Abstract:
A gaming machine has a display and a game controller arranged to control images of symbols displayed on the display. The game controller is arranged to play a game wherein at least one random event is caused to be displayed on the display. If a predefined winning event occurs, the machine awards a prize. The gaming machine further comprises a selector applicable to a game feature where, upon a trigger condition occurring in a base game, a player is afforded an opportunity of predicting an outcome of the feature and, if the player&#39;s prediction is correct, a bonus is awarded to the player.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to a gaming machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a gaming machine and to an improvement to a game played on such a gaming machine.  
         BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Players who regularly play gaming machines quickly tire of particular games and therefore it is necessary for manufacturers of these machines to develop innovative game features which add interest to the games. In so doing, it is hoped to keep players amused and therefore willing to continue playing the game as well as to attract new players.  
           [0003]    Also, with the growth that has occurred in the gaming machine market, there is intense competition between manufacturers to supply various existing and new venues. When selecting a supplier of gaming machines, the operator of a venue will often pay close attention to the popularity of various games with their patrons. Therefore, gaming machine manufacturers are keen to devise games and/or game features which are popular with the players as a mechanism for improving sales, retaining customers and attracting new customers.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a gaming machine having a display and a game controller arranged to control images of symbols displayed on the display, the game controller being arranged to play a game wherein at least one random event is caused to be displayed on the display and, if a predefined winning event occurs, the machine awards a prize, the gaming machine further comprising a selector applicable to a game feature where, upon a trigger condition occurring in a base game, a player is afforded an opportunity of predicting an outcome of the feature and, if the player&#39;s prediction is correct, a bonus is awarded to the player.  
           [0005]    By allowing the player to predict the outcome of a game feature, the player is, effectively, selecting their desired volatility of the outcome of the game feature.  
           [0006]    The game feature may be a series of free games. The outcome in respect of which the player can make the prediction may constitute one of a number of possible outcomes of game features. For example, the outcome may be the occurrence of a particular symbol during the playing of the series of free games constituting the game feature. Instead, the outcome may be a prediction of an amount won during the game feature.  
           [0007]    The bonus which is awarded may be related to the degree of difficulty of achieving the outcome. More particularly, the higher the degree of difficulty of achieving an outcome, the greater the bonus that is awarded if the player&#39;s prediction is correct.  
           [0008]    The display may include a meter for displaying information related to the outcome. Thus, if the game feature is a series of free games and the outcome on which the player makes a prediction is the collection of a number of symbols, a part of the display means, at least during the playing of the game feature, may include a meter which is incremented each time one of the symbols appears during the playing of the free games. Preferably, the symbols could appear anywhere in the display and need not occur on a bought payline.  
           [0009]    The selector may be a touch screen implemented device for enabling the player to select one of a number of icons relating to potential game feature outcomes.  
           [0010]    The bonus which is awarded may be multiplied by the number of credits bet in the underlying base game.  
           [0011]    According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of playing a game on a gaming machine, the gaming machine having a display and being controlled by a game controller arranged to control images displayed on the display, the gaming machine including a selector applicable to a game feature and the method including, upon a trigger condition occurring in a base game, affording a player an opportunity of predicting an outcome of the feature and, if the player&#39;s prediction is correct, awarding a bonus to the player.  
           [0012]    The method may include implementing the game feature as a series of free games.  
           [0013]    Further, the method may include rendering the outcome in respect of which the player can make the prediction as one of a number of possible outcomes of game features. Thus, for example, the method may include rendering the outcome as the occurrence of a particular symbol during the playing of the series of free games constituting the game feature. Instead, the method may include rendering the outcome as a prediction of an amount won during the game feature.  
           [0014]    The method may include relating the bonus which is awarded to the degree of difficulty achieving the outcome. The higher the degree of difficulty of achieving an outcome, the greater the bonus that is awarded if the player&#39;s prediction is correct.  
           [0015]    The method may include displaying information related to the outcome on a meter of the display.  
           [0016]    Still further, the method may include implementing the selector as a touch screen implemented device for enabling the player to select one of a number of icons relating to potential game feature outcomes.  
