What is TheSandbox? TheSandbox is a non-exclusive practice group that focuses on a professional, holistic approach to training in Starcraft 2 through deliberate practice. What is Deliberate Practice? The term Deliberate Practice was popularized and in a way defined by the scholarly article “The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance” which is free to read and has been linked in the description of this video. For an easier read try Josh Waitzkin’s “The Art of Learning” which is not free but also linked in the description. Deliberate is, and has been utilized by the greatest experts in the world, from musicians and martial artists to athletes and teams in conventional sports, for decades.
In short, deliberate practice is the repetition of a particular task, done with as close to 100% mental focus and exertion as possible. Ideally, involving immediate, accurate, and measurable feedback. Focusing on specific aspects of play rather than mindless laddering, conditions the mind to be able to enter a competitive state of mind or ‘flow’ state much more consistently than ladder training can provide.
This is the reason why expert musicians don’t just play a piece in its entirety over and over again all day. It is the reason why football teams don’t constantly scrimmage every practice. Its the reason why professional players stick to one race. It is the reason why the advice sticking to a single build per matchup delivers as well as it does. It is the reason why the players who only play on the ladder on average get defeated by the players that train in a professional team house that makes use of deliberate practice.
Let’s say a Terran player will play 2100 games this year. Randomly practicing the 7 maps, 3 matchups, and 10 or so builds available to each player would mean that only once per year would that player run into a particular opponent build, versus their particular build, on a particular map, in a particular matchup. By the time that scenario comes around again next year it is very unlikely that the player will remember the adjustments they decided would be best to make. Creating a cycle where the player makes the same mistakes over and over again. This is commonly referred to as Plateauing.
Instead of laddering, we can practice deliberately, minimizing as many variables as possible and playing only one matchup, one map, and one strategy for each player in a day of practice. This allows us not only to learn from our mistakes, but to apply the solutions and adjustments in repetition so that they become automatic. When this scenario appears in competition the player who practiced deliberately will have a depth of strategy and mastery of execution that the ladder only player would take years to develop. Coaches/Services/Tools TheSandbox Coaching Staff is made up of experts from a wide variety of fields, including: Strength and Conditioning Posture and Ergonomics Performance Psychology Cognitive Science Music Martial Arts Neuroscience Attention and Multitasking Structure and Regimentation Replay Analysis and Statistics Mechanics and Hotkeys
Watch the Coach Introduction Videos in TheSandbox Playlist to learn more. Application Process A big part of the success of TheSandbox is due to our extremely strict and refined recruitment and vetting process.
To begin, applicants send an email to jakataktv@gmail.com with their answer to the question: How is Deliberate Practice more effective than ladder?
Applicants who successfully demonstrate a minimum understanding of deliberate practice and an ability to communicate complex ideas in the english language are brought into The Proving Grounds skype group.
In the Proving Grounds, players train and discuss Starcraft with each other while the Coaching Staff monitor, moderate, and occasionally offer constructive feedback to help each player reach the minimum standards required to be accepted into TheSandbox.
Once accepted into TheSandbox the player will leave The Proving Grounds and gain full access to all the coaches, analysis, and in-House training events and workshops that are a part of TheSandbox.
Sandboxers: commit to Deliberate Practice mutually seek truth in discussion respect all people and cultures invest in loss are open to change take responsibility for their losses accept what is outside their sphere of influence
Sandboxers do not: ignore or react defensively to criticism care about being right or wrong in an argument blame coin flips, build order losses, david kim, balance or other scapegoats for their losses speak in absolutes judge ideas by the League of their author feel entitled to improvement or attention act superior toward others for any reason (including but not limited to their in-game League).
FAQ
What is TheSandbox?
Mission TheSandbox is an organization that applies proven practices of traditional sports to the training of Starcraft.
Vision All players of Starcraft have access to the resources necessary for them improve themselves physically as well as mentally in the most optimal way possible.
