====== ZZT in the Media ======

===== Reviews =====

  * PC Gamer 19 (December 1995) - written by Scott Wolf, brings up Andrew Wagster
  * [[https://archive.org/details/PC_Review_Issue_9_July_1992/page/n133/mode/2up?q=ZZT+game|PC Review Issue 11 (September 1992)]] - ZZT and (repeated) Super ZZT review on pages 134-135; ZZT gets Performance 8/10, Ease of Use 8/10
  * [[https://archive.org/details/PC_Review_Issue_9_July_1992/page/n133/mode/2up?q=ZZT+game|PC Review Issue 9 (July 1992)]] - Super ZZT review on page 133; Performance 9/10, Ease of Use 8/10
  * PC Format 6 (March 1992) - no further details ATM

===== Interviews =====

==== Tim Sweeney ====

[[https://web.archive.org/web/20120723101424/http://www.team5150.com/~andrew/sweeney/files/tims_archive.zip|Archive of Tim Sweeney interviews and posts, covering a lot of data from 1995 to 2008]]

  * **[[https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132426/from_the_past_to_the_future_tim_.php?print=1|From The Past To The Future: Tim Sweeney Talks]]** - a 2009 Game Developer interview by Benj Edwards, the most expansive interview with regards to ZZT
  * **[[https://www.digitalmzx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12521|Elig's Tim Sweeney interview]]** - 2007
  * **[[https://www.digitalmzx.com/if/herculesmeets-timsweeney.shtml|Hercules meets Tim Sweeney]]** - a 2000 interview focused entirely on ZZT
  * [[https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/classic-tools-retrospective-tim-sweeney-on-the-first-version-of-the-unreal-editor|Classic Tools Retrospective: Tim Sweeney on the first version of the Unreal Editor]] - 2018 Game Developer interview, mentions ZZT's relation to UnrealScript 
  * [[https://venturebeat.com/2012/01/20/epics-3d-graphics-wizard-tim-sweeney-says-business-and-technology-are-intricately-linked-interview/view-all/|Epic’s 3D graphics wizard Tim Sweeney says business and technology are “intricately linked”]] - January 20th, 2012; Venturebeat
  * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20011121083307/http://www.tolstiy.ag.ru/what/sweeney.htm|2001 Tim Sweeney interview]] - Nov 21, 2001; Tolstiy's Place; mentions ZZT and z2 briefly
  * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20000821164351/http://www.planetzztpp.com/interview.htm|1999 Tim Sweeney interview]] - May 25, 1999; conducted by Wouter; ZZT-focused
  * "Epic Megagames im Interview"; DOSshareware 10/92 (German); mentions ZZT and Super ZZT, as well as Epic's early history

==== Others ====

  * [[http://www.zoilus.com/documents/2005/000631.html|Owen Pallett interview]] - 2005

===== Articles =====

  * [[https://www.howtogeek.com/713532/before-fortnite-there-was-zzt-meet-epics-first-game/|Before Fortnite, There Was ZZT: Meet Epic’s First Game]] (How-To Geek, 19th February 2021)
  * [[https://retronauts.com/article/1480/zzts-source-code-has-been-reconstructed|ZZT's source code has been reconstructed]] (Retronauts, 17th March 2020)
  * [[https://retronauts.com/article/1444/reconsidered-zzt|Re(?)Considered: ZZT]] (Retronauts, 28th January 2020)
  * [[https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/have-you-played-zzt|Have you played... ZZT?]] (Rock Paper Shotgun, 23rd October 2019)
  * [[https://obscuritory.com/blog/dig-up-old-custom-worlds-in-the-groundbreaking-museum-of-zzt/|Dig up old custom worlds in the groundbreaking Museum of ZZT]] (The Obscuritory, 29th August 2017)
  * [[https://www.pcgamer.com/international-jetpack-conference-is-a-free-game-made-in-zzt/|International Jetpack Conference is a free game made in ZZT]] (PC Gamer, 10th November 2014)
  * [[https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/21/5128872/epic-classics-ships-last-copy-of-zzt|Epic Classics ships last copy of ZZT]] (Polygon, 21st November 2013)
  * [[https://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/358/great-moments-in-shareware-zzt|Great Moments in Shareware: ZZT]] (Vintage Computing & Gaming, 3rd September 2007)
  * [[https://web.archive.org/web/20010728064119/http://www.justadventure.com/articles/JustASCII/09--ZZT/09.shtm|Just ASCII: Part Nine, ZZT]] (Just Adventure, 2001?)
  * (Hungarian) [[https://archive.org/details/alaplap_1990-2002/alaplap_1993-09/page/44|A csillagok háborúja I.]], about the history of Epic MegaGames and its rivalry with Apogee; mentions ZZT in three paragraphs (Alaplap 1993/09)

