Sandbox shouldn't mean corruption rules the day. Even in the real world there are antitrust laws and laws to prevent monopolies.
It's one thing to buy up as many plots as you can to try to create a monopoly. It's yet another to have your goons mess with a competitor crafting capacity. That's a game design flaw. If someone is anti cartel, and wants to hold out, even if it means low or no profits for them, they should be able to. A true Sandbox would allow an independent to advertise that he is holding the line against cartels. To have people stick with him even if the cartels lower their prices. To be able to sabotage the independent is wrong. That's not sandbox, that's corruption and game design flaw.
It's one thing to buy up as many plots as you can to try to create a monopoly. It's yet another to have your goons mess with a competitor crafting capacity. That's a game design flaw. If someone is anti cartel, and wants to hold out, even if it means low or no profits for them, they should be able to. A true Sandbox would allow an independent to advertise that he is holding the line against cartels. To have people stick with him even if the cartels lower their prices. To be able to sabotage the independent is wrong. That's not sandbox, that's corruption and game design flaw.