PERSISTENT ROTATION

Abstract

A gaming system is disclosed. An award is made in respect to a winning outcome, and an additional award is made if the winning outcome corresponds to one of a set of active conditions displayed on a display area.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application relates to and claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/296,979, filed on Jan. 21, 2010, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present invention generally relates to a slot machine having a display area that displays any currently active conditions, and particularly but not exclusively to a slot machine that also makes an additional award upon there being a winning outcome which corresponds to an active condition.

BACKGROUND

Slot machines having either mechanical reels or a video display simulating mechanical reels are known.

While such gaming systems provide players with enjoyment, a need exists for alternative gaming systems in order to maintain or increase player enjoyment.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a gaming system including:

a plurality of symbol display positions;

a display area; and

a game controller operatively coupled to the plurality of symbol display positions and the display area, and configured to:

• • cause the display area to display any currently active condition of a set of conditions;
  • select symbols for display in each of the display positions;
  • evaluate the displayed symbols to determine whether the symbols correspond to one or more winning outcomes of a plurality of possible winning outcomes, at least two of the possible winning outcomes corresponding to different conditions of the set of conditions;
  • make an award in respect of each winning outcome; and
  • make an additional award upon there being a winning outcome which corresponds to an active condition.

In an embodiment, the additional award is an award of one or more free games. The one or more free games may be a series of free games.

In an embodiment, the additional award is an award of an additional prize.

In an embodiment, the additional award is an award of a feature game.

In an embodiment, more than one of the conditions constituting the set of conditions may be arranged on the display area. The active condition may be indicated. The active condition may be indicated by an indicator associated with the display area. The more than one conditions may be arranged in a circle on the display area. The circle of the plurality of conditions may rotate. The indicator may rotate. The rotation of either the one or both of the indicator and circle may change the active condition. The rotation may be persistent. The indicator may include a light.

In an embodiment, the controller is arranged to recurrently change at least one of the any currently active condition. The controller may be arranged to change the active condition after one of: a designated number of symbol selections; a designated number of plays of the game; a designated time period.

In an embodiment, the display area includes the face of a timepiece including one or more hands.

In an embodiment, each of the plurality of symbol display positions has a respective reel, each reel having at least some of the plurality of symbols.

In an embodiment, the gaming system includes an electronic display. The plurality of reels may be simulated on the electronic display. The display area may be on the or another electronic display.

In an embodiment, each condition of the set of conditions is represented by one of the signs of the zodiac.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a game controller configured to be operatively coupled to a plurality of symbol display positions and a display area, and further configured to:

cause the display area to display any currently active condition of a set of conditions;

select symbols for display in each of the display positions;

evaluate the displayed symbols to determine whether the symbols correspond to one or more winning outcomes of a plurality of possible winning outcomes, at least two of the possible winning outcomes corresponding to different conditions of the set of conditions;

make an award in respect of each winning outcome; and

make an additional award upon there being a winning outcome which corresponds to an active condition.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method including the steps of:

causing a display area to display any currently active condition of a set of conditions;

selecting symbols for display in each of a plurality of symbol display positions;

evaluating the displayed symbols to determine whether the symbols correspond to one or more winning outcomes of a plurality of possible winning outcomes, at least two of the possible winning outcomes corresponding to different conditions of the set of conditions;

making an award in respect of each winning outcome; and

making an additional award upon there being a winning outcome which corresponds to an active condition.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a computer program including instructions for controlling a computer to implement a method in accordance with the third aspect of the invention.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a tangible computer readable medium providing computer program in accordance with the fourth aspect of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Certain exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a stand alone gaming machine;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the core components of an embodiment of a gaming system;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an embodiment;

FIGS. 4 and 5 each show an example of each of a set of conditions displayed on a display area.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the functional components of an embodiment of a gaming machine;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the functional components of a memory;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a network gaming system; and

FIG. 9 is a further block diagram of an embodiment of a gaming system.

