WAZES (Weird mAZES)

[GratedTopping]

This was originally from "COMPUTE!'s TI Collection, VOLUME II" (1986). It was originally called "Macro/Micro Maze". I didn't like the title, so I changed it. There really isn't anything weird about the actual mazes. The new name relates to how you can see the mazes.

 

You're trapped in a complex maze and there are three representations of it:

 

- the 'minimaze' is a 23x31 character maze that takes up the entire screen; it's randomly constructed during the setup of the game

 

- the 'macromaze' is a nine-character zoom-in of the original maze; you play here, as the walls move around you

 

- the 'micromaze' is a 4x3 character representation displayed above the 'macromaze' to assist you

 

If you choose to not see the maze being built, you will have more times to view the 'minimaze'. This also applies to if you select to not have the 'micromaze'.

 

The object is to move through the 'macromaze', pick up five green squares, and exit by the yellow square.

 

Programmed in standard BASIC, I added instructions and adapted it to Extended BASIC by combining lines (for example). It's still slow, but at least it's a little faster now. Also, I added some changing words or random sounds to let you know it's still doing something. This is especially useful if you don't choose the option of seeing the maze being created.

 

Expect to wait around 6 minutes for the maze to be completed. A stopwatch had it at about 5:45. If you didn't choose to see it being made, the maze will appear when it's created for just a bit. Another half-minute or so will be needed, the colored squares will appear, and the gameplay will begin. So, waiting a bit might be annoying, but I think it is interesting when you get there.

 

UPDATE: Watching the maze being built + choosing to have the micromaze resulted in a stopwatch time of 9:24. In the program, it had a message telling you to wait about 15 minutes. I changed that to "5-10" as a more accurate estimate. When I made the changes in the late 1980s, it probably did take about that long when the game was in BASIC and I must have assumed it was the same time when in XB.

WAZES.zip

Edited September 14, 2013 by GratedTopping

[sometimes99er]

Very nice. I couldn't help running it all in Overdrive. Watching the maze being drawn was nice. Moving around was fine too. Guess time may have run out a bit quicker (because of the Overdrive), so I didn't get to explore more than about 1/5th. I guess at first you have to try and locate yourself on the minimaze - which was fun.

 

Was wondering if the macromaze could be "drawn" using 8 big sprites, so in effect each corner (center always stays the same) is turned on and off using a few simple sprite location changes (and hence should speed up the game). My original suggestion was to use 8 colorsets (could then be changed in one color statement), but I see there's not enough left (colorsets).

 

Edited September 13, 2013 by sometimes99er

[GratedTopping]

Interesting idea concerning if the play-area was done as sprites. That would have been cool.

 

What is cool...and what I feel ridiculous about...is that I totally forget about the 'overdrive' option in "Classic99" too often. How that's still possible, I don't know, but anyway it's helpful with this game.

 

I changed the program after I realized that I forgot about the "wait 15 minutes" notification. I guess I really did have to wait that long when it was in regular BASIC. Choosing to see the maze being made and/or selecting to have the micromaze increases the wait-time.