My suggestion for a format

[millionaireandtpir]

Money Tree:
15 - $1 Million
14 - $750,000
13 - $500,000
12 - $250,000
11 - $125,000
10 - $62,500*
09 - $30,000
08 - $15,000
07 - $12,500
06 - $10,000
05 - $5,000*
04 - $2,500
03 - $1,000
02 - $750
01 - $500

The Milestones, indicated by the asterisks, are $5,000 and $62,500.

I also think that if a contestant loses in any of the first questions, instead of leaving with nothing (something I find harsh for a game show contestant), they just get $1,000, even if they don't go past question 3.

Contestants start with 4 lifelines (the 3 original lifelines and double dip), and can gain 2 additional lifelines during the game, one earned at $5k and one earned at $62.5k.

Earned at $5k - "Ask the Nation" - Thanks to Skype, the contestant can ask a member of U.S. Congress to see what they think the answer is.

Earned at $62.5K - "Foreign Question" - The question is removed, and replaced with a question from a foreign version of Millionaire; similar to Switch the Question.

The graphics and music should be the same as the UK version, and the categories are shown to the contestants.

Contestants can look at the question and think about it with no time limit.

What do you think?

[RyanZ]

Honestly...I don't think it's that great. Sorry, but there's just some things that I don't like about this.

The money tree seems a little weird for me. $62,500 just isn't a good dollar amount to have up there; it'd be easier just having $75,000. And the $750,000 at the second-top spot doesn't make much sense either, as you are risking $687,500 for only $250,000 more. That's what makes $500,000 a good amount for the fourteenth question; you're risking just less than you could potentially win with the next question, which makes it more likely for the contestant to go for it. Even that, however, is extremely rare.

Also, about the guaranteed amount of $1,000 - it would be easier to make it $500 and start from $1,000 for the first question. That way walking away for the first five questions isn't even more pointless than it already is.

The lifelines I don't think work either. Six is too many in my opinion, even if you don't start out with all of them. I'm not extremely fond of the two new lifelines that you've proposed, either. "Ask the Nation" seems like it'd be too much trouble to organize, and after enough shows you'd eventually be recycling the same people. I just think we should just stick to "Ask the Expert". And "Foreign Question" is a rather pointless lifeline - in essence you are trading a question that you don't know the answer to, for a question that it would be even harder to answer since it comes from another country, in which they may have questions specific to that country.

I like no time limit. That I'm okay with. ^^ However, if you are going to eliminate the clock then the categories might as well go, too. I liked the element of surprise with the questions, and the only reason the menu was created in the first place was so that contestants could deal with the stress of limited thinking time more easily.

Well, that's my input - I'm not trying to rip your ideas to shreds or anything, so don't feel bad from reading this ^^

[millionaireandtpir]

Jan 21, 2010 22:33:27 GMT -5 RyanZ said:

Honestly...I don't think it's that great. Sorry, but there's just some things that I don't like about this.

The money tree seems a little weird for me. $62,500 just isn't a good dollar amount to have up there; it'd be easier just having $75,000. And the $750,000 at the second-top spot doesn't make much sense either, as you are risking $687,500 for only $250,000 more. That's what makes $500,000 a good amount for the fourteenth question; you're risking just less than you could potentially win with the next question, which makes it more likely for the contestant to go for it. Even that, however, is extremely rare.

Also, about the guaranteed amount of $1,000 - it would be easier to make it $500 and start from $1,000 for the first question. That way walking away for the first five questions isn't even more pointless than it already is.

The lifelines I don't think work either. Six is too many in my opinion, even if you don't start out with all of them. I'm not extremely fond of the two new lifelines that you've proposed, either. "Ask the Nation" seems like it'd be too much trouble to organize, and after enough shows you'd eventually be recycling the same people. I just think we should just stick to "Ask the Expert". And "Foreign Question" is a rather pointless lifeline - in essence you are trading a question that you don't know the answer to, for a question that it would be even harder to answer since it comes from another country, in which they may have questions specific to that country.

I like no time limit. That I'm okay with. ^^ However, if you are going to eliminate the clock then the categories might as well go, too. I liked the element of surprise with the questions, and the only reason the menu was created in the first place was so that contestants could deal with the stress of limited thinking time more easily.

Well, that's my input - I'm not trying to rip your ideas to shreds or anything, so don't feel bad from reading this ^^

Alright, how's this for a board?
15 - $1 Million
14 - $500,000
13 - $250,000
12 - $125,000
11 - $100,000
10 - $75,000*
09 - $50,000
08 - $35,000
07 - $25,000
06 - $16,000
05 - $8,000*
04 - $4,000
03 - $2,000
02 - $1,000
01 - $500

[RyanZ]

THAT is much better. Although I think I like a $2,000 safe haven better. Perhaps something like this:

15. $1,000,000
14. $500,000
13. $250,000
12. $125,000
11. $75,000
10. $50,000 *
09. $30,000
08. $20,000
07. $10,000
06. $5,000
05. $2,000 *
04. $1,000
03. $500
02. $250
01. $100

Although, I think at this point we might as well go with the British tree.

[Reidb1700]

I like it, but I think that the money tree is a little weird though. What I think is that it could be changed from $62,500 to $60,000. I agree that the $750,000 amount would make more people walk away on that question. Also, it would be hard for them to get a congress member, so that lifeline could be removed. I like the Foreign question, that would be an interesting concept for them to use. Now for the graphics and sounds, I think they should just keep theirs, I am of the personal opinion that the U.S. graphics and sounds are better. And one final note is that that contestants will always leave with about $700, because that is how much they get paid to appear on the show. That is my opinion of your new format. Yours is good, but has a few flaws in my opinion.

[RyanZ]

Perhaps "Ask the Nation" can literally be "Ask the Nation". Maybe that lifeline can make use of AIM like the old days when AOL sponsored Millionaire?

[FrankT]

I suggested 'Ask the Nation' once! Remember?