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and the forests will echo with laughter: super zzt (images!)

 
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 7:31 pm    Post subject: and the forests will echo with laughter: super zzt (images!) Reply with quote

zzt was the first shareware title to be released by epic games (then called "potomac computer systems". it's a text-mode game that uses ascii characters to represent game elements - symbols are recontextualized, level design becomes language, form becomes function, and games are living, breathing ascii art.

the games themselves were created in a freely-distributable level editor, giving them an overall coherence and letting the creator's voice really come through. the editor is a whole other thread, though. it's the games that we're interested in now - specifically, the three super zzt titles, volumes five through seven, which were compiled in a special editor that allows for - among other things - huge scrolling maps rather than single-screen areas.

since i discovered dosbox has a screenshot key (and dosbox runs these games fabulously, with emulated pc speaker sound and windows gamepad support), i realized that the super zzt games have never been documented to my satisfaction. so i am recording each of my adventures in screenshots! first: zzt's monster zoo.

monster zoo was inspired by the popular (but wrong) theory that "zzt" stood for "zoo of zero tolerance". in actuality, tim sweeney picked the name so his game would appear at the end of any alphabetically-organized shareware disc.


title screen to monster zoo by allen pilgrim. it's volume 7 of the series, but this is actually the shareware episode of the super zzt trilogy.


from the animated intro that plays at the start of the game.


starting location! the smiley face as the center is the player. off to the sides are doors to other stages, currently locked. to the north, between the gold arches, is a scroll that explains the backstory.




just past that are crates of ammo - enough for a hundred shots. some simple enemies immediately appear from the right - to the left is a river that's impassable from this direction because the current is flowing right.


the banana tree. the player is advised to collect every banana.




the snake caves. snakes are tricky because shooting them in the center will cause them to split, centipede-style, into two autonomous creatures. in narrow passages they're easy to beat.


yay!




pop quiz!


a small maze of halls and enemies. then, at last:




pulling the level will play a pc speaker rendition of "it's a small world after all" while the river takes you back to the central hub, and from there to...






"lion alert!" lions are not too aggressive, but here they come from all directions. you are given 30 rounds of ammo before entering this section.


and here's the magic forest. what's magic about it is that all the trees talk. you need to locate a secret panel to escape.


ogres are tough creatures that shoot back at you and take several shots to destroy.


grues! harmless if you have a means to placate them - otherwise they'll kill you. hopefully you heeded one of the game's earlier warnings. "adventure!"


and that's it for this level. onward to...


a change from the combat of level 2, level 3 is more puzzle-oriented.


uh oh.


using a nook to dodge fire.


lost in a maze.


hidden bonus!




this hub links the four quadrants of level 3.


this part is a tricky two-layer maze: first you have to navigate those one-way arrows to find the passage into those diamond-shaped rooms, then you have to find the green key hidden in the maze of rooms.


fuck.


the third quadrant involves finding a way to that key in the middle. the walls contain secret passages, but are also full of dangerous snakes. by watching the snakes you can identify some of the secret passages.


the final quadrant is a big puzzle of keys and locked doors. you need three keys to reach the exit key, but if you're crafty (and a good counter) you can loot almost all of the rooms. one of them contains a dirty trick, though, so you're advised to save first.






the final puzzle, which requires three keys to access. the red blocks can be pushed in any direction, the arrows only in the directions they're pointing. the green pushers will push anything in the direction they're facing if they're able.


key retrieved!




the current of the zzt river will take you...


...all the way back to the level 1 hub.




level 4 is the aquarium, a tricky swimming puzzle that wraps around. the currents in the water will push you. "oh no! the zoo keeper."




caught in a whirlpool. see them?


the infamous sea monster. it spits dangerous flashing stars that chase you. both the monster and its projectiles are indestructible.






when you reach this island containing the exit key, the fish begin shooting.


across the bridge you'll find the dreaded turtles, who won't harm you but will try to knock you off into the water.


boo!




if you find the key, you can gain admittance to this mystery hideout!


a special bonus is hidden somewhere in the building.


another bonus.


finally, the exit!


fuck.


these notes play music when touched. the red key is hidden somewhere amongst the islands, and will let you escape to...




