Patent Grant
10460565
This application is related to commonly-owned U.S. application Ser. No. 14/865,248, filed Sep. 25, 2015, entitled GAMING SYSTEM WITH SKILL-BASED PROGRESSIVE JACKPOT FEATURE, hereby incorporated by reference.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates generally to gaming systems, apparatus, and methods and, more particularly, to a gaming system, machine, and method with a self-adjusting skill-based progressive jackpot feature.
The gaming industry depends upon player participation. Players are generally “hopeful” players who either think they are lucky or at least think they can get lucky—for a relatively small investment to play a game, they can get a disproportionately large return. To create this feeling of luck, a gaming apparatus relies upon an internal or external random element generator to generate one or more random elements such as random numbers. The gaming apparatus determines a game outcome based, at least in part, on the one or more random elements.
A significant technical challenge is to improve the operation of gaming apparatus and games played thereon, including the manner in which they leverage the underlying random element generator, by making them yield a negative return on investment in the long run (via a high quantity and/or frequency of player/apparatus interactions) and yet random and volatile enough to make players feel they can get lucky and win in the short run. Striking the right balance between yield versus randomness and volatility to create a feeling of luck involves addressing many technical problems, some of which can be at odds with one another. This luck factor is what appeals to core players and encourages prolonged and frequent player participation. The difficulty of maintaining of this balance is compounded when elements of player skill are introduced to the games played on the gaming apparatus.
Regulations in many jurisdictions in which wagering games are deployed in gaming establishments such as casinos and the like require long-term machine conformance to the designed return to player (RTP or payback percentage) and games incorporating skill are no exception. For example, regulations may require skill games to track the RTP over a set number of game plays and note if the RTP falls within a certain percentage (e.g., 5 percent) of the desired or anticipated RTP. If not, it is required that such deviations be noted. If more than a certain number of trials fall outside of the desired RTP range, the gaming machine may be forced into an out-of-service or “tilt” condition. Until corrected by the machine's operator, such tilts lead to machine downtime, during which the machine cannot be played. This deprives players of entertainment and the operator of the opportunity to acquire earnings from the machine.
As the industry matures, the creativity and ingenuity required to improve such operation of gaming apparatus and games grows accordingly.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a gaming system comprises a regulated gaming machine primarily dedicated to playing at least one casino wagering game. The gaming machine includes an electronic display device and one or more electronic input devices and game-logic circuitry. The game-logic circuitry is configured to detect, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance and initiate the casino wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager covered by the credit balance. The game-logic circuitry is further configured to increment a progressive jackpot associated with the casino wagering game. In response to a triggering event occurring during the wagering game, the game-logic circuitry is further configured to conduct a skill-based bonus game that awards portions of the incremented progressive jackpot based on skillful inputs of a player. The game-logic circuitry is further configured to compute an average return to player (RTP or payback percentage) and to periodically compare the average RTP with a desired RTP and alter one or more aspects of the skill-based bonus game if the average RTP is not within a predetermined acceptable deviation from the desired RTP. The game-logic circuitry is further configured to receive, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.
According to another aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method of operating a gaming system, the gaming system including game-logic circuitry and a regulated gaming machine, the gaming machine primarily dedicated to playing at least one casino wagering game, the gaming machine including an electronic display device and one or more electronic input devices, comprises detecting, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance. The method further comprises initiating the casino wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager covered by the credit balance. The method further comprises incrementing a progressive jackpot associated with the casino wagering game. The method further comprises, in response to a triggering event occurring during the casino wagering game, conducting a skill-based bonus game that awards portions of the incremented progressive jackpot based on skillful inputs of a player. The method includes the steps of computing an average return to player (RTP), periodically comparing the average RTP with a desired RTP and altering one or more aspects of the skill-based bonus game if the average RTP is not within a predetermined acceptable deviation from the desired RTP. The method further comprises receiving, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.
