Knee Deep was just the beginning...

As we developed Knee Deep for a broad range of platforms, we took great efforts to smartly design our interfaces to be as modular as possible. With the broad adoption of the Xbox or Xinput controller, we used that as our guiding metric when testing inputs. When it came to revisiting our interfaces for VR support, it was a pleasant surprise how smoothly the standard gamepad still carried through to VR interactions. However, we recognized that our interfaces were not designed for touch interactions. After internal discussions, we decided that we'd adapt the touch wheels on Vive controllers to imitate the functions of a gamepad and maintain functionality across every platform. The left controller's touchpad would simulate the d-pad while the right touchpad could be used to simulate the x/y/a/b face buttons. That didn't work as well as we would have liked. We heard that clearly from Vive users trying to play Knee Deep with their controllers. Yes, technically, it works - but it's not ideal or intuitive. And we don't want to falsely imply that our interfaces are designed for motion or touch controls. We want to be transparent and clear. So we've removed mention of Vive controller support from our store page listing. If you try to use these controls, the game will accept the inputs. We just don't want new users to have false expectations for Knee Deep and touch controls. We have been thrilled with the response to the VR launch and hope everyone has a chance to experience Knee Deep's performance from eye-level. If you have any questions about this change, don't hesitate to reach out.

As we developed Knee Deep for a broad range of platforms, we took great efforts to smartly design our interfaces to be as modular as possible. With the broad adoption of the Xbox or Xinput controller, we used that as our guiding metric when testing inputs. When it came to revisiting our interfaces for VR support, it was a pleasant surprise how smoothly the standard gamepad still carried through to VR interactions. However, we recognized that our interfaces were not designed for touch interactions. After internal discussions, we decided that we'd adapt the touch wheels on Vive controllers to imitate the functions of a gamepad and maintain functionality across every platform. The left controller's touchpad would simulate the d-pad while the right touchpad could be used to simulate the x/y/a/b face buttons. That didn't work as well as we would have liked. We heard that clearly from Vive users trying to play Knee Deep with their controllers. Yes, technically, it works - but it's not ideal or intuitive. And we don't want to falsely imply that our interfaces are designed for motion or touch controls. We want to be transparent and clear. So we've removed mention of Vive controller support from our store page listing. If you try to use these controls, the game will accept the inputs. We just don't want new users to have false expectations for Knee Deep and touch controls. We have been thrilled with the response to the VR launch and hope everyone has a chance to experience Knee Deep's performance from eye-level. If you have any questions about this change, don't hesitate to reach out.

The shadowy three-act swamp noir adventure Knee Deep invites you to get up close and personal in the virtual reality experience! Today, the game launches on Steam VR (with a 50 percent discount for new players!). Nows your chance to experience the indie theatrical adventure from Prologue Games as never before. Take in every detail of this cavernous stage as you take control of the camera to observe sets assemble and actors waiting patiently for their next cue. The best way to enjoy the theater is to be there and, with this new launch, you can take your place on stage next to Romana Teague, Jack Bellet, and K.C. Gaddis as they scramble to uncover this swampland conspiracy. Don't forget to take your time, soak in the ambiance, and enjoy being in the middle of the best sets and props off-off-off Broadway! We've revisited the entire game to prepare the best VR experience possible. You may notice some differences in presentation from the standalone game, but all storylines are still available for you to uncover.

The shadowy three-act swamp noir adventure Knee Deep invites you to get up close and personal in the virtual reality experience! Today, the game launches on Steam VR (with a 50 percent discount for new players!). Now’s your chance to experience the indie theatrical adventure from Prologue Games as never before. Take in every detail of this cavernous stage as you take control of the camera to observe sets assemble and actors waiting patiently for their next cue. The best way to enjoy the theater is to be there and, with this new launch, you can take your place on stage next to Romana Teague, Jack Bellet, and K.C. Gaddis as they scramble to uncover this swampland conspiracy. Don't forget to take your time, soak in the ambiance, and enjoy being in the middle of the best sets and props off-off-off Broadway! We've revisited the entire game to prepare the best VR experience possible. You may notice some differences in presentation from the standalone game, but all storylines are still available for you to uncover.

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, were showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

That mans not a robot, kids

Dont call her chicken

Can you hear me now?

Ballet burgler breaks into flea market

Shoplifting inception

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

That man’s not a robot, kids

Don’t call her chicken

Can you hear me now?

Ballet burgler breaks into flea market

Shoplifting inception

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, were showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Wash your own laundry next time

He drove the truck that hit him

Woman named Peck threatens man with bird

Dont call cops over pancakes

Time to leave the treehouse?

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Wash your own laundry next time

He drove the truck that hit him

Woman named Peck threatens man with bird

Don’t call cops over pancakes

Time to leave the treehouse?

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, were showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Forget Batmans Two-Face - meet Half-Head

Can she wear a corsage in jail?

Even snakes sometimes need an Uber

Florida man repeatedly calls 911, arrested

Burglars forced to strip by bike shop owner after break-in

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Forget Batman’s Two-Face - meet Half-Head

Can she wear a corsage in jail?

Even snakes sometimes need an Uber

Florida man repeatedly calls 911, arrested

Burglars forced to strip by bike shop owner after break-in

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Take Your Daughter to Robbery Day

Hoovering gas from your trunk sucks

Florida woman discovers deer aren’t Bambi

Here’s what the guy thinks about your “mutiny”

Defendant with delusions of grandeur

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, were showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Take Your Daughter to Robbery Day

Hoovering gas from your trunk sucks

Florida woman discovers deer arent Bambi

Heres what the guy thinks about your mutiny

Defendant with delusions of grandeur

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Thou shalt not weed whack your neighbor

Let go of my Legos!

