WoW Moviewatch: Beauty of WoW Part IV
by Michael Gray 
Feb 8th 2012 at 6:00PM
It's so easy to be impressed that we might forget some of the lovely scenery in World of Warcraft. Working with a game that's been in place for years, the designers of WoW create city after city of breathtaking, gorgeous landscapes. It's not just the technology, it's the art.
Beauty of WoW Part IV is one player's attempt to hold onto the sense of awe and wonder she felt while cruising Dalaran. The floating city remains one of my favorite places in game, so I can empathize with her feelings.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.Filed under: WoW Moviewatch
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Moeru Feb 8th 2012 6:29PM
I didn't find SWTOR to be all that impressive to be honest. It's mostly bland. WoW has a lot of interesting colors, and isn't afraid to bring attention to something through size and isolation. I always feel really constrained in the indoor environments in SWTOR, and there's never anything interesting in the open spaces that you would notice right away.
That being said, they do a lot of things better graphics wise, but the appeal just isn't there.
HappyTreeDance Feb 8th 2012 6:33PM
That was pretty much exactly what I was thinking. :)
Tokkar Feb 8th 2012 6:38PM
This video was very nice - I had to go back and look at the others. A lot of people just don't know what they're missing. We're running or riding all the time, focused on getting from quest-giver to objective and back, or rushing through leveling so we can get to endgame content and go raiding with our guildies...this is why I like exploring and why it's taken me so long to get someone to level cap. Maybe it's because I grew up in rural areas and spent a lot of time in nature - I've become hard-wired for the scenery, so it's not uncommon for me to venture completely perpendicular to where I'm supposed to be going, just to go look at something shiny.
These videos reflect my soul. :-)
geordie388 Feb 8th 2012 7:45PM
I love Wow's colors and architecture - I played SWOTR for a couple of weeks, but I found it cold and offputting, mostly because of the relatively cool color scheme. It's probably appropriate for that sort of game, but it turned me off. But it did make me appreciate WOW that much more and made me understand some of what I find so appealing about it - the warm colors make me feel welcome in this world. And I find I just fly around Stormwind thinking how beautiful it is and how much I like being there. Great video.
Silversol Feb 8th 2012 7:56PM
Part IV: A New Hope(?)
Juzelle Feb 8th 2012 7:59PM
I took an extended break from the game around when the troll heroics were released, and haven't been on since. I won't lie, I got a little choked up watching this. Admitting that pretty much makes me a huge nerd, but I guess after making a 14 episode youtube series devoted to exploring unfinished terrain, being a big nerd is the least of my worries.
I've got a lot of good memories associated with Dal, it's such a shame to see it rendered almost a ghost town only a year later. To the creator: Excellent musical choice. There was someone a while back who'd made an environmental video on dragonblight set to like.. godspeed you black emperor. beautiful piece of video, this reminded me a bit of it.
Too bad you didn't have a horde toon, the horde inn is rather spectacular, especially the kitchen (love those trolls!). Cheers!
RetPallyJil Feb 8th 2012 10:43PM
Has anyone else noticed that the Dalaran twirly purple statue is actually a representation of it ripping out of the ground and floating off to Northrend?
An event worthy of a statue, to be sure.
Miselain Feb 9th 2012 12:15AM
Thank you all for your wonderful comments. I remember the first video I created, was just a random video. I never knew I would get so much positive feedback for them. I then continued to do more, as people gave suggestions in what they wanted to see. I spend countless hours on Youtube trying to find the music that fits amazingly well with them. When I find the right music, I take footage while listening to it.
As a person that played this game to escape reality, the most important thing about these videos.. Is that they are for you. While I do enjoy them myself and they do make me extremely nostalgic, I am mostly trying to bring back those wonderful memories you once had with friends in World of Warcraft. We work so hard to achiev certain things in game, raid to get gear, etc; We never really stop for a few seconds and appreciate our surroundings. We are so busy with what we're doing, that they go unnoticed. So, I pick out pieces in the game and put them into the video.
I included Rhonin's speech to Dalran for many reasons. Obviously because of raiding in Ulduar, but because of how many people have progressed by killing Algalon, they took pride in turning in the quest in Dalaran. I also included Tirion's speech as well. Obviously you know this answer. The Lich King lore is my absolute favorite. Do you remember the first time you downed the Lich King? As you were nervous, watching your every movement in the Throne Room, listening to your raid leaders, and almost "peeing your pants in excitement" for killing a man that was once a very sweet soul.
These are all memories, bundled into one. Bringing you back to your most favorite memory in game. I am overwhelmed with the amount of positive comments. At first, I didn't know if these videos would go very well, but they most certainly have. All because of you. Again, thank you very much for the positive feedback. I will continue to do these until you are all sick of me. =P
-Miselain
Bril Feb 14th 2012 6:25PM
Love the music here in particular. Well done.
Ominous Feb 9th 2012 8:35AM
That's a very well put together video.
The music fits.
I've always thought that the game was / is beautiful - even when I started playing Vanilla and was using an AMD Sempron - with ALL options at their lowest.
Then, a year ago, I got an i7 setup - with all the bells and whistles.
It blew my mind, how extraordinarily detailed the game really is and how incredible it is to see all of that, at distance.
Water and flame, with the sliders turned up, look almost impossibly good.
I can only assume that anyone without the best to say about WoW graphics is someone who either lacks imagination or hasn't seen them at their best.
Great sentiment in this video!
AugrumnMG Feb 11th 2012 6:52AM
Wow, the bots are getting GOOD.