JP4911695B2 - Bullet ball machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball game machine such as a pachinko game machine, and more particularly to a technique for controlling a movable accessory on a game board of the ball game machine.

  In recent years, various interesting pachinko machines have been developed, and the number of machines in which a mechanically acting production structure called a so-called movable accessory is provided on a game board surface or around a liquid crystal screen is increasing. While constantly pursuing innovative gameplay and production by each manufacturer, it is an attempt to realize not only the display contents on the LCD screen but also mechanical elements to achieve such novelty. is there. In fact, the use of mechanical elements has expanded the range of production in each stage.

In the development manufacturer, the person who develops the display contents in the liquid crystal screen and the person who develops the mechanical element can be clearly separated from each other due to the difference in the technical field, and the development can proceed separately. On the other hand, in order to achieve a unified performance for the entire gaming machine, it is necessary to achieve operational harmony such as linking the elements of both. When the display contents and mechanical elements are linked, the linkage is realized mainly by control by software.
JP 2006-158832 A

  While development of video and music can be created relatively freely within the scope of its output specifications, development of mechanical elements is often constrained by mechanical or electrical constraints. Particularly in recent years, the production has become enormous, and the tendency for the mechanical elements themselves to increase in size tends to come into contact with such mechanical or electrical constraints. However, it is more important to control the mechanical elements according to the production centered on the screen display, and the content of the screen display production is frequently changed and fine-tuned until the final stage of development. The content is not fixed, and the control of the mechanical elements may be forced to change whenever there is a change or adjustment of the production. From the current situation of development, it can be said that as a real problem, there is almost no room for program developers to consider that the control of mechanical elements does not touch various restrictions. For this reason, it has been strongly desired to realize a technique for efficiently developing production contents without touching restrictions.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a subject, The objective is to ensure the proper operation | movement of the movable accessory on the game board of a ball game machine.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a bullet ball game machine according to an aspect of the present invention is provided with a game board on which a game area is formed, a predetermined position in the game area, and a predetermined number of winning balls In accordance with a prize opening that is provided at a predetermined position in the game area, a movable accessory that is a device used for the production of the game according to its appearance and mode of operation, and an effect program in which the effect process is determined And an accessory control means for controlling the operation of the movable accessory in accordance with the progress of the game including the winning situation. The accessory control means regulates the control by the operation instruction from the effect program according to whether or not the operation instruction of the movable accessory by the effect program satisfies the operation condition regarding the operation timing of the movable accessory.

  Here, the “movable accessory” is a structure that is mechanically operated by, for example, electrical control, and is controlled in accordance with the progress of the game and the process of production. The “movable accessory” may be driven by a motor such as a stepping motor. The control is executed by a “production program” in which the process of production performed along with the progress of the game is defined, but the “production program” is formed in a form separate from the driver software that directly controls the motor. May be. In that case, the “production program” indirectly controls the “movable accessory” via the driver software that controls the motor. “Operating condition” is a condition mainly determined according to the specifications of “movable accessory”, for example, when there are electrical or structural restrictions or procedures such as “rest for 30 seconds after operating for 10 seconds”. Such restrictions and procedures are also included in the “operating conditions”. The control according to the “operation condition” may be performed by driver software or middleware independently of the control according to the “production program”.

  According to this aspect, even when the operation instruction of the movable accessory given by the effect program does not satisfy the operation condition, the control of the operation condition is appropriately performed by the accessory control means. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of malfunctions in the movable accessory and its drive mechanism, and it is possible to appropriately protect the gaming machine. Further, by providing such a protection function to the accessory control means, it is possible to ensure an appropriate operation without performing control in consideration of the operation condition of the movable accessory on the effect program. Therefore, the burden on the developer in developing the production program is reduced.

  In addition, the ball game machine may include a plurality of movable accessories as movable accessories. The accessory control means holds in advance conditions regarding whether or not a plurality of movable actors are allowed to operate in parallel in parallel as operation conditions related to the operation timing, and at least one of the plurality of movable actors operates simultaneously in parallel. The control based on the operation instruction from the effect program may be restricted according to whether or not the operation condition related to permission or disapproval is satisfied.

  The “operation condition” here refers to, for example, conditions related to operation timing for avoiding a shortage of drive power in electrically controlling a plurality of movable accessories, and mechanical interference between the plurality of movable accessories. The condition regarding the operation timing for avoiding may be sufficient. In this way, even when operating a plurality of movable accessories, the protection function of the accessory control means can prevent the occurrence of malfunctions in the movable accessory and its drive mechanism. Can be protected. In addition, by providing such a protection function to the accessory control means, it is possible to reduce the development burden of the production program. Especially when there are multiple movable objects, even if the production program is created without fully considering the relationship of each operation timing, interference can be avoided appropriately. Greater than.

  The accessory control means is a predetermined unit in which the instructed operation is intended to eliminate an operation failure even when control by an operation instruction from the effect program is to be controlled with respect to at least one of the plurality of movable accessories. In the case of the trial operation, restriction execution may be restricted.

