A first glimpse into The Sandbox Game Maker next version: upcoming new features for fun, social and concerts!
New version 0.8 features will include multiplayer features, lighting, and visual effect upgrades, along with audio and video streaming, answering to the community’s most requested updates.
TL;DR
Version 0.8 includes major upgrades as requested by The Sandbox community, including:
- New multiplayer gameplay features
- New lighting and visual effect features
- Video and audio streaming
- Equipment and wearable support in social hubs
These new features will unlock multiple possibilities for creators and players alike
2023 promises to be a great year for gaming in the metaverse, thanks to upcoming upgrades to The Sandbox Game Maker! We want to give you a first sneak peek into version 0.8, that will allow The Sandbox creators to take their experiences to the next level and engage players like never before in the metaverse!
The upgrade will include the following major features:
Multiplayer Gaming
With enriched multiplayer gaming features, players will be able to compete with each other, survive together, and interact in brand new ways. From multiplayer races to parkour and obstacle courses, creators will have a chance to offer action-packed experiences to their players for brand new ways to engage!
Socialization and Expression
The Sandbox Game Maker 0.8 update will allow for more socialization and expression in the metaverse:
- The ability to publish any experience as a social hub in the draft gallery will allow players to create their own social spaces in the metaverse and invite others to join them.
- The new emote wheel will include a variety of avatar animations for players to express themselves.
- The ability for users to show off their wearables and equipment in social hubs will allow for even more customization and self-expression
These features will make the metaverse a more social and interactive place for players to connect and have fun.
New Lighting and Visual Effect Features
New features will allow for more immersive experiences, especially for virtual concerts and other forms of interactions, making the metaverse a destination to network and socialize with people from all over the world. These upcoming lighting features will include the following:
- Point lights and spotlights
- Weather switching behaviors that will change ambient lighting according to preset or customized cycles
- Post-process effects that will affect camera behavior and be applied and synchronized to all players in range
- And even more visual effects that include dozens of options, some of which are reactive to music
Video / Audio Streaming
Video and audio streaming features will allow for more content diversity in the metaverse, allowing for a more engaging experience, and opening opportunities for viewing parties, IRL footage, and more.
Productivity and tool upgrades
In an effort to make building the metaverse a simple and streamlined process for all, we added features that allow our builders to use the Game Maker more efficiently. These include invisible and no-collision scripting actors, quick access to the library menu, frequently used presets for lighting, effects, and weather, and more quality of life improvements.
Unlocking brand new possibilities
The above changes and more are coming to The Sandbox in 2023. They will unlock a wide array of creativity and take us closer to creating a metaverse where the only limit is imagination.
With these new features, it will be easier than ever to educate, advertise, tell stories, and more.
- New video and sound streaming will empower creators to provide more subtle puzzle clues, showcase their art and projects beyond The Sandbox, and give players more feedback.
- New weather and lighting effects will help set the tone for their experience, allow ideas to be expressed through subtle clues, and immerse the player even further.
- New multiplayer features will also open new possibilities for players to interact with each other in The Sandbox and will foster cooperation, competition, and collaborative problem-solving to continue making the metaverse a more inclusive place.
