Shenmue Dojo

colacube wrote: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.

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...?

Good catch! The other map has stars too, also around the perimeter of the village. I'd guess it's also surrounded by water, kind of like Zhouzhuangzhen which is also in Suzhou, quite close to the Pan Gate you identified. Here's a comparison:
http://imgur.com/a/x1h1n

It's unlikely this village will be used in Shenmue 3 though, which is set exclusively in Guilin. But I'd love to see that mountain fishing-village (if that's what it is), even is it's on a much smaller scale. I haven't seen a similar environment in games before. Imagine taking a little boat around and underneath these houses:
http://imgur.com/a/kKy0p

Yeah, it would be very cool to be able to explore an "on stilts" fishing village in the game.

colacube wrote:The other map has stars too, also around the perimeter of the village. I'd guess it's also surrounded by water, kind of like Zhouzhuangzhen which is also in Suzhou, quite close to the Pan Gate you identified. Here's a comparison:
http://imgur.com/a/x1h1n

Wow, from above that area has a strong resemblance. I could easily imagine something like this photo as a screenshot from Shenmue:

Seems like you were correct with your fishing mini-game idea Switch, as it's been revealed to be an activity in Shenmue 3. I'd like to think those stars are fishing spots on the edge of a floating village like this: http://i.imgur.com/sXj6k5I.jpg