  In this case, the “trial operation” means, for example, that an operation instruction in the reverse direction is once issued in the forward direction when an operation delay of a predetermined level or more occurs with respect to the operation instruction to the movable accessory. The control is such that an operation instruction is issued. This is an operation of trying to remove the obstacle by moving in the opposite direction when the movable accessory does not perform a desired action due to some obstacle. Identification information may be added to the operation instruction of the “trial operation” so that the accessory control means can recognize that it is the “trial operation”. As a result, regarding the operation instruction whose operation should not be restricted, it is possible to ensure proper execution and realize a smooth operation. In addition, it is possible to create a production program without special consideration for the security of such operations, and the development burden can be reduced.

  In order to restrict the control based on the operation instruction from the effect program, the accessory control means determines that the operation instruction related to at least one of the plurality of movable accessories corresponds to a predetermined discardable instruction. May be discarded. In addition to discarding the operation instruction, there is a method of waiting for the operation instruction and delaying the start of the operation. However, depending on the operation content, synchronization with the display screen content and sound of the display device is possible. There may be an operation instruction that is meaningless if it is delayed. In the case of such an operation instruction, by causing the instruction to be “discarded”, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of problems in production due to restrictions, and it is possible to realize appropriate control.

  The accessory control means may wait for the start of the operation of another movable accessory until the end of the operation of at least one of the plurality of movable accessories in order to restrict the control based on the operation instruction from the effect program. For example, in the case of an operation instruction that does not require much strictness at the timing of operation start or an operation instruction that should be executed reliably even after a delay, the operation must be executed while the operation start is delayed. By doing so, reliable execution can be ensured and problems in production can be avoided.

  In order to regulate the control based on the operation instruction from the effect program, the accessory control means follows other priorities for each operation instruction, and executes other operation instructions with higher priority while performing other operations. Control by an operation instruction may be regulated. Here, predetermined identification information may be added to each operation instruction so that the accessory control means can recognize the type of instruction. In this case, the accessory control means recognizes the type of the operation instruction with reference to the identification information, and determines the priority of the operation instruction according to a predetermined priority order for each type of operation instruction. While executing high-priority operation instructions, other operation instructions may be discarded or waited. As a result, if the type of operation instruction is clearly specified on the production program side, appropriate control will be performed on the accessory control means side under the priority according to the type, and the development program development burden will be reduced. It is reduced.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements, or the constituent elements and expressions of the present invention may be mutually replaced between methods, apparatuses, systems, computer programs, recording media storing computer programs, data structures, etc. This is effective as an embodiment of the present invention.

  According to the ball game machine of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the development burden for ensuring appropriate control of the movable accessory.

  FIG. 1 shows a basic structure on the front side of a pachinko gaming machine. Hereinafter, a so-called first type pachinko gaming machine, which is conventionally known as a bullet ball gaming machine, will be described as an example. The pachinko gaming machine 10 is mainly composed of a gaming machine frame and a gaming board. The gaming machine frame of the pachinko gaming machine 10 includes an outer frame 11, a front frame 12, a transparent plate 13, a door 14, an upper ball dish 15, a lower ball dish 16, and a launch handle 17. The outer frame 11 has an opening and is a frame for fixing the pachinko gaming machine 10 to a position where it should be installed. The front frame 12 is a frame body that aligns with the opening portion of the outer frame 11, and is attached to the outer frame 11 so as to be opened and closed by a hinge mechanism (not shown). The front frame 12 includes a mechanism for launching a game ball, a mechanism for detachably storing a game board, a mechanism for guiding or collecting the game ball, and the like.

  The transparent plate 13 is made of glass or the like and is supported by the door 14. The door 14 is attached to the front frame 12 so as to be openable and closable by a hinge mechanism (not shown). The upper ball tray 15 has mechanisms such as storage of game balls, delivery of game balls to the launch rail, and extraction of game balls to the lower ball tray 16. The lower ball tray 16 has a mechanism for storing and extracting game balls. A speaker 18 is provided between the upper ball tray 15 and the lower ball tray 16, and a sound effect corresponding to the gaming state is output.

  The game board 50 has an out port 58, a special symbol display device 61, an effect display device 60, and a start winning port (hereinafter referred to as “start port”) 62 on a game area 52 defined by the outer rail 54 and the inner rail 56. , A center ornament 64, a grand prize opening 66, an operation opening 68, and a general prize opening 72. Furthermore, in the game area 52, a plurality of mechanisms such as a game nail and a windmill (not shown) are installed. The start opening 62 includes a start winning detection device 74 for detecting the entrance of a game ball and a normal electric accessory solenoid 76 for expanding the normal electric accessory at the start opening. The start winning detection device 74 is a sensor that detects the entry of a game ball into the start port 62, and generates start win information indicating the winning at the time of entering. The general winning opening 72 includes a general winning detecting device 73 for detecting the entering of a game ball. The general winning detection device 73 is a sensor that detects the entry of a game ball into the general winning opening 72, and generates general winning information indicating the winning at the time of winning. The special winning opening 66 includes a winning detection device 78 for detecting the entry of a game ball and a special winning opening solenoid 80 for expanding the special winning opening 66. The winning detection device 78 is a sensor that detects the entry of a game ball into the big winning opening 66, and generates big winning opening winning information indicating the winning at the time of winning.

