JP5435588B2 - Bullet ball machine - Google Patents

Description

  It relates to gaming machines.

  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 big hit, in which more prize balls can be obtained than a normal game when the combination of symbols when a plurality of rows of symbol variations are stopped becomes a specific aspect. It is known as a thing (for example, refer patent document 1). The variable display of symbols in the display area is not limited to simply displaying multiple symbols in a variable manner, but the time required for the variable display to be a big hit if one more symbols are aligned, such as the so-called reach screen. For example, an effect is made to increase the player's expectation, such as making it longer. In addition, a character image, background image, etc. can be used to create a story with a variation display of the symbol, probability variation to increase the efficiency of transition to special games, shortening the variation time, and ease of entering the starting prize opening. The player's expectation is also enhanced by the control to shift to the easy entry state.

  Inside such a gaming machine, a plurality of substrates are electrically connected by signal lines. Usually, a main control device called a main board is in charge of a game ball winning determination, lottery, payout and the like. On the other hand, a sub-control device called a sub-board is mainly responsible for audio-visual effects processing such as display of effect images and audio output. Depending on the game state, the main board transmits various control data to the sub board. The sub board performs an effect process based on the control data from the main board.

  The main board and the sub board basically execute different computer programs in parallel on different CPUs (Central Processing Units). The main board can execute a program using the nonvolatile memory as a work area, but it is difficult for the sub board to execute the program using the nonvolatile memory as a work area. This is because the sub-board handles a large amount of graphics data such as production images, and if a non-volatile memory whose storage capacity unit price is higher than that of a volatile memory is used, the manufacturing cost of the gaming machine increases. is there. For this reason, most of the sub-boards generally execute programs using a volatile memory as a work area.

JP 2003-230714 A

  As described above, when the volatile memory is used in the sub-board, if the power supply to the gaming machine is stopped, the sub-board loses the data related to the effects held so far. Specifically, if the power supply stops when the sub-board performs an effect corresponding to the temporal position where the pattern change is executed during a specific game period, the sub-board will change after the power supply is restored. Loses information on the time position at which is executed. As a result, it may be difficult to maintain matching between effects before and after the power supply is stopped.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and even when power supply is stopped when an effect according to the temporal position of the symbol variation is executed in a specific game period, an effect that matches the effect before the power supply is stopped. It is an object to provide a gaming machine that can be resumed after power supply is restored.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a bullet ball game machine according to an aspect of the present invention includes a game board in which a game area is formed, a start opening provided at a predetermined position of the game area, and a ball entering the start opening. As a trigger, a lottery means for executing a lottery for determining whether or not to shift to a special game that is more advantageous to the player than a normal game, and a special game when the result of the lottery is a big hit Special game control means for executing the game, a symbol display device for variably displaying the symbol for indicating the result of the winning / failing lottery, and determining a variation pattern of the symbol corresponding to the result of the winning / losing lottery with reference to a predetermined pattern selection criterion However, in a predetermined limited period after the end of the special game, any one of a plurality of types of limited pattern selection criteria may be used as the limited pattern selection criteria, which is a pattern selection criterion for performing an effect in accordance with the execution timing of symbol variation. The variation pattern determining means for determining the variation pattern with reference to the above, and the contents of the effect are determined according to the variation pattern determined by the variation pattern determining means, and the symbol variation within the limited period is referred to by the variation pattern determining means. Effect determining means for determining the effect content according to the type of the limited pattern selection criterion and the temporal position of the symbol variation in the limited period. The variation pattern determining means is provided in the main control device that controls the progress of the game, the effect determining means is provided in the sub-control device that controls the operation of the effect in the game, and the variation pattern determining means is the execution target in the limited period The information indicating the type of the limited pattern selection criterion referred to when determining the variation pattern and the information indicating the temporal position in the limited period are stored in the nonvolatile storage area, and the game is limited to the limited period. When the power supply to the machine is stopped, the information is notified to the effect determining means after the power supply is restored, and the effect determining means determines the variation pattern after the power supply is restored when the power supply to the gaming machine is stopped during the limited period. Depending on the information indicating the type of the limited pattern selection criterion notified from the means and the information indicating the temporal position of the symbol variation to be executed in the limited period To determine the effect contents to be executed after restoration of the power supply.

  The “predetermined limited period after the end of the special game” is a period starting from the end of the special game, and may be a period starting from the occurrence of a specific event in the ball game. For example, it may be a period of ending on condition that a predetermined number of symbol changes have been made after the special game ends. Further, it may be a period of ending on condition that a certain time has elapsed since the end of the special game. The “pattern selection criterion” may be realized by using a table structure in which a lottery value (for example, a random pattern lottery value acquired by the variation pattern determination unit) and a symbol variation pattern are associated with each other.

  The “Limited Pattern Selection Criteria” is for making a special effect appear only in a period when a predetermined number of symbol variations are made after the special game when a winning symbol of winning or failing is selected and a predetermined type of winning symbol is selected. It may be a variation pattern selection criterion to be referred to. This special effect may be an effect that suggests or informs the player that the game state is more advantageous than the normal time, such as a probability change or a short time. Further, the pattern selection criterion may be realized using a table structure in which a correspondence relationship between parameters is defined, or may be realized using a program structure that derives parameters from parameters. In the case of using a table structure, a selection criterion that is substantially one type may be composed of a combination of a plurality of structurally subdivided tables. Hereinafter, the limitation pattern selection criterion is referred to as “multiple types”. Indicates the number of substantive types of tables, not the number of subdivided tables.

  The “temporal position of the symbol variation in the limited period” may be information indicating where the symbol variation is located in the entire limited period, for example, the length of the elapsed time from the start time. Further, it may be the total number of symbol variations (in other words, the total number of times) over the entire predetermined period. More specifically, it may be information indicating that symbol variations such as the 30th, 40th, and 50th times in a period in which 50 symbol variations are defined as the upper limit. The “nonvolatile storage area” may be a memory that keeps stored data without losing data even when power supply is stopped, and may be, for example, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). Note that the sub-control device may be provided with only a volatile memory such as a RAM instead of a nonvolatile memory.

  According to this aspect, in a ball game machine that performs using a plurality of types of limited pattern selection criteria, even if power supply is stopped, the condition for determining the performance before power supply is stopped when power supply is restored Condition) can also be acquired on the sub-control device side. Therefore, it is possible to continue the production as intended by the designer by avoiding the interruption of the production due to the stoppage of power supply and the provision of a halfway production. In other words, it is possible to maintain the consistency of the performance before and after the power supply is stopped and restored.

  The fluctuation pattern determining means may store information indicating the total number of symbol fluctuations in the limited period in the nonvolatile storage area as information indicating the temporal position of the symbol fluctuations to be executed in the limited period.

  According to this aspect, when power supply is restored, in addition to the type of the limited pattern selection criterion, the total number of symbol variations in the limited period is transmitted from the main control device to the sub-control device, so that the effect determination condition before power supply is stopped Can be acquired on the sub-control device side. That is, the relatively consistent change of the command transmitted from the main control device to the sub-control device can maintain the consistency of performance before and after the power supply is stopped and restored while supporting the current operation of the gaming machine.

  The information indicating the total number of symbol fluctuations in the limited period may be the total number itself, or a value obtained by subtracting the total number of symbol fluctuations already executed from the total number of symbol fluctuations in the entire limited period, that is, in the limited period. It may be the remaining number of symbol variations. Even if there is a change in the length of the limited period by notifying the remaining number of symbol fluctuations from the main control unit to the sub control unit, the sub control unit will set the limited period when the remaining number of times becomes “0”. It can be determined to end. For example, a special effect to be provided to the player at the end of the limited period can be executed. According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce the influence of the change of the main control device on the sub-control device side, and to realize a gaming machine that can be easily changed in design.

  The variation pattern determining means repeatedly applies the reference order determined by the set for a set in which a reference order of a plurality of types of limited pattern selection criteria is defined, switches the limited pattern selection criteria to be referred to, and executes the design to be executed in the limited period. Information indicating the number of references in the set of limited pattern selection criteria referred to in the symbol variation to be executed and information indicating the number of repetitions of the set at the time of reference as information indicating the temporal position of variation May be stored.

  It can be said that “set” is rule information indicating switching patterns of a plurality of types of limited pattern selection criteria. The number of times of reference in the set is, for example, information indicating that it is the first reference of the specific variation pattern that is determined to be referred to twice over the entire set, and is also the second reference. There may be.

  According to this aspect, when power supply is restored, in addition to the type of limited pattern selection criteria and the number of references in the set, the number of repetitions of the set is transmitted from the main control device to the sub-control device. It is possible to obtain an effect that matches the effect before the stop of power feeding by obtaining the effect determination condition on the sub-control device side. That is, the relatively consistent change of the command transmitted from the main control device to the sub-control device can maintain the consistency of performance before and after the power supply is stopped and restored while supporting the current operation of the gaming machine.

