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[yoji001]

Hello!  My studio is currently developing a game based on an old fast-paced sport originating in Japan called Bo-taoshi.  Right now a lot of the rules are being modified to work in the context of a video game but will generally stay as close as possible to the original.  If you have never heard of it, just imagine a lot of bodies (up to 300 men on a field have been seen) colliding in an attempt to get the defending team's 16ft wooden pole down to at least a 30 degree angle.  Both teams field an offense and defense consisting of around 75 people each, all competing for victory.  Here's a real-life example of what that looks like:

Development is still in its early stages and we are self-financing things slowly to begin, but will be looking for alternatives. The screenshots below are from a live test but there is still a lot of work to be done on collisions, environments, team interaction and key-binding.  Thankfully our network engine was already complete from another dormant project and we're just retrofitting for Botaoshi (now Stickdown!).  If you are interested in learning more feel free to visit our temporary landing page at:

stickdowngame.com

At release we do plan to have the game available in both English and Japanese.  Also, if you like the idea of this there are some great videos on Youtube showing how intense this can be!  We hope you enjoy.

Link - CTF Japan (2013)
Link - Dangerous Japanese Sport (2014)
Link - Botaoshi Mini Documentary, Japan's Game of War (2016)

r/Botaoshi

[Yoink]

Posting to watch. I'd never heard of the sport before, but it sounds pretty great - I'm sure a game based on it would be, too!   

[EuchreJack]

It's refreshing to see such an original game concept.  What sort of game is it going to be?

[nenjin]

I'm down for this. Botaoshi is f'ing crazy.

[yoji001]

It's refreshing to see such an original game concept.  What sort of game is it going to be?

We are hoping to make a very competitive niche sports game with as many different modes of play as possible. ranging from the standard ”career” or “campaign” in which players will travel around Japan competing for a title.  And of course multiplayer where you control teams as the captain or play as individuals in an all out mess of a match. We think a zombie mode would be fun as well! Matches may be defensive only, some offensive, some both. 

The screen will be adjustable in that last case so you can monitor your defensive and offensive teams (in the event they are both on the field).  Defense-only games will come down to the stats of your captain and how you allocate men.  This means you can shift them around the pole for better coverage in vulnerable places.  Kick with the man on the pole etc. Squad unity plays a part in how long it can take for opposing team to “break through”. 

Both  sides can trigger  a sort of “rage mode” which we can’t wait to show, it’s very dramatic! If you notice, in a lot of cases the initial surge of attackers have a very important role of infiltration and intimidation.   If this is not done early it is the attackers job to regroup and so on.  More info and screenshots coming soon.

Injuries can happen and the roster is divided by squads to make things easier to manage.

Thank you all for your interest!

I'm down for this. Botaoshi is f'ing crazy.

Very!

[nenjin]

Is the action going to be something you can interact with? Or is it largely structuring the "setup" of a round and letting the AI do battle?

Honestly either would be cool, but I think I'd lean more towards "wind them up and turn them loose."

[yoji001]

Is the action going to be something you can interact with? Or is it largely structuring the "setup" of a round and letting the AI do battle?

Honestly either would be cool, but I think I'd lean more towards "wind them up and turn them loose."

In some of the videos you'll notice that the players chant and get really hyped up right before a match.  So in the game, starting the match gives you a timed opportunity to apply different chants, each gives special bonuses and both you and your opponent might apply different ones based on your hunch as to how the other team will play.  So think rock, paper scissors upfront with whoever has the savviest hype combo(s) getting an edge at the beginning.  So extra speed might be rebuffed if the opponent (say, the defense) has some kind of strongwall bonus.

The gameplay will be based largely around a dynamic/fluid A.I (most of the team will be acting autonomously until you tell them to do something and they'll try depending on their situation) so it is mostly hands-off but we want to accomodate both play-styles as much as possible.

[yoji001]

We just decided on some cover art!

[Urist McScoopbeard]

PTdubs, love Botaoshi! Really excited to see a videogamified version!

[nenjin]

I hope there's some animations of guys raging out DBZ style before they charge and attack the enemy tower.

[nenjin]

Are you planning on any kind of progression? Not sure if you're familiar with it, but there's Blood Bowl which also has uhm....action-oriented sports. Players get better, get injured, get killed even.

Obviously that's not viable here for a couple reasons, if nothing else than the size of the team. But will teams improve and progress? Will individual players in each squad get better? Are individual players modeled down to their vital statistics, or is it more abstract?

[yoji001]

I hope there's some animations of guys raging out DBZ style before they charge and attack the enemy tower.

200%! There will also be live reactions to what's happening via the captains face which will either pop up or always be on-screen.

And so the idea here is that each player will have individual stats governing things like stamina and "health" for lack of a better word right now.  Broader stats based on performance will actually depend on the teams captain.  So moist of the roster focus will be there with combos and upgrades, power-ups and tournaments sprinkled in.

[yoji001]

Hey everyone, I would just like to make a quick but important announcement. This project will be moving to 3D!

Thanks for your interest.  And where it applies, have a happy holiday.

[nenjin]

I only take my turkey in 4 dimensions, thank you.

[yoji001]

We have so far successfully "upgraded" the game's graphics to 3D.  Please do follow us on Twitter for more updates.  Botaoshi will be developed by [redacted].  There are a lot of new design details we can't wait to share! Thank you