JP4023550B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine, and more particularly to a technique for displaying a symbol on a screen of a display device during a game.

  A display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display device is generally provided on the board surface of a recent bullet ball game machine, and displays various symbols and character information according to the game state and the like. The player can recognize the current gaming state from the symbols displayed on the screen of the display device. For example, like a slot machine, first, numbers and symbols appear on the outer periphery of a slot composed of a plurality of drums. In this case, when the game ball passes through a predetermined area, each slot is rotated for a predetermined period. Then, if the numbers and the like displayed in the slots displayed after stopping for a predetermined period of time are aligned, the characters of “big hit” are displayed and a special benefit is given to the player. This special benefit is to provide a state in which game balls are easy to win, such as opening a tulip or a big prize opening for a certain period of time.

  Such a ball game machine is disclosed in JP-A-5-228246, JP-A-5-277242, JP-A-6-39111, and the like. According to this technology, the game can be further enjoyed by the symbols displayed on the screen of the display device together with the expectation of winning the game ball. In particular, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-39111, an animation is displayed at the time of “big hit”, so that the player can have a sense of “winning”. For this reason, satisfaction was able to be provided to the player.

  However, if the game is simply displayed with an animation in the case of a “hit”, the player only gets bored because the same symbol is repeatedly displayed each time. The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that displays various displays according to the current gaming state and makes the player interested.

  The present invention can be configured as a gaming machine provided with a display device for effect display according to the gaming state. This gaming machine has symbol storage means, and stores a plurality of symbol data for displaying symbols on the display device in a state that can be designated by unique identification information. The identification information includes various types of information that can designate each symbol, such as a symbol number uniquely assigned to the symbol. Moreover, it has scenario storage means and stores a plurality of scenario data. Scenario data is data that determines the order in which symbols are displayed based on an array of a plurality of identification information. The identification information may be directly arranged as shown in FIG. 7A described later, or indirectly arranged as shown in FIG. 7D described later. The gaming machine of the present invention includes image processing means. The image processing means selects any scenario data from the scenario storage means according to the gaming state, reads the symbol data corresponding to the identification information included in the scenario data from the symbol storage means, converts it into an image signal, and displays the display device By outputting to, display according to scenario data is realized. Since the display content is defined by the scenario data, various displays can be realized by common processing without switching the processing content according to the display.

  According to the present invention, according to the scenario data corresponding to the current gaming state, the symbol data stored in the symbol storage means 40 is read, and the symbols are sequentially displayed on the screen of the display device 60 by the image processing means 50. For this reason, since different symbols are continuously displayed for each gaming state on the display device 60, the player is provided with the pleasure of playing and the pleasure of seeing the symbols that sequentially change for each gaming state. In this case, if a symbol is appropriately designated as scenario data, a display such as an animation can be performed. In addition, since scenario data is designed to indirectly specify symbol data to be used for display using identification information, a wide variety of scenario data can be set relatively easily, and various displays can be easily performed. Is feasible. In addition, if such scenario data is used, the symbol data can be stored in a storage location unrelated to the display order, and the same symbol data can be shared by a plurality of scenario data. There is also an advantage that display variations can be easily and flexibly expanded.

  In the present invention, the scenario data may be configured in units of combination patterns including identification information of a plurality of symbols to be displayed on one screen. By doing so, it is possible to display a complicatedly synthesized symbol on the display device 60.

  In the present invention, the scenario data may be arranged in units of elements including identification information and a predetermined parameter that defines a display mode of a symbol corresponding to the identification information. By doing so, it becomes possible to specify the display mode of each symbol in detail. Such parameters include, for example, symbol color, vector indicating the direction of symbol movement, priority when multiple symbols overlap, symbol display position, symbol orientation, symbol display period, symbol scaling value Etc. can be used.

  The scenario data may include information designating a display period in which each symbol is continuously displayed. By doing so, it becomes possible to efficiently generate scenario data including a scene in which the same symbol is continuously displayed.

  The scenario data is preferably managed by attaching a scenario number corresponding to the progress state of each game. By doing so, it is possible to select and use scenario data to start processing based on the scenario number corresponding to the progress state of the game, regardless of the storage location of the scenario data.

    The scenario data may be selected based on information other than the current gaming state. For example, if there is a probability switching means for switching the probability of realizing a gaming state that gives a special benefit to the player according to the current gaming state, scenario data is selected according to the probability switched by this probability switching means You may make it do. By doing so, even in the same gaming state, different display is performed depending on the value of probability, so that display with more change can be made.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the external appearance of the bullet ball gaming machine 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 are views showing the external appearance of a bullet ball game machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a front view and FIG. 3 shows a back view. The same numbers are assigned to the same elements.

  In FIG. 2, on the game board surface 102, a game area and a rail 114 that partitions the periphery of the game area are provided in a clockwise direction. The rail 114 is provided with a lower left portion of the game board surface 102 as a starting end and an upper left portion that is slightly inwardly rotated as an end. Accordingly, a path for the game ball B passes from the lower left portion to the upper left portion of the game board surface 102. Further, a return rubber 140 is provided at a substantially middle point of the rail 114 (that is, an upper right portion of the game board surface 102), and a return ball prevention holder 110 is provided at the end of the rail 114. When the player operates a launching device (not shown) by hand, the game ball B is launched in the direction of arrow A along the rail 114. The return rubber 140 is provided to return the game ball B in the reverse direction when the game ball B is strongly hit. The return ball prevention holder 110 is provided to prevent the game ball B returned by the return rubber 140 from entering back into the passage.

  In the game area (that is, inside the rail 114 provided in a spiral shape), the special winning opening 116, the special symbol device 120, the ordinary electric accessory 126, the gate 130, and the out opening 136 are appropriately disposed. Yes. Similarly, nails and windmills (not shown) that scatter the game ball B, or indicator lights 112 and 142 that entertain the eyes of the player are provided on the game board surface 102 in an appropriate manner.

