Difference Between Open World and Sandbox?

[D.A.R.K.]

Before I thought the difference between them is that open world games are games with a wide open are that you explore and so stuff, but you can't destroy everything, like Far Cry and Day Z. Sandbox, are open world games, with also an wide open area that you can explode and do things, but with a plus side that you can mine everything, and destroy everything, like Terraria, Minecraft and 7 Days to Die... BUT I know for sure that all sandboxes are open world, but not all open world are sandboxes.

If this isn't the difference, the part that you can destroy everything, what's the difference between open world and sandbox, and can you give me examples of it?

[cinedine]

Open world is about the game's setting.
Sandbox is a game mechanic that allows for a high degree of freedom.

Also not all Sandboxes are Open World. Kerbal Space Program for example is a phyiscs sandbox.

But keep in mind that tags are made by users and when you put four people in a room you end up with five different opinions. Don't try to put sense into them.

[D.A.R.K.]

Originally posted by cinedine:

Open world is about the game's setting.
Sandbox is a game mechanic that allows for a high degree of freedom.

Also not all Sandboxes are Open World. Kerbal Space Program for example is a phyiscs sandbox.

But keep in mind that tags are made by users and when you put four people in a room you end up with five different opinions. Don't try to put sense into them.

Wait, sandbox is about freedom? But isn't this suggestive?

[Ganger]

I under the impression both are one of the same in a way.

[cinedine]

Originally posted by D.A.R.K.:

Originally posted by cinedine:

Open world is about the game's setting.
Sandbox is a game mechanic that allows for a high degree of freedom.

Also not all Sandboxes are Open World. Kerbal Space Program for example is a phyiscs sandbox.

But keep in mind that tags are made by users and when you put four people in a room you end up with five different opinions. Don't try to put sense into them.

Wait, sandbox is about freedom? But isn't this suggestive?

What do you mean by "suggestive"?

Yes, it's about freedom of creativity.
That's why it's called "sandbox". You can do whatever you want within broad limits. Dig a hole, build a castle, play with your dinosaurs, throw sand in the face of other children or all of the above at the same time without breaking anything.
And if you're done you can just level everything and start anew.

[D.A.R.K.]

Originally posted by cinedine:

Originally posted by D.A.R.K.:

Wait, sandbox is about freedom? But isn't this suggestive?

What do you mean by "suggestive"?

Yes, it's about freedom of creativity.
That's why it's called "sandbox". You can do whatever you want within broad limits. Dig a hole, build a castle, play with your dinosaurs, throw sand in the face of other children or all of the above at the same time without breaking anything.
And if you're done you can just level everything and start anew.

Oh, alright, I got now. So... Kinda my personal definition still stand for it, games open world like Far Cry and Day Z you don't have too much freedom as games as Terraria, Minecraft and 7 Days to Die. The major difference is being able to mine the entire world in Terraria, Minecraft and 7 Days to Die, but you can't do that in Don't Starve, for example.

But, that raises another question, in which point do we define that a game isn't open world anymore, but a sandbox? Because, Don't Starve doesn't give you the freedom that Minecraft does as mining the world, but there's a lot of freedom there.

I'm using the "mine the world" as a point that defines which games are open world and which are sandbox, but we have games with a lot of freedom that we can't mine the world, and some games with almost no freedom that we can mine the world. Castle Miner Z, for example, is a game that we can mine the world, but with almost nothing to do in the game, compared with games like Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, that we can't mine the world, but yet we have a lot of things to do, in, which case, the creativity comes when we do stuff like battle and progression, I don't know if this count.

I mean, I'm not confuse anymore by the definition, but I don't know the line that defines which one of them, since freedom of creativity comes with a lot of questions as, the creativity is about what you do using what the game has to offer, or it's about what you do that the game didn't expect you do to.

[liosalpha]

these lines are blurry. cause games vary in freedom and tools they profide and games can very in what they find enjoyable.

I would discribe skyrim and rimworld as sandbox games too. but i can think of plenty arguments against it.

These terms are great for painting a quick picture in broad strokes on what the games are about. but more is needed to accuratly discribe what it is about.

(and tags on steam mean nothing)

[D.A.R.K.]

Originally posted by liosalpha:

these lines are blurry. cause games vary in freedom and tools they profide and games can very in what they find enjoyable.

