Kickstarter Update #99 - Reboot Develop 2019!

[spud1897]

Random gamers opinions of the newest Shenmue 3 screens.

An interesting take because they’re probably a little more objective than us fans.

Here:

Google Translate

View attachment 2704

Meh it happens. Also Shenmue always gets these sorts slamming it.

What I find telling is the gaming media haven't jumped on it for a while. Maybe it looks too good for them to do that?

It's quite easy to jump on the negative slant of one particualr screen we had released but (following the example of @James Brown here) I'd leave them a picture of Lan-Di from the Monaco trailer and dare anyone to say he looks dead-eyed.

The game is now at a baseline that is finished and it is now all about refinement. If Lan-Di is anything to go by we are going to be in for a treat come August 27th.

 

[WildManofBorneo]

I'm sure they are talking about the image that shows Ryo in front of two shops. You can see his hands seems a bit rare in that pic.
I don't know why they keep on using old material to promote the game, it harms the reputation of the game more than help it.

I thought the images from the conference are new ?

 

[Van Joel Sandwich]

We tend to focus on the negative comments. I myself do that sometimes. But the truth is that there are a lot of positive feedback as well!
Eve going through a lot of comments in different sites, generally, people seem to like what they are seeing.

 

[hazuki00]

I thought the images from the conference are new ?

Yeah, but Suzuki had old pictures too and commented several things using them as examples, so that is why I said that.

 

[Yokosuka]

I know this site (Gamekyo) and I don't think it's slamming for the sake of slamming.

Tbh, I was also shocked in the same way by the screens. But it's the same old story there. I always need 15-30 minutes to fairly appreciate the work and realize and contextualize to eventually think "it's not that bad" "actually it looks great" "with the music, the animation, the controller in hands, it will feel Shenmue 3 100%".

The only time I was not "shocked" was the first Gamescom trailer, but probably because I was told before by people on general forums that the trailer was bad with uncanny valley animations and straightforward editing.

Same for my brother who played Shenmue 2 and watched me playing the games again and again. He thought that the development was a catastrophe after watching the last trailer. Then he put things into perspective after I told him the context of production, etc.

I know that Shenmue fans believe that people really hate the game but they don't. These screens are truly "meh" when you first look at them. You just need to contextualize a bit and imagine yourself in the game to realize the beauty of Shenmue 3. But that's impossible with the news instant format. People just look at them and go away.

 

[Van Joel Sandwich]

I know this site (Gamekyo) and I don't think it's slamming for the sake of slamming.

Tbh, I was also shocked in the same way by the screens. But it's the same old story there. I always need 15-30 minutes to fairly appreciate the work and realize and contextualize to eventually think "it's not that bad" "actually it looks great" "with the music, the animation, the controller in hands, it will feel Shenmue 3 100%".

The only time I was not "shocked" was the first Gamescom trailer, but probably because I was told before by people on general forums that the trailer was bad with silicon valley animations.

Same for my brother who played Shenmue 2 and watched me playing the games again and again. He thought that the development was a catastrophe after watching the last trailer. Then he put things into perspective after I told him the context of production, etc.

I know that Shenmue fans believe that people really hate the game but they don't. These screens are truly "meh" when you first look at them. You just need to contextualize a bit and imagine yourself in the game to realize the beauty of the game. But that's impossible with the news instant format. People just look at them and go away.

You also have to take into account that this latest screenshots are super-compressed. Not even close to what the real screen captures should look.
Its almost like watching an 480p video on Youtube today. All the detail is gone. Horrible. lol

 

[Spaghetti]

Hm... I dunno. At least with these screens -

- I really struggle to see why anybody would get such a hate boner about how the game looks.

I mean fucksakes, it used to look like this:

Or even this:

The way some people act, it's like it hasn't budged visually from E3 2015.

But honestly, it's the internet, and people love hyperbole on the internet. Moreover, they love to hate.

 

[Peter]

Indeed. The images we received on Friday have just continued to make me more excited with each time I look at them. Absorbing them. Looking ever closely at the new video game environments I will call home. I adore them, from the cobbled stones on the ground, the style of the architecture, the Panda Arcade having its sign carved into a huge section of a cut tree trunk. The fact that the entire Bailu Village branch is made from materials such as corrugated sheets, and whatever other makeshift materials they could use. cannot wait to hear the rain on that tin roof as I try and beat my last QTE Fighter score. Its a good bet that the Choubu branch of the Arcade will be made of more sturdy materials, like brick or concrete, and probably a little bigger. That's sheer attention to detail, which I love about Yu Suzuki, and why I can look past any of the usual internet hyperbole.

The one question I have been trying to get the answer to for quite a while now is are those buildings on the right hand side of the dock (left hand side in the trailer where the boat arrives) accessible. or is that all just for show? I need to know if I can explore all of that.

 

[Spaghetti]

Its a good bet that the Choubu branch of the Arcade will be made of more sturdy materials, like brick or concrete, and probably a little bigger.

Actually, the image name from the shenmue.link site suggests it's the Chobu/Niaowu arcade we're seeing there.

Makes me wonder how diverse the environments in Niaowu are going to be, really. There's the shopping street and dock area, there's a more run down seedy part of the city we heard about in the EDGE preview, and now sort of a shanty town away from the built-up parts.

There's a lot we haven't really been able to piece together geographically, now that I think about it. Is Shenmue III bigger than we expected? Quite probably. Even Bailu looks kind of sprawling when checking out the mini-map.

 

[Peter]

Actually, the image name from the shenmue.link site suggests it's the Chobu/Niaowu arcade we're seeing there.

