Why are WoW's graphics so sub-par?

[vesseblah]

There is problems with the engine, WoW is the worst performing game i play.
I have a i5 4670k at 4.2 ghz and a GTX780 at 1100mhz that will run almost every game i have on ultra settings (Crysis 2, Tomb Raider, Farcry 3 etc) vsynced at 70 FPS on Ultra, yet wow drops down to as low 50 FPS every time i turn, raids are even worse unless i turn alot of stuff off.

Try listing other MMORPGs as comparison instead of braindead single player first person shooters.

More players = higher CPU requirements

It's not a limitation of WoW's engine but a limitation in forumgoer's brain to realize they're doing apples to oranges comparison.

It could be faster at MoP zones though. As I said, I'm not asking for a change in graphic, just more efficient graphics.

You're comparing single player game (Mario Kart) to an MMORPG with hundreds of players in single zone. WoW's framerate or lack of it has got nothing to do with graphics engine but the part which handles the simultaneous actions of all players around you. Or to dumbify it even more, everybody knows that addons that deal with combat log (Recount, Deathnote etc) makes the game slower.

It's the combat log (ie. player actions) which is the slowest part of WoW, not the renderer.

[Tirilka]

Just, just look at this:

and then say to my face again that WoW water graphics are bad or unrealistic. It's absolutely the same. Normal water.
Not this jelly with 1% opacity from first post, water even remotely clear as which only exists at white beaches or pools.

[danlathegreat]

In that case, who cares what the public think... they're going to bitch and moan regardless of the outcome.

If they don't care what the public thinks, then why build a new engine?

[hrugner]

I don't understand what you are asking.

WoW is a very old game (year 2004.) and blizz is adding graphical improvements to it with every expansion.

It is also quite well optimized, especially compared to other MMORPGs like SWToR and GW2 who are just immensely inefficient with their engine.

If you can't play WoW on at least medium graphics - i think that the problem is most definitely with your PC's age or poor configuration.

If you are playing on a laptop, the most common issues are overheating and lack of a dedicated GPU (integrated GPUs like Intel's are very weak).

I'll agree with SWToR being inefficient, but I can run GW2 on medium settings with my graphics card off (just using the integrated graphics) and get a better frame rate than in WoW on low settings. WoW has one of the least efficient engines I've played with, the only one I've had more trouble with is the one integrated into Blender, and I'm sure that's an error on my end.

[Blachshma]

Blizzard has done a great job updating the graphics every expansion. However, the engine IS outdated, but I don't mind it. In their next MMO they'll use a new game engine and creatie spectacular graphics. Now they can't because they have thousands of subs working with old computers.

[Shurkuris]

I'm confused but do a lot of you believe that they need Artists, Level Designers, 3D Modelers, Concept Artists, Programmers, Writers to make a game engine? Under the logic of "Their content would be reduced by X amount" would be the same thing as complaining about them making a new facility from scratch to accommodate new company hires by 100%.
The people building the new facility have nothing to do with the Game Designers, and you just save up money and pay them.

The people building a game engine are completely different from the other people. Sure their are a lot of testing need to be done, and their will be confusion to the quirks of the new engine but that is their priority to get that fixed and get everything working.

Explain to me why I'm wrong, but one of the few reasons I see, that would make them refuse to go to a new game engine would be because they feel no need to. But seeing how they lost 5 million subscribers which is about 40% less yearly revenue. They might be seriously considering changing a lot of stuff, as noted in MoP.

[Weightlifter]

I think water in WoW looks awesome and better than in many other games, but then again, I have everything on the highest settings.

[Trix]

How bad is your laptop?

