Slot designer

Hi all,

I am a slot designer in an online gaming company. I am currently developing an app on slot machine. Is there anyone would like to suggest any features in this app? In your opinion, what's the most important features of video slot ? What attracts you so much even if they you do not earn real money. Feel free to ask me question or answer my above question here.

Quote: keylzby

Hi all,

I am a slot designer in an online gaming company. I am currently developing an app on slot machine. Is there anyone would like to suggest any features in this app? In your opinion, what's the most important features of video slot ? What attracts you so much even if they you do not earn real money. Feel free to ask me question or answer my above question here.

"even if they you do not earn real money"

Is this the case? I believe I have a ton of really good Ideas and know what attracts people and keeps them interested. I can see many ways they could improve existing slots. But, i'm just not to interested in for fun only slots, unless it's something big like My Vegas. So I won't get into details.

Most definitely you should be focusing on Graphics, theme and Concept. including Bonus rounds but that's obvious. Make it fun and stand out from others with something different, but not to different that it seems unfamiliar and complicated.

I'll post examples of an obvious do, and one obvious don't.

Definitely D0: Under The Bed. I give it a 9.3. out of 10. https://www.google.com/search?q=under+the+bed+slot&num=100&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMIwcv-l6LBxwIVECyICh0krgDK&biw=1067&bih=527. A few criticisms I have of this, the background music needs to change up more often. They could've made the main bonus round an advancing (new screen)bonus round, if picked correctly. Sometimes the same reel symbols get boring after a while, especially when it's a bonus round heavy slot and you're blanking out and not triggering the bonuses.



DONT: http://www.kirchdorfer-burschen.de/test/wp-includes/vars.php?small_vi=/images/115-real-money-wolfn-slot-machines-for-mobile-phones-android.jpg

Hi AxelWolf,

Thanks for your opinions.
Yes, I am just talking about fun only slot. Bec slot playing with real money need to possess an according license in law.

But what we are doing is Vegas like apps. With real math model and any other feature the same as the real money gambling machine. What do you think about bonus game? Do you think too many bonus game break your rythme of playing? What do you think about free game? The more free game the better?

Should for fun slot give as many as prize possible to make user happy?

I will appreciate if you could share your opinion with us.
Thanks

I think that players enjoy bonus rounds and many players play just to get the bonuses. I think the sweet spot is about 1/70 to 1/80 games. The longer it takes to trigger, the better the bonus must be. For a social player, going beyond 1/80 might make the game too boring.

Free spins are boring unless there is something else that makes them better. For instance, locking wilds, extra wilds, easy to re-trigger, better reel strips to have a higher return. Just don't do Cleopatra style free games like 12 games at 3x. Check out NetEnt, they have some great ideas.

You should not give as many prizes as possible. Social players like volatility because they are often there to hit big or bust out.

Graphics must be great, sounds must be great. Players have a lot of choices.

One thing I hate about some social slots is that they celebrate too often. I played one game where it would say "Big Win" and shower coins over the screen and I only won 2x my bet. This breaks the rhythm of playing far more than bonus games.

Quote: keylzby

Hi all,

I am a slot designer in an online gaming company. I am currently developing an app on slot machine. Is there anyone would like to suggest any features in this app? In your opinion, what's the most important features of video slot ? What attracts you so much even if they you do not earn real money. Feel free to ask me question or answer my above question here.

MathExtremist might be a good resource as he has more experience (with success) in this area than anyone else on this forum from my view.

Why would you want to follow a "real money math model"? That sounds like a horrible idea to me for a free game. I would probably offer a math model close to 110%.

Quote: DRich

Why would you want to follow a "real money math model"? That sounds like a horrible idea to me for a free game. I would probably offer a math model close to 110%.

I think a lot of people think this way, but social game designers are also trying to monetize their game by getting players to purchase virtual credits. If you offer a 110% game, then players are unlikely to run out of credits, so they won't need to purchase any.

If I may be so bold, might I also suggest a minimum return on each individual set of Free Games? I think few things irritate a player more than hitting Bonus Games and winning absolutely nothing.

