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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsTransmogrification and the dismissal of the silhouette theory
by Mathew McCurley 
Aug 17th 2011 at 2:00PM
For me, the most stark change that patch 4.3 is bringing about is not a change to the systems or gameplay, but a philosophical change at the heart of World of Warcraft that spells out some of the potential big announcements that might be coming our way during BlizzCon.
Transmogrification is bigger as a philosophical leap than we think, and here's how.
The silhouette theory
World of Warcraft's factions are rooted in an idea called silhouette recognition. What this means is that you can easily tell who your friends or enemies are based on their aesthetic look. The reason there are no "humans" on the Horde side is because Blizzard wants you, as a Horde player, to point out a human on the battlefield. The same goes for every race. No two sides have races that feature identical silhouettes. This is even the reason worgen are forced into their bestial forms in combat -- players need to know that you're a worgen.
This goes for gear as well. Blizzard practically invented the gear tier system in raiding and made it so your two most prominent pieces, shoulders and headpieces, were the sought-after marks of power and prestige, and a physical reminder of player accomplishment. My shoulders currently tell you that I've been to the Firelands, killed many bosses, and taken their stuff. My silhouette is instantly recognizable as a raider who is geared and powerful.
Transmogrification is the antithesis to silhouette theory
For a long time, players and the MMO world together have complained that World of Warcraft was behind the times when it came to player character customization. WoW has been out for a good long time, before a world where sliders for every part of your character's attributes were a staple in the industry. Over time, the age of the system has proven an issue, with Blizzard even updating the models of the faction leaders to provide a better in-game design to older models. Thrall, for instance, only recently shed his level 30 greens for his new shaman digs.
The reigning philosophy was that gear in WoW defined a player and that player's appearance. Gear could easily tell you who and what you were going up against. A warrior looked like a warrior in warrior tier gear, and his race was readily apparent.
Transmogrification is the antithesis to silhouette theory. By allowing players to change the look of their gear from one skin to the next, you remove the ability for any one character to be instantly recognizable in power and prestige in PVE or PVP. A level 85 paladin who is wearing a full set of the Judgement armor set could or could not be a tier 12 raider -- you need to inspect closer to figure it out. If you're on the battlefield in Tol Barad, for instance, you cannot accurately gauge your enemies based on their gear if transmogrification is active during PVP combat in PVP areas, other than looking at their health pools.
There is no doubt that this new system will connect players to their characters more than ever before, and I applaud the move. I have been a vocal critic for some time about the lack of character customization in the game, and I am glad to see Blizzard shedding the old philosophy and bringing to bear new features for the players. Interestingly enough, I wonder how this will affect tier gear creation and whether there will be an emphasis on less impressive gear and more on different art assets, as players might not even care to see their new armor. I sincerely doubt that that will be an issue, however. Blizzard will still churn out cool-looking armor sets for every tier with each new raiding environment.
The future
Here's the real meat of the issue. With transmogrification signaling the end of the silhouette era, could this possibly mean that with the next expansion, potentially concerning oft-rumored Pandaria, that we could see the inclusion of WoW's first bi-factional race? Could Blizzard be giving us pandaren for both sides of the equation now that the concept that players and factions are defined by their silhouettes is out the window?
Dual-faction pandaren make a lot of sense for Blizzard and for the WoW community in general. You don't want to upset either faction with a sense of bias or favoritism, especially when dealing with the fan-favorite pandaren. The story could be worked in such a way that pandaren get a starting zone much like the death knight beginning experience and choose their faction at the end of a heated battle that has the Horde and the Alliance at each other's throats over territory on Pandaria, or even an outside threat like the kvaldir. Could there be two factions of pandaren, one of nobles in the capital and one of the outliers, living outside the bounds of the society formed as clans adhering to the "old ways"?
None of this is fact and none of this is confirmed, but removing one of the biggest roadblocks to cross-faction contamination is one of the bigger sea changes in philosophy in recent history with Blizzard and WoW. Maybe, at this time, we are seeing such radical shifts in ideology because of the need to innovate and keep up with other games releasing soon. The great Cataclysm experiment showed that WoW has to change even more fundamentally to retain and grow the subscriber base. Blizzard has been developing WoW with a very conservative mindset, still rooted deeply in the EverQuest beginnings of the genre. Now, with patch 4.3 signaling the end of one of the bigger design philosophies, anything is possible with the next expansion.
Anything.
Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Look at what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back! Filed under: Analysis / Opinion
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 8)
Telwar Aug 17th 2011 3:01PM
Honestly, what I see firat when I target someone is not their gear, but their health pool. That says a lot about their gear level.
Silhouette identification is most useful when not targeting something, but when you can see them. However, in most cases, it doesn't matter. Bgs have level ranges, as does TB. The only time I could see it as an issue any more is in world PvP.
Iirdan Aug 17th 2011 2:27PM
I'm sensing that there is some belief that the Pandaren will be a race, and a neutral race that can choose either faction at that - or am I simply misreading things?
Iirdan Aug 17th 2011 2:28PM
To clarify, I meant outside of simply this article. It seems like it is an almost widespread belief among the playerbase.
Yvl Aug 17th 2011 2:33PM
A few people want the pandaren to be a race, so they choose to believe it will be. With that assumed belief in mind, it's unfathomable that only one side would get the pandaren due to the rage from the other side. But there's no evidence to any of this.
epiclulz Aug 17th 2011 3:00PM
@Yvl
"...rage from the other side..."
No no. its fine. You keep your pandas and we can have ethereals. Its aaall fine.
Ghostcrawler promised me Ethereals!
Zaet Aug 17th 2011 2:29PM
so, where can i check out past set or armor to chose what i want to look like?
