Wide Open Sandbox: Difference between revisions

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[[File:~~sandbox2_5832~~.jpg|frame]]

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{{quote|''"A bad sandbox is one where you speed disinterestedly from plot mission to plot mission like the [[London Underground]] but a good sandbox makes you go 'Well there's the next story mission, but...Oooh, [[Gotta Catch Em All|collectables]]! Oooh, [[Random Encounters]]! Oooh, [[Rewarding Vandalism|an intact thing]]!'"''|'''[[Zero Punctuation]]''', ''[[Infamous (video game series)|In Famous]] 2'' review}}

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Well, okay, there are goals if you actually want to, you know, ''finish'' the game, but why bother when there's so much to do beforehand?

Modern games increasingly lean towards having a central goal and an incredible amount of optional material, all set up in a massive, open world. The term to describe this sort of world is "sandbox", after the child's toy of the same name, and when the open world and optional material outweigh the actual, goal-oriented gameplay, you've stepped into a [[Wide Open Sandbox]]. You may have mission triggers you can set off in order to advance the storyline, if that, but otherwise you can run around and do whatever you wish.

Modern games increasingly lean towards having a central goal and an incredible amount of optional material, all set up in a massive, open world. The term to describe this sort of world is "sandbox", after the child's toy of the same name, and when the open world and optional material outweigh the actual, goal-oriented gameplay, you've stepped into a '''Wide Open Sandbox'''. You may have mission triggers you can set off in order to advance the storyline, if that, but otherwise you can run around and do whatever you wish.

The defenders of this style of gameplay claim that it increases the replay value of a game tremendously. Without a single linear goal, you can go into the game and just tool around, doing what you want.

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The downside to this formula, and a trap developers of such games fall into all too often, is simple: with such a wealth of non-linear content, "sandbox" games tend to lack a strong central narrative and feature a protagonist who seems little more than a player proxy rather than a character in his/her own right. Without the driving force of narrative, characterization or a clearly defined ultimate objective, the developer risks losing the gamer's interest.

Another flaw that could potentially cause the player to lose interest is a sense of where the character ''is'' in the game. A good [[Wide Open Sandbox]] would know that sometimes, a player might have to put the game down and pick it up a long while later, and by then they might have forgotten where they were not only in the game world but also the narrative. A common way to avoid this is to put a label on the save where you are (ie, a particular chapter of the game) or an internal journal feature that tracks the player's progress.

Another flaw that could potentially cause the player to lose interest is a sense of where the character ''is'' in the game. A good '''Wide Open Sandbox''' would know that sometimes, a player might have to put the game down and pick it up a long while later, and by then they might have forgotten where they were not only in the game world but also the narrative. A common way to avoid this is to put a label on the save where you are (ie, a particular chapter of the game) or an internal journal feature that tracks the player's progress.

Games in this genre will rank around six (the maximum) on the [[Sliding Scale of Linearity vs. Openness]]; the closer a game is to the definition of a sandbox game, the higher it will rank. Of course, beware the [[Quicksand Box]].

For one reason or another, some Sandboxes [[Opening the Sandbox|need to be opened first]]. For action-adventure games with open level designs but a steady focus on beating the bosses and winning the game, see [[Metroidvania]]. This style of gameplay takes many of its cues from the world-map structure of [[RPG~~|RPGs~~]], which can offer their own non-linear distractions when you get [[Sidetracked by the Gold Saucer]].

For one reason or another, some Sandboxes [[Opening the Sandbox|need to be opened first]]. For action-adventure games with open level designs but a steady focus on beating the bosses and winning the game, see [[Metroidvania]]. This style of gameplay takes many of its cues from the world-map structure of [[RPG]]s, which can offer their own non-linear distractions when you get [[Sidetracked by the Gold Saucer]].

Contrast [[No Sidepaths, No Exploration, No Freedom]], [[Railroading]].

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=== Notable games in this genre: ===

=== Notable games in this genre ===

* ''[[Alundra]]''

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=== Other references: ===

=== Other references ===

== Gamebooks ==

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** What has been confirmed however, is that the first 6 books are being re-released on the iphone sometime in 2010, and if interest is high enough, the other twelve will also be written and released

* Some of the [[Lord of the Rings|Middle-Earth Quest]] gamebooks also managed this. Notably, ''A Spy in Isengard'' let you go anywhere on the map, and let you revisit the same location as many times as you liked (although, granted, there were a finite number of events that could happen at any location. There was a time limit, but only if you used the advanced rules, and even if you blew it, you didn't lose, you just got a less optimal ending; in the basic rules, [[Take Your Time]] was in full effect (that could actually be a minor problem, since it forced you to show up early for certain critical events). There was a goal, of course, but you could choose among multiple possible ways of accomplishing it. All in all, this was a very high degree of openness for a gamebook. Some of the other books in the series managed comparable levels of openness, but at least one, ''Treason at Helm's Deep'', thoroughly averted this trope.

