JP2018086160A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine capable of suitably improving a level of attention to a game.SOLUTION: A game area PE is provided on a front face of a game board unit 80. The game area PE is divided into a left route passing through a left side of a variable display unit 525 arranged at a center of the game board unit 80 and a right route passing through a right side. In the right route, at a portion becoming an upstream side of a first variable winning device 82, a guide passage for guiding a game ball to the first variable winning device 82 and a bypass passage for guiding the game ball to a position becoming a downstream side of the first variable winning device 82 so as to avoid a ball entrance to the first variable winning device 82 are arranged at right and left in a juxtaposed manner. At the upstream side of these guide passage and bypass passage, an inclined passage is provided so as to straddle the guide passage and the bypass passage. The inclined passage is inclined downward toward an inlet portion of the bypass passage, and the inclined passage is formed with a gap portion constituting an inlet portion of the guide passage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine.

  Some gaming machines such as pachinko machines are provided with a game board in which a game area is formed, and a game ball launching means for launching a game ball into the game area based on a launch operation by the player. When the game ball launched from the game ball launching unit enters the entrance part provided in the game area, a privilege such as paying out a predetermined number of game balls is given to the player (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

JP 2002-78904 A

  In the type of gaming machine described above, there is still room for improvement in the configuration in order to improve the degree of attention to gaming.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances and the like, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine capable of suitably improving the degree of attention to a game.

  Hereinafter, means for solving the above problems will be described.

The invention described in claim 1
A game board in which a game area is formed;
Game state transition means for transitioning the gaming state to a special gaming state that is more advantageous to the player than usual based on the establishment of a predetermined transition condition;
A variable pitching portion that is provided in the gaming area and is switchable between an accepting state in which a gaming ball flowing down the gaming area can enter and a non-accepting state in which entering is impossible;
A switching means for switching the variable pitching portion to the receiving state when the special gaming state is set,
In a portion of the game area that is upstream of the variable pitching portion, a guide passage that guides the game ball to the variable pitching portion, and entering the variable pitching portion is avoided. A bypass path is provided that guides the game ball to a position downstream of the variable ball entry section and that makes the game ball being guided more difficult to see than the game ball passing through the guide path,
In the game area, an inclined passage is provided in a portion on the upstream side of the guide passage and the bypass passage so as to straddle the guide passage and the bypass passage.
The inclined passage is inclined downward toward the entrance portion of the detour passage, and the inclined passage is formed with a recess that forms an entrance portion to the guide passage.

  The degree of attention to the game can be preferably improved.

It is a front view which shows the pachinko machine in one embodiment. It is the perspective view which looked at the pachinko machine from the front. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the main structures of a pachinko machine. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the main structures of a pachinko machine. It is a front view which shows the structure of an inner frame. It is a front view which shows the structure of a game board. It is the schematic which shows the internal structure of a lower action | operation entrance ball unit. It is a rear view which shows the structure of an inner frame. It is a front view which shows a back pack unit. It is the elements on larger scale of the game board shown in FIG. It is the schematic which shows the relationship between the frame of a front door frame, and the partition wall part of a game board. It is the schematic which shows the flow path in a right route. (A) Schematic showing the probability of entering the through gate, (b) Schematic showing the relationship between the operation amount and the flow path. (A) Schematic showing the movement of the game ball in the inclined passage, (b) Schematic showing the speed change in the passage direction of the game ball passing through the inclined passage. (A) It is the schematic which shows the distance relationship between game balls, (b) It is the schematic which shows the mode of dispersion | distribution and aggregation of game balls. (A) Schematic diagram showing changes in density of game balls, (b) (c) Schematic diagram showing how game balls are distributed. It is the schematic which shows the modification of a right route. It is the schematic which shows the modification of the relationship between the entrance part of a detour passage, and a lamp part.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a pachinko gaming machine (hereinafter referred to as “pachinko machine”), which is a type of gaming machine, will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine 10, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pachinko machine 10 viewed from the front side, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing the main configuration of the pachinko machine 10 in an exploded manner. In FIG. 3, the configuration in the game area in the pachinko machine 10 is omitted for convenience.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko machine 10 includes an outer frame 11 that forms an outer shell of the pachinko machine 10, and a gaming machine main part 12 attached to the outer frame 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the outer frame 11 is formed by connecting plate members to four sides and has a rectangular frame shape. By attaching and fixing the outer frame 11 to the island facility, the pachinko machine 10 is installed in the game hall. In the pachinko machine 10, the outer frame 11 is not an essential configuration, and the outer frame 11 may be provided on the island facility of the game arcade.

  The gaming machine main part 12 is supported by the outer frame 11 so as to be opened and closed. Specifically, the upper support bracket 17 is fixed to a connection portion between the upper frame portion and the left frame portion in the outer frame 11, and further, a lower portion is connected to the connection portion between the lower frame portion and the left frame portion in the outer frame 11. Side support fittings 18 are provided. The upper support bracket 17 and the lower support bracket 18 form a support mechanism. The support mechanism causes the gaming machine main unit 12 to turn the left side of the pachinko machine 10 in the front view with respect to the outer frame 11. The right side can be turned to the front side of the pachinko machine 10 with the turning tip side (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the gaming machine main part 12 is disposed at the inner frame 13 as a base body, the front door frame 14 disposed in front of the inner frame 13, and the rear of the inner frame 13. The back pack unit 15 is provided. The inner frame 13 of the gaming machine main part 12 is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the outer frame 11. Specifically, the inner frame 13 can be rotated forward with the left side as the rotation base end side and the right side as the rotation front end side in a front view of the gaming machine.

  A front door frame 14 is rotatably supported by the inner frame 13 and can be rotated forward with the left side as a rotation base end side and the right side as a rotation front end side in a front view of the gaming machine. Further, the back pack unit 15 is rotatably supported on the inner frame 13, and can be rotated rearward with the left side as a rotation base end side and the right side as a rotation front end side in a front view of the gaming machine. Yes.

  Next, the front door frame 14 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the front door frame 14 is mainly composed of a synthetic resin frame body 20 whose outer shape is substantially the same as that of the outer frame 11, and covers almost the entire front surface of the inner frame 13. Yes. A substantially elliptical window portion 21 is formed in the central portion of the frame body 20 so that a substantially entire game area PE described later can be viewed from the front. The window portion 21 is formed by the glass unit 22. The front door frame 14 is closed from the back side.

  The glass unit 22 includes a plurality of glass panels 23 having transparency and a glass holder that holds the glass panels 23. The glass holder is formed with a partition portion for partitioning the holding region of the glass panel 23 in the front-rear direction, and the two glass panels 23 face each other in the front-rear direction with the partition portion interposed therebetween. That is, by securing a predetermined gap between the glass panels 23, the gaming area PE is covered by the glass panels 23 from the front side of the pachinko machine 10 while avoiding interference between the glass panels 23. It is in a state.

  Note that it is not always necessary to unitize both glass panels 23 using a glass holder, and each glass panel 23 may be individually attached to the frame 20. Furthermore, the number of glass panels is arbitrary, and may be one or three or more. However, in view of safety and security improvement, it is preferable to employ a plurality of glass panels and to make the glass panels face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween. Incidentally, it is also possible to employ a synthetic resin panel member having transparency instead of the glass panel.

  Around the glass unit 22 (specifically, the window portion 21), light emitting means such as various lamps are provided. For example, an annular illumination part (lamp part 26) including a light emitting means such as an LED is provided along the periphery of the window part 21. The lamp unit 26 is turned on or blinked according to a change in the gaming state at the time of a big hit or a predetermined reach. In addition, an error display lamp unit 27 is provided at the center of the lamp unit 26 and at the top of the pachinko machine 10 to be turned on when a malfunction such as an error occurs. A prize ball lamp unit 28 is provided. In addition, a speaker unit 29 is provided at a position close to the left and right prize ball lamp units 28 to output sound effects, BGM, and the like according to the gaming state (see FIG. 3).

  Below the window portion 21 in the front door frame 14 (frame body 20), an upper bulging portion 31 and a lower bulging portion 32 that bulge toward the front side are arranged side by side. An upper pan 33 that opens upward is provided inside the upper bulging portion 31, and a lower pan 34 that also opens upward is provided inside the lower bulging portion 32 (see FIG. 2). The upper plate 33 has a function of temporarily storing game balls paid out from a payout device described later and guiding them to a game ball launching mechanism described later while aligning them in a line. In addition, the lower tray 34 has a function of storing game balls that become surplus in the upper tray 33.

  A game ball launching handle 41 is provided on the right side of the lower bulging portion 32 so as to protrude toward the front side. By operating the game ball launch handle 41, a game ball is launched from a game ball launch mechanism described later. The game ball firing speed increases as the amount of operation of the game ball launch handle 41 increases, and the player adjusts the amount of operation to separate the game balls into the right route and the left route, which will be described later. Is possible.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a passage forming unit 45 is attached to the back surface of the front door frame 14. The passage forming unit 45 is formed of a synthetic resin and includes a front door side upper tray passage that leads to the upper tray 33 and a front door side lower tray passage that leads to the lower tray 34. In the passage forming unit 45, a receiving port portion that protrudes rearward and is opened upward is formed at the upper corner of the passage forming unit 45, and the entrance portion of the front door side upper plate passage is formed by dividing the receiving port portion into left and right by a partition wall. The portion and the entrance portion of the front door side lower dish passage are partitioned. The upstream side of the front door side upper dish path and the front door side lower dish path are connected to a game ball distributing section described later, and the game balls that have entered the front door side upper dish path are guided to the upper plate 33 and are moved to the lower side of the front door. The game ball that has entered the dish passage is guided to the lower dish 34.

  Projecting shafts are provided at the upper end and the lower end of the rotation base end side of the back surface of the front door frame 14. These projecting shafts constitute an assembly mechanism for the inner frame 13. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of metal fittings 63 extending rearward are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction on the rotating front end side of the back surface of the front door frame 14. These hooks 63 constitute a locking mechanism for the inner frame 13.

  Next, the inner frame 13 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view of the inner frame 13. In FIG. 5, as in FIG. 3, the configuration in the game area PE of the pachinko machine 10 is omitted for convenience.

  The inner frame 13 is mainly composed of a resin base 70 whose outer shape is substantially rectangular like the outer frame 11. The height dimension of the resin base 70 is set slightly smaller than the height dimension of the outer frame 11. The resin base 70 is arranged close to the upper frame portion of the outer frame 11, and a slight gap is formed between the lower frame portion of the outer frame 11 and the resin base 70. A curtain plate is attached to the outer frame 11 so as to close the gap. The curtain plate is disposed below the resin base 70 (specifically, the lower end portion thereof). When the inner frame 13 is closed with respect to the outer frame 11, the resin base 70 is placed on the curtain plate. . A slight clearance may be provided between the curtain plate and the resin base 70 for the purpose of preventing mutual interference.

  Support metal fittings 71 and 72 are attached to the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the rotation base end side (left side in FIG. 3) on the front surface of the resin base 70. Although illustration is omitted, the support fittings 71 and 72 have shaft portions, and a bearing portion provided on the front door frame 14 is inserted into these shaft portions, so that the front door frame with respect to the inner frame 13 is inserted. 14 is rotatably supported.

  A locking device 75 for locking the inner frame 13 and the front door frame 14 is disposed on the front side of the rotation of the resin base 70 (on the right side in FIG. 5). The locking device 75 extends vertically along the right end portion of the resin base 70, and the front door frame 14 is attached to the inner frame 13 by the hook metal fitting 63 being locked to the front door hook receiving member 76. On the other hand, it is locked so that it cannot be opened. The locking device 75 has an inner frame collar member 77 that extends to the rear side of the inner frame 13 through a slit formed in the resin base 70 (see FIG. 4). When these inner frame hook members 77 are hooked on the hook receiving member 19 fixed to the outer frame 11, the gaming machine main part 12 is locked in a closed state with respect to the outer frame 11.

  A cylinder lock 78 for performing an unlocking operation of the locking device 75 is installed at the lower right corner of the resin base 70 (locking device 75). The cylinder lock 78 is integrated with the locking device 75. When the key inserted into the key hole of the cylinder lock 78 is turned to the right, the lock of the front door frame 14 with respect to the inner frame 13 is released, and the cylinder lock 78 is inserted into the key hole of the cylinder lock 78. The locking device 75 is configured such that when the key is turned counterclockwise, the locking of the inner frame 13 with respect to the outer frame 11 is released.

  A housing recess 73 for housing the game board unit 80 is formed in the central portion of the resin base 70. The housing recess 73 is recessed to the rear of the gaming machine according to the outer shape of the game board unit 80, and the game board unit 80 is fixed by a manual lock mechanism while being fitted in the housing recess 73. A substantially rectangular window hole 74 is formed at the bottom of the housing recess 73, and the rear configuration of the game board unit 80 projects rearward of the inner frame 13 through the window hole 74. The window hole 74 is almost entirely covered from the front of the gaming machine by the game board unit 80 attached to the resin base 70.

  The game board unit 80 is provided on the back side of the game board 80a formed mainly of a plate made of a transparent synthetic resin material, and various game parts (variable display devices, control devices, movable effects). A back block 80b in which a mechanism, a light-emitting decorative member, and the like are mounted on the base body 251 are integrated, and the front portion of the back block 80b is visible through the game board 80a.

  On the front surface of the game board 80a, the above-described game area PE in which game balls flow down is formed. As already described, the game area PE is covered with the glass unit 22 (specifically, the rear glass panel 23). In the glass unit 22, the gap between the rear glass panel 23 and the front surface of the game board 80a is slightly larger than the diameter of the game ball, that is, the game balls flowing down the game area PE are the same in the game area PE. It is arranged so that it is not lined up back and forth at a point. Thereby, the ball blockage in the game area PE is suppressed. Note that the game board 80a is not limited to being made of synthetic resin, and may be made of wood.

(Game board unit 80)
Hereinafter, the game board unit 80 (particularly, various configurations arranged in the game area PE of the game board 80a) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a front view of the game board unit 80.

  The game board 80a is formed with a plurality of large and small openings penetrating in its own thickness direction (front-rear direction). As shown in FIG. 6, a general winning opening 81, variable winning devices 82 and 83, operating ball entering units 84 and 85, etc. are disposed in each opening. When game balls enter the general winning opening 81, the variable winning devices 82 and 83, and the operating ball entering units 84 and 85, the game balls are detected by detection sensors (not shown) provided corresponding to the respective ball entering portions. Based on the detection result, a privilege such as payout (prize ball) of a predetermined number of game balls is given to the player. In addition, an out port 89 is provided at the lowermost part of the game area PE, and game balls that have not entered the various entrances are discharged from the game area PE through the out port 89. In the following description, in order to clearly distinguish the game ball from entering the out port 89, the game ball entering the general game port 81, the variable game devices 82 and 83, and the operation ball units 84 and 85 will be described. Also expressed as "winning".

  The game board 80a is provided with a variety of game parts (acts) such as a game nail and a windmill in order to appropriately distribute and adjust the flow path of the game balls. The flow path of the game ball is differentiated by various configurations such as these game nails and windmills, and is adjusted so that a winning to the above-described general winning opening 81 or the like occurs with an appropriate probability.

  A central opening is formed at the center of the game board 80a, and a transparent opening cover is attached so as to cover the central opening. The variable display unit 252 and the like belonging to the back block 80b is located behind the central opening, and the variable display unit 252 and the like can be visually recognized from the front of the gaming machine through the central opening and the opening cover.

  The operating ball entry units 84 and 85 are a lower operation ball entry unit 84 disposed below the variable display unit 252, and a right operation ball entry unit 85 disposed on the right side of the lower operation ball entry unit 84. It is constituted by.

  The right actuated entrance unit (lottery opportunity entrance portion) 85 is provided with an electric accessory 85b as an entrance assist device (entrance assist means). The electric accessory 85b includes a slide-type movable piece and a solenoid-type drive unit that drives the movable piece. The movable piece is movable from the front surface of the game board 80a to a protruding position that protrudes into the game area PE and to a retracted position where the protrusion to the game area PE is avoided. By being arranged, it becomes a receiving state (assist state) in which it is possible to enter the right working port 85a, and it becomes a non-accepting state (non-assisting state) in which it is impossible to enter the ball by placing it in the retracted position. It is the composition which changes as follows.

  When the electric accessory 85b is in the accepting state, the flow path is cut off by the movable piece arranged at the protruding position, and the game ball that has reached the right operation ball entry unit 85 in this situation is the movable piece. Is guided to the right working port 85a. On the other hand, when the electric accessory 85b is in a non-accepting state, the game ball that has reached the right actuated entry unit 85 passes through the front of the right actuating port 85a and goes to the out port 89. Become.

  The above-described through gate 86 is disposed at a position upstream of the right action entry unit 85 in the game area PE (specifically, a position at the side of the variable display unit 252 in the right route). If the winning combination is a lottery triggered by the passing of the game ball through the through gate 86, the electric accessory 85b is temporarily switched from the non-accepting state to the accepting state.

  In the pachinko machine 10, a plurality of types of support modes are set with different modes of support by the electric accessory 85 b. Specifically, in the support mode, there is a frequency at which the electric accessory 85b is in an accepting state per unit time when compared with a situation in which a game ball is continuously launched in the same manner with respect to the game area PE. The low frequency support mode (or low frequency guide state) and the high frequency support mode (or high frequency guide state) are set so as to be relatively high and low.

  In the high frequency support mode, the probability of winning a prize to the right operation port 85a is higher than in the low frequency support mode. When a winning is made to the right operation port 85a, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out. For this reason, in the high frequency support mode, the player can play a game while suppressing consumption (investment) of the ball by launching the game ball aiming at the right route.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 7, a supplementary description will be given of the lower operation entrance unit 84 and the right operation entrance unit 85. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the internal structure of the lower operation entrance unit 84.

  The lower operation ball entry unit 84 is formed with a guide passage 84c for guiding the game ball flowing into the lower operation port 84a to a collection passage provided on the back side of the game board 80a. The guide passage 84c branches into a first branch passage 84d and a second branch passage 84e at a midway position.

  The branch position in the guide passage 84c can be switched between a first guide state in which the game ball that has reached the branch position is guided to the first branch passage 84d and a second guide state in which the game ball is guided to the second branch passage 84e. Means 84g are provided. The distribution means 84g is configured to switch from one guidance state to the other guidance state based on the guidance of the game ball. For this reason, the game balls that have flowed into the lower operation port 84a are alternately distributed to the first branch passage 84d and the second branch passage 84e.

  The right action entry unit 85 (right action opening 85a) is connected to the second branch path 84e via the communication path 84f, and the game ball that has flowed into the right action opening 85a flows into the second branch path 84e. That is, the game ball that has flowed into the lower working port 84a flows into both the branch passages 84d and 84e, while the game ball that has flowed into the right working port 85a flows into only the second branch passage 84e.

  A detection sensor 261 for detecting a game ball is disposed in the first branch passage 84d (hereinafter also referred to as the first ball entry portion 84d), and in the second branch passage 84e (hereinafter also referred to as the second ball entry portion 84e). A detection sensor 262 for detecting a game ball is disposed at a position downstream of the communicating portion of the communication passage 84f. These detection sensors 261 and 262 are connected to the main control unit, and the main control unit enters the branch passages 84d and 84e based on detection information (detection signals) from the detection sensors 261 and 262, that is, the operation port 84a. , 85a.

