WooWho
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Post by WooWho on Aug 30, 2015 8:39:32 GMT -5
Previously on the Evaluation series: Express, Free Play, 1/2 Car, Prize Puzzle, and Wild Card. Now, we take a look at the game mechanic that, Bonus Wheel aside, has now been on the show longer than anything else. It's also the new season perk for Season 10 of the Daily Puzzle Game, which starts tomorrow. If you haven't played before, I encourage you to click over to that section to play that first puzzle, which is now live.. Feeling lucky, punk? Because this evaluation is going to be a real mystery... HOW IT WORKS:
- When a contestant lands on a Mystery Wedge, upon calling a correct letter, he may either take $1,000 per correct letter or flip over the Mystery Wedge.
- There are two Mystery Wedges on the wheel. One has a Bankrupt on the back, while the other has a $10,000 cash prize.
- Once one Mystery Wedge is removed from the wheel, the other one becomes a regular $1,000 space.
WHAT WE KNOW:
- The Mystery Round is typically Round 2, though it too has jumped around the game throughout its lifespan.
- The Mystery Wedge used to have a $500 face value.
- The Mystery prize used to be a car in the $10K-$12K range, but has consistently been $10,000 cash for the last 10 years or so.
- In recent years, the home audience is shown what's on the back of the Mystery Wedge if the player elects not to flip it over.
WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW:
- Is $1,000 per letter an appropriate bribe, or is it too much?
- Is the "$10,000 or Bankrupt" gamble getting stale? Should there be other prizes/penalties on the back of the Mystery Wedge?
- Corollary to the above: is $10,000 a big enough prize?
- When do you flip, and when do you not flip?
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Post by tlc38tlc38 on Aug 30, 2015 8:56:39 GMT -5
WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW:
- Is $1,000 per letter an appropriate bribe, or is it too much?
- Is the "$10,000 or Bankrupt" gamble getting stale? Should there be other prizes/penalties on the back of the Mystery Wedge?
- Corollary to the above: is $10,000 a big enough prize?
- When do you flip, and when do you not flip?
Yes, I think $1,000 is a fitting amount.
I like that the prize is always $10,000. Keeps it less confusing to the general public and less confusing to explain.
I'd flip IF my current round amount is less than $5,000.
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mechamind
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Recappers guide you through the rough stuff.
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Post by mechamind on Aug 30, 2015 11:19:12 GMT -5
You have more of a reason to flip if you are the one who started Round 2. I've seen a lot of Prize Puzzles solved as perfect rounds.
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Post by wheelfan1986 on Aug 30, 2015 13:45:49 GMT -5
The Mystery Wedge is actually probably my favorite "Add-On" feature to the Wheel. I like the idea of getting $1,000/consonant (it makes for more interesting gameplay... there's more at stake than when they were using $500), and I also think the $10,000 prize is simple, effective, and to the point. Especially now that there are 1/2 Cars floating around on the wheel, I think it's good that they're just sticking with cash for the prize. I think it's a good amount... not too little but not too much. I guess to do something different maybe they could put a really fancy trip on the back of it, but I like it the way it is right now.
I would also go for it if I had $5,000 or less.
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Post by couponboy on Sept 1, 2015 9:29:46 GMT -5
1. $1,000 is definitely the right bribe for the wedge, as it has a good number of people going for it but also a good number of people declining it.
2. The $10,000 or Bankrupt coin-flip is as stale as the top dollar amounts and Bankrupts (I.e. it's not).
3. $10,000 is definitely just right as a Mystery prize. It can easily be the game decider, but it usually doesn't seal the victory, especially with the Prize Puzzle to come.
4. I'd usually take the flip if I have $4;000 or less (counting cardboard and the $1k bribe).
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ld
Posts: 38
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Post by ld on Sept 1, 2015 19:26:32 GMT -5
WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW:
- Is $1,000 per letter an appropriate bribe, or is it too much?
- Is the "$10,000 or Bankrupt" gamble getting stale? Should there be other prizes/penalties on the back of the Mystery Wedge?
- Corollary to the above: is $10,000 a big enough prize?
- When do you flip, and when do you not flip?
1. $1,000 is perfect. It's the perfect amount for equating reward vs. risk. 2. $10,000 is fine. 3. $10,000 is more than enough, even if the other elements in the game can exceed that. 4. Flip if: a) The next player who starts in the round will be me, or b) There are few remaining letters on the board. Don't flip if: a) The total amount held + Mystery consonant amount will exceed $4,000. b) Holding a Wild Card and knowing for certain there is at least multiples of one letter still (use the Wild Card at that instant instead). c) Round is a large puzzle and many missing letters. |
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Post by gameshowfan1995 on Sept 2, 2015 0:50:25 GMT -5
1) yes, it's perfectly fine.
