The past few years have seen immense growth in the number of online casinos. Some of the reasons behind this increase are;
· Technology advancement
· Ease of access to gambling services
· Reduced transaction costs
· Instant payments
· Availability of a wide range of games
The game’s popularity has led to many companies venturing into the business, making gaming software to become competitive. However, the process of developing a game is complicated, time-consuming, and costly.
Besides that, age and geographical restrictions have made the process even more complicated and tough to accomplish. The blog below aims to help game developers advance their development process.
The processes involved are included in the post as well as the tools and techniques present in every step. But before that, let’s look at the people engaged in the software development of slot games.
People Involved
The complexity of casino slots requires many experts and different types of brains. Below are some of the experts involved in casino game development;
· Designers
They are essential in setting the theme or layout of the game. Additionally, they plan how everything blends with the details of the game.
· Mathematicians
According to Mike Tan from OnlineCasinoGems, “Legitimate casinos use Random Number Generators, and this requires experts to ensure the integrity of the games remains intact. He advises that the game needs to be fair too.”
In other words, he’s explaining the role that mathematicians play in the development of slot machine software. They ensure that the RNGs work perfectly. These RNGs make sure that the released numbers follow a pattern that can’t be easily predicted by human beings.
· Art Directors
Their main work is to ensure the software’s interface is as desired. Art Directors achieve this by working around the game’s visuals and overall vision.
· Sound Team
This team includes music writers, editors, as well as producers. Their work is aimed at achieving the best level of the required sound effects.
· Tech Team
Developing a game requires a graphic designer and a system developer for coding purposes. According to reports on CyberTech Computer Services, the most preferred programming language here is HTML5, as most casino players use mobile devices.
· Testers
Their main work is ensuring the software is of ideal quality. Moreover, they have to check the random number generator is working as desired.
· Configurator
After completing the development process, the game is ready for launch, and no one does the job better than the hired configurator. However, effective launching requires some assistance from software developers.
Gaming Slots Development Process
Under this section, you will learn the complete process of casino game software development, including coding. So, let’s get started.
Idea Brainstorming
The variety of gambling software available poses challenges when brainstorming ideas. In order to achieve the desired goal of making money and drawing many customers, software developers need to come up with a unique platform.
By being unique, the new software should be exciting and equally fresh to attract the player’s attention. Geographical restrictions need to be adhered to, and the target audience should be considered before settling on the option. If you are wondering how to go about the brainstorming stage, below are some tips for you;
· Use market research software
· Use surveys
· Apply the use of a usability testing system such as LOOP11
· Use gaming social media platforms
The Technology Part
After coming up with a well-understood idea, you now need to put the context into reality. The process is complicated and takes close to 6 months to complete. It also involves two steps, namely; prototype creation and coding.
Prototype Creation
Here, you create a skeleton of your intended software to see if it works as desired before you venture into coding. There are many tools and software to use here, and if the idea is successful, you are in a position to create a primary version of the game.
Here are some tools to help developers with prototyping;
· Framer – as seen on framer.com, the software doesn’t require any coding knowledge. You can easily develop your game here upon request, and the prices range from $12 to $79 for individuals and companies.
· Marvel – the software is suitable for mobile and web games. It has unique features that allow you to edit, resize, and optimize the game for different platforms.
· InVision and Proto.io – these two are web-based services, suitable for creating game interfaces for web and mobile games.
· Unity – this is a complete casino game designing platform for mobile, VR, AR, instant, and social games.
Coding
The process is a time-consuming stage and is equally highly important. The scene sees software developers, designers, and artists working together to come up with ideally functional gaming software. The process calls for the use of many technologies and development services including;
· HTML5 – according to Forbes, close to 90% of all active devices support HTML5 format. This explains why 70% of slot software is made on an HTML5 basis. HTML5-based games are considered to be faster and more instant. Additionally, vector graphics can be used for scalability without altering the software’s quality.
· Angular open-source JavaScript for SPAs – the service is common as it provides 2-way data binding, directions as well and simple testing capabilities. The code is likewise easily readable, simple to maintain, and reusable.
· Node JS – the technology works on multiple platforms, and it ideally suits lottery platforms, betting software, and slot game development.
Testing
This is a vital step as it requires a critical eye to ensure the game doesn’t lag, and it is complete for launching. The tests performed on these slot software include;
· Combinatory test
· Functionality test that’s used to detect bugs and inaccuracies
· Compatibility test to track if the game works on given devices
· Regression test to check if the game updates affect the existing software
· Load test to see how the game loads in real play
· Playtest to show how the game works and the non-functioning parts
Finale – Game Launch
After successfully undergoing the stated tests, the game is ready for launch. However, the game still requires maintenance and support, as well as keeping the software up to date. Updates serve multiple purposes, such as improving software stability and compatibility.
This means that software developers do not halt their research here. They continue searching for ways to improve the platform and analyze the market for better opportunities. By doing this, you ensure that the introduction of new games causes minimal impact on your existing platform.
