Potential character model revisions in Cataclysm
WoW's fifth anniversary and the interviews surrounding it have ended up providing us with some previously-unknown tidbits of information -- which is a good thing, especially when it comes to stuff we've been wanting to hear about for a long time.
This particular tidbit comes from the Warcry network interview with J. Allen Brack and Samwise Didier about the game's anniversary, and it's about a subject near and dear to our constantly-complaining hearts: new character models. They might even be coming in Cataclysm.
Says Brack:
"Even though things would be better with new (character) models, we'd probably spark a lot of player outrage. So we've talked about giving players a choice between the classic models or the new ones, but it might not be something we want to take on at the same time as we remake Azeroth."
That's pretty big news.
We've been wondering about the status of these old models for a long time. His language indicates that it might not be a Cataclysm feature, but we sure hope so. Troll models are a bit long in the tooth -- pardon the pun -- and human males desperately need an update more than almost anything. But really, all of the pre-BC models do. Even just a few extra polygons and animation fixes would really help. Draenei, blood elves, and now goblins and worgen all look so good compared to our old dumpy avatars.
If you're wondering why less character customization options exist in WoW than in many other MMOs, just ask Samwise, who had this to say:
"We gave very simple choices, and there wasn't any of this 'Is my guy five pounds overweight? Are his eyes sea blue or sky blue?' Don't get me wrong, that sort of thing is cool, but we made a very simple UI and character creator, and that's one of the main things that helped people gravitate to the game."
Makes sense. Just, please, Blizzard. Listen. Make everyone's models look better -- the number of people who'll complain that their human female just isn't as moonfaced as she used to be is incredibly small compared to the number of people who'd resub in anticipation of not having a hare lip on their human male. Don't worry about the luddites. Just bring WoW's graphics into this decade, and bring our models with 'em.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it. Nothing will be the same. In WoW.com's Guide to Cataclysm you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion. From Goblins and Worgens to Mastery and Guild changes, it's all there for your cataclysmic enjoyment.
