Pizza Nostra! - Crime and Comedy in the 30's

[Khristian Cammilleri]

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[embed=425,349]<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IP0DKDd5Y04" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/embed]

Pizza Nostra!
Part I
Chicago 1930, Joe Matone a petty thief, is caught by the police in a confusing episode.
A desperate police officer with a serious problem offers him freedom if Matone meets the tough mission
to infiltrate the dangerous Muzzarelli Family, in order to save his kidnapped daughter.
Therefore, Joe will get involved in a great adventure, with many plot twists, difficult decisions, lies, betrayals and violence.

Featuring:

• Over 100 rooms
• Tons of characters
• Minigames
• Intuitive interface
• Music from the '30 era!

Steal!

Kill!

Blackmail!

Earn your freedom!

This is the webpage:
http://pizzanostra.webs.com/

Game page:


For Hints & Tips: HERE

Screenshots


[imgzoom]http://d2bm3ljpacyxu8.cloudfront.net/width/680/pizzanostra.webs.com/PizzaNostra%202013-02-10%2016-52-37-62.jpg[/imgzoom]
[/list]

[cacaro]

This looks amazing. I'll definately try it.

[gspit1124]

This game looks amazing! Trying it now! Thank you!

[Phemar]

Hi there! This game looked really promising from the trailer and I was quite excited to start playing it... however!

The next bit might sound quite harsh, but here a few thoughts so far.

1. I haven't managed to get past the first puzzle. I'm guessing the combination is under a floorboard, but I've tried EVERY single plank there is, to no avail. There's nothing else I can do in the room, so it has to be there somewhere, right? I think it's really unfair to force a puzzle like this on a player (especially a first puzzle). I ended up rage-quitting after 20 minutes of non-stop clicking.
Also, why did he move the painting right in front of the door? And is there another room to the right, or is the illusion that there is just a red herring?

2. I'm guessing English isn't your first language? You should really ask for some help proof-reading before releasing your game. There are quite a few typos/grammar mistakes I picked up, even in the first few rooms.

3. Sometimes bad interface design can be excused in lieu of excellent gameplay/storytelling (as in the Chzo quadrilogy), but the interface here was far from intuitive. It's really annoying to have to cycle back to a walk cursor just to move the player (because for some reason he's not cursor invisible, even though clicking on him results in no action), just because you need to click on a hotspot he's in front of. I know you can walk with the WASD keys, but in a primarily point and click game this is rather redundant.
Also, having to switch back to a pointer mouse just to select an inventory item will get tiring very fast.

4. The inventory should be more easily accessible, or at least show more than just two items at a time.

All that being said, I was really looking forward to this as the trailer looks really cool. Congratulations though on finishing a project of this size, I know it can be quite a daunting task.

And I apologize if I sounded mean, I'm only trying to be constructive. And I guess it's better to know what gripes your players had for future improvement, right?

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Hi there! This game looked really promising from the trailer and I was quite excited to start playing it... however!

The next bit might sound quite harsh, but here a few thoughts so far.

1. I haven't managed to get past the first puzzle. I'm guessing the combination is under a floorboard, but I've tried EVERY single plank there is, to no avail. There's nothing else I can do in the room, so it has to be there somewhere, right? I think it's really unfair to force a puzzle like this on a player (especially a first puzzle). I ended up rage-quitting after 20 minutes of non-stop clicking.
Also, why did he move the painting right in front of the door? And is there another room to the right, or is the illusion that there is just a red herring?

2. I'm guessing English isn't your first language? You should really ask for some help proof-reading before releasing your game. There are quite a few typos/grammar mistakes I picked up, even in the first few rooms.

3. Sometimes bad interface design can be excused in lieu of excellent gameplay/storytelling (as in the Chzo quadrilogy), but the interface here was far from intuitive. It's really annoying to have to cycle back to a walk cursor just to move the player (because for some reason he's not cursor invisible, even though clicking on him results in no action), just because you need to click on a hotspot he's in front of. I know you can walk with the WASD keys, but in a primarily point and click game this is rather redundant.
Also, having to switch back to a pointer mouse just to select an inventory item will get tiring very fast.

4. The inventory should be more easily accessible, or at least show more than just two items at a time.

All that being said, I was really looking forward to this as the trailer looks really cool. Congratulations though on finishing a project of this size, I know it can be quite a daunting task.

