Wagering Game Availability Management via Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wagering game machines face challenges in maintaining operational state when primary or secondary games become unavailable due to software, hardware, or network issues, leading to player disruption and potential loss of revenue for operators.
Innovation Solution
Implementing game availability management techniques that allow players to continue playing primary games, notify them of unavailable secondary games, offer alternative gaming options, and process awards after the issue is resolved, using a system architecture with primary and secondary servers to manage game content and player accounts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a secondary wagering game becomes unavailable for play due to software, hardware, or network issues, then the wagering game machine must be taken offline for servicing, but this causes player disruption and revenue loss
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the wagering game into a primary wagering game component and a secondary wagering game component. When the secondary game becomes unavailable, only that specific component is affected while the primary game continues to operate independently, allowing the machine to remain online and generate revenue through the primary game while the secondary game is being serviced.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary notification mechanism that communicates game availability status to players. When a secondary game becomes unavailable, the intermediary notifies players of the status and redirects them to alternative gaming options, maintaining player engagement and revenue flow without requiring the entire machine to go offline.
2Ease of repair
If the wagering game machine is taken offline to service the unavailable secondary game, then the secondary game can be repaired, but the primary wagering game also stops operating causing additional revenue loss
Solution Approach 1:
The system architecture separates the primary and secondary wagering games into independent operational units. This segmentation allows the secondary game to be serviced independently without taking the primary game offline, enabling continuous revenue generation from the primary game while maintenance is performed on the secondary game component.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements preliminary notification to players before the secondary game becomes fully unavailable. This allows players to be redirected to alternative games or primary game options in advance, minimizing disruption to revenue generation while the secondary game is being serviced.
3Ease of operation
If players are notified of the unavailable secondary game and offered alternatives, then player experience is maintained, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The primary wagering game serves multiple functions: it operates as the main gaming component and simultaneously serves as an alternative option when the secondary game is unavailable. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain player engagement without requiring separate backup systems, thereby managing complexity while preserving player experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a notification intermediary that manages communication with players about game availability status. This intermediary layer handles the complexity of status monitoring and player communication centrally, allowing the core game components to remain relatively simple while still providing comprehensive player notifications and alternatives.
Data Source
AI summary
A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In some embodiments, the operations can include initiating, at a wagering game server, a secondary game for presentation on a wagering game machine. The secondary game may be associated with a primary wagering game being presented on the wagering game machine. The operations can also include detecting that the secondary game becomes unavailable for play while the secondary game is being presented on the wagering game machine, and determining identification information associated with a player of the primary wagering game and the secondary game. The operations can further include generating results for the secondary game associated with the player after the secondary game is available for play, and providing an award, depending on the secondary game results, to the player using the identification information.