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Re: New Shenmue III Stretch Goals Announced - $11 Million+

what worries me is the new update where Yu says:

"At the $10 million level, the area Choubu will get a big expansion, and be like Dobuita in Yokosuka where you will have a lot of options to explore and have fun"

so unless we hit 10 million (impossible) we won't have as much to play and explore as Dobuita in the original game... :( Dobuita was smaller than all the areas in Shenmue 2....

About the town size, I listened again to Yu's original words in Japanese on the video to catch the nuances. I can confirm that he doesn't specifically talk about the size of the area; he's just saying it looks similar to somewhere like Dobuita:

YS: "As we move up to and past the $10 million level, the town of Choubu will be {gradually} enhanced. The town of Choubu has a streetscape that's like, for example, Dobuita in Shenmue I, and so a lot of different options for having fun will be made available there".

These amusement options are obviously the Choubu stretch goals starting at $8 million: mini games x4, betting games x4, kung-fu mastery, part time job, game stalls. But let's hope the town itself will be a decent size even at a lower funding level.
by Switch
Mon Jun 29, 2015 7:26 am
 
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Re: New concept art from Suzuki on Twitter

A new piece of art posted by Yu Suzuki on Twitter.

鳥舞 客船 (=Choubu passenger boat)

Image
by Switch
Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:50 am
 
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Re: Translation requests here!

Ryuji Iuchi has made a blog entry which I'm going to start working on translating. Thanks to Ziming for finding it.

http://blog.ryujiiuchi.com/?no=801
by Switch
Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:35 pm
 
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Re: Interview with Shenmue composer Ryuji Iuchi.

A follow-up blog post from Ryuji Iuchi (translated to English) is posted here:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48196&p=1100498#p1100498
by Switch
Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:36 am
 
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Re: KS Update #21: To the Sea and the Continent Beyond

Here's a post that Ruji Iuchi put up on his blog yesterday which I've translated. It adds some more background to his experiences with Shenmue I and II. Thanks to Ziming for pointing it out.

Shenmue 3
2015/07/02

After around 15 years, I'm honored to once again get involved with the sound for Shenmue 3.

I'd like to talk about some things I didn't have time to mention in the video clip. (Sorry for the long post).

I feel very honored to be able to participate in this project, and be able work to compose pieces together again with Yu-san and all the other wonderful creators.

The impression that sticks with me most from working on the previous Shenmue games was being able to work together with the wonderful music staff - such as Yuzo Koshiro from Ancient Corp, who I greatly respect and who invited me onto the project, and Takenobu Mitsuyoshi from Sega - and to actually meet face-to-face with them at the company.
I believe that my experiences from that time made the foundation for what I am today.
Being able to have the chance to work together with them again is one of my dreams.

I had a lot of discussions and conversations with the sound staff, headed by the sound leaders Miysuyoshi-san and Takagi-san, and even used to sleep overnight at the company.
I remember the nap room, the kiosk and the nearby park well.
I was also able to observe the other sound people working, and I really learned a lot. The way they edited the voices and sound effects seemed like magic to me...

As I spoke about in my interview, Hayato Matsuo's magnificent orchestral arrangement, Iori's beautiful vocals, the timbre of the Chinese fiddle – these left a strong impression on me. (Iori let me join her on stage, at the piano!)
And this will sound like a fanboy, but I was secretly delighted to be able to watch Toshiyuki Watanabe at work on a recording! ^_^

By the way, with Shenhua's theme, initially I asked one of the sound ladies from another department to gently hum it for me, in a way that's "like it's wrapping around you".
For the preliminary version of Wish, I had a lady from the Shenmue sound team sing it.
And Mitusyoshi-san kindly provided the vocals for the final versions of the Tomato Mart and Bob's Pizzeria songs...!!

I realize how lucky I was to be on the same floor as the sound staff from other departments, and to be able to mix with lots of people who had composed the songs that used to be played at the video arcades I visited as a kid.
(We went out a lot for drinks and to play billiards ^_^).

I'm sure that even with a 2-hour program {video} I wouldn't be able to finish expressing my feeling of gratitude with Shenmue 1 and 2 towards everything and all the people who helped me. But I'm afraid I'm no good at speaking in front of people or a camera... ^_^

I'll put in my every effort, poor as that may be, on the music side to produce pieces that everyone will be pleased with and will be able to enjoy for a long time.

Thank you very much.

P.S. I was in two minds as to whether to state this, but – I'm not the composer of the song from the Kickstarter movie although people have been attributing to me... Credit is to the composer of that song.

Ryuji Iuchi
by Switch
Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:33 am
 
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Re: Concept Art Thread (Updated 02/07)

鳥舞 船着場 Choubu boat landing
posted by Yu on Twitter

Image
by Switch
Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:49 am
 
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Re: Translation requests here!

The translation's now posted to the Ryuji Iuchi thread.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48196&p=1100498#p1100498
by Switch
Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:34 am
 
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Re: We should clear up the misunderstanding about Sony's fun

I'm upping this topic because I spotted something wrong about an information presented by the OP :

" Yu Suzuki says the majority of investment will be from Kickstarter. "
I find the mention nowhere in the Axm and Switch's translation of his Famitsu interview .

