Gaming Reel Symbol Stacking Configuration for Payout Volatility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multiple payline reel games become less volatile with each additional payline wagered on, leading to reduced payouts, and symbol stacking can block the formation of winning combinations, limiting player opportunities for large payouts.
Innovation Solution
The gaming system configures reels with incrementally larger stacks of symbols on each reel, allowing for the formation of winning combinations even if one or more reels generate stacks, by ensuring each reel can also generate non-stacked symbols, thereby minimizing the blocking effect.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple paylines are wagered on, then the number of opportunities to win increases, but the volatility and payout size decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the paylines into two distinct types: traditional paylines that require non-stacked symbols and scatter paylines that can utilize stacked symbols. This segmentation allows the game to maintain high volatility through scatter paylines while providing numerous win opportunities through both payline types, resolving the contradiction between number of opportunities and payout size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by making different portions of the reel strip have different symbol configurations. Specifically, certain reel positions contain stacked symbols that can trigger scatter paylines, while other positions contain non-stacked symbols for traditional paylines. This creates localized variations in game behavior across different reel positions, enabling both high volatility and frequent wins simultaneously.
2Reliability
If stacks of symbols are formed on reels, then large payouts can be achieved, but the stacks may block formation of winning combinations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments symbols into two categories: stacked symbols that form high-value combinations and non-stacked symbols that enable traditional payline wins. By ensuring both types of symbols coexist on the reel strip, the system prevents the harmful blocking effect while maintaining the ability to achieve large payouts through stacked symbol combinations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces non-stacked symbols as intermediary elements that act as mediators between stacked symbols and winning combinations. These non-stacked symbols can form traditional payline wins independently or work in conjunction with stacked symbols, thereby preventing the stacks from completely blocking all winning combination formations.
3Productivity
If identical stacks of symbols are formed on all reels, then multiple winning combinations can be formed, but the blocking effect is maximized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by ensuring that not all reels have identical symbol configurations. Specifically, at least one reel contains non-stacked symbols that can form winning combinations independently, while other reels may contain stacked symbols. This asymmetric configuration prevents the maximization of blocking effects while still allowing multiple winning combinations to form across different reels.
Data Source
AI summary
The gaming system, gaming device and method provides a reel game that includes stacks of symbols configured on the reels to minimize the effects of blocking often associated with stacks of symbols. The gaming device includes a plurality of reels wherein each reel includes a reel-strip and a plurality of symbols. The plurality of reels can be configured to include at least one stack of symbols wherein a stack of symbols is formed by placing a plurality of a designated symbol adjacent to each other on a single reel. In one embodiment, the gaming device is configured such that each subsequent reel includes a quantity of stacked symbols that is greater than the quantity of stacked symbols on a previous reel. This configuration provides that winning symbol combinations including non-stacked symbols can be formed across adjacent reels even if each reel generated a stack of symbols.