Remove Ad, Sign Up
Register to Remove Ad
Register to Remove Ad
Remove Ad, Sign Up
Register to Remove Ad
Register to Remove Ad
Signup for Free!
-More Features-
-Far Less Ads-
About   Users   Help
Users & Guests Online
On Page: 1
Directory: 1 & 110
Entire Site: 7 & 962
Page Staff: pokemon x, pennylessz, Barathemos, tgags123, alexanyways, supercool22, RavusRat,
03-29-24 05:46 AM

Forum Links

Thread Information

Views
2,037
Replies
12
Rating
2
Status
OPEN
Thread
Creator
gtwalq
05-08-12 06:24 AM
Last
Post
Mega Mewtwo X
07-01-14 08:04 PM
Additional Thread Details
Views: 557
Today: 0
Users: 0 unique

Thread Actions

Order
 

A look at Sandbox in Games

 

05-08-12 06:24 AM
gtwalq is Offline
| ID: 582471 | 623 Words

gtwalq
Level: 75


POSTS: 1276/1365
POST EXP: 64694
LVL EXP: 3755548
CP: 516.6
VIZ: 71029

Likes: 1  Dislikes: 0


The world of Sandbox within video games used to be few and far between back in the day, now its hard not to come by a title with it.  Yeah okay, 99% of modern titles are limited with their sandbox inclusions, but the ever so rewarding feeling of “Hey, I beat this game my way.. I bet no-one has placed that box in that exact pixel of land and jumped off of it to kill that enemy” does exist, one way or another.  There aren’t too many great games now-days that don’t have it.  To most people the art of sandbox is a completely customisable game, but really its not.. well yes it is.. but no its not.  To qualify as a sandbox inclusive game you could have something as little as a box or platform which can be moved any which way you like (like Little Big Planet), or something as large as complete freedom to play the game any way you like (like Gary’s Mod)



Let me break this down into three simple categories with examples…

None: Contra – One direction of movement, there is no turning back and the AI is always the same.  Another example would be early Super Mario Bro’s.  

Limited: Legend of Zelda-Ocarina of Time – Freedom to move around the vast landscapes, purchase upgrades/weapons and take one some side quests that are not necessary to finish the SP campaign.  

Plenty: Grand Theft Auto series – Multiple ways to approach any situation, enemy AI adapts to large city’s and landscapes in which you can run a complete muck.  Other titles that would fall into this category are Assassin’s Creed series, Little Big Planet and most sports titles.  

There can be nothing worse than heading down to your local video game store, purchasing a new title that you’ve had your eyes on for a while, taking it home and realising its nothing more than an interactive movie.  Not many people realise, but sandbox features are some of the most important to place in a game, it’s the difference between being told how you have to play the game and making it YOUR game, letting you choose how you want to tackle each objective.  

Don’t get me wrong, there have been some terrible attempts to introduce sandbox style features in video games (yeah, I’m not saying they’re all perfect) for example lets look at the majority of Lego’s officially licensed titles.  They all began development with the promise of customisation and freedom but they really offer less than a fraction of that.  

Lets not frown too harshly upon the developer though; video games with sandbox elements are amongst the hardest to create.  The more freedom you want to introduce; the more glitches you must overcome and the more testing you must endure.  Lets take The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion as an example.  The developers (Bestheda) have done nothing short of an amazing job of creating what appears to be an extremely large landscape to choose your own adventure in, but there comes a point in your journey that you cannot travel any further.  The ends of the landscape are cleverly blended in to mountain ranges, you cant really see too much past them; therefore the desire to travel past them is greatly suppressed.  The extremely large landscape was once open to thousands of glitches but after months and months of hired testing and months of gaming after its release, over 95% of all original glitches and bugs were fixed.  

With all of that being said, perhaps you’ll look at a few games you’ve played differently now, appreciate the sandbox.  Embrace the sandbox, be the sandbox.  It is the way of the future.  Oh and lets not forget Minecraft!!


The world of Sandbox within video games used to be few and far between back in the day, now its hard not to come by a title with it.  Yeah okay, 99% of modern titles are limited with their sandbox inclusions, but the ever so rewarding feeling of “Hey, I beat this game my way.. I bet no-one has placed that box in that exact pixel of land and jumped off of it to kill that enemy” does exist, one way or another.  There aren’t too many great games now-days that don’t have it.  To most people the art of sandbox is a completely customisable game, but really its not.. well yes it is.. but no its not.  To qualify as a sandbox inclusive game you could have something as little as a box or platform which can be moved any which way you like (like Little Big Planet), or something as large as complete freedom to play the game any way you like (like Gary’s Mod)



Let me break this down into three simple categories with examples…

None: Contra – One direction of movement, there is no turning back and the AI is always the same.  Another example would be early Super Mario Bro’s.  

