I made many posts about this too, and I still stand by my stance when I first saw the new models. I am still not fond of them. I did try to go in the mirror to find something I would like, but nothing feels natural to me. I really do appreciate what the art team team tried to do with the new looks, but they just don’t feel like the game I remember anymore. I’ve been wearing my mask lately as I can’t find anything I am comfortable with at all.
I really would like the option to revert back to classic textures and faces like what we had before the summer update. Even classic options for the npcs as well, as I feel like the old game is very dear to many players. The classic option in the game currently only changes select places in Wizard City, but I would really appreciate if that could expand to all areas of the game. This switch could hypothetically work as a client based option, so the player that turns it on sees everything as if the game was not affected by the summer update. For those that don’t have the switch, they would see the other players as the defaulted face options that correspond to the classic faces (like what we logged in to when the update launched).
I hope it’s not too messy, I’m not a programmer or anything so I don’t know how this works, but I (and many others) play for nostalgia, and having an option that allows us to enjoy the game as it was before the huge graphical update would be amazing.
I really hate the 'cosmetic' changes you have made. I could understand having the option to change how our wizards look, but the forced changes are awful. There should be some way to change back to how we were before. This is not what I created!
The changes to make wizards more human was a good move.
However, the "images" have been nerfed. The new faces are juvenile, baby faced, and with immature "facial" expressions that make the wizards seem dull, immature, silly, stupid, scared!!!, and/or laughing as if the actions they are taking are fun. But the storyline is being ignored, since the storyline is much more serious, showing a great need for heroes, and needing Brave, Fearless, Determined, and Fierce wizards to face the dangers. And those new faces do not do that. They are nerfed. Made juvenile as if you are expecting young children to only be playing this game (i am very much an adult and most of my friends in the game are adults over 18). Adding fearful expressions when fearlessness is called for in the story, and the characters need to reflect that spirit.
So I applaud the effort to humanize, but the current "effect" now is juvenile and immature and just plain not appropriate for the story.
Also, the too minor differences in the eyes, noses (especially) and mouths, dont make for significant differences in possible personalities, races, and cultures for the wizards. Example, I have 22 wizards, and each had her or his own personality with a face to match. Now I cant do that. What bothers me most is that while there are two eye choices for men that at least show anger like emotions (that could be used as fierce and brave), the one and only one that women had, was nerfed and now looks like she is worried or scared (due to the animation associated with it). That is so wrong. Give the eyes and mouths many choices, make them very different, same especially for noses (omg they all looked alike to me, with very insignificant differences that dont show racial or expressive diversity example: give us crooked nose, button nose, wide nose, long nose, etc).
So you can bring back the old ones, or work on updating new ones with your new magic humanizing of them, but giving them much much more diversity than you offer now ((p.s. I want snarky, sneaky, freaky, fatalistic, stormy, sultry, and basic determined bravery in the choices))). Which is not what is offered now.
You guys are "knocking" and coming at the game for much needed graphical update aimed at enhancing the longevity of the game.
I feel changes like these are necessary, changes to the graphics, spell animations, etc.
If the game is to grow, then certain aspects of it has to grow and improve as well.
While not all alterations will be welcomed by all players, it doesn't help to outright claim that such changes are "ugly" just because you don't like them.
In fact, Prof Falmea even said that less than 1% of players play on Classic Mode. The other 99+% of players are playing using the new graphical overhaul.
I do agree that in the event where players dislike the current state of their characters, an option should be there to have them reverted to how they looked originally.
But I feel you should give this update and look a chance, allow it some time. It may grow on you instead of outrightingly being so firmly against it.
Have an open mind.
The game cannot stay the same way it has for the last 10+ years. It will become stagnant, boring and repetitive.
Not that there's anything wrong with the new faces, but i think we should be able to choose if we would like to keep the old ones. A lot people really grew to like how their wizard looks, and now it just drastically changed. Some of my friends even say the "hate hate hate" the new faces :( plz bring back old ones.
I agree. Please give us the option to change back to the classic version. My Wizard-playing is on hold for a bit because I can't stand to look at my character's new face.
Children... Children... Calm down about the ascetics about the faces, Wizard is constantly growing and is always going under improvements but your faces need to age with the times. Many of you have aged with wizard while you were still in grammar school. Being 36 going on 37 and i aged with wizard in my 20s off and on in between school and other life events. This is HARDLY the issue that should be approached in such a way saying "I hate" and " i don't like" we are not babies anymore we have to understand that the developers are trying to compete with the times and other MMORPGs out there are doing the same thing. Wizard is the ONLY .. and i stress ONLY MMORPG that has the creativity and the team behind the scenes that actually involves its players in its decisions no matter what creed, race, orientation, etc. True perspective needs to be derived from within and not just looking something over and sitting down crossing your arms and pouting about it.
