sandbox

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.

Jukebox Heroes: How Elite: Dangerous’ music put me into a mild coma

Justin Olivetti - May 12, 2015 35

You know what gets me righteously angry? I shall tell you. I shall tell you, and then you shall share in my anger, you...

CCP extends EVE PLEX drive for latest Nepal quake

Jef Reahard - May 12, 2015 2

Nepal can't seem to catch a break, as a second major earthquake has devastated the region two weeks after a quake killed over 8,000...

Sea-based sandbox Windward launches

Justin Olivetti - May 12, 2015 26

Unfurl the sails, cut the jib, and swab the poop deck -- Windward launch, ho! The sea-based sandbox officially rolls out of drydock today on...

Elder Scrolls Online loses two key devs, WoW picks up Moorgard from EQ Next

Justin Olivetti - May 12, 2015 46

The MMO industry is a vibrant market that's always shifting as developers move between projects. So who has gone where lately? For starters, former EverQuest...

‘No more grind’: PvP sandbox Das Tal launches its Kickstarter

Bree Royce - May 12, 2015 28

As promised, buy-to-play indie PvP sandbox Das Tal has begun a Kickstarter campaign today to coincide with the launch of the German wing of...

MapleStory 2 ends Korean CBT, eyes July open beta

Justin Olivetti - May 11, 2015 18

Expect to hear a lot more about MapleStory 2 now that the game has wrapped up with its Korean closed beta test cycle. Steparu.com...

Black Desert enters Japanese open beta, gets live-action trailer

Jef Reahard - May 11, 2015 27

What do live-action sword-wielding Japanese schoolgirls have to do with Black Desert? Hell if I know, but they're front and center in a new...

Elite: Dangerous offering Steam keys to game owners

Justin Olivetti - May 11, 2015 43

Good news if you've purchased or are thinking of purchasing Elite: Dangerous from the game's website: Frontier said that it will be offering Steam...

Don't tell me we can't all fireball everyone!

The Daily Grind: What MMO do you wish had turned out differently?

Jef Reahard - May 11, 2015 287

Back in the day I was a big fan of Darkfall. I remember waiting an eternity for the game's 2009 launch, and then I...

Bridges, stairs, and better boats coming soon to Wurm Online

Justin Olivetti - May 10, 2015 5

Trust us: You will never see anyone so excited over bridges as you will in this Wurm Online dev update post. To be fair,...

Das Tal counts down to its Kickstarter campaign

Justin Olivetti - May 10, 2015 5

Das Tal's Kickstarter campaign has a start date: May 12th. The crowdfunding campaign for the isometric PvP sandbox will kick off on Tuesday, aiming for...

Make My MMO: May 9, 2015

Jef Reahard - May 9, 2015 8

This week in MMO crowdfunding news, we learned everything we ever wanted to know about Star Citizen's first person shooter module, plus a bit more....

Xsyon patch adds architecture parts, fixes bugs

Jef Reahard - May 9, 2015 3

Xsyon's architecture mechanics got some love in yesterday's patch. New parts were added, including the 16x16 truss, 16 meter beams, and 8.8 and 16.8 meter...

Star Citizen reveals Star Marine’s SATA Ball and a whole lot more

Jef Reahard - May 9, 2015 35

Cloud Imperium has dropped a huge info bomb regarding Star Marine, which is what the firm is calling Star Citizen's first person shooter functionality. Like...