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Frotz

Last updated on 21 March, 2013 - 19:12. Originally submitted by Unregistered User on 27 Dec 2010 - 02:54.
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Description of App

Burned out on all the new-fangled graphics and dazzling eye candy on your shiny new iPhone or iPad? Nostalgic for a simpler time?

Then take advantage of those crisp high-resolution fonts to relive the glory days of the Great Underground Empire, or play any of hundreds of great works from the Interactive Fiction archive.

Frotz lets you play free works of Interactive Fiction (a.k.a. text adventure games) on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.

Frotz plays titles written in the Z-Machine format. This format was invented by Infocom and was used to produce classic text adventures from the 80s such as the Zork Trilogy, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Trinity.

In the past decade, text adventures have experienced a renaissance due to the efforts of a diverse Internet community of talented interactive fiction writers and fans. Many of these games are written using the same engine that powered Infocom's titles, thanks to the Inform compiler and authoring system created by Graham Nelson.

Version

1.6

Free or Paid

Free

Compatibility

This is a universal app, so works natively on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

Device(s) App Was Tested On

iPhone 5

Accessibility Comments

Appears to be very accessible!

VoiceOver Performance

VoiceOver reads all page elements.

Button Labeling

All buttons are clearly labeled.

Usability

The app is fully accessible with VoiceOver and is easy to navigate and use.

Link to Frotz in the App Store

Visit developer web site

User Options

2 AppleVis user(s) have recommended this app for VoiceOver users.

Comments

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

#1 Version 1.5.3

Submitted by AnonyMouse on 22 October, 2012 - 11:04.
Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

This was once a FREE app but now is selling for $0.99 in the App Store. It appeared they started to charge for this during the summer.

What's New in Version 1.5.3

What's New in Version 1.5.3

- Readability: Wider margins and spacing for better readability on iPad.
- Unicode: Improved Unicode text support for games with non-Latin characters.
- Updated glulx support: Now conforms to standard spec 3.1.2.
- Graphics improvements: Performance and stability of games using glk graphics improved; Frotz now supports inline images in text.
- VoiceOver support: Fixed bug preventing automatic announcement of new output in glulx games.
- Keyboard: Improved support for playing with a Bluetooth keyboard (you can now scroll via keyboard and no longer have to tap the screen).
- Other bug fixes: New FTP server compatible with more clients; restored 'Open in' functionality for launching Frotz from other apps.

#2 App now free as on this date

Submitted by Beth Swain on 21 March, 2013 - 18:35.

The app appears to be free for now at least again, I look forward to trying it out.

#3 Update

Submitted by AnonyMouse on 21 March, 2013 - 19:10.
Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

Thanks for that update! Indeed it does appear to be FREE. I couldn't find any activities when this was done. As of October 26, 2012 it was at $0.99 but since then it became FREE.