IrishNinja
Member
^that's awesome - for some reason i've not had success my burns of said undub, but i'm sure i'm using older versions & need to try again sometime, mostly holding out on the faint hope of 1/2 HD finally being announced!
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Shenmue Community Thread | Still lookin' for sailors
- Thread starter IrishNinja
- Start date
Ryo Hazuki
Member
It's weird how the Christmas and New Year art use the actual real shenmue font and logo as opposed to the Kickstarter one seen on the screencaps. They really should be using that one all the time.
Laevateinn
Member
Bro, I can't read that logo. What language is it in?
They hopefully will be using the OG logo now, but I guess we have to wait for the next batch of screens/video.
Sectorseven
Member
Are all the Chai references just a running joke, or are they genuinely hinting at him having a large role in III?
Laevateinn
Member
Japanese games need a weird mascot character. I think that's what Chai is.
Actual genuine spoilers for III:
Chai is returning in III. Large role? Who knows. The way Yu talked about him (I think during a Nico Nico interview during the tail-end of the Kickstarter), he said he was a character to "easily slot into a scene", so I figure he won't play a large role. The abundance of references are probably because Yu likes the character, and for comedic effect.
IrishNinja
Member
maaan if my capsule toy from Shenmue 3 KS ends up being chai ima be so satly
Cindi Mayweather
Member
First thing I said when I saw those. I will exchange my capsule with anyone if I get Chai, I swear.
Laevateinn
Member
You guys are just going to have to pledge more money so you can get all four.
Speaking of which, hopefully this year we'll get to see the physical rewards and what they look like. They've had prototypes made for... well, since the KS began, but it makes sense to hold back that stuff until they're closer to release.
Not sure if I've linked it in here yet but Switch from the Shenmue Dojo is translating a big recent interview between Yu Suzuki and Tekken's Harada.
He's only part of the way through it, but most of the Shenmue content is up on his blog right now. The source interview also has some amazing concept artwork and game design documents dating back even to the VF RPG days.
Yu showing Harada a "castle" (fortified tulou) from Shenmue III.
A Hong Kong cafe.
Ren's hideout.
A fishing mini-game design document. (possibly from Shenmue III?)
Not sure if I've linked it in here yet but Switch from the Shenmue Dojo is translating a big recent interview between Yu Suzuki and Tekken's Harada.
He's only part of the way through it, but most of the Shenmue content is up on his blog right now. The source interview also has some amazing concept artwork and game design documents dating back even to the VF RPG days.
Yu showing Harada a "castle" (fortified tulou) from Shenmue III.
A Hong Kong cafe.
Ren's hideout.
A fishing mini-game design document. (possibly from Shenmue III?)
laserlaser
Member
there's no way 3 is releasing this year, right?
Until YSnet say it isn't, it's still on track for December 2017.
We'll see how things develop over the year. If by the time backer surveys go out in the Summer no delay has been announced, it might actually be possible they make the original shipping window with a little luck.
Of course, nothing is certain. Bloodstained's delay was announced well in advance because of extenuating circumstances requiring them to seek a new publisher and not really respective of the game's progress, so I don't expect a Shenmue III delay to be announced in the same way.
Switch from the Shenmue Dojo posted a little recap about the Reward Dinner in San Francisco along with a few images from the event.
No confidential information about the game is featured, but it's nice to see the places Yu took the backers.
No confidential information about the game is featured, but it's nice to see the places Yu took the backers.
Laevateinn
Member
I love this picture.
Same. Yu clearly still has a huge affinity for arcade games with a physical component.
We're currently... three weeks away from the January update. I'm itching to see what they've got to show.
I'm crossing my fingers something Shenmue III related pops up at the MAGIC Monaco press conference on the 12th, but as far as Cedric has said; it's very much up in the air and might be a last minute thing if new screens are shown.
We're currently... three weeks away from the January update. I'm itching to see what they've got to show.
I'm crossing my fingers something Shenmue III related pops up at the MAGIC Monaco press conference on the 12th, but as far as Cedric has said; it's very much up in the air and might be a last minute thing if new screens are shown.
Cindi Mayweather
Member
Do they not have those penny souvenir machines in Japan?
Laevateinn
Member
I think he's getting excited about the arm wrestling game.
IrishNinja
Member
yeah, i'd be excited about an arm wrestling game too! and that is indeed a fantastic pic.
Ghost_Messiah
Member
Same here man! Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't we due something pretty substantial for the January update? Could have sworn I had read somewhere we're getting a trailer or something similar. Backers who flew out for the Kickstarter dinners saw a rough cut of a new trailer so I'm hoping we get to see an updated and refined version of that soon. Also though the release date is supposed to be 2017 still I firmly believe this'll be delayed until next year. I don't mind at all though. I want Yu to make this a fantastic game so if they need more time so be it.
