JP2012055758A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To notify a player that a special game state has finished without increasing a load of a game control means.SOLUTION: At the start of variation of symbols, a display control command to start variation is transmitted from the game control means to a display control means. A display control command to indicate left, right and middle symbols to be stopped is transmitted. At the end of a variation period, a command to "stop all symbols" is transmitted. If an end condition of a probability variable state is satisfied at the end of a jackpot game, a display control command to "end probability variable state" is transmitted from the game control means to the display control means.

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a pachinko gaming machine or a coin gaming machine, and particularly includes a variable display device whose display state can be changed, and a display result in the variable display device becomes a predetermined specific display mode. The present invention relates to a gaming machine that can be given a predetermined gaming value.

  As a gaming machine, a variable display device having a variable display unit whose display state can be changed is provided, and a big hit game that is advantageous to the player when the display result of the variable display unit becomes a predetermined specific display mode Some are configured to transition to a state. The variable display device has a plurality of variable display units, and is usually configured to display the display results of the plurality of variable display units at different times. For example, a plurality of pieces of identification information such as symbols are variably displayed on the variable display section.

  That the display result of the variable display unit is a combination of specific display modes determined in advance is usually referred to as “big hit”. Note that the game value is the right that the state of the variable winning ball device provided in the gaming area of the gaming machine is advantageous for a player who is likely to win a ball, or the advantageous state for a player. It is to generate.

  When the big hit occurs, for example, the big winning opening is opened a predetermined number of times, and the game shifts to a big hit gaming state where the hit ball is easy to win. And in each open period, if there is a prize for a predetermined number (for example, 10) of the big prize opening, the big prize opening is closed. And the number of times the special winning opening is opened is fixed to a predetermined number (for example, 16 rounds). An opening time (for example, 29.5 seconds) is determined for each opening, and even if the number of winnings does not reach a predetermined number, the big winning opening is closed when the opening time elapses. In addition, when a predetermined condition (for example, winning in a V zone provided in the big prize opening) is not established at the time when the big prize opening is closed, the big hit game even if the predetermined number of times is not reached The state ends.

  In addition, among the combinations of “out of” display modes other than the “big hit” combination, the display results are already derived and displayed at a stage where some of the display results of the plurality of variable display portions have not yet been derived and displayed. A state in which the display mode of the variable display unit satisfies a display condition that is a combination of specific display modes is referred to as “reach”. A player plays a game while enjoying how to generate a big hit.

  When a predetermined condition is established, the gaming machine shifts to a special gaming state that is advantageous to the player, such as improving the probability of generating a big hit or shortening the symbol variation time in the variable display section. There is. The predetermined condition is satisfied, for example, when the combination of the stop symbol of the special symbol becomes a combination of the predetermined symbol (probability variation symbol). Hereinafter, a state in which the probability of generating a big hit is improved is referred to as a probability variation (probability variation) state. In a gaming machine having a function of shifting to a probability changing state, the player plays a game while enjoying how to generate a combination of special symbols that are conditions for shifting to the probability changing state.

  Since the player has a strong interest in the special gaming state which is advantageous, it is possible for the player to inform the player that the special gaming state has ended by using the variable display section. It is convenient for grasping. However, since the progress of the game is performed by the game control means, the burden on the game control means becomes heavy if an attempt is made to perform a display different from the change in the symbols. The symbol variation can be controlled by a display control means mounted on a board different from the board on which the game control means is mounted. This is because control must be performed.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of notifying a player that a special gaming state has ended without increasing the burden of game control means.

The gaming machine according to the present invention includes a variable display unit having a plurality of display areas whose display states can be changed, and starts to change the identification information displayed in the display area in accordance with the establishment of the change start condition. A game machine that can be controlled to a specific game state advantageous to the player when the display result of the game becomes a predetermined display mode, a game control means for controlling the progress of the game, and the game control means Display control means for performing display control of the variable display unit based on a command to be transmitted, the game control means is a specific game determination means for determining whether or not to enter a specific game state, and the variation time of identification information is shortened Special game state transition means for shifting to a special game state, which is a state to be played, and a special game end determination hand for determining whether a condition for ending the control of the special game state is terminated when a special game state occurs And a result mode determining means for determining the display mode of the display result of the variable display section, and a command for changing the display state of the variable display section in a mode that can be recognized by the display control means in relation to the timing of the change. The command output means outputs a command capable of specifying the fluctuation time of the identification information to the display control means when starting the fluctuation of the identification information, and ends the fluctuation of the identification information. A command indicating confirmation of identification information in all display areas is output to the display control means, and when the special game end determination means determines the end of the special game state, the special game state is ended. A command that can specify the display contents that can be identified is output, and the display control means can specify the display contents that can identify the end of the special game state from the game control means. Accordingly, the display control is performed to display the display contents that can identify the end of the special gaming state, and the condition for ending the control of the special gaming state is established by executing a predetermined number of changes in the identification information. Features.
According to such a configuration, there is an effect that it is possible to notify the player that the special game state has ended without increasing the burden on the game control means.

It is the front view which looked at the pachinko game machine from the front. It is a whole rear view which shows the internal structure of a pachinko gaming machine. It is the rear view which looked at the game board of the pachinko machine from the back. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the circuit structure in a main board | substrate. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of a display control board. It is a flowchart which shows the main process of a basic circuit. It is explanatory drawing which shows each random number. It is a flowchart which shows the process which determines that the hit ball won the start winning opening. It is a flowchart which shows the process which determines the stop symbol of variable display, and the process which determines a reach kind. It is a flowchart which shows the process of jackpot determination. It is a flowchart which shows special symbol process processing It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the right-and-left middle symbols displayed on a variable display part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display control command which can specify the variable display period of a symbol, the display control command which instruct | indicates the stop of all the symbols, and the display control command which instruct | indicates the end of a probability change state. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display control command of the stop symbol of a left symbol. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display control command of the stop symbol of a middle symbol. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display control command of the stop symbol of a right symbol. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display control command data transmitted to a display control board from a main board | substrate. It is a timing chart showing an example of the transmission timing of display control command data. It is a timing chart showing the transmission timing of the display control command related to the symbol variation sent from the start of the change to the end of the change or the end of the big hit game. It is a flowchart which shows the all symbol variation start process in a special symbol process process. It is a flowchart which shows the all symbol stop waiting process in a special symbol process process. It is a flowchart which shows the jackpot display process in a special symbol process process. It is a flowchart which shows the big winning opening release start process in a special symbol process process. It is a flowchart which shows the special prize process opening process in a special symbol process. It is a flowchart which shows the jackpot end process in the special symbol process. It is a flowchart which shows the display control data output process A. It is a flowchart which shows the display control data output process B. It is a flowchart which shows the display control data output process C. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of CPU for display control. It is a flowchart which shows a 100 micro timer interruption process. It is a flowchart which shows a display control command reading process. It is a flowchart which shows a display control process process. It is a flowchart which shows the jackpot display process in a display control process process. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the probability change completion alerting | reporting screen. It is a flowchart which shows the all symbol stop waiting process in a special symbol process process. It is a flowchart which shows the jackpot end process in the special symbol process. It is a timing diagram which shows the transmission timing of the display control command regarding the symbol fluctuation | variation sent between the time of a fluctuation | variation start and the end of a big hit game.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the overall configuration of a pachinko gaming machine that is an example of a gaming machine will be described. 1 is a front view of the pachinko gaming machine 1 as seen from the front, FIG. 2 is an overall rear view showing the internal structure of the pachinko gaming machine 1, and FIG. 3 is a rear view of the gaming board of the pachinko gaming machine 1 as seen from the back. Here, a pachinko gaming machine is shown as an example of a gaming machine, but the present invention is not limited to a pachinko gaming machine, and may be, for example, a coin gaming machine.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko gaming machine 1 has a glass door frame 2 formed in a frame shape. On the lower surface of the glass door frame 2 is a hitting ball supply tray 3. Below the hitting ball supply tray 3, there are provided an extra ball receiving tray 4 for storing prize balls overflowing from the hitting ball supply tray 3 and a hitting operation handle (operation knob) 5 for firing the hitting ball. A game board 6 is detachably attached to the rear side of the glass door frame 2. A game area 7 is provided in front of the game board 6.

