Waffle's Roux Tutorial

Hello, I've been messing with Roux for the past week now.(best solve is 31 seconds, avg is 55 seconds) I like since it feels completely different than Fridrich unlike how Petrus seem so similar.
Anyway, I have a few questions for Roux users.
1. Should I be color neutral for blockbuilding? (In fridrich, there are mixed answers)
2. For the EO step, when the 4 edges on the top layer are misoriented, I do this:M U2 M' U2 M U M'. It seems really slow but it's the best I have figured out. Is there a better way to orient these edges?
3. How fast should my averages be before I learn CLL?
 
Hello, I've been messing with Roux for the past week now.(best solve is 31 seconds, avg is 55 seconds) I like since it feels completely different than Fridrich unlike how Petrus seem so similar.
Anyway, I have a few questions for Roux users.
1. Should I be color neutral for blockbuilding? (In fridrich, there are mixed answers)
2. For the EO step, when the 4 edges on the top layer are misoriented, I do this:M U2 M' U2 M U M'. It seems really slow but it's the best I have figured out. Is there a better way to orient these edges?
3. How fast should my averages be before I learn CLL?

1. Don't go neutral until you are confident in your block building
2. M' U2 M' U2 M' U M'. M' is faster than M
3. I averaged 20-23 before learning CMLL...I can still do sub-20 with two look corners.
 
Hey Waffle, I need some help with making my first block.

I use 1 of 2 different ways of building the first block:

First Approach
1. Solve the DBL + DFL corners and the DL edge (easy to see during inspection).
2. Pair up the FL + BL edges and the L center (on any face).
3. Connect the 1x1x3 blocks on L (quite easy and fast).

Pros:
-easy to find pieces in inspection
-very easy pair up steps
-good fingertricks
Cons:
-only 3 pieces to find in inpsection
-high move count

~or~

Second Approach
1. Connect the DBL corner with the BL edge, as well as the DFL corner with the FL (sometimes I can see it in inspection).
2. Place the "F2L pairs" together (extremely easy and fast).
3. Pair up the DL edge with the L center (usually 1 or 2 turns).
4. Place the 1x1x2 between the other 1x1x2s (only a few moves).

Pros:
-looks for 4 pieces during inspection
-pretty good finger tricks for first 2 steps
Cons:
-can be difficult at first to find a solution for the first step in inspection
-a lot of slice moves, especially for the last 2 steps

So basically, should I switch to making a 1x2x2 block first?
I really don't like this approach to the first block, but if it is more effective I might switch.
 
I'm going to do a few example solves using all 3 approaches and I'll see what that tells me.
 
Hello, I've been messing with Roux for the past week now.(best solve is 31 seconds, avg is 55 seconds) I like since it feels completely different than Fridrich unlike how Petrus seem so similar.
Anyway, I have a few questions for Roux users.
1. Should I be color neutral for blockbuilding? (In fridrich, there are mixed answers)
2. For the EO step, when the 4 edges on the top layer are misoriented, I do this:M U2 M' U2 M U M'. It seems really slow but it's the best I have figured out. Is there a better way to orient these edges?
3. How fast should my averages be before I learn CLL?

1. Don't go neutral until you are confident in your block building
2. M' U2 M' U2 M' U M'. M' is faster than M
3. I averaged 20-23 before learning CMLL...I can still do sub-20 with two look corners.

2 look corners? you mean OLL and PLL?
 
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I can try to explain it right now, but it will be difficult without doing a video.

The Blocks:

Personally, when I make the blocks I first start be positioning one edge in the correct place, and then putting that in the front-down position. After I do this, I do two corner/edge pairs Fridrich style, and put them in. For the second block, I put the one that I just solve on the left, and solve the second one the same way on the right. First put the bottom edge in, and then the two corner/edge pairs.

CMLL:

I can't really help you here either, because I do not use CMLL. I first orient the corners, then permute them. I think it would be best for you to start out with this, so that you get used to the other steps.

UL/UR Edge Permutation (EP):

Again, I don't use this, because I can not recognize it very well, but I understand how it works. There are a few basic steps. The first thing you try to do is get the two edges opposite each other in the same layer, while keeping correct edge orientation. There are two cases where this is not already done. The first case is where you have one of the edges in the U layer, and one in the D layer. If you have this, look to see if the edge that if on the bottom layer is in the front or back. If it is in the front, position the edge that is in the U layer in the UB position. If the edge which is on the bottom is in the back, position the edge that is in the U layer in the UF position. When you have one of these, do the alg: M' U2 M', and the two edges will be opposite each other, in either the U or D layer, and edge orientation will be preserved.
The second case is where they are in the UL/UF position, or any other two adjacent positions in the top layer. If you have this, simply do M2 and one will be in the bottom layer. You will then be able to do the step from the first case to get them into position.

