Don't know if anyone has done anything like this before, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating old posts...

If I were TPIR Producer for a Day:

1. I would change the dollar values in "Spelling Bee", making them in a range from $100 to $900, just to add a little flavour and decision-making when deciding to go for the car or take the cash. No more "Oh look, another $500 card."

2. I would change "Clock Game" and instead of awarding $1000 for a win, I would award $100 for every full second that remained on the clock. Ergo, a better clock game player earns a bigger cash prize.

3. I would change "Bonus Game" such that if someone got all four prizes correct, they could do as they do in Shell game and guess where the Bonus is, and if they are correct they win an additional prize.

4. I would bring back "Superball" and the music that went with it.

5. I would ban people from the studio who can't seem to figure out that when only one prize in "Hit Me" ends in a 0, they don't realize it contains a 10 or a face card with it. (Okay, not really, but that is one of my biggest pet peeves other than those stupid 10 Chances players.)

6. I would have the time of my life!

Thanks,
Todd

If I were in a TPIR producer's shoes....

I'd reinstate that $100 cash bonus rule that was retired very quickly in Grocery Game, but use it with today's rules.

It's been a long time since we last saw it. For those who don't remember or aren't familiar, you were given $100 cash at the game's start. Whether you won or lost (You had to buy between $6.75-$7 worth at the time, and you kept the $100 cash whether you won or lost, as long as you don't go over $7.)

Using that bonus rule with today's rules, as long as the contestant doesn't go over $21, that cash bonus is kept, regardless of whether they won or lost.

For Clock Game, I'd have a potentially endless stream of < $1,000 prizes. Give the prize and a token cash amount after each win. Double or quits until you wuss out or run out of time and lose it all. I bet some people could win three or four prizes and a couple grand in cash.

"Plinko" would go back to the $5,000 slot.

Get rid of the duplicate games and come up with new, more interesting ones.

"On the Spot" is now played for a ~$5,000 prize instead of a car.

Punch board goes up to $20,000; but the frequency isn't known before, so it's more of a gamble whether you want to give back the $2,000 or go for the one $20,000 slip. "Ooh, sorry, you gave back $2,000 and got $75."

Travis

Hit Me: I think rewarding people for playing the game properly is a great idea. I'd say $1,000 for a two-card twenty-one. Not Mo' Money at all.

As for Coming/Going, having some sort of visible right answer would be nice. Maybe make it all black and white so it doesn't clash with the background.

I think "Bonkers" looks fine as is, and the craziness of the setup adds to the theme, but hey, as long as you keep the game in the rotation, I'm happy.

Travis

Truly profoundly stupid would be to go on 19--and pick an odd price!

Coming or Going has a windmill design, definately.

I would retire Pick a Number (for sucking, and being a Golden Road and Squeeze Play wannabe), Secret X (Shell Game wannabe), Bonus Game (to simular and less intersting then Shell Game), Joker (Shell Game wannabe), and Poker Game (to cheap)

I would bring back Superball and Walk of Fame.

I would change the sets of On the Spot, and the look of the turntable, turning it to purple, red, and orange.

I like these ideas.

I think the dwindling bonus on clock game is a good one but to make it a little more fair id do it like this, to avoid the $100 one second problem.

first 10 seconds - $5000 bonus

Every 5 seconds after that 1000 goes away

So a minimum is the old $1000 but there is a difficult but possible chance to get the 5k and an average win of 3k, not that bad.

I'd also like a reveal for coming or going.

Dunno bout the bonus for grocery game, would have to see it in action.

No, I don't, and you can bet that if I did, their game shows wouldn't be in as sorry a state as they are. I'm not sure if I should be amused or insulted by your comment. I choose amused.

Giving away two cheap prizes and $1,000 seems like a waste of a game when you could make it more exciting by adding the element of risk and playing against the time, while giving smart players (end your bids in $--9, people!) a chance to win a good sum.

Travis

While we're in a cash bonus moood, I have one for Check-Out. If the contestant's total is the same as the ACTUAL total of all 5 products, s/he wins a $500 bonus.

QUOTE (Esoteric Eric @ Jan 30 2004, 11:45 PM)
My cash bonus GameTweak (Pat. Pending, or maybe Pat Carroll) for Clock Game was similar to Starkman's, except that the $5000 would be awarded for getting both prizes in less than fifteen seconds..

Then, if the time remaining is 14 - 15 seconds, the bonus would be $2500. 13 - 14 seconds: $2400, and so on, $100 less a second, with a $1000 minimum for a last-second win.

I don't dislike the game nor really do I find the name out of line for it. (Prizes are worth money - are they not?)

