You Don't Know Jack FAQ Version 1.0
Basic Gameplay and Hints and Tips
12-28-99
written by Brian L. (brian09@aol.com)
FAQ Updates
Version 1.0 - First edition. Just the bare bones for now.
Table Of Contents
I. What is You Don't Know Jack?
II. How do I play?
III. Are there any cheats?
IV. Who are the voice actors?
V. Thanks
I. WHAT IS YOU DON'T KNOW JACK?
You Don't Know Jack (called YDKJ from here on in) is a trivia game
created by Berkeley Systems and Jellyvision. It is set up to look like
a game show, and there actually will be a game show version of it on TV
soon. Although it contains standard trivia fare, its attitude is what
has made it popular. If you get a question wrong, the host will not be
afraid to insult you. The host also makes little quips after every
question. If you've never played it, go out and get it now.
II. HOW DO I PLAY?
When you start it up, you will hear a bunch of people preparing for the
show. Cookie, the stage manager, will ask you a series of questions.
The first of these is how many people will be playing. You press 1, 2,
or 3 based on how many people want to play. (3 person games are the
most fun, but YDKJ is fun now matter how many people you have.
Next, you type in your name. If you're not quick enough though, a name
will be given to you. Some of these names are Expired Mayo, Arm Pit,
The Loser, Bunny Fart, and many more. Sometimes it's worth not typing
in your name just to see what name you'll get. Then, you decide whether
or not you want a 7 question game or a 21 question game. 21 question
games are much better if you have the time, but 7 question games are
okay too.
After this, Cookie will go into the instructions. You can skip the rest
of this and start playing at any time by pressing the space bar. First,
he'll tell you the keyboard keys you use as buzzers during the game.
They are:
1-PLAYER GAME
Player 1: B
2-PLAYER GAME
Player 1: Q
Player 2: P
3-PLAYER GAME
Player 1: Q
Player 2: B
Player 3: P
Cookie will then tell you about how to answer questions. (These
instructions are in my own words later in the FAQ.) After this, the
show will start, and you'll meet the host, Nate. He welcomes you to the
show, and then hands out screws. (Information on screws are in the same
area as the instructions for multiple choice questions.)
Okay, now on to the actual game. The first thing you will see is a list
of 3 questions and one of the player's names. This player gets to pick
the category for the next question. To pick a question, press 1, 2, or
3, depending on which one you want. After you pick it, the question
will be introduced by the YDKJ singers, and Nate will tell you the
category and the value of the question. In the first round, the
questions are worth either $1,000, $2,000, or $3,000. In the second
round, the questions are worth $2,000, $4,000, or $6,000.
Basically, if you think you know the answer to a regular multiple choice
question, buzz in, press the number of the answer you think is right,
and if you're correct, you get the cash. Unfortunately, if you're
incorrect, you lose that much cash. Sorry. So, don't guess unless
you're pretty sure, and you'll be fine.
There are a few exceptions to these rules that Cookie doesn't mention in
the beginning. One of them are the screws. If you use your screw on
another player, then they have to answer the question. If they get it
wrong, then you were successful, and you can still answer the question.
If they get it right though, they get the cash value of the question,
and you lose that much. Also, if no one buzzes in on a question, and
one player is very far ahead, then Nate will comment on how far ahead
that player is. Then, the audience will yell "Don't Be A Wimp!" and
that player will have to answer the question. If they get it right,
they get the money, and you go the next question. If they get it wrong,
they lose that much money, and everyone else can guess again.
The Instruction Manual's Example of a Standard Multiple Choice Question:
Poor Sybil. She has multiple personalities and must complete a tax
form. Given that she has 17 personalities, how many exemptions is she
entitled to on a W-4?
1. three (correct answer)
2. two
3. four
4. nineteen
Another Example From The Game:
Which of the following 1970's crime dramas featured the hard-hitting,
action-packed, down-and-dirty life of a detective who solves crimes to
collect insurance claims?
Correct Answer: Banacek
The exception to this is the Gibberish Question.
