[Help Thread] 15 Puzzle Discussion

[PixelWizard]

Hello

I got really charmed by the 15-Puzzle and I want to get really fast.

I didn't find any tutorial on how to improve your movecount and times, so does anyone of you know some resources?

Thanks for the help

Greetings PixelWizard

 

[Deathranger999]

Just watch Ben's videos and practice. XD

 

[PixelWizard]

Just watch Ben's videos and practice. XD

Ben's videos? Who is ben?

 

[Smiles]

i dont have a physical puzzle but on my phone my pb is 5 seconds and average is around 15 seconds and 60 moves.
idk what the normal method is but i just learned it from wikihow or something, like the first result on google lol. it told me to solve it in this order:
1-4
5-8
9,13
10,14
last three

i still do it that way, except i try to find a scenario where, for example, 1-4 can be all put into sequence anywhere on the board. then i slowly inch it towards the top.
the other thing is when you're solving rows, if you can get a row to have any 3 numbers
1. that belong in that row
2. in the correct order
3. 1 or more in the incorrect spot

then you can bring the 4th piece up quickly.
for example, if u cant make a long sequence to directly solve 1234, try making 1X24 or X134 or 23X4 or 12X3, etc.
and for these examples:
1X24: bring the 3 up from under the 2
X134: bring the 2 up from under the 1
13X4: bring the 2 up from under the 3
23X4: bring the 1 up from under the 2
12X3: bring the 4 up from under the 3

(X means any number tile that doesn't belong in that row)

 

[TDM]

Ben's videos? Who is ben?

Another common method is to do 1/2/3/4 then 5/9/13 then 6/7/8 then 10/14 then last three pieces. I do it, and ben does it too.

 

[Bindedsa]

Learn to fringe. Practice.

 

[PixelWizard]

Learn to fringe. Practice.

Where could I learn fringe?

 

[Bindedsa]

Where could I learn fringe?

Solve pieces in this order
1-4
5, 9, 13
6-8
10, 14
11, 12, 15

 

[PixelWizard]

Solve pieces in this order
1-4
5, 9, 13
6-8
10, 14
11, 12, 15

Is this faster than lbl? And if yes why?

 

[Bindedsa]

Is this faster than lbl? And if yes why?

Not sure why, but I used to use LBL. Then I started using both and naturally transitioned to fringe without consciously making the decision to.

 

[TDM]

Is this faster than lbl? And if yes why?

They're about the same speed; it's best to be able to use both in solves. I'm not entirely method neutral, but I do LBL about 5-10% of the time; I use fringe for most of my solves. That works well for me. I only do LBL if the second layer is easier than doing 9/13 (same with columns, but I do that even less).

 

[PixelWizard]

They're about the same speed; it's best to be able to use both in solves. I'm not entirely method neutral, but I do LBL about 5-10% of the time; I use fringe for most of my solves. That works well for me. I only do LBL if the second layer is easier than doing 9/13 (same with columns, but I do that even less).

Thanks for the responses, I will do fringe by now and later focus on my movecount. I guess going slow and think about each move is also a good way to improve.

Is there any ranking or are there times where you can say you are one of the best? What is considered good?

I average around 30s at the moment but I don't think this is very good...

 

[Bindedsa]

Thanks for the responses, I will do fringe by now and later focus on my movecount. I guess going slow and think about each move is also a good way to improve.

Is there any ranking or are there times where you can say you are one of the best? What is considered good?

I average around 30s at the moment but I don't think this is very good...

There used to be high scores, but Ben removed them for some reason. I'd say sub 10 is a pretty good first goal, but I'm not sure.

 

[Deleted member 19792]

Kej I am sub 6.5 with LBL

Anyway, just practice and try to be efficient with your first row or first column. Try solving multiple pieces at a time or just line them up and send them in.

Er uh practice l6p and tps it out. I use IJKL for my control scheme.

 

[lerenard]

lol, just got a very easy scramble:

 

[TDM]

lol, just got a very easy scramble: View attachment 4877

Use ben's sim.

 

[Berd]

Use ben's sim.

^^^^ it's baws

 

[molarmanful]

Hey guys,
I feel like 15 puzzle deserves a thread, even though it's not an official WCA event or twisty puzzle. I'm sure that a lot of people could benefit from the help and discussions in this thread. If this is in the wrong forum category, feel free to move it (if you're a moderator).

That being said, I'll outline some basic steps and tips for solving the 15 puzzle with LBL (if there are other methods, please describe them in a reply):

---

1. First row (FR):

1  2  3  4
x  x  x  x
x  x  x  x
x  x  x  x

Generally, you solve as 1-2>3-4, but if you want to get faster, try solving 3-4>1-2, 2-3>1-4, etc. depending on the situation. You can also solve 1,5,9,13 as a 'row.'
If possible, try to solve some of the second row pieces while finishing FR. For example:

2  x  3  4
x  x  x  x
1  x  x  x
5  x  x  x
----------
easily becomes
----------
1  2  3  4
5  x  x  x
x  x  x  x
x  x  x  x

2. Second row (F2R):

1  2  3  4
5  6  7  8
x  x  x  x
x  x  x  x

Solve the second row like you solved FR. However, you might want to try fringing, or solving a column while doing the second row. After fringing, you'll end up with this:

1   2  3  4
5   6  7  8
9   x  x  x
13  x  x  x

3. L8P (or L6P if you fringed):

1   2   3   4
5   6   7   8
9   10  11  12
13  14  15  0

Solve 9 and 13 first if you haven't already. Then proceed in one of two ways:
a. Solve 10-14>11-12-15. Conventional way, relatively easy L3P, okay chance of L3P skip.
b. Solve 11-12>10-14-15. Only use this if 11 and 12 are easy to place (i.e.: not flipped the wrong way). Super easy L3P, high chance of L3P skip.

---

You should also try out SlidySim, a nice 15 puzzle simulator that also contains slidy puzzles of other sizes.

 

[cashis]

Cool guide. Thanks for making this thread.

 

[4Chan]

If 15 Puzzle starts gaining momentum, and quality speedsolvable 15 puzzles (or larger) become available, I will be so happy.

Please keep this up! 15 Puzzles are cool!