Pizza Chef

[+Nathan Strum]

This could have been a fun concept for a game. The execution is horrible, but there's an interesting idea behind it.

[Supergun]

Agreed. It's more involved then the average 2600 game, which sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. Games like Fathom & Private Eye for example, work, the detailed graphics back up the gameplay & make it easy to understand the tasks at hand. Pizza Chef could have benefitted & gone further with a graphics improvement. Would have polished it off nicely & made it a great game. 8K of EPROM space can do wonders.

 

If you look at the typical cliche' 2600 "composite screen shown" in the the Zimag catalog on Rom Hunters page, it depicts what may have been the intended or eventual vision of the programmer.

[Tempest]

 

But how do you know which one of the three ovens is the correct (hot) one?

 

Is it just a random pick?

 

That's a good question.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Even with the instruction the game makes little sense to me.

1. Where are the ingredients listed? Is there something missing from the instructions? Maybe the colors must match with those in the oven?
2. How are the utensils related to the ingredients?
3. What are the left, blue rectangles in the oven room used for?

Notes:

1. The difficulty switch is reversed. A should be defaulted in Stella.
2. The 25 variations only seem to affect the colors of the tables in the oven. Or is there something else?

[Tempest]

I think it's just trial and error. From the way the manual states it, it sounds like each variation has a set ingredient / utensil pattern. So I'm guessing that each variation is just another pattern that you have to guess.

[lazzeri]

 

Even with the instruction the game makes little sense to me.

• Where are the ingredients listed? Is there something missing from the instructions? Maybe the colors must match with those in the oven?
• How are the utensils related to the ingredients?
• What are the left, blue rectangles in the oven room used for?

Notes:

• The difficulty switch is reversed. A should be defaulted in Stella.
• The 25 variations only seem to affect the colors of the tables in the oven. Or is there something else?

Yeah, some things make zero sense.

 

"If he manages to get all the right items one of the eight tables will turn invisible and one credit will be added at the top of the screen for Antonio´s order list". What?

[swordquest plus]

But how do you know which one of the three ovens is the correct (hot) one?

 

Is it just a random pick?

 

To be honest, I don't know for sure. I'd assume that the oven that is correct depends on the game variation you're playing, but I haven't played the game enough times to find out. Maybe I'll go play it some more times to find out.

[Tempest]

Someone needs to look into the code and see what makes this horror show tick.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Someone needs to look into the code and see what makes this horror show tick.

I am already on it, but the code is a mess too.

 

No surprise...

[Thomas Jentzsch]

I found that there is more logic than described in the instructions, e.g. each ingredient needs the right utensil. But there seems to be no logic, e.g. cheese needs the cup.

 

But first we have to make up some names for the utensils and ingredients:

 

Utensils:

• Knife or Chopper
• Plate or Bowl
• Cup

Ingredients (the ordering is just for me):

• "pink ball" Tomatoes? (needs Knife)
• Cheese (Cup)
• "green bar" (Plate)
• "white rectangle" Onions? (Plate)
• "grey fish"? (Knife)
• "green ball with orange top"? Olives? (Plate)
• Mushrooms? (Knife)
• "grey-yellow arc"? (Knife)
• Spices (Cup)
• Sausage? (Knife)

Example for game variation #1:

• Pickup the yellow cup.
• Pickup the yellow cheese and bring it to the yellow tables (repeat 4x), a yellow table will disappear
• Pickup the grey (with red top) spices and bring it to the grey tables (repeat 4x), a grey table will disappear
• Try one of the three ovens
  • If it is the right one, you won
  • Else you have to pickup the last ingredient again (spice or cheese) and try another oven

Edited October 15, 2016 by Thomas Jentzsch

[Rom Hunter]

Thomas:
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/67348-zimag-emag/?p=831647

 

IMO:

The yellow triangle = cheese (as seen in the ZiMAG ad)
The green bar = salad

The orange arrow = mushroom

The white rectangle = onion

The green ball with orange top = artichoke (as seen in the ZiMAG ad)
The green-yellow arc = peperoni
The 'rolling pin' = sausage

The gray jar with orange lid = cooking pot with tomato sauce / pan with dough (as seen in the ZiMAG ad)

 

Edited October 15, 2016 by Rom Hunter

[Rom Hunter]

Here's the ad:
http://www.atarimania.com/catalogues/hi_res/cat124006.jpg

Edited October 15, 2016 by Rom Hunter

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Thanks! According to the instructions, which describe variation #1, the grey bar with orange top are spices. But maybe they made that up themselves without knowing what the programmer/"designer" intended.

