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What are the best sandbox features in the MMO world?
SnarlingWolf
Member Posts: 2,697
The feature doesn't have to come from only sandbox games as even theme park games sometimes work in elements that allow the players to add to the world.
I'm curious of what the best ones are out there. I would define a sandbox feature as anything that let's players shape the world or modify how the game is played. For example: If players were allowed to build a building from scratch (layout, materials, location) that is a sandbox element. I would have classified the shop element of SWG as a sandbox feature as well since it changed where people went to shop and caused price fluctuations in a way that auction houses simply don't. Obviously something like Minecraft is almost all sandbox elements to the highest degree.
So what do you think? What are the best sandbox elements that exist, or have existed, in the MMO space and what do you think we'll see over the next few years?
Comments
edit - OP wanted specifics
Fine OP I'll will name names...
Politics - Wushu, it allows you to vote for the winners of your school tournament to lead your school. The leader is responsible for building alliances with other schools, and leading the wars. Politics also allow the forming of guild alliances that become soft factions. Guilds are only allowed 3 allies.
Alignment system - Wushu, all of your actions effect your alignment. From rescuing people to robbing guild carts. As you do more good or evil things you alignment changes. This alignment effect the way NPCs "feel" about you. Depending if the NPC is good, evil, or somewhere in between you may receive special items, or quest if they like you.
Player created Factions - Wushu/EVE I think this can be covered under politics kinda.
Player driven economies - Wushu, all equipment is created by players. Nearly nothing is bound. The fiery sword of pwn doesn't drop from the evil god boss. It's created by a legendary blacksmith. No two crafters are the same in regards to recipes, or skill. No two pieces of equipment are the same. They all have different stats. Even if using the exact same recipe the item comes out a little (maybe a lot) different. This allows for some truly EPIC creations.
Build cities, assault and defend mines for resources, assault other cities to expand your empire.
And when all is said and done, levy taxes for those within your empire.
I hope that sounds familiar to some people
Raquelis in various games
Played: Everything
Playing: Nioh 2, Civ6
Wants: The World
Anticipating: Everquest Next Crowfall, Pantheon, Elden Ring
I don't consider minecraft a sandbox at all. It only has one thing to do . . . It's not like you a choice of not building things because then you aren't doing anything. I suppose you could not build things, but then why are you playing minecraft?
I always thought the GTA series was a pretty good showcase of sandbox gameplay. You can pick up quests in varying order and you can drive around the game world doing mostly whatever you want. Crackdown and Red Dead Redemption are also fun.
I guess my favorite aspect is the complete openness of action. GTA doesn't say, "No you can only steal this type of car" you can jack whatever you want. It doesn't stop you from killing whoever and then you can lead the police around like a maniac.
Well I kind of meant more specific examples instead of an answer like "politics". IE: What is the feature, what is the game, what did it really let you do.
I would consider a minecraft a sandbox because that is what you do with sand. You push the sand around or you build stuff with the sand. That is exactly what you are doing in minecraft, you're building an entire world (or a replica as many people seem to like to do). When you have a big box of legos the number of things you can create is endless. When you have a model kit where only the right piece connects to the other right piece you can only build one thing. That's the distinction of a sandbox. Same set of tools, but you determine the outcome.
Raquelis in various games
Played: Everything
Playing: Nioh 2, Civ6
Wants: The World
Anticipating: Everquest Next Crowfall, Pantheon, Elden Ring
I missed out on that one. What did it allow you to do, and how much control did you have over any of the features (generally everything has some limits).
My top five are (in no particular order):
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
The chance to fail without oppurunity for redemption. Not completly permadeath alone, but other things maybe quest or lore information, or loot whatever.
Not all sandbox mmo's have this but a few do. EVE online of course being a primary example of failure and truely losing out on something you might cherish.
PM before you report at least or you could just block.
I liked the concept of Ultima Online's housing, but not so much how it worked out. It didn't take long for every open spot in the world to be packed with houses which both 1) took some of the atmosphere away 2) started making it impossible to find somewhere to put a house.
That same system with some limitations and a little bit of expansion would be pretty nice. Only allow the houses in certain zones so you can still have areas that are full of evil monsters and interesting sites while also allowing people to build a full town with vendors/banks etc.
I never played Xyson. I'll have to lookup those systems, they sound interesting.
Agreed. Housing placement in UO did show that sometimes too much freedom can be a bad thing.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
UO is the poster child of player freedom running amok. Unending griefing, housing ghetto .....
No wonder EQ eclipsed it by a large margin, despite all its problems, once it was out. In general, i don't want other players to have the freedom to spoil my fun. I will stay far away from games that have that "feature".
(Pre-NGE) SWG): for mix and match skill system resulting in a high degree of freedom and player choice.
SWG for housing and player city system, which encouraged RP, better community and a strong sense of player ownership. (Probably even more so than UO.)
SWG also deserves an honorable mention for having the best all time non-combat/social professions, where if people did not want to do any combat, ever, they could and still have an enjoyable MMO experience.