FE is probably the best Free 2 Play MMO around right now IMHO and certainly the best free to play sandbox MMO available.

I tried FE a few weeks ago, but I couldn't even patch it because my internet kept getting disconnected during the patch. After reading through some google links, I found that it happens to some folks. When I contacted FE tech support, they tried to get me to do a bunch of file renaming, ant-virus disabling and other workarounds to get it to work. I told them no thanks. I checked it again a couple of days ago and it still isn't fixed. I guess they aren't too concerned about gaining/retaining customers.

Originally posted by Timacek

FE biggest flaw is absence of economy. Indestructible items are well indestructible. The market overflows with them, the crafting suffers greatly due to this too. Also FE could adapt basicaly eve model to some degree. (highsec-lowsec-nullsec) When in eve someone destroy a ship the economy is very happy about it. also housing and I mean not instanced housing could be great. and last but not least territory control building, not only changing flags in some pre-defined locations. 

FE could be a great sandbox yes. nevertheless it is not ATM

 

I agree with this.  It's not a bad hybrid, though, and the community is fantastic compared to most MMO communities.  It also no longer requires players to quest, you can get your mount and from there just go around gathering and killing if you really want to.

Fallen Earth is a fun game.  But we should revisit the list of contenders once ArcheAge, Salem, The Repopulation, and Prime: Battle for Dominus come out just to name a few.   It seems alittle premature to dole out the award when there are quite a few Sandpark games onthe horizon.

Besides the open-ended skill system, classless design etc, I never felt that FE was a 'true' sandbox.  It's basically a ton of quets, hubbed together much like a themepark game. 

Not that there is anyting wrong with that, it can be a fun game.  I played it for a few months at the beginning of this year, and a week or so recently during the F2P conversion.  Always get bored though.  I don't think FE should be crowned for anything though, especially a 'sandbox crown' IMO.

I started playing FE again now thats its free to play. Recovered my old characters and am having a decent amount of fun wondering about. The F2P limitations are not readily apparent and do not interefere with the actual gameplay. In all they FE has made a very smooth transition into the F2P market.

Much Kudos.

Anyone mentioned already that FE is not sandbox?

This argument is about as useful as arguing over how wet water is.

Really only people that feel they need to use terms like "theme park" (always as a pejorative) and "sandbox" (always as some elusive nirvana state) even care about these terms and the great irony is those people can never agree and are in eternal conflict over it; happiest when at each others throats.

For normal humans, the game is either *fun* to them, or *not fun* to them.  Most normal people dont validate their self worth by defining how "hardcore" or not the videogames they play are.  EVE, for me, was *not* fun.  FE for me, *is* fun.  I agree that the presentation and setting are pretty drab, and Im not a big post apocalypse fan, so I dont spend a ton of time there.  It's very very impressive as an achievement considering the budget that went into it, however.

Originally posted by mlambert890

This argument is about as useful as arguing over how wet water is.

 

Really only people that feel they need to use terms like "theme park" (always as a pejorative) and "sandbox" (always as some elusive nirvana state) even care about these terms and the great irony is those people can never agree and are in eternal conflict over it; happiest when at each others throats.

 

For normal humans, the game is either *fun* to them, or *not fun* to them.  Most normal people dont validate their self worth by defining how "hardcore" or not the videogames they play are.  EVE, for me, was *not* fun.  FE for me, *is* fun.  I agree that the presentation and setting are pretty drab, and Im not a big post apocalypse fan, so I dont spend a ton of time there.  It's very very impressive as an achievement considering the budget that went into it, however.

I actually like both Theme Park and Sandbox mmorpgs. However some people like to think that the definitions are up for debate or subjective when they are not. There are people that know what a sandbox is and there are people that don't. That's all there is to it.

Another review that does us little to no good.  8/10?  This game is TWO steps away from perfect?  Really?

Giving this game an 8/10 means you gave WoW and EQ2 style games a 10/10...

I read the review and I agree with much of what you said, but then you ruin it with the horrible X of 10 scores.  I can't figure out why everyone is stuck on this idea that all games are 7+ it seems.

Good writeup, bad numbering!

Originally posted by vlad1500

Originally posted by Sketch420

 

Fallen earth is           NOT A SANDBOX GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Worst mmorpg.com article i've ever read. If you dont know what a sandbox game is then you shouldn't be writing for mmorpg.com

Real sandbox games: EVE, MORTAL ONLINE, DARKFALL, UO, XSYON

Theme park game + shooter does not = sandbox you retard.

