GDC Awards

[schild]

As if using caps will make your previously-defeated argument make any more sense?

The only way what you are saying could make sense is if WoW used the exact same art assests as WC3, which is not the case.

Bullshit. Where was I defeated? It's not about assets, it's about style. That's what everyone argues on WoW. The style. The efficient use of polygons and colors is easy to applaud. But it doesn't make for the best graphical achievement of the year. It used the same style as Warcraft III. I never said it used the same assets. If you want to try and tell me that this:

http://www.iniziopartita.net/public/file/3029/WCIII_06.jpg

..doesn't use the same style as WoW, then you're completely deluding yourself. The incredible textures and design of HL2 is why I'm willing to chuck the award at them. Comparably, WoW's textures don't even remotely compare. And all the biggest things in HL2 (striders, beasts, buildings, etc) are far more magnificent than WoW's (Onyxia? Feh. Ogrimmar? Maybe, but doesn't compare to the center of City 17).

To distill that: In a vacuum the art of WoW doesn't compare to the art of HL2. If you want to see for yourself, go get the two art books that are available at your local EB.

[Strazos]

In no area of HL2 was I like "this sucks". There were multiple zones in WoW I felt were bland and competely boring. What did WoW achieve, again?

[Fabricated]

In no area of HL2 was I like "this sucks". There were multiple zones in WoW I felt were bland and competely boring. What did WoW achieve, again?

I hate most of the Horde continent, I dunno why, I just hate how almost all the areas look. My favorite area by far is Darkshire. I was bummed out when I ran out of quests to do there.

[Margalis]

I played a Troll in WoW, I didn't see anything special artwise at all.

Starting area - sucked.
Islands and troll village to south - nothing special.
Rest of starting continent - boring.
Barrens - boring.

I'm sersiously missing something. Maybe certain areas of the game are just a lot better, cause what I saw was just bland, low poly crap without any of the vaunted style people are talking about. I mean, the entire starting continent and the barrens is basically mono-colored flat wasteland.

[dEOS]

The award is not for visual graphics but for visual arts.

It's easy to come up with something that goes for the realistic look. WoW has a proper visual identity. You instantly recognize the game has being WoW when you look at a screenshot. Not only have they achieve to render a complete MMORPG world with their own visual style but they did so with amazing details everywhere you care to go. Even the starting areas for trolls have some 'magic' in them, the Echoes Islands coming to my mind. The attention to detail everywhere you go in WoW is just mind-boggling. Every other visual ARTISTs (not the programmers) are just in awe at the work and thoughts that represents.

d

[stray]

WoW has a proper visual identity.

You seem to be missing the point. They're saying that HL2 does as well. Just because it's realistic looking doesn't invalidate it from having a visual style.

[Roac]

When talking about "games as art", I'd have to say yeah, WoW has some of the most gorgeous landscapes I've seen in games.  I have two problems with that though.
1) I can't afford $2,000 for a PC to run it up to spec.
2) I don't buy games in order to create wallpaper.

[Rasix]

I played a Troll in WoW, I didn't see anything special artwise at all.

Starting area - sucked.
Islands and troll village to south - nothing special.
Rest of starting continent - boring.
Barrens - boring.

Horde starting area is pretty spartan, especially the Troll/Orc part.  There's a reason I skip through the barrens just about as fast as I humanly can and spend time in other areas. The Oasis's are pretty well done though and I like the little touches like the certain stalking cats hiding in the tall grasses.   The Sludge Fen area is an interesting insertion into the zone, so is the Ratchet/pirate coast area.

 I'll point out some of the visual highlights below.

Early on for atmosphere you have Tristfall Glades/Silverpine Forrest for the Undead.  The atmosphere the art creates is pretty creepy and fun.
Mulgore the Tauren area is really wonderfully done.  Great native american vibe.  Too bad cows are too big for PVP (easy targetting, no thanks).
Ashenvale. Too elven, but cool nonetheless.
Stonetalon Mountains.  Variety of environments in that zone including a very cool waterfall area with a Venture company logging installation.
Wailing Caverns.  Pretty good for most people's first serious instance.
Desolace, while being a shit zone, has a lot of personality.

I could go on.  There's a lot of zones with a lot of personality.  Some themes are repeated.  There are multiple swamp zones, multiple forrest zones, multiple evil creepy undead forrest zones but each has it's own spin on the theme.  Western Plaguelands i s a very grand and varied version of Tristfall Glades that you start off in as the undead.  The instances for the most part are pretty damn unique.  It's hard not to be impressed with the effort that went into places like Uldaman, Scholomance, Stratholme and Blackrock depths.

Do I have any gripes?  Sure, the armor graphics for the most part suck.  The textures on some are downright aweful.  Of course, I have my graphics options turned way down for raiding.  PvE raiding doesn't get that bad, but large scale pvp you're going to have issues even with your graphics on bottom of the barrel.

I'm not blown away by WoW's graphics, but they're easily the best and most effective I've seen in any MMORPG to date.  Perhaps also the best of any RPG I've played of late.  I'm continually pleased and sometimes taken by surprise by the details and care that they've put into the visual aspect of the game.  Best of the year for me? Yep. 

[Alkiera]

As if using caps will make your previously-defeated argument make any more sense?

The only way what you are saying could make sense is if WoW used the exact same art assests as WC3, which is not the case.

Tho it's hard to tell sometimes, the poly counts don't seem that far off...  Especially on larger models.  It'd be hard to believe the difference is very large.  (Well, except night-elf ears.  Stupid floppy things...)

Alkiera

[HaemishM]

I find it hard to believe that some of the art assets from WC3 were not reused for WoW, at the very least the original hi-res models for some of the characters or monsters or even some of the buildings.