US-12620290-B2 - GUI with a bonus symbol window to use credit value for initiating a jackpot chance game and a feature game with hold-and-spin functionality

US12620290B2US 12620290 B2US12620290 B2US 12620290B2US-12620290-B2

Abstract

A graphical user interface for providing, on-demand, a game of chance with a hold-and-spin feature game mechanic in a format that features a larger number of reels and chances to receive prizes than are provided in typical hold-and-spin games. The graphical interface is configured to nevertheless provide a hold-and-spin gameplay experience similar to that found in hold-and-spin games having a smaller number of reels.

Inventors

John Ludwick
Christmas Uberuaga

Assignees

ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230824

Claims (20)

1 . A system comprising: one or more displays configured to present one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs); one or more processors; and one or more memory devices, the one or more memory devices storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive an input indicating a request to play a feature game and a chance to play a jackpot chance game, cause, responsive to receipt of the input, the one or more GUIs to present an instant feature animation that concludes with an instant feature indicator being displayed in either a jackpot chance state or a feature game state, cause, based on the instant feature animation concluding with the instant feature indicator in the jackpot chance state, an instance of the jackpot chance game, wherein, for each instance of the jackpot chance game, the one or more GUIs are caused to sequentially present one or more jackpot values, each presented jackpot value in the instance of the jackpot chance game is larger than any jackpot value previously presented in the instance of the jackpot chance game, and the jackpot value presented at the conclusion of the instance of the jackpot chance game is caused to be added to a credit meter displayed by the one or more GUIs, cause, also responsive to receipt of the input, one or more of a plurality of metamorphic indicators displayed by the one or more GUIs to be displayed in a triggered state, wherein the plurality of metamorphic indicators includes a bonus metamorphic indicator and a plurality of regular metamorphic indicators, wherein each metamorphic indicator is associated with a different corresponding feature game enhancement, and cause, in association with causing the one or more metamorphic indicators to be displayed in the triggered state, a first instance of the feature game to be presented by the one or more GUIs, wherein the first instance of the feature game includes the corresponding feature game enhancement for each regular metamorphic indicator that was caused to be displayed in the triggered state in association with presentation of the first instance of the feature game.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more memory devices store additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to cause, in association with causing the bonus metamorphic indicator to be displayed in the triggered state, a second instance of the feature game to be presented by the one or more GUIs, wherein the second instance of the feature game includes the corresponding feature game enhancement for each regular metamorphic indicator that was caused to be displayed in the triggered state in association with presentation of the first instance of the feature game.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more memory devices store additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to cause the one or more GUIs to simultaneously present the first instance of the feature game and the second instance of the feature game.
4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more memory devices store additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to cause the one or more GUIs to serially present the first instance of the feature game and the second instance of the feature game.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more memory devices store additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to cause the bonus metamorphic indicator, when displayed in the triggered state, to be displayed in the triggered state in tandem with one or more of the regular metamorphic indicators being displayed in the triggered state.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more memory devices store additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to associate each metamorphic indicator with a corresponding ordered sequence of graphical states.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more memory devices store additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: cause the one or more GUIs to present, during a base game, a plurality of symbol windows, the plurality of symbol windows including a bonus symbol window, cause, responsive to each play of the base game, a corresponding symbol to be selected and displayed in each symbol window, cause, responsive to the symbol that is selected and displayed in the bonus symbol window being a bonus metamorphic trigger symbol, a random determination to be made as to whether to initiate the first instance of the feature game including at least one feature game enhancement associated with the regular metamorphic indicators, and cause, responsive to the symbol that is selected and displayed in the bonus symbol window being a jackpot trigger symbol, the instance of the jackpot chance game.
8 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive an input indicating a request to play a feature game and a chance to play a jackpot chance game, cause, responsive to receipt of the input, the one or more GUIs to present an instant feature animation that concludes with an instant feature indicator being displayed in either a jackpot chance state or a feature game state, initiate, based on the instant feature animation concluding with the instant feature indicator in the jackpot chance state, an instance of a jackpot chance game, wherein, for each instance of the jackpot chance game, the one or more GUIs are caused to sequentially present one or more jackpot values, each presented jackpot value in the instance of the jackpot chance game is larger than any jackpot value previously presented in the instance of the jackpot chance game, and the jackpot value presented at the conclusion of the instance of the jackpot chance game is caused to be added to a credit meter displayed by the one or more GUIs, cause one or more of a plurality of metamorphic indicators displayed by the one or more GUIs to be displayed in a triggered state, wherein the plurality of metamorphic indicators includes a bonus metamorphic indicator and a plurality of regular metamorphic indicators, each metamorphic indicator is associated with a different corresponding feature game enhancement, and cause, in association with causing the one or more metamorphic indicators to be displayed in the triggered state, a first instance of the feature game to be presented by the one or more GUIs, wherein the first instance of the feature game includes the corresponding feature game enhancement for each regular metamorphic indicator that was caused to be displayed in the triggered state in association with presentation of the first instance of the feature game.
