Why are we still using old graphics

[vipers]

[Viikkis]

They don't need to make a WoW2 they just need to upgrade the graphics engine to unreal engine

Yeah.. no it wouldn't work. It's not that simple and UE4 is a GAME engine not a graphics engine. Also Activision Blizzard is not ready to give 5% of their revenue to Epic Games for UE4 license.

[Lochton]

They don't need to make a WoW2 they just need to upgrade the graphics engine to unreal engine or the one below it which 7 days to die currently uses which they are upgrading to unreal engine in it's end alpha phase anyways back to the point.. As we all know world of warcraft stopped supporting older systems so since most people using newer computers and what not don't we all think it's time they need to upgrade the engine on to par of today's era of computers?

Eh, no thanks? I'd rather not have graphics like those. As well, a lot of the game is fueled due to its own graphics engine. They WOULD need a WoW2 to change the graphics, as an ancient part of the game would need to be changed for a never engine, and not just tweaks.

- - - Updated - - -

Aww yes 7 days to die, lts make wow look like this its amazing.

Yeah, no thanks.. Haha..

[Ozzyorcborne]

Why don't you people understand it's a bloody graphics STYLE i.e. a hand-drawn, almost cartoon-y, and ageless graphics style that'll look beautiful and sharp even 20 years down the line. WoW doesn't need a graphics update to make it "realistic".

Damn right. I prefer it with this style of graphics as well. A Realistic wow will look terrible beyond terrible.

[Deleted]

Sigh... don't even know where to start with so much wrong.

Ok, so first porting the game to a different engine is like developing a whole new game. Theres 14 years of content in WoW. That would be a monumentally expensive task. This is not only the graphics. It's every single system in the game, including netcode and server technology. It would literally be making a whole new game.

Second, unreal can't do the cartoony style of WoW.

Third, they have been and can keep upgrading the graphics with their engine.

Forth, Blizzard doesn't want to give royalties to another company. They develop their own engines.

If it were to happen, it would be WoW2. They have no reason to port the whole game to unreal, and it would run into alot of issues, including performance and net code issues. It would take many years to do that without the sales of a new box to return on investement.

Chances of that happening: 0%

[OreoLover]

Dayumn. That's a lot of "because we love it!" haha.

Really, though, +1 to the +1000 of "it's a style."

Also... agreed @ OP's idea that much more can be upgraded (much of it would be better spent on newer things, but they do update old stuff occasionally).

[A Chozo]

You are confusing Good Graphics with Style.

WoW has very good graphics, but apparently you got problems with the style.

Well... too bad, dude.

[Deleted]

aww yes 7 days to die, these graphics would make wow look amazing

holy fuck this is aids

[OreoLover]

We are probably headed in this direction, overall, with origins in WoW:

Overwatch


Heroes of the Storm

[SpellCleave]

We are probably headed in this direction, overall, with origins in WoW:

Overwatch


Heroes of the Storm

And I fucking love it. I bet they'll go this direction and put a darker tone on it. BfA art style is damn beautiful.

[Deleted]

We are probably headed in this direction, overall, with origins in WoW:

Overwatch


Heroes of the Storm

WoW should never have such a cartoonish style. Granted, it has cartoonish elements, but it is a fine blend of realism/fantasy, whereas games like Overwatch is purely cartoonish and wouldn't suit WoW at all.

Only complete morons would even want WoW to look like Overwatch. Eww!

[thilicen]

They don't need to make a WoW2 they just need to upgrade the graphics engine to unreal engine or the one below it which 7 days to die currently uses which they are upgrading to unreal engine in it's end alpha phase anyways back to the point.. As we all know world of warcraft stopped supporting older systems so since most people using newer computers and what not don't we all think it's time they need to upgrade the engine on to par of today's era of computers?

What is this, Narnia?

[Soon-TM]

WoW has its own style and it is beautiful. I disagree that it is cartoonish, although it has some cartoonish elements.

However, too much of the old content is not pretty any longer and should be updated. In fact, I hope ALL old content eventually gets a revamp. Imagine Elwynn with a remake but same style.

I agree. The old world needs a facelift, and badly... Areas like Westfall or Silverpine, for some reason, look uglier after the Cata revamp than before.

[Sunderella]

graphics? i like the cartoon style. However would be cool to improve the engine to support richer environments (as in denser forests, some weather effects, better lighting etc) and for better multicore support which i've heard is not really that great.

[Dartz1979]

They could do that though have a new engine and keep the old option in as option for old school i suggested something like this on blizzards forum about the current ui and the soon to be new ui in bfa they should keep the old ui as an option

[thilicen]

They could do that though have a new engine and keep the old option in as option for old school i suggested something like this on blizzards forum about the current ui and the soon to be new ui in bfa they should keep the old ui as an option

See, I just don't think you understand how this works.

[Deleted]

Actually "old graphic" is a matter of textures and polygons. Both things changed over the course of the game and will be improved. So no, WoW doesn't have old graphics, it has its own style.

[clevin]

There are a few different issues here:

1) Upgrading the old art. If you look at the trees in, say, valsharah vs one of the vanilla zones that didn't get touched much in Cata, the difference is start with crappy flat 'blade' style branches because those were never art that anticipated flight - they look OK from the ground but fly into them and they look like shit.

2) The art style itself. Even with a modern, from scratch engine there's a cartoonish style that they want to use.

3) Engine performance. This is why I wish they'd upgrade their engine (not use a new one, upgrade their internal one). Right now the engine is single threaded and performs worse on a given CPU/GPU combo than other games.

I'd love to see them redo the environment art in the old zones but I can understand why they don't. The art style is matter of taste and if you don't like it, oh well. The fact that they still don't take advantage of multiple CPU cores and that their engine performs so much worse that others is really pretty disgraceful. I have to assume that making it multicore aware is hard and/or risky or they'd have done it by now.

[ls-]

If WoW had a more modern look, it'd look like overwatch which is cartoonish as well, in fact, all Blizz games are.

And the way the game looks is devs' artistic choice, it's not really tied to its engine.

[Raetary]

they are updating the graphics of the game every expansion.

if you mean the more 'cartoony' art style, then lol no.
that of all the things, should never under any circumstances change, its one of the things that makes wow stand out.

I'm quite fine with the engine as it is.

I just wish they'd update ALL THE OLD MODELS(mounts mostly) - though that is a huge task and probably why they won't.

they are slowly updating the old models.