Additional aspects of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. For purposes of the present detailed description, the singular includes the plural and vice versa (unless specifically disclaimed); the words “and” and “or” shall be both conjunctive and disjunctive; the word “all” means “any and all”; the word “any” means “any and all”; and the word “including” means “including without limitation.”
For purposes of the present detailed description, the terms “wagering game,” “casino wagering game,” “gambling,” “slot game,” “casino game,” and the like include games in which a player places at risk a sum of money or other representation of value, whether or not redeemable for cash, on an event with an uncertain outcome, including without limitation those having some element of skill. In some embodiments, the wagering game involves wagers of real money, as found with typical land-based or online casino games. In other embodiments, the wagering game additionally, or alternatively, involves wagers of non-cash values, such as virtual currency, and therefore may be considered a social or casual game, such as would be typically available on a social networking web site, other web sites, across computer networks, or applications on mobile devices (e.g., phones, tablets, etc.). When provided in a social or casual game format, the wagering game may closely resemble a traditional casino game, or it may take another form that more closely resembles other types of social/casual games.
Referring to
The gaming machine 10 illustrated in
The input devices, output devices, and input/output devices are disposed on, and securely coupled to, the cabinet 12. By way of example, the output devices include a primary display 18, a secondary display 20, and one or more audio speakers 22. The primary display 18 or the secondary display 20 may be a mechanical-reel display device, a video display device, or a combination thereof in which a transmissive video display is disposed in front of the mechanical-reel display to portray a video image superimposed upon the mechanical-reel display. The displays variously display information associated with wagering games, non-wagering games, community games, progressives, advertisements, services, premium entertainment, text messaging, emails, alerts, announcements, broadcast information, subscription information, etc. appropriate to the particular mode(s) of operation of the gaming machine 10. The gaming machine 10 includes a touch screen(s) 24 mounted over the primary or secondary displays, buttons 26 on a button panel, a bill/ticket acceptor 28, a card reader/writer 30, a ticket dispenser 32, and player-accessible ports (e.g., audio output jack for headphones, video headset jack, USB port, wireless transmitter/receiver, etc.). It should be understood that numerous other peripheral devices and other elements exist and are readily utilizable in any number of combinations to create various forms of a gaming machine in accord with the present concepts.
The player input devices, such as the touch screen 24, buttons 26, a mouse, a joystick, a gesture-sensing device, a voice-recognition device, and a virtual-input device, accept player inputs and transform the player inputs to electronic data signals indicative of the player inputs, which correspond to an enabled feature for such inputs at a time of activation (e.g., pressing a “Max Bet” button or soft key to indicate a player's desire to place a maximum wager to play the wagering game). The inputs, once transformed into electronic data signals, are output to game-logic circuitry for processing. The electronic data signals are selected from a group consisting essentially of an electrical current, an electrical voltage, an electrical charge, an optical signal, an optical element, a magnetic signal, and a magnetic element.
The gaming machine 10 includes one or more value input/payment devices and value output/payout devices. In order to deposit cash or credits onto the gaming machine 10, the value input devices are configured to detect a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance on a credit meter such as the “credits” meter 84 (see
Turning now to
The game-logic circuitry 40 is also connected to an input/output (I/O) bus 48, which can include any suitable bus technologies, such as an AGTL+ frontside bus and a PCI backside bus. The I/O bus 48 is connected to various input devices 50, output devices 52, and input/output devices 54 such as those discussed above in connection with
The external system 60 includes, in various aspects, a gaming network, other gaming machines or terminals, a gaming server, a remote controller, communications hardware, or a variety of other interfaced systems or components, in any combination. In yet other aspects, the external system 60 comprises a player's portable electronic device (e.g., cellular phone, electronic wallet, etc.) and the external-system interface 58 is configured to facilitate wireless communication and data transfer between the portable electronic device and the gaming machine 10, such as by a near-field communication path operating via magnetic-field induction or a frequency-hopping spread spectrum RF signals (e.g., Bluetooth, etc.).
