A terminal-based maze game written in C++ where you navigate through a large ASCII maze while being hunted by ghosts — now with settings, smarter scoring, two ghost AI modes, and in-memory leaderboards.

Maze Runner is a console maze game developed as a university project for Shahid Chamran University (SCU). Your goal is simple: survive, avoid ghosts, and reach the exit. The challenge comes from configurable ghost behavior, limited lives, and score pressure.

This version is a major upgrade over the previous one, focusing on:

• Better game control via settings
• Two different ghost movement models
• Improved UI inside the terminal
• Clean separation of gameplay logic

• 🧱 Large ASCII Maze (51×76)
• 👻 Configurable Ghost Enemies (1–10 ghosts)
• 🧠 Two Ghost Movement Modes
  • Movement-based (every N player moves)
  • Time-based (every X seconds)
• ❤️ Custom Lives System (1–10 hearts)
• 🏆 Score System with optional smart scoring
• 📊 Top-20 In-Memory Leaderboard (sorted)
• ⚙️ Full Settings Menu (change difficulty at runtime)
• 🕹️ Real-Time Controls using conio.h
• 🧪 Hidden Cheat Modes (intentional 👀)

Controls are case-insensitive.

• Windows OS
• C++ compiler (GCC / MinGW or MSVC)
• conio.h support (Windows-only)

GCC / MinGW

g++ app.cpp -o maze_runner

MSVC

cl app.cpp /Fe:maze_runner.exe

maze_runner.exe

MAZE RUNNER/
├── app.cpp      # Entire game logic
└── README.md    # Documentation

No external files are required. Game history is stored in memory only (per run).

• Starts at the first empty space in the maze
• Represented by P
• Has limited hearts (configurable)

• Represented by G
• Spawn randomly on empty tiles
• Chase the player directly (greedy movement)
• Can move:
  • Every N moves (movement-based)
  • Every X seconds (time-based)

• Represented by O
• Reaching it ends the game with bonus score

• +20 points for reaching the exit
• −5 points when caught by a ghost
• Optional Smart Scoring:
  • Rewards faster completion
  • Gives bonus for remaining lives

• Happens when lives reach 0
• Score resets to 0 and is added to history

Accessible from the main menu.

You can modify:

• Number of ghosts (1–10)
• Ghost speed (1–20)
• Player hearts (1–10)
• Enable / disable smart scoring
• Switch ghost movement mode
• Adjust time interval (time-based mode only)

All changes apply immediately.

• Ghosts move every N player actions
• More predictable
• Easier to plan around

• Ghosts move even if player does nothing
• Uses clock() for timing
• More pressure, harder gameplay

• Stored in memory using vector
• Sorted automatically (highest score first)
• Displays top 20 players only
• Reset when program exits

• Windows-only (conio.h, system("cls"))
• Ghost AI is direct and non-pathfinding
• No save/load between runs
• ASCII rendering depends on terminal width

• Cross-platform (remove conio.h)
• File-based persistent leaderboard
• Pathfinding ghosts (BFS / A*)
• Dynamic maze generation
• Difficulty presets
• Sound effects

twiddllo

Shahid Chamran University (SCU)

Open-source, educational use only.

This project prioritizes clarity, control, and raw logic over polish. If something feels hard — that’s intentional.