Imagine that, like Hansel and Gretel in the fairy story, you are able to leave a trail of “breadcrumbs” behind you as you navigate your way through the maze and then remember these rules: if you arrive at a junction you have not previously encountered (there will be no crumbs already on the trail ahead), then randomly select a way to go. Most methods work for “simple” mazes, that is, ones with no sneaky short-cuts via bridges or “passage loops” – circular paths that lead back to where they started. There are techniques for escaping from mazes, but first you need to be sure what kind of maze it is.
THE HARDEST MAZE EVER FULL
The algorithms tend to fall into two principal types: ones which start with a single, bounded space and then sub-divide it with walls (and doors) to produce ever smaller sub-spaces and others which start with with a world full of disconnected rooms and then demolish walls to create paths/routes between them. While designing a maze can be a rewarding human task, computer scientists and mathematicians have a love of maze-generating algorithms. Which begs the question: what is the difference between a maze and a labyrinth? Although considered synonymous by some, it is generally accepted that a labyrinth contains only one path, often spiralling around and folding back on itself, in ever-decreasing loops, whereas a maze contains branching paths, presenting the explorer with choices and the potential for getting very, very lost. But mazes have been around for millennia and one of the most famous mazes, the Labyrinth home of the Minotaur, plays a starring role in Greek mythology. Mazes are in vogue at the moment, from NBO’s Westworld, to the return of the British cult TV series, The Crystal Maze.