           [0017]    The method may include multiplying the bonus which is awarded by the number of credits bet in the underlying base game. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    The invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a gaming machine, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a control circuit of the gaming machine;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 shows a screen display of a base game of a game, also in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, played on the gaming machine of FIG. 1;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 4 shows an initial screen display of a game feature of the game following the base game;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 5 shows a screen display during the playing of the game feature; FIG. 6 shows a screen display at the end of the game feature; and  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of the game played on the gaming machine of FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0025]    In FIG. 1, reference numeral  10  generally designates a gaming machine, including a game, in accordance with the invention. The machine  10  includes a console  12  having a display means in the form of a video display unit  14  on which a game  16  is played, in use. The video display unit  14  may be implemented as a cathode ray screen device, a liquid crystal display, a plasma screen, or the like. The game  16  is a spinning reel game which simulates the rotation of a number of spinning reels  18 . A midtrim  20  of the machine  10  houses a keypad  22  containing buttons for enabling a player to play the game  16 . The midtrim  20  also houses a credit input mechanism  24  including a coin input chute  24 . 1  and a bill collector  24 . 2 .  
         [0026]    The machine  10  includes a top box  26  on which artwork  28  is carried. The artwork  28  includes paytables, details of bonus awards, etc.  
         [0027]    A coin tray  30  is mounted beneath the console  12  for cash payouts from the machine  10 .  
         [0028]    Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, a control means or control circuit  32  is illustrated. A program which implements the game and user interface is run on a processor  34  of the control circuit  32 . The processor  34  forms part of a controller  36  that drives the screen of the video display unit  14  and that receives input signals from sensors  38 . The sensors  38  include sensors associated with the keypad  22  and touch sensors mounted in the screen of the video display unit  14 . The controller  36  also receives input pulses from the mechanism  24  to determine whether or not a player has provided sufficient credit to commence playing. The mechanism  24  may, instead of the coin input chute  24 . 1  or the bill collector  24 . 2 , or in addition thereto, be a credit card reader (not shown) or any other type of validation device.  
         [0029]    Finally, the controller  36  drives a payout mechanism  40  which, for example, may be a coin hopper for feeding coins to the coin tray  30  to make a pay out to a player when the player wishes to redeem his or her credit.  
         [0030]    In FIG. 3 of the drawings, reference numeral  50  generally designates a screen display of a base game  52  of the game  16  played on the gaming machine  10 . The game  16  is a spinning reel game having a video representation of five spinning reels  18 . It is assumed that the game  16  has three paylines on which the player can bet marked as numeral “1”, “2” and “3” in FIG. 3 of the drawings. It is to be noted from abet meter  54  in the display  50  that the player has bet on all three paylines.  
         [0031]    In the screen display  50 , three roundel symbols  56  are displayed in a scatter configuration. The symbols  56  are scatter symbols and the occurrence of three of the symbols  56  results in the triggering of a game feature of the game  16 . The game feature is a series of free games, for example, fifteen free games.  
         [0032]    The game feature allows the player to predict what will happen during the free games of the game feature. A bonus prize is awarded if the player&#39;s prediction is correct.  
         [0033]    The game  16  and, in particular, the game feature has an aviation theme, hence the roundel scatter symbols  56 .  
         [0034]    When the trigger condition occurs in the base game  52 , the screen display  50  changes to a screen display  60  as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. The screen display  60  comprises a selection of possible outcomes  62 . The player chooses one of the outcomes  62  by touching the appropriate part of the screen of the video display unit  14  or by pressing one of the buttons of the keypad  22  of the gaming machine  10 . A message “Choose your Mission”  64  is also displayed. In the game feature illustrated the possibilities are as follows:  
         [0035]    collect 5 or more “plane” symbols to win a bonus of 15 credits;  
         [0036]    collect 10 or more “plane” symbols to win a bonus of 30 credits;  
         [0037]    collect 15 or more “plane” symbols to win a bonus of 140 credits;  
         [0038]    collect 20 or more “plane” symbols to win a bonus of 400 credits; and  
         [0039]    collect 25 or more “plane” symbols to win a bonus of 1000 credits.  
