I think this is the point we seriously need to approach YSnet with the idea of firing them. At this point Awesome Japan are about as useful as having literally nobody run the campaign, so even if it's a bit rocky during the transition, literally anything is better than letting these fuckwits bring the kickstarter to a grinding halt.

Admins of ShenmueDojo, Shenmue500K, TeamYu and every other Shenmue fansite need to step up and make it known that this isn't acceptable - fuck, float the idea of us doing it for free. Absolutely anything is better than Awesome Japan cutting a check for this shite.

mjq jazz bar wrote:I'll say that the negativity that's all over the Kickstarter comments probably isn't the most welcome sight to new pledgers.

I'll say that new pledgers do not exist because Awesome Japan are doing absolutely nothing to get them.

I didn't really find any fault with the Twitch stream at all. I think maybe the red shirted man was nervous about having to answer to thousands of fans live, so it's understandable that he seemed a bit awkward. I honestly would be too. The blue shirted gentleman was patient and concise. All in all, Yu Suzuki was very polite and didn't seem at all bothered about the handling of his Q & A, so that's what's important to me.

In retrospect, some people may say that it could have been more polished, but I also find that in business it makes things easier to work with people who have similar rapport and do not make their colleagues or fan base uncomfortable. I wouldn't have enjoyed it if it were someone who didn't understand the gaming industry and were very stiff and parochial. I just chalk it up to a bad case of nerves for these folks.

As far as the questions go, I think perhaps they were addressing the topics that were being asked ad nauseum and were not clarified before. I'm really excited about Corey Marshall and the possibility of all the original voice-over actors. And it would make me very happy to see the HD releases, if possible. I give Yu Suzuki top marks for trying to make his fans happy... he genuinely cares about what we think and do. It's just a shame that some people cannot reciprocate the same respect for him and his team.

Moreover, in my opinion adding more rewards tiers at the going percentage rate (20-25%) could possibly be detrimental to the production cost, considering that the focus would be put toward producing merchandise rather than the actual game even at the ~72% budget schematic. I worry about that, as I see Suzuki and his team scrambling for more ideas in terms of rewards--- each product is going at a considerable markup to cover the ~25% budget set aside for it. But I also understand the consumer model and know that people would like to be aptly rewarded for their investments.

I truly appreciate Suzuki's incredible display of diplomacy and repose. I think between the immense burden of acquiring the rights, putting together a suitable development + financing + public relations team, and pleasing the prospective buyer, he appears verily composed.
http://i.imgur.com/dAnDZhZ.jpg

Which one are you?

drunkensailor wrote: lol @ people yesterday claiming the twitch stream was good in terms of money coming in kon ks

It was but only because it encouraged fans to up their own pledges. But there's only so much they can bleed fans dry before there's nothing left to give and we need to find new backers.

I can't see where that last line helps at all, why say it . I mean, it will only drive a negative feeling in others to have the same feeling. That's how people work, let's just try our best to reach the goals we want. Why not

It's plenty helpful. It's especially helpful for me so that I no longer get emotionally attached to a game that may or may not be shit. After a long line of years waiting - pretty much a decade in my case - I am coming to terms with the honest to God truth: that Shenmue is cursed. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. If the game turns out well, fine. That'll be nice. But at current trajectory, given every single bit of evidence thrown at the wall, it isn't. And I refuse - REFUSE - to be emotionally attached to a game I've been waiting a decade for that turns out to be shit.

I really never considered leaving, but I found South Carmain's rebuttal just as immature - if not more - than my own outburst. I have no idea what his problem is.
Well since you don't give a fuck about this game anymore and I can't remember you posting here when the game was dead I assumed you would be leaving now.

I didn't say i don't care about the game. Also, I can easily still contribute and see where it goes without getting emotionally invested and waiting for disappointment. This doesn't mean I don't "give a fuck" about the game anymore at all, and you can fuck off, personally.
Contribute as in complain people were calling you negative after spending an entire thread telling someone to not be negative?

Anyway in your own words: "this game is fucked" so there's not much point in you hanging around just so you can try and tell people "I told you so". That jab at peter was pretty unwarranted too considering you took a lucky guess and all he was saying was that you're no expert so shouldn't speak with so much certainty on the subject.

I have been streaming Shenmue on the Dojo twitch daily to try to raise awareness to interest new players.

I have posted numerous news, articles, and opinions on III and Shenmue.

I have not seen you do a single thing except ride my tits.

I've already pledged $300 but today I won $1,000 on a scratch ticket!! I'm gonna pledge a lot of it on the third. Maybe $700 to bring my total contribution to $1000!! Today is a good day

Crying.... yep. Just like i was when Shenmue 3 was announced.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/PeterC2005/Shenmue%203%20dinner_zpsnssnyjmg.png

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/PeterC2005/Mobile%20Uploads/Screenshot_2015-07-03-17-11-23_zpsfisfrbbt.png

I'M GOING TO MEET YU SUZUKI IN MONACO!! FUCK!!

Jeff wrote: I mean honestly, is this what you want to see as a chiyomen member?

If it means the team gets more money, I'll learn to live with it.

Looks like you guys are gonna be facing me in Shenmue 3

Fuck it. I'll be immortalized in a game forever.

Upped from $300 to $1500 to get myself in the game. That's a good story to tell the kids and be immortalized for life.

Opened another account to do another $60 for a physical PS4 copy as well.

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

Hey everyone, my brother and I decided to contribute $20,000 for the making of Shenmue III. We spent many hours thinking about whether this is a good or bad decision. We spent $10,000 in 2012 to get our school off the ground and that went a long way. Because of our initial $10,000 pledge, the school received an amazing amount of attention in China, social media and gaming websites. I'll reiterate, We are not wealthy! This was a hard decision. We could have given $20,000 directly to building the school and it's programs but we feel that this pledge will lead to more exposure and support than what we could do through other mediums.

For those who don't know our school yet. We are called The "V.E.T. Program" (Volunteer English Teacher). You can find us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/VolunteerEnglishTeacher?fref=ts&ref=br_tf We teach children and young adults English to help in their educational and career pursuits. Many of these kids come from small villages in the Guilin area and may not have an opportunity to learn elsewhere. You can go to the "about" section on the Facebook page to learn more.

We really need help in reaching our goals. We would love for you to like us on Facebook. We will eventually look outside ourselves and setup a way for donations to be made but we didn't want to distract from the Kick Starter or be overbearing donation hunters.

We decided to make the second $10,000 pledge a character in the game. We don't want to be a character attacking Ryo though. We are going to try and ask Yu Suzuki to let us have one of our Volunteer Chinese teaching assistants be a character in one of the villages. They deserve to be recognized for their hard work. They are volunteers and many of them come from poor rice farms.

We are also hoping that since we will be listed in the credits as a special sponsor that it can have our school with a logo and a website rather than our names.

I don't think any of this would be asking too much. I think it would help get attention to the school. We would love any assistance in helping us achieve this. We also would love to have Yu Suzuki come to the school some day but we won't don't want to be greedy.

Please, help our little school!
http://i.imgur.com/GS7Iwrq.jpg

Note: Index to all completed translations referenced in this thread below.

I've created this thread for anyone to request English translations of anything relating to Shenmue III, so we can share the content of non-English media with the community as soon as possible. This will also make it easier for people to check here to see if there's anything they can help out with.

Request a translation : if you have come across an article / interview etc that hasn't yet had a translation into English, just post its link here.

Working on a translation : anyone is free to help with translation! Your time and effort will be greatly appreciated by all members of the Dojo. Just post a quick reply to let everyone know which item you are working on. Once completed, the translation should be posted to a separate thread for better visibility.

Please double-check that the item is not already being worked on / has not already been translated elsewhere before posting.

Index of English Translations
⋅  GAME Watch interview with YS, 6 June 2015
⋅  Twitch interview with YS, 27 June 2015
⋅  Blog entry by composer Ryuji Iuchi, 2 July 2015
⋅  The Second #youAskYou Q&A
⋅  Spanish language interview with Cedric Biscay, 9 July 2015
⋅  YS tweet, 12 July 2015
⋅  NicoNico video interview with YS, 15 July 2015
⋅  Screen captures from interview with the Shenmue III Video Director
⋅  Screen capture from interview with the Shenmue III Scriptwriter
⋅  Kickstarter Countdown on Twitch video
⋅  Photo caption on YS visit to China
⋅  Dorimaga article about Shenmue, September 2001
⋅  Hanging scrolls in Shenmue games . Also here
⋅  Dreamcast Magazine article about Project Berkley, November 1998
⋅  Famitsu interview with YS, September 2015
⋅  SEGA's founding principle
⋅  YS tweet, 16 September 2015
⋅  SEGA merchandise screen at TGS 2015
⋅  Live Action Ryo & Ren video, August 2000
⋅  "70-man battle"
⋅  Interview with SEGA Holdings COO, Hideki Okamura, 16 November 2015
⋅  Dreamcast stick controller prototype article
⋅  Dreamcast Magazine article on Shenmue Part 1, January 1999
⋅  4Gamer interview with YS, 29 Dec 2015
⋅  Beta Footage "What's Shenmue" video from 1999 subtitled
⋅  Slide from YS event talk at TCIC, March 2015
⋅  Weekly AM2 article: Young Ryo's Meal Recipe, June 2000
⋅  Shenmue VHS Promo video (1988)
⋅  MAGIC Monaco - Shenmue 3 Press Conference
⋅  Yu Suzuki Interview: Bessatsu Shonen magazine, May 2016

Yu Suzuki interview on NicoNico LIVE transcription [2015.07.12]:
(Sorry if there are some english mistakes)

J: Journalist
Y: Yu Suzuki

J: Here’s Yu Suzuki-san, I think he doesn't need introductions. We are still surprised for Shenmue 3 announcement.

Y: Yeah… We waited for 14 years and are very, very excited. Years passed by, and it doesn’t matter where I go, it was always the same, where’s Shenmue 3, Shenmue 3… And I just recently watched a video from the grateful fans all over the world; it was really moving for me, it’s difficult to explain with words.

