Do people understand the difference between a sandbox and open world?

"An open world is a type of video game level design concept where a player can freely roam a virtual world.

The term is sometimes used interchangeably with "sandbox" and "free-roaming"; however, the terms open world and free-roaming describe the game environment itself and elude more to the absence of artificial barriers, in contrast to the invisible walls and loading screens that are common in linear level designs. The term sandbox refers more to the mechanics of a game and how, as in a physical sandbox, the user is entertained by their ability to play creatively, boundless of artificial structural constraints, and with there being "no right way" of playing the game.

Despite their name, many open world games still enforce restrictions at some points in the game environment, either due to absolute game design limitations or temporary in-game limitations (such as locked areas) imposed by a game's linearity." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_world

I think a lot of people are mistakenly calling certain games sandbox games when they really should be calling them open world, although to be fair it is often pretty hard to make the distinction these days.

Anyhow.

Unless the acronym means something else, but I think you mentiioned mario galaxy 2 as a sandbox game. :|

System Wars definition =

1) When bashing a game, they are the same

2) When defending a game, they are different

:P

I think the labels are somewhat useless. I see Halo as a shooter. Selling Halo as a "Sandbox" game would be misleading.

I think the labels a somewhat useless. I see Halo as a shooter. Selling Halo as a "Sandbox" game would be misleading.

VauxhalI

I think Sandbox and openworld are similar in context. I think non linearity is another thing all together which could refer to level, narration, dialog, combat, etc.

dupe :(

I see it as, open ended games, like Fable and Oblivion, are open world. City games, like inFamous and GTA are sandbox. You don't have a huge chunk of land to explore, it's all smashed down into 1 area, which is always a city. DevilBorg

Halo and SMG are not sandbox games.

:shock:

my personal interpretation is this:

sandbox is casual, objective-free gaming with everything unlocked and zero restrictions. It generally applies to city-buildiers (i.e. sim city, Tropico, Pharoh, Caesar, etc) but can apply to other games. Sandbox is gaming for the sake of gaming; no stress, no pressure, just relaxation

open-world games are games that exist in a setting where you can go everywhere, but you are still limited due to various factors. For example, you can walk anywhere you want in TES: Oblivion, but you are sometime limited due to enemies, quest restrictions, etc. Open-world gaming is based upon objectives and exploration.

Halo and SMG are not sandbox games.

:shock:

Gxgear

[QUOTE="Gxgear"]

Halo and SMG are not sandbox games.

:shock:

Ninja-Hippo

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or serious with all the smileys.

[QUOTE="DevilBorg"]I see it as, open ended games, like Fable and Oblivion, are open world. City games, like inFamous and GTA are sandbox. You don't have a huge chunk of land to explore, it's all smashed down into 1 area, which is always a city. savagetwinkie

[QUOTE="Ninja-Hippo"][QUOTE="Gxgear"]

Halo and SMG are not sandbox games.

:shock:

Gxgear

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or serious with all the smileys.

Sandbox is more of a game design, and open world is more of a level design.

open world - general lack of barriers, or loading screens. Sort of like being dropped off in the game universe.

sandbox - general lack of a specific playstyle.

Few games are genuinely sandbox games, but typically they allow an amount of freedom that is not typical in most games. For example fallout pretty much lets you go where you want for a certain amount of time, but you have a time limit to get something done. There are multiple paths, and you don't need a specific playstyle to accomplish the games goal, but you must accomplish the game's goal in a certain time frame. GTA games generally don't have a time frame, but often only have 1 playstyle to achieve any game objective (mostly killing somebody), and GTA's goals are obtained in order.

Is Zelda Open World?

Doesn't really matter to be honest, either way, why should we take your word on it?SaltyMeatballs

[QUOTE="VauxhalI"]

I think the labels a somewhat useless. I see Halo as a shooter. Selling Halo as a "Sandbox" game would be misleading.

savagetwinkie

[QUOTE="DevilBorg"]I see it as, open ended games, like Fable and Oblivion, are open world. City games, like inFamous and GTA are sandbox. You don't have a huge chunk of land to explore, it's all smashed down into 1 area, which is always a city. savagetwinkie

No.

Super Mario World is a 2D game with very strict level layouts with an obvious beginning and end to each level, so it's most certainly not open world, and yet those are great examples of little self contained sandboxes.

A good "sandbox" game/world/level doesn't have to been on a huge scale (or even in 3D which I think most people mistakenly think is the case), just like a child's sandbox in real life is not as big as a real beach and yet it the rules inside it still hold up and the child is free to play as they see fit and the sandbox just works.

All a good "sandbox" really needs it a set of solid rules that allow you to play in that "sandbox" and have fun in it without the rules falling apart and the game design breaking as soon as you try to do the slightest little thing that the designers didn't specifically want you to do to progress the game.