And I apologize if I sounded mean, I'm only trying to be constructive. And I guess it's better to know what gripes your players had for future improvement, right?

Spoiler

1.Flowerpot on floor

[close]

[Shadow1000]

I'm in agreement with the first poster. I gave up at the same time for the same reason. The hint you provided didn't help.

Spoiler

there is no hotspot for the flowerpot

[close]

I'm not abandoning the game completely but I hope it gets more smooth than a 20 minute fruitless pixel hunt..

SHADOW

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Yes.. It does... It doesn't have a name when you move the mouse over it.. Sorry for the mistake!

You can also walk with the middle mouse button

[Shadow1000]

Yes.. It does... It doesn't have a name when you move the mouse over it.. Sorry for the mistake!

You can also walk with the middle mouse button

Ok, got that now. If the game has the clickable hotspots with captions then they really should all have captions.

SHADOW

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Yes.. It does... It doesn't have a name when you move the mouse over it.. Sorry for the mistake!

You can also walk with the middle mouse button

Ok, got that now. If the game has the clickable hotspots with captions then they really should all have captions.

SHADOW

It's was my mistake, sorry.. I have uploaded the corrected version..

[Phemar]

Cool, well I've made it a bit further and I'm stuck again...

Spoiler

I'm in the prison, and I need something to make my 'body duplicate' seem more real. Any hints on what that could be? I've cut holes in the sheets and scared the morgue guy, placed my prison clothes on my mattress but I can't figure this part out.
I've also noticed quite a few bugs so far Right now my talking view hasn't been reset back to normal, so I still look like a ghost when I talk!

[close]

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Cool, well I've made it a bit further and I'm stuck again...

Spoiler

I'm in the prison, and I need something to make my 'body duplicate' seem more real. Any hints on what that could be? I've cut holes in the sheets and scared the morgue guy, placed my prison clothes on my mattress but I can't figure this part out.
I've also noticed quite a few bugs so far Right now my talking view hasn't been reset back to normal, so I still look like a ghost when I talk!

[close]

Spoiler

You need some hair (maybe your dear jail mate?)

[close]

For Hints & Tips: HERE

[Eric]

Oh my. That is particularly lovely. You guys are all dropping amazing games while I have no time to play them!

[kaput]

Congrats on the release (been watching this one)! I'll give it a play over the weekend. From what I gather it's pretty jammed packed with different varieties of game-play styles, which is a bonus.

Gotta say, though... It's incredible that even with all the bright flashing lights and signs that people haven't found the hints and tips section of the forum! Heck, folk are still posting modules in the Advanced technical forum . Ahh, well.

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Congrats on the release (been watching this one)! I'll give it a play over the weekend. From what I gather it's pretty jammed packed with different varieties of game-play styles, which is a bonus.

Gotta say, though... It's incredible that even with all the bright flashing lights and signs that people haven't found the hints and tips section of the forum! Heck, folk are still posting modules in the Advanced technical forum . Ahh, well.

Well! I'm glad to hear that you are willing to spend the weekend playing my game!

[Phemar]

Gotta say, though... It's incredible that even with all the bright flashing lights and signs that people haven't found the hints and tips section of the forum! Heck, folk are still posting modules in the Advanced technical forum . Ahh, well.

I was under the impression modules should be posted in the Technical Forum, to be moved by moderators into the Modules forum at a later stage.

I'm a lot further in the game now, and besides the numerous (!!) bugs, I'm starting to enjoy it. But I can't continue unless you increase the walking speed, please!! It was fine while I was in jail and all that, but now I'm doing missions for Tony and suddenly I'm walking at the speed of a snail. I just can't continue like this!

Could you please update the original with a change to the walking speed? (Try not to change anything else, lest it break my savegame!)

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Could you send me a message with the bugs you have spotted please?
I noticed when I was testing that in certain part of the game Joe walks slowly.. I'll try to fix it
pd: After which part you started to walk slowly?

[Phemar]

Could you send me a message with the bugs you have spotted please?
I noticed when I was testing that in certain part of the game Joe walks slowly.. I'll try to fix it
pd: After which part you started to walk slowly?

I can't remember exactly, but pretty much when I started wearing my gangster suit. It might be easier to just add in a slider to let the player adjust the walking speed.

