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

[Venziir]

I made the statement to tell the guy, who thought the timeless isle was an accomplishment on the level of new models, that it isn't.

I'm sorry to say, but it is to most people. Sure, new models are neat - but I'd rather have new content.

[Kathranis]

Really. Have you been to Timeless Isle? Recycled mobs, recycled bosses... The ultimate expression of the expansion-long legendary quest is a battle with a generic Yaungol with a fire effect, wielding an axe from fucking Firelands. It's LAZY. Lazy and CHEAP. Wrath had raids that were just as big as MoP's and didn't cheap out on non-raid content, and that includes art assets.

Oh, BS. First of all, Wrath of the Lich King barely added any non-raid content: the Argent Tournament Pavillion/Hrothgar's Landing, and the Halls of Reflection instances.

Argent Tourney content was nothing but reused models. All of the bosses for the instance and raid were reused models, with Anub'arak getting a new texture. Hrothgar's Landing was just a dinky little island with some sea vrykul and a kraken out in the water.

Halls of Reflection used reused models, including a reused Burning Crusade raid boss.

Icecrown Citadel had four bosses with new models: Marrowgar, Deathwhisper, Festergut/Rotface, and Blood-Queen Lanathel. Blood Princes, Arthas, and Sindragosa used the same models they'd had since the start of the expansion.


Sure, Ulduar had quite a bit of new stuff, but consider that the previous tier was just a revamped Classic raid making use of a lot of the new Northrend art assets.


Mists of Pandaria hasn't used strictly new models for every boss, but it does for most of them. Only four of the encounters in SoO don't have new models. Technically three, if you consider that the Dark Shaman are completely covered in a unique armor set.

[Venziir]

And now a wild strawman argument appears...

They only talked about the side project of the old models rework. Who said anything new races?

Eh it's Northem... Honestly, whatever he posts it always revolves around him wanting to play a High Elf one way or the other...

[Deleted]

Well you guys are forgetting this isn't just 12 new models, its actually 24 new models. Male and Female versions.

So if we are talking about 25% being done there are 6 models completed.

Nobody asks them to do all at once,but they should have updated the most played races.During these 2-3 years,human,dwarf,orc,and tauren races could have been updated 2 times already if they put actual effort in it.I don't see anyone complaining Gnomes are outdated.

[Collected]

25%. What are they designing, the next space shuttle?!?


They've been talking about new models since BC. I'm putting money on us never seeing them. They just can't admit they're not working on them because they know it will trigger a backlash.

[Venziir]

Come on, Venziir, we know that Blizzard is lazy, we should be fighting Mice-People from the Azeroth's Second Moon mounted on six-legged bears in Orgrimmar!

.... Do want!

[Mezzolith]

People have to realize that it's not just drawing a new model and slapping it on the old skeleton. There must tons of work to be done, the thousands of pieces of armor need to be retrofitted, all the emotes will need to be redone, they need to make sure they work on all existing mounts. Blizzard knows how much people wants these, I can't imagine that they're just sitting with their thumbs up their asses (as much as some of you would like to believe).

[Aeluron Lightsong]

25%. What are they designing, the next space shuttle?!?


They've been talking about new models since BC. I'm putting money on us never seeing them. They just can't admit they're not working on them because they know it will trigger a backlash.

Then why would they keep mentioning them ever since MoP? Seriously just stop.

[Archangel Tyrael]

How is a new model a new feature? MoP *did* bring a new feature to the game, like it or not, it's called Pet Battles, not to mention that MoP actually had the Tillers Farm, which is probably about as close as we'll ever come to player housing in WoW - again something completely new.

You mean Pokémon? Yeah, I'm passing on that.

Also, I never said that new models are a new feature, I'm saying that for me to come back to WoW, if they aren't at least giving us new models (which is something that I really wanted) they better add something new to the game.

Pokémon may be fun for you and some others, I don't know how many people liked it in WoW though.

But, in the new interviews, one of the devs (I think it was Chilton) hinted at new features for hardcore players, so I guess we should just wait and see.

[Venziir]

25%. What are they designing, the next space shuttle?!?


They've been talking about new models since BC. I'm putting money on us never seeing them. They just can't admit they're not working on them because they know it will trigger a backlash.

Yes, they've been TALKING about new models since TBC, but it wasn't until around Cata that they said they'd started working on them. And again, clearly we have NO IDEA how they work when it comes to designing new models.

[The Glitch]

What do you mean zero? Why would it be zero? They said they already had the Dwarves well under way and were working on the Humans and Orcs ages ago. Plus we've got the new Garrosh super-expressive model that's presumably for the new Orc Males, that one Female Troll, the new Male Troll, and the new Night Elf Female we've seen on NPCs.

As in they might never ever have even updated the characters at all. I'm not saying it would be zero, I'm saying 25% is better than them never deciding to update the characters full stop.

Jeez I feel some posters just like to be angry and ansty for the sake of it.

Some of us can actually see a glass thats half full, and not always empty.

I am glad they decided to update them fullstop, they didn't have to, its a side project so ofc its going to take longer than if they were making it a priority. But If they made it a priority, then we would more than likely see a decline in other content for the future expansion, and even MoP's patches.

