My shadow is following me
by Matthew Rossi 
Jul 21st 2008 at 3:00PM
Yes, apparently in Wrath you will see your shadow do things like change depending on where you are in relation to light sources and look more like you and less like a circle on the ground. It may not seem like a big change, but it's certainly an interesting one and helps to progressively create a sense of immersion (yay, my one theatre class finally pays off) in the world.
Now that we have this feature being implemented (although it does make me feel that time is fast approaching where I will have to upgrade my computer) what else would you like to see? We already have day/night cycles, some zones have weather to a degree and clearly that's going to also be the case in Northrend, so what's left? What are you looking forward to or hoping they'll add to the look of the game? Personally, I'm still hoping for dyes to customize my armor colors somewhat.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, News items, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Markymark Jul 21st 2008 3:08PM
I'm hoping for some motorcycle's.... lol.
Matazuma Jul 21st 2008 3:04PM
Wait did blizzard just make some dynamic lighting for WoW?
Marty Jul 21st 2008 5:18PM
It certainly looks that way - here's to hoping they made this change to the entire world of Azeroth (and Outlands of course), and not just the Wrath areas.
Now all we need is a high-def model / texture pack, and we'll (graphically) be right up there with the new games again.
jrb Jul 22nd 2008 9:32AM
the whole engine uses / used pre-computed shadowmaps anyway, so it's just a small job to change that to dynamic shadow maps.
one of the problems with a pre-computed shadowmap is that the lightsource was always the same place in the sky. the sun and the moon always raised and set in the same location... not very realistic.
Three things i'd be interested to see.
#1 does this mean there is a proper day / night cycle now (e.g., do the shadows get shorter at noon, and longer at sunset, or daybreak).
#2 Also, will we finally see the land casting shadows, instead of just map objects.
#3 will player light sources cast shadows? e.g., wands.
Badger Jul 22nd 2008 10:58AM
"Three things i'd be interested to see.
#1 does this mean there is a proper day / night cycle now (e.g., do the shadows get shorter at noon, and longer at sunset, or daybreak).
#2 Also, will we finally see the land casting shadows, instead of just map objects.
#3 will player light sources cast shadows? e.g., wands."
Watch the video again.
(1) I would venture a guess that this will, in fact, be the case. You can tell from the way the shadows stretch in the video above that the Moon is very close to the horizon, rather than hovering at an overhead angle.
(2) The Sanctum of the Sun, which is the Ghostlands building depicted in the video above, features several rotating "satellites" built into its roof. These are clearly casting dynamic, moving shadows, which you can see in the foreground, surrounding the character in the center of the video's view.
(3) The player's own shadow adjusts itself dynamically in the video above, and is affected by other nearby shadows and light sources. If the player himself affects nearby shadows and light sources, then I have a strong feeling that glowing objects like Wands and enchanted Weapons will, in fact, count as "localized" light sources that will in turn affect the forms of surrounding shadows.
Tobias Jul 21st 2008 3:09PM
I would love to see armour enchants change subtly the apperance of what you are wearing.
From simple subtle glows for standard enchants, to visibly bulkier armour when using armour kits etc I think it would be a great step foward in visible customisation.
Not only would it look good but it would also pay a good role in sizing up your opponents in PvP etc.
Anyways just my 2 cents.
Aichon Jul 21st 2008 3:18PM
On that topic, visible gems/sockets might not be a bad idea either.
Anyway, reflections on people would be nice as well. I mean, characters are lit, but it would be nice if there were actual shadows on the armor itself, as well as reflections and whatnot. Definitely would eat up some computing power (which would knock me and my three year-old laptop out of contention for displaying it), but it'd look a lot nicer. This new shadow thing goes a long way though.
el ranchero Jul 21st 2008 3:11PM
Seasons. I'd love to see Dun Morogh in the heat of summer, or spring bloom in Ashenvale forest.
I know some people are going to think it's pointless, but I think the shadows in that movie are AWESOME. It makes the objects seem so much more, well, there.
mneill Jul 21st 2008 3:44PM
I think Seasons would be wicked. Have always wondered what it would look like to see Snow in Ashenvale.
Bunkai Jul 21st 2008 5:05PM
Seasons...
/signed
Jordrah Jul 21st 2008 5:08PM
omg yes! seasons would be amazing, it would change things up for leveling alts for when you havent done ashenvale in the winter. seeing elwynn in the fall would also be awsome
Rugus Jul 21st 2008 5:09PM
/bump!
PimpyMicPimp Jul 21st 2008 11:06PM
Seasons? More like yespleasenowdoityeseasons.
Arras Jul 21st 2008 3:11PM
dynamic lighting is a very cool effect and blizzard seems to have implemented it well
I know a lot of folks - myself included - would like to see the graphics in WoW upgraded a bit, but one thing to keep in mind is that higher-end graphics can create client-side lag, even at lower settings and/or on slower systems.
But damn if they don't look nice :)
Reinard Jul 21st 2008 3:14PM
Finally! XD Real shadows!
I would like to see some more weather effects. Maybe not new ones, per se, but have them in more places. I love it when it rains in Stranglethorn, and it even makes Tirisfal a little more bearable. In Northrend, of course, but even in the rest of Azeroth would be nice. Above all, though, I was really hoping for better lighting effects and shadows. So, woo :)
Badger Jul 21st 2008 3:13PM
Fantastic. I can't wait to see what other tweaks they implement to the game's engine.
Elmo Jul 21st 2008 3:15PM
It's time they get some waves on the sea it still is one big flat piece of water.
Faar Jul 21st 2008 3:24PM
Waves would be a nice addition, yeah, and not really a burden even for graphics cards YEARS old, because regular undulating waves are so simple to compute on a polygon mesh.
What I would like to see even more than that is wind, however. I saw that in a video of LoTRO before that game launched, and it just blew me away. Immediately I realized why WoW's gameworld felt so static and fake; there was no wind in the trees, or in the grass on a plain, etc.
Bunkai Jul 21st 2008 5:06PM
Waves and Wind...
/signed
jwbowyer Jul 21st 2008 3:18PM
I'm really hoping for a graphics overhaul in WoW. Its really starting to show its age. Even though I have my graphics maxed the quality is really subpar. They should at least give us with higher end computers to take advantage of such things. Ground textures should look less flat. And when I fly from Darkshore to the Darnassus flight point I'd rather not see that the water is made up of the same tile repeated the entire way.