Author Topic: How to Improve Wheel (Read 13152 times)

J.R. · « **Reply #30 on:** October 31, 2009, 12:52:06 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'229545\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 10:31 AM\']I think that's a fairly recent development. Seems like there was a contest.[/quote]
There was, but the winning entry was something completely different.

/The one WOF went with anyway is better than the ultra-cheesy entry that won though.

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'229545\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 10:31 AM\']I certainly don't remember anybody going straight to the ceramic dalmatian before buying more valuable prizes.[/quote]
Yeah, isn't the Ceramic Dalmatian's punch line the fact that nobody wanted it and was only purchased by force?

Twentington · « **Reply #31 on:** October 31, 2009, 01:06:25 PM »

[quote name=\'J.R.\' post=\'229550\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 12:52 PM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'229545\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 10:31 AM\']I certainly don't remember anybody going straight to the ceramic dalmatian before buying more valuable prizes.[/quote]
Yeah, isn't the Ceramic Dalmatian's punch line the fact that nobody wanted it and was only purchased by force?
[/quote]

Ceramic Dalmatian:WOF::Flokati Rug:PYL

MizzouRah! · « **Reply #32 on:** October 31, 2009, 01:19:27 PM »

[quote name=\'Twentington\' post=\'229551\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 12:06 PM\'][quote name=\'J.R.\' post=\'229550\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 12:52 PM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'229545\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 10:31 AM\']I certainly don't remember anybody going straight to the ceramic dalmatian before buying more valuable prizes.[/quote]
Yeah, isn't the Ceramic Dalmatian's punch line the fact that nobody wanted it and was only purchased by force?
[/quote]

Ceramic Dalmatian:WOF::Flokati Rug:PYL
[/quote]
I've always wondered if during the last 10 years of network game show revivals if WoF was ever considered a viable option. Seems like this would play out well in a prime time one hour shopping format(heck it worked during the special hour week 30 years ago). Go ahead and bump up the dollar wedge values(that's a given these days) and load the studio w/ high dollar cars and trips. It would be the ultimate gambling game if you're sitting on $50k and staring into the face of a bankrupt. Turn the Ceramic dalmatian into gold and have it sponsored by Cash4gold. The possibilities are endless. Just some random thoughts.

MikeK · « **Reply #33 on:** October 31, 2009, 01:25:13 PM »

[quote name=\'MizzouRah!\' post=\'229553\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 01:19 PM\']I've always wondered if during the last 10 years of network game show revivals if WoF was ever considered a viable option. Seems like this would play out well in a prime time one hour shopping format(heck it worked during the special hour week 30 years ago).[/quote]
If it worked 30+ years ago, why hasn't it been done since?

CJBojangles · « **Reply #34 on:** October 31, 2009, 01:46:18 PM »

[quote name=\'ten96lt\' post=\'229537\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 02:24 AM\']I could see why though they're more cash oriented. When watching TPIR, some of the prizes I see I'd be saying "wow I'll keep" if I won, but most of the time it'd be "would I be able to sell this on eBay to pay the taxes and get some money."[/quote]
Which, as others have stated, the show shouldn't give a crap about. If Joe Blow has to pay $8,000 in taxes on a new car, how does that hurt the show? It's still more interesting to the home viewer to see more variety in prizes than just cash, cash, and more cash. At least IMHO.

Jeremy Nelson · « **Reply #35 on:** October 31, 2009, 02:20:49 PM »

Unless they use a wider variety of prizes, ditch the Prize Puzzle.I'm not a big fan of someone getting a $5-8K boost in score just because they solved the puzzle- even more so because the puzzle always mentions a hammock, a tropical drink, an ocean, or a foreign food every single time. At the very least, use your friggin Sony backing for something other than showing a full movie preview for the R1 prize.

I liked it when the mystery wedge offered a car. I wouldn't mind seeing that again.

Other than the mystery wedges, the only four digit money spaces are top dollar spaces. I would like to see the $1000, $1500, and $2000 spaces come back.

Inflate the vowel price....although I imagine this would have already been done if contestants actually bought all the vowels right away.

Twentington · « **Reply #36 on:** October 31, 2009, 02:36:44 PM »

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'229559\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 02:20 PM\']I'm not a big fan of someone getting a $5-8K boost in score just because they solved the puzzle- even more so because the puzzle always mentions a hammock, a tropical drink, an ocean, or a foreign food every single time.[/quote]

I think Kenny Chesney is writing some of these puzzles, honestly.

