JP7472348B2 - Gaming Machines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to gaming machines such as pachinko machines.

In gaming machines such as pachinko machines, various effects are executed at predetermined timings, such as during the changing of symbols ( for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-98045 A

An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of more effectively executing presentations during the varying display of symbols .

The present invention relates to a gaming machine having a pattern display means capable of varying the display of patterns, and a dialogue performance execution means for executing a dialogue performance in which a dialogue sound is output and dialogue characters corresponding to the dialogue sound are displayed, wherein a specific notice can be executed while the pattern is being varied, and when the specific notice is executed, the gaming machine has an audio output means capable of outputting a sound related to the specific notice, and a drive sound generating means capable of generating a drive sound by driving a specified part, and is provided with a volume level setting means capable of setting the volume level of the sound output means between a maximum volume level and a minimum volume level , and the drive sound generating means is capable of generating the drive sound in parallel with the sound related to the specific notice when the sound is output , and the volume of the sound related to the specific notice is configured to be greater than the volume of the drive sound when the volume level is set to the maximum volume level, and to be less than the volume of the drive sound when the volume level is set to the minimum volume level, and the volume of the sound related to the specific notice changes when the output of the drive sound is started .

According to the present invention, it is possible to more effectively carry out effects that are executed during the varying display of symbols .

1 is an overall front view of a pachinko machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the glass door of the pachinko machine. This is a plan view of the main parts of the pachinko machine, showing the performance buttons, cross operation means, volume adjustment operation means, and light intensity adjustment operation means. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the operation and presentation means of the pachinko machine and its surrounding area. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the operation and presentation means of the pachinko machine and its vicinity. FIG. 13 is a front cross-sectional view showing the state in which the effect button of the pachinko machine is pressed. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. 2 is a front view of the game information display means of the pachinko machine. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the movable plate body of the pachinko machine. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control system of the pachinko machine. 13 is a diagram showing the probability of winning and the fluctuation time of the normal pattern for each game state of the pachinko machine, and the opening and closing pattern of the second special pattern starting means. FIG. This is a diagram showing the correspondence between the jackpot mode, special advantage state, special game state, and jackpot presentation mode for the first and second special patterns of the pachinko machine. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a volume level setting table for the pachinko machine. 13 is a diagram showing a volume adjustment notification image of the pachinko machine. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a light intensity adjustment notification image of the pachinko machine. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the change in volume and volume adjustment notification image when the volume adjustment knob is operated while the volume adjustment notification image is displayed on the pachinko machine. FIG. A diagram showing the reset conditions and reset process of the volume level of the pachinko machine. This is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of image and sound effects during the hold change announcement of the same pachinko machine. 21 is a diagram showing the volume history of the sound effects shown in FIG. 20, divided into normal sound effects and specific sound effects. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between a first volume LP1 (dB), a second volume LP2 (dB), and a composite volume LP (dB) obtained by combining them. FIG. This is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of image and sound effects during normal variation (during the special probability state) of the same pachinko machine. 24 is a diagram showing a part of the volume history of the sound effects shown in FIG. 23, divided into normal sound effects and specific sound effects. FIG. This is an explanatory diagram showing the flow (1/2) of image and sound presentation during normal operation (normal game mode) of the same pachinko machine. This is an explanatory diagram showing the flow (2/2) of image and sound presentation during normal operation (normal game mode) of the same pachinko machine. 27 is a diagram showing a part of the volume history of the sound effects shown in FIG. 26, divided into normal sound effects and specific sound effects. FIG. An explanatory diagram showing the flow (1/5) of image and sound effects in the reach effect (low reliability) of the same pachinko machine. This is an explanatory diagram showing the flow (2/5) of image and sound effects in the reach effect (low reliability) of the same pachinko machine. An explanatory diagram showing the flow (3/5) of image and sound effects in the reach effect (low reliability) of the same pachinko machine. An explanatory diagram showing the flow (4/5) of image and sound effects in the reach effect (low reliability) of the same pachinko machine. This is an explanatory diagram showing the flow (5/5) of image and sound effects in the reach effect (low reliability) of the same pachinko machine. This is a diagram showing the portion from 42 s to 61 s in the volume history of the sound effects shown in Figure 30, divided into normal sound effects and specific sound effects. This is a diagram showing the portion from 92s to 96s in the volume history of the sound effects shown in Figure 32, divided into normal sound effects and specific sound effects. An explanatory diagram showing the flow (1/5) of image and sound effects in the reach effect (high reliability) of the same pachinko machine. An explanatory diagram showing the flow (2/5) of image and sound effects in the reach effect (high reliability) of the same pachinko machine. An explanatory diagram showing the flow (3/5) of image and sound effects in the reach effect (high reliability) of the same pachinko machine. An explanatory diagram showing the flow (4/5) of image and sound effects in the reach effect (high reliability) of the same pachinko machine. An explanatory diagram showing the flow (5/5) of image and sound effects in the reach effect (high reliability) of the same pachinko machine. This is a diagram showing the portion from 42 s to 61 s in the volume history of the sound effects shown in Figure 37, divided into normal sound effects and specific sound effects. A figure showing an example of a variation of dialogue presentation α of the same pachinko machine. This is a diagram comparing the time charts of the dialogue effects α1 and α3 of the same pachinko machine. This is a diagram comparing the time charts of the dialogue effects α2 and α5 of the same pachinko machine. This is a diagram comparing the time charts of the dialogue effects α7, α8, and α9 of the same pachinko machine. A figure showing an example of a variation of dialogue presentation α of a pachinko machine relating to the second embodiment of the present invention. A figure showing an example of a variation of dialogue presentation α of a pachinko machine relating to the third embodiment of the present invention. A figure showing a volume level setting table for a pachinko machine according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows the volume history for normal sound effects and specific sound effects for each volume level when the hall setting value is set to T7 on the same pachinko machine. This figure shows the volume history for normal sound effects and specific sound effects for each volume level when the hall setting value is set to T3 on the same pachinko machine. A figure showing a volume level setting table for a pachinko machine related to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows the volume history for normal sound effects and specific sound effects for each volume level when the hall setting value is set to T7 on the same pachinko machine. This figure shows the volume history for normal sound effects and specific sound effects for each volume level when the hall setting value is set to T3 on the same pachinko machine. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing modified examples of combinations of normal sound effects and specific sound effects.

Below, an embodiment of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 44 show an example of a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko machine. In Figures 1 and 2, the gaming machine main body 1 comprises an outer frame 2 and a front frame 3 arranged in front of the outer frame 2. The front frame 3 is pivotally attached to the outer frame 2 via a first hinge 4 in the up-down direction arranged at one end in the left-right direction, for example the left end, so that it can be opened, closed, and detached freely, and can be locked in a closed state relative to the outer frame 2 by a locking means 5 provided on the opposite side in the left-right direction to the first hinge 4, for example the right end.

The front frame 3 includes a middle frame 6 and a glass door 7 arranged in front of the middle frame 6. The glass door 7 is pivotally attached to the middle frame 6 via a second hinge 8 arranged in the vertical direction at one end in the left-right direction, for example at the left end, so that it can be opened, closed, and detached freely, and can be locked in the closed state relative to the middle frame 6 by the locking means 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer frame 2 is formed in a rectangular shape by a pair of left and right vertical frame members 2a, 2b and a pair of upper and lower horizontal frame members 2c, 2d. A front cover member 9 made of, for example, synthetic resin is attached to the lower front side of the outer frame 2 so as to connect the lower front sides of the left and right vertical frame members 2a, 2b along the front edge of the lower horizontal frame member 2d. The front cover member 9 protrudes forward from the left and right vertical frame members 2a, 2b, and the middle frame 6 is disposed above it. In addition, the outer frame 2 has an upper outer frame hinge metal fitting 11 constituting the first hinge 4 disposed, for example, at the upper left, and a lower outer frame hinge metal fitting 12 disposed above the front cover member 9 at the lower left.

The middle frame 6 is made of synthetic resin and includes, for example, a rectangular frame section 13 that can be brought into contact with the front edge of the outer frame 2 above the front cover member 9, a game board mounting section 14 provided on the upper side of the frame section 13, and a lower mounting section 15 provided on the lower side of the frame section 13. The game board 16 is attached to the game board mounting section 14 in a detachable manner, for example, from the front side, and the lower mounting section 15 has a launching means 17, a lower speaker 18, etc., arranged on its front side. In addition, the middle frame 6 includes a main frame upper hinge metal fitting 19 that constitutes the first hinge 4 and a main frame upper hinge metal fitting 20 that constitutes the second hinge 8, arranged, for example, on the upper left side, and a main frame lower hinge metal fitting 21 that constitutes the first and second hinges 4 and 8, arranged, for example, on the lower left side.

The glass door 7 is equipped with a resin door base 22 formed in a rectangular shape corresponding to the front side of the middle frame 6. In this door base 22, a window hole 24a of a glass window 24 is formed corresponding to the front side of a play area 23 formed on the play board 16, and various presentation means such as a plurality of (four in this case) upper speakers 25, a frame first movable body 26, a frame second movable body 27, and a ventilation means 28 are arranged around the window hole 24a.

