JP2010269020A - Pinball game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To smoothly execute the detection of operation input by a player by one of a plurality of non-contact sensors and the switch of a game state without discrepancy, in a game machine for changing the game state with the detection of the operation input as a trigger. <P>SOLUTION: In a Pachinko game machine of a certain form, a plurality of target areas are provided on a game board, control is executed so as to change the game state depending on a target area to which a player has performed the operation of holding up a hand, and thus the game property of urging the positive intervention of the player is achieved. A first target area and a second target area are disposed in positional relationship reaching the second target area after passing through the vicinity of the first target area when the player brings one hand close to the second target area. Thus, a period exceeding the reaction time that a first sensor can react when the player brings one hand close to the second target area is set as a determination reference period of operation input presence/absence. <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”). This gaming machine shifts to a special game called so-called jackpot where more prize balls can be obtained than a normal game when a combination of symbols when a plurality of rows of symbol variations are stopped becomes a specific mode. It is known as a thing (for example, refer 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, a player's sense of expectation can also be displayed by using a character in a graphic or other image to give a story to the variable display, or by displaying a notice effect that suggests a high level of expectation for transition to special games. Is increasing. Furthermore, there is a display that displays such a notice effect on the condition that a player's operation input is detected via a push button switch, a sensor, or the like instead of unilaterally displaying such a notice effect from the gaming machine side (for example, Patent Documents). 2).

JP 2003-230714 A JP 2004-242872 A

  By the way, it is conceivable to use a non-contact sensor as an operation input detection means in such a gaming machine for the purpose of assisting the player's operation input or for the purpose of production. In such a case, a method may be considered in which a plurality of non-contact sensors are arranged instead of one, and the player switches the gaming state thereafter such as effect display by detecting which sensor the hand is placed over. However, when a plurality of non-contact sensors are provided in this way, each sensor is not only sensitive enough to detect the player's operation, but also the operation inputs are simultaneously detected by the plurality of sensors, and control contradiction or It is necessary to prevent inconsistencies from occurring.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a game machine that changes a game state triggered by detection of a player's operation input by any of a plurality of non-contact sensors. The purpose is to enable smooth detection and switching between gaming states without contradiction.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a ball game machine according to an aspect of the present invention is provided at a predetermined position on a game board on which a game area is formed and an operation input by a player holding a hand. A first sensor that is provided in the formed first target area and that outputs a specific signal indicating that an operation input has been made as an operation on the first target area when the detection target approaches within a set distance; Provided in a second target area formed at a predetermined position of the game board for accepting an operation input by a hand-holding action, and an operation input is made as an action on the second target area when the detection target comes close within a set distance. A second sensor that outputs a specific signal indicating that the signal has been output, and a signal output from the first sensor and the second sensor, and the reception period of the specific signal from any one of the sensors is a predetermined determination reference period The game state is changed depending on the operation input determination means for determining that an operation input has been made as an action for the corresponding target area and the operation input for the first target area or the second target area when the operation is continued. Game control means.

  The first target area and the second target area are arranged in a positional relationship that allows the player to reach the second target area after passing through the first target area when the player places one hand close to the second target area. When the player brings one hand close to the second target area as the determination reference period for determining that there has been an operation input as an action on the first target area based on the specific signal from the first sensor, the first A period exceeding the time during which the first sensor can output the specific signal is set for passing through the target area.

  Here, “operation input by an operation of holding a hand” is assumed to be input that is mainly detected without contact. That is, the first sensor and the second sensor are both configured as non-contact sensors, but may be detected even when the hand of the game ball comes into contact. The “detection target” of the sensor is assumed to be a player's hand, but does not exclude a sensor that outputs a specific signal when other objects are close to each other. The first target area and the second target area (collectively referred to simply as “target area”) are each provided in a predetermined area of the game board, but may be provided on a display screen of an effect display device described later. However, it may be provided around the game area or the game area around the effect display device. The “judgment reference period” may be different between the first sensor and the second sensor. “Via the vicinity of the first target area” means that one hand passes the detection area of the first sensor (area where the first sensor can detect the detection target) when the player performs an operation input. You may do it.

