Thunderkick - Carnival Queen Dodgy Update

AussieDave

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For the time being, I'm marking this as a human error (accident) by the game developer (Thunderkick), and not an intentional act, to defraud players.

For the record...I've been playing the Thunderkick slot: Carnival Queen, for the last 3 or so years.

Over this time, the game, like other Thunderkick slots, has received multiple game version updates. While these updates are not announced per se, they can be seen in the updated Version #, which is displayed in the bottom right corner of the game's interface.

When I 1'st played Carnival Queen approx 3 years ago, I believe the Version # was: 1.2.0 (the current version #: 1.9.5)

Because my spins on this game far exceed 1Mil, I consider this a fairly decent spin sample.
As such, I can state, given this experience, the average Bonus Game hit rate for Carnival Queen, is about 250 spins.

Over this time, I played varied bet amounts. However the average Bonus Game hit rate, does not fluctuate. The bonus game still hits at around 250 spin (average).

Here's a brief overview of Carnival Queen Slot (RTP - 96.1%):
  • Payways: 4096
  • Base Game Infinite Multipliers: commencing at 1x. Each consecutive win increases the multiplier. EG: 3 wins in a row would be, 3x that win value.
  • Free Spins (Bonus Feature) Infinite Multipliers: When the bonus feature hits (3 Queens = 12 free spins, additional 2, 3 Queens add extra spins, can retrigger);
  • When bonus game hits, the multiplier in the base game, is where the free spins multiplier commence;
  • Wilds hitting (in bonus game) not combine on a win line, explode the both horrizontal and verticle lines on which the Wild hits.
I noticed about 3 or so version updates previous to the current update #1.9.5, that both the base game's Multiplier, and the Bonus Feature Game, was not hitting like it used to. At the point I just thought, maybe I'm having a bad run, and things will go back to normal, when I hit a hot streak.

Thing is though, nothing has changed since.

Reiterating, the Bonus Game for Thunderkick Carnival Queen would hit on average @ 250 spins.

I've played literally 10's thousands of spins, and the bonus game has not hit once. Not a one (1) single time, since I noticed the odd changes to this slot machine.

Plenty of 2x Queens, but never the 3'rd Queen.

I'm pretty sure Thunderkick, like most other casino slot providers these days, are all using Dynamically Generated Slot Reels, and not the old image reels.

Whatever the case is, I feel (given all my spin samples), one or more of these slot updates by Thunderkick, the Bonus Feature on Carnival Queen, has been royally screwed up, and now the bonus feature (free spins) are impossible to get.

Meaning...the 3'rd Carnival Queen Icon required to action the free spins, is MIA (has been removed).

Tonight, to test this again, I played well over 2,000 spins, 2x Carnival Queen Icon hitting BUT never the 3'rd which actions the free spins.

Reiterating, the theoretical RTP = 96.1%.

However if the Bonus Game Feature is impossible to obtain right now, then that vastly affects the overal game's RTP. Playing Carnival Queen in its present state, is akin to Death by 1,000 cuts.


Right now, I''m not pointing fingers and saying this is deliberate action by Thunderkick to scam players.

However it is certainly very sketch/odd indeed, given all the above.


Edit:
Just wanted to add, I highly doubt this oddity is a premeditated act. I think it's just human error which has happened during one (1) of the updates, and has never been discovered/patched/fixed. Thunderkick slots such as Pink Elephants, Pink Elephants 2, Riders on the Storm, etc., etc., etc., still pay well, and their bonus features still drop within their averages.
 
Last edited:

Marchyo

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Winning x3000 on Thunder Kick slots is very rare compering to others like Play&go, amatic, endorphina, yggdrasil they give bigger wins more often. Lot of casino streamers will agree with this.
 

AussieDave

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A couple of months after I made the commencing post, Thunderkick exited the AU market. With hindsight we've seen slots software turning suspiciously cold and tight, not long before it exits a certain country/s. Is Thunderkick guilty of fiddling with their slots, for this purpose too...
 

gm2891

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For the time being, I'm marking this as a human error (accident) by the game developer (Thunderkick), and not an intentional act, to defraud players.

