Welcome back Switch.

On the subject of the environment, and this may have been covered already amongst the character model talk, but the poster from the press release and the image on the Deep Silver website have loads of differences.

The poster:

http://gematsu.com/gallery/albums/shenmue-iii/august-17-2017/Shenmue-III_2017_08-17-17_001.jpg

The Deep Silver image:

http://www.deepsilver.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/08/ShenmueIII_Title.jpg

The angles are slightly different, and the poster is sharper/higher resolution, but also there are significant improvements in detail, texturing, differences in light sources, foliage, the stairs are totally different, the boat at the harbour looks different, the poster has a small riverboat/gondola in the water, the reflections are different, etc, etc, etc.

It's... pretty clear the environment part of the images are from two different builds.

I think I've also found Ryo in the "Great Wall" image.

It looks like there are posters of characters lining the street.
http://i.imgur.com/FIwEksH.png
Interesting... might be to mark where NPCs would be on the street?

-------------------------

Oh, and on the subject of video, from the initial Gamescom announcement:

we plan to show our newest movie clips , share the latest updates and even make some new announcements.

Some might be getting confused with the update announcing the meet n' greet, which said there will not be rolling video/demo kiosks in the public area for the game. Video should be a part of the press screening and the KS update that launches alongside it.

And thus, the overwhelming tears of joyness... begins!

Just got word this morning that the Dojo will not be given an interview with Yu Suzuki at Gamescom. The only interview allowed was with the Shenmuemaster site. There isn't enough time apparently.

That's disappointing. Using Twitter as a baseline: Dojo - 6,000 followers, Shenmue Master - 800 followers.

Could you contact Shenmue Master to see if you could jump on their interview?


]It's no big deal. It was never a guarantee in the first place.

Hopefully early tomorrow should be the first signs of news and info coming out of Gamescom since it's the business day.

Enjoy!



(Credit to Kiske and SheepheadCG for getting the jumps on this. A few confusing posts and topics were deleted prior to this topic.)

It's a small detail, but the HD Phoenix Mirror really stood out for me. It looks beautiful!

It's hard to come up with words right now. Trying to post news, upload video, make screenshots and whatnot.

First discovery! Look who's back at Shenhua's house (in the lower left corner).

It looks like Ryo is fighting that muscly man in at the center of the bridge, inside the walled section. http://i.imgur.com/KDyTJ6K.jpg
https://my.mixtape.moe/rohwlt.gif
In addition to the walls, the door ways have the same arches, and the cobblestone floor is the same

Seems like the stone pit got some interior renovations. I don't remember there being a passage to the left of the giant mirrors. Maybe that's where we will go next? Or is just the entrance in a different location?
Also noticed that the fire lights up in bright blue intially, giving it a somewhat more mysterious energy filled appeal.

lol I noticed that too. I watched the teaser like 20 times, then went back frame by frame to look at stuff. I was trying to look to the back left to see where the sword pedestal was, and saw the path you are talking about. A lot has changed in there to be honest, but I guess that is to be expected. These two pictures side by side... :king: :king: :king:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/280458008809701388/349343242535567380/shen3cave.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/280458008809701388/349343255583916055/shen2cave.png

I tried it! It works fine!

Thanks for the work!

Actually, I think this trailer has been received fairly well by people of a sane disposition. I sometimes peruse rllmuk, a forum that kind of started out life as an EDGE magazine forum I think, and which members regularly refer to as the second cuntiest forum on the internet. Indeed I can attest to the level of cuntiness on that forum, they absolutely laughed me out of town during the old #giveyutheshenmuelicense (love that hashtag) days, it was so bad I actually cried. But just reading their reactions to the new trailer now, and it's almost entirely, overwhelmingly positive. And they aren't the easiest crowd.

The trailer has also gone down very well on here for the most part, so really, I think it's probably just loonies on neogaf that seem to think this trailer is 'ass'. And it was inevitable really. Everything I've seen of that forum has been fairly ridiculous and loony, and Shenmue 3, a small budget game yet with impossible hype and 15 years worth of dreams on it's shoulders, was always going to be an easy target for their bile.

