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VOLT MAZE
A 10-line maze game for the Amstrad CPC
Inspired by Maze Craze (Atari 2600, 1980)
BASIC 10 Competition Entry - Category: EXTREME-256
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Author  : Jason Brooks
Website : www.muckypaws.com
Date    : 21st March 2026
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THE CHALLENGE AWAITS...
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Deep within the labyrinth, the walls hum with deadly voltage.
One wrong step. One brush against cold electric steel.
That's all it takes.

VOLT MAZE pits you against a freshly generated maze every
level. No two mazes are the same. No shortcuts. No mercy.
The exit is always in the top-right corner -- but getting
there is entirely up to you.

Every wall is electrified. Touch one and you lose a precious
health point as the border flashes white with the discharge.
Stumble too many times and it's GAME OVER.

Scattered through the passages are glowing energy dots.
Collect them for bonus points -- but move fast. From Level 4
onwards, a hunter appears. It prowls the maze and consumes
the dots before you can reach them, shrinking your score
potential with every move it makes. Stray into its path and
it will drain your health without mercy, flashing the border
white as a grim warning.

Each level the maze grows harder. The walls flash faster.
The hunter grows bolder. But escape with health to spare and
those remaining hit points are converted to bonus score --
rewarding the bold and the brilliant.

HOW MANY LEVELS CAN YOU SURVIVE?

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FEATURES
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  - Procedurally generated maze every level using iterative
    depth-first search -- no two mazes are ever the same
  - 19x10 cell grid rendered in full MODE 1 (40x25 text)
  - Animated 4-frame player sprite using the CPC's built-in
    CHR$(248)-CHR$(251) walking figure characters
  - Electrified walls -- contact costs health and flashes
    the screen border white
  - Glowing energy dots (CHR$(144)) scattered through all
    passages for bonus scoring
  - Progressive difficulty: walls flash faster each level
    using hardware INK animation -- no CPU cost
  - Level 4+: a hunter (CHR$(225)) appears, consuming dots
    and draining your health on contact
  - Bonus score for remaining health on level completion
  - Persistent high score across all games

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HOW TO PLAY
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  O  - Move LEFT
  P  - Move RIGHT
  E  - Move UP
  D  - Move DOWN

Navigate from the bottom-left to the EXIT (marked < at the
top-right corner of the maze). Collect dots for points.
Avoid the walls. From Level 4, avoid the hunter too.

Your health (HP) starts at 10 on Level 1 and increases by 5
each level, capped at 25. Surviving with health to spare
earns a bonus: remaining HP x 5 points added to your score.

Controls follow the BASIC 10 competition standard layout,
compatible with QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY keyboards.

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LEVEL PROGRESSION
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  Level 1   Static blue walls. 10 HP. Learn the maze.
  Level 2+  Middle wall section begins to flash blue/black.
             Disorienting. The maze breathes.
  Level 4+  All walls flash. The hunter appears.
             Every dot it reaches is lost forever.
             Every step could be your last.

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SCORING
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  Collecting a dot        +5 points
  Hitting a wall           -1 HP (border flash)
  Hunter contact           -1 HP (border flash)
  Completing a level       +(remaining HP x 5) bonus
  High score               Persists across all games

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EMULATOR SETUP AND HOW TO RUN
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RECOMMENDED EMULATOR: JavaCPC Desktop
  JavaCPC is a full-featured Amstrad CPC emulator written
  in Java, accurately reproducing the CPC 464/664/6128
  including the full character set used by this program.

  Download: https://sourceforge.net/projects/javacpc/
  Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (requires Java Runtime)

HOW TO RUN (JavaCPC Desktop):
  1. Launch JavaCPC Desktop
  2. Go to Drive > Drive A > Insert Disk
  3. Select VOLTAGEMAZE.DSK
  4. At the BASIC prompt type:
       RUN"MAZE"
     and press ENTER
  5. The maze will generate and the game starts

  TIP: The maze generation and initial screen draw can be
  slow at normal emulator speed. Use JavaCPC's Turbo mode
  (hold F9 or use the speed control) until the maze appears,
  then return to normal speed for gameplay.

ALTERNATIVE EMULATOR: WinAPE (Windows only)
  Download: https://www.winape.net
  1. Launch WinAPE, select CPC 464
  2. File > Drive A > Insert Disk Image
  3. Select VOLTAGEMAZE.DSK
  4. Type RUN"MAZE" and press ENTER

TYPING IT IN:
  The program may also be typed directly into any Amstrad CPC
  or emulator at the BASIC prompt. No LOAD statements are
  used; the program runs entirely from the 10-line listing.
  Note: ? may be used in place of PRINT throughout.

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SUBMISSION CHECKLIST
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  [x] Program on disk image (VOLTAGEMAZE.DSK)
  [x] Program source listing (VoltMazeListing.txt)
  [x] Program description and instructions (this file)
  [x] Emulator recommendation and run instructions (this file)
  [x] Character count proof (VoltMazeListingProof.txt)
  [x] Program breakdown (VoltMazeCodeExplanation.txt)
  [x] Screenshot (VoltMaze.png / VoltMaze.gif)
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