Happy "I haven't published anything in a month-and-a-half day!".
Sorry, October is Oktrollberfest of course, and that always eats into my time. Then when the jam was finally over, I wanted to wait until the judging was done so there was no confusion between Itch and Museum copies of files in case of any post-judgment fixes intended for here. And then I still took my sweet time getting around to this.
So thanks to the backlog we've got ourselves a number of previously streamed unreleased ZZT worlds from the past, and the first batch of some Oktrollberfest submissions, with more on the way next week to give the current ones some time above the fold on the front page. Odds are fairly good if you're active in the ZZT community, you're quite well aware of them already.
As for the older titles though, the biggest find by far, is Commodore's Space Fork, which aside from being another incredibly feat of coding, also finally brings a single result for ZZT games released in 2011. Yes, not a single world was known to be released that year for more than decade. The best part? It's incredibly unambiguous. The title screen says 2011. The file date says 2011. It's 2011 baby.
The origin of the file comes from an old backup of z2 where it was found in the uploaded files directory so it's even the original zip. What luck! ZZT didn't even die in the year that ZZT famously died.
And with that, let's see what I've got to publish today...
Contents
“Space Fork” by Commodore (2011)
Well, I've got to start off with this one. Sure this one kind of becomes notable by default just due to the year in which it was originally meant to be released, but after actually playing it on stream, it was quickly revealed to be another banger from Commodore.
It is an incomplete project dump, so there's only so much players can actually do, and more than a few instances of passages that lead to the title screen, but there's enough of the game to get a feel for what Commodore wanted to do here. Players fly around a local star system, taking jobs, trading cargo, and fighting off space pirates. There are survival elements as you have to manage your ship's energy which drains as you move around the map (similarly to water in Commodore's ZZT adaption of Wasteland).
The combat though, is really something else. Inspired by the likes of Super Star Trek and remakes such as EGA Trek, players adjust their distance from enemy ships, divert power to and from shields, launch photo torpedoes, and blast entire squadrons with wide-area phasers. It's really incredible seeing how much Commodore was able to successfully replicate here, and the non-combat portions of the game indicate players would be able to upgrade their ship over the course of the game as well. An external bestiary of enemy ships gives the rundown on what you might run into, and while at first it seems like the combat encounters may be fixed as you bump into objects on the main map to initiate combat, silenced duplicators slowly repopulate the sector. So yes, the engine is also robust enough to be reused repeatedly throughout the course of the game.
It's pretty stellar.
“Kitten Hallway ]I[:Return of Kitten Hallway:End of Kitten Hallway:Kitten Hellway” by LOVELOVEKITTY, WiL (2023)
Program Description
"Please Enjoy Kitten Hallway 3: Return of Kitten Hallway: End of Kitten Hallway: Hallway Harder: Kitten Hellway, an incremental rpg / arcade / action game for Weave 3.2f."
For other games based around an upgrade loop, LoveLoveKitty and WiL's entry to Oktrollberfest this year has you covered. A fast-paced arcade-styled game in which your kitten must survive for as long as possible on a highway. Er, Hellway.
There are no cars to worry about here, just an unending variety of funky demonic creatures made for the game's custom character set. Run into the demons to defeat them, but don't run into the same color twice! And watch out for the hell blob that will bring an end to most runs.
As you mismatch monsters for points, you can spend them on a variety of upgrades, expanding the character roster, increasing the spawn rate, giving yourself more lives, and adding more colors into the mix to make it easier to avoid duplicates. This is a game with quite the progression system, and one that's more fun than fuss, which you can never be too sure about with an Oktrollberfest game.
“Samantha Arantes is Spiritually Drained by the Gig Economy” by RT-55J (2023)
And if you like repetitive action, poor Samantha here is stuck doing menial labor for gig jobs while her suit is at the cleaners. RT-55J brings the fan favorite character back in a hilarious game depicting the struggles of the gig economy. Clean mysterious gunk out of swimming pools! Recycle sliders! Mow lawns! Scare children until they cry! (With delight?)
Each miserable job Samantha takes consists of its own novel engine, with a lot of really unique material despite often focusing on ZZT's basic elements. That's hard to do after all these years, especially to have so many of them be hits. There's something tranquil about most of these jobs that almost makes the miserable pay worth it.
All of this is, of course, sandwiched between some excellent art boards where RT-55J depicts Samantha in complex poses, from creative angles making for some really impressive visuals to boot! Plus, an unexpected ending!