I would discribe skyrim and rimworld as sandbox games too. but i can think of plenty arguments against it.

These terms are great for painting a quick picture in broad strokes on what the games are about. but more is needed to accuratly discribe what it is about.

(and tags on steam mean nothing)

I totally ignore tags on Steam, the problem is that we use those tags to find a game, and it's incredible stupid.

[feytharn]

Originally posted by D.A.R.K.:

But, that raises another question, in which point do we define that a game isn't open world anymore, but a sandbox?

There is no such point. Sandbox and open world are two completely seperate qualities. A game can be sandbox and open world or just sandbox or just open world.

[D.A.R.K.]

Originally posted by feytharn:

There is no such point. Sandbox and open world are two completely seperate qualities. A game can be sandbox and open world or just sandbox or just open world.

Accordingly with

Originally posted by cinedine:

a game can't be open world and sandbox at the same time, because sandbox games give players freedom of creativity at certain point, and open world don't. Again, I do use the "mine the world" to determinate that all sandboxes allows players to mine the world, while a non-sandbox doesn't, which means all sandboxes are open world, but not all open world are sandbox. cinedine disagrees with me, by the way.

In your point of view, what's the difference between open world and sandbox, and can you give examples of games that are only sandbox, only open world, and both?

[Mad Scientist]

Not all sandboxes are open world.
It can be one, the other, or both.

Look at a fair amount of games. Notice how you can play it normally, or you can choose "Sandbox" mode?

One mode makes you work your way up, the Sandbox mode gives you access to everything rather than having to work for it (factorio, minecraft, terraria etc usually have these options).

That's simplifying it, but you get the point.

[liosalpha]

minecraft is both and open world and a sandbox even in just survival. there is a progression but that can be done in some hours. and there are plenty of side things that you can do.

i consider rimworld to be a none openworld sandbox. you have this plot of land and you can do what ever you want. make a hotel, a drug lab. Or an organ farming site or just make a prity home breeding cats.

then there are games like house flipper, the sims and tycoon game that are on a plot of land with a ton of creative freedom.

[cinedine]

Originally posted by D.A.R.K.:

Accordingly with

Originally posted by cinedine:

a game can't be open world and sandbox at the same time

What? No.
I said not all sandboxes are open world (Kerbal). Same as not all open world games are sandboxes (GTA).

A sandbox provides you with a playground and few constraints. In Kerbal for example it's about physics and seeing what your creation can do.
Open world provides you with ... well, an open world where you can go to whatever you can see and on and in which way you want.

The main feature of a sandbox is being able to start from a blank state at any time and your previous "experiments" not affecting the world.

HOWEVER, we are talking about tags. There is and never will be consensus across 100+ million people what each tag means. You can find ... controversial ... tags on pretty much every game. Sometimes tags even contradict themselves as mentioned with casual and difficult.
CS:GO for example is tagged with "strategy" because people don't understand the difference between strategy and tactics.
Euro Truck Simulator is tagges with "racing" because ... reasons? Or RPG because you can distribute a few skill points? Funnily enough its also tagged with "sandbox".

Don't try to wrap your head around the definitions. There are none. Make up your own and roll your eyes whenever someone disagrees with you. ;)
Which obviously also includes my posts.

[rawWwRrr]

Open World describes the physical constraints of your playable area, in this context meaning a seemingly never ending landscape in which to move without encountering loading screens. Think of Minecraft, PUBG, Fallout, GTA V.

Sandbox describes the gameplay within the playable area, whether it's open world or not. Minecraft would fall into this category as well. Think of any game in which you affect the playable area like a god, just like you would in an actual physical sandbox.

[D.A.R.K.]

Originally posted by cinedine:

Oh, ok, I think I didn't understand right in the first time. I'm not talking about tags on Steam, I'm talking about the difference between open world and sandbox, which you made it clear now. Tags on Steam are a cancer, you will always see a stupid tag in a game because people set it instead of devs.

[Gallifrey - CSSC Gaming Founder]

Open World - a large play area with significant freedom to travel to different locations usually with an option to do so in "real time" (so the world is "continuous")

Sandbox - a game mode with most of the game's restrictions lifted (unlimited money and resources for example) to give the player increased personal creativity.

S.x.