Gaming system having revealed mystery symbols
View Patent ↗A method for conducting a wagering game comprises receiving a wager and displaying a randomly selected outcome, the randomly selected outcome comprising a plurality of symbols arranged in an array. The array comprises a plurality of symbol positions, the plurality of symbols occupying the symbol positions. Each of the plurality of symbols is selected from a set of available symbols, the set of available symbols including a plurality of standard symbols and at least one mystery symbol. The method further comprises detecting the presence of the at least one mystery symbol in at least one of the symbol positions in the array and randomly selecting one replacement symbol from the plurality of standard symbols. The method further comprises replacing all occurrences of the at least one mystery symbol in the array with the replacement symbol to create a modified array and evaluating the modified array for winning combinations of standard symbols in accordance with a pay table of the wagering game.
1. A method for conducting a wagering game, comprising:
receiving a wager via one or more wager input devices;
displaying a randomly selected outcome on one or more display devices, the randomly selected outcome comprising a plurality of symbols arranged in an array, the array comprising a plurality of symbol positions, the plurality of symbols occupying the symbol positions, each of the plurality of symbols selected from a set of available symbols, the set of available symbols including a plurality of standard symbols and at least one mystery symbol, the mystery symbol having a special functionality selected from a plurality of special functionalities and not included in any of the plurality of standard symbols;
detecting the presence of the at least one mystery symbol in at least one of the symbol positions in the array via one or more processors;
via the one or more processors, randomly selecting a first symbol from the plurality of standard symbols as a replacement symbol;
replacing all occurrences of the mystery symbol in the array with the replacement symbol to create a modified array via the one or more processors, wherein the replacement symbol has the same functionality as the mystery symbol; and
providing the special functionality of the mystery symbol for all other occurrences of the first symbol in the plurality of symbols.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the special functionality is selected from the group consisting of wild symbol, scatter symbol, multiplier, multiplying wild symbol, expanding wild symbol, re-spin symbol, and symbol upgrade symbol.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one mystery symbol includes a label associated with the special functionality.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the label is copied to each of the replacement symbols in the modified array.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising evaluating the modified array for winning combinations of symbols in accordance with a pay table of the wagering game and awarding a prize for any winning combinations of symbols in the modified array in accordance with the pay table.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of symbols in the array are arranged on a plurality of rotatable reels.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the array comprises N symbol positions, wherein the number of symbol positions occupied by the at least one mystery symbol is less than N.
8. A gaming system comprising:
a wager input device;
a display for displaying a randomly selected outcome, the randomly selected outcome comprising a plurality of symbols arranged in an array, the array comprising a plurality of symbol positions, the plurality of symbols occupying the symbol positions, each of the plurality of symbols selected from a set of available symbols, the set of available symbols including a plurality of standard symbols and at least one mystery symbol, the mystery symbol having a special functionality selected from a plurality of special functionalities and not included in any of the plurality of standard symbols; and
a controller operative to:
(i) detect the presence of the at least one mystery symbol in at least one of the symbol positions in the array;
(ii) randomly select a first symbol from the plurality of standard symbols as a replacement symbol;
(iii) replace all occurrences of the mystery symbol in the array with the replacement symbol to create a modified array, wherein the replacement symbol has the same functionality as the mystery symbol; and
(iv) provide the special functionality of the mystery symbol for all other occurrences of the first symbol in the plurality of symbols.
9. The gaming system of claim 8 , wherein the special functionality is selected from the group consisting of wild symbol, scatter symbol, multiplier, multiplying wild symbol, expanding wild symbol, re-spin symbol, and symbol upgrade symbol.
10. The gaming system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one mystery symbol includes a label associated with the special functionality.
11. The gaming system of claim 10 , wherein the label is copied to each of the replacement symbols in the modified array.
12. The gaming system of claim 8 , wherein the controller evaluates the modified array for winning combinations of symbols in accordance with a pay table of the wagering game and awarding a prize for any winning combinations of symbols in the modified array in accordance with the pay table.
13. The gaming system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of symbols in the array are arranged on a plurality of rotatable reels.
14. The gaming system of claim 8 , wherein the array comprises N symbol positions, wherein the number of symbol positions occupied by the at least one mystery symbol is less than N.
15. A computer readable, non-transitory, storage medium encoded with instructions for directing a gaming system to perform the acts of:
displaying a randomly selected outcome on one or more display devices, the randomly selected outcome comprising a plurality of symbols arranged in an array, the array comprising a plurality of symbol positions, the plurality of symbols occupying the symbol positions, each of the plurality of symbols selected from a set of available symbols, the set of available symbols including a plurality of standard symbols and at least one mystery symbol, the mystery symbol having a special functionality selected from a plurality of special functionalities and not included in any of the plurality of standard symbols;
detecting the presence of the at least one mystery symbol in at least one of the symbol positions in the array via one or more processors;
via the one or more processors, randomly selecting a first symbol from the plurality of standard symbols as a replacement symbol;
replacing all occurrences of the mystery symbol in the array with the replacement symbol to create a modified array via the one or more processors, wherein the replacement symbol has the same functionality as the mystery symbol; and
providing the special functionality of the mystery symbol for all other occurrences of the first symbol in the plurality of symbols.
16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the special functionality is selected from the group consisting of wild symbol, scatter symbol, multiplier, multiplying wild symbol, expanding wild symbol, re-spin symbol, and symbol upgrade symbol.
17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the at least one mystery symbol includes a label associated with the special functionality.
18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the label is copied to each of the replacement symbols in the modified array.
19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the act of evaluating the modified array for winning combinations of symbols in accordance with a pay table of the wagering game and awarding a prize for any winning combinations of symbols in the modified array in accordance with the pay table.
20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of symbols in the array are arranged on a plurality of rotatable reels.
21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the array comprises N symbol positions, wherein the number of symbol positions occupied by the at least one mystery symbol is less than N.