Patent Grant
9384634
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 apparatus and methods and, more particularly, to a wagering game employing a threshold-based game enhancement.
Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Therefore, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
According to one aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method for conducting a wagering game includes determining, via at least one of one or more processors, whether a triggering event has occurred and, in response to determining that a triggering event has occurred, conducting one or more successive plays of the wagering game and displaying respective outcomes of the successive plays via one or more display devices. For each of the one or more successive plays, the method further includes determining, via at least one of the one or more processors, one or more award amounts based on the outcomes of the one or more successive plays and aggregating, via at least one of the one or more processors, each of the one or more award amounts determined over the successive plays to calculate an aggregate award amount. The method also includes determining, via at least one of the one or more processors, whether the aggregate award amount is greater than a threshold amount and, providing an enhancement to the wagering game in response to the aggregate award amount being greater than the threshold amount.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of conducting a wagering game includes receiving, via one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager, displaying, via one or more display devices, a plurality of symbols along one or more paylines to indicate a randomly selected outcome of a wagering game in a display area, and determining one or more award amounts for the one or more paylines. Each award amount is based on the wager and the symbols of the randomly selected outcome along a respective one of the one or more paylines. The method also includes determining an aggregate award amount based on the one or more award amounts, comparing the aggregate award amount to a threshold amount, and applying an enhancement to the wagering game based on the comparing of the aggregate award amount and the threshold amount.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a gaming system comprises one or more input devices, one or more display devices, and one or more processors. The system also includes one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to receive, via at least one of the one or more input devices, one or more inputs indicative of one or more respective wagers, display, via at least one of the one or more display devices, one or more randomly selected outcomes of a wagering game, evaluate, via at least one of the one or more processors, each of the one or more randomly selected outcomes to determine one or more award amounts, aggregate, via at least one of the one or more processors, the one or more award amounts to determine an aggregate award amount, determine whether the aggregate award amount is greater than a threshold amount, and, if the aggregate award amount is determined to be greater than the threshold amount, provide an enhancement to the wagering game.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, computer readable storage media is encoded with instructions for directing a gaming system to perform the above methods.
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.”
Referring to
The gaming terminal 10 illustrated in
Input devices, such as the touch screen 18, buttons 20, a mouse, a joystick, a gesture-sensing device, a voice-recognition device, and a virtual input device, accept player input(s) and transform the player input(s) to electronic data signals indicative of the player input(s), which correspond to an enabled feature for such input(s) 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 input(s), once transformed into electronic data signals, are output to a CPU 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.
Turning now to
The CPU 30 is also connected to an input/output (I/O) bus 36, which can include any suitable bus technologies, such as an AGTL+ frontside bus and a PCI backside bus. The I/O bus 36 is connected to various input devices 38, output devices 40, and input/output devices 42 such as those discussed above in connection with
The external system 48 includes, in various aspects, a gaming network, other gaming 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 48 may comprise a player's portable electronic device (e.g., cellular phone, electronic wallet, etc.) and the external system interface 46 is configured to facilitate wireless communication and data transfer between the portable electronic device and the CPU 30, 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 terminal 10 optionally communicates with the external system 48 such that the terminal operates as a thin, thick, or intermediate client. In general, a wagering game includes an RNG for generating a random number, game logic for determining the outcome based on the randomly generated number, and game assets (e.g., art, sound, etc.) for presenting the determined outcome to a player in an audio-visual manner. The RNG, game logic, and game assets are contained within the gaming terminal 10 (“thick client” gaming terminal), the external system 48 (“thin client” gaming terminal), or are distributed therebetween in any suitable manner (“intermediate client” gaming terminal).
