Shenmue 3 (PC,PS4)

Update #43 - July 22 2015 a écrit:
Thank you from Yu Suzuki

On July 17th, the Kickstarter campaign for Shenmue III drew to a finish. Because of you, the backers and the fans, Shenmue III set the Guinness record for the fastest game to reach $1 million, past the funding goal of $2 million in just 8 and a half hours, set the record for video games on Kickstarter, and became the 6th most funded project on Kickstarter, collecting $6.33 million.  

All of this was accomplished by your efforts. Through the illustrations you drew, the videos you produced, and all that you did throughout the campaign, I could not help but feel the deep love you have for Shenmue.  

Even after 14 years have gone by, to see this outpouring of support is something one as a creator can only dream of. There can be no better feeling than what you have given me, and for that I will be eternally grateful.  

We have just started getting into development, and as we move ahead, I will listen to all of you to make Shenmue III even better.  

I thank you again all for your support, and wholeheartedly look forward to the rest of our journey together.  

Yu Suzuki

*** *** ***

7月17日をもって、キックスターターのキャンペーンが終了しました。

＄１Mのギネス記録や、わずか8.5時間での＄２Mのゴール達成、ビデオゲーム部門での記録の更新や、KS全部門での6位達成などを含め、＄6.33Mを集めました。

これもすべて、バッカーの皆さんや、ファンのみなさんのおかげです。

また、皆さんから届いたイラストや、編集されたビデオメッセージなど、シェンムーに対する深い愛を感じています。

14年経った今、こんなメッセージをもらえるクリエーターが他にいるでしょうか？

開発は今始まったばかりですが、これからも皆さんの声を聞きながら、より良いゲームにするため努力します。

皆さんサポートありがとうございました。そしてこれからも宜しくお願いします。

鈴木裕

Update #44 - August 31 2015 a écrit:
Progress Interview with Yu Suzuki

Hello Backers!

It has been a while since our last post here on Update section. Sorry everyone! We are sure many of your concerns right now boil down to, "How is Shenmue III moving along?". So today, we have a brief interview with Yu about the progress of the project, and future plans. Without further chatter, here we go.

【※日本語版はページの下にございます】

Q: How is the production progress going?

A: Please take a look at this diagram. So far, we have finished the composition, story, planning and the game flow. We will be advancing to the next development step soon.



Q: Can you tell us more about the composition stage?

A: Shenmue III is based on the 11 chapters created 17 years ago, and each chapter is set in different regions. For example, the first chapter was set in Yokosuka, second was set in Hong Kong and so on. However, we cannot finish with just one chapter in one region, so I had to restructure the story to fit within the scope of Shenmue III.

Q: What is the story stage about?

A: We had to rethink the storyline to make a more coherent flow, such as writing additional stories and making other changes.

Q: What about the planning stage? What is going on in this part?

A: Since we now know the amount of the funding from the Kickstarter campaign, we can plan the overall budget for development. So I have mapped out the game project to fit that budget scope at this stage.

Q: After the plan is written and ready, what happens in game flow stage?

A: It is about placing various cut scenes, events, battles, and quests in order. We have just finished this stage few days ago, and we will be working on the actual game development now.

Q: What other plans will be upcoming?

A: I will promise that I will be updating you about the progress of the development at least once a month. This is what we have for now.

Q: Is there anything big coming up on your schedule?

A: I am thinking about seeing the 2015 Tokyo Game Show which will be held in September. Also, I am planning to travel to China this October to both attend a game show called CHUAPP×2015, and also to do some location scouting for Shenmue III's development.

Q: Lastly, do you have any stories you could give that occurred during development so far?

A: One night, I went to a Thai restaurant with the development team after work. At that restaurant, a man approached me and asked to shake hands. He said he was a fan, and we had a brief talk. He also happened to be in the game industry and we began to hit it off. We talked some more to find out he really knew his job, and on top of that, he was an exceptionaly good person. I was so impressed, I asked him to help with the development. I couldn't help but feel Shenmue's unique gravity to bring interesting things together.

That's all for now everyone. Stay tuned to this update section for more news in future posts!

