JP2001029624A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the burdens on the processing of a main control substrate and to output fine SE(sound effect) corresponding to images. SOLUTION: The microcomputer of a pattern control substrate 32b receives a start code and each of stop pattern specifying codes and the microcomputer of the pattern control substrate 32b executes the processing of reading data corresponding to the effective sound to be outputted from a ROM based on the received start code and each of the stop pattern specifying codes. When the data corresponding to the effective sound to be outputted are read, the microcomputer of the pattern control substrate 32b outputs the data corresponding to the effective sound to the input/output circuit 35a of a sound control substrate 35 through an output circuit not shown in the figure. The sound control substrate 35 outputs received sound data through a sound source IC 35b and an amplifier 35c to a loudspeaker 35c.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gaming machine, and more particularly to an invention relating to control of sound for outputting a sound effect or an error sound according to the progress of a game.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a gaming machine, for example, a pachinko gaming machine, a sound effect according to the progress of a game by a fired game ball is output. The output of these sound effects and the like is generally controlled from a main control board that controls the progress of the game. In recent years, there has also been made an invention in which a sound control board that executes only control relating to sounds such as sound effects is provided, and output of sound is controlled in accordance with a command from a main control board. by the way,
In pachinko machines, the progress of the game is controlled by the main control board,
Image control processing such as displaying a combination of predetermined symbols on a screen is performed by an image control board (also referred to as a "symbol control board").
Running on The communication between the main control board and the image control board is configured by a system called intelligent in recent years for the purpose of preventing fraud or reducing the processing load on the main control board.

In this configuration called intelligent, the image control board transmits data relating to the type of symbol and the variation time displayed on the screen from the main control board, and the image control board displays the data on the screen based on the received data. Control is performed so as to display an image as to whether or not the game is advantageous for the player. As a result, the number of commands transmitted from the main control board to the image control board is drastically reduced, the processing load on the main control board is reduced, and the update of random numbers that determines whether or not the game is advantageous to the player is performed. The timing does not leak outside the main control board, which contributes to prevention of fraud.

[0004]

However, in the prior art, it is the image control board that controls the display of images such as symbols, and the main control performs the output control of sounds such as sound effects. It is a substrate. For this reason, there has been a problem that the processing load on the main control board is inevitably increased when a detailed sound effect corresponding to an image is to be output.
This does not change even in a gaming machine having a sound control board because the main control board is configured to transmit a command to the sound control board. The present invention has been made to solve these problems suitably, and has been made with an object to output fine sound effects corresponding to images without increasing the number of transmission commands from the main control board to image control. It is a thing.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a gaming machine according to the present invention comprises a main control board for controlling the progress of a game and an image based on the progress of the game by the main control board. A game display including an image display control board for displaying, wherein the image control board is provided with image sound control means for controlling output of sound corresponding to the displayed image.

Here, the image displayed by the image display control board is not limited to an image displayed by using a liquid crystal display or a CRT. It also includes a color matching display and the like that is displayed by light emission using an LED or the like. According to the gaming machine of the first aspect, the main control board controls the progress of the game, and the image display control board that displays an image based on the progress of the game generates a sound corresponding to the image displayed by the image sound control means. Works to control output. As a result, the image control board can freely output sound corresponding to the image, and it is possible to output a detailed sound effect corresponding to the image without an instruction from the main control board. Having.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine comprising: a main control board for controlling the progress of a game; and an image display control board for displaying an image based on the progress of the game by the main control board. The image control board includes: an image sound control unit that controls output of a sound corresponding to the displayed image based on data relating to the image transmitted from the main control board.

Here, the image data refers to data relating to an image to be displayed, and in a pachinko game machine, a jackpot symbol or an off symbol for notifying whether or not the player is in an advantageous state. Refers to data indicating the type. According to the gaming machine described in claim 2, the main control board only needs to transmit data relating to the image to be displayed on the image control board, and the image control board responds to the image based on the data relating to the received image data. The output of the sound effect can be controlled. As a result, it is possible to reduce the processing load on the main control board and control the output of detailed sound effects corresponding to images.

A gaming machine according to a third aspect is characterized in that the gaming machine according to the first or second aspect fires a game ball on a game board surface. That is, the gaming machine according to claim 3 is a game machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2 is a ball game machine such as a pachinko game machine that arranges a game ball on a game board or an arrangement ball game machine. It is limited.

