JP7188507B2 - game machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a game machine such as a pachinko machine.

There is a pachinko machine as a kind of game machine. In a pachinko machine, when a game ball launched by a launching device enters a starting ball entry means provided on a game board, a lottery is conducted to determine whether or not a winning state is to be generated, and a variable display device is displayed. A variable display for teaching the result of the lottery is performed (see Patent Document 1, for example).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-154110

By the way, simplification of control is desired in gaming machines with diversified effects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems exemplified above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of simplifying control .

The gaming machine of the present invention is
an output means capable of simultaneously outputting display modes of multiple patterns;
a first control means for determining an effect pattern to be executed from a plurality of prepared effect patterns in accordance with the establishment of a predetermined condition;
a second control means for outputting from the output means a display mode corresponding to the effect pattern determined by the first control means;
The second control means comprises storage means for pre-storing data of each display mode constituting each effect pattern,
The patterns of the display modes are divided into a plurality of groups, and each group ranks the display gradation of each display mode when the display modes of the plurality of patterns are simultaneously output by the output means. a configuration that
comparing the ranks of the patterns of the display modes of the plurality of patterns simultaneously output by the output means, and setting the display density of each display mode in the output means according to the combination of the ranks;
After the output of the first display mode as the display mode is started as the predetermined effect pattern, the output of the second display mode as the display mode belonging to the group different from the first display mode is started, A gaming machine , wherein the first display mode and the second display mode may overlap . is characterized by

According to the present invention, simplification of control can be achieved.

It is a front view showing a pachinko machine in one embodiment. It is a perspective view showing a pachinko machine. It is a perspective view which shows the state which opened the inner frame and the front frame set. It is a front view showing the configuration of the inner frame, the game board, and the like. It is a rear view showing the configuration of the pachinko machine. It is a perspective view showing a state in which the inner frame, the back pack unit and the like are opened. It is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the pachinko machine. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline|summary of the various counters used for game control. 4 is a flowchart showing main processing by a main controller; 4 is a flowchart showing normal processing by a main controller; 4 is a flowchart showing timer interrupt processing; 4 is a flowchart showing NMI interrupt processing; It is a flow chart which shows starting prize-winning processing. It is a flow chart which shows big hit judging processing. It is a flow chart which shows type judging processing. It is a flowchart which shows a reach determination process. 4 is a flowchart showing through gate passage processing; 8 is a flowchart showing first display control processing; 10 is a flowchart showing variable display setting processing; It is a flowchart which shows a discrimination|determination information setting process. It is a flow chart which shows variable winning a prize device control processing. 9 is a flowchart showing end setting processing; 9 is a flowchart showing second display control processing; 10 is a flowchart showing a trigger-responsive unit control process; 4 is a flowchart showing reception interrupt processing; It is a flow chart which shows the main processing of a payout control device. 4 is a flowchart showing timer interrupt processing; 4 is a flowchart showing command determination processing; 4 is a flowchart showing normal processing of a sub-controller; It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline|summary of various counters used for determination of a decorative design. 10 is a flowchart showing counter update processing; It is a flowchart which shows a pending|holding information storage process. It is a flow chart which shows suspension processing. It is a flow chart which shows big hit display processing. 4 is a flowchart showing normal processing of a voice control unit; 6 is a flowchart showing audio setting processing; 4 is a flowchart showing volume setting processing; 4 is a flowchart showing volume setting processing; 4 is a flowchart showing volume setting processing; 4 is a flowchart showing voice management processing; (a) is a diagram for explaining the correspondence between voice pattern groups and ranks, and (b) is for explaining the correspondence between each channel in the voice pattern storage area and the voice information stored therein. It is a figure for doing. 4 is a time chart for explaining the correspondence relationship between game state transitions and audio volume;

An embodiment of a pachinko gaming machine (hereinafter simply referred to as "pachinko machine") will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 3, etc., the pachinko machine 10 has an outer frame 11 that constitutes the outer shell of the pachinko machine 10. An inner frame 12 is supported on one side of the outer frame 11 so as to be openable and closable. . For the sake of convenience, FIG. 3 omits the nails and accessories provided on the surface of the game board 30, the glass unit 137 attached to the front frame set 14, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 6 and the like, the outer frame 11 has an upper frame-constituting portion 11a and a lower frame-constituting portion 11b made of wooden plate material, and a left frame-constituting portion 11c and a right side frame-constituting portion 11d made of aluminum alloy by extrusion molding. These frame-constituting parts 11a to 11d are assembled into a rectangular frame as a whole by detachable fasteners such as screws.

An upper hinge 81 and a lower hinge 82 are attached to the upper and lower ends of the left side frame-constituting portion 11c (see FIG. 1). The upper and lower parts of the inner frame 12 are rotatably supported by the upper hinge 81 and the lower hinge 82, so that the inner frame 12 can be opened and closed. A space formed inside the outer frame 11 accommodates the inner frame 12 and the like.

An extension wall portion 83 that protrudes toward the inner side of the outer frame 11 from the vicinity of the rear end in the width direction is formed on the right side frame-constituting portion 11d. The extending wall portion 83 covers the entire upper and lower sections corresponding to the locking device 600 (see FIG. 6) provided on the back side of the right side portion of the inner frame 12 from the back side of the inner frame 12 (see FIG. 5). In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 , a pair of upper and lower receiving portions 84 and 85 to which the locking member of the locking device 600 is locked is provided on the front side of the extending wall portion 83 . A pressing portion 86 that abuts on an inner frame open detection switch 92 (to be described later) protrudes toward the inside of the outer frame 11 from the lower receiving portion 85 .

Further, a resin-made curtain plate decoration 87 is attached to the lower side frame-constituting portion 11b. A rib 88 protruding upward is integrally formed in the inner part of the upper surface of the curtain plate decoration 87 . This makes it difficult for a gap to be formed with the inner frame 12 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the opening/closing axis of the inner frame 12 is set vertically along the left side of the pachinko machine 10 when viewed from the front, and the inner frame 12 can be opened forward with this opening/closing axis as the axis. It has become. The inner frame 12 is mainly composed of a resin base 38 having a rectangular outer shape, and a substantially elliptical window hole 39 is formed in the central portion of the resin base 38 .

A front frame set 14 is attached to the front side of the inner frame 12 so that it can be opened and closed. As with the inner frame 12, the front frame set 14 can be opened forward with an opening/closing axis set along the top and bottom on the left side of the pachinko machine 10 as viewed from the front. Note that the front frame set 14 may be configured to be directly supported by the outer frame 11 instead of via the inner frame 12 so as to be openable.

The front frame set 14 has a rectangular outer shape like the inner frame 12, and covers substantially the entire front side of the inner frame 12 in the closed state. A substantially elliptical window portion 101 is formed in the central portion of the front frame set 14 . Thereby, the game board 30 (game area) attached to the rear surface of the inner frame 12 can be visually recognized from the outside through the window portion 101 of the front frame set 14 and the window hole 39 of the inner frame 12 . A detailed configuration of the game board 30 will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on the front side of the front frame set 14, a lower tray 15 is provided as a ball receiving tray at the center of the lower portion thereof. can be stored inside. Further, on the front side of the lower tray 15, a ball extracting lever 25 for ejecting game balls from the inside of the lower tray 15 is provided. In addition, an effect button 125 with a built-in LED is provided on the left side of the lower plate 15, and by pressing the effect button 125, a corresponding effect is performed on the decorative pattern display device 42, etc., which will be described later. Or the content of the production is changed.

On the right side of the lower plate 15, a game ball shooting handle (hereinafter simply referred to as a handle) 18 projecting forward is provided. The handle 18 is provided with a touch sensor (not shown) and an operation amount detection means (variable resistor) (not shown) for detecting an operation amount of an operation portion of the handle 18 . Then, when the handle 18 is rotated clockwise, a game ball is shot by a shooting device 60 as a shooting means, which will be described later, with a force corresponding to the amount of rotation operation. Also, the handle 18 is provided with a firing prohibition button 18a that can be pressed with the thumb of the right hand holding the handle 18. As shown in FIG. When the shooting prohibition button 18a is pressed, shooting of game balls by the shooting device 60 is prohibited even if the handle 18 is gripped. Therefore, it is possible to rotate the handle 18 while prohibiting the shooting of the game ball, or temporarily stop shooting the game ball while gripping the handle 18.例文帳に追加

An upper plate 19 is provided above the lower plate 15 . The upper plate 19 is a ball receiver that temporarily stores game balls and guides them toward a launching device 60 to be described later while aligning them in a row. When the upper tray 19 is filled with game balls, the game balls to be paid out are guided to the lower tray 15 via a lower tray communication passage 71 and a discharge port 16, which will be described later.

A ball lending button 121 and a returning button 122 are provided on the upper plate 19. - 特許庁As a result, when the ball lending button 121 is operated with bills, cards, etc. inserted into the card unit (ball lending unit) arranged on the side of the pachinko machine 10 in a game hall or the like, the ball lending button 121 is operated. A rented ball is supplied to the upper tray 19 . On the other hand, the return button 122 is operated when requesting the return of the card or the like inserted in the card unit. However, the ball lending button 121 and return button 122 are unnecessary in a pachinko machine in which game balls are directly lent to the upper tray 19 from a ball lending device or the like without going through the card unit, that is, a so-called cash machine.

Furthermore, the upper plate 19 is provided with a ball removal button 123 . By pressing the ball removal button 123, a communication hole (not shown) provided on the downstream side of the ball guide path of the upper tray 19 and communicating with the lower tray 15 is opened and stored in the upper tray 19. The game ball is guided (dropped) to the lower tray 15. - 特許庁That is, the player can move the game ball on the upper tray 19 to the lower tray 15 at any time by operating the ball removal button 123 .

Further, the front face of the front frame set 14 is provided with light emitting means such as various lamps around it. These light emitting means play a role of increasing the performance effect during the game by changing and controlling the light emitting mode in accordance with the change of the game state or the like. For example, on the periphery of the window portion 101, an annular illumination portion 102 containing light emitting means such as an LED is provided. In addition, error display lamps 104 are provided on both sides of the ring-shaped decorative portion 102 to light up in the event of a predetermined error. A large number of fine through-holes are formed in the annular illumination portion 102 above each error display lamp 104 corresponding to the speaker SP (see FIG. 3) provided on the back surface of the front frame set 14. .

A glass unit 137 is attached to the rear side of the front frame set 14 . The glass unit 137 is not a conventional front and rear pair of rectangular plate glasses that are attached separately as a front and rear pair, but is formed in a round shape as a whole and attached after being assembled.

Next, the inner frame 12 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the game board 30 is attached to the inner frame 12 in contact with the back side of the resin base 38 on the rear side of the window hole 39 . Therefore, a substantially central portion of the front surface of the game board 30 is exposed to the front side of the inner frame 12 through the window hole 39 .

In addition, a launching device 60 and a launching rail 61 for guiding game balls immediately after being launched by the launching device 60 are attached to the lower front portion of the inner frame 12 (resin base 38), that is, below the window hole 39. there is In this embodiment, a solenoid type launcher is adopted as the launcher 60 . Furthermore, above the shooting device 60, a ball feeding device guides the game balls guided from the upper tray 19 one by one to the shooting position of the shooting device 60 by driving a built-in drive means (eg, solenoid). 63 are provided.

Next, the configuration of the game board 30 will be described with reference to FIG. The game board 30 includes a general winning port 31, a variable winning device 32, a starting winning unit (starting port) 33, a through gate 34, a variable display device unit 35, a first special display device 43L and a second special display device 43R, a variable A specific lamp 40 or the like is provided. As is well known, when a game ball enters (wins a prize) in various winning ports such as a general winning port 31, a variable winning device 32 as a variable ball winning means, and a start winning unit 33, it is detected by various detection switches, and is detected by the upper tray 19 or A predetermined number of prize balls are paid out to the lower tray 15.例文帳に追加For example, if there are 3 balls in the startup winning unit 33, 10 balls in the general winning port 31, and 10 balls in the variable winning device 32, 15 game balls are paid out. In addition, the game board 30 is provided with an out port 36, and game balls that do not enter various prize winning ports such as the general winning port 31 are discharged out of the game area through the out port 36. . The game board 30 is also provided with a large number of nails for appropriately distributing and adjusting the falling direction of game balls, and various members (accessories) such as windmills.

The variable winning device 32 is normally in a closed state in which a game ball cannot win a prize, and is in an open state in which a game ball can win a prize in a big win state. Although not shown, the variable winning device 32 includes a large winning opening leading to the rear of the game board 30, a shutter for opening and closing the large winning opening, a large winning opening solenoid for operating the shutter, and a large winning opening. Equipped with a count switch 223 for detecting a game ball that has entered the mouth, the variable prize winning device 32 (large prize winning port) is closed and opened by driving and controlling the large winning port solenoid and opening and closing the shutter. are switching.

The starting prize winning unit 33 includes an upper prize winning port 33a, a lower prize winning port 33b, and a pair of opening and closing members 33c provided on both sides of the lower prize winning port 33b. Between an open state in which the game ball flowing down the side of the lower winning opening 33b is guided to the lower winning opening 33b and a closed state in which the opening and closing member 33c is not guided by the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing member 33c according to establishment of a predetermined condition. It is configured so that the state can be changed with Although details will be described later, the starting winning unit 33 includes a first starting winning switch 224a and a second starting winning switch 224b for detecting game balls entering the upper winning opening 33a and the lower winning opening 33b, respectively. When a game ball is detected by the start winning switch 224a, 224b, a lottery is performed to determine whether or not to generate a jackpot state, and the special display devices 43L, 43R (and variable display means described later) The decorative pattern display device 42) as a variable display for teaching the result of the winning lottery is performed. Then, when a jackpot is won in the winning lottery, a jackpot state as a special game state in which the variable prize winning device 32 is opened is provided.

In addition, in the present embodiment, there is a low probability state in which a jackpot is won with a predetermined probability in the lottery, and a high probability state in which the jackpot is won with a higher probability than the low probability state in the lottery. Furthermore, the opening and closing member 33c is opened relatively frequently, and a high ball entry state in which the game ball is easily entered into the lower winning opening 33c. There is a low ball entry state that makes it difficult to enter the ball. Hereinafter, the state of low probability and low ball entry state will be referred to as "normal mode", and the state of low probability and high ball entry state will be referred to as "time reduction mode". A certain state is called "probability variation mode."

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the normal mode and the variable probability mode are continued until the big win state occurs, whereas the time reduction mode is the special display devices 43L, 43R and the decorative pattern display device 42 even if the big win state does not occur. When the variable display in 1 is performed 100 times, it ends and shifts to the normal mode.

In addition, the types of jackpots in this embodiment are 16-round variable variable jackpot (hereinafter referred to as "16RS"), 7-round variable variable jackpot (hereinafter referred to as "7RS"), and 7-round normal jackpot (hereinafter referred to as "7RN"). There are three types. Then, assuming that the variable winning device 32 is opened for 30 seconds, or that 8 game balls enter the variable winning device 32 after the variable winning device 32 is opened, as one round, "16RS" , it is repeated 16 times, while for "7RS", it is repeated 7 times before the jackpot state ends. Further, after the jackpot state of "16RS" and "7RS" is ended, the "probability variable mode" is given, and after the jackpot state of "7RN" is finished, the "time reduction mode" is given.

Each of the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R is composed of a 7-segment display device capable of displaying two characters (and dots), and is positioned so as to be visible to the player (in this example, the position of the variable winning device 32). right). Then, when the game ball enters the upper winning hole 33a of the starting winning unit 33, switching display (fluctuation display) is performed on the first special display device 43L, and the game ball enters the lower winning hole 33b. Triggered by this, the switching display (variable display) is performed on the second special display device 43R. The display contents of the special display devices 43L and 43R are directly controlled by a main control device 261 as main control means, which will be described later.

In addition, after the variable display is performed on the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R, depending on the display mode when the variable display stops, the result of the lottery, that is, "big hit" or "loss" Something is definitely shown. For example, when a game ball wins in the upper winning hole 33a, the corresponding first special display device 43L displays the switching display (variable display) of the lighting mode (combination of segments to be lit) at high speed (for example, every 4 msec), After a predetermined period of time has passed, one of the lighting modes is stopped (for example, stopped for several seconds). Then, when a "big win" is won in the winning lottery, the corresponding lighting mode is displayed when the variation is stopped, and a big win state occurs.

Furthermore, on the special display devices 43L and 43R, not only is it taught that the "jackpot" has been won, but also the type of the jackpot state, that is, which of "16RS", "7RS" and "7RN" is indicated. is also taught. For example, when "7.7." is finally displayed (stopped) on the first special display device 43L (or the second special display device 43R), "16RS" is given and "n. 0." is displayed, "7RN" is assigned. Moreover, there are not one but a plurality of stopping modes of the special display devices 43L and 43R for teaching one jackpot type, and one of them is selected and stopped. In addition, when either the first special display device 43L or the second special display device 43R performs the variable display or the determined display, the other is turned off ("-" is displayed). may be set), and if neither the variable display nor the fixed display is performed, "-" is displayed in both.

Further, when a game ball newly wins the starting winning unit 33 during the variable display of the first or second special display devices 43L, 43R, the variable display for that amount is the variable display being performed at that time. It is configured to be performed after the end of That is, the variable display is put on standby (suspended). The maximum number of times of the suspended variable display is determined for each model of the pachinko machine, but in this embodiment, it corresponds to the game ball that has won the upper prize winning port 33a and the game ball that has won the lower prize winning port 33b. As a result, up to 4 variable displays (a total of 8 variable displays) are reserved.

Furthermore, the pending number of the variable display (hereinafter referred to as "first variable display") based on the entry of the game ball into the upper winning hole 33a is displayed by the first reserve lamp 46a capable of emitting blue light, The holding number of the variable display (hereinafter referred to as "second variable display") based on the entry of the game ball into the lower winning hole 33b is displayed by the second holding lamp 46b capable of emitting red light. It's becoming The holding lamps 46a and 46b are provided with four each, which is the same as the maximum holding number of the first variable display and the second variable display. Light. Display contents of the holding lamps 46a and 46b are controlled by a sub-control device 262 as a sub-control means to be described later. Incidentally, when a game ball newly wins the starting prize winning unit 33 during the jackpot state, the variable display for that amount is also suspended.

It should be noted that the suspended variable displays are basically digested in the order they were suspended, but if both the first variable display and the second variable display are suspended (hold lamp 46b are lit by one or more), the second variable display is preferentially extinguished. In other words, the first variable display triggered by the entry of a ball into the upper winning port 33a is not performed unless the second variable display triggered by the winning of the lower prize winning port 33b is completely extinguished. ing. For example, in a state where one first holding lamp 46a is lit, when a game ball enters the lower winning hole 33b and one second holding lamp 46b is lit, the first variable display is postponed, The second variable display is performed first.

The variation specifying lamp 40 indicates which of the upper winning opening 33a and the lower winning opening 33b the variable display performed by the decorative pattern display device 42 corresponds to (the first variable display or the second which of the variable displays), and is arranged at a position visible to the player (in this example, below the special display devices 43L and 43R). The variation specific lamp 40 includes an LED whose emission color is blue and an LED whose emission color is red. It emits red light when displaying.

The through gate 34 is configured so that game balls flowing down the game area can pass one by one. Although the details will be described later, the through gate 34 is provided with a through gate switch 225 capable of detecting a game ball passing through the through gate 34, and when a game ball is detected by the through gate switch 225, a start is made. A ball-entering assist lottery is performed to determine whether or not the winning unit 33 is to be opened, and a variable display for teaching the result of the ball-entering assist lottery is performed on the normal symbol display device 41.例文帳に追加Then, when winning the ball-entering assist lottery, the lower winning opening 33b (opening/closing member 33c) of the starting winning unit 33 is opened for a specified time after the end of the variable display.

In the variable display device unit 35, a normal pattern display device 41 that variably displays triggered by passing through the through gate 34, and a decorative pattern display device that variably displays according to the variable display by the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R. 42 are provided. Further, the variable display device unit 35 is provided with the first suspension lamp 46a, the second suspension lamp 46b, and the suspension lamp 44. As shown in FIG.

The normal symbol display device 41 is configured to be able to light up and display "○" or "X" as a normal symbol. The switching display (variable display) is performed at high speed such as "○"→.... Then, when the variable display stops for a few seconds at the "O" symbol (winning symbol), the starting winning unit 33 (opening/closing member 33c) is opened for a predetermined period of time. Display contents of the normal symbol display device 41 are directly controlled by a main control device 261 which will be described later.

In addition, when a game ball newly passes through the through gate 34 during the variable display of the normal symbol display device 41, the variable display for that amount is performed after the variable display being performed at that time is completed. It has become. That is, the variable display is put on standby (suspended). The maximum number of times of the variable display to be held is determined for each pachinko machine model, but in this embodiment, it is held up to four times, and the number of times of holding is displayed by the holding lamp 44. there is

The decorative pattern display device 42 of the present embodiment is composed of a liquid crystal display device, and is configured to be able to variably display decorative patterns as identification information. The display contents of the decorative pattern display device 42 are controlled by a sub-control device 262 and a display control device 45, which will be described later. That is, in the decorative pattern display device 42, based on the command from the main control device 261, the sub-control device 262 assists so as to correspond to the results displayed on the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R. Display content is determined, and display control is performed by the display control device 45 based on the determination.

The decorative pattern display device 42 is provided with, for example, three pattern display areas, upper, middle and lower, and a plurality of types of decorative patterns (for example, number patterns with numbers 1 to 9) are displayed in each pattern display area. The decorative symbols are sequentially displayed (variably displayed), and thereafter, the decorative symbols are stopped and displayed in order for each symbol display area (for example, in the order of the upper symbol display area→lower symbol display area→middle symbol display area). . For example, when the main controller 261 confirms the occurrence of the big win, the first or second special display devices 43L and 43R display corresponding to the big win, and the decorative pattern display device 42 shows the big win. (for example, the decorative symbols stopped and displayed in the upper symbol display area, the middle symbol display area, and the lower symbol display area are the same), and the jackpot state is started.

Further, when the decorative symbols are stopped and displayed in a combination corresponding to the big hit, as a preliminary step, for example, the same decorative symbols are stopped and displayed in the upper symbol display area and the lower symbol display area. The ready-to-win state is the state in which the same symbol is stopped and displayed in the upper symbol display area and the lower symbol display area and the variable display is still performed in the middle symbol display area. Of course, the occurrence of the reach state does not necessarily mean that the jackpot will be won, and there are cases where the win is lost.

In this embodiment, after the ready-to-win state occurs, in the middle symbol display area, when the same decorative symbol (ready-to-win symbol) stopped displayed in the upper symbol display area and the lower symbol display area is stopped and displayed (Zoro When the eyes are stopped and displayed), a jackpot state is given. In addition, in the case of an odd number of doubles, "16RS" or "7RS" in which a variable probability mode is given after the end of the jackpot state occurs, and in the case of an even number of doubles, "16RS", "7RS", Or "7RN" is given. Also, the combination of decorative patterns other than doublet basically teaches "mismatch".

A center frame 47 is arranged in the variable display device unit 35 so as to surround the decorative pattern display device 42 . A ball entrance 151 is provided in the upper part of the center frame 47, and a game ball that enters the ball entrance 151 is formed inside the center frame 47, and along the side of the decorative pattern display device 42 It is guided onto a stage 153 formed below the decorative pattern display device 42 via a vertically extending warp channel 152 . A game ball guided onto the stage 153 falls from the stage 153 to a front game area, or rolls on the stage 153 and then enters a pocket 154 formed on the central back side of the stage 153. . In addition, the pocket 154 communicates with a guide passage 155 leading to a game area directly above the starting winning unit 33 (upper winning opening 33a). A ball is entered into the starting prize winning unit 33 (upper prize winning port 33a).

In addition, the game board 30 is provided with a rail 50 which is composed of an inner rail forming part 51 and an outer rail forming part 52 and guides the game ball shot from the shooting device 60 to the upper part of the game board 30 . As a result, the game ball shot with the rotating operation of the handle 18 is guided into the game area formed between the game board 30 and the glass unit 137 through the shooting rails 61 and 50 .

A return ball preventing member 53 is attached to the tip portion (upper left portion in FIG. 4) of the inner rail constituting portion 51 . As a result, the game ball once guided from the rail 50 to the game area is prevented from returning into the rail 50 again. Further, a return rubber 54 is attached to substantially the tip portion (upper right portion in FIG. 4) of the outer rail constituting portion 52 . A game ball shot with a force greater than or equal to a predetermined amount hits the return rubber 54 and is returned to, for example, the substantially central portion side of the game board 30 .

Further, in the present embodiment, the outer rail forming part 52 ends at the upper right part of the game board 30 and the inner rail forming part 51 ends at the lower right part of the game board 30 . Therefore, the play area is defined by the rails 50 and the inner peripheral surfaces of the window holes 39 of the resin base 38 . However, since the game ball hit by the shooting device 60 may flow backward on the rail 50 until it passes the return ball prevention member 53, the parallel parts of the inner and outer rail constituent parts 51 and 52 are excluded from the game area. be killed.

As shown in FIG. 3 , a ball passage unit 70 is provided on the rear side of the front frame set 14 below the window portion 101 . The ball passage unit 70 includes a lower tray communication path 71 that connects the payout mechanism 352 to the outlet 16 of the lower tray 15 and an upper tray communication path 73 that connects the payout mechanism 352 to the upper tray 19 . In addition, there is a gap of a predetermined interval between the launch rail 61 provided on the front side of the inner frame 12 and the rail unit 50 (outer rail constituting portion 52), and the ball passage unit 70 of the front frame set 14 has A foul ball passage 72 is formed to guide the game ball dropped from the gap to the lower tray 15.例文帳に追加As a result, if a game ball shot from the shooting device 60 does not reach the return-ball prevention member 53 and travels back along the rail 50 as a foul ball, the foul ball passes through the foul ball passage 72 to the lower tray 15. Ejected.

