Nightplanet is available on z2
as well as playable in browser via Archive.org.
You can also explore the world yourself on the
Museum of ZZT Public Beta
along with the other entries to the Summer 1998 24 Hours of ZZT contest.
Today's game is one which probably won't show up on anybody's list of important ZZT worlds, and yet it's an award winner. Myth's Nightplanet is a notable title not so much because of the world itself, which is a perfectly playable adventure, but because of the constraints under which it was produced.
In the Summer of 1998, Mono had decided to host the first ever 24 Hours of ZZT contest. The contest was exactly as it sounded. Participants would be given a topic and expected to submit a complete ZZT game created in a span of 24 hours. This wasn't a completely original idea, as the MegaZeux community would hold its first "Day of Zeux" competition which had the same strict time requirements a few weeks before the ZZT equivalent. The 24HoZZT or 24HoZ became a community staple, typically being ran four times per year with the winner of the previous event being expected to organize its followup. Like any ZZT community endeavor this of course became rife with drama and complaints over how things were being ran, biased judges, and lousy topics.
Still, despite the difficulties the contest ran from Summer 1999 through Autumn 2003! The contest was a major part of the ZZT community and always drew large numbers of entrants (albeit far fewer submissions). Of course, if you ask anyone who's participated in a modern day game jam it's easy to understand why. A single day is not a lot of time to make a game, and while ZZT is honestly probably the best medium out there for getting rapid and playable results, it's still a huge undertaking.
So today I've decided to play Myth's Nightplanet, the winner of the first ever 24 Hours of ZZT contest. The topic chosen by mono was "Night". According to the Interactive Fantasies 24 Hours of ZZT Archive, it was judged by Creator, Kev Vance, and xf. Eighteen entries were received. A lot of early 24 HoZZT data has been lost to time, such as the judges scorecards, and here one of the games was corrupt and hasn't been recovered since. The efforts of Interactive Fantasies members in curating their own small archive for these games shows some nice foresight in recognizing their importance.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_382.png' %}Myth wisely played it safe and went with the most basic title screen she possibly could. We get a name, an author, a warning that the game was produced after consuming orange fanta, and a "19" in the corner.
The 19 is the game's ID number. These were either given out or chosen by the authors on signup and have no real purpose. Day of Zeux contests would frequently use them and require the games be published anonymously to prevent bias in judging (though they didn't for this very first DoZ which was so close to the first 24HoZ..). ZZTers never bothered with the anonymity, but kept the numbers.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_383.png' %} {% scroll %}@the game begins -- $nightplanet $by myth made for the July 1998 24 Hours of ZZT competition contact: myth@inquo.net note: this ended up being a puzzle game, despite my best efforts. Of course, since it's also a 24 Hours of ZZT entry, it's not beta-tested very well. These two game attributes do not go well together, so please feel free to go in and edit anything so you can finish the game. You can get a complete walkthrough from me if you need it. Thanks! (c) 1998 by myth {% endscroll %}The game first opens with a nice introduction scroll setting the scene. The player takes on the role of a galactic trader who is currently free of deliveries and with plenty of time to kill. Myth does a good job throughout Nightplanet of establishing atmosphere through her writing and I wouldn't be surprised if the authors made note of it. On such a short time limit writing is going to be much faster than attempting to convey this information via graphics, and Myth shows a lot of ability in making sure to focus on the game's essentials.
Of course, the game is still a rush job as any game made in 24 hours will be. There's a typical ZZTer apology for bugs and permission to edit the game if needed to make sure it can be completed. Fortunately Myth created a cohesive game in this time and no such editing or cheating will be necessary.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_383.png' %}Of course, just as I say how Myth focused on essentials I get to point out the nice little details.
