JP2002177516A - Game machine, screen image display method for game machine, storage medium, server, and amusement offering method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine, a screen image display method for the game machine, a storage medium, a server, and an amusement offering method allowing a player to arouse interest not only in a game result but also in a presentation screen and to sustain interest in a game without feeling monotonousness and weariness even while the game from a ready-to-win state to a big bonus is displayed on a normal screen. SOLUTION: A plurality of identification information images from a fluctuation start to a stop are repeated as one process in the game. A presentation image expressing a continuous story deployed over a plurality of processes is displayed as a screen image while the game to the ready-to-win state is displayed on the normal screen at a display section.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gaming machine which does not cause the player to feel monotonous or tired while a normal screen from the start of the game to the reach is displayed on the display unit. The present invention relates to a method for displaying a screen image of a gaming machine, a storage medium, a server, and an entertainment providing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional pachinko gaming machine, there is known a pachinko game machine which displays a moving image for developing a story in the background of a symbol from the start of the variable display of the symbol until the symbol stops, thereby producing the effect. . This story is completed between the time when the symbol display is started and when it is stopped, and when the symbol display is started again, the same story is developed and displayed. Met. For this reason, there has been a problem that the player gets tired of the story immediately and becomes a mere waiting time until the combination of symbols is determined.

[0003] In some cases, a plurality of stories are prepared in advance, and the stories are selected and displayed each time the symbol change display is started. For example, the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-155028 attempts to produce and express a moving image showing a character playing golf, and two stories A and B are prepared in advance. Each time the symbol variation display is started, the user selects whether to display the story A or the story B, and a moving image indicating the selected story is displayed as a background image during the symbol variation display. Was to be done.

[0004]

However, in the conventional apparatus as described above, the same image is repeatedly displayed only when the symbol change display is started.
Even when multiple stories are available, these stories are often irrelevant to each other or poorly correlated, making the player immediately bored. As a result, it has been difficult to entertain the player, despite the fact that he tried to produce a story by displaying the story. Displaying the effect screen rather causes the player to feel monotonous and tired, and has caused a problem that the original purpose of the pachinko gaming device of enjoying pachinko games cannot be achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object the object of organic relevance even when a normal screen until a game reaches a reach or a jackpot is displayed. By displaying a story with a production expression as a production expression, a gaming machine that allows the player to become enthusiastic about the game while enjoying the production screen and maintain his / her interest in the game without feeling monotonous or tired,
An object of the present invention is to provide an image screen display method, a storage medium, a server, and an entertainment providing method for a gaming machine.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the present invention, a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of a plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed. In this case, on the display unit, while the normal screen until the game reaches the reach is displayed, a rendering image representing a continuous story developed over a plurality of the processes is displayed as a screen image. It is characterized by.

[0007] More specifically, the present invention provides the following.

(1) A display unit provided in a gaming machine, and a display unit for displaying a screen image composed of a moving image, a still image, or an image obtained by combining these, as appropriate according to the situation of the gaming machine; A control unit for transmitting electronic data,
In the gaming machine including, the screen image, a plurality of identification information images, each of which is displayed variably and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and a background image constituting a background in the display unit, When a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed, a normal screen until the game reaches the reach is displayed on the display unit. A gaming machine, wherein an effect image expressing a continuous story developed over a plurality of the processes is displayed as the screen image during the operation.

(2) A display unit provided on the gaming machine, and a display unit for displaying a screen image composed of a moving image, a still image, or an image obtained by combining these images as appropriate according to the situation of the gaming machine; A control unit for transmitting electronic data,
In the gaming machine including, the screen image, a plurality of identification information images, each of which is displayed variably and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and a background image constituting a background in the display unit, When a game is performed in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is performed, on the display unit, while the normal screen until the game reaches the reach is displayed. A gaming machine, wherein an effect image representing a part of a continuous story developed over a plurality of the processes is displayed as the screen image.

The inventions of (1) and (2) are developed over a plurality of steps when a game in which the steps from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one step are repeated is performed. A part of a continuous story developed over multiple steps when a continuous story is displayed or when a game is performed with one step from the start to the stop of the change of a plurality of identification information images. Is displayed, a series of stories that develop in a wide variety of ways and an organically continuous story can be displayed, and once the display of the production screen ends, it will be interrupted in the middle of the story, so it will have an impact on the player And let the player expect or imagine what the next story will look like, and the player will continue to play while expanding expectations and imagination. Can, it is possible to continue the game without feeling tired of the game.

[0011] In consideration of the fact that the game can reach or hit a jackpot while displaying a series of stories or a series of stories, the story is also displayed in the middle of the series of stories or the series of stories. A reach announcement screen, a reach screen, and a jackpot screen that continuously develop may be prepared. By doing so, the player can enjoy various reach announcement screens, reach screens, and jackpot screens developed according to each scene. In addition, by adopting such a configuration, when a series of stories or a continuous story is displayed, when the game reaches the reach, when the game reaches the reach, or when the game reaches a jackpot, the story can be reproduced. It can be developed smoothly, and the relevance to the game story can be further enhanced.In addition to allowing the player to expect and imagine what the normally developed story is, When the game reaches a reach or a jackpot, the player can expect and imagine how the story as well as the game will evolve.

