Eve is that game I just hate to love and love to hate. I've tried it for varying periods about six or seven times now, each time I end up getting into a "mission cycle" and leaving again. For all the tools and freedom the game has, unless you have a ton of time to invest in it, it's hard to find a tool that's "fun".  I'm sure it would probably be better if I could get into one of the uber corps and go around with billions of isk popping things left and right, but I just don't have the time to dedicate to that. )=

Ryzom is too unstable for me. It has a great setting but the implementation is only half their with everything. The encyclopedia unlock dealy they were working on and then left in in a completely broken and unfinished state is the epitomy of this. Couple this with changing hands and being killed and resurrected three or four times now and it's just not worth getting into anymore. If it was polished up, given a solid publisher/developer, and had some housing/community elements put into it, I could see it becoming amazing. Sadly, these things will never happen.

pre-NGE SWG I never got to play, but it seems like something I would have really enjoyed, and I'm not sure if I should feel disappointed I never got to try it, or relieved I didn't get to fall in love with it only to watch SoE take it all away. 

UO, what can I said. It's UO. Or rather, it was UO. What EA owns now is not UO, it's a bunch of bastardized sprites and sound effects mashed together to make some monsterous harlequin MMO that we once knew. 
 
Wurm is interesting in concept, and it definitely lets you alter the game world the most out of anything to date, it's planning seems similar to what Atriarch was going to be minus the more fun bits. However, 60 whacks to dig out a tunnel. Yeah. Once again, a game that requires too much time and dedication. I can't bring myself to make meager progress after two three hour play sessions. It also seems to be suffering from some management issues and fairly debilitating exploits.

Unfortuantely this sort of only leaves Darkfall (hahahah....hahaha) and Mortal online in the picture at the moment, soooo here's hoping Mortal doesn't fuck it up. 

I begin to wonder, do we need to label a game sandbox or skill based before I can love a game?  Do I need to label a dish American or Mexican before I can taste it and love it?

IF a game feels right for me, that is it, even if the other part of the game I never play sucks.  Who cares?  A restaurant may only have 1 dish I like, but if that dish keeps me coming back that is it.

Sandbox?  So what?  If the game sucks, it sucks for me.  Skill based?  How is it skill based, that is the key, class bases?  how does class work?  That is the key.

SWG comes off my head when I read this title, in as much as I hate the title of the thread.  SWG has freedom in too many dimensions, no game since has managed to come close.  I seldom pvp, never flag up automatically, and I already have enough fun online in SWG pre-CU.  Is it sandbox?  Is it skill based?  I don't care, and I don't know.

Usually when a game tries to sell itself as sandboxed, skillbased or some other fancy terms, I feel alerted.  Is there nothing solid in the game worth selling that the publisher is trying to sell me hot air?

We need these labels so when a decent MMO comes along we can spot it, otherwise we will have to try ever new MMO ourselves. :)

sandboxed :)

Shadowbane

Originally posted by Scot

We need these labels so when a decent MMO comes along we can spot it, otherwise we will have to try ever new MMO ourselves. :)

For me games have 2 labels, i like it or i dont

Have to try it to like it anyways.

Originally posted by Orthedos

I begin to wonder, do we need to label a game sandbox or skill based before I can love a game?  Do I need to label a dish American or Mexican before I can taste it and love it?

No. We certainly don't need to. However, saying something is sandbox implies a certain feature set. There are some different views on what exactly the feature set is, but throughout the different views there is a general idea that it would be a non-linear game skill-based style game. So, I can sit here and say "What non-linear, skill-based game do you like", or I can be lazt and ask "What sandbox game do you like". The hidden benefit of the latter is that, with the varying definitions of what makes a game a sandbox, someone might come into the conversation and mention a game that I might not have otherwise thought of in this context.

In a perfect world, sure, we would try every thing for ourselves and draw a conclusion afterwards. As it stands, some people don't have the time, money, or willingness to test out everything out there. So, coming to a forum and asking people's opinions on a subset of t he games out there is a much more targeted approach then asking "hey, what games do you like".

