JP2004254900A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine easily completing win patterns by aiding a beginner, who is not good at spot-depressing, without changing a main program. <P>SOLUTION: This game machine detects the rotating positions of respective reels 350A, 350B and 350C, stores the stop positions of the respective reels 350A, 350B and 350C based on the detection results of the rotating positions, induces the stoppable positions of the respective reels 350A, 350B and 350C when the reels 350A, 350C and 350C are naturally stopped at the next game, and notifies the stop to the player that the win patterns can be completed by the natural stop, when the reels 350A, 350B and 350C can be naturally stopped at the win patterns from the stoppable positions and a win flag is formed as the result in a lottery. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention performs a lottery when a predetermined condition is satisfied, rotates a plurality of rotating reels, and stops the rotation of each rotating reel in response to an instruction to stop the rotation of the rotating reel. Alternatively, when there is no instruction to stop the rotation even if a predetermined time has elapsed after the rotation of the winding reel has started, a natural stop process for automatically stopping the plurality of rotation reels is performed, and the rotation of the rotation reel stops. The present invention relates to a gaming machine provided with a symbol change display device for notifying the result of the lottery in a state where the stopped symbols are arranged.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a gaming machine, particularly a pachislot machine, a game is advanced by a player inserting medals and operating a start lever and a stop button.
[0003]
That is, in the pachislot machine, after the medal is inserted, by operating the start lever, the rotation of the plurality of spinning reels is started and the lottery is internally executed (hereinafter referred to as “internal lottery”). Thereafter, the player stops the respective reels with the stop button (manual stop processing), and pays out a number of medals according to the symbol after the stop (hereinafter referred to as “stop symbol”).
[0004]
Further, in the pachislot machine, after the start lever is operated to start the rotating drum reel, if the stop button is not operated even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the rotating reel is automatically stopped (automatic stop processing).
[0005]
Here, as a result of the internal lottery, if the winning flag that can stop each reel to be a predetermined stop symbol (hereinafter referred to as “hit symbol”) is established, the winning flag is established. Is notified by a predetermined effect, the player measures the timing of operating the stop button by so-called eye pressing, and tries to stop the winding reel so that a winning symbol is obtained, but a beginner does not go well.
[0006]
If the eyes are not pressed properly, for example, if the operation timing of the stop button is shifted by two frames in the symbol unit, a slip is generated at the time of rotation stop, and the stop position is shifted by two frames from the operation timing of the stop button to rotate the body. So-called slip stop control is also performed to stop the reels and obtain a winning symbol. However, the sliding stop control has a limit (for example, 4 frames), and a beginner may not be able to obtain a hit symbol even by the sliding stop control.
[0007]
Therefore, conventionally, if it is not possible to obtain a winning symbol within a predetermined number of games from a game in which a winning flag has been established by lottery, in a game after the predetermined number of games, if the stop button is not operated and a big hit is obtained. There has been a technique of automatically stopping a reel (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-45468 A
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described technique, a stop control program or the like provided separately from the normal auto stop is used to forcibly stop the vehicle with a symbol, and there is a problem that the main program must be changed.
[0010]
Also, in the above-mentioned technology, it is not assumed that the player is a beginner and the stop symbol is not operated. There is a problem in that the stop button may be operated without knowing that the operation may be performed, so that it may not function sufficiently as an aid for a beginner.
[0011]
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and it is possible to provide a gaming machine that can assist a beginner who is not good at eyesight and easily align a hit pattern without changing a main program. Is the purpose.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is a manual stop process for rotating a plurality of drum reels and stopping the rotation of each reel in response to an instruction to stop rotation of the reel. Alternatively, when there is no instruction to stop the rotation even if a predetermined time has elapsed after the rotation of the winding reel has started, a natural stop process for automatically stopping the plurality of rotation reels is performed, and the rotation of the rotation reel stops. A gaming machine equipped with a symbol variation display device for notifying the result of the lottery in the state of the stop symbols at the time of rotation, wherein the rotation position detection means for detecting the rotation position of each reel, and the detection results of the rotation position detection means Storage means for storing a stop position of each of the rotating drums based on the rotation stop position of each of the rotating drums based on the stop position of each of the rotating drum reels stored in the storage means. Deriving means for deriving the stoppable positions of the respective reels in the case of performing the above, and the stoppable positions of the respective reels derived by the derivation means can be stopped by a hit symbol by natural stop processing, and the lottery If the result is a hit, a notifying means for notifying the player that the winning symbols can be aligned by the natural stop process is provided.
