Why do Vanity items / Player housing / Pets exist?

[Jess_Spark]

Sorry but no, this game is FAR from being a Sandbox style MMO. It is very much a Theme-Park design though there are some minor elements of a Sandbox that are going to be introduced.

It is not FAR from being sandbox. Wrong. Sandbox games are games that offer more than just beating up monsters. You can have every profession, the crafting is very detailed and fun. There will be housing. There will be vanity. The characters are beautiful. There is a lot of story depth.

Where do you see this game not being sandbox? I don't think you know the definition of sandbox. Sorry try again.

[Cigaran]

It is not FAR from being sandbox. Wrong. Sandbox games are games that offer more than just beating up monsters. You can have every profession, the crafting is very detailed and fun. There will be housing. There will be vanity. The characters are beautiful. There is a lot of story depth.

Where do you see this game not being sandbox? I don't think you know the definition of sandbox. Sorry try again.

A Sandbox game, by design, is a game where the player is free to explore the world, create their own content, and impact the world around them. There is little to no set goals other than what the player makes for themselves. The content they create can be shared with the other players of the game and the impact they make on the world is felt and shared by all. The content creation, and ability to share it, are pretty much the defining feature of a Sandbox MMO.

There has only been a handful of truly Sandbox games. Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies (pre NGE era), The Repopulation, and to an extent EVE are most common examples.

[Jess_Spark]

A Sandbox game, by design, is a game where the player is free to explore the world, create their own content, and impact the world around them. There is little to no set goals other than what the player makes for themselves. The content they create can be shared with the other players of the game and the impact they make on the world is felt and shared by all. The content creation, and ability to share it, are pretty much the defining feature of a Sandbox MMO.

There has only been a handful of truly Sandbox games. Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies (pre NGE era), The Repopulation, and to an extent EVE are most common examples.

Correct. That is what this game does and will do even more in the future. That's what makes this game awesome. I will play this game for years because it is Sandbox.

[Renik]

Correct. That is what this game does and will do even more in the future. That's what makes this game awesome. I will play this game for years because it is Sandbox.

It's not a sandbox, just having most content as instanced disqualifies ARR as sandbox, this game has a long way before it can be called a "sandpark", so it's really far from being a sandbox, housing is a minor detail.