Wagering game with ascending features

A computer-implemented method of conducting a wagering game on a gaming system including one or more input devices, one or more display devices, and one or more processors, the wagering game including randomly selecting a game outcome from a plurality of game outcomes including at least one ascending-feature outcome;

• the method comprising:
• receiving, via at least one of the one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wager initiating the wagering game;
• randomly selecting, via at least one of the one or more processors, a game outcome of the plurality of game outcomes and displaying, via at least one of the one or more display devices, at least a portion of the selected game outcome as an array of game symbols;
• in direct response to the selected game outcome being one of the at least one ascending-feature outcome, selecting, via at least one of the one or more processors, at least one of a first set of game symbols from the array according to a first criteria and modifying the array by changing the at least one of the first set into a symbol having a higher value than the at least one symbol of the first set;
• in direct response to the modified array resulting in at least one winning combination of symbols being displayed, awarding a player any awards associated with the at least one winning combination;
• and
• in direct response to the modified array not resulting in a winning combination, selecting, via at least one of the one or more processors, at least one of a second set of the displayed game symbols from the modified array according to second criteria and further modifying the modified array by changing the at least one symbol of the second set into a symbol having a higher value than the at least one symbol of the second set.

A gaming system configured to conduct a wagering game including randomly selecting a game outcome from a plurality of game outcomes, the gaming system comprising:

• one or more input devices;
• one or more display devices;
• one or more processors;
• and
• one or more memory storage devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to:
• receive, via at least one of the one or more input devices, an input indicative of a first wager initiating the wagering game;
• randomly select a game outcome of the plurality of game outcomes and display, via at least one of the one or more display devices, at least a portion of the selected game outcome as an array of game symbols;
• in direct response to the displayed array including a full column of wild symbols that is not the leftmost column of the array, award the player any awards associated with the selected game outcome, and change the column that is left-adjacent to the full column into wild symbols for displaying in a next-subsequent game outcome;
• receive, via at least one of the one or more input devices, an input indicative of a second wager;
• and
• randomly select a next-subsequent game outcome of the plurality of game outcomes and display, via at least one of the one or more display devices, at least a portion of the next-subsequent game outcome as a new array of game symbols including the left-adjacent column of wild symbols.

A computer-readable, non-transitory medium including executable instructions that, when executed by at least one of one or more processors, cause a gaming system including one or more input devices and one or more display devices, to perform a method comprising:

• receiving, via at least one of the one or more input devices, an input indicative of a wagering initiating a wagering game;
• randomly selecting a game outcome of a plurality of game outcomes including at least one ascending-feature outcome;
• displaying at least a portion of the selected game outcome as an array of game symbols;
• in direct response to the selected game outcome being one of the at least one ascending-feature outcome, select a first set of game symbols from the array according to first criteria and modify the array by changing the selected first set into symbol having a higher value than the first set;
• in direct response to the modified array resulting in at least one winning combination of symbols being displayed, award a player any awards associated with the at least one winning combination;
• and
• in direct response to the modified array not resulting in a winning combination, select a second set of displayed game symbols from the modified array according to second criteria and further modify the modified array by changing the selected second set into symbols having a higher value than the second set.