The list of Amiga sandbox games

[NLS]

My own interpretation which should be the official definition.
Who defines "official" after all? Is there a game authority?

To me a sandbox is not just open-world or free-roaming. An open-world or free-roaming with no effect on that open world, is not a sandbox. In that sense Far Cry is a sandbox game?

In your edit, you contradict the "open world" yourself. Indeed a sandbox enabled game may limit your actual freedom or roaming somewhat, but DOES enable you to affect (your limited) environment.

Open world does not automatically mean "do whatever you want". This is why I consider the terms related but not same.

[Daedalus]

Originally Posted by NLS

My own interpretation which should be the official definition.

Why?

Who defines "official" after all? Is there a game authority?

Common usage? The dictionary? Both better for defining a term than your own personal opinion. Should everyone check with you before using any words to describe a game? Should I ask you to confirm that Superfrog is a platformer before describing it to a friend as a platformer?

To me a sandbox is not just open-world or free-roaming. An open-world or free-roaming with no effect on that open world, is not a sandbox. In that sense Far Cry is a sandbox game?

Yep.

In your edit, you contradict the "open world" yourself. Indeed a sandbox enabled game may limit your actual freedom or roaming somewhat, but DOES enable you to affect (your limited) environment.

Nope, the open world is as big or as small as the game allows. An open world doesn't mean infinite, it just means you're free to move wherever and do whatever you want within the game's mechanics and limits. It's a lack of any strongly implemented linear structure.

Open world does not automatically mean "do whatever you want". This is why I consider the terms related but not same.

Within the scope of the game, it does. Again, it seems you're using your own, personal definition of the term instead of the generally accepted meaning. Perhaps the problem is associating the term "free roaming" with "open"?

[Leffmann]

I'm going to say Emerald Mine series.

[onkelarie]

As for frontier, I spent months travelling the galaxymap with a fuelscoop, pushing the boundary of discovery. In the settled bubble, I pirated the crap of NPC's and felt true immersion back than, and freedom. For me that's definitely within sandbox realm.

I consider each game that allows me to build and/or blow things up, with a ruleset in place that couldn't care less and near infinite playability in a persistent world a sandbox game.

[onkelarie]

Originally Posted by Leffmann

I'm going to say Emerald Mine series.

I'd say that's a puzzle platformer, according to my interpretation of 'sandbox'.

[Leffmann]

What we really need is another term, "sandbox-like", to make the whole question of definition easier.

[Epo]

Originally Posted by Leffmann

What we really need is another term, "sandbox-like", to make the whole question of definition easier.

Yes and no. The truth is this definition is shaped by later (mostly PC) games. In face of that I concluded I'll be seeing some Amiga games with more flexible eye regarding this definition. And as onkelarie wrote, Frontier back then gave players what nowadays sandbox games offer (on different scale of course). Old Amiga studios had no reference to anything beside what has been released. They were evolving and experimenting. But they were limited. Limited not by Amiga's hardware but rather by publishers pressing to limit the developing time and floppy disks the game would fit in. If Amiga games were releasing digitally to download in early 90s or at least the distribution media were bigger and cheap then some studios would break that limit and games would be more advanced, eventually coming very close to what todays sandbox is. I think, but who know, maybe I'm wrong

PS I'd stick with the "sandbox" and changed nothing. Some flexibility and common sense should be applied thou.