That's The Question

[mcsittel]

Just watched the premiere... I'm a day behind.  Some thoughts:

It was nice to see the show back on GSN.  I forgot how pleasant a show it was.  They've spiffed up the set I see.  My only concern was the font chosen to display the letters in the answer that appear above the question-I couldn't always make them out.  And given how fast the show can move, I'd hate to spend most of my time trying to translate the font.

They added some nice sound effects... but got rid of Miss "That's The Question" from the reveal of the full question/answer.

Was the contestant allowed to interrupt Bob in the bonus round last year?  I don't remember that.

Matt

[tvmitch]

I'm with you on the font, Matt. As a bit of a font geek, I think they chose style over substance. I can never make out the capital "A."

Other than that though, it is spiffy. The gameplay seems to be speedier, nice set. I was impressed.

[The Pyramids]

I prefer it in every way over 'Camouflage' which I  wouldn't care if it goes the way of 'Starface.'

[Mr. Armadillo]

[quote name=\'PaulD\' post=\'163712\' date=\'Sep 13 2007, 05:43 PM\']
I prefer it in every way over 'Camouflage' which I  wouldn't care if it goes the way of 'Starface.'
[/quote]
Camouflage is way better than this tripe.  At least I can read the clues on that show.  Here, I couldn't tell 'A' from 'R' AT ALL, 'H' and 'K' were nearly impossible and 'O' and 'D' were no better.  

What's the first puzzle that comes up after I point this out to Gavazzi over the break?

KEYBOARD.

Good luck.  It might as well have read HEYBDAAD for all I could tell.  

Decent show otherwise, and if I could actually read the damn thing, I'd probably even watch it again.  But, as it stands, heck no.

(Oh, and did anyone else get a kick out of Bob Goen giving out the same $5,000 prize he tossed out on Wheel sixteen years ago?)

[GPeefalt]

[quote name=\'Mr. Armadillo\' post=\'163786\' date=\'Sep 14 2007, 02:27 AM\']
[quote name=\'PaulD\' post=\'163712\' date=\'Sep 13 2007, 05:43 PM\']
I prefer it in every way over 'Camouflage' which I  wouldn't care if it goes the way of 'Starface.'
[/quote]
Camouflage is way better than this tripe.  At least I can read the clues on that show.  Here, I couldn't tell 'A' from 'R' AT ALL, 'H' and 'K' were nearly impossible and 'O' and 'D' were no better.  

What's the first puzzle that comes up after I point this out to Gavazzi over the break?

KEYBOARD.

Good luck.  It might as well have read HEYBDAAD for all I could tell.  

Decent show otherwise, and if I could actually read the damn thing, I'd probably even watch it again.  But, as it stands, heck no.
[/quote]

I thought the font looked amazingly similar to the 80s LINGO.

[mcsittel]

[quote name=\'GPeefalt\' post=\'163904\' date=\'Sep 15 2007, 02:01 AM\']
I thought the font looked amazingly similar to the 80s LINGO.
[/quote]

At least then, the font was followed by a contestant spelling the letters so you knew what they were!

[Joe Mello]

Well, the font does have a few problems.  In one episode, the answer had a period in it and you wouldn't be able to tell from any of the other dots.

[dale_grass]

I'm watching an episode right now with a question that had a comma.  I was getting frustrated trying to figure out what that last letter was in that word.

[TLEberle]

[quote name=\'Mr. Armadillo\' post=\'163786\' date=\'Sep 14 2007, 12:27 AM\']Camouflage is way better than this tripe.  At least I can read the clues on that show.  Here, I couldn't tell 'A' from 'R' AT ALL, 'H' and 'K' were nearly impossible and 'O' and 'D' were no better.  [/quote] I dunno about that, I can at least play along with That's the Question with a degree of competency. I am almost always left in the dark for Camouflage puzzles.

For me, the problem is that That's the Question is random and boring. Players score points based on how many times the "unused" letter appears in the question, and since players either alternate control, or keep until a miss, the player who gets the big point questions will win. They have those plungers to stop the shuffle; why not make each question a buzzer battle?

And it's boring because, after all, they're playing Wheel of Fortune, only with an extra step to get to the puzzle. Yawn.

The set looks nice, and all, with the fascia boards and everything, but still, a nifty set only goes so far. The new season proves that if you paint a dog turd gold, you have...a gold-painted dog turd.

(Oh, and did anyone else get a kick out of Bob Goen giving out the same $5,000 prize he tossed out on Wheel sixteen years ago?)

No, I thought that it was par for the course for GSN; showing almost no imagination in their bonus game. (They do score one point for converting points into seconds, but that's all). Even so, I think the prize at stake is commensurate with what the players have to do.

[J.R.]

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'164003\' date=\'Sep 16 2007, 04:11 PM\']The new season proves that if you paint a dog turd gold, you have...a gold-painted dog turd.[/quote]
I LOL'd. Very well played! :-)

[Mr. Armadillo]

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'164003\' date=\'Sep 16 2007, 04:11 PM\']
[quote name=\'Mr. Armadillo\' post=\'163786\' date=\'Sep 14 2007, 12:27 AM\']Camouflage is way better than this tripe.  At least I can read the clues on that show.  Here, I couldn't tell 'A' from 'R' AT ALL, 'H' and 'K' were nearly impossible and 'O' and 'D' were no better.  [/quote] I dunno about that, I can at least play along with That's the Question with a degree of competency. I am almost always left in the dark for Camouflage puzzles.
[/quote]
Hmm...I guess it's just me then, because I tend to get the Camouflage puzzles pretty easily.  Then again, I did quit watching Wheel back when I was 15 or so because it was too easy to play along with for me.

Oh, and the low prize money wasn't a gripe with me.  I just found it to be somewhat ironic.  But again, that's just me.

[Gromit]

Caught an episode of this for the first time in months. My reactions were pretty much exactly as above. The font totally blows, I can barely read it half the time.

*Excellent* decision to get rid of Miss That's The Question. Hated that voiceover.

I don't mind the overall format and gameplay, but it bugs me that contestants don't have any real incentive to solve the puzzle early. I've got it solved, and they still take letter after letter until pretty much the entire thing is revealed. And I don't think it's just because they're stupid, and haven't figured it out yet.

A higher score for solving earlier would be better, I think.

[WhammyPower]

[quote name=\'Gromit\' post=\'167502\' date=\'Oct 20 2007, 11:52 PM\'] A higher score for solving earlier would be better, I think. [/quote]
Maybe instead of a set value per question, why not 2 points for every letter not revealed?

[TonicBH]

[quote name=\'WhammyPower\' post=\'167521\' date=\'Oct 21 2007, 06:18 AM\']
[quote name=\'Gromit\' post=\'167502\' date=\'Oct 20 2007, 11:52 PM\'] A higher score for solving earlier would be better, I think. [/quote]
Maybe instead of a set value per question, why not 2 points for every letter not revealed?
[/quote]

I was thinking something close to that: point per letter uncovered plus an extra five points (2/letter + 10 in round two).

Also the switching from see-saw to "hold control until you miss" doesn't settle with me. I'd attempt tossups or something.