Amir wrote:

Amir wrote:

Spaghetti wrote: January 18th

$6,701,078

73,658 Backers

23rd January

$6,701,078 --> $6,702,705 (+$1627)

73,658 --> 73,685 backers (+27)

25th January

$6,702,705 --> $6,702,984 (+$279)

73,685 --> 73,691 backers (+6)

27th January

$6,703,859 (+$875)

73,700 Backers (+9)

6th February 2017

$6,710,485

73,765 Backers

In Shenmue I & II Ryo gathered various pieces of information about the visit father made to Hong Kong & Guilin all those years ago, so I've tried to bring these together into a diagram showing some of these relationships and timelines.

The diagram includes some assumptions / guesses, which I talk about here:

Blog post:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2017/02/iwao-hazukis-china-visit-diagram-of.html

http://i.imgur.com/QvEB4lR.png

The character of Yuanda Zhu is quite enigmatic, as he seems to change what he says depending on who he is talking to. I don't think he has bad intentions towards Ryo, but I get the feeling he is hiding the true circumstances around the death of Sunming Zhao. It will be interesting to see how (or whether) this is developed in Shenmue III.

Spaghetti wrote: 6th February 2017

$6,710,485

73,765 Backers

7th February 2017

$6,711,400 (+$915)

73,773 Backers (+8)

I don't think anyone's posted this yet.
I've finally got the french book in the mail, despite having preordered it.
It's mostly text but it has a nice little photo section at the end, with pictures of real-site inspirations for the game that I thought I'd share:
https://imgur.com/a/eZK7Z

6th February 2017

$6,710,485

73,765 Backers
7th February 2017

$6,711,400 (+$915)

73,773 Backers (+8)
9th February 2017

$6,712,665 (+$1265)

73,789 Backers (+16) ($79/backer)

15th February 2017

$6,715,476 (+$2811)

73,832 Backers (+43) ($65/backer)

16th February 2017

$6,715,641 (+$165)

73,835 backers (+3) ($55/backer)

What are the improvements?

https://www.unrealengine.com/blog/unreal-engine-4-15-released

Unreal Engine 4.15 has been officially released. This iteration of Unreal Engine has many new features which are showcased by support for the Nintendo Switch. Unreal Engine 4.15 has added physically based default post processing settings. This adds better bloom settings, more film-like color and tone response to regular displays and HDR displays, etc. There is new improved texture streaming which lowers CPU overhead and load times while eliminating low resolution artifacts and automatically managing varying amounts of memory budgets.

Compile times for programmers has been reduced by up to 50%! You can reload content while Unreal Editor is running, reroute nodes in materials, integrated Blendspace Editor, cooking blueprints to C++ is no longer experimental, and many more. There are mobile previews for Vulkan, Metal, and OpenGL ES 3.1.

The VR Editor menu has new improvements such as a numpad and the ability for onscreen pointer input to be overridden by keypad choices. Flight stick and steering wheel support has been added along with non X-input devices via a new Raw Input Plugin! Take that Microsoft for making all my old devices from the early 2000's obsolete! There is even force feedback support and Playstation VR Aim controller support!

Linux ARM64 support has been added along with Alternate Frame Rendering Support for Nvidia SLi. This is a huge update and should give game developers new and faster tools to design the game worlds that they always envisioned in their dreams. Can't wait for these new features to be showcased in games of the future. Unreal Engine is used in so many games. This is great for PC, console, mobile, and IOS gaming!

Unreal Engine 4.15 includes significant gains in overall stability, enhancements to developer workflows, and improvements to runtime performance resulting in greater efficiency during development and superior end user experiences after release.

6th February 2017

$6,710,485

73,765 Backers
7th February 2017

$6,711,400 (+$915)

73,773 Backers (+8)
9th February 2017

$6,712,665 (+$1265)

73,789 Backers (+16) ($79/backer)

15th February 2017

$6,715,476 (+$2811)

73,832 Backers (+43) ($65/backer)

16th February 2017

$6,715,641 (+$165)

73,835 backers (+3) ($55/backer)

21st February 2017

$6,717,520 (+$1879)

73,858 backers (+23) ($81.7/backer)

In the description:

"a short piece of music (game taste)"

Chills.

bebolejia wrote:
3rd March 2017

$6,721,727 (+$3254)

73,920 backers (+48) ($67.8/backer)

7th March 2017

$6,722,976 (+$1249)

73,939 backers (+19) ($65.74/backer)

As we all know, the wonderful Ziming always makes excellent videos for music on the Dojo youtube channel. Sometimes I'll pick a video and just listen for a few hours doing work. I know others do the same. But sometimes I want to hear my favorite songs uninterrupted. So I thought, why won't we have a community effort to make a best of Shenmue music, if Ziming were willing to make it of course. I think it would also be good to set up a Patreon for the Dojo and especially Ziming for doing such excellent work over the years and staying positive that he and Yama have done for us. This video could also be useful in showing people the power of Shenmue's music by having all the best songs in one video.