The trailer is fantastic, it's pleased 99% of Shenmue fans, so there's no need to worry at all. It's looking lovely :oops:

One (hopefully) last tweak of the Crouching Phoenix trailer:

https://youtu.be/TbAy3yODuvo

I cut out the lake even though the environment looks really good just because it didn't fit with the flow of the trailer. Added some text for "epic feel" and so I don't have to rely on janky slo-mo to match images with music.

Game Watch published a very interesting interview with Suzuki-san, the interview took place during Gamescom 2017 and includes some really insightful and interesting information about Shenmue III, here's a short summary of it:


⋅  The released Shenmue III teaser footage is real-time in-game graphics.
⋅  All charterers models are temporary and subject to change.
⋅  Facial animations were initially implemented but have been removed about a month ago.
⋅  The teaser was especially made for Gamescom 2017, no further plans to show more of the game at this year's Gamescom or Tokyo Game Show. However, a full-scale promotion will take place next year.
⋅  Deep Silver will publish the game internationally, and they'll provide budget and promotional support. A publisher for Japan is to be decided.
⋅  Suzuki-san would like to continue the series in Shenmue IV if possible.
⋅  Suzuki-san is not interested in forcing the Shenmue story to complete in Shenmue III.
⋅  Shenmue III will take around 30 hours of gameplay to complete.
⋅  The fighting engine in Shenmue III is being built from scratch, and unlike Shenmue II it won't use the Virtua engine.
⋅  A system that allows phone calls with characters from Shenmue and Shenmue II is planned for Shenmue III.
⋅  Suzuki-san would like to bring as many voice actors from the previous games as possible, but some are retired now, he will audition a new voice actress for Shenhua.
⋅  OST from Shenmue and Shenmue II will probably be reused in Shenmue III.
⋅  The new partnership with Deep Silver is strong and it's aimed to improve the Shenmue III experience beyond what was initially planned on the Kickstarter.

Finally, Suzuki-san asks the fans to continue their support, and promises to do his best to make a good game out of Shenmue III.

I have a very strong feeling that 2018 will be the year of Shenmue ...

Update:
Switch has kindly translated the original interview

Here it is, a full translation of the GAME Watch interview. Enjoy!

http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/08/game-watch-interview-with-yu-suzuki.html

http://i.imgur.com/sCek1CHl.jpg

Thanks Switch!

Doesn't seem like we'll be getting the backer demo soon, but I like that Yu is considering a What's Shenmue-style bespoke quest. That'd be a great treat for fans who backed that tier.

Thanks again Switch!

Sounds like we'll have something big when we finally be able to play the game. Sounds very ambitious everything he is telling and I like the idea of the recalls that will have Ryo.

I'm always confident in the master Suzuki.

You're the man, Switch! Thanks a ton once again.

So, this quote from the Famitsu Gamescom interview probably means Deep Silver is funding all the remaining stretch goals and then some.

With Deep Silver to become our partner, I realized that we would be able to aim even higher than our initial goals. However, for that additional development time would be needed, so in order for us to adopt these, I set the release timing to the last half of 2018.

If that's true, this is truely fantastic news.

Great interview! Thank you very much Switch! Quick and efficient as the fox, as usual!

I just can't wait to chop wood (seriously!) and do some frogs race. :mrgreen:

That said, apart from hearing only exciting things about Yu's vision for Shenmue 3 gameplay, I'm a little bit surprised that apparently not everything has been decided about the "how".

My feeling is that they are going to struggle with the second half of 2018 release date, but again, I'm fine if they need more time for a release in 2019 (20 years after the first Shenmue!).

Now please SEGA... bring those damn remasters quickly!

Great job, as always, Switch! Thanks a lot!

This is a great interview. The fact that the Deep Silver partnership will allow for a more ambitious game is extremely exciting. Personally, I wouldn't mind if they delayed the game yet again, to 2019 (or maybe even 2020), if that meant that Shenmue 3 would be every bit as amazing and ambitious as the first two games.

Great interview Switch... I'm also excited for wood chopping. Hehe Now that there is more funding the game will probably be much bigger than intended.