9 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the one or more computer-readable media store additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: cause, in association with causing the bonus metamorphic indicator to be displayed in the triggered state, a second instance of the feature game to be presented by the one or more GUIs, wherein the second instance of the feature game includes the corresponding feature game enhancement for each regular metamorphic indicator that was caused to be displayed in the triggered state in association with presentation of the first instance of the feature game.
10 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9 , wherein the one or more computer-readable media store additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: cause the one or more GUIs to simultaneously present the first instance of the feature game and the second instance of the feature game.
11 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9 , wherein the one or more computer-readable media store additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: cause the one or more GUIs to serially present the first instance of the feature game and the second instance of the feature game.
12 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein the one or more computer-readable media store additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: cause the bonus metamorphic indicator, when displayed in the triggered state, to be displayed in the triggered state in tandem with one or more of the regular metamorphic indicators being displayed in the triggered state.
13 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein the one or more computer-readable media store additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: associate each metamorphic indicator with a corresponding ordered sequence of graphical states.
14 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein the one or more computer-readable media store additional computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: cause the one or more GUIs to present, during a base game, a plurality of symbol windows, the plurality of symbol windows including a bonus symbol window; cause, responsive to each play of the base game, a corresponding symbol to be selected and displayed in each symbol window; cause, responsive to the symbol that is selected and displayed in the bonus symbol window being a bonus metamorphic trigger symbol, a random determination to be made as to whether to initiate the first instance of the feature game including at least one of the feature game enhancements associated with the regular metamorphic indicators; and cause, responsive to the symbol that is selected and displayed in the bonus symbol window being a jackpot trigger symbol, the instance of the jackpot chance game.
15 . A method for operating a system having one or more displays and one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media, with the non-transitory computer readable storage medium having one or more processors and one or more memory devices, the one or more memory devices storing computer-executable instructions, the method comprising: receiving an input indicating a request to play a feature game and a chance to play a jackpot chance game; causing, responsive to receipt of the input, one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to present an instant feature animation that concludes with an instant feature indicator being displayed in either a jackpot chance state or a feature game state; causing, based on the instant feature animation concluding with the instant feature indicator in the jackpot chance state, an instance of a jackpot chance game, wherein, for each instance of the jackpot chance game, the one or more GUIs are caused to sequentially present one or more jackpot values, each presented jackpot value in the instance of the jackpot chance game is larger than any jackpot value previously presented in the instance of the jackpot chance game, and the jackpot value presented at the conclusion of the instance of the jackpot chance game is caused to be added to a credit meter displayed by the one or more GUIs; causing one or more of a plurality of metamorphic indicators displayed by the one or more GUIs to be displayed in a triggered state, wherein the plurality of metamorphic indicators includes a bonus metamorphic indicator and a plurality of regular metamorphic indicators, each metamorphic indicator is associated with a different corresponding feature game enhancement; and causing, in association with causing the one or more metamorphic indicators to be displayed in the triggered state, a first instance of the feature game to be presented by the one or more GUIs, wherein the first instance of the feature game includes the corresponding feature game enhancement for each regular metamorphic indicator that was caused to be displayed in the triggered state in association with presentation of the first instance of the feature game.
16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising: causing, in association with causing the bonus metamorphic indicator to be displayed in the triggered state, a second instance of the feature game to be presented by the one or more GUIs, wherein the second instance of the feature game includes the corresponding feature game enhancement for each regular metamorphic indicator that was caused to be displayed in the triggered state in association with presentation of the first instance of the feature game.
17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising: causing the one or more GUIs to simultaneously present the first instance of the feature game and the second instance of the feature game.
18 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising: causing the bonus metamorphic indicator, when displayed in the triggered state, to be displayed in the triggered state in tandem with one or more of the regular metamorphic indicators being displayed in the triggered state.
19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising: associating each of the metamorphic indicators with a corresponding ordered sequence of graphical states.
20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising: causing the one or more GUIs to present, during a base game, a plurality of symbol windows, the plurality of symbol windows including a bonus symbol window; causing, responsive to each play of the base game, a corresponding symbol to be selected and displayed in each symbol window; causing, responsive to the symbol that is selected and displayed in the bonus symbol window being a bonus metamorphic trigger symbol, a random determination to be made as to whether to initiate the first instance of the feature game including at least one of the feature game enhancements associated with the regular metamorphic indicators; and causing, responsive to the symbol that is selected and displayed in the bonus symbol window being a jackpot trigger symbol, the instance of the jackpot chance game.

