Zork II: The Wizard's 'Special Use' Spells Question

[Tempest]

I've played Zork II over and over again for several years (it's my favorite of the series). During all that time I've had the wizard of Frobozz cast various spells on me at random (FALL, FLOAT, FREEZE, FENCE, FIERCE, FERMENT, FEAR, FEEBLE, FUMBLE, FILCH, FANTASIZE, and FIREPROOF), but I've never seen him cast the 7 that are, according to the hint book, reserved for 'special uses' (FRY, FUDGE, FLOURESCE, FREE, FROBIZZ, FROBOZZLE, and FROBNOID). Does anyone know how you get the Wizard to cast these spells? This is one of those mysteries that has bugged me for years...

 

Tempest

[A.J. Franzman]

I've played Zork II over and over again for several years (it's my favorite of the series). During all that time I've had the wizard of Frobozz cast various spells on me at random (FALL, FLOAT, FREEZE, FENCE, FIERCE, FERMENT, FEAR, FEEBLE, FUMBLE, FILCH, FANTASIZE, and FIREPROOF), but I've never seen him cast the 7 that are, according to the hint book, reserved for 'special uses' (FRY, FUDGE, FLOURESCE, FREE, FROBIZZ, FROBOZZLE, and FROBNOID). Does anyone know how you get the Wizard to cast these spells? This is one of those mysteries that has bugged me for years...

I've had the wizard FRY me, and I've been witness to him casting FUDGE several times. He helped me out with FLUORESCE once after my lamp died but I was never able to figure out why or get him to do it again. BTW, I later found out that if the player himself is FLUORESCEd, the game is unwinnable.

 

FUDGE, FREE, FROBIZZ, FROBOZZLE, and FROBNOID are all from various near-end scenes, which play out differently depending on what actions the player takes. Since you apparently haven't seen any of them, I assume you've never finished the game. AFAIK a description of FUDGE that I've seen on the web, saying that it turns the target into into fudge, is wrong. I've never seen it do that to me or anything else. Paraphrasing, "Other than a faint odor of chocolate the spell has no apparent effect", is all I've ever seen it do, regardless of who casts it.

 

Oh, if you want the wizard to FRY you, try attacking the princess sometime.

[Tempest]

I've played Zork II over and over again for several years (it's my favorite of the series). During all that time I've had the wizard of Frobozz cast various spells on me at random (FALL, FLOAT, FREEZE, FENCE, FIERCE, FERMENT, FEAR, FEEBLE, FUMBLE, FILCH, FANTASIZE, and FIREPROOF), but I've never seen him cast the 7 that are, according to the hint book, reserved for 'special uses' (FRY, FUDGE, FLOURESCE, FREE, FROBIZZ, FROBOZZLE, and FROBNOID). Does anyone know how you get the Wizard to cast these spells? This is one of those mysteries that has bugged me for years...

I've had the wizard FRY me, and I've been witness to him casting FUDGE several times. He helped me out with FLUORESCE once after my lamp died but I was never able to figure out why or get him to do it again. BTW, I later found out that if the player himself is FLUORESCEd, the game is unwinnable.

 

FUDGE, FREE, FROBIZZ, FROBOZZLE, and FROBNOID are all from various near-end scenes, which play out differently depending on what actions the player takes. Since you apparently haven't seen any of them, I assume you've never finished the game. AFAIK a description of FUDGE that I've seen on the web, saying that it turns the target into into fudge, is wrong. I've never seen it do that to me or anything else. Paraphrasing, "Other than a faint odor of chocolate the spell has no apparent effect", is all I've ever seen it do, regardless of who casts it.

 

Oh, if you want the wizard to FRY you, try attacking the princess sometime.

 

I've beat the game several times, but I've never seen him cast FROBIZZ, FROBOZZLE, or FROBNOID except once you free the demon, but then again they don't do anything at that point. I assumed he cast those somewhere else in the game, but I guess I'm wrong. I've never had my lamp run out so I've never been Fluoresced, and I've never attacked the princess so I've never been Fried. Interesting though, I'll have to try that.

 

The Fudge spell makes an apperences in Zork Grand Inquisitor. In the museum there's a display about how the wizard turned Flatheadia castle into fudge. I wonder what makes him cast in it the game though?

 

Tempest

[supercat]

BTW, I later found out that if the player himself is FLUORESCEd, the game is unwinnable.

 

I would think that in Zork 2 or Enchanter, it should be possible for a fluoresced/frotzed player to walk around in darkness by wearing a cloak. AFAIK, neither game allows that.

[A.J. Franzman]

I've beat the game several times, but I've never seen him cast FROBIZZ, FROBOZZLE, or FROBNOID except once you free the demon, but then again they don't do anything at that point. I assumed he cast those somewhere else in the game, but I guess I'm wrong.

I think that's the only time FROBIZZ, FROBOZZLE, and FROBNOID are ever spoken. They're probably only included in the Invisiclues for completeness, and possibly also the red herring factor. I think the way to see the use of "FREE" is to ask the demon to take the wand, at which point he casts it on himself. I don't think I've seen Frobozz cast it at all.