  According to this aspect, a plurality of target areas are provided on the game board, and the player is actively involved by controlling the game state to change depending on which target area the player holds his hand over. The game nature which promotes is realized. Since the space on the game board is limited, the positional relationship between the first target area and the second target area is also restricted, and the first sensor and the second sensor respectively provided in each target area in the player's operation input process In this aspect, the erroneous detection can be prevented or suppressed. That is, in this aspect, when the player places one hand close to the second target area, the player is placed in a positional relationship so as to reach the second target area after passing through the vicinity of the first target area. For this reason, even when the player inputs an operation to the second target area, the first sensor may react and output a specific signal. In this aspect, assuming such a case, the first sensor is used when the player places one hand close to the second target area as a determination reference period for determining that there has been an operation input to the first target area. A period exceeding the reaction time that can be reacted is set. That is, by providing a dead zone that invalidates detection for a certain period for the operation input determination based on the first sensor, it is possible to prevent inconsistencies and inconsistencies with the operation input determination based on the second sensor, This makes it possible to smoothly switch the gaming state. If the player has a positional relationship that allows the player to reach the first target area after passing through the second target area when one hand is brought close to the first target area, the specific signal from the second sensor The determination reference period based on the above may be defined similarly. That is, as a determination reference period for determining that there has been an operation input to the second target area, a period exceeding the reaction time that the second sensor can react to when the player brings one hand close to the first target area. It may be set.

  When the player places one hand close to the first target area, the second target area may be usually provided at a position where the second sensor does not react during the operation process. For example, the first target area may be provided at an average player's shoulder height or a position below it, and the second target area may be provided at a position above the shoulder height by a predetermined height. Alternatively, assuming that the player operates the handle with the right hand and holds the left hand over the target position, the first target area is provided on the left side from the player toward the game board, and the second target area is provided on the right position. It may be. Thus, if the player does not pass through the second target area in the process of holding his hand over the first target area, the first target area is determined accurately by providing a determination reference time, while the second Regarding the target area, the operation input can be determined at the time when the specific signal is output by the second sensor. Thereby, the responsiveness of the control to the player's action of holding the hand can be enhanced in total, and it is possible to intervene in the game while minimizing the player's stress as much as possible.

  More specifically, to a special game that is provided at a predetermined position in the game area and allows a player to enter a game ball and to enter a special game that is more advantageous to the player than a normal game. The success / failure lottery unit for determining whether or not to shift is determined, an effect display device having a display screen on which a predetermined effect image is displayed, and a display process of the effect image to be displayed on the display screen. There may be further provided an effect determining means for selecting an effect content corresponding to the result of the success / failure lottery, and a display control means for displaying an effect image on the display screen according to the selected effect content. . The display control means displays an input screen that prompts an operation input as an operation for one of the first target area and the second target area according to the gaming state, and the effect determination means displays the operation input according to the display of the input screen. If there is, there may be selected one of a plurality of effects according to the target area where the operation input is made.

  According to this aspect, when the player holds his / her hand over the target area designated in response to a request from the gaming machine that prompts the operation input, the player can view the contents of the effect corresponding to the target area. If a rare effect is set as an effect based on this sensor detection, the player's active intervention can be promoted, and an improvement in the operating rate of the gaming machine is expected.

  The first target area and the second target area are respectively provided at predetermined positions on the display screen, and the display control means, as the input screen, prompts the player to bring one hand of the player closer to the target area where the operation input is requested An object may be displayed. According to this aspect, since the target area specified on the gaming machine side is explicitly displayed as an image object, the player's intervention can be smoothly advanced. In addition, since it is displayed as an image object, there is an advantage that the degree of freedom of the production is high, such as easy change of the production display.

  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 and ball game machine of the present invention, while ensuring the difference in profit status by each win, it is possible to make it difficult to understand which win is won and to make it possible to stir the player's interest be able to.

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 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 displayed on an effect display apparatus during a normal game. It is a figure showing the example of a screen displayed on an effect display device when a sensor notice is chosen as a notice effect, and the operation example of the player according to the screen. It is a figure showing the example of a screen displayed on an effect display device when a sensor notice is chosen as a notice effect, and the operation example of the player according to the screen. It is a timing chart which illustrates the timing of the operation input determination based on the detection information of each input detection sensor. It is a data structure figure of the notice determination table used when determining a notice effect pattern. FIG. 12 is a data structure diagram of an effect pattern determination table used when sensor advance notice is determined. 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 the operation information storage process performed in parallel with the sensor notice execution process of S104 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows in detail the sensor notice 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 or the like is output by means for controlling an effect described later.

  The game board 50 has an out port 58, a special symbol display device 61, an effect display device 60, and a start winning port (hereinafter referred to as “start port”) 62 on a game area 52 defined by the outer rail 54 and the inner rail 56. , A center ornament 64, a grand prize opening 66, an operation opening 68, and a general prize opening 72. Furthermore, in the game area 52, a plurality of mechanisms such as a game nail and a windmill (not shown) are installed.