Limited: Legend of Zelda-Ocarina of Time – Freedom to move around the vast landscapes, purchase upgrades/weapons and take one some side quests that are not necessary to finish the SP campaign.  

Plenty: Grand Theft Auto series – Multiple ways to approach any situation, enemy AI adapts to large city’s and landscapes in which you can run a complete muck.  Other titles that would fall into this category are Assassin’s Creed series, Little Big Planet and most sports titles.  

There can be nothing worse than heading down to your local video game store, purchasing a new title that you’ve had your eyes on for a while, taking it home and realising its nothing more than an interactive movie.  Not many people realise, but sandbox features are some of the most important to place in a game, it’s the difference between being told how you have to play the game and making it YOUR game, letting you choose how you want to tackle each objective.  

Don’t get me wrong, there have been some terrible attempts to introduce sandbox style features in video games (yeah, I’m not saying they’re all perfect) for example lets look at the majority of Lego’s officially licensed titles.  They all began development with the promise of customisation and freedom but they really offer less than a fraction of that.  

Lets not frown too harshly upon the developer though; video games with sandbox elements are amongst the hardest to create.  The more freedom you want to introduce; the more glitches you must overcome and the more testing you must endure.  Lets take The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion as an example.  The developers (Bestheda) have done nothing short of an amazing job of creating what appears to be an extremely large landscape to choose your own adventure in, but there comes a point in your journey that you cannot travel any further.  The ends of the landscape are cleverly blended in to mountain ranges, you cant really see too much past them; therefore the desire to travel past them is greatly suppressed.  The extremely large landscape was once open to thousands of glitches but after months and months of hired testing and months of gaming after its release, over 95% of all original glitches and bugs were fixed.  

With all of that being said, perhaps you’ll look at a few games you’ve played differently now, appreciate the sandbox.  Embrace the sandbox, be the sandbox.  It is the way of the future.  Oh and lets not forget Minecraft!!
Vizzed Elite

Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 01-21-09
Location: Australia
Last Post: 2560 days
Last Active: 781 days

Post Rating: 1   Liked By: Sidewinder,

05-08-12 08:21 AM
thenumberone is Offline
| ID: 582485 | 44 Words

thenumberone
Level: 143


POSTS: 4126/6365
POST EXP: 365694
LVL EXP: 35019029
CP: 4946.4
VIZ: 329756

Likes: 0  Dislikes: 0
If a game aint sandbox im disapointed.
I regard sandbox as a game where you can go to locations at will, even if thats not where the main campaign is.
Mass effect, the godfather,burnout paradise, assasins creed are sandbox, ac gets dull fast however
If a game aint sandbox im disapointed.
I regard sandbox as a game where you can go to locations at will, even if thats not where the main campaign is.
Mass effect, the godfather,burnout paradise, assasins creed are sandbox, ac gets dull fast however
Vizzed Elite
Bleeding Heart Liberal


Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 03-22-11
Last Post: 3382 days
Last Active: 3382 days

05-31-12 08:04 PM
pi0x is Offline
| ID: 592842 | 180 Words

pi0x
Level: 99


POSTS: 2455/2709
POST EXP: 93078
LVL EXP: 9827775
CP: 2514.3
VIZ: 259549

Likes: 0  Dislikes: 0
Great article, I must say. I enjoy the sandbox features in games and I too think it is a very important feature in games.

Even the best racing games have the sandbox features. Especially in the Midnight Club series(made by Rockstar), this game has many customizable car parts and pretty big open world with lots of races to race in and some secrets to find. Just because of its sandbox gameplay it is my favorite racing game series out there.

Despite being a great article, I feel you are missing one thing that --in the past few years-- has has played a major part in sandbox gaming; Minecraft. Minecraft is sandbox its self. I would consider it the most sandbox like game there is(that I know of at least). Every block in the game --besides bedrock-- can be destroyed, created, mined, and placed any where you like( only in Creative mode can you destroy bedrock). You create tools, weapons and all that. It has no story to it, though, which is the only real downside to Minecraft.

Nonetheless, superb article.
Great article, I must say. I enjoy the sandbox features in games and I too think it is a very important feature in games.

Even the best racing games have the sandbox features. Especially in the Midnight Club series(made by Rockstar), this game has many customizable car parts and pretty big open world with lots of races to race in and some secrets to find. Just because of its sandbox gameplay it is my favorite racing game series out there.

Despite being a great article, I feel you are missing one thing that --in the past few years-- has has played a major part in sandbox gaming; Minecraft. Minecraft is sandbox its self. I would consider it the most sandbox like game there is(that I know of at least). Every block in the game --besides bedrock-- can be destroyed, created, mined, and placed any where you like( only in Creative mode can you destroy bedrock). You create tools, weapons and all that. It has no story to it, though, which is the only real downside to Minecraft.

