Character Model Update - is it too late?

[Ron Burgundy]

does anyone else feel like blizz is WAY too late with this? i feel like by the time they release these WoW is long gone.

[LCDArcade]

To be honest, the new character models will be something for people to grasp onto for a little bit and then they will fade away as if they didn't even happen. People become bored fast. Titan is going to announced at blizzcon this year and I'm assuming once it releases it will be Blizzards new flagship MMO. WoW will always have people playing it but things never last forever.

[fengosa]

does anyone else feel like blizz is WAY too late with this? i feel like by the time they release these WoW is long gone.

This is like saying you shouldn't transmog your gear becuase it didn't come out when you wanted. If it happens it happens, if not roll a panda.

[Reyzzz]

I can't think the last time I actually saw my character's model under all the armor and stuff.

[Synstir]

I don't think it is too late at all.
It is great that they're doing it... I am expecting it to be one of the selling points of the next xpac.

[Klingers]

See, this is one of those things that irritates the shit out of me. Time and again some blue comes out with some variant of "We need to get it right."

Well, ok... Put in a tick box in the options screen to toggle the new models. Problem solved.

Blizzard are in the unique and enviable position of being to throw money at the problem. Hire some more damn artists. Hell, hire people to hire the new artists if you're worried about them fitting in with Blizzard's culture and design asthetic. Get some people in to vet the work of prospective candidates. Move some of the more senior/experienced artists onto character model updates and put the new guys on some of the other work. Rotate artists around... Whatver.

It should be more of a priority than it is.

[Hunterpower]

To be honest, the new character models will be something for people to grasp onto for a little bit and then they will fade away as if they didn't even happen. People become bored fast. Titan is going to announced at blizzcon this year and I'm assuming once it releases it will be Blizzards new flagship MMO. WoW will always have people playing it but things never last forever.

I keep seeing this, and i always wonder. where do these people get their tin foil hats? they seem to be high grade.

[Deleted]

See, this is one of those things that irritates the shit out of me. Time and again some blue comes out with some variant of "We need to get it right."

Well, ok... Put in a tick box in the options screen to toggle the new models. Problem solved.

Blizzard are in the unique and enviable position of being to throw money at the problem. Hire some more damn artists. Hell, hire people to hire the new artists if you're worried about them fitting in with Blizzard's culture and design asthetic. Get some people in to vet the work of prospective candidates. Move some of the more senior/experienced artists onto character model updates and put the new guys on some of the other work. Rotate artists around... Whatver.

It should be more of a priority than it is.

Assuming you understand the inner workings of Blizzard HQ does very little to strengthen your argument imo.

[Hyve]

No, it won't be too late at all.

People have been asking for updates since The Burning Crusade, and they have held out this long. Over this expansion, we're going to see a few examples of the new models, or at least the quality that they'll have, as we've seen Vol'jin, and my good that looks amazing!

[velde046]

Not too lat, but tbh I don't need them that much anyway, if it took another 4 years I'd be OK with it really....

[The Kao]

Titan is going to announced at blizzcon this year and I'm assuming once it releases it will be Blizzards new flagship MMO. WoW will always have people playing it but things never last forever.

Woah there not so fast. Looking at Blizzards release history we all know what lame duck they are. At the current point we have at least 1 or 2 WoW expansions to go, depending on when they let us hit level 100, and even then the final expansion will bleed the game dry for 2 - 4 years before a new flagship MMO will take over. We are just not quite there yet.

So relax, we still have a good number of years ahead to be spent in poor old boring WoW. 'nough time to keep people attracted with new char models.

[velde046]

Blizzard are in the unique and enviable position of being to throw money at the problem. Hire some more damn artists. Hell, hire people to hire the new artists if you're worried about them fitting in with Blizzard's culture and design asthetic. Get some people in to vet the work of prospective candidates. Move some of the more senior/experienced artists onto character model updates and put the new guys on some of the other work. Rotate artists around... Whatver.

It should be more of a priority than it is.

Business is NOT about spending money, but more about earning money. So in order to keep stakeholders happy they need to spend as little money as possible to generate a more money than was spent (preferable a lot more). That's how it goes. And even though people have been asking for updated character models for a long time, a moajority feels that it's not that bad, at least no reason for giving up on the game. So then it's smarter from a business point of view to focus effort (and money) on parts of the game that need it more or are more profitable...

[Deja Thoris]

I was pretty uncaring about this.

Then I sat and looked at the panda animiations, compared to say, a belf.

The difference is night and day. The pandas are so expressive and engaging, they look fantastic. I'd like them to make it a higher priority. I think the game would look a lot better for it.

[Synstir]

Business is NOT about spending money, but more about earning money. So in order to keep stakeholders happy they need to spend as little money as possible to generate a more money than was spent (preferable a lot more). That's how it goes. And even though people have been asking for updated character models for a long time, a moajority feels that it's not that bad, at least no reason for giving up on the game. So then it's smarter from a business point of view to focus effort (and money) on parts of the game that need it more or are more profitable...

Wow isn't the only mmo around anymore..... wow doesn't only run on the already subbed players but needs new players to come in. This is also part of that same bussiness.
Wow needs to compete in different fields with competitors. As a sub-based game it has to offer something to players who are thinking of joining.

This is why I think it is really needed to uopdate the models and it has not much to do with the playerbase. I think even if Blizzard didnot update them, they will keep playing.
The players leaving wow, aren't leaving because of the models..... but for new players, it could be an important factor.

[Nerraw]

Why would it be too late? More people are currently playing the game than in the past two years. WoW is far from "gone".

[Deleted]

It's never too late for graphic improvements, not on a MMO like WoW atleast.

[Poysonivy]

Hope they show us something this year. Maybe somewhere around 5.3.

[Rockwood]

I don't think it is too late at all.
It is great that they're doing it... I am expecting it to be one of the selling points of the next xpac.

I think the new character models with maybe some new features to characters will be New race/class selling point to
the new expansion as well.
I think that Blizzard is updating WoW graphics slowly instead of closing this game and make a new one with better graphics.

[Granyala]

I am expecting it to be one of the selling points of the next xpac.

Yep. Updating all vanilla races is way to big for a content patch.

[Airwaves]

does anyone else feel like blizz is WAY too late with this? i feel like by the time they release these WoW is long gone.

Long gone? Unless they plan to release the new models in 10+ years then it will not be long gone. 10 million people don't just up and leave.