Dynamic Prize Ladder Mechanism for Gaming Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gaming machines face limitations in designing innovative game features due to regulatory requirements for minimum payout percentages, leading to inflexibility in prize structures and limited opportunities for extended play, particularly in ladder formats where rapid prize increases result in short ladders or unattractive returns.
Innovation Solution
A gaming system with a feature game that includes a series of prize outcomes and intervening games, allowing players to advance to subsequent prizes with chances before triggering a penalty event, and a progressive prize modifier system that dynamically adjusts prizes, offering multiple ladders with varying prize structures and volatility options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If prizes on the ladder increase rapidly (doubling or nearly doubling in value), then the prize structure becomes more attractive to players, but the ladder becomes too short and limits extended play
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the ladder structure adaptable and reconfigurable. The system can dynamically adjust the number of rungs, prize values, and progression probabilities based on player performance and game state. This allows the ladder to extend or contract in length while maintaining attractive prize increments, resolving the contradiction between ladder length and prize attractiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters such as prize multiplication factors, progression probabilities, and ladder depth to optimize both attractiveness and length. By adjusting these parameters dynamically, the system can create long ladders with moderate increments or short ladders with rapid increases, depending on the desired player engagement level and return-to-player requirements.
2Length of moving object
If prizes on the ladder increase slowly, then the ladder becomes longer allowing extended play, but the player does not get an attractive return commensurate with the odds of the intervening games
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts prize values and progression odds to maintain attractiveness throughout the ladder. Rather than fixed incremental increases, the prize structure can adapt to ensure that each rung offers commensurate value relative to the difficulty of advancement, allowing long ladders to remain engaging throughout their entire length.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the ladder can have different prize increment patterns. Lower rungs may have slower increases to extend play, while upper rungs can feature more attractive rapid increases to reward successful progression. This local variation in prize quality maintains attractiveness throughout the extended ladder structure.
3Reliability
If the number of prizes and incremental values in a ladder format is restricted, then the return to player can be controlled, but the ability to implement new games and variations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal ladder framework that can be applied to multiple different game types and themes. The core ladder mechanism serves multiple functions: it can be configured for skill-based games, luck-based games, progressive jackpots, or themed adventures. This multi-functionality allows diverse game implementations while maintaining controlled return-to-player through the underlying mathematical structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically configures ladder parameters including the number of rungs, prize values, and progression probabilities to match different game requirements. This dynamic configuration allows the same fundamental ladder structure to support various game implementations with different risk profiles and return characteristics, providing both control and flexibility.
4Ease of manufacture
If standard ladder formats with 50:50 outcomes are used, then the game structure is simple to implement, but the options for innovative game features are limited by regulatory requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the probability parameters from fixed 50:50 outcomes to variable progression odds that can be adjusted at each ladder rung. This allows the game to maintain simple implementation while incorporating innovative features such as risk/reward choices, bonus rounds, and adaptive difficulty that respond to player performance and regulatory requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static 50:50 probability structures to dynamic probability adjustment mechanisms. The progression odds can change based on player skill demonstration, cumulative winnings, or game state, enabling innovative features while keeping the core ladder structure simple and easy to implement.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming system is provided having a display and a game controller. The system implements a game wherein random events are caused to be displayed on the display and, if a predefined winning event results, the system awards a prize. A feature game of the gaming system includes a series of prize outcomes and a series of intervening games, which provide a player with a chance of advancing to a subsequent prize outcome in the event of a winning outcome in an intervening game. A monitoring means may be provided for monitoring and indicating the number of non-winning game outcomes and triggering a penalty event in the event of the non-winning outcomes exceeding a threshold number. In another aspect, a prize outcome of a feature is a progressive prize and a progressive prize modifier for modifying the progressive prize before awarding the prize.