HTML5 - Improving The Experience?

[Simmo!]

Just reading the DOA HTML5 thread and didn't want to derail but it made me realise that although I have seen some decent, playable HTML5 game ports, I can't think of one that has been as good as the original.

WMS seems to have done the best job overall - Rhino and Montezuma in HTML5 are playable even if I wouldn't choose to play the HTML5 versions given a choice - but every HTML5 game (without exception) I have tried seems to either be slower, has no sound, won't allow me to easily skip count-ups, lags a bit, has spin buttons that don't apear fast enough, requires me to close the game entirely to re-deposit - or any combo of those.

Now I admit, I think playing slots on a phone is a shit experience and I only ever do that if I want to test a game or see how it works on a phone but on a tablet is a bit better. My issue is that HTML5 games are starting to replace the games I love on desktop and I am finding that I am actually starting to fall out of love with games I used to adore. The experience seems to be being compromised to suit all devices.

Anyone else thinking this or are others finding HTML5 really improving their experience?

Simmo!

 

[Jono777]

Couldn't agree more.

Sure I will be able to give more in the (near) future but for now Twin Spin and DOA - 2 of my most visited (for Netent) are now on my avoid list.

DOA will see a few spins still here and there, simply because I suppose that 1/100 chance of a balance rescue could still happen and you can low roll on 0.09p praying for a small miracle.

Twin Spin for me does simply not pay and is like watching paint dry, almost every spin looks as though it is going to be a join up of some description, only to end in disappointment.

I have never been in such a tin foil mood as I have been in recent weeks, not just personal experience but post after post detailing how HTML5 games payouts are simply nowhere near that of their 'predecessors'.

Time will tell I suppose but unless I see 5 reel join up's and 5 scatters / wild lines start to reappear in the screenshots threads, I will be steering well clear

 

[goatwack]

They were supposed to be straight conversions. Instead, I find that they've uniformly taken the character out of individual titles and made them unremarkable. Player-friendly features have been scaled back, so we have less choice than before.

Playing Netent 'upgrades' feels like playing different versions of the same game. Playing Gonzo is not too dissimilar to playing DOA or Piggy Riches.

Not sure if this is a stylistic choice to make their brand recognizable but it's all very clinical and stale. The count-up feature being by far the worst implementation, which completely ruins the flow and immersion.

The moment MG start with these shenanigans I'll probably defect to WMS. Failing that, I'll stop. The slots I love are to be played on my terms, or lose me as a customer....

f*ck HTML5 & Netent

 

[dunover]

Absolutely agreed. Games were designed originally for large screens and all the options you have with the click of your mouse. Then there were HD ones as PC's got quicker, even 3D like Avalon2. To decrease the bandwidth and allow for often crap network speeds and connections, the html5 games have been shaved to the minimum in this crazy stampede to get the nation playing on their phones, which IMO usually means the player will be doing it in secret or at work when they shouldn't be, or out of the house away from their PC when surely their reason to be out is NOT playing bloody slots.

Now many portable devices such as iPads and Google pads etc. are far better than mobile phones for gaming but of course they are still mobile devices, hence the game mechanics are aimed at the lowest possible denominator, the piddly phone.

Twin Spin is vile, DoA is vile and Rhino is truly awful in html5 even though better than the Gnatent efforts. Luckily I only play at Sky now and they have all the originals, even Cleopatra. I tested a casino I started promoting and played Rhino there in html5 and because the system detected I had a touchscreen PC I couldn't get the start button to react to mouse clicking and had to use the screen. This brings problems of its own as if you don't freeze your settings, pressing the start button too quickly pans in and out and shrinks or magnifies the stupid games.

I think they are a disaster and that all casinos that decide to offer the bastards should have them in parallel to the originals and detect your device so you get the originals on a PC.

Html5-only at any casino will seriously diminish the fun of playing and I will simply close any account that does this.

 

[Simmo!]

Luckily I only play at Sky now and they have all the originals, even Cleopatra.(

I tried playing Cleopatra (and one or two other IGT games) on my phone at Sky and got no sound. The same issue I had with playing some of the MGS games in fact. Checked the settings and sound was on and the WMS games gave me sound so it's not the phone. Do you get sound on these then?

 

[dunover]

I tried playing Cleopatra (and one or two other IGT games) on my phone at Sky and got no sound. The same issue I had with playing some of the MGS games in fact. Checked the settings and sound was on and the WMS games gave me sound so it's not the phone. Do you get sound on these then?

Yes, but sometimes it lags behind.

 

[citizenx]

Just reading the DOA HTML5 thread and didn't want to derail but it made me realise that although I have seen some decent, playable HTML5 game ports, I can't think of one that has been as good as the original.

