Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Le Conceptuel]

Personally, I just wanted the gnolls to look a little more ferocious. Something a bit like this,

That honestly doesn't strike me as much better—the face is still too soft, the teeth too small and far-apar, and the expression too awkward. It looks like a children's character, and probably not even a villain. It doesn't look violent at all.

[Alanar]

It's still there:

Its not bad or something. Cant help bit see a worgen in dress up. The dangling pieces and mask screams gnolls tho.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

The devil is in the detail though. And when you are updating material, I think staying true to the original should be your primary goal.
And I felt WC3 style did not feel realistic but rather they looked like miniatures we use in wargaming/TTRPGs

Well a lot of people really got upset about Reforged's outsourcing and stuff and Blizz did confirm they went with a realistic route more then the original(I don't know why but whatevs).

Personally, I just wanted the gnolls to look a little more ferocious. Something a bit like this,

That image doesn't look that much different tbh. I dunno, I just think people are a bit ornery on this. No offense

[rhorle]

I mean I did say it, we get two models, one is good. This iteration of the model that you posted is solid. The other version just doesn't do the gnolls justice.

Isn't it the same model though? The difference is armor worn and glowing eyes. Which is just class and what it is wearing. It seems silly to attack the base model but praise it when it is wearing armor.

[Makorus]

Isn't it the same model though? The difference is armor worn and glowing eyes. Which is just class and what it is wearing. It seems silly to attack the base model but praise it when it is wearing armor.

It's more hunched over as well, which I think is the main issue that people have with the base model (knowingly or unknowingly)

[Makabreska]

It's more hunched over as well, which I think is the main issue that people have with the base model (knowingly or unknowingly)

I don't think there is a hunch difference. The amount of cloth and gear on no. 2 create an illusion. Go check the chin position to where the thighs start. Same distance.

[Makorus]

I don't think there is a hunch difference. The amount of cloth and gear on no. 2 create an illusion. Go check the chin position to where the thighs start. Same distance.

Huh, you are right. Must be all the stuff on the back making them look more hunched over and "bulkier" I guess.

[Gigantique]

Honestly think that changing his tint to the reddish/orange and giving him black beads for eyes (or pupils of different size to show their rabidness/psychotic streak) would go a long way.

These guys use human skin and literal faces to make their tents, they need to look unnervingly rabid/savage imo

The shaman looks badass as hell to me and screams "gnoll with armor" and the major reason to me is that it has no humanoid eyes

[KOUNTERPARTS]

I've always had a soft spot for Furbolgs since WC3.


Seeing that they descended from a more brutish "bear people" called the Jalgar plus seeing this new model for them... oh man, maybe we'll get to see some.

[Nymrohd]

It's more hunched over as well, which I think is the main issue that people have with the base model (knowingly or unknowingly)

I think the face also looks a bit smaller. Probably is just the colors. Then it's also the eyes. I think the eyes should be much larger with far less white showing.

[Le Conceptuel]

Honestly think that changing his tint to the reddish/orange and giving him black beads for eyes (or pupils of different size to show their rabidness/psychotic streak) would go a long way.

These guys use human skin and literal faces to make their tents, they need to look unnervingly rabid/savage imo

The shaman looks badass as hell to me and screams "gnoll with armor" and the major reason to me is that it has no humanoid eyes

That's a very good idea—I maintain it's mainly in the face shape and scale of the teeth, though. These simply look too cartoonish and have terrible shape language. Although they have plenty of pointy bits – the armor, ears and claws, namely – these aren't enough to dominate the shape language. The eyes are too rounded and the snout is too square-shaped—the face is where the eyes are drawn, and the shapes there look like a cartoon character. The Pixar comparisons, I think, are very appropriate. It simply doesn't look violent.

Among the changes I'd probably put through would be a total change of the facial shape to something sharper and longer. A longer, thinner snout, slightly pointed at the nose, could help. The eyes could be beadier and less human in addition to lacking pupils, too. The teeth most certainly ought to be larger, even though the current scale is more accurate to real-life Hyenas, and perhaps pointier. The fur ought to be mangier and more disheveled, and the spikes ought to look less curved at the top, making them appear more like legitimate spikes.

[Atriel]

Honestly think that changing his tint to the reddish/orange and giving him black beads for eyes (or pupils of different size to show their rabidness/psychotic streak) would go a long way.

