JP2002177538A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the trouble caused by communication errors by reducing the load in the process of a main control base board, and increasing the degree of freedom in the process of a pattern control base board. SOLUTION: When a fluctuation pattern is normally received and one of specified special patterns and a pattern stop command cannot be received, an error process ER3 is performed. In the error process ER3, rocking fluctuations of stop patterns are implemented after the fluctuation time of special patterns elapses. For the specified special patterns which cannot be received, rocking fluctuations are implemented on the previously received specified special patterns. The start timing of rocking fluctuations is the same as for an error process ER2.

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 a communication structure between a main control board for controlling the progress and content of a game and an image control board for displaying and controlling an image corresponding to the progress or content of the game. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a gaming machine, for example, a pachinko gaming machine, when a fired game ball wins a starting port or passes through a passing port, a symbol is displayed on a screen for a predetermined period of time and then displayed statically (stop display). If the statically displayed symbol is a combination of a predetermined symbol, the game content is in a state advantageous to the player. Whether or not to display a predetermined combination of symbols to be in a state advantageous to the player,
It is determined by the value of the random number value selected based on the timing at which the game ball wins the starting port or passes through the passing port, and if the selected random value matches a predetermined value, on the screen, for example, A combination of predetermined symbols such as "777" or "333" is displayed to inform the player that the game content has become advantageous, and a so-called "big hit" is opened for a predetermined time to open a special winning opening or the like. A large amount of game balls are paid out to prize balls. The selected random number value is generally configured as a counter that repeatedly generates an integer value within a predetermined range by incrementing by +1 (increment) every minute time period such as a hard interrupt, and the timing at which the game ball wins the starting port. It functions as a random number because it cannot be predicted. In the pachinko gaming machine, the progress and contents of the game, such as selection of the random value and determination of the random value or opening of a winning port, are controlled by a control board called a "main control board", and a predetermined combination of symbols is displayed on a screen. Is performed on an image control board (also referred to as a "symbol control board"). Conventionally, communication between the main control board and the image control board has been executed by a so-called “offset method”.

In this offset method, data corresponding to the type of symbol and the display position of the symbol is transmitted from the main control board to the image control board for a predetermined time, for example, at each of the hardware interrupts, and a predetermined number of frames are transmitted per second. Was controlled to display the image. However, transmitting data at every hard interrupt or at every time corresponding to the hard interrupt means that the timing of increment of the random number value is known outside the main control board. There was no danger of improper use of this to forcibly generate a big hit. In addition, in recent years, various interesting controls have been performed on display control on a screen for the purpose of developing image control technology and providing a player with more entertainment. For example, control such as suddenly appearing a character while the design is fluctuating, changing the background screen, or incorporating a so-called reach operation or a trick operation in the design fluctuating display mode in order to give a sense of expectation of a big hit. It has been done. These controls are also executed by instructions from the main control board, but frequent execution of these instructions by the main control board is a problem that the processing load on the main control board is large. There is a problem that the degree of freedom of control is impaired by frequent instructions from the user. Therefore, in order to eliminate the possibility of the fraud and increase the degree of freedom of the image control board, an invention called "intelligentization" described below has been made.

[0004] In a gaming machine adopting an invention called "intelligentization", data is transmitted from the main control board to the image control board at the time when the image changes. That is, at the start of the fluctuation of the displayed symbols, at the time of the variation of the variation speed, at the time of the stationary variation, and the background screen displayed on the screen corresponding to the displayed symbols and the background screen of different types of characters. At the time of the change or when a different type of character is displayed, data is transmitted from the main control board to the image control board to execute the change of the image, and the change is instructed. The gaming machine adopting this intelligence has an extremely excellent effect of preventing the occurrence of fraud since the timing of transmission from the main control board to the image control board is different from the timing of increment of the random number value. ing.

[0005]