At the upper front side of the door base 22, a side unit 30 is attached to at least a part of the outer periphery of the window hole 24a, for example, a substantially L-shaped part corresponding to the upper and right sides of the window hole 24a, and an upper decorative cover 31 is attached to the other part, for example, the left side of the window hole 24a. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, for example, the side unit 30 can be easily attached and detached by operating the fixing screw 30a, fixing lever 30b, etc. on the back side of the front frame 3 with the front frame 3 open, without using special tools. Normally, the front frame 3 is used in common with multiple models, and a different game board 16 is attached to this front frame 3 for each model to realize the gameplay and design unique to that model. However, in this pachinko machine, a part of the front side of the front frame 3 is made into a side unit 30 that is more easily attached and detached than other parts, and this side unit 30 is given a design that is integrated with the game board 16 and a unique function, making it possible to increase the degree of freedom in design and function for each model while commonizing most of the front frame 3.

The side unit 30 of this embodiment is equipped with a first frame movable body 26, a second frame movable body 27, an air blowing means 28, etc. The first frame movable body 26 can slide in approximately the front-rear direction when driven by a drive means not shown. The second frame movable body 27 can slide in approximately the front-rear direction when driven by a drive means not shown, and can be pushed in by the player. The air blowing means 28 can blow air towards the player's hands, for example, when the player operates the second frame movable body 27.

At the lower front side of the door base 22, there are arranged an upper tray 33 that stores game balls dispensed from the dispensing means 32 located at the rear of the middle frame 6 and supplies them to the launching means 17, a lower tray 34 that stores surplus balls when the upper tray 33 is full, a launching handle 35 that is operated to activate the launching means 17, etc., and further, a lower decorative cover 36 that substantially covers the upper tray 33, lower tray 34, etc. from the front is attached. The lower decorative cover 36 is formed, for example, in a forward-facing bulge, and on its upper side, there are provided operation means such as an operation presentation means 37, a cross operation means 38, a volume operation means 39, and a light intensity operation means 40 (Figure 4).

The operation presentation means 37 is used for preview presentations during pattern changes and other presentations, and as shown in Figures 5 to 7, is equipped with an up-down moving presentation button 41 that can be pressed by the player, a movable presentation means 42 located inside the presentation button 41, and a vibration generating means 43 that vibrates the presentation button 41, and is located inside the lower decorative cover 36.

The movable performance means 42 includes a rotating body 44 formed in an approximately spherical shape, a left-right axis member 45 that supports the rotating body 44 so that it can rotate freely, a light-emitting board 46 arranged inside the rotating body 44, a rotation drive means 47 that drives the rotating body 44 to rotate, and a support frame 48 that supports the axis member 45, the rotation drive means 47, etc.

The rotating body 44 is made of a light-transmitting synthetic resin and is hollow, and is supported for free rotation by an axis member 45 via cylindrical rotating shafts 49a, 49b fixed to both the left and right sides. The axis member 45 passes through the rotating body 44 from left to right, and a light-emitting substrate 46 is fixed to its approximate center. The light-emitting substrate 46 is used to illuminate the rotating body 44 from the inside, and has, for example, multiple LEDs 50 arranged on its upper surface.

The support frame 48 is formed in a generally U-shape in front view by a pair of vertical frames 48a, 48b and a horizontal frame 48c that connects the lower ends of the vertical frames 48a, 48b to the left and right, and the left and right ends of the shaft member 45 are detachably fixed to the upper side of the left and right vertical frames 48a, 48b. A rotary drive means 47 consisting of a stepping motor or the like is fixed to one of the vertical frames 48a, 48b (here, the right vertical frame 48b) with the drive shaft 47a protruding inward. In addition, a driven gear 51 is provided on one of the left and right rotary shafts 49a, 49b (here, the right rotary shaft 49b), and the drive gear 52 attached to the drive shaft 47a of the rotary drive means 47 is engaged with the driven gear 51. As a result, when the rotation drive means 47 operates in the forward or reverse direction, the driving force is transmitted to the rotor 44 via the drive gear 52 and driven gear 51, causing the rotor 44 to rotate around its axis in the left-right direction.

The support frame 48 is supported on the door base 22 via, for example, a performance button base 53 fixed to its underside. The performance button base 53 is, for example, made of sheet metal, and includes a rectangular mounting plate 54 arranged approximately horizontally along the underside of the horizontal frame 48c, a pair of left and right connecting plates 55a, 55b extending downward from both left and right edges of the mounting plate 54, base plates 56a, 56b extending outward in the left and right directions from the lower edges of the left and right connecting plates 55a, 55b, and a support plate 57 extending downward from, for example, the rear edge side of the mounting plate 54. The mounting plate 54 is fixed to the horizontal frame 48c, and the support plate 57 is fixed to a fixing member 58 attached to, for example, the front side of the door base 22.

The performance button 41 constitutes a cover that covers the internal movable performance means 42, and is made of transparent or translucent synthetic resin. It is integrally equipped with a roughly cylindrical body 61 arranged vertically and a roughly spherical operating part 62 formed to roughly close the upper end side of the body 61. The body 61 has cutouts 64a, 64b formed upward from the lower end side on its left and right sides. The performance button 41 is attached from above so as to cover the movable performance means 42, with the rotating shafts 49a, 49b loosely fitted into the left and right cutouts 64a, 64b, and the operating part 62 on the upper side is exposed upward from a button hole 65 formed in the lower decorative cover 36.

A roughly circular lift plate 66 is detachably fixed to the lower end of the performance button 41 and is arranged roughly horizontally between the horizontal frame 48c and the base plates 56a and 56b. A through hole 67 is formed in roughly the center of the lift plate 66, and the upper side of the performance button base 53 is inserted vertically through this through hole 67.

The lift plate 66 has multiple guide pins 68 protruding downward, for example two on each side, front and back, for a total of four. These guide pins 68 are for guiding the performance button 41 in the up and down direction, and are inserted downward into guide holes 69 formed in the base plates 56a and 56b. In addition, a coil spring 70 is attached to each guide pin 68. This coil spring 70 has a larger diameter than the guide holes 69 and is positioned between the lift plate 66 and the base plates 56a and 56b, and elastically biases the lift plate 66, i.e., the performance button 41, upward relative to the base plates 56a and 56b.

The performance button 41 is held in the upper non-operating position (shown by solid lines in Figs. 5 and 6 and by two-dot chain lines in Fig. 7) by the horizontal frame 48c restricting the upward movement of the lift plate 66. A plurality of buffer members 71 made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber are arranged between the horizontal frame 48c and the lift plate 66, and the lift plate 66, which is elastically biased upward by the coil spring 70, abuts against the underside of the horizontal frame 48c via the buffer members 71, thereby restricting its upward movement. The buffer members 71 may be attached to either the horizontal frame 48c or the lift plate 66.

A vibration generating means 43 is attached to the underside of the performance button base 53. The vibration generating means 43 includes a vibration device 72 and a vibration base 73 that vibrates when the vibration device 72 is activated. The vibration base 73 is attached to the base plates 56a and 56b of the performance button base 53 via a cushion member 74 made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber. The vibration base 73 has a plurality of guide pin insertion holes 75, and the guide pins 68 are inserted downward into each of the guide pin insertion holes 75.

The vibration device 72 is composed of a motor with an eccentric weight 72a attached to the drive shaft, and is removably fixed to approximately the center of the underside of the vibration base 73 with the eccentric weight 72a facing forward, for example, so that the position of the eccentric weight 72a does not coincide with the center of gravity of the vibration base 73. By operating this vibration device 72, the vibration base 73 supported via the cushion member 74 vibrates relative to the performance button base 53, and the vibration is transmitted to the performance button 41 via the guide pin 68 inserted into the guide pin insertion hole 75.

The effects created by moving objects include movement effects that appeal to the player's sense of sight or touch through the movement of the moving object, and sound effects that appeal to the player's sense of hearing. Of course, there are also moving objects that do not actually produce sound effects, such as those that make very little or no sound when they are moving.

Of the two movable bodies (rotating body 44, effect button 41) possessed by the operation effect means 37, for the rotating body 44 which rotates when driven by the rotation drive means 47, the player can visually recognize the rotational movement (moving effect) and can also audibly recognize the operation sounds such as "clack clack" caused by the drive of the rotation drive means 47 (sound effect). For the effect button 41 which vibrates when driven by the vibration device 72, the player can recognize the vibration of the effect button 41 by the touch of the hand (moving effect) and can also audibly recognize the operation sounds (vibration sounds) generated by the vibration (sound effect).

Of the movement effects and sound effects related to the operation of the effect button 41, the movement effects that appeal to the player's tactile sense will not occur unless the player is touching the effect button 41, but the sound effects that appeal to the player's hearing will occur regardless of whether the player is touching the effect button 41. However, for the sound effects, the volume of the generated operation sound (vibration sound) changes depending on whether the player is touching the effect button 41 or not, and further whether or not the player is pressing it down.

That is, when the player activates the vibration device 72 without touching the effect button 41, the operation sound is composed of (1) the operation sound of the vibration device 72, (2) the contact sound between the vibration base 73 and the guide pin 68, (3) the contact sound between the lift plate 66 and the horizontal frame 48c (through the buffer member 71), and (4) the contact sound of other joint parts (play). In contrast, when the player activates the vibration device 72 while touching the effect button 41, the operation sound (1) is the same as when the player is not touching the effect button 41, but the player's hand acts as a buffer to limit the drive of the effect button (predetermined part) 41 by the vibration device (drive means) 72, and the vibration of the effect button 41 is suppressed, so the contact sounds (2) to (4) are smaller than when the player is not touching the effect button 41, and the operation sound is smaller overall. Furthermore, if the player activates the vibration device 72 while not only touching but also depressing the effect button 41, as shown in Figure 7, the lift plate 66 of the effect button 41 moves away from the horizontal frame 48c, and at least the contact sound (3) does not occur, so the operating sound becomes even quieter. In this way, the volume of the vibration sound of the effect button 41 (the volume of the specific sound effect) is at its maximum volume when the player is not touching the effect button 41 (when the specific volume change operation is not performed).

