Character model rework 25% complete (Tom Chilton & Cory Stockton interview)

[Deleted]

Sure but you have to know that in 1-2 expansion time the current Orc model will look like a piece of pixel-shit with 100 times less polygons than the new models.

Wouldn't you rather trade in a bit of content for updated races with the quality of Garrosh´s new model? Like the whole animations of his face, his fingers and stuff is pretty amazing compared to the stupid 2004 stuff we have now.

Remember: You can´t keep updating your content forever and still keep your old models from 2004 in the game !! In time they will look like shit and thus you can´t justify adding new Pandaren models while most of your races look like crap compared to that.

Well, the orc model already looks like a piece of pixel-shit, it has looked like that since Cataclysm since that's where new textures hit us hard. imo

Anyway, Sure, I'd like new models, a lot even!

But I'd rather have good content if we need to trade off eachother.

Delay the expansion by 4 months for new models?

Hell naw, I'd rather wait another expansion.

[lopk]

Would it be too far to say people won't buy the next expansion if the models aren't finished before then or promised for the xpac release?

Probably. I don't see too many people not buying the expansion just because there aren't new models (except the people who don't really like WoW in the first place and will use it as an excuse). With that being said, I still believe that models are a somewhat high priority.

[Synstir]

It takes more time than I thought..... The strange thing is that a long time back we got the news that dwarfs where almost done and I think the orcs. And now, more than 1 year later, at 25%. Still a long way to go.....

The good thing is that they won't wait untill all are done so hopefully we'll have some new models at the start of the new xpac.

[Deleted]

Also.. quest NPCs. This will affect all quest NPCs that currently use player models. That is a big change. So no, it's not only the player models.



And I wonder.. do people actually think this "do you even care about it more than 10 min." logic is valid? When you get a new piece of gear or a new mount, do you keep zooming in on it, actively appreciating the mount ever hour even years after obtaining it?


No. You still like those mounts though.

Higher polygon models will allow them to make better looking armor... like chest pieces that don't just seem to appear on your character like stickers.

Those 2 things mentioned in the quoted posts are major things that the "Meh Blizz should take all the time they want as content is more important anyway" guys should consider.

New models like the Garrosh one allow Blizz to create better looking armor because the polygons of the races are much higher and thus the armor does not look like crap compared to the one we have now (especially on old races) and this change will also affect NPCs of various races in the capital cities as most of them share the player model. This would affect almost all NPCs without unique models so basically everything that walks in the major cities or questhubs !!

This would be a very great change to the game as it would refresh the whole game and only a new engine could overhaul it more. Imagine all orcs in OG having a quality similar to Garrosh or all Trolls looking ToT council style? Wouldn't that be great?

And infact if the 25% are actually true then the new models wont get released before WoW actually dies because in 5 years NO ONE wants to play as an Orc, Human, Troll, Tauren and the other old races anymore.

[Halyon]

Take in mind it might be new skeletons, new models and entirely new skins with better artwork, and it's not all they have to work on, they make other things as well. And then armor would maybe also have to be refitted a bit.

Be patient.

[Deleted]

Those 2 things mentioned in the quoted posts are major things that the "Meh Blizz should take all the time they want as content is more important anyway" guys should consider.

New models like the Garrosh one allow Blizz to create better looking armor because the polygons of the races are much higher and thus the armor does not look like crap compared to the one we have now (especially on old races) and this change will also affect NPCs of various races in the capital cities as most of them share the player model. This would affect almost all NPCs without unique models so basically everything that walks in the major cities or questhubs !!

This would be a very great change to the game as it would refresh the whole game and only a new engine could overhaul it more. Imagine all orcs in OG having a quality similar to Garrosh or all Trolls looking ToT council style? Wouldn't that be great?

And infact if the 25% are actually true then the new models wont get released before WoW actually dies because in 5 years NO ONE wants to play as an Orc, Human, Troll, Tauren and the other old races anymore.

I understand the consequences of the models not being just for players, and I really want new models, but new content is still a higher priority.

[anisadora]

You have to fit gear, dances and all sorts of crap into those new models. It's gonna take a while.

i basically agree with that. i mean, all our gear and all... idk. id imagine the gear is going to be upgraded as well, or else how would THAT look on the new models?

[Sanguinerd]

Good god I'm tired of Blizzard hiding behind their own laziness and call it "Blizzard soon".

[Noomz]

On one hand I understand the problems with this, like they said the new models they are making have working fingers. THere's a lot more to animate, and to make these completely new models act and look like the old ones isn't easy. I absolutely understand the difficulty involved.

On the other hand I want them NOW!

Here's hoping they start showing us what they've managed so far soon.

- - - Updated - - -

Good god I'm tired of Blizzard hiding behind their own laziness and call it "Blizzard soon".

I don't think you understand what making completely new models, skeletons and animations means. Especially when said models, skeletons and animations are for the player characters. Considering how much people complain about regular changes, I understand their extreme caution with this.

[Toobad]

how would THAT look on the new models?

About as same as the old gear looks on gobos, worgen and pandas.

You're foolish if you think they will be reworking all those hundreds of textures. Old gear will still be that ugly blurry texture stretched over character's body.

Will they add more "parts" like pandaren have - i.e. the belt and sleeves? Maybe, but I wouldn't expect much more. Especially not when it comes to updating old stuff.

