Half Off Revisited

[chris319]

With apologies to Mandel Ilagan and Roger Dobkowitz ...

Not that anyone asked, nor that this will ever see the light of day, but in the grand tradition of G-T mavenism, one-upmanship and hubris, I hereby present a tweak for the recently-introduced TPIR pricing game, Half Off.

My issues with Half Off as presently implemented are a) the small prize component resembles Bonus Game and Shell Game in that it's a 50/50 proposition every time, and b) the best odds a contestant can achieve of winning the grand prize are 50/50. Unlike Bonus Game/Shell Game there is no guaranteed win based on total success in the small prize component. My tweaked version follows.

As currently played, there are 16 boxes. One box contains the grand prize of $10,000. Six small prizes are presented and described. A price for each item is displayed at the time the prizes are presented.

The contestant is told that four of the six prices are half off and two of the prices are the correct price. The contestant is told to select one of the six prizes having a half-off price. At this stage the contestant's odds of picking a half-off price are 4 in 6, or 66.6% (based on a blind guess). If the contestant's choice is correct, eight of the sixteen boxes are eliminated, along with the small prize the contestant has chosen. The contestant is then told to select another prize with a half-off price from the remaining five prizes. At this point the contestant's odds of choosing correctly are 3 in 5, or 60%. If correct, four of the remaining eight boxes are eliminated. The contestant is next asked to choose another half-off price from the four remaining. The odds are now 2 in 4, or 50%. If a correct pick is made, two of the remaining four boxes are removed. The contestant must now pick the last remaining half-off price from the three remaining prizes. The odds are now 1 in 3 or 33.3% of picking the correct prize. If thc contestant's choice is correct, he/she wins the grand prize.

If at any point the contestant is incorrect in his/her choice of prize, the small prize game ends and he/she chooses one of the available boxes.

This version offers graduated odds as the game progresses and a guaranteed win for total success in the small prize game.

[MitchJoseph2004]

Not a totally bad proposal -- but, I believe what the team was going for was the 50/50 style throughout hence it being HALF OFF.
Everything is dealt with in the 50/50 manner.
Maybe some way to secure some kind of win would be to have the remaining 2 boxes both contain some amount of money, with one having the $10,000.

But I wouldn't change it if it isn't broken.

[Fedya]

Well, Mitch, some people would argue that it is broken (just like Secret X) because you can price everything perfectly and still walk away with nothing.

[chris319]

I believe what the team was going for was the 50/50 style throughout hence it being HALF OFF. Everything is dealt with in the 50/50 manner.

What sense is there in taking a name and shoehorning all aspects of game play into the premise dictated by the name?

[Steve McClellan]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Aug 13 2004, 03:44 PM\']The contestant is told that four of the six prices are half off...[/quote]
That's a great idea! Wish I'd thought of it!




Oh, wait a minute:[quote name=\'gameshowsteve\' date=\'May 29 2004, 12:04 PM\']What if they were to do something like this: Six prizes, not paired up. Four are half off - pick 'em a la Grand Game. Someone would get all four for a guaranteed win occasionally, but not often enough to take away from the spirit of the game, IMO.[/quote]

[inturnaround]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Aug 13 2004, 10:42 PM\']

I believe what the team was going for was the 50/50 style throughout hence it being HALF OFF. Everything is dealt with in the 50/50 manner.

What sense is there in taking a name and shoehorning all aspects of game play into the premise dictated by the name?[/quote]
None, but that doesn't mean it isn't ever done.

Heck, in the 50s they would come up with a name and a poster for a movie to get interest for it before ever writing a script. Roger Corman was a master of this.

[Robert Hutchinson]

[quote name=\'Fedya\' date=\'Aug 13 2004, 07:58 PM\']Well, Mitch, some people would argue that it is broken (just like Secret X) because you can price everything perfectly and still walk away with nothing.[/quote]
Well, in Secret X, you get the small prizes . . .

The only other current pricing game I can think of in which bad luck can leave even the price-savviest player with absolutely nothing is Card Game (with a $500 range). Well, and Pass the Buck, although you can always voluntarily end the game with at least $1000 at some point, given all three picks.

[chris319]

Hole In One or Two awards a bagatelle for getting all six prizes in the correct order.

