JP2010269013A - Pinball game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for guaranteeing the operation certainty of a movable accessory by a relatively simple configuration in a pinball game machine. <P>SOLUTION: A Pachinko game machine of a certain form is provided with a performance of controlling the timing of ball entry to a ball entrance 28 by rotating a rotating body 24 and switching performance contents according to a slit that a game ball passes through when the ball enters as a notice performance. The rotating body 24 is rotationally driven by a stepping motor 159, the rotating position is calculated on the basis of the number of rotation steps, and thus the slit is specified. In the meantime, though a rotation error is sometimes generated because of a problem in terms of a mechanism or the like when such rotation control of the rotating body 24 is repeated, since the width of each slit is formed so as to be larger than the width of the ball entrance 28 by a prescribed amount to absorb the rotation error, the execution of a rotating body notice performance is not obstructed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball game machine such as a pachinko game machine, and more particularly to a technique for controlling the progress of a game and production in a ball game machine.

  Conventionally, among the various ball game machines, a so-called first type pachinko game machine is used while changing a plurality of symbols in a display area such as a liquid crystal display provided substantially at the center of the game board. Display (hereinafter, such display is referred to as “symbol change” or “change display”). In this gaming machine, when a combination of symbols when a plurality of rows of symbol fluctuations is stopped, a special winning combination is opened a predetermined number of times to obtain more prize balls than a normal game. It is known to shift to a special game called jackpot (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The variable display of symbols in the display area is not only a variable display of multiple symbols, but the time of variable display is usually reduced in a state where it is a big hit if one more symbols are aligned, as in the so-called reach screen. For example, an effect is made to increase the player's expectation, such as making it longer. In addition, the player's expectation can be enhanced by controlling the specific game such as the probability variation that changes the probability of transition to special games by giving the story to the variation display using characters on the images such as symbols Yes.

  Further, in recent years, the aspect of the game effect is not limited to the content of the screen display content, and an increasing number of models are provided with a mechanically operated effect structure called a so-called movable accessory on the game board surface or around the liquid crystal screen (for example, Patent Document 2). While manufacturers are constantly pursuing innovative gameplay and production, not only will the production of such novelty be realized with the contents displayed on the LCD screen, but also the operation of mechanical elements. Is an attempt.

JP 2003-230714 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-14408

  Some of these gaming machines control a rotating body as a movable accessory by driving an actuator such as a stepping motor, and change the game state thereafter by switching the course of the game ball with the rotating body. In such a type of gaming machine, the path is switched depending on the rotational position of the rotating body when the game ball reaches the rotating body, and therefore it is necessary to accurately control the rotating body so that the switching can be performed reliably. For this reason, a plurality of sensors for detecting rotation are generally provided, and the rotational position of the rotating body is calculated based on the sensor output and displaced to a desired position. However, from the viewpoint of cost reduction and space saving, etc. Therefore, it is preferable that the number of sensors can be reduced as much as possible. On the other hand, since a driving force transmission mechanism such as a reduction gear is interposed between the motor and the rotating body, the desired game control is ensured even when control errors when driving them are taken into account. It is necessary to do so.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a subject, The objective is to provide the technique for ensuring the operation | movement reliability of a movable accessory with a comparatively simple structure in a ball game machine.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a bullet ball game machine according to an aspect of the present invention includes a game board in which a game area is formed, a specific area that is partitioned at a predetermined position of the game area, and into which a game ball can drop. , Provided in a specific area, the entrance of the game ball to change the gaming state, and the game ball that is provided to face the front side of the entrance, A stopping portion capable of stopping, a rotating body disposed so as to be able to block the circulation of the game ball between the entrance and the stopping portion, a stepping motor that rotationally drives the rotating body in the forward direction or the reverse direction, Rotation control of the rotator is controlled by selecting one of a plurality of rotation patterns that determine the rotation process from the start of rotation to the stop of the rotator according to the gaming state, and driving the stepping motor according to the selected rotation pattern And the rotation position of the rotating body Is detected based on the number of rotation steps of the stepping motor triggered by the detection of the predetermined reference position, the entrance detection means for detecting the entrance of the game ball to the entrance, and the entrance Game control means for changing the game state triggered by entering the mouth.

  A plurality of openings are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating body, and when one of the openings is displaced to a predetermined position range overlapping the entrance, the game ball stopped at the stop is opened. It is configured to be able to enter the entrance through the entrance. The accessory control means holds, as the number of rotation steps from the reference position, the rotation control amount of the rotating body for displacing each of the plurality of openings to a position overlapping with the entrance, and according to the gaming state, Control is performed so that the opening is displaced to a position overlapping the entrance. In addition, the rotation body is free from any rotation error caused by the normal rotation and reverse rotation regardless of any rotation control that is assumed in the design by selecting one of a plurality of rotation patterns in the game process. The width of each of the plurality of openings in the rotational direction is formed so as to be larger than the width of the entrance by a predetermined amount so as not to hinder entrance into the entrance through the ball. The game control means determines which of the plurality of openings the game ball has passed based on the rotational position information of the rotating body calculated when the ball entering the ball entrance is detected, and the game ball The gaming state is changed according to the opening through which the player passes.

  According to this aspect, the specific area is defined and formed at a predetermined position of the game area, and only the game ball dropped into the specific area can pass through the entrance. Although this “entrance entrance” is an opportunity to change the gaming state, it does not have to be an opportunity to pay out the winning ball even if the gaming ball enters. The “game state change” referred to here may be one that changes the contents of the game effect. A stopping part is provided on the front side of the entrance, and at least a part of the game balls dropped into the specific area stops at the stopping part. A rotating body is disposed between the stopping portion and the entrance, and the game ball stopped at the stopping portion can be guided to the entrance by the rotational position of the rotating body. That is, depending on the rotational position of the rotator, the passage between the stopping portion and the entrance is blocked, but the rotator is provided with a plurality of openings in the circumferential direction. When rotated so as to overlap the entrance, the distribution of game balls between the two is allowed. The “opening” may be a hole provided in the peripheral portion of the main body of the rotating body, or may be a slit provided in the outer peripheral portion.

  The rotating body is driven to rotate by a stepping motor, and the rotation position is managed based on the number of rotation steps of the stepping motor. That is, a detected portion is provided at a predetermined position of the rotating body, and a rotation position at which the detected portion is detected by the position detecting means is set as a reference position. Then, the current rotational position of the rotator is calculated by counting the number of rotation steps when the rotator is driven in the forward direction or the reverse direction from the reference position. When the rotating body rotates and the reference position is detected again, the calculation reference for the rotational position is reset. In the rotation control of the rotating body, any one of a plurality of rotation patterns for which the operation process is determined is selected, and one of the openings is displaced to a position overlapping the entrance. As a result, the game ball passes through the opening displaced to the overlapping position and enters the entrance. At this time, it can be determined from the rotation control amount of the rotating body (that is, the number of rotation steps from the reference position) which opening has been displaced to a position overlapping the entrance. That is, according to this aspect, since it is possible to specify which opening has passed through and the ball has entered the entrance, the gaming property of changing the gaming state according to the specified opening Is realized.

  On the other hand, when the rotation of the rotating body is controlled to rotate in the forward or reverse direction, a control error (rotation error) occurs due to a mechanical structure problem or the like. For this reason, if there is no allowance for setting the overlapping portion between the opening and the entrance, there will be no passage that allows the game ball to pass even if the opening is controlled to a position facing the entrance. there is a possibility. With respect to this point, in this aspect, the width in the rotation direction of each opening is formed to be larger than the width of the entrance by a predetermined amount, and the rotation error is absorbed. Specifically, since it is set so that the accumulated rotation error can be absorbed even in consideration of the combination of rotation patterns assumed in the design and the timing at which the reference position is detected, Problems are prevented from occurring. In other words, it is only necessary to provide one reference position because the error can be absorbed in this way. That is, it is sufficient to provide one detection unit as the position detection unit, and it is possible to ensure the operational reliability of the rotating body with a relatively simple configuration.

  Specifically, the position detecting means may include a sensor that detects the reference position when the specific opening that is one of the plurality of openings is displaced to a position that overlaps the entrance. The game control means, when displacing the specific opening to a position overlapping with the entrance, controls to stop the rotating body when the reference position is detected by the sensor, and other openings excluding the specific opening May be controlled to stop the rotating body when the number of rotation steps from the reference position reaches the number of rotation steps set for each opening.

  According to this aspect, the displacement of one of the openings is directly detected by the sensor, and the other opening is calculated from the number of steps from the reference position. In other words, the specific opening can be opposed to the entrance with substantially no rotation error, and the design efficiency is excellent.

