WMS Gaming reveals its latest innovations utilising downloadable entertainment and social networking
WMS Gaming Inc., a subsidiary of WMS Industries Inc., exhibited the latest developments in its networked gaming technology at the Global Gaming Expo 2010 in Las Vegas.
A standout feature of this year’s event was that WMS devoted part of its exhibition space to the WAGE-NET® Tech Center. The Tech Center enabled customers to engage with WMS’ technical experts known as the ‘Tech Aces’ to learn more about the ease and value of adopting the multiple components of WAGE-NET.
The WAGE-NET system is a suite of platform technologies and system applications with a range of functions and uses. Key is WAGE-NET’s ability to allow operators to vary the game mix on the floor via remote download and configuration (RCD). That increases revenue generating capabilities and operational efficiency of casino gaming floors.
On the first day of G2E 2010, WMS and the Japanese gaming manufacturer KONAMI jointly announced that KONAMI products and systems are to be integrated with WMS’ WAGE-NET networked gaming system. As part of the integration initiative, WMS’ WAGENET system will support the full array of remote configuration and download functionality on both WMS and KONAMI gaming machines through a single system and user interface.
WAGE-NET Portal Platform
The WAGE-NET system includes the Portal platform. This enhances the player entertainment experience and includes both a Central Game Controller™ server distribution application and the FreedomPort™ network display interface. Importantly, by utilizing WMS’ FreedomPort Player User Interface windowing platform, WMS and KONAMI will allow each other access to deploy gaming and non-gaming applications across their respective gaming machines. These FreedomPort enabled products include WMS’ Portal application suite and KONAMI’s Player Tracking and Advanced Incentives® applications. The full range of integrated solutions will operate on both KONAMI’s gaming machines and Konami Casino Management System® (KCMS), and will be co-branded with WMS’ WAGE-NET networked gaming system.
Regulatory approval for WAGE-NET 1.0 was secured in Nevada in December 2008 and since then WMS has been adding refinements and functionality to the system. WAGE-NET 3.0, a solution that adds Account Based Wagering and Patron Services platforms to the remote configuration and download and Portal platforms is the next phase of the WAGE-NET project.
An important part of WAGE-NET’s appeal to casino operators is its ability to work with systems and hardware produced by other manufacturers. WMS’ WAGE-NET networked gaming solution is based on open architecture using industry standard communication protocols developed by the Gaming Standards Association (GSA) and is designed to be fully interoperable with other systems developed in compliance with GSA standards.
For the first phase of its Portal application rollout, WMS has four distinct series—Ultra Hit Progressive®, Winners Share™, Metascreen™, and Mega Multiplier®.
Ultra Hit Progressive (UHP) is WMS’ first commercially available Portal application family, and was demonstrated at G2E 2010 on both video and mechanical reel games. UHP adds a secondary mystery progressive bonus to the base game. Gaming operators can also use an intuitive back-of-house user interface to vary the players’ progressive bonus experience. Two themes for the UHP Portal family were on display: Jackpot Explosion®, featuring a volcanic theme, and Piggy Bankin®, with its swelling and ultimately cracking piggy bank theme.
Winner’s Share adds a secondary bonus opportunity on top of video or mechanical reel base games to provide one player with a progressive game experience when the bonus is randomly triggered. Winner’s Share debuts at G2E with the Peng-Wins™ theme, in which a penguin slides, bounces and slips through an interactive environment, collecting credit awards from 1% to 200% of the progressive jackpot.
MetaScreen provides what WMS says is the first true competitive slot experience. It debuted at G2E with Pirate Battle™, a 2-vs-2 Community Gaming competition theme available exclusively in banks of four Bluebird xD cabinets with special 32-inch overhead monitors. These monitors join to form a massive, singular screen on which a bonus canon battle randomly occurs, as red and blue teams compete for credit and progressive awards.
Mega Multiplier features bonus action powered by a real-time physics engine, and was displayed at G2E with Super Shot™ and four individual themed displays that can be swapped out on any gaming machine connected to the Mega Multiplier Central Game Controller. Mega Multiplier randomly awards players credits. They can store and use the credits to trigger the Portal application at any time they choose to launch a pinball into the top screen for a chance to multiply their stored credits up to 100x.
Player’s Life Web Services
WMS also exhibited its recently introduced Player’s Life Web Services. A total of 44 WMS games are enabled with Player’s Life Web Services, meaning the games can be played online away from the casino either via home PC or via mobile handset, subject to relevant jurisdictional approvals. Player’s Life also makes use of computer social networks to link the WMS brand and WMS games with players’ online activities.
“Web Services, which is available for casino operators to offer from their web site, unlocks for the first time in the gaming industry the highly valuable potential of social networks by providing social games, discussion forums and real-time player accomplishment notifications, among other unique features,” says WMS.
Web Services was recently launched in conjunction with the Adaptive Gaming platform, which allows players to save their progress through the game and resume play at a later time when they return to the casino.
“Time on device for players that have created a unique Web Services login is nearly 70% longer than for players without a unique login,” says Larry Pacey, WMS’ Chief Innovation Officer.
“These performance statistics clearly demonstrate how the availability of online casual games and content through Web Services provides new entertainment options for players, new insights for casino operators on their players’ preferences and increased coin-in. In this regard, Web Services is another example of how WMS leverages prior product successes to create the next innovative product that helps drive higher coin-in and increased player visits to casinos,” adds Mr Pacey.
Of the 120 new games WMS had on display at G2E 2010, 63 are integrated with Portal applications and/or Player’s Life Web Services, to create new gaming experiences for players as gaming operators choose how they mix and match these value-added features with games on their slot floor. All of the 120 new games on display are expected to be commercially available before the end of calendar year 2011.