[0013]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotation position of each reel is detected by the rotation position detection means, and the stop position of each rotation reel based on the detection result of the rotation position detection means is stored in the storage means. The deriving means derives the stoppable positions of the respective reels when the natural stop processing is performed at the next rotation start of the reels.
[0014]
Thereby, a stoppable position of each reel in the case where the natural stop process is performed at the next rotation start of the reel is obtained. By combining the stoppable positions of the reels, the next reel reel can be obtained. It is possible to predict a stop symbol when the spinning reel is naturally stopped at the start of the rotation of.
[0015]
In addition, in the notification means, it is possible to naturally stop at the winning symbol from the stopable position of each reel, and when the winning flag is established as a result of the lottery, the winning symbols can be aligned by the natural stop. Is notified to the player.
[0016]
In other words, the possible stop position in the case where each reel is stopped naturally based on the stop position of each reel is derived, and when the stop symbol due to the natural stop becomes a hit symbol, the winning symbols are aligned by the natural stop. Notify the player. If the player waits for each reel to stop spontaneously without operating the stop button, the player can easily match the symbols.
[0017]
In this way, the rotation position of each reel is detected, the stop position of each reel is stored based on the detection result of the rotation position, and the natural stop process is performed at the next rotation start of the reel. In this case, the stop position of each reel is derived, and the stop symbol can be naturally stopped from the stop position of the reel, and the winning flag is established as a result of the lottery. Is notified to the player that it is possible to align the symbols, so that it is possible to assist the beginner who is not good at eyesight and easily align the symbols without changing the main program.
[0018]
As the notification by the notification means, any method such as displaying a message or an image on a display device, blinking or lighting a decorative lamp or a backlight, reproducing sound from a speaker, or sounding a buzzer can be applied.
[0019]
Further, the invention according to claim 2 further includes a slip stop control unit that shifts a stop position by a predetermined unit for each symbol and stops at the time of the manual stop process and the natural stop process. The stop position of the rotating drum reel is derived in consideration of a slip range by the slip stop control means.
[0020]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the manual stop process and the natural stop process, the stop position is shifted by a predetermined unit for each symbol and stopped, so that the possibility of obtaining a winning symbol increases. Further, when the stop position of the reel is to be derived, the slip range by the slip stop control is taken into consideration, so that the stop position is derived including the case where the slip stop control is performed during the natural stop process. In such a case, the player can be notified that the winning symbols can be aligned by natural stop.
[0021]
Further, as a method of deriving the stoppable position by the natural stop process, a table or the like in which the next stop position of the drum reel is stored in advance according to the stop position may be used, or it may be derived by calculation.
[0022]
Therefore, according to a third aspect of the present invention, the deriving unit can perform a natural stop based on a time and a rotation speed from the start of rotation to an instruction of a natural stop, and a rotation condition of a spinning drum reel such as sliding or slow start. It is characterized by calculating the position.
[0023]
The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the storage unit, the derivation unit, and the notification unit are different from the main control unit that mainly controls the entire game machine.
[0024]
By doing so, the main control means (main program and the like) provided for controlling the entire game machine in the existing game machine is changed, and only the control means different from the main control means is changed. The present invention can be easily implemented using an existing gaming machine, since it may be added or added.