(3) A display unit provided in the gaming machine, and a display unit for displaying a screen image composed of a moving image, a still image, or an image obtained by combining these images as appropriate according to the situation of the gaming machine; A control unit for transmitting electronic data,
In the display unit, an image including a plurality of identification information images, each of which is variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and a background image forming a background in the display unit, A screen image display method for a gaming machine to be displayed as a screen image, wherein the step of performing a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated, and Displaying the effect image expressing a continuous story developed over a plurality of the steps as the screen image while the normal screen until the game reaches the reach is displayed. A method for displaying a screen image of a gaming machine, comprising:

(4) A computer-readable storage medium storing a display program for displaying a moving image, a still image, or a screen image obtained by combining these images as appropriate according to a game situation. A program for displaying, as the screen image, an image including a plurality of identification information images, each of which is variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and a background image constituting a background; and When the game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the identification information image as one process is repeated is performed, while displaying the normal screen until the game reaches the reach, a plurality of processes during the process are displayed. A computer-readable medium, wherein an effect image representing a continuous story developed over the screen is displayed as the screen image. Storage media.

The inventions of (3) and (4) are developed over a plurality of processes when a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed. Since a continuous story is displayed, it is possible to display a continuous story that develops in various ways as a production, and when the game ends in the middle of the story, it can give an impact to the player and continue to the next It is possible to make the player expect or imagine what the story is like, and it is possible to provide a screen image display method and a recording medium that do not make the player tired.

(5) A server for displaying a game machine image indicating a game machine on each terminal, wherein a moving image, a still image, or an image obtained by combining these images is appropriately provided in accordance with the state of a game played on the terminal. A screen image composed of a plurality of identification information images, each of which is variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and an image including a background image constituting the background, as the screen image. While performing the control to display to the terminal, and when a game in which the process from the start of the change of the plurality of identification information images to the stop as one process is repeated is performed, the game until the game reaches the reach. While displaying the normal screen, a control for displaying a rendering image representing a continuous story developed over a plurality of the processes as the screen image is performed. A server for the terminal.

(6) In a terminal for displaying a screen image including a plurality of identification information images, each of which is variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and a background image constituting a background, When a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed, while displaying the normal screen until the game reaches the reach, a plurality of the processes are performed. A display control signal for causing the terminal device to display an effect image expressing a continuous story developed over the terminal as the screen image.

The inventions of (5) and (6) are developed over a plurality of processes when a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed. Since the server displays a continuous story on the terminal, the server can provide a variety of stories to the player or give an impact to the player, and the player operating the terminal can enjoy a monotonous feeling or It is possible to enjoy the game on the terminal without feeling bored.

(7) A screen image including a plurality of identification information images provided on the gaming machine, each of which is variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and a background image constituting a background. In the display unit to be displayed, when a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed, the normal screen until the game reaches the reach is displayed. In the meantime, by displaying an effect image expressing a continuous story developed over a plurality of the processes as the screen image, it is possible to provide a normal screen that does not make the player of the game bored. How to provide entertainment.

According to the invention of (7), when a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed, the continuous development developed over the plurality of processes is performed. Since the server displays the story on the terminal device, it is possible to provide an entertainment providing method that does not make the player of the game tired.

[Definition of Terms and the Like] The "identification information" according to the present invention refers to visually identifiable information such as characters, symbols, pictures or patterns (patterns).

The "variation display" means that when the identification information changes sequentially, for example, the symbol "7" which is one piece of identification information.
To change to other identification information, symbol "8",
In addition to the case where the symbol “9” is changed to another symbol “☆” and displayed, the identification information is moved and displayed while one identification information is displayed in a display area where the identification information can be displayed. In this case, for example, the concept includes a case where one symbol “7” moves while being displayed in the display area. Further, the case where the display mode of the identification information changes, for example, includes the case where one symbol “7” is deformed and displayed horizontally or vertically.

Further, the "normal screen" refers to a concept excluding a reach screen as a notice screen for notifying a jackpot of a game and a jackpot presentation screen at the time of a jackpot. In addition, the concept also includes an effect screen in which the identification information that has been variably displayed is temporarily stopped, and the identification information is variably displayed again until the reach or the jackpot is reached.

Furthermore, the state in which the combination of a plurality of identification information images is "stopped" at a predetermined timing means that the plurality of identification information images that have been variably displayed become a predetermined combination and the fluctuation is stopped. In addition to the above case, the concept includes a case where the fluctuation is stopped in a predetermined combination and a plurality of identification information images are determined. Furthermore, the concept also includes a case where the fluctuation is temporarily stopped, such as a case where the plurality of identification information images that have been displayed in a fluctuation form a predetermined combination, the fluctuation is temporarily stopped, and the fluctuation display is started again.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an overview of a gaming machine according to the present invention. In addition, in the embodiment described below, a case where the present invention is applied to a pachinko gaming machine is shown as a preferred embodiment of the gaming machine according to the present invention.

The pachinko gaming device 10 includes a main body frame 12.
And a game board 14 incorporated in the main body frame 12 and a game board 1
4, a window frame 16 of the main body frame 12 provided on the front surface, a glass window 18 provided on the window frame 16 so as to be openable and closable,
6, an upper plate 20 and a lower plate 22 provided on the front surface of the main body frame 12 and a firing handle 26 provided on the right side of the lower plate 22 are arranged.

A plurality of obstacle nails (not shown) are driven into the front of the game board 14. It should be noted that the game board 14 may be formed of a resin material without being driven into a nail, and a metal bar may be implanted on the game board 14 of the resin material so as to face the front of the game board 14. The present invention can also be applied to the pachinko gaming machine 10 (pachi-con machine) configured as described above. In this specification, the pachinko gaming device 10 is a concept including a pachinko machine.

