Wagering Game Re-spin Mechanism for Bonus Triggering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gaming machines often fail to provide players with additional opportunities to achieve bonus combinations, leading to boredom and reduced player engagement, as they typically offer only a single chance to enter the bonus game and do not allow for increased rewards based on additional wagers during the basic game.
Innovation Solution
A gaming terminal with a special mode that allows players to re-spin reels not displaying a full bonus-triggering combination after an initial spin, enabled by an additional wager, providing enhanced opportunities to achieve bonus symbols and increased bonus awards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If players are given only a single opportunity to achieve bonus combinations in the basic game, then the game structure remains simple and easy to operate, but player engagement decreases and boredom increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically identifying and isolating reels that did not display bonus symbols after the initial spin, preparing them for re-spin before the player even requests it. This preliminary preparation enables the enhancement feature to seamlessly provide additional bonus opportunities without complicating the player's interaction with the game.
Solution Approach 2:
The game dynamically adapts by transitioning from a static single-spin structure to a dynamic multi-stage process. When players activate the enhancement feature, the system dynamically re-spins only the non-bonus reels while maintaining the original bonus reels in place, creating a flexible game structure that responds to player choices and increases engagement without sacrificing operational simplicity.
2Productivity
If players are allowed to re-spin reels with additional wagers to achieve bonus combinations, then player engagement and entertainment value increase, but the game complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reels are segmented into two distinct groups: bonus reels that displayed bonus symbols and non-bonus reels that did not. This segmentation allows the enhancement feature to selectively re-spin only the non-bonus reels while preserving the bonus reels, thereby reducing the complexity of the re-spin mechanism compared to re-spinning all reels, and providing a clearer, more manageable game structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The enhancement feature applies local quality by treating different reels differently based on their bonus symbol display status. Bonus reels receive no further action and remain fixed, while non-bonus reels are selected for re-spinning. This localized differentiation simplifies the overall game logic compared to uniform re-spinning of all reels, as it focuses computational and mechanical resources only where needed.
3Productivity
If the system re-spins all reels after an initial spin, then players get additional bonus opportunities, but the cost to the operator increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The enhancement feature extracts and isolates the bonus reels from the re-spin process. By identifying reels that already displayed bonus symbols and excluding them from re-spinning, the system reduces the number of reels requiring additional spins. This extraction principle directly reduces the operator's cost by minimizing the scope of re-spin operations while still providing players with additional bonus opportunities through the re-spun non-bonus reels.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by re-spinning only a subset of reels (those that did not display bonus symbols) rather than all reels. This partial re-spin approach provides sufficient additional bonus opportunities for players to maintain engagement while significantly reducing the computational, mechanical, and operational costs compared to re-spinning the entire set of reels, achieving an optimal balance between player satisfaction and operator expense.
Data Source
AI summary
A gaming terminal (10) is utilized for playing a wagering game having a basic game and a bonus game. The gaming (10) terminal has a wager-input device (16a, 16b). A display (26) displays a plurality of moveable reels having symbols located thereon during the basic game. The symbols indicate a randomly selected outcome selected from a plurality of outcomes. The basic game implements a special mode in response to an enablement by a player. In response to the special mode being enabled and the movable reels displaying less than a full bonus triggering combination, the movable reels not displaying a portion of the full bonus triggering combination are re-spun.