Big thank you to Mr. Switch, as always.

This new Deep Silver funding may be the biggest news in Shenmue history.

Yu-san seemed adamant emphasizing that this new partnership will now enable Shenmue III to aim well beyond initial visions.

From this point forward, we may see drastic enhancements to Shenmue III's production, depth, and scale.

LET'S GET BEEFY !!!

\:D/ \:D/ \:D/

Thank you so much Switch! These news came as a remedy for me...

I was seriously worried by the lack of facial animation, but know I'm confident that there's still much work to do and the team will significantly improve the game.

When worldwide promotion begin, Shenmue would certainly have a total different treatment.

Just another point that worries me... the stories that will be made to tell newcomers about previous games.
Please don't do Street Fighter V cartoon stories like. That's just horrendous. Totally unprofessional on my view.

Switch if i ever meet you, remind me to buy you dinner and a beer. Your contributions to the community are always immaculate.

Great interview.

Anyone posting it to NeoGAF? I was banned after making three innocuous posts about Shenmue 3 two years ago (new account with no other posts). Not sure how you are able to maintain an active account there.

Thanks Switch for your quickness.

Q: Yesterday a teaser trailer for Shenmue 3 was released...

HM: Actually, we jumped the gun on it. [laughs]

YS: There's a huge uproar.

HM: It was really planned for today [the first day of Gamescom].

YS: Boy oh boy...

Glad they don't looked affected by the bad reception!

Thanks again for another translation!

I really hope the mainstream gaming media picks up on this.

Another great translation, of an equally great interview. Lots of insight, lots of reassurance.

Thanks a million, thanks a ton, thanks, thanks, thanks.... when will come the next interview Switch? lol

I've been playing Shenmue II for about fourteen years, and I just noticed the poem in the Thousand White Church. I took a photo with my phone, here's the poem:

A happy new year
Today is fine
Gone with window
A happy new year
Today is fine
Gone with window
Refining the vegetables
Refining the vegetables


http://i.imgur.com/TBtRElI.jpg

Oh man, I'm still a bit exhausted from the trip and the whole event.

It was amazing to meet you guys! I was just too thrilled to have the chance to get together with other fans and to see Yu Suzuki in person, shake hands with him. I must've looked totally freaked out all the time. And then out of all the people they had to chose me, posing with Yu Suzuki, as the first picture in the article on that Japanese website... 8-[

I'll post some of my photographic impressions of the Gamescom compiled into a little video later today. Still trying to process all of this and catch up with everything here. I'm just so happy that everything worked out so nicely! =D>

The left side of the screen has others characters too apparently. Is the second one Chai???

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
Spoilers below - some more characters.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DH_TOTcXUAAyU1Y.jpg:large

Super interesting. Zoomed in a lot on this picture. The power point presentation itself is named New Characters 22-08-17. By looking at the page scroll on the left hand side, and by counting the amount of slider also, it looks like they have around 14-15 characters already model in this presentation!

If you look at the characters from the 4th and 5th slides, It looks like they match the concept art of those found on the boards in one of the screen shots? That could confirm that YSnet are using the boards as placeholders to show where those characters should go. (I can't find the image where someone zoomed in on the boards though :sad: ?).

This interview from 4gamers.net is going to be super interesting, we are so luck to have Switch in this community! Our hero! haha!

Hello guys,

2 new interviews have been posted on Japanese websites. Full translations will most likely be done by Switch I think, but I've decided to translate some stuff quickly on my free time.

Hope you'll like it !

https://s2.postimg.org/6be2u47rt/003.jpg

From Dengeki :

- Anticipated things (best 3) : 1. Continuation of the story, 2. Open World, 3. Forklifts

- Suzuki san thought at first that it'd be difficult to have something like an open world (because of the budget), but with the recent partnership with Deep Silver and development's improvements, he might be able to provide something that has the atmosphere of an open world. Volume of the 2nd area that we can see in the PV should be around 3 times bigger. That's also why they had to announce the delay, because the game's content has been improved and they need more time

- In the "Shenmue World", players can earn money through different ways like gambling, selling items (to a pawn shop for example) and purchase new moves (scrolls) to get stronger and beat a boss

