Breakfast Topic: Is transmogrification bringing you back?
by Adam Holisky 
Aug 27th 2011 at 8:00AM
Some people that I've spoken with have said it is. They love the old raids and pine for the days of yesteryear. With transmogrification, they hope to find groups of like-minded players to run the old content, expand their raiding beyond just the cutting-edge tier. They want to experience the game for what it is in its entirety and not focus on a single microcosm of content.
To them, transmogrification is (hopefully) the vehicle in which they'll ride to the good ol' days again.
I suspect, although don't know for certain, that transmogrification will contribute to a positive bump (or a slowing of the decline) in subscriber numbers. A commenter in The Queue asked the other day if the upcoming Raid Finder will allow for players to find groups for older raids. While it might be unlikely, given how the current Dungeon Finder behaves, a combination of that ability in the Raid Finder and transmogrification might be enough to draw back the old-schoolers in droves.
So let's hear it: Is transmogrification going to bring you back, or at least keep you around longer?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Darkseid Aug 27th 2011 8:08AM
Transmog really isn't doing much for me. My kids love the idea, and apparently so does everyone else. Personally, I still don't get the big deal. The biggest benefit for me is that I love have matching weapons on my dual-wielding characters, so this would allow for that pretty easily. But is that enough for all the hype?
Seriously, for all the times that Blizz has said it "doesn't have time", or "its in our plans", for stuff like resizing troll feet to something that doesn't look like its from a carttoon, or doing something with the HORRIFIC human facial models, it still amazes me that they had 'time' to pull of Transmog.
I do see potenttial benefits though. With players running old raids, it will be easier to get access to some of the mounts that drop from raids or raid achievements.
But thats about as excited as I can get about Transmog...sorry.
MusedMoose Aug 27th 2011 8:12AM
"Seriously, for all the times that Blizz has said it "doesn't have time", or "its in our plans", for stuff like resizing troll feet to something that doesn't look like its from a carttoon, or doing something with the HORRIFIC human facial models, it still amazes me that they had 'time' to pull of Transmog."
As far as I can tell, transmogrification is a programming issue, not an artistic one. It's not about making new models, but displaying old ones instead of the items' actual models. Therefore, no new models need to be made for transmogrification to work, so the art department's not involved. Blizzard saying that their artists are working on other things than updating old models is still completely valid.
Suzaku Aug 27th 2011 10:38AM
It always amazes (depresses) me to see so many people who don't understand even remotely how video game development works.
It's just like any business.
Imagine, if you will, that you're at a restaurant. You wish they had more variety.
"Well, we'd like to add more to the menu, but our kitchen's understaffed at the moment. We just don't have the resources to prepare more food..."
What you (and so many others) are doing is then pointing at the waitresses and bus boys and going, "Well you obviously have staff to do take orders and take dirty plates! Why aren't they cooking!?"
Well, guess why? Because they aren't cooks. That's not what they were hired to do, or what they specialize in. You put them in the kitchen, they burn the food, nobody's happy.
So, you say, "But they're rich? Why don't they hire more people!?"
To which I respond: http://us.blizzard.com/company/careers/
Doesn't matter how much money they have, people still have to apply for the jobs and meet their quality standards.
Matthew Aug 27th 2011 11:48AM
Actually, in response to MusedMoose and Suzaku, fixing model artwork in Warcraft is not an artistic challenge at all. It is solely a programming one. You see, everything in WoW, from the base models to the gear, is key-framed. That means for each and every unique character model and each and every animation, each piece of unique mesh needs to have it's position for each frame recorded. Granted, this process can be easily automated, but it's a throwback to the 1990's before we had Vertex Shaders, screens bigger than 1024x768, and processers pushing the 800MHz mark. Essentially, the majority of WoW's rendering hasn't changed since Warcraft 3 in terms of the algorithms involved. Applications like the WoW Model Viewer are a great resource for seeing these individual combinations of states and frames.
Changing the models themselves would be easy. Updating the graphics engine from a keyframed one to a physics-alike procedural shader based one is a massive challenge- and it would be a destructive one.
And it's a challenge that Blizzard has job postings to try and fix. (Yes, I applied, but I think I was a bit too new in the business to qualify. They want people with previous game development. Fun Fact for Trivial Pursuit: to get into the game design industry, you must first have experience in the game design industry!)
