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Shenmue Community Thread | Still lookin' for sailors

Spaghetti

Member
i guess the oh ye of little faith crowd isn't as bad as the jeff gerstmanns on about how it was never good, they really shit up those threads something fierce too
And now a Shenmue playthrough is the most celebrated current content on Giant Bomb. Oh the sweet, delicious irony of it all.
 
And now a Shenmue playthrough is the most celebrated current content on Giant Bomb. Oh the sweet, delicious irony of it all.

Huh? What? Details.

edit: I see it's on giantbomb.com but the most celebrated current content? It's that popular? Are they making fun of it and making it look like shit?
 

Spaghetti

Member
New tweet from Cedric RE: when the next big Shenmue III update will be.

Things can change but we do not plan big update regarding pics or video before December.

Basically, don't hold your breath for a big update until the end of the year. Not a huge deal though, after December we've got another showing in February at Magic Monaco, and the PC demo is due to hit Q1 next year.
 

Spaghetti

Member
Same. If they keep up the dev room styled updates I'm going to be happy until December. I love "watching how the sausage is made" with Shenmue III.
 
The fact Cedric confirm we will see big news in December makes me not give a shit if anything shows up at TGS. We now have our date when will see the next evolution of Shenmue: December 2016!
 

Spaghetti

Member
Anything at TGS was out of the question anyway, it's too early.

August's update more or less confirmed it. They're making good progress but the game is clearly very unfinished graphically right now, and that's kind of the part that needs the most polish for an appearance at a trade show.

I really hope they show some combat soon, I'm really intrigued by the new ideas Yu has talked about.

I actually started my replay of the series over the weekend to work out my frustration watching the earlier episodes of the Giant Bomb playthrough (I did the same with the original MGS when Metal Gear Scanlon started), and I'm really appreciating the combat. It's still very responsive and rewarding even today. I like how you can basically kick and punch your way through most fights, but there's real depth to be found in the more advanced moves and extensions. I'm crossing my fingers the counter system still lives on and they've expanded upon its usability, nothing makes you feel more of a badass than ducking a punch and landing a counter that sends enemies flying.

New version of Demul runs great by the way, I can do 64 layers at 2X internal resolution on my PC with very minimal drops, so it looks pretty good and is basically 100% Dreamcast accurate.
 
I have an urge to play Shenmue 1 and 2 because of Giant Bomb but my month for that is always December. It will be an important replay because it'll mark my ten years as a fan!
 

Spaghetti

Member
Congrats on your (almost) 10 years as a Shenmue fan.

December is a good month to play it, now we know they're targeting big news around then for III.
 
Congrats on your (almost) 10 years as a Shenmue fan.

December is a good month to play it, now we know they're targeting big news around then for III.

I played them in June and July 2006. So it's been already ten years. But something about December...I've always liked that month for Shenmue. The cold weather, a nice cup of hot chocolate, sitting back and playing darts. I find it so relaxing. II is an any time of the year type of game for me, but Shenmue 1 is at its best in December/January.
 

Spaghetti

Member
Much thanks for Shenmue Dojo's Switch for bringing this to light, but we stealthily got a new Shenmue III screenshot thanks to an Unreal Engine event in Yokohama where YSnet distributed a recruiting leaflet.

Here's a scan of the image from the leaflet:
P8BB4Jz.jpg


Shenhua's model looks better than her E3 iteration and more similar to Shenmue II. Still plenty of work left to be done, and of course the standard disclaimer applies: THIS IS NOT A FINAL MODEL.

The Bailu Village background looks great, though.

EDIT: On closer inspection, the Shenhua model still might be the one from E3 2015 but at a slightly different angle.
 

Spaghetti

Member
Some important info from the leaflet (translation courtesy of Switch, again):

Unreal Engine 4 has been adopted for the development in his project. In preparation for the full production phase scheduled next year, we are now revving up the engine.

So, in the context of Shenmue III's production plan-

b2qtQCm.png


- they're pretty deep into the chain. 'Production' is the step before debug; though obviously this plan is pretty simplified and 'Production' could take longer than a full year, easily.

They'll likely move into that stage in January 2017, so basically a year or so since the prototype really got started.
 

belinho

Member
I think we already saw this model, if i remember correctly they released some improved models after the kickstarter and it was pretty much identical to this one.

I still think the face is a bit round.
 

Spaghetti

Member
I think we already saw this model, if i remember correctly they released some improved models after the kickstarter and it was pretty much identical to this one.

I still think the face is a bit round.
I don't think that actually happened. There was this image that was found somehow through a website for the Chinese Expo Yu was attending during his research trip last year, but that's about it.

