We recently saw a small uptick of players having issues launching Forest Grove.
We’re still looking for the underlying root cause, however we’ve found two potential solutions.
If you have previously played the demo, existing save data may be causing a crash on start. We recommend deleting any old save data by removing folders AppData\LocalLow\Miga\Forest Grove\Saves and/or \AppData\LocalLow\Blowfish Studios\Forest Grove.
If still unresolved, we recommend disabling the Unity graphic optimisation feature. Unfortunately, this is still experimental and not optimized for all hardware. We can guide you through turning it off:
Locate the installed files of the game at \Steam\steamapps\common\Forest Grove or you can navigate to it via Steam by selecting the wheel icon on the game page and clicking Properties. A pop-up window will appear. Select Installed Files on the left-hand side menu, then select Browse
Select the ForestGrove_Data folder
Locate the file boot.config
Open the file with Notepad (or equivalent)
Once open, you will see the following lines:
gfx-enable-gfx-jobs=1 gfx-enable-native-gfx-jobs=1 Change any 1 to 0. It should now look like this:
gfx-enable-gfx-jobs=0 gfx-enable-native-gfx-jobs=0 Save the file
Relaunch the game from Steam.
If the above does not resolve the issue, please reach out to our support team through https://blowfishstudios.zendesk.com. We recommend that you send through your player log files for us to review. This can be located in your Save folder under AppData\LocalLow\Miga\Forest Grove\Saves and/or Steam\steamapps\common\Forest Grove\Save.
We appreciate your patience as we work through this issue!
Forest Grove is Available Now!
We're thrilled to announce that Forest Grove, the first-person crime mystery puzzler from developer Miga Games and publisher Blowfish Studios, is available now!
The elite Forest Grove investigation team known as the Remote Forensic Bureau (RFB) must tackle its most daunting case yet, after local tech heiress Zooey Kunstmatigaard is reported missing. Armed with the latest in crime analysis technology, search for clues and solve perplexing puzzles to ensure Zooey’s eagerly awaited return, one way or the other.
Inspect a virtual Nanodeck recreation of Kunstmatigaard’s grandiose Victorian manor, meticulously analyzing room after room in search of clues. Decipher complex puzzles and examine digital recreations of key conversations, while cross-referencing other evidence for any irregularities.
Utilize a massive evidence board to piece together seemingly unrelated incidents into interconnected occurrences, all of which may lead to the burning truth. Make fresh connections, find new angles, and conduct the investigation with the utmost accuracy to solve the case and garner a glowing review from RFB’s superiors.
Dive into a world of suspense, solve puzzles, untangle the past, and uncover the truth. Most importantly: find Zooey.
Forest Grove is 20% off during launch week so now is the best time to get it!
We're thrilled to announce that Forest Grove, the first-person crime mystery puzzler from developer Miga Games and publisher Blowfish Studios, will launch on Wednesday, November 29, 2023.
One seemingly normal day in Forest Grove, Oregon, a well-known teenage heiress to a billion-dollar tech fortune, Zooey Kunstimatigaard, is reported missing. When the crime confounds their own technology, the local police call in their elite investigation unit, the Remote Forensic Bureau (RFB). Indulge in a mysterious, non-linear story and navigate complex familial relationships to track down the missing tech-empire heiress.
Meticulously scour a Nanodeck recreation of Kunstimatigaard’s grandiose Victorian manor, generated with the latest in forensics technology. Search for clues, decipher cryptic puzzles, and piece together small details only the most disciplined detectives can spot. Utilize cutting-edge nanotech and biotracing to obtain realistic visual and audio representations of key events, witnesses, items, and recordings from the scene.
Are you ready to find Zooey?
If you’re excited, please show the game some love by wishlisting it 💖
Steam Next Fest is almost here! During Steam Next Fest you'll be able to play the Forest Grove Demo starting on Feb 21st, 1pm PST. Put your detective hats on and explore a beautiful Victorian home with Forrest, one of the Blowfish Studios Community Managers, along with Larry and Mat, the creators of Forest Grove, as they gather clues in the new Forest Grove Demo. Throughout the playthrough they will search for clues and connections to Zooey's disappearance.