The gaming terminal 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, the reels 52 are rotated and stopped to place symbols on the reels in visual association with paylines such as paylines 58. 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 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 terminal 10 depicted in
In the aforementioned method, for each data signal, the CPU (e.g., CPU 30) 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 computer instructions relating to such further actions executed by the controller. As one example, the CPU causes the recording of a digital representation of the wager in one or more storage media (e.g., storage unit 44), the CPU, in accord with associated computer instructions, causing 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 (e.g., the wager in the present example). As another example, the CPU further, in accord with the execution of the instructions relating to the wagering game, causes the primary display 12, 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 computer instructions relating to the wagering game is further conducted in accord with a random outcome (e.g., determined by a RNG) that is used by the CPU to determine the outcome of the game sequence, using a game logic for determining the outcome based on the randomly generated number. In at least some aspects, the CPU is configured to determine an outcome of the game sequence at least partially in response to the random parameter.
Referring now to
A game enhancement as used herein can include one or more parameters that affect or modify how a wagering game is conducted. For the sake of clarity, a game enhancement as used herein does not include the outright award of a jackpot (i.e., the award of a jackpot solely based on the aggregate amount of award(s) exceeding the threshold amount). As non-limiting examples, a game enhancement can include one or more multipliers, wilds, automatic nudges, pay table upgrades, scatter conversions, individual reel re-spins, free spins, morphs, automatic wager increases, hold symbols, symbol movements, combinations thereof, and/or the like.
A multiplier game enhancement can be provided to multiply a payout or other outcome awarded to the player. The value of the multiplier (e.g., 2× multiplier or 3× multiplier) can be a randomly determined or a fixed value. The value of the multiplier can be predetermined (i.e., determined prior to a play of the wagering game) or dynamically determined (i.e., during and/or after a play of the wagering game).
An automatic nudge game enhancement is advantageous in situations where a better payout can be achieved by moving symbols on one (or multiple) reels either up or down across a payline.
A different-pay-table game enhancement implements a different and higher-paying pay table, awarding larger payouts for various symbol combinations. For example if a combination of three “cherry” symbols normally pays out 200% of the original wager, the different-pay-table game enhancement may result in a payout of 300% of the original wager for the same combination. Similarly, if a combination of three “7” symbols normally pays out 500% of the original wager, the different-pay-table game enhancement may result in a payout of 1000% of the original wager for the same combination.
An upgrade game enhancement causes a winning symbol combination to move up at least one winning symbol combination on the pay table for the gaming terminal 10. For example, a lower-paying combination of three “cherry” symbols may pay out as if the player had achieved three “3-bars” symbols, a better combination.
An extra-wild game enhancement causes a symbol that is normally a regular symbol, such as a “cherry” symbol or a “1-bar” symbol, to become a wild symbol.
The scatter game enhancement converts a line pay payout into a scatter payout, such that a winning combination of symbols need not be located all on a single active payline.
The right-to-left enhancement allows “right-to-left” combinations (i.e., combinations starting on the right-most reel and extending left across the reels) to win, in addition to the standard winning “left-to-right” combinations.
The re-spin enhancement re-spins one or more of the reels if the player does not achieve any winning combination and/or a winning combination associated with an award above a predetermined amount, giving the player an additional chance to get a winning combination and/or a better winning combination.
The morph game enhancement allows one or more symbols on the reels to morph into other symbols that are more beneficial.
The hold symbol game enhancement holds one or more symbols in a certain location on the reels so that, after respinning, a final symbol combination across the reels takes into account the held symbol.
The symbol movement game enhancement allows one or more symbols to move to other locations along a payline if it would result in a better outcome (e.g., a higher award).
A winning combination typically results in a payout that is generally proportionate to the amount wagered. For example, when five credits are wagered and the player achieves a winning combination, the payout is at least five times as large as it would have been if only one credit had been wagered. The increased-wager game enhancement treats a winning combination as though the player had bet the maximum amount, thereby effectively increasing the wagered amount, resulting in a higher payout. For example, of the player had only wagered one of five possible credits, the increased-wager game enhancement would treat the player's wager as though five credits had been wagered.
It should be understood that the game enhancements described above are provided as examples of potential game enhancements. It is contemplated that other game enhancements can be employed in connection with the threshold-based game-enhancement functionalities described herein.