  Another aspect of the present invention is also a ball game machine. This ball and ball machine is in a state that is more advantageous to the player than a normal game, triggered by the game board in which the game area is formed, the start opening provided at a predetermined position of the game area, and the ball entering the start opening. A result determination means for determining whether or not to shift to a special game, a result determination result lottery means, a special game control means for executing a special game when the result of the result determination result is a big hit, and a result of the result determination result In a predetermined limited period after the end of the special game, a symbol display device in which symbols are displayed in a variable manner, and a symbol variation pattern corresponding to the result of the lottery determination is determined with reference to a predetermined pattern selection criterion. A variation pattern for determining a variation pattern with reference to any one of a plurality of types of limited pattern selection criteria for a limited pattern selection criterion that is a pattern selection criterion for performing an effect according to the execution timing of symbol variation. The determination content is determined in accordance with the variation pattern determined by the variation pattern determination unit, and in the design variation within the limited period, the type of the limited pattern selection criterion and the limited period referred to by the variation pattern determination unit Effect determining means for determining the contents of the effect according to the temporal position of the symbol variation. The variation pattern determining means is provided in the main control device that controls the progress of the game, the effect determining means is provided in the sub-control device that controls the operation of the effect in the game, and the variation pattern determining means is provided throughout the limited period. For a set that defines the reference order of multiple types of limited pattern selection criteria, a set number that can switch between the limited pattern selection criteria to be referenced by applying one of the multiple types of sets, and identify the applied set And information indicating the total number of symbol fluctuations during the limited period are stored in a non-volatile storage area, and when the power supply to the gaming machine is stopped during the limited period, the information is notified to the effect determining means after the power supply is restored. However, if the power supply to the gaming machine is stopped during the limited period, the effect determination means is the set notified from the variation pattern determination means after the power supply is restored. Depending on the information indicating the total number of number and symbol variation, determining the effect contents to be executed after the recovery of power supply.

  According to this aspect, when power supply is restored, in addition to the type of set, the total number of symbol fluctuations in the limited period is transmitted from the main control device to the sub-control device, so that the effect determination condition before power supply is stopped is sub-controlled. An effect that is acquired on the device side and is consistent with the effect before the power supply is stopped can be provided. That is, the relatively consistent change of the command transmitted from the main control device to the sub-control device can maintain the consistency of performance before and after the power supply is stopped and restored while supporting the current operation of the gaming machine.

  When the lottery result corresponds to a specific result, a specific game execution means for shifting to a specific game that is more advantageous to the player than the normal state in the normal game after the end of the special game may be further provided. The variation pattern determining means continues with a predetermined probability to determine the variation pattern with reference to the limited pattern selection criteria for each symbol variation in the limited period, and the effect determining means is a plurality of types of limited pattern selection criteria. If the number of times that a specific limited pattern selection criterion is referred to by the variation pattern determining means reaches a predetermined number of times, the execution of the effect for suggesting whether or not a specific game is currently being performed is determined. May be.

  The variation pattern determination means may execute a lottery determined to determine that the reference of the limited pattern selection criterion is continued at a predetermined probability every time the symbol changes in a predetermined period after the special game ends. . Then, when the lottery result is a win, the reference of the limited pattern selection criterion may be continued, and when the lottery result is unacceptable, the reference of the limited pattern selection criterion may be terminated. In the latter case, as a result, the suggestion effect indicating whether or not the specific game is being played may be not executed. Further, the effect determining means may determine the execution of the suggesting effect on the condition that a predetermined upper limit number has been reached as the reference number of the limited pattern selection criteria.

  According to this aspect, even if the power supply is stopped, it is possible to acquire the effect determination conditions before the power supply is stopped when the power supply is restored. Providing the suggestion of

  Still another embodiment of the present invention is also a ball game machine. The ball game machine includes a game board in which a game area is formed, a start opening provided at a predetermined position in the game area, a winning / not determining lottery that executes a winning / not determining lottery when a ball enters the start opening, and a game A special winning opening that is provided at a predetermined position in the area and is opened according to the result of the lottery, and when the game ball is entered as a trigger for paying out the prize ball, and when the result of the lottery is a big hit Special game control means for executing a special game including multiple unit games with the opening of the game, and if the result of the lottery is a small hit, it includes a unit game with the opening of the big winning port once, Small hit game control means for executing a small hit game in which the opening of the game is less than a predetermined release reference time, a symbol display device for variably displaying a symbol for indicating the result of the lottery determination, and a predetermined pattern selection Figure according to result of lottery with reference to criteria A plurality of types of limited pattern selections for a limited pattern selection criterion that is a pattern selection criterion for performing effects according to the execution timing of the symbol variation in a predetermined limited period after the end of the small hit game. A variation pattern determining unit that determines a variation pattern with reference to any one of the standards, and the effect content is determined according to the variation pattern determined by the variation pattern determining unit. Effect determining means for determining the effect contents according to the type of the limited pattern selection criterion referred to by the determining means and the temporal position of the symbol variation in the limited period. The variation pattern determining means is provided in the main control device that controls the progress of the game, the effect determining means is provided in the sub-control device that controls the operation of the effect in the game, and the variation pattern determining means is the execution target in the limited period The information indicating the type of the limited pattern selection criterion referred to when determining the variation pattern and the information indicating the temporal position in the limited period are stored in the nonvolatile storage area, and the game is limited to the limited period. When the power supply to the machine is stopped, the information is notified to the effect determining means after the power supply is restored, and the effect determining means determines the variation pattern after the power supply is restored when the power supply to the gaming machine is stopped during the limited period. Depending on the information indicating the type of the limited pattern selection criterion notified from the means and the information indicating the temporal position of the symbol variation to be executed in the limited period To determine the effect contents to be executed after restoration of the power supply.

  According to this aspect, in a ball game machine that produces effects using a plurality of types of limited pattern selection criteria in a predetermined period after the end of the small hit game, even if power supply is stopped, power supply is stopped when power supply is restored The previous production determination condition can also be acquired on the sub-control device side that controls the production. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the interruption of the production due to the stop of the power supply and the provision of the halfway production, and maintain the consistency of the production before and after the stop and restoration of the power supply.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements, and the constituent elements and expressions of the present invention are mutually replaced between a method, an apparatus, a system, a computer program, a recording medium storing the computer program, a data structure, and the like This is effective as an embodiment of the present invention.

  According to the ball game machine of the present invention, even when power supply is stopped when an effect corresponding to the temporal position of the symbol variation is executed in a specific game period, an effect that is consistent with the effect before the power supply is stopped. It can be resumed after the power supply is restored.

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 which shows typically a success / failure determination table. It is a figure which shows a symbol determination table typically. It is a figure which shows a fluctuation pattern table typically. It is a figure which shows the fluctuation pattern table for deviation in detail. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the fluctuation pattern determination means 115 of FIG. 3 in detail. It is a figure which shows typically the limited pattern table selection conditions. It is a flowchart which shows the basic operation | movement process in a pachinko game machine. It is a flowchart which shows the normal game control process of S14 in FIG. 10 in detail. 12 is a flowchart showing in detail the success / failure determination process of S34 in FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing in detail a special symbol variation pattern determination process of S48 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the special game control process of S16 in FIG. 10 in detail. It is a flowchart which shows the release process of S100 in FIG. 14 in detail. It is a flowchart which shows the closing process of S102 in FIG. 14 in detail. It is a flowchart which shows in detail the small hit game control process of S17 in FIG. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing in detail a release process of S160 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the closing process of S162 in FIG. 17 in detail.

  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 the game balls to the launch rail, extracting the game balls to the lower ball tray 16, and the like. 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 or the like is output by means for controlling an effect described later.

  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 starting port 62 is a starting port that triggers the entrance of a game ball to perform a lottery determination. The starting port 62 is provided in the starting port 62 and a start winning detection device 74 for detecting the entrance of a game ball. A normal electric accessory solenoid 76 for expanding the expansion mechanism 63 (so-called electric tulip) is provided. The expansion mechanism 63 is composed of two blade members provided at the upper part of the opening of the start port 62, and has a narrow opening width that allows only a game ball falling from just above the start port 62 to enter when closed. Become. On the other hand, when the expansion mechanism 63 is expanded and opened, the opening width of the start port 62 is widened, and not only the start port 62 but also a game ball falling in the vicinity thereof can be guided to the start port 62 and can enter. Ease is improved. This lottery determination is a lottery for determining whether or not to shift to a special game that is more advantageous to the player than a normal game, and is executed every time there is a ball entering the start port 62. 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 opening 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” in a special game that starts when the special symbol 192 stops in a predetermined manner. The big winning opening 66 is provided at a position above the out opening 58, for example. The number of the big winning openings 66 is not limited to a single arrangement, and a plurality of large winning openings 66 may be installed and used depending on the gaming state or 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. Changes in the effect image including the pattern 190 are displayed. Hereinafter, such display is referred to as “design variation” or “variation display”.

  The special symbol display device 61 is a display device composed of, for example, 7 segment LEDs. The special symbol 192 is a symbol corresponding to the result of the lottery performed when the game ball falls into the start port 62. When the symbol mode when the special symbol 192 is stopped is the symbol that is determined in advance, the timing at which the symbol is displayed is the big hit occurrence timing. The stop symbol is a symbol to be displayed at the end of symbol variation. The special symbol 192 in the present embodiment is represented by numbers, characters, symbols such as “0” to “9” that are hit symbol patterns, or a symbol “−” that is an off symbol pattern. These numbers or symbols are replaced one after another at a high speed and displayed on the special symbol display device 61, whereby the symbol variation display of the special symbol 192 is realized. Note that the special symbol 192 is not limited to the above numbers or symbols, and may be letters such as English letters, or may be a generally meaningless symbol formed by a combination of segments constituting a 7-segment LED. May be. Further, the 7-segment LED may be composed of 8 segments including 7 segments forming “eight-letter shape” and 1 segment representing “dot”. In this case, a numerical value for 8 bits can be expressed by combining 8 segments. Further, the special symbol display device 61 may be an LED dot array that is not a 7-segment LED, and a plurality of types of special symbols 192 may be expressed by combinations of lighting patterns and lighting colors.

