Team Yu needs you!

(Chapter 7 and beyond)

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby Let's Get Sweaty » Sun Dec 23, 2012 4:54 am

Anyway, thank you Ziming for your response and agreeing to tweet on the 3rd. I'm not asking you to believe it will work, just to show some solidarity with the rest of the fanbase who are at least trying. What would be the best way to remind you the day before?

I'll try and address your concerns though, since you were good enough to explain. The purpose of the Tweetathon, and what makes it different to previous campaigns, is that our tweets aren't for the direct attention of Sega. A lot of people do @mention Sega's account, and that's fine (as long as Sega doesn't get them suspended for spam...), but the intention is to create a high enough volume of visible unrest, concentrated on one day on a platform as public as Twitter, that even Sega's higher-ups become acutely aware of how their company looks when they ignore the fans.

We all know that Sega's social media team won't bother to pass our message up the chain of command, and even if they did, it wouldn't carry the same weight. "Shenmue fans keep tweeting us every month," as a condensed report, means very little. The aim is to circumvent the front line so that Sega's decision makers either see the hashtag trending with their own eyes, or hear their PR guys deducing "We have an image problem here..." Because the longer they ignore a public display of mass dissatisfaction, the worse their company looks not just to Shenmue fans, but to everyone who can see the Shenmue fans' tweets (and the hashtag, if it routinely hits the top trends list).

I personally have no interest in Mass Effect 3 (having not started the series yet), but if Bioware and EA had done nothing to placate the fans who were upset by the lack of a "real" ending, then as a consumer and potential customer of theirs, I'd have thought less of them. But if those fans hadn't been so organized and loud, I'd have never known or cared.

Sure, the fact there are more current Mass Effect fans than Shenmue fans helped their cause a lot, so we have a greater uphill battle to create the same outcry, but we're getting there. We're moving in the right direction, participation is growing and we've already had recognition by people in and around the industry. Now the only way to find out how far this can go... is to keep going.

If it goes nowhere, then at least we tried. We took a new approach, and we did what we could with it. But in doing so, we'll have galvanized a large number of non-hardcore Shenmue fans who would never participate in a forum like this, but will have adopted a routine of signing onto Twitter on the 3rd of each month with the aim of making Shenmue 3 a reality. That makes them readily available for any other campaign activity that may be developed down the road. So at the very least, we'll have paved the way for the next big idea, if this one doesn't go according to plan.

And ultimately, as 1UP said in their article, we've got people talking about Shenmue again. We're keeping the game alive in the public consciousness, which is what I believe you're trying to do with your gameplay videos Ziming, so this is well worth your support. But even if you don't believe that, I'm glad you'll be playing along anyway. Thanks again.
Let's Get Sweaty
Machine Gun Fist
Machine Gun Fist
 
Joined: January 2012
Favorite title: Shenmue IIx
Currently playing: truant

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby Shenmue Stare » Sun Dec 23, 2012 10:25 am

Much appreciated, Ziming. I've always felt that even if the tweetathon didn't help, it was a good outlet to display our disappointment with Sega over it, and that's a little something, at least. I believe we gotta stand up and not shut up about it. If you're not happy with something ya gotta speak up or you're forever getting your fudge packed.

There was a scene in the movie About Schmidt (later omitted) that echoes an earlier iconic scene from a much older Nicholson film, 5 Easy Pieces. In it Schmidt gives in to the demands of a waitress, instead of getting what he ordered. It was in early test screenings, but was pretty much deleted, yet a glimmer of it still remains in the movie at the beginning. In 5 Easy Pieces he's in a diner and asks for some toast, but the waitress wouldn't give it to him, and so he spoke up abut it. Here's the clip on Youtube.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvXVP5lSF1s[/youtube]


This was a normal way of doing things back in the day. Your parents ever embarass you by making a huge fuss over something in public? Same thing here. People don't do this often enough anymore. We're too conciliatory. You might be surprised how often and easily this works. I once got a mailed threat from Blockbuster Video that they would take the money I owed them to collections unless promptly paid. They sent me this for a late fee of about 4 dollars that was only 3 weeks old. Normally, you might expect your customer to pay it the next time they rented a movie, but nooooooo, Them fuckers wanted their cash right now. So I wrote out a check to Ballbuster Video (literally) and in the memo portion wrote " Blockbuster sucks fucking donkey balls. Netflix is better!" They cashed that shit. A few months later, Blockbuster got rid of all late fees. I must not have been the only one to complain. and not too much later, Ballbuster Video pretty much went out of business. That's what happens when you lose sight of things.