Further, the firing handle 26 is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the main frame 12, and the player can proceed with the pachinko game by operating the firing handle 26. On the back side of the firing handle 26, a firing motor 28 is provided. When the firing handle 26 is rotated clockwise by the player, power is supplied to the firing motor 28, and the pachinko balls stored in the upper plate 20 are sequentially shot onto the game board 14.

The hit pachinko balls are guided by rails 30 provided on the game board 14 and move to the upper portion of the game board 14, and then change their traveling direction due to the collision with the plurality of obstacle nails described above. While falling, it falls toward the lower part of the game board 14.

On the front of the game board 14, there are provided a display device 32, a holding lamp 34, a decoration lamp 36, and a winning port 38 for a pachinko ball, which will be described later. In the vicinity of the winning opening 38, a shutter 40 is provided on the front surface of the game board 14 so as to be freely opened and closed. The shutter 40 is opened when the big hit state is reached. Further, as will be described later, there is provided a winning opening 44 having a ball detection sensor 42 that triggers a shift of a symbol, which is three pieces of identification information displayed on the display device 32, to a variable state when the variable display game is started. . When a pachinko ball is won in the above-mentioned winning opening 38 or 44, a predetermined number of pachinko balls are placed in the lower plate 44.
It is made to be paid out.

The portion of the display device 32 for displaying an image may be composed of a liquid crystal display panel or a CRT. Further, in the above-described example, the case where the display device 32 is provided on the front surface of the gaming board 14 of the pachinko gaming device 10 which is a gaming machine has been described. The display device 32 may be provided at any position of the machine. Further, in recent years, some pachislot gaming devices have a liquid crystal screen in addition to the symbol display means for displaying symbols, and such a pachislot gaming device has the same game effect as the pachinko gaming device in the liquid crystal screen. It is intended to improve the taste by displaying the screen,
The present invention may be applied to a pachislo gaming device having such a liquid crystal screen.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of a pachinko gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The above-described firing handle 26 is connected to the control circuit 6
0 is connected to the interface circuit group 62, and the interface circuit group 62 is connected to the input / output bus 64. An angle signal indicating the rotation angle of the firing handle 26 is converted into a predetermined signal by the interface circuit group 62 and then supplied to the input / output bus 64. I / O bus 64
Are configured so that a data signal or an address signal is input / output to / from a central processing circuit (hereinafter, referred to as a CPU) 66. The ball detection sensor 42 is also connected to the interface circuit group 62 described above. When the pachinko ball passes through the winning opening 44, the ball detection sensor 42
The detection signal is supplied to the interface circuit group 62.

The input / output bus 64 has a ROM (Read Only Memory) 68 and a RAM (Random Access Memory).
An access memory 70 is also connected. ROM68
Are, in addition to a control program for controlling the flow of the entire game of the pachinko gaming device, character image data appearing in the game displayed on the display device 32 including a liquid crystal display panel, background image data constituting the background of the display device 32, Moving image video image data and image data relating to the design (hereinafter referred to as design image data), sound data used in the game, initial data for executing the control program,
A program for controlling a blinking operation pattern of the decoration lamp 36 is stored. The above-described symbol image data is displayed on the display device 3
2 is used to display a symbol that fluctuates or a symbol that is stopped, and includes image data corresponding to various display modes such as an enlarged image, a reduced image, and a deformed image. It is a thing. In addition, the above-described character image data, background image data, and moving image video image data are displayed on the display device 3 in order to produce a game using a moving image, a still image, or an image obtained by combining them as a screen image.
2 is displayed. Further, the character image data described above includes image data corresponding to each of the motions to display the motion of the character. Further, the sound data is also for producing a game, and is used for producing a sound such as a sound effect from a speaker 46 described later. Further, the RAM 70 stores the values of flags and variables used in the above-described programs. For example, it stores new input data, accumulated reach data indicating a calculation result by the CPU 66 and a history of the game, an accumulated number of fluctuations, and an accumulated number of jackpots. The CPU 66, which is a control unit, performs an arithmetic process by calling and executing a predetermined program, and converts character image data, background image data, moving image video image data, design image data, and sound data based on the result of the arithmetic process. It performs transmission and other control as electronic data. Further, the CPU 66 reads these data and controls so that the mutual combination state of the symbols as the plurality of pieces of identification information is stopped on the display device 32 at a predetermined timing.

Further, an interface circuit group 72 is also connected to the input / output bus 64. The display circuit 32, the speaker 46, the firing motor 28, the solenoid 48, the holding lamp 34, and the decoration lamp 36 are connected to the interface circuit group 72.
Supplies a drive signal or drive power to control each of the above-described devices in accordance with the result of the arithmetic processing in the CPU 66.

The display device 32, which is a display unit, includes a variable symbol display unit and an effect screen display unit, and combines and displays both of the screens displayed on these two display units under the control of the CPU 66. . The display device 32 is not limited to such a configuration, and may have a configuration having three or more display units. By combining these display units, it is possible to display a design image or an effect image on the display device 32. It is good.

As described above, the screens displayed on the plurality of display units are displayed on the display device 32, so that the variation scene of the symbol displayed on one display unit and the effect screen displayed on the effect screen are displayed. By combining, various display forms are made possible.

The solenoid 48 is for opening and closing the shutter 40 as described above. The hold lamp 34 indicates the number of times the combination of symbols displayed on the display device 32 has become effective. Further, the decoration lamp 36 flashes or lights up when the game has a big hit or a reach to indicate to the player to that effect.

The above-mentioned CPU 66 constitutes a control unit, the display device 32 constitutes a display unit, and the pachinko gaming machine 10 constitutes a gaming machine.