According to some aspects of the present concepts, a threshold-based enhancement functionality can be provided for a single play of a wagering game.
If it is determined at block 116 that the randomly selected outcome includes at least one winning outcome, then an award amount is respectively determined for each winning outcome of the randomly selected outcome at block 120. For example, as described above with respect to
At block 122, the award amount(s) determined at block 120 are aggregated to determine an aggregate award amount. At block 124, it is determined whether the aggregate award amount is greater than a threshold amount. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the threshold amount can be determined in a number ways. For example, according to some aspects, the threshold amount can be a randomly determined value, a value based on a player's input(s) prior to the play of the wagering game (e.g., a value based on a multiple of the player's wager), and/or a fixed value not based on a player input (e.g., a value based on the max wager regardless of the player's actual wager). As another example, according to some aspects, the threshold amount can be a predetermined amount in that the threshold amount is determined prior to the play of the wagering game or a dynamically determined amount in that the threshold amount is determined prior to, during, and/or after initiating the play of the wagering game.
If it is determined at block 124 that the aggregate amount is not greater than the threshold amount, the aggregate award amount is awarded (e.g., credited, paid out, etc.) to the player at block 126. If it is determined at block 124 that the aggregate amount is greater than the threshold amount, a game enhancement is provided at block 128. The game enhancement can be provided by modifying or enhancing the randomly selected outcome and/or the aggregate award amount, according to the provided/selected game enhancement, to determine an enhanced award amount. At block 130, the enhanced award amount is awarded to the player.
According to some aspects of the present concepts, a threshold-based enhancement functionality can be provided over one or more plays of a wagering game.
The algorithm 200 continues to cycle through blocks 214, 216, 218, and 220 until it is determined at block 220 that the terminating event has occurred. If it is determined that the terminating event has occurred at block 220, the algorithm 200 proceeds to block 222. At block 222, it is determined whether the aggregate amount determined at the last instance of block 218 (i.e., the summation of all award amount(s) determined at block 216 since it was determined that the triggering event occurred at block 212) is greater than a threshold amount. The threshold amount can be determined as described above with respect to
If, on the other hand, it is determined at block 222 that the aggregate amount is not greater than the threshold amount, then the aggregate award amount is awarded to the player at block 228 and the algorithm returns to block 212.
As described above, the triggering event can be any event that triggers or initiates the threshold-based enhancement functionality. Because the threshold-based enhancement functionality may not be utilized until the triggering event occurs (at least according to some aspects), the triggering event can be configured to include eligibility criteria for a player to play a wagering game with a threshold-based enhancement functionality and/or receive a game enhancement.
According to some aspects of the present concepts, the triggering event can include one or more gameplay-related events. For example, the triggering event can include the occurrence of a special symbol appearing in a randomly selected outcome of a wagering game. That is, the threshold-based enhancement functionality may be initiated for one or more plays of the wagering game after the player achieved a randomly selected outcome including the special symbol. As another example, the triggering event can include the occurrence of a predetermined combination of symbols appearing in a randomly selected outcome of a wagering game.
According to additional or alternative aspects, the triggering event can include an event based on one or more player inputs (e.g., received by the CPU 30). For example, the threshold-based enhancement functionality can be initiated in response to a max-bet wager by a player. As another example, the threshold-based enhancement functionality can be initiated in response to an input indicating payment of an additional fee by the player (e.g., a side bet). As a further example, the threshold-based enhancement functionality can be triggered in response to a player input indicative of a player's desire to initiate the threshold-based enhancement functionality received via one or more of the buttons on the button panel 20 and/or the touch screen 18.