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Could you send me a message with the bugs you have spotted please?
I noticed when I was testing that in certain part of the game Joe walks slowly.. I'll try to fix it
pd: After which part you started to walk slowly?

I can't remember exactly, but pretty much when I started wearing my gangster suit. It might be easier to just add in a slider to let the player adjust the walking speed.

Let's talk privately because I don't want to turn this post into a bug report post!
(Send me a PM)

[Armageddon]

Oh man, the conflicting pixel resolutions and the typos. They burn so much...

Also I stopped after using the safe and pressing every number, never let me leave.

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Oh man, the conflicting pixel resolutions and the typos. They burn so much...

Also I stopped after using the safe and pressing every number, never let me leave.

Spoiler

Have you tried using the flowerpot on the floor?

[close]

[kaput]

Also I stopped after using the safe and pressing every number, never let me leave.

Spoiler

Wow, that puzzle was easy... Really!? How on earth are people having problems with this!? I only had to look at my inventory to know what to do next.

[close]

I made a start to playing the game and it's pretty cool! I loved the intro, totally kick ass. I'm not very far, but I really like the humour. The gritty life behind bars is also well portrayed. It's a great piece of work.

Fix the typos! 

[Armageddon]

No I never even got to do the puzzles. I moved the painting and used the safe. Then it wouldn't let me leave the safe text box thing to select number.

[Khristian Cammilleri]

No I never even got to do the puzzles. I moved the painting and used the safe. Then it wouldn't let me leave the safe text box thing to select number.

Have you tried selecting the last option "Finished"? It's a scrolling dialog box (with the wheel mouse)

[noviigrac]

I cant save the game at all, i press save, write the title, press enter or click save, and when i click load its not there???

[Tabata]

Similar prob here, but at least I have the auto-save and can continue from there.
(using the first version without the hotspots on some objects)

[gspit1124]

Stuck--

Spoiler

can't find key to open door to get Lily out of mansion

[close]

[Khristian Cammilleri]

[/quote]

I cant save the game at all, i press save, write the title, press enter or click save, and when i click load its not there???

Uhm.. that's strange.. in which part of the game this problem occurs?

[noviigrac]

I cant save the game at all, i press save, write the title, press enter or click save, and when i click load its not there???

Uhm.. that's strange.. in which part of the game this problem occurs?
[/quote]

well i didnt want to play for long because of the save problem, so from the beginning to the jail scene, cant save at all.

[Khristian Cammilleri]

I cant save the game at all, i press save, write the title, press enter or click save, and when i click load its not there???

Uhm.. that's strange.. in which part of the game this problem occurs?

[/quote]
well i didnt want to play for long because of the save problem, so from the beginning to the jail scene, cant save at all.
[/quote]
Did you extracted the game from the .rar archive?

Try downloading the updated version..

[noviigrac]

Yes, i can save in the updated version, thank you, your game looks great and i can finally enjoy it as it was meant to be enjoyed!!!

[Head_banger]

Wow, great game. Its funny. Eciting. And the puzzle are just right for me, I don't know why that guy said the first puzzle was difficult I found it fairly perfect although he was right about the spelling and your use of words. Otherwise its an great game with a entertaining story I would give it 9/10 keep up the great work

[Shadow1000]

I finished the game. Here are my comments:

OVERVIEW

Action. Suspense. Mystery. Romance. Comedy. Pizza Nostra has it all. Set in the 1930s, this game follows a small-time thief who joins ranks with the Italian mob to gain his freedom. A well-constructed plot with fun puzzles and many unique elements combined with pleasing, traditional adventure game graphics makes this almost full length game well worth playing.

WHAT I LIKED

- I think that the plot was one of the strengths of this game. The length of the game was well justified by the complexity and unpredictability of the plot. Few games strike this balance as well. I will add that the characters really played their roles well and this is not easy to achieve.
- The graphics and animation were well done. Many games have static backgrounds, which make the non-playable characters look "painted on" rather than active. The extra effort it took to bring the scenes to life with animated characters was a great touch and well worth it.
- For the most part, the music scores really matched the scenes well and were really enjoyable.
- I really liked the fact that in addition to the traditional puzzles, this game has a lot of action/arcade-style sections that give a good variety to the game and further justify its length
- The puzzles may have been on the easier side but were still fun. I was never completely stuck in the game and only required assistance when the game was crashing (see next section). Although they were not particularly simple puzzles, often with many steps to be taken, they were logical and intuitive enough to solve them with some thinking and persistence.
- I will add that I had a lot of laughs while playing.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

