Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsBreakfast Topic: How would you redesign the old character models?
by Olivia Grace 
Mar 29th 2012 at 8:00AM
But I started to wonder what I'd like to see in character model redesigns, and of course, what you would. I'm not going to go through it race by race; that would be tiresome and also take forever. Also, one of the races I actually think looks worst, the worgen, isn't up for a redesign yet. Ugh, that perpetually snarling face ... It's so awful, I can't even ... and the sniffing ... Stop it, Olivia. Back on topic.
So one of my first changes would be to have the undead elbows show as an option, rather than by default on every character. I understand that some people may like them, but I don't. I'd also like to have long-sleeved clothes cover them up! Are the undead so proud of their skeletal elbows that they have all their clothes adjusted to show them off? I mean, shout it out, undead -- be proud of who you are, but some must be more modest, surely?
I'd like more hair animation. I really like that in the pandaren models, how their pigtails and bangs move as they do. I'd love to see better hands and fewer Popeye forearms, but the biggest culprit for the Popeye arms (goblin) also isn't getting updated. And more facial animation -- as Anne mentions, the pandaren lady has a fantastically expressive face, and I'd love that to be taken to the other models.
What about you? What would you like to see? And what wouldn't you like to see removed? Leave the draenei ladies alone! They're hawt ...
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 6 of 6)
Jai Mar 29th 2012 11:25AM
I actually don't mind most of the old character models, except for the Undead and Male blood elves.
I hate the raggedy look the Undead always have with bones poking out of the clothes, I get it, it's supposed to look decayed, but I would like an option to toggle that off. It's hard to behold the beauty of a newly acquired armor set with bones sticking out all over the places. Also I really hate how the Undead are hunched over all the time. Could I please get the abily to stand up straight, I get a backache just looking at it sometimes. Just because I'm undead, it doesn't mean I'm a slob.
I love the female BE model, but think the male BE model looks like crap. Specifically the hair options look insane, I think one is the 80s Flock of Seagulls haircut, which looks stupid no matter what.
Orc/Tauren/Troll/Human, more face options would be nice. I feel the selection is rather limited.
Valkyros Mar 29th 2012 11:29AM
One other thing: fix female Worgen! they're not so bad when you look at them from the front but the snarl and bulging eyes make them look more like a chihuahua/wolf/human breeding experiment gone horribly awry. The alpha models looked so much better in comparison(and apparently less buggy as well)
greenskye Mar 29th 2012 11:54AM
I think that there are too many improvements to list, so I'll just try to list the ones I think will be (almost) universally agreed upon. This is coming from a primarily Alliance perspective, FYI.
1. More polys. This is a given.
2. Better hands. Probably just tied into higher poly count, but they are so bad I feel the need to call them out.
3. Movable faces. The most striking aspect to me about the Panderan is that the faces aren't just stickers on a doll. They are real, 3D modeled features that move and interact with the rest of the model. I think the addition of this is going to destroy a lot of the "old" looks. A 3D face is just not going to look similar to the painted on frowns that the old races all seem to have.
4. More realistic proportions. If they feel they need to stick with huge, body-builder sized men, at least proportion their arms and legs a bit better. Right now they just look silly.
5. Physics. Make all the parts of the model move in realistic ways. Hair, beards, tails, etc.
6. More customization options! You have 10 million players, who are allowed up to 50 characters each. And you have like 5 hairstyles per race/gender. Unacceptable in 2012.
This is going to be your saving grace when all of the people start complaining that you changed the look of their character. The best way to distract people from the fact that you just forever altered their character's look after ~6 years is to give them lots of new and better options. You know you can't please everyone. So throw in as many options as you can so that hopefully people can find a new look that they like. Also, don't needlessly tie options to other options. Separate out tattoo/hair color and the like. There's really no reason that stuff needs to be linked.
7. Controversial racial features. I'm referring mainly to undead elbows/knees. It was cute back in 2004, but I think a lot of people are tired of it. They just want your new Tier 14 armor to look good. Most of other races flaws can be covered up by armor, so why can't undead have this option? And it just doesn't make physical sense. Make it an option at the very least. Possibly on character creation.
8. Don't listen to the masses. Art done by committee looks horrible. Don't pull a Worgen Female 2.0. All you will create is a model that takes the worst ideas from everyone. Have a strong, focused vision for the look of each character. If you create something that some people don't like, it's ok. But it needs to have a strong sense of identity about who and what they are. You can SEE who and what the Panderan are. Some people don't like the asian flair and that's ok. But it has a clear identity and purpose.
Races like the Draenai, Tauren, Dwarves, Trolls all have very strong sense of identity. Play that up! Dwarves should have tons of beard options and customizations, Trolls should stick with the colorful, wacky vibe they have going. People identify with this. It's better to be somewhat polarizing than to be "meh". I rather have a bunch of 5 star and 1 star votes than all 3 stars. No one signs up to wow hoping to just be an "average" adventurer (well some might for RP...).
