JP7448792B2 - gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a game machine including a game area where game balls are fired.

Conventionally, among various types of pinball game machines, the so-called first-class pachinko game machine displays multiple symbols on a display area such as a liquid crystal display located approximately in the center of the game board while changing the number of symbols. display (hereinafter, such display is referred to as "design variation" or "variation display", etc.). This gaming machine shifts to a special game called a jackpot, where you can get more prize balls than the normal game if the combination of symbols when the symbol fluctuations in multiple rows are stopped becomes a specific pattern. known as a thing. The fluctuating display of symbols in the display area is not just a fluctuating display of multiple symbols, but also a so-called reach screen where if one more symbol is aligned, it will be a jackpot. Efforts are made to increase players' expectations, such as by making the game longer than before. In addition, players' expectations are heightened by the use of characters in symbols and other images to give a story to the fluctuating displays, and by previewing effects that hint at high expectations for the transition to special games. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-230714 JP 2018-47034 Publication

In recent years, as the performance of boards used for performance control (so-called sub-boards) has improved and the content of performances has become more complex, the time required to start up the boards has also become longer. On the other hand, since the time required to start up the board used for game progress control (so-called main board) remains short, there is a risk that the gap between the start timings of both will become longer. Therefore, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses an example in which the main CPU waits for 2000 ms after power is turned on. However, depending on the length of the gap, the inability to start the performance immediately may reduce the interest in the game or pose a risk of fraudulent activity, so there is a need for more appropriate measures to fill the gap.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine that appropriately handles the delay when turning on the power.

In order to solve the above problems, a gaming machine according to an aspect of the present invention includes a main control device that controls the basic operations of the game, and a sub-control device that controls the performance operations of the game. The main control device includes a setting change means for setting any one of a plurality of game settings corresponding to a plurality of game specifications, and an input port into which information to the main control device is input. During the main control activation period triggered by power-on, the main control activation process is executed, and information indicating whether or not it is necessary to execute the game setting change process by the setting change means is set based on the input information of the input port. After the setting, start monitoring the progress of a predetermined waiting period for waiting for the completion of startup of the sub-control device, and during the main control interrupt period in which interrupt processing can be executed at a predetermined cycle, which transitions after the main control startup period. After the standby period has elapsed, the interrupt process becomes executable, and after the standby period elapses, the setting change means becomes able to execute the game setting change process based on information indicating whether execution is necessary.

Furthermore, any combination of the above components, or mutual substitution of the components and expressions of the present invention among methods, devices, systems, computer programs, recording media storing computer programs, data structures, etc. , is effective as an aspect of the present invention.

According to the gaming machine of the present invention, it is possible to provide a gaming machine that appropriately handles delays when power is turned on.

It is a diagram showing the basic structure on the front side of the Pachinko gaming machine. It is a diagram showing the basic structure on the back side of the Pachinko gaming machine. It is a diagram showing functional blocks of a pachinko gaming machine. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the main board. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a validity determination table. It is a figure which shows typically the range setting of the success/failure lottery value for each setting value. It is a diagram schematically showing a symbol determination table. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a variation pattern table. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a prior validity determination table that is referred to in prior validity determination. It is a diagram schematically showing a prior propriety determination table corresponding to game settings. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a sub-board. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an outline of a mobile cooperation system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of a main board and a subboard. It is a block diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of the production control device. It is a flowchart showing control start processing of the main board in the pachinko gaming machine. 16 is a flowchart showing details of the setting change process in S124 in FIG. 15. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing details of the setting confirmation process in S126 in FIG. 15. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing in detail the main processing of S120 in FIG. 15. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing details of interrupt processing. It is a flowchart showing control start processing of a sub-board in a pachinko game machine. 21 is a flowchart showing in detail the main processing of S518 in FIG. 20. 5 is a flowchart showing interrupt processing when a command is received from the main board. It is a flowchart showing interrupt processing when a timer interrupt for effect display control occurs. 12 is a flowchart showing interrupt processing when the sub CPU receives a command from the control CPU. 5 is a flowchart showing interrupt processing when a timer interrupt for controlling various devices occurs. It is a flowchart showing the process of special symbol variation display. It is a flowchart which shows the process of decorative pattern fluctuation display. It is a flowchart showing the process of a special game. It is a flowchart showing the process of a small winning game. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a sub-board in an example. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a process of starting up a system and a process on a sub-board. 5 is a time chart showing various processing timings on the main board after power is turned on. It is a figure which illustrates the lighting mode of a status indicator light. 3 is a flowchart showing the process of power-on processing of the main board and main loop processing. It is a flowchart showing the process of game stop state setting processing. It is a flowchart of interrupt processing. 7 is a flowchart showing the process of power-on processing of the main board and main loop processing in the second embodiment. It is a flowchart of interrupt processing in a 3rd example. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen during startup of a sub-subprocess.

(Prerequisite technology)
In the pachinko game machine of this embodiment, a plurality of games corresponding to the conventional type 1 pachinko game machine coexist. The second game is executed preferentially so that the first game and the second game as the plurality of games are not executed at the same time. In order to achieve both of these gaming features, it is equipped with a plurality of starting winning holes, a plurality of special symbol display devices, and a plurality of holding lamps. It is designed so that the number of jackpot balls in the second game is generally larger than the number of jackpot balls in the first game. For example, the second game has a higher probability of winning a jackpot with a variable probability, and the second game has a larger number of unit games that constitute a special game in the event of a jackpot (the opening time of the jackpot is longer). A long open unit game with a long opening time and a short open unit game with a short opening time are mixed in one special game, and even if the number of unit games is the same, the second game is more long open unit game than the first game. (including cases where the number of games is large), the second game is designed to have a relatively higher profit than the first game. On top of that, we created a gameplay in which you aim for the first hit in the first game, and after you are given time savings by hitting the jackpot in the first game, you repeat the aim in the second game to get more balls. Realize.

FIG. 1 shows the basic structure of the front side of a pachinko gaming machine. The pachinko gaming machine 100 mainly consists of a gaming machine frame and a gaming board. The gaming machine frame of the pachinko gaming machine 100 includes an outer frame 101, a front frame 102, a transparent plate 103, a door 104, an upper ball tray 105, a lower ball tray 106, a firing handle 107, a speaker 108, a production button 109, a cross key 110, Includes a decorative lamp 111. The outer frame 101 has an opening and is a frame body for fixing the Pachinko gaming machine 100 at a position where it is to be installed. The front frame 102 is a frame body that matches the opening of the outer frame 101, and is attached to the outer frame 101 so as to be openable and closable by a hinge mechanism (not shown). The front frame 102 includes a mechanism for firing game balls, a mechanism for removably housing a game board, a mechanism for guiding or collecting game balls, and the like.

The transparent plate 103 is made of glass or the like, and is supported by the door 104. The door 104 is attached to the front frame 102 so as to be openable and closable by a hinge mechanism (not shown). The upper ball tray 105 has a mechanism for storing game balls, delivering the game balls to the firing rail, and extracting the game balls to the lower ball tray 106. The lower ball tray 106 has a mechanism for storing and extracting game balls. Speakers 108 are provided on the left and right sides of the upper part of the door 104, and output sound effects and music according to the game state and the performance by a means for controlling the performance. Most of the resin member making up the exterior of the door 104 is semi-transparent, and a decorative lamp 111 is provided inside the transparent part. The decorative lamp 111 is an LED that emits light in various colors depending on the game state, the performance, etc. by means of controlling the performance, and plays the role of the performance by blinking or the like.

The game board 80 has a first starting port 11, a second starting port 12, a big winning port 20, a first operating port 31, a second operating port 32, and a general winning port 33 on a gaming area 81 divided by a rail 82. , an outlet 34, a performance display device 60, and a center decoration 64. The center decoration 64 is a decorative resin member provided so as to form a screen frame of the effect display device 60 over approximately the central part of the game area 81, its upper part, and the right side, and is a decorative resin member provided to form a screen frame of the effect display device 60, and serves as a flow path for the game ball, and the effect display device. It has 60 protection, decoration, etc. functions. A stage 65 is formed at the bottom of the center decoration 64 on which the game balls that have flown in roll, and depending on the way the balls roll, the falling direction from the stage 65 is the direction in which the ball enters the first starting port 11 and the direction in which the ball enters the first starting port 11. The ball is distributed to the side where the ball does not enter the ball. A movable accessory 66 is provided on the upper part of the center decoration 64, which is driven and performs a performance action according to the content of the performance. In the game area 81, mechanisms such as a plurality of game nails and windmills (not shown) are installed to form a flow path for game balls. In addition, in this specification, "hitting a ball," "winning a prize," and "falling in" may be mutually synonymous. In addition, each winning hole and each ball entry hole may be configured with a type of "passing hole" (also called a "gate" or "through chucker") through which the game ball passes; ”, “Award”, “Failure” and “Pass” may also be used as synonymous with each other.

The first starting hole 11 is provided as a starting winning hole corresponding to the first game, and the second starting opening 12 is provided as a starting winning hole corresponding to the second game. The first starting port 11 and the second starting port 12 are configured so that it is possible for the player to aim the ball into one of them by changing the firing strength or weakness of the game ball according to the player's intention. The first starting port 11 is provided approximately at the lower center of the gaming area 81, and the second starting port 12 is provided directly below the first starting port 11. If the ball is hit to the left, that is, if the ball is hit relatively weakly with the aim of flowing into the left passage of the center decoration 64, the ball can or will easily enter the first starting port 11 and the second starting port 12, but if the ball is hit to the right. In other words, if the ball is hit relatively forcefully with the aim of flowing toward the right-hand passage of the center decoration 64, the ball can or will easily enter the second starting port 12, but it will not be able to enter the first starting port 11. A channel is formed by arranging the game nails so that it is difficult for the ball to enter. However, under normal conditions, the upper part of the opening of the second starting port 12 is covered by the first starting port 11, preventing the inflow of game balls, so unless the expansion mechanism of the second starting port 12 is opened, the second starting port 12, it is impossible or difficult to enter the ball. The win/fail lottery is a lottery to determine whether or not to move to a special game that is more advantageous to the player than the normal game, and is performed every time a ball enters the first starting port 11 or the second starting port 12. Ru.

In addition, the first starting port 11 and the second starting port 12 may be provided at positions separated from each other to the extent that it is possible to target either one depending on the firing strength of the game ball. The first starting port 11 and the second starting port 12 may be installed separately on the left and right sides of the gaming area 81, respectively, so that a game ball aimed at one is difficult to enter the other. For example, the first starting port 11 is provided at a position where the ball can enter the ball or enter the ball easily when the ball is shot to the left, that is, when the ball is shot relatively weakly so as to flow toward the left passage of the center decoration 64. The second starting port 12 is provided at a position where the ball can enter or easily enter the ball when the ball is shot to the right, that is, when the ball is shot relatively strongly and aimed to flow to the right side passage of the center decoration 64.

The first starting port 11 includes a first starting winning detection device 16. The first starting winning detection device 16 is a sensor that detects the entry of a game ball into the first starting opening 11, and generates first starting winning information indicating the ball entering when the ball enters. The second starting port 12 includes a second starting winning prize detection device 17, an ordinary electric accessory 90 (so-called electric tulip) which is an expansion mechanism, and an ordinary electric accessory solenoid 91 for opening and closing the ordinary electric accessory 90. Be prepared. The second starting winning detection device 17 is a sensor that detects the entry of a game ball into the second starting opening 12, and generates second starting winning information indicating the ball entering when the ball enters.

The first operating port 31 is provided at a position on the left side of the game area 81 and includes a first passage detection device 36. The first passage detection device 36 is a sensor that detects the passage of the game ball to the first operating port 31, and generates passage information indicating the passage at the time of passage. The second operating port 32 is provided on the right side of the game area 81 and includes a second passage detection device 37. The second passage detection device 37 is a sensor that detects the passage of the game ball to the second operating port 32, and generates passage information indicating the passage at the time of passage. Passage of the game ball to the first operating port 31 or the second operating port 32 usually triggers an opening lottery to determine whether or not to expand the electric accessory 90. When the game ball passes through the first operating port 31 or the second operating port 32, a normal symbol, which is a symbol indicating the determination result of the open lottery, is displayed in a fluctuating manner on the normal symbol display section 45. Therefore, the open lottery is also called the "normal symbol lottery." After a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the fluctuation, the fluctuation display of the normal symbol stops. When the normal symbol stops at the winning symbol, the normal electric accessory 90 is expanded by the driving force of the ordinary electric accessory solenoid 91, increasing the possibility of the ball entering the second starting port 12. In addition, as a modified example, the number of actuating ports may be one and it may be provided at a position on the left side of the gaming area 81.

The three general winning holes 33 are each equipped with a general winning detection device 38 for detecting the entry of game balls. The general winning prize detection device 38 is a sensor that detects the entry of a game ball into the general winning opening 33, and generates general winning information indicating the entering of the ball when the ball enters.

The grand prize opening 20 includes a grand prize detection device 25 for detecting the entry of a game ball, and a grand prize opening solenoid 92 for opening and closing the grand prize opening 20. The big winning detection device 25 is a sensor that detects when a game ball enters the big winning opening 20, and generates big winning opening prize information indicating the ball entering when the ball enters the big winning opening. The big winning hole 20 is a horizontally rectangular winning hole that opens as a "jackpot" when the first special symbol 51 or the second special symbol 52 stops in a predetermined manner. The big prize opening 20 is provided at the upper right position of the out opening 34. In addition, as a modification, another grand prize opening may be provided at the lower center of the gaming area 81 or above or below the grand prize opening 20, and a plurality of grand prize openings may be provided. The out port 34 is a discharge port through which game balls that have not entered any of the winning ports are discharged, and is equipped with an out detection device 39. The out detection device 39 is a sensor that detects a game ball that passes through the out port 34 and is ejected, and generates ejection information indicating the detection at the time of detection. The out opening 34 is provided at the lowermost end of the center of the gaming area 81 so that all game balls that have not entered any of the winning openings can be guided and passed through. A specification may be adopted in which a plurality of out detection devices 39 are arranged side by side while ensuring a game ball passage with a sufficient width to prevent ball clogging in the out port 34.

A symbol display unit 120 is arranged outside and below the game area 81 on the game board 80. The symbol display unit 120 includes a first special symbol display section 41, a second special symbol display section 42, a first special symbol reservation display section 71, a second special symbol reservation display section 72, a normal symbol display section 45, and a regular symbol display section 45. Display sections such as a hold display section 75, a game status display section 76, and an abnormality notification section 77 are provided. Specifically, a first special symbol display section 41 corresponding to the first game and a second special symbol display section 42 corresponding to the second game are arranged side by side in the lower left position, and the first special symbol 51 and the fluctuation of the second special symbol 52 are displayed.

The first special symbol 51 is a symbol corresponding to the determination result of the first winning/failure lottery triggered by the entry of a game ball into the first starting port 11, and when it is stopped in a predetermined winning manner, the special game A jackpot will occur. The second special symbol 52 is a symbol corresponding to the determination result of the second winning lottery triggered by the entry of a game ball into the second starting port 12, and when the game ball is stopped in a predetermined winning manner, the special game A jackpot will occur. The first special symbol display section 41 and the second special symbol display section 42 are, for example, 8-segment LEDs consisting of 8 segments, 7 segments forming a "figure 8" and 1 segment representing a "dot". This is a display device. An 8-segment LED can represent 8-bit numerical values by combining 8 segments. The first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52, which are represented by a combination of segments, are not necessarily in the form of letters or numbers, and may be symbols formed by a combination of segments that generally have no meaning. . These symbols are replaced one after another at high speed and displayed on the first special symbol display section 41 and the second special symbol display section 42, or a predetermined display (e.g. "-") and non-display (e.g. all lights out) are displayed. By displaying the symbol corresponding to the determination result after repeating for a predetermined period of time, the symbol fluctuation display of the first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52 is realized. The first special symbol display section 41 and the second special symbol display section 42 are not 8-segment LEDs but LED dot arrays, and a plurality of types of first special symbol 51 and second special symbol 51 and second special symbol are displayed by combining the lighting patterns and lighting colors. A special pattern 52 may also be expressed.

In addition, since the first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52 do not necessarily have to have a dramatic role, in this embodiment, the first special symbol display section 41 and the second special symbol at the lower left of the gaming area 81 It is displayed in an inconspicuous size on the display section 42. However, if a method is adopted in which the special design itself has a dramatic role and is expressed without using a decorative design, the special design will be displayed on another display device such as a liquid crystal display instead of an 8-segment LED. It is also possible to have a configuration in which the

Above the first special symbol display section 41, a first special symbol reservation display section 71 is provided as a reservation lamp for special symbol fluctuations corresponding to the first game, and above the second special symbol display section 42, a second special symbol display section 71 is provided. A second special symbol pending display section 72 is provided as a pending lamp for special symbol variations corresponding to the game. The first special figure pending display section 71 consists of two lamps, and the number of pending lottery values in the first game (hereinafter, the number of pending lottery values) is determined by the number of lights or blinking lamps. (also simply referred to as the "pending number"). The number of reservations in the first special symbol reservation display section 71 is the number of times (number) of lottery values obtained based on winnings in the first start opening 11 while the first special symbol 51 is changing or the special game is being executed. Yes, indicating the number of winning balls for which symbol variation has not yet been executed. The second special figure reservation display section 72 also consists of two lamps, and displays the number of reservations in the second game by the number of lights or blinking lamps. The number of reservations in the second special symbol reservation display section 72 is the number of times (number) of lottery values obtained based on winnings in the second start opening 12 while the second special symbol 52 is changing or the special game is being executed. Yes, indicating the number of winning balls for which symbol variation has not yet been executed. The number of pending lottery values is also displayed at the bottom of the screen of the effect display device 60 in the form of the number of lit pending lamp images.

A normal symbol display section 45 is provided on the right side of the symbol display unit 120. For convenience, the normal symbol display section 45 is composed of two lamps, and the display state of the normal symbol is expressed by the lighting combination of these lamps. First, the fluctuation of the normal symbol is expressed by flashing the first lamp and the second lamp at the same time, and finally the stop symbol of the normal symbol is expressed by the combination of the lighting states of the first lamp and the second lamp. is expressed. For example, a winning stop pattern is expressed by turning on the first lamp and turning off the second lamp, a first winning mode is expressed by turning off the first lamp and turning on the second lamp, and a winning pattern is expressed by turning off the first lamp and turning off the second lamp. The second hit mode is expressed by lighting both the lamp and the second lamp.

Further, on the right side of the normal symbol display section 45, a normal symbol holding display section 75 is provided as a holding lamp for normal symbol fluctuations. The normal symbol holding display section 75 also includes two lamps, and displays the number of pending normal symbol variations based on the number of lights lit or the number of blinking lamps. The pending number of normal symbol fluctuations is the number of game balls that passed through the first operating port 31 or the second operating port 32 during the normal symbol fluctuation, and the number of normal symbol drawings in which the normal symbol fluctuation has not yet been executed. shows.

The symbol display unit 120 is provided with a game status display section 76 and an abnormality notification section 77. The gaming state display section 76 is a display section that displays a display corresponding to a gaming state such as a specific gaming state described later, and is composed of, for example, one lamp and one 7-segment LED. For example, each game status is notified by lighting up a lamp when the probability is changing, blinking when the ball is in an easy-to-enter state, and turning off the lamp when it is in a normal state, and a 7-segment LED when a special game is being executed. The number of unit games (number of rounds) to be executed in that special game is displayed. The abnormality notification unit 77 is a display unit that reports an abnormality in a part of the gaming machine, and is composed of, for example, a plurality of lamps, and reports an abnormality using a lighting pattern depending on the type of abnormality. Note that these display sections may not be arranged together in the symbol etc. display unit 120, but each display section may be configured individually, or may be configured separately into a plurality of display devices grouped together as appropriate. Further, the notification of a gaming state such as a specific gaming state may be configured to be limited to a predetermined period of time, such as a certain period of time after recovery from a power-off, for example.

An effect display device 60 is provided approximately in the center of the game area 81 so that the screen is exposed from a screen frame formed by a center decoration 64, and displays a decorative pattern 61 linked to the first special pattern 51 or the second special pattern 52. Displays changes in the included effect images. Hereinafter, such a display will be referred to as a "symbol variation" or "variable display".

The performance display device 60 is a display device configured with a liquid crystal display that displays a decorative pattern 61 in a variable manner in conjunction with the variable display of the first special pattern 51 or the second special pattern 52. The decorative pattern 61 is a pattern for visually presenting the determination result display of the lottery shown by the first special pattern 51 and the second special pattern 52. The effect display device 60 displays, as a decorative pattern 61, a moving image in which a plurality of rows of symbols, simulating a slot machine game, fluctuate, for example, in the central area of the screen. In this embodiment, symbols consisting of numbers "0" to "9" are displayed in three rows and are varied, and a win or a miss is indicated by a combination of three symbols that are finally stopped and displayed. Each of the plurality of designs constituting the decorative design 61 is composed of numbers, letters, or symbols decorated with colors or patterns, but there is a picture or design common to all the designs for these numbers, letters, and symbols. It may be configured by adding different designs to each and integrating them. This pattern is a pattern depicting a motif related to the theme of decoration or performance set for the relevant model of Pachinko gaming machine 100, and may be a pattern depicting a human or animal character, for example. The decorative pattern 61 can be switched in accordance with the development of the production, between a case where a pattern including the pattern is displayed in a variable manner, and a case where the pattern is separated and only numbers, letters, and symbols are displayed in a variable manner. The configuration may be such that the In the background of the fluctuating display of the decorative patterns 61, a moving image having a presentation effect related to the decoration or presentation theme set for the relevant model of the Pachinko game machine 100 is displayed in conjunction with the pattern fluctuations.

The effect display device 60 is composed of a liquid crystal display that is a high-definition dot matrix type display device, and the width of its display area may be about half the width of the game area, or it may be large enough to be more than half the width of the game area. There may be. In the case of a large size, the game ball path on the right side of the performance display device is formed with a width that allows one game ball to pass through, and if the player hits the ball with maximum strength in what is called a "right-handed hit", it will almost certainly go through the right path. It is possible to pass the game ball to the ball, and it can be differentiated from what is called "left-handed hitting." The effect display device 60 may be configured not only by a single display device but also by a combination of a plurality of display devices. In the case of multiple displays, displays of different sizes may be combined, such as a combination of a main liquid crystal and a sub liquid crystal, and the sub liquid crystal may be placed adjacent to the main liquid crystal, or a position other than the game board, such as a firing handle. (upper sphere, right side decorative lamp, etc.). When installed near the firing handle, it may be configured in the form of a touch panel that allows the player to input operations. The effect display device 60 is not limited to a liquid crystal display, and may be configured with a display device such as an organic EL display, or may be configured with a mechanical display means such as a drum rotating type, or a display means such as an LED matrix type. .

The performance button 109 is an operation input means that is pressed by the player to input a predetermined instruction to the gaming machine according to the content of the performance, and changes are added to the content of the performance etc. in accordance with the manner in which the button is pressed. The production button 109 is provided in the front frame 102. The effect button 109 is normally stored in the front frame 102, but a rod-shaped member is attached to the back side of the effect button 109, and the rod-shaped member and the effect button 109 are arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the board surface. It is provided so that it can be protruded. The rod-shaped member and the performance button 109 function as a performance lever 112 in a state of protruding to the outside, and the player can grasp the performance button 109 and pull the performance lever 112 downward. This also allows the player to input predetermined instructions to the gaming machine. The cross key 110 is an operation input means by which a player inputs a direction instruction to the gaming machine, and is provided on the left outer wall surface of the upper ball tray 105.

The gaming method and control flow performed in the gaming machine configured as described above will be outlined. When the player manually rotates the firing handle 107, the game balls stored in the upper ball tray 105 are guided one by one by the rail 82 and fired into the game area 81 with a strength corresponding to the rotation angle. . When the player manually fixes the rotational position of the firing handle 107, the firing of game balls is repeated at regular time intervals. A game ball launched to the upper part of the game area 81 hits a plurality of game nails, a windmill, a center decoration 64, etc., and falls in a direction depending on how it hits. When a game ball falls into each winning hole of the general winning hole 33, the first starting hole 11, the second starting hole 12, and the big winning hole 20, the prize ball depending on the type of winning hole is placed in the upper ball tray 105 or the lower ball tray. The ball is dispensed into the ball tray 106. A game ball that has fallen into each winning hole such as the general winning hole 33 is treated as a safe ball, and a game ball that has fallen into the out hole 34 is treated as an out ball. The discharge of the safe ball may be excluded from detection by the out detection device 39, or the safe ball may also be guided to an area where the out detection device 39 is provided, and all discharged therefrom will be detected by the out detection device 39. You can also use it as Alternatively, a specification may be adopted in which the number of safe balls detected and the number of detected out balls is added to the number of detected out balls as the number of ejected balls, without guiding safe balls and detecting safe balls by the out detection device 39.

Further, when the game ball passes through the first operating port 31 or the second operating port 32, the normal symbol is displayed in a variable manner in the normal symbol display section 45, and is stopped and displayed after a variable display time determined prior to display has elapsed. When the normal symbols are stopped and displayed in the first winning mode or the second winning mode, the normal electric accessories 90 are expanded based on the winning mode of the stopped and displayed symbols and the game state when the symbols were stopped and displayed. . That is, when the gaming state when the symbols are stopped is the normal gaming state and the normal symbols are stopped and displayed in the first winning mode, a short opening of 0.1 seconds is executed as the opening of the normal electric accessory 90. In addition, if the normal symbol is stopped and displayed in the first winning mode during a specific game state (for example, easy ball entry state), the normal symbol will be displayed in the second winning mode during normal and specific gaming states (for example, easy ball entry state). When the stop display is displayed, a long opening of 6 seconds is executed as the opening of the electric accessory 90. Here, the winning probability of the normal symbol and the execution probability of the long open are set to differ depending on the gaming state. Specifically, in the opening lottery in the normal state, the normal symbol will win with a probability of 1/100, and in that case, the probability of executing the short opening (probability that the winning symbol in the first winning mode will be selected) is 1/100. 3. The execution probability of long opening (probability of selecting a winning symbol in the second winning mode) is set to 2/3. In addition, in an open lottery in a specific gaming state (for example, an easy-to-enter state), the normal symbol will win with a probability of 99/100, and the selection probabilities of the first winning mode and the second winning mode are the same as in the normal gaming state. However, it is set so that the long opening will be executed no matter which way the prize is won. In this way, in the easy entry state, there is a function to change the winning probability of the normal symbol (probability changes from 1/100 to 99/100) and a function to extend the opening time (the opening time when stopped and displayed in the first winning mode is 0). .1 seconds to 6.0 seconds), it is easier to enter the second starting port 12. Note that the function (long opening) for extending the operating period of the normal electric accessory 90 is sometimes referred to as "opening extension".

In addition, as mentioned above, by setting the probability of long opening in the normal state to be higher than the probability of short opening, when the normal symbol is won, long opening will be executed at a certain rate even in the normal state. . As a modified example, in the normal state, the probability of short opening may be higher than the probability of long opening, or the probability of both may be the same, or the specification may be such that short opening always occurs. good. Furthermore, when the ball is in the easy-to-enter state, it may be configured to use three functions, including a function to shorten the fluctuation time of the normal symbols, to enhance the ease of entering the ball into the second starting port 12. In this case, the normal symbol fluctuation time is, for example, 10 seconds in the normal state and 2 seconds in the easy ball entry state. Note that the winning probability of the opening lottery in the normal state may be set to zero (0/100), and the normal electric accessory 90 may be expanded only when the opening lottery is held in the easy entry state. Furthermore, when the normal electric accessory 90 expands, it may be notified in advance, or the suspension of the normal symbol change may be predicted and the notification may be made before the normal symbol begins to change, or the normal symbol change may be notified in advance. It may be notified during the fluctuation.

As a modification of the opening mode when the normal electric accessory 90 of the second starting port 12 is opened for a long time, the total opening time is increased to about 6 seconds by repeating the opening for 2 seconds, which is longer than the short opening, three times. It may also be a mode. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of combinations of opening time and number of openings are prepared and one is selected. For example, when opening for 2 seconds three times, the total opening time is the same as when opening for 6 seconds once, but if the interval period is included, the former is longer than the latter. Therefore, especially in the configuration of the modified example in which the second starting port 12 is arranged in the right-handed direction, if the player notices the opening and changes the direction of ball hitting from that point on to the second starting port 12, the ball will enter the ball better in the former. It can be said that there is a long chance. Further, it may be configured such that there are a plurality of winning types of normal symbols, and the opening mode of the expanding mechanism may be different depending on the winning type. For example, when the normal symbol becomes the first hit, in the normal state it is opened for 0.1 seconds once, in the easy entry state it is opened for 1 second three times, and when it becomes the second hit, the normal state is In this case, the ball may be opened for 6 seconds once, and the ball may be opened for 2 seconds twice in the easy-to-enter state.

On the other hand, when the ball enters the first starting port 11 or the second starting port 12, the first special symbol 51, the second special symbol 52, , and a decorative pattern 61 are displayed in a variable manner. The variable display of the first special symbol 51, the second special symbol 52, and the decorative symbol 61 is stopped after the variable display time determined prior to display has elapsed. The first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52 are displayed in a variable manner according to a predetermined variation pattern from the start to the stop of the variation. The decorative pattern 61 is displayed in a variable manner according to a variable effect pattern in which the manner of variation from the start to the stop of the variation is determined. Multiple types of variation patterns and variation presentation patterns are prepared, and each has varying lengths of time. While the first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52 are variably displayed in accordance with the variation pattern, the decorative symbol 61 is variably displayed in accordance with the variation performance pattern having the same variation time. For each variation pattern, a variation display time is determined for each pattern as an end condition for the symbol variation, and the first special symbol 51, second special symbol 52, and decorative symbol 61 change when the variation display time elapses. will be stopped. Hereinafter, while illustrating the variable display of the decorative symbols 61 displayed according to the variable effect pattern, the variable effect pattern will be briefly explained. Note that details such as a method of determining the fluctuation pattern and the fluctuation effect pattern will be explained separately.

As an example of the fluctuating display of the decorative symbols 61, first, when the fluctuation starts, the symbols in all three rows are fluctuated, like the rotation of the reels of a slot machine, and when the fluctuation end timing is approached, the symbols are stopped one by one, so that the final stop mode is achieved. Display the symbol combination as. In addition, as for the operation when the decorative pattern 190 stops fluctuating, it may be controlled to stop multiple rows at the same time instead of one row at a time to draw attention to a performance display other than the decorative pattern during the fluctuating display, or in a shorter fluctuating time. It may also be possible to display symbol variations. In addition, as an operation when the decorative pattern 190 starts to fluctuate, the start of fluctuation of some columns is controlled to be delayed depending on the subsequent development of the fluctuation (type of performance pattern, etc.) to create a sense of anticipation. You can also do this.

Next, the variable performance pattern will be briefly explained. The variable performance patterns include a normal out-of-reach performance pattern, a reach-out performance pattern, and a reach-out jackpot performance pattern. The normal winning performance pattern is a performance pattern when displaying a normal winning symbol combination. The out-of-reach performance pattern is a performance pattern when displaying an out-of-reach symbol combination after going through a reach-in state in which a jackpot is achieved if one more symbol is aligned. The reach jackpot performance pattern is a performance pattern when displaying a jackpot symbol combination after reaching the reach state. In particular, the patterns that go through the reach state include patterns with varying lengths of time, and reach patterns with relatively short fluctuation times are called "normal reach," and reach patterns with long fluctuation times are called "super reach." ”. The normal out-of-reach performance pattern, out-of-reach performance pattern, and reach-to-reach jackpot performance pattern each include a normal pattern that is displayed in a normal state and a time-saving pattern that is displayed in a time-saving state. However, even in the normal state, if the second symbol fluctuation corresponds to the ball entering the second starting port 12, the probability that the jackpot will change in probability or the probability that the number of unit games in the special game will increase will increase. Since this can be said to be a higher chance state than the first fluctuation corresponding to the ball entering the first starting hole 11, a pattern for chance performance may be used that indicates that there is a chance of a relatively advantageous jackpot. In the embodiment, a time saving pattern is used in the time saving state, but since time saving is involved in the variable probability state, the time saving pattern is also used in the variable probability state. However, in a modified example, a pattern for variable probability, which is different from that for time saving, may be used in the variable probability state. Alternatively, a specification may be adopted in which a common pattern is used for time saving and variable probability, or a specification in which a pattern for variable probability is used in a variable probability state without using a pattern for time saving.