WMS seems to have done the best job overall - Rhino and Montezuma in HTML5 are playable even if I wouldn't choose to play the HTML5 versions given a choice - but every HTML5 game (without exception) I have tried seems to either be slower, has no sound, won't allow me to easily skip count-ups, lags a bit, has spin buttons that don't apear fast enough, requires me to close the game entirely to re-deposit - or any combo of those.

Now I admit, I think playing slots on a phone is a shit experience and I only ever do that if I want to test a game or see how it works on a phone but on a tablet is a bit better. My issue is that HTML5 games are starting to replace the games I love on desktop and I am finding that I am actually starting to fall out of love with games I used to adore. The experience seems to be being compromised to suit all devices.

Anyone else thinking this or are others finding HTML5 really improving their experience?

Simmo!

I usually run Linux so HTML5 has opened up a number of games thst were prevously restricted to other opersting systems.

Combined with the fact that since it went live, I've had a great run in DOA I have no complaints.

Pleased i can play DOA mobile now.

Its also resulted in a fix for UK players where the auto play box would expand after a feature.

Only flaw for me is the count up time after a win. But its not a big deal.

So I may be in the minority but I'm quite happy with it.

 

[Jono777]

I've possibly played it already but was too tired to notice, however where have you come across the HTML5 Rhino please?

 

[mina1929]

There was absolutely nothing wrong with the original games. They have ruined it especially Twinspin I hate how it jerks when you play the game.

Starburst and DOA I don't like that we can't reduce the pay-line especially if you only have say 0.8c left and you can't play it

I still play those games but not much fun like it used to be.

 

[Harry_BKK]

Bury Netent, can't say anything else......in what way they are thinking/believing that their HTML5 creations are a great gaming experience is beyond me.

I agree with Dunover....this is a crazy stampede to get a new generation to play every possible moment wherever they have an internet connection ensuring they become the future addicts and squeeze every available penny out of their pockets.

There is no other reasonable explanation, for me at least. Each HTML5 game I try makes the biggest possible noise for even the slightest win, lights flashing, graphics to go blind.

The next thing is the constant show of near misses on DOA, HTML5 version. We as seasoned gamblers see through that but imagine a newbie, their adrenaline will be pumping all the time that they've been so close to a good/big win. That the UKGC has not seen that when they allowed the game is again beyond me, unless they are so blind and inexperienced that they did not realize what impact those things potentially have on players.

Another thing, why oh why must Netent hide the two most important parts a player uses (denomination & number of coins) behind the Autospin panel???

On another note, can somebody please explain why on earth we need a coin count and balance??? Never made sense to me! Show bet and win straight in $ values, that's what is important at the end of the day.

I will start on Tuesday a slot marathon and try every game at Videoslots to hopefully find some new favorites. I'm done with DOA and Netent in general as they have managed to take the joy out of my gaming.

F*ck Netent.

 

[aceking123]

Netent been terrible for last couple of weeks. html5 well , you can see why they've done it , to easily stop the single line bets , they now know those machines to the perfect % due to all lines being a must , very easy to work out & streamline a slot .

Cant state i've noticed dead or alive or twin spin as i don't play them enough i see the count different & lines but apart from that & being netent nothing new there )

barcrest on the other really should sort out there broken link whilst playing there games , always a red broken link in right corner whilst playing there games.

wms is still laggy for me doesn't seem to matter where i play them.

 

[hausse222]

The new netent html5 slots destroy almost the whole playing experience that let me prefer them in the past. As a consequence i decreased and will decrease even more in the future my online gaming
activities. Firstly i don´t talk about rtp (though i have the feeling that new versions of the old slots have the "netent variance" like the new slots), but about e.g. the fact that you have to wait ages till
the win is counted before you can spin again. Or the fact that though i bought a new computer the html5 slots don´t load with firefox...

 

[slot_zombie]

I'm dreading the day WMS flash versions disappear (can't be too far away now). That horrible big ass start button and laggy reels... no thanks.

Rhino is crap on mobile, they should build in a desktop mode but of course that would increase development costs and we can't have that, can we.

 

[Simmo!]

...the html5 games have been shaved to the minimum in this crazy stampede to get the nation playing on their phones, which IMO usually means the player will be doing it in secret or at work when they shouldn't be, or out of the house away from their PC when surely their reason to be out is NOT playing bloody slots.

Although you and I don't play on phones, I'm told that there is a generation coming through that prefer to which is why the need for this is driving development at the moment. Assuming that is true then it makes sense to provide HTML5 versions.

The problem is when they are used to also replace the desktop versions. Maybe in time we'll come to accpet that. After all, it's not the first time that advancements in technology have lead to people accepting compromises in quality. MP3 is a prime example: I was a bit of an audiophile back then....vinyl ruled and CD was fine. MP3 compressed the music, we lost quality yet became widely accepting of the format. If you have Sonos speakers, you'll be seeing the same...a clear compromise on sound quality in exchange for convenience.

