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Most Complete List of Sandbox MMO's?
SandboxerX
Member Posts: 14
Hi, I'm working on create a complete list of Sandbox MMO's.
I've googled sandbox MMO's and I haven't found many lists of pure sandbox MMO's.
I believe what I have right now is the most complete list of sandbox MMO's on the internet.
http://sandboxer.org/?page_id=343
Sorry for this bad copy pasting.
ArcheAge Fantasy XLGAMES Closed Beta Subscription
Darkfall Online Fantasy Adventurine Live Subscription
DawnTide Fantasy Working as Intended Open Beta
EarthRise Sci-Fi Post Apocalyptic Masthead Studios Live
Embers of Caerus Fantasy Forsaken Studios Alpha
Eve Online Sci-Fi CCP Games Live Subscription
Heaven and Hearth Fantasy Fredrik Tolf and Björn Johannessen Beta
Infinity Universe Sci-Fi Inovae Studios Alpha
Islands of War Fantasy Neojac Entertainment Open Beta
Life is Feudal Fantasy Alpha
Mortal Online Fantasy StarVault LIve Subscription
Origins of Malu Sci-Fi Burning Dog Media Alpha
Entropia Universe Sci-Fi Mind Ark Live Micro Transactions
Salem Colonial Paradox Interactive Closed Beta Free to Play
The Repopulation Sci-Fi Post Apocalyptic Above and Beyond Technologies Alpha
Second Life Modern Day Fantasy Linden Lab Live Micro Transactions
Shores of Hazeron Sci-Fi Software Engineering, Inc. Open Beta
StarWars Galaxies Sci-Fi Sony Online Entertainment Closed Subscription
World of Wizards Fantasy Smash Potato Alpha (possibly vaporware)
Wurm Online Fantasy Code Club Live Free to Play
Xsyon Sci-Fi Post Apocalyptic Notorious Games Live Subscription
Ultima Online Fantasy Electronic Arts Live Subscription
Am I missing any sandbox MMO's?
Do you think some games on this list are not real "sandbox" MMO's?
Themepark MMOers need not bother posting. Thankyou.
Comments
Everquest, Everquest 2 to a lesser extent. Asherons call, DAOC, Anarchy Online, I belive Ryzom is one aswell I cant confirm since I only played for a few hours.
That has exactly none of the sandbox games that I've liked:
A Tale in the Desert
Puzzle Pirates
Uncharted Waters Online
So I'd say it's woefully incomplete. Also, in addition to being a sandbox game, ATITD has vast quantities of sand. Because it's a desert.
Cool man. I am looking forward to trying Archeage, I wish I knew when it was going to become available in NA.
Play as your fav retro characters: cnd-online.net. My site: www.lysle.net. Blog: creatingaworld.blogspot.com.
Also a few Asian sandbox MMO as well, actually many you forgot.
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
If you are going to ask for help, you should put time into making a readable list first. Your copy and pasted list burns my eyes.
I would add Ryzom, Fallen Earth, and Mabinogi to the list, along with the others already posted.
Don't forget Final Fantasy XI...
In recernt years there has been a bit of themepark elements added, but its still a massive world of pretty much go anywhere do what ya want in whatever order with an open job/class system!
And to a lesser degree, Final Fantasy XIV could also be considered one, but it has a ton more linear direction...
I don´t believe ArcheAge is a sandbox.
ArcheAge is a themepark with Faction PvP and maybe solid crafting and housing. Though it appears to be some one-click-event IMO.
*likes Quizzicals posts*
IMO it is a sandbox because of the player cities... Sandbox is a pretty vague term though, thats why I suggest to OP that 2-3 sentences description be given for each of the games.
Click his link, dood.
Play as your fav retro characters: cnd-online.net. My site: www.lysle.net. Blog: creatingaworld.blogspot.com.
In a loose sense of the term I'm fairly sure Ryzom would fit.
Very cool to see The Repopulation getting exposure. Everything I've seen from them indicates a great game is coming.
Sorry Jimmac. I'm new to these forums so I had some trouble copy pasting, however if you click the link I'm sure you'll find a "readable" list of sandbox MMO's.No I will not add Everquest or Everquest 2.