[A.J. Franzman]

I would think that in Zork 2 or Enchanter, it should be possible for a fluoresced/frotzed player to walk around in darkness by wearing a cloak. AFAIK, neither game allows that.

True, since there are no cloaks available. I find it interesting that both games have "turning off the lights" as a non-obvious solution to make a puzzle very difficult, and the possibility that the player can be rendered incapable of doing so.

[A.J. Franzman]

While we're on the subject, have you ever had the wizard appear, not cast anything and not vanish? Did you know that in some versions of the game, at this point you can use his wand, without taking it from him? Just pretend that you have it; for example "Wave wand at menhir. Chant 'float'." That's how I got past the menhir the first time.

[Tempest]

While we're on the subject, have you ever had the wizard appear, not cast anything and not vanish? Did you know that in some versions of the game, at this point you can use his wand, without taking it from him? Just pretend that you have it; for example "Wave wand at menhir. Chant 'float'." That's how I got past the menhir the first time.

 

Yeah I've read a couple of bug lists where they mention that. The freaking oddest bug (and I think it's in most versions of the game) is that if you type in Kill Wizard when he just sits there you see the text from the freeing of the demon. That always confused the hell out of me back in the day, because I couldn't figure out where this demon suddenly came from and why I couldn't interact with it. You'd think he's just cast Fry on you or something.

 

BTW is the game really unwinnable if you're fluoresced? I didn't think you actually needed complete darkness in the tomb, but I may be mistaken.

 

Oh and when does he cast Fireproof? I'm guessing it has something to do with the dragon.

 

Tempest

[Christophero Sly]

I can't see the Gnome of Zurich anywhere!

[supercat]

True, since there are no cloaks available.incapable of doing so.

 

I didn't recall seeing any cloaks in either game, but in Enchanter it would not have been unreasonable for the priests to don the player in sacrificial robes so as to offer a solution to a frotzed player (it would also offer an opportunity for the priests to mumble something interesting about how their victim must be an extra-special gift from the gods, given the glow emanating therefrom).

[supercat]

BTW, I find it interesting that I solved Beyond Zork and Adventureland before discovering the "correct" solution to either. Interestingly, prior to MGC, Scott Adams was unaware of my solution to Adventureland (at MGC, I asked him if he had intentionally designed the game to be winnable without using the magic carpet. He wanted to know how I did it.)

 

As for Beyond Zork, there's one variation on IIRC "Ask woman about butterfly" which does an implied "(taken)". The player may then sell the butterfly to the woman, whereupon it will fly from the case to the chalice. The trick may be repeated, with the butterfly doubling in value each time allowing the game to be won without the Crocodile Tear.

[Tempest]

True, since there are no cloaks available.incapable of doing so.

 

I didn't recall seeing any cloaks in either game

 

 

The only Zork game I know with a cloak is Zork III.

 

As for Beyond Zork, there's one variation on IIRC "Ask woman about butterfly" which does an implied "(taken)". The player may then sell the butterfly to the woman, whereupon it will fly from the case to the chalice. The trick may be repeated, with the butterfly doubling in value each time allowing the game to be won without the Crocodile Tear

 

Yeah that's another major bug, but I never discovered that one back in the day. The only two I found were the above mentioned Wizard bug and a more serious one that crashed Zork III. If you have the sword when you reach the cell area the game will crash. It took me forever to figure out why that was happening (the game gets confused on if the sword should be glowing or not).

 

Tempest

[Tempest]

A little off topic, but since it's my thread I can go off topic if I want.

 

Does anyone know where I can download all the various versions of the Infocom games that were released? I have the Lost Treasures sets so I actually own the games, but only one version (and a few copies of the games from back in the day but that only brings the total up to 2). I'd really like ot go through some of these earlier versions and play around with some of the more serious bugs they took out (especially in the beta versions).

 

Tempest

[A.J. Franzman]

http://ifarchive.org/

 

Go to directory /infocom/patches, and get zpat-2_2.zip, which is a "patching" program that lets you use one version of a gamefile to generate another. Then get the patch files for the games you have, and you can generate all the other available versions.

[A.J. Franzman]

I can't see the Gnome of Zurich anywhere!

I think you usually only see him if you get stuck in the bank vault.

[A.J. Franzman]

BTW is the game really unwinnable if you're fluoresced? I didn't think you actually needed complete darkness in the tomb, but I may be mistaken.

Yup, that's the problem. It may have been the programmers' intention that being fluoresced not allow you to finish the game, but if that were the case, I'd think it should be more common that the wizard would do it.

 

 

Oh and when does he cast Fireproof? I'm guessing it has something to do with the dragon.

Yes, I've been fireproofed a few times while doing silly things outside the dragon's lair before I eventualy figured out how to defeat thim.

Edited September 17, 2006 by A.J. Franzman

[Tempest]

I can't see the Gnome of Zurich anywhere!

I think you usually only see him if you get stuck in the bank vault.

 

I think that was a reference to an infomous bug in Zork II where the game would say that for no reason. I forget what trigged it though.

 

Tempest