         [0040]    It will be noted that the more bonus symbols (the “plane” symbols) which need to be collected the higher the bonus which is awarded. Thus, the player has the opportunity to select their desired volatility of the game feature and, if the player&#39;s prediction is correct, the bonus amount is awarded to the player. Thus, the player can predict that fewer bonus symbols will occur in the playing of the series of free games with a lower bonus prize being awarded. Instead, the player can predict that a larger number of bonus symbols will occur during the playing of the series of free games with a higher bonus prize being paid if the player&#39;s prediction is correct.  
         [0041]    It is also to be noted in FIG. 4 of the drawings that the bonus prize which is awarded is multiplied by the number of credits wagered in the base game  52 . Therefore, because the player was playing one credit per line on all three paylines in the base game  52  of the game  16 , the bonus award will be multiplied by three. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings, each indicated bonus award is the base award multiplied by the number of credits wagered.  
         [0042]    The player commences the game feature by selecting the appropriate outcome  62 . It is assumed that the player has selected “Mission  1 ” by touching that icon on the screen display  60 . FIG. 5 shows a screen display  66  after a first free game of the series of free games of the game feature. Two “plane” symbols  68  were spun up in the first free game and a bonus symbol meter  70  in the display  66  is incremented by two as illustrated.  
         [0043]    As indicated above, the game feature comprises a series of fifteen free games. FIG. 6 shows a screen display  72  at the end of the series of free games. As described above, it is assumed that the player selected the first outcome where fifteen credits, multiplied by the number of credits wagered, i.e. 45 credits, is awarded for the player correctly predicting the outcome of the series of free games.  
         [0044]    Because the player had to collect five or more “plane” symbols  68  but the player actually collected 11 “plane” symbols as shown on the bonus symbol meter  70  in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the bonus of 45 credits is awarded but is added to a win meter  76 . This is accompanied by a message  74  on the screen of the screen display  72 . The game feature and the game  16  are then at an end.  
         [0045]    In the examples set out above, the outcome which the player predicts is the minimum number of special symbols, the bonus symbols, that will occur during the series of free games constituting the game feature. The bonus prize awarded changes depending on the difficulty of achieving the prediction.  
         [0046]    In other implementations of the invention, there could be multiple symbols which increment the meter  70  and/or symbols which increment the meter  70  by different amounts.  
         [0047]    Still another implementation of the game feature could be the prediction of the amount won during a game or series of free games of a game feature. Thus, a series of free games may be awarded on the occurrence of a trigger condition in an underlying base game. A second screen appears displaying five options. The player chooses one of the options by touching the screen overlying that option or using one of the buttons on the keypad  22  of the gaming machine  10 . The options could, for example, be as follows:  
         [0048]    a free game win of 10 credits or more wins a bonus of 15 credits;  
         [0049]    a free game win of 25 credits or more wins a bonus of 40 credits;  
         [0050]    a free game win of 50 credits or more wins a bonus of 100 credits;  
         [0051]    a free game win of 75 credits or more wins a bonus of 250 credits; and  
         [0052]    a free game win of 100 credits or more wins a bonus of 500 credits.  
         [0053]    Once again, the bonus amount is multiplied by the number of credits bet in the underlying base game. For example, if twenty lines were being played then if the player had selected the first option and had correctly predicted the outcome a bonus of 300 credits would be awarded. The bonus could be awarded for each free game during the series of free games or for the sum of the credits won during the playing of all of the free games of the game feature.  
         [0054]    Accordingly, it is an advantage of the invention that a game feature is provided which enables a player to predict an outcome in the game feature where, the lower of the likelihood of the outcome being achieved, the higher the prize awarded. Thus, the player can select an easier outcome with a lower bonus award being made or a more difficult outcome with a higher bonus award being made if the prediction is correct. This will enhance the enjoyment of the player in playing the game.  
         [0055]    It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.