Sorry for the long post, but the model update is something I'm really looking forward to and I just really hope they go all in instead of playing it safe. I'm willing to risk hating my character's current look if it turns out there's another look that is just fantastic for me.
RetPallyJil Mar 29th 2012 12:08PM
I would like eye colors to be independant of face choice.
I would like movable hair.
I honestly like the human female pretty much as-is, though the old girls do need refining and polish.
Human males need to lose the hairlip. Vincent and "Beauty and the Beast" were a long time ago. The sausage fingers need work, too.
I have always despised the male Night Elf ape look. Tear them apart until the wireframe falls to the ground like Tinkertoys and start over again.
RetPallyJil Mar 29th 2012 12:09PM
ARRGH. They need to lose the HARElip, too. Stupid fingers typing faster than my brain ...
Ammy Mar 29th 2012 12:46PM
I'd give trolls a shoe option. It never made sense to me that someone would go through the trouble to wear a full set of armor then not protect their feet.
Jason Mar 29th 2012 1:12PM
I would like the original races to have fingers that are animated (I'm looking at you flipper hands). Hair that moves and more expressive faces would be gravy - nice but not essential. Ultimately it would be nice if they could give some scaling and different body types, but that would take a lot of work.
Jyotai Mar 29th 2012 1:23PM
Troll females: Make the face skins match the model. They were designed for a head shaped like the troll male's, which is why all but one of them have odd lines all over the place.
Trolls in general: Add tribal tattoo options.
Tauren males: just as large, not as wide/bulky. But this would be like a 1% change. Tauren are almost perfect. Maybe a little more like the Yak's of Pandaria.
Tauren in general: More hair options.
Tauren females: Can't think of a single change other than hair options. This is IMO, the best done of all the classic races for getting across exactly what it intended to convey. This, and maybe troll males - are both perfect.
Troll males: Give them the ability to stand up. :D Maybe make it their 'sit' animation since they currently seem to sit when standing... O.o But this is a maybe since the design is so perfect like it is... I'd have to see it, and then I'd still be 50/50 on saying "nah... just leave it alone."
Orc females: Make the elbows -NOT- just out behind the model so much. Give them more hair options that don't look like the $3 cactus plants sold at Home Depot... New dance... they've got the fugliest dance in WoW... give em something entertaining to look at. Watch some Star Trek episodes with Klingon women, for ideas... MORE FACES. Ones that don't look like they have whale-teeth for eating brine shrimp...
Undead in general: Add a /dance2 option, that does the thriller dance. DO NOT make them cuter. These calls out for a /dance sync option... because you know you'd have to line dance this one...
Orc Males: Something isn't right, but I don't know what. Maybe less wide and squished - but then that's the iconic look for them so if you changed it, it'd be all wrong...
This game has other races too right?
oh yeah...
Humans in general: Some genuine dark skin tones, and features that are non-euro, as options.
Human females: less 'bubble limbs'. Their legs and arms seem to balloon out in the middle. Even that up. Lots of pictures of women on the 'teh interwebs' if anyone at blizzard needs ideas of what women look like... :D
Human males: The shoulders... sigh... WTF with blizzard and shoulders?
Gnomes in general: More detail in the face mesh. It looks like a 12-sided polygon with an anime face painted onto it... Stand one next to a goblin and its just... sad...
Night Elf women: See my comments on human females. I recommend taking the BE female model, giving it a curvier shape, and calling that a day. Make one of the 'midnighty' skin tones a very deep dark Blue (Cobalt, Ultramarine, Indigo).
Dwarf Female: OMG teh hair... it hurts to look at... Give them a -LOT- of new hair options that don't look like taffy candy pasted onto the end of a potato. It worked in 2003, but we have better graphics now...
Dwarf Male: lesser version of Dwarf Female and Gnome in comments: just needs the same style, in more detail.
Shadda Mar 29th 2012 2:00PM
I disagree. I love that Night Elf women are muscular: these are warrior women who spend their days roaming the forest on the back of a giant panther. They're not gentle housewives or delicate casters. If Blizzard ever adds a body slider, then by all means add curvy Blood Elves to the game, but otherwise leave Night Elf women as they are.
Now Night Elf men, on the other hand could use a bit of updating. They share the human male's giant hand problem (read twice the size of their heads) and the seem to scowl perpetually.
Possum Mar 29th 2012 4:50PM
I'm wish Shadda. Why would anyone want skinner Night Elf women? That would make no sense, they're the warriors.
Thistlefizz Mar 29th 2012 2:55PM
There are already plenty of good suggestions on here about the specific features on various models that need updating, so I will focus on just one thing:
Physics.