Target Group Starcraft 2 Players that have a desire to take a professional approach to Starcraft.
How do I apply to join TheSandbox? Send an email to jakataktv@gmail.com with your answer to the question “How is Deliberate Practice more effective than ladder?”
What are the minimum requirements for joining TheSandbox? A basic understanding of Deliberate Practice A mastery of the English Language A minimum of once per week commitment to Deliberate Practice
Do I have to leave my clan to join TheSandbox? Absolutely not. TheSandbox is a not a clan or a team, we do not require your allegiance, only your constructive attitude and commitment to deliberate practice.
Is there a minimum amount of time per week required to join/remain in TheSandbox? You are expected to practice deliberately at least one time per week (aside from vacations etc)
Is there a League requirement? Nope. There are sandboxers are in every league. It’s about attitude, not in-game skill.
Is this AM server only? Nope. This is an English speaking training group, as long as you can communicate complex ideas in English the place you sit down to play Starcraft and the server you connect to are up to you.
Are TheSandbox applications competitive/ Are there a limited number of slots? Nope. Everyone that meets the minimum requirements will be admitted into TheSandbox.
How long does it take to get accepted into TheSandbox? I can be as fast as 1 day, as long as never. The factors that determine this are 100% within your control. Don’t know about deliberate practice? Google it, do research, read articles and books, watch videos. Don’t have strong communications skills in English, train them and practice them with deliberate practice. Act like you are entitled to be in TheSandbox because you are GM and you think that you’re better than everyone else? Knock it the fuck off.
If I fail my application, can I reapply? Absolutely. We strongly encourage players not yet at the minimum requirements necessary to move into The Proving Grounds to reapply after doing some work to improve the areas in which they are currently below parity.
Why is it called “TheSandbox”? TheSandbox is a metaphor. Left unused a sandbox is a glorified outdoor litterbox for stray cats. Used incorrectly it is a bunch of kids sitting around eating sand. But, when someone uses all the resources provided within a sandbox, and puts in the time and effort required, amazing creations can result. In the same way, TheSandbox is nothing without the players inside it. It doesn’t guarantee improvement, because not all Sandboxers will make use of the tools available to them. What it does provide is guidance and a very tangible path of mastery for those who enter with open minds, and a strong work ethic.
I'm just curious what an Expert of music role can play in this...I mean some can point towards studies of saying people listen to classical tend to be on the highly intelligent scale on average, but it seems if you look at past pro gamers there is a wide variety of different music they listen to. I'm guessing K-Pop is the way to go on this one?
I would say your suggestion falls into the expertise of one of our cognitive scientists rather than music experts. Learning music is almost exactly like learning Starcraft. The tricks and learning strategies utilized by musicians can be applied to Starcraft very easily. We also share a lot of the same injuries, RSI etc.
I asked this question just because I'm from musical background myself. I play several instruments and been in several bands in the past, but I never related or considered any of the instruments that I have learn through out my life to be like playing StarCraft 2 or to help me learn StarCraft 2 any better.... I mean only thing remotely close that some might can consider is learning to play piano/keyboard to typing on a PC keyboard, but even then a person who plays piano well and types well will tell you that the techniques are very different for both.
Learning any craft / profession / hobby can all be related to each other though, so it can't be that we all know it takes hard work, practice, and determination to want to excel and get better at anything we do. the amount of effort that we put in for the 3 shows in our results in the future. sure someone can sit and play 100,000 games and be worse than someone who played only 1,000...we all know it's possible, but I honestly can't say the person who played 100,000 games didn't have a chance to be better than the person who played only 1,000, he just didn't put as much effort into learning / trying to get better off each game as the person with 1,000 games did. (this excluding someone who might have much more experience with a keyboard, mouse, or past gaming experience over the other player). I know someone will bring this up haha, but them things do carry over to any RTS PC game.