Reference numeral 67 in FIGS. 3 and 4 denotes a payout passage for guiding game balls paid out by a payout mechanism 352, which will be described later, to the front of the inner frame 12. The upper tray communication passage 73 (upper tray 19) and a passage leading to the lower tray communication passage 71 (lower tray 15). A shutter 68 is provided below the payout passage 67, and when the front frame set 14 is opened, the shutter 68 protrudes forward due to the biasing force of a spring or the like, and nearly closes the outlet of the payout passage 67. ing. Further, when the front frame set 14 is closed, the shutter 68 is pushed open by the inlet-side rear end of the lower tray communication passage 71 . The inlets (ball inlets) of the lower tray communicating path 71 and the upper tray communicating path 73 are adjacent to each other, and the inlets and the dispensing path 67 are separated by a predetermined distance when the front frame set 14 is closed, A game ball can pass through the gap between the two. Therefore, when the upper tray 19 and the upper tray communication path 73 are filled with game balls, the game balls to be paid out flow to the lower tray communication path 71 side (overflow to the entrance side of the lower tray communication path 71), and the lower tray connection It will be dispensed to the lower tray 15 through the passage 71 .

In addition, the ball passage unit 70 is provided with a full detection switch (not shown) for detecting game balls positioned in the lower tray communication passage 71 . Due to the presence of the full detection switch, it is grasped that the lower tray 15 is full of game balls (that the lower tray 15 is full of game balls and that the game balls are staying in the lower tray communication passage 71). be able to. In this embodiment, based on the detection of game balls continuously for a predetermined period of time by the full detection switch, an error notification is provided to teach that the lower tray 15 is full by using the display or sound on the decorative pattern display device 42. is controlled. In addition, when the retention of the game ball in the lower tray communication passage 71 is eliminated and the game ball is no longer detected by the full detection switch (when the game ball is no longer detected continuously for a predetermined time), the error notification state is canceled.

Next, the rear configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. On the back of the pachinko machine 10, various control boards are arranged vertically and horizontally, and some of them are arranged so as to be overlapped in the front and back, and a game ball supply device (payout mechanism) for supplying game balls. and a resin protective cover, etc. are attached. Since the dispensing mechanism and the protective cover are integrated as one unit, and the resin portion is generally called the back pack, the unit is called "back pack unit 203" here.

First, the rear configuration of the game board 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, on the rear side of the variable display device unit 35 (see FIG. 4) disposed corresponding to the through hole in the center of the game board 30, a resin frame cover covering the center frame 47 from behind is provided. 213 is provided so as to protrude rearward. In addition, on the rear side of the frame cover 213, the decorative pattern display device 42, which is a liquid crystal display device facing forward from the opening of the frame cover 213, the display control device 45, and the sub-control device 262 can be attached and detached in a stacked state. attached to the

The decorative pattern display device 42 is housed in a storage box 42a having an opening for exposing the display portion (liquid crystal screen) of the decorative pattern display device 42 to the front side of the pachinko machine 10, and is attached to the rear surface of the frame cover 213. fixed on the side. The display control device 45 is housed in a substrate box 45a and fixed to the back side of the decorative pattern display device 42 (housing box 42a). The sub-controller 262 is accommodated in a substrate box 262a and fixed to the rear side of the display control device 45 (substrate box 45a). An LED control board or the like for driving the LED or the like built in the center frame 47 is arranged inside the frame cover 213 . The storage box 42a and the substrate boxes 45a and 262a are made of a transparent resin material or the like so that the inside can be visually recognized.

Below the frame cover 213, a back frame set 215 is attached to the game board 30 so as to cover the general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32, the starting winning unit 33 and the like from behind. The back frame set 215 is provided with a ball recovery mechanism (not shown) for recovering game balls that have entered various winning slots. The game balls collected by this ball collecting mechanism are guided to a discharge passage portion 217 which will be described later, and discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 from a discharge chute of the discharge passage portion 217 .

Also, in this embodiment, the back frame set 215 functions as a mounting base for the main controller 261 . More specifically, a substrate box 263 in which a main controller 261 is mounted is rotatably pivoted to the back frame set 215 and can be opened rearward.

The main controller 261 is housed in a substrate box 263 made of transparent resin material or the like. The board box 263 includes a box base and a box cover that covers the opening of the box base, and these box base and box cover are connected by a sealing member. The board box 263 connected by the sealing member is configured so that it cannot be opened unless a predetermined trace is left. As a result, it is possible to easily discover that the board box 263 has been illegally opened.

In addition, the game board 30 is provided with ball entry detection switches for detecting game balls that have entered the various prize winning openings corresponding to the various winning openings such as the general winning opening 31 and the like. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 , a winning opening switch 221 is provided at a position corresponding to the general winning opening 31 , and a count switch 223 is provided to the variable winning device 32 . Further, the starting winning unit 33 is provided with a first starting winning switch 224a and a second starting winning switch 224b corresponding to the upper winning opening 33a and the lower winning opening 33b, respectively. Furthermore, a through gate switch 225 is provided at a position corresponding to the through gate 34 .

Also, although not shown, the back frame set 215 is provided with a first board relay board that is electrically connected to the winning slot switch 221, the count switch 223, and the through gate switch 225 via cable connectors. . This first board surface relay board relays the winning slot switch 221 and the like and a main controller 261 as main control means, and is electrically connected to the main controller 261 via a cable connector. On the other hand, the starting prize-winning switches 224a and 224b are directly connected to the main controller 261 via connector cables without passing through the relay board.

The detection results detected by the various incoming ball detection switches are taken into the main controller 261 . Then, a payout command (the number of game balls to be paid out) according to the winning situation of each time is transmitted from the main control device 261 to the payout control device 311, and based on the output signal from the payout control device 311, a predetermined number of game balls is sent. is paid out (except when detected by through gate switch 225).

In addition, although not shown, on the back side of the game board 30, a solenoid for opening the large winning opening is provided by the variable winning device 32, and the starting winning unit 33 operates a pair of opening/closing members 33c. A winning opening solenoid that opens and closes is provided. The back frame set 215 is also provided with a second board relay board (not shown) that relays these solenoids and the main controller 261 .

Next, the configuration of the back pack unit 203 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the back pack unit 203 is formed by integrating a resin-molded back pack 351 and a game ball payout mechanism 352 . The back pack unit 203 is supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the left side (the right side in FIG. 5) of the inner frame 12, and can be opened rearward about an opening/closing axis extending in the vertical direction. ing. In addition, an external terminal plate 240 is provided on the upper left portion of the back pack unit 203 (upper right portion in FIG. 5).

The external terminal board 240 is for relaying transmission of various kinds of information to a game hall computer or the like, and is provided with a plurality of external connection terminals. For convenience, no reference numerals are attached, but for example, a terminal for outputting information about the current game state (jackpot state, variable probability mode, etc.), front frame set 14 and inner frame detected by open detection switches 91 and 92 described later A terminal for outputting information about the opening of 12, a terminal for outputting information about various error states such as ball entry error, lower tray full error, tank no ball error, payout error, prize paid out from payout control device 311 A terminal for outputting information about the number of balls is provided.

The back pack 351 is integrally formed of, for example, ABS resin, and has a protective cover portion 354 that protrudes rearward from the pachinko machine 10 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The protective cover portion 354 has a shape in which left and right side surfaces and an upper surface are closed and only a lower surface is opened, and has a size sufficient to cover at least the frame cover 213 . However, in this embodiment, the protective cover portion 354 is configured to cover the upper portion and the right portion (the left portion in FIG. 5) of the board box 263 as well. As a result, in the closed state of the back pack unit 203, the sealing member provided on the right side of the board box 263 and the terminal section (board side connector) provided along the upper edge of the main controller 261 are covered. It will happen.

The dispensing mechanism section 352 is arranged so as to bypass the protective cover section 354 . Namely, above the protective cover portion 354, a tank 355 which opens upward is provided, and the tank 355 is sequentially replenished with game balls supplied from the island facilities of the game hall. Below the tank 355 is connected a tank rail 356 which has, for example, two rows of ball passages in the horizontal direction and is gently inclined toward the downstream side. Concatenated. A payout device 358 is provided at the most downstream portion of the case rail 357, and payout of the required number of game balls is appropriately performed by a predetermined electrical configuration such as a payout motor. The game balls paid out from the payout device 358 are supplied to the upper tray 19 and the like.

In the payout mechanism section 352, a payout relay board 381 for relaying a payout command signal from the payout control device 311 to the payout device 358 is installed, and a power switch board 382 for taking in the main power supply from the outside is installed. there is The power switch board 382 is supplied with a main power supply of, for example, 24 V AC via a voltage converter, and is turned on or off by a switching operation of the power switch 382a.

Below the back pack unit 203 (board box 263), a lower frame set 251 that is pivotally supported by the left side (the right side in FIG. 5) of the inner frame 12 and that can be opened rearward is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the lower frame set 251 is formed with a discharge passage portion 217 into which the game balls collected by the ball collection mechanism described above flow in. A discharge chute (not shown) for discharging the pachinko machine 10 to the outside is formed. In other words, the game balls that have won the prize-winning openings such as the general prize-winning opening 31 are collected via the ball recovery mechanism of the back frame set 215 and discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 through the discharge chute of the discharge passage portion 217 . Incidentally, the out port 36 is similarly connected to the discharge passage portion 217, and the game balls that do not win in any of the prize winning ports are also discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 through the discharge chute. In this embodiment, the back pack unit 203 and the lower frame set 251 are configured as separate bodies and can be opened and closed independently, but the back pack unit 203 and the lower frame set 251 are integrally formed. It is also possible to

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, on the back side of the lower frame set 251, a payout control device 311, a firing control device 312, a power supply device 313, and a card unit connection board 314 are detachable in a state of being superimposed on each other. attached to the

The firing control device 312 and the power supply device 313 are housed in a board box 313 a and fixed to the back side of the lower frame set 251 . For the sake of convenience, the launch control device 312 and the power supply device 313 are described as independent control devices, but they are actually configured by one substrate (printed circuit board).

Also, the payout control device 311 is housed in the board box 311a and fixed to the back side of the board box 313a (the firing control device 312 and the power supply device 313). The board box 311a housing the payout control device 311 is provided with a sealing member in the same manner as the board box 263 housing the above-described main control device 261 so that a trace of the opening of the board box 311a remains. It's becoming

In addition, the card unit connection board 314 is housed in a board box 314a and fixed to the rear side of the board box 313a (the firing control device 312 and the power supply device 313). The board boxes 311a, 313a, and 314a are made of a transparent resin material or the like so that the inside can be visually recognized.

Also, the payout control device 311 is provided with a state return switch 321 projecting outward from the substrate box 311a. For example, when the state recovery switch 321 is pressed when a payout error such as a ball clogging occurs in the payout motor, the payout motor is rotated forward or reverse to clear the ball jam (return to normal state).

Further, the power supply device 313 is provided with a RAM erase switch 323 projecting outward from the board box 313a. This pachinko machine 10 has a backup function, and even in the event of a power failure, it can retain the state at the time of the power failure, and can be restored to the state at the time of the power failure when recovering from the power failure (recovery of power). can. Therefore, when the power is turned off in a normal procedure (for example, when the game hall is closed), the state before the power is turned off is stored. to put in.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a locking device 600 is provided on the rear side of the right side portion of the inner frame 12 . The locking device 600 has a cylinder lock 700 (see FIG. 1, etc.) exposed on the front side of the front frame set 14. A key is inserted into the keyhole of the cylinder lock 700 and turned to one side to open the lock. The frame 12 can be unlocked, and the front frame set 14 can be unlocked by rotating it in the other direction. In this embodiment, inner frame 12 is locked to outer frame 11 and front frame set 14 is locked to inner frame 12 .

As described above, the right-side frame-constituting portion 11d of the outer frame 11 is formed with the extending wall portion 83 that covers the entire upper and lower sections corresponding to the locking device 600 from the back side of the inner frame 12 (see FIG. 5). reference). As a result, it becomes difficult to insert a wire or the like from the back side of the outer frame 11 and operate the locking device 600 with the wire or the like. As a result, the defense performance can be improved. Furthermore, the extending wall portion 83 is configured to cover the right end portion (the left end portion in FIG. 5) of the back pack unit 203 and the lower frame set 251 from the back side, and in the closed state of the inner frame 12, The rear pack unit 203 and the lower frame set 251 cannot be opened.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a front frame open detection switch 91 for detecting the opening of the front frame set 14 is provided at the lower right portion of the front side of the inner frame 12 (the right side of the launching device 60), and FIG. As shown in , an inner frame open detection switch 92 for detecting opening of the inner frame 12 is provided on the lower right portion of the back side of the inner frame 12 (lower left in FIG. 5). The front frame open detection switch 91 and the inner frame open detection switch 92 each have a detection part that can appear and disappear with respect to the switch body, and the front frame open detection switch 91 is provided so that the detection part faces forward, The inner frame open detection switch 92 is provided so that the detection portion faces rearward. When the detection portion is in a state of protruding from the switch body, an ON signal is output to the main control device 261, and when the detection portion is pushed toward the switch body and retracted into the switch body, an OFF signal is output. It is configured to output to the main controller 261 . That is, when the front frame set 14 is closed, the detection part of the front frame open detection switch 91 is pressed by the back surface of the front frame set 14 and is turned off. It turns on. Similarly, when the inner frame 12 is closed, the inner frame open detection switch 92 is turned off by pressing the pressing portion 86 integrally formed with the receiving portion 85 of the outer frame 11, and detects when the inner frame 12 is opened. The part returns to the protruding state and is turned on.

Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10. As shown in FIG. A main controller 261 (main substrate) as main control means is equipped with a CPU 501 as a one-chip microcomputer as an arithmetic device. The CPU 501 includes a ROM 502 that stores various control programs and fixed value data to be executed by the CPU 501, and a RAM 503 that temporarily stores various data when executing the control programs stored in the ROM 502. Also, various circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission/reception circuit are incorporated. However, the CPU, ROM, and RAM may not be integrated into one chip, but may be integrated into chips for each function.

The RAM 503 includes a stack area that stores the contents of the internal registers of the CPU 501 and the return address of the control program executed by the CPU 501, and a work area (work area) that stores various flags, counters, I/O values, and the like. ) and a backup area 503a.

The RAM 503 is configured to retain (back up) data by being supplied with a backup voltage from the power supply 313 even after the pachinko machine 10 is powered off. All data stored in the

The backup area 503a is designed to restore the state of the pachinko machine 10 to the state before the power cut when the power is turned off when the power is turned off due to a power cut or the like. (similarly)) and the values of each register, I/O, etc. are stored. Writing to the backup area 503a is executed by the main processing when the power is turned off, and conversely, each value written to the backup area 503a is restored when the power is turned on (including power-on due to power failure cancellation; the same applies hereinafter). is executed in The NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of the CPU 501 is configured to receive a power failure signal SK1 output from a power failure monitoring circuit 542, which will be described later, when the power supply is interrupted due to a power failure or the like. Upon occurrence, power failure processing (NMI interrupt processing) is immediately executed.

If at least the data stored in the stack area and the backup area 503a are backed up, it is not necessary to back up the data stored in all areas. For example, the data stored in the stack area and the backup area 503a may be backed up, and the data stored in the work area may not be backed up.

An input/output port 505 is connected to the CPU 501 containing the ROM 502 and RAM 503 via a bus line 504 including an address bus, a data bus, and the like. Connected to the input/output port 505 are a RAM erasing switch circuit 543, payout control device 311, sub-control device 262, first and second special display devices 43L and 43R, normal symbol display device 41, etc., which will be described later. With this configuration, the special display devices 43L, 43R and the normal symbol display device 41 are directly controlled by the main control device 261. FIG. On the other hand, the decorative pattern display device 42 is controlled via the sub-control device 262 .

In addition, although illustration of various relay boards and the like is omitted for convenience, the input/output port 505 includes a winning port switch 221, a count switch 223, start winning unit switches 224a and 224b, a through gate switch 225, various switches of the handle 18, and the like. various detection switches, various substrates, and various electric parts such as solenoids for opening and closing the variable winning device 32 are connected. In other words, the main controller 261 is provided with a plurality of terminal portions (board-side connectors) for connecting connectors of various cable connectors.

The sub-control device 262 (sub-control board) as a sub-control means includes a CPU 551 which is an arithmetic device, a ROM 552 storing various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 551, and a control program stored in the ROM 552. It includes a RAM 553, which is a memory for temporarily storing various data, etc., an input/output port 554, a bus line 555, and various other circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission/reception circuit (not shown). It has The RAM 553 is a memory that temporarily stores work data and flags used when various programs are executed by the CPU 551 .

The input/output port 554 is connected to the CPU 551 , the ROM 552 and the RAM 553 via a bus line 555 and also to the display control device 45 . Further, the input/output port 554 is connected with the speaker SP, the hold lamps 46a and 46b, the performance button 125, various illumination parts and the lamps 102-104. In addition, in this embodiment, the sub-controller 262 includes an audio control unit 264 that controls output of audio from the speaker SP, and the audio control unit 264 is also connected to the input/output port 554 . The audio control unit 264 is provided on the same board as the CPU 551 and the like.

The CPU 551 of the sub control device 262 causes the display control device 45 to execute display control based on, for example, a command signal (for example, a variation pattern command) transmitted from the main control device 261, and causes the decorative pattern display device 42 to display. As described above, in the present embodiment, the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R controlled by the main controller 261 are adapted to display that the jackpot has been won. In the decorative design display device 42 controlled by , a display (incidental effect display) matching the display of the special display devices 43L and 43R is performed.

The payout control device 311 controls the payout of prize balls and rental balls by the payout device 358 . A CPU 511, which is an arithmetic device, includes a ROM 512 storing control programs executed by the CPU 511, fixed value data, and the like, and a RAM 513 used as a work memory and the like.

Similar to the RAM 503 of the main controller 261, the RAM 513 of the payout control device 311 includes a stack area for storing the contents of the internal register of the CPU 511 and the return address of the control program executed by the CPU 511, various flags and counters, It has a work area (work area) in which values such as I/O are stored, and a backup area 513a.

The RAM 513 is configured to retain (back up) data by being supplied with a backup voltage from the power supply 313 even after the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned off. data is backed up. If at least the data stored in the stack area and the backup area 513a are backed up, it is not necessary to back up the data stored in all areas. For example, the data stored in the stack area and the backup area 513a may be backed up, and the data stored in the work area may not be backed up.

Backup area 513a, when the power is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like, in order to restore the state of the pachinko machine 10 to the state before the power cut when the power is turned on again, the stack pointer at the time of power cut, each register, This is an area for storing values such as I/O. Writing to the backup area 513a is executed by the main process when the power is turned off, and restoration of each value written to the backup area 513a is executed by the main process when the power is turned on. As with the CPU 501 of the main controller 261, the NMI terminal of the CPU 511 is also configured to receive a power failure signal SK1 from the power failure monitoring circuit 542 when the power supply is interrupted due to a power failure or the like. When input to the CPU 511, NMI interrupt processing is immediately executed as power failure processing.

In the work area, a payout permission flag set to allow the payout of prize balls by the payout control device 311, a command reception flag set when a command transmitted from the main control device 261 is received, and a main control device 261 A command buffer is provided in which commands sent from are stored.

The payout permission flag is a flag for setting the payout permission of prize balls, and is turned on when a specific command permitting the payout of prize balls is transmitted from the main controller 261 and the specific command is received. or when it returns to the state before power-off. In this embodiment, the specific commands are a payout initialization command that instructs the initialization process of the RAM 513 of the payout control device 311, a prize ball command that instructs the payout of prize balls, and a There are three payout return commands sent in the case.

The command reception flag is a flag for confirming whether or not the payout control device 311 has received a command, and is turned on when any command is received. It is turned off when returning to the previous state, and is turned off when the received command is determined by the command determination process.

The command buffer consists of a ring buffer that temporarily stores commands sent from the main controller 261 . The ring buffer has a predetermined storage area, and commands are stored with regularity from the beginning to the end of the storage area. The return command is configured to be updated. Therefore, when a command is stored and read, the store pointer and read pointer in the command buffer are updated, and the command is stored and read based on each pointer.

An input/output port 515 is connected to the CPU 511 containing the ROM 512 and RAM 513 via a bus line 514 comprising an address bus and a data bus. The input/output port 515 is connected to the RAM erasing switch circuit 543, the main controller 261, the firing controller 312, the dispensing device 358, and the like.

The card unit connection board 314 includes a ball rental operation unit (ball rental button 121 and return button 122) on the front of the pachinko machine 10, and a card unit (ball rental unit) arranged on the side of the pachinko machine 10 in a game hall or the like. and are electrically connected to each other, take in the command of the player's ball lending operation, and output it to the card unit. Note that the card unit connection board 314 may be omitted in a cash machine in which game balls are directly lent to the upper tray 19 from a ball lending device or the like without going through the card unit.

The shooting control device 312 permits or prohibits shooting of game balls by the shooting device 60, and the shooting device 60 is allowed to be driven when predetermined conditions are met. Specifically, a firing permission signal is output from the payout control device 311, a sensor signal detects that the player is touching the handle 18, and a firing prohibition button 18a ( 1) is not operated, the shooting device 60 is driven, and game balls are shot with an intensity corresponding to the amount of operation of the handle 18. FIG.

The display control device 45 follows the instruction from the sub-controller 262 and executes the variable display of the decorative design in the decorative design display device 42 . The display control device 45 includes a CPU 521, a program ROM 522, a work RAM 523, a video RAM 524, a character ROM 525, a video display processor (VDP) 526, an input port 527, an output port 529, and bus lines 530, 531. and An input/output port 554 of the sub-controller 262 is connected to the input port 527 . Also, the CPU 521 , program ROM 522 , work RAM 523 and VDP 526 are connected to the input port 527 via the bus line 530 . An output port 529 is connected to the VDP 526 via a bus line 531, and the output port 529 is connected to the decorative pattern display device 42, which is a liquid crystal display device.

The CPU 521 of the display control device 45 receives the display command transmitted from the sub-control device 262 via the input port 527, analyzes the received command or performs predetermined arithmetic processing based on the received command, and controls the VDP 526. (specifically, generation of an internal command for the VDP 526). Thereby, display control in the decorative pattern display device 42 is performed.

A program ROM 522 is a memory for storing various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 521, and a work RAM 523 is a memory for temporarily storing work data and flags used when various programs are executed by the CPU 521. is.

The video RAM 524 is a memory for storing display data to be displayed on the decorative design display device 42. By rewriting the content of the video RAM 524, the display content of the decorative design display device 42 is changed. The character ROM 525 is a memory for storing character data such as designs displayed on the decorative design display device 42 .

The VDP 526 is a kind of drawing circuit that directly operates the LCD driver (liquid crystal driving circuit) incorporated in the decorative pattern display device 42 . Since the VDP 526 is made into an IC chip, it is also called a "drawing chip", and its substance should be called a microcomputer chip containing firmware dedicated to drawing processing. The VDP 526 adjusts the timing of each of the CPU 521, the video RAM 524, etc., and intervenes in the reading and writing of data.

In addition, the power supply device 313 includes a power supply unit 541 that supplies power to each part of the pachinko machine 10, a power failure monitoring circuit 542 that monitors power interruption due to power failure, etc., and a RAM deletion switch circuit 543 that is connected to the RAM deletion switch 323. and

The power supply unit 541 supplies necessary operating power to each of the main control device 261, the payout control device 311 and the like through a power supply path (not shown). As an overview, the power supply unit 541 takes in an AC 24V power supply supplied from the outside, and generates +12V power supply for driving various switches and motors, +5V power supply for logic, backup power supply for RAM backup, etc. These +12V power supply, +5V power supply and backup power supply are supplied to the main control device 261, the payout control device 311 and the like. An operating power source (+12V power source, +5V power source, etc.) is supplied to the launch control device 312 via the payout control device 311 . Similarly, various switches, motors, and the like are supplied with operating power through the control device to which they are connected.

The power failure monitoring circuit 542 is a circuit that outputs a power failure signal SK1 to each NMI terminal of the CPU 501 of the main controller 261 and the CPU 511 of the payout controller 311 when the power is shut off due to power failure or the like. The power failure monitoring circuit 542 monitors a stable DC voltage of 24 volts, which is the maximum voltage output from the power supply unit 541, and determines that a power failure (power failure) has occurred when this voltage is less than 22 volts. A power failure signal SK1 is output to the main controller 261 and the payout controller 311. By the output of this power failure signal SK1, the main control device 261 and the payout control device 311 recognize the occurrence of power failure and execute power failure processing (NMI interrupt processing).

Even after the stable DC voltage of 24 volts becomes less than 22 volts, the power supply unit 541 normally outputs 5 volts, which is the driving voltage of the control system, for a time sufficient to execute the power failure processing. configured to maintain value. Therefore, the main controller 261 and the payout controller 311 can normally execute and complete the power failure process.

The RAM erase switch circuit 543 is a circuit that takes in the switch signal of the RAM erase switch 323 and clears the backup data of the RAM 503 of the main controller 261 and the RAM 513 of the payout controller 311 according to the state of the switch 323 . When the RAM erasing switch 323 is pressed, the RAM erasing switch circuit 543 outputs a RAM erasing signal SK2 to the main controller 261 and the payout controller 311. When the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned on while the RAM erasing switch 323 is pressed (including power-on due to power failure cancellation), the data in the RAMs 503 and 513 of the main controller 261 and the payout controller 311 are cleared. be.

The audio control unit 264 includes an audio CPU that performs control for outputting audio from the speaker SP based on commands from the sub-control device 262 (CPU 551), an audio ROM that stores various audio data, and an audio ROM that is used for audio control. It is equipped with an audio RAM, an amplifier that amplifies audio signals, and various ports. Then, based on a command output from the CPU 551, predetermined audio data is selected and read out of a plurality of patterns of audio data stored in the audio ROM, the audio data is converted into an audio signal, and the audio data is converted into an audio signal. Output the signal to the amplifier. The amplifier amplifies the audio signal to a level according to the setting, and generates sound from the speaker SP.

