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Shenmue 3 Month 3 Progress Report with screenshots

Gamezone

Gold Member
This game could probably reach their 10 million goal if people got to try out Shenmue 1 and 2. These games are very expensive right now.
 

Soriku

Junior Member
Yeah. Games development has gotten more expensive, and inflation means you get far less bang for your buck than you did in the late '90s. Expect this game to be a teeny tiny fraction of the Shenmue experience we're used to.

I haven't played the other games so what made them big, content-wise?

You can still make a pretty dense game without an AAA budget. Shenmue 3 will be limited most by the crowdfunding and not because the developers don't have tens of millions of dollars they can use.
 

Conduit

Banned
Really disappointed that this isn't getting a full AAA budget. This is almost surely not to meet my expectations.

AAA budget is a guarantee that the game will be good?

You have Yu Suzuki behind the project. That's matters.
 

Dunkley

Member
Graphics look really nice, but did they place the characters in one of the Unreal Engine tech demos for the second and third screenshot?

ReflectionHeader.jpg
 

Krejlooc

Banned
Yeah. Games development has gotten more expensive, and inflation means you get far less bang for your buck than you did in the late '90s. Expect this game to be a teeny tiny fraction of the Shenmue experience we're used to.

The things that made Shenmue expensive to make are trivial these days. Things that took teams of dozens months to create can be done in UE4 with a few clicks these days.
 

Loading

Neo Member
Shenmue 3 looks like a last gen title in the first screen, but who cares? anyone think the game will actually be good given Kickstarters record
 

KingJ2002

Member
It's coming along well for a title set to be released 2 years from now. Graphically it's showing signs that it will be sound... especially with UE4 behind it.

im more curious on the gameplay... after all Suzuki hasn't really put out any critically acclaimed titles since he left Sega. he really needs to prove himself here with this title.
 
The originals had a very authentic arcade-y AM2 look, which this third chapter totally lacks, sadly. I can't think how such an approach would work in 2015, but hopefully we'll get to see one day if VF6 ever turns up.

Yes, that's about how I feel, too. It's a shame, but better than nothing.
 

Neff

Member
I haven't played the other games so what made them big, content-wise?

Many voiced characters, unique locales, events and items to be interacted with. In terms of pure geography it's not a big game, but there's a deceptively complex level of detail beneath the surface, which is a big part of what makes Shenmue Shenmue.

The things that made Shenmue expensive to make are trivial these days. Things that took teams of dozens months to create can be done in UE4 with a few clicks these days.

Not really. It's true that the engine creation (and scrapping of the Saturn version) ate into Shenmue's considerable budget, but human creativity is still going to be a massive component of the game. UE4 can't replicate the hand-crafting which went into Shenmue I and II, which if anything would be more work intensive due to the increase in expected production values. It doesn't have even close to the number of staff the first games had, nor the extensive production facilities. Shenmue III has indie-level aspirations and we should expect the finished game to reflect that.
 
They need to update Ryo's model and have him looking like he did in the Dreamcast games - STAT! I can't believe they're still knocking that douchey, white-washed, dead-guy-from-Glee version around.

Everything else looks nice. Quite promising stuff for a game only four months in development or so. And that's a lovely thatched roof.
 

Bioshocker

Member
Not sure I can agree with you. I don't think the Shenmue games hold up as well as AM2's arcade games. Too many rough edges.

shenmue2-7.jpg

Shenmue II is still beautiful in many ways. The outskirts of Guilin is beautifully depicted in the game, and Hong Kong is really cool. Of course the limits of the Dreamcast hardware is apparent today, but few Dreamcast games (or even PS2 games I would say) have aged better graphics wise. I think other parts of the Shenmue games have aged far worse. Especially the controls and the voice acting.
 

bounchfx

Member
Really disappointed that this isn't getting a full AAA budget. This is almost surely not to meet my expectations.

um.. sorry? Lol. readjust your expectations. It's probably going to be good regardless. Budget does not a game make. If planned properly, everything important they want to achieve probably can be. In fact, I'm pretty sure it blew far past the minimum stretch goal. It'll be fine!
 

JimiNutz

Banned
I think it looks fine but must admit I prefer the graphical style of the old games - maybe it's just a nostalgia thing.

Either way, Im just happy that this is finally getting made.
 

Krejlooc

Banned
Not really. It's true that the engine creation (and scrapping of the Saturn version) ate into Shenmue's considerable budget, but human creativity is still going to be a massive component of the game. UE4 can't replicate the hand-crafting which went into Shenmue I and II, which if anything would be more work intensive due to the increase in expected production values. It doesn't have even close to the number of staff the first games had, nor the extensive production facilities. Shenmue III has indie-level aspirations and we should expect the finished game to reflect that.

Yes really. Most of the big challenges for Shenmue's budget were things like procedural generation of rooms, dynamic weather systems, crowd control, etc. These were the significant challenges of the original game. They are now downloadable drag and drop modules in UE4.

These are the things the "large number of staff" worked on.
 

Lork

Member
Is he really still going to have that dumb bandaid on his face? That thing must smell pretty bad at this point. Get it together Ryo.

(I know it's never going to change because it's part of his visual identity. It's still hilarious and dumb if you think about it.)
 

Spaghetti

Member
like i said in the other thread, it's getting there. UE4 is definitely helping set a minimum bar of graphical fidelity even this early.

funnily enough, i'm getting life is strange vibes from the screens. i saw a lot of shenmue in life is strange so it's interesting to see a wrap around like that. does help they're both UE4 games.
 

Arkanius

Member
Shenmue 3 threads on GAF are depressing.
More "NO GTA OPEN WORLD WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"

Shenmue was never about giant expansive areas. It is about small detailed areas.
 

Miff

Member
Friend wanted to slack back but noticed the PC version isn't available anymore. Wonder what's going on with it and whether it'll be added back before the campaign ends?
 

Spaghetti

Member
Shenmue 3 threads on GAF are depressing.
More "NO GTA OPEN WORLD WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"

Shenmue was never about giant expansive areas. It is about small detailed areas.
people are missing that this is the point where the series contracts instead of expands, yu suzuki always said that the plan for shenmue 3 even before kickstarter was to make it a smaller, more intimate experience like the first game.

with so many complaints recently about open worlds being too large and without direction, why would anybody want shenmue 3 to be bloated in such a way to keep up? it goes against the intended design of the game regardless of the budget.
 

Spaghetti

Member
Friend wanted to slack back but noticed the PC version isn't available anymore. Wonder what's going on with it and whether it'll be added back before the campaign ends?
no idea if it'll be up before the campaign ends, but i think the reason for it not being there is because of ongoing negotiations with distribution platforms, and that with paypal backing you are 'buying' something, whereas with kickstarter you are 'donating' to eventually receive rewards. hence why i think the pc version can't be slacker backed right now, because they don't have the full details on where it will be available.

it'd be nice if they did a second slacker backer campaign with pc added, but i don't think they will. they'll likely want the budget finalised earlier than they can fully negotiate the pc release details.
 
Looks great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Fuck your AAA budget, Yu's passion is all this thing needs.

I was going to say something similar, thankyou. I really wouldn't give a fuck if they used textures and models from the Dreamcast version. Graphics mean shit all for a game like this, I just want closure.
 
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