However, even in a gaming machine adopting the above-described intelligent system, the main control board causes the image control board to change the pattern, background, character, etc. constituting the image at each time the image changes. It is necessary to transmit data to instruct, and the burden on the main control board for executing various controls is still large. On the other hand, in the image control board, there is no change in the configuration instructed by the main control board every time the image changes, and the degree of freedom that the image control board independently determines and executes various image processing is still low. Is the actual situation. The present invention suitably solves these problems, enables the main control board to execute various controls other than image control more precisely, and further increases the degree of freedom from the main control board in the image control board. An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of expressing an interesting image and providing a player with a sense of entertainment.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine in which a game ball fired on a game board receives a special winning opening or passes through a specific passing opening. The main control board that determines whether or not the game content is advantageous to the player due to the timing of the game, and the game is executed each time the main control board determines whether or not the game content is advantageous to the player. An image control board for variably displaying a special symbol indicating whether or not the game content is advantageous to the player, wherein the main control board has a circuit configuration capable of transmitting only to the image control board. The board indicates a variation pattern instruction code indicating a variation time of the special symbol selected based on the timing and a type of the symbol when the special symbol is at rest, from the start of the variation of the special symbol to a stop. Sends a stop pattern designation code,
The image control board, when receiving the variation pattern instruction code, starts the variation of the special symbol, and after variably displaying the special symbol for the variation time indicated by the variation pattern instruction code, at the time of the stationary state indicated by the stop symbol instruction code. If the stop symbol instruction code cannot be received when the stationary symbol is not received, the previously received symbol at the time of the stop is displayed to notify the player of a game content that is not advantageous to the player.

In the gaming machine according to the first aspect of the present invention, the main control board determines whether or not a game ball fired on the game board surface wins a specific winning opening or passes through a specific passing opening. Each time it is determined whether or not to make the game content advantageous to the player, from the start of the change of the special symbol to the standstill, only the change pattern instruction code and the stop symbol instruction code selected due to this timing are image-controlled. Send to the board. On the other hand, the image control board is configured to variably display the special symbol for the variance time indicated by the received variance pattern instruction code, and then display the still symbol indicated by the stop symbol instruction code.

[0008] This eliminates the need for the main control board to transmit the instruction code to the image control board at each timing corresponding to the change point of the image. On the other hand, the image control board also needs only to receive the fluctuation time and the data of the static symbol type once for the fluctuation display of the special symbol. A free image can be displayed on the screen released from the control board. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the processing load on the main control board can be remarkably reduced as compared with the conventional game machine, and the degree of freedom of the image control board can be increased to further interest on the screen. This provides an extremely excellent effect that a certain image can be expressed. Furthermore, when notifying a communication failure, by adopting a configuration in which the previously received stationary pattern is displayed to notify the player that the player is out of communication, the player can recognize the state of the game. Have.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment of the present invention
It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can take various forms within the technical scope of the present invention. [First Embodiment] As shown in FIG. 1, a pachinko machine 10 according to the present embodiment includes a substantially rectangular outer frame 11 and a front frame 12, and a known card reader (hereinafter referred to as a left side) of the outer frame 11. ,
Also called a prepaid card unit. ) 13 are provided. The front frame 12 is rotatably attached to the outer frame 11 by upper and lower hinges 14 on the left end. Front frame 1
An upper plate 15 is provided below 2, and a lending button 16, a settlement button 17, and a balance display section 18 are provided on the upper plate 15. When the prepaid card is inserted into the card slot 19 of the card reader 13, the stored balance is displayed on the balance display section 18, and when the lending button 16 is pressed, the game balls are lent, and the game balls are discharged from the payout slot of the upper plate 15. Is discharged. 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. Front frame 12 of upper plate 15
A lower plate 23 is provided at a lower portion, 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,
When the upper plate 15 is full of game balls, the game balls are guided to the lower plate 23.

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 11 described above. A ball tank 27, a guide gutter 28, and a payout device 29 are provided on the mechanism panel 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 32a. 36, an ordinary symbol display device 37 on the upper part of the LCD 32a, ordinary symbol operation gates 38 and 39 on the left and right of the LCD 32a used for starting the change of the symbol displayed on the ordinary symbol display device 37, and a special winning opening 40 below 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 33a driven by the firing control board 33 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 prize. A ball payout switch 29a, a full tank switch 43, a supply switch 44, a touch switch 24a, and the like are connected. The output side is connected with a special winning opening solenoid 40c, a V solenoid 40d, a normal accessory solenoid 36b, and the like.

The first-type starting port switch 36a is in the ordinary electric accessory 36 on the game board 22, the ordinary symbol operating switches 38a and 39a are in the ordinary symbol operating gates 38 and 39, respectively, and the V switch 40a is a special winning opening. 40, the count switch 40b is also in the special winning opening 40,
The prize ball payout switch 29a is below the ball cutting motor 29b in the payout device 29, and the full tank switch 43 is the lower plate 23.
The replenishment switch 44 is mounted inside the ball tank 27. Here, the V switch 40a is a special winning opening 4
The count switch 40b indicates that all the game balls winning in the special winning opening 40 indicate that the game balls winning in 0 have passed through the special device operation area (hereinafter, referred to as “special area”).
The prize ball payout switch 29a is a game ball discharged to the upper plate 15 by the ball cutting motor 29b, the full tank switch 43 is that the lower plate 23 is full of game balls, and the supply switch 44 is a ball tank. The touch switch 24a is built into the firing handle 24 to detect the presence of a game ball in the player 27 and to detect that the player is touching the firing handle 24, respectively. Also, the special winning opening solenoid 40c connected to the output side is used for opening and closing the special winning opening 40, the V solenoid 40d is used for opening and closing the special winning area in the special winning opening 40, and the ordinary accessory solenoid 36b is used for opening and closing the ordinary electric accessory 36. Things.

