Let’s discuss the credit system on the show. I’m open to revising how it works, but here’s where it stands right now:
Say the Secret Word: Lose 1 Credit
Introduce a topic: 1 credit
Change, skip, or 1-Up a question: 1 credit
Activate the Gacha Machine: 1 credit
Force Jaffe to answer the question: 3 credits
Make us all play a game: 4 credits
Make us all read/watch something: 5 credits
Implement a Ranking Episode: 6 credits
Create/host your own episode: 8 credits
Rename the Question Hole: 10 credits
IF EVERYONE HAS 8+ CREDITS: Mandatory Improv Zone every episode until someone spends.
One complaint I have is that panelists are forced to spend a credit to extend a question even if they didn’t get a chance to weigh in because the other panelists used up all the time. I like to hear everyone’s thoughts on something, so a panelist unable to speak shouldn’t have to use a credit to get a word in on a question.
Seems like panelists are hording for one reason or another. Not my business to figure out why but it seems like there should be a better incentive to use them. Perhaps more options are needed as the current ones aren’t appealing?
Maybe a credit or two to bring out a specific lightning round, even one of their own invention? In terms of questions, maybe 1 credit to ask their own? Use some odd amount of credits to bring on a guest of their choosing, perhaps? (I have no idea how guests are chosen/booked so this might not matter at all.)
Lastly, perhaps some credits could be redeemed to spend time discussing a certain topic, not just extending a question? Like, imagine if something was really on a panelist’s mind that’s going on but there’s no question in the lineup regarding said topic. Spending credits to bring it up might be the way to go.
I know you were opposed to “credit rot” but you could just set it up like time off at an American job… use it or lose it. Can’t carry over every credit to the next year. (Kudos to @mack41 for getting to this idea first.)
10 credits - special show based on whomever spent them and their choice for the episode. Tailor questions based on that subject and an extra special lightning round.
Maybe like a ‘credit cap’ so once you reach a cap rather than time, it’s use it or lose it? Then maybe, a separate incentive that is low credit that is an obviously place to burn those extra ones.
A low credit thing could be like ‘add a game to the game wheel’ and then when the game wheel hits a certain number of games, it’s spun and everyone has to play what ever it lands on, and the wheel clears back to 0.
It was a while ago that I shared my thoughts on spending credits to extend topics so I’ll reshare it here. I could elaborate on this for a long time so I tried my best to keep it to my personal thoughts, design opinions aside.
Summary
don’t like this credit system to continue a topic. It makes the show more interesting if they’re allowed to talk past time and spending a credit means we’re another week away from a panelist making everyone play a game, which I liked a lot. It feels like the flow of conversation is cut short and instead the topic ends with a disappointed “Oh” instead. If it turns out the thing wasn’t interesting enough to add time, well I figure Esper cuts stuff like that to keep the run time down.
I can understand needing a way to spend fewer credits or to avoid too many 10 credit spends, but I’ve been disappointed every time someone is cut off from sharing a thought.
Just my two cents. (Ringo voice) Peace and love, peace and love.
Besides, what the credit system really needs is a Real Money Auction House.
You could give out poison credits that gradually removes credits from someone’s pile every week that they don’t spend their credits. It might to put people on the clock to spend their credits faster.
Maybe encourage gambling credits based on disagreements or they could spin the wheel on random dot org to get a bigger prize or go bankrupt or have other punishment, like have to wear cosplay on the video feed or have to do a book report on some game.
One idea for getting people to spend. After X episodes of not spending a credit, then that person starts having their credits go to the “Guest Bucket” at an increasing rate. The guest bucket can be used by whatever guest is on the show for any of the normal things anyone else can use them for.
Maybe take a page out of the hot new game “Among Us” and secretly nominate an “Imposter” who unbeknown to the others, has a secret objective to steal or make them use their credits.
I agree with this, but also want to add that I think the timed format of the show has its strengths.
Nearly every other video game podcast has lengthy segments for extended diversions, riffs, and discussion. Basically just a hangout. The short timer on the Insert Credit Show makes it feel zippy and more direct, even when things get wildly off-topic and tangential. The show has both a fun hangout vibe, but also a kind of game show vibe that I really like.
I can see how spending a credit to add time adds some needed flexibility to the format, but maybe the change ought to come from an angle to incentivize use rather than saving.
I think people hoard their credits because the items are pretty expensive and there’s no mechanic that reduces their stockpile, as others have mentioned. I like the idea of gambling credits and I also think realistically they probably need more ways of earning them if they’re ever going to be spent. 8 credits to host an episode is just a long time to hold onto your earnings, and 1 credit for extending a question on a whim can feel a bit punitive by comparison
This is just speculation, but I wonder if the reluctance to spending credits is a reluctance to assign homework to the other panelists by making them play a game or to the credit spender by making them come up with an entire show’s worth of questions
1- a: Time extensions - having a whole credit extend a single question by a single minute is overly expensive. 1 credit simultaneously equals :
1 minute of someone else’s question
6 minutes of your own question in an episode hosted by someone else
15+ minutes discussion about a game you pick (one quarter of the 4 credits spent on an (estimated) hour long episode centered on a chosen game)
<=6 minutes of questions on a panelist hosted episode(assuming a panelist hosted show paid for with 8 credits has less than 8 questions and doesn’t run too long)
1- b: Solution: have time extensions detract points from the current episode rather than costing an already earned credit from a previous episode. People can do as many as they want (within reason, maybe up to 3 extensions per episode) with the only expense being losing standing in a specific episode.
2- a. Credit Value - While I love the simplicity of having a single credit per episode that means that in a single year you would award less than 50 credits (assuming a weekly cycle but with GOTY, best of the rest, new all timer list, and other miscellaneous ranking episodes alongside vacation breaks its probably much less than 50).
2- b. i. Having a tiered payout with a winner getting 2 and second place receiving 1 (dont love this)
2- b. ii. Awarding 2 credits per episode, one for the main show and one for the lightning round allowing up to two players to win one credit each (i prefer this because I love lightning rounds most!)
2- b. iii. Recurring pre break segments like the improv zone could also be an irregular credit winning opportunity! Panelists may be able to bet on violence island participants! The possibilities are endless!
(Of course, prices may need to be adjusted to accommodate credit inflation.)
3- Credit economy - There aren’t enough ways to spend credits. While I’m unsure how much panelists want to play with these rules I think there is some interest and I want them to feel more inclined to use credits more regularly. I don’t have specific suggestions on how to bolster the economy but we need more choice !!!
4- Guest credits - Guests aren’t included in the credit system! Again, I don’t have a solution but maybe a second lightning round centered around the guest’s special interest that panelists compete in could be interesting with the guest acting as judge? (This is off the top of my head)