JP7217910B2 - game machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to gaming machines.

Patent Literature 1 listed below discloses a gaming machine capable of executing an effect that suggests the result of a winning/failing determination by means of sound. In known gaming machines such as the gaming machine described in Patent Document 1, various elements such as sounds and images are used as elements that constitute an effect that indicates the result of the win/loss determination.

JP 2013-027583 A

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of improving the tastefulness of presentation.

A gaming machine according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, provides a first effect indicating that the success/failure determination result executed using a first means is a win, and a second effect different from the first means. The first effect and the second effect are combined as a mode in which the effect control means is provided and the first effect is generated by the effect control means. and a single effect mode in which the first effect is generated without generating the second effect.

According to the gaming machine of the present invention, it is possible to improve the tastefulness of presentation.

1 is a front view of a gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is the figure which showed the state in which the display device (display area) identification pattern and the pending|holding display were displayed. It is a conceptual diagram for explaining a composite effect mode (a) and a single effect mode (b). It is a conceptual diagram showing the timing (specific timing and normal timing) at which the first effect can occur.

An embodiment of the gaming machine 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of the gaming machine 1 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. The game machine 1 is equipped with a game board 90 . The game board 90 is made of a substantially square plywood board, and a guide rail 903 forming a passage for guiding a game ball fired by operating a shooting device 908 (shooting handle) to the game area 902 has a substantially arc shape. is provided as follows.

The game area 902 is provided with a start winning opening 904, a big winning opening 906, an out opening 907, and the like. The display device 91 is provided behind the game board 90 , and a display area 911 of the display device 91 is a visible area through an opening 901 formed in the game board 90 . In each figure, the display area 911 is shown roughly in a substantially square shape, but the shape and the like can be changed as appropriate (the shape and size of the opening 901 and the shape and size of the display device 91 itself can be changed). By doing so, the shape and the like of the display area 911 can be changed).

In addition, in the game area 902, a plurality of game nails are provided as obstacles that change the flowing state of the game balls when the falling game balls collide with each other. The game ball flowing down the game area 902 changes in various modes according to the conditions when it collides with the game nail.

In such a game machine 1 , game balls are shot toward the game area 902 by operating the shooting device 908 . When a game ball flowing down the game area 902 wins a winning opening such as a starting winning opening 904 or a big winning opening 906, a predetermined number of winning balls are paid out by a payout device.

Descriptions of components of the gaming machine 1 that are not related to the present invention, such as the frame of the gaming machine 1 and the lower and upper trays for storing game balls, will be omitted. For these, those having the same structure as known gaming machines can be applied.

The winning lottery (winning or losing determination) is executed by winning or losing determination means, which is a circuit built on the main control board (not shown), triggered by the winning of a game ball into the starting winning opening 904 shown in FIG. A plurality of winning openings 904 may be provided). In this embodiment, the winning "mouth" (where the winning game ball is taken in) is the winning "area" (where the winning game ball flows down the game area 902 as it is. The winning area is the gate). can be exemplified). A numerical value (win/fail determination information) is acquired from a random number source with the winning of a game ball into the start winning opening 904 as a trigger, and if the numerical value is the same as a predetermined jackpot numerical value, it becomes a jackpot, and if it is different, it is a jackpot. be out of line. Further, the start winning hole 904 may not be one in which a predetermined number of game balls (so-called prize balls) are paid out triggered by detection of entry of game balls.

In addition, in the present embodiment, notification of the result of the success/failure determination is started in the order in which the numerical values for performing the above-mentioned success/failure determination are acquired. When the success/failure judgment result based on the numerical value is notified, it is stored in the storage means provided on the control board (not shown) until the notification of the success/failure judgment result based on the certain numerical value is started. The maximum number of stored values (maximum pending number) of numerical values (hereinafter also referred to as pending (information)) for which the notification of the result of right/fail judgment has not yet started can be set as appropriate. The maximum number of pieces of pending information that can be stored in the storage means in this embodiment is four. It should be noted that the numerical value acquired for the success/failure determination is also used as a numerical value for determining the specific content of the effect for notifying the success/failure determination result. A mark (suspension display 11) indicating the existence of the suspension information is displayed in the display area 911 (see FIG. 2). In addition, it may be configured such that the success/failure determination is immediately performed upon winning the starting prize opening 904, and the success/failure determination result itself is stored in the storage means (in such a case, the success/failure determination result itself is reserved information). It turns out that).

