diff --git a/src/engine/datatypes.ts b/src/engine/datatypes.ts
index 6b012c1..273e5e4 100644
--- a/src/engine/datatypes.ts
+++ b/src/engine/datatypes.ts
@@ -111,6 +111,15 @@ export class Point {
     let dy = other.y - this.y;
     return Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
   }
+
+  neighbors(): Point[] {
+    return [
+      new Point(this.x, this.y - 1),
+      new Point(this.x - 1, this.y),
+      new Point(this.x, this.y + 1),
+      new Point(this.x + 1, this.y),
+    ];
+  }
 }
 
 export class Size {
@@ -264,19 +273,29 @@ export class Grid<T> {
     return new Grid(this.size, (xy) => cbCell(this.get(xy), xy));
   }
 
-  #checkPosition(position: Point) {
-    if (
+  #invalidPosition(position: Point): boolean {
+    return (
       position.x < 0 ||
       position.x >= this.size.w ||
       Math.floor(position.x) != position.x ||
       position.y < 0 ||
       position.y >= this.size.h ||
       Math.floor(position.y) != position.y
-    ) {
+    );
+  }
+  #checkPosition(position: Point) {
+    if (this.#invalidPosition(position)) {
       throw new Error(`invalid position for ${this.size}: ${position}`);
     }
   }
 
+  maybeGet(position: Point): T | null {
+    if (this.#invalidPosition(position)) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    return this.#data[position.y][position.x];
+  }
+
   get(position: Point): T {
     this.#checkPosition(position);
     return this.#data[position.y][position.x];
diff --git a/src/hotbar.ts b/src/hotbar.ts
index 6c54b38..e396d7c 100644
--- a/src/hotbar.ts
+++ b/src/hotbar.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import { addButton } from "./button.ts";
 import { getPlayerProgress } from "./playerprogress.ts";
 import { getStateManager } from "./statemanager.ts";
 import { getCheckModal } from "./checkmodal.ts";
+//import { LadderPickup } from "./pickups.ts";
+// import { generateMap } from "./mapgen.ts";
 
 type Button = {
   label: string;
@@ -53,6 +55,32 @@ export class Hotbar {
       enabled: true,
       endorse: getPlayerProgress().getBlood() < 100,
     });
+    /*
+    buttons.push({
+      label:"Cheat",
+      cbClick: () => {
+       new LadderPickup().onClick();
+      },
+      enabled: true,
+      endorse: false,
+    })
+    buttons.push({
+      label:"Dig for bad maps",
+      cbClick: () => {
+        let i = 0;
+        try {
+          for(; i < 10000; i++) {
+            generateMap();
+          }
+        } catch(e) {
+          console.log(`Map gen failed after ${i} tries.`);
+        }
+        console.log("Ten thousand maps generated successfully.");
+      },
+      enabled: true,
+      endorse: true,
+    })
+    */
     return buttons;
   }
 
diff --git a/src/mapgen.ts b/src/mapgen.ts
index 6debb86..c275a5e 100644
--- a/src/mapgen.ts
+++ b/src/mapgen.ts
@@ -89,6 +89,72 @@ class Knife {
       }
     }
   }
+
+  showDebug(merged: Record<number, number>) {
+    if (true) {
+      let out = "";
+      let errors: string[] = [];
+      const size = this.#regions.size;
+      for (let y = 0; y < size.h; y++) {
+        for (let x = 0; x < size.w; x++) {
+          const loc = new Point(x, y);
+          out += (() => {
+            if (this.#map.get(loc).architecture == Architecture.Wall) {
+              return this.#sealedWalls.get(loc) ? "◘" : "█";
+            }
+            let r = this.#regions.get(loc);
+            if (typeof r === "number") {
+              const resolved = merged[r];
+              if (typeof resolved === "number") {
+                r = resolved;
+              } else {
+                errors.push(`${loc} is region ${r}, not found in merged`);
+              }
+              if (r < 0) {
+                return "!";
+              }
+              // 0...9 and lowercase
+              if (r < 36) {
+                return r.toString(36);
+              }
+              // uppercase
+              r -= 26;
+              if (r < 36) {
+                return r.toString(36).toUpperCase();
+              }
+              // Greek lowercase
+              r -= 36;
+              if (r < 25) {
+                return String.fromCodePoint(r + 0x3b1);
+              }
+              // Greek uppercase (there is a hole at 0x3a2)
+              r -= 25;
+              if (r < 17) {
+                return String.fromCodePoint(r + 0x391);
+              }
+              r -= 17;
+              if (r < 7) {
+                return String.fromCodePoint(r + 0x3a3);
+              }
+              // Hebrew
+              r -= 7;
+              if (r < 27) {
+                return String.fromCodePoint(r + 0x5d0);
+              }
+              // give up
+              return "?";
+            }
+            return "."; // room without region
+          })();
+        }
+        out += "\n";
+      }
+      console.log(out);
+      if (errors.length > 0) {
+        console.log(`uh-oh: \n\t${errors.join("\n\t")}`);
+      }
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 export function generateMap(): LoadedNewMap {
@@ -99,6 +165,11 @@ export function generateMap(): LoadedNewMap {
       if (e instanceof TryAgainException) {
         continue;
       }
+      if (e instanceof BadMapError) {
+        console.log(`Bad map generated: ${e.message}:`);
+        showDebug(e.badMap);
+        // continue;
+      }
       throw e;
     }
   }
@@ -108,7 +179,7 @@ export function tryGenerateMap(vaultTemplates: VaultTemplate[]): LoadedNewMap {
   let width = WIDTH;
   let height = HEIGHT;
   if (width % 2 == 0 || height % 2 == 0) {
-    throw "must be odd-sized";
+    throw new Error("map bounds must be odd-sized");
   }
 
