Gaming machine using multiple triggers to determine an award from a subset of displayed awards
View Patent ↗A gaming system includes at least one input device adapted to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance, an input indicative of a wager drawn on the credit balance for a wagering game, and a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance. In response to a wager input, a wagering game is initiated that includes the spinning and stopping of a set of bonus reels through a plurality of bonus spins populating a bonus array with bonus symbols. The bonus reels comprise a combination of symbols reducing display processing requirements and improve mapping random numbers to displayed symbols for display during bonus spins having reduced durations. When completed, an award is determined based according to values associated with less than all of the bonus symbols displayed in a bonus outcome array.
1. A gaming system comprising:
a 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; and
game-logic circuitry 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;
initiate the casino wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager drawn on the credit balance;
direct the electronic display device to display symbols representing at least a part of an outcome of the casino wagering game in an initial array, wherein at least one of the symbols displayed in the initial array is a bonus symbol;
in response to the outcome including a first trigger event, initiate a bonus feature on a bonus array of symbol-bearing bonus reels that include bonus symbols having respective, associated values, wherein the game-logic circuitry is configured to conduct the bonus feature using a processor that,
renders graphics, via the electronic display device, of the bonus array with a plurality of vacant array positions;
automatically animates, via the electronic display device, a carrying over of the least one of the symbols in the initial array to at least one of the plurality of vacant positions of the bonus array;
spins and stops the bonus reels through a plurality of bonus spins;
animates, via the electronic display device, population of the bonus array with additional bonus symbols in additional ones of the plurality of vacant array positions through the plurality of bonus spins; and
in response to a second trigger event, awards a player according to the values associated with less than all of the bonus symbols displayed in the bonus array; and
receive, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.
2. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of bonus spins includes an initial number of bonus spins stored in a spin counter, and wherein each bonus spin decrements the bonus spins in the spin counter, and wherein a reset event occurring during the bonus spins increments the bonus spins in the spin counter.
3. The gaming system of claim 2 , wherein the reset event is an occurrence of a predetermined reset symbol combination displayed in the bonus array during the bonus spins.
4. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the second trigger event is a predetermined symbol combination occurring in the bonus array during the bonus spins.
5. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the second trigger event is an occurrence of bonus symbols filling a row of the bonus array.
6. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein a bonus symbol displayed in a column of the bonus array drops to the lowest available unoccupied position of the column.
7. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein a bonus symbol displayed in the bonus array moves from one position to another position of the bonus array.
8. A casino gaming machine primarily dedicated to playing at least one casino wagering game, comprising:
an electronic display device;
one or more electronic input devices; and
means for:
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;
initiating the casino wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager drawn on the credit balance;
directing the electronic display device to display symbols representing at least a part of an outcome of the casino wagering game in an initial array, wherein at least one of the symbols displayed in the initial array is a bonus symbol;
in response to the outcome including a first trigger event, initiating a bonus feature on a bonus array of symbol-bearing bonus reels that include bonus symbols having respective, associated values, the bonus feature including:
rendering graphics, via the electronic display device, of the bonus array with a plurality of vacant array positions;
automatically animating, via the electronic display device, a carrying over of the least one of the symbols in the initial array to at least one of the plurality of vacant positions of the bonus array;
spinning and stopping the bonus reels through a plurality of bonus spins;
animating, via the electronic display device, population of the bonus array with additional bonus symbols in additional ones of the plurality of vacant array positions, wherein the additional bonus symbols are displayed during the plurality of bonus spins; and
awarding a player according to the values associated with less than all of the bonus symbols displayed in the bonus array in response to a second trigger event; and
receiving, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.
9. The casino gaming machine of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of bonus spins includes an initial number of bonus spins stored in a spin counter, and wherein each bonus spin decrements the bonus spins in the spin counter, and wherein a reset event occurring during the bonus spins increments the bonus spins in the spin counter.
10. The casino gaming machine of claim 9 , wherein the reset event is an occurrence of a bonus symbol displayed in the bonus array for the first time during the latest bonus spin.
11. The casino gaming machine of claim 8 , wherein the second trigger event is the display of a bonus symbol associated with a progressive jackpot.
12. The casino gaming machine of claim 8 , wherein a third trigger event increases the values associated with one or more of the bonus symbols displayed in the bonus array.
13. The casino gaming machine of claim 8 , wherein initiating the bonus array includes adding one or more array element positions to the initial array.
14. The casino gaming machine of claim 8 , wherein one or more selected indicia are used to determine the second trigger event.
15. A method of operating a gaming system, the gaming system including game-logic circuitry and a 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, the method comprising:
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;
initiating the casino wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager drawn on the credit balance;
directing the electronic display device to display symbols representing at least a part of an outcome of the casino wagering game in an initial array, wherein at least one of the symbols displayed in the initial array is a bonus symbol;
in response to the outcome including a first trigger event, initiating a bonus feature including a bonus array of symbol-bearing bonus reels that include bonus symbols having respective, associated values, the bonus feature including:
rendering graphics, via the electronic display device, of the bonus array with a plurality of vacant array positions;
automatically animating, via the electronic display device, a carrying over of the least one of the symbols in the initial array to at least one of the plurality of vacant positions of the bonus array;
spinning and stopping the bonus reels through a plurality of bonus spins;
animating, via the electronic display device, population of the bonus array with additional bonus symbols in additional ones of the plurality of vacant array positions through the plurality of bonus spins, wherein the additional bonus symbols are displayed during the plurality of bonus spins; and
in response to a second trigger event, awarding a player according to the values associated with less than all of the bonus symbols displayed in the bonus array; and
receiving, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of bonus spins includes an initial number of bonus spins stored in a spin counter, and wherein each bonus spin decrements the bonus spins in the spin counter, and wherein a reset event occurring during the bonus spins increments the bonus spins in the spin counter.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the reset event is an occurrence of a predetermined reset symbol combination displayed in the bonus array during the bonus spins.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein a bonus symbol displayed in a column of the bonus array drops to the lowest available unoccupied position of the column.
19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first trigger event includes an occurrence of at least one bonus symbol displayed in the initial array, and wherein the at least one bonus symbol is carried over to the bonus array.