Rest of the list I can see being helpful or might can provide some kind of aspect to look from differently. Music experts (musicians i'm guessing?) I don't see much benefit if any to an SC2 player. I agree some injuries might can be the same depending on what instruments they play, but you can just bring in a career/professional typist for that. I honestly thought it would be based more around what studies have shown in relation to peoples personalities to the genre of music they prefer to listen to.
this is just my thought but it would be interesting to see if anyone can find anything helpful from it. I never considered it to be any benefit. I consider what I do at work more of benefit than playing any of the instruments that I have learned.
Scream at me if I sound like I'm shitting on anything (because I'm really not, love what you're doing, and just like on reddit, hoping that you get in direct contact with the Blizzard devs for LotV ), but is that the first TL topic about the sandbox?
I'm not the most attentive follower, be it on TL or (even less) on Reddit, but I feel like I've heard of this via your appearances on The Late Game (probably Remax too?) and liked the sound of it a lot, but never saw anything advertising it anywhere else. Granted I'm not watching much of anything on YT, so maybe that's where it's at. But in that case... not for everyone
So basically my question would be: is this the start of a 'real' advertising campaign for the sandbox (which would be great) or have I been missing a source of info somewhere?
That's just an actual wondering I've had after hearing you talk about it in the aforementioned talk shows. It sounds *really* great, so why isn't this more talked about?
As for me, on one side I'd love to send my application (I've learned piano/drums a *long* time ago with a focus on deliberate practice without knowing the name at the time so I know how good it is compared to mindless laddering, and I'm also applying it in my actual job), but on the other side, my lack of spoken english + agoraphobia makes me feel like I wouldn't fit. That and my apparent love for long parentheses. That's probably stupid but let's chalk it up to shyness
If you have any advice for people who are basically panicking at the idea of having to actually communicate with people (hoping they're not assholes which is not what my past experiences point me to) to work on their SC2 (and by SC2 I mean social skills and staying calm and positive in the face of... well... self-fuck ups basically), I'd love to hear it.
On June 23 2015 06:15 JaKaTaKSc2 wrote: Sandboxers: commit to Deliberate Practice mutually seek truth in discussion respect all people and cultures invest in loss are open to change take responsibility for their losses accept what is outside their sphere of influence
grrr ( guillaume patry ) was once asked what his non-event win-loss record was for 1 of the years he was champion.
he said "749-750" he was then asked "is it frustrating to have such an even won-loss record?"
he replied "this shows my practise time was useful. if i had a fantastic win-loss record then my practise time was just a waste".
On June 23 2015 07:52 -StrifeX- wrote: I'm just curious what an Expert of music role can play in this...I mean some can point towards studies of saying people listen to classical tend to be on the highly intelligent scale on average, but it seems if you look at past pro gamers there is a wide variety of different music they listen to. I'm guessing K-Pop is the way to go on this one?
Also a wrong music can break your concentration. Usually music with human voices or with a sounds like a human voices. It depends on the required level of concentration though. I play without any music and I play about 25 % better than with music.
I personally won't join the group, I love the idea, I know it from TLG, but this isn't for me. I want to play the game in my free time, I don't care about my skill, I am as good as I want to be (also I don't want to invest into losses, I want to win )
I will defenitely take part at that programm! *interested*
I am encouraged in getting better in starcraft in particullar situations and dont care about loseing or winning. In the past I have had the ladder anxiety because i just cared too much about winning or loseing and not about the game understanding and the experience I can get even and almost only if I lose.
Although I will applie as soon as I am home from my holidays and I hope (and think) I have the right mindset for the Sandbox and the deliberate practice I can get from the programm.
I think it's very interesting. As a SC2 player I've never been a fan of 1v1 ladder, I do most of my practicing in CGs. I'd like to join, but like many (most?) others I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to the concept of deliberate practice, so I doubt I could be of much use within the group.
Will there be any transparency to the general public about the ideas discussed within this group? That way everyone can learn from the ideas discussed within the group, especially from the coaching staff. I imagine the goal is to improve the method of practicing, you don't have to be a part of the group to learn from the group, if you could just read some of the inside-information of the group.
