JP2007006988A - Game machine, sound controller, sound control method and sound library - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine which permits the control of the variation of a sound in a downstream side and facilitates the development of a program. <P>SOLUTION: The game machine (100) puts on a performance in accordance with the operating condition of an operating portion (300), and has a performance management means (1) to send a performance request code to put on a performance related to a game performance, a storage portion (3) which relatedly stores one or more sounds and a silencing attribute to muffle the sounds, and a sound generation means (2) to generate sounds on the basis of the performance request code received. When the silencing attribute is included in the received performance request code, the game machine refers to the storage portion (3) and silences the sounds related to the silencing attribute. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine suitable for use in, for example, a slot machine.

As a gaming machine, for example, a slot machine disclosed in JP 2001-170250 A is known (Patent Document 1).
As shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, the slot machine includes a reel mechanism having three rows of reels 19a, 19b, and 19c (see Patent Document 1 and FIG. 2) in the display window 17, so A speaker 7 is provided above the display panel 3.

  In such a configuration, when the rotation start knob is pressed by the player, the game is started, the reels 19a, 19b, and 19c are rotated at a predetermined speed, and then the reels 19a, 19b, and 19c are pressed when the stop button is pressed. Are stopped sequentially. When a specific pattern (for example, numeral 7) drawn on the three stopped reels 19a, 19b, and 19c is aligned on the winning line, it becomes a “big hit”, and a big hit is obtained by displaying on the display panel. It informs the player that he has gone out and gives the player a pleasant feeling.

Further, in such a slot machine, when a reel is rotated by a software program, music as a game effect is transmitted, and when it is detected that a stop button is pressed, the music is sequentially stopped or changed.
JP 2001-170250 A (FIGS. 1 and 2)

  However, in the slot machine, since it is necessary to stop or change the music every time the stop button is pressed, the number of acoustic controls is considerably large. It has been a great effort for the programmer to allow the control device that determines the game effect to control a large amount of sound control according to the operation state. In other words, if the sound management is to be controlled by the production management side, the game production is determined every time the stop button, the start lever, etc. are operated, the operation state of the operation button is monitored, and if the operation button is operated, the operation is performed. A program for detecting contents and designating mute control or sound change control according to the detected operation contents is required. When there are a large number of operation modes of the operation buttons, creating a program for controlling the sound for all such operation states is very labor intensive and causes bugs.

  In recent slot machines, control such as lottery lottery, production management, image sound reproduction, and the like are hierarchized, and program development is performed for each control unit. For example, in an actual slot machine (actual machine), a control device that determines a winning mode of a game by lottery, a control device that controls a game effect according to a lottery result, and a control device that generates an image and sound corresponding to the game effect A load is distributed by assigning a processing unit to each. In such a game machine development stage, software programs mounted on the respective control devices (boards) are often developed by different developers and development companies due to demands for development efficiency. In such a configuration, if acoustic control is performed by a control device that manages the lottery located on the upstream side or manages the effects, the number of control signals such as effect commands that flow between the boards becomes very large. Could affect other treatments.

  Furthermore, with the recent separation of device boards, there will be a mixture of devices that change software programs (boards) and devices that are used without change due to differences in model changes. It is impossible to write in a unified software program. That is, the fact that the software program separated according to the control level operates independently is a control layer suitable for a recent gaming machine.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine or the like that can control a change in sound on the downstream side and facilitates program development.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the gaming machine of the present invention is a gaming machine that performs a game effect according to the operation state of the operation unit, and sends an effect request code for performing an effect corresponding to the game effect. Production management means, a storage unit in which one or more sounds and a change condition for making a predetermined change in the sound are associated with each other, and sound that generates sound based on the received effect request code Generating means, and when the received effect request code includes a change condition, the sound associated with the change condition is changed with reference to the storage unit.

  According to the present invention, the change condition is stored in association with the sound, and if the change request is given on the production request side, the sound generation means changes the sound in accordance with the change condition. On the means side, control can be performed without being aware of acoustic control. Therefore, since the fine sound control is left to the sound generation means, the program for the production management means can be freely performed separately from the sound control.

  Here, the “gaming machine” is not limited, but includes, for example, a rotary gaming machine (hereinafter referred to as “slot machine”), a pachinko machine (including a first kind pachinko machine and a second kind pachinko machine), and the like.

  Here, the “predetermined change” is not limited, and includes any control for changing the sound, for example, a process for muting the associated sound. Also included is a process of reducing the tone, tone, scale, tone, etc. that do not result in mute.