Once you have the two edges opposite each other, get the two into the bottom layer. If they are on the U layer, put them in the UF and UB positions and do M2. Once they are in the bottom, you have to position the corners in the U layer so that it is easy to line them up with the two edges. To do this, you look first at what color the FD sticker is. You then look for which two corners in the U layer have the same color stick on them. Once you find these two corners, put both of them in the UBL and UBR position using U/U'/U2 turns. Once you have this, simply do M2, and the cornoers will match up with the edges. Then put the UL/UR edges and corners in their places using U turns.

Here is an example of how you would put the UL/UR edges in their positions after you have oriented the edges.

Do the scramble: M' U2 M2 U2 M U M' U2 M' U M' U2 M'

I will provide the moves to do each step I described above.

Get the UL/UR piece opposite each other: U' M' U2 M'

Connect the edges with their corresponding corners: It happens that this has already been done.

Adjust U face so that UL/UR edges are all solved: U


Edge Orientation:

You didn't ask for this, but you can have it anyway. I went through all of the algs previously posted for EO, and picked out the shortest ones. The UL/DB stuff is what pieces are disoriented.

2:
UF/UB M' U M U' M' U M'
DF/DB M U M U' M' U M'
UF/DB M' U M' U M U M'
UL/UB M' U M' U2 M' U M'

4:
All Top Layer: M' U2 M' U2 M' U M'
UR/UL/DF/DB M U2 M' U2 M' U M'
UL/UF/UR/DF M' U M'
UL/UB/DF/DB M2 U' M' U M'

6:
All of 'em: M' U M' U M U M' U2 M' U M'


I have only really memorized 4 or 5 of them, because you can turn them into other cases pretty easily.

Lol, took me a long time to type all of that, so I hope you might use at least some of it.

Good luck!

What's the EO algorithms? I thought it was M' U2 M', M2, and M' U' M' depending on the category?

@spdcbr - Yes. If I can see the case immediately I can sub-3 all of step 4

I can do each sub-step sub-2, but It feels like I should be doing 4b faster, how do you do it?

while orienting, track the UL/UR piece.

after orientation

if one piece is already on DF or DB, you know to put the other piece on UB or UF and then do M'UM', adjust the U face and insert.


if both pieces are on DB/DF, adjust the U face and insert.

if one (or both) piece(s) is(are) on the M slice but on UB/UF, you know to do M2 adjust the U face and insert.

if no piece is on the M slice there are 2 possibilities
-both are correctly oriented and positioned on UL/UR
- both are correctly oriented but no positioned. adjust the U face and M2. adjust the U face and insert.

eventually you know what piece will go where with one glance and then you can just let that experience guide you.

I thought you had to follow up with U2 while doing UR and UL?
 
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There's just one thing that I find difficult about this method: How to you do M/ M' on big cubes. I have an Eastsheen and all the slices get out of alignment with each other resulting in a lock up. What's your way around this?
 
There's just one thing that I find difficult about this method: How to you do M/ M' on big cubes. I have an Eastsheen and all the slices get out of alignment with each other resulting in a lock up. What's your way around this?

Umm you try not to do M moves on big cubes.
 
