$100,000 Pyramid Playability

[Todd Robinson]

In drawing some graphics for the set, I realized something. The screen a player uses to read the words they try to get the other player to guess is a crucial part of the game. I then wondered, how is that going to work on a big screen?

My solution: The player recieving the clues should turn their back to the screen while the player who gives the clues should face the screen. I don't really see any other way to make it work!

[Juwse]

Sounds like a great plan. That's what my family and I did when we played party mode on the $100,000 Pyramid game by Sierra. Works very well unless there's a cheater playing lol.

[WesternEstates]

Todd said:

In drawing some graphics for the set, I realized something. The screen a player uses to read the words they try to get the other player to guess is a crucial part of the game. I then wondered, how is that going to work on a big screen?

My solution: The player recieving the clues should turn their back to the screen while the player who gives the clues should face the screen. I don't really see any other way to make it work!

The only other way I can see that working is if somebody writes the answers on index cards and gives to the person who is giving the clues and that takes away from the realism.

I think your way is better.

[Todd Robinson]

WesternEstates said:

The only other way I can see that working is if somebody writes the answers on index cards and gives to the person who is giving the clues and that takes away from the realism.

I think your way is better.

...that and the audience can't see what's going on.

[Robbie]

I thought the words appeared on the front of the players' podium

[whoserman]

Robbie said:

I thought the words appeared on the front of the players' podium

On the show, they are superimposed on the front of the players' podium, but they also show up on the monitor on top of the desk. The cluegiver has that monitor in front of them. Obviously, that can't be done in this case, so the clue receiver will have to have their back to the computer screen while the words appear on the podium.

Hope that clears things up.

[parliboy]

Option #2: Just as you could have two flash apps open for Feud (one for a big animated face-off podium and one for the main game) you can also have one for Pyramid: a main one and a secondary one that just displays clues.

It's possible, when running Flash, to have one Flash app control another, so you can have the "master" app telling the "slave" app what to display on the clue-giver screen. Add in a video card cable of displaying to multiple monitors (not uncommon these days) and you're set.

[Matteo]

Eh, sounds pretty derned complicated if you ask me, lol.

[Grey]

parliboy said:

Option #2: Just as you could have two flash apps open for Feud (one for a big animated face-off podium and one for the main game) you can also have one for Pyramid: a main one and a secondary one that just displays clues.

It's possible, when running Flash, to have one Flash app control another, so you can have the "master" app telling the "slave" app what to display on the clue-giver screen. Add in a video card cable of displaying to multiple monitors (not uncommon these days) and you're set.

Or you could try to find a monitor to TV converter and split the TV signal. After which, all one would need to do is figure out how to swivel the TV monitor. That's much less hassle, IMO, to do.

Not to say that your way is completely impossible, although it is with my laptop.

[parliboy]

To Matteo: not as much as you would think. I was helping Chris Colbourne on a private project when he did something very much like that, using scripting commands to have a master emcee app control gameboard and scoring clients. This would actually be easier, since you're only talking two screens with (if you wanted to get fancy) one of them duplicated for each team.

To Grey: with some older laptops, it could be a problem. For desktops, the cost of a lower-end card that can send two outputs makes external tv-output devices obsolete for me.

[Robbie]

Or you can do it just like the show and have the word on the front of the podiums so the audience and clue giver can see what's going on. Screw the guesser... they aren't that important anyway.

[Grey]

parliboy said:

To Grey: with some older laptops, it could be a problem. For desktops, the cost of a lower-end card that can send two outputs makes external tv-output devices obsolete for me.

Well, let's just say that I wasn't expecting to do as much with my laptop as I have been doing recently. So it was pretty much obselete when I needed to figure out something for the Family Feud game I hosted (using FFPS), which would be about 7 months ago, but I digress. -.-;;

And Robbie, how in the world are you going to get that sort of setup without it becoming too expensive, hazardous, or just plain silly? (I mention hazardous because more electrical items means more cords which can pose a trip-and-fall and/or fire hazard if there's too many of them.)

The way I figure it, if you're going with the two monitor (TV or computer monitor) and projector setup, all you'd really need to do is to make sure that none of the players can see the projected screen. Black curtains/drapes, anybody?

[vegitoth]

Or we use Todds plan and switch screens over to the clue giver that sounds like turning the computer screen over

[Todd Robinson]

A couple of things; dual-screen support is pretty much out of the question. I think the best way to do this is have the clue giver face the screen and have the receiver face the giver with their back to the screen. While they are faced this way, the screen will show the shot of the player's table with the topic text superimposed.

There are probably a lot more elaborate ways to make this work but my goal is to make the software easy to operate while retaining the classic feel of the show. Game show enthusiasts as well as school teachers and educational institutions use my software. You have to keep everyone in mind, you know?

It'll be good. :-) Once I'm finished, that is.

[Robbie]

Todd said:

A couple of things; dual-screen support is pretty much out of the question. I think the best way to do this is have the clue giver face the screen and have the receiver face the giver with their back to the screen. While they are faced this way, the screen will show the shot of the player's table with the topic text superimposed.

Exactly what I suggested. I don't see how it would be too expensive or "hazardous"...