  The effect display device 60 is a display device configured by a liquid crystal display that displays the decorative symbol 190 in a variable manner in conjunction with the variable symbol 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, for example, a moving image that fluctuates a plurality of rows of symbols simulating a game of a slot machine as a decorative symbol 190 in the central area of the screen. In this embodiment, symbols composed of numbers “0” to “9” are displayed and varied in three columns, and hit or miss is indicated by three symbol combinations that are finally stopped and displayed. Each of the plurality of symbols constituting the decorative symbol 190 is composed of numbers, characters, or symbols that are decorated with colors or patterns, but these symbols, characters, or symbols are common to all symbols. You may comprise in the form which adds a different pattern for every and integrates them. This pattern is a pattern on which a motif related to the theme of decoration or production set for the model of the pachinko gaming machine 10 is drawn, and for example, a pattern on which a character of a person or an animal is drawn may be used. The decorative pattern 190 is switched according to the development of the effect between the case where the design that includes the design is variably displayed and the case where the design is separated and only the numbers, characters, and symbols are variably displayed. It may be a configuration. On the background of the variation display of the decoration symbol 190, a moving image having a staging effect related to the theme of decoration or production set for the model of the pachinko gaming machine 10 is displayed in conjunction with the symbol variation.

  The effect display device 60 is configured by a high-definition dot matrix type display device such as a liquid crystal display in this embodiment, but may be configured by a mechanical display unit such as a drum rotation type or a display unit such as an LED matrix type. Good. Since the special symbol 192 does not necessarily have a role of production, in this embodiment, the special symbol display device 61 on the lower left side of the production display device 60 is displayed in an inconspicuous size. However, in the case of adopting a technique in which the special symbol itself has an effect role to express without using the decorative symbol, the special symbol may be displayed on the liquid crystal display instead of the 7-segment LED.

  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 that determines whether or not the expansion mechanism 63 is expanded. 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. Therefore, the open lottery is also called “ordinary symbol lottery”. The normal symbol display device 59 in this embodiment is composed of two lamps for convenience, and the display state of the normal symbols is expressed by which of these lamps is lit. For example, when the first lamp is turned off and the second lamp is hit, the normal symbol fluctuation display is expressed by alternately turning on and off, and finally one of the lights is turned on. A stop symbol of a normal symbol is expressed by being stopped in the state. The normal symbol display device 59 is provided on the lower right side of the effect display device 60. After a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the change, the normal symbol change display stops. At this time, in the normal state, the normal symbol stops at the winning symbol with a low probability of, for example, about 1/256, and in the easy entry state described later, the normal symbol is in the winning symbol with a high probability of, for example, about 250/256. Stop. When the normal symbol stops at the winning symbol, the expansion mechanism 63 is expanded for a predetermined time. The opening time of the spreading mechanism 63 is, for example, 0.1 seconds in the normal state, and 6 seconds in the easy entry state.

  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 effect display device 60, and decoration. The special symbol hold display device 20 is provided at the lower left portion of the game area 52, and the normal symbol hold display device 22 is provided below the normal symbol display device 59 at the lower right portion of the game area 52, which is the symmetrical position. ing.

  The special symbol hold display device 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. When the number of lottery holds is three, the symbol variation time in the case of a loss is shortened from the normal time in order to increase game efficiency (hereinafter also referred to as “shortening variation”). Similarly, when the number of pending lottery holds is 4, in order to further increase the game efficiency, the symbol variation time in the case of losing is further shortened than in the case of the above 3 (hereinafter also referred to as “super shortened variation”). ).

  The normal symbol hold display device 22 is also composed of four lamps, and displays the number of normal symbol fluctuation hold depending on the number of lights. The number of normal symbol fluctuations held is the number of game balls that have passed through the operating port 68 during the normal symbol fluctuation, and indicates the number of normal symbol lotteries for which the normal symbol fluctuation has not yet been executed.

  Game effect lamps 90 are respectively provided above and below the effect display device 60. The operation button 82 is an operation input unit that is operated by the player to input a predetermined instruction to the gaming machine, and changes are made to the contents of the effect according to the contents of the operation input. The operation button 82 is provided on the outer wall surface near the upper ball tray 15. Although the operation button 82 in this embodiment is composed of one button, it may be composed of a plurality of buttons and direction instruction buttons such as a cross key. The movable accessory 140 is a movable object whose operation is controlled in conjunction with the effect, and plays an effect role by the operation. For example, the movable accessory 140 operates in response to an operation input via the operation button 82 by the player.

  An outline of a game method and a control flow performed in the above configuration will be described. 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 variation display of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 is stopped after the lapse of the variation display time determined prior to the display. The special symbol 192 is variably displayed in accordance with a variation pattern in which a variation mode from the variation start to the stop is determined. The decorative symbol 190 is variably displayed according to a variation effect pattern in which a variation mode from the start to the end of the variation is determined. A plurality of types of variation patterns and variation production patterns are prepared, and each has various variation times. While the special symbol 192 is variably displayed according to the variation pattern, the decorative symbol 190 is variably displayed according to the variation effect pattern having the same variation time. In the variation pattern, a variation display time is determined for each pattern as an end condition of the symbol variation, and the variation of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 is stopped when the variation display time elapses.

  As a variation display of the decorative symbol 190, first, as the variation starts, the symbols are varied in all three columns like the reel rotation of the slot machine, and when it approaches the variation end timing, it is stopped one by one as a final stop mode. The symbol combination is displayed. When the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 at the time of the stop are in a stop mode 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. The The stop mode of the decorative symbol 190 indicating a big hit is, for example, a combination mode in which the types of three symbols match.

  The variation effect pattern includes a normal loss effect pattern, a reach failure effect pattern, and a reach jackpot effect pattern. The normal off effect pattern is an effect pattern for displaying a normal off symbol combination. The reach out effect pattern is an effect pattern for displaying an out symbol combination through a reach state, which is a big win if one more symbols are arranged. The reach jackpot effect pattern is an effect pattern when displaying a jackpot symbol combination through the reach state. In particular, the patterns when reaching the reach state include patterns with various long and short fluctuation times. Reach patterns with relatively short fluctuation times are called “normal reach”, and reach patterns with long fluctuation times are called “super reach”. ".

  The special game is started by displaying an effect screen called start demonstration time. After the start demonstration time is displayed on the screen, the grand prize winning opening 66 is opened, and after the opening lasts for about 30 seconds, or after nine or more game balls have dropped in, it is temporarily closed. From such opening to closing of the big prize opening 66 is basically called a unit game, but it may be repeated a plurality of short-time opening during one unit game. After the opening / closing of the special prize opening 66 or the unit game is repeated a predetermined number of times, for example, 15 times, the special game is ended by displaying an effect screen called an end demo time. On the other hand, when the winning lottery corresponds to a result called “small hit”, the small hit game is executed. The small hit is a result included as a result of the lottery. The small hit game is a unit game executed in a manner similar to some types of special games. However, the unit game executed as a small hit game is only one time, which is different from a special game in which a plurality of unit games are executed.

  In the normal game after the end of the special game, the fluctuation time of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190, which are one of the specific games, is started (hereinafter referred to as “time reduction” as appropriate). The time shortening of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 is a state in which the variation time of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 is shortened from the normal state. The variation time of the special symbol 192 and the decoration symbol 190 is returned to the original variation time after a predetermined variation number, for example, 100 variation display, but if the big hit occurs before the variation number is reached, the time is shortened. Also ends. Due to the shortening of time, the variation time of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 is shortened, so that it is possible to shorten the time until the big hit occurs compared to the normal state where the symbol variation is performed with the normal variation time. Therefore, it is possible to relatively increase the jackpot acquisition ease.

  During the time shortening of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190, the easy entry state which is one of the specific games is performed. The easy entry state is a state in which the ease of entering the starting port 62 is enhanced by executing the short time of the normal symbol, the probability variation of the open lottery, and the open extension of the expansion mechanism 63. The normal symbol time reduction is a state in which the variation time of the normal symbol is shortened from the normal state. The probability variation of the open lottery is a state in which the winning probability of the open lottery is higher than the normal state. The opening extension of the spreading mechanism 63 is a state in which the opening time of the spreading mechanism 63 is longer than the normal state. As described above, in the easy entry state, the possibility that the number of fluctuations of the normal symbol per certain time increases as compared to the normal state increases, and the ease of entering the start opening 62 also increases. There is a high possibility that the number of entering will increase. Therefore, due to the shortened time of the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 and the easy entry state, the chance to obtain a winning ball by entering the starting port 62 increases during that period, and as a result, the player can play the game with little decrease in possession. It is possible to continue.

  Note that the easy entry state in the present embodiment increases the ease of entering the starting port 62 by using three functions such as a short time for a normal symbol, a probability variation of an open lottery, and an open / extended extension of the expansion mechanism 63. However, as a modification, it is good also as a structure which improves the entrance ease to the starting port 62 using one or two functions among these three functions. Thus, even if only a part of the three functions is used, it is possible to improve the ease of entering the starting port 62. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which switches according to a gaming state at least any one of three functions by the period to implement and the period which does not implement.

  When a special game occurs and the winning stop pattern at that time is in a specific mode, the probability variation game of the winning lottery (hereinafter referred to as “probability change” as appropriate) that is one of the specific games after the end of the special game ) Is further started. During the chance change of the winning / failing lottery, the winning / failing lottery with a higher probability of winning than the normal probability state is performed, and a new special game can be generated relatively early. The probability change of the success / failure lottery is continued until the next big hit occurs, but as a modification, it may be configured to end when a predetermined limited number of symbol changes are made. In this embodiment, the special symbol 192 and the decorative symbol 190 are started at the same time as when the probability change is started, and the easy entry state is also started. May be executed.

  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 back setting mechanism 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 obtains, as a success / failure lottery value, a random number value for determining whether or not to shift to a special game that is more advantageous to the player than the normal game when the starting hole 62 is entered. To do. 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 value acquired as the success / failure lottery value by the success / failure lottery means 112 is temporarily held by the hold control means 116. However, the lottery value is held within a range not exceeding the predetermined holding upper limit number.

