Gas Money: similarities and differences

[b_masters8]

Do you think that Gas Money is somewhat different from other games that have multiple choices, like Five Price Tags (the price of the car is the right answer, and the others are wrong), That's Too Much (only the price that is just over the actual price is the right answer, and the others are wrong [too high or too low]), Triple Play (only the closest choice is the right answer, with the ones that are over the price or too low being wrong), and To The Penny (and its predecessor Penny Ante), where only the actual price of the item is the right answer, and those that are not are wrong?

Also, do you think it's similar to yet other games with multiple choices that have it where one particular kind of answer is wrong, and the others are right (on Gas Money, the price of the car is the wrong answer, while the others with money are right, up to $10K; on Shopping Spree, the prize with the three-digit price is wrong, and the prizes with four-digit prices are right; and on Danger Price, the prize that has said price is wrong, and the others are right)?

[actual_retail_tice]

I sometimes think about the fake prices in games like this (5 Price Tags, Gas Money, On the Nose) and how far apart they should be when you get only one pick vs. when you potentially have multiple picks.

In On the Nose, it's probably fine for there to be a large difference between each choice, unless the show is dangerously overbudget. Picking the right price doesn't get the contestant the car, but it gives them a nice consolation prize, and allows the fun part of the game, the athletic stunt, to be fully played.

Out of all these games, 5 Price Tags should have all the prices be the closest together because the contestant should be able to win a few picks. (Although not like in the awful early playings where the prices were so close together it was just random guessing.) One price should be pretty clearly wrong so a contestant with 4 picks should be able to get the car.

Gas Money stumps me. The contestant only has one pick at the prices, but they have a bailout option. Ideally (budget notwithstanding) they should be able to eliminate one wrong price off the bat and have something to possibly bail out with...so I guess the prices should be spaced equally as far apart as the ones in 5 Price Tags.

[Nick]

Gas Money stumps me. The contestant only has one pick at the prices, but they have a bailout option. Ideally (budget notwithstanding) they should be able to eliminate one wrong price off the bat and have something to possibly bail out with...so I guess the prices should be spaced equally as far apart as the ones in 5 Price Tags.

Roger was onto something with the way Gas Money was originally played (pick out the correct price first instead of it being the last one standing).  As you went through the remaining values, you had to reflect upon what your initial choice was as you were stuck with it.  How confident are you that you got it right?  It is quite challenging to pick the right price on a one-in-five shot with no room for error (insofar as you couldn't win if you picked wrong off the top, aside from being able to bail with the cash you've revealed).  This presents a far greater challenge than Five Price Tags, but that's why the payoff was so much bigger (car plus cash).  Hence, if the prices are spaced more tightly, this makes sense; but like Grand Game, you want at least one obvious pick off the top.

A certain charm to the game was lost when they switch it to be the other way around.  Now you're just playing a reverse Danger Price, and unlike Danger Price where you are picking prices that are correct, in Gas Money you spend the game picking prices that are incorrect and get rewarded for it (something I don't like about the revamped format).  It makes the game easier and more like Five Price Tags but also killed something very creative about it.

[b_masters8]

A certain charm to the game was lost when they switch it to be the other way around.  Now you're just playing a reverse Danger Price, and unlike Danger Price where you are picking prices that are correct, in Gas Money you spend the game picking prices that are incorrect and get rewarded for it (something I don't like about the revamped format).  It makes the game easier and more like Five Price Tags but also killed something very creative about it.

"reverse Danger Price"-- never thought of it that way.

Quoting fixed by Steve.

[tpirfansince1972]

I concur that the way the game was originally played was far better.

This game reminds me of Grand Game too, in that you're trying to "eliminate" prices.  With Grand Game it's items whose prices are below the target price, while with Gas Money, trying to eliminate incorrect prices instead, and both games have a bail out option.  With Grand Game of course there's only one point in the game where the bail out option is provided, whereas with Gas Money, each correct removal of a wrong price affords the player the option to bail out or continue.

It still is a rather enjoyable game, but again I wish they could/would revert back to how it was originally done.  I don't know if this was done to save time, or as a slight toward Roger, but regardless, it is a great game with a fantastic payoff, a car PLUS $10,000 in cash!