Today in WoW: Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011
by Adam Holisky 
Aug 24th 2011 at 10:10PM
Don't forget to check out The Daily Quest and our Weekly Podcast Roundup to find out what else is going on in the WoW community. And if you have a news tip, feel free to drop us a line and let us know.
Blue posts
Model updates
We often see people request for model updates. This is something we'd definitely like to do at some point in time, but time is a very limited commodity for our art team. We also have to be very careful about what it means to "update" a model. We've made changes in the past to various characters and had some people be a bit upset that it was changed on them as they had made very specific choices about the look of their character. We try to be as sensitive as possible about these types of things.
I can't give you more information than that, but the idea isn't far from our minds. We just have a lot of things we still want to on multiple levels that we hope enhance the experience of the game for everyone.
I can't give you more information than that, but the idea isn't far from our minds. We just have a lot of things we still want to on multiple levels that we hope enhance the experience of the game for everyone.
New Diablo III community site
Our new Diablo III community site has gone live! This will be your sanctuary for all the latest developments from New Tristram and beyond, featuring community forums and regular blog updates. Just like this site, you can post comments and share Diablo III news items via Twitter, Facebook, and other popular social media outlets. You'll want to check out the new Diablo III news feed regularly. We'll use it to share everything about Diablo III and to highlight recent community activity, including your most entertaining videos, art, comics, fansites, and much more.
We hope you head over and get acquainted with the new site, and return often. We've got a lot in store leading up to the release of Diablo III, including the launch of the Game Guide section featuring lore, characters, classes, maps, and more. Additionally, you'll see us on the new Diablo III forums. We look forward to sharing and discussing all the latest Diablo III news, content, and updates with you for a long time to come.
We hope you head over and get acquainted with the new site, and return often. We've got a lot in store leading up to the release of Diablo III, including the launch of the Game Guide section featuring lore, characters, classes, maps, and more. Additionally, you'll see us on the new Diablo III forums. We look forward to sharing and discussing all the latest Diablo III news, content, and updates with you for a long time to come.
WoW news from other sites
- Wowhead News News Round Up: Transmogrification Clarifications, Void Storage Updates, and More
- MMO-Champion Forum Moderator Recruitment, Blue Post, TCG Art Gallery Update
- Recap of Blizzard Entertainment at Gamescom 2011
- New Jinx designs revealed for fall lineup
- The Daily Quest: Looking forward, looking back
- Encrypted Text: Rogue tips and tricks for Firelands, part 5
- Know Your Lore: Silvermoon
- Spiritual Guidance: The shadow priest's guide to Majordomo Staghelm
- The Classifieds: A bit of song, a bit of filk
- The Queue: 2 companion pets to go
- About the Bloggers: Mathew McCurley
- GameStop intentionally removing Deus Ex OnLive coupons from retail PC copies
- GameStop pulls Deus Ex: Human Revolution PC versions from shelves
- The Nitpixels Podcast Episode 22: GameStop = Satanism
Filed under: Today in WoW
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Zapwidget Aug 24th 2011 10:56PM
That comment about being careful with character model updates holds quite a bit of weight. A long while back my wife was big into Sims 2. She had spent hours adjusting and perfecting the look of each Sim in the neighborhood, only to have a patch come along and "update" the facial matrices to add new levels of customization. While it was great for future creations, most of the previous ones ended up with freakishly exaggerated cheeks and chins and foreheads.
It was a frightful day in Pleasantville.
MusedMoose Aug 24th 2011 11:05PM
Yeah, I think that's one major thing Blizzard has to be concerned about, and I'm *sure* they're aware of it. People tend to get attached to their characters and how those characters look, so it'd be damn jarring to log in one day and suddenly you've got a list full of strangers. @_@ I'm sure that, if/when the vanilla models are updated, there will be gnomes and goblins set up in the capital cities with "Personal Transmogrifier" stations, so people can update if they want to and not be forced into it.
Literaltruth Aug 24th 2011 11:49PM
Actually, what I imagine they would do with this is exactly what they did on Beta when they wanted to get people to test the race/character/faction change options. Blizz has the ability to simply activate character customisations on a large scale for every character on your account. I'd imagine that the first time you log in after the model-update patch, every one of your toons would have the "character customisation" button next to its name until after the first time you log it in - as though you'd paid for a character customisation for every one of your toons.
Orrine Aug 25th 2011 12:55AM
I think I saw an article at WoW Insider about human female models upgrade in Wrath beta. And they looked worse then what we had since vanilla.
Hurbster Aug 25th 2011 2:16AM
They should just do what EQ2 did, give the option of staying with the originals or using the upgraded models. Problem solved. No-one playing a human male would have a problem with this anyway.
Utakata Aug 25th 2011 8:12AM
...except that it would hold weight if Blizz hadn't gone ahead and made other "unpopular" decisions previously. Such as having Tier 11 shoulders and head gear only accessible by raiding, having only Catcalysm standard heal and mana pots drop from Alchemists and the AH stock exchange only, and removing portals from previous expansion nuetral cities. I could go on.