Stinker of a lap dance

Where a kid can be a kid watching adults wail on each other

”I do, Grandpa. Apparently.”

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, were showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Thou shalt not weed whack your neighbor

Let go of my Legos!

Stinker of a lap dance

Where a kid can be a kid watching adults wail on each other

I do, Grandpa. Apparently.

DURHAM, N.C. - Why wait for a night at the theater? Youve got an open invitation any day, any time to experience the swamp noir mystery and mayhem of Knee Deep, a way-way-way-off Broadway show staged within a ridiculously massive rotating theater in stunning virtual reality. In November 2016, Prologue Games proudly presents a full three-act experience for Steam VR and Oculus Rift. Its not a tech demo. Its not a quick-hit story where youve got no impact. Its a fully voice acted, feature-length, quirky, choice-driven crime drama set in weird Florida with esoteric influences ranging from Twin Peaks to Jaws to Star Wars. Imagine David Lynch and Carl Hiaasen in colliding airboats smashing through a swamp performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Colin Dwan, CEO of Prologue Games, said Knee Deep is at its best when the physical surroundings drop away and the magical reality of this fantastic theater takes over. Beyond theater in the round, VR brings you into every scene and line of dialogue as an active and engaged participant, Dwan said. Were thrilled to transport our audience into the dramatic settings and characters of Knee Deep on these amazing platforms. Take turns with three major characters - oddball blogger Romana Teague, hard-boiled private investigator K.C. Gaddis, and downtrodden newspaper reporter Jack Bellet - as they delve into the dark secrets hiding in the murk of a forgotten north Florida tourist trap called Cypress Knee. Your choices in conversations, reporting posts, and the occasional showbiz cult exams help shape the narrative of Knee Deep. The games lead writer/designer, Wes Platt, is a recovering Florida native with a background that includes more than a decade as a journalist with The St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) and The Herald-Sun of Durham, N.C. Were long-time fans of theater and we work right next door to the Durham Performing Arts Center at the American Tobacco Campus, Platt said. Were pleased that gamers who might never have seen a stage show get that chance with Knee Deep. And theater fans whove never gamed? Were just as excited that Knee Deep will be their gateway experience. It all starts with a dead actor hanging from a tacky teepee tower. Get up close and personal to find out where the twisted trail leads when Knee Deep launches on VR! See theater in a whole new way. You dont even have to wear pants.

DURHAM, N.C. - Why wait for a night at the theater? You’ve got an open invitation any day, any time to experience the swamp noir mystery and mayhem of Knee Deep, a way-way-way-off Broadway show staged within a ridiculously massive rotating theater in stunning virtual reality. In November 2016, Prologue Games proudly presents a full three-act experience for Steam VR and Oculus Rift. It’s not a tech demo. It’s not a quick-hit story where you’ve got no impact. It’s a fully voice acted, feature-length, quirky, choice-driven crime drama set in weird Florida with esoteric influences ranging from Twin Peaks to Jaws to Star Wars. Imagine David Lynch and Carl Hiaasen in colliding airboats smashing through a swamp performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Colin Dwan, CEO of Prologue Games, said Knee Deep is at its best when the physical surroundings drop away and the magical reality of this fantastic theater takes over. “Beyond ‘theater in the round,’ VR brings you into every scene and line of dialogue as an active and engaged participant,” Dwan said. “We’re thrilled to transport our audience into the dramatic settings and characters of Knee Deep on these amazing platforms.” Take turns with three major characters - oddball blogger Romana Teague, hard-boiled private investigator K.C. Gaddis, and downtrodden newspaper reporter Jack Bellet - as they delve into the dark secrets hiding in the murk of a forgotten north Florida tourist trap called Cypress Knee. Your choices in conversations, reporting posts, and the occasional showbiz cult exams help shape the narrative of Knee Deep. The game’s lead writer/designer, Wes Platt, is a recovering Florida native with a background that includes more than a decade as a journalist with The St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) and The Herald-Sun of Durham, N.C. “We’re long-time fans of theater and we work right next door to the Durham Performing Arts Center at the American Tobacco Campus,” Platt said. “We’re pleased that gamers who might never have seen a stage show get that chance with Knee Deep. And theater fans who’ve never gamed? We’re just as excited that Knee Deep will be their gateway experience.” It all starts with a dead actor hanging from a tacky teepee tower. Get up close and personal to find out where the twisted trail leads when Knee Deep launches on VR! See theater in a whole new way. You don’t even have to wear pants.

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, were showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

You want highs with that?

He meant to take the blue pill

Nosey drone takes a dive

Florida woman's living the dream

Taking a log to a machete fight

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

You want highs with that?

He meant to take the blue pill

Nosey drone takes a dive

Florida woman's living the dream

Taking a log to a machete fight

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Florida man dumps semen on woman at Panera

Florida man molests manatee

Florida girl tries to poison teacher with chalk

Florida woman goes to court for Jesus

Florida teen stabs mom over liquor money

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Florida man bit by toddler, hides in dryer.

Florida woman calls in bomb threat to thwart urine test.

Florida man wonders if bulletproof vest works. It doesn’t.

Florida woman considered husband’s kidnapping, sex slavery, before hiring hit man.

Florida woman on meth asks cops for help with imaginary bodies under truck.

Florida cop busted for shoplifting - at least once in uniform.

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Florida Wal-Mart builds twin towers tribute from Coke products

Florida man takes jar of mosquitoes to U.S. House floor

Florida woman wants security boost after pet rock vanishes

Retired cop nearly runs over school crossing guard

Don’t pretend to be Dick Durbin, Florida man. It’s illegal.