Bill Aug 27th 2011 1:16PM
Haha, right on Suzaku!
dewayneludwig Aug 27th 2011 3:18PM
Blizzard probably doesn't want to upgrade graphics because they want everyone to be able to play WoW. That 10 year old computer can still to this day play WoW but it couldn't even download (let alone open) some of the games on the market today. So to people like you that are always complaining about the graphics... Blizzard is running a business and they want to keep people playing. They are better off losing the 100 people like you who want graphics to be updated to current then the thousands of people who only play WoW and don't want to or can't afford (recession anyone?) to upgrade there computers.
Noyou Aug 27th 2011 3:22PM
Right. Rarely does anyone who wants something instead of...compare apples to apples.
As far as troll feet looking less "cartoony", well this is a video game. FFS look at night elf ears. You are telling me that's normal? Belf eyebrows? Worgen sniffing. Tauren scratching. I mean we could go on and on. I think most of these things are working as intended. Whether you like it now or not I am fairly sure at somepoint everyone will try Transmogrification. IF you don't like the hype about it, don't read the comments about it. You could totally read the facts and see what it's about. The facts are not hyping it up. We the players are. Pretty easy fix ;)
MusedMoose Aug 27th 2011 4:24PM
@ Matthew -
Thanks for the info - I didn't know that about WoW's animation; it makes a lot more sense now when the devs talk about the difficulties they have with the models. I remember reading something about how they didn't think WoW would be around anywhere near this long when they first made it, and that explains a lot.
Also: good luck with finding work in the gaming industry! I've applied to several jobs at Blizzard, no response each time. But it's worth it to keep trying. ^_^
ShammyGuy Aug 27th 2011 4:59PM
no. It seems like a "feature" that should be added on to general item customization. The ability to use an item as a "template" to apply to all items of that type (armor, weapon, etc.), but the lack of true customization, like every other fantasy game has had for the past dozen years, makes it a bit of a Meh. GIve us Dye kits, made by scibes, and armor "packs" made by BS, tailor, or leatherworker, weapon kits by BS or Engineers for ranged, etc... then add this "feature" that makes all your stuff look the same....but, at least it's a start.
Urza Aug 28th 2011 12:10AM
@Suzaku Your post would be amazing except that Blizzard isn't interest in putting more people on WoW. They've taken most of them away to work on SC2, Diablo 3, and Titan.
Swifteye Aug 27th 2011 8:08AM
Nope... but considering I only quit two weeks ago (guild drama, wheee!), I suppose my resolve hasn't had ample time to erode yet.
I will say that if I ever *do* come back, my Mage is going to Ulduar to FINALY get that Twisted Visage model that I *love*... always hated them for making such a pretty staff a freakin' Agi one...
Swifteye Aug 27th 2011 8:09AM
*finally... so about that supposedly-incoming edit function...
Noyou Aug 27th 2011 3:25PM
There is a great edit feature you already have, your eyes. Outside of typing the wrong word, it takes 2 seconds to scan something to make sure it is to your liking. I stand by my typos and bad grammar but that's just how I roll :p
teejmorrison Aug 27th 2011 8:10AM
Transmog has influenced me to run MC so far, simply because I could solo it myself.
However, I don't really feel as if it's a make or break feature. I kinda like the idea that my gear won't look like so-and-so's if I don't work my butt off for it. However... there are situations with the RNG that screw over a lot of us (I've lost many a shoulder slot roll to people who it was far less an upgrade than myself).
Definitely something that will be fun and will soak up some time but once you have those sets, you are .... set.
jay.pyne Aug 27th 2011 8:12AM
lol not a chance
teejmorrison Aug 27th 2011 8:15AM
and damnit... i swear i would had been first had i not been letting the drunk person out of my house (finally!... at 8am...)
hamsammich Aug 27th 2011 8:15AM
Actually, transmogrification is something driving me further from the game. The staleness I'm feeling right now for the game is probably going to end up in an account freeze.
Noyou Aug 27th 2011 3:27PM
Please elaborate on how a totally optional feature will drive you from the game. I am interested on your points of view.
MusedMoose Aug 27th 2011 8:16AM
If I was considering quitting the game, transmogrification wouldn't be enough to change my mind. But I'm not, so no worries there. ^_^
What it has done is get me interested in running older content, stuff I missed in vanilla and BC and even WotLK because I'm not dedicated enough to raid. Running older stuff at a higher level with my guildies is always a good time, and if we're doing it for the sake of getting some nifty stuff to display? So much the better.
Also, I just plain like the idea of being able to better determine what my character looks like. If nothing else, my main's an engineer; she really should be able to wear goggles all the time.
Bellajtok Aug 27th 2011 12:30PM
Amen, Hallelujah! Praise engineering! I am of the same mind- goggles should be on an engineer at all times. My only dilemma is Gnomish X-Ray Specs or Junior Technicians?