The ship is a simple enough design with nothing too fancy. It does have some animated thrusters which flicker red/yellow/white while changing character to create a fire effect. In addition, the stars on the background are objects which walk until they hit a wall, turn themselves invisible, walk back to the top of the screen, reappear, and begin moving again. Staggering a few objects like this creates a simple illusion of movement and the two combine to make it look like the ship is actually flying through space. Both these effects were pretty common in worlds set in space.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_391.png' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_393.png' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_394.png' %}Exploring the consoles gives us some insight into the kind of person Mentu is. He's knowledgable in modifying and maintaining his ship by his lonesome.
But more importantly, there's a mysterious transmission his ship is picking up! Having nothing better to do Mentu opts to investigate. The player is given the opportunity to explore the rest of the ship if they haven't rather than force the game's story to progress immediately which is certainly nice.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_400.png' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_401.png' %}The left cargo bay is full of nothing but junk. Exploring the second one brings up some more information about the ship.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_402.png' %}"Comfort must be sacrificed for profit". Space capitalism blows.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_404.png' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_405.png' %} {% scroll %}@Message $... $mining station khons $code seventeen, system failure $... $request assistance $... $location 66°s 139.1°e $system athena planet five $upr registry 09142887 $... $request assistance $... Mentu looks up Athena 5 in the UPR database. The following information appears: -- Athena system planet 5 atmosphere type 3 (O2.Ar.H2O) gravity type 3 (1.1g) equatorial diameter: 14044km mean distance from star: 212Gkm sidereal period: 451 days axial rotation period: 27:12:09 axis tilt: 84.22° -- This is interesting, thinks Mentu. A planet with a breathable atmosphere and an 84.22 degree tilt. With a tilt that far, half of the planet would face the sun all the time and half would face the stars all the time. A nightplanet, as they are called in space parlance. But why would a mining station be located in the southern hemisphere of such a planet, where it would be cold night forever? Mentu then searches for "Khons" in the database. After a few moments it returns an entry from its backfile: -- khons mining station location: Athena 5 date established: 1032.2133 complement: 30 main export: tritactinum alloys addendum 1126.2135: no response to station communication requests -- Even more interesting, thinks Mentu. Tritactinum alloy -- one of the more rare metals in existance. This nightplanet must have had quite a lode to warrant a station on its dark side. It looks as if the station was abandoned, too -- almost a hundred years ago. Perhaps there is some surplus metal left over that might be salvageable. Mentu thinks about it and realizing that he has nothing better to do, decides to check it out. {% endscroll %}There's a big info dump but it quickly gets all the background information that the player's going to need. There's a distress signal coming from a mining facility on a planet half shrouded in perpetual night. It's been broadcasting the signal for a century and likely has some salvagable tritactinum which can be worth quite a bit. Mentu's search for profit begins.
I don't think the science is right here? The tilted axis is what causes seasons. For a planet to have a dark side its rotational period should be the same as its orbital period. I may be horribly wrong on this. Whether or not the science works out isn't important however. What is important is that the environment is extremely harsh and for a mine to have been worthwhile, it must also be extremely profitable.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_412.png' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_413.png' %}This scene is really well composed, managing to keep the structure's form even when using black on a starry black background by having the dark blue windows still visible on the darker portion of the building. Mentu's ship is also animated and the player can watch it fly downward and land at the structure.
Myth's sparse scenery like this works out wonderfully when working with a constrained time limit and is enhanced by her writing giving a feeling of emptyness and abandonment to the planet from just this one board.
{% scroll %}@station landing As Mentu steps out of his ship, he almost chokes on the stale air. Apparently the air-processing unit hasn't been working since the station was abandoned. Additionally, the air is cold -- it can't be more than 5 degrees centigrade in the station. That's better than the -150 degress outside, but still . . . The looks of the station seem just as ancient and cold as the air. The walls ground seem untended and dusty, their apathetic grey seeming almost haunting. Something went wrong on this station. Something bad. Mentu is sure of that. Mentu is also sure that he wants to get out of here as soon as possible. His objective is just to find a tritactinum store and leave. #end {% endscroll %}This is no rescue mission. The station has long since been abandoned and become devoid of life. It's cold (41 degrees Fahrenheit), difficult to breathe, and not a particularly friendly place. The objective is simple. Find something valuable and leave.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_418.png' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_419.png' %}Myth keeps on building up the suspense. The player will see the scroll message about the security system before really getting a look at the board. When they do, they'll see a few split paths all of which require the player to funnel through narrow chokepoints.
