Learn how to – What Tools Do You Need To Develop A Slot Machine?

Learn how to – What Tools Do You Need To Develop A Slot Machine?.

Are you someone who likes to code? Are you planning on trying your hand at putting together an online casino website? If the answer is yes, you’re in the right place.

We’ll be discussing the tools you’ll need in order to develop an online slot machine. If you live in Australia, they are known as ‘pokies’. If you want to know more about pokies, check out 5 Star Pokies magazine so you have an understanding of the game itself. 

Today, online casinos are gaining in popularity. Especially at a rapid pace. But do you have what it takes to develop it in the technical sense?

If so, what better way to put your coding skills to the test like building your first online slot (or pokies) game. This is something that will take time and patience. But when the final product is rolled out, you’ll be proud of the work you’ve put in.

 Let’s take a look at the tools you need to get started:

1. Art and Graphics

One of the major aspects of a slot machine or pokies game is visuals. That’s where the art and graphics will come into place. The question you’ll want to ask yourself is: what kind of theme will the game have?

Once you’ve decided on a theme, that’s when you’ll want to put together a few designs. For example, let’s say you decide on a space theme. You could have alien heads instead of cherries or three or five matching space shuttles as the jackpot winning combination. 

Think of some important things that match well with the theme. Also, determine which symbols represent the prize amount one if there is a combination. With today’s technology, you can decide on what kind of graphics you want to go with.

This includes 3D or CGI. Still, some of the artwork may need to be drawn by hand. Eventually, those drawings and designs will become the wireframe and even the finished design. 

2. Mechanics

You got the art and graphics down. Now, it’s time to set everything else in motion. Everything down to the little known effects.

You’ll want to build the mechanics based on a sequence of events or even additional actions. These will depend on how peculiar the mechanics are. As you develop the slot or pokies machine,  this is something to focus on in the early development stages.

The mechanics should also include things like bonus features that will allow the player to continue playing (and even influence play).

3. The software

You cannot literally get the game to work without good software. So finding one will be key. Before choosing one, it’s important to consider where the game will be available to play. 

Will it be accessible only on the web? Will there be access on mobile devices? Will there be a standalone app?

This will depend on how much you want to do. Preferably, in today’s technological world, most casino websites are responsive. To further explain, casino websites can be easily accessible on both a desktop computer and a mobile device like a smartphone (which can adjust to the appropriate screen size).

Now, here comes the fun part: what language will the software be developed with? You have codes like Javascript, C++. C#, Lua, and more. If you have a bit of time on your hands, you can make sure that you can put your coding skills to the test. 

Otherwise, you can create the game with existing software and make some tweaks and adjustments if you see it as fit. 

Don’t forget, you also need a game engine to run it as well. This could include Unity or Unreal Engines. There are plenty of other engines out there to choose from. Find the one that will make your game run smoothly and efficiently.

4. Beta testers

If there is one important tool you need for the development process, it’s beta testers. These are people who you can recruit in-house or online to test out the functionalities and everything else. You’ll test how the game works, if the bets are going through properly, and whether or not all the moving parts and functions are actually working as they are programmed to do.

It’s always good to test constantly before your first slot machine game is made available to the public. Because the last thing you want is to create a slot machine game, allow it to go live, and then cause a lot of problems for players.

The last thing you want are angry players. So be sure to test every little detail. And don’t be afraid to go back to the drawing board if something is amiss.

5. Security

Security is paramount when it comes to online casino games. If you are planning on releasing your slot machine or pokies game as something where people can win real money, you’ll want to consider security options. This includes software that will allow for secure encryptions that will protect a person’s financial information and also your payment gateways.

Also, you’ll want to protect your game from all kinds of cyber bad guys. Every day, hackers are finding creative ways to hack into websites including online casinos. They will inject all kinds of spyware, malware, viruses, and everything in between.

And that could render your game useless until you have to straighten out all the bad stuff. 

Final Thoughts

These five tools listed above are what you need if you plan on developing a slot or pokies machine. You’ll want to come up with a theme and the mechanics before going building onto it more. With time, patience, and plenty of testing, your slot machine game will be fully functional.

Plus, it’s a step in the right direction if you ever want to develop an online casino from the ground up. If you are a developer, you can build the game yourself. If you lack the coding and development skills, you can always outsource the project to someone who knows their stuff about developing gaming software.