• Anatomy of a Maze

    FoxHood • 03/22/2024 at 19:07 • 0 comments

    So a Maze seems daunting with all the empty blocks and walls, but they don't have to be. In reality all that really matters are the points at which the mazerunner can make a decision. Which reduces the scope to Corners, Junctions, dead-ends and corridors. Which should be in a grid pattern.

    SO the best way to get a good start on keeping it small is to only keep track of those points in the form of nodes. Variables that can tell you which direction is connected and which is blocked. Which we can push through a renderer to make it appear like an actual maze.

    For the first version i decided to create a maze in "Processing 4" A small IDE for creating little visual programs to be run in a Java environment. Processing is from which the original Arduino IDE is a fork off.

    This setup helps me try out algorithms quickly without constantly re-flashing a micro-controller.

  • Concept and Challenges

    FoxHood • 03/22/2024 at 18:57 • 0 comments

    So the idea is just a maze generator. Ideally with multiple generators to switch inbetween and multiple Solvers that can run around at the same time. Having looked around the many generators have different biases and ways to do things. So those should be fun.

    Meanwhile solvers can be as simple as just randomly walking around or trying to get the exit asap.

    Challenges:

    • The main challenge is working within the confines of memory. Most micro-controllers ain't spacious in the memory department. They are more meant for small amounts of data. Goal is for it to be small enough to be inserted into even an old ATMega328 (Arduino Uno) chip. Which means a LOT of optimization.
    • Second is visualizing the results. End goal is a RGB matrix display you can get from adafruit and whatnot.
    • And ofcourse implementing the various solvers and algorithms.