Mentu, as well as the player, have no idea what happened on the station and combining that with the chokepoints makes what would otherwise seem like an empty room become a potential threat. Will an alarm go off and activate some security robots? Are there aliens watching? Some sort of plague? It's dark and it's cold and the player has nothing to do but face their face and venture into the station.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_422.png' %}Nothing happens after crossing security, but there's not really any relief. At some point the player is going to run into _something_.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_423.png' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_424.png' %}And the first something is a lot of skeletons. Whatever happened here happened quickly if there are bodies littering the main lobby.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_427.png' %}Investigating, Mentu can see a faint glow on each skeleton. This one has an added detail about their arm.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_429.png' tl='8,5' br='22,11' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_428.png' %} {% scroll %}@document This document is headed "report from doctor dunedin on unidentified lifeform in tritactinum mines." The date is 1225.2135. Mentu skims through the document. -- It was previously thought that no lifeform could survive in the southern hemisphere of a nightplanet, due to the extreme cold temperatures and extreme wind speeds. The lifeform recently discovered in the tritactinum mines seem to contradict this theory . . . . . . the creatures visually resemble insects of some sort. However their internal structure is very different from the insects we are familiar with. Specifically, they seem to have no organs for the collection, digestion or excretion of food; instead, there are chlorophyll-like cells that seem to feed on energy of any sort . . . . . . given enough energy and carbon material, the creatures seem to be able to metabolize and reproduce at astonishing rates. Though, as previously mentioned, the creatures create no excretia, they do produce a fine violet dust. As of yet I am unsure of the origin of this phenomenon . . . . . . I am no expert on evolutionary biology, but I would expect that these animals (or plants, as the case may be -- they seem to defy definition in this regard) may be the remnants of a species that existed long ago, before the planet had been turned on its side by an asteroid impact (as is our current theory regarding the axis position of this planet). Perhaps they were able to survive in a dormant state in the planet's crust. . . . . . in conclusion, I see no threat from these creatures as long as they are kept "in the dark," as it were. Without energy, they are harmless. -- Mentu rubs his chin thoughtfully. {% endscroll %}It's not an abandoned and dead space colony without documents lying around. Nightplanet reveals itself to be a classic "We dug too deep" story. The mine unearthed some insect-like creatures that feed on energy. They reproduce extremely rapidly when given energy, but otherwise are harmless.
So uh, guess what happened.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_438.png' %}There's a locked white door blocking this room that appears to be full of wreckage. The sign says that it's a high voltage area. The other exits are labeled with signs as well. North are the systems, east are nodes one and two, and to the south are the quarters.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_447.png' %}Mentu picked the wrong planet to land on.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_449.png' %}The crew quarters are simple bedrooms with nothing more than a few beds and a desk i neach of them (if even that). The player can see that they're almost all empty, but one of them is full of more skeletons.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_450.png' %}The room full of dead crew has the name Anubis written on it. The door is locked, as are all the others. The other skeleton has no special message so it's time to explore another portion of the station.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_454.png' %}The eastern nodes lead down to the mines, but conveniently both of them have several chunks of tritactinum ore for Mentu to collect.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_460.png' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_461.png' %}The player is actually asked if they want to pick it up before doing so, and can't hold more than one at a time.
The only other thing of interest in the room are the controls, but they're all currently powered down like the rest of the station's systems. Well, there is a passage into the mines...
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_467.png' %}NOPE.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_468.png' %}It is time to go home now!!
