Sandbox is a physics-based sandbox game that, in its base game mode, has no set objectives. The player is able to spawn non-player characters, ragdolls, and props, and interact with them by various means. Unlike Garry's Mod, Sandbox has been built with the core philosophy of providing a platform for user-created game modes rather than incorporating those game modes alongside the existing framework. Example gamemodes include Melon Racer, Prophunt and Trouble in Terrorist Town. Much like its predecessor, Sandbox provides a platform from which user-created content can be shared among the playerbase.
Unlike Garry's Mod, which expects the user to mount content from other Source engine games, such as Counter-Strike: Source and Portal, Sandbox provides a standalone experience from which players can participate in user-createdgamemodes, and the original Sandbox gamemode has been de-emphasized by the developer. Garry Newman, founder of Facepunch Studios, has expressed hope that both Facepunch and the community would be able to use Sandbox as a platform to build and export standalone games for sale on Steam.[1]
Opium
In order to demonstrate the new scene system, several Facepunch Studios developers built Opium, as a "PSX-style" first-person experience inspired by the Condemned game series and combining melee combat & weapon scavenging with basic puzzle-solving. A short experience, Opium places the player in a crack house and faces them against violent "crackheads" with "occult undertones".[2]
Team Fortress: Source 2
An unofficial remake of Team Fortress 2 within the Source 2 engine was initially developed under the title Team Fortress: Source 2 (alternatively abbreviated as TF: S2), with the first development blog post released in August 2021 by the team, Amper Software.[3] Work on the remake continued into 2024, with the developers providing frequent updates and undertaking community beta testing;[1][4] however, as of January 2024, the project has been cancelled, following a takedown request by Valve Software and impending changes to Sandbox itself.[5]
The predecessor to Sandbox, Garry's Mod, was first released in 2004 by Garry Newman as a mod for the game Half-Life 2 and, by extension, the Source game engine. In late 2015, Newman stated Facepunch was working on a Garry's Mod sequel with a focus on virtual reality.[6] It was formally announced in 2017 as being developed on Unreal Engine 4,[7] but development was paused in 2019 and later shifted to Valve's Source 2 engine in March 2020.[8][9][10] A public release was planned for the second half of 2021,[11] with a select group already having received early access to its closed beta,[12] while further waves of developers have been provided with keys on a first-come, first-served basis. In Sandbox, players can pick from many gamemodes similar to Garry's Mod.[13] The game uses C# as a backend for user-created content.[14] Newman has stated among the improvements are entity physics, lighting, and water effects.[15]