  The special symbol device 120 includes a special symbol display device 122 and a number of times display device 124. The special symbol display device 122 is one of the display devices 60, and is a device that displays special symbols. The special symbol displayed on the special symbol display device 122 varies at a predetermined time. After the change, a case where the special symbol displayed in a stopped state matches a predetermined symbol is defined as “big hit”. The number display device 124 is a device that displays the number of times the special symbol displayed on the special symbol display device 122 is changed. As the special symbol display device 122, for example, a color or monochrome liquid crystal display device is used. Similarly, the number display device 124 is provided with, for example, four LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) horizontally.

  The ordinary electric accessory 126 includes an ordinary symbol display device 128 and an electric pair of movable wing pieces (so-called tulips). The normal symbol display device 128 is a device that displays a normal symbol, and changes the normal symbol at a predetermined time. After the change, a case where the normal symbol displayed in a stopped state matches a predetermined symbol is defined as “winning”. For example, a number corresponds to the normal symbol. For the normal symbol display device 128, for example, a 7-segment LED is used.

  The big winning opening 116 is a horizontally long winning opening provided at the lower center of the game board surface 102 and includes a lid that is opened in the case of a “hit”. This horizontally long winning opening is provided with three winning openings arranged horizontally, and the central winning opening 132 is set as a “special area”. In addition, winning openings 118 and 134 are provided on the left and right sides of the big winning opening 116, respectively. The gate 130 detects the passage of the game ball B. The out port 136 is a lower part of the game board surface 102 and is provided with the rail 114 interposed therebetween.

  In FIG. 3, a guide rail 150, detection switches 152, 154, 156, 158, 162, 164, and 168 (hereinafter simply referred to as “detection switch 152 etc.”), a normal electric accessory solenoid, are provided on the rear surface 104 of the game board. 160, a large winning opening solenoid 166, mounting holes 112a, 120a, 126a, 142a, and an out opening hole 136a are provided. Here, the attachment holes 112a and 142a are holes for attaching the indicator lights 112 and 142, respectively. Similarly, the attachment holes 120a and 126a are holes for attaching the special symbol device 120 and the ordinary electric accessory 126, respectively. Further, the out port hole 136a is a hole for the out port 136. The guide rail 150 wins the ordinary electric accessory 126 and guides the game ball B that has passed the detection switch 162 as indicated by an arrow C.

  Each of the detection switches 152 and the like is a switch that detects the passage of the game ball B, and a proximity switch that determines the passage based on a change in magnetism is generally used. The detection switch 152 detects the game ball B passing through the gate 130. The detection switches 154 and 164 detect the game ball B that has won the winning holes 134 and 118, respectively. The detection switch 162 detects the game ball B that has won the ordinary electric accessory 126. The detection switches 156, 158, and 168 detect the game ball B that has won the big winning opening 116. The detection signals detected by the detection switch 152 and the like are all sent to the control unit 220 shown in FIG. 5 to pay out a predetermined number of prize balls, in addition to the special symbol device 120, the ordinary electric accessory 126, etc. It is also used as a detection device for controlling the operation.

  The ordinary electric accessory solenoid 160 is a solenoid for opening and closing the pair of movable blades configured in the ordinary electric accessory 126 to the left and right when “hit”. Further, the special winning opening solenoid 166 is a solenoid for opening and closing the lid provided in the special winning opening 116 at the time of “big hit”.

  Next, an electrical connection for operating the ball game machine 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. 4 is a wiring system diagram of the ball game machine 100, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the control unit 220. The same elements as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 4, the ball game machine 100 is roughly composed of a board surface portion 200 and a frame portion 300. The panel surface part 200 includes a terminal part 210, a control part 220 and a relay part 240. The frame unit 300 includes a crime prevention unit 306, a launch control unit 330, a relay unit 302, a terminal unit 340, and a relay unit 324.

  First, the board surface part 200 will be described. The control unit 220 includes a CPU (processor) 230 shown in the following figure, and has a function of controlling the whole of the ball game machine 100. The relay unit 240 is connected to the detection switches 152, 158, 162, the detection switch 156, etc. (that is, the other detection switches 154, 156, 164, 168), and relays the detection signal sent to the control unit 220. The terminal unit 210 includes four connector terminals, and sends a signal sent from the control unit 220 to a terminal unit 340 to be described later using one of the terminals 212. Here, the control unit 220 and the relay unit 240 and the control unit 220 and the terminal unit 210 are all connected by a cable having a connector. The antistatic device 312 provided in the frame unit 300 is connected to the ground through the control unit 220 and prevents malfunction of the ball game machine 100 due to static electricity.

  Next, the frame part 300 will be described. The crime prevention unit 306 is for preventing fraud during a game, and is connected to a speaker 320 and a prize ball payout prohibiting switch 322. Here, the speaker 320 sounds a sound effect and a warning sound. The prize ball payout prohibiting switch 322 is a switch for prohibiting the payout of prize balls.

  The launch controller 330 includes a motor drive circuit 334 for launching the game ball B, and a touch terminal 314, a handle switch 316, a launcher stop switch 318, and a motor 332 are connected to the launch controller 330. Here, the touch terminal 314, the handle switch 316, and the launching device stop switch 318 are all terminals or switches for the player to manually operate the launching device in order to launch the game ball B. The touch terminal 314 is a terminal that detects that the player's hand is touching the launching device. The handle switch 316 is a switch for driving the motor 332 to fire the game ball B. The launcher stop switch 318 is a switch for temporarily stopping the launch of the game ball B.

  The relay unit 302 is provided between the control unit 220 and the crime prevention unit 306 and relays signals transmitted and received between them. The relay unit 302 is connected with a prize ball payout solenoid 304, a prize ball payout motor 308, and a prize ball detection switch 310. Here, the prize ball payout solenoid 304 is a solenoid for opening and closing a prize ball payout lid. The prize ball payout motor 308 is a motor for paying out prize balls. The prize ball detection switch 310 is a triple switch that detects the payout of a prize ball.

