# ZZT Version 3.1 - Registered

A [tweet](https://twitter.com/DosGamesCOM/status/1142043174929674240) by Darren H. in June of 2019 revealed that he still had his childhood ZZT disks. In 2021 these disks were mailed to Dr. Dos for the purposes of dumping and uploading their contents.

This zip file's contains the contents of two "ZZT Saga" disks as well as the "Bonus Games" disk. The folders for each disk contain the files found on the disks as they were retrieved as well as a disk image file for each disk. In the root directory, the files to create a ZZT v3.1 release are all prepared.

These disks consist of a registered copy of ZZT version 3.1 with files dated from November of 1991. Prior to this disk's acquisition two other releases of ZZT v3.1 had already been preserved.

* ZZT v3.1 Shareware - Dated Nov. 2, 1991
* ZZT v3.1 Registered - Dated Sep. 14, 1991

This third release consists of the following files:

* -------.--- and ~~~~~~.~~~ - Two blank "bookend" files served to better mark the start and end of a directory listing in MS-DOS
* CATALOG.EXE - The Winter 1991 Epic MegaGames catalog, almost identical to the one included in the existing shareware release, though with American pricing and ordering phone numbers rather than ones for a UK release
* CAVES.ZZT, CITY.ZZT, DEMO.ZZT, DUNGEONS.ZZT, TOUR.ZZT, and TOWN.ZZT - The included ZZT world files
* README.DOC - A text file included on the second physical disk explaining to use the first disk to load ZZT before using the second disk to load additional worlds, as well as an explanation on how hard disk users can copy the files from both disks into a single directory
* ZZT.DAT - Documentation used with ZZT itself
* ZZT.EXE - The program itself

Note that ZZT v3.1 abandons the use of a configuration file entirely. As such, ZZT's configuration screen still says that it's the shareware version, however the "About ZZT" text properly specifies itself as being a registered copy.

## Comparisons

* TOWN.ZZT - Identical to the one included in v3.1SW and newer. This uses the Epic Mega Games branding rather than Potomac Computer Systems and specifies Town as "Game World #1"
* DEMO.ZZT - Identical to the one include in v2.0 and newer.
* TOUR.ZZT - Identical to the one included in v3.1SW and newer. This contains an updated final scroll after the tour is over explaining how to print an order form and promoting the catalog
* CAVES.ZZT - Identical to the one included in v3.2. As of writing, the only earlier version of Caves to use as reference is the one included in the registered v2.0 release. This version redesigns the ZZT logo on the title screen, changes the caption from "The Object Oriented Game" to "The Original ZZT", and includes the large "ZZT" breakable walls on the starting board.
* CITY.ZZT - Identical to the one included in v3.2. This release is currently the oldest release with a copy of Dungeons included.
* DUNGEONS.ZZT - Identical to the one included in v3.2. This release is currently the oldest release with a copy of Dungeons included.
* ZZT.DAT - Identical to the one included in v3.2.
* ZZT.EXE - Identical to the shareware v3.1 release.

## Missing Files

Unfortunately, being a nearly 30 year old disk, this release isn't entirely complete without some assembly. Running TestDisk reveals that the disk was modified at some point to remove some documentation to make room for another ZZT world which itself was later removed.

* _PWORLD.ZZT [1993-10-09] - The ZZT world "EP + ARP World"
* _AVED.SAV [1993-10-21] - A saved game
* _INTS.DOC [1991-07-02] - HINTS.DOC, the same size and date as found in the shareware 3.1 release
* _OREIGN.DOC [1991-10-30] - FOREIGN.DOC, the same size and date as found in the shareware 3.1 release
* _RDER.DOC [1991-11-17] - ORDER.DOC, differing from the shareware 3.1 release (likely this contains the American ordering information)
* _EADME.DOC [1991-11-17] - README.DOC, differing from the shareware 3.1 release
* _RINTME.BAT [1991-10-19] - PRINTME.BAT, the same size and date as found in the shareware 3.1 release
* _AVES.HI [1991-12-16] - CAVES.HI, a high score file for Caves.

Less unfortunately, this set of disks also included the traditional "Bonus Disk" containing other Epic Shareware releases, which include a new shareware release of 3.1 that _is_ the American one. This gives us all the missing files that would have been included except CAVES.HI.

## The Bonus Games

Lastly, a third disk of "Bonus Games" was also included with the ordered product. This was a curious one as the date of ZZT v3.1 would imply Epic's only releases were ZZT and Super ZZT. Sure enough those are the two games included. The disk's README encourages the owner to copy and distribute it, so including shareware ZZT with your registered ZZT makes sense from a marketing perspective.

The Super ZZT version included is the standard v1.1 release and is identical to an already archived copy. The shareware ZZT v3.1 is exactly as you'd expect from the registered one on the main disk, but has at least been beneficial in allowing the recovery of the removed files.

## What Does This Release Tell Us?

While not a revolutionary discovery, having a proper registered copy of 3.1 is pretty useful! For one, it is a complete release with all the games included. The previous registered 3.1 release lacks City and Dungeons which may mean that it was sourced from an incomplete copy, or just that the person who registered it didn't bother paying extra for Dungeons and City. These versions of Dungeon and City are the earliest currently known, and despite them being identical to those of 3.2, that still helps clarify how these worlds were changed from ZZT's initial to final releases.

ZZT v3.1 is also an important one as it splits the difference between "Potomac Computer Systems" and "Epic MegaGames". The fact that we have functionally the same program, but with both forms of branding is certainly worthwhile. The program's file modification date matching the identical program in the v3.1 shareware release is also useful in making these dates that much more trustworthy.

## Thanks To

A tremendous amount of applause is deserved for Darren H. who held onto these disks for 30 years, and was kind enough to have them mailed out for their preservation. Darren operates [DOSGames.com](https://dosgames.com) and has been doing so since 1999 helping maintain his own archive of DOS games by professionals and amateurs alike. 

- Dr. Dos
https://museumofzzt.com
https://patreon.com/worldsofzzt