Galewind Games and browser capabilities

[binary128]

Just to highlight:

This thread was started because VinylWeatherman reported 2 "mission critical" problems with another Flash Casino site that he went to visit.

One of these problems had to do with his IE browser receiving an "unsupported browser" error return from the server, which seemed to have to do with some amazing funkyness with a "corrupt user agent string".

The other problem had to do with Flash just not working with his Firefox browser.

So I opened this thread up with a heartfelt plea for anyone to visit our Corporate Web Site and "Launch Demo Casino" using whatever Browser they've got.

If anyone finds any problem with anything I would truly appreciate knowing about it. We test (and test, and test) in a couple of different versions of IE, Firefox, Chrome and Opera, and all of our test engines work fine.

In addition, we get on average about 5 to 10 visitors a day in the site, playing in total a couple of thousand games.

However, as I've mentioned, I'm convinced that if someone comes to the site and encounters a problem, then rather than email us, which is work that I wouldn't do either, they just go away.

So, really, that's it. Most people seem to like our games, so a quick in and out might actually be enjoyable. The only real burden is that if things don't work perfectly I'd really appreciate your taking the time to tell us.

Thanks in advance.

Chris

[DiamondGeezer]

Everything is working fine here, I am playing in the latest version of Firefox. Your VP is excellent, one of the nicest I've seen infact. It is faster than any non download version I have come accross and it has a nice feel. Not having autohold is a smart move, MG do that on All Aces for example.

I like ths slots too. Crazy 8 Line has nice colours and a clean look plus it's something a bit different. One thing I have noticed with the slots though is there is an alarming coin jump. For instance in Crazy 8 Line it goes from 8.00 to 40.00! If it is the same on the real money version that looks wrong to me, you would expect it go to 8.00, 10.00, 12.50 etc. You might want to look at that.

Guys come and try these games coz the software's good . Chris has put a lot of effort in and deserves some more feedback.

[binary128]

Everything is working fine here, I am playing in the latest version of Firefox.

DiamondGeezer,

Okay, glad to hear all is well. Thanks for the compliments.

The problem introduced by the latest version of Firefox was with the JavaScript focus() command. (This same problem happened when Chrome went from version 9 to version 10.)

When you open the Help popup, then return your focus to the Casino such that the Help popup is hidden behind the Casino window, and then click the Help button again, nothing seems to happen.

This is because the Casino sees that you already have the Help window open, so it tries to bring it into focus (that is, shift it to the top of the graphics stack on your monitor). Previous versions of Firefox supported this with a simple JavaScript focus() command. The latest version stopped this focus() command from working.

So, we needed to find a workaround. Which we did. But if you do find yourself going back into the Casino, I'd appreciate it if you could check out this little bit of functionality.

Re: alarming coin jump. Limitations in available space. We have Players using the $0.10 coin, and others using the $10.00 coin. With our $0.10, $0.25 and $1.00 coins in Crazy 8 Line, we feel that we have properly highlighted the lower end of the coin spectrum. But the result is that the jump to the higher end is harsh.

You can always drop the line count?

Suggestions?

Again, thanks for the compliments. And I'm glad to hear no problems.

Chris

[vinylweatherman]

DiamondGeezer,

Okay, glad to hear all is well. Thanks for the compliments.

The problem introduced by the latest version of Firefox was with the JavaScript focus() command. (This same problem happened when Chrome went from version 9 to version 10.)

When you open the Help popup, then return your focus to the Casino such that the Help popup is hidden behind the Casino window, and then click the Help button again, nothing seems to happen.

This is because the Casino sees that you already have the Help window open, so it tries to bring it into focus (that is, shift it to the top of the graphics stack on your monitor). Previous versions of Firefox supported this with a simple JavaScript focus() command. The latest version stopped this focus() command from working.

So, we needed to find a workaround. Which we did. But if you do find yourself going back into the Casino, I'd appreciate it if you could check out this little bit of functionality.

Re: alarming coin jump. Limitations in available space. We have Players using the $0.10 coin, and others using the $10.00 coin. With our $0.10, $0.25 and $1.00 coins in Crazy 8 Line, we feel that we have properly highlighted the lower end of the coin spectrum. But the result is that the jump to the higher end is harsh.

You can always drop the line count?

Suggestions?