In addition, when the number of pending lottery results reaches a predetermined number (for example, 3 pieces), the symbol variation time in the case of a loss is shortened (hereinafter also referred to as "shortened variation") in order to improve gaming efficiency. Similarly, when the number of pending winning/failure drawings becomes 4, the symbol fluctuation time in the case of a miss is further shortened compared to the above case of 3 symbols (hereinafter also referred to as "super shortened fluctuation") in order to further improve gaming efficiency. ). When the first special symbol 51, second special symbol 52, and decorative symbol 61 at the time of stopping become a stopping state indicating a jackpot after the above-mentioned symbol fluctuations, the game state is more advantageous to the player than the normal game. The game shifts to a special game, and the opening/closing operation of the big prize opening 20 is started. The stopping mode of the decorative pattern 61 indicating a jackpot is, for example, a mode in which three types of symbols match.

There are two types of special games: a normal special game and a shortened special game, and there is a large difference in the profits depending on the winning prize balls. A normal special game is started by displaying an effect screen called a start demonstration time. After the start demonstration time is displayed on the screen, the big prize opening 20 is opened, and after the opening continues for about 30 seconds, or after nine or more game balls have fallen, it is temporarily closed. The process from opening to closing of the big prize opening 20 is basically called a unit game, but the opening may be repeated for a plurality of short times during one unit game. After the opening/closing of the big prize opening 20 or the unit game is repeated a predetermined number of times, for example, 4 or 10 times, the normal special game is ended by displaying an effect screen called an end demonstration time. Normally, in special games, you can fully expect 9 or more balls to enter per unit game, and you can get enough prize balls (also called "balls put out") in 10 unit games, making a big profit. is obtained. A special game in which unit games are repeated 10 times is also appropriately referred to as a "10R jackpot", and a special game in which unit games are repeated 4 times is also appropriately referred to as a "4R jackpot". Although the unit game is repeated 10 times, in some unit games, the big prize opening 20 is opened for a shorter time than usual (for example, 1.6 seconds), so that the unit game is actually repeated a small number of times. It is also possible to realize a normal special game (sometimes referred to as "substantial nR jackpot") similar to the above.

On the other hand, in the shortened special game, the start demonstration time and the end demonstration time are short or almost non-existent (such as 0.1 seconds), and the big prize opening 20 is opened for only 1.6 seconds in one unit game. This unit game is repeated twice and the shortened special game is completed. In the shortened special game, the opening of the big winning hole 20 for a very short time is repeated only twice, so very few balls can enter the big winning hole 20, and the number of balls that come out is almost zero or a small number (for example, only a few balls). This is a special game where the number of payouts is equal to the number of payouts depending on the number of balls that enter in one round, such as about 10 balls to about 1 to 2 balls per round. A special game in which two unit games are repeated is also appropriately referred to as a "2R jackpot". Although the number of unit games is the same as the normal special game, it is also possible to realize a shortened special game by opening the big prize opening 20 for a shorter time than usual in all unit games.

In addition, if the first special symbol 51 or the second special symbol 52 and the decorative symbol 61 at the time of stopping are in a predetermined small winning mode after the above-mentioned symbol fluctuations, a small winning game consisting of one unit game is played. Then, the opening/closing operation of the big prize opening 20 is executed. In one unit game constituting a small winning game, the big prize opening 20 is opened for only about 1.6 seconds, and the operation mode is similar in appearance to a 2R jackpot.

When a special game occurs and the winning stop symbol at that time is in a specific form (for example, "777"), after the special game ends, a probability change, which is one of the specific games, is further started. During probability change, a lottery with a higher probability of winning than in a normal probability state is performed, and a new special game can occur relatively early. It should be noted that the fact that the determination result of the winning lottery is a specific jackpot, that is, a jackpot with variable probability, may not be clearly indicated on the appearance, and may be in a latent probability variable state in which it is not explicitly reported as a decorative pattern or performance content. In that case, even if the game is changing with certainty, the effect display device 60 does not clearly indicate whether it is changing with certainty or not. Note that when a predetermined condition is met, it may be clearly indicated on the effect display device 60 whether the change is definite or non-definite.

In the normal game after the special game ends, an easy-to-enter state that is one of the specific game states is started. In the easy-to-enter state, the winning probability of the opening lottery is increased more than usual, and an opening extension is executed in which the opening time of the normal electric accessory 90 is extended. Not only can the number of hits of normal symbols per certain period of time increase, but also the ease of entering the second starting port 12 increases, so there is a high possibility that the number of balls entering the second starting port 12 will increase. Therefore, the chances of winning a prize ball by entering the second starting port 12 increase, and as a result, it becomes possible to continue playing the game while hardly reducing the number of balls that you have or gradually increasing the number of balls that you have.

In the ball entry easy state, as one of the specific game states, so-called time saving is further executed in which the variation time of the first special symbol 51, second special symbol 52, and decorative symbol 61 is shortened compared to the normal state. The fluctuation time of the first special symbol 51, the second special symbol 52, and the decorative symbol 61 is returned to the original fluctuation time after a predetermined number of fluctuations, for example, 100 fluctuations, is reached. If a jackpot occurs beforehand, the time saving will end once. In time saving, the variation time of the first special symbol 51, second special symbol 52, and decorative symbol 61 is shortened, so compared to the normal state where the symbol variations are made with the normal variation time, it takes until the jackpot occurs. It is possible to shorten the time and relatively increase the ease of winning a jackpot. In a modified example, a specification may be adopted in which the time saving of the special symbol is not carried out in the ball entry easy state.

FIG. 2 shows the basic structure of the Pachinko gaming machine on the back side. The power switch 150 is a switch that turns on and off the power of the pachinko gaming machine 100. The main board 200 controls the overall operation of the Pachinko gaming machine 100, and processes overall gaming operations, particularly the lottery when a prize is won in the first starting port 11 and the second starting port 12. The sub-board 300 includes a liquid crystal unit 151, controls the display content on the effect display device 60, and in particular changes the effect-like display content according to the determination result by the main board 200. The back setting mechanism 152 includes a prize ball tank 153, a flow path for prize balls, a payout device 154 for paying out prize balls, and the like. The payout device 154 pays out game balls supplied from the prize ball tank 153 to the upper ball tray 105 in response to winnings to each winning hole. The payout control board 155 controls the payout operation by the payout device 154. The firing device 156 fires the balls stored in the upper ball tray 105 into the game area 81 one ball at a time. The firing control board 157 controls the firing operation of the firing device 156. The power supply board 158 supplies power to each part of the pachinko gaming machine 100. A performance display section 159 is provided on the main board 200. The performance display section 159 is composed of four 7-segment LEDs that display, for example, a four-digit number, which indicates the ratio of the total number of awarded balls to the total number of fired balls, which is the sum of safe balls and out balls.

A setting change device 170 is provided on the main board 200 . The setting change device 170 is a device for changing settings to any one of a plurality of settings (also referred to as game settings) corresponding to a plurality of game specifications. For example, six levels of settings (settings 1 to 6) are prepared as game settings, and the probability of winning the jackpot can be varied depending on the game settings. Specifically, the larger the numerical value among settings 1 to 6, the more advantageous the game specifications can be to the player.If the jackpot probabilities from settings 1 to 6 are M1 to M6, then M1≦M2≦M3. The jackpot probability for each setting can be determined so that ≦M4≦M5≦M6. It is not essential to assign different jackpot probabilities to different game settings, and the jackpot probabilities may be the same between different game settings. For example, the same jackpot probability may be assigned to all game settings from setting 1 to setting 6.

The setting change device 170 includes a setting key cylinder 171 into which a setting key held by an employee of the game parlor is inserted, a setting change button 172 for changing the setting to one of a plurality of game settings, and a setting value that is set. It includes a setting display section 173 that lights up and displays, and a setting memory that stores set setting values. The setting key cylinder 171 is a turnkey type switch for transitioning to a state in which settings can be changed (hereinafter referred to as "setting change state") or a state in which settings can be confirmed (hereinafter referred to as "setting confirmation state"). First, turn off the power switch 150, insert a setting key into the setting key cylinder 171, turn the setting key to turn it on, and then turn on the power switch 150 to transition to a setting change state or a setting confirmation state. To shift to the setting change state, turn on the power switch 150 while pressing down the RAM clear switch (sometimes referred to as "RWM clear switch"). On the other hand, to shift to the setting confirmation state, turn on the power switch 150 without pressing the RAM clear switch.

When transitioning to the setting change state, the number "1" indicating setting 1 is displayed as the initial value of the game setting on the setting display section 173, and the setting can be changed by pressing the setting change button 172. The setting display section 173 is composed of a 7-segment LED that displays a one-digit number. Each time the setting change button 172 is pressed once, the setting values displayed on the setting display section 173 are changed in the order of 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 1 → . When the setting key inserted into the setting key cylinder 171 is returned to the OFF state after changing the setting, the setting value displayed on the setting display section 173 at that time is stored in the setting memory and the setting change is confirmed. , the state becomes playable. On the other hand, when transitioning to the setting confirmation state, the setting values stored in the setting memory are displayed on the setting display section 173. In the setting confirmation state, even if the setting change button 172 is pressed, the setting value displayed on the setting display section 173 does not change, and the setting cannot be changed. Thereafter, when the setting key inserted into the setting key cylinder 171 is returned to its original state and turned off, the game becomes ready for playing. Note that when the setting key is turned off and the game is enabled, the setting display section 173 turns off and the current setting value cannot be visually recognized.

Note that the setting change button 172 may also be used as a RAM clear switch. In this case, if the power is turned on while the RAM clear switch is pressed while the setting key is not turned (setting key off state), RAM clearing is executed. On the other hand, if the power is turned on while the RAM clear switch is pressed while the setting key is turned (setting key on state), the RAM clear is executed and the setting change state is entered. Furthermore, if the power is turned on without the RAM clear switch being pressed while the setting key is off, the power is restored without clearing the RAM. On the other hand, if the power is turned on without pressing the RAM clear switch in the setting key-on state, the state shifts to the setting confirmation state. Further, the setting display section 173 may also be used as the performance display section 159. In this case, the dual-purpose display section may function as the performance display section 159 in the game-enabled state, and may function as the setting display section 173 in the setting change state or setting confirmation state. Alternatively, the setting change device 170 may not be provided so that game settings cannot be changed.

<Functional block>
FIG. 3 shows functional blocks of the pachinko gaming machine 100. Hereinafter, the functions realized using each configuration will be explained, but in this specification, in order to match the physical configuration and the functional configuration, for example, the main board 200, the payout control board 155, the firing control board 157, etc., the physical configuration For convenience, the terminology may be used as is for parts that have already been explained.

The pachinko gaming machine 100 includes a power supply board 158 that generates power to be used within the gaming machine based on alternating current power (AC 24V, etc.) supplied from outside the gaming machine, and a main control device that controls the basic operations of the game and the progress of the game. A main board 200 as a main board 200, a payout control board 155 as a frame control device that controls the payout of prize balls, a launch control board 157 that controls the launch of game balls into the gaming area, and a control board 157 that controls performance operations and processing. It is configured in such a manner that functions are shared with a sub-board 300 as a sub-control device.

The main board 200 includes a first starting port 11, a second starting port 12, a special winning port 20, a first operating port 31, a second operating port 32, and a group of general winning ports (first general winning port 33a, second general winning port). It is electrically connected to the opening 33b), the output opening 34, the symbol display unit 120, and the external information output terminal 160, and transmits and receives various control signals therebetween. The payout control board 155 is electrically connected to the main board 200, the launch control board 157, and the payout device 154. The payout control board 155 indirectly controls the launch control board 157 by transmitting a launch permission signal to the launch control board 157 based on signals indicating the prize ball payout and the control status of the main board 200 transmitted from the main board 200. At the same time, it also controls the payout of prize balls by the payout device 154. The dispensing device 154 includes a dispensing motor 166 and a ball counting sensor 167. The launch control board 157 is electrically connected to the payout control board 155, the launch device 156, and the ball sending device 164, and controls the ball sending device 164 and the ball sending device 164 based on a shooting permission signal transmitted from the payout control board 155. The device 156 is controlled to fire the game ball. The sub-board 300 is electrically connected to a performance display device 60, a movable accessory 66 (drive motor 67, position detection sensor 68), a speaker 108, a performance input operation device 115 (direction button 109, cross key 110), a decorative lamp 111, etc. are connected to each other, and various control signals are sent and received between them.

Data is transmitted and received between the main board 200 and the sub-board 300 in one direction from the main board 200 to the sub-board 300. In order to realize the overall operation by transmitting and receiving data in one direction, each structure is connected to the main board 200. It is placed on the sub-board 300. Since the unidirectionality of data transmission from the main board 200 to the sub board 300 is maintained, data cannot be sent from the configuration included in the sub board 300 to the configuration included in the main board 200, and data transmission is I can't even make a request. Therefore, the sub board 300 cannot refer to the information generated by the main board 200 unless the information is transmitted. Furthermore, data is exchanged bidirectionally between the main board 200 and the payout control board 155, and between the payout control board 155 and the launch control board 157. However, as with the case between the main board 200 and the sub-board 300, data may be transmitted and received in one direction from the main board 200 to the payout control board 155, or in one direction from the payout control board 155 to the firing control board 157. It may also be configured to transmit and receive data.

In addition, each functional block included in the main board 200, payout control board 155, launch control board 157, and sub board 300 described below is merely an example, and as a modification, some functional blocks may be attached to other boards. It may be installed. For example, the functional blocks included in the main board 200 may be mounted on the sub-board 300, or the functional blocks included in the launch control board 157 may be mounted on the payout control board 155. good. Further, for example, a part of the functional blocks included in the main board 200 may be configured to be mounted on the main board 200, and the remaining part may be mounted on the payout control board 155. may be divided into a plurality of substrates to form one functional block as a whole.

<Main board 200>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the main board 200. The main board 200 includes a ball entry determination means 201, a performance display section 159, a random number generation means 202, a first lottery means 211, a second lottery means 212, a preliminary determination means 235, a regular lottery means 213, a reservation control means 240, a main Display control means 250, special game control means 260, small hit game control means 265, specific game control means 270, opening/closing control means 275, special figure adjustment means 276, main initial processing execution means 280, main power cut-off processing execution means 282, It includes a main error detection means 284, a setting change means 286, a setting confirmation means 287, and a command communication means 205.

<Ball entry determination means 201>
Ball entry determining means 201 determines whether a game ball enters each winning hole. Ball entry determination means 201 determines that the game ball has entered the first starting hole 11 when receiving the first starting winning information, and determines that the gaming ball has entered the second starting opening 12 when receiving the second starting winning information. to decide. A ball entry determining means 201 judges that the game ball has entered the large winning hole 20 when receiving the large winning hole winning information, and judges that the game ball has entered the general winning hole 33 when receiving the general winning information. The ball entry determining means 201 determines that the game ball has passed through the first operating port 31 or the second operating port 32 upon receiving the passage information. The ball entry determining means 201 determines that the game ball has passed through the out port 34 upon receiving the ejection information. The entering ball determining means 201 calculates the ratio of the total number of winning balls to the total number of launched balls, which is the sum of safe balls and out balls, and causes the performance display section 159 to display the ratio. The ball entry determining means 201 determines the number of balls paid out ÷ the number of out balls when the probability of hitting the jackpot is in a normal probability state and a normal ball entry state (so-called low probability and low ball entry state). The value of is displayed on the performance display section 159. Therefore, the performance display section 159 displays the base in the low base state.

<Random number generation means 202>
The random number generation means 202 generates random numbers for use in various decisions by the first lottery means 211, the second lottery means 212, and the common symbol lottery means 213. Specifically, the random number generation means 202 generates random numbers from "0" to "65535" as random numbers (also referred to as "win/fail lottery values") used in the win/fail lottery by the first win/fail judgment means 221 and the second win/fail judgment means 222. A random number within the range is generated by a predetermined means. Further, the random number generation means 202 generates a random number from "0" to "255" (also referred to as "symbol determination lottery value") used in symbol determination (symbol lottery) by the first symbol determination means 226 and the second symbol determination means 227. Random numbers in the range up to are generated by a predetermined means. The random number generation means 202 also generates random numbers ranging from "0" to "255" (also referred to as "fluctuation pattern determination lottery value") used in determining the fluctuation pattern by the first fluctuation pattern determination means 231 and the second fluctuation pattern determination means 232. '' is generated by a predetermined means. Further, the random number generation means 202 generates random numbers in the range from "0" to "99" by a predetermined means as random numbers to be used in the winning/failure lottery by the common symbol lottery means 213. Further, the random number generation means 202 generates random numbers in the range from "0" to "2" by a predetermined means as random numbers used when determining the normal symbol. Note that "random numbers" here include not only physical random numbers generated by a random number generation circuit and true random numbers in a mathematical sense, but also pseudorandom numbers such as random numbers using a 16-bit counter and software random numbers using a random number generation algorithm. But that's fine. Alternatively, it may be a random number generated by combining a hardware random number and a software random number. Further, the random numbers obtained by the first lottery means 211 and the second lottery means 212 may be generated by the same generation means, or may be generated by different generation means. .

<Puzu lottery means 213>
The normal symbol lottery means 213 generates a random number to be used for drawing the winning or not of the normal symbol and a random number to use for determining the stop symbol of the normal symbol when the game ball passes through the first operating port 31 or the second operating port 32. 202 and execute the lottery. The normal symbol lottery means 213 includes a normal symbol validity determination table (not shown) that is referred to for determining the validity of a regular symbol, and a regular symbol determination table (not shown) that is referred to for determining the stop symbol of a regular symbol to be displayed on the regular symbol display section 45. Hold the table. The normal symbol validity determination table defines the correspondence relationship between the lottery value for the validity lottery and the hit, and the normal symbol determination table defines the correspondence relationship between the lottery value for determining the stop symbol and the normal symbol, and as described above. The correctness of the normal symbol and the stopping symbol are determined based on the probability of winning and the probability of selecting the symbol. When the lottery value for the normal symbol winning/failure drawing corresponds to a hit, the normal symbol lottery means 213 determines the stopping symbol of the normal symbol by referring to the normal symbol determination table, and determines the lottery value for the winning/failure drawing of the normal symbol. If it corresponds to a miss, the mode of the miss symbol 1 is always determined. When the result of the judgment of the normal symbol is a hit and the normal symbol stops in a predetermined pattern (first winning mode or second winning mode), the opening/closing control means 275, which will be described later, changes the mode of the stopped symbol and the game state. The normal electric accessory 90 of the second starting port 12 is expanded accordingly. The expansion time is 0.1 seconds when the opening is short and 6 seconds when the opening is long. The lottery value of the normal symbol is temporarily suspended by a suspension control means 240, which will be described later. However, the lottery value is held on hold only if the predetermined hold limit number held by the hold control means 240 is not exceeded.

<First lottery means 211 and second lottery means 212>
The first lottery means 211 has the functions of executing the first lottery related to the first game, including a first lottery value acquisition means 216, a first success/failure determination means 221, a first symbol determination means 226, and a first variation pattern determination. The device includes means 231 and executes a first win/fail lottery as a win/fail lottery corresponding to the entry of a ball into the first starting port 11. Based on various lottery results by the first lottery means 211, the first special symbol 51 is displayed in a variable manner in the first special symbol display section 41 by the main display control means 250. Further, based on the information transmitted from the command communication means 205, the decorative pattern 61 is displayed in a variable manner in the display area of the effect display device 60. The second lottery means 212 includes a second lottery value acquisition means 217, a second validity determination means 222, a second symbol determination means 227, and a second fluctuation pattern determination means 232, and corresponds to the ball entering the second starting port 12. A second win/fail lottery is executed as a win/fail lottery. Based on various lottery results by the second lottery means 212, the main display control means 250 causes the second special symbol 52 to be displayed in a variable manner in the second special symbol display section 42. Further, based on the information transmitted from the command communication means 205, the decorative pattern 61 is displayed in a variable manner in the display area of the effect display device 60.

<First lottery value acquisition means 216 and second lottery value acquisition means 217>
The first lottery value acquisition means 216 acquires random numbers from the random number generation means 202 for various kinds of lottery and determination by the first lottery means 211 when the ball enters the first starting port 11 . Specifically, the first lottery value for determining the validity by the first validity determining means 221, the first symbol lottery value for determining the stop mode of the first special symbol 51 by the first symbol determining means 226, and the first fluctuation pattern. The first pattern lottery values for determining the fluctuation pattern (fluctuation time) of the first special symbol 51 by the determining means 231 are acquired from the respective corresponding random number generating means. The second lottery value acquisition means 217 acquires, from the random number generation means 202, random numbers for various kinds of lottery and determination by the second lottery means 212, triggered by the ball entering the second starting port 12. Specifically, the second lottery value for determining the validity by the second validity determining means 222, the second symbol lottery value for determining the stop mode of the second special symbol 52 by the second symbol determining means 227, and the second fluctuation pattern. The second pattern lottery values for determining the fluctuation pattern (fluctuation time) of the second special symbol 52 by the determining means 232 are acquired from the respective corresponding random number generating means.

The first win/fail determination means 221 executes a win/fail determination to determine whether or not to proceed to the special game based on the first win/fail lottery value. The second win/fail determination means 222 executes a win/fail determination to determine whether or not to proceed to the special game based on the second win/fail lottery value. In the win/fail judgment, more specifically, "Jackpot" indicates a transition to a special game, "Small win" indicates a transition to a small win game, and "Small win" indicates a transition to a special game or a small win game. It is determined which of the following applies. The first validity determination means 221 and the second validity determination means 222 hold a validity determination table that is referred to in the validity determination. In addition, in order to distinguish the propriety judgment performed at the time of starting symbol variation from the preliminary propriety judgment described later, it is also appropriately called "properness judgment as main judgment." Note that in this specification, the term "table" or "selection criteria" strictly refers to a table structure that defines the correspondence between a first parameter such as a lottery value and a second parameter such as a value indicating a choice. It does not only refer to data, but also broadly includes the case where such a correspondence relationship is realized by a program structure that derives a second parameter from a first parameter. Including these, the concept is essentially synonymous with "table" and is appropriately referred to as "selection criteria." In addition, when using a table structure, essentially one type of selection criteria may be configured by a combination of multiple structurally subdivided tables, but when referring to "multiple types of selection criteria", the subdivisions It indicates the actual number of types of tables, not the number of tables that are standardized.

The first validity determining means 221 and the second validity determining means 222 hold tables corresponding to respective validity determinations as validity determination tables to be referred to in the validity determination. Specifically, the validity determination table for validity determination by the first validity determination means 221 (also referred to as the "first validity determination table"), and the validity determination table for validity determination by the second validity determination means 222 ("second validity determination table"). This table is also referred to as "appropriate judgment table"), and the table to be referenced is selected depending on the appropriate judgment to be executed. In the plurality of success/failure determination tables, the determination results of jackpot, small win, and miss are associated with the win/fail lottery values, and the win/fail probability is determined according to the associated jackpot range setting. In addition, multiple types of success/failure judgment tables corresponding to a plurality of game settings are prepared, and for example, for each of the game settings from setting 1 to setting 6, the success/failure judgment table has a different correspondence between the win/fail lottery value and the win/fail judgment result. will be prepared. Note that if the probabilities of jackpot, small win, and loss are the same among a plurality of game settings, a common success/failure determination table may be prepared for the plurality of game settings.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the validity determination table. This figure shows a propriety judgment table corresponding to a specific game setting, and shows a propriety judgment table corresponding to setting 6. In the win/fail judgment table in this figure, the judgment results of jackpot, small hit, and miss are associated with the win/fail lottery values, and the jackpot win/fail probability and the small win win/fail probability are determined according to the associated range settings. is determined. The first validity determination means 221 and the second validity determination means 222 refer to the validity determination table shown in this figure in the validity determination as the main determination. In both the first lottery by the first lottery by the first lottery by the second lottery by the second lottery by the second lottery by the second lottery by the second lottery by the second lottery, a jackpot is usually won only when the lottery value falls within the range of 0 to 299. At the time of probability change, the range of jackpot is expanded, and a jackpot occurs not only when the lottery value falls within the range of 0 to 299, but also when it falls within the range of 300 to 2999. In this way, the range that corresponds to a jackpot changes depending on the gaming state. In addition, in this figure, the jackpot range for both normal and variable probability is shown using a single success/failure judgment table, but the success/failure judgment table may be prepared separately for normal and variable probability. It may be prepared separately for the first win/fail lottery and the second win/fail lottery.

In this embodiment, even if the lottery value does not fall within the jackpot range, if it falls within a predetermined range, it will be a small win. In the example of this figure, a small win occurs when the winning lottery value obtained by the first winning/failure determining means 221 falls within the range of 56,500 to 65,535, and the winning lottery value obtained by the second winning/failing determining means 222 falls within the range of 64,000 to 65,535. If it falls within the range, it will be a small hit. That is, the range that corresponds to a small win is wider in the first win/fail lottery than in the second win/fail lottery, and the small win is more likely to occur. In this way, if it does not correspond to a jackpot, it is originally a "miss", but in the example in this figure, the range of winning/fail lottery values when it does not correspond to a jackpot and does not correspond to a small hit. In particular, he describes it as ``outlier.'' In other words, if "win or fail" is understood from the perspective of "whether it is a jackpot or not," a "small hit" may be considered to be included in the broad sense of "miss" in the sense of "not a jackpot." Furthermore, when considering "win or fail" from the perspective of "hit or not," a "small hit" may be considered to be included in a broader sense of "hit" along with a "big hit." In addition, although this figure shows an example in which the judgment table for determining whether it is a jackpot or not and the table for determining whether or not a small win are realized in the form of a single judgment table, it is also possible to realize each as separate tables. good. Furthermore, the "small win" may be provided only in one of the first game and the second game, or may not be provided in either game. In that case, the value corresponding to the small hit is not set in the corresponding success/failure determination table.

FIG. 6 schematically shows the range setting of the win/fail lottery value for each setting value. This figure (a) shows the correspondence between the first win/fail lottery value acquired by the first win/fail determining means 221 and the win/fail determination result. This figure (b) shows the correspondence between the second win/fail lottery value acquired by the second win/fail determining means 222 and the win/fail determination result. The range of the first win/fail lottery value and the second win/fail lottery value that result in a jackpot in normal and variable times is 0 to 294 if the setting value is "1", 0 to 295 if the setting value is "2", If the setting value is "3", it is 0 to 296; if the setting value is "4", it is 0 to 297; if the setting value is "5", it is 0 to 298; if the setting value is "6", it is 0 to 299. Therefore, the larger the set value is, the wider the range of winning/failure lottery values that will result in a jackpot in normal times increases the probability of a jackpot in normal times. In addition, the range of the first winning lottery value and the second winning lottery value that will result in a jackpot only when the probability is variable (in other words, it will be a miss during normal times) is 295 to 2949 if the setting value is "1", and 295 to 2949 if the setting value is "2". 296 to 2959, 297 to 2969 if the setting value is "3", 298 to 2979 if the setting value is "4", 299 to 2989 if the setting value is "5", 299 to 2989 if the setting value is "6", 300-2999. Therefore, as the setting value increases, the range of lottery values that will result in a jackpot when the probability changes increases, and the probability of a jackpot when the probability changes also increases. Note that the range of the winning lottery value is determined so that the ratio between the normal jackpot probability that is a jackpot in normal times and the probability variable jackpot probability that is a jackpot in probability variable times is constant regardless of the set value. In this diagram, the range of winning/failure lottery values is determined so that the jackpot probability during variable times is 10 times the jackpot probability during normal times, and is common to all setting values "1" to "6". . Further, the range of winning/failing lottery values is determined so that the probability of a small winning is also constant regardless of the set value. For all setting values "1" to "6", if the range of the first lottery value falls within the range of 56,500 to 65,535, it will be a small win, and if the range of the second lottery value falls within the range of 64,000 to 65,535, it will be a small win. It's a hit. A range of winning/failure lottery values outside the range that constitutes a jackpot or small win is considered a "miss". In this figure, the jackpot probability is different for each set value, but the correspondence between the winning lottery value and the winning/failing determination result may be determined so that the jackpot probability is the same between different setting values.

<First symbol determining means 226 and second symbol determining means 227>
Returning to FIG. 4, the first symbol determining means 226 and the second symbol determining means 227 determine the stopping symbol when the symbol starts changing based on the symbol lottery value obtained from the random number generating means 202 and the result of the validity determination. . The first symbol determining means 226 and the second symbol determining means 227 hold a plurality of symbol determination tables that are referred to in order to determine the stop symbol of the special symbol. Specifically, the first symbol determination means 226 holds a plurality of symbol determination tables according to the results of the validity determination by the first validity determination means 221, and the second symbol determination means 227 holds a plurality of symbol determination tables according to the results of the validity determination by the second validity determination means 222. A plurality of symbol determination tables are held according to the determination results. The first win/fail judgment means 221 holds a first symbol determination table for a jackpot to be referred to when a jackpot is won, a first symbol determination table for a small hit to be referred to for a small hit, and a first symbol determination table for a miss to be referred to when a miss is made. The second win/fail judgment means 222 holds a second symbol determination table at the time of a jackpot to be referred to at the time of a jackpot, a second symbol determination table at the time of a small hit to be referred to at the time of a small hit, and a second symbol determination table at the time of a loss to be referred to at the time of a loss. The first symbol determining means 226 and the second symbol determining means 227 select a symbol determination table to be referred to depending on the result of the validity determination. In addition, in order to distinguish the symbol determination performed at the start of symbol variation from the preliminary symbol determination described later, it is also appropriately referred to as "symbol determination as main determination."

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a symbol determination table. FIG. 7(a) is a table to be referred to when the result of the judgment is a jackpot, FIG. 7(b) is a table to be referred to when the result of the judgment is a loss, and FIG. 7(c) is a table to be referred to when the result of the judgment is a loss. This table is referred to when the result of the judgment is a small hit. The first symbol determining means 226 and the second symbol determining means 227 refer to the symbol determination table of the main symbol in symbol determination as the main determination. In each symbol determination table, a correspondence relationship between numbers "0" to "10" indicating the type of special symbol and the first symbol lottery value or the second symbol lottery value is defined. The types of special symbols are associated with the judgment results of jackpot, small hit, and miss, respectively, with "0" to "4" corresponding to the jackpot, "5" to "9" corresponding to the small win, "10" corresponds to a miss. Each type is assigned a plurality of special symbols, that is, a plurality of generally meaningless symbols formed by combinations of segments.

As shown in FIG. 7(a), the special symbol types "0" to "4" are associated with the presence or absence of a jackpot and a probability change after the jackpot. Specifically, the type "0" indicates a 10R jackpot with a probability change as a specific jackpot, and in the case of the first symbol lottery value, it is associated with "0 to 99", and in the case of the second symbol lottery value, it is associated with "0 to 99". 144”. Type "1" indicates a 4R jackpot (or "actual 4R hit") with variable probability as a specific jackpot, and in the case of the first symbol lottery value, it is associated with "100 to 149", and in the case of the second symbol lottery value, It is associated with "145-149". Type "2" indicates a 2R jackpot with variable probability, and type "2" is associated with both the first symbol lottery value and the second symbol lottery value being "150 to 189". Type "3" indicates a 10R jackpot with no probability change as a normal jackpot, and type "3" is associated with both the first symbol lottery value and the second symbol lottery value being "150 to 189". The type "4" indicates a 4R jackpot with no probability change as a normal jackpot, and the type "4" is associated with both the first symbol lottery value and the second symbol lottery value "230 to 255". In this way, the selection probability for each type of jackpot (that is, the content of the jackpot and the presence or absence of subsequent probability fluctuations) is determined by the size of the range of symbol lottery values.