J: Shenmue was a true revolution for the time, but nowadays it will probably be more difficult to surprise gamers like you did all this years ago right? Please tell us about your origins as a game designer.

Y: At first I didn’t want to become a game designer you know, I wanted to be musician, even dentist… But especially musician, I was very interested in music stuff back then, since very early school days. I even had interest on foreign languages (not Asian languages, written in horizontal, like English). Then I went to different interviews, one of those interviews was in SEGA for programmer stuff, I thought it was very interesting and then I decided that’s what I wanted to do with my life (game designer).

J: So let’s check this slide with different games Yu Suzuki-san created over the years. So incredible names come out, Outrun, Virtua Racing… and so on. We can see back then a lot of them were arcade games right? (like the ones you can find inside Game You/Shenmue Arcade Center)

Y: Yes, back then arcades were very successful, a lot of them were later adapted to consoles and even to Shenmue, including the boxing one.

J: Yeah… Shenmue Arcade Center was truly incredible; we could play games like Outrun, etc., what were you thinking for creating something like that?

Y: Well, back then arcades in Japan had a very negative image on the society, like the kind of dark place where delinquents would meet, bike gangsters and bad guys smoking… I wanted to change that, and at the same time create a new style of gaming. I wanted arcades to be considered like treasures, like Disneyland.

I: Well, you created something truly wonderful! It was a place even girls could enjoy… (Kicked from NicoNico, don’t know if he was referring to real Arcade Centers or Game You)

Y: (…) the evolution of game engines, CG, pseudo-3D sprite-scaling with games like Hang On or Virtua Racing, and then real 3D boards!, full 3D games like Virtua Fighter, back then it was something unbelievable you know. When we were studying on school we were always thinking how awesome it would be to have 3D games. Hang On was kind of 3D, pseudo simulated 3D, and then we created different patterns using different 3D effects, it was very curious, for some time we were creating fully 3D games inside our heads, but the final product was pseudo-3D, not real 3D. Games like Virtua Racing used indirect 3D effects, then for Virtua Fighter we created polygons full contact, full 3D games at last.

J: And all of this starting from scratch right?

Y: Yeah, back then everything was like that, from scratch, we created everything starting from 0, there was no other way.

J: Then with Shenmue you created not only a stage or racing track but a full 3D city to explore.

Y: Normally at first you have to design your initial planning for the game, so you think about the human body, and if it’s a soccer game 11 players per team, and things like that. But with Shenmue we had to think from the beginning on creating a full living city. That was something I wanted to achieve from a long time ago.

J: A game that feels like a full experience right? You created a new genre by the time, it was called FREE, some kind of special RPG style genre?

Y: Well, yes it was an RPG, but I don’t like to call Shenmue like that, it was something completely new, an adventure you needed to experience by yourself. So we decided to call it like that, FREE, a new genre to help people easily understand Shenmue was something completely new, nothing like they knew by then.

J: Let’s talk about Shenmue 3, meetings, reasons, the timing needed to make Shenmue 3 come true…

Y: It’s been already 14 years since Shenmue 2, it was a really long journey. Wherever I go it was always the same, Shenmue 3, Shenmue 3… Then by march/april, is Shenmue 3 finally coming? They wanted Shenmue much more than any other of my previous games, like Virtua Fighter, and I really thought one million possibilities to make it true, there were a lot of things to deal with, budget problems, licensing problems with SEGA, etc. After continuously thinking for 14 years then I decided to make it via Kickstarter, that way we could get the budget we needed via crowdfunding and finally create Shenmue 3.

J: I see (sorry). And fans from all around the world joined forces to become this project a reality. During E3 Shenmue 3 announcement there were some unbelievable reactions don’t you think?

Y: Yes, I couldn’t see that reactions LIVE because I was waiting behind the main stage, and before Shenmue 3 there were some awesome games announcements like Final Fantasy VII, I could hear really big reactions so I was very nervous about Shenmue and how the people would react. But then, it happened, I remember screams all over the place… after Shenmue music started it was like an explosion… It was too much for me, I couldn’t bear it and started to cry backstage.

J: I could imagine Yu’s happiness just by looking at those emotions from all over the world.

Y: Indeed, it was truly awesome. Also, a lot of Shenmue fans from a lot of countries learned a lot from Japan and even started to study japanese and eventually moved to Japan thanks to playing the game. Specially Shenmue II using japanese voices and english subtitles helped foreigners to learn at least some well repeated japanese phrases and expressions. I even know some incredible stories, folks who dreamed to get married in Japan with someone like Nozomi, and eventually they did it! It makes me really happy to hear stories like that.

I: Congratulations for all you’ve achieved during your life Yu Suzuki-san. Now please tell me, what was Shenmue I and II original staff reactions after Shenmue 3 announcement on E3?

Y: They sent me LINE messages like ‘congratulations!!’ or things like that, some of them are living abroad, and they were super excited and relieved for the good news. Also, like I said before recently I saw a 20 minutes video with Shenmue fans from all over the world thanking me for making Shenmue 3, I was very moved by their feelings, it was incredible.

J: It’s unbelievable don’t you think Yu Suzuki-san? What a game can achieve…

Y: Indeed. Maybe it is something you can’t make outside of videogames. It is more than just good graphics or sounds, inside the game you create some kind of bond between the story and the spirit of the player, I think that’s awesome.

J: Let’s talk about the real condition of cities like Yokosuka. Kind of nostalgic feeling don’t you think? How things have changed all over Japan since 1986. Now we have incredible places like Mirai Kan, etc.

Y: Yes, Japan changed in a lot of ways. And let’s not forget Japanese and Asian people have very different beliefs and traditions than the ones from foreigner countries. Probably those differences also helped foreign fans to learn to love Shenmue, trying to understand a country so much different than theirs. Also, internet and technology helped a lot to unify the world and making it easy to understand those differences. Going back to Yokosuka and old Japan, for example if you go back in time 80 years, there are not so many records, and (…) Yokohama and ‘Yoko’ Kanji (??) (Kicked from NicoNico)

J: And you can immortalize the atmosphere of those years inside the game right?

Y: Yes, using 3D and techniques like motion capture we tried to capture and recreate that atmosphere from old times the best we can.

J: No doubt you did it. I think you can really feel the japanese Showa era (1926-1989) inside Shenmue. Please tell us more about your relations with producers and staff before the Shenmue 3 announcement.

(From now on NicoNico started to kick me a lot, not using a premium account + too many viewers…)

Y: With Hirai-san we are wine friends (laughs), and always ended talking about Shenmue no matter the situation. We wanted to make Shenmue 3 from the beginning, and we know now it’s a life time opportunity to finally continue this project and making it come true after all these years.

J: And you reunited all the original Shenmue staff. That’s incredible, I think only someone like Yu-san could achieve something like that. Now, please tell us more about crowdfunding and Kickstarter. Aside from Ys Net almost all the Shenmue 3 budget will be thanks to the fans effort right? Let’s check how it works (slide, lot of explanations, credit card system, different stretch goals, etc.).

Y: There’s still 1 Monaco dinner left (laughs). We are now approaching 5m, and the funds amount will impact directly on the final game. But I want to make the best game possible with the budget we reach. I want to thank every one of you who helped Shenmue 3 coming this far. Shenmue 3 is now true thanks to all of you who never stopped believing and supporting Shenmue. We are creating three big areas inside Shenmue 3 and a lot of features based on our budget. We really want to create an open world game, but that really depends directly on the final budget. We need 10 millions to make it, I know it’s very difficult, but I’m very grateful with Shenmue fans, and now I really believe in miracles, I believe we can make it, together.

J: Also let me add this Yu Suzuki-san, please, try to involve your friends in the project, a lot of people around the world still don’t know about Shenmue 3 on Kickstarter. Yu-san needs 10 million to create the game he has been dreaming since the beginning, so let’s all together make it true. I already pledged! Let’s help him create the Shenmue 3 he dreams of! C’mon, now is our chance!, we are the fans, we are united, we can make this come true (yes, he was really excited at this point of the interview, you can really tell he’s also a big Shenmue fan =) ) Oh, sorry, I think I speaked a little too much. (…) Please tell us more about the game concept; there will be real time system right? And the story? Will it begin just after Shenhua & Ryo event at the cave?

Y: Thank you very much. Yes, Shenhua & Ryo have a very powerful objective in common related to Shenhua’s father past. Finally we can focus on Shenhua’s story and her past, something Shenmue fans were waiting since the original Shenmue. Some things are still being decided right now, but I want to start the game in the beautiful mountains of Guilin in China, and deepen into the relation between Shenhua & Ryo, the free selection system, and the character perspective system. (Kicked from NicoNico) Inside these 3 areas one of them is Baisha, and then Chobu, where I want to make some kind of China sandbox game inside Shenmue 3, an area full of events, quests and possibilities, a sandbox with Shenmue charm, that’s what I’m aiming for. (…) There is a sandbox image like something complicated… This is not the case for Shenmue. If you go back into Shenmue I or Shenmue II the battle system was not a timing technical game like Virtua Fighter, and the player can go through the story with simple mini events like QTE, it’s a game everybody can plan and enjoy. Sandbox? Seems difficult, complicated… But everybody can enjoy Shenmue 3!

J: What about character perspective system?

Y: We can choose our character thanks to the characters system on Shenmue 3, and it’s not only the character, the routes we can follow are also different, and the personality of different characters and their gender will make us choose between different options. At some point you will think “Yeah! That would probably be a man’s choice!”, or the opposite if you’re using a female character. That’s the charming point of this system.

J: So interesting! So many characters and possibilities… Oh, and now Ryo can jump right?

Y: Yeah, and climb mountains.

J: Please tell us more about forklifts (laughs).

Y: Forklifts (laughs). Yeah, everybody asks for it. You know, in the top 3 the most wanted things by Shenmue fans would be, 1st: Story related things, 2nd, Open World doubts, 3rd, forklifts (laughs), in that order. Even I can’t fully understand why it’s so popular! I’m thinking different ways to make them appear on Shenmue 3, but with the present Shenmue 3 scale is not easy to implement. Maybe in Chobu… Chobu is a port town, but it’s still too small to think about forklifts, maybe if we get more budget we can make it true.