===== Books =====

  * **[[https://bossfightbooks.com/products/zzt-by-anna-anthropy|ZZT by Anna Anthropy]]** (Boss Fight Books, 2014)
    * Excerpt (Kotaku): [[https://kotaku.com/before-gears-before-unreal-there-was-zzt-1567410306|Before Gears, before Unreal, there was ZZT]]
    * Reviews: [[https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/zzt-by-anna-anthropy-review/|Paste Magazine]], [[https://heavyfeatherreview.org/2015/03/31/zzt-by-anna-anthropy/|Heavy Feather Review]], [[https://calebjross.com/video-games-can-help-struggling-transgender-teens-a-review-of-zzt-by-anna-anthropy/|Think Games]]
  * [[https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/retro-gaming-hacks/0596009178/ch08s01.html|Retro Gaming Hacks by Chris Kohler]] (O'Reilly, 12th October 2005) - Chapter 8, "Design Games with ZZT"
  * [[https://books.google.com/books?id=zrqz84QUuSEC&pg=PA67|Gaming Hacks by Simon Carless]] (O'Reilly, 2004) - Chapter 1 describes DreamZZT

===== Videos =====

  * **[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhCYQI_XBl0|Preserving Worlds Ep. 2 - ZZT]]** - Interview produced with Dr. Dos for Means TV
  * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqZ0ZvCPCzg|ZZT by Narcissa Wright in 06:41 - SGDQ2014 - Part 102]]

===== Other =====

  * [[https://web.archive.org/web/19991010013339/http://www.epicgames.com/zzt.htm|Official Epic MegaGames ZZT free-of-charge release page]] (1997)
    * [[https://web.archive.org/web/19971122042845/http://www.epicgames.co.uk/wwwboard/messages/13479.html|Freeware release announcement post]] (October 10th, 1997)
  * [[http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_84.pdf|Computer Gaming World #84]] (July 1991) - describes ZZT
  * [[https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.programmer/c/5_kerwWEZMw/m/A9SnFD2wO-AJ|Tim Sweeney, "Games designers -- we publish games!"]] (October 1991) - mentions ZZT having earned $12k up until then

==== Tim Sweeney's Twitter posts ====

  * [[https://twitter.com/TimSweeneyEpic/status/1362769820748546051|ZZT was sort of a prototype Unreal Engine 0, an engine with integrated development tools - but without any of the complications of 3D or even graphics!]] (19th February 2021)
  * [[https://twitter.com/TimSweeneyEpic/status/1246572517164187658|So I busted out my IBM PC keyboard model M. I wrote ZZT and Unreal Engine 1 on this thing. With apologies to Moore's Law, I gotta say - 1984 was peak keyboard. The code just types out better with these keys.]] (5th April 2020)
  * [[https://twitter.com/timsweeneyepic/status/1240282684133380096|Adrian Siekierka reconstructed the lost ZZT source code in Turbo Pascal to create a byte-for-byte replica, released under the MIT license. ZZT was my first game, released in 1991, complete with an editor that made it a sort of prototype Unreal Engine 0.]] (18th March 2020)
    * [[https://twitter.com/TimSweeneyEpic/status/1240308729238769664|It’s my structure but not my variable and function naming and indentation. The ZZT-OOP interpreter is the thing I remember in the most detail. Also, I have to admit - I never fully understood Pascal’s semicolon rules.]]
  * [[https://twitter.com/TimSweeneyEpic/status/1123000510217433088|I’d built a game, ZZT, for fun and thought it had potential. After inviting friends and neighborhood kids over to test it and seeing that they really loved it, I decided to release it publicly. Not just the game, but also the editor, so everyone could build levels.]] (30th April 2019)

===== Unanswered Questions =====

  * The first interview Tim Sweeney gave was for the German magazine "DOSshareware", issue 10/92; does it feature anything about ZZT, given the timing?

====== ZZT (Referenced) in the Media ======

===== Video Games =====

Note: Please don't list all the ZZT clones.

  * Frog Fractions 2 features [[https://museumofzzt.com/article/201/an-interview-with-jim-crawford-frog-fractions-2-and-zzt|TXT WORLD!]].
  * VVVVVV features a "Sweeney's Maze" with enemies loosely inspired by the ZZT centipedes.