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Are sandbox MMOs developed as an excuse to make a low-budget MMO?

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  • SEANMCADSEANMCAD Member EpicPosts: 16,775
    Eq2 had tens of thousands of distinctly different items.  not that many just different  levels of the same item. 
    that is incorrect.

    the list has 'Gloves level 1' and 'Gloves level 2' as two different items.

    Apply that same rule set to Wurm that that would mean just leather gloves had a count of about 100 to the power of 100

    Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.

    Please do not respond to me

  • VengeSunsoarVengeSunsoar Member EpicPosts: 6,601
    All carpentry items are different. Food  items are different. Most of  the items are different. 
    Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is bad.
  • VengeSunsoarVengeSunsoar Member EpicPosts: 6,601
    It's not incorrect. That is a very small portion of the crafting. 
    Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is bad.
  • SEANMCADSEANMCAD Member EpicPosts: 16,775
    All carpentry items are different. Food  items are different. Most of  the items are different. 
    I say again.

    In EQ2 gloves level 1 and gloves level 2 are two different items.
    In wurm Gloves have durability and they have quality, that means on making a leather gloves (not chain gloves etc but just leather gloves) then the count would be 100 (Actually more because quality can go into the decimals) AND after use you can multiply that by another 100 because of durablity.

    please do not make me say it again

    Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.

    Please do not respond to me

  • VengeSunsoarVengeSunsoar Member EpicPosts: 6,601
    edited November 2016
    I'm just  going to repeat what i just said. You are wrong. 
    Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is bad.
  • SEANMCADSEANMCAD Member EpicPosts: 16,775
    I'm just  going to repeat what i just said. You are wrong. 
    and your reasoning for it is extremely insulting because you consider all crafting engines to be one count of content no matter how invloved or how deep.

    Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.

    Please do not respond to me

  • VengeSunsoarVengeSunsoar Member EpicPosts: 6,601
    edited November 2016
    Your is worse. Even if we use your reasoning eq2 still had more. Tens of thousands of crafting. Same or  not doesn't matter that is your preference. But if we look at each item then we also need to do that for each activity. Eq2 had tens of thousands of quests a dozen ish different races half a dozen starting areas and hundreds ofalternate abilities for each class that can be added in any combination. Add to this pvp,dungeons , making things like books with your own writing and even making dungeons. all this from inside the game so not including the weird retail thingy you can do to sell your own unique creation that you make outside the game to sell  inside 
    the game. 

    So if we look at it my way eq2 has only a few more activities. If we look at it your way it has orders of magnitude more than wurm.

    You are the epitome of ignoring  things you don't  like. 
    Post edited by VengeSunsoar on
    Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is bad.
  • VengeSunsoarVengeSunsoar Member EpicPosts: 6,601
    edited November 2016
    I will say again when people are bored of an activity they look to do a different activity. Not a different version of the same activity.

    When people say most sandbox games have little content they are referring to variety of activities. So when they are bored of crafting or pvp telling them to craft something different or attack another person is completely useless. They want something to do besides craft and pvp and many sandbox games just don't provide enough other activities.

    So if they've been crafting their sword, or their shield, or their table, or the roof of their house and they are tired of crafting, crafting a boat is not a different activity. That is why I lump all crafting into one activity. Crafting. One activity, many versions.

    Same with questing. It is not 10,000 different quests. It's questing. One activity, many versions.

    Same with dungeons. It's isn't 50 different dungeons. It's running dungeons. One activity, many versions.

    Same with battlegrounds. It isn't 30 different battlegrounds. It's running battlegroumds. One activity, many versions.

