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
Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR datamining and guild building
Usually, I don't combine two topics into one article, but these two things are important and I don't want to go another week without...
PlanetSide 2 has potential patch features datamined
So what's going to be in the next major patch for PlanetSide 2? Are you going to wait for official patch notes like some...
The Daily Grind: Should MMO studios disclose the odds of winning lockbox prizes?
Every once in a while in an MMO, the desire to play with numbers grips me, like the time I hand-crafted a thousand drinks in Star...
Not So Massively: Star Citizen demos live gameplay; Dota 2 team kicks member after $6m win
Last week, Star Citizen released impressive Gamescom 2015 demo videos showing live gameplay footage of players walking around a space port and a mission...
This is how you leave Black Desert feedback
If you've ever thought about leaving useful beta feedback for the developers of an MMO that you care about, Black Desert fan Kinto has...
Elite: Dangerous brings back lifetime expansion passes before Horizons
The first expansion for Elite: Dangerous is on its way, but as a buy-to-play title there's a bit of confusion about who gets what...
Revival and Star Citizen studio IllFonic lays off six
IllFonic, the studio behind the dark fantasy sandbox Revival and one of several contributors to Star Citizen's FPS module, has laid off six staff members,...
Sword and Bored: Offline activities
Mo's player steps away for a bit and decides to gain XP by doing some offline activities.
ArcheAge is gifting players free griffins next month
The griffin: half-eagle, half-lion, and soon to be all yours. ArcheAge players will soon have the opportunity to snag one of these flying beasts...
The Daily Grind: Have you played Pathfinder Online?
I've been looking into Pathfinder here lately, though I haven't taken the early access plunge yet. Goblinworks has a 15-day free trial listed on...
The MOP Up: Fishing Planet will rule all
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...
Chaos Theory: I’d fund The Secret World for Funcom if I could
Funcom is in trouble? Say it isn't so! No, seriously -- giving it words feels like personally putting a nail in the coffin, as...
Gloria Victis fights with its animation system, emerges victorious
Gloria Victis pre-alpha version 0.3 is live, and apparently it took some doing, since the changelog post describes a "long fight with the animations...
Alienware is sponsoring a modding contest for ARK
If you're a pro modder and you like ARK: Survival Evolved, you might want to have a look at the dino sandbox's new modding...
The Game Archaeologist: Microsoft’s Mythica
While Microsoft may be the big cheese when it comes to operating systems and worldwide domination, for whatever reason the company has the absolute...
Leaderboard: What’s your favorite Funcom MMO?
Earlier this week, news of Funcom's dwindling financial fortunes kind of depressed me. And judging by our comments, it depressed a number of you,...
Here’s ‘everything you need to know’ about ArcheAge server merges
Trion's latest ArcheAge website update purports to tell us everything we need to know about ArcheAge's upcoming server transfers. Now, my first thought was...
The Soapbox: Why I’m hopeful for the future of MMOs
Earlier this week, Justin asked what gives you hope for the future of the MMOs. As you might expect, the responses were many and...
RuneScape convention sells out, fans post 324-page history of the game
If you ever thought that RuneScape was a piddly title beneath your notice, then here's a wake-up call for you today. The game's upcoming...
Massively Overthinking: How seriously do you take MMO lore?
Kickstarter donor Alien Legion has proposed an intriguing question about lore in MMORPGs.
"Back in my World of Warcraft days, I mentioned to a friend that I would...
