JP2018064705A - Gaming machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gaming machine capable of stopping reels by avoiding a failure of stop incapability of the reels.SOLUTION: A main CPU determines that a failure has occurred in a stop button when an input for stopping a video reel is not received from the stop button being a physical button within a prescribed time after operation of starting rotation of the video reel, displays the stop button on a touch panel configuring a symbol display device being another input device, and stops the video reel on the basis of an input of the stop button of the touch panel. Alternatively, the main CPU changes over a switch of a button of the control panel to a function of the stop button and stops rotation of the video reel on the basis of the input of the button.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine.

  Conventionally, in gaming machines, when a transition is made from a base game to a special game, a predictive effect has been performed to increase a player's expectation for the special game. In this indication effect, a stop button is displayed on the touch panel provided on the display on which the symbols are variably displayed, and when the player operates the stop button, the stop display of the symbols is performed based on the player's own operation. (See cited reference 1).

US Patent Publication No. 2014/0342801

  In conventional gaming machines, in order to align a specific symbol from a plurality of types of symbols on the payline in the symbol display area, the player visually determines the symbols that are displayed in a variable manner as the reel rotates. A so-called push to operate the stop button. As described above, there is a new problem that a stop button malfunctions with the addition of the stop function for stopping the rotation of the reel.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to stop a reel while avoiding a failure of a reel stop operation.
In addition, the objective of this invention, the subject, and the effect (benefit) are understood from description of the claim itself, and should not be unfairly interpreted by the following description.

  The present invention provides the following gaming machines.

A gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration.
A symbol display device for rearranging symbols after rotating a reel provided with a plurality of symbols and displaying a game result;
An input device that accepts an input operation for intervening in the game from outside,
The input devices have a plurality of physically different types, and each input device has a function to substitute for another input device.

  According to this configuration, when an input device that functions as a stop device that stops the reel among a plurality of input devices fails, rotation of the reel is stopped by substituting another physically different input device as the stop device. Can be made.

  Further, in the above configuration, when the input for stopping the reel from a predetermined input device is not received from a predetermined input device within a predetermined time after the operation of starting the rotation of the reel, the controller that substitutes the stop device for the other input device It is provided with.

  According to this configuration, when the controller does not accept an input for stopping the reel from the predetermined input device within a predetermined time after the operation of starting the rotation of the reel, the controller determines that the stop device is malfunctioning, Another input device can be made effective as a stop device as an alternative to the stop device.

  In the above configuration, the controller stops rotation of the reel when the input from the other input device is not accepted after the other input device is replaced with a stop device. .

  According to this configuration, when there is no input for stopping the reel from another input device substituted for the stop device, the controller determines that the other input device is out of order and rotates the reel. It can be stopped automatically.

  In the above configuration, the input device is a touch panel provided in the symbol display device, and displays a stop button that receives an input of a stop operation on the touch panel.

  According to this configuration, when a predetermined input device that stops the reel fails, the reel can be stopped by an input operation from the stop button displayed on the touch panel.

Further, in the above configuration, the input device is a control panel including a plurality of input units arranged for a slot game operation,
The input unit of the control panel includes a display device that displays character information corresponding to the type of switch that functions by input.

  According to this configuration, when a predetermined input device that stops the reel fails, the switches of the plurality of input units on the control panel are changed to the function of the stop device, and the display provided in the input unit in accordance with the change By changing the display of the device to character information indicating a stop device, the player can visually recognize and guide the input unit to stop the rotation of the reel.

Further, in the above configuration, further, a detection device that detects an abnormality of the stop device;
And a switch having a function of stopping the reel by operating the input device when an abnormality is detected by the detection device.

  According to this configuration, when the detection device detects an abnormality, the rotation of the reel can be stopped by the switch having a function of stopping the reel.

  According to the gaming machine of the present invention, the reel can be stopped while avoiding the failure of the reel to stop.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing an overall configuration of the slot machine. It is a figure which shows the table of a virtual reel. It is a figure which shows the symbol arrangement | sequence of a virtual reel. It is a figure which shows the symbol arrangement | sequence of a virtual reel. It is a figure which shows the weight provided to the symbol for every virtual reel according to a game. It is a figure which shows the weight of the virtual reel at the time of symbol lottery. It is a figure which shows the payout matched with the symbol of the virtual reel. It is a figure which shows the symbol arrangement | sequence on a video reel. It is a figure which shows the contrast of the symbol of the virtual reel at the time of winning, and a video reel. It is a figure which shows the table which set the payout when a winning combination was materialized with the video reel. It is a flowchart which shows a reel stop control process. It is a flowchart which shows a reel stop control process. It is a schematic diagram explaining the stop operation | movement of a reel. It is a figure which shows the table which manages the response | compatibility when a malfunction generate | occur | produces in an input device. It is the figure which displayed the alternative stop button on the symbol display device. It is a top view of a control panel. It is a figure which shows the table which set the use of each button of the control panel, and the display mode of a display apparatus. It is a figure which shows the table which set the use of each button of the control panel, and the display mode of a display apparatus. It is a figure which shows the table which set the use of each button of the control panel, and the display mode of a display apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows a skill determination and the reel control process according to a skill. It is a table which changes a virtual reel from Normal mode to high probability mode. It is a table which changes a virtual reel from high probability mode to Normal mode. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a gaming system. It is a flowchart which shows the monitoring control process. Symbol display device It is a front view showing this configuration. It is a block diagram of a PTS system. It is a figure which shows an example of the circuit structure of a slot machine. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a gaming system. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating internal configurations of a gaming machine and a management server. It is a flowchart which shows the skill determination of a modification, and the reel control process according to a skill.

<Specific outline of gaming machine of this embodiment>
In the present embodiment, an outline will be described taking a slot machine as an example of a gaming machine. A specific configuration and each process will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the slot machine 10 includes a video reel type symbol display device 290. The symbol display device 290 has three video reels 101, 102, and 103. In the three video reels 101 to 103, a plurality of symbols are arranged along the longitudinal direction. One reel band (one symbol array) is formed. When these video reels 101 to 103 are displayed in a variable manner and stopped, a scroll line of symbol rows is formed.

  Further, the slot machine 10 is provided with three stop buttons 201, 202, and 203 for stopping the rotation of the video reels 101 to 103 on the lower front surface of the symbol display device 290. The stop buttons 201, 202, and 203 correspond to the stop device of the present invention.

  Therefore, the slot machine 10 of this embodiment determines the presence / absence and symbol of the winning by symbol lottery, but the player operates the stop buttons 201 to 203 in order, and the rotation of the video reels 101 to 103 is stopped by the operation. Since the symbols are stopped on the payline, the symbols determined by the symbol lottery may not match the actual stop symbols stopped on the payline. That is, the slot machine 10 of the present embodiment is configured to allow technical intervention by the player.

  In the case where the player has a technical problem such as a failure in the stop buttons 201 to 203 and the rotation of the video reels 101 to 103 cannot be stopped, the video reel 101 can be replaced by an alternative means of the stop buttons 201 to 203. ˜103 can be stopped. The alternative means will be described later.

  Furthermore, the slot machine 10 of the present embodiment is configured to store the operation of the stop buttons 201 to 203 in the game and the game result in the RAM 73 that is a storage device in association with each other. The stored operation and game result are used to monitor fraudulent acts on the slot machine 10, determine the skill level of the player, and control the reel in accordance with the skill.

