Author Topic: New TPiR game coming: Rat Race (Read 30745 times)

Thunder · « **Reply #60 on:** June 16, 2010, 10:21:10 PM »

It sure looked pre-determined to me because the yellow rat had a big lead, gave it up to the blue rat than nosed ahead to win.

Spring powered mice don't work that way.

clemon79 · « **Reply #61 on:** June 16, 2010, 10:28:13 PM »

[quote name=\'Thunder\' post=\'242594\' date=\'Jun 16 2010, 07:21 PM\']It sure looked pre-determined to me because the yellow rat had a big lead, gave it up to the blue rat than nosed ahead to win.

Spring powered mice don't work that way.[/quote]
Mice who trade the inside and outside tracks on the turns certainly do.

Steve Gavazzi · « **Reply #62 on:** June 16, 2010, 10:37:21 PM »

[quote name=\'Thunder\' post=\'242594\' date=\'Jun 16 2010, 10:21 PM\']It sure looked pre-determined to me because the yellow rat had a big lead, gave it up to the blue rat than nosed ahead to win.[/quote]
So what? That doesn't prove a thing.

Anyway, you can't predetermine the outcome of a game whose props you don't have any control over.

Thunder · « **Reply #63 on:** June 16, 2010, 10:44:21 PM »

Hell if I know.

The "inside/outside" of the curves was something I hadn't thought about.

WilliamPorygon · « **Reply #64 on:** June 16, 2010, 10:52:10 PM »

After seeing the big premiere today, I did think it was a pretty good game — a lot better than I was anticipating. Very nice set, too.

I do still have concerns over the whole rules with the rats potentially getting stuck or otherwise failing to finish though. In a game like Hurdles, if the contestant picked the right items but the prop failed, Bob didn't declare the contestant a loser because the hurdler didn't make it over all the hurdles. I do understand the one big difference between those situations — Hurdles (and every other game up to Rat Race) had a predetermined correct answer for them to check against. With Rat Race, it would be a PR nightmare if they ended up declaring the game lost because most or all of their own props malfunctioned.

Lirodon · « **Reply #65 on:** June 16, 2010, 11:03:26 PM »

If factors cause all the rats not to cross the finish line, couldn't they just "score" them in their current order on the track?

Joe Mello · « **Reply #66 on:** June 16, 2010, 11:19:37 PM »

[quote name=\'Steve Gavazzi\' post=\'242587\' date=\'Jun 16 2010, 08:37 PM\']it should have a predetermined outcome, but it doesn't.[/quote]
This is probably a matter of aesthetics, but the only thing I want predetermined is that all the mice finish.

It seems like the engineering is as sound as it can be. I like the cityscape backdrops, and while I'd have preferred GUTS-style lockout lights, the finish line as-is is pretty neat, fits within the theme, and exploits the new-to-Price tech very well.

I still think the gravity-powered system would cause less hassle in the long run, but it probably would not have been this flashy.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #67 on:** June 16, 2010, 11:46:42 PM »

Watched the game on YouTube just now. Certainly a colorful game, and as an earlier poster said, I like that the $1/$10/$100 guessing game is fairly original by TPIR guessing game standards. I thought the reveal was kinda awkward; there didn't seem to be any audience reaction to the race at all, and it appeared nobody really knew what had happened until Drew explained it. When you're watching Plinko (the other "random" game Drew referenced in the mini-doc), there's an immediate response from the audience that's lacking here.

I'm not sure why the outcome should be pre-determined, though I imagine it would work that way just as well. As for mechanical failure, I'm sure they have plans to deal with that when and if it happens. Overall, it works for me just fine, though it's not among the greats by any means.

Steve Gavazzi · « **Reply #68 on:** June 17, 2010, 12:15:38 AM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'242611\' date=\'Jun 16 2010, 11:46 PM\']As for mechanical failure, I'm sure they have plans to deal with that when and if it happens.[/quote]
I'm not sure if "That mouse doesn't finish the race, and too bad for you if you picked it" really qualifies as "dealing with it."

Clay Zambo · « **Reply #69 on:** June 17, 2010, 12:27:50 AM »

That is a damned elaborate setup!

As for the rat-not-finishing problem: that seems no different from "sorry, you picked a shell that doesn't have the ball under it." If the colored rats were coded to the prizes, then you'd have a problem if one didn't finish the race, but since the contestant picks his or her rat(s) and it's the order of finish that determines what's won, it seems to work out just fine.

Steve Gavazzi · « **Reply #70 on:** June 17, 2010, 12:37:09 AM »

[quote name=\'Clay Zambo\' post=\'242614\' date=\'Jun 17 2010, 12:27 AM\']As for the rat-not-finishing problem: that seems no different from "sorry, you picked a shell that doesn't have the ball under it."[/quote]
Not even close. The Shell Game scenario you mentioned is caused by the contestant's own mistakes. Rat Race has the potential to be impossible to win no matter what the contestant does.

ClockGameJohn · « **Reply #71 on:** June 17, 2010, 12:41:45 AM »

It's basically like a Plinko chip getting stuck and them telling you tough shit.

TLEberle · « **Reply #72 on:** June 17, 2010, 01:39:14 AM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'242611\' date=\'Jun 16 2010, 08:46 PM\']I'm not sure why the outcome should be pre-determined, though I imagine it would work that way just as well.[/quote]So that when things go horribly wrong, you can open the little envelope and say "This is what we meant to have happen." Sure, it still looks bad because your game SNAFU'ed, but at least you're doing right by your contestant. And you also don't have people wondering about what should have happened.

When you write material for QB, you put the answers down as well, right? The Golden Doors from Dream House had a magic number that was determined before the round. Wheel of Fortunes various envelopes are seeded by someone before the draw/spin. Pre-planning prevents things from getting out of control.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #73 on:** June 17, 2010, 02:13:02 AM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'242611\' date=\'Jun 16 2010, 11:46 PM\']I thought the reveal was kinda awkward; there didn't seem to be any audience reaction to the race at all, and it appeared nobody really knew what had happened until Drew explained it. When you're watching Plinko (the other "random" game Drew referenced in the mini-doc), there's an immediate response from the audience that's lacking here.[/quote]
Okay, I was trying to figure out what was missing, and I think you summed it up. The audience cheered over the cheese that Rich described (Heh, cheese, rats, get it? Well see, oh nevermind), but not the actual outcome. From what I saw in the clip, it took a second to process what just happened, since it's not spelled out (I was a little confused myself) However with a game like Plinko, you see the chip hit the space marked "$10,000" or "$0". I wonder how awkward it would've been had the audience gone ape, thinking the guy won the car, but instead got the watches.

I like the game and love the presentation, but hopefully the execution of crossing the finish line is somehow ironed out better in the future. Right now, I think the finish will be awkward no matter what.

Craig Karlberg · « **Reply #74 on:** June 17, 2010, 04:20:56 AM »

This Rat Race got me sold based on the pricing portion aspect ala Walk of Fame. The set-up was neat. The big problem wasn't the race itself, but the finish. There should be a change in color of one or more of the track slots if his/her rat(s) finished in the Top 3. As it is, it's tough to say how they'll handle this in future playings. The mechanical problems that might arise may as well be something to deal with if it comes to that. Other than that, Drew did a good job on his creation.