Loud prayer answered with knife attack

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Florida man uses wanted poster for Facebook pic

The house of a hundred chickens

Bikini man jailed for disorderly conduct

Florida man steals pizza, offers slice to stranger during escape

Florida man spills the bees - hundreds of thousands of ‘em

Dino dress-up and air rifle land Florida man behind bars

We won't be showing Knee Deep on the main floor of PAX West this year, but we can pretend! I'll be live on Twitch about 12 p.m. Eastern on Friday to play a bit of Knee Deep, talk about its production, and answer any questions you might have about the game. Let's turn that Twitch channel into a virtual convention booth, without the crowds and the sweat and the disease. Tune in!

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Popping balloons spark Florida mall shooting scare

Florida school bus driver drops 5-year-old on side of busy highway

Florida man punches wife over pork chops

Florida man found dead in gopher tortoise hole

Florida man banned from store after offering woman cash for fondling

Florida woman dies of electrocution during bat capture effort

Florida man’s ashes prompt post office evacuation

On Aug. 25, 1835, the New York Sun newspaper published the first in a series of articles about new life and an established civilization dwelling on Earth's moon. These wholly fabricated stories talked about goat people, temple-building man bats, unicorns, and two-legged beavers. Popular journalism's come such a long way, hasn't it? Knee Deep, the indie swamp noir adventure on Steam, is both a celebration and a wake for old and new journalism - from ever-declining print newspapers to ubiquitous but often poorly sourced blogs. Two of the game's central characters work as reporters. Jack Bellet, a curmudgeonly print journalist, writes for the Cypress Knee Notice. Romana Teague, a flaky blogger, posts for a gossip blog called Fanrage. During the game, players get to choose facts and spins for the stories produced as the adventure moves along. Some of them might even be true.

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Florida woman involved in four separate accidents

Accused Florida killer told mom he had superpowers

Florida cops nab elusive fugitive known as “The Ghost”

Florida burglars steal sausage, rolls from home

Officials ask Floridians to stop painting birds

Florida funeral home employees busted for poor corpse storage

Florida man soaked with beer in road rage incident

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Florida man who served time for road rage incident killed in road rage incident

Florida man banned from ordering pizza

Florida woman marries 10 foreign men so they can get papers

Car thief twerks for judge in court

Police officer shoots, kills Florida woman roleplaying a villain in training academy

Florida man guns down nuisance ducks

On Aug. 11, 1942, Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil got a patent for technology that led to the invention of wireless phones and wi-fi internet. If you've played Knee Deep, the indie swamp noir adventure, you're aware of the critical role played by smartphones and wi-fi in the game's narrative. All three of the main characters - blogger Romana Teague, print reporter Jack Bellet, and private detective K.C. Gaddis - use smartphones throughout the game to make posts, submit reports, and talk with friends and relatives. So, we owe a debt of gratitude to the creative genius behind the frequency-hopping spread spectrum communication system. Knee Deep's not alone in that debt, of course. As Katherine Cross notes in Gamasutra, other games like Syberia, The Secret World, and Device 6 make use of such devices.

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Florida man kills flamingo at Busch Gardens

Florida woman shoots herself while using Snapchat

Motorist hurls salsa jar in road rage incident

Florida man baptizes child in algae-filled pool

Florida woman dumps hot soup on sleeping boyfriend

Vanilla Ice melts down in airport argument

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Florida cops mistake doughnut glaze for meth

Florida man busted for extortion over spoiled pot

Florida man with Confederate van drives into couple

Florida painter won’t win spelling bee

Couples that tase together stay together...in jail

Ancestry.com helps shatter man’s 25-year identity scam

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Florida woman discovers praying, driving don’t mix

Florida man steals boat from dentist that killed Cecil the lion

Half-naked burglar held at gunpoint on doghouse

Loose lemur attacks Florida woman

Florida man flashes motorists while he prays

Florida man opens fire on Pokemon Go players

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Florida man fights to keep his alligator pal

Pot smoking and PokemonGo a potent Florida mix

Florida man threatened to kill family with samurai sword

Guitar makes unimpressive robbery weapon in Florida

Stoned Florida woman strolls off with stolen meat

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Florida woman pretends to fire Kia dealership employees, leads cops on chase

Florida man fails to untie boat before trying to steal it

Florida woman slips off cuffs, steals police cruiser

Florida man steals more than 100 turtle eggs from beach

Florida woman uses infant to pummel boyfriend

Pants-free Florida man leads police on chase with flat tires

It seems like just yesterday Colin and I walked into the London Tobacco Dock for the first time to share Knee Deep with prospective players at EGX Rezzed. How has it already been a year since the launch of Act 1 on Steam? Time flies by like tourists in nondescript rental cars blithely zooming past the rundown teepee tower of Chief Roadside’s Wonderland on their way to happier places. Of course, once Act 1 launched on Steam, it was like we’d topped the first rise of a rollercoaster and started down toward the loop-the-loop of Act 2. We learned so much just during the first couple of weeks, including:

• Character voices matter. In a game driven less by puzzles and more by narrative, we couldn’t just hand players walls of text to read. It became especially apparent when we noticed people like Jim Sterling risking laryngitis to perform their own versions of the dialogue in the 2.5-hour opening segment of Knee Deep.
• Untried, unknown indie developers can’t expect immediate trust of players. We ran with advice that we should charge a full “season pass” price up-front for Act 1, with the idea that we’d add Acts 2 and 3 as they were finished. Turns out, players got burned too many times by companies that promised episodic content but either didn’t deliver or delivered very slowly.
• We’re our own best cheerleaders. Few people discover your game and make it popular on accident. It’s critical to keep a heartbeat going on social media - Twitter, Facebook, the company home page. And, whenever possible and affordable, share your work at big gaming conventions.