Convenience vs Quality is the battle we as consumers will always be fighting. HTML5 will also improve so in time, as it does, there is a very good chance that we will forget that these games used to be better.

For me there are some plus sides too: firstly, on HTML5 versions they generally play slower so I spend less in a session and secondly, they frustrate me quicker so my sessions are shorter. On the rare occasion I play on an ipad or phone, that plus the frustration of having to exit the game to deposit on some platforms also means I deposit less frequently. So it's not all bad

 

[goatwack]

It's being tailored way too much for mobile users, and let's face it, what millenial doesn't have a smartphone fused into their hand nowadays.

But much like mobile gaming, although lucrative, will reach a saturation point and developers have realized that people aren't in a hurry to abort their PCs and games consoles in favour of it.

Mobile gaming is and always will be a niche market. Far better for developers to jump off the bandwagon and look at the bigger picture. Surely it's more profitable to maximize the experience across all formats and devices than to cater to a select demographic.

Many players are being alienated by these changes and it surely cannot be good foresight or a sustainable business model to ruin their entire back catalogue with unnecessary changes.

Gambling on mobiles sucks ass.

If this is the future of online gambling, count me out!

 

[slotter999]

The established providers are the ones who seem to have the problems with porting the games from flash to HTML5 and that is for legacy reasons.

The ports makes very little difference to me from a gameplay point of view but the ability to have more games available on my mobile is a definite bonus. If I recall correctly people were complaining about the HTML5 version of DOA before it had even been released and I think there is literally nothing netent could have done to satisfy some of those people.

Once upon a time players had to download casino software onto their computer to play which seems like an odd concept in this day and age. I've no doubt that then, and perhaps even still today (viper?), people didn't like the move and there were threads on this board complaining as such.

There was a comment above about mobile being niche but in 2015 30% of all netent spins were from mobile. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the 2016 results but without a doubt mobile is the big driver in online gambling right now and HTML5 is the standard for how that that market is going to be realised.

 

[goatwack]

The established providers are the ones who seem to have the problems with porting the games from flash to HTML5 and that is for legacy reasons.

The ports makes very little difference to me from a gameplay point of view but the ability to have more games available on my mobile is a definite bonus. If I recall correctly people were complaining about the HTML5 version of DOA before it had even been released and I think there is literally nothing netent could have done to satisfy some of those people.

Once upon a time players had to download casino software onto their computer to play which seems like an odd concept in this day and age. I've no doubt that then, and perhaps even still today (viper?), people didn't like the move and there were threads on this board complaining as such.

There was a comment above about mobile being niche but in 2015 30% of all netent spins were from mobile. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the 2016 results but without a doubt mobile is the big driver in online gambling right now and HTML5 is the standard for how that that market is going to be realised.

No. All everybody wanted was a like-for-like port. Nobody asked for or wanted this game to be amended.

 

[Simmo!]

...in 2015 30% of all netent spins were from mobile. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the 2016 results but without a doubt mobile is the big driver in online gambling right now and HTML5 is the standard for how that that market is going to be realised.

That figure of 30% will continue to increase and increase I have no doubt but with a couple of caveats: firstly, I think the lines between mobile and desktop as pigeon holes will become increasingly blurred to the point where no-one uses those terms. Secondly, HTML5 will obviously improve (or a better technology will come along) and thus so will the experience and there will come a time when they are every bit as good as what we play now.

But, in my opinion and based on what I have seen so far, HTML5 slot games aren't ready to do that yet. Sure, they are OK, they look nice, are mostly quite playable but the experience is not as engaging or as immersive and it's certainly much less addictive. Not that I am complaining much about that

 

[dunover]

That figure of 30% will continue to increase and increase I have no doubt but with a couple of caveats: firstly, I think the lines between mobile and desktop as pigeon holes will become increasingly blurred to the point where no-one uses those terms. Secondly, HTML5 will obviously improve (or a better technology will come along) and thus so will the experience and there will come a time when they are every bit as good as what we play now.

But, in my opinion and based on what I have seen so far, HTML5 slot games aren't ready to do that yet. Sure, they are OK, they look nice, are mostly quite playable but the experience is not as engaging or as immersive and it's certainly much less addictive. Not that I am complaining much about that

That's the problem - I'd even divorce the Rapist if I could only play it in html5.

Imagine all games are eventually in this substandard format - it'd be like only ever having the X-Craptor on TV all channels 24/7 instead of anything else. You'd give up, start eyeing-up the pill cupboard....

 

[Harry_BKK]

The established providers are the ones who seem to have the problems with porting the games from flash to HTML5 and that is for legacy reasons.

The ports makes very little difference to me from a gameplay point of view but the ability to have more games available on my mobile is a definite bonus. If I recall correctly people were complaining about the HTML5 version of DOA before it had even been released and I think there is literally nothing netent could have done to satisfy some of those people.