  The sound generation means is configured to record the change attribute in association with the sound in the storage unit when any sound and the change attribute are specified in the received effect request code. That is preferred. According to the above configuration, the correspondence of the storage units can be rewritten or updated under the control of the upstream production management means, so that detailed production can be performed as necessary. In particular, in the development environment of a gaming machine, when sound control is performed on a PC that is an inspection device, it is possible to make various changes to the change attribute associated with the sound, so that development is facilitated.

  In addition, when any sound is changed based on the received effect request code, the sound generation means preferably invalidates the change condition associated with this sound recorded in the recording unit. . According to this configuration, when the acoustic change is finished, the setting of the change condition is once invalidated, so that various acoustic changes can be attempted in the development environment.

  Here, it is preferable that the change condition is associated with the operation state of the operation unit. In a gaming machine or the like, a request to change the sound occurs every time the operation unit is operated. Therefore, if the change condition is associated with the operation state of the operation unit, sound control suitable for the gaming machine can be performed. is there. Further, with this configuration, the production management means simply includes the operation state of the operation unit in the production request code, and the control is simple.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to configure the change condition for one sound so as to correspond to the operation state or / and the operation order of the plurality of operation units. In gaming machines, it is common to have an operation unit consisting of a plurality of operation buttons, and one control button is further developed from a simple control of one sound control to a sound control according to a combination of a plurality of operations. This is because it is preferable from the viewpoint of diversification of production.

  The present invention is also an acoustic control device that generates a predetermined sound, a storage unit in which one or more sounds and a change condition for causing a predetermined change in the sound are stored in association with each other, and a reception Sound generating means for generating sound based on the effect request code, and when the change condition is included in the received effect request code, the sound associated with the change condition with reference to the storage unit It is characterized by changing.

  Such an “acoustic control device” is generally applied to a device that generates sound having a plurality of attributes. In addition to a gaming machine, for example, an inspection device for a gaming machine, a game device (a business game device or a consumer game) It can also be applied to a device) or a simulator.

  The present invention is also an acoustic control method for generating a predetermined sound, the step of associating one or more sounds with a change condition for causing a predetermined change in the sound, and a step of generating any one of the sounds And a step of changing the sound associated with the change condition when the change request is included in the received production request code.

  The present invention is also a sound library for an acoustic control device, the step of associating one or more sounds with a change condition for causing a predetermined change in the sound, and a step of generating one of the sounds In addition, when a change condition is included in the received effect request code, there is also a step of changing the sound associated with the change condition and a sound library programmed to be executed by the sound control device.

  Here, the “sound library” is one or more software programs with specific functions that control sound, which are made into components (modules) so that they can be used by other software programs, and are combined into one file. Say. Here, it is assumed that only one program file is included. The sound library can also be called a software program. In addition, a case where a library by compilation is relocated and becomes a part of one or a plurality of program data is also included.

  In addition to the program file body, the present invention includes a machine-readable storage medium for storing the sound library. Here, the “storage medium” refers to various types of ROM, USB memory with flash memory, USB memory, SD memory, memory stick, memory card, and other physical storage media such as FD, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM. It also includes a transmission medium such as the Internet capable of transmitting the program.

  According to the present invention, the sound and sound change conditions are associated with each other on the downstream side, and the sound is controlled to be changed based on the association. Therefore, the sound can be changed as long as the change request is given on the effect request side. On the side of the production management means, control can be performed without being aware of sound control. The program for production management can be freely performed separately from the acoustic control.

Hereinafter, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a slot machine installed in a game hall or the like will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples of application of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and can be applied with various modifications.
(Embodiment 1)
The first embodiment of the present invention relates to the silencing control of the slot machine, and particularly relates to an example in which the correspondence between the sound and the silencing condition (change condition) is set in advance.

(Case structure)
FIG. 1 is a front view showing the external structure of the slot machine 100, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the slot machine 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the slot machine 100 includes a front door 101 facing a player and a box-shaped casing 102 to which the front door 101 is attached so as to be opened and closed.

  The front door 101 has a mechanically strong structure in which a front panel formed of hard plastic or the like is attached to a metal frame (not shown), and the upper panel 103 and the middle panel are formed by the front panel. 104 and the lower panel part 105 are comprised.

  A central display on which an effect lamp 103a, sound emitting sections 103b and 103c to which speakers SR and SL are attached, an LED for displaying the number of credits, and a lamp for displaying a jackpot are mounted on the upper panel section 103. A substrate 103d is attached.