It's probably best to hold fire on thinking about the graphical quality of the character models until something official is released to Backers. The only reason we even knew about the UE4 conference leaflet was through a fan catching it on Twitter, and Switch going to the convention itself to acquire a copy.
 

Spaghetti

Member
So- two of the backers gave away some details about what they saw at the KS dinner with Yu the other week. You can check them out on Shenmue Dojo's Update #60 thread for the full account but the cliff notes version:


  • They got to see Bailu, Choubu, and Baisha (they used the words "fleshed out" and "beautiful" to describe them).
  • The footage was from June (Yu told them the game looks much better now).
  • Shenmue + Shenmue II NPCs were being used as placeholders in locations.
  • They also saw test cutscene and QTE material, but these were early tests.
 
The writer to Open World Fatigue and Shenmue is considering writing a sequel to that article. What's being said is it would be a story analysis of the Shenmue games. Due to the large size of the games and the themes within them, it could be even longer than the open world fatigue article so the author is gauging interest in such an article. The story of Shenmue games hasn't been examined in great detail by the gaming public so I think it would be a nice read.
 

Spaghetti

Member
The writer to Open World Fatigue and Shenmue is considering writing a sequel to that article. What's being said is it would be a story analysis of the Shenmue games. Due to the large size of the games and the themes within them, it could be even longer than the open world fatigue article so the author is gauging interest in such an article. The story of Shenmue games hasn't been examined in great detail by the gaming public so I think it would be a nice read.
That'd be a cool read.

I think a lot more Shenmue articles will hit if we do get a re-reveal for PSX.
 

Spaghetti

Member
New interview with Cedric Biscay, Shenmue III's Producer.

Few bits of interest:

Straight from the horse's mouth, the parties involved in making Shenmue III-

7/ Fans and media have still a lot of questions regarding the role of each party. We prepared for you a summary of these roles. Tell us if the following elements are correct or not.

- SEGA granted YsNet the Shenmue III licence after negotiations directly led by Yu Suzuki. Suzuki-san was the one negotiating with Sony as well.

- Sony highlighted the Shenmue III Kickstarter campaign at E3 2015 and thus has been a big part of its success. In order to sell Shenmue III, Sony will also provide valuable assistance thanks to its marketing power and communication efficiency. Sony will be in charge of the production and publishing of the PlayStation 4 version and continue providing technical expertise to the YsNet team on Shenmue III development (hardware knowledge, optimization).

- Shibuya Productions is the initiator of the project with YsNet. You are the original and main investor in Shenmue III. You gave the initial impetus that made this project possible. Shibuya Productions is also responsible for the publishing and marketing of the PC version.

- YsNet is in charge of the game development on PlayStation 4 and PC in partnership with Neilo, Tak Hirai's studio. The management of the PayPal campaign has been assigned to Awesome Japan, a service provider.

Cédric Biscay: "Yes."

And the followup

8/ So we can consider that YsNet and Shibuya Productions are the key figures of this project and the Shibuya Productions role is absolutely vital for Shenmue III as you are the main investor, right?

Cédric Biscay: "My humility will suffer but I would be lying to deny it."

Remember to pull this interview up if you see the "OMG SONY FUNDING SHENMUE 3" shit again.

Anyway-

9/ What can you tell us about the PC version? When will it be available?

Cédric Biscay: "The PC and console versions will be released simultaneously in December 2017."

(Re)confirmation both versions of the game will launch simultaneously.

17/ Let me talk with Cédric Biscay the fan of Shenmue, not the Shenmue III co-producer. Do you prefer to strictly meet your deadline or reach perfection for Shenmue III?

Cédric Biscay: "As a fan, I obviously want the most perfect game possible but it's not incompatible with the current deadline."

And for now it seems they can achieve a polished game within the remaining 14 and a half months left.

There's a little bit about Cedric getting to test some of Yu's new ideas, but no real details.
 

master15

Member
I've felt since the initial announcement that I'm prepared to give Suzuki as much time as he and the team require. From reports they continue to ramp up number of staff but I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't make it's initial release and I'm totally okay with that.
 

Spaghetti

Member
Partial translation of a Yu Suzuki Famitsu interview from Nov 2nd.

The interview is mainly about Powerdrift (which recently got a 3D re-release), but also very briefly touches on Shenmue III, and why a lot of his games have that "AM2 look" with saturated, bright colours.

From the interview:

Interviewer: Before this interview, you kindly showed me some screenshots on your smartphone of how Shenmue 3 looks now...

Yu Suzuki: I’d like to say a brief word about Shenmue 3, the game I know everyone is waiting for.

