The Sandbox is a virtual world that offers a range of distinct gaming experiences. Players can own plots of land of different sizes and utilize a visual game builder to construct their own creations. Despite being in the alpha testing stage, The Sandbox is a gaming metaverse that should be on the radar of individuals who are keen on play-to-earn experiences. In this article, we will provide you with an overview of the fundamental aspects of The Sandbox and direct you to additional resources for in-depth exploration.
The Sandbox
The Sandbox is a virtual world that comprises numerous plots available in different sizes. Each plot showcases the distinctive creation of its owner, whether it’s a game, a social gathering place, or any other imaginative and constructed concept. The Sandbox adopts a voxel-based approach, reminiscent of Minecraft, where assets within each experience are individual voxel objects. These objects can be conveniently imported from external editors, adding to the versatility of the platform.
The Sandbox Game Maker, developed using Unity, offers builders a wide range of opportunities to unleash their creativity. With its ever-expanding scripting language, builders have the freedom to create unique and personalized experiences. Plot owners have full control over what is constructed in their designated area. The games created using this platform vary from RPGs to side-scrollers, from business management simulations to dance games, and much more. Players can easily join and enjoy any public experience through the Game Maker. While most of these experiences are single-player adventures, some also provide the opportunity to interact and socialize with other players.
Introducing The Sandbox – an interactive and immersive crypto game
The Sandbox originated as a mobile game in 2012, featuring a unique concept that remains unchanged today. It allowed users to create and modify intricate worlds. In 2018, Animoca Brands took over the project and started working on a web3 version that would be based on blockchain technology.
The Sandbox introduced its land plot sales in December 2019, providing customers with significant discounts of up to 40% off the original price. The pre-sales of these plots continued throughout 2020. In February 2021, The Sandbox initiated a series of public sales for the remaining land plots, which is an ongoing process. To date, approximately 108,000 land NFTs have been purchased out of a total of 166,464 plots available. Additionally, most of these land plots include unique NFTs that were inspired by various partners participating in the sale. These partners encompass a wide range of entities, ranging from Atari to the Care Bears to Snoop Dogg.
While a significant portion of the Sandbox ecosystem remains on the Ethereum blockchain, The Sandbox has initiated the transition to Polygon. The staking pools have already been shifted to the Polygon network, and land owners are being urged to transfer their lands to Polygon as well. Within the Polygon network, the SAND token is referred to as mSAND.
The mechanics of The Sandbox game allow players to earn rewards by playing.
Currently, Sandbox does not offer any ongoing opportunities for players to earn rewards through gameplay. However, once the monetization tools are introduced, each experience within The Sandbox will have the chance to incorporate their own play to earn mechanics. This may involve rewarding players with tokens, NFTs, or other methods. In the meantime, Sandbox regularly organizes special events in collaboration with different partners. During these events, players can earn SAND tokens and NFT rewards by completing quests within specific experiences.
Getting started with The Sandbox requires no initial investment as playing the game is free. However, if you want to own a land plot within the game, you will need to pay for it. In the future, there will be a rental system in place that allows landowners to rent out their plots to creators. The Sandbox occasionally holds public sales, where users have the opportunity to purchase land plots through a lottery system. These land purchases can only be made using SAND tokens. It’s important to note that the availability of land plots is limited, resulting in fierce competition among users.
The Sandbox’s Reward System: Earning While Playing
Once the game is released, the Sandbox will have a unique reward system for each plot, offering a play-to-earn experience. Currently, special events in the Sandbox distribute rewards through a rewards pool system, where participants who complete more quests and actively participate on social media receive a greater share of the prizes.
Landowners have the opportunity to enjoy exclusive benefits like receiving unique NFTs that are only available in limited
Introducing The Sandbox Tokens: A Digital Currency
The Sandbox platform is centered around its unique token called SAND. SAND is a utility token that operates on the Ethereum mainnet as well as Polygon. It is widely available on various exchanges, whether centralized or decentralized. The total supply of SAND is capped at 3 billion, with approximately 1 billion currently in circulation. Additionally, users can earn staking rewards on the Polygon network by staking the mSAND / MATIC pair or solely mSAND, receiving regular rewards in the form of mSAND tokens.
When buying items like land plots and NFTs on The Sandbox marketplace, the currency used is SAND. A small fee of 5% is charged for each transaction, and a percentage of these fees goes towards the Foundation Pool. The Foundation Pool serves as a source of rewards for both builders and players. Additionally, the Foundation Pool receives a share of the earnings generated from the sales of land and NFTs, amounting to 26.50% of the total SAND income.
Getting Started in The Sandbox: A Guide for Beginners
Starting your journey in Sandbox is simple. You can easily download the Game Maker and VoxEdit for free directly from the Sandbox website. Additionally, Sandbox provides its own game launcher, allowing you to participate in experiences developed by other users. To receive rewards for various events, players are required to complete a KYC (Know Your Customer) process to verify their identity and connect a wallet.
—
To begin your gaming experience, simply dive right into the game. The controls are familiar, using the WASD keys for movement and the E key for interacting with the environment. If you are a creator or designer, you will find that VoxEdit and Game Maker are user-friendly tools to learn. Advanced users can explore more intricate features within these programs.
Engaging in The Sandbox Experience
Manipulating the landscape and placing decorative elements in the Game Maker is quite simple. The terrain is divided into blocks, whereas other objects are voxel-based assets. Users have the option to import their own assets or choose from a variety of pre-made assets available in the marketplace. Additionally, there are several default assets that can be used free of charge.
Before you begin, it’s recommended that you familiarize yourself with the scripting aspect of the game by reading up on it or watching instructional videos. However, the game does offer a helpful tutorial world that showcases various scripted objects and provides explanations on how they function. This allows players to witness these objects in action within the game and then examine the script settings in the editor for a better understanding of the entire process. While it may not always be the most current experience, it is well-executed and highly recommended for new users. Additionally, the Sandbox team hosts weekly streams on Twitch where they play games created by users and offer live feedback.
Regarding VoxEdit, one of Sandbox’s main asset builders called PandaPops frequently streams, interacting with the community by incorporating their suggestions and answering their questions while crafting new items in VoxEdit. You can find various tutorials and guides on their Discord channel. Additionally, VoxEdit has the capability to animate assets.
The Sandbox is an exciting project with immense potential to become an extraordinary venture. It boasts a strong foundation, notable partners, high demand for land plots, and a growing community of players and creators. The project has the ability to reach new heights when plot owners can monetize their games and offer incentives to players, opening up endless possibilities. While the gameplay and style may resemble Minecraft, the introduction of built-in scripting allows for a whole new level of complexity and expands the game’s potential.
While the options for playing and earning are currently limited, there are numerous chances to develop and earn rewards even before the game is officially released. These opportunities include creating wearable hats, constructing intricate scene objects, and even developing entire games. To embark on this journey, the most promising avenues are participating in the frequent contests and giveaways organized by VoxEdit and Sandbox Game Maker. Stay updated on these events by following their Twitter feed and joining their Discord community.
By providing free and accessible tools to the public, the potential for creativity has flourished. We can already see the positive outcomes through the increasing quality and innovation of the games and assets being developed. If you’re interested in game development or creating voxel-based content, I highly recommend checking out The Sandbox.