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_469.png' %}Oh god.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_474.png' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_475.png' %}There are four systems around the room which handle, security, mine observation, communications, and power.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_482.png' %}The power is turned back on to the station which allows Mentu to work the other systems as necessary.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_486.png' %}The security system offers a few interesting choices, and despite being a century old Mentu can figure out how to work it from his past experience. Highlighting the need for experience to be able to understand an old system makes me wonder how old of a computer I'd be able to comfortably work my way around.
{% scroll %}@SecuityControl Mentu selects this option. A quick list appears on the console: -- Engineers q1 Berkeley, Bishop, Stockton q2 St. John, Page q3 Bayard, Grants q4 Fillmore, Ogden, Duchesne q5 Lamar, Fowler, Silverton, Florence q6 Snyder, Cisco, Columbus, Bryan Officers q7 Pratt, Newton q8 Duncan, Ada q9 Mansfield, Monroe q10 Hastings, Holland q11 London, Bismark q12 Dunedin, Karlovac end of list {% endscroll %}These are definitely references.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_490.png' %}Thanks to the earlier exploration of the crew quarters Mentu is able to access the door release function.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_491.png' %}The player can only open the last two doors, as Mentu sees no reason to open the others. I only opened door 11 at first since that was the Anubis door and I couldn't recall the other door that had a note on a desk visible.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_495.png' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_496.png' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_497.png' %}The mine observer allows Mentu to take a look at the safety of the two mines. Both of them are okay to enter. Usually in these sorts of settings you'd expect to have to power on ventilation or something, but aside from a little radiation there's nothing to fear. Well, other than the hell bugs which skeletonized the crew and are most likely still down there in the dark.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_498.png' %}The communications system is responsible for broadcasting the distress call that has gone unanswered for a century until Mentu showed up. You can shut it off and hopefully prevent somebody else from becoming stranded here in the future.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_501.png' tl='8,10' br='23,16' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_502.png' %}Raising the bulkheads gives access to the station's data logs. Most of them are unhelpful records about mining operations over the years the station was active, but the later entries reveal more about the station's fate.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_503.png' %} {% scroll %}@RecordsTerminal -- station log 0900.2135 cmdr london had to turn off main station power today. the creatures have invaded l main power systems; lt bismark and I agreed that it was for the best of l station. the creatures' hunger fr energy h only only increased; l dr says k this is possibly due to increased numbers. have sent out distress signal, though there seems little hope k these will be answered. -- station log 0901.2135 cmdr london creatures h invaded security control system. power in station is running out quickly. l dr suggests we turn off life support for a period to conserve energy. lt concurs with doctor. h shut down mining control as well. still no response to distress signal. l dr may h a solution to problem. -- station log 0902.2135 cmdr london heat in station is lowering cannot maintain sufficient heat fr entire station h grpd all hands in quarters h shut down all othr systems but creatures still seem to multiply may h to shtdwn records system as well l dr's solution will not work because we do not have an escape vehicle or time to move tritactinum. 0902.2135 addendum creatures h invaded quarters 10 hands die, energy almost cmpltly deplted -- station log 0903.2135 cmdr london many otr hands die in attempt to escape l dr died n quarters, lt died n mines i do not know if there are any otr survivors h locked myself n records room & turned on security seal & diverted remaing heat to records room -- #if readrec end The records end here. So that's what happened to the station. These creatures were dormant in the ground until the miners woke them up. But then why is the station suddenly working again? Maybe because the creatures ran out of energy and carbon to consume . . . until I came. There has to be some way to solve this problem. The commander mentioned that the doctor had a plan. Maybe he had it written down somewhere . . . {% endscroll %}Mentu learns the truth about what happened. The creatures made it to the mining colony's systems and drained them to nothing. The crew was stranded (I find it very odd that there isn't a single ship on the planet for them!) and couldn't last long with the ever hungrier creatures.