  More specifically, it is determined whether or not to shift to a special game that is more advantageous to the player than a normal game, triggered by the start opening provided at a predetermined position in the game area and entering the start opening. The winner / lottery means for executing the winner / lottery to perform, the special game control means for executing the special game when the winner / lottery results in the transition to the special game, and the design for showing the result of the winner / lottery A symbol display device that displays variation, a variation pattern determination means that selects any one of a plurality of variation patterns in which a variation process from variation start to stop in the symbol variation display is determined according to the result of the lottery determination, and selection The effect determining means for determining the effect content to be accompanied by the symbol variation display according to the determined variation pattern, the symbol variation according to the selected variation pattern being displayed, and within the determined effect Display control means for displaying a may further include a. The effect determining means and the display control means function as the game control means, the effect determining means holds a plurality of effect contents each having different expectation levels suggested in the effect as a result of the success / failure lottery, and the game ball has a plurality of openings. Depending on which of the sections has been passed, it may be determined which of the plurality of effects is selected.

  According to this aspect, the content of the effect changes depending on which of the plurality of openings has passed, and the degree of expectation varies depending on the content of the effect. That is, the degree of expectation for the effect varies depending on which opening the game ball passes through. For this reason, it is possible to achieve the game efficiency of encouraging the player's expectation by the operation of the rotating body.

  The accessory control means may control the rotation of the rotator so that when the result of the winning / failing lottery is a win, the content of the effect having a higher expectation level is displayed than when the winning is selected. According to this aspect, it is possible to ensure the consistency between the winning expectation suggested by the operation of the rotating body and the actual result of the lottery.

  A winning opening is provided between the entrance of the specific area and the stopping portion, and the passing of gaming balls triggers a payout of a predetermined number of balls, and the gaming balls that stop at the stopping portion become gaming balls via the winning opening. It may be configured to be limited. Here, the “winning opening” may be one in which the winning ball becomes an opportunity for winning / failing lottery and symbol variation as in the case of the starting port. According to this aspect, a game ball (so-called “dead ball”) in which a prize ball payout is confirmed by passing through the winning opening and the influence on the ball is already eliminated (so-called “dead ball”) is used. That is, there is an advantage that the structure and operation of the rotating body can be freely designed because it does not affect the ball that is directly linked to the player's profit.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements, or the constituent elements and expressions of the present invention may be mutually replaced between methods, apparatuses, systems, computer programs, recording media storing computer programs, data structures, etc. This is effective as an embodiment of the present invention.

  According to the ball game machine of the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for ensuring the operational reliability of the movable accessory with a relatively simple configuration.

It is a figure which shows the basic structure in the front side of a pachinko game machine. It is a figure which shows the basic structure in the back side of a pachinko game machine. It is an enlarged view which shows the structure of a rotary body and its periphery. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates rotation control of a rotary body. It is a figure which shows the functional block of the pachinko game machine in a present Example. It is a figure showing the example of a screen of the rotary body notice effect displayed on an effect display device during a normal game. It is a data structure figure of the notice determination table used when determining a notice effect pattern. It is a data structure figure of the rotation pattern determination table used when a rotator notice is determined. FIG. 10 is a data structure diagram of an effect pattern determination table used when there is a ball entering the ball entrance in the process of executing the rotary body notice effect. It is a flowchart which shows the basic operation | movement process in a pachinko game machine. It is a flowchart which shows the normal game control process of S14 in FIG. 10 in detail. 12 is a flowchart showing in detail the success / failure determination process of S34 in FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing in detail a notice effect execution process of S41 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows in detail the rotor notification execution process of S104 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows in detail the special game control process of S16 in FIG.

FIG. 1 shows a basic structure on the front side of a pachinko gaming machine. Hereinafter, a so-called first type pachinko gaming machine, which is conventionally known as a bullet ball gaming machine, will be described as an example.
The pachinko gaming machine 10 is mainly composed of a gaming machine frame and a gaming board. The gaming machine frame of the pachinko gaming machine 10 includes an outer frame 11, a front frame 12, a transparent plate 13, a door 14, an upper ball dish 15, a lower ball dish 16, and a launch handle 17. The outer frame 11 has an opening and is a frame for fixing the pachinko gaming machine 10 to a position where it should be installed. The front frame 12 is a frame body that aligns with the opening portion of the outer frame 11, and is attached to the outer frame 11 so as to be opened and closed by a hinge mechanism (not shown). The front frame 12 includes a mechanism for launching a game ball, a mechanism for detachably storing a game board, a mechanism for guiding or collecting the game ball, and the like.

  The transparent plate 13 is made of glass or the like and is supported by the door 14. The door 14 is attached to the front frame 12 so as to be openable and closable by a hinge mechanism (not shown). The upper ball tray 15 has a mechanism for storing game balls, sending out the game balls to the launch rail, and extracting the game balls to the lower ball tray 16. The lower ball tray 16 has a mechanism for storing and extracting game balls. A speaker 18 is provided between the upper ball tray 15 and the lower ball tray 16, and a sound effect corresponding to the gaming state is output.

  The game board 50 has an out port 58, a special symbol display device 61, an effect display device 60, a first start winning port (hereinafter referred to as "first start port") on a game area 52 partitioned by the outer rail 54 and the inner rail 56. 62 ”, a center ornament 64, a big winning opening 66, an operation opening 68, and a general winning opening 72. The center decoration 64 is partitioned so as to largely surround the central portion of the game area 52, and the effect display device 60 is disposed inside the center decoration 64. A rotating body 24, a sorting device 26, and a ball entrance 28 are further provided inside the center decoration 64. The distribution device 26 includes a second start winning opening (hereinafter referred to as “second start opening”) 63 and an out opening 65. Furthermore, in the game area 52, a plurality of mechanisms such as a game nail and a windmill (not shown) are installed.

  The first start port 62 includes a start winning detection device 74 for detecting the entrance of a game ball, and a normal electric accessory solenoid 75 for expanding the expansion mechanism of the first start port 62. When the expansion mechanism of the first start port 62 is expanded, the opening width of the first start port 62 is expanded and the ease of entering the ball is improved. The start winning detection device 74 is a sensor that detects the entry of a game ball into the first start port 62, and generates first start winning information indicating the winning at the time of entering.

  The distribution device 26 has a disc-shaped main body called a so-called croon, and a second start port 63 and an out port 65 are provided so as to penetrate the main body vertically. An opening 71 is provided on the left side of the center ornament 64, and a rail-shaped warp passage 79 is provided so as to bridge the opening 71 and the sorting device 26. That is, the game ball dropped into the center decoration 64 through the opening 71 passes through the warp passage 79 and crosses the front of the rotating body 24 and is guided to the distribution device 26. The game ball enters the second start port 63 or the out port 65 with almost the same probability. In other words, the shape of the Kroon is configured as such. The second start port 63 includes a start winning detection device 76 for detecting the entrance of a game ball. The start winning detection device 76 is a sensor that detects the entry of a game ball into the second start opening 63, and generates second start winning information indicating the winning at the time of entering.

  The rotating body 24 is disposed opposite to the lower portion of the effect display device 60 below the center decoration 64 and has a rotation axis extending in the front-rear direction of the game area 52. A stage 84 is provided at the lower end of the center ornament 64, and a special passage 85 is provided on the back side and one step above the stage 84. The special passage 85 is a passage for guiding the game ball to the rotating body 24 when the rotating body notice effect described later is used. A ball entrance 28 is provided in accordance with the center position of the special passage 85, and the rotating shaft of the rotating body 24 is provided slightly above the ball entrance 28. The game ball that has entered the second start port 63 falls into the special passage 85 and is guided to the center position thereof, and the entrance port 28 when the rotation position of the rotating body 24 reaches a predetermined position that allows entry. Led to. The entrance 28 includes an entrance detection device 77 for detecting entrance of a game ball. The entrance detection device 77 is a sensor that detects the entrance of a game ball to the entrance 28, and generates specific entrance information indicating the entrance when entering. The game ball that has entered the entrance 28 is discharged to the back of the game area 52 as it is. The entrance to the entrance 28 and the timing thereof are elements for switching the content of the effect displayed on the effect display device 60, and details thereof will be described later. The game ball that has entered the out port 65 is discharged to the back of the game area 52 as it is. In addition, since the warp passage 79 has a simple configuration including a pair of rod-shaped guide rails, depending on the momentum and the number of game balls that have entered the opening 71, some of them fall to the front side. The stage 84 receives the dropped game ball and guides it to the central portion located directly above the first start port 62. Although not clearly shown in the figure, since the central part of the stage 84 is slightly inclined toward the front (front side in the figure), the game ball guided to the central part is almost certainly the first. It will come into the starting port 62. On the other hand, since a wall is provided at the central portion of the special passage 85 at the boundary with the stage 84, the game ball guided to the central portion of the special passage 85 (the stop portion of the game ball) falls to the stage 84 side. Is prevented.

  The general winning opening 72 includes a general winning detecting device 73 for detecting the entering of a game ball. The general winning detection device 73 is a sensor that detects the entry of a game ball into the general winning opening 72, and generates general winning information indicating the winning at the time of winning. The special winning opening 66 includes a winning detection device 78 for detecting the entry of a game ball and a special winning opening solenoid 80 for expanding the special winning opening 66. The winning detection device 78 is a sensor that detects the entry of a game ball into the big winning opening 66, and generates big winning opening winning information indicating the winning at the time of winning.