The cross operation means 38 has four operation keys 38a to 38d, one for up, down, left, and right, as shown in FIG. 4, and is used in situations where operations such as moving the cursor up, down, left, and right are required, such as when selecting a menu item. The volume operation means (operation means B, first operation means) 39 is used by the player to adjust the volume, and has a plus key 39a and a minus key 39b as shown in FIG. 4. By operating these two operation keys 39a and 39b, the player can set the player-set value (value B) related to the volume to one of multiple levels, for example, five levels M1 to M5. The light intensity operation means 40 is used by the player to adjust the light intensity, and has a plus key 40a and a minus key 40b as shown in FIG. 4. By operating these two operation keys 40a and 40b, the player can set the light intensity level to one of multiple levels, for example, three levels 1 to 3.

In this embodiment, a volume operation means 39 dedicated to volume adjustment and a light intensity operation means 40 dedicated to light intensity adjustment are provided, but general-purpose operation means such as the cross operation means 38 may be used for both volume adjustment and light intensity adjustment without providing these.

A glass unit 80 that substantially covers the window hole 24a from the rear side is removably attached to the rear side of the door base 22 as shown in FIG. 2, and a vertical hinge end side reinforcing sheet metal 81a arranged along the edge of the first and second hinges 4, 8, a vertical opening and closing end side reinforcing sheet metal 81b arranged along the edge of the opening and closing end side, and a left and right lower reinforcing sheet metal 81c arranged below the window hole 24a are removably fixed by screws or the like. In addition, the door base 22 has a glass door upper hinge metal 82a that constitutes the second hinge 8 arranged, for example, at the upper left, and a glass door lower hinge metal 82b arranged, for example, at the lower left.

For example, a ball feeding unit 83a, a lower tray guide unit 83b, etc. are attached to the back side of the lower reinforcing sheet metal 81c. The ball feeding unit 83a is for supplying the game balls in the upper tray 33 one by one to the launching means 17, and is arranged corresponding to the front side of the launching means 17. The lower tray guide unit 83b is for guiding surplus balls when the upper tray 33 is full, and foul balls that have been launched by the launching means 17 but have returned without reaching the playing area 23, to the lower tray 34, and is arranged, for example, adjacent to the ball feeding unit 83a on the side of its first and second hinges 4, 8.

In addition, a door opening switch 84 is provided, for example, on the upper side of the middle frame 6, which can detect whether the front frame 3 is open relative to the outer frame 2. This door opening switch 84 is configured to be ON, for example, when the front frame 3 is open to the front relative to the outer frame 2, and OFF when it is closed.

As shown in FIG. 8, the game board 16 has a base plate 85, such as a plywood board, and a guide rail 86 for guiding the game balls launched from the launching means 17 is arranged in a circular shape on the front side of the base plate 85. In addition, in the game area 23 inside the guide rail 86, unit parts such as a central display frame unit 87, a start winning unit 88, a normal winning unit 89, as well as a large number of game nails (not shown) are arranged, and a game information display means 90 is arranged on the outside of the game area 23, for example on the lower side. Of course, the game information display means 90 may be arranged inside the game area 23.

As shown in Figure 9, the game information display means 90 has four LED groups consisting of, for example, eight LEDs 100, and a total of 32 LEDs 100 are assigned in predetermined numbers to the normal pattern display means 91, normal reserved number display means 92, first special pattern display means 93, second special pattern display means 94, first special reserved number display means 95, second special reserved number display means 96, fluctuation reduction notification means 97, right hit notification means 98 and round number notification means 99. That is, the eight LEDs 100 belonging to the first and second LED groups 90a and 90b respectively constitute the first and second special symbol display means 93 and 94, the eight LEDs 100 belonging to the third LED group 90c are divided into pairs to respectively constitute the first special reserved number display means 95, the second special reserved number display means 96, the normal reserved number display means 92, and the fluctuation reduction notification means 97, and the eight LEDs 100 belonging to the fourth LED group 90d, two of which constitute the normal symbol display means 91, the other two constitute the right hit notification means 98, and the remaining four constitute the round number notification means 99.

On the multiple unit components 87-89 of the game board 16, there are provided a normal symbol start means 101, a first special symbol start means 102, a second special symbol start means 103, a big prize means 104, multiple normal prize means 105, etc. Also, on the rear side of the base plate 85, in addition to the liquid crystal display means (image display means) 106, movable bodies such as a first board movable body 107, a second board movable body 108, and a third board movable body 109 are arranged. Of course, the image display means is not limited to the liquid crystal display means.

The central display frame unit 87 constitutes the display frame for the liquid crystal display means 106 and the movable bodies 107-109, and has an opening window 110 corresponding to the rear liquid crystal display means 106 formed in the approximate center, and is detachably attached from the front side to a mounting hole (not shown) formed in the base plate 85 that penetrates in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 8, the central display frame unit 87 includes a front mounting plate 111 that is arranged outside the mounting hole along the front surface of the base plate 85 and through which the game ball can pass, a decorative frame 112 that is arranged in a roughly gate-like shape in front view from both the left and right sides to the upper side in front of the liquid crystal display means 106 and protrudes forward on the inner periphery of the front mounting plate 111, and a stage 113 that is arranged between the left and right lower ends of the decorative frame 112. The game ball is launched by the launching means 17 and enters the upper part of the game area 23, and is divided to the left and right at the top of the decorative frame 112, and flows down either the left flow path 114a on the left side of the central display frame unit 87 or the right flow path 114b on the right side.

The central display frame unit 87 is provided with a warp inlet 115 through which game balls can flow, on at least one side of the left flow-down path 114a side or the right flow-down path 114b side, for example, on the left flow-down path 114a side. Game balls that flow into the warp inlet 115 while flowing down the left flow-down path 114a roll freely in the left-right direction on the stage 113, and then fall to the front from either a central drop section 116 provided corresponding to the left-right center of the game area 23 or from other parts. In addition, an intrusion prevention means 117 is provided on the upper side of the stage 113 to prevent game balls from invading the rear side due to bouncing, etc.

The first movable body 107 and the third movable body 109 are both arranged in a horizontally long shape in front of the liquid crystal display means 106, and both left and right ends are supported outside the opening window 110 so that they can be moved up and down individually by a lifting drive means not shown. The first movable body 107 has an origin position (Figure 10(a)) at the top side of the opening window 110 and a maximum operating position (Figure 10(b)) approximately in the center in the vertical direction, while the third movable body 109 has an origin position (Figure 10(a)) below the opening window 110 and a maximum operating position (Figure 10(c)) at the lower front side of the opening window 110. When the first movable body 107 and the third movable body 109 both move to their maximum operating positions, they are vertically adjacent to each other at the center front side of the liquid crystal display means 106 (Figure 10(e)).

The second board movable body 108 is a three-dimensional object formed in a predetermined shape such as a character, and is arranged in front of the first board movable body 107. It can move up and down together with the first board movable body 107, and can rotate around a central axis in the front-to-rear direction relative to the first board movable body 107 by driving a rotation drive means not shown. In this embodiment, the second board movable body 108 is always visible from the front side through the opening window 110, but for example, when the first board movable body 107 is in the origin position, the second board movable body 108 may retreat to the upper side of the opening window 110 so that at least a part of it cannot be seen from the front side.

The second movable body 108 of the board can perform a "swinging motion" (FIG. 10(d)) in which it rotates back and forth within a predetermined angle range, and a "rotating motion" (FIG. 10(e)) in which it rotates 360 degrees or more. Note that the swinging motion can be performed regardless of the position of the first movable body 107 of the board, but the rotating motion can only be performed when, for example, the first movable body 107 of the board is in the maximum operating position.

The start winning unit 88 is disposed below the central display frame unit 87 as shown in FIG. 8, and is detachably attached to the base plate 85 from the front side. The normal winning unit 89 is disposed below the central display frame unit 87 to the left of the start winning unit 88 as shown in FIG. 8, and is detachably attached to the base plate 85 from the front side.

The normal symbol starting means 101 is for starting the variable display of normal symbols by the normal symbol display means 91, and is composed of a passing gate through which the game ball can pass, and is equipped with a passing detection means (not shown) that detects the passing of the game ball. As shown in FIG. 8, for example, the normal symbol starting means 101 is provided in front of the front mounting plate 111 on the right side of the central display frame unit 87, and game balls flowing down the right flow path 114b can pass through it.

The normal pattern display means 91 is for displaying the normal pattern in a variable manner, and is composed of, for example, two LEDs 100 in the game information display means 90 as shown in FIG. 9. Based on the detection of a game ball by the normal pattern start means 101, the two LEDs 100 constituting the normal pattern emit light in a normal variation light-emitting pattern, and then if the winning judgment random number value included in the normal random number information acquired when the game ball is detected by the normal pattern start means 101 matches a predetermined winning judgment value, the fluctuation stops in a winning state, and otherwise in a losing state. The two LEDs 100 constituting the normal pattern can display one or more winning states and one or more losing states by combining their light-emitting states (for example, on/off), and the normal variation light-emitting pattern is, for example, switched between a specific number of types (here, two types) of light-emitting states every predetermined time (for example, 128 ms).