  Near the center of the game area 7, there is provided a variable display device 8 including a variable display unit 9 for variably displaying a plurality of types of symbols and a variable display 10 using 7 segment LEDs. In this embodiment, the variable display section 9 has three symbol display areas of “left”, “middle”, and “right”. A passing gate 11 for guiding a hit ball is provided on the side of the variable display device 8. The hit ball that has passed through the passing gate 11 is guided to the start winning opening 14 through the ball outlet 13. In the passage between the passage gate 11 and the ball exit 13, there is a gate switch 12 that detects a hit ball that has passed through the passage gate 11. The winning ball that has entered the start winning opening 14 is guided to the back of the game board 6 and detected by the start opening switch 17. A variable winning ball device 15 that opens and closes is provided below the start winning opening 14. The variable winning ball device 15 is opened by a solenoid 16.

  An open / close plate 20 that is opened by a solenoid 21 in a specific gaming state (big hit state) is provided below the variable winning ball device 15. In this embodiment, the opening / closing plate 20 is a means for opening and closing the special winning opening. Of the winning balls guided from the opening / closing plate 20 to the back of the game board 6, the winning ball entering one (V zone) is detected by the V count switch 22. A winning ball from the opening / closing plate 20 is detected by the count switch 23. At the bottom of the variable display device 8, a start winning memory display 18 having four display units for displaying the number of winning balls that have entered the start winning opening 14 is provided. In this example, with the upper limit being four, each time there is a start prize, the start prize storage display 18 increases the number of lit display units one by one. Then, each time the variable display of the variable display unit 9 is started, the lit display unit is reduced by one.

  The game board 6 is provided with a plurality of winning openings 19, 24. Decorative lamps 25 blinking during the game are provided around the left and right sides of the game area 7, and an outlet 26 for absorbing a hit ball that has not won a prize is provided below. Two speakers 27 that emit sound effects are provided on the left and right upper portions outside the game area 7. On the outer periphery of the game area 7, a game effect LED 28a and game effect lamps 28b and 28c are provided. In this example, a prize ball lamp 51 that is lit when a prize is paid out is provided in the vicinity of one speaker 27, and a ball break lamp 52 that is lit when a supply ball is cut is provided in the vicinity of the other speaker 27. Is provided. Further, FIG. 1 also shows a card unit 50 that is installed adjacent to the pachinko gaming machine 1 and enables ball lending by inserting a prepaid card.

  The hit ball fired from the hit ball launching device enters the game area 7 through the hit ball rail, and then descends the game area 7. When the hit ball is detected by the gate switch 12 through the passing gate 11, the display number of the variable display 10 changes continuously. Further, when the hit ball enters the start winning opening 14 and is detected by the start opening switch 17, the symbol in the variable display portion 9 starts to rotate if the variation of the symbol can be started. If it is not in a state where the change of the symbol can be started, the start winning memory is increased by one. The start winning memory will be described in detail later. The rotation of the image in the variable display unit 9 stops when a certain time has elapsed. If the combination of images at the time of the stop is a combination of jackpot symbols, the game shifts to a jackpot gaming state. That is, the opening / closing plate 20 is opened until a predetermined time elapses or a predetermined number (for example, 10) of hit balls wins. When the hit ball enters the specific winning area while the opening / closing plate 20 is opened and is detected by the V count switch 22, a right to continue is generated and the opening / closing plate 20 is opened again. The generation of the continuation right is allowed a predetermined number of times (for example, 15 rounds).

When the combination of images in the variable display section 9 at the time of stop is a combination of jackpot symbols with probability fluctuations, the probability of the next jackpot increases. That is, it becomes a more advantageous state for the player in a high probability state.
Further, when the stop symbol on the variable display 10 is a predetermined symbol (winning symbol), the variable winning ball device 15 is opened for a predetermined time. Further, in the high probability state, the probability that the stop symbol in the variable display 10 becomes a winning symbol is increased, and the opening time and the number of times of opening of the variable winning ball device 15 are increased.

Next, the structure of the back surface of the pachinko gaming machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
On the back surface of the variable display device 8, as shown in FIG. 2, a prize ball tank 38 is provided above the mechanism plate 36, and the prize ball is placed from above in a state where the pachinko gaming machine 1 is installed on the gaming machine installation island. It is supplied to the prize ball tank 38. The prize balls in the prize ball tank 38 pass through the guide rod 39 and reach the ball dispensing device.

  The mechanism plate 36 includes a variable display control unit 29 for controlling the variable display unit 9 via the relay board 30, a game control board (main board) 31 covered with a board case 32 and mounted with a game control microcomputer, etc. A relay board 33 for relaying a signal between the variable display control unit 29 and the game control board 31, and a prize ball board 37 on which a payout control microcomputer for performing payout control of prizes is mounted. Yes. Further, on the mechanism plate 36, a ball hitting device 34 that launches a hit ball to the game area 7 by using the rotational force of the motor, and a lamp control for sending signals to the speaker 27 and the game effect lamps / LEDs 28a, 28b, 28c. A substrate 35 is installed.

  FIG. 3 is a rear view of the game board of the pachinko gaming machine 1 as seen from the back. On the back surface of the game board 6, as shown in FIG. 3, a winning ball collective cover 40 is provided for guiding the winning balls that have won the winning holes and the winning ball devices along a predetermined winning path. Among the winning balls led to the winning ball collective cover 40, those that win through the opening / closing plate 20 are controlled so that the ball paying device 97 pays out a relatively large number of prize balls (for example, 15). What is won through the start winning opening 14 is controlled such that a ball payout device (not shown in FIG. 3) pays out a relatively small number of prize balls (for example, 6). And what was won through the other winning opening 24 and the winning ball device is controlled such that the ball payout device pays out a relatively medium number of prize balls (for example, 10). In FIG. 3, the relay board 33 is illustrated.

