Wow, no MA review thread yet??

[mhrc4]

Well let me begin by saying this is my first post on this board and MA was my first interaction with the MousePlanet crew and I hope this post isnt out of line....

Everyone in general was really nice, friendly and helpful, and I heard many stories of the events of days past, from Minnies moonlight madness to previous Mouse Adventures.

And much to my chagrin, i have to say that I was really disappointed with the event on Sunday. I have heard stories where MA and MMM were just nothing but fun, and everyone had a memorable time, but in talking with many teams after the events of Sunday, many were contemplating if they would ever do it again.

It seems to me(and others I spoke with) that the magic and fun was taken out of this event in order to make the event a bit harder and have a clear cut winner.

Of the 3 different ticket books that we completed (or semi-completed) 2 of the 3 were almost beyond completable and the 3rd was hard, but we were able to finish it. I personally dont feel that having 2 ex-cast members of over 3 years each and 2 APs for over 5 and 10 years respectively should have had this much difficulty with some of these.

My suggestion, and perhaps a way to show concern for those who were disappointed in yesterdays events, would be to do one of two things.

1. Make the time frame longer, maybe from 11-4, or 12-5, i mean if the park is open til 10, what is the problem? If the MA staff plans on keeping the difficulty level this high, then this would be the option i would reccomend.

otherwise

2. Soften up the questions. Make them easier for everyone involved. Not all of us eat/sleep/breathe the mouse. Take that into consideration. What is the problem if everyone finishes the event like in years past? I can guarantee alot of people would be happier just completing the whole range of competitions and puzzles than not completing them so we can have 1 winner. I know my team would have.


I hope this post doesnt come off as me being b*tchy, i just wanted to express some feelings I had after being really excited to do such an event, I felt really let down during and afterwards and I hope that perhaps some suggestions or options could be suggested that would help the future events that Mouse Planet holds.

Thanks again for everyone being really friendly and nice and I really *hope* to do something like this in the future.

- Justin aka MHRC4

[RStar]

I know just how you feel. My first one was the MadScramble at DCA, and I thought I would not do them again. But I decided to give the classic one a try. I found it to be much more fun!

This MA had a couple of things that gave you the impression it did. The first and fore most change was that Kevin Yee was not involved. He was a main player. The second was in the way the MP staff needed to collaberate to get it done. This ended up causing tougher quests as a whole than any of the staff realized.

Also being your first one can be a bit of a shock. They get more fun with each one you do (and getting to know people). People that have done them in the past have complained that they were too easy!

I heard Alex say that next time would be easier. I hope you will consider trying it again.

And it always takes a few days to get the information together and posted. We can all comment on what we liked/dissliked here on the pad in the mean time. Everything gets taken into consideration.

[Ponine]

You know this was my second MA, and I have to say it kicked my tushie. I had expected originally to have my team of four, but two dropped out to go on the Dinsey cruise... (we hate them) ... but man..... it really really kicked my tush.
But I had fun.... now, I may never ever sign up for trivia again, it was hard! But then again, isnt that the point?
We only suceeded to get to two of the packets, I woudl have love to have seen at leats one of the others.... but that's okay. But you know, I admire Kevin and Alex and crew for their abiltiy to stump us cast members, ex cast members, and disney know it alls... they can still stump us!
(keep in mind, my co-workers think I'm a know-it-all, but I don't even hold a candle to some of my fellow mp'rs.)
But though it was hard, I enjoyed it. Thank you for keeping us guessing.
~Ponine

[Ghoulish Delight]

It's a tough balance. For the beginners, they have to keep it toned down so that you can have fun, even if you know you're not necessarily competing to win. For those who have done it beofore, it's not so much that they need a clear winner, it's that what we find fun IS the challenge. What fun is a scavenger hunt/triva game where you don't even have to work for the answers?

That being said, I think everyone agreed that this was the toughest yet, and they may have overdone it. Like RStar said, this was the first time they had put it together without master puzzle craftsman Kevin Yee. I don't know if they felt an extra need to live up to Kevin's depth of evil ;), or if they just didn't have the experience to realize just how difficult they made it, but it definitely seems as if there's a learning curve.

Give it another shot. Now that you have some experience under your belt, you'll be better prepared.