Again, thanks for the compliments. And I'm glad to hear no problems.

Chris

That is not always the kind of "suck it up" reply players are wanting to hear. They may actually want to play all the lines, i.e, the game as it was designed. Many players do so because they can't bear the thought that a big win will appear on a valid line, but one they had deselected by playing fewer.

Logically, there should be a 0.50 coin, which is in keeping with how currency is denominated. 0.25 to 1.0 is a 4x multiplier, and is a huge step. I am sure governments would leave out the 0.50 denomination if they didn't feel it was needed.

This issue has actually arisen with Cryptologic software, and players didn't like the "just live with it" attitude then.

Video slots usually offer a choice of how many coins to play per line, and this gives additional flexibilty with bet size. For some, there is a belief that changing the coin size, and number per line is like changing to a different machine in a real casino when the one you are on seems "cold". For an operator, it is better than having their player move to a different CASINO.

"space" seems an odd argument, as unlike a B & M casino, coins are just variables in a program, rather than separate physical game cabinets. The basic slot engine should be independent of coin size and number, which only need multiplying together to give a bet per line when the software converts the reel stops into a payout of a set sum of money.

The coin sizes a player would expect to see would be : .10, .25, .50, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0, 10.0 as this matches how "real world" currency is denominated. With multiple coins per line, players could bet 3x .25 for a 0.75 bet per line. Some might argue for 0.20, rather than 0.25, or even both. Microgaming has both, as well as all the other denominations listed. They also offer 0.05, 0.02, and 0.01 for the video slots that support multiple coins per line. This arrangement means there are no big jumps, but a smooth increase from low to high in stake per spin.

[binary128]

VinylWeatherman,

Yeah, I don’t believe that I would ever tell any of the users of our product to "suck it up" or "just live with it". I agree with your implication; saying these things would be rude, and inconsiderate.

Re: "Limitations in available space." I was referring here to the limitations in the amount of room that is available on the "slot console". We can only cram in so much, and we like BIG and easy-to-read buttons.

Thanks for responding to my request for suggestions.

You suggested the coin amounts: 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.25, 0.50, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0 and 10.0.

You also suggested providing a "multiple coins per line" option, perhaps something like a 1-to-5 multiplier?

All of this goes onto our ever-expanding To Do List.

Chris

[vinylweatherman]

VinylWeatherman,

Yeah, I don’t believe that I would ever tell any of the users of our product to "suck it up" or "just live with it". I agree with your implication; saying these things would be rude, and inconsiderate.

Re: "Limitations in available space." I was referring here to the limitations in the amount of room that is available on the "slot console". We can only cram in so much, and we like BIG and easy-to-read buttons.

Thanks for responding to my request for suggestions.

You suggested the coin amounts: 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.25, 0.50, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0 and 10.0.

You also suggested providing a "multiple coins per line" option, perhaps something like a 1-to-5 multiplier?

All of this goes onto our ever-expanding To Do List.

Chris

So, it's more a grahical representation problem than a "policy".

Microgaming, which has all these coin sizes, does things differently. Rather than separate buttons, it has ONE graphic for the coin denomination in play, and two smaller + and - buttons that can increment or decrement the denomination in play. They use a similar method for allowing the player to choose numbers of coins to play, as well as number of lines to play.

Other softwares do it in the menu, where there are a number of selectable instances for the slot, one for each coin denomination. The downside to this is that the game is then one extra click away, and players may not necessarily like this.

Care also has to be taken so that you don't end up copying others, as you may find yourself on the receiving end of legal complaints.

A multiplier on the number of coins will mean you do not necessarily need all the denominations. For example, you could start with 0.10, and cover up to 0.50 with the 1 to 5 multiplier. 0.25 could then cover bets up to 1.25, and so on. A 1 to 10 multiplier could allow you to cut further denominations, but of course would mean more buttons to fit on the console.

The best approach is probably to see how many buttons you can fit on the console with both a denomination and multiplier selection, and then to see which combinations offer the smoothest increment in total bet without players having to play fewer lines.

A problem may occur when a slot is redesigned as players might feel the game has been "tweaked" to a lower RTP. Your showing of the RTP in the help files should counter such suspicions, provided players can be taught that Galewind is more than happy to present such information, rather than being "uncomfortable" providing it as many softwares seem to be.