- He's also talking about Shenmue's logo changes. "My father wrote Shenhua's kanji (莎花). And my mother worked on the "愛すべき友を持て" (Keep friends, those you love, close to you) calligraphy. However, I thought it'd be great if I could do it myself this time

https://s2.postimg.org/z2awk6dll/shenmue3_006_cs1w1_900x360.jpg

https://s2.postimg.org/6qty0vj2x/shenmue3_007_cs1w1_900x206.jpg

- Players who haven't played the first two games will have no problem playing the 3rd one. For Shenmue II, we added a 15 minutes movie of the first Shenmue so players could catch up, but this time we'll work on something more simple based on images and texts

https://s2.postimg.org/qmpxgf049/009.jpg

4Gamer :

Can you tell us why you decided to work with Deep Silver ?

- Suzuki san : We worked on the Kickstarter Campaign right after announcing the game and it was a success. However, it's difficult to do an open world with the budget we had, that's why we kept looking for a partner. They already worked with Sega in the past and they were a recommandation from people I trust

- About improvements, Suzuki san is providing an example. For the 2nd city we are going to visit in the game, they planned around 50 to 60 NPC, but now, this number could reach 200

- Shenmue III will start 6 hours after the end of Shenmue II

Other things are mostly stuff we already know like the phone calls etc.

Original links :

Dengeki

http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/001/580/1580312/

4Gamer

http://www.4gamer.net/games/305/G030593/20170824023/

That's it for now. Have a nice day !

- Pinball, punching ball and whac-a-mole as mini games.
- The new QTE system consists of QTEs based on "sounds" and "lights".

source: http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/700176/ga ... ritage.htm

We did it!

For the exact wording:

As for anything released at gamescom, it will be made immediately available for the public. No worries there!

I think the key word is released here. The extended trailer hasn't been released. Kinda the opposite, kept captive.

All in all, it's not the biggest deal in the world. They've followed the letter of what they said, even if not exactly the spirit of it, and that's perfectly within their rights. Especially when they do need to play the media game, and give the press something to chew on.

As for it leaking out via phone, if it hasn't already it's not gonna, not by the media or Peter. The only way it would have anyway was if YSnet were okay with it, and if that was the case they could maybe have released the whole thing in the first place. If the media secretly films it, it's a breach of integrity and could get the leaker fired. If Peter films it, it's a breach of the trust of Yu Suzuki so he's obviously not going to do that.

We'll have to live without that extra minute & change for now.

We may get a treat by the end of the year according to what Suzuki San says in this interview:

https://www.gamekult.com/actualite/yu-suzuki-le-plus-difficile-est-de-creer-de-bons-personnages-3050797909.html

Tout d'abord, j'aimerais savoir pourquoi vous avez choisi de ne diffuser qu'une version raccourcie de la vidéo que vous venez de me montrer ? Est-ce une question de marketing ou une éventuelle exclusivité pour les soutiens de Kickstarter ?

First of all, I would like to ask why you've decided to publish a short version of the video you have just shown us? Is it a marketing strategy or maybe it's meant to be an exclusivity for the Kickstarter backers?

Il discute un peu avec son traducteur, également responsable de la partie business d'Ys Net, qui prend le relais pour répondre) C'est une bonne question ! Il n'y a pas de raison particulière, honnêtement, mais certaines personnes pensent qu'il est un peu tôt pour montrer la version longue. L'idée derrière ce teaser pour la gamescom était avant tout d'accompagner l'annonce de notre partenariat avec Deep Silver. On voulait surtout montrer qu'on a désormais un meilleur soutien financier, que l'équipe est prête et que le projet avance. Nous sommes restés discret pendant trop longtemps et je trouve qu'il était important de montrer quelque chose pour ce salon, sans que ce soit une véritable stratégie marketing.

Yû Suzuki (en anglais) : Peut-être qu'on va réaliser une version plus peaufinée et plus longue de cette vidéo pour la fin d'année, un vrai trailer promotionnel.


