The difference between "open world" and "sandbox"

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aynrandsbutt

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Is there any? Isnt the open world just a sandbox for the individual to live out their wildest fantasies? I'm not sure of myself. I'm not sure if I ever was.

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rethla

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#2  Edited By rethla

Sandbox is a game without meaningfull narration ,purpose and progress. Create your own fun yaaay?

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grtkbrandon

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Yeah, definitely. Minecraft is a sandbox game, Skyrim (without the modding aspect) is an open world game. A sandbox game allows the player to take control and have serious impact on the world overall. You can build, create, destroy, and do just about anything you want. Open world games are just that: they exist only in the instance the original creators cooked up, and while you can have an impact on the world, it's never something that isn't already scripted to occur outside of what the developers intended.

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Jeust

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#4  Edited By Jeust

Sandbox is normally applied to linear games that have large maps that allow a variety of actions, a number of ways to approach the goal of the level, and interact with the elements of the environment. A sandbox environment is one such map.

Open World normally has only one map, that is gigantic, in which all the levels happen, or are interconnected with. And the structure of the game is normally non-linear, giving the possibility to tackle one of a number of missions at each time.

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rethla

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Yeah, definitely. Minecraft is a sandbox game, Skyrim (without the modding aspect) is an open world game. A sandbox game allows the player to take control and have serious impact on the world overall. You can build, create, destroy, and do just about anything you want. Open world games are just that: they exist only in the instance the original creators cooked up, and while you can have an impact on the world, it's never something that isn't already scripted to occur outside of what the developers intended.

Have you watched any video where Vinny plays an open world game?

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grtkbrandon

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@rethla: Haha, touche. But Vinny is always an exception to the rule.

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aynrandsbutt

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Very interesting thoughts have been shared, but I am afraid I still have not found an answer that satisfies me. Will I ever?

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Kidavenger

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Open world focuses on quests while sandbox doesn't

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aynrandsbutt

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I have quests in minecraft. I have quests in skyrim. Which is which? Are they the same?

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fisk0

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#10  Edited By fisk0  Moderator

The terms were used interchangeably back in the GTA III and Mercenaries days, but I think there is an appreciable distinction between the two nowadays, as described above, Minecraft kinda popularized the true sandbox which has become it's own separate thing now.

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fisk0

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#11  Edited By fisk0  Moderator

@aynrandsbutt said:

I have quests in minecraft. I have quests in skyrim. Which is which? Are they the same?

Quests isn't really the defining factor. Minecraft's world can literally be shaped by the players, whereas Skyrim, GTA etc. are guided experiences with landmarks/setpieces, but with some degree of non-linearity and a freedom to explore the majority of the game world at will.

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aynrandsbutt

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Has a clear distinction really been made though? I'm feeling sick in my stomach.

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fisk0

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#13 fisk0  Moderator

Has a clear distinction really been made though? I'm feeling sick in my stomach.

There are no clear distinctions, every genre is a spectrum, and there are no definite boundaries. There is an appreciable difference in the focus of the two genres though, even though there is a large amount of overlap.

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Beb

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#14  Edited By Beb

An open world game may or may not be a sandbox game. The scale we want to measure against is Themepark vs Sandbox.

World of Warcraft is an open world game, and a themepark. You can run around in the world more or less as you please, but it was crafted by Blizzard and each player will experience the same things in the same circumstances. The content will be basically the same for everyone.

Minecraft on the other hand is open world and a sandbox. The player has a large degree of freedom to do whatever the want.

Skyrim (unmodded) is a bit more sandbox-y than WoW, because you can 'permanently' kill NPCs, move items around in the world, etc. But it is not as sandbox-y as Minecraft because you can't deform the world (other than build a few houses with set designs, in set locations.)

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Justin258

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Has a clear distinction really been made though? I'm feeling sick in my stomach.

Funny thing about distinctions, they always rely on nuances. Often, when you're trying to make a distinction between one thing and another, those two things are not mutually exclusive. They can overlap in the same thing at the same time. Minecraft, for instance, is very much an open world game and a sandbox game. The open world part means that, unless you're in a scripted sequence, you can travel anywhere you want to at anytime you want to. The sandbox part means that the game's mechanics and rules are designed in such a way as to encourage outcomes which the developers never gave thought to - for instance, in Minecraft, you can rig up a machine that automatically digs up all your wheat for you, or you can make a piston door.

