Older cubers discussions

[dboeren]

Nice to see more Roux solvers here, welcome!

Thanks I was attracted to Roux by the prospect of less memorization in favor of a more "intuitive" approach. Seems like that's a particularly good call if you need to relearn your set of algorithms again later I tried doing a CFOP tutorial once but it seemed more complicated to me.

Also... my existing cubes were all from 2015 and earlier of course and now that you can get magnetic cubes inexpensively with the GTS2M I decided I should pick one up and see what that's about. OH. MY. GOD. I used to think I had some pretty nice cubes. I have an Aolong v2, Weilong v2, Yuxin Zhishing, and a Cong Yueying. But this thing just feels amazing. Makes me wonder what the Valk 3M must be like (whether the commercial version or TheCubicle's customized version).

 

[Selkie]

Not ordered any new cubes in a while so just ordered a couple of premium cubes:-

Cubicle Labs WeiLong GTS2 M - Always wanted a WeiLong GTS but only just noticed you can get stickerless.
Cubicle Labs WuQue M - Hmm a magnetic 4x4

Really hoping they arrive in time to get a good try with them before London Open

 

[NewbieCuber]

Less than 2 weeks in and I'm starting to clear the 2 minute mark using the beginner method more consistently. I just had a 1:33 and then I did a solve where I completely messed up my cross and had to go back and still got a 1:55.

This is fun!

 

[One Wheel]

Less than 2 weeks in and I'm starting to clear the 2 minute mark using the beginner method more consistently. I just had a 1:33 and then I did a solve where I completely messed up my cross and had to go back and still got a 1:55.

This is fun!

That's quite good progress! If you think 3x3 is fun, though, you should try 4x4+! My personal favorite at the moment has to be 6x6, but at close to 2:00 for 3x3 you'd probably be looking at 15-20 minutes even if you knew the 3 1/2 parity algs for 6x6, which is just frustrating. I do recommend you give 4x4 a try sooner rather than later, though.

 

[Jlvs2run]

It took me about one night to get back to being able to solve (using a 2-look CMLL Roux) but I still need to brush up on a few algorithms and then start adding back in some of the extra recognition, shorter algorithms, and other "bonus" stuff.

After nearly a year absence, my first solve took 5 1/2 minutes, mostly due to not remembering corners, but in 20 solves I was beating my times, and got a new PB (45.48) yesterday. Three algorithms are plenty for me, Niklas for corner placement, Anti Sune and Sune for orientation. When I don't do the cube for awhile, they are easy to remember. I learned Donovan's two look CMLL a year ago (nine algorithms), but they turned out be more complicated with more moves and slower.

 

[pglewis]

Sort of related to re-learning algs: I forgot that AUF matters for E-perm at some point. I've been treating it like N-perm for weeks, maybe months, where I just do the alg without regard to AUF beforehand... and like something out of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead it has actually been working. At least, until a few days back when it showed up in a flurry but failed every time instead, leaving me with an H-perm. I did have a recent hiatus of about a month with very little practice but I think it actually predates that. Just one of those weird humorous things and makes me wonder if I actually flipped heads 100 times in a row.

 

[newtonbase]

Sort of related to re-learning algs: I forgot that AUF matters for E-perm at some point. I've been treating it like N-perm for weeks, maybe months, where I just do the alg without regard to AUF beforehand... and like something out of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead it has actually been working. At least, until a few days back when it showed up in a flurry but failed every time instead, leaving me with an H-perm. I did have a recent hiatus of about a month with very little practice but I think it actually predates that. Just one of those weird humorous things and makes me wonder if I actually flipped heads 100 times in a row.

I really dislike E perm. The solve is OK but it takes me an age to get the AUF right first.

 

[pglewis]

I really dislike E perm. The solve is OK but it takes me an age to get the AUF right first.

I really like it, aesthetically; a very pleasing symmetry. But it's definitely faster for me to execute when I just magically get it right without looking lol

 

[NewbieCuber]

That's quite good progress! If you think 3x3 is fun, though, you should try 4x4+! My personal favorite at the moment has to be 6x6, but at close to 2:00 for 3x3 you'd probably be looking at 15-20 minutes even if you knew the 3 1/2 parity algs for 6x6, which is just frustrating. I do recommend you give 4x4 a try sooner rather than later, though.