A combination of a plurality of types of identification patterns 10 (see FIG. 2) displayed in the display area 911 of the display device 91 informs whether the result of the win/loss determination is a big win or a loss. In this embodiment, three groups of identification symbols each including a plurality of types of identification symbols 10 are variably displayed. Each identification pattern group starts to fluctuate at the same time as the start of the performance for notifying a certain success/failure determination result, and when the jackpot is won, the identification pattern 10 finally stops at a predetermined combination. An example of the predetermined combination is three sets of the same identification pattern 10 . In the case of a loss, the identification symbols 10 are stopped in a combination other than the combination that makes a big hit.

When a jackpot is won, a jackpot game is executed. A jackpot game is one in which the jackpot 906 is frequently opened so that the player can win a large number of game balls (so-called payout balls). omitted.

In the gaming machine 1 according to the present embodiment, various effects are controlled by effect control means, which is a circuit built on a sub-control board (not shown). As the effects, it is possible to execute a first effect and a second effect, which will be described in detail below.

The first effect utilizes the light emitting unit 20 (corresponding to the first means in the present invention). The light emitting unit 20 includes at least a light source such as an LED and a circuit for controlling the same (a device that emits light from the light source), and causes the light source to emit light when the first effect is generated. The light emission mode of the light emission unit 20 may be of any type. Further, the position where the light emitting unit 20 is provided may be a position where the player can recognize whether or not the light emitting unit 20 emits light. The light emitting unit 20 in this embodiment is provided within the game area 902 (fixed to the game board 90), but even if it is provided outside the game area 902 (fixed to the front frame or the like) )good. Also, the light emitting unit 20 may be movable. In addition, when an effect different from the first effect is generated, light may be emitted in a light emission mode different from that when the first effect is generated. It can be said that the first effect in which the light emitting unit 20 emits light is a effect recognized (grasped) by the player's "sight".

In this embodiment, the first effect is set so as to occur only when the win/loss determination result is a big win. Specifically, when the first effect occurs during a series of effects (from the start of the variation of the identification pattern 10 (group) to the stop) for informing a certain success judgment result, the success judgment result is a big hit. It is certain that it will become

The second effect is a effect using the speaker 30 (sound output device; corresponding to the second means in the present invention). When the second effect is generated, a predetermined effect sound (hereinafter simply referred to as the effect sound refers to the sound for the second effect) is output from the speaker 30 . Any aspect of the effect sound may be used. Note that the speaker 30 in this embodiment also outputs sounds for other effects, but a configuration in which a speaker dedicated to the second effect is provided may be employed. Since the second effect is to output a sound effect from the speaker 30, it can be said that the second effect is an effect recognized (grasped) by the player's "hearing".

Thus, it can be said that the first effect and the second effect are recognized by the player's different senses. Specifically, the effect component (light) that constitutes the first effect output by the light emitting unit 20 and the effect component (sound) that configures the second effect output by the speaker 30 are is perceived by different senses of Displaying a predetermined image (including moving images and still images; the same applies to hereinafter referred to as “image”) in the display area 911 of the display device 91 may be set as the first effect (effect recognized by “sight”). good.

However, this is only an example. As long as the first effect and the second effect are grasped by different senses of the player, the mode of each effect can be appropriately changed. The setting opposite to that of the above embodiment, that is, the first effect may be the effect recognized by hearing, and the second effect may be the effect recognized by sight. Also, an effect recognized by the player's "tactile sense" may be set as the first effect or the second effect. Effects recognized by such "tactile sense" include a configuration that sends wind toward the player that the player can feel, a configuration that moves some member to make contact with the player's body, and a configuration that the player can feel. For example, a configuration that generates vibration that can be used can be exemplified.

