Gaming Terminal Common Game Coordination via Center Controller
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gaming machines lack a mechanism to ensure all players participate simultaneously in common games like crap games, leading to unfair situations and reduced entertainment value due to belated participation.
Innovation Solution
A gaming machine system where a center controller coordinates all gaming terminals to start and manage common games simultaneously, dynamically designates shooters, and adjusts game conditions to maintain player engagement by allowing re-rolls and bet increases, ensuring all players are involved from the beginning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If each gaming terminal runs base games individually at its own timing, then player autonomy and individual gameplay are improved, but simultaneous participation in common games cannot be achieved, leading to unfairness and reduced entertainment value
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides gaming operations into two independent segments: individual base game operations at each terminal and centralized common game coordination through the center controller. This segmentation allows terminals to operate autonomously for base games while ensuring synchronized participation in common games through centralized control, resolving the contradiction between individual autonomy and fair simultaneous participation.
Solution Approach 2:
The center controller acts as an intermediary between gaming terminals, receiving base game status information from each terminal and coordinating common game activation. This intermediary ensures that all terminals are ready for common games simultaneously while maintaining the ability for individual base game operations, thus achieving both autonomy and fairness.
2Reliability
If a common game is activated at a specific timing, then simultaneous participation is improved, but players may be left out or create unfair situations due to belated participation
Solution Approach 1:
The center controller continuously monitors base game status information from all terminals before activating common games. This preliminary check ensures all players are ready and no one is left out, as the system proactively identifies when all terminals are ready for simultaneous common game participation, eliminating belated participation issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback loop where the center controller receives base game status information from all terminals, processes this information to determine readiness for common games, and coordinates activation accordingly. This feedback mechanism ensures simultaneous participation while maintaining player accessibility and preventing unfair situations.
3Device complexity
If the shooter is fixed for a long period in crap games, then game flow is simplified, but player engagement and entertainment characteristic are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the shooter assignment from static to dynamic by having the center controller randomly select which terminal acts as the shooter for each common game round. This dynamic adjustment maintains game flow simplicity while significantly improving player engagement and entertainment characteristics, as players take turns being the shooter rather than being fixed for long periods.
Data Source
AI summary
The gaming machine performs the following functions: running a base game at gaming terminals in response to a start operation input through an input device; running a crap game simultaneously at all the gaming terminals in response to a game start command from the center controller; determining which gaming terminal is designated to be a shooter of a crap game; allowing the gaming terminal designated to be the shooter to receive a roll operation input through an input device, and output a roll operation command to the center controller; determining a win or loss which causes the crap game to end; and (i) when no win or loss is resulted, running a crap game again; and when a win is resulted, awarding a payout according to the win.