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
MUD devs cancel Kickstarter project to make other games
Open world crafting sandbox MUD made a splash on Steam's Greenlight earlier this year, but its Kickstarter drive wasn't quite as successful. Developer Ben...
MMO Mechanics: Economic stagnation in MMO economies
MMO economies are notoriously hard to balance, so most MMO players have seen the effects of stagnation and hyperinflation in an MMO economy for...
One Shots: Purple haze
Blocky and stylized though it may be, World of Warcraft's visuals represent impressive work by artists who pull every trick out of their bags to...
ArcheAge Heroes Awaken got up, hit snooze, and went back to sleep
If you've already been waiting since Thursday for ArcheAge's Heroes Awaken patch to launch and server merges to go live, prepare to wait some more....
Nexus Telegraph: WildStar takes on Halloween with Shade’s Eve
While I can't decide if Halloween is my favorite real-life holiday (it's close, no matter what), I have no doubt that the spooky ooky...
The Daily Grind: What’s your favorite tale from the olden days of MMOs?
I have a notoriously poor memory for anything that happened more than five years ago. I might not have even been alive, for as...
Elite dev blog talks CQC, player factions, and more
Space sim Elite: Dangerous released a couple of beta builds focused on its close quarters combat (CQC) gameplay this week. Producer Michael Brookes says...
DUST 514 kicks off a new event in celebration of the Amarr
A big lore shake-up occurred in the EVE Online universe when Empress Jamyl Sarum was killed while traveling. That has an impact on one...
Project Dogmat aims to fill the World of Darkness void
Are you afraid? You should be, according to the website for Project Dogmat, which bills itself as a roleplay-friendly MMORPG with a "modern gothic...
Why I Play: Final Fantasy XIV
We used to do a column called Why I Play on Massively-that-was, and while I didn't originally plan on rezzing it here today, I did return...
ArcheAge patches in Heroes Awaken, reveals server merge compensation
As of the writing of this post, ArcheAge players are twiddling their thumbs during a two-day period of downtime during which several of the...
The Daily Grind: How might VR reshape the MMOscape?
Oculus Connect 2, a VR conference hosted by the folks behind Oculus, is set for just a few weeks from now. You probably didn't know...
Snag a Wild Terra early access key bundle from Massively OP [All gone now!]
Isometric sandbox Wild Terra recently roped off its ongoing testing behind an early access paywall because of a problem a lot of MMOs wish...
RPG MO whips up an indie free-to-play sandbox
Someone must not have spread the word that "Mo" is our thing, but that's OK; we're not jealous. Apparently there's a new indie MMO...
Perfect Ten: The top 10 craziest skills in Project Gorgon
It's no secret that many of us in the Massively OP office have a little bit of a game crush on Project Gorgon. Personally,...
Eco finishes its Kickstarter with over $200,000 raised
Survival sandbox and learning environment Eco finished out its successful Kickstarter run overnight, raising $202,760 and just reaching its epic justice system stretch goal. Strange Loop Games' John...
ArcheAge goes offline for two days for 2.0 and server merges
ArcheAge is beginning its great 48-hour blackout today as Trion Worlds rolls out Update 2.0 while simultaneously merging several servers in its "evolution" initiative. "It made...
Eco offers doomsday device Kickstarter tier, then pulls back from the brink
In the final hours of its successful Kickstarter campaign, the global survival sandbox Eco pulled out the big guns: a new tier that would allow...
The Stream Team: Walking through Wander’s latest patch
Wondering about Wander? The non-combat game recently had a decent-sized patch, and MassivelyOP's MJ wants to see what it is all about -- especially...
Star Citizen changes forum permissions to combat harassment
Star Citizen is cracking down on forum abuse by instituting a new set of restrictions that went into effect yesterday.
CIG changed permissions so that...
