The list of Amiga sandbox games
 

Sandbox games really kicked off as a genre when Minecraft emerged, but did of course exist much longer.

What Amiga games could be regarded as sandbox like?

The list so far...

- Ashes of Empire
- Castle Master
- Elite
- Elite Frontier
- Federation of Free Traders
- Hunter
- Mercenary trilogy
- Midwinter I and II
- Pirates
- Starglider 2

Populous?

The Mercenary trilogy.

Midwinter, Midwinter II, Ashes of Empire.

Perhaps Freescape games like Castle Master.

Pirates!

Yarrr me hardy’s!

Good call, I played that to bits. How could I have missed that one:)

Civilization/Colonization.

The aforementioned Hunter is a great example, loved that game. Probably one of the earliest free-form exploration games.

One I’ve been interested in trying is the Adventures or Robin Hood.
Anyone tried this game? Looks kinda clunky but could be fun!

The settlers?

I think we should first quote the definition and then think if a game on the list fits to the description. I took one for instance saying (I permitted myself to emphasize some - IMO - key words):

Definition - What does Sandbox mean?

A sandbox is a style of game in which minimal character limitations are placed on the gamer, allowing the gamer to roam and change a virtual world at will. In contrast to a progression-style game, a sandbox game emphasizes roaming and allows a gamer to select tasks. Instead of featuring segmented areas or numbered levels, a sandbox game usually occurs in a “world” to which the gamer has full access from start to finish.

A sandbox game is also known as an open-world or free-roaming game.

Techopedia explains Sandbox

Sandbox games can include structured elements – such as mini-games, tasks, submissions and storylines – that may be ignored by gamers. In fact, the sandbox game's nonlinear nature creates storyline challenges for game designers. For this reason, tasks and side missions usually follow a progression, where tasks are unlocked upon successful task completion.

Sandbox game types vary. Massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) generally include a mixture of sandbox and progression gaming and heavily depend on emergent interactive user gameplay for retaining non-progression-focused gamers. Modern "beat 'em ups" and first-person shooters have delved more deeply into the sandbox realm with titles like the "Grand Theft Auto" series, "Red Dead Redemption," "Assassin’s Creed" and others, allowing gamers to run and gun wherever the mood takes them.

In spite of their name, various sandbox games continue to impose restrictions at some stages of the game environment. This can be due the game's design limitations, or can be short-run, in-game limitations, such as some locked areas in games that are unlocked once certain milestones are achieved.


Quoted from www.techopedia.com

That definition seems to declare "sandbox" the same as "open world", which I wouldn't agree with. It only focuses on free roaming and non-linearity aspects, and I would consider none of the Games mentioned in there "sandbox". To me, "sandbox" means that you can somehow shape the game environment (like in an actual sandbox).

Sim City would qualify as a sandbox game on Amiga IMO.

Sim Life, Sim Earth, Sim Ant.

LOL, Mercenary 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZHv4xpuPlw

How can this be so slow, 1fps with only 3 displayed polygons ?!?!

It Came From The Desert 1 and 2

Good call. In that respect some games in the list already fall outside the aformentioned sandbox definition.

I'd say Elite is strongly within that scope. The ship IS the player and has full access to pretty much everything.

I'd say games like Settlers, Colonization and Civilization fall in the RTS /TBS categories. They clearly build up to a point of domination and/or conquering entire maps. Wouldn't the Sim games fall in those categories as well? Not too sure about that, especially Sim Earth.

As for It Came From The Desert games, those are classic adventures. There's lack of freedom to move around, apart from the allowed areas in the story at hand.

I think Populous needs to be removed as well?

In my opinion too.

I personally wouldn't call any classic RTS/TBS a sandbox. Although they do allow 'the gamer to roam and change a virtual world' somehow but, in my opinion, it's simply different and separate category. There can, however, be exceptions like Iron Lord where we have in the final stage a strategy mode but the way to it precedes 'free roaming' and free player's choice.

Well, I think it's the same as with the RTS/TBS category. Even if we found an exception it would not confirm the rule anyway.

I'm not sure about this one but... When I saw it for the first time I was so impressed with its extraordinary atmosphere and quite unusual gameplay. I'd say 'the gamer' can 'roam' but not that much 'change a virtual world'. We can't compare it to a classical adventure, it is incomparable with a shooter and neither with a platformer. I'd say this game deserves to be callad the sandbox title :)

See my comment regarding RTS/TBS.

Just a quick idea: For me a sandbox, while roaming, must give a strong feeling of deep immersion into the game world.

King of Chicago

Isn't KoC more an adventure game? There's not really a chance of free wandering in an open world here.

Payback

Guys "sandbox" is a game where you do whatever you want (within the scope of the game), whenever you want, allowing the reshape of the virtual world you are in (where "shape" can mean virtual economy or whatever, not actually shaping a game graphic-wise). If there is a story, then this is either not enforced OR at least the game turns to sandbox after you finish it.
Very few of the games mentioned above, satisfy this.

Populous for example could be this (great game anyway), if there is a mode to play (I don't remember and I doubt there is such mode), where there is no story, just land generated, people generated and you to... torture them at will and with no story end.
Elite is not like that (and love Elite and was Elite rank in C64 originally and now in ED), because it is huge and "open world", but you don't "shape" anything than yourself (you don't affect the economies of systems, the balance of power, thargoids, whatever).

So, is there such a game for Amiga?

NLS, your point is exactly what Epo quoted. I'm also wondering if there is even one game that fulfills the basics of the sanbox definition. Some of them are close but... it still makes the difference. Time for a real breakthrough :D

Is this an official definition, or your own personal interpretation?

Pretty sure that's not the case (unfortunately).

But, it is an open-world game, and in the definition quoted by Epo above:
Either way, even if Elite doesn't qualify by some measure or some opinions, economies etc. can be somewhat influenced in Frontier (which, for me was a far more engrossing "world" than Elite's).

Edit: Just to add, that sandboxing in a more general term, refers to isolation of influence, not widening. Theme Park, for example, has Sandbox mode in which the player is isolated from the larger influences of the economy, competition etc., and is free to do what they want without worrying about such things. So, by switching *to* sandbox mode, you actually remove some of the gameplay elements you believe are required for sandbox play. SimAnt has a similar sandbox mode that isolates the player's activities from the wider world. And think of sandboxed applications, free to do whatever they want within their strictly limited arena with no scope for influence outside that.

Playing in a sandbox essentially means doing whatever you want (the open world element), without requiring consideration or allowances for anything outside the play area.