Gaming Catalyst Symbol Shifting for Engagement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The gaming industry faces challenges in creating a balance between yield and randomness to encourage prolonged player participation, improving processing speed and efficiency, and enhancing game play with new animations that are both entertaining and engaging.
Innovation Solution
A gaming system and method utilizing an electronic display with reels that include a catalyst symbol, where the catalyst symbol shifts positions after each spin, awarding payouts based on value-bearing symbols, and continues to do so until it shifts off the array, enhancing player engagement and animation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the game offers advanced graphics and special effects with multiple bonus features, then player engagement and entertainment value are improved, but processing speed and efficiency of usage of processing and memory resources deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The game is divided into distinct segments: base game play, catalyst feature activation, and bonus features. Each segment is processed independently, allowing the system to manage complex graphics and effects without overwhelming processing resources at any given moment.
Solution Approach 2:
The catalyst symbol is pre-positioned in the array before the base game begins. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for complex real-time calculations during play, as the system only needs to track whether the catalyst symbol lands on a value-bearing symbol during each spin, rather than calculating all possible outcomes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the game provides multiple bonus features with different game formats, then player participation is encouraged, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catalyst symbol serves multiple functions: it acts as a trigger for the catalyst feature, a marker for determining payouts, and a visual element that enhances player engagement. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate complex bonus features while maintaining player interest.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having multiple catalyst symbols that shift positions, the invention uses a single stationary catalyst symbol in the array while the reels spin. This inversion simplifies the tracking logic, as the system only needs to check if the catalyst symbol position corresponds to a value-bearing symbol after each spin, rather than tracking multiple moving catalyst symbols.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the game uses a persistent catalyst feature with symbol shifting, then player engagement is improved, but processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The catalyst symbol position is determined in advance and stored in memory before the base game begins. During play, the system simply compares the catalyst symbol position with the landing positions of value-bearing symbols, eliminating the need for complex real-time position calculations and reducing processing requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a gaming system, gaming machine, and method that utilize an electronic display device configured to display a plurality of reels and an array. The plurality of reels bear a plurality of symbols, including standard symbols, a catalyst symbol, and value-bearing symbols. A series of reel spins are conducted where each spin lands symbols from the plurality of symbols in the array. In response to the catalyst symbol being among the landed symbols in a spin, a payout is awarded based any value-bearing symbols among the landed symbols. For each subsequent spin in the series, the catalyst symbol is shifted to an adjacent position in the array, and a payout is awarded based on any value-bearing symbols among the landed symbols until the catalyst symbol shifts off the array.