Codebox maze generator review

January 13, 2022

Today we have a new maze generator to review. I think you are going to like this one because it has so much more functionality than most I have seen online.

I will be using the same format I have used for my review of the top maze generators and am adding this review to the main blog post. If you are not familiar with that post I will look at what shapes of maze are available, the cell types, size, choices to start and end the maze, is the solution given and can you download it. Let’s get to the sitereview.

CODEBOX

Shapes: 4+ : Square, Circle, Triangular Grid, Hexagonal Grid. While there are 4 main types you can also create an infinite number of shapes using the mask feature !!

Cell types: 3: Square, Hexagons, Triangles

Width and Height: 2 - 50 for squares and hexagons, Triangles from 4-85 width to 2-50 height, and circles can have 30 layers

Start/end: 4 choices: None, Top to Bottom, Left to Right, Hardest entrance/exit

Solution generated: Yes

Downloads available: Yes, as an SVG file.

What this site does best: Of all the sites I reviewed this is one of only 2 sites with Circular maze generation. It is also the site with the most flexibility in creating shapes. You can create a distance map that shows how far the point is from the entrance. The generator offers a choice of 10 different algorithms to generate the maze. You can also solve these mazes on screen using your mouse and keyboard. You can also choose to watch the maze generate !

Examples: Starting in the top left corner a simple 20x20 maze, a hexagonal grid maze, a circular maze, and a shape I made myself using the mask feature. I also suggest you check out the examples given on the site.

Finally here is a look at an example of a distance map. From the bottom entrance in green to the top exit in red (generally).

I couldn’t resist making a “do you” maze using the mask feature.

This is an excellent website for generating mazes. I recommend it.

Maze of the Week #2 - Monument Valley Maze

January 10, 2022

This week I am featuring the famous Monument Valley landscape for a maze. You’ve seen it Western movies and tv shows for decades. Today I will also share 3 different versions of the maze (like comic book alternative covers). We have a black and white version, a color version, and a color version with clouds. All are the same maze, made with a free drawn construction. Which do you prefer ?

Some information about Monument Valley

The large sandstone buttes are near the Utah Arizona border on the Navajo Nation Reservation and is part of the Colorado plateau. Wikipedia is my go-to for information. If you want to visit, the admission is very inexpensive as is the nearby campsite and you can even book a tour with a Navajo Guide ! It can best be described as majestic.

You can find many videos about Monument Valley online but this short one from National Geographic is my favorite. The soil color is so vibrant and changes with the movement of the sun during the day.

And before we get to the mazes let’s take a look at what the subject matter looks like with a photo courtesy of Pixabay and pexels.com. This photo shows a larger landscape than what I focused on which is the butte on the left.

Let’s look at the 3 maze options:

My first version of the maze is a simple black white version.

While in this version #2 I add in the vibrant color the region is known for, while adding the landscape to the butte. I was also able to add some darker colors for the places in the shadows. I opted against adding contours to the landscape.

And in our final version we get a more defined sky that includes some clouds. For me, this is the preferred version.

Monument Valley Maze full color version — Monument Valley Maze

I hope you enjoy the mazes.

You can find downloads of the maze on the homepage.

Coming next week:

Stop back on January 17th for our first building maze of the year. A maze of a museum.

Arrow Maze Design Case Study - Part 14 - The Largest Arrow Maze in the World

January 6, 2022

The final portion of our 14 Part Series - The Largest Arrow Maze in the World (I think).

Here is an overview of what we covered in the 14 part series:

Arrow Maze Construction and Design:

Arrow Maze Components:

Part 5 - Regular Arrows

Part 6 - Double Arrows

Extreme Arrow Maze examples:

Arrow Maze Design Case Study - Part 14 - The Largest Arrow Maze in the World (I think)

How big is it ?

Well in terms of if you were going to print it, it is formatted at 31 inches by 61 inches.
In terms of grids, it is sized at 45 x 90, although there are less than 4,050 grid spaces because of the use of some long arrows !
You COULD print it, but it is best opened on a device and zoomed in on to solve.

Additional information:

There are no “filler” grids…all grids in the maze are reachable
Because of the size of the maze there are 3 checkpoints along the way that will help guide you towards a solve.
Between the second and third checkpoints there are NO decision arrows, only regular arrows…!
There are no dead ends

If you attempt this maze, do me a favor, time yourself. Send me a note with your time (or if you give up after a certain amount of time).

Hints and solution coming in future posts….

download mega arrow maze

Arrow Maze Design Case Study - Part 13 Kitchen Sink

January 4, 2022

I am back to bring you the final 2 sections of my Arrow Maze Case Study. And these two sections are all about giving you some interesting mazes to solve. If you enjoy Arrow Mazes or just challenging mazes these will be posts you enjoy. Today I will give you a few examples of what I call Kitchen Sink Arrow Mazes. A Kitchen Sink Arrow Maze uses a large variety of of different maze components to create a challenging maze.

Here is an overview of what we will be covering in the 14 part series:

Arrow Maze Construction and Design:

Arrow Maze Components:

Part 5 - Regular Arrows

Part 6 - Double Arrows

Extreme Arrow Maze examples:

Arrow Maze Design Case Study - Part 13 - Kitchen Sink

This post is all about kitchen sink examples. Our first example includes a START GOAL, Double Arrows, and Warps,

Our second kitchen sink example includes Double Arrows, Warps, Return to Starts, and an All Ways Arrow.

Kitchen Sink #3 features Double Arrows, Warps, and Long Arrows.

My final example features Return to Start, All Ways, Double Arrows and a Slide Arrow.

Each of these mazes mixed a few different components to create a kitchen sink maze. You may have noticed that these mazes all include numbers on them…because these all come from an upcoming book. These are all examples of the type of mazes that I include in my books on Amazon.

In the Final portion of this series, Part 14 I will present The Largest Arrow Maze in the World (I think)