[zzo38]

Super ZZ Zero is a ZZT-like which has some features like ZZT, Super ZZT, ZZ Zero, and MegaZeux (although it also deliberately excludes some, and some are not implemented yet but possibly might be in future).

https://github.com/zzo38/superzz0 (source code and 64-bit x86 Linux binaries)

Like MegaZeux it uses a "wrapped pile of files" format, but it uses Hamster archive format rather than ZIP archive format.

Like with ZZ Zero, you can customize the available elements and other behaviours by the assembly code, and they are included in the template so that you do not need to modify them if you do not intend to do so.

You can also define screen layouts which are independent from boards (and, unlike ZZ Zero, you can define multiple screen layouts). Large boards with scrolling is possible, and the screen layouts can define the viewport for scrolling, as well as the soft and hard edges for scrolling, and positions of numbers, indicators, message text position, and other stuff.

Each board can have up to 255 stats, although unlike ZZT, there can be multiple instances of a stat on a board. Each stat can have a program (so that you can have e.g. multiple robots that share a program), although the instruction pointer, lock, and delays for the programs are per instance. Furthermore, not all elements need stats, since like MegaZeux each tile also has a 8-bit parameter.

However, there are many features that are not implemented yet; it is incomplete. (I also intend to add a CATALOG.DER lump for use with publishing world files. Also, item windows are not implemented yet. The default template is also incomplete; I intend to add more elements and other features to the default template. There are other incomplete features too, but the software is usable.)

Some features of MegaZeux are deliberately excluded from Super ZZ Zero, such as:

• Date/time access.
  
• Ability for the world to prevent the speed from being adjusted. (However, I may later add the ability to define the default speed (and other default game settings) within the world file.)
  
• Static overlay. (You can use screen layouts instead of static overlays. Normal and transparent overlays are available in Super ZZ Zero.) (I am less sure about this than the others, in case there later is found some use why a static overlay is somehow useful despite using screen layouts, but probably a static overlay is not necessary.)
  
• Ability for the world to use all or most of the keyboard keys. (Only some of them are usable, such as printable ASCII characters, arrows, backspace, return, tab. It is possible (although not for sure) that support for home, page up, page down, end, will also be added, but most other keys will be reserved for the system use.)
  
• Automatic updates. (This should better be handled by separate programs such as the package manager, and should be configurable by the user. I personally do not like automatic updates and many other users also don't like, so it should not be required.)
  
• File system access.

Some features of MegaZeux (such as custom fonts/palettes) are not implemented yet but may be implemented in future, though. However, there are (and also will be) some features that MegaZeux does not have, too.

Please make any bug report, feature request, patches, and/or complaints, about Super ZZ Zero.

This post has been edited by zzo38: 22 May 2025 - 04:46 AM

[hseiken]

Interesting project. I can't view the screenshots. Maybe they can go on Github? Because I'm too lame to compile anything. Literally and objectively too lame.

[zzo38]

There are releases on GitHub, which you can download if you are interested. These releases require 64-bit Linux on 64-bit x86 (you might be able to use them on WSL as well, but I have not tried this and I don't know if that works).

(You do not need the releases if you only want to view the documentation. See whatsnew.doc if you want to see the changes since the last release.)

However, my HTTP server (and only the HTTP) is currently down (and has been down for a while) due to excessive badly behaved scraping, so the screenshots are currently unavailable (although they are rather old anyways; I did not make newer screenshots yet anyways).

This post has been edited by zzo38: 22 May 2025 - 05:04 AM

[smilymzx]

I went and used v5.0 on Mint, I got a few suggestions:

• Lives! This is a nessicity for games that want it, Not just basing it for the MZX back-compatibility, but Platformers and other type engines using this promising GCS
• A Custom Limitation Cap for Counters, Including Lives and Health, to Limit how much you are carrying in-game (Is that basically already implemented?!?)
• Lava that basically drains a certain amount of health each cycle, 100 damage to player by default, (subject to change)

Note: that this lava should have no animation, That is for the person editing to decide...

This post has been edited by smilymzx: 23 May 2025 - 08:54 AM

[zzo38]

smilymzx, on 23 May 2025 - 12:52 AM, said:

I went and used v5.0 on Mint

The latest release version number is 0.5.0, not 5.0.

Quote

Lives! This is a nessicity for games that want it, Not just basing it for the MZX back-compatibility, but Platformers and other type engines using this promising GCS

MZX back-compatibility is not one of the goals of Super ZZ Zero. (However, I do intend to later add the ability to import/export MZM files (with some restrictions) in the board editor and screen editor, as well as ability to use fonts and palettes in the same format as MZX (although an enhanced font format may also be implemented). However, the game behaviour and many other things are different than MZX and ZZT and are not intended to be the same.)

The default template does not currently include lives, although it can be added into the .asm file (and then sz0asm program can be used to recompile the .asm file; you do not need to modify or recompile Super ZZ Zero itself in order to do this). Each world can have its own program memory (the result of compiling the .asm file), so this will not affect any worlds that do not use your modifications. I may add lives into the default template later anyways if it seems useful enough to include, though.

Platform games probably would not use the default template anyways, though.

Quote

A Custom Limitation Cap for Counters, Including Lives and Health, to Limit how much you are carrying in-game (Is that basically already implemented?!?)

It can be done by modifying the .asm file as I mentioned above, although I could also add it as a built-in feature if this seems useful enough. However, a reason I think it might not be useful enough is due to the question of what to do once the limit is reached; e.g. you might want it to leave the stuff in the board instead of picking it up if you already have too much. Due to things like this, it is likely that the .asm file (and/or scripts in specific boards or global scripts) will need to be modified to support what is needed in that specific circumstances anyways, so just adding it as a built-in feature is probably not really that useful anyways.

Quote

Lava that basically drains a certain amount of health each cycle, 100 damage to player by default, (subject to change)
Note: that this lava should have no animation, That is for the person editing to decide...

There is already Fire that does something similar (although it has an animation, you can easily get rid of the animation if you don't want it). Changing the number of damage currently requires changing the .asm file (as described above) although only a single number needs to be changed.

[Kuddy]

super zenless zone zero

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