My sandbox is different than your sandbox?

MakerWorld
1

I uploaded a model yesterday and added it to the sandbox games contest. Today it is missing from the contest. Kinda weird but I am guessing it was reported and under review. I had a feeling it might but I thought I would give it a try and see if people understood my vision. My entry is certainly different than anything in the contest and thus probably didn’t follow the intent as others understood it.

But I wanted to at least explain how my brain thought it fit and get feedback from the forum and perhaps any suggestions to make it better fit the contest, or ways I can better communicate what I am hoping the game will be. I have been working on this tabletop dexterity game for awhile but just had it on the back burner. I thought “Well maybe if there is a game contest I’ll get back to it and finish what I started”. Enter the Sandbox Game contest. I know what sandbox video games are, which are based on the concept of sandbox design, which is of course a metaphor for a child’s sandbox.

Though my game originally was designed with a very specific set of rules, the contest gave me the idea that my game would be even better as a “sandbox” of parts that can be used in variety of different ways, bounded only by what the player could dream up. The contest states “craft stunning, interactive models that can enrich and expand the boundless possibilities of sandbox gaming experiences.” This statement inspired me to take my narrowly-focused game and open it up to the possibilities of alternate adventures using the base group of components. Ironically when we setup and play this at home, after a few rounds of the standard game, my kids naturally began inventing other ways to use the pieces and make up new games. My kids were requesting I make tunnels, targets, ramps, curves other optional pieces they were dreaming up. I already have about a dozen different add-ons in the pipeline that I just have to print and test and finalize and they will be added as a bonus profile. Perhaps I should have completed some of those and included them right away to further make it a true sandbox.

That is what I am hoping for with this game “system” and why I felt it fit the contest in a different sort of way. But I am sure there are those that feel my game isn’t a fit at all and I am just trying to use the contest as a means of getting more views. I certainly got a lot of flack for my “Leanin’ Tower of Pizza” game and how it didn’t fit the “Landmarks” contest.

Let me know if you have any recommendations on what would make my game fit the contest better. I welcome the feedback.

Here is a link to the game for those interested.

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I get where you’re coming from. I had a similar experience with the “games of the 80s” contest. When I first saw that one-line teaser, I immediately started designing some classic 80s games like Skee-ball. I put a lot of time and effort into it, only to find out later that the contest was mostly about video games from the 80s. Luckily that model is still in the contest.

It’s tricky when we don’t have all the info upfront, especially for those of us who like to start early or have larger builds that we like to test. But overall, I’ve had a great experience with the contests, even in the ones that I didn’t place. Your FlickForce game looks cool, and I love your interpretation of the “sandbox” concept. Keep up the great work!

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Thanks! I see you have a collection of 3D-printable games - I will have to print some out and try them. I love the concept of 3D print-and-play tabletop games and think there is a nice frontier here to explore.

1 Like
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I would have thought any investigation or review would be done without changing the status of a model and the presumption of innocence.

You would be sent a system message to tell you it had been removed.

I had a couple of models entered into previous contests that disappeared twice.

I complained to MW and they fixed it, both times. I gave them :poop: and they seemed sorry. They blamed an accidental automation issue but, under pressure could not explain how data could accidentally be removed.

You may be experiencing something like this.

I have no idea if your model is suitable, I only learned today that Sandbox games have nothing to do with children playing in an actual box of sand! No joke.

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I am going to try resubmitting to the contest. Since I never did get a penalty strike, I should have 1 to spare just in case. I also just added a bonus pack of various fun parts to add to the sandbox experience.