Next, the operation of the pachinko machine 10 configured as described above will be described. In this embodiment, the CPU 501 provided in the main control device 261 as main control means performs a lottery using various counter information during the game. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, a jackpot random number counter C1 used for the lottery for whether or not to generate a jackpot state, a type determination counter C2 used for determining the type of jackpot (type lottery), and decoration A variation selection counter C3 used to determine whether or not to generate a ready-to-win state in the symbol display device 42, an initial value random number counter CINI used to set the initial value of the jackpot random number counter C1, and first and second special display devices. 43L, 43R (decorative pattern display device 42) 1st variation type counter CS1, 2nd variation type counter CS2 used for determining the variation display time etc. Used for lottery (entrance assistance lottery) of normal design display device 41 A normal symbol random number counter C4 is used. Note that the variation selection counter C3 is also used for lottery for the reach type when the decorative symbol display device 42 is deviated and varied. The variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are also used for variation pattern selection (effect pattern selection) of the decorative symbol display device . Specifically, according to the determined variation pattern, the variation time of the special display devices 43L and 43R is determined, and the variation mode and variation time in the decorative design display device 42, that is, the performance pattern is determined.

Each of the counters C1, C2, C3, CINI, CS1, CS2, and C4 is a loop counter that adds 1 to the previous value each time it is updated, and returns to 0 as the lower limit after reaching the upper limit. Each counter is periodically updated, and the updated value is appropriately stored in a counter buffer set in a predetermined area of the RAM 503 (except for the random number initial value counter CINI).

The RAM 503 stores the values of the jackpot random number counter C1, the type determination counter C2, and the variation selection counter C3. A variable holding area is provided. The normal variable holding area comprises one execution area and four holding areas (first holding area to fourth holding area). In each holding area of the normal fluctuation holding area, the value of the normal symbol random number counter C4 is stored chronologically according to the passage history of the game ball to the through gate 34.例文帳に追加By adopting this configuration, the variable display on the normal symbol display device 41 can be held up to four times.

In addition, the special variation reservation area includes a first special variation reservation area and a second special variation storage area each having four reservation areas (first reservation to fourth reservation area), and one execution area. In each reservation area of the first special variable reservation area, each value of the jackpot random number counter C1, the type determination counter C2, and the variation selection counter C3 is chronologically set according to the winning history of the game ball to the upper winning opening 33a. stored in In each reservation area of the second special variable reservation area, each value of the jackpot random number counter C1, the type determination counter C2, and the variation selection counter C3 is chronologically set according to the winning history of the game ball to the lower winning opening 33b. stored in By adopting this configuration, it is possible to suspend the variable display up to four times on each of the special display devices 43L and 43R.

To explain each counter in detail, the jackpot random number counter C1 is, for example, incremented one by one within the range of 0 to 599, and after reaching the upper limit as the closing price (that is, 599), 0, which is the lower limit as the opening price. It is configured to return to Normally, when the jackpot random number counter C1 makes one cycle, the value of the initial value random number counter CINI at that time is read as the next initial value of the jackpot random number counter C1. The initial value random number counter CINI is a loop counter similar to the jackpot random number counter C1 (value = 0 to 599), and is updated once for each timer interrupt and repeatedly updated within the remaining time of normal processing. On the other hand, the jackpot random number counter C1 is periodically updated (once per timer interrupt in this embodiment), and the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 is stored in the jackpot random number counter buffer. Then, at the timing when the game ball enters the upper winning opening 33a or the lower winning opening 33b of the starting winning unit 33, the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 stored in the jackpot random number counter buffer is stored in the special variation holding area. .

In addition, in the present embodiment, the number of values of the jackpot random number counter C1 that becomes a jackpot in a low probability state (normal mode, time reduction mode) is two, and the value is "7, 307", which is a high probability. The number of values of the jackpot random number counter C1 that becomes a jackpot in the state (probability variable mode, potential probability mode) is 20, and the values are "7 to 16, 307 to 316". In this embodiment, the ROM 502 is provided with two success/fail determination tables that are referred to when determining whether or not the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 corresponds to a jackpot. There is a first right/wrong judgment table that stores values and a second right/wrong judgment table that stores "8 to 16, 308 to 316" as jackpot values.

In the normal mode, the probability of winning a big win in the lottery (big win probability) is 1/300, and the variation time in the normal symbol display device 41 for teaching the result of the ball assist lottery is 6 seconds. In addition, when winning the entry assist lottery, the lower prize winning opening 33b (opening/closing member 33c) is opened for 0.6 seconds.

In the variable probability mode, the probability of a big win is 1/30, making it easier to win a big win than in the normal mode. In addition, in the variable probability mode, the variation time of the normal symbol display device 41 based on the ball entry assist lottery is 2 seconds, which is shorter than in the normal mode. is opened three times, each opening for 2 seconds. That is, in the variable probability mode, the fluctuation time in the normal symbol display device 41 is shorter than in the normal mode, and the opening time of the lower winning opening 33b per winning of the ball assist lottery is longer, and the number of times of opening is increased. Become. As a result, since the time zone in which the lower winning opening 33b is open becomes longer, game balls enter the lower winning opening 33b frequently (become in a high ball entry state), and the winning lottery is performed. As it is done continuously, it becomes a state of good ball retention. Incidentally, in the high ball entry state, the normal symbol display device 41 may be set to have a higher probability of stop-displaying the "○" symbol (the winning probability of the ball-entering assist lottery) than in the normal mode.

In the time reduction mode, the jackpot probability is 1/300. Further, in the time shortening mode, the fluctuation time of the normal symbol display device 41 based on the ball-entering assist lottery is 2 seconds, and when winning the ball-entering assist lottery, the lower winning opening 33b is opened three times, Each opening time is 2 seconds. That is, in the time shortening mode, although the probability of the jackpot is as low as in the normal mode, only the operation of the starting winning unit 33 is the same as the variable probability mode. In this embodiment, the time reduction mode is set over a total of 100 variable displays performed on the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R after the end of the "7RN" jackpot state. Also, the time reduction mode ends when the special display devices 43L and 43R perform a total of 100 variable displays even if no big win state occurs, and then shifts to the normal mode.

The type determining counter C2 is incremented by one within a range of 0 to 19, for example, and returns to 0, which is the lower limit, after reaching the upper limit (that is, 19). Further, the ROM 502 is provided with a type determination table that is referred to when determining which jackpot type the value of the type determination counter C2 corresponds to. Then, when winning by lottery, the type of the type of the jackpot state to be given is determined based on the value of the type determination counter C2 (type lottery is performed), and the jackpot state of the determined type is given. The Rukoto.

The type determination counter C2 is periodically updated (once per timer interrupt in this embodiment), and the value of the type determination counter C2 is stored in the type determination counter buffer. Then, at the timing when the game ball enters the upper winning opening 33a or the lower winning opening 33b of the starting winning unit 33, the value of the type determination counter C2 stored in the type determination counter buffer is stored in the special variation holding area of the RAM 503. be.

The variable selection counter C3 is configured to be incremented by 1 in order within the range of 0 to 238, for example, and return to 0 as the lower limit after reaching the upper limit (that is, 238). In this embodiment, after the ready-to-win state occurs with respect to the decorative pattern, the final stop pattern shifts by one before and after the ready-to-win pattern by the variation selection counter C3 and stops, and the same ready-to-win state occurs. A lottery is drawn for "reach other than front and rear out" in which the rear final stop symbol stops at a position other than the front and rear of the reach symbol and "complete out" in which the reach state does not occur. In this embodiment, a reach determination table is provided in the ROM 502 to store the correspondence between the value of the variation selection counter C3 and the reach type. The reach determination table stores a value of "0 to 238", C3 = 0, 1 corresponds to front and rear out reach, C3 = 2 to 21 corresponds to reach other than front and rear out, C3 = 22 to 238 is perfect It has a configuration that corresponds to the outside.

The variation selection counter C3 is periodically updated (once per timer interrupt in this embodiment), and the value of the variation selection counter C3 is stored in the variation selection counter buffer. Then, the value of the variation selection counter C3 stored in the variation selection counter buffer is stored in the special variation holding area of the RAM 503 at the timing when the game ball enters the upper winning opening 33a or the lower winning opening 33b of the starting winning unit 33. be.

Further, one of the two fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 is incremented by 1 in order within the range of 0 to 59, for example, and reaches the upper limit (that is, 59), and then the lower limit. It is configured to return to 0, and the other fluctuation type counter CS2 is, for example, incremented by 1 in order within the range of 0 to 37, and after reaching the upper limit (that is, 37), it returns to 0, which is the lower limit. It has become. For example, the first variation type counter CS1 determines the reach pattern of decorative symbols such as so-called normal reach, super reach, premium reach, and other rough pattern variation modes, and the second variation type counter CS2 determines the final stop symbol after the reach occurs. (In this example, the middle pattern), a more detailed pattern variation mode such as the elapsed time until the stop is determined. Therefore, by combining these fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2, it is possible to easily realize diversification of fluctuation patterns. Further, it is also possible to determine the symbol variation mode only by the first variation type counter CS1, or to determine the symbol variation mode by combining the first variation type counter CS1 and the stop symbol.

In addition, the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are updated once each time the normal processing described later is executed, and are repeatedly updated within the remaining time of the normal processing. Buffer values of CS1 and CS2 are acquired when determining a variation pattern at the start of variation of the decorative design by the decorative design display device 42 .

Note that the size and range of each counter is merely an example and can be changed arbitrarily. However, it is desirable that the size of the jackpot random number counter C1, the type determination counter C2, the variation selection counter C3, the variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are all different prime numbers and that they are not synchronized in any case.

In addition, the normal symbol random number counter C4 is configured as a loop counter that is incremented by 1 in order within the range of 0 to 9, for example, and returns to the lower limit value of 0 after reaching the upper limit value (that is, 9). The random number counter C4 is periodically updated (once per timer interrupt in this embodiment), and when the game ball passes through either the left or right through gate 34, the value of the normal symbol random number counter C4 is acquired. There are six different random number values, and the range is "3 to 8".And, when the value of the winning normal symbol random number counter C4 is obtained, the normal symbol display device 41 shows a predetermined fluctuation display. After a period of time, the symbol corresponding to the winning ("○" in this example) is stopped and displayed, and the lower prize winning opening 33b (opening/closing member 33c) is opened in a pattern corresponding to the game mode at that time.

Next, each control process executed by the CPU 501 in the main controller 261 will be described with reference to flowcharts. The processing of the CPU 501 can be broadly classified into main processing that is started when the power is turned on, timer interrupt processing that is started periodically (with a cycle of 2 msec in this embodiment), and a stop signal to the NMI terminal (non-maskable terminal). For convenience of explanation, the timer interrupt processing and the NMI interrupt processing will be explained first, and then the main processing will be explained.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing timer interrupt processing, which is executed by the CPU 501 of the main controller 261 every 2 msec, for example. First, in step S301, a process of reading various winning switches is executed. That is, it reads the states of various switches (except for the RAM erase switch 323) connected to the main controller 261, determines the states of the switches, and saves detection information (winning detection information). On the other hand, if there is no detection information, the process proceeds to the next process.

In addition, when there is detection information of various winning switches, the value of the corresponding winning ball counter is added. In addition, in the external output processing of the normal processing to be described later, a prize ball command based on the value of each prize ball counter is output to the payout control device 311, and prize balls are provided based on the prize ball command (game balls are paid out). ). Furthermore, when this prize ball command is output, the value of each prize ball counter is reset.

In step S302, random number initial value update processing is executed. Specifically, the random number initial value counter CINI is incremented by 1 and cleared to 0 when the counter value reaches the maximum value (599 in this example).

Also, in step S303, random number update processing is executed. Specifically, the jackpot random number counter C1, the type determination counter C2, the variation selection counter C3, and the normal symbol random number counter C4 are each incremented by 1, and their counter values are the maximum values (599, 19 in this embodiment, respectively). , 238, 9) are cleared to 0 respectively. Then, the updated values of the respective counters C1, C2, C3 and C4 are stored in the corresponding buffer areas of the RAM 503. FIG.

After that, in step S304, starting winning processing accompanying winning to the starting winning unit 33 is executed, and in step S305, through gate passage processing accompanying passage of the game ball to the through gate 34 is executed. After that, the timer interrupt processing is temporarily terminated.

Here, the starting winning process of step S304 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In addition, in the execution area and each reservation area of the special variation reservation area, the success or failure random number storage area that stores the value of the jackpot random number counter C1, the winning type random number storage area that stores the value of the type determination counter C2, and the variation selection counter C3 A reach random number storage area is provided for storing values. In this embodiment, the hit/fail random number storage area uses 2 bytes to store the value of the jackpot random number counter C1. The winning type random number storage area and reach random number storage area each use 1 byte to store the value of the type determination counter C2 and the value of the variation selection counter C3. In addition, an upper pending counter Na that counts the number of pending variable displays triggered by winning the upper winning prize opening 33a, and a lower pending counter Nb that counts the number of pending variable displays triggered by winning the lower winning prize port 33b. is provided.

First, in step S501, it is determined whether or not the game ball has entered the lower prize winning opening 33b based on the detection information of the second start winning prize switch 224b. If the determination in step S501 is affirmative, it is determined in step S502 whether or not the value of the lower hold counter Nb is less than the upper limit value ("4" in this embodiment). If a negative determination is made in step S501 or S502, the process proceeds to step S509. On the other hand, if the determination in step S502 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S503, and the lower hold counter Nb is incremented by one.

In the following step S504, each value of the jackpot random number counter C1, the type determination counter C2, and the variation selection counter C3 updated in the random number update process of step S303 (the jackpot random number counter buffer, the type determination counter buffer, and the variation selection counter buffer Each stored value) is stored in the first area (win/fail random number storage area, winning type random number storage area, reach random number storage area) of the vacant reservation areas of the special variation reservation area. After step S504, the process proceeds to step S505.

In step S505, a jackpot determination process is performed to determine whether or not the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 newly stored in the special change reservation area is a value corresponding to a jackpot. Details of the big hit determination process will be described later.

In the following step S506, when it is determined in step S505 that the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 is a value corresponding to the jackpot, the jackpot is determined based on the value of the type determination counter C2 newly stored in the special change reservation area. A type determination process for determining the type of is performed. Details of the type determination process will be described later.

In the following step S507, if it is determined in step S505 that the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 is not a value corresponding to the jackpot, based on the value of the fluctuation selection counter C3 newly stored in the special fluctuation holding area, the Perform reach determination processing to determine the type of reach at the time of fluctuation. Details of the reach determination process will be described later.

Here, details of the jackpot determination processing in step S505 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in step S5101, whether the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 newly stored in the special change reservation area matches either "7" or "307", which is the value stored in the first success/failure determination table. determine whether By the way, "7" and "307" are values that are big hits both in the low-probability state and in the high-probability state.

In addition, in FIG. 14, the processing of the step S5101 is described in a simplified manner for convenience, but in reality, it is determined whether the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 is "7", and the determination is negative. If it is determined, it is determined whether or not the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 is "307", and if either of these determinations is affirmatively determined, it is affirmatively determined in step S5101, which determination If a negative determination is also made in step S5101, a negative determination is made in step S5101.

If the determination in step S5101 is affirmative, the process ends after turning on the first propriety flag in step S5102. In the present embodiment, a win/fail flag is not provided in addition to the hit/fail random number storage area for storing the value of the hit/fail random number counter C1. is stored (overwritten). As described above, the success/failure random number storage area uses 2 bytes, and in step S5102, for example, "1010101010101010" is set in the success/failure random number storage area. In the present embodiment, for the sake of convenience, the fact that the setting is made in the success/failure random number storage area is referred to as turning on the first success/failure flag.

When a negative determination is made in step S5101, in step S5103, the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 newly stored in the special variation holding area is the value stored in the second success/failure determination table "8 to 16, 308 to 316”. By the way, "8 to 16, 308 to 316" is a value that becomes a big hit only in the variable probability mode. Incidentally, even in the determination process, it is actually determined one by one whether or not the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 and each value corresponding to the jackpot match as described above.

If the determination in step S5103 is affirmative, the process ends after turning on the second propriety flag in step S5104. Turning on the second right/fail flag means that, for example, "1100110011001100" is set in the right/fail random number storage area. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S5103, that is, if the result is "missing" even in a high-probability state, this processing ends.

As described above, in the present embodiment, information relating to success or failure is stored using 2 bytes. Therefore, for example, when noise occurs, the success/failure flag (stored contents of the success/failure random number storage area) is rewritten. , it is possible to prevent a situation in which a big winning state occurs even though the winning is not made or a big winning state does not occur even though the winning is made. Also, the pattern (a combination of "1" and "0") set in the hit/fail random number storage area in the jackpot determination process is a pattern that is not used when the value of the hit/fail random number counter C1 is stored in the hit/fail random number storage area. be.

Next, the type determination processing in step S506 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in step S5201, it is determined whether or not the first or second win/fail flag has been set to ON in the previous big hit determination process. If a negative determination is made in step S5201 (there is no possibility of occurrence of a jackpot state), this processing is terminated as it is.

On the other hand, if the affirmative determination is made in step S5201 (there is a possibility that a jackpot state will occur), in step S5202, the type determination table is taken into consideration, and the type determination counter C2 newly stored in the special change reservation area Determine if the value matches the value "0" corresponding to "16RS". If the determination in step S5202 is affirmative, the 16RS flag is turned on in step S5203, and this process ends.

In addition, in this embodiment, in addition to the winning type random number storage area for storing the value of the type determination counter C2, there is no separate 16RS flag or the like. , "7RN" is stored (overwritten). As described above, the winning type random number storage area uses 1 byte, and in step S5203, for example, "10101010" is set in the winning type random number storage area. In this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, setting a pattern indicating a jackpot type such as "16RS" in the winning type random number storage area is referred to as turning on a flag (such as a 16RS flag) indicating the jackpot type. explain.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S5202 is negative, in step S5204, the type determination table is taken into consideration, and the value of the type determination counter C2 newly stored in the special change reservation area is "12" corresponding to "7RN". to 19”. If the determination in step S5204 is affirmative, in step S5205 the 7RN flag is turned on (for example, "00011111" is set in the winning type random number storage area), and then this process ends. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S5204, the 7RS flag is turned on (for example, "00010000" is set in the winning type random number storage area) in step S5206, and this process ends.

The pattern (a combination of "1" and "0") set in the winning type random number storage area in the type determination process is not used when the value of the type determination counter C2 is stored in the winning type random number storage area. It's a pattern.

Next, reach determination processing in step S507 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in step S5301, it is determined whether or not the first hit/fail flag has been set in the previous big hit determination process. If the determination in step S5301 is affirmative, that is, if the jackpot is achieved in both the low-probability state and the high-probability state (the jackpot state always occurs), this processing ends.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S5301, that is, if the jackpot state does not occur at least in the low probability state (there is a possibility of being out), in step S5302, the reach determination table is taken into consideration, and a new It is determined whether or not the value of the variation selection counter C3 stored in the special variation reservation area matches one of the values '0, 1' corresponding to the 'outside reach'. If the determination in step S5302 is affirmative, in step S5303, the front-rear flag indicating the occurrence of front-rear out-of-reach reach is turned on, and then this process ends.

In this embodiment, in addition to the reach random number storage area for storing the value of the variation selection counter C3, there is no separate front/rear flag. is stored (overwritten). As described above, the reach random number storage area uses 1 byte, and in step S5303, for example, "10101010" is set for the reach random number storage area. In this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, setting the reach random number storage area will be referred to as turning on the before/after flag.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S5302, the reach determination table is taken into account in step S5304, and the value of the variation selection counter C3 newly stored in the special variation reservation area corresponds to "reach other than front and rear deviation". It determines whether or not it matches any of the values "2 to 21". If the determination in step S5304 is affirmative, the flag other than before and after is turned on in step S5305, and then this process ends. Note that turning on the flag other than before and after means that, for example, "11001100" is set in the reach random number storage area.

If a negative determination is made in step S5304, that is, if the variable display ends without going through the reach state, that is, "completely out", this process ends. The pattern (a combination of "1" and "0") set in the reach random number storage area in the reach determination process is a pattern that is not used when storing the value of the variation selection counter C3 in the reach random number storage area. be.

Returning to the description of FIG. 13, in step S508 subsequent to step S507, a preceding command setting process is performed. In the starting command, which of the upper winning opening 33a or the lower winning opening 33b is triggered by the stored variable information (predetermined information used to determine the contents of the variable display)? information indicating the results of the jackpot determination process, the type determination process, and the reach determination process, and is output to the sub-controller 262 in the next external output process (see step S201).

After the process of step S508, or when a negative determination is made in step S501 or step S502, in step S509, the first start winning unit switch 224a determines whether or not the game ball has entered the upper winning opening 33a. Determined by detection information. If a negative determination is made in step S509, this process is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination is affirmative, in step S510, the value of the upper suspension counter Na that counts the number of suspensions of the variable display triggered by the winning of the upper winning opening 33a is the upper limit value ("4" in this embodiment). ). If a negative determination is made in step S510, this process ends. On the other hand, when an affirmative determination is made in step S510, the process proceeds to step S511, and the upper reservation counter Na is incremented by one.

In the following step S512, the values of the jackpot random number counter C1, the type determination counter C2, and the variation selection counter C3 are stored in the vacant reservation areas of the special variation reservation area (win/fail random number storage area, winning type random number storage area, reach random number storage area ). After step S512, the process proceeds to step S513.

In step S513, a jackpot determination process is performed to determine whether or not the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 newly stored in the special change reservation area is a value corresponding to a jackpot. The details of the big hit determination process have already been described above.

In the following step S514, when it is determined in step S513 that the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 corresponds to the jackpot, based on the value of the type determination counter C2 newly stored in the special change reservation area, the jackpot Type determination processing for determining the type is performed. The details of the type determination process have already been described above.

In the following step S515, when it is determined in step S513 that the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 is not a value corresponding to the jackpot, based on the value of the fluctuation selection counter C3 newly stored in the special fluctuation holding area, reach Perform reach determination processing to determine the type of. Details of the reach determination process have already been described above.

After step S515, in step S516, a preceding command setting process is performed, and this process ends. In the present embodiment, when a game ball enters the upper winning opening 33a or the lower winning opening 33b, the value of the big hit random number counter C1 and the like are directly stored in the special change holding area, and then the big hit determination process and type determination process are performed. , and reach determination processing are executed, but the configuration is not particularly limited to such a configuration. For example, when the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 or the like is acquired, a temporary storage area (work area) is provided to temporarily store these counter values, and the information stored in the temporary storage area is processed for jackpot determination processing, type After executing the determination process and the reach determination process, a configuration may be adopted in which the reservation area of the corresponding special change reservation area is stored.

Next, the through gate passage processing in step S305 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S601, whether or not the game ball has passed through the through gate 34 is determined based on the detection information of the through gate switch 225. FIG. If a negative determination is made in step S601, this process is terminated.

On the other hand, if affirmative determination is made in step S601, that is, if it is determined that the game ball has passed through the through gate 34, then in step S602, the number of suspensions of variable display performed by the normal symbol display device 41 is counted. It is determined whether or not the value of the normal hold counter Nc is less than the upper limit (4 in this embodiment). If a negative determination is made here, the processing is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if the affirmative determination is made in step S602, that is, if it is confirmed that the game ball has passed through the through gate 34, and the value of the normal reservation counter Nc is <4, the process proceeds to step S603, and the normal reservation counter is reached. Increment Nc by one.

In addition, in the following step S604, a random number related to success or failure is acquired. Specifically, the value of the normal symbol random number counter C4 updated in the random number update process of step S303 is stored in the first area of the free storage areas of the normal fluctuation reservation area of the RAM503. After that, the through gate passage processing ends.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing NMI interrupt processing, which is executed by the CPU 501 of the main control device 261 when the pachinko machine 10 is powered off due to a power failure or the like. By this NMI interrupt, the state of the main controller 261 at the time of power failure is stored in the backup area 503a of the RAM 503. FIG.

That is, when the pachinko machine 10 is powered off due to power failure or the like, a power failure signal SK1 is output from the power failure monitoring circuit 542 to the NMI terminal of the CPU 501 in the main controller 261. FIG. Then, the CPU 501 interrupts the control being executed and starts NMI interrupt processing. finish.

The above NMI interrupt processing is also executed in the payout control device 311 in the same manner, and information on occurrence of power failure is stored in the backup area 513 a of the RAM 513 by such NMI interrupt. That is, when the power of the pachinko machine 10 is cut off due to a power failure or the like, a power failure signal SK1 is output from the power failure monitoring circuit 542 to the NMI terminal of the CPU 511 in the payout control device 311, and the CPU 511 interrupts the control being executed. to start the NMI interrupt processing in FIG. The contents are as described above.

Next, the flow of main processing executed by the CPU 501 in the main controller 261 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This main process is activated upon resetting when the power is turned on.

First, in step S101, initial setting processing is executed upon power-on. Specifically, in order to set a predetermined value in the stack pointer and wait for the sub-side control devices (sub-control device 262, payout control device 311, etc.) to become operable, for example, 1 Execute wait processing for about a second. In the following step S102, RAM access is permitted.

After that, data backup processing is executed for the RAM 503 in the CPU 501 . That is, in step S103, it is determined whether or not the RAM erase switch 323 provided in the power supply device 313 is pressed (ON). do. On the other hand, if the RAM erase switch 323 has not been pressed, it is determined in the following step S104 whether or not the power failure occurrence information is set in the backup area 503a of the RAM 503 or not. Here, if it is not set, backup data is not stored, so in this case also, the process proceeds to step S112. If the power failure occurrence information is set in the backup area 503a, the RAM determination value is calculated in step S105, and in the subsequent step S106, it is determined whether or not the RAM determination value matches the RAM determination value saved at the time of power failure. , that is, determine the validity of the backup. If the RAM determination value calculated here does not match the RAM determination value saved when the power was turned off, the backed-up data is destroyed, and in this case also, the process proceeds to step S112.