This stream is pre-recorded and will be looped through the duration of Steam Next Fest.
Forest Grove Will Be Participating In Steam Next Fest!
Get ready to explore a beautiful Victorian mansion, recreated using the advanced technology of the Nanodeck in Forest Grove. Watch live streams and play the demo in the upcoming Steam Next Fest!
Unravel the mystery with us during Steam Next Fest - taking place February 21-28, 2022 at 10AM PST.
Follow the people behind Forest Grove: Miga Games Twitter ► https://twitter.com/GamesFromMiga Discord ► http://discord.gg/sqst5ZnjGB Blowfish Studios Twitter ► https://twitter.com/blowfishstudios Discord ► https://discord.gg/NEf7ncbknJ
The Role of the Hovercam™
Hello there,
In this post I'd like to share a little bit about one of the devices you'll interact with in Forest Grove. It's called the Hovercam™ and it has an important role in terms of the lore of the game.
[previewyoutube="PjrzE_9eB4M;full"]
The Hovercam™ is a small personal drone device, usually purchased by individuals, families, or even small businesses as a means to record video and/or audio. They can be used for security, fun, or even as an intimidation factor. And because the Kunstmatigaard's purchased many of these devices, you'll be able to pilot them and fly around freely in well defined areas. Unfortunately, accessing the data and recordings from these drones is not an option.
In 2072, changes in recent surveillance laws have made accessing the data from the Hovercam™ troublesome. As it turns out, the actual recordings are not owned by the purchaser. They are owned by your typical Big Corp whose top interests are usually their own.
Usually this wouldn't be a problem as most people can still access their data as they need to. But for any external party who wants to gain access, it gets tricky. Why? Big Corp has bought Congress. They've taken the initiative to ensure that their right to lock down their data is preserved, no matter the situation, even for criminal investigations.
To work within and around these new laws, the Remote Forensics Bureau developed a technical marvel called the Nanodeck. The Nanodeck is a large rendering area where a location can be recreated at a macroscopic level, along with some of the digital data within it. It's a place where investigations take place and because the technology is so new, the current laws in 2072 are not written to handle them. It's a place where balancing the act of solving crimes and not infringing on laws is tricky. (We'll cover other purposes of the Nanodeck in a later post).
In Forest Grove, you'll access many Hovercam™ devices and along with the Nanodeck AI, reconstruct conversations that have taken place in the Kunstmatigaard residence. You'll be able to see where individuals were standing and what they looked like at a certain point in time. The information in these conversations along with the imagery can be just the key you'll need to solve the case!
Thanks for reading!
Larry
Evidence Board
Hello there,
In this article we'd love to share our take on an Evidence Board (or as it's sometimes called a "Crazy Wall"). It's usually a collage of pictures, information, and notes with visible connections between them - commonly seen in crime TV shows and movies.
In this demonstration we'll focus on the Physical Evidence Board and the physical items and objects the player will find during an investigation.
Here's the video:
[previewyoutube="H2rizfqKrrc;full"]
In this video, I look around an area of a home gym where a dumbbell can be found next to a bench.
I inspect the dumbbell and discover traces of evidence in the form of Corrupted DNA and Fingerprint Oil Proteins. Who's is it? What does it mean?
Next I open up the Physical Evidence Board where a grid of objects that I've found during my investigation can be seen. Here's an example where 13 items have been inspected:
Notice that each item not only has more information about it but it also has several icons associated with it. Each of those icons have a meaning and can be filtered simply by hovering over them:
It's a fast and contextual way of filtering evidence by type and associations. Hopefully this will help the player discover more clues and leads as to where to go next in the case.
One very important note that I discuss in the video is that the intention of the Evidence Board is to not only to help you come to your own conclusions, but also to help you ask more questions. An example is if you've found chemicals on the floor in a certain room that normally wouldn't be there - how did that come to be? Why? Who did it? And more.
We really wanted to not give the case away directly in the evidence. We want the player to come to their own conclusions and see if what they suspect is actually true. Or even partially true. There is no one outcome to this case and we can't wait to see how you solve it.
