# How Fast are you at Virtual Cubing?



## byu (Jan 27, 2009)

After playing around on hi-games.net, I think I understand the controls now, but my times are still VERY high compared to my normal times. So I'm wondering, are you slower at virtual cubing than regular, slower, or the same?


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## Divin3 (Jan 27, 2009)

I can't even solve a cube on hi-games I took more than 10 minutes to understand the controls,and still didn't get it.


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## EmersonHerrmann (Jan 27, 2009)

I never practice on hi-games...if you do practice there a lot like fanwuq then you will be faster at virtual cubing I believe.


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## fanwuq (Jan 27, 2009)

I'm like Rob, Michael Gottlieb, Ville and many others, maybe 20% faster on hi-games.net.
Hi-games, real cube normal averages

2x2: 7 (CLL incomplete), 8 (Ortega)
3x3: 18 (Fridrich), 21 (VH)
4x4: 1:25-1:30, 1:45-1:50 (same method: reduction 6-2-2-2)
5x5: 3:10, 4:00 (sometimes AVG or freeslice on either one)

On gabbasoft or Isocubesim, I'm at about 35 for 3x3 and 12 for 2x2. I haven't done a big cube on there for a long time. I want to try another 6^3 or 7^3 soon.

I've been faster at the simulator since when I was typing at 35 WPM and cubing at ~40 seconds.
Now I'm at about 50-55 WPM. I think I type faster for the cube than actual typing.


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## Daniel Wu (Jan 27, 2009)

i can do a normal cube around 20 seconds. the virtual cube for me is pretty bad, around ... 45 seconds.


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## ThePizzaGuy92 (Jan 27, 2009)

I'm usually about the same on both, but i guess lately i haven't played with hi-games. probably super-20


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## cookingfat (Jan 27, 2009)

i tried doing a 3x3x3 on higames but gave up after f2l. that took me about 5 minutes too.


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## fanwuq (Jan 27, 2009)

cookingfat said:


> i tried doing a 3x3x3 on higames but gave up after f2l. that took me about 5 minutes too.



Don't give up! I also DNFed my first attempt over an year ago when I was averaging about a minute on real cube.
Then, 2 months later, my real cube broke and I was averaging maybe 45 seconds; I went back, got through a whole average and cut my times done to sub 2 minutes. A few more solves and I was sub-1 minute. Within a week, I broke my PB with a 28 seconds solve, and another week or 2 later, I got my first sub-20 solve with 18.25 H perm. Then it very quickly got to about a 26 second average. Then, I stopped cubing for a while, used real cube until I was sub-25, came back to the simulator and got a sub-20 average. Sub-20 solves are very easy for me now. In fact, when I'm focused, I can always sub-18 a solve. Sub-15 is still a bit difficult, but I suspect they will get more common. Sub-15 is very rare on a real cube for me, but sub-19 averages are getting common after I warm up. 

For some reason, on the 4x4, my look ahead really sucks on the real cube for the edge pairing part. I'm glad that I have a Meffert's, I barely lose time on the 3x3 stage.


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## cookingfat (Jan 27, 2009)

I just had another go and finally managed a solve in 10:04, lol


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## byu (Jan 27, 2009)

cookingfat said:


> I just had another go and finally managed a solve in 10:04, lol



Nice, my first solve was like 9 minutes something, now I average about a minute. Try 2x2x2, you'll find it easier. I average around 25 seconds for that.


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## cookingfat (Jan 27, 2009)

byu said:


> cookingfat said:
> 
> 
> > I just had another go and finally managed a solve in 10:04, lol
> ...



second try, 5:00.50. Gets easier when you get used to the keys. OLL and PLL are very confusing for me as they are in my muscle memory. sometimes I have to do the algorithm on a cube to see what the moves are.


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## d4m4s74 (Jan 27, 2009)

gabba always adds 50% to my normal time

never tried a keyboard controlled cube (like hi-games)


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## cookingfat (Jan 27, 2009)

d4m4s74 said:


> gabba always adds 50% to my normal time
> 
> never tried a keyboard controlled cube (like hi-games)



I can do gabba ok, as it's more 'hands on' with the mouse. Give hi-games a try, it's frustrating at first though.

edit - 3rd try - 4:33, getting better.


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## dChan (Jan 27, 2009)

I've been in and out with solving virtual cubes. I did some serious practice for nearly half a month sometime last year but then I just lost touch with it and only recently picked it up again. I would say my times, currently, on a virtual cube are equal to my physical cube solving times plus fifty percent.


