Question The mechanics of awarding the bonus feature/free spins etc

[mathsboy1975]

The internal mechanics of video slots interests me a lot and leads me to ask this question. I have been giving thought to how bonus features get awarded. From what I have read here in this forum over a number of threads I have built up the understanding that outside of feature rounds, the win amount per spin is chosen by random number generation. This makes perfect sense although I could similarly understand if it were done using real slots with symbols and payouts per symbol selected such that uniform probability for each symbol resulted in the equivalent payout levels per spin as with RNG.

The factor that I have not been able to make much sense of is the bonus features. I have 2 theories on how it may work:

1. The feature occurs with a given probability (say 0.005 for example) so long term you would hit the feature every 200 spins. At this point the slots then pull a win value out from another (or possibly the same) RNG to generate the overall win value and go through the motions of displaying the feature to the player. I would guess it is a different RNG for features as you can usually hit larger wins off features than from the best paying symbol combination
2. The wins are simply ALL pulled from the same RNG but for the larger wins the feature rounds are selected. This could also hold for lower wins too just to ensure that the feature rounds are played with reasonable regularity for the purpose of players entertainment.

These are just 2 theories on the matter that I have at the moment, and I was wondering if anyone has any insight as to whether I am on the right track or not. I am sure that it is possible that the mechanics differ from game to game, but I wonder if anyone with knowledge of how the games are developed knows how slot features are determined. Ultimately it doesn't matter of course and I am sure it is of no interest to a lot of people but I do find it genuinely interesting and would like to know more.

 

[dunover]

The internal mechanics of video slots interests me a lot and leads me to ask this question. I have been giving thought to how bonus features get awarded. From what I have read here in this forum over a number of threads I have built up the understanding that outside of feature rounds, the win amount per spin is chosen by random number generation. This makes perfect sense although I could similarly understand if it were done using real slots with symbols and payouts per symbol selected such that uniform probability for each symbol resulted in the equivalent payout levels per spin as with RNG.

The factor that I have not been able to make much sense of is the bonus features. I have 2 theories on how it may work:

1. The feature occurs with a given probability (say 0.005 for example) so long term you would hit the feature every 200 spins. At this point the slots then pull a win value out from another (or possibly the same) RNG to generate the overall win value and go through the motions of displaying the feature to the player. I would guess it is a different RNG for features as you can usually hit larger wins off features than from the best paying symbol combination
   
   This has been considered before but we assured by casino reps that (Enzo 3dice for one) that each spin is individually random.
   
2. The wins are simply ALL pulled from the same RNG but for the larger wins the feature rounds are selected. This could also hold for lower wins too just to ensure that the feature rounds are played with reasonable regularity for the purpose of players entertainment.

Right, I believe that to be correct. Take ThunderstruckII for example. The wins that a 4-reel shitstorm, 5 reel and most 3-reel shitstorms produce are simply not available on non-shitstorm reel combinations/win amounts. Therefore if you select a win from the RNG that is over x-amount, it HAS to provide shitstorm graphics to display it. Logical and correct I believe.


These are just 2 theories on the matter that I have at the moment, and I was wondering if anyone has any insight as to whether I am on the right track or not. I am sure that it is possible that the mechanics differ from game to game, but I wonder if anyone with knowledge of how the games are developed knows how slot features are determined. Ultimately it doesn't matter of course and I am sure it is of no interest to a lot of people but I do find it genuinely interesting and would like to know more.

There is a third scenario which you may have thought of. To save typing I'll direct you here:
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/threads/netents-slot-reels.57531/ (check out post#10)
Basically, on bonus rounds, although the trigger/scatter award is in RNG pool A, you select wins from RNG pool B once the feature starts. This explains the different reel set ups and win values not obtainable in normal play.
Added up, and over time, the flat and the bonus rounds will add up to the slots TRTP.