  The terminal part 340 is connected to the right side of the crime prevention part 306 in the drawing. A cut detection switch 336 is provided. The indicator lights 346, 348, and 350 are indicator lights 112 and 142 that are appropriately disposed on the game board surface 102 shown in FIG. 2, and the prize-ball-out detection switch 336 is a switch that detects whether the prize ball is out of ball. It is. The relay unit 324 is provided between the crime prevention unit 306 and the launch control unit 330 and relays signals transmitted and received between them. Note that a frame detection switch 326 is connected to the relay unit 324. The frame detection switch 326 is a switch that detects that the frame of the ball game machine 100 has been opened.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 220 and shows the minimum configuration necessary for carrying out the present invention. For this reason, for example, when the game ball B wins the prize opening 118, 134, etc., description of the configuration and operation for paying out a predetermined number of prize balls is omitted. In the figure, the control unit 220 includes a CPU 230, a music processing circuit 222, a ROM 224, a RAM 226, an input processing circuit 228, a frame memory 232, a display control circuit 234, a special symbol display device 122, and an output processing circuit 236.

  The CPU 230 controls the entire ball game machine 100 according to a control program stored in the ROM 224. As the ROM 224, an EPROM or an EEPROM is used. The ROM 224 embodies the scenario storage means 10, the pattern storage means 20, and the symbol storage means 40, and in addition to the control program, symbol data corresponding to each symbol displayed on the special symbol display device 122, Scenario data that specifies the order of symbols (or combination patterns to be described later) for continuous display (including animation display), combination patterns for combining and displaying multiple symbols on one screen, A symbol display program for displaying symbols on the special symbol display device 122 in accordance with the scenario data and the combination pattern is stored. The RAM 226 uses SRAM (or DRAM), flash RAM, or the like, and stores various data or input / output signals.

  The input processing circuit 228 receives the respective detection signals sent from the detection switches 152, 158, 162, the detection switch 156, and the like, converts them into data formats that can be processed in the control unit 220, and the CPU 230 via the bus 238. Alternatively, the data is transferred to the RAM 226. The music processing circuit 222 converts it into an analog signal according to ringing data (data including a music number) sent from the CPU 230 or the display control circuit 234 via the bus 238 and sends it to the speaker 320. That is, a music program (music data) for each gaming state is numbered and stored in advance in a ROM (or RAM) provided in the music processing circuit 222. Thereafter, according to the music number instructed by the CPU 230, the music data corresponding to the music number is converted into an analog signal, and the music is played as BGM (Back Ground Music) through the speaker 320.

  The display control circuit 234 is a circuit that performs display control of the special symbol display device 122 also shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with display control data sent from the CPU 230 via the bus 238. Specifically, display control of the special symbol display device 122 is performed according to the control data and symbol data sent from the CPU 230. That is, the display control circuit 234 stores the symbol data in the frame memory 232 according to the control data, synthesizes the symbol data stored in the frame memory 232, converts it into an image signal, sends it to the special symbol display device 122, and sends it to the special symbol display device 122. It has a function of displaying symbols and the like.

  The display control circuit 234 controls not only the special symbol display device 122 but also the number display device 124, the normal symbol display device 128, the indicator lamps 112 and 142, etc. shown in FIG. In this case, display control of the number display device 124 is performed according to the value of the jackpot counter. Further, the control data includes scenario data specifying the order of displaying symbols (or one screen) stored in the ROM 224 and a combination pattern specifying a combination of symbols on one screen. Furthermore, the above frame memory 232 is composed of a plurality of frames in order to synthesize and display symbols.

  The output processing circuit 236 converts the driving data sent from the CPU 230 via the bus 238 into driving signals for driving the ordinary electric accessory solenoid 160 and the special prize opening solenoid 166, and sends them. Note that each of the above components is coupled to the bus 238.

  Next, a processing procedure for executing the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, a case where animation is displayed as one of continuous displays will be described. 6, FIG. 8, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, and FIG. 15 are flowcharts showing the processing procedure for carrying out the present invention. These processing procedures are realized by the CPU 230 executing the processing program stored in the ROM 224 shown in FIG. These processing procedures, combined with the operation of the display control circuit 234, are processes that embody the image processing means 50, and are executed every certain period (for example, 1 millisecond). In the figure, the number following S indicates a step number.

  The animation process shown in FIG. 6 shows a processing procedure in the case where one symbol is displayed on the entire screen and this display is continuously performed for different symbols. First, the CPU 230 reads out scenario data stored in the ROM 224 shown in FIG. 5 in accordance with the gaming state (step S10). Here, the scenario data will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is four block diagrams showing an example of the configuration of scenario data. In FIG. 7, scenario data 500 shown in FIG. 7A is composed of a plurality of symbol numbers 504, 506,..., 50m, and the number of symbol numbers (that is, the number of elements) is indicated by the screen number 502. It is a structure. That is, the screen number 502 stores the number of symbols to be displayed continuously. Here, the symbol number is a unique number assigned to each symbol. The scenario data shown in FIG. 7 is configured with the same number of elements, but may be configured with an arbitrary number of elements for each scenario data. That is, each data structure is configured corresponding to the number of symbols that can be displayed continuously like an animation, and the number of symbols is stored in the number of screens.

  7B includes a music number 514 and a plurality of elements 514, 516,..., 51m, and a data structure indicating the number of elements including the music number 514 as a screen number 512. It is. As is apparent from the figure, the difference from the scenario data 500 is that the music number 514 is added as an element parameter. The music number 514 is a number for designating a music program stored in the music processing circuit 222 and for playing music as BGM according to the music program. In accordance with the music number 514 thus designated, the BGM that matches the animation flows along with the display of the animation. Therefore, in addition to the pleasure of seeing the special symbol display device 122, the player can also enjoy the enjoyment of listening to BGM.

  Furthermore, the scenario data 520 shown in FIG. 7C is a data structure including a plurality of elements 524, 526,..., 52m, and indicating the number of these elements as the number of screens 522. The element 524 includes a symbol number 524a and a display period 524b. The element 526 includes a symbol number 526a and a display period 526b. Similarly, the element 52m includes a symbol number 52ma and a display period 52mb. The display period is a period (time interval) during which the symbol designated by the symbol number is displayed on the special symbol display device 122. By designating this display period, it is not necessary to repeatedly designate the same pattern (same picture). Therefore, the program amount (data amount) required for the animation display process can be suppressed.