  The slot machine 10 includes a virtual reel for symbol lottery and video reels 101 to 103. The virtual reels and video reels 101 to 103 are constituted by an array of five types of symbols, SEVEN, WATERMELON, BELL, CHERRY, BLANK, and 1 FREE GAMES. When SEVEN is won by symbol lottery using a virtual reel, the game is shifted from the base game to the bonus game.

  As shown in FIG. 2, four types of virtual reels, Normal mode, Alternate 1 mode, Alternate 2 mode, and Alternate 3 mode, are stored in the ROM 72. For the symbol lottery in the unit game, only one of the four virtual reels is used. The main CPU 71 described later extracts one symbol from 100 symbols provided for each virtual reel shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Of the four virtual reels, the Alternate 1-3 mode is set to have a higher probability of winning a symbol for which a higher payout is obtained than in the Normal mode. Further, the selection of the virtual reel is changed in a timely manner according to the player's skill as will be described later.

  Furthermore, the five types of symbols constituting the virtual reel are configured such that the weight is changed according to the progress of the game. As shown in FIG. 5, the weight 1 in the normal game has SEVEN set to 1, WATERMELON set to 64, BELL set to 32, CHERRY set to 34, BLANK set to 2, and 1 FREE GAMES set to 123. In addition, the weight 2 in the case of shifting to the bonus game is set such that SEVEN is 251, WATERMELON is 1, BELL is 1, CHERRY is 1, BLANK is 1, and 1 FREE GAMES is 1. That is, when the bonus game is entered, the winning probability of SEVEN is set to be high.

  Further, when the symbol lottery is lost, the weight of the virtual reel symbol is changed depending on the type of the stopped symbol stopped on the payline. For example, the loss 1 in FIG. 6 is a case where the stop symbol is WATERMELON, and SEVEN is set to 1, WATERMELON is set to 64, BELL is set to 64, CHERRY is set to 32, BLANK is set to 2, and 1 FREE GAMES is set to 91. Loss 2 in FIG. 6 is when the stop symbol is CHERRY, in which SEVEN is set to 1, WATERMELON is set to 64, BELL is set to 64, CHERRY is set to 34, BLANK is set to 50, and 1 FREE GAMES is set to 43.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the number of symbols on each virtual reel is set in advance in association with a code number. That is, in the normal mode virtual reel, the code No. 1 SEVEN of 1 and code No. 4 WATERMELON, code No. No. 3 BELL has 18 code numbers. 4 CHERRY, code No. No. 5 BLANK, 57, code no. 6 1 FREE GAMES is set to 15 pieces. In the Alternate 1 to 3 mode, as in the Normal mode, the number of symbols is preset as shown in FIG.

  Note that the payout corresponding to each symbol in the virtual reel when winning the symbol lottery is managed by the payout table shown in FIG. Here, since the symbol lottery determines 1 kind from one virtual reel, a payout is set for each symbol of 1 kind according to the number of symbols. SEVEN is set to 1000, WATERMELON is set to 50, BELL is set to 30, CHERRY is set to 10, BLANK is set to zero, and 1 FREE GAMES is set to zero.

  For this virtual reel, the video reels 101 to 103 are provided with a total of 22 symbols of 0 to 21 on each video reel 101 to 103, as shown in FIG.

  Since the video reels 101 to 103 and the virtual reels 101 to 103 use different numbers of reels, the number of symbols of the lottery result using the virtual reels and the number of stop symbols of the video reels 101 to 103 are also different. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the virtual reels and the video reels 101 to 103 are associated with each other.

  For example, a video reel is a winning combination consisting of 3kind WATERMELON for a virtual reel 1kind SEVEN and a video reel is a winning combination consisting of a 3kind WATERMELON for a virtual reel 1kind SEVEN, and a 1kind BELL for a virtual reel The video reel is a winning combination of 3kind BELL, the video reel is a winning combination of 3kind CHERRY for the virtual reel of 1kind CHERRY, the video reel is the winning combination for the virtual reel of 1kind BLANK, the virtual reel The video reel is 3kind 1 FREE GAMES for 1kind 1 FREE GAMES The association so as to be winning in the winning combination consisting AMES is. That is, in the video reels 101 to 103, each symbol excluding BLANK is given a payout when the same 3kind symbol satisfies the winning combination on the payline with respect to the 1kind symbol determined by the virtual reel lottery. Is set to

  Here, a payout when a winning combination is established for each symbol in the video reels 101 to 103 is set in advance by the table shown in FIG. That is, when the winning combination is established with 3 SEVEN wins, the dividend is 1000, when the winning combination is established with 3 WATERMELON wins, the payout is 30 when the winning combination is established with 3 BELL wins, and CHERRY is 1 kind. 10 and 1FREE GAMES are set without a dividend.

  Next, control for stopping the video reels 101 to 103 of the symbol display device 290 based on the above-described symbol lottery will be described. In the present embodiment, as described above, since the player can perform the technical intervention in which the stop buttons 201 to 203 are operated, the stop buttons 201 to 203 may be defective. That is, the rotation of the video reels 101 to 103 cannot be stopped. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a case will be described as an example in which the video reels 101 to 103 can be stopped even when a malfunction occurs in the stop buttons 201 to 203. When it is assumed that there is no problem with the stop buttons 201 to 203, it is possible to change the settings as appropriate so as not to execute processing from processing steps S109 to S122 shown in FIG.

<Reel stop control process>
First, the case where the stop buttons 201 to 203 are functioning normally will be described with reference to FIG.

<Normal reel stop control process>
The main CPU 71 determines whether or not the stop buttons 201 to 203 are pressed within a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute) (S101). When the main CPU 71 determines that the stop buttons 201 to 203 are not pressed within a predetermined time counted by the timer (S101: No), the main CPU 71 determines that the stop buttons 201 to 203 are defective. The process proceeds to processing step S109. The main CPU 71 and the timer function as a detection device of the present invention. Processing step 109 will be described later.

  When the main CPU 71 determines that any one of the stop buttons 201 to 203 has been pressed (S101: Yes), the main CPU 71 invalidates the operation of the corresponding stop button 201 to 203 (S102). The valid and invalid states of the stop buttons 201 to 203 are managed in a predetermined storage area provided in the RAM 73.

  Next, the main CPU 71 sets 5 as the number of checks for determining the number of sliding pieces of the video reels 101 to 103 (S103). In the present embodiment, since the maximum number of sliding symbols is “4”, when the stop buttons 201 to 203 are pressed, the symbol stop position in the middle of the corresponding display window is included and four more from there. Up to the symbol position is the target of the check. That is, one of the five numerical values “0”, “1”, “2”, “3”, and “4” is determined as the number of sliding frames.

  Next, the main CPU 71 determines that the position of each symbol within the range of the number of checks including the position of the symbol in the middle of the corresponding display window (hereinafter referred to as the stop position) when the stop buttons 201 to 203 are pressed. Thus, the position of the symbol having the highest priority is searched (S104). In this process, the symbol position at which the symbol combination determined by the lottery can be displayed along the middle payline is determined as the symbol position with the highest priority.

  Next, the main CPU 71 determines the number of sliding symbols based on the search result (S105). The number of symbols from the stop position to the determined symbol position is determined as the number of sliding symbols. For example, the symbol determined by the lottery is WATERMELON, and as shown in FIG. When the stop button 201 is pressed with 11 SEVEN, it is searched whether WATERMELON is included in the upper four frames from SEVEN. In this case, the position code No. Since WATERMELON exists in 9, the number of sliding pieces is determined to be 2. As another example, the position code No. When the stop button 201 is pressed at the position of 1 FREE GAMES of 8, a search is made as to whether or not WATERMELON is included in the upper four frames from 1 FREE GAMES. In this case, the position code No. 1 higher than 1 FREE GAMES. Since there is a WATERMELON in 7, the number of sliding pieces is determined as 1.

