Gaming Machine Bonus Triggers for Controlled Yield and Randomness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gaming apparatus struggle to balance yield versus randomness and volatility to create a feeling of luck, which is crucial for player engagement and participation.
Innovation Solution
A gaming system that includes a gaming machine with electronic display and input devices, utilizing game-logic circuitry to initiate bonus features based on trigger events, spinning bonus reels, and awarding players based on bonus symbols, enhancing the gaming experience through efficient and volatile outcomes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a gaming apparatus uses random element generators to create volatility and feeling of luck, then player engagement is improved, but the yield versus randomness balance becomes difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The gaming system segments the award determination process into multiple independent trigger events (first trigger event for bonus feature initiation, second trigger event for award determination from bonus symbols). This segmentation allows separate control of volatility at each stage while maintaining overall yield control, resolving the contradiction between player engagement through randomness and reliable yield management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-determining bonus symbols and their associated values before the bonus feature is initiated. The bonus array is populated with predetermined symbols that have known values, allowing the system to control expected yield while maintaining the appearance of randomness during gameplay, thus balancing reliability and adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple bonus symbols are displayed with associated values, then award variety is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system assigns associated values to bonus symbols in advance during the population of the bonus array, before the bonus feature is played. This preliminary assignment of values simplifies processing during the bonus feature by eliminating the need for complex real-time calculations, while still providing award variety through different symbol values.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts the value determination function from the symbol display function. Bonus symbols are displayed with their associated values independently, allowing the system to manage award variety through symbol selection while simplifying processing by pre-determining values rather than calculating them during bonus feature execution.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming system includes at least one input device adapted to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance, an input indicative of a wager drawn on the credit balance for a wagering game, and a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance. In response to a wager input, a wagering game is initiated that includes the spinning and stopping of a set of bonus reels through a plurality of bonus spins populating a bonus array with bonus symbols. The bonus reels comprise a combination of symbols reducing display processing requirements and improve mapping random numbers to displayed symbols for display during bonus spins having reduced durations. When completed, an award is determined based according to values associated with less than all of the bonus symbols displayed in a bonus outcome array.