The models move in strange ways sometimes, or don't move at all in others. The female pandaren model has shown us that some amazing things can be done; e.g. the hair movement.
The thing that bothers me most though is the way that character models turn around. It's so...strange looking. They stand, mostly stalk still, and shuffle their feet to turn. Maybe they turn their head a little, but that's it. It would be nice to see them turn more naturally. Lead with the shoulder, then turn the head, then step with one foot, pivot on the other, and then move.
AquaWrench Mar 29th 2012 3:52PM
I'd like to see 3 body choices: skinny, buffed (the current one), and chubby. After the roll out you would default to buffed (the current model but with more vectors). But at any time you could go to a "spa" and "diet" (go down from chubby to buffed or buffed to skinny) or "indulge" (go from skinny to buffed or buffed to chubby). Just like the barber it would cost some gold each time.
I'd also like to see a way of changing your face, just as you can change your hair. Maybe not the full range of faces you get on character creation. But maybe they could tie some similar faces together, or allow you to age or reverse age (a wizard did it!) your face.
Possum Mar 29th 2012 4:23PM
Bigger tusks for the female trolls.
Ura Mar 29th 2012 5:33PM
I would stop my Tauren's "udders" from going around in circles like it's trying to wax a car.
kiwiya Mar 29th 2012 5:38PM
I cannot express in words how bad the human female jump animation is. It's so bad. It's SO bad. It looks like you get into a jump position and are slowly lifted by a tractor beam and set down gently a little further away. It's clunky and weird and the reason I've never been able to play a female human... so if they could fix that, all else would be good by me.
Though, my main has been an orc male for years, and I'm not a really big fan of Thrall or Garrosh's new models. I hope we don't all end up looking like them .:(
Kael Mar 29th 2012 7:30PM
I'll just speak to the female draenei since that's what I play and have the most opinion on. Aside from just more polygons and higher-res textures, which are a given, I have a few things I'd like changed.
First, I want a better posture. It looks really uncomfortable for them to be puffing out their chests as far as they can all the time; I'd just like my character to just stand straight for once and relax. Also, can she please stop glancing around constantly? She seems so paranoid. I'd like the frequency of those animations turned down a lot.
The second thing is cloaks. I'm glad we can turn off capes, because they all look so stupid on draenei, especially the men. The cape just floats there above the tail, sticking out at a bizarre angle. Totally unnatural, totally stupid. I want the capes to flow straight down the back like they do for all the other races. Should be easier to do with a better posture, too. A tauren's tail doesn't get in the way of his cape, and neither should a draenei's.
Thirdly, I'd like the eat/drink animation and the Map animation to get fixed. Draenei knock back drinks (and loaves of bread) so far, they almost bend over backwards. When I click to eat a feast, she sits down at the same time, which looks like it should make her fall over. The Map animation looks great when standing, but when mounted up, my character leans back really far with the map in her outstretched hands; it's ridiculous.
Beyond that, I'd always appreciate more horn styles and hair styles, especially the kind of hair that animates. And in general, I hope one day that armor becomes more than just a texture. I know it's a tall order for the art team, but in a perfect world, the armor I wear would not be skin-tight, and would have more to it and actually change my silhouette like shoulder pieces, helms, and now belts do. Also, we've got dresses, but no skirts. And what about those lower-half capes that go from the hip down to the knee, but only in the back? I saw a few pieces of armor in TOR that did that and I really like it. Anyway, that's all. I'm not even talking about the character models anymore, so I'll stop.
Uberflex Mar 29th 2012 9:05PM
Alliance:
Human: (males) need ALOT of work and revamp, the males have ridiculous sized blocky sausage arms, and their face's are just... squinty and everyone of the models has this wierd dark dirt stain or a random peak sprouting out the middle of their face for a nose instead of an actual nose. The males movement is a bit too... lets call it, fresh. And the casting animations take fresh to an entirely new level of meaning, as in flat out fruity.
(Females) aren't so bad but alike the males their faces are rather small looking, I'm not suggesting they should look like bobbleheads but a fraction larger would look... more... human. They also have no chins and their voice is irritating as hell, male voice as well.
Dwarves/gnomes male and female are average across the board except at times they're so small you cannot really appreciate the gear your wearing. Gnome males voices are just /cringe
Night Elves: (male) they look more like male trolls tbh, bodysize-wise, their faces are just wierd looking and not in a good way, They just deeply annoy me.
(females) They're quite good atm imo, their animations/size/voice and features work well, one of the better models in the game.
Dranei: (males) Massive body and ridiculous chicken legs they use to prance on like a pony, annoying voice too. Facial features, hair and horn styles are quite good though.
(females) A great model, one of the best in game, facially, hair/horn options, the voice works too, their chest sticks out a bit oddly sometimes though, the t7 healm just doesn't fit on them. Their animations are a bit awrkward too but aside from that, one of the best in game.