  In the present embodiment, a difference is provided so that the lottery based on the ball entering the second branch passage 84e is more advantageous to the player than the lottery based on the ball entering the first branch passage 84d. . In the normal gaming state corresponding to the high-frequency support mode, the lower operation port 84a (specifically, the first operation is performed while firing the game ball to the right route and generating the right operation port 85a → the second entry unit 84e). By avoiding entering the ball portion 84d), the game is advantageously advanced for the player.

  The pachinko machine 10 is a lottery (win / no lottery) for entering and closing execution mode (special game state) based on the entrance to the operation entrance units 84 and 85 (the first entrance portion 84d and the second entrance portion 84e). ) Is executed. In the lottery mode, a low probability mode (low probability state) and a high probability mode (high probability state) having a higher winning probability than the low probability mode are set. In any of the lottery modes, when the lottery is won, the open / close execution mode is entered and the variable winning devices 82 and 83 can be entered.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 6 again, the variable winning device (special winning device or special winning means) 82 and 83 will be supplementarily described. The variable winning devices 82 and 83 have large winning ports 82a and 83a through which game balls can pass, and shutters 82b and 83b as opening / closing members (opening / closing means) for opening and closing the large winning ports 82a and 83a. Is provided. The shutters 82b and 83b are connected to a variable winning drive unit (specifically, a solenoid or the like) provided on the back side of the game board 80a. The variable winning drive unit is connected to the main control device and operates based on a drive signal from the main control device. As a result, the shutters 82b and 83b are switched between an open state (allowed state) in which a game ball can be entered or allowed to enter and a closed state (blocked state) in which the entrance ball is impossible or difficult.

  In normal times, the shutters 82b and 83b are kept closed, and when winning the opening / closing execution mode (opening / closing execution state) in the internal lottery (big hit: a special advantage more advantageous to the player than the normal gaming state) When the game state is won, it can be switched to the open state. As an opening mode of the variable winning device 82 in the opening / closing execution mode, for example, a predetermined time (specifically, 30 sec) or a predetermined number (for example, 10) winnings is defined as one round, and a plurality of rounds (specifically, 16 rounds) are set as upper limits. The opening and closing of the open / close door is set to be repeated.

  During the opening / closing execution mode, the upper first variable winning device 82 of the upper and lower variable winning devices is mainly subject to release, and the lower second variable winning device 83 is subject to release in a predetermined round (for example, the seventh round). It becomes. The second variable winning device 83 is provided with an advantageous winning portion 83c and a flow path switching member 83d for switching the inflow destination of the game ball that has entered the big winning opening 83a to the advantageous winning portion 83c. The flow path switching member 83d is connected to the main control device and operates based on a signal from the main control device. About the operation | movement aspect of a flow-path switching member, according to the result of the said lottery, it sets in detail according to a win type.

  In the case where the entrance into the advantageous entry portion 83c occurs during the opening / closing execution mode, after the opening / closing execution mode (special game state) is finished, the normal game corresponding to the high-frequency support mode in the support mode and the high-probability mode in the lottery mode Transition to the state. This provides an opportunity to acquire a large amount of game balls. On the other hand, when the entrance to the advantageous entrance portion 83c does not occur during the opening / closing execution mode, the lottery mode after the opening / closing execution mode ends becomes the low probability mode.

  Here, the variable display unit 252 will be supplementarily described. The variable display unit 252 has a symbol display device 253 that variably displays (variably displays) symbols triggered by winnings in the activated ball entering units 84 and 85 (specifically, the ball entering portions 84d and 84e). The symbol display device 253 is configured as a liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal display, and the display content is controlled by a display control device described later.

  On the display screen 253a of the symbol display device 253, for example, symbols are displayed side by side on the left, middle, and right, and these symbols are variably displayed as they are scrolled up and down. When a big win is won, a predetermined combination of symbols is stopped and displayed on a preset active line, and the mode is shifted to the opening / closing execution mode (special game state or big win). Note that the symbol display device 253 is not necessarily a liquid crystal display device, and may be a dot matrix or 7-segment display device.

  A center frame 92 is provided on the game board 80a so as to surround the central opening. The center frame 92 is fixed to the game board 80a (specifically, a plate) from the front side. In such a fixed state, the center frame 92 stands up from the front surface of the game board 80a, and the gap dimension between the center frame 92 and the glass unit 22 is configured to be smaller than the diameter dimension of the game ball. ing. This prevents the game ball flowing down the game area PE from colliding with the symbol display device 253, and the flow path of the game ball flowing down the game area PE is on the right side of the variable display unit 252 (specifically, the center frame 92). The route is divided into the right route detouring from the left and the left route detouring from the left side.

  The above-described right action entry unit 85, variable winning devices 82 and 83, and through gate 86 are all arranged on the right route, and the lower action entry unit 84 is arranged on the left route. The game balls flowing down the left route can win the lower operating ball entering unit 84, while winning to the right operating ball entering unit 85, the variable winning devices 82 and 83 and the through gate 86 is avoided. On the other hand, the game ball flowing down the right route can win the right operating ball entering unit 85, the variable winning devices 82 and 83, and the through gate 86, while avoiding winning the lower operating ball entering unit 84. Is done. When the electric accessory 85b of the right action entry unit 85 is in the high-frequency support mode (normal game state corresponding to the high-frequency support mode) or in the open / close execution mode, the game ball is moved to the right route. The game can be advantageously advanced by firing, and the game can be advantageously advanced by firing the game ball to the left route in the normal game state corresponding to the low frequency support mode. That is, the player can advantageously advance the game by selecting the flow path of the game ball from the right route / left route according to the game situation.

  On the upper surface of the frame portion constituting the lower portion of the center frame 92, a stage portion is formed on which the game ball can roll to the left and right. The game ball that has flowed in from the inflow port formed in the left frame portion of the center frame 92 is discharged onto the stage portion through a warp passage similarly formed in the left frame portion of the center frame 92. The stage portion is configured such that the game ball that has reached the stage portion is relatively easy to flow into the lower operation port 84a, and the player's attention to the movement of the game ball on the stage portion is improved. Contributing to

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the central opening is covered by the transparent opening cover, and the game ball that has reached the stage portion is restricted from moving toward the back block 80b (variable display unit 252). ing.

  A game area partition member 93 that partitions the game area PE together with a guide rail 100 described later is disposed at the right end of the game board 80a. Near the upper end of the game area partition member 93, a return rubber 94 is disposed that weakens the momentum of a game ball moving on the right route along the guide rail 100. The game ball that has collided with the return rubber 94 is weakened and is restricted so as not to move on the right route with excessive force.

  A rail cover 95 that covers the guide rail 100 from the outside of the game area PE is disposed at the left end of the game board 80a. The rail cover 95 is fixed to the game board 80a so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the game board 80a, and faces the guide rail 100 with a slight gap therebetween. By protecting the guide rail 100 with the rail cover 95, for example, it is possible to suppress interference between the frame body 20 and the guide rail 100 when the game board unit 80 is mounted on the frame body 20 of the inner frame 13. It has become.

  A main display unit 96 is embedded in a portion of the rail cover 95 facing the glass unit 22, and the main display unit 96 is visible from the front of the gaming machine through the glass unit 22. The main display unit 96 is provided with a main display portion D on which a pattern or the like is displayed. The main display unit 96 is electrically connected to a main controller described later, and the display content of the main display unit D is controlled by the main controller.

  The main display unit D displays a lottery result based on a winning result for the first winning part 84d and a lottery result performed based on a winning result for the second winning part 84e. And a display unit for a second incoming ball part.

  In the display unit for the first pitching part, the display of the variation of the picture is performed with the winning of the first pitching part 84d as a trigger, and based on the winning of the first pitching part 84d as a stop result of the variation display. The result of the internal lottery performed will be specified. When the result of the internal lottery based on winning in the first pitching portion 84d is a winning result corresponding to the shift to the opening / closing execution mode, the variable display is stopped on the first pitching portion display unit, After a predetermined pattern is displayed as a stop result, the mode is shifted to the opening / closing execution mode.

  In the display unit for the second pitching part, the variation display of the pattern is performed by using the winning in the second pitching part 84e as a trigger, and based on the winning in the second pitching part 84e as a stop result of the variation display. The result of the internal lottery performed will be specified. When the result of the internal lottery based on winning in the second pitching part 84e is a winning result corresponding to the jackpot, the variable display is stopped on the second pitching part display unit, After the picture is displayed, the mode is shifted to the opening / closing execution mode according to the result.

  Here, based on the winning in any of the pitching portions 84d and 84e, the variation display is started on the corresponding pitching portion display unit, a predetermined stop result is displayed, and the variation display is stopped. (For details, until the confirmation display is completed) corresponds to one game time. However, the number of game times is not limited to the above-mentioned contents. For example, a single display area is provided, and any single winning area 84d, 84e may be won. In the configuration in which the variable display is performed in the display area, the variable display is started in the single display area, and the above-mentioned variable display is stopped in a state where the predetermined stop result is displayed. It is also possible to make it times.

  Further, the main display unit D of the main display unit 96 is provided with a through-gate display unit for displaying a lottery result based on winning through the through-gate 86 in addition to the two display units. In the through-gate display unit, the display of the variation of the picture is performed with the winning of the through-gate 86 as a trigger, and the result of the internal lottery performed based on the winning of the through-gate 86 is clearly shown as a result of stopping the variation display. Is done. If the result of the internal lottery based on winning through the through gate 86 is a winning result corresponding to the transition to the open state, a predetermined stop result is displayed on the through gate display unit, and the change display is displayed. After being stopped, the state shifts to the electric power open state. In the electric combination open state, the electric combination 85b provided in the right action entry unit 85 is opened in a predetermined manner.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the number of times that a game ball has entered the first ball entering portion 84d, the second ball entering portion 84e, and the through gate 86 is held up to four times. The main display portion D of the display unit 96 is provided with a hold number display portion for displaying the hold numbers.

  The configuration of the inner frame 13 will be described again with reference to FIG. 5. A game in which a game ball is launched into the game area PE based on the operation of the game ball launch handle 41 below the game board unit 80 in the resin base 70. A ball launching mechanism 110 is provided.

  The game ball launching mechanism 110 includes a solenoid 111 that launches a game ball placed at a predetermined launch standby position, a launch rail 112 that defines the launch direction of the game ball launched by the solenoid 111, and a game at the launch standby position. A ball feeding device 113 for supplying a ball and a base plate 114 on which the various configurations 111 to 113 are mounted are provided as main components, and the base plate 114 is fixed to the resin base 70, whereby the resin base 70 is integrated.

  The firing rail 112 is fixed to the base plate 114 in an inclined state so as to be inclined upward toward the game board 80a. The firing rail 112 is formed with a groove portion having a substantially V-shaped cross section, and the front and rear positions of the game ball are defined by fitting the game ball into the groove portion.

  A ball stopper that holds the game ball supplied from the ball feeding device 113 at the above-described firing standby position is disposed at a position closer to the downstream end portion (that is, the lower end portion) of the firing rail 112. The solenoid 111 is arranged at a position further downstream than the ball stopper.

  The solenoid 111 is electrically connected to a power source / launch control device described later. Based on the output of the electrical signal from the power supply / launch control device, the output shaft of the solenoid 111 reciprocates in the expansion / contraction direction, so that the game ball placed at the launch standby position is on the game board 80a side, more specifically, the game. It is driven toward the guide rail 100 mounted on the board 80a. When the game ball launching handle 41 is operated and the game balls are continuously fired, the solenoid 111 is driven at a predetermined cycle (specifically, every 0.6 sec). That is, game balls are continuously fired at a predetermined cycle.

  The guide rail 100 partitions the game area PE together with the game area partition member 93 fixed to the game board 80a (specifically, the front surface of the plate) so that the outer shape of the game area PE is substantially circular. In addition, the guide rail 100 includes an inner rail 101 and an outer rail 102 that are arranged so as to face each other with a gap larger than the diameter of the game ball, and a single guide passage 103 is formed by both the rails 101 and 102. Has been. The guide passage 103 includes an inlet portion 104 that is opened to the tip side (obliquely downward) of the firing rail 112, and an outlet portion 105 that is located above the gaming area PE. The game ball fired based on the operation of the solenoid 111 is guided to the game area PE by moving in the order of the firing rail 112 → the guide rail 100 (the entrance portion 104 → the exit portion 105). In the game board 80a, on the front side of the exit portion 105, specifically, in the vicinity of the front end of the inner rail 101, a reversal prevention member 106 for preventing the reversal of the game ball reaching the game area PE into the guide passage 103 is attached. Thus, it is possible to prevent the subsequent launch of the game ball from being hindered by the game ball that has reached the game area PE first.

  Each of the rails 101 and 102 constituting the guide rail 100 has an arc shape centered at a substantially central portion of the game area PE. For this reason, the game ball passing through the guide passage 103 is likely to move (slide or roll) along the outer rail 102, that is, in contact with the outer rail 102 due to the centrifugal force generated by itself. That is, when a game ball is launched so as to be delivered to the game area PE, the area along the outer rail 102 in the guide passage 103 substantially constitutes a pass area (passage path) through which the game ball passes. However, the area along the inner rail 101 is an area through which the game ball does not pass.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the guide rail 100 and the launch rail 112 are arranged so that the entrance portion 104 of the guide rail 100 and the tip portion of the launch rail 112 face each other diagonally across the lower edge of the game board 80a. Has been. That is, both the rails 100 and 112 are arranged such that the entrance portion 104 of the guide rail 100 and the tip portion of the firing rail 112 are shifted left and right in the vicinity of the lower end edge of the game board 80a. Thus, a gap of a predetermined interval is formed between the entrance portion 104 of the guide rail 100 and the firing rail 112 while bringing both rails 100 and 112 close to the lower end edge of the game board 80a.

  A foul ball passage is disposed below the gap formed in this way. The foul ball path is formed integrally with the path forming unit 45 of the front door frame 14. If the game balls launched from the game ball launching mechanism 110 do not reach the game area PE and return to the inside of the guide passage 103 as foul balls, the foul balls enter the foul ball passage through the gap. Become. The foul ball path leads to the front door side lower dish path, and the game balls that have entered the foul ball path are discharged to the lower dish 34 shown in FIG. This suppresses interference between the foul ball and the next game ball to be launched.

  A through hole that penetrates the resin base 70 in the front-rear direction is formed on the left side of the firing rail 112 in the resin base 70 (specifically, the side that supports the front door frame 14). A passage forming member is formed in the through hole. 121 is disposed. The passage forming member 121 is screwed to the resin base 70 and has a main body side upper dish path 122 and a main body side lower dish path 123. The upstream side of the main body side upper dish passage 122 and the main body side lower dish passage 123 communicates with a game ball distributing section described later. In addition, a receiving portion of a passage forming unit attached to the front door frame 14 enters below the passage forming member 121, and a front door side upper plate passage is disposed below the main body side upper plate passage 122, A front door side upper dish passage is disposed below the main body side lower dish passage 123.

  An opening / closing member 124 that opens and closes the main body side upper dish path 122 and the main body side lower dish path 123 is attached below the passage forming member 121 in the resin base 70. The opening / closing member 124 is urged to a front position that closes the main body side upper dish passage 122 and the main body side lower dish passage 123. When the front door frame 14 is opened, each opening / closing member 124 is urged by this urging force. By being in the closed state, falling off of the game balls from the passages 122 and 123 is avoided. On the other hand, in a state where the front door frame 14 is closed, the opening / closing member 124 is pushed open against the biasing force by the receiving portion provided in the passage forming unit 45 of the front door frame 14. In this state, the main body side upper dish path 122 and the front door side upper dish path communicate with each other, and the main body side lower dish path 123 and the front door side lower dish path communicate with each other.

  Next, the back configuration of the inner frame 13 (the resin base 70 and the game board unit 80) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a rear view of the inner frame 13.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a bearing fitting 132 is attached to the rotation base end side (the right side of FIG. 8) on the back surface of the resin base 70. A bearing portion 133 is formed on the bearing bracket 132 so as to be separated from each other in the vertical direction, and the back pack unit 15 is rotatably attached to the inner frame 13 by these bearing portions 133. A plurality of fixing levers 134 for fixing the back pack unit 15 to the resin base 70 in the closed state are provided on the back surface of the resin base 70.

  As already described, a window hole 74 penetrating in the thickness direction of the resin base 70 and opened to the back side of the resin base 70 is formed in the bottom portion of the housing recess (game board housing portion) 73 in the resin base 70. The window hole 74 is covered from the front side of the inner frame 13 by the game board unit 80 housed in the housing recess 73. Various components such as a control device are mounted on the back of the game board unit 80 (rear block 80 b), and these various components are exposed to the back side of the inner frame 13 through the window holes 74. Here, the configuration of the back surface of the game board unit 80 will be described.

  The back block 80b provided on the back side of the game board 80a has a substantially box-shaped base body 251 opened to the game board 80a side, and the base body 251 is fixed to the back side of the game board 80a. Thus, the game board 80a and the back block 80b are integrated.

  The front side of the base body 251 is an arrangement area for a movable production mechanism, a decorative member capable of emitting light, and the like, and the back side thereof is a control device for controlling these various components and the variable display unit 252 (design display device). 253).

  More specifically, a part of the base body 251 protrudes toward the back side of the resin base 70, and the above-described symbol display device 253 (see FIG. 6) and the symbol display device 253 are connected to the protruding portion. A display control device for driving is attached. The symbol display device 253 and the display control device 254 are arranged so that the symbol display device 253 is on the front side and the display control device 254 is on the rear side in the front-rear direction (thickness direction of the resin base 70). Furthermore, a notification / production control device 255 is mounted on the back surface of the base body 251 so as to be positioned behind the display control device.

  The notification / production control device 255 includes a notification / production control board that controls sound output, lamp display, and control of the display control device in accordance with instructions from the main control device described later. It is configured to be accommodated in a substrate box made of a resin material or the like.

  A main controller unit 160 is provided below the notification / production control device 255 so as to cover the base body 251 from behind. The main controller unit 160 includes a synthetic resin mounting base 161 fixed to the back of the game board unit 80 (specifically, the back block 80b), and a main control unit 162 mounted on the mounting base 161. Yes. The main controller 162 includes a main control board having a function (main control circuit) that controls the main control of the game and a function (power failure monitoring circuit) that monitors the power source, and the main control board is made of a transparent resin material. It is configured to be accommodated in a substrate box 163 made of, for example.

  The board box 163 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box base (front case body) and a box cover (back case body) that covers an opening of the box base. The box base and the box cover are connected so as not to be unsealed by a box sealing portion 164 as sealing means, whereby the substrate box 163 is sealed. A plurality of box sealing portions 164 are provided on the short side portion of the substrate box 163, and at least one of them is used for sealing processing.

  Any configuration can be applied to the box sealing portion 164 as long as the box base and the box cover are coupled so as not to be opened. However, by inserting a locking pin into the locking hole that forms the box sealing portion 164, the box sealing portion 164 The base and the box cover are coupled so as not to be opened. The sealing process by the box sealing unit 164 prevents unauthorized opening after the sealing, and makes it possible to detect such a situation early and easily even if the unauthorized opening is performed. Even after opening, the sealing process can be performed again. That is, the sealing process is performed by inserting a locking pin into at least one locking hole portion among the plurality of box sealing portions 164. When the substrate box 163 is opened, such as when a failure occurs in the accommodated main control board or when the main control board is inspected, a connecting portion between the box sealing portion into which the locking pin is inserted and the substrate box 163 main body. Disconnect. As a result, the box base and the box cover of the substrate box 163 are separated, and the internal main control substrate can be taken out. Thereafter, when the sealing process is performed again, a locking pin is inserted into another locking hole. If the history of opening the substrate box 163 is left in the substrate box 163, it can be easily found that the unauthorized opening has been performed by looking at the substrate box 163.

