JP5376501B2 - Bullet ball machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sustain a player's expectation by devising a notification form of a present game state and improve the operating rate of a game machine. <P>SOLUTION: In a Pachinko game machine according to one embodiment, a performance display control means controls a symbol display device to variably display a plurality of symbols according to a variation pattern selected by a performance determination means, while controlling the symbol display device to display a plurality of types of marks for indicating a game state. The performance display control means suggests to the player as to whether the present game state is a specific game state or not by the display volume of a specific type of mark included in the plurality of types of marks. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball game machine such as a pachinko game machine, and more particularly to a technique for controlling screen display contents in a ball game machine.

  Conventionally, among the various ball game machines, a so-called first type pachinko game machine is used while changing a plurality of symbols in a display area such as a liquid crystal display provided substantially at the center of the game board. Display (hereinafter, such display is referred to as “symbol change” or “change display”). This gaming machine shifts to a special game called so-called jackpot where more prize balls can be obtained than a normal game when a combination of symbols when a plurality of rows of symbol variations are stopped becomes a specific mode. It is known as a thing (for example, refer patent document 1). The variable display of symbols in the display area is not only a variable display of multiple symbols, but the time of variable display is usually reduced in a state where it is a big hit if one more symbols are aligned, as in the so-called reach screen. For example, an effect is made to increase the player's expectation, such as making it longer. In addition, the player's expectation is enhanced by controlling the specific game such as the probability variation that changes the probability of transition to special games by giving the story to the variation display using characters on the image such as symbols Yes.

Since the next jackpot is likely to occur relatively early in the probability fluctuation state, it can be said that it is an opportunity to acquire a particularly large profit for the player, and it is not just a big jackpot, but whether the jackpot is accompanied by a probability fluctuation It has become a major concern for players. For many models, if the winning symbol hits with a specific symbol such as “7” or “3” or if it hits with an odd number of symbols, the specification shifts to probability variation, and so on. The standard which can grasp easily whether it shifts to the change is presented.
JP 2003-230714 A

  By the way, in recent years, although it is determined internally whether or not the jackpot with probability fluctuation when the jackpot occurs, the determination result is not notified to the player on the spot, and the game according to the determination result actually Some of them are notified as the current gaming state after shifting to the state. There are various types of notifications, such as clearly indicating the presence or absence of the transition to the probability variation state, or implicitly suggesting the presence or absence of the transition by displaying a specific effect. According to the latter, due to the uncertainty, it is easy to have a sense of expectation that the game has shifted to the probability fluctuation state, and it is easy to continue the player's willingness to play for a long time. The inventors can maintain the player's willingness to play and further improve the operating rate of the gaming machine by concentrating on the unprecedented effects on the gaming state notification format. I came up with an idea.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and its purpose is to maintain the player's expectation by devising the current game state notification format, thereby improving the operating rate of the gaming machine. It is in.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a ball game machine according to an aspect of the present invention is provided with a game board on which a game area is formed, and a predetermined position in the game area. A winning lottery means for executing a winning lottery for determining whether or not to shift to a special game that is more advantageous to the player than a normal game, triggered by entering the starting prize port, A symbol display device for variably displaying a plurality of symbols for indicating the result of the success / failure lottery, and a plurality of types of variation patterns in which a variation mode of the symbol is determined are stored in advance, and any one of the patterns depending on the result of the success / failure lottery A variation pattern determining means for selecting a variation pattern, a special game control means for executing a special game that is more advantageous to the player than a normal game, based on the fact that the result of the lottery was successful, and a special game For later normal games When the predetermined transition condition is satisfied, the specific game execution means for shifting the game state to a specific game state that is more advantageous to the player than the normal state, and a plurality of symbols according to the selected variation pattern While the display device is displayed in a variable manner, a plurality of types of symbols for displaying the gaming state are displayed on the symbol display device, and the current gaming state is identified by the amount of the specific type of symbols included in the plurality of types of symbols. Determining the amount to display a specific type of picture using different criteria depending on whether or not the current gaming state is a specific gaming state and the effect display control means that suggests to the player whether or not it is in a gaming state Production determining means.

  The “plurality of symbols” referred to here may indicate the result of the lottery determination by a combination of the plurality of stop symbols. Each symbol may include a plurality of symbol candidates that are cyclically displayed due to the variation, and each of the symbol candidates may be a stop symbol. Further, the “picture” may be provided in association with the design (design candidate). In that case, the correspondence between the design and the picture does not need to be fixed, and may change according to the contents of the effect suggesting whether or not the game state is a specific game state. Also, the pattern may determine attributes such as the color and shape of the entire pattern or a specific portion. And a specific kind of pattern may change the attribute of a normal pattern. The “specific game state” may be a probability variation state in which the probability of transition to a special game becomes a game state higher than the normal state. The “amount” may be a ratio of a specific type of pattern among a plurality of types of displayed patterns, or may simply be the display number (absolute number) of a specific type of pattern. The “different criterion” may be a selection criterion for a plurality of tables set so that the amount of displaying a specific type of pattern is different.

  According to this aspect, the amount of the specific type of pattern displayed on the symbol display device basically differs depending on whether or not the current gaming state is the specific gaming state. For this reason, the player can estimate whether or not the current gaming state is the specific gaming state by grasping the amount of the particular type of pattern. The player's interest is enhanced because the expectation is given in an unprecedented way, not the design itself indicating the result of the lottery, but the amount of a specific type of design that is additionally displayed on the design. As a result, the gaming motivation can be maintained for a long time and the operating rate of the gaming machine can be improved.

  Specifically, the design is a partial image included in each of the plurality of designs, and the specific type of design is a different type of design from the normal design used for normal design variation. Whether or not to switch to a specific screen that displays a specific type of pattern in an arrangement in which the amount of display of the specific type of pattern can be visually recognized is included as a partial image in at least one of the plurality of symbols by switching May be determined based on a predetermined switching condition, and the effect display control means may display a specific type of pattern in an array when switching to a specific screen is determined.

  The “switching” here may be a partial replacement of the normal pattern included in the symbol with a specific type of symbol. Alternatively, a plurality of symbols having different numbers including a specific type of pattern may be prepared in advance and replaced. Or you may change the combination of the design without a design, and a normal design or a specific kind of design. The “visible array” may be an array that can visually recognize a series of pictures constituting the array, and may be an array that is sequentially displayed so that the series of pictures goes around. The arrangement may be such that the pattern can be overlooked.

  According to this aspect, even in a normal symbol variation, a normal symbol associated in advance as a partial image of each symbol is displayed, but when switched to a specific screen, at least a part of the normal symbol is a specific type of symbol Can be switched to. The presence / absence and the amount of switching to the specific type of pattern can be grasped by the pattern arrangement visually recognized on the specific screen. In other words, the player's expectation is first determined by whether or not a specific screen is displayed. When the specific screen is displayed, the player's expectation is further determined by whether or not the amount of a specific type of pattern is larger or smaller. Such staged resentment will further enhance the player's expectation and interest.

  If the result of the lottery is a specific win, or a pseudo continuous variation pattern that displays multiple symbol variations by displaying the symbol variation display temporarily stopped as a variation pattern When the determining unit selects, the effect determining unit may determine switching to a specific screen on which a specific type of pattern is displayed.