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Shots fired in Florida fight over parrots

Florida man threatens passengers with makeshift flamethrower

Florida woman whacks door with hatchet when denied sex

Florida man stuffed $24 million in buckets

Evicted Florida man dumps crap into community pool

Florida man punches swan in front of off-duty officers

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Florida man pretends to be country singer, defrauds for sex and cash

Florida man decapitates statue, threatens churchgoers

Roadside gator attacks Florida man

Florida woman shoots naked, poop-covered intruder

Thief steals lottery tricks, tries cashing in at same store

Cemetery worker steals wallet from dead World War II veteran’s urn, buys pizza

Knee Deep owes a lot of its inspiration to the inherent weirdness of the Sunshine State. Each week, we’re showcasing some of the unusual headlines from Florida:

Cocaine falls from Florida man’s cast during police questioning

Flatulence leads to Florida fisticuffs

Florida man makes dozens of 911 calls, blames robots

Pontiac Sunfire used as mobile meth lab in Florida Walmart parking lot

Florida man wakes up naked in stranger’s house

Florida man brandishes broken bottle to get coffee

Image: American Stage I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what happened in Orlando. I grew up there. Played at Eola Park. Read books in the downtown library. In high school, I was a stockboy at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. For a big chunk of my life, I worked as a journalist in Florida, covering everything from mundane county government meetings to gruesome serial killings. Now I make video games for a living. Knee Deep’s a dark, strange little swamp noir adventure that revels in the weird news headlines that usually bubble up from Florida. It delves into the exploitation of celebrity deaths, creepy cult religions, and cultural insensitivity. It’s got nothing to do with horrors like what happened in Florida this past weekend. Right now, I count my blessings that I don’t have to impose myself on the survivors or relatives and friends of the victims or, God forbid, the lunatic who gunned down dozens of people in Orlando’s Pulse nightclub. I don’t have to ask them what they think about the massacre or why they think Omar Mateen turned from abusive spouse to mass murderer. Yet, like many other people, I want to know why it happened. I want to make sense of it. I’m sick and tired of incidents like this. Not just because of the bloodshed and the heartbreaking losses, but because of the immediate knee-jerk reactions of people turning a tragedy into grist for their ideological mills, whether it’s an anti-Muslim agenda or the drumbeat for gun control. I see too many people willing to blame someone’s religion (covered by the First Amendment) while they cling tightly to their desire to own weapons of mass murder through the Second Amendment. I don’t think most Muslims want to destroy the rest of us any more than I think the murders of churchgoers in Charleston mean Christians want to wipe everyone else out. It’s not my wish to see all Americans stripped of their precious guns. You want a handgun to protect your home? Fine. Need a rifle for hunting deer? OK. But does someone like me - like you - really need a gun that’s capable of quickly killing 50 people? I don’t think so, unless you’re a soldier enlisted in the military and shipped off to enemy territory. I understand we can’t protect everyone from lunatics. I know demented, damaged people left unchecked are going to find some way - the wrong way - to deal with their issues, whether that means hurting themselves or others. I just don’t know how to explain horrors like this to my son when I can barely grasp the enormity of it myself. Because, at the heart of all this, we’ve got an American citizen whose rage erupted in gunfire from a weapon he apparently acquired through legal means. People who should have seen this coming didn’t. A system that should’ve prevented him from owning that gun didn’t. And now we mourn a senseless tragedy in Orlando - one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history, just miles from the Happiest Place on Earth. I can’t wrap my mind around it. Perhaps, on a certain level, I don’t want to have to process it, take ownership of it, because that’s one more step toward accepting it as “just something that happens.” Something normal. What steps can we take to prevent that? What steps are we willing to take? Sadly, we’ve done next to nothing in the wake of Columbine, Aurora, Newtown, and Charleston. So here we are again. Only this time it happened in my hometown. Whose hometown is next? *** How you can help:

• Give to the GoFundMe campaign for victims and families of the Pulse shootings.
• Give blood.
• Get help, if you need it.

Our theatrical adventure Knee Deep draws a lot of inspiration from the bizarre news factory of Florida. Starting this week, we’re picking unusual news stories from the Sunshine State to showcase how truth can be so much stranger than fiction.