  In order to perform the winning ball payout control, signals from the winning ball detection switch 99, the start port switch 17 and the V count switch 22 are sent to the main board 31. When the ON signal of the winning ball detection switch 99 is sent to the main board 31, a winning ball number signal is sent from the main board 31 to the winning ball board 37. The winning ball detection switch 99 detects that there has been a winning. In this case, a prize ball number signal is given from the main board 31 to the winning ball board 37. For example, when the winning ball detection switch 99 is turned on in response to the start port switch 17 being turned on, “6” is output to the winning ball number signal, and in response to the turning on of the count switch 23 or the V count switch 22, winning ball detection is performed. When the switch 99 is turned on, “15” is output as the prize ball number signal. Then, if the winning ball detection switch 99 is turned on when those switches are not turned on, “10” is output as the winning ball number signal.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a circuit configuration in the main board 31. FIG. 4 also shows a prize ball control board 37, a lamp control board 35, a sound control board 70, a launch control board 91, and a display control board 80. On the main board 31, a basic circuit 53 that controls the pachinko gaming machine 1 according to a program, and signals from the gate switch 12, the start port switch 17, the V count switch 22, the count switch 23, and the winning ball detection switch 99 are input to the basic circuit 53. Switch circuit 58 applied to the motor, solenoid 16 for opening / closing the variable winning ball apparatus 15 and solenoid circuit 59 for driving the solenoid 21 for opening / closing the opening / closing plate 20 in accordance with a command from the basic circuit 53, and turning on / off of the start memory display 18 A lamp / LED circuit 60 for driving the variable display 10 by the 7-segment LED and the decorative lamp 25 is included.

  Further, according to the data given from the basic circuit 53, the jackpot information indicating the occurrence of the jackpot, the effective starting information indicating the number of starting winning balls used for starting the image display of the variable display unit 9, and the fact that the probability variation has occurred. An information output circuit 64 is provided for outputting the probability variation information and the like to a host computer such as a hall management computer.

  The basic circuit 53 includes a ROM 54 that stores a game control program and the like, a RAM 55 that is used as a work memory, a CPU 56 that performs a control operation according to a control program, and an I / O port unit 57. Note that the ROM 54 and RAM 55 may be built in the CPU 56.

Further, an initial reset circuit 65 for resetting the basic circuit 53 when the power is turned on is provided on the main board 31, and a reset pulse is given to the basic circuit 53 periodically (for example, every 2 ms) to start a game control program. A reset circuit 66 for re-execution from the start address, and an address for outputting a signal for selecting any I / O port of the I / O port unit 57 by decoding the address signal given from the basic circuit 53 A decoding circuit 67 is provided.
Note that there is also switch information input to the main board 31 from the ball dispensing device 97, but these are omitted in FIG.

  A ball hitting device for hitting and launching a game ball is driven by a drive motor 94 controlled by a circuit on the launch control board 91. Then, the driving force of the drive motor 94 is adjusted according to the operation amount of the operation knob 5. That is, the circuit on the firing control board 91 is controlled so that the hit ball is fired at a speed corresponding to the operation amount of the operation knob 5.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration in the display control board 80 together with a CRT 82 which is an example of realization of the variable display unit 9 and the output buffer circuit 63 of the main board 31. The display control CPU 101 operates in accordance with a program stored in the control data ROM 102. When a strobe signal is input from the main board 31 via the noise filter 107 and the input buffer circuit 105, the display control CPU 101 performs display control via the input buffer circuit 105. Receive commands. As the input buffer circuit 105, for example, 74HC244, which is a general-purpose IC, can be used.

  Then, the display control CPU 101 performs display control of the screen displayed on the CRT 82 in accordance with the received display control command. Specifically, a command corresponding to the display control command is given to the VDP 103. The VDP 103 reads out necessary data from the character ROM 86. The VDP 103 generates image data to be displayed on the CRT 82 according to the input data, and stores the image data in the VRAM 87. The image data in the VRAM 87 is converted into R, G, and B signals, converted into analog signals by the DA conversion circuit 104, and output to the CRT 82.

  5 also shows a reset circuit 83 for resetting the VDP 103, an oscillation circuit 85 for supplying an operation clock to the VDP 103, and a character ROM 86 for storing frequently used image data. The frequently used image data stored in the character ROM 86 is, for example, a person, animal, or an image made up of characters, figures, symbols, or the like displayed on the CRT 82.

  The input buffer circuit 105 can pass signals only in the direction from the main board 31 to the display control board 80. Therefore, there is no room for signals to be transmitted from the display control board 80 side to the main board 31 side. Even if the tampering is added to the circuit in the display control board 80, the signal output by the tampering is not transmitted to the main board 31 side. The outputs of the output ports 571 and 572 may be output to the display control board 80 as they are. However, by providing the output buffer circuit 63 capable of transmitting signals only in one direction, the main board 31 to the display control board 80 can be provided. Unidirectional signal transmission can be made more reliable. In addition, for example, a three-terminal capacitor or a ferrite bead is used as the noise filter 107 that cuts off the high-frequency signal. However, even if noise is added to the display control command between the substrates due to the presence of the noise filter 107, the influence is removed. Is done.

Next, the operation of the gaming machine will be described.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the CPU 56 in the main board 31. The CPU 56 performs game control according to the game control program stored in the ROM 54. As described above, the processing shown in FIG. 6 is started, for example, every 2 ms by the reset pulse generated by the periodic reset circuit 66.

  When the CPU 56 is activated, the CPU 56 first performs a stack setting process for setting the designated address of the stack pointer (step S1). Next, initialization processing is performed (step S2). In the initialization process, the CPU 56 determines whether or not an error is included in the RAM 55. If the error is included, the CPU 56 performs a process such as initializing the RAM 55.

  Next, after performing a process of setting a display control command sent to the display control board 80 in a predetermined area of the RAM 55 (display control data setting process: step S4), a part of the process of outputting the display control command is performed. Execute (display control data output process A: step S5A). The processing content of the display control data output processing A will be described in detail later.

  Next, a process of outputting the contents of the storage area for various output data to each output port is performed (data output process: step S6). Further, an output data setting process for setting output data such as jackpot information, start information, probability variation information, etc., output to the hall management computer in the storage area is performed (step S8). Further, various abnormality diagnosis processes are performed by the self-diagnosis function provided in the pachinko gaming machine 1, and an alarm is issued if necessary according to the result (error process: step S9).

Next, a process of updating each counter indicating each determination random number such as a big hit determination random number used for game control is performed (step S10).
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing each random number. Each random number is used as follows.
(1) Random 1: Decide whether or not to generate a big hit (for big hit determination = special symbol determination)
(2) Random 2-1-2-3: For left / right centered symbol determination (3) Random 3: Determines the symbol combination at the time of jackpot (for jackpot symbol determination = for special symbol determination)
(4) Random 4: Decide whether or not to reach when falling off (for reach determination)
(5) Random 5: Determine the fluctuation time during reach (for determining reach type)

In order to enhance the game effect, random numbers other than the random numbers (1) to (5) are also used.
In step S10, the CPU 56 counts up (adds 1) a counter for generating the jackpot determination random number (1) and the jackpot symbol determination random number (3). That is, they are determination random numbers. Other than these are display random numbers.

  Next, the CPU 56 performs special symbol process processing (step S11). In the special symbol process control, corresponding processing is selected and executed according to a special symbol process flag for controlling the pachinko gaming machine 1 in a predetermined order according to the gaming state. The value of the special symbol process flag is updated during each process according to the gaming state.

  Here, a part of the process of outputting the display control command is executed (display control data output process B: step S5B). The processing content of the display control data output processing B will be described in detail later.

  Also, normal symbol process processing is performed (step S12). In the normal symbol process, the corresponding process is selected and executed in accordance with the normal symbol process flag for controlling the variable display 10 using the 7-segment LED in a predetermined order. The value of the normal symbol process flag is updated during each process according to the gaming state.

