[Fantasysci5]

Wow, you guys are finishing up your playthrough pretty quickly! Makes it seem like mine took centuries! lol

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

That's actually Sneffle form the baker's guild. Unless it got lost in translation, he was the guy who left most of the messages on Dalboz's answering machine. See what I meant earlier when speaking of cool foreshadowing thoughout the game?

Unless I missed something, unfortunately this detail got lost...

[Fien]

AFGNCAAP, I think the fire refers to the beginning of Zork Zero, but I’m not sure, haven’t checked. Fudge is a spell used by the pathetic Wizard of Frobozz (Zork 2?), who could only cast spells starting with an F. He could still do you a lot of harm though, the old bastard.

The Griff
One of my Least Favorite NPCs and the dragon puzzle is so-so. But Sneffle is the icing on the cake. Andrea, in his first phone message Sneffle says: “I’ve relocated and I live in the... uh, throat, actually... of the Great Watchdragon of the Coconut. That’s one word, Watchdragon.” Sneffle’s English voice is wonderful, which is so important. You can ruin those lines with a mediocre voiceactor.

”I Love Lucy!”
The crystall ball thingy is weird. Out of the blue. Why would she be telepathic? Doesn’t run in the family, Dimwit the Flathead was far too thick for such subtle energies. Once I noticed that the crystal ball cursor is still there during the strip game (I concentrated on the lower half of the screen) I immediately used it to see if I could lose. And here are the first lines of the scrolling strip ending:

Spoiler:

After a mind-boggling losing streak you are reduced to your final piece of clothing. As you place the last undergarment on the table, you panic suddenly and run from the door, dashing back through the casino, past the bouncer Floyd, and out into the Port Foozle street. With Jack chasing, you duck through the nearest doorway and lock it behind you.

I hope everybody has sent Lucy to the White House? She can’t do anything useful but her conversation with the torches is worth the extra effort.

The final end game scene scrolls too. The first lines are:

Spoiler:

With the artefacts in place, you cast the binding spells of magic. The resultant blast throws you, your totems and the Inquisitor from the tower while sending a shockwave of magic through the land. Exposed to the burst of magic energies, the totems spring back to life. Fortunately, you are caught by the Griff, Lucy is caught by Jack, and the Brog’s fall is broken by his head. The Grand Inquisitor is not so lucky.

Fun thing to do in the end game:

Spoiler:

cast “unattractive” spell on the Dalboz lamp

I will post my final comments this weekend.

Oh, I almost forgot: when I went back to listen to Sneffle once more, I found the answer to my own question: Doug and Shona are phone messages.

Quote of the Day: “I love to love the lovely ladies” (Floyd)

[AFGNCAAP]

Still not played to the end, but stepping back to past sections for a minute, I was trying not to let any easter eggs gets unnoticed, and I have following questions and observations:

You actually can't get run out of Zorkmids. (Yup, I tried spending all 500. ) I had figured that much, cause that would be a pretty nasty dead end in a game devoid of those, but seeing as you need so much fewer than 500 to finish the game, I thought that, maybe, they are indeed limited. (I also used to think that Lucy can't run out of clothes, after all, and that was incorrect.)

Should I recognize the person in the picture in Dalboz's locker (I mean either as an in-Zork character or as a real person)? Or the one on a 1-zorkmid coin? Or on a 500-zorkmid note? (I consulted the Flathead Calendar, and the last one's bushy moustache look like Stonewall's or Babe's.)

And here's something I am super proud of. The words on Odibil/Obidil before it's spellchecked are apparently legitimate Portuguese!



I can only make out the biggest font which I think says:

....................
????? EU ESTOU DE SACO CHEIO DE
ESCREVER E VOU ESCREVER EM PORTUGUES
PORQUE TEM QUE TER O MEU NOME EM
....................
E AGORA MAU UM POUQUINHO
PORQUE AINDA NAO ENCHEU O PAPEL
E ALEM DISSO EU VOU TER QUE REDU-
ZIR O TEXTO
....................

Does any Portuguese speaker follow this thread and can help? With the combined powers of Babelfish and Google and common sense the best translation I've got is:

....................
????? I AM SICK OF
WRITING AND I AM GOING TO WRITE IN PORTUGUESE
BECAUSE IT HAS TO HAVE MY NAME IN
....................
AND NOW A BIT BAD
BECAUSE I HAVEN'T FILLED THE PAPER YET
AND MOREOVER I AM GOING TO HAVE TO
REDUCE THE TEXT SIZE
....................

[AFGNCAAP]

Sneffle’s English voice is wonderful, which is so important. You can ruin those lines with a mediocre voiceactor.

True. Val Bettin (also the voice of my favourite Flickering! And IMDB says he is the Sultan in Disney's Aladdin direct-to-video sequels and tv series.) did amazing job. And despite the whole absurdity of the situation, the way he says "I don't want to be a bother, but..." after his only simple request, a piña colada, is ignored, makes my heart break for him.