The special symbol display device 32 includes the above-described LCD.
32a and a symbol display device control board (hereinafter simply referred to as a "symbol control board") 32 for driving and controlling the LCD 32a.
b and an auxiliary unit 32c such as a backlight and an inverter board. The 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 prize ball control board 31 drives and controls the ball cutting motor 29b in accordance with a command command from the main control board 30, and pays out a game ball as a prize ball to a player when a prize is won. It may be configured as a logical operation circuit using a microcomputer, or may be configured as a discrete circuit. The prize ball control board 31 only pays out game balls in accordance with a command from the main control board 30, and the main control board 30 detects whether or not game balls corresponding to winning are paid out.

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 the ON state.

The lamp control board 34 is mainly composed of a driving element such as a transistor. Upon receiving a command from the main control board 30, the normal symbol display device 37, various kinds of lamps such as a big hit lamp and an error lamp, and various kinds of LEDs and the like are provided. It is for lighting and displaying lamps.

The sound control board 35 is composed of a sound source IC, an amplifier and the like, and drives and controls the speaker 46 in response to a command from the main control board 30.

The 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 it can be transmitted only from the main control board 30. It is configured as a communication circuit. 5 and 6 specifically show the one-way communication circuit.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing an interface circuit between the main control board 30 and the symbol control board 32b of the special symbol display device 32. The circuit diagram shown in FIG. 6 is a receiving circuit of the symbol control board 32b. Are shown in more detail. As shown, the CPU of the main control board 30 and the CPU of the symbol control board 32b are connected via an I / O port, and the CPU of the symbol control board 32b receives a signal from the main control board 30. The main control board 30
It is configured not to be able to transmit to In this specific example, the main control board 30 to the symbol control board 3
The communication data to 2b (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "instruction code") is formed by one command consisting of 2 bytes and using eight parallel signals (MD0 to MD7) and an interrupt request signal (MINT). I have. FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the interrupt request signal (MINT) and the parallel signal. When an interrupt request (MINT) is transmitted from the main control board 30, an interrupt (I
NT) is generated, and the CPU of the symbol control board 32b stores the instruction code in the command reception buffer by this interrupt processing.

In addition, the prepaid card unit 13 and the CR settlement display board 42 described above are connected to the main control board 30. The CR settlement display board 42 includes the above-described lending button 16 of the upper plate 15, the settlement button 17, the balance display section 18, and the like. 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 set is determined 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, for example, 2
It is incremented every minute time every ms, for example, 0 to
This counter is a counter that repeatedly generates 250 kinds of integers of 249, and functions as a random number because the timing at which a shot game ball enters the normal electric accessory 36 is a random timing that cannot be predicted. When the big hit state is reached, the special winning opening 40 is opened for about 30 seconds or until the count switch 40b detects that ten game balls have been won, whichever comes earlier, and at this time, the special winning opening 40 is won. When the V-switch 40a detects that the played game ball has passed the special area, the special winning opening 4
0 is closed and then opened again, and this opening operation is repeated up to 16 times. Normally, 15 for winning one game ball
Since a plurality of game balls are paid out as prize balls, when one big hit occurs, about 2400 (= 1)
5 × 10 × 16) game balls can be obtained as prize balls. The prize ball discharging operation is executed by the prize ball control board 31. The V solenoid 40d that opens and closes the special area of the special winning opening 40 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. The control executed by the lamp control board 34 and the sound control board 35 during the game has the same configuration as that of the related art, and a description thereof will be 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 shown on the next page. 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.

[0026]

[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, commands of the main control board 30 and the special symbol display device 32 in 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 pachinko machine 10 is powered on, and is a two-byte command of an operation number of 10H and an identification number of 01H. It is composed of Symbol control board 3
When the command 2b receives this command, the power-on demonstration screen is displayed on the screen of the LCD 32a in accordance with the control program written in the ROM. For example, as shown in FIG.
In the special symbol display areas 50a, 50b, and 50c on the screen, big hit symbols having the same three digits as "7", "7", and "7" are displayed, and the four special symbol holding memories 51a to 51d are stored for a predetermined time (approximately). (5 seconds), turn off the light, display the dojo on the background screen 52, display the hero (hero) and the villain (bad) as characters, and fight the villain with the villain for a predetermined time (about 1 minute). A demo screen displaying the characters "fire" is displayed, and a process of outputting a sound effect of "fire" by the sound control board 35 is executed.