In the processing of step S112, an initialization command is transmitted in order to initialize the sub-control device 262, the payout control device 311, and the like. Thereafter, the process proceeds to RAM initialization processing (step S113, etc.). Note that the RAM determination value is, for example, a checksum value in the work area address of the RAM 503 . Instead of using this RAM determination value, it is also possible to determine the validity of the backup based on whether or not the keyword written in the predetermined area of the RAM 503 is correctly saved.

As described above, the pachinko machine 10 is powered on while pressing the RAM erase switch 323 when it is desired to return to the initial state when the power is turned on, such as when the hall starts operating. Therefore, if the RAM erasing switch 323 is ON, the process proceeds to the RAM initialization process (step S113, etc.). Also, when power failure occurrence information is not set, or when a backup abnormality is confirmed by the RAM determination value (checksum value, etc.), the initialization process of the RAM 503 (step S113, etc.) is similarly performed. That is, the used area of the RAM 503 is cleared to 0 in step S113, and the initial value of the RAM 503 is set in the subsequent step S114. After that, in step S111, interrupt permission is set, and the normal processing described later is performed.

On the other hand, if the RAM erase switch 323 is not pressed (step S103: NO), the condition is that power failure occurrence information is set and that the RAM determination value (checksum value, etc.) is normal. Then, the power recovery process (power recovery process) is executed. That is, in step S107, the stack pointer before power-off is restored, and in step S108, power-off occurrence information is cleared.

In step S109, a command is transmitted to return the sub-side control device to the gaming state at the time of power-off. In step S110, the used register is recovered from the backup area 503a of the RAM 503. FIG. After that, in step S111, interrupt permission is set, and the normal processing described later is performed.

Next, the flow of normal processing will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. Main processing of the game is executed in this normal processing. As an overview, the processing of steps S201 to S210 is executed as periodic processing with a period of 4 msec, and the counter update processing of steps S211 and S212 is executed during the remaining time.

First, in step S201, a control signal based on the setting contents of the special display devices 43L, 43R and the starting prize winning unit 33 updated in the previous normal processing is transmitted to each device, or output data such as a command is sent to the sub side. Execute external output processing such as sending to each control device.

For example, when the decorative pattern display device 42 displays the decorative pattern in a variable manner, a variable pattern command, a pattern command, and the like are transmitted to the sub-control device 262 . In other words, the variation pattern command and the pattern command are output to the sub-control device 262 in order to cause the decorative pattern display device 42 to perform a display effect that matches the display performed by the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R. command. On the other hand, the sub-control device 262, which has input a variation pattern command, a pattern command, etc., determines the variation mode (variation time, effect mode, etc.) of the decorative pattern display device 42 based on such various commands, and determines the variation mode. on the decorative pattern display device 42 (variation display).

For convenience, the variation pattern command and the like will be described here. The variation pattern command includes information specifying the variation type of decorative symbols such as normal reach, super reach, and premium reach. Although the fluctuation pattern command and the like are originally a 2-byte binary number (output method similar to that of the pending information command), they are indicated by 4-bit hexadecimal numbers for the sake of convenience. In this embodiment, for example, one of "FF10", "FF11", "FF12", "FF13", "FF14", "FF15", and "FF16" is set as the variation pattern command in the normal mode. In addition, "FD10", "FD11", "FD12", "FD13", "FD14", "FD15", and "FD16" are set in the variable probability mode and the time reduction mode. On the other hand, the sub-control device 262 stores the relationship between these variation pattern commands and the variation types of decorative symbols in the form of a table. Then, the sub-control device 262 determines the effect pattern of the variable display based on the variation pattern command, and controls the display control device 45, sound, and the like.

Hereinafter, the variation type of decorative symbols and the correspondence relationship between the variation type and the variation pattern command will be described.

Normal reach is a reach pattern in which no special effects are displayed except for variations in decorative patterns. Then, "FF11" or "FD11" is set to the variation pattern command corresponding to the normal reach depending on the mode. In addition, in the variable probability mode and the time reduction mode, the variable display time is shortened compared to the normal mode even in the case of various reach. For example, the variable display time from which the normal reach is derived is "15 seconds" in the normal mode, and "10 seconds" in the probability variable mode and the time reduction mode.

Super ready-to-win is a ready-to-win pattern in which a character or the like is displayed on the decorative pattern display device 42 in addition to the decorative patterns during the variable display of the decorative patterns (after establishment of the ready-to-win state), thereby giving the player a sense of expectation. be. In this embodiment, three types of super reach SR1, SR2, and SR3 are prepared as super reach, and the variable display time is different for each type of super reach. Then, if super reach SR1, "FF12" or "FD12" is set in the variation pattern command, if super reach SR2, "FF13" or "FD13" is set, and if super reach SR3, "FF14" or "FD14" is set.

Premium reach is a production mode that can be derived only when the jackpot state occurs, and during the variable display of decorative patterns (after the reach state is established), characters with patterns different from super reach are displayed in addition to decorative patterns. It is a reach pattern that is performed in a manner that is expected to give the player a sense of expectation. In the present embodiment, two types of premium reach PR1 and PR2 are prepared, and the variable display time differs for each type of premium reach. And if it is premium reach PR1, "FF15" or "FD15" will be set to a fluctuation pattern command. For premium reach PR2, "FF16" or "FD16" is set.

In addition, "FF10" or "FD10" is set as the variation pattern command corresponding to "completely out", which does not result in any reach state, depending on the mode. In this embodiment, the variable display time to be completely off is set to "10 seconds" in the normal mode, and "6 seconds" in the probability variable mode and the time reduction mode.

Further, the sub-control device 262 determines a stop pattern (combination of stop patterns) based on the symbol command, and displays it after the fluctuation time has elapsed. The symbol command is a command that causes the sub-control device 262 to determine the stop symbol, and includes a combination of probability variable jackpot symbols, a combination of normal jackpot symbols, a combination of front and back off symbols, a combination of symbols other than front and back off, and a complete off symbol. It designates five categories of combinations of These divisions are indicated by, for example, "AA11", "AA12", "AA13", "AA14", and "AA15", any one of which is set as a symbol command. On the other hand, the sub-control device 262 stores the relationship between these commands and the stop symbols in a table. Then, the sub-control device 262 stops displaying the symbol combination corresponding to the symbol command.

The classification of the stop symbols and the correspondence relationship between the stop symbols and the symbol commands will be described below. A combination of probability variable jackpot symbols is a combination of symbols consisting of one of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 odd numbers. Also, a combination of normal jackpot symbols is a combination of symbols consisting of any of even numbers of 2, 4, 6 and 8 doublets. In the present embodiment, in the case of a variable probability jackpot ("16RS" or "7RS"), the variable display is stopped by a combination of either the variable probability jackpot pattern or the normal jackpot pattern, and in the case of a normal jackpot ("7RN") , the variable display is stopped and displayed in combination with normal jackpot symbols.

Then, in the case of the variable probability jackpot, the symbol command is set to "AA11", and in the case of the normal jackpot, the symbol command is set to "AA12". Then, when "AA11" is set in the symbol command, the sub-control device 262 determines one of the combination of symbols consisting of any of double eyes from 1 to 9 as the stop symbol, and "AA12 is set, one of the combination of symbols consisting of any one of 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th doubles is determined as the stop symbol.

The combination of front-rear deviating symbols corresponds to "front-rear deviating reach" in which the final stop symbol deviates from the ready-to-win pattern by one before and after the occurrence of the ready-to-win pattern and stops. "AA13" is set in the symbol command. The combination of symbols other than front and back off corresponds to "Reach other than front and back off" in which the final stop symbol stops at a place other than the front and rear of the reach symbol after the occurrence of reach, and the symbol corresponding to the combination of symbols other than front and back off. "AA14" is set in the command. The combination of completely missing symbols corresponds to "completely missing" in which even reach does not occur, and "AA15" is set to the symbol command corresponding to the combination of completely missing symbols. In the present embodiment, when the decorative symbol display device 42 stops displaying a combination of front and rear missing symbols, a combination of symbols other than front and rear missing symbols, and a combination of completely missing symbols, the result is "missing".

Although details will be described later, when "AA13" to "AA15" are set in the symbol command, the sub-control device 262 stops symbol combinations stored in the counter buffer of the corresponding RAM 553. Determined as In the present embodiment, three commands "AA13" to "AA15" are prepared for the symbol command for failure. The configuration may be such that the sub-controller 262 determines the combination of decorative patterns.

Returning to the description of FIG. 10, in step S202, the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are updated. More specifically, like the other counters, the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are incremented by 1, and when their counter values reach the upper limit values (59 and 37 in this embodiment), they are cleared to 0. do. Then, the updated values of the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are stored in the corresponding buffer areas of the RAM 503 .

In the subsequent step S203, the prize ball count signal received from the payout control device 311 is read. Next, in step S204, the abnormal payout signal received from the payout control device 311 is read.

After that, in step S205, the first display control process is executed. In this process, the control of the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R is performed, as well as determination of a big hit, setting of variable display in the special display devices 43L and 43R and the decorative pattern display device 42, and the like. Details of the first display control process will be described later.

In step S206, a variable winning device control process is executed. In this process, control regarding the variable winning device 32 is performed. As a result, when the jackpot state is reached, the opening/closing process of the variable winning device 32 (big winning opening) is repeatedly executed for a predetermined number of rounds. The details of the variable winning device control process will be described later.

In step S207, a second display control process is executed. In this process, control relating to the normal symbol display device 41 is performed. The details of this second display control process will be described later.

In step S208, a trigger-responsive unit control process is executed. In this process, control relating to the starting winning unit 33 is performed. The details of this opportunity-responsive unit control process will be described later.

After that, in step S209, it is determined whether information on the occurrence of power failure is set in the backup area 503a of the RAM 503 or not. Here, if power failure occurrence information is not set in the backup area 503a, in step S210, it is determined whether or not the execution timing of the next normal process has come, that is, a predetermined time (4 msec in this example) has elapsed since the start of the previous normal process. ) has passed. Then, if the predetermined time has already passed, the process proceeds to step S201, and the processes after step S201 are repeatedly executed.

On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not passed since the start of the previous normal processing, the random number initial value counter CINI and the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are updated within the remaining time until the execution timing of the next normal processing. It is repeatedly executed (steps S211 and S212).

That is, in step S211, the random number initial value counter CINI is updated. Specifically, the random number initial value counter CINI is incremented by 1 and cleared to 0 when the counter value reaches the maximum value (599 in this example).

Further, in step S212, the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are updated (similar to step S202). Specifically, the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are incremented by 1 and cleared to 0 when the counter values reach the maximum values (59 and 37 in this example). Then, the changed values of the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are stored in the corresponding buffer areas of the RAM 503 .

Here, since the execution time of each process of steps S201 to S209 changes according to the state of the game, the remaining time until the execution timing of the next normal process is not constant but fluctuates. Therefore, by repeatedly updating the random number initial value counter CINI using the remaining time, it is possible to randomly update the random number initial value counter CINI (that is, the initial value of the jackpot random number counter C1), and similarly fluctuate. The type counters CS1 and CS2 can also be randomly updated.

Further, if the power failure occurrence information is set in the backup area 503a of the RAM 503 (step S209: YES), it means that the power has been shut down, so the processing from step S213 onward is performed as power failure processing at the time of power failure. will be In the power failure process, first, in step S213, the occurrence of each interrupt process is prohibited, in step S214, the contents of each register used by the CPU 501 are saved in the stack area, and in step S215, the value of the stack pointer is stored in the backup area 503a. memorize to

After that, in step S216, a power cutoff notification command indicating that the power has been cut off is transmitted to other control devices (payout control device 311, etc.). Then, in step S217, the RAM judgment value is calculated and stored in the backup area 503a. The RAM determination value is, for example, a checksum value at the work area address of RAM 503 . Thereafter, in step S218, RAM access is prohibited, and the infinite loop continues until the power supply is completely cut off and processing cannot be executed.

It should be noted that the process of step S209 is performed at the end of a series of processes corresponding to the game state change performed at steps S201 to S208, or at the end of one cycle of the processes at steps S211 and S212 performed within the remaining time. It is executed at different times. Therefore, in the normal processing of the main controller 261, since information on occurrence of power failure is confirmed at the end of each processing, the amount of data to be stored in the backup area 503a of the RAM 503 is smaller than when each processing is in progress. and can be easily memorized. In addition, when returning to the state before the power shutdown, since the amount of data stored in the backup area 503a is small, it can be easily restored, and the processing load on the main controller 261 can be reduced. . Furthermore, since the occurrence of interrupt processing is prohibited before data is stored (step S213), it is possible to prevent the data from being changed when the power is cut off, and the state before the power cut-off can be reliably stored. .

Next, the first display control processing of step S205 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S801, a big win situation storage area, which will be described later in detail, is referred to, and it is determined whether or not the current state is other than the big win state. During the jackpot state, there is an opening period from when the display mode corresponding to the jackpot is stopped and displayed on the specific display devices 43L and 43R until the variable prize winning device 32 is opened, and the variable prize winning device 32 is in the open state. , an interval period in which the variable winning device 32 is closed, and an ending period until the variable display of the special display devices 43L and 43R can start after the final round. In the jackpot situation storage area of the present embodiment, "0" is stored in a state other than the jackpot state, and in the jackpot state, "1" is stored during the opening period and the interval period, and "2" is stored during the round period. ”, and “3” is stored during the ending period. That is, in the step S801, it is determined whether or not "0" is stored in the jackpot situation storage area.

It should be noted that the fact that numbers such as "0" to "3" are stored in the jackpot situation storage area is for the sake of convenience, and the jackpot situation storage area actually uses 2 bytes. However, for example, "1010101010101010" or the like is set in the jackpot situation storage area will be described as "0" or the like being stored.

If a negative determination is made in step S801, that is, if the jackpot state is in effect, the process is terminated as it is. By looking at the setting state of the middle flag, it is determined whether or not the first or second special display device 43L, 43R (decorative pattern display device 42) is performing variable display. Specifically, when the first display flag is ON, it is considered that the variable display is being performed, and when the first display flag is OFF, it is considered that the variable display is stopped, that is, the stationary display is being performed. . Although the details will be described later, the flag during the first display is turned on when starting the variable display of the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R. Turned off when the variable display is stopped.

Then, if a negative determination is made in step S802, that is, if the big win is not in progress and the variation display is not in progress, the process proceeds to step S803, and the variation display (second variation display) triggered by the entry of the ball into the lower winning hole 33b is performed. ), it is determined whether or not the value of the lower pending counter Nb that counts the number of pending is greater than zero.

If an affirmative determination is made in step S803, that is, if even one second variation display is retained and stored, 1 is subtracted from the lower retention counter Nb in step S804. Note that in this embodiment, if the second variable display is reserved and stored by the determination processing in step S803, the second variable display is executed without executing the first variable display. That is, even if the first variable display is retained and stored earlier than the second variable display, the second variable display is given priority (the first variable display is postponed). ing.

In subsequent step S805, a process of shifting the data stored in the second special change reservation area is executed. This data shift process is a process for sequentially shifting the data stored in the first to fourth reservation areas of the second special variable reservation area to the execution area side. The data in each area is shifted in the following order: area→reserved first area, reserved third area→reserved second area, reserved fourth area→reserved third area, and so on. After step S805, in step S806, processing for causing the change identification lamp 40 to emit red light is performed. Thereafter, in step S807, variable display setting processing, which will be described later in detail, is performed, and then this processing ends.

If a negative determination is made in step S803, that is, if no second variable display is retained and stored, then in step S808, variable display (first It is determined whether or not an upper hold counter Na that counts the number of holds for variable display) is greater than 0. If a negative determination is made in step S808, this process is terminated.

On the other hand, when an affirmative determination is made in step S808, 1 is subtracted from the upper reservation counter Na in step S809. In subsequent step S810, a process of shifting the data stored in the first special change reservation area is executed. This data shift process is a process for sequentially shifting the data stored in the first to fourth reservation areas of the first special variable reservation area to the execution area side. The data in each area is shifted in the following order: area→reserved first area, reserved third area→reserved second area, reserved fourth area→reserved third area, and so on. After step S810, in step S811, processing for causing the change identification lamp 40 to emit blue light is performed. After that, in step S807, variable display setting processing is performed, and this processing ends. In the present embodiment, there is only one execution area for the special change reservation area, and the data stored in the first special change reservation area and the second special change reservation area are used when performing a change display based on the data. will be shifted to the common execution area.

Here, details of the variable display setting process in step S807 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in step S901, a mode storage area, which will be described later in detail, is referred to, and it is determined whether or not the state is a high probability state (variable probability mode). The mode storage area stores discrimination information for discriminating the game mode. In this embodiment, the mode storage area stores one of the values "11", "12", and "21", where "11" corresponds to the normal mode and "12" is the time reduction mode. , and "21" corresponds to the variable probability mode. That is, in step S901, it is determined whether or not the mode storage area stores "21", thereby determining whether or not the state is in the high-probability state.

If the determination in step S901 is affirmative, that is, in the case of a high probability state, in step S902, the success/failure random number storage area of the execution area of the special change reservation area is taken into consideration, and the first or second success flag (Fig. 14 jackpot determination processing) is set to ON. When the determination in step S902 is affirmative, that is, when it is determined that the jackpot has been won in the winning lottery in the high probability state, the process proceeds to step S904.

If a negative determination is made in step S901, that is, if the state is a low-probability state (normal mode, time reduction mode), then in step S903, the success/failure random number storage area is taken into consideration to determine whether the first success/failure flag is on. determine whether or not When the determination in step S903 is affirmative, that is, when it is determined that the jackpot has been won in the winning lottery in the low probability state, the process proceeds to step S904.

In step S904, it is determined whether or not the 16RS flag (see type determination processing in FIG. 15) is set to ON by referring to the winning type random number storage area in the execution area of the special variation reservation area. If the determination in step S904 is affirmative, that is, if it is "16RS", 16RS pattern setting processing (processing for setting variation pattern commands and symbol commands) is performed in step S905. The 16RS pattern setting process is a process for executing a variation display for teaching the generation of "16RS". Determine the variation pattern (variation display time, effect pattern, etc.) of the display devices 43L, 43R and the decorative pattern display device 42, and set the variation pattern command and the pattern command based on the determination and various flags. The relationship between the numerical value of the first variation type counter CS1 and the reach pattern, and the relationship between the numerical value of the second variation type counter CS2 and the variation time are defined in advance by a table or the like. After step S905, the process proceeds to step S914, which will be described later.

Also, if the determination in step S904 is negative, in step S906, it is determined whether or not the 7RS flag is turned on by referring to the winning type random number storage area in the execution area of the special variation reservation area. If the determination in step S906 is affirmative, that is, if it is "7RS", 7RS pattern setting processing is performed in step S907. After step S907, the process proceeds to step S914.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S906, that is, if "7RN", 7RN pattern setting processing is performed in step S908. After step S908, the process proceeds to step S914.

Also, if a negative determination is made in step S902 or step S903, that is, if it is determined that it is not a big hit, in step S909, the reach random number storage area of the execution area of the special change reservation area is taken into consideration, and the front and rear flags (Fig. 16 reach determination processing) is on. If the determination in step S909 is affirmative, that is, if it is the "front-back reach", the front-back reach pattern setting process is performed in step S910, and then the process proceeds to step S914.

Also, if the determination in step S909 is negative, in step S911, the reach random number storage area in the execution area of the special change reservation area is taken into consideration, and it is determined whether or not the flag other than before and after is on. If the determination in step S911 is affirmative, that is, if it is "reach other than front and back", a reach pattern setting process other than front and back is performed in step S912, and then the process proceeds to step S914.

If a negative determination is made in step S911, that is, if it is "completely out of line", in step S913 the out variation pattern setting process is performed, and then the process proceeds to step S914.

In step S914, start setting processing is performed to indicate that the conditions for switching display (variable display) have been established in the special display devices 43L and 43R. In this start setting process, a first display flag indicating whether or not the special display devices 43L and 43R are performing variable display is turned on, and a first display timer setting process is performed.

The first display timer is means for measuring the fluctuation time (remaining time of the fluctuation display) in the special display devices 43L and 43R, and is taken into account when determining whether or not a predetermined time has passed since the start of the fluctuation display. . The variable display times of the special display devices 43L and 43R in this embodiment are set to values corresponding to the variable patterns selected by the variable type counters CS1 and CS2. Based on such setting of the first display timer, when a control signal for starting switching display (variable display) is output to the special display devices 43L and 43R in the next external output processing of the normal processing. , the special display devices 43L and 43R start switching display (variable display). In addition, the sub-control device 262, which has received the variation pattern command and the symbol command, starts the variation display on the decorative symbol display device 42 based on the variation pattern command at the same time as the special display devices 43L and 43R start to vary, and the special display device Simultaneously with the stop display of 43L and 43R, the variable display on the decorative pattern display device 42 is stopped and displayed by combining the patterns based on the pattern command. After step S914 ends, the variable display setting process ends.

In this embodiment, steps S504 and S512 of the starting winning process acquire the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 and store it in the special variable holding area, step S505 and S513 jackpot determination processing, and variable display setting processing. The winning/failing lottery is configured by the processing of steps S901 to S903 for setting various jackpot flags based on the winning/failing flags.

Returning to the description of FIG. 18, if the determination in step S802 is affirmative, that is, if the variable display is in progress, the process proceeds to step S812 to perform subtraction processing of the first display timer. Each time this process is performed, the value of the first display timer is decremented by 4 msec. For example, if the variable time is 10 seconds (10000 msec), "2500" is set for the first display timer, and 1 is subtracted every 4 msec.

Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S813, and it is determined whether or not a predetermined fluctuation time has elapsed by taking into account the value of the first display timer after the subtraction. At this time, when the predetermined fluctuation time has elapsed, that is, when the value of the first display timer has become "0", affirmative determination is made in step S813.

If a negative determination is made in step S813, in step S817, switching display setting is performed to continue the switching display (variable display) of the special display devices 43L and 43R, and this processing ends. In addition, based on the setting contents of the switching display setting, a control signal for switching display is output to the special display devices 43L and 43R in the external output processing in the next normal processing. As a result, switching display (variable display) of the special display devices 43L and 43R is realized at the timing of the first display control process, that is, every 4 ms.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S813 is affirmative, the flag during the first display is turned off in step S814, and stop display setting for performing stop display on the special display devices 43L and 43R is performed in step S815. Based on the setting contents of the stop display setting, a control signal for performing stop display is output to the special display devices 43L and 42R in the next external output process in the normal process. That is, it is stopped and displayed in a stop mode corresponding to each jackpot type and loss. Also, a control signal is output to the sub-control device 262 to the effect that the decorative pattern display device 42 is to be stopped. As a result, the stop timings of the special display devices 43L and 42R and the decorative design display device 42 are reliably synchronized. However, since the stop mode of the decorative pattern display device 42 has already been determined by the sub-controller 262 according to the pattern command and the variation pattern command output at the start of the variable display, the information about the stop mode of the decorative pattern display device 42 is need not be added. In addition, although it will be repeated, the stop display by such special display devices 43L and 43R is the main display, and the display of the decorative design by the decorative design display device 42 is only an auxiliary one (for production). there is

Subsequently, after the determination information setting process is performed in step S816, this process is terminated. Here, the determination information setting process will be described with reference to FIG. 20 .

First, in step S1001, the hit/fail random number storage area of the execution area of the special change reservation area is taken into consideration, and it is determined whether or not the jackpot flag (16RS flag, 7RS flag, 7RN flag) indicating the occurrence of the jackpot state is set to ON. do. If the determination in step S1001 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S1002 and subsequent steps for initializing the jackpot state. That is, in step S1002, the success/failure random number storage area of the execution area of the special variation reservation area is taken into consideration, and it is determined whether or not the 16RS flag is set to ON.

When an affirmative determination is made in step S1002, in step S1003, "16" is set to a round number counter for determining the number of rounds (the number of times the variable winning device 32 is opened) to be executed during the jackpot state. On the other hand, if the determination in step S1002 is negative, the round number counter is set to "7" in step S1004. After step S1003 or step S1004, the process proceeds to step S1005.

In step S1005, "1" is set in the jackpot situation storage area. In the following step S1006, a value "2000" corresponding to an opening period of 8 seconds, for example, is set for the first variable timer used for control during the jackpot state (opening/closing control of the variable winning device 32). Subsequently, in step S1007, the winning counter for counting the number of game balls that have entered the variable winning device 32 is set to "8", which indicates the maximum number of winning balls per round, which is eight. . The value of the winning counter is determined by the detection information of the count switch 223 as to whether or not the ball has entered the variable winning device 32 during the switch reading process (see FIG. 11) of the timer interrupt processing. 1 is subtracted when it is determined that a ball has been entered.

Then, in step S1008, an opening command for informing the sub-controller 262 of the start of the jackpot state is set. The opening command includes information on the type of jackpot, and the like, so that even the sub-controller 262 can grasp the total number of rounds in the jackpot state. After step S1008, the process ends.

In addition, in the jackpot state, the promotion of the appearance of the jackpot type, etc. or teaches that "16RS" has been won in the jackpot state immediately after when the odd double number is stopped and displayed on the decorative pattern display device 42). .

If a negative determination is made in step S1001, that is, if it is determined to be "off", the process proceeds to step S1009. In step S1009, it is determined whether or not the value set in the mode storage area is "12" indicating the time reduction mode, ie, whether or not the time reduction mode is set. If a negative determination is made in step S1009, this processing ends.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S1009 is affirmative, in step S1010, the value of the fluctuation number counter is subtracted by 1 in order to measure the duration of the time reduction mode. As will be described later, in this embodiment, at the end of the jackpot state of "7RN", "100" is set to the variation number counter, and the variation display of the special display devices 43L and 43R (decorative pattern display device 42) is performed once. 1 is decremented in step S1010 each time it is counted.