It's online for fun no regulations or anything.The possibilities are endless There's tons of competition. Why should someone play your slot over My Vegas or the many free online casino slots? What will make it unique?

Hi CrystalMath,

Thanks a lot. You gave us a lot of useful opinions. Some of them exactly match our user behavior research result such as pointing out players like volatility. And yes, lock wild and extend wild are good features in free game.

And what do you think of single user slot with IOS game center integrated? Anyone would still play it? I also hope to have a social version slot machine. But due to the limitation of tech and budget, social casino will be the next version of us. Could you also share your opinion? Thanks.

Hi Ahigh,

Thanks for your suggestion. May I ask who/where is MathExtremist? Could you introduce him to me or sth?

Hi AxelWolf,

That's what I am still looking for.

Quote: keylzby

Hi Ahigh,

Thanks for your suggestion. May I ask who/where is MathExtremist? Could you introduce him to me or sth?

I am, and I was the game designer for the largest social gaming acquisition in history. But that was 3.5 years ago. From what I've read in your questions, you're at the beginning of your path toward understanding slot game design. Given that and the maturity of the market, why are you investing in this project? Do you have access to cheaper or higher-paying users? I wouldn't be entering this space in mid 2015 unless I had both a lot of industry knowledge and a product design with a differentiable competitive advantage. What sets you apart?

Quote: keylzby

Hi AxelWolf,

That's what I am still looking for.

I gave you an example of a slot that had very good appeal, especially the graphics and theme concept(Under the bed).

I suggest you take a good look at Sphinx 3D, it has multiple bonus rounds. It's Another great game, unfortunately the reel play is kind of boring. But the 3D concept and Bonus rounds are excellent. Mix both together and you have a very good casino slot. Still not enough to stand out for online fun play IMO.

I believe there should be unlocking feature or leveling up(something new to see and to achieve). There should be a goals, something special at the end of each goal.

Are you trying to encourage people to buy chips or something? What exactly is the goal? Can people win prizes or anything for playing this? What kind of budget and time are we talking about? I have my thoughts, but I don't have any idea what limitations you have.

BTW. They they massacred The Jetsons slots. They had a really good opportunity to do something with the Jetsons theme. It was Very disappointing.

Check out the batman slot, its very good.

Nice to hear from you MathExtremist. To most of the parts, u are correct.
I am a math designer on video slot machine. I could create high/low volatility slot, lock wild, extend wild or any other relates features easily. But I could be called as a math designer rather than a real slot designer.
Hoping to be a game designer (product designer), I am looking for sth that can stands out beside maths and graphs and music.
In respect of why I am investing in this project. Also for the same reason. I hope to step further into the game designer. I need to know what users really like by publishing some products. Sometimes users arent exactly aware of what they want. But the real market wont lie, it could honestly tell you what matters.
I will appreciate if you could give me any suggestion or discussion about the market and users. PM me if you think not appropriate to post.

A deep dive into social gambling product strategy is beyond the scope of this post, but I will say this: if you don't already know your products, your market and your users, you should probably reevaluate your business. If this project is just a hobby/learning experience that's one thing, but that's very different than competing for a meaningful share of the market.

Every one could tell me the same thing: You have to know your products, your market and your users.

However isn't it the reason I start this thread? I create this thread is to know users more and know market more, right?
I read about research paper in slot psych, I post thread on forum, I launch user study, I observe stat from our existing products. I come up with some conclusion.
But I am still here to ask more and to verify my self-come-up conclusion.
I could say that some of the above advice suggested by other users are not correct. I need some more detailed discussion and observation about the market, not just saying "you need to know your users", which nearly equal to tell me nothing. No offense, just to tell what I want and what I think.

Quote: keylzby

Every one could tell me the same thing: You have to know your products, your market and your users.