Any insight Spaghetti?
The direct quote from Yu is: "Early in the new year, I think well be able to show you things such as new videos."
It's pretty nebulous, and I don't think he means a fully fledged trailer- but hopefully it pans out and we get to see some more work-in-progress direct feed footage, or at least another Development Report video.
As for the Japan dinner backers, we have one among us here on GAF! Shenmue Guru, AKA Peter on the Dojo. I'm sure he's posted in here before, and he can correctly me if I get any details wrong in the following.
I'm going to recount what I believe has been said publicly on the Shenmue Dojo, so I hope I don't slip up, 'else ninjas are probably going to kill me.
So basically what they saw apparently wasn't a rough cut of a trailer per se, but a mostly environment reveal trailer of sorts that has been ready since June 2016. It may have been for an aborted E3 showing, or something to mark the Kickstarter's anniversary. It does seem like the plan was to show the contents of it in December last year, but for whatever reason that was dropped too.
Ultimately, it's probably for the best. The trailer featured quite a lot of placeholder materials like Shenmue/Shenmue II NPCs, and the E3 2015 Ryo and Shenhua models. It seems the dev team are eager to show the game off, but know in order to put the best foot forward with gamers and the media, they need to wait until more elements are finalised first.
As for what comes next, the January Kickstarter update could literally be anything. We haven't been forewarned of incoming low-content updates like we were for Sept-Nov last year, so I'm personally hoping for a nice and meaty project update and an interview on progress with Yu if he's not too busy.
Speaking of Yu being busy, it seems the development schedule will prevent him from attending MAGIC 2017 in Monaco this year. Cedric said earlier in the month he was awaiting an answer, but I expect if he isn't confirmed this near the event that he simply won't be there.
Cedric did say he expects Shenmue III to be at the event, although he did not know in what form (the source of this quote escapes me, but I'm sure he said it). French Shenmue fansite Shenmue Master also echoed the low likelihood of Yu turning up at MAGIC, but suggested multiple videos from the game may end up shown at the event. As of right now I'm not sure if that was based on speculation, or based on legitimate info. Shenmue Master has connections to MAGIC staff and Cedric himself, though, so take it as you will.
We're also due to have add-ons for our pledges become available in the Summer with the backer surveys, and the Slacker Backer campaign (now over $6.7 million!) is set to run until Summer, or the end of the year.
As for a delay, it's impossible to say. The prototyping and research/test-based development is certainly the "hard" bit, but what comes next is very time and labour intensive as they nip/tuck, tweak, and refine each element of the game. We know YSnet's staff will be expanding (or already has), based on the ongoing hiring of programmers, cutscene artists, an administrative assistant, and a motion director since Autumn last year. I would also take a guess that they'll also have more access to staff at the development support studios YSnet have partnered with, like Neilo Inc.
Yu and a lot of the other staff are already sleeping at the office and working some pretty incredible hours. They're definitely not slacking off, and with a little luck they could possibly make December 2017.
That's kind of where we are at the moment.
Jo Shishido's Cheeks
Member
Hey Spaghetti I appreciate all the updates, cheers 
Ghost_Messiah
Member
Yeah that was super awesome of you Spaghetti. Really awesome and very insightful update. I appreciate you taking the time to collate and write all that. It was really cool to read such an in-depth and up-to-date prognosis on the game so thank you. And yeah it's pretty amazing that Yu and the developers are sleeping at the office, such is their passion to deliver a great game which I'm sure they will.
Hopefully your forecast proves correct and we see something substantial soon. I'd love a trailer at some point but of course when the team are good and ready.
Really awesome and very insightful update. I appreciate you taking the time to collate and write all that. It was really cool to read such an in-depth and up-to-date prognosis on the game so thank you. And yeah it's pretty amazing that Yu and the developers are sleeping at the office, such is their passion to deliver a great game which I'm sure they will. Hopefully your forecast proves correct and we see something substantial soon. I'd love a trailer at some point but of course when the team are good and ready.
No problem, guys.
I know some people were disappointed we didn't see more of the game last year, but as a whole I think we can say maybe our expectations were probably set too high for a year-long prototype development phase.
But hopefully in 2017 YSnet will be pulling back the curtain and showing us the fruits of their labours. An E3 showing would be nice, but we'll see how things develop through the Kickstarter updates first before we throw our eggs into that basket.
Either way, we can look forward to the January update as it could literally be anything at this point.
