Building a Grid-Based Maze Game

Why This Note Exists

This note documents the process of building a grid-based maze game.

The value of the project is not that it is a game. The useful part is the interactive system behind it:

• representing a world as data
• rendering that world to the screen
• handling keyboard input
• enforcing movement rules
• detecting walls and collisions
• tracking player state
• detecting win conditions
• keeping UI and game logic separate
• making the application predictable instead of random DOM manipulation

A maze game is a small project, but it touches many concepts that appear in larger software systems.

Project Context

The project was built as a browser-based interactive application.

It belongs in the portfolio as a frontend/game-logic fundamentals note, not as a toy project.

The important technical ideas are:

grid data
  ↓
rendered interface
  ↓
player input
  ↓
state update
  ↓
collision check
  ↓
new render
  ↓
win/loss condition

That loop is close to how many interactive systems work.

Even if the visual layer is simple, the project is useful because it requires clear state transitions.

What This Project Is Meant To Prove

• interactive UI needs a reliable state model
• a maze is a data structure before it is a visual layout
• keyboard input should update state through rules
• collision detection should be deterministic
• rendering should reflect state, not replace it
• small games are good for testing logic separation
• algorithms can be made visible through UI
• frontend projects can demonstrate more than page styling

Stack and Tools Used

Frontend Layer

• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript
• DOM rendering direction
• keyboard event handling
• responsive layout direction

Game Logic Layer

• grid representation
• player position
• wall/path detection
• movement validation
• win condition
• level reset
• optional timer/move counter

Algorithm Layer

• maze layout data
• possible procedural generation direction
• path validation
• coordinate systems
• array-based state
• boundary checks

UI Layer

• maze board
• player marker
• start/end cells
• wall cells
• controls
• status text
• restart button direction

Intended Build

The intended build is a playable maze game where the player moves through a grid from a start point to an exit.

A finished version should support:

• visible maze grid
• player starting position
• exit/goal cell
• keyboard movement
• blocked movement through walls
• boundary checks
• win detection
• reset/restart
• clean layout
• readable code structure

Optional features:

• timer
• move counter
• multiple levels
• random maze generation
• difficulty settings
• touch controls
• animations
• path preview
• shortest-path solver direction

The first version should focus on correct game logic before visual polish.

Core Data Model

The maze should be represented as data.

A simple model:

0 = path
1 = wall
2 = start
3 = exit

Example:

const maze = [
  [1, 1, 1, 1, 1],
  [1, 2, 0, 0, 1],
  [1, 1, 1, 0, 1],
  [1, 0, 0, 3, 1],
  [1, 1, 1, 1, 1]
];

This matters because the UI should not be the source of truth.

The maze exists first as structured data. The screen only displays it.

Coordinate System

A grid needs clear coordinates.

A useful convention:

row = y position
column = x position

Example:

maze[row][column]

The player position can be stored as:

const player = {
  row: 1,
  col: 1
};

A common bug is mixing up row/column and x/y.

The code should use one convention consistently.

Rendering Direction

Rendering means turning the maze data into visible elements.

A simple rendering loop:

clear board
for each row:
  for each cell:
    create cell element
    apply class based on cell type
    if player is here, show player
append to board

The key idea:

state changes first
render happens after

Do not let the DOM become the only game state.

Player Movement

Keyboard input should translate into a movement request.

Example:

ArrowUp    → row - 1
ArrowDown  → row + 1
ArrowLeft  → col - 1
ArrowRight → col + 1

The game should not move the player immediately without checks.

Movement flow:

receive key
calculate target cell
check boundary
check wall
if valid, update player position
check win condition
render

This makes movement predictable.

Collision Handling

Collision detection prevents the player from moving through walls.

A target move is valid only if:

target row exists
target column exists
target cell is not a wall

Simplified logic:

if target is outside grid:
    block movement

if target cell is wall:
    block movement

else:
    move player

Collision detection should happen in game logic, not through CSS tricks.

Boundary Checks

Boundary checks prevent array errors.

Bad movement can try to access:

maze[-1][0]
maze[10][0]
maze[0][-1]
maze[0][10]

Before checking the cell type, the code should confirm the target coordinate exists.

This prevents runtime errors and weird movement behavior.

Win Condition

The win condition is usually:

player position == exit position

When the player reaches the exit, the game can:

• show success message
• stop movement
• record final move count
• record time
• enable restart
• load next maze if levels exist

The win state should be explicit.

Example:

let gameWon = false;

Then movement can stop after victory:

if gameWon:
    ignore movement

State Management

A simple game still needs state.

Useful state:

maze layout
player position
start position
exit position
move count
timer
game status
current level

A clean structure keeps state in JavaScript objects instead of scattering it across DOM elements.

Example:

const gameState = {
  maze,
  player: { row: 1, col: 1 },
  moves: 0,
  status: "playing"
};

This makes the game easier to reset, debug, and extend.

Separating Logic From UI

A stronger implementation separates:

game rules
rendering
input handling

Bad structure:

keyboard event directly edits random DOM cells and game state at the same time

Better structure:

keyboard event
  ↓
movePlayer(direction)
  ↓
updates state if valid
  ↓
renderGame()

This is a small version of frontend architecture.

Maze Generation Direction

A maze can be hardcoded or generated.

A hardcoded maze is enough for a first version.

Procedural maze generation is a stronger extension.

Possible generation algorithms:

• recursive backtracking
• randomized depth-first search
• Prim-style maze generation
• Kruskal-style maze generation

A generated maze should guarantee:

start exists
exit exists
path from start to exit exists
walls are valid
grid boundaries are respected

Random generation is only useful if the generated maze is playable.