[adriennek]

Disclaimer: I didn't even read the quest packets. I didn't grade them and I didn't do QA for them this round. I heard the other staff members discussing them and I did hear back from the teams at the check-in table.

First of all, yes, this event seems to have been the hardest one yet and we'll be adjusting it next time. It wasn't anything we did on purpose. We were not out to have one clear-cut winner. (Actually, we try to *not* have a clear-cut winner. We did have two teams that I know have placed well in the past, but I think that the other 4 teams who placed have not placed before?)

One thing I've noticed over several years of MouseAdventures (I've been participating in these for over 4 years now,) is that the games evolve and the event evolves. (In the early days, quests weren't limited to one area of the park, for example, so we would run ALL over the park for one quest, go to turn it in, get another quest, and have to go back again some areas where we'd already been.) Sitting on the staff side of the table, there are definitely things about yesterday's event that I think went a lot better than previous events and will allow us to improve the games next time now that we know they were successful.

Also, to clarify, we have never had an event where "everyone finishes" the quests. Ever. In fact, since the earliest days, when it was Kevin Yee's ADD-Quest and other names, the event has been designed so that it can't always be finished. That's been part of the strategy of selecting which quests you wanted to select in the beginning.

We listen to your feedback. You will be getting a survey, be sure to fill it out! I also still heard a lot of people saying that they had a fun time. I'm not the official spokesperson or manager for MA, so this is my own interpretations and opinions.

Adrienne K

[mhrc4]

Thanks for the replies, Adrienne, I did meet you there, though i doubt you remember me...

Yes it was daunting to a first timer and I can understand the position of the coordinators trying to make it difficult and challenging, but in a sense, even with the 2 on our team that had done a MA before, this one was a bit too hard, I felt.

There were 5 ticket books,the tricia, the scavenger hunt and the pictures, it seemed as if, if you werent a diehard, 24/7 disney geek (used in all respect ;) ) you didnt get half of the trivia, more than half of the pictures and shouldnt have even attempted some of the ticket books...

I will probably try it again, more than likely a MMM if you ever do that again, because as I have heard, it was alot more enjoyable than the MA, primarily because it wasnt too difficult, just added a few twists... like being roped together.

anyways, I hope that you all dont think I am whining, just expressing some concerns from a first timer. :D

[Niwel]

Good morrow fair Mouse Padders

It was great seeing everyone yesterday and meeting thouse who I hadb't met before.

First, congrats to those who won who haven't won before :)
Second, thanks to the staff for putting this together sans Kevin.
Third, even though our team (one first time MA who had done Mad Scramble and two third-time MAs) didn't win, we DID have a great time ...
I agree with everyone that Fantasyland -- by far -- was darn-near impossible -- EXCALIBUR -- we didn't ever come close!

That being said, I thing the biggest obstacle for teams yesterday can be blamed on the square dancers. Usually, when we are in the Plaza gardens, there is more room to think and the area itself if more centrally located making all of the lands easily accessible. Fantasia Gardens just was not meant to hold that many people (although as a last-minute substitution it was OK).

Hard puzzles are good --- when mixed-in with easier or medium ones. Can I suggest one more hour (or even an additional half-hour)? And please oh please oh please less math :)

See you at the next Mouse Adventure!!!

[adriennek]

Originally posted by mhrc4
Thanks for the replies, Adrienne, I did meet you there, though i doubt you remember me...

Actually, I remember just about everyone I talked to-- names are another matter...

When I see the team pictures, I'll know exactly who I talked to. I'm the kind of person who remembers details-- where were we standing, what were you wearing. I spoke to a few teams with ex-cast members on them- and I did find out since my post that 3 Teams that won had placed before. But I still think we had 3 teams place that hadn't placed before.

Adrienne K

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally posted by Niwel
Hard puzzles are good --- when mixed-in with easier or medium ones. Can I suggest one more hour (or even an additional half-hour)? And please oh please oh please less math :)

See you at the next Mouse Adventure!!! Yeah, we didn't ONCE have to re-invent the alphabet! What's with that? I guess that's what happens when Kevin "I want the alphabet to be in THIS order" Yee leaves :D. I'd like to vote for NOT changing the time frame. One more choice to make, speed vs. accuracy. I know for certain that there were a certain number of puzzles we blew simply because we were rushing. BUT, because we were rushing, we did get our hands on all 5 packets (one of few, aparantly), and had time to at least attempt all of them.