In the following, it is assumed that the pachinko gaming device 10 has been activated, the variables used in the CPU 66 have been initialized to predetermined values, and are operating in a steady state.

FIG. 3 shows a subroutine for controlling the normal screen executed in the control circuit 60 described above. This subroutine is called and executed from a control program that controls the entire game flow of the pachinko gaming device 10 that is executed in advance.

First, the winning opening 4 of the pachinko gaming device 10
4. It is determined whether or not a pachinko ball has entered into No. 4 (Step S)
11). If it is determined that the pachinko ball has not entered the winning opening 44, this subroutine is immediately terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S11 that a pachinko ball has entered the winning opening 44, the screen of the display device 32 is switched from the fixed screen to the normal screen, and a game that proceeds on the display device 32 is started. Here, the game that progresses on the display device 32 is called a variable display game. In the variable display game, a change and a stop of a plurality of symbols are determined by one.
As a cycle, after a plurality of symbols are variably displayed, a plurality of symbols are stopped and displayed, and when the combination of symbols when a plurality of symbols are all stopped becomes a predetermined combination, a player is provided with a pachinko game. This is a game for shifting to an advantageous state. For example, the design is "1",
It consists of 12 numbers consisting of "2", ..., "12",
The symbols are scrolled in a plurality of columns (for example, three columns) in the vertical direction, and the symbols are variably displayed on the display device 32,
Thereafter, the fluctuation of the symbols is stopped one row at a time. When the combination of the symbols when all the symbols in the three rows are stopped becomes a predetermined combination, for example, “7” − “7” − “7”, the pachinko game is advantageous to the player as the jackpot is won. It shifts to such a state. When the state shifts to a state in which a big hit is made to be advantageous to the player, a current is supplied to the above-mentioned solenoid 48 and the shutter 40 of the winning opening 38 provided on the front surface of the game board 14 is provided.
To make the pachinko balls easy to enter the winning opening 38. When the variable display game is being executed, an effect screen including a background image, a character image, and the like is also displayed on the display device 32. Note that the above-described fixed screen refers to a screen displayed on the display device 32 when the variable display game executed on the display device 32 is not executed and only the pachinko game is in progress. Also, the normal screen is
After the variable display game is started on the display device 32 and the symbols displayed on the display device 32 are variably displayed, the symbols are displayed on the display device 32 from the time when the variable display game reaches a reach or a big hit. Refers to a production screen. When the variable display game is started, first, the CPU
An internal lottery process is executed by the calculation process of 66 (step S12). The internal lottery process is a process for determining in advance a combination of symbols to be displayed when all the symbols which have been displayed in a variable manner are stopped and fixed, and the CPU 66 determines a combination of symbols determined by the internal lottery process as described later. Then, the processing of the variable display and the display stop are performed so that the symbol stops.

Next, a background image number to be displayed as a background is determined (step S13). In determining the background image, the background image number stored in step S17 described later is read from the RAM 70, and the background image corresponding to the next number is determined. For example, in the examples shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the background image number of the story shown in FIG. 4 is “1”, the background image number of the story shown in FIG.
In the case where the background image number of the story shown in FIG. 5 is “3”, the story shown in FIG. 5 with the background image number “2” is displayed as the background image, and then the subroutine is called again and the processing of step S13 is performed. When executed, FIG.
The background image number is set to "3" in order to display the story shown in FIG. Thus, step S13
By determining the number of the background image to be displayed as the background in, images showing a series of stories or continuous stories can be sequentially displayed on the display device 32 as background images.

Next, in order to execute the above-described variable display game, symbols are variably displayed on the display device 32 (step S14), and the story corresponding to the number determined in step S13 is displayed on the display device 32 as a background image. (Step S15). Next, a display is made such that the variation display of the symbols is stopped one by one (step S16), and it is determined whether or not the variation display of all the symbols is stopped (step S1).
8). If it is determined that all the symbols have not stopped, the process returns to step S14. On the other hand, when it is determined that all the symbols have stopped, this subroutine is immediately terminated.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show specific examples of a continuous story displayed as a background image on the display device 32 by executing the flowchart shown in FIG. This example shows a story in which one character "Samurai" fights with a thug.

The image in FIG. 4A shows an image in which one samurai is just indulging in thought without having to do anything under the eaves of a ruined temple on the outskirts of the village. Images are the starting point of the story. FIG.
The image in (b) shows that Samurai senses that somebody is hiding in the vicinity and is secretly asking himself, so he puts his hand on the handle of the sword and the lurking kills himself. This shows that he is sharpening his nerves to find out whether he is a thug who came to Japan or is just passing by. FIG.
The image in (c) shows how the samurai realizes that the opponent is a stranger from the intuition trained in the battle of the hundred battles.

The subroutine shown in FIG. 3 is called, the variable display game is started, and steps S14 to S1 are executed.
When the process of No. 7 is executed, the period from the start of the variable display of the symbols, which are the plurality of identification information images, to the stop of the display is changed.
Only one process is performed, during which time FIG.
The images from (c) to (c) are displayed as background images. Since the display of the background image ends once in the middle of the story in this way, the player can determine what the continuation of the story is, for example, whether the lurking person is a ninja or a ninja, You can imagine and anticipate whether you have a resentment in the past battle, and you can continue without getting bored with the game.