The gaming machine 10 optionally communicates with the external system 60 such that the gaming machine 10 operates as a thin, thick, or intermediate client. The game-logic circuitry 40—whether located within (“thick client”), external to (“thin client”), or distributed both within and external to (“intermediate client”) the gaming machine 10—is utilized to provide a wagering game on the gaming machine 10. In general, the main memory 44 stores programming for a random number generator (RNG), game-outcome logic, and game assets (e.g., art, sound, etc.)—all of which obtained regulatory approval from a gaming control board or commission and are verified by a trusted authentication program in the main memory 44 prior to game execution. The authentication program generates a live authentication code (e.g., digital signature or hash) from the memory contents and compare it to a trusted code stored in the main memory 44. If the codes match, authentication is deemed a success and the game is permitted to execute. If, however, the codes do not match, authentication is deemed a failure that must be corrected prior to game execution. Without this predictable and repeatable authentication, the gaming machine 10, external system 60, or both are not allowed to perform or execute the RNG programming or game-outcome logic in a regulatory-approved manner and are therefore unacceptable for commercial use. In other words, through the use of the authentication program, the game-logic circuitry facilitates operation of the game in a way that a person making calculations or computations could not.
When a wagering-game instance is executed, the CPU 42 (comprising one or more processors or controllers) executes the random number generator (RNG) programming to generate one or more pseudo-random numbers. The pseudo-random numbers are divided into different ranges, and each range is associated with a respective game outcome. Accordingly, the pseudo-random numbers are utilized by the CPU 42 when executing the game-outcome logic to determine a resultant outcome for that instance of the wagering game. The resultant outcome is then presented to a player of the gaming machine 10 by accessing the associated game assets, required for the resultant outcome, from the main memory 44. The CPU 42 causes the game assets to be presented to the player as outputs from the gaming machine 10 (e.g., audio and video presentations). Instead of a pseudo-RNG, the game outcome may be derived from random numbers generated by a physical RNG that measures some physical phenomenon that is expected to be random and then compensates for possible biases in the measurement process. Whether the RNG is a pseudo-RNG or physical RNG, the RNG uses a seeding process that relies upon an unpredictable factor (e.g., human interaction of turning a key) and cycles continuously in the background between games and during game play at a speed that cannot be timed by the player, for example, at a minimum of 100 Hz (100 calls per second) as set forth in Nevada's New Gaming Device Submission Package. Accordingly, the RNG cannot be carried out manually by a human and is integral to operating the game.
The gaming machine 10 may be used to play central determination games, such as electronic pull-tab and bingo games. In an electronic pull-tab game, the random number generator (RNG) is used to randomize the distribution of outcomes in a pool and/or to select which outcome is drawn from the pool of outcomes when the player requests to play the game. In an electronic bingo game, the RNG is used to randomly draw numbers that players match against numbers printed on their electronic bingo card.
The gaming machine 10 may include additional peripheral devices or more than one of each component shown in
Referring now to
In response to receiving an input indicative of a wager covered by or deducted from the credit balance on the “credits” meter 84, the reels 82 are rotated and stopped to place symbols on the reels in visual association with paylines such as paylines 88. The wagering game evaluates the displayed array of symbols on the stopped reels and provides immediate awards and bonus features in accordance with a pay table. The pay table may, for example, include “line pays” or “scatter pays.” Line pays occur when a predetermined type and number of symbols appear along an activated payline, typically in a particular order such as left to right, right to left, top to bottom, bottom to top, etc. Scatter pays occur when a predetermined type and number of symbols appear anywhere in the displayed array without regard to position or paylines. Similarly, the wagering game may trigger bonus features based on one or more bonus triggering symbols appearing along an activated payline (i.e., “line trigger”) or anywhere in the displayed array (i.e., “scatter trigger”). The wagering game may also provide mystery awards and features independent of the symbols appearing in the displayed array.