Horde:
Orcs: (male) personally my favorite for plate/mail wearers but look a little arwkard in leather/cloth due to their size. They seem quite proportionally well though out, animations and voice is good too.
(females) Running animations a bit like their struggling for breath, melee animations could be more compelling too but the casting ones are quite good, the body models seem quite proportionate but the face/hair/accessory options are quite poor and boring.
Trolls: (males) need some love, weather its because their darkspear trolls and they're meant to be like that but they just look so arkward and gangly and stooped over, if they put on a pound or two to look like the more ferocious troll models used in most of the other dungeons it would be better. Facially, not much is going on there, if their body is the pencil their heads are the rubber, its a pea that makes most helms look arwkard, infact bottom line trolls look arwkard in most gear (which imo is the problem) why more people don't roll one. Their casting animations are fairly cool but their melee ones need some help, ever seen a troll warrior bladestorm? (I hit the floor laughing everytime, thinking wtf is going on here), otherwise, some cool tusk/hair and marking options.
(females) are wooden and lifeless, that argument is furthered when you consider they can't even blink, honestly they look like walking corpses more than the forsaken. Nothing really compelling to get from playing a fem troll imo. Oh, note for all trolls, GIVE THEM BOOTS, oh and the voice work is pretty cool.
Tauren (males) great model, i just wish their melee animations were as fluid as their casting ones, they look so arkward as melee, even though they seem to be fashioned for that kind of class more. Armor looks at time TOO big on them but they're big cows, thats cool. Their faces, horn, hair options could be alot better though, they look more like actual cows than a humanoid/bull variant. Markings would be nice too, taurens should have marking options for their face/body, they're very tribal and native but feel too human and normal.
(females) no other way to describe it but ridiculous. Revamp and reimagination of the females is desperately needed. Voice work for both males and females is good too.
Undead: (males) best model in game imo for casters, the animations pretty good, could be tweaked a bit but otherwise good. A bit more detail and time on body structure and textures of face/body wouldn't go a miss though, for the most parts they just look like bone with a sheet pulled over them and then chopped jaggedly to give the illusion of wierd cardboard looking skin in places. They're quite blocky but remain one of the coolest toons to play.
(females) Not much to say their pretty solid aside from the wierd looking skin/bone design alike the males, animations for melee and casting is great, the casting animations partic are v cool imo. Decent face/hair options, good voice work for both genders too, it just all fits very nicely for this race.
Blood elves: (males) probably the best melee animations in game, good casting animations too, less fruity face and hair styles would be nice but overall, pretty good and well rounded, proportionally ok too, albeit a little too skinny on the legs, looks like my pallys smuggling pencils in his legguards at times.
(females): Flame if you want but i really don't like them, the animations are weak, the faces look good and have good options but the bodies are unaturally skinny and wierd looking, they just look odd in anything other than caster gear, like they've never eaten in their entire lives. Decent voice work on both genders.
New Races: (Worgen males) Well... aside from human form sharing the same flaws as actual human models (also I don't think they should be allowed to go into human form, it dilutes the worgen experience) they're pretty good, their animations are well off imo though.
(females) I don't like at all, the original version was much better, the feral look of the new ones is probably more fitting but they promised something that looked better than what we got in the end imo.
Goblin: (male) well... again, I think they're great but, all races would benefit from scaling up in size a notch or two, I race changed my undead lock to a goblin because i wanted one and I've regretted it since, they're just too small and I don't see enough of my toon or gear to actually make me enjoy playing it, I like the voice work, the racials but i just wish they were a bit bigger, the animations are a bit lackluster too.
(females) they seem better than the males in all aspects tbh.
The game desperately needs new character models in the near future, if you revamp the world to look newer and you have mostly old pixellated blocky characters walking around in it, it makes the game look less polished, also the older models look pretty shocking compared to the new ones. More hair/face/marking/accessories options are needed as well as movement and animations updated, voice work has been done and probably won't change now but, it would be nice if some were rethought also.
Mitawa Mar 30th 2012 1:27AM
How about females being able to -sit-?
Seriously... dwarves, humans, even trolls have two /kneel animations. I want to be able to sit while I'm sitting!
Siorra Mar 30th 2012 8:47AM
It's things like this which annoy me:
http://www.xfire.com/video/33173a/
Just badly done polygon bending, amongst other things, which make the current models look lazy by today's standards.
Though, to people complaining that casters look too bulked up, you try running around as much as your character does and you'll soon understand why they have so much muscle mass. Also, those staves don't look light.
dwaynegregory Mar 31st 2012 12:06AM
I'm not difficult to please. Better faces and more variety than Aion. Complete control over physical dimensions and age. Better looking gear than any game out there. Different, fluid animation for each attack spell or physical attack. Better horse riding animation than Rift. Oh, yeah, better horse designs. Easy, eh?