Just pounds of irony here…. You say that there are absolute definitions, then you give a list which is really just your opinion of games that fit *your* definition.

Case in point, immediately you are contradicted by someone who points out that Wurm is the only *real* sandbox.

So no, there really isnt an absolute definition and you labor under the same “delusions” (that your version of reality is the absolute one) as they people you’re criticizing but don’t even realize it.

Obraik :
@ricky
Why is SWG not considered a Sandbox anymore? While you no longer have complete freedom over the professions your character is (ie. you can’t mix and match them anymore to make your own profession) there is still sandbox elements to the game. Some examples:
-Each server starts as a bare slate. Players choose where they want to place there houses, where they want to build their cities, how they want their cities laid out, etc.
-When you build a house, you only get the house. It’s up to the player to decorate the house the way they want it. Once you get inside a house, it’s unlikely to be the same as one you were in previously.
-PvP is open world, there are no restrictions on where you can PvP
-Professions are not dictated by race or faction. Races aren’t dictated by faction
-Players can build their own quests and their own “world aspect” features.
-There’s no walls on the maps. You are free to roam to whatever the part of the map you want by going any direction you want.
I could continue – I haven’t even started on crafting or the player economy

Agreed.

Looks really cool!

Evan :Sorry, but SWG is, for most people, the best example of a sandbox MMO. The fact that your character progresses linearly now, as opposed to the old skill based mix-and-match system, is almost irrelevant. To be considered a sandbox MMO, it’s far more important to have player housing, crafting and the general ability to take up game space with buildings and take territories.

Sorry but it lost most of its features which makes it a sandbox. First they removed decay from items wihch killed crafter characters economy. Second player housing is not important if there is noone playing the game anymore. Territories was in WAR too and noone call that one sandbox either. Basicly when they droped 30+ classes to measly 9classes they destroyed games variety function (you can’t be a crafter and a combat character at the same time anymore so your backstory of your character being a armorsmith before joining to imperials as a stormtrooper went to recycle bin) which defines most important aspect of sandbox games.

Not being able choose what you can do in the game and stuck to your classes choices is what prevents SWG as a sandbox game. Pre-NGE SWG can be still counted as a sandbox game since you were free to do what you want.