I will add A tale in the Desert.
I'll have to do some research into the other games before I add them to the list.
It was a good idea to add a column that briefly describes the game in a couple sentences. I'll probably add that in the future.
Does anyone know of any sandbox MMO's currently in beta that's not on this list?
Some people consider Runescape a sandbox, although I personally don't. A couple other ones to check out that you might consider sandboxes are Tibia, Starquest Online, and maybe Vendetta Online.
Istaria should definitely be on the list, as should A Tale in the Desert (as someone else mentioned), Ryzom, maybe a few others I'm missing. Your list looks pretty complete absent these.
UPDATE:
I'm not saying all these are sandboxes, but here are a few other games you might consider a sandbox: Glitch, Aerrevan, Terraria, Minecraft, and Uncharted Waters Online.
You forgot Istaria.
Venge
A few descriptions added in.
Sorry for this bad copy pasting.
ArcheAge Fantasy XLGAMES Closed Beta Subscription
Darkfall Online Fantasy Adventurine Live Subscription
DawnTide Fantasy Working as Intended Open Beta
EarthRise Sci-Fi Post Apocalyptic Masthead Studios Live
Embers of Caerus Fantasy Forsaken Studios Alpha
Multilayered guild system. Magic is rare and spellcasters are outcast. Territory control with player made laws. A bit ambitious but the devs did say that they'd rather the core of the game worked than have a broken game with interesting fluf mechanics.
Eve Online Sci-Fi CCP Games Live Subscription
Heaven and Hearth Fantasy Fredrik Tolf and Björn Johannessen Beta
Infinity Universe Sci-Fi Inovae Studios Alpha
Ship based. Universe generation similar to minecraft. two hundred billion to four hundred billion stars. No skill system, progression based on money. There will be safe zones similar to eve.
Islands of War Fantasy Neojac Entertainment Open Beta
Life is Feudal Fantasy Alpha
Mediaval non fantasy [like mount and blade], terraformation system similar to minecraft allowing moats and mines instead of nodes. Territory control based on a feudal structure. forums are a bit dead but the videos are something to check out.
Mortal Online Fantasy StarVault LIve Subscription
Origins of Malu Sci-Fi Burning Dog Media Alpha
Entropia Universe Sci-Fi Mind Ark Live Micro Transactions
Salem Colonial Paradox Interactive Closed Beta Free to Play
The Repopulation Sci-Fi Post Apocalyptic Above and Beyond Technologies Alpha
Second Life Modern Day Fantasy Linden Lab Live Micro Transactions
Shores of Hazeron Sci-Fi Software Engineering, Inc. Open Beta
StarWars Galaxies Sci-Fi Sony Online Entertainment Closed Subscription
World of Wizards Fantasy Smash Potato Alpha (possibly vaporware)
Wurm Online Fantasy Code Club Live Free to Play
Xsyon Sci-Fi Post Apocalyptic Notorious Games Live Subscription
Ultima Online Fantasy Electronic Arts Live Subscription
My understanding of sandbox is that you can go off and do your own thing. Free to explore the world at your leisure and gain experience no matter where you are: eg: UO, Eve, Ryzom (I think)
So my understanding may be wrong so please enlighten me
But, looking at your list I would add Vanguard at least.
Why is it that whenever someone asks for sandbox games, people jump in to list mostly theme park games, with a slight bit of sandbox elements? For example, EverQuest II and Vanguard have shown up on this thread. Those aren't 100% pure theme park, but they're pretty close to it.
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Uncharted Waters Online is a weird game. The only games at all similar are the old Uncharted Waters console games that the game is based on. If you want to read up on it, try this thread:
http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/555/view/forums/thread/332238/Well-this-is-different-a-review.html
That will at least give you some idea of what is out there.
As for saying it's a sandbox game, there are a bunch of different activities that you can do. You don't actually have to do any particular activities. And there mostly isn't an implied order, except within a given activity. I spend the bulk of my time going out and making adventuring discoveries. Some people who are much higher level than me don't even have the skills required to make adventuring discoveries. Some are mostly traders, buying goods in one port and selling in another for more. Some spend a lot of their time crafting, which I don't do at all.
