Improve the graphic engine of WoW, and I bet lots of people would complain they can't play the game in thier old computers. Addicts of WoW, don't care how the game looks as much as the gameplay. So they will tend to look pass the dated graphics.
I mean you have to be a true believer of Blizzard and WoW to buy into playing kiddie pandas. So how your character looks is not high on the list for your average WoW addict.
Rift and Swtor are great expamples that one can have very good graphics and can play very very very fluidly on his computer. My computer is not top but not bad either. However Aoc, War, ... were just unplayable on maxed out settings.
I recently reactivated my account for $15 and tried a new hunter again to see how the game feels. I played from 1 to 65 and not once did me and my pet ever really need to take more than 2 or 3 shots to kill any mob the entire way.
It is just too dumbed down now. Any dps pet or tank pet can hold an entire area of mobs now without any fear of getting into trouble before you can gun them all down.
Rift and Swtor are great expamples that one can have very good graphics and can play very very very fluidly on his computer. My computer is not top but not bad either. However Aoc, War, ... were just unplayable on maxed out settings.
Improve the graphic engine of WoW, and I bet lots of people would complain they can't play the game in thier old computers. Addicts of WoW, don't care how the game looks as much as the gameplay. So they will tend to look pass the dated graphics.
I mean you have to be a true believer of Blizzard and WoW to buy into playing kiddie pandas. So how your character looks is not high on the list for your average WoW addict.
Rift and Swtor are great expamples that one can have very good graphics and can play very very very fluidly on his computer. My computer is not top but not bad either. However Aoc, War, ... were just unplayable on maxed out settings.
Eh?
AoC runs a lot better than Rift ever did on my computer. SWTOR runs my computer way too hot so I don't even try to play with max settings there.
For every 'cuddly' and/or 'cute' option, there needs to be a more ominous and dark option. If I don't want to be a Panda, let me choose something more sinister or harsh.
Regarding WoW's 'art'... it's that WoW-stylized art that they've used for years and spans most of their games. Does that mean it shouldn't be updated? Not necessarily. But would WoW lose even more of its identity if Blizzard were to give in and update/revamp the games graphics across the board? I think so.
I am not a huge fan of big, blocked, cartoonistic graphics... but that's what WoW has always been.
Blizzard has officially crossed the line from "woah those are awesome graphics"
I was actually enjoying the article, even though I disagree with a lot of it until I got to this sentence by the author. Frankly, even for 5 year old MMOs WoW does not have awesome graphics. The graphics (art and animations) suck in my opinion. The only reason this game is so "popular" is because it is so cheap to play in countries like China, South Korean, Japan, etc.
As for "Uncanny valley vs paradise", I would say neither. It is simply another attempt by blizzard to cater to the Jap Anima crowd and just looks bad no matter how you try to phrase it.
"If half of what you tell me is a lie, how can I believe any of it?"
Some of the screenshots from Mists of Pandaria remind me more of Sly Cooper than WoW. I think the art style switch is showing a prettier direction, but the game's dated...it can't really look good no matter what it does.
I'm really sick of the whole "There's a massive fanbase for X", or "Y would be a WoW-killer if it just had a chance".
There is no massive conspiracy waiting in the MMO playerbase.
There are no "sleeper-agent fans" waiting to convert once the X or Y is unleashed on the world.
I have a LOT of problems with WoW, but graphics is not one of them. Yes, it is not photo realistic, but it still looks damn good IMO.
As an example,for me, WoW graphics blows SWTOR's out of the water.
That is not the norm though. People will differ for sure. I mean we have chubby chasers, tall people finding midgets attractive, etc. So the odd ball finding WoW graphics better then any new current MMO is not a surprise to me.
For me WoW graphics are dated., old and yesterday's news. Doesn't mean it's ugly. Just eh and boring. That is just my opinion but I if you ask 100 non-fanbois which graphics are the best, I bet WoW would not be on the top of the list.
For example I LOVED the graphics of EQ1 and Ultima Online at the time. However, I can subjectively look at the graphics now and say they are very dated and subpar compared to the MMOs of today.
