JP6696065B2 - Amusement machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game machine that outputs sound from output means.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, game machines that output sound from output means such as a speaker are known. The gaming machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 is capable of superimposing a plurality of sound output constituent elements to output a sound, and automatically adjusting the volume of the sound output constituent elements exceeding a predetermined threshold value, thereby making a master. Adjusting the volume with the volume prevents the sound from becoming difficult to hear.

JP, 2014-104242, A

  There are various sound output components such as a plurality of types of BGM and various sound effects (SE). For example, various SEs may be superimposed on the BGM and output. The gaming machine needs to enable the player to recognize each sound when various sound output components are output in a superimposed manner. In the above gaming machine, at the time of developing and designing the sound source data, it is necessary to set the volume for each sound output constituent element according to each role required for performance, and according to the situation of the game or performance. There is. Especially for SEs, the volume relationship with other SEs may be different depending on various circumstances such as the relationship of output order with other SEs, the degree of expectation of hitting the performance, and the situation setting in the story, and the size of one SE may be different. In, the volume of each scene may be different. Since such a volume setting involves a very complicated work, there is a problem that the burden on development and design is heavy.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that can reduce the burden of volume setting work even when a plurality of sound phrases are used.

A gaming machine according to the present invention has a priority definition means for predefining a relative priority for each of a plurality of phrases stored in a storage means for storing a phrase of a sound for each phrase, and an output means. Reference value defining means for defining the volume reference value of the phrase output by the storage means for each of the plurality of phrases stored in the storage means, and the output means from the plurality of phrases stored in the storage means. Output control capable of reading out a phrase specified by the specifying unit from the storage unit and causing the output unit to simultaneously output a plurality of phrases according to the reference value. Means, and an output management indicating at least which phrase output is controlled by the output control means. Of a phrase whose output is controlled by the output control means based on the information acquisition means for acquiring the output management information from the generation means for generating information and the output management information acquired by the information acquisition means. A first specifying means for specifying the first priority phrase having the highest priority; and a sound volume determining means for determining the sound volume of the phrase whose output is controlled by the output control means, according to the priority. the priority definition means defines a specific said priority, said volume determination means, when the prior SL priority of the first priority phrase identified by the first identification means is in a predetermined priority Of the phrases whose output is controlled by the output control unit, the second priority having the lower priority than the first priority phrase specified by the first specifying unit. The volume phrase is output by said output means, to determine a lower volume than the reference value defined in the second priority phrase by said reference value definition means, said first specified by the first specifying means When the priority of one priority phrase is the specific priority defined by the priority defining means, the volume of a part or all of the second priority phrase is not made lower than the reference value. It is characterized by making a decision .

The gaming machine according to the present invention is provided with priority defining means for defining a priority for each of the plurality of phrases stored in the storage means. Further, the output control means for causing the output means to output the phrase is provided with an acquisition means for acquiring output management information indicating which phrase is being output. Based on the output management information, the first priority phrase with the highest priority is specified among the phrases whose output is controlled by the output control means. Then, when the priority of the first priority phrase is a predetermined priority, the volume of the second priority phrase having a lower priority than the first priority phrase is made smaller than the reference value by the first volume control means. .. Therefore, the first priority phrase is automatically output with a louder volume than the second priority phrase. There are various types of phrases used in the gaming machine, and it is possible to output the first priority phrase and the second priority phrase at a high volume. When the first priority is a specific priority, the gaming machine prevents the volume of part or all of the second priority phrase from being made lower than the reference value, thereby increasing the variation of the volume configuration. , The volume of multiple phrases can be set automatically. Therefore, the gaming machine according to the present invention can reduce the burden of volume setting work even when a plurality of sound phrases are used.

  The information acquisition unit may acquire the output management information that is sequentially generated by the generation unit as time passes. The first specifying unit may specify the first priority phrase according to the passage of time, based on the output management information acquired by the information acquiring unit. The volume determining means determines the volume of the second priority phrase output by the output means in response to the first priority phrase being specified by the first specifying means in accordance with the passage of time. The value defining means may determine the volume to be lower than the reference value defined in the second priority phrase. The gaming machine, the second specifying means for specifying the phrase transitioned from the second priority phrase to the first priority phrase according to the passage of time, and the volume of the phrase specified by the second specifying means, Volume control means for controlling to change the reference value defined by the reference value definition means may be provided.

  Since the sound output in the gaming machine varies with the passage of time, the first priority phrase may always fluctuate with the passage of time. The output management information is sequentially generated as time passes, and the gaming machine specifies the first priority phrase by acquiring the output management information sequentially generated as time passes. .. Therefore, the gaming machine can monitor which of the plurality of phrases whose output is controlled by the output control means is the first priority phrase. As time passes, the priority of a phrase may change between the first priority and the second priority. The gaming machine identifies a phrase that has transitioned from the second priority phrase to the first priority phrase according to the passage of time. The volume of the identified phrase is changed to the reference value of the phrase by the volume changing means. Therefore, the gaming machine can automatically set the volume of the first priority phrase to the reference value as time passes.

  The gaming machine may be provided with a main control means for controlling the main control of the game and transmitting a signal according to the control. The designation unit may be capable of designating a phrase to be output to the output unit according to the signal received from the main control unit. The priority defining means may define the priority of a phrase according to an expectation of a result of a game controlled by the main control means.

  In this case, the priority definition means defines the priority of the phrase in accordance with the degree of expectation about the result of the game, so that the gaming machine responds to the result of the game and the flow of effects accompanying the result of the game. It is easier to set the volume automatically.

It is a front view of the pachinko machine 1. It is a front view of the game board 2. It is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 1. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a sound control circuit 591. FIG. It is a conceptual diagram of a fluctuation pattern determination table stored in ROM53. 7 is a flowchart of a main process performed on the main board 41. It is a conceptual diagram of the priority table memorize | stored in ROM583. 9 is a flowchart of a sub control board process performed in the sub control board 58. It is a flow chart of output management information generation processing performed during sub-control board processing. 6 is a conceptual diagram of output management information stored in a RAM 582. FIG. It is a flow chart of sound control processing performed in sub-control board processing. It is a flow chart of volume determination processing performed in sound control processing. It is a flow chart of volume control processing performed in sound control processing. It is a flow chart of notice image processing which CPU431 performs. It is a flow chart of notice image processing performed during sub-control board processing. 6 is a timing chart showing an example of sound output from the pachinko machine 1.

  Hereinafter, a pachinko machine 1 which is a first embodiment of a gaming machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the front side, the back side, the upper side, the lower side, the left side, and the right side of FIG. 1 are referred to as the front side, the rear side, the upper side, the lower side, the left side, and the right side of the pachinko machine 1, respectively.

  The mechanical configuration of the pachinko machine 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko machine 1 includes an outer frame 10 that is a rectangular frame body that is long in the vertical direction when viewed from the front. A main body frame 11 is attached to the inside of the outer frame 10 so as to be openable from the front with its left end edge as an axis. The game board 2 is provided in the upper half portion on the front surface side of the main body frame 11.

  The game board 2 has a substantially square plate shape when viewed from the front (see FIG. 2), and the front surface is protected by a front frame 12 that holds a transparent glass plate. The front surface frame 12 is attached to the front surface side of the main body frame 11 so as to be openable from the front with its left end edge as an axis. An upper plate 5 is provided below the game board 2 in the main body frame 11. The upper plate 5 supplies a game ball made of metal to the game ball launching device 37 (see FIG. 3) and receives a prize ball. An operation button 9 operated by a player is provided on the upper surface of the upper plate 5. Immediately below the upper plate 5, a lower plate 6 for receiving prize balls is provided. On the right side of the lower plate 6, a firing handle 7 for adjusting the firing of the game ball is provided. The firing handle 7 is provided so that the player can rotate it, and when the player rotates the firing handle 7 to perform the firing operation, the game ball launching device has a strength according to the rotation angle of the firing handle 7. A game ball is launched by 37. Speakers 48 are provided on the upper left and right corners of the front frame 12, respectively. The speaker 48 performs various effects by outputting music such as BGM, voices such as dialogue of characters appearing in the game effect, and various sound effects.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially circular game area 4 surrounded by guide rails 3 is formed on the front surface of the game board 2. The game ball launched by the game ball launching device 37 (see FIG. 3) is guided to the game area 4 by the guide rail 3 and flows down in the game area 4. A center ornament 8 for executing various effects is provided in the approximate center of the game area 4. The center decoration 8 mainly includes a display screen 28. The display screen 28 is arranged substantially in the center of the center ornament 8. The display screen 28 is composed of, for example, an LCD, and can display various images. In the present embodiment, the display screen 28 displays an effect pattern that notifies the result of the big hit determination. The pachinko machine 1 changes the plurality (three in the present embodiment) of the effect symbols, and then executes the notification effect of confirming and displaying the combination of the effect symbols showing the result of the jackpot determination. Notify the player.

  A first starting port 14 is provided substantially below the center of the center ornament 8. A second special winning opening 17 is provided below the first starting opening 14. A symbol actuating gate 13 is normally provided diagonally below the center ornament 8. Below the normal symbol operation gate 13, a second starting port 15 is provided. A first special winning opening 16 is provided diagonally below the second starting opening 15. Each of the second starting opening 15, the first special winning opening 16 and the second special winning opening 17 includes an opening / closing member. The game ball can be won in each of the second start opening 15, the first big winning opening 16 and the second big winning opening 17 only when the opening / closing member is opened.

  At the lower right of the game board 2, a symbol display section 24 is provided. The symbol display unit 24 includes a first special symbol display unit, a second special symbol display unit, a normal symbol display unit, a first special symbol memory number display LED, a second special symbol memory number display LED, and a normal symbol memory number display LED. Prepare

  In the present embodiment, when the game ball wins the first starting opening 14, the first jackpot determination is performed, and the first special symbol indicating the determination result is displayed on the first special symbol display portion of the symbol display portion 24. . In the first jackpot determination, whether the jackpot or the jackpot is determined based on the jackpot random number. When it is determined to be a big hit in the first big hit determination, a big hit game in which the opening / closing member of the first big winning opening 16 and the opening / closing member of the second big winning opening 17 are opened in a predetermined order is executed. A specific area is provided inside the second special winning opening 17. In the pachinko machine 1, a game ball passing through a specific area during a jackpot game is a condition for causing a probability variation state after the jackpot game is over. The probability variation state is a state in which the probability of being a “big hit” in the big hit determination is higher than usual. In the present embodiment, the generated probability variation state ends by the operation of the so-called multiple-cut probability changing function when the number of executions of the jackpot determination in the probability variation state reaches a predetermined number.

  When the game ball passes through the normal symbol operation gate 13, the normal hit determination is performed, and the normal symbol indicating the result of the determination is displayed on the normal symbol display section of the symbol display section 24. When it is determined to be a hit in the normal hit determination, the opening / closing member of the second starting opening 15 is opened. When the game ball wins the second starting opening 15, the second jackpot determination is performed, the second special symbol indicating the result of the determination is displayed in the second special symbol display portion of the symbol display portion 24. When it is determined to be a big hit in the second big hit determination, the same big hit game as described above is executed.