Nonetheless, superb article.
Vizzed Elite

Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 12-09-10
Location: Rock Bottom
Last Post: 3327 days
Last Active: 2554 days

(edited by pi0x on 05-31-12 08:06 PM)    

10-20-12 01:21 PM
Batcake is Offline
| ID: 676073 | 22 Words

Batcake
Black Bot
Level: 105


POSTS: 55/3246
POST EXP: 146939
LVL EXP: 11957604
CP: 5867.6
VIZ: 3347

Likes: 0  Dislikes: 0
I really got confused here. Isn't sandbox in Bloons Tower Defence 5 when you get a million dollars and a million lives? 
I really got confused here. Isn't sandbox in Bloons Tower Defence 5 when you get a million dollars and a million lives? 
Member
hi


Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 10-17-12
Location: US
Last Post: 743 days
Last Active: 123 days

07-14-13 03:24 PM
meme the rose4 is Offline
| ID: 845988 | 13 Words

meme the rose4
Level: 30


POSTS: 166/179
POST EXP: 5123
LVL EXP: 152043
CP: 266.9
VIZ: 63

Likes: 0  Dislikes: 0
sand box? for a cat what do you think ok i am confused
sand box? for a cat what do you think ok i am confused
Perma Banned
smile all the time


Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 03-16-13
Last Post: 3843 days
Last Active: 2665 days

07-14-13 03:38 PM
UntamableDoesMC is Offline
| ID: 846007 | 45 Words

Level: 19


POSTS: 54/62
POST EXP: 2276
LVL EXP: 30598
CP: 35.9
VIZ: 10290

Likes: 0  Dislikes: 0
Black Bot : A sandbox game is where you can move around freely, and choose what you do, basically. In my opinion, MineCraft and Gary's mod are good examples of sandbox type games.
meme the rose4: That is a very spammy post. I would suggest editing that.
Black Bot : A sandbox game is where you can move around freely, and choose what you do, basically. In my opinion, MineCraft and Gary's mod are good examples of sandbox type games.
meme the rose4: That is a very spammy post. I would suggest editing that.
Member

Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 06-26-13
Location: Canada
Last Post: 3857 days
Last Active: 3839 days

07-14-13 03:43 PM
Batcake is Offline
| ID: 846011 | 31 Words

Batcake
Black Bot
Level: 105


POSTS: 1569/3246
POST EXP: 146939
LVL EXP: 11957604
CP: 5867.6
VIZ: 3347

Likes: 0  Dislikes: 0
UntamableDoesMC : Oh, So it was like in Bloons Tower Defence. lol

meme the rose4 :   Read UntamableDoesMC's post above.

EDIT: And quit buming old threads. It is versus the rules.
UntamableDoesMC : Oh, So it was like in Bloons Tower Defence. lol

meme the rose4 :   Read UntamableDoesMC's post above.

EDIT: And quit buming old threads. It is versus the rules.
Member
hi


Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 10-17-12
Location: US
Last Post: 743 days
Last Active: 123 days

(edited by Black Bot on 07-14-13 03:44 PM)    

07-14-13 07:16 PM
UntamableDoesMC is Offline
| ID: 846197 | 21 Words

Level: 19


POSTS: 55/62
POST EXP: 2276
LVL EXP: 30598
CP: 35.9
VIZ: 10290

Likes: 0  Dislikes: 0
Black Bot : I was not 'bumming' an old thread, it was in new posts. -.-
But thanks for the warning, I guess.
Black Bot : I was not 'bumming' an old thread, it was in new posts. -.-
But thanks for the warning, I guess.
Member

Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 06-26-13
Location: Canada
Last Post: 3857 days
Last Active: 3839 days

12-29-13 05:02 PM
warmaker is Offline
| ID: 947877 | 104 Words

warmaker
Level: 91

POSTS: 1372/2198
POST EXP: 240742
LVL EXP: 7344139
CP: 4969.1
VIZ: 198528

Likes: 0  Dislikes: 0
You folks mean bumping threads, right?  Isn't that the term?

Sandbox games are incredible.  SimCity was a great one that let you build and create almost infinite versions of a city.  I made massive cities, tiny little villages, and it was fun.  The best sandbox games don't really have an end.  They just let you go on and on.  ThemePark was a sandbox game with a final objective.  Mercenaries: Playland of destruction, or whatever that game was called, was another fun example.  You could walk around and blow things up but you had missions.

I like the free range games that are simply open.
You folks mean bumping threads, right?  Isn't that the term?

Sandbox games are incredible.  SimCity was a great one that let you build and create almost infinite versions of a city.  I made massive cities, tiny little villages, and it was fun.  The best sandbox games don't really have an end.  They just let you go on and on.  ThemePark was a sandbox game with a final objective.  Mercenaries: Playland of destruction, or whatever that game was called, was another fun example.  You could walk around and blow things up but you had missions.