The first effect in this embodiment may occur together with the second effect, or may occur without the second effect. That is, if effects other than the first effect and the second effect are not taken into consideration, the first effect can be generated in a combined effect mode (see FIG. 3A) in which the first effect and the second effect occur together. , a single effect mode (see FIG. 3(b)) in which only the first effect occurs is set. Note that the composite effect mode is not limited to the first effect and the second effect occurring "simultaneously". A "deviation" that allows the player to recognize that the first effect and the second effect are occurring at the same time may be set. In addition, in this embodiment, the second effect is set as a dedicated effect that occurs together with the first effect. In other words, the second effect is a effect that occurs in combination with the first effect, and does not occur independently (without the occurrence of the first effect). However, it does not deny that the second effect is generated independently. Moreover, it is not denied that effects other than the first effect and the second effect are executed together with the first effect and the second effect that occur in the combined effect mode and the first effect that occurs in the single effect mode.

In this way, since the first effect and the second effect occur together in the combined effect mode, it is more "conspicuous" than the single effect mode in which the first effect occurs without the second effect. It can be said that there is. Conversely, it can be said that the single effect mode is a mode that is "less conspicuous" than the composite effect mode.

A plurality of timings are set as timings at which the first effect can occur. In the following description, one or a plurality of timings among a plurality of timings at which the first effect can occur are referred to as specific timings, and other timings are referred to as normal timings. In this embodiment, the timing immediately before shifting to the specific effect is set as the specific timing (see FIG. 4). Assuming that the pre-effect is the effect that is being executed before shifting to the specific effect, it can be said that the specific timing is set between the pre-effect and the specific effect. It should be noted that the specific timing may be before or after the start of the specific effect as long as the timing is such that the player feels that the first effect has occurred with the shift of the specific effect as a trigger.

The specific effect suggests whether or not the result of the determination of whether or not the target wins is a big win depending on the ending. In this embodiment, a super ready-to-win effect is set as the specific effect. Super ready-to-win effect is a effect for notifying the success/failure determination result of the target for the ending. In other words, it is an effect in which an outcome advantageous to the player, which is executed when the win/loss determination result is a big win, and an outcome which is unfavorable to the player, which is executed when the win is lost. A plurality of types of endings may be prepared for advantageous endings and unfavorable endings. It should be noted that the specific effect may be limited to "suggestion" instead of "reporting" the success/failure determination result depending on the outcome like the super ready-to-win effect. In addition, since various triggers for shifting to the super ready-to-win effect are set, the time from the start of the change of the identification pattern 10 for informing the result of the judgment of the target to the specific timing is not always constant. .

The first effect is set so that when it occurs at a specific timing, the effect mode is always the composite effect mode. In other words, it becomes a "conspicuous" mode in which the second effect occurs together with the first effect. On the other hand, when it occurs at normal timing, the effect mode is set to always be the single effect mode. In other words, it becomes a "not conspicuous" aspect in which the first effect occurs without the second effect. However, the setting may be such that the composite effect mode may occur at normal timing.

The probability that the first effect will occur at the specific timing is set higher than the probability that the first effect will occur at the normal timing. Specifically, when it is determined that the first effect will occur, the probability of occurrence at the specific timing is X%, and the probability of occurrence at the normal timing is Y1, Y2, Y3 . %, all of the values of Y1, Y2, Y3, . . . are set to be smaller than the value of X. In this embodiment, there is only one specific timing, but when a plurality of timings are set as the specific timing, the probability that the first effect will occur at the specific timing is X1, X2, X3, . . . If % (set for a number of specific timings), any of the values of Y1, Y2, Y3, . . . It should be set to be smaller.

Also, the number of timings set as the specific timing (in this embodiment, one at the transition to the specific effect) is smaller than the number of timings set as the normal timing (see FIG. 4). It should be noted that the normal timing in this embodiment is also set during the super ready-to-win effect.

By setting the specific timing and the normal timing in this way, for a player who has experienced a considerable number of both the combined effect mode and the single effect mode, the combined effect mode is generated at limited timing, Random (unpredictable timing) generation gives the impression that it is a single presentation mode. It is desirable to increase the number of normal timings as much as possible in order to enhance the impression that the single effect mode is randomly generated. Also, it is desirable that the intervals between the normal timings are constant.

It should be noted that the reason why the timing is divided into the specific timing and the normal timing in this manner is to achieve the above-described effect, and the division is not necessarily required. In other words, it is not denied that at all timings at which the first effect occurs, the composite effect mode may occur and the single effect mode may occur.