There is a difference.

So, all games are sandbox games except puzzle games... as long as they have levels.

Halo and SMG are not sandbox games.

:shock:

Gxgear

Is Zelda Open World?

AmayaPapaya

my personal interpretation is this:

sandbox is casual, objective-free gaming with everything unlocked and zero restrictions. It generally applies to city-buildiers (i.e. sim city, Tropico, Pharoh, Caesar, etc) but can apply to other games. Sandbox is gaming for the sake of gaming; no stress, no pressure, just relaxation

open-world games are games that exist in a setting where you can go everywhere, but you are still limited due to various factors. For example, you can walk anywhere you want in TES: Oblivion, but you are sometime limited due to enemies, quest restrictions, etc. Open-world gaming is based upon objectives and exploration.

mrbojangles25

[QUOTE="Gxgear"]

Halo and SMG are not sandbox games.

:shock:

amaneuvering

open world: being able to travel anywhere on the map

examples of open world:

• Metroid (once you fully upgrade)
• GTA
• InFAMOUS (once you progress enough)
• Zelda Wind Waker

non-linear: being able to complete a game out of order, sometimes sequence-breaking

examples of non-linear:

• Metroid
• Forza
• Left 4 Dead 2
• World of Warcraft
• Crackdown
• Fallout 3

sandbox: the degree of freedom a player has to use multiple methods to complete any task

sandbox is actually harder to give examples of, because lots of games have minor sandbox elements while others have a lot

great examples of sandbox:

• Armored Core
• Forza
• Oblivion
• Diablo 2
• Tetris

overall, the ultimate sandbox/non-linear/open-world game is World of Warcraft

the ultimate limited/linear/non-open-world game would probably be Mirror's Edge

Mario galaxy 2 is a platformer :?Sp4rtan_3

So, all games are sandbox games except puzzle games... as long as they have levels.

VauxhalI

[QUOTE="amaneuvering"][QUOTE="Gxgear"]

Halo and SMG are not sandbox games.

:shock:

SparkyProtocol

open world: being able to travel anywhere on the map

examples of open world:

• Metroid (once you fully upgrade)
• GTA
• InFAMOUS (once you progress enough)
• Zelda Wind Waker

non-linear: being able to complete a game out of order, sometimes sequence-breaking

examples of non-linear:

• Metroid
• Forza
• Left 4 Dead 2
• World of Warcraft
• Crackdown
• Fallout 3

sandbox: the degree of freedom a player has to use multiple methods to complete any task

sandbox is actually harder to give examples of, because lots of games have minor sandbox elements while others have a lot

great examples of sandbox:

• Armored Core
• Forza
• Oblivion
• Diablo 2
• Tetris

overall, the ultimate sandbox/non-linear/open-world game is World of Warcraft

the ultimate limited/linear/non-open-world game would probably be Mirror's Edge

88mphSlayer

For anyone that's not quite sure of the distinction or difference between sandbox and open world please feel free to read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_world

[QUOTE="88mphSlayer"]

open world: being able to travel anywhere on the map

examples of open world:

• Metroid (once you fully upgrade)
• GTA
• InFAMOUS (once you progress enough)
• Zelda Wind Waker

non-linear: being able to complete a game out of order, sometimes sequence-breaking

examples of non-linear:

• Metroid
• Forza
• Left 4 Dead 2
• World of Warcraft
• Crackdown
• Fallout 3

sandbox: the degree of freedom a player has to use multiple methods to complete any task

sandbox is actually harder to give examples of, because lots of games have minor sandbox elements while others have a lot

great examples of sandbox:

• Armored Core
• Forza
• Oblivion
• Diablo 2
• Tetris

overall, the ultimate sandbox/non-linear/open-world game is World of Warcraft

the ultimate limited/linear/non-open-world game would probably be Mirror's Edge

amaneuvering

[QUOTE="amaneuvering"][QUOTE="VauxhalI"]

So, all games are sandbox games except puzzle games... as long as they have levels.

VauxhalI

I can extend definitions into something completely ridiculous too, like... all games are first person games because you're playing them from the first-person perspective of an omnipotent God-like entity who controls the characters. Woo, I could make a thread about that. Isn't that what you do (trolling, I mean)?