... (I'm not translating the first part since it's basically something Yu did explain already about the fact that the teaser was meant to show they are making progress since they were relatively quiet since then and it was to come with something substancial now that they have signed a deal with Deep Silver.
There are also people within the team who think it's too soon for showing the long version of the trailer.

Yu Suzuki (in English): We may create a longer and more polished version of this video for the end of the year, a real promotional trailer.

Place your bets... PSX, Christmas backer update?

PS. If you are interested in a translation of the rest of this interview, I can do it tomorrow morning ;)

http://i.imgur.com/BW3hAi7.png

Dojo contributor Switch has translated three new interviews with Shenmue director Yu Suzuki from this years Gamescom. Executive producer Hideaki Morishita also makes an appearance to discuss certain aspects of the development process.

These interviews include (but are not limited to) the latest information on character models, gameplay duration and scope.

GAME Watch Interview | GAME*Spark Interview | Dengeki Online Interview | Shenmue 3 Teaser

VG24/7 Yu Suzuki interview:

https://www.vg247.com/2017/08/25/shenmue-3-open-world-dead-eyed-characters-shenmue-4/

A big part of Shenmue 3 for fans is nostalgia. How do you bridge the gap between nostalgic nods and new stuff? The first two games are quite unique in that you really have an all-new cast in each game, but that isn’t so good for nostalgia…

Yeah, this time we will see a lot of new people in the game. But at the same time, you can make a phone call to the characters of Shenmue 1 and 2. When you call those older characters, all of the images come up as your flashback, your memory.

In the form of original screenshots, or new recreations of those scenes?

Movie, a movie from the original.

The environments look fantastic, but there’s been a lot of chatter about the character models this week. What do you have to say to that? Are improvements coming?

You know, to be honest… the faces, they’ve not been properly deployed yet. This is a behind-the-scenes story, but up until a point 2 months ago the face motion has been removed. The developer changed some structure to the bones of the character model, and this caused a problem. Because of the problem, we decided to stop working on face animation for now.

[Suzuki opens his laptop and brings up an internal, unreleased development video showing facial animation tests for Ryo and Shenhua. The animations look fairly decent, and certainly avoid the dead-eyed stares seen in the recent Shenmue footage or Andromeda-style exaggeration.]

This is still the sample model, the older one, but… this is a test. We’re going to make this even better. We’re incorporating about 11 different types of face motion, and we’re working towards that. That will be improved a lot.

...

https://www.gamekult.com/actualite/yu-suzuki-le-plus-difficile-est-de-creer-de-bons-personnages-3050797909.html

Interview context: Gamekult is shown an extended version of the trailer with additional scenes and QTEs with "work in progress" mark. Then the interview begins with Suzuki and his English translator.

https://i.imgur.com/jseQm8Q.jpg

Gamekult: First of all, I would like to know why you decided to publicly publish a short version of what you just showed us privately? Is it for marketing purpose or a future backer exclusivity?

(Suzuki begins to talk to his translator who is also in charge of the business side of YSnet. The latter takes the floor.)

YSnet businessman: That's a good question! Honestly, there's no specific reason but some people think showing the extended version is too early. The idea behind the trailer was to announce our partnership with Deep Silver. We aimed to reveal that we got a better financial support. We have been silent for too long so it was important to show something at Gamescom while it's not a real marketing strategy.

Yu Suzuki: We may create an improved and longer version of the video for the end of the year. A true promotional trailer.

GK: After watching the video, I now wonder how you proceed with animation in Shenmue 3. Do you use motion capture, handmade animation or both? Are you working with an outsourcing studio or do you have your own motion capture studio?

YS: We use motion capture as working base then we make adjustments. Everything is captured internally although we do not have a true motion capture studio. We're using a magnetic capture tool because it needs less space to work so we can easily proceed in an open space. However, we are certainly going to use a real motion capture studio for the most important action scenes.

GK: Are you working with outsourcing studios? For instance, TOSE or Virtuous.

YS: We have our own team where people from various companies are working. In general, everything is made internally. The goal is to avoid outsourcing.

GK: How many people are working in the team?

YS: Sorry but I can't tell you any figure.