[0025]
For example, when using an existing gaming machine constituted by a plurality of boards, the board for controlling the performance is replaced with a board having the storage means, the derivation means and the notification means of the present invention, or the board is newly added. Thus, it is possible to provide a gaming machine capable of assisting beginners who are not good at eyesight and easily aligning the symbols without changing or replacing the main board.
[0026]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
As shown in FIG. 1, the pachislot machine 300 includes a main body 302 and an operation / decoration unit 303 as an opening / closing cover provided on the front of the main body 302.
[0027]
The operation / decoration unit 303 can be opened and closed by rotating about the left end of FIG.
[0028]
The operation and decoration unit 303 can be classified into a decoration unit 304, an operation unit 306, and a payout unit 310 from the top.
[0029]
The decoration unit 304 is provided with a display panel unit 312 that is illuminated internally by a backlight unit (not shown) to transmit and illuminate printed pictures and characters. Further, as a part of the decoration part 304, a three-dimensional illumination part 304A surrounding the decoration part 304 in an arch shape is also provided.
[0030]
A display window 314 is formed at the center of the display panel section 312 of the decoration section 304. The display window 314 is formed of a transparent area integrally formed with the display panel unit 312.
[0031]
Inside the display window 314, a symbol changing section 316 is provided, and as shown in FIG. 2, three reels (turning drums) 350A, 350B, 350C (hereinafter collectively referred to as reel 350) rotate. It is supposed to. An indicator 318 (see FIG. 3) is provided on the left side of the display window 314 in the display panel unit 312 to guide and display the state of the symbols (the number of columns and the like) aligned with the display window 314.
[0032]
In the lower part of the display window 314, a seven-segment display part 315A for displaying the number of tokens to be paid out in order from the left of FIG. 2, a display part 315B for setting the remaining number of jack games and the game state (six levels), and the like. A seven-segment display unit 315C for displaying the number of credits is provided.
[0033]
Further, a sub-display 330 configured of a liquid crystal panel and displaying an image, a message, a demonstration screen, or the like in accordance with the display of the display window 314 is provided above the display window 314.
[0034]
The operation unit 306 has an upper portion protruding forward, and a medal insertion unit 320 is provided at the right end of FIG. 2 on the upper surface of the protruding portion. The cancel buttons 355, 1 are sequentially provided from the left end of FIG. A sheet bet button 352A and a max bet button 352B are provided. A starting lever 354, stop buttons 356A, 356B, 356C, and the like are provided in this order from the left end of FIG.
[0035]
The payout unit 310 includes a medal discharge port 326 and a tray 328 for receiving medals discharged from the medal discharge port 326.
[0036]
As shown in FIG. 3, the symbol change unit 316 rotates the three reels 350A, 350B, and 350C so that the symbols arranged on the peripheral surface can be sequentially viewed from the display window 314. The symbol stopped in the central row (hereinafter, referred to as a “basic stop line”) is a basic stop symbol. In addition, this basic stop symbol is a case in which one medal is invested, in which three medals can be invested in a maximum of one game, a symbol stopped along ascending and descending lines, and two diagonal lines. The symbols stopped above are sequentially adopted as the combination stopped symbols according to the number of medals invested.
[0037]
The stop buttons 356A, 356B, 356C are provided below the symbol change section 316, and correspond to the reels 350A, 350B, 350C. That is, the rotation of the corresponding reels 350A, 350B, 350C can be stopped by the operation of the stop buttons 356A, 356B, 356C by the player (manual stop processing).
[0038]
By operating (tilting) the start lever 20 provided on the left side of the stop buttons 356A, 356B, 356C, the reels 350A, 350B, 350C start rotating. In this rotation, normally, the three reels 350A, 350B, and 350C start rotating simultaneously or in an arbitrary order.
[0039]
FIG. 4 schematically shows a control system for controlling pachislo machine 300 according to the present embodiment.
[0040]
In addition, the control system is categorized by functions such as the motor control circuit 364 (364A, 364B, 364C), the effect control board 362, the medal payout control board 370, the display control board 374, etc., with the main controller 360 as the center.