Some obvious picks:

- A New Departure
- Morning Fog's Haze
- Shenhua
- Shenmue Tree
- Arrival at the Crag
- FREE songs
- Nightfall
- Green Market qtr
- The Sadness I Carry on My Shoulders
- Christmas on Dobuita Street
- Shenmue theme
- anything Guilin honestly

Let's make it a 2 hour or so mix! Post your favorite songs that you think should be added!

Making it look like a Dreamcast game wouldn't help the budget in any appreciable way, unfortunately.

Shenmue III requires a lot of art assets, so no matter what there's always going to be a large amount of time (and therefore money) committed to generating that stuff.

It would also be less efficient. A texture artist would have to spend more time trying to get the right low-fi aesthetic than just creating a texture that matches modern hardware capabilities. There was also a lot of detail "draw-in" on Dreamcast game textures that can be done dynamically in real time with normal and specular maps too.

There could be issues with sophisticated modern motion capture rigs working with low poly Dreamcast models that would take time to solve.

That's just my take as a layman to game creation, though.

I think they're doing the right thing in taking advantage of UE4's capabilities, without chasing the crazy pixel-pushing graphics of AAA games. There's still work to be done, but there's a clear upwards trajectory of visual quality over the last year.

Not to interrupt your conversation, but this update was amazing. I mean i have no idea why i have went though this video pausing it frame by frame, and just falling in love with it over and over. How can i be so excited over the textures of a QTE arcade machine.

But that's what we all share, and that's the biggest reason that this update was amazing. This is the first time i have properly felt excited about the forums and Shenmue 3 since it's announcement. All the golden nuggets in this update really has shown why this place is awesome. Grown men and women going through a video frame by frame to find out anything at all about this game. This topic has brought be back to 2004 when this place felt Shenmue related, and full of fans who truly love the series. Everyone posting in here, trying to find clues has been the first I've gotten excited about in a very long time. Even old faces popping in and talking about it, and even Yama posting. I can't wait for any more updates and of course, E3.

Out of boredom, I've done a 1920x1080 "collage" with some WIP Shenmue 3 images.



If any of you would like to change his wallpaper.

21st March 2017

$6,730,004 (+$4,473)

74,042 backers (+68)

WOW. Nearly $4500 in 8 days, and nearly 70 new backers. Dev Room Update 2 seems to have been a big hit!

I can't decide whether this is a troll or a very (but crazy) dedicated fan.

Spaghetti wrote: 21st March 2017

$6,730,004 (+$4,473)

74,042 backers (+68)

WOW. Nearly $4500 in 8 days, and nearly 70 new backers. Dev Room Update 2 seems to have been a big hit!

24th March 2017

$6,731,889 (+$1,885)

74,063 backers (+21) (+$89/backer)

21st March 2017

$6,730,004 (+$4,473)

74,042 backers (+68)

WOW. Nearly $4500 in 8 days, and nearly 70 new backers. Dev Room Update 2 seems to have been a big hit!
30th March 2017

$6,736,829 (+$4,940)

74,093 backers (+30)

I said DAMN .

Officially over $400,000 raised since the Slacker Backer campaign launched in September 2015.

21st March 2017

$6,730,004 (+$4,473)

74,042 backers (+68)

WOW. Nearly $4500 in 8 days, and nearly 70 new backers. Dev Room Update 2 seems to have been a big hit!
30th March 2017

$6,736,829 (+$4,940)

74,093 backers (+30)

I said DAMN .

Officially over $400,000 raised since the Slacker Backer campaign launched in September 2015.