When the normal symbol start means 101 detects a game ball during the normal reservation period, which includes the pattern change of the normal symbol display means 91 and the normal profit state, the normal random number information acquired thereby is reserved and stored up to a predetermined upper limit of reserved numbers, for example, four, and each time the normal reservation period ends, one is consumed and the normal symbol changes. The number of stored normal random number information (normal reservation number) is notified to the player by the normal reservation number display means 92, etc. The normal reservation number display means 92 is composed of, for example, two LEDs 100 in the game information display means 90 as shown in FIG. 9, and five types of normal reservation numbers from 0 to 4 can be displayed by combining the light emission modes (for example, on/blinking/off) of the two LEDs 100.

The first special symbol starting means 102 is for starting the pattern variation by the first special symbol display means 93, and is composed of a non-opening/closing winning means that does not have an opening/closing means, and is equipped with a game ball detection means (not shown) that detects the winning game ball. As shown in FIG. 8, the first special symbol starting means 102 is provided, for example, in the starting winning unit 88, and is arranged in an upward opening manner on the lower side corresponding to the central drop part 116 of the stage 113, and since there is a route from the warp entrance 115 on the left flow-down path 114a side through the stage 113 to win, the game ball that has flowed down the left flow-down path 114a has a higher probability of winning than the game ball that has flowed down the right flow-down path 114b. When a game ball wins in the first special symbol starting means 102, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out as prize balls for each win.

The second special symbol starting means 103 is for starting the pattern change by the second special symbol display means 94, and is composed of an opening and closing type winning means that can be changed between an open state in which the game ball can win a prize and a closed state in which it is impossible to win a prize (or it is more difficult to win a prize than in the open state) by the operation of the opening and closing section 118, and is equipped with a game ball detection means (not shown) that detects a winning game ball, and when the stopped pattern after the change of the normal symbol display means 91 becomes a winning pattern and a normal profit state occurs, the opening and closing section 118 changes from a closed state to an open state for a predetermined time.

As shown in FIG. 8, the second special symbol starting means 103 is disposed on the front mounting plate 111 on the right side of the central display frame unit 87 and downstream of the normal symbol starting means 101, and game balls flowing down the right flow path 114b can win. The opening and closing part 118 can swing around a left-right rotation axis provided on the lower side, and in the closed state, for example, it is approximately flush with the front mounting plate 111, allowing game balls to pass through the front side, and in the open state, it is inclined backwards in front of the front mounting plate 111, allowing game balls to win backwards. When a game ball wins on the second special symbol starting means 103, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out as prize balls for each win.

The first special symbol display means (symbol display means) 93 is composed of, for example, eight LEDs 100 in the game information display means 90 as shown in FIG. 9. On condition that the first special symbol start means 102 detects a game ball, the eight LEDs 100 constituting the first special symbol emit light in a special variation light-emitting pattern, and then if the jackpot determination random number value included in the first special random number information acquired when the first special symbol start means 102 detects a game ball matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, the variation stops in the first jackpot mode, and otherwise in the first miss mode. If the stopped symbol after the variation of the first special symbol display means 93 becomes the first jackpot mode, a first special advantage state occurs.

The second special symbol display means (symbol display means) 94 is composed of, for example, eight LEDs 100 in the game information display means 90 as shown in FIG. 9. On condition that the second special symbol start means 103 detects a game ball, the eight LEDs 100 constituting the second special symbol emit light in a special variation light-emitting pattern, and then if the jackpot determination random number value included in the second special random number information acquired when the second special symbol start means 103 detects a game ball matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, the variation stops in the second jackpot mode, and otherwise in the second miss mode. If the stopped symbol after the variation of the second special symbol display means 94 becomes the second jackpot mode, a second special profit state occurs.

The first and second special symbol display means 93, 94 can display one or more first and second jackpot patterns and one or more first and second miss patterns by combining the light emission modes (e.g., on/off) of each of the eight LEDs 100, and the light emission pattern during the special fluctuation is, for example, switched between a specific number of types (here, two types) of light emission modes every predetermined time (e.g., 128 ms).

In addition, when the first and second special symbol starting means 102 and 103 detect a game ball during the special reservation period including the pattern change of the first special symbol display means 93, the pattern change of the second special symbol display means 94, and the first and second special advantage states, the first and second special random number information acquired thereby is reserved and stored up to a predetermined upper limit of reserved number, for example, four each. Then, when the special reservation period ends, if the reserved memory on the second special symbol side is one or more, one reserved memory of the second special symbol is consumed and the second special symbol is changed, and if only the reserved memory on the first special symbol side is one or more, one reserved memory of the first special symbol is consumed and the first special symbol is changed. In this way, in this embodiment, the first special symbol and the second special symbol are not both changing, and when there are reserved memories on both the first special symbol side and the second special symbol side, the second special symbol is changed preferentially.

The number of stored first and second special random number information (first and second special reserved numbers) is notified to the player by the first and second special reserved number display means 95, 96, the liquid crystal display means 106, etc. Here, the first and second special reserved number display means 95, 96 are each composed of two LEDs 100 in the game information display means 90 as shown in FIG. 9, and five types of first and second special reserved numbers (0 to 4) can be displayed by combining their light emission modes (e.g., on/blinking/off).

The big prize winning means 104 is an opening and closing type winning means equipped with an opening and closing plate 119 that can be switched between an open state in which the game ball can win and a closed state in which the game ball cannot win, and is provided, for example, in the central display frame unit 87 as shown in FIG. 8, and is arranged downstream of the second special symbol starting means 103 and upstream of the first special symbol starting means 102, so that the game ball that has flowed down the right flow path 114b has a higher probability of winning than the game ball that has flowed down the left flow path 114a. In the first and second special profit states that occur when the first and second special symbols of the first and second special symbol display means 93 and 94 stop in the first and second big win modes (specific modes) after fluctuating, the opening and closing plate 119 opens to the front according to one or more types of opening patterns, and the game ball that has fallen on it is allowed to win inside. When a game ball wins the big prize means 104, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out as prize balls for each win. In the following description, the first special advantage state and the second special advantage state are collectively referred to as the "special advantage state" (advantage state).

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, one of a plurality of types of special advantage states is selected corresponding to the first and second jackpot modes A1-A3, B1-B3. In this embodiment, there are two types of opening patterns of the big prize winning means 104 in the special advantage state, 10R and 2R, and the 10R opening pattern is assigned to the jackpot modes A1, A2, B1, and B2, and the 2R opening pattern is assigned to the jackpot modes A3 and B3. The 10R opening pattern is configured to perform 10 rounds with balls, and the 2R opening pattern is configured to perform two rounds without balls.

Here, in the round with balls, the big prize winning means 104 is set to close when the number of winning balls in the big prize winning means 104 reaches a predetermined number (e.g., 9 balls) after it is opened, or when a predetermined time (e.g., 28 seconds) has elapsed. If the player hits the right hand side aiming at the big prize winning means 104 on the right flow path 114b side, the maximum number of game balls can be easily won and a large number of prize balls can be won. On the other hand, in the round without balls, the big prize winning means 104 is set to open for only a very short time (e.g., 0.2 seconds x 2). Even if the player hits the right hand side aiming at the big prize winning means 104, it is difficult to win the game balls, and the player cannot expect to win prize balls. It is also possible to provide an opening pattern that has both a round with balls and a round without balls.

The liquid crystal display means 106 can also display the performance pattern 120 in parallel with the display of the first and second special patterns by the first and second special pattern display means 93, 94, and can also display various images such as the first and second reserved images X1-X4, Y1-Y4 indicating the number of first and second special reserved items, and the changing reserved image Z.

Here, the performance pattern 120 has multiple pattern rows (here, three in the left-right direction) made up of multiple numbers and other patterns, and each pattern that makes up each pattern row is composed of a pattern main body 120a made up of numbers such as 1 to 8 and the like, and characters and other decorative parts 120b attached to this pattern main body 120a, as shown in Figure 8. The display form of the performance pattern 120 can be changed as desired, such as by enlarging or reducing it, changing the display position, or erasing the decorative parts 120b.

The performance symbols 120 start to change by vertical scrolling or the like for each pattern row according to a predetermined change pattern, for example, at approximately the same time as the first and second special symbols start to change, and finally stop, for example, at approximately the same time as the first and second special symbols stop changing so that the stopped symbols on a predetermined effective line are in a predetermined state. Note that with the performance symbols 120, for example, when all the stopped symbols on the effective line are the same, it is a big win performance mode, and otherwise it is a miss performance mode, and when the first and second special symbols are in the first and second big win modes, the performance symbols 120 are in the big win performance mode, and when the first and second special symbols are in the first and second miss modes, the performance symbols 120 are in the miss performance mode.

As for the first and second reserved images X1-X4, Y1-Y4, and the changing reserved image Z, when the number of first and second special reserved items increases based on the first and second special symbol start means 102, 103 detecting a game ball, one additional first and second reserved image X1-, Y1- is displayed on the liquid crystal display means 106, and when the number of first and second special reserved items decreases based on the first and second special symbol display means 93, 94 starting a new change of the first and second special symbols, for example, the changing reserved image Z is erased, and the first and second reserved images X1-, Y1- are shifted one by one toward the front of the queue (for example, the right side of the screen), and the pushed-out first first and second reserved images X1, Y1 are moved, for example, to a predetermined position and changed to a new changing reserved image Z.

As shown in FIG. 11, a rear case 121 is attached to the rear side of the game board 16 to support the liquid crystal display means 106 at the rear side of the game board 16, and a main board case 122 housing a main control board 122a, a sub board case 123 housing a sub control board 123a, etc. are detachably attached to the rear side of this rear case 121.

