Dynamic Gameplay Area Expansion in Electronic Gaming Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic gaming machines lack a mechanism to dynamically expand gameplay areas, limiting player engagement and opportunities for winning combinations during bonus rounds.
Innovation Solution
The system unlocks additional symbol positions over a series of collection rounds, transitioning to an expanded gameplay area during bonus rounds, where mystery symbols associated with cash values can appear, enhancing chances of winning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the gameplay area is fixed during bonus rounds, then the game structure remains simple and easy to understand, but player engagement and winning opportunities are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The gameplay area dynamically expands from an initial area to an expanded area during bonus rounds based on unlocked symbol positions. The game transitions from a static fixed grid to a dynamic expanding grid, allowing the play area to adapt and grow as players progress through collection rounds and trigger conditions are met.
Solution Approach 2:
The gameplay area is segmented into distinct regions: an initial gameplay area with active symbol positions and a bonus region with inactive symbol positions. This segmentation allows the game to maintain a clear base structure while enabling progressive expansion into additional regions, managing complexity through modular area design.
2Productivity
If additional symbol positions are unlocked over multiple rounds, then player engagement and winning chances increase, but the game duration and time investment required increase
Solution Approach 1:
Inactive symbol positions in the bonus region are pre-configured and progressively unlocked during collection rounds before the bonus round begins. This preliminary unlocking action prepares the expanded gameplay area in advance, so that when the bonus round starts, the full expanded area is immediately available, maximizing winning opportunities without requiring additional time during the bonus round itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The unlocking of symbol positions continues seamlessly across multiple collection rounds, maintaining continuous progress toward expanding the gameplay area. This continuous action builds anticipation and ensures that each round contributes to the eventual expanded bonus round, keeping players engaged throughout the process.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic gaming machine includes a game controller configured to (i) display, (a) an initial game play area including a plurality of reels and (b) a bonus region, the initial game play area including a plurality of active symbol display positions, and the bonus region including a plurality of inactive symbol display positions, (ii) generate a first game outcome for a first base round based on a first output, (iii) in response to determining that at least one of the displayed symbols for the first game outcome is a trigger symbol, unlock at least one of the plurality of inactive symbol display positions in the bonus region, and (iv) after a plurality of base rounds of the base game, initiate a bonus game including activating all inactive symbol display positions that have been unlocked, the activating including expanding the initial game play area to include the activated symbol display positions.