  The start port 62 includes a start winning detection device 74 for detecting the entrance of a game ball, and a normal electric accessory solenoid 76 for expanding the expansion mechanism (so-called electric tulip) of the start port 62. When the expansion mechanism of the start port 62 is expanded, the opening width of the 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 start port 62, and generates start win information indicating the winning at the time of entering.

  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 at a position above the out opening 58, for example. The number of the big winning openings 66 is not limited to a single arrangement, and a plurality of large winning openings 66 may be installed and used depending on the gaming state or 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. Changes in the effect image including the pattern 190 are displayed. Hereinafter, such display is referred to as “design variation” or “variation display”.

  The special symbol display device 61 is a display device composed of, for example, 7 segment LEDs. The special symbol 192 is a symbol corresponding to the result of the lottery performed when the game ball falls into the start port 62. When the symbol form when the variable symbol 192 is stopped is a symbol that is determined to be a winning symbol, the timing at which the symbol symbol is displayed is the jackpot occurrence timing. The special symbol 192 in the present embodiment is represented by any number of “0” to “9” that is a winning symbol aspect, or a symbol “−” that is an outlier symbol aspect. These numbers or symbols are replaced one after another at a high speed and displayed on the special symbol display device 61, whereby the symbol variation display of the special symbol 192 is realized. In addition, the aspect of the special symbol 192 is not limited to the above numbers or symbols, and may be letters such as English letters, or may be meaningless symbols formed by a combination of segments constituting the 7-segment LED. Good. Further, the 7-segment LED may be composed of 8 segments including 7 segments forming “eight-letter shape” and 1 segment representing “dot”. In this case, a numerical value for 8 bits can be expressed by combining 8 segments.

  The effect display device 60 is a display device configured by a liquid crystal display that displays the decorative symbol 190 in a variable manner in conjunction with the variable symbol 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. In the present embodiment, symbols composed of numbers “0” to “9” are displayed in three columns and varied, and a winning combination or a failure is indicated by three symbol combinations that are finally stopped and displayed. Each of the plurality of symbols constituting the decorative symbol 190 is composed of numbers, characters, or symbols that are decorated with colors or patterns. You may comprise in the form which adds a different pattern for every pattern and integrates it. This pattern is a pattern in which a motif related to the theme of decoration or production set for the model of the pachinko gaming machine 10 is drawn, and for example, a pattern in which a character of a person or an animal is drawn. The decorative pattern 190 is switched according to the development of the effect between the case where the design that includes the design is variably displayed and the case where the design is separated and only the numbers, characters, and symbols are variably displayed. It may be a configuration. On the background of the variation display of the decoration symbol 190, a moving image having a staging effect related to the theme of decoration or production set for the model of the pachinko gaming machine 10 is displayed in conjunction with the symbol variation.

  The effect display device 60 is configured by a high-definition dot matrix type display device such as a liquid crystal display in this embodiment, but may be configured by a mechanical display unit such as a drum rotation type or a display unit such as an LED matrix type. Good. Since the special symbol 192 does not necessarily have a role of production, in this embodiment, the special symbol display device 61 on the lower left side of the production display device 60 is displayed in an inconspicuous size. However, in the case of adopting a technique in which the special symbol itself has an effect role to express without using the decorative symbol, the special symbol may be displayed on the liquid crystal display instead of the 7-segment LED.

  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 passage 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 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. Therefore, the open lottery is also called “ordinary symbol lottery”. The normal symbol display device 59 is provided on the lower right side of the effect display device 60. When the normal symbol variation display is stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed, the 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 to the start port 62 during symbol variation or special game, and indicates the number of winning balls for which symbol variation has not yet been executed. When the number of lottery holds is three, the symbol variation time in the case of a loss is shortened from the normal time in order to increase game efficiency (hereinafter also referred to as “shortening variation”). Similarly, when the number of pending lottery holds is 4, in order to further increase the game efficiency, the symbol variation time in the case of losing is further shortened than in the case of the above 3 (hereinafter also referred to as “super shortened variation”). ).

  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.

  Game effect lamps 90 are respectively provided above and below the effect display device 60. The operation button 82 is an operation input unit that is operated by the player to input a predetermined instruction to the gaming machine, and changes are made to the contents of the effect according to the contents of the operation input. The operation button 82 is provided on the outer wall surface near the upper ball tray 15. Although the operation button 82 in this embodiment is composed of one button, it may be composed of a plurality of buttons and direction instruction buttons such as a cross key.

