The last few months here in the studio have been pretty awesome. Not only have we released an incredibly ambitious game, but we've also been working on three other amazing projects. The fact that Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing is finally being played by you and is constantly improving thanks to your constructive feedback is still an incredible feeling a week later.

We are being funded by the FFF!

What's also incredible is that the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern is supporting us with production funding for the development of our next but one game! This means that the existence of our studio is secured beyond 2025. In the current highly uncertain times in the games industry, this is an absolute blessing and motivates us immensely to continue to give our best. Many thanks to the FFF, but also to our players and community. Your support shows the industry that we are worth supporting because you love our games. Stay fantastic!

Next stop: Medieval Frontiers

Things will now be a little quieter on this communication channel for the time being. However, the next release is already in sight: We will be releasing Medieval Frontiers at the end of the year! If you would like to actively help out here, please sign up for our beta test mailing list and you will be notified as soon as we are looking for testers. All the best from the Active Fungus team! Wishlist Medieval Frontiers

[ 2025-04-14 13:00:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

The big day has finally arrived: Our second game sees the light of day and is available NOW on Steam. We are incredibly proud, excited to see how you like it - and very, very tired. :D Nevertheless, our release party with the whole team is about to start on Discord! From 17:30 (UTC+1) we will celebrate ourselves, play a part of the game and then join a few streamers who will stream Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing live on Twitch. We would love to have you join us! This way to the release party! Of course, we'd be even happier if you gave the game a go yourself and left us a review on Steam. Our bug channels on Discord and Steam are also open and await your reports. As always, we try to fix bugs as quickly as possible and are very grateful for your feedback. But for now: Cast off, off to Havstedt! Best regards from the Active Fungus Team

[ 2025-04-07 14:00:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

In just three days we will finally be releasing Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing. This needs to be celebrated! We cordially invite you and your friends to our release party on Discord! When: 07.04.2025, 17:30 (UTC+1) Where: On our Discord-Server in the Ebbing-Events channel What: We'll play The Ebbing ourselves before we drop in on other streamers on Twitch and play a round of stream bingo (we'll explain what that is ;)). We would be very happy if you join us! This way to the release party By the way, if you haven't wishlisted the game yet, now is the perfect time. The Steam algorithm pushes games that have a lot going on on the Steam page in the week before release. Feel free to tell your friends about us - we appreciate any support! Best regards from the Active Fungus team [table] [tr] [th]
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[ 2025-04-04 14:37:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

We're super excited to have Steinwallen, a fantastic history streamer, for an exclusive stream. Tonight he will be the first to play the full version of Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing. We will of course be in the chat and are already very excited! When: 03.04.2025, 20:30 CET Where: https://www.twitch.tv/steinwallen Are you going to be there to watch?

[ 2025-04-03 10:26:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

In today's video, Elli and Julia talk about how we animate our characters in Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing. Which programs do we work with? Why do we need to be careful not to get lost in detail? Why is efficiency the most important skill as an indie dev? Have fun watching! [previewyoutube=1GzX6LnZctI;full][/previewyoutube] By the way, if you haven't wishlisted the game yet, now is the perfect time. The Steam algorithm pushes games that have a lot going on on the Steam page in the week before release. Also: Have you heard about our release party on Discord yet? We'd love to celebrate our second game together with you! When: 07.04.2025, 17:30 (UTC+1) Where: On our Discord-Server in the Ebbing-Events channel What: We'll play The Ebbing ourselves before we drop in on other streamers on Twitch and play a round of stream bingo (we'll explain what that is ;)). We would be very happy if you join us! This way to the release party Best regards from the Active Fungus team [table] [tr] [th]
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[ 2025-04-02 14:15:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

We know that there are many different types of gamer. Some people need lots of action and adrenaline, some want to really rack their brains to solve a quest, some just want to enjoy themselves and indulge in the story. Of course, there is no game that really satisfies everyone. That's not our aim either. It's clear that we cater for players who enjoy story, excitement and puzzles. Nevertheless, for The Ebbing we thought it would be nice to give our players a few options to customise their gaming experience.

Different game modes for all types

In story mode, the quest log gives you plenty of clues as to what you need to do next to solve the case. It is ideal for people who simply want to immerse themselves in the story and solve exciting puzzles. Detective mode gives you fewer clues in the quest log and you are responsible for writing down your findings yourself and not losing track. Who have you already questioned? What information are you missing? This mode is for hardcore detectives. If you have to sneak past enemies, you can also adjust the stealth difficulty. This also allows you to set how exciting these parts of the game are. If you get scared easily (and don't like doing that), this setting is basically your tension regulator. If our dice skill checks are trying your patience a little too much, we now offer to simplify them or even switch them off completely so that you can get even more involved in the story. What type of gamer are you? Let us know! [table] [tr] [th]
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[ 2025-03-31 14:30:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Are the days of barricading yourself in your teenage room for weeks on end, playing your favourite new game, gone forever? Have unnecessary distractions such as work, friends, family or sport crept into your everyday life in recent years and increasingly outstripped gaming? How annoying. It happened to us, too. We often just don't have the time to really immerse ourselves in the big, epic stories of the big game studios. How nice it would be if there were compact RPGs with a gripping plot and gameplay that wasn't overly complex ... hang on, is that what The Ebbing is? Well, yes! Yes it is :) Developed by people with the same problems as you, Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing can easily be split over several evenings. Our quests are structured so that our Inspector Schmidt questions one suspicious person after another in order to solve the case.

