Hasta la vista, baby

[goatwack]

Do you feel the industry has reached a peak?

Does it feel like the 'golden age' of slots has been and gone, or are we in them now?

Yes, slots are nicely designed, fun to play and provide some entertainment nowadays but I feel that they're lesser versions of better games. Throw in the hand-holding UKCG restrictions and cynical casino operators and things just don't feel the same.

Slots were simpler once, payouts better and casino bonuses complemented the players. Once the old games are phased out, how will you feel?

Are the days of fairness over with for the lowrolling slotter?

 

[interlog]

Depends what you play I guess.

Since I have been streaming most of my slot play (I take slot requests), I have played slots that I otherwise never would have played. That has taken some of the boredom of the "same old" away and, surprisingly, has resulted in decent wins.

I agree that some of the newer releases (Hugo!!) are totally crap and I do hope that this is not how the future is going to look like.

PS: When I saw the topic title, I thought for a moment you were going to announce you hit the Hot Mode feature on Terminator II - hasta la vista baby!

 

[Jono777]

In a nutshell - Yes!

Not putting any new operators, skins, platforms etc down but IMO things reached 'perfection' (or as close as they were going to get) about 2-3 years ago, maybe slightly longer.

There are a lot of contributing factors which I feel have 'spoiled' (for want of a better word) the industry, low roller satisfaction and also the ability for casino operators to 'look after' their loyal punters.

List not exhaustive but to include what i can think of as I type...

* Growth / new casinos, way too much competition out there now.

* Increase of player databases, budgets stretched and can no longer 'cater for all'.

* Lazy, greedy and under motivated game programmers / providers

* Bonus abusers / syndicates / loophole morons.

* Fraud, ML and general dis-honesty

Combinations of which have reduced low roller friendly offers, NDB, increased drastically WR.

I also (no proof and not moaning either) think the way games play (possibly RTP related but as I say, not pointing any fingers) has changed, particularly Microgaming.

Losing streak and tin foil out the window, the MG slots have 100% changed since a combination of the UK pullout, the decrease in MG standalone viper clients and the introduction of multi- provider casinos, not saying anything untoward but defo changes!!

If Thunderkick can do it (and advertise the fact!) then what can others do??

The industry is thriving and recent published figures show this, backed up by the reduction in attendance to land based gambling facilities, trouble is operators have gotten greedy IMO. (Not the casinos directly maybe but the BIG GUNS sat right at the top of the tree)

Lets just hope its not spoiled altogether..........

 

[philderby]

Not at all, its just getting going.

The industry is evolving all the time, with Battles and An ever growing choice of games from a massive catalog of providers. Imo the future is bright for the gaming world. The competition from the top online casinos makes the ongoing promotions sweet too. Im in to my second year of chasing that elusive wild line on DOA, I will hit it one day!

Lets look forward to more games, more choice, and higher RTPs than ever before.

 

[interlog]

In a nutshell - Yes!

Not putting any new operators, skins, platforms etc down but IMO things reached 'perfection' (or as close as they were going to get) about 2-3 years ago, maybe slightly longer.

There are a lot of contributing factors which I feel have 'spoiled' (for want of a better word) the industry, low roller satisfaction and also the ability for casino operators to 'look after' their loyal punters.

List not exhaustive but to include what i can think of as I type...

* Growth / new casinos, way too much competition out there now.

* Increase of player databases, budgets stretched and can no longer 'cater for all'.

* Lazy, greedy and under motivated game programmers / providers

* Bonus abusers / syndicates / loophole morons.

* Fraud, ML and general dis-honesty

Combinations of which have reduced low roller friendly offers, NDB, increased drastically WR.

I also (no proof and not moaning either) think the way games play (possibly RTP related but as I say, not pointing any fingers) has changed, particularly Microgaming.

Losing streak and tin foil out the window, the MG slots have 100% changed since a combination of the UK pullout, the decrease in MG standalone viper clients and the introduction of multi- provider casinos, not saying anything untoward but defo changes!!

