Welcome to the New CelebrityGooGame.com!
K. R. | September 26, 2003
[hidden by request]
Scott Hardie | September 26, 2003
Note: As with any major overhaul of a site, there are bound to be a few glitches at first. I've already found a few, all in Tragic Comedy. I'll iron out all the glitches I can find over the next few days; you may use the Contact Scott form (in the Help section) to point any out to me that you think are serious.
Lori Lancaster | September 26, 2003
[hidden by request]
Lori Lancaster | September 26, 2003
[hidden by request]
Dave Stoppenhagen | September 26, 2003
Scott, great new layout. I can only imagine the work you put into it.
Scott Hardie | September 26, 2003
Thanks you two!
Lori: On my "to do" list for the new site is to program customizeable layouts. Using your cookie, you'll be able to change the colors and fonts to your preference. As for the GOO headers, they're based on rounds won. You won Round II when you guessed Muhammad Ali, so he's in your header. Matt won nine rounds; I had fun cramming all those faces in with him. :-)
Lori Lancaster | September 26, 2003
[hidden by request]
Lori Lancaster | September 26, 2003
[hidden by request]
Anna Gregoline | September 26, 2003
Wowza. I am astounded. Can't wait to check it out better this weekend!
Jackie Mason | September 26, 2003
[hidden by request]
Jackie Mason | September 26, 2003
[hidden by request]
Lori Lancaster | September 26, 2003
[hidden by request]
Erik Bates | September 26, 2003
[hidden by request]
Matthew Preston | September 26, 2003
Overwhelmed... at work... so dynamic...
Nadine Russell | September 27, 2003
I don't post in here often... OK, I don't post at all. This topic demanded attention though. I love the new look of the site and the new scoring system should be very entertaining. I can hardly wait for next week's goo!
Scott Hardie | September 27, 2003
Thanks for the kind words everybody! It was a pleasure to work on this site for two months, a nightmare to finish it all at the last minute, and now a pleasure again to share it with a happy audience. I'm glad I succeeded in keeping it a secret, too; that wasn't easy.
Man, nothing helps you find glitches in your site faster than having a few dozen people surf it. :-) In the case of most of the glitches reported to me so far, the code works just fine for me, but not for other users. In other words, I don't always know when the site is glitching, so please keep reporting any bugs that you find. I'm fixing them all as fast as I can.
Lori: I leave the image folders open like that in case anybody wants to browse them. Nothing to hide here. :-) As for the Recent that you entered, I can't get the pic to load. It doesn't seem to be a real file, or maybe the site doesn't permit foreign sites to load it. The "getimagesize" glitch is happening because my site tried to scan the image to make sure it was less than 150 pixels wide, and it couldn't find any such picture, so the function was incomplete. The easiest solution is to just find a different pic somewhere else. :-|
Jackie: Sorry, you'll have to enter new recents. The width requirement is more strict now because the sidebar is smaller, and it just seemed better to let people load a new set of images. Sorry for the inconvenience. Also, a few people's personal details might be outdated if you revised them within the last two weeks, since that's when I copied the user details from one database to another.
Erik: I don't know what's causing that. It's one of the bugs that works fine for me, and I don't know where to begin fixing that. Is anybody else experiencing that?
Anthony Lewis | September 27, 2003
In the words of my brothers in the ghetto:Yo this site is butta! For real dawg! Yaknowhutimsayin?
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Scott Hardie | September 26, 2003
Notice anything different?
Inspired by the sleek new look of StarTrek.com, I decided that it was finally time to unite my various sites under one design. I hope you find the new layout equally appealing and functional.
The changes are not just cosmetic, however. All of my web sites are now interconnected. You can guess at the current celebrity goo, write a new comment in Tragic Comedy, join a survivor tribe, create a character to play my new RPG, add a response to one of my movie reviews, and enter my Predict the Oscars contest; your account grants access to them all. (The only part of the site that remains exclusive is The Weekly Curiosity, since that game is only played at my home in Tampa.) I hope that the new structure will encourage players to participate in multiple aspects of the site.
