Enjoy the discount.

The event page itself is oveeer heeeere: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42395212/sale/TheStorytellersFestival

And, indeed - GRUNND is rolling through Steam Spring Sale with Developer Stream. If you're new here - why not pop in and listen to my awful rambling.

HERE

- Olafs

UK based composer Ed Watkins has bestowed upon our mere mortals this beautiful soundtrack. It has "GRUNND" written all over it.

Ed, I am so happy we have met. I could even call you Sir Edward [which would be weird, because it's not your name] for such a great job and understanding.

Click here to get right to it!

As a developer of GRUNND, I have to say - this Soundtrack has a better build quality - no bugs, no glitches.

I dedicate this release to Melnis, who passed away this morning. He was twenty summers old warrior. I love you, Melnis.

- Olafs

Worked on:

- some visual glitches here and there;
- edited triggers in the Farm Interior to maybe ensure better trigger of Narrator's lines, but that was caused by different reasons in the end, so I am mentioning this here for no reason really;
- added TicketMaster and OldHag to overall NPC Master Sound group - they were gone rogue upon setup;
- corrected the behavior of new SaveGame slots - now they are changing colours if already used within Main and Pause Menus.

A broadcast about music, visuals and inspiration will be live the whole week!

P.S. We have a heavy snowfall today and it plays with my mobile interwebs and, thus, the stream - apologies for that.

Many of you have enjoyed in-game soundscape composed by marvelous Ed Watkins. And, trust me, you can listen it as a separate thing very well. I know I do!

Thus the fork on music compilation have begun. No dates yet.

Also, the ArtBook! Great visuals accompanied with Protagonist's notes about his journey. Some [really - just "some"] secrets might be revealed. Well, maybe at least, made cleared.

And - yes - all yer regular fixes as well.

- Olafs

A lot of lessons learned. And I am more than confident that second part of the Trilogy will be bigger and better. Less hick-ups, more atmosphere, story and, well, mystery.

One of the things publishers look on are the reviews. I am so, SO thankful for reviews already left - they are amazing, lovely and I am giving high-five to every one of the authors [yes, also to the negative ones].

Unfortunately it's a number game and the more we have of good stuff the better. So, please, if you liked GRUNND, leave a review - even a shortest one.

P.S. We are slowly starting to test Mac and Linux versions. It's not a fast process, but we're on the way.

Thank you,

- Olafs @ GRUNND

Added Volume Controls! [can be bugs, I'll work on it further]
- Keypad not showing
- small patch will follow soon with some minor polish in v1.016a

This build got updates in following areas:

- Ending plays! Even more fixes for that bas**** to show up. Now it does;
- Some unneeded ParticleSystems do not show up anymore;
- some triggers modified to shoot only once;
- various corrections within levels regarding placement of some objects [a bit lower, a bit higher, etc.];
- addressed correct turn of Hero [whether he is facing left or right upon load];
- couple lines triggered incorrectly - fixed;
- map updates with missing pieces;
- some Quest progression changed to provide more timely information.

On the way:
- Audio Controls;
- Slight PauseMenu change to better up the UI.

I was not sure whether GRUNND needs it. But in the end I decided YES.

With this update GRUNND gets an option to manually Save and Load games via two optional slots. There will be always an AutoSave - it will not go anywhere, but this extra flexibility, if you needed one, will make playing GRUNND more enjoyable.

Also updated Ending a bit, and some small fixes I don't even remember. Should've written those down.

Also yesterday sent out keys to our BETA testers, who participated in testing during December.

Update the installation!

- Olafs @ GRUNND

Good day!

Hot from the presses - GRUNND is getting updated with latest fixes.

- a particular Map piece will not show too fast;
- Ending Titles will show up properly - there were instances Narrator doesn't tell you what happened to each of the characters and Hero himself;
- improved Variables of ending dialogue;
- improved "hotspots" in some occasions to make clicking on them easier [so you don't have to be over-precise with your positioning];
- targetFrameRate upped to 60;
- infinite loop bug should be fixed [but I will continue to monitor reports on this one];
- some small stuff.

Even if current issues are solved [hopefully], I will still touch up things via couple small updates.

All the best!

Olafs Osh from SEKTAHOUSE today announced that his handcrafted, fully voice-acted adventure game GRUNND is available now on PC via Steam and other platforms. In this bizarre and captivating adventure, inspired by the works of David Lynch and Franz Kafka, you decide how the dialogue progresses throughout the game to unravel the mystery. As much as GRUNND is about its characters, its about the protagonists introspective journey.

