The Vision of The Sandbox Game Maker 0.11
The open metaverse is here, and user-generated content (UGC) is at its heart. At The Sandbox, we are redefining digital creation, giving the next generation of creators the tools to craft immersive, interactive games and experiences with capacities far beyond traditional short-form content. With over 2,000 experiences published in the past 12 months, our community has shown us the limitless potential of a creator-driven metaverse. Now, with the launch of Game Maker 0.11, we’re taking another massive step forward.
We’ve separated our coverage of this release into three parts:
Part 1: The Vision of Game Maker 0.11
Part 2: Game Maker 0.11: Detailed Product Features & Updates for Creators
Part 3: Game Client 0.11: Detailed Product Features & Updates for Players
What’s Coming in Game Maker 0.11
Bringing Brands and Creators Closer Than Ever.
We want to provide every creator in The Sandbox with the ability to build using their favorite IPs and brands. But UGC isn’t just for independent creators — it’s also a powerful tool for our brand partners too. The Sandbox enables brands to tap into our creator community, harnessing the community’s diverse talent to build engaging and dynamic experiences on their behalf. The results from our Game Jams demonstrate how innovation flourishes when creators are empowered, with recent contest themes ranging from the iconic TV show Hell’s Kitchen to the popular Web3 Mocaverse collection.
Game Maker 0.11 is all about expanding what’s possible on LAND. Robust tools and enhancements like new pre-made Templates and Dynamic Libraries allow you to build faster and smarter while Partner Assets let you create instantly recognizable experiences. Whether you’re building a Smurfs village, a Care Bears kingdom, or an Atari universe, Game Maker 0.11 makes it easier than ever for brands and creators to build together.
Competitive Multiplayer Racing is Here.
With features such as Edge Recovery and Coyote Jump providing more skillful gameplay and Rotate Behavior allowing for endless dynamic platform design, Game Maker 0.11’s new Movement Palette brings vastly improved mechanics to some of the most popular game types in The Sandbox such as platformers and racing. This is complemented by the new Objective System, Team Score, and Victory Types features which enable more multiplayer-supported competition.
More Responsive, Expressive Gameplay.
Improved Character Animations, enhanced Camera Systems, and Avatar Silhouettes in the Game Client make gameplay feel smoother and more expressive than ever while Customizable HUDs, Control Maps, and reduced loading times keep you fully immersed.
Check out the new movement, animations, and environment interactions with the 15+ original avatar collections currently available in the shop, along with thousands of wearables and equipment NFTs.
What Will Future Product Updates Bring?
As we launch Game Maker 0.11, we’re already looking ahead to future updates that will further push the boundaries of creation in The Sandbox. As a light teaser of what’s currently in our plans:
GM 0.12 — Persistency and matchmaking capabilities to make social and multiplayer experiences even better.
GM 0.13 — A brand-new combat system and an evaluation of alternative control options such as joystick support.
GM 0.14 — Mounting mechanics to bring vehicles, creatures, and new traversal options into gameplay.
More improvements to VoxEdit and progressing our overall creative suite. VoxEdit remains a powerful and important tool to create amazing assets, with the capability to export into Game Maker to utilize creations in experiences and take advantage of all the latest Game Maker enhancements.
What Does the Future Hold for The Sandbox Vision?
In short — we have never been more optimistic about the future of The Sandbox.
The PC-gaming community experienced significant growth over the past year, now surpassing over 1.85 billion users globally. We expect this trend to further accelerate over the next few years and while we continue to explore what The Sandbox can look like across other platforms, we remain committed to PC as the foundation for the open metaverse (at present!).
We continue to refine the mechanics of The Sandbox as a platform and ecosystem, with a current focus on using seasons to introduce meta-gameplay, allowing players to progress towards shared rewards on behalf of our creator community. We’re also focused on expanding the monetization model for creators, beginning with multiple, iterative editions of the Builder’s Challenge this year.
The recent increase of interest in the blockchain and crypto space are setting the stage for more development, something that will positively impact the creator economy. We believe that in the near future, every creator will see opportunities in using blockchain infrastructure.
We continue to build and improve our product to enable the building of a metaverse filled with diverse experiences, and this is just the beginning. The Sandbox Map continues to grow, with thousands of creations waiting to be explored and we call upon all creators to contribute to it.
Over 75 years after LEGO revolutionized physical play, we are doing the same for the digital world — developing a new language for creators to express themselves. Our vision is clear: We believe that UGC is the future of gaming, and it must be simple, competitive, and fun. Game Maker 0.11 represents an important milestone towards this vision and it’s now in your hands.
What will you create?
Game Maker 0.11 — Product Update for Creators TL;DR
- Smarter Multiplayer: Team Scores, Multiplayer-Friendly NPCs, and Broadcast Target Selection.
- Better Platforming & Racing: Edge Recovery, Custom Avatars at Spawn, and new Rotate Behavior.
- New Customization: Personalized HUDs, alphanumeric puzzles, and new victory options.
- Asset Libraries: Access to new environmental assets and brand assets (Smurfs, Atari, BLOND:ISH, & more).
- New Templates: Tag, Trivia, Idle Clicker, Crash, and Social Platforming game types.
- Productivity Boosts: Picker Tool, Multiple Grid Boards, and Rules Connection Visualizer.
Game Client 0.11 — Product Update for Players TL;DR
- Smoother Gameplay: Improved character animations, enhanced camera systems, and avatar silhouettes have made gameplay more responsive and platforming easier.
- Advanced Multiplayer: Team scores, custom game avatars, competitive multiplayer experiences, and stronger cheat prevention.
- Platform Feature Upgrades: Customizable HUDs, easily accessible Control Screens for game inputs, and optimized performance to improve gameplay and reduce load times.
- A More Personalized Experience: Save outfits, rate, and bookmark experiences, and easily revisit favorites.
- Easier Discovery: The Map Carousel and detailed Game Cards simplify finding standout experiences.
Ready to build? Get your LAND today and start creating your experience in The Sandbox!