One time I was at my local grocery store when the old lady ringing me up (who, I might add, coincidentally looked a lot like the waitress in 5 Easy Pieces) looked at the back of my card, saw no signature (it was a brand new card, got it that day), and reprimanded me on not having my signature on it, She wasn't nice abut it either. So I asked her if I could use her marker, as to oblige her. she gave it to me and I wrote EAT SHIT on it. I handed it back to her and said "HOW YA LIKE THAT, LADY?" The look on her face was priceless! I kept it on my card, and for years wrote it on all subsequent cards, for it really was just a colorful way of writing check ID. This tactic worked like a charm as instead of just glancing at the back of my card, people would go "Whaaaa?" and actually check my id. You should try it if you're having card issues. Most people would just laugh, but once in a while I would get frowns, and one time I was even kicked out by the manager of a Subway for it. More like forbidden to come back to the premises, as I got to finish my sandwich before getting the heave ho. Not like it mattered, the place was out of my neck of the woods. Speaking of Subway ....

A few years ago I would often stop by the nearest Subway to pick up my lunch on my way to work, until suddenly they stopped taking Master Card, and would no longer accept my only form of payment (I refuse to walk around with cash. We live in the future, goddamnit!) The other Subway in town was owned by the same person and thus didn't accept Master Card either. I took it upon myself to send both stores a Txt-to-land-line message every day that read "I am boycotting your store because you won't take Master Card. Because of that, I now eat at Jimmy John's. I am an unsatisfied customer, hear me roar!" It was a celebrity impersonator txt to landline service, and of course I chose Arnold Schwartzenegger. Because when it comes right down to it, ya gotta go with the running man. This went on for 3 and a half weeks until I woke up one fine morning and actually got a reply from the Manager of one of the Subways. She said that they were in negotiations with Master Card, but that they'd take my card anyway. So I went and got me a muthafuckin sammich. Nice happy ending, eh? Years earlier they had a sandwich called the Southwest Chipotle Guacamole crunchamunchfuckafuckafoofoo or smething like that. Either way it had Guacamole, which I had thought was what made the sandwich so tasty, but I was probably just too intoxicated to know I was eating garbage. Anyhw, I only got to eat it three times, the first time drunk, second time right after having a wisdom tooth pulled and still flying high on sodium pentothol, the third time while taking shrooms. The first and only time I took shrooms, and I didn't even really get many visuals, though my senses went into overdrive, felt like I was the six million dollar man, could hear everything outside clearly, and my subway guaca crunchasouthwestafuckafoo sandwich was the best thing I ever ate in my life. It was like angels pooping golden daffodils in your mouth. Wait, that's kind of a shitty metaphor. Anyhow, the sandwich was a limited time deal, I guess. I wrote them an email every day for a few months begging them to bring back the Guac, but it fell on deaf ears. I would make up the dumbest reasons for them to bring it back, like my great grandma was on her death bed, and she had finally mustered up the strength to utter 3 or 4 whateverthefuck words "S-s-suuu-uubbway S-S-southwest G-G-guacamole C-C-cr-crunchamuncha fuckaduppadadippittydo sandw-w-w-wwich." Years later they did indeed bring back the Guac, but it tastes like a fart tart. Maybe it was because I was sober?

My dad used to tell me that if someone punches you, you HAVE TO punch them back, and it's advice to live by. It doesn't matter if they're bigger than you, or that you don't stand a chance. Fucking man up and retaliate, he'd say, otherwise they own you no matter what. We gotta be less like Schmidt, and more like the old codger in this video.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_-BoAw0l4Q[/youtube]

Shenmue Stare has received 2 thanks from: Let's Get Sweaty, mue 26
User avatar
Shenmue Stare
Shenmue 500K Staff
Shenmue 500K Staff
 
Joined: March 2011
Location: United States
Favorite title: Shenmue II
Currently playing: With myself

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby Stocke » Sun Dec 23, 2012 10:32 am

If this campaign does amount to anything in the end I'll be extremely surprised. But there's no harm in trying.
User avatar
Stocke
Man Mo Acolyte
Man Mo Acolyte
 
Joined: May 2011

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby Let's Get Sweaty » Sun Dec 23, 2012 10:53 am

Stocke wrote:But there's no harm in trying.


Exactly.

And if the fanbase who so desperately want a sequel don't put on a united front, then there'll be no one else to blame if it does amount to nothing.

Faith or no faith; win, lose or draw; solidarity is key.
Let's Get Sweaty
Machine Gun Fist
Machine Gun Fist
 
Joined: January 2012
Favorite title: Shenmue IIx
Currently playing: truant

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby mue 26 » Sun Dec 23, 2012 11:53 am

Thanks for giving us a reply and for agreeing to take part on the 3rd Ziming.