The only thing that might work is to get somewhere between the original rules and the current ones. Everything right on first try = $500 -- Second try you lose the bonus money.

What I would do first and foremost is push the higher-ups to sign up Randy West as permanent announcer pronto!

As for the games:

PLINKO
Change the spaces to: 250-1000-2500-0-10000-0-2500-1000-250
(Reason being, If the center space is now doubled, why keep the other spaces the same as they were in 1983? This isn't Mo' Money, it's keeping up with inflation.)

SUPER SAVER
Bring this game back, but modified so each trilon can be moved by a dial that Bob can twist, rather than relying on the prone-to-malfunctioning automatic flipping. (Perhaps paint a directional arrow so Bob will know what direction to twist the knobs.)

Put on the scrap heap:
Pick-a-Number, On the Spot, Joker, Poker Game, and Double Prices

First thing, hire a new art director. New doors, turntable, giant pricetag and Showcase podiums (podia?) immediately.

Then bag the Bonus Game for being not as good as the Shell Game. Bring back old Shell Game props. And old Golden Road props, with both turntable-like things and no rainbows until the end.

Keep Bonkers the way it is, and re-do such tacky-looking games as Money Game, Side-by-Side, Take Two and the gold-tone Squeeze Play.

Bag Secret "X," for being a dull, unfair game from the get-go.

Bring back Superball. Bring back Hurdles, starter's pistol or no.

Play "Time Is Money" for straight cash: $10,000 for winning on the first try, $5,000 for winning on the second (because, of course, time is money).

Turn Lucky Seven into Lucky Eight. Re-do the board, while we're at it.

Get rid of Hit Me because if you've seen the game, it's nearly impossible to lose, and if you haven't seen it, it's nearly impossible to sit through. Get rid of "Easy as 1-2-3," because it's the same as "Most Expensive" but harder.

Other than that, give Bob a pat on the back and tell him in my best producer's voice, "Don't change, baby, don't change."

I've continued to like the idea of someone on a.t.g-s in the old days of turning Poker Game into a prize package/grocery items game, with four $1-9.99 grocery items. It's still played the same way, just lower prices on the items and a better payoff.

I'd bring in a freakin' substitute to cover the chores of an octogenarian egomaniac who calls in sick so the crew and the audience doesn't have to be sent home.

Neumms said at: Feb 2 2004, 10:24 PM
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First thing, hire a new art director. New doors, turntable, giant pricetag and Showcase podiums (podia?) immediately.
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Meh. This I can take or leave. Sure, I like the old green or red carpet, but I wouldn't bother with set changes right now.
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Then bag the Bonus Game for being not as good as the Shell Game. Bring back old Shell Game props. And old Golden Road props, with both turntable-like things and no rainbows until the end.
[/QUOTE]
Keeping Bonus Game around would be good, just for having enough games. The Golden Road props are okay, but I wouldn't stress it.
[QUOTE]
Keep Bonkers the way it is, and re-do such tacky-looking games as Money Game, Side-by-Side, Take Two and the gold-tone Squeeze Play.
[/QUOTE]
I think the art for most of the games is fine as is, but would go back to the purple and orange for Take Two; it matches the showcase stands.
[QUOTE]
Bag Secret "X," for being a dull, unfair game from the get-go.
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I disagree. It's just like Joker. If you can play the game well enough, you have a better chance to win. I would suggest having four small products, each one for an item. Get all four, and you guarantee a win.
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Bring back Superball. Bring back Hurdles, starter's pistol or no.
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Hear, hear.
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Play "Time Is Money" for straight cash: $10,000 for winning on the first try, $5,000 for winning on the second (because, of course, time is money).
[/QUOTE]
Scale it back. $5,000 and $2,500, maybe. Or this: first chance for $5,000; if you fail, you can take $500 to leave, or play again for $2,500.
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Turn Lucky Seven into Lucky Eight. Re-do the board, while we're at it.
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Nope. "Lucky Eight" has no meaning outside of this game, and it wouldn't make sense. I would suggest playing for more expensive cars, possibly. I had an idea to have the Dice Game use ten-sided dice instead of six. The idea makes sense; but the theme is flushed out the window.

Travis
Get rid of Hit Me because if you've seen the game, it's nearly impossible to lose, and if you haven't seen it, it's nearly impossible to sit through. Get rid of "Easy as 1-2-3," because it's the same as "Most Expensive" but harder.
[/QUOTE]
Easy as 1-2-3 is not the same as Most Expensive. Keep Hit Me with the blackjack bonus.

I'm gonna have to disagree with the bagging of Bonus Game.

It's one of the surviving "First Five" (as you know "Bullseye I" died very quickly), and I'd keep it.