  In the scenario data described above, the music number and the display period, which are element parameters, are configured as separate data structures, but may be configured as a data structure including elements obtained by combining these parameters. That is, scenario data consisting of a data structure having a plurality of such elements with [design number, music number, display period] as one element corresponds. In other words, it is a data structure in which the music number 514 is added to the number of screens 522 in the scenario data 520 of FIG. With this data structure, BGM can be played while changing the display period of one screen. Further, in the scenario data 510 and 520, a data structure may be configured with a pattern number described later as an element instead of the symbol number. Similarly, [pattern number, music number, display period] may be one element, and a data structure including a plurality of these elements may be configured. By specifying the pattern number instead of the symbol number, the animation is displayed while displaying a complicated screen (picture) on one screen, so that the fun (heavyness of the picture) is further improved.

  Furthermore, the reading of scenario data in step S10 is not limited to the configuration in which scenario data having the scenario number corresponding to the progress of the game is selected and read, but the scenario number corresponding to the probability switched by the probability switching means 30 is read. You may comprise so that scenario data may be selected and read. The probability switching means 30 is means for switching the probability of realizing a gaming state that gives a special benefit to the player (that is, the probability of “big hit”) at an appropriate time, such as in the case of “big hit”. is there. Since the scenario data is read according to the probability switched by the probability switching means 30, animation is displayed in different scenarios even in the same gaming state, so the player keeps looking at the special symbol display device 122. I will never get bored.

  Similarly, the scenario data read in step S10 includes the type of music by music number, the length of a period in which one screen is continuously displayed according to the display period, the symbol number, You may comprise so that the picture (symbol) displayed by a pattern number may be switched in various ways. Here, as the level of profit of the above-mentioned ball game machine, for example, in the ball game machine (pachinko game machine), when the game ball B wins a prize at the starting point for starting the special symbol display device 122, it is special after that. When the symbol displayed on the symbol display device 122 matches a predetermined symbol and becomes a “big hit”, when the game ball B wins a special area (winning slot 132 shown in FIG. 2), 160, a prize winning solenoid 166, a prize ball out detection switch 336, a prize ball payout prohibition switch 322, a frame detection switch 326, etc., and the level of profit in each state such as when the crime prevention unit 306 receives an abnormal signal. is there.

  As described above, by setting scenario data according to the gaming state and probability, various animations can be displayed on the screen of the special symbol display device 122. By displaying such animation, in addition to the pleasure of winning the game ball, the player is given the pleasure of watching the special symbol display device 122. Therefore, it is possible to keep the player interested without getting bored.

  Returning to FIG. 6, when the music number is designated in the scenario data read out in step S <b> 10, the CPU 230 sends this music number to the music processing circuit 222 and plays the BGM corresponding to the music number. (Step S12). After that, according to the symbol number designated by the scenario data, the corresponding symbol data is read from the ROM 224 and transferred to the frame memory 232 (step S14), and waits until the display period designated for the symbol transferred to the frame memory 232 elapses. (Step S16). Steps S14 and S16 are repeated by the number of elements specified by the scenario data (step S18). During this time, the display control circuit 234 executes screen display using the symbols transferred to the frame memory 232. Through these steps S14 to S16, the special symbol display device 122 displays an animation according to the scenario data.

  Next, a processing procedure when a plurality of symbols are combined and displayed on one screen and an animation is displayed will be described. In the animation process shown in FIG. 8, first, the CPU 230 reads the scenario data stored in the ROM 224 shown in FIG. 5 according to the gaming state (step S20), and a music number is designated for the read scenario data. If it is, the music number is sent to the music processing circuit 222, and the BGM corresponding to the music number is played (step S22). These steps are the same as steps S10 and S12 shown in FIG.

  Here, an example of the scenario data read in step S20 is shown in FIG. Scenario data 530 shown in FIG. 7D is a data structure including a plurality of elements 534, 536,..., 53 m and indicating the number of these elements as the number of screens 532. The element 534 is composed of a symbol number 534a and a pattern number 534b, the element 536 is composed of a symbol number 536a and a pattern number 536b, and the element 53m is similarly composed of a symbol number 53ma and a pattern number 53mb. Here, the pattern number is a unique number assigned to each combination pattern. This combination pattern is a data structure that designates a combination of a plurality of symbols, and will be described in detail later. By specifying this pattern number, a complex picture can be displayed on a single screen, such as a three-dimensional screen or a deep screen, increasing the fun of the animation display (heavyness of the picture). be able to.

  Then, the combination pattern stored in the ROM 224 shown in FIG. 5 is read according to the pattern number included in the scenario data read in step S20 (step S24). Here, the combination pattern will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. 9 and 10 are block diagrams showing nine examples of the configuration of the combination pattern.

  First, the combination pattern shown in FIG. 9 will be described. The combination pattern 600 shown in FIG. 9 (A) is a data structure composed of a plurality of symbol numbers 604, 606,..., 60n, and indicating the number of symbol numbers (that is, the number of elements) by the frame number 602. . That is, the frame number 602 stores the number of symbols to be synthesized and displayed. The combination patterns shown in FIG. 9 are all configured with the same number of elements, but may be configured with an arbitrary number of elements for each combination pattern. That is, each data structure is configured corresponding to the number of symbols that can be combined with the special symbol display device 122 and displayed on one screen, and the number of symbols is stored in the number of frames.

  Also, the combination pattern 610 shown in FIG. 9B is a data structure including a plurality of elements 614, 616,..., 61n, and indicating the number of these elements as the number of frames 612. The element 614 is composed of a symbol number 614a and a color number 614b, the element 616 is composed of a symbol number 616a and a color number 616b, and the element 61n is similarly composed of a symbol number 61na and a color number 61nb. The color number is a unique number assigned to each color according to the number of colors that can be developed by the special symbol display device 122. For example, it is a number (numerical value) such as “0” for black, “1” for blue, “2” for red, and “3” for purple.

