The architecture behind casino games tips, Game software, Gambling table games
The Architecture Behind Casino Games
15 January 2023
When thinking of architecture, many people think of magnificent buildings and towering skyscrapers. From the Roman styles of arches and imposing columns to the Gothic look of rising spires and sharp corners, the world is full of fantastic building marvels.
However, another thing that relies heavily on architecture is video game and casino game software. It may sound like a strange concept, but games require intricate architectures that ensure they can be used easily and operate the way they were programmed to.
Read on to discover more about how architecture is critical to games and discover another type of architecture you may have never considered.
What Is Game Architecture?
Architecture in game software isn’t what you may think. Generally, it has nothing to do with how the game looks, how the different elements appear on your screen, or anything to do with what you, as the player, will look at or interact with.
Instead, architecture has to do with the build-up of core components that make a game work. These different components are built in a specific way to relate to one another, send commands and requests between each other, and ensure that the game works exactly as it has been designed to work.
This architecture consists of different elements depending on what the game is. For casino games, there is a standard recipe used to build a game’s architecture. This recipe consists of the game client and input devices, graphics and rendering engine, the sound engine, game software, CMS (casino management system), and external server.
Each of these components is critical for casino games to work correctly. One of them failing could result in a game malfunctioning and causing any wins received to be invalidated. Thankfully, high-quality games, like those offered by casinos reviewed on casinosource.co.uk, are built meticulously, and failure is rare.
Let’s delve into what each of these items in the architecture of a game does and how they all work together to help a game run the way it should.
Game Client and Input Devices
The game client is the physical device (and software) used by you as the player to play the game. In other words, it is the physical slot machine you will find in the casino or the laptop, PC, or mobile device you will use to access an online casino.
Aside from the physical electronics, the game client also refers to the software loaded onto that device that allows you to access the game. Most physical slot machines use dedicated operating systems or modified versions of Linux or Windows. Online players will access casinos via operating systems like Windows, Android, or Mac OS and use additional software like Google Chrome, Brave, or Safari.
Alongside this software and base hardware are input devices. These range from the physical buttons on a slot machine to the mouse or touchpad and keyboard used with a PC. For smartphones and tablets, the primary input device used is the touchscreen. Support and compatibility for use with these devices are coded into the game’s architecture and help it function properly whenever an input is given.
Graphics and Rendering Engine
If you’re a gamer, you have undoubtedly heard of a graphics engine. Some of the best on the market include Unreal Engine, Unity, Godot, and Amazon Lumberyard. These “engines” are the driving force behind turning coded graphics into amazing 3D visuals on your screen.
Casino games use graphic engines to ensure that all visuals are high-resolution and that any animations during gameplay are smooth and offer stunning images and videos. Without a graphics engine, all visuals in a game would be flat, virtually static, and fail to provide any remarkable resolution.
Working alongside the graphics engine of a game is the rendering engine. A rendering engine takes the generated visuals from a graphics engine and feeds them into the CPU (central processing unit) or, more commonly, a device’s GPU (graphics processing unit).
Once this data arrives, it is the job of this CPU or GPU to process and decode the visuals and feed them to the game client to display. Depending on the details of the graphics being sent to the rendering engine, this may take some time, which is why some games offer loading screens that give you an interactive game or tips on playing while the graphics are fully rendered.
Sound Engine
Like a graphics engine, a sound engine is the driving force behind the creation of all audio aspects of a game. This engine generates the sounds based on what is occurring in the game (such as a significant win) and sends the correct audio clip to the game client’s audio hardware to be played.
Game Software
As you can imagine, any game needs core software to function. This software comprises the game’s story, rules, levels, and programming. In casino games, this consists of the pay table, pay lines, bonus rounds, and extras.
CMS (Casino Management System)
Games are linked to a casino management system (CMS) for all casinos. Used to monitor all games offered in a casino, this software also keeps track of how much players are winning, spending, and playing. It also holds critical security protocols that each game must adhere to remain connected to the casino network.
External Server
The final part of a casino game architecture is the external server that it connects to. It is used to keep games connected to the CMS, push updates and security patches to games, and (in the case of progressive jackpot games) keep track of jackpots.
In many cases, the external server a game connects to is owned by the game’s development company, like NetEnt or Evolution. From here, the game pulls its source files and all other software components that are proprietary to the developer that they won’t give out to casinos.
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