   let grid = new LoadedNewMap("generated", new Size(width, height));
@@ -484,7 +555,7 @@ function connectRegions(knife: Knife) {
       );
     }
     iter++;
-    showDebug(knife.map);
+    knife.showDebug(merged);
     if (connectors.length == 0) {
       throw new TryAgainException(
         "couldn't figure out how to connect sections",
@@ -498,12 +569,15 @@ function connectRegions(knife: Knife) {
     let sources: number[] = dedup(basicRegions.map((i) => merged[i]));
     let dest: number | undefined = sources.pop();
     if (dest == undefined) {
-      throw "each connector should touch more than one region";
+      throw new BadMapError(
+        `each connector should touch more than one region but ${connector} does not`,
+        knife.map,
+      );
     }
 
     if (Math.random() > EXTRA_CONNECTOR_CHANCE) {
       // at random, don't regard them as merged
-      for (let i = 0; i < knife.region; i++) {
+      for (let i = 0; i <= knife.region; i++) {
         if (sources.indexOf(merged[i]) != -1) {
           merged[i] = dest;
         }
@@ -532,6 +606,12 @@ function connectRegions(knife: Knife) {
     }
     connectors = connectors2;
   }
+  knife.showDebug(merged);
+
+  // The map should now be fully connected.
+  if (!knife.map.isConnected()) {
+    throw new BadMapError("unconnected", knife.map);
+  }
 }
 
 function growMaze(knife: Knife, start: Point) {
@@ -624,7 +704,7 @@ function decorateRoom(_map: LoadedNewMap, _rect: Rect) {}
 
 function randrange(lo: number, hi: number) {
   if (lo >= hi) {
-    throw `randrange: hi must be >= lo, ${hi}, ${lo}`;
+    throw new Error(`randrange: hi must be >= lo, ${hi}, ${lo}`);
   }
 
   return lo + Math.floor(Math.random() * (hi - lo));
@@ -658,3 +738,11 @@ function showDebug(grid: LoadedNewMap) {
 }
 
 class TryAgainException extends Error {}
+class BadMapError extends Error {
+  badMap: LoadedNewMap;
+
+  constructor(msg: string, badMap: LoadedNewMap) {
+    super(msg);
+    this.badMap = badMap;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/newmap.ts b/src/newmap.ts
index 6e12717..4dc5c2f 100644
--- a/src/newmap.ts
+++ b/src/newmap.ts
@@ -105,6 +105,57 @@ export class LoadedNewMap {
   getZoneLabel(point: Point): string | null {
     return this.#zoneLabels.get(point);
   }
+
+  isConnected(): boolean {
+    const size = this.#size;
+    let reached = new Grid<boolean>(size, () => false);
+
+    // find starting location
+    const found: Point | null = (() => {
+      for (let x = 0; x < size.w; x++) {
+        for (let y = 0; y < size.w; y++) {
+          const p = new Point(x, y);
+          if (this.#architecture.get(p) == Architecture.Floor) {
+            return p;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+      return null;
+    })();
+    if (found === null) {
+      // technically, all open floors on the map are indeed connected
+      return true;
+    }
+
+    let stack: Point[] = [found];
+    reached.set(found, true);
+    while (stack.length > 0) {
+      const loc = stack.pop() as Point;
+      for (var p of loc.neighbors()) {
+        if (
+          this.#architecture.maybeGet(p) === Architecture.Floor &&
+          !reached.get(p)
+        ) {
+          reached.set(p, true);
+          stack.push(p);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    for (let x = 0; x < size.w; x++) {
+      for (let y = 0; y < size.w; y++) {
+        const p = new Point(x, y);
+        if (
+          this.#architecture.get(p) == Architecture.Floor &&
+          !reached.get(p)
+        ) {
+          return false;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    return true;
+  }
 }
 
 export class CellView {