Description

BACKGROUND Electronic gaming machines (“EGMs”) or gaming devices provide a variety of wagering games such as slot games, video poker games, video blackjack games, roulette games, video bingo games, keno games and other types of games that are frequently offered at casinos and other locations. Play on EGMs typically involves a player establishing a credit balance by inputting money, or another form of monetary credit, and placing a monetary wager (from the credit balance) on one or more outcomes of an instance (or single play) of a primary or base game. In some cases, a player may qualify for a special mode of the base game, a secondary game, or a bonus round of the base game by attaining a certain winning combination or triggering event in, or related to, the base game, or after the player is randomly awarded the special mode, secondary game, or bonus round. In the special mode, secondary game, or bonus round, the player is given an opportunity to win extra game credits, game tokens or other forms of payout. In the case of “game credits” that are awarded during play, the game credits are typically added to a credit meter total on the EGM and can be provided to the player upon completion of a gaming session or when the player wants to “cash out.” “Slot” type games are often displayed to the player in the form of various symbols arrayed in a row-by-column grid or matrix. Specific matching combinations of symbols along predetermined paths (or paylines) through the matrix indicate the outcome of the game. The display typically highlights winning combinations/outcomes for identification by the player. Matching combinations and their corresponding awards are usually shown in a “pay-table” which is available to the player for reference. Often, the player may vary his/her wager to include differing numbers of paylines and/or the amount bet on each line. By varying the wager, the player may sometimes alter the frequency or number of winning combinations, frequency or number of secondary games, and/or the amount awarded. Typical games use a random number generator (RNG) to randomly determine the outcome of each game. The game is designed to return a certain percentage of the amount wagered back to the player over the course of many plays or instances of the game, which is generally referred to as return to player (RTP). The RTP and randomness of the RNG ensure the fairness of the games and are highly regulated. Upon initiation of play, the RNG randomly determines a game outcome and symbols are then selected which correspond to that outcome. Notably, some games may include an element of skill on the part of the player and are therefore not entirely random. In some games of chance, e.g., slot-type games, there may be certain symbols that, when displayed (or when at least a certain number of them are displayed) as part of a game outcome cause awards specific to each such symbol to be awarded to the player. Such symbols are typically referred to as “cash-on-reel” symbols. SUMMARY Some games of chance may include a base game in which players try and obtain winning combinations of symbols, e.g., a winning combination of symbols along a payline. In some such games of chance, there may be a specified number of paylines, and only combinations of symbols that occur along one or more such paylines may be considered to potentially be winning patterns. In other games of chance, any combination of a displayed symbol from each of the reels may be considered to potentially be a winning pattern. For example, for a 5-reel slot machine game in which each reel has three symbol windows in which to display symbols, there may be 3 to the 5th power, i.e., 243, potential combinations of symbols drawn from the three symbols displayed by each reel. In other words, for a slot game with 5 reels, each showing symbols in three symbol windows in a game outcome, there are 243 paylines covering all possible 5-symbol combinations involving one symbol from each reel. The winning symbol combinations that may be obtained along such paylines may result in an award of credits or other items to a player that obtains such winning symbol combinations. In some such games of chance, there may be additional games (e.g., a jackpot chance game, a feature game) that may be triggerable from the base game responsive to one or more predetermined events, conditions, etc. One method of triggering these additional games in connection with the EGM may be responsive to input (e.g., player request with payment). Another method of triggering these additional games for the same EGM may be responsive to a random outcome in base game. The random outcome may originate from an output of a random number generator (RNG) in association with game play of the base game. The random outcome may be in response to a symbol (e.g., a metamorphic triggering symbol) being displayed that feeds a metamorphic (e.g., a metamorphic indicator), and any time such a symbol is displayed, there is a ra