I totally agree. I LOVE Warcraft 3 too.
And I like the realistic style more than cartoonish. It is the best visual evolution. It’s amazing that creatures and characters look more and more like kinematics.
I like the appearance of HoTs, but the one of Reforged even more. In HoTs the characters look more flat and disproportionate in some cases.
I really do not feel at all that with Reforged they are getting away from the essence of Warcraft. In fact they do it better and better by making the game more and more similar to the movies.
The work they have done is outstanding, it has failures but is because it needs to be polished. And it is normal given that they are at an pre alpha stage. Metallness looks great. They just need to improve the detail, sharpness, along with the brightness and colors. And keep working with the designs. Improving the modeling of characters, giving them more definition, clarity, sharpness, detail, etc …
Designers must continue to improve the effects, movements, response of the commands and actions… I would also like them improve a little bit more the environment in general (structures, buildings, mountains, trees, grass, terrain, fire …) Continue to improve the effects so that there be a greater visual jump with respect to the original game. Change maybe a bit the size of some units, heroes, even the buildings so that everything be better and more harmonious.
I want to take this opportunity to talk about Illidan. I know you have not shown it yet. But since he is my favorite character. I want him to be made with the best possible design.
I would like Illidan’s appearance not to be like Heroes of the Storm. There he looks very old. For his face.
I would also like him not to be so thick, if not a little thinner and at the same time defined. (Muscular and stylized at the same time) Those 2 points would give him more eye-catching.