  If the WATERMELON symbol is not included within 4 frames from the stop position, the symbols included in the 4 frames of each reel are compared, and the video reels 101 to 103 are configured so that a winning combination is not established on the payline. The symbol is determined from the above and the number of sliding symbols is adjusted.

  Next, the main CPU 71 waits for a transition to a symbol stop position (S106). When a transition is made to waiting for the planned stop position, the rotation of the corresponding reel is stopped after the position of the determined number of sliding symbols reaches the payline of the display window. That is, when WATERMELON is included within the number of sliding pieces, the reels are stopped from rotating after waiting for the WATERMELON to reach the payline.

  Next, the main CPU 71 transmits a reel operation command and a reel stop command to the RAM 73 which is a storage device (S107). The reel operation command includes a parameter for specifying a symbol located at the stop position when the stop buttons 201 to 203 are pressed. For example, the parameters include the reel type (Normal, Alternate 1 to 3) and the symbol code number shown in FIG. The reel stop command includes, for example, the type of reel, the code number of the symbol stopped at the stop position, and whether or not a symbol having a payout in the lottery is included within four slide pieces from the stop position. The reel operation command and the reel stop command are also transmitted to the management server 800 described later and used for monitoring control.

  Next, the main CPU 71 determines whether or not there is a stop button whose operation is valid with the stop buttons 201 to 203 (S108). That is, it is determined whether there are any reels 101 to 103 that are still rotating. When the main CPU 71 determines that there are stop buttons 201 to 203 whose operations are valid (S108: Yes), the process proceeds to the processing step S101 and the above-described processing is repeated. When the main CPU 71 determines that there is no effective stop button (S108: No), the reel stop control process is terminated.

<Reel stop control process when a failure occurs>
Next, a case where a failure occurs in the video reels 101 to 103 will be described along the flowchart shown in FIG.

  A case where the stop buttons 201 to 203 are not operated within the predetermined time in the processing step S101, that is, a case where a failure occurs in the stop buttons 201 to 203 will be described.

  The main CPU 71 switches the other input device to an alternative input device for the stop buttons 201 to 203 (S109). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, a table for managing the input device, the influence of the failure of the input device and the handling of the failure is stored in the ROM 72. The main CPU 71 refers to the table and causes an input device other than the stop buttons 201 to 203 to function as an alternative stop button as a countermeasure for the malfunction of the stop buttons 201 to 203. As an alternative input device, input from buttons on the touch panel 135 and the control panel 30 constituting the symbol display device 290 is validated.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the touch panel 135 is provided in front of the symbol display area of the video reels 101 to 103. That is, stop buttons 201A to 203A are displayed at positions overlapping each of the video reels 101 to 103 on the front layer of the video reels 101 to 103 displayed in the symbol display area, and the display portions of the stop buttons 201A to 203A are displayed. By touching the touch panel 135, input signals of the stop buttons 201 to 203 are transmitted.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the control panel 30 includes a plurality of buttons 31, 32, 34 to 38. Among the plurality of buttons, each of the buttons 31, 32, and 34 to 38 has display devices 31a, 32a, and 34a to 38a formed of a liquid crystal panel on the upper surface. The buttons 31, 32, and 34 to 38 are configured to perform the functions of the stop buttons 201 to 203 when a failure occurs in the stop buttons 201 to 203, and the buttons 31, 32 are associated with the function change. , 34 to 38 are configured to display “STOP” as their function on the display devices 31a, 32a, and 34a to 38a.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the buttons 31, 32, and 34 to 38 on the control panel 30 before the game start display sheet names corresponding to the display devices 31a, 32a, and 34a to 38a, and functions according to the sheet names. Have That is, the display device 31a of the button 31 displays HELP. Its use is to call an attendant. The display device 32a of the button 32 displays CASHOUT. Its use is for paying out credits. The buttons 35 to 37 display the number of bets, and allow bet input according to the displayed number.

  Next, in a normal game, the buttons 31, 32, 34 to 38 do not change the display of the display devices 31a, 32a, 34a to 38a as shown in FIG. 18, but do not accept input. Is set to Not used. Therefore, the use of only the HELP button 31 is enabled.

  When the input from the stop buttons 201 to 203 is impossible during the game, the buttons 32 and 34 to 38 in which the acceptance of the input during the game is set to be invalid are displayed on the stop buttons 201 to 203 as shown in FIG. While changing to a function, the display of display apparatus 31a, 32a, 34a-38a is changed to STOP. The SPIN button 46 can also function as a stop button.

  As described above, when a problem occurs in the stop buttons 201 to 203, when the buttons 32, 34 to 38, and 46 on the touch panel 135 and the control panel 30 are changed as substitute input devices for the stop buttons 201 to 203, the change is completed. The process proceeds to processing step S110.

  In the processing step S110, it is determined whether or not there is an input within a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute) by an alternative input device. As a result of the determination, when there is an input from the input device (S110: Yes), the processing of processing steps S111 to S116 is executed. That is, the processing in steps S111 to S116 is the same as the processing steps 103 to 108 in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  As a result of the determination, when there is no input from the input device (S110: No), the process proceeds to processing step S117. The main CPU 71 determines that there is a problem with each button of the touch panel 135 and the control panel 30 which are alternative input devices, and executes automatic stop control (so-called “Auto play”) of the video reels 101 to 103. First, the main CPU 71 determines whether or not a lottery is won (S118). As a result of the determination, when the lottery is won (S118: Yes), the main CPU 71 searches for the position of the specific symbol on each of the video reels 101 to 103 (S119).

  When the position of the specific symbol can be specified, the main CPU 71 stops the rotation of the video reels 101 to 103 so that the specific symbol of each of the video reels 101 to 103 stops on the payline. That is, a payout by winning is awarded to the player, and the loss of the profit of the player due to the malfunction of the stop buttons 201 to 203 is compensated.

  As a result of the determination, when the lottery is not won (S118: No), the main CPU 71 searches for and determines symbols other than the specific symbols and from the video reels 101 to 103 so that the winning combination is not established. (S121). Thereafter, the main CPU 71 controls the rotation of the video reels 101 to 103 to stop the determined symbol on the payline. Note that the Auto play is configured to function to prevent the reels from being idle even when the stop buttons 201 to 203 are not operated for a predetermined time.

  As described above, according to the reel stop control process of the present embodiment, even if a failure such as a failure occurs in the stop buttons 201 to 203 and an input is not accepted, a video reel is input by an input from another input device. Can be stopped. Further, since the rotation of the video reel can be surely stopped, the operation of the stop buttons 201 to 203 and the game result information necessary for monitoring the slot machine 10 or determining the skill can be acquired.

  Next, the reel control process according to the skill of the player will be described based on the reel operation command and the reel stop command acquired in the above-described reel stop control process. Here, in order to determine the skill for each player, the player is authenticated and identification information is acquired, and a reel operation command and a reel stop command are stored in association with the identification information. In order to acquire the identification information, the slot machine 10 includes a PTS terminal 700. The PTS terminal 700 is provided below the symbol display device 290.