  The big winning opening 66 is a horizontal rectangular winning opening that is opened as a “big hit” when the special symbol 192 stops in a predetermined manner. The big winning opening 66 is provided above the out opening 58 and the like. The winning detection device 78 of the big winning opening 66 includes a sensor that detects passage of a game ball through a specific area and a sensor that detects passage of a general area.

  The special symbol display device 61 and the effect display device 60 provided substantially in the center of the game area 52 display the variation of the special symbol 192 and the variation of the effect image including the decorative symbol 190 linked to the special symbol 192 on each screen. (Hereinafter, such display is referred to as “symbol change” or “change display”). Here, the special symbol 192 is a symbol corresponding to the result of the lottery performed when the game ball is dropped into the start port 62, and the symbol mode when the change display is stopped is determined to be the winning symbol. When the symbol is a symbol, the timing at which the stop symbol is displayed is the jackpot occurrence timing. The special symbol display device 61 is display means composed of, for example, 7 segment LEDs. The effect display device 60 is a liquid crystal display that variably displays the decorative symbol 190 in a manner interlocked with the variation display of the special symbol 192. The decorative symbol 190 is a symbol for visually rendering the lottery result display indicated by the special symbol 192. The effect display device 60 displays, as the decorative symbol 190, for example, a plurality of rows of moving images of symbol variation simulating a slot machine game in the central area of the screen. The effect display device 60 is constituted by a liquid crystal display in this embodiment, but may be constituted by a mechanical rotating device such as a drum or other display means such as an LED. Since the special symbol 192 does not necessarily have a role of production, in this embodiment, the special symbol 192 is displayed in an inconspicuous size on the special symbol display device 61 at the lower left of the production display device 60. In the case of adopting a technique in which a decorative role is not displayed and a decorative symbol is not displayed, the special symbol may be displayed on a liquid crystal display such as the effect display device 60. The operation port 68 is provided at the left side position of the game board 50. The operation port 68 includes a passage detection device 69. The passage detection device 69 is a sensor that detects the passage of the game ball to the operation port 68, and generates passage information indicating the passage at the time of passage. The passing of the game ball to the operation port 68 triggers a lottery for expanding the start port 62. When the game ball passes through the operation port 68, a symbol called a normal symbol is variably displayed on the normal symbol display device 59 for a predetermined time. The normal symbol display device 59 is provided on the right side of the effect display device 60. When the normal symbol variation display is stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed, the start port 62 is normally expanded for a predetermined time with a probability of about 50% to 80%.

  A center ornament 64 is provided around the effect display device 60. The center decoration 64 has functions such as a flow path of the game ball, protection of the special symbol display device 61 and the effect display device 60, and decoration. The center decoration 64 is provided with a lottery holding lamp 20 at the upper part thereof and an operation holding lamp 22 at a left side part thereof. The lottery hold lamp 20 is composed of four lamps, and displays the number of lottery holds depending on the number of lights. The number of lottery holds is the number of lottery results won to the start port 62 during symbol variation or special game, and indicates the number of winning balls for which symbol variation has not yet been executed. The operation hold lamp 22 is also composed of four lamps, and displays the number of hold of normal symbol fluctuations depending on the number of lights. The number of normal symbol fluctuations held is the number of game balls that have passed through the operation port 68 during the fluctuation of the normal symbol, and indicates the number of normal symbol lotteries for which the fluctuation of the normal symbol has not yet been executed. In addition, a game effect lamp 90 is provided in the game area 52 and plays a role of production by blinking or the like. The operation button 82 is a button operated by the player to input a predetermined instruction on the gaming machine side. The operation button 82 is provided on the outer wall surface near the upper ball tray 15.

  On the right side of the effect display device 60, a rotary movable accessory 92 and a telescopic movable accessory 94 are provided as a plurality of movable accessories. The pivotable movable accessory 92 and the telescopic movable accessory 94 operate mainly in accordance with the display content and sound of the effect display device 60, and play a role in effect depending on the appearance and the mode of operation. The rotating movable accessory 92 rotates so that the long rod-shaped member is swung around in an arc, and the tip of the rod-shaped member is a part of the display content of the effect display device 60 when swung. And overlap. The telescopic movable accessory 94 appears to expand and contract the cylindrical member by repeatedly projecting and storing in the horizontal direction. In the projecting state, the telescopic movable accessory 94 also overlaps a part of the display content of the effect display device 60 in the protruding state. The rotary movable accessory 92 and the telescopic movable accessory 94 are driven by a motor such as a stepping motor (not shown).