Always the same drill ... Where are nuances?

Of course, we didn't approach the development of The Ebbing with this in mind. But at some point we realised that we had all developed a bit of CRPG fatigue (CPRG = Complex Role Playing Game), partly because the games take up so much time. Compact, story-driven RPGs like Disco Elysium are few and far between. Another aspect is that most RPGs always tell the same epic story: Good versus evil, David versus Goliath, world-changing conflicts that ONLY YOU can solve. Stories that deal more with the shades of grey between black and white are apparently rarely suitable for the masses and are therefore often not told by the big game studios.

An RPG with a complex story is no walk in the park for indie devs

However, writing a story game as an indie developer is almost impossible without an absolutely heroic effort from the storywriters and narrative designers: Narrating interpersonal conflicts is not easy. Writing quests that contain no logical flaws and work in any order is almost the final boss of the art of writing. No wonder there aren't many of them. Why we do it - good question. We just love it too much ;) What has been your favourite RPG in recent years? [table] [tr] [th]
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[ 2025-03-28 15:30:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Only two weeks until the release of Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing! As a little sneak peek, we want to give you a few insights into our working methods - and talk about what has changed compared to A Bavarian Tale. [previewyoutube=UPuVICC7Drc;full][/previewyoutube] In today's video, our communications person Julia spoke to character and 2D artist Hanna about the creation processes of our NPCs and the Choose Your Own Adventure parts in The Ebbing:

• What do our creation processes look like?
• How and where do we research in order to portray people historically accurately?
• How do we translate the 3D character models into a coherent 2D version?
• What have we learnt and done differently for The Ebbing?
• Who is Hanna's favourite NPC?

Have fun watching! We look forward to your comments and follow-up questions, either on YouTube, here on Steam or on our Community Discord. [table] [tr] [th]
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[ 2025-03-25 16:00:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Only a few more weeks until Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing is released! We're looking forward to it - are you? We've taken a lot from the feedback on our Ebbing demos and of course A Bavarian Tale. It's really amazing how much you get into a tunnel yourself and no longer perceive things neutrally. That's why your feedback, which reaches us either via Discord or here on Steam, is incredibly important to us! As a result, we've reworked some aspects of the gameplay, added new mechanics, but also let things go. And of course, some things have stayed the same.

At least 5 different endings

In The Ebbing, your decisions also influence the outcome of the game. Depending on who you make friends with in Havstedt, you will gain information that will help you solve the case.

Even more detective work

With the revised Detective Sweep, you can make sure that you haven't overlooked anything in a room. You can now also inspect elements and examine them for hidden clues, just as you can find important clues in furniture.

Improved stealth mechanics

Our stealth mechanic in A Bavarian Tale was ... definitely one of our wilder experiments as First Time Game Devs. That's why we completely reworked it over The Ebbing and built some very nice quests around it that will hopefully keep you on the edge of your seat.

New: Combination and number puzzles

Some information is hidden behind tricky combination and number puzzles. In The Ebbing, it's no longer just your interpersonal skills that are required in dialogs with the NPCs, but also your deduction skills.

No longer included: Fistfights

Yes, we know you loved the music during the fights in A Bavarian Tale. However, the fistfights themselves were one of our most buggy mechanics and didn't really add much to the story. Since we know that there are quite a few RPG players who would like to play a game without combat mode, we're going to give it a try. Our Inspector Valentin really isn't a powerhouse - otherwise he wouldn't have become a civil servant. What is your favorite gameplay element from The Ebbing demo or the prologue? Play it and let us know on our Discord server! [table] [tr] [th]
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[ 2025-03-19 16:00:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone, Our old demo was gone for a moment - and now it's back: From today it's called The Ebbing - Prologue and is available again as a free, polished mini-game with three hours of playtime! Wanna give it a go? This way, please!

What has changed?

The game now has exactly the name that best describes it: The plot is actually the prologue to the events that take place in the main game in tranquil Havstedt. From the moment Valentin leaves the ship, the story continues in The Ebbing. This means you can get in the mood for our release on April 7th by playing the prologue! You can also leave us reviews for the prologue now. We'd love to hear your feedback so that we can take it into account when developing the main game.

What's the storyline of the prologue?

Accompany Valentin on his well-deserved vacation from the Bavarian civil service to the North Sea. Right at the beginning, this is overshadowed by a drama: The captain of the steamer taking Valentin and the other passengers to an idyllic North Sea island collapses out of the blue at lunch and is fighting for his life. Was the captain poisoned? Or was it the alcohol or the opium that was his undoing? Valentin's job is to find out what happened - and in doing so, he comes across a web of relationships, dependencies and motives among the ship's crew and passengers that must be penetrated in order to find the real culprit. Get the prologue here!