Also, as has been mentioned, it's always a spectrum. GTA V is more of an open world game than, say, Mass Effect 2 - but as long as you're not in a mission, you can go to whichever place you want in the latter. And Minecraft is more sandbox-y than GTA V, but you can still come up with a goal of driving a motorcycle on top of a moving train in GTA V.

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grtkbrandon

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@beb said:

An open world game may or may not be a sandbox game. The scale we want to measure against is Themepark vs Sandbox.

World of Warcraft is an open world game, and a themepark. You can run around in the world more or less as you please, but it was crafted by Blizzard and each player will experience the same things in the same circumstances. The content will be basically the same for everyone.

Minecraft on the other hand is open world and a sandbox. The player has a large degree of freedom to do whatever the want.

Skyrim (unmodded) is a bit more sandbox-y than WoW, because you can 'permanently' kill NPCs, move items around in the world, etc. But it is not as sandbox-y as Minecraft because you can't deform the world (other than build a few houses with set designs, in set locations.)

There's a fun thing. A sand-box game is usually open world, but an open world game usually isn't a sand-box.

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fisk0

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#17  Edited By fisk0  Moderator

There's a fun thing. A sand-box game is usually open world, but an open world game usually isn't a sand-box.

On that note, wouldn't we call Besiege a sandbox game even though it most definitely doesn't have an open world?

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Turambar

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#18  Edited By Turambar

To me, "open-world" is a descriptor for the game's structure, defining how the map is laid out and how you access various parts of it. To put it simply, "you can go any where".

"Sand-box" on the other hand is a descriptor for the game's gameplay philosophy. It implies a degree of autonomy where the "fun" to be had is entirely dependent on your actions as opposed to any previously built set piece moments put in there by the developers. To put this simply, "you can do anything."

Skyrim would be an open-world game. Minecraft would be a sand-box.

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rethla

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I have quests in minecraft. I have quests in skyrim. Which is which? Are they the same?

Yes they are the same. Quests is not a part of sandbox gameplay.

A sandboxgame doesnt have to be open world. Simcity as an example has a sandboxmode where the game just ignores all progression and scripted events and unlocks everything for you to play with.

Again no limits, no narration and no progression but the ones you create yourself. There you have your sandbox defenition.

Open world is often described as one big gameworld where you can travel wherever you want all the time. Very few games truly are open world by that defenition and i usualy call it open world when it feels like you are part of a big gameworld as opposed being shuffled around setpieces in a story.

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Gruebacca

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There is a sliding scale of sandboxiness. Some games are absolute sandboxes, while others use elements of sandbox games. Games like Minecraft, Universe Sandbox, Sim City, and Garry's Mod are closer to true sandboxes. Games like GTA, Skyrim, and Goat Simulator incorporate features of sandboxes into different genres. (This doesn't mean they can't be true sandboxes if you mod them.

Not all sandboxes are open world, and not all open world games contain sandbox elements.

An easy way to tell if a game is a sandbox game is if the primary goal-giver is the player. Is the player more often than not following the rules, or are they making up their own?

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BananasFoster

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@aynrandsbutt: I'm not sure why you haven't found an answer that satisfies you. While I was intrigued by your question, it seems as though others have answered it very well. Enough to satisfy me, definitely.

An open world game is a clockwork world that you as the protagonist explore. A sandbox is emulating a sandbox experience of little rules or direction.

Nobody would say, for example, that Sim City is an "open world" game. But It is one of the inventors of the sandbox genre.

GTA is not a sandbox, per se, as you have to play within the rules of the world. (You can't just drop a car from the sky if you so choose). But it IS open world.

I would argue that point of view is a big determining factor in the two.

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This thread is really only going to remain interesting and relevant if the OP keeps responding with vague philosophical conundrums about the subject, coupled with physical ailments and existential quandaries the pondering thereof is causing them.