- I have to strongly recommend that the script has the English corrected. Not having English as your first language is by no means a barrier to releasing a great game in English! But the English in this game was so poor that it did disrupt the flow of the game and at times I did not understand what was being said. Working with someone who is a native English speaker to develop the script is a must if you want this game to achieve its potential.
- There were many technical glitches, inconsistencies, crashes and other oddities that should have been found and solved during testing. It's clear that a lot of work went into this game and I can't understate the importance of proper testing before release.
- Lastly, there were a number of parts of the game where the player is instructed "do this", "now do that" where the instructions were not puzzles but clear directions. You can consider them interactive cutscenes. I would recommend using this type of thing very sparingly as they did break the flow of the game.

CONCLUSION

It's clear that a lot of development, thought and effort went into Pizza Nostra. In its current state, I recommend playing it to anyone who is willing to overlook some rough edges. If the language and glitches were ironed out, then this game could easily become a classic.

Buona fortuna!

SHADOW

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Well... I am very surprised by what you just said Shadow1000, and I agree with all your observations, the language is my weak point, and as for the bugs and glitches, I'm trying to fix them as you, players, finds them..
I will ask for proof-readers and testers in the Recruitment section..
Sorry for releasing the game with all those flaws!

[Shadow1000]

Well... I am very surprised by what you just said Shadow1000,

Why are you surprised?

Sorry for releasing the game with all those flaws!

I think you should be proud to have released such a good game. The gameplay, plot, graphics and puzzles are the most challenging part of a game and you really did well in each of these areas. Cleaning up the details is relatively easy and you have a lot to be proud of

SHADOW

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Well... I am very surprised by what you just said Shadow1000,

Why are you surprised?

Sorry for releasing the game with all those flaws!

I think you should be proud to have released such a good game. The gameplay, plot, graphics and puzzles are the most challenging part of a game and you really did well in each of these areas. Cleaning up the details is relatively easy and you have a lot to be proud of

SHADOW

Many thanks SHADOW, for all your constructive criticism


Recruitment for proof-readers and testers : HERE

[gspit1124]

I agree with Shadow...this game gave me hours of game play and I cannot wait for the second and third parts! Don't beat yourself up..it is an amazing game!

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Grazie mille! (Many thanks) to Arj0n  Stupot+ and Surplusguy for helping me with the testing and proof reading!

Welcome to the Famiglia!

[Phemar]

Sorry Khristian, I downloaded the new version and played through to where I was in the old version and the walking speed still hasn't changed. It happens right after I'm finished crouching at Mikey Fatlip's house. I'm guessing you forgot to change the walkspeed back to normal after crouching.

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Sorry Khristian, I downloaded the new version and played through to where I was in the old version and the walking speed still hasn't changed. It happens right after I'm finished crouching at Mikey Fatlip's house. I'm guessing you forgot to change the walkspeed back to normal after crouching.

Understood... I'm fixing it, FIXED thanks again Phemar

[Phemar]

Alright, I fixed it. Just as I suspected, it happens if you enter the bedroom while still crawling. The view gets set back to walking, but the speed doesn't change. However, if you press space and stand just before you enter the bedroom your speed and view gets set back to walking.

Cool, now I can continue playing

(Also, the slippers in the bathroom don't have a name. They're just blank!)

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Alright, I fixed it. Just as I suspected, it happens if you enter the bedroom while still crawling. The view gets set back to walking, but the speed doesn't change. However, if you press space and stand just before you enter the bedroom your speed and view gets set back to walking.

Cool, now I can continue playing

(Also, the slippers in the bathroom don't have a name. They're just blank!)

I'm glad that you could solve by yourself..
Arj0n, Stupot+ and Surplusguy are going to help me to test the game and correct all the grammar mistakes, so in a few days I will try to upload the ultimate version of the game!
Thanks for keep playing

[Phemar]

Well, if you want, you can send me a translation file and I'll write it in better english for you. I like to think I'm not bad at writing and since your game has so much potential it makes me sad to see it bugged down by something so silly.

