The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Steve McClellan on August 19, 2004, 07:47:23 PM
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Per the show's site (http://\"http://www.millionairetv.com/\"), the audience lifeline will now include a poll of interested AOL Instant Messenger users. Add 'MillionaireIM' to your buddy list, and you'll see the questions whenever someone in the hot seat requests the throng's help.
This is an, uh, interesting addition. Thoughts?
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I think it's a great interactive addition to the show. If I was in the hotseat, though, I don't know how much faith I'd place in it.
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BEST addition to the show in a long time. I love this idea, and wish they would have thought of it earlier.
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I just signed up! I'm glad now you don't have to actually be in the audience to help the needy contestant.
John
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It won't make much of a difference. I would rather them let you get rid of a question for another and have that replace an existing lifeline of your choice.
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As I told some folks via AIM, I wonder how soon we'll see the following scenario...
"What is the capital of Canada?"
A. Toronto -- 19%
B. Ottawa -- 13%
C. Montreal -- 8%
D. Vancouver -- 6%
E. d00d...i have a question of my own...asl? -- 54%
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[quote name=\'gameshowsteve\' date=\'Aug 19 2004, 04:47 PM\'] Per the show's site (http://\"http://www.millionairetv.com/\"), the audience lifeline will now include a poll of interested AOL Instant Messenger users. Add 'MillionaireIM' to your buddy list, and you'll see the questions whenever someone in the hot seat requests the throng's help.
This is an, uh, interesting addition. Thoughts? [/quote]
What I want to know is, are the AOL and audience numbers going to be added together, or does the player get to see the stats seperately?
Because I would burn in hell before asking a representative cross-section of AOLers for help on a Millionaire question.
"....and 47% say "pwned!""
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 19 2004, 09:13 PM\'] [quote name=\'gameshowsteve\' date=\'Aug 19 2004, 04:47 PM\'] Per the show's site (http://\"http://www.millionairetv.com/\"), the audience lifeline will now include a poll of interested AOL Instant Messenger users. Add 'MillionaireIM' to your buddy list, and you'll see the questions whenever someone in the hot seat requests the throng's help.
This is an, uh, interesting addition. Thoughts? [/quote]
What I want to know is, are the AOL and audience numbers going to be added together, or does the player get to see the stats seperately?
Because I would burn in hell before asking a representative cross-section of AOLers for help on a Millionaire question.
"....and 47% say "pwned!"" [/quote]
Hey, it could be worse.
There could be some people trying to plug some free "pr0n sitez." :)
The Inquisitive One
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Aug 19 2004, 07:13 PM\'] What I want to know is, are the AOL and audience numbers going to be added together, or does the player get to see the stats seperately? [/quote]
"Meredith will show the results of the studio audience vote and then the results of the IM vote."
Seems like the contestant will be getting two separate sets of data.
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[quote name=\'gameshowsteve\' date=\'Aug 19 2004, 07:40 PM\'] "Meredith will show the results of the studio audience vote and then the results of the IM vote."
Seems like the contestant will be getting two separate sets of data. [/quote]
Heh. I would be highly amused to see the percentage of correct answers from both polls over the course of the taping season. I hope someone keeps track. :)
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I'd have to say that I WOULD put a good deal of weight to the Internet audience. It's going to be FAR more than the regular audience, especially now that they are doing their advertising for it on TV. 600 people in the main audience, so I am guessing 5,000 at LEAST for the Internet. And you have to think -- it's not a representation of AOL users. It's a sampling of ALL the people who are "gameshow-y" enough to WANT to sign up in the first place. I'd like to use an ATA lifeline for the people on this board than a lot of those audiences.
The more folks you have, the better the statistics are truer to form. I'll just say that anyone who is into this enough to go online and want to actually SIGN UP for this, and then go thru the thing of sending back messages of their "answers" in the time allowed...those are the folks who are "into" the show...thus, usually a far smarter audience, IMO.
Feel free to disagree.
:)
-Brent
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[quote name=\'BrentW\' date=\'Aug 19 2004, 10:18 PM\'] Feel free to disagree. [/quote]
Okay, I will. It's about 150 people in the studio audience, not 600. :)
It's a sampling of ALL the people who are "gameshow-y" enough to WANT to sign up in the first place.
...and the people who think, "h3y thsll b3 kul!" I'll be interested to see just how good the AIM crowd is. That'll be the way to tell how much faith to put in 'em.
Well, all I can say is good luck to the first tape group of the new season, in trying to figure out how seriously they can be taken. :)
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According to the website, all you have to do is add the name to your buddy list. I did that, and the name shows up as being online. My question is, how do they know you IM you? Do they have some special technology to know who's added them to their buddy list? Has anyone sent an IM to the name and gotten a response? I do think it's a cool idea, though.
