US-20260127949-A1 - GAMING METHOD AND APPARATUS USING CLUSTER BASED AWARDS

Abstract

The present invention relates to gaming machines, systems and methods of gaming. There are a number of different ways available for determining an award by current gaming machines and systems. In this embodiment, a game controller is arranged to determine an award depending on the number of columns spanned by a cluster of symbols and the number of symbol positions in the cluster.

Inventors

• Ryan Paul Hawkins
• Yanis Tsombanidis
• Stephanie Johns
• Robert Honeycutt

Assignees

• ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251231

Priority Date

20140929

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A game server comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, direct the processor to: cause a computing device to present, on a display, a game outcome comprising symbols at a plurality of display positions; determine, in the game outcome, one or more winning symbol clusters each comprising a subset of the display positions and a respective same symbol at each of the subset of display positions; and cause the computing device to present, for each winning symbol cluster in the game outcome, a respective cluster award that is based on a quantity of the respective same symbol in the respective winning symbol cluster.
2. 2 . The game server of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to determine each cluster award by multiplying a respective base award by the quantity of the respective same symbol in the respective winning symbol cluster.
3. 3 . The game server of claim 2 , wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to determine the respective base award for each winning symbol cluster based on a quantity of rows spanned by the respective winning symbol cluster.
4. 4 . The game server of claim 3 , wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to determine that the respective base award for each winning symbol cluster has a first value in response to the quantity of rows spanned by the respective winning symbol cluster being a first quantity and has a second value greater than the first value in response to the quantity of rows spanned by the respective winning symbol cluster being a second quantity greater than the first quantity.
5. 5 . The game server of claim 2 , wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to determine the respective base award for each winning symbol cluster based on a quantity of columns spanned by the respective winning symbol cluster.
6. 6 . The game server of claim 5 , wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to determine that the respective base award for each winning symbol cluster has a first value in response to the quantity of columns spanned by the respective winning symbol cluster being a first quantity and has a second value greater than the first value in response to the quantity of columns spanned by the respective winning symbol cluster being a second quantity greater than the first quantity.
7. 7 . A method comprising: causing, by a game server, a computing device to present, on a display, a game outcome comprising symbols at a plurality of display positions; determining, in the game outcome, one or more winning symbol clusters each comprising a subset of the display positions and a respective same symbol at each of the subset of display positions; and causing, by the game server, the computing device to present, for each winning symbol cluster in the game outcome, a respective cluster award that is based on a quantity of the respective same symbol in the respective winning symbol cluster.
8. 8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising determining, with the computing device, the respective cluster award for each winning symbol cluster by multiplying a base award for the respective winning symbol cluster by a quantity of the display positions in the respective winning symbol cluster.
9. 9 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising receiving, from the game server, the respective cluster award for each winning symbol cluster.
10. 10 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising determining, with the computing device, a first cluster award for a first winning symbol cluster based on a quantity of rows spanned by the first winning symbol cluster.
11. 11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining, with the computing device, the base award for the first winning symbol cluster based on a quantity of rows spanned by the first winning symbol cluster.
12. 12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising determining, with the computing device, that the base award for the first winning symbol cluster has a first value in response to the first winning symbol cluster spanning a first quantity of rows and has a second value greater than the first value in response to the first winning symbol cluster spanning a second quantity of rows that is greater than the first quantity of rows.
13. 13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining, with the computing device, the base award for the first winning symbol cluster based on a quantity of columns spanned by the first winning symbol cluster.
14. 14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining, with the computing device, that the base award for the first winning symbol cluster has a first value in response to the first winning symbol cluster spanning a first quantity of columns and has a second value greater than the first value in response to the first winning symbol cluster spanning a second quantity of columns that is greater than the first quantity of columns.
15. 15 . The method of claim 7 , wherein each display position in the respective winning symbol cluster is adjacent to at least one other display position in the respective winning symbol cluster and no display position of the plurality of display positions is shared by multiple winning symbol clusters.
16. 16 . One or more non-transitory computer readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a game server, direct the game server to: cause a computing device to present, on a display, a game outcome comprising symbols at a plurality of display positions; determine, in the game outcome, one or more winning symbol clusters each comprising a subset of the display positions and a respective same symbol at each of the subset of display positions; and cause the computing device to present, for each winning symbol cluster in the game outcome, a respective cluster award that is based on a quantity of the respective same symbol in the respective winning symbol cluster.
