Why does everyone hate WoW's graphics?

demalus

First of all, I hate WoW fundamentally.  It is basically an item collecting game, and once you have the best stuff you are done.  The game is almost flawless though.  If you like this time of game, WoW is the king.  Now, onto the graphics.

I don't understand why everyone thinks they suck so much.  Yes, the style is a bit cartoony, but the graphics don't suck at all.  Simply walk into Stormwind and look around.  There are so many objects and so much detail in the world that it makes others games look shameful.  Most other MMOs have land, sky and then randomly dispersed buildings that stick out like a sore thumb.  Everything in WoW fits into the world.  Most people DON'T notice all of the detail because the environment is so immersive.

Hating the style of the game is one thing, but to deduce that the graphics suck from that is completely incorrect.

katriell

The textures are blurry even at the highest settings.

But, personally, I don't think WoW's graphics are too bad. It has vibrant colours, very coherent style, some prettiness, and good use of few polygons.

demalus

Wow, thanks for a reasonable response!  You are actually one of the first people I've seen give a good reason for their graphics being bad.  I agree, the textures aren't the best, but there are many benefits for this.

candygirl6

I don't think they 'suck'. They have a distinctive and coherent style that suits the game perfectly.

They aren't that detailed or use a lot of effects, but that's what makes the game run so well, so that's just a choice WoW made, and seeing how succesfull they are, it was a good choice.

Consequence

I dont play WoW anymore much like many people here.

However, you have to keep in mind the WoW "haters" are a very vocal minority. The gmae itself, graphics included is king and the numbers show it. It just isnt the game for me.

Unfortinately, many gamers asssume that because a game isnt for them, it must suck and have nothing nice to say about it..

 

 

donmaximo

Agreed. The reason most games that attempt to look realistic fail for me is because they end up looking fake. Blizzard was brilliant in creating a cartoonish environment where they could make things look pretty without having to make them look real. In doing so, they naturally created less skeptisim from the player about the immersiveness, while amazingly actually helping in that aspect of the game. Though, now I do agree it's becoming outdated and could use a facelift.

Signe

I don't mind WoW's look at all.  I like it.  Art style and graphics are pretty subjective.  You see a lot of people bashing WoW for anything  they can think of but, obviously, "everyone"  is a huge exaggeration.  If that were the case, the game wouldn't be so immensely popular.  I doubt millions of people would play a game they couldn't stand to look at. 

Dwarfman420

If I was warped 50 years into the past to the present day an was a gamer... I'd be pretty disappointed also.

 

But since I am from this time period an I went from Ultima Online to WoW... I think the graphics are great. Especially for how fluid they move and how much traffic can be in one area without lag.

WoW took a stylistic approach, for some though, it's just not their style.

To each their own.

unherdninja

I dont beleive the WoW graphics are bad eathier. I do believe that there going to be seriusly outdated in a year or two with all this amazingly done games out there like LOTRO, Aions, AOC, and even Warhammer has somewhat more advanced graphics then WoW.

Really the main thing that turned me off of WoW was therepeated textures. The biggest problem with WoW and also the cause for is success is the low polygon count (I think thats what they call it.) I swear with some of the stones in the game if you got rid of 1 polygon it would be a perfect cube.

Really though the graphics were great for its time but in a year or so there going to be outdated.

demalus

Yes, but you are still underrating its graphics.  The amount of 'stuff' in the world is unlike any other MMO.  It all fits in well.  Like I said, I don't really like the game much, but I just see so many people claim it has horrible graphics.

ianubisi

I don't hate their graphics.

I guess your thesis is blown.

JK-Kanosi

When a professional speaks of graphics, they speak of poly counts and textures. People on these forums usually mix up art style with graphics, which is normal for someone who doesn't know the difference. I personally think WoW's graphics do suck, but the artistic style and details make it bearable. Being cartoony has nothing to do with it. You can have a cartoony game with a high poly count and textures.

This argument is pretty pointless though, since people on this website will never get the difference between artistic style and graphics. People use them interchangably. Probably better that I don't respond to threads like these, but you sounded genuine enough, but you made the same mistake of confusing style with graphics. Graphics is a technical thing that can be judged factually, whereas artistic style is subjective and is judged by a persons personal taste. I personally hate the graphics, because I like high textures and WoW doesn't deliver. As for the art, it isn't bad on most things. I can't stand the oversized features on the Humans and Night Elves though. I also can't stand how the weapons on display in the weapon's shops are all silvery and shiny, but the swords you get in the game aren't. Hell, some swords look like they are made out of wood or stone and I am talking about weapons that are made out of metal (based off the name of the weapon).