  A first sensor 161, a second sensor 162, and a third sensor 163 (hereinafter, these sensors are collectively referred to as an “input detection sensor”) are provided at the boundary between the center decoration 64 and the effect display device 60. ing. That is, each input detection sensor is arranged so as to overlap the display screen of the effect display device 60. The input detection sensor includes a non-contact sensor that detects a player's operation input in a sensor announcement effect described later. In this embodiment, the optical sensor is constituted by a reflection type optical sensor, but may be another type of sensor as long as it can detect a detection target in a non-contact manner, such as a magnetic sensor. The first sensor 161 is disposed at the left position of the effect display device 60, and the second sensor 162 and the third sensor 163 are disposed at the right position of the effect display device 60. In the illustrated example, the second sensor 162 is provided at a position slightly higher than the first sensor 161, and the third sensor 163 is provided at a position lower than both the first sensor 161 and the second sensor 162. The specific configuration of the input detection sensor and details of the sensor notice effect will be described later.

  An outline of a game method and a control flow performed in the above configuration will be described. 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 is dropped into each of the general winning port 72, the start port 62, and the big winning port 66, the winning ball corresponding to the type of the winning port is paid out to the upper ball plate 15 or the lower ball plate 16. A game ball dropped into each winning hole such as the general winning hole 72 is processed as a safe ball, and a game ball dropped into the out hole 58 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 falls into the start port 62, 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 variation display of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 is stopped after the lapse of the variation display time determined prior to the display. The special symbol 192 is variably displayed in accordance with a variation pattern in which a variation mode from the variation start to the stop is determined. The decorative symbol 190 is variably displayed according to a variation effect pattern in which a variation mode from the start to the end of the variation is determined. A plurality of types of variation patterns and variation production patterns are prepared, and each has various variation times. While the special symbol 192 is variably displayed according to the variation pattern, the decorative symbol 190 is variably displayed according to the variation effect pattern having the same variation time. In the variation pattern, a variation display time is determined for each pattern as an end condition of the symbol variation, and the variation of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 is stopped when the variation display time elapses.

  As a variation display of the decorative symbol 190, first, as the variation starts, the symbols are varied in all three columns like the reel rotation of the slot machine, and when it approaches the variation end timing, it is stopped one by one as a final stop mode. The symbol combination is displayed. When the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 at the time of the stop are in a stop mode indicating a big win, 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. The The stop mode of the decorative symbol 190 indicating the jackpot is, for example, a combination mode in which the types of three symbols match.

  The variation effect pattern includes a pattern for displaying a normal out-of-order symbol combination, a pattern for displaying an out-of-order symbol combination through a reach state that is a big win if one more symbols are aligned, and reach. A pattern for displaying a jackpot symbol combination through the state is included. 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 special game is started by displaying an effect screen called a start demonstration screen. After the start demonstration screen is displayed, the special winning opening 66 is opened, and after the opening continues for about 30 seconds, or after 9 or more game balls are dropped, it is temporarily closed. From such opening to closing of the big prize opening 66 is basically called a unit game, but it may be repeated a plurality of short-time opening during one unit game. After the opening / closing of the special winning opening 66 or the unit game is repeated a predetermined number of times, for example, 15 times, the special game is ended by displaying an effect screen called an end demo screen.

  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 time saving, the variation time of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 is shortened compared to the normal state. The variation time of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 is returned to the original variation time after a predetermined variation number, for example, 100 variations are displayed. If a big hit occurs before the variation number is reached, the time is shortened. Also ends. Since the variation time of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 is shortened in time reduction, the time until the big hit can be shortened compared to the normal state where the symbol variation is performed with the normal variation time. , Jackpot acquisition ease can be relatively increased. During the time reduction, a so-called opening extension is executed in which the normal symbol variation time is further shortened from the normal state and the expansion time of the expansion mechanism of the start port 62 is made longer than the normal state. As described above, during the time shortening, the possibility that the number of fluctuations of the normal symbol per certain time will increase from the normal state increases, and the ease of entering the starting port 62 also increases, so the number of entering the starting port 62 Is likely to increase. Therefore, during the short time, the chances of obtaining a winning ball by entering the starting port 62 increase, and as a result, it is possible to continue playing with almost no decrease in possession.

  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. During the probability change, the winning lottery with a higher probability of winning than the normal probability state is performed, and a new special game can be generated relatively early. In this embodiment, the time reduction is started at the same time as the probability change is started. However, there may be a case where a probability change without a short start is executed.