According to additional or alternative aspects, the triggering event can include a time-based and/or a play-count-based event. For example, the threshold-based enhancement functionality can be triggered after a predetermined amount of time has passed since play was first initiated by a particular player on a gaming terminal or since the last occurrence of the triggering event. As another example, the threshold-based enhancement functionality can be triggered after a randomly determined amount of time has passed since play was initiated by a player on a gaming terminal or since the last occurrence of the triggering event. As yet another example, the threshold-based enhancement functionality can be triggered after a predetermined number or a randomly determined number of play(s) have been conducted since play was initiated on the gaming terminal 10 or since the last occurrence of the triggering event. It is contemplated that, according to some aspects, the gaming terminal 10 can include a player tracking or player identification system (not shown) to ensure that the triggering event is based on the play of a particular player and prevent a situation where other players wait for a player to leave a gaming terminal 10 in the hope of triggering the threshold-based game enhancement sooner.
According to additional or alternative aspects, the triggering event can include a turnover-based event. For example, the threshold-based enhancement functionality can be triggered after a predetermined amount or a randomly determined amount of coin-in or turnover has been achieved over a period of time and/or a number of plays. In an exemplary implementation, the turnover amount can be greater than at least a predetermined bet amount over a preset period of time or a number of plays of the wagering game. In one non-limiting example of this exemplary implementation, the predetermined bet amount can be the maximum bet amount. In this way, the triggering event can be a turnover amount over a plurality of plays of the wagering game. It is contemplated that, according to some aspects, the gaming terminal 10 can include a player tracking or player identification system (not shown) to ensure that the triggering event is based on the turnover amount of a particular player and prevent a situation where other players wait for the player to leave a gaming terminal 10 in the hope of triggering the threshold-based game enhancement sooner.
It should be understood that, according to aspects of the present concepts, the triggering event can include any one or a combination of the above-described exemplary events and/or the like. According to some aspects, if a plurality of the events comprises the triggering event, some or all of the events may not be required to occur contemporaneously. In other words, if the triggering event includes a plurality of events, some or all of the plurality of events need not occur at substantially the same time. For example, in one exemplary implementation, the triggering event can include the occurrence of a predetermined symbol combination in a randomly selected outcome and the receipt of a player input. In this exemplary implementation, the occurrence of the predetermined symbol combination may make the threshold-based enhancement functionality available to the player, but the player may opt to wait to initiate the threshold-based enhancement functionality until a later time. The triggering event triggering the threshold-based enhancement functionality would not occur until the player actuated the player input associated with the threshold-based enhancement functionality.
According to some aspects, if a plurality of events comprises the triggering event, some or all of the events event may be required to occur contemporaneously. In other words, if the triggering event includes a plurality of conditions, some or all of the plurality of conditions may need to occur at substantially the same time. For example, in an exemplary implementation, the triggering event can be the occurrence of a predetermined symbol combination in a randomly selected outcome for a play of a wagering game in which a player made a max wager. In this exemplary implementation, if the predetermined symbol combination occurred but the player did not wager the max amount, the threshold-based enhancement functionality would not be initiated.
According to some aspects of the present concepts, the triggering event(s) can be configured to determine the game enhancement(s) that are achievable from the one or more plays of the wagering game after the triggering event. In other words, different triggering events can cause different game enhancements to be achievable. For example, the triggering event can include a plurality of triggering events that are each associated with one or more of a plurality of game enhancements. In one non-limiting implementation, a threshold-based enhancement functionality in which a first set of one or more potential enhancements are achievable is triggered in response to a max bet wager and a different threshold-based enhancement functionality in which a different set of one or more potential enhancements are achievable is triggered in response to a wager that is less than the max wager amount. It is contemplated that, according to a further non-limiting implementation, the triggering event(s) and the associated game enhancement(s) can be configured such that the amount of a potential payout and/or the likelihood of achieving a payout increases as the amount of a wager requirement for a triggering event increases.
It is contemplated that, according to additional or alternative aspects of the present concepts, a triggering event can be associated with a plurality of potential game enhancements and the player can be prompted (e.g., via one or more of the display devices 12, 14) to select one of the game enhancements from the plurality of potential game enhancements (e.g., via the buttons 20 and/or the touch screen 18) in response to a determination that the triggering event has occurred at block 212.
