Graphic design also isn't an excuse for poor gameplay and glitches. If I were a new player I would be turned off by the fact that since BfA launch my pet can't path to target because of a stair step or a tree root. I have to start every raid and dungeon boss with pet dismissed, that's how bad it is. So rather than fix what actually ails the game, update graphics because new players are quitting because of someone's outdated pet rather than because of gameplay issues?Krysteena wrote:Graphic design, however, is not a reward. It shouldn't be reserved for those who level up near to max in order to experience a game that looks as good as it's shown to. New players that come into the game shouldn't be met with choppy graphics, poor designs and some awful looking trees for nostalgia they haven't experienced. I shouldn't need to get to a certain level in a game for it to actually look good.
That being said, I do understand why players are upset about some of the changes. Blizzard are cutting out major details for some (the new Nightsabers are missing their stripes, for one) and their idea of white has become a 'eh, it'll do' deal. A lot of these updates aren't faithful to the old looks when they need to be, as to not alienate older players. I would be very upset to log onto a favoured character and find that a pet of mine was suddenly hugely different to what I remembered because those memories it had would jar against the new shiny look, so I'm not saying you're wrong for being upset or hurt by these changes. However, a new player deserves the same graphic experience as you do because, at this point, I'm willing to wager that one of the reasons some new players aren't sticking around is because of how jarring the old zones and models are in comparison to the new ones.
It's not even as simple as this one pet, even though that's what I'm fighting to save. My characters aren't the characters I made in vanilla, and they promised to let players chose to use old graphics if they wanted, and then took it away without mention. First it was the elves, then they took away the option all together. My tauren hasn't taken off his helm since they forced the new model toggle on.
New isn't better. Look at the hyenas, bears, tauren. They're completely cartoony and don't match the spirit of many other newer models. Sure they're more smoothly rendered but how is it less jarring to have a game that's about war and conflict yet featuring 25% cartoons?
And I apologize if I'm coming across as combative. Judging by the posts most people love the new model and I'm the only hold out. I was going to make a plea on the official forums but it looks like there's no point in even trying. But I had quit before and came back, specifically, because I missed playing with my tallstrider. So now it's being taken away, permanently.
Realism will always age, but giving the game a unique style lasts for a long time. And like others have said, Warcraft has always had that sort of cartoonish style, and it fits it well.
