I've noticed people around here have pretty different views about slot payout periods. I guess everybody likes big payoffs and short periods, so there ain't much room for debate on that score. But I'm wondering if there's some kind of consensus -- maybe some kind of psychology -- about what's a good or bad period, if you take into account bonuses, jackpots and how big the spread is between the minimum and maximum bets you can put into the machine, because I think all of that affects what people expect.
Like, if a machine lets you put in $1 to $3, for 1-3 payout lines, would you expect that machine to have a much shorter payout period than one that had $1-$16 for 16 lines... even if the actual pay percentages were exactly the same?
Or, if you had an old one-armed bandit, for example... Would you expect to get paid every third spin with a jackpot 1000x the bet, and how many extra spins would you be willing to wait for small payouts if the jackpot was 2000x, or 3000x? And what if the top three-across pays were higher than you'd normally expect... would you sacrifice the smaller pays like single cherries if you got twice as much on three bells?
I'm trying to figure out how to design the most appealing slot possible to the most players. What would you like to see?
Like, if a machine lets you put in $1 to $3, for 1-3 payout lines, would you expect that machine to have a much shorter payout period than one that had $1-$16 for 16 lines... even if the actual pay percentages were exactly the same?
Or, if you had an old one-armed bandit, for example... Would you expect to get paid every third spin with a jackpot 1000x the bet, and how many extra spins would you be willing to wait for small payouts if the jackpot was 2000x, or 3000x? And what if the top three-across pays were higher than you'd normally expect... would you sacrifice the smaller pays like single cherries if you got twice as much on three bells?
I'm trying to figure out how to design the most appealing slot possible to the most players. What would you like to see?