SHENMUE II APRIL 11TH, 2001 PROTOTYPE SOLD ON YAHOO AUCTION

Before I make a post with the full details about these crazy dentists (I may save this for when I start posting about the beta on my Shenmusings blog), here is a simple table below that summarises the situation between this prototype and the final:
1654438490489.png

You can find videos from @BlueMue showing the odd NPC behaviour found in the final here:

Original Dreamcast version (shapeshifting behaviour between Chengxiao and Hongen)

HD rerelease (the two NPC's simply randomly swap in between entries to the room, no shapeshifting right in front of Ryo)

To put it simply, it seems Zai Hongen was always intended to be in the Golden Dentist like he is in this beta (the official guidebooks also state this), but something must have gone wrong with NPC placements when the final release build was put together, resulting in the Golden Dentist now being empty and Chengxiao and Hongen being forced to share Kowloon Dentist...
 
I wasn't actually aware that Chengxiao and Hongen switched places, I guess I've only ever caught Hongen in there when I've looked!
 
I'm waiting for you to finish the game to update the release :)

I also noticed some particularities with the dentists :)
I managed to ‘complete’ the game (i.e. get to the forced reset in the cave), I’ll repost my Disc 4 findings in the next few days :) (there was a point following Shenhua where a glitch prevented me from progressing and I had to skip ahead via debug, I also need to determine if this happens every time or if it was a one off)
 
REPOST: Disc 4 differences

In the intro sequence on the boat, Ryo/Suzuki initially doesn't have his bag with him. It magically appears after the scene cuts to the boat pulling into Langhuishan:
screenshot2330.pngscreenshot2337.png

The Langhui Shop sign says 'Langhushop' (and yes, there is still no shopkeeper inside)
Proto:
screenshot2357.png
Final (thanks to Dojo's media section for the shot!):
langhui shop.png

@Sega_Dreamcast_Info already shared a great comparison video of the drowning deer scene:

When Ryo and Shenhua spend the night in the cave, Xiuying and Nozomi's themes do not play when they are talking about them.

Shortly after finding the Spider Tree, I seemed to run into a glitch where Ryo would not follow Shenhua - every time I tried to catch up with her, I got pushed back (this happens over and over again, trapping you in a loop). I'm not sure if this was a one-off glitch I somehow caused or whether it always occurs on this prototype, I will report back after playing through Disc 4 again.

Because of this, I used the debug menu to skip ahead to the Rocky Area - which the loading screen refers to as 'Rocky Tract' in this prototype:
screenshot2414.png

However - you then run into another issue - after traversing the area and completing the Command QTE, the game simply loops back to the cutscene of when you first entered the area! So I was forced to use debug to skip ahead again to Shenhua's house.

The loading screen says 'Shahua's House', using the same translation of her name seen in Shenmue I:
screenshot2422.png

Here are @Sega_Dreamcast_Info 's comparision videos of the Shenmue tree and Shenhua's flashback:

When talking to Shenhua in the house, she had her back turned to me - rude!!
screenshot2432.png
screenshot2435.png

You can't seem to lock onto the flute in Shenhua's house to trigger that scene (all of the other scenes involving items in her father's collection seem to work)

As @the_phoenix_mirror noted, there are roosters outside Shenhua's house, they are gone by the final:
screenshot2449.png

The Cloud Bird Trail is referred to as 'Cloud & Bird Trail' on the loading screen in this proto:
screenshot2451.png

Also, the Stone Pit is called 'Stonepit' here:
screenshot2456.png

There is a minimap at the bottom of the screen when you're in the Stone Pit - I don't believe it's there in the final?
screenshot2458.png

The letter from Shenhua's father is too small here (seems to be a placeholder) - making it look like Shenhua is using her powers to levitate it! This is fixed by the final.
Proto:
screenshot2464.png
Final:

shenhua letter.png

The Sword of Seven Stars has the opposite problem - it's too big! It seems they updated Ryo and Shenhua's animations before changing the size of the letter and the sword.
Proto:
screenshot2469.png
Final:
sword of seven stars.png

Most of the cave's scenery disappears during the scene where Ryo puts the sword into the slot and the mirror pedestal appears (which we'll come to!)
screenshot2472.png
screenshot2474.png

The pedestal that Ryo inserts the Phoenix Mirror into looks completely different (it's a lot more alien and sinister looking in the proto IMO!)
Proto:
screenshot2480.png
Final:
phoenix mirror pedestal.png

There is no ending sequence - the game abruptly resets just as the torches light. You can see this in @Sega_Dreamcast_Info 's comparision video below:
 
Ok - so I figured out how to progress after the Spider Tree! Basically, after that cutscene, quickly talk to Shenhua and choose the option to 'Hurry on', this stops the glitch I mentioned where Ryo gets stuck in a loop going towards and then away from Shenhua from happening. I then stumbled into another roadblock to progress however...but I'll get to that shortly...