Oh, and mhrc4, be happy. They actually cut a couple elements out this year. Add to your list of items: more eyespy pictures, a "keyword exchange" where each team has a keyword and you get 5 points for every word you write down from the other teams, and a letter exchange where you write down other teams' letters (5points each) and then try to make the longest word you can out of the letters you get (5 points for each letter used) :eek:

[Bill Catherall]

My opinion on it is that, although it was extremely difficult, that was part of the fun. If they don't tone it down for next time and make it just as hard as this time I'll be looking forward to it even more. My team loves a challenge, and if it's not challenging then what's the point?

The time limit was frustrating, the quests were mind boggling, the trivia really had us stumped...I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. :D

You see, the thing is, all the other teams are in the same situation too. If it's hard for you, then it's probably equally hard for all (or most) of the others. It pushes your limits and tests your abilities. Where's the fun in making it easy?

Thanks to all the MousePlanet staff!!!! You guys did a great job!! :cool:

[innerSpaceman]

Yes, it was indeed the most "challenging" Mouse Adventure yet! In other words, yikes! - - too difficult!

Firstly, I do want to say that it was a really well run event. Everything ran smooth as silk, and they seem to have the workings of M.A. down to a science. The switch from the Carnation area to the Fantasia Gardens zone didn't seem to phase the well-oiled machinery. The change to a single answer sheet was a marvelous innovation that I'm sure helped in the grading process. As usual, the M.A. staff and officials were helpful, cheerful and thoroughly professional.

I must say, however, that too many of the quests in this season's M.A. were way too hard. I think Kevin Yee's absence was overcompensated for! Seriously, though, I understand that the lands were divided among the staff which looks to have led to an overabundance of really hard tasks. I'm sure they will try to tweak the balance in the future, and I hope they keep in mind that a sense of accomplishment really helps the players enjoy the game. It doesn't have to be a calkwalk, but a good portion of the game should be "doable" to the majority of participants so that people have FUN. I must say that we were so bamboozled that, for the first time, we are not quite sure if we had fun playing. Our encounters with other teams along the way led us to believe that we were not the only ones feeling this way.

If indeed the difficulty level was racheted up in order to make it harder for (ahem) certain teams to keep winning time and again, it didn't work. :) So I hope they go back to a more majority-pleasing level of play.

My teammates and I were shocked, SHOCKED, to have come in first place. We truly felt that we had done terribly, and that - what with all the incomplete quests on our part - we did not stand a chance. Even now, I'm sure our win was due in large part to some very fortunate guesswork. I really, really hope they post the answers so that we, and everybody else, can find out what they got right, where they went wrong, and when desperate guesses paid off or did not. To me, and I'm sure to others, the game is not complete until we know the answers we were struggling for so frantically.

For those of you who were discouraged by this season's M.A., please give it another shot. I'm sure the kinks will be worked out and that this less-than-fun-for-some anomaly will be followed by a return to the sheer-pleasure-for-all that Mouse Adventure has traditionally been.

I'm almost embarassed to be whining like this when my team came in first, but - as I've always said - it's not about the winning, it's certainly not about the prizes; it's about the fun of the game. Not just for us, but for everyone. Mouse Adventure is about a really, really good time. That doesn't mean the game should be simple and unchallenging. I trust that the right balance can be restored.

On the players' side, there were some great costumes and amazing T-shirts out there this time! Keep up the good work everybody. And one last word to those crab people and the pirate crew (the salty seamen, was it?), I think you guys were sort of disqualified for the spirit award because the officials already knew you guys were winners in the competition and wanted, perhaps, to bestow the spirit prize on a team who otherwise would not be in the winners' circle. But make no mistake about it, you guys were the essence of SPIRIT and your efforts to liven things up were truly appreciated. (No offense meant at all to the team who won the Spirit award - in fact, speak up you guys! We want to know who you are! I'm sure your team was exceptional -the award is not given lightly- but we missed you at the awards ceremony)

Despite my minor complaints, I do sincerely offer thanks and kudos to the M.A. folks for a really well done event. And my best regards to everyone who played - hope to see you all next time!