  The electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The controller 40 of the pachinko machine 1 mainly includes a main board 41, a sub-control board 58, a lamp driver board 46, a performance control board 43, a payout control board 45, a relay board 47, and a power supply board 42.

  The main board 41 controls the main control of the pachinko machine 1. The main board CPU unit 50 of the main board 41 is provided with a CPU 51 that performs various kinds of arithmetic processing, a RAM 52 that temporarily stores data obtained by the arithmetic processing by the CPU 51, and a ROM 53 that stores a control program and the like. ing. An interrupt signal generation circuit 57 is connected to the main board CPU unit 50. The main board 41 executes a program each time an interrupt signal is input from the interrupt signal generation circuit 57. The main board 41 is connected to the sub control board 58, the payout control board 45, the relay board 47, the output port 55, the first starting port switch 73, and the second starting port switch 74 via the I / O interface 54. .. The output port 55 outputs the information of the pachinko machine 1 to a game hall management computer (not shown). The first starting port switch 73 detects a game ball that has won the first starting port 14. The second starting port switch 74 detects a game ball that has won the second starting port 15.

  The sub-control board 58 includes a CPU 581 that controls overall control of effects and the like. The CPU 581 is electrically connected to the RAM 582, the ROM 583, and the sound control circuit 591. The RAM 582 temporarily stores the data obtained by the arithmetic processing by the CPU 581. The ROM 583 stores a program for executing a sub-control board process (see FIG. 8) described later, flags used by various programs, initial values of data, and the like.

  The sound control circuit 591 reproduces a sound signal based on an instruction from the CPU 581 and causes the speaker 48 to output a sound. The sound control circuit 591 may be composed of, for example, a sound processing LSI or the like. The sound control circuit 591 is electrically connected to the ROM 593. The ROM 593 stores the compressed sound data that is the original data of the reproduced sound signal. Specifically, the ROM 593 stores in advance, as compressed sound data, various sound data used for the pachinko machine 1, such as music for one BGM song, dialogue sound, notice sound, and various notification sounds. The compressed sound data is, for example, data specified by a phrase number having a predetermined bit length. Hereinafter, the compressed sound data is also referred to as phrase data. The phrase data is stored corresponding to each phrase number. In the present embodiment, it is stored in such a manner that it becomes a sound signal of maximum volume when reproduced. The maximum volume indicated by each phrase data will be referred to as a reference volume below.

  The sub control board 58 is connected to the lamp driver board 46, the effect control board 43, the operation buttons 9 and the speaker 48. The lamp driver board 46 is connected to the decorative board 31. The lamp driver board 46 controls the operation and the like of various electric lamps according to the command received from the sub control board 58. The effect control board 43 includes a CPU 431, a CGROM 432, and the like, and controls the display of the display screen 28 in accordance with a command received from the sub control board 58. The CGROM 432 stores image data of moving images and still images used for various effects. The operation button 9 outputs a detection signal to the sub-control board 58 according to the operation of the player. The speaker 48 converts the digital sound signal transmitted from the sub control board 58 into an analog sound and outputs it.

  The payout control board 45 includes a CPU 45a that controls the prize balls and the payout of the prize balls. The CPU 45a is electrically connected to the RAM 45b and the ROM 45c. The RAM 45b temporarily stores the data obtained by the arithmetic processing by the CPU 45a. The ROM 45c stores a prize ball, a control program for paying out the prize ball, and the like.

  The payout control board 45 is connected to the prize ball payout device 49, the door opening switch 61, the frame opening switch 62, and the lower plate full switch 63. The prize ball payout device 49 pays out a predetermined number of game balls to the lower plate 6 in response to a command transmitted from the main board 41. The door opening switch 61 outputs an ON signal to the payout control board 45 when the front frame 12 is opened with respect to the body frame 11, and when the front frame 12 is not opened with respect to the body frame 11, payout control is performed. An OFF signal is output to the board 45. The frame opening switch 62 outputs an ON signal to the payout control board 45 when the main body frame 11 is opened with respect to the outer frame 10, and when the main body frame 11 is not opened with respect to the outer frame 10, the payout control is performed. An OFF signal is output to the board 45. The lower plate full switch 63 outputs an ON signal to the payout control board 45 when the lower plate 6 is full of prize balls, and an OFF signal to the payout control board 45 when the lower plate 6 is not full of prize balls. Output. Upon receiving the ON signal from the lower plate full switch 63, the CPU 45a stops the operation of the prize ball payout device 49. The number of prize balls according to the command transmitted from the main board 41 after receiving the ON signal from the lower plate full switch 63 is stored in the RAM 45b. After that, when the CPU 45a receives the OFF signal from the lower plate full switch 63, the CPU 45a restarts the operation of the prize ball payout device 49 and pays the prize balls stored in the RAM 45b to the lower plate 6.

  The relay board 47 is an ordinary electric accessory opening / closing solenoid 69, a first big winning opening solenoid 70, a second big winning opening solenoid 71, a specific area solenoid 72, a normal symbol operation switch 75, a first big winning opening switch 76, a second. It is connected to the special winning opening switch 77, the specific area switch 78, the induction magnetic field sensor 65, the magnetic sensor 66, the vibration sensor 67, and the symbol display section 24. The normal electric accessory opening / closing solenoid 69 opens / closes the opening / closing member of the second starting opening 15 during the normal hitting game. The first special winning opening solenoid 70 opens and closes the opening / closing member of the first special winning opening 16 during a big hit game. The second special winning opening solenoid 71 opens and closes the opening / closing member of the second special winning opening 17 during the big hit game. The specific area solenoid 72 opens and closes an opening / closing member (not shown) in a specific area within the second special winning opening 17 in a specific round of the jackpot game. The normal symbol operation switch 75 detects the game ball that has passed through the normal symbol operation gate 13. The first special winning opening switch 76 detects a game ball that has won the first special winning opening 16. The second special winning opening switch 77 detects a game ball that has won the second special winning opening 17. The specific area switch 78 detects a game ball that has passed through a specific area.

  The induction magnetic field sensor 65 mainly detects an induction magnetic field generated by fraudulent activity. The magnetic sensor 66 mainly detects the magnetism generated by fraudulent activity. The vibration sensor 67 mainly detects vibration generated by fraudulent activity. The induction magnetic field sensor 65, the magnetic sensor 66, and the vibration sensor 67 are arranged at predetermined positions on the rear side of the game board 2. When the main board 41 receives the detection signals related to these fraudulent acts, it outputs an external output signal to the game hall management computer via the output port 55.

  The power supply board 42 is connected to the main board 41 and the game ball launching device 37, and supplies stabilized DC power to each board and the game ball launching device 37. The game ball launching device 37 launches one game ball to the game area 4 at regular intervals (0.6 seconds in the present embodiment).

  A schematic internal configuration of the sound control circuit 591 will be described with reference to FIG. The sound control circuit 591 mainly includes a control register 591A, first to nth track processing units TR1 to TRn, and a mixer 591D. The control register 591A is electrically connected to the CPU 581. The control register 591A analyzes a command received from the CPU 581, and specifies phrase data to be reproduced in each of the first to n-th track processing units TR1 to TRn, an instruction to reproduce the specified phrase data, and an instruction to reproduce the volume of the reproduced sound. And so on.

  The first to n-th track processing units TR1 to TRn process sounds corresponding to the phrase reproduction tracks of the first track to the n-th track. The first track processing unit TR1 includes a decoder 591B and a track volume 591C. The decoder 591B reads out desired phrase data from the ROM 593 based on the input reproduction instruction of the phrase data, and expands (decodes) the phrase data. The track volume 591C controls the output volume, fade-in / fade-out, etc. of the reproduced sound data decoded by the decoder 591B. The first to n-th track processing units TR1 to TRn are similarly configured. In FIG. 4, only the first track processing unit TR1 and the nth track processing unit TRn are shown, and other track processing units are omitted. n is 16, for example. The mixer 591D mixes the sound signals output from each of the first to n-th track processing units TR1 to TRn, and outputs the mixed signal to the speaker 48.

  The fluctuation pattern determination table stored in the ROM 53 will be described with reference to FIG. The variation pattern determination table indicates whether the big hit judgment is the first big hit judgment or the second big hit judgment, the game state at the time of big hit judgment (non-time saving state or time saving state in this embodiment) and the result of the big hit judgment (big hit or A plurality of tables are provided according to the difference. A plurality of types of variation patterns are assigned to each table, and each variation pattern is associated with a variation pattern determination random number value (0 to 511). When the first jackpot determination is performed, the table corresponding to the game state at that time and the determination result is referred to, and one variation pattern corresponding to the value of the variation pattern determination random number acquired together with the jackpot random number is determined. ..

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the determination result of the first big hit determination in the non-time saving state is a big hit, the rate at which the variation pattern is determined increases in the order of “reach effect A” to “reach effect E”. Here, the "reach effect" is, for example, a notification effect that executes an effect indicating that there is a possibility of a big hit after a reach state in which two of the three effect symbols stop with the same symbol is configured. On the other hand, when the determination result is out of order, the rate at which the variation pattern is determined decreases in the order of "reach effect A" to "reach effect E". Therefore, the expected value for which the result of the first jackpot determination is a jackpot increases in the order of "reach effect A" to "reach effect E". In the present embodiment, the variation pattern of “non-reach” is a notification effect in which the effect ends without reaching the reach state, and in the present embodiment, it is determined only when the result of the jackpot determination is off. The expected value at which the result of the jackpot judgment is a jackpot is also referred to as “expectation degree” below.

  Although details are omitted, in the variation pattern determination table, a plurality of types of variation patterns are also assigned according to the gaming state for the second jackpot determination, and each variation pattern corresponds to the value of the variation pattern determination random number. It is attached. The main board 41 varies the first special symbol or the second special symbol only for the variation time determined according to the determined variation pattern. Further, the main board 41 transmits to the sub-control board 58 a fluctuation pattern designation command which is a command for designating the fluctuation pattern determined by referring to the fluctuation pattern determination table. The sub-control board 58 controls the display screen 28, the speaker 48, etc. according to the variation pattern designated by the command.

  The operation of the main board 41 of the pachinko machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Main control of the pachinko machine 1 is performed by a control program stored in the ROM 53. The main processing of the control program is executed by the CPU 51 when the CPU 51 senses an interrupt signal generated by the interrupt signal generation circuit 57 (see FIG. 3) every 4 ms. Hereinafter, each step of the flowchart is abbreviated as “S”.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the main process is started, first, a command output process is performed (S10). In the command output process, the control command is output to the sub control board 58, the payout control board 45, the relay board 47, and the like. The control command output here is the control command stored in the RAM 52 in the main processing executed last time.

