Shenmue 3 Kickstarter Update 48

[Spaghetti]

All in all, I think we should be careful about how we use the term 'Chapter' in this series from now on. There have been a few different chapter structure over time... Gets kinda confusing.

Agree with this completely. It's too much of a nebulous term at this point.

[Yokosuka]

All in all, I think we should be careful about how we use the term 'Chapter' in this series from now on. There have been a few different chapter structure over time... Gets kinda confusing.

Since the Chinese community translated the VF RPG archives, the Yu's explanations (that no one understood before) make finally a lot of sense though. Things have never been (or looked) so clear.

At the moment, the smoke is further surrounding the "branched story line".

[iyapol]

Still using that horrible logo font, I see.

Anyway... Hoorah! We finally got our November update!

[Kiske]

Had some time to kill during lunch time...

Just cropped and doubled the picture dpi for a better "lisibilty".

[James Brown]

I assume this was in the context of the 11 VFRPG Chapters. As chapter 3 there is the cut train chapter, it definitely makes sense not to mention it, as it doesn't really happen in the story we got (Seems as though the boat chapter isn't being taken into account anymore, either).

The deleted Chapters 3 and 4 in Shenmue are likely to be the Chapters 3 and 4 from Virtua Fighter RPG (Su Zhou and Shanghai). I no longer think that the train counts as a chapter in the current story cut. It probably did as an extra-chapter when Suzuki talked about 16 chapters instead 11.

Yeah since the Kickstarter when Suzuki has been talking about chapters it's been along the lines of the 11 chapters of VF RPG/the concept art shown at GDC, like when he talked about Chapter 3 being set on a train during the Nico Nico broadcast (and as is the case with the concept art). Chapter 4 of the concept art shows 4 fighters, one of who might be Lan Di, but I assume the other 3 fighters were changed to the street fighters Ryo must defeat in Kowloon, and Disc 4/Guilin was the beginning of Chapter 5 as you can see Shenhua and Ryo in the forest on the Chapter 5 concept art. In this context Shenmue III being two chapters might mean it'll be about the same length as Shenmue II which in this context is Chapter 2 and bits of 4 and 5.

What confuses me is that he's going off the changes to the chapter structure he made back in 2000 for Shenmue 2. Why is there no definitive chapter system for the games we have and will have. Every time he talks about the original chapters, I feel like we're missing parts of story and getting cut content, where actually, he's actually adapting the story, and making changes. Yu must have the story down to a tee at this point, and we've already had chapter 1 in Shenmue 1, i'd rather him just say, what we played in Shenmue 2 was chapters 2-4, and Shenmue 3 is going to continue the story at the start of chapter 5, with 6 more chapters to come. When it's actually written on the box of Shenmue 1, and actually makes part of the title of the game, the constant chapter debate between fans since the first game is weird for a chapter based game

[LuisSkywalker]

I don't know if this is the proper topic but whatever.

In the campaign page of the kickstarter Project there is a list of gameplay requirements with money on the side. As the the kickstarter has arrived at 6.3 million, the things that are left up to 11 million will be included in the final game? maybe that part is financied by private fundings or shibuya productions?

[Yokosuka]

I don't know if this is the proper topic but whatever.

In the campaign page of the kickstarter Project there is a list of gameplay requirements with money on the side. As the the kickstarter has arrived at 6.3 million, the things that are left up to 11 million will be included in the final game? maybe that part is financied by private fundings or shibuya productions?

Shibuya Productions has currently no sources of income so I wouldn't bet on them.

Perhaps the Shanghai conference and the silence around the paypal are indicative of something positive in the backstage but considering the campaign history and the Sega rights issue, I would say no chance. I add that seeing Call of Duty, Madden, Fifa, Star Wars dominating the top charts these days is discouraging for any potential investor.

[Peter]

Shibuya Productions is the main investor.
https://twitter.com/cedricbiscay/status ... 6371873792

[Spaghetti]

I don't know if this is the proper topic but whatever.

In the campaign page of the kickstarter Project there is a list of gameplay requirements with money on the side. As the the kickstarter has arrived at 6.3 million, the things that are left up to 11 million will be included in the final game? maybe that part is financied by private fundings or shibuya productions?

Nobody really knows if YSnet got additional funding from a new source after the Kickstarter ended, but it seems Shibuya's investment is probably related to start-up costs (as in, buying equipment, properly outfitting an office or work space) and licencing the Shenmue IP from SEGA. That isn't an insignificant cost, and likely was essential to get to the point of even having the Kickstarter in the first place.

We do know that Yu is experimenting with game elements from stretch goals that have not yet been hit. It's possible external funding came in and they haven't talked about it (and why would they? It is of zero concern to the press, or even backers), or it could be a result of being able to stretch the Kickstarter money further than they originally thought (as has been claimed by Yu at some point after the campaign ended).

At this stage, it's a case of waiting for the final game and seeing what un-hit stretch goal features made it in.