I think this may be based on the Japanese Famitsu article summary posted on NeoGAF which has the following line:
As far as money goes, he expects the game's investment will primarily come from individual backers, so he wants them all to be happy with the finished product.
Going back to examine the original interview text, Suzuki's exact words are that he thinks that individuals form the heart/core of the backers . This is the corresponding part from the Dojo's translation:
Suzuki: I think every one of the people who invested in this project has a leading role in it and I hope each one of them enjoy it.
To an extent it depends on how literally you interpret his words, and how much is implied.

So yeah, I don't think Yu Suzuki gave enough information to make a definitive conclusion about the relative funding contribution from Kickstarter (assuming that is based on this comment).
by Switch
Sun Jul 05, 2015 3:15 am
 
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Re: Shenmue art book question

Very interesting! I think these could well be maps relating to the future Shenmue story. Here's what I have picked up from looking over the maps.

1. http://imgur.com/FvSP2mD
The small labels on the map are pointing to these various stores:
- Drugstore
- General store
- Pawn store
- Bicycle shop
- Shoe shop
- Florist
- Art supplies store
- Butcher
- Restaurant
- Fruit shop
- Rice gruel restaurant
- Greengrocer
- Noodle stand
- Fresh fish stand

These two labels are larger than the others:
- Water drainage channel (the dashed parallel lines)
- Garden Hotel (in the center between the two mountains)

Unfortunately I couldn't find anything definite about the location, but it can be seen from the topography lines on the map that three tall mountain peaks stand in its center, around where the Garden Hotel is located.

2. http://imgur.com/9lRY3to
This map also has a number of small shops, many similar to the ones in the first map:
- Florist
- Butcher
- Fresh fish stand
- Rice gruel restaurant
- Fruit shop
- Greengrocer
- Drugstore
- Tea shop
- Restaurant
- Noodle stand
- Portrait shop
- Candy store

These are the larger, underlined labels:
- Seimindou - Buddhist items shop
- Buddhist Items Street
- Bukkoudou - Buddhist items shop
- Taa Chai Tan - Buddhist items shop
- 胡浩's house {Somebody's name, but I can't guess the pronunciation}
- Part-time job area
- Pao Shiin Guu - Chinese herbal medicine shop
- Byakuju - Chinese herbal medicine shop
- Manzendou - Chinese herbal medicine shop
- Peach Garden Restaurant

Also there is a potential clue about the location of this map! At the top you can see a large rectangular area labelled 盤門. According to Wikipedia , this is the name of a gate (called Pan Gate in English) that is part of an ancient city wall located in Suzhou, eastern China.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/20090926_Suzhou_Pan_Men_5941.jpg/320px-20090926_Suzhou_Pan_Men_5941.jpg
by Switch
Sun Jul 05, 2015 12:01 pm
 
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Re: Shenmue art book question

I find the second map particularly intriguing, as there seems to be a gap between the village and the mountain. If peter is correct and this area is within Hong Kong it could potentially be a fishing village like Tai O, which largely exists on stilts above the sea:
http://i.imgur.com/hPhXSX9.jpg
Nice hypothesis! Even the mountains in the background are similar to those on the map.

Another point of interest: there are several star symbols marked at certain points on the map, which are unlabelled.
http://i.imgur.com/K8rOVoQ.png
There are 6 of these small stars scattered through the village area, and 1 large star on the island. Something they have in common is that they are all located at places where the land meets the sea, so I'm guessing they are related to interaction with the sea in some way.

Since the map shows a complete island, presumably access would need be by boat. For example, the large star on the island is a small kind of bay, so this could be where you arrive at the island / return by boat to the mainland. Maybe the smaller stars are convenient jump points to get back again (e.g. asking a local to take you). Either that, or they indicate places where you can fish as a mini-game...? :)
by Switch
Mon Jul 06, 2015 10:08 pm
 
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YsNet starts recruiting for Shenmue III staff

YsNet is advertising for development staff. Translation of the tweet :
We have started recruiting for developers!
If you are passionate about games, we're waiting for your application!
http://www.ysnet-inc.jp/


From Ys Net recruitment page (translated):

Roles Sought
1. Planner(s)
2. Level Designer(s)
3. Programmer(s)
4. Artist(s) (character modeling, background modeling, animation)
5. Product Manager(s)

Skills Required
For 2,3: experience with UE3 / 4
For 4: experience with 3DS / Maya / XSI
For 5: Experience with management of outsourcing / management of overseas outsourcing an advantage

Location
Tokyo

Working Conditions
Type of employment: contractor, outsourcing
Compensation: decided based on experience and ability, and following company policies.
Working hours: 10am ~ 7pm
Days off: 2 days off per week (Saturday, Sunday), public holidays, summer vacation, end of year / New Year vacation etc

Qualifications for Applying
High school graduate or above, age 18+
Must be cheerful, healthy and responsible
For applicants not having Japanese citizenship: ability to conduct business communication, such as reading and writing, in Japanese


(Actually Shenmue III is not specifically mentioned anywhere, but I guess it's a given.)

Neilo started recruiting for development staff a couple of weeks back - thread here .
by Switch
Tue Jul 07, 2015 3:11 am
 
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Re: Concept Art Thread (Updated 07/07, Choubu Hostel)

Latest tweet from Yu Suzuki -

鳥舞旅社1F First floor of Choubu hostel
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJZWg9IUcAANxcI.jpg:large

I wish the small characters were easier to see...