  Next, a switch reading process is performed (S11). In the switch reading process, the normal symbol operation gate 13, the first starting opening 14, the second starting opening 15, the first big winning opening 16, the second big winning opening 17, the specific area in the second big winning opening 17 and other From the detection result of each switch (see FIG. 3) provided in the winning opening, a process for detecting a game ball is performed. Also, in the switch reading process, a security command is generated according to the detection results of the induction magnetic field sensor 65, the magnetic sensor 66, and the vibration sensor 67. The security command is a command for notifying the sub-control board 58 that an illegal act may have occurred, and is stored in the RAM 52. The security command is transmitted to the sub control board 58 in the command output process (S10) of the main process executed next time.

  Next, counter updating processing is performed (S12). In the counter update process, the value of the random number acquisition counter stored in the RAM 52 is added, and the value of the special symbol fluctuation time counter, which is a timer counter for measuring the fluctuation time of the special symbol, is subtracted.

  Next, special electric auditors product processing is performed (S13). In the special electric auditors product processing, processing for controlling the operation of the jackpot game (mainly the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing members of the first big winning opening 16 and the second big winning opening 17), and the game that occurs after the big hit game ends State-related processing is performed. In the present embodiment, in the final round of one big hit game, the second special winning opening 17 is opened for 13 seconds or 0.3 seconds. In the rounds other than the final round, the first special winning opening 16 is opened with a maximum opening time of 29 seconds. When the game ball passes through the specific area within the second special winning opening 17 during the big hit game, the flag corresponding to the specific area switch 78 is set to "ON" in the switch reading process (S11). If this flag is "ON", the probability variation flag described later is "ON". Then, the first big winning opening 16 and the second big winning opening 17, which have been once opened, are closed when either one of the conditions of the maximum opening time and the winning of a predetermined number of game balls is satisfied. When the jackpot game is started, a jackpot game start command indicating that the jackpot game is started is generated and stored in the RAM 52. The jackpot game start command is transmitted to the sub control board 58 in the command output process (S10) of the main process executed next time.

  Next, special symbol processing is performed (S14). In the special symbol process, jackpot determination, the determination of the variation pattern, the determination of the special symbol, the game state transition process, and the like are performed. In the pachinko machine 1, the RAM 52 is provided with a first jackpot relation information storage area and a second jackpot relation information storage area. The first jackpot related information storage area is provided with a plurality of storage areas. When a game ball is won in the first starting port 14, if the first number of reserved balls due to winning in the first starting port 14 is less than 4 (0 to 3), random numbers are stored in order from the storage area with the smallest number. To be done. The first number of reserved balls is the number of random numbers stored among the random numbers corresponding to the game balls that have won the first starting opening 14 in a state in which execution of the jackpot determination is suspended. In this embodiment, the maximum number of first reserved balls is “4”. The CPU 51 uses the storage area with the smallest number among the random numbers in the storage areas that have not yet been processed as the determination area, and performs various types of processing such as jackpot determination for the random numbers stored in the determination area. When the process related to the random numbers stored in the determination area is completed, the storage area with the next smallest number is set as the determination area, and the processing such as the jackpot determination is repeated.

  In each storage area, the first jackpot random number column in which the value of the first jackpot determination counter is stored, the first special symbol determination random number column in which the value of the first special symbol determination counter is stored, and the first fluctuation pattern determination counter There is provided a first variation pattern determination random number column in which the value of is stored. When a game ball wins the first starting opening 14, the value of each random number acquisition counter counted at that time is stored in each column. The first jackpot random number is used for the first jackpot determination. The first special symbol determination random number is used to determine the first special symbol. The first variation pattern determination random number is used to determine a variation pattern indicating the variation time of the first special symbol displayed on the first special symbol display section of the symbol display section 24.

  In the pachinko machine 1, the variation time of the first special symbol and the second special symbol is equal to the effect time of the notification effect for notifying the player of the result of the first jackpot determination and the second jackpot determination. The sub control board 58 controls the notification effect according to the variation pattern determined by the main board 41. Specifically, the main board 41 starts the variation of the first special symbol according to the first variation pattern based on the first variation pattern determination random number. Further, the main board 41 starts the variation of the second special symbol according to the second variation pattern based on the second variation pattern determination random number. The sub-control board 58 starts the variable display of the effect symbol in synchronization with the start of the variation of either the first special symbol or the second special symbol. The main board 41, when the variation time of either the first special symbol or the second special symbol that has started variation ends, the first special symbol or the second special symbol that has been changed, a predetermined special symbol stop display time During (0.8 seconds in this embodiment), the confirmation display is performed. The sub-control board 58, in synchronization with the special symbol stop display time, fixedly displays the effect symbol. Further, the sub-control board 58 executes the notification effect in synchronization with the variation pattern not only by the effect pattern but also by the display screen 28, the speaker 48, and the like.

  The configuration of the second jackpot relation information storage area is similar to that of the first jackpot relation information storage area. When a game ball is won in the second starting opening 15, if the number of second reserved balls due to winning in the second starting opening 15 is less than 4 (0 to 3), random numbers are stored in order from the storage area with the smallest number. To be done. The second number of reserved balls is the number of random numbers stored among the random numbers corresponding to the game balls that have won the second starting opening 15 while the execution of the jackpot determination is suspended.

  In the special symbol process, a variation pattern designation command for designating the determined variation pattern is generated. Also, with the passage of the variation time of the special symbol, a special symbol stop command is generated. Further, a prefetch command is generated in accordance with the prefetch information of the reserved random number stored when the game ball wins the first start opening 14 or the second start opening 15. It should be noted that pre-reading refers to referring to the information on the reserved random number before the actual jackpot determination is performed. These generated commands are stored in the RAM 52 and transmitted to the sub control board 58 in the command output process (S10) of the main process to be executed next time.

  In the following description, the first jackpot random number and the second jackpot random number are collectively referred to, or, if neither is specified, they are also called jackpot random numbers. In addition, when the first variation pattern determination random number and the second variation pattern determination random number are collectively referred to, or when either is not specified, they are also referred to as variation pattern determination random numbers. In addition, the first jackpot relation information storage area and the second jackpot relation information storage area are collectively referred to as a jackpot relation information storage area when either is not specified. In addition, jackpot random numbers for which jackpot determination is suspended in the state stored in the jackpot relation information storage area, and various random numbers that are acquired together with jackpot random numbers for which jackpot determination is suspended and stored in the jackpot relation information storage area. Collectively called a reserved random number.

  Next, the normal electric accessory processing is performed (S15). In the normal electric auditors product processing, processing for controlling the operation of the normal hit game is performed when it is a normal hit. If the time saving state has occurred, the CPU 51 opens the opening / closing member of the second starting opening 15 longer than during the non-time saving state. Note that the CPU 51 determines that the time saving state is in progress if the time saving flag is "ON".

  Next, normal symbol processing is performed (S16). In the normal symbol processing, the normal symbol random number is acquired when the normal symbol operation switch 75 detects the game ball. Based on the obtained random numbers, normal win determination, normal memory storage of commands for controlling fluctuation of symbols, and the like are performed. As described above, the normal hit determination is determined with the respective probabilities (99/100 or 4/100) depending on whether or not a time saving state has occurred.

  Next, a payout process (S17) is performed. In the payout process, payout of prize balls is controlled. In the payout process, a door opening command, a frame opening command, and a lower plate full command are generated according to the detection results of the door opening switch 61, the frame opening switch 62, and the lower plate full switch 63. The door opening command is a command for notifying the sub control board 58 that the door (front frame 12) is open. The frame opening command is a command for notifying the sub control board 58 that the frame (main body frame 11) is open. The lower plate full command is a command for notifying the sub control board 58 that the lower plate 6 is full. Each command is stored in the RAM 52, and is transmitted to the sub control board 58 in the command output process (S10) of the main process executed next time.

  Next, an error check (S18) and an information output process (S19) are performed. In the error check, when an error has occurred, the error is notified using the display screen 28, the speaker 48, and the like. In the information output processing, various kinds of information are output to a game hall management computer (not shown).

  The priority table stored in the ROM 583 of the sub control board 58 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The priority table classifies each of the phrase data stored in the ROM 593 according to the sound type. There are eight sound types: "normal SE", "normal BGM", "serif", "super heat SE", "accurate SE", "special BGM", "holding sound", and "notification sound".

  The "normal SE" includes a sound effect used regardless of the expected degree of the notification effect, and a sound effect used when the expected degree of the notification effect is relatively low (for example, when the expected degree is less than 40%). The phrase data is classified. For example, a sound effect or the like associated with the notice effect executed when the expected degree of the notification effect is relatively low is classified as “normal SE”. The notice effect is, for example, various effects executed to suggest the degree of expectation of the notification effect from the start of the notification effect to the final display of the effect design. The "normal BGM" includes phrase data such as BGM used regardless of the expected degree of the notification effect and BGM used when the expected degree of the notification effect is relatively low (for example, when the expected degree is less than 40%). Are classified. For example, the phrase data of BGM used in the notification effect of "non-reach" is classified as "normal BGM". The phrase data of the voice of the character is classified into the "line".

  The phrase data of the sound effect used when the degree of expectation of the notification effect is relatively high (for example, when the degree of expectation is 40% or more) is categorized in the “intense heat SE”. In the “probability SE”, the phrase data of the sound effect used when the expectation of the notification effect is very high (for example, when the expectation is about 100%) is classified. For example, in the notification effect, the phrase data of one notification sound used when notifying the big hit before the effect design is confirmed and displayed in the combination showing the big hit is classified as “succeeding SE”. The "special BGM" is classified into BGM phrase data used when the expectation of the notification effect is relatively high (for example, when the expectation is 40% or more). For example, BGM and the like used in the case of so-called super reach is classified as “special BGM”. The phrase data of the hold tone is classified into the "hold tone". The hold sound is, for example, an effect sound that is sounded when the hold random number is acquired (when a game ball is won in the first starting opening 14 or the second starting opening 15) according to the read-ahead information of the holding random number. ..

  The phrase data of various notification sounds are classified in the "notification sound". According to the detection results of the induction magnetic field sensor 65, the magnetic sensor 66, and the vibration sensor 67, the notification sound indicates that a fraudulent act may have occurred around the pachinko machine 1 (a player, a hall employee). Etc.) is included in the notification sound (for example, siren sound). In addition, the notification sound is a sound (for example, a sound such as "the door is open") that notifies the surrounding people that the door (the front frame 12) is open according to the detection result of the door opening switch 61. ) Is included. In addition, the notification sound is a sound that notifies the surrounding people that the frame (main body frame 11) is open according to the detection result of the frame opening switch 62 (for example, a sound such as "the frame is open"). ) Is included. Further, the notification sound is a sound for notifying the player or the like that the lower plate 6 is full according to the detection result of the lower plate full switch 63 (for example, "please remove the ball (of the lower plate 6)". Etc.) is included. Since these notification sounds are not sounded according to the degree of expectation of the notification effect, they are rarely output in normal games. However, when an output opportunity comes, it is necessary to sufficiently notify the person around the pachinko machine 1 or the player of the ringing content from the viewpoints of fraud prevention and smooth game progress.