I say this because one cannot look at World of Warcraft's graphics in comparison to Rift, Age of Conan or any of the more recent video game offerings on the PC and think it in any way realistic.
The game's graphics engine is dated and does not compare to games released recently. Therefore the level of realism required for the term "uncanny valley" to apply is far beyond WOW.
The graphical updates are incremental and relatively minor. I don't feel there is anything wrong with that either, WOW has its style and millions of people enjoy it.
I take it most of you here haven't experienced MoP beta yet as I have, and I can assure you it's a lot more awesome in-game than reading some half-arsed opinion of some chump who hasn't touched WoW in months. Pandaren females (and males) are supposed to look chubby as they are bear-like humanoids, not lanky looking furries for creeps to drool over. The animations for casting, melee, and ranged all look pretty decent and well put together.
Pandarens are a solid race when it comes to background, animations, textures, and everything else related. Don't believe me? Play beta yourself. I was doubtful at first, but I changed my mind.
Sometimes its best to not to condemn something you know nothing about other than from a few screenshots.
I say this because one cannot look at World of Warcraft's graphics in comparison to Rift, Age of Conan or any of the more recent video game offerings on the PC and think it in any way realistic.
The game's graphics engine is dated and does not compare to games released recently. Therefore the level of realism required for the term "uncanny valley" to apply is far beyond WOW.
The graphical updates are incremental and relatively minor. I don't feel there is anything wrong with that either, WOW has its style and millions of people enjoy it.
Agree with this... I know the author wants to take "artistic license" with the term, but there is artistic license, and then there is being just plain wrong. To the author... You cant just selectively redefine terms at your convenience. Uncanny Valley was coined *specifically* to refer to simulations of *humanity*. Not anthropomorphized figures. So you cant apply it to Jerry Seinfelds character in "Bee Movie" because you find vaguely human talking bees creepy. Invent a new term.
In addition, WoW is a highly stylized cartoon art style. Blizzard chose that both for longevity and because it *is* the general style of their universe. In sticking with a cartoonish, animated style, they render the whole "uncanny valley' concept pretty much not applicable anyhow. They arent going for "realism" therefore the odd psychological disconnect that occurs (supposedly) when *simulated human images* reach that point of "too real" yet "not real enough" cant happen.
What the author is basically saying is "I find anthropomorphized pandas creepy and think its odd that Blizzard chose to up the detail while introducing such a cartoonish race", which is fine and perfectly reasonable as the basis of an article. No real need to make it seem more scholarly by muddying the waters with "uncanny valley"
I have a LOT of problems with WoW, but graphics is not one of them. Yes, it is not photo realistic, but it still looks damn good IMO.
As an example,for me, WoW graphics blows SWTOR's out of the water.
at is not the norm though. People will differ for sure. I mean we have chubby chasers, tall people finding midgets attractive, etc. So the odd ball finding WoW graphics better then any new current MMO is not a surprise to me.
For me WoW graphics are dated., old and yesterday's news. Doesn't mean it's ugly. Just eh and boring. That is just my opinion but I if you ask 100 non-fanbois which graphics are the best, I bet WoW would not be on the top of the list.
For example I LOVED the graphics of EQ1 and Ultima Online at the time. However, I can subjectively look at the graphics now and say they are very dated and subpar compared to the MMOs of today.
Sorry, but there is no "norm" when it comes to subjective appreciation of aesthetics. You're making a classic mistake and assuming that what YOU like is "normal" and then validating with the old annecodotal "everyone I know", "everything I read", "most people", etc.
WoW is a very cartoonish design aesthetic. It appeals to a pretty massive audience, sorry. The same way some folks are NUTS over Final Fantasy The Movie as an animated feature, PLENTY of people are equally NUTS over Beauty and the Beast.
Each fan, if choosing to be narrow minded, would insist that "yeah, but WE'RE normal!" Reality is that there is no normal. MAYBE there is a "majority", but even that is a tough call.
I like WoW's graphics a lot, for what they are. I also like some of the games that are trying for a much more realistic style (*tough* to do well, IMO) like Secret World. I dont consider one "better" than the other.
