What IS sandbox?

[CarbonRevenge]

It can have more exploration things to do other than story missions.
This could mean other types of sandboxes. Such as a free to build anything within a boundary.
Example: GMOD

Another is free to roam, and do other things outside of the main story.
Example: Red Faction: Guerrilla, GTA,.Infamous, etc

 

[Scops]

ok, is it just me, or would it not be awesome to have a game literally concerning a sanbox? like, maybe you have an rts battle with toys by shifitng the terrain, and build them tiny forts. i say awesome

Shhh! I'm sure there are enough Army Men devs still around. Don't give them any ideas!

Edit: I fail at quoting.

 

[Soraryuu]

ok, is it just me, or would it not be awesome to have a game literally concerning a sanbox? like, maybe you have an rts battle with toys by shifitng the terrain, and build them tiny forts. i say awesome

/game

 

[Steelfists]

Arma 2's editor. You have hundreds of square kilometres of terrain, and can place every single unit from the game anywhere you want, and make them do whatever you want.

 

[slipknot4]

A sandbox game is a game where the objectives of a quest/mission can be taken in whatever order you like to.

Such as, pokemon, oblivion, GTA4 ect ect.

 

[Gigaguy64]

ok, is it just me, or would it not be awesome to have a game literally concerning a sanbox? like, maybe you have an rts battle with toys by shifitng the terrain, and build them tiny forts. i say awesome

i shall fund this endever!!!
just thinking about it, it seems like a pretty cool idea.
i mean, iv never heard of a game like it before.
Brown leader this is Mineral 1 requesting back up, sand shark has been spoted near the old castle, over.

 

[Scops]

It can have more exploration things to do other than story missions.
This could mean other types of sandboxes. Such as a free to build anything within a boundary.
Example: GMOD

Another is free to roam, and do other things outside of the main story.
Example: Red Faction: Guerrilla, GTA,.Infamous, etc

I agree that there appears to be multiple definitions, and they seem to have little to do with one another.

Anyone take issue with this? I mean, how can you have a term that covers such a wide variety of games? Doesn't that lessen the terms utility?

I'd like to suggest another definition. How about games that give you a number of tools/game mechanics and an objective, and let you complete it however you see fit?

That's the reason for my mentioning Hitman Blood Money. I could come up with at least five ways to complete each mission. Anyone care to back me up on this one?

 

[CarbonRevenge]

It can have more exploration things to do other than story missions.
This could mean other types of sandboxes. Such as a free to build anything within a boundary.
Example: GMOD

Another is free to roam, and do other things outside of the main story.
Example: Red Faction: Guerrilla, GTA,.Infamous, etc

I agree that there appears to be multiple definitions, and they seem to have little to do with one another.

Anyone take issue with this? I mean, how can you have a term that covers such a wide variety of games? Doesn't that lessen the terms utility?

I'd like to suggest another definition. How about games that give you a number of tools/game mechanics and an objective, and let you complete it however you see fit?

That's the reason for my mentioning Hitman Blood Money. I could come up with at least five ways to complete each mission. Anyone care to back me up on this one?

There will always be a wide variety of definitions for a "sandbox" specifically games.
The term does alot more than cover just games. A sandbox is something little kids play in. I used to think of it that way. A sandbox is a free form environment allowing you to do anything, and everything within the limits of the developer.

Though your idea of a new definition would have to apply to a game. It does seem possible to do, and im not bashing you for it. I highly doubt though in a lifetime you'll be developing said game. But we'll see.

 

[Zac_Dai]

I think EVE-online is the truest sandbox you can get.

There really are few restrictions in how you play the game to the point that a lot of people find it boring due to lack of a scripted path for the player.

 

[tsolless]

Right now sandbox merely means that you can free roam and that the game is slightly less linear.

True sandbox is giving you a game and giving you the ability to do whatever you would like to do in that setting.

Dwarf Fortress is a perfect example of this. I have seen a screenshot where the person made a fortress modeled after a lizard and once they came under seige they were able to completely seal the fortress and had a system of channels, pumps, and pipes set up to channel magma out of the lizards eyes with the flick of a lever.

Much mroe in the game but I doubt anyone would deny it it's place as a true sandbox game. You have to read a textbook worth of online guides and FAQs to be able to play it without being slaughtered (not by invaders but rather by yourself by flooding your fortress (water pressure being programmed into the game can take some time getting used to) or by running out of food) before the first wave of immigration.

Made by a one man development team.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

I always thought a true true by the books sandbox game is a game that allows you to do what you want, where you want, how you want, in an extremely huge open world where every decision you do changes the world.

 

[Stevanchez]

It's a game that doesn't give the player any limitations and allows the player to ignore the game's objectives and even abandon the storyline.

 

[Karhax]

A true sandbox game would be something like Garrys mod.

No goal, no missions, no ending.

You just play around with the physics and build stuff.


The real meaning of sandbox is that it is free to do what you want.
Oblivion for example, you could ignore the main quest and just rob houses.

 

[Twilight_guy]

A large map that the player is free to explore at there own leisure and involves a large number of side quests/things to collect/stuff to see/monkeys/points of interest. It encourages the player to not only play the story but also to go out and just randomly walk/fly/glide/jump around looking for stuff.

 

[Lord_Gremlin]

I just got done writing up an article on this subject on my blog, although I should have probably posed this question to you before I did. I've got my own opinions, but I'm curious, what do YOU think the term "sandbox" means?

Is it a genre or just a design philosophy? Is it a huge map, free roam, a variety of mechanics (shooting, driving, etc), non-linear single-player storylines, or a combination of these?

What games are or are not sandbox? GTAIII is the archetypal example of a sandbox game, but why not Shenmue? Is Burnout Paradise a sandbox game? Hitman: Blood Money (I assume the rest of the series may be considered as well, but I haven't played them)? Assassin's Creed? The Sims?

I suspect that sandbox may be one of those hazy terms that is constantly redefined by the community. So I'm really interested to know, how do you define it right now?

Well, It's not a genre, it's mostly design.
But if you ask me about sandbox, I'd say: It's a box, filled with sand)))

 

[Scops]

So a few people have said that Sims games are sandbox. Anyone care to disagree?

And how about MMO's. Huge maps, lots of parallel quest-series, lots of freedom. Would you consider those sandbox? I admit that I've only played one MMO, Guild Wars, and that not for very long. What does someone who has spent some time with the genre think?

In case you haven't noticed, I'm very interested in the border between what is and is not a sandbox game (if indeed, there is any point to using the term "sandbox game" and not "sandbox element").