FIG. 5 shows a continuation of the story shown in FIG. The image in FIG. 5 (a) shows a situation in which the samurai moves quickly in a direction in which the assassin seems to be lurking to challenge the assassin who is lurking. Further, the image in FIG. 5B shows that the samurai takes the upper stance and approaches the direction in which the thug is supposed to be. The image in FIG. 5 (c) is an image showing a situation where an sword is thrown toward an assassin. Similar to the story shown in FIG. 4 described above, when the subroutine shown in FIG. 3 is called again and the processes of steps S14 to S17 are executed, the images of FIGS. It is displayed as When the image of FIG. 5 (c) is displayed, the game ends once, and the player can imagine whether he could actually blow the thug and what kind of thug he is. The player can continue to play while enjoying the story without getting bored.

FIG. 6 shows a continuation of the story shown in FIG. The image in FIG. 6A shows the assassin finally showing his appearance and turning his sword to the samurai to respond to the battle. The image in FIG. 6 (b) shows that the enemy is a pretty swordsman as Samurai had anticipated, and that the battle, which can never be guarded, continues. FIG.
In the image of (c), the serious game of slashing or slashing continues,
This is an example of a situation in which the players are staring at each other and cannot compete with each other.

Similar to the story shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the subroutine shown in FIG. 3 is called again and the processes in steps S14 to S17 are executed, the processes shown in FIGS. The images up to are displayed as background images. When the image of FIG. 6 (c) is displayed, the game ends once, and the player decides how the game has been, how the game has been achieved, and whether the sword has been inserted. Can be imagined and anticipated, and the player can continue playing while enjoying the story without getting bored.

Each time the above-described subroutine shown in FIG. 3 is called, a background image to be displayed is determined in step S13, and the story shown in FIG. 4 is displayed as a background image, and then the story shown in FIG. The story is displayed as an image, and then the story shown in FIG. 6 is displayed as a background image. In this way, every time the variable display game is started and the variable display of the symbols is started, a series of stories or a continuous story can be displayed on the display device 32 as a background image.

Note that, after step S16 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, a step of displaying a story for reach announcement and a step of displaying a story for reach when reach is reached may be added. In this case,
A story that evolves from the story shown in FIG. 4 to reach notice or reach, a story that evolves from the story shown in FIG. 5 to reach notice or reach, and a story that evolves from the story shown in FIG. 6 to reach notice or reach. By preparing an image showing the story in advance for each, the story can be smoothly developed from each of the cases of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6.

Further, after step S17 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, a step of displaying a story when a game has a big hit may be added. In this case as well, each of the story that develops into a jackpot from the story shown in FIG. 4, the story that develops into a jackpot from the story shown in FIG. 5, and the story that develops into a jackpot from the story shown in FIG. By preparing an image showing the story, the story at the time of the jackpot from each of the cases of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 can be smoothly developed.

As described above, by preparing in advance the reach notice screen, the reach screen, and the jackpot screen that can be developed from the end of each story, various reach notice screens, the reach screen, and the jackpot that are developed according to each scene are prepared. The screen can be enjoyed by the player.

In the above-described embodiment, a program for displaying a plurality of symbol images, each of which is variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and a background image constituting a background, When a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the identification information image as one process is repeated is performed, the game is spread over a plurality of processes while the normal screen until the game reaches the reach is displayed. Although the pachinko gaming device 10 has a program for displaying an effect image expressing a continuous story to be played, the server may have these programs.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of a terminal in such a configuration.

In the example of FIG. 7, the terminal 100 is a personal computer, and an input operation of the player is input from an input device 102 connected to the terminal 100, for example, a keyboard. Also, the control unit 13 of the terminal 100
0 is the CPU 108, ROM 110, RA
A program for executing a pachinko game or a variable display game is executed. Further, the control unit 130 has a communication interface circuit (not shown), and the control unit 130 communicates with a server described later via the communication interface circuit, and based on commands and data issued from the server. Pachinko games and variable display games are advanced. Further, on the display device 116 connected to the terminal 100, a game machine image imitating a pachinko game device is displayed as shown in FIG. 7, and a pachinko game is executed on this game machine image.
On this gaming machine image, a display unit 132 for executing the above-described variable display game is displayed. This display unit 1
At 32, a design image, a background image, and a plurality of character images, which are the above-described identification information, are displayed, and an effect screen for effecting a game is displayed.

FIG. 8 shows another example of the terminal. still,
Components corresponding to the components shown in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 8 shows a portable terminal 140, in which the input device 10 provided on the terminal 140 is provided.
2. For example, an input operation of the player is input from a keyboard. The control unit (not shown) includes a CPU as described later.
108, a ROM 110, a RAM 112, and the like, and a program for executing a pachinko game or a variable display game is executed. Further, this control unit has a communication interface circuit (not shown), and the control unit communicates with a server described later via the communication interface circuit, and performs pachinko game and pachinko game based on commands and data from the server. The variable display game is advanced. Further, the terminal 14
The display device 116 provided at 0 is composed of a liquid crystal display panel, and displays a game machine image imitating a pachinko game device as shown in FIG. 8, and a pachinko game is executed on this game machine image. On this gaming machine image, a display unit 132 for executing the above-described variable display game is displayed. In this display unit 132,
The design, the background image, and the character image as the identification information as described above are displayed as an effect screen for effecting a game.

As described above, the terminal 100 is separated from the display device 116. After the display control signal sent from the server is supplied to the terminal 100, the terminal 100 sends the display signal to the display device 116. Supply. On the other hand, the terminal 140 is integrated with the display device 116. After the display control signal issued from the server is supplied to the terminal 140, the terminal 140 supplies the display signal to the display device 116. The embodiments described below can be applied to the case where the terminal and the display device are separated and the case where they are integrated.