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[quote name=\'Vgmastr\' date=\'Aug 19 2004, 11:21 PM\'] Do they have some special technology to know who's added them to their buddy list? [/quote]
There's nothing special about it. You can set AIM to ask for confirmation when someone wants to join. I'm sure they have a Perl script or some crap on their end recording who is making the request, and then automatically allowing it, adding that name to a mailing list of sorts. Then, when the time comes, they have the list to send the question to, and the same script prolly also tallies the responses, and prunes names from the list when they bounce undeliverable due to people blocking it and such.
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[quote name=\'Vgmastr\' date=\'Aug 20 2004, 01:21 AM\']According to the website, all you have to do is add the name to your buddy list. I did that, and the name shows up as being online. My question is, how do they know you IM you? Do they have some special technology to know who's added them to their buddy list? Has anyone sent an IM to the name and gotten a response? I do think it's a cool idea, though.[/quote]
Like Chris said, it's all automatic replies. It gives you info about how it works.
From my IM to Millionaire:
MillionaireIM: Type go to get more information about MillionaireIM.
{myself}: go
MillionaireIM: You are currently opted-IN While we are taping Millionaire, if a contestant needs to use their Ask the Audience Lifeline, we will Instant Message YOU with the question and you will need to repond immidiatly.
All answers will be tabulated and the results will be read to the contestant. We will ask you one time for each contestant using the Ask the Audience Lifeline.
You can type cancel any time to stop MillionaireIM Lifeline Alerts.
If copying and pasting IM conversations violates any board rules, I apologize.
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You have to talk to it and "sign up" by typing some word. It doesn't just read how many people have added it to their buddy list.
John
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[quote name=\'johnnyd1788\' date=\'Aug 20 2004, 12:13 PM\'] You have to talk to it and "sign up" by typing some word. It doesn't just read how many people have added it to their buddy list.
John [/quote]
Which is what I meant when I said "From my IM to Millionaire." Just say "info" or something when you IM them, and you should get info.
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According to http://www.mediaweek.com/mediaweek/columns...t_id=1000616209 (http://\"http://www.mediaweek.com/mediaweek/columns/prog_insider.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000616209\"), there will be a new lifeline, Switch the Question.
If the above article is true, then there will be no more Hal March jackpot.
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The new money tree is official on the rules page of www.millionairetv.com/rules.html.
Q1- $100
Q2- $200
Q3- $300
Q4- $500
Q5- $1K (safe level)
Q6- $2K
Q7- $4K
Q8- $8K
Q9- $16K
Q10- $25K (safe level)
Q11- $50K
Q12- $100K
Q13- $250K
Q14- $500K
Q15- $1M
The new lifeline changes haven't made the official rules yet.
Tim H.
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[quote name=\'thgames65\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 11:55 PM\'] Q10- $25K (safe level)
Q11- $50K
Q12- $100K
[/quote]
Less Money Syndrome? The drama of risking $16K to go for $25K will be incredible.
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For some reason, any time I tune into this version of Millionaire, a contestant is always stopping at $16,000. Something tells me that we'll be seeing even more of that this coming season.
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Please tell me this is a joke.
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What an odd change to the structure of the game. As Split said, many contestants seemed perfectly willing to stop at $16K, and now the incentive to do that will be even greater (technically, the incentive to keep going will be smaller).
If it's a cost-cutting move, you fix costs by just making the questions harder, not by making your show look cheaper. And the thing is, you're probably not saving that much money anyway.
So how does WWTBAM compete against Jeopardy/Jennings and one of the greatest built-in promotional opportunities to start a new season in game show history? "This season, watch our contestants earn LESS money!"
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Maybe Ken can do the show after he exits J!
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 10:28 PM\']As Split said, many contestants seemed perfectly willing to stop at $16K[/quote]
Sorry about that!
Really, I'm sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am...
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[quote name=\'goongas\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 08:31 PM\']there will be a new lifeline, Switch the Question.[/quote]
And, according to Variety via Google News (http://\"http://news.google.com/news?q=%22switch%20the%20question%22&num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&sa=N&tab=wn\"), it will only be available beginning with the [shudder] $50,000 question.
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[quote name=\'goongas\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 10:31 PM\'] If the above article is true, then there will be no more Hal March jackpot. [/quote]
HAL-lelujah!
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[quote name=\'thgames65\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 11:55 PM\'] The new money tree is official on the rules page of www.millionairetv.com/rules.html.
