Playable demo of Shenmue III

[SMDzero]

I wish we could get a clearer look at the image on the screen. I'm almost 100% certain it's meant to be just above Bailu Village (I think I can see the bell tower), but there's something on the horizon, and a building of some kind on the right.

Here's a composite of the screen image, with slight adjustment to lightness & contrast. Looks like the structure to the right could be a bridge of some sort.

Maybe it is supposed to be the ending shot of Shenmue 3....evoking this:

[Spaghetti]

So-

Has anybody mentioned what MTG could stand for, or who Fujitani-san is?

[Switch]

Perhaps it's a card game like Magic the Gathering?

???
http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Yogo_Fujitani

[Switch]

Perhaps it's a card game like Magic the Gathering?

???
http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Yogo_Fujitani

Sounds legit.

...or just an abbreviation of "meeting".

The part about "placing an order for their modeling" could be interesting too. Like the creation of the models is being ordered with an out-sourced company. I wonder if it could be to do with getting physical 3D character models made.

[Giorgio]

Perhaps it's a card game like Magic the Gathering?

Imagine a trading card mini-game inside Shenmue 3; that's get me excited.

http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Yogo_Fujitani

Her attire looks like Niao Sun's.

[Let's Get Sweaty]

Imagine a trading card mini-game inside Shenmue 3; that's get me excited.

[Spaghetti]

Sounds legit.

...or just an abbreviation of "meeting".

The part about "placing an order for their modeling" could be interesting too. Like the creation of the models is being ordered with an out-sourced company. I wonder if it could be to do with getting physical 3D character models made.

Ahhh, didn't think it could mean meeting.

Same with the outsourcing of the character modelling, I assumed the ordering had something to do with determining importance and detail (e.g, Ryo and Shenhua being category A models). Maybe Fujitani-san is someone who works at the company they're outsourcing to? At least that'd show they're not cheaping out with outsourcing to China or India.

[Switch]

Maybe Fujitani-san is someone who works at the company they're outsourcing to? At least that'd show they're not cheaping out with outsourcing to China or India.

I think you may be right, looking at how it's grouped together under the same topic on the board.

[Peter]

Would outsourcing cost much out of the budget? I thought Sony "helping" would eliminate things like that.

[Yokosuka]

Outsourcing is a common thing in video game industry whether the studio is big or small nowadays. Many benefits for the developers but outsourcing also increases the risk of bugs since it's a story of companies syncing.

[Peter]

Ahhh. Well if it means more hands on the job, then i dont care. I just hope the same attention to detail to NCPs is kept. Its one of the biggest things to making Shenmue stand out from other open world games. Really breathes life into making it a full living, breathing in-game world. If we just get generic characters who remain on in the same spot, or pop in holding a cup of coffee and a cell phone GTA style, it will definitely not be a good thing.

[Spaghetti]

Would outsourcing cost much out of the budget? I thought Sony "helping" would eliminate things like that.

It's hard to say. Outsourcing is very cost effective when it comes to generating low-importance 3D assets though. It helps keep the core 3D modelling staff down to a minimum, and frees them up to continue working on/refining more important assets.