In addition, it is possible to provide more types of special symbols, and in that case, by configuring one jackpot type to be determined according to multiple types of special symbols, it is possible to increase the number of jackpot types while increasing the number of symbol types. You can set fewer types. Alternatively, it is also possible to subdivide the jackpot into more types in response to the increased number of symbol types. Furthermore, it is also possible to provide different symbol types for the first lottery and the second lottery. In this case, one jackpot type is determined to correspond to each of the special symbol types selected at the first lottery and the special symbol types selected at the second lottery. However, it is desirable to set the probability fluctuation ratio to be the same in the first lottery and the second lottery.

As shown in FIG. 7(b), the type "10" is associated with the entire range of symbol lottery values when the result of the judgment is negative. Therefore, in the case of a miss, it is determined that the same special symbol is always stopped and displayed. It is also possible to provide a plurality of special symbols that are stopped and displayed when the player misses.

As shown in FIG. 7(c), special symbol types "5" to "9" are associated with small wins. The type "5" is associated with the symbol lottery value range "0-49", and the type "6" is associated with the symbol lottery value range "50-99". Type "7" is associated with the range of symbol lottery values "100-149", type "8" is associated with the range of symbol lottery values "150-199", and type "9" is associated with the range of symbol lottery values. It is associated with "200-255".

In this embodiment, in order to save the storage area on the main board 200, the table of FIG. 7 is referred to as the preliminary symbol determination table also in preliminary symbol determination. The first symbol determining means 226 and the second symbol determining means 227 determine that the value of "0" to "10" indicating the type of special symbol is the first lottery or the second lottery as a result of the preliminary symbol determination. It is transmitted to the effect determining means 303 together with the indicated value and the number of pending items. In addition, as a preliminary symbol determination table, it is also possible to use a table that is further subdivided to enable complex determinations, or a table that summarizes and simplified the determination range of jackpot symbols for executing similar special games. . In addition, when a symbol is uniformly determined in the event of a miss as in this embodiment, a specific symbol can be selected without referring to the obtained symbol lottery value or without preparing a symbol determination table for the case of a miss. You may decide.

<First fluctuation pattern determining means 231 and second fluctuation pattern determining means 232>
Returning to FIG. 4, the first fluctuation pattern determining means 231 acquires from the random number generating means 202 a fluctuation pattern in which the display process of symbol fluctuations to be displayed on the first special symbol display section 41 and the performance display device 60 is determined. It is determined from among a plurality of variation patterns based on the one-pattern lottery value. The second variation pattern determining means 232 converts a variation pattern in which a display process of symbol variation to be displayed on the second special symbol display section 42 and the effect display device 60 is determined into a second pattern lottery value obtained from the random number generation means 202. Based on this, it is determined from among multiple fluctuation patterns. The first fluctuation pattern determining means 231 and the second fluctuation pattern determining means 232 each refer to the fluctuation pattern table and determine the fluctuation pattern of the symbol fluctuation when starting the symbol fluctuation. Further, the first fluctuation pattern determining means 231 and the second fluctuation pattern determining means 232 perform a preliminary pattern determination to determine which fluctuation pattern range the pattern lottery value corresponds to. The first fluctuation pattern determining means 231, the second fluctuation pattern determining means 232, and the control means of the main board 200 have a fluctuation pattern table to be referred to in order to determine a fluctuation pattern when a fluctuation start condition is satisfied, and a fluctuation pattern table to be referred to to determine a fluctuation pattern when a fluctuation start condition is satisfied. Preliminary pattern determination tables used to generate information for determining execution of prefetch processing at the time of ball entry are held or shared. The variation pattern has a fixed variation time from the start of the variation to the stop when the special symbol is displayed in a variable manner, and the variation time varies depending on the type. In other words, for each variation pattern in which the display process of symbol variation is determined, a variation display time is essentially determined for each pattern as the end condition of the symbol variation, and when the variation display time elapses, the special symbol is displayed. fluctuation is stopped. It should be noted that the variation pattern determination executed at the start of symbol variation is also appropriately referred to as "variation pattern determination as main determination" in order to distinguish it from the preliminary pattern determination. Further, in order to contribute to the selection of a decorative pattern variation effect pattern to be described later, different types of variation patterns may be defined even though they have the same variation time.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a variation pattern table. The first fluctuation pattern determining means 231 and the second fluctuation pattern determining means 232 refer to the table shown in FIG. 3(a) in the normal state, and refer to the table shown in FIG. 3(b) in the time saving state.

As shown in FIG. 8(a), in the normal state, if the judgment result is incorrect, if the pattern lottery value is 0 to 4, select "Super 1" which is the super reach of pattern range number "0", If the pattern lottery value is 5 to 9, "Super 2", which is the super reach of pattern range number "1", is selected. If the pattern lottery value is 10 to 19, select "Normal 1" which is the normal reach of pattern range number "2", and if the pattern lottery value is 20 to 29, select "Normal 1" which is the normal reach of pattern range number "3". 2". If the pattern lottery value is 30 to 255, select pattern range number "4", "Out of reach". For "no reach", different fluctuation patterns are selected depending on the number of reservations, such as a 10 second fluctuation pattern when the number of reservations is 0 to 2, a 7 second fluctuation pattern when the number of reservations is 3, and a fluctuation pattern of 7 seconds when the number of reservations is 3. When is 4, a 4-second variation pattern is selected.

In this figure, an example will be explained in which the variation is mainly classified into five types according to the variation time, but a plurality of variation effect patterns are prepared for each of these variation patterns on the sub-board 300, and there are several dozen types of variation effect patterns in total. is associated with the lottery value range of each classification.

The range of pattern lottery values assigned to "Normal 1", "Normal 2", and "Out of reach" also differs depending on the number of reservations. When the number of reservations is 0 or 1, it is as shown in figure (a), but as the number of reservations increases, the lottery value range of "Normal 1" and "Normal 2" becomes narrower, and the lottery value of "Out of reach" becomes smaller. The range becomes wider. The smaller the number of reservations, the wider the lottery value range of a variation pattern with a relatively long variation time, and the higher the probability that a variation pattern with a longer variation time will be selected. Therefore, the smaller the number of reservations, the longer the average fluctuation time, and the larger the number of reservations, the shorter the average fluctuation time. By using a variation pattern table in which the correspondence between the pattern lottery value range and the variation pattern differs for each number of reservations, it is possible to realize control in which a variation pattern with a long variation time is more likely to be selected when the number of reservations decreases.

In the normal state, if the result of the judgment is 4R jackpot or 10R jackpot, if the pattern lottery value is 0 to 123, select "Super 1" which is the super reach of pattern range number "5", and the pattern lottery value is If the number is 124 to 248, "Super 2", which is the super reach of pattern range number "6", is selected. If the pattern lottery value is 249 to 252, select "Normal 1" which is the normal reach of pattern range number "7", and if the pattern lottery value is 253 to 255, select "Normal 1" which is the normal reach of pattern range number "8". 2".

In the normal state, if the result of the judgment is 2R jackpot or small hit, if the pattern lottery value is 0 to 122, select "Super 3" which is the super reach of pattern range number "9", and the pattern lottery value is 0 to 122. If it is 123 to 255, select "Normal 3" which is the normal reach of pattern range number "10".

When the first variation pattern determination means 231 and the second variation pattern determination means 232 transmit the preliminary determination result to the effect determination means 303 as a so-called pre-read result, the value of the pattern range number (0 to 10) It is transmitted together with a value indicating whether it is a lottery or a second win/fail lottery and the number of pending items. In the example shown in FIG. 8, a table is provided for each success/failure determination result in the preliminary pattern determination. In addition to deriving only the information regarding which range the sub-board 300 is located, the control means of the sub-board 300 may be controlled to determine what kind of variation is to be executed together with the preliminary appropriateness determination result.

In the variation pattern table of FIG. 8B that is referred to in the time saving state, pattern lottery values are assigned to all the variation patterns for time saving. However, the correspondence between the range of pattern lottery values and the variation time is the same as in FIG. 8(a) except for "No reach shortfall" which is selected in the case of a miss. “No-reach-out shortening” is a variation pattern with a relatively short variation time that is associated with the same lottery value range and pattern range number as “No-reach/out-of-reach” in FIG. 8(a). "No-reach shortening" also selects different fluctuation patterns depending on the number of reservations, a 10-second fluctuation pattern when the number of reservations is 0 or 1, and a 1-second fluctuation pattern when the number of reservations is 2 to 4. are selected respectively. Note that the first variation pattern determining means 231 and the second variation pattern determining means 232 may refer to different variation pattern tables, or may refer to different variation pattern tables depending on the gaming state. For example, in a gaming machine where the second lottery is set to be more advantageous than the first lottery and the second lottery is processed with priority over the first lottery, the second lottery is set to be more advantageous than the first lottery. It is not desirable for the player to have a situation where the hold for the second lottery is exhausted and the first lottery is executed continuously. Therefore, in the out-of-ball variation in the first lottery in the easy-to-enter state, a variation pattern table is referred to in which a long variation pattern (for example, 10 seconds) that does not shorten the variation time is uniformly selected regardless of the number of reservations. It may also be a thing.

<Suspension control means 240>
Returning to FIG. 4, the reservation control means 240 includes a special symbol reservation means 241 and a regular symbol reservation means 242. The special symbol holding means 241 controls the symbol fluctuation corresponding to the previously acquired first lottery value or second lottery value when the first lottery value or the second lottery value is newly acquired. is displayed, the start of the symbol variation corresponding to the newly acquired first or second winning lottery value or second winning lottery value is suspended, and the winning lottery value is stored until the start of the variable display of the corresponding symbol. Here, for the first special symbols, the first win/fail lottery value, the first symbol lottery value, and the first pattern lottery value are stored, each with an upper limit of 4 pieces, and for the second special symbols, each with an upper limit of 4 pieces, A second winning/failure lottery value, a second symbol lottery value, and a second pattern lottery value are stored. The standard figure holding means 242 stores the standard figure lottery value acquired by the standard figure lottery means 213 as a reserved ball. These numbers of reservations are represented by the number of lights or blinking numbers of the first special symbol reservation display section 71, the second special symbol reservation display section 72, and the regular symbol reservation display section 75, respectively. The number of reservations made by the special figure reservation means 241 is also displayed on the effect display device 60.

The lottery value of the second winning lottery held in the special symbol holding means 241 is consumed preferentially over the lottery value of the first winning lottery, and symbol fluctuations are displayed. Therefore, even if the lottery value of the jackpot is held as the first lottery, as long as the lottery value is held as the second lottery, the symbol variation corresponding to the jackpot lottery value of the first lottery is not displayed. Therefore, even if a jackpot is suspended in the first lottery, it is possible to win a plurality of consecutive jackpots by continuing to hit until a jackpot is suspended in the second lottery.

<Main display control means 250>
The main display control means 250 includes a first special symbol control means 251, a second special symbol control means 252, and a regular symbol control means 254. The first special symbol control means 251 displays the fluctuation of the first special symbol 51 on the first special symbol display section 41 according to the fluctuation pattern determined in response to the determination result of the first lottery by the first lottery means 211. let The first special symbol control means 251 makes it a condition for starting a new symbol variation that the variation display of the symbol corresponding to the first win/fail lottery or the second win/fail lottery that was performed previously has been completed. The second special symbol control means 252 displays the fluctuation of the second special symbol 52 on the second special symbol display section 42 according to the fluctuation pattern determined according to the determination result of the second lottery by the second lottery means 212. let The second special symbol control means 252 also makes it a condition for starting a new symbol variation that the variation display of the symbol corresponding to the first win/fail lottery or the second win/fail lottery that was performed previously has been completed.

The first special symbol control means 251 reserves the start of the symbol variation display corresponding to the first prize lottery when the special symbol holding means 241 stores the winning lottery value of the second winning lottery. On the other hand, the second special symbol control means 252 starts displaying a symbol variation corresponding to the second lottery, regardless of whether the special symbol holding means 241 stores the lottery value of the first lottery. As a result, when lottery values are reserved for both the first lottery and the second lottery, the lottery values reserved for the second lottery are read out preferentially and symbol variations are displayed. In such a case, the lottery value held in the first win/fail lottery is not read out and its symbol variation does not start until the number of holds in the second win/fail lottery becomes 0.

The first special symbol control means 251 and the second special symbol control means 252 change the display of the first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52 by a command communication means 205, which will be described later, at the timing of starting and stopping the variable display of the first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52. A start command and a fluctuation stop command are sent to the effect determining means 303 (sub-main). When transmitting the variation start command, the main judgment is the judgment result determined or determined, the stop symbol, the value indicating each of the variation patterns, and the value indicating whether it is the first lottery or the second lottery. It is transmitted to the performance determining means 303 together with the fluctuation start command. When transmitting the fluctuation stop command, a value indicating the stop symbol is again transmitted to the effect determining means 303 together with the fluctuation stop command. In addition, the performance determining means 303 (sub-main) sends a fluctuation start command, a fluctuation stop command, etc. to the performance control means 304 in order to control the fluctuating display of decorative symbols by the performance control means 304 (sub-sub). As a result, the variable displays by the main display control means 250 and the effect control means 304 (sub-sub) are synchronized and the interlocking is maintained. The ordinary symbol control means 254 causes the ordinary symbol display section 45 to display the determination result of the lottery by the ordinary symbol lottery means 213 as a fluctuating display of ordinary symbols.

<Special figure adjustment means 276>
The special symbol adjusting means 276 waits for the start of the variable display of the other while displaying one of the first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52 in a variable manner. The special symbol adjusting means 276 adjusts the second special symbol based on the ball entering the second starting port 12, regardless of the order in which the game ball enters the first starting port 11 or the second starting port 12. 52 is given priority over the variable display of the first special symbol 51 based on the ball entering the first starting port 11. For example, when both the first win/fail lottery value and the second win/fail lottery value are reserved, the second win/fail lottery value is always used preferentially, and the second special symbol 52 is continuously displayed in a variable manner.

The special symbol adjusting means 276 in the modified example adjusts the variable display of the first special symbol 51 and the variable display of the second special symbol 52 in accordance with the order in which the balls enter the first starting port 11 and the second starting port 12. It may be selectively displayed in a variable manner. For example, when the ball enters the first starting hole 11, the first starting hole 11, and the second starting hole 12 in the order, the first special symbol 51, the first special symbol 51, and the second special symbol 52 are displayed in the order of fluctuations. be done. In this case, the special symbol adjustment means 276 monitors the reservation control means 240 and stores the reservation order of the winning/failure lottery values. Since which special symbol should be changed is determined according to the order in which the game balls enter, that is, the order in which the winning lottery values are held in the holding control means 240, it is easy for the player to visually grasp the order of the changes.

In another modification, the special symbol adjustment means 276 may display the variable display of the first special symbol 51 and the variable display of the second special symbol 52 in a predetermined extinguishing order regardless of the order of ball entry. good. For example, priority may be given to alternately displaying the variable display of the first special symbol 51 and the variable display of the second special symbol 52. For example, when both the first win/fail lottery value and the second win/fail lottery value are on hold, the first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52 are alternately and variably displayed. Since which special symbol should be changed is simply alternated regardless of the order in which the game balls enter, the player can easily grasp the order of change intuitively.

Also, when one of the first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52 is stopped in a winning manner, the special symbol adjusting means 276 waits for the start of the variable display of the other. In this case, since the variable display of the special symbols does not start while the special game is being executed, the player can concentrate on the special game.

<Prior determination means 235>
The preliminary determination means 235 includes a first lottery preliminary determination means 236 and a second lottery preliminary determination means 237. The first lottery pre-determination means 236 stores various random numbers acquired by the first lottery value acquisition means 216 before the first validity determination means 221, the first symbol determination means 226, and the first fluctuation pattern determination means 231 perform various determinations. is used to determine information regarding the variation in advance before the first special symbol control means 251 starts varying the first special symbol. The second lottery pre-determination means 237 stores various random numbers acquired by the second lottery value acquisition means 217 before the second validity determination means 222, the second symbol determination means 227, and the second variation pattern determination means 232 perform various determinations. is used to determine information regarding the variation in advance before the second special symbol control means 252 starts to vary the second special symbol.

The first lottery preliminary determination means 236 includes a first preliminary lottery value determination table, a first preliminary symbol lottery value determination table, and a first preliminary variation pattern random value determination as determination tables for preliminary determination related to the first lottery means 211. Hold the table. The first lottery preliminary determination means 236 uses the first preliminary lottery value determination table to determine the random number group to which the first lottery value stored in the special symbol holding means 241 belongs. The first lottery preliminary determination means 236 determines the random number group to which the first symbol lottery value stored in the special symbol holding means 241 belongs using the first preliminary symbol lottery value determination table. The first lottery preliminary determination means 236 determines the random number group to which the first fluctuation pattern lottery value stored in the special symbol holding means 241 belongs using the first preliminary fluctuation pattern determination table. Then, these determination results are temporarily stored as preliminary determination results, and information regarding the preliminary determination results is transmitted to the sub-board 300 by a command communication means 205 (sub-control command transmission means 207), which will be described later.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a preliminary appropriateness determination table that is referred to in the preliminary appropriateness determination. The first lottery preliminary determination means 236 (prior validity determination regarding the first game) refers to the first preliminary lottery value determination table of FIG. 9(a) when the ball enters the first starting port 11, and If the value is "0 to 299", a value of "1" indicating that is set as the prior validity determination result. If the winning lottery value is "300 to 2999", a value of "2" indicating that is set as the preliminary winning judgment result. If the winning lottery value is "3000 to 56499", a value of "3" indicating that is set as the preliminary winning judgment result. If the winning lottery value is "56,500 to 65,535", a value of "4" indicating that is set as the preliminary winning/failure determination result. Next, referring to the first preliminary symbol lottery value determination table (not shown), if the first symbol lottery value is "0 to 99", a value of "0" indicating that is set as the preliminary symbol determination result. . When the first symbol lottery value is "100 to 149", a value of "1" indicating that is set as the preliminary symbol determination result. If the first symbol lottery value is "150 to 189", a value of "2" indicating that is set as the preliminary symbol determination result. If the first symbol lottery value is "190 to 229", a value of "3" indicating this is set as the preliminary symbol determination result. When the first symbol lottery value is "230 to 255", a value of "4" indicating that is set as the preliminary symbol determination result. Furthermore, with reference to the first preliminary variation pattern random value determination table (not shown), if the first pattern lottery value is "0 to 9", a value of "A" indicating that is set as the preliminary pattern determination result. . If the first pattern lottery value is "10 to 29", a value of "B" indicating this is set as the preliminary pattern determination result. If the first pattern lottery value is "30 to 255", a value of "C" indicating this is set as the preliminary pattern determination result. As described above, the preliminary determination information set by the first lottery preliminary determination means 236 (prior validity determination regarding the first game) is transmitted to the first starting port 11 by the command communication means 205 (sub control command transmission means 207), which will be described later. The information indicating the entry of balls into the game (indicating that it is a first win/fail lottery), the information indicating the number of balls on hold, etc. are transmitted to the performance determining means 303 in accordance with the transmission timing.

The second lottery preliminary determination means 237 (prior validity determination regarding the second game) refers to the second preliminary lottery value determination table shown in FIG. 9(b) when the ball enters the second starting port 12, and If the value is "0 to 299", a value of "1" indicating that is set as the prior validity determination result. If the winning lottery value is "300 to 2999", a value of "2" indicating that is set as the preliminary winning judgment result. If the winning lottery value is "3000 to 63999", a value of "3" indicating that is set as the preliminary winning judgment result. If the winning lottery value is "64,000 to 65,535", a value of "4" indicating that is set as the preliminary winning judgment result. Next, with reference to the second preliminary symbol lottery value determination table (not shown), if the second symbol lottery value is "0 to 144", a value of "0" indicating that is set as the preliminary symbol determination result. . When the second symbol lottery value is "145 to 149", a value of "1" indicating that is set as the preliminary symbol determination result. If the second symbol lottery value is "150 to 189", a value of "2" indicating that is set as the preliminary symbol determination result. When the second symbol lottery value is "190 to 229", a value of "3" indicating this is set as the preliminary symbol determination result. When the second symbol lottery value is "230 to 255", a value of "4" indicating that is set as the preliminary symbol determination result. Furthermore, with reference to the second preliminary variation pattern random value determination table (not shown), if the second pattern lottery value is "0 to 9", a value of "A" indicating that is set as the preliminary pattern determination result. . If the second pattern lottery value is "10 to 29", a value of "B" indicating this is set as the preliminary pattern determination result. When the second pattern lottery value is "30 to 255", a value of "C" indicating this is set as the preliminary pattern determination result. As mentioned above, the preliminary determination information set by the second lottery preliminary determination means 237 (prior propriety determination regarding the second game) is transmitted to the second starting port 12 by the command communication means 205 (sub control command transmission means 207), which will be described later. The information indicating the entry of balls (indicating that it is a second winning lottery), the information indicating the number of pending balls, etc. are transmitted to the performance determining means 303 in accordance with the transmission timing.

Note that the various types of information temporarily stored as the preliminary determination results by the preliminary determination means 235 are stored in predetermined preliminary determination result storage areas up to four pieces each, similar to the number of pending memories. Note that the preliminary determination result may be stored using a suspension storage area stored by the suspension control means 240. The information may be deleted based on the fact that the preliminary determination result by the preliminary determination means 235 is transmitted to the effect determining means 303 by the command communication means 205 (sub-control command transmitting means 207), which will be described later. In this way, efficient use of the storage area in the main board 200 can be expected by sharing the area with other areas or erasing information based on completion of transmission. Further, as the judgment table for the preliminary judgment, a judgment table for the main judgment may be used without providing a table exclusively for the preliminary judgment, and the preliminary judgment regarding the first game and the preliminary judgment regarding the second game may be used. A part or all of a common preliminary determination table may be shared. In this way, by sharing the table with other determination tables, it can be expected that the data capacity on the main board 200 can be reduced. Note that the content to be transmitted as the determination result of the preliminary determination means 235 may be appropriately selected, such as transmitting only the determination result of validity, for example. Further, without making a determination by the advance determination means 235, the random number values acquired by the first lottery value acquisition means 216 and the second lottery value acquisition means 217 are transmitted to the sub-board 300 by the command communication means 205, and the sub-board 300 may be used to determine the content of the preliminary determination.

The advance determination unit 235 may refer to a preliminary success/failure lottery value determination table in which the correspondence between the success/failure lottery values and the preliminary determination results differs depending on the setting value set by the setting change device 170. Similar to the above-mentioned win/fail determination table, multiple types of advance win/fail lottery value determination tables corresponding to a plurality of game settings may be prepared, and the prior win/fail lottery value determination table to be referred to may be switched according to the set value of the game settings. In addition, an advance lottery value determination table that can be used in common among a plurality of game settings may be used. In this case, the validity may be determined in advance based on a combination of the setting value of the game setting and the value of the preliminary validity determination result.

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a prior propriety determination table corresponding to game settings. This figure (a) is a preliminary propriety determination table referred to by the first lottery preliminary determination means 236, and this figure (b) is a preliminary propriety determination table referred to by the second lottery preliminary determination means 237. When the winning lottery value is “0 to 294”, the preliminary judgment result is “11”, indicating that all settings 1 to 6 result in a jackpot. When the win/fail lottery value is "295", the preliminary win/fail determination result is "12", indicating that a jackpot will be achieved in the normal setting of 2 or higher or in all settings during the probability change. When the win/fail lottery value is "296", the preliminary win/fail determination result is "13", indicating that the jackpot will be achieved at the normal setting of 3 or higher or at all settings during the probability change. When the win/fail lottery value is "297", the preliminary win/fail determination result is "14", indicating that a jackpot will be achieved in the normal setting of 4 or higher or in all settings in the probability variable. When the win/fail lottery value is "298", the preliminary win/fail determination result is "15", indicating that a jackpot will be achieved in the normal setting of 5 or more or in all settings in the variable probability. When the win/fail lottery value is "299", the preliminary win/fail judgment result is "16", indicating that the jackpot will be achieved at the normal setting 6 or all settings during the variable probability. Further, when the winning lottery value is "300 to 2949", the preliminary winning judgment result is "21", indicating that it is a jackpot in all settings at the time of probability variation. When the win/fail lottery value is "2950 to 2959", the preliminary win/fail judgment result is "22", indicating that a jackpot is achieved when the setting is 2 or higher at the time of probability change. When the win/fail lottery value is "2960 to 2969", the preliminary win/fail determination result is "23", indicating that a jackpot is achieved when the probability is set to 3 or higher. When the winning lottery value is "2970 to 2979", the preliminary winning judgment result is "23", indicating that a jackpot is achieved when the setting is 4 or more at the time of probability change. When the winning lottery value is "2980 to 2989", the preliminary winning judgment result is "25", indicating that a jackpot is achieved when the probability is changed to 5 or more. When the winning lottery value is "2990 to 2999", the preliminary winning judgment result is "26", indicating that a jackpot is achieved at setting 6 at the time of probability variation. Furthermore, if the first lottery value shown in (a) is "3000 to 56499", and if the second lottery value shown in (b) is "3000 to 63999", the preliminary prize determination result is " 30'', indicating a small hit in all settings. In addition, if the first lottery value shown in (a) is "56500 to 65535", and if the second lottery value shown in (b) is "64000 to 65535", the preliminary prize determination result is " 40'', indicating that all settings are out of range. By using such a preliminary propriety determination table, it is possible to show an appropriate preliminary propriety determination result for each set value of the game settings.

<Special game control means 260>
The special game control means 260 activates the special game when the first special symbol 51 is stopped in a predetermined jackpot mode when the first winning/failure lottery by the first lottery means 211 results in a transition to a special game. It is determined that the conditions have been met, and the special game is executed by opening the big prize opening 20. Similarly, when the second lottery by the second lottery means 212 indicates a transition to a special game, the special game control means 260 controls when the second special symbol 52 is stopped in a predetermined jackpot mode. It is determined that the special game operating conditions are satisfied, and the special game is executed by opening the big prize opening 20.

The special game is a game in which the operation of opening and closing the big prize opening 20 is continued a plurality of times in succession, and is composed of a plurality of unit games. The special games include a 10R jackpot in which a unit game is repeated 10 times, a 4R jackpot in which a unit game is repeated 4 times, and a 2R jackpot in which a unit game whose open time is shorter than the 10R jackpot and 4R jackpot is repeated only twice. The 10R jackpot is a jackpot in the second lottery, and the 4R jackpot is a jackpot in the first lottery. In the 10R jackpot and 4R jackpot, the jackpot 20 is opened for about 30 seconds in principle in one unit game. In the 2R jackpot, the jackpot 20 is opened for only about 1.6 seconds in one unit game. The special game control means 260 ends the special game when the set number of rounds of the unit game is exhausted. In addition, even in the case of a 2R jackpot, if a predetermined condition is met, the jackpot 20 may be opened in the same manner as the 10R jackpot and the 4R jackpot.

<Small winning game control means 265>
The small winning game control means 265 operates the small winning game when the first special symbol 51 is stopped in a predetermined small winning mode when the first lottery by the first lottery means 211 results in a small winning. It is determined that the condition is satisfied, and the opening/closing control means 275 opens the big prize opening 20, thereby executing a small winning game. Similarly, when the second lottery by the second lottery means 212 results in a small win, the small winning game control means 265 controls the small winning game control means 265 to control the small winning game when the second special symbol 52 is stopped in a predetermined small winning mode. It is determined that the win game operating conditions are satisfied, and the opening/closing control means 275 opens the big prize opening 20 to execute the small win game.

In the small winning game, the unit game is executed once, and the big prize opening 20 is opened and closed twice in one unit game. The small winning game control means 265 opens the large winning opening 20 for only about 0.8 seconds per opening and closing, and then closes the large winning opening 20 to end the small winning game.

<Specific game control means 270>
The specific game control means 270 controls the normal game in the variable probability state, time saving state, and easy ball entry state. A specific game control means 270 shifts the game state to a variable probability state, a time saving state, and an easy ball entry state after the special game ends when the special symbol is a specific jackpot symbol accompanied by a shift to a variable probability state. The variable probability state, time saving state, and easy entry state continue until the next jackpot occurs. In the time saving state, the first variation pattern determining means 231 and the second variation pattern determining means 232 select a variation pattern with a short variation time so that the variation display time of the first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52 is approximately shortened. do. However, in the normal state, by referring to the fluctuation pattern table according to the number of reservations of the winning lottery value by the reservation control means 240, the smaller the number of reservations by the reservation control means 240, the more likely a fluctuation pattern with a longer fluctuation time will appear. In the easy entry state, entry into the second starting port 12 is performed by performing at least one of three functions: changing the probability of normal symbols, shortening the time of normal symbols, and extending the opening of the second starting port 12. Pitch frequency (ease of ball entry) improves. During the probability change state, the probability that the result of the judgment by the first judgment means 221 and the second judgment means 222 is a jackpot is maintained at a high value. In addition, the specific game control means 270 causes the second starting port 12 to be extended to open when a specific jackpot is reached, and further increases the winning probability of the open lottery only when the winning lottery is the second winning lottery. Transition to a variable state with a higher probability than the normal state.

<Opening/closing control means 275>
The opening/closing control means 275 controls opening/closing of the normal electric accessory 90 of the second starting opening 12 and the big winning opening 20. When the normal symbol is stopped in a specific manner, the opening/closing control means 275 sends an opening instruction to the normal electric accessory solenoid 91 to open the normal electric accessory 90 of the second starting port 12. The opening/closing control means 275 opens the second starting port 12 in the short opening or long opening time depending on the result of the opening lottery in the normal state, and opens the second starting port 12 in the long opening time in the ball entry easy state. 2 Open the starting port 12. This improves the ease of entering balls into the second starting port 12 and allows the player to continue playing the game without reducing the number of balls he has. The opening/closing control means 275 sends an opening instruction to the big winning hole solenoid 92 to open the big winning hole 20 in the special game.

<Main initial processing execution means 280, main power failure processing execution means 282, main error detection means 284>
The main initial processing execution means 280 executes a control start processing for the main board 200 when the Pachinko gaming machine 100 is powered on or when the power is restored from a power failure. The main power-off processing execution unit 282 executes abnormality response processing such as power-off processing on the main board 200 when a power abnormality such as a power-off occurs. The main error detection means 284 executes abnormality detection processing in the main board 200. Note that the control start process, abnormality response process, and abnormality detection process for the main board 200 will be described later.

<Setting change means 286, setting confirmation means 287>
The setting change means 286 executes a "setting change process" for changing game settings. When the power switch 150 is turned on while pressing the RAM clear switch while the setting key cylinder 171 is in the on state, the setting change means 286 causes the setting change state to be entered as described above. The setting change means 286 causes the setting display section 173 to display the setting values stored in the setting memory when the setting change state is entered. The setting change means 286 changes the setting values displayed on the setting display section 173 in the order of 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 1 →... in response to the press of the setting change button 172. , updates the setting value stored in the setting memory to the same value as displayed on the setting display section 173. When the setting key cylinder 171 is turned off, the setting changing means 286 ends the setting changing state and turns off the setting display section 173.

The setting confirmation means 287 executes a "setting confirmation process" for confirming game settings. If the RAM clear switch is not pressed and the power switch 150 is turned on while the setting key cylinder 171 is in the on state, the setting confirmation means 287 shifts to the above-mentioned setting confirmation state. The setting confirmation means 287 causes the setting display section 173 to display the setting values stored in the setting memory when the state is shifted to the setting confirmation state. Unlike the setting change means 286 described above, the setting confirmation means 287 does not change the setting values displayed on the setting display section 173 even if the setting change button 172 is pressed, and also updates the setting values stored in the setting memory. do not. When the setting key cylinder 171 is turned off, the setting confirmation means 287 ends the setting confirmation state and turns off the setting display section 173.