I just started playing with a 4x4 2 nights ago. You're right, they're lots of fun. I was actually thinking that it was pretty easy until I got to the flipping dedges and parity algs. I kept thinking "How can I possibly have only one flipped edge on the whole cube? Oh, yeah, it's actually 2 pieces and you always change piece positions in pairs.

 

[One Wheel]

I just started playing with a 4x4 2 nights ago. You're right, they're lots of fun. I was actually thinking that it was pretty easy until I got to the flipping dedges and parity algs. I kept thinking "How can I possibly have only one flipped edge on the whole cube? Oh, yeah, it's actually 2 pieces and you always change piece positions in pairs.

Yeah, it takes a couple more algs, but in general the bigger the cube the higher the ratio of intuitive/logical solve to algorithmic solve. Megaminx also, is roughly comparable to 5x5 in terms of average solve time, but probably somewhere between 5x5 and 6x6 in terms of percentage of the solve that is algorithmic.

 

[newtonbase]

I really like it, aesthetically; a very pleasing symmetry. But it's definitely faster for me to execute when I just magically get it right without looking lol

Yes. I think I'd be quicker overall if I just did the alg straight away and then fix it with the H perm if necessary.

 

[Malkom]

Yes. I think I'd be quicker overall if I just did the alg straight away and then fix it with the H perm if necessary.

Just look at FRU and RU, if it's a checkerpattern it's correct if it's not just do a U/U'.

 

[mark49152]

3BLD PB utterly smashed with a 42.55. Scramble was easy, 8/6 with sub-20 memo.

 

[newtonbase]

Just look at FRU and RU, if it's a checkerpattern it's correct if it's not just do a U/U'.

Thanks. I'll give that a try.

3BLD PB utterly smashed with a 42.55. Scramble was easy, 8/6 with sub-20 memo.

Wow, that's impressive. More than twice as fast as my PB. What's your usual memo time at the moment?

 

[teacher77]

Impressive new PB single today : 16.41 s, down from last week's 17.57 s (which was barely down from my mid-April 17.69s). That's for the good news.

Bad news : I went to my second comp 2-3 weeks ago and again performed like s**t : 31s Ao5 with a PB of 26s. On my 5th solve, I managed to execute a wrong PLL 3 times in a row !

I really get too nervous on a stage with hundreds of people watching. At least I got my official Ao5 down by 6 sec or so compared to Febuary's comp. Considering my unofficial PBs went down by only half that during the same delay, I'd say it's a nice improvement.

 

[mark49152]

What's your usual memo time at the moment?

Typically 25-30. How's your progress these days? Still doing MBLD over lunch?

 

[pglewis]

Bad news : I went to my second comp 2-3 weeks ago and again performed like s**t : 31s Ao5 with a PB of 26s. On my 5th solve, I managed to execute a wrong PLL 3 times in a row !

 

[Jason Green]

Impressive new PB single today : 16.41 s, down from last week's 17.57 s (which was barely down from my mid-April 17.69s). That's for the good news.

Bad news : I went to my second comp 2-3 weeks ago and again performed like s**t : 31s Ao5 with a PB of 26s. On my 5th solve, I managed to execute a wrong PLL 3 times in a row !

I really get too nervous on a stage with hundreds of people watching. At least I got my official Ao5 down by 6 sec or so compared to Febuary's comp. Considering my unofficial PBs went down by only half that during the same delay, I'd say it's a nice improvement.

I'm more nervous in front of friends, because I may be the best or only person they have seen do it. At comp I'm nothing compared to most of them so the crowd doesn't bother me, just nerves from wanting to do well.

 

[newtonbase]

Typically 25-30. How's your progress these days? Still doing MBLD over lunch?

I'm improving slowly. Did a couple of mini sessions yesterday and times ranged from 1:40 to 2:16 at about 60% success. I find that the quicker ones are more likely to be successful.
MBLD is on the back burner after I beat my 4/4 target for the year. As I'm only doing 3BLD and pyraminx at the WCs I'm focussing on 3BLD until then (I'll look at pyraminx on the day if I get bored). Still spending too much time on comms and not enough on memo but then its a hobby not a job. After that I'll be learning 4BLD in time for the UKs (finally).
TLDR - 3BLD good and nothing else matters.

 

[h2f]

3BLD PB utterly smashed with a 42.55. Scramble was easy, 8/6 with sub-20 memo.

Nice!