🧭 Maze Escape (C# Desktop App)

Maze Runner is a C# desktop application that visually demonstrates how classic pathfinding algorithms like Depth-First Search (DFS) and Breadth-First Search (BFS) solve a maze. It features a colorful, real-time interface that helps users understand how these algorithms work step-by-step.

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🚀 Features

• 🔷 Real-time visualization of DFS and BFS
• 🟥 Start (Robot), 🟩 Goal (Target), 🟦 Frontier nodes, and 🟦 Explored (Closed set)
• 🟨 Final path from start to goal
• 📈 Metrics shown: Nodes Expanded, Steps Taken, and Path Distance
• 🧹 Maze generation and board clearing
• 🔘 Cell shape options (e.g., Square)
• 🎛️ Interactive GUI with buttons and algorithm selection

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🧰 Technologies Used

• Language: C#
• Framework: .NET (Windows Forms)
• GUI: Windows Forms

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🧠 Algorithms

✅ Breadth-First Search (BFS)

• Explores all neighbors at the current depth before going deeper.
• Guaranteed to find the shortest path in unweighted mazes.

🔄 Depth-First Search (DFS)

• Explores paths as deep as possible before backtracking.
• May not find the shortest path but is easier to implement.

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📊 Example Output (from GUI)

Nodes expanded: 176
Steps: 164
Distance: 2,624.0

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📌 Controls

• Maze: Generate a new maze
• Clear: Reset the board
• Real-Time: Begin algorithm animation
• DFS / BFS: Select the algorithm (one at a time)

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🛠️ Future Improvements

• Add more advanced algorithms like A* or Dijkstra
• Implement performance tuning (speed slider)
• Save maze or export path data

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to submit pull requests or suggest new features.