"I'm excited to see how my approach with less focus on puzzles and more on exploration and experiencing the story will be received, and how the players like the world I've created for them." Said Olafs Osh, the developer and director of SEKTAHOUSE.

In GRUNND you find yourself having overslept on the train ride home from work; In a panic, you jump off at the next station and find yourself in Bytown, a seemingly ordinary town just before the sundown. As it happens, you soon find out that the last train back to civilization has just left and you have no other choice but to explore the surroundings.

[previewyoutube=3DIk3dC0M0s;full][/previewyoutube]

The people you encounter in Bytown are bizarre, and while some may seem helpful at first, it quickly becomes apparent that many have their own agenda. Realising things arent quite as they seem, you come to terms that sleep isnt in the cards for you this evening.

FEATURES

RICH STORY. Branching dialogues with different outcomes and stories with multiple endings.
100% HANDCRAFTED. All what your eyes will see is 100% handcrafted for GRUNND.
FULLY VOICED English version of the game. Hear the characters.
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK from a British composer Edward Watkins alongside southern vibes from Vudu Sister.

ABOUT GRUNND
GRUNND is SEKTAHOUSEs debut title and combines stunning graphics and a captivating story in an adventure akin to something between a really captivating movie or book and a fever dream. GRUNND is one of six indie titles funded under the Bright Gambit Initiative. Bright Gambit was launched in January 2022 with the aim of supporting small indie developers and studios by helping them to fund their debut titles.

ABOUT SEKTAHOUSE
SEKTAHOUSE is an award-winning one-man game studio from Riga, Latvia. GRUNND is the studios debut PC title.

Olafs Osh from SEKTAHOUSE today announced that his handcrafted, fully voice-acted adventure game GRUNND is available now on PC via Steam and other platforms. In this bizarre and captivating adventure, inspired by the works of David Lynch and Franz Kafka, you decide how the dialogue progresses throughout the game to unravel the mystery. As much as GRUNND is about its characters, its about the protagonists introspective journey.

"I'm excited to see how my approach with less focus on puzzles and more on exploration and experiencing the story will be received, and how the players like the world I've created for them." Said Olafs Osh, the developer and director of SEKTAHOUSE.

In GRUNND you find yourself having overslept on the train ride home from work; In a panic, you jump off at the next station and find yourself in Bytown, a seemingly ordinary town just before the sundown. As it happens, you soon find out that the last train back to civilization has just left and you have no other choice but to explore the surroundings.

[previewyoutube=3DIk3dC0M0s;full][/previewyoutube]

The people you encounter in Bytown are bizarre, and while some may seem helpful at first, it quickly becomes apparent that many have their own agenda. Realising things arent quite as they seem, you come to terms that sleep isnt in the cards for you this evening.

FEATURES

RICH STORY. Branching dialogues with different outcomes and stories with multiple endings.
100% HANDCRAFTED. All what your eyes will see is 100% handcrafted for GRUNND.
FULLY VOICED English version of the game. Hear the characters.
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK from a British composer Edward Watkins alongside southern vibes from Vudu Sister.

ABOUT GRUNND
GRUNND is SEKTAHOUSEs debut title and combines stunning graphics and a captivating story in an adventure akin to something between a really captivating movie or book and a fever dream. GRUNND is one of six indie titles funded under the Bright Gambit Initiative. Bright Gambit was launched in January 2022 with the aim of supporting small indie developers and studios by helping them to fund their debut titles.

ABOUT SEKTAHOUSE
SEKTAHOUSE is an award-winning one-man game studio from Riga, Latvia. GRUNND is the studios debut PC title.

That is it. The wait is over.

Also the trailer is here. Since I am not much of a video editing guy, it's an updated version of our Demo trailer, but still.

Also do follow our Twitter - will be posting couple Lo-Fi videos throughout our waiting week :)

- Olafs @ GRUNND

[previewyoutube=NCCaIEgUFTM;full][/previewyoutube]

Right! So we are closing onto third wave of Playtest invites - those who have signed up, you might get one within next 24 hours!

Also I am happy to say, that latest VO is in the works and new music also has found it's way into the game. It all looks and sounds so good!

If you want a small spoiler about one location and hear sweet music mix, head out to GRUNND's Twitter and look it up :)

Also, you still can subcribe for our playtest - who knows!