  The board box 163 and the mounting base 161 are connected by a base seal part 165 so that they cannot be opened. Specifically, the pedestal sealing portion 165 has a locking hole portion and a locking pin similarly to the box sealing portion 164, and the locking pin is inserted into the locking hole portion so that the board box 163 and The mounting base 161 is coupled so as not to be separable. This makes it easier to grasp the fact that the substrate box 163 has been illegally removed.

  The portion of the front surface of the base body 251 facing the lower back of the game board 80a corresponds to the game board opening of the general winning port 81, variable winning devices 82 and 83, and actuating ball units 84 and 85. In addition, a collection passage (not shown) that gathers in one place on the downstream side is formed. Thereby, all the game balls won in the general winning opening 81 etc. are gathered below the game board unit 80 through the collection passage. That is, the base body 251 is provided with a function of collecting game balls won in various winning ports.

  A discharge passage, which will be described later, is arranged below the game board unit 80, and the game balls gathered below the game board unit 80 by the collection passage are led out into the discharge passage. Similarly, the out port 89 leads to the discharge passage, and a game ball that has not won any winning port is led out into the discharge passage through the out port 89.

  In addition, the base body 251 constituting the back block 80b includes, as a detection sensor for each of the above-described entry parts, a general winning opening detection sensor that detects a game ball won in the general winning opening 81, and a first entry. An operating port detection sensor that detects a game ball that has entered the ball portion 84d and the second ball entry portion 84e is mounted, and a winning detection mechanism is configured by these various detection sensors. These various detection sensors are electrically connected to the main controller 162, and detection information (detection signals) is output from the respective detection sensors to the main controller 162.

  Next, the back pack unit 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a front view of the back pack unit 15.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the inner frame 13 is covered from behind by the back pack unit 15. The back pack unit 15 includes a back pack 201 as a main body of the back pack unit 15, and a payout mechanism portion 202, a discharge passage board 203, and a control device assembly unit 204 are attached to the back pack 201. Yes.

  The back pack 201 is formed of a synthetic resin having transparency, and as shown in FIG. 9, a base portion 211 to which the payout mechanism portion 202 and the like are attached, and a protective cover portion that protrudes rearward from the pachinko machine 10 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. 212. The protective cover 212 has a shape in which the left and right side surfaces and the upper surface are closed and only the lower surface is opened, and has a size sufficient to surround at least the variable display unit 252 (see FIG. 4).

  The base portion 211 is provided with a pair of upper and lower latch pins 214 at the right end when viewed from the rear of the pachinko machine 10. By inserting the latch pins 214 into the bearing portion 133 provided on the inner frame 13, The pack unit 15 is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the inner frame 13. The base portion 211 is formed with a plurality of insertion portions through which the fixing levers 134 provided on the inner frame 13 are inserted. The base portion 211 is inserted into the insertion portion 215 from the rear side in a state where the fixing levers 134 are inserted through the insertion portion 215. The back pack unit 15 is fixed to the inner frame 13 by contact.

  In the base portion 211, a payout mechanism portion 202 is disposed so as to bypass the protective cover portion 212. The payout mechanism 202 is provided with a tank 221 that is arranged at the top of the back pack 201 and that opens upward, and game balls supplied from the island facilities of the game hall are sequentially replenished to the tank 221. The A tank rail 222 that is gently inclined toward the downstream side is connected to the side of the tank 221, and a case rail 223 that extends in the vertical direction is connected to the downstream side of the tank rail 222. A payout device 224 is provided at the most downstream portion of the case rail 223. The game balls paid out from the payout device 224 are supplied to the game ball distribution unit 225 provided in the base portion 211 of the back pack 201 through a payout passage (not shown) provided on the downstream side of the payout device 224.

  The game ball distribution unit 225 has a function of distributing the game balls paid out from the payout device 224 to any one of the upper plate 33, the lower plate 34, and a discharge passage described later, and the inner opening is the main body described above. It is formed so that it communicates with the upper plate 33 through the side upper plate passage 122 and the front door side upper plate passage, and the outer opening communicates with the lower plate 34 through the main body side lower plate passage 123 and the front door side lower plate passage. Has been.

  An external terminal board serving as a relay means for connecting the pachinko machine 10 (specifically, the main control device 162) and the management control device (hall computer) on the game hall side at a position above the payout mechanism portion 202 in the base portion 211. A unit is provided. The external terminal board unit is provided with various output terminals, and through these output terminals, various signals such as a signal indicating that the hall computer has been won and a signal indicating that an abnormality such as a ball clogging has occurred are provided. Is output. The hall computer is configured to grasp the state of the gaming machine based on these signals.

  A discharge passage board 203 and a control device collective unit 204 are attached to the lower end portion of the base portion 211 so as to sandwich the lower end portion in the front-rear direction. In the discharge passage board 203, a discharge passage opened rearward is formed on a surface facing the control device assembly unit 204, and an open portion of the discharge passage is closed by the control device assembly unit 204. The discharge passage is formed so as to discharge the game ball to the island facility or the like of the game hall, and the game ball led to the discharge passage from the recovery passage described above passes through the discharge passage to the outside of the pachinko machine 10. Discharged.

  The control device assembly unit 204 has a horizontally long mounting base 241, and a payout control device 242 and a power supply / launch control device 243 are mounted on the mounting base 241. The payout control device 242 and the power supply / launch control device 243 are arranged so as to overlap each other so that the payout control device 242 is behind the pachinko machine 10.

  In the payout control device 242, a payout control board for controlling the payout device 224 is accommodated in the board box 244, and a state return switch 245 provided on the payout control board projects out of the board box 244. For example, when the state return switch 245 is pressed when a payout error occurs, such as a ball jam in the payout device 224, the ball jam is eliminated.

  The power / fire control device 243 has a power / fire control board accommodated in a board box 246. A predetermined power source required by various control devices and the like is generated and output by the power source / launch control board, and further, control of launching of the game ball accompanying the operation of the game ball launch handle 41 by the player is performed. Specifically, drive control of the solenoid 111 constituting the game ball launching mechanism 110 and drive control of the ball feeding device 113 are executed.

  Further, the power source / launch control device 243 is provided with a power switch 247. By operating the power switch 247, the power of the pachinko machine 10 can be switched to the on state (on state) or the shut off state (off state).

  Here, this pachinko machine 10 has a function for storing various data, and even if a power failure occurs, it retains the state at the time of the power failure and returns to the state at the time of the power failure at the time of recovery from the power failure. It can be done. For example, when the power supply is shut down by a normal procedure as in the case of a game hall being closed, the state before the shutdown is stored and held. On the other hand, when the power is turned on while pressing the RAM erase switch 166 provided in the main controller 162, the RAM data is initialized.

(Right route)
As described above, the game area PE formed on the game board 80a includes a left route that bypasses the center frame 92 from the left side and a right route that bypasses the right side by the center frame 92 disposed in the center of the game board 80a. It is divided roughly. In the present embodiment, the configuration relating to the right route is characteristic. Hereinafter, a supplementary description will be given of the configuration relating to the right route based on FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the game board unit 80 showing the right route.

  A branch portion of the left route / right route is provided at a position at the center upper portion of the game area PE, and a single inflow passage that forms an inlet portion of the right route in the section to the branch rubber portion and the above-described return rubber 94 ( Hereinafter, the inflow portion 301 is formed. The passage width of the inflow portion 301 is defined by the outer rail 102 and the center frame 92 facing the outer rail 102 with a gap slightly larger than the diameter dimension of the game ball. The game ball cannot pass at the same time. The portion of the outer rail 102 and the center frame 92 forming the passage wall surface of the inflow portion 301 has a smooth curved surface that is convex upward, and the behavior of the game ball passing through the inflow portion 301 Disturbance is suppressed.

  On the downstream side of the inflow portion 301, a bifurcated portion 302 that bifurcates is provided. In the branching portion 302, an area sandwiched between the center frame 92 and the game area partition member 93 is a flow area of the game ball, and a partition wall formed between the center frame 92 and the game area partition member 93 is used. It is divided into two right and left (inner and outer) branch passages 311 and 312. Both branch passages 311 and 312 are configured such that the passage width is slightly larger than the diameter size of the game ball, and a plurality of game balls cannot pass through the same portion at the same time.

  The game ball that has reached the branch portion 302 via the inflow portion 301 flows into one of the two branch passages 311 and 312. Although details will be described later, an inner branch passage 311 (hereinafter referred to as an inner branch passage 311) and an outer branch passage according to the moving speed or the like when reaching the branch portion 302 for a game ball launched to the right route 312 (hereinafter referred to as the outer branch passage 312). In the following description, “moving speed” when the direction is not specified indicates the moving speed in the direction in which the game ball is moving, and “moving speed” when the direction is specified is Indicates the velocity component in the specified direction.

  A large number of game nails are arranged on the downstream side of the branch portion 302 and on the side of the symbol display device 253, that is, the portion between the branch portion 302 and the first variable winning device 82. In addition, diversification of the flow path (flow path) of game balls has been attempted. The lateral width of the flow-down area is defined by the outer peripheral surface (side surface) of the center frame 92 and the game area partition member 93 as in the case of the branch portion 302, and changes from the upstream side toward the downstream side. Specifically, after the lateral width is expanded from the branching portion 302 in the upper portion, the lateral width is reduced in the middle portion, and the lateral width is expanded again in the lower portion. In the following description, the upper part is referred to as “upper extension part 303”, the middle part is referred to as “intermediate part 304”, and the lower part is referred to as “lower extension part 305”.

  The above-described through gate 86 and a large number of game nails 321 are disposed in the upper extension portion 303, and a part of the game balls flowing down the upper extension portion 303 enters the through gate 86. Although details will be described later, when a game ball that has flowed into the upper extension portion 303 via the inner branch passage 311 and a game ball that has flowed into the upper extension portion 303 via the outer branch passage 312 are compared with each other, The flow path is formed so that the former has a higher probability of entering the through gate 86. Both the game ball that has entered the through gate 86 and the game ball that has not entered the ball pass through the intermediate portion 304 to the lower extension portion 305.

  The lower extended portion 305 is divided into right and left by a partition wall portion 350. Of the flow-down areas divided by the partition wall 350, the central area of the game area PE constitutes a guide passage 360 for guiding the game ball to the first variable winning device 82, and the outside (periphery side of the game board 80a). This area constitutes a bypass path 370 that bypasses the first variable winning device 82.

  The game balls that have flowed into the detour passage 370 are located downstream of the first variable winning device 82 on the right route, specifically, the first variable winning device 82 and the second variable winning device 83 that are arranged in parallel vertically. Guided to a position between. For this reason, a game ball that has flowed into the bypass passage 370 is prevented from entering the first variable winning device 82.

  The first variable winning device 82 has a horizontally long shape, and the lateral width of the guide passage 360 is expanded to be equal to the lateral width of the first variable winning device 82. A plurality of game nails 361 are scattered in the guide passage 360, and diversification of the flow path (flow path) toward the first variable winning device 82 is achieved by these game nails 361. In addition, the above-described general winning opening 81 is disposed in the middle of the guide passage, and a game ball that has passed through a predetermined flow path wins the general winning opening 81.

  Unlike the through gate 86, the general winning opening 81 is configured such that the game balls that have entered the general winning opening 81 are directly discharged from the gaming area PE. For this reason, not all the game balls that have flowed into the guide passage 360 are guided to the first variable winning device 82, but only the game balls that have been prevented from entering the general winning port 81 are the first variable winning game. Guided to device 82.

  In the guide passage 360, the game nail 361 is located on a straight line connecting the entrance portion (the notches 336 and 337) of the guide passage 360 and the first variable winning device 82, and flows down the guide passage 360. Regarding the game ball to be played, the momentum is weakened by colliding with the game nail 361 from above, and the flow direction is changed.

  As described above, not all the game balls fired to the right route reach the first variable winning device 82, but a part of the game balls pass through the bypass passage 370 to reach the first variable winning device 82. Reach is avoided. Although details will be described later, in the present embodiment, various contrivances are made to make the detour passage 370 and the game ball passing through the detour passage 370 less noticeable. A general winning port 81 is disposed between the branching point of the guide passage 360 and the bypass passage 370 and the first variable winning device 82, and part of the game balls that have flowed into the guiding passage 360 are also directed to the first variable winning device 82. Is to avoid the exposure of the presence of the bypass passage 370 due to the state of entering the first variable winning device 82, that is, the mismatch between the number of shots and the number of balls entered. is there.

  The big winning opening 82a of the first variable winning device 82 is open to the front of the gaming machine, and is covered from the front of the gaming machine by the shutter 82b when the shutter 82b is disposed at the closed position. When the shutter 82b is disposed at the closed position, the shutter 82b is positioned on the same plane as the front surface of the game board 80a, and a game ball can pass therethrough. When the shutter 82b is displaced from the closed position to the open position, the outflow path from the lower extended portion 305 is broken by the shutter 82b, and a large game ball flows out from the lower extended portion 305 toward the second variable winning device 83. It will be guided to the winning opening 82a.

  The game balls that have passed through the first variable prize apparatus 82 without flowing into the big prize opening 82a and the game balls that have passed through the bypass passage 370 are directed to the second variable prize apparatus 83. The second variable winning device 83 protrudes from the front surface of the game board 80a, and the upper surface portion thereof constitutes a rolling surface that guides the game ball to the center side of the game area PE. A large winning opening 83a is formed in a portion of the upper surface portion located immediately below the first variable winning device 82. The big prize opening 83a faces the first variable prize winning device 82 side (upward), and has a horizontally long shape extending to the left and right like the big prize winning opening 82a of the first variable prize winning device 82.

  The shutter 83b covering the big prize opening 83a is also horizontally long like the big prize opening 83a. The shutter 83b is slidable in the thickness direction (front-rear direction) of the game board 80a. The shutter 83b protrudes from the front surface of the game board 80a and covers the grand prize opening 83a, and the front surface of the game board 80a. Is moved to the open position (retracted position) where the large winning opening 83a is opened. The shutter 83b has a flat plate shape, and forms a part of the rolling surface together with the housing of the variable winning device 83 in a state where the shutter 83b is disposed at the closed position.

  For a game ball that has reached the second variable prize-winning device 83 in a situation where the shutter 83b is placed at the closed position, it collides with the shutter 83b and the flow direction changes from vertical to horizontal, along the shutter 83b. It will roll to the center side of game area PE. A right-acting ball entering unit 85 is arranged at the guidance destination of the game ball by the rolling surface, and the game ball passing through the second variable winning device 83 goes to the right-acting ball entering unit 85. In the following description, of the right route, a route that goes to the right actuated winning unit 85 via the first variable winning device 82 and the second variable winning device 83 is referred to as a main route.

  In the normal gaming state corresponding to the above-described high-frequency support mode, the electric accessory 85b of the right actuated entry unit 85 is frequently used when the game ball launched toward the right route passes through the through gate 86. Operate. Since the variable winning devices 82 and 83 are kept closed in the normal gaming state, most of the game balls flowing down the right route (avoiding the general winning port 81) pass through the variable winning devices 82 and 83. Head to the right-handed entry unit 85.

  When a ball enters the right actuated ball unit 85, a prize ball is awarded to the player. For this reason, in the normal gaming state corresponding to the high frequency support mode, it is possible to advance the game while suppressing the decrease of the holding ball by firing the game ball to the right route as compared with the case of firing the game ball to the left route. . Then, when the normal gaming state corresponding to the high-frequency support mode is shifted to the opening / closing execution mode (special gaming state), the variable winning devices 82 and 83 are switched to the open state, and the main destination is the variable winning prize from the right actuated winning unit 85. Changes to devices 82 and 83. That is, in the special game state, most of the game balls launched on the right route flow into the variable winning devices 82 and 83.

  In the gaming machine of the type shown in the present embodiment, for example, all the game balls fired on the right route in a situation where the first variable winning device 82 is opened by shifting to the opening / closing execution mode are the first variable winning device. If the player wins 82, the increase speed of the ball and the progress speed of the game are dramatically increased. However, when all the launched game balls enter the first variable winning device 82, the superiority of the open / close execution mode (special game state) with respect to the normal game state is extremely biased toward the player side. It becomes. For this reason, when the balance of the advantage in the whole game is taken into consideration, the uneven wrinkle tends to reach the normal gaming state. It is feared that the game in the normal gaming state due to this beating is excessively unfavorably biased toward the player side is a factor that reduces the player's willingness to play.

  On the other hand, in order to prevent the game in the normal gaming state from being unduly disadvantageous for the player, the game ball heading toward the first variable prize winning device 82 is configured to generate an appropriate spill (inflow into the bypass passage 370). In such a case, such a spill does not occur, which hinders the refreshing feeling in the special gaming state (opening / closing execution mode) from being improved as compared with a configuration in which all the game balls enter the first variable winning device 82. Become. In other words, the occurrence of spilling hinders the improvement of the player's satisfaction and, consequently, the degree of attention to the game. For the above reasons, there is still room for improvement in the configuration of the gaming machine in order to improve the player's satisfaction while suppressing an excessive bias in the advantage. One of the features of the present embodiment is that the device is devised in consideration of such circumstances. Specifically, a bypass path 370 that avoids entering the first variable winning device 82 that is the main destination in the opening / closing execution mode is provided, and the probability of entering the bypass path 370 is reduced, and A device that makes it difficult to visually recognize a game ball that bypasses the first variable winning device 82 and makes it appear that most of the game balls flowing down the right route can flow into the first variable winning device 82 (a device that does not make spilling stand out) ) Is one of the features. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 11, the bypass passage 370 and the configuration related thereto will be described supplementarily. FIG. 11 is a schematic view (partially enlarged view of FIG. 10) showing the bypass passage 370 and its peripheral structure in the right route.

(Bypass passage 370)
The detour passage 370 extends in the vertical direction (the direction in which the first variable winning device 82 and the second variable winning device 83 are arranged) along the right end of the game board 80a. The ramp portion 26 of the front door frame 14 overlaps the bypass passage 370 (see dot hatching in FIG. 11). The lamp unit 26 includes a light emitting board and a lamp cover that covers the light emitting board from the front of the gaming machine, and the bypass passage 370 is visible through the lamp cover. Although the lamp cover is light transmissive so as to transmit light from the light emitting substrate, the lamp cover overlaps with the right route because it is formed using a colored and opaque synthetic resin material. Regarding the portion (overlapping region), the visibility of the game ball is lower than the region where the overlapping is avoided (non-overlapping region). As a result, it is difficult to visually recognize the bypass passage 370 compared to the guide passage 360, and it is difficult to visually recognize the game ball passing the bypass passage 370 compared to the game ball passing the guide passage 360. There is a difference in sex.

  The bypass passage 370 is defined by a partition wall portion 350 and an opposing wall portion 375 that faces the partition wall portion 350 with a game ball passage area therebetween. The partition wall portion 350 and the opposing wall portion 375 are formed using a light adsorbing material that adsorbs light, and light irradiated to the bypass passage 370 is absorbed by the partition wall portion 350 and the opposing wall portion 375. It has a configuration. Thereby, irradiation of light (direct light or reflected light) to the bypass passage 370 and the game ball passing through the bypass passage 370 is suppressed, and the difference in visibility is remarkable.