- your humble and unstoppable

InnerSpaceman Steve

[Laffite]

Hi Guys.

Wow. I feel like I got slapped in the face with all those questions :eek: Our team found all the pieces, but putting them together....ummm :confused: Anyway, we still enjoy the challenge, because that's what makes the game fun (it just feels GREAT when you found the answers :D)

Now...the trivia is another story. It was like Disney's SAT or something. We were the youngest team there (19) and we don't know history THAT well :(

Well, We got ABC ticket books "done". My team mate love the B packet, and I found all the pieces on C packet in 15 minutes, but couldn't put anything together. We did not get any of the EyeSpy done (rush), and guessed at lot on the trivia, with half of it blank. So, we got ourselves a score of 271 :eek: which I tried to think that it's an okay score for newbies.

(I was also the youngest captain (19), what was that all about. Guess there aren't that many kids that have $200 for an AP and weekends to waste at a park)

Anyway, I was hoping to meet all of you on the board but that was impossible because there were so many people! Maybe I'll drop by for the Sunday's meet and meet all of you properly without the pressure of time.

Meanwhile, we see no need to stop coming. It was educational as well (we would never know that the Golden Horse Shoe was est. in 1871!) We thought it was hard, but it was fun.

--Laffite, Preston, guy with Hawaiian shirt, team capt #44.

[adriennek]

Originally posted by innerSpaceman

My teammates and I were shocked, SHOCKED, to have come in first place. We truly felt that we had done terribly, and that - what with all the incomplete quests on our part - we did not stand a chance.

Here's a strategy tip that I thought of because iS participated in the combined category with Trivia:

I corrected the trivia this year. I cannot tell you how many people left blank squares on that form. Don't leave blank spaces on a Multiple Choice form. One team, I noticed, in the end, just put "C's" in all the blank squares. (When someone puts "C" for every answer 15 boxes in a row, it's a clue.) That team got about 15 points (each ? was worth 5 points) that they would not have gotten if they left the boxes blank...

Also, iS, your team does very well on the trivia. I don't think that's a secret because trivia scores were on the scoresheets we gave back to you so you could all compare them yourselves.

What did you think of the Mixer quests this time? Those seemed harder than usual (not to fuel the fire,) but I'm going to tell you why I LIKED them: With the movie quest, there was a lot of room for strategy. People didn't know who was in some of the movies, but they did know that certain actors were in a lot of 60s and 70s Disney live actions. If you put "Kurt Russell" and "Dean Jones" in enough lines, you would've gotten a few points right away. ;)

Can you tell that I'm all about strategy when it comes to MA?

Adrienne K

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally posted by Bill Catherall
My team loves a challenge, and if it's not challenging then what's the point? Agreed, to a point, BC. I definitely want it to be challenging, I hope we never see a perfect score (or anything really close to it). BUT, from the people I talked to, almost nobody even made it through more than 3 packets (most seemed to finish two, and run out time or give up on a third, no matter the order they did them in). Part of the fun is simply getting a crack at all of the challenges, seeing the enitre park in a new light. My ideal for the next one...tone down the hardest packet just slightly, tone down the easiest packets just, keep the ones in the middle about the same. I think that would keep a good enough level of challenge while allowing the more "casual" participant a chance to have some fun and receive that sense of accomplishment. When first place in combined has only about a 57% of the total possible points, things are a smidge out of whack.

[mhrc4]

Originally posted by adriennek
Here's a strategy tip that I thought of because iS participated in the combined category with Trivia:

I corrected the trivia this year. I cannot tell you how many people left blank squares on that form. Don't leave blank spaces on a Multiple Choice form. One team, I noticed, in the end, just put "C's" in all the blank squares. (When someone puts "C" for every answer 15 boxes in a row, it's a clue.) That team got about 15 points (each ? was worth 5 points) that they would not have gotten if they left the boxes blank...

Also, iS, your team does very well on the trivia. I don't think that's a secret because trivia scores were on the scoresheets we gave back to you so you could all compare them yourselves.