  Further, the combination pattern 620 shown in FIG. 9C is a data structure including a plurality of elements 624, 626,..., 62n, and indicating the number of these elements as the number of frames 622. The element 624 includes a symbol number 624a and a vector value 624b. The element 626 includes a symbol number 626a and a vector value 626b. Similarly, the element 62n includes a symbol number 62na and a vector value 62nb. In the vector value, a direction for moving the symbol and a moving amount (for example, the number of dots) are designated. For example, when moving a symbol in the upper right (45 degrees) direction of the special symbol display device 122, a vector value [x = 1, y = 1] may be specified. Similarly, when the symbol is not moved (displayed at a fixed position), a vector value [x = 0, y = 0] may be designated.

  9D is a data structure including a plurality of elements 634, 636,..., 63n, and indicating the number of these elements as the number of frames 632. The combination pattern 630 illustrated in FIG. The element 634 is composed of a symbol number 634a and a priority order 634b, the element 636 is composed of a symbol number 636a and a priority order 636b, and the element 63n is similarly composed of a symbol number 63na and a priority order 63nb. In the priority order, the frame position from the front side when the symbols are combined and displayed is designated. That is, the symbol corresponding to the symbol number is transferred to the frame corresponding to the priority order on a one-to-one basis, synthesized, and displayed. For example, in the case where the numerical value “0” has the highest priority and the priority becomes lower as the position increases, the symbol designated with the numerical value “0” as the priority is displayed on the foreground surface, and the numerical value increases. As it appears on the background.

  Here, when a symbol has already been transferred to a frame corresponding to the priority order, the already transferred symbol is continuously displayed as it is unless the above-mentioned priority is designated by a new combination pattern. For example, if a symbol (number “7”) is transferred to the previous priority order x (frame number x), and if x is not specified for the priority order of the combination pattern to be specified thereafter, the symbol (number) transferred last time “7”) continues to be displayed.

  Then, the combination pattern 640 shown in FIG. 9E is a data structure including a plurality of elements 644, 646,..., 64n, and indicating the number of these elements as the number of frames 642. The element 644 is composed of a symbol number 644a and a coordinate value 644b, the element 646 is composed of a symbol number 646a and a coordinate value 646b, and the element 64n is similarly composed of a symbol number 64na and a coordinate value 64nb. In the coordinate value, the transfer start position in the frame for transferring the symbol is designated. The reason why the coordinate values are provided in this way is that the size of the symbol to be displayed may not match the size of the frame. That is, if a symbol having a size that does not match the size of the frame is transferred to the frame as it is, it is displayed at an unintended position on the screen. Therefore, by designating the position on the screen with the coordinate value, symbols of various sizes can be displayed at the desired position.

  Next, the combination pattern shown in FIG. 10 will be described. A combination pattern 650 shown in FIG. 10 (F) is a data structure including a plurality of elements 654, 656,..., 65n, and indicating the number of these elements as the number of frames 652. The element 654 includes a symbol number 654a and a rotation value 654b. The element 656 includes a symbol number 656a and a rotation value 656b. Similarly, the element 65n includes a symbol number 65na and a rotation value 65nb. In order to rotate (for example, counterclockwise) the symbol designated by the symbol number, a rotation center position (coordinates) and a rotation angle are designated as the rotation value.

  A combination pattern 660 shown in FIG. 10 (G) is a data structure including a plurality of elements 664, 666,..., 66n, and indicating the number of these elements as the number of frames 662. The element 664 is composed of a symbol number 664a and a scroll value 664b, the element 666 is composed of a symbol number 666a and a scroll value 666b, and the element 66n is similarly composed of a symbol number 66na and a scroll value 66nb. In the scroll value, a movement amount (for example, the number of dots to be moved upward in the screen) for designating the symbol in a predetermined direction on the screen of the special symbol display device 122 is designated.

  A combination pattern 670 shown in FIG. 10H is a data structure including a plurality of elements 674, 676,..., 67n, and indicating the number of these elements as the number of frames 672. The element 674 includes a symbol number 674a and a display period 674b. The element 676 includes a symbol number 676a and a display period 676b. Similarly, the element 67n includes a symbol number 67na and a display period 67nb. The display period is a period (time interval) during which the symbol designated by the symbol number is displayed on the special symbol display device 122. By designating this display period, it is possible to stop displaying symbols within the display period designated by the scenario data.

  The combination pattern 680 shown in FIG. 10 (I) is a data structure composed of a plurality of elements 684, 686,..., 68n and indicating the number of these elements as the number of frames 682. The element 684 includes a symbol number 684a and an enlargement / reduction value 684b, the element 686 includes a symbol number 686a and an enlargement / reduction value 686b, and the element 68n similarly includes a symbol number 68na and an enlargement / reduction value 68nb. The enlargement / reduction value specifies the enlargement / reduction center position (coordinates) and magnification in order to enlarge (or reduce) the design designated by the design number. For example, if the symbol corresponding to the combination pattern in which the magnification of the enlargement / reduction value is “1” is used as the background and the symbol corresponding to the combination pattern that sequentially changes the enlargement / reduction value is used as the foreground, the foreground symbol is displayed on the player side. Approach or move away. In other words, if the enlargement / reduction value is sequentially increased, the foreground symbol can approach the player side, and if the enlargement / reduction value is successively reduced, the foreground symbol can be displayed away from the player side. Therefore, since the symbols can be moved more realistically, the player can enjoy watching the special symbol display device 122.

  As described above, by setting a combination pattern of symbols suitable for the animation display process, a three-dimensional screen or a deep animation can be displayed on the screen of the special symbol display device 122. For this reason, in addition to the pleasure of winning the game ball, the player is given the pleasure of watching the special symbol display device 122, so that the player can be kept interested. In addition, by designating various values as element parameters (vector value, rotation value, scroll value, scaling value), symbols with various screen positions, orientations, and sizes using only one symbol data Can be displayed. Accordingly, it is not necessary to prepare various symbol data having different screen positions, orientations, and sizes, so that the amount of data necessary for displaying an animation can be reduced.