  In addition, the middle panel unit 104 is provided with a spinning reel device 200 including a plurality (three in this case) of spinning reels R1, R2, and R3 at a substantially central position. In addition, a liquid crystal display panel (here, transparent liquid crystal) 106 having a substantially rectangular reel display window is mounted on the front surface of the spinning reel device 200. The liquid crystal display panel 106 is configured to protect the spinning reel device 200 from the outside by a reel display window and allow the player to view the spinning reels R1, R2, and R3 through the reel display window.

  The liquid crystal display panel 106 is formed by sealing liquid crystal between a transparent substrate such as a glass plate on which a thin film transistor layer is formed and a transparent substrate facing the transparent substrate. The liquid crystal display panel 106 has a structure as a transmissive liquid crystal display device in which light is transmitted to the display surface side and the transmitted light is visually recognized from the outside. By adopting this structure, the spinning reels R1, R2, and R3 can be visually recognized through the reel display window even when the liquid crystal is not driven.

  An operation unit 300 for a player to operate is provided at the lower end of the middle panel unit 104, and a medal insertion unit MD for inserting game medals is provided. Further, a bet button BET for presenting the number of medals per game is provided on the operation surface of the operation unit 300, and a start lever ST for instructing the start of one game and a rotation on the front of the bet button BET Three stop buttons SP1, SP2, SP3 for individually stopping the inner reels R1, R2, R3 are provided.

  On the lower panel 105, a picture or the like (not shown) related to the game content of the slot machine 100 is drawn, and a discharge port 105a and a tray 105b for paying out a medal acquired by the player, a speaker SW Is provided with a sound emitting part 105c.

Next, the back surface structure of the front door 101 and the internal structure of the housing 102 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 2 shows a state where the front door 101 is unlocked and opened from the housing 102. In FIG. 2, speakers SR and SL constituting sound emitting units 103 b and 103 c are provided on the upper surface of the rear surface of the front door 101.

  At the bottom of the spinning reel device 200, there are a distribution mechanism G0 for determining whether an input inserted from the medal insertion unit MD is a regular game medal or a foreign object, and a game medal distributed by the distribution mechanism G0. 102, a guide member G1 that guides the hopper device HP, a guide member G2 that guides and discharges the foreign matter distributed by the distribution mechanism G0 to the discharge port 105a, and a payout device that outputs from the hopper device HP. A guide member G3 for guiding and outputting the medal to the discharge port 105a is provided, and a speaker SW is attached in the vicinity of the discharge port 105a so as to correspond to the sound emitting unit 105c.

  In the housing 102, a main power supply device PWU, an auxiliary storage portion SHP for storing game medals overflowing from the hopper device HP, and rotating reels R1, R2 facing the reel display window on the front door 101 side. , R3, and a main control unit 400 including an electric circuit board and the like for centrally controlling the entire operation of the slot machine 100.

(System configuration)
FIG. 3 shows a system configuration such as an internal configuration of the slot machine 100.
As shown in FIG. 3, a main control board 10, a sub control board 20 connected to the main control board 10, a central display board 103 d, and a power supply board PWU are arranged inside the housing of the slot machine 100. Yes. The main control board 10 and the sub control board 20 are provided in the main control unit 400.

  The main control board 10 is a board that determines a winning mode according to the operation state of the slot machine 100 by controlling the central display board 103d and the power supply apparatus board PWU. The sub-control board 20 identifies a game effect according to the winning mode supplied from the main control board 10, and supplies an image corresponding to the identified game effect to the liquid crystal display panel 106 and other lamps, corresponding to the game effect. The supplied sound is supplied to the speakers SR, SL, and SW. The sub-control board 20 is a board that performs control according to the present invention. This will be described more specifically.

  The main control board 10 functions to perform a lottery corresponding to the operation state of the operation unit 300 based on the player's operation and to determine and output a winning mode according to the lottery result. The main control board 10 is provided with a main CPU 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, and an interface circuit (I / F circuit) 14, which are connected to each other via a bus 15. It is connected.

  The main CPU 11 reads (fetches), interprets (decodes) and executes instructions constituting the program. Then, the main CPU 11 reads programs and data stored in the ROM 12, and controls the entire slot machine 100 based on these.

  The ROM 12 stores programs, data, and the like necessary for controlling the game executed in the slot machine 100 in the main CPU 11. The RAM 13 is used when the main CPU 11 performs various controls, and provides a storage area for temporarily storing data and the like.