However isn't it the reason I start this thread? I create this thread is to know users more and know market more, right?
I read about research paper in slot psych, I post thread on forum, I launch user study, I observe stat from our existing products. I come up with some conclusion.
But I am still here to ask more and to verify my self-come-up conclusion.
I could say that some of the above advice suggested by other users are not correct. I need some more detailed discussion and observation about the market, not just saying "you need to know your users", which nearly equal to tell me nothing. No offense, just to tell what I want and what I think.

keylzby,

Welcome to the forum. You will find that many of the people here are pragmatists, even pessimists, when it comes to new products. In many cases, this comes from long and frustrating experience. Others are optimistic when logical steps are followed for developing a useful, entertaining product. I appreciate you're trying to gather information and advice, but in the end it's up to you how far you take something like this, not to a bunch of folks on a forum.

The more specific you are about what type of questions you have, the more useful the advice will be that they offer. If you want to develop products based on a random general sampling of answers here, I wish you success, but don't have much to offer otherwise.

I play a lot of slots, but not all that often any more; I used to play them much more than now. Here is a list of what I do and do not like in my games. I hope you find it helpful.

What I want on my games:

Some kind of wilds.

A free spin feature with enhanced wilds, whether expanding, sticky, extra symbol wilds.

The opportunity to re-trigger the free spins during that portion of the game, either by adding them in small amounts, or occasionally getting the full trigger again while spinning.

A separate bonus game (second screen) that allows for a range of bonus wins.

A smaller bonus game, perhaps using a scatter symbol, perhaps a minigame, available or reached on the main screen.

What I don't want on my games:

Single-line games are boring. 5 line games are frustrating, because so many lines don't pay. I like a minimum of 9, prefer 15 or 20, and enjoy some of the 50-100 line games if well designed.

Blocking symbols that can't be matched or accumulated (have no function) during regular spins (example: More Chilli; the chili's only count during the bonus round, and they're not just individual, they're stacked)

On a 5 reel game, getting 5 of a kind should at least pay back your total bet.

4-8 different, equal-weight stacked (whole-reel) symbols on multi-line games- they're deceptive to me, and very difficult to get lined up on even a single line. Hi-5 Casino on Facebook has many of these if you don't know what I'm talking about. Even though they're usually the higher-paying symbols, they mostly block each other and very seldom line up.

On social gaming sites, they have progressively gotten worse with pop-ups. If you play a bonus round, you often have to wait for and kill 3-5 pop-up screens trying to get you to post to your page and friends, celebrations of a "big win" that can be as small as 2x your bet, other nonsense. They wouldn't be quite so annoying if they didn't often and repeatedly crash the game itself when they try to generate. It's been my experience that about 90% of crashes I experience are lock-ups of this type, and in some people's software, you lose the bonus during the reboot. (Most do have some sort of game retention feature built in, but not all.) Give me the option of turning off those notifications.

Games that give very infrequent pays; a lot of 3 reel games are like this, maybe a small win 1 in 15, moderate or better win 1 in 100 or worse. I want more frequent wins, even if they're smaller in value overall.

Hope you find this helpful.

Dear beachbumbabs,

Sorry to be a little aggressive in the previous post. I didn't mean to be offensive to anyone and I appreciate their advice.
It is my fault that didn't ask a specific question bec I want people tell me everything they think without any limitations. You answers are of great importance to us and very helpful.
For example your saying "big wins" pop up. We have also noticed this problem and so in our current version product, each spin is less than 3.5sec, we will calculate the frequency the user push the "spin (stop)" button to change the spin time. Meaning that if the user likes to play in a fast rhythm, we will reduce each spin time to around 1~2 sec and remove any "big win" animation help him step into the zone.
You seems to be a very very experienced slot user who think and conclude a lot. Really really appreciate your reply, it helps a lot. We will mark down what you said as our reference.

Of course, I am aware that game itself is important, marketing is even more.

Thanks again

On some games I've seen, the player can snap the big win animation so they don't have to sit through the whole thing. I think this is an acceptable solution. You may also want to modify the win threshold for the big win animations based on each game, so that they are not too frequent.

I think you'll have a tough time with any mobile slot, whether it is single user or social. Some of the most popular games seem to go against my beliefs, such as Pharaoh's Way. I've played that one and I even found it somewhat entertaining, although the graphics, sounds, and bonuses are nothing special. I think they did a good job getting in a mix of volatility so there are games that different players will gravitate toward.

