Methods, devices and systems for skill-based wagering games with programmatically-variable-randomness

• US 10,403,096 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technological Group Limited
• Original Assignee: Synergy Blue LLC
• Inventors: Oberberger, Michael, Bushnell, Nolan K
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US15/962,950
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3295 Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking

Abstract

A game, configured for execution in a regulated gaming machine, may require skillful actions by a player to achieve an objective of the game. The game may be further configured such that outcomes are partially determined by randomness and partially determined by inputs to the regulated gaming machine from the player. A computer-implemented method may comprise, iteratively, during game play of the game: receiving inputs from the player via a player interface; generating a skillful action within the game based upon the received player inputs, and generating an outcome of the skillful action that is partially determined by randomness and partially determined by the generated skillful action based upon the player inputs. A reward may be selectively provided to the player according to the generated outcome and according to a predetermined target Return to Player (RTP) percentage for the game. The degree to which the randomness affects the generated outcome and the degree to which the skillful action based upon inputs from the player affect the generated outcome may then be changed such that a later-generated outcome is differently affected by the randomness and by inputs from the player than a prior-generated outcome.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing a regulated gaming machine comprising at least one processor, a display and a player interface;

providing, in the regulated gaming machine, a game configured for execution by the at least one processor and requiring a plurality of skillful actions by a player to achieve an objective of the game, the game being further configured such that skilled players more often achieve or come closer to achieve the objective of the game than do comparatively less-skilled players;

iteratively, during game play of the provided game;

selectively generating a random value from within a predetermined range of values;

receiving inputs from the player via the player interface;

generating a skillful action of the required plurality of skillful actions within the game based upon the received player inputs;

generating a randomly-altered outcome of the skillful action by applying the selectively generated random value to at least one of;

the received player inputs; and

a determined outcome of the skillful action;

selectively providing a reward to the player according to the randomly-altered outcome and according to a predetermined target Return to Player (RTP) percentage for the game;

selectively changing the predetermined range of values such that a later-generated random value is randomly generated from within the changed predetermined range of values; and

displaying the randomly-altered outcome of the skillful action and the reward to the player on the display.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein selectively changing the predetermined range of values within which the random value is generated comprises gradually changing, during game play, the range of values according to a desired pattern.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein selectively changing the predetermined range of values within which the random value is generated comprises gradually increasing, during game play, the range of values within which the random value is generated.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein selectively changing the predetermined range of values within which the random value is generated comprises gradually decreasing, during game play, the range of values within which the random value is generated.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the values within the predetermined range of values comprises deltas away from quantities calculated based upon the inputs received by the regulated gaming machine from the player.

6. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing a regulated gaming machine comprising at least one processor, a display and a player interface;

providing, in the regulated gaming machine, a game configured for execution by the at least one processor and requiring a plurality of skillful actions by a player to achieve an objective of the game, the game being further configured such that outcomes are partially determined by randomness and partially determined by skillful actions generated based upon inputs to the regulated gaming machine from the player;

iteratively, during game play of the provided game;

selectively generating a random value from within a predetermined range of values;

receiving inputs from the player via the player interface;

applying the selectively generated random value to the received player inputs;

generating a skillful action within the game based upon the altered player inputs;

generating an outcome of the generated skillful action that is partially determined by randomness and partially determined by the generated skillful action based upon the altered player inputs;

selectively providing a reward to the player according to the generated outcome and according to a predetermined target Return to Player (RTP) percentage for the game; and

selectively changing a degree to which the randomness affects at least one later-generated outcome and selectively changing the predetermined range of values, such that a random value that is later-generated from within a narrower predetermined range of values enables smaller changes to be applied to later-received player inputs and results in smaller changes to the at least one later-generated outcome and such a random value that is later-generated from within a comparatively broader predetermined range of values enables greater changes to be applied to later-received player inputs and results in smaller changes to the at least one later-generated outcome; and

displaying the generated outcome on the display of the regulated gaming machine.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein selectively changing the degree to which the randomness affects the at least one later-generated outcome and selectively changing the predetermined range of values comprises selectively carrying out one of:

increasing the degree to which the randomness affects the at least one later-generated outcome and narrowing the predetermined range of values from which the random value is generated and

decreasing the degree to which the randomness affects the at least one later-generated outcome and broadening the predetermined range of values from which the random value is generated.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein selectively changing the degree to which the randomness affects the at least one later-generated outcome comprises gradually decreasing or increasing, during game play, the effect of the randomness on the at least one later-generated outcome.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6,

wherein changing the predetermined range of values comprises gradually increasing or decreasing the predetermined range to gradually change an amount of perturbation applied to the received player inputs during game play.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the randomness comprises at least one random number configured as a delta away from quantities calculated based upon the inputs received by the regulated gaming machine from the player.