Update: I've taken a stab at guessing what some of the text says, and uploaded it to the thread made by Peter here .
by Switch
Wed Jul 08, 2015 9:55 am
 
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Re: Are you looking forward to checking into Hotel Bird Danc

After squinting at the tiny characters for a while, I've taken a best guess at what some of them say. Nothing too revealing though, unfortunately!

http://i.imgur.com/bVc0XuJ.png

The other text was too blurry for me to guess, such as the clothes pole(?) in the inner garden area, and the name of the room at the bottom right.
by Switch
Wed Jul 08, 2015 11:32 am
 
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Re: Are you looking forward to checking into Hotel Bird Danc

johnvivant wrote: does 'Choubu' mean dancing bird?

Yes, it's a place-name made up of chou (鳥)=bird & bu (舞)=dance.
by Switch
Wed Jul 08, 2015 12:02 pm
 
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Re: Translation requests here!

NeoShredder wrote:What's that on the bottom left, please? :mrgreen:

"Ryo's room, Choubu hostel"
by Switch
Tue Jul 07, 2015 4:36 am
 
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Re: Translation requests here!

switch, im working on a design. how would you say "14 years waiting" in japanese?
Hope you can share it here once you're done!

You can say:
待ち続けて14年 = 14 years waiting

Some similar alternatives:
前作から14年を経て = 14 years on since the previous game
2作目から14年ぶりの復活 = Making a return 14 years since the second game
by Switch
Wed Jul 08, 2015 10:32 pm
 
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Re: Are you looking forward to checking into Hotel Bird Danc

And the second-floor plans from Yu's latest tweet , to which I've added some translations. It even has a suite room, with its own private bath & toilet facilities - very fancy.

http://i.imgur.com/3sK9PgW.png?1

(I don't know what's going on at the top with the extra stairs, door and sandals...)

Updated 7/25/2015: "sandal" text in the top area updated to "sample". Thanks to Kiyuu for the correction!
by Switch
Fri Jul 10, 2015 12:07 am
 
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Re: New characters in KS-trailer?

shredingskin wrote:There's also some kanji behind him, any translations of that ?


It has the kanji 愛 which means love.
Image
by Switch
Thu Jul 09, 2015 8:58 pm
 
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Re: Are you looking forward to checking into Hotel Bird Danc

to which I've added some translations.)

Hey man, where it says 'twin room' etc...what's the significance, if any, of the "18" characters?
With Japanese floorplans it's common to refer to the floor area of a room by the number of tatami mats that would fit in it, even if the room doesn't actually contain mats. With these twin rooms, each has an area of 18 tatami mats. The standard area of one mat is 1.653 square meters, so this converts to around 29 square meters in size.
by Switch
Fri Jul 10, 2015 4:19 am
 
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Re: Yu Suzuki Twitter Q&A Recap 10/7/15

Capsule Toys Maniac has done translations for the Japanese Q&A here.
by Switch
Sat Jul 11, 2015 1:48 am
 
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Re: Are you looking forward to checking into Hotel Bird Danc

I've been able to make out a few more items from the first floor plan, after some further squinting. ;-)

In the inner courtyard area, what I thought could be a clothes pole turns out to be labelled as a partitioning wall . And near it, I believe the round shape is a well .

The room at the far right off the dining room is probably the Kitchen (a best guess from the shape of the characters, but it would make sense).

http://i.imgur.com/OvWVIxF.png
by Switch
Sat Jul 11, 2015 9:19 am
 
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Re: Yu Suzuki Live on Nico Nico Douga 07/12

Currently playing Shenmue I with absurdly high brightness settings. They're amazed at the loo in the Hazuki residence :lol: :D

I see there are over 16000 viewers already for the playthrough, not bad.

By the way, I'm thinking of doing a (detailed) translation for the Yu Suzuki session later, assuming one won't be provided. If anyone else is already planning to do one, please let me know so we can avoid accidentally doubling up on it - or maybe we could split it. Thanks!
by Switch
Sun Jul 12, 2015 4:25 am
 
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Re: Yu Suzuki Live on Nico Nico Douga 07/12

SquallAdv wrote: I'm planning on doing the translation live, but my english is not perfect, we could do it together if you want!

(My post on Shenmue 500K group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Shenmue ... tif_t=like )

Oh, that's great! I'll drop you a PM and see if I can help.
by Switch
Sun Jul 12, 2015 6:05 am
 
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Re: Yu Suzuki Live on Nico Nico Douga 07/12

Ok, here's the plan for handling the translation at the moment.

SquallAdv will be doing a live "as-it-happens" summary translation of the stream into English, and I'll be extending this afterwards as a full transcript to capture the detail.
by Switch
Sun Jul 12, 2015 7:08 am
 
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Re: Translation requests here!

Translation of this tweet by Yu Suzuki?
youtu.be/M4nG7m0FZhc
感動しました。
みなさんの想いを痛感します。
KSキャンペーンも残り1週間を切りました。
みなさんの想いに少しでも近づけるため、
引き続き応援お願いいたします。
"I was really moved.
I feel everyone's sentiments and anticipation very strongly.
The Kickstarter campaign now has less than a week remaining.
In order to get even a little closer to bringing about these wishes, please continue to give your support."
by Switch
Sun Jul 12, 2015 8:15 pm
 
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Re: Concept Art Thread (Updated 12/07, Mid-June Famitsu Scan

Attached to a tweet from Yu Suzuki thanking people for watching the NicoNico interview.