Speaking of which, that reminds me of one other Wheel pet peeve: Quit telling us who the person is in Proper Name puzzles, unless it's a title commonly associated with them (e.g. "United States President Barack Obama"). I know it gives them extra letters, but do we really need to be told that it's "Country Singer" Kenny Chesney, as if there were another famous person with that name? If they want a bigger puzzle, then use one that's bigger naturally, and save Kenny for a Toss-Up.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #37 on:** October 31, 2009, 04:41:01 PM »

[quote name=\'Twentington\' post=\'229560\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 02:36 PM\']Speaking of which, that reminds me of one other Wheel pet peeve: Quit telling us who the person is in Proper Name puzzles, unless it's a title commonly associated with them (e.g. "United States President Barack Obama"). I know it gives them extra letters, but do we really need to be told that it's "Country Singer" Kenny Chesney, as if there were another famous person with that name? If they want a bigger puzzle, then use one that's bigger naturally, and save Kenny for a Toss-Up.[/quote]
I hate that too. You would think they'd wanna save money by not putting as many letters in a puzzle. Then again, it balances out because it means longer puzzles, which means not as many rounds.

I'd improve Wheel by tightening up with the puzzle writing. A SPECTACULAR POOLSIDE VIEW is not a "Thing", and I don't give two brown nuggets whether it fits the Prize Puzzle trip to Jamaica, it sounds stupid as hell. Ditto for BUYING A NEW CAR being considered an Event.

With the average half-hour show having only 19-22 minutes of content, including intro and closing, I don't see Wheel offering shopping for the whole show. However, I wouldn't mind them bringing it back for a round (say round two). To "shop", you have to land on a special space marked with a $2,500 "gift card". Land on the space and solve the puzzle without hitting Bankrupt, and you go shopping. To eliminate the possibility of long prize descriptions, perhaps make it so that the cheapest prize is at least $500 or $750. It's a slight variation of a "Retro Week" they offered about 10 years ago.

Only drawback is it might take almost as long as another puzzle. To that, I say, eliminate the $2,000 Toss-Up. Hell, eliminate all three of them for all I care.

TLEberle · « **Reply #38 on:** October 31, 2009, 05:01:00 PM »

These would probably only work if there was a daytime companion, but if I magically became EP and didn't care about viewership dwindling because the show became challenging, interesting and all that happy crap:

The first player to solve three puzzles wins the game and moves on to the solo game. That means that a match can carryover into another episode. If you solve a puzzle, you keep what you win.
FIXES: I don't care much for someone winning because Pat landed on $5,000, or in some cases, didn't.

The winner of a tossup gets control of the wheel to start the puzzle. No dollar value.
FIXES: The tossups merely distribute control haphazardly, and throw around extra money.

Wheel with top values of 2000-1500-1000, down to 100, coupled with a regressive jackpot that starts at $whatever, and decreases through the round.
FIXES: Players drawing all the money out of the puzzle after it has become obvious to everyone, hopefully this would keep things moving at a decent clip.

One prize added to the wheel each round.
The second round of the show is the Special Round; the Jackpot, the sliver space, Mystery, Big Money or Prize Puzzle
FIXES: When every round has a special theme, they are no longer special.

Bonus has N solves in a minute; reduce by one for each trip to the bonus, determine what to play for by spinning the big wheel.
FIXES: The bonus round as presented currently is either ten seconds of armpit farting, or there's no suspense because the puzzle is revealed after the four extra letters.

wheelloon · « **Reply #39 on:** October 31, 2009, 05:22:05 PM »

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 02:20 PM\']Unless they use a wider variety of prizes, ditch the Prize Puzzle.I'm not a big fan of someone getting a $5-8K boost in score just because they solved the puzzle- even more so because the puzzle always mentions a hammock, a tropical drink, an ocean, or a foreign food every single time. At the very least, use your friggin Sony backing for something other than showing a full movie preview for the R1 prize.

I liked it when the mystery wedge offered a car. I wouldn't mind seeing that again.

Other than the mystery wedges, the only four digit money spaces are top dollar spaces. I would like to see the $1000, $1500, and $2000 spaces come back.

Inflate the vowel price....although I imagine this would have already been done if contestants actually bought all the vowels right away.[/quote]
So were you actually taking notes during part of that conversation you and I were having the other day?

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'229544\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 11:13 AM\']Ditch two of the tossups...the first and the third. Interview the contestants left to right, play a $2000 tossup for control and start spinning. Might actually get more wheel spinning during the show, and not have round 4 start speedup all the time.

The wheel itself: I'd add a $2500 space in round 3 for wheel balance, bring back the free spin *space* (but you'd still have to call a letter to get it, but the space stays on the wheel all the time).

Prize variety in the bonus round. Yeah, cash is nice, but how about some really glamorous trips? TPIR/LMAD has been offering some really upscale trips recently...why can't Wheel? Bring back the cars too. Keep the million - didn't like it initially, but the chrome is fine.[/quote]
I think I hit on most of those same points in my original rant, but they could've easily gotten lost in the fanboiz moment, heh. Nevertheless, have a newsletter/blog/opinion column I can subscribe to, read weekly, link to whenever? I'd love to hear more.

