ZZT is dead?

[Quantum P.]

I was recently skimming an article on the top 100 Doom WADs, and having never done much with Doom, I decided to download a few WADs. In order to play some of the WADs, not only do you need a port of the Doom engine, but also the original Doom WADs (or Freedoom equivalents). Once I knew this, it was easy to get everything configured, but it took me a day to figure this out.

Then I thought, this is what it's like for new people to get ZZT running. It's really easy to download DOSBox, ZZT, and a few ZZT games -- if you know what you're doing. That's why I really like the idea of a DOSBox/ZZT/top games bundle -- it would make the experience not just easier and less time-consuming, but smoother. Download, run, there is no step three.

It would be nice to just have a torrent, but it would seem like linking the pirate bay or something on the frontpage would be in poor taste.

There are more respectable trackers out there, if that's what you're worried about. Or we could host the .torrent file locally (and hope the users don't look at the tracker URLs). Or I could set up our own tracker and maybe lock it down so random strangers can't point torrents to it.

[Microwave]

Let's co-op some Doom sometime. Anyway, yeah isn't that what Demonoid/Underground Gamer does? I have an account for both but don't know how the tracker thing works with members, if that's just restricting the torrent searching or the trackers themselves.

[wil]

Someone linked me to the entire zarchive probably in 2004. I played through the 2,000 largest files (deleting all the smallest ones) and from these selected 72 items that showed concept beyond their created medium, ignoring all quibbles over quality. ZZT fostered the bizarre, and the closer we got to it, the more we were celebrating what made ZZT different from making your games the traditional way. I also included a run-on advert that ran in some zzt mag that never got released, because I'm a bitch.

I recently found this selection again. If a zzt bible is made, I recommend this list of games be summoned to play Deuteronomy to the Numbers of more popular titles.

http://keysick.com/bestofzarch/

[Zenith Nadir]

i like how MADF and Pure Funk are in there, those are definitely unique games. yes, unique.

and cave adventure by darkmage! that game was very inspiring to me, many moons ago

sombrero isn't there. i'm angry about this irl, raah

[wil]

2,000 games become sort of a blur. Then they become a lot of a blur. Then it stops mattering. I may not have legitimate reasons for any of my decisions.

Edit: omgomgomg nonono i remember sombrero! It made the second cut, specifically because of the night club board winning me over. Looking back i don't remember why I decided not to include it.

[Commodore]

the score is pretty cool. a little slow in the first part, then its over too quick but the fluctuating market is a really nice touch.

[RobertP]

That Run-On ad is in IFantasy 10, I think.

A lot of those weird games are fun to play! Some are a bit disturbing and others are hilarious. ZZT's a punk.

[Dark-Star]

That Run-On ad is in IFantasy 10, I think.

A lot of those weird games are fun to play! Some are a bit disturbing and others are hilarious. ZZT's a punk.

So true! NOPOINT had me laughing out loud at the whackiest things, and Burger Joint is 2nd on my list for Best Semirandomness in a Video Game.

[Aith]

Wow, it has been a long time...

How's it going guys? ;)

[Nixon]

Made... well sort of. A throw together in 15 minutes.

www.nixon.site90.net/PlayZZT.zip

[tom.etc]

i carry zzt around on my winmo phone using pocketdos. kiss my comander keen

[Dark-Star]

Then I thought, this is what it's like for new people to get ZZT running. It's really easy to download DOSBox, ZZT, and a few ZZT games -- if you know what you're doing. That's why I really like the idea of a DOSBox/ZZT/top games bundle -- it would make the experience not just easier and less time-consuming, but smoother. Download, run, there is no step three.

Dosbox, ZZT, top games. Got it. The top 50 or so should be plenty.

Now the only thing is making it truly 'portable'. Ideally the process would be no simpler than downloading the .ZIP file, extracting to a directory and double-clicking. No install dialog, no nothing.

I know Dosbox can be told to auto-execute commands, that'll help. Shouldn't be too hard to tell it to auto-mount a subdirectory for zzt (included in the ZIP), CD to that and run it.

First thing is to see if anybody has already made a portable version of Dosbox...

I'll keep you all updated on the progress.

UPDATE:

ZZT_PTBL (DOS-character-limited abbreviation of "ZZT Portable") Beta 1 features:
-Direct starting of ZZT game, no need to type anything at the DOS prompt.
-ALL the Featured Games plus companion files for a few of them.
-The Kevedit external editor/ (an absolute godsend for ZZT editing, speaking from experience)
-Three steps: Unzip to c:\ drive, go to the extracted folder, select the Dosbox executable.
-A very basic readme file.

TO DO:
-Add a file with all the FG reviews so people can have an idea of what they might like to try first.
-See how to make it so that you can extract the folder anywhere (not just to the c:\ drive) and make Dosbox work from wherever it is.
-Make a version for Linux users. I'd also love to make one for Macs, but I haven't used a Mac since middle school.

[Nixon]

Have a look at this then. www.nixon.site90.net/PlayZZT.zip It has config files that swaps around for the different folders. Has GOTM, GOTMC, And someones list of games.