Pridefield Limited

Fusion Holdings Limited

Jonathan Bruce Wortmann

Terence Igesund

Richard Vermaak

An embodiment may involve a software application executed on behalf of a client machine with a graphical display unit, the software application graphically displaying animations that simulate spinning a plurality of reels. A set of symbols may be selected, including first and second trigger symbols in a third position a fourth position, respectively, adjacent to one another. The embodiment may involve determining a third set of symbols identical to the second set of symbols except that: when the third and fourth positions are vertically adjacent on a particular reel, all symbols on the particular reel are wild, when the third and fourth positions are horizontally adjacent on a pair of adjacent reels, all symbols on the pair of adjacent reels are wild, (iii) when the third and fourth positions are diagonally adjacent to one another, a 2&#xd7;2 grid of symbols are wild.

Software-based simulation of trigger symbol movement

An embodiment may involve a software application executed on behalf of a client machine with a graphical display unit, where the software application involves graphically displaying, on vertical symbol display segments of the graphical display unit, animations that simulate spinning a plurality of reels, and where each reel contains a respective plurality of symbols, subsets of which are displayable in a respective vertical symbol display segment corresponding to the reel. The embodiment may further involve selecting a first set of symbols defining respective positions of each of the reels, and causing the graphical display unit to display an animation that simulates spinning of the reels resulting in the vertical symbol display segments displaying the first set of symbols. The embodiment may further involve determining that the first set of symbols includes exactly one or two trigger symbols, and replacing each of the trigger symbols with a replacement symbol.

Software-based simulation of symbol replacement

An embodiment may involve a software application executed on behalf of a client machine with a graphical display unit, where the software application involves graphically displaying, on vertical symbol display segments of the graphical display unit, animations that simulate spinning a plurality of reels, and where each reel contains a respective plurality of symbols, subsets of which are displayable in a respective vertical symbol display segment corresponding to the reel. The embodiment may also involve iterations of: selecting a set of symbols including a locking symbol when (i) the locking symbol was locked in place from a previous spin and has been used in fewer than 3 winning combinations, or (ii) the locking symbol was initially selected during the spin of the reels; and causing the graphical display unit to display an animation of the spin of the reels in which the instance of the locking symbol remains in place.

Software-based simulation of symbol locking

An embodiment may involve selecting a first bonus set of symbols associated with respective positions of each of a plurality of reels as a first bonus outcome event of the bonus game. The embodiment may further involve incrementing a bonus counter by a number of instances of a predetermined symbol, in the bonus symbol set, that do not contribute to any winning combination. The embodiment may also involve determining that the bonus counter is at least equal to a threshold number. The embodiment may additionally involve selecting a second bonus set of symbols associated with respective positions of each of the reels as a second bonus outcome event of the bonus game, where the second bonus set of symbols includes at least the threshold number of instances of the predetermined symbol, and where the second bonus set of symbols includes a winning combination.

Gaming machine with symbol accumulation

An embodiment may involve selecting a set of symbols associated with an outcome event of a reel-based game. The reel-based game may be executed on behalf of a client machine, and selecting the set of symbols may involve spinning a plurality of reels to determine the outcome event. The embodiment may further involve determining that the set of symbols includes a predetermined symbol on a designated reel and does not include any winning combination. The embodiment may also involve, possibly in response to determining that the set of symbols includes the predetermined symbol on the designated reel and does not include any winning combination, replacing one or more symbols in the set of symbols with predetermined symbols such that the symbol set after replacement includes a winning combination.

Gaming machine with symbol propagation

A reel-based game may be executed behalf of a client machine. The game may involve spinning a plurality of reels to determine outcome events. The game may involve selecting a first set of symbols associated with respective positions of each of the reels, where the first set of symbols represents an outcome event of a base game. The game may involve determining that the outcome event includes a trigger event that causes execution of a bonus game, and selecting a second set of symbols associated with respective positions of each of the reels. The game may involve locking instances of a predetermined symbol that are not part of a winning combination, and selecting a third set of symbols associated with the respective positions of each of the reels. The third set of symbols may include the locked predetermined symbols from the second set of symbols.

Gaming machine with symbol locking

Machines and methods are described for displaying a predetermined symbol and a set of symbols selected from a global symbol set. A first symbol position can be randomly selected for displaying the predetermined symbol, which can include a multiplier meter to display a multiplier value randomly selectable from multiple multiplier values. A second symbol position can be randomly selected for displaying the predetermined symbol after moving along a path from the first symbol position. The predetermined symbol can be displayed as part of a predetermined number of outcome events earned upon determination that a trigger event occurred. A server machine can select symbol positions, multiplier values and symbol sets and provide data indicating the symbol positions, multiplier values and symbol sets to a client machine. The client machine can include a display to display the symbol sets, and multiplier values within a predetermined symbol.

Gaming machine with wild multiplier feature

A gaming machine may award a number of spins of a plurality of reels in an instance of the bonus game. A symbol counter may be set to an initial value. Until the awarded number of bonus game spins have been performed, the gaming machine may repeatedly carry out iterations of bonus game operations including: (i) selecting a first symbol set or a second symbol set for display on the plurality of reels, where the first symbol set excludes a predetermined symbol, where the second symbol set includes a number of the predetermined symbol equivalent to the symbol counter, and where, when the second symbol set is selected, the symbol counter is incremented, and (ii) transmitting, to a client machine, a representation of the selected symbol set.

Gaming machine with symbol restriction

Machines and methods are described for displaying a particular symbol at a corresponding symbol position for multiple consecutive outcome events, such as outcome events including a wager game played on a stand-alone machine located within a casino or a machine within a client-server architecture. After displaying the particular symbol for a first outcome event, the particular symbol can be displayed at the same symbol position within a symbol-display-portion for one or more successive outcome events without the particular symbol being selected to be displayed at the same symbol position. Other symbols displayed within the symbol-display-portion for the first and successive outcome events can be determined or selected by a processor using a random selection process. The particular symbol can be a Wild symbol. A data structure can include data for tracking whether the particular symbol is locked down for an outcome event after the first outcome event.

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Ballarat, Australia

Jonathan Bruce Wortmann