Right now, we are exploring new methods of expression not present in the previous games, and I think these will make the game even more fun to play. We are hard at work to ensure a great game will be delivered to everyone.

Thank you for your on-going support.

It's only five weeks until PSX...
 

IrishNinja

Member
god, if PSX shows good progress here
and announces Yakuza 6 and/or Kiwami localization
it'll be such an awesome christmas present
 

Spaghetti

Member
god, if PSX shows good progress here
and announces Yakuza 6 and/or Kiwami localization
it'll be such an awesome christmas present
Whatever is coming in December is apparently going to put a whole new spin on how we think of Shenmue III so far, and that's awesome.

Of course, the whole PSX angle is educated guesswork, but I would be very surprised if that wasn't where the December surprise showed up.

It's been hard to parse how much progress has been made because of the occasionally "it's fucking nothing" nature of some updates from February, but honestly, game development is slow and they know whatever they put out is going to be under such a critical microscope that it's not worth showing something until they're ready to.

However, based on the comments from those who attended the KS backer dinner in Japan, what we've seen so far is the tip of the iceberg of progress, and that they've nailed the Shenmue look and 'feel'. Even those at the dinner saw a video that was already months out of date. Some might say the audience at the dinner is an easy one to please, being hardcore fans, but arguably they're going to be the hardest to please due to high standards and expectations of the series. Probably the most ringing endorsement out of that dinner was one backer who said it looks like the true Shenmue experience and not like a watered down version some of us feared.

In one month, we'll hopefully get to see the curtain pulled back on Shenmue III in a big way.
 
New Update: Yu Suzuki on the Music of Shenmue

Hello Everyone!

Shenmue would not be Shenmue without the music. The right song sets the tempo and the atmosphere, immersing you in the world and the moment.

This month, Yu-san gives an interview on the process of choosing music in the world of Shenmue, his experience and influences with music, and what music means in the creation of a game. Please enjoy!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3/posts/1751809

Nice short video about the music.
 

IrishNinja

Member
yeah, these updates really make my morning. it's surreal imagining this time next year potentially being around the game's release!
 

Spaghetti

Member
Repost from the KS thread.

Via LanDC at Shenmue Dojo, who was at the Japan dinner with Yu in September.

We're not going to have to wait till E3. Unless something drastically changes, the next Kickstarter update will include the footage Peter and I saw on the bus. After Yu showed us the footage, he said everyone would be seeing it (and more) "in December." He never specified PSX, but Peter and myself clearly thought that's what he meant. The last $10,000 dinner was already confirmed for San Francisco on the week of PSX, so it seemed like a no-brainer. But this goes to show that we should never expect anything until we have 100% official facts, no matter how logical what we're expecting may seem. Let's keep a cool head and wait a few more weeks! We'll see this month's update sooner than usual, I'd imagine. The team should be afforded a good holiday break, so they won't even be there to update on the very last day again.

Again, standard disclaimers apply that things may have changed, don't get hyped, etc etc, but I think December's update is going to yield results for those who want images or footage straight from the game.
 
Really hyped to see the progress...

Hopefully they fixed the character models, show off some of the environment, etc...

Would be nice if they even confirmed a release date, but I have serious doubts about that. This game prolly won't be ready until at least mid 2018
 

Spaghetti

Member
Really hyped to see the progress...

Hopefully they fixed the character models, show off some of the environment, etc...

Would be nice if they even confirmed a release date, but I have serious doubts about that. This game prolly won't be ready until at least mid 2018
The character model stuff is up in the air at the moment. The footage the 10K backers saw in Japan were still using the old ones, also mentioning there were quite a few character placeholders using Shenmue/Shenmue II models as well. But the footage was cut in June, so perhaps there's been progress.

It sounds like the team has been focusing on the gameplay systems rather than strictly visual elements, which makes sense and works in the long term, even if it doesn't immediately make the game the prettiest to look at for the moment.

Still, I'm thinking the art design in the environments will speak loudly. Bold colours, authentic little details, and hopefully teeming with life.
 
Personally, I'd rather they use the old models and the game still look like a dreamcast. Would cut costs dramatically and more effort could be put into the actual game...

Buuuuut not everyone they're trying to sell this game to is an old school Shenfan... so they gotta modernize those graphics if they expect to sell at all to a new audience(which they shouldn't imo lol)
 
There's absolutely no reason why the models can't actually look like the original Ryo and Shenhua etc. If the final game has them looking any different than how they're supposed to, I'd be extremely disappointed as it makes zero sense to do that.
 

