Blizzard's New Cataclysm Video Is Shameless Scenery Porn

[Brotherofwill]

So expecting a 5 year old game to improve it's graphics to two years old is ludicrous? Nice strawman brah.
Crysis was never a disappointment , it was intended to be demanding after a year into it's lifespan. If you had to 8800 Ultras in SLI, you could run it on near max settings on release, but now you just need a 5750 to get near max graphics.

So expecting a AAA game published by EA to sell more than 2 million units is ludicrous? Nice strawman 'brah' XD.

Crysis was a dissapointment. In the beginning. Like I said.
http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=crysis+dissapointing+sales
Are you trying to look ignorant? XD.

 

[Brotherofwill]

So expecting a 5 year old game to improve it's graphics to two years old is ludicrous? Nice strawman brah.
Crysis was never a disappointment , it was intended to be demanding after a year into it's lifespan. If you had to 8800 Ultras in SLI, you could run it on near max settings on release, but now you just need a 5750 to get near max graphics.

So expecting a AAA game published by EA to sell more than 2 million units is ludicrous? Nice strawman 'brah' XD.

Crysis was a dissapointment. In the beginning. Like I said.
http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=crysis+dissapointing+sales
Are you trying to look ignorant? XD.

http://www.incrysis.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=612
Derp. Release sales aren't the same as overall sales. Exceeding expectations is pretty good. Plus nice tangent you are trying to go off on, ignoring how you somehow claimed making a 5 year old game not look so dated was 'ludicrous'.

It is ludicrous. Once you consider the implications of what you're saying. It is ludicrous. (BTW I only used the word ludicrous because you used it first XD)

Good derp to you too.

 

[Jimbo1212]

Go play a game with DX 11 eg. Metro 2033 or MoH and then see if you have the same opinion. Graphics do help make a game more immersive. To argue otherwise is simply ridiculous.

I'm not arguing otherwise! Where the hell did you get that from? WoW's graphics and especially WoW's art style does a fantastic job of immersing me, more than good enough. Not everyone's the same and is immersed the same way, remember that as well. I put a lot more emphasis on sound myself.

You are contradicting yourself. You say good graphics are immersive, yet say WoWs horribly dated graphics are immersive.....Make your mind up please.
Of course other things help make the whole experience immersive, but graphics are a key factor to this. Bad graphics ruin immersion when you can not tell wtf something is or look at an item and feel horribly underwhelmed even though you should be feeling the opposite but the graphics are holding the experience back - Strom Peaks being a prime example. Those mountains do very little for anyone (as far as far as I have heard from players), where as the mountains in MoH are stunning and make you appreciate the vast scale of Afghanistan.

 

[Brotherofwill]

So ludicrous that a studio with not even half the money of Blizzard has managed to do and continues to do...Uhuh, what are you basing your ideas on because it isn't reality...

Why do you keep coming back to EveOnline? I don't get it.

Question #1: Does EveOnline have the same amount of content as WoW?
Question #2: Does EveOnline's overhaul need the same amount of work as WoW's would?
Question #3: Has EveOnline's overhaul been a significant factor in the game having a larger install base?
Question #4: How much money will it cost to overhaul WoW and will anyone care?
Question #5: How many of the workers of Blizzard would spent their time needlessly redoing the engine while they could be working on patches, gameplay balancing, community work or otherwise beneficial work (like having half the world redone to be better playable)
Question #6: Where the hell is Carmen Sandiego?

