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EVE Online: King of the Sandbox MMO - Page 3
The primary ingredient for any successful sandbox MMO will always boil
down to whether the developers are giving players the tools to create
their own destiny. Not everyone wants to play the hero who slays the
dragon and wins the heart of the maiden who turns out to be an evil
sorceress that in turn traps the hero’s soul inside a charm
that gets tossed into the bottom of a well after all!
In EVE, players can truly create the exact character they want to play within the overall framework of the game. Sure, there will always be certain limitations inherent with MMO development, but what CCP has done is put the tools directly into the hands of EVE’s players, allowing them to shape the world around them as they see fit. Whether you want to be the director of a gigantic corporation or prefer to set up a small mining operation in secure space that choice is really up to you. And unlike most other MMOs, that choice is never permanent.
That leads me to another primary area that ultimately helps EVE stand
out from the crowd. Rather than creating a game world where players are
forced into PvP situations simply by logging in, New Eden is vast
enough that it can cater to a wide variety of player types. If you want
some structure, there’s always mission running for NPC
agencies or factions. If combat isn’t your thing, there are
plenty of opportunities with mining, hauling or even fabrication. But
if PvP is what really
starts your blood pumping, EVE offers some of the best PvP your MMO
money can buy.
Taking all of those things into account, it’s no surprise that EVE has seen continual growth over the years. I honestly believe that the only thing that’s held the game back from seeing even bigger success goes back to what I mentioned earlier about popular gaming still being perhaps a bit too grounded in structured gameplay.
There are notable exceptions of course, as it’s hard to ignore the hype surrounding two of last year’s biggest releases, GTA IV and Fallout 3. A key factor in their success comes directly back to what makes EVE shine so brightly; namely that it provides a perfect marriage of structure and freedom, neatly wrapped in a package that ultimately provides players the ability to forge their own destiny within that setting. EVE is many things to many different people, and to me, that’s the hallmark of what sandbox gameplay is all about.
I challenge the descendents of Disco Inferno gaming to give EVE a try. Sure, sandbox gameplay might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but choosing your own virtual destiny really isn’t as scary as it sounds. With one of the best free trial programs on the market, I encourage anyone who hasn’t already done so to download the EVE client and take it for a virtual spin. You may come to realize, as hundreds of thousands of EVE players already have, that sandbox MMOs are where it’s at!
In EVE, players can truly create the exact character they want to play within the overall framework of the game. Sure, there will always be certain limitations inherent with MMO development, but what CCP has done is put the tools directly into the hands of EVE’s players, allowing them to shape the world around them as they see fit. Whether you want to be the director of a gigantic corporation or prefer to set up a small mining operation in secure space that choice is really up to you. And unlike most other MMOs, that choice is never permanent.
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Players in EVE can happily exist without ever entering into direct PvP conflicts. |
Taking all of those things into account, it’s no surprise that EVE has seen continual growth over the years. I honestly believe that the only thing that’s held the game back from seeing even bigger success goes back to what I mentioned earlier about popular gaming still being perhaps a bit too grounded in structured gameplay.
There are notable exceptions of course, as it’s hard to ignore the hype surrounding two of last year’s biggest releases, GTA IV and Fallout 3. A key factor in their success comes directly back to what makes EVE shine so brightly; namely that it provides a perfect marriage of structure and freedom, neatly wrapped in a package that ultimately provides players the ability to forge their own destiny within that setting. EVE is many things to many different people, and to me, that’s the hallmark of what sandbox gameplay is all about.
I challenge the descendents of Disco Inferno gaming to give EVE a try. Sure, sandbox gameplay might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but choosing your own virtual destiny really isn’t as scary as it sounds. With one of the best free trial programs on the market, I encourage anyone who hasn’t already done so to download the EVE client and take it for a virtual spin. You may come to realize, as hundreds of thousands of EVE players already have, that sandbox MMOs are where it’s at!