Have you already secured your NPC character booklet "The residents of Havstedt"?

No? Then it's high time you did! If you sign up using the link below, you'll receive a whole boatload of information: The Inhabitants of Havstedt: A free PDF handbook with space for your notes to help you keep track of the characters' complex relationships and motives. Historical background information: Learn more about the NPCs and their lives in the 19th century. Perfect for delving deeper into the history of northern Germany. Personality test: Find out which of the three NPC archetypes you correspond to - General, Scholar or Juggler? Get the booklet!

[ 2025-03-11 15:00:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Our demo is now two weeks old - now the developers are playing in the livestream themselves. We'd love you to join us! Bring snacks, a thirst for puzzles and all your questions. When: 27.02.2024, 6:30 pm Where: On our Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing store page and on Discord This way to the official watch party on Discord. We look forward to seeing you there! The Active Fungus Team

[ 2025-02-27 09:14:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Our demo has now been out for a week and has been played by several streamers! Wed like to say thank you your support helps Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing reach more people. We joined several streams live in the chat and had a great time with the communities, especially when unexpected bugs led to some hilarious moments. Heres a list of all the Twitch streams that have played The Ebbing so far. In the meantime, weve fixed a lot of bugs that were reported to us via Steam, Discord, and the Twitch community. If youve been waiting for a smoother gameplay experience, next week is a great time to check out the Ebbing demo.

From February 24th to March 3rd, Steam Next Fest is happening and were part of it!

Why is this important? During Next Fest, Steam showcases demos of unreleased games to a large audience. The more people support us during this time by adding us to their wishlist or leaving reviews, the more likely Steams algorithm will notice us and boost our visibility even further. So if you play our demo soon and enjoy it, wed be thrilled if you added it to your wishlist and left a review! On February 27th, well be streaming live on Steam as we play our demo. Wed love to have viewers join us! At the same time, were hosting a watch party on Discord youre warmly invited to join, chat with us, and help solve the quest. If youre planning to stream the demo yourself in the next few weeks, let us know! Well try to be present in as many stream chats as possible.

By the way: Have you already gotten your character booklet 'The residents of Havstedt?'

It's a free PDF introducing the NPCs from Inspector Schmidt The Ebbing, giving you an overview of their quirks, motives and preferences. We also included space for personal notes, very handy if you play The Ebbing in Detective Mode with reduced hints in the quest log. Quite a few people did this in past streams with A Bavarian Tale! Get the character booklet here! Yours, The Active Fungus Team

[ 2025-02-21 15:21:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Moin! Some things always remain exciting as an indie studio: We're finally announcing the release date for Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing AND publishing a completely new demo today! With two hours of playtime you can play the first quest of the main game and get to know (almost) all gameplay mechanics - and of course the story. We would be very happy if you played it and left us a review. We can fix and improve everything you report until the release on April 7, 2025. Thank you! Tonight, Flom and Corviskiddo will be playing the demo on Twitch. We will watch the streams together on our Discord server from around 18:00 CET and mingle in the stream chat - you are very welcome to join us!

What's new in The Ebbing?

In the tradition of other detective games, you will now find exciting number, picture, search and combination puzzles to crack in The Ebbing. The first puzzles can already be played in the demo. The first part, A Bavarian Tale, was already mysterious, dark and sometimes bloody. In The Ebbing, a whole mystery storyline awaits the main character Valentin Schmidt, complete with creepy moor and nameless horror. We have completely overhauled the stealth mechanics for this. Apart from that, we've kept the tried and tested features from its predecessor: Exciting dialog, weird and funny situations with quirky NPCs, a branching, complex plot with different endings, a voice and text output in (Northern) German and English as well as a strong historical reference to the 19th century, which significantly influences the setting of the plot.

Gameplay

Explore the open world: Move freely around a coastal town in 1870 and search for clues. Lead exciting dialogues: Use the dialogue mechanic to question the residents, gather compelling information and find out who is hiding something. Start a confrontation: Question the suspects and catch the perpetrators Search for clues: Use your detective sense to find hidden evidence. Crack exciting puzzles: Use hidden clues and, above all, your wits to find important information. Evade detection: Slip into forbidden areas and survive the dangers of the moor getting caught is not an option! Pass the skill checks: Use your abilities in classic pen and paper skill checks (dice rolls). Level up: Develop your character and decide which skills you want to improve. Craft useful items: Gather resources and build items and consumables to improve your skills. Make difficult decisions: Your actions affect the course of the story. Decide for yourself how you want to succeed: Through charisma, diplomacy, ... the mission is clear: crack the case!