If Thunderkick can do it (and advertise the fact!) then what can others do??

The industry is thriving and recent published figures show this, backed up by the reduction in attendance to land based gambling facilities, trouble is operators have gotten greedy IMO. (Not the casinos directly maybe but the BIG GUNS sat right at the top of the tree)

Lets just hope its not spoiled altogether..........

And the bolded one is, in my opinion, the single biggest factor why bonuses are not as good as they used to be. These people are not just morons, these people are arseholes fucking it up for everybody else. I fully understand why casinos want to protect themselves against this lowlife, but unfortunately it is at the expense of the genuine players.

 

[Jono777]

And the bolded one is, in my opinion, the single biggest factor why bonuses are not as good as they used to be. These people are not just morons, these people are arseholes fucking it up for everybody else. I fully understand why casinos want to protect themselves against this lowlife, but unfortunately it is at the expense of the genuine players.

One of the best and most factual posts I've read!

 

[Steviedoo]

If Thunderkick can do it (and advertise the fact!) then what can others do??


..........

What Do you mean?

 

[Simmo!]

I think the problem is, there are just so many new games coming onto the market that a) it's getting harder to spot the really great games and b) it's getting harder to innovate.

That's not to say there aren't some interesting new concepts, bonus rounds and themes but innovation doesn't necessarily guarantee a great game. I feel like slot developers are suffocating a little under the mass release of clones or tried and trusted themes and formulas which smother the games which might potentially have longevity.

Having said that, I have spoken on exactly this subject to several casino managers recently and they all seem to be aware of this and in most cases are either spending a lot more time and effort in evaluating games or predicting that they will need to. So I think there is a chance that things will get better and we'll start to be shielded from some of the dross in time to come which will mean a higher quality of game will filter up.

Certainly as a player, I can count on 1 hand the number of "new" games that have appeared over the past 3 years that I play regularly. I mostly fall back to the old guard. Part of that of course is down to knowing what I like but it's not that I don't try new games: they just rarely grab me quickly enough.

I think a big part of the problem is the division between the newer "social" gamer, the "casual" gamer and the more serious players. Developers find it hard to develop games for both ends of the spectrum and I think most serious players would dislike casual games intensely and vice versa. The trouble is, many players don't think of themselves as one of the other so you can't pigeon-hole games at the risk of losing potential audiences. There's just one big pot and a very full one at that.

A number of casinos have tried or are trying to broach the issue with tabs like "Vegas" and "Games" etc but with limited success. Not least because if you put "Vegas" in the tab, you expect games that are found in Vegas, not bloody Net Ent slots like some casinos do! Consequently, those names have lost their definitions through misuse. It needs something new and different to direct players to what they want more effectively.

 

[Jono777]

What Do you mean?

Thunderkick recently pulled some of their more popular titles and reduced the RTP on these games.

This was done fully above board and information was available to all (IE: No cloak and dagger stuff)

Birds on a Wire was one, among others.

 

[Harry_BKK]

I can assure you that the industry is nowhere near its peak.

The multi-platforms have been properly available for a few years only. At the beginning you had EM and a few stand alone ones. Recently those providers have multiplied and each are hosting now dozens of casinos. Skin after skin is thrown into the market because obviously it must be VERY VERY profitable.

This year I have not seen a single week go by without a few new outfits vying for that share of the ever growing player pool. Throw in the mobile craziness, which has exponentially multiplied in the past 2 years and the game providers, platform providers and the casinos itself are rolling in the dough in huge numbers.

Even the old school MG viper casinos are still seeing plenty of growth because they are well established with affiliates who keep feeding new players and on top those casinos have build up a faithful pool of followers who still prefer their play using the download client.

The only downside is that it becomes harder to build up that stand - out brand among the countless casinos. It is almost like there are too many sharks in the pond, but since there is plenty of prey available they are still feasting even when they just roll along the wave.