2. Customer Waiting Demo The customer waiting demonstration command is transmitted after the power-on demonstration screen is completed, or when it is determined that the player has not touched the firing handle 24 for a predetermined time (usually about 3 minutes). And is composed of a 2-byte instruction having an operation number of 20H and an identification number of 01H. Symbol control board 32b
Receives the command, displays a demonstration screen waiting for a customer on the screen of the LCD 32a in accordance with the control program written in the ROM. For example, special symbol display areas 50a-5
All the variation patterns of the special symbols displayed in a variation on 0c are displayed in order. 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.
Note that whether or not the player is touching the firing handle 24 can be detected by inputting the touch switch 24a. In this embodiment, the input of the touch switch 24a is input to the main control board 30.
The detection can be performed while the communication between the control board 33 and the launch control board 33 is one-way communication from the main control board 30. Of course, the on / off information of the touch switch 24 a is transmitted from the main control board 30 to the emission control board 33. The input of the touch switch 24a is inputted to the launch control board 33, and there is no prize in any or all of the prize ports for a predetermined time, or a switch is provided in the out port 41 of the game board 22, and the switch is provided. It may be configured to determine that the player is not executing a game by not turning on 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 wins the ordinary electric accessory 36 as a starting port. 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 types of variation patterns in this specific example are 10 types of normal variations, 8 types of shortened variations, 4 types of normal reach, and 4 types of semi-long based on the variation time of the special symbol, the variation mode, and the probability of a big hit. Reach consists of two types of long reach and two types of full rotation.

The ten types of normal fluctuations are the time from the start of the fluctuation of the special symbol to the stop (stop) of all the left, middle and right special symbols (hereinafter, sometimes 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 change of the special symbol starts and the left special symbol and the middle special symbol match, 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 variation 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 variation pattern in which all symbols start to fluctuate and stop all at once. In this specific example, the fluctuating time is set to 25 seconds at low probability and 20 seconds at high probability. I have.

These 30 kinds of variation patterns are selected by 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 including an operation number of 31H and 15 types of identification numbers of 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 including 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 designation code The right stop symbol designation code is an instruction code consisting of an operation number of 33H 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 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 determination code The left symbol determination 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 right symbol determination code is an instruction code transmitted to stop the changing right special symbol, and includes an operation number of 36H and 01H.
Is constituted by the identification number.

4. Big hit start Big hit start demo command is a special symbol display area 50a ~
Used when displaying an image that appeals to the 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 on 50c are displayed the same symbol. This command is composed of an operation number of 40H and an identification number of 01H. When the symbol control board 32b receives this command code, the LCD 32a
In addition to displaying characters such as "big hit" on the screen of FIG. 1 and displaying an image that makes the character happy, the sound control board 35 performs a process of outputting a sound effect.

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 command code, an image notifying the player that the special winning opening 40 will be opened is displayed on the background screen. The processing displayed on 52 is executed. (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 command 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 instruction 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 screen 52 each time the command code is input. As a result, the number display from zero to ten pieces is displayed on the screen every time a game ball wins in the special winning opening 40. (4) The V passage code is composed of an operation number of 50H and an identification number of 04H. When the main control board 30 detects that the game ball has passed through the special area in the special winning opening 40 by the V switch 40a, this command is issued. Submit the code. When the symbol control board 32b 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. The big hit end demo command is used when the big hit operation ends, that is, when the special winning opening 40 finishes the opening operation 16 times, or when the game ball passes through the special area during opening without continuing to 16 times. This is an instruction code transmitted when there is no data, 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. Performs a process of displaying the character "Sorry!" Here, the high probability continues that the special symbol is “777” or “333”.
When a big hit occurs in a specific symbol such as, for example, the probability that a big hit will occur after the big hit operation ends is, for example, 1/250 to 1
/ 50. More specifically, the possible range of the counter used for the pass / fail decision random number is 0 to 2
It means to change from the range of 49 to 0-49.

7. The abnormal operation command is an instruction command transmitted when an abnormality occurs in the pachinko machine 10, and in this specific example, 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 game ball is detected when the special winning opening 40 is opened, and the E2 error code is a switch when the lower plate 23 is full and the tank 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. 9 shows an example of the communication timing. When the game ball wins the ordinary electric accessory 36 as a starting port, the timing of this winning is shown in Table 1.
Is selected, and the selected instruction code is transmitted from the main control board 30 to the symbol control board 32b (Table 2).
number). Upon receiving the transmitted command code, the symbol control board 32b starts to simultaneously change the left special symbol, the middle special symbol, and the right special symbol on the special symbol display areas 50a to 50c (the timing chart point in FIG. 9).