Speaking of the cast, I think I am usually pretty good at recognizing one actor voicing separate characters, but if the manual is to be trusted, both Hades Beast's heads were played by the same man? Wow. Great work.

Also, am I the only one who actually was a bit scared of Yannick when he did that "angry inquisitor face" in the cutscene with Jack? From over-the-top to menacing in a matter of seconds... ZGI owes a lot to Erick Avari's performance, even though he practically disappears for most of the game.

(Which reminds me, in said cutscene, he says that he "just" totemized his classmate from GUE. So I guess Dungeon Master's remark about phone messages is really the only thing that points to the contrary.)

The crystall ball thingy is weird. Out of the blue. Why would she be telepathic?

Well, it was mentioned in her how-did-I-get-totemized flashback. But I suppose you mean out of the blue in relation to previous games.

I hope everybody has sent Lucy to the White House? She can’t do anything useful but her conversation with the torches is worth the extra effort.

The best thing about playing with CCBomber's setup is that you don't have to swap disks eighteen times in order to send every totem into every tunnel. My favourite combination was sending Brog to Port Foozle and knocking on Jack's door.

[colpet]

Just finished the last section. I was surprised how fast it went. This is truly a classic game - good puzzles, humorous, FMV (yay!) and good acting.
Afew comments about the last bit:

Spoiler:

Loved listening to the guards, ,both in the jail and from outside the tent. Struggled with the electrical fence, until I backed away from the screen . I love a happy and romantic ending - Jack and Lucy made a cute couple.

[Trunkyo]

I'm trying to get my sister to start playing adventures again, starting with this game! (She's a fan of Dirk Benedict btw, so I'm sure she'll snicker at the scene where Jack introduces himself to Lucy, saying she might remember him from his hit TV series, "Z-Team"! )

If you weren't keeping track, here is the list of ranks achieved throughout the game, along with their corresponding point levels. The ranks themselves are "meaningless" but the score at least gives you an idea of your progress in the game! (I didn't have time to create a complete points list �* la Sierra games, anybody else want to try? )

0 - PermaSuck Salesman
50 - PermaSuck Regional Sales Manager
100 - Luckless Adventurer
150 - Acolyte Spellcaster
200 - Junior Enchanter
300 - Enchanter
400 - Assistant Sorcerer
500 - Sorcerer
600 - Executive Spell Manager
700 - Vice Wizard
800 - Wizard
900 - Uber Wizard
1000 - Dungeon Master

Oh, I only just noticed during this replay of ZGI that one (or two?) of the images on the rotating rings on the third pillar at the entrance to GUE Tech is of the inside of Temple of Agrippa from Zork Nemesis! (I don't have ZN installed to check, the second image may or may not be from the temple exterior.) Images from the first pillar include the White House (with mailbox) and Flathead Mesa, where the endgame takes place.

[Jelena]

Oh darn. I haven't played a bit since I last posted. There isn't time enough for gaming right now.

[AFGNCAAP]

I'm done.

Like colpet, I remembered the endgame as much less rapid than it is. I also remembered the let-Jack-out-of-his-cell puzzle as very obscure, but it turns out all the necessary clues are in plain sight. Nevertheless, combining info from

Spoiler:

the blueprint, the monitor, and just looking around

felt very satisfying.

Yay for Y'Gael reappearing (forgot about that). So I guess there's no way around it: we have a live connection with her. Gee, thanks for popping to help us so mamy times along the way, Y'Gael.

The conversation between the guards is a hoot. ("I'm a real sucker for the Romantics, I must admit.")

It's a pity a couple of more funny responses to using reversed spells weren't implemented.

New ways to die are prety obvious:

Spoiler:

Open the wrong cell, enter the guards' tent, get electrocuted before or after casting the Margi spell, cut the antenna before putting artifacts in their proper places, wait too long with casting the final spell (this one gets a cutscene!).

That makes, if my calculations are corect, at least 31 distinct death screens throughout the game (excluding those achieved by typing in easter egg messages mentioned upthread).



Semi-closing comments: to me, none of the magic of ZGI was lost compared to the last time I played it in full so many (nine, ten? ) years ago. Glad I was able to take part in the playthrough.

[AFGNCAAP]

And now, if I may, some tips for those craving more ZGI-like goodness. Apart from the obvious (Ie. all the previous Zorkian games, though be aware they are all over the place in terms of both gameplay design and type/amount of humour. There simply is no guarantee for liking the others just beause you like one.), I suggest:

Lost Pig, a game that not only parodies the earliest Zorks and similar dungeon crawlers, but also features the protagonist the closest to the lovable Brog you could possibly get. (Which also means it's a very nice introductory game to those unfamiliar with/afraid of text games. It syntax be no hard. )

If getting creative with a variety of magic spells was what you liked the most in Grand Inquisitor, then I point you in the direction of Death Gate and Loom.

And Arthur in Journeyman Project 2 and 3 is a very Dalbozesque wisecracking sidekick.

Anyone have any other recommendations? Games where you embody several characters and experience the environment slightly different through each of them's eyes? Games that successfully make fun of other AGs, while being themselves enjoyable?