Story

In detective-RPG Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing, you untangle a thick web of intrigues, lies, and secrets that surround a mysterious death. Find the origin of eerie telegraph signals, question the villagers, decipher the strange symbols that are suddenly appearing all over town - and hide from the danger lurking in the moor. The sudden death of Bente Hansen shakes the picturesque seaside town of Havstedt. The townspeople are in turmoil: Who murdered him? What is the story behind the mysterious symbols in the town and - is there really a brutal beast lurking in the moor? Uncover the truth behind the sea of lies and reveal the dark secrets of the inhabitants of Havstedt - without being targeted yourself.

[ 2025-02-13 13:00:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Moin moin, you landlubbers! Happy New Year - off to a good start, because we've landed a shipload of presents for you! If you sign up for our regular bottle mail at this link, you'll receive three treasures from Havstedt: Free character handbook - With space for all your secret notes! So you can keep track of even the craziest Havstedt intrigues. Historical facts - We take you into the exciting world of the 19th century and give you historical context to the fates of our NPCs. Extremely accurate personality test - Find out which of the three NPC archetypes you correspond to. Are you an overly-correct general, a completely over-educated scholar or a clueless juggler? ... what are you waiting for, sailors? Subscribe, but quickly! Your Active Fungus crew

[ 2025-01-02 09:00:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Mei, so nice! To make sure the sun is still shining somewhere in Bavaria in the gloomy December fog, we're releasing a new, summery key artwork just in time for Christmas. Hopefully, a look at your Steam library will warm your heart over the holidays! We wish you happy holidays and a great start to the new year! The Active Fungus team P.S.: By the way: On 02 January 2025 there will be an update at The Ebbing that might interest you ... wishlist as a precaution so that you don't miss anything!

[ 2024-12-18 15:55:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, dear hardcore detective gamers! We are nearly finished with the story and with most of the gameplay mechanics - and now were looking for people who would like to test it all. Meticulously. We are especially interested in testers who have played a lot of detective games. You know the genre well, you know what excites and frustrates you and you have an opinion on games and always wanted to share it with people making them? Then you're hired! If you want to help, wed love you to sign up for the Beta: https://activefungus-studios.de/afs-beta-sign-up/

[ 2024-11-22 14:34:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, dear community! Today, we are reaching out to you because we need your support. We are slowly entering the final phase of development for Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing. To ensure we deliver a game that you'll be truly excited to play, wed love to know from you: In which detective games did you feel particularly engaged? What contributed to that feeling? Are there any game mechanics or features that frustrated you in other detective games? How would you improve them? What do you feel is currently missing in the demo? Was there anything you missed in A Bavarian Tale? Are there features from other games that you would like to see in ours? Are there any games that come to mind when you think of an Inspector Schmidt game? What are the similarities or differences? We would greatly appreciate your input your feedback could influence our game development over the next few months. Leave us a comment or contact us on Discord! Thank you so much!

[ 2024-10-23 11:20:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

This is now an award winning game!

We won the GDD award 2024 for "best story"! A heartfelt thank you to everyone who was involved in making Inspector Schmidt - A Bavarian Tale. That is a lot of people: We started as a group of friends who didn't know the first thing about writing a game, learning the ropes by just doing it. The fact that our very first story driven game now has won an award for - THE STORY - is absolutely insane and unbelievable! Now, in 2024, we are a team of 20 people working on four different projects. Seems like we now know a bit better what we're doing, but none of this would have been possible without the effort of the bunch of crazy people who poured their (mostly unpaid) energy into the first game. This award belongs to you! Who's gonna celebrate with us at Gamescom? Find us at Home of Indies E014 - D015 - Hall 10.2! This time, we present the sequel of A Bavarian Tale, Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing!. Wishlist now :)

[ 2024-08-14 15:03:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

[ 2024-07-09 06:52:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Minor Update - Watschenbaum Achievement fixed - Re-Introduced Engine Prerequsities because of problems in Linux Version

[ 2024-07-06 13:30:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Community, We are happy to share a big tech update for Inspector Schmidt - A Bavarian Tale with you!
We have:

• Updated to Unreal Engine 5.4
• Optimized the performance
• Improved the light and colour settings
• Fixed the eavesdropping in the Priest quest
• Fixed the lantern so that refilling it is working again

As always, feel free to reach out if you notice any other issues in the game, and thank you to all of you for sharing your feedback and comments with us! In case you have already played through Bavarian Tale and can't wait for the second part, how about playing our free demo for the sequel Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing in the meantime? Don't forget to put in on your wishlist so you won't miss any updates on our progress here. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2492570/Inspector_Schmidt__The_Ebbing/ Have fun & Prost Active Fungus Studios

[ 2024-07-03 16:27:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Big Update: - We updated to Unreal Engine 5.4 - Light and Color settings improved - Performance improvements - A bug where it was not possible to eavesdrop in one of the quests was fixed - Refilling the lantern is working again

[ 2024-07-03 12:01:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

We are excited to be part of this year's Games Baked in Germany aka Games Made in Germany Steam Sale presented by Games Germany! Grasp this great opportunity, get a 75% discount on our beloved "Inspector Schmidt - A Bavarian Tale" and enjoy some freshly baked pretzels while solving a mysterious criminal case in 19th century Bavaria!
Make sure to also check out all the other brilliant games made in Germany here: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/games-made-in-germany-2024 Have fun your Active Fungus Team