J: Something like 5 more millions?

Y: Yes (laughs). I also want to include an Arcade Game Center from 1988, with SEGA games inside, and one of them could be a forklift arcade game invention, I’m also thinking crazy ideas like that (laughs).

J: Awesome! Let’s check some fans questions… Masaya Matsukaze return, yes… (keeps checking…)

Y: (Yu checks fan questions by himself) Chai returning to the game? Yes! Chai appers in Shenmue 3! (laughs).

(Kicked from NicoNico)
Y: One justice (…) Five… (???), a lot of objectives. (Yu then explains more detailed information for Japanese fans about the Kickstarter system, different rewards, the special place in Baisha with Shenmue fans photos, NPC fan based characters that got kicked by Ryo and stuff). (…) I also want to say that people who never got into Shenmue I and II will still be able to fully enjoy Shenmue III, for example using flashbacks to advance in the story, everyone will be able to understand what’s happening and progress into the wonderful world of Shenmue. And this is also very important, we can call Ine-san with Telecom card! (Yu check some comments…), no, she’s not dead! (laughs), but maybe her voice will be a little different. Also, remember that instead of Nozomi you can choose to be with Ine-san or Fuku-san for the gashapon reward! (laughs)

J: Can’t wait for Shenmue 3…

Y: We are doing our best to release the final game by the end of 2017. Finally, let me say Ryo’s aspect will fully change, including his jacket. And please, tell your friends and people you know about Shenmue 3, let’s make the best game together! I’m counting with you, always, thank you very much!

This idea that everyone should donate said amount of money is a ridiculous one. If people are supporting with whatever they can, good on them. People need to stop stressing themselves out of the "what ifs" and just appreciate that we have Shenmue 3 now. PayPal after the Kickstarter is over is a possibility. So is Shenmue HD. I honestly am finding some of this talk about the Kickstarter really toxic (many times I've seen people on here just turn on each other and say some horrible or stupid things) and at this stage now, will be glad once it's all finally over, quite honestly.

People should just be happy, for fuck's sake. This is the best time for Shenmue fans... in almost 15 years. Get some perspective, people.

Peter wrote: Aaaaand cue the butthurt....

Was this really necessary? You are a moderator and a leader on this forum. Not agreeing with every single thing on the KS makes people butthurt? Really?

Hey there, I’ve been a member here, since I was about 13years old. Never really posted however, Today I just finished creating a new video, to get people hyped about Shenmue 3
I can’t even explain how happy I am about Shenmue 3 finally coming.
As you all know, there’s only a few days left, so be sure to make your last contributions to the kickstarter

shenmuedojo.com can feel free to request the video, I’ll send high-quality 1080P link for their channel on youtube If they want

This is a revenge/spiritual enlightenment tribute video hope you like it & spread it around: D

http://youtu.be/WXtCjJaiKfA

thanks!

Edit:video improved

I'll still buy Shenmue 3! I'll still play it and own it.

I'm just thinking, maybe I shouldn't invest thousands of dollars in it.

You are such an attention seeker.
Don't want to contribute thousands of dollars? Don't. We're not going to stop you. Stop thinking you can intimidate the Shenmue community by throwing your toys out of the pram and having a little temper tantrum.

You're like the kid at school who brings the football but takes it away and tries to ruin things for everyone because they're loosing.

You are not authorised to read this forum.

I hope he brings up that he was considering pledging thousands, but the video suddenly made him realize Shenmue sucks so he'll grab a preorder in a couple years. We get it, man. A rushed video ruined something you've waited years for. No ones going to beg you to stick around. Things are going swimmingly without you. It sucks you feel betrayed by Yu Suzuki, but none of us can help you.

It's not the stupidest complaint I've seen. There are quite a few people who are upset Ryo might be able to jump.

The next 24 hours is a fuck you to all Shenmue haters everywhere.

Despite a half assed ks campaign handled by morons, being FAR less known in gaming, HUNDREDS of articles spreading misinformation on why you shouldn't support Shenmue III kickstarter, it will go on to become the highest backed game kickstarter of all time and set a new record despite people telling us for over a decade that no one wants nor cares about Shenmue. Far more well known and celebrated franchises and creators have been surpassed and after tomorrow no one will be able to deny Shenmue, its fans, or continue to treat it like a meme despite being the great game franchise of all time.

Eat it.

and I dont care. Anyone else lose their man card last night? What emotions were you feeling while watching the Twitch stream/seeing Yu-san get emotional etc? A night to remember thats for sure, even if I was as emotional as a mid menstrual cycle woman.

Knowing Shenmue 3 will exist is about as exciting as winning the lottery.

I shed a couple of happy tears when the music began playing at E3.
And I wanted to tear up when Yu did last night, but I was with my boyfriend and didn't want to lose my woman card.

By the way I initially spelt tears as "tiers". I'm so kickstarter-ed out.

So after the meeting. Fan "Fei Le" the one who "wrote the Calligraphy and DREW the brush paint" had a dinner with Yu. Get a little more news out of Yu . the information on the forum is not OFFICIAL。 its the speculation of what happen through "Social engineering" with Yu。

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4174420872?pid=79461305564#79461305564

Please let me know if the forum would like to know what happen. Its a lot to translate．if i get a least 10 reply i will translate the whole thing today.

Thanks

PS: FEI LE GET THAT MEAL FOR FREE LOL.

After the press conference in shanghai. I was able to get a little more information about the game from Yu during our meal time.

After I got home. I re-watch the conference and I was able to come up with some my own speculation. Let’s get sweaty.

I made 2 pictures. The first picture is each location of the entire 11 chapter. The second picture is the flow of the entire story line.

http://imgsrc.baidu.com/forum/w%3D580/sign=8cfe190c8c13632715edc23ba18ea056/4ab2a7efce1b9d1660db1fb1f5deb48f8d5464b2.jpg

http://imgsrc.baidu.com/forum/w%3D580/sign=c3375b24b14543a9f51bfac42e168a7b/d524352ac65c1038236d4b12b4119313b17e8947.jpg

From the 2 pictures here is the information I get.
Shenmue chapter break down.
1. Japan Yokosuka
2. Hong Kong
3. Chapter 3 and 4 is (Su Zhou and shanghai) not sure which one come first.
4. Chapter 5 and 6 is ( Guilin)
5. Chapter 7 ( Luoyang ) http://nsa37.casimages.com/img/2015/07/07/150707114637212257.jpg
6. Chapter 8 Cang Zhou Miao village
7. Chapter 9 Xi An
8. Chapter 10 Bei Jin
9. Chapter 11 is Lan Lou ( XinJiang )


3 and 4 was cut which include shu Zhou and shanghai

The last chapter the final battle takes place in ancient city (Lou Lan)

Here is the detail

First. I got all the location and the name of the city from the map of the second picture. Which chapter 3 and 4 is Suzhou and shanghai. And during the meal with Yu. I heard with my own ear that Shenmue 3 will be the story of Shenmue 5 and 6. Therefore 3 and 4 is being cut at this point.

There is a couple of detail worth mentioning here. The Niao Sun character in chapter 6 also appears in chapter 7 which is Luo yan. So Niao Sun follow Ryo to Luo yong ? Is to kill Ryo or help him? Also in chapter 10 the person ryo holds (is it landi or ziming? or someone else) if its LanDi does it mean Ryo defected him and forgive him in the end? Did Ryo reach a new ground of moral conscience? And what happen before that?

Finally I am most curious part of the story is the last chapter. The story takes place in Lou Lan. Note (the Chinese words on the map is Lou Lan not xinjiang) so the story must have a connection with the ancient city of ( LouLan). The ancient city of Lou Lan use to be the ruler for the land of Xing Jiang (it uses to be a country with rich culture and power) but suddenly disappears overnight. Similar like Maya Civilization. It becomes a historical myth.

So if the final battle is taken place there. Is there any connection between the two?

http://f.hiphotos.baidu.com/baike/c0%3Dbaike80%2C5%2C5%2C80%2C26/sign=54f7c6476a061d95694b3f6a1a9d61b4/e4dde71190ef76c65a1944549916fdfaae516782.jpg
Picture of Lou Lan

Finally there is one last detail I would like to share with everyone. During meal time Yu mention he will visitor shanghai and Suzhou, Wuxi, and Xiamen. Notice he mention shanghai and Suzhou the location of the two chapter that is cut from the game. Does that mean he is location scouting these two place? Will he add these 2 missing chapter in Shenmue 4? Will Shenmue 4 be chapter 3 and 4 (sshen1127 I personally don’t think so) we don’t know. But the most important part I think is still the budget. We need to keep support the game that is only way we can get more content from it. One last thing. During the meal time Yu mention in the future he may creator a brand new fighting game. What is that fighting game? I think it might be Shenmue character base fighting game. I believe after all of this set and done. Shenmue will no doubt become a legend of a game!

Peter 蔡 has responded to my request to join the dojo forums. He says he'll be here tomorrow.
Hello everyone, I am so happy to be here :D :D :D . Shenmue dojo is very famous in Chinese shenmue fans club. Today another member or myself will share some pictures about the conference, such as the gifts and paints.

English captions are now added in for the Shenmue III part of the video. (You can use the label at the top of the video to skip straight there).

Thanks to sshen1127 for providing the translations for the Chinese in the Q&A and fan art section.

https://youtu.be/YNkaLCzL6Z8?t=2146

Captions for the first half of the video (which contains material seen previously) are in progress.

Shenmue Dojo & Team Yu went to MAGIC Monaco 2016 to interview Yu Suzuki about Shenmue III.

