| 摘要 |
In a gaming machine having virtual reels, certain symbols are modified to identify feature units associated with that particular symbol. The feature units carry over for multiple games until extinguished by being used. If a symbol having one or more feature units is involved in a winning combination, the function associated with its feature units, such as an award multiplier, is applied to the player's award. The symbols adjacent to a winning combination of symbols, or the symbols in the winning combination, may be augmented with a feature unit. A symbol accumulating a certain number of feature units may become a wild symbol. By continuing to accumulate feature units over many games, the symbols progressively become more valuable, and the player is incentivized to keep playing the machine. When the player cashes out, the feature units are extinguished. |
| 主权项 |
1. A method performed by a gaming device, the method comprising:
providing a paytable memory identifying a winning symbol combination displayed by the gaming device; receiving, by the gaming device, a monetary wager made by a player via a wager input device as part of the gaming device; receiving a game initiation signal by the player controlling a game initiation device, as part of the gaming device, to initiate a game; under control of a processing system that includes a processor and a memory that includes program code that causes the processor to execute operations, spinning and stopping virtual reels, having symbols, to generate an array of symbols, the symbols being displayed on a display screen; under control of the processing system, granting awards to the player for the winning symbol combination; under control of the processing system, augmenting first symbols with feature units in response to the winning symbol combination on stopped reels, the feature units having a function that is advantageous to the player, wherein augmenting the first symbols with the feature units does not change a likelihood that the first symbols will be part of the winning symbol combination identified in the paytable memory, and wherein the first symbols are not part of the winning symbol combination when augmented with the feature units; under control of the processing system, maintaining the feature units associated with the first symbols over a plurality of games until the feature units are extinguished; under control of the processing system, accumulating the feature units when the first symbols are again augmented with the feature units over the course of the plurality of games; under control of the processing system, if the winning symbol combination comprises at least one of the first symbols having the associated feature units, and certain criteria regarding the feature units is met, applying the function of the feature units to the winning symbol combination; under control of the processing system, granting an award to the player for the winning symbol combination while applying the function of the associated feature units; and extinguishing the feature units associated with first symbols involved in the winning symbol combination. |