spiders aren't able to leave their webs but move very quickly. a nice touch is that the webs deform when bullets pass through them.


here be dragons.




forboding!


these dragon pups don't attack, but...


their parents do! dragons are invincible, so don't waste your ammo on them.


the toll bridge charges 2 gems to cross, but you can get advice for free:




on the other side of the river is the cage of puff the dragon. if you can deal with the dragon you'll find the exit.


whoops, better go back.




the entrance to the tunnel.


uh oh.




grr.


with key in hand, i can proceed.


the final door.


that's not encouraging.




slime spreads like the amoeba in boulder dash. if left unchecked, it will make it very hard to return to the purple door. if you find the blue key, you can use the slime zapper to help clear the area.


uh oh.




these rotators make passing this area tricky.


the bees are dangerous, but mortal.




UH OH.




guards patrol outside the zoo keeper's chambers. hidden in the level is a way to placate the zoo keeper, allowing you to escape. i do not recommend impinging on the zoo keeper's good faith.


finally!


level 7 contains the hall of music, where you can listen to pc speaker arrangements of public domain songs.


there's also a jacuzzi!


and a snack bar.


your remaining ammo and health are converted to points. note the typo in this last message.


ha!

next: zzt's proving grounds.
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great stuff, dess!
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wow -- i never did play super zzt. are the graphics that smooshed, or is that an effect of dosbox's screenshotting?
i was pretty great at the original zzt, though. i'm going to have to find the fully registered version of it. and lots of games. and megazeux, later. and.... god. that's about a month's worth of playing things right there,
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

yeah, super zzt runs in a different graphics mode than the original. i like it because characters are square rather than rectangular.

as far as i know, zzt - and super zzt, since there's a download link on the wikipedia page - are freeware now.
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

today's adventure: zzt's proving grounds. i like to compare this to jill goes underground from the jill of the jungle trilogy because it has no real unifying theme and is really just a romp through some very videogamey arrangements of game elements.


"how did you end up here? bad luck! how can you escape? conquer all SEVEN levels! (not an easy task)"


title screen!


starting location. you can see locked doors leading to later levels, but all things in time.




monsters show up as soon as you grab some ammo.


note the passage to level 2 above. you can't pass that block from this direction, though.




some bullets to dodge.


these bullets bounce back and forth. you can't pass over the lava, so you'll have to take the long way round.


the door to level 7 slams shut as soon as you approach.




hooray!


now we can push that block out of the way.


lost forest, huh? sounds like someplace worth visiting.


the river takes us to level 2.


dr. bob is a recurring character from an earlier zzt game, "city of zzt". he doesn't appear personally in this game, but his hideout is by no means unguarded.


the entrance to the hideout is initially locked. the key is hidden amongst the islands.




uh oh.


the first of dr. bob's security measures is this hall of bouncing bullets.


next, this fountain spits indestructable homing stars.


finally, pushing one of these blocks out of the way unleashes an endless horde of enemies.




outta here!


the hideous level III maze.


hooray!


to exit the level you need to collect seven keys, which are scattered throughout the maze.


purple is nearby.


the red key's at the center of these snake-infested passages. unlike the monster zoo's snake chamber, though, these snakes won't deviate from their circular path, so you can travel in between them.


the blue key slides out of your reach when you try to grab it, and you have to find a new route to it.


the white key is somewhere in these twisty passages.


monsters attack. "ho..."


"...boy." yup, it's a reprise of the two-layer maze, but there's more on the far side of the maze.


the yellow key is past this obstacle.


and last, the green.


now i can escape the maze!


on a bank of the zzt river.


hooray!


each segment of the spiral of death houses a different type of enemy.


lions.


tigers, who shoot back at you.


rotons.


hooray!


the house of the lunatic is level 5.


using blocks to block gunfire. that wasn't so...


...hard.


grumble grumble.


into the lawn. those green forest squares are cleared away when you touch them - setting free the roaming enemies.


a block puzzle awaits in the den.


ha! that wasn't so...