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grtkbrandon

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@kcin said:

This thread is really only going to remain interesting and relevant if the OP keeps responding with vague philosophical conundrums about the subject, coupled with physical ailments and existential quandaries the pondering thereof is causing them.

I was thinking the same thing. OP is playing too true to his/her username.

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stayflip

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#24  Edited By stayflip

They seem to get used interchangably quite a lot, but I think sandbox is more about design philosophy, while open world is level design.

I tihnk sandbox generally refers to a non-directed/scripted design, inlcuding 'creative' games like Minecraft, Besieged etc.

Another type of sandbox could be a game where the world is a set of rules and is shaped by player and AI decisions, games like Europa Universalis, Football Manager,.. erm.. Mount & Blade?

An open world is basically just large non-linear level, isn't it?

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kinggiddra

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A sandbox game is built on a set of rules. You enact change on the state of the world with the help of said rules. There will typically be much less scripted content, since the point of a system of rules is to create the content.

An open world game can be a sandbox, since that just means it is not a constrained experience. LittleBig Planet is a sandbox game but not an open world game. Watch_dogs is an open world, but not a sandbox or particularly good.

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ajamafalous

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@turambar said:

To me, "open-world" is a descriptor for the game's structure, defining how the map is laid out and how you access various parts of it. To put it simply, "you can go any where".

"Sand-box" on the other hand is a descriptor for the game's gameplay philosophy. It implies a degree of autonomy where the "fun" to be had is entirely dependent on your actions as opposed to any previously built set piece moments put in there by the developers. To put this simply, "you can do anything."

Skyrim would be an open-world game. Minecraft would be a sand-box.

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amirite

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#27  Edited By amirite

What if the world is MADE of sand??

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Excitable_Misunderstood_Genius

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@fisk0 said:

The terms were used interchangeably back in the GTA III and Mercenaries days, but I think there is an appreciable distinction between the two nowadays, as described above, Minecraft kinda popularized the true sandbox which has become it's own separate thing now.

This is the most accurate response I've seen.

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aynrandsbutt

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Some good points have been made. Some bad ones also.

My final question now: is life more of a sandbox or more of an open world?

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rethla

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Some good points have been made. Some bad ones also.

My final question now: is life more of a sandbox or more of an open world?

It depends, are you a follower or a leader?

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aynrandsbutt

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Go on

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Christoffer

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#32  Edited By Christoffer

@believer258: Tend to agree. Sandbox and Open World are game elements. It could be Sandbox without Open World (Besiege?). It could be Open World without Sandbox (The Witcher 3?)

Toy around vs Move around

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rethla

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#33  Edited By rethla

@aynrandsbutt: Well you can follow the stream and live your life in an "open world" but if are an entrepreneur gentleman you can take the reigns of the world and create a sandbox for yourself.

Its a matter of perspective.

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#35  Edited By Jimbo

They've always meant different things (and both terms are pretty self-explanatory if you ask me), they just tend to overlap often enough that people end up confusing the two and/or using them interchangeably.

'Open World' specifically refers to the physical nature of the play area and your freedom of movement within it.

'Sandbox' refers to the degree to which you can meaningfully interact with that space. ie. as a kid in a sandbox might shape the sand into a sandcastle, hence the name.

I suppose you could refer to the likes of Besiege, Kerbal, Nuts & Bolts etc. as Sandbox, though I always think Toybox would be a more appropriate name for that sort of game. They're far more about the playing with / building of toys than they are about interacting with the world, which in those examples is really only there as a backdrop.

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monkeyking1969

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Years ago except for some 2.5D Sim games, there were few sandbox games ad we currently think about them. Today there are more 'true' sandbox experiences, but they nare reather simplistic since most NPCs in them have little 'agency' or 'behavior' in their AI.

Yet, I think we still have not seen what could become REAL sandbox games. In the future we might see totally AI controlled worlds where everything is based on the game AI behaviors and not on specific scripts for behavior under only certain circumstances. Eventually, we might see games where almost anything can happen because all objects in the environment are subjects to AI behavior algorithms, environmental physics, and your own input 'stirring the pot'.