  The “specific win” mentioned here includes, for example, a unit game that includes a plurality of unit games with a special winning opening provided at a predetermined position in the game area as a special game, but the number of times that the unit game is set is a normal game It may be a special hit to shift to fewer special special games. Alternatively, it may be a small hit that is shifted to a small hit game that is a unit game with the opening of a big winning opening. The “pseudo continuous variation pattern” does not necessarily have to be linked to a special game, and may be a variation pattern that is more easily selected than when it is out of the winning lottery result. In addition, the occurrence of a specific hit or selection of a pseudo continuous variation pattern is set as a condition for switching to a specific screen, but switching to a specific screen is performed at any timing of the symbol variation process corresponding to those variation patterns. It only has to be done.

  According to this aspect, since there are a plurality of occasions for deciding to switch to a specific screen, and the result of the winning / failing lottery can be included in the occasion, the frequency of appearance of the suggestive effect on the specific screen is extremely high. It becomes possible to prevent lowering and to design the appearance frequency appropriately. In other words, if the result of winning or rejecting the lottery is a chance to switch to a specific screen, there is a possibility that the occurrence frequency of the suggestion will be extremely low because there is usually a certain restriction on the probability of winning. is there. However, in this aspect, the appearance frequency can be secured above a certain level by including the selection of the pseudo continuous variation pattern that can be selected even if the result of the lottery determination is out of place. Also, if you make it correspond to the delimitation of the effect contents of the suggestive effect, such as the display timing of the specific screen, such as the interval between the pseudo multiple variations in the pseudo continuous variation pattern, the display of the variation of the symbol and the effect display It is also possible to maintain good consistency.

  The variation pattern determination means selects a specific variation pattern that suggests a specific winning pattern as a variation pattern when the result of the lottery is a specific hit, and an effect displayed by the specific variation pattern The content may have a portion in common with the effect content displayed by the pseudo continuous variation pattern.

  According to this aspect, the effect based on the specific variation pattern due to the specific hit and the effect based on the pseudo continuous variation pattern are common to the intermediate stage of the effect process. For this reason, it is possible to adjust the appearance frequency described above at the design stage for the common effect portion. In addition, even if the result of the lottery determination or the variation pattern lottery differs, the pattern data for the effect can be shared for the common effect part, which is preferable from the viewpoint of design efficiency of the effect and reduction of the data capacity.

  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 maintain the player's expectation by devising the current game state notification format, thereby improving the operating rate of the game machine.

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 a mechanism for storing game balls, sending out the game balls to the launch rail, and extracting the 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 port 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 expanding mechanism of the start port 62. When the expansion mechanism of the start port 62 is expanded, the opening width of the start port 62 is expanded and the ease of entering the ball is improved. 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 the passage of a game ball.

  The special symbol display device 61 provided on the left side of the game area 52 and the effect display device 60 provided in the approximate center of the game area 52 have a variation of the special symbol 192 on each screen and a decoration linked to the special symbol 192. The variation of the effect image including the symbol 190 is displayed (hereinafter, such display is referred to as “symbol variation” or “variation 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 passage of the game ball to the operation port 68 triggers an open lottery for determining whether or not to expand the expansion mechanism of the start port 62. When the game ball passes through the operation port 68, a normal symbol, which is a symbol indicating the result of the open lottery, is variably displayed on the normal symbol display device 59. The normal symbol display device 59 is provided on the lower right side of the effect display device 60. When the normal symbol fluctuation display stops after the lapse of the predetermined time, the start port 62 is normally expanded for a predetermined time with a probability of about 10%.

  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. A lottery hold lamp 20 is provided below the effect display device 60, and an operation hold lamp 22 is provided below the normal symbol display device 59 at the lower right of the game area 52, which is a symmetrical position. . 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. Furthermore, game effect lamps 90 are respectively provided above and below the effect display device 60. The operation button 82 is a button that the player operates to input a predetermined instruction to the gaming machine. The operation button 82 is provided on the outer wall surface near the upper ball tray 15.

  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 nine or more game balls are dropped.

  The special game is a game in which the unit game in which the big prize opening 66 is opened is repeated a plurality of times, and the special game in which the unit game is repeated 15 times, which is the maximum number of times, and the unit game is repeated only twice, which is the minimum number of times. There is special game. In the case of a special game where 15 unit games are repeated (hereinafter also referred to as “15R jackpot” as appropriate), when the big prize opening 66 is opened for about 30 seconds or when 9 or more game balls are dropped Once closed, one unit game is completed. In the case of a special game in which two unit games are repeated (hereinafter also referred to as “2R jackpot” as appropriate), the big prize opening 66 is closed once for about 0.2 seconds, so that one unit game is closed. Ends.

  When the special symbol 192 at the time of the stop is a predetermined small hit mode, the game shifts to a small hit game constituted by one unit game, and the opening / closing operation of the big prize opening 66 is executed. In a single unit game that constitutes a small hit game, the big prize opening 66 repeats the opening for about 0.2 seconds twice, so that the appearance is the same as the 2R big hit.

In the normal game after the end of the special game, a variable time shortening game (hereinafter referred to as “time reduction” as appropriate) that is one of the specific games is started. In the variation time shortening game, the variation time of the special symbol and the decorative symbol is shortened from the normal time. The variation time of the special symbol and the decorative symbol is returned to the original variation time after the variation display of a predetermined variation number is performed. When a special game occurs and the winning stop pattern at that time is in a specific mode, a probability variation game (hereinafter referred to as “probability change” as appropriate) that is one of the specific games after the special game ends Be started. In the probability variation state, a lottery with a higher win probability than the normal probability state is performed, and a new special game is generated relatively early. The probability variation state is continued until the special symbol 192 is a big hit. The time saving is continued until the total of the variable display of the special symbol 192 reaches a predetermined number of end conditions, for example, 100 times. During the time reduction, the variation time of the special symbol 192 is substantially shortened.
In addition, during the time of probability change and time reduction, the fluctuation time of the normal symbol is generally shortened (fluctuation time reduction function). At that time, the winning probability of the normal symbol (probability of opening lottery of the starting port 62) is increased to about 90% (probability variation function), the starting port 62 is almost certainly expanded, and the opening time is also extended from the normal state. (Open extension function). The fluctuation time reduction function is activated when a 2R jackpot occurs during the probability change and during the short time. However, even if a 2R jackpot occurs during normal conditions other than during the probability change and during the time reduction, such a fluctuation time reduction is achieved. The function does not work. By doing so, when a 2R big hit or small hit occurs in the normal state, it is possible to create a state in which it is not known whether the current gaming state is a probable change state or a normal state, The production effect comes to be demonstrated effectively.

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 the liquid crystal unit 42 and controls display contents on the effect display device 60, operations of the plurality of movable objects 140, and lighting of the game effect lamp 90, and in particular, display contents according to the lottery result by the main board 102. And the lighting of the movable accessory 140 and the game effect lamp 90 is activated along with the progress of the production. The main board 102 and the sub board 104 constitute a game control device 100. The set substrate 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, the game effect lamp 90, and the movable accessory 140 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 the staging operations such as the symbol variation display, the movable accessory 140, and the electric 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 variation pattern determination unit 115, a hold control unit 116, a main display control unit 118, a special game control unit 120, a specific game. An execution unit 122 and an opening / closing control unit 124 are provided. The sub-board 104 in the present embodiment includes a pattern storage unit 130, a design mode determination unit 131, 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.