  The I / F circuit 14 performs timing control and the like when signals are transmitted and received between the main control board 10, the sub control board 20, the central display board 103d, and the power supply apparatus board PWU. However, transmission of signals from the main control board 10 to the sub control board 20 is performed between the main control board 10 and the sub control board 20, but transmission of signals from the sub control board 20 to the main control board 10 is not performed. It is not done.

  The sub-control board 20 is divided into an effect management board 20a that specifies a game effect in accordance with a winning mode and an image sound reproduction board 20b that generates an image and sound corresponding to the specified game effect. Functionally, the production management board 20a has production management means according to the present invention, and the image sound reproduction board 20b has an acoustic storage unit and sound generation means according to the present invention. These functional blocks will be described later.

  The effect management board 20a specifies a game effect (notification effect of the possibility of winning a role, etc.) to be implemented by image or sound according to the winning mode supplied from the main control board 10, and between the boards that determine the effect and processing It outputs as production command CMD which is parameter information. Specifically, an effect management CPU 21, ROM 22, RAM 23, and interface circuit (I / F circuit) 24 are provided on the effect management board 20a.

  The I / F circuit 24 performs timing control and the like when receiving a signal from the main control board 10. Note that transmission of signals from the main control board 10 to the sub control board 20 is performed, but transmission of signals from the sub control board 20 to the main control board 10 is not performed. That is, only one-way transmission is possible.

  The main CPU 11 and the effect management CPU 21 are connected via a unidirectional 8-bit sub-control data line and a 1-bit sub-control data strobe signal line, and the effect management CPU 21 and the image sound reproduction processor 30 are They are connected via a 36-bit transmission / reception data line (TxD, RxD), a 1-bit WDT (Watch Dog Timer) out signal line, and a reset out signal line.

  The effect management CPU 21 reads (fetches), interprets (decodes), and executes instructions constituting the program. Then, the effect management CPU 21 reads the program and data stored in the ROM 22, and controls the effect management board 20a, particularly the effect management for the player. There are no restrictions on the processing capacity, development language, etc. of the sub CPU 21.

  The ROM 22 stores programs, data, and the like necessary for the production management CPU 21 to function as production management means and production request means. The RAM 23 is used when the production management CPU 21 performs various controls, and provides a storage area for temporarily storing data and the like.

  The image sound reproduction board 20b has a function of generating sound having an attribute specified by an effect request code that is an effect parameter included in the effect command, based on the effect command CMD supplied from the effect management board 20a. Specifically, the image sound reproduction board 20b includes an image sound processor 30, a ROM 31, a video RAM 32, an image data ROM 33, a sound source circuit 34, a sound ROM 35, and an amplifier 36.

  The image sound processor 30 includes a high-speed arithmetic circuit and the like, and can interpret and execute a program stored in the ROM 31 to perform sound control. That is, the production command CMD is received and interpreted, and a designated image can be displayed or sound can be generated.

  The ROM 31 stores various sound libraries according to the present invention, that is, modularized programs, and the image sound processor 30 executes the sound library according to the sound control according to the present invention, whereby the sound according to the present invention is stored. A control method is implemented. The ROM 31 also stores sound data in which control contents and acoustic control parameters associated with the production request code are tabulated.

  The sound ROM 35 stores phrase data (sound source data) of a maximum of 256 songs. The sound source circuit 34 includes an 8-channel sound generation circuit, and can simultaneously reproduce a maximum of 8 phrases. Then, in response to an instruction from the image sound processor, sound source data of 1 to 8 channels is read from the sound ROM 35 and synthesized, a continuous sound signal is generated, supplied via the amplifier 36, and the speakers SL, SR, SW. It is possible to generate sound.

  The image data ROM 33 stores image data such as characters, characters, and backgrounds for displaying various images. The image sound processor 30 specifies an image to be displayed and a display mode specified by the effect command CMD, reads out the corresponding image data from the image data ROM 33, generates image data of the entire display physical space, and stores it in the video RAM 32. Store. The video RAM 32 is a storage area for image data to be displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 106, and the image data stored in the video RAM 32 is periodically read and displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 106. Yes. The image sound processor 30 has a function of performing image processing for displaying a virtual three-dimensional image in real time.

  The central display board 103d includes various operation buttons (selector, bet button BET, MAX bet switch, start lever ST, left stop button SP1, middle stop button SP2, right stop button of the rotary reel device 200 and the operation unit 300 described above. SP3 etc.).