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 a lottery when a winning is made to the start port 62. 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 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 start port 62, a big winning port 66, a general winning port 72, an operating port 68, a special symbol display device 61, an effect display device 60, a normal symbol display device 59, and operation buttons 82. The speaker 18, the game effect lamp 90, the movable accessory 140, the first sensor 161, the second sensor 162, and the third sensor 163 are electrically connected to each other, and can transmit and receive various control signals. The game control apparatus 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, and the electric 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 this embodiment, the effect determining means 132 functions as “operation input determining means”, and 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 start winning information, the winning determination means 110 determines that the game ball has won the start opening 62, and when receiving the big winning opening winning information, determines that the game ball has won the big winning opening 66, and the general winning is obtained. When the information is received, it is determined that the game ball has won the general winning opening 72. When receiving the passage information, the ball entering determination unit 110 determines that the game ball has passed through the operation port 68.

  The success / failure lottery means 112 accepts a random number value to determine 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 start port 62. Get as a 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 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 opening / closing control means 124 controls the opening / closing of the ordinary electric accessory at the start opening 62 and the special winning opening 66. When the normal symbol is stopped at a specific symbol, the opening / closing control unit 124 sends an opening instruction to the ordinary electric accessory solenoid 76 to open the 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 patterns include a plurality of change effect patterns described above and a plurality of notice effect patterns that are displayed separately from the decorative symbol change display and suggest a high expectation level for the jackpot.

  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.

  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 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 many 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 set so that the greater the number of stages, the higher the degree of expectation for jackpots, the movable object notice effect that operates the movable accessory 140 for a short time, and the contents of the subsequent effects depending on the detection state of the input detection sensor A sensor notice effect for switching between is included. The sensor 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 lottery determination, and determines the notice effect pattern to be displayed. The effect determining means 132 holds a notice determination table to be referred to in order to determine whether or not to display the notice effect and the type of the notice effect. The notice decision table is set so that a different table is referred to depending on the result of the lottery, and the result of the lottery and the notice effect are displayed so that the notice effect is displayed with a higher probability than the case of failure if the result is a winner. Correspondence of whether or not to display is determined. Thereby, the display of the notice effect itself can indicate the level of expectation for the jackpot (hereinafter also referred to as “winning expectation” as appropriate). 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.

Next, the specific content of the notice effect which forms the main part of the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the effect display device during a normal game. FIGS. 9A and 9B show examples of the production process.
As shown in FIG. 4A, in the display area 194 of the effect display device 60, the decorative symbol 190 is variably displayed in the substantially central region, and the decorative symbol 190 is superimposed on the variable display. Images such as various notice effects are displayed. When a character or the like is displayed large in the center of the screen as a notice effect, the decorative symbol 190 is reduced and displayed in an inconspicuous manner at the top of the screen as shown in FIG. The figure illustrates a state in which the mode is shifted to the battle mode as a result of the player's intervention in the sensor notice effect.

  FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are diagrams showing an example of a screen displayed on the effect display device when the sensor notice is selected as the notice effect, and an example of the player's operation according to the screen. (A) and (b) of each figure show the example of the production process.

  In this embodiment, a sensor advance notice is provided as a player intervention type advance notice effect, and an input screen for requesting an operation input by the player when the notice effect is executed is displayed. As shown in FIG. 5A, a first target area that is a detection area of the first sensor 161, a second target area that is a detection area of the second sensor 162, and a third target that is a detection area of the third sensor 163. Each area is set, and the user is prompted to hold his / her hand over one of the target areas according to the result of the lottery. Each input detection sensor detects that a detection target (such as a player's hand) is close to a target area within a set distance (for example, within 20 mm), and outputs a specific signal indicating that a player's operation input has been made To do. This set distance is determined according to the sensitivity of each input detection sensor. In this embodiment, the first target area is set so as to be the third target area, the second target area, and the first target area in order from the highest hit expectation degree so that the player can easily identify each target area. Is blue, the second target area is yellow, and the third target area is red. In the illustrated example, a character string “Hold your hand over the sensor!” Is displayed in the center of the screen, and a hand mark as an input request object 165 is placed in the target area where the player should hold his hand. Is displayed. The player can intervene in the game by holding his hand over the target area where the input request object 165 is located, and can enjoy the merit in the production.

  In the figure, an operation input to the second target area, which is the detection area of the second sensor 162, is requested. However, when the player performs an operation input according to this, the design (a) and FIG. It is assumed that one hand h is operated as shown in FIG. Note that the “design” here does not necessarily match the fact, and is assumed from the positional relationship of the input detection sensor when the average player operates according to the input request. Means that. In this embodiment, as described above, the second target area is set slightly above the height position of the average player's shoulder. Therefore, when the left hand is moved toward the second target area, it is slightly lower than that. It is assumed that the vehicle passes through the first target area that is at a height. Since the right hand is considered to be operating the firing handle 17, it is excluded here.

