Will WoW ever get a graphical overhaul?

[Skorpionss]

We won't see currentgen graphics in wow but I bet once titan gets set in they'll start working on WoW 2...(let's face it even if titan is a success, warcraft franchise has a following that would eat a new game up... + it's a good chance to start things over and not make some of the irreversible mistakes they made with WoW)

[Sj]

Considering the pile of absolute "WTF" that a WoW engine is when looking at coding standpoint I doubt any proper engine switch is even possible after so many fixes and bandaids it has gotten over with.

This is what my sentiments are. A graphics overhaul would be nice, but it would still be a bandaid that would only emphasize the other main reason the game feels dated.

[darqhur]

The scope is so huge. This is the first game that maintains millions of players for a decade. My mind hurts thinking about. The graphics engine is constantly being worked on. Every expansion brings new features.

The textures on the other hand stay the same. The old thunder bluff from 2004 textures are still in place. But even small parts of that get changed from time to time.

The scale of wow is so much larger than the scale of a stand alone console game. I often think people forget that. Rebuilding a sonic the hedgehog game is a short project in comparison to rebuilding wow from the visual foundations. Then consider that unlike sonic, wow is a live environment with millions of players who get really irate if servers go down unexpectedly (with good reason).

The logistics are just nuts. It's a bad simile probably but I will try anyway. Imagine rewiring everything in New York City while not being able to interrupt people's daily lives in any way.

The fact they there are graphical improvements on a regular basis and we are able to not even notice is pretty impressive. A complete overhaul is a big project, but it would be pretty neat to see the inside story on the amount of work it would actually take.

[Ifeanychukwu]

We won't see currentgen graphics in wow but I bet once titan gets set in they'll start working on WoW 2...(let's face it even if titan is a success, warcraft franchise has a following that would eat a new game up... + it's a good chance to start things over and not make some of the irreversible mistakes they made with WoW)

I wouldn't mind a WoW 2 maybe. There's only so much story they can tell though and I think they'll tell it all before they could manage a WoW 2. Would be nice for them to be able to start over after learning from all of the mistakes from previous expansions. I may try out Titan but I think it's supposed to be some kind of sci-fi game which I'm not really in to.

[ZeroEdgeir]

I sort of don't think it will happen.
Kind of in the same situation as Pokemon. Too many Pokemon to bring into 3D with their own unique moves, so they'll just start with a clean slate.
Too much in WoW to give a graphical overhaul.

I'm sure things such as better textures, depth of field, and better shaders may come in someday, but a entire graphical overhaul doesn't seem likely.

If it does happen though... I guess you can just point and laugh at me for doubting. :S

Ummm, as to the Pokemon reference, I refer you to the announced Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, due for global release this October, for the Nintendo 3DS, that is upping the count to over 700 Pokemon, fully 3D world and battles, new story, new region, etc.

As to WoW, it has been steadily upgraded. It's just more subtle, cause it's not been changing the skeletons behind the scenes.

They have updated the game's engine to run on DX11, course you see some minor graphical issues in Outlands, Northrend, and sometimes in the old world.

Newer races have much higher-detailed models and design (which is being fixed as we speak for older races). You compare any zone from pre-Cataclysm to post-Cataclysm that was changed (even just the storyline), and there is a visual improvement in textures.

Just don't expect the game to become like Guild Wars 2 level graphics. It wouldn't fit Warcraft in the first place.

[Sky High]

the only way i can see WoW with graphics and effects on par with recent MMOs...is for WoW2 to come out. they have been turning up the effects, polygon count, textures with every expansion but if you want to see the big leap forward they are going to have to start from scratch with a new engine.

[skitzy129]

I sort of don't think it will happen.
Kind of in the same situation as Pokemon. Too many Pokemon to bring into 3D with their own unique moves, so they'll just start with a clean slate.
Too much in WoW to give a graphical overhaul.

I'm sure things such as better textures, depth of field, and better shaders may come in someday, but a entire graphical overhaul doesn't seem likely.

If it does happen though... I guess you can just point and laugh at me for doubting. :S

The next Pokemon generation coming out this fall is full 3D models and isn't starting from a clean slate.

The problem with graphically overhauling WoW is how much of an engine rewrite it would entail. It would be more worth it to build a new game.

[Trigg]

there are only 3 things that WoW is missing in terms of graphics that it could impliment to take over the current gen games:

Normal Maps
A realistic Lighting Model
Tesselation

Wether or not they can be added in it's current engine or not is another question.

[Adominitis]

I just wish they would fully optimize the game for current gen hardware.

[MoanaLisa]

It's not likely that WoW will get an overhaul of the type you're thinking about. First off, it's been getting an improved engine for visual content delivery for a long time now. It's gradual but it's there. Secondly, the look of the game--it's aesthetic--is what it is. It's not going to change to something entirely different just because you think it's archaic and old.

