Back in 2013, Ed wrote a blog post about Old Basic Coder’s 3D Maze and Ray Caster Maze. These programs inspired the “Small Basic Community Challenge: Want to turn this 3D Maze into an RPG?” that resulted in some great discussion and additions to the maze.
I’d like to take a look at similar program, Pathdrc’s 3D WireFrame Maze
The import code: RCS876
The first thing that excited me about this program was the data storage, instead of a pre-written map, or a list of images, the program stores lists of numbers, which are then interpreted to draw the maze. This is very similar to the method I used in Foul Sorcery, a roguelike game I designed for Small basic.
By not being limited to a single level, the 3D Maze program is open to many additions or extensions, procedural generation, custom level design, etc.
The importance of building flexible platforms when designing was a lesson under expressed in my computer science courses, and I hope that new learners, can keep the idea of modular design in mind when making little programs with big potential.
The second thing that interested me about this program was the wire frame aspect. Frame rate and visual effects can be a tax on performance, and while the article on TechNet (More on that on Friday) has many good solutions, I appreciate the minimalism that comes with negative space and wire frame.
So going forward keep modularity/flexibility in mind, and don’t be afraid go simple with the graphics! I’d love to see a project or program that connects multiple elements from different programmers.
-jadamelio