Editing ZZT (section)

== Reception ==
Following ''ZZT''{{'}}s release, about three to four copies were sold daily, at around 800 copies by November 1991,<ref name="ZZT-Museum912" /> and around 4,000 to 5,000 copies in total by 2009.<ref name="ZZT-GU2" /> Sweeney earned around {{US$|100|1991|round=-1}} per day by November 1991, and around {{US$|30000|1999|long=no|round=-3}} from ''ZZT'' by May 1999, of which most of the profit came from its first year.<ref name="ZZT-Museum912" /><ref name=":33">{{Cite web|last=Bovelander|first=Wouter|date=May 25, 1999|title=Tim Sweeney -- interview|url=http://home.wxs.nl/~wbovela/interview.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001011010456/http://home.wxs.nl:80/~wbovela/interview.htm|archive-date=October 11, 2000|access-date=December 3, 2021|website=Planet ZZT++}}</ref><ref name=":23">{{Cite web|last=Dr. Dos|date=February 15, 2021|title=The Epic Mega Haul|url=https://museumofzzt.com/article/518/the-epic-mega-haul|access-date=December 13, 2021|website=Museum of ZZT|archive-date=December 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213114815/https://museumofzzt.com/article/518/the-epic-mega-haul|url-status=live}}</ref> After Sweeney moved out of his parents' house to establish proper corporate headquarters for Potomac Computer Systems, then renamed [[Epic MegaGames]], his father Paul Sweeney, continued fulfilling [[mail order]]s to the original address under the Epic Classics label, allowing for purchase of physical copies of ''ZZT''.<ref name="Polygon-Last2" /> The final copy of ''ZZT'' was shipped to game designer Zack Hiwiller in November 2013.

Contemporary and retrospective reviews from critics were mixed. A comment from ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' billed ''ZZT'' as "truly charming", finding the gameplay simple to learn.<ref name="ZZT-CGW2" /> Scott Wolf of [[PC Gamer|''PC Gamer'' (US)]] stated the graphics and sound for ''ZZT'' to be "truly awful", while the gameplay serves as a flashback to "when gameplay was not overshadowed by flashy video and animation".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Wolf |first=Scott |date=December 1995 |editor-last=Bennet |editor-first=Dan |title=Lupine Online |magazine=[[PC Gamer (US)]] |location=Burlingame, CA |publisher=Imagine Publishing |volume=2 |issue=12 |page=297 |issn=1059-2180}}</ref> Benj Edwards has called ''ZZT'' an "influential and underrated game", crediting its current enjoyment from playing community made worlds and making unexpected things with the "fairly robust" built in editor.<ref name=":53">{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=February 19, 2021 |title=Before Fortnite, There Was ZZT: Meet Epic's First Game |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/713532/before-fortnite-there-was-zzt-meet-epics-first-game/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228051831/https://www.howtogeek.com/713532/before-fortnite-there-was-zzt-meet-epics-first-game/ |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |access-date=December 28, 2021 |website=How-To Geek}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=September 3, 2007 |title=Great Moments in Shareware: ZZT |url=https://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/358/great-moments-in-shareware-zzt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228051831/https://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/358/great-moments-in-shareware-zzt |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |access-date=December 28, 2021 |website=Vintage Computing and Gaming}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=March 10, 2016 |title=7 Classic PC Games With ASCII Graphics |url=http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/342727/7-classic-pc-games-with-ascii-graphics/6 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718080258/http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/342727/7-classic-pc-games-with-ascii-graphics/6 |archive-date=July 18, 2016 |access-date=December 28, 2021 |website=[[PC Magazine]]}}</ref> This is while crediting the official worlds for being a "depthy adventure game full of puzzles, challenge, and humor". Chris Kohler of [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] called it a simple, fun, and not always intuitive game design tool under the façade of a simple adventure game, blending seamless game design and play that makes it attractive and user-friendly.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine |last=Kohler |first=Chris |date=October 1, 2008 |title=First Impressions: LittleBigPlanet's Ever-Expanding World of Wonder |language=en-US |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |url=https://www.wired.com/2008/10/first-impressio/ |access-date=April 9, 2022 |issn=1059-1028 |archive-date=March 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304070159/https://www.wired.com/2008/10/first-impressio/ |url-status=live}}</ref> He found making a game fun, due to the interface being nearly identical to the game, allowing for the easy placement of objects and terrain. ''[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]''{{'}}s Ollie Toms focused on the editor, finding the game to be "a colourful, characterful, years-long course in scripting and programming games".<ref name=":63">{{Cite news |last=Toms |first=Ollie |date=October 23, 2019 |title=Have you played… ZZT? |work=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]] |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/have-you-played-zzt |url-status=live |access-date=December 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218125019/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/have-you-played-zzt |archive-date=December 18, 2021}}</ref> He wrote that though ZZT-OOP was basic and limited, children could learn about and make games without knowing anything about programming. ''[[Hardcore Gaming 101]]'' in a podcast episode stated ''ZZT'' was "not all that fun", criticizing that official worlds and community made worlds included unavoidable damage, and instant death.<ref name="Switter-Host3">{{Cite podcast |host=Switter |title=Episode 99: Kirby's Dream Land 3, ZZT |website=Top 47,858 Games of All Time |publisher=[[Hardcore Gaming 101]] |date=May 14, 2018 |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/podcasts/top-47858-games-of-all-time-episode-99-kirbys-dream-land-3-zzt/ |access-date=December 28, 2021 |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228051831/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/podcasts/top-47858-games-of-all-time-episode-99-kirbys-dream-land-3-zzt/ |url-status=live}}</ref> They found that games that attempted to expand and push the engine further are generally "rough around the edges", or "more functional rather than good". Rather, they admired ''ZZT'' like a [[Experiment|science experiment]] or a demo from a [[demoscene]], existing to study and push the limits of ''ZZT'', finding the game itself and the community that built from it technically impressive.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}