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain embodiments of the present invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, certain embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EXAMPLES

Referring to the drawings, there are shown various embodiments of a gaming system having a game controller arranged to implement a game.

Although the following discloses example methods, systems, articles of manufacture, and apparatus including, among other components, software executed on hardware, it should be noted that such methods and apparatus are merely illustrative and should not be considered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that any or all of these hardware and software components could be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software, exclusively in firmware, or in any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. Accordingly, while the following describes example methods, systems, articles of manufacture, and apparatus, the examples provided are not the only way to implement such methods, systems, articles of manufacture, and apparatus.

When any of the appended claims are read to cover a purely software and/or firmware implementation, at least one of the elements in an at least one example is hereby expressly defined to include a tangible medium such as a memory, DVD, CD, etc. storing the software and/or firmware.

A gaming system in the form of a stand alone gaming machine 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The gaming machine 10 includes a console 12 having a display 14 on which are displayed representations of a game that can be played by a player.

Irrespective of the form, the gaming system has several core components illustrated in FIG. 2. At the broadest level, the core components are a player interface 50 and a game controller 60 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The game controller 60 may cause the system 10 to perform the method represented by the flow chart in FIG. 3. The player interface is arranged to enable manual interaction between a player and the gaming system and for this purpose includes the input/output components for the player to enter instructions to play the game and observe the game outcomes.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram representative of example machine readable instructions that can be executed to implement one or more of the example systems shown and described herein and/or portions of one or more of those systems. The example process(es) of FIG. 3 can be performed using a processor, a controller and/or any other suitable processing device, such as the game controller 60 and/or other component of system 10. For example, the example process(es) of FIG. 3 can be implemented using coded instructions (e.g., computer readable instructions) stored on a tangible computer readable medium such as a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), and/or a random-access memory (RAM). As used herein, the term tangible computer readable medium is expressly defined to include any type of computer readable storage and to exclude propagating signals. Additionally or alternatively, the example process(es) of FIG. 3 can be implemented using coded instructions (e.g., computer readable instructions) stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium such as a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), a cache, or any other storage media in which information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extended time periods, permanently, brief instances, for temporarily buffering, and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, the term non-transitory computer readable medium is expressly defined to include any type of computer readable medium and to exclude propagating signals.

Alternatively, some or all of the example process(es) of FIG. 3 can be implemented using any combination(s) of application specific integrated circuit(s) (ASIC(s)), programmable logic device(s) (PLD(s)), field programmable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)), discrete logic, hardware, firmware, etc. Also, some or all of the example process(es) of FIG. 3 can be implemented manually or as any combination(s) of any of the foregoing techniques, for example, any combination of firmware, software, discrete logic and/or hardware. Further, although the example process(es) of FIG. 3 is described with reference to the flow diagram of FIG. 3, other methods of implementing the process(es) of FIG. 3 can be employed. For example, the order of execution of the blocks can be changed, and/or some of the blocks described can be changed, eliminated, sub-divided, or combined. Additionally, any or all of the example process(es) of FIG. 3 can be performed sequentially and/or in parallel by, for example, separate processing threads, processors, devices, discrete logic, circuits, etc.

As shown in the example of FIG. 3, at block 310, a display area, such as display area 16, is caused, such as by the game controller 60, to display any currently active condition of a set of conditions. At block 320, selection of symbols is facilitated, such as by the game controller 60, for display in each of a plurality of symbol display positions. At block 330, the display symbols are evaluated, such as using the game controller 60, to determine whether the symbols correspond to one or more winning outcomes of a plurality of possible winning outcomes, at least two of the possible winning outcomes corresponding to different conditions of the set of conditions. At block 340, an award is made in respect of each winning outcome. At block 350, an additional award is made upon there being a winning outcome which corresponds to an active condition.

The gaming system 10 presents to a player of the game a plurality of simulated reels on an electronic display 14. In another embodiment, the reels may be mechanical and maybe additional to the electronic display. The game controller is operatively coupled to each of the reels and causes the reels to spin and stop to display a symbol at a respective symbol display position. The game controller is also operatively coupled to a display area, such as 16, on the electronic display 14.