  The PTS terminal 700 is a unit in which an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a human body detection camera, a microphone, and the like are integrated. The human body detection camera can detect the presence or absence of a player by a camera function. The microphone is used for the player to participate in the game by voice or to authenticate the player by voice recognition. The PTS terminal 700 is provided with a card insertion slot so that an IC card can be inserted. As a result, the player can use the credit stored in the IC card in the slot machine 10 by inserting the IC card into the card insertion slot.

<Skill judgment and reel control processing according to skill>
As shown in FIG. 20, when the unit game ends, the main CPU 71 determines whether or not a symbol lottery is won (S200). When the symbol lottery is won (S200: Yes), the process proceeds to processing step S201. If the lottery is not won (S200: No), the process is terminated.

  In processing step S201, it is determined whether or not there are three types of winning specific symbols, SEVEN, WATERMELON, and BELL with a payout. As a result of the determination, these three types of specific symbols are stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 73.

  The main CPU 71 reads out the stop symbol stored in the RAM 73 by the reel stop command and the specific symbol extracted in the preprocessing, and determines whether or not both symbols match (S202). That is, in the processing step S202, it is determined whether or not the specific symbol can be stopped at the stop position by operating the stop buttons 201 to 203 by the player. As a result of the determination, when the stop symbol does not match the specific symbol (S202: No), the process proceeds to processing step S203. If the stop symbol matches the specific symbol (S202: Yes), the process proceeds to processing step S207.

  In process step S203, the main CPU 71 determines whether or not the virtual reel used in the current game is in the high probability mode. That is, it is determined whether or not the virtual reel is in any of the high probability modes of Alternate 1 to 3 other than the Normal mode. When the virtual reel is in the high probability mode (S203: Yes), the series of processes is terminated. When the virtual reel is in the normal mode (S203: No), the process proceeds to processing step S204.

  In process step S204, the virtual reel is changed from the normal mode to the high probability mode in the next game. In the present embodiment, for example, the virtual reel is changed from the normal mode to the high probability mode under the following three conditions.

  Condition A is a case where, in the lottery with the virtual reels in the Normal mode, the SEVEN 3kind is not satisfied with the stop symbol even though the specific symbol SEVEN 1kind is won. Condition B is a case where, in the lottery with the virtual reels in the Normal mode, the WATERMELON 3kind is not satisfied with the stop symbol even though the specific symbol WATERMELON 1kind is won. Condition C is a case where in the lottery with the virtual reels in the normal mode, the CHERRY of 3kind is not established for the stop symbol even though the specific symbol of 1 CHERRY is won.

  When any of the conditions A to C is satisfied, the virtual reel is changed from the normal mode to the high probability mode based on the table shown in FIG. Specifically, when the condition A is satisfied, the virtual reel is changed to the Alternate 1 mode with a probability of 100%. When the condition B is satisfied, the virtual reel is changed to the Alternate 2 mode with a probability of 100%. Further, when the condition C is satisfied, the virtual reel is changed to the Alternate 3 mode with a probability of 100%. That is, the main CPU 71 determines that the skill to stop the specific symbol won in the lottery on the payline by operating the stop buttons 201 to 203 is low, and determines the skill difference between the skilled person and the unskilled person (including beginners). In order to suppress this, the normal mode with a low lottery win probability is changed to a high probability mode with a high win probability.

  If the stop symbol matches the specific symbol in process step S202 and the process proceeds to process step S207, the main CPU 71 determines whether or not the virtual reel is in the high probability mode in the process step S207. Here, when the virtual reel is not in the high probability mode (S207: No), the processing is ended. When the virtual reel is in the high probability mode (S207: YES), the high probability mode is changed to the normal mode. That is, the main CPU 71 determines that the skill to stop the specific symbol won in the lottery on the payline by operating the stop buttons 201 to 203 is high, and suppresses the skill difference between the skilled person and the unskilled person. The virtual reel is changed from the high probability mode having a high probability of winning the lottery to the normal mode.

  This change is performed based on, for example, the table shown in FIG. That is, when the high probability mode is the Alternate 1 mode, the mode is changed to the Normal mode with a probability of 100%. When the high probability mode is the Alternate 2 mode, the mode is changed to the Normal mode with a probability of 100%. When the high probability mode is the Alternate 3 mode, the mode is changed to the Normal mode with a probability of 100%.

  In processing step S205, the main CPU 71 determines whether or not an IC card storing credit data, identification information, and the like has been taken out from the PTS terminal 700 by the player. When the IC card is taken out from the PTS terminal 700 (S205: Yes), the main CPU 71 determines that the player has finished the game in the slot machine 10, and normally uses the virtual reel whose setting has been changed according to the skill of the player. In addition to resetting to the normal mode, the reel operation command and the reel stop command stored in the RAM are erased. When the IC card has not been taken out from the PTS terminal 700 (S205: No), the process returns to the processing step S200, and the above series of processing is repeated.

  According to the above-described skill determination and reel control processing corresponding to the skill, the reel operation command that is the operation of the stop buttons 201 to 203 by the player and the reel stop command that is the game result are stored in the RAM, and the stored data is used. Thus, the player's skill can be determined. That is, the player's skill is determined based on whether or not the stop symbol stopped on the payline by the operation of the stop buttons 201 to 203 matches the specific symbol won by the symbol lottery. In this determination, if the specific symbol and the stop symbol do not match, it is determined that the skill of the player in the game monitored by the identification information is low. On the other hand, if the specific symbol and the stop symbol match in the determination, it is determined that the skill of the player in the game monitored by the identification information is high.

  Despite winning the symbol lottery, players with low skills who could not get a dividend in the previous game will receive the same specific symbol as the previous game so that they can get the same dividend as the previous game. It is changed to a virtual reel in the high probability mode that is easy to win by lottery. Conversely, for a highly skilled player, when a specific symbol and a stop symbol are matched and a payout can be obtained, if the reel type is the normal mode, the normal mode is maintained and the reel type has a high probability. If the mode is selected, the mode is changed to the Normal mode. That is, for a player with high skill, the difference in skill with an unskilled person can be suppressed by lowering the winning probability.

  Next, a configuration for monitoring an illegal act on the slot machine 10 based on the reel operation command acquired in the above-described reel stop control and the parameters included in the reel stop command will be described. In this embodiment, in order to monitor fraud, a gaming system including a slot machine 10 and a so-called hall server (hereinafter simply referred to as a management server) that is an external control device connected to the slot machine 10 is configured. Yes.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 23, the game system 600 includes a plurality of slot machines 10 and a management server 800 connected to each slot machine 10 via the communication line 301.

  The management server 800 controls a plurality of slot machines 10. Each slot machine 10 is assigned a unique identification number, and the management server 800 determines the origin of data sent from each slot machine 10 based on the identification number. Also, when data is transmitted from the management server 800 to the slot machine 10, the transmission destination is designated using the identification number.

<Monitoring control processing>
As shown in FIG. 24, the management server 800 determines whether or not a reel operation command and a reel stop command are received from the slot machine 10 (S300). Various information is included in the reel operation command and the reel stop command transmitted to the management server 800 side. The reel operation command includes an identification number of the slot machine 10, a player identification number, symbol arrangement information of each of the video reels 101 to 103, the number of sliding symbols determined by the reel control processing for each unit game, a symbol code number, and a symbol position. Code number etc. are included. The reel stop command includes the code number of the symbol stopped at the stop position, the symbol position code number, and the like. When the management server 800 receives a reel operation command and a reel stop command from the slot machine 10 (S300: Yes), the management server 800 proceeds to processing step S301.

