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Yu Suzuki will be doing an AMA on Reddit
- Thread starter ugly
- Start date
He's been going at it for such a long time too. I'd be exhausted reading all of that, but he seems to be enjoying talking with fans.
Q:
When creating Shenmue 3, will you use any assets at all from 1 & 2? Or do you have to start all over from scratch because SEGA still owns the first two games?
A:
I think most everything will have to be made from scratch, just because it needs to work with the updated hardware.
When creating Shenmue 3, will you use any assets at all from 1 & 2? Or do you have to start all over from scratch because SEGA still owns the first two games?
A:
I think most everything will have to be made from scratch, just because it needs to work with the updated hardware.
i think this clears up what was meant when he said he had access to shenmue 1 and 2 resources. that could relate to designs, and research trip photos/videos
He just edited his response:
Q:
When creating Shenmue 3, will you use any assets at all from 1 & 2? Or do you have to start all over from scratch because SEGA still owns the first two games?
A:
The assets from 1 & 2 will get a lot of use.
Theonik
Member
So does Kickstarter, and in the old days Amazon Payments got another chunk.
Yes, and some countries like Germany have very poor online bank card use. You basically need to get a credit card to shop online which some people don't want so it's a big barrier, also KS itself doesn't work with some cards. For reference, Bloodstained had $208k by the end of its campaign on PayPal. They are still accepting some pledges from there so they might have even more. Hell I was thinking of grabbing a copy soon.
I wouldn't be too worried about it, KS gets 10% already in their feels PP is actually cheaper I think. The problem is PayPal takes some more time to setup and they don't do it until KS has reached its goal. (KS doesn't allow it and you get $0 if you don't hit your goal so if you pass the goal with PP included you get nothing, after that it's fair game)
As for why PP is harder to set up it basically requires a second fulfilment mechanism and you lose many of the amenities that KS gives you. There is campaign running software available now that makes the process easier though.
Theonik
Member
Any plans to compile the questions in a single post?
I was doing that all along
Here's a running list of all the answers he has given. I'll update it as we go:
Q: Will practicing moves make a return in Shenmue 3 along with the FREE battle system? A lot of fans feel not being able to practice moves was big piece missing in Shenmue 2, and I also personally loved being able to practice and make the moves stronger. It really makes you feel as if you are learning marital arts and then performing them in a skill-based actual battle feels very satisfying.
A: I want to do it yes!
Q: How accurately will Shenmue III be compared to your original vision of the game or will there be major compromises?
A: There are a total of 11 chapters that make up the whole story. Over the past 14 years I originally planned for there to 4 or five games to the series. If at all possible, I would still like to realize the full story of 11 chapters.
Q: Hello Suzuku-san! Will a day-to-night cycle and weather system return to Shenmue 3? They added so much to the atmosphere of previous games. Thank you Suzuki-san!
A: Of course!
Q: Shenmue is a Peach Blossom tree correct? Could you tell us what type of tree exactly?
I would like to plant one.
A: It is more like a cherry blossom tree, that blooms its flowers in the springtime. It is actually a tree I made up for the story.
Q: Will Shenmue III enable PayPal or a means to donate to the project when the Kickstarter ends? Projects like Star Citizen gained tens of millions in donations by allowing this.
A: I am still thinking about it, but have not decided yet.
Q: Have you ever consider telling the rest of the tale for Shenmue in a book if the opportunity to make Shenmue III never came up?
A: Yes, I have but if I did do that, it would give away the end of the story, and I thought that would be a big minus.
Q: Will players have access to both the Japanese and English voice overs for the game?
A: I am thinking about that, yes. However it is not for sure.
It is because of fans like you, I wanted to make a sequel. Thank you very much.
Q: Did you see Michael Huber's (of GameTrailers) intense emotional reaction to your announcement of Shenmue 3?
A: Yes, I liked it a lot.
Q: Will the gameplay in Shenmue III be more contemporary or will it be more in line with past Shenmue iterations?
A: As for III, I would like to make a less stressful user interface, that will feature more usability. From now on, I will make that a focus.