  The power supply device board PWU includes a power switch and a power supply device (not shown), and is connected to a hopper device HP. The hopper device HP is a device that stores and pays out medals, and pays out a predetermined number of medals from the stored medals to the player based on an instruction from the main CPU 11 via the power supply substrate PWU. It is configured as follows. The power switch is a switch for switching on / off of the power supply device.

(Description of function)
Next, a functional configuration of the slot machine 100 in the present embodiment will be described.
In the above-described configuration, the player places a bet button BET (B
1, B2, B3) and the start lever ST (300) are started, and the jackpot lottery is started by sequentially operating the stop buttons SP1, SP2, SP3 (300) at appropriate timing. . These operation contents are subjected to a big hit lottery process including a lottery in the main control unit 400, and the lottery result is supplied to the central display board 103d and displayed. The central display board 103d performs driving or lighting control of a display device such as a 7-segment LED or a lamp (not shown) under the control of the main control board 10.

  Further, the distribution mechanism GO and the hopper device HP are connected to the main control board 10 and controlled. Further, the sub-control board 20 controls the sound effect by the speakers SL, SR, SW and the illumination effect by the effect lamp (not shown) according to the contents of the winning mode instructed from the main control board 10 according to the progress of the game. Control of the effect display by the liquid crystal display panel 106 is performed.

FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of the present invention that is realized by the effect management board 20a and the image sound reproduction board 20b in the slot machine 100 of this embodiment, particularly the sub-control board 20.
As shown in FIG. 4, the present invention sends out an effect command CMD including an effect request code for causing an effect corresponding to a game effect according to the winning mode specified and supplied by the main control board (device) 10. The production management means 1, the storage unit 3 in which one or more sounds and a mute condition for muting the sound are stored in association with each other, and the sound based on the production request code included in the received production command CMD The sound generating means 2 to be generated is provided.

  The effect management means 1 is realized by the effect management CPU of the effect management board 20 a executing a program stored in the ROM 22. The storage unit 3 corresponds to the ROM 31 and stores sound data such as a sound library according to the present invention, a presentation request code correspondence table, and a mute attribute correspondence table 31. In the sound generation means 2, the sound source circuit 34 generates a sound signal based on sound source data in the sound ROM 35 when the image sound processor 30 executes a program stored in the ROM 31 and under the control of the image sound processor 30. This is realized.

  In particular, the sound generation means 2 refers to the mute attribute correspondence table 31 of the storage unit 3 when the mute condition is included in the effect request code in the received effect command CMD. Then, of the sound source data 21 of each channel, the access to the sound source data associated with the mute condition is stopped (functionally represented by the switch 22 in FIG. 4), and is added and synthesized by the adder 23. It functions to stop the sound corresponding to the mute attribute among the output sounds.

(Inspection environment)
The production management board (device) 20a simply determines the game production and generates the production command CMD, and the image sound reproduction board (device) 20b corresponds to the case where the production request code includes a mute attribute. It is comprised so that the mute control of the attached sound may be performed. This makes program development dramatically more efficient.

  In other words, when developing a new model of gaming machine, the manufacturer usually develops a program for upstream production management, and entrusts the creation of detailed image information and sound information and programs on the downstream side to an external development company. Has been done. In this respect, in the present embodiment, the identification of the game effect and the sound control are made independent, so that the software program for the effect management board 20a and the software program and data for sound control are independent. We were able to. Therefore, since the program development for production management and the program development and data creation for sound control can be performed independently, the development period can be greatly shortened.

  Here, in the development stage of the slot machine 100, it is necessary to inspect the image and sound on the image sound reproduction board, but the same as the sound library and sound data stored in the ROM 31 and the sound source data stored in the sound ROM 35. By having the data in the inspection device, the actual machine can be inspected effectively.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment in which diagnosis is performed by connecting an inspection apparatus to a gaming machine. Here, as the inspection apparatus 40, a PC on which a predetermined OS is mounted is illustrated.
As shown in FIG. 5, the sub control board 20 is separated from the main control board 10, and the inspection device 40 is connected to the sub control board 20 instead. The inspection apparatus 40 can supply an inspection command to the sub-control board 20 to control the sub-control board 20, or can realize a simulation environment corresponding to the image sound reproduction board 20b.

