The first time I wrote about this game it was an experiment in 3D physics called BoTaoshi: Topple the Pole!. At the time, there was a lot of work on simulating a match using the traditional set of rules. And it was still hard to say how the game would actually play..
If you are unfamiliar with the whole idea, this is what we are going for:
Anyway, a few things have happened since then!
New Name
On Steam it's always been known as Stickdown! Which had a lot to do with it being easier to pronounce for English speakers. In addition to being self explanatory. I always felt like nailing down the name of your game is super important in the early stages because it really does set the tone.
Visually the game has completely changed. We have effectively axed all 3D elements due to a longer than expected development cycle. There was also the lack of a real budget to support such a scenario. Since the studio was subsisting off the proceeds of just one minor licensed game.
So it was time to take a step back and really look at what we had up until that point.
New Style, Better Tech
Back in 2019 a tiny group of artists and I started designing what was originally a 2D BoTaoshi!. A game in limbo. An R&D project with a chance to enter real production. It never did. And it wasn’t until the end of Summer this year that anything produced back then would get a second look.
But a few things had to happen first. I had to improve and expand the base game engine which wouldn’t have been possible if not for our work on Snipes Jam in 2023. This gave me a sports game framework to build on. Whereas before that, the engine was originally built – hastily – for strategy games.
That gives us the best of both worlds though. Most importantly, in a way that’s comfortable enough to work with. Without needing to spend months learning someone else’s tools. And when paired with some internal mmo tech – I suddenly felt like it would be a good idea to revisit the whole BoTaoshi thing.
Now here we are.
About Gameplay
The home screen presents players with a small set of options that are designed to get you started. By hitting the play button you will enter the Field Manager which is a screen designed for strategists to make changes to their team’s formation and tactics before a match (WIP).
As Captain you will be able to make some changes to your original plans in real-time via a combination of hotkeys and mouse clicks. Since during live play you can command a small group of attackers on the fly. By clicking and holding down the right mouse button, you can issue commands like stop, go to, focus-on-assists and attack the pole.
The left mouse button pulls up the details of players in the area clicked. By default, each player does have their own stats and associated AI that will simply follow the original gameplan to the best of their ability until told otherwise.
Positions | Defense
In my first post we discussed the Rules of War. Which reflect the rules IRL and have mostly remained intact with some exceptions. Like the addition of the Captain role. While modifying others, like restricting the movement of certain defensive and offensive players.
These changes were made with gameplay in mind but we also think it’s the kind of thing that helps Stickdown! stay distinctly “arcadey”. As opposed to being an outright attempt to make a simulation game.
Circle Defenders [CD] and Pole Supporters [PS] cannot leave the pole circle. That is the zone or circle around or near the pole that is usually packed full of defenders. Usually with more defenders on top of them. The major difference between these two being that Circle Defenders cannot be replaced1 and the pole support group cannot be eliminated.
The rules of elimination apply just as strictly to the role of Ninja [N]. Who serves as captain of defense. Like the Captain on offense, he can be eliminated but not replaced.
Elsewhere on defense, Interceptors have few restrictions on their movement. Mostly limited in range to their own half of the field. Allowing the offense some time and space to actually set up an attack. An Interceptor’s job is to disrupt it.
Positions | Offense
The offensive side is split into three groups. Your Spring Tackles [ST] are effectively strikers looking to use another member of their team – like a springboard – to launch themselves toward the pole.
So it’s like requiring an assist to score points in other sports. Spring Tackles have no restrictions on movement when not seeking to attack.
Players in the Scrum [S] position occupy a hybrid role. In that they have limited time to enjoy unrestricted movement. Time best spent choosing how to disrupt the defense. All while being mindful of their positioning since they are needed by nearby Spring Tackles to mount an attack.
Upon entering the second half of the field, a Scrum player must reach the opponents circle in less than 10 seconds or risk elimination. An exception being that they are engaged with another defender (like grappling with them).
Dynamic Attackers [A] are the counterpart to Interceptors on defense except that they can attack the pole directly in any way they can. They work with the Captain who has no on-field restrictions outside of who they can command during play.
Attackers are most prone to losing their side points but are invaluable to keeping the opposing team’s Interceptors at bay. Whether directly or via distraction.
Work in Progress
So the project has come a long way with plenty of work to be done on the tactics, AI, UI and multiplayer aspects. In the future we would love to expand the environments to include things like weather and animated backgrounds. We are especially excited about our work on a new style of uniforms. Which are still subject to change but should add a lot more options for customization.
The new uniforms are also a bit more in line with where we want the game to fit in among other sports games. We want players to look recognizable as athletes. Especially with plans to add more structure and variance to the in-game league, PTI (Pole Toppling International).
There’s definitely a vision.
Sponsors Needed!
What’s a sport league without sponsors? Or Players and people to watch them. I think as gamers we have the unique ability to be all of those things at times.
With all this talk about new features, fields and uniforms there’s just that glaring issue of actually making it happen. We have the most fun thinking about this project as if launching a (small) sports league. What would it take logistically? How much more will this cost? Imagine the mocap this would have taken in 3D..someday?
Stickdown! has come a long way. But it still needs all the help it can get.
If you are interested in supporting this project we are kind of crowdfunding!
Supporters at all tiers will have access to exclusive perks online in addition to all playable builds up until release. Right now, there is no way to support multiplayer features without servers. And there is still so much to improve on graphically.
Check out our website for more information.