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Advice on game theme

vela

Registered
17 Sep 2020
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Hi all,

I'm participating in a game jam (a challenge to develop a game in short time, couple of days), and my game is in board game style. It's not based on any existing game, I'm creating the rules etc, but players move a wooden piece in a grid similar to games like chess, checkers, so it feels familiar in some aspects.

The point it: I would like to make the interface, menus, scenario, etc, to feel as if it was a traditional ancient game played by feudal people. And I want the style to be japanese (simply because I like), so all menu text and piece markings etc, despite being in English, would resemble Kanji, and the background scenario to be also with japanese inspirations.

I'm actually looking for advice here because I don't want to end up making it offensive for japanese people due to my ignorance. Any comment is welcome, on any point, as minor as it may sound. From more general like "please don't make a japanese board game which doesn't exist, it's offensive", to more specific things like "if you put a tea cup in the background make it this shape and not that shape to avoid looking like a chinese one"... literally any comment is welcome.

The game will be a windows/linux/android app, what I have in mind now is you see in the background what would be the first person view of someone sitting in front of a table to play the game, so the background is the floor possibly with some rug or mat, the wooden game board over it, and some decoration around, like tea cups, possibly cushions where people would sit, etc.

The idea is to represent a situation like this:

But with a first person view camera, so the camera angle is more like this (no idea what is this game or where it is from):

Any help is appreciated =)
 
I think if you don't employ any stereotypical tropes you should be fine. Like when a player loses, don't add a hara-kiri animation of the player disemboweling themselves. haha.
As for imagery perhaps you can get some ideas from vintage hanafuda cards. Either for use in the game itself or a pack of cards lying on the table may contribute to the old, traditional gaming atmosphere you're trying to achieve.
If you're going to include a floor, of course tatami is the most obviously Japanese flooring there is. (Which is what they use in the background of this video game.)
This link will show you some Japanese (video)board game play of a 51 game playing event. It may give you some ideas for game design or scenery design.

As you start getting into specifics feel free to ask for our feedback.
 
Hi,

thanks for all the suggestions. The hanafuda idea was great, I used it.

I named the game Hyouhen and it got 3rd place!

If you want to check it out, it is available for anyone to play: Hyouhen - GWJ #25 by Mad Parrot Studios
(all work on browser except online multiplayer which requires download)

Thanks again for the input!
 
Wow, very cool. Love all the creativity with the photography and props. And music too. I don't quite understand the game. Sometimes you can move through red/blue lines and sometimes you can't. Thanks for reporting back to us.
 
There is a Help button explaining the rules, but basically lines with the same color as your piece are walls, you can only cross the other color. You can change your own color at any time but this also changes the board
 
There is a Help button explaining the rules, but basically lines with the same color as your piece are walls, you can only cross the other color. You can change your own color at any time but this also changes the board
Aha. Guess I should have clicked Help. I could have swore the opponent crossed different color walls but they must have changed their color. OK, I finally won one. Neat.
 
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