In the subsequent step S1011, it is determined whether or not the value of the variation number counter is "0". When the negative determination is made in step S1011, that is, when the variable display has not been performed 100 times in the special display devices 43L and 43R (decorative pattern display device 42) since the time reduction mode was started, this processing is performed as it is. exit.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S1011 is affirmative, in step S1012, "11" is set in the mode storage area to indicate the normal mode. That is, when the special display devices 43L and 43R perform the variable display 100 times, the time shortening mode ends, and the mode shifts to the normal mode. After step S1012, the process ends.

Next, the variable winning device control processing of step S206 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S1201, it is determined whether or not the value set in the jackpot status storage area is "0", thereby determining whether or not the state is other than the jackpot state. If the determination in step S1201 is affirmative, that is, if the game is not in the jackpot state, the process ends. Incidentally, at the start of the jackpot state, "1" is set in the jackpot situation storage area in the determination information setting process.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S1201, that is, if it is in the jackpot state (if one of "1" to "3" is set in the jackpot situation storage area), the process proceeds to step S1202, 1 is subtracted from the value of the first variable timer. Incidentally, at the start of the jackpot state, "2000" is set to the first variable timer in the discrimination information setting process.

In subsequent step S1203, it is determined whether or not the value of the first variable timer is "0". When an affirmative determination is made in step S1203, it is determined in step S1204 whether or not "1" is set in the jackpot situation storage area.

When the determination in step S1204 is affirmative, in step S1205, "2" is set in the jackpot situation storage area. Subsequently, in step S1206, a value "7500" corresponding to the time (30 seconds) for maintaining the open state of the variable winning device 32 is set to the first variable timer.

After step S1206, in step S1207, a process of opening the variable winning device 32 is performed, and in step S1208, a round command is set to convey information to the sub-controller 262 to start a round. After that, this process is terminated.

Also, if the determination in step S1204 is negative, it is determined in step S1209 whether or not "3" is set in the jackpot situation storage area. Although details will be described later, when all rounds in the jackpot state are completed and the ending period starts, "3" is set in the jackpot situation storage area. If the determination in step S1209 is negative, that is, if it is not yet time to end the jackpot state, the value of the round number counter is subtracted by 1 in step S1210.

In the subsequent step S1211, it is determined whether or not the value of the round number counter is "0". If a negative determination is made in step S1211, that is, if there are still rounds to be executed, the process moves to step S1212, and "1" is set in the jackpot situation storage area. After that, in step S1213, the value "1000" corresponding to the interval time (4 seconds) is set to the first variable timer, and "8" is set to the winning counter in step S1214. Further, in step S1215, the variable winning device 32 is closed, and in step S1216, an interval command is set to inform the sub-control device 262 of the start of the interval. After that, this process is terminated.

Further, if the determination in step S1203 is negative, that is, if the time (opening time or closing time) to maintain the open state or closed state of the variable winning device 32 remains, the process proceeds to step S1217, and the variable It is determined whether or not the value of the winning counter that measures the number of balls entering the winning device 32 is "0". The winning counter is set to "8", which is the upper limit (prescribed number) of winnings per round at the start of the jackpot state and the start of the interval. Then, each time one game ball enters the variable winning device 32, the value is subtracted by one.

If a negative determination is made in step S1217, this process is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination in step S1217 is affirmative, that is, if the round end opportunity has arrived without waiting for the set period of the round to elapse, the process proceeds to step S1210. As a result, when eight game balls enter the variable prize winning device 32 during one round, the round is promptly terminated at that point even if the opening period of 30 seconds has not passed. Become.

If the determination in step S1211 is affirmative, that is, if all rounds in the jackpot state have been completed, the process moves to step S1218, and "3" is set in the jackpot situation storage area. After step S1218, in step S1219, a value "2500" corresponding to the ending time (10 seconds) is set for the first variable timer.

In the following step S1220, "7" is set for the winning counter. In addition, when the processing for setting the ending after step S1218 is performed in the flow after the affirmative determination is made in step S1217, the value of the winning counter is "0". Then, if the value of the prize winning counter is set to "0" as it is at the start of the ending period, in the variable prize winning device control processing after 4 msec, affirmative determination is suddenly made in step S1217, and the ending period cannot be completed. Therefore, by setting a provisional value other than "0" ("7" in this example) to the winning counter in step S1220, the ending period is completed. Of course, another method may be used to complete the ending period.

After step S1220, in step S1221, the process of closing the variable winning device 32 is performed, and in the following step S1222, an ending command is set to inform the sub-controller 262 of starting the ending. After that, this process is terminated.

Also, if the determination in step S1209 is affirmative, that is, if the ending period has ended and it is time to end the jackpot state, the process proceeds to step S1223 to perform end setting processing. In the end setting process, setting of the mode storage area and setting of the change number counter are performed.

Here, the termination setting process will be described with reference to FIG. 22 . First, in step S1401, it is determined whether or not the 7RN flag is set to ON in the winning type random number storage area of the execution area of the special change reservation area. If the determination in step S1401 is affirmative, in step S1402 a value "12" corresponding to the time reduction mode is set in the mode storage area. As a result, the time reduction mode is provided after the end of the jackpot state.

In the following step S1403, "100" is set for the variation counter. The variation number counter is a means for measuring the duration of the time reduction mode (how many variations are displayed) as described above. is set, "100" corresponding to 100 times of variation display is set as the value of the variation number counter. After step S1403, the process ends.

Also, if the determination in step S1401 is negative, that is, if "16RS" or "7RS" is stored in the winning type random number storage area of the execution area of the special variation reservation area, in step S1404, the mode storage area is set to the value "21" corresponding to the variable probability mode. As a result, the variable probability mode is given after the end of the jackpot state. After that, this process is terminated.

Returning to the description of FIG. 21, after step S1223, in step S1224, "0" is set in the jackpot situation storage area to indicate that the game is not in the jackpot state. Thereafter, in step S1225, after setting a jackpot end command to inform the sub-control device 262 of the information to the effect that the jackpot state is to be ended, this process is ended. It should be noted that the jackpot end command includes the game mode set in the end setting process, the number information of the fluctuation number counter, and the like.

Next, the second display control processing of step S207 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In FIG. 23, in step S2101, by determining whether or not the second display flag indicating whether or not the variable display is being performed by the normal symbol display device 41 is on, the switching by the normal symbol display device 41 is performed. Determines whether or not display (variation display) is in progress. When the second display flag is ON, it is considered that the variable display is being performed in the normal symbol display device 41, and when the second display flag is OFF, the variable display is stopped in the normal symbol display device 41. It is considered to be in a stop display corresponding to the state of

If the determination in step S2101 is negative, the process advances to step S2102 to determine whether or not the value of the normal hold counter Nc is greater than zero. At this time, if the value of the normal reservation counter Nc is 0, the process is terminated.

If the variable display is not in progress and the value of the normal hold counter Nc>0, the process proceeds to step S2103. In step S2103, 1 is subtracted from the normal hold counter Nc. In step S2104, a process of shifting the data stored in the normal variation reservation area is executed. This data shift process is a process for sequentially shifting the data stored in the first to fourth reserve areas of the normal variable reserve area to the execution area side. The data in each area is shifted in the order of reserved first area, reserved third area→reserved second area, reserved fourth area→reserved third area, and so on.

Then, in step S2105, start setting processing is executed. In this processing, processing is performed to indicate that the condition for switching display (variation display) in the normal symbol display device 41 has been established. Specifically, the setting process of the second display timer is performed while turning on the second display flag. The second display timer is a means for measuring the fluctuation time (remaining time) of the fluctuation display performed by the normal symbol display device 41, and is taken into consideration when determining whether a predetermined time has passed since the start of the fluctuation display. be done. In the present embodiment, in the normal mode, the variation time of the variation display performed by the normal symbol display device 41 is 6 seconds, so "1500" is set to the second display timer. In addition, since the variation time of the normal symbol display device 41 is 2 seconds in the variable probability mode and the time reduction mode, "500" is set to the second display timer. Based on the setting in the start setting process, when the control signal for starting switching display (variable display) is output to the normal symbol display device 41 in the next normal process external output process, normal symbol display A switching display is started in the device 41 . As described above, the normal symbol display device 41 is configured to light up and display "o" or "x" as a normal symbol. , the display is switched to "○". After step S2105 ends, the second display control process ends.

When the affirmative determination is made in step S2101, that is, when the variable display is being performed on the normal symbol display device 41, the process proceeds to step S2106, and the second display timer subtraction process is performed. Each time this process is performed, the count value of the second display timer is decremented by one.

Subsequently, proceeding to step S2107, it is determined whether or not the count value of the second display timer is "0", that is, whether or not the fluctuation time has elapsed. When the affirmative determination is made in step S2107, the flag during the second display is turned off in step S2108, and the normal symbol stop display setting for performing the stop display on the normal symbol display device 41 is performed in step S2109. Then, based on the setting contents of the normal symbol stop display setting, a control signal to the effect that the normal symbol display device 41 performs the stop display is output in the external output process in the next normal process. That is, if the winning pattern is selected, the "O" symbol (the winning symbol) is stopped and displayed (for example, it lights up only for several seconds), and if the winning pattern is lost, the "X" symbol is stopped and displayed.

In addition, as described above, it is determined whether or not winning is based on the value of the normal symbol random number counter C4 stored in the execution area of the normal variation reservation area. Specifically, "3 to 8" among numerical values 0 to 9 of the normal symbol random number counter C4 are winning values.

Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S2110, normal symbol discrimination information setting processing is performed, and this processing ends. In this process, when the stop display corresponds to winning, a setting process for opening and closing the starting winning unit 33 is performed. Specifically, the ball entry assist flag is set to ON, the second variable flag is set to ON, the opening time is set to the second variable timer, and the number of times the starting winning unit 33 (opening/closing member 33c) is driven is set to the driving number counter. (number of openings) is set.

The ball-entering assist flag is determination information for discriminating whether or not processing based on the winning of the ball-entering assist lottery is being performed. The second variable flag is determination information for determining whether or not the starting winning unit 33 (opening/closing member 33c) is in the open state. The second variable timer is a means for measuring the opening time (remaining time) of the starting prize winning unit 33, and is taken into consideration when determining whether or not a specified time has elapsed since the start of opening. The number-of-drives counter is means for measuring the number of times (remaining number of times) the opening/closing member 33c is opened.

Also, based on the ON/OFF state of the second variable flag, various control signals are output to the starting winning unit 33 in the next external output process of the normal process. When the second variable flag is ON, a control signal for opening the opening/closing member 33c is output to the starting winning unit 33, and the starting winning unit 33 is opened. On the other hand, when the second variable flag is off, a control signal for closing the opening/closing member 33c is output to the starting winning unit 33, and the starting winning unit 33 is closed (the opening/closing member 33c is closed). , it becomes impossible to enter a game ball into the lower winning hole 33b).

In addition, in the present embodiment, the opening time and the number of openings of the starting winning unit 33 are different between the high winning state (probability variable mode and time reduction mode) and the low winning state (normal mode). In this embodiment, the second variable timer is set to "500" and the driving number counter is set to "3" in the high ball entry state. On the other hand, in the low ball entry state, "150" is set to the second variable timer, and "1" is set to the number-of-drives counter.

On the other hand, when a negative determination is made in step S2107, in step S2111, switching display setting is performed for continuing the switching display (variable display) of the normal symbol display device 41, and this processing ends. Then, based on the setting contents of the switching display setting, a control signal for performing switching display is output to the normal symbol display device 41 in the external output processing in the next normal processing. Specifically, if the current lighting is "o", the display is switched to "x", and if it is "x", the display is switched to "o". As a result, switching display (variation display) of the normal symbol display device 41 is realized at the timing of the second display control process, that is, every 4 ms.

Next, the trigger response unit control processing in step S208 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S2201, it is determined whether or not the ball entry assist flag is on. If a negative determination is made in step S2201, the processing ends. On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made in step S2201, 1 is subtracted from the value of the second variable timer in step S2202.

In subsequent step S2203, it is determined whether or not the second variable flag is ON. If the determination in step S2203 is affirmative, that is, if the starting winning unit 33 (opening/closing member 33c) is in the open state, it is determined in step S2204 whether or not the value of the second variable timer is "0". do. If a negative determination is made in step S2204, that is, if the predetermined opening time of the start-up winning unit 33 has not yet passed, this process ends.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S2204 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S2205 to turn off the second variable flag. In the following step S2206, 1 is subtracted from the value of the drive number counter. After that, in step S2207, it is determined whether or not the value of the drive number counter is "0". If the determination in step S2207 is affirmative, the process ends after the ball entry assist flag is turned off in step S2208.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S2208, that is, the winning ball assist lottery was performed in the probability variable mode or the time reduction mode, and based on that, the start winning unit 33 is opened three times. If there is a remaining number of times, a value (for example, "100") corresponding to the interval time is set for the second variable timer in step S2209. After step S2209, this processing ends.

Further, if the determination in step S2203 is negative, that is, if it is the interval period during which the starting winning unit 33 is opened three times (the starting winning unit 33 is in the closed state), the process proceeds to step S2210, and the second Determine whether the value of the variable timer is "0". If a negative determination is made in step S2210, that is, if the interval period has not yet passed, this process ends.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S2210 is affirmative, the second variable flag is turned on in step S2211, and a value corresponding to the open time ("500" in this example) is set for the second variable timer in step S2112. After that, this process is terminated.

Next, the payout control executed by the CPU 511 in the payout control device 311 will be described. For convenience of explanation, first the reception interrupt processing will be described with reference to FIG. 25, and then the main processing will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 25 is a flow chart showing reception interrupt processing executed by the payout control device 311. As shown in FIG. The reception interrupt process is a process that is executed by interrupting when the payout control device 311 receives a command transmitted from the main control device 261 . When the payout control device 311 confirms that the command transmitted from the main control device 261 has been received, other processing executed by the CPU 511 in the payout control device 311 is put on standby for a while, and reception interrupt processing is executed. When the reception interrupt process is executed, the command transmitted from the main controller 261 is first stored in the command buffer of the RAM 513 in step S3001, and the command transmitted from the main controller 261 is stored in step S3002. Turns on the command reception flag and terminates this reception interrupt processing. As described above, when a command is stored in the command buffer, the storage pointer is referenced and stored in a predetermined storage area, and the storage pointer is used to store the next received command in the next storage area. is updated.

In the present embodiment, the reception processing of the command transmitted from the main controller 261 is performed by interrupt processing executed when the command is received. In timer interrupt processing, it is checked whether a command has been received before command determination processing (step S3201) is performed, and if a command has been received, the command is stored in the command buffer of RAM 513. The command reception flag may be turned on, and if the command has not been received, the process may proceed to the command determination process. In such a case, whether or not the command has been received is checked by checking the port corresponding to the command input of the input/output port at predetermined intervals.

Next, the main processing of the payout control device 311 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 26 is a flow chart showing the main processing of the payout control device 311, and this main processing is activated upon resetting when the power is turned on.

First, in step S3101, initial setting processing is executed upon power-on. Specifically, a predetermined value is set in the stack pointer, and an interrupt mode is set. Then, RAM access is permitted in step S3103, and an external interrupt vector is set in step S3104.

After that, in step S3106, it is determined whether information on the occurrence of power failure is set in the backup area 513a of the RAM 513 or not. If power failure occurrence information is set in the backup area 513a, the RAM determination value is calculated in step S3107. No, that is, the validity of the backup is determined. The RAM determination value is, for example, a checksum value in the work area address of RAM 513 . It is also possible to determine the effectiveness of the backup by checking whether the keywords written in a predetermined area of the RAM 513 are correctly saved.

If power failure occurrence information is not set in step S3106, or if backup abnormality is confirmed by the RAM determination value (checksum value, etc.) in step S3108, the process proceeds to initialization processing of the RAM 513 after step S3115. Transition.

At step S3115, the entire area of the RAM 513 is cleared to 0, and at step S3116 the initial value of the RAM 513 is set. Thereafter, in step S3117, the CPU peripheral device is initialized, and in step S3114 the interrupt is permitted.

On the other hand, on the condition that power failure occurrence information is set in step S3106, and that the RAM determination value (checksum value, etc.) is normal in step S3108, processing at the time of power recovery process). That is, in step S3109, the stack pointer before the power cutoff is restored, in step S3110, the power cutout occurrence information is cleared, and in step S3111, the payout permission flag for permitting the payout of prize balls is cleared. In step S3112, the CPU peripheral device is initialized, and in step S3113, the used register is restored from the backup area 513a of the RAM 513. FIG. Further, in step S3114, interrupts are permitted.

After the interruption is permitted in step S3114, in the process of step S3122, it is determined whether or not the power failure occurrence information is set in the backup area 513a. Here, if the information on the occurrence of power failure is set, it means that the power has been shut off, so the processing from step S3123 onwards is performed as power failure processing at the time of power failure. In the power failure process, first, in step S3123, the occurrence of each interrupt process is prohibited, and in the next step S3124, command determination processing, which will be described later, is executed. After that, in step S3125, the contents of each register used by the CPU 511 are saved in the stack area, in step S3126 the value of the stack pointer is stored in the backup area 513a, and in step S3127 the RAM determination value is calculated and stored in the backup area 513a. , the RAM access is prohibited in step S3128, and the infinite loop continues until the power supply is completely cut off and processing cannot be executed. Here, the RAM determination value is, for example, a checksum value in the stack area and work area backed up in the RAM 513 .

In the processing of step S3122, the power failure occurrence information is confirmed after the processing that is performed when the power is turned on is completed. less and can be easily memorized. In addition, when returning to the state before the power shutdown, since the amount of data stored in the backup area 513a is small, the return can be easily performed, and the processing load of the payout control device 311 can be reduced. .

Next, timer interrupt processing of the payout control device 311 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This timer interrupt process is started periodically (with a cycle of 2 msec in this embodiment).

In the timer interrupt processing, first, a command is acquired from the main control device 261, and determination processing of the command is performed (step S3201). This command determination processing will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 28 is a flow chart showing command determination processing performed by the payout control device 311 . In the command determination process (steps S3124, S3201), first, it is determined whether or not the command reception flag is turned on in step S3301. The command reception flag is turned on when a command transmitted from main controller 261 is received in the above-described reception interrupt processing (see FIG. 25).

If it is determined in step S3301 that the command reception flag is off, no new command has been received from the main controller 261, so this processing ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the command reception flag is on in step S3301, the received command is read from the RAM 513 in step S3302, and the command reception flag is turned off in step S3303. By turning off the command reception flag in step S3303, the processing of steps S3302 to S3311 can be skipped until a new command is received, so the control of the payout control device 311 can be reduced.

The type of command read out from the RAM 513 is discriminated in the processing of steps S3304 to S3306. In step S3304, it is determined whether or not the command transmitted from the main controller 261 is a payout initialization command, in step S3305 it is determined whether or not it is a payout return command, and in step S3306 whether it is a prize ball command It is determined whether or not

If the command transmitted from the main controller 261 is a payout initialization command, it is determined whether or not the payout permission flag is already turned on in step S3307. Since the controller 261 has instructed the initialization of the RAM 513, the work area (area) of the RAM 513 other than the stack area is cleared to 0 in step S3308, and the initial value of the RAM 513 is set in step S3309. After that, in step S3311, the payout permission flag is turned on, and the payout permission of prize balls is set.

As described above, the main controller 261 performs the initialization process of the RAM 503 after transmitting the payout initialization command, and the payout control device 311 initializes the RAM 513 after receiving the payout initialization command. is performed, the timing at which the RAM 503 is initialized and the timing at which the RAM 513 is initialized are substantially the same. Therefore, even if the payout control device 311 receives a command transmitted from the main control device 261, the RAM 513 is initialized due to the timing of initialization being shifted, and control corresponding to the received command cannot be performed. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of harmful effects. Also, since the payout permission flag is turned on after the RAM 513 is initialized, the payout permission of prize balls can be reliably set.

On the other hand, if the payout permission flag is already turned on in step S3307, this command determination process is terminated without clearing the work area of the RAM 513 and initializing the RAM 513. FIG. That is, the process of step S3307 prohibits the RAM 513 from being initialized while the payout permission flag is set. Since the payout initialization command is a command that is transmitted only when the RAM erase switch 323 is turned on when the power is turned on, it will not be received with the payout permission flag turned on. It is conceivable that the payout control device 311 has recognized it as a payout initialization command due to the influence of noise or the like. Therefore, if the work area of the RAM 513 is cleared (step S3308) and the initial value of the RAM 513 is set (step S3309) while the payout permission flag is turned on, it will not be paid out if there are prize balls remaining. A bad effect occurs and a loss is given to the player, but since the RAM 513 is prevented from being initialized while the payout permission flag is turned on, the loss to the player can be prevented.

Also, if the command transmitted from the main control device 261 is a payout return command (step S3304: NO, step S3305: YES), the main control device 261 and the payout control device 311 return to the state before the power shutdown, In order to permit the payout of prize balls, the payout permission flag is turned on in step S3311. That is, when there is power-off occurrence information and the main control device 261 and the payout control device 311 return to the state before the power-off, payout of prize balls is permitted. When the payout permission flag is turned on in the process of step S3311, the process based on the command stored in the predetermined storage area of the command buffer is completed, so the read pointer is set to the read pointer corresponding to the next storage area. Updated.

Furthermore, if the command transmitted from the main controller 261 is a prize ball command (step S3305: NO, step S3306: YES), in step S3310, the received number of prize balls is added to the total number of prize balls and stored. , the payout permission flag is turned on in step S3311 to allow the payout of prize balls. At this time, the payout control device 311 sequentially reads the prize ball commands stored in the command buffer (ring buffer), and adds the number of prize balls corresponding to the commands to the total number of prize balls stored in a predetermined buffer area. and memorize it. Since the payout of prize balls corresponding to the number of prize balls is performed based on the prize ball command transmitted from the main controller 261, the prize ball command is a payout instruction command for instructing the payout of prize balls. . In addition, when the prize ball command is received, the payout permission is set immediately, so the prize balls can be paid out early for the win. When the payout permission flag is turned on in the process of step S3311, the process based on the command stored in the predetermined storage area of the command buffer is completed, so the read pointer is set to the read pointer corresponding to the next storage area. Updated.

It should be noted that the command transmitted from the main controller 261 is neither a payout initialization command (step S3304: NO), nor a payout return command (step S3305: NO), nor a prize ball command (step S3306: NO), The command determination process is ended without turning on the payout permission flag.

Here, returning to the flowchart of FIG. 27, description will be made. When the command determination process ends, it is determined in step S3202 whether or not the payout permission flag is turned on in the command determination process. Here, if the payout permission flag is not turned on, this processing is terminated as it is. In other words, it is possible to prevent the prize balls from being paid out before the command is transmitted from the main controller 261 .

On the other hand, if the determination in step S3202 is affirmative, the firing control device 312 is set to permit firing in step S3203, and the state return switch 321 is checked in step S3204. Execute the return operation. By this process, when the state recovery switch 321 is pressed when a dispensing error such as a ball clogging occurs in the dispensing motor, the dispensing motor is rotated forward and reverse, and the ball clogging is resolved (returned to a normal state). .

After that, in step S3205, the setting of the lower tray full state or the lower tray full state canceled state is executed according to the change in the state of the lower tray 15. FIG. That is, the full state of the lower tray 15 is determined by the detection signal of the lower tray full switch. , execute the setting of the lower tray full state release state. Further, in step S3206, setting of the no-ball-in-tank state (out-of-ball state) or no-ball-in-tank canceled state (with-ball state) is executed according to the change in the state of the ball in the tank. That is, the no-ball-in-tank state is determined by the detection signal of the no-ball-in-tank switch, the no-ball-in-tank state, the no-ball-in-tank state is set, the no-ball-in-tank state, and the no-tank-ball canceled state are set. Run the settings.

After that, in step S3207, it is determined whether or not there is a state to be notified, such as an error state, and if there is a state to be notified, it is notified.

Subsequently, a prize ball and rental ball payout control process is executed. Specifically, payout number setting processing is performed in step S3208, motor control state acquisition processing is performed in step S3209, and motor driving processing is performed in step S3210.

In step S3211, the state return switch 321 is checked, and on the condition that the ball removal is not possible and the ball removal operation is not started, the payout motor 358a is driven to execute the ball removal process. In subsequent step S3212, control of vibrator 360 (vibration motor control) is executed on the condition that the ball is clogged. After that, it returns to the beginning of this timer interrupt processing.

Next, normal processing of the sub-controller 262 will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S3901, the port corresponding to the command input of the input/output port 554 is confirmed, and it is determined whether or not the command transmitted from the main controller 261 has been received.

If a command has been received, the command is stored in the command buffer of RAM 553 in step S3902. A command buffer of the RAM 553 is composed of a ring buffer that temporarily stores commands sent from the main controller 261 . The ring buffer has a predetermined storage area, and commands are stored with regularity from the beginning to the end of the storage area. The return command is configured to be updated. Therefore, when a command is stored and read, the store pointer and read pointer in the command buffer are updated, and the command is stored and read based on each pointer.

In subsequent step S3903, pending information storage processing for storing the information of the preceding command output from the main controller 261 in the pending information storage area provided in the RAM 553 is performed. The starting command includes information indicating whether the variation display is triggered by the entry of a ball in the upper winning opening 33a or the lower winning opening 33b, as described above, and indicates whether the variation information corresponds to a big win. information, information indicating the type of jackpot, and information indicating the type of reach.

The pending information storage area, similar to the special variable pending area of the main control device 261, has a first pending information storage area and a second pending information storage area each having four pending areas (first pending area to fourth pending area). , and one execution area. In the first pending information storage area, in accordance with the reception history of the starting command based on the first variable display (information stored in the first special variable pending area), information on whether or not it is a jackpot, jackpot type, and reach type etc. is stored in chronological order. Further, in the second reserved information storage area, fluctuation information is stored chronologically according to the reception history of the preceding commands based on the second fluctuation display (information stored in the second special fluctuation reserved area). By adopting this configuration, the information (variation information) of the first variable display triggered by the ball entering the upper winning hole 33a, and the information of the second variable display triggered by the ball entering the lower winning hole 33b. , and as a result, the sub-controller 262 can grasp the fluctuation information stored in the first and second special fluctuation holding areas of the main controller 261 .