[ 2024-06-20 18:04:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Roadmap Update There are still many things we want to improve on "Inspector Schmidt - A Bavarian Tale". The list below shows our planned Roadmap. It gives you a rough overview of the features and milestones we hope to achieve in the near future, but the contents are subject to change as we advance. We would love to hear your opinion on this. Please let us know which features and improvements you feel are the most important ones and if there is anything missing from this Roadmap. Thank you to all of you who have already given feedback, shared your experiences with "Inspector Schmidt" with us and flagged issues and bugs. We highly appreciate your contributions! Roadmap as of June 2024 Coming Weeks

• update to UE 5.4
• optimize performance
• perform several bug fixes (thanks again to our community for letting us know about the bugs you've come across!)

Longterm

• improve on all localizations
• add Steamcloud Savegames
• Steam Collectors-Cards
• record and implement narrator for all Choose-Your-Own-Adventure parts

[ 2024-06-06 08:43:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Save 50% now with our Weeklong Deal on Inspector Schmidt - A Bavarian Tale!

As physics reporter Valentin Schmidt, you take a trip to rural Bavaria in 1866. In addition to a mysterious criminal case, good beer and delicious pretzels, the following treats await you:

• Lead intriguing conversations: use the dialogue-mechanic to find out who is hiding something from you and convince the villagers to help you out.
• Make difficult decisions: your decisions have an impact on the course of the story, the world and the villagers. Will you find the right words?
• Level up your skills: decide which skills to level up and use them wisely in classic pen'n'paper skillchecks.
• Find hidden clues: use the detective-mechanic to find clues and evidence.
• Move around in the shadows unnoticed: sneak past enemies and guards to stay unnoticed. Or knock them out from behind.
• Defend yourself: if your sneak-mission has failed, you can use the fight-mechanic as a last resort and defend yourself with an old fashioned fist fight.
• Craft items to boost your skills: with the things you find in the world you can craft items that will allow you to succeed in difficult skillchecks.
• Decide how you want to solve the tasks at hand: With charisma, diplomacy, brute force, the art of stealth or strategic escape? The mission, however, is clear: solve this case!

Have fun with the investigation! Active Fungus Studios

[ 2024-05-07 15:30:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

We would like to inform you about an occasional issue that not only affects our game Inspector Schmidt - A Bavarian Tale, but has also been reported in other games based on Unreal Engine. The problem probably occurs in connection with a certain CPU, especially with Intel Core i9-13900K and i7-13700K. You can read more about this in this article, for example. If your game crashes and you receive the following error message, this could be due to the CPU issue described: Error Message: LowLevelFatalError [...] Could not decompress shader group with Oodle. According to forum posts here on Steam and Unreal Engine, other users have been able to work around the issue by running their games in Win8 compatibility mode and inserting -d3d12 into the command prompt line. We hope this information helps you in case you encounter this error. If you have any other tips for workarounds, please share them with the community here. Thank you!

[ 2024-05-03 08:33:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

- Menu music kept playing in game: Fixed.

[ 2024-03-29 23:52:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Huge translation and subtitle overhaul
• Fixed Archievements
• Fixed Flags and Gameplay events
• Fixed bugs in Widgets
• Fixed other minor bugs

[ 2024-03-29 22:03:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Inspector Schmidt is currently investigating for 60% below the normal price. Don't miss out on this offer!

[ 2024-03-20 08:31:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Whats new at a glance:

• now in Unreal Engine 5
• new English version
• bugs fixed
• performance improved
• steamdeck mode in the settings

[ 2024-03-15 16:27:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

[video webm= mp4= autoplay=true controls=false][/video]

[ 2024-02-20 11:43:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

[video webm= mp4= autoplay=true controls=false][/video] Hi, we look forward to seeing you at GGBavaria this coming weekend in Munich! You'll find us in the Indie Games Area in the Rotunde. See you there and pfati!

[ 2024-02-15 10:41:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

We are pleased to announce that our game has a new name that puts our beloved detective Valentin Schmidt in the spotlight. May he solve many more cases!

[ 2024-02-07 12:48:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

We would be very happy, if you support us to get the Studio of the year at Deutscher Computerspielpreis vorschlagt. Participation is still possible until 31.1. https://deutscher-computerspielpreis.de/studio-des-jahres-2024-gesucht/ Thank you very much! See you soon!

[ 2024-01-24 08:24:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Better late than never...

[ 2024-01-15 12:40:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

We are pleased to announce some exciting improvements in our latest update for A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen! The lighting system has undergone a major overhaul over the holidays to make the game experience even more immersive. The implementation of Unreal Engine 5 resulted in some bugs that we were able to fix and improve the stability of the game. We paid special attention to storage management to optimize performance on different systems. The game now not only looks better, but is also easier to play with smaller RAM. These optimizations allow the game to run more smoothly even on systems with limited resources. We hope you enjoy these improvements. Thank you for your continued support.

