# LanLan "Sepak Takraw"? 4x4 mod. No solutions exist.



## RubiksJake (Jan 3, 2013)

This is the puzzle I have. (mine's black but exactly the same as this)
Things I know: It is created by LanLan. It (i think) is called the "Sepak Takraw". It can be solved similarly to a 4x4. (which I *do* know how to solve) Lastly, I have searched the internet for hours upon hours hoping to find some information on how to solve this puzzle and have found nothing. 
Things I would _like_ to know: *ANY* information on how to solve it. 

Please do not simply say "solve it like a 4x4." I know this much. I have completed 5 of the 6 centers (the first step), but when I get to the 6th center usually all or at least 2 of the colors are flip-flopped. Orientation of the colors matters tremendously because when all the centers are in their solved states, each piece is _different_. (see picture)
I don't know if I can solve it after I get the centers because I've never been able to get past the centers. I've watched videos on how to solve similar 4x4 mods, but _none of them have 4 different center piece colors when solved_.
_*Any*_ information on how to solve even just the last two centers would be greatly, amazingly appreciated. 
I've had this puzzle since the middle of November.
Thanks in advanced!


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## Michael Womack (Jan 3, 2013)

The solution is similar to this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgWMNfkZmIE


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## Endgame (Jan 3, 2013)

its called a mask cube


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## qqwref (Jan 3, 2013)

There are three centers of each color. So, to swap two centers of different colors, you can just use a commutator and do a 3-cycle with one center of one color and two centers of another color.

Alternately, you can just use supercube algs to swap center pieces on one face. Here's one to swap the Ufl and Ufr centers (the two front ones on the top face), assuming you don't care about edges yet:
Lw' U Rw' Dw2 Rw U' Rw' Dw2 Rw Lw U'


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## RubiksJake (Jan 4, 2013)

qqwref said:


> Lw' U Rw' Dw2 Rw U' Rw' Dw2 Rw Lw U'


The w's mean to turn both pieces, correct? For example Lw would be both the outer piece and the inner left piece? Thank you very much for the algorithm and information. I'll attempt another couple hundred solves.


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## qqwref (Jan 4, 2013)

Yeah, a turn with w turns both the first and second layers at once.


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## Kattenvriendin (Jan 4, 2013)

Endgame said:


> its called a mask cube



I thought the mask cube has the 4 square pieces the same color, like so:








And this cube the OP has is called different.

Mind this would be a super mask cube, there is also a mask out there with 3 layers, the basic mask cube.


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## RubiksJake (Jan 4, 2013)

Kattenvriendin said:


> I thought the mask cube has the 4 square pieces the same color, like so:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I think you are correct. I have seen this cube before and the solution for it does not help me because the centers are all the same.


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## Stefan (Jan 4, 2013)

RubiksJake said:


> I'll attempt another couple hundred solves.



If that means you had already done a couple hundred attempts, I wonder how you did. Cause the way I'd do it, there's a 1/6 chance for the last center to be solved by accident.


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## RubiksJake (Jan 4, 2013)

Stefan said:


> If that means you had already done a couple hundred attempts, I wonder how you did. Cause the way I'd do it, there's a 1/6 chance for the last center to be solved by accident.


1/6? I was obviously over exagurating, but I've tried it about 20 times or so. Every time getting all 2-4 pieces on the final center swapped around. That is if I can even get lucky enough to get the 5th center.


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## rubixwiz031 (Jan 4, 2013)

a few notes on the puzzle:
The shape is called a rhombicuboctahedron. This can be made by simply truncating a standard 4x4.
But the stickers are what make it interesting. It has each full corner with one color. This means it has 8 colors. The result of this is you can solve it exactly like you solve the 4x4 traijber's octahedron, made by the same company.


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## qqwref (Jan 4, 2013)

RubiksJake said:


> Every time getting all 2-4 pieces on the final center swapped around. That is if I can even get lucky enough to get the 5th center.


Um what? If you're solving the centers first you can ALWAYS adjust the last center (with simple U moves) to get at least two pieces in the right place. And you can always get the 5th center with normal reduction techniques.

If you're not solving the centers first, of course, you can just finish everything with commutators. That's even easier (although slower!).


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## Stefan (Jan 4, 2013)

qqwref said:


> Lw' U Rw' Dw2 Rw U' Rw' Dw2 Rw Lw U'



I hate A-perm and prefer T-perm with Rw/U/F.


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## qqwref (Jan 4, 2013)

T-perm isn't quite as useful on bigger supercubes (e.g. the 5x5x5) though. On the last two centers I usually end up solving all the +centers early, so A perms are incredibly useful there.


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## RubiksJake (Jan 5, 2013)

qqwref said:


> to get at least two pieces in the right place. And you can always get the 5th center with normal reduction techniques.
> 
> If you're not solving the centers first, of course, you can just finish everything with commutators. That's even easier (although slower!).



Firstly, you are correct about getting 2 center pieces swapped on the final center. When you say "If you're not solving the centers first, of course, you can just finish everything with commutators.", I don't know what you mean. Probably due to the fact that I have only learned to solve the 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, etc by completing teh centers first. 
Secondly, for the 5th center what "normal reduction techniques" are you talking about? I normally play around with it untill they fall in to place. It'd be easier to know actual techniques.


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## RubiksJake (Jan 5, 2013)

rubixwiz031 said:


> a few notes on the puzzle:
> The shape is called a rhombicuboctahedron. This can be made by simply truncating a standard 4x4.
> But the stickers are what make it interesting. It has each full corner with one color. This means it has 8 colors. The result of this is you can solve it exactly like you solve the 4x4 traijber's octahedron, made by the same company.


Thank you very much for the name of the shape, and also the bit about the Traijber's Octahedron, I'll have to look that one up. Agreed 100% the stickers are what are getting me and I am aware of it. I know how to solve a 4x4 quite easily, but this is stumping me.


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## qqwref (Jan 5, 2013)

RubiksJake said:


> When you say "If you're not solving the centers first, of course, you can just finish everything with commutators.", I don't know what you mean. Probably due to the fact that I have only learned to solve the 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, etc by completing the centers first.


Then don't worry about it, but maybe some more advanced solvers will find it useful. For the record, commutators are types of algorithms that have many uses, one of which to move only 3 pieces at once. For instance r U' l' U r' U' l U (with the r's and l's being slice turns) moves only three centers.



RubiksJake said:


> Secondly, for the 5th center what "normal reduction techniques" are you talking about? I normally play around with it untill they fall in to place. It'd be easier to know actual techniques.


Just normal pairing pieces together. When I do 4x4 I usually solve centers by making two 1x2 rows of pieces, so in this case you'd put two of the pieces together on one center, put the other two pieces together on the other center, and then combine them with Rw Uw Rw'. There are other ways but that's a very easy one to follow. When you do it like that you can get the parts of a center together in exactly the order you want.


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## RubiksJake (Jan 5, 2013)

qqwref said:


> For the record, commutators are types of algorithms that have many uses, one of which to move only 3 pieces at once. For instance r U' l' U r' U' l U (with the r's and l's being slice turns) moves only three centers.


Noted, thank you!




> making two 1x2 rows of pieces, so in this case you'd put two of the pieces together on one center, put the other two pieces together on the other center, and then combine them with Rw Uw Rw'


That's how I do it as well. Except for normally on the last two where you can often only have one color wrong on each the 5th and 6th centers.


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## RubiksJake (Jan 7, 2013)

I got the mother ****ing centers. I don't know if I'm allowed to curse on these forums, I hope so. If not, I'll edit that out. I found out I was making a simple amateur mistake the whole time. Now on to the rest of the puzzle.


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