The main control board 30 transmits the left stop symbol designating code selected at the time of winning, immediately after transmitting the start code (Table 2 number). When the symbol control board 32b receives this instruction code, the symbol speed is adjusted and controlled according to the variation pattern so as to stop and display the left special symbol according to the instruction code (point in the timing chart of FIG. 9). Then, the left special symbol designated at the timing of receiving the left symbol determination code from the main control board 30 is stopped and displayed (Table 2 number) (timing chart point in FIG. 9). 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.

[0046]

[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 of timing chart in FIG. 9). By the processing described above, in this specific example, the special symbol display area 50a is set to “4”, and the special symbol display area 50b is set.
"5" is displayed in the special symbol display area 50c.

According to the present embodiment described in detail above, the configuration is such that a series of variations of the special symbol is transmitted in advance from the main control board 30 to the symbol control board 32b. , 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 preferably 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 35. It works. On the other hand, the symbol control board 32
In b, since the degree of restraint by the main control board 30 is drastically reduced, an excellent effect that it becomes easier to display and control a story-like image on a screen other than the special symbol display areas 50a to 50c is also provided. . 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. Further, in the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which a start code for instructing a symbol variation pattern is selected from among 30 types of patterns at a timing when the gaming ball wins the ordinary electric accessory 36, so that the displayed image is displayed. It has an excellent effect of having randomness. Further, in the present embodiment, 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, so that a testing machine or the like for the type test authorization of the gaming machine can be used. Also the main control board 30
When the transmission timing from the to the symbol control board 32b is measured, if the timing of transmitting the start code and the timing of transmitting each special symbol determination code are measured in real time, the start and stop timing of the change of the special symbol on the screen, and An excellent effect that accurate measurement can also be achieved. [Second embodiment]

Next, a second specific example will be described. Second
In the specific example, the commands shown in Table 3 below are used instead of the commands shown in Table 1 used in the first specific example, and a variation pattern correspondence table shown in Table 4 is used. Otherwise, the configuration is substantially the same as that of the first specific example. In the second specific example, as shown in Table 3, the left, middle, and right symbol determination codes used in the first specific example are not used, and the main control board 30 is a game ball. When winning the electric accessory 36, start code and left,
Transmit the middle and right stop designating code. That is, it does not instruct the symbol control board 32b to stop each symbol. On the other hand, the symbol control board 32b reads the fluctuation time (stop time) of each special symbol corresponding to the received fluctuation pattern from the table of Table 4, and fluctuates each special symbol according to the read fluctuation time and stops.

In the second specific example, the main control board 30 transmits the selected start code and each stop symbol designating code to the symbol control board 32b at the timing when the game ball wins the ordinary electric accessory 36 as a starting port. This has an excellent effect that the burden on the main control board 30 can be further reduced. Similarly, the symbol control board 32b does not receive a symbol stop instruction from the main control board 30, so that the degree of freedom of image control can be further increased and an image can be freely produced on the screen. It has an extremely excellent effect. As a configuration for producing a free image on the screen, the configuration is such that a story is developed every time a start code is transmitted on the background screen 52, so that the player wants to know the development and ending of the subsequent story, It is conceivable to adopt a configuration in which a psychological effect that makes the player not want to end the game halfway can be obtained. At this time, if a big hit occurs, the configuration may be such that the end of the story is forcibly displayed, or the story may be developed regardless of whether the big hit or not. When constructing the development of these stories, the image control device knows in advance the time of the fluctuation pattern of the special symbol, so it judges that there is no instruction from the main control board 30 within this time, and during this time, the image control device is free. You can direct it. Further, as a configuration for producing a free image on the screen, the development of the story on the background screen 52 is eliminated until the special symbol starts to fluctuate and stops, and the player operates the shooting handle 24 without changing the special symbol. The configuration may be such that the story is developed when the user is operating the.

[0051]

[Table 3]

[0052]

[Table 4] [Third embodiment]

Next, a third specific example is shown in Table 5 below and FIG.
Description will be made according to the timing chart shown in FIG. When the special symbol such as "777" or "333" is transmitted at the time of transmitting the instruction code of "6. Big hit end" of the first embodiment described above, the transition to the high probability is described. The embodiment uses a probability variation determination symbol instead of a special symbol of a special symbol. Here, the instruction codes shown in Table 5 are obtained by changing only the instruction code of “6. Big hit end” in Table 1 shown in the first specific example, and the other instruction codes have the same contents.

