Here’s some fun, there’s a demo of the new US rules (and music) for the new Who Wants to be a Millionaire? up on the US site.
For those who haven’t been following, the difficulties and cash amounts for the first ten quetions are now shuffled before the game. Cash is cumulative, but make it past question ten and you play “Classic Millionaire” for the big money.
The questions are rather difficult in that they’re quite US-centric, but it gives quite a good flavour of the new game. The music is quite good, a sort of take on the style of the original, but with a bit more Magnum PI.
The show begins in the US September 13th.
Question from Twitter: Does anyone know what font is used for the letters on Countdown? Alex?
Oo-er, it’s a bit… erm… guitary. It don’t mind the values being mixed up, but mixing the difficulties is weird.
I’m slightly baffled that the money reel when you get a correct answer has $400 on it, when you can’t actually win it. Actually, also $20,000.
Font is Futura Condensed Bold.
Wait, not Condensed. Just Futura Bold. Also available on some computers at TwCen/Twentieth Century.
Hi guys, I’m the dude who asked about the Countdown Font:
I have since found the font, and if anyone is curious i’ve got it down as ‘Futura Md BT’. It does have to stretched horizontally by 125% to be right, though 🙂
Just thought you guys would like to know.
If the question difficulties get mixed up, as well as the money amounts, could we see a player getting their first question wrong, simply because the ‘most difficult’ of the ten would come up first? Just a thought.
Meanwhile, I have spotted an error on UKGS. In Weaver’s Week August 29th, it stated that Paxman disallowed Haslam of Downing Cambridge saying ‘Dystopia’, but it then said that McFall of St Edmund Hall Oxford said ‘Dystopia’ and was accepted as the adjective was required, not the noun. McFall actually said ‘Dystopian’ (this was confirmed on the hard-of-hearing subtitles). Can this be corrected please.
If the question difficulties get mixed up, as well as the money amounts, could we see a player getting their first question wrong, simply because the ‘most difficult’ of the ten would come up first? Just a thought.
Yes, that is an element. Although everyone is guaranteed $1,000 anyway.
I find the $1,000 guarantee utterly bizarre when it’s possible to answer two questions right and still only have a bank of $600. “I’m sorry, you’ve just lost -$400”?
The new format will be horrendously confusing to the casual viewer I’m sure but flawed it ain’t (other than the slight and all-too-familiar issue of transparency in the randomisation process).
I find the $1,000 guarantee utterly bizarre when it’s possible to answer two questions right and still only have a bank of $600. “I’m sorry, you’ve just lost -$400″?
And here’s the other bizarre feature – your first three questions are $100, $500, and $1000 (you’ve been a bit unlucky) and then for some reason you decide to walk away with half your bank (perhaps you are a bit stupid and don’t realise you might as well guess anyway). would they round it up to the thousand?
I’m really not sure about the new gameplay. It’s shoehorning two very different games in – and the rules about walking away and keeping half your bank, and having two different guaranteed dollar amounts depending on where you are, just seem to make the whole thing clumsy.
I rather like the music, though.
In completely unrelated news, I’ve found two episodes of The Amazing Race: China Rush on a popular video sharing site that rhymes with GooCube. The link is below:
http://www.youtube.com/user/smasher2468#p/u/11/uxWNubaEpzE
In good news, the episodes are in English and there is one heck of a variety in the teams.
In amusing news, the winning team will win a trip around the world… if they want to take it by that point!
In irritating news, the microphone recording on the contestants is dodgy in places.
And that’s the end of the news.
Also, according to the description, Lisa & Karen are ‘Momshells’.
At least it’s in English… I can understand a foreign show!!! YAY!
No less a musical uberlord than computers’ Ben Dalglish has quite a nice mini-site about Ronnie Hazelhurst, suggesting that he composed the – or, rather, a – theme tune for It’s A Knockout. I only recognise Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass’ Bean Bag as a classic IAK theme tune; when was this brought in and what was the Hazelhurst tune that preceded it? (Iain’s obit of RH does not cover this.)
It’s a bit like discovering A Question of Sport had a different theme when it started. David Vine seems to be the common link, here.
Yeah, but I’m so old that I can remember a wakka-wakka electric organ theme tune for Questionicus Sportissimo before the tune “we” “all” “know” and “love” in all its remixed “glory”. That’s not to say that there wasn’t another feem choon even before the first one I remember, though.
Hmmm… Osman gets in a plug for 8 Out Of 10 Cats on Pointless. Cheeky bugger.