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[Google Survey] What is your opinion on current WCA-related topics?

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*people try to convince me that solving a 4x4 rubik's cube blindfolded is not hard*
Stop.
If you can solve a 4x4, then you can pretty much solve a 5x5, 6x6, and 7x7, so they are only slightly harder than 4x4 (last 2 centers comes to mind as being trickier on bigger cubes) but at least in those you get to look. Success rates in 4BLD are low (if someone knows the exact rate then that would be nice). I'm not saying to remove events. I think Clock is an odd event and Feet isn't necessarily the cleanest event, and I wouldn't be sad if they were removed, but I think in general we should be expanding the events list, not reducing it, but I'll repeat if 1 event had to be removed it should be Clock. As I'm sure many of you know, I support the addition of Kilominx as an event, as long as it remains popular for a while as an unofficial event.
I agree, whether big BLD or big cubes is harder is a matter of subjectivity. Many people have 5BLD as the last event they need to complete their profile, as it is obviously a difficult event, but lots of people are stuck without 6/7 means because they can't meet the cutoffs. For example, Brandon Mikel's last event before gold member status was 7x7 because he struggled to meet cutoff times for the event, especially with only one chance to do so. Matthew Dickman is another case of this: he has every WCA result completed except for 6x6 and 7x7 means, and he is also finding it hard to meet typical cutoffs at competitions.
As for the cutoff times thing, [bias warning: I'm bad at everything but 3x3 and 2x2] I think that there should be competitions that hold 3x3, 2x2, and 3 weird events, but have an easy cutoff for the weird events. I kinda want to organize one myself but I never get around to finding a delegate :3
 

One Wheel

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As for the cutoff times thing, [bias warning: I'm bad at everything but 3x3 and 2x2] I think that there should be competitions that hold 3x3, 2x2, and 3 weird events, but have an easy cutoff for the weird events. I kinda want to organize one myself but I never get around to finding a delegate :3

I'd love to do a comp with 3 rounds of FMC and one MBLD alternating with easy cuts on 4, 5, 6, 7, and maybe 4 and 5BLD. The speedsolving rounds would be in one room with regular timers, and could run over schedule if necessary, while the other events took place in another site with just stopwatches. People competing in both could be scheduled at the beginning or end of the speedsolving rounds as appropriate to allow both.
 
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I'd love to do a comp with 3 rounds of FMC and one MBLD alternating with easy cuts on 4, 5, 6, 7, and maybe 4 and 5BLD. The speedsolving rounds would be in one room with regular timers, and could run over schedule if necessary, while the other events took place in another site with just stopwatches. People competing in both could be scheduled at the beginning or end of the speedsolving rounds as appropriate to allow both.
Sounds good except there has to be 2 rounds of 2x2 and 3x3 or I no likey.
 

GenTheSnail

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If you're going to remove events, I think it shouldn't go farther than Feet, Clock, MBLD, 4BLD, 5BLD. 7x7 and 6x6 should not be removed, they aren't insanely hard and aren't even ao5 events.
I think if we're removing events, it would be Clock, 4BLD, 5BLD, 7x7 and 6x6; not MBLD or Feet.
Clock is just kinda weird, 4/5BLD don't really bring that much new and 6x6 7x7 arent that much different from 4x4 and 5x5.
[Bias warning:I love Feet and kinda suck at big cubes]
Feet is different enough from OH and 2H to remain an event, and MBLD also brings something different-er that BigBLD to stay.
I think Feet should get Ao5 as it is way faster than 5x5 and Megaminx. I can even solve a 3x3 with my feet about 10s faster than a 4x4 with my hands [1:05/1:15]. We definitely should get Ao5 for Feet. Time clearly isn't an issue.
 

turtwig

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I think if we're removing events, it would be Clock, 4BLD, 5BLD, 7x7 and 6x6; not MBLD or Feet.
Clock is just kinda weird, 4/5BLD don't really bring that much new and 6x6 7x7 arent that much different from 4x4 and 5x5.
[Bias warning:I love Feet and kinda suck at big cubes]
Feet is different enough from OH and 2H to remain an event, and MBLD also brings something different-er that BigBLD to stay.
I think Feet should get Ao5 as it is way faster than 5x5 and Megaminx. I can even solve a 3x3 with my feet about 10s faster than a 4x4 with my hands [1:05/1:15]. We definitely should get Ao5 for Feet. Time clearly isn't an issue.