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## rahulkadukar (Jan 27, 2009)

I did not have the 4x4x4 and the 5x5x5 earlier so I only had to rely on Rubix Simulator and I got times such as 3 Min for 4x4x4 and 5:43 for 5x5x5 but with the cubes in hand, I have almost shaved off 30 seconds in the Revenge and 1 Min the 5x5x5


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## Erik (Jan 27, 2009)

I'm almost exactly the same on them.


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## Escher (Jan 27, 2009)

as i just discovered, i am incredibly awful. i find the control system difficult to get used to/unintuitive/a pain in the ***. best stick to real cubes. there are official competitions in those, at least!


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## qqwref (Jan 27, 2009)

byu said:


> After playing around on hi-games.net, I think I understand the controls now, but my times are still VERY high compared to my normal times. So I'm wondering, are you slower at virtual cubing than regular, slower, or the same?



I'm faster at computer cubes 

Personally I believe that with given a good enough control scheme (for instance, hi-games is, Gabbasoft is not) and enough practice, you can always be faster on a computer puzzle than a real one. And I like getting fast times, so I will put a lot of effort into a computer puzzle if I think I can do it faster than the real-life one  As an example, by now I average around 10 seconds on the computer clock, even though I've never gotten under 10 on a real one.


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## Sa967St (Jan 27, 2009)

I couldn't get used to the standard controls on hi-games, so I use my own controls. I only do 2x2x2 (2.59 lucky) and 3x3x3 (12.47 nonlucky). I prefer to play tesselate on hi-games (look on the high scores lists for 2 min speed run and 40 lines )


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## cookingfat (Jan 27, 2009)

Sa967St said:


> I couldn't get used to the standard controls on hi-games, so I use my own controls. I only do 2x2x2 (2.59 lucky) and 3x3x3 (12.47 nonlucky). I prefer to play tesselate on hi-games (look on the high scores lists for 2 min speed run and 40 lines )



that's weird, I just watched your replay without seeing this post first, lol.


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## Benny (Jan 27, 2009)

i often can´t perform some algs on a virtual cube. thats really weird, because when i have a cube in my hands i can do all plls blindfolded as usual, but virtual its like i forgot all of them. it always takes me damn long to perform them with the keyboard


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## rjohnson_8ball (Jan 27, 2009)

It's odd this topic came up. I was thinking of future goals when I got up today. One goal is to improve my computer times to be faster than regular times for 3x3, big cubes, and BLD at hi-games.net. Other goals are improving my finger tricks, do 4x4 BLD, improve F2L, finish OLLs.


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## d4m4s74 (Jan 27, 2009)

I has an idea

1)buy a cube (doesn't have to turn, preferrably not turning)
2)disassemble a keyboard
3)put a button connected to the keyboard board on the places you usually push using fingertricks
4)setup hi-cubes for those keys
5)??????
6)profit


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## Robert-Y (Jan 27, 2009)

The thing with computer cubes on hi-games.net is that they're see-through which might be an advantage to some of us. I'd kinda like to see how we would do without it being see-through. Also, why do some people seem to hate the default controls? What's so bad about them? What would be better than the default controls?


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## Sa967St (Jan 27, 2009)

Robert-Y said:


> Also, why do some people seem to hate the default controls? What's so bad about them? What would be better than the default controls?


 The default controls aren't bad. Some people just aren't used to them and would rather use their own controls.


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## rjohnson_8ball (Jan 27, 2009)

I am hoping if I use the default controls at hi-games.net then my actual finger tricks might improve. No? I suck at both, and am hoping to improve.


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## Lt-UnReaL (Jan 27, 2009)

I'm only faster at 2x2 for virtual cubing. I can't move a physical 2x2 fast at all (around 685 lock ups per solve).


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## fanwuq (Jan 27, 2009)

Sa967St said:


> Robert-Y said:
> 
> 
> > Also, why do some people seem to hate the default controls? What's so bad about them? What would be better than the default controls?
> ...



what buttons do you use?
For example, default:

U=j
U'=f


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## Sa967St (Jan 27, 2009)

fanwuq said:


> what buttons do you use?
> For example, default:
> U=j
> U'=f


don't laugh...

R=R
R'=E 
L=Q
L'=W
U=U
U'=I
D=D
D'=S
F=G
F'=F
B=B
B=H
Rw=M
Rw'=N
y=V
y'=C
x=Z
x'=X


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## Robert-Y (Jan 27, 2009)

That's crazy lol, but I think I can see why you chose those controls


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## fanwuq (Jan 27, 2009)

Sa967St said:


> fanwuq said:
> 
> 
> > what buttons do you use?
> ...