As described above, according to the gaming machine 1 according to the present embodiment, the first effect may occur in combination with the second effect, or may occur independently without the second effect. There is also Therefore, even if the first effect is the same, it is possible to give a different impression to the player depending on the mode of occurrence of the first effect.

Also, the first effect and the second effect are grasped by different senses of the player. In the combined effect mode, the first effect is combined with the second effect that is grasped with a different feeling, so the impression given to the player when it occurs is significantly different from that of the single effect mode. be different.

In particular, the second effect in this embodiment is to output a sound effect from the speaker 30, and is an effect that affects the sense of hearing of the player. Therefore, no matter what state the player is in (even if the player is not paying attention to the image displayed on the display device 91, etc.), there is a probability that the occurrence of the first effect will be noticed by the occurrence of the second effect. will increase.

Further, as the timing at which the composite effect mode occurs, a specific timing that is the timing immediately before shifting to the specific effect is set. The specific effect is the effect that the player pays attention to, and at such timing, the first effect is generated in the "conspicuous" combined effect mode (compared to the single effect mode). In other words, when the first effect occurs while the player is paying attention, the occurrence is emphasized by making the first effect stand out.

On the other hand, the single effect mode is generated at normal timings which are set more often than at specific timings. Since the occurrence of the first effect at normal timing gives the player the impression that it occurs randomly at any timing, the occurrence of the first effect at the normal timing causes the second effect. It is possible to realize a deep game by making it unobtrusive and intentionally inconspicuous.

In addition, the first effect in the present embodiment is one in which it is determined that the hit/fail determination result of the target will be a big hit when generated. As modes of occurrence of such a "hit confirmation effect", a relatively "conspicuous" combined effect mode and a relatively "not conspicuous" independent effect mode are set. It can be said that the composite performance mode occurring at the specific timing enhances the joy of the confirmation of winning, and the single performance mode occurring at the normal timing gives a surprise to the sudden occurrence.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is by no means limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the game machine 1 according to the above embodiment is a so-called pachinko game machine, but the same technical idea can be applied to other game machines such as rotating game machines.

In the above embodiment, the first effect and the second effect are effects recognized by different senses of the player. Although it has been described that the effect components (sounds) that make up the second effect output from the speaker 30 are recognized by different senses of the player, they may be recognized by the same kind of senses. . However, it is preferable that the means (device) for outputting the effect components constituting the first effect and the means (device) for outputting the effect components constituting the second effect are different. For example, a plurality of display devices are provided, and displaying a predetermined image (first image) on one display device is set as the first effect, and a predetermined image (first image) is displayed on another display device different from the certain display device. Two images) may be set as the second effect. In such a case, both the first effect and the second effect are visually recognized by the player, but means (devices) for executing each effect are different.

The first effect and the second effect may be effects recognized by a plurality of senses of the player. For example, the first effect is an effect recognized visually and aurally by the player, while the second effect is an effect recognized by the player's tactile sense. In the case of such a configuration, based on the fact that the first production is a production that can occur independently, the first production and the second production are basically different productions. All of the one or more senses for recognizing the effect are preferably different from the one or more senses for recognizing the second effect.

The mode of the first effect in the combined effect mode may be different from the mode of the first effect in the single effect mode (they may be different enough to allow the player to recognize that they are the same effect). In accordance with the above-described embodiment, it is conceivable that the time during which the light emitting unit 20 emits light during the combined effect mode and the time during which the light emitting unit 20 emits light during the single effect mode are different. For example, in the combined effect mode, the first effect and the second effect are generated in order to make it stand out. It is conceivable to make it longer than Also, based on the same idea, it is conceivable to make the light emission brightness (light emission intensity) of the light emitting unit 20 in the composite presentation mode higher than the light emission brightness of the light emission unit 20 in the single presentation mode. .

In the above embodiment, it was explained that the first production is a production that confirms that the success judgment result will be a big hit due to occurrence, but the occurrence increases the probability that the success judgment result will be a big hit (so-called jackpot expectation It may be a production (so-called chance-up production) that stays in the increase). In this case, it is preferable to set a difference in the degree of chance increase between the combined effect mode and the single effect mode. For example, the composite effect mode, which is a relatively "conspicuous" mode, increases the expectation that the win-or-fail judgment result will be a big hit when it occurs, compared to the single effect mode, which is a relatively "inconspicuous" mode. It is conceivable to set

Specific means (gaming machines) obtained from the above embodiment are listed below.