  However, since data transmission / reception between the main board 102 and the sub board 104 is unidirectional from the main board 102 to the sub board 104, each operation is performed so that the entire operation is realized by such data transmission / reception in one direction. The configuration is arranged on the main board 102 and the sub board 104. In this way, since the unidirectionality of data transmission from the main board 102 to the sub board 104 is maintained, data cannot be transmitted from the configuration included in the sub board 104 to the configuration included in the main board 102. It is not possible to request data transmission. Therefore, the information generated on the main board 102 cannot be referred to from the sub board 104 unless the main board 102 unilaterally transmits the information to 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 determination means 114 determines the stop symbol of the special symbol to be displayed on the special symbol display device 61 according to the lottery result by the success / failure lottery means 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.

  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 sends data indicating the determined stop symbol to the main display control unit 118, the symbol mode determination unit 131, and the effect determination unit 132.

  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 variation pattern determination means 115 selects any variation pattern from a plurality of types of variation patterns according to the result of the success / failure lottery. The variation pattern determining means 115 holds a pattern selection table to be referred to in order to determine the variation pattern. The symbol determination unit 114 sends data indicating the determined variation pattern to the main display control unit 118, the symbol mode determination unit 131, and the effect determination unit 132. The variation pattern determining means 115 stores a plurality of types of variation patterns in which variation modes from variation start to stop when variably displaying special symbols are defined. The plurality of types of variation patterns are defined on the assumption that there are various variation times of short and long, and that symbol variation is also executed by a decorative symbol composed of a plurality of symbols in the variation time. In 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 and the decorative symbol is stopped when the variation display time elapses. The variation pattern includes a pseudo continuous variation pattern with a plurality of pseudo temporary variations of the decorative symbol 190 for one main variation of the special symbol 192. Details thereof will be described later.

  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 fluctuation display according to the fluctuation pattern determined by the fluctuation pattern determination means 115. 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 performed a plurality of times, and is configured by a plurality of unit games with one opening / closing as a unit. As described above, special games include 15R jackpots that repeat unit games 15 times and 2R jackpots that repeat short unit games only twice. The special game control means 120 starts the next unit game after the end of the current unit game if the number of continuations of the unit game has not reached the upper limit number (final round). When the upper limit number of unit games is exhausted, the special game is terminated.

  The specific game execution means 122 executes control for shifting the game state from the normal state to the specific game state, and control for returning the specific game state to the normal state. The specific game in the present embodiment has a probability change in which the winning probability of the winning / failing lottery is switched from a normal probability state to a high probability state, and a short time in which the symbol variation time is switched from a normal time to a short time.

  The specific game executing means 122 shifts the gaming state after the special game to the probability changing state when the winning / failing lottery value is a value to be shifted to the probability changing state. The probability variation state is continued until the next jackpot is generated in principle, and during that time, the probability of the hit determination by the success / failure lottery means 112 is maintained at a high value. In addition, the specific game executing means 122 shifts the game state to the time-shortened state after the special game regardless of the winning lottery value. The short time is continued until the number of changes in the special symbol after the special game reaches a predetermined number, for example, 100 times.

  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 means 130 holds a plurality of effect patterns in which effect image contents to be displayed on the effect display device 60 in the variation of the decorative design 190 and the display process thereof are determined. The effect pattern is displayed separately from a plurality of variation effect patterns in which the variation process from the variation start to the stop in the variation display of the decoration symbol 190 and the effect process are defined, and the variation display of the decoration symbol, and the degree of expectation to the jackpot And a plurality of notice effect patterns suggesting the height of the notice.

  The effect determining unit 132 determines the variation effect pattern according to the result of the success / failure lottery by the success / failure lottery unit 112, according to the stop symbol of the special symbol and the variation pattern (variation time value) of the special symbol. The effect determining means 132 holds a pattern table to be referred to in order to determine the variation effect pattern, and selects a variation effect pattern having a display time equal to the variation time of the special symbol. The effect determining unit 132 sends information on the determined variation effect pattern and the notice effect pattern to the effect display control unit 134.

  In the variation effect pattern, a pattern for displaying a normal out-of-order symbol combination and a out-of-combination symbol combination (also referred to as “out-of-line symbol combination”) are displayed through a reach state that is a big win if one more symbols are aligned. And a pattern for displaying a jackpot symbol combination (also referred to as a “hit symbol combination”) through the reach state. In particular, the pattern that passes through the reach state includes patterns having various fluctuation times. For example, reach reach patterns such as normal reach that does not involve development in production such as background switching, and super reach that enhances reliability for jackpots, including development in production by producing a story with a specific character, etc. . Each variation effect 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 unit 132 selects a variation effect pattern of the effect image having the same variation time according to the variation pattern of the special symbol.

  In the variation production pattern of the present embodiment, the variation process and the production are performed in such a manner that the variation of the decorative symbol 190 displayed for the result of one lottery lottery is displayed as a plurality of times in appearance. A pseudo continuous variation pattern with a defined process is included. The symbol variation due to the quasi-continuous variation pattern has a relatively long variation time to the extent that a plurality of symbol variations are included. In the present embodiment, a pattern including four pseudo fluctuations is prepared as a pseudo continuous fluctuation pattern, and a specific effect is displayed in accordance with the symbol fluctuation. This specific effect is set as a suggestion effect that suggests whether or not the current gaming state is a probable change state, and details thereof will be described later.

  The symbol form determining means 131 determines the combination and arrangement of the stop symbols of the decorative symbols in accordance with the result of the lottery by the pass / fail lottery means 112, the special symbol stop symbol, the special symbol variation pattern, and the decorative symbol variation effect pattern. To do. The symbol form determination unit 131 transmits information indicating the determined combination of stop symbols to the effect display control unit 134. The symbol form determining means 131 holds a symbol range table to be referred to in order to determine the stop symbol of the decorative symbol.

  The stop symbol of the decorative symbol 190 is formed as a combination of three symbols. For example, when the determination result of the success / failure lottery means 112 indicates a transition to a special game of 15R jackpot, a specific combination such as “777” or “ A combination of three symbols such as “111” is selected. In this case, it is preferable that the same number as the special symbol 192 is selected as the number to be arranged as the decorative symbol 190. For example, when the special symbol 192 is “7”, the decorative symbol 190 is “777”. Or you may make it show the jackpot also by the combination of the symbol in which the specific symbol which shows that it is a hit at least one of three symbols is included. A specific combination, for example, a predetermined combination such as “357”, is selected even when the result of the determination is a 2R big hit or a small win, but the specific combination is not necessarily a combination of three symbols. It does not have to be. When the determination result is neither big hit nor small hit, it is a combination that does not have three symbols such as “312” and “946”, and is a specific combination selected at the time of 2R big hit or small hit. A combination that does not apply is selected. When the determination result is not 15R big hit, and a variation pattern showing a loss with reach is selected, a combination with only one symbol such as “191” or “727” is selected. . The effect determination unit 132 sends the stop symbol combination of the decorative symbol 190 and the variation effect pattern data of the decorative symbol to the effect display control unit 134.