In accord with various methods of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system in accord with the present concepts, the wagering game includes a game sequence in which a player makes a wager and a wagering-game outcome is provided or displayed in response to the wager being received or detected. The wagering-game outcome, for that particular wagering-game instance, is then revealed to the player in due course following initiation of the wagering game. The method comprises the acts of conducting the wagering game using a gaming apparatus, such as the gaming machine 10 depicted in
In the aforementioned method, for each data signal, the game-logic circuitry 40 is configured to process the electronic data signal, to interpret the data signal (e.g., data signals corresponding to a wager input), and to cause further actions associated with the interpretation of the signal in accord with stored instructions relating to such further actions executed by the controller. As one example, the CPU 42 causes the recording of a digital representation of the wager in one or more storage media (e.g., storage unit 56), the CPU 42, in accord with associated stored instructions, causes the changing of a state of the storage media from a first state to a second state. This change in state is, for example, effected by changing a magnetization pattern on a magnetically coated surface of a magnetic storage media or changing a magnetic state of a ferromagnetic surface of a magneto-optical disc storage media, a change in state of transistors or capacitors in a volatile or a non-volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., DRAM, etc.). The noted second state of the data storage media comprises storage in the storage media of data representing the electronic data signal from the CPU 42 (e.g., the wager in the present example). As another example, the CPU 42 further, in accord with the execution of the stored instructions relating to the wagering game, causes the primary display 18, other display device, or other output device (e.g., speakers, lights, communication device, etc.) to change from a first state to at least a second state, wherein the second state of the primary display comprises a visual representation of the physical player input (e.g., an acknowledgement to a player), information relating to the physical player input (e.g., an indication of the wager amount), a game sequence, an outcome of the game sequence, or any combination thereof, wherein the game sequence in accord with the present concepts comprises acts described herein. The aforementioned executing of the stored instructions relating to the wagering game is further conducted in accord with a random outcome (e.g., determined by the random number generator (RNG)) that is used by the game-logic circuitry 40 to determine the outcome of the wagering-game instance. In at least some aspects, the game-logic circuitry 40 is configured to determine an outcome of the wagering-game instance at least partially in response to the random parameter.
In one embodiment, the gaming machine 10 and, additionally or alternatively, the external system 60 (e.g., a gaming server), means gaming equipment that meets the hardware and software requirements for fairness, security, and predictability as established by at least one state's gaming control board or commission. Prior to commercial deployment, the gaming machine 10, the external system 60, or both and the casino wagering game played thereon may need to satisfy minimum technical standards and require regulatory approval from a gaming control board or commission (e.g., the Nevada Gaming Commission, Alderney Gambling Control Commission, National Indian Gaming Commission, etc.) charged with regulating casino and other types of gaming in a defined geographical area, such as a state. By way of non-limiting example, a gaming machine in Nevada means a device as set forth in NRS 463.0155, 463.0191, and all other relevant provisions of the Nevada Gaming Control Act, and the gaming machine cannot be deployed for play in Nevada unless it meets the minimum standards set forth in, for example, Technical Standards 1 and 2 and Regulations 5 and 14 issued pursuant to the Nevada Gaming Control Act. Additionally, the gaming machine and the casino wagering game must be approved by the commission pursuant to various provisions in Regulation 14. Comparable statutes, regulations, and technical standards exist in other gaming jurisdictions. As can be seen from the description herein, the gaming machine 10 may be implemented with hardware and software architectures, circuitry, and other special features that differentiate it from general-purpose computers (e.g., desktop PCs, laptops, and tablets).