WoW is based on the artstyle that Blizzard generally uses for their universe. They have massive budgets and had a *ton* of money going in. The artstyle was a conscious choice and I am sure that, were they to be starting up a "WoW 2" right now, the art *style* would remain animated/cartoonish. It's simply what fans of their universe have come to expect. You see the same thing with Asian anime styled games.
"advancing technology" will have *much* more severe impact, and be *far* more noticeable, on games that are going for "realism" like EQ1 or games that were locked into a specific rendering approach because of tech limits of the time (like isometric perspective for UO) than for games copying a *hand drawn artstyle*.
Dragon Ball Z: the MMO, for example, wouldnt exactly need DirectX 12 level engine sophistication to render. You may not like Blizzard's art style, but that would be true even were they to make a version of WoW that quadrupled the poly count, texture res, pipeline complexity and required SLI/X-Fire to run. It would be smoother, better lit, more detailed, more fluid, etc... But would still be giant armor, giant swords, weird proportions, vivid colors, etc.
Comments
Rift and Swtor are great expamples that one can have very good graphics and can play very very very fluidly on his computer. My computer is not top but not bad either. However Aoc, War, ... were just unplayable on maxed out settings.
WoW is perfect for 9- to 15-year-olds.
That is all.
I recently reactivated my account for $15 and tried a new hunter again to see how the game feels. I played from 1 to 65 and not once did me and my pet ever really need to take more than 2 or 3 shots to kill any mob the entire way.
It is just too dumbed down now. Any dps pet or tank pet can hold an entire area of mobs now without any fear of getting into trouble before you can gun them all down.
What?
Eh?
AoC runs a lot better than Rift ever did on my computer. SWTOR runs my computer way too hot so I don't even try to play with max settings there.
For every 'cuddly' and/or 'cute' option, there needs to be a more ominous and dark option. If I don't want to be a Panda, let me choose something more sinister or harsh.
Regarding WoW's 'art'... it's that WoW-stylized art that they've used for years and spans most of their games. Does that mean it shouldn't be updated? Not necessarily. But would WoW lose even more of its identity if Blizzard were to give in and update/revamp the games graphics across the board? I think so.
I am not a huge fan of big, blocked, cartoonistic graphics... but that's what WoW has always been.
Blizzard has officially crossed the line from "woah those are awesome graphics"
I was actually enjoying the article, even though I disagree with a lot of it until I got to this sentence by the author. Frankly, even for 5 year old MMOs WoW does not have awesome graphics. The graphics (art and animations) suck in my opinion. The only reason this game is so "popular" is because it is so cheap to play in countries like China, South Korean, Japan, etc.
As for "Uncanny valley vs paradise", I would say neither. It is simply another attempt by blizzard to cater to the Jap Anima crowd and just looks bad no matter how you try to phrase it.
"If half of what you tell me is a lie, how can I believe any of it?"
Swtor dies with more than 10 people on screen, its atrocious I'm the optimization department, that's part of the reason ts instanced to hell and back
Rift and war perform about the same, they're the same bloody engine
Some of the screenshots from Mists of Pandaria remind me more of Sly Cooper than WoW. I think the art style switch is showing a prettier direction, but the game's dated...it can't really look good no matter what it does.
I'm really sick of the whole "There's a massive fanbase for X", or "Y would be a WoW-killer if it just had a chance".
There is no massive conspiracy waiting in the MMO playerbase.
There are no "sleeper-agent fans" waiting to convert once the X or Y is unleashed on the world.
That is not the norm though. People will differ for sure. I mean we have chubby chasers, tall people finding midgets attractive, etc. So the odd ball finding WoW graphics better then any new current MMO is not a surprise to me.
For me WoW graphics are dated., old and yesterday's news. Doesn't mean it's ugly. Just eh and boring. That is just my opinion but I if you ask 100 non-fanbois which graphics are the best, I bet WoW would not be on the top of the list.