[0041]
First, the main controller 360 is connected to an operation unit 306 such as a start lever 354 and a stop button 356, and a medal insertion sensor 321 for detecting a medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 320 (see FIGS. 1 to 3). The main controller 360 can always grasp the operation state of the operation unit 306 and the insertion of medals.
[0042]
The main controller 360 internally performs a lottery using the operation of the start lever 354 as a trigger, and determines a win / miss.
[0043]
Here, if the result of the lottery is a win, the win flag is established, and thereafter, when the winning symbols are aligned, the win becomes a win, which is in a state advantageous to the player. In addition, there are a big hit (big bonus) and a normal hit (regular bonus), and the degree of a state advantageous to the player is different for each. Naturally, the big bonus is more advantageous than the regular bonus. In addition, the main controller 360 outputs the state of establishment of the flag by the lottery to each unit as a lottery signal.
[0044]
Further, the main controller 360 instructs the motor control circuits 364A, 364B, 364C to rotate and stop the rotation of the reels 350A, 350B, 350C, respectively.
[0045]
The reels 350A, 350B, and 350C are provided with rotational position detection sensors 366A, 366B, and 366C, respectively, for detecting their rotational positions. The rotation position detection sensors 366A, 366B, and 366C detect a symbol located on the basic stop line and output a signal indicating the symbol to the main controller 360.
[0046]
For example, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, a predetermined number of symbols are arranged at equal intervals on the peripheral surface of the reels 350A, 350B, and 350C. Since a plurality of the same symbols are arranged on the peripheral surface of the same reel 350, in this embodiment, frame numbers (1 to 21) are assigned to identify each symbol, and the rotation position detection sensor 366 It is assumed that a signal indicating the frame number is output to the main controller 360 as a rotation position signal.
[0047]
On the other hand, in the motor control circuit, when stopping the reels 350A, 350B, and 350C, sliding control of a predetermined number of frames (up to four frames in the present embodiment) is performed according to the state of the flag indicated by the lottery signal described above. Is to be executed.
[0048]
That is, when the internal lottery is out and the hit flag is not established, when the stop button 356A, 356B, 356C is operated at the timing of stopping at the hit symbol which stops only when the hit flag is established, intentionally, The stop position is shifted (kicked off) to avoid stopping at this symbol.
[0049]
On the other hand, when the internal lottery is a hit and the hit flag is established, if the stop timing by the operation of the stop button 356A, 356B, 356C of the player does not stop at the hit symbol, the player intentionally stops at this symbol. The stop position (pulling in).
[0050]
By performing the kicking and pulling-in, the result of the internal lottery and the state of the game can be made uniform, and even if the stop operation timing is slightly shifted, the hit symbols can be aligned.
[0051]
Further, the motor control circuit automatically stops the reels 350A, 350B, 350C when the stop buttons 356A, 356B, 356C are not operated after a predetermined time has elapsed after the reels 350A, 350B, 350C have started rotating. (Natural stop processing).
[0052]
The main controller 360 instructs the display control board 374 to display various information on the display 315 in accordance with the operation state of the operation unit 306 and the medal insertion state, and controls the medal payout in accordance with the progress state of the game. Instruct the medal payout control board 370 to pay out medals by the medal payout device 372 to the board 370.
[0053]
Further, the main controller 360 lights or blinks the backlight of the decoration unit 304 or the illumination 340A via the effect control board 362, displays the image on the sub-display 330, and displays the speaker 368 ( By performing sound reproduction according to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3), the progress of the game is notified to the player, thereby improving the player's playing feeling.
[0054]
Here, in the effect control board 362, when it is determined that the symbols are aligned when the motor control circuit 364 executes the above-described natural stop process, a natural stop effect is provided to notify the player of the effect.
[0055]
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a part related to a natural stop effect according to the present embodiment.