Wataru (a.k.a. "The blue shirt guy from Twitch") & Shenmue III Kickstarter Team



バッカーの皆さんこんにちは。

前のアップデートから日が開いてしまいましたがいかがお過ごしでしょうか。バッカーの皆さんはシェンムーIIIを今か今かと待っていることと思います。今日は鈴木裕さんとのインタビューを通してプロジェクトの進捗や今後の予定などについて取り上げたいと思います。 前置きが長くても仕方がないので早速インタビューに入って行きましょう。

Q: 開発の進捗はいかがですか？

A: この表のとおり、構成、ストーリー、企画、ゲームフローまでが終わり、これから次のゲーム開発のステージに進むところです。

Q: 構成とはどんなことをされるのですか？

A: シェンムーIIIのストーリーは17年前に作った１１章からなるストーリーが元になるのですが、それは各章ごとに 地域が分かれています。例えば１章なら横須賀、２章なら香港という風に。しかしシェンムーIIIでは１章分１地域だけで終わらせるわけにはいかないので、皆さんから頂いた予算に応じて、元となるストーリーの再構成を行いました。

Q: ストーリーとは？

A: 今回の構成に合わせた新たなストーリーを書き足したり、修正を行いました。

Q: 企画とは？

A: キックスターターでの支援金額が集まり、開発バジェットの総額が決まったので、そのバジェットにきっちりあわせたゲーム企画を立てました。

Q: ゲームフローとはどんな段階ですか？

A: 企画に沿って、ゲーム内でのリアルタイムムービー、イベント、バトル、クエストなどを配置しました。まさに今、ゲームフローが完成し、明日から次のゲーム開発のステージに進みます。

Q: 次の予定はどのようになりますか？

A: 皆さんへのゲーム開発の進捗報告は、最低でも月に１度は行っていきます。しかし、今回の開発の進捗はここまでという事で。笑

Q: それではその他の今後の予定は？

A: ９月の東京ゲームショウは見学したいと思っています。それと10月には、中国のCHUAPP×2015というゲームショウにロケハンも兼ねて行きたいと思っています。

Q: 最後にゲーム開発中のエピソードなどありましたら聞かせて下さい。

A: この前、仕事が終わり、ゲーム開発のメンバーとタイ料理を食べに行った時のことなんですが、近くのテーブルに座っていた方から握手をしてくださいと声をかけてもらったんです。わたしのファンだということで少し話をしました。その話の中で、その方もゲーム関係の仕事にしているとの事で意気投合して、次の日にさらに詳しく話したところ仕事も出来て、人間的にも素晴らしい方だったので今後の開発に参加してもらう事になりました。シェンムーの不思議な力を感じました。

今後も様々なニュースをアップデートにてお知らせしていく予定です。定期的にチェックしてみてください。

シェンムーIII　Kickstarterチーム

Tsubasa a écrit:Qu'est-ce qu'il ne faut pas lire comme conneries...

Update #45 - September 17 2015 a écrit:
One more chance to make history with Shenmue III!

Hello Everyone,
Thanks to your support, Shenmue III became the most funded video game on Kickstarter with 69,320 people helping to bring back the Shenmue series back to life. However, there are so many people told us they could not pledge on Kickstarter, or could not make the deadline, and have asked for a PayPal page for another opportunity to contribute to Shenmue III. So here we go!

The Slacker Backer period will continue through December 31st. While the full game will be completed as promised with the use of the funding collected on Kickstarter, any additional funding collected here will go towards reaching the Stretch Goals to make the game even bigger and deeper.The three month window was set to allow a long enough time to for everyone who wants to support Shenmue III to do so, but short enough to keep the release date on track.

The PayPal page will feature a selection of rewards from the Kickstarter campaign including the Trial Version and the Collector’s Edition. If you missed out on the Kickstarter, you still have a chance to be part of the Shenmue legacy!

Surveys, add-ons and upgrades
Surveys are not quite ready yet, but they will be going out during this Slacker Backer campaign. Once the survey system is up and running, add-ons and upgrades will be available for existing Kickstarter backers. We will of course keep you posted here on the Updates page with all the developments.

Update #46 - September 17 2015 a écrit:
Message Reply System Outage

Hello Everyone,

We are currently experiencing a technical malfunction with the Kickstarter messaging service. We cannot confirm if our replies are getting back to you, and we are also not receiving your messages.

We can still be reached at info@shenmue.link

If you have sent us a message within the last 24 hours and you have not received a response, we would kindly ask you resend your message to the email address above.

For inquiries about the Shenmue 3 Slacker Backer PayPal page, please also contact us at info@shenmue.link

Once the Kickstarter messaging service is operational again, we will post an update here and on Twitter.

Thank you for your patience everyone!

the Shenmue 3 Team

Update #47 - October 30 2015 a écrit:
Month 3 Progress Report

Greetings Everyone!