  In this embodiment, when the rotation of the rod-shaped member of the rotating movable member 92 and the protrusion of the expanding and contracting member of the telescopic movable member 94 operate simultaneously, the tips of the respective members can mechanically interfere with each other. It is arranged like this. Accordingly, the operation condition is that the rotation-type movable accessory 92 and the telescopic-type movable accessory 94 are not operated simultaneously, and each control is internally regulated so that the operation condition is always satisfied. Further, in another embodiment, if the rotary movable accessory 92 and the telescopic movable accessory 94 are actuated at the same time, there is a risk that the power required for driving each may be insufficient. It is also possible to regulate each control on the assumption that the operation is not performed. In yet another embodiment, there is an operation condition relating to the operation timing such that after at least one of the rotary movable accessory 92 and the telescopic movable accessory 94 operates for a predetermined time, the operation must be stopped for a predetermined time. It is set, and each control may be regulated so that the operation condition is satisfied. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of malfunctions in the movable accessory and its drive mechanism, and it is possible to appropriately protect the gaming machine.

  When the player turns the launch handle 17 by hand, the game balls stored in the upper ball tray 15 are guided one by one to the inner rail 56 and the outer rail 54 with a strength corresponding to the turning angle, thereby playing the game area. To 52. When the player fixes the rotation position of the firing handle 17 by hand, the game ball is repeatedly fired at regular time intervals. The game ball launched to the upper part of the game area 52 falls in a direction according to the way of hitting while hitting a plurality of game nails and windmills. When a game ball is dropped into each of the general winning port 72, the start port 62, and the big winning port 66, the winning ball corresponding to the type of the winning port is paid out to the upper ball plate 15 or the lower ball plate 16. A game ball dropped into each winning hole such as the general winning hole 72 is processed as a safe ball, and a game ball dropped into the out hole 58 is processed as an out ball. Each winning opening includes a gate type through which a game ball passes. In this application, “incoming”, “entering”, and “winning” include “passing”.

  When the game ball falls into the start port 62, the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 are variably displayed on the special symbol display device 61 and the effect display device 60. The variable display of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 is stopped after the elapse of the display time determined prior to the display. When the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 at the time of the stop are symbols indicating a big hit, the game shifts to a special game that is more advantageous to the player than the normal game, and the opening / closing operation of the big prize opening 66 is started. At this time, the decorative pattern 190 simulating the game of the slot machine takes a display mode in which the three patterns are matched. In the special game, the grand prize winning slot 66 is temporarily closed after being opened for about 30 seconds or after 9 or more game balls are dropped. Such opening / closing of the big prize opening 66 is repeated a predetermined number of times, for example, 15 times.

  When a special game occurs and the winning stop symbol at that time is in a specific mode, the probability variation game and the variation shortening game are started as the specific game after the special game is finished. In the probability variation game, a lottery with a higher win probability than the normal probability state is performed, and a new special game is generated relatively early. During the execution of the fluctuation shortening game, the fluctuation display time of the normal symbol is shortened, and the time during which the start port 62 is opened is set relatively long.

  FIG. 2 shows a basic structure on the back side of the pachinko gaming machine. The power switch 40 is a switch for turning on / off the power of the pachinko gaming machine 10. The main board 102 controls the overall operation of the pachinko gaming machine 10 and processes all game operations such as a lottery when a winning is made to the start port 62. The sub-board 104 includes a liquid crystal unit 42 and controls the display contents on the effect display device 60 and the operations of the rotary-type movable accessory 92 and the telescopic-type movable accessory 94, and in particular displays according to the lottery result by the main substrate 102. The contents are changed, and the movable accessory is operated along the progress of the production. The main board 102 and the sub board 104 constitute a game control device 100. The set base 39 includes a prize ball tank 44, a flow path for prize balls, a payout unit 43 for delivering prize balls. The payout unit 43 pays out the game balls supplied from the winning ball tank 44 to the upper ball tray 15 in accordance with winning in each winning opening. The payout control board 45 controls the payout operation by the payout unit 43. The launching device 46 launches the stored balls in the upper ball tray 15 to the game area 52 one by one. The launch control board 47 controls the launch operation of the launch device 46. The power supply unit 48 supplies power to each part of the pachinko gaming machine 10.

  FIG. 3 shows functional blocks of the pachinko gaming machine 10 in this embodiment. In the pachinko gaming machine 10, the game control device 100 includes a start port 62, a big winning port 66, a general winning port 72, an operating port 68, a special symbol display device 61, an effect display device 60, a normal symbol display device 59, and operation buttons 82. The speaker 18 and the game effect lamp 90 are electrically connected to each other, and can transmit and receive various control signals. The game control apparatus 100 controls not only the basic operation of the game, but also staging operations such as symbol variation display and electrical decoration. The game control device 100 is configured in such a manner that functions are shared between a main board 102 that controls the overall operation of the pachinko gaming machine 10 including basic operations of the game, and a sub board 104 that controls design effects and the like. The game control device 100 is configured by hardware including elements such as a ROM and a RAM for storing data and programs, and a CPU used for arithmetic processing.

  In the present embodiment, the main board 102 is a ball determination unit 110, a winning / failing lottery unit 112, a symbol determination unit 114, a hold control unit 116, a main display control unit 118, a special game control unit 120, a specific game execution unit 122, and an opening / closing control. Means 124 are provided. The sub-board 104 in this embodiment includes a pattern storage unit 130, an effect determination unit 132, an effect display control unit 134, and an accessory control unit 136. Each functional block included in the main board 102 may be configured such that any one of the functional blocks is mounted on the sub board 104 instead of the main board 102. Similarly, each functional block included in the sub-board 104 may be configured such that any one of them is mounted on the main board 102 instead of the sub-board 104.