Note that the setting value data managed in the setting memory may not be the numerical values of "1" to "6" but instead the numerical values of "0" to "5". In this case, the setting value "0" corresponds to setting 1, the setting value "1" corresponds to setting 2, the setting value "2" corresponds to setting 3, and the setting value "3" corresponds to setting 4. , the setting value "4" may correspond to the setting 5, and the setting value "5" may correspond to the setting 6. By using "0" as the normal value of the setting value data, it will not be judged as abnormal when the RAM is cleared when the RAM is abnormal and the setting value data is set to the initial value "0". can be simplified. Another advantage is that when performing some kind of lottery using setting value data, for example, when selecting a different table or data for each setting value in prefetch processing, the offset processing for selection can be simplified. . For example, when using "1" to "6" as set value data, additional processing such as subtracting the start address by 1 is required when using these values as offset data for table or data selection. On the other hand, when using "0" to "5" as the set value data, the numerical value of the set value data can be used as is as the offset data. Note that when the setting change means 286 and the setting confirmation means 287 use numerical values from "0" to "5" as the setting value data, they may display the numerical values of the setting value data as they are on the setting display section 173, or A value obtained by adding +1 to the value data may be displayed on the setting display section 173. In the latter case, the numerical data of "0" to "5" is converted to the numerical values of settings 1 to 6 in the game settings and displayed, so that the display can be easily understood by the administrator of the gaming machine.

<Command transmission means>
The command communication means 205 includes a payout control command communication means 206 that transmits control commands necessary for execution of payout etc. to the payout control board 155, and a sub control command communication means 206 that transmits control commands necessary for execution of production control etc. to the sub board 300. It includes a command transmitting means 207. The payout control command communication means 206 transmits a payout command that instructs the payout of the number of prize balls corresponding to each winning hole based on the determination of ball entry into each winning hole by the ball entering determining means 201, and sends a payout command to the main board 200. Sends a command indicating the status of the error that occurred. When starting the symbol variation, the sub-control command transmitting means 207 transmits the determination result of the lottery corresponding to the symbol variation to the performance determining means 303 together with the symbol variation control command.

The sub-control command transmitting means 207 controls the variation at the timing at which the first special symbol control means 251 and the second special symbol control means 252 start and stop the variable display of the first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52. A start command and a fluctuation stop command are sent to the effect determining means 303 (sub-main). When transmitting the variation start command, the main judgment is the judgment result determined or determined, the stop symbol, the value indicating each of the variation patterns, and the value indicating whether it is the first lottery or the second lottery. It is transmitted to the performance determining means 303 together with the fluctuation start command. When transmitting the fluctuation stop command, a value indicating the stop symbol is again transmitted to the effect determining means 303 together with the fluctuation stop command. In addition, the performance determining means 303 (sub-main) sends a fluctuation start command, a fluctuation stop command, etc. to the performance control means 304 in order to control the fluctuating display of decorative symbols by the performance control means 304 (sub-sub). As a result, the variable displays by the main display control means 250 and the effect control means 304 (sub-sub) are synchronized and the interlocking is maintained. Further, the sub-control command transmitting means 207 transmits the preliminary determination result by the preliminary determining means 235 to the effect determining means 303. After the preliminary determination result is temporarily stored in the transmission buffer, the winning openings (first starting opening 11, second starting opening 11, second starting opening) corresponding to the preliminary determination result are It is transmitted to the effect determining means 303 together with the type information of the opening 12), the information on the number of pending tickets, the gaming state, etc., and is erased from the transmission buffer or overwritten later. As a result, on the side of the sub-board 300, based on the received preliminary determination result, a process called "pre-reading" is realized in which the result can be inferentially recognized in advance before the turn to start symbol variation comes around. Note that processing based on the preliminary determination information performed by the sub-board 300 will be described later. The sub-control command transmitting means 207 receives information regarding the special game by the special game control means 260, information regarding the small winning game by the small winning game controlling means 265, information on the lottery result by the general lottery means 213, and information set by the setting changing means 286. Setting value information for game settings is transmitted to the sub-board 300. The sub-control command transmitting means 207 also controls various controls on the main board 200 or sends information to the main board 200, such as information regarding initial processing and information regarding errors by the main initial processing execution means 280 and the main error detecting means 284. Information regarding various signals and the like is transmitted to the sub-board 300 as appropriate.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the sub-board. The sub board 300 includes a symbol mode determining means 301, a pattern storage means 302, a performance determining means 303, a performance control means 304, a clocking means 307, a performance setting means 308, a sub initial processing execution means 360, a sub power cutoff processing execution means 362, It includes a sub-error detection means 364, a command reception means 370, and a sub-side preliminary determination means 371.

The pattern storage means 302 holds a plurality of effect patterns in which the effect image content and the display process to be displayed on the effect display device 60 when the decorative pattern 61 changes. The production patterns include a plurality of variation production patterns in which the variation process and performance process from the start of variation to the stop of variation in the variation display of the decorative symbols 61 are determined, and the expectation level for a jackpot that is displayed separately from the variation display of the decorative symbols. The display includes a plurality of preview performance patterns that preliminarily suggest the height of the variable display before the display stops.

The command receiving means 370 receives various commands transmitted from the command communication means 205, and the sub-side preliminary determination means 371 holds the preliminary determination results transmitted from the command communication means 205. The effect determining means 303 includes a normal effect determining means 373 and a look-ahead effect determining means 374. The normal performance determining means 373 causes the performance control means 304 to display the information on the performance display device 60 according to the information of the determination result of the first lottery or the determination result of the second lottery transmitted from the command communication means 205, 108, the content of the effect to be output to the decorative lamp 111 etc. is determined. The performance determining means 303 determines the content of the performance according to the setting values of the game settings transmitted from the command communication means 205. The pre-read effect determining means 374 determines the effect content to be displayed on the effect display device 60 by the effect control means 304 and output to the speaker 108, decorative lamp 111, etc., according to the preliminary determination result transmitted from the command communication means 205. . The normal performance determining means 373 selects from a plurality of variable performance patterns corresponding to the special symbol fluctuation pattern determined by the first fluctuation pattern determining means 231 or the second fluctuation pattern determining means 232 and transmitted from the command communication means 205. One of them is selected and read out from the pattern storage means 302. The normal performance determining means 373 sends information on the read variable performance pattern to the performance control means 304. The normal performance determining means 373 holds a pattern table to be referred to in order to select a variable performance pattern. Note that there may be cases where the normal effect determining means 373 determines the variable effect pattern by referring to the preliminary determination result transmitted from the command communication means 205, and the variable effect pattern may be determined in conjunction with the content of the pre-read effect by the pre-read effect determining means 374. There may be cases where a performance pattern is determined. The pre-read performance determining means 374 specifies the main determination result with more precision based on the preliminary determination result from the command communication means 205 and the past preliminary determination results and game state information held in the sub-board 300, and specifies the result. Based on the result, it is determined whether or not to execute the look-ahead effect before the main determination, and the content of the execution. Specifically, the look-ahead performance determining means 374 determines whether the current gaming state is in a probability variable game, and then shifts to the normal gaming state based on the prior determination result that is earlier than the currently received prior determination result. Determine whether or not to do so. Based on the determination result, determine the validity of the main determination and the selected variation pattern related to the preliminary determination result received this time, and determine whether or not to execute the pre-reading effect and the execution contents of the pre-reading effect based on the specified results. . Note that the performance determining means 303 has many parts in which the normal performance determining means 373 and the pre-reading performance determining means 374 cooperate, so the description will be given as the performance determining means 303 that includes both, except for particularly necessary parts.

For each variation performance pattern, a variation time is determined for each pattern as a condition for ending the symbol variation, and the symbol variation is stopped when the variation time has elapsed. The effect determining means 303 selects a variable effect pattern of effect images having the same variation time according to a variable pattern of the special symbol.

The symbol mode determining means 301 determines the combination of the stop symbols of the decorative symbols 61 and their arrangement based on the determination result of the lottery by the first lottery means 211 or the second lottery means 212, the stop symbols of the special symbols, the variation patterns of the special symbols, the decorations, etc. Determined according to the fluctuation performance pattern of the symbol. The symbol mode determining means 301 transmits information indicating the determined combination of stopped symbols to the performance control means 304. The symbol mode determining means 301 holds a symbol range table that should be referred to in order to determine the stop symbols of decorative symbols.

The stop pattern of the decorative pattern 61 is formed as a combination of three symbols, and for example, when the result of the judgment by the first judgment means 221 and the second judgment means 222 indicates a transition to a special game of 4R jackpot or 10R jackpot. A specific combination, for example, a combination of three symbols such as "777" and "111" is selected. If the result of the judgment is a 2R jackpot or a small hit, a specific combination, such as "357", is selected, but these specific combinations are not necessarily combinations in which all three symbols are aligned. You don't have to. If the result of the judgment is neither a jackpot nor a small hit, it is a combination such as "312" or "946" where the three symbols are not aligned, and it is a specific combination selected at the time of a 2R jackpot or small hit. Combinations that are not applicable are selected. If the winning/failure judgment result is not a 4R jackpot or a 10R jackpot, and a fluctuation pattern indicating a hit with reach is selected, a combination in which only one symbol is not aligned, such as "191" or "727" Select.

The variation presentation pattern of the decorative pattern defines the variation display mode of the decorative pattern, that is, the presentation process from the start of variation to the stop of variation of the decorative pattern. The variable production patterns include a pattern when displaying a normal winning symbol, a pattern when displaying a winning symbol after going through a reach state where if one more symbol is aligned, it will be a jackpot, and a pattern when displaying a winning symbol after reaching a reach state. Contains patterns when doing so. In particular, the patterns when passing through the reach state include patterns with varying lengths of time. For each variation performance pattern, a variation time is determined for each pattern as a condition for ending the symbol variation, and the symbol variation is stopped when the variation time has elapsed. The performance determining means 303 selects a variation performance pattern of a decorative symbol whose variation time is equal to that of the special symbol, depending on the variation pattern of the special symbol.

In the time-saving state, if the variation pattern selected by the first variation pattern determination means 231 or the second variation pattern determination means 232 is a time-saving pattern, the performance determination means 303 selects a variation whose performance content for time-saving is determined. Select a performance pattern. The time-saving production content is a production in which background video and audio are output to give the impression that the player is in an advantageous state due to time savings or probability changes.

The preview performance pattern is a performance pattern that temporarily displays an image, animation, or video of a specific character or motif on the screen, a performance pattern that causes a role model to move, or a performance pattern that outputs a specific sound. The performance based on the preview performance pattern is executed in parallel with the symbol variation, and it is suggested in advance that there is a high expectation that the symbol variation will stop in a jackpot manner. For example, there is a normal preview effect in which only one character image is displayed on the screen, and a group preview effect in which a group of characters is displayed as if they are passing from one end of the screen to the other. Further, a step-up preview performance is included in which the display process of the preview performance is divided into a plurality of stages, and the number of stages to be displayed is made variable so that the greater the number of stages, the higher the expectation of a jackpot.

The preview performance patterns include a pattern in which the display is executed at a timing after the display mode of the decorative pattern 61 becomes the ready-to-reach state and foretells the final stop state of the symbol (post-reach notice), and a pattern in which the display mode of the decorative pattern 61 becomes the ready-to-reach state (post-reach notice). There is a pattern (pre-reach notice) that simultaneously announces that the production will be executed at a timing that is not normally stopped and the reach state will be reached.

The performance determining means 303 determines whether or not to display a preview performance on the performance display device 60 according to the judgment result of the win/fail lottery or the pre-judgment result by a predetermined preview lottery, sets the preliminary performance, and also sets the preliminary performance. Determine the preview performance pattern. Performance determining means 303 holds a preview determination table to be referred to in order to decide whether to display a preview performance, and a preview type table to be referred to when selecting the type of preview performance pattern. The preview decision table is set so that different columns are referenced depending on the result of the lottery or preliminary determination, and the preview effect is displayed with a higher probability when the lottery is a win than when it is a loss. Thus, the correspondence between the determination result of the winning lottery and whether or not to display the preview effect is determined. Thereby, the display of the preview performance itself can indicate a high degree of expectation for a jackpot.

The performance control means 304 causes the performance display device 60 to variably display the performance image including the decorative pattern 61 in accordance with the selected variable performance pattern data. The effect control means 304 sets the reception of the command to start changing the decorative pattern 61 as a condition for starting the variable display of a new decorative pattern. When the performance determining means 303 determines that a preview performance is to be displayed, the performance control means 304 displays a preview performance according to the selected preview performance pattern on the performance display device 60 in a form that is superimposed on the symbol variation performance. let

The performance control means 304 reserves the start of the symbol variation display corresponding to the first winning/failure drawing when the winning/failure drawing value of the second winning/failure drawing is stored, and determines whether the winning/failure drawing value of the first winning/failure drawing is stored. Irrespective of whether the lottery is successful or not, the symbol variation display corresponding to the second lottery is started. As a result, if the lottery values for both the first lottery and the second lottery are held, the lottery values held for the second lottery are read out preferentially, and changes in the decorative symbols are displayed. . In such a case, the lottery value held in the first win/fail lottery is not read out and the decorative symbol does not start changing until the number of holds in the second win/fail lottery becomes 0. In this way, the effect control means 304 causes the effect display device 60 to display a pattern variation effect including a variable display of the decorative patterns 61.

The effect control means 304 further controls the lighting and extinguishing of the decorative lamp 111 and the operation of the movable accessory 66. The performance control means 304 includes a performance display control means 305, an audio control means 306, and a lamp control means 309. The effect display control means 305 controls the display on the effect display device 60, and the audio control means 306 controls the audio output from the speaker 108. The lamp control means 309 controls lighting and extinguishing of the decorative lamp 111.

While the first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52 are changing, the effect display device 60 needs to display an image indicating that the symbol is changing. Normally, a normal-sized decorative pattern 61 having a certain size is displayed in a variable manner, but in a manner that obstructs the visibility of the variable display of the normal-sized decorative pattern 61, other than the variation of the decorative pattern 61 is treated as the main performance content. A special effect may be displayed. In this case, the fact that the symbols are changing is presented to the player by displaying an alternative symbol which is a decorative symbol smaller in size than the normal sized decorative symbol. Hereinafter, when simply referred to as a decorative pattern, it means a normal-sized decorative pattern, but when distinguishing it from an alternative pattern, a normal-sized decorative pattern is also referred to as a "normal decorative pattern" or a "main decorative pattern."

The alternative pattern is displayed while the visibility of the normal decorative pattern is obstructed, for example, while the normal decorative pattern is hidden. The alternative design is a form of decorative design for visually suggesting the result of judgment, and has a display form that is simpler (in other words, simplified or simplified) than the normal decorative pattern, and It is displayed in a more simplified variation process. The alternative design usually has a display form on the appearance corresponding to the part indicating the design type of the decorative design, and has a display form showing numbers, letters, and symbols indicating the design type, for example. Further, the alternative design is displayed in a variable manner in a narrower area than the area in which the decorative design is normally displayed in a variable manner, and typically in a position where it is difficult to interfere with the main effect by elements other than the design, for example, in a corner of the screen of the effect display device 60. Fluctuations are displayed. Although the alternative designs are displayed relatively smaller than the normal decorative designs, they have a display form that allows at least the type of the design to be visually identified. The alternative design may be a reduced version of the normal decorative pattern, or may be the same as the normal decorative pattern except for the size.

The plurality of alternative symbols displayed in place of the plurality of normal decorative symbols suggest a high degree of expectation that the outcome of the lottery will be advantageous to the player due to the combination of the stop modes at the end of the variation. For example, when a plurality of alternative symbols are used, a ready-to-reach state in which two of the three alternative symbol types are available suggests that the expectation of a jackpot in the variation is high. In addition, the left and right symbols in the reach state may be specific types of symbols that suggest relatively high expectations such as "3" and "7", and the symbols that indicate relatively high expectations such as "1" and "2". By using a type of symbol that suggests a relatively low level, it may indicate whether the level of expectation of the reach state is high or low. Note that the alternative symbol does not appear to be in a definitive stopped state, but is in a temporary stopped state in which a slight oscillation is maintained. After the alternative symbol is temporarily stopped, a normal ornamental symbol may be displayed in place of the alternative symbol, and the normal ornamental symbol may be displayed in a fixed stopped state. Further, the normal decorative pattern and the alternative pattern are not displayed exclusively, but the display periods may overlap. Furthermore, at the time of a predetermined performance in which the visibility of the normal decorative pattern is obstructed, the variable display of the normal decorative pattern may be continued, and the variation of the alternative pattern may be displayed. Unlike the alternative symbols, during the fluctuation of the first special symbol 51 and the second special symbol 52, in a predetermined area of the effect display device 60, the special symbol is fluctuating with an image of the same size or smaller than the alternative symbol. A simple pattern that suggests something may be displayed in a variable manner. A simple pattern may be composed of a variable display of a combination of three symbols in the same way as a normal decorative pattern, a variable display of a single symbol, or a simple symbol (such as "○" or "×"). It may also be configured to switch sequentially. Simple symbols are not related to the variation display mode of normal decorative symbols or alternative symbols, and display a constant variation from the start of variation to the end of the variation of special symbols, and when they are stopped, they are related to the stop display mode of normal decorative symbols. may be displayed. It should be noted that the simple symbol may be one that at least gives a hint that the special symbol is being displayed in a variable manner and the result of the special symbol, and can be changed as appropriate, such as displaying a combination of two symbols. Further, the simple design may be called a "sub-decorative design", "sub-decoration design", "mini-decoration design", "mini-decoration design", etc. Apart from the effect display device 60, a variable display of a decorative pattern called a fourth pattern, which shows a display equivalent to a simple pattern using a light emitting mode such as an LED, may be used. The fourth symbol is used to indicate the progress of the game (display during variation of special symbols, display of results) when a malfunction occurs in the performance display device 60. As an example of the display mode of the 4th symbol, the LED lights up sequentially in "white", "blue", "green", "yellow", "orange", and "red" (blinking including turning off is also possible). The variable display may be displayed in a variable manner, or the variable display may be indicated by flashing in a certain single color depending on the type of special symbol, and the type of loss or jackpot may be indicated by the emitted color when the display is stopped.

The clock means 307 is a clock circuit that outputs time information used for gaming. The clocking means 307 is a timer circuit that measures the time since the power is turned on with a counter and outputs it as time information. However, a real-time clock circuit with a built-in battery that can continue to measure date and time even when the pachinko game machine 100 is powered off or during a power outage may be used. In the case of a real-time clock circuit, there may be slight differences in the time between each gaming machine due to individual differences or time differences, whereas in the case of a timer circuit, there is no difference in time between multiple gaming machines as long as the power is turned on at the same time. The possibility of this occurring is small.

The performance determining means 303 executes a synchronized performance that starts at a predetermined timing triggered by the time information output by the clock means 307 indicating a predetermined time. The synchronized performance is a performance that is displayed on the performance display device 60 in a synchronized performance period that is a period that is substantially asynchronous with the fluctuation period of symbol fluctuations and the gaming state. The synchronized performance period lasts several minutes, is longer than one symbol variation time, and can include multiple symbol variation periods. The performance pattern of the synchronized performance is stored in the pattern storage means 302, and the reproduction of a predetermined music and video is defined in the performance pattern. A plurality of types of performance patterns for the synchronized performance are prepared, and different types of performance patterns can be selected depending on the date and time such as the month, date, day of the week, and time.

The synchronized performance is executed regardless of whether the game is in a normal game or a special game. Here, "during normal gaming" also includes displaying a so-called standby demo screen. In other words, "normal game" includes (1) "normal game during fluctuating display" where symbols are being displayed in a fluctuating manner, and (2) "normal game while fluctuating is stopped" where symbols are not fluctuating and the standby demo screen is not being displayed. '', and (3) ``Normal game while displaying a standby demo screen'' in which the standby demo screen is being displayed instead of the changing symbols being displayed. The synchronization performance can be executed during any of the periods (1) to (3), but in the case of (2) and (3), the output mode that controls volume reduction, brightness reduction, etc. in the synchronization performance is (1). It may be different from when. In addition, while the standby demo screen is displayed, the player can input information regarding the mobile cooperation system, which will be described later, by operating the production button 109 or the cross key 110, and when this operation input is received, the video and audio of the synchronized production will be output. This will be suppressed, and priority will be given to screen displays such as performance customization using the mobile cooperation system.

The synchronized performance is, for example, a performance in which a predetermined music performance or video is played back at a predetermined time (referred to as a "synchronized performance start time"). The time that triggers the playback of the synchronization effect may be a time that arrives after a predetermined time interval from the time when the power of the pachinko gaming machine 100 is turned on, or the time of every hour on the hour or half past the hour with reference to standard time. It may be. Alternatively, a time may be set that can vary depending on the date or day of the week, and instead of being set at regular intervals such as "every hour," the time may be set at different intervals, such as first after one hour, then after three hours, and so on. The interval may vary depending on the date or day of the week. It may be a variable setting in which the time can be specified by the game store clerk for each game store. However, it is set in advance so that the same synchronized performance is executed at least at the same time among a plurality of machines of the same model installed in the same game parlor. For example, in the case of a specification in which the timing is triggered by a time that arrives at a predetermined time interval from when the power is turned on, a plurality of machines at a game parlor are turned on at the same time. As a result, once the predetermined time has elapsed, the same synchronized performance is executed at the same time on the plurality of gaming machines. As a result, the production is displayed at the same time as if it were synchronized on multiple devices, and the same songs and videos are played at the same time, creating a synergistic and realistic feeling as if a live performance or movie was being shown on the spot. A dramatic effect can be obtained.

The synchronized performance function is similarly built into other game machines of the same model, and multiple game machines on the same game island are powered on at the same time by game store staff every day. Then, all of the plurality of gaming machines that are powered on at the same time reach the synchronized performance start time almost at the same time, and can execute the synchronized performance at the same time. This is called multi-device synchronized production. In that case, not only will the video display be synchronized on multiple devices, but the output of sound effects and background music will also be synchronized on multiple devices. It increases.

The performance setting means 308 stores the game history of the player. The game history includes a history of game results and a history of performance results. The game result history is the result of the game that leads to the ball that the player obtains as a result of the game, such as the number of balls hit, the number of prize balls, the number of jackpots, the number of probability changes, and the number of time savings. The history of performance results is different from gaming profits, and is a performance record that is recorded in order to obtain benefits such as being granted the right to change the content and type of the performance or the right to make it easier for a specific type of performance to appear. This is information such as scores. For example, in order to score the number of appearances of a predetermined performance, the result of a mini-game, etc. and give it to the player, encoded information, such as a two-dimensional code, indicating the score and game history is displayed on the screen. When the player reads and decodes the two-dimensional code with the camera of his/her mobile terminal, the points obtained through decoding and information on the game history are stored in the player's mobile terminal. A system for linking a gaming machine and a player's mobile terminal via a two-dimensional code will be described later. Note that the points mentioned here are necessary to expand the range of production customization described later, and the points must reach a predetermined cumulative value (for example, reaching 1000 points, every 100 points, etc.) This is a specification that will increase the number of customizable items.

The performance setting means 308 stores settings for selecting one of a plurality of performance content options as performance customization based on the player's selection instructions and game history. For example, as performance patterns to be displayed during a special game, a plurality of types of performance patterns with different motifs, characters, and songs to be displayed are prepared in the pattern storage means 302, and the player is allowed to select which of them to display. That's it. Alternatively, a plurality of types of motifs or character patterns are prepared in a pattern storage means 302 as designs of patterns included in decorative patterns to be varied, and the player is allowed to select which pattern is to be displayed. In those cases, when a player's operation of the effect button 109 or cross key 110 is accepted while the standby demo screen is displayed, and a effect pattern is selected through the operation, the effect setting means 308 selects the selected effect. Remember. The effect determining means 303 selects the type of effect pattern during the special game according to the settings stored by the effect setting means 308.

The sub-initial process execution means 360 executes a control start process for the sub-board 300 when the Pachinko gaming machine 100 is powered on or recovered from a power-off. The sub-power-off processing execution unit 362 executes abnormality response processing such as power-off processing on the sub-board 300 when a power abnormality such as a power-off occurs. The sub-error detection means 364 executes abnormality detection processing in the sub-board 300. When the sub-error detection means 364 detects a power-off, the sub-power-off processing execution means 362 backs up the data in the RAM to the backup RAM as a power-off process.

FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing the outline of the mobile cooperation system. As a premise of the mobile cooperation system, a player registers as a user in advance by setting an account and password on a game history server 358 provided with a dedicated site using a mobile terminal 354. When the player presses the performance button 109 at the start of the game, the performance display control means 305 displays on the screen of the performance display device 60 a two-dimensional code 350 that encodes the address of the dedicated site of the game history server 358, The player is made to read it with the camera of a mobile terminal and access the dedicated site of the game history server 358. Character information (also called "password information") that encodes the player's identification information and performance score history is transmitted from the dedicated site to the mobile terminal and displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal. The effect display control means 305 displays the input screen for the password information on the effect display device 60, and allows the player to input the password information through button operations such as the cross key 110. By decoding the input password information by the performance setting means 308 and registering it as the player's identification information and performance score history, the game content and performance score status of the player up to the previous time can be inherited. Input of this password information becomes an instruction to start recording the game history of the player and an instruction to start performance customization for selecting various performance elements. Thereafter, in the pachinko gaming machine 100, as the game and performance progresses, the performance setting means 308 adds up the points given to the player as performance benefits from time to time and accumulates them as performance score history. You can perform performance customization at any time and select and set your favorite elements as various performance elements. Points for performance are basically added for each symbol change, and the higher the expectation of transition to a special game, the higher the score is awarded to the type of performance, and the higher the score is also awarded when transition to the special game.

To customize the performance, the player uses a part of the accumulated points, and depending on the number of points used, colors, backgrounds, shapes, characters, etc. that make up the performance content displayed on the performance display device 60 You can change the performance elements such as music to your liking. The effect setting means 308 receives an instruction to change the effect element through a button operation by the player, and changes various effect elements in accordance with the instruction. Multiple types of items are prepared for each customizable performance element, and different values are set as the number of points required for each item. Therefore, when the accumulated score reaches a predetermined value, the number of customizable items increases, or a chance to increase the number of customizable items is provided. When the player operates a button to instruct the end of the game or performance customization, the performance setting means 308 generates a two-dimensional code 350 that encodes information such as performance benefits and performance score history, and uses this to control the performance display. The means 305 displays it on the effect display device 60. The player reads the two-dimensional code 350 with the camera of his or her mobile terminal and decodes the read two-dimensional code 352 to obtain information and store it in the mobile terminal 354. Further, the information is transmitted from the mobile terminal 354 to the game history server 358 with a dedicated site via the network 356, and is managed in association with the player's own account information. In this way, information such as performance benefits and performance score history is transmitted to the mobile terminal 354 via the transmission means of displaying and reading the two-dimensional code 350, and is managed by the game history server 358. The contents of the game and performance can be carried over to the next game. Also, by continuing to play the game for a long time, points can be earned as the number of symbol changes and the number of presentations increases.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of the main board 200 and the sub board 300. The main board 200 includes electronic components such as a main CPU 290, a main RAM 291, and a main ROM 292. The main ROM 292 stores in advance a main control program and data for controlling overall gaming operations. A main control program or data is read from the main ROM 292 into the main RAM 291, and the main control program is executed by the main CPU 290. Each electronic component is connected by a bus such as a system bus or a data bus (not shown). Entry signals from each ball entrance, payout signals from the payout control board 155, and the like are acquired by the main CPU 290 via various interfaces (not shown). The main CPU 290 drives and controls external devices such as each winning hole solenoid, the first special symbol display section 41, and the second special symbol display section 42 using various drive circuits (not shown). Further, commands necessary for performance control are transmitted from the main CPU 290 to the sub-board 300 together with information such as the results of the lottery, the results of determining symbols, and the results of determining fluctuation patterns. Signals are transmitted from the main board 200 to the sub board 300 by one-way communication.

The command data transmitted from the main board 200 to the sub-board 300 has a 2-byte configuration consisting of a combination of 1-byte command type data called MODE data and 1-byte command content data called EVENT data. The main board 200 can send one command by associating command type data and command content data and transmitting them to the sub board 300. The instruction type data is a bit string indicating the type of instruction, and a unique type code is assigned in advance to each instruction type at the development stage. The instruction content data is a bit string indicating the content of the instruction. The most significant bit of the instruction type data and instruction content data is an identification bit that indicates whether it is instruction type data or instruction content data.When the most significant bit is 1, it indicates that it is instruction type data; When the bit is 0, it indicates instruction content data.

Communication from the main board 200 to the sub board 300 is designed to send 1 byte of data per data transmission, so two transmissions of 1 byte each are required to send 2 bytes of command data. . MODE data, which is the upper byte, is transmitted in the first communication, and EVENT data, which is the lower byte, is transmitted in the second communication. Considering the possibility of communication failure due to the influence of noise, etc., the main board 200 continuously transmits the same data, and when the same data is read twice in a row by the sub board 300, completion of the transmission and reception of that data is determined. . The main board 200 repeatedly transmits the same data until it is read twice in a row, up to a maximum of five times.

The sub-board 300 includes electronic components such as a sub-CPU 310, a sub-RAM 311, a sub-ROM 312, and a production control device 313. The sub ROM 312 is one of data storage means that holds a sub control program including performance pattern data in which a performance process is defined, display pattern data in which a performance display process is defined, and the like. A sub-control program including performance pattern data, display pattern data, and audio pattern data is read from the sub-ROM 312 into the sub-RAM 311, and performance control based on the sub-control program is executed by the sub-CPU 310. Each electronic component is connected by a bus such as a system bus or a data bus (not shown). Signals from external devices such as the production button 109 are acquired by the sub CPU 310 via various interfaces (not shown). The sub CPU 310 drives external devices such as the effect display device 60, the speaker 108, the decorative lamp 111, and the movable accessory 66 using the effect control device 313 and various drive circuits and control circuits (not shown) according to the effect pattern data, and outputs the display. , controls the performance through audio output, lamp lighting, and character object movements. Sub CPU 310 transmits display pattern data and audio pattern data to production control device 313. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the sub-board 300 includes the production control device 313, but the sub-board 300 and the production control device 313 do not need to be integrated as a board, but can be separated and connected to each other. It may also be formed as a separate substrate.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of the production control device 313. The production control device 313 includes a control CPU 320, a control RAM 322, a data ROM 324, a display control circuit 326, and an audio control circuit 314. The data ROM 324 is one of data storage means that holds material data such as effect image data and motion data used for effect display and audio data used for audio output in a compressed state. The performance image data is an image used for fluctuating display or performance display as a performance object that indicates the judgment result of a winning/failure lottery, etc. For example, a sprite image of a decorative pattern used for decorative pattern variation, a sprite image used for a preview performance, a sprite image for various performances, etc. This is a material image such as a video to be used. The motion data is data that defines an action when adding an action-like action to an image used for various effects at a predetermined timing. The audio data is audio data such as music, background sounds, sound effects, and characters' lines that are output during production.

Based on the display pattern data sent from the sub CPU 310, the effect image data and motion data specified in the display pattern data are read from the data ROM 324 to the control RAM 322, and effect display using the effect image data and motion data is performed. is executed by the control CPU 320. As a result, commands, effect image data, and motion data related to effect display are transmitted from the control CPU 320 to the display control circuit 326, and the display control circuit 326 performs display control. Similarly, commands and audio data related to audio output are transmitted from the control CPU 320 to the audio control circuit 314, and the audio control circuit 314 performs audio output control.

The display control circuit 326 includes a decoder 332, a drawing memory 334, a drawing circuit 336, a frame buffer 338, and a display circuit 340, each of which is connected via a bus 330. For convenience, the bus 330 in this figure comprehensively represents buses such as a system bus, a data bus, and an address bus.

The effect image data and motion data sent from the control CPU 320 are stored in the drawing memory 334, and compressed data among these data is decoded by the decoder 332. The drawing memory 334 is a VRAM (Video RAM) that is used as a work area when the decoder 332 decodes effect image data and motion data, or as a work area when the drawing circuit 336 executes drawing processing or image processing. ).

The drawing circuit 336 uses the data stored in the drawing memory 334 to sequentially execute commands sent from the control CPU 320 to generate a display image, and stores the generated display image in a frame buffer as a frame of a moving image. 338. The frame buffer 338 is a VRAM that serves as a buffer memory that temporarily stores frames of moving images to be output to the effect display device 60.

