Author Topic: Lost Elements of Games You Miss  (Read 51426 times)

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Offline ThomHuge

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Re: Lost Elements of Games You Miss
« Reply #15 on: September 02, 2019, 04:04:21 PM »
Sure do miss those eggcrate displays. The calculator on Checkout, among other things.

The calculator wasn't eggcrate--that was a Vane-type display. Eggcrate displays are like what Temptation used to have.

Source: http://www.qwizx.com/gameshows/dfg/dfg.html

Offline GameShowKid

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Re: Lost Elements of Games You Miss
« Reply #16 on: September 02, 2019, 04:08:27 PM »
I'm sure I'll think of others later, but what comes to mind for me right away is the old Bonus Game board with the incandescent lights (and blue windows), its classic turntable reveal shot, and the old number font, board, and lighting in 3 Strikes.

The original Safe Crackers intro, with the game concealed behind the doors. I get that they went to the current intro because of time constraints, but it just lacks pizazz.
Agreed. Now when Drew and the contestant head to that particular part of the stage with that camera shot, we know Five Price Tags is going to be played, which removes some suspense.

Offline Briguy

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Re: Lost Elements of Games You Miss
« Reply #17 on: September 02, 2019, 07:10:59 PM »
OK, I've got a gripe about this question, and please allow me to vent.

Yes, I get that we all have our own personal tastes and thoughts, and that's fine.

But seriously, do many of the games that have changed over the years in minor or even trivial ways listed (e.g, use of graphics other than numbers in Cover Ups, the design of a particular board, etc.) truly change the gameplay? Or is it that some of you simply think it's -- to borrow a TV Tropes quote: "They Changed It, Now It Sucks."

In my opinion, no.

At the end of the day, Cover Up's objective (for instance) is still the same: Guess the price of the car. You choose from a pool of digits that increases by one, from two choices for the ten-thousands digit to six for the ones digit, then after a check of each guess if the answer is correct but there is at least one digit right (or one new digit correct for subsequent guesses), you get another guess. The game ends when your last guess is correct or the last guess contains no new correct digits since the last incorrect guess.

And personally, I do like Drew Carey asking the contestant to say hello to whomever. It's the contestant's chance to shine and give a shout out to people that are important to them. It's about the contestant, and quite frankly I'm surprised that some people are (in the very least) annoyed by this.

I recall a comment somewhere (not sure if it was on GR.net or elsewhere) that the contestants behave like people jakked up on Red Bull, etc., especially in recent years, although sometimes I think a lot of us forget there were people who acted overly-excited (for lack of a better term) as far back as the original "Let's Make a Deal" with Monty Hall in the mid-1960s. Face it: The parlor game we saw in the early days of the CBS-era TPiR is by far longtime gone.

After all these years, I'm still of the opinion that some people still miss the Bob Barker era, his personality and his hosting style. Which is fine, but with the caveat that at some point it would have ended, and that did 12 years ago.

So for me, the answer of the lost element of games I miss is the following:

* When we could simply enjoy the show for what it was: A game show where nothing other than an hour of our time hung in the balance.

* That sometimes things change, even if not for the better, but they change and someone decided those changes were for the better, even if others disagree. This was true, even in the Bob Barker-era ... sets and rules changed, various changes made, favorite games were retired, etc.

* That sometimes, there are shows where everything works well, flows well, the contestants play the games well (even in losses) and there are a lot of cash and prizes won. And sometimes, there are episodes where nothing seems to go well, up to and including the episodes some have dubbed "el skunko" (the worst possible outcome being six outright losses followed by a double overbid in the showcase). But many shows are in between: Some things go right, others not so well; some episodes are better directed than others, some directors are better, but that's how it goes. Point being: That's life and we survive, are grateful for what we have, and life goes on.

And that's my two cents worth.

Brian

Offline Grand_game2004

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Re: Lost Elements of Games You Miss
« Reply #18 on: September 02, 2019, 10:16:00 PM »
The calculator wasn't eggcrate--that was a Vane-type display. Eggcrate displays are like what Temptation used to have.

Source: http://www.qwizx.com/gameshows/dfg/dfg.html

I know, I was just saying that I miss the calculator buttons on Checkout in addition to EggCrate displays.

Offline pannoni1

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Re: Lost Elements of Games You Miss
« Reply #19 on: September 03, 2019, 07:41:47 AM »
The Race Game timer is still eggcrate, as is the Switcheroo clock, the total display on Check-Out, the number right indicator on Line em Up, Magic #'s price, and the price displays for the products on Spelling Bee and Pass the Buck. It does show you that with just seven remaining games using eggcrate, it's only a matter of time to see which will be the last remaining one in the "tech survival" game.


For a couple off-Price shows:

*The 7-11 and 21-21 bonuses on the $100K Pyramid. Sure, those are basically added gimmicks, but they added more variety and excitement  to the front game like you saw on the '80s version, and the higher non-winning amounts at the Winner's Circle seem to be a nice compromise.

*WAY too many to list for WOF. The Free Spin, returning champions, both the pick your bonus prize and WHEEL envelope bonuses, the regular $1000 and $1500 spaces in the later rounds, the multiple unique layouts for different rounds, themeless weeks, and bonus categories like Clue, Fill In The Blank, and Slogan. Instead we got those trip puzzles and this year, triple toss-ups that can greatly dictate a game without involving the Wheel at all, which isn't what the show is supposed to be about. It's called Wheel of Fortune, which implies that the Wheel will determine who will be the big winner, and who shouldn't. Hopefully Mike will give that show some new life.
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Offline Briguy

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Re: Lost Elements of Games You Miss
« Reply #20 on: September 03, 2019, 08:17:42 AM »
For a couple off-Price shows:

(Message truncated)

TBH, I thought this thread was going to cover all game shoes, not just gripes about TPiR changing sets, et. al.