Now I'm even more impressed that you got a sub-15 time! Your controls are absolutely horrible. There is no pattern at all and I don't think I would learn it very easier. If you are using a QWERTY keyboard, then it's very bad. Most of the motion is done in the left hand.
I'm actually considering something like this:
9=R
3=R'
7=L'
1=L
4=F'
6=F
A=y
S=x'
D=y'
W=x
Z=D'
C=D
Q=z
E=z'

This is a bit similar to then controls of Petrus' simulator. It's also a nice simulator, try it!


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## Sa967St (Jan 28, 2009)

fanwuq said:


> Your controls are absolutely horrible. There is no pattern at all and I don't think I would learn it very easier. If you are using a QWERTY keyboard, then it's very bad. Most of the motion is done in the right hand.


 I'm too used to it >_< I started off with R=R U=U L=L etc (pathetic, I know ) but then changed some of them. I can easily sub-3 a lot of the PLL with this though. The cross seems to be the hardest part for me since the keys are all over the place :/



fanwuq said:


> Most of the motion is done in the right hand.


not really true

left hand:R/L/D/x/y
right hand: U/F/B/Rw

I use cube rotations sometimes in plls, but often during f2l (bad >_<) and I only use B turns in the cross (and 1 R perm), so I think I actually use my left hand more.


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## byu (Jan 28, 2009)

I can only perform U, A, T, Y, Z, and J permutations with virtual cubing PLL so if I get others, I'm really out of luck and have to use two look.


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## fanwuq (Jan 28, 2009)

Sa967St said:


> fanwuq said:
> 
> 
> > Most of the motion is done in the right hand.
> ...



I meant left hand, LOL.

The simulator controls aren't so bad. It really helps if you know that the buttons are the same for making moves as the fingers you normally use to make the move. Left index trigger=U' on simulator and real cube. Then only thing you really learn is the rotation. D, F and U moves are the exact same as real cube. Rw, Lw, L, R aren't the same, but they are understandable. The rotations don't make much sense, other than they are finger friendly on the key board.


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## Faz (Jan 28, 2009)

I average 13-14 seconds on a real cube.

I just started using hi-games today, and I find it quite fun. I have gotten my times down to 90 seconds and continuing to improve.


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## Odin (Jan 28, 2009)

i cant solve a virtual cube its sooooooo hard!!!!!


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## byu (Jan 28, 2009)

I really want to get a sub-30 on virtual cube, but I can't seem to do it!

Please watch my replay on hi-games and tell me what I can do to improve (my username is byu)

EDIT: Click here to watch my replay (you need Java)


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## bubblebuddy73 (Jan 28, 2009)

I just simply never practice enough on Hi-Games to be faster at it.


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## jfly (Jan 28, 2009)

Robert-Y said:


> The thing with computer cubes on hi-games.net is that they're see-through which might be an advantage to some of us. I'd kinda like to see how we would do without it being see-through.



If you want to try a Heise sim knockoff with customizable controls and a customizable gap, just try this http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~jfly/projects/applets/CuboidSim/ </shamelessselfpromotion>


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## Sa967St (Jan 28, 2009)

byu said:


> I really want to get a sub-30 on virtual cube, but I can't seem to do it!
> 
> Please watch my replay on hi-games and tell me what I can do to improve (my username is byu)
> 
> EDIT: Click here to watch my replay (you need Java)


 1 look PLL


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## byu (Jan 28, 2009)

Sa967St said:


> byu said:
> 
> 
> > I really want to get a sub-30 on virtual cube, but I can't seem to do it!
> ...



Yeah, I can do 1 look PLL on a regular cube (well not exactly, since I don't know the G perms), but it's in my muscle memory, so when I do it on a virtual cube I can't remember what to do. But I'm working on it!


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## JustinJ (Jan 28, 2009)

When I started I was horrible, but after two days of practicing I'm pretty close to my normal times. On 2x2 I'm faster, on 3x3 I'm 10 or so seconds slower. I still mistake keys sometimes, which can cause me to screw up in the middle of an alg, and as I try to undo it I just make things worse.

I use 1 look PLL on a normal cube, and I can do some PLLs on a virtual cube, but I usually just do 2 look. The cross is really hard for me on a virtual cube, but F2L is really fun for some reason.


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## FU (Jan 28, 2009)

i'm much faster on the simulator for anything larger than the 3x3. still faster IRL for 2x2 and 3x3  no idea why, probably just because i don't practise big cubes much (and probably because i can maintain a TPS similar to that of the simulator IRL for 2x2 and 3x3)


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