MacMaze and Maze Solver are an application and screen saver module (After Dark or DarkSide of the Mac) which automatically create and solve mazes. Both programs are highly configurable--including colors, size, line thicknesses, and more.
The unregistered shareware version of this product does NOT include the standalone application which is documented here for your convenience.
Thank you for trying out the MacMaze application and screen saver. The following table of contents lists the sectional breakout of this document.
1.0 - Installation
2.0 - Hardware/Software requirements
3.0 - Disclaimers
4.0 - Registration
5.0 - General Info
6.0 - Configuring MacMaze
6.1 - The File Menu
6.1.1 - New
6.1.2 - Open…
6.1.3 - Save As…
6.1.4 - Quit
6.2 - The Edit Menu
6.2.1 - Copy
6.3 - The Options Menu
6.3.1 - Colors…
6.3.2 - Walls…
6.3.3 - Misc…
6.3.4 - Pause
6.3.5 - Area…
1.0 - Installation
The Macintosh distribution contains the following:
Maze Solver - The screen saver module
MacMaze - The application [registered users only]
MacMaze README - This file
MacMaze Registration - Registration form
To install the screen saver module, copy the "Maze Solver" file into the "After Dark Files" folder or the "DarkSide of the Mac" folder on your hard drive, depending on which screen saver you use. These folders might have different names on your Macintosh—refer to your screen saver documentation for details.
2.0 - Hardware/Software requirements
The MacMaze application should run on any Macintosh computer with System 6.0.4 or higher, including System 7. It will run on black and white computers, although it is much more interesting in color.
The screen saver module requires System 7 or Multifinder under System 6. It also requires "After Dark" version 2.0 or later from Berkeley Systems, or "DarkSide of the Mac" version 4.0 or later by Tom Dowdy.
3.0 - Disclaimers
While care has been taken to ensure the quality of this product, we cannot be responsible if this product destroys your computer, your life, or the universe as we know it.
4.0 - Registration
If you are reading this, we are impressed. Registration is $15. The registration form is contained in a separate file. After registering, you will receive two disks (one PC, one Mac) which includes the most recent versions of the following:
- MS Windows 3.1 Maze Solver screen saver/program with password protection.
- MS Windows NT 3.1 Maze Solver screen saver/program for Intel based computers.
(Password protection is built into NT.)
- Macintosh Maze Solver screen saver for After Dark and Darkside of the Mac.
- Macintosh MacMaze application program.
5.0 - General Info
Once installed and selected as the current screen saver, Maze Solver will run with default settings without any other configuration information. If you choose to further configure Maze Solver, see the following sections describing dialog boxes and configuration options. Almost every facet of MacMaze and Maze Solver can be configured.
The MacMaze application and the Maze Solver screen saver module both use the same preferences file. Changes made in one program will magically show up in the other, so don't be surprised.
The authors may be contacted through email at the following addresses:
CompuServe - 70004,644
Internet - 70004.644@compuserve.com
6.0 - Configuring MacMaze
Both the MacMaze application and the Maze Solver screen saver module can be configured. The following sections describe the options for both programs. Items that refer only to the application will be annotated with [application only], while items that refer only to the screen saver module will be annotated with [screen saver only].
Limits for certain values are shown in parenthesis. For example, if an integer edit box only accepts numbers 1-23, the description will be followed by (1-23).
6.1 - The File Menu
6.1.1 - New [application only]
There is no dialog box associated with this command. This command allows a new maze to be generated and will restart the maze if it is paused.
6.1.2 - Open… [application only]
This command displays the standard Macintosh file selection dialog. A previously saved MacMaze file can be selected and the maze will be restarted using the settings in the file.
6.1.3 - Save As… [application only]
This command saves all of the current maze settings to a file that can later be read by the Open… command.
6.1.4 - Quit [application only]
This command quits the program and saves the current settings to the preferences file. The settings in the preferences file are retrieved the next time the program is run.
6.2 - The Edit Menu
6.2.1 - Copy [application only]
This command creates a PICT of the current maze and places it into the Macintosh clipboard. The clipboard can then be pasted into other programs.
6.3 - The Options Menu
6.3.1 - Colors…
Choosing any of the color buttons in this dialog will bring up the Macintosh standard color selector. The color buttons have the following meanings:
Background Color: The color 'underneath' the maze.
Path Color: The color used to draw the current path.
Trailer Color: The color to draw where the maze has already been.
Wall Color: The color of the dividing walls.
6.3.2 - Walls…
The settings in this dialog change the granularity of the maze. Many interesting things can be created by adjusting these settings since 0 is a valid value for the wall and between width. Each width has the following meaning:
Wall Width: Width in pixels of the dividing walls in the maze. (0-32)
Between Width: Width in pixels of the space to leave on either side of the path when
traveling through the maze. (0-32)
Path Width: Width in pixels of the path that travels through the maze. (1-32)
6.3.3 - Misc…
This dialog contains miscellaneous maze settings. The fields have the following meaning:
Pause Time: These allow you to choose how many seconds the maze pauses after it
is first created and after it is solved, respectively. (0-60)
Maze has a solution: Most mazes have a solution. If you choose to remove the
solution, then a maze path will travel through the entire maze.
The maze is finished when every cell has been visited. This is
a good way to 'fill' the maze when the trail color is different
from the background color.
Exit blinks: This option is only available if the maze has a solution. With this option
set, the exit square will blink.
Logo in the maze: When the maze is large enough, the Knoware logo will pop up in a
random position in the maze. Disable this setting if you don't like
the logo.
System priority: This determines how much work the maze will try to do before
giving time back to the system. If the maze is moving too quickly
for your tastes, lower this number. Of course, raising the number
will increase the performance of the maze to a point. Also, if you
have background work going on while the screen saver is active or
the program is running, you may want to keep this number
lower—under 10 should be good. Your mileage may vary. (1-200)
6.3.4 - Pause [application only]
There is no dialog box associated with this command. This command allows the current maze to be paused and resumed during creation or solving. It is useful to pause and 'Copy' the maze.
6.3.5 - Area… [screen saver only]
Set these values to select what percentage of the screen is filled in with a maze. (10-100)