  Further, the CPU 56 inputs the states of the gate sensor 12, the start port sensor 17 and the count sensor 23 via the switch circuit 58, and determines whether or not each winning port or winning device has been won (switch processing: step S13). ).

  The basic circuit 53 further performs a process of updating a display random number such as a random number that determines the type of stop symbol (step S15).

  The basic circuit 53 performs signal processing with the prize ball control board 37 (step S16). That is, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, a prize ball control command is output to the prize ball control board 37. The prize ball control CPU mounted on the prize ball control board 37 drives the ball payout device 97 according to the prize ball control command.

Here, a part of the process of outputting the display control command is executed (display control data output process B: step S5C). The processing content of the display control data output processing C will be described in detail later.
After that, the basic circuit 53 repeats the display random number update process in step S17 until the next reset pulse is given from the periodic reset circuit 66.

  Next, a method for determining a symbol variably displayed on the variable display unit 9 based on a winning at the start winning opening 14 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 8 shows a process for determining that the hit ball has won the start winning opening 14, and FIG. 9 shows a process for determining a variable display stop symbol of the variable display unit 9. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether or not to win.

  When the hit ball wins the start winning opening 14 provided in the game board 6, the start opening sensor 17 is turned on. In the special symbol process in step S8 of the main process, as shown in FIG. 8, when the CPU 56 determines that the start port sensor 17 is turned on via the switch circuit 58 (step S41), the start winning memorized number is maximum. It is confirmed whether or not the value 4 is reached (step S42). If the starting winning memory number has not reached 4, the starting winning memory number is increased by 1 (step S43), and the value of the jackpot determining random number is extracted. Then, it is stored in a random value storage area corresponding to the value of the number of stored start winning prizes (step S44). When the start winning memory number has reached 4, the process for increasing the starting win memory number is not performed. That is, in this embodiment, it is possible to store the number of hit balls that have been won in a maximum of four start winning holes 17.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 56 confirms the value of the number of start winning prizes in the special symbol process processing in step S8 (step S50). If the starting winning memory number is not 0, the value stored in the random number value storage area corresponding to the starting winning memory number = 1 is read (step S51), the value of the starting winning memory number is decreased by 1, and each The value in the random value storage area is shifted (step S52). That is, the value stored in the random number value storage area corresponding to the starting winning memory number = n (n = 2, 3, 4) is stored in the random number value storing area corresponding to the starting winning memory number = n−1. .

  Then, the CPU 56 determines the winning / losing based on the value read in step S51, that is, the value of the extracted big hit determination random number (step S53). Here, the jackpot symbol determining random number takes a value in the range of 0-299. As shown in FIG. 10, at the time of low probability, for example, when the value is “3”, it is determined as “big hit”, and when it is any other value, it is determined as “out of place”. When the probability is high, for example, when the value is any one of “3”, “7”, “79”, “103”, “107”, “big hit” is determined. It is determined that it is out of place.

  When the big hit is determined, the CPU 56 extracts the big hit symbol determining random number (random 3) and determines the big hit symbol according to the value (step S62). Further, a reach type determining random number (random 5) is extracted, and a reach type is determined based on the extracted value (step S57).

  If it is determined that there is a loss, the CPU 56 determines whether or not to reach (step S58). For example, when the value of random 4, which is a random number for reach determination, is any one of “105” to “1530”, it is determined not to reach. If the value of the reach determination random number is any one of “0” to “104”, it is determined to reach. When determining to reach, the CPU 56 determines the reach symbol.

  In this embodiment, the left and right symbols are determined according to the value of random 2-1 (step S59). Further, the medium symbol is determined according to the value of random 2-2 (step S60). That is, any symbol corresponding to 0 to 15 of random 2-1 and random 2-2 is determined as a stop symbol. Here, when the determined middle symbol matches the left and right symbols, the symbol corresponding to the value obtained by adding 1 to the random number corresponding to the middle symbol is set as the determined symbol of the middle symbol so as not to match the jackpot symbol To do.

  Further, the CPU 56 extracts the reach type determining random number (random 5) and determines the reach type based on the value (step S57).

  If it is decided not to reach in step S58, the left and right middle symbols are decided according to the random values 2-1 to 2-3 (step S61). As will be described later, in this embodiment, in a high probability state, a variation pattern with a shortened variation time is also used as a variation pattern at the time of loss. Therefore, in the high probability state, the CPU 56 determines whether to use the normal fluctuation pattern or the shortened fluctuation pattern using, for example, a predetermined random number.

  As described above, it is determined whether the display mode of the symbol variation based on the start winning is a big hit, a reach mode, or a deviation mode, and a combination of each stop symbol is determined.

  The reach type determined in step S57 indicates the symbol variable display period at the time of reach. For example, at the time of reach, any variable display period of 14.5 seconds, 22.5 seconds, and 29.5 seconds is used. Accordingly, in step S57, one of the three types of periods is determined according to the extracted random value 5. Then, the display control means decides one to be used from among a plurality of reach types prepared for each variable display time. That is, in the game control means, a rough reach type is determined.

  Further, in the high probability state, the probability of the next big hit increases, the time until the variable display of the variable display 10 is confirmed by the 7-segment LED is shortened, and based on the variable display result of the variable display 10. The pachinko gaming machine 1 may be configured to increase the number of times and the opening time of the variable winning ball apparatus 15 at the time of winning, and the probability of winning based on the variable display result of the variable display 10 is increased. It may be configured. In addition, the present invention is also applicable to the pachinko gaming machine 1 in which only one or a plurality of the states occur.

For example, when the combination of the stop symbols of the variable display unit 9 becomes a specific symbol, the probability of winning the jackpot does not increase, but the number of times the variable winning ball device 15 is released based on the variable display result of the variable indicator 10 and Even in a gaming machine whose opening time can be increased, if it is decided to reach, a predetermined random number is used to determine whether the left and right stop symbols match the display mode of the specific symbol, that is, in which symbol the reach state is generated. The present invention can also be applied to a gaming machine determined by such means.
Further, the random number and the range of the random value used in this embodiment are merely examples, and any random number may be used, and the range setting is also arbitrary.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a special symbol process processing program executed by the CPU 56. The special symbol process shown in FIG. 11 is a specific process of step S11 in the flowchart of FIG. When performing the special symbol process, the CPU 56 performs any one of steps S300 to S309 shown in FIG. 11 according to the internal state. In each process, the following process is executed.

Special symbol variation waiting process (step S300): Waiting for the start opening sensor 17 to be turned on after hitting the start winning opening 14 (the winning opening of the variable winning ball apparatus 15 in this embodiment). When the start sensor 17 is turned on, if the start winning memory number is not full, the start winning memory number is incremented by 1 and a big hit determining random number is extracted. That is, the process shown in FIG. 8 is executed.
Special symbol determination process (step S301): When variable symbol special display can be started, the number of start winning memories is confirmed. If the start winning memorized number is not 0, it is determined whether to win or not depending on the value of the extracted big hit determination random number. That is, the first half of the process shown in FIG. 9 is executed.
Stop symbol setting process (step S302): The stop symbol of the middle left and right symbols is determined. That is, the middle half of the process shown in FIG. 9 is executed.