Q: Will you reassure us that Ryo's face will be changed back to the Ryo we all know and love when Shenmue 3 releases, and not this impostor wearing Ryo's jacket that you have on Kickstarter? That is NOT our Ryo!
A: I am not happy with Ryo's face. It will be the face I have in my mind in the end.
Q: Will the band-aid ever come off?
A: I am considering a special option where it could be removed.
Q: What was your inspiration for the story behind the first two Shenmue games?
A: When I was making Virtua Fighter, I went location hunting in China. I was very inspired by Chinese martial arts. That very well may have been the beginning.
Q: Will we see any capsule toys based on Ape Escape or any of the Sony franchise in Shenmue 3?
A: I have not decided the capsule toys, so please keep your ideas coming.
Q: What do you think of the current state of Japanese game development?
A: I see the share of mobile games increasing, the budgets of games decreasing. It will be harder to express a game's vision.
I would hope the console and PC markets gain more popularity.
Q: Will we see Ryo's Journal return? Would be cool to be able to flip the pages using the PS4's touchpad.
A: I would like to bring back the Journal. That is an interesting idea, I will look into it. Thank you.
Q: Will character polls compromise your artistic vision?
A: I really want to get everyone's opinion on the characters. I have something in mind that won't break the world immersion.
Q: Any possibility of a bicycle finally being added to Shenmue 3? Thank you so much again, Yu!
A: There is a 60 horsepower bike in Shenmue 1. For Shenmue, 3 I was thinking about something with 1 horsepower.
Q: Yu, are you really going to be signing your autograph on the illustration for the $300 kickstarter signed collectors edition? So far there is almost 2000 backers, that is a lot of illustrations to sign!
A: Of course I will write them all myself!
Q: In Suzuki-san’s opinion, what is the essence of arcade games? Are those influences in Shenmue?
A: With an arcade game, you are restricted to a 3 minute window to express what the game is. That is how I made games for the longest time. I wanted to create a game that could be played at a more leisurely pace, so I created what ended up being Shenmue.
Q: Our twenty eighth question from the 500k community. -Will Shenmue 3 have any sort of multiplayer component? Perhaps Co-op or a versus mode?
A: I am thinking about something that would resemble that.
Q: Do you have any more details to share about the stretch goals? It's not clear to me what a "Rapport System" or "Character Perspective System" entails.
A: They are new systems, so naturally they need new names. The Rapport System will govern changes in Shenhua's actions depending on your conversations with or actions towards her. The "Character Perspective System" will highlight different characters personalities as they go through the story.
Q: What will Ryo do to earn money in Shenmue 3?
A: There will be part time jobs that will be indicative of those you would find in China. In the Stretch goals there will also be the old favorites.
Q: How much game elements/features will we be missing in the game if the campaign doesn't reach the $5 million mark?
A: I will say this: if we reach the $5 mil mark, one of the things I really want to do with Shenmue 3 will become a reality.
At $10 million, it will truly have the features of an open world.
Q: Can we expect more duck racing in Shenmue III? That was the best easter egg I've ever seen in a video game.
A: I would love it.
Q: How was it working with mega64?
A: It was really fun. I would love to do it again.
I hope they pitch in for the replica Ryo jacktet!
Q: Given Shenmue 2's ending and previous items found within the series; will swordplay enter gameplay at all? What about the story, can we expect Ryo to use a sword at some point?
A: I can't answer that.
Q: If a younger gamer wanted to get a feel for your body of work, which games would you suggest that they play? Do you have a favorite game that you've developed other than Shenmue?
A: I had fun making all the games I worked on, and can't say one was better than another. Boring answer I know, but it really is true.
Q: I've always wondered, why did you set the game in the 1980s rather than present day?
A: I wanted put forward the differences in culture and values between the two periods.
Q: What I'd like to ask is, if you had billions of yen, what would your dream Shenmue be?
A: One where the player could live in that world. A second life.