  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, determination results of big hits, small wins, and misses are associated with the success / failure lottery values, and the success / failure probabilities are determined according to the associated jackpot range settings. The success / failure lottery means 112 refers to the success / failure table based on the normal probability at the normal time, and refers to the success / failure table whose probability of winning 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 success / failure lottery means 112 acquires a lottery value as an open lottery for determining a normal symbol when the game ball passes through the operation port 68. The success / failure lottery means 112 holds a success / failure table in which the correspondence between the lottery value of the open lottery and the success / failure result is determined, and determines the success / failure result of the open lottery with reference to the success / failure table. In the normal state, the winning / failing table with a probability of 1/256 is referred to, and in the easy entry state, the winning / failing table with a probability of 250/256 is referred to. The lottery value of the normal symbol is temporarily held by the hold control means 116. However, the lottery value is held only when the predetermined hold upper limit number held by the hold control means 116 is not exceeded.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the success / failure determination table. The success / failure determination table in this figure associates determination results of big hits, small hits and misses, and winning / failing lottery values. Depending on the respective range settings, the hit / failure probabilities of big hits and small hits are determined. Is determined. The success / failure lottery means 112 refers to the success / failure determination table of FIG. In the success / failure lottery performed by the success / failure lottery means 112, in the normal state, as shown in FIG. At the time of certainty change, as shown in FIG. 4B, the range of the big hit is expanded, and not only when the winning / losing lottery value falls within the range of 0 to 399 but also when the lottery falls within the range of 400 to 2999. Thus, the range corresponding to the big hit changes according to the gaming state. In the case of hitting a big hit, whether it is a 15R big hit or a 2R big hit and whether or not there is a probability change is determined separately according to the stop symbol of the special symbol. In this figure, the single hit / fail judgment table shows the big hit range for both normal time and probability change, but the success / fail judgment table may be prepared separately for normal time and for probability change.

  In the present embodiment, even if the winning / raising lottery value does not correspond to the big hit range, that is, a so-called out of range, it becomes a small hit if it falls within the predetermined range. In the example of this figure, when the success / failure lottery value acquired by the success / failure lottery means 112 falls within the range of 65000 to 65535, it is a small hit. In this way, if it does not correspond to the big hit, it is all “out”, but in the example in this figure, the winning lottery value range when it does not correspond to the small hit out of the cases where it does not correspond to the big hit Is expressed as “displacement”. In addition, although the example which implement | achieved the determination table of whether it is a big hit and the determination table of whether it is a small win in the figure in the form of a single winning / nothing determination table was shown in this figure, each may be implement | achieved as a separate table. Good.

  Returning to FIG. 3, 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 success / failure lottery means 112 transmits the lottery result corresponding to the symbol variation to the symbol mode determining unit 131 and the effect determining unit 132 together with the symbol variation control command at the timing of starting the symbol variation.

  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. The symbol determination means 114 holds a symbol range table to be referred to in order to determine a special 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 means 114 determines the stop symbol of the normal symbol to be displayed on the normal symbol display device 59 according to the result of the open lottery by the success / failure lottery means 112. The symbol determination means 114 determines the stop symbol of the normal symbol according to the result of the open lottery in order to display the result of the open lottery in the normal symbol display device 59 in the form of a normal symbol. When the determined stop symbol becomes a predetermined symbol, it is determined that the normal symbol is a hit, and after the change display of the normal symbol is stopped at the stop symbol, the opening / closing control means 124 expands the start port 62. The opening mechanism 63 is expanded for a predetermined time.

  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.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a symbol determination table. FIG. 5A is a table that is referred to when the determination result is a big hit, FIG. 5B is a table that is referred to when the result of determination is wrong, and FIG. This table is referred to when the determination result is a small hit. The symbol determination means 114 refers to the symbol determination table of this diagram in symbol determination. In each symbol determination table, the correspondence between the special symbol represented by the numbers “0” to “9” and the symbol “−” and the symbol lottery value is defined. Each type of special symbol is associated with the result of determining whether or not the big hit, small hit, or missed, the odd number corresponds to the big hit, the even number corresponds to the small hit, and the symbol “-” is out. Correspond.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the special symbols “1”, “3”, “5”, “7”, and “9”, which are odd numbers among the special symbols “0” to “9”, are associated with the jackpot. . Among them, the special symbol “7” indicates a 15R jackpot with certainty and is associated with a symbol lottery value range “0 to 99”. The special symbol “3” indicates a 2R jackpot with certainty and is associated with a symbol lottery value range “100 to 149”. Special symbols “1”, “5”, and “9” indicate 15R big hits without any probability change, the special symbol “1” is associated with the symbol lottery value range “150 to 189”, and the special symbol “190 to 229”. “5” is associated with, and “230 to 255” is associated with the special symbol “9”.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the special symbol “-” is associated with the entire range of symbol lottery values in the case where the determination result is wrong.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the special symbols “0”, “2”, “4”, “6”, and “8” that are even numbers among the special symbols “0” to “9” are associated with the small hits. Yes. The special symbol “0” is associated with the symbol lottery value range “0 to 49”, and the special symbol “2” is associated with the symbol lottery value range “50 to 99”. The special symbol “4” is associated with the symbol lottery value range “100 to 149”, the special symbol “6” is associated with the symbol lottery value range “150 to 199”, and the special symbol “8” is the symbol lottery. Corresponding to the value range “200 to 255”.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the variation pattern determination unit 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 variation pattern table to be referred to in order to determine the variation pattern. The variation pattern determination unit 115 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 determination unit 115 stores a plurality of types of variation patterns. A plurality of types of variation patterns are defined on the assumption that there are various variation times, short and long, and that symbol variation is also performed 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.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the variation pattern table. The variation pattern determining means 115 refers to the variation pattern table for removal shown in FIG. 6A when the result of the determination is wrong. When the determination result is a 15R jackpot, the fluctuation pattern table for 15R jackpot shown in FIG. 6B is referred to. When the determination result is 2R big hit or small hit, the variation pattern table for 2R big hit and small hit shown in FIG. 6C is referred.

  In FIG. 6A, the pattern lottery values 0 to 10 are associated with a super reach “super 1”, and the pattern lottery values 11 to 20 are associated with a super reach “super 2”. The pattern lottery values 21 to 255 are associated with any variation pattern of “normal 1”, “normal 2”, and “no reach”. As described above, when the result of the determination is wrong, any one of super reach, normal reach, and no reach may be selected. In the variation pattern table for detachment, when a variation pattern of “no reach” is selected, a different table is referred to so that a variation pattern having a shorter variation time than the normal state is selected in the short time state. Further, the deviation variation pattern table is defined so that the column to be referred to is different depending on the number of holdings, and details of the normal state will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 6B, the super lot of “super 1” is associated with the pattern lottery values 0 to 120, and the super reach of “super 2” is associated with the pattern lottery values 121 to 240. The pattern lottery values 241 to 250 are associated with the reach of “normal 1”, and the pattern lottery values 251 to 255 are associated with the reach of “normal 2”. As described above, when the determination result is 15R big hit, the variation pattern with reach is selected.

  In FIG. 6C, the pattern lottery values 0 to 122 are associated with the super reach “super 3”, and the pattern lottery values 123 to 255 are associated with the normal reach “normal 3”. As described above, when the determination result is 2R big hit or small hit, “Super 3” or “Normal 3” is selected with a probability of about 50%.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the fluctuation pattern determination means 115 determines the fluctuation display time of the normal symbol. In the normal state, the variable display time is determined to be 60 seconds, and in the easy entry state, the variable display time is determined to be 6 seconds.

  When there is a new entry at the start port 62 and a new winning / failing lottery is executed, the holding control means 116 displays a new entry when a symbol change corresponding to the previous entry or lottery is displayed. The result of the success / failure lottery based on is suspended until the start of variable display of the symbol corresponding to the lottery. In the present embodiment, as a result of the lottery determination, the number of the lottery is held as a holding ball with an upper limit of four. The success / failure lottery value here includes a success / failure lottery value, a symbol lottery value, and a variation pattern lottery value. The holding control means 116 further holds the usual lottery value acquired by the success / failure lottery means 112 as a holding ball. These numbers of holdings are represented by the number of lighting or blinking numbers of the special symbol holding display device 20 and the normal symbol holding display device 22, respectively.

  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 variation display of the special symbol 192 according to the variation pattern determined by the variation pattern determination unit 115. The main display control means 118 sets a new symbol variation start condition that the symbol variation display corresponding to the success / failure lottery performed before that has ended. The main display control means 118 transmits a change start command and a change stop command to the effect display control means 134 at the timing for starting and stopping the change display of the special symbol 192. When the variation start command is transmitted, values indicating the determined determination result, the stop symbol, and the variation pattern are transmitted to the effect display control means 134 together with the variation start command. When transmitting the variation stop command, a value indicating the stop symbol is transmitted to the effect display control means 134 together with the variation stop command. Thereby, the fluctuation display by the main display control means 118 and the effect display control means 134 is synchronized, and the interlock is maintained. The main display control means 118 displays the result of the normal symbol lottery on the normal symbol display device 59 as a normal symbol variation display.

  The special game control means 120 indicates that the special game operation condition is established when the special symbol 192 is stopped in a predetermined big hit mode when the success / failure lottery by the success / failure lottery means 112 results in the transition to the special game. A special game is executed by determining and opening the special winning opening 66. 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. Special games include a 15R jackpot that repeats a unit game 15 times and a 2R jackpot that repeats a unit game that has a shorter opening time than the 15R jackpot only twice. In the case of 15R jackpot, in principle, the big winning opening 66 is opened for about 30 seconds in one unit game. In the case of 2R big hit, the big winning opening 66 is opened for about 0.5 seconds in one unit game. The special game control means 120 ends the special game when the set round number of unit games is exhausted. Even in the case of 2R big hit, if the predetermined condition is satisfied, the big winning opening 66 may be opened in the same manner as the 15R big hit.

