 when and how did you first get into ZZT?
 I was possibly 10 - 11 years old, and me and my younger brother were doing file searches. I REALLY liked x-men at the time, and my little brother liked jurassic park (he always liked dinosaurs), and we found GAMES! YES! They required ZZT 3.2 by Tim Sweeney, however, so we downloaded it, and enjoyed a wealth of mediocre, but not terrible stuff. I made my own xmen games, all yellow, with no objects, (because I didn't know where the code went (duh)), and then one day discovered the true complexities of zzt, and started to program, working my way up, until I had COOLNESS.
how many ZZT games have you created? what are they?
7 that I can remember...Released games: COOLNESS, WARLORD'S TEMPLE, ZZTHELP, CANNIBAL ISLAND REMAKE (only available through registration of the zzt pack from sv) sorry, nonreleased, trashed, kid games: XMEN: PHALANX COVENANT (god awful),GOOFBALL (not terrible, reminds me of a really watered down codered),SONIC and KNUCKLES (not too bad either. The typical mediocre game). what things do you consider most important in a ZZT game?
Well, I've always been partial to graphics. ZZT games are okay without plot, just as long as they're fun, so I would have to say enjoyment of gameplay another one. Of course, if you throw plot, graphics, and enjoyment of gameplay all in, and add some sound, then you have a really great game (I tried to do this with Warlord's Temple).
what tips, if any, would you give aspiring ZZT programmers?
I would have to say, stay an underdog like I did, don't join any companies, become one of the best, and only settle FOR THE BEST. Working hard and practicing are way better than bragging and rushing to get a game out.
what are your favorite ZZT games?
coolness, warlord's temple, zzt help, sivion, fred, overflow, codered, mission enigma, cannibal island (made of remake of it), kudzu, turmoil, that's all I can think of for now :)
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