The controller causes any currently active conditions of a set of conditions to be displayed on the display area 16. For example, each of the set of conditions may have an associated symbol which is displayed if the respective condition is active. In one embodiment, the conditions may each be associated with one of the signs of the zodiac, such as shown in FIG. 4. It will be appreciated, however, that any suitable symbol (for example a suit, fruit, coins, flowers, etc) may be employed.

In this embodiment, zodiac signs, such as cancer, each corresponding to one of a set of conditions, are arranged on the display area in a circle 70. Although more than one condition is displayed in this example, that does not necessarily mean that all of the conditions are currently active. Only one or some of the displayed conditions may be active. In this example there is only one active condition. The active condition is indicated, at least in this example, by an indicator in the form of an arrow 74. In an alternative embodiment, the active condition may be indicated by the associated symbol lighting up or highlighting the active symbols by generally any suitable way. Alternatively, a needle or hand may be placed adjacent the wheel.

In this example, the wheel rotates and the symbol closest to the head of the arrow 74 is taken to be the active symbol. In an alternative embodiment, the circle of zodiacs signs is stationary and the indicator rotates around the circumference of the circle 70. The relative rotation between the circle of zodiac symbols and indicator causes the change in condition. In another embodiment, both the circle and indicator may rotate. The rotation may be constant and persistent, or it may be variable or even random. Generally any pattern of rotation, or any mechanism or means to change the active symbol may be employed.

In some embodiments, the controller 60 evaluates the symbols displayed at the symbol display positions, once the reels have stopped, to determine whether the symbols correspond to one or more winning outcomes of a plurality of possible winning outcomes.

The controller 60 then makes an award in respect to the winning outcome. An additional award is made by the controller 60 upon there being a winning outcome which corresponds to an active condition.

In one example, if the game has a free game feature, and if the player won a base game involving three or more cancer symbols while in the constellation Cancer (i.e. the indicator 74 shows cancer to be active) then the free game feature would be triggered. The sign associated with the active condition, however, need not visually correspond with the symbols of the winning outcome.

In another example, the active condition may be represented by a coin, and the winning combination three kings. In this example, the association is notional and conceptual that kings are rich.

FIG. 5 shows another example in which the display 14 is displaying signs associated with respective conditions that may be active. In this example, a night sky is shown in the display area 16. One or more, perhaps all, of the zodiac signs are visible and the active one is indicated by any suitable mechanism or means, such as its position relative to the display area, its position relative to the other symbols or the use of a highlighting feature such as a circle circling the active condition or conditions, for example. Generally, any mechanism or means to show the active symbol or symbols can be used.

In another embodiment, the display area includes a face of a timepiece including one or more hands, such as an analogue clock. As a hand moves around the active condition changes. For example, if it is one o'clock, then the active condition is associated with one o'clock. The active condition may be associated with the period of time between two hours, for example or a particular quadrant of the time piece or any other suitable configuration. In one example, an additional award is given if a winning symbol combination is made when the second hand strikes 12. The hands on the clock may rotate persistently, as for a standard clock, or may even behaviour erratically.

The controller evaluates the displayed symbols and determines if the symbols displayed by the reels once stopped correspond to one or more winning outcomes, and if so determined, make an award with respect to the winning outcome. A winning outcome may be, for example, 3 or more of the same suit or symbol. If the winning outcome corresponds to an active condition the controller may make an additional award.

The additional award may be, for example, one or more free games, possibly a series of free games, a feature game, or an additional prize.

In one embodiment, only one of the conditions is active at any time. For example, a single sign of the zodiac may be displayed on the display area, the zodiac sign being indicative of which condition is active. The controller may recurrently changes the active condition and changes the corresponding displayed symbol or sign on the display to indicate the change in the active condition.