The link below is a little video demo of my project, pls comment, thx

Quote: keylzby

The link below is a little video demo of my project, pls comment, thx

https://youtu.be/tcEcABuLIB4

So the ninja thing isn't to bad(it may not appeal to everyone). You'll probably hate me, but I'm sorry to say, from what i'm seeing this is mostly very boring graphics and its nothing special, it's all a very outdated old slot look. I would expect this 15 years ago from a middle school kid. If this came across my desk I would've rejected it immediately.

I wont go so far as I liked the wild, but I didn't mind the look of the wild ninja so much, it was more prominent and much better than other symbols. mabey a C-

The Boots were ok, but it had a bad background maybe C+.

Um what kind of sword is that? You should make it look more like a Ninjato and less like a medieval sword. That's an F for sure. The handle is usually very distinct when you think about a ninja sword. Same with the blade.

That's a terrible representation of ninja and moon depiction. It needs to be darker with trees in front of a white or red moon.

The bonus symbol is terrible, definitely an it looks more like Mr. Magoo with a goatee than a Sensei Ninja master or whatever your going for. It doesn't even fit with the rest of the artwork looks out of place.

All the rest of the symbols were very boring and not worth mentioning.

Coins are terrible, boring and flat. At least make them asian coins or something.

Everything had a terrible background F

To have any chance to compete, I think you'll have to do much better than this.
here is more of something along the lines of what you should be going for. http://1ga.me/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/n5.jpg

I also notice your following some of the major concepts (safe?) EGYPTIAN and CHINESE. Nothing new or interesting.

Hey AxelWolf,

Thanks for your notice.
Of course I don't hate you man. I have to thank you for giving me your specific feeling on it. but I do not agree your saying "I would expect this 15 years ago from a middle school kid", I do not believe a middle school kid, or even some experienced developer has enough ability and knowledge to develop such a game on limited resource by oneself.
I notice you mostly focus on the images. And yes I know from the video what you directly feel is just pictures. I admit that the images aren't very satisfying due to my very limited design skill. If you have recruited some designers you will definitely find how expensive they are. Anyway, you point out many details that we previously ignored.

If you like to share more, but what do you think of other features I said in the video.
Such as 12 real Las Vegas Math model and so on, the payout table, of course can easily change the highest odd as high as 5000 to 1, do you think user can feel the difference in Math model? Will they like?

Quote: keylzby

Hey AxelWolf,

Thanks for your notice.
Of course I don't hate you man. I have to thank you for giving me your specific feeling on it. but I do not agree your saying "I would expect this 15 years ago from a middle school kid", I do not believe a middle school kid, or even some experienced developer has enough ability and knowledge to develop such a game on limited resource by oneself.
I notice you mostly focus on the images. And yes I know from the video what you directly feel is just pictures. I admit that the images aren't very satisfying due to my very limited design skill. If you have recruited some designers you will definitely find how expensive they are. Anyway, you point out many details that we previously ignored.

If you like to share more, but what do you think of other features I said in the video.
Such as 12 real Las Vegas Math model and so on, the payout table, of course can easily change the highest odd as high as 5000 to 1, do you think user can feel the difference in Math model? Will they like?

Sorry I had the sound off and didn't realize you were talking in the video. I'll revisit the video with the sound on.

Yes I was talking about the graphics only(people don't care about the math model, technical stuff or your budget). I think graphic design is very important along with sounds and fun factor, especially since its not for real money. People will play a really dumb looking slots if they are constantly winning REAL money.

If its not attractive nowadays, I don't think people will enjoy it. They might tinker with it for a few minutes but quickly move on. They have to many other fun and attractive options. Players may not care as much if you are giving something significant away for free, something to encourage people to play.

Lets forget about the graphics can you explain why is this slot different new or exciting?

I gave you a few examples before of slots that looked appealing and fun for real money. I'm convinced free to play games have to be even better and be more challenging like a video game or something.

I disagree it's to late to enter this market IF you have something different.

To be honest, the main difference is that 12 different math models. And maybe some interesting bonus game embed. Quite hard to win other games on graphics and music, they already did it very well.
So I focus on the different kinds of slots (Means 243 ways, 20/30/50 lines, 1024 ways.....)