I'll try and address your concerns though, since you were good enough to explain. The purpose of the Tweetathon, and what makes it different to previous campaigns, is that our tweets aren't for the direct attention of Sega. A lot of people do @mention Sega's account, and that's fine (as long as Sega doesn't get them suspended for spam...), but the intention is to create a high enough volume of visible unrest, concentrated on one day on a platform as public as Twitter, that even Sega's higher-ups become acutely aware of how their company looks when they ignore the fans.


This is the entire point of our campaign, Ziming. It's not just about shouting at the brick wall that is Sega, it's about appealing to the rest of the world (NOT just existing Shenmue fans), and if we can get enough other people to listen to us then Sega will no choice but to take heed. Sure they can ignore a few hundred or even a few thousand Shenmue fans easily, but they can't ignore their image being significantly tarnished on a very public forum. Who knows, it may be just enough to finally push them over the edge and get them to at least release Shenmue HD.

It's important people understand this, as it's the core premise of this campiagn. We are not just appealing to Sega.

Also, where the hell did this Jack Burton geez come from? This is the first time I've seen him post, and what a knowledge bomb of a first post it was. :nice!:

mue 26 has received 2 thanks from: Let's Get Sweaty, Shenmue Stare
User avatar
mue 26
Machine Gun Fist
Machine Gun Fist
 
Joined: December 2009

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby KiBa » Mon Dec 24, 2012 2:49 am

Ziming wrote: Actually they did break the spell as I'll be tweeting for them on the third of next month. I'm just not head over heels sold on what it will accomplish. If anything it's still a good way to get fans together through social networking.


Really? You picture yourself as Theoden? Hmm. I always pictured you as Elrond, and your YouTube channel as Rivendell.
User avatar
KiBa
selfaware
"Keep Friends"
 
Joined: January 2006

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby Shenmue Stare » Mon Dec 24, 2012 5:17 am

I rarely post, Mue. I probably should more often, especially in this topic, haha. See ya at the next tweetathon! :beerchug:
User avatar
Shenmue Stare
Shenmue 500K Staff
Shenmue 500K Staff
 
Joined: March 2011
Location: United States
Favorite title: Shenmue II
Currently playing: With myself

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby ys » Sat Dec 29, 2012 5:01 pm

Ryudo wrote: Not defending them Mue. Just saying after 10 years and many attempts. Some people just give up or don't care or both.

That's the whole thing. I myself am not against people doing any campaigns since it keeps the community going. But yeah, being here since 2003, you know... It's a little hard for us to get very hopeful when Sega has completely ignored previous actions. If I remember right they didn't even bother to acknowledge when we sent stuff to them before. If they had some decency (and want to keep fans loyal) they could've sent a short email to the Dojo.

Another forum that seems to have some Shenmue fans is Neogaf by the way. They have their own "Shenmue Defense Force" there (with some including this in their avatar) and I've seen that some check here. I'm not sure if they are aware of your campaign but maybe you wanted to know in case you wanted to reach more fans ?

By the way Jack, nice story about the cards.

ys has received a thanks from: Shenmue Stare
User avatar
ys
"Keep Friends"
"Keep Friends"
 
Joined: June 2003
Location: VL/SE
Favorite title: What's Shenmue

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby Let's Get Sweaty » Sat Dec 29, 2012 6:13 pm

ys wrote:That's the whole thing. I myself am not against people doing any campaigns since it keeps the community going. But yeah, being here since 2003, you know... It's a little hard for us to get very hopeful when Sega has completely ignored previous actions. If I remember right they didn't even bother to acknowledge when we sent stuff to them before. If they had some decency (and want to keep fans loyal) they could've sent a short email to the Dojo.


Indeed, and that lack of decency is exactly what we're shining a spotlight on with this particular campaign. As a corporate entity, Sega has been able to get away with rudely ignoring the letters, emails and toy capsules they've received because this correspondence has always been directly between hardcore Shenmue fans and Sega. When Sega has dismissed those appeals, the only people who've known about it (by and large) were hardcore Shenmue fans and Sega.

The main point of the Tweetathon is to drag this correspondence out into the public eye, and let all gamers witness the disdain with which Sega treats its customers. Their attitude and behavior are no longer hidden behind closed doors, and grumbled about only on dedicated forums such as this. It is now there in followers' Twitter feeds for all to see, every month, and if the hashtag trends then even more will become aware.

Shenmue fans - both hardcore and casual - are using the Tweetathon as an opportunity to call Sega out, delivering not a series of private requests that can be swept under the rug, but a public outcry that demands a response, lest Sega's reputation take a bigger and bigger hit the longer they are seen to ignore these growing demonstrations of dissatisfaction.

