Fruit Machine Chat

This thread has been prompted by complaints from Quizmaster, who complains that too many threads have been devoted to the game mentioned above (I can only see 2 at the moment but obviously that is 2 too many for him).

So whilst biting my tongue to suggest that folk who aren't interested in or actively dislike threads about "Word Up" should desist from clicking on links where "Word Up" is clearly displayed in the title - I'd be interested to know what the rest of the board think about this game.

me and the missus like to play word up for a short time until she loses her rag with me for continually telling her to hurry TF up,even with her help/hinderance we have been known to take a couple of quid out it on units that are obviously flying

Option 2, though pedantically speaking it should be pointed out that the now long-obsolete original Word Up program was quite outstanding, as it was £20 for clearing (ie about 2 mins work).

Is it safe to say that Word Up is the only SWP game with fans?

People like to play it - even if they won't win. How many other games can claim that?

Where's the sum up option?!

Somewhere between 2 and 3 for me - I don't play it myself (and for someone who's all right at some other word games am puzzlingly bad at it), but can see it offers a decent challenge to word game experts and certainly don't mind people discussing it on here. I do think it might be an idea to confine it to one thread - I even think there might be an argument to split the "Quiz Machines" forum up into "Skills With Prizes - Quiz Machines" and "Skills With Prizes - Non-Quiz Machines" (the latter would include all word games as well as things that happen to be on SWP cabinets but do not involve any quiz element).

ultimately it depends on the motivation for playing SWP. if you take the view that it is a pub game (albeit not a very sociable game), then the modest rewards can be offset against enjoyment of the game. if monetary return is a primary motivation then there are other games which you'd be better off getting good at. like golf.
personally, i'm a big fan of pub culture and i drink and i have the gambling gene. if you are playing darts, just to make it interesting you might as well have a shilling on the side, likewise pool, dominoes or cards.

i also enjoy Q&A games but straight Q&A SWP like pub quiz, WWTBAM, DOND and others are frightfully dull. i'd honestly rather play guess who? from the pile of board games in the corner (but not scrabble; that is a silly game). SWP japseye has the benefit of cloaking the real skill with a simple aiming game. your mug will still be pleased with himself if he hits the bull and doesn't know where the first modern olympics were held. similarly on WU the occasional prize + enjoyment must be enough motivation to keep going back.

I'd say it's the best non-Q&A SWP game I've ever seen in terms of design, intellectual challenge and longterm repeat playability (which sounds uncomfortably like an "Iain Dowie-ism" ). This despite the fact that I am in the Conference North in terms of my own ability.

I am disappointed however as I hoped this thread would simply be about whether the game should be called "Word Up" or "Word Soup", at which point I would have started a whole new discussion re:

- Ulay vs Olay : 1/2

- Opal Fruits vs Starburst :

- Marathon vs Snickers :

Cif / Jif Heh-heh!

I voted for 2. I don't exactly stain kitchen utensils when I play it, but will often give it one or two games after taking the odd few quid from Japs...

I would have liked an option :-

"Great Game, lots of fun and useful for killing time for PR / Waiting to get onto the Fruit".


I used to play it all the time and got quite good at it. But my m8 can clear the grid I would say about 9/10 games and rarely even gets a quid out of them for his work thesedays, which stopped me playing it full stop.

I would have voted between 1 and 2. I suppose WORD UP was the first game that introduced proper multiplayer play. There is so many ways you can have compitions with your mates and the fact that it pays out dribs and drabs is a bonus. I only wish there were more multiplay games.

Voted 1

Despite the minimal monetary rewards these days and the lack of ability my mate and I display compared to some on here, the achievement of clearing and/or getting a 300pt plus word etc somehow makes up for it.

And if the dosh is out of sight we just play against each other for a side bet on the scores.

We've even stopped playing the usual payers sometimes just to play game after game of WU to the detriment of our pockets. Which is worrying.

Slammer wrote:But my m8 can clear the grid I would say about 9/10 games and rarely even gets a quid out of them

Tell him to build better words!

I don't mind Word Up as a game, you may all be surprised to know. I think it's quite clever and inventive. I used to make money playing it many, many moons ago.

Then they stopped the clearance paying £20 and there was no point in it any more. Therein lies the difference between me and most others on this site - there is no point in practising and getting better and better at Word Up because it won't get you anywhere financially.

If you had devoted as much time as you have to a number of other games as you have to this, you would be far better at them and ergo far better off financially. So it's really a question of horses for courses - people play this game for entertainment and that in turn is a direct reflection of this website - most people on here play quiz machines for a bit of fun and they compare notes. None of you (with the exception of Cool and Properpro) are taking this thing seriously at all.

That's fine and it's your choice, but it's a bit of fun to you lot. And 15 page threads seem a bit excessive to me, for something that is banal.

QM

QuizMaster wrote:I don't mind Word Up as a game, you may all be surprised to know. I think it's quite clever and inventive. I used to make money playing it many, many moons ago.

Then they stopped the clearance paying £20 and there was no point in it any more. Therein lies the difference between me and most others on this site - there is no point in practising and getting better and better at Word Up because it won't get you anywhere financially.

If you had devoted as much time as you have to a number of other games as you have to this, you would be far better at them and ergo far better off financially. So it's really a question of horses for courses - people play this game for entertainment and that in turn is a direct reflection of this website - most people on here play quiz machines for a bit of fun and they compare notes. None of you (with the exception of Cool and Properpro) are taking this thing seriously at all.

That's fine and it's your choice, but it's a bit of fun to you lot. And 15 page threads seem a bit excessive to me, for something that is banal.

QM

Fair points, but I don't agree totally. Speaking as someone who also plays SWPs purely to make cash, it's worth 50p (especially on fresh terminals) as you're liable to make £5-10 for 2 or 3 mins work - then you move onto the real business. And, as a more general point, there are plenty of non-quiz SWPs which have yielded copious amounts of cash for little time investment. You're of course right that the vast majority on this site only play quiz machines for fun.