Or hey, let me express it like this with a simple pro/con:

Pro:
-Would look better
-Could potentially increase immersion (not guaranteed as old players are used to the old WoW look and would be taken out of the game when things look or feel different to previous experiences)
-Would satisfy obsessive compulsive graphic fetishists on the internet
Cons:
-Would cost millions upon millions of dollars
-Could cause potential failures and bugs present in most launch MMOs
-Would alienate old fans that have spent the last 6 (?) years getting accustomed to the look
-Would cost thousands upon thousands of work hours that could be spent improving the game through patches, updates, community service etc
-Adds little to WoW experience
-Would require extensive advertising to let outsiders know about the new look
-Potential 'image' problem of the WoW brand with Old vs New screenshots and confusion of target audience
-Potential negative media response
-Could increase tension between Blizzard and publisher if rehaul fails
-No guarantee for better sales
-No guarantee anyone would give a shit
-Wouldn't find Carmen.



You know, because these two games are such similar games man it totally makes sense to compare them XD...and no, please don't answer the questions.

 

[Cowabungaa]

You are contradicting yourself. You say good graphics are immersive, yet say WoWs horribly dated graphics are immersive.....Make your mind up please.
Of course other things help make the whole experience immersive, but graphics are a key factor to this. Bad graphics ruin immersion when you can not tell wtf something is or look at an item and feel horribly underwhelmed even though you should be feeling the opposite but the graphics are holding the experience back - Strom Peaks being a prime example. Those mountains do very little for anyone (as far as far as I have heard from players), where as the mountains in MoH are stunning and make you appreciate the vast scale of Afghanistan.

No, I said graphics help immersion, you're the one who's adding "good" to that, which is entirely subjective to boot. WoW is immersive to me thanks to it's art style, and it's outdated engine does a more than good enough job for me to portray it. I don't care about the technicalities being outdated, I can live without them.

And I loved Storm Peaks thank you very much. I just left them behind on my Warrior because I found the quests being dull, but I still love the scenery and overal epic atmosphere of that place.

As I said to Funk, the problems are not actually problems that you as a customer would be faced with, nor is there any reason that the problems would be inherent to improving the graphics e.g. better graphics =/= imbalance in PVP.
So congratulations, if I could send you a badge on it with "I don't like change!" & Stewie's face, I would =D. All you have said is you like the graphics as they are (never disagreed with that) and have bitterly argued they shouldn't be improved for no reason other than "May cause problems" which when elaborated was weak at best.
Plus it's insane you have the audacity to say that graphics do help a game to be immersive and then somehow go 180 and say that WoW's graphics shouldn't be improved...Y'know, that word which generally means the state of something becomes better and therefore in this instance more enjoyable...

*facepalm* Have you even been reading my posts or are you just being reading selectively for the sake of trolling? I'll quote myself:

Because I find them aesthetically pleasing, it's really that simple. Not everyone needs super-realistic imagery to be immersed, that would mean that not a single game before, say, the last 4-5 years was immersive. Some people still have an imagination you know, not everyone is so easily sucked out of a game.

In this case, WoW immerses me thanks to a mix between a thrilling, bold world, a vibrant and detailed look and stunningly gorgeous music. I have no idea why you call it an "empty" world. I walk around and see players questing, I hear birds in the trees, I see wolves hunting all kinds of critters, NPC's milling around. It sucks me in just as much as Metro 2033 and Half Life 2 did.

Making a 180 my ass. Stop making a fool out of yourself.

As for why they shouldn't be improved, Brotherofwill provided you with a nice list. It all comes down to simple cost-benefit analysis. And as I've said in almost every single one of my posts; I do not give a shit about WoW getting better graphics. That leaves me with a load of cons, and not a single pro. It is not worth the effort to me because I don't give a damn, as I've been saying the entire goddamn topic. Blizzard can spend the tons of man-hours and buckets of money needed to completely overhaul the game like that on something else.

 

[Cowabungaa]

You have not said why improving the graphics are not a concern to you

Why the fuck should I! I just don't care! I'm happy with the current state of the game, it's as simple as that. Is that so hard for you to understand? Is it so incredibly hard for you to understand that not everyone thinks like you thinks? Is it so fucking hard to grasp that some people might just be happy with something they've got?

And are you still going on about those PC specs? Do you want to see the fucking bank transaction I made to the webshop where I bought the damn thing? You are one paranoid little guy.