  The big winning opening 66 is a horizontal rectangular winning opening that is opened as a “big hit” when the special symbol 192 stops in a predetermined manner. The big winning opening 66 is provided above the out opening 58 and the like. The winning detection device 78 of the big winning opening 66 includes a sensor that detects the passage of a game ball.

  The special symbol display device 61 provided on the left side of the game area 52 and the effect display device 60 provided in the approximate center of the game area 52 have a variation of the special symbol 192 on each screen and a decoration linked to the special symbol 192. The variation of the effect image including the symbol 190 is displayed (hereinafter, such display is referred to as “symbol variation” or “variation display”). Here, the special symbol 192 is a symbol corresponding to the result of the lottery performed when the game ball is dropped into the first starting port 62 or the second starting port 63, and the change display is stopped. When the symbol pattern is a symbol determined to be a win, the timing at which the stop symbol is displayed is the jackpot occurrence timing.

  The special symbol display device 61 is display means composed of, for example, 7 segment LEDs. The effect display device 60 is a liquid crystal display that variably displays the decorative symbol 190 in a manner interlocked with the variation display of the special symbol 192. The decorative symbol 190 is a symbol for visually rendering the lottery result display indicated by the special symbol 192. The effect display device 60 displays, as the decorative symbol 190, for example, a plurality of rows of moving images of symbol variation simulating a slot machine game in the central area of the screen. The effect display device 60 is constituted by a liquid crystal display in this embodiment, but may be constituted by a mechanical rotating device such as a drum or other display means such as an LED. Since the special symbol 192 does not necessarily have a role of production, in this embodiment, the special symbol 192 is displayed in an inconspicuous size on the special symbol display device 61 at the lower left of the production display device 60. In the case of adopting a technique in which a decorative role is not displayed and a decorative symbol is not displayed, the special symbol may be displayed on a liquid crystal display such as the effect display device 60.

  The operation port 68 is provided at the left side position of the game board 50. The operation port 68 includes a passage detection device 69. The passage detection device 69 is a sensor that detects the passage of the game ball to the operation port 68, and generates passage information indicating the passage at the time of passage. The passing of the game ball to the operation port 68 triggers an open lottery for determining whether or not to expand the expansion mechanism of the first start port 62. When the game ball passes through the operation port 68, a normal symbol, which is a symbol indicating the result of the open lottery, is variably displayed on the normal symbol display device 59. The normal symbol display device 59 is provided on the lower right side of the effect display device 60. When the normal symbol fluctuation display stops after the predetermined time has elapsed, the first start port 62 is normally expanded for a predetermined time with a probability of about 50% to 80%.

  A center ornament 64 is provided around the effect display device 60. The center decoration 64 has functions such as a flow path of the game ball, protection of the special symbol display device 61 and the effect display device 60, and decoration. A lottery hold lamp 20 is provided below the effect display device 60, and an operation hold lamp 22 is provided below the normal symbol display device 59 at the lower right of the game area 52, which is a symmetrical position. . The lottery hold lamp 20 is composed of four lamps, and displays the number of lottery holds depending on the number of lights. The number of lottery holds is the number of lottery results won in the first start port 62 or the second start port 63 during symbol variation or special game, and indicates the number of winning balls for which symbol variation has not yet been executed. . The operation hold lamp 22 is also composed of four lamps, and displays the number of hold of normal symbol fluctuations depending on the number of lights. The number of normal symbol fluctuations held is the number of game balls that have passed through the operation port 68 during the fluctuation of the normal symbol, and indicates the number of normal symbol lotteries for which the fluctuation of the normal symbol has not yet been executed. Furthermore, game effect lamps 90 are respectively provided above and below the effect display device 60. The operation button 82 is a button operated by the player to input a predetermined instruction to the gaming machine. The operation button 82 is provided on the outer wall surface near the upper ball tray 15.

  When the player rotates the launch handle 17 by hand, the game balls stored in the upper ball tray 15 are guided one by one to the inner rail 56 and the outer rail 54 with a strength corresponding to the rotation angle, thereby playing the game area. To 52. When the player fixes the rotation position of the firing handle 17 by hand, the game ball is repeatedly fired at regular time intervals. The game ball launched to the upper part of the game area 52 falls in a direction according to the way of hitting while hitting a plurality of game nails and windmills. When a game ball falls into each of the general winning opening 72, the first starting opening 62, the second starting opening 63, and the big winning opening 66, the winning ball corresponding to the type of the winning opening is the upper ball tray 15 or the lower It is paid out to the ball tray 16. A game ball dropped into each winning port such as the general winning port 72 is processed as a safe ball, and a game ball dropped into the out port 58 or the out port 65 is processed as an out ball. Each winning opening includes a gate type through which a game ball passes. In this application, “incoming”, “entering”, and “winning” include “passing”.

  When the game ball enters the first start port 62 or the second start port 63, the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 are variably displayed on the special symbol display device 61 and the effect display device 60. The variable display of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 is stopped after the elapse of the display time determined prior to the display. When the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 at the time of the stop are symbols indicating a big hit, the game shifts to a special game that is more advantageous to the player than the normal game, and the opening / closing operation of the big prize opening 66 is started. At this time, the decorative pattern 190 simulating the game of the slot machine takes a display mode in which the three patterns are matched. In the special game, the grand prize winning slot 66 is temporarily closed after being opened for about 30 seconds or after nine or more game balls are dropped. Such opening / closing of the big prize opening 66 is repeated a predetermined number of times, for example, 15 times.

  In the normal game after the end of the special game, a variable time shortening game (hereinafter referred to as “time reduction” as appropriate) that is one of the specific games is started. In the variation time shortening game, the variation time of the special symbol and the decorative symbol is shortened from the normal time. The variation time of the special symbol and the decorative symbol is returned to the original variation time after the variation display of a predetermined variation number is performed. When a special game occurs and the winning stop pattern at that time is in a specific mode, a probability variation game (hereinafter referred to as “probability change” as appropriate) that is one of the specific games after the special game ends Be started. In the probability variation game, a lottery with a higher win probability than the normal probability state is performed, and a new special game is generated relatively early.

FIG. 2 shows a basic structure on the back side of the pachinko gaming machine.
The power switch 40 is a switch for turning on / off the power of the pachinko gaming machine 10. The main board 102 controls the overall operation of the pachinko gaming machine 10 and processes all game operations such as lottery when winning the first starting port 62 or the second starting port 63 in particular. The sub board 104 includes the liquid crystal unit 42 and controls display contents on the effect display device 60, operations of the plurality of movable objects 140, and lighting of the game effect lamp 90, and in particular, display contents according to the lottery result by the main board 102. And the lighting of the movable accessory 140 and the game effect lamp 90 is activated along with the progress of the production. The main board 102 and the sub board 104 constitute a game control device 100. The set substrate 39 includes a prize ball tank 44, a flow path for prize balls, a payout unit 43 for delivering prize balls. The payout unit 43 pays out the game balls supplied from the winning ball tank 44 to the upper ball tray 15 in accordance with winning in each winning opening. The payout control board 45 controls the payout operation by the payout unit 43. The launching device 46 launches the stored balls in the upper ball tray 15 to the game area 52 one by one. The launch control board 47 controls the launch operation of the launch device 46. The power supply unit 48 supplies power to each part of the pachinko gaming machine 10.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the configuration of the rotating body and its periphery. (A) shows the front view, (b) and (c) show the AA arrow directional cross-sectional view of (a). (B) shows a state in which the rotating body 24 is in a permissible state allowing entry into the entrance 28, and (c) shows a blocking state in which the rotating body 24 prevents entry into the entrance 28. It shows a certain time.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the rotating body 24 has a disk-shaped main body that can rotate around its rotating shaft 157, and four slits 151, 152, and 153 along the peripheral edge of the main body. , 154 are formed at equal intervals (in this embodiment, every 90 degrees). These four slits all have the same shape, but are distinguished from each other for production purposes, and therefore will be described as a first slit 151, a second slit 152, a third slit 153, and a fourth slit 154, respectively. The opening edge of the first slit 151 is blue, the opening edge of the second slit 152 is yellow, the opening edge of the third slit 153 is green, and the fourth slit 154 The opening edge is red. The player can identify which slit it is by looking at the color attached to the slit. These colors are related to the degree of expectation (referred to as “expected expectation degree”) that the result of the success / failure lottery is a win, and the details thereof will be described later. Each slit has substantially the same height as the entrance 28 and a width larger than the opening width of the entrance 28 by a predetermined amount.

