Gaming System Bonus Parameter Selection via Segmented Menus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gaming systems face challenges in striking a balance between yield and randomness to create a feeling of luck, improving processing speed and efficiency, and providing engaging gameplay with advanced graphics and animations, while also encouraging prolonged player participation.
Innovation Solution
A gaming machine and method that utilize a presentation assembly to present reels with symbols, where certain landed outcomes trigger bonus games with player-selectable parameters, and watermarked symbols increase in value and size, influencing the likelihood of triggering bonus games, with game parameters randomly determined from weighted choices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the gaming system uses fixed game parameters determined by the system, then the yield and randomness can be controlled to create a feeling of luck, but the player engagement and perceived control are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The parameter selection process is segmented into multiple hierarchical menus, where players can navigate through different levels of parameter selection. This breaks down the complex task of selecting all parameters at once into manageable segments, reducing the perceived complexity while maintaining player control and engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring weighted sets of choices for parameters that will be automatically assigned. This allows the system to prepare multiple parameter combinations in advance, enabling rapid parameter assignment during gameplay without requiring complex real-time calculations, thus maintaining both player control and system efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system provides detailed parameter selection menus for bonus game customization, then player engagement increases, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
Weighted sets of choices are pre-configured and stored in the system before gameplay begins. When parameters need to be assigned, the system retrieves from these pre-prepared sets rather than generating options in real-time, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining the appearance of extensive customization options for the player.
Solution Approach 2:
The parameter selection interface dynamically adapts based on game state and player progress. Not all parameters are presented simultaneously; instead, the menu structure dynamically reveals or hides options based on current game context, reducing the number of parameters the player must consider at any given moment while still allowing comprehensive customization over the course of gameplay.
3Productivity
If the gaming system uses simple random parameter assignment, then processing efficiency is improved, but player engagement and feeling of control deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and stores multiple parameter combinations in weighted sets, each representing a valid game configuration. During gameplay, the system simply retrieves from these pre-prepared sets based on game state, achieving fast parameter assignment while maintaining the appearance of sophisticated, context-aware parameter selection that enhances player engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The weighted sets of choices are designed to self-regulate parameter assignment based on game conditions. The system automatically selects appropriate parameters from the weighted sets without requiring complex real-time analysis or extensive player input, achieving efficient automated parameter management that still provides player control and engagement through the menu interface.
Data Source
AI summary
Initialization of a bonus game may include a series of choices pertaining to parameters of the bonus game. A first menu comprising a first type of choices associated with a first game parameter and a second type of choices associated with a second game parameter is displayed. Upon a selection from the first menu, a second menu comprising the unselected type of choices from the first menu and a third type of choices associated with a third game parameter is displayed. Upon selection from the second menu, game parameters associated with the types of choices from which the selections were made are set according to the choices. For the unselected type of choices, a choice is randomly determined from a weighted set of choices based on the other two selected choices and set as the third game parameter. The bonus game is presented according to the set game parameters.