[Nirty999]

Who the hell cares about graphics.. go play Crysis if you only care about graphics.. I want a good game not a shit game with good graphics... Look at Might And Magic 6-7-8 or Baldur's Gate.. they had "bad" graphics and they are still the best rpg games I ever played

[Wildtree]

WoW's graphic is an iconic signature of the game itself. Could it be more realistic and 3D looking? I'm sure it could be done. But let aside the costs for it.. That "outdated" graphic feel is part of what makes WoW to be WoW.
Somehow I remember vaguely how the Devs even addressed that topic before, and the consent was that the player base seems to cherish that imperfect look.
I happen to agree with it too.
It's a little bit like a Disney Movie, if you will...
I wouldn't wanna see a high tech CGA style Donald Duck cartoon... Simply because it wouldn't be a Donald Duck cartoon as we know it, and how everyone loved it.
Same goes with WOW.

[alucardtnuoc]

Wow on max settings = 12 fps
GW2, Farcry 3 and BF3 on max settings = 60 fps

Would love if they optimized the engine better, cause I have to play it on Fair.

[Terahertz]

Maybe because you're playing on.. you know.. fair settings? I'm playing on ultra settings and water looks extremely nice to me. It even reflects the freaking sky.

The reason why you have 30 fps on your 2 yr old laptop (I've got a 2 yr old laptop aswell and I've got 30 fps on fair settings aswell) is because laptops are incredibly weak performance wise for gaming.

[Vestig3]

Actualy never looked at the graphics it was allways about the gameplay for me i didnt quite understand that when you discussed about wow with people that didnt play it they allways started about the graphics eventho i was having the time of my life.

[Xires]

Again I'm not asking for new graphic features. I'm not asking for realistic graphics. I'm not asking them to change their art style.

I'm asking for an engine that doesn't choke to death rendering what is clearly low poly with little to no fancy shader effect graphics.

They already did a massive overhaul of how the water looks...if you're bitching about how the water is now you should of seen it before they revamped it.

[Deleted]

I always thought was very shiny, they even updated it some time back I recall...

All I can say is if you can't run high effects for the water that's your own fault, I love the water...

...right?

[Djuntas]

Can't belive the OP's thread got this big...

How can he complain about a engine that is older than say the Iraq war, to give a example just how old it is.

I belive the OP don't even know how old wow is, inn the first place.

[justandulas]

I completely agree. Wows graphics were fine up until 2010, then it really began to show its age. Wow itself may be a good game, but it's engine is hideous. It reminds me of ps2 everytime I log in (and I run on max settings). Many people would come back if they really revamped their engine to be wow 2. As for the people who can't handle updated graphics, get a job and a better computer. Compare gta5 with wow and you will see just how far behind they are tech wise.

[Itisamuh]

The graphics are fine, I don't know why people whine about them so much. Some of the best games ever made had far worse. Besides, they aren't going to alienate all the players who don't want to upgrade their computers every year.

[rogueMatthias]

tbh, I really think the graphics engine on WoW is great, in that it gets the job done for the game that it is conveying. The whole world is meant to be a bit cartoony so I really like the latest models. More realistic models and details wouldn't fit within the world. Infact with a halfway decent card, a lot of Pandaria looks beautiful. Granted there are a lot of BAD graphics mixed in, like player models, and those origami trees in all the vanilla areas, and they make me laugh at how bad some of them are, but you can see real progress each expansion. They've never been bad enough in the current content to take me out from the game at all, and I doubt there are many players at all that have quit or would come back based purely on the graphic engine.

[justandulas]

Another muppet. You can not possibly compare WoW to GTA 5. Do you even know what the budget for GTA 5 was?
Anyone that comes back to play solely for the updated graphics wouldn't stay very long anyway.

The fact you say WoW is a good game anyway is all you should need. Graphics don't make a game better. They may make it prettier, but certainly not better.

A muppet would be someone who forever is fine with low standard graphics , not people who demand more. We are the ones who drive innovation and progress. Why can't you compare gta and wow? Wow makes gta money every year, so why don't they invest it back into the game? I don't dislike wow, but let's not delude ourselves into thinking their graphics are good. Why shouldn't they invest a hundred million or so on fixing wows shortcomings and secure its second life?