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

And Arthur in Journeyman Project 2 and 3 is a very Dalbozesque wisecracking sidekick.

I'm interested in these ones, but I fear that they are too puzzle-intensive for my tastes. I don't know about Arthur, but Dalboz is so great that it will be difficult for another comic sidekick to top him (for me), at least regarding his wonderful sense of humor!

[Fien]

I forgot all about the picture in the locker. I have absolutely no idea who that mysterious male might be. His head looks normal to me. One of the ZGI implementors perhaps. Someone from Nemesis? Or Return to Zork, the only one I haven’t played for more than 15 minutes because of the terribly dated interface. The ZGI interface is so easy and smooth. Three ways to access your inventory! There’s production values for you.

To me, it’s Dimwit on the zorkmid. I know it says 657 GUE, that’s two centuries before Dimwit came into power, so it could be any Flathead. But they all look alike and he’s the only one we get to know a little.

One minor criticism. Or two. All the acting was nicely over the top, but the cut scene in the prison with the Inquisitor made me aware that Dirk Benedict is my least favorite ZGI actor and the prison is my least favorite part of the game. Tagged on. Y’Gael’s second appearance was decidedly weak. The entire last part of the game felt a bit rushed, the final cut scene in particular. It was fun to see The Brog fall down in a flash, but I wanted some memorable parting words from him and The Griff. More! More!

I just finished checking Mr. Bill’s list. Yep, I’ve seen everything except:
77) when at the subway, don't stand on the edge of the platform before solving the map puzzle and
78) don't pick up the subway token at the bottom of the well: wait until you get to the glass case at the end of the stairs, then take the hammer. Eh..? Mr. Bill must be in error. You should definitely stand on the edge of the platform and I don’t know what he wants to achieve with that hammer. The comment “our first inventory item together” perhaps, but you get that with any “first inventory item”.

Well, thanks everybody for joining me. Special thanks to AFGNCAAP, who contributed so much and came up with Obidil just when I thought we’d squeezed every drop of Magick from the game. Amazing feat. It’s been a great Bring Your Own Brain party. So I stole that one from the old New Zork Times... sue me!

Quote of the Day: “Go home, people, it’s over.” (Lucy)

Sniff.

[Fien]

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

Anyone have any other recommendations? Games where you embody several characters and experience the environment slightly different through each of them's eyes?

Other than the obvious Maniac Mansion I can't think of any. I'm sure there must be some. In one of the JP games you mentioned the player has to morph into other characters, I guess that counts too. Well, there's Still Life 2, not yet published in English. Playing as Victoria you investigate the rooms where you were held prison (and escaped) as victim Paloma. I liked seeing the same room through different eyes. It's essentially survival horror though, nothing humorous about it.

Thud is a lovable character who has the same peanut for a brain as Brog. He takes care of Fleebix, who lives in a glass jar. Anybody looking for a humorous game with good voiceacting and exotic, bizarre scifi creatures to morph into should give The Space Bar a chance. First-person, so you get to see the world through Fleebix’ glass cage or the multi-facetted eyes of a Zazzl. Most puzzles are hard.

Games that successfully make fun of other AGs, while being themselves enjoyable?

GAG. Not nearly as good as ZGI of course, different type of game, but it’s an enjoyable parody of the genre and the adventure-type puzzles. Hard to find nowadays.

[AFGNCAAP]

Originally Posted by AndreaDraco83

I'm interested in these ones, but I fear that they are too puzzle-intensive for my tastes. I don't know about Arthur, but Dalboz is so great that it will be difficult for another comic sidekick to top him (for me), at least regarding his wonderful sense of humor!

Truth be told, I own but haven't played them (unlike the other games I was recommending; I've seen Dalboz and Arthur compared enough times, though, that I decided it is safe to recommend them blindly in that particular context). I'd definitely say that the first JP game (which I did play) is too puzzle-centric for you, but the sequels are always said to have a more fleshed out story, so I don't know.

Originally Posted by Fienepien

All the acting was nicely over the top, but the cut scene in the prison with the Inquisitor made me aware that Dirk Benedict is my least favorite ZGI actor

I didn't like Benedict at all, but I liked Antharia Jack. Go figure.

The entire last part of the game felt a bit rushed, the final cut scene in particular. It was fun to see The Brog fall down in a flash, but I wanted some memorable parting words from him and The Griff. More! More!

Maybe the developers were rushed by the publishers (the death screen at "killmenow" could be more than a mere joke); wouldn't be the first nor the last time that happened. Or maybe they felt tying everything up would be superfluous, because they assumed there'd be more Zorks after this one.

Well, thanks everybody for joining me. Special thanks to AFGNCAAP, who contributed so much and came up with Obidil just when I thought we’d squeezed every drop of Magick from the game.

The pleasure was all mine. Thanks, everyone.

Oh, and just something I forgot to stress in my recommendations: Lost Pig is not only freeware, but also playable online; no need to download interpreters or anything. So there's no excuse not to try it.