Catalyst Symbol Upgrade Mechanism for Gaming System Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The gaming industry faces challenges in creating gaming apparatus and games that yield a negative return on investment in the long run while remaining random and volatile enough to evoke a feeling of luck in players. Additionally, there is a need to improve processing speed and efficiency in gaming systems to enhance player experience and reduce inefficiencies in game software execution.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a gaming machine and method that utilize game-logic circuitry and a presentation assembly to present symbol-bearing reels. This system includes base symbols, value-bearing symbols, and catalyst symbols, where the presence of catalyst symbols triggers enhancements to landed symbols, which are randomly selected and animated, and can also initiate free spins with the catalyst symbol locked in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the gaming system uses advanced graphics, multiple game features, and multiple random outcome determinations per feature to make games more entertaining, then player engagement and excitement are improved, but processing speed and efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the gaming system into separate functional modules: a random number generator for outcome determination, a symbol upgrade mechanism for feature management, and a presentation assembly for graphics display. This segmentation allows each component to operate independently and efficiently, reducing overall processing burden while maintaining entertainment features.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs random outcome determinations before the actual game play begins, and pre-configures symbol upgrade probabilities and presentation animations. This preliminary action reduces real-time processing requirements during gameplay, allowing for smoother execution of multiple features without sacrificing speed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the gaming system implements multiple random outcome determinations per feature to increase game complexity and excitement, then player engagement is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The symbol upgrade mechanism serves multiple functions: it determines outcome modifications, manages feature probabilities, controls presentation effects, and handles payout calculations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate complex subsystems, thereby managing overall device complexity while supporting multiple game features.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a central control logic that acts as an intermediary between the random number generator and the presentation assembly. This intermediary layer simplifies the system architecture by providing a unified interface for managing multiple random outcome determinations and coordinating various game features without requiring direct complex interconnections between all components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the gaming system uses catalyst symbols to trigger enhancements and free spins to increase player engagement, then volatility and luck perception are improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic processing cycles where catalyst symbol triggers are evaluated at specific intervals during the game cycle. By timing the processing of enhancement applications and free spin activations at optimal moments rather than continuously, the system maintains player engagement while reducing overall processing time requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
There are provided a gaming machine and method that utilize game-logic circuitry and a presentation assembly configured to present a plurality of symbol-bearing reels and an array. The symbols include base symbols, value-bearing symbols and catalyst symbols. The value-bearing symbols may bear credit amounts or be associated with a progressive or non-progressive jackpot. The reels are spun to land symbols from the reels in the array. In response to the landed symbols including at least one catalyst symbol, a number of enhancements to the landed symbols may be randomly selected and the selected enhancements may be animated via a presentation assembly. The enhancements may be applied a random number of times for each appearance of a landed catalyst symbol. A landed catalyst symbol may also trigger a number of bonus free spins of the reels during which the catalyst symbol remains locked in place in the array.