DevBlog 1 | Workshops at the State Criminal Police Office Rhineland Palatinate

Together with the State Criminal Police Office (LKA), we conducted several workshops to design our gameplay mechanics as closely as possible to real investigative procedures. The focus was to understand how investigative work actually functions when evidence must hold up in court.

One of the key takeaways was the strict order of investigative steps: a crime scene is not simply “worked through,” but systematically read and analyzed. Many actions only make sense — or are even legally permissible — if they happen in the correct sequence. In the end, this determines whether evidence remains admissible under the German Code of Criminal Procedure (StPO), meaning it can contribute both to incriminating and exonerating a suspect.

What we specifically learned during these workshops:

• How crime scenes are systematically documented and “read”

• Why order, documentation, and precision are critical

• How small mistakes or shortcuts can affect the admissibility of evidence

• The importance of standardized procedures to ensure cases remain traceable and understandable later on

Fingerprints, Evidence Photography, and Proper Documentation

A large part of the workshops focused on the practical handling of evidence: we learned how fingerprints are revealed, collected, and processed, and which details truly matter during the process. This includes working with lighting, contrast, powders, lifting tape, and above all the question: what do I document, when, and how?

Evidence photography was just as important — not as a “nice to have,” but as the foundation for reconstructing a crime scene later on. In the game, crime scene photography is therefore not just a feature, but a core mechanic: you can still collect and use evidence without photographing it first, but altering the scene before proper photo documentation comes with consequences.

Important: Gameplay Mechanics vs. Reality

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In real forensic work, there is no “scoring system” in the sense of losing points. Instead, evidence may become unusable, or the evidentiary value of a trace may significantly decrease. In the game, we translate this concept into a rating system because it makes the principle easier for players to understand and rewards proper investigative work.

What is directly reflected in the gameplay:

• Crime scene photography before altering the scene

• Marking evidence and maintaining proper documentation

• Fingerprint visualization and collection as a process, not a simple “one-click” interaction

• Consequences for improper investigative order (represented through gameplay evaluation)

Why We Cannot Show Workshop Photos — and What We Did Instead

We would have loved to share photos from the workshops, but they took place inside the facilities and staged training apartments of the Police University. This means that many details are not intended for public release due to security and contextual reasons.

Even so, the knowledge we gained was invaluablea and the workshops helped us design cases that feel realistic.

The Game’s Tone and Atmosphere

Our conversations with investigators, officers, and forensic specialists were not only professionally insightful, but also shaped our understanding of what “forensics” really means: often quiet, methodical, patient, and full of details.

For us, Forensics: Crime Scene Detective is therefore a deliberately slow-paced experience. It is about careful observation, critical thinking, and precise work. You gradually dig deeper into a case step by step, rather than rushing through it.

And this direct collaboration with the LKA is one of the reasons why the project feels so special to us.