  The distance (passage width) between the partition wall portion 350 and the opposing wall portion 375 constituting the passage inner wall is such that a plurality of game balls cannot simultaneously pass through the same location, that is, slightly larger than the diameter size of the game balls. It is stipulated in. That is, the passage width of the bypass passage 370 is smaller than the passage width of the guide passage 360 parallel to the bypass passage 370. The guide passage 360 is provided with a plurality of game nails 361 for branching the flow path, whereas the bypass passage 370 is not provided with game nails for branching the flow path. The number of flow paths in the bypass passage 370 is limited to one. Although the detour passage 370 and the guide passage 360 have the same overall length (see FIG. 10), the required time required for the bypass passage 370 to pass is shorter than the required time required for the guide passage 360 to pass. In other words, the detour path 370 is shorter in the required period from the branch point of the intermediate part 304 to the second variable winning device 83. For this reason, the game ball that has flowed into the bypass passage 370 is guided to the second variable winning device 83 more quickly than the game ball that has flowed into the guide passage 360.

  In the opening / closing execution mode, a waiting period until the transition to the normal gaming state after the end of the 16 round games in total, specifically an ending period for displaying an ending display or the like, is provided. In such a configuration, there is a case where a game ball launching operation is refrained in accordance with the transition of the ending display in order to avoid unnecessary investment. In such a situation, if a game ball that has passed through the detour passage 370 is returned to the non-overlapping area (main route), there is a concern that this may cause confusion for the player. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the game ball that has passed through the bypass passage 370 quickly returns to the main route. For this reason, the subsequent game ball that has passed through the bypass passage 370 can be mixed with another game ball (specifically, the preceding game ball) that is flowing down the main route. For example, it is possible to lengthen the required period by, for example, delaying the movement of the game ball in the bypass passage 370, but in such a configuration, it precedes the game ball that has returned to the main route under the above-described circumstances. It is assumed that the distance from the group of game balls increases and the subsequent game balls stand out. For the above reasons, it is technically significant to make the required time required for passing the bypass passage 370 shorter than the required time required for passing the guide passage 360.

  As already described, in the opening / closing execution mode, the first variable winning device 82 is mainly targeted for opening, and the second variable winning device 83 is targeted for opening only in a specific round. The second variable winning device 83 is provided with an advantageous ball portion 83c. When a ball enters the advantageous ball portion 83c, a normal game state (high probability mode and high frequency support mode) is achieved. Transition to gaming state. The transition to the highly probable gaming state not only dramatically increases the expectation of a big hit again, but also the high probability gaming state is continued until at least the next big hit, thus providing an opportunity to increase the number of balls. That is, the privilege given to the player based on the entrance to the second variable winning device 83 is larger than the privilege given to the player based on the entrance to the first variable winning device 82. Yes.

  Here, the period during which the second variable winning device 83 is maintained in the open state, more specifically, the period during which the player can enter the advantageous ball portion 83c is limited. For this reason, when the second variable winning device 83 is opened, it is necessary to promptly enter the second variable winning device 83. Under such circumstances, the game ball passing through the guide passage 360 moves while changing the flow direction by the game nail 361, so that it takes a long time to reach the second variable winning device 83. When the second variable winning device 83 is not an object to be released, tracking the movement of such a game ball with the eyes itself is one of the pleasures of the game. However, the slow movement of the game ball under time-constrained conditions can cause not only the player's impatience but also the loss of benefits that should be originally obtained. Therefore, it is not preferable for improving the satisfaction of the player.

Here, the passing area of the game ball in the detour passage 370 is a non-arranged area for game nails, and is also an unarranged area for other ball-entry portions such as the general winning opening 81. That is, all the game balls that have entered the detour path 370 go to the second variable winning device 83. As will be described in detail later, about 1/10 of the game balls flowing down the right route will flow into the bypass passage 370. As long as the second variable winning device 83 is opened and the game ball continues to be fired on the right route, the game ball passing through the guide passage 360 cannot successfully reach the second variable winning device 83. Even if the game balls that have passed through the detour passage 370 are supplied to the second variable prize-winning device 83, the above-mentioned privilege overshooting is avoided in most cases.
In this regard, as described above, the configuration in which the game ball that has passed through the bypass passage 370 promptly goes to the second variable prize-winning device 83 can suitably suppress the occurrence of the inconvenience.

  Referring to FIG. 11 again, the partition wall portion 350 that partitions the lower extended portion 305 into the guide passage 360 and the bypass passage 370 is located outside the window portion 21 (opening edge) of the front door frame 14. The ramp portion 26 overlaps the guide passage 360 side. That is, a part of the guide passage 360 is included in the overlapping area. In a gaming machine, parallax occurs depending on the posture during the game. Therefore, by increasing the overlap amount G by moving the partition wall 350 away from the opening edge, it is possible to suppress the presence of the bypass passage 370 when the game area PE is viewed obliquely from the front.

  The overlap amount G is set to be smaller than the diameter D of the game ball. For this reason, for example, the entire game ball that moves along the guide wall 360 along the partition wall portion 350 does not enter the overlapping region, and at least a part of the game ball remains visible. Thereby, it can be made difficult to give the player the impression that another flow path exists in the non-overlapping region. In other words, it is easy to give the player the impression that there is a wall or the like that restricts further rightward movement at the right limit position of the guide passage 360. This is preferable for hiding the presence of the bypass passage 370.

  As described above in detail, if the game ball flowing down the detour path 370 is made inconspicuous, even if a part of the game ball heading to the first variable winning device 82 is escaped, it may be difficult for the player to notice it. It is possible to make it appear as if all the game balls that have been launched are heading to the first variable winning device 82. However, no matter how the detour passage 370 is hidden, if the presence of the detour passage 370 is suggested by the behavior of the inlet portion 372 and the outlet portion 373 of the detour passage 370, the above-described concealment function can be performed well. I am concerned that it will not be done. One of the features of the present embodiment is that measures are taken in consideration of such circumstances. Hereinafter, the countermeasure will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 is directed diagonally upward to the left, and is constituted by a pair of game nails 331U and 331L that are spaced apart from each other. More specifically, the game nails 331U and 331L are arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the passage direction of the inclined passage described later, and the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 faces the same direction as the passage direction of the inclined passage. It is configured.

  Generally, when two game nails are opposed to each other with a gap larger than the diameter size of the game ball, it is easy to recognize that the game nail passage area is between them. For this reason, when such a pair of game nails are present in a non-overlapping area at a position close to the boundary with the overlapping area, these gaming nails are the inlets (gates) to the overlapping area. It is assumed that it is easy to be recognized. There is a concern that this may be a factor that suggests the existence of the bypass passage 370. In this regard, in the present embodiment, one of the pair of game nails 331U and 331L (the upper game nail 331U in the present embodiment) is arranged in the overlapping region (specifically, behind the ramp portion 26). It is difficult to see. Thus, by hiding one of the game nails 331U, the lower game nail 331L disposed in the non-overlapping region is kept away from the image of the inflow port.

  The upstream portion including the inlet portion 372 in the bypass passage 370 extends in the same direction as the inclined passage, and the distance (full length) to reach the vertical portion is larger than twice the diameter size of the game ball. Is formed. Thus, it is possible to prevent the game ball that has passed through the entrance portion 372 from being easily noticed by the player in the vicinity of the entrance of the bypass passage 370.

  Another game nail is disposed above the upper game nail 331U, more specifically in the overlap region, and the game ball toward the overlap region is located at a position that is separated from the opening edge by a distance smaller than the diameter dimension of the game ball. A barrier that prevents the movement of is formed. In other words, among the game balls heading toward the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370, the game balls that have bounced upward are bounced back to the barrier, and are directed to the guide passage 360. In this way, the game balls heading for the overlapping area that deviate from the entrance portion 372 are rebounded to the non-overlapping area side, thereby separating both areas at the boundary between the overlapping area and the non-overlapping area. It can be impressed that there are walls. This is preferable in hiding the fact that a game ball channel is separately provided in the overlapping region.

  Next, with reference to FIG.12 and FIG.13 (a), it demonstrates supplementarily about the upper side expansion part 303, and the structure which concerns on distribution of the game ball to the guidance channel | path 360 and the detour channel | path 370 is demonstrated after that. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the flow path in the upstream portion of the right route, and FIG. 13A is a schematic diagram showing the distribution probability of the game balls.

  As already explained, the right route is branched into two routes, the inner route (inner branch passage 311) and the outer route (outer branch passage 312) in the upstream part, and the upper route is expanded via the inner route. The probability of entering the through gate 86 differs between the game ball that has flowed into the portion 303 and the game ball that has flowed into the upper extension portion 303 via the outer route.

  Specifically, the upper extension 303 is provided with a game nail 321 so that the route A and route B bypassing the through gate 86 from the inner side (left side), and the route C passing through the through gate 86, Route D and route E 5 that bypass the through gate 86 from the right side (outside) are formed. Game balls that have passed the inner route are routed to 50% for route A, 30% for route B, 15% for route C, 5% for route D, and 0% for route E. The game balls that have passed the route are sorted so that route A is 15%, route B is 20%, route C is 10%, route D is 50%, and route E is 5% (see FIG. 13B). . In other words, in order to generate a prize for the through gate 86, it is more advantageous to aim for the inner route than for the outer route.

  Incidentally, the entrance portion of the inner route and the entrance portion of the outer route are arranged in the passage direction of the inflow portion 301 so that the former is on the upstream side and the latter is on the downstream side. The entrance portion of the outer route is located immediately below the return rubber 94, and the game ball depressed by the return rubber 94 flows into the outer route. On the other hand, in order for the game ball to flow into the right route, it is necessary to adjust the firing speed of the game ball to be a predetermined speed. Hereinafter, with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. 13B, a supplementary description will be given of the relationship between the game ball launch destination and the operation amount of the game ball launch handle 41 (the rotation operation member 44).

  When the rotation operation amount of the rotation operation member 44 is gradually increased, the firing speed of the game ball is gradually increased, and when the rotation operation amount exceeds the lower limit amount (20 ° in the present embodiment), the game ball is The game area PE is reached via the guide passage 103. Thereafter, when the amount of rotation operation is increased, the rotation amount of the game ball exceeds the threshold value (69 ° in the present embodiment), so that the launch destination of the game ball is changed from the left route to the right route.

  After the rotation operation amount exceeds the threshold value, the range until the rotation operation amount becomes larger and reaches a predetermined range (80 to 100 °) (70 to 79 °), the game ball launch destination becomes the inner route. . About 15% of the game balls flowing into the inner route enter the through gate 86. On the other hand, when the amount of rotation operation has reached the predetermined range, the launch destination of the game ball becomes the outer route. Approximately 10% of the game balls flowing into the outer route enter the through gate 86.

  When the rotation operation amount is 90 to 100 °, the launched game ball reaches the branch point of the inner route and the outer route while maintaining the state in contact with the outer rail 102. At this time, since the game ball is pressed against the outer rail 102 by the centrifugal force, the behavior is stabilized. On the other hand, when the rotation operation amount is in the range of 70 to 89 °, the game ball moving along the outer rail 102 moves away from the outer rail 102 and moves toward the center frame 92 side. The behavior of the game ball moving along the center frame 92 is likely to be disturbed due to the influence upon contact with the center frame 92 or the like. Therefore, even if the amount of rotation operation is in the range of 70 to 79 ° and the inner rail is aimed, a part thereof flows into the outer route.

  In order to enter the right operation port 85a, it is necessary to first enter the through gate 86, and in order to enter as many game balls as possible into the through gate 86, it is necessary to allow the game balls to flow into the inner route. For the above reasons, it is necessary to appropriately adjust the launch destination of the game ball in order to efficiently generate a ball entering the right working port 85a.

  The game ball groups distributed to the respective routes by the branching unit 302 and the upper expansion unit 303 are aggregated (joined) again at the intermediate unit 304. Here, a configuration related to the set will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 14. FIG. 14A is a schematic diagram showing a passage structure, and FIG. 14B is a schematic diagram showing a change in moving speed in the horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 12, an inclined passage 333 is formed in the intermediate portion 304 so as to incline downward from the center side of the game area PE. The inclined passage 333 is formed so that the inclination angle is smaller than 45 ° (specifically, about 30 °), and a position (joining point X1) immediately below the route A located on the innermost side in the upper extended portion 303. ) To a position (joining point X4) immediately below the route D. The inclined passage 333 is opened upward in almost the whole area, and the game ball flowing down each route falls into the inclined passage 333. The game ball that has fallen into the inclined passage 333 changes its direction in the direction of the inclined passage 333 by colliding with the bottom of the inclined passage 333 and moves to the lower extension 305 via the inclined passage 333 (intermediate portion 304). To do.

  The specific structure of the bottom portion (rolling surface) of the inclined passage 333 differs between the upstream portion and the downstream portion. Specifically, the upstream portion is constituted by a flat inclined portion 334 formed on the outer peripheral portion of the center frame 92, and the downstream portion is a plurality of game nails 331 (game nail row) arranged in the same direction as the inclined portion 334. 331S). The portion formed by the inclined portion 334 at the bottom is smooth, whereas the portion formed by the game nail row 331S at the bottom has a small uneven shape. For this reason, the game ball moving along the game nail row 331S is likely to jump upward as compared with the game ball moving along the inclined portion 334, and the change in the behavior causes the direction of the passage. The degree of acceleration at becomes smaller. That is, in the inclined passage 333, the upstream portion is a high acceleration zone and the downstream portion is a low acceleration zone (see FIG. 14B).

  As shown in FIG. 14A, an inlet portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 is formed at the tip of the inclined passage 333. In other words, the inclined passage 333 is formed to be inclined downward toward the inlet portion 372 of the bypass passage 370. More specifically, the inclined passage 333 is formed so as to straddle the non-overlapping region and the overlapping region, and the portion located at the boundary between the non-overlapping region and the overlapping region constitutes the inlet portion 372 of the bypass passage 370. doing. The game ball that has moved to the inclined passage 333 is accelerated by moving along the inclined passage 333 and moves toward the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 while increasing the speed.

  A plurality of recesses 336 and 337 are formed in the middle of the inclined passage 333 so as to be aligned in the passage direction of the inclined passage 333. The notches 336 and 337 are arranged not in the inclined portion 334 that is a high acceleration section but in the game nail row 331S that is a low acceleration section. The notches 336 and 337 allow game balls to pass therethrough and are connected to the lower extension 305. That is, these recesses 336 and 337 constitute the entrance portion of the guide passage 360, and the game ball moving in the inclined passage 333 can flow into the guide passage 360 through the recesses 336 and 337. Yes.

  Most of the game balls that move along the inclined passage 333 (approximately 90% in the present embodiment) flow into the recesses 336 and 337. However, the behavior of the game balls moving along the game nail row 331S may change due to the unevenness in the game nail row 331S, and some of the game balls jump over the notches 336 and 337 and bypass the path. Will flow into the inlet portion 372 of 370.

  As shown in FIG. 14 (a), the game ball passing position via route C (joining point X3) is located immediately above the notch 336 on the upstream side, and the game passing via route D and route E. The falling position of the sphere (joining point X4) is located immediately above the recess 337 on the downstream side. For this reason, game balls that have passed through route C to route E may directly flow into the recesses 336 and 337.

  Here, the moving speed of the game ball will be supplementarily described. In the inflow portion 301 described above, the moving speed of the game ball depends on the firing speed of the game ball, and the moving speed is extremely high. However, when the flow direction flows into the branch portion 302, the flow direction changes vertically, so that the momentum of the game ball is weakened and the moving speed is reduced. Since the branch portion 302 extends vertically, the game balls are accelerated downward in the process of passing through the branch portion 302, but these game balls are decelerated again via the upper extension portion 303.

  In the upper extension 303, the distance between the preceding game ball and the subsequent game ball is reduced as the moving speed of the game ball decreases. In particular, the downward movement of the game ball that has passed through the upper extension 303 and reached the inclined passage 333 is restricted by the inclined passage 333. The game ball landing on the inclined passage 333 not only weakens the momentum but also greatly reduces the moving speed in the vertical direction. That is, in the intermediate part 304, not only the momentum of the game ball is weakened, but also the moving speed in the vertical direction is reduced as compared with the branch part 302 and the upper extension part 303.

  As for the game ball that is launched to the right route, the moving speed decreases when the game ball passes through the upper extension portion 303 and reaches the intermediate portion 304. The distance between game balls when game balls are continuously fired on the right route depends on the movement speed of the game balls, so if there is a place where the movement speed of the game balls is low, The distance between game balls is reduced in the vicinity of the location, and the number of game balls existing in the vicinity is increased.

  As shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 15A, the distance Da between game balls becomes large at the inflow portion 301 and the branch portion 302 set so that the moving speed of the game balls is relatively high, and the game ball group The density (density) of the slab becomes low ("sparse"). On the other hand, in the intermediate part 304, the game balls are greatly decelerated, so that the distance Db between the game balls is reduced in the vicinity of the intermediate part 304, and the density (density) of the game ball group is increased (" Dense "). In particular, even in view of the fact that the moving speed in the vertical direction decreases at the intermediate portion 304, the degree of crowding of the game balls in the vertical direction increases at the intermediate portion 304 and its surroundings.

  When the distance between the game balls is large and the game balls are sparse, the game that enters the player's view compared to the case where the distance between the game balls is small and the game balls are crowded The number of spheres decreases. In such a situation where the number of game balls entering the field of view is small, it becomes easier to watch the movement of each game ball, so that the flow of game balls into the detour path 370, that is, movement from the non-overlapping area to the overlapping area It is assumed that (the above relief) is easily noticeable. For example, when 10 game balls are in view and one game ball is missed, and when 2 game balls are in view and one game ball is missed It is assumed that the latter is easier to see than the former.

  In the configuration shown in the present embodiment, the inflow of game balls into the guide passage 360 by increasing the degree of crowding of the game ball groups at the intermediate portion 304 that is a branching portion to the guide passage 360 and the bypass passage 370 ( It is possible to make it difficult to notice.

  When following the movement of a game ball with eyes, the slower one is more likely to be noticed than the one with a faster moving speed. Here, while the game ball heading toward the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 continues to move along the inclined passage 333, the game ball flowing into the guide passage 360 through the notches 336 and 337 is a game. The flow direction of the sphere changes greatly. That is, the moving speed of the game ball flowing into the bypass passage 370 is configured to be higher than the moving speed of the game ball flowing into the guide path 360. Thus, by changing the moving speed of the game ball according to the inflow destination and providing a difference so as to increase the inflow speed to the bypass path 370, the game ball flowing into the guide path 360 is easily noticeable. Yes.

  If the number of game balls entering the field of view is increased simply by slowing down the moving speed of the game balls, the moving speed of the game balls is slow, so that there is room for gazing at the individual game balls. For this reason, it is assumed that the effect of making the escape inconspicuous is not exhibited well. In this regard, as shown in the present embodiment, the occurrence of the above-described inconvenience can be suitably suppressed by adopting a configuration in which the game ball is accelerated by the intermediate portion 304 that performs escape.

  In addition, if the movement of the game ball becomes slow in the vicinity of the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370, it is easy to notice how the game ball moves to the bypass passage 370 (overlapping area). In this regard, as described above, the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 is disposed at the tip of the slope passage 333, thereby facilitating the inflow of game balls into the bypass passage 370. Thereby, it is suppressed that the state of the movement of the game ball to the detour passage 370 is noticeable.

  In the present embodiment, a horizontally long inclined passage 333 is provided in the intermediate portion 304 so that a region where the density of game balls is high is not horizontally long but horizontally long. In view of the fact that the human field of view is wider than the vertical, it is advantageous to increase the number of game balls that enter the field of view by making the area where the density of the game ball group is high horizontally. By increasing the number of game balls that enter the field of view, it is possible to reduce the chance that only a specific game ball is watched and to make the effect of making the inflow into the bypass passage 370 less noticeable.