Yes, we are in the third month of development of Shenmue 3. The story and scenarios are now out of the planning stage and it is time to get the people, places and things to start fitting together into a world with proper dimension, adequate space, and appropriate scale to keep the feel and essence of all that is a Shenmue game.

Map Testing

In this phase of the development, the major work being done is the map testing. Map testing will define the different areas to make sure they are neither too big, nor too small to get to that Goldilocks zone. This consists of looking at the layout of a certain space, and experimenting to make necessary alterations. For example, an outside area may feel too open. That space may be reduced by 20%, and the number of people there increased from 10 to 16, to affect the proper consistency and density of the area.

All elements in the following screen shots are still in testing. Objects are being used as place holders, like the men in black suits, and Ryo is also an older model. Backgrounds and buildings are also still in the development stage and will see reworking. Shots for the two battle scenes were taken at angle to avoid spoilers as much as possible.


BATTLE TEST 1


BATTLE TEST 2


CONVERSATION TESTING SCENE



THATCHED ROOF HOUSE TEST MODEL

The development team is in high spirits now that we have reached this stage where we are finally able to start testing. The studio has become quite the lively place as of late, even on Saturdays for some of us! We look forward to your continued support!

Surveys

Surveys are still in the works and are not ready to be sent out yet. Once the survey system is up, there will be an update here on the Kickstarter page, at shenmue.link, and will be announced on Twitter at @Shenmue_3. We hope to have them out as soon as possible and will be doing our best to get them out to you.

Community Interview & Update Pack

Big thanks as always to fans everywhere for continuing to spread the good word of Shenmue! For this Halloween edition update, Ambassador Ali has put together a COMMUNITY UPDATE PACK featuring a Yu Suzuki interview and plenty of treats from the Shenmue community to jump start your Halloween. Enjoy!!!

Update #48 - December 3 2015 a écrit:
CHUAPPX Expo Review & PayPal Rewards Poll

Greetings Backers,

There are two items on the agenda today. The first is question for you regarding the availability of Kickstarter rewards on PayPal and the second is a recap of Mr. Suzuki’s lecture at CHUAPPX Expo.

KICKSTARTER REWARDS ON PAYPAL Rewards labeled as “Kickstarter Exclusive” have not been offered on the PayPal site because we felt it was unfair to offer them after the Kickstarter had ended. There have been many requests, however, for certain rewards like the S3 World Telecom to be offered on the PayPal site. We would like everyone to weigh in and tell us what you think. If there is a strong consensus either way, the rewards will either remain as Kickstarter Exclusive, or will be offered on the PayPal site. Keeping our promise to you is very important to us; but at the same time, the PayPal site was set up precisely because fans could not back the Kickstarter and they feel they should not be penalized for that.

We have tweeted a poll so you can vote on the question. Please let us hear what you think! CLICK HERE for the Tweet Poll: https://twitter.com/Shenmue_3/status/672430126164918272?lang=en

Next up, we have an abridged version of Mr. Suzuki’s talk at CHUAPPX.



Hello Everyone,

As you may know, I have recently spent a little time in China to promote and do research for Shenmue 3. I was able to give a give a presentation at the Chuapp X 2015 on the beginning of how I first started making Shenmue, the changing of the times along with the changes in technology, and the work flow of Shenmue 3’s production. I would like to share a portion of that presentation with you here.











There are eleven chapters that make up the story of Shenmue, and those chapters are the basis for the games. Shenmue 1 comprised of Chapter 1, and Shenmue 2 focused mainly on Chapter 2, but also incorporated parts of Chapters 4 and 5. The composition for Shenmue 3 has been finalized, and will begin with Chapter 5 as the continuation of Shenmue 2, to move on past Chapter 6. The story has been written to align with this structure; and the planning for the game elements that will go along with the story have been completed. This project was conceived to be scalable, since the game would necessarily need to be adjusted based on the Kickstarter. Once the Kickstarter was complete and the budget for the project determined, a detailed work flow was produced to fit within those constraints. Following along with the game work flow, we have now begun our baseline research work with UE4. I find this to be the most exciting phase of the game development. Having completed the baseline research, we will then move on to the GDD (game design document) and TDD (test-driven development) processes. Once these steps have been completed, actual production will begin.



Scenes from the prototype. The forest in Shenmue 2 was created using the Magic Maze System With UE4, weather changes and forest density will be improved.



A test model room within UE4. A shadow resembling Ine-san’s is present. Why do you suppose that is?



