Depths shown at D-Pad - a new Toronto game/art/music mashup founded by organizer extrodinaire Skot Deeming. We tested the new multiplayer version of hoops. While many players got lost offscreen, people had fun. Given the reaction, we're definitely going to pursue multiplayer.

The setup was great, the place was packed, the Skot was awesome. I met a lot of really great people, including some amazing artists. While these old ears had mixed feeling about the musical assault, the uncaged energy and incredible videos could not be denied.

Inbetween organizing TOJam & TOJam Arcade, spent 6.5 months on Depths this year (3 months while working full time). Full time job ended in March! Attempting Full Time Indie. YAY!

We were invited to show Depths at Gamercamp Lv3! For 2 days, a custom build (featuring Mark & Jaime's picture) was available for all to play. Despite Sunday evening exhaustion, Em enjoyed hosting duties. Gamercamp attendees managed to beat all 12 levels, no small feat.

Submitted amazing build to IGF 2012.
Disturbingly, uploading our 2012 screenshot overwrote our 2011 entry.
Continuing our tradition, we fail.

We won the IndieCade 2011 Audience Choice Award!
Amazing trophy created by Will Wagenaar.
He has been deemed"Globby"
- "like a globe but not really".

Read about our undercover work here.
Read... and be learned.

DIYGamer's Arsen Nazaryan did some "3D Tunnel Trippin'" at IndieCade. "Generally speaking, us 'hardcore' gamers tend to look down on 3D as a gimmick. But that's all about to change." Sounds ominous, and vaguely threatening.

Play This Thing! finds Depths more "play activity" than classic game. The fact indie game legend Greg Costikyan still chose to post means that might be a good thing.

Bits 'n' Bytes has mixed feelings: "I wouldn't call 'The Depths to Which I Sink' a fun game, as I didn't really have that much fun playing it. What I would call it though is the first game I've ever played that used 3D effectively as part of the actual gameplay." Maybe Armand K. should consider us a 'play activity'?

New video!
New screenshots!
IndieCade just posted our team video, featuring furry stars.

IndieCade also posted every team video, While I haven't watched them all yet, PewPewPew and Deepak Fights Robots are faves.

Depths is an IndieCade 2011 Finalist!
We're honoured to be chosen, and giddy about attending.
The selections are inspiring and intimidating.

Swords & Sworcery, Ponycorns, Gargoyles, and Depths were all developed in Toronto. Never underestimate the power of smelly water.

At Gamercamp Level2, we demoed Depths right after Swords.

Super HYPERCUBE, a fellow 2008 Gamma3D selection, was also chosen by IndieCade! In addition to anaglyph amazingness, it features head tracking.

In August, IndieCade held their first IndieCade Mobile 3D Game Jam. Coincidence?

Gamercamp 4-Level Demo RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC!!!
Get It Here
The super secret code is "GCAMP111314".

Depths continues to move in mysterious ways. We've uncovered graphic tricks that further increase the sense of depth, and transformed 3D illusions into memorable levels. All the while Em ensures the core feel and atmosphere remains intact.

Submitted newer demo to Sense of Wonder Night 2011.
New hoops and extra finesse don't merit a response.

Submitted new demo to PAX 10. New hoops fail to impress.
Submitted new demo to IndieCade 2011. YEE-HAW!

Exclusive Gamercamp 4-Level Demo RELEASED!!!
Get It Here
Beware, it only works if you attended Gamercamp.

You wanted hoops?
You've got hoops.

They almost killed us.

Lots of changes
More depth. Sound. Hoops. Atmosphere. Music. Levels. Impact.
More depth. Pacing. Walls. Undercurrents. Optimization. Tubes.
More depth. Still 3D.

Submitted muchos improved Depths to GDC 2011 Experimental Gameplay Workshop. While rejected, we were introduced to an EGW organizer at GDC who recognized Bigpants due to the submission!

Finally able to resume work on Depths. 3.5 months since September (while working full time), no signs of stopping.

Gamercamp Lv2 was amazing! The audience played various iterations of the game while we talked about our challenges and failures. Unexpectedly, our early failure "Toothpaste / Hoops Forming Tubes" was the level people liked most. We're going to try to make it playable.

We'll be showing Depths at Gamercamp Lv2 in a theatre! We're adding some twists just for the event - it's going to be amazing. Gamercamp is Nov. 13 - buy your tickets NOW.

Submitted new build to IGF 2011. 391 entries, many finalists.
We were not among them.