SaintStryfe Aug 17th 2011 3:00PM
http://www.wowpedia.org/Armor_set will have all the current and past armor sets.
Also, there are some awesome sites that talk about RP clothing that might help you make interesting sets now.
http://wowrpc.waddellconsulting.com/ has great ideas plus links to other RP clothing sites
Caliea Aug 17th 2011 3:01PM
Wowhead.com
Click on Database - Item Sets - then choose your class
Caliea Aug 17th 2011 3:05PM
And you can click on the "View in 3D" button to see it on any race :)
Narshe Aug 17th 2011 3:21PM
I hope they turn this feature into a scavenger hunt type of game like Archeology is/could have been. If you need the original piece of gear first to use its look, then it would be a blast having a reason to go through the old raids again hoping that tier piece will drop. Something you can do with your guild or solo if you prefer.
I kind of think theyre going the wrong way with the Void Storage tho, it shouldnt be like a 2nd bank, treat it like your companion pet or mount frame. Drop a piece of old gear into the Void Storage window and a message would pop up "do you want allow this piece of armor to be added to your list of items that can be Transmogrified? Doing so will remove the item from your bags and it no longer be usable."
This way you don't need to worry about storage slots like in a bank. And if you ever want that actual piece of gear back for whatever reason there could be a "restore" button to add the item back to your own bags.
Maribel Aug 17th 2011 4:34PM
Narshe - I think you define "blast" a little differently than I do. I went to collect T2 just for the hell of it, because I'm a pali.
I managed to secure THREE legendary drops (both the Thunderfury bindings and the Eye of Sulfuras) before Rag finally yielded up my pants. Kilt. You know.
It does make sense to require you to own the item you want your current gear to look like. But it's not like "farming the same boss over and over hoping he finally drops what you want" is more fun when it's for cosmetic gear than when it's for current gear.
Yvl Aug 17th 2011 2:31PM
You're reading way too much into this, trying to find your desired outcome. The ramifications of blurring the lines between factions are much huger than just the silhouette paradigm, such as the communication barrier.
Drakkenfyre Aug 17th 2011 2:36PM
I don't get this either.
It's like saying "MAGES CAN USE SWORDS! THAT MEANS CLASS DISTINCTION NO LONGER MATTERS! I SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE A WARRIOR AS A MAGE!",
or,
"I can use ranged weapons on my Warrior, I should be able to tame pets!"
You will be wearing the same gear as you always have been able to. It does not change anything.
epiclulz Aug 17th 2011 3:03PM
@Yvl
This. We have already seen what happens with cross faction communication with the forsaken speaking common. It didnt work. This is one of the bigger reasons against bifactual races
GhostWhoWalks Aug 17th 2011 2:32PM
A very insightful article. While I doubt they'd ever go as far as bi-faction races, this is a big step towards shedding some of the more out-dated aspects of the game. Could we someday see the ability to form cross-faction parties for dungeons and raids? Could we see more customization in player skills and powers? Customizable mounts? As Mat McCurley has pointed out, anything is possible.
I think the best part of this change is that Blizzard is relaxing the philosophy of status symbols, or should I say, people being required to use status symbols. I was one of the first on my server to complete all stages of the Molten Front and unlock my Flameward Hippogryph. And sure, I rode around on it for a time, it looks pretty cool. But after awhile I realized it didn't really fit with the aesthetic of my Death Knight and went back to his skeletal gryphon. Sure, I might have one of the latest and greatest mounts, a minor status symbol of diligence, but I'm not being required to use it, not required to show it off if I choose not to. Yet with gear we were always REQUIRED to wear it or we lacked the power to participate in our endgame activities.
Wasn't it a Drama Mamas article awhile back where a raider wanted to run naked for shits and giggles? How about all the people clamoring for transformation vanity items, or the spike in Firelands interest when it was revealed that a drop from Staghelm turned Cat Druids into Flaming Cat Druids? While there's certainly a segment of the population that revels in showing off the exclusive top-tier gear they've earned, there's another segment that just wants to put some personal style into the look of their character and have some fun. Blizzard has realized in the past that it needs to be a bit more flexible in its treatment of the players, like with the ability to disable experience gain to make a PvP twink or old world raider, and this is another step in really opening up the World of Warcraft to more personal and enjoyable playstyles.
Drakkenfyre Aug 17th 2011 2:33PM
Gear does not change your silhouette like changing your race would.
A Human with Tier 1 will still look like a Human. A Human with Tier 5 will still look like a Human.
A Tauren in Tier 1 will always look like a Tauren.
Saying allowing the items to be changed means silhouettes aren't important is jumping it a lot.
cygnus Aug 17th 2011 4:59PM
I agree with you. And more over, let me add that not only a human will still look like a human, but a Human warrior will still look like a Human Warrior. We will not be able to change the appereance of our gear into anything our class cannot wear, this includes other classes tier gear. On the other hand people will have to learn a lot more of graphic outlines than the current 10 sets you should worry about. OR do as everyone already do and identify the class by the UI, rather than how they look.
cygnus Aug 17th 2011 5:01PM
everyone does*
Can I Transmogrify the comment system to get one with edit button? Ill even farm for one .
hicks Aug 17th 2011 2:36PM
This could also mean High Elves may be playable someday. Hell, give the Horde Drow while you're at it.
I still think 3 factions is a possibility down the road, mostly because I can't really see Tauren being down with Sylvanas long-term. That would be a sweet 5.0 shakeup.
HappyTreeDance Aug 17th 2011 2:57PM
Not so sweet for guildies who can no longer play with each other if their chosen race suddenly goes off for to a different faction.