3 Areas Show the Differences
When comparing both types of MMORPGs, essential differences become immediately apparent. However, it is particularly clear in the areas of Trade, Daily Gameplay, and Time Factor. To help you find out what suits you better, we have taken a closer look at these 3 areas.
Aion 2 is a classic theme park MMORPG:
Trade
Trade is one of the central themes in MMORPGs. However, the two genres differ greatly in their approach.
Sandbox MMORPGs traditionally represent entire market economy systems that are entirely managed by the players.
In Albion Online, for example, it goes like this: Player A chops down the trees so that Player B can make boards from them, which Player C then turns into furniture for Player D’s house. This results in large systems with monopolies, disputes over rare goods, and wealthy merchants who can control the market. Trade guilds are often also not uncommon here.
In theme parks, gold is often more of a means to an end rather than an end in itself, as the fundamental orientation is weighted differently. The trade is meant to serve the player and support their progression or character strength. Here, NPCs sell various goods or they simply come free of charge from a menu.
Gold is usually so abundant that purchases for raids and the like can be covered without actually being a real part of the market economy. The trade is more about immersion. Many items acquired cannot even be sold to other players. The economy here is not a part of the game that you necessarily have to participate in.
So if you enjoy engaging in real trade, don’t mind keeping an eye on your wallet, or would prefer to rise to become a wealthy monopolist, the best place for that is in sandbox MMORPGs.
If you are satisfied with buying a few healing potions from the auction house and doing a single job on the side, then a theme park MMORPG is a good fit for you.
Daily Gameplay
What do you do in the first hour after logging in? The daily tasks of an MMORPG also strongly differentiate the two sub-genres.
In a theme park MMORPG, you are usually greeted by a task list for the next hours: daily dungeon, spending energy in housing, completing minigames … and isn’t there currently an event where you have to complete various ToDos each day?
The daily routine provides structure and guides you, but at the same time delivers a wearisome sense of meaning as a hamster on a wheel over time. This routine is meant to be interrupted several times a week by highlights such as events, but also by major game modes like PvP battles or raids.
No alarm clock rings to call you to log in: In a sandbox MMORPG, you are typically quite free when it comes to how you spend your time. Many players log in just to farm a certain amount of resources, grind in dungeons, or focus on better equipment.
Overall, things generally take a bit longer here than the timed dailies in theme parks and are more dependent on what the player wants.
If you want to have fun immediately upon login, you are more likely to be rewarded in a theme park MMORPG that is just waiting for the player to hop on the roller coaster.
The sandbox, on the other hand, is usually as you left it yesterday. You don’t have to play with the same toy, but the sandcastle doesn’t build itself.
Time Factor
The time factor of both games differs significantly. While avid players in a theme park MMORPG might already wonder after half a session what they can farm next to gain a small advantage, it is the opposite with the sandbox.
Here, casual players often feel like they are not making any progress, unable to find a group for dungeons and raids, and have few opportunities to participate in the big “Massively” features.
In theme parks, much is designed for 1-2 hours of gameplay a day, often with extra content like raids that are then done on a free day like the weekend. The grind factor is low and is replaced by strict limits such as loot that can only be obtained once a week, and tasks for which there is only one reward per day.
Grind exists for cosmetic items like reputation or faction missions.
Whoever invests more time here will get more out of it, that’s just how it is.
In the sandbox, in a way, everything revolves around grind. Of course, there are more tangible goals here, but the best organized and most hardcore players often have the advantage. As a casual player, you can’t always keep up and miss out on loot and levels that others acquire through long hours of play.
If you’re already pointing fingers and saying that your favorite MMORPG has elements from both genres, you’ll find out on the next page why.
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