And no, your make-believe problems do not count (low FPS etc).

Here I'm seeing a little child who's playing with his friend going "And no, laserbeams can't hurt me either! Oh and that supercannon of yours can't either! And and I got a shield against your plasma bolts!"

Are you the one who gets to pick and choose? You're just dismissing them as "make belief" and that's it? How the hell do you know that it's "nonsense" that it would alienate the older fanbase? What proof do you have for that statement? The rest is technophobic nonsense? Who are you to decide about that?

 

[Twaddlefish]

Personally I find the WoW graphics too cartoony for my tastes. Granted they look dated today, but that's not why I don't like the art style (hell, I still play Torment & Icewind Dale), and prefer Guild Wars' more 'real' approach to presentation.

Some of that video with what they're doing with a pretty old engine is very impressive, though.

I played for three months, got bored.

 

[Lord Beautiful]

Even when it was new, the graphics didn't particularly impress me, and I've never been a fan of that art style. Some of the ideas presented are damn good, but I'm no fan of the execution.

Still, I'm guessing World of Warcraft veterans are going to eat this up, and that's good for them. I wish them luck when they're trying to take on that big ************ at the end of the trailer.

 

[Cowabungaa]

snip

You do not get to decide what's better for someone else, nor does it apparently register with you that not everyone thinks like you and just wants everything to be constantly better. Some people, at some point, are content. Does that exist in your mind, being happy with something the way it is?

And once again you're saying I'm making an 'argument', I'm motherfucking not! I'm giving my opinion. If someone else thinks that WoW does need a graphical overhaul and is hampered by the current graphical state of the game, fine! I'm not, that's all I'm goddamn saying! Why the hell you keep going on is a mystery to me. What are you trying to prove??

 

[slipknot4]

Exactly. This is the reason why WOW's playerbase is either stagnating or very very slowly gaining people.
First year of WOW: 4 Million. December 2004 to December 2005.
2nd 4 mill(2005-2006)
3rd 2 mill(2006-2007
4th 1 mill(2007-2008)
5th 1 mill(2008-2009)
6th ??? No number released for between December 2009 to December 2010.

Eventually the subscriber list will go in reverse even further, more content means a much larger end game to reach, i.e patience new players won't have.

Yes wow has 12 Million Subs, But it had 8 in its first 2 years, it only doubled 4 years later.

They changed up the leveling system, removed 25% of the required xp from 70-80 and increased the exp gain by 75% from 1-70. It's fast, I got a character from 46-80 in less than 2 weeks.

 

[John Funk]

Well if you don't think a game should improve in every aspect when you are giving so much time & cash to it, you are a very gullible customer - simple as that. In no other industry do people never expect an all around improvement in what they are purchasing if they had put in the same fiscal investment you have.
But more relevant is why should the graphics not be improved? You like them as they are, great, but why shouldn't they be improved? Improvement = better, by definition of the word, so you are saying you don't want WoW to improve in certain ways...You have skirted this point every time I have brought it up reverting back to "I lik dem grafiks" which I have never questioned. Why would better graphics not conform to your taste? The two don't logically follow...You've yet to state how better graphics would be problematic for the game as surely it'd just make the game visually more appealing and more immersive; how do you not desire those two traits?? Again, it sounds more like Stewie's "I don't like change!" rather than having stopped, thought over it and gone "you know what, better graphics could make the game better in certain ways...."

Putting one's priorities elsewhere does not mean one is a 'gullible consumer', leave your insults at home thank you very much. No, I don't think better graphics will increase me enjoyment in WoW, not everyone gets immersed in a game the same way you do, not everyone enjoys a game in the same way you do and not everyone cares about the same damn things as you do. When on earth will you start understanding that?!

As for why not, I have explained that plenty of times, John Funk did as well, but you apparently ignore all those things or something. Start reading.

