Electronic Gaming System Free Game Meter Accumulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic gaming machines lack an effective mechanism to increment free games associated with feature games based on symbols occurring in a base game, limiting player engagement and perceived equity in gaming sessions.
Innovation Solution
An electronic gaming system that increments free game meters when specific accumulation conditions are met during the base game, allowing players to trigger feature games with expanded symbol rows and increased free spins, enhancing player investment and session duration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If free games are awarded only through traditional bonus triggers, then the game structure remains simple, but player engagement and perceived equity are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by accumulating free games in meters during base game play before the feature game is actually triggered. Symbols occurring during base game spins are evaluated to increment free game meters, so that when a bonus trigger occurs, the player has already accumulated a substantial number of free games to play, enhancing engagement without complicating the core game structure
Solution Approach 2:
Free game meters serve as an intermediary mechanism between base game play and feature game activation. The meters store accumulated free games and mediate the transition to the feature game, allowing the system to track and manage multiple accumulation conditions without directly complicating the base game structure while still providing enhanced player engagement
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple feature games are associated with different free game meters, then player investment increases, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the feature game experience into multiple distinct feature games, each with its own dedicated free game meter. This segmentation allows different accumulation conditions (different symbols) to be associated with different feature games, enabling players to invest in specific feature games they prefer while keeping the system structure manageable through clear separation of meters and their associated features
Solution Approach 2:
The free game meter system provides multi-functionality by serving as a universal mechanism that can be associated with multiple different feature games. Each meter can be independently configured for different feature games, allowing the same basic meter infrastructure to support various feature game types and accumulation conditions without requiring separate complex systems for each feature
3Reliability
If free game meters are incremented based on symbol accumulation, then perceived equity increases, but the evaluation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically evaluating symbols during base game play and incrementing the appropriate free game meters without requiring player intervention or complex manual tracking. The processor continuously monitors symbol occurrences and automatically updates meter values, providing transparent and reliable accumulation that enhances perceived equity while keeping the evaluation process automated and manageable
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic gaming machine includes a display device and a processor configured to execute instructions which cause the processor to at least initiate a base game that displays a plurality of symbols across a plurality of rows, and evaluate the plurality of symbols displayed in the plurality of rows to determine an outcome of the base game. The instructions also cause the processor to determine whether an accumulation condition is satisfied based on the symbols displayed during the base game, and in response, increment a free game meter of a plurality of free game meters stored in the memory. Each free game meter is associated with one feature game of a plurality of feature games, and each free game meter stores a number of free games that will be awarded to a player of the electronic gaming machine when the feature game associated with the free game meter is triggered.