Incremental Bonus Awards in Gaming Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gaming machines lack innovative bonus features that enhance player engagement and entertainment value, leading to a need for new types of bonus games that offer increased excitement and profitability.
Innovation Solution
A gaming machine and method that incorporate incremental bonus awards, where winning outcomes are associated with bonus awards or multipliers, allowing players to accumulate and increment these awards during a bonus game, such as a free spin bonus, providing increased entertainment and potential payouts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional bonus games are used, then players receive fixed awards, but player engagement and entertainment value remain limited
Solution Approach 1:
The bonus award structure transitions from static fixed awards to dynamic incremental awards that increase with each winning outcome during the bonus game. The award value is not predetermined but evolves during gameplay, creating adaptability while maintaining manageable complexity through controlled incrementation rules.
Solution Approach 2:
The bonus award parameter changes during the bonus game based on the number of winning outcomes achieved. As players obtain more winning outcomes, the bonus award parameter increments, transforming the fixed award structure into a variable one that adapts to player performance without requiring complex game mechanics.
2Reliability
If incremental bonus awards are implemented, then player engagement and excitement increase, but game complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bonus game is segmented into discrete winning outcomes that can be independently tracked and rewarded. Each winning outcome represents a separate event that contributes to the overall bonus award, allowing the system to manage complexity through modular event processing while maintaining high player engagement through cumulative rewards.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements immediate feedback by awarding bonus credits for each winning outcome during the bonus game. This feedback loop reinforces player engagement by providing visible, incremental rewards that build excitement, while the automated tracking of wins and corresponding award calculations manages the complexity of bonus game mechanics.
3Device complexity
If fixed bonus awards are used, then game rules are simple, but entertainment value and player attraction decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The bonus award structure evolves from static to dynamic, where award values change during gameplay based on player performance. This dynamic structure increases entertainment value and attracts more frequent play, while the underlying system manages complexity through standardized incrementation rules and automated tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The bonus award parameter is transformed from a fixed value to a variable that changes during the bonus game based on the number of winning outcomes. This parameter change creates increased player attraction and play frequency, while the system manages the resulting complexity through consistent award calculation rules and automated game control.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming machine for conducting a wagering game includes a display for displaying a plurality of symbols, the symbols indicating a randomly-selected outcome selected from a plurality of outcomes. The plurality of outcomes include at least one winning outcome wherein the winning outcome is associated with a bonus award. The gaming machine includes a controller operative to vary and display at least a portion of the plurality of symbols. If the symbols indicate the winning outcome, the controller is operative to award a payoff associated with the winning outcome and change the value of the bonus award for a future play of the gaming machine.