I want to see a graphical overhaul on quite a few things to help make this game look more realistic rather than cartoonish; but I know that in the end its the cartoonish feel that gave me a sense of my imagination back. Whether or not you like it; Its about time someone says "Too bad". PVP needs work/ the worlds need work. Pirate 101 has stopped any kind of new development in years and you think because Wizard is more profitable that its ok to still sit there and let one of KI's other masterpieces go to the wolves ? Shame on those who truly think that the needs of a few is going to justify the needs of all...
Its about time you all just focus on the future and how KI can revive all their creations; as far as wizard goes its going to be a constant stream of change as the game and technologies age. Look into the true mirror if you want change. The forums are for expression yes; but not for asking for things that are beyond your control.
I feel like a lot of people were talking about this in test realm and were ignored. I put feedback everywhere I could and KI did nothing.
This change, while interesting, is not what a lot of us wanted. I want a wizard that doesn't fall into the uncanny valley of unsettling looks.
Honestly the way they implemented the change just shows that the in game feedback (In Test Realm) is a joke and if it doesn't directly impact combat or questing, they don't care too much about our opinions.
So I went to log into my account today to play wizard101 and to my astonishment my characters looked completely different they look older face is more skinny and eyes are different colors my question is why Wizard101? Why? Did you not care about how some of us may feel about the change? They are ugly now I have had my account years and yes you guys needed more options for looks but it should have been an option you ruined everything. Does anyone else feel the same?
I totally agree, my wizards are creepy looking now, especially the teethy grin when they cast a spell the only thing good about this is that I could change them a bit to look more like they were before the update with gold instead of crowns. But over all I have to say the looked better before.
I applaud KI for thinking of humanizing the wizards in the game. I applaud your change to making it cost gold instead of crowns. However, the changes (like between the eyes, or noses or mouths) are so minor and are not significantly different. The faces appear as baby faces, and make all the wizards appear to be little kids. The animations are amazing, but again, too child like for the story line. The new faces do not offer the choice to look "snarky, fierce, brave, determined, suave, or strong." Instead they all appear dull, worried?, or looking like a little kid happy with laughter in combat that goes against the story line of the wizard needing to be brave, strong, determined and concerned for the safety of the spiral worlds. The look that appeared fierce for women before, now looks worried or confused. I could say much more, but the bottom line is that the new faces do not reflect the image supported in the story of the game, and that is why "I want my wizards back, please"
Hello. The new character faces show realism and lifelike features, which are the hallmark of new age games. That being said, it is crucial that wizard101 keeps its distinctive whimsy and stands out from the rest. The new faces are realistic but lack the unique stylized look that once drew so many players in. It now looks more like the sims and other games, which is less unique. The eyes lips are now less expressive. Think of the upgrades we had to the Professors and Ambrose. Those were Wizardy! Younger wizards however shouldn't look too aged.
I too want my old face back - on all my wizards. I was stunned at the changes - I do not want eye shadow. I do not want rosy lipstick. I want my glasses to be the ones I paid crowns for, not what they look like now. I do not want perfectly tweezed and reshaped eyebrows.
All 6 of my wizards were almost the same in looks prior to this change, except for different hair color and style. Now they are an assortment of eye color and shape, lip shape and color, and most alarming is the skin tone.
I am not going to go into the skin tone due to all the real life problems right now - just let me say I am now a diverse assortment of DNA, which I wasn't before this change.
I resent that I am now expected to go to the magic mirror and spend gold to attempt to return my wizards to what they used to look like. I did try on one wizard and it appears it is impossible to return to what I have looked like for almost 11 years.
It is like waking up from a nightmare in which you dreamed a plastic surgeon "did their thing" on your face only to find out upon waking it wasn't a nightmare, it really happened.
Please change my wizards back to what they used to look like. If I wanted to change my looks I would have used the magic mirror in the past.
Really I am so despondent at what you have done to my wizards, I don't even want to log on anymore - my wizards are not me anymore.
I have seen a lot of people complaining about the new character appearances who, like me, have been playing for a long time. We have all grown used to the original character designs, and the game is not quite as enjoyable for many players now that there has been a graphics update.
I think that there really needs to be an option to have the original character designs be a part of the gameplay option "Classic Mode". I think it would be a really good idea and it would make lots of players really happy.
You guys are "knocking" and coming at the game for much needed graphical update aimed at enhancing the longevity of the game.