[Khristian Cammilleri]

Well, if you want, you can send me a translation file and I'll write it in better english for you. I like to think I'm not bad at writing and since your game has so much potential it makes me sad to see it bugged down by something so silly.

Don't worry Phemar, it's in good hands

[cianty]

That's some good news. I was really looking forward to playing this game but after reading about the language problems I held on because for me this is a 100% turn off. I'm very glad you found some competent help and now I can't wait for the "English" version.

[Khristian Cammilleri]

That's some good news. I was really looking forward to playing this game but after reading about the language problems I held on because for me this is a 100% turn off. I'm very glad you found some competent help and now I can't wait for the "English" version.

I think that in the next week it will be released, Thanks for waiting!

[cianty]

That's some good news. I was really looking forward to playing this game but after reading about the language problems I held on because for me this is a 100% turn off. I'm very glad you found some competent help and now I can't wait for the "English" version.

I think that in the next week it will be released, Thanks for waiting!

No, thank YOU for the hard work! 

[rorstudio]

i found one bug

when you save before boxers club 
then try to load savegame  it's crashes 
this is very sad

[Khristian Cammilleri]

i found one bug

when you save before boxers club 
then try to load savegame  it's crashes 
this is very sad

Do you have any savegame before that stage?

[rorstudio]

i found one bug

when you save before boxers club 
then try to load savegame  it's crashes 
this is very sad

Do you have any savegame before that stage?

autosave when protagonist hiding from old woman

[Khristian Cammilleri]

i found one bug

when you save before boxers club 
then try to load savegame  it's crashes 
this is very sad

Do you have any savegame before that stage?

autosave when protagonist hiding from old woman

That's a bit embarassing.. All I can tell you is that the game is beign tested and proofreaded at this moment...
In one month or two I hope that the game will be polished.
You can wait until that day, or you can send me your savegame, and I will try to get you to that point of the game

[rorstudio]

ok tomorrow i will send it

btw  inventory in my opinion should be close automatically after using the item

(i do this in my own quest game but it is not on AGS it's 3D)

[Khristian Cammilleri]

i found one bug

when you save before boxers club 
then try to load savegame  it's crashes 
this is very sad

If someone is experiencing the same crash: Savegame

(It seems to be an internal error of AGS)

[rorstudio]

recently finished it
great game
one of the best  on this site

congrats!

[Khristian Cammilleri]

recently finished it
great game
one of the best  on this site

congrats!
Many Thanks!
Could you rate it in the main page?

[cat]

Has the buxfixed/proofread version been released (i.e. when I download it now, what version do I get)?

[Tramponline]

When I downloaded the game some time ago, I was able to finish it and didn't encounter glitches.
There still might be some elements that need to be ironed out, but the scope & diversity of the game definitely makes up for that.

It left me quite impressed with several of the game's mechanics which make for a rewarding change of pace throughout the game.

Definitely had a great time playing it. Not sure whether I was just lucky or played an updated version though... 

[ArgyBoi]

I haven't finished it yet, but I want to congratulate you for releasing the game, obviously you've put a lot of effort on it.
Nevertheless, I think some aspects need to be fixed/improved, mainly the interface... The inventory system is really annoying (should at least close automaticlly on cutscenes), and the dialogs are bit glitchy too (trivial options won't dissapear after selecting them, and they trigger complete cutsences that cannot be skipped).
Anyway, the storyline and some aspects of the gameplay are really good and entertaining.
Congratulations!

[ArgyBoi]

Finished it! Amazing storyline and ending! Can't wait for part 2

[Khristian Cammilleri]

I haven't finished it yet, but I want to congratulate you for releasing the game, obviously you've put a lot of effort on it.
Nevertheless, I think some aspects need to be fixed/improved, mainly the interface... The inventory system is really annoying (should at least close automaticlly on cutscenes), and the dialogs are bit glitchy too (trivial options won't dissapear after selecting them, and they trigger complete cutsences that cannot be skipped).
Anyway, the storyline and some aspects of the gameplay are really good and entertaining.
Congratulations!

Man

Has the buxfixed/proofread version been released (i.e. when I download it now, what version do I get)?

The game breaking game bugs has been fixed, the "minor" flaws not
As for the typos, they weren't fixed because of some problems with the proofreaders

The game is absolutely playable, among with the interface problems, dialog system and other annoyances