Parts of the world are gated off initially, to keep newer players out of areas that they'll get killed. But it doesn't take that long to get access to everything; I had all of the port permits before any of my levels hit 30 (as compared to a cap of 65). And once you do have access to everything, you still go everywhere in the world, including the starting areas. It's not at all like games where, at level 50, you go fight in level 50 areas. There are very few NPC ships above level 35--and remember, that's as compared to a level cap of 65.
UWO is the sort of game that you could play for a few months, and still be completely ignorant of the existence of major game mechanics that some other players will participate heavily in within their first few weeks--and not because they play more hours per day than you. So it's actually very hard to get a good handle on what all there is to do and how it fits together.
Then again, A Tale in the Desert is like that, too, and you apparently understand enough of that to list it as a sandbox game.
I would qualify sandbox as non level based or class based games.
Meaning you choose your character and make it whatever you want by playing rather than selecting a class and then filling in the blanks.
Seen a lot of suggestions for themeparks with one sliver of sandbox. Perhaps rewording to Raw Sandbox would make things clear.
Things like player housing does not make the game sandbox. SWG isnt a sandbox, it was at one time, but is no longer, im sure someone will tell you what happend it was like the biggest game wrecking event in mmorpg history ect.
Anyway the point of a sandbox should be that its hard to classify...its whatever the player makes it. This is a reason in a lot of sandbox you see the number one complaint of "theres nothing to do but grind" simply because most are trained to leave theri imagination and self reasoning for doing stuff at the door and are use to a linear quest system telling them why they are playing.
Once you get into a solid FFA Full Loot Sandbox, and learn the enjoy the high risk PVE in it, theres no turning back to the themepark questgrind/gear grind/instanced pvp for points system...
Addition to the list : Perpetuum .....its an indy EvE with land based mechs rather than spaceships
good game to get into if you want an EvE with more involved combat and without being several years behind 100k+ people.
I don't think there is ever going to be one good definition of "sandbox mmo" that includes most games people think of as sandboxes and excludes most games people think of as non sandboxes. In other words, I don't think there will ever be any kind of good definition for what is or isn't a sandbox game. It can just vary too much. Two games that are comletely different can both be considered sandboxes.
My point then is that each person just needs to decide for themselves whether a game is a sandbox. That's why I listed games that I don't consider to be a sandbox, but that the OP might. This is the OP's list we're helping with.
I notice that EQ 1, EQ2 and Vanguard are not on the list.
Never trust a screenshot or a youtube video without a version stamp!
They're not on the original poster's list, but they did show up in replies to the thread of people suggesting games to add. And they're very much theme park games, not sandbox, which is why they shouldn't have.
I'd include Dominus on that list; http://www.dominusthegame.com/
I just wanted to point out to never put any of the above games in the list (except I dunno about Ryzom). All these games are perfect examples of the opposite of sandbox so its actually pretty damn hilarious that anyone would even suggest them.
When ppl speak of sandboxes, I always miss Lineage II in the list. Though not a fullblood sandbox, it's no real themepark either. Most of all, the political system (castle sieges, territory wars) are the real sandbox features there. Also char progression is semi-sandbox since you can take 3 extra subclasses (thugh heavily limites with GOddess of Destruction).
Secret World is a themepark, not even close to a sandbox
Pretty much, yes. You aren't tied to one starter area, then have to move to the next, then the next, then the next, like almost all Asian grinders. A game that let's you choose different starter areas doesn't make it a sandbox though.
In a sandbox game you can wander off and explore the world, and the game may or may not have quests. Having quests doesn't preclude the game from being a sandbox game like many like to think.
A sandbox does NOT require FFA PVP with full loot. That's a HUGE misconception of what a sandbox is. Game designers still argue about this one, as well as the players.
Sandbox games usually have no zoning, with a fully explorable world.. in other words, no instances. Everyone is in the same player space, but they could also be in a dungeon, but that dungeon is not an instance. Anyone can enter it.
Sandbox games usually have a great deal of crafting as well, as well as many skills you can build on. A sandbox can be level based, or skill based.
In general, you do whatever you feel like doing in a sandbox. You don't have to follow a set path that the game designers have constrained for you.