Click here to read all about it and watch the full video to hear what the head of Ys Net had to say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-_kR2fnYKc


Yu Suzuki speaks on Shenmue III, the role of developers, and the future of gaming

Traduction en français: cliquer ici

Traducción al español por Jose Guerrero:
_________________________________________________________________________
Yu Suzuki habla sobre Shenmue III, el papel de los desarrolladores, y el futuro de los videojuegos

La última vez que jugamos en Shenmue como Ryo Hazuki, se encontraba inmerso en un viaje de descubrimiento en tierras extranjeras, siguiendo el rastro del hombre que alteró inesperadamente el curso de su historia; guiada por los hilos del destino.

Igual de inesperado ha sido para dos representantes de Shenmue Dojo y de Team Yu , tras numerosas coincidencias, verse envueltos en un viaje con el objetivo de dar con el creador de la saga, Yu Suzuki; y lograr así que fuera entrevistado por primera vez por la comunidad angloparlante.

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Al igual que nuestro camino a Mónaco, el camino a Shenmue III ha sido montañoso. Pero gracias a una cascada de eventos: una comunidad fan organizada , el alzamiento de Kickstarter , los equipos de producción 3rd party de Sony, e inversores privados (con Shibuya Productions en cabeza), se pudo construir un túnel que facilitara el acceso a este impenetrable paisaje.

Con la soñada secuela ya en desarrollo. En el MAGIC Monaco organizado por Shibuya Productions (conferencia anual de videojuegos, anime y fandom), pudo verse un nuevo e inédito avance del juego. Al nuevo material le cayó literalmente una tormenta encima, ya que una de las cosas que pudieron verse fue el renovado sistema meteorológico dinámico; una vieja y célebre característica de la saga.

Cuando preparábamos nuestra entrevista (la que existe gracias a los veteranos de ShenmueMaster.fr , ¡os debemos una!), hicimos una larga lista de preguntas entre las que elegir llegado el día. De tener más tiempo, una de ellas hubiera tenido que ver con una pregunta que Suzuki contestó de forma divertida en su primera aparición en el Shenmue Tweetathon mensual.

Cuando se le preguntó sobre las semejanzas argumentales entre Shenmue y el clásico de Shakespeare Hamlet, Suzuki twiteó : "Lo siento, no he leído Hamlet. Aunque sí que conozco a Hamtaro." Hamtaro es un hámster de animación japonés, y la fuente de muchas de las bromas que hacían más amenas nuestras sesiones de planificación en línea.

Así que llegar a la ciudad y encontrarnos con un póster publicitario del mismísimo Hamlet en mitad de Montecarlo... tuvimos que mirarlo por lo menos dos veces ante nuestro desconcierto.

Y una vez empezamos a ver cosas, no pudimos parar.

Un coche negro esperando fuera del hotel. Trabajadores ajustando un cartel en mitad de la calle. Máquinas expendedoras de Cocacola y de cápsulas con juguetes cerca del lugar de la conferencia. Pasos de piedra encima del agua en un jardín japonés cercano. Máquinas recreativas con volantes y réplicas de motos, sin olvidarnos del juego de Kung-Fu Panda titulado Mojo Dojo.

Pero, por supuesto, solo nos podemos percatar de este tipo de referencias con la predisposición adecuada. En junio, haciendo escala por Seattle en su camino al gran anuncio de Shenmue III en el E3, el equipo de crowdfunding del juego estuvo imbuido por la ironía cuando se dieron cuenta de que la puerta de embarque de su vuelo era la S3.

Pero por fortuna para nuestra salud mental, las tempranas previsiones meteorológicas que indicaban que nuestro encuentro en Mónaco caería en un día el que la nieve dejaría paso a la lluvia no eran del todo acertadas, ya que finalmente no cayó nada de nieve. Las correctamente predichas gotas de agua impidieron que pudiéramos grabar escenas en el exterior para nuestro vídeo ; pero podréis leer lo que hicimos en forma de relato en multitud de idiomas para saber más detalles y sorpresas que no hemos cubierto aquí.

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Al llegar al MAGIC, nosotros; Peter, contribuyente de cinco dígitos del Kickstarter y James, fundador de la campaña #SaveShenmue ; nos sentimos sobrepasados positivamente por nuestros huéspedes; llevaban unos cosplays increíblemente elaborados, basados en todo tipo de animación, ilustraciones y artes interactivas. Se anunciaron nuevos proyectos en vivo para los emocionados fans, y había colas de gente esperando pacientemente para recibir autógrafos de sus creadores favoritos. Este evento ha sido un refugio y una mina de oro para los apasionados seguidores de un entretenimiento nicho, quienes, por un día multicultural, han venido al Foro Grimaldi como una fusión colorida de descarado entusiasmo.

Y ese es el tipo de dedicación y apego emocional a trabajos de arte moderno que brotó de la mente de Yu Suzuki cuando le preguntamos cómo se sintió, tras quince años de incertidumbre, por estar por fin creando su juego más esperado.

"Creo que a muy pocos desarrolladores del mundo se les brinda este tipo de oportunidad," nos dijo. "Y luego están los fans, que han esperado quince... dieciséis años sin perder la esperanza." En algunos de los vídeos del día del anuncio hay hasta fans llorando de felicidad.

Cuando se le preguntó si ha tenido alguna vez alguna experiencia semejante con alguna historia en una película o libro, nos dijo que no se le ocurría nada que se acercara al sentimiento al que los fans de Shenmue se han acostumbraron tras años de dura espera.

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Cuando hablábamos sobre otros medios de contar historias, le preguntamos cuán de importante era para él completar Shenmue como videojuego; ya que algunos jugones, cansados de esperar ; veían con buenos ojos la posibilidad de conocer el final de la saga en un formato más pasivo.

"Ser un juego es lo más importante," dijo de la saga aún sin conclusión. "Creo que el propósito de Shenmue radica en ser un videojuego." Añadió que, a pesar de ser únicamente uno de los aspectos que conforman Shenmue, recibió muchas preguntas sobre el argumento, así que siempre sintió la responsabilidad de contar cómo concluiría; por ello había considerado otras opciones, como la novela gráfica o el anime.

Ahora que ya ha tomado la decisión de que Shenmue III sea un juego, le preguntamos si el proyecto se ha encontrado con algún reto inesperado. Suzuki nos contestó que, ya que Unreal 4; su motor gráfico preferido; era relativamente nuevo, y disponía de poco soporte en japonés, fue difícil encontrar expertos en su país. "Por suerte, ahora en nuestros despachos tenemos expertos cualificados," dijo sonriendo.

Algo que se sabe de Shenmue III, antes siquiera de saber que motor usaba, era que Ryo por fin podría cambiar su característica chaqueta de cuero por nueva muda de ropa limpia. Pero, ¿hasta donde llegará el nivel de personalización?

"Todavía no hemos llegado al punto en el que nos encargamos de eso, así que es difícil contestar," admitió Suzuki-san, "Pero al menos me gustaría que se pudiera cambiar de ropa. Y sobre Shenhua, como su casa está cerca, si su ropa siempre fuera la misma, implicaría que solo tiene un traje, ¡y eso no sería bueno!"

Suzuki añadió que quiere "crear buenos diseños" para la indumentaria de Shenhua, y cooperar con algún diseñador de ropa real para lograrlo.

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Pero, ¿y qué ocurre con el diseño del juego? A Shenmue se le conoce, para bien o para mal, por popularizar los QTE ; una mecánica jugable que otros desarrolladores suelen usar de forma abusiva; pero que en las aventuras de Ryo estaban implementados de forma intuitiva y natural.

Cuando comparaba el uso de los QTE de la nueva secuela con la de los juegos originales, Yu explicó, "Los conceptos básicos serán los mismos: Es un 'Quick Timer' (temporizador rápido), así que las pulsaciones de botones son fáciles; hasta las personas que no son buenas en juegos de reflejos podrán hacerlo bien. El nivel de dificultad se ajusta automáticamente dependiendo del número de veces que falles, es un sistema que casa muy bien con los juegos narrativos. Aún si eres un jugador malísimo, serás capaz de progresar."

Ampliando sobre el tema, añade: "Lo que describí eran las cosas buenas que tienen los QTEs, pero hay otras con las que no estoy muy contento, estas pulsaciones de botones son demasiado fáciles para los jugones muy muy buenos en juegos donde los reflejos tienen importancia, como en Virtua Fighter. Espero poder solucionar este problema."

Sabemos que los veteranos del Ghost Hall Building de la ciudad Kowloon en Shenmue II disfrutarán de los retos. Pero aquellos sin la habilidad de poder pulsar botones que aparecen solo un instante en pantalla no tienen por qué preocuparse, Suzuki os tiene a cubierto: "Ser fácil está bien, mientras sea divertido".

Cuando le preguntamos sobre el uso de la música en Shenmue III, el maestro explicó: "concibiendo la saga pensé en composiciones musicales que encajaran en las escenas que formarían cada capítulo, es por ello que tenemos bastantes composiciones disponibles, todas magníficas. Me aventuro a decir que ni siquiera el 20% de ellas han sido usadas en Shenmue I y II."

"Con Shenmue III estaremos creando muchas piezas musicales nuevas, pero también le daremos uso a las viejas en las composiciones, por ejemplo. Hay muchas piezas que pegan bien con el concepto original, este es el planteamiento que querría seguir."

Fue música para nuestros oídos saber que, gracias a un pozo inexplorado de pistas musicales producidas al principio de la saga, y a nuevas melodías aún por añadir, la banda sonora digna de salón de fama de Shenmue será aún más épica con el lanzamiento del tercer juego.

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Un sorprendente tema de interés entre los fans desde el comienzo de la campaña de crowdfunding el año pasado ha sido los dos logos que se han usado en avances, páginas web e imágenes promocionales. Uno usaba el estilo a mano tradicional visto en los dos primeros juegos, mientras que el otro es nuevo en la saga, y usaba un estilo con letras más separadas. Con tanta curiosidad al respecto sentimos la necesidad de preguntar a Yu sobre ello.