But I guess to throw my two cents in:

Not really related just to game shows directly, just the sense of time and place when the shows originally aired. The memory of a particularly good playing and a big win, or a favorite contestant and just the fun of watching these daytime shows back in the day.

I guess it’s like Rick Nelson once sang, though: “If memories are all I had, I’d rather drive a truck.”

Brian

Offline LiteBulb88

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Re: Lost Elements of Games You Miss
« Reply #21 on: September 03, 2019, 08:56:58 AM »
But seriously, do many of the games that have changed over the years in minor or even trivial ways listed (e.g, use of graphics other than numbers in Cover Ups, the design of a particular board, etc.) truly change the gameplay? Or is it that some of you simply think it's -- to borrow a TV Tropes quote: "They Changed It, Now It Sucks."

In my opinion, no.

At the end of the day, Cover Up's objective (for instance) is still the same: Guess the price of the car. You choose from a pool of digits that increases by one, from two choices for the ten-thousands digit to six for the ones digit, then after a check of each guess if the answer is correct but there is at least one digit right (or one new digit correct for subsequent guesses), you get another guess. The game ends when your last guess is correct or the last guess contains no new correct digits since the last incorrect guess.

I half agree and half don't. I used to work for a software company that came out with an updated release of their software every 6 months and every time, there were lots of customers who complained about the changes; it doesn't matter how much better they may have been, they were different and thus bad. We called it the "Who moved my cheese?" effect after a book of the same title, and there's an excellent XKCD comic on the topic: https://xkcd.com/1172/ . So I agree that there is a level of "the old way was just more comfortable for me" going on here.

At the same time, though, I disagree that you can just abstract the games down to their core game play and as long as the game play doesn't change, it doesn't matter what the prop looks like. Otherwise, why even have Safe Crackers (with the 0 rule) when you have Double Prices? Or why have Shell Game when you have Bonus Game? The theme and look of a game are very important; part of producing any TV show is knowing that people like seeing things that are visually pleasing to the eye and that have a fun theme to them. Would Cliff Hangers be nearly as much fun without the mountain, yodely guy, and the song? Would Master Key be as good without those big keys and locks? The look and theme help us relate to the game instead of it being just an abstract test of pricing skill.

Of course, the trick is figuring out which complaining is which--which complaints are "they changed it, now it sucks," and which are "even if I had never seen this game before, I would find it less enjoyable with the new set rather than the old set." Sadly, there's generally no easy way to differentiate those complaints. I wish there were, but instead, you just need an open mind and look at each complaint objectively, rather than painting a broad brushstroke over the whole discussion.

Offline dagdoggnh

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Re: Lost Elements of Games You Miss
« Reply #22 on: September 03, 2019, 01:01:57 PM »
The original Safe Crackers intro, with the game concealed behind the doors. I get that they went to the current intro because of time constraints, but it just lacks pizazz.

You mean the "Pink Panther" theme used in the reveal of the game?

Offline Hag

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Re: Lost Elements of Games You Miss
« Reply #23 on: September 03, 2019, 01:30:42 PM »
I miss the Pink Panther music too, but I understand the royalty issues.
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Offline pricefan18

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Re: Lost Elements of Games You Miss
« Reply #24 on: September 03, 2019, 03:49:08 PM »
The Race Game timer is still eggcrate, as is the Switcheroo clock, the total display on Check-Out, the number right indicator on Line em Up, Magic #'s price, and the price displays for the products on Spelling Bee and Pass the Buck. It does show you that with just seven remaining games using eggcrate, it's only a matter of time to see which will be the last remaining one in the "tech survival" game.


For a couple off-Price shows:

*The 7-11 and 21-21 bonuses on the $100K Pyramid. Sure, those are basically added gimmicks, but they added more variety and excitement  to the front game like you saw on the '80s version, and the higher non-winning amounts at the Winner's Circle seem to be a nice compromise.

*WAY too many to list for WOF. The Free Spin, returning champions, both the pick your bonus prize and WHEEL envelope bonuses, the regular $1000 and $1500 spaces in the later rounds, the multiple unique layouts for different rounds, themeless weeks, and bonus categories like Clue, Fill In The Blank, and Slogan. Instead we got those trip puzzles and this year, triple toss-ups that can greatly dictate a game without involving the Wheel at all, which isn't what the show is supposed to be about. It's called Wheel of Fortune, which implies that the Wheel will determine who will be the big winner, and who shouldn't. Hopefully Mike will give that show some new life.

How about the actual unique prizes that came with said bonus rounds vs. just cash and cars and nothing else (to say nothing of the predictable prize puzzles that are always trips). Also think Wheel suffered a lot once returning champs was taken away. Only so much you can watch of same game before it gets old without the added hook of how long someone stays on.

Offline Teddy

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Re: Lost Elements of Games You Miss
« Reply #25 on: September 04, 2019, 10:05:35 AM »
The Race Game timer is still eggcrate, as is the Switcheroo clock, the total display on Check-Out, the number right indicator on Line em Up, Magic #'s price, and the price displays for the products on Spelling Bee and Pass the Buck. It does show you that with just seven remaining games using eggcrate, it's only a matter of time to see which will be the last remaining one in the "tech survival" game.
Ahem...you forgot the total display in Take Two, and Switcheroo's numbers right indicator. So that would make it eight games that still use eggcrate (because you already mentioned Switcheroo with its clock but overlooked Take Two).

Offline ThomHuge

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Re: Lost Elements of Games You Miss
« Reply #26 on: September 04, 2019, 05:37:10 PM »
You mean the "Pink Panther" theme used in the reveal of the game?

I actually never saw it with the Pink Panther theme--I was referring to the current music, but with the older-style reveal.