Basic facts
Developer:
Die Gute Fabrik
Copenhagen & New York City
Release date:
Coming 2013
Available on:
PS3 / home computers
Promotional website:
jsjoust.com
Regular price:
TBA
Description
Johann Sebastian Joust is a no-graphics, digitally-enabled playground game for 2 to 7 players, designed for motion controllers such as the PlayStation Move. The goal is to be the last player remaining. When the music — selections from J.S. Bach's "Brandenburg Concertos" — plays in slow-motion, the controllers are extremely sensitive to movement. When the music speeds up, this threshold becomes less strict, giving the players a small window to dash at their opponents. If your controller is ever moved beyond the allowable threshold, you're out! Try to jostle your opponents' controllers while protecting your own.
Features
- Simple physical fun for players of all kinds
- No screen needed! Players look at one another
- Support for up to 7 players – perfect for parties!
- A variety of different game modes
- Open-ended rules that encourage "house rules"
Alt Trailer Vimeo
Download photos & logo as ZIPPhotos
Logo
Awards and Recognition
Selected reviews and mentions
Interviews
Road to the IGF: Die Gute Fabrik's J.S. Joust
Leigh Alexander, Gamasutra
IGF Factor 2012: Johann Sebastian Joust
Alec Meer, Rock, Paper, Shotgun
The Rumble Pack Podcast – 2012-06-21
The Rumble Pack
Video Coverage
Johann Sebastian Joust: Making a video game without video
Polygon, New York City, 2012
A game of Johann Sebastian Joust breaks out
On The Verge, 2012
The Besties go to PAX East 2012
Polygon, Boston, 2012
Background
Johann Sebastian Joust was first prototyped by Douglas Wilson at the the 2011 Nordic Game Jam. The original version used Wiimotes. In the summer of 2011, Doug ported the game to the PlayStation Move in order to take advantage of the controller's programmable LED light. In November 2011, we distributed a private, early alpha version of the game to several hundred people who had contributed to Brandon Boyer's Venus Patrol Kickstarter campaign. The game has since won a number of awards, including the Innovation Award at the 2012 Game Developers Choice Awards.
The game draws heavily from several folk games and playground games that we and our friends play here in Copenhagen. Like many sports, folk games, and playground activities, J.S. Joust features a simple ruleset and sound design that encourage physical performance, face-to-face interaction, and spectatorship. The hope is that this open-ended rule set "deputizes" players to improvise their own "house rules." For instance, are you allowed to kick your opponents? What are players allowed to do (or not do) after they're eliminated? What about playing with the controllers in your pockets? J.S. Joust embraces the idea that sometimes, the most enjoyable game of them all is making up your own game.
Doug has written about the game at length in his PhD dissertation. You can read more here.
We are currently working on a commercial release of the game, as a part of our Sportsfriends project.
Technology
The alpha version of Joust has been developed in C# and Unity Pro, for PlayStation Move controllers. It runs on Mac OSX.
The alpha uses an open-source API developed by Thomas Perl, which is itself built on top of Alan Ott's hidapi.
Credits
Douglas Wilson
Concept, Game Design, Code, Promotion
Nils Deneken
Logo, Announcer Voice
Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren
Sound Effects
Thanks
Special thanks to:
Christoffer Holmgård Pedersen, Thomas Perl, Matt Broach, Brandon Boyer, Patrick Jarnfelt, Sebbe Selvig, Lau Korsgaard, Bernie Schulenburg, Tim Garbos, Steffi Degiorgio, Rune Johansen, Sidsel Hermansen, Adam Henriksson, Johan Lindegaard, Joanna Gubman, Ramiro Corbetta, Greg Rice, Marek Plichta, Andreas Zecher, Tiff Chow, Owen and Derek and the rest of the Dirty Rectangles crew, Dean Tate, Marie Foulston, Dick Hogg, Ricky Haggett, Babycastles, Ida Benedetto, Matt Parker, Bennett Foddy, Dave & Melissa, Daniel Salinas, Christos Iosifidis, John Shedletsky & Christina McGrath, Rolf, Mathew Kumar, Ed Key, David Kanaga, Rami Ismail, Erik Svedäng, Martin Jonasson, Stephen Ascher, Nick Rudzicz, Doseone, Nick Suttner, Dannel Jurado, Mikhail Popov, Max Temkin, Link Hughes, Natalie Seery, Sara Bobo ... and anyone who we so tactlessly forgot!