[0054]

[Table 5]

In the third specific example, a judgment start code is first transmitted from the main control board 30 to the symbol control board 32b at the end of the big hit operation. Is sent. In this specific example, the identification number of the start code is 01H
To 05H. The aspect of the design (image) that fluctuates according to this identification number is
This is to change the image of the game. The game may be anything as long as the outcome of the game is determined, such as sports, martial arts, shogi and Go games, and the variation pattern in which these games develop a story (story) is when the game ball wins the ordinary electric accessory 36. Is chosen. In this specific example, the stop symbol designating code is for displaying the character "lucky!"
It consists of two kinds of codes for displaying the character "Sorry!" When not shifting to the high probability. Whether or not to shift to the high probability is determined by the value of a counter (a random number determined to win or fail) selected when the game ball wins the ordinary electric accessory 36, and is set to a high probability with a probability of 1/2 of the big hit. In the case of shifting, the counter uses an integer value in the range of 0 to 1 and in the case of shifting to the high probability with a probability of 1/3, the counter uses an integer value in the range of 0 to 2 in the same manner as the above-described pass / fail decision random number. Creating. The main control board 30 stores the value of this counter when the gaming ball wins the ordinary electric accessory 36, reads out the value of the counter stored at the end of the big hit operation, and if the read out value is a specific value, the value of the counter is high. Judge to shift to probability.
It should be noted that it may be determined whether or not to shift to a high probability when a game ball has won, and the result of this determination may be stored.

In the case of shifting to the high probability, the character of "lucky!" Is displayed after the story that has won the game is developed, and in the case of not shifting to the high probability, the character of "sorry!" Is developed after developing the story of losing the game. Is displayed. FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing an example of the timing of this change. As shown in the figure, the probability change determination symbol starts changing after the special winning opening 40 finishes the 16th opening operation, and after the changing operation ends, the display time is set and the special symbol starts changing. In the figure, the condition device treats the operation until the variation of the probability variation determination symbol ends, but treats it as the operation end (indicated by the dotted line in the figure) when the 16th operation ends. good. At this time,
The configuration may be such that the main control board 30 transmits a determination start code when the operation of the condition device is completed. It goes without saying that, even before the special winning opening 40 has been opened 16 times, if the game ball does not pass through the special area during opening, the big hit operation ends when the game ball is opened. Also, in this specific example, after the image of the game is variably displayed, a symbol indicating whether or not to shift to high probability is displayed, but like the special symbol, the probability variance determination symbol is variably displayed and the static symbol is displayed. Any structure may be used to indicate whether or not to shift to the high probability with the symbol at the time.

According to the third specific example, whether or not to shift to the high probability is indicated after the big hit operation is completed. This has an excellent effect that the player can keep the pleasure until the big hit operation ends, which is different from the conventional one in which it is already indicated whether or not to shift when the big hit occurs. Further, since a series of fluctuation patterns indicating whether or not to shift to the high probability is transmitted in advance at the end of the big hit operation, the symbol control board 32b can freely develop the story until the determination symbol confirmation code is transmitted. Can be. This effect becomes even more remarkable if the determination start code is designed to indicate the timing of stopping the symbol.

[Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the fourth specific example,
This is a configuration in which the command codes shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 are used as the command codes during the symbol change shown in Table 3 used in the first specific example, and the first specific example is used for other configurations. To In the fourth specific example, FIG.
As shown in (1), the variation pattern as the start code indicates the variation time of the special symbol, and in this embodiment, 72 patterns are facilitated. The 72 kinds of variation patterns are obtained as a result of the success / failure by the above-mentioned success / failure determination random number which is extracted at the timing when the game ball wins the ordinary electric accessory 36 as a starting port. The values of the respective symbol counters which are the bases of the identification numbers of the above-mentioned left, middle and right stop symbol designating codes extracted at the timing of winning the 36, and each element such as whether or not the winning / decreasing random number is in a high probability state. Is determined based on This figure 1
The variation pattern selected by the selection table 1 also includes information on a variation mode such as whether each special symbol stops in order or stops all at once. If the variation patterns stop in order, the variation time of the left special symbol, Information such as the fluctuation time of the special middle symbol is also included. The special symbol selection table shown in FIG. 12 shows that the special symbol display areas 50a to 50a
The left special symbol, the middle special symbol, and the right special symbol which are stopped and displayed on 50c are designated. This command is also determined based on the value of each of the extracted symbol counters. The symbol stop command shown in FIG. 13 is a command used to stop the left, middle, and right special symbols. Next, the control of the microcomputer of the main control board 30 transmitting commands to the symbol control board 32b using these commands is described in FIG.
The description will be made according to the timing charts shown in FIGS.

