Getting Started in Homicide Desk
First boot, Whitmore on the phone, and Case #000 before Morrison hands you a homicide.
You are DET. GHAITH. Captain Morrison is Superintendent of the Major Crimes Unit at Ravenport Police Department. The city is Ravenport, Republic of Meridia. Homicide Desk is a CRT-era police desktop with scanlines, a working world clock, and weather on the taskbar. Shu’la Lab LLC released it on Steam on September 1, 2026, Windows only, about 13 GB because the interrogation model runs locally. If the installer looks huge, that is ollama.exe and llama-server.exe, not a 3D open world. Match your PC against the system requirements and apply anything on patch notes before you clock in.
This page is the first-hour checklist. Mechanic depth lives on controls, interrogation, forensics, and the precinct. Language and demo notes live in settings. Case process lives on how to solve a case and the spoiler-safe training case. Come back to the Guides Hub when you only need a pointer.
First boot and the HR phone
There is no cinematic that walks you to a body. The desktop is the briefing. Whitmore, your HR contact, lives on the in-game phone. Read those messages. They replace pop-up tutorials. Open Settings if scanlines, audio language, or right-to-left Arabic layout need a change. English and Arabic ship with full audio.
Icons on the desk: Recycle Bin, Gazette, Cases, Personnel File, Case Files, Game Room, Investigation Board, City Atlas, Settings, Notebook, Email, Forensics Lab, Arrest Warrant, Store, Certification. You will not need Arrest Warrant on day one. You will need Cases, Case Files, Notebook, Email, and the phone. Learn the controls before you drag a 3D watch or hunt UV ink. The UV light is a desktop right-click, not a hotkey from a shooter.
Salary starts modest. Do not dump it into the Store or the Game Room blackjack table. Offer a Break and Request Dossier during interrogation both cost pay. A broke detective cannot buy a pause when a suspect hits AGITATED. The precinct page explains why the commissary exists; skip it until the pawnshop is closed.
Steam Cloud is on. There is no multiplayer. If llama-server.exe stays running after quit, that is a known launch-week issue — check patch notes rather than killing random processes by guesswork.
Case #000 The Pawnshop Key
The onboarding file is a robbery, not a homicide. The Steam demo was this tutorial; the full release still expects you to close it and get field-certified. Westgate Pawn & Loan sits at 44 Corbett Street. The missing item is a Longines watch, tag HV-0417, insured at $2,400. Owner Edwin Hollis wants it back. Two names sit on the short list: Tommy Vale, 31, weekend stock helper, and Dana Brook, 24, shop assistant.
The paper that usually ends the argument is counter receipt 26-0893. Tommy signed it Friday 10 January 2020 at 23:40 for $650 cash. That is a night sale on a weekend helper’s shift, against a watch worth nearly four times the cash on the slip. Present the receipt instead of fishing. If you have not used the Forensics Lab yet, this is the file that teaches you to actually look at a 3D object and a document instead of clicking Analyze.
Keep questions to two lines in the interrogation window. Ask Dana about closing procedure and who handled the counter after hours. Ask Tommy about the $650 and the timestamp. When the stress meter moves, present the slip. If you push with nothing, they lawyer up and the training interview ends the hard way.
The training case closes with Tommy Vale arrested. You walk out field-certified. First Collar tracks that first successful charge. Swift Justice and Inspector’s Eye sit nearby if you were fast and thorough. Do not treat Certification as flavor text; Morrison will not hand you a homicide until the pawnshop is signed off.
Work the evidence board even on a robbery. String Tommy to the receipt, Dana to the counter, Hollis to the insurance figure. The habit matters more than the watch. Leave No Stone is the long-term thoroughness achievement; start the habit here, not on a sealed strongbox in Eastdock.
When to open a homicide
Cases 001–003 exist at launch. Morrison drops Case #001 The Overtime when you are certified. Victim: Marcus Reeves, 41, Principal Engineer at Vanta Systems headquarters in Eastdock. Found in Server Room B at 21:47 on 17 March 2024. Single blow to the head. No forced entry. Sister Dana Reeves will enter the file. A voicemail talks about proof in his box; the strongbox is sealed until you earn it. This page will not name a killer. Multiple guilty-party variants exist. Reopen a solved case and the truth can change.
Use how to solve a case as the workflow: read, lab, board, interrogate, write a deduction, then charging. A wrong arrest opens Internal Affairs. The interrogation planner is a checklist, not a script. Flawless Record and Case Closer are for detectives who can close files without a trip downstairs.
Keep City Atlas in the background. Patrol units such as U-19 run Code 3 through districts including Eastdock and Westgate. Dispatching pays into the same salary pool you will later spend on dossiers. Read the Gazette for city chatter; it is not a quest marker. Official channels sit on links. The pawnshop is a handshake. The overtime file is the job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for detectives still on the clock.
Do I have to finish Case #000 in the full release?
Yes. The Steam demo was the pawnshop tutorial, but the full game still requires you to arrest Tommy Vale, get field-certified, and only then accept a homicide from Morrison.
Who is Whitmore?
HR on the in-game phone. Those messages replace pop-up tutorials. Read them before you skip to Cases or the Arrest Warrant app.
What should I spend salary on first?
Almost nothing. Save pay for Offer a Break and Request Dossier in interrogation. The precinct Store and blackjack table can wait.
When does Case #001 unlock?
After Certification on The Pawnshop Key. Morrison then drops The Overtime: Marcus Reeves in Server Room B, Eastdock. Follow how to solve a case rather than rushing charging.
Why is the install about 13 GB?
The language model that phrases suspect replies ships inside the game and runs on your PC. See system requirements. Cases, evidence, and endings are still handwritten.