Mr. Chris “Disco Ball” Robinson is at it again folks! He has recovered from his major hand injury and is back to the grind of dishing out magic through digital graphics. Why just yesterday he announced that the original idea to implement multiple races over post launch periods was not a reality! He also put the law down on the facial issues people were constantly complaining about… and I must say he did so in a big way.

Full artcraft post: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/15029247/artcraft-updated-facial-customization-7-30-2014

After reading you see just what I mean. Its quite a spectacular option, and despite knowing negative amounts about this type of art, I can immediately say I am impressed. From what I imagine, it means we will all be allowed to make a custom face with its own unique skeleton and design.

The immediate concern people bring up however, is that this needs to retroactively fit the characters we previously have. I assume it will, but of course this wouldn’t be 2014 if people didn’t take a great addition and find a way to complain about it. The prime comment is “if there is this much diversity in changing exact faces, we need to be able to access it in game for our already-made characters.” They suggest the barber shop as that solution, which I can get behind.

The only thing I could possibly find disappointing is if they did not retro-fit our characters, and we had to pay to make the face we wanted. I HIGHLY DOUBT this will happen, but its one realistic way it could turn into a negative experience.

Either way, the sheer magnitude of design depth this process carries is impressive enough. I find it really hard to say anything remotely negative about the new character models just because of the sinking feeling I get that my own words insinuate these 6 months of work from the art team WASN’T worth the time.

It obviously is, and anyone who says otherwise is living in dream land, or perhaps is legally blind! In fact, nearly every “issue” you can find with them has either been meticulously addressed and solved, or is just an issue of comparisons.

WTF her eyelashes are so pointy...

WTF her eyelashes are so pointy…

For example, the trendy thing to do now is complain about the running animations. Everyone is all “OH EM GEE these are so bad wow.” But that suggests that while using the previous models for the last 10 years, you had said at least once “OH EM GEE I love the current run animation.” Which you did not.

Listen folks, you can’t have it both ways OK? You can’t dislike the old to the point they innovate it and then complain about the innovations. I could see if they weren’t such massive improvements, but to be upset with ANYTHING about the new models is just slapping the art team in the face. I can’t even begin to imagine what this expansion was like for them, knowing that MoP was easily the most attractive visual product to date, and WoD Landscapes have dramatically improved as well as all the effort into the character models.

I am very impressed.

Well… I was…

Until Disco Ball posted this…

Now, if you don’t know me, know this. I play Blood Elf. My Main Paladin is blood elf, and pretty much any other option is as well. I love the interrupt, and I loved the extra mana. That’s going away now, regrettably, but this news is particularly damning.

After speaking so highly, it seems I get snubbed indirectly. But ya know what? I don’t mind at all!

Truthfully, it does kind of disappoint me, but I have known from the start Blood Elf would not make it in. Around Blizzcon, they stated that there would be a lot of races added in over patches, but now it appears as if EVERY race other then Blood Elf will be ready. So that is a huge consolation for me, and its hard to be upset knowing that they are actually doing a better job then they anticipated.

Even the explanation as to why Draenei seems reasonable to me.

Realistically, the only actual disappointment is the morons attached to these tweets. Amazing example is on the first one I linked down here.

Mornmagor: 
Till 6 months after WoD release? I hope you’re joking.

Where is that said? These subhuman illiterates are the ones who ruin the community, especially considering the original plan was to have multiple races not make the cut.

And so we return to the original issue. People find a way to complain about things that are blatant upgrades from the previous situation. They complain about minute features of a model that is not even comparable to the previous in terms of quality. And now they find a way to generalize an argument against Blizzard’s work ethic.

That is the most despicable form of insulting one could muster, in my mind. To insult some one or some thing for choosing to do a poor job, when in reality they are actually doing a much better job then they were previously is just wrong on a hundred levels. Its ignorant, bull-headed, misinformed, patronizing, and just plain dumb.

For anyone who even remotely thinks that because Blood Elves aren’t making it in launch this expansion is now some how worse off, please just keep your mouth shut and go outside for 2 minutes.

I can’t say enough about how enraging it is to hear this around every corner, especially when none of it is even remotely accurate. As I said, I have played a Blood Elf since TBC. It has been my main for that long now, and even I don’t mind hearing this. I don’t mind it because I ALREADY KNEW IT. When they said “some races will be patched in later” you assume TBC races are on that list, do you not?
Maybe these people don’t. These people who want to look at Blizzard posting about Chris Metzen’s Birthday celebration as a reason for the downfall of the video game.

Either way, it is what it is. I couldn’t be more excited for WoD and really look forward to seeing the facial options for my Paladin when the time comes. Don’t forget, 5.1 was only 2 months after MoP’s launch! I’m sure we will see them shortly.