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 Help me improve my times! (please) 
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Posted on: Tue Jan 21, 2025 3:35 am




Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2023 7:05 am
Post Help me improve my times! (please)
Hey Calcudoku greats! [thumbsup]
Any tips for improving times? Theese 4-8 second times in the 4x4 baffle me, how do you even enter the numbers that fast? (let alone solve it?!(I'm thoroughly impressed btw!))
Do you use a keyboard, touchscreen, mouse, or a robot ;) ?
Any tips would be greatly appreciated! [namaste]

Happy 2025! [biggrin]


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Posted on: Tue Jan 21, 2025 6:22 am




Posts: 218
Joined: Fri May 13, 2011 2:11 am
Post Re: Help me improve my times! (please)
I use a keyboard. Left hand on the number keys (the ones in the QWERTY set-up, not a separate number pad), right hand on the arrow keys. I don't think this is necessarily ideal -- on larger puzzle sizes my left hand placement can get off by a key really easily, which has blown up some times that might've been really good -- but it's what's most comfortable to me and seems to work well enough.

Honestly though I'm not sure I have great advice for speeding up. The only specific skill I know I've intentionally practiced for speed is the roll through L-shaped cages.

I do make a specific point of doing smaller daily puzzles to warm up, of doing both the warm-up puzzles and actual timed attempts in one continuous block, and of listening to music while I do all of those, but I have no idea if those actually help me, much less someone else.


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Posted on: Tue Jan 21, 2025 9:39 pm




Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2023 7:05 am
Post Re: Help me improve my times! (please)
starling wrote:
I use a keyboard. Left hand on the number keys (the ones in the QWERTY set-up, not a separate number pad), right hand on the arrow keys. I don't think this is necessarily ideal -- on larger puzzle sizes my left hand placement can get off by a key really easily, which has blown up some times that might've been really good -- but it's what's most comfortable to me and seems to work well enough.

Honestly though I'm not sure I have great advice for speeding up. The only specific skill I know I've intentionally practiced for speed is the roll through L-shaped cages.

I do make a specific point of doing smaller daily puzzles to warm up, of doing both the warm-up puzzles and actual timed attempts in one continuous block, and of listening to music while I do all of those, but I have no idea if those actually help me, much less someone else.


----------

A thousand thanks for your answer! [biggrin] I transitioned to the method you describe with the keyboard and numberkeys a week ago, I was using a mouse and the numberkeys before that, so I guess the point is I just need to practice more (a lot more)! I'll try practicing rolling through the L-shaped cases, but I'm not too sure what this means exactly? Would you be so kind as to further explain [namaste]

Again thank you for your answer!


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Posted on: Wed Jan 22, 2025 5:39 am




Posts: 218
Joined: Fri May 13, 2011 2:11 am
Post Re: Help me improve my times! (please)
So what I mean by rolling those cages is that with the way I have my hands set, there's a very quick alternation between Left-Right-Left-Right-Left in order to fill an L shaped cage. Specifically, ones with a repeated digit feels sort of like doing a drum roll rhythmically to me, so I refer to going through those cages as "rolling" them.

Now that I'm thinking about it I should probably start practicing the two common 4x4 arrangements for all 16 digits (split into 4 2x2's, or the one where the next row is just offset from the prior one by one spot), because that's probably low-hanging fruit for me.


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Posted on: Wed Jan 22, 2025 11:03 pm




Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2023 7:05 am
Post Re: Help me improve my times! (please)
starling wrote:
So what I mean by rolling those cages is that with the way I have my hands set, there's a very quick alternation between Left-Right-Left-Right-Left in order to fill an L shaped cage. Specifically, ones with a repeated digit feels sort of like doing a drum roll rhythmically to me, so I refer to going through those cages as "rolling" them.

Now that I'm thinking about it I should probably start practicing the two common 4x4 arrangements for all 16 digits (split into 4 2x2's, or the one where the next row is just offset from the prior one by one spot), because that's probably low-hanging fruit for me.


Ahh seems I was overthinking it aha
thanks again and gl in your future times! :D


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Posted on: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:50 pm




Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 8:19 pm
Post Re: Help me improve my times! (please)
game controller & JoyToKey (to use buttons as number button)


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