The terminal 100 or 140 described above (hereinafter, referred to as the terminal 100 or 140)
FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of a control circuit of the pachinko gaming terminal device). FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the server 80 connected to the pachinko gaming terminal device via a communication line. In the pachinko gaming terminal device shown in FIG. 9, the same reference numerals are given to components corresponding to the components shown in FIG.

Input device 1 for inputting player's operation
02, for example, the keyboard is a pachinko gaming terminal device 1
The interface circuit group 104 is connected to an input / output bus 106. The input / output bus 106 is configured to input / output a data signal or an address signal to / from a central processing circuit (hereinafter, referred to as a CPU) 108. I / O bus 1
06 contains a ROM (Read Only Memory) 110
And a RAM (random access memory) 112 are also connected. The ROM 110 and the RAM 112 store programs to be described later and a plurality of character image data, background image data, and design image data described above.

Further, an interface circuit group 114 is also connected to the input / output bus 106. The interface circuit group 114 includes a display device 116 and a speaker 11.
8 are connected, and the interface circuit group 114
Supplies display information and audio information to each of the display device 116 and the speaker 118 according to the result of the arithmetic processing in the CPU 108.

Further, a communication interface circuit 120 is also connected to the input / output bus 106, and the communication interface circuit 120 communicates with a server 80 described later via a communication line such as a public telephone line network. It is for.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
A hard disk drive 88 for recording a program for communicating with the pachinko gaming terminal device and a program for receiving information issued from the pachinko gaming terminal device, a CPU 82, a ROM 84, and a RAM 86
And a communication interface circuit 90. In the case of the configuration as described above, FIG.
A pachinko gaming device image as shown in (1) is displayed on the display device 116 of the pachinko gaming terminal device 100, and devices such as a game board surface, a launch handle, a holding lamp, a decorative lamp, and a display unit for a variable display game are displayed. And display pachinko balls in images. In the display unit for the variable display game, when the variable display game is executed, a design as identification information, a background image, and a plurality of character images are displayed.

The subroutine executed by each of the pachinko gaming terminal device and the server will be described below with reference to FIGS.
6 is shown.

In the following, it is assumed that the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 and the server 80 have been activated, the variables used in the CPU 108 and the CPU 82 have been initialized to predetermined values, and are operating in a steady state. .

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a program stored in a storage medium such as the hard disk drive 88 of the server 80 downloaded and executed at a predetermined timing such as when the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 is started. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine performed in each of a pachinko gaming terminal device and a server at that time.

FIG. 11 shows a pachinko gaming terminal device 100.
Or 140 is a subroutine executed at a predetermined timing from the main routine and executed. The main routine includes a program for communicating with the server 80.

First, a program for executing a pachinko game and image data necessary for progressing a pachinko game in the pachinko game terminal device are downloaded from the server 80 (step S31). Next, the pachinko game is started by the operation of the player, and the game program is executed (step S32). This game program includes a game program for advancing a pachinko game and a program for executing the variable display game shown in FIG. 3 described above. Further, when the game program is executed in the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140, as described above, the pachinko gaming terminal device 1
On the display device 116 of 00 or 140, a game machine image imitating a pachinko game machine is displayed, and a display unit 132 for displaying a variable display game is further displayed on the game machine image.

Next, it is determined whether or not all the games have been completed (step S33). If it is determined that the game has not ended, the process returns to step S32 described above,
continue processing. If it is determined in step S33 that all the games have been completed, the result of the game and information indicating that the game has been completed are transmitted to the server 80 (step S3).
4), end this subroutine.

FIG. 12 shows a subroutine executed by the server 80 in correspondence with the subroutine executed by the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 shown in FIG.

First, it is determined whether or not the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 has been activated and is in a communicable state (step S41). If it is determined that communication is not possible, the process returns to step S41. On the other hand, when it is determined that communication is possible, the program and various image data are transmitted to the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 (step S4).
2). The processing in step S42 corresponds to step S31 in FIG. 11 described above. Next, it is determined whether or not the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 has transmitted a game result or information indicating that the game has ended (step S43). This step S42 corresponds to step S34 in FIG. 11 described above. If it is determined in step S43 that the result of the game or the information indicating that the game is completed is transmitted, the result of the game or the information indicating that the game is completed is received (step S4).
4), end this subroutine. On the other hand, step S4
In 3, when it is determined that the result of the game or the information indicating that the game is finished is not transmitted, the process returns to step S <b> 43.

In the case of the above-described configuration, the pachinko game stored in the storage medium of the server 80 is executed because the program for executing the pachinko game and various image data are always downloaded from the server 80. When the program is updated, the player can always enjoy the latest game. Further, in the case of such a configuration, in the display unit 132 displayed on the game machine image imitating the pachinko gaming device displayed on the display device 116 of the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 as a terminal, When a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed, the process is performed over a plurality of processes while the normal screen until the game reaches the reach is displayed. The program for displaying the effect image expressing the continuous story unfolded by the hard disk drive 8 of the server 80
8 and the like. Further, the server 80 includes a pachinko gaming terminal device 100 which is a terminal device.
Alternatively, in the display unit 132 displayed on the game machine image simulating the pachinko gaming device displayed on the display device 116 of 140, the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated. When a game is played, while displaying the normal screen until the game reaches the reach, for pachinko gaming to display a staging image that expresses a continuous story that spreads over multiple steps The terminal device 100 or 140 is controlled.