Most interestingly, I seem to stumble upon a cutscene that I don't think even happens in the final! Shortly after finding the Spider Tree, a scene triggered where Ryo and Shenhua find a fork in the road (this is before a similar scene, that is definitely in the final, occurs). I used the Google Translate camera app to provide a translation of what is said (notably, Shenhua seems to get a lot more annoyed with Ryo than we've generally seen her be - just look at her face in the fourth pic!! But she does laugh it off at the end). I may have to experiment to confirm if this scene occurs in the final or not - I'm personally not familiar with it, but it's now occurred to me that I rushed to get to this point on this playthrough, i.e. not talking to Shenhua in the cave or choosing to 'Hurry on' while walking instead of engaging of any of the conversation subjects - (usually I engage in all this) maybe it's related to that, considering how short and fed up of you she seems here...?
screenshot2609.png
Ryo: 'Shenhua'

screenshot2610.png
Shenhua: 'What? Ryo...'

screenshot2611.png
Ryo: 'The road is divided but...isn't this?'

screenshot2612.png
Shenhua: 'I've been on this road many times. Leave it to me'.

screenshot2613.png
Ryo: 'That was bad' (bit unsure on the translation of this line- I assume it's meant to be something along the lines of 'That was wrong of me' or 'I shouldn't have said that')

screenshot2614.png
(Shenhua then just giggles to herself as they continue on their way)

The latter scene (where Ryo simply comments 'the path is branching off again' and Shenhua curtly tells him that he'll be fine if he leaves it to her), plays out the same way it does in the final.

Upon reaching the Five Colours Spring, it starts off red in the proto

Proto:
screenshot2617.png
Final:
five colour spring 01.png

It then changes to a paler green than it does in the final (unless this is a lighting quirk in the HD version? Again, may have to double check the final DC release)
Proto:
screenshot2621.png
Final:
five colour spring 02.png

The camera angles of the rest of the scene were changed (in the proto some glitchy trees are exposed)
Proto:
screenshot2624.png
Final:
five colour spring 03.png

As from that point on - remember when I mentioned in the previous post that skipping ahead to the Rocky Tract/Area via debug did no good, with it just looping back to the cutscene where you enter it even if you make it all the way across it? Well, unfortunately the exact same thing happens if you reach it legitimately! Meaning that you miss out on the last portion following the Rocky Area to Shenhua's house in this proto. While I was able to bypass the Ghost Hall Bldg. problem back on Disc 3, there doesn't seem to be any way around this one.
 
I had a lot of fun going through this build and posting what I found along with you guys. Credits to @Sega_Dreamcast_Info, @Miles Prower, and @LanDC without them, we wouldn't of find the amount we did. I look forward to doing this again if another build ever comes along.
 
Our own @Richard Payne just put up this great video on YouTube that deep dives into the differences in the Baihu fight in the prototype (with footage directly comparing to the final release)- he spots a lots of things I didn't! He also goes into some differences seen in Ryo's moves, as well as some amusing glitches involving breaking the QTE sequences! It's definitely worth watching the whole thing :)
 
Made a big update to my page for the proto!

One of the biggest updates added is my breakdown of exactly where the Shenmue I audio used in the cassette tape in this proto is sourced from - so I'll copy/paste it here as well, includes a video of the tape being played!


Breakdown of the tape contents and sources of the Shenmue I Audio:

While the dialogue is of course all in Japanese, I was still able to determine where exactly in Shenmue I the audio is derived from, thanks partly to the mentions of the ‘Mad Angels’ and ‘Terry’, and a vague idea of what cutscenes the voice clips were from (call it obsessiveness if you like…)

Hip De Hop plays first!

