GS: What are the main features that differentiate your game from a sandbox like Darkfall online, for example?
WAI: The majority of sandbox games coming out lately all suffer from the same problem: they are far too heavily invested in combat to create environments that encourage players to alternately compete and cooperate, as opposed to just compete 24/7. A true sandbox MMOG is not about fighting or crafting or any single thing in particular, it’s about the possibility of doing all the individual things.
The entire sandbox concept revolves around all options being relatively equal, both in terms of depth and variety. A crafter should have as deep and involved a gaming experience as a fighter or an explorer, otherwise crafters and explorers won’t play the game, and that’s a killing blow to a sandbox game, because the killers need the more peaceful types both for supply and prey, and the peaceful types need the killers to provide an unpredictable element of excitement.
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GS: What are the main features that differentiate your game from a sandbox like Darkfall online, for example?
WAI: The majority of sandbox games coming out lately all suffer from the same problem: they are far too heavily invested in combat to create environments that encourage players to alternately compete and cooperate, as opposed to just compete 24/7. A true sandbox MMOG is not about fighting or crafting or any single thing in particular, it’s about the possibility of doing all the individual things.
The entire sandbox concept revolves around all options being relatively equal, both in terms of depth and variety. A crafter should have as deep and involved a gaming experience as a fighter or an explorer, otherwise crafters and explorers won’t play the game, and that’s a killing blow to a sandbox game, because the killers need the more peaceful types both for supply and prey, and the peaceful types need the killers to provide an unpredictable element of excitement.
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/255585/Dawntide-Dev-interview-Sandboxs-suffer-from-the-same-problem.html
To bad every sandbox attempt turns into pvp trash. Sigh oh well my vigil continues.