[quote name=\'gameshowsteve\' date=\'Aug 13 2004, 07:56 PM\'][quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Aug 13 2004, 03:44 PM\']The contestant is told that four of the six prices are half off...[/quote]
That's a great idea! Wish I'd thought of it!

Oh, wait a minute:[quote name=\'gameshowsteve\' date=\'May 29 2004, 12:04 PM\']What if they were to do something like this: Six prizes, not paired up. Four are half off - pick 'em a la Grand Game. Someone would get all four for a guaranteed win occasionally, but not often enough to take away from the spirit of the game, IMO.[/quote]
[/quote]
Report for work at studio 33 Monday morning at 10 am sharp! (Ask for Mr. Rossi.)

[Frank15]

[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' date=\'Aug 14 2004, 12:19 AM\']The only other current pricing game I can think of in which bad luck can leave even the price-savviest player with absolutely nothing is Card Game (with a $500 range).[/quote]
And Three Strikes.

But is "perfect pricing not guaranteeing a win" really that bad, anyway?  I mean, I think the positioning of the secret "X" affecting the odds is more troubling than the simple fact that perfect pricing doesn't guarantee a win for that game....

[chris319]

We're talking about games where players have to discern the prices of prizes unrelated to the grand prize. Three Strikes and Card Game don't fall into that category but Secret X, Half Off, Hole In One or Two and that abortion On the Nose do. You can be the world's smartest shopper but in the end the game is decided by chance or physical skill, not pricing acumen. With Half Off the best odds a player can achieve are 50/50, not very good IMO.

[CarShark]

I, too, like the way 1/2 Off is structured now. The theme is found throughout the game without being forced in. The small prize portion isn't too difficult, and good pricers have a better chance at winning. The best part to me is that the game doesn't guarantee wins, and the box reveal is always suspenseful. Bonus Game and Shell Game can't say that. Your version can very well take the suspense of the box reveal at the end of the game, and stick it onto the price of a small prize. That's not very good in my opinion. What are they supposed to do when the fourth correct one is picked? Do they celebrate right away, or do they still have to go through the motions? You've just made the game more awkward, I think.

[Steve Gavazzi]

[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' date=\'Aug 14 2004, 01:19 AM\'] [quote name=\'Fedya\' date=\'Aug 13 2004, 07:58 PM\']Well, Mitch, some people would argue that it is broken (just like Secret X) because you can price everything perfectly and still walk away with nothing.[/quote]
Well, in Secret X, you get the small prizes . . . [/quote]
 And I'd stake money that you do in 1/2 Off, as well, so technically it's a moot point.

[Frank15]

[quote name=\'STYDfan\' date=\'Aug 14 2004, 10:02 AM\'] and the box reveal is always suspenseful. Bonus Game and Shell Game can't say that. [/quote]
 Maybe not Bonus Game, but you must remember, for Shell Game, that if all 4 chips are won, they then move onto the "find the ball for the $500 bonus" part of the game.  So even they get a guaranteed win, there's still suspense in trying to find the ball for the bonus.

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'STYDfan\' date=\'Aug 14 2004, 11:02 AM\'] I, too, like the way 1/2 Off is structured now. The theme is found throughout the game without being forced in. The small prize portion isn't too difficult, and good pricers have a better chance at winning. The best part to me is that the game doesn't guarantee wins, and the box reveal is always suspenseful. Bonus Game and Shell Game can't say that. ... [/quote]
Apple, meet orange.  It should be pointed out that while Bonus Game and Shell Game, are usually played for furniture or trips worth around $3,000 or $4,000.  Since 1/2 Off is played for $10,000 in cash, it stands to reason that it should be harder to win.

[chris319]

Since 1/2 Off is played for $10,000 in cash, it stands to reason that it should be harder to win.

By "harder" do you mean the outcome should depend on skill or chance? Right now the "choose one of the remaining boxes" aspect is 100% chance. Dice Game is an interesting example of a game with a large component of chance but which can be won with pricing skill.

Your version can very well take the suspense of the box reveal at the end of the game, and stick it onto the price of a small prize.

Only if the contestant makes it that far. If they miss at any point prior to the final pick, they still get to choose from the remaining boxes.