・ Means 1
A production control means capable of controlling a first production executed using the first means and a second production executed using a second means different from the first means,
As a mode in which the first production is generated by the production control means,
A composite effect mode in which the first effect and the second effect are generated together,
and a game machine characterized in that a single effect mode is set in which the first effect is generated without generating the second effect.

In this way, as the mode of occurrence of the first effect, a conspicuous mode in which the second effect occurs and an inconspicuous mode in which the second effect does not occur are set, so that it is possible to improve the fun of the game using the first effect. It is possible to plan

・ Means 2
The feeling for the player to comprehend the effect component output by the first means is different from the feeling for the player to comprehend the effect component output by the second means. The game machine according to the means 1.
・Method 3
The effect component output by the first means is grasped by the player's sight, and the effect component output by the second means is grasped by the player's senses other than sight. The gaming machine according to means 2, characterized by:

In this way, the effect component output by the first means and the effect component output by the second means are grasped by different senses of the player, so that the first effect and the second effect are combined. It is possible to prevent the misunderstanding that both effects are one effect when the two effects occur. In addition, since the senses for grasping both effects are different, it is possible to enhance the impression when both effects occur together.

・ Means 4
The game according to any one of means 1 to 3, characterized in that one or a plurality of specific timings are set as the timing at which the first effect is generated, wherein the mode of the effect to be generated is the combined effect mode. machine.

In this way, if the timing for generating the composite performance mode is set, the player who once experienced the generation of the performance by the composite performance mode expects the generation of the performance by the composite performance mode when the timing comes. .

・ Means 5
The gaming machine according to means 4, wherein the specific timing is set to have a higher probability of occurrence of the first effect than other timings at which the first effect can occur.

If the probability of the first effect occurring at the specific timing is high, that is, the probability of the first effect occurring at the other timing is low, the timing other than the specific timing is conspicuous (compared to the composite effect mode). Since there are many cases where the first effect occurs in a single effect mode that does not exist, the occurrence of the first effect is often not noticed unless the player is paying attention to the effect. Therefore, it is possible to increase the degree of player's attention to the effect being executed.

・ Means 6
Means 4 characterized in that the number of timings set as the specific timings among all the timings at which the first effect can occur is set to be smaller than the number of timings set as the other timings; or The gaming machine according to means 5.

With such a configuration, the timing at which the first performance is generated in the inconspicuous single performance mode (compared to the combined performance mode) increases, so that the player's attention to the performance being executed is further increased. becomes possible.

・Method 7
The gaming machine according to any one of means 4 to 6, characterized in that at least one of the specific timings is set to a time of transition to a specific effect in which the result of the determination is suggested by the ending.

It can be said that the player is paying attention to the transition to the specific effect. At such timing, it is preferable to generate the first effect in a conspicuous combined effect mode (compared to the single effect mode).

・Means 8
The game machine according to any one of means 1 to 7, characterized in that the first effect is generated to determine that the result of the winning/losing determination is winning.

In this way, the first effect may be a so-called win confirmation effect.

1 game machine 10 identification pattern 20 light emitting unit (first means)
30 speaker (second means)
91 display device 911 display area

Claims (1)

A first effect indicating that the success/failure determination result is a win, which is executed using a light- emitting device that is not a display device that displays an identification pattern for notifying the success/failure determination result, and a sound output that is a device different from the light- emitting device . Equipped with production control means capable of controlling the second production executed using the device ,
As a mode in which the first effect is generated by the effect control means at one of a plurality of predetermined timings that are not the timing at which the player operates the operation means ,
A mode in which the first effect is generated at a specific timing included in the plurality of predetermined timings, and a combined effect mode in which the first effect and the second effect are generated together,
and a mode in which the first effect is generated at a normal timing that is not the specific timing, which is included in the plurality of predetermined timings, and the first effect is generated alone without generating the second effect. The production mode is set,
The gaming machine, wherein the first effect generated as the composite effect mode and the first effect generated as the single effect mode are the same in visual mode.

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