Image

So the guy who appeared in the trailer with Yu Suzuki appears again!
by Switch
Mon Jul 13, 2015 5:07 am
 
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Re: [Video] Yu Suzuki Shenmue 3 Interview on Niconico Live

Technophilz wrote: Maybe Ziming or Switch can work on subtitles ?

That's a good suggestion, in progress!
by Switch
Sun Jul 12, 2015 11:50 pm
 
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Re: [Video] Yu Suzuki Shenmue 3 Interview on Niconico Live

Translation & captioning done at last! It took a lot more effort than I had been expecting. :shock:

English captioning starts from the part of the interview where the topic of Shenmue III begins (there's a button in the video or use the link in the description to skip straight there). Enjoy!

Disclaimer: the interview may contain SPOILERS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IntCDAc6c8Y
by Switch
Wed Jul 15, 2015 10:39 am
 
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Re: [Video] Yu Suzuki SM3 Interview on Niconico Live [Englis

Try this:

In 'Video Manager', try posting a label that starts at least 30 seconds before and lasts throughout the spoilery bit, warning massively of spoilers! Post this hyperlink on that label in there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IntCDAc6c8Y#t=40m20s

Links to the same video, but jumps to that specific time
Thanks a lot.

Spoiler guard now fitted :twisted:
by Switch
Wed Jul 15, 2015 12:02 pm
 
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Project Berkley article translation (Nov 1998)

This is a translation of an article that was published in the November 1998 edition of the Dreamcast Magazine .

http://i.imgur.com/aoM2oCPt.png

This date of this article, November 1998, is the month before the Premiere Event of Shenmue would be held, and the gaming world was buzzing with anticipation. Little had been publicly shared about the game, even its real name - it was known then as "Project Berkley", a name that Yu Suzuki has mentioned elsewhere that he chose because it "had a nice ring to it", as well as matching the name of the famous US University. (Although the spelling used in the magazines differs slightly from the actual university name which is "Berekely" with an extra "e").

It's clear that this article and others like it at that time had little solid information to go on regarding details of the game; but it does include an interview with Yu Suzuki, so here it is for nostalgia's sake.

Related links:
1. Project Berkley - English Subtitled - (video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vHcmPUhhhs 2. Shenmue Premiere Event video (short version, English subtitles) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM2bkUm1eT8


http://i.imgur.com/BnfcgV1t.png http://i.imgur.com/M26Re9tt.png http://i.imgur.com/LawawTzt.png http://i.imgur.com/nQNI3u9t.png

Yu Suzuki's Latest Game: Code-name Project Berkley

"At the end of December I’m planning to hold a premiere event, which will be the largest ever held. Please look forward to it!" , announced Yu Suzuki on the last day of the Tokyo Game Show, as the general public looked on. The expression on the face of Kenji Eno and the other attendees at the Creators’ Conference in reaction to the words "largest ever" was memorable, but what exactly does Yu mean by "the largest ever"? There’s no doubt it’s something that many, including the many fans who heard it at the event, are extremely keen to find out. In the official notice we received the other day from the AM2 Division, the date of the premiere event is confirmed as 20 December (Sunday), to be held at Pacifico Yokohama. The notice covered these two pieces of information, but didn’t reveal anything more...

Devotion & Passion

http://i.imgur.com/ed3JcL4.png?1

Yu Suzuki is extremely busy at the moment. Busier than ever before, even compared to busy periods in memory from the past. Over these past few years, what with holding position as head of the AM2 Division which has greatly grown in staff numbers, as well as director of the Amusement Machine Research and Development Division (currently an executive officer), there were periods when he was not able to find free time to spend in the role of game creator. However, with this latest project, Project Berkley, almost all of the time he has is devoted to its creation. For this reason, being able to meet Yu Suzuki at this present time, as a magazine media journalist, is something that can only be called extremely fortunate. That’s how busy he is. And, this is how much Yu Suzuki is staking on Project Berkley. In his own words, saying it is "the culmination of 15 years" is no exaggeration. The way he pours his passion into this project is inspiring.

Gradual Revelation

For Yu Suzuki it will already be the third generation of Sega home console he has worked with, since the MegaDrive. In this article of Dreamcast Magazine, which has been reborn to target this new hardware, we will be covering how Yu is finding this, including the recent status of the project. It is a game shrouded in mystery. However the game’s greatness is not something that will be diminished even if we set some of the details aside until closer to December's premiere event, nor is it a game that will find itself out-shone by a rival new game sneaking up quietly. And so, given the mind-boggling scale of the game, it's better we don't rush along, but reveal it one part at a time. And so, we would be happy if our readers would pause a little over the next period, to read information that will be revealed little-by-little as we go forwards, such as the premiere event, the newly-proposed genre name and some key words related to the game. This is a moment when the history of gaming is about to change. Such a moment may only come along once in several years, so it’s surely not a bad idea to follow along.

Premiere Event Venue

First, let’s look at the premiere event venue, Pacifico Yokohama. This venue has a capacity of 5000 attendees. In terms of its size, it is about the size of the Tokyo International Forum venue where announcements for games like D2 and Sonic Adventure were held. We asked Yu why the choice of Yokohama:

"Actually, from a transport access standpoint, Tokyo would definitely have been preferable, but we couldn’t find an available venue in Tokyo, for that time. This was a venue comparable to the Tokyo International Forum. Really I would have liked to have held it at the Tokyo Dome " laughs Yu unconcernedly. It’s hard to tell if he is being serious or joking... However, with his affable smile, it doesn’t really matter.

http://i.imgur.com/FoH3JLVm.png
The Pacifico Convention Center in Yokohama
The event venue will held at be the Pacifico convention center in Yokohama. The pie-slice shape of the Intercontinental Hotel in the Minato-mirai area should serve as a landmark to head for. The closest station is the JR Sakuragi-cho station. It’s about 12 minutes from there by travelator, or 5 minutes by taxi; or you could stroll around the area on the way there. There are plenty of places to fill in time nearby like Landmark Tower and Queen’s Square Yokohama. Look for further details in a future issue of Dreamcast Magazine!