  The notice effect pattern is an effect pattern for temporarily displaying an image, animation, video, or the like of a specific character or motif, or an effect pattern for outputting a specific sound. The effect by the notice effect pattern is executed in parallel with the symbol variation, and suggests in advance that the symbol variation is highly expected to stop in the big hit mode. For example, there are a normal notice effect in which only one character image is displayed on the screen, and a group notice effect in which a large number of characters are displayed so as to pass from one end to the other end of the screen. Further, the display process of the notice effect is divided into a plurality of stages, and the number of stages to be displayed is variable, and a step-up notice effect that is set such that the higher the number of stages is, the higher the expectation for the big hit is included.

  The notice effect pattern includes a pattern in which the effect is executed at a timing after the display form of the decorative symbol 190 reaches the reach state and the final stop state of the symbol is notified, and no decorative symbol 190 is stopped. There is a pattern in which the performance is executed at the timing and the reach is reached at the same time.

  The effect determining means 132 determines whether or not to display the notice effect on the effect display device 60 according to the result of the lottery determination, and determines the notice effect pattern to be displayed. The effect determining means 132 holds a notice determination table that should be referred to in order to determine whether or not to display the notice effect, and a notice type table that should be referred to when selecting the type of the notice effect pattern. The notice decision table is set so that different columns are referred to depending on the result of the lottery, and if the lottery is a win, the notice lottery will be displayed with a higher probability than if it was missed. Correspondence between whether to display the result and the notice effect is determined. Thereby, the high expectation degree to the jackpot can be suggested by displaying the notice effect itself.

  The effect display control means 134 displays the effect image including the decorative pattern on the effect display device 60 according to the selected change effect pattern data as a result of the success / failure lottery by the success / failure lottery means 112.

  The effect display control means 134 causes the effect display device 60 to display the notice effect according to the selected notice effect pattern when the effect determining means 132 determines to display the notice effect. 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.

  In accordance with the instruction received from the effect display control means 134, the accessory control means 136 causes the movable accessory 140 to act in an effect manner in accordance with the effect contents in the effect display device 60 and the blinking process of the game effect lamp 90.

Next, specific contents of the special effect and the specific effect will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a screen example of a special effect displayed when a specific variation pattern is selected. FIGS. 4A to 4C show the production process that can be displayed in the first half of the special production. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a pattern added to each symbol constituting the decorative symbol 190. The figure (a) shows the normal picture used by the normal design fluctuation, (b) shows the specific picture used in the specific effect, (c) shows an example of the picture that can be displayed by the normal design fluctuation, (D) has shown the relationship between the number of specific pictures and the expectation degree of state suggestion production. 6 and 7 are diagrams showing screen examples in the production process when the special production is shifted to the specific production. (A)-(c) of each figure has shown the production process of the specific production.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in the display area 194 of the effect display device 60, the decorative symbol 190 is variably displayed in the substantially central region, and the decorative symbol 190 is superimposed on the variable display. Various effect images such as a notice effect are displayed. The decorative symbol 190 includes three symbols, a left symbol 201, a central symbol 202, and a right symbol 203, which are displayed side by side. Each symbol is displayed as a part of a virtual symbol sequence in which eight stop symbol candidates composed of numbers “1” to “8” are continuously arranged. Each pattern includes a pattern 205 representing a human face as a partial image, and is displayed so as to be lined up on a number in this embodiment. The pattern 205 has a notice-rendering role that suggests the result of the lottery and a notification-rendering role that suggests whether or not the current gaming state is a probable change state.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, in this embodiment, four types of normal patterns 206, 207, 208, and 209 are provided as the patterns 205 used for normal pattern fluctuations. Each normal pattern is set so that the expected degree of jackpot may be different from each other when it is stopped and displayed, but a detailed description thereof is omitted here. On the other hand, a specific pattern 210 shown in FIG. 5B is provided as a pattern 205 used in a specific effect that suggests the current gaming state. The amount of the specific symbol 210 included in the stop symbol candidates of each symbol constituting the decorative symbol 190 suggests whether or not the current gaming state is in a probable state.

  In the normal symbol variation, as shown in FIG. 5C, the symbol is displayed so that a specific normal symbol corresponds to the number of each symbol. And when a player performs predetermined operation input with respect to the game displayed by a special effect, it transfers to a specific effect. In this specific effect, a part or all of the normal symbols added to each symbol is replaced with the specific symbol 210 depending on whether or not the current gaming state is a certain change state. That is, as shown in FIG. 4D, when the expected degree of probability variation is low, the symbols “2” and “4” are replaced with the specific symbol 210, and other symbols are replaced with the symbol (c) in FIG. The normal pattern shown in Fig. 1 is kept. When the expectation level in the probability variation state is medium, the symbols “6” and “8” are further replaced with the specific pattern 210. When the expectation level in the probability variation state is high, the symbol “5” is further increased. The specific pattern 210 is replaced. In other words, the three-stage replacement combination shown in FIG. 4D is selected with different probabilities depending on the current gaming state. The effect determining unit 132 has a symbol switching table used in the specific effect as described above. That is, when the current gaming state is a probable state, a symbol switching table with a high probability that a replacement combination with a high expectation is selected is referred to. When the current gaming state is not a probable state, the expectation level A symbol switching table having a high probability that a low replacement combination is selected is referred to.

  Returning to FIG. 4, when the transition to the special effect is made, the player participation type game shown in FIG. When this game is started, the display of the decorative symbol 190 is once moved to the corner of the screen, and a game effect display is made at the center of the screen. In the example shown in the figure, it is referred to as “chance quiz!”, And the content of the quiz is displayed in the center of the screen. After the display of the question sentence, as shown in FIG. 5C, a plurality of choices as the answer are displayed and the input of the operation button 82 is prompted. Specifically, three options are displayed on the left, center, and right of the screen, and each option is sequentially highlighted. The player can select an answer that is considered to be an answer from the options, and press the operation button 82 at the timing when the corresponding option is highlighted. At this time, if the answer is correct, the fact is displayed and the process proceeds to a specific effect. On the other hand, if the answer is incorrect, the fact is displayed, the transition to the specific effect is not performed, and the normal effect that does not suggest the gaming state is displayed.