“La Vie Moderne IV: Je M'Apelle BITE ME” by Snorb (2023)
Another Oktrollberfest tradition. Snorb once again delivers a La Vie game parodying a classic ZZT world. This time the target is the first Best of ZZT world, which tends to be regarded these days as anything but the best. All the annoyances are there, from miserable excursions into canyons, to the many lies about what players will actually find on the island they've been stranded on. The ending is just as silly as always too.
In some ways, it's almost easier than the original with the player character rightfully angry about all the misery they expect and a genuine relief when Snorb realizes that a troll game doesn't mean a bad game.
“Chicken Shock” by kristomu (2023)
Lastly, of this batch of Oktrollberfest submissions is kristomu's Chicken Shock, a straight-forward no-frills ZZT adventure like any other ZZT world you'd play. Some chicken wire on the farm needs to be cut. Go get some wire cutters. What could be easier?
Well, okay, yeah it's not that easy. The entire game is essentially one big shaggy dog story as the player heads to the store, but the electronic door has a bad network cable and is locked. So it's off to the computer store, but they're all out of ethernet cables which are set to arrive via boat today. But the boat can't dock until the port is available as it's currently taken up by a naval ship. But the ship can't leave because it's out of uranium for its nuclear reactor...
It goes on of course, even to the point of the player boarding a UFO and cleaning up a reactor leak without hopefully taking too much radiation damage.
What makes it so impressive though is that the game is much more than just walking from point A to point B to point C. The roads themselves are dangerous and make use of the jam's theme of trolls to add some annoyance for players. Forests are littered with invisible mines from hunters that will yank players back to the start when bumped. The mountaintop hardware store frequently suffers from avalanches that lead to slider puzzles reforming and blocking the path. Aliens will shoot humans on sight to protect their secret Earth base. You get the picture.
This one really won me over as it perfectly captures the look and feel of something like a late-90s Interactive Fantasies title. It's bright and colorful, while also being quite strange and full of unexpected twists and turns as to where players will go and what they'll need to do. It certainly gets top marks from me!
“ZZTChat (#dd)” by Kaddar (2002)
Out with the new, in with the old.
Kaddar recently donating some old material means a few surprise additions to the queue as well. Starting with ZZTChat, a little IRC looking menu with a list of ZZTers you'd expect to find in the days of #darkdigital. Each name with a passage allows players go inside and learn a little bit about the associated ZZTer. It's a fun little time capsule!
Each ZZTer was asked for a quote, their favorite food, favorite ZZT game, favorite non-ZZT game, what games they've made, and of course their life goal. There's not too much depth here with the format, but it's fun to see what everyone was into and dreaming of more than twenty years ago.
And now I want some Andy Capp fries.
“ZZT Icons (Incomplete)” by Freak409 (1995)
This wonderful find is a collection of alternative icons you can use for ZZT in Windows! These are always adorable, and this one is no exception.
The "Creativity Button" is lovely.
Alas, by the icon names, one in the middle is missing making this collection incomplete. Alternative, somebody took three Windows icons and numbered them 1, 2, and 4...
(Well, 2, 3, and 4 in this instance.)
“Terrorist Attack!” by Kaddar (2001)
Another Kaddar find, an incomplete project that judging by the name "Ding Chavez" looks like it was based on Rainbow Six. Stop the terrorists from terrorizing. Choose from four different classes: engineer, soldier, spy, and demoman explosives expert. Take on missions. You probably know the drill better than I do.
What's actually here is a bit too incomplete to actually do anything in a normal game though, it's more something to look at and get a feel for what ideas Kaddar had floating around.
“Tim's Game” by DRENKEN
Ok. Stream games.
Tim brings us the classic story of a boy searching for his lost dog, Bob. Explore a rather abstract town, collecting keys, and fighting off mean dogs as you look for Bob.
“Jack Knack” by Danny Goodman
One of those first forays into ZZT. Each room is its own little challenge, mostly consisting of lines of built-ins with plenty of bombs and ammo to take them out while the player looks for a key or exit. You are Jack Knack (I love the name) and you must escape from Alcatraz prison as you have been framed for an unnamed crime you didn't commit.
“Jordan's Quest: Version 2” by Warlock93
Jordan's Quest invites you to protect your home from invading bullies and jerks. Explore a sprawling home as you collect keys and save your family. Or take a nap and play a tutorial as Matt instead.
Another game by a newcomer making their best first effort. It's more cohesive than plenty other such games, though it definitely has its share of oddities. Most notably a "pick the right passage or die" room where the correct answer is the passage that corresponds to the author's favorite ninja turtle.
“Jordan's Quest” by Warlock93
An earlier revision of the previous game. At a glance, it seems like the difference between the two is simply this original version has its yellow borders intact while the later revision removes them entirely. Clearly somebody got some feedback.