We then hear a conversation between Ryo and Jimmy from S1, from the opening scene of Disc 3 in Asia Travel Co:

Ryo: Who’s that skinhead?!
Jimmy: …I dunno for sure. But I think he’s connected to the Mad Angels.
Ryo: Mad Angels?
Below is a clip of the dialogue as seen in Shenmue I:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkx90xLjrhMM9j_TQyyyn2Xc-etr5vveYG8

There’s then a short exchange between Ryo and Tony, from the cutscene following a QTE chase through the harbour:

Ryo: Who is the boss?
Tony: It’s Te…Terry.
Below is a clip of the dialogue as seen in Shenmue I:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxDsojoO7oyZwbky5jAxtO2L-9Pcqint36

We then hear a single line from Ryo, from when he finally meets Terry near the end of Disc 3:

Ryo: So you’re Terry!
Below is a clip of the dialogue as seen in Shenmue I:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxrVtzkNNVi04gLLBGA4Y8V7y1rOvSkxND

Next is another single line from Ryo, said angrily when he’s asking Terry where Lan Di is:

Ryo: Tell me!
Below is a clip of the dialogue as seen in Shenmue I:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6CmdKRdvdwjo5IBY5YfNwrYoLFnjFpXu

We then move away from Mad Angels/Terry related dialogue and hear Iwao’s famous last words to Ryo:

Iwao: Keep friends, those you love, close to you…
Below is a clip of the dialogue as seen in Shenmue I:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkxx3AXNptGy307lJw_le59rDuZAXasAju6

Finally, we hear the exchange between Fuku-san and Ryo in the Dojo where Fuku pleads with Ryo not to pursue matters, but Ryo’s mind is made up:

Fuku-san: Please don’t. Look what they did to Hazuki-sensei!
Ryo: They killed my father, right in front of me. I will have my revenge.
Below is a clip of the dialogue as seen in Shenmue I:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxA5DNEpx76A3ZUTKCbPlywQW2UqpFUF2v

Then, the ‘suggestive’ phone conversation that turns out to be about a cat (replaced in the EU/US versions by the news report) plays, before the conversation between Dou Niu and Yuan that gives Ryo his next lead and advances the plot. None of the other conversations heard on the tape in the final are implemented yet.
 
Made a big update to my page for the proto!

One of the biggest updates added is my breakdown of exactly where the Shenmue I audio used in the cassette tape in this proto is sourced from - so I'll copy/paste it here as well, includes a video of the tape being played!


Breakdown of the tape contents and sources of the Shenmue I Audio:

While the dialogue is of course all in Japanese, I was still able to determine where exactly in Shenmue I the audio is derived from, thanks partly to the mentions of the ‘Mad Angels’ and ‘Terry’, and a vague idea of what cutscenes the voice clips were from (call it obsessiveness if you like…)

Hip De Hop plays first!

We then hear a conversation between Ryo and Jimmy from S1, from the opening scene of Disc 3 in Asia Travel Co:


Below is a clip of the dialogue as seen in Shenmue I:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkx90xLjrhMM9j_TQyyyn2Xc-etr5vveYG8

There’s then a short exchange between Ryo and Tony, from the cutscene following a QTE chase through the harbour:


Below is a clip of the dialogue as seen in Shenmue I:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxDsojoO7oyZwbky5jAxtO2L-9Pcqint36

We then hear a single line from Ryo, from when he finally meets Terry near the end of Disc 3:


Below is a clip of the dialogue as seen in Shenmue I:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxrVtzkNNVi04gLLBGA4Y8V7y1rOvSkxND

Next is another single line from Ryo, said angrily when he’s asking Terry where Lan Di is:


Below is a clip of the dialogue as seen in Shenmue I:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6CmdKRdvdwjo5IBY5YfNwrYoLFnjFpXu

We then move away from Mad Angels/Terry related dialogue and hear Iwao’s famous last words to Ryo:


Below is a clip of the dialogue as seen in Shenmue I:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkxx3AXNptGy307lJw_le59rDuZAXasAju6

Finally, we hear the exchange between Fuku-san and Ryo in the Dojo where Fuku pleads with Ryo not to pursue matters, but Ryo’s mind is made up:


Below is a clip of the dialogue as seen in Shenmue I:

https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxA5DNEpx76A3ZUTKCbPlywQW2UqpFUF2v

Then, the ‘suggestive’ phone conversation that turns out to be about a cat (replaced in the EU/US versions by the news report) plays, before the conversation between Dou Niu and Yuan that gives Ryo his next lead and advances the plot. None of the other conversations heard on the tape in the final are implemented yet.

Thanks very much for the big update and the insight, Stuart. Does it mean that there are some differences in the recording between the Game Jam prototype and the released game?
 
It is interesting to see that Ryo is still holding his bag while listening to the recording. It has been fixed in the released game.

View attachment 17349
Ah sorry - I totally forgot to point out I was messing around with the FLAG option in the debug menu during this playthrough - and activated the flag that makes Ryo's bag appear (regardless of where you are in the story) - so ordinarily it wouldn't appear. Sorry, I'll update the page to make this clear :)
 
Back
Top