The pending information storage process will be described below with reference to FIG. First, in step S4101, it is determined whether or not an advance command has been received (whether or not the advance command has been stored in the command buffer of the RAM 553). If a negative determination is made in step S4101, this process ends.

On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made in step S4101, in step S4102 whether or not the starting command corresponds to the entry of the ball into the lower winning opening 33b (variation information stored in the second special variation reservation area) determine. If a negative determination is made here, that is, if the starting command corresponds to the ball entering the upper winning opening 33a (variation information stored in the first special variation holding area), in step S4103, the first An upper variation pending counter Nd that counts the number of pending changes in the variable information stored in the 1 pending information storage area is incremented by one.

In the subsequent step S4104, the information on whether or not the jackpot is included in the starting command, the information on the jackpot type, the information on the reach type, etc. are stored in the first area among the vacant reservation areas of the first reservation information storage area.

Further, in the following step S4105, the advance notice information storage processing is performed. That is, in the present embodiment, there is a case where mutually related effect displays are intentionally derived in a plurality of consecutive variable displays (so-called "continuous advance notice" is performed). Here, the value of the continuous notice counter for determining whether or not to perform the continuous notice and the value of the notice type counter for determining the type of continuous notice are acquired, and the counter value is stored as the first reservation information Of the areas, the change information is stored in the newly stored holding area in step S4104.

The continuous notice counter is configured as a loop counter that is incremented by one within a range of 0 to 49, for example, and returns to 0, which is the lower limit, after reaching the upper limit (that is, 49). The continuous announcement counter is updated periodically, and each time, the value of the continuous announcement counter is stored in the corresponding counter buffer (continuous announcement counter buffer).

The advance notice type counter is configured as a loop counter that is incremented by 1 in order within the range of 0 to 9, for example, and returns to 0 as the lower limit after reaching the upper limit (that is, 9). The notice type counter is updated periodically, and each time, the value of the notice type counter is stored in the corresponding counter buffer (notice type counter buffer).

Then, in the notice information storing process, when the change information is stored in the pending information storage area, the value of the continuous notice counter and the value of the notice type counter stored in the continuous notice counter buffer and the notice type counter buffer are acquired. The Rukoto. Further, each pending area and execution area of the pending information storage area is provided with a continuous announcement flag that is turned on when it is determined that the continuous announcement is derived.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the ROM 552 is provided with a notice propriety determination table that is taken into consideration when determining whether or not to perform continuous notices, and a notice table that is taken into account when deciding the form of continuous notices. A plurality of notice adequacy determination tables and notice tables are provided, respectively, and the notice adequacy determination tables and notice tables to be considered are selected according to the variation information.

After step S4105, in step S4106, one of the first suspension lamps 46a in the off state (for example, the leftmost one among the four first suspension lamps 46a that are extinguished) is turned on. state. The first holding lamp 46a of this embodiment emits blue light. In the following step S4107, continuous announcement lottery processing is performed to determine whether or not continuous announcements are to be executed, and then this process ends.

In addition, in the continuous notice lottery process of step S4107, when the value of the upward fluctuation reservation counter Nd is "2" or more, based on the value of the consecutive notice counter newly stored in the first reservation information storage area, the jackpot A notice propriety determination table corresponding to each type, reach type, and game mode is referred to, and it is determined whether or not to execute continuous notice. Furthermore, when it is decided to execute the continuous notice, based on the value of the notice type counter newly stored in the first reservation information storage area, the notice table corresponding to the jackpot type, reach type and game mode to determine whether or not to execute continuous advance notice. In addition, the continuous notice flags of all the reservation areas in which the variation information is stored are turned on among the reservation areas of the first reservation information storage area. However, the continuous notice flag of the execution area is not turned on.

Also, if the determination in step S4102 is negative, that is, if the starting command corresponds to entering the lower winning hole 33b (variation information stored in the second special variation reservation area), step Proceeding to S4108, the downward fluctuation pending counter Ne for counting the pending number of the variable information stored in the second pending information storage area is incremented by one.

After that, in step S4109, the information on whether or not the jackpot included in the starting command, the information on the type of jackpot, the information on the reach type, etc. are stored in the first area among the vacant reservation areas of the second reservation information storage area. . In the following step S4110, the value of the continuous notice counter and the value of the notice type counter are acquired, and the counter values are stored in the reserve area where the change information is newly stored in step S4109 of the second reserve information storage area.

After step S4110, in step S4111, one of the second holding lamps 46b that are in the off state (for example, the leftmost one of the four second lamps 46b that are off) is turned on. and The second holding lamp 46b of this embodiment emits red light. In the subsequent step S4112, a continuous announcement lottery process for determining whether or not to execute continuous announcements is performed, and this process ends. Note that the continuous advance notice lottery process in step S4112 is only for the continuous advance notice lottery process in step S4107 to correspond to the entry of the ball into the lower winning hole 33b, and the explanation thereof is omitted.

Returning to the description of FIG. 29, after step S3903 or if a negative determination is made in step S3901, the process proceeds to step S3904, and whether or not the execution timing of the next normal process has been reached, that is, the start of the previous normal process is performed. It is determined whether or not a predetermined time (2 msec in this example) has elapsed since. If the predetermined time has already passed, the process moves to step S3905. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not yet passed since the start of the previous normal process, the process moves to step S3912.

In step S3905, update processing of various counters is executed. The CPU 551 of the sub-control device 262 uses various counter information when displaying decorative symbols. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 30, the decorative symbol counter CO at the time of the big hit, and the upper, middle, and lower symbols used to set the respective outlier symbols of the upper symbol display area, the middle symbol display area, and the lower symbol display area. Each symbol counter CL, CM, CR is used. The symbol counters CL, CM, and CR are configured such that register values are added using an R register (refresh register) in the CPU 551, and as a result, numerical values change randomly.

The jackpot decorative pattern counter CO determines the pattern (jackpot pattern) when the fluctuation of the decorative pattern display device 42 is stopped when the jackpot state occurs. In this embodiment, the jackpot decorative pattern counter CO is used. has nine counter values (0 to 8). That is, the jackpot decoration pattern counter CO is incremented by 1 in order within the range of 0 to 8, and returns to 0 after reaching the upper limit value (that is, 8).

Then, when the symbol command transmitted from the main control device 261 is "AA11" indicating that the symbol corresponding to the variable probability jackpot is to be stopped, a table (not shown) (a table that associates the counter value with the decorative symbol), For example, if the counter value is 0, it is "1", and if it is 1, it is "2". This jackpot decoration symbol counter CO is periodically updated in the counter update process of step S3905, and is read from the counter buffer of the RAM 553 at the timing when the sub-controller 262 receives a symbol command as described later. In this embodiment, the jackpot decorative pattern counter CO is stored in the RAM 553 jackpot decorative pattern counter buffer. can be

Also, if the symbol command is "AA12" indicating that the symbol corresponding to the normal jackpot is stopped, for example, if the counter value is 0 or 1, "2" (double), if 2 to 4 A combination of jackpot patterns is determined, such as "4" (double), "6" (double) for 5 and 6, and "8" (double) for 7 and 8. .

The upper, middle, and lower symbol counters CL, CM, and CR determine the combinations of the stop symbols in the upper, middle, and lower symbol display areas when the lottery is lost. Since one of the nine decorative patterns is displayed in the row, nine counter values (0 to 8) are prepared for each row. A stopped pattern in the upper pattern display area is determined by the upper pattern counter CL, a stopped pattern in the middle pattern display area is determined by the medium pattern counter CM, and a stopped pattern in the lower pattern display area is determined by the lower pattern counter CR.

In this embodiment, the values of the counters CL, CM, and CR are randomly updated by using the numerical value of the R register built into the CPU 551 . That is, when each symbol counter CL, CM, CR is updated, the value of the lower 3 bits of the R register is added to the previous value, and when the addition result exceeds the upper limit, 8 is subtracted to determine the current value. . The pattern counters CL, CM, CR are updated so that the update times do not overlap, and the combinations of the pattern counters CL, CM, CR are the front-rear off reach pattern buffer of the RAM 553, the non-front-rear off reach pattern buffer, and the complete It is stored in any of the outlier pattern buffers.

Here, updating processing of each symbol counter CL, CM, CR will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 31, in step S4001, it is determined whether or not it is time to update the upper symbol counter CL, and in step S4002, it is determined whether or not it is time to update the medium symbol counter CM. The top, middle, and bottom pattern counters CL, CM, and CR are updated one by one in one update process. Therefore, if the lower symbol counter CR has been updated in the previous update process, the determination in step S4001 is affirmative. Also, if the upper symbol counter CL has been updated in the previous update processing, the determination in step S4002 is affirmative. If it is time to update the upper symbol counter CL (YES in step S4001), the process advances to step S4003 to update the upper symbol counter CL. If it is time to update the medium design counter CM (YES in step S4002), the process proceeds to step S4004 to update the medium design counter CM. Furthermore, if it is time to update the lower design counter CR (NO in both steps S4001 and S4002), the process proceeds to step S4005 to update the lower design counter CR. In updating the symbol counters CL, CM, and CR in steps S4003 to S4005, the lower 3-bit value of the R register is added to the previous counter value, and 8 is subtracted if the addition result exceeds the upper limit value. The calculation result is used as the current value of the outlier symbol counters CL, CM, and CR.

According to the CL, CM, and CR updating process, the upper, middle, and lower pattern counters CL, CM, and CR are updated one by one in one update process, and the update timings of the respective counter values overlap. no. As a result, one set of the symbol counters CL, CM, and CR is updated each time the updating process is executed three times.

After that, in step S4006, it is determined whether or not the combination of the updated symbol counters CL, CM, and CR is a combination of ready-to-win symbols (the symbol in the upper symbol display area and the symbol in the lower symbol display area are the same). If it is a combination of ready-to-win symbols (S4006 is YES), then in step S4007, whether or not it is a combination of jackpot symbols (the symbols in the upper and lower symbol display areas and the symbols in the middle symbol display area are the same). determine whether If the determination in step S4007 is affirmative, this processing is terminated without storing the combination of the symbol counters CL, CM, and CR in the RAM553.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S4007, it is determined in step S4008 whether or not the combination of symbol counters CL, CM, and CR is a combination of front and rear deviated symbols. If the pattern counters CL, CM, and CR are a combination of front and rear out-of-order patterns (front-to-rear out-of-reach reach) (S4008 is YES), the process proceeds to step S4009, and the combination of the pattern counters CL, CM, and CR at that time is stored in the RAM 553. It is stored in the out-of-reach pattern buffer, and this processing ends. If the symbol counters CL, CM, and CR are a combination of symbols other than front-rear deviation (Reach other than front-rear deviation) (NO in S4008), the process proceeds to step S4010, and the combination of symbol counters CL, CM, and CR at that time. are stored in the ready-to-win pattern buffer of the RAM 553 except for front and back deviation, and this processing is terminated.

Also, if the combination is other than the ready-to-win pattern (NO in S4006), the combination of the losing pattern counters CL, CM, and CR is a combination of losing patterns (completely missing patterns), so in step S4011, the The combination of the lost pattern counters CL, CM, and CR at the time is stored in the complete lost pattern buffer of the RAM 553, and this process is completed.

Returning to the description of FIG. 29, in step S3906, a hold process is performed. The suspension process will be described below with reference to FIG.

First, in step S4201, it is determined whether or not a variation pattern command has been received (whether or not the variation pattern command has been stored in the command buffer of the RAM 553). If an affirmative determination is made in step S4201, it is determined in step S4202 whether or not the value of the downward fluctuation holding counter Ne is greater than "0". If a negative determination is made in step S4202, that is, if the variation information of the second variation display is not retained and stored, the process advances to step S4203 to subtract 1 from the value of the up variation retention counter Nd.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the second variable display is preferentially digested over the first variable display, and when the second variable display is retained and stored, the first variable display is digested. never That is, when the variation information of the second variation display is retained and stored in the second retention information storage area, the variation pattern command corresponding to the first variation display is not sent. Therefore, in this embodiment, in step S4202, by determining whether or not the value of the downward fluctuation pending counter Ne is greater than "0", the fluctuation pattern command is the first fluctuation display and the second fluctuation display. It is discriminated which fluctuation information has. Of course, the variation pattern command is given information as to which variation information of the first variation display and the second variation display corresponds, and based on the variation pattern command, the variation pattern command is the first variation display and the second variation display. It may be determined which variation information of the second variation display has.

After step S4203, in step S4204, a process of shifting the data stored in the first pending information storage area is executed. This data shift process is a process of sequentially shifting the data (including the continuous notice flag) stored in the first to fourth reserved areas of the first reserved information storage area to the execution area side. The data in each area is shifted in the order of →execution area, second reserved area→first reserved area, third reserved area→second reserved area, fourth reserved area→third reserved area.

In subsequent step S4205, one of the lit first suspension lamps 46a (for example, the rightmost one of the lit first suspension lamps 46a) is turned off. After step S4205, the process proceeds to step S4209.

If the determination in step S4202 is affirmative, that is, if at least one piece of variation information for the second variation display is retained and stored, the value of the lower variation retention counter Ne is decremented by 1 in step S4206.

In subsequent step S4207, a process of shifting the data stored in the second pending information storage area is executed. This data shift process is a process for sequentially shifting the data stored in the first to fourth reserved areas of the second reserved information storage area to the execution area side. The data in each area is shifted in the following order: area→reserved first area, reserved third area→reserved second area, reserved fourth area→reserved third area, and so on. In this embodiment, there is only one execution area for the pending information storage area, and the data stored in the first pending information storage area and the second pending information storage area are displayed in a variable display corresponding to the data. are shifted into the common execution area.

In the subsequent step S4208, one of the lit second suspension lamps 46b (for example, the rightmost one of the lit second suspension lamps 46b) is turned off. After step S4208, the process proceeds to step S4209.

In step S4209, advance notice setting processing is performed to determine the type of display effect used for continuous advance notice. In the notice setting process of step S4209, it is determined whether or not the continuous notice flag (see the continuous notice lottery process of step S4107) in the execution area of the hold information storage area is ON. is not performed, this processing is terminated. On the other hand, if affirmative determination is made, based on the variation information of the variation pattern command, it is determined whether it is a jackpot, if it is a jackpot, what is the type, and if it is not a jackpot, it is determined what the reach type is. , and determine the type of continuous notice by referring to the corresponding table. The continuous announcement of the type determined here is derived at the desired timing for the corresponding variable display. After step S4209, this processing ends.

In the present embodiment, the second variable display is preferentially digested over the first variable display. If a ball is entered into the lower prize winning opening 33b during the variable display, the second variable display may interrupt the first variable display a plurality of times, and the continuous notice may be interrupted. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the effect used as the continuous notice is a display effect that can be derived even during the normal variable display when the continuous notice is not performed (the effect that can be derived for a single variable display). is used. Therefore, even if the continuous notice is interrupted, no sense of incongruity is caused.

Returning to the description of FIG. 29, display setting processing is performed in step S3907. Here, based on the information stored in the command buffer of the RAM 553, various arithmetic processing such as generation of display commands to be output to the display control device 45 and command output settings are performed. That is, here, the display mode to be displayed on the decorative pattern display device 42 is determined. For example, when receiving a variation pattern command and a symbol command, the sub-control device 262 refers to the corresponding table based on the variation type, variation time, stop symbol, etc., and determines the display pattern and the like. Then, it performs control such as outputting the determined item to the display control device 45 as a display command.

In addition, the display control device 45 performs drawing processing according to a command from the sub-control device 262, and starts the variable display of the decorative design on the decorative design display device 42. FIG. In addition, once the variation pattern command is received from the main controller 261, until the variation time corresponding to the variation pattern elapses, the pattern is displayed under the cooperation of the sub-controller 262 and the display controller 45. continues to fluctuate.

Further, when starting the variable display, if the continuous notice flag (see the continuous notice lottery process in step S4105) of the execution area of the pending information storage area is on, based on the fluctuation information of the fluctuation pattern command, each situation By referring to the table corresponding to , the type of continuous notice to be derived to the variable display is determined, the derivation of the notice effect different from the continuous notice is determined, and the display corresponding to the operation of the effect button 125 is performed. do. Furthermore, in the display setting process of the step S3907, the process of controlling the effect during the big win (big win display process) is also performed, which will be described later.

In the lamp setting process of step S3908, the lighting pattern of lamps/electrical decorations is set in order to synchronize with the display effect performed by the decorative pattern display device 42. FIG.

In the sound setting process of step S3909, the output pattern of the speaker SP is set in order to synchronize with the display effect performed by the decorative design display device 42. Also, when a command related to sound such as notification of error occurrence is transmitted from the main controller 261, settings for performing these controls are also performed in step S3909.

In step S3910, other processing such as control setting of customer waiting effect (for example, demo screen display set to be displayed after a predetermined time has passed while the variable display of the decorative pattern display device 42 is not performed) is performed. conduct.

In step 3911, an external output process is executed to transmit control signals based on the settings in steps S3905 to S3910 to each device. For example, a display command is transmitted to the display control device 45 when the decorative design display device 42 displays the decorative design in a variable manner.

After the processing of steps S3905 to S3911 performed every 2 msec is executed, or if the determination in step S3904 is negative, the process proceeds to step S3912 to determine whether the RAM 553 stores information on occurrence of power failure. determine whether Note that the power-off occurrence information is stored when a power-off command is received from the main controller 261 .

If the power-off occurrence information is not stored, the process advances to step S3913 to determine whether or not the RAM 553 has been destroyed. If the RAM 553 is not destroyed here, the process returns to step S3901 and the normal process is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if the RAM 553 has been destroyed, the process is looped infinitely to stop execution of subsequent processes.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3912 that information on occurrence of power failure is stored, power failure processing is executed in step S3914. In the power-off processing, generation of interrupt processing is prohibited, and each output port is turned off. In addition, the memory of information on occurrence of power failure is also erased. After executing the power-off process, the process loops infinitely.

Next, the big win display processing performed in the display setting processing of step S3907 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in step S4701, it is determined whether or not an opening command has been received from the main controller 261 to announce the start of the jackpot state. If the determination in step S4701 is affirmative, then in step S4702, a round grasping counter for grasping the number of remaining rounds is set to "16" if it is "16RS" based on the information included in the opening command. If it is "7RS" or "7RN", then "7" is set.

After that, in step S4703, the setting of the opening effect for 8 seconds (setting of the image of the decorative design display device 42, the sound of the speaker SP, and the lighting mode of various lamps) is performed, and then this processing is finished. The sub-control device 262 is provided with a table that stores the correspondence between the jackpot type, the number of remaining rounds, and various effects during the jackpot state, and the corresponding effect is selected by referring to the table. and execute it.

If a negative determination is made in step S4701, it is determined in step S4704 whether or not an interval command has been received. When an affirmative determination is made in step S4704, in step S4705, the effect during the round is set for a maximum of 30 seconds, and then this processing ends.

If the determination in step S4704 is negative, it is determined in step S4706 whether or not an interval command has been received. If an affirmative determination is made in step S4706, the round grasp counter is decremented by 1 in step S4707, and after setting the effect during the interval of 4 seconds in step S4708, this processing ends.

If the determination in step S4706 is negative, it is determined in step S4709 whether or not an ending command has been received. When an affirmative determination is made in step S4709, the round grasp counter is decremented by 1 in step S4710, and after setting the ending effect for 10 seconds in step S4711, this process ends.

When a negative determination is made in step S4709, it is determined in step S4712 whether or not a jackpot end command has been received. If a negative determination is made in step S4712, this processing ends. On the other hand, when an affirmative determination is made in step S4712, in step S4713, the ending display is immediately ended, and a normal game state mode in which variable display is performed is set. After that, this process is terminated.

Now, in this embodiment, it is possible to simultaneously output up to three patterns of sounds (BGM and sound effects) from the speaker SP as the sound output means. Furthermore, the volume of each sound can be (incidentally) changed by combining the sound patterns output at the same time. In this embodiment, the setting of the sound volume is performed by the sound control section 264 as the second control means. That is, based on the variation pattern command etc. from the main control device 261, the CPU 551, ROM 552, and RAM 553 of the sub-control device 262 as the first control means (hereinafter simply referred to as the sub-control device 262) have a plurality of It is configured to determine a pattern to be executed from the prepared voice patterns, and to output the determination to voice control section 264 as a voice command or the like. The voice control unit 264 is configured to perform voice control for outputting a corresponding pattern of voice from the speaker SP based on the voice command or the like.

The audio control unit 264 includes an audio ROM as a first storage means for pre-storing audio data of each pattern (a group of data indicating the pitch, length, etc., of each audio pattern). A voice pattern storage area is provided as a second storage means capable of storing voice information specifying a voice pattern therein.

Also, in the present embodiment, a plurality of voice patterns are divided into a plurality of groups. To explain each group more specifically, as shown in FIG. 41, each BGM that flows during the variable display of the special display devices 43L and 43R (decorative pattern display device 42) in the normal mode, the variable probability mode, and the time reduction mode, and the jackpot state The fanfare announcing the winning of , the BGM during the jackpot round of '7RS', and the BGM of the ending of '7RS' are assigned to 'Group C' as 'ordinary BGM'.

In addition, among the effect sounds that are appropriately output during the variable display, etc., are interlocked with the electric accessories provided on the game board 30, are generated in response to the operation of the production button 125, and are expected to generate a big hit. Sounds that may occur in accordance with the performance of the decorative pattern display device 42, etc., which dramatically increases the degree of performance, and stop sounds of variable display are assigned to "Group B" as "strong effect sound". ing. The sound effect may have a melody, or may have an unspecified scale.

Furthermore, among the sound effects, those that have a lower production effect than those of “Group B” (less flashy than those of “Group B”, suggestive contents that have almost no relationship with the occurrence of big wins, or reliable low degree, frequent occurrence, etc.) are assigned to "group D" as "ordinary sound effects".

In addition, it notifies that a jackpot state will occur during the variable display just by generating the sound effects, and in the jackpot state where the jackpot type is not specified, it is actually a variable jackpot (7RS or 16RS). The one that announces that is assigned to "Group K" as a "special effect sound".

In addition, the BGM that flows during the variable display when it develops into Super Reach, and the BGM that flows during the promotion production that may occur during the 7R jackpot state (in the case of success, a “special effect sound” is output) is “special BGM" is assigned to "Group A".

Furthermore, the BGM that flows during the jackpot round of "16RS" and the BGM of the ending of "16RS" are assigned to "Group S" as "premium BGM". In this embodiment, the BGM that is played during the "16RS" jackpot round is configured so that there is not only a pattern that starts playing after the stop display of the variable display, but also a pattern that starts playing during the variable display. In the latter case, it can be grasped that the jackpot of "16RS" has been won before the end of the variable display.

Incidentally, in this embodiment, the error sounds that are output when various error states occur belong to "group E".

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, each group is ranked so as to determine the volume of each sound when multiple patterns of sounds are output at the same time. The voice control unit 264 has a correspondence relationship storage table as a correspondence relationship storage means that indicates the correspondence relationship between the group of voice patterns and the rank of the group. When the voice control unit 264 receives a voice command or the like from the sub-control device 262 (CPU 551), the voice control unit 264 grasps the rank of the corresponding voice pattern and compares it with the rank of the voice patterns output at the same time to determine the predetermined group. In the case of matching, the volume of the target voice is changed. As shown in FIG. 41, in this embodiment, "group S" is "rank L1", "group K" is "rank L2", "group A" and "group B" are "rank L3", "Group C" and "Group D" are set to "rank L4", and "group E" is set to "rank Le".

In addition, in this embodiment, the audio volume can be set in three stages: high volume "VH", low volume "HL", and full mute "V0". Specifically, the high volume "VH" is 100% of the reference volume, the low volume "HL" is 50%, and the full mute "V0" is 0%. For example, when only normal BGM of "rank L4" is output, the volume of the normal BGM is high volume "VH", but when strong effect sound of "rank L3" is output, , the volume of normal BGM during that period is reduced to a small volume "VL". Details of the volume change (volume setting process) according to the combination of the ranks of the simultaneously output voice patterns will be described later.

The audio pattern storage area of the audio control unit 264 includes three storage areas of a first sound effect channel CH1, a second sound effect channel CH2, and a BGM channel CH3. It is configured to be able to store information. In this embodiment, each voice pattern can be identified in the form of which pattern in which group. That is, each of the channels CH1 to CH3 stores a group storage area for storing group information indicating the group to which the stored voice pattern belongs, and pattern information for specifying which of the groups the voice pattern belongs to. and a pattern storage area for storing rank information indicating the rank of the group to which the voice pattern belongs, and a volume storage area for storing volume information indicating volume.

In particular, in this embodiment, 2 bytes are used for each channel CH1 to CH3, the upper 4 bits of the upper byte are the group storage area, the lower 4 bits of the upper byte are the pattern storage area, and the upper 4 bits of the lower byte are the rank storage. Area, the lower 4 bits of the lower byte is the volume storage area. When audio information is stored in the channels CH1 to CH3, the values stored in the group storage area and pattern storage area are referred to specify the audio pattern, and the audio data corresponding to the audio pattern is identified. is read out, converted into an audio signal, and output to an amplifier. At this time, the volume storage area is referred to and the volume is also adjusted.

In this embodiment, the voice commands and the like output from the sub-controller 262 to the voice control unit 264 are composed of 2 bytes. , and the lower 4 bits indicate pattern information. That is, for the corresponding channels CH1 to CH3, the upper 4-bit information of the lower byte of the voice command is stored in the group storage area, and the lower 4-bit information is stored in the pattern storage area. However, the rank information and volume information are determined and set by the voice control unit 264, so they are not included in the voice command.

