Totally disillusioned

[ROSSKEEN]

Took the good lady for dinner on Friday night to a local Brewers Fayre type put (classy).

Had a nice meal and decided to change £20 into coins to play the SWP (paragon). Changed £20 because the crucial thing was, and bear this in mind, I DIDNT MIND LOSING IT. However I did expect to have some fun along the way, perhaps the odd £1 or £2 here or there. What actually happened really bugged me, so much so I'm taking a break from the machines.


DOND - 3 or 4 games, target £60k+ except once when it was £27k. First 2 boxes removed £250k and £100k. Random my arse. Spoiler set also kicked in after about 6 questions. Never ever seen it play so tight.

Spot the Diff - Cash was always 7+ pictures, only ever 1 help.

Some Roulette game - you collect enough chips to get to an endgame. I needed 400 for £1. Round 1 I answered 5 questions for 25 chips as did I in rounds 2 and 3 also (the maximum chips I could play for). Simple maths means that to win a £1 I would have to answer 80 questions.

Bullseye - 701, 601 and 601 with bullseyes never more than 50 points and rarely more than 25. Spoilers kicking in very early.

Pub quiz - Usually a favourite, never got past round 2, again spoilers kicking in really really early.


I also played other games again with no wins at all or even really on the horizon due to spoilers. The whole £20 lasted about half an hour.

Just a bit sickened because 'back in the day' there used to be some form of skill to machines but with every update its getting that little bit harder to win.

ok rant over.

[theoak]

I bet the young lady got very bored.

[grecian]

Sounds like the machine in question had probably been played recently by a decent player who had grabbed all the low-hanging fruit (as they say).

I wouldn't fret - that's the case sometimes. I most of the day SWPing yesterday - won about £30 net of expenses for the day (quite pleasing for me at the moment) but this disguised some machines where I won over a tenner and some where I lost a fiver or so. That's life - you can't expect every machine to be ready to pay out just for you, particularly if some passing pro or above-average player has passed by. (That said, clearly Hyena had visited some of the pubs I visited a few days before but had, typically, failed to take much out of the machines he'd played. ;-) )

I think the only mistake you made is putting as much as £20 into a machine that clearly wasn't paying - I reckon you could probably have tested the machine for a fiver or so but I do take your point that you were out at that venue for the evening and wanted some enjoyment. Sadly on a few games at the moment have enough inherent gameplay qualities to be fun even when they're not paying.

So, in conclusion, don't lose heart.

[rogerthymes]

One pound fifty is enough to test whether a machine will pay out or not. The only only game on the current itbox which seems to last any amount of time is Tetris, though it usually comes down to luck of the draw on the final question.

[QuizMaster]

Paragon. Enough said.

[dm]

One pound fifty is enough to test whether a machine will pay out or not.

nah it's enough to tell whether those three games are willing to pay out.

[ROSSKEEN]

It was the only SWP in the place and as I said, losing £20 didnt overly bother me - but i did expect to have some amusement along the way, such as ONE (at least!!) question for my £20 where if i got it right then i win £1. But not one game allowed me remotely close.

And seriously - the roulette game. 80 questions to win a £1? Robbery.


I played an ITbox the following day with £1.50 I had in change and while I lost my £1.50 eventually, I had some fun playing TV times which I took £1, and 2x £3 from. I.e. I had some fun.

The previous night was horrible - I expect spoilers these days but not nearly as soon as I was getting them.

[QuizMaster]

Is this the roulette rubbish that's on the Gamesnets? I got up to 75 chips on this then slapped them on every number except the last 3. Guess which number came up? Unbeliveably crap. And it took me about 25 questions to collect those 75. The people that designed this are utter fuckwits.

I got the next question wrong on purpose just so I could walk away from it.

[Nil Satis]

And seriously - the roulette game. 80 questions to win a £1? Robbery.

Hi Ross

Just to clarify slightly, the idea with the Trivia Roulette (assuming it's the same one as on the Gamesnets) is that you choose to gamble your chips every three or four rounds to get nearer the prize, e.g. win 100 chips then play roulette and hope to win say 50 chips to take you to 150, and so on. That said, the game is a total dud and of all the games I have seen where the Jackpot level is at least displayed (as opposed to say Monopoly Deluxe), it is quite possibly the hardest I have ever seen in terms of winning said Jackpot, other than on freak occurrences such as the rare '£1 Jackpot mode' on Caveman Capers.

I'd love to offer consolation or advice but other than saying that personally I have always found Paragons to offer shocking value and games selections, and hence avoid them like the plague, it sounds like you have reached the level of disillusionment I have, the sad difference being that I at least have seen many better times and better games.

Hope life is good for you otherwise!

NS

(or is it Statler and Waldorf? )

[BigEd]

Had a nice meal and decided to change £20 into coins to play the SWP (paragon).....


Some Roulette game - you collect enough chips to get to an endgame.....

Pub quiz - Usually a favourite, never got past round 2, again spoilers kicking in really really early.


ok rant over.

Trivia Roulette and Pub Quiz are not on Paragon