Q1- $100
Q2- $200
Q3- $300
Q4- $500
Q5- $1K (safe level)
Q6- $2K
Q7- $4K
Q8- $8K
Q9- $16K
Q10- $25K (safe level)
Q11- $50K
Q12- $100K
Q13- $250K
Q14- $500K
Q15- $1M
The new lifeline changes haven't made the official rules yet.
Tim H. [/quote]
I do like the rounder numbers at the top of the chain, but tier 2 seems really out of place now. They need to do something with that. And I find it funny that you only earn $9,000 for getting to tier 3, when you earn $8000 for getting the $16,000 question. If they can do something with tier 2, I would like it more. I am not a huge fan of the Question Swap, though. I didn't feel that Syndie Millionaire was that hard in the first place. As Matt said, make the questions harder to eliminate the cheaper chain and Question Swap, but just letting someone switch the question eliminates the do or die feel of one question that I really liked on Millionaire. And I still feel that the addition of AIM/AOL users is one of the best. In review, it's not that bad, but not that good either.
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These changes feel to me not like they're trying to save money, but rather give more money away. They want more players to get to the $250,000 question and beyond. By lowering the payouts below that level, they've increased the pot odds. Instead of risking $93,000 on question 13 to win an additional $125,000, earning 1.34:1 on your money, you're risking $75,000 to win an additional $150,000, getting 2:1 on your money. At those odds, the risk is much more attractive and more players might be willing to make the bet. Adding a fourth lifeline that only kicks in after question 11 reinforces this theory.
Does anyone have more details on the Switch the Question lifeline? The Variety article requires a subscription, and no other online news source has covered this yet.
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All it is, is that once a contestant has reached the $50,000 level, they will be allowed to change any question from that point on. They can only do so once though.
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Which makes me wonder if they're now going to have Meredith talk about the next DI-mension, complete with the 360-degree camera shot and the dramatic music (even if they're not using the "Super Millionaire" lifelines). A little difficult to do if you're not increasing the money.
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I doubt that.
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Did you notice in the rules that it says the 30 minute length of the show is subject to change? Could we see the new show following the path of the original and going to an hour long?
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Next thing you know, they'll be airing 5 celebrity shows a week.
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[quote name=\'whoserman\' date=\'Aug 23 2004, 02:26 PM\']Next thing you know, they'll be airing 5 celebrity shows a week.[/quote]
Probably over Davies' dead body. All involved have emphasized more than once that they learned their lesson with the network version.
But, of course, if there is someone clueless now in charge at Buena Vista...
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[quote name=\'Peter Sarrett\' date=\'Aug 23 2004, 11:10 AM\'] Does anyone have more details on the Switch the Question lifeline? The Variety article requires a subscription, and no other online news source has covered this yet. [/quote]
It's also in the rules packet that's being sent out to the contestants. Available after reaching the second milestone, it allows a contestant to substitute a new question when they so choose.
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[quote name=\'SplitSecond\' date=\'Aug 23 2004, 01:08 AM\'] For some reason, any time I tune into this version of Millionaire, a contestant is always stopping at $16,000. Something tells me that we'll be seeing even more of that this coming season. [/quote]
I concur. Risking $15K to gain $9K does not compute. (There are also a couple steps on the Super Millionaire [Dean Scungio]money sequoia[/DS] where you risk more than you gain.) This change just screams "budget cut". To me it says, "Get the water skis, Meredith; a shark's coming!"
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[quote name=\'GS Warehouse\' date=\'Aug 23 2004, 06:36 PM\']
I concur. Risking $15K to gain $9K does not compute. [/quote]
But in a way, you're not risking 15K just for 9K...you're also getting that free shot at 50K.... that's a free shot that isn't offered at any other level (other 1K to 2K)...
This money tweak, does cut down on money, but it does promote the greater potential reward for success at the 9th question.....It's something that i didn't care for on the original money tree....
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[quote name=\'Peter Sarrett\' date=\'Aug 23 2004, 11:10 AM\'] These changes feel to me not like they're trying to save money, but rather give more money away. They want more players to get to the $250,000 question and beyond. [/quote]
But, to do that, should they be *dis*couraging people from stopping at $16,000? If there's a small jump in there somewhere, it should be on a free guess---$32,000 to $50,000 seems more logical to me.
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[quote name=\'goongas\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 10:31 PM\'] there will be no more Hal March jackpot. [/quote]
At $50000, it will then be a Rose Evans Jackpot.
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[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Aug 23 2004, 10:27 PM\'] [quote name=\'goongas\' date=\'Aug 22 2004, 10:31 PM\'] there will be no more Hal March jackpot. [/quote]
At $50000, it will then be a Rose Evans Jackpot. [/quote]
Jamaica mistake, Don? :-D
I liked my name--the Jackpot Jackpot.
