EVE is not a sandbox

[Nihil_Marx]

A typical sandbox involves a box and sand. The goal is for the child to “play” by molding the sand into a display of imagination (creativity)… like a castle. But then the child can no longer do anything with this castle because the structure will break if touched just like a house of cards.

A good example of what a sandbox is in gaming is the title “Minecraft”.

EVE Online is not a sandbox, despite the publisher using the word. There is nothing to mold nor create. Everything is given to you before you even log in… you are forced to play by the rules and settings of the game, you cannot use any imagination. You do what you are told to do, or you log off.

An example is by using a “theme park” mmo like elder scrolls online, and using this facade called eve online.

EVE = ESO in space

Territorial Conquest = Cyrodiil

Faction Warfare = Battlegrounds

Complex Economy = Trade Market

Missions = Quests

Abyss = Dungeons

Gate Camping = Scouting

Ganking = Ganking

Incursions = Trials

Industry = Crafting

Trade = Trade

Exploration = Exploration

Chat in stations = Chat in towns

Walking in stations (removed) = Towns

Station Assets = Banks

Ship Cargo = Inventory

Clone movement = Teleportation

Skill learning = Spell learning

Alliances = Factions

Corps = Guilds

Home (whatever that is) = Player Housing

Ship Skins = Cosmetics / Fashion

Anything else? Yes, of course the counter is not always an exact equal, this goes for either game, but the point still stands, how is ESO a “theme park” but EVE a “sandbox”?

Case closed.

[Zozoll_Neblyn]

Can you build your own castles in ESO?

(Admittedly they are cookie cutter castles, but I think a lot of kids use buckets together with wet sand in a similar fashion.)

[Runa_Yamaguchi]

@Nihil_Marx

There is nothing to mold nor create.

LOL…just another angry miner using a day-old account to whine…LOL

[Xuxe_Xu]

Hang in there, OP! Obviously you’re very bored, but quarantine won’t be forever!

[Ramona_McCandless]

@Nihil_Marx

how is ESO a “theme park”

How is it not?

Checkmate, atheist

[Yberta_Molk]

/Case Reopened

The fragile castles are the corps/alliances and the player/player relationships we build in Eve, this is the “real” game and where the sandbox is. All the other stuff like mechanics, ships etc is just different types of sand. But anyway, if you look at any analogy it’ll collapse pretty quickly. I’m not interested in labels tbh.

The true test is that I’ve been playing Eve for 3 years, that’s twice as long as the length of time I played Elite: Frontier back in '93 which up until Eve was the longest I’d played anything.

By all means if you would rather play Minecraft don’t let us stop you, enjoy feller.

[lilsteel]

Sandbox game

EVE Online and the meaning of 'sandbox'

October 29, 2012 | By Kris Graft

[Shipwreck_Jones]

I’m not quite sure what is the point of your post, but I’ll bite.

We are not scientist trying to classify species. We use various terms to describe games because these terms help us to more concisely describe a game to others -whether they be viewers, potential customers, friends, or people we’re arguing with on the internet.

Now, these terms were not defined by some authoritative body. They were developed on the fly (mostly) by journalists, advertisers, and gamers. As such, they are often broad, ambiguous, and fluid.

Naturally, I believe your argument to be fundamentally flawed. You assume that your definition of “sandbox” is the accepted definition of the term, and ignore the fact that calling Eve a “sandbox MMO” is more useful for describing Eve than other terms.

TLDR: Your argument is basically, Mass Effect is not an Action RPG because Diablo is an Action RPG.

ME = Baldur’s Gate in Space
Dialogue Wheel = Dialogue Choices
Paragon/Renegade = Alignment System
Planets = Towns and/or Dungeons
Star Map = World Map
Soldier = Fighter
Adept = Mage
Party Members = Party Members
And so on

[Shipwreck_Jones]

By the way,

You are nothing, you have always been nothing, and you will always be nothing.

[Cassian_Anders]

This post is trash

[Shipwreck_Jones]

OP’s name is “Nihil Marx”

That 3 years of latin I took in high school finally paid off.

[zazzmatazz_Xu]

Selling buttered popcorn folks

[Wadiest_Yong]

Truly sorry for the late addition, but OP’s deep critique required equally deep research to investigate the facts and reach a conclusion …

At its core the New Eden environment started as a genuine sandbox. Actions, stories, history are player driven. Much of this gameplay involved the collecting, moving and reprocessing of sand, with the discovery of jetcan mining as a high point in emergent gameplay.

However, the pristine beauty of our freshly created universe came under environmental and social pressure, leading to the proverbial situation of being chased out of the Garden of (New) Eden, with individual as well as tribal acts of gratuitous and allegedly senseless violence as a result,

Parts of New Eden’s population decided that the best way to stay alive and prosper is to live and not die by that ancient wisdom “Do Unto Others Before Others Do Unto You”, often applying strategies which are inexcusable in other games but perfectly legitimate in New Eden.

The direct consequence of this new and unforgiving strategy (vide supra) was an even greater release of bodily fluids, mostly but not exclusively in the form of tears.

Over the years the accumulated pools of these mineral rich, mostly aqueous liquids proved to facilitate the natural transformation of the original sandbox towards the next level of evolution,
THE SWAMP.

It is this author’s belief that The Swamp is a far richer biotope - harboring a myriad of interesting life forms - than the original sandbox ever was, with actions, stories and history still being player driven. Therefore, all is as it should be, was destined to be, and it is good.

[Zozoll_Neblyn]

PVP people keep saying they’re bored because there’s nobody to PVP with, but actually there are plenty of people to PVP with. Gobs and Gobs of them, but unfortunately they are all organized into large scale alliance structures, where they can’t PVP on a small scale because an alliance war dec’ing another is sort of an “all or nothing” proposition.

It’s sort of like gangs in prison. They actually keep pretty peaceable relationships, most of the time, because they realize a battle of equal numbers vs. equal numbers would be pretty bloody for them.

It’s the little guy that isn’t part of a gang they want to pick on.

Those little guys are known as “carebears”, and obviously they won’t have any fun if they’re just getting picked on all the time.

In prison, the little guy simply has to put up with it, because he can’t leave. … because prisons are like that. You can’t simply leave prison when you’re not having fun.

In an MMO, the little guy can definitely leave. In fact, his wallet will thank him for it if he does.

[Black_Pedro]

@Zozoll_Neblyn

PVP people keep saying they’re bored because there’s nobody to PVP with, but actually there are plenty of people to PVP with. Gobs and Gobs of them, but unfortunately they are all organized into large scale alliance structures, where they can’t PVP on a small scale because an alliance war dec’ing another is sort of an “all or nothing” proposition.

Yes, as you say, there are plenty of people to PvP with but they aren’t all in organized large groups like you claim. There are plenty that play the game solo or in small groups, including the carebears, and you can PvP with.

Thankfully, as this is a full-time, PvP sandbox game, you also just go PvP with the carebears.

It’s PvP, all the way down from the largest coalition, to the most solo of hermits. You can shoot them all!