"The time of the event, and how many times it will be held, haven’t been decided yet, but the length of the event will be longer than the one for Sonic". The premiere event for Sonic Adventure in August was around 70 minutes long, suggesting the length may be around 2 hours. "Even people who are not interested in games are sure to enjoy what we have in store, so people should not hesitate to come along and bring their friends or girlfriend. And after Yokohama, I’m planning to hold the same event in several cities around the country after the New Year, somewhat like a road show." The candidate locations are still under consideration, and it is also yet to be decided whether Yu himself will be attending the additional events. However, it would be well worth going to see even if Yu is not present. Every attendee is sure to feel satisfied at seeing the kind of images they had not imagined possible. The images are evolving and improving daily with an amazing momentum. This will be something not to be missed.

A New Genre

"I wanted to avoid calling it an RPG... Because what I think of as an RPG, and what other people think of as an RPG, may be two different things. So instead of the genre of RPG, I thought up a new genre name for it".

After considering long and hard, Yu Suzuki came up with the name "FREE". So going forward, the name of the genre for Project Berkley has been revised from "RPG?" to "FREE".

"Starting with Hang-On, I’ve been making games for ten-something years, and this project is the culmination of those years, where I have brought together all those elements. I wanted to try creating something that gives you a lot more freedom than games that have come before; fewer restrictions. In that sense, you can say it is "FREE". It’s also the first letters of Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment. "Full" has connotations of completeness; it’s part of the word "full-scale". And so "Full Reactive" means reacting completely. Eyes – we have one pair, left and right. This suggests such concepts as "having two aspects", "the front vs the reverse side", "positive and negative", or taking it further, "the creator and the user", "reality and surrealism (or virtual reality)", "the past and the future". One of these words by itself doesn’t tell the whole story - they always form a pair to make a complete set. Mixing the two opposing concepts makes them well-balanced. Also, another reason I chose to use Eyes is that the human eyes represent one of the most sensitive and delicate parts of the human body and functions. So the meaning of FREE can be "having extremely sensitive eyes that react to everything around", or "a full-action game having a sensitive point of view".

http://i.imgur.com/eDEgfIFm.png http://i.imgur.com/LmVuanOm.png
Above: The pamphlet that was handed out at the Sega New Challenge Conference II event (front, back). The genre of "RPG" has now been revised as shown below...
http://i.imgur.com/mcVnQacm.png http://i.imgur.com/KVZ6wbAm.png
A large cross covers the "RPG" symbol, being replaced by the letters "FREE". "FREE" stands for Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment, a completely new genre.

The meaning may still not be entirely clear even after this explanation, but Yu doesn’t forget an important point: "What’s really important is communicating a message to the people that play, and the thing I’m most afraid of is that the message I want to tell gets disrupted for some reason like the game being too difficult. For this day and age, I want to properly convey to children those precious things that should be held dear. That’s the strong wish I have, and I hope to be able to make that kind of story."

To achieve this, a vast world has been prepared, together with an astonishing number of characters that make an appearance. Once people have seen this, they are sure to grasp the essence of the FREE genre. The pleasant experience of travelling "freely" through a carefully-crafted world: the day when a part of this can be experienced is almost here.

http://i.imgur.com/DSspWWj.png
Scoop! The Contents of the Special Disk Supplied with the Dreamcast version of VF 3tb!
Every purchase of the Dreamcast version of Virtua Fighter 3tb will come with a Special Disk. As we have previously reported, this freebie disk contains secret footage about Project Berkley, but now we have been able to gradually confirm certain aspects of the contents: Yu Suzuki will be featuring in it, and will be speaking about the past through to the future. It will be able to be viewed on an actual Dreamcast. Also, you will be able to hear some of the music, which is an important part of the game. Furthermore, the official name of the game will also be announced within. Everything will be revealed on this single disk, on November 27.

Yu Suzuki Speaks About Project Berkley

Even after gathering together the fragments of information available, at the current point it’s likely no one is able to imagine how Project Berkley really is. Conversely, even after viewing the special disk that to be supplied with Virtua Fighter 3tb on November 27, that won’t be enough to understand the true nature of Project Berkley. That’s because, while it does contain some clips, it can be said that they show parts that are not the essence of the game.

When I first heard about the game from Yu Suzuki, I recall an interesting allegory he told me. "Let’s say you are pouring coffee for someone, and you ask them how many lumps of sugar they want. And they answer with one lump, or two lumps. Then you confirm their choice with them, and pass them the appropriate amount, right? Well, present-day RPG games are just like that. There are one or two paths prepared for the player. However, what I want to do is different from that: You want sugar? Sure, here you go – and I want to be able to hand you a whole jar containing many lumps of sugar. Or if it’s milk, rather than measuring it out, I want to grab the whole bottle and pass it across." When I heard this story, I hadn’t yet seen any actual images and couldn’t really imagine what Yu meant, but once you see some of the images from Project Berkley, you’ll understand in a flash. It’s not just a story about a minor counting difference; it’s something applied in a single leap right to the architecture of that world.