  Here, the distance between the game balls fired continuously in a predetermined cycle based on the player's launch operation is regular until reaching the inflow portion 301 via the guide passage 103, and the inflow The regularity of the part 301 and the branching part 302 is generally maintained. If the regularity of the distance between the game balls becomes strong, it is assumed that when some of the game balls move out of the regularity, it becomes easier to notice. In other words, when any game ball is missed from a group of game balls that are regularly arranged and when any game ball is missed from a group of game balls that are irregularly arranged, a blank is generated due to the miss. The conspicuousness of the portions (the portions where the distance between the game balls is open) may be different. One of the features of the right route shown in this embodiment is that the device is devised in consideration of such circumstances. Hereafter, the said device is demonstrated with reference to FIG.15 (b) and FIG.16 (a). FIG. 15B is a schematic diagram showing a flow path of game balls, and FIG. 16A is a schematic diagram showing a distance between game balls passing through the intermediate portion.

  As shown in FIG. 15 (b), the flow path of the right route is a single line at the inflow portion 301, but is branched into a plurality at the branch portion 302 and the upper extension portion 303. These branched flow paths merge at the intermediate portion 304 and branch again when moving from the intermediate portion 304 to the lower extended portion 305.

  About the route A-route E provided in the upper side expansion part 303, the required period when a game ball passes is different. Specifically, for game balls that have flowed into the upper expansion unit 303 via the inner route, the required period becomes longer in the order of route A <route B <route C <route D, and the upper expansion is performed via the outer route. For game balls that have flowed into the unit 303, the required period becomes longer in the order of route D <route E <route C <route B <route A. Further, when comparing the case of passing through the inner route and the case of passing through the outer route, the required period (average) is shorter in the latter than in the former. It should be noted that the maximum difference in the required period when passing through each route is the same as the game ball firing cycle (0.6 sec).

  Incidentally, the outer route (outer branch passage 312) is formed with a projection 315 protruding inward of the passage at a midway position. By colliding with the protrusion 315, the game ball flowing down the outer branch passage 312 is decelerated. The required period of the game ball that reaches the inclined passage 333 via the outer route is longer than the required period of the game ball that reaches the inclined passage 333 via the inner route, and the difference between them is maximum, 0.6 sec).

  Due to such a device for the flow path, an event occurs in which the subsequent game ball catches up with the preceding game ball or passes the preceding game ball before reaching the inclined passage 333. That is, the regularity regarding the distance between the game balls maintained in the most upstream part of the right route is broken in the intermediate portion 304, and the distance between the game balls varies (see FIG. 16A). By adopting a configuration in which a part of the game balls flows into the bypass passage 370 at a portion where the distance between the game balls is varied, it is possible to suppress the blank from being noticeable when the escape occurs.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the probability of inflow into the bypass passage 370 is increased by increasing the number of game balls present in the intermediate portion 304 at the same time. That is, it is configured such that the probability of inflow into the bypass passage 370 is higher when the number of game balls constituting the game ball group is small than when the number of game balls is small. Here, the movement of the game ball in the inclined passage 333 will be supplementarily described with reference to the schematic diagrams of FIGS.

  As for the manner of entering the detour passage 370 via the inclined passage 333, the game ball alone goes to the detour passage 370 while avoiding the recess portions 336 and 337, and the notch portion with the assistance of the preceding game ball It is divided roughly into the mode which avoids 336,337 and goes to the detour passage 370.

  A game ball that has reached the inclined passage 333 through the route A to the route C is accelerated by moving along the inclined passage 333. However, as shown in FIG. 16 (b1) → FIG. 16 (b2), the speed does not reach a speed sufficient to jump over the notches 336 and 337, and many of them jump over the notches 336 and 337. It cannot flow and flows into the notches 336 and 337. In other words, although some of the game balls that bounce upward in the game nail row 331S may jump over the notches 336 and 337 on their own, most of the game balls flow into the notches 336 and 337, Movement to the bypass path 370 is restricted.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 16 (c1), when the succeeding game ball B3 reaches the inclined passage 333 while the two preceding game balls B1 and B2 are flowing down the inclined passage 333, the following events occur. Occurs. That is, when the succeeding game ball B3 reaches the recesses 336, 337 in a situation where the recesses 336, 337 are in the preceding game balls B1, B2, the recess of the subsequent game ball B3 Inflow to 336 and 337 is hindered by the preceding game balls B1 and B2, and the subsequent game ball B3 avoids the recesses 336 and 337 and moves toward the bypass passage 370.

  The greater the number of preceding game balls, the higher the probability of inflow into the bypass passage 370, so that it can be made inconspicuous as compared to the case where a small number of game balls are escaped. For the reasons described above, it is technically significant to increase the number of game balls that pass at the same time, and to increase the number of game balls that are more likely to escape.

  According to the embodiment described above in detail, the following excellent effects can be expected.

  A difference is provided between the visibility of the game ball heading to the first variable winning device 82 (corresponding to “variable winning portion”) and the visibility of the game ball not facing the first variable winning device 82, and the first variable winning device 82. For example, a game ball launched aiming at the first variable prize-winning device 82 does not enter the first variable prize-winning device 82 and the investment is wasted. This makes it difficult to give the player an impression of the game and contributes to an increase in the degree of attention to the game. In other words, at least most of the launched game balls that have flowed into the guide passage 360 will reach the first variable prize-winning device 82, and the exhilaration of the game can be enhanced.

  In such a configuration, if the player sees the movement of the game ball toward the detour path 370 where entry to the first variable prize-winning device 82 is avoided, the above-described effect is not exhibited well. Concerned. In this regard, according to the configuration shown in the present embodiment, at the entrance portion (the notches 336 and 337) of the guide passage 360, the game balls are changed by slowing the movement of the game balls by changing the moving direction of the game balls. By making the ball easily visible to the player, the game ball moved along the inclined passage 333 in the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 can easily and quickly flow into the bypass passage 370 while flowing. It is possible to make it difficult for people to see. Thus, by providing a difference in the visibility of the game balls distributed to the guide passage 360 / the detour passage 370 using the inclined passage 333, the above-described effect of improving the degree of attention can be suitably exhibited.

  As for the game ball heading toward the guide passage 360, the flow-down direction changes in a direction crossing the passage direction of the inclined passage 333, so that the moving speed at the time of inflow can be reduced. On the other hand, since the direction of the inlet portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 is the same as the direction of the inclined passage 333, there is no need to reduce the moving speed when flowing into the inlet portion 372 of the bypass passage 370. For example, a game ball heading for the bypass passage 370 can pass through the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 at a high moving speed. In this way, by creating a clear speed difference between the game ball flowing into the guide passage 360 and the game ball flowing into the bypass passage 370, the above-described difference in visibility can be suitably enhanced.

  It is preferable to make the game balls that have been prevented from entering the first variable prize-winning device 82 less noticeable in order to improve the degree of attention to the game by improving the satisfaction of the player. Here, when the configuration for reducing the visibility of the bypass passage 370 becomes overtly, a spilling ball is generated from the configuration (the game ball is being released). It will be exposed. In game machines, various configurations such as the symbol display device 253 are arranged in the center of the game area PE, and the player's attention is often easily directed to the center of the game area. Therefore, as shown in the present embodiment, the guide passage 360 is arranged side by side so that the detour passage 370 becomes the outer side, and the inclined passage 333 is inclined downward from the center side of the game area PE, The detour passage 370 and the game balls flowing down the detour passage 370 can be made inconspicuous.

  If the bypass passage 370 is disposed in a portion of the front door frame 14 (corresponding to the “door body”) that covers the gaming board unit 80 from the front of the gaming machine and overlaps the ramp portion 26, the bypass passage 370 is covered by the ramp portion 26. Accordingly, it is possible to make it difficult or impossible to visually recognize the bypass passage 370 and the game ball passing through the bypass passage 370. Thereby, it can suppress suitably that the game ball which detours the 1st variable prize-winning apparatus 82 is conspicuous of a player.

  Further, if the bypass passage 370 is arranged along the end of the game board 80a in such a configuration that the ramp portion 26 of the front door frame 14 is used to conceal the bypass passage 370, the presence of the bypass passage 370 is determined in the game area PE. It can avoid becoming a factor of pressure. In particular, as described above, the inclined passage 333 is inclined downward to guide the game ball toward the end of the game board 80a, thereby making it easier to bring the detour passage 370 toward the edge of the game board 80a. Therefore, in forming the bypass passage 370, it is possible to suppress an increase in the overlap between the ramp portion 26 and the game area PE, thereby realizing a practically preferable configuration.

  From the relationship with the inclined passage 333, in order to realize smooth movement of the game ball, it is technically significant that a part including the inlet portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 extends in the same direction as the inclined passage 333. However, in the configuration in which the bypass passage 370 is hidden by using the portion where the ramp portion 26 of the front door frame 14 overlaps with the game area PE, it is not preferable that the overlapping area increases in order to realize the above-described passage structure. In this regard, as shown in the present embodiment, if the entrance portion 372 is configured using game nails (a pair of game nails) scattered in the game area PE, and one of these game nails is arranged in the overlapping area, It can be made difficult to give an impression that the pair of game nails constitute the entrance portion 372. That is, compared to the case where both of the pair of game nails are arranged in the overlapping area, the overlapping area can be prevented from being unnecessarily bulky, and compared to the case where both of the pair of game nails are arranged in the non-overlapping area. Can make it difficult to give the impression that it forms the entrance portion 372.

  The game ball moving along the inclined passage 333 is gradually accelerated by its own weight. The inclined passage 333 is provided with a low acceleration section and a high acceleration section, and a difference is provided in the degree of acceleration. By providing the recessed portions 336 and 337 as the entrance portion of the guide passage 360 in the low acceleration section, it is possible to prevent the movement of the game ball when flowing into the recessed portions 336 and 337 from becoming excessively fast. Thereby, the movement of the game ball toward the detour path 370 can be made difficult to catch the eye while making the movement of the game ball toward the guide path 360 easy to catch.

  Since the right route extends in the vertical direction, the main flow of game balls flowing down the right route is from top to bottom. The inclined passage 333 is formed so as to cross this flow, and the game ball flowing down the right route is slightly weakened by changing the direction in the inclined passage to a direction along the inclined passage 333. It becomes. When the game balls are continuously fired at a predetermined cycle, the distance (interval) between the game balls is reduced in the vicinity of the inclined passage 333, and the density of the game ball group is increased. A configuration in which a part of the game balls flows into the bypass path from a part where the degree of crowding of the game ball group is low, for example, by encouraging the traffic jam of the game balls and causing a part of the game balls to flow into the bypass path 370 In comparison, the escape (spilling) of the game ball can be made inconspicuous.

  In order to increase the degree of crowding of the game balls, the moving speed of the game balls may be reduced rapidly. As the speed of the preceding game ball and the subsequent game ball increases, the degree of crowding also increases. However, if the moving speed of the game ball simply slows down, it becomes easy to follow the movement with the eyes, and it is easily exposed that the escape has occurred. In this regard, as shown in the present embodiment, the main movement direction of the game balls is changed to the passage of the inclined passage while the moving speed of the game balls in the vertical direction is reduced to increase the density of the game balls in the vicinity of the inclination passage. By changing the direction, it is possible to suppress a significant decrease in the moving speed of the game ball itself. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the said problem can be suppressed suitably.

  Note that the inclination angle of the inclined passage 333 with respect to the horizontal line is smaller than 45 °. This is preferable for exerting the functions as a depressing portion and a ball receiving portion that weaken the momentum of the game ball that has reached the inclined passage 333. In view of the fact that the human field of view is longer in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction, it is preferable that a plurality of game balls gathered in the inclined passage 333 are arranged side by side in order to keep the game ball group in the field of view. If the number of game balls that can fit in the field of view increases, attention to each game ball is weakened, so that it is possible to suitably suppress the game balls flowing into the bypass passage 370 from being noticeable.

  As described above, the game balls that have flowed into the bypass passage 370 are prevented from entering the first variable winning device 82. For this reason, it is assumed that if the player enters the detour passage 370 and gets in the eyes of the player, it will be easy to give the player an impression that unnecessary investment will increase. This can be a hindrance in improving the degree of attention to the game. Here, in this embodiment, the upper expansion unit 303, the intermediate unit 304, and the lower expansion unit 305 have different configurations of game balls, and bypass the intermediate unit 304 with the highest concentration. An inlet portion 372 of the passage 370 is formed.

  By adopting a configuration in which game balls are allowed to escape to the bypass passage 370 at a location where the density of game balls is high, the following effects can be expected. That is, since individual game balls can be watched at places where the game balls are sparse, it is easy to notice the escape of the game balls. On the other hand, even if game balls are escaped at places where game balls are densely packed, it becomes difficult to notice. In addition, when one game ball is released from a crowded game ball group as compared to a case where one game ball is released from a sparse game ball group, Since it can suppress that the blank of this becomes large too much, the uncomfortable feeling which arises when seeing the game ball group after escape can be eased suitably. In this way, it is possible to make it seem as if the game ball launched to the right route has entered the first variable winning device 82 efficiently by making the escape of the game ball difficult to see. Thereby, a player's satisfaction can be raised and it can contribute to the improvement of the attention degree to a game.

  The intermediate portion 304 is provided with not only an inlet portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 but also an inlet portion of the guide passage 360 (recessed portions 336 and 337). In this manner, by keeping the entrance portions of the passages 360 and 370 close to each other, it is possible to suitably suppress the decrease in the game balls in the intermediate portion 304 that suggests the inflow into the bypass passage 370. In particular, when the guide passage 360 and the bypass passage 370 are compared, the inflow rate into the former is extremely high. For this reason, the inflow to the bypass passage 370 can be confused as if it is an inflow to the guide passage 360.

  The number of flow-down paths formed in the guide passage 360 is larger than that of the intermediate portion 304 that is a branching point. Thereby, the crowded degree of the game ball group in the guide passage 360 is lower than that of the intermediate portion 304. By reducing the degree of crowding of the game ball groups in the guide passage 360, it is possible to make the blank between the game balls expanded by the escape less conspicuous.

  In a game machine in which a game ball flows down the game area PE, it is one of the pleasures to follow the movement of the game ball. Therefore, in many cases, the movement of game balls is varied to suppress monotonization. Although limiting the flow path at the intermediate portion 304 can contribute to improving the degree of crowding of the game ball group, there is a concern that the original interest of the gaming machine will be weakened. Therefore, as shown in this feature, the intermediate portion 304 that narrows the flow path has a vertical width that is at least smaller than that of the region other than the intermediate portion 304 (expansion portions 303 and 305), thereby suppressing the above-described extension. The occurrence of inconvenience can be suitably suppressed.

  In a configuration in which game balls are continuously fired at a predetermined cycle based on a game ball launch operation, a certain regularity in the relationship between game balls tends to occur. In the configuration in which the game balls are allowed to escape to the detour path at a location where the relationship between the game balls is regular, the above-described regularity is lost, and the portion where the regularity is lost stands out. This is assumed to be a factor that is noticed by the player when the game ball is released. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the flow path of the game ball is divided into a plurality of branches → merge, and an entrance portion of the detour passage is formed at this junction. A group of game balls gather via different branch routes. Since each branch route has a different period of time required for passage, the regularity at the junction can be suitably reduced. Thus, by letting the game ball escape at a place where regularity is weak, it is possible to make it difficult for the game ball to escape. Also, since the distance between the game balls can be varied, the blanks between the game balls after the game balls have passed can be made inconspicuous. Can be relaxed. In this way, it is possible to make it seem as if the game ball launched to the right route has entered the first variable winning device 82 efficiently by making the escape of the game ball difficult to see. Thereby, a player's satisfaction can be raised and it can contribute to the improvement of the attention degree to a game.

  When game balls are released at the junction, the escape is less noticeable when the density of game balls is higher than when the density is low. Here, when the irregularity becomes large when the regularity is lowered as described above, the escape occurs in a situation where the degree of congestion is low, which is easily noticed by the player. It is a concern. In this regard, as shown in the present embodiment, by making the difference in the required period shorter than the launch period of the game balls, the opportunity for the subsequent game balls to overtake the preceding game balls can be reduced. Excessive bias can be suitably suppressed.

  The game ball that has passed the branch route flows into the inclined passage 333. Since the inflow location of the game balls is shifted in the direction of the passage of the inclined passage 333, as a result, the positional relationship between the game balls after joining can be further diversified. Thereby, the regularity mentioned above can be reduced more suitably.

  In order to release the game balls at the junction, the number of game balls existing at the junction decreases (changes) due to the escape. Here, by providing the entrance portion of the guide passage 360 at the junction, the factor that the game balls are reduced is not only the inflow to the bypass passage 370. Therefore, it can suppress that the game ball decreasing becomes a foothold which specifies the inflow to the detour passage 370. In addition, the game balls are not supplied in the same manner each time, but the supply locations are divided into a plurality of parts, so that the game balls can be diversified with respect to the increase modes. Since the entrance portion of the guide passage 360 is positioned around the inflow location, the number of game balls can be changed quickly. This is advantageous in obfuscating the number of game balls existing at the junction, and as a result, when the number of game balls changes due to inflow into the bypass passage 370, it can be easily confused. .

  In the case where the regularity is lowered by using a plurality of branch routes together, it is not preferable that the variation width of the required period for each branch route becomes excessively large. On the other hand, in order to ensure the diversity of the required period within a predetermined range, it is necessary to secure a certain number of branch routes. Therefore, as shown in the present embodiment (see FIG. 12), such a problem can be suitably solved if the game ball can be moved between the branch routes.

<Other embodiments>
In addition, it is not limited to the description content of embodiment mentioned above, For example, you may implement as follows. Incidentally, each of the following configurations may be individually applied to each of the above embodiments, or a part or all of the configurations may be applied to the above embodiments.

  (1) In the above embodiment, a configuration in which a part of the game balls flows into the bypass passage 370 in the region (intermediate portion 304) where the density of the game ball group is increased by slowing the flow of the game balls. It was. In realizing such a configuration, the intermediate portion 304 is a junction where a plurality of flow paths merge (the number of flow paths is increased to a small number), but is not limited thereto. . It is sufficient if a region with a high degree of crowding of game balls can be formed in the vicinity of the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 by reducing the moving speed of the game balls. You don't have to.

  In the above embodiment, a part of the game balls is allowed to flow into the bypass passage 370 in the region where the flow path on the right route decreases (intermediate portion 304). In order to realize such a configuration, the structure has a passage structure (inclined passage 333) that decelerates the game balls at the confluence of the flow paths, but at least the distance between the game balls can be varied by reducing the number of flow paths. It is sufficient that the game ball can be decelerated at the meeting point.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, the game ball that has flowed down the upper expansion portion 303 falls into the inclined passage 333 at a plurality of positions shifted in the passage direction of the inclined passage 333. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is not a thing. As for the inclined passage 333, it is sufficient if the function of distributing the game balls to the guide passage 360 and the bypass passage 370 is provided, and the function as a ball receiving portion that receives the game balls at a plurality of positions in the passage direction is sufficient. It can be omitted. For example, the inflow location when the game ball flowing down the upper extension 303 moves to the inclined passage 333 may be unified so as to be a predetermined location (for example, the most upstream portion of the inclined passage).