So while I want updated characters very very much, I am also happy to wait as there is alot of other content to keep me playing and happy.

[Venziir]

You mean Pokémon? Yeah, I'm passing on that.

Also, I never said that new models are a new feature, I'm saying that for me to come back to WoW, if they aren't at least giving us new models (which is something that I really wanted) they better add something new to the game.

Pokémon may be fun for you and some others, I don't know how many people liked it in WoW though.

But, in the new interviews, one of the devs (I think it was Chilton) hinted at new features for hardcore players, so I guess we should just wait and see.

I couldn't care less about whether you like it or not - still a new feature. Deal with it.

Personally I haven't done a lot of Pet Battles, but judging from basically every blue post and a lot of forum posts - it's a a huge succes. Again, deal with it.

[Deleted]

This is fucking horrible news, i was really expecting them to hit in 6.0.
I just don't hope we get new models for new races instead of these.

[Dontrike]

No, it's very inappropriate. A lot of people assumed we were getting them next expansion(Me included). I mean maybe if they said "WE'RE DOING X RACE ONLY UPDATED MODEL" Yeah it would be sad but honestly there were a lot of Vanilla Races

Humans,Dwarves,Gnomes,Night Elves, Orcs,Trolls,Tauren,Forsaken(Undead) Heck I believe even the BC races will get these updates as well. They have to fit all the gear pieces on them in the new models. New animations for all the races like spell casting animation melee animation, Twohanded, one handed shield bash animation/shield block. Monk animations for a kick and punch and so on. It's a lot of work if you put your mind tot it.

I wager they are working on it as a side project so they don't fuck up their own expansion super horribly and we all bitch that there's crap content in the next expansion. It sucks that we have to wait but this isn't an ideal world.

Exactly, for some reason people just think models just come out of thin air. It definitely is the people's fault if they assumed this was coming out in MoP, Blizz never stated that, but people just start mixing up their hopes with facts.

[Yarathir]

No, it's very inappropriate. A lot of people assumed we were getting them next expansion(Me included). I mean maybe if they said "WE'RE DOING X RACE ONLY UPDATED MODEL" Yeah it would be sad but honestly there were a lot of Vanilla Races

Humans,Dwarves,Gnomes,Night Elves, Orcs,Trolls,Tauren,Forsaken(Undead) Heck I believe even the BC races will get these updates as well. They have to fit all the gear pieces on them in the new models. New animations for all the races like spell casting animation melee animation, Twohanded, one handed shield bash animation/shield block. Monk animations for a kick and punch and so on. It's a lot of work if you put your mind tot it.

I wager they are working on it as a side project so they don't fuck up their own expansion super horribly and we all bitch that there's crap content in the next expansion. It sucks that we have to wait but this isn't an ideal world.

"it takes longer because there are many models to be updated"? What? That has no bearing at all on it. They say they are 25% done. If the TBC race updates are separate from the vanilla ones (which they appear to be, because they made a distinction in the past), then that's 8 races. They implied that they were very far in to the completion of the dwarf models before MoP. So 25% done means 2 races, including the dwarves. This means that, from 5.0 to now, they've finished TWO models, one race. (likely the orcs)


And I am crazy for expecting more than one race update per almost an entire expansion cycle? Hmh? Take a hike, please.

[Deleted]

This reminds me when Hitler rages how he could have killed off his officers like Stalin did for better results. At this point I hope everyone gets fired and blizzard finally hires competent dev team to finally get shit done. This is a big disappointment. If things get better I have no problem to bite my tongue, BUT, if they really think they can get the models half done in the next xpac and throw out the other with patches there will be a lot of pissed people.

[Iseeyou]

25% lol

GG

[Deleted]

Yes, they've been TALKING about new models since TBC, but it wasn't until around Cata that they said they'd started working on them. And again, clearly we have NO IDEA how they work when it comes to designing new models.

"...how they work...",exactly.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

You mean Pokémon? Yeah, I'm passing on that.

Also, I never said that new models are a new feature, I'm saying that for me to come back to WoW, if they aren't at least giving us new models (which is something that I really wanted) they better add something new to the game.

Pokémon may be fun for you and some others, I don't know how many people liked it in WoW though.

But, in the new interviews, one of the devs (I think it was Chilton) hinted at new features for hardcore players, so I guess we should just wait and see.

It's Pet Battles and gathering by what Blizzard knows. It became very popular. So YOU may not like it, it doesn't mean it wasn't worth it. They would of admitted it wasn't that great of an idea if they didn't get a good turn out. Honestly if you only care about new models to get you back into the game I respectively have to question your mentality. I mean seriously new models are nice but christ they aren't this revolutionary thing that would change the face of MMORPG's forever.

And I am crazy for expecting more than one race update per almost an entire expansion cycle? Hmh? Take a hike, please.

I'm not taking a hike. You are crazy, you expected too much. Lots of people here assumed they would be in the next expansion, again myself included.

[Venziir]

This reminds me when Hitler rages how he could have killed off his officers like Stalin did for better results. At this point I hope everyone gets fired and blizzard finally hires competent dev team to finally get shit done. This is a big disappointment.

.... The fuck did I just read?