Not withstanding the fact that you're now speculating as much as anyone else, the very idea that a slot uses 15 weighted reel strips and can still be considered to have randomly stopping reels in any sort of traditional sense is nonsensical.
Well at least you admit that you and Balthazar are speculating too - that's a start at least!
It's true, I don't know 100% for sure how any online slots work - but neither do you two.
What I do know is what I have observed in playing and analysing them near-enough every day for the last 8 years and I have drawn my conclusions from that.
You have obviously done your own observations and come to a different conclusion. Fair enough.
Maybe you could also admit the possibility (like I do) that not all online slots work the same way?
I tell you something though - if there was a way we could get the likes of Microgaming or NetEnt to reveal the mechanics of their slots, I would put a LARGE bet on most of my theories being correct!
{Elements} How does that work even, anyway? If you get a win on 1-2-3, do those reels switch to the next set for the next drop, and 4-5 stay on the original set?
Set? Set of what?
I really don't have the time to be answering this thread (millions of things to do off-line!), but I feel I must.
OK, my theory goes like this:
Each of the 15 positions is a separate "reel" which "spins" and randomly lands on one of the symbols on that reel (Just like Jack Hammer) - each column of 3 has identical "reels".
The 15 resulting symbols then drop down into view on your screen.
Any symbols forming a win explode.
The software then "spins" how ever many new symbols are required in the same way as the original spin, and they drop down.
Repeat...
For Elements to work it has to make sure that your chance of getting a win on the fourth spin is massively smaller than the proceeding three, how do they map out all the possible combinations through these fifteen different reel strips?
What you are saying is that the game is rigged or weighted to only give you the bonus feature when some routine within the software says it's time. I accept that is possible - but I think it's unlikely.
If it does work that way, it wouldn't need to "map" anything - it would just need to block some of the symbols from appearing to ensure a win is not formed on the 4th drop.
I admit I could be completely wrong about this slot, as it's not like anything I've ever seen before.
But if I am wrong and you're right, it basically means this slot is an AWP, which is a scary thought for me...
To get back to IR, I think that the reel strips you see at all times, both base games and features, are 100% for show, simply because the player expects to see spinning reels when he plays a slot.
The reels spin for a bit, and then it drops in what it actually wants to on the reels, yes you may be able to map what drops into place to a 'strip' but that doesn't mean it's a random stop. Plus you can learn the reels quick enough, when on two scatters and waiting for the third, you often see a scatter roll past and then very quickly a scatter drops in to make the third, but that scatter didn't exist on the reel strip in that place, the slot just 'generates' it because the RNG picked a bonus round for that spin.
What you are saying is true of
some slots and
some softwares - but not of the majority of online slots and IMHO not of IR.
I've explained this years ago somewhere on the forum - I wish I could find that post so I don't have to type all this again!
What happens is:
The reel "spins" and you see a true reflection of the reel strip layout passing before your very eyes!
(If you've ever had an internet disconnect or other pause causing an extended spin, you will have been able to see this for yourself)
When the reel is about to stop, the software "cuts in" the finishing position (which has been selected by a randomly generated number from 1 to X) and then the reel stops. (If you don't understand why the "cut-in" is needed - ask and I will explain)
With Microgaming the "Cut in" on recent slots seems to vary and includes from 1 to 3 extra symbols. With NetEnt there are no extra symbols at all (which actually annoys me a bit!)
So, I'll try to show this graphically below...
The Black numbers are the positions on the reel strip from 01 to X (however many symbols are on the reel).
The Blue numbers are the extra symbols at the start of the "cut-in".
The Red numbers are the 3 symbols which end up being displayed on your screen.
(Bear in mind that the reel spins downward, so the numbers at the bottom of this graphic are what you see first).
15
14 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
13
12 < Symbols in View
11 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
10
09
08 _ _ _ _ < Cut-in
11
10
09
08
07
06
05
Now suppose on this reel that position 11 is the scatter symbol. In this example you would see that scatter go past and yet still "miraculously" land in your window, even though it only appears once on that reel.
If you don't believe what I'm saying, PLEASE go and play some MG slots on normal spin speed and watch very closely - you will see it!
Tell-tale signs are two of the same symbol appearing next to each other just before the spin stops, when they never appear adjacent with the reel stopped. Or stacked wilds having less than the full number of adjacent symbols, again just before the spin stops.
Cashapillar is a very good slot for viewing this - or pretty much any slot with stacked wilds or very distinctive symbols you can easily pick out.
KK