Advent of Code 2024 - Day 6

In this readme I detail the puzzle instructions from adventofcode.com/2024/day/6 along with the answers to the puzzle, and any explanation on how I solved it. I typically try to comment the code in such a way that further explanation is not needed, but if things are particularly peculiar then I'll write a little something here.

Instruction Summary

In Guard Gallivant, we travel to the North Pole's prototype suit manufacturing lab in 1518, where a guard patrols a cluttered map following strict rules: they turn right whenever they face an obstacle; otherwise, they take a step forward. In part one, we need to figure out how many unique positions the guard visits before leaving the map. In part two, we work with The Historians to place a single new obstacle that traps the guard in a loop, letting them search the lab safely without causing a time paradox. This task is all about predicting the guard’s movements and carefully planning the obstacle placement.