  Specifically, in the production management board 20a, when a command that is not used in a normal game is received from the inspection device 40, the command is set to the inspection command transfer mode, and a command different from the command to be set to the inspection command transfer mode is received. Sometimes, the inspection command transfer mode is changed to the normal mode. For example, data interpreted as a valid command in the normal mode is 80H to EFH, data interpreted as a command for entering the inspection command transfer mode is F0H, data assigned as the inspection command is F1H to FFH, and a forced termination command Can be assigned as FF-7F.

  The effect management board 20a supplies the same effect command CMD to the inspection apparatus 40 that is supplied to the image sound reproduction board 20b. The inspection apparatus 40 executes the same sound library 42 as that mounted on the image sound reproduction board 20b, and performs sound control based on the same sound data 41 stored on the image sound reproduction board 20b. Thus, it can be operated in the same manner as the image sound reproducing substrate 20b. Furthermore, by using sound source data developed by an outside contractor, it is possible to generate the same sound as that generated by the image sound reproduction board 20b and perform a check by listening to the sound.

(Description of operation)
Next, the operation of the gaming machine according to the acoustic control method of the present invention will be specifically described.
First, when the operation unit 300 is operated by the player, the main control board 10 performs a lottery according to the operation state, specifies a winning mode corresponding to the lottery result, and subcodes a binary code indicating the winning mode. Supply to the control board 20. This is the same even when the inspection device 40 is connected to the sub-control board 20 in the inspection mode. In the effect management board 20a, one or a plurality of game effects are specified in correspondence with the binary code indicating the winning mode. Such game effects include, for example, a character walking, a character looking up at the sky, and a balloon flying in the background. The effect management board 20a supplies an effect command CMD for realizing the specified game effect to the image sound reproduction board 20b.

  Here, the production command CMD is a collection of production request codes for designating unit operations for generating one image or sound. For example, in the case of an image, it is composed of a request code indicating which image data is displayed, how it is displayed, and how long it is displayed. The same applies to sound.

Table 1 shows an example of an effect request code for generating sound. This effect request code correspondence table is stored in the ROM 31.

  As shown in Table 1, the sound generation mode can be designated according to the header number of the effect request code. The effect request code is, for example, a 2-byte message. The request type is specified by the header number, and processing based on the numerical value of the next message byte can be performed. However, the production request code is not limited to 2 bytes, and may be provided in any form as long as it is a format that can generally indicate the content of the production.

  For example, in the case of the allocation shown in Table 1, if the header is “3”, the channel number of the sound source circuit 34 to be sounded is specified by the message byte. If “4”, the maximum 256 types stored in the sound ROM 35 are specified. A numerical value specifying one of the sound source data is specified by the message byte. On the other hand, if the header number is “8”, the sound generation is specified at a volume corresponding to the numerical value indicated by the subsequent message byte.

  If the header number is “E”, the operation state of the operation unit 300 is designated by the message byte as the mute attribute. In order to indicate the operation state, for example, each bit of the message byte includes operation buttons such as a selector, a bet button BET, a MAX bet switch, a start lever ST, a left stop button SP1, a middle stop button SP2, and a right stop button SP3. Etc.

  Here, when the header number of the effect request code shown in Table 1 in the received effect command CMD is “E” and the mute attribute is designated, the image sound processor 30 further creates a mute attribute correspondence table. It refers to and operates to stop the sound generation of the channel associated with the mute attribute. Note that the mute attribute may be associated with sound source data instead of the channel.

Table 2 shows an example of assignment of the mute attribute correspondence table.

  As shown in Table 2, one or more operation buttons of the operation unit 300 are assigned as a mute attribute to one channel. This means that when the operation buttons corresponding to the mute attribute are operated, the sound generation of the associated channel is stopped, that is, mute. For channels 0 to 4, one operation button is associated with one channel mute control, but for channels 5 to 7, the corresponding channel is muted only when a plurality of operation buttons are operated. Means. For example, if the mute attribute indicates “stop spinning reel R1”, the sound generation from channel 0 is stopped. If the mute attribute indicates “rotation reel R2 stop”, sound generation on channel 1 is stopped. To do. Furthermore, when the mute attribute indicates that both the reel reels R1 and R2 are stopped, the sound generation from the channel 5 is also stopped.

  Next, the sound control method of the present invention realized by the image sound processor 30 executing the sound library stored in the ROM 31 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This operation is the same when the inspection device 40 is connected and the inspection device 40 receives an effect command from the effect management board 20a and performs inspection or simulation.

