"REPTRAILS - Save the FRD" - Interview with developer Torsten Fock-Herde

September 3, 2020

"REPTRAILS - Save the FRD" - Interview with developer Torsten Fock-Herde

We talked with kabuff.co developer Torsten Fock-Herde about their upcoming game REPTRAILS - Save the FRD and the ongoing crowdfunding project.

"REPTRAILS - Save the Federal Republic of Germany" is a single-player simulation game, a project of the Hamburg-based Indie game studio kabuff.co.

The player enters the role of an agent of the "New World Order" or reptiloids, who controls the world population with the help of chemtrails, cell phone masts, media manipulation, and other logics of known conspiracy theories. These well-known conspiracy theories are intended to be playfully analyzed and debunked.

Three questions for kabuff.co founder Torsten Fock-Herde

*REPTRAILS-Team: Torsten Fock-Herde and Jasmin*

1. How did you get the idea for REPTRAILS?

REPTRAILS was originally just a fixed idea that came to my mind in June 2017 in a mixture of despair and anger. Even then, there were many groups spreading conspiracy ideologies and their opponents. Since it is very exhausting to deal with these myths, many people try to compensate for this with some sense of humor. Out of this motivation the prototype was created, in which you could send airplanes around and had to cover a certain area with chemtrails to fulfill the mission. Then the idea disappeared in the drawer again due to lack of concept and time. The corona crisis and the budding conspiracy myths led me to go about it the right way and bring my daughter on board.

2. Which game mechanisms do you use and what is your motivation for the player behind it?

The game mechanics follow the classic RTS principle, the Rock / Paper / Scissors approach. The motivation of the player is enhanced by the impression of being in control and spreading out on the world map. In different territories, different strategies lead to success, and the player should have fun exploring these strategies. At the same time, the game should not become too fragmented, so that it remains easy to access - after all, we also want to open up new target groups for fact-checkers.

3. You have decided to finance the game through crowdfunding - what are your goals?

The decision to use crowdfunding was easy for us because our crowd anticipated this decision. After we were unable to achieve prototype funding due to the short preparation time, the community quickly signaled to us that they would support us in crowdfunding with all possible means. We took them at their word and were not disappointed. The goal is of course clear: we want world domination. And release the game in May (2021) in the Early Access Model on Steam.

It is planned to release the game for PC and Android.

The Crowdfunding for REPTRAILS will run until September 14 on Startnext: https://www.startnext.com/reptrails

Find out more about REPTRAILS in this video:

https://youtu.be/G6W5fgWr1a0

News

←

→

Three Questions to: Dom Schott, Creator of the Podcast OK COOL

Dom Schott has been a part of the German games journalism scene for some time already, but the last few years brought big changes for him: he joined the team of The Pod on a regular basis, moved to Hamburg and started his own podcast: OK COOL. We took this opportunity to reverse the roles and ask him about his work for a change.

3 years of Games Lift: Getting better with age

Three successful years lie behind the Games Lift Incubator. Before we start the fourth one, we take a look back. Our alumni have a lot to show.

2022 in Review

2022 was a big year for us at Gamecity Hamburg as we saw the return of in-person events, a new convention in Hamburg, great projects in our funding programs and so much more! We want to take the last slow business days of the year as an opportunity to look back and offer a sneak peek at what's ahead of us for 2023.

Three Questions to: Elbphilharmonie concert hall about their online escape game

Hamburg's famous Elbphilharmonie concert hall recently released its first game - yes, you've read that correctly: Together with the Hamburg-based digital agency Pop Rocket Labs, they've developed an online escape game in which players must save a classical concert by solving puzzles. We've talked to Julika von Werder from the Elbphilharmonie's marketing team about the background of this project.

Bytro Labs tests 4-day week: Interview with founder Tobias Kringe

Hamburg-based studio Bytro Labs tests out a studio-wide 4-day work week from October to December this year. We talked to founder Tobias Kringe about this decision, how it affects way of working and what they hope to gain from it.

Federal Games Funding: Applications open again from January 1, 2023

Good news for the German games industry: as of January 1, developers and studios can submit applications for the federal funding for video games. The funding for 2023 amounts to 20 million euros, and it is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Goodgame Studios Reaches One Billion Euros in Sales with Empire Series

Congratulations to Goodgame Studios for reaching more than one billion euros in sales with their "Empire" series. The franchise includes four titles at this point and is played by over 220 million registered users, making it a great success for the Hamburg-based studio.

Hamburg Games Conference 2023: First Speakers announced

The Hamburg Games Conference returns on March 1 & 2, 2023 with the topic "Invest in Games". Now the first games industry experts are confirmed, who will share insights and best practices in talks, keynotes and panels around the main topic, as well as on dev, funding and start-up topics.

September 3, 2020