My First University Project: A Java Maze Game

The Beginning

This maze puzzle game was my first substantial programming project at university and my introduction to collaborative software development.

In January 2023, my team completed our first-semester Java programming course with a final project: build something interactive demonstrating core programming concepts. The constraints were simple: pure Java, Swing GUI, no external frameworks.

The Concept

The implementation requirements:

• Generate random mazes using procedural algorithms
• Keyboard navigation from start to finish
• Three difficulty levels based on maze size
• Pathfinding-based solution display

The project scope was appropriate for a first-semester final: complex enough to require algorithm understanding and team coordination, but achievable within the deadline.

Team Collaboration

This project introduced the practical challenges of collaborative development: Git workflows, merge conflicts, and coordinating changes across a shared codebase.

We divided responsibilities:

• Maze generation algorithm implementation
• GUI and user interaction design
• Pathfinding algorithm for solution display
• System integration and game state management

Coordinating parallel development proved more challenging than the algorithms themselves, requiring clear communication and task boundaries.

The Challenges

1. Maze Generation

After researching several algorithms (recursive backtracking, Prim's, Kruskal's), we implemented recursive backtracking based on its balance of simplicity and maze quality.

Seeing the algorithm visualized in real-time clarified how recursive decision-making creates branching structures, making the abstract concept concrete.

2. Pathfinding Implementation

The solution display feature required implementing breadth-first search to find the shortest path. The main debugging challenge involved coordinate system confusion (X/Y axis swapping), which caused the solution path to render incorrectly.

3. Difficulty Calibration

Three grid sizes provided varying challenge levels:

• Easy: 10×10 grid — Manageable complexity
• Medium: 15×15 grid — Moderate challenge
• Hard: 20×20 grid — Substantial difficulty

Larger grids increased complexity naturally through longer solution paths and more dead ends, making the 20×20 configuration genuinely challenging.

Technical Lessons

This project clarified several concepts:

1. Algorithms as Practical Tools

Implementing maze generation and pathfinding demonstrated that algorithms solve concrete problems, not just theoretical exercises.

2. Debugging as Learning

Fixing edge cases, null pointer exceptions, and mode-specific bugs required understanding code behavior at a deeper level than initial implementation.

3. Collaborative Development

Version control conflicts, coding style inconsistencies, and task coordination required communication skills as much as technical ones.

4. User Experience

Initial functionality wasn't sufficient. Usability feedback drove improvements to UI clarity, color schemes, and interaction responsiveness.

Project Outcome

Submitted on January 31st, 2023. The codebase remains archived — messy variable names, unoptimized logic, but a complete working implementation from a team of first-semester students learning collaborative development.

Interactive Recreation

I recreated the maze game for this blog using React, TypeScript, and SVG rendering. The implementation preserves the original functionality: three difficulty levels, keyboard navigation, and BFS-based solution display.

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This first university project provided practical experience with algorithm implementation, collaborative development, and the full project lifecycle from requirements to delivery.