Let’s take one more concrete example. Yu Suzuki has said that "With this game, 1 million players will have a million different experiences". Yu goes further on this topic: "For example, let’s say you were on your way to school as normal. On the way, if you happened to see someone at the intersection wearing no clothes, that would definitely make an impression, right? When you get to school, the first thing you would say is ‘On the way to school I saw a weird guy!’ (laughs) And to change to a different topic, movies - it’s often the case that with a movie of say 2 hours, the first 2 hours are entirely preparation for the ending of the movie, right? In a lot of movies, everything that happens until the last scene is preparation for showing the ending. However, I’m not trying to do it that way. It’s true that there exists one main story, but it’s a world where the process taken along the way during the 50 hours or 100 hours of play isn’t there merely as preparation for the final scene. Of course, everything connects together, but excluding a certain world, it’s like being able to experience virtual reality. So, it’s ok not to progress towards the final scene. How can I put it... it’s like Doraemon ’s "Anywhere Door" (laughs), so you can visit places whenever you like. And you can do that over and over. It’s like experiencing actual daily life. Like a kind of virtual reality tool (laughs)". You could say that these words sum up one of the characteristics of Project Berkley. However, that’s not all that Project Berkley is. This game introduces a large number of world-first technical initiatives. Each one of these helps to propel this game to be something novel and unlike any of the games that have come before. All the latest technology accumulated by Yu Suzuki over the last 3 years has been ambitiously incorporated into this game, and it is sure to impress anyone who sees it.

http://i.imgur.com/ylW2605.png

As we wrote at the start of this article, Yu Suzuki’s devotion to this project is anything but ordinary, but these technical innovations are now proving their worth, as endorsed by the amazing graphical improvements in Project Berkley that have rapidly occurred recently. If characters such as those seen in the Final Fantasy movie were to be animated in real time... That is something we’d like you to check with your own eyes at the premiere event.

Few Hints

At present, the information made available to us about Project Berkley has been scarce at best. What has been made available is a preview pamphlet announcing the return of Yu Suzuki after 3 years, and an edition of the pamphlet that revises its genre name. There are some minor changes in the background design of the revised version, but "that doesn’t really have any particular meaning" confides Yu Suzuki...

More On the Premiere Event

Regarding the length of the premiere event being longer than that of Sonic, Yu Suzuki says: "The graphical footage for Project Berkley is kept in my room right now on 60-minute digital video tapes, and there about 25 of them on that shelf. Of course, that’s not everything though, but just what’s there is about 25 hours of video (laughs). I don’t know for sure yet, but I’m thinking of showing about 40 minutes to an hour of video at the premiere event". I feel a bit concerned that so much footage will be revealed all at once, but it seems that Yu Suzuki has already made a calm analysis: "If I recall correctly, there was about 7 minutes of Dreamcast footage shown at the D2 event. And I think the game footage shown at the Sonic Adventure event was about 12 minutes. And so, for the premiere event this time I want everyone to be able to see plenty of video compared to those events. I want the content of the event to satisfy everyone who has come along. There may be those who worry that we’ll be giving too much away, but even so it will amount to no more than the equivalent of a preview trailer for a movie (laughs). For example, 1% of 100 hours of footage is 1 hour - so it won’t be a problem. Naturally, if I show around an hour of footage, it will be longer than other premiere events held until now. Also, though it will depend of the number of attendees, for argument’s sake if the event is 2 hours’ long, then no matter how much we try we’ll be limited to holding the event at most 3 times in one day." Ok, then. By the way, for Sonic Adventure the sale of souvenir items seemed to go really well – what sort of things do you have planned for sale this time?

"Details of items are still to be confirmed, but in general there will be things like calendars and post-cards. Also we’ll prepare things like T-shirts." replies Yu. "We have put in a great amount of effort into the music and the text of messages in the game. In particular, I think the music aspect alone will provide everyone with plenty of enjoyment." I have a feeling that Yu’s mention of the planned additional events to be held outside the metropolis being like a "road show" may have some significance. "From the point of view of game fans and their image of me, probably the strongest image they have of me is to do with the game I have put out most recently. So now, my current image is "Yu Suzuki, of Virtua Fighter" or "Yu Suzuki, designer of fighting games". But for me, it’s really not the case at all. (laughs) In fact I’ve also created driving games, and flight games. So from that point of view, for the upcoming premiere event, I’d like lots of people to come – you don’t have to be a fan of Virtua Fighter! I’m sure that even ordinary females who may have no interest in games will really enjoy it. The Special Disk attached to the Dreamcast version of Virtua Fighter tb3 includes a preview of Project Berkley, but by all means people who have not seen seen the preview should also come along. I’ll be happy if lots of people attend, as if they were going to a concert". In any case, with being a game whose wonder can be appreciated from viewing just a small amount of footage, it's well worth marking December 20 on your calendar. And the Yokohama area is an enjoyable place to take a wander over to.

Current Development Status

To finish up, we asked about the current status of development. "Recently things are coming together well. It took quite a while for things to come together, but we’re going at a good speed now. I’d say we’re achieving about twice the speed of a normal project. Our production efficiency is high! (laughs) But the overall amount that needs to be finished off has ballooned. Even though we’re working faster than a normal project, there’s a lot to be done, and that takes time". And at that point, he showed us some previously unseen screens from the actual game. Watch this space...!
by Switch
Sun Aug 30, 2015 3:45 am
 
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Re: Concept Art Thread (Update 15th July: Jail!)