I know some people were disappointed we didn't see more of the game last year, but as a whole I think we can say maybe our expectations were probably set too high for a year-long prototype development phase.
But hopefully in 2017 YSnet will be pulling back the curtain and showing us the fruits of their labours. An E3 showing would be nice, but we'll see how things develop through the Kickstarter updates first before we throw our eggs into that basket.
Either way, we can look forward to the January update as it could literally be anything at this point.
Ghost_Messiah
Member
Yet another good post! I also agree. I think early on they felt like they had an obligation to backers to show off the game when it was clearly too early and not ready so I think it's a good thing they're taking the time to iterate and develop the game more before showing off anything new. It was awesome to get an early insight in to the game but I think I'd rather wait on seeing something new now just so what we see is more representative of the finished product.
Looking forward to the January update. And yeah E3 is a must and would be amazing if Shenmue 3 can take the stage again.
Ryo Hazuki
Member
I'm usually in there but don't type a lot recently. Nice to have on in the background whilst working and doing other things though.
Nice to know!
Shame about Demul crashing twice tonight (especially the second one, what a heartbreaker!), but if there were ever a case for Shenmue HD to come out this year- there it is!
Peter talked a little more about what he saw in Japan. No spoilers, of course, but definitely something in there spiked my hype.
Shame about Demul crashing twice tonight (especially the second one, what a heartbreaker!), but if there were ever a case for Shenmue HD to come out this year- there it is!
Peter talked a little more about what he saw in Japan. No spoilers, of course, but definitely something in there spiked my hype.
Doesn't seem like an update is dropping in January, which is breaking a fairly consistent pattern of updates. They've only really missed a single month so far, which was November 2015.
They might be counting the New Years message that ended up only on the shenmue.link site as an update. If that's the case it'll probably be worth keeping an eye out over the rest of the week, should an update drop in the first days of February.
If not, it's a waiting game until MAGIC on the 18th, and then the end of the month if nothing debuts there either.
They might be counting the New Years message that ended up only on the shenmue.link site as an update. If that's the case it'll probably be worth keeping an eye out over the rest of the week, should an update drop in the first days of February.
If not, it's a waiting game until MAGIC on the 18th, and then the end of the month if nothing debuts there either.
For those who've been keeping up with the Shenmue Dojo's stream of the Shenmue Undub, we'll be concluding our run of the game this coming Saturday.
It's also the same day as MAGIC in Monaco. While Shenmue III is not confirmed to be there, there's a chance something new might be shown during Shibuya Productions' panel at 5PM CET (4PM GMT). We'll just have to wait and see!
It's also the same day as MAGIC in Monaco. While Shenmue III is not confirmed to be there, there's a chance something new might be shown during Shibuya Productions' panel at 5PM CET (4PM GMT). We'll just have to wait and see!
Sectorseven
Member
Doesn't seem like there's any news from MAGIC. After the PSX no show I figured they'd at least throw us a bone. So what's next on the reveal chalkboard, GDC?
In fairness, MAGIC was a very remote possibility from the start.
It 100% won't be at GDC, though.
Just hang tight until the end of the month. We should have an update coming, though I wouldn't be surprised if they're more sporadic from now on as YSnet takes an "all-hands on deck, full steam ahead" approach. It's going to be an immensely busy year for them.
E3 is the one to watch, IMO. We'll see more of the game in action before then, but a story trailer for E3 should be achievable. Voice acting and motion capture began this year, and through the end of 2016 YSnet were hiring cutscene artists.
sechsterangriff
Member
I honestly believe they are currently assessing whether they'll be able to ship the game this year as originally planed. If they are now entering full production they should have a clearer picture if it's feasible. Also, if there's going to be a delay I think in the interest of managing expectations it's better they announce it sooner than later.
Ryo Hazuki
Member
The game is set for a tentative Dec 2017 release. I highly doubt they're wasting time on assessing a release date at this point. They're just hard at work on the game, when it's done, it's done. They'll probably have a better idea nearing December about that but it shouldn't be something they should be focusing on or announcing any time now.
Laevateinn
Member
I think it's clear that Yu Suzuki has now used all of our money to buy himself a fleet of Ferrari Testarossas.
They probably are assessing whether it's still possible to launch this December or not, but that's something that would have been happening throughout the whole production regardless as they do development milestone reviews.
If they no longer think it's viable, then we'll know not long after they do.
YSnet & co worked very hard to get the main scenarios completed and leave prototype at the end of last year, and they'll work even harder this year to try getting it out on time.
Since stories about what was seen at the Japan dinner last September leaked out, we've known they've got more done than they've been willing to show just yet. They were recruiting more staff through the end of 2016, and we have no idea if YSnet now have access to even more staff beyond that through development partners like Neilo. It really is just a case of kicking back and letting them work. We'll get to see the product of their efforts in time.