  When the transition is made to this specific effect, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), the effect display of the game is hidden by the effect of closing the banner, and at the same time the special variation display of the symbol is started. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, each combination of the stop symbols “1” to “8” of the three symbols constituting the decorative symbol 190 and the specific symbol 210 is clearly indicated. While expanding the symbol stop symbol candidates, the symbols are successively displayed along the sequence from the beginning to the end of the sequence. When such a one-stop display of stop symbol candidates is repeatedly performed, the arrangement is always displayed in a fixed arrangement (that is, the same number and the same order). At this time, if any one of the eight stopped symbol candidates is replaced with the specific symbol 210, the ratio of the number of replacements with respect to the entire stopped symbol candidates indicates the expected degree of probability variation. The player can grasp the degree of expectation in the process in which the sequence of stop symbol candidates completes in this way. As described above, since the arrangement of the stop symbol candidates is always constant, if there is a change due to the replacement, the player can easily grasp that the change has been made. Note that such a round display is performed for all the three symbols constituting the decorative symbol 190 for production, but in this embodiment, the number of replacements for the specific symbol 210 for any symbol in order to avoid complexity. Are set to be the same.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the entire symbol sequence displayed in this way is sequentially displayed. As shown in FIG. 4B, the entire symbol sequence of the central symbol 202 is displayed in a ring shape in the upper half of the center of the screen, and a part of the symbol sequence of the left symbol 201 is displayed in a ring shape in the lower left corner of the screen. In the lower right corner of the screen, a part of the symbol row of the right symbol 203 is displayed in a ring shape. The alternate long and short dash line that is referenced for each symbol indicates the variable display direction (rotation direction) of each symbol, and depending on the combination of symbols (refer to the bold frame display) displayed on the foreground of each symbol, As shown. It should be noted that the frontmost symbols may be highlighted so that the player can easily recognize them. In the illustrated example, the central symbol 202 is arranged and displayed so that the entire stop symbol candidate can be recognized. In other words, since the symbol sequence is displayed in an array in which the amount of the specific symbol 210 included in the central symbol 202 can be overlooked, the player can see the ratio of the specific symbol 210 and the current gaming state is in a probable state. It becomes possible to infer whether or not there is. In the present embodiment, an example in which only the central symbol 202 can be overlooked is shown, but the left symbol 201 and the right symbol 203 may be displayed so that the entire symbol row can be overlooked. However, in the present embodiment, as described above, since the number of replacements to the specific design 210 is set to be the same for any symbol, it is sufficient if only the central symbol 202 can be seen.

FIG. 8 is a data structure diagram of a pattern selection table used when determining a special symbol variation pattern.
This pattern determination table shows data to be referred to when the variation pattern determining means 115 determines the variation pattern of the special symbol. The variation pattern determination means 115 acquires the pattern determination lottery value from the range of “0 to 255” prior to the special symbol variation display. Based on the pattern determination lottery value and the result of the success / failure lottery by the success / failure lottery means 112, the variation time of the special symbol is determined. Each variation pattern is assigned a variation pattern number (not shown) for identifying the variation pattern.

  If the result of the winning / losing lottery is 15R big hit or missed, depending on the range of the pattern determination lottery value, the fluctuation pattern without the reach effect is 5 seconds, the fluctuation pattern with the normal reach effect is 30 seconds, the super reach A variation pattern with a production time of 60 seconds and a variation pattern with a variation time of 80 seconds with pseudo continuous variation (hereinafter also referred to as “pseudo-run” as appropriate) are selected. Here, since the effect of super reach is accompanied by the effect of a story change by background switching or a specific character, the variation time is relatively long. Further, the variation pattern with pseudo-ream is set so as to accompany a special effect for displaying the above-described game, and the variation time is relatively long in order to display the staged effect. Because the performance with super reach and pseudo-ream is positioned as a performance with high expectation for the big hit, the pattern determination lottery value is assigned so that it is selected more than when it is out of place when the result of the winning / failing lottery is a win. ing.

  On the other hand, when the result of the lottery determination is 2R big hit or small hit, each variation pattern of no reach, normal reach, and super reach can be selected, but a variation pattern with pseudo-ream is not selected. A special effect is also displayed when a 2R big hit or a small hit occurs, but the specific change is not displayed in the variation corresponding to the hit result, and the next change after displaying a predetermined hit effect is displayed. The specific effect is displayed. In the variation, the display up to the presentation of quiz options in the special effect game is displayed, and the correct answer or incorrect answer result is displayed together with the winning effect after the change is stopped. The specific production process will be described later. In the present embodiment, the special effect by the 2R big hit or the small hit is displayed in accordance with the fluctuation pattern of the normal reach. For this reason, the variation time accompanied by the effect of normal reach is set to 20 seconds so that the display of the quiz in the game can be included. In the present embodiment, the selection probability of the normal reach is set to be considerably high so that the special effect is easily displayed when the 2R big hit or the small win.

FIG. 9 is a data structure diagram of a pattern table used when determining the production contents of the production accompanied by pseudo-ream.
The pattern table indicates data referred to when the effect determining unit 132 displays the special effect. That is, when the variation pattern is selected by the symbol determining unit 114 and the variation pattern is accompanied by a pseudo-continuous, the effect determining unit 132 selects the variation effect pattern accompanied by the special effect described above. As this variation effect pattern, in addition to the button effect by the above-mentioned game, there is no specific suggestion pattern with a suggestion effect that suggests whether or not the current gaming state is a probable change state, and such a suggestion in addition to the button effect. A normal production pattern accompanied by a normal production is included. When the variation effect pattern with the special effect is selected, the effect determining unit 132 transmits the pattern data of both the corresponding specific effect pattern and the normal effect pattern to the effect display control unit 134.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flow of special effect display processing. FIG. 11 is a data structure diagram of an effect setting table used when displaying a special effect.
In the present embodiment, with respect to the specific effect, the effect channels are roughly divided into two channels so as to correspond to the specific effect pattern and the normal effect pattern. Each pattern data of the specific effect pattern and the normal effect pattern transmitted from the effect determining means 132 is developed in parallel with the channel 1 and the channel 2. The effect display control means 134 reads out the pattern data of any channel in accordance with the result of the game in the special effect and displays it on the effect display device 60.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when there is an input by the operation button 82 after the selection screen is displayed in the special effect, a channel is selected based on the input result. That is, when the input result is correct, the effect display control means 134 displays a result indicating that the answer is correct, and selects the channel (CH) 1 on the left side of the drawing to display the specific effect. In this channel 1, at the third change of the pseudo-ream, after each symbol row of decorative symbols is displayed as shown in the figure, the central symbol is displayed in a panoramic view, and the symbol is temporarily stopped. As a result, the result of the winning / failing lottery is temporarily displayed according to the combination of the left symbol, the central symbol, and the right symbol which are displayed in the foreground. In the present embodiment, the pseudo-ream is continued up to 4 fluctuations, and therefore, the out symbol combination is displayed here. Subsequently, the fourth variation of a pseudo-series (not shown) is started from the temporarily stopped state. That is, each symbol is rotated and displayed from the state shown in the lower left corner of the figure. The stop of the fourth change becomes the stop of the main change (main stop), and the result of the success / failure lottery is displayed. As shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the reach effect is not set as a pattern with pseudo-continuations, but the reach effect may be included.

  On the other hand, when the input result is incorrect, the effect display control means 134 displays the result indicating that it is incorrect, and selects the channel (CH) 2 on the right side of the figure to display the normal effect. In this channel 2, at the third change of the pseudo-ream, each symbol row of the decorative symbols is variably displayed in a normal manner (see FIG. 4A) as shown, and then temporarily stopped. As a result, the left symbol, the central symbol, and the right symbol are temporarily stopped and displayed one by one, and the result of the lottery is temporarily displayed depending on the combination of the symbols. In the present embodiment, the pseudo-ream is continued up to 4 fluctuations, and therefore, the out symbol combination is displayed here. Subsequently, the fourth variation of a pseudo-series (not shown) is started from the temporarily stopped state. That is, each symbol is rotated and displayed from the state shown in the lower right corner of the figure. The stop of the fourth change becomes the stop of the main change (main stop), and the result of the success / failure lottery is displayed. In addition, although the reach effect is not set also when this pseudo-ream is accompanied, you may make it include a reach effect.