  First, it is inspected whether or not the effect command CMD is received in the image sound control board 20b (S1). When the production command CMD has been received (S1: YES), it is inspected whether the production command CMD related to the mute attribute is included in the production command CMD (S2). For example, it is inspected whether “E” is designated in the header of the effect request code. When the production request code related to the mute attribute is not included (S2: NO), since it is a parameter related to other control, the corresponding process is executed. On the other hand, when the production request code related to sound is included (S2: YES), the message byte is referred to and the mute attribute is acquired (S3). That is, the operation state of the operation unit 300 is acquired. Then, the mute attribute correspondence table stored in the ROM 31 as shown in Table 2 is referred to, and the channel number associated with the operation state is specified (S4). Then, the sound source circuit 34 is stopped from generating the sound of the specified channel number (S5). By this processing, the sound from the channel associated with the mute attribute, that is, the operation state in Table 2, is mute.

  As shown in FIG. 5, even when the inspection device 40 is connected to the sub-control board 20 at the development stage of the gaming machine and the sound is checked, the sound library 41 inside the inspection device 40 is executed by the PC as the inspection device. Then, by referring to the sound data 42 including the correspondence table shown in Tables 1 and 2, the silencing control is executed similarly.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the mute attribute is stored in the ROM 31 in association with the sound, and the image is only required to output the operation state as the mute attribute on the effect request board 20a side. Since the sound reproduction board 20b side silences the sound according to the sound muting attribute, it is not necessary to set the sound stop control according to the operation state for each effect as the effect management program. Software development is execution.

Further, according to the first embodiment, since the processing according to the acoustic control method of the present invention is left to the most downstream sound library, the creation and modification of the upstream program is restricted by the fine acoustic control method of the present invention. Can be free without
Therefore, program development can be shared and assigned to different developers or development companies, and the division of labor can greatly reduce the development period.

(Embodiment 2)
The second embodiment of the present invention relates to control when changing the correspondence between the mute attribute and the channel in the inspection apparatus.
The hardware configuration and system configuration in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment. In particular, the second embodiment relates to control suitable for the case where the inspection device 40 is connected in the development stage.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart for explaining the mute control in the second embodiment.
The flowchart in the present embodiment is executed by the inspection device 40 executing the same sound library 41 stored in the ROM 31 and referring to the same sound data 42 stored in the ROM 31. This difference is whether or not the mute attribute correspondence table as shown in Table 2 is configured to be rewritable. For this reason, in the image sound reproduction board 20b, if the mute attribute correspondence table is configured to be stored in a rewritable RAM area, the processing can be realized by the gaming machine 100 alone.

  First, it is inspected whether or not the effect command CMD is received in the image sound control board 20b (S10). When the effect command CMD has been received (S1: YES), it is checked whether the effect command code related to the mute attribute is included in the effect command CMD (S11). For example, it is inspected whether “E” is designated in the header of the effect request code. When the production request code related to the mute attribute is not included (S11: NO), since it is a parameter related to other control, the corresponding process is executed.

  If an effect request code related to sound is included (S11: YES), it is further determined whether this effect request code is supplied to start sound generation (S12). For example, it is determined whether another effect request code supplied before or after the effect request code indicates that a specific channel is sounded.

  As a result of this determination, if it is determined that the effect request code received this time is related to pronunciation (S12: YES), the message byte following the effect request code is referred to, and the mute attribute is acquired. The mute attribute corresponding to the designated channel in the mute attribute correspondence table (Table 2) is rewritten (S13). When an effect request code including the mute attribute is received next by this rewriting, the channel associated with the newly rewritten mute attribute is mute.

  If it is determined that the sound generation is not started (S12: NO), it is determined whether the production request code is related to the mute attribute (S14). If the production request code specifies the mute attribute (YES), the mute attribute correspondence table is referred to in the same manner as in the first embodiment (S15), and the sound generation of the channel associated with the mute attribute is stopped. (S16).

  When the sound generation of the channel is further stopped, the record referred to in the mute attribute correspondence table, that is, the mute attribute assigned to one channel is deleted and invalidated (S17). By disabling the mute attribute, even if an effect request code including the mute attribute is transmitted next time, the sound generation stop of that channel is not executed. Such automatic setting processing is convenient in a development / debug environment.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the same effects as the first embodiment, the mute attribute can be freely set, so that a convenient function can be provided at the development stage of developing the production contents. Is possible.