I think that at least 4BLD and 6x6 are different enough to be kept. 4BLD to 3BLD is like 4x4 to 3x3, I guess you could argue that it is more similar, but 4BLD being a big BLD is very different from 3BLD. It has centers and wings and is much less short term than 3BLD.
6x6 is pretty similar to 5x5 on paper, but I think that when solving a 6x6, it feels much more like a big cube. Maybe it's just because I practice more 5x5, but 5x5 feels more fast paced like a small cube where TPS and lookahead are very important while on 6x6, there are much more to reduction, especially centers, and in general you turn slower and can make more mistakes and still get a fast solve.
But I do agree that 5BLD and 7x7 are much more similar.
 

One Wheel

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There are significant differences w/r to parity and also color scheme between odd layered and even layered cubes. I've never attempted anything larger than 3x3 blind, so I can't speak to the difference between 4BLD and 5BLD, but for regular speedsolving there is significant difference.
 

sqAree

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Not saying there is NO difference between 6x6 and smaller cubes, but everyone who can solve a 5x5/4x4 pretty much knows everything about how to solve bigger cubes. The issue with color scheme is already present for 4x4. Parity is just exactly the same.
 
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2x2 is trivial, and 3x3 isn't much better ;-) More importantly, I'm relatively better at bigger cubes, but still not good enough to make cutoffs.
yes but not only are those my personal main events, but they are the most popular events and are fun me likey.
But I would still consider coming if there were only one round of 2x2 and 3x3 though
 

One Wheel

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Not saying there is NO difference between 6x6 and smaller cubes, but everyone who can solve a 5x5/4x4 pretty much knows everything about how to solve bigger cubes. The issue with color scheme is already present for 4x4. Parity is just exactly the same.

Pretty much. I could solve through 5x5, and had to look stuff up to figure out 6x6. And it's totally different dealing with 16 center pieces on 6x6 versus 4 on 4x4.

yes but not only are those my personal main events, but they are the most popular events and are fun me likey.
But I would still consider coming if there were only one round of 2x2 and 3x3 though

If I ever organize a competition the only events that I would be less likely to include than 2x2 are pyraminx and clock.
 

Kit Clement

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4/5BLD don't really bring that much new

Most people that think this don't know how to do 4BLD or 5BLD themselves. :p

I would agree that one of those events doesn't bring much to the table over the other one, but 4BLD and 5BLD absolutely take a different skill set than 3BLD. As you improve in those events, memo starts to look less like a multi attempt and more like a 3BLD, but it still takes a great deal of skill to memorize that much information (far more than a 3BLD) using a non-loci technique. Maybe one of 4BLD/5BLD is worthy of leaving, but I still think they're more different than many of the speedsolving events (6x6 vs 7x7, for example).

Still, I'm quite happy with the events list that the WCA has. It's not perfect, but I think that any removal of events would be a less perfect scenario, simply due to the fact that we will be taking away the favorite event of many competitors. I'm open to the addition of events, but of course it is getting harder to fit every event into a championship-type event. I've always thought a tiered events system with the WCA would be ideal for allowing more ways to compete at competitions without pressuring major competitions, but I'm skeptical of such a system ever getting implemented.
 

One Wheel

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Most people that think this don't know how to do 4BLD or 5BLD themselves. :p

I would agree that one of those events doesn't bring much to the table over the other one, but 4BLD and 5BLD absolutely take a different skill set than 3BLD. As you improve in those events, memo starts to look less like a multi attempt and more like a 3BLD, but it still takes a great deal of skill to memorize that much information (far more than a 3BLD) using a non-loci technique. Maybe one of 4BLD/5BLD is worthy of leaving, but I still think they're more different than many of the speedsolving events (6x6 vs 7x7, for example).

Still, I'm quite happy with the events list that the WCA has. It's not perfect, but I think that any removal of events would be a less perfect scenario, simply due to the fact that we will be taking away the favorite event of many competitors. I'm open to the addition of events, but of course it is getting harder to fit every event into a championship-type event. I've always thought a tiered events system with the WCA would be ideal for allowing more ways to compete at competitions without pressuring major competitions, but I'm skeptical of such a system ever getting implemented.

What exactly do you mean by a tiered events system?
 

Kit Clement

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What exactly do you mean by a tiered events system?

Have a set of events that are essentially more official than the other set of events. Years ago, we used to keep track of events done unofficially at official competitions, and these are still online at speedcubing.com:

http://www.speedcubing.com/results/ (It even looks like the old WCA site!)

I think that having an unofficial profile/section on the WCA page would be a cool thing to recognize unofficial events in some way and track their popularity, but don't put them on WCA official profiles or recognize/track records for the events so we don't have to worry about affirming the validity of these results.
 

ender9994

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I do understand how 4BLD works and watched noahs tutorial on r2 and u2 but yes, I don't know how to do/practice BigBLD.
But at least I theoretically know how to do it, which is more than most Feet haters know.

