Intelligent Button with Counter Display for Player-Controlled Bonus Redemption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gaming machines lack player control over when bonus games are played, leading to disrupted gameplay rhythm and potential discouragement due to immediate revelation of wins or losses, which can result in reduced player engagement.
Innovation Solution
A player time-selectable bonus award scheme that allows players to accrue and redeem winning outcomes at their discretion, using a counter display and intelligent game button with variable illumination patterns to manage and reveal winning symbol combinations, ensuring a 'can't lose' bonus experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If bonus games are triggered by events during base game play, then player engagement is increased through unexpected rewards, but player control over gameplay rhythm is lost and gameplay flow is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows players to accrue winning outcomes during base game play and store them for later redemption. The counter display shows the number of accrued wins, and players can choose when to redeem them, effectively performing the bonus action in advance and controlling the timing themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The bonus game system transitions from a static, automatically-triggered mechanism to a dynamic, player-controlled system. Players can accumulate multiple winning outcomes and redeem them at strategically chosen moments, making the bonus system adaptable to player preferences and gameplay rhythm.
2Reliability
If bonus games are played immediately when triggered, then game outcomes are revealed promptly, but player engagement decreases due to disrupted gameplay rhythm and potential discouragement
Solution Approach 1:
Winning outcomes are determined and accrued during base game play, but their revelation is deferred until the player chooses to redeem them. This preliminary determination followed by delayed revelation maintains reliability while enhancing player engagement through control.
Solution Approach 2:
Players serve themselves by deciding when to redeem accrued winning outcomes. The system provides the winning outcomes, but players control the timing and节奏 of their revelation, making the system self-regulating based on player preferences.
3Adaptability or versatility
If complex bonus games are introduced to enhance player enjoyment, then gameplay variety is increased, but learning curve increases and gameplay rhythm changes
Solution Approach 1:
The complex mechanics of bonus game determination are extracted from the base game flow. Players continue playing the familiar base game while accumulating wins, and the complex bonus resolution is separated into a distinct redemption phase that players control, reducing the learning burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The bonus system is segmented into two distinct phases: accrual phase (during base game play) and redemption phase (when player chooses). This segmentation allows players to master the base game first, then optionally engage with the bonus mechanism at their own pace.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances gameplay by allowing players to control the revelation of wins, maintaining engagement and extending playtime, as players can redeem accrued winnings strategically, providing a positive gaming experience with guaranteed wins.
Implementation Method 1
a light emitter that illuminates the translucent button chassis to display variable illumination patterns
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a gaming machine having a player time-selectable bonus award scheme whereby the player may redeem, at a time of the player's choosing winning outcomes accrued during base game play. Redemption of each of the accrued winning outcomes is accomplished when a player selects an option to display a winning symbol combination associated with the winning outcome. Selection of the option to display the winning symbol combination associated with the winning outcome always yields an award and sometimes yields another winning outcome, again redeemable at a time of the player's choosing. A counter display on an intelligent button of the gaming machine increments a number as each winning outcome is accrued, and decrements the number as each winning outcome is redeemed. Thus, a second game may be initiated before a first game is complete.