Xanatos

Member
CRank: 5Score: 10720

Sandbox MMORPG?

Now that's a mouthful,I enjoy MMORPGS like a lot of people but sometimes i want to play a game where my actions and decisions have an impact on the world around me, a sandbox type MMORPG on a persistent online world. My first MMORPG experience was with Ultima online more than 10 years ago, I never really made it to the end game content since i was very young but i remember how player housing actually occupied space. Nowadays everything is instanced based and i understand the reasoning of it since having thousands of houses occupying real space in a map will make it very confusing and cumbersome for players, but player housing is just an example of how a player can have an impact in the world around him and with instances its just not the same. In Uncharted Waters Online a player can not only crash markets by trading goods in massive quantities but they can also change a ports affiliation by investing in them, this is another example of how a player can actually have an impact on the game world.

Sadly the more popular MMORPGS these days have a very basic formula and I think we know what game is responsible for this.I remember the week i started playing World of Warcraft with a free monthly trial, i liked the visuals and i liked the setting but after going to the fourth or fifth area i felt like i was just going trough the motions like every other player before me. New area, get all the quests, complete the quests, lv up, new gear, rinse and repeat. I didnt bother paying a monthly subscription for that and sadly this is the format that most MMORPGS follow these days, I decided to stick with DOTA for my Warcraft fix.

Now this year gave us Minecraft an impressive game for sure and im very happy with its success, developers can see that there's a market for this type of sandbox gameplay, its not really an MMORPG but its a start. Later came Terraria with a similar sandbox gameplay and constant updates, things are looking up. Hopefully players will soon grow tired of the whole WOW formula and developers will be forced to innovate, I cant really blame them for sticking with it since Activision Blizzard make so much money with this formula, everybody wants a piece of the pie, Star Wars the Old Republic comes to mind. For now I am looking forward to the content update for Terraria on December 1st, its sure to cure that sandbox fix.

Dont let the visuals fool you Terraria is a very fun and addicting sandbox game.

Minecraft showed the industry how indie developers can excel with innovation

Christopher4553d ago

Shadowbane is about as close as you're going to get. An open world where it was PvP and you could build your own city and attack others. The landscape changed regularly and were affected by what the players did. Game also had the best class, leveling, and skill system in an MMO, even to this date.

A truly open sand box game akin to what we have on consoles won't happen since you can't have the actions of a single player affect the world at a level that a person does in a single player game.

Xanatos4552d ago

Its too bad that game is dead, there are a few others around but they all seem incomplete or in permanent beta status. I guess since its kind of a niche market the big boys wont invest in such projects.

coolbeans4552d ago

I'm curious: Is your username inspired by an EU character in Star Wars? I recall that name because that was one of Qui-Gon Jinn's apprentices before Obi-Wan. /endnerdmoment

Xanatos4552d ago

Wow glad somebody else read that book besides me, people always think i got it from the villain on the Gargoyles cartoon.

coolbeans4552d ago (Edited 4552d ago )

:D. That's one of my late elementary books that got me hyped for Episode 1 (I think it released around then). Good username choice

4552d ago
TheKindRoost4550d ago (Edited 4550d ago )

one game, gta sa on pc. it's bloody fun.

TopDudeMan4549d ago

Terraria is incredible. I would put that in my top 5 games of the year.

soundslike4549d ago

me too.

I'd just like to say that technically...MMORPGS are already sandbox experiences, albeit slightly restricted ones

the natural progression will lead MMO's to rely on "user-created" content instead of just scripted instances. "User-created" in this case would mean more faction wars or just free-roam shenanigans.

70°

Sony Makes Changes To PSN Backend To Pave Way For Future PC/PS5 Cross-Platform Releases

It appears Sony is making changes to the PSN backend in order to pave the way for future cross-platform releases across PC and PS5.

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twistedvoxel.com
PrinceOfAnger2h ago(Edited 2h ago)

If sony want their games to be more successful on pc and to sell more they need to bring the games day-one like helldivers 2! , and not after 2 years.

-Foxtrot2h ago

If it's first party (can't speak on Helldivers) then the PS5 should be focused on first in my opinion rather than worrying about 2 versions.

PrinceOfAnger2h ago

Nixxes can help with the development and release the games at the same time..

XiNatsuDragnel2h ago(Edited 2h ago)

First party ps5 games need to be ps5 only until 6 months imo because they need to sell consoles still and then focus on PC later.

shinoff21831h ago

I don't see a big deal. The sales also help future development. I'm all in.

30°

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night DLC Adds Free Gameplay Modes

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has received a bunch of new DLC, including two new gameplay modes, for free.

60°

7 Deserving Games That Never Got Backward Compatibility

Backward compatibility works for many games on newer consoles, but titles such as The Simpsons: Hit and Run have been left out.