Regulated games: multi-act games

• US 8,668,578 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2011
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Linard, Sylvie, Papanastasiou, John, Brunet De Courssou, Thierry
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Allen
• Application Number:
  US13/184,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20120302319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 463/9, 463/15, 463/22
• US Class Current: 463/22
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/632 by branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible story developments at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/18 Question-and-answer games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• 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 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3295 Games involving skill, e.g. dexterity, memory, thinking

Abstract

Creative multi-act games for the younger generation of casino players accustomed to creative simulation games such as “The Sims®” and familiar TV characters such as the cast of “Friends”. Stories unfold through acts that have been staged by the player by selecting and placing acting objects. A palette of betting opportunities may be provided in each act in accordance with the staged act to allow the player(s) to place bets. A typical storyboard may include three acts: (a) a construction act, (b) a testing act and (c) a destruction or resolution act. The unfolding of acts may be non-linear and several players may participate simultaneously, sharing the opportunity to affect a storyboard'"'"'s direction through decision-making.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a processor;

at least one display device;

an interface;

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the display device and the interface to;

(a) display a storyline that unfolds toward completion, the storyline including a plurality of individually selectable acts, each but a first one of the plurality of acts being configured to build on at least one preceding act to provide continuity between the plurality of acts;

(b) after displaying at least part of the first one of the plurality of acts, dynamically display a palette of betting opportunities within at least one of the plurality of acts; and

(c) when the palette of betting opportunities is displayed within the at least one of the plurality of acts;

(i) enable a player to select a betting opportunity from the palette of betting opportunities;

(ii) enable the player to place a bet on the selected betting opportunity, and

(iii) randomly determine an outcome related to the placed bet.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to display two grids.

3. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein a first of the two grids includes the palette of betting opportunities.

4. The gaming system of claim 2, wherein the second of the two grids includes a game play grid on which the storyline unfolds.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of acts includes a first act, a second act and a third act and wherein the storyline is established in the first act, tested in the second act and resolved in the third act.

6. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the game play grid is fragmented in a regular manner.

7. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the game play grid is fragmented in an irregular manner.

8. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the game play grid is three-dimensional.

9. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the game play grid includes a plurality of grid segments and wherein each of the plurality of grid segments represents one of:

a province within a map and a territory within the map.

10. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the storyline includes an unfolding of a construction project.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of acts includes a first act, a second act and a third act and wherein the first act of the construction project includes establishing the construction project, the second act of the construction project includes testing the construction project and introducing and overcoming construction snags and the third act of the construction project includes resolving the construction project.

12. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the construction project includes completing at least one of:

a road, a pipeline, a plurality of railroad tracks, a wiring, a river, a labyrinth and an ignition cord.

13. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the storyline includes an unfolding of a construction project and wherein the palette of betting opportunities includes a parts factory.

14. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein the parts factory includes a plurality of project segments and when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to enable the player to move the plurality of project segments into the game play grid to one of:

complete the construction project and improve the construction projects.

15. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein the palette of betting opportunities includes a plurality of calamities that damage the construction project.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of calamities includes at least one of:

a tornado, an earthquake, an explosion, lightning and a tsunami.

17. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to enable the player to wager on each of the calamities within the palette of betting opportunities.

18. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to provide the player an award if the wagered on calamity causes damage to the construction project.

19. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to enable the player to bet on a selected betting opportunity of the palette of betting opportunities by at least one of:

(a) touching the selected betting opportunity and pressing a bet button; and

(b) placing an onscreen wagering chip on the selected betting opportunity and associating a selected grid segment of the game play grid with the selected betting opportunity and pressing a bet button.

20. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the storyline includes construction of at least one conduit that must be aligned correctly to enable one of a liquid and an object to move within the conduit from a predetermined source to a predetermined destination.

21. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to display a game play grid on which the storyline unfolds, the game play grid including a plurality of game play grid segments, wherein the conduit is divided into a plurality of conduit segments by the game play grid to enable the player to manipulate the conduit one conduit segment at a time.

22. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of acts includes a testing act in which the one of the liquid and the object begins advancing towards the predetermined destination.

23. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to randomly place the conduit segments in the game play grid, to enable the player to modify the placement of the conduit segments in the game play grid to complete the conduit and to provide the player an award when the one of the liquid and the object successfully advances through the completed conduit from the predetermined source to the predetermined destination.

24. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to cause at least one of the plurality of conduit segments to be faulty which causes the player to be provided a smaller award than if none of the plurality of conduit segments were faulty.

25. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to provide no award to the player if at least one of:

an incorrectly aligned and a missing segments in a conduit halts an advance of the one of the liquid and the object.

26. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to enable the player to rotate misaligned conduit segments in the game play grid.

27. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to enable the player to replace any missing conduit segments and any misaligned conduit segments with new conduit segments.

28. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein the storyline includes a concurrent construction of more than one conduit.

29. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to enable the player to attempt to fix any missing conduit segments and any incorrectly aligned conduit segments within a predetermined time period.

30. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein the predetermined time period is the time it takes one of the object and the liquid to travel from the predetermined source to the predetermined destination.

31. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor enable the player to place side wagers on at least one designated game play grid segments and provide the player an award, based on a published pay table, when a random layout of the conduit segments on the game play grid causes a conduit segment to pass through the at least one designated game play grid segment.

32. The gaming system of claim 31, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to enable the player to designate game play grid segments on which to place the side bet by selecting a side bet wager shape from a palette of a plurality of side bet wager shapes and by applying the selected side bet wager shape to the game play grid.

33. The gaming system of claim 32, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to enable the player to define new side bet wager shapes.

34. The gaming system of claim 33, wherein the at least one display device is a touch screen and when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to enable the player to define the new side bet wager shapes by selecting a drawing tool from a palette of options and using the selected drawing tool on the touch screen to draw side bet wager shapes within the game play grid.

35. The gaming system of claim 4, wherein the storyline includes a journey of an onscreen character.

36. The gaming system of claim 35, wherein the plurality of acts includes at least a first act, a second act and a third act and the first act includes a creation of a travel itinerary, the second act includes traveling on the journey along the created travel itinerary and overcoming travel snags and the third act includes a resolution of the journey.

37. The gaming system of claim 35, wherein the journey includes one of:

a hero'"'"'s quest and a military mission.

38. The gaming system of claim 35, wherein the journey includes an emotional journey.

39. The gaming system of claim 35, wherein the journey includes a creation of a relationship.

40. The gaming system of claim 39, wherein the plurality of acts includes at least a first act, a second act and a third act and wherein the first act includes the creation of the relationship, the second act includes testing the relationship and the third act includes resolving the relationship.

41. The gaming system of claim 39, wherein the relationship is a romantic relationship.

42. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to display each of the plurality of acts associated with a unique setting.

43. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to be coupled to a gaming network.

44. The gaming system of claim 43, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to couple to the gaming network via a broadband connection.

45. The gaming system of claim 43, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to enable the player to invite another player to participate in the storyline.