"El que más me gusta es ese logo," dijo, mientras apuntaba al nuevo logo, en la camiseta de Peter. "El motivo es que, desde hace poco... ¿sabes lo que es la letra cursiva? Ese tipo de letra que se pegan tanto unas a otras entre sí, con el estilo de tu camiseta las letras están separadas entre sí. Dicen que ahora hay muchos jóvenes que no pueden leer la cursiva, es por eso que he decidido separar los caracteres del logo de Shenmue, y así hacerlo más fácil de leer."

Si Shenmue quiere alcanzar nuevas audiencias en estos tiempos, uno de los obstáculos que tendrá que superar es que su nombre no significa nada para los no japoneses que no sepan con antelación de su relevancia. Como su nombre es tan poco conocido en el resto de idiomas, quizás hacerlo más fácil de leer es un paso importante para evitar que los jugadores casuales lo ignoren cuando lo vean en tiendas de videojuegos.

¿Pero es un hecho que Shenmue III se podrá comprar en tiendas físicas y digitales por aquellos que no hayan contribuido en su campaña de crowdfunding? Suzuki se dio bastante prisa en negar cualquier cosa que pudiera sugerir lo contrario: "Sí, por supuesto que podrán."

Aprovechando que salió el tema, le preguntamos si los fans recibirán nuevas recompensas en la campaña Slacker Backer que sigue abierta; como la versión de PC del juego, que está ausente en esta campaña; o la posibilidad de que los contribuyentes de la campaña Kickstarter puedan mejorar el nivel de su recompensa incrementando su donación original a través de PayPal.

Por desgracia, como suele ocurrir en cualquier interacción bilingüe, cuando interpretaron nuestra pregunta para Suzuki-san, esta se transformó en un "¿Se añadirá algo nuevo a la campaña? Como la versión de PC o algún objeto de la campaña de Kickstarter, por ejemplo."

"No puedo decir lo que ocurrirá en el futuro", contestó Suzuki a la interpretación de nuestra pregunta. "Pero no hay nada nuevo planeado por ahora, esta campaña está únicamente dirigida a la gente que no pudo adquirir recompensas, por el motivo que fuera, en la campaña de Kickstarter. Lo que queremos es darles la oportunidad de comprar los mismos objetos, bueno, menos los que son exclusivos de la campaña Kickstarter. Pero quise hacer que los no exclusivos pudieran estar disponibles para aquellos que perdieron la oportunidad con el Kickstarter."

Otro tema candente de discusión entre la comunidad es si Shenmue III tendrá las icónicas escenas de carga de la saga, en las que podían verse la hora y el lugar donde Ryo se encontraba cada vez que entraba en una zona.

Suzuki no tenía planes de incluirlas en el nuevo juego debido a los nuevos avances tecnológicos que han hecho a las escenas de carga obsoletas. Pero tras barajar el tema en nuestra entrevista, añadió: "Entonces creo que son algo muy característico de Shenmue, ¿verdad? lo pensaré mejor."

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Algo que sabemos que sí que hará acto de presencia en Shenmue III es el sistema de Perspectiva de Personaje (Character Perspective), una nueva funcionalidad que se desbloqueó para ser desarrollada tras alcanzar uno de los objetivos extra de la campaña de crowdfunding. Ahora que podríamos tomar el control de los aliados de Ryo por primera vez, nos interesamos en saber cómo de diferente sería la experiencia de jugar como Ren o Shenhua. Por ejemplo ¿el líder de la banda callejera de Hong Kong emplearía un estilo de lucha diferente al del protagonista?

Suzuki confirmó que el estilo de combate de Ren sería diferente al de Ryo, y que Shenhua no pelea, "es inteligente y usa otras tácticas," añadió, antes de explicar que el sistema de Perspectiva de Personaje no es simplemente un sistema que cambia a tu personaje; simula la personalidad de la persona, la forma que tienen de pensar y de comportarse.

Eso es ya de por sí un nuevo reto para un desarrollador que nunca se ha cortado creando diferentes estilos de juego. Con un catálogo de juegos tan diverso a sus espaldas, ¿existe algún género nuevo con el que le gustaría probar?

"Sí, sí que lo hay," contestó Suzuki-san, diciendo que había varios "estilos" con los que le gustaría probar, "¡puede que uno que ni siquiera exista aún!" Ya más suelto, nos contó su frustración a la hora de usar mandos, y confesó ser muy malo con ellos; se imaginaba el día en el que los personajes en pantalla serían manejados por las ondas cerebrales del propio jugador, moviéndose en la dirección deseada únicamente con el poder del pensamiento.

Esta es más que una queja pasajera, es la segunda vez que escuchamos describir su visión del futuro; y ya que la industria está invirtiendo tanto en la realidad virtual y en el control de movimiento, no es complicado pensar que el pionero de los días de gloria de los arcades de Sega está adelantándose a su tiempo nuevamente.

¿Pero es cierto que Yu Suzuki es uno de los pocos desarrolladores al que se les reconoce por su propio nombre? El jugón medio suele como mucho reconocer al estudio o al editor (que es precisamente lo que los editores quieren, que los fans permanezcan fieles a su marca en vez de a aquellos que diseñaron los juegos). Le preguntamos a una de las figuras más célebres del mundo de los videojuegos si esto es algo que tiene que cambiar. ¿Deberían los diseñadores ser más reconocidos individualmente?

"Pienso que es algo que tiene que ocurrir", contestó Suzuki con convicción. "Los creadores de videojuegos deberían ser propiamente... por ejemplo, a los compositores, artistas y directores de películas, a día de hoy se les acredita correctamente. Así que sí, pienso que sus nombres deberían ser mostrados apropiadamente. Creo que los niños (la próxima generación) necesitan referentes a los que aspirar. Es por ello que la industria tiene que darles un reconocimiento adecuado."

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Así que como Suzuki tenía ganas de compartir el protagonismo con sus olvidados compañeros, ¿cómo definiría su propio legado en este negocio?

Esta se convirtió en la pregunta más difícil de contestar para él.

Tras meditar empezó a considerar sus contribuciones y lo que significaron para los videojuegos. "Empecé con juegos arcade. En ese momento creaba juegos 'de montarse', aquellos en los que la cabina se movía," apuntaba a la camiseta de Space Harrier, que James llevaba puesta como ejemplo. "Y eso creó un nuevo género, un nuevo 'movimiento' en la industria del videojuego. Después trabajé en juegos como Virtua Fighter y Virtua Racing. Estos abrieron el mercado 3D. Lo siguiente que hice fue Shenmue, con el que nació el género del mundo abierto. Cada juego creó un movimiento, una corriente en la industria del juego. Es por ello que me gustaría pensar que he logrado que tanto creadores de videojuegos como aquellos que juegan se unan en un gran movimiento."

Y esperemos que ese movimiento perdure, no solo con Yu Suzuki y su Shenmue IV (que de momento solo existe en su mente); también con aquellos que al igual que él, rompen moldes constantemente.

Sea experimentando la historia de Shenmue desde la perspectiva de diferentes personajes, o redescubriendo lo sorprendentemente divertidos que son unos QTE bien hechos, los fans pueden esperar una secuela digna, con las cosas buenas de la franquicia, pero que no rinde cuentas a nadie. Cuando llegue a las tiendas, y, con una nueva generación de jugones; Shenmue III quiere ser un reto tan divertido como accesible; mientras cumple también con la gran responsabilidad contraída con los fans que han esperado quince años a esta continuación.

Para estos fieles seguidores, jugar a Shenmue III por primera vez será como un rito de iniciación. Un momento imaginado en infinidad de formas diferentes desde la infancia. Y ahora, después de un esfuerzo hercúleo para revivir la saga, Yu Suzuki tiene todos y cada uno de esos sueños en la palma de su mano.

Por fortuna, no podemos pensar en otro dúo que brinde tal seguridad.

Seguridad que te protegerá mientras no seas un molesto mando.
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When we last played as Ryo Hazuki in the Shenmue saga, he was on a mission of discovery in a foreign land, in pursuit of the man who had altered the course of his life in ways that were both surprising yet guided by fate.

And so it was that two representatives of Shenmue Dojo and Team Yu found ourselves crossing borders and tripping over coincidence after coincidence on our way to meet series creator Yu Suzuki, for his first ever interview with the English-speaking fan community.

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Like our destination of Monaco, the road to Shenmue III has been mountainous. But through a uniquely synchronized sequence of events, involving an organized fan base , the rise of Kickstarter , Sony's third party productions team, and private investors led by Shibuya Productions , a tunnel was finally carved through the impenetrable landscape.

With the impossible sequel now in development, Shibuya Productions would play host to exclusive preview footage at MAGIC Monaco , its annual conference event celebrating video games, anime, manga, and all around fandom. The unseen material went down a storm - appropriately, as one of the features demonstrated was the series' famed dynamic weather system.

In preparation for our interview - for which we owe the veterans at ShenmueMaster.fr a debt of gratitude - we had readied a long list of questions to choose from on the day. If time were no object, one of them would have made reference to a question Suzuki answered in fun last July, during his debut in the monthly Shenmue Tweetathon .

Asked about similarities in plot between Shenmue and the classic Shakespeare play Hamlet, Suzuki tweeted , "Sorry, but I have not read Hamlet. I know Hamtaro though." Hamtaro being a Japanese cartoon hamster, and the source of many jokes lightening our online planning sessions.

So to arrive in town for MAGIC and find a poster advertising Hamlet itself in the middle of Monte Carlo was cause for a double-take at the very least.

And once we started, we couldn't stop.

A black car outside the hotel. Workmen adjusting a sign above the street. Machines selling Coke and capsule toys near the conference venue. Stepping stones over water in a neighboring Japanese garden. Arcade cabinets controlled by steering wheels and replica motorcycles, not to mention a Kung-Fu Panda game titled Mojo Dojo.

Of course, these inferred references are everywhere when you're in the right frame of mind to look for them. When passing through Seattle on their way to the big reveal of Shenmue III last June, the game's crowdfunding team couldn't help but note the irony of boarding their flight at gate S3.

Fortunately for our sanity, early weather reports forecasting that our meeting in Monaco would fall on the day the snow turned to rain proved inaccurate, with not a flake in sight. The correctly predicted downpours however did prevent us from filming outdoor scenes for our video , which you can watch with captions in a variety of languages for details and surprises not covered here.

