Platinum Arts Sandbox Free 3D Game Maker
| Developer(s) | Michael Tomaino, Kevin Meyer |
|---|---|
| Initial release | June 4, 2007 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X |
| Type | game engine |
Platinum Arts Sandbox is a kid-friendly world and video-game creation tool based on the Cube 2: Sauerbraten game engine. The focus of Platinum Arts Sandbox is on game creation and ease of use, so that it is accessible even to young children but also viable to create mature games. Violent content and themes have been removed (except for some game videos on the official YouTube channel) to make the project appropriate for school settings. Similar to Cube 2: Sauerbraten, the software supports single-player and multiplayer and contains an in-game level editor, which is a key to its ease of use. The game engine is free and open-source software. The first release was made on June 4, 2007. The latest version 2.8.2 was released on January 19, 2013.
Technical details
The goal of Platinum Arts Sandbox is to make it as quick and easy as possible for users to create 3D worlds and video games. In addition to the in-game editing provided by the Cube 2 engine, menus have been included to greatly increase the development speed and ease of use by making major changes with a single click. In addition, there are helpful features that provide more information and further enhance usability.
Gameplay
The game currently has singleplayer and multiplayer modes. Single player modes include the basic editing mode, Role Playing Game (RPG), and Sidescroller. The SVN development version includes MovieCube which allows users to create Machinima. Sample maps include platformers where the object is to save a princess, a maze, a village that makes use of quests, house structures, a floating castle, a giant cavern, and several others. Multiplayer functionality is possible with LAN, Local, and Internet play, which gets its server listings from a master server. Included modes are cooperative editing, Banana Relay (base capturing mode), and freerun, a mode where editing is not allowed and is useful for races.
Media features
- PBS/WMHT Games in Education Conference [1][2]
- Moddb.com Top 100 Mod/Game Of The Year 2008 [3]
- Many various Moddb.com Interviews and Features [4]
- Slashdot.org Article - Involving Kids In Free Software Through Games?[5]
- Total PC Gaming Magazine February 2009
- Podcast interview with Michael Tomaino[6]
- PCFormat Magazine Issue 232 November 2009
Commercial version
Features include:
- A deferred shading pipeline.
- Lua as its scripting language.
- An improved editor.
References
- ↑ "PBS/WMHT Games In Education Speakers". Games In Education 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
- ↑ "PBS/WMHT Games in Education: Information & Resources". Games In Education 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
- ↑ "2008 Mod Of The Year Awards - Top 100". Moddb. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- ↑ "Moddb.com Sandbox Articles and Features". Moddb. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- ↑ "Slashdot Article - Involving Kids In Free Software Through Games?". Slashdot. January 31, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- ↑ Podcast interview with Michael Tomaino