    You get the idea. What different activities are there to do in the game. 10,000 different crafts is not 10,000 different activities. It's one. People know this, this is why they say light on content. 

    edit - so to answer the original question of the op. The answer is yes but the devs are sadly mistaken. It seems significantly cheaper to make a game that doesn't have a whole wack of varied activities. However unless the systems have enough depth (bit of a buzzword yes), inter-connectivity and challenge in themselves their game will be doomed. And developing those systems is I imagine incredibly complicated. 
    Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is bad.
  • VideoJockeyVideoJockey Member UncommonPosts: 223
    I think OP is confusing "sandbox" with "open world". There's a lot of open world games that are empty and lacking content. A true sandbox game gives you all the tools you need to create your own adventure. 
  • TheScavengerTheScavenger Member EpicPosts: 3,321
    edited November 2016
    I think OP is confusing "sandbox" with "open world". There's a lot of open world games that are empty and lacking content. A true sandbox game gives you all the tools you need to create your own adventure. 
    Pretty much my point though. 

    What is cheaper? Putting in a sandbox, full of, well sand. Maybe they add a cheap plastic bucket, or some additional "tools" to use in the sand. Or building a themepark?

    Most companies just put a park full of sand. They think that is the easy route since they are on a budget and indie. 

    One company I can think of (CCP with EVE Online) put a park full of sand, but added tons of stuff to do in that park. There is a TON of PVE content, but tons of PvP content. You can mine, do missions, build on planets, make space stations, craft, trade...all kinds of things

    Then a game (since people wanted examples) like Saga of Ryzom. Grind grind grind. harvesting is grinding. Crafting is grinding. All grind. There is very little to do in Ryzom except grind. Harvesting can be considered content, and it IS really indepth in Ryzom. But literally I can think of only two things to do in Ryzom "Kill or craft". Ryzom, even the housing system they have is incredibly basic. Can't even decorate your house. Its INSTANCED housing as well to boot.

    That is my experience with many sandbox games, except Ryzom is PVE focused and all the other sandbox games are PvP only. With EVE having a huge amount of content for both PVE and PvP. Tons to do in EVE.

    If I was developing a game. Making a game world, putting in no content and some cheap to make tools, and saying its an open world deathmatch PvP full loot game would be vastly easier, and much cheaper, than something like EVE or WoW. Ryzom being PVE focused (the ONLY PvE exception to a sandbox), but still the content is pretty mundane, very little and very grindy. Ryzom has an amazing world and all, but that isn't really enough to enjoy the game.

    What I WOULD do though if I wanted to make an amazing sandbox game, is something like EVE. EVE wasn't cheap to make to get where it is though. But it has as much content as WoW does, maybe more, different type of content, but still just as much/more. Very very rare in a sandbox MMO.
    Post edited by TheScavenger on

    My Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starbound and WoW + other game mods at MODDB: 

    https://www.moddb.com/mods/skyrim-anime-overhaul



  • SEANMCADSEANMCAD Member EpicPosts: 16,775
    I will say again when people are bored of an activity they look to do a different activity. Not a different version of the same activity.

    ...
    what you dont understand is that there are players (like myself) who get bored with endless dungeon running and actualy ENJOY and NEVER GET BOARD with crafting.

    That does NOT mean you have to like it, you just REFUSE to accept the fact that some people play different from you. You think every single person living wants to play games exactly as you do and that is silly

    Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.

    Please do not respond to me

  • SEANMCADSEANMCAD Member EpicPosts: 16,775
    Your is worse. Even if we use your reasoning eq2 still had more. 


    you very literally think the crafting in The Division and crafting in Wurm are both a count of 1 in 'content'

    you think crafting a saw is of the same intrest in content as crafting a boat.

    I cant take that seriously

    Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.

    Please do not respond to me

  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441
    SEANMCAD said:
    what you dont understand is that there are players (like myself) who get bored with endless dungeon running and actualy ENJOY and NEVER GET BOARD with crafting.

    That does NOT mean you have to like it, you just REFUSE to accept the fact that some people play different from you. You think every single person living wants to play games exactly as you do and that is silly
    I do agree that crafting can be fun but it can also be the most boring thing in a MMO. Like when EQ2 forced me to craft 100 tin swords so I could be able to craft 100 tin greatswords and so on... It didn't help that there were a kind of simple repetitive minigame either.

    Crafting loads of useless stuff is incredible boring. Designing cool stuff is another matter, that is fun. Only good point in APB for example.