  In the above combination pattern, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the data of the color number, vector value, priority order, coordinate value, rotation value, scroll value, and enlargement / reduction value, which are element parameters, are different from each other. Although it is configured with a data structure, it may be configured with a data structure including elements obtained by arbitrarily combining these data. For example, a parameter [symbol number, color number, vector value] is a single element, and a combination pattern consisting of a data structure having a plurality of these elements specifies the color of the pattern and the moving direction of the pattern. Can do. Similarly, the parameter [symbol number, priority, coordinate value] is one element, and the combination pattern consisting of a data structure having a plurality of these elements specifies the display position of the symbol from the foreground, and within the frame. The display position of the symbol can also be specified.

In this way, various designations can be made with one data structure by combining target parameters as one element. That is, a combination of at least one parameter among each parameter {color number, vector value, priority order, coordinate value, rotation value, scroll value, display period, enlargement / reduction value} and a design number is used as one element. Good. There are a total of 255 such combinations, and examples of combinations other than those described above are shown below.
(1) [symbol number, color number, priority]
(2) [symbol number, color number, coordinate value],
(3) [symbol number, vector value, priority]
(4) [symbol number, vector value, coordinate value],
(5) [symbol number, color number, vector value, priority]
(6) [symbol number, color number, vector value, coordinate value],
(7) [symbol number, color number, priority, coordinate value],
(8) [symbol number, vector value, priority, coordinate value],
(9) [Design number, color number, vector value, priority, coordinate value]

  Returning to FIG. 8, after the step S24, a one-screen setting process is performed to display a combination of a plurality of symbols in accordance with the parameters of each element designated in the read combination pattern (step S26). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, an item setting process is performed (step S40), and the corresponding symbol data is read from the ROM 224 and transferred to the frame memory 232 according to the symbol number designated by the combination pattern (step S42). ). Steps S40 and S42 are repeated by the number of elements specified by the combination pattern (step S44). By this processing procedure, the special symbol display device 122 displays one screen according to the combination pattern.

  Further, in the item setting process in step S40, specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, first, the color of the symbol is set (step S50), the vector value for moving the symbol is set (step S52), and the symbol is transferred. The frame position to be set is set (step S54), the coordinates (transfer position) in the frame set in step S54 are set (step S56), the rotation value for rotating the symbol is set (step S58), and the symbol is scrolled. A scroll value is set (step S60), and an enlargement / reduction value for enlarging (or reducing) the symbol is set (step S62).

  In step S50, the color is set by palette control according to the color number. The pallet control will be briefly described below. The colors that can be displayed by the special symbol display device 122 are determined by the luminance levels of the primary colors of the three primary colors (red, blue, and green). For example, if 8-bit data is assigned to the luminance levels for the three primary colors, 83 = 512 colors can be displayed. However, in this case, since a huge amount of data is required even if only one screen is displayed, 1-bit data is assigned to each of the three primary colors, and 23 = 8 colors can be specified. Then, when the power is turned on or when the game state changes, the color to be displayed with respect to the color of the designated number is selected in advance from 512 colors in the above case, and consecutive numbers are assigned in ascending order. deep. Thereafter, the eight colors selected according to the color number are displayed. Such control for displaying a series of colors is called palette control. By this palette control, it is possible to select and use arbitrarily from among many colors even if the number of colors to be developed at the same time is small. Note that the number of bits of data assigned to the three primary colors and the luminance level is not limited to the above number of bits. That is, an appropriate number of bits may be set in accordance with the contents of the symbols displayed on the special symbol display device 122.

  Here, a specific example of symbols displayed on the special symbol display device 122 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. In FIG. 13A, the symbol 700 indicating the number “7” is displayed in the central portion of the screen of the special symbol display device 122 by the coordinate value setting in step S56 described above. If step S56 is not executed, it is displayed in the upper left part (symbol 702) of the screen. Hereinafter, the change from the position of the symbol 700 is shown below. Further, the symbol 700 is moved and displayed on the lower right portion (symbol 704) of the screen as shown in FIG. 13B by the vector value setting (for example, movement in the arrow D1 direction) in step S52.

  Similarly, when the rotation value is set in step S58 (for example, counterclockwise, that is, rotated 90 degrees in the direction of arrow D2), the symbol 700 is displayed horizontally (symbol 706) at the center of the screen as shown in FIG. 13C. Is done. Further, by setting the scroll value in step S60 (for example, movement in the direction of arrow D3), the symbol 700 is displayed while scrolling to the upper center (symbol 708) of the screen as shown in FIG. Then, by setting the enlargement / reduction value in step S62 (for example, enlargement to double in the vertical and horizontal directions), the design 700 is enlarged (design 710) at the center of the screen as shown in FIG.

  Then, if complex setting is performed, the symbol 700 is enlarged at the lower right portion of the screen as shown in FIG. The settings in this case are a vector value (movement in the direction of the arrow D1), a rotation value (rotation 45 degrees counterclockwise), and an enlargement / reduction value (enlarged twice vertically and horizontally). In this way, by performing complex settings, it is possible to display a more complicated symbol. On the other hand, since the original symbols required for display can be minimized, the storage capacity of the ROM 224 for storing symbols can be kept low.

  In addition, you may perform the process of step S50 thru | or step S62 shown in FIG. 12 changing the order to set to arbitrary orders. In this case, whether to execute each step is determined according to the element specified by the combination pattern. For example, since each element of the combination pattern 620 shown in FIG. 9C has only a vector value in addition to the symbol number, only step S52 is executed. Similarly, since each element of the combination pattern 540 shown in FIG. 9E has only a coordinate value in addition to the symbol number, only step S56 is executed.

  Moreover, you may abbreviate | omit as needed irrespective of the element designated with a combination pattern. That is, if step S50 is omitted, monochrome display is obtained, and if step S52 is omitted, the symbol is fixed without moving on the screen. Similarly, if step S54 is omitted, the frame with the highest priority is selected first, and the frames with the lower priority are selected thereafter. Further, if step S56 is omitted, the first coordinates (for example, the upper left coordinates on the screen) corresponding to the entire surface of the frame are designated. If step S58 is omitted, the symbol will not rotate. If step S60 is omitted, the symbol will not scroll. If step S62 is omitted, the symbol size will not change.