Path Validation

If mazes are generated or loaded from data, path validation matters.

The game can use a simple search algorithm to confirm the exit is reachable.

Possible algorithms:

• breadth-first search
• depth-first search

Validation question:

Can the player reach the exit from the start without crossing walls?

This prevents impossible mazes.

Move Counter

A move counter is a simple feature that adds measurable feedback.

Rules:

increment only on valid movement
do not increment when hitting wall
stop incrementing after win
reset counter on restart

This makes state handling clearer.

Timer Direction

A timer adds another state dimension.

Timer rules:

start on first move or game load
stop on win
reset on restart
do not keep running after victory

A timer is simple visually but easy to implement badly if state is not clear.

Multiple Levels

Multiple levels can be represented as an array of maze layouts.

Example direction:

const levels = [maze1, maze2, maze3];

The game state tracks:

currentLevelIndex

When the player wins:

load next level
or show completion message

This requires the reset logic to be clean.

If resetting one maze is messy, multiple levels will expose it.

Responsive Layout

A maze grid should adapt to screen size.

Considerations:

• cells should stay square
• board should not overflow small screens
• controls should remain reachable
• text/status should not overlap the board
• touch controls may be needed on mobile

CSS Grid is a natural fit for rendering a maze.

Example direction:

display: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(columns, cell-size);

The exact styling can change, but the layout should reflect the grid data.

Accessibility Direction

A keyboard-controlled game should consider accessibility.

Useful basics:

• visible focus
• readable status messages
• clear instructions
• high contrast between walls/path/player/exit
• support restart without mouse if possible
• avoid relying only on color if possible

For a small project, even simple accessibility consideration makes it more professional.

Common Bugs

Player Moves Through Walls

Cause:

movement updates position before checking wall

Fix:

check target cell first, then update state

Game Crashes At Border

Cause:

code checks maze[row][col] before confirming row/col exists

Fix:

perform boundary checks first

Player Visual Desyncs From State

Cause:

DOM is updated but player state is not

Fix:

state is source of truth, render after state update

Move Counter Increments On Blocked Moves

Cause:

counter increments before validation

Fix:

increment only after valid movement

Restart Does Not Reset Everything

Cause:

only player position resets, but timer/moves/status stay old

Fix:

centralize resetGame()

Impossible Maze Generated

Cause:

random walls placed without path validation

Fix:

validate path from start to exit

Testing Checklist

Rendering

• grid appears correctly
• walls and paths display correctly
• player starts in correct cell
• exit appears in correct cell
• board resets correctly

Movement

• move up
• move down
• move left
• move right
• blocked by walls
• blocked by boundaries
• repeated fast key presses
• no movement after win if intended

State

• move count increments correctly
• move count does not increment on blocked moves
• restart resets position
• restart resets status
• timer resets if implemented

Win Condition

• reaching exit triggers win
• win message appears
• timer stops if implemented
• next level loads if implemented
• player cannot trigger repeated win state unexpectedly

Maze Data

• invalid maze handled
• missing start handled
• missing exit handled
• generated maze is solvable if generation exists
• row/column sizes are consistent

Practical Decisions

Keep the grid as data

The DOM should display the maze, not define it.

Validate before moving

Movement should never update state before collision checks.

Separate modules mentally

Even in one file, separate input, logic, and rendering.

Start with fixed mazes

Hardcoded mazes make the first version easier to debug.

Add generation later

Procedural generation is stronger only after the basic game loop works.

Make win state explicit

A game should know whether it is playing, won, or reset.

Test edge cells

Borders reveal most movement bugs.

What A Finished Version Should Show

A strong finished version should show:

• maze stored as structured data
• clean render function
• keyboard input handling
• movement validation
• wall collision detection
• boundary checks
• win condition
• reset logic
• move counter or timer if implemented
• responsive grid layout
• README with controls
• clear project structure
• optional generation/path validation direction

Evidence Worth Capturing

Useful evidence for this note would include:

• screenshot of maze UI
• code excerpt for maze data
• movement function
• collision check
• render function
• win condition code
• reset behavior
• responsive layout screenshot
• generated maze example if implemented
• README controls section
• before/after refactor showing logic separation

Technical Assumptions

This note assumes the maze project is a browser-based interactive application.

It assumes JavaScript handles the game logic and rendering.

It also assumes the project is meant to demonstrate frontend logic, state management, and algorithmic thinking rather than commercial game development.

Key Risks

• presenting it as only a small toy game
• hardcoding everything into the DOM
• mixing UI updates and game rules too much
• weak boundary checks
• no separation between state and rendering
• impossible generated mazes
• no reset consistency
• no testing of edge cells
• poor mobile layout
• overbuilding visual polish before game logic works

Current State

This note represents a small interactive frontend project reframed around system behavior.

It is not the strongest portfolio piece compared with infrastructure, VPN, ERP, or deployment tooling.

But it is still useful because it shows:

state modeling
grid logic
event handling
collision detection
rendering
algorithm direction

That gives the Notes section a lighter frontend/interactive systems entry without making it look like filler.

What This Note Does Not Claim

This note does not claim to be a commercial game.

It does not claim advanced graphics, physics, multiplayer, or full game-engine architecture.

It documents a focused maze project used to practice interactive frontend logic and algorithmic thinking.

Practical Takeaway

The useful lesson is:

A small game becomes technically useful when the state model is clear.

For a maze project, the important parts are:

• represent the maze as data
• keep player position in state
• validate every move
• block walls and boundaries
• render from state
• detect the win condition
• reset cleanly
• add generation only after the base loop works

Framed this way, the project becomes an interactive systems note instead of a random mini-game.