[0056]
As shown in the figure, in the main controller 360, based on the outputs from the rotation position detection sensors 366A, 366B, 366C when the reels 350A, 350B, 350C are stopped, each of the reels 350A constituting the basic stop symbol, A stop position signal indicating the frame numbers of 350B and 350C is output to the effect control board 362.
[0057]
In the effect control board 362, the stopable position calculation unit 382 writes the frame number indicated by the input stop position signal into the RAM 386, and the natural stop process is executed in the next game based on the written frame number. The frame number of the symbol located on the basic stop line is derived at the timing when a stop instruction is issued in the natural stop processing of each of the reels 350A, 350B, 350C in the case.
[0058]
Here, if the time T [s] from the start of rotation of the reel 350 to the natural stop, the rotation speed V [rpm] of the reel 350, and the number of rotations N [times] of the reel 350, the reel 350 rotates N times. Is T = N × 60 / V [s].
[0059]
When the rotation speed V of the reel 350 is 80 [rpm], the time T1 required for the reel 350 to make one rotation is T1 = 0.75 [s], and the time T2 required for rotating one frame is T2. = 0.0357 [s]. Therefore, the reel 350 rotates 40 times (30 / T1) at 30 [s] and 2.8 frames (0.1 / T2) at 0.1 [s].
[0060]
As shown in FIG. 7, in the spontaneous stop processing according to the present embodiment, the reel 350A is instructed to stop spontaneously after 30.1 [s] from the start of rotation, that is, when the reel 350A moves 2.8 frames for 40 rotations. Is issued.
[0061]
Next, from the derived frame number, a stoppable position of the reel 350A is derived in consideration of the pull-in by the slip control. In the present embodiment, since the sliding by the sliding control is set to a maximum of four frames, a position (frame indicated by ○ in FIG. 7) shifted from the stop position of the reel 350A by three to six frames is the stoppable position.
[0062]
In addition, a natural stop instruction is issued for the reel 350B after 30.4 [s] from the start of rotation and for the reel 350C after 30.7 [s] from the start of rotation. Therefore, when the stoppable position is derived in the same manner as the reel 350A, the stoppable position of the reel 350B is 12 to 15 frames from the stop position, and the stoppable position of the reel 350C is 20 to 23 frames from the stop position. The shifted position is the stoppable position.
[0063]
The stoppable position calculation unit 382 writes the current stop position and the calculated stoppable position into the RAM 386.
[0064]
On the other hand, the natural stop effect processing unit 384 of the effect control board 362 performs a natural stop effect based on the lottery signal input from the main controller 360 and the stop enabled position derived by the stop enabled position calculation unit 382. Determine whether or not.
[0065]
The possible stop positions of the reels 350A, 350B, 350C are read from the RAM 386. If all of the read possible stop positions include a symbol constituting a winning symbol, the winning flag for the winning symbol is determined by a lottery signal. It is determined whether or not the establishment of is established. According to the determination, if the winning flag is established for the winning symbols included in all of the stoppable positions, the stop symbol by the natural stop process in the next game becomes the winning symbol by the above-described drawing, so that the decoration portion 304 and the sub An effect of controlling the display 330 and the speaker 368 to encourage natural stoppage is performed.
[0066]
In addition, when a stop button operation signal is input from the main controller 360 during a performance prompting a natural stop, the natural stop performance processing unit 384 ends the performance.
[0067]
The operation of the present embodiment will be described below.
(Game flow)
In the game procedure, a medal has already been inserted, and when betting with the single bet button 352A and the max bet button 352B is completed, the start lever 354 is operated. At this time, a lottery of winning / losing is performed, and in the case of a winning, a flag is established by internal control. If the flag is already established, the lottery is not executed.
[0068]
After the operation of the start lever 354, the reels 350A, 350B, and 350C start rotating. At this time, the rotation start timings of the three reels 350A, 350B, 350C are controlled so as to differ depending on the expected value based on the result of the lottery.