  The specific game executing means 122 controls the normal game in the probability changing state, the short time state, and the easy-to-enter state. The specific game execution means 122 shifts the game state to the time-saving state and the easy-to-enter state after the end of the special game. On the other hand, the transition to the probability variation state after the end of the special game is limited to the case where the symbol determined by the symbol determination means 114 is a big hit symbol accompanied by the transition to probability variation. The short-time state and the easy-to-enter state are continued until the number of times that the special symbol 192 is changed from the end of the special game reaches a predetermined number of end conditions, for example, 100 times. However, when the state changes to the probability changing state at the same time, as long as the probability changing state continues, the short time state and the easy entry state are continued. That is, it continues until the next big hit occurs. Thus, the end of the short time state and the easy entry state is determined according to the gaming state. In the short time state, the fluctuation pattern determining means 115 selects a fluctuation pattern having a short fluctuation time so that the fluctuation display time of the special symbol 192 is substantially shortened. However, in a normal state, a variation pattern table corresponding to the number of holds of the result of lottery determination by the hold control unit 116 is referred to, and a change pattern with a long variation time is likely to appear as the number of hold by the hold control unit 116 decreases. In the easy entry state, the normal symbol time is shortened, the normal symbol probability change, and the expansion mechanism 63 is opened and extended. On the other hand, the probability variation state is continued until a special game with the next jackpot is executed. During the probable change state, the probability that the success / failure determination result by the success / failure lottery means 112 is a big hit is maintained at a high value.

  In the pachinko gaming machine 10 according to the present embodiment, even if the gaming state is shifted to the probability changing state after the special game is finished, the fact is not disclosed to the player. In other words, even after the game state is shifted to the probability change state, the same effect as when the game state is not shifted to the probability change state is output, and it is difficult for the player to determine whether or not the game state is the probability change state. State is maintained. As will be described later, a special variation pattern table may be used for a predetermined period after the end of the special game, and an effect that suggests to the player whether or not the game state is a probable change state may be output.

  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 variable effect patterns in which the change process from start to stop of the change and the change process in the change display of the decorative pattern 190 and the change display of the decorative pattern are displayed, and the degree of expectation for the jackpot And a plurality of notice effect patterns that suggest the height of the notice before the change display stops.

  The effect determining means 132 determines the contents of the effect displayed on the effect display device 60 by the effect display control means 134 according to the result of the success / failure lottery received from the success / failure lottery means 112. The effect determining means 132 selects one of a plurality of change effect pattern data corresponding to the change pattern of the special symbol determined by the change pattern determining means 115, reads out the data from the pattern storage means 130, and obtains information on the change effect pattern. This is sent to the effect display control means 134. The effect determining means 132 holds a pattern table that should be referred to in order to select a variable effect pattern.

  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 an effect image having the same variation time according to the variation pattern of the special symbol.

  The symbol form determining means 131 determines the combination of stop symbols of the decorative symbol 190 and their arrangement according to the result of the lottery by the winning / failing lottery means 112, the special symbol stop symbol, the special symbol variation pattern, and the decorative symbol variation effect pattern. decide. 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 numbers as the special symbols 192 are selected as the numbers to be arranged as the decorative symbols 190, but the numbers may not necessarily be the same. For example, when the special symbol 192 is “7”, the decorative symbol 190 is “777”. A specific combination, for example, a predetermined combination such as “357” is also selected when the result of the determination is a 2R big hit or a small hit, 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 in which three symbols such as “312” and “946” are not arranged, and 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 indicating a loss with reach is selected, a combination with only one symbol such as “191” or “727” is selected. .

  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 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 made variable, and a step-up notice effect that is set such that the greater the number of stages is, the higher the degree of 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, makes a pre-effect setting, and determines the notice effect pattern to be displayed. To do. 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 big hit 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 starts a new symbol variation when a variation start command for the decorative symbol 190 is received.

  When it is determined by the effect determining unit 132 that the notice effect is displayed, the effect display control means 134 superimposes the notice effect in accordance with the selected notice effect pattern on the effect of symbol variation to the effect display device 60. Display. 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.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing in detail a variation pattern table for detachment. In the variation pattern table 210 of this figure, the range of the pattern lottery value associated with the variation pattern is different for each number of holds. Specifically, the smaller the number of holds, the wider the range of pattern lottery values assigned to variation patterns with relatively long variation times, and the probability that variation patterns with long variation times will be selected is increased. . Therefore, the average fluctuation time becomes longer as the number of holdings by the holding control means 116 is smaller. Accordingly, when the number of holds by the hold control unit 116 is less than a predetermined number, for example, 1 to 2, the selection probability of the change pattern having a long change time becomes higher than usual, and the change time tends to be relatively long.

  The first column 212 shows the correspondence between the pattern lottery value range and the variation pattern when the number of holds as a result of the lottery determination by the hold control means 116 is one. Similarly, in the second column 214, the third column 216, and the fourth column 218, the correspondence between the pattern lottery value range and the variation pattern in the case where the number of holdings as a result of the lottery determination by the holding control means 116 is 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The relationship is shown. That is, it can be considered that the first column 212, the second column 214, the third column 216, and the fourth column 218 indicate the variation pattern table for each number of holds. In this figure, an example will be described in which a plurality of variation patterns that can be selected at the time of deviation are classified into five types according to variation time, but actually, a plurality of variation effect patterns are prepared for each of these classifications. This is equivalent to the fact that dozens of types of variation effect patterns are associated with the lottery value ranges for each category. In order to compare the ratio of each pattern lottery value range in the second column 214, the third column 216, and the fourth column 218 in this figure with the ratio of the pattern lottery value range in the first column 212, Broken lines indicating the ratio of the pattern lottery value range are drawn in the second column 214, the third column 216, and the fourth column 218.

  The first range 222 includes any of the first column 212, the second column 214, the third column 216, and the fourth column 218 as a variation pattern when the lottery value corresponds to a pattern lottery value from 0 to 10. A super reach variation pattern of “super 1” is associated. The second range 224 includes any of the first column 212, the second column 214, the third column 216, and the fourth column 218 as a variation pattern when the lottery value corresponds to a pattern lottery value from 11 to 20. A super reach variation pattern of “super 2” is associated. Thus, in the case of the pattern lottery value with the lottery value from 0 to 10 and the pattern lottery value with the lottery value from 11 to 20, the variation pattern having the same variation time is selected regardless of the number of holdings.

  The third range 226 includes normal reach in the first column 212, the second column 214, the third column 216, and the fourth column 218 as a variation pattern when the lottery value corresponds to a pattern lottery value from 21 to 255, respectively. “Normal 1”, “Normal 2”, and “Reach without reach” are associated with each other. However, the range of pattern lottery values associated with each variation pattern varies depending on the number of holds. In the first column 212, the sizes of the lottery value ranges to which “normal 1”, “normal 2”, and “no reach” are associated are approximately equal, and the ranges obtained by dividing 21 to 255 into approximately three equal portions are associated with each other. Yes. In contrast, in the second column 214, the size of the lottery value range associated with each of “normal 1” and “normal 2” is smaller than the lottery value range associated with “no reach”. Further, in the third column 216 and the fourth column 218, the size of the lottery value range associated with each of “normal 1” and “normal 2” is further reduced.

  The fluctuation time of “Normal 1” and “Normal 2” may be longer than the fluctuation time of “Out of reach”, and in the case of “Out of reach”, the fluctuation time may be shortened like a short time state. Depending on the setting contents of the third range 226, the average variation time varies. The pattern lottery value range for “Normal 1” and “Normal 2” decreases as the number of holds increases from 0 to 1, 2, 3, 4, and conversely the pattern lottery value range for “out of reach” increases. Therefore, the average fluctuation time becomes shorter as the number of holds increases, and conversely, the average change time becomes longer as the number of holds decreases. In this way, by using a variation pattern table in which the correspondence between the pattern lottery value range and the variation pattern is different for each number of holdings, control that makes it easy to select a variation pattern with a long variation time when the number of holdings decreases is realized. be able to.

  The variation pattern of “out of reach” associated with the third column 216 has a shorter variation time than the “out of reach” associated with the first column 212 and the second column 214, so-called “shortening variation”. This is the fluctuation pattern. Further, the fluctuation pattern of “out of reach” associated with the fourth column 218 has a shorter variation time than the “out of reach” associated with the first column 212 and the second column 214, and the third column This is a fluctuation pattern of so-called “super-shortening fluctuation” in which the fluctuation time is shorter than “216 shortening fluctuation”.

A characteristic configuration of the pachinko gaming machine 10 according to the embodiment will be described below.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing in detail the functional configuration of the variation pattern determination means 115 of FIG. The variation pattern determination unit 115 includes a variation pattern table storage unit 300, a table selection condition storage unit 302, a table selection unit 304, a variation pattern selection unit 306, a variation pattern notification unit 308, a variation status update unit 310, It includes a change situation storage means 312 and a change situation recovery means 314.

  The variation pattern table storage means 300 is a storage area for storing a plurality of types of variation pattern tables. The plurality of types of variation pattern tables include a variation pattern table to be referred to in a period starting from the end of the special game and ending the end of 60 symbol variations (hereinafter also referred to as “limited period”). It is. In other words, it is a variation pattern table that defines a variation pattern of special symbols during a limited period, and is also referred to as a “limited pattern table” below. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a limited pattern table A and a limited pattern table B are defined as the limited pattern table.