  The special passage 85 has an inclined surface that decreases toward the center where the entrance 28 is located. The central portion of the special passage 85 has a shape that follows the outer circle of the rotating body 24, and forms a stopping portion 86 that stops the game ball rolling on the special passage 85. That is, as shown in the figure, when the game ball 95 guided to the sorting device 26 through the warp passage 79 enters the second starting port 63, it falls into the special passage 85 and is guided to the stopping portion 86. On the other hand, when the game ball 95 guided to the distribution device 26 enters the out port 65, it does not fall into the special passage 85 but is discharged to the back of the game area 52 through the discharge hole 88. As described above, a wall for preventing the game ball from falling is provided between the stop 86 (the center of the special passage 85) and the stage 84 (see FIG. 1). In FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, a substrate 158 for supporting the rotating shaft 157 is provided on the back of the rotating body 24, and further, a mechanism and a detection device necessary for rotationally driving the rotating body 24 are provided. Has been. That is, a stepping motor 159 and a position detection device 160 are disposed on the substrate 158. A gear 161 is provided on the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 159, and a gear 162 having a larger number of teeth is provided on the rotating shaft 157 of the rotating body 24, and these are meshed. The rotation of the stepping motor 159 is decelerated according to the reduction ratio between these gears 161 and 162 and transmitted to the rotating body 24.

  The position detection device 160 includes a sensor that detects a rotation reference position of the rotating body 24, and generates reference position detection information when the rotation reference position is detected. Specifically, the position detection device 160 is composed of a transmissive optical sensor configured by arranging a light emitting element and a light receiving element to face each other. A shielding plate 155 (detected portion) having a predetermined width is provided in the vicinity of the third slit 153 on the back surface of the rotating body 24. When the shielding plate 155 is positioned on the position detection device 160, that is, with the light emitting element. It is detected that the rotating body 24 is positioned at the rotation reference position when the light is blocked by being positioned between the light receiving elements. In this embodiment, the first slit 151 is a specific opening, and a state where the first slit 151 is overlapped with the entrance 28 as shown is detected together with the rotation reference position. In a modified example, a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element may be provided on the same side with respect to the shielding plate 155, and a reflection-type optical sensor that detects the rotation reference position based on whether or not the reflected light is detected may be employed.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, when any of the slits faces the entrance 28, the game ball 95 can enter the entrance 28. As shown in the figure, the special passage 85 has a configuration slightly inclined toward the entrance 28 in the stop 86, so that a smooth entry is realized. This permissible state is realized each time the rotating body 24 rotates about 45 degrees in the forward direction or the reverse direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5C, when any slit does not overlap the entrance 28, entry into the entrance 28 is blocked. Similarly, even when any of the slits partially overlaps the entrance slot 28, entry into the entrance slot 28 is similarly prevented. In the present embodiment, the width of each slit is made larger than the width of the entrance slot 28 in order to increase the tolerance of this overlap.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating rotation control of the rotating body. (A) shows a state corresponding to FIG. 3 (a), (b) shows a state rotated clockwise from (a), and (c) shows a state rotated counterclockwise from (a). Yes.

  In the present embodiment, the rotation position of the rotating body 24 is calculated based on the number of rotation steps in the forward rotation direction or the reverse rotation direction of the stepping motor 159 based on the rotation reference position described above, and the rotation body 24 is the target rotation. Rotation control is performed so that the position is displaced. The target position is set by the rotation pattern selected by lottery and the combination thereof. When the rotator 24 rotates once and the rotation reference position is detected again, the current position information is once reset, and the subsequent rotation position is calculated with the position as the rotation reference position. That is, in the rotation control of the rotating body 24, any one of a plurality of rotation patterns for which the operation process is determined is selected, and one of the slits is displaced to a position where it overlaps the entrance 28. As a result, the game ball 95 enters the entrance 28 through the slit displaced to the overlapping position. At this time, which slit is displaced to a position where it overlaps the entrance 28 is determined from the rotation control amount of the rotating body 24 (that is, the number of rotation steps from the rotation reference position). In this embodiment, since the number of rotation steps per rotation of the rotating body 24 is 980 steps, rotation control of 245 steps may be performed in order to rotate 90 degrees.

  On the other hand, when the rotation of the rotating body 24 is controlled to rotate in the normal direction or the reverse direction, a control error (rotation error) occurs due to a mechanical problem including backlash between the gear 161 and the gear 162. Thus, the width of each slit in the rotation direction is formed to be larger than the width of the entrance 28 by a predetermined amount, and the rotation error is designed to be absorbed. That is, the rotation that the rotation body 24 starts rotating from the rotation reference position shown in FIG. 5A and the normal rotation or reverse rotation is repeated until the next rotation reference position is detected, and the rotation error is maximized. Even if a pattern is selected, the error in the forward direction does not exceed the limit angle θ shown in FIG. 4B, and the error in the reverse direction does not exceed the limit angle θ shown in FIG. The width of each slit is set. Here, the “limit angle θ” means an angle at which a part of the entrance 28 does not overlap the slit when it is further rotated, and the passage of the game ball 95 is obstructed. In this embodiment, an angle for 20 steps is set as the limit angle. Here, the limit angle θ is set to the same value for both the forward rotation and the reverse rotation, but different values may be set in consideration of the case where the rotation is biased to either one.

FIG. 5 shows functional blocks of the pachinko gaming machine 10 in this embodiment.
In the pachinko gaming machine 10, the game control device 100 includes a first start port 62, a second start port 63, a ball entrance 28, a grand prize port 66, a general prize port 72, an operation port 68, a special symbol display device 61, and an effect. The display device 60, the normal symbol display device 59, the operation button 82, the speaker 18, the game effect lamp 90, the movable accessory 140, the rotating body 24, and the position detection device 160 are electrically connected to each other, and various control signals are transmitted. Enables transmission and reception. The game control device 100 controls not only the basic operation of the game but also the staging operations such as the symbol variation display, the movable accessory 140, the rotating body 24, and the electrical decoration. The game control device 100 is configured in such a manner that functions are shared between a main board 102 that controls the overall operation of the pachinko gaming machine 10 including basic operations of the game, and a sub board 104 that controls design effects and the like. The game control device 100 is configured by hardware including elements such as a ROM and a RAM for storing data and programs, and a CPU used for arithmetic processing.

  In the present embodiment, the main board 102 is a ball determination unit 110, a winning / failing lottery unit 112, a symbol determination unit 114, a variation pattern determination unit 115, a hold control unit 116, a main display control unit 118, a special game control unit 120, a specific game. An execution unit 122 and an opening / closing control unit 124 are provided. The sub-board 104 in the present embodiment includes a pattern storage unit 130, a design mode determination unit 131, an effect determination unit 132, an effect display control unit 134, and an accessory control unit 136. Each functional block included in the main board 102 may be configured such that any one of the functional blocks is mounted on the sub board 104 instead of the main board 102. Similarly, each functional block included in the sub-board 104 may be configured such that any one of them is mounted on the main board 102 instead of the sub-board 104. In the present embodiment, the effect determining means 132 and the effect display control means 134 function as “game control means”.

  The entrance determination means 110 determines whether or not a game ball has entered each winning opening. When receiving the first start winning information, the winning determination means 110 determines that the game ball has won the first start port 62, and when receiving the second start winning information, the game ball has won the second start port 63. When it is determined that the game winning ball winning information is received, it is determined that the game ball has won the big winning port 66, and when the general winning information is received, it is determined that the game ball has won the general winning port 72. The entry determining means 110 also determines that the game ball has entered the entrance 28 when receiving the specific entry information, and determines that the game ball has passed through the operation port 68 when the passage information is received.

  The success / failure lottery means 112 determines whether or not to shift to a special game that is more advantageous to the player than the normal game when the game ball enters the first start port 62 or the second start port 63. Therefore, a random number value is acquired as a winning / bad lottery value. For example, the success / failure lottery value is acquired from a value range from “0” to “65535”. The “random number” in the present application may not be a mathematically generated random number, but may be a pseudo-random number generated by a hardware random number, a software random number, or the like. The success / failure lottery means 112 holds a plurality of success / failure tables to be referred to in the success / failure determination. In the plurality of success / failure tables, the determination result of winning or losing is associated with the winning / losing lottery value, and the success / failure probability is determined according to the associated winning range setting. The success / failure lottery means 112 refers to a success / failure table for determination of success / failure based on a normal probability in normal times, and refers to a success / failure table in which the winning probability is higher than the normal probability when the probability changes. The success / failure lottery means 112 refers to any of the plurality of success / failure tables and determines whether or not the success / failure lottery value is a win. The determination result by the success / failure lottery means 112 is variably displayed in a special symbol form on the special symbol display device 61. In addition, a decorative symbol that shows the determination result by the success / failure lottery means 112 in an effect manner is variably displayed on the effect display device 60.

  The symbol determination means 114 determines the stop symbol of the special symbol to be displayed on the special symbol display device 61 according to the lottery result by the success / failure lottery means 112. Moreover, the symbol determination means 114 determines the stop symbol of the normal symbol displayed on the normal symbol display device 59 by lottery. The stop symbol is a symbol to be displayed at the end of symbol variation. The symbol determination means 114 holds a symbol range table to be referred to in order to determine a special symbol or a normal symbol stop symbol.