Latest art tweet from Yu Suzuki.

Baisha geyser
Image
by Switch
Thu Jul 16, 2015 3:11 am
 
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Re: [Video] Yu Suzuki SM3 Interview on Niconico Live [Englis

The full transcript, taken from the subtitles of the video, is now available as a document for reading.

Sample snippet:
J: I'd like to move on to your latest game that has been announced: Shenmue III.
YS: Sure.
J: Could you tell us about what led to it being revived - What was behind this decision, in terms of reasons and timing?
YS: Well... it has been about 14 years since Shenmue II and during this period I have had the chance to speak overseas fairly regularly. And pretty much every time I went, I would get asked questions such as when Shenmue III would be released. In fact about 80% of the questions I get asked relate to Shenmue; about 10% on the Virtua series; and the rest are about my other games. So the majority is overwhelmingly about Shenmue.
J: Oh, even more than the Virtua series.
YS: That's right. So, a lot of questions have focused on Shenmue and for the past 10 years, each year around March/April, rumors reach me that Shenmue III is going to be released. Whenever I used to hear that, I would say to myself "I wonder who's going to be releasing it" [laughing]

...(cont)

Spoiler protection: the main spoilers in the document have been made invisible with white-colored text, but can be revealed using copy/paste.

View full transcript: Niconico Interview Full transcript (pdf)
by Switch
Fri Jul 17, 2015 2:17 am
 
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Nocon Kid & Shenmue III

One thing that caught my attention during the Shenmue III Kickstarter twitch, was when Yu Suzuki was talking about Nocon Kid's HD Remaster videos of Shenmue I.

I got the impression from the live English translation that perhaps Nocon Kid would be joining the team or something, saying that Yu Suzuki and he "talked about some exciting things".

But looking at a more direct translation of what Yu Suzuki said, it doesn't sound like he was trying to reveal anything in particular:
I met Nocon Kid, who is Korean, when I was over in South Korea. He spoke very enthusiastically to me on various topics. Both he and I feel very strongly about Shenmue. Since he was speaking Korean, we had an interpreter translating after each sentence and so the conversation flow was a bit delayed - but it was an enjoyable meeting.
Still, if Yu Suzuki has actually met with Nocon Kid, then maybe there's a chance that he can be part of the official project.
by Switch
Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:23 am
 
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Re: Street Fighter - The Legend of Shenmue

I enjoyed your video, thanks! A lot of similarities when put side by side. Yu Suzuki mentioned recently that Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee movies were a source of inspiration for him with the creation of Shenmue.
by Switch
Fri Jul 17, 2015 10:38 pm
 
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Re: Too Much Baisha?

I thought the 5 game structures were planned before the E3 and he choose one for the kickstarter with slight variations according the final budget, am I wrong ?
This is also my understanding from Yu's Niconico interview i.e. Yu chose one of the 5 game structures for the Kickstarter. It's a bit confusing because he also talks about budget as being one of the factors he considered in deciding which structure to choose, but I take it to mean that the structure he has chosen is suitable for a budget of around $2 to $10 million achieved through Kickstarter.

From the transcript :
Well, those scenarios will stay based on the underlying story, as I spoke about a few minutes ago, but there are several factors to consider when it comes to putting them into the game. For Shenmue III these are things such as: selection of the game engine, the size of the budget,the length of time for development and so on. And depending on these factors, certain changes may be needed to the content of the game. What platforms the game will be on is another consideration. Just for Shenmue III, I ended up with around 5 potential game structures. Stretch goals must also be fitted for the various budget levels, matching with the Kickstarter project. So actually there are several structure variations. And now, for this new project, I have chosen the structure that I believe fits best.
by Switch
Sun Jul 19, 2015 9:47 am
 
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Re: [Video] Yu Suzuki SM3 Interview on Niconico Live [Englis

Update: captions now added for the first 13 minutes to the video and transcript . This new part covers a brief history of Yu Suzuki's early games before Shenmue. Please check it out if you are interested.

Disclaimer: the section of the interview from 39:00~40:20 contains plot spoilers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IntCDAc6c8Y
by Switch
Mon Jul 20, 2015 10:37 am
 
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Re: Translation requests here!

Low priority request, but i grabbed these screens from the Video Director interview:

I think its only storyboards for the KS Promo vid. Sorry about quality, depth of field was all over the place. Would be a nice bit of trivia for the Concept Art thread though! Thanks
Here's what I've been able to read from the images of the script.

http://i.imgur.com/jtL5Bwx.png
2) The pair of figures become more distinct.
The sound of their voices gradually gets louder.
(Autumn leaves are dancing in the air)

The camera passes Ryo and zooms in on Shenhua.

http://i.imgur.com/nq7FZiL.png
4) Shenhua: "Ryo, can you jump across?"
by Switch
Thu Jul 16, 2015 5:23 am
 
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Re: Translation requests here!

Alright, something that might be more interesting?

From the interview with the scriptwriter .

The red bit is another piece of handwriting that was added after, in roughly the same place. The bottom half is blurred, but might be more readable if you watch the video in HD?