The active condition may be changed by the controller after, for example, a designated number of symbol selections. Alternatively, after a designated number of plays of the game the symbol may be changed by controller. In another embodiment, the active condition may be changed after a designated time period. In all of these examples, the displayed symbol associated with the active condition may be changed when the active condition is changed by the controller.

In another embodiment, more than one active condition is displayed in the display area. For example, the symbols for Aries, Aquarius and Cancer may be displayed on the screen. If a winning outcome on the reels includes one or more of these symbols then, in this example, the winning outcome corresponds to at least one of the active conditions and an additional prize can be determined accordingly. The additional prize, in this example, is a number of free games, the number of free games being equal to the number of matches between the symbols on the reel in the displayed positions and the active conditions displayed on the display area. For example, if the reel showed Cancer, Aries and Aquarius and all three conditions are active then three free games would be provided. It will be appreciated that calculation of the additional award may follow any suitable plan and is not limited to the above example.

Of course the symbols on the reels and the symbol associated with the active condition need not be the same or even similar. For example, the active condition may be represented by a monarch's head and the symbol displayed in the symbol display positions may each be fruit.

The gaming system can take a number of different forms. In a first form as shown in FIG. 1, a stand alone gaming machine is provided wherein all or most components to implement the game are present in a player operable gaming machine.

In a second form, a distributed architecture is provided wherein some of the components to implement the game are present in a player operable gaming machine and some of the components to implement the game are located remotely relative to the gaming machine. For example, a “thick client” architecture may be used wherein part of the game is executed on a player operable gaming machine and part of the game is executed remotely, such as by a gaming server; or a “thin client” architecture may be used wherein most of the game is executed remotely such as by a gaming server and a player operable gaming machine is used only to display audible and/or visible gaming information to the player and receive gaming inputs from the player.

However, it will be understood that other arrangements are envisaged. For example, an architecture may be provided wherein a gaming machine is networked to a gaming server and the respective functions of the gaming machine and the gaming server are selectively modifiable. For example, the gaming system may operate in stand alone gaming machine mode, “thick client” mode or “thin client” mode depending on the game being played, operating conditions, and so on. Other variations will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

Each gaming system has a game controller 60 operatively coupled to the reels and/or the electronic display(s) which are collectively indicated by numeral 54 in FIG. 2. In one embodiment there is a single electronic display and the reels are simulated on the display.

Components of the player interface may vary from embodiment to embodiment but will typically include a credit mechanism 52 to enable a player to input credits and receive payouts, one or more displays such as the reel and an electronic (or video) display 54, a game play mechanism 56 including one or more input devices that enable a player to input game play instructions (e.g. to place a wager), and one or more speakers 58.

The game controller 60 is in data communication with the player interface and typically includes a processor 62 that processes the game play instructions in accordance with game play rules and outputs game play outcomes to the displays. Typically, the game play rules are stored as program code in a memory 64 but can also be hardwired. Herein the term “processor” is used to refer generically to any device that can process game play instructions in accordance with game play rules and may include: a microprocessor, microcontroller, programmable logic device or other computational device, a general purpose computer (e.g. a PC) or a server.

Further details of the gaming system of FIG. 1 will now be described. A mid-trim 20 of the gaming machine 10 houses a bank of buttons 22 for enabling a player to interact with the gaming machine, in particular during game play. The mid-trim 20 also houses a credit input mechanism 24 which in this example includes a coin input chute 24A and a bill collector 24B. Other credit input mechanisms may also be employed, for example, a card reader for reading a smart card, debit card or credit card. Other gaming machines may configure for ticket in such that they have a ticket reader for reading tickets having a value and crediting the player based on the face value of the ticket. A player marketing module (not shown) having a reading device may also be provided for the purpose of reading a player tracking device, for example as part of a loyalty program. The player tracking device may be in the form of a card, flash drive or any other portable storage medium capable of being read by the reading device. In some embodiments, the player marketing module may provide an additional credit mechanism, either by transferring credits to the gaming machine from credits stored on the player tracking device or by transferring credits from a player account in data communication with the player marketing module.

