Sequential Symbol Highlighting for Wagering Game Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gaming machines struggle to enhance player engagement and profitability by providing an entertaining and exciting experience, as the perceived likelihood of winning is similar across competing terminals, leading to a need for innovative display methods to highlight winning outcomes effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method for conducting a wagering game that involves visually highlighting winning symbols in a sequential fashion on gaming terminals, including displaying symbol-bearing reels, determining winning outcomes, and showcasing winning symbols on multiple lines to enhance player understanding and excitement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional display methods are used to show winning outcomes, then the gaming terminal maintains simple display mechanics, but player engagement and excitement are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The display method segments the winning symbols into multiple groups and highlights them sequentially rather than all at once. This segmentation creates a progressive reveal that maintains simplicity while significantly increasing player engagement and excitement by building anticipation through staged visual feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic action by highlighting winning symbol groups in sequential intervals rather than simultaneously. Each group is highlighted for a predetermined time period, creating a rhythmic visual pattern that enhances entertainment value while keeping the display mechanics straightforward.
2Device complexity
If all winning symbols are highlighted simultaneously, then the display is simple to implement, but player understanding of individual winning lines is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the set of winning symbols into distinct groups corresponding to different winning lines or combinations. By highlighting these groups sequentially rather than all at once, the system maintains relatively simple display mechanics while significantly improving player understanding of which symbols contributed to which wins.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary organization of winning symbols into meaningful groups before the highlighting sequence begins. This preliminary action ensures that when symbols are highlighted sequentially, players can clearly understand the relationship between symbols and winning outcomes, reducing information loss about winning line structures.
3Productivity
If sequential highlighting of winning symbol groups is implemented, then player engagement increases, but the display process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by highlighting each group of winning symbols for a predetermined time period, then pausing before highlighting the next group. This rhythmic approach maximizes player engagement during the highlight sequence while keeping the total display time controlled and predictable, preventing excessive time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adjusts the timing parameters of the sequential highlighting based on the number of winning symbol groups and the desired level of engagement. By dynamically optimizing the duration and pacing of each highlight interval, the patent achieves high player engagement while minimizing the overall time required for the display process.
Data Source
AI summary
An outcome of a wagering game is evaluated to determine if it is a winning outcome. In response to the outcome being a winning outcome, it is determined if the winning outcome includes two or more groups of winning symbols. In response to determining that the winning outcome includes two or more groups of winning symbols, each of the two or more groups of winning symbols is visually highlight in a sequential fashion. Further, it is determined if each of the two or more groups includes winning symbols on two or more lines. In response to determining that one of the two or more groups includes winning symbols on two or more lines, the winning symbols on each of the two or more lines is visually highlighted in a sequential fashion.