How did we come to associate Warcraft with cute? I mean I suppose I can see how I was a part of it, but Warcraft was always defined more than anything by everybody just being cartoonishly huge and powerful.
I was hoping by this point that WoW would look quite a lot like the cinematics do. We definitely have the tech at this point but instead we’ve gone full cartoon…
And That’s A Good Thing
I think we play a different game then 
Of course, you are entitled to your opinion.
If anything, for me, the graphics and the graphical design of wow has been close to perfect.
I don’t like things to be too realistic. I like WoW cartoonish style.
Art direction and Design direction
Over fancy graphics everytime.
Totally.
Terrain design, mob density, Narrative structure, systems / currencies are amongst the issues with the game that need addressing far before anything graphics related.
The game would not feel the same or play the same in a new engine. I would hate moving to a new engine, it just wouldn’t feel like the game I’ve been playing for years…
Tbh even that is just 720p resolution.
1080p would be better but nothing in WoW has that resolution for textures.
i bet playing on lowest settings is not best graphical experience ever…but wow on 4k HDR ultra, ray trace shadows and MSAA 8x…looks extremely amazing.
I like WoW’s style and I’m not big on games that look too realistic. I think if you go and play something like Classic then come and play retail you really notice all the improvements we’ve had over the years. Even going back to Silvermoon/Exodar shows how they’ve been left behind.
It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. There are plenty of games out there with different styles and graphics. Find one you do like.
The thing is, Resolution of Textures and Model detail doesn’t mean necessarily “more realistic”
Look at Overwatch. Anything but realistic on 4k Epic Settings. For example in this video visible:
Overwatch at 4K Epic Settings (60FPS) - YouTube
WoW with even 1080p textures and high quality models would look better than now.
Most models in WoW ingame have a polygon count next to modern Nintendo 3DS games or Halo 3 models… Blizzards surely can do better. WoW graphics are strongly outdated.
Edit: Even my trash PC can play Destiny 2 on medium settings with around 50-60FPS which is slightly better than Last Gen console standard.
https://imgur.com/a/5z23o97
Edit 2: And my Xbox Series S can even play ESO on 60 FPS with more detailed graphics than WoW ever had so far. With the same amount of stuff going on on the screen.
I just completed playing FF7R and I have to say logging into Warcraft after is just how I put it, like playing a cute cartoon game and you have to accept it for what it is. The comparison is so vast now with modern games. Warcraft also does my eyes in and I can only play in short bursts. Nothing will change till they dump the thing and start over. Thing is, whilst they make money without changing the engine they will just leave it well alone. The hard and fast player base will also resist change, which is OK if they can sustain the population and costs for the game. The game does seem to empty way quicker after an expansion release these days.
By the way there are way more significant problems with this game than just the graphics. I also do believe the MMO in its current format has pretty much run its course. There is very little more they can do with it. This game will slowly die, but thats quite a few years off just yet. So not bad for a cute dated cartoon game. Not sure its worth the money though. But thats another thing.
Just play FFXIV which will be getting a graphics update soon.
https://www.fanbyte.com/news/ffxiv-graphics-update-7-screenshots-preview-textures-shadows-lighting-shaders/
“I have this really shiny and beautiful looking pile of dog mess”
Umm OK but it’s a pile of dog poop
“BUT LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS!”
Its a pile of dog poop. Granted a very nice looking pile of dog poop, but it’s still a pile of dog poop.
Been video gaming a long time and have seen too many games concentrate more on the visuals and less on the actual gameplay.
WoW has bigger problems that graphics, which to be brutally honest are fine as they are.
Just for reference what WoW could look like (doesn’t need to be photo-realistic tho):
Edit: to be more clear. It is true to some degree that “gameplay over visuals” is important. But it is also a fact that the graphics make at least 90% of what you see in the game. The actual game is just coding. The visuals are what you see, what you interpret as gameplay. That’s why it is called “a videogame”.
If it helps to understand the PoV, let me make an analogy.
Imagine for a moment you are watching a movie you like. You see the scenes, the good acting from the actors, the sound design and all that.
Now take all that away and only focus on the script. Without any visual references. That would be your “gameplay”. The script. The basic content. Without the visuals, it would work… But it wouldn’t be complete.
Now imagine not a movie you like but one that is very old, like a black-and-white movie from the very early stages of movie making. Would you watch it over the more modern product?
i agree i like wow style too…
but i hate the graphics…
overwatch is actually much better imo graphically and would suit wow much better.
wow in 2022 just feels a bit like playing roblox with its dated graphics imo.
If you want good graphics, try RL. Gameplay sucks, but the graphics quality is excellent.
I don’t play WoW for graphics, and all that higher graphics requirements do is drive people out of the game.
to more expensive and demanding graphics.
Not true at all. I can create computer generated textures in 4k within 2h for specific Environment with Blender… On my average gaming laptop!
Granted, they are photorealistic. But when I can create a 4k photo-realistic texture in 2h or a high quality body sculpt in 2 days, then that is not “expensive or demanding graphics”. That’s simply low-effort-greed on Blizzards side.
If they continue with this graphic quality, you could play visually this game on a Smartphone in the next decade (if the controls would allow it)… Oh wait, I totally forgot… Blizzard is making a Warcraft mobile game. Guess you can play it in the next 2 years even.
Very true.
I’ve lost many ingame friends, and the game has lost them as players, because they couldn’t justify buying a new PC just for WoW.
The game very nearly lost me that way, but I’m too addicted. So I have a PC with a spec I totally don’t need - except for WoW.
And personally, I prefer the feel of the Classic environment. It feels lighter, freer, without all the fuss and self-importance of the “look at the detail on my new cloak” we have in Retail.
" I can create computer generated textures … On my average gaming laptop!"
Creating them is not the problem. Forcing them to render at the pull at the start of a boss is the problem.
Ok, tell me when was that. Which year?
Do you really? Guess you also like the Alpha graphics of WoW then, huh?
Edit, another comparison… This Model was created by an Artist on Artstation. It is 1k resolution, so basically far away from 4k standards but totally in the Full HD range.
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/g8y0Ex
Well if you move out of the swamp of sorrows you will see an improvement.