Referring to
An adjunct symbol may appear on some symbols in the array. In the present embodiment, adjunct symbols appear as “Cannon” symbols 106 displayed in the bottom right corner of a reel position, as shown on the third reel position of the first and second reels and the first reel position of the fourth reel. Adjunct symbols (not to be confused with normal “Cannon” symbols, one of which appears on the fourth reel position of the fifth reel) are added to the array using a plurality of overlay reels on which the adjunct symbols are carried. The overlay reels, which are transparent, spin and stop in synchrony with the reels they overlay, such that the adjunct symbols appear to move at the same speed as other symbols in the array. The overlay reels differ in length to the reels they overlay (length being based on the total number of symbols each reel comprises), ensuring that each adjunct symbol does not remain in a fixed relationship with any particular symbol it overlays. As an alternative to overlay reels, the random number generator (RNG) may be used to randomly select symbols or reel positions from the array on which the adjunct symbols are added.
The appearance of an adjunct symbol during play of the base game may award an opportunity that is used in a bonus game to win a portion of a jackpot prize, which is conducted after a triggering event occurs, as will be described in more detail later. In this case, opportunities are earned through wagered play of the base game and expended through free play of the bonus game. In the present embodiment, opportunities are awarded as “shots” that are accumulated on a “shot” meter 108 appearing to the right of the array. The shot meter 108 is visually represented by a stack of US currency coins or “quarters” 110 which is progressively filled whenever a shot is awarded, with each filled quarter in the stack 110 representing twenty-five accumulated shots. The number of shots awarded for each adjunct symbol that appears during the base game may change according to wager size. For example, each adjunct symbol that appears may award twice as many shots when the wager size of the base game is doubled. Alternatively, the frequency that shots are awarded may be changed according to wager size by adding or removing adjunct symbols from the overlay reels, while still providing the same number of awarded shots for each adjunct symbol that appears. For example, twice as many adjunct symbols may be applied to the overlay reels when the wager size is doubled.
Opportunities or “shots” may also be awarded for other outcomes or events that occur during the base game in addition, or as an alternative, to the appearance of adjunct symbols. For example, a number of shots may be awarded for a particular winning symbol combination appearing in the array, such as when three or more scatter symbols land in the array at the same time. In the present embodiment, a scatter symbol is depicted by the “BONUS” symbol 112 on the second reel position of the second and fifth reels of
The appearance of each adjunct symbol in the array may also increment a progressive jackpot associated with the wagering game by a fixed amount or by an amount that changes according to wager size, as will be explained in more detail later. Alternatively, the progressive jackpot may be incremented each time an input indicative of a wager is received by the gaming machine. Similarly as above, the increment may be a fixed amount or may change depending on wager size.
Referring now to
As shown in
In the present embodiment, when the base game is played at the minimum wager size, the appearance of an adjunct symbol in the array does not award any shots or add any increment to the progressive jackpot. In contrast, when the base game is played at the maximum wager size, the appearance of an adjunct symbol in the array awards twice as many shots (as indicated by “2× Shots” appearing next to wager size button 130) and adds twice the increment value to the progressive jackpot than is otherwise provided for other wager sizes above minimum.
Referring now to
If the mode interface 140 is selectively displayed while the base game is played above the minimum wager size, the player may optionally play the bonus game in either a luck-based mode or a skill-based mode by pressing a respective “Luck” area 142 or “Skill” area 144 on the mode interface 140 to trigger the bonus game. If, however, the mode interface 140 is selectively displayed while the base game is played at the minimum wager size, the player will only be able to play the bonus game in the luck-based mode, such that the “Skill” area 144 is not shown on the mode interface 140 or remains inactive when pressed to indicate the skill-based mode is not currently available. In either case, the player may return to the base game by pressing a “Return” button (not shown) such that commencing play of (i.e. selectively triggering) the bonus game remains optional so long as the number of shots accumulated on the shot meter 108 remains under the maximum threshold. If the mode interface 140 is automatically displayed, the player must start (i.e. trigger) the bonus game by pressing either the “Luck” area 142 or the “Skill” area 144 on the mode interface 140, in which case the “Return” button (not shown) is not displayed. If the player reaches or exceeds the maximum threshold of shots while playing the base game at the minimum wager size, the bonus game will be automatically triggered in the luck-based mode, such that the mode interface 140 will not be displayed.
