Into The Sandbox: Is Freeform Gameplay Really The Future?

From OXCGN:

"Complete freedom has always been the holy grail of gaming. Sandbox Gameplay in games such as GTA3 and Crackdown have shown the potential for setting a player loose in a world with nought but their imagination (and usually several dozen guns).

But should we really want our games to tear down their walls and send us out squinting into a blinding world of possibilities?"

[gaminoz]

On one hand you get the great set-pieces and story-telling in more linear corridor shooters, but on the other the freedom you can get in sandbox games makes it so you can make up your own fun!

Hopefully we will have both: COD: WAW worked with its more restrictive play but so did Far Cry 2 with the open style. I'd love to see a blend of something like MOH: Airborne with Brothers In Arms...in other words more freedom and open pathways like in a level like Adanti in Airborne, but more tactical AI and gameplay like BIA.

[HighDefinition]

Well that depends on how much space you got to work with.

:)

[thats_just_prime]

In a way sandbox games are still linear. Take GTA 4 no matter how many times you play or what all you do in the game (not like there much to do) you'lll meet the same people and you kill the same guys ( other then a caouple you can choose not to kill) you'll betrayed by the same poeple ans it will alway happen in the same order. So while the game play is non linear story telling will always be linear

[Sasanova]

no its not. its retarded to think that. why? why the fuk would u want that? thats like saying u want to play only RPG games from now on...or just FPS and never play another fighting game again...

u want a freeroam street fighter too? stfu, u dont deserve an opinion

[Immortal Kaim]

reported for being a tool. If you want to get your point across don't speak like an immature child. Hopefully you get a nice long ban

[poindat]

Neither is better. Both styles of gameplay each have their own merits and demerits, but the success is really based on the individual games. You wouldn't judge all linear shooters on games such as Haze when there is some great quality out there. Likewise on sandbox games.

[phantomshadow]

Totally agree.

[REALgamer]

Definitely.

But if one style pulls in more money I'm sure developers will follow it, and at the moment sequels to many popular series are going free-roaming like Farcry 2 and Prince of Persia because sandbox games are selling really well.

[Acj2323]

Well I don’t think it’s the complete future, there will be linier games. But I guess as games are developed the companies who make them have free dome in their mind, because if you compare games from today’s market to games when they were first developed, there is allot more freedom into day’s games and maybe it will always be that way.

[Cajun Chicken]

The worst thing to worry about is the demise of the healthbar (units) all this recharging health gimmick is annoying me. Just stop it, be different. Its like freaking bullet-time all over again.

[Aclay]

Every single game doesn't necessarily have/need to be Open World, but I would like to see MORE open world games because there's very few of them, But at the same time I wouldn't want every game to be open world and for me it would depend on the Game Genre.

For instance, I simply hate open world racing games. The only reason I didn't buy Burnout Paradise is b/c it was Open World... I played the demo and I still didn't like it because of the Open World factor... I don't want to drive around to find a race, I want to choose a race from a menu and jump right into it. On the other hand I have Burnout 3: Takedown on the PS2 and loved that game to death because it was a traditional racer and you chose races from a Menu.

Anyways, I'd like to see the majority of games with Open Ended gameplay and the story in a game could branch off into 3 or 4 different paths depending on your decisions in the game like what Heavy Rain is doing or similar to Fallout 3.

[Cajun Chicken]

Nah, Burnout Paradise actually works really well. I hated the demo too, but the full city in the game is far better...seriously missing out, this is from a Burnout Revenge fan. Very addictive.

Bet yeah, def, not every game has to be open world, but more quality titles with different spins on them are welcome. But I still like the good old linear game.

[gaminoz]

Yay! Someone else who doesn't like the new Burnout and liked the old style! Give me exotic tracks around the world anyday!

[XboxOZ360]

I'm split on it actually. SOme games require it, some do not. Some will work with it, some will not. Some could actually benefit from having it included, while others simply would not work at all.

The main thing I worry about is. That those games that chose to use it will not get the fair coverage or playtime they might well deserve. Why?

Well many new-comer gamers and many younger gamers find such games either boring, repeatitive (one on my pet hate words of late - as games are repeatitive my nature and definition - dahh) and diss the game before even giving it a chance.

Mainly because games of that nature require this thing called time and patience to explore and work with. It also requires some forward-thinking and planing. Plus the use of some real skills when required.

So if a developers does include the sandbox style o=into say a genre that is usually a linear style, they run the risk of not selling the numbers they normally would, even though they are bringing some innovation to the genre.

