Variations on a maze
From Maze
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This section examines a set of simple variations in the ''10 Print'' one-liner, each drawing on different graphic characters from the PETSCII table. Although each change is small, every variation has a significant impact on the perceived maze-like qualities of the visual output. The output of ''10 Print'' has a unique visual appeal, which we can understand in terms of design and composition (diagonal vs orthogonal), and in terms of how it plays against the contextual expectations of the historical period when it emerged (graphical software -- particularly video games of the era). | This section examines a set of simple variations in the ''10 Print'' one-liner, each drawing on different graphic characters from the PETSCII table. Although each change is small, every variation has a significant impact on the perceived maze-like qualities of the visual output. The output of ''10 Print'' has a unique visual appeal, which we can understand in terms of design and composition (diagonal vs orthogonal), and in terms of how it plays against the contextual expectations of the historical period when it emerged (graphical software -- particularly video games of the era). | ||
| − | When we attempt to change even the smallest element of ''10 Print'', we make an interesting discovery -- ''10 Print' is a kind of optimal solution that is uniquely elegant in its design space (a c64 BASIC one-line maze generator). Any similar attempt is both less concise (requires more code) and less expressive (resembles a maze less). In fact, the concision of the code and the expressiveness of the image are tightly related, and arise out of a unique set of constraints and interactions: | + | When we attempt to change even the smallest element of ''10 Print'', we make an interesting discovery -- ''10 Print'' is a kind of optimal solution that is uniquely elegant in its design space (a c64 BASIC one-line maze generator). Any similar attempt is both less concise (requires more code) and less expressive (resembles a maze less). In fact, the concision of the code and the expressiveness of the image are tightly related, and arise out of a unique set of constraints and interactions: |
* the keyboard layout of the PET / C64 | * the keyboard layout of the PET / C64 | ||