  In processing step S301, the management server 800 obtains a stop symbol to be stopped on the payline for each of the video reels 101 to 103 from information included in the reel operation command. First, the position of the symbol positioned on the payline when the stop buttons 201 to 203 are operated is obtained from the symbol position code number on the reel and the symbol code number. Next, the number of sliding pieces of the video reel obtained for each of the video reels 101 to 103 by the reel stop control process, the position code number of the stop symbol obtained previously, the position code number of all symbols, and the code number of the symbol are used. Then, a stop symbol is obtained when the number of sliding symbols is moved from the position at the time of operating the stop buttons 201 to 203 (S302).

  For example, in the video reel 101 indicated by Reel 1 in FIG. 8, when the position code of the symbol at the time of operating the stop button 201 is 20, the symbol at this position is the BELL with the code number 3 shown in FIG. Can be identified. Next, when the number of sliding pieces is 4 at the maximum, WATERMELON, which is a symbol of position code number 16 that has been moved up four positions from position code number 20 shown in FIG. 8, is a symbol that should be stopped on the payline. Can be identified. That is, the symbol to be stopped on the payline when the rotation of the reel is stopped can be specified from the positional relationship between the position of the symbol on the payline at the time of operation and the position away from the position of the symbol (payline) by the number of sliding symbols.

  Next, the management server 800 determines whether or not the stop symbol stopped on the payline when the rotation of the video reels 101 to 103 is stopped is a regular stop symbol (S303). That is, it is determined whether or not the stop symbol obtained from the information included in the reel operation command matches the stop symbol actually stopped on the payline included in the reel stop command. As a result of the determination, when the obtained stop symbol is different from the actual stop symbol (S303: No), the administrator is notified and the process is terminated. As a result of the determination, if both stop symbols match (S303: Yes), the process proceeds to processing step 304 to determine whether there is a video reel for which the stop symbol determination processing has not ended. When there is an unprocessed video reel for determination processing (S304: Yes), the above-described series of processing is repeated. When the determination process is completed (S304: No), it is determined that the stop symbols of all the video reels 101 to 103 are regular stop symbols, and the process ends.

  As described above, the timing at which the video reels 101 to 103 stop after the arrangement of symbols on the video reels 101 to 103 and the stop input operation from the stop buttons 201 to 203 is defined by the number of sliding pieces of the video reels. However, if the positional relationship between the stop symbol of the information (data) included in the reel operation command and the stop symbol actually stopped on the payline does not satisfy the positional relationship that can be derived from the specified condition, the slot machine 10 It can be determined that fraudulent activity has been performed.

<Overall configuration of slot machine 10>
The overall structure of the slot machine 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an overall configuration of a slot machine as a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the slot machine 10, bills or electronic valuable information is used. As electronic valuable information, for example, credit-related data such as cash data stored in an IC card is used.

  The slot machine 10 includes a cabinet 11, a top box 12 installed on the upper side of the cabinet 11, a topper box M2 installed on the upper side of the top box 12, and a main door 13 provided on the front surface of the cabinet 11. ing.

  Inside the main door 13 is provided a symbol display device 290 composed of a liquid crystal display panel for displaying three video reels. A touch panel 135 is provided on the front surface of the symbol display device 290. On the front surface of the touch panel 135, as shown in FIG. 25, there is provided a transparent panel 190 in which a payline is provided on a payline display 191 indicating a payline to the player. Symbol display device 290 may be a mechanical reel type.

  A lower image display panel 134 is provided below the symbol display device 290. The lower image display panel 134 is a liquid crystal panel.

  The main door 13 is provided with a speaker. The slot machine 10 is also provided with a payline for determining winning of symbols rearranged in the display window 150. In the present embodiment, one payline is provided in the middle stage of the symbol display area.

  On the outer peripheral side of the symbol display device 290 configured as described above, an LED or the like is arranged. When the symbol lottery is won, the LED is turned on and the player is notified by the sound from the speaker. It is composed.

  An upper image display panel 131 is provided on the front surface of the top box 12. The upper image display panel 131 is a liquid crystal panel and constitutes a display. On the upper image display panel 131, an image related to the production, an introduction of the contents of the game, and an image showing the rules are displayed.

  Three stop buttons 201 to 203 are provided immediately below the video reels 101 to 103 of the symbol display device 290.

Further, below the stop buttons 201 to 203, a control panel 30 provided with various buttons, a PTS terminal 700, and a bill entry 60 are provided.

  The bill entry 60 is for identifying whether or not a bill is appropriate and accepting a regular bill into the cabinet 11. The bill entry 60 is electrically connected to the PTS terminal 700, and transmits an input signal based on the amount of the bill to the PTS terminal 700 when a regular bill is received. This input signal includes information such as credit data related to the accepted bill.

  The PTS terminal 700 is a unit in which an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a human body detection camera, a microphone, and the like are integrated. The human body detection camera can detect the presence or absence of a player by a camera function. The microphone is used for the player to participate in the game by voice or to authenticate the player by voice recognition. The PTS terminal 700 is provided with a card insertion slot so that an IC card can be inserted. As a result, the player can use the credit stored in the IC card in the slot machine 10 by inserting the IC card into the card insertion slot.

<Slot Machine 10: Control Panel 30>
As shown in FIG. 16, the control panel 30 of the slot machine 10 has a HELP button 31 and a CASHOUT button 32 arranged in the left region, a 1-BET button 34, a 2-BET button 35, a 3-BET button 36, 5- The BET button 37 and the 10-BET button 38 are arranged in the central area, and the spin button 46 is arranged in the right area. Each BET button 34-39 corresponds to a receiving unit of the present invention.

  The HELP button 31 is a button that is pressed when the game operation method or the like is unknown. When the HELP button 31 is pressed, various types of help information are displayed on the upper image display panel 131 or the like. The CASHOUT button 32 is an operation button used when a credit deposited in the slot machine 10 is settled.

  The 1-BET button 34 is a button for betting “1” on the credits currently owned by the player each time the button is pressed once. The 1-BET button 34 is also a button for designating the BET number “1”. The 2-BET button 35 is a button for designating a BET number “2”. The 3-BET button 36 is a button for designating a BET number “3”. The 5-BET button 37 is a button for designating a BET number “5”. The 10-BET button 38 is a button for designating the BET number “10”. By pressing the 1-BET button 34, the 2-BET button 35, the 3-BET button 36, the 5-BET button 37, and the 10-BET button 38, the number of BETs (BET amount) betted in the game is determined. The spin button 46 is a button used when starting scrolling of symbols by rotating the reels 101 to 103.

  Further, among the buttons, the buttons 31, 32, and 34 to 38 have display devices 31a, 32a, and 34a to 38a made of a liquid crystal panel on the upper surface.

<PTS terminal 700>
As shown in FIG. 26, the PTS terminal 700 is incorporated in a PTS system. The PTS terminal 700 attached to the slot machine 10 is communicably connected to the game controller 100, the bill processing controller M200, and the bill validator controller 890 of the slot machine 10.

  In communication with the game controller 1100, the PTS terminal 700 performs a game effect or updates credit data using sounds or images. In addition, the PTS terminal 700 transmits credit data necessary for payment during communication with the bill validator controller 890.

  The PTS terminal 700 is connected to the management server 800 so as to be communicable. The PTS terminal 700 communicates with the management server 800 between two lines, a general communication line and an additional function communication line.

