3-D reels and 3-D wheels in a gaming machine

• US 8,523,672 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2012
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Kryuchkov, Alexey, Breckner, Robert E., Schlottmann, Gregory A., Palchetti, Johnny, LeMay, Steven G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US13/555,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20120289306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/32, 463/33
• US Class Current: 463/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

Techniques for presenting a plurality of game outcome presentations derived from one or more virtual 3-D gaming environments stored on the gaming machine are disclosed. While a game of chance is being played on a gaming machine, two-dimensional images derived from a 3-D object in the 3-D gaming environment may be rendered to a display screen on the gaming machine in real-time as part of a game outcome presentation. A sequence of symbols from a virtual reel strip in the 3-D gaming environment may be generated and displayed. The sequence of symbols may be mapped to one or more of flat reels, rounded reels or sequences of moving objects in the 3-D gaming environment, which may be moved in the 3-D gaming environment through a motion that allow the sequence of symbols from the virtual reel strip to be displayed as part of game outcome presentation.

Claims

1. In a gaming machine including a master gaming controller, a display device and a memory device, a method of generating a game of chance, the method comprising:

receiving a wager for the game of chance controlled by the master gaming controller on the gaming machine wherein the gaming machine is capable of receiving indicia of credit for the wager from an input device coupled to the gaming machine and outputting indicia of credit from an output device coupled to the gaming machine;

determining a game outcome for the game of chance by randomly selecting, one or more times, for each of a plurality of virtual reel strips, each virtual reel strip comprising a sequence of indices, an index from the sequence of indices, the index being representative of a final state of the virtual reel strip;

for each index selected, associating a portion of the sequence of indices with one or more three-dimensional (3-D) objects in a 3-D gaming environment wherein the portion of indices includes the selected index;

mapping a set of symbols to the sequence of indices and drawing the symbols on one or more of the 3-D objects in the 3-D gaming environment;

said drawing comprising;

i) selecting a first subset of symbols from the set of symbols;

ii) drawing the first subset of symbols on a surface of the one or more of the 3-D objects;

iii) moving the surface, including the first subset of symbols, from a first position to a second position in the 3-D gaming environment;

iv) selecting a second subset of symbols from the set of symbols;

v) drawing the second set of symbols the surface; and

vi) moving the surface including the second subset of symbols from the first position to the second position in the 3-D gaming environment;

wherein the first subset and the second subset are defined so that when a plurality of 2-D images are rendered from the 3-D gaming environment to capture the movements of the surface, the symbols, as viewed on the display screen, appear to enter and to leave the display screen in an order specified by the sequence of symbols determined for each virtual reel strip;

rendering one or more two-dimensional (2-D) images derived from the one or more 3-D objects and the three-dimensional gaming environment as a game outcome presentation for the game of chance wherein information used to generate the one or more 3-D objects and the 3-D gaming environment is stored in the memory device on the gaming machine; and

displaying the one or more rendered 2-D images to the display device on the gaming machine wherein the 2-D images display the portion of the indices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a combination of at least three indices is generated as the game outcome by randomly selecting i) a first index from a first sequence of indices, ii) a second index from a second sequence of indices and iii) a third index from a third sequence of indices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a combination of 5 indices is generated as the game outcome by randomly selecting i) a first index from a first sequence of indices, ii) a second index from a second sequence of indices, iii) a third index from a third sequence of indices, iv) a fourth index from a fourth sequence of indices and v) a fifth index from a fifth sequence of indices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the game of chance is a video slot game.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequence of indices comprises two or more different types of indices.

6. The method of claim of 1, further comprising:

determining a motion of the one or more 3-D objects in the gaming environment; and

applying the determined motion to the one or more 3-D objects in the 3-D gaming environment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a first 3-D object of the one or more 3-D objects is at least one of a 2-D rectangle or a box in the 3-D gaming environment and the portion of the indices is drawn on at least one surface of the rectangle or the box.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a first 3-D object of the one or more 3-D objects is at least one of a portion of a cylinder or a curved 2-D surface and the portion of the indices is drawn on at least one surface of the cylinder portion or the curved 2-D surface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each index in the portion of the indices is displayed sequentially over time in a plurality of rendered 2-D images that are displayed sequentially over time.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an input signal from a first input device on the gaming machine wherein the input signal provides information for altering the game outcome presentation for the game of chance.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the input signal is for one of stopping or starting the motion of the one or more 3-D objects.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the input signal is for altering a motion of the one or more 3-D objects.

