In his blog, SOE head John Smedley provides deep insights into the mind of a game designer. The latest blog entry discusses the benefits of a sandbox model where players can express themselves freely and determine what is played.
No Competition with WoW
According to Smedley, the sandbox is an absolute necessity, and in his opinion, the sandbox concept will dominate the MMORPG market in the future.
At the moment, most games are content-based; this is simply unsustainable because players are finishing the content faster than developers can deliver it. Projects like Everquest Next also face the problem of having to compete not only with the content from WoW at launch but also being measured against the developed World of Warcraft content from nine years. This is impossible to achieve.
Everquest Landmark as a Pioneer in the Sandbox
Additionally, Smedley argues that players are slowly tired of the same cycle of designed content. Too many games exist following this pattern, and it is time for something new. He also cites examples of aspects in existing MMORPGs that are solely player-driven, which keeps them popular in the long term. Above all, Eve Online with its evolving alliances and political power dynamics has captivated him, but also the music system in Lord of The Rings Online, the auction house in WoW, or the dynamic battlefields are pleasing.
By placing the player at the center of a sandbox and allowing change and creativity to come from them, Smedley believes it is possible to break the established cycle. He sees Everquest Landmark and Everquest Next at the forefront of this development and hopes for new impulses for the MMORPG market.
You can check out the full blog entry in English here: http://smedsblog.com/2014/02/11/the-sandbox-mmo/.