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On arriving at MAGIC, both of us - Peter, a five figure Kickstarter backer , and James, founder of the #SaveShenmue campaign - felt positively outdone by our fellow guests in wonderfully elaborate cosplay , taking inspiration from all corners of animation, illustration, and interactive arts. New projects were announced on stage to excited fans, and lines waited patiently for autographs from their favorite creators. This event was both a haven and a goldmine for the passionate supporters of arguably niche entertainment who, for one multicultural day, had descended upon the Grimaldi Forum in a colorful fusion of unabashed enthusiasm.

And it's that kind of dedication and emotional attachment to works of modern art that sprung to Yu Suzuki's mind when we asked him how it felt, after a decade and a half of uncertainty, to be finally making his most requested game.

"I think very few developers in the world get this kind of chance," he told us, "And then there are the fans, who have waited for as long as fifteen years, sixteen years without giving up... In some videos there are even fans shedding tears. I think there's no other developer in the world as happy as I am."

Asked whether he could relate to feeling so strongly about any tale in a book or film that he would endure such a long wait for the next chapter, he could think of nothing that came close in his own experience to the undying anticipation that Shenmue fans have become accustomed to.

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Speaking of other storytelling media, we asked Suzuki-san how important it was for him to complete Shenmue as a video game, when some gamers had resigned themselves to the possibility of concluding the saga in a more passive format.

"Being in game form is the most important thing," he said of the ongoing series, "I believe that Shenmue's meaning comes from being a game." He added however that although it forms just one part of Shenmue, he had received so many questions about the story that he has "always felt a responsibility" to tell how it plays out, and had therefore considered options like a graphic novel or anime.

Having made the decision to proceed with Shenmue III as a game, we asked if the project had encountered any unusual challenges. Suzuki explained that with his preferred engine Unreal 4 being relatively new, and with little information available in Japanese, it had been difficult to find experts in Japan. "Fortunately, now at our offices we do have skilled experts," he smiled.

Something known about Shenmue III before even the game engine was revealed is that Ryo will finally have the chance to swap his trademark leather jacket for a fresh change of clothes. But how far will this customization extend?

"We haven't reached the point of testing that part yet, so it's hard to say," admitted Suzuki-san, "However, I guess I'd like at least to change his clothing. And with Shenhua in particular, her home is located nearby; so if her clothes always stay the same, it would imply she only owns one costume - that wouldn't do!"

Suzuki added that he wants to "create some good designs" for Shenhua's clothing, and team up with an actual clothes designer for the task.

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But what of game design? Shenmue is often credited (or blamed) for popularizing QTEs , a gameplay mechanic commonly abused by other developers but applied with intuitive logic in the early adventures of Ryo.

When comparing the new sequel's use of QTEs with those in the original games, Yu explained, "The basic concepts will remain the same: It's 'Quick Timer', so the button presses are simple; even people who aren't good at reflex-based games can participate. The difficulty level adjusts automatically according to the number of times you fail, and fundamentally, it is a system that integrates well into a story-oriented game. Even if you're hopeless at playing games, you'll still be able to advance along."

Elaborating, he added, "What I just described were the good things about QTEs, but there are some things that I'm not satisfied with. For example, for players who are really good at playing reflex-based games like Virtua Fighter [another Suzuki creation] - for them, the button presses are too easy. That's one problem that I hope to improve."

We're sure veterans of the Ghost Hall Building in Shenmue II's Kowloon will relish the challenge. But for those without the knack to follow on-screen button prompts in an instant, Suzuki's got you covered: "Being easy is OK, as long as it's fun."

When asked about the use of music in Shenmue III, the maestro explained that when originally planning out the series he "thought of musical pieces to fit the various scenes" that would form each chapter. "And so we have lots of music available to us now: a great many pieces, that were composed and created back then. And I would say not even 20% of them have been used in Shenmue I and II."

"With Shenmue III," he continued, "There are a number of musical pieces we will be creating, but we'll also be making use of past ones, for example in arrangements. There are many pieces that fit the original concept well, so this is the approach I'd like to take."

It was certainly music to our ears to learn that, with a mostly untapped well of tracks produced at the beginning of the saga, and new tunes still to be added, Shenmue's Hall of Fame soundtrack is set to become even more epic with the release of the third game.

http://s28.postimg.cc/hk5962aal/6_garden.png

A surprisingly hot topic amongst fans since the launch of the game's crowdfunding appeal last year has been the different logos used on various trailers, websites, and promotional images. One follows the traditional handwritten style seen in the first two games, while the other is new to the series with distinct lettering . With so much curiosity surrounding the matter of which logo will make it into the actual game, we had to put the question to Yu.

"The one I like at the moment is that logo there," he said while pointing to the newer block-lettered version on Peter's T-shirt, "The reason I say that is that recently - you're familiar with cursive writing? Where each letter is joined to the next. With this one the letters are separated from each other, right? With cursive, the letters run together. They say there are many young people nowadays who can't read cursive writing. So that's why I decided to separate out the Shenmue logo, to make it easier to read."

If Shenmue is to reach a new audience in the modern era, one obstacle it may have to overcome is that its name is essentially meaningless to any non-Japanese speaker unaware of its relevance. With the word being unfamiliar to all other languages, perhaps at least making it more easily readable is an important step to avoid premature dismissal by casual browsers of game store shelves.

But is it even a given that Shenmue III can be bought in stores and online by those who haven't backed the crowdfunding campaign? Suzuki was quick to dismiss any suggestion to the contrary: "Yes, I think they will of course be able to."

On the same theme, we took the chance to try and clarify whether fans should expect new additions to the ongoing Slacker Backer campaign, such as the PC version of the game which has always been absent from the PayPal rewards list, or the ability for Kickstarter backers to upgrade to the next reward tier by increasing their original donation via PayPal.

Unfortunately, as can happen in any bilingual exchange, when translated on the fly for Suzuki-san the question morphed into "Will there be anything new added to it, such as the PC version or another new item from the Kickstarter campaign, for example?"

"I can't speak to the future," replied Suzuki to this interpretation of our question, "But there's nothing new at the current time. It's really for people who weren't able to purchase rewards during the Kickstarter campaign, for whatever reason. It's to give those people the chance to buy the same items. Well, apart from the items that were exclusive to the Kickstarter, of course. But I wanted to make the non-exclusive items available to people who had missed them during the time of the Kickstarter."

Another point of discussion within the online community bubble of late has been whether Shenmue III will feature the loading screens that became an iconic staple of the original games, denoting the in-game time and Ryo's location while entering a new area.

With technological advances making loading screens functionally obsolete, Suzuki had no plans to include them in the new game. But after musing on the topic in our interview, he noted, "I guess they're very characteristic of Shenmue, aren't they? I will give it some proper thought."

http://s17.postimg.cc/f15wtczn3/5_peter.png

Something we know will be in Shenmue III is the Character Perspective system, a new feature unlocked for development as a crowdfunding stretch goal. With the player able to take control of Ryo's allies for the first time, we were interested to learn how different an experience it would be to play as Ren or Shenhua. For example, would the leader of a Hong Kong street gang employ a different fighting style to the lead protagonist so far?

Suzuki confirmed that Ren's style of combat will differ from Ryo's, and that Shenhua doesn't fight. "She's smart and uses other tactics," he noted, before explaining that "the Character Perspective system is not a system that simply changes your character. It simulates each person's personality, and the way they think and behave."

That in itself is a fresh challenge for a developer who's never shied away from different styles of game. With such a diverse back catalog already decorating his résumé, is there any new genre he'd still like to take on?

"Yes, yes, there is," replied Suzuki-san, saying there were "various" styles he would like to try, "Possibly one that doesn't even exist yet!" Becoming animated, he demonstrated his frustration when using controllers, confessing to being hopeless at it, and imagines a day when characters on the screen will be controlled by the player's own brain waves, moving in the direction desired by the power of thought.

More than a passing whim, this is the second time we've heard him describe this vision of the future, and with the industry investing heavily in virtual reality and motion control, it's not hard to believe that the pioneer of Sega's arcade glory days is once again thinking a step ahead of the game.

But is it fair that Yu Suzuki is one of so few developers to be known by name? The average gamer tends to recognize only the studio, and often just the publisher - which is exactly how the publisher likes it, to keep fans loyal to their brand instead of those who design the games. We asked one of the most distinctly celebrated figures in gaming whether this is something that ought to change. Should individual designers receive more recognition?

"I think that is something that needs to happen," replied Suzuki with conviction, "Game creators should be properly... For example, with song composers, artists, and movie directors, nowadays they have their names credited. So yes, I think their names should be properly shown and made clear. I think that children - the next generation - need people to aspire to. So I think the game industry needs to provide the proper recognition."

http://s22.postimg.cc/5p46xt2xd/7_james.png

So with Suzuki-san eager to share more of the spotlight with his unsung peers, how would he define his own legacy in this business?

This proved the toughest question of all for him to answer.

Eventually he began to consider his contributions and what they had meant to gaming. "At the beginning, I started off with arcade games. At that time, I was making ride-on type games - ones which move the cabinet," pointing to Space Harrier on the T-shirt worn by James as an example, "And that created a new genre, a new 'flow', in the game industry. Next, I worked on games like Virtua Fighter and Virtua Racing. These opened up the 3D market. After that I did Shenmue which formed the open world genre. Each created a flow, or stream, within the game industry. So I would like to think that I have been able to bring together both the creators of games and those who play them into one large flow."

And long may that flow continue, not only with Yu Suzuki and his mind controlled Shenmue IV, but also those who consistently break the mould as he has. If they are granted the status in the industry that they deserve, then Suzuki will have been amongst the first of many young programmers to enter the business and turn it on its head, time after time after time, expanding the art form in new and interesting ways.

