Why is Disc 2 so short?

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Why is Disc 2 so short?

Postby ShenmueForeseen » Wed May 17, 2017 5:50 pm

Is it me or is Disk 2 so much shorter than 1 and 3?

I've been replaying it and always think this. Basically Disc 2 is just going to the Harbor, finding Master Chen, finding the mirror back home then the whole travel agency scam.

Don't get me wrong I guess you could summarise any of the discs pretty quickly, like the above, but it certainly does feel a lot shorter. It seems odd that they would pack less content in to the disk though compared to the other 2, does anyone know the reasons for this?
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Re: Why is Disc 2 so short?

Postby RyoShenmue » Wed May 17, 2017 10:18 pm

I have no idea myself. Maybe the other two were so completely full that they just needed an extra disk and made three disks, but decided to short change the middle one.

Or maybe there is more "visual" content and or long draw distances that demand more disk then the other two. It has been a while, but I do vaguely remember one disk being noticably shorter than the others.
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Re: Why is Disc 2 so short?

Postby ShenGCH » Thu May 18, 2017 3:29 am

The first disc, played optimally, lasts 3.5 in-game days, and the second, played optimally, lasts 2.5 in-game days, whereas the third lasts, what, seven in-game days? It sure is strange, especially as the third disc contains way more content and events than the other two, so perhaps this was done for reasons both technical and thematic?
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Re: Why is Disc 2 so short?

Postby MiTT3NZ » Thu May 18, 2017 6:07 am

The first disc doesn't include the harbour.
The third disc is set almost exclusively at the harbour.

I could be wrong, but if memory serves right, disc two has the most variation be it secrets, gameplay-wise or assets.

And, as people have pointed out, each begins and ends at a specific point in the same manner as a TV episode or comic book issue.

I suppose the simplest explanation would just be "it's very well crafted."
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