  The priority table defines a “reference volume” and a “priority index” for each of the phrase data classified by sound type. The “priority index” is a numerical value that defines the relative priority of a plurality of phrase data stored in the ROM 593 with respect to other phrase data. In the present embodiment, the priority index is set for each sound type. The priority index of “normal SE” and “normal BGM” is “0”. The priority index of "serif" is "1". The priority index of "Intense SE" is "2". The priority index of “acknowledged SE” is “3”. The priority index of “special BGM” and “holding tone” is “4”. The priority index of “notification sound” is “5”.

  As the value of the priority index increases, it indicates that the phrase data should be output at a volume that gives priority to other phrase data. For example, since it is often desirable to have the player clearly hear the dialogue voice, the priority index of "serif" is set to a value higher than that of "normal SE" and "normal BGM". In addition, there is a scene where it is desirable to have the player hear the volume of "super heat SE" that is more likely to be used in the production with higher expectations than "normal SE", so that there is a scene where it is desired to have the player hear the volume with priority over "normal SE". The priority index of “” is set to a value higher than “normal SE”. Since the same reason is true for "Token SE," which is more likely to be used in productions with higher expectations than "Intense SE," the priority index of "Token SE" is set to a value higher than that of "Intense SE". Has been done. In addition, for the "special BGM" used in special production such as SP reach, the priority index is produced because there is a scene where it is desired to output at a volume that has priority over the sound used in other reach production. It is set to "4" which is the highest value of the sounds used in. The "holding sound" is a sound effect that sounds in a relatively short time by its nature, and is output as one of the pre-reading effects based on the pre-reading information. The ringing of the "holding sound" is determined according to the degree of expectation indicated by the look-ahead information based on the reserved random numbers (a big hit random number, a variation pattern determination random number, a special symbol determination random number, etc.). The "holding tone" is a sound that is played according to the degree of expectation indicated by the look-ahead information, and because the content of the look-ahead effect is of interest to the player, etc., the priority index of the sound used in the effect is set. The highest value is “4”. Further, the “notification sound” has a role to immediately notify the surroundings that a serious abnormal situation has occurred. Therefore, the highest priority index of all the sound types is set for the “notification sound”. Hereinafter, the value of the priority index is also referred to as “P”.

  The sub-control board processing executed by the sub-control board 58 and the sound output control executed in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 16. The pachinko machine 1 can reproduce phrase data and output a plurality of sounds at the same time. In the pachinko machine 1, when a plurality of sounds are output at the same time, ducking is performed according to the priority index. Ducking is a process of temporarily lowering the volume of another sound that is output at the same time as the sound that should be heard preferentially among a plurality of sounds. In the pachinko machine 1, ducking is performed using the above-mentioned priority index.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the sub control substrate processing is started, it is determined whether or not the variation pattern designation command is received from the main substrate 41 (S22). If the variation pattern designation command has not been received (S22: NO), the process proceeds to the determination of S26. When the variation pattern designation command is received (S22: YES), the variation pattern designated by the variation pattern designation command received from the main board 41 is stored in the RAM 582 (S23). A notification effect start command for causing the effect control board 43 to start the image display process related to the notification effect corresponding to the variation pattern is stored in the RAM 582 (S24). Next, a sound reproduction command for causing the sound control circuit 591 to reproduce the sound related to the notification effect according to the variation pattern is stored in the RAM 582 (S25). Specifically, according to the variation pattern stored in the process of S23, information for reproducing BGM, SE, dialogue, etc. used in the notification effect corresponding to the variation pattern and outputting from the speaker 48 is a reproduction command. Is generated. The processing shifts to the determination of S26.

  Next, it is determined whether the special symbol stop command is received from the main board 41 (S26). If the special symbol stop command has not been received (S26: NO), the process proceeds to the determination of S29. When the special symbol stop command is received (S26: YES), the notification effect is ended by confirming and displaying the combination of the effect symbols showing the determination result of the jackpot determination (S27). The processing shifts to the determination of S29.

  Next, it is determined whether the jackpot game start command is received from the main board 41 (S29). When the jackpot game start command has not been received (S29: NO), the process proceeds to the determination of S32. When the jackpot game start command is received (S29: YES), the RAM 582 stores the notification effect start command for causing the effect control board 43 to start the image display process related to the jackpot game effect which is an effect during the jackpot game ( S30). Next, a sound reproduction command for causing the sound control circuit 591 to reproduce the sound related to the jackpot game effect is stored in the RAM 582 (S31). The processing shifts to the determination of S32.

  Next, it is determined whether or not another command related to sound has been received (S32). Other commands relating to sound include a security command, a door opening command, a frame opening command, a lower plate full command, etc. transmitted from the main board 41. In addition, although a sound may be output in response to an operation by a player or the like, the detection signal transmitted from the operation button 9 at such a time is also included in the other commands. When the command regarding these sounds is not received (S32: NO), a process transfers to S34. When commands relating to these sounds are received (S32: YES), sound reproduction commands for causing the sound control circuit 591 to reproduce sounds corresponding to the respective commands are stored in the RAM 582 (S33). The process proceeds to S34.

  Next, the command stored in the RAM 582 is output to the sound control circuit 591 and the effect control board 43 (S34). Upon receiving the sound reproduction command, the sound control circuit 591 reads the sound corresponding to the sound reproduction command from the ROM 583 and reproduces the sound. The process proceeds to S35.

  Next, the output management information generation process is executed (S35). The output management information generation process is a process of generating output management information. The output management information is information about the reproduction status of the phrase data and the volume status of the sound being reproduced on each of the phrase reproduction tracks of the first track to the n-th track. The output management information generation processing is executed every time the sub control board processing is executed. That is, the CPU 581 of the sub-control board 58 repeatedly generates the output management information, and thereby sequentially generates the output management information according to the passage of time. In addition, the CPU 581 always grasps the status of the sound on the first track to the n-th track by acquiring and referring to new output management information every time the sound control process (S36) described below is executed.

  The output management information generation process (S35, see FIG. 8) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. When the output management information generation process is started, the reproduction status of each phrase reproduction track, the phrase number and the value P of the priority index are obtained from the decoder 591B of each phrase reproduction track (S41). The reproduction status is information indicating which phrase data is reproduced on the phrase reproduction track. In the present embodiment, it is indicated by either "reproducing" or "stopped". The phrase number is the phrase number of the phrase data decoded by the decoder 591B of the phrase reproduction track. P indicates a priority index associated with the phrase data decoded by the decoder 591B of the phrase reproduction track. When the reproduction status is “reproducing”, the CPU 581 acquires the phrase number and P corresponding to the phrase data based on the phrase data being reproduced and the priority table.

  Next, the current volume and fade status of each phrase reproduction track are acquired from the track volume 591C of each phrase reproduction track (S42). The current volume is the output volume of the reproduced sound currently reproduced on the phrase reproduction track. In this embodiment, the volume is indicated by a percentage of the reference volume of each phrase data. The fade status is information indicating the fade-in / fade-out of the reproduced sound data, or the ratio of the fade (fade rate) when the fade-in / fade-out is set. The fade rate is indicated by, for example, the number of seconds required to change the volume from the minimum to the maximum or from the maximum to the minimum.

  Next, output management information is generated based on the information acquired in the processing of S41 and S42 (S43). In this embodiment, output management information is generated with the configuration shown in FIG. The output management information is indicated by the reproduction status, phrase number, P, current volume, and fade rate for each of the phrase reproduction tracks of the first track to the nth track.

  As shown in the example of FIG. 10, in the output management information, the phrase data of the phrase 15 with P = 0 on the first track is being reproduced, the current volume is 60%, and the output management information is completed in 0.5 seconds. Indicates that fade-in / fade-out is in progress. The output management information indicates that the reproduction status is "stopped" in the second track, and that no phrase data is being reproduced. Similarly, for the third track to the nth track, the reproduction status, phrase number, P, current volume, and fade rate are shown for each phrase reproduction track.

  Next, the generated output management information is stored in the RAM 582 (S44). In this way, by generating the output management information, the CPU 581 can grasp the reproduction status of the phrase data and the volume of the sound being reproduced for each phrase reproduction track at the time when the output management information processing is executed. Further, since the output management information is repeatedly generated with the passage of time, the CPU 581 can monitor the reproduction status of the phrase data and the volume status of the sound being reproduced for each raise reproduction track. The process returns to the sub control substrate process (see FIG. 8).

  Returning to the description of FIG. Next, the sound control process is executed (S36), and the process proceeds to the determination of S38. The sound control process (S36, see FIG. 8) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the sound control process, control for outputting a necessary sound is performed according to various commands transmitted to the sub control substrate process.

  When the sound control process is started, output management information is acquired (S52). The CPU 581 acquires, from the RAM 582, the output management information generated by the output management information generation process (S35, see FIG. 8).

  Next, the output management information acquired in the process of S52 is compared with the output management information acquired last time (S53). When the CPU 581 executes the sound control process for the first time and the output management information acquired last time does not exist, the CPU 581 does not perform the process of S53 and moves the process to S61.

  Next, based on the comparison result in the process of S53, it is determined whether the output management information acquired this time is different from the output management information acquired last time (S54). If the output management information has not changed (S54: NO), the process proceeds to S62.

  When the output management information has changed (S54: YES), it is determined whether the P5 flag is "ON" (S55). The P5 flag and the like are stored in the RAM 582 of the sub control board 58. As for the P5 flag, "1" is stored and "ON" is stored when it is determined that the phrase data with P = 5 is being reproduced in any of the phrase reproduction tracks in the volume determination process (S61) described later. Become. After that, when it is determined that the phrase data with P = 5 is not reproduced in any of the phrase reproduction tracks, "0" is stored and it becomes "OFF". When the P5 flag is "OFF" (S55: NO), the process proceeds to S61.

  When the P5 flag is "ON" (S55: YES), it is determined whether the maximum P value Pmax in the output management information acquired in the process of S52 is "5" (S56). That is, it is determined based on the latest output management information whether the notification sound is reproduced on any of the first to nth tracks. When Pmax is "5" (S56: YES), the process proceeds to S61.

  When Pmax is not "5" (S56: NO), it is determined that the volume of the phrase data reproduced in each phrase reproduction track is set to 8 times the volume determined in the process of S88 described below (S58). The effect of this process will be described later. Then, the P5 flag is turned "OFF" (S59). That is, after it is judged that the phrase data with P = 5 is being reproduced in any of the phrase reproduction tracks and the P5 flag is turned "ON", P = 5 based on the latest output management information. When it is determined that the phrase data has not been reproduced, the P5 flag becomes "OFF". The process proceeds to S61.

  Next, the volume determination process is executed (S61). The volume determination process is a process of determining the volume of the sound reproduced on each phrase reproduction track based on the priority index, because ducking is automatically performed.

