REPRESENTING PHYSICAL STATE IN GAMING SYSTEMS

• US 20110081959A1
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hoffman, Jason M., Morgan, Robert W., Ansari, Marwan Y., Jaffe, Joel R.
• Application Number:
  US12/895,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20110081959A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed

Abstract

In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes determining physical inputs applicable to a wagering game event, wherein the wagering game event involves game elements of a wagering game. The method can also include determining, based on the physical inputs, a first force to be applied to a first object representing a first of the game elements, and applying the first force to the first object; determining that a collision has occurred between the first object and a second object representing a second of the game elements. The method can also include determining a second force to be applied to the first object because of the collision, presenting the first and second objects based on the first and second forces, determining an outcome of the wagering game event based on the first and second forces, and presenting the outcome of the wagering game event.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for presenting, in a wagering game machine, a wagering game without scripted media, the method comprising:

detecting initiation of the wagering game;

detecting collision of a first object and a second object, wherein the first and second objects represent game elements in the wagering game;

determining a first physical state associated with the first object and a second physical state associated with the second object, wherein the physical states indicate physical conditions of the objects;

determining a first material that constitutes the first object and a second material that constitutes the second object;

determining a physical behavior of the first and second objects based on the first and second materials, wherein the physical behavior identifies physics properties that govern interactions between the first and second objects;

applying the physical behavior to the first and second objects; and

presenting the first and second objects based on the physical behavior, wherein the presenting reveals progress of the wagering game.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second materials is represented as one of plastic, wood, metal, felt, rubber, cloth, paper, and flesh.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first and second physical states represent one or more of wet, on fire, oily, hot, cold, magnetic, electric, and diseased.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said determining the physical behavior of the first and second objects based on the first and second materials comprises locating an element in a behavior matrix at an intersection of a row and column, wherein the row corresponds to the first material and the column corresponds to the second material.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said applying the physical behavior to the first and second objects comprises:

determining that at least one of the first physical state and the second physical state affect the physical behavior;

determining an effect to the physical behavior;

applying the effect to the physical behavior.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said presenting the first and second objects based on the physical behavior comprises:

determining a presentation element for the collision, wherein the presentation element comprises at least one of a sound effect, a graphic, and a particle effect, wherein the particle effect indicates particles that are emitted by the first and second objects during the collision; and

presenting the presentation element during the collision.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that the second object disintegrated during the collision;

creating a plurality of new objects that comprise fragments of the second object; and

presenting the new objects as new game elements in the wagering game.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that a third object is in proximity to the first object;

determining that the first physical state should be transferred to the third object;

determining a transfer rate; and

transferring the first physical state to the second object based on the transfer rate.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining that an intensity of the first physical state of the first object should be decreased in response to transferring the first physical state to the third object; and

decreasing the intensity of the first physical state of the first object.

10. A computer-implemented method for presenting a wagering game in a wagering game machine, the method comprising:

determining physical inputs applicable to a wagering game event, wherein the wagering game event involves game elements of a wagering game;

determining, based on the physical inputs, a first force to be applied to a first object representing a first of the game elements;

applying the first force to the first object;

determining that a collision has occurred between the first object and a second object representing a second of the game elements;

determining a second force to be applied to the first object because of the collision;

presenting the first and second objects based on the first and second forces;

determining an outcome of the wagering game event based on the first and second forces; and

presenting the outcome of the wagering game event.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the physical inputs comprise an initial orientation of the first object, a force, a direction of the force, and an initial position of the first object.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein said presenting the outcome of the wagering game event presenting the first object in an appropriate orientation.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein said determining that a collision has occurred between the first object and the second object includes,

determining a first material makes up the first object and a second material that makes up the second object, wherein the first and second materials represent physical compositions of the first and second objects;

determining a physical behavior of the first and second objects based on the first and second materials, wherein the physical behavior represents physical properties governing interaction between the first and second objects;

applying the physical behavior to the first and second objects; and

presenting the first and second objects based on the physical behavior.

14. A machine-readable storage medium including instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

detecting a wager associated with a wagering game;

presenting first and second objects as game elements of the wagering game, wherein the first and second objects are moving;

detecting a collision of the first and second objects;

determining a first material that constitutes the first object and a second material that constitutes the second object;

determining, based on the first and second materials, a physical behavior for each of the first and second objects, wherein the physical behavior identifies physics properties that govern interactions between the first and second materials;

presenting, based on the collision and physical behavior, the first and second objects, wherein the presenting reveals progress of the wagering game, wherein the presenting occurs without presentation of predetermined graphical sequences.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein each of the first and second materials is one of plastic, wood, metal, felt, rubber, cloth, paper, and flesh.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the first and second objects are each associated with one or more physical states including wet, on fire, oily, hot, cold, magnetic, electric, and diseased.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the first object represents a die and the second objects represents a wagering game table.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14 further comprising:

determining player inputs that represent physical forces applied to the first and second objects;

applying the physical forces to first and second objects;

determining new positions for the first and second objects based on the physical forces, physical behavior of the first and second objects, and the first and second materials, wherein the new positions determine a result for the wagering game; and

presenting the first and second objects in the new positions.

19. A wagering game machine comprising:

a wagering game unit configured to present wagering games without scripted animation, the wagering game unit including,

a gaming unit configured to detect player input initiating a wagering game and to cause presentation of first and second objects representing game elements of the wagering game, wherein the first and second objects are moving on a display;

a physics unit configured to

determine first and second materials defining physical composition of the first and second objects, respectively;

determine a physical state of the first object;

determine physics properties that govern interactions of the first and second materials;

detect a collision of the first and second objects;

determine a new path of motion for the first and second objects based on the collision, the first and second materials, and the physics properties;

transfer the physical state to the second object;

a graphics unit configured to render the first and second objects based on the new path of motion, wherein the rendering indicates a result for the wagering game.

20. The wagering game of claim 19 further comprising:

an audio unit configured to determine audio content indicating the new path of motion of the first and second objects.

21. The wagering game of claim 19 wherein the physical state is one of wet, on fire, oily, hot, cold, magnetic, electric, and diseased.

22. A wagering game machine configured to present a wagering game without scripted media, the wagering game machine comprising:

means for detecting initiation of the wagering game;

means for detecting collision of a first object and a second object, wherein the first and second objects represent game elements in the wagering game;

means for determining a first physical state associated with the first object and a second physical state associated with the second object, wherein the physical states indicate physical conditions of the objects;

means for determining a first material that constitutes the first object and a second material that constitutes the second object;

means for determining a physical behavior of the first and second objects based on the first and second materials, wherein the physical behavior identifies physics properties that govern interactions between the first and second objects;

means for applying the physical behavior to the first and second objects; and

means for presenting the first and second objects based on the physical behavior, wherein the presenting reveals progress of the wagering game.

23. The wagering game machine of claim 22, wherein the progress includes one or more of an intermediate game result and a final game result.

24. The wagering game machine of claim 22, wherein each of the first and second materials is one of plastic, wood, metal, felt, rubber, cloth, paper, and flesh.

25. The wagering game machine of claim 22, wherein the first and second physical states represent one or more of wet, on fire, oily, hot, cold, magnetic, electric, and diseased.