diff --git a/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/menu/conversationmenu.zs b/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/menu/conversationmenu.zs
index cbf621a51..a51c01d78 100644
--- a/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/menu/conversationmenu.zs
+++ b/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/menu/conversationmenu.zs
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ class ConversationMenu : Menu
 			goodbyestr = String.Format("$TXT_%s_%02d", goodbyestr, Random[RandomSpeech](1, NUM_RANDOM_LINES));
 		}
 		goodbyestr = Stringtable.Localize(goodbyestr);
-		if (goodbyestr.Length() == 0 || goodbyestr.CharAt(0) == "$") goodbyestr = "Bye.";
+		if (goodbyestr.Length() == 0 || goodbyestr.Left(1) == "$") goodbyestr = "Bye.";
 		mResponses.Push(mResponseLines.Size());
 		mResponseLines.Push(goodbyestr);
 
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ class ConversationMenu : Menu
 		{
 			let dlgtext = String.Format("$TXT_%s_%02d", toSay, random[RandomSpeech](1, NUM_RANDOM_LINES));
 			toSay = Stringtable.Localize(dlgtext);
-			if (toSay.CharAt(0) == "$") toSay = Stringtable.Localize("$TXT_GOAWAY");
+			if (toSay.Left(1) == "$") toSay = Stringtable.Localize("$TXT_GOAWAY");
 		}
 		else
 		{
diff --git a/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/menu/search/query.zs b/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/menu/search/query.zs
index 691a85b59..70c5437c1 100644
--- a/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/menu/search/query.zs
+++ b/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/menu/search/query.zs
@@ -61,10 +61,10 @@ class os_Query
 
 	private static bool contains(string str, string substr)
 	{
-		str   .toLower();
-		substr.toLower();
+		let lowerstr    = str   .MakeLower();
+		let lowersubstr = substr.MakeLower();
 
-		bool contains = (str.IndexOf(substr) != -1);
+		bool contains = (lowerstr.IndexOf(lowersubstr) != -1);
 
 		return contains;
 	}
diff --git a/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/statscreen/statscreen.zs b/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/statscreen/statscreen.zs
index 8c92b8ca7..c66d56050 100644
--- a/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/statscreen/statscreen.zs
+++ b/wadsrc/static/zscript/ui/statscreen/statscreen.zs
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ struct PatchInfo play version("2.5")
 		// The default settings for this are marked with a *.
 		// If some mod changes this it is assumed that it doesn't provide any localization for the map name in a language not supported by the font.
 		String s = gifont.fontname;
-		if (s.CharAt(0) != "*")
+		if (s.Left(1) != "*")
 			mFont = Font.GetFont(gifont.fontname);
 		else if (generic_ui)
 			mFont = NewSmallFont;