  Reach operation setting process (step S303): It is determined whether or not a reach operation is performed according to the value of the reach determination random number, and a change period during reach is determined according to the value of the reach type determination random number. That is, the second half of the process shown in FIG. 9 is executed.

  All symbol variation start processing (step S304): Control is performed so that the variation display unit 9 starts variation of all symbols. At this time, the right / left middle final stop symbol and information for instructing the variation mode are transmitted to the display control board 80.

  All symbols stop waiting process (step S305): When a predetermined time has elapsed, control is performed so that all symbols displayed on the variable display unit 9 are stopped.

  Jackpot display processing (step S306): If the stop symbol is a combination of jackpot symbols, the internal state (process flag) is updated to shift to step S307. If not, the internal state is updated to shift to step S309. The jackpot symbol combination is a combination of right and left middle symbols. Reaching is achieved when the left and right symbols are aligned.

  Big winning opening opening process (step S307): Control for opening the big winning opening is started. Specifically, the counter and the flag are initialized, and the solenoid 21 is driven to open the special winning opening.

  Processing for opening a special prize opening (step S308): Control for sending display control command data for the big prize opening round display to the display control board 80, processing for confirming establishment of a closing condition for the special prize opening, and the like. If the final closing condition of the big prize opening is satisfied, the internal state is updated to shift to step S309.

  Jackpot end process (step S309): A display for notifying the player that the jackpot gaming state has ended is performed. When the display is completed, the internal flag and the like are returned to the initial state, and the internal state is updated to shift to step S300.

  As described above, when a hit ball is won at the start winning opening 14, the basic circuit 53 determines whether or not to win or not in the special symbol process in step S11 (see FIG. 6), or sets the stop symbol and the variable display period. The display control command corresponding to the determination is given to the display control CPU 101 of the display control board 80. The display control CPU 101 performs display control of the variable display unit 9 in accordance with a display control command from the main board 31.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of left and right middle symbols used in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, in this embodiment, the symbols displayed as the left and right middle symbols are the same 12 symbols in the left and right. The left and right middle symbols are variably displayed in the order of symbol numbers. When the symbol number 12 is displayed, the symbol number 1 is displayed next. Then, when the left and right middle symbols are stopped together with, for example, “one”, “three”, “five”, “seven”, “nine” or “geta”, a high probability state is set. That is, they become probabilistic symbols.

  FIGS. 13-16 is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display control command regarding the design variation transmitted to the display control board 80 from the main board 31 used in this embodiment. In this example, one display control command is composed of 2 bytes (CMD1, CMD2).

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a display control command that can specify a variable display period of symbols, a display control command that instructs to stop all symbols, and the like. As shown in FIG. 13, in this example, display control commands that can specify the variable display period include “out of”, “probability change”, “reach 1 (change time 14.5 seconds)”, “reach 2 ( Variation time 22.5 seconds) and “reach 3 (variation time 29.5 seconds)”. In addition, there is a display control command of “stop all symbols” which is an instruction to fix the left and right middle symbols.

  As commands for display control of the variable display unit 9, there are display control commands for "power-on screen", "customer standby screen 1", "customer standby screen 2", and "error screen".

  In addition, in order to instruct the display control means to display the notification of the end of the probability variation state, the display of “Erase left symbol, middle symbol, right symbol”, “Display probability variation end” and “Display last outcome” There are control commands.

  FIG. 14 shows a display control command indicating the stop symbol of the left symbol. As shown in FIG. 14, a stop symbol is designated by a display control command composed of 2-byte control data CMD1 and CMD2. In these designations, the value of the control data CMD1 in the first byte is “8B (H)”.

  FIG. 15 shows a display control command indicating the stop symbol of the middle symbol. As shown in FIG. 15, a stop symbol is designated by a display control command composed of 2-byte control data CMD1 and CMD2. In these designations, the value of the control data CMD1 in the first byte is “8C (H)”.

  FIG. 16 shows a display control command indicating the stop symbol of the right symbol. As shown in FIG. 16, a stop symbol is designated by a display control command composed of 2-byte control data CMD1 and CMD2. In these designations, the value of the control data CMD1 in the first byte is “8D (H)”.

  FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing display control commands transmitted from the main board 31 to the display control board 80. As shown in FIG. 17, in this embodiment, the display control command is transmitted from the main board 31 to the display control board 80 through eight signal lines of display control signals CD0 to CD7. Between the main board 31 and the display control board 80, a signal line for the display control signal INT for transmitting a strobe signal, + 5V and + 12V supply lines for supplying power to the display control board 80, and a ground level are provided. Signal lines for supply are also wired.

  FIG. 18 is a timing chart showing the transmission timing of the display control command given from the main board 31 to the game control board 80. As shown in FIG. 18, in this embodiment, one display control command is composed of 2 bytes, and one display control command is sent out at a periodic reset signal generation interval (2 ms). The INT signal is turned on (low level) for 800 μs after each byte of the display control command is output. When the display control CPU 101 detects that the INT signal is turned on, the display control CPU 101 performs processing for fetching a display control command.

  In this embodiment, since the display control command has a 2-byte configuration, the INT signal is output twice when one display control command is output. The display control command is not limited to a 2-byte configuration, and may be 2 bytes or more depending on the amount of information.

  FIG. 19 is a timing chart showing the display timings of display control commands relating to symbol variations that are sent from the main board 31 to the display control board 80 between the start of change and the end of change. As shown in FIG. 19A, a display control command (command that can specify the variation period) for instructing the start of variation is sent out when the variation of the symbol is started. The display control command for instructing the start of variation is any one of the commands [80H, 00H] to [80H, 05H] shown in FIG. Next, a display control command indicating a stop symbol of the middle left and right symbols is sent out. Then, at the end of the fluctuation period, a command [80H, 0FH] instructing “stop all symbols” is sent.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19B, when the end condition of the probability variation state is satisfied at the end of the jackpot game, the display control command of “display probability variation end” and “display previous turn” is displayed. Is sent from the main board 31 to the display control board 80. When the display control means of the display control board 80 receives a display control command of “display probability change end”, the variable control unit 9 displays a screen for notifying the end of probability change. Then, when the display control command “display last time” is received, each symbol displayed as the current big hit symbol is displayed again on the variable display portion 9 and a variable command waiting state is entered. In addition, you may control so that the display for alert | reporting completion | finish of a probability change state may be performed before a jackpot game start.

Hereinafter, the control of the game control means and the display control means for realizing the display example described above will be described.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the process of waiting for the start of all symbol changes (step S304) in the special symbol process shown in FIG. When the variation time and the stop symbol are determined in the stop symbol setting process and the reach operation setting process in steps S302 and S303, the display control command is sent out to instruct them. In step S304, the CPU 56 First, it waits for the completion of command transmission (step S304a). The command transmission completion is notified from the display control data output process C (step S5C) in the main process (see FIG. 6).

  In this embodiment, when starting the variation of the symbol, the CPU 56 displays one of the commands [80H, 01H] to [80H, 05H] that can specify the variation time shown in FIG. To send. Further, subsequently, a display control command indicating the left and right stop symbols already determined is sent to the display control board 80. Therefore, in the command transmission completion process in step S304a, it is confirmed whether or not transmission of all the commands has been completed. Note that the CPU 56 may send one of the commands [80H, 01H] to [80H, 05H] after sending a display control command indicating the left and right stop symbols.