[0069]
The player stops the rotation of the reels 350A, 350B, and 350C by operating the stop buttons 356A, 356B, and 356C. However, if the flag is established, the hit symbol is displayed at an appropriate timing. Can be stopped. Note that a slight shift in the timing of the stop operation is corrected by slip. Conversely, when the flag is not established, even if the eye is pressed, slippage occurs in the rotation of the reels 350A, 350B, and 350C so that the reel does not stop at the winning symbol. Further, if the stop buttons 356A, 356B, 356C are not operated after a predetermined time has elapsed after the rotation of the reels 350A, 350B, 350C is started, the rotation of each of the reels 350A, 350B, 350C is automatically performed by natural stop processing. Stop.
[0070]
If the stopped symbols of the reels 350A, 350B, 350C stopped in this way are hit symbols, bonus game control is executed.
[0071]
Further, the main controller 360 outputs a lottery signal, a stop button operation signal, and a stop position signal to the effect control board 362 according to the state of the game.
[0072]
When the stop position signal is input, the effect control board 362 executes the stopable position calculation processing program.
[0073]
FIG. 8 shows a flow of processing of the stopable position calculation processing program. Hereinafter, the stopable position calculation processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
[0074]
First, in step 100, the frame numbers of the respective reels 350A, 350B, 350C indicated by the stop position signal are written in the RAM 386, and in the next step 102, the respective reels 350A, 350B, 350C by the natural stop processing in the next game are executed. Derive the stoppable position.
[0075]
Here, the symbols are arranged as shown in FIG. 5, the reel 350A is a watermelon with the frame number "1", and the reel 350B is the big with the frame number "1" (a symbol drawn as "7" in FIG. 5). When the reel 350C is stopped at the cherry of the frame number "1", the stopable position by the natural stop processing in the next game is derived.
[0076]
First, a stop instruction is issued when the reel 350A has rotated 40 times and 2.8 frames, that is, when the cherry of the frame number "3" has passed the basic stop line. Therefore, the stoppable position of the reel 350A is the replay of the frame number “4” to the plum of the frame number “7”.
[0077]
Similarly, a stop instruction is issued when the reel 350B has rotated 40 turns and 11.2 frames, that is, when the cherry of the frame number “12” has passed the basic stop line. The replay from the plum with the frame number “13” to “16” is performed. A stop instruction is issued when the reel 350C has rotated 40 rotations and 19.6 frames, that is, when the plum having the frame number “20” has passed the basic stop line. The replay of “21” and the cherry of the frame number “1” to the plum of the frame number “3” are obtained.
[0078]
In the next step 104, the derived stoppable positions of the reels 350A, 350B, 350C are respectively written in the RAM 386, and the main stoppable position calculation processing ends.
[0079]
On the other hand, when the start lever 354 is operated by the player, the main controller 360 instructs the motor control circuit 364 to start the rotation of the reel 350, and carries over the flag or sets the hit flag by the internal lottery after the operation of the start lever 354. A lottery signal indicating the established state is output to each unit.
[0080]
The effect control board 362 executes a natural stop effect processing program when a lottery signal is input.
[0081]
FIG. 9 shows the flow of the processing of the natural stop effect processing program. Hereinafter, the natural stop effect processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
[0082]
First, in step 106, it is determined whether or not the input lottery signal indicates that the hit flag has been established. If the determination is negative, the motor control circuit 364 performs the natural stop processing, and at the same time, kicks are performed by the above-described slip control. The natural stop production process ends.
[0083]
On the other hand, if the determination in step 106 is affirmative, it is determined that there is a possibility that the motor control circuit 364 may stop at the hit symbol because the pull-in is performed by the above-described slip control at the same time when the motor control circuit 364 performs the natural stop processing. Move to step 108.
[0084]
In step 108, the stopable position is read from the RAM 386, and thereafter, the process proceeds to step 110, and it is determined whether or not a natural stop is possible with a hit symbol.
[0085]
That is, if the winning symbol for which the winning flag is established is included in each of the stoppable positions of each of the reels 350A, 350B, and 350C, it is determined that a natural stop will occur at the winning symbol, and the result in step 110 is affirmative. The determination is made, and the process proceeds to step 112.