Quality of games does not even count that much as long as they provide quantity. There will be always something for everybody to like, hence hardly any creative effort is made when releasing a new slot. Just think back of the years when we have seen TS2, IR, TDNR, LOR, GOT, Playboy and a few others released. Those were exciting games and we players were all too happy throwing our dosh at them.

Today we try a new slot for a few hundred spins only to quickly return to the usual favourites, where we are still more than happy to hand over our cash without much complaining.

We oldies of this industry might get tired of the sometimes very hard toiling just to get some decent playtime, let alone decent wins but think of the new generation growing up right now. These kids are already now addicted to 24/7/365 entertainment in an evermore mobile world. And they are becoming the majority of new casino customers with mostly plenty of funds available as at the same time getting a loan from a bank has become as easy as buying a Starbucks latte.

So do you really think the industry has reached its peak? Absolutely and most certainly NOT, they just started the ascent.

 

[goatwack]

You gotta love making threads like this, it brings out complete polar opposite views and differring perspectives from long-standing players.

Interesting stuff!

Me personally, I do believe there are improvements to be made across the whole industry but a lot of the fun has been sapped out of playing as a consequence of over-saturation and the worsening of the player-casino relationship.

It used to feel like a punter taking on the games for fun, now it has become a war of attrition on several fronts, choices appear to be widening but on the other hand becoming more restrictive, and not to forget the myriad of pitfalls that await around every T&C. Soon we'll all be needing a lawyer present each time we go to press spin

 

[Jono777]

I do have the odd (although hopefully not true ) pictured scenario of them sat around their offices...

'Ha, Ha - Minchers lost again the twat, ha ha ha'

'Low rolling, waste of space'

'Lets send him out 10 FS on Starburst, that'll wind the fucker up'

'Boss - Mincher's just hit his 10th losing depo on the trot, your gonna have to loosen his RTP, he's quite experienced and might smell a rat!'

' The wankers just hit over 400x on Game of Thrones', 'Don't worry lads, the pricks got over £800 of WR to go yet, dick ha ha' (Happened mid week that one )

 

[goatwack]

I do have the odd (although hopefully not true ) pictured scenario of them sat around their offices...

'Ha, Ha - Minchers lost again the twat, ha ha ha'

'Low rolling, waste of space'

'Lets send him out 10 FS on Starburst, that'll wind the fucker up'

'Boss - Mincher's just hit his 10th losing depo on the trot, your gonna have to loosen his RTP, he's quite experienced and might smell a rat!'

' The wankers just hit over 400x on Game of Thrones', 'Don't worry lads, the pricks got over £800 of WR to go yet, dick ha ha' (Happened mid week that one )

Funny you mention that, here's an exclusive 'Let's get Jon f*cked' meeting hot off the press

 

[dunover]

I believe the golden years are starting now. Bonuses have settled and players are more aware of the EV+/- and how they work. We are having less flaccid and better regulation although it needs significant improvement. Rogues are shamed pretty fast and affiliates can be easily identified when they promote shite, although it won't ever stop them. Cash-out times are generally improving as casinos take on board this is important to most players.

As for games, programming and technological advances can lead to better and smoother games with more variation - Gnatent have the biggest variety of 'different' slots/wilds and features and the popular US land-based slots are coming online for us. Yes, the execrable 'Hugo' and other crocks of shite like Babushkas will inevitably appear, but the choice is getting bigger for the player.

Multiplatform sites mean we can go to one place like say Videoslots and play nearly ever game we want and be paid fast - kind of like a 'slots supermarket'. Mobile html5 slots will be improved from the grainy jerky crap they are now as network speed and device capacity increases. For the Luddites and dinosaurs you still have the old anachronistic Viper sites to play if you choose to and like cluttering your drive up.

The general public are becoming more savvy and aware by joining forums like CM.

So? Overall I feel things are improving and will continue to do so.