  The table selection condition storage means 302 is a storage area for storing data indicating conditions for selecting any one variation pattern table from a plurality of types of variation pattern tables. This condition is a condition referred to in the limited period, and is also referred to as a condition for selecting any one limited pattern table from a plurality of types of limited pattern tables (hereinafter also referred to as “limited pattern table selection condition”). ) Is included.

  FIG. 9 schematically shows the limited pattern table selection condition. In the “remaining number of times” column of the figure, the remaining period of the limited period, that is, the remaining number of symbol fluctuations that can be executed from the present time to the future time in the limited period is stored. This remaining number is obtained by subtracting the number of symbol fluctuations executed during the limited period from the predetermined maximum number of symbol fluctuations during the limited period, and reflects the total number of symbol fluctuations executed during the limited period. It is. In the “limited variation pattern table type” column, the type of the limited pattern table to be referred to in each remaining number of times is stored. In the example of FIG. 9, the limited pattern table to be referenced is sequentially switched from A → A → B → A → A → B → A → A → B →.

  In the “continuous selection count” field of FIG. 9, information indicating the number of times that the same type of limited pattern table is continuously selected is stored. That is, when the continuous selection count “2” and the limited pattern table A are specified, the limited pattern table A is also specified in the next symbol variation. In particular, when an effect corresponding to the type of the limited pattern table is displayed on the sub-board 104, it can be determined in advance that the same limited pattern table as the current symbol variation will be referred to at the next symbol variation, so various types of effects Data (for example, moving image data having a large data size) can be read in advance, and the efficiency and speed of the rendering process can be realized.

  Returning to FIG. 8, the table selection unit 304 determines the limited pattern table (this embodiment) to be referred to when determining the variation pattern in the symbol variation of the limited period in accordance with the limited pattern table selection condition stored in the table selection condition storage unit 302. Then, the limited pattern table A or B) is selected. The table selection unit 304 executes a predetermined lottery process every time the symbol changes in the limited period, and determines whether or not to refer to the limited pattern table according to the lottery result. This lottery is set to result in continuing reference to the limited pattern table with a predetermined probability (for example, 95%) and to end reference to the limited pattern table with a predetermined probability (for example, 5%). . When the lottery results in the reference of the limited pattern table being ended, the table selecting unit 304 selects a table different from the limited pattern table when determining the subsequent variation pattern even within the limited period.

  The variation pattern selection unit 306 refers to the limited pattern table selected by the table selection unit 304, and selects a variation pattern that is associated in advance with a combination of the determination result and the pattern lottery value. The variation pattern notifying unit 308 sends the remaining number of symbol variations in the limited period, the type of the limited variation pattern table, the number of continuous selections, and the variation pattern selected by the variation pattern selecting unit 306 to the effect determining unit 132. Hereinafter, a combination of these pieces of information is also referred to as “limited period variation information”. For example, the limited period variation information of the present embodiment includes the limited period first variation “remaining 59 times, limited pattern table A, 2, variation pattern α”, the limited period second variation “remaining 58 times, limited pattern table A, 1, variation pattern β ”, limited period third variation“ remaining 57 times, limited pattern table B, 1, variation pattern γ ”.

  The variation status storage unit 312 is a nonvolatile storage area configured by a nonvolatile recording medium (EEPROM or the like), and stores information indicating the execution status of symbol variation during a limited period. The information stored in the variation status storage unit 312 is specifically limited period variation information notified from the variation pattern notification unit 308 to the effect determination unit 132, that is, the remaining number of symbol variations in the limited period, the limited variation. This is a combination of the pattern table type, the number of continuous selections, and the variation pattern.

  The variation status update unit 310 stores the limited period variation information in the effect determination unit 132 every time limited period variation information is sent from the variation pattern notification unit 308 to the effect determination unit 132. When the power supply to the pachinko gaming machine 10 is stopped, the fluctuation status recovery means 314 reads the limited period fluctuation information stored in the fluctuation status storage means 312 when the power supply is restored, and the limitation information is stored in the fluctuation pattern determination means 115. Notify each function block. Thereby, in the next symbol variation, the variation pattern determination process based on the variation state before the power supply is stopped is executed. For example, when the remaining number of symbol fluctuations at the time of power supply stop during the limited period is 40, the fluctuation pattern is determined on the assumption that the remaining number of symbol fluctuations is 39 in the symbol fluctuations after power restoration. .

  The effect determining unit 132 determines an effect pattern (for example, a decorative effect change effect pattern or a notice effect effect pattern) according to the limited period change information notified from the change pattern determination means 115 during the limited period. In the present embodiment, when the number of times of reference to the limited pattern table B in the variation pattern determination means 115 is 20, a predetermined value is used to indicate to the player whether or not the current gaming state is a probable variation state. The variation effect pattern and the notice effect pattern are determined. In other words, when the remaining number of times “0” and the limited pattern table type “limited pattern table B” are notified as the limited period variation information, the effect determining unit 132 determines to execute the probability change suggesting effect.

  As a modified example, when the variation pattern determining unit 115 has referred to the limited pattern table B five times, in other words, the effect determining unit 132, in other words, the remaining number of times “45” as the limited period variation information, and the limited pattern table type “ When the “limited pattern table B” is notified, an effect pattern that suggests the possibility that the gaming state is a probable change state may be determined. Similarly, the same may be applied when the reference number of the limited pattern table B in the variation pattern determination unit 115 is 10 times or 15 times. Then, when the number of times of reference to the limited pattern table B in the variation pattern determination unit 115 is 20, an effect pattern that definitely notifies whether or not the gaming state is a probable variation state may be selected.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a basic operation process in the pachinko gaming machine. First, processing is performed when a game ball enters the start port 62, the general winning port 72, the big winning port 66, etc. (S10). A game control process is executed (S14), and if it is not in a normal game (N in S12), a special game control process (S16) or a small hit game control process is executed (S17), and a winning process in S10 In accordance with the number of prize balls set at, prize ball payout according to various winnings is processed (S18).

  FIG. 11 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 effect pattern. 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. 12 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 determination unit 114 determines a special symbol stop symbol based on the determination result (S46), and the variation pattern determination unit 115 executes a special symbol variation pattern determination process described later (S48). The effect determining 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 effect pattern of the decorative symbols according to the variation pattern of the special symbols (S52). In the limited period, the effect determining unit 132 changes the limited effect pattern according to the limited period change information notified from the change pattern determining unit 115, that is, the type of the limited pattern table, the number of symbol changes in the limited period, and the change pattern. Determine the production pattern.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing in detail the special symbol variation pattern determination processing in S48 in FIG. If it is within the limited period (Y in S200) and immediately after the restoration of power supply (Y in S202), the variation pattern determining means 115 reads the limited period variation information from the nonvolatile memory (S204). If it is not immediately after the restoration of power supply (N in S202), S204 is skipped. When the continuous lottery with reference to the limited pattern table is won (Y in S206), the table selecting unit 304 of the variation pattern determining unit 115 selects a limited pattern table corresponding to the number of remaining variations of the symbol variation in the limited period (S208). . The variation pattern selection unit 306 selects a variation pattern from the limited pattern table selected by the table selection unit 304 (S210). The fluctuation status update unit 310 records the limited period fluctuation information in the nonvolatile memory (S212). The variation pattern notification means 308 notifies the effect determination means 132 of the limited period variation information (S214).

  If it is not the limited period (N in S200) or if the result of continuous lottery referring to the limited pattern table is out (N in S206), the table selecting means 304 is not a limited pattern table but a normal variation pattern table. Is selected (S216). The variation pattern selection unit 306 selects a variation pattern from the normal variation pattern table (S218), and the variation pattern notification unit 308 notifies the effect determination unit 132 of the selected variation pattern (S220).

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing in detail the special game control process of S16 in FIG. If the result of the lottery is a big hit (Y in S90), the special game has already started (Y in S92), and the grand prize opening 66 has not been opened (N in S98), the big prize opening The release process 66 is executed (S100). At this time, display of the set jackpot effect is also started. If the big prize opening 66 has been opened (Y of S98), the closing process of the big prize opening 66 is executed (S102). As a result, if the special winning opening 66 is closed (Y in S104), the process proceeds to S106. If it is not in the closed state (N in S104), the process after S106 is skipped, and this process is temporarily ended. On the other hand, if the special game has not started in S92 (N in S92), the special game is started (S94), the display of the start demonstration effect is started (S96), and this process is temporarily ended.

  In S106, it is determined whether or not a demonstration production, which is a production during a special game, is being performed. Note that the “demonstration effect” here includes a start demonstration effect and an end demonstration effect. If the demonstration is not in progress (N in S106), it is determined whether or not a special game end condition is satisfied with reference to an end flag described later (S110), and if the special game end condition is satisfied (S110). Y) After the end flag is turned off (S112), display of the end demonstration effect is started (S114). If the special game end condition is not satisfied (N in S110), this process is temporarily ended. If it is determined in S106 that the demonstration effect is being performed (Y in S106), and the end demonstration effect is completed (Y in S116), the special game is terminated (S118), and the specific game, that is, the probability change, the time reduction, and the entry The easy state is started (S120). If the end demonstration effect has not ended (N in S116), the processes in S118 and S120 are skipped. If it is not a big hit (N in S90), the flow after S92 in this figure is skipped.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing in detail the release process of S100 in FIG. When the opening timing of the special winning opening 66 based on the set opening / closing pattern is reached (Y in S122), the opening / closing control means 124 uniformly turns off the passage flag and sets the operation of the opening / closing pattern (S124). The special winning opening 66 is opened (S126). In addition, a big hit effect corresponding to the number of repetitions of the current unit game or a big hit effect corresponding to the number of repetitions being different is set and started. When it is not the opening timing (N of S122), the processes of S124 and S126 are skipped.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing in detail the closing process of S102 in FIG. When the closing timing of the special winning opening 66 based on the set opening / closing pattern is reached, the open / close control means 124 closes the special winning opening 66. That is, during a special game, whether the end condition based on the number of balls is satisfied (Y in S130) or the end condition based on the number of balls is not satisfied (N in S130), the end condition based on the opening time is satisfied ( (Y of S132), the special winning opening 66 is closed (S134). If the termination condition based on the opening time is not satisfied (N in S132), the flow after S134 is skipped.