A volume adjustment knob (first operating means, second operating means) 140 is connected to the sub-control board 123a. The volume adjustment knob 140 is used by hall personnel and the like to make selections related to the volume, and is composed of a rotary switch that can be switched between multiple levels (here, 10 levels corresponding to the hall setting values T0 to T9, see Figures 15 and 18), and is attached to the sub-control board 123a in a state that can be operated from the outside of the sub-board case 123 as shown in Figure 11. In this way, the volume adjustment knob 140 is located on the rear side of the gaming machine main body 1, and since it is necessary to unlock and open the front frame 3 in order to operate it, it cannot be operated by anyone other than hall personnel and the like.

In addition, a rear cover 125 that covers the rear side of the game board 16 and can be opened and closed is attached to the rear side of the front frame 3 in a removable manner, and a game ball tank 126a and a tank rail 126b are attached to the upper side of the rear cover 125, and a payout means 32 and a payout passage 127 are attached to the left and right sides, respectively. When a game ball enters a winning hole such as the big winning means 104, or when a ball lending command is received from an automatic ball lending machine not shown in the figure, the game ball in the game ball tank 126a is paid out by the payout means 32 via the tank rail 126b, and the game ball is guided to the upper tray 33 via the payout passage 127. The rear cover 125 is arranged to cover almost the entire sub-board case 123 including the volume control knob 140 and a part of the upper side of the main board case 122 from the rear.

A board mounting stand 128 is removably attached to the lower back side of the front frame 3, and a power supply board case 129 housing a power supply board 129a and a dispensing board case 130 housing a dispensing control board 130a are each removably attached to the rear side of this board mounting stand 128.

Figure 12 is a block diagram of the control system of this pachinko machine. Note that in this block diagram of Figure 12, boards other than the main control board 122a and the sub-control board 123a are omitted.

The main control board 122a controls the overall game operation, and includes a normal random number creation processing means 141, a normal start port check processing means 142, a normal random number storage means 143, a normal symbol processing means 144, a normal symbol display control means 145, a normal advantage state generation means 146, a special random number creation processing means 147, a special start port check processing means 148, a special random number storage means 149, a special symbol processing means 150, a special symbol display control means 151, a special advantage state generation means 152, a special game state generation means 153, a control command transmission means 154, etc., which are composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc.

The normal random number creation processing means 141 is configured to repeatedly generate winning determination random numbers and the like at predetermined time intervals, which are used to determine whether or not the normal pattern after the change is a winning pattern. The normal start port check processing means 142 performs processing based on the detection of a gaming ball by the normal pattern start means 101, and is configured to obtain normal random number information, such as the winning determination random number value created by the normal random number creation processing means 141, based on the detection of a gaming ball by the normal pattern start means 101, and store the normal random number information in the first-in, first-out normal random number storage means 143, up to a predetermined upper limit of reserved numbers (e.g., 4).

The normal pattern processing means 144 performs processing related to the display of changes in normal patterns, and is configured to, on the condition that the normal pattern display means 91 is in a state capable of displaying changes and one or more hit determination random number values are stored in the normal random number storage means 143 (the number of normal reserved items is one or more), take out a hit determination random number value from the head of the queue of normal random number information stored in the normal random number storage means 143, and judge whether or not the hit determination random number value matches a predetermined hit determination value, and select the type of stop pattern after the normal pattern changes and the change time of the normal pattern based on the hit/miss judgment result.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the probability of winning during a special game state (time-saving state and special probability state) described below (e.g., 1/1.3) is set higher than the probability of winning during other normal game states (e.g., 1/10), and the variable time during a special game state (e.g., 2.7 seconds) is set shorter than the variable time during a normal game state (e.g., 27 seconds).

The normal pattern display control means 145 controls the display of the normal pattern display means 91 based on the normal pattern processing by the normal pattern processing means 144, and starts the variation of the normal pattern by the normal pattern display means 91 on the condition that the normal pattern display means 91 is in a state where it can display a variable pattern and one or more pieces of normal random number information are stored in the normal random number storage means 143 (the normal reserved number is one or more), and stops the variation of the normal pattern with the stop pattern selected by the normal pattern processing means 144 based on the passage of the variation time selected by the normal pattern processing means 144.

When the normal symbol processing means 144 determines that the winning result is a winning result and the stopped symbol after the normal symbol display means 91 changes to a winning state, the normal profit state generating means 146 generates a normal profit state in which the opening/closing section 118 of the second special symbol starting means 103 changes to an open state according to, for example, one of a plurality of opening/closing patterns. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, two types of opening/closing patterns are set: a normal opening/closing pattern (e.g., 0.2 seconds x 1 opening) and an extended opening/closing pattern (e.g., 2 seconds x 3 openings) that is set to have a longer opening time than the normal opening/closing pattern. The normal opening/closing pattern is selected during the normal game state, and the extended opening/closing pattern is selected during the special game state.

The special random number creation processing means 147 is configured to perform special random number creation processing that repeatedly generates jackpot determination random numbers used to determine jackpot/miss, pattern determination random numbers used to select the stopping pattern after the special pattern changes, fluctuation pattern random numbers used to select the fluctuation pattern, and other specified random numbers.

The special start port check processing means 148 performs processing based on the entry of a gaming ball into the first and second special symbol start means 102, 103, and is configured to obtain first and second special random number information, such as a jackpot determination random number value and a jackpot pattern random number value, created by the special random number creation processing means 147 based on the entry of a gaming ball into either the first or second special symbol start means 102, 103, and store the first and second special random number information in the special random number storage means 149 up to a predetermined upper limit of the reserved number (e.g., 4).

The special start port check processing means 148 also includes a look-ahead determination means 148a. The look-ahead determination means 148a is configured to perform a look-ahead determination as to whether the jackpot determination random number value included in the first and second special random number information, which is obtained when a game ball enters the first and second special symbol start means 102 and 103, matches the first and second jackpot determination values (whether or not it is a jackpot) at a predetermined timing before the pattern is changed, for example, at the time of acquiring the first and second special random number information. The look-ahead determination result is transmitted to the sub-control board 123a, etc., by a reserved addition command transmitted based on the game ball entering either the first or second special symbol start means 102 and 103. Note that the look-ahead determination may be made not only on whether or not it is a jackpot, but also on the type of change pattern, etc.

The special symbol processing means 150 performs processing related to the variable display of the first and second special symbols and the performance symbols, and when the first and second special symbol display means 93, 94 are in a state where they can display variables, it takes out the first jackpot determination random number value from the queue of the second special random number information if the second special reserved number is 1 or more, or from the queue of the first special random number information if only the first special reserved number is 1 or more, and judges whether or not there is a jackpot or a miss depending on whether or not the jackpot determination random number value matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, and determines the stopping pattern of the first and second special symbols, the variable pattern of the performance symbols, etc. depending on the jackpot judgment result.

When the jackpot determination result is a jackpot, the stop pattern pattern of the first and second special symbols is selected from the first and second jackpot patterns A1-A3, B1-B3 (FIG. 14) based on the jackpot pattern random number value included in the first and second special random number information, and when the jackpot determination result is a miss, the stop pattern pattern is selected from one or more of the first and second miss patterns based on the newly acquired miss pattern random number value. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, when a jackpot is determined, the first and second special advantage states and the type of special game state (hereinafter referred to as the jackpot type) are determined according to the selected first and second jackpot patterns. That is, when the jackpot patterns A1 and B1 are selected, the jackpot type is "10R sure change", when the jackpot patterns A2 and B2 are selected, the jackpot type is "10R time reduction", and when the jackpot patterns A3 and B3 are selected, the jackpot type is "2R sure change (sudden sure change)".

Here, the special game state is a game state that is advantageous to the player and occurs after the special advantage state ends, and in this embodiment, two types are provided: a time-saving state and a probability-changing state. During the time-saving state, for example, the fluctuation time of the first and second special symbols is switched to a shortened fluctuation time that is shorter than the normal fluctuation time, and the probability that the normal symbols will be in a winning state is switched from a normal probability (e.g., 1/10) to a high probability (e.g., 1/1.3), the fluctuation time of the normal symbols is switched from a normal fluctuation time (e.g., 27 seconds) to a shortened fluctuation time (e.g., 2.7 seconds), and the opening and closing pattern of the second special symbol starting means 103 in the normal advantage state is switched from a normal opening and closing pattern (e.g., 0.2 seconds x 1 opening) to an extended opening and closing pattern (e.g., 2 seconds x 3 openings) (FIG. 13). The time-saving state ends when the next special advantage state occurs or when the first and second special symbols have fluctuated a predetermined number of times (e.g., 50 times) before that point.

In addition, during the special probability state, the probability that the first and second special symbols will become the first and second jackpot patterns is switched to a higher probability (e.g., 1/35) than the normal probability (e.g., 1/350), and a switch similar to that of the time-saving state is also performed. The special probability state ends when the next special advantage state occurs, but other ending conditions such as the number of times the first and second special symbols change may be added. Note that the special probability state that occurs after the end of the 2R special advantage state is what is known as a sudden special probability state (hereinafter referred to as a sudden probability state), and the performance symbols related to the start of the special advantage state are, for example, a specific non-aligned performance mode.

This pachinko machine is also equipped with a setting change function, so that when the power is turned on, the hall staff can carry out a specific setting change operation to change the jackpot probability, i.e., the probability that the first and second special symbols will form a jackpot (the probability of winning the random number lottery), to multiple levels (here, six levels, from setting 1 to 6).