[0010] By limiting the game machine to a ball game machine such as a pachinko game machine or an arrangement ball game machine, when a game ball wins a specific winning opening or the like, the main control board extracts a pass / fail judgment value. Every time a random number value is extracted, a fine sound effect output control corresponding to the display can be performed when the image control board displays whether or not the gaming state is advantageous to the player.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine according to the first, second, or third aspect, wherein the gaming machine outputs a game sound other than a sound corresponding to an image. Means. Here, the sound other than the sound corresponding to the image output controlled by the game sound control means is a sound such as an error sound caused by clogging of a ball generated during the progress of a game, a warning sound caused by a wrongdoing by a player, and the like. Means

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the image control board executes only the output control of the sound effect corresponding to the image to be displayed, and the main control board or the like controls the output of other error sounds. I do. Thus, the image control board can control the output of only the sound effect corresponding to the image to be displayed, and thus has the effect of reducing the processing load on the image control board.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the game machine according to the fourth aspect, at least the game sound control means and the image sound control means use the same speaker.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the game sound control means and the image sound control means use the same speaker, the number of parts can be reduced without using two speakers and the game machine can be simplified. This has the effect of being able to be configured. It should be noted that the configuration may be such that at least the same speaker is used, and other components for outputting sound, such as a sound source IC and an amplifier, may be shared or may not be shared.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko machine 10 of this specific example includes a substantially rectangular outer frame 11 and a front frame 12, and a known card reader 13 is provided on the left of the outer frame 11. The front frame 12 is rotatably attached to the outer frame 11 by upper and lower left and right hinges 14. An upper plate 15 is provided below the front frame 12, and the lending button 16, the settlement button 17, and the balance display unit 1 are provided on the upper plate 15.
8 are provided. Card slot 19 of card reader 13
When the prepaid card is inserted into the game card, the stored balance is displayed on the balance display section 18. When the lending button 16 is pressed, the game balls are lent and the game balls are discharged from the payout opening of the upper plate 15. A window-shaped metal frame 20 is removably attached to the front frame 12. A sheet glass 21 is doubly fitted into the metal frame 20. A game board 22 is housed behind the glass sheet 21. A lower plate 23 is provided below the front plate 12 of the upper plate 15, and a firing handle 24 is attached to the right side of the lower plate 23. A rotating ring (not shown) is provided on the outer periphery of the firing handle 24, and a game ball can be fired on the game board 22 by rotating clockwise. The upper plate 15 and the lower plate 23 are connected, and are configured to guide game balls to the lower plate 23 when the upper plate 15 becomes full of game balls.

FIG. 2 is a back view of the pachinko machine 10 as viewed from the back. As shown in the figure, a mechanism board 26 to which the game board 22 described above is detachably attached is housed in the outer frame 13 described above. A ball tank 27, a guiding gutter 28, and a payout device 29 are provided on the mechanism board 26 from above. With this configuration, if there is a winning of a game ball in the winning opening on the game board 22, a predetermined number of game balls are delivered from the ball tank 27 via the guiding gutter 28 by the payout device 29 to the above-mentioned upper plate 15
Can be discharged. As will be described in detail later,
A main control board 30 and a prize ball control board 31 are detachable on the mechanism board 26, and a special symbol display device 32 is provided on the game board 22.
A launch control board 33 is attached to the lower left portion of the front frame. The structure related to the payout of game balls and the like centering on the mechanism board 26 is the same as that of the conventional structure, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the game board 22 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the game board 22 has an LCD panel unit (hereinafter, referred to as "LCD") 32a constituting the special symbol display device 32 in the center, and a normal electric accessory as a first-type starting port below the LCD panel unit. 36, an ordinary symbol display device 37 on the upper part of the LCD 35, ordinary symbol operation gates 38 and 39 on the left and right of the LCD 35 used to start changing the symbol displayed on the ordinary symbol display device 37, and a large winning port 40 on the lower part of the ordinary electric accessory 36. An opening 41 at the bottom of the board, other winning ports, a windmill, a game nail (not shown), and the like are provided. With this configuration, when the above-described firing handle 24 is rotated, the firing motor 3 driven by the firing control board 33 is provided.
3a is driven, and the game ball on the upper plate 15 is fired on the game board 22 via the guide rail. If the launched game ball wins in each winning opening, the game ball is taken in as a safe ball on the back surface of the board, and if not won, it is similarly taken in as an out ball via the out port 41 on the back surface of the board.

Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. Pachinko machine 1
As shown in the figure, the electric circuit of the main control board 30, the prize ball control board 31, the special symbol display device 32, the launch control board 33, the lamp control board 34, the sound control board 35,
It is composed of the above-mentioned prepaid card unit 13, the CR settlement display board 42 and the like. In this circuit diagram, a so-called relay board and a power supply circuit for transferring signals are not described.

The main control board 30 includes a ROM storing a game control program and a RAM serving as a work area for operations and the like.
And an external input / output circuit for inputting / outputting data from / to each board or various switches and various actuators. On the input side of the main control board 30, a first-type starting port switch 36a, ordinary symbol operation switches 38a and 39a, an accessory continuous operation switch (hereinafter, simply referred to as "V switch") 40a, a count switch 40b, a full tank Switch 43, supply switch 44,
A plurality of other winning opening switches 52 and the like are connected. On the output side, a special winning opening solenoid 40c, V
The solenoid 40d, the normal accessory solenoid 36b, the external connection terminal 50, and the like are connected.

The first type start switch 36a is in the ordinary electric accessory 36 on the game board 22 and the ordinary symbol operation switches 38a and 39a are the ordinary symbol operation gates 38 and 3, respectively.
9, the V switch 40a is in a specific area in the special winning opening 40, and the count switch 40b is in the special winning opening 40,
The full tank switch 43 is mounted in the lower plate 16, and the replenishment switch 44 is mounted in the ball tank 27. here,
The V switch 40a indicates that a game ball winning in the special winning opening 40 has passed through a special device operating area (hereinafter, referred to as a “special area”), and the count switch 40b indicates that the special winning opening 40 has been set.
The full switch 43 indicates that the game balls are full in the lower plate 16, the supply switch 44 indicates that the game balls are present in the ball tank 27, and It is for detecting. The special winning opening solenoid 40c connected to the output side is connected to the special winning opening 40, V
The solenoid 40d is used for opening and closing the special accessory in the special winning opening 40, and the ordinary accessory solenoid 36b is used for opening and closing the ordinary electric accessory 36.

The special symbol display device 32 is the aforementioned LCD
32a, a symbol display device control board for driving and controlling the LCD 32a (hereinafter, simply referred to as "symbol control board") 3
2b and an auxiliary unit 32c such as a backlight and an inverter board. Symbol control board 32b
Is configured as a logic operation circuit centered on an 8-bit one-chip microcomputer similarly to the main control board 30 described above.

The award ball control board 31 may be configured as a logical operation circuit using a microcomputer, or may be configured as a discrete circuit. A prize ball payout switch 29a and the like are connected to the input side of the prize ball control board 31, and a ball cutting motor 29b is connected to the output side. The prize ball payout switch 29a is provided below the ball cutting motor 29b in the payout device 29. The prize ball payout switch 29a detects a game ball discharged to the upper plate 15 by the ball cutting motor 29b. The prize ball control board 31 receives the prize data of each prize port detected and transmitted by the main control board 30, adds the received prize data to the prize ball data to be paid out to the player, and calculates the value of the prize ball data. If is not zero, the ball cutting motor 29b is driven and controlled, the paid out game balls are detected by the winning ball payout switch 29a, and the detected number of winning balls is subtracted from the winning ball data. The prize ball control board 31 further includes the above-described prepaid card unit 13, the CR settlement display board 4
2 are connected. The CR settlement display board 42 is provided with the rent button 16, the settlement button 17, and the balance display unit 1 of the upper plate 15 described above.
8 and the like.

The firing control board 33 drives and controls the firing motor 33a in accordance with the amount of rotation of the firing handle 24 operated by the player, and stops the firing when the player presses the firing stop switch 24b. Or to turn on the touch lamp 45 when the touch switch 24a built in the firing handle 24 is in an on state.

The lamp control board 34 is mainly composed of a driving element such as a transistor, and receives a command from the main control board 30 to form a normal symbol display device 37, various kinds of lamps such as a jackpot lamp and an error lamp, and various kinds of LEDs and the like. It is for lighting and displaying lamps.