Deliberate practice is what you get when you're in a team. Many people aren't and I really respect these guys for trying to share the team aspect of SC2. Great video and idea.
I have a few questions: Is there a maximum of players able to join into TheSandbox? Is there going to be a inGame clan in near future? Which objectives do I have to reach to leave the proving grounds and join TheSandbox?
I joined yesterday just in the proving grounds it was quite the day. I had a lot of fun with JehL and DragonVsSoul. It seriously is a good place to just find people to talk about the game in a good light that isn't toxic, that you can't find easily anywhere else lol.
I like how the admins are watching the chat they do keep you in line and I've learned a lot from the short conversations I had with them ( errm them correcting me on my viewpoint on the game which they were 100% correct LOL)
On June 24 2015 01:14 Bojas wrote: I think it's very interesting. As a SC2 player I've never been a fan of 1v1 ladder, I do most of my practicing in CGs. I'd like to join, but like many (most?) others I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to the concept of deliberate practice, so I doubt I could be of much use within the group.
Will there be any transparency to the general public about the ideas discussed within this group? That way everyone can learn from the ideas discussed within the group, especially from the coaching staff. I imagine the goal is to improve the method of practicing, you don't have to be a part of the group to learn from the group, if you could just read some of the inside-information of the group.
Well by definition you need practice partners for this to work.
So you can't readily just hop on ladder and replicate these methods.
Well by definition you need practice partners for this to work.
So you can't readily just hop on ladder and replicate these methods.
Very true which is Why in my games it has been lacking. I use to play a few of my friends over and over and over thats how I got from Gold to Dia in like 2 weeks LOL
So i'm happy for this I really hope I can make it to the sanbox
On June 24 2015 01:14 Bojas wrote: I think it's very interesting. As a SC2 player I've never been a fan of 1v1 ladder, I do most of my practicing in CGs. I'd like to join, but like many (most?) others I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to the concept of deliberate practice, so I doubt I could be of much use within the group.
Will there be any transparency to the general public about the ideas discussed within this group? That way everyone can learn from the ideas discussed within the group, especially from the coaching staff. I imagine the goal is to improve the method of practicing, you don't have to be a part of the group to learn from the group, if you could just read some of the inside-information of the group.
Well by definition you need practice partners for this to work.
So you can't readily just hop on ladder and replicate these methods.
I'm not saying I would do that. However I am sure there are some things related to deliberate practice that are applicable in a more general sense.
-Practiced my PvT Oracle build vs a Terran practicing his mine opening. -Practiced my PvZ Immortal/Zealot build against a Zerg going ling/Ultra -Practiced my PvZ Phoenix build against the same player doing the same build
Got some good feedback from observers after all the games I played.
Actually that was a hammer build opener. I generally pull that out as a one trick pony build. You defended the early game pressure flawlessly. GG DINO
I played a few TvZ which I'm going to do some hardcore practice in TvZ tonight. I have to agree with Dino so far the overall experience has just been awesome. It's just what Sc2 Needs a non-toxic environment to grow.
Actually that was a hammer build opener. I generally pull that out as a one trick pony build. You defended the early game pressure flawlessly. GG DINO
I played a few TvZ which I'm going to do some hardcore practice in TvZ tonight. I have to agree with Dino so far the overall experience has just been awesome. It's just what Sc2 Needs a non-toxic environment to grow.
Yeah I got a little too cocky after holding off that first attack and killing your 3rd
GG man.
Edit-
Practicing all my PvZ builds against the same ling/ultra player was exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to get out of this by the way. Got the variables down to a minimum so that obs could give me the best possible feedback. Sometimes you try a build against someone and lose and then win the next game and think "well did I do it better or is he just bad?" You don't have this issue training against the same guy over and over.