...hard.


the garden is full of enemies.


at last!


hooray!!


the zzt river returns us again to level 1.


note that the path to level 7 is now blocked off.


on to level 6, the infinite whirlpool. it's not quite infinite, but it is the longest level in the game. the whirlpool is a gauntlet of puzzles and setpieces.


in this room, you have to time your shots to shoot past the gates, destroying that upper wall so the pusher will move out of your way.


if you try to get those gems, you'll get trapped.


another key puzzle. heed the old man!




wrestling with currents.




argh.


the things blocking the keys are bombs, which explode when touched. the purple shape is a shield, which temporarily protects you from damage. i think you see what to do here.


hmm...




right at the end, this is a great place to screw up and get trapped forever.


"fool-hearty". the final challenge looms.


the path to level 7 is open again.


now we can enter that passage.


hooray and hooray!


this is it! just follow the path.


"xyzzy" is a magic word from the colossal cave adventure, an early text adventure. it can also be seen in a secret passage in "city of zzt".


carefully using moving walls to evade fire.


here the trail is lined with invisible walls, save for a few spots where the lions can get in at you.


uh oh.




road's end!




hooray!


credits! here remaining ammo, gems and health are tallied for points.




journey's end, but the lost forest awaits!



next: zzt's lost forest.
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

love love love this thread!! i just downloaded the original zzt and will just into maz soonish...

so, hey, dess. how are you playing the games? i seem to remember, long long ago, in dos holding an arrow key down would keep you moving until you lifted up your finger -- you'd stop immediately. now, in dosbox, there's a bit of marioesque slide after i lift up the key. it makes things a lot more difficult and imprecise!
the mouse interface just seems too clumsy, and i haven't tried the joystick yet. it may be nice with a playstation pad..
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i'm actually using a saturn pad, with the buttons mapped to cursor keys (using joytokey) and zzt in keyboard mode. i have a button mapped to "shift" and another to "enter". incredibly, it works!
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PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 7:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

and the conclusion: zzt's lost forest. unlike the earlier episodes, this game can be explored in a less linear order, though you do need to visit certain places to gain access to others. it's also the most consistant in story and theme. and in contrast to monster zoo's vibrant selection of colors and proving ground's drab, understated visuals, lost forest has a hand-chosen palette in all the colors of autumn.


unlike the others', lost forest's opening demo contains no previews of stages or enemies that you may encounter, only ascii art.


title screen. look at that shadow peeping from behind the trees!


starting location. a tree stands to the right.




entering the forest.


so this is where the river ends. the bridge has been destroyed before? hmm...


crossing the bridge.


the line is from "stairway to heaven", and not the first time led zeppelin has been quoted in a zzt game.


the path to elder oak's grove.




the prophet, elder oak.


the quest. every tree that you speak with plays a flutey, pc speaker melody.


before leaving for the clearing, we can gain our first stone of power. the appearance of the stones changes rapidly and can't be captured in a screenshot.


the clearing. we'll return when we've gathered the stones, but for now we'll take those keys, which will open the way to other parts of the forest.


nearby is the site of one stone.


waking a committee member will cause it to shoot at the others, who will in turn wake and shoot back. the key is to isolate each from the others before awakening it.


success gains you admission to the zap factory.


you can't shoot in the factory, but these arrows, which can be pushed around, will redirect shots from a stationary gun you can fire. arrange the arrows to break walls and get keys.


your reward is another stone.


another stone can be found above the clearing, using a key found outside the factory entrance.


one of the keys from the clearing gains us admittance to the spider caves.


spiders move quickly, dodging your shots. they're confined to their webs, but trying to cross a spider-infested web is a bad idea. note the door on the right, to which we don't yet have the key.


below are caves of creepy crawlies.


this is actually a race...


