In the previous blog entry, I mentioned a few different maze types. Now we will take a look
at how a maze is created and a few tips to help you find the correct path of a
MysticalMaze.

First let me explain what a MysticalMaze is! A Mysticalmaze is a imge (graphic) of
an imaginary maze. It's not a true maze in the sense of the one you will actually
be playing. The actual maze is played on top of the image, and is a mystery with the
exception that you will know where the maze starts. You will see a yellow square,
and nothing more.

One type of Maze is generated by a script. We will call it an auto-generated Maze.
The second type is a manually generated maze. This type can be the most difficult,
unless you have maybe a tip or two which I will give you shortly. I call this Mazeology.
A look inside the mind of the creator. ;-)

The auto-generated maze is made up of 15 squares.
1- yellow
1- purple
12 or 13- blue squares
1- orange (mystery square)

Note: there are red squares that will appear when a incorrect move is made, but
these are not actually part of the maze. The amount can instinctivley vary!
Now- when I create a maze using the auto-generated method, you will find these to be
more simplistic in nature, yet they can still take on many shapes.

The Manual Maze is generated by hand. These will vary in length, and in structure
depending on my creativity at the time I create one. Your probably wondering
just how can a tip from me help you out. Well let me explain.

Fig.1                                              Fig.2

Lets say the yellow maze square is in the far left corner. (Top or bottom doesn't matter)
This is the easiest starting point, as it means there are only two possible directions I can go
in the beginning. Lets suppose you started right and found a blue square. Ok, so this
means I'm going right. (Fig.1) In most cases I would continue straight and to the right. If you
hit a red square, that means I stopped. In that case you would go back to the last blue
square, and click just below that square. (Fig.2)

Thats your tip for today!

Maze's have been around for thousands of years, and symbolize the twisted path of life and fate? What were used by the ancient Egyptians to torture their prisoners with, but at the same time are used by some for recreation and sport? What have caused the inspiration of Greek myths, and can often cause ordinarily intelligent people to cringe with claustrophobia and refuse to have anything to do with them?

Mazes and Labyrinths are vast, fantastic creations, and are one of the only things that take compliment from being told that they're worthless objects that waste both people's time and money. The whole purpose of a Maze is to bewilder and confuse the uninitiated. A Maze generally consists of a goal to be reached, and some starting point to try to reach it from. These points are either within the body of the Maze itself, or are out on an edge.

There is usually only one correct path from start to finish, and along the way are many junctions with additional passages leading the solver astray. These passages themselves fork, and eventually do one of two things: The passage becomes a dead end, or it closes in on and makes a loop with itself or another passage separate from the solution. Either way the one solving the Maze must backtrack and try another route, until he (to his joy) makes it to the exit, or (to the joy of the Maze's creator) quits and gives up. A Maze that uses closed loops in its creation, although harder to create, can be more difficult to solve then an ordinary Maze of the same size, because it is harder for the solver to know when he's taking the wrong path.- Author Unknown

A maze is basically a puzzle, which is an uninterrupted path through an intricate pattern of line segments from a starting point to a goal.

The design can be drawn on paper, made in the form of a book, lanscaped by planting flowers, shrubs, or trees, and even built using concrete, etc. In my opinion, most mazes are made in the form of a graphical game, and this game can be any shape, size, or color.

Some mazes are very basic in structure and easy to navigate, while others are very intricate or complex if you will. They can even plant hidden messages along the way to guide you to the correct doorway or passage. There is almost no end to the possibilites.

While there are many tricks to decieve you, there are also ways to easily find the correct paths, which we will discuss later on. ;-)

Robert