Florida man calls 911 for vodka

Florida teen leads police on ATV chase

Florida man crushed to death by mushrooms

Florida man treads water for 20 hours before rescue

Dead cats plague Tampa bridge

Florida cops find corpse in gator’s mouth

The agent sitting across from K.C. Gaddis sips his coffee. He sets the cup down next to a manila folder. His partner, the woman with the no-nonsense ponytail and short-clipped fingernails, presses her hands on the table in the interrogation room. “Tell us more about your father’s dealings with the Church of Us,” she says. Gaddis doesn’t look at her. Keeps his eyes on the gray porkpie hat resting on the table in front of him. “No,” he says. “C’mon, Mr. Gaddis,” the male agent says. The cup’s got a motto on it: WORLD’S BEST WAFFLES. “It’s relevant to our investigation.” “Is it?” The private investigator gives a dark chuckle. “Dad’s dead. Been dead a long time.” The female agent stands straight, crosses her arms, and paces behind the detective’s chair. “Motive, Mr. Gaddis.” Gaddis rolls his eyes. He sees her in the mirror on the wall behind her partner. She’s stopped now, scowling down at him. “Oh, give me a break. I didn’t kill the guy. Certainly not over Dad.” The manila folder opens. Slender fingers pluck out a photocopied page. The male agent says, “We’ve got the incident report from 1980, when he killed himself.” He slides the paper across the table to Gaddis. “You talked to Cypress Knee’s police chief at the time.” “Chief Groves,” Gaddis replies. He moves the porkpie so it’s on top of the paper. “So what?” The male agent shrugs. “Your father sank a lot of cash into the Church of Us. Nearly cost your mother the house. You’d taken, what, two part-time jobs to help the family survive?” “Three if you count the paper route for the Notice,” the detective says. “But that was decades ago. A long time before I met the vic. As far as I know, the church reps who got their claws into Dad are still out there, scamming people left and right with their crazy cult religion.” “Still,” the female agent says, “you’ve clashed with him before. Maybe he just made a convenient target for a lot of pent-up rage.” Gaddis shakes his head, letting out a sigh as he laces his fingers together. “You’re fishing, lady. Maybe it makes a convincing story for you two, but I don’t have much stomach for killing, even in anger. I just want to do my job and get paid.” “So you must really be mad about your gig going south,” the guy with the waffle cup says. “How does that go to motive?” Gaddis asks. “That was after our pal died. Donovan Miller delivered that news. Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to shoot the messenger?” The woman rounds the corner to the other side of the table to stand next to her partner. “Crimes of passion don’t always make sense. You’re an ex-cop. You know that.” “Wrong,” Gaddis says. “They’re usually pretty clear, unless the perp’s a nut. She left me. No one else can have her. He called me a chicken. He cut me off in traffic. Everybody’s got their reasons. And even if the killer’s a lunatic, they’ve got some kind of twisted logic at work. So let’s cut through the bullshit, all right?” He slides the chair back, stands, and picks his hat up off the table. “I’m done answering questions. I’m done listening to you accuse me of a murder I didn’t commit. It’s been a long goddamned couple of days. I doubt I’ll ever get this swamp stink out. I want a shower. I want a lawyer. I’m done here.” The man clears his throat. He rests a palm on the folder. Looks toward his partner. She shrugs. He says, “That’s the thing, Mr. Gaddis. You’re not done here. Not by a sight.” “Excuse me?” Gaddis frowns. He jabs a finger at the agent. “I know my rights.” The woman offers a thin smile. Crosses her arms again. “They don’t apply here,” she says. “That’s kidnapping,” Gaddis replies. “More like protective custody,” the man says. “Bullshit. I don’t need your protection.” “We’re not protecting you,” the woman says, her smile fading. “So you might as well get comfortable, Mr. Gaddis,” the man suggests. He raises the waffle tribute cup in a grim salute. “We’re in this for the long haul.”

Strip away the swamp noir murder mystery trappings of Knee Deep and, at its core, this stage play-in-a-video game is really a story about fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, and their ongoing struggles to connect. You've got divorced dad Jack Bellet, trying desperately to hang on to his son, Reggie, under threat of a custody battle with his ex-wife. Romana Teague, the young blogger, is estranged from her scandal-scarred mother. Detective K.C. Gaddis lost his father to the Church of Us before drifting away from his own mother. Even crazy swamp rat Jefferson Dean Gallant copes with family issues: a gator in Chief Roadside's Wonderland named Merle ate his infant son and crippled his wife before escaping into the murky wilderness. So, yes, Knee Deep takes you into a stage play about a noir-styled mystery involving land deals, Hollywood has-beens, and suspicious femme fatales. But it's also an exploration of how families fall apart and sometimes knit back together - and how some families aren't blood relatives at all.

We're just a few Steam reviews away from posting a new piece of fiction from the world of Knee Deep. This one features private investigator K.C. Gaddis.We'll post the full story at 75 reviews. For now, here's a sample: The agent sitting across from K.C. Gaddis sips his coffee. He sets the cup down next to a manila folder. His partner, the woman with the no-nonsense ponytail and short-clipped fingernails, presses her hands on the table in the interrogation room. “Tell us more about your father’s dealings with the Church of Us,” she says. Gaddis doesn’t look at her. Keeps his eyes on the gray porkpie hat resting on the table in front of him. “No,” he says. “C’mon, Mr. Gaddis,” the male agent says. The cup’s got a motto on it: WORLD’S BEST WAFFLES. “It’s relevant to our investigation.” To be continued...

Even though Knee Deep’s a swamp noir adventure in a tacky little Florida town instead of a galaxy far, far away, it owes a lot to the Star Wars movies. I first watched Star Wars in the cinema at Orlando Fashion Square in 1977. Nearly 40 years later, you’ll hear a little Han Solo snark in the grim quips of private investigator K.C. Gaddis. Monroe? He’s just a four-legged Chewbacca. Gary Buckingham and Eula Dean are the redneck replacements for C-3P0 and R2-D2. And, sure, maybe Remy Dixon’s a mix of Jar-Jar Binks and Darth Maul. I’ve loved the (original) movies since long before #MayTheFourthBeWithYou became a thing. So, it shouldn’t come as much surprise that I peppered Knee Deep’s narrative with references - some subtle and some as subtle as a wampa at a tauntaun rodeo. The end of Act 2, for example, puts Jefferson Dean Gallant and Robert Woodstep in the roles of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. Gallant laments that Romana Teague was the town’s only hope. Woodstep responds: “No, Jefferson Dean Gallant. There is another.” We’ve got moments similar to Darth Vader’s first emergence in Revenge of the Sith (without the whining for Padme) and the destruction of Alderaan from A New Hope. Hey, there’s even a chute for our heroes to enter during an action sequence! But you won’t find any Ewoks in the swamps of Cypress Knee. Just gators and, if you look really closely, maybe a swamp ape. How about your favorite games? Any Star Wars Easter eggs hiding there?