The special symbol display control means 151 controls the display of the first and second special symbol display means 93, 94, and starts the variation of the first and second special symbols by the first special symbol display means 93 or the second special symbol display means 94 based on the special symbol processing by the special symbol processing means 150, and stops the variation of the first and second special symbols at the selected stop symbol based on the lapse of the variation time corresponding to the selected variation pattern.

The special advantage state generating means 152 is for generating a special advantage state (advantage state) advantageous to the player, and is configured to generate a special advantage state in which the big prize winning means 104 opens according to a predetermined opening pattern, for example, one of two opening patterns, 10R and 2R, as shown in FIG. 14, when the result of the big win determination by the special pattern processing means 150 is a big win and the stopped pattern after the first and second special patterns change becomes the first or second big win pattern (predetermined pattern).

The special game state generating means 153 is for generating a special game state advantageous to the player, and is configured to generate either a time-saving state or a special game state (FIG. 14) corresponding to the first or second jackpot mode after the special advantageous state ends.

The control command sending means 154 is for sending a predetermined control command to the sub-control board 123a etc. to give a control command, and has a function of sending a hold addition command to the sub-control board 123a side to specify the addition of the first and second special hold numbers when the first and second special hold numbers increase, a hold subtraction command to specify the subtraction of the first and second special hold numbers when the first and second special symbols start to change based on the special symbol processing by the special symbol processing means 150, a change pattern command to specify the change pattern of the performance symbol 120, and a special symbol command to specify the stop symbol mode of the first and second special symbols in this order to the sub-control board 123a side, and a change stop command to instruct the change to stop when the first and second special symbols change ends, and a function of sending a customer waiting command when the first and second special symbols are in a waiting state for change due to the end of the change of the first and second special symbols when both the first and second special hold numbers are 0.

Next, the control operation of the sub-control board 123a will be described. The sub-control board 123a controls the effects by various effect means such as the liquid crystal display means 106, the illumination means 155, the speakers 18, 25, the first frame movable body 26, the second frame movable body 27, the air blowing means 28, the first board movable body 107, the second board movable body 108, and the third board movable body 109, and is equipped with a special reserved number display control means 161, a pre-reading notice effect control means 162, a pattern change effect control means 163, a normal notice effect control means 164, a customer waiting control means 165, a sound volume setting means 166, and a light intensity setting means 167. The illumination means 155 is composed of a large number of LEDs (not shown) arranged on the front frame 3 side and the game board 16 side.

The types of effects produced by the various production means include image effects that display images including moving images on the LCD display means 106, etc., light effects that use the illumination means 155, etc., sound effects that generate sound, and moving effects that use moving bodies such as the rotating body 44, the performance button 41, the frame first movable body 26, the frame second movable body 27, the board first movable body 107, the board second movable body 108, and the board third movable body 109.

The sound effects include normal sound effects that output sound from speakers 18, 25 based on audio data, and specific sound effects that generate operation sounds by driving a movable body (a specific part) with a driving means. Here, the volume of the normal sound effects changes with changes in the volume level caused by the volume adjustment operation described below, but the volume of the specific sound effects does not change even if the volume level changes with the volume adjustment operation. However, when the player can touch the driven movable body, the volume of the operation sound caused by the specific sound effects may change depending on whether or not the player is touching the movable body.

In this way, the sub-control board 123a constitutes a display performance execution means capable of executing a display performance that displays images including moving images on the liquid crystal display means (display means) 106, and a sound performance execution means capable of executing a sound performance that outputs sound from the speakers (sound output means) 18, 25. Note that the moving images displayed in the display performance are composed, for example, of multiple scenes joined together.

The special reserved number display control means 161 controls the display of the first and second special reserved numbers on the liquid crystal display means 106, and is configured to display on the liquid crystal display means 106 first reserved images X1 to X4 corresponding to the number of first special reserved numbers (maximum of 4), second reserved images Y1 to Y4 corresponding to the number of second special reserved numbers (maximum of 4), and a changing reserved image Z corresponding to the changing first and second special symbols in response to an increase or decrease in the number of first and second special reserved numbers.

In this embodiment, in order to consume the reserved memory of the second special symbol with priority over the reserved memory of the first special symbol, the second special symbol is also given priority in the reserved display, and the second reserved images Y1-Y4 are displayed partially overlapping each other in front of the first reserved images X1-X4 as shown in FIG. 8. When a reserved addition command for the first and second special reserved numbers is received from the main control board 122a, the first and second reserved images X1-, Y1- are additionally displayed at the end of the queue. Also, when a reserved subtraction command for the first and second special reserved numbers is received from the main control board 122a, the first and second reserved images X1-, Y1- are shifted by one toward the front of the queue, and the pushed-out first first and second reserved images X1, Y1 are moved, for example, to a predetermined position and changed to a changing reserved image Z. In this embodiment, the display color (display mode) of the first and second reserved images X1~, Y1~ and the changing reserved image Z is set to, for example, "white" as the default, and when the reserved change performance described below is executed, it is changed according to the scenario selected by the pre-reading advance notice performance control means 162.

The pre-reading notice performance control means 162 controls the pre-reading notice performance. The pre-reading notice performance predicts whether or not the stopped symbols after the first and second special symbols change will be the first and second jackpot patterns and a special profit state will occur based on the pre-reading judgment result by the pre-reading judgment means 148a on the main control board 122a side, and there are "continuous performances" that execute the same type of performance, for example, during multiple pattern changes (in the pre-reading zone) until the pattern change (target change) corresponding to the special random number information that was the subject of the pre-reading judgment based on the pre-reading judgment result, and "reserved change performances" that make the display mode of the first and second reserved images X1~, Y1~ different (change) based on the pre-reading judgment result, etc.

The pattern change performance control means 163 controls various performances related to the changing display of the performance pattern 120, such as image performance, light-emitting performance, sound performance, moving performance, etc., and when it receives a change pattern command from the main control board 122a, it starts the image performance, light-emitting performance, sound performance, moving performance, etc. related to the changing display of the performance pattern 120 based on the change pattern scenario corresponding to the specified change pattern and the preview performance scenario selected by the normal preview performance control means 164, and when it receives a change stop command, it stops the change of the performance pattern 120 at the stop pattern selected based on the stop pattern command and the change pattern command, and also stops the associated image performance, light-emitting performance, sound performance, moving performance, etc.

The normal notice performance control means (dialogue performance execution means) 164 executes the normal notice performance. The normal notice performance is a performance that predicts whether or not the stopped pattern after the pattern change will be a jackpot pattern during the pattern change, based on the jackpot determination result by the jackpot determination process on the main control board 122a side, and includes, for example, "pseudo consecutive", "SU performance", "timer performance", "revival performance", "premium performance", "button performance", "dialogue performance", etc.

The term "pseudo consecutive" refers to a performance in which the LCD display means 106 changes the performance pattern 120 multiple times while the first and second special patterns change once, and is set so that the more times the pseudo consecutive patterns change, the higher the jackpot reliability. The term "SU performance" refers to a performance in which, while the first and second special patterns change, a predetermined performance step including the display of the performance pattern 120 on the LCD display means 106 is executed up to a predetermined stage out of multiple stages (e.g., three stages, SU1 to SU3) according to the jackpot reliability, and is set so that the jackpot reliability increases as the performance step progresses. The term "timer performance" refers to a performance in which a timer image is displayed on the LCD display means 106 at a predetermined timing to measure time (e.g., countdown), and is set so that the longer the measured time, the higher the jackpot reliability.

The "revival effect" is an effect that revives from a state in which a miss or the like is displayed, and for example results in a jackpot appearance, while the "premium effect" is an effect that has an extremely low occurrence rate, and when it does appear, for example, a guaranteed jackpot is confirmed. The "button effect" is an effect in which, when it is determined that the operation of the effect button 41 during the effective operation period while the first and second special patterns are fluctuating (operation is completed), a predetermined post-operation effect is executed, for example, depending on the jackpot reliability. The "dialogue effect" is an effect in which a character speaks a line, and is controlled so that the jackpot reliability differs depending on the type of line spoken, etc.

When the normal preview performance control means 164 receives a variation pattern command from the main control board 122a, it selects whether or not to execute a lottery for the normal preview performance (lottery on/off), etc., based on the information obtained from the variation pattern command (here, the jackpot determination result and the variation pattern selection result), the setting value (any of settings 1 to 6), and the normal preview performance selection table. Also, when lottery execution is selected for at least one of the multiple normal preview performances, it selects one of multiple scenarios for that normal preview performance, for example, based on the jackpot determination result, the setting value (any of settings 1 to 6), and the scenario selection table for each normal preview performance.

The customer waiting control means 165 controls the presentation during the customer waiting state (during the change stop state where the patterns are not changing) until the customer waiting end condition is met, such as when the first and second special pattern display means 93, 94 start changing the first and second special patterns after the customer waiting start condition is met, including the reception of a customer waiting command.

After the waiting state starts, the pre-waiting performance is performed first. In this pre-waiting performance, the image of the performance pattern 120 that was stopped in the previous pattern change continues to be displayed on the liquid crystal display means 106, the illumination means 155 emits light in a specified waiting-for-customers light-emitting mode, and the speakers 18, 25 continue to output the specified background music.