There are currently 8 Coach Videos, they will be added 1 per day at 12:00 noon ET until the final video is released on June 30th that night we will have a special interview with Lycan where everyone can ask questions of the group and various coaches. (We'll try to get as many of the coaches on in the interview as possible, but we can't promise perfect attendance from all 9)
On June 24 2015 01:14 Bojas wrote: I think it's very interesting. As a SC2 player I've never been a fan of 1v1 ladder, I do most of my practicing in CGs. I'd like to join, but like many (most?) others I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to the concept of deliberate practice, so I doubt I could be of much use within the group.
Will there be any transparency to the general public about the ideas discussed within this group? That way everyone can learn from the ideas discussed within the group, especially from the coaching staff. I imagine the goal is to improve the method of practicing, you don't have to be a part of the group to learn from the group, if you could just read some of the inside-information of the group.
I was watching JaKaTaK's stream yesterday as he moderated and discussed the Proving Grounds skype chat. We got to see the interactions, what was being said, and how the chat worked.
That was about as open and transparent as you can get, in my opinion. I certainly learned a lot about how the group operates, what is expected of members, and what is discouraged.
On June 24 2015 01:14 Bojas wrote: I think it's very interesting. As a SC2 player I've never been a fan of 1v1 ladder, I do most of my practicing in CGs. I'd like to join, but like many (most?) others I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to the concept of deliberate practice, so I doubt I could be of much use within the group.
Will there be any transparency to the general public about the ideas discussed within this group? That way everyone can learn from the ideas discussed within the group, especially from the coaching staff. I imagine the goal is to improve the method of practicing, you don't have to be a part of the group to learn from the group, if you could just read some of the inside-information of the group.
I was watching JaKaTaK's stream yesterday as he moderated and discussed the Proving Grounds skype chat. We got to see the interactions, what was being said, and how the chat worked.
That was about as open and transparent as you can get, in my opinion. I certainly learned a lot about how the group operates, what is expected of members, and what is discouraged.
On June 24 2015 01:14 Bojas wrote: I think it's very interesting. As a SC2 player I've never been a fan of 1v1 ladder, I do most of my practicing in CGs. I'd like to join, but like many (most?) others I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to the concept of deliberate practice, so I doubt I could be of much use within the group.
Will there be any transparency to the general public about the ideas discussed within this group? That way everyone can learn from the ideas discussed within the group, especially from the coaching staff. I imagine the goal is to improve the method of practicing, you don't have to be a part of the group to learn from the group, if you could just read some of the inside-information of the group.
I was watching JaKaTaK's stream yesterday as he moderated and discussed the Proving Grounds skype chat. We got to see the interactions, what was being said, and how the chat worked.
That was about as open and transparent as you can get, in my opinion. I certainly learned a lot about how the group operates, what is expected of members, and what is discouraged.
I missed the stream can't find VODs anywhere.
Should be saving the VOSs automatically, but I couldn't manage to find it either. Streaming more moderation and answering questions now: twitch.tv/jakataktv
I recommend more people try to practice in this way. I got a few games in yesterday practicing my standard PvT oracle opener against Terran factory openers. Very specific things I wanted to practice.
I'm caught up to emails sent before 2pm ET today. If you have not gotten a response it is because I did not receive your email. Make sure you're sending it to jakataktv@gmail.com
Jak only because you don't like us wasting time on chat. I would like to take this time to thank you for your hard work that you have put forth to the community along with your associates! You didn't have to do this we truly appreciate it. So, anyone that would like to thank Jak........
I've watched the Interview the crew has done with LycanGTV and enjoy very much the transparency, honesty, hard work and passion that you guys are doing and put into the Sandbox! Just applied an hour ago. Thank you so much for your time
How does that reconcile with his claim that he feels he wasn't improving as much after he got into GM since he had to play a lot of ladder games to get rid of the bonus pool? Isn't that a deceiving way of trying to present the case that you shouldn't play ladder to improve?
