Random Shenmue III Thoughts

[Spaghetti]

I asked a little while ago via the Kickstarter about informing people before they attend/don't attend an event. I kind of got a non-answer, but the general vibe I had was that things have changed now that Deep Silver are taking the reigns on marketing and stuff like that might not be announced in advance.

All we know right now for sure is that Deep Silver will be at E3, but of course we know they've got other games on their slate besides Shenmue.

[Let's Get Sweaty]

All we know right now for sure is that Deep Silver will be at E3, but of course we know they've got other games on their slate beneath Shenmue.

Fixed.

[Spaghetti]

Heh.

I keep flipping back and forth on this E3 thing.

I still maintain the VO stuff is going to prevent anything substantial, but I don't expect Deep Silver to go to the event and think they won't be asked about Shenmue III. At the very least I think there will be some stock PR line explaining what the situation is, and maybe pointing fans/media towards another event where the game could show up.

And y'know... the more I think about it, the more I think there's the potential for a quick teaser and a few new screens; along with some statement for intent to show more at a later date. If that can be arranged, it might be a happy medium of getting the ball rolling on the marketing, without putting Ys Net in the position of having to show the game extensively while a key component of the game's presentation isn't in place.

[dietsoap]

However, this is probably the last E3 before Shenmue 3 sees the light of the day

Man, that is just weird as hell to think. I mean, you're right, it's just surreal.

[SledgeNE]

The next MAGIC is in Japan this Autumn. It could be possible that the big stage could be there. But i hope it's just a bit earlier. I will see. It's awesome that the VO happens this month. It's a big step for the Game.

[Spaghetti]

The next MAGIC is in Japan this Autumn. It could be possible that the big stage could be there.

I don't see it. If MAGIC in February taught us anything, it's that the big guns will be deployed elsewhere. Doesn't matter what gets teased, we saw how all that panned out earlier this year.

It might make an appearance, but it's not the place for a big re-reveal. I'm banking on it happening before Autumn anyway, but even if it doesn't I don't think MAGIC will get more than a few bits and pieces.

[Valascaziel]

They seem to like Gamescom, so there is the possibility to it showing there.

[Spaghetti]

Yeah. Gamescom is a big event, and in terms of timing works better for Ys Net than E3 could at this stage.

However, I'm reminded of this Tweet from last year that might even put a hole in Gamescom plans: https://twitter.com/OlivierComte1/status/902168782885593088

PGW and Gamescom have similar attendance levels, have hosted Sony press conferences in the past, and get relatively the same level of media coverage depending on the games that show up. They seem largely interchangeable. The only difference is that PGW is in late October. That's almost six months from now, and it'll have been 14 months since our last sustained look at the game from Gamescom '17 if we really do wait until PGW for more.

If Ys Net needs/wants that time - fair enough. I'd say 2018 is out the window if they start promoting that late, but HD will reasonably fill the gap for a while anyway. Some might get a touch of cabin fever waiting for new info, though, and games journos looking for quick clicks might start the "WHERE'S SHENMUE III?!?!?!?" articles up again too.

I'm going to keep my fingers crossed something small might come, either informally at E3 or on the KS to mark the third anniversary. Just to break the silence enough to keep people placated until the time is right to show more. I don't think it's 100% necessary at all, but it'll keep the game in people's minds, and hopefully stop some fans losing their shit in the short term.

[FlagshipFighter]

I remember that Suzuki told in an interview (I don't recall in which interview) that he was thinking about adding flashbacks during the game or even make them playable so that new players get to know the story better . Now that Sega is going to release Shenmue HD, Will he keep on doing this idea? Will he use the Shenmue HD engine to do this or maybe remake them with the UE4?

I can't wait to see some gameplay of Shenmue 3!

[Chaikilla]

What are the chances of Yuanda Zhu being the mastermind behind Ryo and Lan Di's fathers' deaths? A long shot that has probably been discussed here before countless times but imagine if:

Zhao and Iwao, whilst training in Guilin, were both entrusted with a mirror each by some sage-like character (Shenhua's father/relation?). They were informed of the secrets the mirrors conceal and the treasures they lead to (immortality?) but for the sake of balance on the earth, they were tasked with making sure they were never used for that purpose. Zhu, having a close relationship with both Iwao and Zhao, is told of their duty and the secret of the mirrors. Iwao and Zhu are conveniently attacked by some unknown assailant (remember Ren mentioning how he used to be the big boss of Hong Kong? Maybe Zhu had the pull to order hits on people).

Iwao lives but Zhao dies and Iwao vows to carry on his duty as protector of the phoenix mirror as well as the dragon. Zhu's pissed because he wanted them both dead so he goes to plan b and starts to filter out a story that Iwao killed Zhu for the mirrors, which leads to Lan Di pursuing him. Zhu's new goal is to wait in the shadows while the dragon (Lan Di) and the Phoenix (Ryo) lead him straight to the treasure.

[FlagshipFighter]

I remember that Suzuki told in an interview (I don't recall in which interview) that he was thinking about adding flashbacks during the game or even make them playable so that new players get to know the story better . Now that Sega is going to release Shenmue HD, Will he keep on doing this idea? Will he use the Shenmue HD engine to do this or maybe remake them with the UE4?