  The entrance determination means 110 determines whether or not a game ball has entered each winning opening. When receiving the start winning information, the winning determination means 110 determines that the game ball has won the start opening 62, and when receiving the big winning opening winning information, determines that the game ball has won the big winning opening 66, and the general winning is obtained. When the information is received, it is determined that the game ball has won the general winning opening 72. When receiving the passage information, the ball entering determination unit 110 determines that the game ball has passed through the operation port 68.

  The success / failure lottery means 112 accepts a random number value to determine whether or not to shift to a special game that is more advantageous to the player than the normal game when the game ball enters the start port 62. Get as a value. For example, the success / failure lottery value is acquired from a value range from “0” to “65535”. The “random number” in the present application may not be a mathematically generated random number, but may be a pseudo-random number generated by a hardware random number, a software random number, or the like. The success / failure lottery means 112 holds a plurality of success / failure tables to be referred to in the success / failure determination. In the plurality of success / failure tables, the determination result of winning or losing is associated with the winning / losing lottery value, and the success / failure probability is determined according to the associated winning range setting. The success / failure lottery means 112 refers to a success / failure table for determination of success / failure based on a normal probability in normal times, and refers to a success / failure table in which the winning probability is higher than the normal probability when the probability changes. The success / failure lottery means 112 refers to any of the plurality of success / failure tables and determines whether or not the success / failure lottery value is a win. The determination result by the success / failure lottery means 112 is variably displayed in a special symbol form on the special symbol display device 61. In addition, a decorative symbol that shows the determination result by the success / failure lottery means 112 in an effect manner is variably displayed on the effect display device 60.

  The symbol determining unit 114 determines the stop symbol and the variation pattern of the special symbol to be displayed on the special symbol display device 61 and the effect display device 60 according to the lottery result by the success / failure lottery unit 112. Moreover, the symbol determination means 114 determines the stop symbol of the normal symbol displayed on the normal symbol display device 59 by lottery. The stop symbol is a symbol to be displayed at the end of symbol variation. The symbol determination means 114 holds a symbol range table to be referred to in order to determine a special symbol or a normal symbol stop symbol, or a pattern determination table to be referred to in order to determine a variation pattern.

  The symbol determination means 114 acquires a symbol determination lottery value for determining a special symbol, and determines the stop symbol of the special symbol according to the determination result of the success / failure lottery means 112 and the symbol determination lottery value. The symbol determination unit 114 selects one of a plurality of variation patterns in accordance with the determination result of the success / failure lottery unit 112. The symbol determination unit 114 sends data indicating the determined stop symbol and variation pattern to the main display control unit 118 and the effect determination unit 132.

  The symbol determination means 114 stores a plurality of types of variation patterns in which variation modes from the variation start to the stop when the special symbol is variably displayed are defined. Multiple types of variation patterns have various variation times. That is, for each variation pattern, a variation display time is defined for each pattern as an end condition of the symbol variation, and the variation of the special symbol is stopped when the variation display time elapses.

  The symbol determining means 114 acquires a lottery random number for determining a normal symbol when the game ball passes through the operation port 68, and determines a stop symbol of the normal symbol according to the lottery random number. When the stop symbol of the normal symbol is a specific symbol, the opening / closing control means 124 expands the normal electric accessory at the start port 62 for a predetermined time.

  The hold control means 116 holds the winning / losing lottery value acquired by the winning / failing lottery means 112 as a holding ball. The success / failure lottery value is accumulated until the number of holds reaches a predetermined upper limit. The upper limit of the number of holds is 4.

  The main display control means 118 causes the special symbol display device 61 to display the lottery result by the success / failure lottery means 112 as a special symbol variation display according to the variation pattern determined by the symbol determination unit 114. The main display control means 118 transmits the change start command and the change stop command to the effect display control means 134 at the timing of starting and stopping the change display of the special symbol, so that the main display control means 118 and the effect display are displayed. The fluctuation display by the control means 134 is synchronized and interlocked. The main display control means 118 displays the normal symbol variation on the normal symbol display device 59.

  The special game control means 120 controls the execution process of the special game when the result of the lottery determination by the success / failure lottery means 112 is a win. The special game is a game in which the opening / closing operation of the special winning opening 66 is continuously continued a plurality of times, and is constituted by one or a plurality of unit games with one opening / closing as a unit. The unit game is repeated up to 15 times, for example, and the grand prize opening 66 is opened for about 30 seconds in one unit game. The special game control means 120 determines whether or not to continue the unit game, that is, whether or not to start the next unit game, based on the number of continuations of the unit game and the presence / absence of the passage detection of the special winning opening 66 to the specific area. Determine. If the continuation condition for starting the next unit game is not satisfied, or if the upper limit number of unit games is exhausted, the special game is terminated.