  The sound volume determination process (S61, see FIG. 11) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. When the volume determination process is started, the latest output management information is referred to. Then, in the latest output management information, the phrase data indicating P1 having the maximum value of P in the range of 0 ≦ P ≦ 4 is specified (S71). That is, the phrase data having the maximum priority index is specified from the output management information, excluding the phrase data classified as the notification sound. The phrase data whose P value is P1 specified by this processing is hereinafter referred to as a first priority phrase F1. When 0 ≦ Pmax ≦ 4, Pmax = P1. When Pmax = 5, in addition to the processing of S71 to S82, each processing of S84 and later described below is executed.

  Next, it is determined whether P1 associated with the first priority phrase F1 is 0 ≦ P1 ≦ 3 (S72). When 0 ≦ P1 ≦ 3 (S72: YES), the volume of the first priority phrase F1 is determined as the reference volume (S73). Next, the volume of phrase data other than the first priority phrase F1 is determined to be 1/2 of the reference volume (S74). That is, the volume of the phrase data whose P value is lower than that of the first priority phrase is set to 1/2 of each reference volume. The processing shifts to the determination of S83.

  On the other hand, when 0 ≦ P1 ≦ 3 is not satisfied (S72: NO), that is, when P1 = 4, the phrase data indicating P2 having the second largest P value after P1 is specified from the latest output management information (S76). .. When P1 = 4, the phrase data associated with the next highest priority index after P1 is specified from the output management information. The phrase data whose P value is P2, which is specified by this processing, is hereinafter referred to as a second priority phrase F2.

  Next, the volume of the first priority phrase F1 is determined as the reference value (S77). The volume of the second priority phrase F2 is determined as the reference value (S78). Next, it is determined whether the output management information includes phrase data indicating P3 having a smaller P value than P2 (S81). Hereinafter, the phrase data in which the value of P is P3 is referred to as a third priority phrase F3. When the output management information does not include the third priority phrase F3 (S81: NO), the process proceeds to the determination of S83. When the output management information includes the third priority phrase F3 (S81: YES), the volume of the third priority phrase is determined to be 1/2 of the reference volume (S82). The processing shifts to the determination of S83.

  Thus, when 0 ≦ P1 ≦ 3, the volume of the first priority phrase F1 is determined as the reference volume in the processes of S73 and S74. Further, the volume of all phrase data other than the first priority phrase F1, that is, the volume of phrase data having a value of P lower than P1 is uniformly determined as 1/2 of the reference volume. Thereby, the pachinko machine 1 can automatically perform the ducking process on the plurality of sounds to be output according to the priority index. In particular, a part of the priority index is set according to the degree of expectation, so that the pachinko machine 1 can output a sound corresponding to an effect with a high degree of expectation at a volume that gives priority to other sounds.

  When P1 = 4, in the processing from S76 to S82, the volume of the second priority phrase F2 in addition to the first priority phrase F1 is determined as the reference volume. Further, the volume of the third priority phrase F3 is determined to be 1/2 of the reference volume. That is, P = 4 is a special priority index with respect to other priority indices, and in particular, when P1 = 4, the second priority with which P2 having a lower P value than P1 is associated. The volume of the phrase F2 is not made lower than the reference volume. The volume of the third priority phrase F3 associated with P3 having a lower value of P than P2 is determined to be lower than the reference volume. For example, when sounds corresponding to phrase data classified as “special BGM” are output, the sound volumes of all the other sound types are not uniformly made lower than the reference sound volume, but some sounds are not. In some cases, it may be possible to improve the effect by outputting the sound at a volume equivalent to that of the "special BGM" sound. By providing a special priority index such as P = 4 in the plurality of priority indexes, the pachinko machine 1 can diversify the ducking process and provide a wide range of effect.

  Next, it is determined whether Pmax is "5" (S83). When Pmax is not "5" (S83: NO), the process proceeds to S89. When Pmax is "5" (S83: YES), the phrase data associated with Pmax (P = 5) is specified, and its volume is determined as the reference volume (S84). In the following description, the phrase data whose P value is "5", whose sound volume is determined as the reference value in this process, will be referred to as the fifth priority phrase F5 below. The fifth priority phrase F5 having a P value of "5" is phrase data having a sound type of "notification sound".

  Next, the volume of the phrase data other than the fifth priority phrase F5 is determined to be ⅛ of the volume determined in the processes of S73, S74, S77, S78 and S82 (S85). As a result, the volume of the phrase data whose volume is determined in each of S73, S77, and S78 is determined to be ⅛ of the reference volume. Further, the volume of the phrase data determined in each of S74 and S82 is determined to be 1/16 of the reference volume. The process proceeds to S88.

  In the present embodiment, when a plurality of phrase data satisfying 0 ≦ P ≦ 3 are reproduced at the same time, the volume of the phrase data having the maximum P value out of 0 ≦ P ≦ 3 is given a priority over other phrase data. It is said that. In other words, when the phrase data of P = 0, P = 1, P = 2, and P = 3 are simultaneously reproduced, the volume of the phrase data of P = 3 is set as the reference volume, and the volume of other phrase data is set. Is half the reference volume. In addition, when a plurality of phrase data of P = 0, P = 1, P = 2 and P = 3, P = 4 are reproduced at the same time, the volume of the phrase data of P = 4 having the maximum P value is set. In addition, the volume of the phrase data having the next largest P value of "4" ("P = 3" in this case) is set as the reference volume. That is, when a plurality of phrase data are reproduced at the same time, the phrase data in which P is "3" or "4" is more likely to be output with a louder volume than other phrase data.

  In such a situation where the volume is determined, when Pmax = 5, the volume of the phrase data other than the fifth priority phrase F5 is determined to be ⅛ of the determined volume. When a plurality of phrase data with P = 0, P = 1, P = 2 and P = 3, P = 4 are reproduced at the same time, when phrase data with P being “3” or “4” is reproduced , Its volume is determined to be ⅛ of the reference volume. Further, the volume of the phrase data of P = 0, P = 1, P = 2 when P is "3" or "4" is reproduced is determined to be 1/2 of the reference volume. This is further reduced to ⅛ and determined to be 1/16 of the reference volume. When Pmax = 5, the phrase data in which P is “3” or “4” is not reproduced, and the phrase data in which 0 ≦ P ≦ 2 is reproduced, it is determined in S73 and S74. The volume obtained by multiplying the volume by ⅛ is determined as the output volume. That is, the volume of the phrase data output at the reference volume at the start of ducking for the fifth priority phrase F5 is determined to be 1/8 of the reference volume. Further, the volume of the phrase data output at the volume of 1/2 of the reference volume at the start of ducking for the fifth priority phrase F5 is determined to be the volume of 1/16 of the reference volume. As a result, the volume of the phrase data satisfying 0 ≦ P ≦ 4 is maintained while the volume of the phrase data satisfying 0 ≦ P ≦ 4 is maintained before and during the reproduction of the fifth priority phrase F5. You can ducking for the volume of F5.

  The volume of phrase data other than the fifth priority phrase F5 can be ducked with respect to the volume of the fifth priority phrase F5 while maintaining the relationship of the volumes determined in the processes of S73, S74, S77, and S78. , And yet another advantage. Generally, when multiple phrase data are played back at the same time and you want to give priority to the sound of specific phrase data to others, ducking to reduce the volume of phrase data other than specific phrase data is performed. Be seen. After that, when the reproduction of the specific phrase data ends, the ducking ends, and in the present embodiment, the volume of each phrase is controlled to the volume according to the priority index. When the volume of the phrase data whose volume has been once lowered is raised to the reference volume, the volume may be raised by fade-in in order to smooth the change of the volume. When changing the volume by fade-in, since the volume is changed at a predetermined fade rate, it takes a predetermined time according to the fade rate until the volume change from a low volume to a high volume is completed. Therefore, the larger the range of volume change, the longer the time required to complete the volume change.

  For example, it is assumed that the volume of phrase data other than the fifth priority phrase F5 is uniformly set to 1/16 of the reference volume when reproducing the fifth priority phrase F5. When the output of the sound of the fifth priority phrase F5 is finished, the pachinko machine 1 determines the volume of each phrase data after the ducking for the fifth priority phrase F5 is finished by each of the processes of S73, S74, S77, and S78. It is necessary to return to the volume and proceed with a normal game. The plurality of phrase data whose volume is controlled includes phrase data that returns the volume to the reference volume and phrase data that returns the volume to 1/2 of the reference volume.

  Under this assumption, when returning the volume to the reference volume by fade-in, it takes time to return the volume from 1/16 of the reference volume to the reference volume. In the present embodiment, the CPU 581 does not uniformly lower the volume of the phrase data for ducking the fifth priority phrase F5 in S85, but sets the volume to the reference volume in the processes of S73, S77, and S78. The volume of the phrase data which is determined to be set is determined to be 1/8 of the reference volume. Further, in step S85, the CPU 581 determines the volume of phrase data whose volume is determined to be ½ of the reference value in steps S74 and S82 to be 1/16 of the reference volume. That is, the time required for adjusting the volume of the phrase data for returning the volume to the reference volume after the ducking for the fifth priority phrase F5 is the time required for returning the volume from ⅛ of the reference volume to the reference volume. This time is shorter than the time required to return the volume from 1/16 of the reference volume to the reference volume. The CPU 581 does not uniformly lower the volume of the phrase data to be ducked for the fifth priority phrase F5, but sets the volume to the reference value in the processes of S73, S77, and S78. The volume of the data is determined to be ⅛ of the reference volume. Further, the CPU 581 determines the volume to be 1/16 of the reference volume with respect to the phrase data whose volume is determined to be ½ of the reference volume in the processes of S74 and S82. In this way, the pachinko machine 1 can further shorten the time required for changing the volume by fade-in after the ducking is completed for the phrase data whose volume is determined to be the reference volume in S73, S77, and S78. .. Therefore, the pachinko machine 1 can return the volume of each phrase after the completion of the ducking to the fifth priority phrase F5 to the volume corresponding to the original effect in a short time.

  The process of determining whether to finish the ducking for the fifth priority phrase F5 is performed in S54 to S56 (see FIG. 11). In the determination of S54, it is determined whether there is a change between the previous output management information and the latest output management information. If there is a change in the output management information (S54: YES), that is, if there is phrase data that has been newly reproduced or phrase data that has been reproduced, the state of the P5 flag is referred to (S55). When the P5 flag is "ON" (S55: YES), it is determined whether Pmax is "5" (S56). That is, it is determined in S56 whether or not the fifth priority phrase is still reproduced after the reproduction of the phrase data (fifth priority phrase) with P = 5 is started. Then, when the reproduction of the fifth priority phrase is completed (S56: YES), the volume of the phrase data reproduced on each phrase reproduction track is determined to be 8 times the current volume (S58). In this way, the ducking of the sounds corresponding to the other phrase data with respect to the sound corresponding to the fifth priority phrase F5 is completed. At this time, the volume of the phrase data, which has been set to 1/16 of the reference volume, becomes 1/2 of the reference volume. Also, the volume of the phrase data that has been set to ⅛ of the reference volume becomes the reference volume. That is, the pachinko machine 1 returns the relationship of the volume of each phrase data to the state before the reproduction of the fifth priority phrase is started by simply doubling the volume of each phrase data in the process of S58. be able to.