Resumed work on Depths. Improving depth, adding levels, refining atmosphere. We are EXCITED.

In the article 3-D Gaming is Waiting for Its Avatar, Gamma co-founder Heather Kelly references Depths:

... Of the [Gamma3D] games submitted, Kelley called out The Depths to Which I Sink as the only one completely dependent on 3-D vision to play. "It actually uses the color information, and removes other natural cues," she said. "What it proved to me was that using only anaglyphic stereoscopy in your gameplay is extremely challenging."

She's right about that :)

Submitted Depths (on-time) to GDC 2010 Experimental Gameplay Workshop. 2010 session cancelled. Coincidence?

Due to full time job and life, unable to work on Depths much this year.

Despite missing deadline, submitted Depths to GDC 2009 Experimental Gameplay Workshop. No reply.

Edge magazine sent trusty correspondent Randy Smith to cover Gamma 3D. He played each game and talked to every developer. He interviewed me while playing Depths. Not only did he survive, but he beat Subterranean, a level that hithertoo only I could defeat.

Randy's findings were published in the February issue (#198) and have just been posted online. The article is hilarious, accurate, and doesn't make me look like an ass. Thanks Randy!

A great start. Spent 3 months on Depths for Gamma 3D (while working full time), including toothpaste experiments (that eventually evolved into tubes).

Kokoromi has written a post mortem about their latest Gamma event. They conclude that, generally speaking, steroscopy will not "create any revolutions in gameplay". I concur.

While I really like how Depths turned out, there's nothing more I could add without hurting the 3D effect. The game forces you to think in 3D, and all the improvements I tried ruined that. While it shames me to admit it, you're playing my first 3D test (albeit extremely fine tuned).

Gamma was tonight, and was once again amazing. Like last year, it was a mix of drinking, dancing, and playing games. Unlike last year, everyone was wearing 3D glasses and my game was on display. The games were projected onto large screeens, and the 3D effect worked even if you were across the bar. Unexpectedly, the further away you were from a game, the more depth it had. As you looked around, you would sometimes see graphics hovering over people in the distance. Neat

I was so busy talking to everybody, and nervously watching people play Depths, that I didn't get a chance to play all the games. I did see all the games in action, and was extremely impressed by:
the use of colour in Fireflies
the simple yet mindbending challenge in super HYPERCUBE
the animation and style in Paper Moon
the frog scarf in AltiToad
the bizarre combination of Tunnel Hunt and MS Paint in BlottoBrace

You can download these games and others from Kokoromi's website.

At 9pm (earlier if you attended MIGs), Depths and other amazing 3D games will finally be playable at Gamma - a 1-night-only event featuring videogames, drinks, and music. Held at the Society for Arts and Technology (the SAT) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Admission is $5 at the door or online. I'll be there trying to look like I'm not looking at people playing my game. I need to maintain the cool image I lied about in the previous post.

Driving to Montreal to attend the Montreal International Game Summit 08. I'm taking the technical track. If you see me, say Hi! I'm that cool guy that's friendly, smart, yet still very cool. You'll be shy around me, and my words will make you giggle like a grade school girl.

Created this web site. I hope you like it. It was created very quickly, and all expenses were spared. I'm using a custom javascript library for layout. If you're an HTML freak, prepare to be blinded by 'View Source'.

Tweaking, tweaking, tweaking. Received some great feedback from Kokoromi, and I'm trying to incorporate. Ran out of time to implement the best ideas, wound up with something halfway.

Kokoromi picked 6 games for Gamma, and Depths was included! YAY! Ironically, Depths was only possible thanks to the codebase from Mondrian Provoked, a game which failed to impress at Gamma256.

Deadline for Gamma3D submissions. Added Scriptina font, then submitted.

Endless iterations perfecting the gameplay and the 3D effect. Unlike my other games, gameplay is secondary to the 3D effect. If the 3D effect can be improved, it will be improved (even at the expense of gameplay). Turns out that plain moving walls (a la Mondrian Provoked), are a great depth cue for the eyes.

Had the semblence of a game. You were a square and you bobbed in and out in 3D. Other squares were flying around you (no collision detection yet). Couldn't figure out how to get colour, and everything was sort of transparent.

Em had a pair of 3D glasses lying around. Using the Mondrian Provoked code base, started creating some tests to see if I could get it to work. Got it to work!

Kokoromi announced the latest Gamma event. This year, they want 3D (Anaglyph style) games.