 

Do you know what "sandbox" game means? Sandbox or open world is a game that you can roam freely and have no rail-roading effect. Have you played Fallen Earth? or you cant get pass the tutorial why you are concluding its a theme park game? lol. 

The author of this article however played both FE and EVE. Why he knows what he is talking about. Do you?

 

LOL dude, you can roam free in wow if you like. Nobody force you to do quests.

I tried FE for  some 2 weeks and i don't think it is true sandbox.Only true sandbox games for me are Mortal Online and Eve, ok DF to. It is good game and .... nothing more nothing less :)

Some people automatically draw equation mark(or however it is called in english) between character customization and sandbox. FE has great character customization options, but nothing more.

It was already mentioned here, that you cannot talk about term endgame in the context of a game with open ending. The true sandbox game is, where the game starts from day one, you aren't left out of anything. Of course you are weak and ineffective, so you are encouraged to grow and train, but the "endgame" starts from day one.

In themepark games, you do the mandatory leveling part to experience the prewritten story and then you are stuck with various hamsterwheels, which the developers have put down for you(so called endgame). Until developers throw out next chunk of the story which you can consume.

Say what you want, but FE falls into the latter category. Only thing is, that it also lacks the hamsterwheels, which makes people leave once they get to levelcap.

Originally posted by rixk

Some people automatically draw equation mark(or however it is called in english) between character customization and sandbox. FE has great character customization options, but nothing more.

It was already mentioned here, that you cannot talk about term endgame in the context of a game with open ending. The true sandbox game is, where the game starts from day one, you aren't left out of anything. Of course you are weak and ineffective, so you are encouraged to grow and train, but the "endgame" starts from day one.

In themepark games, you do the mandatory leveling part to experience the prewritten story and then you are stuck with various hamsterwheels, which the developers have put down for you(so called endgame). Until developers throw out next chunk of the story which you can consume.

Say what you want, but FE falls into the latter category. Only thing is, that it also lacks the hamsterwheels, which makes people leave once they get to levelcap.

 

so in your opinion, EVE at day one is already end game content? no leveling? no skill restriction? really? 

I agree with review and i think people are getting too technical about definition when the line between sandbox and open world MMOS are getting blurred over the years. I wouldn't even care what pure sandbox is now days when there has not been one for many years now and probably never will be.

Originally posted by vlad1500

Originally posted by rixk

Some people automatically draw equation mark(or however it is called in english) between character customization and sandbox. FE has great character customization options, but nothing more.

It was already mentioned here, that you cannot talk about term endgame in the context of a game with open ending. The true sandbox game is, where the game starts from day one, you aren't left out of anything. Of course you are weak and ineffective, so you are encouraged to grow and train, but the "endgame" starts from day one.

In themepark games, you do the mandatory leveling part to experience the prewritten story and then you are stuck with various hamsterwheels, which the developers have put down for you(so called endgame). Until developers throw out next chunk of the story which you can consume.

Say what you want, but FE falls into the latter category. Only thing is, that it also lacks the hamsterwheels, which makes people leave once they get to levelcap.

 

so in your opinion, EVE at day one is already end game content? no leveling? no skill restriction? really? 

 

Don't mix up dev made barriers and the barriers you make yourself. Nothing stops you to get into the action from day one in EVE. You would be on the lower end of the foodchain, but when you think you have to have certain ship or skills, then it is you, who has put up those limitations, not the devs. Skilling and leveling only widens your options.

Same thing I saw in darkfall, where everyone was crying, that they need x amount of skills surging and certain amount of stats to be able to PvP. When I joined the game, I went to a clan, they gave me gear and the action started. Of course, I was far from top and being solo I would've been losing probably to everyone.

Skills and levels in sandboxes don't determine what you can do, but how well you can do it.

What a depressingly silly article. It can not even get the fact that Fallen Earth is a theme park level based quest game and certainly NOT a sandbox.

Perhaps the author should look up the correct terms of reference before writing again?

Umm.. Shouldn't that title go to EVE Online?  Really, please think before you post.

Originally posted by Cacophanist

What a depressingly silly article. It can not even get the fact that Fallen Earth is a theme park level based quest game and certainly NOT a sandbox.

Perhaps the author should look up the correct terms of reference before writing again?

If Fallen Earth is just a themepark then so is Ryzom. However, fallen earth is neither themepark nor sandbox. it is a hybrid.