These guys use human skin and literal faces to make their tents, they need to look unnervingly rabid/savage imo

The shaman looks badass as hell to me and screams "gnoll with armor" and the major reason to me is that it has no humanoid eyes

Human beings (real-life) have done said things with literal human faces too and they just look like normal people, my dude. Lol.

[Le Conceptuel]

I think the face also looks a bit smaller. Probably is just the colors. Then it's also the eyes. I think the eyes should be much larger with far less white showing.

The black around the eyes on the Seer model is part of it for me. I think it frames the eyes better—framing has a lot to do with it. The pointed hood also frames the face better, even though the face model seems roughly the same.

[Nymrohd]

Human beings (real-life) have done said things with literal human faces too and they just look like normal people, my dude. Lol.

Cool but gnolls are not serial killers that are supposed to fade in the background so what is your argument? This is fantasy, the gnolls are not a race where depravity comes in juxtaposition to a seemingly elevated culture; the violence is at center. A furry with a spike collar is just not enough. Give it war paint, larger pupils and more disturbing accessories; e.g. have bones braided in their fur.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Cool but gnolls are not serial killers that are supposed to fade in the background so what is your argument? This is fantasy, the gnolls are not a race where depravity comes in juxtaposition to a seemingly elevated culture; the violence is at center. A furry with a spike collar is just not enough. Give it war paint, larger pupils and more disturbing accessories; e.g. have bones braided in their fur.

The gnolls look scary as it is given the context of a stylized world. This isn't some horror franchise or anything. This obession with furries(And anti furry obession) is tiresome.

[Makorus]

I mean, to be honest, the more I look at it, the more they are very similar to concept art and other illustration of Warcraft Gnolls.

[Le Conceptuel]

I put this together in five minutes or less using GIMP, so the art quality is hideous, but this is my best go at trying to rectify some design choices. Admittedly, this doesn't look much better and I'm very terrible at art, but it's my best go. The things I couldn't do properly are give it stronger, Worgen-like teeth (even if that is, admittedly, inaccurate to how Hyenas look. I could see smaller teeth work if framed in the right way, but this isn't exactly a good place for subtlety), make the eyes look very decent or much beadier or rounder (both of which ought to be done—smaller and rounder eyes look creepier) and accentuate the hunch beyond standard WarCraft hunchback-tier to look more deformed. The awkward paw print emblems really confuse things and make them look like militant furries.

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I mean, to be honest, the more I look at it, the more they are very similar to concept art and other illustration of Warcraft Gnolls.

The appearance is good—it's just the presentation. The shapes are fairly decent save for the face, which simply is shaped in too cartoonish a manner. It looks very Pixar-esque and doesn't properly communicate danger.

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Cool but gnolls are not serial killers that are supposed to fade in the background so what is your argument? This is fantasy, the gnolls are not a race where depravity comes in juxtaposition to a seemingly elevated culture; the violence is at center. A furry with a spike collar is just not enough. Give it war paint, larger pupils and more disturbing accessories; e.g. have bones braided in their fur.

Generally agreed, though I'd say less pupil as opposed to more. I think that war paint and bones aren't enough—it ought to be more visceral, less soft, more pointy and energetic.

[Nymrohd]

The gnolls look scary as it is given the context of a stylized world. This isn't some horror franchise or anything. This obession with furries(And anti furry obession) is tiresome.

I don't mind furries whatsoever. I don't think that kind of style is right for a fantasy race that is meant to be menacing though.

[Makorus]

I mean, I think they are plenty menacing.



especially when you compare them to this.

[Nymrohd]

The things I couldn't do properly are give it stronger, Worgen-like teeth (even if that is, admittedly, inaccurate to how Hyenas look.
Generally agreed, though I'd say less pupil as opposed to more. I think that war paint and bones aren't enough—it ought to be more visceral, less soft, more pointy and energetic.

Honestly some Hyena accuracy would make it look less like a worgen with a weird fur pattern. Ears should be rounded and teeth should not be sharp, meant to tear flesh but blunt, meant to break bones. The face is actually more wolf than hyena. The hunch should also be more pronounced.

And looking at them again I think they are missing a bit of grime and dirt. That white gnolls looks fresh off having a bath. Did someone take it to the yak wash?

And the "Sage" model just looks better.