11. An electronic, wager-based regulated gaming device, comprising:

a memory;

at least one processor;

a display;

a player interface; and

a plurality of processes spawned by the at least one processor, the plurality of processes comprising processing logic to;

provide, in the regulated gaming machine, a game configured for execution by the at least one processor and requiring a plurality of skillful actions by a player to achieve an objective of the game, the game being further configured such that outcomes are partially determined by randomness and partially determined by skillful actions generated based upon inputs to the regulated gaming machine from the player;

iteratively, during game play of the provided game;

selectively generating a random value from within a predetermined range of values;

receiving inputs from the player via the player interface;

applying the selectively generated random value to the received player inputs;

generating a skillful action within the game based upon the altered player inputs;

generating an outcome of the generated skillful action that is partially determined by randomness and partially determined by the generated skillful action based upon the altered player inputs;

selectively providing a reward to the player according to the generated outcome and according to a predetermined target Return to Player (RTP) percentage for the game; and

selectively changing a degree to which the randomness affects at least one later-generated outcome and selectively changing the predetermined range of values, such that a random value that is later-generated from within a narrower predetermined range of values enables smaller changes to be applied to later-received player inputs and results in smaller changes to the at least one later-generated outcome and such a random value that is later-generated from within a comparatively broader predetermined range of values enables greater changes to be applied to later-received player inputs and results in smaller changes to the at least one later-generated outcome; and

displaying the generated outcome on the display of the regulated gaming machine.

12. The electronic, wager-based regulated gaming device of claim 11, wherein the processing logic to selectively change the degree to which the randomness affects the at least one later-generated outcome and selectively changing the predetermined range of values comprises processing logic to selectively:

increase the degree to which the randomness affects the at least one later-generated outcome and narrowing the predetermined range of values from which the random value is generated and

decrease the degree to which the randomness affects the at least one later-generated outcome and broadening the predetermined range of values from which the random value is generated.

13. The electronic, wager-based regulated gaming device claim 11, wherein the processing logic to selectively change the degree to which the randomness affects the at least one later-generated outcome comprises processing logic to gradually decrease or increase, during game play, the effect of the randomness on the at least one later-generated outcome.

14. The electronic, wager-based regulated gaming device of claim 11, wherein the processing logic to selectively change the predetermined range of values comprises processing logic to gradually increase or decrease the predetermined range to gradually change an amount of perturbation applied to the received player inputs during game play.

15. The electronic, wager-based regulated gaming device of claim 11, wherein the randomness comprises at least one random number configured as a delta away from quantities calculated based upon the inputs received by the regulated gaming device from the player.

16. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having data stored thereon representing sequences of instructions which, when executed by a regulated gaming computing device comprising at least one processor, a display and a player interface, cause the regulated gaming to carry out a method, comprising:

providing a regulated gaming machine providing, in the regulated gaming machine, a game configured for execution by the at least one processor and requiring a plurality of skillful actions by a player to achieve an objective of the game, the game being further configured such that outcomes are partially determined by randomness and partially determined by skillful actions generated based upon inputs to the regulated gaming machine from the player;

iteratively, during game play of the provided game;

selectively generating a random value from within a predetermined range of values;

receiving inputs from the player via the player interface;

applying the selectively generated random value to the received player inputs;

generating a skillful action within the game based upon the altered player inputs;

generating an outcome of the generated skillful action that is partially determined by randomness and partially determined by the generated skillful action based upon the altered player inputs;

selectively providing a reward to the player according to the generated outcome and according to a predetermined target Return to Player (RTP) percentage for the game; and

selectively changing a degree to which the randomness affects at least one later-generated outcome and selectively changing the predetermined range of values, such that a random value that is later-generated from within a narrower predetermined range of values enables smaller changes to be applied to later-received player inputs and results in smaller changes to the at least one later-generated outcome and such a random value that is later-generated from within a comparatively broader predetermined range of values enables greater changes to be applied to later-received player inputs and results in smaller changes to the at least one later-generated outcome; and

displaying the generated outcome on the display of the regulated gaming machine.

17. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein selectively changing the degree to which the randomness affects the at least one later-generated outcome and selectively changing the predetermined range of values comprises selectively carrying out one of:

increasing the degree to which the randomness affects the at least one later-generated outcome and narrowing the predetermined range of values from which the random value is generated and

decreasing the degree to which the randomness affects the at least one later-generated outcome and broadening the predetermined range of values from which the random value is generated.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein selectively changing the degree to which the randomness affects the at least one later-generated outcome comprises gradually decreasing or increasing, during game play, the effect of the randomness on the at least one later-generated outcome.

19. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein changing the predetermined range of values comprises gradually increasing or decreasing the predetermined range to gradually change an amount of perturbation applied to the received player inputs during game play.

20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the randomness comprises at least one random number configured as a delta away from quantities calculated based upon the inputs received by the regulated gaming machine from the player.