By selecting to play the bonus game in the luck-based mode, the player is only eligible to win a reset (also known as “seed”) value associated with the jackpot which, as indicated in the “Luck” area 142, has a “Top Level” value of $250. Alternatively, by selecting to play the bonus game in the skill-based mode, the player is eligible to win the reset value of the jackpot and any increments added to it (i.e. the progressive value) which, as indicated in the “Skill” area 144, has a “Top Level” value of $369.87.
Referring now to
Game play during the skill-based bonus game is substantially similar to the original arcade version of “Space Invaders”. In this case, a plurality of discrete elements, represented by a wave of alien sprites 158, move horizontally back and forth while advancing towards the bottom of the display. A UFO sprite 160 may also fly across the top of the display at random or scripted intervals of gameplay that provides a mystery prize if shot, which will be discussed in more detail later. The player controls a cannon 162 positioned at the bottom of the display that can move horizontally across the bottom of the display and fire shots 164 at the wave of alien sprites 158. The object of the game is to destroy the wave of alien sprites 158 by hitting them with shots fired from the cannon 162 before any reach the bottom of the display, while at the same time avoid being hit by shots fired from the alien sprites 158. To aid the player, the cannon 162 is partially protected by four stationary bunkers which are gradually destroyed by shots fired from either the cannon 162 or wave of alien sprites 158. As more alien sprites 158 are destroyed, the movement of the remaining alien sprites 158 speeds up, thus increasing the difficulty of the game. After destroying the wave of alien sprites 158, the game advances to the next level, in which case the wave of alien sprites move at a faster rate.
However, unlike in the original arcade version of “Space Invaders”, the player is awarded a credit value associated with each alien sprite 158 that is destroyed. Furthermore, the number of shots the player can expend or fire in the bonus game is limited to the number of shots accumulated in the base game before the bonus game was triggered, as shown on shot meter 168. Finally, if the bonus game ends (i.e. the player runs out of lives by the cannon 162 getting hit by a shot or the wave of alien sprites 158 reaching the bottom of the display) before all the accumulated shots have been used, the player is provided with a consolation prize having a value proportional to the number of shots left on the meter, in which case the player will return to the base game with the shot meter reset to zero. In the event the bonus game is triggered by exceeding the maximum threshold of shots, the player will return to the base game and any accumulated shots over the maximum threshold of one-hundred and fifty will be added to the shot meter 108.
Referring to
Referring to
The allocation of increments within the wave of alien sprites 158 determines the level of difficulty in winning each increment. For example, alien sprites which are located in higher rows of the wave are more difficult to shoot without first hitting alien sprites located in lower rows of the wave. Accordingly, weighting the distribution of increments so that higher rows of alien sprites in the wave contain more value than the lower rows of alien sprites increases the difficulty in winning a majority of the increment value that is added to the jackpot prize. In addition, since increments are distributed amongst three separate jackpot levels, weighting the distribution of increments such that the majority of the increment value is distributed to the higher jackpot levels further increases the difficulty in winning a majority of the increment value during play of the bonus game.
If playing the bonus game in luck-based mode, a round of ten free spins is provided, as indicated in
Shooting the UFO sprite 160 awards one of a number of randomly selected outcomes —“Level Advance”, “Level Clear”, or “Level Jackpot”. When the “Level Advance” outcome is randomly selected, the player is advanced to the next level of the bonus game, but does not receive any credit awards associated with the remaining alien sprites. When the ‘Level Clear’ outcome is selected, each of the credit values assigned to alien spites 158 remaining in the current wave is awarded and the player advances to the next level of the bonus game, but does not receive the remaining portion of the reset value associated with the current jackpot level. When the ‘Level Jackpot’ outcome is selected, the player is awarded each of the credit values assigned to the alien sprites remaining in the wave, as well as the remaining portion of the reset value associated with the current jackpot level and the player is advanced to the next level of the bonus game.