    But I think most MMOs focus on the wrong thing with crafting, gathering loads of crap materials and crafting many similar items you really don't need is not as fun as it should be. 

    Puzzling out which and get some rare components for the right buffs, putting together a cool skin and having your name in rune on the epic thing you craft is fun.

    There is no need to craft vendortrash, skip all crafting that isn't useful. Focus on letting players craft quality items (well, unless they make consumables) that a player of the right level/power actually get happy to get.

    And it is more fun to find and add a rare ruby then to skin 100 animals for leather, there is no need to use so much mats, just make them a bit more work to get instead.

    The whole leveling up your crafting skill isn't so great either, I get that it is a timesink but I rather have more useful ways then it usually is. For instance crafting a good item and then giving it to a player of the right level as a gift would be a way more fun way to rise the crafting skill then just grinding. Yeah, I am suggesting that you could use "quests" to gain crafting levels instead of just grind.
  • SEANMCADSEANMCAD Member EpicPosts: 16,775
    edited November 2016
    Loke666 said:
    SEANMCAD said:
    what you dont understand is that there are players (like myself) who get bored with endless dungeon running and actualy ENJOY and NEVER GET BOARD with crafting.

    That does NOT mean you have to like it, you just REFUSE to accept the fact that some people play different from you. You think every single person living wants to play games exactly as you do and that is silly
    I do agree that crafting can be fun but it can also be the most boring thing in a MMO. ....
    1. crafting in EQ2 is horrible compared to crafting in something like Wurm Online or Xyson
    2. the people who want to discount, discredit and basically feel an entire crafting engine is just one count of 'content' basically have no experience other than the AAA crappy version of what they call 'crafting'
    3. People are not able to consider that content that they themselves do not like as content even thought other people might.
    4. People who are not aware of the RADICAL difference in crafting systems in games like Xyson and Wurm really should not be speaking on behalf of sandbox games to be completely blunt.
    4. as someone who actually ENJOYS crafting in systems that are actually good about crafting I think your suggestion is terrible. However, if it makes other gamers happy then fine have at it. but not having it so that it appeases to your game style does not make the the entire genre 'lack of content'

    Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.

    Please do not respond to me

  • BarbieBoyBarbieBoy Member UncommonPosts: 85
    You don't know anything about "sandbox" games if you think it is "an excuse to make a low budget mmo".

    Ultima Online is a sandbox MMORPG.
    Dark Age of Camelot is a sandbox MMORPG.
    Tabula Rasa is a sandbox MMO3PSRPG.
    ArcheAge is a sandbox MMORPG.
    Second Life is a sandbox MMO, though it is considered more as a "Virtual World".
    Similar to Second Life is Entropia Universe (was formerly known as "Project Entropia")

    We can continue listing MMORPG and even some MMOFPS that are sandbox MMOs which were developed by rich game developer companies and were budgeted with millions of US dollars.

    The reason why it appears that sandbox MMOs are being developed for low-budget is because backers or funders are now weary of sandbox MMOs, all thanks to World of Warcraft and Guild Wars/Guild Wars 2, two most popular themepark MMOs for the past 10 years. These two franchises almost killed the sandbox MMO genre.

    Second, sandbox MMOs are only for role-players. If you are not a role-player, you will never like it, in fact, you will hate it. It will be too complicated for you. Or you'll find people there too serious for your taste.

    Third, many so-called sandbox MMOs that were recently developed or are currently under development, are not even 50% sandbox. Or they implemented it wrongly. Or they relied too much on user-generated content that they forgot to balance it for today's generation.

    Today's market is dominated by themepark players. Gone are the days of sandbox MMOs. The investors know this, so it is hard for even people like Richard Garriott to get serious funding. And if they do get one and their product becomes very successful, some big company like Evil Arts, will buy them so they can make it worse.


  • SEANMCADSEANMCAD Member EpicPosts: 16,775
    BarbieBoy said:
    You don't know anything about "sandbox" games if you think it is "an excuse to make a low budget mmo".