Your game rules and RTP should be set in stone at the development stage, with no options for operators to mess with payout tables and slot RTPs. This facility in RTG has lead to considerable suspicions that "tight" gameplay is down to the operator clandestinely lowering the RTP to 91% from the default 95% as supplied by RTG. One casino got caught red handed changing the RTP due to a sloppy design error in one reelstrip of one slot that lead to a stacked pear symbol on a slot that does not normally feature stacked symbols. Worse, the slot always opened at this position, making it very obvious indeed.

Once the seed of suspicion has been planted, it is very hard to kill.

[DiamondGeezer]

Chris I called the help button up and then hid it behind the casino and it did come up again when I clicked on help. So all is fine here. The only bit I don't know for sure is what version of FF I am currently using, don't know where to look to check that out.

[binary128]

So, it's more a grahical representation problem than a "policy".

VinylWeatherman,

Yes, the issue with almost all of our games is one of "video real estate". We want big cards, big reels, big buttons, big paytables, etc. We almost always find ourselves moving things around, or resizing things, a pixel at a time because of this "space squeeze".

I'm not sure what you meant by "policy"?

Thank you very much for this detailed response. We're still discussing our options here, but at the moment the conversation is tending towards providing coins of 0.05, 0.25, 1.0 and 2.0, with a 1-to-5 coins-per-line toggle.

This would give us a pretty smooth transition from $0.05 a line up to our current $10 per line.

We also thought about including a 0.5 coin, but if we do that then we are once again wrestling with the real estate problem. Dropping the coin count from 5 to 4 is what will open up the space needed for the coins-per-line toggle.

As I say, this is still in discussion. Final decisions will only come when we have the time to really get into this, and then we'll have to see how the graphics work out.

Did you manage to find the time to see if you get the "black box" response to our Casino when you go in using your Firefox browser? I'd be really interested in knowing that.

Re: "set in stone". If you know what "compiled code" is, I can tell you that this code is where the game returns are defined. That pretty much makes them "set in stone". Also, we can publish our Theoretical RTPs because that is what they are - no variables involved.

Re: "Once the seed of suspicion has been planted, it is very hard to kill." I understand. It was very hard for us to say nothing about the Heroes Casino situation until our check to Westland Bowl had cleared his account. (What was there to say: "The check is in the mail"?) All the while, there were many posters on many forums who were dragging our name through the mud. Even today, people still question our motives there.

Again, thank you very much for this detailed response.

Chris

[binary128]

Chris I called the help button up and then hid it behind the casino and it did come up again when I clicked on help. So all is fine here. The only bit I don't know for sure is what version of FF I am currently using, don't know where to look to check that out.

DiamondGeezer,

In my Firefox, at the very top of the browser window is a text menu (File Edit View History Bookmarks Tools Help). If I click the Help menu item, a dropdown list appears. At the bottom of this dropdown list is the list item About Mozilla Firefox.

If I click this About Mozilla Firefox list item, a popup window appears, in which is the version number. (Mine happens to be 3.6.17, which is NOT the latest.)

Chris

[binary128]

As I mentioned above, the suggestion of providing to our Players a wider variety of payline bet amounts through the use of a chip count system was added to Galewind's "To Do List".

We have recently completed this project, following the advice of vinylweatherman:

The best approach is probably to see how many buttons you can fit on the console with both a denomination and multiplier selection, and then to see which combinations offer the smoothest increment in total bet without players having to play fewer lines.

For our Multi-Line Video Slots, we provide the chip amounts 0.05, 0.25, 1 and 2. The Player can now select 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 chips per payline.

The available "real estate" on the console got a little tight at times, especially for the "Take It or Leave It" and "Golden Goal" slots, but I think we managed to do a pretty good job in getting it all in there without destroying the graphics.

As always, any feedback is welcome, and encouraged. Anyone with an interest can check out what we have by visiting our Corporate Web Site and Launching the Demo Casino. (Or, if you prefer, you can use the Play for Fun product at Pinnacle Sports.)

You can play around with the coins and buttons to see how it all works. Or you can launch your game of choice, click the Help button, and select "How Do I Place a Bet?" to view the details.

My thanks to DiamondGeezer and vinylweatherman for their suggestion. My thanks in advance for any future feedback.

Chris