  The effect setting table shown in FIG. 11 shows data referred to when the effect display control means 134 displays a special effect. After receiving the pattern data of both the specific effect pattern and the normal effect pattern from the effect determining means 132, the effect display control means 134 determines which pattern data is to be displayed according to the operation input of the operation button 82 by the player. decide. In other words, when receiving the operation input of the operation button 82 in the button effect, the effect display control means 134 determines the pattern data to be displayed according to the input result and the gaming state at that time.

  The effect display control means 134 selects the channel 1 when the input result by the operation button 82 corresponds to the correct answer, reads the specific effect pattern, and displays the suggested effect. At this time, the number of specific patterns 210 included in the symbol sequence displayed in the specific effect is set according to the current gaming state. That is, when the current gaming state is a probable change state, the effect display control means 134 refers to the symbol switching table with a high probability that a replacement combination with high expectation will be selected, and displays the specific symbol 210 according to the lottery value. The number of replacement is determined, and the normal design in the design sequence is replaced with the specific design 210 and displayed. In this case, there is a high possibility that a high expectation suggestion effect indicating that the expectation of being in a certain variation state is high as the specific effect. As the high expectation level suggestive effect, specifically, an effect in which “high expectation level” is replaced for the specific design 210 is displayed as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the current gaming state is not a probable change state, the effect display control means 134 refers to the symbol switching table that has a high probability that a replacement combination with low expectation will be selected, and replaces it with the specific symbol 210 according to the lottery value. The number is determined, and the normal design in the design sequence is replaced with the specific design 210 and displayed. In this case, there is a high possibility that a low expectation level suggesting effect indicating that the expectation level of the probability variation state is low as the specific effect is displayed. Specifically, as the low expectation level suggestion effect, an effect in which “low expectation level” is replaced for the specific pattern 210 is displayed as shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, when the input result from the operation button 82 corresponds to an incorrect answer, the effect display control means 134 selects the channel 2 regardless of the gaming state, reads the normal effect pattern, and displays the normal effect. Therefore, even if the player can see the special effect, he cannot see the specific effect, and it is difficult to estimate whether or not the current game state is a probable change state. In addition, when there is an operation input by the operation button 82 as described above, regardless of whether the input result is a correct answer or an incorrect answer, a notice effect (illustrated) is added to accompany the change display of the symbol. A specific step up notice effect) is displayed. This step-up notice may be displayed as a background image of symbol variation, and suggests that as the staged effect approaches the final step, the degree of expectation that the result of the success / failure lottery is winning is larger. Note that the content of the notice effect may be the same or different between the specific effect and the normal effect. When there is no operation input by the operation button 82, the effect display control means 134 selects the normal effect pattern and displays the normal effect as in the case where the input result is incorrect, but the background image is displayed. No specific step-up notice effect is displayed. That is, when the player does not perform an operation input of the operation button 82, the display of the suggestive effect that suggests the degree of expectation is restricted as a penalty.

  FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are timing charts showing the changing effect process when the special effect is displayed. FIG. 12 shows a case where a variation pattern with pseudo-ream is selected, and FIG. 13 shows a case where 2R big hit or small hit occurs. In each figure, regarding the fluctuation of the decorative symbol 190, the original fluctuation, which is a unit for displaying the result of the pass / fail lottery, is expressed as “main fluctuation”, and a pseudo stop display is accompanied in the fluctuation process of the main fluctuation. The fluctuation that is the unit of the pseudo-ream is described as “temporary fluctuation”.

  In the example shown in FIG. 12, since a variation pattern with pseudo-ream is selected, a special effect is displayed over the four temporary variations of the pseudo-ream. That is, the symbol variation accompanied by the pseudo-ream is started at time t0. The game is started with the first provisional change, and the above-described quiz is displayed. An option screen is displayed at a time t1 when a predetermined time has elapsed from the display of the question sentence, and the player is requested to input the operation button 82. Thereafter, a set period until time t2 when the first temporary variation is temporarily stopped is given as an answer period. The player can select one of the options during the answer period and operate the operation button 82 to answer it.

  During the second temporary variation period that follows, a result is displayed for the player's answer. That is, if it is a correct answer, “correct answer!” Or the like is displayed, and if it is incorrect, “incorrect answer” or the like is displayed. In this embodiment, the case where there is no input from the operation button 82 is also “incorrect”, but other results can also be displayed. When the second temporary variation is temporarily stopped at time t3 as described above, either the specific effect or the normal effect is displayed using the subsequent third temporary variation and the fourth temporary variation. The If the result display of the quiz is correct, a specific effect is displayed. That is, the temporary variation is resumed after the temporary stop at time t3, and the special variation of the symbols shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is displayed until the symbol is stopped at time t5, and the current gaming state is displayed. It is suggested to the player whether or not the probability change state. In addition, the result of the lottery is also suggested. On the other hand, if the result display of the quiz is incorrect, a normal effect is displayed. For example, the change display of the symbol is held as the normal change shown in FIG. 4A, and the result of the winning / failing lottery is displayed by stopping the change. When there is no input from the operation button 82, that is, when there is no answer itself, a normal effect is displayed, but as described above, the step-up notice effect as a background image is omitted.

  In the example shown in FIG. 13, since the 2R big hit or the small hit occurs and the variation pattern of the normal reach accompanied by the special effect is selected, the special effect is displayed in the change period of the change pattern. That is, at time t0, the symbol variation is started and the game is started, and the above-described quiz is displayed. An option screen is displayed at a time t1 when a predetermined time has elapsed from the display of the question sentence, and the player is requested to input the operation button 82. Thereafter, a set period until time t2 when the fluctuation is stopped is given as an answer period. The player can select one of the options during the answer period and operate the operation button 82 to answer it.

  Thereafter, until the time t3, winning effects such as 2R big hit or small hit start demonstration and end demonstration are displayed. At this time, the special winning opening 66 is opened and closed, and the result for the player's answer is displayed. Thereafter, either the specific effect or the normal effect is displayed using the next symbol variation. If the quiz result display is correct, the specific effect is displayed. If the quiz result display is incorrect, the normal effect is displayed. Further, when there is no answer by the player (when there is no operation input of the operation button 82), a normal effect is displayed, but a specific notice effect (step-up notice or the like) displayed when it is inputted is displayed. ) Is omitted. In this embodiment, in order to secure the display time of a specific effect in the next change, a specific change pattern is selected in one pattern change after the end of the hit effect, triggered by the occurrence of 2R big hit or small hit. The That is, a specific table for selecting a variation pattern in which a variation time (for example, 40 seconds) in which a specific effect can be displayed is fixed is set in advance, and when the effect determination unit 132 receives 2R big hit or small hit information, The specific table is referred to in the first fluctuation after the end of the winning performance. As a result, sufficient time is secured for the specific performance. In addition, in a modification, without ensuring such a specific table, a variation effect pattern with a specific effect is selected when a variation pattern having a variation time capable of displaying a specific effect is selected. Also good.

FIG. 14 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. 15 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. .

