Gaming method and apparatus using cluster based awards
AssigneeAristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited
InventorsRyan Paul Hawkins, Yanis Tsombanidis, Stephanie Johns, Robert Honeycutt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to gaming machines, systems and methods of gaming. There are a number of different ways available for determining an award by current gaming machines and systems. In this embodiment, a game controller is arranged to determine an award depending on the number of columns spanned by a cluster of symbols and the number of symbol positions in the cluster.
Claims20
A gaming machine, comprising:
- a display;
- a player interface;
- a memory storing instructions;
- and
- a game controller, wherein execution of the instructions causes the game controller to at least:
- initiate a play of a game in response to input received via the player interface;
- present, via the display, a plurality of symbols at a plurality of display positions that are arranged in rows and columns;
- and
- present a cluster award for each winning cluster of symbols in the plurality of symbols, wherein each winning cluster comprises a group of at least two symbols, wherein each symbol in the respective group is contiguous with at least one other symbol in the respective group along at least one display position edge, and wherein at least one winning cluster spans a plurality of the rows.
A method of a gaming machine, the method comprising:
- initiating, with a game controller of the gaming machine, a play of a game in response to input received via a player interface of the gaming machine;
- presenting, via a display of the gaming machine, a plurality of symbols at a plurality of display positions that are arranged in rows and columns;
- identifying, with the game controller, each winning cluster of symbols in the plurality of symbols, wherein each winning cluster comprises a group of at least two symbols, wherein each symbol in the respective group is contiguous with at least one other symbol in the respective group along at least one display position edge, and wherein at least one winning cluster spans a plurality of the rows;
- determining, with the game controller, a cluster award for each winning cluster, wherein each cluster award is based on a base award for the respective winning cluster and a number of symbols in the respective winning cluster;
- and
- presenting, via the display, the cluster award for each winning cluster.
One or more non-transitory computer readable media comprising instructions, which when executed, cause a gaming system to at least:
- initiate a play of a game in response to input received via a player interface of the gaming system;
- present, via a display of the gaming system, a plurality of symbols at a plurality of display positions that are arranged in rows and columns;
- identify each winning cluster of symbols in the plurality of symbols, wherein each winning cluster comprises a group of at least two symbols, wherein each symbol in the respective group is contiguous with at least one other symbol in the respective group along at least one display position edge, and wherein at least one winning cluster spans a plurality of the rows;
- determine a cluster award for each winning cluster based on a base award for the respective winning cluster and a number of symbols in the respective winning cluster;
- and
- present, via the display, the cluster award for each winning cluster.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.