[quote name=\'brianhenke\' post=\'229526\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 12:05 AM\']I would like to see more variety in the Prize Puzzles. Let's say a Prize Puzzle is BUILDING A NEW LAWN DECK, and Pat says, "You won a gift card", then Charlie says that the contestant has won a $5,000 gift card from Lowe's.[/quote]
Considering they already have a $1000 gift tag to www.*insert something here*.com or www.*retail giant*.com, if you did that, you might as well bring back shopping and all the Gucci Gift Certificates...

My answer to both? No...

One of umpteen ideas I had to possibly "improve" the prize puzzle idea, and sorta kill two birds with one stone (in making it seem the contestants *might* have to work a little harder to earn the prize, and eliminate the white sandy beaches predictability) was to have it be played in the mystery round with the category not revealed. The category's a mystery, and the puzzle doesn't need to relate to the prize at all, it could just be any puzzle that would fit in any other category they have (or maybe they can use puzzles they, for w/e reason, somehow don't know exactly how to categorize), while expanding upon the R3 "Mystery" theme (which is one of the better ideas, IMHO, the show has had the past few years). It would also somewhat appease a number of people I heard a few years ago saying how they seemed to like the idea of R3 being a sort of "catch-up round" for the show.

YMMV, of course...

Jay Temple · « **Reply #40 on:** October 31, 2009, 06:00:35 PM »

I'd like to see exactly two toss-up puzzles, one to start the game and one before the fourth round.

HYHYBT · « **Reply #41 on:** October 31, 2009, 07:42:30 PM »

Nothing newer than the introduction of "Before and After" except the toss-ups; bonus is played for the contestant's choice of remaining prizes, 5 consonants and 1 vowel, but each is revealed before the player picks the next.

clemon79 · « **Reply #42 on:** October 31, 2009, 07:45:30 PM »

[quote name=\'HYHYBT\' post=\'229569\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 04:42 PM\']5 consonants and 1 vowel, but each is revealed before the player picks the next.[/quote]
Other than "jacking up the prize budget," how do you feel this will improve the show?

Jeremy Nelson · « **Reply #43 on:** October 31, 2009, 08:25:33 PM »

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'229564\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 04:01 PM\']1.The first player to solve three puzzles wins the game and moves on to the solo game. That means that a match can carryover into another episode. If you solve a puzzle, you keep what you win.

2. One prize added to the wheel each round. The second round of the show is the Special Round; the Jackpot, the sliver space, Mystery, Big Money or Prize Puzzle

3. Bonus has N solves in a minute; reduce by one for each trip to the bonus, determine what to play for by spinning the big wheel.[/quote]

1. Y'know, I actually like that idea. It rewards the puzzle solving over lucky spins of the wheel. I'd disagree if these were the Woolery days, where it was actually fun to see someone spinning in Round 3 or 4, knowing they still needed a couple thousand to win, but we don't get that anymore.

2. That would cut down a lot of the gimmickry. Love it.

3. I really don't like this. I'd say keep the current bonus round, but give the player an extra consonant for each failed trip.

Although I do think you might be putting the idea of puzzle solving way too far in front of the wheel, I like your concept.

TLEberle · « **Reply #44 on:** October 31, 2009, 09:32:20 PM »

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'229572\' date=\'Oct 31 2009, 05:25 PM\']1. Y'know, I actually like that idea. It rewards the puzzle solving over lucky spins of the wheel. I'd disagree if these were the Woolery days, where it was actually fun to see someone spinning in Round 3 or 4, knowing they still needed a couple thousand to win, but we don't get that anymore.[/quote] And when the wheel goes from $100 to $1500 or $2000, even a few thousand dollars can be overcome with good spins and prudent letter calling. But when there's a $4,100 maw between TDV and Next highest dollar value, $20,000 looks like it may as well be a million. And I'd rather the game be won by the person who solves more puzzles, not the person who won when the wheel was most burgeoned with money.

Quote

2. That would cut down a lot of the gimmickry. Love it.

Wheel of Fortune has had some really good things. The problem is when half of the spaces on the wheels have stuff you can pick up, I think that's too much.

Quote

3. I really don't like this. I'd say keep the current bonus round, but give the player an extra consonant for each failed trip.

Here's the thing; you're not really "solving" the problem of the bonus round: that it really isn't ever exciting. And by golly, if you're playing for a Porsche, I think it SHOULD be edge-of-your-seat. And even with the $1m and $100,000 bonuses, it just isn't. Final Jeopardy typically has a clever clue that requires some thought, some overlapping of lists, and allows 30 seconds to come to a happy conclusion. And usually the game hinges on being right or wrong.

Quote

Although I do think you might be putting the idea of puzzle solving way too far in front of the wheel, I like your concept.

I think the wheel should be a vehicle to get to the puzzle solving, and it shouldn't be the deciding factor of who goes on to the solo round. After all, you can spin $5,000 all day but if you don't pick the letters or solve, that cash goes poof.