  The specific game execution means 122 controls the game in the probability variation state. The specific game executing means 122 shifts the game state after the special game to the probability variation state when the winning / failing lottery value is a value to be transferred to the specific game. In principle, the probability variation state is continued until the next jackpot occurs, and during that time, the probability of the hit determination by the success / failure lottery means 112 is maintained at a high value.

  The opening / closing control means 124 controls the opening / closing of the ordinary electric accessory at the start opening 62 and the special winning opening 66. When the normal symbol is stopped at a specific symbol, the opening / closing control unit 124 sends an opening instruction to the ordinary electric accessory solenoid 76 to open the start port 62. Further, the opening / closing control means 124 sends an opening instruction to the special winning opening solenoid 80 during the special game, and opens the special winning opening 66.

  The pattern storage unit 130 holds a plurality of variation pattern data as the variation pattern of the effect image including the decorative design. The effect determining unit 132 determines the stop symbol and the variation pattern of the decorative symbol in accordance with the result of the lottery by the success / failure lottery unit 112, according to the stop symbol of the special symbol and the variation pattern of the special symbol. The effect determining unit 132 holds a symbol range table to be referred to in order to determine a stop symbol of a decorative symbol and a pattern table to be referred to in order to determine a variation pattern.

  The stop symbol of the decorative symbol is formed as a combination of three symbols. For example, when the determination result by the success / failure lottery means 112 indicates a shift to a special game, three symbols such as “777” and “111” are arranged. A combination is selected. In this case, it is preferable that the same numbers as the special symbols are selected as the numbers arranged as the decorative symbols. For example, when the special symbol is “3”, the decorative symbol is “333”. In the case where the determination result by the success / failure lottery means 112 indicates that the game does not shift to the special game, a combination that does not have three symbols such as “312” and “946” is selected. However, if the determination result is that the game does not shift to a special game, and a variation pattern of a special symbol indicating a loss with reach is selected, only one such as “191” or “727” is selected. Select a combination that does not have the same pattern. The effect determining unit 132 sends information about the stop symbol of the decorative symbol and the variation pattern of the effect image to the effect display control unit 134.

  The variation pattern of the effect image defines the variation display mode of the effect image, that is, the effect process from the start of variation of the effect image to the stop of variation. In the fluctuation pattern, a pattern for displaying a normal out symbol, a pattern for displaying a symbol out of reach after reaching a big win if one more symbols are aligned, and a jackpot symbol through a reach state are displayed. When the pattern is included. In particular, the pattern that passes through the reach state includes patterns having various fluctuation times. Each variation pattern has a variation time for each pattern as an end condition of the symbol variation, and the symbol variation is stopped when the variation time elapses. The effect determining means 132 selects the variation pattern of the effect image having the same variation time as that of the special symbol according to the variation pattern of the special symbol.

  The effect display control means 134 displays the effect image on the effect display device 60 in accordance with the selected variation pattern data based on the result of the success / failure lottery performed by the success / failure lottery means 112. The effect display control means 134 further controls effect processing such as lighting and extinguishing of the game effect lamp 90 and sound output from the speaker 18.

  The winning combination control means 136 makes a winning situation for each winning opening such as the start opening 62 in accordance with a predetermined production program in which the production process is determined for each of the rotary movable accessory 92 and the telescopic movable accessory 94. Control is performed along with the progress of effect display by the effect display control means 134. Further, the accessory control means 136 determines whether or not the operation instruction of the movable accessory by the effect program satisfies the operation condition regarding the operation timing of the rotary movable accessory 92 or the telescopic movable accessory 94 from the effect program. The control by the operation instruction is regulated. An operation instruction that satisfies the operation condition is temporarily queued. The restriction process according to the operating condition may be realized in the form of driver software that controls the drive motor of the rotary movable accessory 92 and the drive motor of the telescopic movable accessory 94. The accessory control means 136 transmits a drive pulse to the drive motor of each movable accessory according to the operation instruction, and a pulse as an operation result from a sensor such as an encoder (not shown) provided in the drive motor of each movable accessory. Receive.

  The effect program includes an instruction for a clockwise rotation operation, an instruction for a counterclockwise rotation operation, an instruction for an extension operation of the telescopic movable accessory 94, and an instruction for a reduction operation. It is defined to be issued at the timing according to the trigger in each production process. In addition, the accessory control means 136 issues an instruction for trial operation of the rotary movable accessory 92 and the telescopic movable accessory 94 at a timing according to a predetermined trigger. In this trial operation, for example, when a movement delay of a predetermined level or more occurs with respect to an operation instruction to the movable accessory, an operation instruction in the reverse direction is once issued and then an operation instruction in the forward direction is issued. It is the control to put out. The accessory control means 136 detects an operation delay depending on whether a pulse corresponding to the drive pulse transmitted as the operation instruction is received from the pulse received from the drive motor of each movable accessory. In this way, when the movable accessory does not perform a desired operation due to some obstacle, it is tried whether the obstacle can be removed by moving in the reverse direction. Since such an operation instruction is not an instruction to be discarded, it is executed with a high priority and aims at appropriate protection of the gaming machine.

