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Q&A WITH SLOT
GAME DEVELOPERS
By John G. Brokopp
The multi-line,
bonus round video slot revolution that has been raging at casinos has stolen the
thunder from traditional spinning reel slots. Imaginative games and graphics,
exciting bonus rounds, and interactive play combine to create an environment that
has brought a whole new dimension of entertainment to the world of electronic
gaming devices.
You've probably encountered
the games on your casino visits. Williams Gaming's line of some 26 video slot
themes, which started with "Reel 'Em In" in 1997, includes such player
favorites as "Hot Toppings", "Big Tippers", "Life of
Luxury", "Money to Burn", "Yukon Gold", "Money Groove",
"Jackpot Party", "Winning Bid", and "Filthy Rich",
among others.
International Game
Technology, a late entry into the multi-line, bonus round video slot market, has
countered with its own line of game formats including "Enchanted Unicorn",
"The Frog Prince", "Cleopatra", and "Creature From the
Black Lagoon".
The new generation
of video slots has brought with it a new aura of mystery and superstition that
has been associated with slot machine play since Americans first started dueling
with "one-armed bandits" more than a century ago.
In an endeavor to
preserve the mission of this column of helping readers become the smartest, most
informed casino players they can possibly be, I e-mailed some questions to Larry
Pacey, the vice president of game development for Williams Gaming. What follows
are my questions and Larry's answers that he prepared in conjunction with senior
game designer Joel Jaffee, followed by my brief analysis:
Q- Are the bonus
rounds associated with the machines random events activated by the player, or
is the player only given the perception he or she has a choice that has an effect
on bigger/lower rewards?
A- The player's choice
does affect the immediate result since each selection item in the bonus has its
value assigned prior to the player choosing. However, since the selectable items
in the bonus are randomly assigned, the player's luck will even out over time.
Analysis- When you
do have touch-screen selections to make, the decisions you make will affect the
amount of your reward. Get lucky on your picks and you'll reap the rewards.
Q- If the bonus choices
are a random event, how does each individual unit maintain its programmed "hold
percentage" over the long run?
A- Each bonus event
will converge close to its average value after only a few hundred bonus triggers.
Sometimes a particular game doesn't hold its average over the course of a month.
Then, the casino may investigate to see why this is happening. In most cases,
the game in question hasn't been played enough times to converge to the theoretical
average.
Analysis- Just as
with traditional reel slots, no video slot is ever "due to hit." The
chances of hitting the jackpot are the same all the time. Players can win big
or lose big during the brief windows of opportunity we choose to play a particular
machine. Over the course of a year, everything balances out.
Q- Are the combinations
of symbols on each reel that appear after a play is activated predetermined by
the RNG (Random Number Generator) and game EPROMS (computer chips) as they are
in traditional reel slots?
A- Yes. The software
determines the reel stop position after the "play" button is pressed
by using a random number generator. In between presses, the random number generator
is running hundreds of times per second so that consecutive plays cannot be predicted.
U.S. gaming regulations require this method of programming for all slot machines.
Analysis- Video slots,
at least in this respect, are no different from their reel cousins. The entire
screen that appears after a play is activated on a video slot is predetermined
by the machine's internal computer program.
Q- On machines which
give players the option of stopping the reels themselves, is the combination they
get the same predetermined combination they would have gotten had they allowed
the sequence to progress on its own time?
A- It doesn't make
any difference whether they stop the reels themselves or wait for the reels to
stop naturally. The feature just gives the player some control over the speed
at which they play.
Analysis- My advice
is to not use the "stop reels" option. The faster you play, the more
you subject your bankroll to the casino edge.
Q- Do games such
as "Pictionary" and "Monopoly" (etc.) differ from games such
as "Yukon Gold" and "Jackpot Party" (etc.) in regards to lease
agreements or the per diem fee that casinos pay to have the units on their floors?
A- With Pictionary
and Monoply, WMS owns each machine and charges the casino a daily fee to use them.
In the case of Yukon Gold and Jackpot Party, the casino purchases each machine
from WMS.
Analysis- Since the
casino has an added expense with branded games such as Pictionary, it may be better
over the long run to play the games the casinos own outright.
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