The display circuit 340 outputs the display images stored in the frame buffer 338 to the effect display device 60 in the form of a video signal in the order in which they were stored. The frame buffer 338 has a memory area for two frames, for example, and while the display circuit 340 outputs a display image from the memory area for one frame, the drawing circuit 336 generates the next display image. Store in the memory area for one more frame.

Note that the data ROM 324 holds "detailed display pattern data" in which the display control process performed by the display control circuit 326 is defined. At this time, the display pattern data sent from the sub CPU 310 can be called "schematic display pattern data" in which the outline of the effect display process is defined. For example, the general display pattern data defines the general flow of a series of effect display processes, such as the start and stop timing of fluctuation of decorative patterns, the playback order of multiple moving images, and the playback start and stop timing. . On the other hand, the detailed display pattern data includes detailed display controls such as the display order of sprite images to realize fluctuating display of decorative patterns and the display processing order in frame units to display moving images based on motion data. The process is defined.

When performing display control based on the "general display pattern data" sent from the sub CPU 310, the production control device 313 reads "detailed display pattern data" necessary for the processing from the data ROM 324, and uses both display pattern data. and execute display processing. Therefore, it can be said that the production control device 313 executes the display control process based on the display pattern data including "general display pattern data" and "detailed display pattern data". Therefore, in this specification, unless explicitly mentioned, "general display pattern data" stored in the sub ROM 312 and "detailed display pattern data" stored in the data ROM 324 are not distinguished, and are simply "display pattern data". ”. For example, when the effect control means performs a specific process based on display pattern data held in the data storage means, this display pattern data includes "general display pattern data" and "detailed display pattern data". . In addition, in the modified example, the display pattern data is not divided into "general display pattern data" and "detailed display pattern data", and even if the display pattern data serving as both is held in the sub ROM 312 or the data ROM 324. good.

In this embodiment, the hardware configuration of the production control device 313 includes a control CPU 320, a control RAM 322, a data ROM 324, and a display control circuit 326. In a modification, the control CPU 320, control RAM 322, data ROM 324, and display control circuit 326 may be integrated instead of being configured as separate electronic components. Further, the processing performed by the display control circuit 326 may be performed by the control CPU 320, the control RAM 322, or the data ROM 324. For example, the control CPU 320 included in the production control device 313 may execute the processing executed by the decoder 332, the drawing circuit 336, and the display circuit 340 included in the display control circuit 326. Further, the control RAM 322 included in the effect control device 313 may also serve as the drawing memory 334 and the frame buffer 338. In addition, the production control device 313 may have a hardware configuration in which the display control circuit 326 is not included, and in this case, the processing executed by the display control circuit 326 is executed by the control CPU 320, control RAM 322, or data ROM 324. may be done.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the hardware configuration of the sub-board 300 includes a production control device 313 in addition to the sub-CPU 310, sub-RAM 311, and sub-ROM 312. In a modification, the sub CPU 310, the sub RAM 311, the ROM 312, and the production control device 313 may be integrated instead of being configured as separate electronic components. Further, the processing executed by the production control device 313 may be executed by the sub CPU 310, the sub RAM 311, or the sub ROM 312. For example, the sub CPU 310 may execute the processing of the control CPU 320, the sub RAM 311 may serve as the control RAM 322, and the sub ROM 312 may serve as the data ROM 324. In addition, the sub board 300 may have a hardware configuration in which the production control device 313 is not included, and in this case, the processing to be executed by the production control device 313 is executed by the sub CPU 310, the sub RAM 311, or the sub ROM 312. It's okay.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a control start process for the main board 200 in the Pachinko gaming machine. This control start process is executed by the main initial process execution means 280, but will be described below assuming that it is executed by the main CPU 290 functioning as the main initial process execution unit 280. When the power switch 150 is turned on, the main CPU 290 sets a stack pointer (S100), permits access to the main RAM 291 (S102), and executes initial settings regarding the hardware such as setting the built-in registers of the main CPU 290. (S104).

The main CPU 290 checks the operating state of the setting key, and if the setting key is in the ON state (Y in S105), checks the operating state of the RAM clear switch. If the RAM clear switch is turned on (Y in S122), a setting change process is executed (S124). On the other hand, if RAM clear is OFF (N at S122), a setting confirmation process is executed (S126). Note that if the setting key is in the OFF state in S105 (N in S105), the processes in S122 to S126 are skipped.

Subsequently, depending on the operation state of the RAM clear switch, the value of the power-off information flag, and the state of the data stored in the main RAM 291, power-off recovery processing or initialization processing of the main RAM 291 is executed. Specifically, if the RAM clear switch is not turned on and both the value of the power-off information flag and the data stored in the main RAM 291 are normal, the process at the time of power-off recovery is executed. do. In other cases, that is, when the RAM clear switch is turned on, or even when the RAM clear switch is not turned on, either the power-off information flag or the data stored in the main RAM 291 is normal. If not, initialization processing of the main RAM 291 is executed.

The main CPU 290 checks the operating state of the RAM clear switch, and if the RAM clear switch is turned on (Y in S106), initializes the main RAM 291 (S116). If the RAM clear switch is not turned on (N in S106), the main CPU 290 checks the value of the power-off information flag (S108). If the value of the power-off information flag does not match the power-off normal data (N at S108), the main RAM 291 is initialized (S116). If the value of the power-off information flag matches the power-off normal data (Y in S108), the data stored in the main RAM 291 is inspected (S110). As will be described later, if the processing had completed normally when the power was last turned off, the checksum of the data stored in the main RAM 291 will have been stored in the main RAM 291, so the main CPU 290 will use the checksum to Inspect the data in main RAM 291. If the data stored in the main RAM 291 is not normal (N in S112), the data in the main RAM 291 is initialized (S116). If the data stored in the main RAM is normal (Y in S112), processing is executed to return to the state before the power was turned off (S114).

In the power-off recovery process (S114), power-on normal data indicating that the power was turned on normally is stored in the power-off information flag, and initial settings for various errors and communication initial settings with the payout control board 155 are executed. do. Subsequently, the command requests that have not been sent before the power is turned off are cleared, and commands for various information indicating the gaming status are requested to be sent. Subsequently, a production command corresponding to the number of activated balls of the first special symbol and the second special symbol is requested. Subsequently, the open/closed states of the second starting port 12 and the big winning port 20 are returned to the state before the power was cut off. Subsequently, a process for notifying the operating state of the special symbol probability variation function is executed.

In the RAM initialization process (S116), the power-on normal data is stored in the power-off information flag, the entire area of the main RAM 291 is cleared with 0, and the initial settings of the main RAM 291 and the initialization of the effect display are executed. Note that in the initialization process of S116, the setting values stored in the setting memory of the setting change device 170 are not cleared, and the setting values set in the setting change process of S124 are held as they are.

When the power-off recovery process (S114) or the RAM initialization process (S116) is completed, a count value is set to start an interrupt process to be described later, and the operation of the interrupt timer is started (S118). As a result, a timer interrupt is generated every predetermined time (for example, 4 milliseconds) from then on, and the interrupt processing described later is executed. Next, the main CPU 290 executes main processing for managing the gaming machine (S120).

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing details of the setting change process in S124 in FIG. The value of the setting memory where the setting value of the game setting is to be stored is confirmed, and if the setting memory value is not normal (N of S132), the setting value is initialized to the initial value (S134). When using "1" to "6" as setting value data, "1" is set as the initial value, and when using "0" to "5" as setting value data, "0" is set as the initial value. If the setting memory value is normal (Y in S132), the process in S134 is skipped. Subsequently, the process moves to a setting change state (S136), and the setting values stored in the setting memory are displayed on the setting display section 173 (S138). If there is a change operation using the setting change button 172 (Y in S140), the setting value displayed on the setting display section 173 is updated, and the setting value stored in the setting memory is updated (S142). If there is no change operation (N at S140), the process at S142 is skipped. If the setting key remains ON (N at S144), the processes from S138 to S142 are repeated. If the setting key inserted into the setting key cylinder 171 is returned to its original state and turned OFF (Y in S144), the setting display section 173 is hidden to make the set value invisible (S146), and the process returns.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing details of the setting confirmation process in S126 in FIG. The value of the setting memory where the setting value of the game setting is to be stored is confirmed, and if the setting memory value is not normal (N of S152), the setting value is initialized to the initial value (S154). If the setting memory value is normal (Y in S152), the process in S154 is skipped. A transition is made to a setting confirmation state (S156), and the setting values stored in the setting memory are displayed on the setting display section 173 (S158). If the setting key remains ON (N in S160), the process of S158 is repeated to continue displaying the setting value, and if the setting key turns OFF (Y in S160), the setting display section 173 is hidden. The setting value is made invisible (S162), and the process returns.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing in detail the main processing of S120 in FIG. The main CPU 290 once prohibits timer interrupts (S200), starts operation of the watchdog timer (S202), and monitors power-off (S204). When a drop in the power supply voltage supplied from the power supply board 158 is detected in a power supply voltage monitoring circuit (not shown), a power-off memory is executed by inputting an unconditional interrupt request signal from the power supply voltage monitoring circuit to the main CPU 290. In the process, power-off confirmation data is stored in the power-off confirmation flag. Therefore, the main CPU 290 monitors the value of the power-off confirmation flag (S204), and if the value of the power-off confirmation flag matches the power-off confirmation data (Y in S206), executes the process for power-off. Therefore, the process advances to S212. If the value of the power-off confirmation flag does not match the power-off confirmation data (N of S206), in order to update the initial value random number per normal symbol, the initial value random number per special symbol, and the soft initial value random number per special symbol, Initial value random number update processing is executed (S208), timer interrupt is enabled (S210), and the process returns to S200. Thereafter, S200 to S210 are repeated. If a timer interrupt occurs while timer interrupts are disabled (S202 to S208), the timer interrupt is enabled in S210, and then interrupt processing, which will be described later, is executed.

When a power outage is detected in S206 (Y in S206), the main CPU 290 restarts the watchdog timer (S212) and checks the contents of the power outage information flag (S214). If the contents of the power-off information flag do not match the power-on normal data (N in S214), it is determined that the data at power-on is not saved normally, and the power-off abnormal data is stored in the power-off information flag. (S216) and proceeds to S222. If the contents of the power-off information flag match the power-on normal data (Y in S214), it is determined that the data at power-on has been saved normally, and the power-off normal data is stored in the power-off information flag. (S218). Subsequently, in order to check the backed up data in the main RAM 291 when the power is turned on next time, a checksum of the data stored in the main RAM 291 is calculated and stored in the main RAM 291 (S220). Next, access to the main RAM 291 is prohibited (S222), and the process loops until the power is turned off. Note that the above-mentioned processing at the time of power-off is executed by the main power-off processing execution means 282 implemented by the main CPU 290.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing details of interrupt processing. When a timer interrupt occurs in the main process (S120), the main CPU 290 executes the interrupt process. First, interrupt operating conditions are set (S300), and the watchdog timer is restarted (S302). Next, in order to manage the gaming machine, input processing (S304), various random number update processing (S306), initial value update type random number update processing (S308), initial value random number update processing (S310), timer subtraction processing (S312) , 2nd start opening valid period setting process (S314), winning monitoring process (S316), prize ball control process (S318), normal symbol activation gate monitoring process (S320), normal symbol control process (S322), normal symbol fluctuation start Monitoring process (S324), starting opening monitoring control process (S326), special symbol control process (S328), special electric accessory control process (S330), big prize opening valid period setting process (S332), special symbol fluctuation start monitoring control Processing (S334), abnormality detection processing (S336), ball entry passage time abnormality detection processing (S338), game state display processing (S340), handle state signal inspection processing (S342), LED output processing (S344), firing control signal Output processing (S346), test signal output processing (S348), solenoid output processing (S350), production control command transmission processing (S352), external information output processing (S354) are executed in order, and the next timer interrupt is permitted. (S356) and returns.

In the input processing (S304), the input port data of switches attached to the game board surface, disconnection/short circuit power abnormality detection signal, door/frame open signal, magnetic detection signal, radio wave detection signal, and touch state signal is monitored. , creates data indicating the input state and stores it in the main RAM 291. Note that the data indicating this input state includes level data (data at the input port at the time of the current interrupt), rising data or falling data (data at the input port at the time of the current interrupt, and data at the input port at the time of the previous interrupt). (data indicating which switch was found to have changed by comparing input port data using exclusive OR).

In various random number updating processes (S306), the normal symbol fluctuation pattern random numbers and the fluctuation pattern random numbers are updated. A normal symbol variation pattern random number is read from the main RAM 291, and if the value is less than a predetermined maximum value, the value is incremented and stored, and if the value is greater than or equal to the predetermined maximum value, 0 is stored. Further, a fluctuation pattern random number is read from the main RAM 291, and if the result of subtracting a predetermined value from the value is 0 or more, the subtraction result is stored, and if it is less than 0, a predetermined maximum value is stored. As a result, the normal symbol variation pattern random number and the variation pattern random number are updated every time a timer interrupt occurs.

In the initial value update type random number update process (S308), the random number per normal symbol, the random number per special symbol, and the software random number per special symbol are updated. The respective random number values, maximum values, and initial values are read from the main RAM 291, and the random number values are incremented. If the incremented result exceeds the maximum value, the random number value is set to 0. Further, if the incremented result matches the initial value, the initial value random number is read from the main RAM 291 and the initial value is updated. As a result, the random number per normal symbol, the random number per special symbol, and the software random number per special symbol are updated every time a timer interrupt occurs, and when the random number value returns to the initial value, that is, the random number range is completed once. Then, new initial values are set and random numbers are generated.

In the initial value random number update process (S310), the initial value random number per normal symbol, the initial value random number per special symbol, and the soft initial value random number per special symbol are updated. The initial value random number is read from the initial value random number update table in the main RAM 291, and the value of the initial value random number is incremented. If the incremented result exceeds the upper limit, the initial value random number is set to 0. Similar processing is performed in the initial value random number update processing (S208) in the main processing (S120).

In the timer subtraction process (S312), the 2-byte timer is updated. The values of timers for various controls are read from the main RAM 291 according to the respective tables, and if the timer values are other than 0, the values are sequentially decremented and stored. If the timer value is 0, no timer update is performed.

In the second starting port effective period setting process (S314), the effective period of the second starting port 12 is set. The second starting port 12 contains a validity period during which a prize ball will be paid out and a lottery related to the second special symbol will be executed when a game ball enters, and a valid period during which a prize ball will be paid out and a second special symbol will be drawn even if a game ball enters. An invalid period is set in which a lottery related to a symbol is not executed. As will be described later, in the starting port monitoring control process (S326), the second starting port winning monitoring process is not executed during the invalid period of the second starting port 12, so no game ball enters the second starting port 12. Even if the prize ball is paid out and the lottery related to the second special symbol is not executed. The same applies to the case where a valid period and an invalid period are set for the first starting hole 11, the big winning hole 20, the first operating hole 31, the second operating hole 32, the general winning hole 33, etc. When the state of the normal symbol is "normal electric accessory in operation", data indicating that the second starting port 12 is in the valid period is stored in the second starting port valid period flag. If the state of the normal symbol is not "normal electric accessory in operation", if the value of the second starting port valid extension timer is not 0, the second starting port valid period flag indicates that the second starting port 12 is in the valid period. If the value of the second starting port validity extension timer is 0, data indicating that the second starting port is in an invalid period is stored in the second starting port valid period flag.

In the winning monitoring process (S316), the passage of the game ball through the switch is inspected, and when the game ball passes through the switch, the switch does not have an invalid period or is currently in its valid period, and the prize ball is paid out. If so, update the winning counter. It also requests the creation of a security output request to be output to the external information output terminal 160 and the transmission of a command.

In the prize ball control process (S318), monitoring data reception from the payout control board 155, requesting command transmission to the payout control board 155, sending command to the payout control board 155, and inspecting data received from the payout control board 155. Execute in order.

In the normal symbol operation gate monitoring process (S320), the passage of the game ball through the first operation port 31 and the second operation port 32 is monitored, and it is determined that the game ball has passed through the first operation port 31 or the second operation port 32. At this time, if the number of pending normal symbols is less than the upper limit of 4, the number of pending normal symbols is updated and the random number related to the normal symbols is stored in the main RAM 291.

In the normal symbol control process (S322), the state of the normal symbol is monitored, and if it is determined that the normal symbol is being controlled, processing related to the normal symbol display section 45 or the normal electric accessory 90 is executed. If the state of the normal symbol is "normal symbol fluctuating", the normal symbol fluctuating process is executed, and if the state is "normal symbol stopping symbol displaying", the normal symbol stopping symbol displaying process is executed, and the "normal symbol changing state" is executed. If "accessory object is in operation", normal electric accessory object operation process is executed, and if "normal electric accessory object operation end demonstration is in progress", normal electric accessory object operation end demonstration process is executed. In the normal symbol fluctuation process, after the normal symbol fluctuates, the fluctuation time is monitored, and if it is determined that the normal symbol fluctuation time has ended, the normal symbol fluctuation stop setting is set and the state of the normal symbol is changed to "normal". Set to ``Symbols are stopped and symbols are being displayed.'' In normal pattern stop pattern display processing, the stop pattern display time of the normal pattern is monitored, and when it is determined that the stop pattern display time of the normal pattern has ended, the normal pattern operation end setting corresponding to the result of hit determination is executed. In case of a hit, set the state of the normal symbol to "Normal electric accessory in operation", save the operating state of the normal electric accessory release extension function when the normal electric accessory starts operating, and start the normal electric accessory. The operation setting of the normal electric accessory solenoid 91 corresponding to the operating state of the ordinary electric accessory opening extension function at the time is executed. In the case of a miss, the state of the normal symbol is set to "waiting for normal symbol change." In the normal electric accessory operation process, if the winnings of the winning openings related to the ordinary electric accessory 90 of the game ball are monitored and it is determined that the number of winnings of the winning openings related to the ordinary electric accessory 90 has reached the maximum number of winnings. executes the operation termination setting of the normal electric accessory 90 and the setting of the second starting port effective extension time. If it is determined that the number of prizes in the winning opening related to the ordinary electric accessory 90 has not reached the maximum number of winnings, the opening/closing time of the entrance to the winning opening related to the ordinary electric accessory 90 is monitored, and the ordinary electric accessory 90 When the opening/closing of the entrance of the prize opening is set and it is determined that the opening of the entrance of the series of ordinary electric accessories 90 is completed, the operation termination setting of the ordinary electric accessory 90 and the activation of the second starting opening are performed. Execute extension time settings. In addition, if it is determined that the opening/closing time of the entrance of the winning opening related to the normal electric accessory 90 has not ended, the opening/closing setting of the entrance of the winning opening related to the ordinary electric accessory 90 is not executed. In the normal electric accessory operation end demonstration processing, the operation end demonstration time of the ordinary electric accessory 90 is monitored, and if it is determined that the operation end demonstration time of the ordinary electric accessory 90 has ended, the state of the normal symbol is changed to "normal symbol". "Waiting for change".

In the normal symbol variation start monitoring process (S324), the state of the normal symbol is monitored, and if it is "waiting for normal symbol variation" and the value of the number of normal symbol activation pending balls is other than 0, the normal symbol fluctuation is started. It is decided to start. When it is determined to start the fluctuation of the normal symbol, the number of normal symbol activation pending balls is decremented, and the hit judgment, determination of the stop symbol, setting of the fluctuation pattern number of the normal symbol, and setting of the fluctuation time of the normal symbol are executed. . After that, the state of the normal symbol is set to "normal symbol fluctuating", and the area of the main RAM 291 used for the normal symbol state setting, hit determination, and fluctuation pattern determination is cleared.

In the starting hole monitoring control process (S326), winnings of the first starting hole 11 and second starting hole 12 of the game balls are monitored. If you confirm that a game ball has won when the number of pending balls for the first special symbol is less than 4, obtain a built-in random number, and add the value of the software random number per special symbol to the obtained built-in random number. It is stored in a buffer as a special symbol per random number used in jackpot determination. Further, as random numbers related to special symbols, symbol random numbers and fluctuation pattern random numbers are acquired and stored. If the reservation of the second special symbol is to be extinguished in priority to the reservation of the first special symbol, only the renewal of the reservation related to the winning is executed, but if the reservation of the special symbol is to be consumed in the order of winning, In addition to updating the reservations related to the winnings, the total number of reservations is updated and the order of winnings is stored. Next, in order to request a preview production command corresponding to the random number stored at the time of winning the starting slot, the state of the gaming machine is checked, and if it is determined that it is the command transmission period, a winning preview production request, a winning symbol preview production request, a pattern notice. Executes performance requests in order. Here, (1) if you want to store the random number related to the first special symbol while you are waiting for a hit and the normal symbol probability fluctuation function is not activated, (2) you are waiting for a hit and the normal symbol probability fluctuation function is not activated. When the random number related to the second special symbol is stored while the probability fluctuation function is not activated, (3) When the random number related to the second special symbol is stored during the jackpot or small win. , it is determined that it is the command transmission period. Next, a production command corresponding to the number of balls pending activation of the special symbol is requested. As a result, the sub-board 300 is notified that the number of reserved balls for activation of the special symbol has been updated. As described above, in pre-reading, four pieces of preliminary determination information (prior propriety determination information, preliminary symbol determination information, preliminary pattern determination information) and the number of reserved balls are transmitted to the sub-board 300 as a set. In addition, in the above example, the main CPU 290 controls the transmission of commands for preliminary determination processing, but in another example, when a ball enters the starting hole, the transmission is uniformly performed and pre-reading is possible. The sub CPU 310 may make various situational judgments such as whether or not it is a period. Next, the value of the second starting port valid period flag is checked, and if the value of the second starting port valid period flag is data indicating that the second starting port 12 is in the valid period, the first starting port winning prize is As in the case, the second starting opening winnings monitoring process is executed. When the value of the second starting port valid period flag is data indicating that the second starting port 12 is in the invalid period, the second starting port winning monitoring process is not executed. In addition, if it is confirmed that a game ball has won a prize when the number of pending balls is 0, the number of pending balls is once changed from 0 to 1, and then the control process related to the start of fluctuation, which will be described later, is executed. .

In the special symbol control process (S328), a hit waiting state is checked, and if the special electric accessory is in operation, that is, a big hit or a small hit, the special symbol control process is ended. If the special electric accessory is not activated, the state of the special symbol is inspected, and if it is "waiting for special symbol change", the special symbol control general processing is ended, and if it is "starting to change", the special symbol is changed. A start process is executed, and if "special symbol is changing", special symbol varying processing is executed, and if "special symbol stopping symbol is being displayed", special symbol stopping symbol displaying processing is executed. In the special symbol variation start process, the selection number of the special symbol variation pattern is acquired based on the variation pattern random number, the variation time corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern number is determined, and the variation is started in order to start the effect display on the sub board 300. Request commands for additional symbol information, variation patterns, and character information, set the state of the special symbol to "Special symbol variation in progress," and clear the variation pattern judgment area used to determine the special symbol variation pattern to 0. . In the process during special symbol fluctuation, after performing special symbol fluctuation, the fluctuation time is monitored, and if it is determined that the special symbol fluctuation time has ended, the special symbol fluctuation stop setting is set and the state of the special symbol is changed to "special". Set to ``Symbols are stopped and symbols are being displayed.'' In special symbol stop symbol display processing, the stop symbol display time of the special symbol is monitored, and when it is determined that the stop symbol display time of the special symbol has ended, special symbol operation end setting is executed corresponding to the result of hit determination. In the case of a jackpot, in order to end the special symbol's operation, set the state of the special symbol to "waiting for special symbol change", set the number of times the special electric accessory will operate continuously, and set the special symbol's probability. Disable the variation function, special symbol variation time reduction function, normal symbol probability variation function, normal symbol variation time reduction function, and normal electric accessory opening extension function to prepare the state of the gaming machine for opening the big winning hole. Set the hit start demo display time, command request for hit start demo performance, and command request for firing position specification performance (command request to execute a performance that suggests a recommended firing position such as "Right hit") Execute. If the result of the hit determination is a small hit, it is determined that the special symbol's variation time shortening function and the normal symbol's probability variation function have finished operating, the variation pattern selection state is updated, a command request is made for the gaming state, and the special symbol In order to end the operation, set the state of the special symbol to "waiting for special symbol change", set the state of the gaming machine to the small hit start demonstration, set the win start demo display time, and set the win start demonstration performance. Executes command requests and command requests for firing position designation effects. If the result of the hit judgment is a failure, it is determined that the special symbol's variation time shortening function and the normal symbol's probability variation function have finished operating, the variation pattern selection state is updated, a command request is made for the gaming state, and the special symbol is changed. In order to end the operation, the state of the special symbol is set to "waiting for special symbol variation" and a command request for firing position designation performance is executed.

In the special electric accessory control process (S330), in order to execute the process related to the special electric accessory, the operating state of the condition device and the special electric accessory is inspected, and whether the condition device is in operation or the special electric accessory is in operation. If it is determined that this is the case, processing related to the special electric accessory is executed. Depending on the operating status of the special electric accessory, processing in preparation for opening the big prize opening, processing while the special electric accessory is in operation, processing while closing the big prize opening, processing during the jackpot end demonstration, processing during the small winning start demonstration, small winning special call. Execute processing during operation, processing during closing of small winning large prize opening, and processing during small winning end demonstration.

In the grand prize opening validity period setting process (S332), in order to save the result of determining the validity period of the major prize opening 20, if the value of the major prize opening validity period is 0, the major prize opening validity period flag is set to If it is other than 0, the big winning opening valid period data is stored in the big winning opening valid period flag.

In the special symbol variation start monitoring control process (S334), the operating state of the special symbol is monitored and it is determined whether the special symbol is in a state where it can start varying. If the order of consumption of the reserved balls of the special symbol is priority consumption of the second special symbol, (1) the jackpot or small hit is not in progress, (2) the first special symbol is on standby for fluctuation, (3) ) The second special symbol is on standby to fluctuate, and (4) the number of balls pending activation of the special symbol is other than 0. When all of the following conditions are satisfied, the special symbol is ready to start fluctuating. It is determined that If the reserved balls of the special symbol are consumed in the order of winning, in addition to (1) to (3) above, (5) the total number of reserved balls of the special symbol is other than 0, and (6) the relevant When all of the following conditions are satisfied: the determination matches the order of consumption, that is, the order of winning, it is determined that the special symbols are ready to start changing.

When it is determined that the special symbol is ready to start changing, the number of pending balls of the special symbol is subtracted, and a performance command corresponding to the number of pending balls of the first special symbol and the second special symbol is requested. As a result, the sub-board 300 is notified that the number of reserved balls of the special symbol has been updated.

Next, a hit determination for the special symbol is executed. In the hit determination, it is determined whether it is a big hit, a small hit, or a miss based on the special symbol hit random number, and the determination result is stored in the special symbol determination flag. Next, decide on the pattern. In determining the symbols, if the hit judgment is a jackpot, the jackpot symbol is determined based on the special symbol per symbol random number, if it is a small hit, the small win symbol is determined, and if it is a miss, the miss symbol is determined. is determined.

If the result of the hit determination is a jackpot, the operation content of the probability fluctuation function of the special symbol is determined based on the value of the group determination number indicating the type of the winning symbol determined in the symbol determination process, and the operation content of the special symbol probability fluctuation function is determined. The game state after the jackpot is set, such as the operating details of the variable time reduction function and the easy winning state of normal symbols. Next, settings are made during the jackpot, such as the number of times the special electric accessory is activated in succession and the opening time of the jackpot. Next, the contents of the variation pattern selection state are set by selecting a variation pattern table to be referred to after the jackpot is completed based on the result of the hit determination and the operating state of the probability variation function of the normal symbol. Next, a start demonstration time and an end demonstration time are set by referring to a table selected based on the value of the group determination number indicating the game state and the type of winning symbol. Subsequently, the area of the main RAM 291 used for hit determination and symbol determination is cleared, and the state of the special symbol is set to "variation start".

If the result of the hit determination is a small hit, select the fluctuation pattern table to be referred to after the small hit ends, set the contents of the fluctuation pattern selection state, set the start demo time and end demo time, and confirm the winning. The area of the main RAM 291 used for judgment and symbol determination is cleared, and the state of the special symbol is set to "variation start". If the result of the hit determination is a loss, the area of the main RAM 291 used for the hit determination and symbol determination is cleared, and the state of the special symbol is set to "variation start".

In the abnormality detection process (S336), the main CPU 290, which functions as the main error detection means 284, inspects the magnetic detection signal, disconnection/short circuit power abnormality detection signal, radio wave detection signal, and door/frame open signal, and determines whether there is a change in the error state. If so, the error state is stored and a request is made to the sub-board 300 to display an error state representation of the gaming machine. At this time, the light emitting mode of a light emitting means such as an LED mounted on the control board may be controlled depending on the error state. If there is no change in the error state, the request to store the error state and display the error state performance is not executed.

In the ball entry passage time abnormality detection process (S338), the main CPU 290, which functions as the main error detection means 284, monitors the continuous on time of each switch level in order to detect the ball entry passage time abnormality, and calculates the continuous on time ( For example, if it is determined that the value of the counter that is incremented for each interrupt when the switch is on is an abnormal value, the incoming ball transit time abnormal setting, command transmission request, and security output to the external information output terminal 160 are determined to be abnormal. Step through the creation of output requests. At this time, the light emitting mode of a light emitting means such as an LED mounted on the control board may be controlled in accordance with the abnormality in the entrance and passage time. If it is determined that the continuous on time is not abnormal, no security output request is created.

In the game state display process (S340), in order to request the display of the number of times the special electric accessory is activated in succession, the error state, the number of pending activation balls for normal symbols, and the number of pending activation balls for special symbols, each display is required. Create data.

In the handle state signal inspection process (S342), the handle state is inspected to monitor the touch state of the handle, and if it is determined that there is a change in the handle state as a result of the inspection, the handle state monitoring timer is subtracted and the handle state is Updates, sets the handle state monitoring timer, and requests command transmission for handle state presentation. As a result of the inspection, if it is determined that there is no change in the handle state, a handle state monitoring timer is set. If the result of decrementing the value of the handle state monitoring timer is other than 0, it is determined that the timer is being decremented, and subsequent processing is not executed.

In the LED output process (S344), the display of special symbols, the display of normal symbols, the display of the number of balls on hold for special symbols, the display of the number of balls on hold for normal symbols, the display of the game status, and the special electric accessory are displayed in succession. Initialize the display in order to display the number of times the special electric accessory is activated, display the operating status of the special electric accessory when the accessory continuous operation device is not activated, display the division, display the error, and display the prize ball ratio. , acquire and output display data in sequence.

In the firing control signal output process (S346), in order to output a signal for prohibiting/permitting firing of game balls, setting of prohibiting/permitting firing corresponding to the communication state with the payout control board 155 and disconnection/short circuit power supply abnormality, and After acquiring the firing prohibition/permission data, a firing prohibition/permission signal is output.

In test signal output processing (S348), a signal to be output to the test device is created and output to the corresponding output port.

In the solenoid output process (S350), in order to output the output data of the normal electric accessory solenoid 91 and the big winning hole solenoid 92, the output data of the normal electric accessory solenoid 91 is acquired, and the output data of the big winning hole solenoid 92 is acquired. Executes acquisition and output data. The operation flag and operation timer of each solenoid are acquired, and output data corresponding to the acquired solenoid operation flag and solenoid operation timer is acquired. Next, the solenoid operation timer is updated and the output data is output to the solenoid output port.

In the production control command transmission process (S352), the presence or absence of a request to send a command to be sent to the sub-board 300 is checked, and if it is determined that there is a request to send a command, the requested command data is acquired and the used command buffer is set to 0. Clear, acquire MODE data corresponding to the acquired command data, output MODE data, hold MODE data, acquire EVENT data corresponding to the acquired command data, and output EVENT data in this order.

In the external information output process (S354), a signal to be output to the external information output terminal 160 is created, and the created signal is output to the external information output port.