  In the branch part 302 and the upper extension part 303, there is a difference in the required passage time required for the game ball to pass through each flow path, and when the game ball is reassembled in the inclined passage 333, Although it is configured to generate overtaking or the like, it is sufficient if at least the distance between game balls can be changed (preferably reduced), and the above-described catch-up and overtaking are not essential.

  (3) The branch portion 302 is configured by the inner branch passage 311 (inner route) and the outer branch passage 312 (outer route), and a game ball launched from the game ball launching mechanism 110 to the right route is one of the branch passages 311, 312 flows into 312. The game balls launched toward the inner branch passage 311 do not necessarily flow into the inner branch passage 311, and some game balls may enter the outer branch passage 312 due to variations in the movement of the game balls, variations in the operation amount, and the like. Although the distance between the preceding game ball and the subsequent game ball can be changed variously by adopting a structure that can flow in, in order to strengthen such a function, the inner branch passage 311 and the outer branch passage 312 are used. It is also possible to arrange the distribution member 501 at the branching point and to change the inflow destination of the game ball by changing the state of the distribution member 501 (see the schematic diagram in FIG. 17A). . FIG. 17A illustrates a configuration in which the distribution destination is alternately switched to the inner branch passage 311 / outer branch passage 312 as the game ball passes, but the drive unit for the distribution member 501 is illustrated. (Motor) or the like may be provided separately, and the distribution destination may be switched by the distribution member 501 operating at a predetermined cycle.

  Incidentally, the number of branch passages in parallel is not limited to two. It is sufficient if there is a difference in the required passage time, and it is possible to use three or more. In this case, for example, the required period may be configured to be different between “long”, “medium”, and “short”, and the game balls may be distributed in the order of “long”, “medium”, and “short”.

  In addition, the specific configuration for making the required period of passage through each branch passage different is arbitrary. For example, the flow speed of the game ball is unified in each branch passage, while the required length varies depending on the passage length. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a difference occurs in the period.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when the inner branch passage 311 and the outer branch passage 312 are compared, the game ball that has passed through the inner branch passage 311 is a through gate than the game ball that has passed through the outer branch passage 312. The winning probability to 86 is configured to be higher, but this is changed so that the game ball that has passed the outer branch passage 312 has a higher probability of winning the through gate 86 than the game ball that has passed the inner branch passage 311. It is good also as a structure so that it may become high.

  (4) In the above embodiment, compared to the case where only one game ball passes through the inclined passage 333, the game ball flows into the bypass passage 370 when a plurality of game balls pass together ( It was configured to increase the possibility of spilling). Specifically, when the preceding game ball reaches the notches 336 and 337 at the timing when the preceding game ball flows into the guide passage 360 through the notches 336 and 337, the preceding game ball becomes an obstacle. Thus, the inflow into the recesses 336 and 337 can be avoided. In such a configuration, the behavior of the succeeding game ball is prevented from being excessively disturbed by the previous game ball being pushed downward at the time of the collision of the succeeding game ball, and moved along the inclined passage 333. Can be made smooth. However, in the configuration in which the preceding game ball assists the movement of the subsequent game ball in this way, the above action is exhibited if the movement of the preceding game ball through the recesses 336 and 337 becomes a moment. Less chances.

  In view of such circumstances, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 17 (b), the game ball is placed in the notch portion 336, 337 facing each other with a gap through which the game ball can pass. Guide portions 505 and 506 that guide in a direction intersecting the portions 336 and 337 are formed, and the game balls that have flowed into the recess portions 336 and 337 are moving along the guide portions 505 and 506. It is preferable that the inflow of game balls to the portions 336 and 337 is restricted. Thereby, compared with the structure shown in the said embodiment, the period when assistance by the preceding game ball is made can be lengthened.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the inclined passage 333 for guiding the game ball to the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 is formed by the wall surface of the center frame 92 and the game nail 331, but the specific configuration thereof is arbitrary. . For example, the inclined passage may be formed using a resin ridge protruding from the front surface of the game board 80a and extending in the guide direction.

  In the detour passage 370 in the above embodiment, the upstream portion is set as the high acceleration section and the downstream portion is set as the low acceleration section, but the degree of acceleration is set. However, whether or not the difference in acceleration is set for each section is arbitrary. It is.

  (6) In the above embodiment, the inclined passage 333 for guiding the game ball to the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 is formed so as to be inclined downward from the center side of the game area PE. It is also possible to make it. For example, when the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 is located on the center side of the game area PE, the inclined passage 333 may be configured to be inclined downward toward the center side of the game area PE.

  (7) In the above embodiment, the bypass passage 370 extends across the intermediate portion 304 and the lower extension 305, and the inlet portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 is disposed in the intermediate portion 304. The specific position of the entrance portion 372 is arbitrary as long as the position is upstream of the first variable winning device 82. For example, the inlet portion 372 may be disposed in the upper extended portion 303 further upstream than the intermediate portion 304, or the inlet portion 372 may be disposed in the lower extended portion 305.

  However, in the expansion parts 303 and 305 in which many flow paths (flow paths) of game balls are set, the game balls move apart, and the density of the game ball group becomes low (sparse). For this reason, when a part of game balls flows into the bypass passage 370, it is assumed that it is conspicuous. Further, since the main flow of the game ball is directed from the top to the bottom in the expansion portions 303 and 305, there is a concern that it is difficult to quickly flow the game ball into the entrance portion of the bypass passage 370 located on the side. In view of these circumstances, it is technically significant to provide the entrance portion of 370 so as to bypass the intermediate portion 304 having a small number of flow paths and a downward flow direction.

  (8) In the above embodiment, a part of the inlet portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 overlaps the ramp portion 26 of the front door frame 14 (corresponding to “door body”). As shown, the entire inlet portion 372 may be configured to overlap the lamp portion 26, that is, to be positioned in the overlapping region.

  (9) In the above-described embodiment, the first variable is configured by guiding the game ball that has flowed into the bypass passage 370 to the downstream side of the first variable winning device 82 (corresponding to the “variable pitching portion”). Although it is configured that the winning to the winning device 82 is avoided, it is sufficient if at least the winning to the first variable winning device 82 can be avoided. For example, a game ball that has flowed into the bypass passage 370 is used as the second variable winning. It is good also as a structure guided between the apparatus 83 and the right action entrance unit 85, and it is good also as a structure discharged | emitted from game area PE as it is.

  (10) In the above embodiment, for the guide passage 360 and the bypass passage 370 constituting the lower extension 305, the visibility of the game ball flowing down the bypass passage 370 is the visibility of the game ball flowing down the guide passage 360. However, as long as the visibility is at least lower than that of the guide passage 360, it is possible to make the game ball flowing down the bypass passage 370 invisible.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it was set as the structure which covers the detour channel | path 370 by the ramp part 26 of the front door frame 14, when making visibility low compared with the guide channel 360, the specific structure is arbitrary. . For example, a decorative member (cover member) that covers the bypass passage 370 from the front of the gaming machine may be provided on the resin base 70 of the inner frame 13 so that the visibility of the bypass passage 370 is reduced by the decoration member.

  (11) In the above embodiment, the bypass passage 370 is disposed on the left side of the guide passage 360. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, guide passages may be provided on both the left and right sides of the guide passage 360.

  (12) In the embodiment described above, the upstream portion including the inlet portion 372 in the bypass passage 370 extends in the same direction as the inclined passage 333, and the length of the upstream portion is more than twice the diameter of the game ball. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When the game ball is allowed to flow into the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 vigorously, the upstream portion is longer than the diameter of the game ball in order to prevent the inflowing game ball from shaking inside the bypass passage 370 (near the entrance). If it is, it is enough. For example, when the game balls are continuously directed to the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370, it is easier for the player to catch the eye than when one game ball is directed. Therefore, when the length of the upstream portion is set slightly larger than the diameter of the game ball and the preceding game ball is present in the upstream portion, the subsequent game ball hits the preceding game ball and is depressed. It is good to be the structure bounced back to the part 337. With such a configuration, the entrance portion 372 of the bypass passage 370 can be suitably hidden by functioning as a barrier that does not originally exist in the preceding game ball.

  (13) Other types of pachinko machines different from the above embodiment, for example, a pachinko machine in which the electric accessory is released a predetermined number of times when a game ball enters the specific area of the special device, or a game ball in the specific area of the special device The present invention can also be applied to a pachinko machine that generates a right if a player enters, a pachinko machine equipped with other objects, an arrangement ball machine, a sparrow ball, and other gaming machines.

  Also, a non-ball-type gaming machine, for example, a plurality of reels with a plurality of types of symbols attached in the circumferential direction, starts rotation of the reel by inserting a medal and operating a start lever, and a stop switch is operated. If a specific symbol or a combination of specific symbols is established on the effective line visible from the display window after the reel has stopped after a predetermined time has passed, a privilege such as paying out medals is given to the player The present invention can also be applied to a slot machine.

  Further, the gaming machine main body supported by the outer frame so as to be openable and closable is provided with a storage unit and a capture device, and the start lever is operated after a predetermined number of game balls stored in the storage unit are captured by the capture device. Thus, the present invention can also be applied to a gaming machine in which a pachinko machine and a slot machine are fused to start the rotation of the reel.

<Invention Group Extracted from the Embodiments>
Hereinafter, the features of the invention group extracted from the above-described embodiment will be described while showing effects and the like as necessary. In the following, for ease of understanding, the corresponding configuration in the above embodiment is appropriately shown in parentheses, but is not limited to the specific configuration shown in parentheses.

<Feature A group>
The following group A of features is: “A game machine such as a pachinko machine has a game board in which a game area is formed, and a game ball launching means for launching a game ball to the game area based on a launch operation by the player. When a game ball fired from the game ball launching means enters a ball entering section provided in the game area, a privilege such as payout of a predetermined number of game balls is given to the player. As for the background art “see (for example, Patent Document 1)”, there is an invention that “the gaming machine of the type described above still has room for improvement in its configuration in order to improve the degree of attention to the game”. It was made with a problem to be solved.

Feature A1. A game board (game board unit 80) in which a game area (game area PE) is formed;
Based on the establishment of a predetermined transition condition, game state transition means for transitioning the game state to a special game state (for example, opening / closing execution mode) more advantageous to the player than usual, Migration function), and
A variable pitching portion provided in the gaming area and capable of switching between an accepting state (open state) in which game balls flowing down the gaming area can enter and a non-accepting state (closed state) in which entry is impossible (for example, A first variable winning device 82);
Switching means (opening / closing function in the MPU of the main control device 162) for switching the variable pitching portion to the receiving state when the special gaming state is set,
A portion upstream of the variable pitching portion in the game area includes a first region (guide passage 360) for guiding the game ball to the variable pitching portion, and a pitch entering the variable pitching portion. A second region (a bypass passage 370) in which a game ball that is avoided and flows down is more difficult to visually recognize than the first region;
The game area is provided with an inclined passage (inclined passage 333) inclined downward toward the entrance portion (inlet portion 372) of the second region, and the inclined passage has an entrance portion to the first region. A gaming machine characterized in that a recessed portion (recessed portion 336, 337) is formed.

  As shown in feature A1, there is a difference between the visibility of the game ball heading toward the variable pitching portion and the visibility of the game ball not heading toward the variable pitching portion, so as to attract attention to the game ball heading toward the variable pitching portion. If it is configured, it makes it difficult to give the player an impression that the game ball launched aiming at the variable entry part does not enter the variable entry part well and the investment is wasted, etc. It can contribute to the improvement of attention. In other words, all or almost all of the launched game balls that have flowed into the first area reach the variable entry portion, and the exhilaration of the game can be enhanced.

  In such a configuration, if the player sees the movement of the game ball toward the second region where entry into the variable ball entry portion is avoided, there is a concern that the above-described effects will not be exhibited well. The In this regard, according to this feature, at the entrance to the first area (the notch), the direction of movement of the game balls is changed to slow down the movement of the game balls, so that the player's eyes are deliberately drawn. It is possible to make it easier for the player to catch the game by moving the game ball that has moved along the inclined passage quickly and smoothly into the second area while flowing. It has become. Thus, by providing a difference in the visibility of the game balls distributed to the first area / second area using the inclined passage, the above-described effect of improving the degree of attention can be suitably exhibited.

Feature A2. A game board (game board unit 80) in which a game area (game area PE) is formed;
Game state transition means for shifting the game state to a special game state (open / close execution mode) more advantageous to the player than usual based on the establishment of a predetermined transition condition (transition of the game state by the MPU of the main controller 162) Function)
A variable pitching portion provided in the gaming area and capable of switching between an accepting state (open state) in which game balls flowing down the gaming area can enter and a non-accepting state (closed state) in which entry is impossible (for example, A first variable winning device 82);
Switching means (opening / closing function in the MPU of the main control device 162) for switching the variable pitching portion to the receiving state when the special gaming state is set,
A guide passage (guide passage 360) for guiding the game ball to the variable ball entry portion and a ball entry into the variable ball entry portion are avoided in a portion upstream of the variable ball entry portion in the game area. As described above, the bypass ball (the bypass passage 370) guides the game ball to a position downstream of the variable ball entry portion and makes it difficult for the game ball being guided to be visually recognized than the game ball passing through the guide passage. ) And
In the game area, an inclined passage (inclined passage 333) is provided on the upstream side of the guide passage and the bypass passage so as to straddle the guide passage and the bypass passage.
The inclined passage is downwardly inclined toward the entrance portion (entrance portion 372) of the bypass passage, and the inclined passage includes notches (notches 336 and 337) that form the entrance portion to the guide passage. ) Is formed.

  As shown in feature A2, there is a difference between the visibility of the game ball heading toward the variable pitching portion and the visibility of the game ball not heading toward the variable pitching portion, so as to attract attention to the game ball heading toward the variable pitching portion. If it is configured, it makes it difficult to give the player an impression that the game ball launched aiming at the variable entry part does not enter the variable entry part well and the investment is wasted, etc. It can contribute to the improvement of attention. In other words, at least all of the fired game balls that have flowed into the guide passage will reach the variable pitching portion, so that the exhilaration of the game can be enhanced.

  In such a configuration, if the player sees the movement of the game ball toward the detour path where the entry to the variable entry portion is avoided, there is a concern that the above-described effects will not be exhibited well. . In this regard, according to this feature, at the entrance portion (recessed portion) of the guide passage, the movement direction of the game ball is changed to slow down the movement of the game ball so that the game ball can be easily noticed by the player. However, at the entrance portion of the bypass passage, it is possible to make the game balls that have moved along the inclined passage flow easily and smoothly into the bypass passage while remaining in the flow, thereby making it difficult for the player to notice. . Thus, by providing a difference in the visibility of the game balls distributed to the guide passage / detour passage using the inclined passage, the above-described effect of improving the degree of attention can be suitably exhibited.

Feature A3. The notched portion faces a direction intersecting the passage direction of the inclined passage,
The gaming machine according to Feature A2, wherein an entrance portion of the bypass passage is formed so as to face a passage direction of the inclined passage.

  As for the game ball heading for the guide passage, the flow direction changes in a direction intersecting the passage direction of the inclined passage, so that the moving speed at the time of inflow can be reduced. On the other hand, since the direction of the entrance portion of the bypass passage is the same as the passage direction of the inclined passage, it is not necessary to reduce the moving speed when flowing into the entrance portion of the bypass passage, for example, toward the bypass passage. The game ball can pass through the entrance portion of the bypass passage with a high moving speed. In this way, by producing a clear speed difference between the game ball flowing into the guide passage and the game ball flowing into the bypass passage, the effect shown in the feature A2 can be preferably exhibited.

  Feature A4. The gaming machine according to Feature A3, wherein a part of the bypass passage including an entrance portion of the bypass passage extends in the same direction as the inclined passage.

  As shown in feature A3, when a game ball is vigorously flowed into the entrance portion of the bypass passage, if the inflowing game ball hits the inside of the bypass passage (near the entrance), the game ball is moved to the next game ball. This hinders inflow. If such stickiness is caught in the eyes of the player, if the flow into the detour passage is avoided as a result, the movement becomes more noticeable if it flows into the detour passage through the play. If such an event catches the eyes of the player, there is a concern that the presence of the detour path will be exposed, and this will be a factor that reduces the player's willingness to play. In this regard, with the configuration shown in this feature, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the above-mentioned shading near the entrance of the detour passage, and to effectively exhibit the effects shown in the feature A2 and the like.

  In addition, the configuration shown in this feature is “a part of the bypass passage including the entrance portion of the bypass passage extends in the same direction as the inclined passage, and the total length of the extended portion is equal to the diameter dimension of the game ball. The gaming machine according to Feature A3, which is configured to be larger than twice. "

Feature A5. The guide passage and the bypass passage are formed so as to be vertically oriented, and are arranged side by side so that the guide passage is closer to the center in the game area than the bypass passage,
The gaming machine according to any one of features A2 to A4, wherein the inclined passage is inclined downward from the center side of the gaming area to the outside.

  As shown in the feature A2 and the like, it is preferable to make the game ball in which the entry into the variable entry portion is inconspicuous, in order to improve the degree of attention to the game by improving the satisfaction of the player. . Here, when the configuration for reducing the visibility of the detour passage has been revealed, it is revealed that a spilling ball is generated from the configuration (the game ball is being released) Resulting in. In game machines, various configurations such as a picture display device (symbol display device 253) are arranged in the center of the game area, and the player's attention is often easily directed to the center of the game area. Therefore, as shown in this feature, the guide passages are arranged side by side so that the bypass passages are on the outside, and the inclined passages are inclined downward from the inside to the outside, thereby flowing down the bypass passages and the bypass passages. The sphere can be made inconspicuous.

Feature A6. A door body (front door frame 14) covering the gaming board from the front of the gaming machine;
The door body has a main body portion (frame body 20 and lamp portion 26) in which an opening (window portion 21) is formed in the center, and a panel portion (glass panel 23) that covers the opening, and through the panel portion. The gaming area is configured to be visible,
The end of the gaming board is provided with an overlapping area where the main body overlaps from the front of the gaming machine,
Any of the features A2 to A5, wherein the guide passage is located in a non-overlapping region where the overlap with the main body portion is avoided, and at least a part of the bypass passage is located in the overlapping region. A gaming machine according to claim 1.

  As shown in this feature, if a bypass passage is provided in a portion that overlaps the main body of the door body, the bypass passage is covered by the main body, so that the bypass passage and the game ball passing through the bypass passage can be visually recognized. It can be difficult or impossible. Thereby, it can suppress suitably that the game ball which detours a variable pitching part is conspicuous for a player.

  Further, if the bypass passage is arranged at the end of the game board in a configuration in which the bypass passage is concealed using the main body of the door body, it is possible to avoid the presence of the bypass passage from being a factor of pressure on the game area. In particular, in combination with the feature A5, the door and the game area are overlapped when the detour path is formed by guiding the game ball to the end side of the game board by tilting the tilt path outward. And a practically preferable configuration can be realized.

  For example, the bypass passage may be formed along the outer edge of the game board.

Feature A7. The guide passage and the bypass passage are formed so as to be vertically oriented, and are arranged side by side so that the guide passage is closer to the center in the game area than the bypass passage,
The inclined passage is inclined downward from the center side of the game area to the outside,
A door body (front door frame 14) covering the gaming board from the front of the gaming machine;
The door body has a main body portion (frame body 20 and lamp portion 26) in which an opening (window portion 21) is formed in the center, and a panel portion (glass panel 23) that covers the opening, and through the panel portion. The gaming area is configured to be visible,
The end of the gaming board is provided with an overlapping area where the main body overlaps from the front of the gaming machine,
The guide passage is located in a non-overlapping region where the overlap with the main body portion is avoided, and the bypass passage is at least partially located in the overlapping region,
A part of the bypass passage including the entrance portion of the bypass passage extends in the same direction as the inclined passage,
The entrance portion of the bypass passage is constituted by a pair of upper and lower game nails (game nails 331),
One of the pair of upper and lower game nails is located in the overlapping region, and the gaming machine according to any one of features A2 to A6.

