Online casinos are increasingly becoming popular as more regions open up with iGaming laws. Globally, the online casino market is expected to hit $92.9 billion by 2023. The steady increase is significantly attributable to the development of mobile-optimized game engines.
Across the daily growing casino numbers, slot machine symbols are arguably the majority of games served. Online ones, however, are more compelling. Online slot machines mimic the popular slot machines popular in land-based casinos. They are available in different themes and stimulating visual effects (3D animations and graphic elements). Online slot machines’ compatibility with various mobile devices is another reason gamers fancy them. You can play a social slot machine game or real money game while catching a train or cab home.
As the popularity of slots continues to attract players, slot developers are rolling up their sleeves to satisfy the ever-growing demand. The booming market attracts creative designers with attention to detail to remain relevant amid changing demand patterns. If you would like to get a sneak peek of how slot game design goes, we have exhaustively covered the key factors that define the process.
Slot Machine Development Process
Online slot machine development is not an overnight process. The process comprises robust research and a deep understanding of programming languages to bring an online slot to your screen.
The following flow chart is vital to start the process.
- The target & Mission
- Research
- Plan & Creation
- Final Design
In between these stages are professionals experienced in casino game development services. These professionals include server developers, statisticians/mathematicians, graphic designers, front/back-end developers, creative teams, game testers and a project manager. It is teamwork efforts that culminate into competitive slot games.
The First Step
The initial step features rigorous market research. The designer team establishes which features are in demand. The team also identifies their key market segment. After that, proposals are tabled to transform the conceptualization into a concrete, actionable plan through voting. The project is then passed to the creative team.
Creative Process
The creative team comes up with comparisons with pre-conceived designs with the existing slot designs. The comparative stage helps to create a unique slot machine.
From the unique concept adopted, the team can identify a befitting theme. There are numerous themes to consider. Fantasy, space, thriller, vampire, mining and romance are examples.
Upon considering the slot machine theme, the team thinks of the next step, game mood. It could be a cartoon-oriented animation or a reality-like game with immersive graphics. Colour combinations, background audios, fonts and schemes are conceptualized here. The frequency of in-game bonuses and welcoming features is also featured in this stage.
User Experience and User Design Factor
When playing online slots, you must have realized the peculiar elements. These elements are mainly borrowed from a movie, Tv program, classic or modern novel, among others. Slot game developers consider such relatable allusions to flare up the game and psych up players.
User experience in game development strives to offer game twists and moves that a player can easily relate with, given his past interactions. Modern casino developments like gamification, retro vibes, animations, celebrity-inspired slots, and mobile optimization take centre stage here. This stage is tricky as the whole team must use research-backed data. The data helps identify the ideal characters and how they transition across scenes.
Random Number Generator
Online slots engines run on a random number generator. This generator ensures fairness as the outcome of the game is purely random. RNGs have inbuilt proprietary algorithms choosing numbers that correspond to various game symbols. Developers are understandably mum on the RNG designs to prevent hackers from software prototyping, a factor that would undermine the credibility of the game’s outcome.
Checking The Primary Version
A preliminary version in the online slots development process is crucial. The process involves creating a skeletal outline to test software compatibility accuracy and lessen errors to insignificant levels. The team’s focus in this stage is limited to crucial aspects only. What follows is the primary version of the entire project.
Finding the Ideal Market Fit
Finding the ideal market is the next stage when developing casino games. A game designer should aspire to solve prospective players’ problems. With the player problems in mind, developers also consider product Vs market fit. The fit concept helps identify the market that would guarantee the game’s break-even in terms of size. The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) concept plays a critical part here. The concept allows the steward of the project to assess the market potential and the gaming gaps the new game will fill.
Game Testing
Game testing is the tail end part of the whole process. Game testers help measure the performance and quality of the game’s aspects. Are there bugs in the system? How can the software upgrade make the game more interactive?
Various game testing methods include:
Combinatorial Testing
Developers in the gaming industry use the combinatorial method for commercial software testing. A developer can improve the efficiency, quality, phase containment, and cost through the method as it generates test cases.
Clean Room Testing
Cleanroom testing helps determine how reliable software is. Cleanroom tests make use of mathematical deductions and statistical-based reasoning to minimize errors.
Functionality Testing
Functionality tests determine the slot machine software functions as per the specifications rendered. The main object of this test is to identify errors that might compromise user experience.
Compatibility Testing
A compatibility test is essential at the end of the development process. The test helps map out errors in the product’s functionality as far as its hardware, software, and graphics are concerned. Besides, the test is a yardstick for validating whether a game is optimized for various mobile or desktop platforms.
Conclusion.
The video slots development process is demanding. The development team considers numerous factors, from concept to concrete ideas and the final product. What crystallizes as your favourite game results from concerted efforts by software engineers, designers, front-end developers, game testers, project managers and configurators.
Towards the completion of the project, designers must focus on prototype testing. The keen market surveillance to identify traffic-driving trends is a significant part of the process. Testing can identify malfunctioning Random Number Generators early enough. Testing alleviates deploying unfair or unresponsive games to various gaming platforms.