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Poll - I dont play sandboxes because....

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Comments

  • AutemOxAutemOx Member Posts: 1,704
    I play minecraft it is the closest thing to a quality sandbox mmorpg I have so far found.  Waiting for Archeage.

    Play as your fav retro characters: cnd-online.net. My site: www.lysle.net. Blog: creatingaworld.blogspot.com.

  • Heinz130Heinz130 Member Posts: 227

    Originally posted by gostly

    I was curious to see the poll results so I voted "Other reason"...

    I've gotten to a point in playing MMORPG's that I only look for sandboxes now. But this isn't a "I dont play themeparks because..." thread so I'll leave it at that.

    Word

    Im with you man,btw im curious on how many mmo newbie players are out there,but i refuse to vote lol...tell me how many they are?

    WoW 4ys,EVE 4ys,EU 4ys
    FH1942 best tanker for 4years
    Playing WWII OL for some years untill now
    many other for some months

  • sunrunnersunrunner Member UncommonPosts: 8

    Voted:  "Other Reasons".

     

    My reasons?


    • Sandbox MMO tend to be focused on PvP to the exclusion of PvE.

    • The community tends to suck.

    • The graphics tend to suck.  The gameplay tends to suck.  The interface tends to suck.

    • Bugs like woah.

    • Tend to have a (very) small playerbase, if they have a playerbase at all.
  • TROLL_HARDTROLL_HARD Member Posts: 312

    Other reasons:

     

    Although sandboxes are my favorite type of mmorpg, they simply take up too much time for me now. 

    Related to this, since I cannot commit time, I cannot really participate in a guild or clan. Most sandboxes tend to be better for clanned and guilded players. 

  • UsulDaNeriakUsulDaNeriak Member Posts: 640

    Originally posted by Boardwalker

    I only play one sandbox, EVE. To me, it's the best MMO out there, and not just because it's a sandbox. And to everyone who says EVE is  a "gankfest", it's not--I've been ganked a total of 2 times in 6 years, which is way less than in most other games I've played.

    The division of hi-sec, lo-sec, and null sec is a great approach to way to divide those who don't want to pvp regularly from those who do, without totally removing an element of danger necessary in such a free-form game.

    this is the first key-succes-factor for a sandbox. you have to divide the world into huge areas for PVE only and full PvP. if not, most people wont play it.  your game will become deserted and your PvP guilds will not get enough recruits. you would be astonished, how many people finally try and play PvP even if they started the game just in order to play the PVE-content in their huge safe-zones.

    the second key succes-factor is quality & functionality. the feature-list of these indygames are looking great. but most of it will never be implemented or is buggy as hell. EVE started with much less features than today and of course it had bugs. but overall it was sufficient to stay in game and have fun. from this point EVE growed steadily.

    so the road to success for an AAA-sandbox is clear. unfortunately no company had tried to do it in the last decade. well, you could count EVE as AAA in the menawhile, even if it did not start as one.

    this opinion fits very well to the result of the poll above.

    played: Everquest I (6 years), EVE (3 years)
    months: EQII, Vanguard, Siedler Online, SWTOR, Guild Wars 2
    weeks: WoW, Shaiya, Darkfall, Florensia, Entropia, Aion, Lotro, Fallen Earth, Uncharted Waters
    days: DDO, RoM, FFXIV, STO, Atlantica, PotBS, Maestia, WAR, AoC, Gods&Heroes, Cultures, RIFT, Forsaken World, Allodds

  • MMOExposedMMOExposed Member RarePosts: 7,387

    Originally posted by Decadentia

    Originally posted by Llars

    Originally posted by Decadentia

    Originally posted by Llars

    Other - Ganking and griefing.  It's not so much that that's what these games are all about.  I actually love the concept.*  Unfortunately, however, the sandbox games seem to attract griefers like a magnet... 

     

    *There was a game that came out in like 2003 and it's not on the game list here which is surprising... it was pretty well known at the time. It was textbook sandbox (if they made textbooks about that sort of thing :p).  It promised player-made cities and sieges (that it eventually delivered) and the whole 9. Anyone remember that one?  It came out and was the buggiest game ever.  Practically unplayable.  It was famous for being one of the biggest crash and burn scearios for a while...

    Sounds like you are describing Dark & Light, but that was 2006, so unsure.

    Edit: Nm, it's actually on the list ;)

    Dark and Light took the crown afterwards lol   I was really excited about that one too.  Hang-gliding?!?  Sign me up!   :-/

    Funny, I'm drooling over Archeage...and the thought of hand-gliding in it gives me nightmares due to D&L.

