I had the great fortune of previewing ferazel's wand a long time ago, when it was in development, but I never ended up playing the full version. I really should register it one of these days, it's once of Ambrosia's best games.

In the preview version I played there was one really cool level, which was pretty much just a vertical tunnel, that wound back and forth. Now if most sidescrollers a vertical tunnel (it had some slopes going right and left) would be pretty dumb, but in Ferazel's wand you could climb walls really easily (one of the things I loved about the game) and so it made climbing up the tunnel (or were you descending, i can't remember) very interesting. I just thought the level design was really cool, although the in version I played the level wasn't finished, there was just the tunnel, no monsters or items or anything else. Was such a level every put into the cave section of the game?

Also is it true to that Ferazel has a love intrest? I saw a sketch drawing of her once and she looked really cool. But I haven't heard much mention of her since.

Thanks.

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Welcome quartex17!

The climbing component is important in many of the levels of FW, but I don't recall a level which was strickly vertical the way you describe.

No love interest in the original game, but she's been integrated into a few of the add on levels. Here's the add ons page:
(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/games/ferazel/addons.html")http://www.AmbrosiaS...zel/addons.html(/url)

Some of the earliest ones are the best - Basic Nothingness, Andrews World and others spring to mind. (This is the opening for people to advertise their levels....) You can also download the editor and create your own levels.

Go ahead and register - it's well worth it.

ML

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Age and treachery will usually overcome youth and enthusiasm.
Official Member of WIRP

The closest thing that comes to mind for a vertical level would be The Dig.

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-- Jeff

Let's just say that if you register the full game and wait one or two or three months or more or less, you'll get to play that level. It's called Vertical Ascender, by the way.

Yet another reason to wait for The Ninth Kingdom.

Bah, there's a huge secret we were saving up finally revealed.

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Come on over to irc.ambrosia.net !
(url="http://"http://ninthkingdom.ferazel.net")OBW: The Ninth Kingdom for Ferazel's Wand coming soon?(/url)

Darn, too bad about no love intrest. It's odd becuase I disrtinctly remember Ben Spees posting a sketch online, I think it might have been a female Habnabit, but I'm not sure.

Of course I deleted my old beta versions long ago, (anyway it would be illegal to distribute them) so I can't verify my claim of one long vertical level. What surprised me was unlike most games where you do need an elevator to go up (we've all played the games with the rising platform and the attacking monsters), I imagined ferazel cli,bing up shooting fireballs and jumping back and forth.

I know probably every fan asks this, but anyone know how to contact Ben Spees? Mixedmetaphor doesn't seem to exist, and he's left Ambrosia. I'd love to be able to contact him. It's been a long time since I previews Ferazel's Wand for The MacGamer's Ledge (God I loved that site). I just can't believe that he made this game when he was 21, I'm 21 now and I wish I could do something even half as impressive. I think ferazel's wand has aged well, it is still one of Ambrosia longest and best games.

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Quote

Originally posted by quartex17:
**I know probably every fan asks this, but anyone know how to contact Ben Spees? Mixedmetaphor doesn't seem to exist, and he's left Ambrosia. I'd love to be able to contact him. It's been a long time since I previews Ferazel's Wand for The MacGamer's Ledge (God I loved that site). I just can't believe that he made this game when he was 21, I'm 21 now and I wish I could do something even half as impressive. I think ferazel's wand has aged well, it is still one of Ambrosia longest and best games.
**

No one knows anymore. He seems to have faded off the edge or the earth or something.

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Quote

Originally posted by Thok:
**No one knows anymore. He seems to have faded off the edge or the earth or something.

**

Indeed. Whether or not he checks his Mixed Metaphor account any longer was never determined. Poor Zelda can't even coax him to talk...!

And you're very right about MacLedge. Best gaming site of them all.

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"Tu sais bien que je ne pense jamais. Je suis bien trop intelligent pour ça." Albert Camus , "Caligula"
INTRODUCING! Yet another bizarre and surreal blog, established by (url="http://"http://spamguy.blog-city.com")spamguy(/url)! (2.10)

I suppose the one thing that doesn't change is snail mail. I released a few games a long time ago, and though the e-mail address is long since dead, I'm surprised how long my parents got letters from people wanting to register. Luckily the games were bad enough that i stopped getting mail a few years ago. Once you put something on the net, it never leaves.

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From what i'm hearing, it seems like most of you have not played the default level set in a long time. The vertical level is OUT OF THE FRYING PAN (DUH!) on the lava levels. You said it wasnt complete. Out of the frying pan is: you start at the top of a level that you described, you are running from a wall of fire going down, on the way, you meet obstacles that slow you down. Its a real tough level.

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"Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are not even capable of forming such opinions."
Albert Einstein

Quote

Originally posted by Salrillian:
**From what i'm hearing, it seems like most of you have not played the default level set in a long time. The vertical level is OUT OF THE FRYING PAN (DUH!) on the lava levels. You said it wasnt complete. Out of the frying pan is: you start at the top of a level that you described, you are running from a wall of fire going down, on the way, you meet obstacles that slow you down. Its a real tough level.
**

No, no no! You don't understand, there really once was a level that was called Vertical Ascender and Ferazel goes in a zigzag upwards. And (url="http://"http://ninthkingdom.ferazel.net/")The Ninth Kingdom(/url) project has a copy of that level. And you'll get to play it when we release The Ninth Kingdom. And it was supposed to be a secret, but now that you've gone and mentioned it, I decided to reveal that we have it. And yes, The Ninth Kingdom level set is going to be amazing (it already is). And unfortunately all the members (including myself) are lazy. And that's all I'm going to say for now. The And.

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Come on over to irc.ambrosia.net !
(url="http://"http://ninthkingdom.ferazel.net")OBW: The Ninth Kingdom for Ferazel's Wand coming soon?(/url)

Do you mean that vertical ascender was once an original level that was dropped? I level I was describing was in the cave section. I remember I could go from the 1st level, to a bigger second level that had 2 exists, one leading to a 3rd dead end cave level that let me get a special spell (boomerang?). The other exit from the second level let me go up towards the surface, but before I could reach the surface I hit this empty ascending level. If you mean the map in your group's project was actually taken out of an early version of the official files, than that it pretty cool. Be fun to play it.

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Quote

Originally posted by quartex17:
**Do you mean that vertical ascender was once an original level that was dropped?
**

Yes.

Quote

**If you mean the map in your group's project was actually taken out of an early version of the official files, than that it pretty cool. Be fun to play it.
**

Yes.

Screenshot (url="http://"http://ninthkingdom.ferazel.net/screenshots.php")here(/url).

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Come on over to irc.ambrosia.net !
(url="http://"http://ninthkingdom.ferazel.net")OBW: The Ninth Kingdom for Ferazel's Wand(/url)

(This message has been edited by PCheese (edited 05-22-2003).)

Quote

Originally posted by spamguy:
**Indeed. Whether or not he checks his Mixed Metaphor account any longer was never determined. Poor Zelda can't even coax him to talk...!

**

Poor Zelda does still occasionally talk to him. He's just very very busy with his job at Horizons. And he's rather left Ferazel and his other previous games behind. I'm not happy about it either. But I guess I understand. A person has only so much time in his life.

And testing means that there are things that are tried that don't work out. That's why it's tested.So sure..you saw some levels or characters that didn't make it into the game. That's the breaks, kiddo.

---Zelda

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STILL a proud member of WIRP
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Bege is right all the time.