The random numbers used in the operation process of the main board 200 described above will be explained in more detail. The random numbers used on the main board 200 mainly include a random number per normal symbol and a normal symbol variation pattern random number as random numbers related to the normal symbol, and a random number per special symbol (hard random number) as the random number related to the special symbol. , software random numbers per special symbol, symbol random numbers per special symbol, and variable pattern random numbers. In addition, the initial value random number per normal symbol, the initial value random number per special symbol, and the initial value random number per special symbol are used as random numbers to give the initial values of the initial value update type random numbers. There are random numbers and soft initial value random numbers for each special symbol.

The random number per normal symbol is updated in the initial value update type random number update process (S308) of the interrupt process, and is stored in a predetermined location of the main RAM 291. The random number per normal symbol is the number of pending normal symbol variations when it is determined that the game ball has passed through the first operating port 31 or the second operating port 32 in the normal symbol activation gate monitoring process (S320) of the interrupt process. is less than the upper limit of 4, it is acquired from a predetermined position in the main RAM 291 and stored in another area of the main RAM 291. The normal symbol random number is used for hit determination and stop symbol determination when it is determined in the normal symbol variation start monitoring process (S324) to start the variation of the normal symbol.

The normal symbol variation pattern random number takes, for example, a value of 0 to 232, is updated in various random number update processes (S306) of the interrupt process, and is stored in a predetermined location of the main RAM 291. The normal symbol fluctuation pattern random number is used to suspend the normal symbol fluctuation when it is determined that the game ball has passed through the first operating port 31 or the second operating port 32 in the normal symbol activation gate monitoring process (S320) of the interrupt process. If the number is less than the upper limit of 4, it is acquired from a predetermined position in the main RAM 291 and stored in another area of the main RAM 291. The normal symbol variation pattern random number is used to determine the normal symbol variation pattern when it is determined to start the variation of the normal symbol in the normal symbol variation start monitoring process (S324).

The random number per special symbol is determined in the start opening monitoring control process (S326) of the interrupt process, when it is confirmed that the game ball has won when the number of balls pending operation of the first special symbol or the second special symbol is less than 4. , a built-in random number and a software random number per special symbol are obtained, and the generated random number is generated by adding the two values, and is stored in a predetermined position of the main RAM 291. The special symbol per random number is used to execute the jackpot determination and the small hit determination in the special symbol variation start monitoring control process (S334) of the interrupt process.

The software random number per special symbol is updated in the initial value update type random number update process (S308) of the interrupt process, and is stored in a predetermined location of the main RAM 291. The software random number per special symbol is stored in the main RAM 291 when it is confirmed in the starting opening monitoring control process (S326) that a game ball has won when the number of pending balls of the first special symbol or the second special symbol is less than 4. , and is used to generate a random number per special symbol, as described above.

The symbol random number per special symbol takes a value of, for example, 0 to 999 (0 to 255 in the example of FIG. 7), is updated in the initial value update type random number update process (S308) of the interrupt process, and is stored in a predetermined location in the main RAM 291. Stored. The symbol random number per special symbol is stored in the main RAM 291 when it is confirmed that a game ball has won when the number of pending balls for the first special symbol or the second special symbol is less than 4 in the starting opening monitoring control process (S326). is acquired from a predetermined location and stored in another area of the main RAM 291. The special symbol per symbol random number is used to determine the jackpot symbol when the hit determination is a jackpot in the special symbol variation start monitoring control process (S334) of the interrupt process.

The fluctuation pattern random number takes a value of, for example, 0 to 49999 (0 to 255 in the example of FIG. 8), is updated in various random number update processes (S306) of the interrupt process, and is stored in a predetermined location of the main RAM 291. The fluctuation pattern random number is stored in a predetermined value in the main RAM 291 when it is confirmed that a game ball has won when the number of balls on hold for the first special symbol or the second special symbol is less than 4 in the starting opening monitoring control process (S326). The information is acquired from the location and stored in another area of the main RAM 291. The fluctuation pattern random number is used to determine the special symbol fluctuation pattern in the special symbol control process (S328) of the interrupt process.

The initial value random number per normal symbol, the initial symbol random number per special symbol, and the soft initial value random number per special symbol are values within the same range as the random number per normal symbol, the random symbol per special symbol, and the software random number per special symbol, respectively. It is updated in the initial value random number update process (S208) of the main process (S120) and the initial value random number update process (S310) of the interrupt process, and is stored in a predetermined location of the main RAM 291. The initial value random number per normal symbol, the initial symbol random number per special symbol, and the soft initial value random number per special symbol are set as the random number per normal symbol, the random symbol per special symbol, and the special random number in the initial value update type random number update process (S308). When updating software random numbers per symbol, it is used as the initial value of each random number.

Since the interrupt processing is executed at fixed time intervals by a timer interrupt, various random number update processing (S306) and initial value update type random number update processing (S308) included in the interrupt processing are also executed at fixed time intervals. Ru. That is, the random number per normal symbol, the random number of normal symbol variation pattern, the random number per special symbol, the software random number per special symbol, the random number of symbol per special symbol, and the random number of variation pattern are updated at regular intervals. On the other hand, the main process (S120) takes the time from the end of the interrupt process until the next timer interrupt occurs, that is, from the fixed time measured by the timer to the time required for the interrupt process. It will be repeated for the reduced time. The time required for interrupt processing differs depending on the gaming state, etc., so the initial value random number update process (S208) in the main process (S120) is different from various random number update processes (S306) and initial value update type random number update process (S308). ), it is not executed at regular intervals. Thereby, the initial value random number obtained when setting the initial value in the initial value update type random number update process (S308) can be made random every time.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a control start process for the sub-board 300 in the Pachinko gaming machine. This control start process is executed by the sub-initial process execution means 360, but will be described below assuming that it is executed by the sub-CPU 310 functioning as the sub-initial process execution unit 360. When control of the sub-board 300 is started, the sub-CPU 310 sets a stack pointer (S500), prohibits all interrupts until various initial settings are completed (S502), and performs operations such as register settings and port initialization of the sub-CPU 310. Initial settings regarding hardware are executed (S504). The control program is read from the sub-ROM 312 and placed in the sub-RAM 311, and among the various variables in the control program, variables with initial values are set to initial values, and variables without initial values are set to zero-clear data. By doing so, the sub RAM 311 is initialized (S506). Note that the interrupt processing in the sub-board 300 is executed with the highest priority, and includes processing at power-on and reset processing when various abnormalities occur when the watchdog function is enabled. The next highest priority level 7 interrupt process is command processing received from the main board 200, and the second highest priority level 3 interrupt process is CPU runaway detection using a watchdog timer. There is a time reset process. The next priority level 2 interrupt process is processing related to commands sent and received with the control CPU 320, and the lowest priority level 1 interrupt process is communication processing with the real-time clock. There are various device control processes such as lamps, solenoids, motors, etc. If interrupts related to the various types of processing described above occur at the same time, the interrupts with the highest priority, which is preset for each type of interrupt, are executed first. Note that the processing shown in this figure includes the processing at power startup, which is an interrupt with the highest priority level, the reset processing when various abnormalities occur, and the reset processing when a CPU runaway is detected, which is an interrupt with priority level 3. include.

Interrupts other than commands received from the main board 200 (priority level 7) are prohibited (S510), and various error information to be used for the model is set from all error information for all models stored in advance (S512). . All the lamps including the decorative lamp 111 are turned off (S514), the watchdog timer starts operating (S516), and main processing is executed (S518). Normally, the process does not return to this flow from the main process of S518, but when it returns, it shifts to sleep (low power consumption mode) (S520).

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing in detail the main processing of S518 in FIG. In order to check whether the control program placed in the sub-RAM 311 in S506 of FIG. 20 is correctly placed in the main process of this figure, the start address at which to start the check is acquired (S530), and in the subsequent process. All interrupts are permitted (S532), and initialization operations of devices such as motors and solenoids are performed (S534).

If the watchdog timer is set to be used, the watchdog timer is cleared (S536), the decorative pattern counter is updated so that the combination of missing decorative patterns becomes a random combination (S540), and the input port of the sub CPU 310 is updated. (S542). In addition, since S540 is a process in a method that uses a counter to determine the missing decorative symbols, in the case of a method that uses a lottery sheet that incorporates all symbol combinations that result in missing symbols to determine the missing decorative symbols. The process of S540 is not executed. The process of determining the missing decorative symbol using the lottery sheet is executed in S552 when a command indicating a stop symbol of the special symbol is received from the main board 200 as described later. The sub CPU 310 functioning as the sub error detection means 364 monitors the error state, and when detecting various errors, notifies the error (S544), executes processing according to the input state of the production button 109 (S546), A preview lottery is executed (S548). In addition, in the preview lottery in S548, in order to send the command for the preview performance to appear immediately after the start of symbol variation to the production control device 313 as early as possible, the lottery process is not processed in one loop but multiple times. It is divided into loops, and a preview effect that appears immediately after the start of symbol variation is drawn by lottery in the previous loop. If there is an operation request for a device such as a real-time clock, lamp, motor, or solenoid, the operation is executed (S550), the command stored in the command buffer is analyzed (S552), and if the command has just been analyzed, the process proceeds to S536. Returning (Y in S554), if the command is not immediately after analysis (N in S554), the lottery software random number is updated as a low-priority process that can be performed in free time (S556), and the process returns to S536. In addition, in S552, if the command to be analyzed indicates a variation pattern of the special symbol, the variation production pattern of the decorative symbol is determined in this process of S552, and if the command to be analyzed indicates a stop symbol of the special symbol, the lottery sheet is If the method is to use the method to determine the missing decorative symbol, the stop symbol of the decorative symbol is determined in the process of S552.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing interrupt processing when a command is received from the main board 200. The main command received from the main board 200 is an interrupt command of priority level 7, which has the second highest priority after reset interrupts and error interrupts. The data received from the main board 200 is read to the input port, and when the same data is read twice in a row, the data is confirmed as a new command (Y in S600), and the confirmed command becomes the first command. (MODE data) (Y in S602), the first command is saved in the temporary storage area (S604). A hard random number is obtained for subsequent processing (S606), and the process returns to the original routine. In this way, by acquiring a hard random number each time there is an interruption of a main command from the main board 200, periodicity does not occur in the timing of acquiring random numbers, and the randomness of the values is increased. If the data read in S600 do not match twice in a row (can be read up to 5 times), S602 is skipped and the process returns to the original routine (N in S600).

In S602, if the confirmed command is not the first command but the second command (N in S602), if it is confirmed that the first command has already been properly received (Y in S608), the command buffer (command data The command write pointer, which is the reading position in the ring buffer (for the ring buffer) is acquired (S610), and the first command and the second command are stored in the command buffer (S612). The command data stored in the command buffer is analyzed in S552 of FIG. The command write pointer is updated (S614), the first command stored in the temporary storage area is cleared (S616), and the process returns to the original routine. If the first command has not been received in S608, steps S610 and subsequent steps are skipped (N in S608) and the process returns to the original routine.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an interrupt process when a timer interrupt for effect display control occurs. This timer interrupt is a priority level 2 interrupt for transmitting commands related to effect display from the sub CPU 310 to the control CPU 320, and occurs at a cycle of 500 μs. In this interrupt, the buffer is checked (S620), and if there is command data for transmission in the buffer (Y in S622), the command data is read (S624) and transmitted to the control CPU 320 (S626). Note that transmission of command data to the control CPU 320 is attempted up to three times at predetermined time intervals until the sub CPU 310 receives a command from the control CPU 320 indicating that the command has been normally received on the control CPU 320 side. After transmission, the buffer read address setting is updated (S628) and the process returns to the original routine. If there is no data for transmission in the buffer (N at S622), the process skips S624 and subsequent steps and returns to the original routine.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing interrupt processing when sub CPU 310 receives a command from control CPU 320. This interrupt is also a priority level 2 interrupt. The command that the sub CPU 310 receives from the control CPU 320 is mainly a command indicating that the command sent from the sub CPU 310 to the control CPU 320 has been successfully received. When a command is received from the control CPU 320, the received command data is read (S630), the command is analyzed (S632), the command is stored in the command buffer (S634), and the process returns to the original routine.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing interrupt processing when a timer interrupt for controlling various devices occurs. This timer interrupt is an interrupt for controlling lamps such as the decorative lamp 111, controlling the solenoids and motors that drive the movable accessory 66, and managing and controlling various timers, and occurs at a cycle of 1 ms. Since this is an interrupt with priority level 1, which has the lowest priority, interrupts with priority level 2 or higher are permitted (S640), and a signal indicating input from the production button 109, a signal indicating error detection, and a signal indicating power outage are generated. , processes the input/output of a port that inputs/outputs a drive signal, etc. to a controlled device such as a motor or a solenoid (S642). At this time, if a signal indicating a power outage is input, the process immediately moves to backup processing. Data related to device control, such as count processing based on control patterns of devices such as motors and solenoids, and on/off control of buffers for writing data to ports in S642, is updated (S644), and a timer is set to measure the timing of the performance. (S646), updates the timer for managing the valid input time of the production button 109 (S648), and updates the task control counter for lighting switching control of the decorative lamp 111, runaway monitoring control of the control CPU 320, etc. A 16 ms cycle is created (S650).

Note that the minimum unit for lighting switching control of the decorative lamp 111 is 16 ms. One frame of image display control is 16 ms or 32 ms, and by setting an integer multiple of that as the minimum unit of lighting switching control of the decorative lamp 111, lamp control and image display control can be easily synchronized. Also, when counting a relatively long period of time, such as a 30 second error notification, if one interrupt (1 ms) cycle count is used, the count value will become longer than necessary; The count value can also be shortened by setting it as a cycle count value.

There are 16 types of tasks in the task control, processes 0 to 15, one task is lighting switching control of the decorative lamp 111, and two tasks are runaway monitoring control of the control CPU 320. The lighting switching control of the decorative lamp 111 is executed once every 16 interrupts according to the count value of the task control counter, thereby achieving switching at a cycle of 16 ms. The runaway monitoring control of the control CPU 320 is assigned, for example, to process 0 and process 8, and monitors the toggle signal from the control CPU 320 when the count value of the task control counter is 0 and 8, that is, once every 8 interrupts (S652). By doing so, monitoring at an 8ms cycle is realized.

Note that the control CPU 320 outputs a toggle signal that is inverted on and off every frame, and if this toggle signal remains the same value for 1600 ms continuously, it is determined that the control CPU 320 is out of control, and the sub CPU 310 The control CPU 320 transmits a reset signal to the control CPU 320, and upon receiving the reset signal, the control CPU 320 executes the reset. Since a toggle signal is received from the control CPU 320 at a cycle of one frame (16 ms or 32 ms), monitoring is performed at a cycle of 8 ms, which is shorter than that cycle. Finally, a timer for managing a relatively long error notification period, such as the above-mentioned error notification for 30 seconds, is subtracted (S654), and the error notification ends when the timeout expires.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing the process of special symbol variation display. If the second winning lottery value is on hold (Y in S700), the second winning/failure determining means 222 reads out the second winning lottery value and determines whether the second special symbol 52 is correct (S702), and The determining means 222 determines the stop symbol of the second special symbol 52 (S704), the second fluctuation pattern determining means 232 determines the fluctuation pattern of the second special symbol 52 (S706), and issues a fluctuation start command together with the determined result. It is transmitted to the sub-board 300 to start symbol variation of the second special symbol 52 (S716).

If the second winning/failure lottery value is not held (N at S700) and the first winning/failure drawing value is held (Y at S708), the first winning/failure determining means 221 selects the first winning/failure drawing. The value is read out and the validity of the first special symbol 51 is determined again (S710), the first validity determination means 221 determines the stop symbol of the first special symbol 51 (S712), and the first variation pattern determination means 231 determines the validity of the first special symbol 51 (S710). A variation pattern of the first special symbol 51 is determined (S714), and a variation start command is sent to the sub board 300 together with the determined result to start symbol variation of the first special symbol 51 (S716). If the first win/fail lottery value is not held, the processes from S710 to S722 are skipped (N in S708).

Process the symbol fluctuation display of the special symbol (S718), repeat S718 until a predetermined fluctuation time has elapsed and the symbol display stop timing is reached (S720 N), and after the predetermined fluctuation time has elapsed, the symbol display will stop. When the timing is reached (Y in S720), a fluctuation stop command is sent to the sub-board 300 to stop the symbol fluctuation being displayed at a predetermined stop symbol (S722), and end the special symbol fluctuation display. do.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing the process of displaying decorative symbols in a variable manner. The effect determining means 303 of the sub-board 300 receives a command indicating the start of variation and the content of effect display from the main board 200 (S750), and stops the decorative pattern according to the received special symbol stop symbol, variation pattern, and validity determination result. A mode is determined (S752), and a variable effect pattern corresponding to the variable pattern is determined (S754). Here, if the precursor setting is turned on by advance determination (Y in S756), the already determined variable performance pattern is a pattern that includes specific performance content that should be avoided from being displayed overlapping with the preview performance. If not (S758, N), and if the symbol change is not the trigger for turning on the omen setting (S760, N), the setting to display a predetermined preview effect is executed (S764), and the omen setting is turned on. If it is the symbol change that was turned on (Y in S760), the omen setting is turned off (S762). If the precursor setting is not on (N at S756) or if the variable performance pattern includes specific performance content (Y at S758), the processing from S760 to S764 is skipped.

Thereafter, the display of the decorative pattern variation effect is started (S766), the process of displaying the variation effect of the decorative pattern (S768), and the display process of the preview effect (S770), until a variation stop command is received from the main board 200. S768 and S770 are repeated (N in S772), and when a fluctuation stop command is received (Y in S772), the decorative pattern is stopped and displayed in the stop mode determined in S752, thereby stopping the symbol fluctuation display (S774). ), the variation effect of the decorative pattern is ended (S776).

FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing the process of the special game. First, the effect display control means 305 starts the effect processing of the special game (S800), and the opening/closing control means 275 opens the grand prize opening 20 (S802). If the predetermined opening time has not elapsed (N in S804) and the number of balls entering the grand prize opening 20 has not reached 9 or more, the process returns to S804 (N in S806), and whether the predetermined opening time has elapsed ( (Y in S804), although the opening time has not elapsed (N in S804), if the number of balls entering the grand prize opening 20 reaches 9 or more (Y in S806), the opening/closing control means 275 closes the grand prize opening. 20 is closed (S810).

If the unit game has not reached the final round (N in S810), add 1 to the number of rounds and return to S802 (S812), and if the unit game has reached the final round (Y in S810), the effect is displayed. The control means 305 ends the production process of the special game (S814), the special game control means 260 ends the special game (S816), and starts the execution of the specific game, that is, the probability change, time saving, easy entry state (S818) ).

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing the process of the small winning game. In the small winning game, a unit game that is executed only once is started (S819), the big prize opening 20 is opened (S820), and the opening is continued until a predetermined opening time has elapsed (N of S822), and the opening is continued. If the time has elapsed (Y in S822), close the big prize opening 20 (S824), and if the set number of openings and closings have not been completed (N in S826), add 1 to the number of openings and closings and return to S820. (S828), if the set number of openings and closings have been completed (Y in S826), the small winning game ends.

In the underlying technology, there are generally more jackpot balls in the second game than jackpot balls in the first game, that is, one jackpot in the second game than in the first game. However, in another example, the first game may be designed to have a higher expected value of winning prize balls than the second game. However, it may be designed so that the expected value of prize ball acquisition in the first game and the second game are approximately equal. In the latter case, the average number of unit games included in the special games executed in the first game and the special games executed in the second game may be designed to be equal. For example, in the first game, a special game is executed in which a unit game is executed 7 times with a 100% probability, and in the second game, a special game is executed in which a unit game is executed 4 times with a 50% probability. However, a special game may be executed in which the unit game is executed 10 times with a probability of 50%. In addition, in any case, a specific area is provided in the grand prize opening, and if the game ball that enters the grand prize opening enters or passes through the specific area, in the normal game after the special game ends. It may be configured such that a specific game such as a variable probability state is performed. In this case, the special game that is executed when a jackpot is achieved in the second game is easier to enter the specific area than the special game that is executed when the jackpot is achieved in the first game. may be configured so that the probability that the normal game with variable probability is executed after the special game is high is high. For example, a first win in which a special game is executed that makes it relatively difficult for the ball to enter a specific area, and a second win in which a special game is executed in which it is relatively easy to enter the specific area. The second game may be configured such that the second game has a higher probability of winning the second win than the first game. Alternatively, the probability of winning the second win in the first game is less than 100%, but the probability of winning the second win in the second game may be 100%.

(First example)
FIG. 30 shows the configuration of the sub-board 300 in the example. The sub-board 300 in this embodiment is formed as one board that integrally includes the production control device 313, and the sub-CPU 310 and control CPU 320 in the base technology are composed of one CPU (sub-control CPU 380), This differs from the base technology in that the RAM 311 and the control RAM 322 are composed of one RAM (sub-RAM 311), and the sub-ROM 312 and the data ROM 324 are composed of one ROM (sub-ROM 312). That is, the sub-CPU 310 and the control CPU 320 in the base technology are a processing process executed by the sub-control CPU 380 (a sub-main process corresponding to the processing process executed by the sub-CPU 310, and a sub-sub-process corresponding to the processing process executed by the control CPU 320). It exists in the sub ROM 312 in the form of a control file (application file). The sub control CPU 380 has a 4-core configuration and can process multiple processes (threads) in parallel, with a 1-core process (thread) executing the sub-main process and a 2-core process (thread) executing the sub-main process. It executes the sub-sub-processes, shares the sub-RAM 311 as a shared memory between the processing processes, and controls and executes the effects while reading various programs and data from the same sub-ROM 312 (the process of the remaining 1 core will not be explained). (omitted). A part of the sub RAM 311 is allocated with an area shared by the sub main process and the sub sub process. The sub-main process of the sub-control CPU 380 reads out a sub-control program including performance pattern data, display pattern data, and audio pattern data from the sub-ROM 312 via the bus 328, stores it in the sub-RAM 311, and controls the performance using the sub-control program. Executed by sub-main processes and sub-subprocesses. When the sub-main process of the sub-control CPU 380 transmits a command, which is information for instructing the sub-sub-process to control the production, the sub-main process stores data including the command in a predetermined shared area (shared memory) of the sub-RAM 311, Data including commands is passed by the sub-subprocess reading data from the shared area. Hereinafter, the term "command transmission" from the sub-main process to the sub-sub-process refers to the transmission and reception (transfer) of data via the shared area (shared memory) on the sub-RAM 311. Based on the display pattern data sent from the sub-main process via the shared area (shared memory), the sub-sub-process of the sub-control CPU 380 sends the effect image data and motion data specified by the display pattern data via the bus 328. The data is read out from the sub ROM 312 and stored in the drawing memory 334 via the bus 330. The sub-sub-process of the sub-control CPU 380 not only executes the effect display using the effect image data and motion data stored in the drawing memory 334, but also performs the voice control circuit 314 using the voice pattern data stored in the sub-ROM 312. Executes sound output. In addition, the sub control CPU 380 uses the sub RAM 311 as a work area. As a modification, regarding the sub ROM 312, a ROM for the control program and a ROM for performance data (a ROM for performance data for audio pattern data, a ROM for performance data for image pattern data) may be provided separately.

Here, in the sub-board 300 of the first embodiment, the sub-control CPU 380 loads and executes various programs (application files of the sub-main process and sub-sub-process, performance pattern data, display pattern data, audio pattern data). If the operation system becomes larger in scale than before, like the sub-control CPU 380 of the sub-board 300 in the first embodiment, it is conceivable that the startup time of the sub-board 300 (sub-control CPU 380) will be significantly longer than before. . In that case, after the Pachinko gaming machine 100 is powered on, the main board 200 (main CPU 290) completes startup earlier than the sub-board 300 (sub-control CPU 380), so the main board 200 waits until the sub-board 300 completes startup. You will have to wait. This is because even if the main board 200 sends a command to the sub-board 300 without waiting, the sub-board 300 cannot receive the command or perform an effect based on the received command until startup is complete.

On the other hand, when the settings are changed using the settings change device 170 when the pachinko gaming machine 100 is started up, from the perspective of preventing fraudulent acts, etc., the fact that the settings are being changed is notified by displaying an image or text such as "Settings are being changed". It is normal to change the settings while doing so. However, since the sub-board 300 cannot perform display processing or audio output while the sub-board 300 is starting up, you must wait for the sub-board 300 to complete the start-up before setting the settings in order to display or make an audio notification to that effect. Changes need to be made.

FIG. 31 shows the process of starting up the system and process on the sub-board 300. First, the first process from S1200 to S1206 is the basic startup process in the sub-board 300. That is, when the power is turned on, the system startup process is started (S1200), and the input/output terminals (system inputs such as clock signals, inputs related to games, etc.), sensors such as the movable accessory 66 and the performance button 109, and the main board 200 are activated. Initial settings for input port terminals for receiving main commands and output port terminals for outputting output data for motors/solenoids that serve as drive sources for speakers 108 and movable accessories 66 are performed (S1202), and various settings are performed (S1202). Initial output of the display unit is performed (S1204). It takes about 2000 ms (milliseconds) for the initial processing up to this point, that is, from power-on to completion of system startup. This 2000 ms includes approximately 500 ms required to release the reset and approximately 1500 ms required to start the system.

Subsequently, the sub-control CPU 380 executes the application file stored in the sub-ROM 312 to start the sub-main process startup process (S1206), and the sub-RAM 311 stores a shared area ( The sub-RAM 311 is initialized by setting the shared memory (shared memory) (S1208), and the sub-main process startup processing is completed. At this point, communication from the main board 200 to the sub-board 300 is possible, but a standby processing time is set for the main board 200 to wait for the sub-board 300 to start up. No commands are normally sent at this point (details will be described later). Items executed in the sub-main process include communication processing to receive commands from the main board 200, control of lamps and movable objects, input of various sensors, and monitoring of errors (buttons, temperature, fans, watchdog timer) etc.), system control of lottery and games, and command communication between sub-main processes and sub-sub processes via shared memory. However, at this point, the sub-sub-process has not started, so command communication between the sub-main process and the sub-sub-process is virtually impossible, and image display control and audio output control are still not possible.

Subsequently, the sub-control CPU 380 starts a sub-sub process startup process to control the effect control device 313 (S1210), initializes the effect display device 60 (S1212), and executes the sub-process via the shared memory set in S1208. When the shared memory is opened to communicate with the main process (S1214), the process ID is written (S1216), and the audio control circuit 314 is initialized (S1218), the 60fps synchronization signal in the display control circuit 326 is enabled. At the same time, the voice activation completion signal of the voice control circuit 314 is enabled (S1220), and the sub-subprocess activation process is completed. Items executed by the sub-sub-process include image display control, audio output control, and command communication between the sub-main process and the sub-sub-process via shared memory. As described above, it takes about 420 ms from S1206 to S1220.

Subsequently, the sub-control CPU 380 starts an initial display such as "screen preparation in progress" on the effect display device 60 (S1222), and the 30 fps synchronization signal in the display control circuit 326 is enabled (S1224). The sub-main process of the sub-control CPU 380 starts monitoring the sub-sub toggle signal (a signal indicating whether display control or audio control is active or not) (S1226), and the sub-control CPU 380 starts monitoring the sub-sub data (minimum amount before starting production control). Resident data such as necessary images) are read from the sub ROM 312 to the sub RAM 311 (S1228), and the image activation completion signal is enabled (S1230). As described above, it takes about 3500 ms from S1220 to S1230. Therefore, the total time from S1200 to S1230 is approximately 5920 ms, and approximately 6 seconds are required from the start of the system activation of the sub-control CPU 380 to the activation of the image activation completion signal.

Finally, command communication between the sub-main process and the sub-sub process is started (S1232), voice command communication is started by the sub-control CPU 380 (S1234), all startup processes are completed, and the decision is made by the production content determination process. It becomes possible to execute a performance accompanied by display of an image corresponding to the created performance (S1236). In addition, in the first embodiment, the sub-main process executes control of lamps and movable accessories, and the sub-sub-process executes sound control, etc., but these roles can be assigned to any one of the following as appropriate. You may change whether it is executed in a process, or you may assign a process that is used exclusively for controlling a specific production device other than the sub-main process and sub-sub process to one core so that it can be executed ( For example, when all or part of a sub-sub-process has stopped, the remaining core may be able to perform emergency image display control to notify the display of an error, etc. (For example, if the entire or part of the processing is stopped due to an error etc., the remaining one core can be used to perform emergency measures to restore the movable accessory).

FIG. 32 is a time chart showing various processing timings on the main board 200 after power is turned on. (1) indicates the on/off state of the power supply. (2) shows the processing state on the main board 200. When the power is turned on at timing t1, the main board 200 performs a security check in the security mode (S3000), and then executes the user program (program designed by the manufacturer) of the main CPU 290 from timing t2. Power-on processing is started (S3004). The period (t1 to t4) of S3000 and S3004 is a maximum of 2 seconds (usually less than 1 second). At this time, in the power-on processing, data is set to wait for 6 seconds as a standby processing period (S3013) from the completion of starting the main board 200 (t4) to the completion of starting the sub-board 300 (t6), and the security mode If the user program processing (S3000, S3004, t1 to t4) takes a maximum of 2 seconds, the waiting period in S3002 will be about 8 seconds in total (t1 to t6). In this way, since the sub-control CPU 380 of the sub-board 300 starts the startup process independently of the main CPU 290 of the main board 200, the startup start timing is set to approximately 6 seconds, which is the startup time of the sub-control CPU 380 of the sub-board 300. The main CPU 290's gaming-related processing (interrupt processing gaming operation, setting change/confirmation processing, main command transmission, etc.) is started after adding a margin (margin) time that takes into account the deviation.

Here, in normal specifications, when clearing the RAM or changing settings, the screen of the effect display device 60 is The system is designed to notify users by displaying information such as "Settings changing" and "RAM clearing", and the operator continues to turn on the setting key or RAM clear switch until the display is displayed. However, in the specifications of this embodiment described above, the sub-board 300 does not complete startup until 6 to 8 seconds have passed after the power is turned on, and "Changing settings" and "Clearing RAM" are not displayed, so the operator cannot turn on the power. If the setting keys and RAM clear switch have to be left on for a long period of ``up to 8 seconds'' from the start until the end of the standby period, the operational burden is not small. On the other hand, even if the specification is such that setting changes and RAM clearing are executed before the sub-board 300 completes startup, if the sub-board 300 does not complete startup, messages such as "settings changing" and "RAM clearing" will be displayed. The operator will not be able to know that the settings have been changed or the RAM cleared. I have no choice but to leave the RAM clear switch on.

Therefore, by controlling the sub-control CPU 380 of the sub-board 300, it is not necessary to keep the setting key or RAM clear switch on all the time until the display or voice notification such as "Settings changing" or "RAM clearing" is displayed. information indicating whether the setting key or RAM clear switch is on or off, or information regarding control based on the operation status of the setting key or RAM clear switch (for example, transition to a setting change state) flags to notify RAM clearing, flags indicating that RAM clearing is to be executed, flags to notify that RAM clearing has been executed, control commands, etc.), and by reading that information after the standby period has elapsed, it is possible to check the operation status of setting keys and RAM clearing switches when the power is turned on. To enable appropriate processing to be executed depending on the situation. In this case, there is no need to continue operating after the setting keys, RAM clear switch on/off information, etc. are stored at an early timing, and the operator is freed from continuing to operate during the waiting period.

First, when changing settings when the power is turned on, an operator such as a game store employee must turn on the setting key before turning on the power, so normally the setting key must be turned on first. In this state, turn on the power (t1). Furthermore, when clearing the RAM along with setting changes, first turn on the power with not only the setting key but also the RAM clear switch turned on as shown in (4) in FIG. 32 (t1). After the security mode of S3000, the power-on processing of the main board 200 is started (t2), and if the RAM clear switch is pressed at early timing t3 of the power-on processing period, as shown in (6). RAM clearing is executed (S3006). At t3, if it is determined that the setting key is on but the RAM clear switch is not pressed, that is, there is an instruction to confirm the settings, the transition to the setting confirmation state is permitted (waiting period) as shown in (7). After the elapse of , a process of storing a flag for transitioning to a setting confirmation state is performed, and a status indicator light, which will be described later, is turned on in a predetermined manner (S3008). At t3, if it is determined that both the setting key and the RAM clear switch are on, that is, a setting change instruction has been issued, RAM clear is executed and a transition to the setting change state is permitted ( After the standby period has elapsed, a process for storing a flag for transitioning to a setting change state is performed, and a status indicator light, which will be described later, is turned on in a predetermined manner (S3010).

