Vanilla WoW Yay or Nah to the new graphics?

[McNeil]

Vanilla graphics are part of the game, it wouldn't feel the same if they decided to update. I wouldn't mind having new graphics as a toggable option.

[Queen of Hamsters]

Tbf, how weird wouldn't new player models look against the old, outdated, flat imagery of Classic...?
Sure, when the inevitable world revamp in 9.0+ brings every 1-60 zone up to 2020 graphic standards, perhaps they could do something with Classic's zones as well, but at the same time we have people professing how the game was only immersive due to said flat, old zones made with minimal attention to detail and restricted by the tools of that time, so...





Just a tiny, modern model blood elf VS a HUGE world (and BfA zones are even bigger) with immense attention paid to every little detail, so as to heighten the immersion as well as the sense of scale, taking the art of world building to new heights. The second image shows the world using the Inky potion, hopefully they'll make that darkness a toggle option in a menu rather than a consumable.

Yeah, I'd say that unless they literally bring EVERYTHING in Classic up to current standards, the new player models would look horribly out of place.

Don't feed the trolls. He's complaining about whether and you're encouraging him.

Tbf, the other poster is equally out of touch with reality. Or rather, the virtual reality...

There's NEVER been more attention paid to the details of the in-game world and story delivery. How immersive the world feels, comes down to the player. Saying it's lacking through some design choice is just moronic when one sees the amount of detail going into zones these days.

I agree, right now putting a Gnoll (Meatball), follower out in the Legion world, makes the gnoll look bad. But like the new Yeti model, makes the winterspring trees look bad, it goes both ways.

And I know vanilla armor is still low-res in Legion/BfA, so they are a long way off a fully updated game.

I try to use my 1-60 transmog on new characters all the time, but most of the non-tier gear just looks really bad on new models/allied races.

After you are used to better looking gear, it's hard to unsee vanilla gear being so low-res. Back in 2004 I had zero issues with it.

I love the new BfA versions of vanilla creature models tho, but it still doesn't cover 100% (still waiting for gnoll updates, they are a big part of Classic Alliance leveling)

Indeed. And quite frankly, once they do bring all 1-60 zones up to current content in terms of appearance, would it REALLY be worth the hassle of applying it all onto Classic zones on Classic servers? I'd say no, since the Classic server will be a virtual museum for a dedicated base of players. The efforts of bringing the game forward, goes into Live.

Example on how old zones might be updated across the board in a future major patch:



As seen, they don't just up the HD appearance of foliage and buildings, but they also make changes to the layout of the zone (probs for story purposes).

[Teri]

Yeah, I'd say that unless they literally bring EVERYTHING in Classic up to current standards, the new player models would look horribly out of place.

I agree, right now putting a Gnoll (Meatball), follower out in the Legion world, makes the gnoll look bad. But like the new Yeti model, makes the winterspring trees look bad, it goes both ways.

And I know vanilla armor is still low-res in Legion/BfA, so they are a long way off a fully updated game.

I try to use my 1-60 transmog on new characters all the time, but most of the non-tier gear just looks really bad on new models/allied races.

After you are used to better looking gear, it's hard to unsee vanilla gear being so low-res. Back in 2004 I had zero issues with it.

I love the new BfA versions of vanilla creature models tho, but it still doesn't cover 100% (still waiting for gnoll updates, they are a big part of Classic Alliance leveling)

[cparle87]

Sort of a tough question. Original graphics adds to the sense of nostalgia, but realistically, in order to not feel stale, I would say at least do some updating. Having it look exactly like vanilla back in 2004 might be too much of been there, done that for people after years of seeing it.

- - - Updated - - -



I have to agree, I recall seeing this same thing back in the day and thinking what an insane amount of immersion. Sadly, that sort of RPG-ish world immersion has been long gone from retail.

Don't feed the trolls. He's complaining about whether and you're encouraging him.

[ringpriest]

Why in the world would you want the old graphics? That' so..... odd.

There is no way possible Blizz is launching that with old graphics.

Blizz is a business. Despite what some people are dreaming about, Blizz is not launching Classic as a "gift" to the Vanilla enthusiast niche community.

Blizz did a cost analysis and discovered a way they can make money off it and that is what they will do (they are a business after all). They are launching it because they deem it will be profitable.

They will include whatever they think will cause it to make more money, just saying.

Old graphics will not cause this game to make more money (it is almost laughable to even say it). In fact, it will cause less people to play it so I don't see it happening.

I beg to differ - while I fully understand that data is not the plural of anecdote, for me having classic graphics, at least as an option (or at least classic character models) is a binary go/nogo on playing Classic (again). I've been rather keen on the idea of classic wow, and just thinking about it inspired me to recently load WoW back up and log in and try rolling up a few characters; sort of a small taste of the distant (likely year+ away) date when classic launches. And... my night elves look... wrong - they look wrong, they feel wrong, they move wrong - so I go and make sure I've checked the box to use classic models (I had) and still no change; played around with it for a bit, but I get that uncanny valley feeling you get watching bad animation and couldn't stand it.

Yes, they're perfectly adequate models from some objective standard - but you spend an awful lot of time in an MMO like WoW looking at your toon, and the new models have several levels of wrongness, on top of which their look misses the the classic clean quasi-cartoon aesthetic that WoW used to have and that I want back if the game is going to appeal to me. As you correctly point out, this is ultimately Blizzard's choice and will, of course, be completely money-driven. I have no issue with those who prefer the newer graphics, and should Blizz include them as a toggle-able option, that is perfectly fine (or vice-versa of course - my preference need not be the default, but it does need to be present if I'm to be interested in returning).

But to say that no one prefers the old models, or that their lack will not drive some of us away from Classic Wow, is simply wrong.

[Soon-TM]

As long as the new graphics are togglable, they are kosher in my book. But at all rates, night time ought to be dark. Dark and scary af, like old Silverpine Forest at night.

[AbalDarkwind]

Why not follow Starcraft's lead and have them "Remaster" the old graphics? It wouldn't have the new models and graphical fidelity of Live, but the polygon count could be increased to make everything look sharper than it did in 2004. Would that be possible?

[Mulled]

classic means classic pimples and all.

[Xecks]

to the people saying nobody prefers the old models i say peshaw to that.