    Ultima Online is a sandbox MMORPG.
    Dark Age of Camelot is a sandbox MMORPG.
    Tabula Rasa is a sandbox MMO3PSRPG.
    ArcheAge is a sandbox MMORPG.
    Second Life is a sandbox MMO, though it is considered more as a "Virtual World".
    Similar to Second Life is Entropia Universe (was formerly known as "Project Entropia")

    We can continue listing MMORPG and even some MMOFPS that are sandbox MMOs which were developed by rich game developer companies and were budgeted with millions of US dollars.

    The reason why it appears that sandbox MMOs are being developed for low-budget is because backers or funders are now weary of sandbox MMOs, all thanks to World of Warcraft and Guild Wars/Guild Wars 2, two most popular themepark MMOs for the past 10 years. These two franchises almost killed the sandbox MMO genre.

    Second, sandbox MMOs are only for role-players. If you are not a role-player, you will never like it, in fact, you will hate it. It will be too complicated for you. Or you'll find people there too serious for your taste.

    Third, many so-called sandbox MMOs that were recently developed or are currently under development, are not even 50% sandbox. Or they implemented it wrongly. Or they relied too much on user-generated content that they forgot to balance it for today's generation.

    Today's market is dominated by themepark players. Gone are the days of sandbox MMOs. The investors know this, so it is hard for even people like Richard Garriott to get serious funding. And if they do get one and their product becomes very successful, some big company like Evil Arts, will buy them so they can make it worse.


    I think its very simply because the large companies do not want to do the work. 

    They want to make the simplist game they can get away with as long as they can convince people via marketing that its the shit. Then people just fall into a ton of assumptions about sandbox of which the vast majority are just flat out unadulterated lies 

    Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.

    Please do not respond to me

  • VengeSunsoarVengeSunsoar Member EpicPosts: 6,601
    edited November 2016
    SEANMCAD said:
    I will say again when people are bored of an activity they look to do a different activity. Not a different version of the same activity.

    ...
    what you dont understand is that there are players (like myself) who get bored with endless dungeon running and actualy ENJOY and NEVER GET BOARD with crafting.

    That does NOT mean you have to like it, you just REFUSE to accept the fact that some people play different from you. You think every single person living wants to play games exactly as you do and that is silly



    Once again an unsupported assumption. I never stated or implied anything of the sort. I completely understand that people don't like dungeon running and never implied otherwise. I also never implied that some people don't like endless crafting. Those are examples of preferences we are not looking at preferences. You stated and I agree with don't ignore things you don't like. So I am telling you don't ignore things you don't like crafting is content but 10000 bits of crafting are not in this context just like ten thousand different dungeons are not different content it is the same activity. Once again personal enjoyment does not factor into this equation I am just guessing content not whether we enjoy it or not.

    You don't enjoy endless dungeon running, or endless question, or Battlegrounds.... However if you want to consider all crafting items as content then you must consider all class and all Dungeons and all Battlegrounds and everything of that site as separate content as well. Everquest 2  absolutely destroys wurm on content using your criteria.

    Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is bad.
  • SEANMCADSEANMCAD Member EpicPosts: 16,775
    SEANMCAD said:
    I will say again when people are bored of an activity they look to do a different activity. Not a different version of the same activity.

    ...
    what you dont understand is that there are players (like myself) who get bored with endless dungeon running and actualy ENJOY and NEVER GET BOARD with crafting.

    That does NOT mean you have to like it, you just REFUSE to accept the fact that some people play different from you. You think every single person living wants to play games exactly as you do and that is silly



    Once again an unsupported assumption. I never stated or implied anything of the sort. I completely understand that people don't like dungeon running and never implied otherwise. I also never implied that some people don't like endless crafting. Those are examples of preferences we are not looking at preferences. You stated and I agree with don't ignore things you don't like. So I am telling you don't ignore things you don't like crafting is content but 10000 bits of crafting are not in this context just like ten thousand different dungeons are not different content it is the same activity. Once again personal enjoyment does not factor into this equation I am just guessing content not whether we enjoy it or not.

    you more than 'implied' you pretty much explicitly stated it.

    did you forget? 'crafting that is one'


    Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.