  When the transmission of the display control command is completed, the CPU 56 starts a variation time timer for measuring the variation time notified to the display control board 80 (step S304b). Then, the special symbol process flag is updated so as to proceed to step S305 (step S304c).

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the all symbol stop waiting process (step S305) in the special symbol process shown in FIG. In step S305, the CPU 56 checks whether or not the variable time timer has expired (step S305a). When the time is up, a display control command for instructing stop of all symbols is set (step S305b). Then, a display control command data transmission request is set (step S305c), and the special symbol process flag is updated so as to proceed to step S306 (step S305d). The display control command data transmission request is referred to in the display control data setting process (step S4) in the main process (see FIG. 6).

  As described above, in the special symbol process, the CPU 56 sends information that can specify the variation time at the start of variation and information that indicates the stop symbol to the display control board 80, and when the variation time timer expires, That is, when the instructed variation time is completed, information for instructing all symbols to be stopped is sent to the display control board 80. During that time, the CPU 56 does not send a display control command to the display control board 80. Therefore, the load required for the display control of the CPU 56 of the main board 31 is greatly reduced.

  FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the jackpot display process (step S306) in the special symbol process shown in FIG. In step S306, the CPU 56 first checks whether or not it was a big hit (step S306a). If it was not a big hit, the special symbol process flag is updated so as to shift to a special symbol change waiting state (step S300). (Step S306e).

  If it is a big hit, the probability variation flag is cleared (step S306b). Then, after a predetermined delay time (step S306c), the special symbol process flag is updated so as to shift to the special winning opening opening process (step S307) (step S306d). Here, the delay time is set in order to take into account the period during which the display control means performs display for jackpot notification on the variable display unit 9. That is, the display for the big hit notification is uniquely performed by the display control means. In the process of setting the delay time, actually, the process is not simply looped, but the flag in the delay time setting state is set, and the process of step S306 ends. Then, when the process of step S306 is started next (after 2 ms), if the delay time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S306c, and if not, the process returns to step S306 again.

  Note that the probability variation flag is a flag indicating whether or not the gaming state is in a high probability state, but the probability variation flag is cleared in step S306b, so that the probability state is in a low probability state during jackpot gaming. On the other hand, the probability variation state flag described later is not cleared even during the big hit game. Therefore, if the probability variation big hit occurs while the probability state flag is on, the on state of the probability variation state flag continues. That is, in this embodiment, turning off the probability variation state flag corresponds to ending the control of the continuous special gaming state.

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the special winning opening opening process (step S307) in the special symbol process shown in FIG. In step S307, the CPU 56 first turns on the solenoid 21 for opening the special winning opening (step S307a). Then, the release counter is initialized (step S307b). The opening counter is a counter for counting the number of times the special winning opening is opened. Further, the release timer is started (step S307c). The opening timer is a timer for setting an upper limit of one opening time of the special winning opening, and is set to 29.5 seconds, for example. Then, the special symbol process flag is updated (step S307d) so as to shift to the special winning opening opening process (step S308).

  FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the special winning opening opening process (step S308) in the special symbol process shown in FIG. In step S308, the CPU 56 checks whether or not the release timer has timed out (step S308a). If the opening timer times out, it means that there was no winning up to the upper limit in the big winning opening during one opening of the big winning opening, so a process for ending the big hit game is performed. That is, the special symbol process flag is updated (step S308g) so that the solenoid 21 is turned off (step S308b) and the process proceeds to the big hit end process (step S309).

  If the release timer has not timed out, it is checked whether or not the count switch 23 for detecting the number of winnings in the big winning opening has been turned on a predetermined number of times (step S308c). The predetermined number of times is, for example, 10 times. When it has been turned on a predetermined number of times, a process for ending the opening of the special winning opening at that time is performed. That is, the solenoid 21 is turned off (step S308d), and the release counter is incremented by 1 (step S308e).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the value of the release counter has reached a predetermined value (step S308f). The predetermined value is an upper limit value of the number of times of opening. When the predetermined value is reached, the special symbol process flag is updated so as to shift to the jackpot end process (step S309) (step S308g).

  If the value of the open counter has not reached the predetermined value, it is confirmed whether or not the V count sensor 22 is turned on while the special winning opening is open (step S308h). If it was on, enter the next round of jackpot game. That is, after a delay time of a predetermined period (step S308i), the solenoid 21 is turned on again to open the special winning opening (step S308j). Then, the release timer is restarted (step S308k). If the V count sensor 22 is not turned on, the special symbol process flag is updated so as to shift to the big hit end process (step S309) (step S308g).

  FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the jackpot end process (step S309) in the special symbol process shown in FIG. In step S309, the CPU 56 checks whether or not the probability variation state flag indicating the continuation of the probability variation state is on (step S309a). If it is on, that is, if the probability change continues, it is confirmed whether or not the executed jackpot game is due to the jackpot with the probability variation symbol (step S309e). When a big hit is made with a probable variation symbol, after the probabilistic variation flag is set (step S309i), the special symbol process flag is updated so as to shift to a special symbol variation waiting state (step S300) (step S309d). In this case, the probability variation state continues.

  If it is determined in step S309e that the probability variation symbol is not a big hit, the CPU 56 performs control for sending a display control command of “probability variation end” to the display control board 80. That is, a command indicating “end of probability change” is set as display control command data (step S309f), and a display control command transmission request is set (step S309g). The display control command is sent to the display control board 80 by display control data output processes A, B, and C (steps S5a, S5B, and S5C) in the main process. Then, the probability variation flag and the probability variation state flag are reset (steps S309j and S309h). Therefore, the probability variation state ends. Before and after the command indicating “end of probability change”, the display control commands “delete the left symbol, middle symbol, right symbol” and “display the previous event” are also sent, but in FIG. It is omitted.

  If it is determined in step S309a that the probability variation state flag is not on, the CPU 56 confirms whether or not a big hit has been made with the probability variation symbol (step S309b). If the winning pattern is a big hit, the probability changing state flag and the probability changing flag are set (steps S309c and S309i). Therefore, the probability variation state starts.

  In this embodiment, when a big hit occurs in the probability variation symbol, the probability variation state is entered after the big hit game ends. The probability variation state continues until the next big hit occurs. If the next big hit is a big hit in the probability variation symbol, the probability variation state continues, otherwise, the probability variation state ends. At that time, the CPU 56 sends a command indicating “end of probability change” to the display control board 80.

  FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing the display control data output process A (step S5A) in the main process shown in FIG. In the display control data output process A, the CPU 56 determines whether or not a port output request is set (step S421). If the port output request is set, the port output request is reset (step S422), and the contents of the port storage area (the first byte of the display control command) are output to the output port 571 (step S423).

  Then, the INT signal is set to the low level (on state) (step S424), the 800 μs timer is started (step S425), and the data sending flag is turned on (step S426). The port output request is set in the display control data setting process (step S4) in the main process shown in FIG.

  FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing the display control data output process B (step S5B) in the main process shown in FIG. In the display control data output process B, the CPU 56 first checks whether or not the data sending flag is on (step S431). If it is on, it waits for the 800 μs timer set in the display control data output process A to time out (step S432).

  When the 800 μs timer times out, the INT signal is set to a high level (off state) (step S433), a delay time of a predetermined period is set (step S434), and the contents of the port storage area (the second byte of the display control command) are output. The data is output to the port 571 (step S435). The delay time is a time for creating an off period between the on period of the first INT signal and the on period of the second INT signal at the output timing of the INT signal shown in FIG.