See ya!

- Olafs

FORM: https://forms.gle/EPQhVQ77PDhbEmYz6

During next couple weeks GRUNND will undergo a beta testing cycle. If you are interested in GRUNND, or want to test your nerves Q&A skills - you are very welcome to sign up for our playtest.

If you are selected and you submit at least one valid ticket - your name goes into Credits - no question about it.

I am looking for a group of 10-20 testers.

Do follow the link below and fill the form.

See ya!

- Olafs

FORM: https://forms.gle/EPQhVQ77PDhbEmYz6

THE CATCH: there is no VoiceOver in the game yet, so I will try my best and worst to voiceover it. It will be terrible!! You've been warned!

Be sure to check out our website grunnd.com, listen to GRUNND's irregular podcast and... what else... ah, right - Twitter!

By the way... here is the recording of streams..

[previewyoutube=CH27eoSk3yY;full][/previewyoutube]
[previewyoutube=-MJu5tmNCOQ;full][/previewyoutube]

Be sure to check out our website grunnd.com, listen to GRUNND's irregular podcast and... what else... ah, right - Twitter!

By the way... here is the recording of Stream Nr.1! Demo Playthrough and mumble!

[previewyoutube=CH27eoSk3yY;full][/previewyoutube]

Be sure to check out our website grunnd.com, listen to GRUNND's irregular podcast and... what else... ah, right - Twitter!

And here is the recording of Stream Nr.1! Demo Playthrough and mumble!

[previewyoutube=CH27eoSk3yY;full][/previewyoutube]

...a brand new Livestream [with ReBroadcast after] just for this. I will play through our Demo and, as always, ramble again.

Also I will be wearing a seriously smart hat. Seriously.

Join us on October 15th, 12:00 PM EDT [unbelievably early morning in Europe].

As GRUNND is appearing in GAMESCOM 2022, all days throughout we will broadcast Developer Playthrough.

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

You cannot quite enjoy the commentary, as I am bad at it, but still - give it a go!

It's been a tough week. But it works! The new Demo Update, just for the SteamNextFest, features a brand new Pause Menu - now you can experience the thing, that is much closer to it's final state.

- A beautiful map to reveal!
- Follow Quests;
- See the Inventory and read up on items you've got.



We do have a minor setback as well - controller does not work in Main Menu. But it will be fixed. Within game you can use controller as intended :) So sorry about that.

What else... See you LIVE on Tuesday and Thursday!

- Olafs @ GRUNND

GRUNND's first ever LIVE Stream. I hope you'll come and keep up a conversation, as I am bad at those!

We will play through the Demo and I will make stops just to ramble about relevant stuff you see.

- Olafs

Let's keep it short.

We successfully reached the Kickstarters goal. Thank you all who supported GRUNND and gave it a start. A start of the road past the Demo, which was so lovingly created. And by "lovingly" I mean "with love and dedication, despite so many hurdles and mountain of new grey hair".

The fast was, that the Kickstarter funding was not enough to deliver the game in it's fullest. Yes - our inner goal was a bit different. Now I can surely point to couple mistakes and/or mishaps, and/or failed hopes which influenced this. AnYhOo - it was a question whether to make a shortened version of GRUNND, refund the money or get help.

And we got help! I did a cloudy announcement about it via Kickstarter a while ago, but without mentioning names. Now, today - I can do that fully!

We, SEKTAHOUSE [the name "Neoteric Rites" was dropped due to copyright issues during registration] have partnered up with great new outfit called Bright Gambit. They are small private investment initiative with diverse and complementary experience in many aspects of the industry. They helped us in more than one way and will continue to do so till GRUNND's world domination. Good guys, yey!

By the way - they do an announcement today as well. CLICK HERE to see who they are and what projects they support already!

GRUNND is coming out this year. Late this year. But we figured out, this summer's SteamNextFest is the right place to start off. Thus you are all very invited to our first ever LIVE broadcast soon, during SteamNextFest, on Thursday, June 16th.

As always - everyone is welcomed to play the Demo and reach out!

All the best,

- Olafs @ GRUNND

Slava Ukraini!

We'll go and play GRUNND's Demo while Olafs Osh [me] is rumbling about all connected things and throws in some amazing news, which will make every fan [and Kickstarter backer] happy.

Do join me and ask questions, because I am bad at public speeches and/or appearances.

- Olafs