One only needs to look at Far Cry 2 to see that. The run-n-gunner hate it, those that want action all the time hate it, those that think a game should never repeat its self hate it, and those that have to try and think of other ways around a problem (problem solving) hate it.

I've spent countless hours in the game (68%) complete yet still have put in around 20-30 hours into the game, and still find it challenging on each boot-up. But overall, the sales were hurt because Ubisoft dared to change it to a more realistic style FPS, and give it some real storyline, and ask the gamer to think about his or her actions.

After talking with Clint Hockings of Ubisoft once, you can see and understand their passion in wanting to change it, rather than have it run on rails. The problem is that the majority of those that have purchasing powers these days wanted the usual, dumbed down, on rails shooter that gave nothing really other than blood, gore, bullets flying and lots of BFG's.

And then in the next breath, those very same gamers (term used very losely btw) 'demand' the developers give them innovation . . . well they just did, and the gamers bagged them for it.

[PlayStation360]

"...the majority of those that have purchasing powers these days wanted the usual, dumbed down, on rails shooter that gave nothing really other than blood, gore, bullets flying and lots of BFG's.

And then in the next breath, those very same gamers (term used very losely btw) 'demand' the developers give them innovation . . . well they just did, and the gamers bagged them for it."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Bubble+

[Godem]

no its not, i hate completely freeform games such as Far Cry 2 or GTA... I need a little direction to progress the story etc.

[XboxOZ360]

There IS direction, IF you follow the storyline (Far Cry 2). You do know the storyline - don't you . . . ;-)

You have missions, and tasks to do, you're given a choice of how to do them, and you have to use your head. Such as the ambushing missions or raids etc. Go blundering in and you run the risk of losing the hidden bonuses that can help you advance in the game, as well as get your head blown off in the process. Use some stealth and you can get through the whole level without firing a single shot if needed. Other than disptaching the target you had to eliminate.

FPS need not be on rails . . . Just the same as racing games do not need to be on rails (as opposed to racing sims) but they do need some direction in what you need to achieve, unlike games such as Drive, where youhave complete freedom, and havock rules because of it . . .Youcan wander around aimlessly for hours and achieve nothing.

[gaminoz]

@ Oz

Sometimes it's fun to just wander around aimlessly and explore if the environment is rich enough. I remember with Driv3r (yes everyone is shuddering right now) the only thing I liked was the freeroaming mode where I could do jumps and explore Nice (which was pretty accurately modelled by the way) and Istanbul and film all the police chases, etc. That WAS fun. The actual game wasn't.

[XboxOZ360]

True, I love the fact I can just wander around in Far Cry, and, that there will be 'ramdoms' to deal with if I'm not careful and need to be cautious sometimes. Makes me more aware of my surroundings.

Plus you find out that you can go on forever off the map, well, until you die of heat stroke or thirst . . and you struggle back to within some boarder etc. Not blank dead invisible wall, you just start to die ..so ooppss, turn around, nothing out here.

I'm om the 3rd map, and there's another one yet . . . Sure the same or "similar" things occure when you've clear on outposts. Point is, they are going to send in more troops to mount that outpost anyhow. So you'd normally have to deal with replacements in real life.

Sometimes I think many gamers just complain when they find the going getting tuff, or when it requires some thought or dare I say - effort on their part. It instantly become "boring or repeatative" and they diss. It's not usually the game, but the player.

[lsujester]

You know, the aspect of respawning checkpoints to me was one of Far Cry 2's flaws. Not that the enemy checkpoints should never respawn, but definitely not at the speed in which they do. You can literally blow the crap out of a checkpoint with grenades and RPG's, drive past to finish the quick mission, and then on your way back everything has been neatly replaced with both men and equipment like nothing had ever happened. All within a couple of hours game time.

Realistic? No. Especially not in Africa.

But don't get me wrong... I really like Far Cry 2.

EDIT: Someone who liked Driv3r? I didn't know they let you people out anymore. :) JK

[darkmurder]

Not the future, but they're damn fun!

[Steelspawn]

I will sit on the fence with this one. As mentioned earlier I was a fan of Burnout Revenge but just couldn't get into Paradise for this sandbox reason. I want to jump through menus and choose the races and such.

Shaun White Snowboarding bored me to tears having to spend most of my time heading towards races, staring at the same backgrounds for a race that was over in no time.

Sandbox is great so long as there isn't too much downtime.