31st March 2017

$6,737,278 (+$449)

74,099 backers (+6) (+$74/backer)

bebolejia wrote:
3rd April 2017

$6,738,974 (+$1,696)

74,112 backers (+13) (+$130.46/backer)

4th April

$6,739,193 (+$219)

74,114 backers (+2)

Amir wrote:

bebolejia wrote:
3rd April 2017

$6,738,974 (+$1,696)

74,112 backers (+13) (+$130.46/backer)

4th April

$6,739,193 (+$219)

74,114 backers (+2)

5th April

$6,739,472 (+$279)

74,128 backers (+14)

3rd April 2017

$6,738,974 (+$1,696)

74,112 backers (+13) (+$130.46/backer)

4th April

$6,739,193 (+$219)

74,114 backers (+2)
5th April

$6,739,472 (+$279)

74,128 backers (+14)

6th April 2017

$6,739,662 (+$190)

74,135 backers (+7) ($27.14/backer)

7th April 2017

$6,740,072 (+$410)

74,141 backers (+6) ($68/backer)

Amir wrote:

Kiske wrote:

bebolejia wrote:
6th April 2017

$6,739,662 (+$190)

74,135 backers (+7) ($27.14/backer)

7th April 2017

$6,740,072 (+$410)

74,141 backers (+6) ($68/backer)

10th April

$6,741,377 (+$1305)

74,163 backers (+22) ($59.32 per backer)

11th April

$6,741,561 (+$184)

74,165 backers (+2) ($92 per backer)

Kiske wrote:

bebolejia wrote:
6th April 2017

$6,739,662 (+$190)

74,135 backers (+7) ($27.14/backer)

7th April 2017

$6,740,072 (+$410)

74,141 backers (+6) ($68/backer)

10th April

$6,741,377 (+$1305)

74,163 backers (+22) ($59.32 per backer)

Kiske wrote:
11th April

$6,741,561 (+$184)

74,165 backers (+2) ($92 per backer)

12th April

$6,741,682 (+$121)

74,168 backers (+3) ($40 per backer)

Kiske wrote:

Kiske wrote:
11th April

$6,741,561 (+$184)

74,165 backers (+2) ($92 per backer)

12th April

$6,741,682 (+$121)

74,168 backers (+3) ($40 per backer)

16 days later...

28th April

$6,747,423 (+$5741)

74,239 (+71) ($80.5 per backer)

I've made a small video to help promote the Slacker Backer campaign. Hope everyone enjoys it!

Please watch in HD 60FPS for the best experience.



Thanks to Mr.357 for the gameplay footage and thanks to Kiske for the idea

11th April

$6,741,561 (+$184)

74,165 backers (+2) ($92 per backer)

12th April

$6,741,682 (+$121)

74,168 backers (+3) ($40 per backer)

16 days later...

28th April

$6,747,423 (+$5741)

74,239 (+71) ($80.5 per backer)

Bingo!

11th May 2017 (13 days since last update)

$6,753,052 (+$5,629)

74,324 (+85) (+$66/backer)

11th April

$6,741,561 (+$184)

74,165 backers (+2) ($92 per backer)

12th April

$6,741,682 (+$121)

74,168 backers (+3) ($40 per backer)

16 days later...

28th April

$6,747,423 (+$5741)

74,239 (+71) ($80.5 per backer)

Bingo!

11th May 2017 (13 days since last update)

$6,753,052 (+$5,629)

74,324 (+85) (+$66/backer)

31 May 2017 (+20 days)

$6,762,419 (+$9,367)

74,448 (+124) (+$75/backer)

Wow at those numbers!
13th June 2017 (+13 days)

$6,769,134 (+$6,715)

74,535 backers (+87)

31st July 2017

$6,784,239 (+$10,521)

74,699 Backers (+115)

$6.8 million is basically in spitting distance now.

Got my press pass approved this morning. Now time to make plans.

Wooo! Just pledged another $160 to this bad boy!

25th September 2017

$6,813,403 (+$15,425)

74,981 Backers (+87)

642$ a day on average

Yay ! 6.8M mark !

12th January 2018

$6,847,965 (+$ 14,373)

75,432 Backers (+205)

$ 312 a day on average

300$ has been the average daily donations for the last 3 months. If it continues that way, we should hit 6,955,000 by Christmas 2018. We would need $425 everyday to hit the 7M$ mark. If the kickstarter upgrades show up, we can easily do it :-"

Blog post with some analysis of the new images at Phantom River Stone:
http://www.phantomriverstone.com/2018/0 ... shots.html