    No people. He/She is talking about AC2!!! But later AC3 became LoTRO. 

    Philosophy of MMO Game Design

  • DeolusDeolus Member UncommonPosts: 392

    I love the idea of sandbox games and if ever a decent quality one was to appear (I'm watching Archeage) I would jump at the chance to play it.

    I played EVE twice, the first time was in its infancy. I didn't really have a clue how to play or what to do but if I'd stuck with it then I would have probably still been playing it now. The second time I played I mostly did missions and was disappointed that I really couldn't attempt some of the more interesting parts of the game like wormholes basically because I was way behind in skills. I don't understand why they can't / won't bring out a new server with everyone on zero points.

    Was also looking at ATitD but I don't think there is a trial and it's subscription based so that put me off.

    My main concern though is that you can spend hrs and hrs achieving a goal only to lose it in the blink of an eye. For me that is not fun.

  • BartDaCatBartDaCat Member UncommonPosts: 813

    I love sandbox games, but the best ones are either; extinct, low population, or run by EA.

    Looking forward to something the sandbox fans can migrate to that will hopefully allow for a thriving community.

  • gostlygostly Member UncommonPosts: 134

    So basically out of the 100+ votes so far, most people don't like that indie developers make sandboxes because quality suffers and people don't like the FFA full-loot PvP.

    Unfortunately it's unlikely that a big company will create a sandbox because the target audience is not as big as the casual/solo-friendly crowd. That's the reason indie developers are the only ones willing to risk thinking outside the box when it comes to MMORPG's these days. I believe SOE is the only big company that created a sandbox with success (and then totally ruined it just like they seem to do with everything).

    CCP started out as a small "indie" developer and grew because of the consistent forward progress that they made, EVE Online is the only MMO sandbox that continues to grow as time goes on (that I'm aware of). I think bugs kill a lot of the fun for sandbox games for people, but some people learn to live with the bugs (hence why most sandboxes have low pops but loyal playerbases).

    I guess I'm trying to say I understand and if you missed the initial MMORPG's of the genre then you most likely missed the boat for good sandbox games. Although for those of us that played some of the original MMO's, we desperately seek a game with social interaction; whether it's pvp or putting trust in other players by trading at the risk of losing your stuff. Simply put, a lot of sandboxes will not be for the new generation of MMO gamers since they rely heavily on game mechanics to make them feel safe and secure.

    Free-for-All PvP speaks to a very specific crowd. If you get your kicks from doing bad things and being known for those things then this is you. If you don't like having to constantly look around in-game just to make sure no one is following you or about to attack you then this type of system is not for you(obviously).

    The thing I enjoy about this system that is in most sandbox games is the fear of being attacked at any time and doing the same to someone else. It also gives you a sense of feeling that you don't wanna be alone when you're wandering around in the world, so being in a guild or having friends to roll with in game means the players create their own safety. When you go out by yourself, you know the risks so generally you wouldn't take anything you don't wanna lose.

    Honestly, I could do without the full loot aspect of FFA PvP but it's not a deal breaker for me like it is with most people. I'm actually surprised in every game I have played that PvP is just something most people don't even wanna participate in. It baffles me that so many people are so non-competitive natured.

    All-in-all I understand that sandboxes will most likely never be something the masses want to play and I'm okay with that. But like other people I do hope that a decent sized developer will create a new sandbox that is practically bug free with original ideas whilst giving players plenty of freedom.

  • LlarsLlars Member UncommonPosts: 40

    Originally posted by MMOExposed

    Originally posted by Decadentia

    Originally posted by Llars

    Originally posted by Decadentia

    Originally posted by Llars

    Other - Ganking and griefing.  It's not so much that that's what these games are all about.  I actually love the concept.*  Unfortunately, however, the sandbox games seem to attract griefers like a magnet... 

     

    *There was a game that came out in like 2003 and it's not on the game list here which is surprising... it was pretty well known at the time. It was textbook sandbox (if they made textbooks about that sort of thing :p).  It promised player-made cities and sieges (that it eventually delivered) and the whole 9. Anyone remember that one?  It came out and was the buggiest game ever.  Practically unplayable.  It was famous for being one of the biggest crash and burn scearios for a while...

    Sounds like you are describing Dark & Light, but that was 2006, so unsure.

    Edit: Nm, it's actually on the list ;)

    Dark and Light took the crown afterwards lol   I was really excited about that one too.  Hang-gliding?!?  Sign me up!   :-/

    Funny, I'm drooling over Archeage...and the thought of hand-gliding in it gives me nightmares due to D&L.

