WAGERING MACHINES HAVING THREE DIMENSIONAL GAME SEGMENTS

• US 20090291731A1
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Jaffe, Joel R., Gomez, Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 9,666,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games

Abstract

Systems and methods provide a three-dimensional wagering game segment on a wagering game machine. The systems and methods provide three-dimensional representations and movement through a scene. The scene may include target objects, and input may be received indicating actions to be taken with respect to the target objects. The scene may be defined as parts of a tile, and the tile may be part of a track of tiles.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered, the wagering game including one or more segments, the one or more segments having a predetermined track, the track having data defining one or more paths for simulating movement through a three-dimensional graphical environment for the segment;

reading the predetermined track, the track including one or more tiles, wherein each of the one or more tiles comprise data defining a scene within the three-dimensional graphical environment;

for a tile of the one or more tiles, performing the acts of;

determining a set of elements to be displayed for the tile;

determining a set of one or more graphical characteristics associated with the tile; and

rendering the set of elements within the three-dimensional space defined by the tile in accordance with the set of one or more graphical characteristics for the tile, wherein the rendering includes moving one or more of the set of elements within the three-dimensional space.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined track forms at least one loop and further comprising transitioning from a last tile of the track to another tile of the track.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the set of one or more graphical elements includes:

determining a set of predefined graphical elements; and

randomly generating one or more graphical elements.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the set of one or more graphical elements includes determining one or more graphical elements in accordance with a time of day, day of year, or current weather.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more graphical characteristics include one or more of a camera angle, a camera position, a lighting value, a lighting position or a perspective.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising saving a path through the track.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising checkpointing the current state of a track.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a graphical object under the control of a user has left the track and has entered a second track including one or more tiles; and

rendering the graphical objects of a tile in the one or more tiles in the second track.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the track and the second track move simultaneously to one another and wherein an object under the control of the user may switch between the track and the second track.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a tile of the track and a tile of the second track are rendered such that a view in accordance with the tile of the track and a view in accordance with tile of the second track are displayed simultaneously.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an image for a wagering game segment of the wagering game, the image representing a view of movement through a three-dimensional space from a point of reference, the image including a set of one or more graphical objects positioned in the three-dimensional space;

receiving an input indicating a change in a movement of the point of reference through the three-dimensional space;

updating the image in accordance with the input; and

determining at least one outcome during the wagering game segment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the wagering game segment comprises a bonus round.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the outcome is determined upon receiving input that is independent of the input indicating a change in a movement of the point of reference.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the set of one or more graphical objects include target objects.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting movement of the point of reference substantially through at least one of the target objects.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining an outcome includes providing a bonus award upon detecting movement of the point of reference substantially through at least one of the target object in response to the input.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the bonus award comprises at least one of bonus points, a bonus multiplier or an extension of the wagering game segment.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising dynamically determining the bonus award according to the output of a random number generator after the input indicating the change in direction is received.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving an input indicating an action to be performed with respect to at least one of the target objects and selectively providing a bonus award in response to the action.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the action includes firing at the at least one target object.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising determining an interaction between a target object and a different graphical object within the scene upon receiving the input indicating the action to be performed.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising displaying one or more alternative bonus awards associated with at least one of the target objects.

26. The method of claim 12, wherein the change in the direction includes changing a lane displayed within the scene.

8. (canceled)

19-20. -20. (canceled)

27. A system comprising:

a processor operable to present a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered;

a graphics engine operable to determine an image for a wagering game segment of the wagering game in accordance with a track having tiles, the track having data defining one or more paths for simulating movement through a three-dimensional graphical environment for the wagering game segment, the tiles comprising data defining a scene within the three-dimensional graphical environment, the image representing a view of movement through a three-dimensional space from a point of reference, the image including a set of one or more graphical objects positioned in the three-dimensional space; and

an input device to provide an input indicating a change in a movement of the point of reference through the three-dimensional space;

wherein the graphics engine is further operable to update the image in accordance with the input and wherein the processor is further operable to determine at least one outcome during the wagering game segment.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to:

read data representing a track including one or more tiles,

determine a set of elements to be displayed for a tile of the one or more tiles,

determine a set of one or more graphical characteristics associated with the tile; and

wherein the graphics engine is further operable to render the set of elements within the tile in accordance with the set of one or more graphical characteristics for the tile.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising a physics engine operable to at least in part determine how the set of elements of the tile are rendered by the graphics processor.

28. (canceled)

31. A machine-readable medium having machine executable instructions for causing one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising:

presenting a wagering game upon which monetary value may be wagered, the wagering game including one or more segments, the one or more segments having a predetermined track, the track having data defining one or more paths for simulating movement through a three-dimensional environment for the segment;

reading the predetermined track, the track including one or more tiles, wherein each of the one or more tiles comprise data defining a scene within the three-dimensional graphical environments;

for a tile of the one or more tiles, performing the acts of;

determining a set of elements to be displayed for the tile;

determining a set of one or more graphical characteristics associated with the tile; and

rendering the set of elements within the three-dimensional space defined by the tile in accordance with the set of one or more graphical characteristics for the tile, wherein the rendering includes moving one or more of the set of elements within the three-dimensional space.