What did you think of the Mixer quests this time? Those seemed harder than usual (not to fuel the fire,) but I'm going to tell you why I LIKED them: With the movie quest, there was a lot of room for strategy. People didn't know who was in some of the movies, but they did know that certain actors were in a lot of 60s and 70s Disney live actions. If you put "Kurt Russell" and "Dean Jones" in enough lines, you would've gotten a few points right away. ;)

Can you tell that I'm all about strategy when it comes to MA?

Adrienne K

my only problem with that was, for 2 of us on the team, all but 3 of those movies were made before we were even born, and for the other 2 on the team, they were just kids when most of them were made...kinda a harsh way to start off, i dont even know who dean jones is!

[Bill Catherall]

Originally posted by innerSpaceman
(No offense meant at all to the team who won the Spirit award - in fact, speak up you guys! We want to know who you are! I'm sure your team was exceptional -the award is not given lightly- but we missed you at the awards ceremony)
I don't think they read the boards (they are my nieces). And in all fairness, they were stuck on Haunted Mansion. After MA was over they went and got in line (standby) and were waiting for more than 90 minutes. The got there as soon as they could, so they did pick up their prizes and get their picture taken. (Team name was The Gurgle Smooshes by the way.)

And Laffite...their team captain was 16 years old. ;)

[Ponine]

OKay, so since we're all asking questions, I'm curious. SInce I missed the awards ceremony... did everyone get the tabasco sauce? I thought that was a stroke of brilliance.
and plase, dont feel that I am critisizing that the quests were too hard. I like to be stumped, and yes, though I was intimidated, that wouldnt stop me from coming back. Its nice to be reminded that I have more to learn about my favorite obsession.
Finding this site in the just under two years ago, has given me immense joy, and a new light to my hobby. My family and co-workers think I'm insane, but who cares.
I loved working at the park, and was crushed when I left to move out of state, MP has refueled my interest and fun!
Thank you everyone, I aprreciate the work you put into the event...
But I still wanna know about the tabasco sauce.
And darn it.... I wanted to see the Fantasy Land packet!

~Ponine

[innerSpaceman]

Originally posted by adriennek
Can you tell that I'm all about strategy when it comes to MA?
Adrienne K
Without giving away any of our team's patented strategic moves, let me just say that it is indeed ALL about strategy. And yes, randomly inserting Dean Jones, Kurt Russell and the ever-present Joe Flynn did not hurt us in the harder-than-usual team mixer.

I really shouldn't be posting this, but our often-winning strategy is - if you don't know, GUESS. It certainly worked this time!

[Laffite]

We would have guessed on the trivia and other stuff, but there were too many things to deal with, with the quests to figure out, things to collect, and trivia to answer. We'll have more team members in the future for sure, so the tasks (of guessiong :D) will be more distributed.


Originally posted by Bill Catherall
(Team name was The Gurgle Smooshes by the way.)

And Laffite...their team captain was 16 years old. ;)

See? I didn't even get to meet everyone! There was too many people so I didn't know who was who. I'm planning to drop by for Sunday's breakfast and meet all of you (that's going to be there) properly. The game will be a bit more fun if I know people so I can share my frustrations. :D

[Ghoulish Delight]

I am the WRONG person to ask about the captain's mixer and team challenge games. They seem to always be about movies, and I'm about the WORST person to ask those quesitons to. I'm the guy that constantly says Matthew Broderick when I mean John Cusack...or is it the other way around :rolleyes: PLUS, most of those movies were "before my time." Fortunately, Cadaverous Pallor is much better at such things than I, AND she grew up in a house where they constantly watched Herbie movies and many other older movies, so we did rather respectfully there.

We got the Tabasco. It was actually pretty easy, because the first time we even looked at the scavanger hunt item list, we happened to be standing in New Orleans square. Hrmmm, New Orleans + hot sauce. Not the biggest leap of logic. A quick stop at the French Market condiment cart, and voila, Tobasco. I think Jennifer (that would be the MA staff Jennifer, Andrew's wife, the red head) appreciated us turning that in early as I hear she needed it for her lunch ;)

[Doodle Duck]

Mhrc4 says...

