Barcrest Game plan.

[gambogaz1]

Since the introduction of £35 Jackpots Barcrest have lost ground on Bellfruit. After seeing the success of the DOND brand they had there 1st go at integrating the hidden box



This wasn't enough for them to win back any ground so after trying a few other ideas they then went back to the drawing board and finally cloned a DOND game into their feature board




This still wasn't enough though, unfortunately they'd hidden the DOND game as 1 of the features so Joe punter didn't know it existed so didn't play it.

So off the workshop they went and thought fuck it, we're just gonna have to put a DOND game on show just llike Bellfruit but call it something like Maze and so we got



Now the problem here was someone dropped a bollock. Players we're nailing em left right & centre. Joe punter was seeing more spins with no win than on a 5p play £75 JP clubber

So 1 bright designer thought that's it!! just like that bloke off the trebor advert deciding to make a gum, I'm gonna do something Radical and new to put us back on the map.

[gambogaz1]

No he didn't he just decided to make a DOND

[Matt Vinyl]

Great thread mate!

It was only a matter of time though, I guess. I suppose it'll at least be interesting to see how they play. I bet if you put BFM software in a Barcrest Cab, you'd be able to tell from the first spin or two...

[thecannonball89]

hey have even nicked the bells for jp lol.

[PMK]

The trouble with the crest dond games/feature was that it was so blatantly controlled to be at the same level as ur current board. At least with bfm's(particually the early ones) u felt each middle game was a genuine chance at a pot or a decent offer, add the cob factor into that and of course the official licence and you've got a winner.

Why don't they do what they use to do best, re-clone vamp/afu etc without the silly restrictions they put in some of their latest games. It's possible to know the level of nearly every single board u get on a crest these days, as it is donds but as I mentioned earlier they have the edge with the more unpredictable middle games and cobs.

Or just start from scratch and come up with something totally new. Something which rewards knowledge of features/reels, forward thinkin and the need to play the game through to get to grips with. This gives everyone a chance.

Stop trying to clone what will never be successful without the bearded twat on!!!

[Matt Vinyl]

I found that Amazing / Count Yer Cash etc, if you choose to play the game does, as you say, feel tied into board value. Although I have had quite a few £50s off of CYC when the board is clearly only a few quid over time.

The thing with these though, (barring the feature - if appropriate) £20 is the max on any board, unless you get an IM, or the £70 shot, obviously. How many times have you been on the board for nearly ten minutes, for there to be the £70 shot left on both sides and MS at the top, only for it to wally you off shortly after?

[trayhop123]

here's an idea that im sure would increase playerbility .

getting any feature out of twelve or whatever that takes you onto the videscreen ala cops n robbers,,,,,,,,, but makes you play a selection of theme'd arcade games ,,,,,,,,,, for example feature 1 space invaders ,,,,,,,,,,,,, 10 seconds to blast as many aliens as you can ,,,,,,,,,, and even if you hit the maximum possible it could be capped at a tenner or whatever , and as usual counter in percentage and everything else,,,,,and reflect your performance in board costs etc,,,, im sure it wouldn't be too hard to implement ...................... little 10 second bite sized chunks .

the possibilities are endless .

imagine a hypersports edition ,,,,,,,,,,,, 10 second hurdles button bashing . etc

[Mr McStreak]

Impulse did a machine similar to what you describe, and it barely made the pubs. Frantic was its name.

Shame, because I thought it was a great idea.

[flashback]

Was that the one with a "true odds" hi-lo? Played one in a bookies once and that was it, never to see one ever again.

[jeffvickers]

Barcrests new Indy is quite good, very progressive & fair, until something comes out for it. Casuals love it at the minute.

[chav666]

When you think about it ALL features on fruities are stolen, copied from successful machines: - Heres a few that we take for granted - but once were 'new to a machine'

Hold reels - WOW - that must make it impossible to lose?!
Nudge reels - wow - now when I'm one on the jacky I can get it in - imagine the windfall!
Nudge buster
Trails
Bonus
Supa steppa
Number runner
Invincible board
hold after nudges - did Bar x bring this in?
Win Repeat
Feature board (Barcrest?)
Line up fruits on reels (did ace do this first?)
3 holds

Any more?

It's called the process of natural selection - and you all play an intergral part by your choice of machine.

If you all started playing Bar x's and nothing else - what do you think the pubs would be filled with!

[AMK]

Not sure if anyone has had the chance to play one yet but have to say that Astra WinWall is a very good machine, like Divas wheels when it 1st came out. Over Compensates to hell. Still who am I? nobody round here plays lo-techs .(WOW and GGG are well off the cards now aint they? or ARE THEY? )

[jonb]

The biggest problem with radical innovation is acceptance among the people who make up the bulk of income for a machine.

Hold Ya Horses was very different, and how many do you see around today?

Mazooma tried 'Hypersports' with a skill based feature. Never made it off test.

Bell Fruit had that pinball/puchinko game donkeys years ago but it never got cloned so it can't have been that great.


Retailers and general punters alike love the DOND game. Let's face it the profile is crap, £3 boards forever until you get a DOND feature but they take most money on site and Billy No-Idea can get a jackpot from just being lucky.
You can't blame the likes of Barcrest for trying to get in on that act because it's all that sells, and like any company they need to meet their over heads. If that means selling out, so be it, it pays the bills.

If someone can come up with a geat new innovative game put it on here so the manufacturers can get it programmed and out on site.

[logopolis]

Gamestec delivered a van full of these Bootilicious machines about recently. Are they any good?

[harry2]

When you think about it ALL features on fruities are stolen, copied from successful machines: - Heres a few that we take for granted - but once were 'new to a machine'

Hold reels - WOW - that must make it impossible to lose?!
Nudge reels - wow - now when I'm one on the jacky I can get it in - imagine the windfall!
Nudge buster
Trails
Bonus
Supa steppa
Number runner
Invincible board
hold after nudges - did Bar x bring this in?
Win Repeat
Feature board (Barcrest?)
Line up fruits on reels (did ace do this first?)
3 holds

Any more?

Autonudge

GAIN

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