  Returning to FIG. 8 again, the image display processing in step S28 is repeated only within the display period specified by the scenario data (step S30). Thereafter, the above steps S24 to S30 are repeated by the number of elements specified by the scenario data (step S32). In this way, the symbols having the contents designated by the scenario data are continuously displayed on the special symbol display device 122 (that is, like an animation).

  Next, specific processing contents of the image display processing will be described with reference to FIG. First, a shift process for moving the symbol in accordance with the vector value set in step S52 shown in FIG. 12 (step S70), a rotation process for rotating the symbol in accordance with the rotation value set in step S58 (step S72), A scroll process for scrolling the symbol in accordance with the scroll value set in step S60 is performed (step S74), and an enlargement / reduction process for enlarging (or reducing) the symbol in accordance with the enlargement / reduction value set in step S62 (step S76). Note that the processing in these steps is performed for each frame.

  After that, all the frames to be displayed are scanned along the raster direction, and in the part where the symbols overlap, the symbols having higher priority than the symbols having lower priority are converted into image signals, and output to the special symbol display device 122. A scanning process is performed (step S78). Through this scanning process, the symbols with high priority are combined with priority so that the symbols are displayed in the foreground at the portion where the symbols overlap, and are displayed on the special symbol display device 122. That is, a symbol with a low priority is displayed in a state hidden behind a symbol with a high priority. In addition, you may comprise so that a symbol with a low priority may be superimposed on a symbol with a high priority. With this configuration, a more complicated screen display can be performed.

  Thus, by the execution of the image processing means 50, a symbol (or a symbol designated by a combination pattern) is read according to the scenario data stored in the ROM 224, and the read symbol is synthesized and converted into an image signal to be a special symbol. It is output to the display device 122. For this reason, an animation according to the scenario data is displayed on the special symbol display device 122. For example, FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 show examples of animations that introduce characters to be displayed on the special symbol display device 122 at the start of the game of the ball game machine 100. That is, while moving the character symbols 800, 802, and 804 in the left direction of the screen (in the direction of arrow D10), the process is performed from FIG. 16A through FIG. 16B to FIG. Then, the names and features are introduced in the order of the appearing characters in the order of FIG. 17 (A), FIG. 17 (B), and FIG. 17 (C).

  Similarly, FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 show examples of animations for notifying the player of the current gaming state in a state where a special benefit is given to the player (that is, a “big hit” state). That is, in FIG. 18, first, pieces of disjointed pieces appear on the special symbol display device 122 (FIG. 18A), and these pieces gradually gather to form a “big hit” character (FIG. 18B). The flying animation is developed [FIG. 18C]. In FIG. 19, a symbol 900 simulating a small earth appears in the center of the screen of the special symbol display device 122 (FIG. 19D), and this symbol 900 rotates in the direction of the arrow D20 in the same manner as the rotation of the earth. However, it gradually increases [FIG. 19 (E)]. After that, as shown in FIG. 19 (F), a special benefit is given to the player while changing the background etc. according to the number of game balls B won in the special area (winning slot 132 shown in FIG. 2). It continues during In the case of the figure, the number of game balls B won in the special area is displayed as a symbol 902 in the upper left part of the screen of the special symbol display device 122.

  In addition, when the game ball B wins the starting opening during the game and the symbol displayed on the special symbol display device 122 matches the predetermined symbol and becomes a “big hit”, the background of the special symbol display device 122 Displays a predetermined symbol on one side, and displays a symbol that changes every time the game ball B passes through the special region (winning slot 132 shown in FIG. 2) in the foreground of the special symbol display device 122. Such a display state is performed only during a period in which “big hit” is established. By performing the display control described above, it is possible to provide the player with a screen full of changes and display an animation that matches the gaming state, and to provide satisfaction with “big hit”. For this reason, in addition to the pleasure to win a game ball, the pleasure to see the special symbol display device 122 is given. Also, by specifying the music number in the scenario data, it is possible to play a BGM that matches the gaming state, so that the player can be interested without getting bored.

  Furthermore, since the color of the symbol changes on the screen of the special symbol display device 122 by the color setting (coloring process) in step S50 shown in FIG. 12, a screen having an impact according to the gaming state is given to the player. Can do. As another method for changing the color of the design, there is the following method. That is, a symbol that is displayed on the screen of the special symbol display device 122 and sets a state that gives a special benefit to the player is determined in advance. Then, in response to the probability obtained as a result of executing the probability switching means 30, the color of the symbol is changed on the screen of the special symbol display device 122 in the color setting (coloring process) in step S50 described above. . According to this configuration, the player can easily determine the state of the switched probability (that is, the current gaming state) only by looking at the type of color colored in the symbol.

  In addition, a configuration in which the color of the symbol displayed in the background (or foreground) according to the priority set in the combination pattern (data structure) is set in correspondence with the probability obtained as a result of executing the probability switching means 30. It is good. For example, when the probability of “big hit” is set high, the color of the symbol displayed on the background is changed to red. According to this configuration, there is no need to change the determination symbol or other decorative symbol for determining the “big hit” on the screen of the special symbol display device 122 according to the probability value, so that the internal processing is simplified and the probability state is You can quickly see what has changed.

  Although one embodiment of the ball game machine has been described above, the structure, shape, size, material, number, arrangement, operating conditions, etc. of other parts in this ball game machine are also limited to this embodiment. It is not something. For example, a color liquid crystal display device is applied to the display device 60 (specifically, the special symbol display device 122. The same applies hereinafter), but other displays capable of displaying symbols such as CRTs and LEDs. An apparatus may be applied.