  In the case where game balls are vigorously flowed into the entrance portion of the bypass passage, if the inflowing game balls reach inside the bypass passage (near the entrance), the game balls interfere with the inflow of subsequent game balls. If such stickiness is caught in the eyes of the player, if the flow into the detour passage is avoided as a result, the movement becomes more noticeable if it flows into the detour passage through the play. If such an event catches the eyes of the player, there is a concern that the presence of the detour path will be exposed, and this will be a factor that reduces the player's willingness to play. In this regard, with the configuration shown in this feature, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the above-mentioned shading near the entrance of the detour passage, and to effectively exhibit the effects shown in the feature A2 and the like.

  From the relationship with the inclined passage, in order to realize smooth movement of the game ball, although it is technically significant that the part including the entrance portion of the bypass passage extends in the same direction as the inclined passage, the door body In the configuration in which the bypass passage is hidden by using the portion where the main body portion overlaps with the game area, it is not preferable that the overlapping area increases in order to realize the above-described passage structure. In this regard, as shown in this feature, if the entrance portion is configured using game nails (a pair of game nails) scattered in the game area and one of the game nails is arranged in the overlapping area, the pair of game nails It is possible to make it difficult to give an impression that forms an entrance portion. That is, compared to the case where both of the pair of game nails are arranged in the overlapping area, the overlapping area can be prevented from being unnecessarily bulky, and compared to the case where both of the pair of game nails are arranged in the non-overlapping area. It is possible to make it difficult to give an impression that forms an entrance portion.

Feature A8. In the inclined passage, the acceleration acceleration of the game ball in the passage direction of the inclination passage is relatively low (the interval where the game nail row 331S is disposed) and the acceleration acceleration is relatively high. And a high acceleration section (section where the inclined portion 334 is disposed),
The gaming machine according to any one of features A2 to A7, wherein the recess is arranged in the low acceleration section.

  The game ball moving along the inclined passage is gradually accelerated by its own weight. The inclined passage is provided with a low acceleration section and a high acceleration section, and there is a difference in the degree of acceleration. By providing the recess portion in the low acceleration section, it is possible to prevent the movement of the game ball when flowing into the recess portion from becoming excessively fast. Thereby, it is possible to make the movement of the game ball toward the bypass passage difficult to catch the eye while making the movement of the game ball toward the guide passage easy to catch the eye.

Feature A9. Game ball launching means (game ball launching mechanism 110) for launching a game ball at a predetermined period (for example, 0.6 sec) based on a player's launch operation;
Guidance means (for example, the outer rail 102) for guiding the game ball launched by the game ball launching means to a predetermined flow path (right route) provided with the inclined passage;
The predetermined flow path extends in a longitudinal direction;
The gaming machine according to any one of features A2 to A8, wherein the inclined passage is formed to cross the predetermined flow path.

  According to the feature A9, the inclined passage is formed so as to cross a predetermined flow path. Since the predetermined flow path extends in the vertical direction, the main flow of the game ball flowing down the predetermined flow path is from the upper side to the lower side, but the direction of the game ball changes in the direction along the inclined path. As a result, the momentum will be slightly reduced. When the game balls are continuously fired at a predetermined cycle, the distance (interval) between the game balls is reduced in the vicinity of the inclined passage, and the density of the game ball group is increased. Compared to a configuration in which some game balls flow into the detour passage from a location where the degree of congestion of the game ball group is low, for example, by encouraging the game balls to flow and causing some game balls to flow into the detour passage from the congestion location Thus, the escape (spilling) of the game ball can be made inconspicuous.

  In order to increase the degree of crowding of the game balls, the moving speed of the game balls may be reduced rapidly. As the speed of the preceding game ball and the subsequent game ball increases, the degree of crowding also increases. However, if the moving speed of the game ball simply slows down, it becomes easy to follow the movement with the eyes, and it is easily exposed that the escape has occurred. In this respect, in the configuration shown in this feature, the main movement direction of the game balls is changed to the passage direction of the inclined passage while the moving speed of the game balls in the vertical direction is reduced to increase the density of the game balls in the vicinity of the inclined passage. By changing to, it is possible to suppress a significant decrease in the moving speed of the game ball itself. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the said problem can be suppressed suitably.

  Feature A10. The gaming machine according to Feature A9, wherein an inclination angle of the inclined passage with respect to a horizontal line is smaller than 45 °.

  If the inclination angle of the inclined passage is smaller than 45 °, the function as a depressing portion or a ball receiving portion that weakens the momentum of the game ball that has reached the inclined passage can be suitably exhibited.

  In view of the fact that the human field of view is longer in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction, it is preferable that a plurality of game balls gathered in the inclined passage are arranged side by side in order to keep the game ball group in the field of view. If the number of game balls that can be accommodated in the field of view increases, attention to each game ball is weakened, so that it is possible to suitably suppress the game balls flowing into the detour passage from being noticeable.

  The technical idea shown in the features A3 to A10 can be applied to the feature A1.

<Feature B group>
The following feature B group is: “A game machine such as a pachinko machine has a game board on which a game area is formed, and a game ball launching means for launching a game ball to the game area based on a launch operation by the player. When a game ball fired from the game ball launching means enters a ball entering section provided in the game area, a privilege such as payout of a predetermined number of game balls is given to the player. As for the background art “see (for example, Patent Document 1)”, there is an invention that “the gaming machine of the type described above still has room for improvement in its configuration in order to improve the degree of attention to the game”. It was made with a problem to be solved.

Feature B1. A game board (game board unit 80) in which a game area (game area PE) is formed;
Game ball launching means (game ball launching mechanism 110) for launching a game ball at a predetermined period (0.6 sec) based on a player's launch operation;
Based on the establishment of a predetermined transition condition, game state transition means for transitioning the game state to a special game state (for example, opening / closing execution mode) more advantageous to the player than usual, Migration function), and
A variable pitching portion provided in the gaming area and capable of switching between an accepting state (open state) in which game balls flowing down the gaming area can enter and a non-accepting state (closed state) in which entry is impossible (for example, A first variable winning device 82);
Switching means (opening / closing function in the MPU of the main control device 162) for switching the variable pitching portion to the receiving state when the special gaming state is set,
In a predetermined flow path (right route) through which the game balls flow toward the variable pitching section, a first predetermined area (for example, the branching section 302 and the upper extension section 303) and the degree of congestion of the game balls that are flowing down And a second predetermined region (intermediate portion 304) that is higher than the first predetermined region,
An gaming machine, wherein an entrance portion (entrance portion 372) of a bypass passage (a bypass passage 370) that avoids entering the variable entrance portion is formed in the second predetermined area.

  A part of the game balls launched toward the variable entry part flows into the detour path and avoids entry into the variable entry part. By providing such a detour passage, excessive entry into the variable entry portion can be suppressed. This is preferable in order to improve game health and the like.

  According to the configuration shown in the feature B1, the game ball that has flowed into the detour path is prevented from entering the variable ball entry section. It is assumed that if the player enters the detour passage, it will be easy to give the player the impression that a wasteful investment will increase. This can be a hindrance in improving the degree of attention to the game. Here, in this feature, the entrance portion of the detour passage is formed in the second predetermined area where the density of game balls is high. The following effects can be expected by allowing the game balls to escape to the detour passage at locations where the density of game balls is high. That is, since individual game balls can be watched at places where the game balls are sparse, it is easy to notice the escape of the game balls. On the other hand, even if game balls are escaped at places where game balls are densely packed, it becomes difficult to notice. In addition, when one game ball escapes from a crowded game ball group as compared to when one game ball escapes from a sparse game ball group, Since it can suppress that the blank of this becomes large too much, the uncomfortable feeling produced when seeing the game ball group after escape can be eased suitably. In this way, by making the escape of the game ball difficult to see, it is possible to make it appear as if the game ball launched into the predetermined flow path (variable entrance part) is entering the variable entrance part efficiently. be able to. Thereby, a player's satisfaction can be raised and it can contribute to the improvement of the attention degree to a game.

  “High density” shown in this feature means that game balls are likely to gather, that is, a group of game balls is likely to become dense, and “exists per unit area in the game area. It is possible to replace it with “the number of game balls is large”.

Feature B2. A game board (game board unit 80) in which a game area (game area PE) is formed;
Game ball launching means (game ball launching mechanism 110) for launching a game ball at a predetermined period (0.6 sec) based on a player's launch operation;
Based on the establishment of a predetermined transition condition, game state transition means for transitioning the game state to a special game state (for example, opening / closing execution mode) more advantageous to the player than usual, Migration function), and
A variable pitching portion provided in the gaming area and capable of switching between an accepting state (open state) in which game balls flowing down the gaming area can enter and a non-accepting state (closed state) in which entry is impossible (for example, A first variable winning device 82);
Switching means (opening / closing function in the MPU of the main control device 162) for switching the variable pitching portion to the receiving state when the special gaming state is set,
In a predetermined flow down path (right route) where the game ball flows down toward the variable pitching portion,
A first predetermined area (for example, the branching section 302 and the upper extension section 303), and
A second predetermined region (intermediate portion 304) that is located downstream of the first predetermined region and through which game balls that have passed through the first predetermined region pass;
The second predetermined area is configured to have a higher density of game balls than the first predetermined area,
An gaming machine, wherein an entrance portion (entrance portion 372) of a bypass passage (a bypass passage 370) that avoids entering the variable entrance portion is formed in the second predetermined area.

  According to the configuration shown in the feature B2, the game ball that has flowed into the detour path is prevented from entering the variable pitch portion. It is assumed that if the player enters the detour passage, it will be easy to give the player the impression that a wasteful investment will increase. This can be a hindrance in improving the degree of attention to the game. Here, in this feature, the entrance portion of the detour passage is formed in the second predetermined area where the density of game balls is high. The following effects can be expected by allowing the game balls to escape to the detour passage at locations where the density of game balls is high. That is, since individual game balls can be watched at places where the game balls are sparse, it is easy to notice the escape of the game balls. On the other hand, even if game balls are escaped at places where game balls are densely packed, it becomes difficult to notice. In addition, when one game ball is released from a crowded game ball group as compared to the case where one game ball is released from a sparse game ball group, the game ball after the game ball has escaped Since it can suppress that the blank in between becomes large too much, the uncomfortable feeling produced when seeing the game ball group after escape can be eased suitably. In this way, by making the escape of the game ball difficult to see, it is possible to make it appear as if the game ball launched into the predetermined flow path (variable entrance part) is entering the variable entrance part efficiently. be able to. Thereby, a player's satisfaction can be raised and it can contribute to the improvement of the attention degree to a game.

  “High density” shown in this feature means that game balls are likely to gather, that is, a group of game balls is likely to become dense, and “exists per unit area in the game area. It is possible to replace it with “the number of game balls is large”.

Feature B3. In the second predetermined area, entrance portions (recessed portions 336 and 337) of a guide passage (guide passage 360) for guiding a game ball to the variable pitching portion are formed,
The game according to Feature B1 or Feature B2, wherein the bypass passage is configured such that a game ball passing through the bypass passage is more difficult to see than a game ball passing through the guide passage. Machine.

  As shown in feature B3, there is a difference between the visibility of the game ball heading toward the variable pitching portion and the visibility of the game ball not heading toward the variable pitching portion, so as to attract attention to the game ball heading toward the variable pitching portion. If it is configured, it makes it difficult to give the player an impression that the game ball launched aiming at the variable entry part does not enter the variable entry part well and the investment is wasted, etc. It can contribute to the improvement of attention. In other words, at least all of the fired game balls that have flowed into the guide passage will reach the variable pitching portion, so that the exhilaration of the game can be enhanced.

  Even when the game ball passing through the detour passage is made inconspicuous, if the game ball moves toward the detour passage, it is feared that the above-mentioned effects will not be exhibited well. In this regard, if the entrance portion of the guide passage is provided in the second predetermined area and the number of game balls in the second predetermined area is reduced by inflow into the guide passage, the decrease of game balls in the second predetermined area is reduced. It can suppress suitably that it becomes the suggestion of the inflow to a detour passage.

  In order to exert the above effect, it is preferable that the inflow rate into the former is higher than the inflow rate into the latter by comparing the guide passage and the bypass passage.

  Feature B4. The guide passage is configured such that the number of flow paths of the formed game balls is greater than that of the second predetermined area, and the degree of crowding of the game balls is lower than that of the second predetermined area. The gaming machine according to Feature B3, wherein

  In the guide passage, the flow path of the game balls branches variously, so that the degree of crowding of the game balls group decreases. Thereby, the blank between the game balls expanded by the escape can be made inconspicuous.

  Feature B5. The game area is provided with a depressing part (an inclined part 334, a game nail row 331S, etc.) for depressing a game ball that has reached the second predetermined area. The gaming machine according to any one of the above.

  The distance between the game balls depends on the speed difference between the preceding game ball and the subsequent game ball. Therefore, the speed difference can be increased by reducing the momentum of the game ball by providing a lowering portion in the second predetermined area. Thereby, the crowding degree of the game ball group in the second predetermined area can be suitably increased.

Feature B6. The first predetermined area and the second predetermined area are arranged vertically,
In the game area, a flow path forming part (an inclined part 334 or a game nail row 331S that reduces the movement speed in the vertical direction by changing the movement direction of the game ball that has reached the second predetermined area from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction). ) Is provided. The gaming machine according to any one of features B1 to B4.

  The distance between the game balls depends on the speed difference between the preceding game ball and the subsequent game ball. Therefore, by changing the moving direction of the game ball from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction in the second predetermined area, the speed difference in the vertical direction (the arrangement direction of the first predetermined area and the second predetermined area) can be increased. Thereby, the crowding degree of the game ball group in the second predetermined area can be suitably increased.

  In order to increase the degree of crowding of the game balls, the moving speed of the game balls may be reduced rapidly. As the speed of the preceding game ball and the subsequent game ball increases, the degree of crowding also increases. However, if the moving speed of the game ball simply slows down, it becomes easy to follow the movement with the eyes, and it is easily exposed that the escape has occurred. In this respect, in the configuration shown in this feature, the main movement direction of the game balls is changed to the passage direction of the inclined passage while the moving speed of the game balls in the vertical direction is reduced to increase the density of the game balls in the vicinity of the inclined passage. By changing to, it is possible to suppress a significant decrease in the moving speed of the game ball itself. Since the moving speed of the game ball flowing into the detour passage can be reduced and the chance that the movement is noticeable by the player can be reduced, the occurrence of the inconvenience can be suitably suppressed.

Feature B7. The predetermined flow path extends in a longitudinal direction;
The game machine according to Feature B6, wherein the flow path forming portion forms an inclined passage that crosses the predetermined flow-down path.

  The flow path forming part is formed so as to cross a predetermined flow path. Since the predetermined flow path extends in the vertical direction, the main flow of the game ball flowing down the predetermined flow path is from the upper side to the lower side, but the direction of the game ball changes in the direction along the inclined path. As a result, the momentum will be slightly reduced. When the game balls are continuously fired at a predetermined cycle, the distance (interval) between the game balls is reduced in the vicinity of the inclined passage, and the density of the game ball group is increased. Compared to a configuration in which some game balls flow into the detour passage from a location where the degree of congestion of the game ball group is low, for example, by encouraging the game balls to flow and causing some game balls to flow into the detour passage from the congestion location Thus, the escape (spilling) of the game ball can be made inconspicuous. As described above, according to the configuration shown in this feature, the technical idea shown in the feature B6 can be preferably realized by a simple configuration.

  Feature B8. In the section where the game ball passes through the second predetermined area, the game ball is decelerated in the deceleration section where the game ball is decelerated (the section where the game ball falling on the inclined passage 333 collides and changes its direction) and in the deceleration section An acceleration section for accelerating the game ball (a section in which the game ball moves along the inclined passage 333) is provided, and an entrance portion of the bypass passage is provided in the acceleration section. Thru | or the game machine as described in any one of characteristics B7.

  If the above-mentioned escape is made at a place where the game balls are regularly arranged, for example, a place where the distance between the game balls is constant, it becomes easy to notice. Therefore, if the configuration is such that once the game is decelerated and the degree of congestion is increased, it is accelerated again and re-accelerated to allow the game balls to escape at locations where the distance between the game balls is diversified. Generation | occurrence | production can be suppressed suitably.

Feature B9. The predetermined flow path extends in a longitudinal direction;
The first predetermined area is located upstream of the second predetermined area,
The gaming machine according to any one of features B1 to B8, wherein a width of the second predetermined region is smaller than a width of the first predetermined region.

  As shown in the present feature, if the width of the flow path is narrowed in the second predetermined area, the passing positions of the game balls are limited, and thus the degree of density of the game balls in the lateral direction can be suitably increased. .

  Feature B10. The gaming machine according to Feature B9, wherein the vertical width of the second predetermined area is configured to be shorter than the vertical width of the first predetermined area.

  In a game machine in which a game ball flows down in a game area, it is one of the pleasures to follow the movement of the game ball. Therefore, in many cases, the movement of game balls is varied to suppress monotonization. If the technical idea shown in the feature B9 is applied, it can contribute to an increase in the degree of crowding of game balls, but there is a concern that the original interest of the gaming machine described above will be weakened. Therefore, as shown in this feature, the occurrence of the above-described inconvenience can be suitably suppressed by suppressing the extension of the second predetermined area in which the flow path is narrowed to be at least smaller than the first predetermined area.

  The technical ideas shown in the features A1 to A10 may be applied to the features B1 to B10.

<Feature C group>
The following group C is: “A game machine such as a pachinko machine has a game board in which a game area is formed, and a game ball launching means for launching a game ball into the game area based on a launch operation by the player. When a game ball fired from the game ball launching means enters a ball entering section provided in the game area, a privilege such as payout of a predetermined number of game balls is given to the player. As for the background art “see (for example, Patent Document 1)”, there is an invention that “the gaming machine of the type described above still has room for improvement in its configuration in order to improve the degree of attention to the game”. It was made with a problem to be solved.

Feature C1. A game board (game board unit 80) in which a game area (game area PE) is formed;
Game ball launching means (game ball launching mechanism 110) for launching a game ball at a predetermined period (0.6 sec) based on a player's launch operation;
Based on the establishment of a predetermined transition condition, game state transition means for transitioning the game state to a special game state (for example, opening / closing execution mode) more advantageous to the player than usual, Migration function), and
A variable pitching portion provided in the gaming area and capable of switching between an accepting state (open state) in which game balls flowing down the gaming area can enter and a non-accepting state (closed state) in which entry is impossible (for example, A first variable winning device 82);
Switching means (opening / closing function in the MPU of the main control device 162) for switching the variable pitching portion to the receiving state when the special gaming state is set,
In a predetermined flow down path (right route) where the game ball flows down toward the variable pitching portion,
A single upstream passage (inflow portion 301) into which the game ball launched by the game ball launching means flows;
A distribution unit (branch unit 302) that has a plurality of branch routes (for example, the inner branch passage 311 and the outer branch passage 312) and distributes the game balls that have passed through the upstream passage to the plurality of branch routes;
A single downstream passage (inclined passage 333 of the intermediate portion 304), which is located downstream of the branch portion and through which each game ball passes through the branch route, is provided,
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein an inlet portion (an inlet portion 372) of a bypass passage (a bypass passage 370) that avoids entering the variable entrance portion is formed in the downstream passage.