But it should be noted, like with the examples above, that there would likely be as many players that would like the new changes as there those who who would disdain them. The obvious solution would be to introduce the new models as options, by still keeping the older models available and having players have a one time option to choose between them. But also keep those selection of older models available on the character creation screen. Having more variety in that way goes along way with character customization. Something that is very much lacking in the current system. And one that would likely be acceptable to most players. A win win FTW.
MusedMoose Aug 24th 2011 11:04PM
Considering how many people (myself included) hope for a model update for the vanilla races, it's good to see Blizzard respond, especially so thoroughly. Admittedly, I would have loved to hear "we're working on it" instead of "we'd like to do it," but there's no sense in being greedy. ^_^ There are several more posts from Nethaera about the issue in the thread:
http://blue.mmo-champion.com/topic/193101/orcs-need-model-buffed
As for the Gamestop issue, since it was linked: I think what Gamestop did is inexcusable and I will no longer buy anything there. Bah.
furrama Aug 25th 2011 2:55PM
Yeah, I'm still boycotting Gamestop ever since Whistleblowerzero's videos came out. This just reaffirms my decision.
Literaltruth Aug 24th 2011 11:05PM
I'm kinda sad about the model update answer - it sounds as if this is no closer to happening than it has been in the last couple of years that they've been talking about it. I find it hard to believe that anyone is really in love with the way a lot of the player models look in the game, especially the alliance male models (with the possible exception of Dwarves, the vanilla male models are universally pretty awful looking - humans especially) and the Horde female models (female Trolls...) and noone would really mind a change.
Each expansion has one or two big non-endgame features that didn't involve new races or classes - flight and JCing in TBC; Inscription, barbershop and vehicle combat in WoTLK; Archeology, Old World flight and the updated 1-60 leveling in Cata. I was really hoping that updated player models would be one of those features in Mists of Pandaria and this response kind doesn't make it seem this way...unless Blizz is just playing it close to their chest.
MusedMoose Aug 24th 2011 11:08PM
Take a look at the link I posted above, with all of Nethaera's posts on the topic. Our friendly neighborhood candle basically says that while they do want to do it, there's a ton of other things they have to do. I can understand why this isn't a priority - as much as people want new models, I doubt they'd be okay with an expansion getting delayed because of that. @_@
Literaltruth Aug 24th 2011 11:46PM
For me, I just feel that character model updates are a lot more important than the priority they have been given. While there certainly are many things to be working on, it kind of feels like this is permanently at the bottom of the list of things "we'd like to do, but we have other things to do first".
In a game like WoW, one of the primary motivations that keeps people playing is a desire to have the character that they have invested so much time and effort into "look cool" (whether we like to admit it or not). As the WoW character models become more and more dated, this is harder and harder to do - and I think the crapness of some of the character models can only be a huge, offputting barrier to many new players trying the game out.
Like I said, I'm just dissapointed that it sounds like the next expansion isn't the one where this issue is going to be dealt with.
Bryan Dare Aug 25th 2011 1:11AM
I certainly agree that it is more important than the priority it has been given. Our characters are essentially the aspect of the game that we see the most (granted they get fairly covered up by their gear most of the time...) yet they're stuck back in 2004 and 2007, with the exception of worgen and goblins. And even worgen are human part of the time.
You also bring up a good point about potential new players. Funny too, given Blizz's recent strong desire to make the game more attractive to newcomers.
Al Aug 25th 2011 1:49AM
I agree it needs to be done, but it needs to be done right. If baby-steps prevent it becoming an "uncanny valley" freakshow, then baby-steps it is.
furrama Aug 25th 2011 2:42AM
"We often see people request for model updates. This is something we'd definitely like to do at some point in time, but time is a very limited commodity for our art team."
Uhhuh. I'm moving to Guild Wars 2 as soon as they'll take my money, this is ridiculous. At least my female charr won't have a ridiculous rack or an unchangeable face. Worgen females... I lost all respect for the art direction. They didn't stick to their guns for tauren or troll females during alpha either. I see less sexist, greener pastures on the horizon.
I'll still read WoW insider though. This place is cool.
Literaltruth Aug 25th 2011 4:12AM
Yeah - I really wish they'd stuck with the original designs for Trolls and Taurens too. Female trolls in particular don't even look like they're in the same species as male trolls. Same goes for Draenei. I kind of think that with things like this there is a certain....lack of maturity evident in Blizz's art direction. Maybe they're right and the game does better with these sexist representations of women. But as a genre, MMOs are one of the more popular with female gamers...and I think that if I were a woman I'd be put off by the teenage boy fantasy of many of the female models. Original Troll and Tauren females were just badass IMO, and really the alternative wasn't any more "pretty" than them - they were just weaker looking.