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing in detail the success / failure determination process of S34 in FIG. First, the success / failure lottery means 112 reads the success / failure lottery value (S42), and determines the success / failure based on the success / failure lottery value (S44). The symbol determining means 114 determines a stop symbol of the special symbol based on the determination result (S46), and selects a variation pattern of the special symbol (S48). The effect determination means 132 determines the stop symbol combination of the decorative symbols based on the determination result and the special symbol (S50), and selects the variation pattern of the decorative symbol according to the variation pattern of the special symbol (S52). At this time, if the variation pattern selected by the symbol determination unit 114 in S48 is accompanied by a pseudo-continuation, the effect determining unit 132 selects the variation effect pattern accompanied by the special effect described above. That is, the pattern data of both the specific effect pattern with the suggestion effect and the normal effect pattern with the normal effect is selected and transmitted to the effect display control means 134.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing in detail the success / failure determination process of S40 in FIG. The effect display control means 134 performs effect display according to the variation effect pattern determined by the effect determining means 132. That is, if the pseudo-continuous variation pattern with a special effect is selected (Y of S210) and the game display of the special effect shown in FIG. 4 is not started (N of S212), the game display is started ( S214). If the game display has already been started (Y in S212), the process in S214 is skipped. If there is an operation input by the player via the operation button 82 within the answer time in the game (Y in S216), and if the input result is correct (Y in S218), the results are shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. A specific effect is displayed (S220). On the other hand, if the input result is incorrect (N in S218), a normal effect is displayed (S224). Regardless of whether the answer is correct or incorrect, the specific step-up notice effect described above is displayed in a superimposed manner as the background image of each effect. If there is no operation input itself (N in S216), an adjustment process is performed excluding specific step-up notice effect data as the background image (S223), and the normal effect is displayed in that state (S224). On the other hand, if the pseudo continuous variation pattern is not selected in S210 (N in S210), the content of the effect along the selected variation effect pattern is displayed (S226). For example, when the result of the lottery is a 2R big hit or small win and a variation effect pattern with a special effect is selected, the effect display is displayed across a plurality of variations.

  FIG. 18 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). ). In this effect processing, a demonstration effect for jackpot is displayed. 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). The specific game execution means 122 shifts the game state to the specific game and starts execution of a short time (S88). Further, if the special game to be ended is accompanied by a probability change transition, the probability change is executed. If the number of rounds has not reached the final round (N of S82), 1 is added to the number of rounds and the flow of S16 is terminated (S90). In addition, when 2R jackpot occurs in the normal state, the shift to time reduction is not made.

  As described above, in the pachinko gaming machine 10 of the present embodiment, the player is provided with an opportunity to be able to guess whether or not the current gaming state is a probabilistic state in the form of a player participation type game. doing. When the special effect as the game is started, the player's input is prompted in a quiz format. When the player performs an input operation via the operation button 82 in response to this, a specific effect indicating whether or not the current game state is a probable change state is displayed according to the input result. The player can infer whether or not the pattern included in the decorative pattern 190 in the specific effect is in a probable state by grasping the amount of the pattern replaced from the normal pattern to the specific pattern 210. In this way, a novel gaming property is realized in which the player's intervention directly affects the effect display. In addition, in the state where the numbers of the stop symbol candidates constituting the three symbol strings of the decorative symbol 190 are fixed, the symbols combined with the symbols are switched according to the gaming state, and then the specific symbols displayed in place of the normal symbols are displayed. The game state is suggested by the amount of the pattern 210. That is, a novel game is realized in that the combination of the number and the pattern constituting the symbol is not 1: 1 but can be switched according to the gaming state. It is expected that such a novel gameability will increase the player's expectation and interest and improve the operating rate of the gaming machine.

  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.

(Modification 1)
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5C, the arrangement of the specific pattern 210 that suggests whether or not the current gaming state is a probable change state is set step by step, and according to the current gaming state. A plurality of tables are provided so that the selection probabilities are different. That is, when the current gaming state is a probable state, a symbol switching table with a high probability that a replacement combination with a high expectation is selected is referred to. When the current gaming state is not a probable state, the expectation level The symbol switching table that has a high probability of selecting a low replacement combination is now referenced. In the modification, the symbol switching table may be configured more simply. For example, for the specific pattern 210, a replacement combination with a high expectation level and a replacement combination with a low expectation level are set, and when the gaming state is in a probable state, a replacement combination with a high expectation level is selected. If the probability variation state is not satisfied, a replacement combination with low expectation may be selected. With such a setting, the player can more reliably grasp whether or not the current gaming state is a probable change state. As a result, the player's willingness to participate in the game in the special performance may be further increased. In addition, it is needless to say that the combinations of specific patterns and specific patterns of the normal pattern and the specific pattern 210 are not limited to those shown in the figure, and various modes and combinations can be set.

(Modification 2)
In the above-described embodiment, one specific example of the specific effect is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, but various other specific effects can be considered. For example, FIG. 7B shows an aspect in which the central symbol 202 can be overlooked, but the left symbol 201 and the right symbol 203 may be overlooked. In that case, the correspondence of the configuration of the stop symbol candidates constituting the symbol sequence of each symbol, that is, the number symbol of the stop symbol candidate and the type of the pattern 205 may be the same or different. In the latter case, the degree of expectation that the probability change state may be suggested by the total number of specific patterns 210 displayed in the three symbol rows. Thereby, the range of production can be expanded. Further, by changing the number of replacement of the specific pattern 210 in each of the left symbol 201, the central symbol 202, and the right symbol 203, the player's consciousness can be more focused on the introduction effect that makes the symbol shown in FIG. Can do.

(Modification 3)
In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, an example in which a pseudo continuous variation pattern is set in association with a special effect that suggests a gaming state is shown. In the modified example, in addition to the suggestion of the gaming state, a pseudo-continuous variation pattern may be set in association with an effect that suggests the degree of expectation that the result of the success / failure lottery is a win. In other words, when a pseudo-variable variation pattern is selected, it is possible to display either a suggestion of gaming state or a suggestion of winning expectation, thereby making it possible to bias the correspondence between the variation pattern and the content of the effect. Can be suppressed. In addition, since each player has a different preference for whether to suggest a suggestion of game state or a suggestion of winning expectation, it is accepted by a wide range of players by including the possibility of suggestion of both. The possibility of being increased.

(Modification 4)
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, in the specific effect (button effect), when there is no operation input via the operation button 82, that is, when there is no answer from the player, the notice effect is regulated as a penalty. An example to do. That is, the processing for omitting all the step-up notice effects displayed when there is an operation input is performed. In the modification, for example, when there is no operation input, the effect display of the step-up notice may be partially restricted. For example, the effect display may be regulated so as not to reach the final step regardless of the result of the winning / not-lotting. In this way, not participating in the specific performance not only suggests the gaming state but also restricts the suggestion of the result, thereby reducing the reliability of the player. As a result, the usefulness of special effects can be enhanced.

(Modification 5)
In the said Example, the example which suggests to a player whether it is a certain change state as a specific game state by specific production was shown. In a modification, you may comprise so that a player may be suggested whether it is a time-short state as a specific game state by the specific production in a pseudo-ream. In that case, it is not always necessary to shift to a short time after the end of the special game. Since the short-time state is also a game state advantageous to the player, it is possible to expect the same effect as when the probability variation state is suggested. Or you may make it suggest the possibility that the result of a success or failure lottery is a big hit by a specific effect. In that case, either 15R jackpot or 2R jackpot may be suggested, or both may be suggested. Since the jackpot directly affects the player's profits, the player's sense of expectation also increases. Further, the profit state obtained by the player differs between 15R jackpot and 2R jackpot. For this reason, when both jackpots are suggested, which jackpot (round number) may be suggested.

