Wagering Game System Dynamic Payline Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In gaming machines, players face a challenge when their available credits fall below the minimum required to play all paylines, leading to a decrease in entertainment value and profitability for operators, as they cannot continue playing without adding more credits or cashing out.
Innovation Solution
A gaming machine system that displays player options when credits are insufficient, allowing players to choose between cashing out, adding more credits, or playing with a reduced number of paylines, ensuring continuous gameplay and maintaining player engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the player's available credits are less than the minimum wager amount required to play all paylines, then the player cannot continue playing, but this leads to decreased entertainment value and player engagement
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the number of active paylines based on the player's available credits. When credits are insufficient for all paylines, the player can select a reduced number of paylines to play, allowing continuous gameplay with flexible credit requirements. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the game operable at different credit levels while maintaining player engagement.
2Productivity
If the player is required to play all paylines for minimum wager amount, then the casino achieves higher wagering levels, but the player cannot continue when credits are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the total number of paylines into multiple selectable groups. Players can choose to activate all paylines for maximum wagering levels or select a subset of paylines when credits are limited. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high wagering levels when players have sufficient credits while providing adaptability when credits are insufficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The number of active paylines is made dynamic rather than fixed. The system allows players to adjust the number of active paylines based on their available credits, transforming a static all-or-nothing wagering structure into a flexible system that adapts to varying credit levels while maintaining operational productivity.
3Reliability
If the player must add more credits or cash out when credits are insufficient, then the game maintains strict wagering rules, but this interrupts continuous gameplay
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the minimum wager requirement based on the number of actively selected paylines. Instead of enforcing a fixed minimum wager that requires all paylines to be active, the system calculates the minimum wager based on the player's credit balance and the number of paylines they choose to activate. This allows continuous gameplay without requiring players to add credits or cash out.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the wagering parameters dynamically. When a player has insufficient credits for all paylines, the system allows the player to reduce the number of active paylines, which in turn adjusts the minimum wager amount to match the available credits. This parameter change enables continuous play while maintaining proper wagering rule enforcement scaled to the player's credit level.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of conducting a wagering game includes receiving a first wager amount from a player. The first wager amount initiating a first play of the wagering game. The first wager amount is deducted from an available-credits pool. An outcome of the first play is determined. In response to the outcome of the first play being a winning outcome, a credit amount associated with the winning outcome is added to the available-credits pool. Prior to a second play of the wagering game, it is determined that the available-credits pool is less than the first wager amount and, in response to that determination, an option to risk the available-credits pool is provided. The result of the risk being either (i) a triggering of the second play of the wagering game at the first wager amount or (ii) a reduction of the available-credits pool to zero.