A top box 26 may carry artwork 28, including for example pay tables and details of bonus awards and other information or images relating to the game. Further artwork and/or information may be provided on a front panel 29 of the console 12. A coin tray 30 is mounted beneath the front panel 29 for dispensing cash payouts from the gaming machine 10.

The display 14 shown in FIG. 1 is in the form of a video display unit, particularly a cathode ray tube screen device. Alternatively, the display 14 may be a liquid crystal display, plasma screen, any other suitable video display unit, or the visible portion of an electromechanical device. The top box 26 may also include a display, for example a video display unit, which may be of the same type as the display 14, or of a different type.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of operative components of a typical gaming machine which may be the same as or different to the gaming machine of FIG. 1.

The gaming machine 100 includes a game controller 101 having a processor 102 mounted on a circuit board. Instructions and data to control operation of the processor 102 are stored in a memory 103, which is in data communication with the processor 102. Typically, the gaming machine 100 will include both volatile and non-volatile memory and more than one of each type of memory, with such memories being collectively represented by the memory 103. It will be appreciated that the memories are one example of tangible media, as are, for example, hard drives, flash memory etc.

The gaming machine has hardware meters 104 for purposes including ensuring regulatory compliance and monitoring player credit, an input/output (I/O) interface 105 for communicating with peripheral devices of the gaming machine 100. The input/output interface 105 and/or the peripheral devices may be intelligent devices with their own memory for storing associated instructions and data for use with the input/output interface or the peripheral devices. A random number generator module 113 generates random numbers for use by the processor 102. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the reference to random numbers includes pseudo-random numbers.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, a player interface 120 includes peripheral devices that communicate with the game controller 101 including one or more displays such as electronic display(s) and reels 106, a touch screen and/or buttons 107 (which provide a game play mechanism), a card and/or ticket reader 108, a printer 109, a bill acceptor and/or coin input mechanism 110 and a coin output mechanism 111. Additional hardware may be included as part of the gaming machine 100, or hardware may be omitted based on the specific implementation. For example, while buttons or touch screens are typically used in gaming machines to allow a player to place a wager and initiate a play of a game any input device that enables the player to input game play instructions may be used. For example, in some gaming machines a mechanical handle is used to initiate a play of the game.

In addition, the gaming machine 100 may include a communications interface, for example a network card 112. The network card may, for example, send status information, accounting information or other information to a bonus controller, central controller, server or database and receive data or commands from the bonus controller, central controller, server or database. In embodiments employing a player marketing module, communications over a network may be via player marketing module—i.e. the player marketing module may be in data communication with one or more of the above devices and communicate with it on behalf of the gaming machine.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of the main components of an exemplary memory 103. The memory 103 includes RAM 103A, EPROM 103B and a mass storage device 103C. The RAM 103A typically temporarily holds program files for execution by the processor 102 and related data. The EPROM 103B may be a boot ROM device and/or may contain some system or game related code. The mass storage device 103C is typically used to store game programs, the integrity of which may be verified and/or authenticated by the processor 102 using protected code from the EPROM 103B or elsewhere.

It is also possible for the operative components of the gaming machine 100 to be distributed, for example input/output devices 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111 to be provided remotely from the game controller 101.

FIG. 8 shows a gaming system 200 in accordance with an alternative embodiment. The gaming system 200 includes a network 201, which for example may be an Ethernet network. Gaming machines 202, shown arranged in three banks 203 of two gaming machines 202 in FIG. 7 are connected to the network 201. The gaming machines 202 provide a player operable interface and may be the same as the gaming machines 10, 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, or may have simplified functionality depending on the requirements, rules, guidelines, and/or preferences for implementing game play. While banks 203 of two gaming machines are illustrated in FIG. 8, banks of one, three or more gaming machines are also envisaged.

One or more displays 204 may also be connected to the network 201. For example, the displays 204 may be associated with one or more banks 203 of gaming machines. The displays 204 may be used to display representations associated with game play on the gaming machines 202, and/or used to display other representations, for example promotional or informational material.