As a reward for our players posting 50 Steam reviews about the game, we're sharing a bit of Knee Deep fiction by the game's lead writer, Wes Platt. The next official fiction piece will be released after we hit 75 reviews on Steam. Enjoy!
(A note, scrawled in pencil on the back of a twice-folded Hungry Chief’s paper placemat. The handwriting appears jerky, as if written while on a bouncing knee:) OFFICIAL MEMORANDUM June 5 Mr. Silloway, I’m developing a recipe for hickory-smoked salted head cheese. Sounds tasty, yeah? You know it! I think this would help shake up our rather mundane menu - a nice change of pace from the usual Scout Burgers and Dervish Dogs. We’d probably get coverage on one of the big food networks or maybe a write-up in the Cypress Knee Notice. How’s that sound? Eager to hear your thoughts. Remy Dixon Assistant Manager of Retail and Cuisine Chief Roadside’s Wonderland (The memo returns two days later, hand-delivered by janitor Jim Larman, crumpled into a sloppy ball. Larman’s not thrilled playing courier. Not like he can complain much, though. Not a lot of decent jobs out there for disgraced college professors who mix drugs with underage girls. A new message, written in black ink, appears below the original commentary on the menu:) NO. AND YOU’RE NOT ASSISTANT MANAGER OF ANYTHING EXCEPT HEADACHES. RS *** (Next time, the message comes to Rutledge Silloway on a Mohawk Inn postcard clutched in the fangs of a plastic Gator Chomp toy. The toys cost about 15 cents each to produce in China. They sell for $5 in the Fun N’ Fuel at Chief Roadside’s Wonderland. The message is in pencil again:) OFFICIAL MEMORANDUM June 6 Mr. Silloway, Maybe candy-coated anchovies? A treat for children of all ages! Enthralled for further discourse. Remy Dixon Indeterminate Title With Indefinite Authority Chief Roadside’s Wonderland (Larman brings the card back an hour later, with red ink block letters covering Remy’s writing:) NO. GODDAMNED. WAY. PUT THE CHOMPER BACK ON THE SHELF. IDIOT. RS *** (Another memo arrives in Silloway’s motel office scrawled in permanent ink marker on the back of a diaper:) OFFICIAL MEMORANDUM June 7 Mr. Silloway, I’d like to suggest dollar-movie days in the old Digital Smoke arcade at the base of the Wonderland tower. We could show classic movies from my DVD collection. I’ve got both Clerks movies, Pineapple Express, and Requiem for a Dream. We’d pull in movie buffs from miles around! Curious to hear your viewpoint. Remy Dixon Director of Entertainment for Chief Roadside’s Wonderland (The diaper’s used by the time Larman delivers it to Remy in a tall kitchen trash bag.) *** (One more memo. Back to pencil, written on a faded yellow page from a Mohawk Inn motel room notepad:) OFFICIAL MEMORANDUM June 8 Mr. Silloway, I’m disappointed by the swift dismissal of my ideas. What gives? I just want to do my part to bring more visibility and notoriety to our little gem along Interstate 95. Sad to think you don’t share my enthusiasm for the future of Chief Roadside’s Wonderland. Now, what if we host trivia night at Hungry Chief’s every other Thursday? Undoubtedly devoted to the cause. Remy Dixon Loyal Patriot of Chief Roadside’s Wonderland (The reply doesn’t come back for a week. When it does, Silloway’s bloody red scrawl reads:) I WAITED. ANSWER’S STILL NO. ASSHAT. RS

Our fans already know Knee Deep is a swamp noir adventure set within a theatrical stage play. We owe a lot to the legacy of William Shakespeare, who died 400 years ago this week. To honor the memory of the immortal Bard, we teamed with voice actor Kelley Buttrick and animator Emanuel Siu so Tamara Bellet could perform a bit of "Macbeth." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn4lvUpNmho

One year really makes a difference! The Prologue Games team traveled to EGX Rezzed for the first time in 2015 to share a glimpse of Knee Deep Act 1: Wonderland. We met a lot of supportive folks who gave great feedback and encouraging words about the aesthetics, the curious characters in Cypress Knee, and the overall story. Still, they wondered: What about voice acting? What about a little more clarity in the opening moments of Romana's interrogation and in the dialogue choices? And when's this game coming out, anyway?
A year later, we've launched all three acts of Knee Deep on Steam - 90,000 words of dialogue and reports, more than five hours of content - and we took every bit of constructive feedback to heart. Voiceover? It's there. Some clearer narrative moments to give the player more context as the game begins? Yep! So we're overjoyed to have spent the past few days entertaining fans - some old and many new - with much more polished demos of our swamp noir stage play in a computer game! It was awesome to hear people praise the game without qualifications, then ask: "When's it coming out?" And they smiled or gave a thumbs up when they heard every bit of the story was waiting for them to purchase on their smartphone Steam app or when they got home later.
We didn't spend our time mulling over what to fix or how much work lay ahead on the project, because it's done now. We've done what we can to nurture Knee Deep toward life in the indie wilderness. Soon, we'll have to start planning the next project. But we're always going to have a special place in our hearts for Knee Deep, and do what we can to bring as much attention as possible to our theatrical adventure, which so many players hailed for the distinctive look and narrative approach. And we're so grateful to EGX Rezzed and everyone who visited our space at the London Tobacco Dock. We traveled a long way from North Carolina for the show, but it feels like a worthwhile and hard-earned victory lap. Thanks for playing!

It’s news as sweet as sun-brewed tea on a swampy Florida afternoon. Knee Deep’s been selected (again!) as part of the IndieMEGABOOTH showcase at PAX East 2016! The theatrical swamp noir adventure by indie developer Prologue Games finds itself in fantastic company that includes Thimbleweed Park, Night in the Woods, and The Flame in the Flood - just to name a few! Knee Deep will be available for visitors to play in Boston April 22-24. Lead developers Colin Dwan and Wes Platt also will be on hand to answer any questions that players might have about the project. The three-act stage play-inside-a-computer-game launched its final installment on March 8. The story begins with an actor’s apparent suicide in a backwater Florida tourist trap, but the player’s investigation soon reveals that nothing’s quite what it seems in Cypress Knee. With a distinctive soundtrack by SkewSound, iconic theatrical presentation, and a full cast of voice actors, Knee Deep provides a unique, choice-driven narrative experience.