...to get past before the guns are exposed.


success means another stone of power.


the second key from the clearing allows us to travel upriver.


these tigers shoot at you across the lava. you have to go the long way round to get at them.


the deep dark forest is the home to another stone.


uh oh.


the deep dark forest is an enormous maze.




you can pick up those first two gems with no penalty. collecting the ammo will activate that gun, and grabbing the last two gems will trap you.


some supplies before entering the cave proper.


this sentry patrols the cave, firing when it sees you. duck into nooks to avoid bullets.


at the end of the hall is the next stone.


further upriver, you'll find the zzt dam.


inside the dam is an elaborate two-part slider puzzle.


solving the puzzle will grant you access to the control lever.




jumping in the waters and riding them back downriver.


the bridge has been smashed and we can proceed even further down the river.


these moving gates threaten to knock you into the water.


on the bank of the river is the penultimate stone. only one left!


near the dam was the key to that door we passed earlier.


what could it mean?


uh oh.


careful! those are bear traps strewn across the ground, and enemies coming our way.


up here, a puzzle: how to get the key without getting mobbed by those monsters?


passing this gate is the next puzzle.


the woodsman's hideout is guarded by automatic weapons.


the final gauntlet: taking that key will release the monsters.


finally, all seven stones are collected.


the gate in the clearing is now open to us.








hey, what's going on here?






the domain of your adversary.


our first task is to manipulate this robot, by pressing the buttons, to build a bridge that will get us safely past those guns.


next, a slider puzzle.






in this small grove, an ancient tree gives you a final bit of advice on the weaknesses of your final opponent.


before the battle, you're given a pep talk. ending with the words "you're gonna get killed", it's not very encouraging. the final foe is the largest and most formidable enemy you've faced, and the battle is a suitable conclusion to the zzt series.


winning the battle, you're finally free to advance to the ending.




your remaining ammo, gems and health are converted to points, one final time.



and such is the end of the zzt series, and the beginning of everything else. epic megagames followed super zzt with jill of the jungle, whose level design shares similiar qualities with the super zzt games. pc shareware entered its golden age, then waned. epic megagames changed their name to epic games and released unreal. now they produce gears of war, and the days of the forests are behind them.
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PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2007 8:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i really love zzt, but i loathe super zzt.

good work though, dess. nice to see someone else knows about all this stuff.
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2007 12:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

super zzt never got the love that zzt did, probably because its editor is so unpolished*. i think that games made with it are gorgeous, though. playing the trilogy made me want to put together my own. i don't know if i will.

* technically, the editor isn't a supported feature of super zzt - unlike the original zzt - and is only accessible through a secret command line argument!
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PostPosted: Fri May 11, 2007 7:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dessgeega wrote:
super zzt never got the love that zzt did, probably because its editor is so unpolished*. i think that games made with it are gorgeous, though. playing the trilogy made me want to put together my own. i don't know if i will.

* technically, the editor isn't a supported feature of super zzt - unlike the original zzt - and is only accessible through a secret command line argument!


yep.

i think the resolution was what threw me off the most. it was a lot less clean looking than zzt.
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 1:13 pm    Post subject: a little history Reply with quote

Super ZZT is the successor to ZZT, created by Allen Pilgrim and Tim Sweeney of Epic Games (then Epic MegaGames). Like its predecessor, Super ZZT was essentially a game creation system with a few games packaged Generic Viagra with it, which included Lost Forest, Monster Zoo, and Proving Grounds. Like ZZT, the greatest draw to its sequel was the level editor which allowed players to create their own games. The editor itself was somewhat "hidden" by the creators, perhaps because it was not quite as polished as they wanted in time for the release. It was necessary to add the argument /e to the command line when loading Super ZZT, and then to press E to enter the editor.

Some changes to this version include floor textures, new prefabricated enemies and objects, and scrolling maps, allowing for much larger worlds than ZZT would allow. Although Super ZZT is in many ways a vast improvement over ZZT, it never caught on with the ZZT community like the original ZZT did, and very few games were ever created for Super ZZT. However, notable game creation group Interactive Fantasies did create 3 Super ZZT games.
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:45 pm    Post subject: Super ZZT Cheats Reply with quote

Platform: PC

Super ZZT Board Editor
To edit the game's levels, start a game with the command "SUPERZ /E".

Super ZZT Cheat Codes
While playing, hold SHIFT and press ?. A black Cheap Generic Drugs box will appear where you enter one of the codes below.

Code Effect
gems Gain gems
zap Clear surrouding four squares
ammo Gain ammo
+debug Debug mode (how does this work?)
-debug Disable debug mode
health Healing
z Gain a stone of power
noz Lose a stone of power
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