How Not To ZZT
A collection of ZZT worlds providing tips on how to avoid ZZT clichés or syndromes - common game design errors, game design elements that came to be seen as amateurish, or simply things that the worlds' authors didn't like.
ZZT Syndromes is the best example of such worlds, though it's unclear how much the other worlds knew of or borrowed from it. To fully appreciate the advice these worlds offer, I suggest playing worlds from the 'AOL Compilation' file or watch some of the streams of unpreserved worlds.
Collection Contents (12 files)
Featured Reviews
- Featured Game: ZZT Syndromes by Zenith Nadir
Collection Description
The most articulate help world, and the one that gave us the term ZZT syndrome. Most of the advice here remains relevant.
An earlier version of the world is dated to October 1995, making it the earliest dated ZZT world of this kind on the Museum. An interview with the author in a ZZT magazine (Read This! #3, KerSoft), implies that earlier worlds telling ZZTers what not to do existed, though.
Collection Description
Calls a Syndrome a No-No. The most useful new No-No discussed is too much flashing stuff on a board. Offers some simple advice on shading and gradients when drawing and shows how to change some objects into coloured terrain one couldn't access through the default editor. Hostile to yellow text.
Recommended by Barjesse.
Collection Description
Owes something to ZZT Syndrome and not as in-depth or as polished as it. For some reason, hostile to yellow text (this is not the only help world that does).
Collection Description
Dated 1997, this world nonetheless feels older than ZZT Syndromes. Has beef with a specific style of ZZT game.
Collection Description
Uses 'amateur' as a euphemism for 'newbie'. The only new and useful newb-ahem,amateur error it brings up is enemy object infighting.
Collection Description
The final version of a world originally made in 2000. It covers some of the same ground ZZT Syndromes did and adds some 'crimes' to be avoided of its own.
Collection Description
Very opinionated about some clichés seen in late-90s and early 2000s ZZT worlds (swearing, RPG engines, cutscences, RPG battles, in-jokes). The hostility to linewalls is strange.
Collection Description
Despite the 2, it's actually a remake of an older world by the same name. It contains a general guide on how to ZZT as well as 'things to not do' sections that cover a lot of ground fairly well. The author says the 'what not to do' section was inspired by Cliché and overall, they do a much better job than that world on the matter.
Collection Description
A later companion to ZZT Crimes and Cliché, this world takes some common turn of the century clichés (scrolling text on the bottom, cutscenes, RPG battle animations, engines for engines' sake, cameos, in-jokes, 'the creator sucks' text) to task, as well as showing some common perceptions of ZZT design at the time (darkness is bad, premade enemies are amateurish, no stars is enough stars).
Collection Description
A short help world focusing on good and bad adventure game-type puzzle design.
Collection Description
This world focuses more on designing ZZT worlds and the elements that go into it. It offers a little advice on what not to do on slider puzzles, invisible mazes and graphics.
Collection Description
Nine parts condensed rewrite of ZZT Help, one part advice on how to make enemy objects.