Q: I love the music from Shenmue, if anything kept me thinking about Shenmue from time to time during these 10+ years it was the music. Was is your favorite piece from the soundtrack? Thank you for bringing Shenmue to our lives, I can't thank you enough.
A: Of course I love both the Shenmue and Shenhua themes, and all of them really, but the one that really sticks with me is the Tomato Mart.
Q: Will there be more funding tiers added to the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter, specifically between the $500 and $3000 tier?
A: Yes.
Q: Shenmue 3 is just the start. How successful does the game need to be for us to get Shenmue 4 and so on until the saga is complete?
A: If the fans are not happy with 3 there will not be a 4. So I please hope we can together make this game the best it can be.
Q: What Sega console is your favourite and why?
A: The Dreamcast. It has really good balance. I was involved with the hardware as well, so it had a lot of meaning for me.
Q: Suzuki-San...welcome to the fantasy zone! It's finally happening. Any plans on more arcade games within Shenmue III?
A: I plan on making plans.
Q: Any info on the stretch goals for Choubu and Bailu village?
A: Choubu is a riverside village with lots of shops, souvenir stores, hotels and temples. The quests in this village should be very enjoyable, I think. Bailu is the village where Shenhua was raised and also a place that Ryo's father, Iwao, had visited when he was younger. Here as well the quests will play an important role as Ryo and Shenhua start their journey.
Q: Are all the towns listed in the Kickstarter stretch goals in the game already, or are the stretch goals only there as a means to help give them more features and spice?
A: They are there, but with more powered up through the stretch goals.
Q: Will Ryo ever go back to Japan?
A: Not in 3.
Q: Who is your favorite Shenmue character?
A: It has always been Shenhua.
Q: Are you still involved in any programming activities?
A: I still write algorithms, logic verification, and make simple prototypes.
Q: Will the game take advantage of the virtual reality goggles on PS4 and PC?
A: Right now, there are no plans for a vr system compatibility, but I love the idea of using it to peer into the world of Shenmue.
Q: When creating Shenmue 3, will you use any assets at all from 1 & 2? Or do you have to start all over from scratch because SEGA still owns the first two games?
A: I think most everything will have to be made from scratch, just because it needs to work with the updated hardware. (EDIT: The assets from 1 & 2 will get a lot of use.)
Upsidedown Fuji
Member
This AMA needs to be shared across the gaming landscape. People need to know this game is being made from KS funds not Sony.
An awesome AMA. I hope the funders questionnaires are just as exciting!
An awesome AMA. I hope the funders questionnaires are just as exciting!
Dzab
Member
Thanks a bunch, appreciate it. Hope they allow funding post-kickstarter - I really want Shenmue 3 to be the game he wants it to be.
Crowza
Member
Plenty of people asked about a PS4 physical version, but he didn't choose to answer any of those questions.
Seems like the ones I saw (last night at the start, anyway) that did ask either didn't get upvoted, or they were tacked onto other questions. He even answered one that asked something else at the start, and skipped the PS4 question at the end. :\
I'm hoping the question isn't getting answered because it's being saved as a surprise for midway through the campaign...
IrishNinja
Member
much love to bananafactory, gavinGT & co for this!
Tomato Mart 4LYFE
awww shit son
ID LIKE TO TRY YOUR WU-TANG STYLE
shit yeah, needs to be soon too
this is great to see - anyone who has early issues of Next Generation magazine, there's a bit where he's asked about the Saturn's hardware and says why he thinks it's a poor decision. i'd read loose details about he/AM2 having say in the DC's hardware (god knows they dominated arcade design for years) but i'd love to hear more here.
#BELIEVE
Tomato Mart 4LYFE
awww shit son
ID LIKE TO TRY YOUR WU-TANG STYLE
shit yeah, needs to be soon too
this is great to see - anyone who has early issues of Next Generation magazine, there's a bit where he's asked about the Saturn's hardware and says why he thinks it's a poor decision. i'd read loose details about he/AM2 having say in the DC's hardware (god knows they dominated arcade design for years) but i'd love to hear more here.
#BELIEVE