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Let's see. Going from $16K to $25K sounds akward to me thus making that portion from $16K to $100K seem out of whack. Cost-cutting yes, but there's always a downside to everything. I think maybe they should've left the 2nd safe haven alone & just go with $50K & $100K in the 3rd tier.
As far as the Ask the Audience thing goes, it would be intresting to see what kind of numbers are generated from the AOL/AIM pool. I sometimes don't trust the Internet when it comes to reliable information. This will test my trust that's for sure.
The new Question Switch lifeline is an intresting one, but it sounds like it might not yeild "better" questions than the original one. That doesn't mean it's any harder or easier question at that particular dollar ammount in Tier 3.
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[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' date=\'Aug 24 2004, 05:05 AM\']
The new Question Switch lifeline is an intresting one, but it sounds like it might not yeild "better" questions than the original one. That doesn't mean it's any harder or easier question at that particular dollar ammount in Tier 3. [/quote]
Will this lifeline require that a player must answer the question they "switched", and cannot walk away after seeing it?
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[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' date=\'Aug 24 2004, 06:05 AM\'] The new Question Switch lifeline is an intresting one, but it sounds like it might not yeild "better" questions than the original one. That doesn't mean it's any harder or easier question at that particular dollar ammount in Tier 3. [/quote]
No single lifeline is a guarantee, but I can promise you this: A question you haven't seen is preferable and therefore "better" than one you have seen and have no clue about.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Aug 24 2004, 09:52 AM\'] A question you haven't seen is preferable and therefore "better" than one you have seen and have no clue about. [/quote]
"I'll take 'The Divil I Don' Know'" for $40, Art."
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[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Aug 24 2004, 05:57 AM\'] Will this lifeline require that a player must answer the question they "switched", and cannot walk away after seeing it? [/quote]
It was reported on this board as early as yesterday that a player can still walk away from the Switched question.
(See? That's me trying to be more like Zach. Just a little shout-out to my detractors out there.)
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I'd be surprised if they weren't the rules, although I'm also a bit surprised that this is going to be a free lifeline. Whenever the "flip the question" rule has been on our UK Millionaire, it's always been at the cost of another lifeline - so a person with all their lifelines intact could flip up to three times in the hope they'd see a question they liked.
To be able to switch a question and then not be allowed to walk away would be unbelievably harsh, especially during the third tier.
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My question is, who's going to be the first contestant to stick his Phone-A-Friends on the AIM voting cabal?
MillionaireIM: Now you can help Contestants in the Hot Seat during a taping of Millionaire! If a Contestant uses the Ask the Audience lifeline, we will Instant Message you their multiple-choice question. Submit your choice right away, then we'll IM you back with the correct answer. You do not have to respond. Millionaire will be taping weekdays from August 27, 2004 through January 16, 2005.
By the looks of it, if a contestant really needed to, they could go Ask The Audience, then hem and haw, and go Phone-A-Friend to one of the people who'd just been given the correct answer by MillionaireIM!
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[quote name=\'OntarioQuizzer\' date=\'Aug 24 2004, 12:21 PM\'] By the looks of it, if a contestant really needed to, they could go Ask The Audience, then hem and haw, and go Phone-A-Friend to one of the people who'd just been given the correct answer by MillionaireIM! [/quote]
I think it's safe to expect that the correct answer won't be broadcast over IM until the hotseat player makes his final answer. However, I think you're correct that a phone-a-friend on the IM list would see the question when the Ask the Audience lifeline is invoked, thus giving him plenty of time to Google and do other research to find the correct answer before being called.
Burning two lifelines on a single question is never something players intend to do, but it certainly happens. I think being on the AIM list will join having multiple Google windows running as standard phone-a-friend procedure for players who are on the ball.
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[quote name=\'OntarioQuizzer\' date=\'Aug 24 2004, 10:21 AM\']My question is, who's going to be the first contestant to stick his Phone-A-Friends on the AIM voting cabal?[/quote]
[Realizes he's on cabal and PaF list for premiere-week contestant. Gets guilty look on face.]
Well, that's not a bad idea, so long at it's not a question you *mind* blowing two lifelines on, which in my mind would have to be the tenth question at the very least. This also implies that the contestant has *gotten* both lifelines that far into the game.
So, on the whole [phrase used without permission of John Davidson :-Þ], I'd say that issue ranks well below even 50:50 + Double Dip on the list of worries for the show.
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[quote name=\'Peter Sarrett\' date=\'Aug 24 2004, 11:34 AM\']I think being on the AIM list will join having multiple Google windows running as standard phone-a-friend procedure for players who are on the ball.[/quote]
Besides, it'll give me something to do while waiting for the call! :)