As shown in FIG. 5, the sound control board 35 includes an input / output circuit (I / O circuit) 35a, a sound source IC 35b, an amplifier 35c, and the like. Is for driving control of. In this specific example, the symbol control board 32b of the special symbol display device 32 and the input / output circuit 35a are also electrically connected, and data is input from the symbol control board 32b to the input / output circuit 3b.
5a.

Transmission to the special symbol display device 32, the prize ball control board 31, the launch control board 33, the lamp control board 34, and the sound control board 35 is performed in one direction so that transmission can be performed only from the main control board 30. It is configured as a communication circuit.

The contents of the game provided by the pachinko machine 10 having the above-described circuit configuration are the same as those of the conventional game machine, and thus will be described only briefly.

The firing handle 24 operated by the player
A game ball is fired on the game board 22 by the firing motor 33a according to the amount of rotation of the first type starter switch 36a if the fired game ball wins the ordinary electric accessory 36 as the first type starter. The special symbol display device 32 functions to display the special symbol on the screen of the LCD 32a of the special symbol display device 32 for a predetermined period of time, and then to display the special symbol stationary. The special symbol that is statically displayed is a predetermined specific symbol, for example, 3 such as “777”.
When the same symbol is displayed, the game is set to the "big hit" state, and the game contents advantageous to the player are provided. Whether or not the big hit state is determined is based on whether or not the value of the random number determined when the game ball is detected by the first-type start-up switch 36a is a predetermined value. This random number is a counter that is incremented every minute, for example, every 2 ms, and is a counter that repeatedly creates, for example, 250 types of integers from 0 to 249. The timing at which the shot game balls enter the normal electric accessory 36 Functions as a random number because the random timing is unpredictable.

When the jackpot is reached, the special winning opening 40 is opened for about 30 seconds or until the count switch 40b detects that 10 game balls have been won, whichever comes first. At this time, the special winning opening 40 is opened. When the V-switch 40a detects that the game ball that has won inside passes through the special area, the large winning opening 40 is once closed and then opened again, and this opening operation is repeated up to 16 times. Usually, 15 game balls are paid out as prize balls for one game ball winning. Therefore, when one big hit state occurs, about 2400 (= 15 × 10 × 16) pieces are obtained. Game balls can be acquired as prize balls. This prize ball discharging operation is executed by the prize ball control board. In addition, large winning a prize mouth 4
The V solenoid 40d that opens and closes the special area of 0 is for closing the special area when one game ball passes through the special area.

When the shot game ball passes through the ordinary symbol operation gate 38 or 39, the ordinary symbol operation switch 3
8a or 39a, the normal symbol display device 37
Is displayed statically after the display is changed for a predetermined time, for example, "7"
When a specific symbol is displayed, for example, the ordinary electric accessory 36 is opened until a predetermined time such as about 6 seconds or a predetermined number of game balls such as six, whichever comes earlier. As a result, the chance of the game ball winning the ordinary electric accessory 36 increases, the player can acquire a predetermined number of game balls, and the number of times the special symbol of the special symbol display device 32 is changed and displayed increases. The probability of generating a jackpot condition increases. The configuration up to the opening of the normal electric accessory 36 is substantially the same as the configuration for generating the “big hit” state described above, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

Next, the main control board 30 and the special symbol display device 3
2 will be described in detail with reference to Table 1 below. Table 1 shows the types of instruction codes (hereinafter, also referred to as "commands") and the contents and operation contents of 2-byte instructions corresponding to the commands.

[0032]

[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, commands of the main control board 30 and the special symbol display device 32 of this embodiment are as follows. 1. When power is turned on. 2. Customer waiting demo; 3. While the design is changing. 4. At the start of the jackpot During the jackpot, 6. At the end of the jackpot, 7. At the time of abnormal operation, it can be roughly classified into seven types.

