← SAHILVERSEAN INTERACTIVE FICTION · NO. 001

A SMALL GAME ABOUT A VERY LARGE PROBLEM

THE BEACON PARADOX

You cannot steer the boats. You can only change what they see.

THE NIGHT SEA90 SECONDS UNTIL DAWN
DRAG A BEACON TO MOVE IT · CLICK IT TO SELECT · USE CONTROLS BELOW TO AIM
REACHED HARBOR0
LOST AT SEA0
STILL SAILING0
ARRIVING NEXT—

THE CONTROL ROOM

Change the signal. Not the sailor.

01 / CHOOSE A LIGHT

The chosen lighthouse is ringed on the map. Drag it to a new position, or use the position buttons.

02 / AIM THE LIGHT

Keyboard: [ / ] rotate. WASD moves the selected lighthouse.

03 / CHOOSE WHAT IT SAYS

Amber draws the hopeful, cyan draws the cautious. Neither is universally helpful.

RADIO LOG / LIVE OBSERVATIONS

Waiting for the first signal…

AFTER THE NIGHT

Who did your guidance actually help?

Sometimes giving everyone the same signal isn't fairness. Sometimes turning a light off is the most useful move.

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FIELD MANUAL · PLEASE READ

Welcome to the Beacon Paradox.

Small boats are trying to reach the bright harbor on the right before dawn. You cannot control any boat. Instead, you control two lighthouses, each with a directional beam.

  1. Watch which boats respond differently to the same signal.
  2. Select and drag either beacon, or use the keyboard-friendly movement buttons.
  3. Rotate its beam by 15° at a time; only boats inside the cone can see it.
  4. Switch between amber (appeals to Seekers), cyan (appeals to Inspectors), and dark (no signal).
  5. Experiment before 90 seconds of simulated night ends. Reefs and the edge of the sea are hazards.

Wanderers react to a recently changed signal; Independents largely ignore lights. All boats have a weak tendency toward harbor. This is an invented, simplified, non-scientific game about unintended consequences—not a claim about human behavior.

Audio is optional and off by default. No flashing strobe. Motion may be reduced through your device preferences. Pause or restart at any time.

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