It should be noted that while the present embodiment of the base wagering game and skill-based bonus game is represented by a slot game and an arcade shooter game, respectively, any game or combination of games that allows the player to accrue opportunities for the player's skill to return a portion of a jackpot value may be employed. For example, the bonus game may also take the form of an arcade racing game, in which opportunities are expended as track time (or fuel) that runs down as the player races around a course, the player winning portions of the progressive jackpot by overtaking opponents such that each opponent has a portion of the jackpot value assigned to them. Alternatively, the wagering game may be provided as a card game, wherein an opportunity is awarded each time the player receives a specially marked card. Similarly, the bonus game may also be provided as a card game, in which case opportunities are expended as cards or hands that the player receives during play of one or more rounds. In this case, the player wins portions of a jackpot value by winning hands such that each card or hand has a portion of the jackpot value assigned to it. As such, it is further noted that the term “skill” and “skillful input” should be considered inclusive of both a player's reflexes and/or strategy in playing the bonus game. For example, the bonus game may be further represented by a game of chess, in which case opportunities are expended in the form of moves, the player winning portions of a jackpot value by capturing opposing game pieces, such that each opponent's game piece has a portion of the jackpot value assigned to it.
While the base wagering game may be based on a mathematical model that, over the long run, pays a predetermined average return to player, or RTP or payback percentage, a skill-based bonus game is likely to pay greater awards to a skilled-player than to a less-skilled player, which can cause the gaming machine to provide an RTP other than the desired RTP. This may occur when players, as a whole, are less skillful than anticipated by the game's designers, more skillful than anticipated by the game's designers, gradually acquire improved skill through experience, etc.
As noted above, regulations in many jurisdictions in which wagering games are deployed in gaming establishments such as casinos and the like require long-term machine conformance to the designed RTP and gaming machines consistently outside of an acceptable RTP range may be forced into an out-of-service or “tilt” condition. In some embodiments, if a tilt should occur, the operator may be allowed to adjust the relative difficulty of the skill-based bonus game before returning the machine into service by selecting a new difficulty profile from a set of bonus game difficulty profiles. For example, if the machine is over-holding, or paying less than the desired RTP, the operator may choose a difficulty profile that makes the skill-based bonus game somewhat easier to play. For example, in the above example, the alien sprites may move more slowly. Conversely, if the machine is under-holding, or paying more than the desired RTP, the operator may select a more difficult-to-play profile from the set of bonus game profiles. For example, the alien sprites may move somewhat faster. The ability to change profiles based on the player audience in a particular establishment helps the operator to fine tune the operation of the machine so that it is more likely to stay within reasonable RTP tolerances, reducing the likelihood of the machine tilting again.
Ideally, prior to reaching the extreme position of the gaming machine being forced into a tilted condition, the machine monitors RTP and periodically makes adjustments that will tend to alter the RTP so that it stays within the desired boundaries. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the game logic circuitry may be configured to select a difficulty profile from a series of bonus game difficulty profiles based on a comparison of the average RTP and the desired RTP in a manner similar to the one described above with respect to an operator making such a change.
In some jurisdictions, making the game easier or harder to play, with or without operator intervention, may not be allowed. In these scenarios, it is desirable to be able to change RTP in ways in which the ability to achieve an outcome (hit a target, for example) is unchanged, but the likely award for achieving the outcome changes either slightly up or down to help maintain RTP.
As described above, the appearance of each adjunct symbol in the array may also increment a progressive jackpot associated with the wagering game by a fixed amount or by an amount that changes according to wager size. Alternatively, the progressive jackpot may be incremented each time an input indicative of a wager is received by the gaming machine. Similarly as above, the increment may be a fixed amount or may change depending on wager size.