(Modification 6)
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the amount of the specific pattern 210 is displayed so as to be visually recognizable by switching to the specific effect (specific screen), and suggests whether or not it is in a probable state. An example of performing the performance once was shown. In the modification, such a suggestion effect may be repeated a plurality of times in the specific effect. For example, a similar suggestion effect may be displayed at the start of the fourth variation of the pseudo-ream. In that case, the amount of the specific pattern 210 may be changed as compared with the case where the third change is displayed. Thus, by changing the amount of the specific pattern 210 stepwise, it is possible to further enhance the effect of encouraging the player's expectation.

(Modification 7)
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a conventional type 1 pachinko gaming machine has been shown, but the present invention can also be applied to other types of gaming machines having the function of the first type pachinko gaming machine. For example, the present invention can be applied to a multi-function machine in which a plurality of first type pachinko gaming machines are mixed. In addition, a complex that provides a game corresponding to a special game in the first type pachinko gaming machine as the first special game, and a game corresponding to a special game in the second type pachinko game machine as the second special game. It can also be applied to the machine.

(Modification 8)
Although not specifically described in the above embodiment, it is decided to provide a suggestion mode capable of suggesting a gaming state for a predetermined period of time when a specific effect is made in a special effect, and to suggest a gaming state in the suggestion mode In such a case, the suggestion effect may be displayed step by step. Specifically, when it is decided to display the introduction effect that makes a cycle of the symbol shown in FIG. 6 after entering the suggestion mode, the introduction effect is repeated a plurality of times, and the introduction effect is repeated a plurality of times. In the effect, an effect display in which the specific pattern 210 is increased stepwise may be performed. By setting the staged effects in this way, the player's interest in the specific effects can be maintained for a long time.

(Modification 9)
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, it has been described that the specific effect is displayed through the second and third times of the pseudo-ream. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, after the design is cycled, the introductory effect in which the design is displayed in a panoramic view as shown in FIG. 7 is finished, and further, from the irregular symbol arrangement state until the change display of the design is finished. Was defined as a specific performance. In the modification, the transition from the suggestion mode to the end of the introduction effect may be positioned as the specific effect. Specifically, the introduction effect may be completed at the time t4 shown in FIG. 12 together with the temporary stop, and then the temporary variation may be started from the symbol arrangement and the actual stop may be performed at the time t5.

(Modification 10)
In the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which, when there is no operation input by the operation button 82, the display of a specific step-up notice effect is not performed, and the display of the suggestive effect suggesting the hit expectation degree is restricted. . In the modified example, even when there is no operation input by the operation button 82, the specific step-up notice is displayed, and the display step is limited so that the final step is not displayed. Also good. That is, a plurality of input results of the operation button 82 may be set, and the amount of restricting the suggestive effect may be changed according to the result.

  In the embodiment described above, each symbol constituting the decorative symbol 190 is provided by combining a stop symbol candidate consisting of a number with a symbol arranged so as to line up with the stop symbol candidate, and the symbol is specified as a normal symbol. The example which is exchanged between the pictures is shown. In the modification, the design may simply determine the attributes such as the color and shape of the stop symbol candidate. For example, a stop symbol candidate itself composed of numbers may be used as a picture, and the color may be changed between a blue normal picture and a red specific picture.

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 figure showing the example of a screen of special production displayed when a specific variation pattern is selected. It is a figure showing the specific example of the pattern added to each symbol which comprises a decoration symbol. It is a figure showing the example of a screen in the production process when it transfers to a specific production in a special production. It is a figure showing the example of a screen in the production process when it transfers to a specific production in a special production. It is a data structure figure of the pattern selection table used when determining the variation pattern of a special symbol. It is a data structure figure of the pattern table used when determining the production content of the production accompanied by a pseudo-ream. It is a figure showing the flow of a special effect display process. It is a data structure diagram of an effect setting table used when displaying a special effect. It is a timing chart which shows the change production process in case a special production is displayed. It is a timing chart which shows the change production process in case a special production is displayed. 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 in detail the success / failure determination process of S34 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows in detail the success / failure determination process of S40 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows S16 in FIG. 14 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 ports, 66 large winning ports, 68 operating ports, 72 general winning ports, 82 operation buttons, 100 game control devices , 102 main board, 104 sub-board, 112 unsuccessful lottery means, 114 symbol determination means, 115 variation pattern determination means, 120 special game control means, 122 specific game execution means, 130 pattern storage means, 131 symbol form determination means, 132 effects Decision means, 134 effect display control means, 190 decoration symbol, 192 special symbol, 194 display area, 201 left symbol, 202 center symbol, 203 right symbol, 205 symbol, 206 normal symbol, 210 specific symbol.

Claims (1)

A game board in which a game area is formed;
A start winning opening provided at a predetermined position in the game area, and a game ball entering is a lottery opportunity;
Triggering lottery means for determining whether or not to shift to a special game that is more advantageous to the player than a normal game, triggered by entering the starting winning opening,
A symbol display device for variably displaying a plurality of symbols for indicating the result of the success / failure lottery;
A variation pattern determining means for preliminarily storing a plurality of types of variation patterns in which the pattern variation mode is determined, and selecting any variation pattern according to the result of the success / failure lottery,
Special game control means for executing a special game that is more advantageous to the player than the normal game, triggered by the result of the winning / failing lottery,
In a normal game after the special game, when a predetermined transition condition is satisfied, a specific game execution means for shifting the game state to a specific game state that is more advantageous to the player than the normal state;
The plurality of symbols are variably displayed on the symbol display device in accordance with the selected variation pattern, while a plurality of types of symbols for indicating a gaming state are displayed on the symbol display device and included in the plurality of types of symbols. Production display control means for suggesting to the player whether or not the current gaming state is the specific gaming state by the amount of displaying a specific type of pattern,
Production determining means for determining the amount of display of the specific type of pattern using different criteria depending on whether or not the current gaming state is the specific gaming state;
Bei to give a,
The design is a partial image included in each of the plurality of designs, and the specific type of design is a design of a different type from a normal design used for normal design variation and switching to the normal design Is included as a partial image in at least one of the plurality of symbols,
The effect determining means determines whether or not to switch to a specific screen for displaying the specific type of pattern in an arrangement in which the amount of the specific type of pattern displayed is visible, based on a predetermined switching condition,
The effect display control means displays the specific type of pattern in the arrangement when switching to the specific screen is determined,
If the result of the winning / failing lottery is a specific hit, or a pseudo continuous variation pattern that displays a plurality of pseudo variation of symbols by displaying the variation display of the symbols temporarily. When the variation pattern determining means selects, the effect determining means determines to switch to a specific screen for displaying the specific type of pattern,
The variation pattern determination means selects a specific variation pattern that suggests the specific winning as the variation pattern when the result of the success / failure lottery is a specific hit, and according to the specific variation pattern A bullet ball game machine characterized in that the displayed content of an effect has a portion in common with the content of the effect displayed by the pseudo continuous variation pattern .

Images