Yes, this is another in a long line of campaigns. But it's not just another campaign. I wouldn't spend the time that I have on rehashing failed techniques, and nor would the other hardcore fans who've seen what's come before yet support this new approach. So while I understand your hesitation, I still encourage you to give it a chance. After all, one tweet a month is no great commitment. You identify yourself as a Shenmue fan by posting on here, so why not take a few seconds on the 3rd to stand and be counted on Twitter?

ys wrote:Another forum that seems to have some Shenmue fans is Neogaf by the way. They have their own "Shenmue Defense Force" there (with some including this in their avatar) and I've seen that some check here. I'm not sure if they are aware of your campaign but maybe you wanted to know in case you wanted to reach more fans ?


Sounds like a job for you, mue26!
Let's Get Sweaty
Machine Gun Fist
Machine Gun Fist
 
Joined: January 2012
Favorite title: Shenmue IIx
Currently playing: truant

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby mue 26 » Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:30 pm

Sounds like a job for you, mue26!


Ay, I would, as I think I've just about gotten over the horrors I saw down in the trenches of rllmuk...but alas Neogaf won't let me register as I have a "free email account". What the hell.

I have, however, taken the opportunity to briefly bring up the campaign on Statueforum yet again. Both bumping my og thread and mentioning the campaign in the dedicated thread they now have for the statue.

mue 26 has received a thanks from: Let's Get Sweaty
User avatar
mue 26
Machine Gun Fist
Machine Gun Fist
 
Joined: December 2009

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby Let's Get Sweaty » Sun Dec 30, 2012 5:02 am

Ah yes, I forgot about that ludicrous restriction about email addresses. It's nearly 2013, only grandparents use their ISP's email account these days, because why would you tie any part of your life to an Internet provider that you might drop next year when a cheaper offer comes along? The only reason such accounts exist is to try and force customers to stay with that provider.
Let's Get Sweaty
Machine Gun Fist
Machine Gun Fist
 
Joined: January 2012
Favorite title: Shenmue IIx
Currently playing: truant

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby MiTT3NZ » Sun Dec 30, 2012 5:29 am

Try settin up a viral campaign on YouTube. Get everyone to simply say "SEGA, give Yu Suzuki the Shenmue license" or summat, upload it to YT, and post it to Twitter & Facebook. Try gettin as many peeps as possible to do it, even ones you don't know. From time to time someone'll come across a celebrity too (even if it's small time), and get them to do it instead of having an autograph or picture taken. Makes sense, as it'll eventually look like so many individuals want Shenmue. Looks a lot more legit to have a unique face saying it as opposed to a username that could be one of many used by a single person. Just an idea though.
User avatar
MiTT3NZ
Class A Cunt
Shenmue III
 
Joined: January 2005
Location: Manchester, innit!
XBL: Mittens2317
Steam: Mittens2317
Favorite title: Shenmue
Currently playing: Football Manager 2012

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby Let's Get Sweaty » Sun Dec 30, 2012 5:42 am

I'd love to do that, but we tried something similar for the Nintendo angle a couple months ago and not a single person submitted a video, which is pretty much what I expected. People are a lot more shy about putting themselves on camera than sending a tweet. We might try it again on a more general basis like you suggest though, since there's no harm in trying, and it won't be subject to the same ridiculous fanboy reservations that the Nintendo angle invoked. "I really, REALLY want Shenmue 3, I'd give anything, I'd die to play that game... But not on Wii U! Xbox 4 Life!"
Let's Get Sweaty
Machine Gun Fist
Machine Gun Fist
 
Joined: January 2012
Favorite title: Shenmue IIx
Currently playing: truant

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby ChristopherZero » Mon Dec 31, 2012 11:36 pm

Let's Get Sweaty wrote: I'd love to do that, but we tried something similar for the Nintendo angle a couple months ago and not a single person submitted a video, which is pretty much what I expected. People are a lot more shy about putting themselves on camera than sending a tweet. We might try it again on a more general basis like you suggest though, since there's no harm in trying, and it won't be subject to the same ridiculous fanboy reservations that the Nintendo angle invoked. "I really, REALLY want Shenmue 3, I'd give anything, I'd die to play that game... But not on Wii U! Xbox 4 Life!"


if they told, me that Shenmue 3' will only be for Wii-u' I Would honestly. go out and buy an wii-u i'll even play it on Dreamcast again if they made it lol
ChristopherZero
Fuku-san
Fuku-san
 
Joined: May 2011

Re: Team Yu needs you!

Postby KiBa » Wed Jan 02, 2013 2:17 am

For the current gen, I would play Shenmue 3 on any console except those made by Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo.

KiBa has received a thanks from: Let's Get Sweaty
User avatar
KiBa
selfaware
"Keep Friends"
 
Joined: January 2006

PreviousNext

Return to Shenmue III

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

Powered by phpBB © 2000-
ShenmueDojo.net