When it is detected that the game ball has won the ordinary electric accessory 36, the value of the winning / failing random number and each symbol counter is extracted at this timing. It is determined whether or not a big hit is based on the value of the extracted random number,
A big hit symbol or a missing symbol is determined based on the value of each symbol counter. In the case of a big hit, it is also determined whether or not to shift to a high probability after the big hit operation from the big hit symbol. Then, one of the 72 types of variation patterns is selected according to the result of the jackpot determination, the determined type of each symbol, and the state of whether or not the symbol is in a high probability. When the variation pattern is selected, when each special symbol stops sequentially, the microcomputer of the main control board 30 outputs the variation pattern selected as the start code to the symbol control board 32b (point P1 in FIG. 14). After the fluctuation pattern is output, every 4 ms
A command designating the left special symbol, a command designating the middle special design, and a command designating the right special design determined from the selection table 2 are transmitted (points P2, P3, P4 in FIG. 14). Then, when the fluctuation stop time of each special symbol comes, the symbol stop command shown in FIG. 13 is transmitted (FIG. 14, points P5, P6, P7). Also,
When each special symbol stops all at once, point P in FIG.
8 to P13.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the microcomputer of the symbol control board 32b that has received the variation pattern simultaneously displays the special symbols on the special symbol display areas 50a to 50c from the time when the variation pattern is received. It starts to fluctuate at low speed, shifts from middle speed to high speed on the way, decelerates and shifts to low speed near the stop time, executes the swinging operation with each specified special symbol, and is instructed to receive the symbol stop command Execute the control to stop at the special symbol. At this time, on the background screen 52 on the screen, the character appears based on the selection tables of FIGS. 16 and 17 according to the information of the received variation pattern, and the symbol control board 32b controls the background screen 52 to be changed. Execute. As described above, the variation pattern selected from the main control board 30 to the symbol control board 32b, each special symbol to be stopped and displayed, and the symbol stop command are output. The error processing executed by the symbol control board 32b when the signal is not received due to, for example, electrical noise or the like will be described.

The command abnormality correspondence table shown in FIG. 18 shows a process executed by the symbol control board 32b when each command is not input. here,
For convenience, the error processing will be described in eight patterns. Note that “○” in the figure indicates a case where the command is normally received, and “×” indicates a case where the command was not successfully received. 1. Error Processing ER1 Error processing ER1 is a case where a fluctuation pattern and a symbol stop command are normally received, and one or more designated special symbols cannot be received. In the error processing ER1, a process of displaying a character of "communication error" on the screen one second after inputting a fluctuation pattern (a fluctuation start command) and displaying "x" as a designated special symbol that could not be received is executed. You.
If the special symbol that could not be received normally is a special symbol indicating a big hit, a big hit start command is transmitted from the main control board 30 next, so that the big winning opening 40 is suddenly opened and the player is surprised. No problem. In the case of a lost symbol, there is no problem because a command corresponding to the next winning is transmitted. If there is no next prize for a while, or if there is no so-called “hold storage”, the main control board 30 transmits a customer waiting demonstration command after a predetermined time has elapsed, so that the “communication error” does not continue to be displayed.

[0062] 2. Error processing ER2 Error processing ER2 is a case where the fluctuation pattern and each designated special symbol are normally received, and the symbol stop command cannot be received. In this error processing ER2, the swing fluctuation is executed with the stop symbol after the elapse of the fluctuation time of each special symbol. The swing fluctuation due to this error process may be executed for each special symbol after the fluctuation time of each special symbol, or after the fluctuation time of the right special symbol, that is, after the fluctuation time of all the special symbols. The swing fluctuation may be executed all at once. In the error processing ER2, the same processing as that of the error processing ER1 is performed in the subsequent processing after the fluctuation.

3. Error Processing ER3 In the error processing ER3, the fluctuation pattern is normally received,
This is the case where any one of the designated special symbols and the symbol stop command cannot be received. In this error processing ER3, the swing fluctuation is executed with the stop symbol after the elapse of the fluctuation time of each special symbol. For the designated special symbol that could not be received, the swing fluctuation is executed with the previously received designated special symbol. The start time of the fluctuation is the same as that of the error processing ER2.

4. Error Processing ER4 Error processing ER4 is a case where only the fluctuation pattern is not normally received. In the error processing ER4, the special symbol does not change, and a "communication error" is displayed when the first designated special symbol is received.

