The right hand rule

Also called “Rule of the right hand” is a simple logic used for walking labyrinths in games.

Imagine you are in a labyrinth, you are blindfolded and you don’t have a map. Not on a paper, not in your mind.

Don’t panic 😀 Even if it is not a computer game, there must be an exit.

What can you do in this case?

• Touch the wall with your right hand.
• Walk. Without removing your hand from the wall.
• If the wall ends, take right turn.
• Keep walking, while keeping those 3 rules. (Right hand on the wall, and always taking right turns when possible)

Eventually you will exit the labyrinth from the entrance you have entered, or you will find another (or the other) entrance or exit.

There is a popular screen saver in Linux, that does exactly this and can be configured to search in 4 different ways. It is called Maze. A computer can find the exit and the shortest path in a 100×100 grid for less than a minute. It does show the most short way when finished.

We are not computers though. And if we don’t have a map, as some of the games do. The right hand rule can be the only working method to go out of trouble, heal and then come back ;). Have a look:

 

Advantages of the right hand rule.

• Easy to follow.
• Always finds an exit. Even if that means, getting back to the entrance (it is still an exit)
• Does not need a map of the maze.

Disadvantages of the right hand rule.

• Not efficient in large dungeons. (Compare grey and blue way in the picture)
• Will make you go sideway all the time and fight lesser monsters.
• Will never lead you to Exits 2 and 3 in the Maze seen above.
• Some treasure rooms are designed to be elusive for right-hand rule users.
• Not fully suitable for multifloor dungeons.

What can be done to avoid those disadvantages if you want to explore the dungeon fully?

• Try left-hand rule 🙂 It is basically the same. Just use left hand.
• Try reverse pac-man rule. Drop stuff on the ground if the game allows it. Don’t go on places where you already dropped stuff 😉
• Draw a map 😉 I often do 😀