  In the present embodiment, the accessory control means 136 holds in advance a condition relating to whether or not the rotary movable accessory 92 and the telescopic movable accessory 94 are allowed to operate simultaneously in parallel as an operation condition related to the operation timing, Control based on an operation instruction from the effect program is restricted according to whether or not at least one of the rotary movable accessory 92 and the telescopic movable accessory 94 satisfies an operation condition regarding whether or not simultaneous parallel operation is permitted.

  The accessory control means 136 carries out operation restriction according to the type of operation instruction of the movable accessory. Each operation instruction is classified according to an operation regulation policy assumed in advance in the design stage. For example, the priority of execution for each type of operation instruction is defined in advance in the operation condition. When the operation instructions of each movable accessory are duplicated, the accessory control unit 136 preferentially executes an operation instruction having a higher priority as satisfying the operation condition in accordance with the priority for each type of operation instruction. . On the other hand, an operation instruction with a lower priority is assumed not to satisfy the operation condition, and is discarded while the control based on the operation instruction with a higher priority is executed, or the operation instruction is queued to wait for control. . When there are a plurality of operation instructions in the queue, the accessory control unit 136 executes the operation in preference to the operation instruction having a high priority.

  When the operation instruction corresponds to a predetermined discardable instruction, even if the operation instruction is issued from the effect program in a situation where the operation condition is not satisfied, the accessory control unit 136 discards the operation instruction. An operation instruction that can be discarded is an operation in which, for example, if the operation is delayed from a desired moment, the display content of the effect display device 60 and the coordination and consistency with other effect contents cannot be obtained. Therefore, the operation has an absolute meaning in the production. If this type of operation instruction is applicable, it is discarded without delay.

  On the other hand, when the instructed operation instruction corresponds to the instruction for the trial operation, the accessory control unit 136 does not discard the operation instruction. As the priority of the trial operation, “highest priority” may be set. As a result, a smooth game can be realized while ensuring proper execution of an operation instruction whose operation should not be restricted. In addition, it is possible for a developer to create a production program without special consideration of the security of such an operation, and the development burden can be reduced.

  When the operation instruction corresponds to a predetermined instruction that should not be discarded, even if the operation instruction is issued from the effect program in a situation where the operation condition is not satisfied, the accessory control means 136 queues the operation instruction and Wait for control. As an operation instruction that should not be discarded, for example, there is a low need to take cooperation and consistency with the display contents of the effect display device 60 and other effect contents, and there is no problem even if the operation is delayed to some extent, Alternatively, there is an operation that causes trouble in production if the operation is not performed even if it is delayed. In the case of such a type of operation instruction, the operation start by the operation instruction is put on standby until the control by another overlapping operation instruction is completed. In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which execution priorities are defined in advance as operation conditions for each type of operation instruction. In the modification, the effect program side designates information indicating the priority of processing for each operation instruction, and the accessory control means 136 recognizes the priority based on the designated information, and in the order according to the priority. The operation control may be executed.

  By causing the accessory control means to execute the protective functional control processing of the movable accessory as described above, an appropriate operation is ensured even if the control program does not bother to control the operating condition of the movable accessory. be able to. Therefore, the burden on the developer in developing the production program is reduced.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a basic operation process in the pachinko gaming machine. First, processing is performed when a game ball has won the start port 62, the general winning port 72, the big winning port 66, or when the game ball has passed through the operation port 68 (S10). (N in S12), control processing for normal games such as winning / failing lottery is executed (S14), and if a special game is in progress (Y in S12), control processing for special game is executed (S16), from S10 to S16 In step S18, prize ball payout corresponding to various winnings is processed.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing in detail the normal game control process of S14 in FIG. In the normal game control process, if the winning / losing lottery value is on hold (Y in S30) and the symbol variation is not being displayed (N in S32), the winning / losing lottery means 112 executes the determining process. (S34). In accordance with the determination result, the main display control means 118 starts changing display, transmits a change start command to the effect display control means 134, and the effect display control means 134 that receives the command displays the effect image according to the change pattern data. The fluctuation display is started (S36). If the winning or failing lottery value is not held in S30 (N in S30), the processing from S32 to S36 is skipped, and if the symbol variation is being displayed in S32 (Y in S32), S34 and S36 Is skipped. Subsequently, if the symbol variation display has already started (Y in S38), the symbol variation display process is executed (S40). If the symbol variation display has not started (N in S38), S40 is skipped. . Subsequently, a control process for the rotary movable accessory 92 and the telescopic movable accessory 94 is executed (S42).

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing in detail S42 in FIG. First, when there is an operation instruction newly issued by the effect program (Y in S44), if the operation instruction satisfies a predetermined operation condition (Y in S46), the control of the operation instruction is executed (Y) (S46). S48). If the operation instruction does not satisfy the operation condition in S46 (N in S46), if the operation instruction corresponds to a discardable type (Y in S50), the operation instruction is discarded (S54) and should not be discarded. If it corresponds to the type (N in S50), the operation instruction is put in a queue and waited (S52). If no operation instruction is issued in S44 (N in S44), the processing from S46 to S54 is skipped.