Whether it's experiencing the Shenmue story from the contrasting perspectives of different characters, or rediscovering the surprising joy of QTEs done right, fans can expect a sequel that both honors the strengths of the franchise while standing still for no man. When it hits store shelves in front of a new generation of gamers, Shenmue III aims to provide a challenge that's both fun and accessible, while delivering on a heavily felt responsibility to the fans who have waited fifteen years for this continuation.

For these loyal supporters, playing Shenmue III for the first time will be like a rite of passage. A moment imagined in countless different ways since childhood. And now, after a Herculean effort to revive the saga, Yu Suzuki holds every one of those dreams in the palm of his hand.

Fortunately, we can think of no safer pair.

Unless you're a bothersome joypad.

Hi all,

If you are going to PAX East in Boston this weekend, come find me.

I'll be promoting Shenmue 3 (without a booth sadly).

Hope to run into some of you Shenmue Bros.

Seriously? Were people confused that because of this one update, we now had to choose between Japanese and English dub?? Really? Masaya Matsukaze was the first VO announced, followed by Corey Marshall. THEN, an extra KS reward added was a personalised VO message from Corey to each and every fan who pledged that amount. I mean... what do you think was gonna happen? Have Corey come in, record 4000+ voice samples or whatever the fuck it was and tell him to piss off? Come on chaps, use your common sense?

Not only that, but we are still 10 months into a development cycle of a brand new game, and we have had numerous suggestions taken on board! Most of them have been taken on board, some haven't. Get over it. We are fans before pledges. Remember that. Anyone who argues that is kidding themselves otherwise we wouldn't be posting here! We are such a long way off from this game being released. I mean it with all the sincerity I can muster, but some people need to lay off the Internet. That's that I have done, because I am such a fan of this game as all you are, and if I stay logged in and tear every single piece of news and update apart, then this game will be nothing to me when it's released. My release came almost 1 year ago, not at the end of every month. And my ultimate orgasm will come when this game is running on my console in 18 months time. Seriously go grab a cup of tea, or take up trainspotting. It will help in the long run!!

Enjoy the speculating guys. But for the long term advantage, I'm our :nice!:

*update the total every day leading up to $6.6 million*
*get to Thursday, seems likely it'll cross the threshold tomorrow*
*take Friday off*

AWESOME JAPAN

Hi, guys.

We Chinese Shenmue club recently has donated a slide projector to the hope primary school which was built by wdrpgwd and his brother in Guiling.

The June 1st is the Children's Day in China, so we bring them a projector as a present. This machine can make the lessons more interesting and lively.

This is the twitter: https://twitter.com/mantisjojo/status/734954624675807233

Some picture of the school and children. Do you see the "莎木，你好" , it means "Hello, Shenmue" :heart: :heart:

http://i.imgur.com/huE854S.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sjmFDue.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/W7ZzfRi.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Bwzi5T7.jpg
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An early build of the Shenmue III credits has already been leaked:

Just threw in another $120. Since there is no upgrade option, and I don't think there ever will be, I wonder if I will see my name in the credits multiple times, because technically I have earned the right to. Or maybe they will let me choose freely what names I want in there. I'd like to put in some names of friends or family members, if it's possible.

I can afford to continuously throw money at the game from time to time at the moment and I've waited for this all my life and I think every Dollar helps, which is why I'm doing what I'm doing. I'm grateful I have the ability to throw in a lttle money occasionally and help making the game better for everyone, but I'm still really unhappy whith how this slacker backer campaign is being run.

I think adding the PC version could easily bring us another $100,000 and it just seems so odd to me not to add it. If you're gonna release the game on two platforms, why would you exclude one of your platforms from the slacker backer campaign?

I can see that there would be technical or legal issues preventing them from using the Paypal campaign to upgrade Kickstarter pledges but what's preventing them from including the PC version on Paypal? I can't wrap my head around it and frankly, it's a bit disappointing, they haven't even given people any explanation for that.

Welcome to PART 2 of the translation of the Japanese magazine interview with Yu Suzuki that was published in the May 9 (2016) edition of the Bessatsu Shonen magazine.

Go here for PART 1 of the article.

In this lengthier part, Yu Suzuki reflects on last year's Kickstarter launch at E3, and talks about early computer games that inspired and influenced his design decisions for Shenmue; his thoughts on the game industry in Japan vs overseas; his love of innovation when creating games; the evolution of technology used in games; and his desire to ensure that Shenmue III is a game that will stand up proudly in today's market.

Note: this part appears first in the actual article.

http://i.imgur.com/rT9HyAhm.png


PART 2

The Globally-Anticipated Shenmue III is Under Way

Hello, it's been a while!
YS: Yes, it has! So, it looks like you're now reporting under the name Ikeda for the Weekly Shonen magazine.

That's right. And since development is under way on your latest game, I rushed over to ask you all about it!
YS: (laughs)

As we know, the project for the creation of Shenmue III was announced at the Playstation Experience 2015 conference at last year's E3. The venue exploded in excitement instantly. Looking back on it, how did you feel?
YS: Just before the Shenmue III announcement, several major games like Final Fantasy XV were being announced one after another from the stage, with each prompting thunderous cheers from the audience. So I felt anxious as I waited in the dressing rooms to go on, being overwhelmed at the fervor in the event hall and at the extraordinary atmosphere under which the Shenmue III announcement would be made (laughs) However, as soon as the Shenmue III music began to play... the cheering rang out an octave higher than previously – it was almost like screaming. I was so moved at that moment.

The applause and cheers that filled the air almost broke the hall apart – the passion was incredible, wasn't it. That's when it hit me just how eagerly video game fans around the world had been looking forward to Shenmue III. There was an amazing response through pledges made via Kickstarter immediately after that too, wasn't there.
YS: For the creation of Shenmue III, I used Kickstarter to raise funding towards the development budget from fans and a total of $6,333,296 was pledged by 69,320 people (by the end of the Kickstarter campaign). What's more, two Guinness world records were set: Fastest $1 Million Pledged for a Crowd-funded Video Game and Most Money Pledged for a Kickstarter Video Game. Access by the fans was so heavy that day that the Kickstarter servers went down three times.

Servers that should be able to stand up to heavy global access went down...!? It shows just how many video game fans are placing hopes on Shenmue III, doesn't it.


Shenmue: Building Up Natural Layers

Before talking about the game at the center of everyone's attention, Shenmue III, I'd like to reflect back on the Shenmue series in general. I believe the first game, published in 1999, was "Shenmue ~Chapter One: Yokosuka~". That was your first full-fledged title for a home console, wasn't it.
YS: Until then, I had been working only on developing arcade games since joining SEGA in 1983. With arcade game development you have to focus on cramming in the game's essence and inject a fun experience for the player, within a playtime limited to around 3 minutes. I spent some ten-odd years pushing myself to condense the core attractions of a game into a short period of time. Games for a home console are quite different. They don't have the restriction of brief gameplay imposed by arcade games, and time can be taken in communicating a game's features to the player. For me it started by wanting to be able to express myself as a developer with a home console game, unrestricted by time. But to go back even further to my earliest roots, I was greatly influenced as a student by a computer called the Apple II.

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Oh yes, I remember it! We all dreamed of owning an Apple II as students, but it was something that was far out of our reach.
YS: I also couldn't afford one myself, but seeing those video games running on the Apple II really stirred the imagination, didn't it. Early on, there was a genre of games known as text adventures, which displayed only words on the screen. Following that, as the capabilities of PCs increased, games began to display line graphics together with the text. In "Mystery House", a typical game of that era, the lines were blurry giving them the appearance of full-color graphics. Then in the 1980s the role-playing game (RPG) series "Ultima" emerged, bringing with it 3D dungeons and even sound generation. I witnessed the evolution of these kinds of games, and at the time my reaction was simply "Wow".

Back then was a time when video games evolved at break-neck speed, didn't they, to keep pace with the improving capabilities of PCs.
YS: Ultima in particular set itself apart from the adventure games seen before then whose story would progress in the same way no matter who played; rather, the outcome differed slightly for each person playing. Depending on things like the player's actions and experience points gained within the game, the story develops differently. That's what really got my attention. So for me, RPGs evolved from adventure games – text adventure games that displayed only words. Line graphics were added to these text-only games, followed by the ability to portray color and sound; then the sound-effects became more realistic... To me, the evolution of video games was a rapid broadening of "what's possible". This led to me wondering if I could put 3D graphics on the screen, or include speech. And the result of a natural extension to my thoughts is the Shenmue series.

Within the Shenmue series, what things did you especially strive to do in a particular way?
YS: I'm often asked in interviews with the foreign media whether there is there anything I wished I could have put in Shenmue I but didn't. When I reply "The ramen noodles don't get soggy", a question mark forms above their heads (laughs). In director Juzo Itami's movie "The Funeral" there's a scene in the middle of the ceremony where people start to get pins and needles in their legs and so they rearrange the position of their big toes. It's a situation which shouldn't be laughed about, but you can't help chuckling. It's that sort of everyday little thing that I'd like to portray. That's what gives the Shenmue feeling, and I wanted to include lots of those kinds of things. For example - after 10 minutes there's less steam coming from the ramen noodles (laughs). But at the time of Shenmue I, characters in other games could only move in four directions (up, down, left, right) and in order to talk with other characters you had to stand directly in front of them. And that's the era in which I was trying to portray things cinematically, so I couldn't get understanding from anyone. (laughs)

I think it was in 1997 that you asked me whether I would be interested in becoming the director of what was Shenmue's previous incarnation, "Virtua Fighter RPG". Back then you also spoke about the same kind of things, but at the time I couldn't grasp what you were talking about at all (laughs).
YS: Even when I pointed out to people "In real life you can converse with someone even if you're standing beside them rather than directly in front, right?", no one got it. (laughs) That was common with video games of the time, and taken for granted. When a character ran into a wall or obstacle and stopped, his legs would continue to move on the spot. No-one would listen to the suggestion that when a character can't move any further forward he doesn't keep lifting his feet. I'm sure everyone justified it to themselves with the reasoning "because it's a game". So the Shenmue series took shape from my building up layers of what were, for me, natural things.


The Day Japan's Gaming Industry Lost Domination

What Is Needed for a Come-back?