1. At power-on The power-on command is a command transmitted from the main control board 30 to the symbol control board 32b when the game machine 10 is powered on, and is composed of 2-byte instructions of 10H and 01H. When the symbol control board 32b receives this command, the LC according to the control program written in the ROM
A demo screen at power-on is displayed on the screen of D32a.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, "7", "7", and "7" are displayed in special symbol display areas 50a, 50b, and 50c on the screen, respectively.
And three digits of the same big hit symbol are displayed, the four special symbol holding memories 51a to 51d are turned on for a predetermined time (about 5 seconds), then turned off, a dojo is displayed on the background screen 52, and a hero (hero) is displayed as a character. And bad guys are displayed,
After the hero wrestles with the villain for a predetermined time (about one minute), the hero is defeated, a demo screen displaying the word “fire” is displayed, and the sound control board 35 outputs a sound effect of “fire”.

2. Customer waiting demo The customer waiting demo command is a command transmitted after the power-on demonstration screen is completed or when the player does not execute a game for a predetermined time, and is composed of a 2-byte instruction of 20H and 01H. ing. When the symbol control board 32b receives this command, it displays a customer waiting demonstration screen on the screen of the LCD 32a in accordance with the control program written in the ROM. For example, all the variation patterns of the special symbols which are variably displayed on the special symbol display areas 50a to 50c are sequentially displayed. This variation pattern will be described in detail in the next section “3. At this time, a background image and a character corresponding to each variation pattern are displayed on the background screen 52. The customer waiting demonstration screen displays all the variation patterns in order until the player operates the firing handle 24, makes one round, and then repeatedly displays it. Whether or not the player is playing a game can be determined based on whether or not a game ball has been won in each winning port for a predetermined time.

3. The symbol changing command is a command transmitted when the special symbol is changed. As shown in the table, (1) start code,
(2) Left stop design specification code, (3) Middle stop design specification code, (4) Right stop design specification code, (5) Left design fix code, (6) Middle design fix code, (7) Right design fix code , And 7 types of commands.

(1) Start Code The start code is a command transmitted when a game ball fired on the game board 22 has won the ordinary electric accessory 36 serving as a starting port. One byte of 30H as an operation number is provided. It is composed of 30 types of 1-byte instructions from 01H to 1EH as instructions and 30 types of 2-byte instructions. These 30 types of 2-byte instructions indicate a variation pattern of a special symbol. The 30 kinds of fluctuation patterns of this specific example are 10 kinds of normal fluctuations, 8 kinds of shortened fluctuations, 4 kinds of normal reach, and 4 kinds of semi-long from the fluctuation time of the special symbol, the fluctuation mode and the level of the probability of the jackpot. Reach consists of two types of long reach and two types of full rotation.

The ten kinds of normal fluctuations are the time from the start of the fluctuation of the special symbol to the stop (stop) of all the special symbols on the left, the middle and the right (hereinafter may be simply referred to as "fluctuation time"). Is a variation pattern in which 10 types of times are set between 5 seconds and 10 seconds. The eight types of shortened fluctuations are based on the four types of patterns, that is, the case where there is one special symbol holding memory, the case where there are two, the case where there are three, the case where there are three, and the case where there are four. This is a variation pattern in which types of variation times are set. The four types of normal reach are variation patterns in which four types of times are set between 8 seconds and 15 seconds. Here, the reach is not necessarily a big hit, but as a premise of the big hit, the left special symbol and the middle special symbol match after the change of the special symbol starts, and the right special symbol is changing and the symbol Refers to a state where has not been determined.

The four types of semi-long reach are fluctuation patterns in which four types of times are set between 15 seconds and 25 seconds. The two types of long reach are fluctuation patterns in which the fluctuation time is set to 30 seconds or 35 seconds.
The longer the reach time, the higher the probability that the right symbol matches the left symbol and the middle symbol, that is, the probability of a big hit increases. The two types of full rotation refer to a fluctuation pattern in which all the symbols start to change at the same time and stop at the same time. In this specific example, the change time is 25 seconds at low probability and 20 times at high probability.
Set to seconds.

These 30 kinds of variation patterns are selected based on the value of the counter when the game ball wins the ordinary electric accessory 36. The counter that selects this pattern is
It goes without saying that the integers from 0 to 29 are created by the same method as that used for the pass / fail decision random number.