Go play a game with DX 11 eg. Metro 2033 or MoH and then see if you have the same opinion. Graphics do help make a game more immersive. To argue otherwise is simply ridiculous.

Visuals help make a game more immersive. HELP being the operative word, there. Whether you're talking good design or good technical specifications - either one can do the job. But immersion can also be accomplished through good audio design, good world design, good game design - plenty of things that have nothing to do with graphics.

Yes, good graphics are nice. But in the grand scheme of things, they're... just one minor facet of how immersive a game is, especially when good art direction can compensate for technical weakness.

And, once again, you and Mazty have the exact same opinion.

 

[Dorian6]

Almost enough to make me want to play again.

Oh hey they finished that bridge finally. only took them, what 5 years?

 

[Cowabungaa]

If it can be improved, WHY NOT improve it? This is something you are completely avoiding

I'm not! You just dismiss everything anyone brings to the table as nonsense!

If it can be improved, WHY NOT improve it?

For the bazillionth time; because it's not worth the possible drawbacks as I don't give a shit. That's how I feel, there's no 'argument' or 'debate' or anything.

What you seem utterly unable to do is comprehend that you can still be happy with what you have, but also be aware that it could be improved, and by that definition, you are making the product better, which, jumping a few steps ahead, will make you happier. All humans want to be the happiest they can be. Therefore the graphics should be improved. End of.

Bloody bullshit that is, you don't decide what makes me happy and what doesn't. For the bazillionth time, now phrased differently; I don't believe improving WoW's graphics would add something to my WoW experience, therefore I do not care and I think they can better spend the money and effort required for a complete game overhaul on something else. Clear enough for you?

To be honest though, as you don't think like a normal human being, as you have shown above with your comment on not wanting things to improve, it is probably for the best you remain close minded & stick to WoW.

I'm sorry?! So mister John Funk doesn't think like a 'normal human being' either? I can't appreciate modern, high-tech games like Metro 2033 because I also appreciate how WoW looks? Are you playing psychologist now? Who the hell are you to decide who's a 'normal human being' or not? Who do you think you are?

 

[Nenad]

Spoiler: snip

Okay, I'll try to approach this from another angle - what about the graphics makes them good? What makes them worth the millions of pounds a month they get?
Irony you talk about empty worlds and yet you like WoW -.-
How does WoW's graphics help with immersion when every stone reminds you it's a game? Last I checked low res textures were a big immersion breaker....
I can understand that WoW technically has to be available to a wide audience, but many, many games out have an option between running the game in DX9 or DX10/11. Simply put, WoW would be better if the graphics were improved because as they stand they are laughably bad, and at the price people pay for them, I'm amazed (actually no I'm not - joe average is thick as a brick) that people don't demand better quality in all aspects of WoW.

Because I find them aesthetically pleasing, it's really that simple. Not everyone needs super-realistic imagery to be immersed, that would mean that not a single game before, say, the last 4-5 years was immersive. Some people still have an imagination you know, not everyone is so easily sucked out of a game.

In this case, WoW immerses me thanks to a mix between a thrilling, bold world, a vibrant and detailed look and stunningly gorgeous music. I have no idea why you call it an "empty" world. I walk around and see players questing, I hear birds in the trees, I see wolves hunting all kinds of critters, NPC's milling around. It sucks me in just as much as Metro 2033 and Half Life 2 did.

Planescape Torment immerses me in the exact same way, and it looks like this:

I was going to start playing WoW, but since cataclysm is going to change that much, I think I'll pass.

I don't want to think that I missed out on 6 years of history while playing.

: /

The game is unimaginable amounts of...better...ness today? Ah screw it you get the point; if any time to start is a good one, it's now. Before, the leveling content from, say, 1-60 paled in comparison with the rest, especially the 70-80 route. Thanks to the updated old world, that leveling content is totally up to snuff with the latter content. I find it far more enjoyable in every aspect.

I completely agree. Points for Torment.