For an analogy, what if the thread were about food? The OP could ask "What food do you like?". We would hear from people who like Italian, Mexican, Chinese, etc etc. Now, if the OP generally doesn't like Italian and Mexican, that information isn't going to be relevant to his interests although there certainly might be some good posts about those foods. Therefore, the OP might ask "What Chinese food do you like?" which would be much more specific to his/her tastes.

Ultimately, the analogy can be picked apart as an other analogy could, but hopefully it made for some good conversation. :)

Thanks for the replies!

I was going to respond to Orthedos,  but Mklinic said it better than I could have.

I used to love SWG pre-cu so I do love the freedom and playstyle of sandbox/skill based games.  I like being able to go anywhere in the world and there is people doing something.  I like skill based instead of level based because skill based seems to encourage more grouping than level based games.

I've tried Eve, but I don't like being in space all the time.  I wish someone would make a land based Eve.  I tried Ryzom, even though it seems like a good game, I just wasn't satisfied with the graphics.  Mortal Online looks great, but I'm not sure how I would like first person.  

I will check out some of these other recommended games here soon.  I too think Earthrise will rock!

Originally posted by Wavinstrider

Trying to get an idea of all the good sandbox/skill based games out there.  

So, If you like sandbox/skill based games, what is your favorite one?

I think there are only about three MMOs that are skill-based MMOs.

Darkfall - which is very rough in its execution and prey to horrible ganking;

Eve - which is fiendishly complex and, if you don't make friends early, horribly dull with no humant avatars

Rhyzom (sp?) - which is run on a shoestring and shows it.

The oldest and best level-based sandbox was pre-NGE Star Wars Galaxies but that game no longer exists.

AC was my favorite (for its time), and I know that  a lot of people love Eve. I personally don't care for Sandbox mmos, they require way too much time that I don't have. On the other hand, I've heard that LinkRealms offers some cool twists to SBMMOs that doesn't really require 8 hours a day to enjoy. :)

Originally posted by crumphole

Originally posted by Wavinstrider

Trying to get an idea of all the good sandbox/skill based games out there.  

So, If you like sandbox/skill based games, what is your favorite one?

 

I think there are only about three MMOs that are skill-based MMOs.

Darkfall - which is very rough in its execution and prey to horrible ganking;

Eve - which is fiendishly complex and, if you don't make friends early, horribly dull with no humant avatars

Rhyzom (sp?) - which is run on a shoestring and shows it.

The oldest and best level-based sandbox was pre-NGE Star Wars Galaxies but that game no longer exists.

Um I don't know what world you come from but SWG was not the first or oldest sandbox. My favorite sandbox was and always will be Asherons Call. Wtb new asherons call 3.

Originally posted by OldAgeJunkie

Originally posted by crumphole

Originally posted by Wavinstrider

Trying to get an idea of all the good sandbox/skill based games out there.  

So, If you like sandbox/skill based games, what is your favorite one?

 

I think there are only about three MMOs that are skill-based MMOs.

Darkfall - which is very rough in its execution and prey to horrible ganking;

Eve - which is fiendishly complex and, if you don't make friends early, horribly dull with no humant avatars

Rhyzom (sp?) - which is run on a shoestring and shows it.

The oldest and best level-based sandbox was pre-NGE Star Wars Galaxies but that game no longer exists.

Um I don't know what world you come from but SWG was not the first or oldest sandbox. My favorite sandbox was and always will be Asherons Call. Wtb new asherons call 3.

Add to that Ultima Online. UO, AC and SWG (pre-NGE) are my top 3 MMO gaming experiences. Not saying the games were perfect (there hasn't been an MMO that was perfect to date), but the gameplay they offered mixed with the people I played with (and the fact that those people played to play with other people and not solo with a chat box attached)...yeah. Good times, good times.

UO, Eve and Ryzom.  I have not played UO in a long time but the game was great fun, currently play both Eve and Ryzom.

1. Eve-Online

2. Mabinogi

3. Runescape HD

4. Saga of Ryzom

That's the ones I know and play.