In the end, none of that matters when the game is as polished and as high quality as WoW is...which is why I play it.

candygirl6

 

Originally posted by JK-Kanosi


When a professional speaks of graphics, they speak of poly counts and textures. People on these forums usually mix up art style with graphics, which is normal for someone who doesn't know the difference.
This argument is pretty pointless though, since people on this website will never get the difference between artistic style and graphics.

 

Please! You act like we're stupid or something.

Anyway, what was the topic about again..?

Korusus

I can honestly say I've never been stirred to have an emotional response about "graphics" in any game I've ever played ever.  The idea of HATING WoW's graphics is about as foreign to me as the idea of LOVING them.

I guess I'm an old-school gamer from that generation where graphics meant nothing compared to those little things like gameplay, usability, and the replay-ability  factor.

As for disliking WoW's aesthetic style because it's "cartoony".  There's nothing wrong with that, it's up to the individual.  But any informed person would know that it's the style of Warcraft and expecting anything different would be irrational.

safwd

I dont hate WoWs graphics, but i dont really like them either.

When i first started playing i really liked them, because they were different from what i have played before and a nice change of pace. They got old pretty fast for me though. I guess i just like the more realistic graphics better.

I do like WoWs graphics better then the anime style of games like FFXI though. I just cant play a game with little pokeman things all over the place.

While i do agree that the cities in WoW are well done and are filled with both objects and people i think that EQ, EQ2 and DAOC did just as well in that department. Could just be me though.

curiindi

Personally, I have not heard as much (reasonable) criticism of WoW's graphics outside of talking with competing members of the gaming industry - even then, the agreement that style supercedes graphics usually still stands.

ianubisi

For most, the compelling argument is this simple:

I > You

As in:

I like it > You don't like it.

or

I don't like it > You like it.

This isn't a quantifiable issue. It's subjectivity to its core, and thus is entirely unassailable through reason, rationale, logic, or fact.

But people seem to love the histrionics and absolutisms. So here we go around again.

bobbler

I dont hate WoWs graphics they are just inferior to other games that WoW players compare them to or say they are better than. Remember the EQ2 vs WoW threads, almost everyone said WoW had better graphics than EQ2...well it doesn't and that makes me really mad -.- Just like when xplay compared WoW and EQ2 they said WoW had better graphics...since then i havent watched G4-TechTV..which has been assimilated into the mtv culture of constant crap playing for noobs aka consoletards. and i dont care if my grammar sucks. its not as bad as wows graphics compared to eq2.

Urrelles

I'll talk a bit about both graphic and style.

Graphics:

WoW's graphics are extremely low poly with low resolution textures.  They rely  a lot on shape and glowy effects to enhance graphics.

The graphics are so low because 1) It takes Blizzard 3 years to make a damn game.  They don't upgrade their graphics as they make a game. 2) Most importantly they want ANYONE to be able to play their game.  ANYWHERE.  You can have a 6 - 8 year old computer and still be able to play WoW.  You don't need a fancy video card or a ton of ram to PvP with the best of them in WoW.  Many games lose customers due to high PC settings.  Blizzard grabs everyone they can.

The thing I hear a lot in Wow is this:  "AFK a moment.  My boss is coming."  Your BOSS is coming?  You are playing an MMO at work on a crappy work computer?  Yes he is.  He is also playing it off a 8 GB USB stick.  You can play WoW anywhere with no fuss on any crap computer.

Take a look at a scenerio in WoW.  Like the original poster stated, you will find objects all over the place.  The place looks lived in.  You can only accomplish this in a low poly setting on older computers.  Look at Lineage 2, CoH, Perfect world,Star Wars.  The amount of objects scene in a simular scene are at their bare minimum.  The only object you will see in abundance in these games are foliage.  That is because they use a special engine that puts up "instanced" version of the bushes and trees that randomly places them and cannot be interacted with.  These games do not have tons of detail using modeling, they use effects to get details.  Just compare a weapon shop in Lineage 2 to a Weapon shop in WoW.