The planet was safe once the energy ran out, but Mentu and his ship's arrival only means more energy for the since dormant creatures.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_512.png' %}The records room skeleton can be identified after the log has been read.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_514.png' %}Mentu can now access the locked crew quarters and hopefully learn something to help him escape from the nightplanet. The crew died cold and frightened.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_516.png' %}"Lacks experience with skeletons" is a very good phrase. This skeleton is the only one different from the others, but was wisely placed in front of an object that makes up the desk giving the player a reason to want to touch the object in hopes of moving it. If the key had been on a random skeleton it would be very easy to miss this key.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_519.png' %}Nothing else is any help here.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_520.png' %}The power room can be accessed but Mentu can't interact with anything inside yet.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_523.png' %}I had to go back to the systems room and open the last crew door here to get an idea of what to do next.
{% scroll %}@Doctor's Papers Mentu shuffles through the papers and eventually finds a set of propositions, written by Doctor Dunedin, for removing the threat of the creatures. The notes are sketchy and read as follows: 1) must create large source of energy to draw creatures in. Only way to do this is using tritactinum -- by putting lots of tritactinum together in the mines, we might be able to create enough energy. The harmonic radiation would be more than the entire station and the hungry creatures would return to the mines. snare the night with sunlight. 2) put detonators in the mines -- standard mining detonators should work (Mentu finds two such detonators on the Doctor's desk.) Can't just destroy mines, however, must destroy station to make sure no creatures survive in escape vehicle 3) to destroy station, must destroy the main power source via access chamber 004. Commander has the key somewhere in room. Access transfer port (the ≡ thing) and cross the third and fourth wires . . . that should set of a chain reaction in four-five minutes that will also set off the detonators in the mines. Make *sure* to turn off station power sources before escape vehicle launch to make absolutely sure that all of the creatures go to the radiation source. -- Mentu now knows what to do. {% endscroll %}The doctor's plan is laid out, the radiation emitted from the tritactinum will draw the creatures into th emines provided there's enough gathered together. From there an explosion can be rigged to destroy the creatures while Mentu can safely fly off.
I really like the finality of the "Mentu now knows what to do" line. A man. A plan. A tritacinum. Nightplanet.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_529.png' %}Of course, this plan hinges on Mentu entering the dark mines.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_531.png' %}Only the northern mines give a message before entering them as well as torches. The other mines entered earlier just let Mentu walk in at any time which seems like a minor design issue.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_533.png' %}For all the tension Myth managed to build earlier, actually entering the mines winds up being a low point for the game.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_535.png' %}Here they are with the lights on. The player needs to navigate this winding little path and place the tritactinum blocks in the cavernous area.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_538.png' %}The issue comes from the fact that that has to be done one block at a time and a lot of blocks are required! Five for this first mine is a lot of walking the same path over and over.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_542.png' %}When the last block is in place the detonator is set and the creatures begin to flock in. There's no actual change to the board when this happens or anything. I'd definitely believe this to be a case of the time limit beginning to get in the way of the game.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_544.png' %}The other mine needs seven blocks to be deposited inside. It's incredibly tedious. The few torches provided won't be enough to get through the entire sequence either.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_546.png' %}It's a good thing the second mine is basically a straight line from end to the other because otherwise cheating would be necessary. I was also a little let down neither mine had a skeleton for whoever it was that tried to follow through on the doctor's plan earlier. There's some indication of this with one mine requiring fewer blocks be placed inside, and I think it was a missed opportunity to show them along with a skeleton.
It also would've been cool if each mine needed half as many blocks of tritactinum!
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_550.png' %}More insects begin to flood the second mine. It's time to prepare the detonation and get off this planet.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_552.png' %}And it wouldn't hurt to bring back a little something right?
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_553.png' %}I go to cross the wires, except the power's still on so I kind of electrocute myself. Thankfully this isn't a Sierra game so Mentu lives to shut off the power and try again. (You will die if you try it again.)