(2) Left stop symbol designation code The left stop symbol designation code is an instruction code consisting of an operation number of 31H and 15 types of identification numbers from 01H to 0FH. When the identification number is 01H, a left stop symbol is designated. "0", "1" for 02H, "2" for 03H, "3" for 04H, 05
"4" for H, "5" for 06H, "6" for 07H, "7" for 08H, "8" for 09H, 0AH
Is "9" for 0BH, "A" for 0CH, "B" for 0CH, "C" for 0DH, "D" for 0EH, 0FH
In this case, the character "E" is displayed in the special symbol display area 50a as a special symbol.

(3) Middle stop symbol designation code The middle stop symbol designation code is an instruction code consisting of an operation number of 32H and 15 types of identification numbers of 01H to 0FH, and the identification number is the same as the left stop symbol designation code. It has the same meaning as the identification number, and is used for displaying the designated character as a special symbol in the special symbol display area 50b.

(4) Right stop symbol designating code The right stop symbol designating code is an instruction code consisting of an operation number of 33H and 15 types of identification numbers of 01H to 0FH. It has the same meaning as the identification number, and is used to display a character designated by each as a special symbol in the special symbol display area 50c. still,
The identification numbers of the left, middle, and right stop symbol designating codes are 0 to 0 at the timing when the gaming ball wins the ordinary electric accessory 36.
It is selected from each symbol counter that repeatedly creates 14 integer values.

(5) Left symbol confirmation code The left symbol confirmation code is an instruction code transmitted to stop (stop) the changing left special symbol, and is composed of an operation number of 34H and an identification number of 01H. I have.

(6) Middle symbol determination code The middle symbol determination code is an instruction code transmitted to stop the changing middle special symbol, and includes an operation number of 35H and 01H.
Is constituted by the identification number.

(7) Right symbol determination code The middle symbol determination code is an instruction code transmitted to stop the changing middle special symbol, and includes an operation number of 36H and 01H.
Is constituted by the identification number.

4. Big hit start Big hit start command is a special symbol display area 50a-50
Used when displaying an image that appeals to a player that a big hit has occurred between the time when the big hit operation is started after the left, middle and right special symbols displayed in c are displayed the same symbol. This command is composed of an operation number of 40H and an identification number of 01H. When this command code is received by the symbol control board, a process of displaying characters such as "big hits and displaying an image that makes the character happy" on the screen of the LCD 32a and outputting a sound effect by the sound control board 35 is performed.

5. Jackpot Medium Jackpot Medium command is code before opening, code during opening, 1
It is classified into four commands of a zero count winning code and a V passing code. (1) The pre-opening code is composed of an operation number of 50H and an identification number of 01H. When the symbol control board 32b inputs this instruction code, an image notifying the player that the special winning opening 40 will be opened is displayed on the background 52. Execute the process displayed in. (2) The open code is composed of an operation number of 50H and an identification number of 02H. When the symbol control board 32b inputs this instruction code, an image that informs the player that the special winning opening 40 is open is displayed. Execute the process to be displayed. (3) 10-count prize code is 50H operation number and 0
The main control board 30 is provided with a count switch 40b for detecting that a game ball has entered the special winning opening 40.
Alternatively, this command code is transmitted each time the signal is detected by the V switch 40a. When the symbol control board 32b inputs this command code, the value is incremented and the value is displayed on the background 52 each time the command code is input. This allows
On the screen, every time a game ball wins in the special winning opening 40, a number display from zero to ten is displayed. (4) The V pass code is composed of an operation number of 50H and an identification number of 04H. When the main switch 30 detects by the V switch 40a that a game ball has passed through a special area in the special winning opening 40, this instruction code is issued. Send Symbol control board 32
When b inputs this command code, the character "V" is displayed in a large size on the screen to inform the player that the special winning opening 40 is closed and then opened again.

6. Big hit end The big hit end command is used when the big hit operation is finished, that is, when the big winning port 40 finishes the opening operation 16 times, or the game ball does not pass through the special area during opening even if it does not continue up to 16 times. This is an instruction code transmitted when an error occurs, and is composed of an operation number of 60H and an identification number of 01H.
When the symbol control board 32b inputs this command code, it displays a message informing the player that the big hit has ended, and displays the character "lucky!" When the high probability state continues, and when the high probability does not continue. "Sorry!"
The process of displaying the character of is performed. Here, the high probability continues when the special symbol such as “777” or “333” has a big hit and a big hit occurs after the big hit operation is completed.
/ 50. More specifically, the possible range of the counter used for the pass / fail decision random number is 0 to 0.
It means to change from the range of 49 to 0-49.