17. 17 . The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the game server to calculate the respective cluster award for each winning symbol cluster by multiplying a base award for the respective winning symbol cluster by a quantity of the display positions in the respective winning symbol cluster, and wherein each display position in the respective winning symbol cluster is adjacent to at least one other display position in the respective winning symbol cluster and no display position of the plurality of display positions is shared by multiple winning symbol clusters.
18. 18 . The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the game server to calculate a cluster award for each winning symbol cluster based on a quantity of rows spanned by the respective winning symbol cluster.
19. 19 . The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the game server to calculate a cluster award for each winning symbol cluster based on a quantity of columns spanned by the respective winning symbol cluster.
20. 20 . The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 19 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the game server to determine that a respective base award for each winning symbol cluster has a first value in response to the quantity of columns spanned by the respective winning symbol cluster being a first quantity and has a second value greater than the first value in response to the quantity of columns spanned by the respective winning symbol cluster being a second quantity that is greater than the first quantity.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18,799,032 filed Aug. 9, 2024, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/953,781 filed Sep. 27, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/201,137 filed Mar. 15, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/869,660 filed Sep. 29, 2015, which claims priority to Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2014903909 filed Sep. 29, 2014, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Gaming equipment is known which utilize sets of symbols for play of a game. Symbols can comprise any symbols, such as letters, numbers, representations of figures, fruit, characters or any other symbols. “Slot” gaming machines are arranged to select combinations of symbols from the set of symbols for each play of the game and determine an award based on the selected combination of symbols. In “reel” slot games, the gaming equipment comprises a display which is arranged to display the symbols on a plurality of spinning reels. When the reels have come to a stop, they display the symbols selected from the set of symbols, for the particular game. The gaming system is arranged to determine an outcome based upon the selected set of displayed symbols. The outcome may be determined based on particular combinations of symbols, such as one or more lines of symbols appearing in the display, scatter symbols, and other combinations. Modern electronic gaming equipment includes video displays which present video simulating the plurality of spinning reels bearing the symbols. Mechanical gaming systems are also known, the display comprising actual mechanical reels bearing the symbols. The reels may be activated by stepper motors. While such gaming equipment provides players with enjoyment, a need exists for alternative gaming systems in order to maintain or increase player enjoyment. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a first aspect, the present invention provides a gaming machine, comprising: a display, anda game controller arranged to select a plurality of symbols from a symbol set for display at a plurality of symbol positions on the display, the symbol positions comprising a plurality of columns of symbol positions and a plurality of rows of symbol positions,the game controller further being arranged to determine an award based on a cluster of symbols appearing in the selected symbol set, a cluster comprising a group of symbols, each symbol in the group being contiguous to another symbol in the group along at least one edge, and the group spanning at least two columns,the game controller being arranged to determine the award depending on the number of columns spanned by the cluster and the number of symbol positions in the cluster. In an embodiment, the display is arranged to display the symbols as a plurality of spinning reels bearing the symbols, that come to rest to display the selected plurality of symbols from the symbol set. Embodiments of the invention have the advantage that clusters are applied in a game which has the look and feel of a traditional spinning reel slot game. Having a payout based on a combination of a number of columns spanned by the cluster and the number of cells in the cluster, is advantageously intuitive to a person used to playing traditional slot games. Clusters are not known with traditional slot, spinning reel type games. In an embodiment, the cluster does not span all the columns in the display. The symbols in the cluster may not appear in one or either of the columns at each end of the display, for example. In an embodiment, the cluster does not span all the 10 rows of the display. It may not reach the top or bottom rows, for example. In an embodiment, the cluster may be formed by symbol positions anywhere in the “grid” of symbol positions determined by the number of columns and number of rows in the display. In spinning reel games where reels stop at different times from each other, this has the advantage that a player will perceive that an award may still be possible until the last reel stops. This advantageously increases the anticipation and excitement of a game. Some slot games are known where the reel area expands as the game is played. These games include Reel Power™, by Aristocrat. It is difficult to control the payout cost of such games, as it rises exponentially, making it very difficult to afford extreme reel growth. In an embodiment, the game controller is arranged to generate a reel game where reel growth occurs. The use of a cluster for providing an award, with a requirement that each symbol position in the cluster touch another symbol position on at least one edge, facilitates control of the exponential cost of a reel growth-type game. In accordance with a second aspect, the present invention provides a gaming machine, comprising: a game controller arranged to select a plur