Remarks: Processing Mazes
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| − | The first Processing version of 10 PRINT was written to take advantage of the increased resolution of contemporary screens. It does this by making the thickness and ends of the lines into variables that can be changed while the program runs. The lines of the maze can range from 0.5- to 10-pixels wide, and the lines can terminate with a rounded or square end. Like 10 PRINT, this Processing version of 10 PRINT maintains the grid of lines at 40 x 25 units, but, unlike 10 PRINT, it doesn't add each grid unit in sequence from left to right and top to bottom. In the new high-resolution version, the entire maze is refreshed at once. Using the default Processing colors to create white lines and a black background confers a mood similar to that of the original lower-contrast blues of the C64 (See figures ?? to ??). | + | The first Processing version of 10 PRINT was written to take advantage of the increased resolution of contemporary screens. It does this by making the thickness and ends of the lines into variables that can be changed while the program runs. The lines of the maze can range from 0.5- to 10-pixels wide, and the lines can terminate with a rounded or square end. Like 10 PRINT, this Processing version of 10 PRINT maintains the grid of lines at 40 x 25 units, but, unlike 10 PRINT, it doesn't add each grid unit in sequence from left to right and top to bottom. In the new high-resolution version, the entire maze is refreshed at once. Using the default Processing colors to create white lines and a black background confers a mood similar to that of the original lower-contrast blues of the C64 (See Figures ?? to ??). |
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| − | While we were creating these variations, we took the opportunity to make some additional quick changes to explore the visual aspects of the 10 PRINT maze. First, the 50-50 chance to draw a left or right line was altered so it could be weighted while the program ran to increase the chance of one line drawing instead of the other. The result is shown in Figures ?? to ??. Next, we tried drawing graphic symbols different from the diagonal lines to expose part of the programs structure. In our opinion, the essence of the 10 PRINT maze algorithm is to make a coin-toss, a 50-50 random decision, to draw a left or right diagonal line within a grid from left to right, top to bottom. The optical effect of the maze is created as the grid of diagonals align to produce walls and paths. Our eyes dance across the image as they attempt to find their way through the structure. As we quickly discovered through a few options, some symbols also create a strong, but different optical effect and other symbols generate a boring, flat graphic. Figure ?? shows the result of using a blank image (space) and circle in place of the diagonals. This quick exploration into applying a different visual skin to the fundamental coin-toss structure of the 10 PRINT program reveals that the appeal of 10 PRINT is derived from the random choice between one or more elements, the precise selection of which elements optically activate our eyes, and create a culturally relevant image, in this case, the maze. | + | While creating these variations, some additional quick changes can be introduced to explore the visual aspects of the 10 PRINT maze. First, the 50-50 chance to draw a left or right line was altered so it could be weighted while the program ran to increase the chance of drawing one line instead of the other. The result is shown in Figures ?? to ??. Then, drawing graphic symbols different from the diagonal lines exposes part of the program's structure. The essence of the 10 PRINT maze algorithm is to make a coin-toss, a 50-50 random decision, to draw a left- or a right-diagonal line within a grid, from left to right, from top to bottom. The optical effect of the maze is created as these diagonals align themselves to produce walls and paths. Our eyes dance across the image as they attempt to find their way through the structure. Some symbols also create a strong, but different optical effect, while other symbols generate a boring, flat graphic. Figure ?? shows the result of using a blank image (space) and circle in place of the diagonals. This exploration into applying a different visual skin to the fundamental coin-toss structure of the 10 PRINT program reveals that the appeal of 10 PRINT derives from the random choice among two or more elements, the precise selection of which optically activate our eyes and create a culturally relevant image -- in this case, the maze. |
