Gaming Machine Contextual Award Subsets and Numbered Indicia
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Solution Overview
Problem
The gaming industry faces challenges in creating gaming apparatus and games that balance yield versus randomness and volatility to maintain player interest, while also improving processing speed and efficiency to support advanced graphics and features, and enhancing gameplay with new animations to encourage prolonged participation.
Innovation Solution
A gaming system with a presentation assembly and game-logic circuitry that activates award regions based on symbol positions, randomly selects award options from subsets, and provides awards, using numbered indicia to represent credit values instead of complex images, allowing for flexible and efficient award processing and visual presentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If complex images and advanced graphics are used to enhance gameplay, then player engagement is improved, but processing overhead and system resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses numbered indicia as simplified visual representations that copy the essential information (credit values) without requiring complex graphical images. This allows the system to maintain player engagement through visual feedback while significantly reducing processing overhead and memory requirements compared to using detailed graphical representations of awards.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple bonus features and game formats are added to increase entertainment value, then player participation is improved, but processing speed and execution efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the award presentation into distinct phases: determining award eligibility based on symbol combinations, calculating credit values using numbered indicia, and presenting results. This segmentation allows the system to handle multiple bonus features and game formats efficiently by processing each phase independently, improving overall processing speed while maintaining entertainment value.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex graphical rendering and image processing mechanisms with a simplified numerical indication system. Instead of generating and displaying complex images representing awards, the system uses numbered indicia that can be processed and displayed rapidly, significantly improving processing speed while maintaining the essential function of communicating award information to players.
3Adaptability or versatility
If random award selection from multiple subsets is implemented to increase volatility and excitement, then player engagement is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements random award selection by changing the parameter of award subset selection based on game conditions. Different symbol combinations or game states trigger selection from different subsets of numbered indicia, creating variability and excitement. The system manages this complexity by using predefined subsets with assigned credit values, allowing random selection logic to operate efficiently without requiring complex real-time calculations.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming system comprises a presentation assembly of a gaming machine that presents a plurality of symbol positions and a plurality of selectable award options including a first subset of selectable award options and a second subset of selectable award options and game-logic circuitry. The game-logic circuitry is configured to cause the presentation assembly to activate in response to an activation event, an award region associated with one or more symbol positions and having a region type from a group comprising at least a first region type associated with the first subset and a second region type associated with the second subset based on the activation event, randomly select, in response to a trigger symbol occupying the award region, an award option from the selectable award options based on the region type of the award region, and provide an award based at least partially on the selected award option.