hey, everyone!
Our team has been recently thinking over the development of a Shogi game. It will be a browser-based app available for PC and mobile devices and users'll be able to play online with each other through invitation links. Our concerns are:
1) Is this game popular nowadays?
2) Who plays Shogi in general?
3) Where we can play Shogi online with friends right now?
I had to look up what Shogi is, if that helps. Then again, we are more of a Korean drama household than a Japanese anime one, so my wife owns a Go Stop deck.
Hi NC,
I don't know anyone who plays Shogi. I downloaded the game as an Android app once, and I really liked the capture mechanics. To my memory, since I've been a member, I can't think of anyone ever mentioning the game on this forum. I'd search around on the internet to see what competition is out there for a Shogi playing platform. You will probably be creating something that players will find valuable.
Have to check out what Shogi means on the internet first before I realise that I knew that term already. In case if anyone else is still wondering, Shogi is the Japanese variant of chess with an interesting setting that captured pieces can be returned to the board and used as one's own.
I played Shogi as a kid, at the same time I learned Chess. I don't know anybody outside my family who played it, though. I suspect that the player base in western countries is still quite small.
That said, a google search for "Shogi Online" reveals at least a half dozen online Shogi sites on the first page of search results.
Regards,
kos
One thing that I think acts as a deterrent to Western audiences is the Japanese characters. It gives an immediate feedback of "this game is not for me" for anyone who can't read them, kind of like trying to teach Settlers of Catan to a non-German-speaker using a German edition of the game. Same game, same mechanics, but the barrier to entry is just that little bit higher.
You may want to consider alternate tilesets (using icons or some such) so the players can choose, and then get feedback from your beta testers on whether it makes any difference.
Regards,
kos
Thank you for sharing your piece of mind. That was the first thing we thought about. Japanese characters are really distracting for those who're not familiar with the game at all.
I've already made some investigation, and figured out that there are english version tiles for Shogi. Here is a nice and clear explanation for what each tile stands for http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/shogi/shogi_e.html The only disadvantage here is that you can't play with your friend. We want to fix that.
Hi, I've joined the forum to comment in this thread.
There are few, misunderstandings here.
Shogi is played in the western world. OK, not so much as in Japan but some Euro countries have VERY strong players and are quite active.
Common to most is the use of Japanese 'koma' or, the pieces. They aren't difficult to learn and it took me approx 3 weeks to be really comfortable. Most people in the west I have conversed with, despise the westernised piece sets and many sit unsold in Japanese shogi outlets.
You would have to learn the game 'twice' if you played a westernised version. I have conversed with the writers and maintainers of say, Xboard and he has written shogi, chu, sho shogi variants and also the author of others where we have created other variants.
Yes, on the face of it, it 'looks' a nightmare I agree but, the game is what it is and to play it properly demands some kind of ethos to remain in force.
A wonderful game, as are it's variants (This is where western pieces fall way short of the goal) as you simply can't invent new western pieces to count for the what will be become myriad of pieces and promotions.
As for the gamedesign version online, it's actually pretty damn strong when you get to level 8 + and it plays a solid game. I would like an online game like this where you can save the 'kifu', or game record. English descriptions of the pieces, the moves etc would be great, even a western piece set as an alternative BUT...
If you want to actually learn the game, use the resources out there to improve and perhaps even then play in person, chances are, 99.99% you won't see a westernised piece set in the country, yet alone building.
If you haven't ever played shogi, you are missing out on a rich, wonderfully strategic game that IME, blows the mind.
Go is another game that never gets the recognition it deserves in the west by 'ordinary board players' and it's such a shame.
Hope this helps.
Shogi is awesome. The ability to reuse captured pieces means that the end game is not as stagnant as a typical chess match.
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I really appreciate you feedback.
Two things I realised from your answers:
a. Shogi is not as popular in Western countries as it is in Asia ->so, we should think over the necessity of attracting some asian traffic to our website (I believe it's quite high, because we already have games like Go, Reversi or Gomoku that derived from Eastern regions of the Globe)
b. If we create this type of a game, we'll have some unqique benefit, because, hands down, those websites that already has Shogi online lack the functional our website has.
We'll do some additional research on this game and I hope quite soon I'll be posting here the updates on how our Shogi development process is going on.
Nevertheless, I'll be more than happy to hear from other forum members about their experience if any.