Johann Sebastian Joust

While there may be a fine line between when an unreleased game is to be relegated to a kickstarter or general indie discussion thread, this game has been around enough and talked about enough that it seems to warrant it's own thread. For those fully unfamiliar with the game I'll link to an older article by Rabbit: http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/1...

The game has been kicking around the indie scene for a while, with individuals playing it at industry get-togethers. There seems to be a potential for it to actually be released- in fact, if I had started this thread two weeks ago I would have said that it is definitely coming out. However, $90,000 below their goal with just a week left- I don't think they're going to get their kickstarter money (they grouped up the game up with several other local multiplayer indie games calling the package Sportsfriends). I guess it was a matter of over-estimating interest, or assuming the indie fervor was going to carry over to more mass appeal- at this point the support has been a disappointing surprise to me.

Whether the game hits it's goal or not, it won't make it cease to exist. Wonder if they will just make the game available download if it fails to get the needed support within the week.

I'm not really surprised at the lack of interest, because it's trying to appeal to such a limited crowd. You have to have multiple PS Move controllers, have regular access to other people to play with, and...well, I don't think the indie scene's support is as strong (or giving) as journalists would have us believe. For every megahit like Braid or Fez or Super Meat Boy there are thousands of games that nobody ever plays, hundreds of which may be better than anything comparable. Plus, this is above all else the kind of game you probably need to feel to understand, and the number of people who've had access is insufficient.

Personally the needed hardware kills any possibility of interest, and the pushy personalities that have been championing the game put me off even further. On the other hand, that pushiness might generate the needed push in backing.

I think designing a game so niche that absolutely needs Sony's support (does it?) was a mistake. I see from the KS page that they're running the alphas on Macs and PCs, but could they legally sell a game that uses PS Move controllers on anything other than a PS3?

JS Joust is awesome; play it if you can. It's very much a social game, and the people you play with are what makes it fun. The physical activity is also part of the appeal, but I guess that also isn't for everyone.

As for pushy personalities championing the game, that's something I hadn't heard about. Certainly the indie successes are partly due to self-promotion, and that may feed into that, but the easy solution is to avoid playing with those people.

There's a bit of an investment involved in getting JS Joust up and running, because Move controllers aren't exactly cheap. Aside from the physical controllers, the game doesn't rely on Sony's support. Legally, I don't think Sony cares as long as you keep buying their hardware.

The controllers connect to the software on the Mac via Bluetooth, so there's nothing for Sony to approve.

I got a chance to play few rounds at PAX Prime. It was quite fun, and my wife enjoyed laughing at me as I played.

It's a game that makes you wish arcades were still around (in large numbers). I'm not interested in the startup costs to play, but I'd happy pay to join a group and play at a communal space.

Blind_Evil, saying a social game is a mistake in anyway that you haven't played, is the mistake itself.

Having had a wonderful time with JSJ at Pencon 2012, I and many others can vouch for those who've already vouched for it. It was honestly one of the best sports games I've ever played, and a social highlight in my lifetime.

I didn't say making a social game was a mistake, cyrax. Making a game with so many limits on the appeal was the mistake, and that's not a matter of design, it's a matter of practicality.

I'm not saying the game isn't fun, I have no idea if it's fun or not. Just saying I'm not surprised they're having trouble selling it to publishers and the general public.

Blind_Evil wrote:

I'm not saying the game isn't fun, I have no idea if it's fun or not. Just saying I'm not surprised they're having trouble selling it to publishers and the general public.

I don't think they care that much though. BUTTON probably wasn't a huge commercial success for them either. Indie darlings don't always translate into cash monies, but it has gotten people thinking about what defines a video game. I would be surprised if the upcoming Spon the Bottle for WiiU wasn't partially inspired by JSJ.

In my heart, I want to kickstart this game. However, in reality, there's no way I'd ever be able to justify spending the money to actually play it, let alone be able to play it regularly. It's an awesome concept, but yeah, the Move controller requirement is the big limiting factor, plus having a computer that they can even connect to.

Now, if they could somehow make this for the Wii/WiiU with wiimotes, that'd be potentially more interesting. There's tons of those out there, and Nintendo is already making attempts at removing the TV screen from multiplayer gaming. The space requirement and ability of the Wii to support enough controllers would be the limiting factor there.

I wonder what the possibilities would be of making this into a boxed, standalone game (with necessary hardware included).

I can see why the game may not have the appeal that might be expected purely based on indie-game-scene enthusiasm. I'm just still (especially since there is a chance it might not be made- it's still a good chunk below goal and about to hit it's expiration date) surprised this universally appreciated game by all who have played it might not come out- at least not officially.

Blind_Evil wrote:

On the other hand, that pushiness might generate the needed push in backing.

Called it

Hoping for some help/advice on getting Joust up. It would be perfect for a friends 30th, possibly a controller or two as a gift and see what else I can source from friends.

But my question is this, where can I get public/legal builds to play this and what advice would anyone have on getting this up and running?

Birthday is in a month, and I have an old macbook pro that I think will hopefully fit the bill...

I don't believe their are legal builds right now. The kickstarter is over, and I assume it'll be some time before the super sports pack comes out for purchase.