"my only problem with that was, for 2 of us on the team, all but 3 of those movies were made before we were even born, and for the other 2 on the team, they were just kids when most of them were made...kinda a harsh way to start off, i dont even know who dean jones is!"

Just a tip...
No one I know was born around the time Charlie Chaplan was making his silent comedies...but I know alot about him and his films...being a movie fan or history buff usually means a curiosity for info on not only what IS but what/who came before...
I worked at a company recently and NOT A SINGLE person under 30 knew who Steve McQueen was!!

I'll bet now you will find out who Dean Jones is and that's the good thing about these kind of events.

Niether you nor I have ever been to the Moon...but I'll bet we can talk alot about it.

Now with such a great heads up on what to do next year and what to read up on, just think...when I compete for the 1st time next year you'll kick my butt for sure!

By the way, your initial post was a good one! Thanks for the intiative.

Doug (who couldn't make the show...darn.)

[adriennek]

Originally posted by mhrc4
my only problem with that was, for 2 of us on the team, all but 3 of those movies were made before we were even born, and for the other 2 on the team, they were just kids when most of them were made...kinda a harsh way to start off, i dont even know who dean jones is!

Ok, this is really gonna sound harsh, I know it, but, all of these movies were made when I was a kid or before I was born. I'm NOT a Disney encyclopedia, my husband is, I'm not. I've often said that my teams did well at MouseAdventure not because I knew the answers but because I picked team mates who knew the answers ;)

These are all movies that were on TV a lot when I was growing up, before I met my husband and before my Disney obsession began.

We do try to limit the trivia in the general portion of the event because we know that not everyone knows the trivia. Early MouseAdventures were what built my knowledge of Disney trivia, so I'm a little less sympathetic to it being "harsh." I think it's a great way to learn more about Disney which we all supposedly are interested in.

Now you have an excuse to go look-up Dean Jones (http://us.imdb.com/Name?Jones,+Dean+(I)) and few titles to rent next time you're looking for a movie to watch!

Adrienne K

[Laffite]

Heh heh, I turned in a handful of tobasco sauce packets because that's what I happened to grabbed out. :D

[mhrc4]

ya the scavenger hunt was easy, if you knew where to get the stuff...

ran out to toon town to get the reciept, we got the kids cup and tabasco at Rancho Del Zocolo when we were doing the Frontierland Packet, then the map was ripped up while in Fantasyland and the penny, everyone thought the machine was broken, there was 3 or 4 teams of us standing there lookin at it, dumfounded, thinking it was broken, until one of the teams tried ti and got it to work :)

[Bill Catherall]

*sigh* Had to go to a meeting (oh why do I have to be at work today!?) so I couldn't address some points...

Originally posted by adriennek
One team, I noticed, in the end, just put "C's" in all the blank squares. (When someone puts "C" for every answer 15 boxes in a row, it's a clue.) That team got about 15 points (each ? was worth 5 points) that they would not have gotten if they left the boxes blank...
Hahahaha! That was me. We ran out of time and while I was in line to turn in the packets I quickly filled in all the empty boxes with a C (because it's the fastest to write). ;) :D

Tabasco sauce: we got ours from River Belle Terrace. We were on our way to NOS to do Packet A and popped in their really quick and found it hiding behind a corner in a basket. :)

Child's Cup: From the sink at the French Market (and while we were there we found an Eye Spy).

Receipt: We bought a $0.54 sucker from the Gag Factory. (And while we were leaving we helped take a picture for somebody hoping they were "spies" giving extra points for being Good Samaritans. ;) Actually my brother just did it to be nice, but we laughed about that possibility afterwords.)

We got the penny and the map too, but those were easy. (We did have a hard time trying to find out where to put the quarters in the penny squishing machine though. :rolleyes: )

I agree that it would have kind of been fun to see the 2 packets (B & C) that we didn't pick up, but oh well. I did get to see some areas of the park that I otherwise would never have seen. I suppose there is some truth to having some sense of accomplishment. Whenever I pick up a Games magazine it's just too frustrating because it's way too challenging, so I just don't pick them up any more. I can see why some teams may feel the way they do.

Oh, and we looked at the sign for the Mint Julep Bar 3 times before we finally saw the fritters. We even asked a CM where we could buy them and she just gave us a smile and kept her mouth shut. :p