I like the free range games that are simply open.
Trusted Member

Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 05-02-10
Location: Honolulu, HI
Last Post: 3174 days
Last Active: 2838 days

01-01-14 07:13 PM
EideticMemory is Offline
| ID: 949581 | 42 Words

EideticMemory
Level: 137


POSTS: 77/6326
POST EXP: 427597
LVL EXP: 30775215
CP: 26372.5
VIZ: 1209954

Likes: 0  Dislikes: 0
I love sandbox games, especially World of Warcraft and Minecraft. They're my favorite games, because there is so much character freedom. I can't even begin to talk about Grand Theft Auto. I haven't played Skyrim yet, but I've heard that it's incredible. 
I love sandbox games, especially World of Warcraft and Minecraft. They're my favorite games, because there is so much character freedom. I can't even begin to talk about Grand Theft Auto. I haven't played Skyrim yet, but I've heard that it's incredible. 
Vizzed Elite

Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 12-30-13
Location: North Carolina, USA
Last Post: 155 days
Last Active: 155 days

01-10-14 11:24 AM
Bintsy is Offline
| ID: 958228 | 70 Words

Bintsy
Level: 126


POSTS: 2175/4762
POST EXP: 284166
LVL EXP: 22611821
CP: 11076.1
VIZ: 66800

Likes: 1  Dislikes: 0
I love sandbox games.. I have played many of them but I haven't got a chance to play much of Minecraft or World of Warcraft. I played a little bit of minecraft but not enough to get addicted! I really liked the grand theft auto games as well. I haven't got a chance to play Skyrim yet though but I hope I can play it some time in the future.
I love sandbox games.. I have played many of them but I haven't got a chance to play much of Minecraft or World of Warcraft. I played a little bit of minecraft but not enough to get addicted! I really liked the grand theft auto games as well. I haven't got a chance to play Skyrim yet though but I hope I can play it some time in the future.
Vizzed Elite
free glitter text and family website at FamilyLobby.com


Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 04-12-11
Location: Under My Cloud
Last Post: 2429 days
Last Active: 1902 days

Post Rating: 1   Liked By: SaphiraFlames,

05-12-14 11:34 AM
lucariofool is Offline
| ID: 1019646 | 101 Words

lucariofool
Level: 15

POSTS: 19/39
POST EXP: 2292
LVL EXP: 14657
CP: 62.6
VIZ: 1228

Likes: 0  Dislikes: 0
Sandbox games always used to confuse me. I never knew what was going on or what to do. Skyrim from the Elder Scroll series is one of my favorite sandbox games. I love it because you can say screw the main storyline and still have a great time and play for a very long time. Minecraft was one of the first sandbox games I played. For some reason I would get addicted to it the not play it for a long while then go back and get addicted to it. I hope to get some more sandbox games in the future.
Sandbox games always used to confuse me. I never knew what was going on or what to do. Skyrim from the Elder Scroll series is one of my favorite sandbox games. I love it because you can say screw the main storyline and still have a great time and play for a very long time. Minecraft was one of the first sandbox games I played. For some reason I would get addicted to it the not play it for a long while then go back and get addicted to it. I hope to get some more sandbox games in the future.
Member

Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 04-29-14
Last Post: 3604 days
Last Active: 2403 days

07-01-14 08:04 PM
Mega Mewtwo X is Offline
| ID: 1043169 | 31 Words

Mega Mewtwo X
Level: 63


POSTS: 297/1020
POST EXP: 44059
LVL EXP: 2017446
CP: 2465.8
VIZ: 187557

Likes: 0  Dislikes: 0
I love sandbox games, being able to do ANYTHING you want in a game without rule, rhyme, or reason is astonishing to me, mainly minecraft, but I like others as well.
I love sandbox games, being able to do ANYTHING you want in a game without rule, rhyme, or reason is astonishing to me, mainly minecraft, but I like others as well.
Trusted Member

Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 09-27-13
Location: Somewhere. I don't know where though. I'm hungry.
Last Post: 1441 days
Last Active: 357 days

Links

Adblocker detected!

Vizzed.com is very expensive to keep alive! The Ads pay for the servers.

Vizzed has 3 TB worth of games and 1 TB worth of music.  This site is free to use but the ads barely pay for the monthly server fees.  If too many more people use ad block, the site cannot survive.

We prioritize the community over the site profits.  This is why we avoid using annoying (but high paying) ads like most other sites which include popups, obnoxious sounds and animations, malware, and other forms of intrusiveness.  We'll do our part to never resort to these types of ads, please do your part by helping support this site by adding Vizzed.com to your ad blocking whitelist.

×