Next, in the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140, a program for executing the pachinko game is stored in the ROM 68 in advance, and the image data necessary for the game is transmitted from the server 80 as the game progresses. FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show subroutines executed in the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 and the server 80 in the case of downloading. In the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140, a program for executing a pachinko game is stored in a ROM in advance.
The subroutine as shown in FIG. 13 is called at a predetermined timing. Incidentally, when the program for executing the pachinko game is executed, as described above, the display device 116 of the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 displays a game machine image imitating the pachinko gaming device. The display unit 132 for displaying the variable display game on the image of the gaming machine is further displayed.

First, it is determined whether or not image data has been transmitted from the server 80 (step S51). Server 8
If it is determined from 0 that no image data has been transmitted, the process returns to step S51. On the other hand, when it is determined that the image data has been transmitted from the server 80, the image data transmitted from the server 80 is received (step S5).
2) Display the received image data on the display unit 132 displayed on the image of the gaming machine imitating a pachinko gaming device (step S53).

Next, it is determined whether or not the player has performed an input operation (step S54). If it is determined that there is no input operation by the player, the process returns to step S54.
On the other hand, if it is determined that the player has performed an input operation,
Information indicating what kind of input operation has been performed by the player is transmitted to the server 80 (step S55), and the present subroutine ends.

On the other hand, a subroutine executed in the server 80 corresponding to the subroutine shown in FIG.
Shown in

First, it is determined whether or not the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 has been activated and is in a communicable state (step S61). If it is determined that communication is not possible, the process returns to step S61. On the other hand, when it is determined that the communication is possible, the information that the program for executing the pachinko game has been started in the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 is transmitted to the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140.
(Step S62).

Next, image data required as the game executed in the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 progresses is transmitted as a display control signal to the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 (step S).
63). This step S63 corresponds to the processing of step S52 shown in FIG. Next, it is determined whether or not information indicating the input operation of the player has been transmitted (step S64). If it is determined that the information indicating the input operation of the player has not been transmitted, the process proceeds to step S
Return to 64. When it is determined that the information indicating the player's input operation has been transmitted, information indicating the player's input operation is received, and it is determined whether new image data needs to be transmitted based on this information. (Step S65). If it is determined that new image data needs to be transmitted, the process returns to step S63, and the process continues. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no need to transmit new image data, it is determined whether or not the game executed in the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 has ended (step S66). If it is determined that the game is not over, the process returns to step S64, and the process is continued. On the other hand, if it is determined that the game has ended, the present subroutine ends immediately.

In the case of the above-described configuration, the display unit displayed on the image of the gaming machine simulating the pachinko gaming device displayed on the display device 116 of the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 as the terminal device. At 132, when a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one stroke is repeated is performed, while displaying the normal screen until the game reaches the reach, The server 80 issues a display control signal for displaying an effect image expressing a continuous story developed over the process to the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140. When the image data stored in the storage medium of the server 80 is updated, the pachinko gaming terminal device 1
Since 00 or 140 always downloads new image data, the player can enjoy the latest effect screen.

Further, the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 show that only the program is downloaded from the server,
The image data is stored in the ROM 68 of the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 in advance, and when the image data is read from the ROM 68 and displayed at a predetermined timing, the pachinko gaming terminal device 10
0 and a subroutine executed in the server 80.

First, the pachinko gaming terminal device downloads a program for executing a pachinko game from the server 80 (step S81). The downloaded program is executed (Step S82). When the program is executed in step S82, as described above, an image of a gaming machine imitating a pachinko gaming device is displayed on the display device of the pachinko gaming terminal device, and is variably displayed on the image of the gaming machine. The display unit 132 for displaying the game is further displayed. Next, the server 8 uses information about the image to be displayed as a display control signal.
0 is received (step S83). The image data of the image to be displayed is read out from the ROM 68 based on the received information, and displayed on the display unit 132 displayed on the image of the gaming machine simulating a pachinko gaming device (step S84).

Next, it is determined whether or not the pachinko game has been completed (step S85). If it is determined that the pachinko game has not ended, information indicating that the game has progressed to a predetermined step is transmitted to the server 80 (step S).
86), the process returns to step S83. On the other hand, if it is determined that the pachinko game has been completed, the result of the game or information indicating that the game has been completed is transmitted (step S87).
This subroutine ends.

FIG. 16 shows a subroutine executed in server 80 corresponding to the subroutine shown in FIG.

First, it is determined whether or not the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 has been activated and is in a communicable state (step S91). If it is determined that communication is not possible, the process returns to step S91. On the other hand, when it is determined that the communication is possible, the program for executing the pachinko game in the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 is transmitted to the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 (step S92). The process in step S92 is a process corresponding to step S81 in FIG.

Next, it is determined whether or not information indicating the progress step of the game has been received (step S93). This step S93 is processing corresponding to step S86 in FIG. If it is determined in step S93 that the information indicating the game progress step has not been received, the process returns to step S93. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S93 that the information indicating the game progress step has been received, it is determined whether or not the game has ended (step S94). If it is determined that the game is not over,
A notification that the game is to proceed to the next step is transmitted to the terminal as a display control signal (step S95), and the process proceeds to step S93.
Return to The processing in step S95 is processing corresponding to step S83 in FIG. On the other hand, if it is determined that the game is over, the game result or information indicating that the game is over is received (step S96), and this subroutine is finished. Note that the processing in step S96 is the same as that in FIG.
This is processing corresponding to step S87.