The Spanish is of course "High voltage flavor!" which was definitely a marketing slogan of Fanta. We were warned earlier that this game was fueled by the drink.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_556.png' %}The mine observation system warns the player about the dangerous levels of radiation in the mines now.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_557.png' %}Mentu can now power down the station, but doing so will mean it can't be restarted again.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_558.png' %} {% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_560.png' %}This time Mentu can cross the wires and get ready to get off the planet. The power is off but the wiring still manages to begin starting the chain reaction to the station's destruction.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_563.png' %}There's no actual time limit in play, the player is just expected to leave at this point.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_564.png' %}If you picked up an extra block then you can get a slightly different ending, which is really just mentioning that you'll make some profit. The standard ending just mentions taking off above the explosion and being done with it.
When I took the block, I half expected it to cause a bad ending where it meant that a purple creature would make it on board my ship, but that's not the case. However, if you don't shut off the emergency distress beacon then you can get an alternate ending:
{% scroll %}@Discovery Mentu climbs aboard his ship. Though the engine sputters for a while, it eventually starts and Mentu lifts off just in time to avoid the explosion of the station. However, once he gets into orbit around Athena 5, something happens. His engines stop suddenly and his computer controls go dead. Eventually he starts to itch all over and he can see little purple insects crawling on his arms and legs and face, slowly eating him alive. In his last moments he realizes his mistake -- he forgot to shut down the auto-transmitter on the communications console. That little bit of energy sustained the insects; one must have jumped on him from there as he was exiting the north part of the station and then fed on his engine energy to reproduce. Not that this bit of logic will do anything to save him now. (if you're crazy for credits, you'll have to edit the game.) #endgame {% endscroll %}rip
The game ends with a large explosion illuminating the icy wasteland of the planet's darkened hemisphere. Again Myth does a great job of taking advantage of the mostly black background allowing her to create some lighting.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_626.png' %}The game ends with a ZZT credits board. The mystery has been solved, Mentu got his valuables, and the threat has been neutralized. Myth gives plenty of shoutouts to some other ZZTer/MZXers and reminds you that this game came out during the Clinton administration.
The aplogies are very unecessary! The science isn't why anybody was playing the game! The plot is nothing amazing but it moves the game along just fine. The game's graphics are servicable for the main gameplay portions while the cutscenes are very well done. The writing is strong even if the dialog for the dead crew is a bit more by the book. The obvious puzzles is an interesting way of looking at it. They don't really feel like puzzles, and the game feels more like a modern indie game that's more concerned with telling a story through gameplay than being something to beat.
The credits screen doesn't have a #endgame so I'll accept that apology.
That's almost all there is for Nightplanet. The game has a single unused board which is pretty great.
{% zzt_img 'blog/posts/53/zzt_625.png' %}This notes board has a little bit of dev commentary about how much work they put into the game, and the disappointment that it's for a simple little game jam and not some years in the making masterpiece of gaming. It's a shame! Not that the effort wasn't put towards something "better", but that Myth felt this way at all. Making a game in 24 hours is an accomplishment itself, and there's a lot of capability shown here. If anything Myth should have been proud for what she accomlished here!
I don't know what it is about these contests, but people loved to put these random stats about their creation in them. Food eaten, hours slept, shows watched, and music listened to all come up quite a lot.
I'm impressed by the 90 minutes of sleep. I participated in a few 24 Hours of ZZT contests and would frequently plan to pull all nighters, but never came anywhere close to actually doing so.
Also the Simpsons episodes were reruns going by the dates the contest was held. I was really hoping we'd be able to know what episode aired.
Nightplanet is an excellent showcase on what you can do with ZZT on a time limit. Playing it sets a high bar for the contest and I don't expect most of the other entries came close to this. You wouldn't guess the game was made in a single day. Myth demonstrates a strong understanding of what to go for in a contest like this, focusing on telling a story above all else, and it absolutely works. The world is extremely tiny, empty, and there's very little to actually interact with, but you'll never notice it while playing because you'll be more invested in figuring out what happened to the station and how to get off it yourself.