Listed below are the specific changes and improvements per site, with an outline of future changes on the way. Below that, you'll find a form for leaving your own questions and comments about the site; please leave a message if you like what you see.
--Scott Hardie, September 26 2003
Overall Site ChangesAll parts of the site are amalgamated, but color-coded to give each a unique identity. Each has its own set of header images. The pages that cover the entire site are colored cyan and load a header from one of the other sites at random.Beneath the title of each page is a Java menu, which unfolds as you drag your mouse over it. Use this to instantly jump from any page on the site to any other page.The main menu of the site is dynamic, showing the newest information from each part of the site to keep you abreast of all updates. The cyan box in the upper-right shows a list of events on the site today.Each part of the site has an Introduction page that summarizes the entire endeavor for new or curious visitors.The user pages now incorporate data from all parts of the site, instead of there being a separate version for each. These pages are now much more informative, with room for the user's interests, favorites, family, and more. The 'Recent Items,' formerly exclusive to Tragic Comedy, now appear here as well. By default, the personal information for each user is only visible to other registered users, but it can be publicized as well so that any visitor can see it. The page is presented in an abbreviated form by default to reduce loading time.The copyright information is visible on every page on the site. There is a link to contact Scott at the bottom of every page. Besides the Java menu, each page also has a root tree with links stretching all the way back to the main menu of the site.Forms on the site no longer have a drop-down list for users' names, since the list was getting very long in some cases. Users are now asked to type in their name each time they use the form instead.Each player with a photograph now has a link to QGoo, so you can create goos out of the users of this site.coming soon: Users will be able to customize the look of the site with color changes (dark text on light backgrounds). Also, Scott plans to provide a dynamic RSS feed.
Celebrity Goo Game
The flagship game on the site returns with a new look and a new scoring system!The game is now scored with 'towers' instead of points. Every time a player guesses a goo, he or she specifies which tower (of three) to build. A correct guess raises the tower one level, while an incorrect guess topples the tower. The first player to complete three towers of five goos each will win. This scoring system contains no random elements, leaving victory entirely up to players. For the first time, there's strategic value in not guessing at all, since skipping a week has no effect on the towers.Each goo now has an official Primary Category, making it easier to identify celebrities that work in different fields.When players guess, they can answer a poll as to what kind of goo (what primary category) they would like to see the following week. The most popular choice will be used.There are ten new categories: Animals, Comedy, Cuisine, Diseases & Health, Education, Internet, Scandal, Sexuality, and Video Games. All former categories return, except that Medicine & Science is now just Science.The new 'Certificate of Participation' award recognizes those who played a perfect round but did not become winner or runner-up. (Remember when grade schools gave these out to every kid who didn't earn a special distinction?) The award has been retroactively given to Aaron, Andy, Dave, Denise, Jeff, Kelly, Kelly, Lori, Matt, and Mike, who earned it in previous rounds.New goos now appear on Fridays instead of Mondays. This breaks with a long tradition, but players should become just as accustomed to ending their week with a new goo as they were starting their week.Each non-current goo now has a link to recent news articles about the celebrity. (This replaces Goos in the News.)Rule change: If the goo is a fictional character, a guess for the actor portraying the character will no longer be valid! If you're in doubt, check to see whether the goo is listed in the 'Fictional' category.The 'Basic' email option has been eliminated. Each player now receives the full email every Friday, or none at all.
Tragic Comedy
The community bulletin board is now open to every registered user.'Topics' are now called Discussions, with each item within the discussion called a Comment.'Categories' have been replaced by Subjects, a dynamic list. When an author begins a new discussion and it doesn't fit into an existing subject, the author can create a new subject right then.The 'Start a Discussion' page (formerly 'Create a New Topic') has been integrated into the site instead of hidden in the control panels, encouraging more discussions.All former discussions from the two former versions of the site have been brought forward to the new version, and are now open for new comments once again. (Due to technical problems, Scott was unable to retrieve the discussions from the brief XMBForums version.)