Once upon a time players had to download casino software onto their computer to play which seems like an odd concept in this day and age. I've no doubt that then, and perhaps even still today (viper?), people didn't like the move and there were threads on this board complaining as such.

There was a comment above about mobile being niche but in 2015 30% of all netent spins were from mobile. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the 2016 results but without a doubt mobile is the big driver in online gambling right now and HTML5 is the standard for how that that market is going to be realised.

Oh please, don't over glorify mobile play as if the wheel has been re-invented.

30% mobile spins includes tablets and they are mostly used when sitting at home on the couch. The percentage played on mobile phones is just a small fraction of those 30%, hence it is most certainly a niche.

As for downloading a software, what would you call installing an App? Downloading a software, right?

 

[slotter999]

That figure of 30% will continue to increase and increase I have no doubt but with a couple of caveats: firstly, I think the lines between mobile and desktop as pigeon holes will become increasingly blurred to the point where no-one uses those terms. Secondly, HTML5 will obviously improve (or a better technology will come along) and thus so will the experience and there will come a time when they are every bit as good as what we play now.

But, in my opinion and based on what I have seen so far, HTML5 slot games aren't ready to do that yet. Sure, they are OK, they look nice, are mostly quite playable but the experience is not as engaging or as immersive and it's certainly much less addictive. Not that I am complaining much about that

I think HTML5 is a learning curve for these companies who are migrating and looking at your original thread the example you give seem like implementation issues rather than something inherently flawed with HTML5.

I think the company who have mastered the implementation best on HTML5 (but sadly not the games themselves) are the team behind bloopers who's name I cannot recall right now. If I screen mirror my phone to my big screen TV it's really impressive. I also have no complaints about netent or yrigdrassil. If your phone and TV are capable you should definitely try the screen mirroring thing if you haven't already done so... it's a good experience assuming it's a well implemented game.

 

[slotter999]

Oh please, don't over glorify mobile play as if wheel has been re-invented.

30% mobile spins includes tablets and they are mostly used when sitting at home on the couch. The percentage played on mobile phones is just a small fraction of those 30%, hence it is most certainly a niche.

As for downloading a software, what would you call installing an App? Downloading a software, right?

Yes I'd classify downloading an app as installing software. Imagine if you had to install an app for every online casino you played at? Or an app for every game provider you liked. I wouldn't prefer that model at all hence the simplification to a single standard delivered through a browser is my personal preference.

As for the comments about the 30% of spins coming from mobile, the company netent make no distinction between phone and or tablet and why would they because they are talking about it in terms of platform.

I am not trying to suggest in anyway that mobile is reinventing the wheel. I am, however, pointing out that by moving to a single standard the benefit to me as a player is I get the choice of playing the games I want to play across any platform.

 

[Captain Rizk]

Google Chrome stop supporting Flash at end of 2016

Hey guys, I have seen many comments about HTML5 versions of new games and clearly I am not speaking on behalf of the game providers and i cannot answer any questions about the new game versions etc. I am also not defending any of the new versions - simply stating a fact as part of the wider debate to maybe help with the understanding.

The one point that is absolutely key here and i haven't seen anyone mention anywhere is that Flash will not be supported by Google Chrome post 2016 - and many other browser providers. Therefore ALL game providers are being forced to move to HTML 5 for their back catalogue where it makes commercial sense to do so. Virtually all new game releases have been HTML5 for some time now because it clearly does not make sense to deliver a game in a format that will be "End of Life" within a few months. If you dont believe me just google it!!!

 

[naththo]

Exactly I have been aware of this for Google Chrome for ages. Thats why I was waiting for most of it to change from old fashion Flash Player to new format HTML 5.

 

[dunover]

Hey guys, I have seen many comments about HTML5 versions of new games and clearly I am not speaking on behalf of the game providers and i cannot answer any questions about the new game versions etc. I am also not defending any of the new versions - simply stating a fact as part of the wider debate to maybe help with the understanding.

The one point that is absolutely key here and i haven't seen anyone mention anywhere is that Flash will not be supported by Google Chrome post 2016 - and many other browser providers. Therefore ALL game providers are being forced to move to HTML 5 for their back catalogue where it makes commercial sense to do so. Virtually all new game releases have been HTML5 for some time now because it clearly does not make sense to deliver a game in a format that will be "End of Life" within a few months. If you dont believe me just google it!!!

Not actually true - html5 will become the default in Chrome from then yes, but sites still only using Flash will simply prompt you to enable Flash in Chrome, so they will still work.

Some Flash has been click-to-play in Chrome since September 2015 anyway.

They favour html5 for the fact it's slimmer therefore quicker on mobile devices and saves a few seconds therefore battery. Which is besides the point when you're sitting at home on your laptop, plugged-in!