OpenSim can be free (like Sim-on-a-Stick) or very affordable (like Kitely) and the concept of sandboxes has changed from the “Second Life only” days
for the individual, running their own region means no need to try to find a public sandbox. however, sandboxes are still an ideal way to teach people how to build in OpenSim, especially when introducing complete n00bs to OpenSim
in building the Cool Ice Campus freebie, i am considering organisational users who may hold new user workshops such as subQuark did in Second Life back in 2008 for the eLearning Guild
today that same need still exists and a workshop can be done using Sim-on-a-Stick if the workshop is instructor-led in a real physical setting (such as at a real life conference). for a virtual workshop, Sim-on-a-Stick would not work since it is a single user standalone setup
having a region with parceled off sandboxes in a publicly accessible setup (like Kitely) is still a good way to introduce people to building and that’s why the Cool Ice Campus has three sets of sandboxes
two corners act as a free-for-all sandbox whose auto-return can be set to whatever is appropriate and include water areas too
the are also two “formal” sandboxes designed for teachers and students. one has smaller parcels for more students and the other a bit larger
I think the concept of a sandbox in virtual worlds is here to stay.
This is because virtual worlds like OpenSim are inherently creative. The driving force behind them is that of people using the tools of the world to create objects that look and act the way they want.
Even in tightly constrained virtual worlds were player created content is not allowed (such as an MMO), appearance of an avatar is extremely important to the player. If the developers ignore this aspect of virtual worlds, then it is to their detriment as players and users seek creative outlets, even where they haven’t been explicitly allowed.
Sandboxes are a safe way for new and even experienced users of a virtual world to express their creativity. It also give a social connection where experienced users can help new users learn the skills needed to use the in world tools. It also allows experienced users to show off and share their knowledge between the members of that virtual world community.
I remember one of my first experiences with SL was at a sandbox build competition. I had only been using it for about an hour when I stumbled onto a sandbox running a build competition. The people building were happy to chat with me and show me how to use the building tools, give me a few tips and teach me some of their tricks. Also looking at the amazing builds that they were creating was very inspiring. It was this experience that got me interested in building and scripting in virtual worlds and gave me the knowledge to get started.
Any virtual world that wishes to remain viable needs to build a community. Sandboxes are a great way for people to meed and form a community in a virtual world and were they can express their individuality and creativity.
Any virtual world that allows its members to do this will always be more successful than one that denies these abilities to their users.
Paul
21 Jan 13 at 5:59 am
awesome outlook Paul!
“The people building were happy to chat with me and show me how to use the building tools, give me a few tips and teach me some of their tricks.”
that rings true for me too and i remember total strangers taking the time to teach me a few things, like shift duplicate, and that was a great way to get into SL =)
Ener Hax
21 Jan 13 at 10:48 am
yes i found sandboxes useful when i was working with collada.
now of course i want to work on eqemu as a sandbox.i forget that i cant do that. then regions are objects with landscape, trees, buildings. one object for each region! i like the plastic nature of sl/opensim.
bristle
21 Jan 13 at 12:04 pm
Sandboxes are still useful even when you’re running your own region or own a region.
If you’re doing something risky that may explode parts all over the place (seeing a lot of this with the physics release) it is better to explode them on a sandbox where they’ll be returned than to clutter up your real workspace or living space
:)
Tranquillity Dexler
22 Jan 13 at 9:54 pm