Meg Jayanth - lead writer on the amazing globe-trotting adventure 80 Days - gave a talk during the Game Developers Conference about the critical role NPCs can play in shaping a story and how they can subvert the usual expectations people have about a game’s protagonists. Specifically, she wants to undermine the idea of an “entitlement simulator,” where the player’s inhabiting the role of a character that’s destined to win - whether it’s fame, fortune, or romance. The protagonist doesn’t always have to be a winner. They don’t always have to get their way. They don’t always have to be a hero. Sam Barlow, creator of Her Story, said at Wordplay in Toronto last year that he keeps a sign in his office that reads “The player is not the protagonist.” In that game, he subverts the idea of the player’s protagonism by occasionally showing the reflection of the investigator in the monitor. These subversions found in 80 Days and Her Story are why those games deserve so much acclaim. As Knee Deep progressed from one act to the next, we sought to subvert player expectations by at least partially sidelining the established main characters and letting the narrative unfold through player interactions with secondary characters. Instead of every scene focusing on either Romana, Bellet, or Gaddis, the final act touches on them for significant moments but mostly turns attention to characters such as Monroe, Woodstep, and Gallant. None of the characters in Knee Deep are perfect. Well, except for Monroe. He can do no wrong, even when he’s impossibly driving a complicated piece of construction equipment. The three so-called “heroes” - blogger, detective, and newspaper reporter - all are deeply flawed and scarred. In the end, it’s up for interpretation what happens to them. We want players to relate to all the characters they control during the course of Knee Deep, but - perhaps more important - we want them to feel free to shape the evolving story of the play. By shifting the narrative viewpoints, we sought (not so subtly) to make the player feel more connected to the story of Cypress Knee and the dramatic events during this crisis than any one character. In Knee Deep, the play is the protagonist. The game’s about theatricality in politics, on the stage, and even in the news we watch on TV or read on blogs. You learn about the town through the central characters interacting with NPCs in the first two acts. In the third and final act, some of those NPCs turn to central characters and help drive the story to its over-the-top conclusion. It’s not a game for everybody. That’s OK. It’s a game for people who want to shake up the status quo of the hero protagonist, who don’t mind shifting viewpoints, and who treasure experiences that don’t always end happily.

Knee Deep’s third and final act is now available! In less than a year, the Prologue Games indie development team has released a complete episodic adventure with a distinctive look - the shadowy environs of Cypress Knee sprawl across the world’s biggest theatrical stage. Reviewers mention Telltale Games in comparison to the work we’ve done on Knee Deep, but that tends to set some unrealistic expectations. We didn’t have the team size or budget of Telltale. The Prologue team, working in a pod of desks at Durham’s American Tobacco Campus, includes:

• 2 programmers
• 2 artists
• 1 writer/social media monster
• 1 animator
• 1 scene designer

The strange tale of Knee Deep doesn’t spawn from a vacuum. It’s drawn inspiration from theatrical performances, music, movies, books, and also the memories of the swamp noir adventure’s lead writer/designer, Wes Platt. Here’s a pretty comprehensive list of narrative Easter eggs you’re liable to find in the three-act story:

• Jack Bellet got his last name from former Tampa Tribune photographer Fred Bellet.
• Romana Teague’s first name is an homage to Roman Polanski, director of Chinatown, a favorite noir film.
• K.C. Gaddis got his last name from Carter Gaddis, a writer who also attended Wes Platt’s alma mater, the University of South Florida.
• Petal, Petal, Petal - A Fragrance for Men by Don “Cat” Smiley. That’s a double homage to the writer’s mother and younger brother. She always yelled “Pedal, pedal, pedal!” at Don’s BMX races. As a child, Don once wrote a report for class about teaching the cat to smile. The report, in full, stated: “Cats don’t smile.”
• "Ya Cactus Stuck Me" by Fistpunch Roth and the Lowe-Blows. That’s an homage to Greg Roth and James Owen Lowe, developers on The Elder Scrolls Online who once worked with Wes on a post-apocalyptic MMORPG called Fallen Earth. A Fallen Earth player once submitted a bug report that claimed “Ya cactus stuck me.”
• Rich the Swamp Yeti (Plush Sasquatch) is an homage to Red Storm writer and novelist Richard Dansky, whose quest for Bigfoot marches on.
• Mostly Maule’s Lilac-Scented Hand Lotion got its name from Allan Maule, playwright behind a show called Everscape and another former Fallen Earth developer.
• Hammock’s Sanitary Handi-Wipes got their name from lead Fallen Earth developer Lee Hammock.
• Shovelhead was a real pit bull during Wes Platt’s early days as a journalist with the St. Petersburg Times. Pasco County deputies shot and killed the dog during a drug raid, before seizing a refrigerator full of marijuana.
• Red Eclipse Studios got its name from a player-run mercenary organization on OtherSpace, an online sci-fi storytelling game that’s been evolving since 1998.
• Wilber’s Waggin’ Doggie Treats, Monroe’s favorite snack, got their name from writer and former USF Oracle newspaper adviser Rick Wilber.
• Red Eclipse director Donovan Miller got his last name from former USF journalism professor Randy Miller, who taught Wes the critical differences between “more than” and “over,” as well as the fluidity of details in breaking news events.
• The “Opto Test” that Romana Teague and Jack Bellet can take during Act 1 is a cross between Scientology’s Thetan meter and Blade Runner’s Voight-Kampff test. One of the test questions is blatantly inspired by Blade Runner when it refers to a lost smartphone on its back in the desert, screen baking in the sun.
• Morgue workers Carl Rosen and Gil Stern are inspired by Shakespeare’s Rosencrantz and Gildenstern in Hamlet.
• Monroe was the first name Wes’s mom suggested for his late, great dog - a retriever/Pyrenees mix named Huckleberry.
• Newspaper editor Ross Stevens is a combination homage to former St. Petersburg Times colleagues Jim Ross and Bill Stevens.
• WCKN-AM radio disc jockey Billy Ray Gronberg is an homage to Ray Gronberg, a reporter at the Herald-Sun newspaper in Durham, NC.
• Larry Lammers, an exotic shark thief mentioned in Knee Deep DLC, got his name from no-hitter expert and USF alum Dirk Lammers.
• The Silloway brothers, Rutledge and Doyle, got their last name from Rocket League developer Thomas Silloway. He used to work on Fallen Earth with Wes and other Knee Deep devs.
• Dee Dee Lynn Moscardini, caught stealing sweaters in a Cypress Knee arrest report, is an homage to former St. Petersburg Times editor Mike Moscardini and his fondness for cardigans.
• ANONYMAUS isn't a typo. "Maus" is German for "mouse," and Wes worked for several years at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in his youth.
• The Aunt Mom and Uncle Dad story is a true Florida tale (more or less), with names changed to protect the guilty. It happened in Pasco County.
• Irish “Travellers” settling in Cypress Knee is a nod to the faction of merchants, thieves, and assassins that Wes managed during the development of Fallen Earth.
• Ozzie Clendening got his last name from the late Keith Clendening, a former colleague at the St. Petersburg Times.