  The PTS terminal 700 communicates data such as cash data, identification code data, and player member information on a general communication line. On the other hand, the PTS terminal 700 performs communication related to a newly added function in the additional function communication line. In the case of the present embodiment, the PTS terminal 700 includes an exchange function, an IC card function, a biometric authentication function, a camera function, and an RFID (Radio Frequency) function that performs individual identification using radio waves in an additional function communication line. IDentification) function.

<Electric configuration of slot machine 10>
FIG. 27 is an electrical block diagram of the slot machine 10 shown in FIG. The slot machine 10 includes a game board 50, a motherboard 70, a door PCB 90, and a main body PCB 110.

  The game board 50 includes a CPU 51, a ROM 52 and a boot ROM 53, which are connected to each other via an internal bus, a card slot 55 corresponding to the memory card 54, and an IC socket 57 corresponding to a GAL (Generic Array Logic) 56.

  The memory card 54 is composed of a nonvolatile memory and stores a game program. The game program includes a program related to game progression and an effect program for executing effects by images and sounds.

  The card slot 55 is configured so that the memory card 54 can be inserted and removed, and is connected to the motherboard 70 via an IDE bus. Therefore, by removing the memory card 54 from the card slot 55, writing another game program in the memory card 54, and inserting the memory card 54 into the card slot 55, the type and content of the game played in the slot machine 10 is changed. be able to.

  The GAL 56 is a kind of programmable logic device (PLD) having an OR fixed type array structure, and has a plurality of input ports and output ports. When the GAL 56 receives predetermined data via the input port, the GAL 56 outputs data corresponding to the input data via the output port.

  The IC socket 57 is configured so that the GAL 56 can be attached and detached, and is connected to the mother board 70 by a PCI bus. By replacing the memory card 54 with another program written therein or rewriting the program written in the memory card 54 with another one, the contents of the game played in the slot machine 10 can be changed. .

  The CPU 51, the ROM 52, and the boot ROM 53 connected to each other by an internal bus are connected to the mother board 70 by a PCI bus. The PCI bus transmits signals between the motherboard 70 and the game board 50 and supplies power from the motherboard 70 to the game board 50.

  The ROM 52 stores an authentication program. The boot ROM 53 stores a preliminary authentication program and a program (boot code) for the CPU 51 to start the preliminary authentication program. The authentication program is a program (tamper check program) for authenticating the game program. The preliminary authentication program is a program for authenticating the authentication program. The authentication program and the preliminary authentication program are described in accordance with a procedure (authentication procedure) for authenticating that the target program has not been tampered with.

  The motherboard 70 includes a main CPU 71, a ROM 72, a RAM 73, and a communication interface 82. The ROM 72 and the RAM 73 are an example of a storage device.

  The ROM 72 includes a memory device such as a flash memory, and stores a program such as a BIOS executed by the main CPU 71 and permanent data. When the BIOS is executed by the main CPU 71, initialization processing of predetermined peripheral devices is performed. In addition, the process of taking in the game program stored in the memory card 54 is started via the game board 50.

  The processor in the slot machine 10 includes the main CPU 71, the ROM 72, the RAM 73, and the memory card 54 that stores the game program, and is configured to control the slot machine 10 by executing the game program on the main CPU 71. doing. It goes without saying that the processor is not limited to such a configuration, and a configuration in which the game program is stored in the ROM 72 instead of the memory card 54 can be adopted.

  The RAM 73 stores data and programs used when the main CPU 71 operates. For example, when the above-described game program or authentication program is loaded, these can be stored. The RAM 73 is provided with a work area for executing the program. For example, an area for storing the number of games, the amount of BET, the number of credits awarded, a payout value of each progressive payout, an area for storing a symbol (code number) determined by lottery, and the like are provided.

  The RAM 73 stores various data tables described later. The communication interface 82 is for communicating with the PTS terminal 700 and the external control device 621. When the PTS terminal 700 receives an input signal from the bill entry 60, the PTS terminal 700 transmits credit data included in the input signal to the main CPU 71 via the communication interface 82. Further, when an IC card is inserted into the card insertion slot, the PTS terminal 700 transmits credit data stored in the IC card to the main CPU 71 via the communication interface 82. Further, the PTS terminal 700 writes credit data to the IC card inserted into the card insertion slot based on the control signal received from the main CPU 71 via the communication interface 82.

  Also, a door PCB (Printed Circuit Board) 90 and a main body PCB 110 are connected to the motherboard 70 by USB. Further, a power supply unit 81 is connected to the motherboard 70. When power is supplied from the power supply unit 81 to the motherboard 70, the main CPU 71 of the motherboard 70 is activated, and power is supplied to the game board 50 via the PCI bus to activate the CPU 51.

  The door PCB 90 and the main body PCB 110 are connected to input devices such as switches and sensors and peripheral devices whose operations are controlled by the main CPU 71. A control panel 30 and a cold cathode tube 93 are connected to the door PCB 90.

  The control panel 30 includes a stop switch 200S, a HELP switch 31S, a CASHOUT switch 32S, a 1-BET switch 34S, a 2-BET switch 35S, a 3-BET switch 36S, and a 5-BET switch 37S corresponding to the above-described buttons. A 10-BET switch 38S and a spin switch 46S are provided. Each switch detects that the corresponding button has been pressed by the player, and outputs a signal to the main CPU 71.

  The cold cathode tube 93 functions as a backlight installed on the back side of the upper image display panel 131 and lights up based on a control signal output from the main CPU 71.

  Connected to the main body PCB 110 are a lamp 111, a speaker 112, a wheel device M2, a touch panel 69, a graphic board 130, and a reel device 290.

  The lamp 111 is lit based on a control signal output from the main CPU 71. The speaker 112 outputs a sound such as BGM based on a control signal output from the main CPU 71.

  The graphic board 130 controls display of images performed by the upper image display panel 131 based on a control signal output from the main CPU 71. The graphic board 130 includes a VDP (Video Display Processor) that generates image data, a video RAM that stores image data generated by the VDP, and the like. Note that the image data used when generating image data by VDP is included in the game program read from the memory card 54 and stored in the RAM 73.

<Functional flow of gaming machine 300: slot machine>
As shown in FIG. 28, the gaming machine 300 configured as described above has a slot machine 10 and an external control device 621 connected to the slot machine 10 so that data communication is possible. The external control device 621 is connected to a plurality of slot machines 10 installed in the hall so that data communication is possible.

  More specifically, the external control device 621 has a function of remotely operating and remotely monitoring processing such as operation status of a plurality of slot machines (in this example, the slot machine 10) and changes of various game setting values. ing. Furthermore, the external control device 621 determines a common game start condition for each game terminal that is the slot machine 10, and when a determination result that satisfies the common game start condition is obtained in any game terminal, a common game or the like is shared. It has a function of executing a game on a plurality of slot machines 10. The external control device 621 has a function of accumulating the bet amount of the unit game transmitted from each slot machine 10, transmitting the accumulated amount in response to a request from each slot machine 10, and resetting it. .

  The slot machine 10 includes a BET button 601 and a spin button 602, stop buttons 201 to 203, a symbol display device 290, an upper image display panel 131, and the like, and a game controller 100 that controls these units. Yes. The BET button 601, the spin button 602, the stop buttons 201 to 203, the symbol display device 290, and the upper image display panel 131 are a kind of input device. Further, the slot machine 10 includes a transmission / reception unit 652 that enables data communication with the external control device 621.