7. The operation abnormal operation command is an instruction command transmitted when an abnormality occurs in the pachinko machine 10. In this specific example, the command is based on the E1 error code of 70H01H, the E2 error code of 70H02H, and the E3 error code of 70H03H. It is configured.
In this specific example, the E1 error code is a ten-count abnormal error and is output when no gaming ball is detected when the special winning opening 40 is opened, and the E2 error code is a full switch when the lower plate 16 is full. The E3 error code is output when the supply switch 44 is turned on. Note that the error message displayed by transmitting these abnormal-time commands is erased by the error release signal transmitted when the abnormality is released.

Here, an example of the variation pattern will be specifically described with reference to Table 2 and FIG. Table 2
The timing chart shown in FIG.
This is an example. When the game ball wins the ordinary electric accessory 36 as a starting port, one of the 30 kinds of variation patterns of the start codes shown in Table 1 is selected at the timing of the winning, and the selected instruction code is mainly used. It is transmitted from the control board 30 to the symbol control board 32b (see Table 2).
number). Upon receiving the transmitted command code, the symbol control board 32b starts changing the left special symbol, the middle special symbol, and the right special symbol simultaneously in the special symbol operation areas 50a to 50c (point in FIG. 7).

The main control board 30 transmits the left stop symbol designating code selected at the time of winning, immediately after transmitting the start code (No. in Table 2). When the instruction code is received by the symbol control board 32b, the fluctuation speed is adjusted and controlled according to the fluctuation pattern so as to stop and display the left special symbol according to the instruction code (point in FIG. 7). Then, the left special symbol designated at the timing when the left symbol confirmation code is received from the main control board 30 is stopped and displayed (No. in Table 2).
(Figure 7 point). The timing at which the main control board 30 transmits the left symbol confirmation code is determined according to the selected variation pattern. With this configuration, the timing at which the variable symbol is stopped and displayed is completely controlled by the main control board 30.

[0053]

[Table 2]

By the same procedure, the main control board 30 transmits the middle stop designating code, the middle designating code, the right stop designating code and the right designating code one after another (Table 2).
), The symbol control board 32b controls the image according to the received instruction code (point in FIG. 7). By the processing described above, in this specific example, “4” is displayed in the special symbol display area 50a, “5” is displayed in the special symbol display area 50b, and “5” is displayed in the symbol display area 50c.

With the above-described configuration, a series of variations of the special symbol is transmitted from the main control board 30 to the symbol control board 32b in advance, so that the symbol control board 32
b may control the image according to this variation pattern,
The load on the main control board 30 can be significantly reduced, and the degree of freedom in controlling the symbol control board 32b is further enhanced. As a result, the main control board 30 can suitably execute processing with other control boards, that is, each board such as the prize ball control board 31, the launch control board 33, the lamp control board 34, and the sound control board. To play. On the other hand, in the symbol control board 32b, the degree of being restrained by the main control board 30 has been drastically reduced, so that it is easier to control the display of story-like images on a screen other than the special symbol display area. Also play. At this time, it is conceivable that the display-controlled image is developed into a story every time a start code is transmitted from the main control board 30.

Also, the start code for designating the symbol variation pattern is selected from the 30 types of patterns at the timing when the game ball wins the ordinary electric accessory 36, so that the randomness of the displayed image is improved. Has an excellent effect. Furthermore, not only the start code for starting the change of the symbol but also the stationary timing of each special symbol is instructed from the main control board 30. When measuring the transmission timing from 30 to the symbol control board 32b, measuring the timing of transmitting the start code and the timing of transmitting each special symbol determination code, the start and stop times of the change of the special symbol on the screen in real time, Also, an excellent effect that accurate measurement can be achieved. In the specific example, the stationary timing of each special symbol is instructed from the main control board 30.
There is no problem even if each special symbol is configured to be stationary based on the start code.