At the very least, it doesn't make sense to use him self as an example of the inefficiency of the ladder. So I wonder if there is an example of someone not playing a lot of 1v1s and benefiting tremendeously while under the sandbox project? (mostly thinking in terms of master to GM).
How does that reconcile with his claim that he feels he wasn't improving as much after he got into GM since he had to play a lot of ladder games to get rid of the bonus pool? Isn't that a deceiving way of trying to present the case that you shouldn't play ladder to improve?
At the very least, it doesn't make sense to use him self as an example of the inefficiency of the ladder. So I wonder if there is an example of someone not playing a lot of 1v1s and benefiting tremendeously while under the sandbox project? (mostly thinking in terms of master to GM).
I think we can examine this at a higher level than this. For instance you can compare players like Demuslim he does amazing on Ladder seems very dominant but it seems in tournaments he seems to faulter against people who you don't see playing ladder as much. I think Demuslim's greatest downfall is that he doesn't deliberately practice but instead just spam's ladder games.....
Just an observance for someone who has been in the scene awhile and doesn't seem to have much gains on his play and I have a very good feeling this is the reason besides an obvious mental block....
Ladder serves as a way to test your training, to expose new weaknesses and to get exposed to the current meta. Deliberate practice allows you to finetune the processes more effectively to either adapt fully to the new meta and to fix holes in your play. It can also be used to build up a more refined mechanical base skill that can be honed and which eliminates the risk of gaining bad mechanical habits from constantly having to play in an adaptive, high stress, high focus demand environment aka ladder.
One cannot function at maximum capacity without the other. You can minimize the amount of ladder you need by increasing the network of quality practice partners which leads to more diversity though. This is part of our message with TheSandbox and in hindsight it seems we should be more clear about this distinction.
I think Demuslim's greatest downfall is that he doesn't deliberately practice but instead just spam's ladder games.....
You are going off on a different tanget here. But let me respond to that anyway: Demuslim actually doesn't play any more ladder than a lot of other players. Instead he was always known as the guy with a high win/rate and thus got top ranks on relatively few games.
My diagnosis of him (having watched hundreds of hours of his stream) is that he just isn't a particularly analytical person and when you start to get into the whole "mindgame"/adaption-part that is a part of actual tournaments, his results suffer. On the other hand his mechanics were - especially early in HOTS - amongst the best of any foreigner.
But if you check out how many games he actually has played on the ladder you see that he was never the biggest grinder. On the other hand, someone like Snute is known to mass spamming 1v1s.
Anyway, my poiny was that it seemed dishonest that Neuro makes it seem as if ladder isn't what got him to GM when he in fact mass spammed it as he got from master to GM.
My thesis is different: I believe the number 1 reason 90% of players don't get the progression they want is because they don't play enough. They rather watch games and socialize, which often time is a consequence of ladder anxiety.
If you go for focussed practice, that's fine, but do it for the right reason. Have something specific in mind, where its obvious you are practicing this more efficiently than on the ladder (this could be how to beat a cannon rush or just straight up macro). Don't do it as an excuse not to play ladder.
If on the other hand, you feel fairly confident in a few specific builds for each race,and you can do basic macro, there is no better way than to improve further than mass spamming the ladder. That doesn't imply that you shouldn't think criticically while playing or watch a couple of reps of your own play once in a while. '
But if you have 8 hours of free time: Playing 25 games is often time a better useage of time than talking for 3 hours, watching for 3 hours and playing for 2 hours. (This is assuming you want to improve, if you just want to relax and socialize, that's a different matter).
If you find that you have problem with certain builds your opponent throws at you, sure then go ahead and opt for that focussed practice. But don't let it replace efficient ladder practice, use it as a supplementary tool.
Sorry for the misunderstanding, but it cannot be said that ladder is not a useful tool in exercising oneself and making progress on the path of mastery. In my poker training pre-StarCraft, one of the pillars of improvement is 'Put in Volume' i.e. large amounts of practice. Players who put in more volume have a clear edge in their daily rate of improvement.