For anyone that's not quite sure of the distinction or difference between sandbox and open world please feel free to read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_world

[QUOTE="amaneuvering"][QUOTE="88mphSlayer"]

open world: being able to travel anywhere on the map

examples of open world:

• Metroid (once you fully upgrade)
• GTA
• InFAMOUS (once you progress enough)
• Zelda Wind Waker

non-linear: being able to complete a game out of order, sometimes sequence-breaking

examples of non-linear:

• Metroid
• Forza
• Left 4 Dead 2
• World of Warcraft
• Crackdown
• Fallout 3

sandbox: the degree of freedom a player has to use multiple methods to complete any task

sandbox is actually harder to give examples of, because lots of games have minor sandbox elements while others have a lot

great examples of sandbox:

• Armored Core
• Forza
• Oblivion
• Diablo 2
• Tetris

overall, the ultimate sandbox/non-linear/open-world game is World of Warcraft

the ultimate limited/linear/non-open-world game would probably be Mirror's Edge

SparkyProtocol

in Tetris you're given total control over how to "solve" the un-ending puzzle, the game doesn't limit where each piece can go or how it's placed and similarly gives you total freedom to screw up and still win

in Forza, apart from a few manufacturer racing events, you're given total control over the build and tuning of the cars, and many events being simply performance based gives the player the freedom to race almost anything against almost anything, the racing itself is simply an extension of the car the player drives

Forza is pretty similar to Armored Core in that aspect, in that you've got linear levels but a wide array of tools and customization to use

[QUOTE="amaneuvering"][QUOTE="88mphSlayer"]

open world: being able to travel anywhere on the map

examples of open world:

• Metroid (once you fully upgrade)
• GTA
• InFAMOUS (once you progress enough)
• Zelda Wind Waker

non-linear: being able to complete a game out of order, sometimes sequence-breaking

examples of non-linear:

• Metroid
• Forza
• Left 4 Dead 2
• World of Warcraft
• Crackdown
• Fallout 3

sandbox: the degree of freedom a player has to use multiple methods to complete any task

sandbox is actually harder to give examples of, because lots of games have minor sandbox elements while others have a lot

great examples of sandbox:

• Armored Core
• Forza
• Oblivion
• Diablo 2
• Tetris

overall, the ultimate sandbox/non-linear/open-world game is World of Warcraft

the ultimate limited/linear/non-open-world game would probably be Mirror's Edge

SparkyProtocol

[QUOTE="amaneuvering"][QUOTE="Gxgear"]

Halo and SMG are not sandbox games.

:shock:

SparkyProtocol

[QUOTE="SparkyProtocol"][QUOTE="amaneuvering"] Yes they are and if you watch the developer videos for the Halo games you will hear the designers mention repeatedly how they are trying to create sandboxes for the player to play in, and in fact the designers of Halo Reach specifically mentioned how they were trying to get back to the sandbox style of level design and gameplay that worked so well in the original Halo. Like I say, I think a lot of people don't know the difference between sandbox and open world.Ninja-Hippo

Exactly,

Halo games are without doubt great examples of sandbox game play, for the most part, despite being level based (which some people seem to think means they cannot be "sandboxes").

It seems like some people just don't want to accept anything other than what they already believe despite the clear evidence to the contrary.

It took this thread to finally bring me out of lurking and into posting. Well TC, from the looks of this thread I would say you are correct. Many people dont understand the difference apparently. Many open world games offer sandbox gameplay as it is fitting, but sandbox game design is not dependant on open world level design at all. The MGS series gameplay is the definition of sandbox design, yet the games are not open world at all. I'm still finding new ways to clear areas on MGS2 and MGS3 all these years later. Sometimes in MGS3 I would keep reloading the same area over and over again just to see how many interesting ways I could tackle a situation. Its amazing that some gamers cant see the difference between heavily scripted events and set pieces vs. freedom of play style. Oh and a quick edit for those who dont see the sandbox design in SMG2. Did you not play the green star missions? Thats basically Nintendos way of hitting you over the head with a stick and letting you know you experiment around lol.sandbox3d

This guy is a sandbox.

[QUOTE="amaneuvering"]

[QUOTE="VauxhalI"]

I can extend definitions into something completely ridiculous too, like... all games are first person games because you're playing them from the first-person perspective of an omnipotent God-like entity who controls the characters. Woo, I could make a thread about that. Isn't that what you do (trolling, I mean)?

VauxhalI

For anyone that's not quite sure of the distinction or difference between sandbox and open world please feel free to read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_world

For anyone that's not quite sure of the distinction or difference between trolling and normal users please feel free to read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29

[QUOTE="sandbox3d"][QUOTE="VauxhalI"]

For anyone that's not quite sure of the distinction or difference between trolling and normal users please feel free to read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29

VauxhalI

July 4th, eh?

[QUOTE="VauxhalI"]

[QUOTE="sandbox3d"] So it seems you dont understand the topic at hand, nor do you know understand what trolling is. Which is ironic in a way, considering you are trolling this topic.sandbox3d

July 4th, eh?

You're a big fan of sandbox games and 3d?

[QUOTE="sandbox3d"][QUOTE="VauxhalI"]

July 4th, eh?

VauxhalI

You're a big fan of sandbox games and 3d?