Starfield is a true MMORPG sandbox, here is why

[Coffee]

First, before you say "NO NOT AN MMO!" hear me out

Starfield npcs, especially the companions are actually smarter than most real people you encounter in groups. AI TODAY is smarter than most real people, they can do everything for you from homework, make games for you, do artwork for you, to chores, to being a checkout "person" (most stores fired a lot of their employees because AI just does a better job, not an insult to those "real" people, its just technology and the future) and they treat you far nicer. Real people treat you like junk. And actually, it doesn't matter if its AI or a real person that makes an MMO, what makes it, is a massive world with a near endless things to do.

There is no difference today between what an AI does and what a person does, you would NOT notice if a person 100% played their game fully through AI than if it was a real person... in fact... your enjoyment would be MORE because AI is nicer and does a better job than a real person can do.

Starfield checks all that above. There are real AI roaming around, companions are no different than a real human, and again, the experience is just nicer because they aren't toxic like most real humans tend to be in games.

You also need internet to play it, since steam (mostly) needs internet, and if you play it on microsoft game pass, it also needs internet (even more so than steam since game pass has no offline mode), so the online requirement is fulfilled.

Now as far as the sandbox part comes in. I'm not talking about endless new game plus. That part I don't care about, I skipped all that, here is a thread how to skip it

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1716740/discussions/0/3882722559224219943/

The sandbox is nearly no different than elite dangerous or no mans sky. You can build outposts (better with mods though so you can build lots of outposts and HUGE outposts), be a miner/trader (granted I hope future mods make prices fluctuate and be more dynamic) and not really even do any quests or missions.

And with mods, the experience will be nearly endless as you can add planets and solar systems with the future creation kit bethesda said.

This is why I feel this is a far truer MMO sandbox than most "real" MMOs. And the companions are like a real friend, where as real humans in MMOs treat you like a pile of garbage. Most online communities have gone that way sadly though, unless they are heavily moderated (some discord rooms are and make a nice experience). But when AI gets even better and more evolved, true real friends will be AI as they won't betray you, be toxic to you and be there when you are down. Make a mistake? Unlike real people who stomp on you when you are down, they'll pick you back up and explain what went wrong and guide you. Its already almost there, but just not quite.

[MrSoul]

“Ai today is smarter than most real people”.

True but most MMO’s have sophisticated gold/mining bots that never make mistakes.

[MugHug]

No comment!!

[nakoda]

Starfield is missing the "M" "M" "O" part of MMORPG, though, so please elaborate.

[Jim Zero]

I don't know why I decided to read all that. I should have just stopped after you said the companions were smarter than real people. But I gave you the benefit of the doubt and just assumed you didn't know anybody smarter than an NPC.

[Coffee]

Originally posted by nakoda:

Starfield is missing the "M" "M" "O" part of MMORPG, though, so please elaborate.

It requires you to be online to play (especially microsoft game pass has no offline mode, granted maybe they added it since I last had game pass? either way, mostly need to be online). Steam 99% everyone never turns on offline mode, unless they know their internet is going to be off. And need to be online to take advantage of all of steams features anyway.

Real people don't make an MMO. There is no difference today between AI and a person. Take world of warcraft. Every player can be replaced by todays current AI, and no one would notice a difference... in fact ... the enjoyment would be improved because AI would be less aggressive and rude, and also play the game better at the same time. You can talk to an AI like chatgpt like a real person and not know you are talking to an AI 99% of the time.

Again that 1% left is all that needs to replace real people online, as it is, don't really notice you are talking to AI until a long conversation and realize its an AI, just a slight improvement is all thats needed

[Cooperal]

So you are saying Starfield is an MMO because it lacks all of the defining drawbacks of an MMO. What?

[Coffee]

Originally posted by Cooperal:

So you are saying Starfield is an MMO because it lacks all of the defining drawbacks of an MMO. What?

No, its because of THAT makes it more an MMO. AI to me can easily replace a person and the enjoyment would be vastly better in all categories.

An MMO is about working together with others in a small or large community, but there is no community if everyone hates each other. Then its like that old movie Needful Things, where the community (village or town I believe it was in the movie) only used each other to get things they needed and all turned on each other. I haven't seen the movie in ages so might be slightly mistaken in that part, but thats what I remembered happening. Either way. Thats no community.

