The game needs to open up

[TaleraRistain]

No, you have to ask yourself the following : Why Old School Sandbox MMO type have died?

I'm an old MMO player, i started on EverQuest in 1999.... And seriously, people who never experienced those type of content, should never ask for it.
The reason? Simple : The Players....

Sandbox MMO tend to generate a ton of griefer (Stealth Boss Claim, Mob Train to whipe a party and take their XP spot, PK that would make look like serial killer as casual etc... etc...)

Seriously, what you asking is either a new FF MMO or to kill FFXIV.... because the majority of modern MMO players only know Theme Park MMO and, most of them, wouldn't be able to adapt to the way more harsher environment that Sandbox MMO deliver..

I'm a 1999 EverQuest player too and reading the OP I was just sitting and thinking "EverQuest is still in service..."

So much of that is old school MMO design that modern MMOs have just moved past now.

[Lorika]

I'm a 1999 EverQuest player too and reading the OP I was just sitting and thinking "EverQuest is still in service..."

So much of that is old school MMO design that modern MMOs have just moved past now.

There is a some Old MMO still in service, yes... But most of them (if not all) are just in maintenance mode and are only populated with an handfull of die hard fans.(And the server are 25 years old technology, so it doesn't cost a lot to run them)
Some new player pop from time to time just to do tourism ("i want to see how old school MMO look like")... But that's all.

The past 10 years 98% of the attempt to make new Sandbox MMO (Aka "Old School") have failed miserably, and those that are still in service, barelly survive (except BDO). This is facts.

[TaleraRistain]

There is a some Old MMO still in service, yes... But most of them (if not all) are just in maintenance mode and are only populated with an handfull of die hard fans.(And the server are 25 years old technology, so it doesn't cost a lot to run them)
Some new player pop from time to time just to do tourism ("i want to see how old school MMO look like")... But that's all.

The past 10 years 98% of the attempt to make new Sandbox MMO (Aka "Old School") have failed miserably, and those that are still in service, barelly survive (except BDO). This is facts.

EverQuest is still getting expansions but the population isn't anywhere near where it was in its heyday. I was mostly making the point that there are games out there that do what the OP wants and it's just not modern MMO design anymore.