Sandboxes are a type of MMO that emphasize player freedom and expression. They frequently include mechanics for building, crafting, trading, character customization and development, roleplaying, destruction, and significant interaction with the world and other players. A sandbox that is dominated by an open-PvP or free-for-all ruleset is sometimes pejoratively called a gankbox. Contrast with the themepark.
sandbox
Exploring TellTale’s Guardians of the Galaxy ‘crowd play’: A dual group dynamic
I have sort of an odd relationship with "story" in gaming. JRPGs really got me into gaming and inspired me to focus on my...
Mark Hamill caps off Star Citizen’s latest Around the Verse
This week's episode of Around the Verse sees Star Citizen's Chris Roberts and Sandi Gardiner bookending the Austin studio update and tech check-in. The Austin...
Choose My Adventure: Wrapping up Black Desert and selecting our next destination
Back when I mentioned that I was learning to like Black Desert a while back, I got this tweet from the game's official account....
Results are in for EVE Online’s 12th Council of Stellar Management
The polls are closed, the votes are in, and the results are tallied. EVE Online has its 12th Council of Stellar Management following this...
Ashes of Creation’s Steven Sharif on his business history, $30M funding goal, and PvP
As I put this piece together Thursday morning, Ashes of Creation's Kickstarter has far exceeded its $750,000 goal, surging along toward stretch goals with...
RuneScape blasts off to the Shattered Worlds
Looking for a new challenge in RuneScape? Jagex has opened up the Shattered Worlds, a chain of islands that contain ever-fiercer (and stranger) foes....
EU’s Age of Wulin to be absorbed into Snail Games’ Age of Wushu
Age of Wulin, the European counterpart to NA's Age of Wushu, is being handed off once again in the region. The martial arts sandbox...
Indie sandbox El Somni Quas answers Q&A, features Rogues Guild and Sparrow Port
It's been a while since we checked in with El Somni Quas, the indie sandbox from a Czech studio that cut its teeth on Ultima...
Perfect Ten: Exploring MMORPGs from the far corners of the world
Have you ever noticed that while there's an entire world out there, most all of the MMORPGs we discuss and play tend to either...
Black Desert arrives on Steam May 24
Today's Black Desert patch isn't a big one compared to most, clocking in at under a quarter of a gig, kicking off a new...
Legends of Aria delays next alpha test to May 12
The Game Formerly Known As Shards Online (which can also be represented by an abstract symbol or its new name, Legends of Aria) announced...
Albion Online retools combination PvP PvE Hellgate maps
As part of Albion Online's pre-beta overhaul, developer Sandbox Interactive is retooling the game's existing Hellgates. No, not that Hellgate. In Albion, Hellgates are basically...
Tale of Toast’s cute aesthetics hide old-school challenge
Don't judge a book by its cover, they say, and certainly don't go making assumptions about the difficulty levels of MMORPGs by how gritty...
EVE Online rolls out major PLEX changes on May 9
When EVE Online releases its next big patch on May 9th, PLEX is changing in a big way. For example, the old days of...
Massively OP Interview: Ashes of Creation on a new way to MMO
Today, Ashes of Creation takes a big plunge into an all-or-nothing Kickstarter campaign. Over the past few months, the MMO seemed to come out...
Using FaceApp on EVE Online avatars is the best thing ever
If you've been on literally any social network recently, you've probably come across image manipulation app FaceApp. The app takes in any photo of a face...
The Daily Grind: Are MMORPGs better off without stories?
Last week, Massively OP community veteran BalsBigBrother pointed out -- rightly! -- that while Trove is amusing, it's very much lacking in prepared story or...
EVE Evolved: Low-security space has lost its identity, but it can be fixed!
When I first discovered EVE Online back in 2004, it had been out in the wild for just under a year and was a much...
The MOP Up: Warface meets Crysis (April 30, 2017)
The MMO industry moves along at the speed of information, and sometimes we’re deluged with so much news here at Massively Overpowered that some...
One Shots: Through the portal?
The other day, Bree was complaining about how so many screenshots from modern MMORPGs suffer from a bland and monochrome palette. Coming to the...
