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#1 2008-08-23 3:50 am
- Bat
- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
On Revamping WoW Graphics
The World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Interview on Eurogamer is another conversation from the Leipzig show with designer Tom Chilton and producer J. Allen Brack about the upcoming WoW expansion. They talk about new graphics options in the expansion, but when asked about how to entirely replace an aging graphics engine in an MMORPG, they point out that both Ultima Online and EverQuest created new graphics engines that some users refused to adopt because of performance drop-offs and other issues. In spite of that, Brack admits that they will "probably" need a "graphical update from the ground up at some point," and he is "positive we'll talk about it next expansion." Thanks IncGamers.
Thanks Blues.
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#2 2008-08-23 7:27 am
- dv
- Negusa Negest
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Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
Needs doing.
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#3 2008-08-23 10:49 am
- NAG
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Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
They've been doing minor upgrades all along but yeah, the engine is probably getting dated by now.
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#4 2008-08-23 4:09 pm
- NightCougar_37
- For Gallia!!
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Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
Just moving it up to LOTRO style graphics would help a lot. But i'd worry in regards to the high populated areas and the raiding. These both tend to tax the fps. Trying to pull too many effects will just limit those areas in the game to ppl with the best rigs. Unless there is good graphics options for trimming effects.
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#5 2008-08-23 5:13 pm
- dv
- Negusa Negest
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Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
NightCougar_37 wrote:
Just moving it up to LOTRO style graphics would help a lot. But i'd worry in regards to the high populated areas and the raiding. These both tend to tax the fps. Trying to pull too many effects will just limit those areas in the game to ppl with the best rigs. Unless there is good graphics options for trimming effects.
I imagine they'd have to do some kind of dynamic effects scaling to ensure a minimum framerate.
:shudder: @ Ogrimmar
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#6 2008-08-23 7:51 pm
- Bat
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- From: Björk, Björk
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Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
Wireframe figures and ""Batman"- style effects balloons (cel-shaded "Biff!", "Pow!", "Spell!")? 
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#7 2008-08-24 12:29 am
- MacZiMiZer
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- Registered: 2001-10-25
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Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
Blizzard has always been good at keeping their games open to a wide range of users with graphics settings, hell warcraft III all the way down ran relatively smoothly on my old old iMac when it first came out, hell if I remember the specs, but it was running OS 9
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#9 2008-08-24 11:37 am
Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
I don't know why they don't follow the example of X-Windows and just leave the graphics engine as a completely replaceable plugin over the game. Just think of the accessorising sales!
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#10 2008-08-24 3:17 pm
- Bat
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- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
Since the rest of the game is basically about accessorizing your character with new loot, a stable game engine seems like a reasonable starting point.
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#11 2008-08-24 5:59 pm
- NAG
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Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
It also would make pvp a complete joke if they gave people that kind of control over the game.
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#12 2008-08-24 6:04 pm
- dv
- Negusa Negest
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Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
NAG wrote:
It also would make pvp a complete joke if they gave people that kind of control over the game.
Well, you wouldn't be able to control what equipment people use and how it effects hit point, statistics, etc. The guy who kicked my ass last night would kick it again tomorrow; he'd just look different doing it.
What it WOULD do is reduce the draw of vanity equipment.
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#13 2008-08-25 12:24 am
- NAG
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Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
If you could control the engine line of sight would be non existent because they could do all sorts of crazy stuff. It isn't just all stats.
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#14 2008-08-25 12:49 am
- dv
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Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
Ah, true.
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#15 2008-08-25 11:08 pm
- NAG
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Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
A new update from blizzard (forgot where) said that they're just going for the gradual update over time thing (which is what they've done so far).
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#16 2008-08-26 5:45 am
Re: On Revamping WoW Graphics
NAG wrote:
If you could control the engine line of sight would be non existent because they could do all sorts of crazy stuff. It isn't just all stats.
Things like line of sight shouldn't be part of the graphics engine though, it should be part of AI/zoning (although I can see how picking algorithms might rely on the zbuffer). These things shouldn't change, nor should things like hitboxes, targeting, collision etc. Basically, the core program must still build the entire scene graph, and would then leave the rendering plugin to decide how to draw them. I guess in a fps, for example, removing lighting and stuff could be seen as hax, (or to make an extreme case, rendering in overhead 2D instead of 3D) but it could also be part of the online game to accredit a rendering engine.
Not really easy...it would require a truly OOP approach which I suspect game programmers have avoided as much as possible. But it would be a neat experiment suited to a MMORPG.
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