Next, a process for outputting a sound effect will be described with reference to FIGS. Symbol control board 3
The microcomputer 2b receives the start code and each stop symbol designating code, and when each symbol starts to fluctuate on the screen, shifts the processing to the “sound effect output control routine” shown in FIG. The microcomputer of the symbol control board 32b executes a process of reading data corresponding to the sound effect to be output from the ROM based on the received start code and each stop symbol designating code (step S100). When the data corresponding to the sound effect to be output is read, the microcomputer of the symbol control board 32b outputs the data corresponding to the sound effect to the input / output circuit 35a of the sound control board 35 via an output circuit (not shown) (step S110). ). The sound control board 35 outputs the received sound data to the speaker 35c via the sound source IC 35b and the amplifier 35c. On the other hand, the main control board 30 outputs sound data corresponding to the error to the input / output circuit 35a of the sound control board 35 when an error occurs when the full tank switch 43, the supply switch 44, or the like is turned on.

According to the above-described specific example, the sound effect corresponding to the fluctuating symbol is generated by the symbol control board 32b and is output to the sound control board 35. Moreover, the main control board 30
Need only transmit the start code and each stop symbol designating code to the symbol control board 32b. This allows
The symbol control board 32b has a very excellent effect that the output of a fine effect corresponding to a fluctuating symbol can be controlled while reducing the processing load on the main control board 30. Further, in this specific example, since the main control board 30 outputs an error or the like generated in the pachinko machine 10 to the sound control board 35, the symbol control board 32b is shown in Table 1 transmitted by the main control board 30. There is an effect that it is only necessary to create and output sound data corresponding to an image to be displayed including each symbol based on the code. Further, since the main control board 30 and the symbol control board 32b share the sound control board 35, the configuration can be simplified.

In this specific example, about 100,000 kinds (30 × 15 × 15 × 15) of sound effects can be selected by 30 kinds of variation patterns and each of 15 kinds of stop designating codes. . As a result, it is possible to output a detailed sound effect according to the fluctuation pattern or the stop symbol to be stopped and displayed. It should be noted that there is no problem even when the type of the sound effect is changed in consideration of elements other than the start code and each stop designating code. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a sound effect is created that takes into account the number of times of receiving a missing symbol or the elapsed time after the end of the big hit. The sound control board 35
The configuration of the symbol control board 32b is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 5 at all, and it goes without saying that the design can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, as shown in FIG.
The microcomputer 35d is mounted on the main control board 30.
It may be configured to preferentially process the error transmission transmitted from the. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the special symbol display device 32 may include a sound control circuit. At this time,
The special symbol display device 32 may be configured to control output of all sounds related to the pachinko machine 10.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a gaming machine employing the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a back view of the gaming machine viewed from the back.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a configuration of a game board surface of the gaming machine.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electric configuration of the gaming machine.

5 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection relationship among a main control board 30, a symbol control board 32b, and a sound control board 35. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a display mode on a screen of an LCD panel unit 32a.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart illustrating a variation pattern of an image on a screen of an LCD panel unit 32a.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing of a “sound effect output control routine”.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a sound control board 35 according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a special symbol display device according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Pachinko machine 22 Game board 24 Launch handle 24a Touch switch 30 Main control board 31 Prize ball control Substrate 32... Special symbol display device 32a... LCD panel unit (LCD) 32b... Symbol display device control substrate (symbol control substrate) 33. ······ Lamp control board 35 ······ Sound control board 35b ········ Sound source IC 35c ·······················································・ First-type start switch 37 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Ordinary symbol display device 40 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Grand prize opening 40a ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Accessory continuous operation switch (VSW) 40b ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Ten count switch (count) S
W) 46 ... speaker 50a, 50b, 50c ... special design display area 52 ... background screen hero, bad ... character

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A game machine comprising: a main control board for controlling the progress of a game; and an image display control board for displaying an image based on the progress of the game by the main control board. And a video sound control means for controlling output of a sound corresponding to an image to be played. 2. A game machine comprising: a main control board for controlling the progress of a game; and an image display control board for displaying an image based on the progress of the game by the main control board. A game machine comprising: image sound control means for controlling output of sound corresponding to the displayed image based on data relating to the image transmitted from the control board. 3. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein a gaming ball is fired on a gaming board surface. 4. The game sound control device according to claim 1, further comprising: game sound control means for controlling output of a game sound other than a sound corresponding to the image. Gaming machine. 5. The gaming machine according to claim 4, wherein at least said game sound control means and said image sound control means use the same speaker.