  Next, the volume corresponding to each phrase data finally determined in S73, S74, 77, S78, S82, S84 and S85 is stored in the RAM 582 (S89). The process returns to the sound control process (see FIG. 11).

  Returning to the explanation of FIG. Next, the volume control process is executed (S62), and the process returns to the sub control substrate process (see FIG. 8). In the volume control processing, control according to the volume of each phrase data determined in the volume determination processing and the like, and control for outputting a sound corresponding to each phrase data to the speaker 48 are performed.

  The volume control processing (S62, see FIG. 11) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. When the volume control process is started, the volume determined for the phrase data in each phrase reproduction track is referred to (S91). Specifically, in the sound volume determination processing (see FIG. 12), each sound volume stored in the RAM 582 in the processing of S73, S74, 77, S78, S82, S84 and S85 is referred to.

  Next, the volume of the phrase data of each phrase reproduction track referred to in S91 is compared with the volume of the phrase data of each phrase reproduction track indicated by the output management information acquired in the process of S52 (see FIG. 11) ( S92). Next, based on the comparison result, phrase data whose volume is changing with respect to the output management information is specified (S93). Hereinafter, the phrase data whose volume has changed with respect to the output management information is referred to as a phrase Fc. The phrase Fc is phrase data whose relative priority relative to other phrase data has changed with the passage of time. If the phrase Fc whose volume has changed is not specified based on the comparison result obtained in S92, the following processes from S94 to S96 may not be performed.

  Next, it is determined whether the volume change of the phrase Fc is a change (plus change) in the direction of increasing the volume (S94). The volume of the phrase Fc changes positively when the phrase data reproduced by the phrase reproduction track changes from the third priority phrase F3 to the second priority phrase F2, and from the second priority phrase F2 to the first priority phrase F1. This is the case of transition. When the volume change of the phrase Fc is a positive change (S94), control is performed to change the volume of the phrase Fc from the lower volume toward the higher volume toward the reference volume (S95). In the present embodiment, the volume change of the phrase Fc in this processing is performed by fade-in. Specifically, the CPU 581 instructs the track volume 591C corresponding to the phrase Fc to fade in the volume. As a result, when the volume of the phrase data whose volume has been lowered by the ducking is returned to the reference volume, the volume of the phrase data is positively changed by the fade-in, so that the change in the volume after the ducking is smoothed. Therefore, the pachinko machine 1 can easily hear the effect sound to the player or the like. The processing shifts to the determination of S97.

  On the other hand, when the volume change of the phrase Fc is not a positive change (S94: NO), the volume of the phrase Fc is reduced to the volume stored in the RAM 582 by the processing of S73, S74, 77, S78, S82 and S85 (S96). ). In the present embodiment, when the volume is reduced in the process of S96, the fade-out process is not performed, and the volume is switched from the current volume to the volume stored in the RAM 582. Therefore, in the processing of S96, the volume is reduced at once. Accordingly, the pachinko machine 1 can perform ducking more quickly than, for example, reducing the volume by fading out, and can clearly hear the sound to be prioritized by the surrounding ones. The processing shifts to the determination of S97. The CPU 581 executes the processing of S94 to S96 for each of the phrases Fc specified in the processing of S93.

  Next, the volume change is determined in the process of S94 for all the phrases Fc, and it is determined whether the process of S95 or S96 has been performed (S97). When the processing for all the phrases Fc is not completed (S97: NO), the processing of S94 to S96 is repeated. When the processing for all the phrases Fc is completed (S97: YES), the volume of the phrase data whose volume has not changed is set based on the comparison result in the processing of S92 (S98). The CPU 581 instructs the track volume 591C corresponding to the phrase data whose volume has not changed to maintain the volume.

  Then, the speaker 48 outputs the sound corresponding to each phrase data (S99). Specifically, an instruction to output the sound of each phrase data at the volume stored in the RAM 582 is transmitted to the sound control circuit 591. Upon receiving this instruction, the sound control circuit 591 causes each of the first to nth track processing units TR1 to TRn to transmit a sound signal obtained by decoding the phrase data corresponding to the determined volume to the mixer 591D. Further, the sound signals transmitted from each of the first to n-th track processing units TR1 to TRn are mixed in the mixer 591D, and the mixed signal is transmitted to the speaker 48. The speaker 48 converts the transmitted mixed signal that is a digital sound signal into an analog sound and outputs the analog sound. The process returns to the voice control process (see FIG. 11).

  Returning to the description of FIG. Next, it is determined whether or not the notice duplicate command has been received from the effect control board 43 (S38). The notice duplicate command is a command generated and stored in the notice image processing described later, and is related to a part of the notice effect according to the determination that the image relating to the notice effect is displayed in duplicate on the display screen 28. This is a command for notifying the sub-control board 58 that the display of an image will be stopped. In the pachinko machine 1, various notice effects are executed according to the expected degree of the notification effect based on the variation pattern and the like. The notice effect includes effects using a moving image and a still image. A plurality of notice effects may be simultaneously displayed using different display layers. In such a case, a notice image that is a plurality of notice effect images may be displayed at overlapping positions on the display screen 28. In such a case, for example, depending on the importance / priority of the notice effect, the display of some notice images that are displayed in duplicate may be stopped.

  The advance notice image processing executed by the CPU 431 of the effect control board 43 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 14. The CPU 431 starts the image display process related to the notification effect by receiving the notification effect start command from the sub control board 58. The notice image process is a process of controlling the display of a notice image relating to the notice effect executed in the notice effect.

  When the notice image processing is started, notice image data indicating a notice image corresponding to the notice effect specified to be executed according to the notice effect is acquired from the CGROM 432 (S101). Next, the position at which the acquired notice image data is displayed on the display screen 28, the size at which the image is displayed, and the like are acquired (S102).

  Based on the information such as the display position of the advance notice image data acquired in the process of S102, it is determined whether a plurality of advance notice images are displayed at overlapping positions on the display screen 28 (S103). When a plurality of notice images are displayed at overlapping positions on the display screen 28 (S103: YES), it is determined whether or not some of the notice images displayed in duplicate are hidden (S104). .. This determination may be determined according to the importance / priority of the notice effect corresponding to the notice image.

  If it is determined that some of the preview images displayed in duplicate will be hidden (S104: YES), an instruction not to display the preview images determined to be hidden is displayed on the display screen 28. (S105). In response to this instruction, the display screen 28 stops displaying or does not display the preview image which is determined to be hidden. Next, the notice duplication command is generated and stored in the RAM (not shown) of the effect control board 43 (S106). The notice duplication command stored in the RAM of the effect control board 43 is subsequently transmitted to the sub control board 58. The notice duplicate command is generated including information (for example, a phrase number) that specifies which notice effect the notice effect corresponding to the notice image determined to be hidden. Next, of the notice image data, an instruction to display the notice image corresponding to the notice image to be displayed is transmitted to the display screen 28 (S107). Then, the notice image processing ends.

  On the other hand, when the plurality of notice images are not displayed at the overlapping positions on the display screen 28 (S103: NO), and when it is not determined that some of the notice images displayed in duplicate are not displayed (S104: NO), an instruction to display the advance notice image indicated by the advance notice image data acquired in S101 is transmitted to the display screen 28 (S108). Then, the notice image processing ends.

  Returning to the description of FIG. If the notice duplicate command has not been received from the effect control board 43 (S38: NO), the process returns to the determination of S22. When the notice duplication command is received from the effect control board 43 (S38: YES), the notice duplication process is executed (S39), and the process returns to the determination of S22.

  The notice duplication process (S39, see FIG. 8) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the notice duplication process, the display of the image relating to the notice effect is canceled in response to the fact that the image relating to the notice effect is determined to be displayed in duplicate on the display screen 28. This is a process of canceling the output of a sound effect or the like related to the notice effect corresponding to the notice image. When the notice duplication process is started, the output management information acquired in the process of S52 (see FIG. 11) is referred to (S111).

  Next, from the output management information, the phrase data relating to the notice effect specified by the notice duplicate command is specified (S112). An instruction to stop the reproduction of the phrase data is transmitted to the phrase reproduction track that is reproducing the specified phrase data (S114). Then, the process returns to the sub control substrate process.

  An example of the sound output control according to the priority index in the pachinko machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 16 shows an example of the transition of the volume for each sound type, and the horizontal axis shows the passage of time. Further, "100%", "50%", and "0%" indicate the ratio of the volume of the phrase data to the reference volume. In the actual pachinko machine 1, a sound based on a plurality of phrase data belonging to one sound type may be output, but in order to simplify the explanation, a sound based on one phrase data is output in one sound type. The description will be made assuming that the case is performed.

  Description will be given before the elapsed time reaches t1. When only the sound of "normal BGM" is output, the phrase data classified into "normal BGM" is specified as the first priority phrase F1 (S71), and its volume is determined as the reference volume (S73). Therefore, in this case, the sound of "normal BGM" is output at a volume of 100% (full volume) of the reference volume. Further, when the sound of “normal SE” is output while the sound of “normal BGM” is output, both the sound of “normal BGM” and the sound of “normal SE” are 100% of the reference volume. Is output at the volume of. This is because both P of the phrase data classified as “normal BGM” and P of the phrase data classified as “normal SE” have the same value (P = 0). In this case, both the phrase data classified as "normal BGM" and the phrase data classified as "normal SE" are specified as the first priority phrase F1 (S71), and the volume thereof is the reference volume (100%). Is determined (S73). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99).

  It is assumed that the output of the "serif" sound is started from t1. P of the phrase data classified as “serif” is P = 1, which is larger than P (= 0) of “normal BGM” and “normal SE”. Therefore, the phrase data classified into "serif" is specified as the first priority phrase F1 (S71), and the volume is determined as the reference volume (100%) (S73). On the other hand, the volume of the phrase data of "normal BGM" and "normal SE" other than the first priority phrase F1 is determined to be 1/2 (50%) of the reference volume (S74). In this case, the sound volumes of the "normal BGM" and "normal SE" that have been output before the start of outputting the "serif" sound are suddenly reduced from 100% to 50% of the reference sound volume at t1 (S96). Note that the volume of the sound of the "serif" is increased by fade-in from t1 when the output is started because of the effect setting. For example, the volume of the "serif" sound may not be faded in, and the output may be started at a volume of 100% of the reference volume from t1 when the output is started. Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99). After the lapse of t1, the output of the sound of "normal SE" is terminated while the sound of "serif" is being output.

  Then, at t2, the output of the "serif" sound ends. In this case, the first priority phrase F1 transitions from the phrase data of "serif" to the phrase data of "normal BGM", so that the volume of the sound of "normal BGM" is determined to be 100% of the reference volume (S73). When the volume rises from 50% to 100% of the reference volume, the volume is changed by fade-in (S95). The pachinko machine 1 can gradually change the rising volume by fading in, thereby smoothing the volume change and making it easier for the player to hear the sound of "normal BGM".