  Similarly, in FIG. 6, an operation input to the third target area, which is the detection area of the third sensor 163, is requested. However, when a player performs an operation input according to this, the same figure ( It is assumed that one hand h is operated as shown in a) and (b). That is, when the player moves the left hand toward the third target area, it is assumed that the fingertip passes through the second target area slightly above it. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted about the case where the operation input to the 1st target area | region which is a detection area | region of the 1st sensor 161 is requested | required, a player does not go through another target area | region by design. Assume that you can hold your hand over the area.

  In this way, when the player holds his / her hand over the target area designated in the predetermined effective period in response to the input request, the player's operation input is detected by the input detection sensor using the target area as the detection area. A specific signal indicating that is output. Then, among a plurality of specific notice effects with relatively high rarity, the image is switched to one of the images corresponding to the corresponding sensor and the result of the lottery. When the player does not operate during the effective period, the specific notice effect is not displayed as a penalty, and only the normal symbol variation display is displayed.

  Incidentally, as described above, in any of the cases shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, there is a possibility that the player may reach another target area in the process of holding the hand over the target area to be operated. That is, when the second target area is an operation target, the first sensor 161 may react when the player's hand passes the first target area, and the third target area is the operation target. In such a case, there is a possibility that the second sensor 162 reacts when the player's hand grazes the second target area. In this case, if an unintended sensor output that has reacted in the middle of the process is also valid, there is a possibility that switching to the effect that should be displayed may not be performed. This also leads to inconsistency between the production contents and the hit expectation.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, a period exceeding the reaction time that the first sensor 161 can react to when the player places one hand close to the second target area is set as the determination reference period. When a specific signal is input from the first sensor 161, an operation input to the first target area is determined. That is, a dead zone is provided in which the operation input determination based on the first sensor 161 is invalid for a predetermined period. Similarly, when the player places one hand close to the third target area, a period exceeding the reaction time that the second sensor 162 can react with is set as the determination reference period, and even if the determination reference period is exceeded, the second sensor When a specific signal is input from 162, an operation input to the second target area is determined. That is, a dead zone is provided in which the operation input determination based on the second sensor 162 is invalid for a predetermined period. In the present embodiment, it is not assumed that the player goes through the third target area in both cases where one hand is brought close to the first target area and where one hand is brought close to the second target area. For the operation input determination based on the third sensor 163, no dead zone is provided.

  FIG. 7 is a timing chart illustrating the operation input determination timing based on the detection information of each input detection sensor. FIG. 4A shows the operation input determination timing based on the detection information of the first sensor 161, FIG. 4B shows the operation input determination timing based on the detection information of the second sensor 162, and FIG. The operation input determination timing based on the detection information of the third sensor 163 is shown. The upper part of each figure shows a specific signal output by each input detection sensor, and the lower part shows the state of an operation flag that is set when it is determined that there is an operation input. The horizontal axis of each figure represents the passage of time.

In the example shown in FIG. 5A, the first sensor 161 outputs a specific signal (first specific signal) indicating that the player's hand has been detected. Even if the first specific signal is input at time t1, the effect determining unit 132 holds the operation input until the determination reference period Δt1 set as described above elapses. Since the first specific signal is still input even after the determination reference period Δt1 has elapsed at time t2, the first operation flag that definitely indicates that there has been an operation input at that time is turned on. .
In the example shown in FIG. 5B, the first sensor 161 outputs a specific signal (first specific signal) indicating that the player's hand has been detected, but before the determination reference period Δt1 has elapsed. Since the first specific signal is no longer input at time t12, the first operation flag remains off. This figure exemplifies a case where the player moves his hand over another target area (such as the second target area) instead of the first target area.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5C, the second sensor 162 outputs a specific signal (second specific signal) indicating that the player's hand has been detected. Even if the second specific signal is input at time t1, the effect determination unit 132 retains the operation input until the determination reference period Δt2 set as described above elapses. Since the second specific signal is still input even after the determination reference period Δt2 has elapsed at time t22, the second operation flag that definitely indicates that there has been an operation input at that time is turned on. . The determination reference period Δt2 is set shorter than the determination reference period Δt1. This is because, from the positional relationship of each input detection sensor in the present embodiment, when the player moves one hand toward the third target area, the time for passing through the second target area is one hand toward the second target area. This is because it is assumed that the time required to pass through the first target region is shorter when moving. For example, Δt1 may be set to 30 ms and Δt2 may be set to about 20 ms. In the modification, the determination reference period Δt2 may be set to the same period as the determination reference period Δt1, but if each determination reference period is kept to a minimum as in the present embodiment, the game control is performed. The responsiveness of can be kept high. Although illustration is omitted, in this case as well, if the second specific signal is not input before the determination reference period Δt2 elapses, the second operation flag remains off.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4D, the third sensor 163 outputs a specific signal (third specific signal) indicating that the player's hand has been detected. When there is an input of the third specific signal at time t1, the effect determination unit 132 determines the operation input at the input time point and turns on the third operation flag that definitely indicates that the operation input has occurred. Yes. This is because no dead zone is provided for the operation input determination based on the third sensor 163 as described above. In the modification, the same determination reference period may be set for all of the first sensor 161, the second sensor 162, and the third sensor 163, but each determination reference period is set to the minimum necessary as in the present embodiment. If it is limited, the responsiveness of game control can be kept high. Alternatively, a short-term determination reference period (for example, 10 ms) may be set for the third sensor 163 in order to remove noise and the like.