Shenmue I was filled with revolutionary concepts such as those, but no games appeared from Japan game developers to follow in its footsteps. Shenmue I was released in December 1999, and I believe that is the day when Japan lost the global video games battle.
YS: It's true that Japan's game industry started to go in the completely opposite direction from there.

My feeling is that Shenmue I was somewhat of a difficult proposition from a business perspective, and so the executives at Japan game companies decided that this style of game wasn't going to work out and turned their backs.
YS: But that's because video games of the time, not just in Japan but around the world, were of a style that explored a single theme in depth. For example even Hang On, a game that I designed, was focused on riding with the bike leaning over. A single theme was taken and narrowed down to the extreme – and then it was drilled into with depth. It's the complete opposite of the "able to do anything" style I was aiming for with the Shenmue series.

If Japanese game developers had embraced Shenmue's concepts, we might have been in quite a different situation today. Games like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy didn't follow its path either.
YS: Those are products that were created after a thorough analysis of the Japanese market to identify suitable elements for customization to Japanese gamers, with all necessary elements being incorporated into their manufacture.

Conversely the market overseas was energized by the release of Shenmue I. Even the developers behind Grand Theft Auto went so far as to comment that seeing Shenmue I served as strong encouragement for them, saying that it opened up the way forward for them; they saw that evolving in that direction could work.
YS: Looking back on it now, if I had taken the Shenmue I game engine at that time and made it available as a tool for developers, it might have become the equivalent of something like today's Unreal Engine or Unity. But at the point in time of the first game, the game engine portion wasn't fully finished so we weren't able to make a strong pitch about it. I think if the game engine portion had been complete, then it would have been markedly more efficient to develop the second game onwards. Creating game engines or development tools like this is something at which people in the West are particularly adept. Back in 1999 they realized what development tools would be needed to create a game allowing the player complete freedom of action, and went ahead with the steps to get there.

I think more now than ever, with the Japan game industry up against tough times, your words and Shenmue's concepts really stand out. Last year, when the father of Metal Gear Solid, Hideo Kojima, went independent, he said "If we're only focused on the profits immediately in front of us, the times will leave the Japanese games industry behind. It becomes impossible to catch up again." This reflects what has happened after Shenmue.
YS: When Shenmue I was released, reviews were mixed. I can talk about it now as the "statue of limitations" has expired, but originally the Shenmue series was a single story made up of 11 chapters, that I was planning to release in two parts. Then it became necessary to release just the first chapter as a single game: putting together its own opening and ending and adjusting it story-wise to provide an Introduction, Development, Turn and Conclusion. So, if I had to say whether Shenmue I turned out as I had first envisaged, then that's not necessarily the case. My belief is that you must always be taking on new challenges, in order for new methods of expression and game production techniques to see the light. If you only rely on the old and familiar, the day will come when you're no longer able to stand up against the rest of the world.

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Challenges Give Rise to New Advantages

This is my own pet theory, but I think that with video games in America, in the main both players and developers have grown to prefer games that provide entertainment through simulation. I would say that it's for this reason that Shenmue I "clicked" with Americans as being the kind of thing they were looking for; and video games that followed haven't held back on trying new things to improve the quality of the simulation.
YS: The people of Japan are the most versatile among all nations, so I'm sure that in three years time, given the same development tool, we would be able to master them with the highest proficiency. However, while we may be able to become more proficient than anyone else, there is a temptation to stick with those development tools or methods we have gotten used to. Developers overseas, on the other hand, are always trying new development methods and different game engines, and they use these skillfully and efficiently. This approach of trying new things is one that is praised by overseas game fans. And so the approach taken in the West, where importance is placed on new challenges rather than success / failure, is a better and mentally healthier approach for developers.

No doubt your big global hit Out Run was the result of your taking on those kinds of challenges yourself. Out Run was a game that simulates an enjoyable drive in a car down a wide, open road while the trend for race games in the 80s was to race down narrow roads, where hitting another car would cause an explosion.
YS: After all, in real life I have never had an explosion from scraping my car (laughs). And so I thought it doesn't make sense for it to explode. And what prompted me to provide Out Run with a choice of 3 background music tracks was from wanting to change the music to suit my mood when driving my own car.

And then we arrive at the 90s, when 2D fighting games had a great burst in popularity.
YS: Street Fighter II was the king of the fighting games at the time.

Back then, "fighting games" automatically meant two-dimensional fighting games – that was the only kind of fighting games that players and developers knew, wasn't it. But instead of pursuing the same path, you worked on a three-dimensional fighting game, Virtua Fighter.
YS: I had no hope of mastering the controls for Street Fighter II, so I thought I would make a game that I would be able to play (laughs). What I wanted to achieve with Virtua Fighter was that I wanted to be able to move my character the way I wanted, with the fighting based on judgment in the same way as with an actual martial artist. The 2D fighting games of the 90s were a genre where the player is rewarded with a win through skill at timing. However, that means that it is people who can execute the commands at exactly the right instant who are the ones that win. What is really wanted is for victory to be the result of the player thinking "I want to do a somersault kick here" and controlling the character accordingly, right? With real boxing too, even the greatest boxer doesn't watch the action before throwing a punch. His body moves the instant he senses that his opponent will throw a punch. I wanted to make a fighting game that you could play with the same kind of intuition as actual fighters. To achieve that, I simplified the controls and implemented an intelligent processing system to let the player's decisions be communicated directly.

It was a game you packed with innovations, wasn't it - not just 3D graphics but even in areas like the controls.


Video Game Industry's Destiny Dictates Use of Cutting-Edge Technology

I think the reason 3D stereoscopic movies have become established in Hollywood is because entertainment in America as a whole has moved in the direction of simulations, and they have been assimilated naturally. That being the case, would virtual reality be the next area video games in America will target?
YS: We are getting closer to what we used to dream about. Even for simulations, the day may come when the experience will be not be via a TV screen but through holographic images, which is something I discussed back in the days of Virtua Fighter. It is said that almost anything that can be imagined is realizable; for example in the past we used to think it would be amazing if trains could travel inside buildings, but now it's something that exists and is taken for granted. So reality will grow closer to our dreams, I'm sure.

The games of the future we dreamed about as kids are rapidly becoming reality, aren't they.
YS: What bugs me most when I'm playing video games, is that using a controller is such a hassle. I ask myself when it will be possible to play without a controller (laughs). Being unable to manipulate the controller properly is stressful and unpleasant, so I want to have the character move just from thought. Brain waves such as alpha waves can now be detected, so someday a sensor may be realized that gives you control just by attaching it to your body in the same way as "Elekiban" [a brand of magnetic patches sold in Japan] .

Actually continuing to attempt to reach those goals, rather than leaving them as dreams, pushes technology to advance, doesn't it.
YS: Even automated driving, which has become a popular topic in the vehicle industry, is a natural extension of the technology used to control the non-player cars in racing games - how to recognize the road geometry, how to make a correction to a deviation from the path of travel. The basic core of automated driving is the same foundation as for the non-player cars we have been working with for more than 10 years. Of course, with an actual car lives are at stake so things like the detection of other cars and measurement of inter-car distance is done with high precision. Racing games, by comparison, are deliberately made to be competitive so that the player can enjoy playing them. Almost certainly some of the technology in racing games forms the cornerstone of automated driving; or to put it another way, I would say the very first incorporation of automated driving was in racing games.

Video games are filled with cutting-edge technology, aren't they!
YS: Military technology contributed to the evolution of computers. Therefore cutting-edge technology is also used in the video game industry built upon them, and furthermore this industry is one whose destiny dictates that kind of cutting-edge technology be actively employed.


Being Globally Competitive as a Creative Work

While experimenting with such new challenges may be fun, at the same time is it the toughest part of video game development?
YS: Quite the opposite, it's the most enjoyable part. Of course, there are tough times too. With the production of Shenmue I, there's no doubt there were struggles, but they were to do with the vast amount of personnel administration and management; areas other than the creative side.

Things like administering the staff and scheduling, rather than the development.
YS: Right (laughs). I hate having time taken up by management and losing time for creativity.

Having clearly-separated positions for producer and director as with Hollywood movies might suit your style of creation better.
YS: If I could dedicate myself to creating the game, it would be painless. But back at the time of Shenmue I, for a developer to speak of making a game where the player is "able to do anything" was taboo territory – it was equivalent to saying that the game would become one that couldn't do anything. The reason for that is simple: if you have say 10 developers, then to implement 10 features you need to put one person in charge of each feature. But if you narrow the scope down to a single feature then all 10 members can devote their energy to it. You could also say that the reason a game of the same type as Shenmue wasn't produced following the release of Shenmue I was due to there being this kind of background.

So it was a game that deliberately challenged this taboo!
YS: That's why when I'm making a video game... I always find new challenges exciting. Also when I was making arcade games, I never felt it to be a hardship. However - and this is something that can be said about all the games I've created up till now - I've never completed one exactly as I wanted it to be. Mostly they end up with around 50-60% implemented of what I wanted to do (laughs).

If the result is the creation of games like Virtua Fighter, then everything you wanted to do was implemented the world would surely be bowled over! (laughs)
YS: The biggest difference between game developers in Japan vs those overseas is probably the system of production. Overseas development companies are based around a production style that includes Hollywood marketing and merchandising. And so it's hard for Japanese developers to try to imitate that. But in a way it's the same for movies: there are many fine Japanese movies, aren't there. Some Japanese movies even win awards overseas. If we can bring out something with an appeal that isn't influenced by differences in budget or production style, then a product can be created that will be well received by the rest of the world. I want Shenmue III to be a video game that can be globally competitive as a creative work.

Translation by Switch

Channel will go live on December 3rd!

Use this topic for discussion and to check for updates to the schedule!

Hope to see you all there!

http://www.twitch.tv/shenmuedojo

The fact that this thread has devolved into baseless conspiracy theories just shows how far it has jumped into madness.

The no-show was disappointing but let's not get crazy here.

I think we need to let Yu work on the game the fuck alone xD