  In addition, although the case of animation is applied as the continuous display based on the scenario data, for example, the game room guidance (character information) is displayed to the player, or the game method of the ball game machine 100 is displayed. As described above, the present invention can be applied even when information that cannot be displayed on one screen is continuously displayed. Similarly, every time the game ball B wins a predetermined winning slot from the start of the game of the ball game machine 100, for example, the contents are displayed on the display device 60 according to the outline of “Momotaro Monogatari”, and the demon eradication is performed. The continuous display may be performed by scenario data having a narrative so that it becomes a “big hit” at a stage. With this configuration, the player can enjoy the special symbol display device 122 in addition to the pleasure of winning the game ball.

  The scenario data is not limited to the data structure including the parameters of the elements shown in FIG. 7, but may be composed of a data structure including the parameters shown in FIGS. That is, a combination of at least one parameter among each parameter {music number, color number, vector value, coordinate value, rotation value, scroll value, enlargement / reduction value} and symbol number may be used as one element. Note that the {vector value, rotation value, scroll value, enlargement / reduction value} parameters are parameters for acting on the entire screen. For example, if you set a vector value, the entire screen moves in the direction set by the vector value, if you set a rotation value, the entire screen rotates in the direction set by the rotation value, and if you set a scroll value, the entire screen Scrolls in the direction set by the scroll value.

There are 126 combinations as described above, and examples of such combinations are shown below. Here, the case where the parameters are {music number, color number, vector value} and symbol number is shown.
(1) [symbol number, color number],
(2) [symbol number, music number, color number],
(3) [symbol number, vector value],
(4) [symbol number, music number, vector value],
(5) [symbol number, color number, vector value],
(6) [Design number, music number, color number, vector value]

  In addition, in the symbol data transfer process (step S14 shown in FIG. 6 and step S42 shown in FIG. 11), the symbol data stored in the ROM 224 is transferred to the display control circuit 234 as it is. When the compressed symbol data is read out and displayed on the special symbol display device 122 after being compressed in a predetermined format and stored in the ROM 224, the compressed symbol data is expanded (restored) and displayed. It may be configured to forward to H.234. In this configuration, by compressing the symbol data and storing it in the ROM 224, the capacity required to store the symbol data can be greatly reduced. For this reason, the required capacity of the ROM 224 can be reduced, and as a result, the cost of the ball game machine 100 can be kept low.

  Here, as a method for compressing the symbol data, an MR (Modified READ) method and an MMR (Modified Modified READ) method are desirable. In these methods, the first row is encoded by the MH method (modified Huffman: a method in which the continuous length of black or white generated one-dimensionally in the row direction is encoded shorter as the frequency of occurrence increases). Subsequently, the second and subsequent lines are encoded by the difference, the number of differential encoding lines (k) is limited, and encoding is performed by the MH method for each k-th line. For this reason, efficient compression (about 1/10 to 1/15 when k = 2, 4) can be expected. Therefore, the storage capacity of the memory can be greatly reduced. Similarly, encoding methods such as a run-length encoding method, an LZ (Lempel-Ziv) encoding method, an arithmetic encoding method, an LZSS encoding method, and an LZW (Lempel-Ziv-Welch) encoding method. The symbol data may be compressed by According to these encoding methods, a compression rate comparable to that of the MR method or the MMR method can be obtained. In addition, the symbol data may be compressed by another compression (encoding) method suitable for compressing symbol data (image data). For example, there are a Huffman method (a method for giving a short bit string to a pattern having a high appearance frequency), a continuous code compression method (a method for converting a continuous code to a short length), and the like.

  The symbol data is stored in the ROM 224, which is one of the symbol storage means 40. However, the symbol data can be changed by transferring (or developing) the symbol data from the ROM 224 to the RAM 226 in advance when the power is turned on or reset. When doing so, the symbol data may be transferred from the RAM 226 to the display control circuit 234. Generally, since the access time of the RAM 226 is faster than the access time of the ROM 224, the time required for transferring the symbol data to the display control circuit 234 can be shortened.

  The ball ball game machine of the embodiment described above is configured so that the symbols stored in the symbol storage means are sequentially displayed on the screen of the display device in accordance with the scenario data corresponding to the current gaming state. Along with the fun of playing, you can enjoy the fun of watching the symbols that change sequentially with each gaming state. Therefore, since the same symbol is not repeatedly displayed on the display device, the player does not get tired of watching the display device.

  As mentioned above, although the various Example of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to these Examples, and can take a various structure in the range which does not deviate from the meaning. In the embodiments, an example of a ball game machine has been shown, but the present invention can also be applied to display control of a revolving game machine.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the ball game machine of this invention. It is a front view which shows the external appearance of a bullet ball game machine. It is a back view which shows the external appearance of a bullet ball game machine. It is a wiring system diagram of a ball game machine. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a control part. It is a 1st flowchart which shows the process sequence for implementing this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of scenario data. It is a 2nd flowchart which shows the process sequence for implementing this invention. It is a 1st figure which shows an example of a combination pattern. It is a 2nd figure which shows an example of a combination pattern. It is a 3rd flowchart which shows the process sequence for implementing this invention. It is a 4th flowchart which shows the process sequence for implementing this invention. It is a 1st figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on a display apparatus. It is a 2nd figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on a display apparatus. It is a 5th flowchart which shows the process sequence for implementing this invention. It is a 3rd figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on a display apparatus. It is a 4th figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on a display apparatus. It is a 5th figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on a display apparatus. It is a 6th figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on a display apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Scenario memory | storage means 20 Pattern memory | storage means 30 Probability switching means 40 Symbol memory | storage means 50 Image processing means 60 Display apparatus

Claims (1)

A gaming machine provided with a display device for effect display according to the gaming state,
A plurality of symbol data for displaying symbols on the display device, each storing symbol data in a state that can be specified by unique identification information;
Scenario storage means for storing a plurality of scenario data for determining the order in which the symbols are displayed by an array of a plurality of the identification information;
According to the gaming state, any scenario data is selected from the scenario storage means, the symbol data corresponding to the identification information included in the scenario data is read from the symbol storage means, converted into an image signal, and the display device Image processing means for outputting to
Have
The scenario data is a gaming machine including information specifying a display period for continuously displaying the respective symbols.