[ 2024-01-04 13:38:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

We wish you all a happy new year according to your wishes and expectations. We're back at it again and want to start the year with a survey to find out your wishes, expectations and experiences with/of our games and learn from them. We would be very grateful if you could take a few moments to help us. It won't take long and will help us immensely. Sorry, the survey is only available in german at the moment.

Right here

steamhappy

[ 2024-01-03 15:40:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Roadmap for 2024 We started work on The Ebbing and we learn a lot while doing so. For example we improved our pipelines for character art and animations. We plan on bringing some of the new knowhow into A Bavarian Tale in the next months. Plans for 2024 Q1: Improved Animations Improved Charaters Improved Lip Sync Q2: Improved english voiceover Q3: possibly porting to XBox and PS5

[ 2023-12-25 16:55:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

UE 5 Update Stream

[ 2023-12-24 11:18:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

- Better Looking Trees - Fixed the unlocked door - Loadgame Bugfixes

[ 2023-12-24 09:14:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Big Update! Lighting System Upgrades Steamdeck Support Localization English Bugfix Direct X 12 Crash We improved the lighting system and have a much better looking sky now. Steamdeck support is finaly here. Enjoy solving crimes from you comfy sofa. We kept working on the english localization. Some people had crashes when aproaching the guards in the beginning of the game. We found the cause and fixed the bug.

[ 2023-12-23 00:48:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello folks, we would like to thank you, our dedicated community, for your support. Your passion and feedback have helped to make "Totgeschwiegen - A Bavarian Tale" what it is today. Now we have the chance to be nominated for this year's Steam Awards and we appreciate every vote!

[ 2023-11-21 18:01:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

We have finaly managed to move the game to Unreal Engine 5. Enjoy Wolpertshofen in all new graphics, with Lumen, Nanite and all the new tech from UE 5. If you perfer the old UE 4 version, this will be available as a Beta version. You can switch and compare any time you like! Please excuse the late release. We had a hard time getting the achievements to work. But now everything should be fine. You can write us any time on discord if you want some hints for the "Der Wanderer" achievement: https://discord.gg/nShUfPznMJ

[ 2023-11-05 01:23:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

We have finaly managed to move the game to Unreal Engine 5. Enjoy Wolpertshofen in all new graphics, with Lumen, Nanite and all the new tech from UE 5. If you perfer the old UE 4 version, this will be available as a Beta version. You can switch and compare any time you like! Please excuse the late release. We had a hard time getting the achievements to work. But now everything should be fine. You can write us any time on discord if you want some hints for the "Der Wanderer" achievement: https://discord.gg/nShUfPznMJ

[ 2023-11-05 01:22:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

We are happy to share these good news!

[ 2023-11-02 07:50:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

[ 2023-09-26 17:53:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Munich, July 11, 2023 - Munich-based indie developer Active Fungus Studios announces the second part of the series A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen. From 11.07.2023, the title can be wishlisted on Steam. The Ebbing - A Coastal Tale is scheduled for release on PC via Steam in 2024. In it, players will be put in the role of Valentin Schmidt, an officer who, after a stirring case in Upper Bavaria, actually just wants to take a vacation at the North Sea, but gets involved in a mysterious murder case again. [previewyoutube=qzwAK0rgr3o;full][/previewyoutube] Don't worry, development on A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen will continue. But the next adventures allready await: Havstedt - A small town nestled between idyllic meadows and the unforgiving sea. In The Ebbing - A Coastal Tale, players in the role of Bavarian official Valentin Schmidt are transported to the North Sea in 1870. What begins as a leisurely cruise quickly turns into a dramatic investigation to prove his own innocence. The installation of the first transatlantic telegraph cable from the USA, via England to Germany creates hope for many a resident for a peaceful time full of communication and understanding. But shortly after the first successful message, instead of the usual Morse code, only mysterious, incomprehensible signals seem to reach the German mainland. The undecipherable light pulses continue to feed the mistrust of the doubters about this new technology. Meanwhile, supernatural-looking lights are suddenly visible at sea, providing new material for sailors' yarns. Have the electronic signals at the bottom of the ocean awakened something that should have been better left alone? A dark mystery can be found around every corner, and every wave washes up a new inexplicable event. Story and gameplay merge in a unique way. The players have to discover clues and collect evidence in their role as detectives. By questioning the secretive inhabitants of Havstedt, they can obtain further valuable information. The players have full freedom to decide which skills they want to level up and use. These are put to the test in classic pen'n'paper elements through skill checks. In The Ebbing - A Coastal Tale, serious decisions have to be made, the effects of which can be felt in the investigative work and the further course of the game. It is not only the diverse abilities that make the course unique. Valentin can approach the challenges with charm, mischievousness or diplomatic approaches, thus adding a personal touch to the conversations. Valentin can also draw on the clues he has gained. Will he correctly combine facts and statements to uncover the truth behind the lies? Or will he get tangled up in a web of assumptions and false statements? Low German is on everyone's lips. In The Ebbing - A Coastal Tale, you encounter the charming flair of northern Germany at every turn. Not only the crab rolls and the authentic ambience, but also the characters are genuine fishheads with the finest dialect. The game is available in Plattdeutsch as well as in English. Didn't understand a word? No problem! The game is beginner-friendly - subtitles are in German and English. The dialogues in The Ebbing are a fully interactive feast for the ears. Key features at a glance: - Action takes place in 1870 at the North Sea - Historical crime RPG from the 3rd person perspective - Skills can be freely improved and are used in pen'n'paper elements - Decisions have influence on the further course of the story - Several different endings - Complete voice output in Low German and English - German and English subtitles - Unique Nordic-modern soundtrack

