Game development architecture that decouples the game logic from the graphics logics

• US 7,931,533 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2002
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Breckner, Robert E., Palchetti, Johnny, LeMay, Steven G., Benbrahim, Jamal, Beaulieu, Nicole M., Schlottmann, Greg A., Nelson, Dwayne R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis; David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US10/040,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,400 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20, 463/42, 463/43, 463/16, 463/21, 463 25- 30
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/552 for downloading to client devices, e.g. using OS version, hardware or software profile of the client device
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

A disclosed gaming machine is designed to execute a modular gaming software architecture. A plurality of gaming software modules may be loaded into RAM on the gaming machine and executed to play a game of chance. Many of the gaming software modules are designed to communicate via application program interfaces so that the logic in many of the gaming software modules may be designed independently of each other. In particular, the modular gaming software architecture allows a game flow software module used to generate a game of chance on the gaming machine to be decoupled from a game presentation software module used to present the game chance. Thus, a group of games may be designed where the games share a common game flow software module but use different game presentation software modules to change the look and feel of the game.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a master gaming controller designed to generate a game of chance played on the gaming machine by executing a plurality of gaming software modules;

a memory device storing the plurality of gaming software modules;

a gaming operating system comprising logic to load and unload gaming software modules into a RAM from the memory device and to control the play of the game of chance, including a game manager wherein the game manager is operable to control an invocation of a plurality of stages between a start of the game of chance and an end of the game of chance wherein in each stage one or more game states is generated and for each game state a corresponding presentation state is generated wherein each presentation state specifies operations of output devices on the gaming machine;

logic for a game stage in the plurality of stages wherein the game stage is invoked at least once between the start of the game of chance and the end of the game of chance;

a game flow software module comprising logic to generate a game flow including rules for playing the game of chance comprising a first sequence of game states;

a game presentation software module comprising logic to generate presentation states corresponding to the first sequence of game states wherein at least the gaming operating system, the game flow software module and the game presentation software module communicate via one or more application program interfaces;

logic for one or more additional stages operable to be executed by the gaming operating system between the start of the game of chance and the end of the game of chance;

the game manager for determining when to invoke each stage in the plurality of stages wherein the logic for the game manager is separate from the logic for the game stage and the one or more additional stages and wherein the game manager is operable to invoke a variable number of stages in each play of the game of chance; and

a memory storing a paytable wherein the paytable includes staging information associated with at least one game outcome and wherein the game manager is operable to determine a sequence of stages for use in a particular game of chance using the staging information in the paytable.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more application program interfaces are selected from the group consisting of a game flow interface, a presentation interface, a bank interface, a configuration interface and an inter process communication.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more application program interfaces are used to communicate game information.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game information is selected from the group consisting of game state information, presentation state information, configuration information, betting information, game outcome information, critical event data, I/O information and metering information.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein one or more of the application program interfaces is used to communicate sequence events used to control the play of the game of chance.

6. The gaming machine of claim 5, wherein the sequence events are selected from the group consisting game start, game end, stage start, stage end, process award, update display, check status of an item, synchronize presentation, state change, bet change, system meters changes, context status, game flow state, presentation substate, presentation substate complete, previous game flow state, previous presentation substate, synchronize bet, synchronize panel, synchronize play, synchronize player amount, synchronize all, money in, money out, device used to enter money and device used to pay out money.

7. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game software module further comprises a game manager logical unit used to communicate with the game flow software module and the game presentation software module via the one or more application program interfaces and designed to control the play of the game of chance.

8. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game of chance comprises a sequence of stages and wherein at least one stage in the sequence of stages is a game stage.

9. The gaming machine of claim 8, wherein one or more stages in the sequence of stages is a bonus game stage.

10. The gaming machine of claim 8, wherein a number of stages in the sequence of stages varies depending on an outcome of the game of chance.

11. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of game presentation modules used to present games of chance with different themes.

12. The gaming machine of claim 11, wherein a first game of chance with a first theme is played on the gaming machine using a first game presentation module and a second game of chance with a second theme is played on the gaming machine.

13. The gaming machine of claim 12, wherein the first game of chance and the second game of chance are played using the same gaming operating system, the same game flow software module and one or more of the same application program interfaces.

14. The gaming machine of claim 13, wherein the gaming operating system loads the first game presentation module to play the first game of chance and the gaming operating system loads the second game presentation module to play the second game of chance.

15. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of game flow software modules and game presentation modules used to present different types of games.

16. The gaming machine of claim 15, wherein the types of games are selected from card games, slot games, keno games, bingo games, dice games and pachinko games.

17. The gaming machine of claim 16, wherein a first type of game of chance is played on the gaming machine and a second type of game of chance is played on the gaming machine using the same gaming operating system.

18. The gaming machine of claim 17, wherein the first type of game of chance is played on the gaming machine and the second type of game of chance is played on the gaming machine using one or more of the same application program interfaces.

19. The gaming machine of claim 16, wherein the gaming operating system software module loads a first game flow software module and a first game presentation module to play the first type of game of chance and the gaming operating system software module loads a second game flow software module and a second game presentation module to play the second type of game of chance.

20. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game of chance is selected from group consisting of slot games, poker games, pachinko games, multiple hand poker games, pai-gow poker games, black jack games, keno games, bingo games, roulette games, craps games and card games.

21. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the memory device is selected from a CD-ROM drive, a DVD-ROM drive, a hard drive and other mass storage devices.

22. The gaming machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a non-volatile memory device.

23. The gaming machine of claim 22, wherein the game flow software module further comprises logic for storing game data generated by the game flow software module to the non-volatile memory device.

24. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game flow software module further comprises logic for generating a plurality of game states in the game flow.

25. The gaming machine of claim 24, wherein the game presentation software module comprises logic for displaying graphics and projecting sounds for each game state in the plurality of game states.

26. The gaming machine of claim 25, wherein the graphics and sounds generated by the game presentation software module for each game state are generated with data placed in NV-RAM by game flow software module.

27. The gaming machine of claim 26, wherein the data placed in NV-RAM by game flow software module is used by the game presentation software module to playback a game history.

28. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the game flow software module further comprises logic for configuring parameters on the gaming machine used to play the game chance associated with the game flow software module.

29. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the gaming operating system downloads a gaming software module from a remote file storage device.

30. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the gaming operating system controls the play of the game of chance on a remote gaming device.

31. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein the gaming operating system receives gaming information used to control the play of the game of chance on the gaming machine from a remote gaming device.

32. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein one or more of the application program interfaces is used to communicate gaming information used to control the play of the game of chance on a remote gaming device.