People forget that Blizzard already is or has written a new graphics engine. It will be in Titan theoretically. I'd be surprised if they didn't think about retrofitting that engine back into WoW at some point.

[crakerjack]

Won't happen, they want their giant leap in graphics to be in Titan... they wouldn't up WoW's graphics and then release Titan with similar graphics... That wouldn't be a smart economic move on blizzard behalf. They want to win people over with the leap in graphics and gamestyle... I'm sure if it's another MMO... it's going to have the same controls/combat as WoW... not abilities, but the fluency that WoW had. WoW will die off as Titan takes over with it's break through in MMO-RPG technology or w/e blizzard would like to call it.

[Easo]

there are only 3 things that WoW is missing in terms of graphics that it could impliment to take over the current gen games:

Normal Maps
A realistic Lighting Model
Tesselation

Wether or not they can be added in it's current engine or not is another question.

Well, they added DX11 to the engine from 1999.
I suppose WoW's code is one BIG mess.
P.S.
I would like to have Depth of Field implemented, but fairly weak, though.

[kosechi]

i think part of the reason that wow has had such good staying power is that it has lower hardware requirements then many of the other mmos out there. overhauling the graphics would kind of put a damper on that.

i think wow's cartoony graphics have aged rather well compared to some other games.

i recently got a stronger computer which means i'm no longer playing at low resolution, the first time i saw the vale of eternal blossom's on high i was like wow, this game is still beautiful.

[Rheckameohs]

I can see it happening, just not all at once. They're kind of already doing it now by subtly slipping in prettier versions of shit we've been looking at for years, such as frogs or the benches in the Stormwind Auction house, or even those lamp posts.

[Ratyrel]

WoW IS getting its graphical overhaul, slowly but surely - haven't you seen Pandaria? Haven't you seen the difference between the old vanilla frog model and the new frog pet model?

[Kathranis]

There's not going to be an overhaul. They're revamping player models currently, and they make adjustments and additions to the engine with every new expansion release, but there's never going to be any point in time where it suddenly looks like a new game.

The best they're going to do is improve things like lighting, anti-aliasing, dynamic reflections, etc. They'll maybe improve creature models on a case by case basis, maybe some day they'll redo some of the old tree models or doodads or architecture and give us something with a higher polygon count, but I don't see that ever being a huge priority when they've got new content to design.

Plus, it's important to remember that one of the big things WoW has going for it is that it has pretty low system requirements and will run well on fairly old machines. I don't know how much they'd even want to do a big revamp if it meant that any decent number of users would suddenly have obsolete hardware and couldn't play anymore.

And, in that same line, I don't know that anyone should be expecting Project Titan to look "next gen" or anything when it's announced. It may not even look as fancy as as other contemporary MMORPGs. It'll probably have really solid art direction and good design, and may or may not have the Warcraft/Starcraft aesthetic, but it probably won't look groundbreaking from a graphical standpoint.

[Deleted]

I hope so, it's striking a balance with the iconic look of the game and a noticeable graphical improvement which will be the difficulty. I do think one is needed however.

[Lilly32]

if this has to happen blizzard will do it slowly and step by step over time doing that in a single patch would need LOT of work , also not everyone has high end computers and improving the graphics would be a major issue for those players

You can build a PC to run WoW on max settings for like $750. Not having a decent PC these days is no excuse. Its not the 90s when they cost $4000.

[Yig]

WOW would look amazing if it was made today(even though I think it still looks fantastic). The stylized impressionistic art style HAS to stay, but it could be realized in a much more beautiful way with today's technology. It should basically at the very best look like a Pixar movie.

Wildstar looks a lot like I'd expect WOW to look were to have been created now. Although WOW is a bit more Don Bluth/Secret of Nimh while Wildsrar is more Iron Giant/Incredibles.

But no, I don't think it's ever going to happen.

The new model updates and little changes over time are all we're likely to get. Beyond new shading and lighting FX, the thing I imagine may happen is a new cloud system. Every zone in WOW would feel great with a real system of modeled clouds like Uldum has. Flying feels better when you can fly through a cloud and walking on the ground feels better when you see a real cloud drifting over head or across that mountain road you're about to walk through.

WOW would really benefit from a cloud update, and I actually like the vanilla low rez cloud system in it's own charming way. I would like to see a new skybox in conjunction with a global cloud system.

---------- Post added 2013-01-20 at 03:32 PM ----------

Beyond Wildstar, Kingdoms of Amalur's MMO looked especially like what I would hope to see WOW look like. This screenshot is sex for the eyes.

[ati87]

Not sure you understand why we couldn't fly in Azeroth at first.

All of the stuff you couldn't see (top of the buildings etc.) didn't exist in the game. It was relatively easy (still more then 2 years of development) to add all of the stuff.