In a thick client embodiment, game server 205 implements part of the game played by a player using a gaming machine 202 and the gaming machine 202 implements part of the game. With this embodiment, as both the game server and the gaming device implement part of the game, they collectively provide a game controller. A database management server 206 may manage storage of game programs and associated data for downloading or access by the gaming devices 202 in a database 206A. Typically, if the gaming system enables players to participate in a Jackpot game, a Jackpot server 207 will be provided to perform accounting functions for the Jackpot game. A loyalty program server 212 may also be provided.

In a thin client embodiment, game server 205 implements most or all of the game played by a player using a gaming machine 202 and the gaming machine 202 essentially provides only the player interface. With this embodiment, the game server 205 provides the game controller. The gaming machine will receive player instructions, pass these to the game server which will process them and return game play outcomes to the gaming machine for display. In a thin client embodiment, the gaming machines could be computer terminals, e.g. PCs running software that provides a player interface operable using standard computer input and output components. Other client/server configurations are possible, and further details of a client/server architecture can be found in WO 2006/052213 and PCT/SE2006/000559, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Servers are also typically provided to assist in the administration of the gaming network 200, including for example a gaming floor management server 208, and a licensing server 209 to monitor the use of licenses relating to particular games. An administrator terminal 210 is provided to allow an administrator to run the network 201 and the devices connected to the network.

The gaming system 200 may communicate with other gaming systems, other local networks, for example a corporate network, and/or a wide area network such as the Internet, for example through a firewall 211.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that in accordance with known techniques, functionality at the server side of the network may be distributed over a plurality of different computers. For example, elements may be run as a single “engine” on one server or a separate server may be provided. For example, the game server 205 could run a random generator engine. Alternatively, a separate random number generator server could be provided. Further, persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a plurality of game servers could be provided to run different games or a single game server may run a plurality of different games based on the terminals.

Further Detail of Gaming System

The player operates the game play mechanism 56 to specify the win entitlement which will be evaluated for this play of the game and initiates a play of the game. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a player's win entitlement will vary from game to game dependent on player selections. In most spinning reel games, it is typical for the player's entitlement to be affected by the amount they wager and selections they make (i.e. the nature of the wager). For example, a player's win entitlement may be based on how many lines they play in each game—e.g. a minimum of one line up to the maximum number of lines allowed by the game (noting that not all permutations of win lines may be available for selection). Such win lines are typically formed by a combination of symbol display positions, one from each reel, the symbol display positions being located relative to one another such that they form a line.

In many games, the player's win entitlement is not strictly limited to the lines they have selected, for example, “scatter” pays are awarded independently of a player's selection of pay lines and are an inherent part of the win entitlement.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that in other embodiments, the player may obtain a win entitlement by selecting a number of reels to play. Such games are marketed under the trade name “Reel Power” by Aristocrat Leisure Industries Pty Ltd. The selection of the reel means that each displayed symbol of the reel can be substituted for a symbol at one or more designated display positions. In other words, all symbols displayed at symbol display positions corresponding to a selected reel can be used to form symbol combinations with symbols displayed at a designated, symbol display positions of the other reels. For example, if there are five reels and three symbol display positions for each reel such that the symbol display positions include three rows of five symbol display positions, the symbols displayed in the centre row are used for non-selected reels. As a result, the total number of ways to win is determined by multiplying the number of active display positions of each reels, the active display positions being all display positions of each selected reel and the designated display position of the non-selected reels. As a result for five reels and fifteen display positions there are 243 ways to win.

In other embodiments a player win entitlement may be affected by purchasing access to particular pay tables—e.g. a first bet amount entitles the player to wins including cherries and a second amount entitles them to wins including plums.

In FIG. 9, the processor 62 of game controller 60 is shown implementing a number of modules based on program code and data stored in memory 64. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that various of the modules could be implemented in some other way, for example by a dedicated circuit.