[ 2023-07-12 08:57:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Servus... ah, wrong dialect... Moin Moin! We are proud to announce our new project today. Besides moving Totgeschwiegen to UE5, the production for "The Ebbing - A Coastal Tale" is already underway. Be excited for another 3rd person RPG crime adventure with Valentin Schmidt, this time at the North Sea! Get ready for a new environment, new people and new... murders?! Valentin just wanted to go on vacation, but now he needs your help! You can already wishlist the game on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2492570/The_Ebbing__A_Coastal_Tale/ [previewyoutube=FQFbWJWrDps;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2023-07-11 12:38:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

We are super happy to be part of the Games Germany Steam Sale. Explore games made in germany. And grab your copy of "A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen" now for 40 % off.

[ 2023-06-23 10:38:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

If you would like to participateyou have to activate the Beta Version in your settings. Best place to leave feedback is the ingame tool (F&) or our discord: https://discord.gg/mxMZUNpw6T

[ 2023-06-09 13:38:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Open Beta of UE 5 version coming soon

[ 2023-05-25 20:07:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

We are still alive! Sorry, that it was so quiet in the last weeks. We are working on switching to UE 5 but it is way more work then we expected it to be. But we are not giving up and we hope to be able to have an open Beta of the UE 5 version running by mid of May. Once again: Sorry you did not hear from us. We are still a very small team and the amout of work very much overwhelmed us. But we can't wait to show you the UE 5 version soon! We hope some of you might be interrested in patricipating in the Beta and giving us some feedback and helping with finding bugs in the UE 5 version.

[ 2023-05-03 16:08:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Thank you #ggbavaria and #gamesbavaria for having us. We had so many interresting conversations and so much nice feedback. A special thank you to Judith Gerlach, the bavarian state minister for digitals, for the visit and the very good conversation about the bavarian gaming industry and "A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen". We are taking all this positive energy into our next projects! Right now we are working on moving "Totgeschwiegen" to the UE 5 to bring you a major update in the near future. But there are also some pretty exciting new projects waiting in our pipeline. We are looking forward to telling you about them soon!

[ 2023-02-28 09:04:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

The demo will be online for 10 days 23.02.23 - 05.03.23

[ 2023-02-23 11:26:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

We decided we will move the project to UE 5 and already made good progress with that. We hope to be able to provide Steamdeck support, controller support, better graphics and better performance. But moving from UE 4 to UE 5 will take some time. We hope to have the UE 5 version ready in about 3 weeks. There are many things we want to improve on "A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen". The table below shows the planned Roadmap. This is a rough overview of what features and progresses we hope to make, but the contents are subject to change as we advance. We would love to hear your opinion on this. Please let us know what features and improvements you feel are the most important ones and if there is anything missing from this Roadmap. Roadmap 22.02.23 March 2023 - Move to UE 5 - Improve character graphics - Add controller support - See if we can get the game to work on Steamdeck - Improve performance - Fix too small subtitle font - Bring the demo up to date and have it available again (probably for a limited time only) - Better sorting options for inventory (categorys) - Fix bowling/kegeln bug - Fix problem with special signs in savegames Coming weeks - Add Steamcloud Savegames - Steam Collectors-Cards Longterm - Improve on all localizations - Record and implement narrator for all Choose-Your-Own-Adventure parts

[ 2023-02-22 17:36:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Game Overview A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen

[ 2023-02-21 19:08:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

- Text and voice language can be changed in game - Added resolution to settings - Detective mode starts faster - Kegeln - no bowlingballs problem fixed - Repair glasses now working propperly - Drunk buff wears off faster - Fixed character names not disappearing - Red Eye and Enemys load correctly - Dialog Flow improved - Categorys in inventory

[ 2023-02-11 17:19:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

There are many things we want to improve on "A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen". The table below shows the planned Roadmap. This is a rough overview of what features and progresses we hope to make, but the contents are subject to change as we advance. We would love to hear your opinion on this. Please let us know what features and improvements you feel are the most important ones and if there is anything missing from this Roadmap. This week [KW/CW 6]: German and English Audio in the same Build Screen Resolution in Settings Menu Fix character names not disappearing Fix too small subtitle font Further improve on dialog flow Fix guards reapearing Fix red eye not being reset on load Fix english translation bugs Keysettings bug not being saved Fix disappearing boy bug Coming weeks: Add Controller Support See if we can get the game to work on Steamdeck Add Steamcloud Savegames Steam Collectors-Cards Participate in Steam Mystery Fest Bring the demo up to date and have it available again (probably for a limited time only) Better sorting options for inventory (categorys) Implement another "Kegeln-Minigame" Longterm: Improve on all localizations Record and implement narrator for all Choose-Your-Own-Adventure parts

[ 2023-02-06 12:50:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

- We fixed a bug where the audio-comment during detective mode would be audible even when not in the tutorial.