[0086]
For example, when the hit flag for Big (7) is established, the stopable positions of 350A are frame numbers "7" to "10" (the stop position signal of 350A is frame number "3"). , 350B are the frame numbers “8” to “11” (the stop position signal of the 350B is the frame number “16”), and the stopable positions of the 350C are the frame numbers “15” to “frame number”. If the stop position signal is 18 "(the stop position signal of 350C is the frame number" 16 "), the pull-in by the sliding control is performed during the natural stop process, and 350A is" 9 "big (7) and 350B is" 10 "big. , 350C stops at the symbol "17" big hit.
[0087]
In step 112, an effect to prompt the player to stop naturally is started by turning on and off the backlight of the decoration unit 304, the illumination 340 A, and the like, displaying an image on the sub-display 330, and reproducing the sound by the speaker 368.
[0088]
In the present embodiment, as an effect that prompts the player to stop naturally, a message that prompts the player not to press the stop button 356 in the display area of the sub-display 330 as shown in FIG. And display an image. Further, the lighting and blinking state of the backlight of the decoration section 304, the illumination 340A, and the like are changed from normal according to the display, and the speaker 368 reproduces a sound that draws the player's attention.
[0089]
In the subsequent step 114, it is determined whether or not a stop button operation signal has been input, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 116 to determine whether or not all the reels 350 have stopped. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 114 again.
[0090]
On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made in step 114, the process proceeds to step 118 assuming that the stop button 356 has been operated by the player to stop the rotation of the reel 350, despite the effect of prompting a natural stop. I do.
[0091]
If an affirmative determination is made in step 116, the process proceeds to step 118 assuming that the reel 350 has been stopped by the natural stop process.
[0092]
In step 118, the effect for prompting the natural stop is ended, and the natural stop effect process is ended.
[0093]
After the natural stop effect processing is completed, normal effects such as an effect according to whether or not the stop symbol of the reel 350 is a hit symbol and an effect with a story characteristic according to a game are performed.
[0094]
As described in detail above, the rotation positions of the reels 350A, 350B, and 350C are detected, and the stop positions of the reels 350A, 350B, and 350C based on the detection results of the rotation positions are stored, and the reels 350A and 350A are stored in the next game. , 350B, and 350C are naturally stopped, the stop positions of the reels 350A, 350B, and 350C are derived, and the reels 350A, 350B, and 350C can be naturally stopped with a hit symbol from the stop position and the result of the lottery. , When the hit flag is established, it informs the player that it is possible to align the hit symbols by natural stop, so beginners who are not good at pushing without changing the main program And can easily match the design.
[0095]
In the present embodiment, the embodiment in which the reels 350A, 350B, and 350C start rotating simultaneously has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to the case where the reel 350 starts slowly. . Also in this case, it is possible to derive a stop symbol for the next natural stop process based on the previous stop symbol, the rotation speed of the reel 350, the time from the start of rotation to the stop of rotation, the number of sliding frames, and the like. it can.
[0096]
Further, in the present embodiment, the form in which the calculation is performed each time the stop position signal is input to derive the stoppable position has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this. In advance, a stoppable position corresponding to the stop position signal may be derived in advance, and based on the stop position, a winning symbol that can be naturally stopped according to the stop position signal of each reel may be stored as a table. In this case, the stop-possible position calculation process shown in FIG. 8 is not performed, and a hit symbol that can be naturally stopped according to the stop position is read from the table in step 108 of the natural stop effect process shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to determine whether or not the hit flag for the hit symbol is established.
[0097]
Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in the block diagrams of FIGS. 4 and 6, a mode in which the decoration unit 304, the sub-display 330, and the speaker 368 are controlled by the effect control board 362 has been described. The light emission control board, the display control board, the sound control board, and the like may be separately provided and individually controlled. In addition to the effect control board 362, the light emission control board, the display control board A sound control board or the like may be provided for each of them, and the effect control board 362 may determine what kind of effect to perform, and issue an instruction for the effect to each board.