Information indicating that the channels CH1 to CH3 that are not in use (not outputting sound) are not in use is stored. In this embodiment, in order to align the storage formats for the channels CH1 to CH3, groups and rankings are also performed for states in which no sound is output (silence). "Group N" is stored in the group storage area for channels CH1 to CH3, and "rank L0" is stored in the rank storage area. Incidentally, in the present embodiment, it is possible to determine whether the rank is "L0" or not, simply by checking the most significant bit of the group storage area.

In this embodiment, only BGM audio information, that is, audio information of audio patterns belonging to any of "group S", "group A", "group C", and "group N", is stored in the BGM channel CH3. is stored. On the other hand, the first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2 mainly store sound information of sound effects. In particular, the audio information of the special effect sound of "group K" and the error occurrence sound of "group E" can be stored only in the first sound effect channel CH1, and the audio information of the strong effect sound of "group B". is storable only in the second sound effect channel CH2. In addition, the first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2 can also store audio information of "group D" and "group N", respectively.

Furthermore, a first sound control timer and a second sound control timer for measuring the remaining output time of the sound effect are provided corresponding to the first sound effect channel CH1 and the second sound effect channel CH2, respectively. . Since the audio information stored in the BGM channel CH3 is only the BGM audio information updated upon receipt of a command from the sub-controller 262, no sound control timer is provided for the BGM channel CH3. However, a timer for measuring the progress (progress) of the audio information stored in each of the channels CH1 to CH3 is provided corresponding to each of the channels CH1 to CH3.

Next, normal processing performed by the audio control unit 264 will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S7101, it is determined whether or not a command has been received from the sub-controller 262 (CPU 551). If the determination in step S7101 is affirmative, the command is stored in the command buffer of the voice RAM in step S7102. The command buffer of the voice RAM is, like the RAM 553 of the sub-controller 262, a ring buffer that temporarily stores commands.

In the subsequent step S7103, a voice setting process is performed to store the received command information in the channels CH1 to CH3 of the voice pattern storage area provided in the voice RAM. Here, the audio setting process will be described with reference to FIG. Note that, in the present embodiment, the sound setting process constitutes the pattern storage process.

First, in step S7201, it is determined whether an error occurrence command indicating the occurrence of an error state has been received from the sub-controller 262 or not. If the determination in step S7201 is affirmative, in step S7202, voice information indicating "error" is stored in the first sound effect channel CH1. Incidentally, a value indicating "rank Le" is stored in the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1, and a value indicating "group E" is stored in the group storage area.

In the following step S7203, a value corresponding to high volume "VH" is stored in the volume storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1. Furthermore, in step S7204, a value corresponding to all mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2 and the volume storage area of the BGM channel CH3. As a result, only the error sound is output. After step S7204, this processing ends.

If a negative determination is made in step S7201, it is determined in step S7205 whether or not a BGM pause command output from the sub-controller 262 has been received when the variable display is stopped in the normal mode. If the determination in step S7205 is affirmative, then in step S7206 the audio information of "silent" is stored in the BGM channel CH3. Incidentally, a value indicating "rank L0" is stored in the rank storage area of the BGM channel CH3, and a value indicating "group N" is stored in the group storage area. As a result, at least BGM is not output.

In the following step S7207, a value corresponding to full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage area of BGM channel CH3. After step S7207, this processing ends.

If a negative determination is made in step S7205, it is determined in step S7208 whether or not a voice command has been received. If a negative determination is made in step S7208, this processing ends. On the other hand, if the determination in step S7208 is affirmative, in step S7209 it is determined whether or not the voice command is "group S; premium BGM".

If the determination in step S7209 is affirmative, that is, if premium BGM is to be output, then in step S7221, audio information corresponding to the group storage area and pattern storage area of BGM channel CH3 is stored, and " It stores a value indicating that it is rank L1. In subsequent step S7222, a value corresponding to high volume "VH" is stored in the volume storage area of BGM channel CH3. Further, in step S7223, a value corresponding to full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage areas of the first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2. That is, sound effects are not output, and only premium BGM is output. After step S7223, this process ends.

If a negative determination is made in step S7209, it is determined in step S7210 whether or not the voice command is "group K; special effect sound". If the determination in step S7210 is affirmative, in step S7211, the audio information corresponding to the group storage area and pattern storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1 is stored. In subsequent step S7212, a value corresponding to the output time of the sound pattern is set for the first sound control timer. That is, sound effect patterns are associated with their output times, and a value corresponding to the output time is set by referring to a table showing the correspondence.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to volume setting processing in step S7213. After the volume setting process is performed, this process ends. Details of the volume setting process will be described later.

If a negative determination is made in step S7210, it is determined in step S7214 whether or not the voice command is "group D; normal effect sound". If the determination in step S7214 is affirmative, in step S7215 it is determined whether the first sound effect channel CH1 is "empty", that is, whether a value indicating "rank L0" is stored in the rank storage area. (or whether a value indicating "group N" is stored in the group storage area).

If the determination in step S7215 is affirmative, in step S7211, the audio information corresponding to the group storage area and pattern storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1 is stored, and in step S7212, the first sound control timer registers the audio information. After setting a value corresponding to the pattern output time, the process proceeds to step S7213.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S7215, it is determined whether or not a value indicating “group B; (whether or not a value indicating "rank L3" is stored). If the determination in step S7216 is negative, that is, the second sound effect channel CH2 stores any sound information of the sound pattern belonging to "group D", or the second sound effect channel CH2 is "empty". , in step S7217, the audio information corresponding to the group storage area and pattern storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2 is stored, and in step S7218, the second sound control timer is set to the output time of the audio pattern. After setting the corresponding value, the process moves to step S7213.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S7216 is affirmative, that is, if both the first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2 store audio information of a higher rank than "group D", the main End the process. That is, in this case, although a command to output a normal sound effect is received, the normal sound effect is not output, and the combination of voice patterns being output is not changed.

If a negative determination is made in step S7214, it is determined in step S7219 whether or not it is a voice command of "group B". If the determination in step S7219 is affirmative, in step S7217, the sound information corresponding to the group storage area and pattern storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2 is stored, and in step S7218, the second sound control timer registers the sound information. After setting a value corresponding to the pattern output time, the process proceeds to step S7213.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S7219 is negative, that is, if the voice command is "group A; special BGM" or "group C; normal BGM", then in step S7220, the group storage area and pattern of BGM channel CH3 After storing the voice information corresponding to the storage area, the process proceeds to step S7213.

Next, volume setting processing in step S7213 will be described with reference to FIGS. 37, 38, and 39. FIG. First, in step S7301, it is determined whether or not a value indicating "rank L1" is stored in the rank storage area of BGM channel CH3. If the determination in step S7301 is affirmative, in step S7302, a value indicating full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage areas of the first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2, and this processing ends.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S7301, it is determined in step S7303 whether or not a value indicating "rank L2" is stored in the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1. If the determination in step S7303 is affirmative, in step S7304, a value indicating high volume "VH" is stored in the volume storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1.

In the subsequent step S7305, it is determined whether or not a value indicating "rank L3" is stored in the rank storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2. If the determination in step S7305 is affirmative, in step S7306 a value indicating low volume "VL" is stored in the volume storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2. On the other hand, if the determination in step S7305 is negative, in step S7307 a value indicating full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2.

After step S7306 or step S7307, in step S7308, it is determined whether or not a value indicating "rank L3" is stored in the rank storage area of BGM channel CH3. If the determination in step S7308 is affirmative, in step S7309 a value indicating small volume "VL" is stored in the volume storage area of BGM channel CH3. On the other hand, if the determination in step S7308 is negative, in step S7310, a value indicating full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage area of BGM channel CH3. After step S7309 or step S7310, this process ends.

If a negative determination is made in step S7303, it is determined in step S7311 whether or not a value indicating "rank L3" is stored in the rank storage area of BGM channel CH3. If an affirmative determination is made in step S7311, it is determined in step S7312 whether or not a value indicating "rank L3" is stored in the rank storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2. If an affirmative determination is made in step S7312, it is determined in step S7313 whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1. If the determination in step S7313 is affirmative, in step S7314, a value indicating low volume "VL" is stored in the volume storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1, and the volume of the second sound effect channel CH2 and BGM channel CH3 is stored. A value indicating a large volume "VH" is stored in the storage area. After that, this process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S7313 is negative, in step S7315 a value indicating full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1, and the second sound effect channel CH2 and BGM channel CH3 are stored. A value indicating a large volume "VH" is stored in the volume storage area of . After that, this process is terminated.

If a negative determination is made in step S7312, it is determined in step S7316 whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2. If an affirmative determination is made in step S7316, it is determined in step S7317 whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1. If the determination in step S7317 is affirmative, in step S7318, a value indicating low volume "VL" is stored in the volume storage areas of the first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2, and the volume storage area of the BGM channel CH3 is stored. stores a value indicating a large volume "VH". After that, this process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S7317 is negative, in step S7319 a value indicating all muting "V0" is stored in the volume storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1, and the volume storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2 is stored. A value indicating low volume "VL" is stored in the BGM channel CH3, and a value indicating high volume "VH" is stored in the volume storage area of BGM channel CH3. After that, this process is terminated.

If a negative determination is made in step S7316, it is determined in step S7320 whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1. If the determination in step S7320 is affirmative, in step S7321, a value indicating low volume "VL" is stored in the volume storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1, and a full volume is stored in the volume storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2. A value indicating mute "V0" is stored, and a value indicating high volume "VH" is stored in the volume storage area of BGM channel CH3. After that, this process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S7320 is negative, in step S7322 a value indicating full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage areas of the first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2, and the volume of the BGM channel CH3 is stored. A value indicating a large volume "VH" is stored in the storage area. After that, this process is terminated.

If a negative determination is made in step S7311, it is determined in step S7323 (see FIG. 38) whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of BGM channel CH3. If the determination in step S7323 is affirmative, it is determined in step S7324 whether or not a value indicating "rank L3" is stored in the rank storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2. If an affirmative determination is made in step S7324, it is determined in step S7325 whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1. If the determination in step S7325 is affirmative, in step S7326, a value indicating low volume "VL" is stored in the volume storage areas of the first sound effect channel CH1 and the BGM channel CH3, and the volume of the second sound effect channel CH2 is stored. A value indicating a large volume "VH" is stored in the storage area. After that, this process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S7325 is negative, in step S7327 a value indicating full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1, and the volume storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2 is stored. A value indicating high volume "VH" is stored in BGM channel CH3, and a value indicating low volume "VL" is stored in the volume storage area of BGM channel CH3. After that, this process is terminated.

If a negative determination is made in step S7324, it is determined in step S7328 whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2. If the determination in step S7328 is affirmative, it is determined in step S7329 whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1. If the determination in step S7329 is affirmative, in step S7330, a value indicating high volume "VH" is stored in the volume storage areas of the first and second effect sound channels CH1, CH2 and BGM channel CH3. After that, this process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S7329 is negative, in step S7331 a value indicating full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1, and the second sound effect channel CH2 and BGM channel CH3 are stored. A value indicating a large volume "VH" is stored in the volume storage area of . After that, this process is terminated.

If a negative determination is made in step S7328, it is determined in step S7332 whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1. If the determination in step S7332 is affirmative, in step S7333, a value indicating high volume "VH" is stored in the volume storage areas of the first sound effect channel CH1 and the BGM channel CH3, and the volume of the second sound effect channel CH2 is stored. A value indicating all mute "V0" is stored in the storage area. After that, this process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S7332 is negative, in step S7334, a value indicating all mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage areas of the first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2, and the volume of the BGM channel CH3 is stored. A value indicating a large volume "VH" is stored in the storage area. After that, this process is terminated.

If a negative determination is made in step S7323, a value indicating full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage area of BGM channel CH3 in step S7335 (see FIG. 39). In subsequent step S7336, it is determined whether or not a value indicating "rank L3" is stored in the rank storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2. If an affirmative determination is made in step S7336, it is determined in step S7337 whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1. If the determination in step S7337 is affirmative, in step S7338 a value indicating low volume "VL" is stored in the volume storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1, and a value indicating high volume is stored in the volume storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2. Store a value that indicates the volume "VH". After that, this process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S7337 is negative, in step S7339 a value indicating full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1, and the volume storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2 is stored. stores a value indicating a large volume "VH". After that, this process is terminated.

If a negative determination is made in step S7336, it is determined in step S7340 whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2. If an affirmative determination is made in step S7340, it is determined in step S7341 whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1. If the determination in step S7341 is affirmative, in step S7342, a value indicating high volume "VH" is stored in the volume storage areas of the first and second effect sound channels CH1 and CH2. After that, this process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S7341 is negative, in step S7343 a value indicating full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1, and the volume storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2 is stored. stores a value indicating a large volume "VH". After that, this process is terminated.

If a negative determination is made in step S7340, it is determined in step S7344 whether or not a value indicating "rank L4" is stored in the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1. If the determination in step S7344 is affirmative, in step S7345, a value indicating high volume "VH" is stored in the volume storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1, and a full volume is stored in the volume storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2. A value indicating mute "V0" is stored. After that, this process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S7344 is negative, in step S7346, a value indicating full mute "V0" is stored in the volume storage areas of the first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2. After that, this process is terminated.

As described above, in the present embodiment, among the ranks L2 to L4, if the ranks differ by one, the audio volume of the lower rank is set to the small volume "VL". The audio volume is set to full mute "V0". Further, when "premium BGM" is output during a game, all other sounds (sound effects) are muted "V0". However, when an error occurs, only the error occurrence sound is output, and even if it is "premium BGM", it is all muted "V0". In addition, when all muting is performed due to the occurrence of premium BGM or an error sound, or when all muting is performed due to two different ranks, the volume storage area will be set to the value indicating all muting "V0". However, the information stored in the group storage area, pattern storage area, and rank storage area will not be changed on this occasion. Or, if it is BGM, it will be changed upon receiving a command from the sub-controller 262 .

Returning to the description of the normal processing in FIG. 35, after step S7103 or if a negative determination is made in step S7101, the process proceeds to step S7104 to determine whether or not the timing for executing the next normal processing has come. It is determined whether or not a predetermined time (2 msec in this example) has elapsed from the start of the normal processing.

If an affirmative determination is made in step S7104, the process proceeds to step S7105 to perform voice management processing. Here, the voice management processing will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in step S7401, it is determined whether or not the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1 stores a value indicating the "rank Le" set during output of the error occurrence sound. If an affirmative determination is made in step S7401, it is determined in step S7402 whether or not an error cancellation command has been received from the sub-controller 262. If a negative determination is made in step S7402, this processing ends. On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made in step S7402, in step S7403, information (such as a value indicating "rank L0") that is set when sound is not output is stored for the first sound effect channel CH1. .

Thereafter, volume setting processing is performed in step S7404, and this processing ends. The volume setting process is as described above. By performing the volume setting process, the BGM volume is restored.

If a negative determination is made in step S7401, it is determined in step S7405 whether information indicating "rank L0" is stored in the rank storage area of the first sound effect channel CH1. If a negative determination is made in step S7405, that is, if some sound effect sound information is stored, then 1 is subtracted from the value of the first sound control timer in step S7406.

In subsequent step S7407, it is determined whether or not the value of the first sound control timer has become "0". If the determination in step S7407 is affirmative, that is, if the end timing of the sound (sound effect) output based on the sound information stored in the first sound effect channel CH1 has arrived, in step S7408, Information set when sound is not output is stored for the first sound effect channel CH1.

Thereafter, volume setting processing is performed in step S7409. The volume setting process is as described above. By performing the volume setting process, the volumes of the other channels CH2 and CH3 are reset because the sound effect corresponding to the first sound effect channel CH1 is no longer output.

After step S7409, if a negative determination is made in step S7407, or if an affirmative determination is made in step S7405, in step S7410, information indicating "rank L0" is stored in the rank storage area of the second sound effect channel CH2. Determine whether or not it is stored. If a negative determination is made in step S7410, that is, if some sound effect sound information is stored, 1 is subtracted from the value of the second sound control timer in step S7411.

In subsequent step S7412, it is determined whether or not the value of the second sound control timer has become "0". If the determination in step S7412 is affirmative, that is, if the end timing of the sound (sound effect) output based on the sound information stored in the second sound effect channel CH2 has arrived, in step S7413, Information that is set when sound is not output is stored for the second sound effect channel CH2.

Thereafter, volume setting processing is performed in step S7414. The volume setting process is as described above. By performing the volume setting process, the volumes of the other channels CH1 and CH3 are reset because the sound effect corresponding to the second sound effect channel CH2 is no longer output.

Returning to the description of the normal processing in FIG. 35, in step S7106, audio output processing for outputting audio corresponding to the audio information stored in each of the channels CH1 to CH3 from the speaker SP is performed. In the audio output process, the audio data corresponding to the audio information stored in each of the channels CH1, CH2, and CH3 in the audio pattern storage area is read out from the audio ROM, converted into an audio signal, and stored in the volume storage area. If necessary, the volume is adjusted according to the content and output to the amplifier. Note that the amplifier amplifies the audio signal to a set level to generate sound from the speaker SP.

As described above, after the processing of steps S7105 and S7106 performed every 2 msec is executed, or when a negative determination is made in step S7104, the processing returns to step S7101, and the normal processing is repeatedly executed. be.

Next, a specific example of the relative relationship between the volumes of the combinations of simultaneously output voice patterns, that is, the combinations of the voice information (rank information) stored in the respective channels CH1, CH2, and CH3 of the voice pattern storage area. I will list and explain.

As shown in FIG. 42, first, when the variation start command is received at the timing of "t1" from the normal mode in which the demonstration screen is displayed without sound, normal BGM is output. BGM channel CH3 is set to high volume "VH". On the other hand, the first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2 remain fully muted "V0". After that, with the derivation of the weak notice at timing "t2", the first sound effect channel CH1 is also set to the high volume "VH" so as to output the normal sound effect. Further, at the timing of "t3", the second sound effect channel CH2 is set to high volume "VH" to output the strong effect sound, and along with this, the first sound effect channel CH1 and the BGM channel CH3 are set to low volume. "VL". When the output period of the normal effect sound and the enhanced sound effect ends at the timing of "t4", the BGM channel CH3 returns to the high volume "VH".

After that, in order to output the stop sound of the variable display when the variable display is stopped, the second sound effect channel CH2 is set to the high volume "VH", and the BGM channel CH3, which is outputting the stop sound, is set to the low volume "VL". ”. Further, at the timing "t5" of the fluctuation stop, the BGM channel CH3 is completely muted "V0" based on the fluctuation stop command.

Again, when the variation start command is received at the timing of "t6", the BGM channel CH3 is set to high volume "VH" so as to output normal BGM. After that, assuming that the ready-to-reach state occurs and the strong effect sound is output at timing "t7", the second sound effect channel CH2 is set to the high volume "VH". Incidentally, since special BGM of "rank L3" is stored in the BGM channel CH3 together with the reach, even if the strong effect sound is set in the second sound effect channel CH2, the volume of the BGM does not decrease.

After that, at the timing "t8" during the output of the strong effect sound, when the jackpot announcement sound of "rank L2" is generated, the high volume "VH" is set to the first sound effect channel CH1, and the second sound effect channel A small volume "VL" is set for CH2 and BGM channel CH3. When the output of the jackpot notification sound and the strong effect sound is finished at the timing "t9", the BGM channel CH3 returns to the large volume "VH". Thereafter, after outputting a variable stop sound, at timing "t10", fanfare (usually BGM) announcing the start of the jackpot state of 7 rounds is played, and from timing "t11", the variable winning device 32 opens and closes for the jackpot round. (usually BGM) is started. During this time, only BGM is output, so the BGM channel CH3 maintains the high volume "VH".

In addition, at the timing "t12" during the jackpot, a promotion effect (special BGM) that may be announced that it is actually a variable jackpot occurs, and when the promotion announcement occurs at the timing "t13", the first sound effect. A large volume "VH" is set for the channel CH1, and a small volume "VL" is set for the BGM channel CH3 during output of the promotion notification sound. During the timings "t12" to "t15" when the promotion effect is performed, special BGM of "rank 3" is stored in the BGM channel CH3, so the promotion announcement sound is set to the second sound effect channel CH2. volume is not fully muted.

After that, the volume of the BGM channel CH3 returns to "VH" at the timing "t14" when the promotion announcement ends, and the timing of the ending start at "t16" and the end of the jackpot state and the start of the fluctuation display at "t17". At the timing, audio information corresponding to each BGM channel CH3 is set (the volume is maintained at "VH").

After the 7R probability variable jackpot, in the state of shifting to the probability variable mode, the variable display started at the timing "t17" is stopped and displayed at the timing "t18" until the next variable display is started at the timing "t19". The BGM continues to be output without interruption during the period of .

In addition, at timing "t20", a normal sound effect is generated together with the occurrence of the ready-to-win state, and at timing "t21", a strong effect sound is generated in response to the operation of the production button 125, and timing is generated as a reaction to the operation of the production button 125. When premium BGM occurs at "t22", at timing "t20", BGM channel CH3 is set to high volume "VH", first sound effect channel CH1 is set to low volume "VL", and at timing "t21", channel CH1 , CH3 remain unchanged, and the volume of the second sound effect channel CH2 is set to a large volume "VH". Further, when the sound information of the premium BGM is stored in the BGM channel CH3 at the timing "t22", the first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2 are all muted "V0".

After that, the variable display ends at timing "t23", and the 16R jackpot state jackpot round starts at timing "t24". , basically continues to be output until the ending of the jackpot state without interruption. If an error occurs at timing "t25", the first sound effect channel CH1 is set to high volume "VH" and the BGM channel CH3 is set to full mute "V0" in order to output an error occurrence sound. .

In this embodiment, the premium BGM is the melody with lyrics of No. 1 and No. 2, and as described above, when the premium BGM starts in the middle of the reach state, No. 1 ends. The timing is configured to match the timing at which the jackpot round is started (the timing at which the variable winning device 32 is first opened).

As described in detail above, according to the present embodiment, when multiple patterns of voice are output simultaneously, the voice volume of each pattern is changed according to the combination of the ranks of the multiple voice patterns. A control unit 264 is provided. For example, when normal BGM of “rank L4” is being output, normal sound effects of “rank L4” are superimposed and output. , the sound volume of the normal BGM becomes smaller than the standard (halved to the low volume "VL"). Therefore, in the sub-control device 262 (CPU 551), the sound pattern is determined, and only by performing the process of outputting that effect to the sound control unit 264, the sound corresponding to the sound pattern is output from the speaker SP, and the output is already performed. You can also change the volume of the voice being played. Therefore, in the sub-controller 262, there is no need to output a separate command for changing the volume of the sound that has already been output according to the combination of sound patterns, reducing the control load of the sub-controller 262. can do.

Also, the voice patterns are not ranked individually, but the voice patterns are grouped and the groups are ranked. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the control of the voice control unit 264, reduce the storage capacity, and the like.

Further, in each of the channels CH1, CH2, and CH3 of the voice pattern storage area of the voice RAM of the voice control unit 264, a group storage area for storing group information indicating the group to which the voice pattern belongs, and a group storage area for storing the voice pattern. and a pattern storage area for storing pattern information specifying which of Therefore, group determination becomes easy, and control, etc., when determining the rank can be simplified. In particular, in this embodiment, each voice pattern is identified by which pattern in which group, and group information is indicated by the upper 4 bits of the lower byte of the voice command from the sub-controller 262, and the lower 4 bits are specified. The pattern information is indicated by . Therefore, it is possible to simplify control when storing group information and pattern information in each channel CH1, CH2, and CH3.

In addition, each channel CH1, CH2, CH3 is provided with a rank storage area for storing rank information indicating the rank of the group to which the voice pattern belongs, and a volume storage area for storing volume information indicating volume. there is Therefore, rank determination and volume determination become easy, and control, etc., when setting the volume or when outputting sound can be simplified.

The sound pattern storage area includes sound effect channels CH1 and CH2 for storing sound effects and a BGM channel CH3 for storing BGM. Therefore, switching of BGM can be performed more easily. Furthermore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the BGM disappears unintentionally. In addition, when changing the BGM, there is no need to perform the process of determining in which channel the BGM is stored, so that the process can be simplified.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the premium BGM is output in the middle of the reach, the timing of the premium BGM (the timing of the end of the song No. 1) and the timing of the start of the jackpot round (the variable winning device 32 opening timing). Therefore, the timing at which the variable winning device 43 (game member) changes to the open state can be instructed in an easy-to-understand manner by voice. Furthermore, when premium BGM is output, no other sound effects are derived. Therefore, the premium BGM can be reliably and clearly recognized, and the control when outputting the premium BGM can be simplified.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the contents described in the above-described embodiment, and may be implemented as follows, for example.

(a) In the above embodiment, three patterns of sounds can be output from the speaker SP at the same time. For example, a maximum of two patterns of sound can be output at the same time (there are two channels in the sound pattern storage area of the sound control unit 264), or four or more patterns of sound can be output (for example, there are two channels in the sound pattern storage area). 5).

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the grouping of each voice pattern, the allocation of ranks, etc. are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set according to the model and the like. For example, the number of groups and ranks may be increased or decreased. Furthermore, the number and contents of each voice pattern are not particularly limited, and can be set as appropriate. For example, a first BGM (for example, singing voice) and a second BGM (for example, accompaniment) may be set as different sound patterns, and one or both of them may be output depending on the situation.

(b) In the above embodiment, the volume can be changed in three steps (VH: 100%, VL: 50%, L0: 0%), but it may be possible to adjust the volume in two steps: on and off. , and may be configured to be able to perform adjustment in four or more stages. For example, when special effect sound of group K, strong effect sound of group B, and normal BGM of group C are output at the same time, each volume is configured to be 100%:70%:40%. may

(c) In the above embodiment, the audio control unit 264 is provided on the same board as the CPU 551 and the like, but may be provided on a different board.