  According to the configuration shown in the feature C1, the game ball that has flowed into the detour path is prevented from entering the variable ball entry section. It is assumed that if the player enters the detour passage, it will be easy to give the player the impression that a wasteful investment will increase. This can be a hindrance in improving the degree of attention to the game. Here, in a configuration in which game balls are continuously fired at a predetermined cycle based on a game ball launch operation, a certain kind of regularity in relation to the game balls tends to occur. In the configuration in which the game balls are allowed to escape to the detour path at a location where the relationship between the game balls is regular, the above-described regularity is lost, and the portion where the regularity is lost stands out. This is assumed to be a factor that is noticed by the player when the game ball is released. In this respect, in this feature, the flow path of the game ball is divided into a plurality of branches and merges, and an entrance portion of the detour passage is formed at the merge point. Since the game ball groups gather via different branch routes, the regularity can be weakened. Thus, by letting the game ball escape at a place where regularity is weak, it is possible to make it difficult for the game ball to escape. Also, since the distance between the game balls can be varied, the blanks between the game balls after the game balls have passed can be made inconspicuous. Can be relaxed. In this way, by making the escape of the game ball difficult to see, it is possible to make it appear as if the game ball launched into the predetermined flow path (variable entrance part) is entering the variable entrance part efficiently. be able to. Thereby, a player's satisfaction can be raised and it can contribute to the improvement of the attention degree to a game.

Feature C2. A game board (game board unit 80) in which a game area (game area PE) is formed;
Game ball launching means (game ball launching mechanism 110) for launching a game ball at a predetermined period (0.6 sec) based on a player's launch operation;
Based on the establishment of a predetermined transition condition, game state transition means for transitioning the game state to a special game state (for example, opening / closing execution mode) more advantageous to the player than usual, Migration function), and
A variable pitching portion provided in the gaming area and capable of switching between an accepting state (open state) in which game balls flowing down the gaming area can enter and a non-accepting state (closed state) in which entry is impossible (for example, A first variable winning device 82);
Switching means (opening / closing function in the MPU of the main control device 162) for switching the variable pitching portion to the receiving state when the special gaming state is set,
In a predetermined flow down path (right route) where the game ball flows down toward the variable pitching portion,
A branch part (for example, the branch part 302 or the upper extension part 303) in which a plurality of branch routes (for example, the route A to the route E) are formed;
A merging portion (intermediate portion 304) that is located downstream of the divergence portion and where the game balls that have passed through the divergence route merge,
2. A gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein an entrance portion (inlet portion 372) of a bypass passage (the bypass passage 370) in which the entrance into the variable entrance portion is avoided is formed in the junction portion.

  According to the configuration shown in the feature C2, the game ball that has flowed into the bypass path is prevented from entering the variable ball entry portion. It is assumed that if the player enters the detour passage, it will be easy to give the player the impression that a wasteful investment will increase. This can be a hindrance in improving the degree of attention to the game. Here, in a configuration in which game balls are continuously fired at a predetermined cycle based on a game ball launch operation, a certain kind of regularity in relation to the game balls tends to occur. In the configuration in which the game balls are allowed to escape to the detour path at a location where the relationship between the game balls is regular, the above-described regularity is lost, and the portion where the regularity is lost stands out. This is assumed to be a factor that is noticeable to the player by the escape of the game ball. In this respect, in this feature, the flow path of the game ball is divided into a plurality of branches and merges, and an entrance portion of the detour passage is formed at the merge point. Since the game ball groups gather via different branch routes, the regularity can be weakened. Thus, by letting the game ball escape at a place where regularity is weak, it is possible to make it difficult for the game ball to escape. Also, since the distance between the game balls can be varied, the blanks between the game balls after the game balls have passed can be made inconspicuous. Can be relaxed. In this way, by making the escape of the game ball difficult to see, it is possible to make it appear as if the game ball launched into the predetermined flow path (variable entrance part) is entering the variable entrance part efficiently. be able to. Thereby, a player's satisfaction can be raised and it can contribute to the improvement of the attention degree to a game.

Feature C3. An entrance portion (recessed portion 336, 337) of a guide passage (guide passage 360) for guiding the game ball to the variable entry portion is formed in the junction portion.
The game according to Feature C1 or Feature C2, wherein the bypass passage is configured such that a game ball passing through the bypass passage is more difficult to see than a game ball passing through the guide passage. Machine.

  As shown in feature C3, there is a difference between the visibility of the game ball toward the variable entry portion and the visibility of the game ball that does not go toward the variable entry portion, and encourages attention to the game ball toward the variable entry portion. If it is configured, it makes it difficult to give the player an impression that the game ball launched aiming at the variable entry part does not enter the variable entry part well and the investment is wasted, etc. It can contribute to the improvement of attention. In other words, at least all of the fired game balls that have flowed into the guide passage will reach the variable pitching portion, so that the exhilaration of the game can be enhanced.

  Even if the game ball passing through the detour passage is inconspicuous, there is a concern that if the movement of the game ball toward the detour passage is caught by the player's eyes, the above-mentioned effect will not be exhibited well. . In this regard, if the entrance portion of the guide passage is provided in the second predetermined area and the number of game balls in the second predetermined area is reduced by inflow into the guide passage, the decrease of game balls in the second predetermined area is reduced. It can suppress suitably that it becomes the suggestion of the inflow to a detour passage.

  In order to exert the above effect, it is preferable that the inflow rate into the former is higher than the inflow rate into the latter by comparing the guide passage and the bypass passage.

  Feature C4. The gaming machine according to any one of features C1 to C3, wherein the plurality of branch routes are configured to have different durations required for a game ball to pass.

  According to the feature C4, the regularity at the joining point can be suitably reduced, and the effect shown in the feature C1 can be suitably exhibited.

  Note that the configuration shown in this feature is “any one of the features C1 to C3, wherein the plurality of branch routes have different durations from the branch location to the junction location. It is also possible to use “the gaming machine described in the above”.

Feature C5. The branch route has a first branch route and a second branch route,
The feature C4 is characterized in that a difference between a required period for passing through the first branch route and a required period for passing through the second branch route is shorter than the predetermined period. The gaming machine described.

  As described above, when game balls are released at the junction, the escape is less noticeable when the density of game balls is higher than when the density is low. Here, as shown in the feature C1, etc., when the regularity is reduced, if the bias of density is increased, the escape is generated in the situation where the degree of congestion is low, There is concern that it will be easily noticed by players. In this regard, as shown in this feature, by making the difference in the required period shorter than the launching period of the game balls, the opportunity for the succeeding game balls to overtake the preceding game balls can be reduced, and the excessive bias described above. Can be suitably suppressed.

Feature C6. A ball passage (inclined passage 333) capable of guiding a game ball to the entrance portion of the bypass passage is formed in the junction.
The inflow location where the game ball that has passed through the plurality of branch routes flows into the ball passage is located upstream of the entrance portion of the bypass passage in the ball passage and is shifted in the passage direction of the ball passage. The gaming machine according to any one of features C1 to C5, characterized in that:

  The game balls that have passed through the branch route flow into the ball passage at the junction. Since the inflow locations of the game balls are shifted in the direction of the ball passage, as a result, the positional relationship between the game balls after joining can be further diversified. Thereby, the effect shown to the characteristic C1 etc. can be exhibited more suitably.

Feature C7. An entrance portion (recessed portion 336, 337) of a guide passage (guide passage 360) for guiding the game ball to the variable entry portion is formed in the junction portion.
The gaming machine according to Feature C6, wherein at least one of the inflow portions is located around the entrance portion.

  When game balls are released at the junction, the number of game balls present at the junction decreases (changes) due to the escape. Here, by providing the entrance portion of the guide passage at the junction, the factor of reducing the game balls is not only the inflow to the bypass passage. Therefore, it can suppress that the game ball decreasing becomes a foothold which specifies the inflow to a detour path. In addition, if the game balls are not supplied in the same manner each time, but the supply locations are divided into a plurality of portions, the game balls can be diversified in terms of the increase modes. And if it is set as the structure where the entrance part of a guide passage is located in the circumference | surroundings of an inflow location, the number of game balls can be changed rapidly. This is advantageous in obfuscating the number of game balls existing in the junction, and as a result, even if the number of game balls changes due to inflow into the detour path, it can be confused.

  Feature C8. Any one of features C1 to C7, wherein a plurality of branch passages arranged in parallel are formed in the branch portion, and a game ball can move between the branch passages. The gaming machine described in 1.

  In the case where the regularity is lowered by using a plurality of branch routes together, it is not preferable that the variation width of the required period for each branch route becomes excessively large. On the other hand, in order to ensure the diversity of the required period within a predetermined range, it is necessary to secure a certain number of branch routes. Therefore, as shown in this feature, such a problem can be suitably solved if the game ball can be moved between the passages by a plurality of branch passages constituting the branch portion. For example, even if there are two passages, it is possible to secure four or more branch routes if game balls can be passed.

  Feature C9. Any of the features C1 to C8, wherein the branching portion is provided with sorting means (sorting member 501) for sorting the game balls that have reached the branching portion into the plurality of branch routes. The gaming machine according to one.

  If the firing speed is constant under the situation where game balls are continuously fired, even if a plurality of branch routes are provided, the route through which the game balls actually pass is biased. In this case, it is assumed that the above-described effect of diversifying the required period is weakened. In this regard, the occurrence of such inconveniences can be suitably suppressed by providing a distribution unit at the branching portion and performing the distribution of the flow paths by the distribution unit.

  The technical ideas shown in the features A1 to A10 and the features B1 to B10 may be applied to the features C1 to C9.

<Feature D group>
The following feature group D is “a game machine such as a pachinko machine has a game board in which a game area is formed and a game ball launching means for launching a game ball to the game area based on a launch operation by the player. When a game ball fired from the game ball launching means enters a ball entering section provided in the game area, a privilege such as payout of a predetermined number of game balls is given to the player. As for the background art “see (for example, Patent Document 1)”, there is an invention that “the gaming machine of the type described above still has room for improvement in its configuration in order to improve the degree of attention to the game”. It was made with a problem to be solved.

Feature D1. A game board (game board unit 80) in which a game area (game area PE) is formed;
Game ball launching means (game ball launching mechanism 110) for launching a game ball at a predetermined period (0.6 sec) based on a player's launch operation;
Based on the establishment of a predetermined transition condition, game state transition means for transitioning the game state to a special game state (for example, opening / closing execution mode) more advantageous to the player than usual, Migration function), and
An accepting state (open state) in which a game ball that is provided on a predetermined flow path (right route) in the gaming area and flows down the gaming area can enter, and a non-accepting state (closed state) in which entering is impossible A first variable winning portion (for example, a first variable winning device 82) and a second variable winning portion (second variable winning device 83) that can be switched to,
Switching means (opening / closing function in the MPU of the main control device 162) for switching one of the first variable pitching portion and the second variable pitching portion to the receiving state when in the special gaming state;
Provided with a privilege granting means (for example, a payout device 224) for granting a privilege to the player according to the destination when the first variable pitching portion and the second variable pitching portion are entered. ,
The second variable ball entry portion is less likely to be in the receiving state than the first variable ball entry portion, and a privilege (for example, a prize ball) that is given when a ball enters the second variable ball entry portion. Is configured to be advantageous to the player as compared to a privilege (for example, a transition to the high probability mode) that is given when a ball enters the first variable ball portion,
The first variable pitching portion is located upstream of the second variable pitching portion,
The predetermined flow-down path includes a guide passage (guide passage 360) for guiding a game ball to the first variable entry portion at a position upstream of the first variable entry portion, and the first variable entry portion. Branch to a detour path (detour path 370) where entry to the club is avoided,
The game ball that has passed through the detour passage is configured to be discharged to a position between the first variable ball entering portion and the second variable ball entering portion along the predetermined flow path. To play.

  According to the feature D1, a game ball launched toward a predetermined flow path is directed to the first variable ball entering part and the second variable ball entering part via the guide path, and to the first via the detour path. It is divided into 2 heading to the variable entrance. Although the second variable pitching portion is less likely to be in the receiving state than the first variable pitching portion, since the privilege given to the player based on the pitching is large, the second timing at the appropriate timing is required to advance the game advantageously. It is necessary to aim at the variable entry part. Here, the game balls that have passed through the detour path will go directly to the second variable pitching portion, and suitably prevent the first variable pitching portion from interfering with the second variable pitching portion. it can. And, if the detour passage that makes it impossible to enter the first variable entry portion is made to function as an auxiliary passage that assists entry into the second variable entry portion, the investment is unnecessarily increased. It is possible to make it difficult to give an impression to the player. This is preferable in order to improve the degree of attention to the player's game.

  Feature D2. The gaming machine according to Feature D1, wherein a required period required to pass through the bypass path is shorter than a required period required to pass through the guide path.

  The game ball passing through the detour passage reaches the second variable ball entry portion more quickly than in the case of passing through the guide passage. The second variable ball entry part, which is more important than the first variable ball entry part and has a small chance of entry, will be played if the ball does not enter well under the circumstances where the ball entry should occur. There is concern that the willingness to play will decrease. For example, when the period during which the second variable pitching portion is in an accepting state is limited, the original enjoyment of the gaming machine that would otherwise follow the movement of the gaming ball is a factor that causes the player to become impatient. . In this regard, as shown in this feature, if the game ball that has passed through the detour path is promptly directed to the second variable pitching portion, such inconvenience can be suitably suppressed.

  Feature D3. The gaming machine according to Feature D1 or Feature D2, wherein the gaming ball passing through the bypass passage is configured to be more difficult to visually recognize than the gaming ball passing through the guide passage.

  As shown in the feature D1, etc., when the second variable pitching portion is in the receiving state, the bypass passage is an advantageous passage for the player, but under other circumstances, the bypass passage is merely a passage for escape. There is concern that the impression that it is. Therefore, the occurrence of such inconvenience can be suppressed by devising the detour passage so that the visibility is lower than that of the guide passage and the detour passage is not conspicuous. In addition, when the second variable pitching portion is in the accepting state, it is difficult to visually recognize the game ball that passes through the bypass passage, and the game ball that has passed through the bypass passage suddenly jumps into the second variable pitching portion. It can make it look like this, and can enhance the unexpectedness of the game. For the above reasons, it is technically significant to provide a difference in visibility between passages as described above.

  The technical ideas shown in the features A1 to A10, the features B1 to B11, and the features C1 to C9 may be applied to the features D1 to D3.

  The basic configuration of the gaming machine to which the above features can be applied is shown below.

  Pachinko machine: operation means (game ball launching handle 41) operated by a player, game ball launching means (game ball launching mechanism 110) for launching a game ball based on the operation of the operation means, and the fired A ball passage (guidance rail 100) for guiding a game ball to a predetermined game area and game parts (game nails, etc.) arranged in the game area, and a predetermined passing portion (general prize) among these game parts A gaming machine that gives a privilege to a player when a game ball passes through the mouth 81 or the like.

  Slot machine, etc .: A variable display means that displays a symbol sequence consisting of a plurality of symbols in a variable manner and then stops and displays the symbol sequence. Special game advantageous to the player on the condition that the change of the symbol is stopped due to the operation of the operation means for stoppage or when a predetermined time elapses and the final stop symbol at the time of stoppage is a specific symbol A gaming machine that generates a state (bonus game, etc.).

  Ball-use spinning-type gaming machine: equipped with variable display means for variably displaying a symbol string composed of a plurality of symbols, and finally stopping and displaying the symbol string, and the variation of the symbol is started due to the operation of the starting operation means, Due to the operation of the stop operating means or after a lapse of a predetermined time, the variation of the symbol is stopped, and a special game state advantageous to the player (required that the final stop symbol at the time of stoppage is a specific symbol) Bonus game, etc.), a ball receiving tray is provided, a loading device for performing a loading process for taking a game ball from the ball tray, and a paying device for paying out the game ball to the ball tray, A gaming machine configured such that the operation of the starting operation means is made effective when a game ball is inserted by the apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Pachinko machine as a game machine, 14 ... Front door frame, 20 ... Frame body, 22 ... Glass unit, 26 ... Annular lighting part (lamp part), 41 ... Game ball launch handle, 80 ... Game board unit, 80a ... Game board, 82 ... First variable winning device, 82 ... Second variable winning device, 85 ... Right-acting winning unit, 86 ... Through gate, 301 ... Inflow portion, 302 ... Branching portion, 303 ... Upper bulging portion, 304 ... Intermediate part, 305 ... Lower bulge part, 311 ... Inner branch path, 312 ... Outer branch path, 333 ... Inclined path, 334 ... Inclined part, 336, 337 ... Depressed part, 350 ... Partition wall part, 360 ... guide passage, 370 ... detour passage, 372 ... entrance part, 373 ... exit part, PE ... game area.

Claims (5)

A game board in which a game area is formed;
Game state transition means for transitioning the gaming state to a special gaming state that is more advantageous to the player than usual based on the establishment of a predetermined transition condition;
A variable pitching portion that is provided in the gaming area and is switchable between an accepting state in which a gaming ball flowing down the gaming area can enter and a non-accepting state in which entering is impossible;
A switching means for switching the variable pitching portion to the receiving state when the special gaming state is set,
In a portion of the game area that is upstream of the variable pitching portion, a guide passage that guides the game ball to the variable pitching portion, and entering the variable pitching portion is avoided. A bypass path is provided that guides the game ball to a position downstream of the variable ball entry section and that makes the game ball being guided more difficult to see than the game ball passing through the guide path,
In the game area, an inclined passage is provided in a portion on the upstream side of the guide passage and the bypass passage so as to straddle the guide passage and the bypass passage.
The gaming machine is characterized in that the inclined passage is inclined downward toward the entrance portion of the bypass passage, and the inclined passage is formed with a recess that forms an entrance portion to the guide passage. . The guide passage and the bypass passage are formed so as to be vertically oriented, and are arranged side by side so that the guide passage is closer to the center in the game area than the bypass passage,
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the inclined passage is inclined downward from the center side of the gaming area to the outside. Game ball launching means for launching a game ball at a predetermined cycle based on a player's launch operation;
Guiding means for guiding the game ball launched by the game ball launching means to a predetermined flow path provided with the inclined passage;
The predetermined flow path extends in a longitudinal direction;
The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inclined passage is formed so as to cross the predetermined flow path. The inclined passage is provided with a low acceleration section in which the acceleration of the game ball in the passage direction of the inclined passage is relatively low and a high acceleration section in which the acceleration is relatively high.
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the recess is arranged in the low acceleration section. The guide passage and the bypass passage are formed so as to be vertically oriented, and are arranged side by side so that the guide passage is closer to the center in the game area than the bypass passage,
The inclined passage is inclined downward from the center side of the game area to the outside,
A door that covers the gaming board from the front of the gaming machine;
The door body has a main body portion having an opening formed in the center and a panel portion covering the opening, and is configured so that the game area can be visually recognized through the panel portion,
The end of the gaming board is provided with an overlapping area where the main body overlaps from the front of the gaming machine,
The guide passage is located in a non-overlapping region where the overlap with the main body portion is avoided, and the bypass passage is at least partially located in the overlapping region,
A part of the bypass passage including the entrance portion of the bypass passage extends in the same direction as the inclined passage,
The entrance portion of the bypass passage is composed of a pair of upper and lower game nails,
5. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein one of the pair of upper and lower gaming nails is located in the overlapping region.

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