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Could a Sandbox version of ESO exist along side the Themepark ESO?
MMOExposed
Member RarePosts: 7,400
Do you believe it is possible for two versions of ESO to exist at once?
A Themepark MMO version of ESO
and
A Sandbox MMO version of ESO
?
If so, how would they effect each other?
Should they have some mechanic in place to allow cross game interaction between the two player-bases in some kind?
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
Comments
I assume you want us to look past the fact that zenimax would never allow it or that they for some stupid reason decided to design and run both games.
If that's the case then yes I think they could run both types of games. The Themepark would probably draw more of the traditional mmo players and the sandbox would bring in the " I want a multiplayer skyrim" people.
I don't think it would be a smart thing to do or a good way to make money but I think both could carve out an audience if they were made.
Currently Playing: World of Warcraft
All MMOs have elements of both genres, and people each have their own subjective perception of what these concepts mean.
Personally, I think of a sandbox game based on the word sandbox. This means that I consider games where players are largely free to create content and significantly change and impact the world, "sandbox enough" to qualify for the genre.
But, I don't agree with the obsession some people have with dividing these two into vastly distinct kinds of games.
ESO is its own game, even if it does a lot of things very much like other games have done. It's clearly more of a themepark than a sandbox, but it also has the potential to be more of a sandbox than a lot of other themepark games.
Would that work? Sure, but it would be a gigantic waste of time and effort if the design isn't created with sandbox in mind from the outset.
To me, it seems ZOS DID prepare the game for SOME elements of sandbox gameplay - like how you can impact and change Cyrodiil - and destroy buildings etc., but I don't see how they could let players create "physical" in-game content given the way the world is handcrafted and there doesn't seem to be room for playermade structures, for instance.
But they could possibly create separate regions for that, I suppose - but that would destroy world coherence and the feeling of a consistent experience.
So, ultimately, I don't think the proposition is "feasible" enough to represent a particularly interesting question.
The jury is still out on whether or not they can make a good theme park game.
I don't think it would be a good idea to run two radically different versions of the same game. Same game with slightly different rule sets, yes, but not two completely different games with the same "paint". I think it would be easier to build a sandbox game, that includes a lot of theme park game play. Kind of like the way the game is setup with a PvE world, but with a large PvP zone. Though again, I think the jury is still out on whether or not this is a good idea. :-)
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
I don't know what themepark and sandbox mean, other than that people who use the words generally use sandbox as "good" and themepark as "bad."
I think there is a tension between PvE and PvP. In the former, like in the single player games, the journey is the destination. So 300 hours of quests is better than 100 because, well, it's just more things to do.
For PvP people tend want to maximize their advantage over other people. This creates pressure for a "level" playing field, e.g. everyone being the same - typically at level cap.
The latter group is the most vocal about being unhappy about "quest grinds" and the like, a concept that would be really bizarre in the usual ES game. Not many Skyrim or Morrowind players complained that there were too many books, stories, and quests. The more I think about it, the more I lean towards a much flatter PvP scaling - so that there isn't much advantage there to being higher level. Then you can compete without investing all of those extra hours in questing. There is even a natural dividing point - level 50 vs. VR levels - where you can set the break.
That's probably the closest that I can think to having both a "flat" PvP arena and a leveling experience for people who are so inclined.
No, due to licensing issues.
RAWR
It kind of already does. There is a lot of sand in Cyrodill already. It needs work to be sure but it's a good start.
No because nothing about Elder Scrolls or specifically Oblivion,Morrowwind or Skyrim are all that Sandbox anyways.
Is it now Sandbox is you are thrown into an open world with a ton of pre-scripted quest's,instances and events just because you aren't guided by a certain path to eventually hit the same eventual end/main quest chain.
Maybe some add ons or mods add more sandbox features but can someone explain to me how a game that doesn't allow you to really create any content(one of the main idea's behind a sandbox-the ability to shape and build the world) is always thrown in with other Sandbox games.
Freedom to kill any npc - no sandbox other wise Grand theft auto would be sandbox
Freedom to follow any path to any pre-made type of instance,quest,or event = not sandbox.
Just my two cents but then again when i hear sandbox i think of games that allow users to create and change the worlds that they are playing in. Maybe my definition is too literal
Nothing wrong with your definition. When I think of a sandbox game I think of "Tropico" where you build cities, manage the economy,diplomacy and stuff like that. EVE is a sandbox MMO as was Vanilla SWG.Currently Playing: World of Warcraft
There is literally and figuratively zero sand in Cyrodill.
I don't think so, but I think as this game ages and changes it will begin to resemble more and more like a sandbox game. Devs will likely continue to add features that encourage exploration and freedom and I think it will get to a point where it may as well be a sandbox.
I bet you it won't.
We have talked about what I call a 'Themepark in a Sandbox' many times before. The problems would be the same here, but if you could pull it of it would be potentially a genre changer.
The mainstay of the idea is that the outlying regions are sandbox, within which is a themepark central zone. This means that many things needed for a sandbox do not infringe on the themepark, but there is a feeling of continuity. The two types of gameplay would interlace. If you just had two islands, one sandbox and one themepark sat next to each other you might as well have two games.