  At t3, it is assumed that the sound of "heated SE" is started. P = 2 for the phrase data classified as “super heat SE”, which is larger than P = 0 for the phrase data classified as “normal BGM”. For this reason, the phrase data classified as “super heat SE” is specified as the first priority phrase F1 (S71), and the volume is determined as the reference volume (100%) (S73). That is, the first priority phrase F1 transits from the phrase data of "normal BGM" to the phrase data of "super heat SE". As a result, the volume of the phrase data of "normal BGM" other than the first priority phrase F1 is determined to be 1/2 (50%) of the reference volume (S74). Therefore, the volume of the sound of "normal BGM" is reduced from 100% to 50% of the reference volume at t2 (S96). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99).

  In this state, it is assumed that the "serif" sound is output at t4. The phrase data classified into "serif" is P = 1, which is smaller than P = 2 of the phrase data of "heated SE" that is simultaneously output. Therefore, the volume of the "serif" sound is determined to be 1/2 (50%) of the reference volume (S74). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99). After that, the output of the "serif" sound is terminated while the "hot SE" sound is being output.

  It is assumed that, at the time t5, the output of the “accurate SE” sound is started in the state where the sound of “heated SE” and the sound of “normal BGM” are simultaneously output. The phrase data classified as “accurate SE” has P = 3, which is larger than P = 2 of the phrase data classified as “extreme heat SE”. For this reason, the phrase data classified into "correct SE" is specified as the first priority phrase F1 (S71), and the volume is determined as the reference volume (100%) (S73). That is, the first priority phrase F1 transits from the phrase data of "heated SE" to the phrase data of "accurate SE". As a result, the volume of the phrase data of "intense heat SE" is determined to be 1/2 (50%) of the reference volume (S74). For this reason, the volume of the sound of "hot SE" is reduced from 100% to 50% of the reference volume at t5 (S96). In addition, the volume of the sound of "normal BGM" (P = 0) is maintained at 50% of the reference volume as it is (S98). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99). After that, the output of the sound of "super heat SE" is terminated while the sound of "certain SE" is output.

  After t5, the sound of "normal SE" (P = 0) and the sound of "serif" (P = 1) are output while the sound of "certain SE" and the sound of "normal BGM" are simultaneously output. Suppose Since both P values of the phrase data classified into “normal SE” and “serif” are smaller than P = 2 of the phrase data of “intense heat SE” which is simultaneously output, “normal SE” and “ The volume of the "serif" sound is determined to be 1/2 (50%) of the reference volume (S74). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99).

  At t6, it is assumed that the output of the sound of "normal BGM" is ended and the output of the sound of "special BGM" is started. In addition, it is assumed that the output of the sound “correct SE” is continued after t6. In this case, the phrase data of "special BGM" with P = 4 is specified as the first priority phrase F1 (S71), and the volume is determined as the reference volume (100%) (S77). Further, the phrase data of "token SE" having the second largest P value after the first priority phrase F1 is specified as the second priority phrase F2 (S76), and the volume is determined as the reference volume (100%) (S78). .. For this reason, the volume of the “correct SE” sound after t6 is maintained at 100% of the reference volume (S98). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99).

  After t6, it is assumed that the output of the "holding sound" is started in the state where the "special BGM" sound and the "accurate SE" sound are simultaneously output. Both P of the phrase data classified as "holding tone" and P of the phrase data classified as "special BGM" have the same value (P = 4). Therefore, both the phrase data classified as "special BGM" and the phrase data classified as "holding sound" are specified as the first priority phrase F1 (S71), and the volume thereof is the reference volume (100%). Is determined (S77). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99).

  It is assumed that the "normal SE" sound is output at t7 in the state where the "special BGM" sound and the "holding sound" sound are output at the same time, and the sounds of other sound types are not output. .. In this case, the phrase data classified as "special BGM" and the phrase data classified as "holding sound" are specified as the first priority phrase F1 (S71), and the volume is determined as the reference volume (100%). (S77). Further, the phrase data of "normal SE" having the second largest P value after the first priority phrase F1 is specified as the second priority phrase F2 (S76), and the volume is determined as the reference volume (100%) (S78). .. In this way, when the first priority phrase F1 is phrase data of P = 4, even if the phrase data has a relatively low value of P, if it is specified as the second priority phrase F2, the volume Is determined as the reference volume (100%). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99).

  After that, while the sound of the "special BGM" and the sound of the "normal SE" are being output, the output of the sound of the "holding sound" ends, but the phrase data classified as "special BGM" is the first priority phrase F1. Since the volume is maintained as it is, the volume is also maintained at 100% of the reference volume (S98). Further, since the phrase data classified as "normal SE" is maintained as the second priority phrase F2, its volume is also maintained at 100% of the reference volume (S98). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99). After that, the output of the sound of "normal SE" is terminated while the sound of "special BGM" is being output.

  Next, it is assumed that the output of the "serif" sound is started at t8 during the output of the "special BGM" sound. In this case, the phrase data (P = 4) classified as "special BGM" is maintained as the first priority phrase F1 (S71), and the volume is maintained at 100% of the reference volume (S98). Further, the phrase data (P = 1) classified into "serif" is specified as the second priority phrase F2 (S76), and the volume is determined as the reference volume (100%) (S78). The volume of the "serif" sound fades up to the reference volume (100%).

  After that, at t9, it is assumed that the output of the sound of "super heat SE" is started. The P value (P = 2) of the phrase data of "super heat SE" is larger than the P value (P = 1) of the phrase data of "serif" output at t9. Therefore, the phrase data of "intense heat SE" is specified as the second priority phrase F2 (S76). That is, the second priority phrase F2 transits from the phrase data of "serif" to the phrase data of "hot SE". The phrase data (P = 4) classified as “special BGM” is maintained as the first priority phrase F1. As a result, the volume of the “special BGM” sound and the volume of the “super heat SE” sound are determined as the reference volume (100%) (S77 and S78). Further, the phrase data of "serif" corresponds to the third priority phrase F3 (S81: YES), and the volume of the sound of "serif" is determined to be 1/2 (50%) of the reference volume (S74). ). Therefore, the volume of the "serif" sound is reduced from 100% to 50% of the reference volume at t9 (S96). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99). After that, the output of the "serif" sound is completed by t10.

  At t10, it is assumed that the output of the sound “accurate SE” starts. In this case, the phrase data (P = 4) classified as “special BGM” is maintained as the first priority phrase F1. Further, the second priority phrase F2 transits from the phrase data of "heated SE" to the phrase data of "accurate SE". As a result, the volume of the "special BGM" sound and the volume of the "accurate SE" sound are determined as the reference volume (100%) (S77 and S78). In addition, the phrase data of "intense heat SE" corresponds to the third priority phrase F3 (S81: YES), and the volume of the sound of "intense heat SE" is determined to be 1/2 (50%) of the reference volume. (S74). Therefore, the volume of the "serif" sound is reduced from 100% to 50% of the reference volume at t10 (S96). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99).

  After that, in addition to the sounds of "Special BGM" and "Token SE", the output of each sound of "Normal SE", "Normal BGM", "Serif", "Token SE", and "Holding sound" by t11. Suppose it starts. In this case, each phrase data of "special BGM" and "holding tone" is specified as the first priority phrase F1 (S71). Further, the phrase data of “correct SE” is specified as the second priority phrase F2 (S76). In addition, each phrase data of "normal SE", "normal BGM", "serif", and "super heat SE" is specified as the third priority phrase F3 (S81: YES). Therefore, the volume of the sounds of "special BGM", "holding tone" and "accurate SE" corresponding to the first priority phrase F1 and the second priority phrase F2 is determined as the reference volume (100%) (S77 and S78). ). Further, the volume of the sounds of “normal SE”, “normal BGM”, “serif” and “hot SE” corresponding to the third priority phrase F3 is determined to be 1/2 (50%) of the reference volume ( S74). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99).

  In this state, at t11, the output of the "notification sound" is started. In this case, Pmax becomes "5" which is the value of P of the phrase data classified as "notification sound" (S83: YES). In this case, the phrase data classified as “notification sound” is the fifth priority phrase F5. Therefore, the sound volume of the "notification sound" corresponding to the fifth priority phrase F5 is determined as the reference sound volume (100%) (S84). In addition, the volume of the sound of “Sound SE”, “Special BGM”, and “Holding tone” that was output at the reference volume until immediately before t11 is determined to be ⅛ (12.5%) of the reference volume ( S85). In addition, the volume of the sounds of “normal SE”, “normal BGM”, “serif”, and “super heat SE” that were output at the volume of 1/2 of the reference volume until immediately before t11 is 1/16 of the reference volume. (6.25%) is determined (S85). Further, the P5 flag is turned "ON" (S88). Then, the sound of each phrase data is output at the determined volume (S99).

  After that, at t12, the output of the “notification sound” is terminated. In this case, Pmax becomes "4" which is the value of P of the phrase data of "special BGM" and "holding tone" which is the first priority phrase F1. At this time, the P5 flag is "ON" (S55: YES), and Pmax = 4 (S56: NO). Therefore, the volume of each phrase data is uniformly set to 8 times (S58). As a result, the volume of each sound of the sound types other than the “notification sound” returns to the volume balance in the state immediately before t11 when the output of the sound of the “notification sound” is started.

  As described above, the pachinko machine 1 stores the priority table defining the priority index P for each of the plurality of phrase data stored in the ROM 593 in the ROM 583 of the sub control board 58. Further, the CPU 581 of the sub-control board 58 acquires output management information, which is information about the reproduction status of the phrase data and the volume status of the sound being reproduced on each of the phrase reproduction tracks of the first track to the n-th track. (S52). The CPU 581 identifies the phrase data having the maximum P value (Pmax) in the output management information based on the output management information (S71, S83). Then, in the case of 0 ≦ Pmax ≦ 3, the volume of the sound corresponding to the phrase data having a value of P smaller than Pmax is determined to be 1/2 of the reference volume of each phrase data (S74). Further, when Pmax = 4, the volume of the third priority phrase F3, which is a part of the phrase data having a value of P smaller than Pmax, is set to 1/2 of the reference volume (S82). In the case of Pmax = 5, the sound corresponding to the phrase data having a smaller P value than Pmax is determined to be ⅛ of the volume determined in S73, S74, S77, S78 and S82 (S85). ). As a result, the volume of the sound corresponding to the first priority phrase F1 or the fifth priority phrase F5, which is Pmax, is automatically output at a higher volume than the volume of the sound corresponding to the other phrase data. Therefore, the pachinko machine 1 can automatically perform ducking when outputting a plurality of sounds at the same time, and thus the burden of volume setting work can be reduced.