13. In a gaming machine including a master gaming controller, a display device and a memory device, a method of generating a game of chance, the method comprising:

receiving a wager for the game of chance controlled by the master gaming controller on the gaming machine wherein the gaming machine is capable of receiving indicia of credit for the wager from an input device coupled to the gaming machine and outputting indicia of credit from an output device coupled to the gaming machine;

determining randomly a final state on each of a plurality of virtual reel strips;

for each virtual reel strip, a) determining a sequence of symbols to display from the virtual reel strip wherein each of the sequence of symbols comprises at least one of i) a number of symbols prior to the final state on the virtual reel strip;

ii) a number of symbols after the final state on the virtual reel strip;

or iii) combinations thereof; and

b) drawing the sequence of symbols over time on a surface defined in a 3-D gaming environment, said drawing comprising;

i) dividing the surface into a number of segments and wherein the number of segments is less than a total number of segments associated with the virtual reel strip;

ii) selecting a first subset of symbols from the sequence of symbols to draw in the segments;

iii) drawing the first subset of symbols in the segments;

iv) moving the surface, including the first subset of the sequence of symbols, from a first position to a second position in the 3-D gaming environment;

v) generating the surface at the first position in the 3-D gaming environment;

vi) selecting a second subset of symbols from the sequence of symbols to draw in the segments;

vii) drawing the second set of symbols in the segments; and

viii) moving the surface, including the second subset of the sequence of symbols, from the first position to the second position in the 3-D gaming environment;

wherein the first subset and the second subset are defined so that when a plurality of 2-D images are rendered from the 3-D gaming environment to capture the movements of the surface, the symbols, as viewed on the display screen, appear to enter and to leave the display screen in an order specified by the sequence of symbols determined for each virtual reel strip.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a motion for each of the surfaces in the 3-D gaming environment; and

, while rendering the plurality of 2-D images, applying the determined motion for each of the surfaces in the 3-D gaming environment wherein the motion for each of the surfaces is captured in at least a portion of the plurality of the 2-D images.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, when the 2-D images are viewed in a sequence, the rendered symbols appear to move along a linear path from a top of the display screen to the bottom of the display screen.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein one or more of the rate of movement and the direction of movement of the surfaces varies over time.

17. The method of claim, 13 further comprising:

dividing each surface into a number of segments and drawing at least one symbol from the sequence of symbols in each segment.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a type of symbol drawn in each segment varies with time.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein a portion of the number is segments are viewable on the display screen at any one time when the one or more 2-D images are displayed to the display screen.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein positions of a portion of the number of segments are used to specify a payline when the one or more 2-D images are displayed to the display screen.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein, when the one or more 2-D images are displayed to the display screen, areas occupied by a portion of the number of segments on the display screen correspond to active areas of a touch screen sensor coupled to the display screen.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the gaming machine is capable of altering a movement of a first surface in the 3-D gaming environment when an input signal is generated from an active area on the touch screen sensor above the first surface in one of the 2-D images.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying the final state for a plurality of virtual reel strips in a first game of chance;

storing the final state of each of the virtual reel strips;

for a second game of chance following the first game of chance,

determining the sequence of the symbols to display from the virtual reels strips wherein the final states from the plurality of virtual reel strips from the first game of chance are initial states of the sequence of symbols for the second game of chance.

24. A gaming machine comprising:

a housing;

a master gaming controller designed or configured to control a game of chance played on the gaming machine mounted within the housing and to execute game logic;

an input device coupled to the housing capable of receiving indicia of credit for wagers on the game of chance;

an output device coupled to the housing capable of outputting indicia of credit from the gaming machine;

a memory device coupled to the housing for storing information used to generate a 3-D gaming environment comprising one or more virtual slot reels;

game logic executed on the gaming machine for rendering one or more two-dimensional images derived from the 3-D gaming environment wherein the rendering for each virtual slot reel comprises a) determining a sequence of symbols to display from a virtual reel strip associated with the virtual slot reel wherein each of the sequence of symbols comprises at least one of i) a number of symbols prior to the final state on the virtual reel strip;

ii) a number of symbols after the final state on the virtual reel strip;

or iii) combinations thereof; and

b) drawing the sequence of symbols over time on a surface defined in a 3-D gaming environment, said drawing comprising;

i) dividing the surface into a number of segments and wherein the number of segments is less than a total number of segments associated with the virtual reel strip;

ii) selecting a first subset of symbols from the sequence of symbols to draw in the segments;

iii) drawing the first subset of symbols in the segments;

iv) moving the surface, including the first subset of the sequence of symbols from a first position to a second position in the 3-D gaming environment

v) generating the surface at the first position in the 3-D gaming environment;

vi) selecting a second subset of symbols from the sequence of symbols to draw in the segments;

vii) drawing the second set of symbols in the segments;

viii) moving the surface, including the second subset of the sequence of symbols from the first position to the second position in the 3-D gaming environment;

wherein the first subset and the second subset are defined so that when a plurality of 2-D images are rendered from the 3-D gaming environment to capture the movements of the surface, the symbols, as viewed on the display screen, appear to enter and to leave the display screen in an order specified by the sequence of symbols determined for each virtual reel strip; and

one or more display devices for displaying a game outcome presentation for the game of chance comprising said rendered one or more two-dimensional images.

25. The gaming machine of claim 24, wherein the game of chance is a video slot game.

26. The gaming machine of claim 25, further comprising:

game logic for generating a motion of the one or more virtual slot reels in the 3-D gaming environment wherein, when the plurality of 2-D images capturing one or more the virtual slot reels at various positions in the 3-D gaming environment is viewed on the display screen, the virtual slot reels appear to move on the display screen.