Darn. A few things turned up in the googles, I'll dig into them.
I backed the Sportsfriends kickstarter and I believe it said third quarter of 2013, which seems like forever away.
Thanks for the reply, looks like I'm out of luck.

I got my cheap ebay purchased move controllers and copy of jsjoust today. So great. My fiance chased me across the house in slow motion for an hour. Hopefully the rest of my controllers show up before next weekend as my cousin is getting married at a cabin in the rockies and this seems like the perfect activity for the occasion.

So I got my first taste of JSJoust at PAXAus this last weekend, and I was totally hooked. Ended up coming back to the show floor to play again and again. Didn't take any time at all to get in on a game but was alwas popular aswell. Seven controllers were in use running a mac build of some kind.

Of note is that they were showing off different game modes, that I've not heard other mention before, three I experienced myself and the last I was informed of by the vendor.

Modes are as follows:

Regular free for all - As it sounds, last standing wins.
Team vs - two teams of three players who all share the same colour last team standing wins.
King mode - two teas of three with a 'king' on each team denoted by a brighter coloured move controller, if the king dies, that whole team dies
Assassin mode or something to that effect, cant recall the name - Two teams as per team mode, but on each team there is one assassin, that is actually on the opposite side, their controller will vibrate slightly letting them know they are an assassin, they want to take out their own side to be left standing with the opposite colour, but the players of their own colour dont know who their turncoat is.

Free for all was my favourite (possibly because i was 5 for 5 undefeated), team is okay but King is definitely more interesting.

Being a sportsfriends kickstarter im back to looking at ebay trying to find cheap move controllers.

cabdodger wrote:

I got my cheap ebay purchased move controllers and copy of jsjoust today.

How many controllers at how much damage?

JSJ is truly a special thing. I'm glad you finally got to experience it! I've only played it once, but I'd imagine outside is the ideal setting. While we kept it in a confined space, room to move around and not have things (people) damaged when they are smacked down is nice.

Since the PS4 is coming out... and I love this game... is now the time to buy a bunch of move controllers? How soon before the game actually releases?

Anyone in on the KS know the details?

All we know is that it comes out late in the year, and all the devs have been expanding their game to include a bunch of different modes, but it differs. For some, different arenas work better, for others, a slight change in gameplay makes all the difference.

Wait for Move sales. Seems like they happen monthly from different retailers. Or, maybe you'll get it cheaper buying used.

I got my lot of controllers in a BOGO sale on used stuff at Gamestop last holiday season. If you find a deal like that you can a full set of 7 for around $100.

psoplayer wrote:

I got my lot of controllers in a BOGO sale on used stuff at Gamestop last holiday season. If you find a deal like that you can a full set of 7 for around $100.

Thank you again for introducing me to the game.

Also I seem to remember needing a mac... is that still the case or am I just crazy?

manta173 wrote:
psoplayer wrote:

I got my lot of controllers in a BOGO sale on used stuff at Gamestop last holiday season. If you find a deal like that you can a full set of 7 for around $100.

Thank you again for introducing me to the game.

Also I seem to remember needing a mac... is that still the case or am I just crazy?

They will be on PS3 by the end of the year and they've promised to be on windows at some point too. But yes, for now they still are providing kickstarter backers with only Mac preview builds of the game.

7 for $100 I could probably do... but then again here I am in Australia. Shipping will shoot that down...

Looks like those who aren't kickstarter backers can get the Alpha version now by pre-ordering for $30.

http://sportsfriendsgame.com/preorder/

radaxian wrote:

Looks like those who aren't kickstarter backers can get the Alpha version now by pre-ordering for $30.

http://sportsfriendsgame.com/preorder/

I pulled the trigger, just in case I magically find the money to buy 7 move controllers...

AP Erebus wrote:
radaxian wrote:

Looks like those who aren't kickstarter backers can get the Alpha version now by pre-ordering for $30.

http://sportsfriendsgame.com/preorder/

I pulled the trigger, just in case I magically find the money to buy 7 move controllers...

Ah - another Australian - I managed to get 2 extra controllers earlier in the year for $15 each or something when DJs started abandoning gaming. I now have 4 - could use more but who has that many friends anyway!!! Look forward to trying it this weekend with the extended family.

AP, this town ain't big enough for the both of us... (To both buy a full set of second hand move controllers for cheap).

The race is on.

I was a backer and didn't even know there was a working alpha out there. What the hell.

Edit: I've bought my first controller. I think I'll end up going for 4 total. AP if you don't end up getting a full compliment of controllers, I'd be happy to loan mine if you're planning a big Joust gathering. Buying a full compliment is a pretty huge outlay.

And we should totally have a joust meet up on a weekend after the full release drops.

One thing I would love would be the ability to import your own music tracks for use in the game. Not every style would work, but some would be great, and could completely change the mood of the game and easily make it feel more modern/current.

troubleshot wrote:

One thing I would love would be the ability to import your own music tracks for use in the game. Not every style would work, but some would be great, and could completely change the mood of the game and easily make it feel more modern/current.

You can do this in the latest version I just downloaded. It supports .ogg or .wav (no .mp3 to avoid fees I guess?) - check out the music sub-directory.

There are a bunch of interesting options in the config file too. Hidden traitor modes etc!

Great, so the current alpha has the team, king, hidden traitor modes AND options for BYO music. Brilliant.

Thanks for the heads up radaxian.