I have nothing against foot solving, but I don't agree with this logic. Technically, almost anyone who knows how to solve a 3x3 will also know how to solve it with their feet (Aka, its the exact same method). You can not say the same thing about 4x4 blind. Without you specifically searching out additional information, you would have no idea how to do it.
 

One Wheel

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Have a set of events that are essentially more official than the other set of events.

You can count me as a big fan of this idea, and also of @turtwig 's now-deleted explanation of having entry qualifications for some tournaments. Both seem like great ideas to me. I doubt I would ever meet any qualifications set for any but a local tournament, but I would love to be able to know, for example, that I rank in the top 250 gigaminxers, rather than just knowing that I'm nowhere near an UWR.
 

GenTheSnail

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I have nothing against foot solving, but I don't agree with this logic. Technically, almost anyone who knows how to solve a 3x3 will also know how to solve it with their feet (Aka, its the exact same method). You can not say the same thing about 4x4 blind. Without you specifically searching out additional information, you would have no idea how to do it.
Well, as long as you know what a commutator is, theoretically you could do a 4BLD right? Well yes, but that's not very practical and basically impossible.
While Feet isn't comparable in the ability to solve, I think a certain level of competence is required, such as being able to solve it were you don't leave it 2+ because that's faster.
Then you should have more reasons than its gross and unpleasant to watch.
It's like if a cuber who used LBL and averaged 2 minutes told everyone to stop 3x3, I don't think that person wouldn't be able to give very accurate reasons because they have virtually no experience in solving.
If a ten second cuber said the same thing, they should be able to back up their reason for not wanting 3x3 because they have practical experience.
Clearly, I'm not that ten second solver who can declare that 5BLD is no more different that 4BLD and therefore should be removed, but I don't think I'm that 2 minute cuber either, as I actually have an idea of what I'm talking about.
Hows this? To anyone who can do BLD:
I know 4BLD is quite a shift from 3BLD, but how different is 5BLD after 4BLD?
Is 5BLD, once you get used to it, as different a transition from 3BLD->4BLD, or is it more like starting OH and you have to get used to some new things, but its not totally different?
 

One Wheel

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Well, as long as you know what a commutator is, theoretically you could do a 4BLD right? Well yes, but that's not very practical and basically impossible.
While Feet isn't comparable in the ability to solve, I think a certain level of competence is required, such as being able to solve it were you don't leave it 2+ because that's faster.
Then you should have more reasons than its gross and unpleasant to watch.
It's like if a cuber who used LBL and averaged 2 minutes told everyone to stop 3x3, I don't think that person wouldn't be able to give very accurate reasons because they have virtually no experience in solving.
If a ten second cuber said the same thing, they should be able to back up their reason for not wanting 3x3 because they have practical experience.
Clearly, I'm not that ten second solver who can declare that 5BLD is no more different that 4BLD and therefore should be removed, but I don't think I'm that 2 minute cuber either, as I actually have an idea of what I'm talking about.
Hows this? To anyone who can do BLD:
I know 4BLD is quite a shift from 3BLD, but how different is 5BLD after 4BLD?
Is 5BLD, once you get used to it, as different a transition from 3BLD->4BLD, or is it more like starting OH and you have to get used to some new things, but its not totally different?

For me not leaving a foot solve +2 is a matter of, for lack of a better term, honor. In most cases it would be faster for me to leave it, but I don't just for the principle of the matter. If I get a +2 it's an accident.
 

GenTheSnail

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For me not leaving a foot solve +2 is a matter of, for lack of a better term, honor. In most cases it would be faster for me to leave it, but I don't just for the principle of the matter. If I get a +2 it's an accident.
Principle? Rectitude? Integrity? Moral standards? I did that to when I started. I realized that my tps was so bad that a 2+ would probably be better, but that just seemed wrong.
 

mark49152

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Hows this? To anyone who can do BLD:
I know 4BLD is quite a shift from 3BLD, but how different is 5BLD after 4BLD?
Is 5BLD, once you get used to it, as different a transition from 3BLD->4BLD, or is it more like starting OH and you have to get used to some new things, but its not totally different?
It adds T-centres which are solved very similarly to X-centres, and midges which are basically from 3x3. Parity becomes slightly more complicated, depending how you solve it. But the main difference is the amount of information and the difficulty of executing it right. It's about equivalent to a 4-cube multi but 5BLD is more unforgiving. It's more fiddly to execute and one slip means DNF. To me, a fast 5BLD solve is one of the most impressive cubing achievements to watch.
 
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