With the above configuration, the storage medium such as the hard disk drive 88 of the server 80 includes
Pachinko gaming terminal device 100 or 140 which is a terminal device
In the display unit 132 displayed on the image of the gaming machine imitating the pachinko gaming device displayed on the display device 116,
When a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed, the process is performed over a plurality of processes while the normal screen until the game reaches the reach is displayed. A program for displaying a rendering image expressing a continuous story unfolded is stored. In addition, since a new game program is always downloaded, the player can enjoy the latest game, and it is not necessary to download the image data, so that the effect image can be quickly displayed.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 to 16 described above, the display unit 1 displayed on the image of the gaming machine simulating the pachinko gaming device displayed on the display device 116.
32, only the image of the design, the background image, and the plurality of character images are displayed.
A design image, a background image, and a plurality of character images may be displayed on the entire surface of the image.

Whether or not the above-mentioned entertainment has been provided to the player can be determined by confirming that the entertainment in the pachinko game has been enhanced. For example, economic phenomena such as the prosperity of stores employing pachinko gaming machines as described above, and phenomena in which information permeates through media such as being reputed by being published in magazines and the like. It will appear.

[0091]

According to the present invention, when a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of a plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed, the continuous development developed over the plurality of processes is performed. Display a series of stories that evolve in a variety of ways, and a series of stories that are organically continuous, which can have an impact on the player and how the next story will be. The player is made to expect or imagine whether there is, and the game can be continued without feeling monotonous or tired of the game.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an overview of a pachinko gaming device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the pachinko gaming machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a subroutine executed in the control circuit 60 of the pachinko gaming machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an example of a story displayed on the display device of the pachinko gaming device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example showing a story following the story shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example showing a story following the story shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an example of a pachinko game terminal.

FIG. 8 is an outline view showing another example of a terminal for pachinko gaming.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the pachinko gaming terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the server according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine executed in the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a subroutine executed in the server 80 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a subroutine executed in the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine executed in the server 80 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a subroutine executed in the pachinko gaming terminal device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine executed in the server 80 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Pachinko gaming device (gaming machine) 32 Display device (display part) 60 Control circuit 66 CPU (Control part) 64 I / O bus 68 ROM 70 RAM 80 Server 100 Pachinko gaming terminal device (Terminal terminal) 140 Pachinko gaming terminal device (Terminal)

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A display unit provided in a gaming machine and displaying a screen image composed of a moving image, a still image, or an image obtained by combining these images as appropriate according to the situation of the gaming machine. And a control unit for transmitting data, wherein the screen image is a plurality of identification information images, each of which is to be variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing,
And a background image constituting a background in the display unit, when a game in which the process from the start of change to the stop of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated,
On the display unit, while the normal screen until the game reaches the reach is displayed, an effect image expressing a continuous story developed over a plurality of the processes is displayed as the screen image. A gaming machine characterized by that: 2. A display unit provided in a gaming machine, which displays a screen image composed of a moving image, a still image, or an image obtained by combining these images as appropriate according to the situation of the gaming machine; And a control unit for transmitting data, wherein the screen image is a plurality of identification information images, each of which is to be variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing,
And a background image constituting a background in the display unit. When a game is performed with a single process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images, when the game is performed, A staging image representing a part of a continuous story developed over a plurality of the steps is displayed as the screen image while the normal screen up to the display is displayed. . 3. A display unit provided on the gaming machine and displaying a screen image composed of a moving image, a still image, or an image obtained by combining these images as appropriate according to the situation of the gaming machine; A control unit for transmitting data,
The display unit displays, as the screen image, an image including a plurality of identification information images, each of which is variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and a background image constituting a background of the display unit. A screen image display method for a gaming machine to be played, in which a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed; and Displaying the effect image expressing a continuous story developed over a plurality of the steps as the screen image while displaying the normal screen up to the step. Screen image display method for gaming machines. 4. A computer-readable storage medium storing a display program for displaying a moving image, a still image, or a screen image obtained by combining these images as appropriate in accordance with a game situation, wherein the display program is: A program for displaying, as the screen image, an image including a plurality of identification information images each of which is variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and a background image constituting a background, and When a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the identification information image as one process is repeated is performed, while the normal screen until the game reaches the reach is displayed, a plurality of processes are performed. Displaying an effect image representing a continuous story to be developed as the screen image. Do storage medium. 5. A server for displaying, on each terminal, a gaming machine image indicating a gaming machine, the server comprising:
A plurality of identification information images that display a screen image composed of a moving image, a still image, or an image obtained by combining them, and each of which is variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and a background constituting a background And a control to display an image including the image as the screen image on the terminal, and a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed. At that time,
While displaying the normal screen up to the reach of the game, the terminal performs control to display a staging image expressing a continuous story developed over a plurality of the processes as the screen image. A server characterized by performing the following. 6. A terminal for displaying a screen image including a plurality of identification information images, each of which is variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and a background image constituting a background, the terminal device comprising: When the game in which the process from the start to the stop of the change of the identification information image as one process is repeated is performed, while displaying the normal screen until the game reaches the reach, a plurality of processes during the process are displayed. A server for transmitting, to the terminal, a display control signal for displaying an effect image expressing a continuous story developed over the screen as the screen image. 7. A screen image including a plurality of identification information images provided on a gaming machine, each of which is variably displayed and individually stopped at a predetermined timing, and a background image constituting a background is displayed. When a game in which the process from the start to the stop of the plurality of identification information images as one process is repeated is performed on the display unit to be performed, the normal screen until the game reaches the reach is displayed. In addition, by displaying as a screen image an effect image expressing a continuous story developed over a plurality of the processes, a normal screen that is hard to bore the player of the game is provided. How to provide entertainment.