When you pick a category that is a Gibberish Question, the singers will
tell you that, "It's time for... a Flickerpiss Nosescum" or something
else like that. Nate will then tell you the category, and the starting
value of the question. In Round 1, the starting value is $5,000, and in
Round 2, it's $10,000. The object of this question is to figure out
what saying, song, cliche, or whatever the nonsense on the screen rhymes
with. If you think you know it, you buzz in and type your answer.
Unfortunately, as time passes, the dollar amount decreases, and you get
hints as to what the answer is. This probably sounds confusing, so
here's the example from the instruction manual.
Gibberish: Hey! Lenny Craved His Ma Debby Burned.
Correct Answer: A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned.
Another Example From The Game:
Category: Clever Insults & Drinking During Surgery
Gibberish: Shake the prong, Doc, quaff the port, dear!
Correct Answer: Take a long walk off a short pier!
The last type of question is the Jack Attack. This appears only once in
every game, and that's as the closing question. In the Jack Attack,
you're supposed to match words together. Sounds easy, huh? The way it
works is that one word is in the middle of the screen. As the word
moves toward the screen, other words fly by. If the word that flys by
matches the clue, you buzz in, and get $2000. If it doesn't, you lose
$2000 every time you're wrong. There are 7 total clues.
Example:
If "1 dollar bill" is on the screen, then "George Washington" would be a
correct answer. "Not enough money" would not be the correct answer,
because it doesn't fit.
Nate will then make some sort of comment on who did great or who did
terrible in the Jack Attack, and then show the final scores. They will
appear in the order of best to worst. Nate will then say how much one
player kicked butt, or how close it was that the person pulled off the
victory. After making his quips, he will let you know that..
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK.
Example of Closing Sequence:
Player 1: 45,750
Player 2: -3,000
Player 3: -3,000
Nate: Huge score, Player 1! You put the other players to shame. And I
think it's totally within your right to rub it in their faces. But
before you do, let me rub this in your face. YOU DON'T KNOW JACK.
That's the end of the game. If you want to play again with different
people, press the N key. If you want to play with the same people,
press the S key. If you want to quit, press Q. At the credits screen,
if you listen to the background, you can hear some commercial parodies,
which are always worth listening too.
III. ARE THERE ANY CHEATS?
There are no cheats that I know about, but there are a few things that
you can do to help give you a better score.
- Use your screws wisely. If you screw on a $1,000 question, then
you'll probably end up losing money, just because those questions are so
simple. If you screw on a $6,000 question, it's much more likely that
things will be better for you.
- Make the best out of being screwed. If you have no clue on a question
when you've been screwed, at least make a guess. You've got a 25%
chance of getting it right. If you are right, remember that the other
person loses that much money.
- Wait for other players to guess on the tougher questions. On a $3,000
or $6,000 question, the more choices that are gone, the more likely you
are to get the question right.
And here are a few things that can make the game more fun.
- Find as many people as you can to play. You wouldn't believe how much
more fun things are with 3 people then playing by yourself.
- On Gibberish Questions, try typing in f*** you (without the asteriks).
The first time it happens, the player will lose $50,000 and have their
name changed. Once, when Nate took away the money, he then said he
didn't feel better yet, and took away $100,000 more from my total. The
second time someone does this, nothing happens to their score, because
"it isn't original anymore." The third time, Nate first says that he
has total control over your computer, then he shuts down the game. It's
quite funny.
IV. WHO ARE THE VOICE ACTORS?
Note: I don't know who some of these characters are that are mentioned
in the back of the book, so don't e-mail me asking me who Dayve is.
Nate the Host: Nate Shapiro
Cookie: Tom Gottlieb
Helen: Michelle Gorchow
Les: Andy Poland
Allie: Ali Davis
Clark: David Nathanielsz
Dayve: David Houghtaling
YDKJ Singers: Perry Jordan, Pamela Rose Nemeth, Becca Kaufman, Phoebe
Fuller-Spichiger, Larry King
V. THANKS
I'd like to thank Jellyvision for creating such a great and hilarious
game, and I'd like to thank Berkeley Systems for publishing it.
I'd also like to thank anyone in advance for any e-mails I may receive
about this FAQ giving suggestins or maybe some more information.
This FAQ is the unpublished work of Brian Lipinski. (brian09@aol.com)