An additional dimension to improvement is how the practice volume is spent (replays / ladder / customs / coaching). Finding an optimal balance in time expenditure is its own process as well, and should not be simplified to either 'Ladder or Not Ladder'. The ladder will (almost) always find an opponent near your skill range in a short amount of time at any hour of the day; whereas finding practice partners for custom games requires and additional step of communication to establish the training session and articulate goals.
Put simply, the point to be made is that gamers can be more deliberate with their time expenditure. Use whatever tools are useful and put your ideas to the test.
How does that reconcile with his claim that he feels he wasn't improving as much after he got into GM since he had to play a lot of ladder games to get rid of the bonus pool? Isn't that a deceiving way of trying to present the case that you shouldn't play ladder to improve?
Where do you get these quotes? I played games on EU focusing on commentary and spending bonus pool on AM after getting GM the first season and don't recall saying things about not improving as a player overall. Additionally, I transitioned from Roach/Hydra/Viper based play in ZvT and ZvP and learned 2 totally new playstyles from x5_PiG (which would represent as a stagnation or dip in rank in the short term).
Where is it said that one shouldn't play ladder to improve? It is an area for dueling and honing one's skills against a partially randomly dealt opponent on a random map that neither player vetoed.
Hey everyone! The coaching videos are done (you can find them all in the OP). At the moment were working on videos that better describe each of the coaching sessions to help everyone get a better idea of what we do.
In the meantime we're trying to compile a master list of all the different ways one can apply Deliberate Practice to Starcraft 2. If you have any ideas, please post them here and we'll add them to the OP.
This sounds like exactly the kind of thing I'd really enjoy. Hope it's still going on. I haven't played much in a few years but the release of lotv remotivayed me to get into masters. As a rank 1 diamond player for many seasons. Even having people to practice with rather than mindless ladder would be nice. Weakest parts of my game I think is my standard hotkey setup and some bad habits like the select all army button that I wanna break.
Will submit my application in the next few days when I have time.
First off I'd just like to address the issue of necroing this thread especially as a first post. I know nobody has posted in here since December but on the YouTube videos regarding The Sandbox, people were asking if it was still active and I think it was about 2-3 weeks ago, Jak responded saying it was still active so I feel it's still okay to use this thread if you have questions regarding The Sandbox? If not, I apologise.
Anyway on to my question, I sent an email application a couple of weeks back now and I was wondering if either the group has now been closed or not every application gets a response? The latter seemed unlikely because in the FAQ section it states that if your application doesn't succeed, you're able to apply again. Please don't take this as impatience. I was mainly curious if things had slowed down or if people were actually putting much time into this any more which was further exagurated by the lack of discussion on this thread itself, especially when compared to TheCore or Jak's other projects.
Hi! Thanks for opening up the thread to more discussion :D
I ought to make a full Tea Time episode for this (and I might actually do it)
Long story short, it's still active, but not developed or overseen too much.
At this point, it's more of a lightly regulated practice partner group on discord where people are awarded certain titles to distinguish if they're looking for deliberate practice ideally (Sandboxers and Sandlings), or if they just want to find people to play with (no title). There are also titles, for coaches and experts that you can reach out to for advice/coaching.
I have 3 or 4 apps in my inbox atm that I haven't been able to get to, should have them done this week. New job at Machinima has me working 5-7 days a week, usually 10-12 hours, so there's not a lot of time for me to inject energy into projects personally. Something like TheCore is big enough to sustain itself for the most part in terms of activity, but people are even less comfortable with the concept of applying deliberate practice to Starcraft. (also, TheSandbox is a younger project).
Applications are to get a Sandling or Sandboxer title.
Explanation Video:
Hope that helps! If you have any questions or solutions to problems please share them. I check all my project's TL threads, but I can't always get to them often.
EPT
), but is that the first TL topic about the sandbox?