The labels on the diagram are readable but it's pretty tough to make out anything in the blurry text underneath. Anyway, here's the diagram:
http://i.imgur.com/1mfkefx.png

Interesting that the word "promise" links Ryo and Shenhua together.

Updated:
- added "maternal instinct". Thanks to Rakim
- added "life's"
- added numbers in the text below (thx NeoShredder!) and "Currently" --> changed to "be accomplished" after reviewing
by Switch
Tue Jul 21, 2015 9:22 pm
 
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Re: New characters in KS-trailer?

There's also some kanji behind him, any translations of that ?

It has the kanji 愛 which means love.
http://i.imgur.com/HM4JnRs.png

I've just realized what this kanji is part of! It's the advice Ryo received from his father:"Keep those you love close to you".

http://i.imgur.com/MsmB1M0.png
by Switch
Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:09 pm
 
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Re: Translation requests here!

Can anyone provide accurate translation to the parts in the last stream where they talk about:

- The talk about Suzuki's vision and approach to Shenmue 3 ( 2:05:58 )
- The talk about Chobou and other stretch goals ( 1:48:20 )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK7lg_Ip6Og

I've added English translation captions for Yu Suzuki's speech at these parts of the video:

7:17 Nocon Kid
1:49:16 Shenmue III new features (Chobou and other stretch goals )
2:05:38 Making a game with the fans (Suzuki's vision and approach to Shenmue 3 etc)

I think it helps make a few small details clearer compared to the original interpretation.
by Switch
Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:44 am
 
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Technique Scroll system

It seems that move scrolls - or "technique scrolls" as they have been called in Kickstarter - will be handled a bit differently in Shenmue III compared to the previous games, so I thought I'd pull together what we have heard from Yu Suzuki about them. (These are my translations of what Yu Suzuki said, not the AJ translations).

From the first Twitch stream:
YS: In Shenmue 3, you will be able to obtain move scrolls {“technique scrolls”} in various places – for example, in shops, mini-games, part-time jobs, gambling, quest events. You’ll be able to make immediate use of move scrolls in battle QTEs – for example, once you get a new scroll, you’ll be able to use it straight away as a QTE appearing during a fight. Being able to use it as soon as you have collected it will make it easy and satisfying to use. I think it will be fun to have it appear and be used when fighting.

Advanced moves and Arcane scrolls will be managed in a tree structure; these will not become immediately available after obtaining them. Instead, a likeness can be drawn with learning of actual martial arts, where you build up to reach an advanced move through the accumulation of several moves; in a similar way, you will need to build up moves in the tree in order to reach the advanced moves, and I think filling the moves in the tree will be fun. But you won’t have to build up to the advanced moves by actually participating in fighting (which can become tiresome); instead you just need to accumulate the necessary move scrolls to fill the tree.

And from the Kickstarter countdown stream :
YS: There is also a Move Scroll {or Technique Scroll} system, which I've spoken before a bit in the past. You will be able to obtain new move scrolls fairly easily. They will be treated just as standard items in Shenmue. Once you have obtained a new move scroll, you will be able to make use of it immediately without needing to practice it, in situations such as QTEs, Battle QTEs or other scenes.

In the world of Shenmue there are several game elements such as mini-games, gambling, part-time jobs, quests and so on. You will be able to pick up move scrolls in various places, and depending on which move scrolls you collect, this will result in several of the game elements linking together. And so eventually this will enable you to defeat the "bosses". Well, my use of the term "boss" here may be misleading. As an example, a mentor kind of person instructs you to beat them in order for you to be promoted to an advanced level. So for this part you must advance by linking together all these game elements in order to defeat them.

I think that, compared to Shenmue II, it will make for an even more balanced game.
So in summary:

⋅  A move scroll is a normal Shenmue item that can be obtained at various points e.g. through mini-games, gambling, part-time jobs, quests.
⋅  Most move scrolls can be used immediately, no practice is required to learn the move.
⋅  Arcane scrolls are a special type which are managed in a Skill Tree. You must accumulate several other move scrolls in order to use them.
⋅  Moves you have obtained are automatically available during QTEs, Battle QTEs and other situations.
by Switch
Wed Jul 22, 2015 10:05 pm
 
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Re: Shenmue 1 would be the PERFECT size for Shenmue 3

Yeah, I'm somewhat suspicious of those "official" translations from things like the Twitter Q&A :)

There was some clarification directly from Yu on the recent Kickstarter countdown twitch stream though:
In the town of Choubu, I will be making an effort to implement a detailed open world that will be comparable to Dobuita.
So it sounds like Choubu at least will be on a scale comparable to Dobuita and packed with a lot of locations to visit and things to do as budget allows e.g. the stretch goals on Kickstarter such as additional mini games, betting games, kung fu mastery, part time jobs, game stalls.
by Switch
Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:11 am
 
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Re: NEW SHENMUE III KICKSTARTER UPDATE - INTERVIEW WITH YU

I agree it seems inline with the expectations Yu has been setting in other interviews until now. It wouldn't be realistic to keep to the same chapter-based plan as originally.

I take his comment on story planning as they no longer have the luxury, time or budget to do 1 chapter = 1 location and so S3 will cover multiple chapters (but not all).
Yes, in fact Yu's answer in the original Japanese pretty much says exactly that. My translation:
However with Shenmue III it won't do to complete just one chapter's worth in one region, so I have restructured the underlying story to fit the budget.
by Switch
Mon Aug 31, 2015 4:57 am
 
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