Maze of the Week 91 Redux - Monte Alban (MOTW#180)

June 9, 2025

This redux is the quickest and most minor of all of them. I considered just posting it on the site and skipping this updated blog post. But, this process means showing when things work, when they don’t, and when they are this. Here is the original post for reference:

Maze of the Week #91 - Monte Alban Maze

Here are the enhancements I made to improve the maze:

1. Added Texture. I gave the ground and hills in the background texture. This also changed the color. Both are more accurate.

And…..that’s it.

Let’s check out the before and after:

I think both mazes work, but of course I prefer the new one best ! All the mazes from now on will be new versions of of basic mazes, or completely new mazes !

Some data: The new file is 778MB from 421MB.

I will be replacing the homepage with the new maze going forward. You can find the maze download there !

If you like this type of content check out all of my case studies:

A Collection of Maze Design Case Studies to Improve your Mazes

What I've Learned Making Mazes

Happy maze-ing !

Maze of the Week 92 Redux - Kresge Auditorium (MOTW #179)

June 2, 2025

Of all the re-duxes this was the most difficult for technical reasons. I had to re-make parts of the maze 11 times before I got the final new maze. And along the way I was testing various possible problems as to why things were not appearing in the PNG and PDF files as they were on my screen. So basically I did my changes but couldn’t show them unless you saw my computer screen….so I tested and tested and changed and changed…

Here is my original post:

Maze of the Week #92 - Kresge Auditorium Maze

Here are the enhancements I made to improve the maze:

1. Added textures. That included the grass and the wall on the right side as well as the tree trunk on the left.

2. Changed Size. I reduced the height of the maze from 6 to 5.5 inches, then down to 5 and reduced the lawn.

3. Pathways Widened. The pathways through the windows that make the maze were increased by 20% to make the maze more enjoyable to solve.

And then I made these changes reluctantly to get the maze to render correctly:

4. Moved Writing. The branding and title moved to the top

5. Tree on right eliminated. It was causing problems with the roof ?? I have no idea why

6. Changed the sky. Color slightly different as I played around.

Here is the before and after:

Eh. Not all changes are good changes or meaningful changes. This was more work than it was worth.

Some data: The new file is 680MB from 113MB.

If you like this type of content check out all of my case studies:

A Collection of Maze Design Case Studies to Improve your Mazes

Happy maze-ing !

Maze of the Week 75 Redux - Peter B Lewis Building (MOTW#178)

May 26, 2025

I think the first version of the maze was fine. I made it with shadows and in color which used to be the typical changes I would make on a maze to improve it. But now that I know how to texture items I thought it could use an update. Here is the original post:

Maze of the Week #75 - Peter B Lewis Building Maze

Here are the enhancements I made to improve the maze:

1. Added Texture. And a lot of it. I added new texture on the bushes, to the sidewalk, and to the stone wall on the bottom right next to the entrance windows. All to make the maze look more realistic. Using a slightly different finish, I also added stone finishing to seated area in front of the bushes.

2. Fixed 2 Mistakes. I reworked the shadow off of the bottom left bushes which had bled in to the original maze. I fixed the sky bleeding into the sidewalk on the right side. Oops.

3. Widened Pathways. I changed pathway cuts from 1.5 to 2.5, so +66% larger so the maze is easier to both see and solve.

4. Color change. I de-blued the sky a bit.

So not many changes, but enough to make a difference…maybe ?

Here is the before and after:

It actually looks very similar, but if you were to download and solve it it will be much more enjoyable.

Some data: The new file is 830MB from 130MB. Much bigger.

I will be replacing the maze on the homepage with the new maze going forward. You can find the maze download there !

If you like this type of content check out all of my case studies:

A Collection of Maze Design Case Studies to Improve your Mazes

Happy maze-ing !

Maze of the Week 46 Redux - The Free Stamp (MOTW#177)

May 19, 2025

I think of all the maze updates I have done this is the most different before and after. The initial maze was simple and easy. It could easily be solved by children. For this project the maze did not change, but the surroundings certainly did. Here is my original post:

Maze of the Week #46 - Free Stamp Maze

Here are the enhancements I made to improve the maze:

1. Added the Ground. The maze was floating on the page but no more.

2. Changes Pathway Size. I widened the pathway transitions between colors from anywhere between 50% to 150% so they can be seen more easily.

3. Title Changed. I added the park name, and changed font sizes of labels.

4. Color Changed. I changed the color of the stamp to an off white from pure white to better match the true color of the sculpture.

5. Added Structure Details. I added the stabilizing structure on the ground below the stamp.

6. Arrows Replaced. I replaced the arrows with a written start and goal to allow me to create background items more easily.

7. Changed Size. I reduced the maze size (height minus 1.5 inch) and re-oriented everything down half an inch to reduce the grassy area and sky portions.

8. Added Background details. I added many trees and bushes to the background which are textured. The trees include leaves. I added the large building in the background with color and window details. I may have put more work into the building than the original maze ! If you are a Clevelander you know the building. I added the wall behind on back right bottom between the street and the building. I added the sky. I added the sandy area under the stamp near the new support. All of these things make a more realistic maze.

9. Added Shadows. I added a shadow on the ground from the stamp and another from the largest tree.

This is a big unveil. Before and After: