How to Design a Slot Machine Game
The classic casino game, slot machines represent ritzy entertainment even to the non-gambling class. In casinos, they are the most popular form of gambling, requiring little skill to play. Programmers also design slot machines to be "games within games" because of their simplicity. They add a touch of verisimilitude and class to a 3D interactive experience. The payout to a virtual slot machine is most often virtual currency, which can be redeemed or spent in the game world.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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Designing the Odds
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1
Choose the number of symbols for your slot machine and the number of "winning" combinations. A slot machine for entertainment usually has more winning combinations than a slot machine for gambling, but the "Jackpot" rate should be relatively low even for an entertainment machine. Slot machines have between 5 and 20 symbols.
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2
Choose the payline for your slot machine. Traditional slot machines display nine symbols at a time: three symbols per reel, with three reels. They only pay money if the correct symbols line up on the center row, leading to infrequent payouts. Modern slot machines can have five or more reels, and pay money if the player forms any line between the reels. Increasing the number of pay lines increases the odds of winning, and in slot machines designed to test player skill rather than random chance, they also increase the level of skill required.
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3
Choose the pay table for your slot machine. Modern slot machines for entertainment have different tiers for payouts. A straight line of "common" symbols yields a low payout, whereas a straight line of "rare" symbols -- such as the "lucky seven" -- yields a higher payout.
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4
Choose the skill level. Slot machines can be completely randomized, or they may involve some player skill. A machine that involves chance only is based on random numbers generated when the machine is operated. A machine that involves skill has a machine that the player can stop at a particular point.
Designing the Game
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1
Choose the symbols to represent the slot machine. The most common symbols in slot machines are letters, fruit, numerals, animals and easily recognizable symbols such as diamonds and hearts. The more colorful, the better. Other slot machines use "theme" slots with pictures of movie stars or luxury items.
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2
Design the operating mechanism. An homage to old-school slot-machine games, visible levers are a popular feature of virtual games. Clicking on the lever plays an animation and starts the machine.
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3
Design the "spinning" animation. Some slot machines spin all reels quickly, then stop them one by one. As each reel stops, the remaining spinning reels become slower.
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4
Create the sounds. Music, clicks and beeps to accompany the spinning wheels, and cheery congratulatory sounds are all part and parcel of the modern slot machine.
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5
Design the experience. For a random machine, simply program the reels to slow and stop at the randomized value. For skill-based machines, have the computer keep track of what is showing when the lever is pressed, and create a "slowdown" animation for that reel that plays the second the machine is pulled that ends on the chosen place in the reel.
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