Also, the relationship between the combination of ranks and the change in volume may be changed according to the game situation. For example, when outputting a predetermined sound effect, the volume of the BGM is not changed in the normal mode, but the volume of the BGM is changed in the variable probability mode. New playability (performance) can be added by providing regularity.

Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, the correspondence relationship between each channel in the audio pattern storage area and the plurality of speakers SP may be configured to be changeable rather than uniquely determined. That is, for example, in order to reduce a situation in which a predetermined speaker SP among a plurality of speakers SP hardly operates (is not used), for example, in a situation where only BGM is played, the BGM is output from all the speakers SP. It may be configured as In addition to making effective use of the speaker SP, it is possible to add depth and the like to the sound.

(d) In the above embodiment, the volume setting process is performed by sequentially confirming the rank information stored in the rank storage areas of the channels CH1, CH2, and CH3 and classifying the cases. The difference may be calculated (subtracted) and the volume may be set based on the difference. For example, as in the above embodiment, special sound patterns such as error sounds and premium BGM are first excluded, and whether or not they exist is determined from the higher rank, and the highest rank is determined. A difference may be calculated and the volume set based on the difference. For example, if the rank of the first sound effect channel CH1 is "L2", the volume of the first sound effect channel CH1 is set to "VH" and the rank of the second sound effect channel CH2 is set to "L4". If so, the rank "L2" of the first sound effect channel CH1 grasped earlier is converted to "2" and the rank "L4" of the second sound effect channel CH2 is converted to "4" and subtracted. Therefore, the volume of the second sound effect channel CH2 may be set to "V0" by lowering it by two steps from the volume "VH" of the first sound effect channel CH1. In this case, in order to further diversify the production, even if the ranking is performed more finely (the total number of ranks is large), or if the volume setting steps are set more, etc., the volume can be set smoothly. can be processed.

(e) In the above embodiment, the audio pattern storage area is divided into a channel for storing BGM (BGM channel CH3) and a channel for storing sound effects (first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2). but do not have to divide. Further, a channel (first sound effect channel CH1) for storing group K special effect sound and group E error occurrence sound, and a channel (second sound effect channel CH2) for storing strong effect sound of group B. is specified, but it is not necessary to specify it. However, simplification of control can be achieved by setting these. In addition, the audio information of normal sound effects can be stored in both the first and second sound effect channels CH1 and CH2. Therefore, it is possible to make effective use of a plurality of sound effect channels (increase usage opportunities).

(f) Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, for the purpose of changing the volume of a predetermined sound pattern, another sound pattern is stored in a channel other than the channel in which the sound information of the predetermined sound pattern is stored. It may be configured to store voice.

For example, a plurality of sound patterns specifying the same sound data (for example, the same BGM) may be set so as to belong to a plurality of groups with different ranks. In this case, even if the specified voice data (melody, etc.) is the same, by changing voice patterns with different ranks, the volume of the voice pattern and/or the volume of other voice patterns being output can be changed. can be changed. For example, when a predetermined sound effect is output while low-rank BGM is being output, and when the predetermined sound effect is output while high-rank BGM is being output, the predetermined The volume of sound effects or BGM can be changed. Therefore, in a configuration in which each sound volume can be changed according to a combination of ranks of simultaneously output sound patterns, a separate program is prepared for directly adjusting the volume of the predetermined sound, such as raising or lowering the predetermined sound. Even without it, the volume of the voice being output can be changed by combining the ranks. Furthermore, it is possible to diversify the performance and the like.

In addition, if a volume control switch that can be operated by the operator is provided on the back side of the inner frame 12 or the like, the volume of all channels is changed according to the adjustment of the volume control switch ( The volume on the amplifier side may be adjustable).

Further, in the above-described embodiment, apart from the silence setting of rank L0, silence may be set for group K and group B, or a sound with a volume that is inaudible or difficult for the player to hear may be set. For example, when the normal BGM of group C is being output, the volume of the BGM is halved for a predetermined period of time by setting the group B to silence. In this case, the volume of the output sound can be changed without adding (overlapping) another sound.

(g) In the above embodiment, the sub-controller 262 (CPU 551) determines the effect pattern based on the command from the main control device 261, the input signal from the effect button 125, etc., and displays it to realize it. Commands are output to the control device 45 and the voice control unit 264 . At this time, the same command can be output to the display control device 45 and the voice control unit 264, and the display control device 45 and the voice control unit 264 independently analyze the command to obtain the predetermined command. It may be configured to be able to perform display control and audio control for deriving the effect pattern. In this way, by outputting the same command from the sub control device 262 to the display control device 45 and the sound control unit 264 when performing a predetermined effect, display control and sound control are performed respectively. Control of the sub-control device 262 can be simplified.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, sound patterns are divided into groups, and sound control such as volume setting is performed by assigning superiority or inferiority to each group. may be grouped, and light emission control may be performed by assigning superiority or inferiority to each group. For example, in the decorative pattern display device 42, a plurality of layers are provided so that the display modes of each layer can be displayed simultaneously, and in the display control device 45, the display mode patterns are grouped, and the groups are ranked. It may be configured such that the display gradation of each display mode changes depending on the combination of the ranks of the display patterns derived at the same time. For example, there are three layers, and the first layer performs variable display of decorative patterns, the second layer performs performance display of characters and the like, and the third layer performs background display. is performed, the display in all layers is visible in the order of the first layer → second layer → third layer from the front, while in the jackpot state, the second layer from the front →The third layer →The first layer may be configured so that the first layer becomes invisible. In this case, it is possible to reduce the control burden on the display of the sub-controller 262, and further achieve the effect of simplifying the control of the sub-controller 262. FIG.

(h) In the above embodiment, the volume can be changed according to the combination of voice patterns output at the same time. It may be configured as For example, even if the same pattern of sound effects is selected and output, the timbre may change between the normal mode and the variable probability mode. It may be configured to

Further, as described above, in order to make more effective use of a function such as an effector for changing the sound quality, it is possible to add sound effects to the melody played from the pachinko machine 10 or perform accompaniment by the player's operation. It may be configured to allow For example, the front surface of the upper tray 19 or the like is configured with a touch pad, and by operating the touch pad or various buttons provided on the pachinko machine 10, the player can output various sounds from the gaming machine. may be configured.

In the slot machine as a game machine, by operating the bet button, the stop button, etc. in time with the rhythm, a prescribed melody is played, and the player himself arranges other buttons for production. , etc., so that sound effects can be appropriately inserted. , The replay probability increases, and the order of pressing the stop button that can acquire the child role is announced). In addition, the falling rate (continuation rate) in a configuration in which multiple falling probabilities are set, or the winning probability of a special game state, etc., in a configuration that can be changed in multiple stages> Information on which stage is set It may be configured so that it can be suggested to the player.

(i) In the above embodiment, the changed voice volume is restored to the volume before the change when the combination that causes the volume change of the voice pattern is resolved. Even when the output period has passed and information indicating silence is set for the corresponding sound effect channels CH1 and CH2, the volume settings of the other channels are maintained (for a predetermined period or until the next audio setting process is performed). may be configured to be

(j) It may also be configured to fade-in/fade-out depending on the combination of sound patterns. For example, when the BGM of pattern A and the BGM of pattern B intersect, the volume percentages of the two become 100%, that is, the state where pattern A is 100% and pattern B is 0%. When pattern A is 80%, pattern B is 20%, when pattern A is 60%, pattern B is 40%, when pattern A is 40%, pattern B is 60%, and pattern A is 20%. The pattern B may be 80% when , and the pattern B may be 100% when the pattern A is 0%.

(k) In the above embodiment, the volume control device 264 includes an audio CPU, an audio ROM, an audio RAM, etc., and programs for executing audio setting processing and volume setting processing are incorporated to perform various corresponding case-specific processing. However, the details of the configuration related to sound control (synthesizer function, etc.) are not particularly limited. It should be configured so that similar results can be obtained. For example, audio signal processing may be either analog or digital, and hardware circuits may be provided to obtain results equivalent to volume setting processing shown in FIGS. 37, 38, and 39, for example.

In the above-described embodiment, the sound control unit 264 is provided with a table referred to when determining the rank and a table referred to when performing the volume setting process. The corresponding table data in the ROM 552 may be referred to during determination and volume setting processing. In this case, the audio ROM and audio RAM may be omitted.

(l) In the above embodiment, the jackpot probability, the number of jackpot types, and the opening/closing pattern of the variable winning device 32 for each jackpot type are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set for each machine model. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the winning probability in the winning lottery is changed between the variable probability mode and other modes, but the winning probability does not change (constant) and is given after the jackpot state ends. The above configuration may be applied to a pachinko machine in which a plurality of patterns of time reduction mode periods (number of fluctuations) are prepared.

Further, in the above embodiment, when a big win is won based on the entry of a game ball into the upper winning opening 33a, and when a big winning is won based on the entry of a game ball into the lower winning opening 33b, You may comprise so that the ratio of the jackpot classification to be provided may differ. For example, when a big win is won based on the game ball entering the upper winning prize opening 33a and when a big win is won based on the game ball entering the lower winning prize opening 33b, "7RN" is obtained. Although the ratios are the same, the ratio of "16RS" (in other words, the ratio of "7RS") may be different.

(m) In the above embodiment, the suspension lamps 46a and 46b instruct the player to suspend the variable display, but other display means may be used to instruct the suspension. For example, in the decorative pattern display device 42, an image object indicating suspension is displayed in one-to-one correspondence with the suspended variable display so that it is possible to know whether the first variable display is suspended or the second variable display is suspended. You may

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the game ball enters the reserved lower winning opening 33b after the change display (first changing display) based on the game ball entering the reserved upper winning opening 33a. The second variable display is preferentially digested in such a manner that the variable display (second variable display) based on the second variable display is digested before the first variable display. However, it may be configured so that it is completed in the order it was reserved regardless of whether it is the first variable display or the second variable display.

(n) In the above embodiment, the main processing (see FIG. 9) and then the normal processing (see FIG. 10) are performed by the main controller 261, but the configuration is particularly limited to such a configuration. is not. For example, after step S111 of the main process, processing such as updating the counter value, which is performed in steps S209 to S218 of the normal processing in the above embodiment, is performed (step S210 is omitted), and is performed, for example, every 2 msec. In the timer interrupt process, the process performed in steps S201 to S208 of the normal process in the above embodiment and the process in step S401 performed as the NMI interrupt process in the above embodiment may be performed. In addition, as the processing of step S401 in this case, for example, it is determined whether or not the power failure signal SK1 is output from the power failure monitoring circuit 542 to the NMI terminal of the CPU 501, and if the output of the power failure signal SK1 is confirmed, the power failure is performed. A configuration can be mentioned in which a flag indicating the occurrence of is turned on. Further, the processing of step S401 may be performed separately as NMI interrupt processing, as in the above embodiment.

(o) In the above embodiment, the hit/fail random number storage area that stores the value of the jackpot random number counter C1 is overwritten with information as to whether or not a jackpot state will occur. is not limited to For example, in addition to the winning random number storage area, a storage area for storing information as to whether or not a jackpot state will occur may be provided for the execution area and each of the reservation areas of the special variation reservation area, or the special variation reservation may be provided. Separately from the area, a storage area corresponding to the execution area of the special variable reserve area and each reserve area may be provided, and information as to whether or not a big win state occurs may be stored in the storage area. In addition to the winning type random number storage area for storing the value of the type determination counter C2, a storage area for storing the type of the jackpot may be provided, or a reach random number storage area for storing the value of the variation selection counter C3. Separately, a storage area for storing reach information may be provided.

(p) You may implement as a pachinko machine of a different type from the said embodiment. For example, movable means ( a variable ball entry means comprising a feather member), a specific ball entry means and a non-specific ball entry means capable of entering a game ball that has entered a specific area, and a game ball that has entered the specific ball entry means is detected. specific ball entry detection means (condition establishment detection means), start ball entry means provided outside the specific area and capable of entering a game ball moving in the game area, and a game ball entered the start ball entry means and a main control means for controlling the opening and closing of the variable ball entry means. A predetermined number of game values (game balls) are given to the player regardless of which of the ball entry means the ball is entered, and the main control means detects the variable ball entry means based on the detection of the start ball entry detection means. is open once or multiple times for the first time, or the variable ball entry means is open for a second time longer than the first time, or the variable winning means is open A lottery is conducted to determine whether or not a big win state is to be generated by repeating this process a specified number of times, and if a small win is won in the lottery, a small win state is established. is generated, and a jackpot state is generated when a jackpot is won in a win-or-fail lottery or when a specific ball-entering detection means detects a jackpot. In this case, the variable ball entry means corresponds to the variable winning device. In addition, in addition to pachinko machines, there are also arranged ball machines, various types of amusement machines such as majang ball similar to them, slot machines as reel-type amusement machines, and amusement machines that fuse slot machines and pachinko machines. You may

[Appendix]
Technical ideas that can be grasped from the above embodiment will be described below.

There is a pachinko machine as a kind of game machine. In a pachinko machine, when a game ball launched by a shooting device enters a starting ball entry means provided on a game board, a lottery is conducted to determine whether or not to generate a jackpot state, and a variable display device indicates whether the game ball will win or not. A variable display is provided to teach the result of the lottery (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-154110).

Also, the pachinko machine has a main control device for main control and a sub-control device for controlling the terminal equipment for teaching predetermined information to the player. Then, various information is output from the main control device to the sub-control device, and the sub-control device executes corresponding control based on the various information output from the main control device. More specifically, it performs control such as determining the display mode displayed on the variable display device and the audio mode output from the speaker.

Furthermore, many of such gaming machines are configured to be capable of simultaneously (overlapping) outputting a plurality of patterns of sounds. For example, background music (BGM) is continuously output, and sound effects are output as appropriate so as to be superimposed on the BGM in accordance with the presentation mode of the variable display device or the like.

By the way, there is also a method of changing the volume of the sound according to the combination of the sound patterns output at the same time when performing a predetermined effect accompanied by the output of the sound. For example, when a first sound effect is output while BGM is playing, the volume of the BGM does not change, but when a second sound effect such as a beating heartbeat is output, , the volume of the BGM is reduced or muted to make the sound effect stand out.

However, in this case, the sub-control device selects the second sound effect based on a command from the main control device and performs processing for outputting it from the speaker, the second sound effect and the sound being output (BGM, etc.). ), it is necessary to set the volume of the second sound effect and, if necessary, to change the volume of the sound being output. Furthermore, the sub-controller must also perform processing for deriving the display mode of the variable display device corresponding to the second sound effect, which may lead to complication of the control of the sub-controller. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a game machine which enables smoother volume setting when outputting a plurality of sounds at the same time. It is in.

Means 1. an audio output means capable of simultaneously outputting multiple patterns of audio;
a first control means for determining a pattern to be executed from a plurality of prepared voice patterns according to the establishment of a predetermined condition;
a second control means for outputting from the sound output means a sound pattern determined by the first control means;
The second control means is
a first storage means pre-stored with voice data of each pattern;
a second storage means having a plurality of storage areas capable of storing voice information specifying a pattern of voice being output;
The plurality of sound patterns are divided into a plurality of groups, and each group is ranked in order to determine the volume of each sound when the sounds of the plurality of patterns are output at the same time,
The second control means is
Correspondence storage means for indicating correspondence between groups of voice patterns and ranks of the groups,
a pattern storage process of storing voice information specifying the voice pattern determined by the first control means in a storage area of the second storage means;
A volume for comparing the ranks of the voice patterns indicated by the voice information stored in each storage area of the second storage means, and setting the volume of the voice corresponding to each voice information according to the combination of the ranks. a configuration process;
audio data corresponding to the audio information stored in each storage area of the second storage means is read out from the first storage means, the audio data is converted into an audio signal, and the audio signal is subjected to the volume setting process; and a voice output process for outputting from the voice output means at the determined volume.

According to the means 1, when a plurality of patterns of voice are output at the same time, the second control means is provided which can change the volume of the voice of each pattern in accordance with the combination of the ranks of the plurality of voice patterns. . For example, when outputting the sound of the second pattern while the sound of the first pattern is being output, the sound of the third pattern is superimposed even though the sound volume of the first pattern is not changed. When outputting, the sound volume of the first pattern is smaller than the reference, and so on. Therefore, the first control means only performs the process of determining the sound pattern and outputting that effect to the second control means, thereby causing the sound output means to output the sound corresponding to the sound pattern and the sound already output. You can also change the volume of your voice. Therefore, it is not necessary for the first control means to output a separate command for changing the volume of the sound that has already been output in accordance with the combination of sound patterns, thereby reducing the control load of the first control means. can do.

Also, the voice patterns are not ranked individually, but the voice patterns are grouped and the groups are ranked. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the control of the second control means, reduce the storage capacity, and the like. It should be noted that sound is basically an arrangement of sounds consisting of pitches, lengths and shorts, and includes melodies, sound effects, and the like. Also, the sound effect may or may not have a scale.

Means 2. Each storage area of the second storage means stores a group storage area for storing group information indicating the group to which the voice pattern belongs, and pattern information for specifying which group the voice pattern belongs to. and a pattern storage area for
The game according to means 1, wherein the command output from the first control means to the second control means when executing a predetermined sound pattern includes the group information and the pattern information. machine.

According to the means 2, the group determination becomes easy, and the simplification of the control when determining the rank can be achieved.

Means 3. The game machine according to means 2, wherein each storage area of the second storage means is provided with a rank storage area for storing rank information indicating the rank of the group to which the voice pattern belongs.

According to the means 3, the rank determination becomes easy, and the simplification of the control when setting the volume can be achieved.

Means 4. The gaming machine according to means 2 or 3, wherein each storage area of the second storage means is provided with a volume storage area for storing volume information indicating volume.

According to the means 4, the volume determination becomes easy, and the simplification of the control when outputting the sound can be achieved.

Means 5. The sound pattern includes background music that ends when a command is received from the first control means, and sound effect that ends after a lapse of a specified time after receiving a command from the first control means,
Each storage area of the second storage means includes a BGM channel capable of storing only the audio information of the background music and a sound effect channel capable of storing the audio information of the sound effect. A gaming machine according to any one of means 1 to 4.

According to means 5, background music (BGM) can be switched more easily. Also, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the BGM disappears unintentionally. Furthermore, when changing the BGM, there is no need to perform the process of determining in which channel the BGM is stored, so that the process can be simplified.

Means 6. main control means for performing a lottery based on the establishment of a predetermined condition and generating a special game state advantageous to the player when winning the lottery;
variable display means capable of variably displaying identification information;
and display control means for performing display control of the variable display means,
The first control means determines a pattern to be executed from among a plurality of prepared effect patterns according to the result of the lottery, and controls the display control means and the second control means to derive the effect pattern. and the display control means and the second control means that have received the command correspond to the effect pattern determined by the first control means based on the command. 6. The game machine according to means 1 to 5, characterized in that display control and voice control are executed.

According to the means 6, the first control means only needs to output the same command to the second control means and the display control means when executing the predetermined effect pattern. Simplification, etc. can be achieved.

The variable display means is configured to be able to display a plurality of display patterns at the same time by, for example, providing a plurality of layers, the display pattern patterns are grouped, and the display control means ranks the groups. In addition, it may be configured such that the display gradation of each display mode changes depending on the combination of the ranks of the display patterns derived at the same time. For example, there are three layers, and the first layer performs variable display of decorative patterns, the second layer performs performance display of characters and the like, and the third layer performs background display. is being performed, the display in all layers is visible in the order of the first layer → second layer → third layer from the front, whereas during the special game state, the second layer from the front It may be configured such that the first layer becomes invisible in the order of layer→third layer→first layer. In this case, it is possible to reduce the control burden on the display of the first control means, and further achieve the effect of simplifying the control of the first control means.

Means 7. Equipped with a game member that changes state from a first state to a second state when a specific condition is established,
In a configuration that can match the end timing of a specific sound pattern or a specific timing in the middle with the timing when the game member enters the second state,
When the audio information of the specific audio pattern is stored in the storage area of the second storage means, the volume of the audio corresponding to the audio information stored in the other storage areas is muted or unrecognizable by the player. 7. The game machine according to any one of means 1 to 6, characterized in that the sound is made small until it reaches a point.

According to the means 7, the timing at which the game member changes state to the first state can be instructed in an easy-to-understand manner by a specific voice. In addition, when a specific sound is output, other sounds are not heard, so it is possible to clearly recognize the specific sound and simplify the control when outputting the specific sound. can be planned. In addition, as the game elements, a ball entry means such as a variable prize-winning device that can enter a ball when a special game state occurs, a movable accessory whose appearance and arrangement can be changed, and a plurality of types of display modes are derived. possible display means, input operation means such as buttons and levers that can be operated by the player, and the like.

Means 8. Any of means 1 to 7, wherein there are a plurality of voice patterns specifying the same voice data, and the plurality of voice patterns specifying the same voice data belong to groups with different ranks. The gaming machine described in Crab.

According to the means 8, even if the specified audio data (melody, etc.) is the same, by changing the audio patterns with different ranks, the volume of the audio pattern and/or other audio patterns being output can be adjusted. volume can be changed. For example, when audio pattern A and audio pattern B correspond to the same sound effect but have different ranks, when audio pattern A is selected and BGM is played at the same time, when audio pattern B When the selected sound effect and BGM are played at the same time, the volume of the sound effect and/or the BGM can be changed. Therefore, in a configuration in which each sound volume can be changed according to a combination of sound patterns output at the same time, there is no need to create a separate program for directly adjusting the volume of the predetermined sound such as raising or lowering the predetermined sound. Also, it is possible to change the volume of the output sound by combining the ranks. Furthermore, it is possible to diversify the performance and the like.

Means 9. in a state in which the sound corresponding to the predetermined storage area of the second storage means is not output, voice information indicating silence is stored in the predetermined storage area;
A gaming machine, wherein a plurality of pieces of sound information indicating silence are set so as to belong to a plurality of groups having different ranks.

According to the means 9, basically the same effects as those of the above means 8 can be obtained. Furthermore, in this means 9, another voice is added (duplicated) according to the combination of ranks, even if there is no separate program for directly adjusting the volume of the predetermined voice such as raising or lowering the predetermined voice. You can change the volume of the sound being output without having to

The basic configuration of various gaming machines to which the above means are applied is shown below.

A. The game machine in each of the above means is a pinball game machine. As a more detailed example of the aspect, "an operating means (game ball shooting handle) operated by a player, a shooting means (shooting motor, etc.) for flipping and shooting a game ball based on the operation of the operating means, and the shooting means. A pinball game machine provided with a game area in which a game ball is guided and each ball entry means (general winning opening, variable winning device, operation opening, etc.) arranged in the game area.

B. The game machine in each of the above means is a pinball game machine having a game area extending in a substantially vertical direction. As a more detailed example of the aspect, "an operating means (game ball shooting handle) operated by a player, a shooting means (shooting motor, etc.) for flipping and shooting a game ball based on the operation of the operating means, and the shooting means. A predetermined game area (for example, the game area is composed of a game board surface, etc.) that guides the game balls and extends along a substantially vertical direction, and each ball entry means (general winning opening, variable winning device, operation port, etc.), and configured to enable visual recognition of the behavior of the game ball flowing down the game area.

C. The game machine or each pinball game machine in each of the above means is a pachinko machine or a game machine conforming to a pachinko machine.

D. The game machine in each of the above means is a reel-type game machine such as a slot machine. As a more detailed example, "an identification information string (design string; specifically, a rotating body such as a reel or belt with a design) consisting of a plurality of identification information (designs) is variably displayed (specifically, a reel (e.g., rotation), a variable display means (specifically, a rotating body unit such as a reel unit) that stops and displays the identification information string, The identification information (design) starts to change, the identification information (design) is stopped due to the operation of the stop operation means (specifically, the stop button), and the identification aligned on the effective line at the time of the stop A reel-type gaming machine constructed so that game values are given on the condition that the information is specific identification information".

E. The gaming machine in each of the above means is a gaming machine of a type that combines a slot machine and a pachinko machine (particularly, a gaming machine of slot machine specifications using game balls as game media). As a more detailed example, "an identification information string (design string; specifically, a rotating body such as a reel or belt with a design) consisting of a plurality of identification information (designs) is variably displayed (specifically, a reel (e.g., rotation), a variable display means (specifically, a rotating body unit such as a reel unit) that stops and displays the identification information string, The identification information (design) starts to change, the identification information (design) is stopped due to the operation of the stop operation means (specifically, the stop button), and the identification aligned on the effective line at the time of the stop A game value is given on the condition that the information is specific identification information, and a ball receiving tray (upper tray or the like) is provided to take in a game ball from the ball receiving tray; A game machine comprising a payout means for paying out game balls, and constructed so that a game start condition is satisfied when the game balls are taken in by the take-in means.

10... Pachinko machine 32... Variable winning device 33... Starting winning unit 33a... Upper winning opening 33b... Lower winning opening 42... Decorative pattern display device 43L, 43R... Special display device 46... Hold lamp 224a , 224b... Start winning switch, 261... Main control device, 262... Sub control device, 264... Sound control unit.

Claims (1)

an output means capable of simultaneously outputting display modes of multiple patterns;
a first control means for determining an effect pattern to be executed from a plurality of prepared effect patterns in accordance with the establishment of a predetermined condition;
a second control means for outputting from the output means a display mode corresponding to the effect pattern determined by the first control means;
The second control means comprises storage means for pre-storing data of each display mode constituting each effect pattern,
The patterns of the display modes are divided into a plurality of groups, and each group ranks the display gradation of each display mode when the display modes of the plurality of patterns are simultaneously output by the output means. a configuration that
comparing the ranks of the patterns of the display modes of the plurality of patterns simultaneously output by the output means, and setting the display density of each display mode in the output means according to the combination of the ranks;
After the output of the first display mode as the display mode is started as the predetermined effect pattern, the output of the second display mode as the display mode belonging to the group different from the first display mode is started, A gaming machine , wherein the first display mode and the second display mode may overlap .

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