  FIG. 8 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, “movable accessory notice” is selected if the notice lottery value is 111 to 170, and “sensor notice” is selected if the notice lottery value is 171 to 255. . 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, “sensor 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 sensor selection, moving object announcement, step-up advance notice, group notice, comment notice will be in descending order from the highest selection probability, and vice versa. . That is, in this embodiment, when the sensor notice effect is displayed, the degree of expectation is the highest, and the player's expectation reaches the climax.

  FIG. 9 is a data structure diagram of an effect pattern determination table used when sensor advance 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.

  When the execution determination unit 132 determines the execution of the sensor advance notice, it further uses the effect pattern determination table shown in the drawing and the sensor (target sensor) to be operated as a target area and the operation input of the player are premised. An effect pattern (special effect mode) to be switched to is determined. If the result of the lottery is a win, the third sensor 163, the second sensor 162, and the first sensor 161 are set in descending order of selection probability as shown in FIG. . On the other hand, if the result of the lottery is wrong, the first sensor 161, the second sensor 162, and the third sensor 163 are set in descending order of selection probability as shown in FIG. ing. That is, the hit expectation of each input detection sensor is set to match the actual selection probability. When the target sensor is selected in this way, an input screen showing an operation input to the corresponding sensor is displayed. If there is an operation input, the mode is switched to a special effect mode with high rarity, and if there is no operation input, a normal symbol variation effect is displayed. In the example shown in the figure, when an operation input is made in accordance with an input request to the first sensor 161, the mode is shifted to the mission mode, and when an operation input is made in accordance with an input request to the second sensor 162, the battle mode is entered. When the operation is input in accordance with the input request to the third sensor 163, the mode is shifted to the paradise mode. Here, the “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, and the mission mode are set in descending order of the expectation level. Therefore, when the production enters the paradise mode, the hit expectation becomes the highest, and the player's expectation reaches a climax.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a basic operation process in the pachinko gaming machine.
First, processing is performed when the game ball has won the start port 62, the general winning port 72, the big winning port 66, or the like, or when the game ball has passed 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 sensor notice has been selected (Y in S102), the sensor notice execution process for executing the sensor notice effect is started (S104). On the other hand, if a comment notice or other notice effect is selected instead of the sensor 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 the operation information storage process executed in parallel with the sensor notice execution process of S104 in FIG. This operation information storage process is a process of setting a flag for determining whether or not the player has made an operation input in response to an input request to the target area in the sensor notice effect, and the sensor notice effect is started. Then, it is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle during the production. When the sensor announcement effect ends, this process also ends.

  When the first specific signal is input from the first sensor 161 by interruption (Y in S150), the effect determining unit 132 continues until the determination reference period Δt1 elapses (Y in S152). The first operation flag is turned on (S154). On the other hand, when the second specific signal is input from the second sensor 162 instead of the first sensor 161 (N in S150, Y in S156), if the state continues until the determination reference period Δt2 elapses (in S158). Y), the second operation flag is turned on (S160). On the other hand, when neither the first sensor 161 nor the second sensor 162 (N in S156) and a third specific signal is input from the third sensor 163 (Y in S162), the third operation flag is turned on (S162). S164). If no specific signal is input from any sensor (N in S162), this process is temporarily terminated.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing in detail the sensor notice execution process of S104 in FIG.

  If the sensor announcement effect has not been started (N of S110), the effect determining means 132 starts this (S112). And while determining the object sensor which requests | requires the operation input from a player (S114), the production | presentation mode to be transferred when the operation input is made appropriately is determined (S116). The determination of the target sensor and the effect mode are performed by acquiring the pattern lottery value and referring to the effect pattern determination table shown in FIG. 9 according to the result of the success / failure lottery. In response to this determination, the effect display control means 134 displays the input screen as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and requests the player's operation input (S118). Along with the input request, the time counter set in a predetermined area on the RAM is turned on (S120).