I can't wait to see some gameplay of Shenmue 3!

Interesting, I thought that at first but I imagine it might be a bit resource-intensive to pull off? (so i wouldn't want to expect them pulling something off to that scale, especially now that it might be a bit redundant with the remasters)

I'd like to hear everyone's input on this, or what you'd propose for these sequences:

Has anyone here played Lost Odyssey? It has these moments called 'A Thousand Years of Dreams' (about 30 of them) that you unlock throughout the game. basically: the main character is immortal but suffers from amnesia: he'll sometimes stop to recall a memory from the past that is presented as a brief visual novella for around 10-20mins or so.

phpBB [video]

Nobody really appreciated this format much when looking at it from the outside (largely because the focus was on FFXIII) but for those who did play the game: a lot of players were moved by this medium of storytelling. I've yet to play the game again after finishing it in 2008 (largely because I wanted to give it sometime) but when I do go back and read these because I thought they were amazing. Heck, i even have an ebook version of this on my kindle!

The only thing is: You'd need a talented writer (and i imagine translator too) to pull this off well. I don't know if Shenmue's story-telling in novella form (we've had a movie, digest and a comic) but I can imagine there's a first for everything and they can figure out the style as part of development. I'm going to assume there's already someone on the team handling the story-telling, writing and translating.

I can't confirm if it's exactly like this: but Nier: Automata did something similar and a lot of players liked it? (can anyone who's played it confirm?) So there might be an audience for something like this now.

So yeah, depending on how they approach this, I personally think this style is cool because it's:
- Super cost effective to produce and would take less expertise/resources compared to creating gameplay segments
- Really atmospheric and creative
- Would be insightful for newcomers AND a new, stylistic and interesting way to recapture these events for fans (w/o resorting to playing the old footage, which'd be fine but not as flexible/succinct as this). Maybe it'd be an opportunity for them to expand beyond the lore that we know of at moments, or to tell completely new stories.

They don't need to produce 30+ of these like Lost Odyssey, 10-15 would do (just imagine hearing reading the text, with the sound effects and background when Ryo recalls 'that day' in the dojo... hype levels would soar).

The way i see it: I really commend Suzuki-san and the dev team for implementing a means of recapturing past events for old&newcomers in the first place.

But since we know they're working with finite resources and don't have all the money/time in the world to experiment and figure stuff out like with 1&2 (for a project of this scope) I wouldn't want to see so much attention put here at the expense of creating newer segments for shenmue 3, so if i were to propose a way for them to do something like this it's be like LO.

Saying that: we know they're giving 3 it's full attention though and I bet this whole thing was figured out a while back, again knowing now that we have remasters to look forward to!

Thoughts?

I feel like Jibby's gonna kill me

[FlagshipFighter]

Not strictly Shenmue III related but at the end of a talk about creating Hellblade with UE4, a quick timelapse of development phases is shown: https://youtu.be/wnJN1CSXh6o?t=3443

Hellblade spent under a year in prototype/pre-production, Shenmue III spent around a year or slightly more (prototype phases are largely determined by the needs of the game, but longer in prototype is generally accepted as good preparation for full production).

The bulk of the development was spent in production/Alpha, from July 2015 to around April 2017 - so just shy of two years. Shenmue III will be at roughly two years in full production later this year, by comparison (some of that time in production can be offset by the longer prototype R&D, sometimes the problem is not how long it takes to build something, but knowing how to build it in the first place).

Beta and Mastering was really only the last 4ish months on Hellblade. It's typically the briefest part of development for games across the board.

Obviously this isn't 1:1 with Shenmue III's development, and there are going to be factors where development is different on these titles (priorities, complexity, difficulties, staff, hours worked, etc), but should give us a rough idea where we are.

What does that mean for a 2018 release? Dunno, the previously mentioned variables will impact that a lot, but as ever Ys Net will get the benefit of the doubt from me.

[FlagshipFighter]

I'm still hopeful for a modicum of information at E3, but I will temper my expectations.

It's clear to me from the silence since February(and the confusion that seemed to come from what was shown at MAGIC) that Deep Silver is preparing to take over for the normal KS updates.

It will probably show at Gamescom for sure in August, if not E3. However, I think missing E3 ensures 2018 isn't happening, which is okay with the HD Remasters finally a reality.

[Spaghetti]

Don't put too much stock into E3 being make or break. The only thing that ensures 2018 not happening is if/when Ys Net say it. From what we know at the VO scheduling it could be a purely logistical decision not to go.

If we get a repeat of last year where a delay is announced prior to E3, fair enough. If we get an E3 no-show but no delay announcement in the aftermath, they've still got a shot at making it happen.

These next four weeks are more crucial than E3, IMO.

[Centrale]

Not to shovel more coal into an already chugging hype train, but the matter of the timing of the VO and E3 doesn't seem problematic to me. Simply because if a trailer is being prepared, they can just record the lines for that trailer first of all, then proceed to the bulk of the VO work for the actual game. Not that I'm predicting or expecting a trailer or even anything at all at E3, at this point.