Most wanted feature in a "Sandbox" MMO?

Not so simple answers.. haha. I play a sandbox type universe called "Entropia Universe" with multiple planets/outer space/exploration/even pirating. However, there aren't many different ships and space feels WAAAAAAAYYYY to huge (like it should, I guess?) but with the playerbase it just feels needlessly empty. Most people populate planets and some of these RCE (Real Cash Economy) games even have ways out of game to earn in game money.

Now, for missing features? I wish space was compacted, flights were easier to handle, and space battle was more intuitive. But they nailed every other feature from mining, to crafting, and even hunting feels solidly well done. You can even be a hairstylist or a painter of vehicles, if you want to be. I like sandbox types like that.

Some more things I've wanted was more in-planet options for living choices/paths of living (Such as owning apartments/housing) or dealing with fraudulent people more aggressively. "The one who gets duped/cheated is the one at fault" should not be the way for a video game where you spend REAL MONEY. The admins should be active too, which they are not.

Which bring me to another points: Creator/Dev/GM activity on most games is never what it should be. If you launch ANY Game, be it a linear single player campaign or a widespread sandbox MMORPG, there should be more involvement from the creators. Regular DEV contests like PVP AGAINST A DEV or "MAKE A DEV LAUGH DAY" or hell - anything for that matter, for quick short little prises like a glowy aura buff that does nothing and makes you look cool (Like the Altantica Online Dev fights gave you). The releasers always feel like they have no "Stage-presence" in their own games which is a travesty.

If you're going to spend XXX millions on a game and then have a studio for customer support and future projects, why not also make a branch to handle constant in game events? It's not like they're NOT making enough money to do so. And I believe, with a game that is sandbox with GMS who actually care, it would be wonderful -- and it would draw a massive crowd.

 

TBH one feature no matter what it is, really doesn't make much difference, I want a number of features that come together to create something along the lines of a modern SWG. A game that has many approaches, for all kinds of different players, all intertwined to create a deep community driven game like SWG was.

 

I loved SWG also, really the only land-based Sandbox MMO which had sticking power with me. Assuming a game similar to SWG, what feature would you like to see changed or like to see most in that game?

 

My default answer for ANY MMO is



NO QUEST BASED LEVELING.

NO INSTANCING.



Probably being able to drop anything on the ground.



Or mobs that invade settlements and move around.

 

Player owned stores/marketstands. That goes both for sandboxes and themeparks.

MMOs need a player driven economy and it is usually sadly lacking in them.

The thing I want least in a PvP sandbox BTW is huge powergaps between new players and vets.It makes most PvP fights pointless since the winner is decided before it even starts, just a waste of my time. I don't want too search around to find an opponent that neither is impossible or even worse, no challenge whatsoever. Just ain't what I would call "fun".

 

The ability to become a bard, or a trader as your "class". Instead of a Waarrior, or Mage. Great money making abilities, but very poor fighting. The when moving around, you could hire other classes to protect you from the dangers on the road.

 

Crafting, I guess would be number one. Sim or minigame-style crafting, because screw crafting systems where you are just plugging ingredients into a recipe with a random chance of failure to grind out crafting XP. Ew.

If a sandbox has good crafting, then I check to make sure it has decent PVE combat, because I have yet to play a sandbox where the combat is even as good as an average WoW clone.

Then if it actually passed both of those checks I make sure there's a non-PvP server, unless by some miracle the whole game is non-PvP.

 

Crafting had to be a must, I agree .

But if I had to rate a #1 thing I want in any MMO, is fully destructable terrain sets - I want to blast this building down. And crafting can even play into that - I blew up a wall, so let me pick up the rubble as crafting material. Go around wreaking havoc. This could only take place in instanced areas to make it better, or the destructable terrain resets itself after a bit.

And I have to concur with Jay, the thing I want least is HUGE Gaps between power levels of active players. I don't want to get looked at and fall over dead.

 

Crafting - A resource driven ( different ore types give better properties) where crafted weapons are the best weapons in the game.

There is so much more to it, but that would be my short answer.

 

An old MMO by the name of ShadowBane from UBISOFT still had one of the best ways to craft imo - fully player driven and found resources ran the economy, you could build castles/siege castles, and the mines that produced these resources were in contention every single night. Then you'd roll items from different ranked people with stats for these top end minerals.

Or something like Entropia does - widescale crafting with button clicks, many professions, each with a chance to hit big or 'global' or 'hall of fame' - it keeps crafters interested while they keep crafting to know one of their crafts has the potential for 1k-10k% increase.

 

Interesting crafting system that don't act as money sink.

I know. What a laugh. But a man can dream, yes?