Wagering game with persistent state of game assets affecting other players

• US 8,684,826 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Englman, Allon G., Pacey, Larry J., Gagner, Mark B., Hornik, Jeremy M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O
• Assistant Examiner(s): YOO, JASSON H
• Application Number:
  US13/611,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20130005446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 25, 463/29, 463/40, 463 42- 43
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3265 Influencing the position of stopped moving members to achieve a winning arrangement, e.g. nudging, shuffling, holding
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3281 wherein game attributes are transferred between players, e.g. points, weapons, avatars

Abstract

A gaming system includes a plurality of linked gaming machines, each gaming machine including a display for displaying a plurality of symbols that indicates a randomly selected outcome of a wagering game. The randomly selected outcome is selected from a plurality of outcomes in response to a wager input. Each gaming machine allows a player to achieve a player level from a plurality of player levels. The gaming system further includes a controller linked to the gaming machines. The controller is adapted to permit a certain community-event game from a plurality of community-game events to be played at two or more of gaming machines in response to a conditional state at the gaming machines. The conditional state is a function of the player levels at the gaming machines.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system with at least first and second gaming machines, the gaming machines being operable such that players at the gaming machines can play a community game, the method comprising:

determining, via at least one of one or more processors, an outcome of a base game of the wagering game, wherein the base-game outcome is randomly determined from a plurality of base-game outcomes;

displaying on the first gaming machine a bonus-game-enabling event associated with the community game, wherein completing the bonus-game-enabling event enables at least one of a plurality of inaccessible bonus games associated with the community game, the plurality of inaccessible bonus games being initially inaccessible to players such that the inaccessible bonus games, until enabled, cannot be triggered during play of the base game at the gaming machines; and

in response to a first player at the first gaming machine completing the bonus-game-enabling event, enabling at least a first one of the inaccessible bonus games such that both the first player at the first gaming machine and a second player at the second gaming machine can trigger the first enabled bonus game during any of a plurality of subsequent plays of the base game of the wagering game.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bonus-game-enabling event is completed through collaboration between the first and second players.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bonus-game-enabling event is completed by the first player without collaboration with the second player.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the bonus-game-enabling event on the second gaming machine, wherein the second player completing the bonus-game-enabling event enables at least one of the plurality of inaccessible bonus games associated with the community game; and

in response to the second player at the second gaming machine completing the bonus-game-enabling event, enabling at least the first one of the inaccessible bonus games such that both the first player at the first gaming machine and the second player at the second gaming machine can trigger the first enabled bonus game during any of a plurality of subsequent plays of the base game of the wagering game.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising assisting the second player with successfully completing the bonus-game-enabling event.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an enabled-bonus-game selection screen from which the first player or the second player, or both, can select to play previously enabled ones of the plurality of inaccessible bonus games including the first enabled bonus game.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a second bonus-game-enabling event on the second gaming machine, wherein the second player completing the second bonus-game-enabling event enables at least a second one of the plurality of inaccessible bonus games associated with the community game; and

in response to the second player at the second gaming machine completing the second bonus-game-enabling event, enabling at least the second one of the inaccessible bonus games such that both the first player at the first gaming machine and the second player at the second gaming machine can trigger the second enabled bonus game during any of a plurality of subsequent plays of the base game of the wagering game.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying an enabled-bonus-game selection screen from which the first player or the second player, or both, can select to play previously enabled ones of the plurality of inaccessible bonus games including the first and the second enabled bonus games.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying at least a first portion of the bonus-game-enabling event via a community display, and displaying at least a second portion of the bonus-game-enabling event via a display of the first gaming machine.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the inaccessible bonus games is associated with one or more selectable bonus games, the one or more selectable bonus games becoming selectable in response to the corresponding inaccessible bonus game being enabled.

11. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determine an outcome of a base game of a wagering game, wherein the base-game outcome is randomly determined from a plurality of base-game outcomes;

direct a display of a first gaming machine in a gaming system to display a bonus-game-enabling event associated with a community game, wherein completing the bonus-game-enabling event enables at least one of a plurality of inaccessible bonus games associated with the community game, the plurality of inaccessible bonus games being initially inaccessible to players such that the inaccessible bonus games, until enabled, cannot be triggered during play of the base game at gaming machines in the gaming system; and

in response to a first player at the first gaming machine completing the bonus-game-enabling event, enabling at least a first one of the inaccessible bonus games such that both the first player at the first gaming machine and a second player at a second gaming machine in the gaming system can trigger the first enabled bonus game during any of a plurality of subsequent plays of the base game of the wagering game.

12. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming machines including at least first and second gaming machines, the first and second gaming machines each having a respective display configured to display a wagering game; and

a controller operatively connected to the plurality of gaming machines such that players at the gaming machines can play a community game, the community game including a plurality of inaccessible bonus games, the inaccessible bonus games being initially inaccessible to the players such that the inaccessible bonus games, until enabled, cannot be triggered at the gaming machines, the controller being operable to;

direct the first gaming machine to display a bonus-game-enabling event associated with the community game, wherein completing the bonus-game-enabling event enables at least one of the inaccessible bonus games; and

in response to a first player at the first gaming machine completing the bonus-game-enabling event, enable at least one of the inaccessible bonus games such that both the first player at the first gaming machine and a second player at the second gaming machine can trigger and play the at least one enabled bonus game during any of a plurality of subsequent plays of the wagering game.

13. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the bonus-game-enabling event can be completed by the first player without collaboration with the second player.

14. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein a display of the second gaming machine is configured to display a selection screen from which the second player can select to play previously enabled ones of the plurality of inaccessible bonus games including the at least one enabled bonus game.

15. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further operable to provide an indication to both the first and second players how to subsequently successfully complete the bonus-game-enabling event.

16. The gaming system of claim 12, further comprising a community display readily visible to at least the first and second players at the first and second gaming machines, wherein at least a portion of the community game is displayed via the community display.

17. The gaming system of claim 16, wherein at least a first portion of the bonus-game-enabling event is displayed via the community display and at least a second portion of the bonus-game-enabling event is displayed via the display of the first gaming machine.

18. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further operable to:

direct the second gaming machine to display the bonus-game-enabling event, wherein the second player completing the bonus-game-enabling event enables at least one of the inaccessible bonus games associated with the community game; and

in response to the second player at the second gaming machine completing the bonus-game-enabling event, enable at least one of the inaccessible bonus games such that both the first player at the first gaming machine and the second player at the second gaming machine can trigger and play the at least one enabled bonus game during any of a plurality of subsequent plays of the wagering game.

19. A method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system with first and second gaming machines, the gaming machines being operable such that players at the gaming machines can play a community game, the method comprising:

randomly determining, via at least one of one or more processors, an outcome of the wagering game;

displaying, via at least one of one or more display devices, a bonus-game-enabling event associated with the community game, the community game including a plurality of inaccessible bonus games being initially inaccessible to players such that the inaccessible bonus games cannot be triggered during play of the wagering game at the gaming machines until enabled; and

in response to a first player at the first gaming machine completing the bonus-game-enabling event, enabling, via at least one of one or more processors, at least a first one of the inaccessible bonus games such that both the first player at the first gaming machine and a second player at the second gaming machine can each trigger and play the first enabled bonus game during subsequent plays of the wagering game.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the bonus-game-enabling event can be completed by the first player without collaboration with the second player.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the bonus-game-enabling event must be completed by the first player in collaboration with the second player.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising displaying an enabled-bonus-game selection screen from which the first player or the second player, or both, can select to play previously enabled ones of the plurality of inaccessible bonus games including the first enabled bonus game.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

in response to the second player at the second gaming machine completing the bonus-game-enabling event, enabling at least the first one of the inaccessible bonus games such that both the first player at the first gaming machine and the second player at the second gaming machine can trigger and play the first enabled bonus game during subsequent plays of the wagering game.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising displaying at least a first portion of the bonus-game-enabling event via a community display, and displaying at least a second portion of the bonus-game-enabling event via a display of the first gaming machine.

25. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

randomly determine an outcome of the wagering game;

direct one or more display devices to display a bonus-game-enabling event associated with the community game, the community game including a plurality of inaccessible bonus games being initially inaccessible to players such that the inaccessible bonus games cannot be triggered during play of the wagering game at the gaming machines until enabled; and

in response to a first player at the first gaming machine completing the bonus-game-enabling event, enable at least a first one of the inaccessible bonus games such that both the first player at the first gaming machine and a second player at the second gaming machine can each trigger and play the first enabled bonus game during subsequent plays of the wagering game.