I'm still scratching my head on what the trope is supposed to be. Like is it bonus features unlocked after completing a game? Or is it when a game with very tight pacing (like a time limit or resource limits, or plot tunnels) takes these restraints off and lets you play the game without the stress? I think its the latter, as Dead Rising appears to be the Ur Example (a game with a 3 day time limit, but an extra mode with no time limit at all).
Like Pikmin, Minecraft, Plants Vs Zombies, and many other games could work here if the trope is "bonus mode where limits are turned off."
I think part of the problem is that the trope seems a bit unclear.
Edited by Stage7-4 on May 14th 2020 at 10:46:09 AM
I think the main thing is that it gives you more freedom than the main game in some way. How exactly they do that could vary a lot. Turning off time limits, giving you infinite resources, or not giving you a clear condition could all apply depending on the game.
Edited by FGHIK on May 14th 2020 at 12:56:44 PM
Agreed with sending back (this does not meet the 24 wick standard on Wick, though I did add two and see this as a worthy concept).
Edited by Piterpicher on May 15th 2020 at 8:22:09 PM
Currently mostly inactive. An incremental game I tested: https://galaxy.click/play/176 (Gods of Incremental)This trope cannot be "sent back" as it was created without a TLP
. Someone needs to create a TLP for the trope manually.
Afterwards, should this thread be left open for the TLP or the whole deal punted to TLP and the TRS closed?
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard FeynmanIf it can't be sent back to the TLP, it should just be cut.
By the title, I assumed this was one of the Wiki Tropes, but the actual page is almost incomprehensible.
"It's just a show; I should really just relax"Since it can't be sent back, what about cutting and sending it to the Salvage Yard?
I got a rock for Halloween.Should this be yarded? I'm not convinced this is a thing that's distinct from Wide-Open Sandbox.
"It's just a show; I should really just relax"
Wide-Open Sandbox applies to a work in general, while this trope is about a mode in a game that normally isn’t a Wide-Open Sandbox.
The "sandbox" in the name isn't related to Wide-Open Sandbox. It just refers to a mode that gives players free rein with the game's mechanics, as opposed to providing a goal.
Edited by GastonRabbit on Aug 17th 2020 at 3:40:45 AM
I got a rock for Halloween.Cut as a poorly performing trope with an unclear definition. The idea of a Wide-Open Sandbox gamemode could beyarded, however. Can we get a crowner now?
I'm back!

The Sandbox Mode trope is nearly eight years old, but has only 13 examples, including sub-examples (And the DayZ entry, which is somewhat indecipherable). It also has a very short description, only three sentences long. I'd imagine some of this may be due to confusion with Wide-Open Sandbox, a related, but distinct trope. I'm not sure what should be done, but I do feel like it's worthy of being a trope, and I'm sure there's plenty more examples out there. Perhaps it should be sent back to the TLP for more examples and an improved description?