In my opinion, yes. I have noticed that way too many sanbox maps are getting good rep that aren't even interlocked or merged. After much forging on foundry I tried using sandbox and the interlocks and merges seem simple to me so why no one else? Opinions?
This is so true and gives a whole new reason to interlock. Also, if you throw a grenade, and there is a crack in the floor because of lack of interlocking, your grenade could go through that crack and not affect your opponent at all.
It's not that Sandbox is any easier to Forge on. It's just more flexible. There's certain usages of Sandbox that are wholly impossible to do on any other map. Where else are you going to get three completely flat areas to Forge on? Where else is going to have a death floor easily usable? Gameplay before Aesthetics.
As many times as I have to hear this quote my only response is that nobody will play on a map that looks like a turd regardless of how smooth the gameplay is. Nobody will even bother playing/downloading a map if it doesn't look good in the first place. Anyways, aesthetics do make gameplay better. In most cases.
Gameplay is very important, and aesthetics are just important, looks add to gameplay, but looks isn't all you want in a game, or else it's not a game. Gameplay>Aesthetics, but aesthetics do count. And i also think that when show-casing your map, there should be no fx, fx cover-up flaws, and thats not cool. On-topic: Sandbox is basicly the best bungie could offer with the current forge engine. I could think of a much better systems for a map editor, but sandbox is a master of it's craft.
It's because everybody is making the same basic map. Utah Mambo is an example of what we should be making. That map is unique, and is unlike any map out there. When all the other maps that are being released seem old and stale. They all use the same concept of a bunch of random structures with two bases thrown at opposite ends. It sickens me that we can't seem to make maps as amazing as Gridlocked, or Grindstone any more. I hope to see more maps like the ones in the later days of Foundry, and not all these crummy maps. It will get better, you'll see! Remember how it was when Foundry was first released? Sandbox isn't easier to forge on, it provides the same mechanics that Foundry did, but outdoors. If anything it's harder. The fact that everybody is getting to lazy to interlock, because they want to get their maps out there, is the problem.
Exactly. Thats what I'm trying to shoot for in making maps on sandbox. I'm in the process of making the hugest BTB map I've ever made (gaurdians taken off). I'm including meging and interocking. But that's ground level. I mean like in the crypt or bubble (love the bubble =D) it's way too easy.