Persistent Reel Collection in Free Spins for Reel Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic gaming machines lack mechanisms to enhance player engagement and variety in bonus rounds by persisting collectible symbols across game instances, limiting the potential for dynamic and unpredictable gameplay experiences.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a persistent collection feature where scatter symbols trigger a free spin feature, allowing collectible symbols to accumulate and eventually replace reels with wild symbols, enhancing gameplay variety and engagement through random determinations and controlled RTP.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If collectible symbols are reset after each base game instance, then the game structure remains simple and predictable, but player engagement and gameplay variety are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing collection indicators that track collectible symbols across multiple base game instances. These indicators are initialized before the bonus game begins, allowing the system to accumulate symbol counts from previous games and use them to determine bonus game features, thereby creating gameplay variety without requiring complex real-time adjustments during play
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by embedding collection indicators within the bonus game structure, where each indicator contains accumulated data from base game instances. This nested organization allows the system to store and process historical collection data efficiently, enabling dynamic bonus game features while maintaining a manageable system architecture
2Reliability
If collectible symbols persist from base game to bonus game, then player engagement increases through accumulation mechanics, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies feedback by implementing collection indicators that provide continuous information about accumulated collectible symbols from base games to the bonus game. This feedback mechanism ensures fair gameplay by allowing players to track their progress and understand how their base game performance influences bonus game features, while the structured feedback flow manages system complexity through clear data transmission paths
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the gaming system into distinct components: base game, collection indicators, and bonus game. Each segment handles specific functions independently, with collection indicators serving as the interface between base game outcomes and bonus game features. This segmentation reduces overall system complexity by creating modular, manageable units with well-defined interactions
3Ease of operation
If scatter symbols trigger free spin feature with collection tracking, then gameplay variety increases, but the operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by designing collection indicators that automatically update and track collectible symbols without requiring manual intervention. The system autonomously accumulates symbol counts from base games, updates indicator values, and uses these values to determine bonus game features, thereby maintaining ease of operation while incorporating sophisticated tracking mechanics
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming device is provided. The gaming device is configured to determine that at least a threshold number of scatter symbols is displayed in respective slot positions of a plurality of reels, determine a number of free spin credits for a free spin feature, for each of the plurality of reels, cause the game display to increment a collection indicator corresponding to each reel by a number of scatter symbols displayed in the corresponding reel, generate at least one collectible symbols in one of the slot position, cause the game display to increment the collection indicator for the reels in which the collection symbols are displayed, determine that one of the collection indicators has reached a threshold number of collectible symbols, and cause the game display to display a reel replacement feature in the reel corresponding to the one of the collection indicators.