It is also contemplated that, according to additional or alternative aspects of the present concepts, a triggering event can be associated with a plurality of potential game enhancements and one or more of the plurality of potential game enhancements can be determined by the outcome(s) of the one or more plays of the wagering game conducted after the triggering event. In one non-limiting example, the threshold amount can include a plurality of threshold amounts and each of the plurality of threshold amounts can be associated with a respective game enhancement. In this example, after it is determined that the terminating event occurs at block 220, the aggregate amount is evaluated with respect to the threshold amounts at block 222 to determine whether the aggregate amount is greater than the threshold amounts. The game enhancement associated with the threshold amount having the greatest value (relative to the other threshold amounts) and determined to be less than the aggregate amount at block 222 is provided at block 224 as previously described.
In one exemplary implementation, a triggering event can be associated with a “2×” multiplier game enhancement, a “3× multiplier game enhancement, and a “4×” multiplier game enhancement. The threshold amount can include a first threshold level of 100 credits associated with the “2×” multiplier, a second threshold level of 150 credits associated with the “3×” multiplier, and a third threshold level of 200 credits associated with the “4×” multiplier. If the aggregate amount is greater than 100 credits and less than 150 credits after the terminating event is determined, the “2×” multiplier is provided at block 224. If the aggregate amount is greater than 150 credits and less than 200 credits after the terminating event is determined, the “3×” multiplier is provided at block 224. If the aggregate amount is greater than 200 credits after the terminating event is determined, the “4×” multiplier is provided at block 224.
It is contemplated that, according to some aspects of the present concepts, an indication of the player's progress towards the next threshold level can be provided (e.g., via one or more of the output devices) to the player as the one or more plays of the wagering game are conducted after the triggering event. Accordingly, it is contemplated that the steps of the algorithm 200 can be modified, for example, so that the determination of whether the aggregate amount exceeds the threshold amount(s) at block 222 can be performed prior to the determination that the terminating event has occurred at block 220. Additional details with respect to indicators of a player's progress towards the threshold amount(s) are described below with respect to
As another non-limiting example, according to additional or alternative aspects, one or more symbols and/or symbol combinations that occur during the one or more plays after the triggering event can determine which of the plurality of potential game enhancements are provided at block 224. As an exemplary implementation, the number of occurrences of a special symbol during the one or more plays of the wagering game (i.e., after the triggering event at block 212 and prior to the terminating event at block 220) determines which of a plurality of potential game enhancements are provided to the player if the aggregate amount is greater than the threshold amount. For example, the game enhancement can be a “2×” multiplier if no special symbols occur, a “3×” multiplier if one special symbol occurs, a “4×” multiplier if two special symbols occur, and a “5×” multiplier if three special symbols occur during the one or more plays of the wagering game. The game enhancement determined by the outcomes of the one or more plays would then be awarded if the aggregate amount was greater than the threshold amount.
As described above, the threshold-based enhancement functionality can be employed until it is determined that the terminating event has occurred at block 220. As such, the terminating event can be any event that terminates or indicates the end of the threshold-based enhancement functionality.
According to some aspects, the terminating event can occur upon the expiration of an amount of time since the threshold-based enhancement functionality was initiated (e.g., since it was determined that the triggering event occurred at block 212). The amount of time can be a predetermined amount of time (e.g., an amount of time determined prior to the occurrence of the triggering event) and/or a dynamically determined amount of time (e.g., an amount of time determined after the triggering event). The amount of time can be a fixed amount and/or a randomly determined amount of time. In one non-limiting example, a timer can be displayed to the player (e.g., via one or more of the displays 12, 14) that indicates the time remaining until the threshold-based enhancement functionality will terminate. The terminating event can occur when the timer expires, ending the threshold-based enhancement functionality.