GK: How will your partnership with Deep Silver benefit Shenmue III? Is the original project going to evolve?

YS: To be honest, we just signed the contract. We have yet to know what Deep Silver can bring us exactly but we hope it's significant (laughs). From a business point of view, we should take advantage of their international network and their communication expertise since they have a great record with Japanese studios.

GK: How will you proceed to make the game interesting for the fans as much for the newcomers? Can we start Shenmue III without having played the previous episodes?

YS: We plan to insert images and videos from previous episodes in ingame situations, something like memories. One of the ideas consists of inserting visuals when you're phoning characters from Shenmue I & II.

GK: Yakuza 3 proceeded differently with cinematic buildups to summarize the story of Yakuza 1&2. I wonder if Shenmue 3 can proceed the same way but the visual contrast between cinematics and the gameplay would be obviously significant.

YS: I still don't know how it may look on screen but it's a possibility. Anyway, we'll decide our own way to proceed.

GK: What will the Shenmue III main themes be? Storywise, is there any particular event or topic you're willing to set up?

YS: It's faster to show you. (Suzuki starts his PC and launches a slideshow) Here we go, the three key points of the game are romance, characters' life and martial arts. Then my main goal is to use the latest advancements in technologies to express feelings through gaming situation. Today there are even more ways of expression but also more challenge with the modern tools. With Unreal Engine 4, the most challenging part is to create good characters.

GK: You mean, using your own engine when you're working on Shenmue I&II was easier than using a foreign third-party engine?

YS: Yes, absolutely!

GK: So far, have you programmed with your own hands?

YS: I created some algorithms and little prototypes but I'm not working at the heart of coding. I worked on an artist's AI who appears in the game, NPC behaviors and some combat scenes. But my main job is research. The final code is written by people who are more skilled than me.

GK: About visuals, how far do you think you are from the final state?

YS: First of all, I confirm that everything related to the characters is temporary. Then I would like to say that, in order to reach the best possible result from a technical point of view, we need a lot of resources, way more than we currently have today. That's why I'm trying to find a balance between visual quality and the other key points of the game, especially what makes the gameplay singular and different from the other productions.

GK: About environment size and interaction volume, how would you rate Shenmue 3 compared to the Dreamcast episodes?

YS: I would say that the game is as wide and dense as Shenmue 1&2... On further consideration, it will even be richer. The time of play is more difficult to estimate since each player has his own pace and may progress differently with all the side quests available. I think more than 20 hours will be needed.

GK: In order to make Shenmue 1&2, you traveled several times in China. Did you travel again for Shenmue III or are you using mainly archives and memories?

YS: I went back to China two years ago, when the project did start. (Suzuki is searching his PC folders to find photos of mountain landscapes, old buildings and busy streets) As you can see, we reproduced some roofs of tiles in the last video. I really would like to display as much characters as those you can see in these photos! (laughs)

GK: If you were going to leave Japan to live in another country, would you choose China?

YS: Not China, no. (laughs)

END OF INTERVIEW

Video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txUktzVlAIc

Didn't see a dedicated thread for this so...

Full interview:

https://www.vg247.com/2017/08/25/shenmue-3-open-world-dead-eyed-characters-shenmue-4/

The bit we've all come for:

The environments look fantastic, but there’s been a lot of chatter about the character models this week. What do you have to say to that? Are improvements coming?

You know, to be honest… the faces, they’ve not been properly deployed yet. [b]This is a behind-the-scenes story, but up until a point 2 months ago the face motion has been removed. The developer changed some structure to the bones of the character model, and this caused a problem. Because of the problem, we decided to stop working on face animation for now.

[Suzuki opens his laptop and brings up an internal, unreleased development video showing facial animation tests for Ryo and Shenhua. The animations look fairly decent, and certainly avoid the dead-eyed stares seen in the recent Shenmue footage or Andromeda-style exaggeration.]

This is still the sample model, the older one, but… this is a test. We’re going to make this even better. We’re incorporating about 11 different types of face motion, and we’re working towards that. That will be improved a lot.

Romance is a key theme? I know what we're all thinking here...Finally we'll see the softer side of Chai and Lan Di!