The basic systems have been put in place and we are currently testing the Destruction (when objects break) and High Ground (environmental interactivity) effects. Unlike the development from 15 years earlier, we have assets already available to us and we are in an era where we can create prototypes even without a programmer. Programs, artwork and planning have become more closely related, realizing a new type of work flow for a new age. This new work flow utilizes both game engines, which used to be very expensive, and allows for work to be done on a more open, individual basis. I hope this will lead to everyone more fully enjoying their work.



This concludes today’s update. I hope you all will continue to follow along with us through the process. Thank you very much.

Update #49 - December 24 2015 a écrit:
Rewards Poll Redo, Slacker Backer Extension & Guinness WR



Season’s Greetings Everyone!

Here we are, the last (and very important) announcements before the magical year that was 2015 comes to a close!

Reward Poll Redo

In the last update we added a link for a Twitter poll asking if Kickstarter Exclusive Rewards should be made available on the Slacker Backer PayPal page. There were many who were against the use of Twitter for the poll as many do not have a Twitter account and also because the poll should have been made available only to Kickstarter Backers. True and true. So we will try this one more time so that all Backers at the appropriate pledge level may participate.

The poll can be accessed by the link in the update immediately following this one. We apologize for the mistake and kindly ask for your feedback and participation.

PayPal Period Extension

So why bother with this when there are only a few days left on the Slacker Backer campaign? That is because the deadline has been extended! Many of you have asked for an extension, and we have been late in coming with promised add-on/up-grades system, so the Slacker Backer PayPal page will stay up and running to accept pledges. All contributions made will continue to go to the game’s development.

https://shenmue.link/order/

Guinness World Record Presentation

It is official now, Shenmue III is in the Guinness World Records. The good people from Guinness World Records paid Ys Net and Mr. Suzuki a visit a few days ago to hold an impromptu ceremony and present the certificates for “The most money pledged for a Kickstarter video game” at $6,333,296, and for “The fastest $1 million pledged for a crowdfunded video game” at 1 hour 44 minutes.

This miracle is all thanks to you, so be proud and say it loud, “Hey, I did that!”

Update #50 - December 24 2015 a écrit:
Kickstarter Rewards on PayPal Question Link

For backers only. If you're a backer of this project, please log in to read this post.

Update #51 - January 4 2016 a écrit:
Happy New Year!



Happy New Year!

Thanks to Shenmue fans everywhere, 2015 saw the start of Shenmue III. 2016 will be a year with noses to the grindstone to make the next installment of Shenmue worthy of the expectations you have entrusted with us. We would like to again ask you for your support and cooperation for all that lay ahead this year.

There are two announcements for the first update of 2016: poll results for the exclusive rewards on PayPal, and the homepage gets a face-lift.

Poll Results

The results are in for the poll posted in the final update of last year asking whether or not Kickstarter Exclusive Rewards should be made available for the Slacker Backer PayPal campaign.

The polling period lasted from December 24, 2015 to January 1, 2016. All Kickstarter Backers who pledged for a reward of $5 or more were eligible to vote. Of the 68,533 eligible Kickstarter Backers, there were 15,110 respondents.

The poll results are posted below. 4,670 of the respondents answered, “Yes, please make the Kickstarter Exclusive Rewards available on PayPal.” 4,009 respondents answered, “No, Kickstarter Exclusive Rewards are for Kickstarter only.” And 6,432 answered, “Either is fine with me.”

Considering the strong response from those of you who felt that the Exclusive Rewards should remain exclusive for the Kickstarter, those Exclusive Rewards will not be made available on the PayPal page as originally promised.

Thank you all for your participation. We hope everyone will continue to let their voices be heard as we go forward with the project.




Shenmue.link

The Shenmue III official website has undergone a renovation. The site has been updated as of January 4th. The Kickstarter Updates will continue to be posted here, along with Shenmue news and development progress reports. The site can be accessed at https://shenmue.link/?en

Yu Suzuki a écrit:Some of you may know what the Ragdoll physics is. If you release the strength of the body, it becomes like a doll, that's not really natural. That's why we're working on the «Motion Blending», adding some resistance to the muscles for example, to obtain realistic moves.

In a Virtua Fighter scene, patterns were determined by the Motion Capture, but with the Ragdoll physics, moves won't repeat over and over. If you get into something (like a wall) the reaction won't be the same. In fact, I'd like to combine the «Ragdoll Physics», the «Motion Blending» and «IK Constraint» to make the NPC and battle's reactions as real as possible.