  Further, according to the second embodiment, the mute attribute is automatically invalidated and deleted when the mute attribute is used after the mute attribute is set, so that it is not necessary to delete the mute correspondence table consciously. It is possible to provide convenient functions for program development.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be implemented with various modifications.
For example, in each embodiment, the “mute” control is performed, but it is not necessarily limited to the process of stopping the sound being generated. It goes without saying that the process of reducing the volume, the process of changing the tone, and the timbre are also acceptable.

  Further, in the above embodiment, a table in which channels and mute attributes are associated with each other is stored and sound is stopped in units of channels, but instead a table in which sound source data and mute attributes are associated is used, The sound may be stopped (changed) in units of sound sources.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, only the slot machine is illustrated and described as a gaming machine, but it can also be applied to a pachinko machine or the like, and in this case, the same effect as the slot machine can be obtained. It is done.

Front view showing the external structure of the slot machine Sectional view showing the internal structure of the slot machine Block diagram of the control system built in the slot machine Functional block diagram of the present invention Cited diagram to explain one connection form of inspection device The flowchart which shows operation | movement of Embodiment 1. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of Embodiment 2.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Production management means, 2 ... Sound generation means, 3 ... Memory | storage part, 10 ... Main control board, 11 ... Main CPU, 14, 24 ... Interface (I / F) circuit, 17 ... Display window, 20 ... Sub control board 20a ... production management board, 20b ... image sound reproduction board, 21 ... production management CPU, 12, 31 ... ROM, 13, 23 ... RAM, 30 ... image sound processor, 32 ... video RAM, 33 ... image data ROM, 34 ... Sound source circuit, 35 ... Sound ROM, 36 ... Amplifier, 40 ... Inspection device, 41 ... Sound data, 41 ... Sound library, 101 ... Front door, 102 ... Housing, 103a ... Production lamp, 103 ... Upper panel part, 103d ... Central display board, 103b, 103c ... Sound emission part, 104 ... Operation part, 104 ... Middle panel part, 105 ... Lower panel part, 105b ... Dish, 105a ... Outlet, 105c ... Sound emitting unit, 106 ... Liquid crystal display panel, 200 ... Spinning reel device, 201 ... Sound source data, 202 ... Switch, 203 ... Adder, 300 ... Operation unit, 301 ... Muting attribute correspondence table, 400 ... Main Control unit, HP ... Hopper device, PWU ... Power supply board, R1, R2, R3 ... Spindle reel, SHP ... Auxiliary storage, SL, SR, SW ... Speaker, SP1 ... Left stop button, SP1, SP2, SP3 ... Stop button, SP2 ... middle stop button, SP3 ... right stop button, SR, SL, SW ... speaker, ST ... start lever

Claims (9)

A gaming machine in which a game effect is produced according to the operation state of the operation unit,
Production management means for sending an production request code for producing the production corresponding to the game production,
A storage unit in which one or more sounds and a change condition for causing a predetermined change in the sound are associated and stored;
Sound generating means for generating the sound based on the received effect request code,
A gaming machine, wherein, when the change request is included in the effect request code received, the sound associated with the change condition is changed with reference to the storage unit. The sound generating means is
The said change attribute is recorded on the said memory | storage part in response to the said sound with respect to the said memory | storage part, when the said sound and the said change attribute are designated in the received said production request code. The gaming machine described. The sound generating means is
The change condition associated with the sound recorded in the recording unit is invalidated when any one of the sounds is changed based on the received production request code. 2. The gaming machine according to 2.   The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the predetermined change is a process of muting the associated sound.   The gaming machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the change condition is associated with an operation state of the operation unit.   The gaming machine according to claim 5, wherein the change condition for one sound is associated with an operation state or / and an operation order of a plurality of the operation units. An acoustic control device that generates a predetermined sound,
A storage unit in which one or more sounds and a change condition for causing a predetermined change in the sound are associated and stored;
Sound generating means for generating the sound based on the received effect request code,
An acoustic control device, wherein the sound associated with the change condition is changed with reference to the storage unit when the change condition is included in the effect request code received. A sound control method for generating a predetermined sound,
Associating one or more sounds with a change condition for causing the sound to have a predetermined change;
Generating any of said sounds;
A step of changing the sound associated with the change condition when the change request is included in the received effect request code;
An acoustic control method comprising: A sound library for an acoustic control device,
Associating one or more sounds with a change condition for causing the sound to have a predetermined change;
Generating any of said sounds;
A step of changing the sound associated with the change condition when the change request is included in the received effect request code;
A sound library programmed to allow an acoustic control device to execute.