Mazes for Programmers

Gain insights into maze generation, applying software engineering to create diverse mazes in various shapes and dimensions. Discover inspiration to overcome programmer’s block and burnout.

Intermediate

120 Lessons

35h

Certificate of Completion

Gain insights into maze generation, applying software engineering to create diverse mazes in various shapes and dimensions. Discover inspiration to overcome programmer’s block and burnout.

AI-POWERED

Explanations

AI-POWERED

Explanations

This course includes

127 Playgrounds

14 Quizzes

This course includes

127 Playgrounds

14 Quizzes

Course Overview

Mazes are everywhere. From psychology experiments involving mice to robotics demonstrations to movies, video games, books, and puzzles, we all encounter mazes at some point or other in our lives. Working with mazes is like going on a voyage of discovery where you never know quite what you’ll find when you crest the next hill. In this course, you’re going to look at ideas to inspire you and learn to generate your own mazes. After taking this course, you’ll have taken your existing knowledge of software eng...Show More

What You'll Learn

An understanding of the usefulness of mazes to generate interesting puzzles

Hands-on experience designing algorithms and programs to solve different puzzles

Familiarity with different types of mazes including grids and circular, weaving, and folding mazes

Hands-on experience creating different mazes and solving them using a variety of algorithms

Ability to traverse mazes, render mazes, and exploit well-known graph theoretic algorithms to solve underlying problems in mazes

What You'll Learn

An understanding of the usefulness of mazes to generate interesting puzzles

Course Content

Our First Random Mazes

Learn how to use algorithms for creating diverse mazes, emphasizing practical coding in Ruby.

Who Should Take This Course and Why?

Getting Started

Preparing the Grid

The Binary Tree Algorithm

Digging Deeper into the Binary Tree Algorithm

The Sidewinder Algorithm

Quiz Yourself on Random Mazes Algorithms

Exercise: Upside-down Sidewinder

Automating and Displaying our Mazes

Walk through automating maze grids, generating with algorithms, and rendering for visual representation.

Introducing Our Basic Grid

Implementing the Grid Class

Implementing the Binary Tree Algorithm

Displaying a Maze on the Console

Implementing the Sidewinder Algorithm

Rendering a Maze as an Image

Quiz Yourself on Automating and Displaying Mazes

Exercise: Interactive Fiction Display

Solution: Interactive Fiction Display

Solving Mazes

Work your way through solving and visualizing mazes using Dijkstra's algorithm and enhanced coloring techniques.

Dijkstra's Algorithm

Implementing Dijkstra's Algorithm

Displaying the Dijkstra's Matrix

Finding the Shortest Path

Making Challenging Mazes

Coloring Our Mazes

Displaying Colored Mazes

Quiz Yourself on Dijkstra's Algorithm

Exercise: Coloring Cells by Shortest Distance

Solution: Coloring Cells by Shortest Distance

Avoiding Bias with Random Walks

Grasp the fundamentals of unbiased maze generation using random walk algorithms and optimization techniques.

Understanding Biases

The Aldous-Broder Algorithm

Implementing the Aldous-Broder Algorithm

Wilson's Algorithm

Implementing Wilson's Algorithm

Quiz Yourself on Avoiding Bias with Random Walks

Exercise: Optimizing Aldous-Broder

Solution: Optimizing Aldous-Broder

Adding Constraints to Random Walks

Map out maze generation via two algorithms, Hunt-and-Kill and Recursive Backtracker, balancing dead ends and paths.

Introduction to Random Walks (the Hunt-and-Kill Algorithm)

Implementing the Hunt-and-Kill algorithm

Counting Dead Ends

The Recursive Backtracker Algorithm

Implementing the Recursive Backtracker Algorithm

Quiz Yourself on Adding Constraints to Random Walks

Exercise: Recursive Recursive Backtracker

Solution: Recursive Recursive Backtracker

Fitting Mazes to Shapes

7 Lessons

Tackle maze masking techniques including class implementations, ASCII and image masks, and geometric mask exercises.

Going in Circles

8 Lessons

Build on polar grids to craft visually appealing, adaptive, and structured circular mazes.

Exploring Other Grids

9 Lessons

Get familiar with alternative grid types by implementing and displaying hex, triangle, and zeta mazes.

Braiding and Weaving Our Mazes

11 Lessons

Get started with designing versatile mazes using braiding, weaving techniques, and cost-aware pathfinding.

10.

Improving Our Weaving

7 Lessons

Master the steps to generate well-structured, predictable weave mazes using Kruskal's algorithm.

11.

Growing With Prim's

7 Lessons

Grasp the fundamentals of Prim's algorithm and its maze generation applications.

12.

Combining, Dividing

8 Lessons

Dig deeper into advanced maze algorithms, including Eller's, Recursive Division, and a unique Aldous-Broder application.

13.

Extending Mazes into Higher Dimensions

8 Lessons

Tackle higher-dimensional maze creation, from transitioning 2D to 3D, visualizing, and implementing complex grid structures.

14.

Bending and Folding Our Mazes

10 Lessons

Build on various 3D maze structures like cylinders, Möbius strips, cubes, and spheres.

15.

Conclusion

2 Lessons

Learn how to use maze algorithms and advanced maze generation techniques in Ruby.

Course Author

Trusted by 1.4 million developers working at companies

Anthony Walker

@_webarchitect_

Evan Dunbar

ML Engineer

Carlos Matias La Borde

Software Developer

Souvik Kundu

Front-end Developer

Vinay Krishnaiah

Software Developer

Eric Downs

Musician/Entrepeneur

Kenan Eyvazov

DevOps Engineer

Souvik Kundu

Front-end Developer

Eric Downs

Musician/Entrepeneur

Anthony Walker

@_webarchitect_

Evan Dunbar

ML Engineer

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