[0098]
Note that, in the present embodiment, when it is determined by calculation that a natural stop process is performed and a stop is made with a symbol, an effect for prompting a natural stop as shown in FIG. 10 is performed. The stop symbol may go out of order due to serious trouble.
[0099]
Even in such a case, as shown in FIG. 10, by giving the expression “does something happen ...?”, Which is not 100% hit, and applying it as an effect expected by the player, the player can feel uncomfortable. I try not to. In other words, after the display of FIG. 10 is intentionally performed, the stop symbol may be removed.
[0100]
In the present embodiment, the pachislot machine 300 has been described as an example. However, a center role that fires a pachinko ball and notifies a result of a lottery executed when the pachinko ball wins at a starting port on a game board. In the case where a mechanical drum, a sphere, or the like is used as an object display, the present invention is also applicable to the display of this pachinko machine. In this case, by providing the pachinko machine with a stop button for the player to stop the display device such as a drum, the specifications can be made equivalent to those of the pachislot machine of the present embodiment.
[0101]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the rotational position of each reel is detected, and the stop position of each reel is stored based on the detection result of the rotational position, and the reel is stopped naturally in the next game. Deriving the stoppable position of each reel in the case where it is made to occur, it is possible to naturally stop at the winning symbol from the stoppable position of the reel and reel, and as a result of the lottery, the hit flag is established, Because it informs the player that the winning symbols can be aligned, it is possible to assist beginners who are not good at sighting and easily align the winning symbols without changing the main program Has the effect.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pachislot machine according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the pachislot machine according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of a display unit and an operation unit according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system of the gaming machine according to the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a symbol arrangement of a reel according to the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram relating to an effect that prompts a natural stop according to the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a time chart showing a flow of a natural stop process according to the embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of a stoppable position calculation processing program according to the embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of a natural stop effect processing program according to the embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a sub-display on which a message is displayed in a natural stop effect process.
[Explanation of symbols]
300 gaming machines
350A, 350B, 350C Reel (turning reel)
354 Start lever
362 Production control board (storage means, derivation means, notification control means)
366 Rotational position detection sensor (rotational position detecting means)

Claims (4)

A plurality of spinning reels are rotated, and a manual stop process of stopping the rotation of each spinning reel in response to an instruction to stop the rotation of the spinning reel, or a predetermined time has elapsed after the spinning reel started rotating. Also performs a natural stop process to automatically stop the plurality of rotating reels when there is no instruction to stop rotation, and displays a symbol variation display that notifies the result of the lottery in the arrangement state of the stopped symbols when the rotating reel is stopped A gaming machine equipped with a device,
Rotation position detecting means for detecting the rotation position of each reel,
Storage means for storing a stop position of each of the turning reels based on a detection result of the rotation position detection means,
Deriving means for respectively deriving a stopable position of each of the rotating drum reels when the natural stop processing is performed at the next start of rotation of the rotating drum reel based on the stop position of each of the rotating drum reels stored in the storage means. When,
From the stop-possible positions of the respective reels derived by the deriving means, it is possible to stop with a winning symbol by a natural stop process by a natural stop process, and, when the result of the lottery is a win, to make it possible to align the winning symbols by the natural stop process. Notification means for notifying the person,
Gaming machine with. At the time of the manual stop process and the natural stop process, further comprising a slip stop control means for shifting the stop position by a predetermined unit for each symbol, and stopping.
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the deriving unit derives a stoppable position of the reel in consideration of a sliding range of the sliding stop control unit. The natural departure possible position is calculated based on a time and a rotation speed from a rotation start to a spontaneous stop instruction and a spinning reel rotation condition such as a slip or a slow start. The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit, the deriving unit, and the notifying unit are different from a main control unit that mainly controls the entire gaming machine.

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