For the record...I've been playing the Thunderkick slot: Carnival Queen, for the last 3 or so years.

Over this time, the game, like other Thunderkick slots, has received multiple game version updates. While these updates are not announced per se, they can be seen in the updated Version #, which is displayed in the bottom right corner of the game's interface.

When I 1'st played Carnival Queen approx 3 years ago, I believe the Version # was: 1.2.0 (the current version #: 1.9.5)

Because my spins on this game far exceed 1Mil, I consider this a fairly decent spin sample.
As such, I can state, given this experience, the average Bonus Game hit rate for Carnival Queen, is about 250 spins.

Over this time, I played varied bet amounts. However the average Bonus Game hit rate, does not fluctuate. The bonus game still hits at around 250 spin (average).

Here's a brief overview of Carnival Queen Slot (RTP - 96.1%):
  • Payways: 4096
  • Base Game Infinite Multipliers: commencing at 1x. Each consecutive win increases the multiplier. EG: 3 wins in a row would be, 3x that win value.
  • Free Spins (Bonus Feature) Infinite Multipliers: When the bonus feature hits (3 Queens = 12 free spins, additional 2, 3 Queens add extra spins, can retrigger);
  • When bonus game hits, the multiplier in the base game, is where the free spins multiplier commence;
  • Wilds hitting (in bonus game) not combine on a win line, explode the both horrizontal and verticle lines on which the Wild hits.
I noticed about 3 or so version updates previous to the current update #1.9.5, that both the base game's Multiplier, and the Bonus Feature Game, was not hitting like it used to. At the point I just thought, maybe I'm having a bad run, and things will go back to normal, when I hit a hot streak.

Thing is though, nothing has changed since.

Reiterating, the Bonus Game for Thunderkick Carnival Queen would hit on average @ 250 spins.

I've played literally 10's thousands of spins, and the bonus game has not hit once. Not a one (1) single time, since I noticed the odd changes to this slot machine.

Plenty of 2x Queens, but never the 3'rd Queen.

I'm pretty sure Thunderkick, like most other casino slot providers these days, are all using Dynamically Generated Slot Reels, and not the old image reels.

Whatever the case is, I feel (given all my spin samples), one or more of these slot updates by Thunderkick, the Bonus Feature on Carnival Queen, has been royally screwed up, and now the bonus feature (free spins) are impossible to get.

Meaning...the 3'rd Carnival Queen Icon required to action the free spins, is MIA (has been removed).

Tonight, to test this again, I played well over 2,000 spins, 2x Carnival Queen Icon hitting BUT never the 3'rd which actions the free spins.

Reiterating, the theoretical RTP = 96.1%.

However if the Bonus Game Feature is impossible to obtain right now, then that vastly affects the overal game's RTP. Playing Carnival Queen in its present state, is akin to Death by 1,000 cuts.


Right now, I''m not pointing fingers and saying this is deliberate action by Thunderkick to scam players.

However it is certainly very sketch/odd indeed, given all the above.


Edit:
Just wanted to add, I highly doubt this oddity is a premeditated act. I think it's just human error which has happened during one (1) of the updates, and has never been discovered/patched/fixed. Thunderkick slots such as Pink Elephants, Pink Elephants 2, Riders on the Storm, etc., etc., etc., still pay well, and their bonus features still drop within their averages.


I believe that (many) providers somehow updated their slots to make them still running, for example, at 96% RTP, but with reduced big win frequency.

This is very bad!

The players constantly lose because of this shit. To one of the casinos I promote, last month players made nearly 300 deposits without even one single withdrawal. This month on the same casino I literally have only a few depositors because the rest very likely thought it is a shit casino and moved on.

If players don't win, casinos and affiliates, in long run, don't win too. They simply end up "hunting" for new players every time a new month starts.
 
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