I feel changes like these are necessary, changes to the graphics, spell animations, etc.
If the game is to grow, then certain aspects of it has to grow and improve as well.
While not all alterations will be welcomed by all players, it doesn't help to outright claim that such changes are "ugly" just because you don't like them.
In fact, Prof Falmea even said that less than 1% of players play on Classic Mode. The other 99+% of players are playing using the new graphical overhaul.
I do agree that in the event where players dislike the current state of their characters, an option should be there to have them reverted to how they looked originally.
But I feel you should give this update and look a chance, allow it some time. It may grow on you instead of outrightingly being so firmly against it.
Have an open mind.
The game cannot stay the same way it has for the last 10+ years. It will become stagnant, boring and repetitive.
To be fair, I didn't even know classic mode existed until you mentioned it and I'm sure it's the same for a good majority of players
Heck assuming I'm right about when they added it in, I don't even think there were any patch notes mentioning its existence considering I was looking for them to figure out what they even changed
The new faces are amazing. There were like maybe 3 faces that were okay'ish before which resulted in most of my characters having the exact same face. Now each one has his their own unique face to match them. My daughter would not even play a female character just because of the faces. Now she thinks they look good and will make one in the future. I like 90% of the options now and the fact that there is a lot of diversity available. Great visual update all around.
Something that really bothers me is how the skin tones differ between character selection and actual gameplay. When I went to the mirror shop to edit my characters' skin tones, the change reflected in gameplay but not in character selection. Long story short, my brown-toned wizards appear differently(darker) in character selection, and all look the same. But in gameplay they appear how I set them. All the different shades of brown really matter to me, and everyone deserves to feel represented.
Like others I'm pretty challenged by this update. I'm part of the majority of w101 players who have been playing since they were kids, and I have a nostalgic attachment to the appearance of my wizards. It's disorienting to log into the game and find that the face of the character I've been playing for 11-ish years has been changed. I'm running around the commons now feeling like thomas the train with this new, weirdly fleshy face plastered on over the original one. There is literally a seam. I am mentally, visually, emotionally, viscerally, and spiritually challenged by these new faces.
My main wizard, Kestrel MoonWhisper, has been torn from me; in her place I am left with an empty, meaningless husk. How am I to go on? How am I to move on from the years we spent together? What voice am I supposed to use on Discord calls with my friends? How am I supposed to play Wizard101 on Discord with friends if all of my friends have uninstalled the game because somehow this was the update that finally made it unplayable? This new creature does not speak with the voice of Kestrel MoonWhisper––its voice is foreign, alien to me. Oh, Kestrel MoonWhisper! If only I had realized how little time we had left together. What I wouldn't give to run Darkmoor with you one last time!
"You have to move on, Sam."
I turn––behind me stands Kestrel MoonWhisper, clipping through the couch. She steps towards me, but she's trapped inside the couch, blocked by its collider. She reaches her hand towards me.
"You're 23 years old," she says. "You need to stop playing the wizard game from middle school."
"I don't know if I'm ready," I say. I reach towards her, but my hand passes through hers and she begins to fade.
"On clear nights, when the moon is full, look at the sky," she says. "I'll be there. Whispering."
Kestrel fades to nothing.
"Goodbye," I say to the empty room.
The basement door opens and my roommate enters. "Who are you talking to?"
"Myself," I say. "Open up Wizard101. I have to show you something challenging."
Anyways I really appreciate and respect the work y'all are doing continuing to update this very old game so we can all continue to enjoy it, but my word. I mean, this is really––you must understand how challenging this is. Like, you're familiar with the old faces, and I'm sure some people on the development team of w101 have a similar attachment to them. So, like, Kestrel MoonWhisper is pretty much gone, like she has been killed and replaced with a low-budget stunt double. And I'm clearly willing to continue playing this game I started playing in 2008, but I am not about to forge a new relationship with an unfamiliar wizard to try to get back some shred of the exquisite joy of questing with Kestrel MoonWhisper. Like, I physically just cannot do it. This new wizard's vacant expression mocks me. So, like, thanks for your efforts and all that but I really am about to uninstall this game and maybe check the website again in a couple years to see if you backtracked on this. I mean, really, for the love of all that is good in this world.
MMORPG that has the creativity and the team behind the scenes that actually involves its players in its decisions no matter what creed, race, orientation, etc. True perspective needs to be derived from within and not just looking something over and sitting down crossing your arms and pouting about it. 
the only thing good about this is that I could change them a bit to look more like they were before the update with gold instead of crowns. But over all I have to say the looked better before.