2) no, it's not, although Shopping Sprees wouldn't be such a bad prize. (A $10,000 gift card to so-and-so store, for example)
3)$10,000 is a big enough prize. If someone happens to pick it up and win, it would make for a close race if someone else wins the prize puzzle.
4)Flip if you're only risking the $1,000 you got (E.g. it's your first turn, you get the Mystery, and there's only one of a certain letter), or if there's not a lot of money at stake. Don't flip if you're risking a prize as well, and DEFINITELY don't flip if you have the Million Dollar Wedge in front of you, unless you're in third place.
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cowheelfan
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Post by cowheelfan on Sept 10, 2015 20:54:48 GMT -5
1) $1,000 per letter I think is a fair bribe. I think it makes things more interesting for the contestants than the $500 wedge did, and if a contestant decides not to go for it, it's a great addition to the bank!
2) I actually think the $10K or Bankrupt works well as is. A good amount for a prize, a fair penalty if it's the Bankrupt... I don't see it as stale at all as of now! If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
3) $10K is a great prize. I think it's just the right amount.
4) I'd flip if I had $4K or less... it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win some big money, but winning $7K or $8K is as well, and certainly would not be worth the gamble in my opinion!
I really like the mystery round as it plays right now... it works really well in the show I think!
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Post by pricemodel1997 on Nov 16, 2015 10:01:19 GMT -5
I think we need a different prize every night again why always cash? A prize like some expensive jewelry or a car, or trip could be something different from cash. It's been $10k for almost a decade now, the different cars only lasted until the second year of the neon set. Other than that the way it works is fine, although i have issues with the ?'s bg color on the wedge itself, dark purple? You can hardly see it if that blue ring wasn't there, they should have left the ?'s bg color red, that would make it look better.
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wheelie99
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Post by wheelie99 on Nov 19, 2015 12:49:05 GMT -5
I think they just use cash because of the prize wedges on the wheel. Cars can be given away with license plates, trips are announced at the beginning of the show, and everything else is given away during the main game and bonus round.
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Post by pricemodel1997 on Nov 19, 2015 23:44:02 GMT -5
^yeah but if the prize was different there would be more of a mystery, perhaps to make it more exciting just put a full wedge version of the question mark design on the back of the prize wedge that way no one knows what the prize is, not even the home audience. It could be more fun then.
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lousan92
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Post by lousan92 on Jan 8, 2016 5:41:36 GMT -5
Well, a bit late but here are my thoughts about the Mystery Wedges/Round:
Is $1,000 per letter an appropriate bribe, or is it too much?
Being $10,000 the top prize, it's high enough. Except for one time, the cash won without flipping the wedge has never surpassed the $10K, so it's good.
Is the "$10,000 or Bankrupt" gamble getting stale? Should there be other prizes/penalties on the back of the Mystery Wedge?
Well, I have a suggestion: adding a third Mystery Wedge in the Wheel which had an intermediate prize (for example $5,000), to add more variety. However, it means that there would be even more cardboard in the Wheel, and probably it would be too much cardboard.
Corollary to the above: is $10,000 a big enough prize?
Yes, why not? As I've said before, with the $1,000 bribe a higher prize wouldn't make more sense: players usually flip the wedges because they don't win as much with the bribe as they could win flipping the wedge. If they increase the prize, they should also increase the face value, but they would make the wedge a bit broke, having into account that the cash values are between $500 and $900.
When do you flip, and when do you not flip?
I agree with most of you: if you have more than $5,000 (counting cash and prizes) you shouldn't flip it.
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Post by tlc38tlc38 on Oct 11, 2016 21:24:15 GMT -5
I really wish they'd change the color of the wedges back to blue to replace the blue wedges they cover. As it is now, during round 2 there's way too much purple on one side of the wheel. The old red/blue version was way better.  |
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Post by gameshowfandanny on Mar 7, 2020 20:36:29 GMT -5
"Is $1,000 per letter an appropriate bribe, or is it too much?"
I would say it is appropriate.
"Is the "$10,000 or Bankrupt" gamble getting stale? Should there be other prizes/penalties on the back of the Mystery Wedge?"
I think it should be back to the Mystery prize being different each episode. As for penalties, I'd keep Bankrupt.
"Corollary to the above: is $10,000 a big enough prize?"
$10,000 is not big enough based on my response for the previous question.
"When do you flip, and when do you not flip?"
I would flip if I had no cardboard and $5,000 or less. The only time I would flip if I had any cardboard and more than $5,000 is if I was trailing by at least $5,000.
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