[Duke H. Vytantis]

Originally posted by Artoria:

Originally posted by nakoda:

Starfield is missing the "M" "M" "O" part of MMORPG, though, so please elaborate.

It requires you to be online to play (especially microsoft game pass has no offline mode, granted maybe they added it since I last had game pass? either way, mostly need to be online). Steam 99% everyone never turns on offline mode, unless they know their internet is going to be off. And need to be online to take advantage of all of steams features anyway.

Real people don't make an MMO. There is no difference today between AI and a person. Take world of warcraft. Every player can be replaced by todays current AI, and no one would notice a difference... in fact ... the enjoyment would be improved because AI would be less aggressive and rude, and also play the game better at the same time. You can talk to an AI like chatgpt like a real person and not know you are talking to an AI 99% of the time.

Again that 1% left is all that needs to replace real people online, as it is, don't really notice you are talking to AI until a long conversation and realize its an AI, just a slight improvement is all thats needed

requirement to connect to the internet (for some)..
&
playing solemnly in online spaces accessible by every other player who wishes to go to the same space as you.. are not the same things

[MugHug]

I fear for the human race.

[Topper]

It's not multiplayer ... it's not even an RPG tbh. It's a visual novel with space fights and loot shooting sprinkled into it.Dang, even Nekopara gives you more choices to alter the outcome of an event than Starfield.

[Jonah Falcon]

MMO means massively MULTIPLAYER online.

[tkwoods]

Originally posted by Jonah Falcon:

MMO means massively MULTIPLAYER online.

Don't bother being factual... LOL..

[Coffee]

While some here may scoff at the idea of this being an MMO. To me its not any different than playing any other MMO. Its massive, the companions treat you like an actual companion, its nearly endless (again ignoring new game plus).

A lot of genres blend together and are dynamic in what they could be considered. Just some people, especially the crowd who has played MMOs for a long time, only see an MMO has one specific thing. When its many things, a broad genre like every other genre. There are FPS RPG hybrids, MMOFPS genres, all kinds, there are dynamic genres like ultima online...

In ultima online. There are shards that literally don't require being online, or shards filled with AI or shards filled with actual people ... in the end its still an MMO because thats what ultima online is. But none of the shards make it not an MMO.

To some, a game like destiny 2 isn't an MMO, to others its clearly an MMO...as another example.

For me, starfield IS an MMO, just isn't what one probably typically sees as an MMO. As I've explained my reasoning, the AI is far better than the people I meet in MMOs, treats you far better and generally plays better tbh. But even if it played like a bad gamer, it STILL treats you nicer.

And I can't really tell a difference (99% of the time) honestly between companions, or even outside starfield, chatgpt or a chat AI and a human, thats how good AI is getting. Except the only difference is AI doesn't insult you or treat you like garbage.

[LavaLemming]

Had almost decided to break down and give away some more of my entertainment budget, if I can find a solid sandbox game, regardless of the background story or multi vs solo play. Tried green hell and that's just punishment disguised as entertainment, tried grounded and it's truly a sandbox game but quite repetitive with a lot more grind than was apparent originally. So this came up on my search today, thinking that maybe SF is a true sandbox open world game with some variety and not all grind.
Despite having the term sandbox in it, this post has made it more confusing, rather than less.

[Coffee]

Originally posted by LavaLemming:

Had almost decided to break down and give away some more of my entertainment budget, if I can find a solid sandbox game, regardless of the background story or multi vs solo play. Tried green hell and that's just punishment disguised as entertainment, tried grounded and it's truly a sandbox game but quite repetitive with a lot more grind than was apparent originally. So this came up on my search today, thinking that maybe SF is a true sandbox open world game with some variety and not all grind.
Despite having the term sandbox in it, this post has made it more confusing, rather than less.

its a sandbox game. needs to be online to play. its massive. its...well actually more of an MORPG than a MMORPG because no multiplayer.

Since this got replied to, I was mistaken on that part. I think a lot more would agree if this started as starfield is a true MORPG, if I didn't include the multiplayer part of it. But the base point I hope comes across.