  The end condition based on the number of balls in the 15R jackpot is 10 or more balls entering the grand prize opening 66, and the end condition based on the opening time is a set time according to the opening / closing pattern from the opening start of the big prize opening 66. It is progress. In the case of 15R big hit, 30 seconds have elapsed since the start of opening, and in the case of 2R big hit, 0.5 seconds have elapsed since the start of opening. However, since the opening for 0.5 seconds is extremely short, it is difficult to enter more than 10 balls as well as to enter the ball itself. Even if a game ball is launched at the same time as the opening of the grand prize opening, it is difficult to enter the game, so it is predicted that the 2R big hit will be opened before the grand prize opening 66 is opened. It is necessary to launch a game ball. On the other hand, the end condition based on the number of balls in the 15R jackpot is 10 or more balls entering the grand prize opening, and the end condition based on the opening time is 30 seconds from the start of opening the big prize opening 66. At this time, if the maximum number of continuations has been reached (Y in S136), the end flag is turned on (S138). If the maximum number of continuations has not been reached (N in S136), the process in S138 is skipped. In this embodiment, the upper limit number of continuations is 15 times. If neither the end condition based on the number of entered balls nor the end condition based on the opening time is satisfied (N in S130, N in S132), the processes after S134 are skipped.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing in detail the small hit game control process of S17 in FIG. If the result of the lottery is a small hit (Y in S150), the small hit game has already started (Y in S152), and the big winning opening 66 has not been opened (N in S158). A process for opening the winning opening 66 is executed (S160), and if it is already opened (Y in S158), a closing process for the big winning opening 66 is executed (S162). As a result, if the special winning opening 66 is closed (Y in S164), the process proceeds to S166. If it is not in the closed state (N of S164), the process after S166 is skipped and this process is temporarily ended. On the other hand, if the small hit game has not started in S152 (N in S152), the small hit game is started (S154), and the display of the start demonstration effect similar to the 2R big hit is started (S156). Exit once.

  In S166, it is determined whether or not a demonstration effect which is an effect during the small hit game is being performed. If the demonstration effect is not in progress (N in S166), it is determined whether or not the small hit game end condition is satisfied. Here, if an end flag, which will be described later, is on, the small hit game end condition is satisfied. If the small hit game end condition is satisfied (Y in S170), the end flag is turned off (S172), and the display of the end demonstration effect is started (S174). If the small hit game ending condition is not satisfied (N in S170), this process is temporarily ended. When it is determined in S166 that the demonstration effect is being performed (Y in S166) and the end demonstration effect is completed (Y in S176), the small hit game is terminated (S178). If the end demonstration effect has not ended (N in S176), the process of S178 is skipped. If it is not a small hit (N in S150), the flow after S152 in this figure is skipped.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing in detail the release process of S160 in FIG. When it is the opening timing of the big winning opening 66 based on the set opening / closing pattern (Y in S180), the opening / closing control means 124 sets the operation of the opening / closing pattern (S182) and starts opening the big winning opening 66. (S184). When it is not the opening timing (N of S180), the processing of S182 and S184 is skipped.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing in detail the closing process of S162 in FIG. When the end timing of the special winning opening 66 based on the set opening / closing pattern is reached (Y in S190), the end flag is turned on (S192), and the special winning opening 66 is closed (S194). This closing timing is the timing when 0.5 seconds have elapsed since the opening of the special winning opening 66. If it is not the closing timing (N of S190), the processes of S192 and S194 are skipped.

  According to the pachinko gaming machine 10 of the present embodiment, power supply is provided when providing an effect according to the type of the limited pattern table and the temporal position of the symbol variation while sequentially switching and referring to the multiple types of limited pattern table. Even when the stoppage occurs, the main board 102 acquires the performance conditions before the power supply is stopped after the power supply is restored, and notifies the sub-board 104 of a change start command based on the effect conditions in the design fluctuation after the power supply is restored. Thereby, even if the sub-board 104 loses the effect condition before the power supply is stopped due to the stop of the power supply, the effect that matches the effect before the power supply is stopped can be displayed after the power supply is restored. Specifically, when the probability variation suggestion effect should be provided on the condition that the remaining number of symbol fluctuations “0” during the limited period, even if the power supply stops during the limited period, the change status before the power supply stops after the recovery Therefore, the remaining number of symbol variations in the limited period can be identified again. Therefore, it is possible to provide an effect as intended by the developer by avoiding a situation in which the probability variation suggestion is executed before the remaining number of symbol fluctuations becomes “0” or the probability variation suggestion is stopped. .

  As described above, non-volatile memory is expensive compared to volatile memory, and it is generally volatile on sub-boards that handle large amounts of graphics data because it has a high storage unit price and low data access speed. Memory is used. Therefore, the sub-board of a general gaming machine loses information about the production process up to that time when the power supply is stopped, and it is difficult to maintain the consistency of the production before and after the power supply is stopped and restored. The pachinko gaming machine 10 according to the present embodiment holds information for maintaining the consistency of performance in the main board in a nonvolatile memory, and even after power supply is stopped, the information is stored after the recovery. The notification consistency can be maintained by notifying the sub-board.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A component can be deform | transformed and embodied in the range which does not deviate from a summary. In addition, various inventions may be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the above embodiment, or some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the above embodiment. . Furthermore, it is possible to appropriately combine the constituent elements over a plurality of embodiments.

  A first modification will be described. The table selection condition storage unit 302 according to the present modification uses information indicating the limited pattern table selection condition (hereinafter also referred to as “set”), the reference order of a plurality of types of limited pattern tables, the number of continuous selections in the set, and the like. Are stored in association with each other. The reference order of a plurality of types of limited pattern tables is set so that the number of reference orders is smaller than the number of symbol fluctuations in the entire limited period on the assumption that it is repeatedly applied. For example, when the number of symbol fluctuations in the entire limited period is 60, “1. limited pattern table A, 2. limited pattern table A, 3. limited pattern table B” is set. The number of continuous selections is the same as in FIG. 9. For example, “2, 1, 1” is associated with each of “1. limited pattern table A, 2. limited pattern table A, 3. limited pattern table B”. The table selection unit 304 selects a limited pattern table to be referred to by repeatedly applying the selection order determined by the set. For example, when the limited period is composed of 60 symbol variations, the reference order defined by the above set is repeated 20 times.

  In addition, the variation pattern notifying unit 308 of this modification determines the type of the limited pattern table, the number of set repetitions indicating how many times the set has been applied, the number of continuous selections, and the variation pattern as the limited period variation information. Notify the means 132. For example, the limited period variation information of the present modification includes the limited period first variation “limited pattern tables A, 1, 2, variation pattern α” and the limited period second variation “limited pattern tables A, 1, 1, variation pattern β. ”, The third variation of the limited period“ limited pattern table B, 1, 1, variation pattern γ ”, and the fourth variation of the limited period“ limited pattern table A, 2, 2, variation pattern σ ”.

  The effect determining means 132 holds in advance the reference order of the limited pattern table determined by the set. Then, according to the limited period variation information notified by the variation pattern notification means 308, the temporal position of the symbol variation in the limited period is determined, and the effect pattern is determined. For example, when the type of the limited pattern table indicates “limited pattern table B” and the number of set repetitions is “20”, it is determined that the limited pattern table B has been referred to 20 times, and the effect pattern of the probable change suggestion effect is selected. To do.

  The variation status update unit 310 stores the limited period variation information in the variation status storage unit 312 each time a variation pattern is determined. When power supply is stopped and recovered, the fluctuation status recovery unit 314 reads fluctuation information for a limited period. In the subsequent variation pattern determination process, the variation pattern is determined as the symbol variation following the symbol variation indicated by the limited period variation information. For example, when the limited period fluctuation information read by the fluctuation status recovery unit 314 indicates “limited pattern table B, set repetition count“ 5 ”, continuous selection count“ 1 ””, the limited period fluctuation information after power restoration is “ This includes a limited pattern table A, a set repetition count “6”, and a continuous selection count “2”. According to the pachinko gaming machine 10 of the present modification, even if the presentation conditions before the power supply stop is lost in the sub-board 104 due to the power supply stop, an effect that matches the effect before the power supply stop is provided after the power supply is restored. be able to.

  A second modification will be described. The table selection condition storage unit 302 and the effect determination unit 132 of this modification are also referred to as a plurality of types of limited pattern table selection conditions (hereinafter referred to as “sets”) in which the reference orders of the plurality of types of limited pattern tables are defined in different orders. ). The set in this modification example defines the reference order of a plurality of types of limited pattern tables over the entire limited period, similarly to the limited pattern table selection conditions described in FIG. The table selection means 304 executes a predetermined set selection lottery at the end of the special game, that is, at the start of the limited period, and selects one of a plurality of types of sets according to the result. The set selected here is continuously referred to during the limited period.