Spaghetti

Member
Personally, I'd rather they use the old models and the game still look like a dreamcast. Would cut costs dramatically and more effort could be put into the actual game...

Buuuuut not everyone they're trying to sell this game to is an old school Shenfan... so they gotta modernize those graphics if they expect to sell at all to a new audience(which they shouldn't imo lol)
The thing is about those old models, is that they're not particularly good when applied to a modern game. I think Shenmue II's models for Ryo and Shenua look great for the era, but transferring them to Shenmue III just won't work and won't blend with the newly created assets. Similarly, the passport models are high poly but... they don't look like people, they look like mannequins.

As for looking like a Dreamcast game, that's not really possible unless you make a conscious design choice, and even then it's not that efficient a cost-saving measure as making an 8/16-bit styled game could be. From what I've read and been told, though, Shenmue III looks like Shenmue should thanks to consistent art design.

There's absolutely no reason why the models can't actually look like the original Ryo and Shenhua etc. If the final game has them looking any different than how they're supposed to, I'd be extremely disappointed as it makes zero sense to do that.
They definitely will be using new models that respect the look of Ryo and Shenhua as they were in II, but right now they're likely not super concerned with those aspects when they've got an actual game to build first.

The Ryo from the Famitsu scans from last year doesn't actually look that bad, although there's no way of knowing if that's the one used in the reveal or not. Darkening Ryo's skin and hair and making his face a bit more frowny would do wonders. I saw a Photshopped version of that model that looked way better, but I can't find it.
 
The thing is about those old models, is that they're not particularly good when applied to a modern game. I think Shenmue II's models for Ryo and Shenua look great for the era, but transferring them to Shenmue III just won't work and won't blend with the newly created assets.

As for looking like a Dreamcast game, that's not really possible unless you make a conscious design choice, and even then it's not that efficient a cost-saving measure as making an 8/16-bit styled game could be. From what I've read and been told, though, Shenmue III looks like Shenmue should thanks to consistent art design

Well yeah that's what I mean, design the game to look like a dreamcast game with only slightly better graphics, if better at all... It certainly would cut costs on alot of assets and it would look great imo...

I'm not saying use the old models in a modern setting, that would look awful af lmfao
 

Spaghetti

Member
Well yeah that's what I mean, design the game to look like a dreamcast game with only slightly better graphics, if better at all... It certainly would cut costs on alot of assets and it would look great imo...

I'm not saying use the old models in a modern setting, that would look awful af lmfao
I mean, slightly better than Dreamcast graphics is a low bar they're going to clear by a wide margin. It won't be AAA-levels for obvious reasons, but there's no real reason they have to scale themselves back on asset quality dramatically to save money when it's actually made easy to achieve great graphics through engines like UE4.
 
Yeah but us fans would love dreamcast quality methinks... so it's more than just to save money...

Either way that option is out at this point, they def put way too much effort to change it now...
 

Spaghetti

Member
I sent a polite message to the support team via the KS, and here's what I got:

Thank you very much for your candor. We will certainly be doing our best to keep everyone interested and in faith.

There should be something in terms of screen shots coming up this month.

Please keep your hopes up! This is a long process, but please trust Yu-san and everyone else involved has Shenmue's best interests at heart!

All our best,
Joel & the Shenmue III Team

Obviously, I bolded the important bit...
 
If we don't hear anything for a month, six or twelve... I don't mind.
If the game releases in 2017 or 2018... I similarly don't mind.
I'm confident they're doing what they can to deliver the game we've been waiting for and so am perfectly happy to be patient.
It's still surreal this is even happening, I'm just going to continue to be appreciative of that fact rather than be mad there's not a new 30 second trailer or whatever.

Yeah but us fans would love dreamcast quality methinks... so it's more than just to save money...

Either way that option is out at this point, they def put way too much effort to change it now...

I'd definitely be content with a DC quality version that shipped in Dreamcast cases so it could sit alongside the first two!
 
i already got the PC exclusive kickstarter version and the slackerbacker exclusive ps4 version... i will buy every version they release lmfao.

Still, Nothing would make me happier than this being a multiplat with an xbone/switch release as well. Alongside a Shenmue 1/2 hd release where you can transfer you save file between the three games on the same console/pc...

I realize this will probably never happen... hell we'll be lucky to get any sort of hd release at all, but one can dream...
 

Spaghetti

Member
Asked the Shenmue III support team when the next update may drop. Surprisingly, I got an answer!

We are glad to give all we can. There should be an update before Christmas, likely within two weeks time.

Thank you again for your support and feedback.

Kindest Regards,
Joel & the Shenmue III Team
 
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