  The symbol determination means 114 acquires a symbol determination lottery value for determining a special symbol, and determines the stop symbol of the special symbol according to the determination result of the success / failure lottery means 112 and the symbol determination lottery value. The symbol determination unit 114 sends data indicating the determined stop symbol to the main display control unit 118, the symbol mode determination unit 131, and the effect determination unit 132.

  The symbol determining means 114 acquires a lottery random number for determining a normal symbol when the game ball passes through the operation port 68, and determines a stop symbol of the normal symbol according to the lottery random number. When the stop symbol of the normal symbol is a specific symbol, the opening / closing control means 124 expands the normal electric accessory at the first start port 62 for a predetermined time.

  The variation pattern determination means 115 selects any variation pattern from a plurality of types of variation patterns according to the result of the success / failure lottery. The variation pattern determining means 115 holds a pattern selection table to be referred to in order to determine the variation pattern. The symbol determination unit 114 sends data indicating the determined variation pattern to the main display control unit 118, the symbol mode determination unit 131, and the effect determination unit 132. The variation pattern determination means 115 stores a plurality of types of variation patterns in which variation modes from the variation start to the stop when the special symbol is variably displayed are defined. A plurality of types of variation patterns are defined on the assumption that there are various variation times, short and long, and that symbol variation is also performed by a decorative symbol composed of a plurality of symbols in the variation time. In each variation pattern, a variation display time is defined for each pattern as an end condition of the symbol variation, and the variation of the special symbol and the decorative symbol is stopped when the variation display time elapses.

  The hold control means 116 holds the winning / losing lottery value acquired by the winning / failing lottery means 112 as a holding ball. The success / failure lottery value is accumulated until the number of holds reaches a predetermined upper limit. The upper limit of the number of holds is 4.

  The main display control means 118 causes the special symbol display device 61 to display the lottery result by the success / failure lottery means 112 as a special symbol variation display according to the variation pattern determined by the symbol determination unit 114. The main display control means 118 transmits a change start command and a change stop command to the effect determination means 132 and the effect display control means 134 at the timing of starting and stopping the change display of the special symbol. Thereby, the fluctuation display by the main display control means 118 and the effect display control means 134 is synchronized, and the interlock is maintained. The main display control means 118 displays the normal symbol variation on the normal symbol display device 59.

  The special game control means 120 controls the execution process of the special game when the result of the lottery determination by the success / failure lottery means 112 is a win. The special game is a game in which the opening / closing operation of the special winning opening 66 is continuously performed a plurality of times, and is configured by a plurality of unit games with one opening / closing as a unit. The unit game is repeated up to 15 times, for example, and the grand prize opening 66 is opened for about 30 seconds in one unit game. If the number of continuations of the unit game has not reached the upper limit number, the special game control means 120 starts the next unit game after the end of the current unit game. When the upper limit number of unit games is exhausted, the special game is terminated.

  The specific game execution means 122 executes control for shifting the game state from the normal state to the specific game state, and control for returning the specific game state to the normal state. The specific game in the present embodiment has a probability change in which the winning probability of the winning / failing lottery is switched from a normal probability state to a high probability state, and a short time in which the symbol variation time is switched from a normal time to a short time.

  The specific game executing means 122 shifts the gaming state after the special game to the probability changing state when the winning / failing lottery value is a value to be shifted to the probability changing state. The probability variation state is continued until the next jackpot is generated in principle, and during that time, the probability of the hit determination by the success / failure lottery means 112 is maintained at a high value. In addition, the specific game executing means 122 shifts the game state to the time-shortened state after the special game regardless of the winning lottery value. The short time is continued until the number of changes of the special symbol after the special game reaches a predetermined number, for example, 100 times.

  The opening / closing control means 124 controls the opening / closing of the ordinary electric accessory of the first start port 62 and the special winning opening 66. When the normal symbol is stopped at a specific symbol, the opening / closing control means 124 sends an opening instruction to the ordinary electric accessory solenoid 75 to open the first start port 62. Further, the opening / closing control means 124 sends an opening instruction to the special winning opening solenoid 80 during the special game, and opens the special winning opening 66.

  The pattern storage means 130 holds a plurality of effect patterns in which effect image contents to be displayed on the effect display device 60 in the variation of the decorative design 190 and the display process thereof are determined. The effect pattern is displayed separately from a plurality of variation effect patterns in which the variation process from the variation start to the stop in the variation display of the decoration symbol 190 and the effect process are defined, and the variation display of the decoration symbol, and the degree of expectation to the jackpot And a plurality of notice effect patterns suggesting the height of the notice.

  The pattern storage means 130 also determines the rotation operation process from the start to the stop of the rotation as an operation mode of the rotation body 24 that can be selected when a rotation body notification effect described later is determined as one of the notification effect patterns. Hold a plurality of rotation patterns.

  The effect determining unit 132 determines the variation effect pattern according to the result of the success / failure lottery by the success / failure lottery unit 112, according to the stop symbol of the special symbol and the variation pattern (variation time value) of the special symbol. The effect determining means 132 holds a pattern table to be referred to in order to determine the variation effect pattern, and selects an effect pattern having a display time equal to the variation time of the special symbol. The effect determining means 132 sends information on the determined variation effect pattern to the effect display control means 134.

  In the variation effect pattern, a pattern for displaying a normal out-of-order symbol combination and a out-of-combination symbol combination (also referred to as “out-of-line symbol combination”) are displayed through a reach state that is a big win if one more symbols are aligned. And a pattern for displaying a jackpot symbol combination (also referred to as a “hit symbol combination”) through the reach state. In particular, the pattern that passes through the reach state includes patterns having various fluctuation times. For example, reach reach patterns such as normal reach that does not involve development in production such as background switching, and super reach that enhances reliability for jackpots, including development in production by producing a story with a specific character, etc. . Each variation effect pattern has a variation time for each pattern as an end condition of the symbol variation, and the symbol variation is stopped when the variation time elapses. The effect determining unit 132 selects a variation effect pattern of the effect image having the same variation time according to the variation pattern of the special symbol.

  The symbol form determining means 131 determines the combination and arrangement of the stop symbols of the decorative symbols in accordance with the result of the lottery by the pass / fail lottery means 112, the special symbol stop symbol, the special symbol variation pattern, and the decorative symbol variation effect pattern. To do. The symbol form determination unit 131 transmits information indicating the determined combination of stop symbols to the effect display control unit 134. The symbol form determining means 131 holds a symbol range table to be referred to in order to determine the stop symbol of the decorative symbol.

  The stop symbol of the decorative symbol is formed as a combination of three symbols. For example, when the determination result by the success / failure lottery means 112 indicates the transition to the special game, three symbols such as “777” and “111” are arranged. A combination is selected. In this case, it is preferable that the same numbers as the special symbols are selected as the numbers to be arranged as the decorative symbols. For example, when the special symbol is “3”, the decorative symbol is “333”. In the case where the determination result by the success / failure lottery means 112 indicates that the game does not shift to the special game, a combination that does not have three symbols such as “312” and “946” is selected. However, if the determination result is that the game does not shift to the special game, and the variation pattern of the special symbol indicating the detachment with reach or the variation effect pattern of the decorative symbol is selected, “191” or “727” is selected. "A combination that does not have only one symbol, such as"

  The notice effect pattern is an effect pattern for temporarily displaying an image, animation, video, or the like of a specific character or motif, or an effect pattern for outputting a specific sound. The notice effect by the notice effect pattern is executed in parallel with the symbol variation, and suggests in advance that the symbol variation is highly expected to stop in the big hit mode. In this embodiment, a comment notice effect for displaying a specific comment character string on the screen, a group notice effect for causing a group of characters to pass from one end of the screen to the other end, and the number of steps to be displayed are variable. Step-up notice effect that is set so that the degree of expectation for the jackpot is higher as the number of stages is larger, the movable object notice effect that operates the movable accessory 140 for a short time, and the entrance 28 by rotating the rotating body 24 Rotating body notice effect that changes the effect content depending on the state of entering the ball is included. Rotating body notice is an effect accompanied by a specific screen display. These notice effect patterns include a pattern in which the effect is executed at a timing after the display form of the decorative symbol 190 reaches the reach state and the final stop state of the symbol is notified, and one of the decorative symbols 190 stops. There is a pattern for notifying at the same time that the production is executed at a timing that is not, and the reach state is reached.

  The effect determining means 132 determines whether or not to display the notice effect on the effect display device 60 according to the result of the success / failure lottery and whether or not to operate the movable accessory 140 and the rotating body 24 by a predetermined notice lottery. At the same time, a notice effect pattern to be executed is determined. The effect determining means 132 holds a notice determination table to be referred to in order to determine whether or not to execute the notice effect and the type of the notice effect. The notice decision table is set so that different tables are referred to depending on the result of the lottery, and if the lottery is a win, the result of the lottery and the notice effect are executed so that the notice effect is executed with a higher probability than the case of losing. Correspondence of whether or not to execute is determined. As a result, it is possible to suggest a high degree of expectation for the jackpot (also referred to as “winning expectation”) by executing the notice effect itself. The effect determining means 132 determines one of a plurality of rotation patterns according to the result of the lottery lottery when the execution of the rotating body notification effect is determined as the notification effect pattern. The effect determining means 132 sends information on the determined notice effect pattern to the effect display control means 134 and the accessory control means 136.