  The variation pattern notifying unit 308 of the present modification is information indicating the type of set as the limited period variation information, and information indicating the set number that can uniquely identify the set and the number of symbol variations in the limited period (here Then, the remaining number of symbol variations in the limited period) and the variation pattern are notified to the effect determining means 132. The effect determining unit 132 refers to the set indicated by the set number of the limited period variation information among the plural types of sets held by itself, and the limited pattern table associated with the remaining number of symbol variations indicated by the limited period variation information Specify the type. Then, the limited pattern table type, the remaining number of symbol variations, and an effect pattern corresponding to the variation pattern are determined. For example, the combination of the limited pattern table type, the remaining number of symbol variations, and the variation pattern, and the variation effect pattern are stored in association with each other in the pattern table held by the effect determination unit 132, and the effect determination unit 132 stores the pattern. The variation effect pattern may be determined with reference to the table.

  The variation status update unit 310 stores the limited period variation information in the variation status storage unit 312 each time a variation pattern is determined. When power supply is stopped and recovered, the fluctuation status recovery unit 314 reads fluctuation information for a limited period. In the subsequent variation pattern determination process, the variation pattern is determined as the symbol variation following the symbol variation indicated by the limited period variation information. For example, when the limited period fluctuation information read by the fluctuation status recovery means 314 indicates “set number 2, number of remaining pattern fluctuations 30”, the limited period fluctuation information after power restoration is “set number 2, remaining pattern fluctuation remaining”. Including 29 times. According to the pachinko gaming machine 10 of the present modification, even when the presentation condition before the power supply stop is lost in the sub-board 104 due to the power supply stop, the effect that matches the effect before the power supply stop is displayed after the power supply is restored. be able to.

  A third modification will be described. In the above embodiment, a predetermined period after the end of the special game is set as a limited period, and a plurality of types of limited pattern tables are sequentially switched during the limited period and the effect is executed. As a modification, a predetermined period after the end of the small hit game (for example, from the end of the small hit game until the end of 60 symbol variations) is set as the limited period, and a plurality of types of limited pattern tables are sequentially switched during the limited period. An effect may be executed. This modified example and the above-described embodiment are different only in the target period of the game period, and the functions of the functional blocks already described in FIGS. 2 and 8 are the same. According to this modification, even when power supply is stopped when an effect according to the temporal position of the symbol variation is executed in a predetermined period after the end of the small hit game, an effect that matches the effect before the power supply stop is supplied. It can be resumed after recovery.

  By combining the concept of the limited period in the third modified example with the configuration of the above embodiment, the transition to the probability variation state is concealed to the player, but if the small hit is won, the subsequent limited pattern table reference status A game is realized in which a probable change suggestion effect is executed according to the game. Needless to say, the concept of the limited period in the third modification may be combined with the configuration of the first or second modification.

  A fourth modification will be described. In the above embodiment, the variation status update unit 310 records the limited period variation information in the variation status storage unit 312 each time a variation pattern of symbol variation is determined. As a modification, when the fluctuation status update unit 310 detects that the power supply to the pachinko gaming machine 10 is stopped, specifically, when it detects that the voltage or current state has become a predetermined abnormal state. The limited period variation information regarding the symbol variation being executed at that time may be recorded in the variation status storage means 312. In this case, since it is necessary to record the limited period fluctuation information in the fluctuation status storage means 312 within a relatively short predetermined time from the detection of the power supply stop, the maximum priority in the CPU allocation is given to the recording process. It is desirable. According to this modification, it is not necessary to write limited period variation information to the nonvolatile memory in the main board 102 while the power supply state is normal, and the data processing in the main board 102 can be speeded up.

  10 Pachinko gaming machines, 50 gaming boards, 52 gaming areas, 60 effect display devices, 112 winning / losing lottery means, 114 symbol determining means, 115 variation pattern determining means, 116 holding control means, 120 special game controlling means, 132 effect determining means, 134 Production display control means.

Claims (3)

A game board in which a game area is formed;
A start port provided at a predetermined position in the game area;
Triggering lottery means for executing a lottery 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 opening,
Special game control means for executing the special game when the result of the success / failure lottery is a big hit;
A symbol display device in which a symbol for indicating the result of the winning / failing lottery is variably displayed;
The variation pattern of the symbol is determined according to the result of the winning / failing lottery with reference to a predetermined pattern selection criterion, and an effect corresponding to the execution timing of the symbol variation is performed in a predetermined limited period after the special game ends. Variation pattern determination means for determining a variation pattern with reference to any one of a plurality of types of limited pattern selection criteria for a limited pattern selection criterion that is a pattern selection criterion for
The content of the effect is determined according to the variation pattern determined by the variation pattern determination means, and in the symbol variation within the limited period, the type of the limited pattern selection reference referred to by the variation pattern determination means and the limited period Production determination means for determining the production content according to the temporal position of the symbol variation,
With
The variation pattern determining means is provided in a main control device that controls the progress of the game, and the effect determining means is provided in a sub-control device that controls the operation of the effect in the game,
The variation pattern determination means includes information indicating a type of a limited pattern selection criterion referred to when determining the variation pattern for symbol variation to be executed in the limited period, and information indicating a temporal position in the limited period; Is stored in a nonvolatile storage area, and when the power supply to the gaming machine is stopped in the limited period, the information is notified to the effect determining means after the power supply is restored,
When the power supply to the gaming machine is stopped during the limited period, the effect determining means includes information indicating the type of the limited pattern selection criterion notified from the variation pattern determining means after power supply is restored, and the Depending on the information indicating the temporal position of the symbol variation to be executed, the content of the effect to be executed after the restoration of power supply is determined ,
The variation pattern determining means repeatedly applies the reference order determined by the set to the set in which the reference order of the plurality of types of limited pattern selection criteria is determined, and switches the limited pattern selection criteria to be referred to. As information indicating the temporal position of the symbol variation to be executed, information indicating the reference count in the set of limited pattern selection criteria referred to in the symbol variation to be executed, and the number of repetitions of the set at the time of reference A bullet ball game machine characterized in that information to be stored is stored in the non-volatile storage area . A game board in which a game area is formed;
A start port provided at a predetermined position in the game area;
Triggering lottery means for executing a lottery 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 opening,
Special game control means for executing the special game when the result of the success / failure lottery is a big hit;
A symbol display device in which a symbol for indicating the result of the winning / failing lottery is variably displayed;
The variation pattern of the symbol is determined according to the result of the winning / failing lottery with reference to a predetermined pattern selection criterion, and an effect corresponding to the execution timing of the symbol variation is performed in a predetermined limited period after the special game ends. Variation pattern determination means for determining a variation pattern with reference to any of a plurality of types of limited pattern selection criteria, for a limited pattern selection criterion that is a pattern selection criterion for
The content of the effect is determined according to the variation pattern determined by the variation pattern determination means, and in the symbol variation within the limited period, the type of the limited pattern selection reference referred to by the variation pattern determination means and the limited period Production determination means for determining the production content according to the temporal position of the symbol variation,
With
The variation pattern determining means is provided in a main control device that controls the progress of the game, and the effect determining means is provided in a sub-control device that controls the operation of the effect in the game,
The variation pattern determination means applies a limited pattern selection to which a set of a plurality of types is applied and referenced with respect to a set in which the reference order of the plurality of types of limited pattern selection criteria is determined over the entire limited period. The reference number is switched and the set number that can identify the applied set and the information indicating the total number of symbol fluctuations in the limited period are stored in a nonvolatile storage area, and power supply to the gaming machine is stopped in the limited period If the power is restored, the information is notified to the effect determining means after the power supply is restored,
When the power supply to the gaming machine is stopped during the limited period, the effect determining means, according to the set number notified from the fluctuation pattern determining means after power supply is restored and information indicating the total number of symbol variations, A ball game machine characterized by determining the contents of the performance to be executed after power supply is restored. A game board in which a game area is formed;
A start port provided at a predetermined position in the game area;
A winning / failing lottery means for executing a winning / failing lottery triggered by entering the starting opening;
A large winning opening that is provided at a predetermined position in the gaming area and is opened according to the result of the success / failure lottery, and a game ball entry is a trigger for paying out a prize ball;
A special game control means for executing a special game including a unit game multiple times with the opening of the big prize opening when the result of the winning / losing lottery is a big hit;
In the case where the result of the winning / losing lottery is a small hit, a small win game including one unit game with the opening of the big winning opening and the opening of the big winning opening being performed for a time less than a predetermined opening reference time Small hit game control means to be executed;
A symbol display device in which a symbol for indicating the result of the winning / failing lottery is variably displayed;
With reference to a predetermined pattern selection criterion, the symbol variation pattern corresponding to the result of the winning / failing lottery is determined, and in a predetermined limited period after the end of the small hit game, an effect corresponding to the symbol variation execution timing is provided. A variation pattern determining means for determining a variation pattern with reference to any one of a plurality of types of limited pattern selection criteria for a limited pattern selection criterion that is a pattern selection criterion for performing,
The content of the effect is determined according to the variation pattern determined by the variation pattern determination means, and in the symbol variation within the limited period, the type of the limited pattern selection reference referred to by the variation pattern determination means and the limited period Production determination means for determining the production content according to the temporal position of the symbol variation,
With
The variation pattern determining means is provided in a main control device that controls the progress of the game, and the effect determining means is provided in a sub-control device that controls the operation of the effect in the game,
The variation pattern determination means includes information indicating a type of a limited pattern selection criterion referred to when determining the variation pattern for symbol variation to be executed in the limited period, and information indicating a temporal position in the limited period; Is stored in a nonvolatile storage area, and when the power supply to the gaming machine is stopped in the limited period, the information is notified to the effect determining means after the power supply is restored,
When the power supply to the gaming machine is stopped during the limited period, the effect determining means includes information indicating the type of the limited pattern selection criterion notified from the variation pattern determining means after power supply is restored, and the A bullet ball game machine characterized in that the content of an effect to be executed after power supply is restored is determined according to information indicating a temporal position of a symbol variation to be executed.

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