    No people. He/She is talking about AC2!!! But later AC3 became LoTRO. 

    I got it... t was Shadowbane!!  How's that not on the list??

    image
    SoW and Invis please! :)

  • DrakxiiDrakxii Member Posts: 594
    I just don't like FFA PvP.   Don't get me wrong I love good pvp in a sandbox but it needs to be a system like EvE's or SWG's.

    I will not play a game with a cash shop ever again. A dev job should be to make the game better not make me pay so it sucks less.

  • TranquillitiTranquilliti Member Posts: 29

    Why don't I play sandboxes? Because all the current ones out are terrible. The current sandbox games are so bad they may of even left a permanent dent in the sandbox industry, I wonder how many played mortal online and said "wow this is rubbish, I am never playing a 'sandbox' game ever again".  It's quite sad really, because the genre has so much potential especially in these dark times of wow clones yet absolutely NOBODY is there to claim the glory.  

    By the way, this statement dosn't include EVE, I am talking as in a full loot free roam medievil game rather then a space ship manager game. 

  • WhiteLanternWhiteLantern Member RarePosts: 3,306
    I vote options 2, 3, 4, and 5.

    I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil

  • CheriseCherise Member Posts: 232
    Because since SWG they've all been open PvP.  If ever someone offered a PvE sandbox with or without optional PvP, I'd be there.
  • simmihisimmihi Member UncommonPosts: 709

    I dont play sandboxes because... well, what's this trend with "sandboxes" lately? I only know a few games which seem to meet the "requirements" to qualify as a "sandbox", whichever those "requirements" are. Tried EvE, 3 times, didnt like it, as much as i wanted to get into it. If forced to make a list of 10 decent "sandboxes" launched in the last 5 years, i would definitely struggle (altho i would really really appreciate if someone makes such a list for me here). Open my eyes, enlighten me, i really want to expand my gaming experience.

  • CaldrinCaldrin Member UncommonPosts: 4,505

    You need to put another option..

     

    *I play sandboxes show me the results..

    I mainly play sandbox games as they are 20x  better than the same old same old theme park games..

    Only themepark im planning on playing this year is TSW.. but i may pick up GW2 when it gets cheaper.

  • LarsaLarsa Member Posts: 990

    Originally posted by simmihi

    I dont play sandboxes because... well, what's this trend with "sandboxes" lately? I only know a few games which seem to meet the "requirements" to qualify as a "sandbox", whichever those "requirements" are. Tried EvE, 3 times, didnt like it, as much as i wanted to get into it. If forced to make a list of 10 decent "sandboxes" launched in the last 5 years, i would definitely struggle (altho i would really really appreciate if someone makes such a list for me here). Open my eyes, enlighten me, i really want to expand my gaming experience.

    The list of decent sandboxes launched in the last 5 years would be empty. :)

    Here's a list of what most people would call sandboxy games launched in the last 10 years (in alphabetical order): A Tale in the Desert, Darkfall, EvE, Haven & Hearth, Istaria (I'm unsure whether it counts, didn't play it), Mortal Online, Ryzom, SWG, Xsyon

    Anything I've forgotten or don't know about? (And please, GW2 fans, don't come in here to claim GW2 is a sandbox.)

    [Edit: added A Tale in the Desert to the list. I had forgotten to include it although I've played it. Thanks to simmihi for reminding me.]

    I maintain this List of Sandbox MMORPGs. Please post or send PM for corrections and suggestions.

  • simmihisimmihi Member UncommonPosts: 709

    Originally posted by Larsa

    Originally posted by simmihi

    I dont play sandboxes because... well, what's this trend with "sandboxes" lately? I only know a few games which seem to meet the "requirements" to qualify as a "sandbox", whichever those "requirements" are. Tried EvE, 3 times, didnt like it, as much as i wanted to get into it. If forced to make a list of 10 decent "sandboxes" launched in the last 5 years, i would definitely struggle (altho i would really really appreciate if someone makes such a list for me here). Open my eyes, enlighten me, i really want to expand my gaming experience.

    The list of decent sandboxes launched in the last 5 years would be empty. :)

    Here's a list of what most people would call sandboxy games launched in the last 10 years (in alphabetical order): Darkfall, EvE, Haven & Hearth, Istaria (I'm unsure whether it counts, didn't play it), Mortal Online, Ryzom, SWG, Xsyon

    Anything I've forgotten or don't know about? (And please, GW2 fans, don't come in here to claim GW2 is a sandbox.)