5. Error Processing ER5 Error processing ER5 is a case where either the fluctuation pattern or each of the designated special symbols is not normally received. In the error processing ER5, the special symbol does not change, and a "communication error" is displayed when the first designated special symbol is received. In addition, the special symbol that could not receive the designated special symbol is "x"
Is displayed. The timing of displaying “x” may be displayed when a stop command for each special symbol is received, or may be displayed all at once after the fluctuation time of all the special symbols has elapsed.

6. Error processing ER6 Error processing ER6 is a case where only the symbol stop command is normally received. In the error processing ER6, the special symbol does not change, and a "communication error" is displayed when a symbol stop command is received, and "x" is displayed as each special symbol.
The timing of displaying the communication error and “x” is the same as in the error processing ER5.

7. Error Processing ER7 Error processing ER7 is a case where only one of the designated special symbols is received. In the error process ER7, the special symbol does not change, and a "communication error" is displayed when the first designated special symbol is received.

8. Error processing ER8 Error processing ER8 is a case where all commands cannot be received. In this error processing ER8, the special symbol does not change and "communication error" is not displayed. Also in this case, the subsequent processing similar to the error processing ER1 is performed, so that
There is no disadvantage to the player.

In the fourth specific example described in detail above,
Different error processing is executed in response to the combination of the abnormal command of the command of the fluctuation pattern, the designation command of the three special symbols, and the command of the symbol stop command, and the fluctuation is changed unless all the commands can be received. Executing and displaying the error. As a result, the player can recognize that a communication error has occurred. For example, even if the occurrence of a big hit does not appear, the player is alerted to the communication error. The advantage is that the profit can be minimized. Also, it is considered that there is no case where both the big hit display and the big hit occurrence display where all the special symbols are the same are not displayed, and even in such a case, the big hit occurrence voice is output by voice, so the player is not expected. There is no disadvantage. Furthermore, in this specific example, even when the departure symbol is not accurately displayed due to a communication error, since the departure display is executed as much as possible by using the previously designated symbol, the player can recognize the state of the game. It has the effect that it can be done.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a back view of the gaming machine according to the embodiment as viewed from the back.

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

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

FIG. 5 shows a main control board 30 and a special symbol display device 3 of the embodiment.
It is a block diagram which shows the interface circuit with 2 symbol display device control boards 32b.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a receiving circuit of the symbol display device control board 32b.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart illustrating a relationship between an interrupt request signal (MINT) and instruction codes (MD0 to MD7).

FIG. 8 is a front view illustrating an image on a screen of an LCD panel unit 32a.

FIG. 9 is a timing chart illustrating a variation pattern of an image on a screen of an LCD panel unit 32a.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing an example of a variation timing of a probability variation determination symbol.

FIG. 11 is a chart showing a variation pattern selection table.

FIG. 12 is a table showing a selection table for each special symbol.

FIG. 13 is a chart showing a symbol stop command.

FIG. 14 is a timing chart illustrating a command transmission timing when each special symbol stops sequentially.

FIG. 15 is a timing chart illustrating the command transmission timing when all the special symbols stop at the same time.

FIG. 16 is a chart showing a character selection table.

FIG. 17 is a chart showing a background selection table.

FIG. 18 is a chart showing a command abnormality response.

[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 36 ··································································· Standard type of starting port switch 37 ·························································································· ______________ Ordinary design Display device 40... Big winning opening 40a... Actors continuous operation switch (VSW) 40b... Ten count switch (Count S)
W) 50a, 50b, 50c ... special symbol display area 52 ... background screen hero, bad ... character

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A game system which determines whether or not a game ball fired on a game board has a game content advantageous to a player due to a timing of winning a specific winning opening or passing through a specific passing opening. A control board, and an image control board for variably displaying a special symbol indicating whether or not the game content is advantageous to the player each time the main control board determines whether or not the game content is advantageous for the player. And in the gaming machine including: a circuit configuration that can be transmitted only from the main control board to the image control board, wherein the main control board is selected from the start of the change of the special symbol to the standstill based on the timing. And a change pattern instruction code for indicating the change time of the special symbol and a stop symbol instruction code for indicating the type of the symbol when the special symbol is at rest, wherein the image control board comprises: When the special design code is received, the special symbol starts to fluctuate, and after the special design is fluctuated and displayed for the fluctuating time indicated by the fluctuating pattern designating code, the stop design is displayed by the stationary design indicated by the design change code, and the stop is displayed. A gaming machine characterized in that when a symbol instruction code cannot be received, a previously received stationary symbol is displayed to notify the player of a game content that is not advantageous to the player.