The sub-board 300 starts to start up at timing t1, and even after the power-on processing period (S3004) of the main board 200 has elapsed, the sub-board 300 continues to start up, and as shown in (3), the main board 200 The waiting period for waiting for the sub-board 300 to complete startup continues from t1. When S3004 ends at timing t4, main loop processing (interrupt period) is started (S3012), and the main loop interrupt processing causes the 6-second standby processing period ( S3013) is started, and if permission has been given to move to the settings confirmation state, a status indicator light indicating this is lit (S3009), or if permission has been given to move to the settings change state, a status indicator light to that effect is lit (S3009). The status indicator light shown is lit (S3011). As a result, even before the standby period in S3002 has elapsed (that is, before the setting change processing or setting confirmation processing is actually executed), the setting keys and RAM clear switches operated by the operator when the power is turned on can be saved. The operator can be made aware that the on state of the switch is valid. Note that regardless of whether or not the status indicator is checked, even if the RAM clear switch is turned off between t3 and t6 (in the example shown in (4) in Figure 32, the RAM clear switch is turned off at timing t5). (RAM clear switch is turned off), and the input port has already been checked at timing t3, so there is no problem. Regarding input of the setting key, which is an operation for transitioning to the setting change state, turning off the setting key is an operation to end the setting change mode. Normally, it does not occur that the key is turned off (note that if the setting key is turned off at this timing, the setting change state will be immediately ended in the interrupt processing after the end of the standby period). Regarding the startup timing t1 of the sub-board 300, strictly speaking, it is the input timing of the startup voltage to the sub-control CPU 380, so it is originally a little earlier or later than the startup timing t1 of the main CPU 290 shown in FIG. In the embodiment, a common timing t1 is used to simplify the explanation.

In the interrupt period of the main loop process, at timing t6 when the standby process period S3013 ends and the standby period S3002 ends, in the case of normal power failure recovery, a power-on notification is sent as shown in (5). At the same time, the notification returns to the one before the power cut (S3014). When executing the RAM clear in (6), it is notified that the RAM clear has been executed at t6 (S3016). Furthermore, if the transition to the setting confirmation state in (7) is permitted, the setting confirmation is executed at t6, and it is notified that the setting confirmation is in progress (S3018). If the transition to the setting change state in (8) is permitted, the setting change is executed at t6, and it is notified that the setting is being changed (S3020). Note that the notification that the settings are being confirmed and the notification that the settings are being changed are executed for a predetermined short period of time and end immediately, but as a modified example, the notification can be set until after the waiting period ends. If the key is kept on, the notification may be continued as long as the setting key remains on, and the notification may be terminated when the setting key is turned off. Note that the notifications shown in S3014 to S3020 may be executed simultaneously in combination. For example, if the power is turned on normally, only the notification that the S3014 has been turned on will be sent (an audio notification saying "Power has been turned on" for 30 seconds, and the decorative lamp will flash red), but if the settings are changed, is the notification of S3020 (during the setting change state, an audio notification saying "Settings are being changed" + a red decorative lamp blinks; when the setting change state ends, an audio notification saying "Settings have been changed" + a red decorative lamp) If there is a 30-second notification period remaining to notify that the power has been turned on), the configuration may be such that the notification is executed for the remaining time (i.e., if the setting change state (The system may be configured so that notification effects related to setting changes are given priority over notification effects related to power-on).

FIG. 33 illustrates a lighting mode of the status indicator light. The status indicator light 500 is a lamp that indicates whether or not the transition to the setting confirmation state or the setting change state is permitted. When the status indicator light 500 is permitted to shift to the setting confirmation state at t3 in FIG. 32, the status indicator light 500 refers to a predetermined storage area (flag and lighting pattern data) from timing t4 in FIG. 32 to confirm the setting. A specific lamp indicating that transition to the state is permitted is lit by the process (LED output process) during the interrupt process. Similarly, when permission to move to the setting change state is granted at t3, permission to move to the setting change state is granted by referring to a predetermined storage area (flags and lighting pattern data) from timing t4 in FIG. A specific lamp will be lit to indicate that the The status indicator light 500 may be provided in place of the gaming status display unit 76 or the abnormality notification unit 77 in FIG. 1, and in that case, it may also serve as a gaming status display, round display, abnormality notification, etc.

In the example of FIG. 33, the status indicator light 500 is composed of four lamps: a first indicator lamp 501, a second indicator lamp 502, a third indicator lamp 503, and a fourth indicator lamp 504. Which lamp is lit? indicates whether a predetermined state is on or off. In the example of this figure, when the third indicator light 503 at the upper right is lit as shown in (a), it indicates that permission to shift to the setting confirmation state has been given. Further, as shown in (b), when the fourth indicator light 504 at the lower right is lit, it indicates that the transition to the setting change state is permitted. In addition, the lighting mode indicating that permission has been given to move to the setting confirmation state and the lighting mode indicating that permission has been given to move to the setting change state are different from the lighting mode indicating other gaming states to avoid misidentification. , for example, so as not to overlap with the round display or the jackpot display mode.

[Power-on processing of main board 200 (main loop processing)]
FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing the process of powering on the main board 200 and main loop processing. When the power of the Pachinko game machine 100 is turned on, the main board 200 first executes a power-on process (S1000). When power-on processing is started on the main board 200, CPU initialization related to the operation of the main CPU 290, which is an arithmetic unit provided on the main board 200, is executed (S1002). In particular, as a standby processing period for waiting for the completion of startup of the sub board 300, a timer count value "1500" indicating "6 seconds" is set as the sub standby timer value. As the value indicating "6 seconds", the count value "1500" is set because the interrupt processing described later is at 4 ms intervals, and after the start of the interrupt processing (interrupt time setting in S1024), the count value "1500" is set. A standby process for a standby process period is performed based on the count. In addition, in this CPU initial setting, settings necessary for the subsequent operation of the main CPU 290 are appropriately executed. Note that the count value may be set at any processing timing in the power-on processing as long as it is before the standby processing (interrupt processing) for timing the standby processing period is performed.

When the CPU initialization is completed, input port confirmation processing (S1004) and power-off information confirmation/checksum processing (S1006) are executed, and after receiving these processing contents, gaming stop state setting processing (S1008) is executed. do.

To explain in more detail, the input port confirmation process (S1004) is a process of acquiring input signal information of the input port at the timing when power is supplied to the main CPU 290 of the main board 200, and the input port confirmation process (S1004) is a process of acquiring input signal information of the input port at the timing when power is supplied to the main CPU 290 of the main board 200. Check the flag and "set value" that indicate whether or not to move to the setting change state where the "set value" for changing the advantage level (especially the operation probability of the accessory continuous operation device, i.e., the jackpot probability) can be changed. Regarding the flag indicating whether to move to the setting confirmation state for the purpose of This is the process of generating. In the pachinko gaming machine 100 of this embodiment, the detection status of the frame open switch (the switch that detects that the front frame 102 is open to the outer frame 101), and the RAM clear switch are detected by an operator such as a game parlor employee. 1-byte data containing information indicating the detection status of whether the setting key is being operated and the detection status of whether the setting key is being rotated is generated.

Power-off information confirmation/checksum processing (S1006) determines whether the previous power-off was normal and whether the control data related to the gaming state at the time of power-off was normally saved and stored in the storage area of the main RAM 291 (RAM abnormality). This is a process to check if there is a Further, if the data is not normal, a flag is set (turned on) indicating that the game will be stopped in a game stop state setting process (S1008) which will be described later as an error.

The game stop state setting process (S1008) is performed when a condition that makes it inappropriate to proceed with the game is established after a series of processes in the power-on process is completed and the process moves to the main loop process to start the game. This is a process of setting a flag to prevent the player from actually being able to play. Specifically, based on the processing results of input port confirmation processing (S1004) and power-off information confirmation/checksum processing (S1006), "setting change state" and "setting confirmation state", which are states in which the game does not proceed, are set. This is a process of setting a flag to cause the game to proceed to one of the "unrecoverable error states", which is a game progress disallowed state.

FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing the process of game stop state setting processing. In the game stop state setting process, first, it is determined whether the slot is open or not based on the 1-byte data generated in the input port confirmation process (S1004) (S1100). If the front frame 102 of the pachinko gaming machine 100 is open to the outer frame 101 when the power is turned on (Y in S1100), this means that a specific bit of the 1-byte data is "1". The subsequent process of S1102 is skipped. On the other hand, if the frame is not open when the Pachinko gaming machine 100 is powered on (N at S1100), it is assumed that some of the required operations for executing the setting change processing and setting confirmation processing are not satisfied, and the input port is not opened. From the 1-byte data generated in the confirmation process (S1004), operation information of the setting key switch is calculated to become OFF data (S1102). Although not shown, in both cases of Y in S1100 and N in S1100, the bit indicating that the frame is being opened from the 1-byte data is also calculated to be off data.

In the following S1104, it is determined whether the 1-byte data generated in the input port confirmation process (S1004) is information that can be determined to indicate that "a setting change operation has been performed." In the pachinko gaming machine 100 of this embodiment, the situations in which it is determined that there is a "setting change operation" are: (1) the frame release switch is on (the frame is being opened when the power is turned on), and (2) the setting key is on. Three states are required: (rotation is being performed), and (3) the RAM clear switch is on. As described above, the frame release switch information in the 1-byte data is set to OFF, and it is determined in this step whether or not both (2) and (3) are satisfied. For example, if two specific bit data are "1", it is determined that a setting change operation has been performed (note that the active data indicating that the two switches are on does not necessarily have to be "1"; (One piece of data may be "0"). If it is determined that there has been a setting change operation (Y in S1104), the game stop state flag is updated to data indicating "settings are being changed" (S1106), and the game stop state flag is stored (S1118). The game stop state setting process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in S1104 that there is no setting change operation (N in S1104), the process skips S1106 and moves to the subsequent process in S1108. Note that if the setting value information stored in the main RAM 291 is abnormal data (in the case of a recovery operation from an unrecoverable error state), the data corresponding to the setting value "1" is set as the initial setting value. The set value is set in the storage area (S1118).

Next, it is determined whether a game stop error has occurred (S1108). A game stop error refers to an error that occurs when the game cannot proceed due to a checksum abnormality (RAM abnormality) or a setting value abnormality, which requires clearing the RAM and setting (changing) the setting values. The determination in S1108 is based on the processing result of the power-off information confirmation/checksum processing (S1006) and the error information stored during the previous power-off processing to determine whether or not to set the gaming stop state. If it is determined that an error state should be entered (Y in S1108), the game stop state flag is updated as an "unrecoverable error state" (S1110), the game stop state flag is stored (S1118), and the game is stopped. Ends the stop state setting process. If it is determined that no error has occurred (N at S1108), S1110 is skipped and the process proceeds to S1112.

In S1112, it is determined whether the RAM clear switch has been operated. In the game stop state setting process, the state when progressing to the relevant step is as follows:
(a) When an operation to transition to the settings confirmation state is being performed, in other words, when determining that there is a "settings change operation", (1) the frame release switch is on (the frame is being opened when the power is turned on); When (2) the setting key is on is satisfied and (3) the RAM clear switch is on is not satisfied,
(b) When a RAM clear operation is performed to clear data, in other words, (2) the setting key is on is not satisfied, and (3) the RAM clear switch is on is not satisfied. When you are doing
(c) When the power is turned on without any operations such as "setting change operation", "setting confirmation operation", "RAM clear operation", etc.
The situation is one of the following. In these states, the 1-byte data generated in the input port confirmation process (S1004) indicates that (a) the bit data indicating on/off of the setting key is "1 (on data)", and (b) the operation of the RAM clear switch. This is either a situation in which the bit data indicating on/off of the detection state is "1 (on data)" or (c) all 1 byte data is off data (for example, all bits are "0").

Then, it is determined in S1112 whether or not the RAM clear switch has been operated, and if it is determined that there has been a RAM clear operation (Y in S1112), the pachinko gaming machine 100 clears the RAM and then transitions to a gaming ready state. , clears the game stop state flag (S1114). On the other hand, in situations other than the RAM clear operation, the current 1-byte data will be set as is, and at this time, if the game stop state flag is changed to the "setting confirmation state" (S1112) N), bit data indicating the operation status of the setting key is "1", and is stored as data indicating "setting confirmation in progress" in 1-byte data indicating the game stop state flag (S1118). In addition, if there is no RAM clear operation or operation to shift to the setting confirmation state, the 1-byte data generated in the input port confirmation process (S1004) is originally data indicating that the game is not stopped as a game stop state flag, This is set as game stoppage information (S1116).

Regarding the game stop state flag set in the game stop state setting process (S1008), if a value indicating some kind of stop state is stored, the main loop (from S1028 to In the interrupt processing (S2000) which is the main part of the game progress control that is executed after the transition to S1036), the value indicating the stopped state is referenced, and the game described as "basic game progress" becomes unable to progress. , these controls will be described later in the explanation of interrupt processing.

Returning to FIG. 34, the process following S1008 will be described. When the game stop state setting process (S1008) is completed, it is determined whether a RAM clear operation has been performed (S1010). The RAM clear operation is when the RAM clear switch is operated when the Pachinko game machine 100 is powered on. Note that this process is executed whether the setting key is off or on. If it is determined in S1010 that there is a RAM clear operation (Y in S1010), a predetermined portion of the storage area is initialized from the storage area of the main RAM 291 (S1012). If there is no RAM clearing operation, S1012 is skipped (N in S1010). When the game stop state flag set in S1008 indicates a setting change state, a setting confirmation state, or an unrecoverable error state, the lighting pattern of the status indicator light described later is set in a manner indicating each of them (S1013).

In S1014 to S1020, a performance control command (performance command) is set from the main board 200 to the sub board 300 to make the state of the gaming machine recognized when the power is turned on (S1014). More specifically, the performance control commands that were not sent when the power was cut off last time (when the power cutoff occurred) are cleared from the storage area (S1014). Then, information regarding the current gaming state of the main board 200 that has returned after the power is turned on is generated as an effect control command (S1016), and if it is determined that the gaming is not in the stopped state (N of S1018), the generated returned gaming state An effect control command indicating the effect is set in an area for storing transmission data of the effect control command (S1020). If it is determined that the game is in a stopped state (Y in S1018), S1020 is skipped.

When the processing related to setting the production control command at the time of power-on is completed, necessary data (drive signal) is sent to the big prize opening solenoid 92 in order to return the big prize opening 20 and the ordinary electric accessory 90 to the state before the power failure occurred. And output from the output port to the normal electric accessory solenoid 91 (S1022).

Then, when the processing up to S1022 in the power-on processing is completed, an interrupt processing time occurrence interval is set for the main CPU 290 (S1024). In the pachinko gaming machine 100 of this embodiment, the interval at which interrupt processing (FIG. 36), which will be described later, is executed is set to 4 ms (milliseconds). When this process is finished, the process moves to a cyclic process called a main loop in which the player can play, and the cyclic process in the main loop is repeated until a power outage occurs.

(Main loop)
As shown in FIG. 34, the main loop processing of the main board 200 starts by prohibiting the occurrence of interrupt processing (S1026), and then continues until the main loop processing is completed (until interrupts are allowed in S1036). ) Limit execution of interrupt processing.

When interrupts are disabled, the area called the watchdog timer that stores timekeeping information to monitor the main CPU 290 for runaway occurrences (situations where processing loops or stops progressing) is cleared ( initialization) (S1028).

Determine whether a power outage has occurred (for example, whether a power outage signal sent based on a drop in voltage from the power supply board 158 is input to the input port of the main CPU 290), and determine whether a power outage has occurred. If so (Y in S1030), a power-off process (S1032) is executed in which the current gaming state is stored, power-off information and checksum information are stored, and processing as the main CPU 290 is stopped. If the situation is such that a power outage has not occurred (N at S1030), S1032 is skipped and the process moves to the following process.

In S1034, the random numbers used for the special symbol lottery and the random numbers used for the normal symbol lottery are updated. Note that some of these random numbers are updated during interrupt processing, which will be described later, and this is a process to prevent the random number update cycle from becoming constant due to random numbers being updated only during interrupt processing. be. In addition, in interrupt processing, if there are processes that are executed irregularly, it is possible to prevent the random number update cycle from becoming constant by adopting a method such as updating the random numbers according to those processes. Therefore, it is not essential to provide random number update processing in the main loop.

S1036 is the last process in the main loop and allows interrupts. Immediately after, the process returns to S1026, which is the first process in the main loop, to disable interrupts, but when interrupts are enabled, an input indicating the interrupt execution cycle (4 ms has passed since the previous interrupt process occurred) is sent to the main CPU 290. If so, the interrupt processing described later will be executed.

[Interrupt processing]
FIG. 36 is a flowchart of interrupt processing. In this figure, interrupt processing (also referred to as "timer interrupt processing") executed by the main CPU 290 will be explained. In the pachinko gaming machine 100, most of the progress of the game is controlled by the interrupt processing shown in this figure, and sub-module programs that can be changed depending on the gaming machine specifications are executed in a general-purpose fixed order. It is configured to read and control. Processing related to those submodules will be briefly explained below.

(Watchdog timer clear)
At the beginning of the interrupt processing, a watchdog timer clearing process is provided. This process is the same process as the watchdog timer clear process (S2000) in the main loop process (FIG. 34, S1026 to S1036) executed by the main CPU 290 described above.

(Sub startup standby timer)
In S2002 and S2003, in order to realize a standby processing period for waiting for the completion of startup of the sub-board 300, the timer is activated at each interrupt until the sub-standby timer value set in S1002 of FIG. 34 reaches "0". Subtract a value. If the sub standby timer value is not "0" (N in S2002), the main CPU 290 subtracts the sub standby timer value by one (S2003), skips all processes from S2004 to S2042, which will be described later, and proceeds to S2044. do. As a result, most of the interrupt processing in this figure is skipped, and the interrupt processing is virtually not executed until the timing when the sub-board 300 is assumed to have completed startup. If the sub-standby timer value is "0" (Y in S2002), the interrupt processing is executed on the premise that the sub-board 300 is already in the activated state by executing the subsequent processing from S2004 onwards.

(Input port confirmation process)
The input port confirmation process is a process that generates information that makes it possible to identify whether or not there is input information necessary for judgment in subsequent processes by confirming the information input to the input port of the main CPU 290. Yes (S2004).

Information input to the input port includes input signals related to artificial operations such as input signals indicating the operation status (touching or non-touching) of the firing handle 107, input signals related to the first start prize detection device 16, big prize detection device 25, etc. There are input signals that indicate game results obtained by detecting game balls, and input signals that indicate the detection status of sensors provided for fraud monitoring, such as magnetic sensors, door open sensors, and vibration detection sensors. On the other hand, in this embodiment, input signals indicating the operating status of the RAM clear switch and setting keys are determined by the value of the game stop state flag referenced and set in S1008 of FIG. 35, as explained in S2008 below. be judged. Therefore, the input information at the time of the current interrupt processing is not acquired and is not subject to input port confirmation processing. This eliminates the need for the operator, such as a game parlor employee, to keep pressing the RAM clear switch during the standby period until the current interrupt processing in order to clear the RAM and change the settings.

In the input port confirmation process, the input signals of these input ports are read three times in 10 μs (microseconds), and the data that is the same data (same bit) in all reads is used as the input data for the current interrupt ("level data"). ”) in the main RAM 291. In addition, for the part of the data read three times that was not the same in all reads, the data determined in the previous interrupt (interrupt 4ms before) will be adopted as the level data, that is, If data cannot be read normally during an interrupt, the data stored during the previous interrupt will not be updated.

Once the input data (level data) for this interrupt is determined, it is compared with the input data for the previous interrupt, and the "rising data" (data that identifies the bit where the input data changed from off to on) is calculated. The data that identifies the switch that was generated and turned on by the current interrupt is stored.

(Random number update process)
Random number update processing is performed using software from among various random numbers such as winning/losing random numbers, symbol random numbers, and fluctuating pattern random numbers for special symbol drawings, regular symbol winning/falsifying random numbers for regular symbol drawings, regular symbol random numbers, and regular symbol fluctuation pattern random numbers. This is a process of updating a so-called software random number, which is a random value to be updated (S2006). In the pachinko gaming machine 100 of this embodiment, the random numbers used for the special symbol lottery and the normal symbol lottery are updated in the random number generation circuit at the update cycle on the circuit, and at the software cycle. By combining these, the system is configured to maintain the randomness of various random numbers when obtaining random numbers.

In the random number update process, the software random numbers are updated as described above, but the update method is as follows.
(a) Update the random number by incrementing (+1) or decrementing (-1) and setting it as the lower limit (or upper limit) when it exceeds the upper limit (or lower limit) of the random number range;
(b) A method that subtracts (or adds) an arbitrary prime number to a random number, and if it exceeds the random number range, adds (or subtracts) the value of the random number range + 1 (or random number range - 1),
(c) Repeat increment (or decrement) from the random number set as the initial value, and when one cycle of updating is completed, set the separately updated "initial value random number" as a new initial value and perform the same update. Those that repeat (also called initial value update type random numbers),
Examples of various update methods include: Note that the updating method is not limited to the one exemplified in this embodiment, and any updating method may be used as long as the randomness of the random numbers can be maintained.

(Setting control processing)
The setting control process is performed when the game stop state flag set in the game stop state setting process (FIG. 35, S1008) in the power-on process (see FIG. 34) in the main CPU 290 is "settings changing" or "settings confirming". This is a process in a certain case (S2008). In the setting control process, first, it is determined whether or not the bit data indicating that the setting key is being operated, which is stored as the game stop state flag during the power-on process, is on data, and if it is not on data, that is, the pachinko gaming machine If the setting key is not turned on when the power is turned on, this process is configured to exit.

In the power-on process (see Figure 34), if the game stop state flag is set to "settings changing", data is changed so that the "setting value" becomes the next setting value in the predetermined changing order. change. For example, if the pachinko game machine has set value data in which the settings change in order from "1" to "6", this setting control is executed every time there is start-up data based on the operation of the setting change switch (RAM clear switch). In the process, the set value is increased by "1" (if the set value before the operation is 6, it is changed to 1 as the next value).

In the pachinko gaming machine 100, the sub-board The display device 60 executes the interrupt processing at the cycle of the interrupt processing after a predetermined standby processing period for waiting for completion of startup of the computer 300, and displays a character string or image indicating "settings changing" or "settings checking" on the effect display device 60. can be displayed. On the other hand, even during the standby processing period, the status indicator light 500 can be lit in a lighting pattern indicating "permission to move to setting change state" and "permission to move to setting confirmation state" by LED output processing to be described later (Fig. 33).

On the other hand, if the bit data indicating that the setting key is being operated in the game stop state flag is ON data, the setting The key input signal is determined by checking the input port, and if the setting key is turned off, the game stop state flag is cleared, and if the setting is changed, the flag is finally set. After storing the setting value information and making the game possible, the sub board 300 is caused to return (or start) the performance depending on whether the return is from the "setting change state" or the "setting confirmation state". Set production control commands for.

(Game stop monitoring process)
In the game stop monitoring process, the main CPU 290 reads data of the game stop state flag generated during the power-on process (see FIG. 34) executed when the pachinko gaming machine 100 is powered on, and checks whether or not the game is stopped. This is a confirmation process (S2010).

In the game stop monitoring process, if some game stop information (game stop state flag) is stored in the read game stop state flag data, for example, if the game stop state flag data is not 0 but any bit is "1", it is determined that the game is in a stopped state (a state in which it is necessary to stop the game), and some processing during the interrupt processing (from "timer subtraction processing (S2014)" in FIG. 36) is performed. The process up to "Special electric accessory control process (S2028)" is skipped.

In the pachinko gaming machine 100, states that require the game to be stopped, that is, states in which the player is unable to play, include "settings being changed," "settings being checked," and "unrecoverable error occurring." An example of such a situation is:

(timer subtraction processing)
The timer subtraction process is a process of updating timer data used to manage time related to the progress of the game (S2014). Examples of timer data update processing include management of the variable display time that is set when the variable display of special symbols is started, and the operating time of the big prize opening 20 during a jackpot game (opening time of the big winning opening 20). Update processing of timer data triggered by game progress, timing processing for error determination such as detecting ball jamming, lighting of LEDs such as the first special symbol display section 41, second special symbol display section 42, etc. Examples include processing for timing a switching time for switching patterns, processing for timing a period of information output from the external information output terminal 160, etc. to external equipment (such as a hall computer), and the like.

The timer data updated in the timer update process is stored in a continuous storage area in the storage area (RAM storage area) of the main board 200, divided into types of timer data such as "1-byte timer" and "2-byte timer". are stored in each area.

In the timer update process, processes such as "1-byte timer update process" and "2-byte timer update process" are performed on the storage areas that store the types of individual timer data to update the time values of various timers. The timer update process decrements (-1) the timer data stored in the storage area. Note that if the stored timer data is already "0", it will be processed so that it becomes "0" even after processing (if it becomes a negative value, it will be set to "0", (Do not decrement if it is 0, etc.)

In addition, in the Pachinko gaming machine 100, the cycle of one interrupt is 4 ms, so if the data is a 1-byte timer, only managed objects that can be updated in a maximum of 255 times (approximately 1 second) can be controlled. However, if there is no game information that is managed only within 1 second (if there is little), it is also possible to configure it with only 2-byte timer data and not have 1-byte timer update processing. . Furthermore, if it is necessary to manage time values that cannot be managed even with a 2-byte timer, it may be configured to have timer data such as a "3-byte timer" that can manage a longer time.

(Validity period setting process)
The validity period setting process is a period during which the winning hole that can be changed to the easy ball entering mode or the difficult ball entering mode (mainly applicable to the winning hole 20 and the winning hole related to the ordinary electric accessories 90) is controlled to be in the easy ball entering mode. This is a process of setting a validity period in the validity extension period and the validity extension period, and setting an invalidation period for other periods (when the winning hole is in a difficult-to-enter mode and is outside the validity extension period) (S2016).

In the pachinko game machine 100, the process is to set the winnings of the big winning opening 20 as the big winning device and the second starting opening 12 in which the normal electric accessory 90 is provided as the valid period.

(Win monitoring process)
The winning monitoring process is based on winnings of game balls in various winning holes (big winning hole 20, first starting hole 11, second starting hole 12, general winning hole 33) in the pachinko gaming machine, and determines whether or not it is a valid winning. This is a process of determining the information and generating information that triggers the process of generating (occurrence of reservation) the right for special symbol lottery for prize balls and starting gate balls (S2018).

(Operation port monitoring process)
The actuating port monitoring process is performed when the start-up data of the first passage detection device 36 and the second passage detection device 37 is generated from the data generated in the input port confirmation process (S2004), and the suspension related to the normal symbol lottery is performed. Processing related to the occurrence of is performed (S2020).

(Normal pattern control processing)
The normal symbol control process performs processing related to normal symbol lottery, normal symbol fluctuation display, and operation of the normal electric accessory 90 (S2022).

(Start port monitoring process)
The starting opening monitoring process is performed in the special symbol lottery when the rising data of the first starting prize detection device 16 and the second starting prize detecting device 17 is generated from the data generated in the input port confirmation process (S2004). Perform processing related to the occurrence of such suspension. (S2024)

(Special pattern control processing)
The special symbol control process (S2026) includes status information for managing special symbols called special symbol status (also referred to as "special symbol status") and special electric accessory status (also referred to as "special electric game status"). Depending on the state information for managing the operating state of the special electric accessory, one of the following can be performed: management of the start of special symbol fluctuation (special symbol fluctuation start monitoring control processing), special symbol fluctuation processing, and special symbol stop symbol display processing. Execute the process.

(Special electric accessory control processing)
The special electric accessory control process executes submodule processing related to the operation of the big prize opening 20 according to the data content (value) of the special electric accessory status (sometimes referred to as special electric game status), and (S2028). In other words, when executing a jackpot game or a small win game, each state in the jackpot game or small win game state is controlled, and the opening/closing of the big win opening 20 is controlled.

(Prize ball control processing)
The prize ball control process is a process for awarding a game ball as a prize ball to a player in response to a winning of a game ball to a winning hole arranged on the game board P5. As for the processing content, the configuration is such that the following three submodule processes are executed (S2030).

(Anomaly detection processing)
The abnormality detection process is a process of checking whether an abnormality has occurred based on information from a sensor provided for fraud detection in the pachinko gaming machine 100 (S2032).

More specifically, this is a situation in which an abnormality has occurred based on the input information generated in the input port confirmation process (S2004) regarding the input of sensors such as vibration sensors, magnetic sensors, radio wave detection sensors, and frame opening sensors. This is a process of determining whether or not. In addition to various sensors, detection targets include cases where a harness for electrical connection is removed, and cases where there is a short circuit in the wiring.

If abnormal data exists for any judgment information, the corresponding error flag is turned on and stored, and then a command to notify the error information is set as a production control command to the sub-board 300. .

(Sensor detection judgment processing)
The sensor detection determination process determines the period during which sensor or switch detection has been performed continuously from the sensor or switch detection data (level data) generated in the input port confirmation process (S2004), and sets a flag for processing. This is a process that establishes the following. (S2034)

In the sensor detection judgment process, when the level data of the detection data information of the target sensor and switch is on, the data for counting the continuous on input period of the corresponding switch is incremented and updated, and various processes are executed. It is determined whether or not a start condition is met, and if the condition is met, a process is executed depending on the switch to be monitored. When the monitored switch is no longer on data, the data counting the continuous input period is initialized (updated to "0").

For example, if the winning hole detection switch installed in the winning hole detects that the switch is continuously turned on, it is determined that a ball jam has occurred, and the control is set to an error state and the production is performed. It performs a process of setting command information to cause the sub-board 300 to notify an error as a control command, and generates and requests output of signal data to notify an external device (such as a hall computer) of the occurrence of an error.

In addition, the switches to be detected in this process include a touch sensor switch provided on the firing handle 107 and a switch for detecting fraud, and it is used to determine whether it is caused by human operation or electrical noise. This also covers sensors that require on-data input for a certain period of time.

(Game status display processing)
The game status display process is a process that generates lighting data for displaying information regarding the progress of the game on the main display device. Although it is called a display process, the output of the display contents to the first special symbol display section 41 and the second special symbol display section 42 is performed not by this process but by the LED output process described later (S2036).

In the pachinko gaming machine 100, for example, an error indicator light (status indicator light P55) indicating an error state, a special symbol pending indicator light (first special symbol pending display section 71, Generate lighting data (lighting pattern) for the second special symbol reservation display section 72), the regular symbol reservation display section 75 that displays the number of reservations related to the regular symbol lottery, and store it as data output in the LED output process. do.

In addition, in the gaming state display process, if a blinking display is required for the LED indicator light whose lighting is controlled, the display switching counter for the corresponding LED is updated and the lighting pattern is switched by comparing the counter value and the threshold value. It will be done. For example, in the pachinko gaming machine 100, although it is possible to hold up to four special symbol drawings at most, the special symbol reservation indicator light is composed of two LED indicator lights (the first special symbol reservation display section 71, the (Each of the two special figure reservation display units 72 is equipped with two LEDs), so if there are three or more reservations, at least one LED is displayed blinking instead of continuously lit. It is a specification.

(Output port output processing)
The output port output process is a process for making settings to transmit signals related to game operations to the electric accessories that are operating devices on the game board 80 connected to the main board 200, the payout control board 155, etc. (S2038).

More specifically, when the operation pattern of a normal electric accessory or a special electric accessory is set during normal symbol control processing or special electric accessory control processing, the normal electric accessory is Signal data for opening (or closing) each electric accessory is output to the accessory solenoid 91 and the big prize opening solenoid 92.

Further, to the payout control board 155, a control signal (shooting permission signal) for permitting or prohibiting the shooting of game balls based on the player's handle operation is generated and outputted by output port output processing. The output content of the firing permission signal is set depending on the communication state with the payout control board 155 and the occurrence of an error that requires stopping the game.