Dan Osborne of Indianapolis, Ind., provides the voice of cranky newspaper reporter Jack Bellet in the swamp noir adventure Knee Deep. He shared with us some answers to questions about his career and his experiences working on the project.

Getting started in voice acting.

Favorite VO project, aside from Knee Deep?

Most important thing for an aspiring voice actor to remember?

What made Knee Deep different?

What appealed to you about Jack Bellet?

Before the amazing soundtrack from SkewSound, some other classic tunes helped inspire the dark, swampy narrative that unfolds in the three-act stage play known as Knee Deep:

Demolition Angel by Pam Tillis

Frank and Lola by Jimmy Buffett

Green Grass and High Tides by The Outlaws

Somewhere in the Rain by The Generators

Necessary Evil by Debbie Harry

Ghost of a Good Thing by Dashboard Confessional

Could I Be You by Matchbox Twenty

After the Pain by Betty Wright

Gator Country by Molly Hatchet

Hole in the Universe by Linda Hargrove

Arielle DeLisle of Phoenix, Az., provides the voice of quirky blogger Romana Teague in the swamp noir adventure Knee Deep. She shared with us some answers to questions about her career and her experiences working on the project.

Getting started in voice acting.

Favorite VO project, aside from Knee Deep?

Most important thing for an aspiring voice actor to remember?

What made Knee Deep different?

What appealed to you about Romana Teague?

George Washington III of Charlotte, N.C., provides the voice of world-weary private investigator K.C. Gaddis in the swamp noir adventure Knee Deep. He shared with us some answers to questions about his career and his experiences working on the project.

Getting started in voice acting.

Favorite VO project, aside from Knee Deep?

Most important thing for an aspiring voice actor to remember?

What made Knee Deep different?

What appealed to you about K.C. Gaddis?

Hollywood celebrates some of the best cinema of 2015 this weekend with the Academy Awards, so we decided to share some past Oscar favorites from the team behind Knee Deep.

No Country For Old Men

A Beautiful Mind

Amadeus

The Departed

Unforgiven

From the American Tobacco Campus to the London Tobacco Docks, the Prologue Games team is taking the swamp noir adventure Knee Deep to EGX Rezzed April 7-9. We’re so excited for the chance to celebrate the release of the game’s final act on Steam, which is just weeks away from now on March 8. It’s especially momentous to share this accomplishment in London because it was at EGX Rezzed 2015 that we got our first hands-on testing from fans as they were introduced to Knee Deep before the launch of Act 1. That’s the trip where we heard memorable comments such as:

• “Love the art style!”
• “Great theatrical presentation! Haven’t seen that before!”
• “It’s nothing like Call of Duty!”

• Uncover a swampland conspiracy—Use your skills of observation, deduction, and cleverness to pull back the curtain and reveal the true story behind this backwater community.
  
• Dynamic storytelling spotlights choice and consequence—Engage in realistic conversations that evolve based on your choices, but beware as critical decisions could lead to a breakthrough...or someone getting hurt.
  
• Gaming goes to the theater—Vivid voice acting, imaginative set transitions, and melodrama specifically designed for the digital stage
  
• A swamp noir adventure in three acts—enjoy the entire season with all three acts available now!
  
• NEW - Step even closer to the peformance with Tobii EyeX integration! Affect lighting on actors, have them turn to acknowledge your presence, and affect menus and minigames all with the effortless movement of your eyes. Become part of the production - http://www.tobii.com/xperience/products/buy/

• OS: Ubuntu 12.04 or later
• Processor: i3 or equirvalentMemory: 2 GB RAM
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: ATI or NVidia card w/512 MB RAM with OpenGL 3 support
• Storage: 2 GB available space

• OS: Ubuntu 12.04 or later
• Processor: i5 or equivalentMemory: 4 GB RAM
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Graphics: ATI or NVidia card w/ 1024 MB RAM with OpenGL 3 support
• Storage: 2 GB available space