[Help Thread] 4x4 Discussion

[TheNextFeliks]

I want to get a shengshou soon. I need to practice my edges more.

 

[Ninja Storm]

Turn very slowly, but try not to have pauses. One turn per two seconds could be a good start, as long as you'll consistently be able to make a contributing move every two seconds(none of this U2, U2, oh here's the right move now, business).

 

[TheNextFeliks]

Ok that is a good idea.

 

[PeelingStickers]

Lookahead. And lookahead on your 3x3 too, I average 1:50 on the 4x4 yet I've never been so good, used a beginner's method and have only really solved it a few hundred times, nowehere near as solid as my 3x3, the only reasons I'm faster is because I lookahead for my next pieces.

 

[Fengson]

What do I do now...? (4x4x4 Cube)

Hello everyone, I'm new here
I've been doing 3x3 for 2 months now and I got 2x2 and 4x4 as well.
The problem is, I cannot do last layer in 4x4. I always get problems during OOL, not to mention PLL where I have been luckily once..

(1) I get a dot or line, and every YT tutorial says to do it just like 3x3, but neither FRUR'U'F' (dot) nor fRUR'U'f' (line) works.
(2) I sometimes get simple parity problem - block 2x3 so i change it with 1 alg and get a line, but then again, back to piont (1)..

And, sometimes I happen to get past that, but I get some wierd cases which I have no idea how to solve, such as those attached to this post.

Sample Case 1 (2 sides) :
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/54830465/oolcase1.JPG
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/54830465/oolcase2.JPG
Sample Case 2 :
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/54830465/whatdoido.JPG

Please, help me get past this, I am thorned...

 

[Username]

You haven't paired your edges? (i'm not really sure)

 

[Brest]

If you are using a reduction method, then you need to finish pairing edges before starting to solve the 3x3x3 stage.

 

[Username]

If you are using a reduction method, then you need to finish pairing edges before starting to solve the 3x3x3 stage.

Same goes for Yau, i guess

 

[Fengson]

I am using a method from YouTube user "MeMyselfAndPi" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJRGmNvlCps
I don't really know what method is it.

Also, what and when do I have to pair edges? It all looks ok, I can do cross and F2L smoothly.
It's when I try to do OOL/PLL when the problems are.. :/

 

[hcfong]

For the first case hold the cube with Yellow as your F-face and either red or orange as U (doesn't matter which one. Then perform the following algorithm: Dw R F U R' F' Dw'. This will swap two edge wings and pair the final two edge pairs. From here on, you can continue solving it as a 3x3, but there is a chance you'll get parity.

 

[piece popper]

From your problem, I suggest doing FRUR'U'F two layers deep and fRUR'U'f' three layers deep.

 

[Fengson]

Ok, what now?
I get those a lot. Cannot do parity, because I don't have 2 pieces to flip... Look at this :
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/54830465/Upload/www2.JPG

 

[Brest]

Ok, what now?
I get those a lot. Cannot do parity, because I don't have 2 pieces to flip... Look at this :
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/54830465/Upload/www2.JPG

You have not finished pairing the edges.
Look at Yellow Blue and Yellow Green that are next to each other.
These have not been paired.
You need to pair those edges before you start to solve the cube as a 3x3x3.
It looks like you are pairing all the edges except the yellow ones.
Pair ALL the edges.
Either that or gogogo K4 LL.

 

[hcfong]

Parity is something to worry about during the 3x3 stage. BEFORE you get there, you have to have paired up ALL the edge pairs. From the situation in the last picture, hold your cube yellow as U face and blue as your F face. What you want to do now is to solve all 3 remaining edge pairs.
Start with Rw' - this will match the left edge wing on the UF pair (green-yellow) with the right edge wing on the UB pair (also green-yellow). Then do R - this will move the unsolved edge pair that was on UR (and has now moved to FR), back to UR. Now do F - this will move to UF edge pair you just solved to FR. Now do R' - this will replace the solved edge pair on FR with the unsolved edge pair on UR, in a way that it the yellow blue edge wing will eventually pair up with the yellow blue edge wing on UB. Now do F' to move the unsolved edge pair to UF. Finally Rw to solve the edge pair on UB and to restore the centers.

So, in short with yellow on U and blue on F: Rw' R F R' F' Rw.

 

[Fengson]

What algorithms to use when having a dot, line and L ?
Standart 3x3 just mess my edges... Please, help! :O

 

[SVNooberCuber]

Dot: F R U R' U' F' or F U R U' R' F'
Line: F R U R' U' F'
L: (must be "hugging UBL corner) F U R U' R' F'

 

[uvafan]

You should have all edges paired before starting the 3x3 stage - once all edges are paired and the first two layers are solved, standard 3x3 algorithms along with two parity algorithms will work.

 

[hcfong]

Oh wait, I think I know what your problem is. When you're doing f moves (double-layer turns of the F face) you only turn 2 layers, as you would do on a normal 3x3. However, on a 4x4, when you are in the 3x3 stage, each edge pair should be considered as one edge piece and the 4 center pieces on each face should be considered as one center piece.

When you do a double layer turn with just two layers.you are breaking up the edges on UL and UR and the centers along that line. The centers will eventually restore themselves when you do f' at the end, but you've broken up the edges. So when you need to do a double layer turn during the 3x3 stage, you need to move 3 layers instead of 2. As a rule of thumb: in the 3x3 stage you NEVER do a 2-layer turn, except when you're fixing parity.

 

[Fengson]

Thank you guys, I finally got it under control
Just one last case. What should I do in situation like this :
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/54830465/Upload/last.JPG
The back of the cube is solved, just this part of the last layer is messed up.

 

[AndersB]

Thank you guys, I finally got it under control
Just one last case. What should I do in situation like this :
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/54830465/Upload/last.JPG
The back of the cube is solved, just this part of the last layer is messed up.

Do PLL parity (r2 U2 r2 Uw2 r2 Uw2) and solve it from there