Ainsworth Game Developer Terry Daly led the creation of the new Take It or Leave It series featured on the A-STAR Curve XL cabinet. Daly has been involved in the industry for nearly four decades and today continues to create top-performing content loved by gamblers worldwide.
CDC Gaming spoke with Daly about the past, present, and future.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your career in the gaming industry?
A: I started in the late 1970s at Bally in Chicago working on pinball games and eventually got into slots building prototypes of electro-mechanical slot machines for Bob Manz. He developed some of the most successful slot machine games in history, including Blazing 7s and the Black and White titles.
I was at Bally for nearly 30 years and had the opportunity to work with guys like Charlie Lombardo and Dominic Tiberio. I had incredible mentors and incredible experiences. I’ve now been at Ainsworth for about three years. It’s still exciting to be able to make games and see people enjoying them in the casinos.
Q: Take It or Leave It debuted recently in several markets and will be shown at the upcoming National Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow in Anaheim, Calif. Can you share how you came up with the idea for the series?
A: It came from a meeting with our sales team. They talked a lot about wheel games and Ainsworth had some recent success with the QuickSpin series. We also talked about how “risk and reward” style games may be poised for a bit of a comeback.
Simply, we put the two together. It worked great like peanut butter and jelly. I made a couple of three-reel titles – Super Charged 7s Classic and Reel Hot 7s Classic – in the QuickSpin family that are doing well. It was logical to continue that path.
The Take It or Leave It games – Solid Gold 8s Classic and Super Hot 7s Classic – offer three-reel, nine-line play with MultiDenom capabilities starting at 25 cents. We encourage $1 games with a 27- or 45-credit max bet. That seems to be a sweet spot. Take It or Leave It can be used as a Linked Jackpot, Standalone Progressive or static award. It’s very flexible, but the gameplay remains the same. It appeals to the classic gambler and is fun to play.
Q: How do you appeal to a High Denom player today?
A: The focus remains the same and that’s to focus on a few key areas and make an easy-to-understand game. One of those principles I always use is to create good odds for a 20-40x win. It’s not just play money, but it’s not walk away money. It’s creating that feel-good moment for the player.
You don’t want a dribbler and you want to give them something to chase. The jackpots must be obtainable and must hit fairly frequently. Players may see a neighbor winning and know they could be next. It is really a classic gambler focus and using the old school 64 and 72 stop reels.
Q: You have made many games in your career. What is your favorite?
A: The original Blazing 7s is still my favorite game. I jokingly tell my wife, “We’re going to the steakhouse or we’re going to the hot dog stand!” I worked on that game with Bob Manz. It’s great memories and I still play when I can.
Q: What’s in the future for Ainsworth and yourself?
A: I’m going to make games for a couple of more years. And I enjoy the guys I sit near at the office. They have a lot of potential and Ainsworth has a ton of potential. Our new Chief Product Officer David Bollesen started with the company late last year. We have some great games in the development pipeline and I’m excited to see them come out.