For example I LOVED the graphics of EQ1 and Ultima Online at the time. However, I can subjectively look at the graphics now and say they are very dated and subpar compared to the MMOs of today.
I'm assuming this article is tongue in cheek.
I say this because one cannot look at World of Warcraft's graphics in comparison to Rift, Age of Conan or any of the more recent video game offerings on the PC and think it in any way realistic.
The game's graphics engine is dated and does not compare to games released recently. Therefore the level of realism required for the term "uncanny valley" to apply is far beyond WOW.
The graphical updates are incremental and relatively minor. I don't feel there is anything wrong with that either, WOW has its style and millions of people enjoy it.
I take it most of you here haven't experienced MoP beta yet as I have, and I can assure you it's a lot more awesome in-game than reading some half-arsed opinion of some chump who hasn't touched WoW in months. Pandaren females (and males) are supposed to look chubby as they are bear-like humanoids, not lanky looking furries for creeps to drool over. The animations for casting, melee, and ranged all look pretty decent and well put together.
Pandarens are a solid race when it comes to background, animations, textures, and everything else related. Don't believe me? Play beta yourself. I was doubtful at first, but I changed my mind.
Sometimes its best to not to condemn something you know nothing about other than from a few screenshots.
Agree with this... I know the author wants to take "artistic license" with the term, but there is artistic license, and then there is being just plain wrong. To the author... You cant just selectively redefine terms at your convenience. Uncanny Valley was coined *specifically* to refer to simulations of *humanity*. Not anthropomorphized figures. So you cant apply it to Jerry Seinfelds character in "Bee Movie" because you find vaguely human talking bees creepy. Invent a new term.
In addition, WoW is a highly stylized cartoon art style. Blizzard chose that both for longevity and because it *is* the general style of their universe. In sticking with a cartoonish, animated style, they render the whole "uncanny valley' concept pretty much not applicable anyhow. They arent going for "realism" therefore the odd psychological disconnect that occurs (supposedly) when *simulated human images* reach that point of "too real" yet "not real enough" cant happen.
What the author is basically saying is "I find anthropomorphized pandas creepy and think its odd that Blizzard chose to up the detail while introducing such a cartoonish race", which is fine and perfectly reasonable as the basis of an article. No real need to make it seem more scholarly by muddying the waters with "uncanny valley"
Sorry, but there is no "norm" when it comes to subjective appreciation of aesthetics. You're making a classic mistake and assuming that what YOU like is "normal" and then validating with the old annecodotal "everyone I know", "everything I read", "most people", etc.
WoW is a very cartoonish design aesthetic. It appeals to a pretty massive audience, sorry. The same way some folks are NUTS over Final Fantasy The Movie as an animated feature, PLENTY of people are equally NUTS over Beauty and the Beast.
Each fan, if choosing to be narrow minded, would insist that "yeah, but WE'RE normal!" Reality is that there is no normal. MAYBE there is a "majority", but even that is a tough call.
I like WoW's graphics a lot, for what they are. I also like some of the games that are trying for a much more realistic style (*tough* to do well, IMO) like Secret World. I dont consider one "better" than the other.
WoW is based on the artstyle that Blizzard generally uses for their universe. They have massive budgets and had a *ton* of money going in. The artstyle was a conscious choice and I am sure that, were they to be starting up a "WoW 2" right now, the art *style* would remain animated/cartoonish. It's simply what fans of their universe have come to expect. You see the same thing with Asian anime styled games.
"advancing technology" will have *much* more severe impact, and be *far* more noticeable, on games that are going for "realism" like EQ1 or games that were locked into a specific rendering approach because of tech limits of the time (like isometric perspective for UO) than for games copying a *hand drawn artstyle*.
Dragon Ball Z: the MMO, for example, wouldnt exactly need DirectX 12 level engine sophistication to render. You may not like Blizzard's art style, but that would be true even were they to make a version of WoW that quadrupled the poly count, texture res, pipeline complexity and required SLI/X-Fire to run. It would be smoother, better lit, more detailed, more fluid, etc... But would still be giant armor, giant swords, weird proportions, vivid colors, etc.