Even though the graphics will be outdated.......well.....how many people still play Starcraft and Diablo 2? Case closed.

 

Style:

Look at Blizzards track record of Starcraft and Warcraft.  The first Warcraft was intended to be a Warhammer game for Games Workshop.  GW did not like it, because it was too simple, colorful, and had a light hearted feel.  So Blizzard turned their failure into a success by playing on its lighthearted feel and added the infamous "STOP POKING ME!"

Ever since then all Warcraft / Starcraft games have had lighthearted gameplay with dead serious story elements.  When its time to see storyline, watch a CG movie, or read important text, the mood of the game changes to a dark cinematic feel that rivals Warhammer in sophistication.   When it comes time to play, things take a "Fun" feel.  The developers show their light side with jokes and gags throughout their gameplay. 

Blizzard breaks the rules of art style by adding bipolar opposites to the Warcraft world.  Somehow they made it work.  When you play WoW you will find it very easy to be serious with your character and completely goofy.  Can you really be completely goofy in Lineage 2, Anarchy Online, Guild Wars, Eve, or even LOTR?  Not without using the cliche dance emote found it every MMO.. 

VultureSkull

WoW's graphics are one of the things that made WoW so successful, OK the style may not be to everyone's taste, but that is all it is "taste" you can't please all the people all of the time.

Some find graphics of other games fake and plastic looking etc.

I agree that WoWs graphics are starting to show its age, as the textures are low compared to newer games like LOTROL and VG for example.

However almost all other games suffer badly from lag when displaying xters as there are so many polygons required to make up a xter, Bilizzard must have looked at this and came up with a graphics system that allowed loads of xters to be displayed without horrible lag. They did there home work and sorted it out BEFORE release.

Other devs would have seen the same problems in their games and either did not know how to sort it out, or just did not want to spend the extra time and money to sort out the lag these xter ploys cause.

I read somewhere that AOC are having these problems with displaying xters now, i wonder if they will find a solution before release...........................

 

Housam

not bad...just dated...levels look noce and all...but some effects just look blury....but thats one of the reasons they were so sucessful....they sacrafised graphics so more people can play

Kilmar

I dont hate it, I just dont like cartoony graphics.

Zarraa

People play WOW because it's well made and fun.

The graphics were subpar when it launched now they're just even more pronounced. Before someone tries the stylized excuse don't bother.

1) Guild Wars graphics = Stylized

2) Granado Espada graphics=Stylized

They took a gamble on low tech so many would play it and it payed off. One game can't be the best at everything if it was we'd all be playing it. Just odd people waste their breath defending one flaw. The game is strong in many other areas so..just live with the reality and move on.

spikenog

I don't play WoW anymore but it's certainly not due to the graphics.  WoW has some of the best art direction and designs in gaming.

Knightblast

People who harp on WoW's graphics generally do so because they either (1() don't like the low polygon count on principle or (2) don't like the cartoon-esque approach.

WoW's graphics were done lower res on purpose -- so that they would play very smoothly on everyone's machine in 2004.  Yes, they are not photorealistic, but that decision simply allowed the art directors to make WoW a much brighter, more colorful and visually engaging environment, imo.  The photorealistic games all have sharper graphics, but they are mostly a variety of different shades of brown, grey and green -- which is a high resolution version of visual boredom.  WoW's graphics are quite stunning despite their low polygon count because of outstanding art direction.

And, in any case, leaving aside the low polygon environmental graphics, WoW has the finest animations on the market currently.  If you look at a game like LOTRO, for example, which arguably has "superior environmental graphics" to WoW (because most gamer elitists base such things on polygon count primarily), the character animations seem loose, a bit jarring and unresponsive, and so forth -- they are nowhere near as tight, detailed and control-responsive as WoW's animations are.  Blizzard put a LOT Of effort into WoW's animations and to be honest there really isn't another MMO that has the same fluidity and feel of connection between control and animation that WoW does.

TetleeTeebag

I am not a great fan of the WoW graphics. For me it is the cartoon feel. When I play a MMO I want to feel at least some involvement in the world I am in, and I can't do that in a cartoon. Graphics are not the be all and end all of a game by any means but I feel happier with a little more realism, although 'realism' may sound odd considering the fantasy themes I like best.