Silly but Fast way of mock-solving big cubes :)

[benjediman]

Okay, i dont know if im the first to think of this or if it will catch on, and it's not entirely fast but it can beat your regular big cube average. The idea is, you scramble a big cube in such a way that after the scramble, you only need to solve it as a regular 2x2 and/or 3x3. The scramble should be then like so: First you scramble only all the outer layers, giving you a scrambled 3x3. Next, you scramble the cube using double layer turns. In the 4x4, it gives you a 2x2, solving afterwhich would return you the original 3x3. In the 5x5, it gives you two 3x3's to solve. Logically, there would be no parities

So the rule is, you solve the 4x4 using your method for the 2x2(hint:look at the centers), then 3x3. you use your regular 3x3 method twice for the 5x5.

It can be pretty fast for the 4x4, but sometimes slow for the 5x5 since its hard to see through the first 3x3.

Let's try it:
(small letters here are considered double layer turns)

4x4x4 Cube:
- (U' B' F' L F2 B U' B' R2 L' B L D' F R' L2 U L R' D') (l d2 r2 d2 r d' l' u r u2 l' d' r2 u2 f r2 b2 r d b')

5x5x5 Cube:
- (L2 U2 B L' F' B2 R' F' U2 L' B2 L' R' U' B2 R2 B U2 F2 U') (r b r b' r l2 f' u b' l2 f u2 d' f l2 d' f2 u r2 d2)


I'd like to post times, but i dont have big cubes

hope you like it and post your times here :>

 

[joey]

Yeah, this has been around for sometime now!

I saw Matyas do a 2x.xx 4x4 at the UK Open (at the restaurant afterwards), i was in shock. But then he explained it =p

 

[Mike Hughey]

I had seen this before with the 5x5x5, but yeah, it's more fun with the 4x4x4 because it's pretty easy.

My time on your 4x4x4 scramble: 1:03.20.

I couldn't resist doing an average of 10:
Average: 1:08.36
1:21.01, 1:15.72, 1:15.04, 1:13.28, 1:01.90, 1:05.75, 1:08.12, (1:21.69), 1:01.26, 55.95, 1:05.59, (54.03)

I'm terrible at it, but it was fun actually being able to solve what looks like a completely scrambled 4x4x4 in less than a minute. That's half of the appeal. The other half is learning to recognize the 2x2x2 cases - it's an interesting challenge! Oh, and T-perm with slice moves is also kind of a challenge to do.

My time on your 5x5x5 scramble: 4:12.68.

Interesting that I'm faster solving a 5x5x5 normally than I am with this, but I think it took me a good part of this solve to just get used to looking at it. I suspect I could get that time down well below my normal 5x5x5 times with just a few more attempts.

Anyway, it is fun.

 

[Derrick Eide17]

hhaha yeah i thought of something like this before but only for a 4x4 centers method i thought... couldnt you solve the 4x4 centers JUST like a 2x2?................ I shortly found out after i was wrong... LOL. but yeah scrambling it like this and solving adds for a very cool and FUN side effect!

 

[Leviticus]

4x4- 01:08:56 I suck although i wish my 4x4 times were like this

 

[qqwref]

Dan Cohen and I have both done a 5x5 sub-1 like this. It's very fun.

I'll do the 5x5 scramble on my supercube: 1:43.32 I gotta practice super 3x3 more.

 

[ExoCorsair]

Dan Cohen and I have both done a 5x5 sub-1 like this. It's very fun.

As fun as solving+scrambling with only UuRr?

 

[Dene]

I don't get how this works, someone help me out please?? My cube just looks scrambled like normal >.<

 

[Pedro]

yeah, it looks

but you can solve the centers like if it were a 2x2...try it

 

[Dene]

Oh wow I see! All the edges just pair themselves up nicely, how convenient . Although not knowing a 2x2x2 methoed didn't help (just used LBL)

 

[Mike Hughey]

Dene, you should really learn Ortega for 2x2x2 - it's really quick and easy to learn. It will probably only take a day to get good enough that you're managing half your LBL times.

 

[Dene]

I don't practise 2x2x2 at all, not until I get cubesmith stickers for them. I don't mind 2x2x2, but there really isn't much to it, I prefer big cubes (odd numbered!).

 

[Swordsman Kirby]

I don't practise 2x2x2 at all, not until I get cubesmith stickers for them. I don't mind 2x2x2, but there really isn't much to it, I prefer big cubes (odd numbered!).

Really, there isn't much to a 3x3x3 compared to a 5x5x5!

 

[Dene]

Exactly! I want the 11x11x11!

 

[dChan]

Ha I just noticed this now. I don't understand how to do this on the 5x5. I'm another stupid person....

 

[abbracadiabra]

You're not a stupid person - there's no such thing! I can understand your confusion - it took me a couple of tries to figure it out.

First, make sure that you've scrambled using first all single layer turns, and then all double layer turns.

What you're looking to do is solve the "inner 3x3x3" (all centers) as you would normally solve a 3x3x3, only using double layer turns. Once you've solved the centers the rest of the cube lines up like a scrambled 3x3x3 meaning that all the edges are already matched. You can then solve your 5x5x5 like you would solve a 3x3x3.

 

[dChan]

Hmm, that makes much more sense than the way I thought it worked. I will give it a try later today. Thanks for taking the time to explain it for me!