  The BET button 601 has a function of accepting a bet amount by a player's operation. The spin button 602 has a function of accepting the start of a game such as a base game by a player's operation, that is, a start operation.

  The upper image display panel 131 has a function of displaying still image information such as numerical values and symbols and moving image information such as effect images. Further, the upper image display panel 131 has a touch panel as an input device, and has a function of accepting various commands by a player's pressing operation. The upper image display panel 131 has a video display area 614b. The symbol display device also has a touch panel as an input device.

  The game controller 100 includes a start check unit 603, a base game execution unit 605, a bonus game start determination unit 606, a bonus game execution unit 607, a random value extraction unit 615, a lottery processing unit 612, and an effect random number value. It has an extraction unit 616, an effect content determination unit 613, a speaker unit 617, a lamp unit 618, a winning determination unit 619, and a prize granting unit 620.

  The base game execution unit 605 has a function of executing a base game on condition that the BET button 601 is operated.

  The bonus game start determination unit 606 determines whether to execute the bonus game based on the combination of symbols rearranged in the base game. That is, the bonus game start determining unit 606 determines that the bonus game is won when the trigger symbol is rearranged under a predetermined condition, and executes the bonus game from the next unit game. 607 has a function of shifting processing to 607.

  The bonus game execution unit 607 is triggered by the rearrangement of symbols in the base game and shifts to execute the bonus game.

  The lottery processing unit 612 includes a base game lottery processing unit 612a and a bonus game lottery processing unit 612b. The base game lottery processing unit 612a uses a random number value from the random value extraction unit 615 to determine a symbol to be rearranged, a function to rearrange the determined symbol on the reel device 290, and a prize determination A function of outputting a prize payout to the unit 619 and a function of outputting an effect designation signal to the effect random number extraction unit 616 based on the symbol rearrangement state.

  The bonus game lottery processing unit 612b uses the random value from the random value extraction unit 615 to determine whether or not to win, to output a payout to the winning determination unit 619, and based on the lottery result And a function of outputting a designation signal to the effect random number extraction unit 616.

  The winning determination unit 619 has a function of executing the following process in the base game. First, when symbol rearrangement information is obtained, the presence / absence of a winning is determined based on the combination of symbols. Further, it is determined whether or not a winning combination of symbols that triggers the transition to the bonus game is established. The winning information is transmitted to the storage unit (RAM 73) and stored in a predetermined area. In addition, when it is determined that a bonus game has been won, there is a function of calculating a payout amount based on a winning combination (so-called winning combination) and a function of outputting a payout signal based on the payout amount to the award granting unit 620. .

  The award granting unit 620 has a function of paying out game value to the player. The award granting unit 620 has a function of adding credit data corresponding to the credits to be paid out to credit data stored in an IC card inserted into the PTS terminal 700.

  The game controller 100 is connected to various bet amount data and a storage unit for storing the data. The storage unit is a device that stores data such as a hard disk device or a memory in a rewritable manner.

  The game controller 100 is connected to the PTS terminal 700. The PTS terminal 700 is a unit in which an LCD, a microphone, a human body detection camera, and the like are integrated, and has a function of rendering a game, for example, by communicating with the game controller 100. In particular, the PTS terminal 700 is provided with a card insertion slot so that an IC card can be inserted. As a result, the player can use the credit stored in the IC card in the slot machine 10 by inserting the IC card into the card insertion slot.

  Further, when the game controller 100 receives the credit data from the PTS terminal 700, the game controller 100 updates the credit display of the display frame provided in the lower part of the lower image display panel 131. Furthermore, the game controller 100 outputs the adjustment credit data to the PTS terminal 700 when the game is adjusted.

  In addition, the PTS terminals 700 included in each of the plurality of slot machines 10 constituting the gaming machine 300 are connected to the management server 800 so as to communicate with each other, and collectively download images and manage IC cards and credits. The management server 800 may be, for example, a server that manages Megabucks, which is a game in which the total sum of the premiums of a plurality of slot machines 10 installed in a plurality of casino halls is a dividend.

<Internal configuration of gaming machine>
Next, with reference to FIG. 29, an internal configuration of the gaming machine 100 and the control panel 30 provided in the gaming machine 100 will be described.

  The game controller 70 is provided on a game circuit board inside the gaming machine 100. The display controller 170 is provided inside the control panel on a control panel circuit board different from the game circuit board of the game controller 70. The game controller 70 and the display controller 170 are respectively a CPU (Central Processing Unit) provided on the game circuit board and the control panel circuit board, a program (game program) executed by the CPU, and data used for these programs. Includes an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores data during program execution. The game controller 70 and the display controller 170 are constructed in cooperation with these hardware and software in the storage device as described above. The display controller 170 is not limited to being provided separately from the game controller 70, and the game controller 70 may have the function of the display controller 170. The EEPROM corresponds to the storage unit of the gaming machine of the present invention, and stores a plurality of types of game programs.

  For example, the storage device of the game controller 70 stores data and programs used when the CPU operates. For example, the game controller 70 can store the above-described game program, game system program, and authentication program taken in from the external storage device. The storage device of the game controller 70 is provided with a work area for executing the program. For example, an area for storing the number of games, the number of BETs, the number of payouts, the number of credits, an area for storing symbols (code numbers) determined by lottery, and the like are provided.

  As described above, the game controller 70 executes the game program and performs display control according to the game.

  The display controller 170 has a graphic board and displays a bet amount necessary for the display device of the BET buttons 34 to 38.

  The control panel 30 is provided with a HELP switch 31S, a CASHOUT switch 32S, and button switches 32S to 38S corresponding to the aforementioned buttons. Each button switch detects that the corresponding button has been pressed by the player, and outputs a signal to the game controller 70 and the display controller 170. The game controller 70 performs display control of each game based on signals from the button switches. The display controller 170 controls the display devices 32a, 34a to 38a provided on the buttons 32, 33 to 48 and 46 based on signals from the button switches 5S to 14S. That is, for each game described above, the function linkage table corresponding to the progress of the game is referred to, and the function linkage of each button and the display devices 32a and 34a to 38a provided on each button are displayed according to each function requested. Change to display. The display controller 170 and the display devices 32a and 34a to 38a correspond to the display device of the present invention.

  In addition to the digital signage, speakers, touch panel, and the like, the game controller 70 is connected to a graphic board 130, a power supply unit, and a communication interface 82.

  The graphic board 130 controls display of images performed by the upper image display panel 142 and the lower image display panel 141 based on the control signal output from the game controller 70. The graphic board 130 includes a VDP that generates image data, a video RAM that stores image data generated by the VDP, and the like.

  The graphic board 130 also includes a VDP (Video Display Processor) that generates image data based on a control signal output from the game controller 70, a video RAM that temporarily stores image data generated by the VDP, and the like. I have. Note that image data used when generating image data by VDP is included in the game program of the storage device.

  The communication interface 82 is for communicating with the PTS device 700 and an external control device. When the PTS device 700 receives an input signal from the bill entry 60, the PTS device 700 transmits credit data included in the input signal to the game controller 70 via the communication interface 82. In addition, when an IC card is inserted into the card insertion slot, the PTS device 700 transmits credit data stored in the IC card to the game controller 70 via the communication interface 82. Further, the PTS device 700 writes credit data to the IC card inserted into the card insertion slot based on the control signal received from the game controller 70 via the communication interface 82.