  The effect display control means 134 displays the effect image including the decorative pattern on the effect display device 60 according to the selected change effect pattern data as a result of the success / failure lottery by the success / failure lottery means 112. The effect display control means 134, when the effect determining means 132 determines to display the notice effect, if the selected notice effect pattern is a notice effect accompanied by image display, the image is changed according to the notice effect pattern. It is displayed on the effect display device 60 so as to be added to the effect. The effect display control means 134 further controls effect processing such as lighting and extinguishing of the game effect lamp 90 and sound output from the speaker 18. In addition, when the sound output is determined for the selected notice effect pattern, the effect display control means 134 outputs the sound determined for the notice effect pattern.

  In accordance with the instruction received from the effect determining unit 132, the accessory control unit 136 operates the movable accessory 140 in an effect manner in accordance with the effect contents in the effect display device 60. When the movable accessory announcement effect for operating the movable accessory 140 is selected as the announcement effect pattern, the accessory control means 136 operates the movable accessory 140 as defined in the announcement effect pattern. When the rotator notice effect for operating the rotator 24 is selected as the notice effect pattern, the accessory control means 136 operates the rotator 24 as defined in the notice effect pattern.

  As a result, if there is a ball entering the ball slot 28, the effect determining means 132 determines that the game ball is the rotating body 24 based on the rotational position information of the rotating body 24 calculated when the ball is detected. It is determined which slit has passed, and the content of the effect displayed on the effect display device 60 is determined according to the slit. The effect display control means 134 switches the effect image displayed on the effect display device 60 according to the effect content determined at that time.

Next, the specific content of the notice effect which forms the main part of the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a screen example of the rotating body notice effect displayed on the effect display device during the normal game. FIGS. 9A to 9D show examples of the production process.
As shown in FIG. 5A, in the display area 194 of the effect display device 60, the decorative symbol 190 is variably displayed in the substantially central region so that the decorative symbol 190 is superimposed on the variable display. Images such as various notice effects are displayed. When the rotating body notice effect is selected as the notice effect, the decorative symbol 190 is reduced and displayed in an inconspicuous manner on the upper right side of the screen, as shown in FIG. The screen is divided into four, and a transition screen to a different rendering mode is displayed in each area. In the example shown in the figure, the transition screen to “Normal mode” is displayed in the upper right area, the transition screen to “Mission mode” is displayed in the lower right area, and the transition screen to “Battle mode” is displayed in the lower left area. In the upper left area, the transition screen to “Paradise Mode” is displayed. Here, the “normal mode” is a normal symbol variation display mode without a character. “Mission mode” is a mode in which a specific character receives a command and the winning is determined when the command is achieved. The “battle mode” is a mode in which a plurality of villain characters appear and the winning is determined when all the characters are defeated. The “paradise mode” is a mode in which a hit is fixed when a plurality of female characters appear and reach a paradise with any character. In this embodiment, the paradise mode, the battle mode, the mission mode, and the normal mode are set in descending order of the degree of expectation.

  At the center position where these four screens overlap, an image color is given to the sector area formed at the end of each screen (for convenience, each area is referred to as an “expected degree corresponding area”). Together, they form a circular area. The image color in the normal mode is blue, the image color in the mission mode is yellow, the image color in the battle mode is green, and the image color in the paradise mode is red. The first slit 151, the second slit 152 of the rotating body 24, The colors correspond to the colors assigned to the third slit 153 and the fourth slit 154, respectively. In this embodiment, when a ball enters the entrance 28, the normal mode is used if the entrance is due to the passage through the first slit 151, the mission mode is used if the entrance is through the second slit 152, the first mode. If it is due to the passage of the third slit 153, the battle mode is selected, and if it is due to the passage of the fourth slit 154, the paradise mode is selected.

  When the rotating body notice effect is started and the rotating body 24 starts to rotate, any expectation corresponding area is highlighted in accordance with the rotation. In FIG. 6B, the expectation corresponding area on the upper right screen corresponding to the normal mode is highlighted. Each time the slit displaced to the position overlapping the entrance 28 in the rotating body 24 is switched, the highlighted area is switched accordingly. When there is a ball in the ball slot 28, the entire screen corresponding to the slit in which the ball has entered is highlighted, indicating that the mode is to be changed. In the illustrated example, the mode transition to the battle mode is determined in FIG. 10C, and as a result, the entry screen to the battle mode is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a data structure diagram of the notice determination table used when determining the notice effect pattern. (A) is a table that is referred to when the result of the success / failure lottery is a win, and (b) is a table that is referred to when the result of the success / failure lottery is missed.

  The effect determining means 132 determines whether or not to execute the normal notice effect using the notice determination table shown in the figure, and the type of the notice effect. That is, the effect determination means 132 acquires a random value in the range of 0 to 255 as the notice lottery value. When the winning lottery is a win, “comment notice” is selected when the notice lottery value is 0-20, “group notice” is selected when the notice lottery value is 21-60, and the notice lottery value is 61-110. In this case, “step-up notice” is selected, in the case where the notice lottery value is 111 to 170, “movable accessory notice” is selected, and in the case where the notice lottery value is 171 to 255, “rotor notice” is selected. The In this way, when the result of the lottery is a win, any type is always selected, and it is determined that the notice effect is executed with the selection.

  On the other hand, if the winning / losing lottery is off, “no notice” is selected if the notice lottery value is 0 to 200, “comment notice” is selected if the notice lottery value is 201 to 230, and the notice lottery value is 231. ~ 240 is selected, "Group advance notice" is selected. If the notice lottery value is 241 to 245, "Step-up notice" is selected. If the notice lottery value is 246 to 250, "movable accessory notice" is selected. When the notice lottery value is 251 to 255, “rotor notice” is selected. As described above, when the result of the lottery is wrong, it is determined that the notice effect is not executed when the notice lottery value is 0 to 200 and the notice effect is executed when the notice lottery value is 201 to 255. The

  That is, when the result of the lottery determination is out of play, the notice effect is executed with a probability of 55/256. On the contrary, when the result of the lottery is winning, the notice effect is executed with a probability of 256/256, that is, 100%. Therefore, if the notice effect is displayed on the screen, the probability of the jackpot is relatively high and the jackpot is generated. Can suggest that. Therefore, when the notice effect is displayed, the player has an expectation for the jackpot. In addition, if the result of the lottery is a win, the order of the selection probability is high, the rotating body notice, the moving object notice, the step-up notice, the group notice, and the comment notice are in the order, and vice versa. Yes. That is, in this embodiment, when the rotating body notice effect is displayed, the degree of expectation becomes the highest, and the player's sense of expectation reaches the climax.

  FIG. 8 is a data structure diagram of a rotation pattern determination table used when the rotator notice is determined. (A) is a table that is referred to when the result of the success / failure lottery is a win, and (b) is a table that is referred to when the result of the success / failure lottery is missed.

  The effect determining means 132 further determines the rotation pattern of the rotor 24 using the illustrated rotation pattern determination table when the execution of the rotor notification is determined. In the example shown in the drawing, a normal rotation and a high-speed rotation are largely set as the rotation pattern, and forward rotation and reverse rotation are respectively set. “Normal rotation” means rotation at a normal speed. Here, if the game ball is stopped at the stop portion 86, the rotation speed is set such that the game ball can pass through the slit even when the rotating body 24 is rotating. On the other hand, “high-speed rotation” means rotation at a higher speed than normal rotation. Here, even if the game ball is stopped at the stop portion 86, the rotation speed of the rotating body 24 is high, so that the game ball cannot pass through the slit, and the rotation is such that it can pass after the rotating body 24 is stopped. Speed is set.

  Therefore, in the case where the normal rotation is performed when the game ball is stopped, the ball is actually inserted through the slit overlapping with the ball entrance 28 most recently. On the other hand, if high speed rotation is performed when the game ball is stopped, the game ball is held until the designated slit overlaps the entrance 28, and the designated slit is placed at a position where it overlaps the entrance 28. It is possible to enter a game ball by stopping it. Therefore, normal rotation is “arbitrary rotation” in which a ball is entered according to the position of the slit at that time, whereas high-speed rotation is entered through a specified slit regardless of the position of the slit at that time. This can be referred to as “specified rotation” that can be specified as follows.

