# US 2019/0378378 A1 · Controlled return to player in a skill-based wagering game > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0378378 A1 - Document ID: US20190378378A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/006,507 - Filed: 2018-06-12 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-12 - Assignees: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited - Applicants: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited - Inventors: T. Grant Bolling, JR. - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190378378A1 ## CPC - G07F 17/3262: {Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played} - G07F 17/3213: {Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members} - G07F 17/34: depending on the stopping of moving members {in a mechanical slot machine}, e.g. "fruit" machines - G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00}) ## Abstract A reel-based electronic gaming system, electronic gaming device, and electronic wagering game in which a player is provided one or more player actions during the course of play. The player actions allow the player to alter an active play area in a variety of ways. The system controls the return to player based on potential user actions and their associated potential outcomes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic gaming system comprising: a display configured to display a wagering game; a player input interface configured to receive input from a player; a credit input mechanism for receiving a monetary input to establish a credit balance for play of the wagering game; and a game controller for executing the wagering game by performing operations comprising: receiving a wager from the player for play of the wagering game; wherein the wager is deducted from the credit balance; selecting an initial symbol combination from a pool of initial symbol combinations during the wagering game, the initial symbol combination including a matrix of active symbols and an inactive symbol, the pool of initial symbol combinations having been preselected such that the aggregate outcomes of the pool satisfies a configured return-to-player (RTP) for the wagering game; displaying the plurality of active symbols in an active play area and the inactive symbol in an inactive display position; receiving a player input indicating an active symbol displayed in the active play area to be replaced by the inactive symbol; replacing the indicated active symbol with the inactive symbol, resulting in an altered active play area; and evaluating an outcome of the wagering game based on the altered active play area. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic gaming system of claim 1, the operations further comprising: identifying the configured return-to-player (RTP) for the wagering game; generating potential symbol combinations for the wagering game; determining, for each potential symbol combination, a minimized prospective gaming outcome and a maximized prospective gaming outcome based on possible player inputs to be received during the wagering game; and selecting, prior to play of the wagering game, the pool of initial symbol combinations from the potential symbol combinations such that their aggregate outcomes satisfy the configured RTP for the wagering game. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electronic gaming system of claim 2, wherein determining a minimized prospective gaming outcome and a maximized prospective gaming outcome includes, for each potential symbol combination: determining a plurality of subsequent symbol combinations based on potential changes to the active play area of the potential symbol combination allowed by the wagering game; evaluating a prospective gaming outcome of each subsequent symbol combination of the plurality of subsequent symbol combinations; and determining the minimized prospective gaming outcome and the maximized prospective gaming outcome for the plurality of subsequent symbol combinations from the prospective gaming outcomes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The electronic gaming system of claim 3, wherein the wagering game allows the player to move the inactive symbol into a destination display position within the active play area, wherein determining a minimized prospective gaming outcome and a maximized prospective gaming outcome includes separately evaluating prospectively moving the associated inactive symbol to each active display position within the matrix. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electronic gaming system of claim 1, wherein displaying the plurality of active symbols in an active play area and the inactive symbol in an inactive display position includes displaying a row of inactive display positions adjacent to the matrix. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electronic gaming system of claim 5, wherein displaying a row of inactive display positions includes displaying the row of inactive display positions above the matrix, wherein receiving a player input includes sliding, in response to the player input, a selected column of the matrix in a downward direction, thereby sliding an inactive symbol from the row of inactive display positions into the active play area and sliding an active symbol of the selected column out of the active play area. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electronic gaming system of claim 1, wherein displaying the plurality of active symbols in an active play area and the inactive symbol in an inactive display position includes displaying an inactive display position not adjacent to the matrix. ### Claim 8 A method for providing a wagering game on an electronic gaming system, comprising the steps of: receiving a wager from a player for play of the wagering game; wherein the wager is deducted from a credit balance established for play of the wagering game; selecting an initial symbol combination from a pool of initial symbol combinations during the wagering game, the initial symbol combination including a matrix of active symbols and an inactive symbol, the pool of initial symbol combinations having been preselected such that the aggregate outcomes of the pool satisfies a configured return-to-player (RTP) for the wagering game; displaying the plurality of active symbols in an active play area and the inactive symbol in an inactive display position; receiving a player input indicating an active symbol displayed in the active play area to be replaced by the inactive symbol; replacing the indicated active symbol with the inactive symbol, resulting in an altered active play area; and evaluating an outcome of the wagering game based on the altered active play area. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 further comprising: identifying the configured return-to-player (RTP) for the wagering game; generating potential symbol combinations for the wagering game; determining, for each potential symbol combination, a minimized prospective gaming outcome and a maximized prospective gaming outcome based on possible player inputs to be received during the wagering game; and selecting, prior to play of the wagering game, the pool of initial symbol combinations from the potential symbol combinations such that their aggregate outcomes satisfy the configured RTP for the wagering game. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein determining a minimized prospective gaming outcome and a maximized prospective gaming outcome includes, for each potential symbol combination: determining a plurality of subsequent symbol combinations based on potential changes to the active play area of the potential symbol combination allowed by the wagering game; evaluating a prospective gaming outcome of each subsequent symbol combination of the plurality of subsequent symbol combinations; and determining the minimized prospective gaming outcome and the maximized prospective gaming outcome for the plurality of subsequent symbol combinations from the prospective gaming outcomes. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the wagering game allows the player to move the inactive symbol into a destination display position within the active play area, wherein determining a minimized prospective gaming outcome and a maximized prospective gaming outcome includes separately evaluating prospectively moving the associated inactive symbol to each active display position within the matrix. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the plurality of active symbols in an active play area and the inactive symbol in an inactive display position includes displaying a row of inactive display positions adjacent to the matrix. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein displaying a row of inactive display positions includes displaying the row of inactive display positions above the matrix, wherein receiving a player input includes sliding, in response to the player input, a selected column of the matrix in a downward direction, thereby sliding an inactive symbol from the row of inactive display positions into the active play area and sliding an active symbol of the selected column out of the active play area. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the plurality of active symbols in an active play area and the inactive symbol in an inactive display position includes displaying an inactive display position not adjacent to the matrix. ### Claim 15 A method for providing a wagering game on an electronic gaming system, comprising the steps of: providing an active play area and an inactive display position as part of the wagering game; the active play area including a matrix of display positions for displaying a plurality of active symbols; the inactive display position for displaying an inactive symbol, the inactive symbol being configured to replace an active symbol of the plurality of active symbols in the active play area in response to a player input; selecting, by a game controller, the plurality of active symbols for display as part of the wagering game; displaying the plurality of active symbols on the active play area; determining a target win range for the wagering game that, over time and in aggregate with outcomes of other wagering games provided by the electronic gaming system, contributes to satisfying a configured return-to-player (RTP) of the electronic gaming system; selecting, by the game controller, the inactive symbol to display in the inactive display position as part of the wagering game by (i) determining potential outcomes for each possible replacement of the displayed plurality of active symbols by the inactive symbol, and (ii) ensuring the determined potential outcomes satisfy the target win range; displaying, by the game controller, the selected inactive symbol in the inactive display position; receiving the player input as part of the wagering game, the player input indicating which displayed active symbol is to be replaced by the inactive symbol; replacing the indicated active symbol in the active play area with the inactive symbol in response to the player input, resulting in an altered active play area; and evaluating, by the game controller, an outcome of the wagering game based on the altered active play area. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein determining potential outcomes for each possible replacement of the displayed plurality of active symbols by the inactive symbol includes: identifying a plurality of prospective symbols to provide as the inactive symbol in the inactive display position; and evaluating, for each prospective symbol of the plurality of prospective symbols, a plurality of potential credit awards, each potential credit award being determined using the selected plurality of active symbols being modified with the prospective symbol based on a player action provided by the electronic gaming system. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein evaluating a plurality of potential credit awards includes, for each prospective symbol of the plurality of prospective symbols: identifying a prospective symbol from the plurality of prospective symbols; determining a plurality of potential moves available to the player based on the allowed player action; determining, for each potential move of the plurality of potential moves, an altered matrix based on the potential move and the prospective symbol; and evaluating the altered matrix, thereby generating a potential credit award of the plurality of potential credit awards. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the player action includes moving the inactive symbol into a destination display position within the active play area, wherein the plurality of potential gaming outcomes includes separately evaluating moving the inactive symbol to each active display position within the matrix. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein displaying an inactive display position includes displaying a row of inactive display positions adjacent to the matrix. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the player input includes the player identifying a destination symbol position within the active play area, wherein the player action includes replacing an active symbol in the destination symbol position with the inactive symbol.