  The pachinko machine 1 outputs sounds according to various effects and the like. Therefore, the sound output varies with the passage of time, and the phrase specified as the first priority phrase fluctuates with the passage of time. The CPU 581 acquires and refers to the output management information that is sequentially generated as time passes, each time the sound control process is executed. As a result, the CPU 581 monitors the reproduction status of the phrase data and the volume of the sound being reproduced for each phrase reproduction track by acquiring and referring to the new output management information. The phrase data indicating P1 may transition between the phrase data as time passes. The pachinko machine 1 compares the volume of the phrase data determined according to the value of P with the volume of the phrase indicated by the output management information, and determines the phrase Fc in which the determined volume changes from the volume in the output management information. Specify (S93). That is, the phrase data whose relative priority relative to other phrase data has changed with the passage of time is specified. When the change in the volume of the phrase Fc is a positive change (S94: YES), the volume of the phrase Fc is changed from the lower volume toward the higher volume toward the reference volume (S95). Therefore, the pachinko machine 1 can automatically increase the volume of the phrase data that has transitioned from the second priority phrase F2 to the first priority phrase F1 to the reference volume with the passage of time.

  There are various situations in which each of the sounds used in the pachinko machine 1 is used. For example, when a sound corresponding to the phrase data of “special BGM” is output, the volume of the sound of other sound types is uniformly reduced. Instead of outputting some of the sounds, it may be desired to output at a volume equivalent to that of the "special BGM" sound. When P1 = 4, the pachinko machine 1 determines the volume of the second priority phrase F2 associated with P2 as the reference volume (100%) (S78). As a result, the pachinko machine 1 can automatically set the volume of a plurality of sounds while increasing the variation of the volume configuration.

  The priority table has eight sound types of “normal SE”, “normal BGM”, “serif”, “super heat SE”, “probable SE”, “special BGM”, “holding sound”, and “notification sound”. The priority index is set to. Regarding the sound types of “normal SE”, “normal BGM”, “serif”, “super heat SE”, “token SE”, “special BGM”, and “holding sound”, depending on the degree of expectation of the result of the game. , A priority index is defined. Therefore, the pachinko machine 1 can automatically set the sound volume according to the expectation of the game and the flow of the effect accompanying the expectation.

  In the present embodiment, the ROM 593 corresponds to the "storage means" of the present invention. The priority table corresponds to the “priority defining means” and the “reference value defining means” of the present invention. The reference volume corresponds to the “volume reference value” of the present invention. The speaker 48 corresponds to the "output means" of the present invention. The CPU 581 of the sub-control board 58 that executes the process of S34 of FIG. 8 functions as the "designating means" of the present invention. The sound control circuit 591 is a feature that corresponds to the "output control means" according to this invention. The CPU 581 of the sub-control board 58 that acquires the output management information in S52 of FIG. 11 functions as the “information acquisition unit” of the present invention. The CPU 581 of the sub-control board 58 that specifies Pmax in S71 and S83 of FIG. 12 functions as the “first specifying means” of the present invention. In S58 of FIG. 11 and S73, S74, S77, S, 78, S85, and S86 of FIG. 12, the CPU 581 of the sub-control board 58 that determines the volume of the phrase data functions as the “volume determining unit” of the present invention.

  The CPU 581 of the sub-control board 58 that specifies the phrase Fc in S93 of FIG. 13 functions as the “second specifying means” of the present invention. The CPU 581 of the sub-control board 58 that executes the processing of S95 in FIG. 13 functions as the “volume changing unit” of the present invention. The priority index “4” corresponds to the “specific priority” of the present invention. The CPU 51 of the main board 41 that executes the main processing of FIG. 6 functions as the “main control unit” of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above in detail, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the priority table, the phrase data of the voice of the character may be classified into a sound type other than “serif”. For example, the phrase data of the serif voice used when the expectation of the notification effect is about 100% may be classified into “accurate SE”. The phrase data classified as “special BGM” is not limited to the phrase data of BGM used when the expectation of the notification effect is relatively high. For example, phrase data such as BGM used during a jackpot game and BGM during a specific mode effect such as a probability variation state may be classified.

  In the above embodiment, when the volume of the sound corresponding to the phrase Fc is reduced from 100% to 50% of the reference volume according to the priority index, the volume is reduced to the volume stored in the RAM 582 at once (S96). ), But not limited to this. For example, in this case, the volume may be gradually decreased by fade-out. Further, a pattern of decreasing the volume by fading out and a pattern of decreasing the volume at once may coexist.

  Similarly, in the above embodiment, when the volume of the sound corresponding to the phrase Fc is increased from 50% to 100% of the reference volume according to the priority index, the volume is faded in from the lower side to the higher side. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in this case, the volume may be switched from low volume to high volume at once. There are various sounds used in the pachinko machine 1, and it may depend on the content of the sound whether or not the change in the sound is harsh to surrounding people depending on the mode of the change in the volume. In addition, it may be desirable to perform different volume control for the same sound, depending on the scene in which it is used. Whether the volume is simply switched or fade-in / fade-out may be arbitrarily selected according to the content of the sound, the scene in which the sound is used, and the like.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the sound of the “notification sound” is not output, the sound volume of the sound to be ducked is set to ½ (50%) of the reference sound volume as the ducking for the “notification sound” ( S74 and S82). The ratio of lowering the volume with respect to the reference volume is not limited to this, and may be arbitrarily set depending on the content of the effect to be performed, the audibility of the sound, and the like. In this case, the volume of the sound to be ducked may be 0% of the reference volume (silenced state).

  In the above-described embodiment, the output management information generation process (see FIG. 9) is executed in the sub-control board process (see FIG. 8), so that the output management information is sequentially generated and stored (S43 and S44). ). Then, the CPU 581 of the sub-control board 58 acquires the output management information (S52), and executes the processing necessary for ducking such as volume control. The configuration in which the output management information is generated is not limited to this. For example, even if the sound control circuit 591 is provided with a specific configuration that automatically generates the output management information, for example, periodically, and the CPU 581 acquires the output management information from this specific configuration, The same effect as the invention can be obtained.

  Although the priority table is stored in the ROM 583 in the above embodiment, it may be stored in another storage device such as the ROM 593. Further, the “tone type”, the “reference volume”, and the “priority index” are not limited to the configuration stored in association with each phrase data in the priority table. For example, the metadata of each phrase data stored in the ROM 593 may include the information of “tone type”, “reference volume”, and “priority index”. The “reference volume” may be specified each time from the phrase data itself or the decoded data obtained by decoding the phrase data by the decoder 591B. For example, the reference volume of the phrase data may be specified by detecting the level of the sampled waveform in the decoded data. The decoded data includes, for example, a plurality of sampling points. The interval between sampling points corresponds to a predetermined sampling rate (for example, 11.025 kHz). That is, the volume of phrase data is determined for each sampling point. The maximum value of the determined volume may be extracted to specify the reference volume.

  In the above embodiment, the output management information generation process (S35) is executed every time the sub-control board process is executed, and new output management information is generated each time. The sound control process is executed each time. In addition, for example, the sound control process (S36) may be executed every time the content indicated by the output management information is changed.

  In the above embodiment, the decoder 591B and the track volume 591C are provided in each of the first to nth track processing units TR1 to TRn of the sound control circuit 591, but the configuration of the sound control circuit 591 is not limited to this. .. For example, one decoder 591B can specify each of a plurality of phrase reproduction tracks to reproduce phrase data, and one track volume 591C can specify each of a plurality of phrase reproduction tracks to adjust the output volume. It may be. In this case, there may be one decoder 591B and one track volume 591C provided in the sound control circuit 591.

  All elements described in the claims, the description and the drawings (eg, display means, movable means, corresponding images, etc.) are physically single unless stated explicitly to limit the number. Alternatively, a plurality of them may be provided, and the arrangement may be changed appropriately. Further, the names given to the above-mentioned elements (element names) are merely given for convenience of description of the present case, and it is not particularly conscious that a special meaning is caused thereby. Therefore, the element name alone does not limit the interpretation of what the element is. For example, the "output means" may be hardware alone or may include software. Further, it is a matter that those skilled in the art can easily consider whether to properly configure a plurality of elements among all of the above elements or to configure one element by dividing it into a plurality of elements. It is clear that any pattern is within the expected range without intentionally describing all the patterns in the description, etc., so that it is clearly excluded in the claims etc. It goes without saying that all of them are included in the scope of rights according to the present invention unless otherwise stated. Therefore, it is not considered that the right of the present invention is avoided only by adopting the structural difference within the extent of the extent to the gaming machine because it is not described in the present embodiment. .. In addition, the same applies to differences in the configurations, shapes, and the like of the respective elements that are obvious to those skilled in the art from the present embodiment.

1 Pachinko machine 41 Main board 48 Speaker 51 CPU
52 RAM
53 ROM
58 Sub control board 581 CPU
582 RAM
583 ROM
591 sound control circuit 593 ROM

Claims (3)

With respect to a plurality of phrases stored by a storage unit that stores a sound phrase, a priority defining unit that defines a relative priority with respect to other phrases in advance for each phrase,
Reference value defining means for defining the reference value of the volume of the phrase output by the output means, for each of the plurality of phrases stored by the storage means,
Designation means for designating a phrase to be output to the output means from a plurality of phrases stored by the storage means,
Output control means capable of reading out the phrase designated by the designating means from the storage means and causing the output means to simultaneously output a plurality of phrases in accordance with the reference value;
An information acquisition unit that acquires the output management information from a generation unit that generates output management information indicating at least which phrase output is controlled by the output control unit;
Based on the output management information acquired by the information acquisition means, a first specifying means for specifying the first priority phrase having the highest priority among the phrases whose output is controlled by the output control means,
Volume control means for determining the volume of the phrase whose output is controlled by the output control means according to the priority,
The priority definition means defines the specific priority,
The volume determining means ,
If the priority of the first priority phrase identified by the previous SL first identification means is given priority, among the phrases output by said output control means is controlled, identified by the first identification means The volume of the second priority phrase having a lower priority than the first priority phrase output by the output means is smaller than the reference value defined in the second priority phrase by the reference value defining means. Determine the volume ,
When the priority of the first priority phrase specified by the first specifying means is the specific priority defined by the priority defining means, part or all of the second priority phrase Decide not to make the volume lower than the reference value
A gaming machine characterized by that. The information acquisition means acquires the output management information sequentially generated by the generation means according to the passage of time,
The first specifying means, based on the output management information acquired by the information acquiring means, specifies the first priority phrase according to the passage of time,
The volume determining means determines the volume of the second priority phrase output by the output means in response to the first priority phrase being specified by the first specifying means in accordance with the passage of time. Determined by the value definition means to a volume lower than the reference value defined in the second priority phrase,
Second specifying means for specifying a phrase that has transitioned from the second priority phrase to the first priority phrase according to the passage of time,
Volume control means for controlling the volume of the phrase specified by the second specification means to be changed to the reference value defined by the reference value definition means. Game machine. It is provided with main control means for controlling the main control of the game and transmitting a signal according to the control.
The designating means can designate a phrase to be output to the output means according to the signal received from the main control means,
The gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the priority defining means defines the priority of a phrase according to an expectation of a result of a game controlled by the main control means. ..

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