  In the illustrated example, with respect to the normal rotation, the rotating body 24 is rotated normally (rotation in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3A) and reverse rotation (rotation in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3A). Normal reverse is set. As for high-speed rotation, high-speed forward rotation that rotates the rotating body 24 in the forward direction (clockwise rotation in FIG. 3A) and high-speed reverse rotation that rotates in the reverse direction (counterclockwise rotation in FIG. 3A). Is set. In addition, as described above, for high-speed rotation, a slit that can enter the entrance 28 can be designated. Therefore, a pattern for stopping the blue slit (first slit 151), a yellow slit (first slit) The pattern for stopping the second slit 152), the pattern for stopping the green slit (third slit 153), and the pattern for stopping the red slit (fourth slit 154) are set. In the illustrated example, an example in which one direction of normal rotation or reverse rotation is selected as the rotation pattern is shown. However, a pattern in which normal rotation and reverse rotation are mixed, such as a pattern in which normal rotation and reverse rotation are alternately repeated. Of course, it may be provided.

  In the illustrated example, the normal rotation is selected with a similar probability regardless of the result of the lottery, but the high-speed rotation is selected with a different probability depending on the result of the lottery. In other words, in order to match the expected degree of hitting of each slit, when the result of winning / failing lottery is hit, those with high expected degree of hitting are selected with high probability, that is, slits are designated in the order of red, green, yellow and blue. Is set to On the other hand, when the result of the lottery determination is out of order, the one with a low expectation degree is selected with a high probability, that is, the slit is designated in the order of blue, yellow, green and red. When the effect determining means 132 determines the notice effect pattern by the notice lottery as described above, it transmits the determined notice pattern data to the effect display control means 134 and the accessory control means 136, respectively.

FIG. 9 is a data structure diagram of an effect pattern determination table used when there is a ball entering the ball entrance 28 in the process of executing the rotary body notice effect.
The effect display control means 134 displays the mode lottery screen as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C when the rotating body notice effect is started as described above. That is, when the rotation of the rotating body 24 is started, it corresponds to the slit facing the entrance 28 as shown in FIG. 6B regardless of whether the rotation is normal rotation or high-speed rotation. The area corresponding to the expected degree of the screen area to be displayed is highlighted. If there is a ball entering the entrance 28 in the course of the rotary body notice effect, the effect determining means 132 refers to the effect pattern determining table shown in FIG. An effect pattern corresponding to is determined. In other words, the effect determining unit 132 determines which of the plurality of slits the game ball has passed based on the rotational position information of the rotating body 24 calculated when the ball entering the ball entrance 28 is detected. . As described above, the rotation position information is calculated from the number of rotation steps from the rotation reference position. Therefore, it is possible to identify a slit corresponding to the rotation position information and determine that the game ball has passed through the slit.

  The effect determination means 132 selects the normal mode if the slit determined at that time corresponds to blue, selects the mission mode if it corresponds to yellow, and battles if it corresponds to green. Select the mode, and if it corresponds to red, select the paradise mode. Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, the content of the effect displayed on the effect display device 60 is switched to the content of the selected mode. As shown in FIG. 9, when the production enters the paradise mode, the winning expectation becomes the highest.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a basic operation process in the pachinko gaming machine.
First, processing is performed when a game ball has won the first start port 62, the second start port 63, the general winning port 72, the big winning port 66, or when the game ball has passed through the operation port 68 (S10). ). And if it is not in special game (N of S12), control processing of normal games, such as a lottery determination, will be performed (S14). If it is during the special game (Y in S12), a special game control process is executed (S16), and award ball payout according to various winnings in the processes from S10 to S16 is processed (S18).

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing in detail the normal game control process of S14 in FIG.
In the normal game control process, if the winning / losing lottery value is on hold (Y in S30) and the symbol variation is not being displayed (N in S32), the winning / losing lottery means 112 executes the determining process. (S34). In accordance with the determination result, the main display control means 118 starts changing display, transmits a change start command to the effect display control means 134, and the effect display control means 134 that receives the command displays the effect image according to the change pattern data. The fluctuation display is started (S36). If the winning or failing lottery value is not held in S30 (N in S30), the processing from S32 to S36 is skipped, and if the symbol variation is being displayed in S32 (Y in S32), S34 and S36 Is skipped. Subsequently, if the symbol variation display has already been started (Y in S38), the symbol variation display process is executed (S39). If the announcement effect is set (Y in S40), the selected announcement is performed. A notice effect according to the effect pattern is executed (S41). If the notice effect is not set (N in S40), S41 is skipped. When the symbol variation display is not started (N of S38), S39 to S41 are skipped.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing in detail the success / failure determination process of S34 in FIG. First, the success / failure lottery means 112 reads the success / failure lottery value (S42), and determines the success / failure based on the success / failure lottery value (S44). The symbol determining means 114 determines a stop symbol of the special symbol based on the determination result (S46), and selects a variation pattern of the special symbol (S48). The effect determining means 132 determines the stop symbol combination of the decorative symbols based on the determination result and the special symbol (S50), selects the variation pattern of the decorative symbol according to the variation pattern of the special symbol (S52), and A notice effect is set by the notice lottery (S54).

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing in detail the notice effect execution process of S41 in FIG.
If the notice effect has not been started (N in S100) and the rotator notice is selected (Y in S102), the rotator notice execution process for executing the rotator notice effect is started (S104). On the other hand, if a comment notice or other notice effect is selected instead of the rotating object notice (N in S102), execution of the selected notice effect is started (S106). If the notice effect has already been started (Y in S100), the processing from S102 to S106 is skipped.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing in detail the rotating body notice execution process of S104 in FIG.
First, if the special effect for displaying the mode lottery screen is not started (N in S110), the display of the special effect is started (S112), and the rotation pattern lottery for determining the rotation pattern of the rotating body 24 is started. Is executed (S114). If the special effect has already been started (Y of S110), the processes of S112 and S114 are skipped.

  Then, if the rotating body 24 is not started in the rotating body notice effect (N in S116), rotation control according to the determined rotation pattern is started (S118). If rotation has already started (Y in S116), the process in S118 is skipped. At this time, when the entrance to the entrance 28 is detected (Y in S120), the rotational position at the entrance is determined (S122), and the effect pattern (effect mode) is determined according to the slit through which the game ball has passed. ) Is selected (S124), and the effect display is switched to indicate the transition to the selected mode (S126). If the entrance to the entrance 28 is not detected (N in S120), the processing from S122 to S126 is skipped.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing in detail the special game control process of S16 in FIG.
If the big prize opening 66 has not been opened (N in S70), the production display control means 134 starts the special game production process (S72), and the open / close control means 124 opens the special prize opening 66 (S74). If the big winning opening 66 has been opened, S72 and S74 are skipped (Y in S70). When the predetermined opening time has elapsed since the grand prize opening 66 was opened (Y in S76), or the opening time has not elapsed (N in S76), there are nine or more game balls to the big winning opening 66 When the player has entered the ball (Y in S78), the opening / closing control means 124 closes the special winning opening 66 (S80). If the opening time has not elapsed (N in S76) and the number of balls entered into the grand prize winning opening 66 has not reached nine or more (N in S78), the processing after S80 is skipped and the flow of S16 Exit.

  If the final round (the number of unit game rounds is 15) has been reached after the closing of the special winning opening 66 in S80 (Y in S82), the effect display control means 134 ends the effect processing of the special game (S84), The special game control means 120 ends the special game (S86). The specific game execution means 122 shifts the game state to the specific game and starts execution of a short time (S88). Further, if the special game to be ended is accompanied by a probability change transition, the probability change is executed. If the number of rounds has not reached the final round (N of S82), 1 is added to the number of rounds and the flow of S16 is terminated (S90).

  As described above, in the pachinko gaming machine 10 of the present embodiment, as a notice effect with a relatively high expectation degree, the rotating body 24 is rotated to control the entrance timing to the entrance 28 and enter the entrance. The effect which switches the effect content according to the slit which the game ball passed at the time of the ball was provided. The rotating body 24 is rotationally driven by a stepping motor 159, and the slit is specified by calculating the rotational position based on the number of rotation steps. That is, the content of the effect changes depending on which of the plurality of slits the game ball has passed, and the winning expectation varies depending on the content of the effect. Can be realized. On the other hand, if such rotation control of the rotating body 24 is repeated, a rotation error may occur due to a mechanical problem or the like, but the width of each slit is set to be larger than the width of the entrance 28 by a predetermined amount. Since the rotation error is formed and absorbed, the execution of the rotating body notice effect is not hindered. In other words, since the error can be absorbed in this way, it is only necessary to provide one position detection device 160 for detecting the rotation reference position, and the operation reliability of the rotating body 24 can be ensured with a relatively simple configuration. It becomes possible. Furthermore, a game ball (dead ball) that has no effect on the ball after passing through the second start port 63 is used for the rotating body notice effect. That is, since it does not affect the ball that directly affects the player's profit, the configuration and operation of the rotating body 24 can be freely designed.

  In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on the Example. This embodiment is merely an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention. is there. Below, the modification is described.

