  It is explicitly why Paradise Heights "whitewashes" certain kinks and fetishes into a softer format.  It has certainly been frustrating and challenging from my perspective as co-author, as I enjoy writing that type of material, and I see nothing wrong with fantasizing about taboo or  'objectionable' acts. It's just fantasy, after all.

If we ever have a platform that doesn't make me 'play nice', Cambion might let me get away with racier material.  We do have an account over on SubscribeStar, but to date our supporters have been exclusively through Patreon.

Cambion's Answer:

Well, not entirely business reasons, though I'll grant the possibility of abruptly being delisted certainly helps keep us honest and painting inside the lines. I do sometimes end up playing the hall monitor, but only because Luciana and I are both interested in making our character feel real, and the real world has its share of problems. We sometimes have to pull back and make sure we're still, ultimately, writing a story that titillates rather than one that is strictly believable.

That being said, consensual transformation both mental and physical is my particular jam, so it's not all Patreon's fault. I'm fairly sex positive, and am somewhat distressed how much of a niche kink some concepts like 'both partners are enjoying themselves' can be in erotica. Ultimately, of course, it's always consensual in fiction. A lot of people have strong kinks around what they'd like to be forced to do, but I'm always a fan of the story where a character takes control of that desire. They no longer have to pretend that force is needed and can just say what it is they want. Ultimately, that's the fantasy of Paradise Heights for me. It's about getting what you need without a single ounce of shame and that's a world I'm always happy to visit. 

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ProfessorGoggles asks:

What's your favourite place-that-can-be-inside-a-mall that isn't in Paradise Heights yet?  Also, our employer seems to be, how do I put this delicately.... An associate of Old Nick? Used to hotter climates? Headquartered downstairs? Literally one of the Seven Deadly Sins? So, is there much going on "upstairs" that we should be worried about then?

Luciana's Answer:

I've been told there's a mall in Antwerp, Belgium, that has what is essentially a mini-brothel. If that's true: that.  I want a mini-brothel.  (Nevermind that PH basically is a mini-brothel.) 

Cambion and I have chatted about what might be going on 'upstairs'.  We had an conversation I found amusing where he expressed some reluctance to introduce too much imagery with angels, etc., because he wanted to avoid the topic of religion (which is notoriously sensitive).  I raised an eyebrow and said, "To play (appropriately) devil's advocate... you planned an entire game around the notion of demons corrupting people to steal their souls, and you really expected to avoid any discussion of religion whatsoever?"  

He conceded the point.

That said, the original storyline we discussed did have some Upstairs Goings On.  Cambion is loath to turn a fun erotic romp into a parable about good, evil, and religion (intentional or otherwise), so feel free to drop your opinion in the comments about whether you would welcome a bit of 'good versus evil', or whether Cambion has the right of it and we should leave religion out of it.

Cambion's Answer:

I desperately need to find a way to work in a Hot Topic without just doing Punk Cass's transformation over again. I need an excuse to get our artist drawing more goth girls.

Riffing on the above, we do have a few ideas for an 'opposition force', so to speak, though I can't offer too many details. However, you'll probably see us taking great care about it when we do it. Generally, people aren't too worried about demonic imagery. They're the bad guys, most cultures have some variant on them, and they're expected to adapt themselves to every age. When we look at the flip side, though, things abruptly get more complex. All the sudden, we're making definitive statements about whose belief system is correct, what effects that has, and exactly how it manifest in the world...

...yeah, that might be beyond the scope of a game designed around turning some lovely characters into various mythological creatures. 

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John Smith asks:

What would you say is your biggest improvement for 1.8?

Luciana's Answer:

I suppose that depends on whether you mean for the players or for the creators.  I've done a lot of internal code cleanup and refactoring that has made Cambion's life a hell of a lot easier, and taken out a lot of repetitive 15-step type things and made them into simpler, plug and play functions.  It looks no different at all on the player side, but damn if I'm not proud of how much easier it makes our work on the back-end. I'm very much a self-taught and amateur programmer, so win awards I shall not, but I'm very pleased at how much I've learned through the development of the game and how I've been able to apply it specifically to 1.8.0's new systems.

From the front-end, player perspective:  the new sidebar and its functions.  I suppose it's not spoiling too much to say the sidebar is greatly revamped, looks much nicer, and gives you some new icons to quickly and effectively access game systems (like reviewing your employees all in one spot).  There are other nice graphical and interface changes, but I really think the sidebar is the biggest player QoL improvement.

Cambion's Answer

Sneaky! Prying some update details out of us before we've done a preview post. Well, never let it be said that I can't be baited. We're doing some redesigns to the building and energy system. Currently, everything is in pieces and I'm praying we can remember how it all goes together, but I'm proud of the system we have in mind. I think it'll be a much needed injection of game to supplement the stories we already have, and should mean a lot more interesting decisions to make.

Oh, and because Luciana and I (...mostly me) are really bad at actually keeping artless updates artless, you may be meeting one or two new characters that may just be my favorite adds...

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Steven asks:

Will Kayo ever meet Mason again?

Luciana's Answer:

Oh, I hope so.  That's one story line I'd definitely like to explore.  The content treadmill is unforgiving, and we still have other stories to pursue and progress (Avery and the main storyline, and the issues raised during various dates with your lovers), but Kayo and Mason is one I'd love to be able to develop further.  When a poll comes up that gives options for expanding existing content rather than crafting new characters:  vote for that!  If it wins, that means I get to devote my time to fleshing out those side stories instead of starting new ones.

Cambion's Answer:
This. So much this!

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Thank you everyone who sent in questions for us. We had a lot of fun, and hope we can do this again some time. You're always welcome to drop us a line, we're more than happy to chat about the game. Those interested in a more substantial update should check back in two weeks...we'll be pulling back the curtain on some of the new additions fresh to update 1.8.0 and then the next week we'll be announcing what update 1.9.0 will focus on.

Happy Hunting!
Cambion and Luciana