These modules include the outcome generator 622 which operates in response to the player's operation of game play mechanism 56 to place a wager and initiate a play of the game and generates a game outcome which will then be evaluated by award evaluator 623. The first part of forming the game outcome is for a symbol selector 622A to select symbols from a set of symbols specified by symbol data 641 using random number generator 621. The selected symbols are advised to the display controller 624 which causes them to be displayed on display 54 at a set of display positions. The award evaluator may also determine, in the event of a winning outcome, if the winning outcome corresponds to any active conditions and if so determined triggers an additional award to be made.

The processor may also include an active condition selector 626 which determines which, if any, of the set of conditions are active and triggers the display controller to display the active conditions. The active condition selector may be configured to recurrently change one or more active conditions.

One example of selecting symbols is for the symbol selector 622A to select symbols for display from a plurality of symbol sets corresponding to respective ones of a plurality of spinning reels. The symbol sets 641 can specify a sequence of symbols for each reel such that the symbol selector 622A can select all of the symbols by selecting a stopping position in the sequence. In one example, three symbols of each of five reels may be displayed such that symbols are displayed at fifteen display positions on display 54. It is known to use a probability table stored in memory 64 to vary the odds of a particular stop position being selected. Other techniques can be used to control the odds of particular outcomes occurring to thereby control the return to player of the game.

In some embodiments, an eligibility criteria may be applied, for example that the player has made a certain sized wager, made an ante bet, selected all win lines, played sufficient games, or the player is a member of a loyalty program.

The trigger event may be a symbol combination in the game, occurrence of a specific symbol in the game, purchased, be caused by another connected system, based on turnover etc.

A game round involves at least one of the reels being “spun”—e.g. new symbols of the reels are selected for display at the display positions and the reel is either physically or virtually spun to a stop. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be more than one game round in a play of a gaming machine such as is the case when a series of free spins is awarded. The outcome of a game round may be no win, a win (for example from a winning combination of symbols), a contribution towards a win accrued over a plurality of game rounds, a trigger condition occurring etc.

Further aspects of the method will be apparent from the above description of the gaming system. Persons skilled in the art will also appreciate that the method could be embodied in program code. The program code could be supplied in a number of ways, for example on a computer readable storage medium, such as a disc or a memory (for example, that could replace part of memory 103) or as a data signal (for example, by transmitting it from a server).

It will be understood to persons skilled in the art of the invention that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention; in particular it will be apparent that certain features of embodiments of the invention can be employed to form further embodiments.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the prior art forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art in any country.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

One or more of the components of the systems and/or blocks of the methods described above may be implemented alone or in combination in hardware, firmware, and/or as a set of instructions in software, for example. Certain embodiments may be provided as a set of instructions residing on a computer-readable medium, such as a memory, hard disk, DVD, or CD, for execution on a general purpose computer or other processing device. Certain embodiments of the present invention may omit one or more of the method blocks and/or perform the blocks in a different order than the order listed. For example, some blocks may not be performed in certain embodiments of the present invention. As a further example, certain blocks may be performed in a different temporal order, including simultaneously, than listed above.

Certain examples include computer-readable media for carrying or having computer-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such computer-readable media may be any available media that may be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. By way of example, such computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media. Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing machines to perform a certain function or group of functions.

Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computer-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program modules represent examples of program code for executing steps of certain methods and systems disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represent examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions described in such steps.

Examples can be practiced in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers having processors. Logical connections may include a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN) that are presented here by way of example and not limitation. Such networking environments are commonplace in office-wide or enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet and may use a wide variety of different communication protocols. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that such network computing environments will typically encompass many types of computer system configurations, including personal computers, hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Examples can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by local and remote processing devices that are linked (either by hardwired links, wireless links, or by a combination of hardwired or wireless links) through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

An exemplary system for implementing the overall system or portions of embodiments of the invention might include a general purpose computing device in the form of a computer, including a processing unit, a system memory, and a system bus that couples various system components including the system memory to the processing unit. The system memory may include read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). The computer may also include a magnetic hard disk drive for reading from and writing to a magnetic hard disk, a magnetic disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable magnetic disk, and an optical disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable optical disk such as a CD ROM or other optical media. The drives and their associated computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage of computer-executable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer.