    Yea that was kinda my feeling too. "Thou cannot play that which does not exist" :)

    Anyways, from your "extended" list i've played EvE (can't get to like it, get bored after one month, no idea why) and Ryzom (i think it's a little gem of a game, was turned off by the absolute total lack of players). SWG unfortunately i didnt experience as i was playing something else at that time, the feeling is that i've missed on a great game. Darkfall and MO... well the communities were so visceral that these didnt appeal to me at all. Xsyon had an interesting concept but it seems to have slowly died tho. There was that other game, A tale in the desert, also interesting. I like things which are different from the mainstream and i'd totally play something else along with these old and new WoW clones we seem to gravitate around, but until something "good" is launched in this field...

     

    Maybe it's time for a nice sandbox but as for now, the answer to the question in the title is pretty clear: we don't play sandboxes because there is only one which matters (EvE), but it does not suit everyone. A fantasy EvE i might play, i just ain't much into space combat, adding the vertical dimmension to my character doesnt feel right for my playstyle.

  • PyukPyuk Member UncommonPosts: 762

    A lot of it for me is the level of overall quality. Eve is an exception - the quality is very high there. But for me, I think Eve's game play is too slow and the interfaces to get anything done is akin to an Excel spreadsheet (see my sig - I don't want to play a spreadsheet). Obviously there are a ton of folks who love Eve, and I really wish I was one of them, but every time I re-up my sub and jump in, the love affair with the visuals quickly fades and I feel like I'm playing a pretty spreadsheet.

    As for other sandboxes, the overall quality just isn't there. SWG had some good qualities, and was the last sandbox I considered worthy of my gaming time. I keep hoping Archage makes it to the US shores. It looks like it could be a lot of fun.

    I make spreadsheets at work - I don't want to make them for the games I play.

  • jamielikesyojamielikesyo Member Posts: 36

    I love sandbox single player games but have had to all but abandon them as MMOs. Why?

    Time.

    Im middle aged now with most of the responsibilities of being middle aged. As much as I love EVE, I simply can't log in, hop on Vent and spend the next 4 or 5 hrs. forming up, finding a fight, doing ops, hitting timers, etc. So much of it involves being immersed in a world parallel to the real world (esp the meta game) that it really isn't feasable for me to participate in. But then what do I know? I've always been terrible at EVE anyhow ;)

    Still really hopeful for Archeage and hope there.is a place for me there.

  • SythionSythion Member Posts: 422

    Originally posted by gostly

    [,,,]

    Although for those of us that played some of the original MMO's, we desperately seek a game with social interaction...

    [,,,]

    The thing I enjoy about this system that is in most sandbox games is the fear of being attacked at any time and doing the same to someone else. It also gives you a sense of feeling that you don't wanna be alone when you're wandering around in the world, so being in a guild or having friends to roll with in game means the players create their own safety. When you go out by yourself, you know the risks so generally you wouldn't take anything you don't wanna lose.

    Exactly. Sandboxes are for socializers. This is why when people join a snadbox they feel like they have no guidance and don't know what to do, you're expected to gain that guidance, motivation to play, narrative, accomplishments ect. all through interactions with other players.

    image
  • wartyxwtwartyxwt Member Posts: 172

    Sandbox crowd is worse than the themepark crowd, by a long shot. For all the claims of "we want open worlds, and freedom, and choice" I've yet to see a crowd that doesn't clam up and shutdown the moment a developer dare reveal anything they have deemed "not sandbox" into a game.

    Sandbox fans I have found to be the most arrogant, stupid, closed minded people to ever pick up a videogame.

  • NethermancerNethermancer Member Posts: 520
    I am a huge EVE online fan....but i play no other sandbox because they are all so  poorly made. DFO, MO, Perp, Earthrise......tried them all and they are reall really poorly made games.

    Playing: PO, EVE
    Waiting for: WoD
    Favourite MMOs: VG, EVE, FE and DDO
    Any person who expresses rage and loathing for an MMO is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.

  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,435

    Only played (and enjoyed) one real sandbox style MMO, EVE (Xyson didn't count, too incomplete) so can't say I wouldn't play a AAA sandbox title, just doubt one will ever be made.

    Closest we can hope for I think is a hybrid like Archeage.

     

     

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  • EdeusEdeus Member CommonPosts: 506

    Can't vote because I still play Eve online.  Space marketer and space pirate are a fun passtime hehe. 

     

    I like the idea of the completely player run economy, crafting/manufacturing that matters, and pvp that matters (although most people who pvp now a days do it because it DOESN't matter).

    image

    Taru-Gallante-Blood elf-Elysean-Kelari-Crime Fighting-Imperial Agent

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