How many wish Warcraft looked less cartoony?

[Thelaird]

I didn't mind it. I grasped it to its fullest by playing gnomes (a.k.a. looking ridiculously hilarious.. always.) It felt like I was playing some kinda hero or a member of a powerful unit in WC3 or something, so I let it slide by. Though, I secretly longed for less cartoon-ish graphics, but that's what I had console gaming and my first person shooters for back then.

But now, before WAR comes out, I'm in LotRO, so it's all good. God, that game is beautiful.

[radicalink]

LOTRO is indeed beautiful in the view it offers. However WoW's cartoonish graphics are pleasant enough. WoW ran better on my computer than Lotro, so maybe I'm just biased. I'm sure I may change my mind and flop the other way around once I get my new computer for WAR tho. Perhaps then, my tastes for cartoonish characters will diminish.

[JohnnyRobot]

imo the best looking game out right now is DAoC. It's really got some fun PvP aswell if you have the right group of folks together (which i couldnt manage to get in the 4 years i played it). If they added arena pvp to daoc i would wet myself with excitement. Main reason i don't like WoW and most other MMORPGs is because i'm a skilled pvp nut and i wan't my strategic PvP and i want to kill other players and beat the every living crap (ty paul barnett) out of them and make them cry and gain abilities and continue until i'm the strongest and invincible etc. WoW's pvp is unchallengeing and i find their classes boring and empty with not much to do in a fight. Also, if i have the best gear i can run around and pwn everyone in sight which is kind of silly. Don't make me play 5 months of pve in order to pvp well or you dont get my monies basically.

[Thelaird]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRobot

Don't make me play 5 months of pve in order to pvp well or you dont get my monies basically.

Quoted for absolute and undeniable truth. I can't tell you how much that made me not want to ever get to 60 (and eventually 70) in WoW.

[setian]

I don't mind cartoon'ish graphics at all. I've never played WOW and never wanted to so I can't say how that is. But, I play LOTRO and it is beautiful on Ultra high everything maxed!

I'd prefer more LOTRO or WAR graphics over something more realistic like AoC any day. Mainly because it is less intensive on the GPU. So huge Raids or RvR battles will run better on most peoples systems. (Which it seems like AoC is going to have a lot of issues with their game because of this)

I just can't wait to see WAR when the high res graphics are enabled I love WAR's style!

[Bleed4Me]

Originally Posted by Bleed4Me

Well, their graphics style from the RTS has always been like that. And another reason is less pixels per polygon is less stress on machines and they made a game that 9 million subscribers can play on their machines. Heavy graphics limits your audience which then limits your income per month.

I still acknowledge that it is easier to play on machines so it opens up the audience who can play it.

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by setian

I don't mind cartoon'ish graphics at all. I've never played WOW and never wanted to so I can't say how that is. But, I play LOTRO and it is beautiful on Ultra high everything maxed!

I'd prefer more LOTRO or WAR graphics over something more realistic like AoC any day. Mainly because it is less intensive on the GPU. So huge Raids or RvR battles will run better on most peoples systems. (Which it seems like AoC is going to have a lot of issues with their game because of this)

I just can't wait to see WAR when the high res graphics are enabled I love WAR's style!

I agree that lotro looks amaizing, too bad the gameplay is blah if you don't have a dedicated group or guild, the solo play is meh.

[Ragamuffin]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRobot

Also, if i have the best gear i can run around and pwn everyone in sight which is kind of silly. Don't make me play 5 months of pve in order to pvp well or you dont get my monies basically.

My thoughts as well. It's frustrating when the outcome of a pvp encounter is decided largely by the quality of the gear rather than skill of the player. This is one of the reasons I'm very much looking forward to WAR.

Back to the original topic, the cartoony look of WoW didn't bother me overmuch. There were times, however, when I wish it would have had more of a visceral feel to it.

[ununseptium]

LOL

YouTube - Warhammer Age of Reckoning vs World of Warcraft Style

BUT STILL LOL

YouTube - World of Warcraft - Max Graphics Settings

YouTube - World of Warcraft - Graphical Console Commands

[catharsix]

i can see the appeal of it, and part of me actually like it. i think that due to the limits of current graphics (to say nothing of "The Uncanny Valley") it's actually a smart design decision.

that being said, i think it's also stagnated. the game looks the same as it did in 2005, and while the decision to go cartoony may have been wise then, when compared to WAR's graphics, i think that WoW fails to measure up, here in 2008.

i wasn't sold on WAR's more realistic style at first (i hadn't liked other MMOs which tried to go realistic) but the more of it i see the more i like it. it seems like it may be the first (in my opinion) to effectively pull off a realistic style.