  On the other hand, if the sensor notice effect has been started (Y in S110), the effect display control means 134 determines whether or not the valid period has elapsed with reference to the time counter. At this time, if there is a player's operation input within the effective period, that is, if any of the operation flags is on (N in S122, Y in S124), the effect display control means 134 determines The special effect mode is switched to the special effect (S126), and the operation flag is turned off (S127). When there is no operation input (N of S124), the process of S126 is skipped. On the other hand, if the valid period has elapsed (Y in S122), the display is switched to the normal symbol variation effect (S128), the time counter is cleared, and this process is terminated (S130).

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing in detail the special game control process of S16 in FIG.
First, 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).

  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 of the configuration, number, and arrangement of the input detection sensor is shown. However, other configurations, numbers, and arrangements may be employed in the modification. For example, a plurality of input detection sensors may be embedded in the display screen of the effect display device 60, and an input corresponding object may be displayed at the position of each input detection sensor as necessary. For example, the input corresponding object may be displayed at the position of the target sensor only when the sensor notice effect is started, and the input corresponding object may be hidden during effects other than the sensor notice effect. By setting it as such a structure, the display screen of the production | presentation display apparatus 60 can be taken more widely than the said Example. Alternatively, an input detection sensor may be provided in an outer region of the center decoration 64 in the game region 52 and configured as a structure that influences the course of the game ball. Further, it may be installed on the side of the game board 50, that is, outside the game area 52. In this way, when the input detection sensor is provided as a structure, it is integrated with lighting such as a lamp so that the player can easily recognize the start of the sensor announcement effect and the position of the target sensor by lighting or blinking display. Good.

(Modification 2)
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. 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.

  10 Pachinko machines, 50 game boards, 52 game areas, 60 production display devices, 61 special symbol display devices, 62 start openings, 64 center decorations, 66 grand prize openings, 68 operation openings, 100 game control devices, 102 main boards, 104 Sub-board, 112 Win / fail lottery means, 115 Fluctuation pattern determination means, 120 Special game control means, 130 Pattern storage means, 132 Production determination means, 134 Production display control means, 161 First sensor, 162 Second sensor, 163 Third Sensor, 165 input request object, 190 decorative symbol, 192 special symbol, 194 display area.

Claims (4)

A game board in which a game area is formed;
An operation with respect to the first target area is provided when a detection target comes close to within a set distance provided in a first target area formed at a predetermined position of the game board for accepting an operation input by a player holding his hand A first sensor that outputs a specific signal indicating that the operation input has been made,
An operation with respect to the second target area is provided when a detection target comes close to within a set distance provided in a second target area formed at a predetermined position of the game board in order to receive an operation input by a player holding his hand. A second sensor that outputs a specific signal indicating that the operation input has been made,
When the signals output from the first sensor and the second sensor are received and the reception period of the specific signal from any one of the sensors continues for a predetermined determination reference period or longer, the operation is performed as an operation for the corresponding target area. Operation input determining means for determining that an input has been made;
Game control means for changing a gaming state depending on whether the operation input has been made as an operation with respect to which of the first target area and the second target area,
The first target area and the second target area are in a positional relationship that allows the player to reach the second target area after passing through the first target area when a player places one hand close to the second target area. Arranged,
A player brings one hand close to the second target area as the determination reference period for determining that the operation input has been made as an action on the first target area based on the specific signal from the first sensor. In this case, a period exceeding the time during which the first sensor can output the specific signal is set for passing through the first target area.   The said 2nd target area | region is normally provided in the position where the said 2nd sensor does not react in the operation | movement process, when a player makes one hand adjoin to the said 1st target area | region. The ball game machine described in 1. A starting opening provided at a predetermined position in the gaming area and allowing a game ball to enter;
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,
An effect display device having a display screen on which a predetermined effect image is displayed;
Production determination means for selecting production content according to the result of the success / failure lottery from a plurality of production contents in which a display process of the production image to be displayed on the display screen is defined;
Display control means for displaying an effect image on the display screen according to the selected effect content;
Further comprising
The display control means displays an input screen that prompts the operation input as an operation for one of the first target area and the second target area according to a gaming state,
The said effect determination means, when there exists operation input according to the display of the said input screen, it selects any of these content contents according to the target area | region where the operation input was made | formed. A bullet ball game machine according to 1 or 2. The first target area and the second target area are provided at predetermined positions on the display screen,
4. The bullet ball game according to claim 3, wherein the display control means displays an input request object that prompts the player to bring one hand close to a target area where the operation input is required as the input screen. Machine.

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