[ 2023-02-05 13:20:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Thank you for the feedback and the many twitch and youtube streams. We tried to watch them all and implemented some minor changes to improve parts where things were to hard to find or unclear. We are very grateful for your feedback. Please join our discord in case you found some bugs or have ideas on how we could improve the game further! https://discord.gg/HWeTpJaQKP

[ 2023-02-04 11:21:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Wow, the last few days were a wild ride - a wonderful wild ride! We want to take the time to say a big Thank you! to all of you! To our wonderful community who helped us all the way through the Early Access phase. To all the wonderful people who helped us on the way to release this game and support us in our efforts. Especially to Remote Control Productions, Attractmode, Marchsreiter Communications and Games Bavaria. And to all of you, who support us by playing A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen and putting your trust in us.

[ 2023-02-03 17:38:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Recorded Stream - A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen

[ 2023-02-02 17:45:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen - Livestream

[ 2023-02-02 14:30:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

A mords Gaudi! "A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen" is now officially released and waiting for you to find out what dark secrets are waiting for you in Wolpertshofen!

[ 2023-02-02 14:12:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update - Minor Dialog Fixes

[ 2023-01-31 11:56:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

New Enemy AI Fix Schnapsbrenner Quest Overhead Texts new Red Eye Fixes Alois JR Fisching Rod Tasks English LOC Improvements

[ 2023-01-30 09:01:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

- Steam Achievements - English Localization improved - Hiding improved - New Enemy AI - More XP - New Quest: Broken Glasses

[ 2023-01-28 09:44:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Skill checks work similar to classic TTRPG / Pen'n'Paper skill checks. Skill checks can be triggered through dialog options or via interactions with items. In "A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen", you have seven different skills that you can level up over the course of the game. Each skill check corresponds to one of these skills. During a skill check two values are displayed, on the one hand a measuring value, which you have to roll, and on the other hand a skill value, which results from your respective skill level + possible bonuses or mali and serves you as a kind of buffer. You must now roll four times with a W20(twenty sides) and exceed the measuring value. If you roll a value that is smaller than the measuring value, you have to fill up the difference with points from your skill value. If you can't reach the measuring value on a roll and your skill value points are used up, the skill check fails. But don't worry, by strategically using consumables, certain skills can receive a temporary bonus or malus. You can still use these consumables during a skill check. This way you can gain a small advantage even in difficult situations with the right Bavarian delicacies ("Schmankerl"). If you manage to reach the measured value in all four rolls, the skill check was successful. Most of the time this leads to essential information, new dialog options or access to unexplored locations. Good luck with your rolls!

[ 2023-01-27 16:56:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

In A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen you'll carry out varied dialogs that require a variety of skills, depending on the conversational situation. You'll be able to make classic dialogue decisions that will steer the conversation in a certain direction. However, some decisions will only become visible once a specific piece of information has been found or the character has reached a certain skill level (for example, a charisma of 8 or higher). Alongside this, the specific skills of the protagonist, in which you can invest skill points beforehand, will be put to the test. You'll encounter dialogue options that will result in a positive outcome for the conversation only after a successful skill check. In some dialogs, choices are divided into three archetypes (charisma, gut instinct, acumen), which have different effects depending on the personality of the interlocutor. These choices can result in a bonus or malus on skill checks for these individuals. Also, in conversations that involve conflict, you can get involved in a battle dialogue. At the end of the battle dialogue, it will either turn out to be a success or a failure, depending on the dialogue options you have chosen in the process. Your choices within dialogues are meaningful and have far-reaching influence on the game world and its events. Find the right words!

[ 2023-01-26 15:39:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

A murder in Wolpertshofen? Can you solve the case?

[ 2023-01-26 10:22:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Bugfix endless XP

[ 2023-01-25 17:14:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Many small fixes Thank you so much for you ongoing feedback and support!

[ 2023-01-25 10:48:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Explore the unmatched charme of traditional bavaria! Buildings and Environments were designed and inspired from original places in Bavaria. And the flair and feeling of the year 1866 was captured with the help of historians and original sources. #history #bavaria #games #abavariantale #totgeschwiegen

[ 2023-01-25 09:15:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update - Bugfixes

[ 2023-01-22 22:04:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update - NPC Lore Dialogs: Loib + Severin Griesbacher + the amazing Georg Bankerl Damen Holzfller

[ 2023-01-20 23:28:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

We are supper happy to announce the full release date for A Bavarian Tale - Totgeschwiegen: February 2nd, 2023

[ 2023-01-17 14:25:30 CET ] [ Original post ]