Each time a progressive increment is added to the progressive in the Space Invaders game, the increment is distributed to a particular alien sprite in one of the levels. Because each successive wave of alien sprites becomes more challenging to eliminate, distributing a majority of the increments to sprites in the higher jackpot levels increases the difficulty of winning a majority of the increment value during play of the bonus game. Similarly, weighting the distribution of increments toward the lower jackpot levels decreases the difficulty of winning a majority of the increment value during play of the bonus game.
In addition to affecting RTP by choosing a distribution to a higher or lower jackpot level, RTP may be further influenced by how an increment is distributed within a level. For example, alien sprites which are located in higher rows of a wave are more difficult to shoot without first hitting alien sprites located in lower rows of the wave. Accordingly, weighting the distribution of increments within a level so that higher rows of alien sprites in the wave contain more value than the lower rows of alien sprites increases the difficulty of winning a majority of the total increment value in a particular level.
As previously described, the appearance of each adjunct symbol in the array may also increment a progressive jackpot associated with the wagering game by a fixed amount or by an amount that changes according to wager size.
Conversely, when under-holding, the weighting of the distribution of the increments may be shifted to targets requiring more skill to hit, as illustrated by
As discussed, fixed distribution schemes such as those illustrated in
In addition to altering weighting the distribution of increments, in some embodiments, altering the weighting of how a portion of the reset or “seed” value of each jackpot level is distributed among the wave of alien sprites associated with the level may be used to alter the skill-based bonus game's RTP. For example, if the machine is over-holding, the distribution originally illustrated in
Progressive increments, once assigned to a particular location within a level, persist until won by a player. This tends to “freeze” the bonus game's average RTP until each progressive level has been cleared and reset according to any new reseeding and/or increment distribution model that may have been put into effect. If an immediate and significant change in RTP is required, in some embodiments, the values currently assigned to each sprite may be redistributed within their level. Again, consistent with the approaches described above, an under-holding machine would distribute currently accumulated higher awards to sprites in the upper rows of their wave and an over-holding machine would distribute currently accumulated lower awards to sprites in lower rows of their wave. By limiting the redistribution to values accumulated within the boundaries of a level, the overall jackpot value for the level remains unchanged.
In some embodiments, though the progressive jackpot values for each level may change, the redistribution of the values currently assigned to the sprites may ignore level boundaries and shift accumulated increment values to more difficult levels from easier levels or vice versa.
The redistribution of the values currently assigned to the sprites may be, but are not necessarily, made before, after or conjunction with the above-described changes to the reseeding and increment distribution schemes.
In accordance with one or more other embodiments, the overall RTP of a game including skill-based aspects may be periodically adjusted without affecting either game difficulty or the adjustment of award values or their distribution according to various aspects of the difficulty in achieving them. If over-holding, the probability of triggering the skill-based bonus game may be slightly altered to so that the game is triggered slightly more often, resulting in an RTP slightly more in favor of the player. Conversely, if under-holding, the probability of triggering the skill-based bonus game may be altered to trigger the skill-based game slightly less often, shifting the RTP in favor of the house. These alterations in the probability of triggering the skill-based bonus game may be achieved, for example, by changing the weights of the bonus triggering symbols on the reels by, again for example, switching from one set of base game reels to another. In some embodiments, the skill-based bonus game may be triggered as a “mystery game” in which, prior to or during each game play, a random number is selected to determine whether the skill game will be triggered. By adjusting the range of triggering vs. non-triggering random number results, the frequency of the skill-based bonus game may be altered and the anticipated RTP thus affected. In some embodiments, the skill game may be triggered by both the occurrence of triggering symbols on the reels, which may remain fixed, and a “mystery” trigger, which may be adjustable or vice versa. These and any other methods for altering the frequency of occurrence of the skill-based aspect of a game to affect its RTP are contemplated.
Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims. Moreover, the present concepts expressly include any and all combinations and sub combinations of the preceding elements and aspects.
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