Mazes for Programmers

Cube Mazes

Next up: cube mazes. We’re not talking about networks of passages inside a cube; that would give us those 3D mazes that we covered in the previous chapter. Rather, here we’re considering mazes rendered purely on the surface of a cube.

Compared to cylindrical mazes, these are definitely a level up. It’s true that they have some in common with cylinders (an ant on a cube could walk happily all the way around it, after all), but there’s more to it. To help understand the difference, we need a simple way to visualize how a cube is constructed.

Start by picturing a cube, like a big cardboard box. If you were to unfold that box, taking it apart at the seams and laying it out flat, you’d end up with six square faces arranged something like ...