We may have an update next week, so stay tuned.
If they no longer think it's viable, then we'll know not long after they do.
YSnet & co worked very hard to get the main scenarios completed and leave prototype at the end of last year, and they'll work even harder this year to try getting it out on time.
Since stories about what was seen at the Japan dinner last September leaked out, we've known they've got more done than they've been willing to show just yet. They were recruiting more staff through the end of 2016, and we have no idea if YSnet now have access to even more staff beyond that through development partners like Neilo. It really is just a case of kicking back and letting them work. We'll get to see the product of their efforts in time.
We may have an update next week, so stay tuned.
Sectorseven
Member
The HD remake announcement might get buried if it's simultaneous with whatever reveal Shenmue III gets. It also needs at least a couple months alone at retail before III releases if they want to bring new players on board, otherwise the whole series could get lost in the shuffle if it's too much too fast.
IrishNinja
Member
god, my brain cannot wrap itself around the possibility of it being this year...if it slides into next, i'll certainly be okay with it. no need to rush after all this time, haha
but yeah, that would mean the HD twins really should have a good window to drop, if that's still happening
but yeah, that would mean the HD twins really should have a good window to drop, if that's still happening
Ryuji Iuchi - Winter Sunset
Seems Shenmue III's composer has decided to give us another taste of ideas for the soundtrack.
Seems Shenmue III's composer has decided to give us another taste of ideas for the soundtrack.
Ghost_Messiah
Member
Would love for it to be this year along with hopefully Shenmue HD but can't see it happening honestly. I don't think they've shown enough of the game so far to provide evidence that they're still on track for December 2017 barring a blow out or epic trailer being deployed at E3. You never know - Yu and his team of ex-AM2 staff are reportedly working late nights and sleeping at the office so it could still be on track but without a trailer or something indicating so I have my doubts.
Looking forward to the February update. Hope they have something cool to show.
Looking forward to the February update. Hope they have something cool to show.
It's best not to judge progress by how much media they have/haven't put out. We already know from the Japan dinner backers that we've barely even seen the tip of the iceberg.
The only thing we know for sure is that YSnet & partners are making immense personal sacrifice and working extremely hard to have a shot at releasing on schedule. They deserve the benefit of the doubt that they can pull it off.
All the same, fingers crossed for an update next week. As of right now it seems 50/50 whether it'll happen or not. I could quite easily see them taking a more staggered approach to updates from here on out, as the game becomes the primary focus of the studio.
The only thing we know for sure is that YSnet & partners are making immense personal sacrifice and working extremely hard to have a shot at releasing on schedule. They deserve the benefit of the doubt that they can pull it off.
All the same, fingers crossed for an update next week. As of right now it seems 50/50 whether it'll happen or not. I could quite easily see them taking a more staggered approach to updates from here on out, as the game becomes the primary focus of the studio.
https://twitter.com/Shenmue_Dojo/status/834885577375944706
Shenmue Dojo's playthrough of Shenmue II starts today!
The stream will begin at: 3PM PT/5PM CT/6PM ET/11PM GMT
Shenmue Dojo's playthrough of Shenmue II starts today!
The stream will begin at: 3PM PT/5PM CT/6PM ET/11PM GMT
Ghost_Messiah
Member
Good post and also looking forward to the next update. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony make a showing of Shenmue 3 a cornerstone of their E3 presentation as the game should be much further along by then. Hoping for something sooner than that however.
Will be keeping an eye on this thread. Really hoping for in-progress footage.
Thanks man.
E3 would be the perfect time for the game to reemerge, but anything could happen.
We know from Japan dinner backers they had a trailer ready last June (not necessarily for E3), and had planned on doing something for PSX, but didn't pull the trigger in either case. I think in both cases it's YSnet smartly recognising that audiences are not very forgiving of incomplete looking games and prefer now to see them at "near final" states, which they should know from criticisms of the quickly and cheaply put together E3 2015 demonstration.
The Japan dinner backer trailer reportedly featured a lot of placeholders, and even the screens from as recently as December had placeholder materials like the photoshopped Ryo face, and environment objects like these boxes. Although I'd say on the whole the screens have been well received, I've noticed even since early screens of testing objects came out in October 2015 that a fairly large group of gamers are literally unable to grasp the concept of "in-development" materials. Honestly, the longer the game stays in the oven before revealing again in a big way, the better.
I think we'll see something before this June, though. Maybe not this month, but maybe next, or the one after. Going dark on updates is just a temporary annoyance for something that'll pay off down the road.