We continue to work on our Java program finalizing it. In the end we were able to complete the easy problem sets and 2 medium problem sets. We also started to refine the "pathing" algorithm by debugging possible alternatives than the default path it took by computing adjacent tile values by the signals the robot gets as it moves along the maze. This was huge in us allowing us to confidently avoid pits and find the gold more safely. We also did some housekeeping so we could easily input maze problems with a text file instead of hardcoding the maze in the code itself. We also implemented unittests so we can mass-test multiple mazes at once and understand how our algorithm worked for the bulk of the provided problems. 

Presentation Day!

Presentation Day was a success! After finalizing our algorithm, we tackled a major bug in our code related to finding the shortest path home. The issue stemmed from the program failing to properly register the state change after finding the gold. Instead of transitioning to “return home” mode, it remained in “exploring” mode, continuing to search for additional dangers or gold. Once we identified the problem, we implemented a fix in the logic to correctly register the action of capturing the gold. This improvement significantly sped up the solution time, reducing it from approximately 36 seconds to just 16 seconds.

During the presentation, we put our algorithm to the test and were able to solve all the medium puzzles and even the hardest ones Bram threw at us! Our solution performed with both accuracy and efficiency, leaving us feeling proud of the work we accomplished.