Not sure if that's a mistake or not. As far as I know, the arcade is located on the harbor front in Choubu with the same cobblestones outside of it. I am almost sure there was one of the harbor pictures where you could see what looks like an arcade in the distance. The picture above is a lot more run down, with dirt ground outside of it.

 

[Spaghetti]

Not sure if that's a mistake or not. As far as I know, the arcade is located on the harbor front in Choubu with the same cobblestones outside of it. I am almost sure there was one of the harbor pictures where you could see what looks like an arcade in the distance. The picture above is a lot more run down, with dirt ground outside of it.

Yeah, I think I know what you're talking about. A lot of lights outside, pretty clearly seen in The Prophecy trailer when the boat pulls up? Hm...

Guess we'll have to wait and see on that one.

 

[Reprise]

I don't think it's that people have a hate boner (well, some people do I guess), it's just the models (including the animations seen so far) honestly look very 'last gen', stiff and awkward. Even Ryo. His poses in those new shots are super awkward. It reminds me of an era when characters in games constantly had some form of 'pose' instead of just looking relaxed and natural.

I don't care, lot of us here don't care. I'm so glad Ryo looks like the Ryo we know and love. It's like they're enhancements of the classic models from Shenmue 1 and 2 and that's what most of us want, but not everyone, especially outsiders and casuals, will agree or even necessarily understand the context.

I think it will all look a lot better in motion though. Suzuki just seems to have a thing for really odd shot compositions that are a bit old fashioned by modern standards.

 

[orient]

Indeed. The one question I have been trying to get the answer to for quite a while now is are those buildings on the right hand side of the dock (left hand side in the trailer where the boat arrives) accessible. or is that all just for show? I need to know if I can explore all of that.

Based on that screenshot, my guess would be no, simply because there are no distinguishing features on that section of the waterfront -- no unique signs or buildings. Whether we'll have access to other areas on that side of the river, who knows.

His poses in those new shots are super awkward. It reminds me of an era when characters in games constantly had some form of 'pose' instead of just looking relaxed and natural.

The way they've posed Ryo in front of the camera, in what is presumably his regular idle animation, is old-school and a little bit awkward, but that doesn't make the graphics themselves bad (although I'm not denying a lot of players see anything less than the most cutting-edge, expensive AAA graphics as "bad").

AAA teams have people dedicated to taking hundreds of screenshots and carefully hand-picking the most exciting ones, touching them up etc. By comparison, these screens look like they've been taken to demonstrate a talking point, and not give away too much info.

 

[Spaghetti]

Based on that screenshot, my guess would be no, simply because there are no distinguishing features on that section of the waterfront -- no unique signs or buildings. Whether we'll have access to other areas on that side of the river, who knows.

I think Peter means this bit to the left. From The Prophecy trailer:

I've been wondering if it's somewhere players can go to as well. It definitely looks like there's something beyond the waterfront buildings, which are themselves new geometry that wasn't there in our looks at Chobu in 2017.

 

[orient]

Well the building on the corner looks unique, at least, and there does seem to be a path or something lit up behind it Could just be set dressing because it's the closest part and quite visible in the shot, or it could be something more.

 

[Peter]

Yep that's exactly it. On the right is where the boat docks, and that looks like the Niaowu arcade on the harbor front, as well as the market area Ryo walks up.

But its all of that area that's across the water I wonder if it will be explorable, or if its just for show...

But then again, looking at the top left, there seems to be a lot of pretty tall steps, leading up to what could be a Temple maybe?

 

[Let's Get Sweaty]

But honestly, it's the internet, and people love hyperbole on the internet.

People on the Internet don't just LOVE hyperbole, they fucking ADORE hyperbole. They want to MARRY hyperbole. They want to be CREMATED with hyperbole, and have their ashes mix with hyperbole's ashes and be utterly inseparable FOREVER and EVER till way past ETERNITY.

You'll never catch me indulging in it, I'll tell you that.

 

[WildManofBorneo]

Based on that screenshot, my guess would be no, simply because there are no distinguishing features on that section of the waterfront -- no unique signs or buildings. Whether we'll have access to other areas on that side of the river, who knows.


The way they've posed Ryo in front of the camera, in what is presumably his regular idle animation, is old-school and a little bit awkward, but that doesn't make the graphics themselves bad (although I'm not denying a lot of players see anything less than the most cutting-edge, expensive AAA graphics as "bad").

AAA teams have people dedicated to taking hundreds of screenshots and carefully hand-picking the most exciting ones, touching them up etc. By comparison, these screens look like they've been taken to demonstrate a talking point, and not give away too much info.

I think Yu Suzuki is probably responsible for every piece of marketing and marketing related material thay we’ve seen thus far, including screenshot captures- and it’s not his best asset. Deep Silver should have taken the marketing reigns, but they are stunned. We all know this from their decision to distribute Metro exclusively on the Epic games store which led to a fiasco and a disaster for their PC sales.

It seems they’ve left Yu to his own devices for marketing. Because of Yu’s humility he will fail to build the hype the way that is traditionally done in the gaming world, but then again, we’re probably not going to have sky high expectations like EA created for Bioware’s Anthem.

 

[WildManofBorneo]

Btw, how long would it take to implement self shading for every NPC's eye balls? Is it a lengthy process?

 

[Zoyous]

Btw, how long would it take to implement self shading for every NPC's eye balls? Is it a lengthy process?

To me it looks like an ambient color setting in the material attributes is turned all the way up. It needs to be turned down, or completely off. Unfortunately, it's quite a meticulous process and must be done very carefully so as not to injure the NPCs' eyes, one at a time. To be honest, it would probably require pushing the release date back by about three months.

Just kidding, it's a slider that takes merely a moment to adjust.