Gaming Machine Bonus Feature Selection Loot Box
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gaming machines lack innovative features to enhance player engagement and flexibility in bonus credit awards, limiting their ability to attract and retain customers.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a gaming machine with a bonus feature selection game, known as the Loot Box feature, which allows players to bet on and randomly select bonus features such as wild symbols, multipliers, and free spins, and offers the option to sell these features for credit values, increasing player interaction and award flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional primary game is played, then the game structure is simple and easy to understand, but player engagement and interaction are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The game is divided into two distinct segments: a primary game and a bonus feature selection game. The primary game maintains simple reel-spinning mechanics, while the bonus feature selection game offers separate interactive options for purchasing and selling bonus features. This segmentation allows each part to serve its specific function without overwhelming the player, resolving the contradiction between engagement and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The game introduces dynamic elements through the bonus feature selection mechanism, where players can actively purchase bonus features (wild symbols, multipliers, free spins) and sell them during gameplay. This dynamic interaction transforms the static primary game into a more engaging experience with multiple decision points, increasing player involvement without fundamentally altering the core game structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If bonus features are randomly selected, then award flexibility is improved, but player control and predictability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Players perform preliminary actions by purchasing bonus features before they are needed in the primary game. This allows players to prepare their bonus feature inventory in advance, maintaining control over when and how they use these features. The random selection element is softened by allowing players to buy specific features they want, combining predictability with flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a selling mechanism that inverts the traditional bonus feature model. Instead of players receiving random bonus features and hoping to use them beneficially, players can purchase specific features they need and sell them if they no longer want them or need credits. This inversion gives players control over their bonus feature inventory, allowing them to adapt to changing game situations while maintaining award flexibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a bonus feature selection game is added, then player interaction is increased, but game complexity and processing requirements are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The bonus feature selection game serves multiple functions within a single integrated system. It provides players with interactive engagement through purchasing and selling features, maintains random award flexibility, and manages bonus feature inventory. By combining these functions into one unified mechanism, the system achieves high player interaction without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary credit system that mediates between the player's actions and the bonus features. Players use credits to purchase bonus features, and can sell features back for credits. This intermediary mechanism simplifies the interaction model, allowing players to engage with the complex bonus feature system through a straightforward credit-based interface, reducing the perceived complexity while maintaining rich interaction.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming machine is described herein. The gaming machine includes a control unit programmed to display a primary game screen including a plurality of virtual reels, receive a signal indicating a wager being placed on the primary game, and initiate a bonus feature selection game by displaying a bonus feature selection game screen including a plurality of bonus features. The processor receives a signal indicating one or more wagers being placed on the bonus feature game by the player, and responsive to each wager, randomly selects a bonus feature from the plurality of bonus features and modifies a bonus feature image to indicate a number of times the corresponding bonus feature has been randomly selected. The processor receives a signal to terminate the bonus feature game and initiates an instance of the primary game using the selected bonus features.