According to additional or alternative aspects, the terminating event can occur when a number of plays of the wagering game are conducted after the threshold-based enhancement functionality was initiated. The number of plays can be a predetermined amount of plays (e.g., an amount of plays determined prior to the occurrence of the triggering event) and/or a dynamically determined amount of plays of the wagering game (e.g., an amount of plays determined after the triggering event). The number of plays can be a fixed number of plays and/or a randomly determined number of plays. In a non-limiting example, when the triggering event occurs a free spins game may be triggered, providing the player with a number of free spins utilizing the threshold-based enhancement functionality. In this example, a counter can be displayed to the player (e.g., via one or more of the displays 12, 14) that indicates the number of plays remaining until the free spins game employing the threshold-based enhancement functionality will terminate. After each spin in the free spins game, the counter is decremented until the terminating event occurs when the counter reaches zero, ending the threshold-based enhancement functionality.
According to additional or alternative aspects, the terminating event can include the occurrence of one or more game-terminating symbols in a randomly selected outcome. After the triggering event occurs, the one or more plays of the wagering game employing the threshold-based enhancement functionality can be conducted until the game-terminating symbol appears in a randomly selected outcome. Upon the occurrence of a game-terminating symbol or a game-terminating combination of symbols, the threshold-based enhancement functionality ends. It is contemplated that, according to some aspects, the likelihood of a randomly selected outcome including the one or more game-terminating symbols can increase with each successive play of the wagering game.
According to additional or alternative aspects, the terminating event can be configured such that the threshold-based enhancement functionality will terminate after a single play of the wagering game. For example, the terminating event can occur when the award(s) are aggregated at block 218 (i.e., after one play of the wagering game). Indeed, it is contemplated that according to some aspects of the present concepts, the triggering event and the terminating event can be configured such that the threshold-based enhancement functionality can be initiated before and terminated after every play of the wagering game.
It should be understood that, according to aspects of the present concepts, the terminating event can include any one or a combination of the above described exemplary events and/or the like. As one non-limiting example, the terminating event can occur upon an amount of time expiring or a game-terminating symbol appearing in a randomly selected outcome, whichever occurs earlier.
According to some aspects of the present concepts, the terminating event can be randomly determined from a plurality of potential terminating events prior to conducting the one or more plays of the wagering game after the triggering event. According to additional or alternative aspects of the present concepts, the terminating event can be determined from a plurality of potential terminating events based on the triggering event determined at block 212. For example, a wagering game can include a plurality of triggering events that are each associated with one or more of a plurality of terminating events. The occurrence of a particular one of the triggering events can initiate a threshold-based enhancement functionality that terminates upon the occurrence of the one or more terminating events associated with that triggering event.
According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the terminating event can be fixed such that the one or more plays of the wagering game conducted after the triggering event (e.g., at block 212) do not affect the terminating event. According to additional or alternative aspects, the terminating event can change based on the one or more plays of the wagering game after the triggering event (and prior to the terminating event). For example, after the threshold-based enhancement functionality is initiated (i.e., after the triggering event is determined to have occurred at block 212), the terminating event can have an initial value, which increases and/or decreases based on the outcomes of the wagering game prior to the occurrence of the terminating event. As an exemplary illustration, a terminating event that is initially set to occur after five plays of the wagering game may be increased to ten plays if the player achieves certain outcome(s) (e.g., an appearance of a “more-spins” symbol) during the initial five plays of the wagering game. As another exemplary illustration, a terminating event that is initially set to occur after five plays of the wagering game may be increased to ten plays if the aggregate amount is determined to exceed a first threshold level during the initial five plays of the wagering game and increased to twenty plays if the aggregate amount is determined to exceed a second threshold level during the ten plays of the wagering game.
It is contemplated that, according to some aspects, the threshold-based functionality can be employed in a basic wagering game, a bonus wagering game, and/or combinations thereof. In a basic game, for example, each time a play of the wagering game is conducted at block 214, an input indicative of a wager can be received. In other words, according to some aspects, the conducting of the wagering game at block 214 can include receiving a wager prior to the play of the wagering game when the threshold-based enhancement functionality is employed in a basic wagering game. In a bonus game, for example, a wager may or may not be received for each play of the wagering game. In one non-limiting implementation, the bonus game can be a free spins event in which no wager is received for each spin of the wagering game.