When a predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds) has elapsed since the start of the pre-waiting performance, the performance transitions to the waiting-for-customers performance. At this time, the background music is faded out, and the liquid crystal display means 106 continues to display the image of the performance pattern 120 in a stopped state, and starts displaying a menu display operation notification image that notifies the operation method for displaying the menu screen, a volume adjustment operation notification image that notifies the operation method for adjusting the volume, a light intensity adjustment operation notification image that notifies the operation method for adjusting the light intensity, etc. In this way, during the performance before the customer waiting is being performed, that is, during the period from the start of the customer waiting state until, for example, 30 seconds have elapsed, even though it is the period during which the menu display operation is possible and the volume/light intensity adjustment operation is possible, the menu display operation notification image, the volume adjustment operation notification image, and the light intensity adjustment operation notification image for notifying the same are not displayed.

After that, when the demo start conditions are met (for example, 180 seconds have passed since the start of the waiting state), the waiting state will transition to the demo state. The demo state will sequentially play a "Model Image Demo" that plays an image movie for that model, a "Model Logo" that displays a model logo image that shows the model's logo, a "Company Logo" that displays a company logo image that shows the manufacturer's logo, and an "Anti-addiction Display" that displays an anti-addiction display image.

After the demo performance starts, the demo performance is repeatedly executed, for example, with or without a customer waiting performance for a predetermined period of time, until a customer waiting end condition is met, such as when the first and second special pattern display means 93, 94 start varying the first and second special patterns.

The volume setting means (volume level setting means, volume level changing means, first volume level changing means, set volume changing means) 166 sets the volume level of the sound (BGM, sound effects, notification sounds, etc.) output from the speakers 18, 25, or changes it to multiple levels. It sets the volume level to one of multiple levels, for example, 8 levels from 0 (silent) to 7 (maximum volume), based on the hall setting value (A value) obtained by the volume adjustment knob (A operation means, second operation means) 140 located on the rear side of the gaming machine main body 1, the player setting value (B value) obtained by the volume operation means (B operation means, first operation means) 39 located on the front side of the gaming machine main body 1, and a pre-stored volume level setting table. The volume adjustment by the volume operation means 39 can be performed during a specified volume adjustment period. The volume adjustment period can be set arbitrarily, but for example, the entire period except for a certain period when the power is turned on may be the volume adjustment period.

As shown in FIG. 15, the volume level setting table contains volume level allocations corresponding to the 10 hall setting values T0 to T9 set by the volume control knob 140 and the 5 player setting values M1 to M5 set by the volume control means 39, as well as the initial positions of the player setting values M1 to M5 for each hall setting value T0 to T9. Of the hall setting values T0 to T9, hall staff usually selects T3 to T7 for normal mode and T8 and T9 for power-saving mode. When T8 or T9 for power-saving mode is selected, the power-saving mode is turned ON, and when a power-saving start condition is met, such as a predetermined time having passed since the start of the waiting state, the light is controlled to emit light (or be turned off) in a power-saving light-emitting mode set to a lower light intensity than in normal mode. When T3 to T7 for normal mode is selected, the power-saving mode is turned OFF.

In the volume level setting table shown in FIG. 15, for the hall setting values T3 to T7 for normal mode, the correspondence between the player setting values M1 to M5 and the volume levels is the same for all, but the initial positions are different. That is, for each of the hall setting values T3 to T7, volume levels 3 to 7 are assigned to the player setting values M1 to M5, respectively, but the initial positions for the hall setting values T3 to T7 are set to the player setting values M1 to M5 (i.e., volume levels 3 to 7). In this way, for the hall setting values T3 to T7 for normal mode, the larger the hall setting value, the higher the initial volume level.

For the hall setting values T8 and T9 for power saving mode, the correspondence between the player setting values M1 to M5 and the volume level is the same for all, but the initial positions are different. That is, for both hall setting values T8 and T9, as with hall setting values T3 to T7, volume levels 3 to 7 are assigned to player setting values M1 to M5, respectively, but the initial positions for hall setting values T8 and T9 are set to player setting values M1 and M5 (i.e. volume levels 3 and 7), respectively. In this way, for hall setting values T8 and T9 for power saving mode, the larger the hall setting value, the higher the initial volume level.

Of the hall setting values T0 to T2 that are not usually selected in game halls, the hall setting value T0 is for silent operation, and all the volume levels corresponding to the player setting values M1 to M5 are set to 0 (silence). The hall setting value T1 is for presentation purposes, and for example, the volume level corresponding to the minimum player setting value M1 is 1, and the volume levels corresponding to the other player setting values M2 to M5 are the same as the hall setting value T3, etc., and the initial position is set to the player setting value M1 (i.e., volume level 1). The hall setting value T2 is for factory settings, and for example, the volume level corresponding to the minimum player setting value M1 is 2, and the volume levels corresponding to the other player setting values M2 to M5 are the same as the hall setting value T3, etc., and the initial position is set to the player setting value M1 (i.e., volume level 2). In this way, the initial positions for the hall setting values T0 to T2 are all set to the minimum player setting value M1.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the volume level at which the error sound is output is set to the maximum volume level corresponding to the hall setting value at that time (here, the volume level corresponding to the player setting value M5), regardless of the player setting value using the volume control means 39.

The error sound here is a warning sound that is output when a specific error occurs. In this embodiment, not only normal error sounds but also specific warning sounds, such as various security warning sounds that are output when the power is turned on (RAM clear warning sound, backup recovery warning sound, setting change warning sound, setting confirmation warning sound, etc.), are output at the volume level for error sounds. The same applies to the embodiments described below unless otherwise specified.

The volume setting means 166 also includes a volume adjustment notification means 166a, a reset means 166b, etc. The volume adjustment notification means 166a is for displaying a volume adjustment notification image PV on the liquid crystal display means 106, for example, and is configured to display the volume adjustment notification image PV on the liquid crystal display means 106 during a volume adjustment notification period that begins when the player operates the volume operation means 39, etc.

The volume adjustment notification image PV is for notifying the volume setting status by the player, and has multiple (here, five) volume display figures 171-175 corresponding to the player setting values M1-M5 for volume, as shown in FIG. 16 for example. The volume display figures 171-175 are formed, for example, in vertical strips with a length according to the player setting value, and are aligned in the left-right direction with their bottom ends aligned. The volume display figures 171-175 can each be displayed in two types of display modes, for example, "whiteout" and "solid color", and the player setting value for volume is notified by, for example, setting a predetermined number of the display modes from the volume display figure 171 side to "solid color" and the rest to "whiteout" according to the player setting value at that time. For example, in the case of a player setting value M3, as shown in FIG. 16, the three volume display figures 171 to 173 from the left are displayed in solid color, and the remaining volume display figures 174 and 175 are displayed in white.

In this way, the volume adjustment notification image PV indicates the range of player setting values selectable by operating the volume operation means 39 (first information) by the number of volume display figures displayed, and indicates the player setting value at that time (second information) by the number of volume display figures displayed in a "solid" manner. In the following explanation, the volume adjustment notification images PV corresponding to player setting values M1 to M5 are distinguished as PV1 to PV5, respectively.

In this embodiment, since the initial position is different for each hall setting value as shown in FIG. 15, when the volume adjustment knob 140 is operated while the volume adjustment notification image PV is displayed, both the volume and the volume adjustment notification image PV change. For example, as shown in FIG. 18(a) to (e), when the hall setting value is set to T3 and the player setting value is set to M1 (initial position), if the hall setting value is changed in the order of T3→T4→T5→T6→T7 while the volume adjustment notification image PV is displayed, the volume level changes in the order of 3→4→5→6→7 according to the initial position corresponding to the changed hall setting value, and the volume adjustment notification image PV also changes in the order of PV1→PV2→PV3→PV4→PV5 according to the initial position corresponding to the changed hall setting value.

The reset means (second volume level changing means) 166b is for resetting the volume level, and when a predetermined reset condition is met, it resets the player's setting (i.e., the volume level) to the initial position (specific volume level) corresponding to the hall setting. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, first and second reset conditions are provided as reset conditions for resetting the volume level, with the first reset condition being "when the volume control knob 140 is switched" and the second reset condition (predetermined condition) being "when a demo start condition is met during a customer waiting state (for example, 180 seconds have passed since the start of the customer waiting state) and the player's setting is smaller than the initial position."

For example, (a)→(b), (b)→(c), (c)→(d), and (d)→(e) in FIG. 18 all show the situation when the first reset condition is met, and after the volume control knob 140 is switched, the player setting value (i.e., the volume level) is set to the initial position corresponding to the new hall setting value. Also, for example, if the hall setting value is set to T5, and 180 seconds have passed since the start of the customer waiting state and the player setting value at that time is M1 (volume level 3) or M2 (volume level 4), which is smaller than the initial position M3 (specific volume level 5) (the specified condition is met), the player setting value is reset to M3 (specific volume level 5).

In this way, the reset means 166b constitutes a second volume level changing means that can change the volume level based on the establishment of a predetermined condition so that the volume of the normal sound effects and the volume of the specific sound effects are in a predetermined balance, regardless of the player's volume adjustment operation.

The light intensity setting means 167 sets the light intensity when the illumination means 155, which is made up of various light-emitting boards on the frame side and board side, is illuminated, and the light intensity level is set to one of multiple levels (for example, three levels 1 to 3) according to the player setting value obtained by the light intensity control means 40. In this embodiment, the light intensity level is not provided with an operation means for hall personnel such as the volume control knob 140, and can be adjusted only by operating the light intensity control means 40. In addition, the light intensity level for the light emitted for error notification is always the maximum light intensity level, for example, and cannot be changed by the light intensity control means 40. The light intensity adjustment by the light intensity control means 40 can be performed during a specified light intensity adjustment period. The light intensity adjustment period can be set arbitrarily, but for example, the light intensity adjustment period may be the entire period except for a certain period when the power is turned on.