(Modification 1)
In the above-described embodiment, an example is given as the configuration of the rotating body 24, but in a modified example, a configuration different from this may be adopted. For example, instead of a configuration in which the rotating body 24 is placed vertically and rotated along a vertical plane as in the above-described embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which the rotating body 24 is placed horizontally and rotated in a horizontal plane. In that case, the entrance 28 may be provided inside the rotating body 24. Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the slits are provided at equal intervals along the outer peripheral edge of the rotating body 24 has been described. However, an opening such as a circular hole may be provided in the vicinity of the outer circumference of the rotating body 24. Good. Further, the openings (holes and slits) may be arranged at different intervals instead of being provided at equal intervals (every predetermined angle).

(Modification 2)
In the above embodiment, the distribution device 26 is provided with the second start port 63 and the out port 65, and when a game ball guided through the warp passage 79 enters the second start port 63, any of the balls It was made to guide to the stop part 86 at timing. In a modified example, a holding unit that temporarily holds a game ball that has entered the second start port 63 may be provided, and the balls may be led to the stopping unit 86 one by one at a specific timing. With such a configuration, it is possible to surely avoid the problem that a plurality of game balls are stopped at the stop portion 86, so that the position facing the entrance 28 is shifted and the entrance is prevented.

(Modification 3)
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a conventional type 1 pachinko gaming machine has been shown, but the present invention can also be applied to other types of gaming machines having the function of the first type pachinko gaming machine. For example, the present invention can be applied to a multi-function machine in which a plurality of first type pachinko gaming machines are mixed. For example, the entry to the first start port 62 is set as an opportunity for the first success / failure lottery, and the entrance to the second start port 63 is set as the opportunity for the second success / failure lottery, and the respective success / failure lottery results The first special symbol and the second special symbol may be variably displayed. In addition, a complex that provides a game corresponding to a special game in the first type pachinko gaming machine as the first special game, and a game corresponding to a special game in the second type pachinko game machine as the second special game. It can also be applied to the machine.

(Modification 4)
Although not described in the above embodiment, when a plurality of game balls enter the entrance 28 in the rotary body announcement effect, the content of the effect may be switched for each entrance. In other words, the production mode may be developed into a mode with a higher degree of expectation for each entry, or conversely, it may be dropped into a mode with a lower degree of expectation. For example, since the game ball has passed through the blue slit with low expectation level, the normal mode is selected once and displayed, but the next game ball hits the red slit with high expectation level before the end of the symbol change. When passing, the normal mode may be developed to the paradise mode. Such processing may be executed according to an arbitrary entry of a game ball, or it may be controlled on the game machine side. For example, if the result of the lottery is winning, when the rotating body 24 passes through a slit with a low expectation level, the rotating body 24 is rotated again at a high speed, and the next game ball that is parked has a slit with a high expectation level. You may control to pass. Alternatively, when the result of the lottery is a win, the rotational position of the rotating body 24 is controlled so as to intentionally place a slit with a low expectation level at the entrance 28, and then the rotating body 24 is moved. The rotating body 24 may be controlled such that a slit having a high degree of expectation is positioned at the entrance 28 by rotating it again at a high speed. Such a rise in performance can satisfy the player's sense of expectation. In particular, as described above, a holding unit is provided so that game balls are led out to the stopping unit 86 one by one, and a plurality of balls (for example, two balls, etc.) are led out to the stopping unit 86 once per symbol variation. Such control can be easily executed.

(Modification 5)
Although not described in the above embodiment, the rotating body effect may be performed as a jackpot effect during the special game. For example, a 2R jackpot in which a unit game is continued twice as a jackpot and a 15R jackpot in which a unit game is continued 15 times may be provided to produce an effect that develops from 2R jackpot to 15R jackpot. Specifically, if the result of the winning / losing lottery indicates 15R jackpot, a special game for 2R jackpot (2R special game: short term of the big prize opening 66 is made by passing through a blue slit with low expectation level. It was developed as a special game for 15R jackpot (15R special game: long-term opening game of the big prize opening 66) by passing through the red slit with high expectation during the special game. Such an effect may be executed. In that case, the 15R special game is actually started from the beginning, and after the portion corresponding to the 2R special game of the 15R special game is executed, the remaining game of the 15R special game is executed. The player's expectation can be satisfied also by such a rise in production.

  10 Pachinko machines, 24 rotating bodies, 26 sorting devices, 28 entrances, 50 game boards, 52 game areas, 60 performance display devices, 61 special symbol display devices, 62 first start ports, 63 second start ports, 64 center decoration, 65 out opening, 66 large winning opening, 68 working opening, 71 opening, 72 general winning opening, 77 entrance detecting device, 79 warp passage, 85 special passage, 86 stop, 88 discharge hole, 100 game Control device, 102 main board, 104 sub-board, 110 entry determination means, 112 winning / failing lottery means, 115 variation pattern determining means, 120 special game control means, 132 effect determining means, 134 effect display control means, 136 accessory control means , 140 movable accessory, 151 first slit, 152 second slit , 153 third slits, 154 fourth slit, 155 shield plate, 157 rotary shaft, 159 a stepping motor, 160 a position detecting device, 190 decorative symbol, 192 special symbol, 194 display area.

Claims (5)

A game board in which a game area is formed;
A specific area that is partitioned at a predetermined position of the game area and into which a game ball can be dropped;
An entrance that is provided in the specific area and that triggers the entrance of a game ball to change the game state;
A stopping portion that is provided to face the front side of the entrance and is capable of stopping a game ball that has entered the specific area;
A rotating body disposed so as to be able to block the circulation of the game ball between the entrance and the stopping portion;
A stepping motor that rotationally drives the rotating body in a normal rotation direction or a reverse rotation direction;
The rotating body is selected according to a gaming state from among a plurality of rotation patterns in which a rotating operation process from the start of rotation to the stop of the rotating body is determined, and the stepping motor is driven according to the selected rotation pattern. An accessory control means for controlling rotation,
Position detecting means for calculating the rotation position of the rotating body based on the number of rotation steps of the stepping motor triggered by detection of the predetermined reference position;
Entry detection means for detecting entry of a game sphere into the entrance,
Game control means for changing the gaming state triggered by entering the entrance,
A plurality of openings are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating body, and when one of the openings is displaced to a predetermined position range overlapping the entrance, the game ball is stopped at the stop Is configured to be able to enter the entrance through the opening,
The accessory control means holds the rotation control amount of the rotating body for displacing the plurality of openings to positions overlapping the entrance, respectively, as the number of rotation steps from the reference position, and enters the gaming state. In response, control to displace any opening to a position overlapping the entrance,
Even if any rotation control assumed in the design is made by selecting any one of the plurality of rotation patterns in the game process, the rotation body has a rotation error caused by the normal rotation and the reverse rotation. So that the width of each of the plurality of openings in the rotational direction is larger than the width of the entrance by a predetermined amount so as not to inhibit entry into the entrance through the entrance,
The game control means determines which of the plurality of openings has passed the game ball based on the rotational position information of the rotating body calculated when a ball entering the ball entrance is detected. A bullet ball game machine characterized by changing a game state according to an opening through which the game ball has passed. The position detection means includes a sensor that detects the reference position when a specific opening that is one of the plurality of openings is displaced to a position that overlaps the entrance.
The game control means controls to stop the rotating body when the reference position is detected by the sensor when the specific opening is displaced to a position overlapping the entrance, and the specific opening is controlled. When displacing the opening other than the opening to a position overlapping the entrance, the rotating body is moved when the number of rotation steps from the reference position reaches the number of rotation steps set for each opening. 2. The ball game machine according to claim 1, wherein the ball game machine is controlled to be stopped. A start port provided at a predetermined position in the game area;
Triggering lottery means for executing a lottery lottery for determining whether or not to shift to a special game that is more advantageous to the player than a normal game, triggered by entering the starting opening,
Special game control means for executing the special game when the success / failure lottery results in the transition to the special game;
A symbol display device in which a symbol for indicating the result of the winning / failing lottery is variably displayed;
Fluctuation pattern determining means for selecting one of a plurality of variation patterns in which a variation process from variation start to stop in the symbol variation display is determined according to the result of the success / failure lottery,
Production determining means for determining the content of the production accompanying the variation display of the symbol according to the selected variation pattern;
A display control means for displaying the design variation according to the selected variation pattern, and displaying the determined production content;
The effect determining means and the display control means function as the game control means,
The production determination means holds a plurality of production contents each having different expectation levels suggested in the production as a result of the success / failure lottery, and the plurality of the game balls depending on which of the plurality of openings has passed. The ball game machine according to claim 1, wherein which of the production contents is selected.   The accessory control means controls the rotation of the rotator so that the content of the effect having a higher expectation level of winning is displayed when the result of the success / failure lottery is winning than when the winning result is winning. The bullet ball game machine according to claim 3.   A winning opening is provided between the entrance of the specific area and the stopping portion, and the passing of a game ball triggers a payout of a predetermined number of balls, and the gaming ball that stops at the stopping portion passes through the winning opening. The ball game machine according to claim 1, wherein the ball game machine is configured to be limited to a game ball that has been played.

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