A Brief Overview of ZZT's Official Releases
Prior to the final official release of ZZT v3.2, a handful of earlier versions were released. Interestingly, at no point after ZZT's initial launch did the core gameplay change. All official versions of ZZT have the same elements, ZZT-OOP, and file formats. While v3.2 is considered the gold standard for ZZT compatibility, games made in older versions run the same in v3.2, and games made in v3.2 run just fine in previous releases.
As such, there's little reason to ever bother with these older versions outside of looking at them as historical artifacts.
ZZT v2.0 [Registered/Shareware]
ZZT v2.0 is the earliest public ZZT release. It is also the only version with a hard release date of January 15th, 1991. In some documents, the program is referred to as "ZZT: The Object-Oriented Game", as object-oriented programming was still a new buzzword in computing.
The obvious question is whether or not there was a ever a ZZT v1.0 release. No evidence indicating such a version has been found. Shareware disks, BBS archives, and early registered copies of ZZT ordered via mail all include v2.0 or later. Perhaps the only hint of pre-v2.0 development comes from DEMO.ZZT where the example water terrain uses different colors than that produced by ZZT's editor.
In ZZT v2.0, "Epic MegaGames" does not yet exist, with the game being published under "Potomac Computer Systems". This is reflected in its included worlds, which received small adjustments to branding throughout ZZT's active development period.
Differences in v2.0 compared to 3.2 include the lack of ZZT.DAT and ZZT.CFG files. Help files are included, but rather than being packed into ZZT.DAT, they are instead individual .HLP files.
Cheats are not enabled by default in v2.0. In order to use cheats, ?+DEBUG must be entered on the cheat prompt beforehand. Additionally the ?-DARK cheat does not exist yet.
When creating a new world, the first board is given the default title of "Introduction Screen" rather than "Title Screen". This can serve as evidence that a world was initially created in ZZT v2.0. (Assuming the author didn't decide to rename the board.)
ZZT v2.0 hints at a world intended to be produced by Tim Sweeney that was never released. If a file named PHYSICS.ZZT is in the same directory as the program, the world menu will give it a special full title in the listing: "The Physics Behind ZZT". It is not known what this world would have contained (, and ZZT isn't known for much in the way of "physics").
Lastly, the copy of Tour included with ZZT v2.0 includes the board Pac-Man used in Caves of ZZT. Later revisions would replace it with Bad part of town from City of ZZT instead.
ZZT v3.0 [Registered/Shareware]
ZZT v3.0 is the program's first update. It adds in a configuration file, and unlike ZZT v3.2, it actually saves your settings rather than asking every time ZZT is launched!
This version bundles all the help files and shareware registration screens into ZZT.DAT.
ZZT v3.0 is noteworthy for a bug with exporting boards that had some potential use. When a board is exported in this version the board exits are not erased. In gameplay, attempting to exit to a board that doesn't exist has no effect.
It has been theorized that the glitch could have been useful when importing many boards from a world into a new file, allowing board exits to persist as long as they were imported into the matching board index in the destination world. Community projects such as ZZTV relied on authors submitting worlds, and it then fell onto the host to import them into a single file. ZZT v3.0 could have been a potential time saver had this been known at the time.
ZZT v3.1 [Registered (Nov. '91)/Registered (Sep. '91)/Shareware]
Abandons the configuration file altogether! The program always reports itself as shareware.
This version introduces the Epic Mega Games branding. An earlier build with the same of unknown origin retains the old Potomac Computer Systems label.
Exporting boards properly erases any board connections.
ZZT v3.2 [Registered/Shareware]
As for ZZT v3.2 itself, it brings back a configuration file which is used only to track whether the program is running as shareware or a registered copy, what world to load on startup, and whether or not to disable access to the editor.
Version 3.2 is included with ZZT's two official world packs, Best of ZZT and ZZT's Revenge. The build used in Best of ZZT is slightly earlier, missing one addition found in the versions for the original saga and ZZT's Revenge
That omitted feature is the addition of the ability to shoot in the most recent direction the player moved by pressing SPACE. A number of engines in ZZT will detect when the player shoots in any direction to trigger some behavior, making it useful as generic button press provided that normal shooting is inhibited.
All builds of 3.2 add the ever important ?-DARK cheat, as well as allowing cheats to be entered without activating debug mode.
Worlds of ZZT [v3.56/v3.57]
One of the more unexpected discoveries in recent years, are two other revisions of ZZT which were not released by Epic (or Potomac). These versions were distributed by Softdisk publishing to be included with their On Disk Monthly disk mailers. ZZT's original source code was given to the company, where Stuart Hardwick tweaked the program as well as the worlds for Softdisk.
That source code, mind you, was eventually found.
The program now calls itself Worlds of ZZT, with the included worlds also being renamed to "ZZT's City" and "ZZT's Town". This version has similarities to v3.0 and v3.1, and was likely created from a work in progress build between those two releases.
The games themselves have branding updates promoting On Disk Monthly and Softdisk, as well as small tweaks to backgrounds on certain boards.
ZZT's City is prominently featured on the disk's catalog which coincides with a new graphical layout. There's some really great promotional material included.
The use of City as one of the worlds provided makes for an alternate method of playing one of the registered worlds prior to the 1997 re-licensing.
The other release contains another renamed and re-branded world, this time ZZT's Town. Unlike ZZT's City, the work done on the game itself is minimal. Aside from the title screen and and copyright on the starting board, the game appears to be identical to Town of ZZT.
This version of ZZT is the latest build of the program prior to the Reconstruction, dated November 1994!
An accompanying text file suggests that a third ZZT world was ready to be included in a future issue, however said issue has yet to be found.