  Then, the INT signal is set to the low level (ON state) (step S424), and the 800 μs timer is started (step S425).

  FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing the display control data output process C (step S5C) in the main process shown in FIG. In the display control data output process C, the CPU 56 first checks whether or not the data sending flag is on (step S441). If it is on, it waits for the 800 μs timer set in the display control data output process B to time out (step S442).

When the 800 μs timer times out, the INT signal is set to the high level (off state) (step S443), and the data sending flag is turned off (step S444).
As described above, the display control command is transmitted at the timing as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the method of executing the display control data output processes A, B, and C everywhere in the main process is an example, and other methods may be used. For example, the ON / OFF control of the INT signal may be performed by an 800 μs timer interrupt. In any case, the display control command may be sent from the main board 31 to the display control board 80 at the timing shown in FIG. Also, 800 μs, which is the ON period of the INT signal, is an example, and can be arbitrarily set according to the model.

  In this embodiment, in order to change the display state of the variable display unit 9, a display control command for instructing the display mode after the change is transmitted from the main board 31 only once. Therefore, display control can be started quickly on the display control board 80, and the load related to display control of the CPU 56 of the main board 31 is greatly reduced. The display control command for changing the display state of the variable display unit 9 is not only related to the above-described symbol variation, but also from the main board 31 side to the display control board 80 at the display change point such as the background and characters. Are sent out.

Next, the operation of the display control CPU 101 will be described.
FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing the operation of the display control CPU 101 in the display control board 80. The display control CPU 101 enters the loop state after initializing the output port and work area and initializing the timer (step S101). In the initial process, timer settings are made such that a timer interrupt occurs every 100 μs. Therefore, in the loop state, the display control process is executed when a timer interrupt of 100 μs is applied (step S102).

  FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing a 100 μs timer interrupt process. When a timer interrupt is applied, the display control CPU 101 performs an initial process such as starting a timer so that the next 100 μs interrupt is applied (step S111), and then performs a display control command read process (step S112). . Further, following the display control command reading process, a display control process process (step S113) based on the received display control command data is executed.

  FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing the display control command reading process. In the display control command reading process, the display control CPU 101 reads 1-byte data from the input port assigned to the display control command data input (step S121). Next, the state of the INT signal is read from the input port assigned to the input of the INT signal (step S122). As described above, the INT signal is set to a low level when the CPU 56 of the main board 31 outputs new display control command data.

  If the INT signal is off, the display communication counter is cleared (step S126). The display communication counter is used to count the number of display control command data receptions when the INT signal is on.

  If the INT signal is on, it is checked whether the received display control command data is the same as the command data received immediately before (100 μs before) (step S123). If not, the display communication counter is cleared (step S126). If they are the same, it is confirmed whether or not the display communication counter has reached a predetermined maximum value (MAX) (step S124).

  If the maximum value has not been reached, the value of the display communication counter is incremented by 1 (step S125). Here, the maximum value is a value larger than a value (3 in this example) that is determined to have received display control command data reliably, and is used for the purpose of, for example, counting the number of receptions in 800 μs. It is done.

  Next, the display control CPU 101 checks whether or not the display communication counter has reached “3” (step S127). If it is “3”, it is confirmed whether the received data is the first byte (CMD1) or the second byte (CMD2) of the display control command (step S128). If it is the first byte, the received data is stored in the received command storage area (first byte) (step S129), and a command receiving flag is set (step S130). Then, the received data is stored in the work area (step S134).

  If the received data is the second byte of the display control command, the received data is stored in the received command storage area (second byte) (step S131), and the command receiving flag is reset (step S132). Then, a communication end flag is set (step S133). The received data is stored in the work area (step S134). If it is not “3”, the read data is stored in the work area without setting the communication end flag (step S134). The data stored in the work area is used in step S123 in the next interrupt process.

  As described above, for example, when the display control CPU 101 receives the same display control command data three times in succession, the display control command 101 sets the communication end flag on the assumption that the display control command has been received. When the communication end flag is set, in the display control process (step S113), it is detected that it has been set, and the change in the design and the background / character based on the display control command stored in the received command storage area are detected. Processing such as display switching is performed.

  FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing the display control process (step S113) in the timer interrupt process shown in FIG. In the display control process process, any one of steps S720 to S870 is performed according to the value of the display control process flag. In each process, the following process is executed.

  Display control command reception waiting process (step S720): Reads the contents of the work area where the reception command is set in response to the communication end flag being turned on, and confirms whether or not a display control command capable of specifying the variation time has been received. To do.

  Reach operation setting process (step S750): It is determined which one of a plurality of variation patterns corresponding to the display control command capable of specifying the received variation time is to be used.

  All symbol variation start processing (step S780): Control is performed so that variation of the left and right middle symbols is started.

  Symbol variation processing (step S810): Controls the switching timing of each variation state (variation speed, background, character) constituting the variation pattern, and monitors the end of the variation time. In addition, stop control of the left and right symbols is performed.

  All symbol stop waiting setting process (step S840): When a display control command for instructing all symbols to stop is received at the end of the variation time, control for stopping the symbol variation and displaying the final stop symbol (determined symbol) is performed. Do.

  Big hit display processing (step S870): After the end of the variation time, the round display during the big hit game, the probability variable big hit display or the normal big hit display is controlled.

  FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing a main part of the jackpot display process (step S870) in the display control process. In the jackpot display processing, round display and V winning display are performed based on the display control command indicating the number of rounds and V winning received from the main board 31, but when a display control command indicating the end of the jackpot game is received ( In step S871, the display control CPU 101 confirms whether or not a display control command indicating “end of probability change” has been received (step S872). The display control command indicating “end of probability change” is sent from the main board 31 immediately before or after the display control command indicating the end of the big hit game.

  When the display control command indicating “end of probability change” has been received, the display control CPU 101 displays the content indicating the end of the probability change state as shown in FIG. 34 on the variable display unit 9 (step S873). ). If the display control command indicating “end of probability change” has not been received, such display is not performed. Thereafter, the value of the display control process flag is set to a value corresponding to the display control command reception waiting (step S720) (step S874).

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the CPU 56 of the main board 31 detects the end of the probability variation state, it sends a display control command indicating that to the display control board 80 only once. Then, when the display control CPU 101 of the display control board 80 receives the display control command indicating “probability change end”, the variable display unit 9 performs display for notifying the player of that fact. Therefore, the player can immediately recognize that the probability variation state, which is an advantageous state, has ended. In order to perform such control, the game control means need only send the necessary command once, so the burden on the game control means does not increase so much.

  In this embodiment, the low probability state actually occurs during the big hit game. However, in the present invention, when the probability change big hit occurs again while the probability change state flag is turned on, the low probability state during the big hit game is reduced. Regardless of the probability state, the probability variation state continues.

  In the above embodiment, the probability variation state continues until the next big hit occurs, but the present invention can also be applied to gaming machines using other probability variation termination conditions. For example, it may be a gaming machine that ends the probability changing state when the variable display of the symbol on the variable display unit 9 is performed a predetermined number of times after entering the probability changing state.

  FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing the all symbol stop waiting process (step S305) in the special symbol process (see FIG. 11) executed by the CPU 56 of the main board 31 in such a gaming machine.

  In this embodiment, when a big hit occurs in the probability variation symbol, the probability variation state is entered after the big hit game ends. The probability variation state continues thereafter until 50 symbol variations are performed. Then, when the symbol variation is performed 50 times, the CPU 56 sends a command indicating “end of probability change” to the display control board 80.

  In this embodiment, the CPU 56 checks whether or not the variable time timer set in step S304 (see FIG. 20) has expired (step S305a), and when the time has expired, displays control that instructs all symbols to stop. A command is set (step S305b). Then, a display control command data transmission request is set (step S305c).

  Further, it is confirmed whether or not the probability change is in progress (step S305e). If the probability is changing, the content of the work area is incremented by 1 (step S305f). Here, the work area is used to count the number of fluctuations. Further, the CPU 56 checks whether or not the work area value is 50 (step S305g). If it is not 50, the special symbol process flag is updated so as to proceed to step S306 as it is (step S305d). In this case, the probability variation state continues.

  If it is confirmed in step S305g that the value is 50, the CPU 56 performs control for sending a display control command of “end of certain change” to the display control board 80. That is, a command indicating “end of probability change” is set as display control command data (step S305h), and a display control command transmission request is set (step S305i). Then, the probability variation flag is reset (step S305j). Therefore, the probability variation state ends. Also, the contents of the work area are cleared (step S305k). Thereafter, the special symbol process flag is updated so as to proceed to step S306 (step S305d).

  In addition, before and after the command indicating “probability change end”, display control commands “delete the left symbol, middle symbol, right symbol” and “display the previous event” are also sent. In FIG. It is omitted.

  FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing the jackpot end process (step S309) in the special symbol process in this embodiment. In step S309, the CPU 56 checks whether or not a big hit has been made with a probable variation symbol (step S309b). If it is a big hit with the probability variation symbol, the probability variation flag is set (step S309i). Therefore, the probability variation state starts. Thereafter, the special symbol process flag is updated so as to shift to the special symbol fluctuation waiting state (step S300) (step S309d).

  Other processes in the special symbol process are the same as those in the above embodiment. The operation of the display control CPU 101 is also the same as that in the above embodiment. Accordingly, when the display control CPU 101 of the display control board 80 receives the display control command indicating “probability change end”, the variable display unit 9 performs a display for notifying the player of that fact.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 37, if the end condition of the probability variation state is satisfied at the end of the variation of the symbol, “Erase left symbol, middle symbol, right symbol”, “Display probability variation end” and A display control command of “display previous output” is sent from the main board 31 to the display control board 80. When the display control means of the display control board 80 receives the display control command “Erase left symbol, middle symbol, right symbol”, the display control command of the variable display section 9 is erased, and the display control command “Display end of probability change” is issued. When received, a screen for notifying the end of probability change is displayed on the variable display unit 9. Then, when the display control command of “display previous game” is received, each symbol erased in response to the display control command of “erase left symbol, middle symbol, right symbol” is displayed on the variable display unit 9 again.

  As described above, in each of the above-described embodiments, when the game control means detects the end of the probability change state, it sends a display control command to that effect to the display control means only once. When the display control means receives the display control command indicating “end of probability change”, the variable display unit 9 performs a display for notifying the player of that fact. Therefore, it is possible to notify the player that the probability variation state has ended without increasing the burden on the game control means.

  In addition to the above-described embodiments, the probability change ends when a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) elapses after entering the probability change state, and the specific change pattern is generated on the condition that a specific variation pattern occurs a predetermined number of times (or once). Those that end, those that end with a certain number of jackpots, those that end with a certain number of times when the customer waiting time exceeds a certain time, and those that end with a predetermined number of start winning memory displays. The present invention can also be applied.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, as the special game state, the probability variation state in which the probability of generating a big hit (specific game state) is taken as an example, but the special game state is a symbol in the variable display portion 9. The present invention can be applied even in a short time state in which the variation time is shortened.

  In the above embodiment, the following gaming machines are also disclosed.

A gaming machine in which the special gaming state is in a state (probability variation state) in which the probability of becoming a specific gaming state is improved, for example.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to notify the player that the probability variation state has ended.

A gaming machine configured such that the special game end determination means determines the end time of the special game state in relation to whether or not the display result of the identification information improves the probability that the specific game state is obtained.
According to such a configuration, the game control means can determine whether or not the special game state has ended according to the display mode of the identification information.

A gaming machine configured such that the special game end determination means determines the end time of the special game state in relation to the number of times the identification information changes.
According to such a configuration, the game control means can determine whether or not the special game state has ended based on the number of times the identification information is started.

A gaming machine configured such that a command from the game control means includes information that can specify confirmed identification information.
According to such a configuration, the display control means can perform variation control according to the confirmed identification information, and the burden required for the identification information fluctuation of the game control means can be reduced.

A gaming machine configured such that the command from the game control means includes information that can specify the variation time of the identification information.
According to such a configuration, by controlling the variation pattern according to the variation time notified by the display control means, it is possible to reduce the burden required for the variation in the identification information of the game control means.

The game control means is configured to output a command to the display control means at a time related to the start of change of identification information and a time related to the end of change of identification information.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to reliably start and end the variation control of the display control means.

A gaming machine in which the display control board on which the display control means is mounted is provided with a signal transmission direction regulating means that allows only the input of signals from the game control board on which the game control means is mounted.
According to such a configuration, a signal is not input from the display control means to the game control means, and there is an effect that the prevention of fraud can be ensured.

A gaming machine in which the signal transmission direction regulating means is a general-purpose buffer IC.
According to such a configuration, there is an effect that it is possible to ensure fraud prevention without increasing costs.

9 Variable display 31 Game control board (main board)
53 Basic circuit 56 CPU
63 Output buffer circuit 80 Display control board 101 Display control CPU
105 Input buffer circuit

Claims (1)

Including a variable display section having a plurality of display areas whose display states can be changed, starting to change the identification information displayed in the display area in accordance with the establishment of the change start condition, and the display result of the identification information is predetermined A gaming machine that can be controlled to a specific gaming state advantageous to the player when the specified display mode is achieved,
Game control means for controlling the progress of the game, and display control means for performing display control of the variable display section based on a command transmitted by the game control means,
The game control means includes
Specific game determining means for determining whether or not to enter the specific game state;
Special gaming state transition means for transitioning to a special gaming state in which the variation time of the identification information is shortened;
Special game end determination means for determining establishment of a condition for ending the control of the continuous special game state when the special game state occurs;
A result mode determining means for determining a display mode of a display result of the variable display unit;
Command output means capable of outputting a command for changing the display state of the variable display section in a manner recognizable by the display control means in relation to the time of change,
The command output means includes
A command capable of specifying the variation time of the identification information is output to the display control means when the variation of the identification information is started, and the identification information in all the display areas is confirmed when the variation of the identification information is finished. Is output to the display control means,
When the end of the special game state is determined by the special game end determination means, a command that can specify the display content that can identify the end of the special game state is output,
The display control means displays display content that can identify the end of the special gaming state in response to a command that can identify the display content that can identify the end of the special gaming state from the game control means. And
The gaming machine characterized in that the condition for ending the control of the special gaming state is satisfied by executing a predetermined number of changes in the identification information.

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