[Sanguinerd]

I don't think you understand what making completely new models, skeletons and animations means. Especially when said models, skeletons and animations are for the player characters. Considering how much people complain about regular changes, I understand their extreme caution with this.

Pretty sure I understand chief, I'm just tired of reading "Blizzard soon"

[Deleted]

Excuses excuses that's all we've been getting for years.

If they really fear people will hate the relooking then why not create additional more detailed characters and give people a free one-time skin change?
This would enable the 0.0000001% that think their 3d model looks great to stay as they are. But frankly I'm not sure any human will cry foul to keep the disgusting horrible models they were forced to endure for years.

[Deleted]

I can't see how this is taking so long unless they have like 3 guys working on it, most of the armor doesn't fix properly now and alot of it is just re-coloured sets.

[Ryuukon]

Blizz is just dragging their feet. They're trying to postpone what should have been done years ago, in order to avoid doing it again any time soon, assuming WoW lasts that long.

Unlicensed model edits have been done for WoW for freaking YEARS, all done by INDIVIDUALS, not an entire development company, and were done a LONG time ago. Blizz saying it's taking longer to do them is the biggest crock of shit they've ever spewed, pretty much ever. So ONE person can do a single race in a few weeks (and that's being VERY meticulous to details they prefer to adhere to), and Blizz STILL can't do it in the years since it's been requested... I'll just say "Yeah whatever."

That coupled with 2 expansions of reused armor/weapon models/textures is why I've pretty much written Blizz off as the most money grubbing game dev since EA and Activision. Oh SNAP!

[Verdugo]

Blizz is just dragging their feet. They're trying to postpone what should have been done years ago, in order to avoid doing it again any time soon, assuming WoW lasts that long.

Unlicensed model edits have been done for WoW for freaking YEARS, all done by INDIVIDUALS, not an entire development company, and were done a LONG time ago. Blizz saying it's taking longer to do them is the biggest crock of shit they've ever spewed, pretty much ever. So ONE person can do a single race in a few weeks (and that's being VERY meticulous to details they prefer to adhere to), and Blizz STILL can't do it in the years since it's been requested... I'll just say "Yeah whatever."

That coupled with 2 expansions of reused armor/weapon models/textures is why I've pretty much written Blizz off as the most money grubbing game dev since EA and Activision. Oh SNAP!

If you are talking about that guy that comes here once in a blue moon nad posts some new model, yeah, those look like shit, not to mention he has unhealthy obsession with elves.

[Deleted]

I understand the consequences of the models not being just for players, and I really want new models, but new content is still a higher priority.

Yeah but you know that Blizz is a multi-billion dollar company? They have enough devs to run the new content stuff and the new model stuff simultaneously and if they need more devs then they would have enough money to hire a bunch of new ones.

Why do you act as if new models and new content does not work simultaneously in a company like Blizzard? They could easily run the 2 topics as main projects without actually loosing quality in any of the 2 topics.

[Crovyn]

During MOP beta they said it won't be done for release. I expected it to be in one of the first 2 patches and now the next expansion is near

I think they overthink it, they are EXTREMELY afraid to create something that drives away players. And because of that we will end up with almost the same models just more polygons. I fear we won't see a lot of difference while playing - only when we really check out our characters. I would hope for less "hunchbacked" Orcs, not so stiff humans. Especially the humans thing worries me because tehy said they don't want to change the animations so it still feels like our character. I don't want a high polygon walking broomstick that humans are now.

[Aboubacar]

During MOP beta they said it won't be done for release. I expected it to be in one of the first 2 patches and now the next expansion is near

I think they overthink it, they are EXTREMELY afraid to create something that drives away players. And because of that we will end up with almost the same models just more polygons. I fear we won't see a lot of difference while playing - only when we really check out our characters. I would hope for less "hunchbacked" Orcs, not so stiff humans. Especially the humans thing worries me because tehy said they don't want to change the animations so it still feels like our character. I don't want a high polygon walking broomstick that humans are now.

Yeah I'm guessing humans will be the last to finish and probably the trickiest. It's kinda dumb though, there's tons of quotes saying the models would be staggered so why don't we have trolls and orcs already?

Someone said dwarves are finished? I haven't heard of that and don't see it in the game (ofc that's not evidence that it's not done, but there's no way to test the player's reactions w/o placing in the game). Most casters/raiders are trolls... let me look like Sul already please!

[Dantastic]

It's not just a new model. It's a new skeleton, with all new animations. Hozen, not Jinyu. In Mists of Pandaria, we got the Pandaren male and female skeletons, Mogu male, Cloud Serpent, Yak, and Hozen male. That's about it. So, in reality, if they only did the classic races, we're talking about 3x the amount of animated models, tons of more animations because they didn't have to animate the Cloud Serpent's claws for, say, a point, dance, sit, stand, sleep, charge, yell, and speak animation, plus beard and ponytail options, plus all the hairstyles, and facial options, and just. It's so much more work than people usually think it is. It's sad.

[Lumineus]

In Mists of Pandaria, we got the Pandaren male and female skeletons, Mogu male, Cloud Serpent, Yak, and Hozen male. That's about it.
...
It's sad.

Edited for the easy dig.

Also it's not even that many. Mogu are just reskinned Draenei. The yak is a third-generation elekk reskin.