  Further, the game controller 70 can transmit signals to the display controller 170 using a known communication protocol and communication connection. For example, the game controller 70 transmits to the display controller 170 a signal indicating whether or not the present state is a state in which various buttons are permitted to be accepted.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, The following structures may be sufficient.

  (1) In the reel determination process according to the skill determination and skill according to the above embodiment, the virtual reel is changed according to the lottery result of the symbol lottery, the reel type, and the game result. However, as shown in FIG. The processing step S207A provided between the step S207 and the processing step 208 counts the number of times that the winning combination is established with the specific symbol determined when the symbol lottery is won, and the counted value exceeds a predetermined number of times. The virtual reel may be changed from the high probability mode to the normal mode from the next game.

  (2) In the above embodiment, when the stop buttons 201 to 203 are not operated within a predetermined time, the touch panel 135 of the symbol display device 290 and the plurality of buttons 32 and 34 to 38 of the control panel 30 are used as other input devices. Is configured to function as a stop button at the same time, but only the touch panel 135 or any of the buttons 32 and 34 to 38 may be configured to function as a stop button.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, when the reels 101 to 103 are mechanical reels, a defect may be detected by a speed sensor as a detection device. That is, the main CPU 71 monitors the rotational speeds of the reels 101 to 103 measured by the speed sensor, and determines that the reels 101 to 103 have a problem if they do not decelerate and stop within a predetermined time.

<Gaming machine definitions>
The “slot machine” is a kind of game terminal in the gaming machine 100. In the present embodiment, an example of a game terminal based on a slot machine casing has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a terminal controller capable of independently executing any base game is provided. The model can be applied as a game terminal.

  The base game in this embodiment is executed as a slot game. The base game is a slot game in which a plurality of symbols are rearranged. The base game is not limited to the slot game, and may be a game that can be executed independently on other game terminals. That is, the base game is a concept game that is opposed to the common game.

  The rearrangement of symbols in the slot game is performed on the lower image display panel 141. The slot game may include a normal game, a bonus game, a rescue process, and the like. In the normal game, on the condition that the bet of the game value is a condition, symbols are rearranged on the lower image display panel 141, and a process of giving a normal payout according to the rearranged symbols is executed. The bonus game is executed when symbols are rearranged under a predetermined condition in the normal game.

  “Bonus game” is synonymous with feature game. The bonus game may be any kind of game as long as the game state is more advantageous than the normal game. In addition, other bonus games may be adopted as long as the game state is advantageous to the player, that is, the game state is more advantageous than the normal game. For example, the bonus game has various states such as a state in which more game values can be obtained than a normal game, a state in which game values can be acquired with a higher probability than a normal game, and a state in which the number of game values consumed is less than in a normal game May be realized alone or in combination.

  For example, the bonus game may be a fixed payout, or may be a free game that is executed on condition that a bet with a smaller game value (including 0) than the base game is included. Further, a symbol lottery table having a higher payout rate than the base game may be used. Further, it may be a pick-up bonus that presents a plurality of options to the player in a selectable manner. In the case of a pickup bonus, options may include a fixed payout, a free game, and the like. The pickup bonus option may further include a pickup bonus trigger that causes the player to select an option. Note that the pick-up bonus options are preferably arranged randomly. Further, it is preferable that the contents of the options of the pick-up bonus are not displayed at the stage before selection by the player. The bonus game of this embodiment will be described in detail later. The rescue process is executed when a rescue start condition is satisfied.

  The “game value” is a coin, a bill, or electronic valuable information corresponding to these. Note that the game value in the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be a game medium such as a medal, token, electronic money, or ticket. The ticket is not particularly limited, and may be a ticket with a barcode, for example. Further, as described above, the “game value” may be an electronic game point corresponding to a game medium.

  A “free game” is a game that can be executed with fewer bets of game value than a normal game. “A game can be executed with fewer bets of game value” includes the case where the bet is “0”. Therefore, the “free game” may be a game that is executed without a game value bet as a condition and pays an amount of game value corresponding to the rearranged symbols. In other words, the “free game” may be a game that is started without presuming the consumption of game value. On the other hand, the “normal game” is a game that is executed on the condition that a game value is bet and pays an amount of game value corresponding to the rearranged symbols. In other words, the “normal game” is a game that is started on the premise that the game value is consumed.

  The “rearrangement” means a state in which the symbol 501 is arranged again after the symbol arrangement is canceled. “Arrangement” means that the symbol can be visually confirmed by an external player.

  “Normal payout according to rearranged symbols” means a normal payout corresponding to a rearranged winning combination. The “bonus payout according to the rearranged symbols” means a bonus payout corresponding to the rearranged winning combination. The “winning combination” means that a prize is established. Details of the winning combination will be described later.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but only specific examples are illustrated, and the present invention is not particularly limited. The specific configuration of each unit and the like can be appropriately changed. The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are only the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. is not.

  Further, in the above detailed description, the characteristic portions have been mainly described so that the present invention can be easily understood. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in the detailed description above, but can be applied to other embodiments, and the scope of application is various. The terms and terminology used in the present specification are used to describe the present invention accurately, and are not used to limit the interpretation of the present invention. Moreover, it would be easy for those skilled in the art to infer other configurations, systems, methods, and the like included in the concept of the present invention from the concept of the invention described in this specification. Accordingly, the description of the claims should be regarded as including an equivalent configuration without departing from the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. The purpose of the abstract is to simplify the technical contents and essence of this application by patent offices and general public institutions, and engineers belonging to this technical field who are not familiar with patents, legal terms or technical terms. It is intended to be able to make a quick determination through a simple survey. Therefore, the abstract is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to be evaluated by the description of the scope of claims. Moreover, in order to fully understand the object of the present invention and the specific effects of the present invention, it is desired that the interpretation should be made with sufficient consideration of the literatures already disclosed.

  The above detailed description includes processing executed by a computer. The above description and expression are described for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to understand the most efficiently. In this specification, each step used to derive one result should be understood as a self-consistent process. In each step, transmission / reception, recording, and the like of electrical or magnetic signals are performed. In the processing in each step, such a signal is expressed by bits, values, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, etc., but these are used only for convenience of explanation. There is a need. In addition, the processing in each step may be described in an expression common to human behavior, but the processing described in this specification is executed by various devices in principle. Further, other configurations required for performing each step will be apparent from the above description.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Slot machine 30 Control panel 101-103 Video reel 131 Upper image display panel 135 Touch panel 201-203 Stop button 290 Symbol display apparatus

Claims (6)

A symbol display device for rearranging symbols after rotating a reel provided with a plurality of symbols and displaying a game result;
An input device that accepts an input operation for intervening in the game from outside,
The gaming machine is characterized in that the input device has a plurality of physically different types, and each input device has a function to substitute for another input device.   A controller for replacing the other input device with a stop device when an input for stopping the reel is not received from a predetermined input device within a predetermined time after the operation to start rotation of the reel; The gaming machine according to claim 1.   3. The controller according to claim 2, wherein after the other input device is replaced with a stop device, the controller stops the rotation of the reel when the input from the other input device is not accepted. Gaming machine.   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the input device is a touch panel provided in the symbol display device, and displays a stop button that receives an input of a stop operation on the touch panel. The input device is a control panel including a plurality of input units arranged for operation for a slot game,
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the input unit of the control panel includes a display device that displays character information corresponding to a type of a switch that functions by input. A detection device for detecting an abnormality of the stop device;
The gaming machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a switch having a function of stopping a reel by an operation of the input device when an abnormality is detected by the detection device.