Wagering Game API Compatibility via Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wagering game machine developers face challenges in developing secondary games that are compatible with primary games, as their content and code are often intertwined, leading to extended development cycles and increased risk of operational errors when modifying secondary game programming.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where primary and secondary games operate as separate applications, with the primary game providing APIs for the secondary game to access necessary functionality and data, allowing for independent development and configuration, and using a compatibility checker to ensure seamless integration without operational errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If secondary games are integrated with primary games through intertwined content and code, then game functionality and interaction are enhanced, but development complexity and operational error risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the wagering game ecosystem into separate, independent components: primary games, secondary games, and game content items. Each operates as an independent application with its own codebase, allowing them to be developed, modified, and maintained separately while still interacting through defined interfaces and shared content items.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary elements including APIs (application programming interfaces), content items, and configuration files that mediate between primary and secondary games. These intermediaries enable communication and data sharing without requiring direct code integration, thus reducing complexity while maintaining functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If secondary games are integrated with primary games through intertwined content and code, then game interaction is enhanced, but modification risk and operational errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the game system into independent applications (primary games, secondary games) with separate codebases, modifications to one component do not affect others. This isolation reduces operational errors and increases reliability while maintaining game interaction through defined interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements compatibility checkers that perform beforehand verification of interactions between primary and secondary games. Configuration files and API definitions establish predetermined rules and constraints that prevent operational errors before they occur, cushioning against potential failures.
3Productivity
If primary and secondary games operate as separate applications, then development efficiency and flexibility improve, but integration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes universal interfaces and standardized communication protocols (APIs) that enable different primary and secondary games to interact through common mechanisms. Configuration files serve as universal blueprints that define relationships between games, reducing integration complexity despite operational separation.
Solution Approach 2:
Intermediary components including APIs, content items, and configuration files facilitate integration between separate game applications. These intermediaries handle the complexity of cross-game communication, allowing developers to work independently while the system manages integration automatically.
4Ease of manufacture
If secondary games access primary game functionality through APIs, then independent development is enabled, but compatibility verification complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service mechanisms where compatibility checkers automatically verify API compatibility between primary and secondary games. Configuration files contain predefined rules that enable automated verification without requiring manual intervention, reducing the burden of compatibility checking despite increased API interactions.
Data Source
AI summary
A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In some embodiments, the operations can include presenting a primary wagering game and receiving a request to present a secondary game in connection with the primary wagering game. The primary wagering game and the secondary game can be separate applications that require interactivity with each other (e.g., provide required functionality to each other, communicate shared data with each other, etc.). The operations can further include determining that an application programming interface (“API”) provides the required interactivity so that the secondary game can function in conjunction with the primary wagering game without problems (e.g., can successfully plug-in to the primary wagering game). The operations can further determine optional and non-optional requirements and determine compatibilities based on the optional and non-optional requirements. Further, the operations can add functionality to the primary wagering game, the secondary game, or the API, to enable compatibility.