  Next, when there is an unexecuted operation instruction in the queue (Y in S56), an operation instruction with higher priority is selected from the queue (S58), and when the selected operation instruction satisfies the operation condition (S60) Y), the control is executed (S62), and when the operation condition is not satisfied (N in S60), S62 is skipped. In S56, if there is no unexecuted operation instruction in the queue (N in S56), S58 and subsequent steps are skipped.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing in detail S16 in FIG. First, if the big prize opening 66 has not been opened (N in S70), the production display control means 134 starts the special game production process (S72), and the open / close control means 124 opens the special prize opening 66 (S74). ). If the big winning opening 66 has been opened, S72 and S74 are skipped (Y in S70). When the predetermined opening time has elapsed since the grand prize opening 66 was opened (Y in S76), or the opening time has not elapsed (N in S76), there are nine or more game balls to the big winning opening 66 When the player has entered the ball (Y in S78), the opening / closing control means 124 closes the special winning opening 66 (S80). If the opening time has not elapsed (N in S76) and the number of balls entered into the grand prize winning opening 66 has not reached nine or more (N in S78), the processing after S80 is skipped and the flow of S16 Exit.

  If the number of rounds of the unit game has reached 15 after closing the special winning opening 66 in S80 (Y in S82), the effect display control means 134 ends the effect processing of the special game (S84), and the special game control means 120 ends the special game (S86). If the number of rounds has not reached 15 (N in S82), 1 is added to the number of rounds and the flow of S16 is terminated (S90).

  In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on the Example. This embodiment is merely an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention. is there.

  In the above embodiment, the description has been mainly made of the so-called first type pachinko gaming machine, but naturally it is not limited to such models, but other types of pachinko such as so-called second type and third type. You may implement | achieve by control of the movable accessory in a game machine. In the above-described embodiment, the control of the movable accessory during the normal game is mainly described as an example. However, the movable accessory may be realized as a configuration for controlling the movable accessory during the special game. In the embodiment, the movable movable object and the movable movable object are exemplified as the movable object, but the operation mode of the movable object is not limited to the rotational type and the telescopic type, and is different from these. Of course, you may.

It is a figure which shows the basic structure in the front side of a pachinko game machine. It is a figure which shows the basic structure in the back side of a pachinko game machine. It is a figure which shows the functional block of the pachinko game machine in a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows the basic operation | movement process in a pachinko game machine. It is a flowchart which shows in detail the normal game control process of S14 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows S42 in FIG. 5 in detail. It is a flowchart which shows S16 in FIG. 4 in detail.

Explanation of symbols

  10 Pachinko machines, 50 game boards, 52 game areas, 60 production display devices, 61 special symbol display devices, 62 start openings, 66 big prize openings, 90 game effect lamps, 92 rotary movable accessories, 94 telescopic movable An accessory, 100 a game control device, 136 an accessory control means;

Claims (5)

A game board in which a game area is formed;
A prize opening provided at a predetermined position in the game area, and a game ball entry triggers a predetermined number of prize balls;
A plurality of movable accessories, which are devices provided at predetermined positions in the game area and used to produce a game according to the appearance and operation of the game area;
In accordance with a production program in which a production process is defined, it is provided with an accessory control means for controlling operations of the plurality of movable accessories in accordance with the progress of the game including the winning situation at the winning opening,
The accessory control means regulates the control by the operation instruction from the effect program according to whether or not the operation instruction of the plurality of movable accessories by the effect program satisfies an operation condition related to the operation timing of the movable accessory. In addition, even if the control based on the operation instruction from the effect program is to be restricted regarding the operation of at least one of the plurality of movable accessories, the instructed operation is an obstacle to the predetermined operation of the movable accessory. A bullet ball game machine that restricts execution of the restriction in the case of a trial operation for operating in a forward direction after operating in a direction opposite to the predetermined operation for removal . The accessory control means holds in advance a condition relating to whether or not the plurality of movable accessories are allowed to operate simultaneously in parallel, as at least one of the plurality of movable accessories. 2. The ball game machine according to claim 1, wherein control according to an operation instruction from the effect program is restricted according to whether or not an operation condition related to whether or not simultaneous parallel operation is permitted. In the case where it is determined that the operation instruction relating to at least one of the plurality of movable accessories corresponds to a predetermined discardable instruction in order to restrict control by the operation instruction from the rendering program, The ball game machine according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein when the operation instruction is discarded and it is determined that the instruction corresponds to a predetermined instruction that is not discarded, the operation instruction is controlled without discarding the operation instruction . The said accessory control means makes the operation start of another movable accessory wait until the end of the operation of at least one of the plurality of movable accessories, in order to regulate the control by the operation instruction from the effect program. The bullet ball game machine according to claim 1 or 2 . In order to regulate the control based on the operation instruction from the effect program, the accessory control means follows the priority order determined in advance for each operation instruction, while executing the operation instruction with higher priority preferentially. ball-shooting game machine according to any one of to regulate the control by the operation instruction from claim 1, wherein 4.

Images