    Please do not respond to me

  • garrettgarrett MMORPG.COM Staff UncommonPosts: 284
    Sandbox MMOs are a style. Survival games have proven to be successful in sandboxes, hence the rise of more sandbox MMOs. The main issue with any themepark MMO is once you leave a zone which took hours to create...you never go back. It is a waste of resources
     :p 
  • VengeSunsoarVengeSunsoar Member EpicPosts: 6,601
    edited November 2016
    Nope i didn't assume anything. That is an assumption you made.  i competely understand some  like endless crafting and some  don't. I also understand dime like just pvp or quests or dungeons.  Do you? what peoplelike had no bearing on this. We are taking about varied activity, variety of content

    I also made the same argument for quests and dungeons and battlegrounds and  pvp... 

    Using your argument if looking at each item as  seperate content you have to treat other content the same anf cannot ignore it simply because you don't like it.   You cannot ignore that there are thousands upon thousands of quests. And dozens dungeons. You cannot ignore tens of thousands of crafting items just because you dint think they are good enough. 
    These are examples out your bias and ignoring things you don't like. 

    We are not talking about what we like  or don't like. We are talking about why people say many sandbox games lack content. 
    Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is bad.
  • SEANMCADSEANMCAD Member EpicPosts: 16,775
    Nope i didn't. That is an assumption you made....
    no you literally said 'that...is...a...count...of...one'

    I can go find it but that is pretty much word for word what you said in reference to crafting.

    Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.

    Please do not respond to me

  • SEANMCADSEANMCAD Member EpicPosts: 16,775
    1000 different skills is not 1000 bits of content.  All those skills are used in the content. 

    So far you have crafting. 
    this right here

    Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.

    Please do not respond to me

  • VengeSunsoarVengeSunsoar Member EpicPosts: 6,601
    edited November 2016
    Yes.  I said i didn't make an assumption. I am well aware of individual likes and dislikes. 
    Lumping similar activities together as  one activity is not an assumption of preferencesy. I did that with all similar activities. 

    Not 10000 Craft items.  Crafting.  Not 10000 quests.  Questing. 

    I am ignoring nothing.  You are ignoring a great deal. 

    Look at them individually eq2 has far far  more . lump all similar activities together eq2 has only a few more but still more. 
    Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is bad.
  • SEANMCADSEANMCAD Member EpicPosts: 16,775
    edited November 2016
    Yes.  I said i didn't make an assumption. I am well aware of individual likes and dislikes. 
    Lumping similar activities together as  one activity is not an assumption of preferencesy. I did that with all similar activities. 

    Not 10000 Craft items.  Crafting.  Not 10000 quests.  Questing. 

    I am ignoring nothing.  You are ignoring a great deal. 
    like I said, you explicitly consider the the crafting of Wurm (its entire engine) to be the same count as The Division.

    That is a deal breaker for me, the rest of it I very honestly dont care until this statement is resolved. my position will remain unchained otherwise...peroid. and I might add its also what i assumed people were thinking from the very start

    Please do not respond to me, even if I ask you a question, its rhetorical.

    Please do not respond to me

  • VengeSunsoarVengeSunsoar Member EpicPosts: 6,601
    edited November 2016
    I consider crafting to be one activity without significant variation on what you are doing from one task to the next. As i do with horizons as i do with eve and  eq2, all similar activities are consider one activity. That is not an assumption about people's  preferences .

    All similar activities are counted as  one activity because there is not significant variation on what you are doing from one task to the next in that activity. 

    Whether you agree or not is irrelevant. My way  of organizing activities means wurm has less. Your way of looking at each thing as seperate means wurm has far far far less. 

    That is why they are called lacking in content. When people  are tired of one activity they dint want to do another tall that is essentially the same activity. They want to simmering didn't and they typically dont find it.it doesn't matter what activity you are taking about be it quests craft findings. .. They want something different from what they were doing. 
    Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is bad.
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