While the invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of symbol display positions;

a display area; and

a game controller operatively coupled to the plurality of symbol display positions and the display area, and configured to: cause the display area to display any currently active condition of a set of conditions; select symbols for display in each of the display positions; evaluate the displayed symbols to determine whether the symbols correspond to one or more winning outcomes of a plurality of possible winning outcomes, at least two of the possible winning outcomes corresponding to different conditions of the set of conditions;

make an award in respect of each winning outcome; and

make an additional award upon there being a winning outcome which corresponds to an active condition.

2. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional award is an award of one or more free games.

3. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional award is an award of a feature game.

4. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional award is an award of an additional prize.

5. A gaming system defined by claim 1 wherein the controller is arranged to recurrently change at least one of the any currently active condition.

6. A gaming system defined by claim 5 wherein the controller is arranged to change the active condition after one of: a designated number of symbol selections; a designated number of plays of the game; a designated time period.

7. A gaming system defined by claim 1 wherein more than one of the conditions constituting the set of conditions are arranged on the display area.

8. A gaming system defined by claim 7 wherein the more than one conditions are arranged in a circle on the display area.

9. A gaming system defined by claim 7 wherein the active condition is indicated.

10. A gaming system defined by claim 9 wherein the active condition is indicated by an indicator associated with the display area.

11. A gaming system defined by claim 8 wherein the circle of the plurality of conditions rotates.

12. A gaming system defined by claim 9 wherein the indicator rotates.

13. A gaming system defined by claim 11 wherein the rotation changes the active condition.

14. A gaming system defined by claim 11 wherein the rotation is persistent.

15. A gaming system defined by claim 9 wherein the indicator comprises a light.

16. A gaming system defined by claim 1 wherein the display area comprises the face of a timepiece comprising one or more hands.

17. A gaming system defined by claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of symbol display positions each have an associated reel, each reel having at least some of the plurality of symbols.

18. A gaming system defined by claim 1 further comprising an electronic display.

19. A gaming system defined by claim 17 further comprising an electronic display and the plurality of reels are simulated on the electronic display.

20. A gaming system defined by claim 18 wherein the display area is on the electronic display.

21. A gaming system defined by claim 1 wherein each condition of the set of conditions comprise one of the signs of the zodiac.

22. A game controller configured to be operatively coupled to a plurality of symbol display positions and a display area, and further configured to:

cause the display area to display any currently active condition of a set of conditions;

select symbols for display in each of the display positions;

evaluate the displayed symbols to determine whether the symbols correspond to one or more winning outcomes of a plurality of possible winning outcomes, at least two of the possible winning outcomes corresponding to different conditions of the set of conditions;

make an award in respect of each winning outcome; and

make an additional award upon there being a winning outcome which corresponds to an active condition.

23. A method comprising:

causing a display area to display any currently active condition of a set of conditions; selecting symbols for display in each of a plurality of symbol display positions; evaluating the displayed symbols to determine whether the symbols correspond to one or more winning outcomes of a plurality of possible winning outcomes, at least two of the possible winning outcomes corresponding to different conditions of the set of conditions; making an award in respect of each winning outcome; and making an additional award upon there being a winning outcome which corresponds to an active condition.

24. A tangible computer readable medium including a computer program comprising instructions for controlling a computer to implement a method comprising:

causing a display area to display any currently active condition of a set of conditions; selecting symbols for display in each of a plurality of symbol display positions; evaluating the displayed symbols to determine whether the symbols correspond to one or more winning outcomes of a plurality of possible winning outcomes, at least two of the possible winning outcomes corresponding to different conditions of the set of conditions; making an award in respect of each winning outcome; and making an additional award upon there being a winning outcome which corresponds to an active condition.