In the exemplary embodiment illustrated and described with respect to
If it is determined that the aggregate award amount is greater than the threshold amount at block 320, then a game enhancement is provided at block 322. The game enhancement can be provided to affect or modify the randomly determined outcome and/or the determined award(s) of the current play of the wagering game, the randomly determined outcome and/or the determined award(s) of one or more future plays of the wagering game, and/or combinations thereof. For example, a pay table game enhancement can be provided at block 324 to modify or enhance the award amount(s) determined at block 316 and/or the aggregate amount determined at block 318. As another example, the pay table enhancement can be provided at block 324 for one or more additional plays of the wagering game (prior to a determination that the terminating event occurred) subsequently conducted at blocks 314, 316, and 318. It is contemplated that the number of future plays and/or the amount of time for which the game enhancement is provided can be predetermined, dynamically determined, a fixed value, and/or a randomly determined value. It should be understood that any one or more of the other game enhancement(s) described herein (e.g., one or more multipliers, wilds, automatic nudges, pay table upgrades, scatter conversions, individual reel re-spins, free spins, morphs, automatic wager increases, hold symbols, symbol movements, combinations thereof, and/or the like) can be provided at block 324 for the current play and/or one or more future plays of the wagering game.
After the game enhancement is provided at block 322, the algorithm 300 proceeds to block 324 to determine whether the terminating event has occurred. If it is determined that the terminating event has occurred at block 324, then the algorithm 300 proceeds to block 326 to payout the aggregate award amount last determined at block 318 and/or enhanced at block 322. The algorithm 300 returns from block 326 to block 312 to determine whether another triggering event has occurred.
If it is determined that the terminating event has not occurred at block 324, then the algorithm 300 returns to block 314 to conduct an additional play of the wagering game. If it is determined that the aggregate award amount is not greater than the threshold amount at block 320, then at block 322 it is determined whether a terminating event has occurred as described above.
As described above, the gaming terminal 10 can include one or more indicators configured to provide an indication of the aggregate amount relative to the threshold amount. Advantageously, the one or more indicators can inform a player as to their progress towards achieving a game enhancement and/or a level of game enhancement (e.g., where the threshold amount includes a plurality of threshold amounts comprising threshold levels associated with different game enhancements as previously described), thereby increasing player anticipation and excitement.
According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the one or more indicators can include numerical indicator(s), textual indicator(s), graphical image indicator(s), combinations thereof, and/or the like.
The exemplary wagering game screen 450 further includes an indicator 454F that provides a graphical image indication of the aggregate amount relative to the threshold amount. More particularly, the indicator 454F is a graphical image of a pot. As the wagering game is played, increases in the aggregate amount are graphically depicted by gold coins filling the pot. The volume of the gold coins relative to the volume of the pot is representative of the aggregate amount relative to the threshold amount.
In
In
While the exemplary embodiment illustrated and described for
Additionally, the exemplary wagering game screen 550 includes a graphical image indicator 554G that is configured to provide an indication as to the aggregate amount relative to each of the plurality of threshold amounts. In the illustrated example, the graphical image is a thermometer including a plurality of temperature lines 555 that each correspond to one of the threshold amounts. As the aggregate amount increases, an animation of mercury rising within the thermometer is shown. The position of the mercury provides a graphical representation of the aggregate amount relative to the threshold amounts. The mercury rises above a temperature line when the aggregate amount exceeds the associated threshold amount.
It should be understood that the indicators illustrated in
While in the embodiments described above, the wagering game included a slot type wagering game, it should be understood that the wagering game can additionally or alternatively include other wagering games, such as video poker, video black jack, video lottery, etc., in whole or part. Additionally, for purposes of the present detailed description, the terms “wagering games,” “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 may involve wagers of real money, as found with typical land-based or on-line casino games. In other embodiments, the wagering game may additionally, or alternatively, involve 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.
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 subcombinations of the preceding elements and aspects.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/745,276, titled “Wagering Game Employing A Threshold-Based Game Enhancement” and filed on Dec. 21, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its respective entirety.
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