update on my first block approach

Scrambles

1. D L D' U2 F2 D2 U2 B D2 U2 R' F D2 R F2 D L R' D' B2 D' B F' R D2 R' D2 U' B2 L2

2. B' D2 L2 R F2 D F U F' D F' L' R' F2 L D U' L2 R D U' L B' F2 D2 B' U L F D

3. D B R' F D L D U2 L U R' U B U2 L2 U R2 B2 D2 L2 R F D' U2 L2 U' L' R' F' R2

4. B F2 D' U2 R2 D2 F D2 U' L2 R2 D' U L2 R' B2 F2 L R F' L' D2 U L F D2 U F D L

5. B' U2 R' B U B' D' B R' F' D2 U2 B' F L R B' L2 R D' U2 B2 U B' F D2 U2 F' D2 R2

6. L R' B F2 D' B F L2 R2 B F' D U2 R U' B2 U' B F' D2 U' B2 D B F2 D U L R' F2

7. B2 F R2 D2 U2 L' R2 B2 D' L2 D2 R' D F2 U2 B L B' D2 U L U' B' U' R B2 R' B L2 R2

8. F2 D' B' L2 D' U L2 R2 B2 L' B2 F' L2 B2 F U2 B' L' B F2 U B2 D2 U F U R2 D2 L' R

9. U R2 B F' D' R2 U2 F' L' R F D F' D2 L U' L R' B' F' L B D' U2 F D U2 B2 D2 L2

10. D2 B2 F U2 R B2 L' R D2 F' U R' F' L' R2 D2 B2 F2 D' U2 R F2 L R F' L2 U L R U2


Solutions

1.
Inspection - x z2
1x1x3 - U2 l2 L U’ L y
1x1x3 - R u r’
Pair up - u R2 u2
Total - 11 STM

2.
Inspection - x’ y’
1x1x3 - L2 U L U M2 y
1x1x3 - r’ U’ R
Pair up - u R2 u2
Total - 11 STM

3.
Inspection - y2 x’
1x1x3 - u2 R U’ R2 U’ M2 y
1x1x3 - u’ M’ u’ r’ U2 u R
Pair up - u’
Total - 14 STM

4.
Inspection - z’ y2
1x1x3 - R2 U’ r2 R’ U’ R2 y
1x1x3 – u’ r2 u R E R’
Pair up - u
Total - 13 STM

5.
Inspection - x’ z
1x1x3 - U r’ U’ R U R’ y
1x1x3 - R u r2 u R
Pair up - u R2 u2
Total - 14 STM

6.
Inspection - z
1x1x3 - U L R2 y
1x1x3 - R’ u’ R’ u’ r’ U2 u R
Pair up - u’
Total - 12 STM

7.
Inspection -
1x1x3 - U’ R U r’ y
1x1x3 - u r’ U R’
Pair up - u
Total - 9 STM

8.
Inspection - x’
1x1x3 - R U’ R2 U2 M2 y
1x1x3 - R E R2 r’
Pair up - u’
Total - 10 STM

9.
Inspection - z
1x1x3 - U’ R’ U r U’ y’ r2 y
1x1x3 - R’ u’ R’ r’
Pair up - u’ R2 u2
Total – 13 STM

10.
Inspection - y
1x1x3 - r2 U y’ M U’ R2 y
1x1x3 - r U’ M E r’
Pair up - u
Total - 11 STM


Average

11 + 11 + 14 + 13 + 14 + 12 + 9 + 10 + 13 + 11 = 11.8 STM
 
There's just one thing that I find difficult about this method: How to you do M/ M' on big cubes. I have an Eastsheen and all the slices get out of alignment with each other resulting in a lock up. What's your way around this?

Umm you try not to do M moves on big cubes.
But Roux requires a lot of M movement.

I can Rw' R/Rw R' or you can use your entire finger like I do.

@minigoings - I'll take a look at them tomorrow.
 
@minigoings - I'll take a look at them tomorrow.

Cool, I'm just so pumped about this, I thought that they would all be +15 move count. My highest was 14 and lowest was 9, with an average of 11.8. I'm going to improve this approach so I can create either one of the 1x1x3s first, depending on which one is faster.
 
There's just one thing that I find difficult about this method: How to you do M/ M' on big cubes. I have an Eastsheen and all the slices get out of alignment with each other resulting in a lock up. What's your way around this?

Umm you try not to do M moves on big cubes.
But Roux requires a lot of M movement.

I can Rw' R/Rw R' or you can use your entire finger like I do.

@minigoings - I'll take a look at them tomorrow.

uhh...who in the world uses roux to solve big cubes?
 
There's just one thing that I find difficult about this method: How to you do M/ M' on big cubes. I have an Eastsheen and all the slices get out of alignment with each other resulting in a lock up. What's your way around this?

Umm you try not to do M moves on big cubes.
But Roux requires a lot of M movement.

I can Rw' R/Rw R' or you can use your entire finger like I do.

@minigoings - I'll take a look at them tomorrow.

uhh...who in the world uses roux to solve big cubes?
you can use k4. I use redux with roux.
 
About your first question. What I was talking about it using just a one look, one algorithm for orienting all the edges. You can use what you mentioned too, and it does the exact same thing. Not sure if it is faster or slower though.
 
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