New TPiR game coming: Rat Race

[NickS]

[quote name=\'Mike Tennant\' post=\'241933\' date=\'Jun 4 2010, 02:38 PM\']I think they should use real rats and have celebrities bet on which one will win.  Mr. Plager (played by Howard Hesseman), one of Dr. Hartley's occasional patients on The Bob Newhart Show, once suggested a game show called The Rat Race that was played just like that.  He balked, however, when the network insisted the rats be given numbers rather than painted different colors; one must maintain some artistic integrity, after all.[/quote]

If memory serves me right - wasn't there also an episode of Miami Vice that guest-starred Phil Collins hosting a game show called Rat Race complete with its own theme sung by said guest-star?

ObTPiRRatRace: I'm for all rats actually finishing the race and agree on having something, maybe like the envelope Eubanks had with the combination on Dream House, to show the pre-pick for S&P sake.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'TeppanYaki\' post=\'241934\' date=\'Jun 4 2010, 05:13 PM\']If memory serves me right - wasn't there also an episode of Miami Vice that guest-starred Phil Collins hosting a game show called Rat Race complete with its own theme sung by said guest-star?[/quote]
Yes.

[tvwxman]

[quote name=\'TeppanYaki\' post=\'241934\' date=\'Jun 4 2010, 05:13 PM\']If memory serves me right - wasn't there also an episode of Miami Vice that guest-starred Phil Collins hosting a game show called Rat Race complete with its own theme sung by said guest-star?[/quote]
yes -  it's on hulu...for over 20 years i thought that it was a catchy tune sung by Phil....and hadn't heard it since it's original airings!

[Mr. Brown]

[quote name=\'ClockGameJohn\' post=\'241931\' date=\'Jun 4 2010, 02:10 PM\']Ahhh, but this will soon show just exactly how little you know about this show.  [/quote]

I'll be amazed if the man somehow screwed up a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.

[BrandonFG]

Watching some of that Miami Vice clip, I must say that that was probably one of the coolest, most elaborate fake game show sets I've ever seen. It always annoyed me to see sitcom/drama sets that were nothing more than a red or gold curtain and a few desks, as if it were still the 1950s.

[bscripps]

[quote name=\'Mike Tennant\' post=\'241933\' date=\'Jun 4 2010, 03:38 PM\']Mr. Plager (played by Howard Hesseman), one of Dr. Hartley's occasional patients on The Bob Newhart Show, once suggested a game show called The Rat Race that was played just like that.  He balked, however, when the network insisted the rats be given numbers rather than painted different colors; one must maintain some artistic integrity, after all.[/quote]
The first-season episode "Fish Story" of WKRP in Cincinnati featured a memorable storyline involving Venus and Johnny (Howard Hesseman) drinking on the air as part of a public service announcement to show the effects of alcohol.  Show creator and episode writer Hugh Wilson used the pseudonym "Raoul Plager" for his writing credit because he was unhappy with a directive from CBS to write a more slapstick, farcical script, and wanted to maintain his artistic integrity.

Sorry.  That's the only time in my life this useless bit of trivia will ever be relevant to anything.

/ObGS: Johnny Olsen announced the third-season episode "Real Families".

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'bscripps\' post=\'242002\' date=\'Jun 6 2010, 04:42 PM\']Show creator and episode writer Hugh Wilson used the pseudonym "Raoul Plager" for his writing credit because he was unhappy with a directive from CBS to write a more slapstick, farcical script, and wanted to maintain his artistic integrity.[/quote]
It amuses me that the author of Police Academy was concerned about slapstick and farce harming his artistic integrity.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Rat Race did indeed premiere today.

The player earns up to 3 rats by pricing items within ranges of $1 (small grocery item), $10 (small prize), and $100 (small one-bid prize). All the rats did finish the race, but then again, it was only 6-7 seconds. Something tells me they're controlled underneath the track mechanically, kinda like a slot car. The rats all started on the model's pull of a lever, so I don't know how wound up they are. Nonetheless, it was entertaining.

I do like this game a lot, and its set is pretty darned awesome. I'm a big fan of contestants pricing things within ranges, rather than higher/lower, so they had me at the pricing section.

[tvmitch]

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'242557\' date=\'Jun 16 2010, 11:21 AM\']Rat Race did indeed premiere today.

The player earns up to 3 rats by pricing items within ranges of $1 (small grocery item), $10 (small prize), and $100 (small one-bid prize). All the rats did finish the race, but then again, it was only 6-7 seconds. Something tells me they're controlled underneath the track mechanically, kinda like a slot car. The mice all started on the model's pull of a lever, so I don't know how wound up these mice are. Nonetheless, it was entertaining.

I do like this game a lot, and its set is pretty darned awesome. I'm a big fan of contestants pricing things within ranges, rather than higher/lower, so they had me at the pricing section.[/quote]
I agree with the last paragraph. I rather enjoyed the "pricing within a range" idea...should be added to more games, it's a bit more challenging than the standard "higher/lower" or "this prize or that one has this price."

Pretty good game overall. Nice set design, easy to understand. It would be fun to have a game like this that implemented some sort of odds system, but that might make it more complicated...

The rats looked cheap, though. This elaborate set with props that look like they came 5-for-$1 in the cat toy section of Dollar Tree.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Drew said during the Showcases that video will be posted to priceisright.com that chronicles the creation of Rat Race.

[weaklink75]

I do like the setup for it- probably one of the best ones I've ever seen. Only quibble is that the race should be a little bit longer- slow the rats down a bit.

[pacdude]

For those (like myself) who missed it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AjSPbWQqfE...eature=youtu.be

My thoughts: it's a slick game. I like the setup and the staging, including the lit-up lanes, and the gameplay is not bad. The reveal is awesome, although I agree with the sentiment of making the rats slower. As much as I thought that a mechanical rat race would be a dumb idea for a game, the TPiR staff has shown they can patch together something awesome.

[tpirfan28]

The set needs toned down a bit - the items blend in to the backdrop.  Other than that it's a very solid game, and the pricing portion is something that really isn't used that much on the program.

[weaklink75]

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'242559\' date=\'Jun 16 2010, 11:54 AM\']Drew said during the Showcases that video will be posted to priceisright.com that chronicles the creation of Rat Race.[/quote]
And here it is... I actually was wondering why there was that yellow block in front- didn't notice the one in the back to make the dollar sign...

[Steve Gavazzi]

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'242557\' date=\'Jun 16 2010, 11:21 AM\']Something tells me they're controlled underneath the track mechanically, kinda like a slot car.[/quote]
They're not, which is my only issue with the game -- it should have a predetermined outcome, but it doesn't, and on top of that, it's possible for the rats to get stuck.

It's a fun game to watch, though, and there's probably a way to fix the things that are wrong with it.