How to make a maze chase
How to make a Pac-Man-style maze game with AI
Updated
Quick answer
A maze chase is a collecting game with pursuers: clear the maze of dots while enemies hunt you, and turn the tables with a short power-up. Teleplay can build this as your own game, with your own hero, maze and chasers, when you describe those rules. It will not make the original's characters, and a sentence naming them is refused.
Collect-and-escape games to open
What you are actually describing
| Part | What it does | Make it yours with |
|---|---|---|
| The maze | Corridors that force choices | A library at night, a beehive, a server room |
| The pickups | A reason to enter every corridor | Lost socks, gems, dropped tickets |
| The chasers | Pressure, with habits you can learn | Librarians, wasps, security bots |
| The power-up | A short moment of revenge | A loud whistle, a smoke cloud, a magnet |
The genre's trick is that the chasers don't all behave alike. Give each one a habit in plain words: one follows you, one tries to cut you off, one wanders. That gives the player something to read.
An example sentence
Written for this guide rather than taken from a published game. Note that it describes the rules, and never the classic it comes from.
Sneak through a moonlit library maze collecting lost bookmarks while three librarians hunt you, one following, one cutting you off and one wandering, and blow a whistle to send them running for a few seconds.
Getting from that to a good game
1.Keep the first maze small
One screen, no scrolling. A maze that doesn't fit makes the chasers feel unfair.
2.Check the chasers in the first run
Do they differ? If they all follow you, ask in the editor for one that cuts you off.
3.Tune the speeds
Chasers a little slower than you at the start, nearly equal by the third maze.
4.Add mazes last
Plan up to 5 levels on Create, or add one in the editor once the first feels right.
What to expect
Chaser behavior is the part most likely to need a second pass. A build gives you working pursuit, and personality comes from a second pass. Treat the first build as a draft, and describe what you want changed.
Questions
Can I use the name or the characters?
No. A request that names a known character or brand is refused, and the guidelines don't allow them. Describe your own hero and your own chasers.
Can I draw my own maze?
Not by hand. Describe its shape in the sentence, or change it in the editor by saying what should be different.
Does it work on phones?
Yes for playing. Four-way movement suits touch controls, and games made with the code engine draw their own.
Can friends be the chasers?
You can ask for that with With friends chosen, for 2–4 players, and it is a harder game to balance. Build the solo version first.