Web Page Survivor
An old favorite returns! Based on the CBS game show, this game was once popular, but hasn't been played since late 2001.Gameplay will now take place live every Monday night at 8pm est, in a chat room on the site. This chat room is open to any registered user who wants to observe the action, but only active WPS players can participate. The live dynamic keeps the game exciting, and also makes each week's ejection much more abrupt and surprising. It also allows for wholly different kinds of immunity challenges, though a few former favorites may return.Players must now contribute $20 to the prize pool in order to play. The primary function of this is to boost the prize amounts (the grand prize is now $150!), but another reason is to encourage player participation. In previous editions, with nothing on the line, players found it easy to abandon the game. This time they'd be walking away from money already invested.Speaking of deadbeat players, the live nature of the game is now even more dependent on player participation. Each player is granted one week off at any time, but a second absence will result in that player's ejection from the game and forfeiture of any prize money.The retrospectives of the three previous editions of the game have been permanently added to the site, so that new players can study the strategies used by former players.A permanent waiting list records the names of all players who ask to join. At this time, that is the official sign-up list, but it will remain even after the game begins, so that future players can sign up for the next edition.
The Weekly Curiosity
Scott's tabloid RPG gets a facelift as the plot delves into deeper waters in its second year!The new feature here is 'Today's Profile,' which gives an introduction of the character on behalf of visitors, but also reveals secret trivia that cannot be found anywhere else. A different character is featured every day, so the only way to learn about them all is to read this section daily.While the information on the web site has been made more compact, the printable versions of character sheets have been lengthened, to give players more data at their fingertips during game sessions. Each player will now have a personalized binder with their character sheets, full descriptions of their attributes and defects, notes from old adventures, and more.coming soon: The rest of the attributes and defects will be added to the database over the next month, so that the site is finally complete. When this is finished, players will be required to edit their characters on the site instead of at game sessions, to save time. Additionally, Scott will finish all remaining characters in the database, who have languished in 'hidden' mode due to the incomplete lists of attributes and defects.
Fin du Siècle
A new RPG set in 1899 Earth will challenge a league of ordinary gentlemen (and ladies) to find relics of supernatural power! This game is entirely new to the site, and will begin for the first time whenever six players are found. The main character, played by Brannan Conrad, will be an antiques merchant who specializes in items of paranormal nature. The plot will follow him and his staff around the world as they search for more relics to sell. The game will be entirely text-based, with very few numbers and almost no random outcomes. Its structure (Scott writes a new installment of the story every Sunday, and players have seven days to reply with what their characters will do next) makes this game the direct successor to The World Game. While it probably won't be as complex or as long-lasting (or as popular) as that old RPG, Scott still hopes to deliver something fun and exciting every Sunday. The game will be open to any registered user, with a permanent waiting list like Web Page Survivor.
Thorough Movie Reviews
Scott continues offering concise insights into as many films as he can see.Reviews are now exactly 100 words in length, forcing Scott to get his message across concisely. (Old reviews, to be phased out by next spring, do not adhere to this length requirement.)Registered users can now leave Talkback for each film, a forum for comments. Whether the author agrees or disagrees with Scott, or ignores Scott completely to discuss some other element of the film, the Talkback is wide open for users to say whatever they like about each film.As a means of defining his ratings system, and to spread the word about what he thinks are exceptional films, Scott has now created a page listing his own favorite films, with an explanation of each.All former editions of the 'Best Films of Last Year' have returned to the site, as well as the final scores for all years of the 'Predict the Oscars' contest. Both will be integrated into the new format when their next installments appear in January 2004.All movies listed on the site, everywhere from the new releases down to Scott's favorite films, are linked to their listings on Netflix, the online DVD-rental service.