** The first book in the series, ''Night of the Nazgûl'', used the same game mechanics to achieve a similar [[Wide Open Sandbox]] feel, although with some wrinkles. As with ''Spy'', there was a time limit in the advanced rules, although that again only determined the optimality of the ending. More peculiarly, many locations were functionally identical to other locations. For example, almost every map hex within the Barrow-Downs contained tombs that you could explore and loot. Each location text entry for the Barrow-Downs, however, referred you to one of maybe two or three encounter text passages, so if you thoroughly explored the entire Barrow-Downs, you would run into effectively the same monsters and the same loot, and the same text passages describing them, over and over again. So in effect, you were playing in a [[Wide Open Sandbox]] in which many places were completely identical to many other places.

** The first book in the series, ''Night of the Nazgûl'', used the same game mechanics to achieve a similar Wide Open Sandbox feel, although with some wrinkles. As with ''Spy'', there was a time limit in the advanced rules, although that again only determined the optimality of the ending. More peculiarly, many locations were functionally identical to other locations. For example, almost every map hex within the Barrow-Downs contained tombs that you could explore and loot. Each location text entry for the Barrow-Downs, however, referred you to one of maybe two or three encounter text passages, so if you thoroughly explored the entire Barrow-Downs, you would run into effectively the same monsters and the same loot, and the same text passages describing them, over and over again. So in effect, you were playing in a Wide Open Sandbox in which many places were completely identical to many other places.

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* The entire trade-simulation genre (notably the ''Patrician'' and ''[[Port Royale]]'' series) is all about this trope. The only requirement is "don't go broke".

* ''[[Sid Meier's Pirates!]]'' (and its remake... and the remake of the remake), sorta. They're extremely open ended, almost to a fault, but they also have what amounts to a time limit in that your pirate ages over time, and eventually has to retire. Many critics believe this aging feature is the game's biggest flaw.

* The games based on the 2007 ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' movie have [[Wide Open Sandbox]] worlds for the player to roam in-between missions, which are incidentally optional, but recommended to unlock content. It's somewhat like [[Grand Theft Auto (series)|Grand Theft Auto]]... except that you happen to be the vehicle.

* The games based on the 2007 ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' movie have Wide Open Sandbox worlds for the player to roam in-between missions, which are incidentally optional, but recommended to unlock content. It's somewhat like [[Grand Theft Auto (series)|Grand Theft Auto]]... except that you happen to be the vehicle.

* Genesis version of ''[[Shadowrun]]'' is an example. There is an overarching plot stuck somewhere in there, but messing about in the gameworld is too much fun to care.

* The only mandatory levels in the second half of ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' are Figaro Cave/Castle, Darill's Tomb, and Kefka's Tower. Everything ~~else -- and~~ there's a ''ton'' of ~~stuff -- is~~ an optional sidequest.

* The only mandatory levels in the second half of ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' are Figaro Cave/Castle, Darill's Tomb, and Kefka's Tower. Everything else—and there's a ''ton'' of stuff—is an optional sidequest.

* ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' appears to be becoming this, with secret areas, numerous sidequests, a notoriety system, three full cities and [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|the freedom to kill any and everyone]].

* The [[The Problem with Licensed Games|surprisingly good]] ''[[Spider-Man (film)|Spider-Man]] 2'' movie tie-in game gives you free rein in Manhattan after the tutorial. You can go anywhere, do anything, and generally do whatever a spider can, enjoying how fun it is to control Spider-Man in the process. Want to set the record time for crossing the island end to end? Sure! Want to perform some epic-level [[Le Parkour]]? It's almost required! Want to swan dive from the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty, only to save yourself at the last moment? ([[Video Game Cruelty Potential|Or not save yourself at all?]]) As many times as you want! Oh, sure, you have a little white marker pointing you toward the plot, but you can go there any time. Besides, to finish chapters, you need Hero Points, which are earned doing just about everything you do wandering about the city: beating up thugs, solving crimes (which involve beating up thugs half the time), locating Hint Markers to contact the snarky narrator ([[Bruce Campbell]]), completing speed challenges, and... delivering pizzas.

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* ''[[Midnight Club]] Street Racing'' and its sequel had a "Joyride" mode where you could simply drive all over town, exploring, with no time limit or objectives - even with a friend in split screen!

* The ''[[Animal Crossing]]'' series has TONS of stuff for players to do, such as paying off the price for the house to expand it, collecting all fossils/bugs/fish/paintings, collecting every single item or piece of fruit as possible, etc. Yet, the player can choose to not do any of those things and just spend time wandering around town or go online and visit a friend's town.

* The ''[http://chir.ag/stuff/sand/ Falling Sand Game]'', in which sand falls and you... draw things for it to fall on or into. Among other things. Also a literal example. It being a [[Wide Open Sandbox]] is mocked in the song ("Don't know how to win at all...")

* The ''[http://chir.ag/stuff/sand/ Falling Sand Game]'', in which sand falls and you... draw things for it to fall on or into. Among other things. Also a literal example. It being a Wide Open Sandbox is mocked in the song ("Don't know how to win at all...")

** Turned [[Up to Eleven]] with ''[http://powdertoy.co.uk/ The Powder Toy]''.

* ''[[Mabinogi (video game)|Mabinogi]]'', a free Korean [[MMORPG]] is far more of a sandbox type game than is typical for the genre. There is an overarching story, and several major side stories; but the majority of the game's content can be accessed outside of the storyline.

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[[Category:Older Than the NES]]

[[Category:Index Index]]

[[Category:~~index~~]]

[[Category:Index]]

[[Category:Wide Open Sandbox]]