 

At least I got the olives definitely right.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Lastest findings:

• The 25 variations indeed only define the 8 ingredients required (BTW: cheese is always required, see below)
• Top top oven has a 50% chance to be hot, the other ones only 25%
• The top line of the chef's hat must be above the top of the oven

The 25 pizza variations (in the order they are displayed in the oven):

Variation    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sausage      .  .  .  2  .  .  1  .  .  .  .  .  .  4  .  .  .  .  .  .  2  .  .  .  .
Spices       4  2  2  2  2  2  1  2  2  .  2  .  .  .  .  .  .  2  .  1  .  .  4  2  2
Peperoni     .  .  .  .  2  2  1  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
Mushroom     .  2  .  .  .  .  1  2  .  .  .  .  4  .  .  .  .  2  2  1  2  .  2  .  .
Olive        .  .  4  2  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  4  .  .  1  .  .  .  .  2
Anchovy      .  2  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  4  .  .  .  .  2  .  .  .  .
Onion        .  .  .  .  .  .  1  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  2  .  2  2
Green Pepper .  .  .  .  .  2  1  2  .  4  .  2  .  .  .  .  .  .  2  1  .  .  .  .  .
Cheese       4  2  2  2  2  2  1  2  2  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  2  2  2  4  2  2  2
Tomato       .  .  .  .  2  .  1  .  4  .  2  2  .  .  4  .  .  .  2  2  .  2  .  2  . 

Number 5 for me, please. Edited October 15, 2016 by Thomas Jentzsch

[+Nathan Strum]

I think "salad" is probably green peppers. "Fish" is likely anchovies.

Edited October 15, 2016 by Nathan Strum

[lazzeri]

So when we figure this all out "Pizza Chef" might end up being one of the best, deepest Atari game ever made!

 

(Well... Maybe not. :-) )

[Thomas Jentzsch]

IMO the game misses polishing. I am not even 100% sure if it is completely finalized.

 

Partially disassembled source code attached, if anyone wants to have a look at it.

Pizza Chef.asm

[iesposta]

At Chuck E Cheese, after the Efficiency Expert changes, we were forced to weigh the exact amount of cheese... which is shredded mozzarella... and can be scooped up in a cup.

So cheese in a cup isn't totally illogical.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

I think "salad" is probably green peppers. "Fish" is likely anchovies.

Agreed. I thought about anchovies (yuck) too. And green pepper definitely fits much better here.

 

I edited my list above accordingly.

[high voltage]

So why did this company have 3 names: ZiMAG / Emag / Vidco ?

 

And what games did they actually release? According to Atarimania they made 4 original games? Immies and Aggies, A Mysterious Thief, Pizza Chef, Spinning Fireball? And they made the Copy Cart.

 

I bought this from German ebay for 12 Euros a while back, it was half hiding under a Space Invaders boxed game:

 

 

There's a spine label saying Distributed by Video International Inc. Suite 401, 1220 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

Edited October 16, 2016 by high voltage

[Rom Hunter]

So why did this company have 3 names: ZiMAG / Emag / Vidco ?

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/67348-zimag-emag/?p=3085065

 

ZiMAG:

707-111 Tanks But No Tanks

708-111 Cosmic Corridor

709-111 ?

710-111 I Want My Mommy (KidStuff series)

711-111 Dishaster

712-111 ?

713-111 Pizza Chef

714-111 ?

715-111 Immies & Aggies

Emag:

GN-010 I Want My Mommy

GN-020 Dishaster

GN-030 Tanks But No Tanks

GN-040 Cosmic Corridor

GN-050 Pizza Chef

GN-060 Immies & Aggies

GN-070 A Mysterious Thief

GN-080 Fire Spinner

Vidco:

Pizza Time

Immies and Aggies

A Mysterious Thief

Fireball Spinner

 

[Supergun]

They sold VHS video cassettes as well. Some of their cartridge shells have Vidco molded into them, some have Zimag.

 

They probably at one point originally intended to release all of those games in the USA/NTSC market, but as was the case with many companies back then, it didn't happen.