(Production control command transmission process)
The performance control command transmission process is a process of outputting a performance control command to the sub-board 300, and in the pachinko gaming machine 100, the performance control command is transmitted to the sub-board 300 only in the performance control command transmission process. (S2040). In addition, regarding the setting of the production control command to be transmitted, it is set (set) in a predetermined storage area as an untransmitted production control command during other processing.

The pachinko game machine 100 uses a storage area called a ring buffer that cyclically references a storage destination as an area for storing unsent performance control commands. In a storage area called a ring buffer, a "write pointer" and a "read pointer" that are updated by each process of writing (setting) a production control command and reading (sending) a production control command are used in the next process. It is designed to write and read production control commands using information for calculating the address of the storage area where the command is written and the address of the storage area where the command is read.

Furthermore, in the Pachinko gaming machine 100, the performance control command is composed of two data: MODE data indicating the type of command and EVENT data indicating the content of the command.

We will return to the specific processing content of the production control command transmission processing and explain it. In the performance control command transmission process, it is first checked whether the information of the write pointer and read pointer described above match, and if they match, it is determined that there is no performance control command to be transmitted and the process is terminated. On the other hand, if the data of the write pointer and the read pointer do not match, it is determined that there is an effect control command to be transmitted, and the process moves to the next process.

If it is determined that there is a production control command to be sent, MODE data and EVENT data are called from the address of the storage area of the main board 200 calculated from the data of the read pointer, temporarily stored in registers in the main CPU 290, and then read out to the destination. After clearing the production control command in the ring buffer, the value of the read pointer is updated to the value to be used in the next process.

As production control commands, the MODE data and EVENT data stored in the register of the main board 200 will be transmitted to the sub-board 300 in order. First, MODE data is set to the production command output port, which is an output port for transmitting production control commands to the sub-board 300, and a strobe signal for causing the sub-board 300 to perform a reading operation is output. The main board 200 will then output the EVENT data, but after performing a process that includes a waiting time of 26 μs to ensure a sufficient period for the sub board 300 to receive the MODE data, the main board 200 will output the EVENT data. Similarly, the EVENT data is set to the output port and the strobe signal is output. When the sub-board 300 confirms the strobe signal, it generates a production control command reception interrupt and receives the production control command transmitted from the main board 200.

(External information output processing)
The external information output process is a process that outputs information regarding the gaming status and security information such as error occurrence as a signal from the external information output terminal 160 to an external device (data counter or hall computer) connected to the pachinko gaming machine 100. Yes (S2042). The signal output from the external information output terminal 160 is output based on the data set to the output port of the main board 200, and transmits a pulse signal that is an on-potential for a certain period of time when a signal output trigger occurs. There are some types that continue to output an on-potential until a condition for ending signal output is met.

In the external information output process, first, a signal related to the gaming state is generated. As a signal related to the gaming state, in order to be able to identify the type of specific gaming state, the pachinko gaming machine 100 uses information corresponding to the operating state of the probability fluctuation function (probability state) and the operating state of the electric chew support function (base state). and information indicating that a special game is being played (big hit or small win), and when the game is controlled in each game state, the external output data is updated so that the corresponding data is transmitted. In addition to the examples shown here, depending on the specifications of the gaming machine, an output signal may be generated based on information indicating the presence or absence of a variable time reduction function or information indicating a specific type of jackpot. There may be cases.

Further, as an output signal outputted in the external information output process, not only a signal related to the gaming state but also information based on the occurrence of a predetermined gaming result is outputted. For example, a signal (also called a "fixed symbol signal") that is sent each time a special symbol is displayed in a variable manner and stopped, or a starting opening switch (first starting prize winning detection device 16, special symbol second starting opening switch), etc. 722) or the big winning detection device 25, each time the entry of game balls into various winning openings is detected, or the payout of prize balls based on balls entering into various winning openings reaches a predetermined number (for example, 10 balls). At each time, data is set in external output data, and there are signals sent to external equipment. These signals are mainly composed of pulse signals, and a signal of 1 is transmitted as a pulse signal with an ON potential of 128 ms, but if multiple gaming results occur in succession, After the output of the pulse signal is finished, after a certain period of off-potential output, the pulse signal is output again.

In addition, in the external signal output process, the data in the storage area that stores the error flag as a result of the confirmation in the above-mentioned abnormality detection process (S2032) and the comparison data for checking whether an error requiring security notification has occurred are used. If it is determined that it is necessary to output a security signal by calculating and comparing them, the output data set in the output port is updated so that the bit corresponding to the security signal in the external output data is turned on.

If the sub standby timer value is not "0" in S2002, the processes from S2004 to S2042 described above are skipped, and the next S2044 and subsequent steps are executed, so that most of the interrupt processing is not executed. , a standby process of waiting for the sub-board 300 to start up for a predetermined standby process period is realized.

(LED output processing)
The LED output process is a process for outputting data indicating a lighting pattern to a plurality of LEDs constituting the main display device, causing the LEDs to emit light, and displaying the progress of the game and the game status (S2044). .

The LEDs constituting the main display device include a first special symbol display section 41 (8 LEDs), a second special symbol display section 42 (8 LEDs), and a first special symbol pending display section located at positions that can be seen from the front side of the gaming machine. 71 (2 LEDs), second special symbol holding display section 72 (2 LEDs), normal symbol display section 45 (2 LEDs), regular symbol holding display section 75 (2 LEDs), status indicator light 500, game status display It has a total of 32 LED display parts, including a right-hand drive indicator light (8 LEDs in total), and a performance display part is installed on the back side of the gaming machine in a position that is difficult for players to see (for example, on the main board 200). 159, a setting display section 173, and other display LEDs (for example, a specific error display section). Note that a part of the main display device on the back side of the gaming machine (for example, a part of the performance display section 159) may also be used as a function of displaying setting values in the setting change state and the setting confirmation state.

The gaming state display section 76 is a collective display of indicator lights related to multiple gaming states, and in detail, a special pattern probability variation indicator light indicating whether the probability variation function is activated or not, and a probability variation indicator light for the probability variation function of normal symbols. Refers to indicator lights such as the normal figure indicator light that indicates whether the electric chew support function is operating or not (whether the electric chew support function is operating or not), and the error indicator light that indicates an error state.

In the LED output processing, the lighting data of the display section of the main display device is set to the output port by 1 byte for each interrupt processing, and the main display device is lit, and the data is updated every time the interrupt processing is performed. Based on the value of the digit counter, select the LED of the main display device to be lit at this interrupt, select the lighting pattern data according to the gaming situation, set it as display data, and control the lighting of each LED. It has become.

That is, in the pachinko game machine 100, the main display device is controlled by a dynamic lighting method in which lighting data is sequentially outputted to 32 LEDs using at least four interrupt processes.

In addition, in the LED output processing, in addition to the LED display that the player should see as the main display device, lighting is controlled only when the game stop state flag is in the setting change state, setting confirmation state, or non-recoverable error state. It also controls the lighting of the LED display in the status indicator light 500. The status indicator light 500 is lit in the lighting pattern set in S1013 of FIG. 34. In this embodiment, steps from S2004 to S2042, which is before the LED output processing, are skipped during the standby processing period in which the sub-board 300 is waiting for completion of startup, but in a modified example, the LED output processing is also skipped. It's okay. This is because the lighting pattern data is set in the output port before transitioning to the interrupt process, and the lighting continues unless dynamic lighting switching, output port data switching, etc. are performed. However, since the brightness may be higher than usual or the duty ratio may be higher, it is preferable to set the dynamic lighting digit switching and output port data.

In addition, in the pachinko gaming machine 100, if a flag indicating some kind of game stop state is stored in the game stop state flag, the setting of lighting pattern data for the main display device is omitted, and the setting is omitted during the setting change. , While checking the settings or during an unrecoverable error, all of the LEDs that make up the main display device, except for the status indicator 500 and a part of the main display device on the back side of the gaming machine that displays settings-related information, are turned off. . Note that the display of the status indicator light 500 during the standby processing period may be configured to be executed on a part of the main display device on the back side of the gaming machine (for example, a part of the performance display section 159). During the standby processing period when moving to the setting change state, one digit of the 4-digit 7-segment display on the performance display section 159 is in a flashing state, and during the standby processing period when moving to the setting confirmation state. (for example, all the tens digits of the performance display section 159 are in a flashing state), it may be configured to be displayed on the status indicator light 500 on the front side of the gaming machine and a part of the main display device on the back side of the gaming machine. good. When displayed on the front side of the gaming machine, the transition to a state related to the setting value can be confirmed from the front side of the gaming machine, making it easier to confirm the execution of fraudulent activities, while the transition to the state related to the setting value can be confirmed from the back side of the gaming machine. In the case of displaying , the configuration can be such that the state transition can be easily recognized during the setting change/setting confirmation operation with the front frame 102 in the open state.

(Outside area control processing)
The out-of-area control processing includes test signal output processing for outputting signals used for testing the pachinko gaming machine (processing for outputting signals used for testing the pachinko gaming machine), and control related to the display of the performance display section 159. It is configured by processing (S2046). The meaning of "outside the area" is that it is a process executed by a program in a storage area that is not included in the calculation of the capacity of the program storage area stipulated in the rules for pachinko gaming machines.

In the test signal output process, a process is performed in which information related to game results and game states to be output from the test terminal of the pachinko game machine 100 to an external test device is set in an output port. In the performance display process, the game status is confirmed, the number of out balls is counted, and the ratio (base) of out balls to the number of prize balls is calculated, updated as display data, and displayed on the performance display section 159. This is the process of outputting. As a modified example, the out-of-area control process in S2046 is executed before the LED output process in S2044, and the out-of-area control process is also skipped during the standby process period in which the sub-board 300 is waiting for completion of startup. You can also use it as

(Second example)
This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a standby process for waiting for the completion of startup of the sub-board 300 in the interrupt process is executed before transitioning to the interrupt process (main loop process). Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly explained, and explanations of common features will be omitted as appropriate.

In the first embodiment, the standby process for waiting for the completion of startup of the sub-board 300 is executed in the interrupt process (main loop process). On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the above-mentioned standby processing is performed from after checking the input ports such as the RAM clear button and storing data (S1004 in FIG. 34) to before starting interrupt processing (main loop transition). This is executed during the power-on process (S1006 to S1024 in FIG. 34). In this case, after the standby processing period for waiting for the completion of startup of the sub-board 300 has elapsed, the process will proceed to the interrupt processing (main loop processing). Since the setting confirmation process and the setting change process are executed in the interrupt process as in the first embodiment, the setting confirmation process and the setting change process are also executed after the standby process period has elapsed.

FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing the process of powering on the main board 200 and main loop processing in the second embodiment. The flowchart in this figure differs from S1013 in FIG. 34 in that standby processing is executed at positions S1013 and S1014, but otherwise is the same as in FIG. 34. In FIG. 37, after the RAM clear is executed in S1010 and S1012, the sub-standby timer value set in S1002 is set to "0" in order to realize a standby processing period for waiting for completion of startup of the sub-board 300 in S1013 and S1014. The timer value is decremented at each interrupt until If the sub standby timer value is not "0" (N in S1013), the main CPU 290 subtracts one from the sub standby timer value (S1014), and returns to before S1013. This effectively prevents execution of interrupt processing (main loop processing) until the timing when the sub-board 300 is assumed to have completed startup. If the sub-standby timer value is "0" (Y in S1013), the interrupt processing is executed on the assumption that the sub-board 300 is already in the activated state by executing the subsequent processing from S1015 onwards. Note that in the example of this figure, the standby process is provided at the position of S1013, but it can be executed at any timing after S1004 and before S1024 where the interrupt process including the setting confirmation process and the setting change process is started. A standby process may also be executed.

(Third example)
In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a standby process for waiting for the completion of startup of the sub-board 300 is executed in the interrupt process, and a process for changing settings and confirming the settings (processing for a game stop state) is executed. ) is different from the first embodiment in that it can be executed before the standby processing period elapses after the start of the interrupt processing. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly explained, and explanations of common features will be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 38 is a flowchart of interrupt processing in the third embodiment. The interrupt processing in this figure executes the standby processing (S2004, S2005) at the timing after the input port confirmation processing (S2001), the random number update processing (S2002), and the setting control processing (S2003). This differs from the interrupt processing in FIG. 36 of the first embodiment in which the standby processing is executed earlier. In this case, the settings change process and settings confirmation process can be executed even before the standby process period has elapsed.

In the third embodiment, during the standby process of the standby time set in the power-on process of the main CPU 290 of the main board 200, the setting control process during the interrupt process can be executed, and the setting control process of the sub-board 300 is executed. Settings can be changed without waiting for the sub-control CPU 380 to start up.

By adopting the method of the third embodiment, the time required for activation of the sub-control CPU 380 of the sub-board 300 depending on the type of production control device 313 is longer than that of the first embodiment (for example, 20 seconds). ~30 seconds), the operator of the gaming machine (the manager of the gaming parlor) no longer needs to wait for a long time before starting to change the settings, and the operating management of the parlor can be carried out smoothly.

However, since it is assumed that the sub-control CPU 380 of the sub-board 300 has not started operating, the main display device whose lighting is controlled by the main board 200 is controlled to display the set value, and the setting change state ( or settings confirmation status). In addition, during this time, the production control command transmission process (S2040) during the interrupt process is omitted, and even if the setting change state is finished, the sub-control CPU 380 of the sub-board 300 waits for startup. After the standby processing time has elapsed, by sending a main command indicating that the settings have been changed, it is possible to notify that the settings have been changed (or have been done) for a certain period of time (for example, 30 seconds). Therefore, even if the setting change process is performed due to fraudulent activity and the setting change state is completed by the time the sub-control CPU 380 of the sub-board 300 completes booting, the setting change is definitely performed (or It is possible to notify that the event has been carried out.

(Fourth example)
In the first embodiment described above, the startup processing of the main board 200 (processing at power-on to interrupt processing from timer time elapsed) includes standby processing after power-on, which is about the same as the startup time of the sub-board 300. Therefore, a large timing lag between the start of the production operation and the start of the game can be avoided. However, the time setting related to the completion timing of the standby process in the main CPU 290 is set to be the time after the completion of the startup of the sub-main process of the sub-board 300, and the process related to determining the content of the performance starts to be executed (lamp, accessory). Depending on the settings of the standby process, the effect control command of the main CPU 290 can be used to control the effect operation start timing (specifically, of all the effect devices of the sub board 300). In other words, the operation start timing may be earlier than the operation start timing of the effect display device 60, which has the latest operation start timing. Even when only the 300 side is reset, a situation may occur in which the production control command is similarly received before the production operation start timing of the sub-board 300).

In this embodiment, before the timing at which the production control device 313 can start operating on the sub-board 300, the main CPU 290 sends production control commands corresponding to multiple symbol variations (mainly variation pattern commands for determining production). , the winning/failure/symbol information is equivalent), the display content of the variation effect determined based on the production control command corresponding to the variation received most recently (the display content of the effect corresponding to the variation display currently in progress) ) is displayed on the effect display device 60. For example, when the sub-control CPU 380 receives commands for two variations from the main CPU 290, if the sub-main process is running, the shared memory stores the performance information for the two variations, and the sub-subprocess executes all the commands. As a result, only the second variation effect that was received last is displayed.

(Fifth example)
In this embodiment, in the case where the sub board 300 receives a plurality of production control commands from the main board 200 before the timing when the production control device 313 can start operating, one production command (group) is If this is a production control command that is sent based on the execution of a fluctuating display, and other production commands (groups) are commands that are sent at a trigger other than the start of variation, after the production operation becomes possible, 1 A variable effect based on the effect command (variable pattern) and other displays based on other commands are displayed at the same time.

The main board 200 as a main control device can transmit commands related to games to the sub board 300 as a sub-control device. The sub-board 300 also controls a sub-control CPU 380 and a sub-main process as a main character control means that controls the determination and progress of the production contents, and a sub-control CPU 380 as a sub-production control means that controls at least image processing in the production operation. It has a sub-sub process. The sub-main process and the sub-sub-process can exchange information with each other by writing and reading information into and from a shared area on the sub-RAM 311 as a shared memory. Regarding the start-up completion timing after power-on, the sub-main process is earlier than the sub-sub-process. The sub-main process has a performance determining means 303 that determines the content of the performance to be executed in the performance control device 313 controlled by the sub-sub-process. The sub-main process transfers information related to the performance content determined by the performance determining means 303 based on the performance control command transmitted from the main board 200 to the sub-sub-process via the shared memory after the activation of the sub-sub-process is completed. The sub-sub-process controls the performance control device 313 based on information regarding the content of the performance received via the shared memory.

The performance contents executed by the performance control device 313 include a first performance triggered by the start of symbol variation, and a second performance triggered by something other than the start of symbol variation. The first production is, for example, a symbol variation production, and a first production command indicating the content of the first production is received from the sub-main process to the sub-subprocess via the shared memory based on the start of the symbol variation display. This is a variable production command that is passed. The second performance is, for example, a performance that displays the occurrence of a hold-up, a notification of a recommended firing position based on detection of a right-hand shot in normal conditions (notification of a left-hand shot), an error, etc. The production command is a system command that is passed from the sub-main process to the sub-sub process via the shared memory based on an opportunity other than the start of the symbol variation display.

If a production control command (or a group of commands) is sent multiple times from the main board 200 between power-on and completion of startup of the sub-subprocess, the first production is executed by the sub-main process based on the production control commands for the multiple times. And a plurality of performance contents regarding the second performance are determined. Then, production commands related to a plurality of production contents are passed from the sub-main process to the sub-subprocess via the shared memory. In this case, the sub-sub-process can execute the first performance and the second performance independently, and based on the information regarding the contents of the plurality of performances received via the shared memory at the timing when the activation of the sub-sub-process is completed, It is possible to start the subsequent first performance and second performance in a situation where the preceding first performance and second performance have not ended. That is, if a plurality of performance commands have been transmitted for each of the first performance and the second performance, performances based on the last received commands are displayed for each of the first performance and the second performance. Regarding the second performance, it may be further divided and it may be set as appropriate whether only the last received performance is displayed or a plurality of second performances are displayed in parallel. For example, if there are two consecutive hold commands, the configuration is configured to execute a hold occurrence effect (second effect) based on the number of holds finally received, while When a command is received, the system may be configured to simultaneously perform a hold occurrence effect and an error notification effect.

(6th example)
In this example,
The effect control device 313 (device which cannot execute the effect until the start of operation is permitted) managed by the sub-sub-process includes a plurality of circuits (sound control circuit 314 and display control circuit 326). As shown in FIG. 31, these multiple circuits have different timings at which they can start operating, and the audio control circuit 314 completes activation first (S1220), followed by the display control circuit 326 (S1220). S1230). In this case, the audio control circuit 314 and the display control circuit 326 determine whether or not the performance can be executed for each device that has become operable, and start communication of inter-sub commands (or audio control commands) to individually operate the performance. may be configured to start. In this case, in the production corresponding to the variable production described in the fifth embodiment, all production devices (audio control circuit 314 and display control circuit 326) are activated to pass commands from the sub-main process to the sub-subprocess. By configuring the configuration so that commands are immediately passed to the production device that has completed startup, system-related production content (errors, etc.) can be started from the system-related production content (errors, etc.). It may also be possible to output. For example, even if the display control circuit 326 has not completed activation and is unable to start displaying images, an audio notification may be made that indicates such things as ``Please return to left-handed batting'', ``The power has been turned on'', or ``Settings are being changed''. By outputting an error sound or the like, it is possible to notify the status of the gaming machine, the progress of the game, etc.

(Seventh Example)
If there is a power outage during a game, when the power is turned on again and the game is resumed, the gaming state before the power outage must be resumed and continued, and the game state to which the power has been returned will be displayed on the screen. It is preferable that the player can easily understand the gaming status by displaying the information. Here, if the power is cut off during the special game, even if the power is turned on again and the special game state is restored, the screen will display which game state the system has returned to until the sub-subprocess is started. I can't. Therefore, while the sub-sub-process is being started, a message to that effect is displayed on the screen to ensure minimum information presentation, and after the sub-sub-process has been started, which gaming state has been returned to is displayed on the screen.

On the other hand, if the specification is such that a command indicating the start of a round is not sent from the main board 200 to the sub-board 300 every time a unit game is started during the special game, if the power is cut off during the special game, the sub-board Since the sub-board 300 does not receive a command indicating the start of a round from the main board 200, the sub-board 300 cannot immediately and accurately grasp the number of rounds, etc., and cannot execute a round effect. Therefore, the sub-board 300 determines the gaming state based on the specific gaming information transmitted from the main board 200, and by switching to a screen that displays a character string or the like indicating the gaming state, the sub-board 300 changes the gaming state before the power outage to the gaming state. Let the person understand.

The main board 200 is powered on in a specific game state in which the player is required to play in a predetermined game mode, for example, during a special game in which a game ball is to be fired into a specific game area such as when hitting right-handed. When the game is entered, it is possible to send specific gaming information to the sub-main process that makes it possible to identify whether or not the game is in a specific gaming state. The specific game information is, for example, a command set that indicates the game status (e.g., information on whether a special game is in progress, information on whether time reduction is in progress or the electric chew support function is in operation, etc.), the number of reservations, stopped symbol information, etc. It is.

FIG. 39 shows an example of a screen during startup of a sub-subprocess. The sub board 300 causes the effect control device 313 controlled by the sub sub process to display that it is in a standby state until the start of the sub sub process is completed. For example, as shown in (a), a character string or image such as "image preparation in progress" is displayed on a black background to inform the player that the game is being activated. At the timing when the activation of the effect display device 60 in the sub-sub process is completed, if the command regarding the determination of effect display received from the main CPU 290 is only specific game information, the sub-main process sends a command to the effect control device 313 for the sub-sub process. Following the display indicating that the player is in a standby state, a game mode instruction display that informs the player that he/she should play in a predetermined game mode is executed based on the specific game information. Deliver such information. Even if the sub-sub process does not newly receive a production control command for switching production such as a variable production from the main CPU 290 of the main board 200 when the production control device 313 becomes ready for production operation after its activation is completed. Based on the specific game information transmitted when the main CPU 290 is activated, it is determined that the game is in a state where it should be fired to a specific game area. The sub-sub process changes the screen that was displayed as shown in (a) during startup to a background other than black (for example, a yellow background) as shown in (b), and displays a character string indicating the gaming status such as "Returning to status". The screen is switched to display an image and a character string or image indicating that the game ball should be fired into a specific game area such as "Right-handed".

The game state determined when the power is restored and an example of the screen display after the power is restored are as follows.
(1) If the gaming state before the power outage was non-symbol fluctuating, normal gaming state, and non-jackpot state, after returning to the normal gaming state screen, a specific pattern stop mode (for example, "331" (a specific symbol combination that is not a jackpot symbol).
(2) If the gaming state before the power outage was non-symbol fluctuating, easy to enter the ball, and non-jackpot state, after returning to the normal screen of the production mode according to the gaming state The pattern stopping mode (for example, a specific symbol combination that is not a jackpot symbol such as "331") is displayed.
(3) If the gaming state before the power outage was in the state of fluctuating symbols, in the normal gaming state, and in the non-jackpot state, after the power is restored, the decorative symbols will be displayed in a high-speed fluctuating state on the screen in the normal gaming state. , the decorative pattern is stopped when a fluctuation stop command is received. In this case, the decorative symbols are stopped at a specific symbol combination that is fixedly determined according to the result, such as "111" for a jackpot and "246" for a miss.
(4) If the gaming state before the power outage was in the state where the symbols are changing, the ball is easy to enter, and the jackpot is not in the state, after the game returns, the decorative symbols will be displayed on the normal screen of the production mode according to the gaming state. The decorative pattern is displayed in a high-speed fluctuation state and stops when a fluctuation stop command is received.
(5) If the gaming state before the power outage was a special game, after the power is restored, a screen with text and images such as "Returning to status" will be displayed on a yellow background until the production control command for the jackpot end demonstration is received. do.
(6) If you were in the settings changing state, setting confirmation state, or game stop error state before the power outage, after the power is restored, depending on the type, "Changing settings", "Checking settings", or "Error Please call the staff" will be displayed. Display a string or image such as

The present invention has been described above based on examples. Those skilled in the art will understand that this embodiment is merely an illustration, and that various modifications can be made to the combinations of these components and processing processes, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. be. Modified examples are listed below.

In the above embodiment, a pachinko game machine was used as an example. In a modified example, the present invention may be applied to a main board and a sub-board used in other gaming machines such as slot machines, Jumpball gaming machines, and casino machines.

Note that the techniques described in the examples and modifications may be specified by the following aspects.

[First aspect]
A main control device that controls the basic operations of the game,
a sub-control device that controls the performance operations of the game;
Equipped with
The main control device includes:
comprising a setting change means for setting one of a plurality of game settings corresponding to a plurality of game specifications, and an input port into which information to the main control device is input;
During a main control activation period triggered by power-on, main control activation processing is executed, and information indicating whether or not execution of the game setting changing process by the setting changing means is set based on the input information of the input port. death,
In the main control interrupt period, which transitions after the main control start period and in which interrupt processing can be executed at a predetermined cycle, waits until a predetermined wait period for waiting for completion of start of the sub control device elapses. A gaming machine characterized in that after the processing is executed and the waiting period has elapsed, the setting changing means can execute the changing processing of the game setting based on information indicating whether or not the execution is necessary.

[Second aspect]
A main control device that controls the basic operations of the game,
a sub-control device that controls the performance operations of the game;
a lighting display means whose lighting mode is controlled by the main controller;
Equipped with
The main control device includes:
comprising a setting change means for setting one of a plurality of game settings corresponding to a plurality of game specifications, and an input port into which information to the main control device is input;
During a main control activation period triggered by power-on, main control activation processing is executed, and information indicating whether or not execution of the game setting changing process by the setting changing means is set based on the input information of the input port. death,
In the main control interrupt period, which transitions after the main control start period and in which interrupt processing can be executed at a predetermined cycle, waits until a predetermined wait period for waiting for completion of start of the sub control device elapses. After the process is executed and the waiting period has elapsed, the setting changing means becomes able to execute the game setting changing process based on information indicating whether or not the execution is necessary;
The gaming machine is characterized in that during the standby period, whether or not information indicating whether or not execution of the change processing is necessary is set is notified by a lighting mode of the lighting display means.

[Third aspect]
A main control device that controls the basic operations of the game,
a sub-control device that controls the performance operations of the game;
Equipped with
The main control device includes:
comprising a setting change means for setting one of a plurality of game settings corresponding to a plurality of game specifications, and an input port into which information to the main control device is input;
During a main control activation period triggered by power-on, main control activation processing is executed, and information indicating whether or not execution of the game setting changing process by the setting changing means is set based on the input information of the input port. and after the setting, starts monitoring the progress of a predetermined waiting period for waiting for completion of startup of the sub-control device,
In a main control interrupt period that transitions after the main control startup period and in which interrupt processing can be executed at a predetermined cycle, the interrupt processing becomes executable after the waiting period has elapsed, and the waiting period A gaming machine characterized in that, after a period of time has elapsed, the setting changing means can execute the game setting changing process based on information indicating whether or not the execution is necessary.

[Fourth aspect]
A main control device that controls the basic operations of the game,
a sub-control device that controls the performance operations of the game;
Equipped with
The main control device includes:
comprising a setting change means for setting one of a plurality of game settings corresponding to a plurality of game specifications, and an input port into which information to the main control device is input;
During a main control activation period triggered by power-on, main control activation processing is executed, and information indicating whether or not execution of the game setting changing process by the setting changing means is set based on the input information of the input port. death,
During the main control interrupt period, which transitions after the main control activation period, during which interrupt processing can be executed at a predetermined cycle, the setting change means changes the game settings based on information indicating whether or not the execution is necessary. At the same time, the command transmission to the sub-control device is delayed until a predetermined waiting period for waiting for completion of startup of the sub-control device has elapsed, and the interrupt processing is executed after the waiting period has elapsed. A gaming machine characterized in that it is possible to send commands to the sub-control device.

[Fifth aspect]
A main control device that controls the basic operations of the game,
a sub-control device that controls the performance operations of the game;
Equipped with
The main control device is capable of transmitting commands related to games to the sub-control device,
The sub-control device has a main character appearance control means that controls the determination and progress of the production content, and a sub-performance control means that controls at least image processing in the production operation,
The main character appearance control means and the sub production control means can exchange information with each other by writing and reading information into a shared memory, and the main character appearance control means has a start-up completion timing after the power is turned on. It is ahead of the sub-production control means,
The main character appearance control means has a performance content determining means for determining the performance content to be executed in a predetermined performance device controlled by the sub-performance control means,
The main character appearance control means transmits information related to the performance content determined by the performance content determination means based on the command transmitted from the main control device via the shared memory after the activation of the sub performance control means is completed. Delivered to the production control means,
The sub effect control means controls the effect device based on information regarding the effect content received via the shared memory,
The production content executed by the production device includes a first production triggered by the start of symbol variation, and a second production triggered by other than the start of symbol variation,
The command is transmitted from the main control device a plurality of times between power-on and completion of activation of the sub-effect control means, and based on the plurality of commands, the main appearance control means controls the first effect and the first effect. When a plurality of performance contents related to the second performance are determined and information regarding the plurality of performance contents is passed to the sub-performance control means via the shared memory, the sub-performance control means The performance and the second performance can be executed independently, and the preceding first performance is A gaming machine characterized in that the subsequent first performance and the second performance can be started in a situation where the first performance and the second performance have not been completed.

[Sixth aspect]
A main control device that controls the basic operations of the game,
a sub-control device that controls the performance operations of the game;
Equipped with
The main control device is capable of transmitting commands related to games to the sub-control device,
The sub-control device has a main character appearance control means that controls the determination and progress of the production content, and a sub-performance control means that controls at least image processing in the production operation,
The main performance control means and the sub production control means are capable of exchanging information with each other by writing and reading information into a shared memory,
The main control device is configured to play a specific game that makes it possible to identify whether or not the player is in the specific gaming state when the power is turned on in a situation where the player is in a specific gaming state in which the player should play in a predetermined gaming mode. information can be transmitted to the main character appearance control means,
The sub-control device causes a predetermined presentation device controlled by the sub-performance control means to display that it is in a standby state until activation of the sub-performance control means is completed,
A game mode in which the main character appearance control means notifies the sub performance control means that the player should play in the predetermined game mode following the display of the standby state on the production device. A gaming machine characterized in that information related to performance content is passed through the shared memory so that an instruction display can be executed based on the specific gaming information.

Reference Signs List 11 first starting port, 12 second starting port, 60 effect display device, 80 game board, 81 gaming area, 210 lottery means, 213 common symbol lottery means, 220 success/failure determination means, 230 fluctuation pattern determining means, 260 special game control means, 275 opening/closing control means, 303 presentation determining means, 304 presentation control means.

Claims (1)

A main control device that controls the basic operations of the game,
a sub-control device that controls the performance operations of the game;
Equipped with
The main control device includes:
comprising a setting value setting means capable of setting a setting value regarding the probability of winning a gaming state advantageous to the player; and an input port into which information to the main control device is input;
During a main control activation period triggered by power-on, a main control activation process is executed, and information indicating whether or not the setting value setting process is necessary to be executed by the setting value setting means is transmitted based on the input information of the input port. After the setting, a predetermined standby processing period that starts from the completion of the start-up of the main control device is set as a period for waiting for the completion of the start-up of the sub-control device , and at a subsequent predetermined timing, the standby processing period is started. Start monitoring progress,
In the main control interrupt period that transitions after the main control startup period and in which interrupt processing can be executed at a predetermined cycle, the interrupt processing is performed until the progress monitoring confirms that the standby processing period has elapsed. A standby process is executed in which the process is executed in a predetermined process procedure different from the normal process, and after the standby process period has elapsed, the interrupt process becomes executable in the normal process process, and the set value setting means The setting process of the setting value can be executed based on the information indicating whether the execution is necessary,
The standby process is characterized in that a specific output process can be executed without executing some of the processes that can be executed in the interrupt process executed in the normal process procedure. Game machine.

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