The light intensity setting means 167 also includes a light intensity adjustment notification means 167a. This light intensity adjustment notification means 167a is for displaying a light intensity adjustment notification image PL on the liquid crystal display means 106, for example, and is configured to display the light intensity adjustment notification image PL on the liquid crystal display means 106 during a light intensity adjustment notification period, which includes the case where the player operates the light intensity operation means 40.

As shown in FIG. 17, the light intensity adjustment notification image PL has a number of light intensity display figures 181-183 (three in this example) corresponding to the number of light intensity levels. The light intensity display figures 181-183 are formed in vertical strips with lengths corresponding to the light intensity levels, and are aligned in the left-right direction with their bottom ends aligned. The light intensity display figures 181-183 can be displayed in two display modes, for example, "whiteout" and "solid color." Depending on the light intensity level at that time, the light intensity level is notified by displaying a predetermined number of figures from the light intensity display figure 181 side as "solid color" and the rest as "whiteout." For example, when the light intensity level is set to 1, as shown in FIG. 17, only the first light intensity display figure 181 is displayed as "solid color," and the other light intensity display figures 182 and 183 are displayed as "whiteout."

Next, we will explain a specific example of the pattern change effect in this pachinko machine. First, we will explain a specific example of the reserved change effect with reference to Figures 20 and 21, but before that, we will explain the aim of this reserved change effect.

In recent years, with the widespread use of smartphones, the use of apps for SNS, games, manga, video sites, etc. has spread rapidly, and even while playing pachinko/pachislot, many players can be seen with their smartphones in one hand. Such players are often distracted by operating their smartphones while playing, watching videos they are playing, or using SNS, and their eyes are often directed at their smartphones rather than the pachinko/pachislot board.

One of the reasons why such phenomena occur is thought to be the game nature of pachinko and pachislot. In other words, pachinko and pachislot are designed to repeatedly play winning games while maintaining a set probability and a set payout rate (payout rate per set time), so it is inevitable that (number of losing games (time)) > (number of winning games (time)), and players end up spending a lot of time on losing games. As a result, for players, much of the time they spend playing the game is, so to speak, boring time on losing games.

For this reason, pachinko and pachislot manufacturers have been considering various aspects of effects and announcements that will not bore players, and have created highly interesting effects and announcements so that players can endure repeated losing games. However, as mentioned above, players these days have begun to use their smartphones to stave off boredom during losing games, and a situation has arisen in which they are not interested in the effects and announcements that manufacturers have worked so hard to come up with. In this embodiment, in order to deliver more effective effects and announcements to players who enjoy using their smartphones while playing as mentioned above, effects and announcements are constructed that take into consideration, for example, the following points:

First, when considering a gimmick to change the situation where the player's interest is (smartphone) > (performances and notices) to (smartphone) < (performances and notices), we do not deliberately try to create a relationship of (smartphone) < (performances and notices) for the entire time spent on losing games. If we try to create a relationship of (smartphone) < (performances and notices) for the entire time spent on losing games, the performances and notices will become more flashy and complex in appearance, which will lead to the important parts not being conveyed to the player (I understand that they are flashy, but the reliability and expectation will not be conveyed well). Also, simply put, players who enjoy using smartphones are likely to enjoy the content that they are particularly interested in from among the many available, so it is nearly impossible to implement performances and notices that exceed that interest for the entire time spent on losing games, and in that respect, there is honestly no chance of winning even if you challenge smartphones head-on. Taking these factors into consideration, this embodiment has chosen not to create a relationship of (smartphone) < (performance and notices) for the entire time spent on losing games.

In this case, the next important thing is how to set up a gimmick that changes the situation where the player's interest is (smartphone) > (effects and notices) to (smartphone) < (effects and notices). For example, if the frequency of appearance of effects and notices in one losing game is set high for effects and notices aimed at changing the situation to (smartphone) < (effects and notices), even if such effects and notices appear, the frequency with which a losing result is derived will increase. This will be effective for first-time players, but the effect will gradually fade for familiar players, and it is likely that the situation will eventually deteriorate to (smartphone) > (effects and notices). Of course, this does not mean that it is a bad effect or notice for a gaming machine, but it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the frequency of appearance in one losing game is set high or the effect is configured to appear multiple times during one losing game, resulting in effects and notices that are more effective only for first-time players, as described above.

However, to be more effective for known players as well as first-time players, it is desirable to set the frequency of appearance of effects and notices in a single losing game low, which are intended to change the player's interest from (smartphone) > (effects and notices). In other words, by setting the frequency of appearance of such effects and notices low, the reliability of effects and notices intended to change the player's interest from (smartphone) > (effects and notices) to (smartphone) < (effects and notices) can be set high (the reliability at the time of appearance increases relatively by decreasing the appearance rate in losing games), and therefore the frequency with which a winning result is derived when they appear can be set high. This makes it possible to change the player's interest from (smartphone) > (effects and notices) to (smartphone) < (effects and notices), regardless of whether it is a first-time or known game.

And most importantly, when it comes to effects and announcements to shift the player's focus from (smartphone) to (effects and announcements), more effective effects and announcements can be achieved by using the content shown in Figure 20 below.

The reserve change effect shown in FIG. 20 is executed during or before a reach change during normal game play, and changes the display color of the reserve image Z during change from the default white (normal reserve) to red (red reserve) to indicate the possibility that the change will cause the performance pattern 120 to become a jackpot. (The order of colors indicating the degree of expectation is blue, green, red, gold, rainbow, etc., and among these, colors indicating relatively high reliability (here, red or higher) are more likely to change than colors indicating relatively low reliability (here, blue, green).)

Regarding this hold change performance, first, the image performance will be explained. When this hold change performance starts, the screen of the liquid crystal display means 106 is toned down (visibility is reduced), an image showing an "arrow" appears (Figure 20 (a)), and the hold change pre-performance that performs the hold change starts. At this time, in addition to the "arrow" image related to the hold change pre-performance, the screen of the liquid crystal display means 106 displays a hold image including the changing hold image Z and a performance pattern 120 that has been reduced and retreated to the corner of the screen. For example, the "arrow" image and the hold image are excluded from the subject of toning down, and the other parts including the performance pattern 120 are toned down, so that the "arrow" image and the hold image stand out visually. At this time, the hold image including the changing hold image Z is displayed in the default white color (normal hold).

Here, the toning down of the image is performed by setting the priority of each layer (non-target layer) displaying the image of the "arrow" that is not the target of the toning down and the reserved image higher than the priority of each layer (target layer) displaying the image of the performance pattern 120, etc., which is the target of the toning down, and by arranging a specific layer that displays tone-down data such as black semi-transparent between the non-target layer and the target layer. For example, when the "arrow" appears, in addition to the tone-down, highlighting such as effect processing may be performed. After the "arrow" appears, the "arrow" flies, approaches the changing reserved image Z, and collides (hits) (Figure 20 (b) → (c)), and the display color of the collided changing reserved image Z changes from white to red (Figure 20 (d)). At this time, for example, the tone-down ends when the "arrow" hits the changing reserved image Z or just before that. Note that the performance before the reserved change in Figure 20 is a successful pattern when the reserved change is performed, but a failure pattern when the reserved change is not performed may be set. This failure pattern could be configured, for example, so that the "arrow" does not hit the changing pending image Z.

Next, the sound effects of the hold change effect shown in FIG. 20 will be described. First, for the normal sound effects consisting of audio output from the speakers 18, 25, one type of BGM1 is continuously output throughout the hold change effect, and as a volume increase effect that temporarily increases the volume, an "appearance sound" (first sound) is output when the "arrow" appears, a "teasing sound (third sound)" is output when the "arrow" approaches, and a "collision change sound" (second sound) is output when the "arrow" collides and changes color. Also, for the specific sound effects that generate operation sounds by driving a specific part by the drive means, a vibration sound caused by the vibration device 72 vibrating the effect button 41 is generated in parallel with, for example, the "collision change sound" in the normal sound effects.

In addition, in FIG. 20, the change history of the volume (dB) of the execution sound due to the sound effects (normal sound effects and specific sound effects) is displayed numerically and graphically for each volume level (set volume) 3 to 7 (see FIG. 15) selectable in normal mode and power saving mode. As is clear from the figure, in this hold change effect, regardless of the volume level, the volume (second volume) of the "crash change sound" etc. that occurs when suggesting the possibility of a jackpot state (specific state) in the final section (2s to 3s) included in the latter half of the hold change effect (0 to 3s) is larger than the volume (first volume) of the "appearance sound" etc. that occurs at the start (0s) included in the first half of the hold change effect (specific notice). In addition, the volume (third volume) of the "teasing sound" etc. that occurs in the middle section (1s) before the final section after the start of the hold change effect is smaller than the volume (first volume) of the "appearance sound" etc. that occurs at the start of the hold change effect.

In this way, the hold change performance (specific performance) shown in FIG. 20 has a first half section that does not yet suggest the possibility of a jackpot state (specific mode) and a second half section that suggests the possibility of a jackpot state (specific mode), and in the first half section, the sound (first sound) related to the hold change performance (specific performance) is output at a first volume, and in the second half section, the sound (second sound) related to the hold change performance (specific performance) is output at a second volume that is higher than the first volume. Furthermore, after the first half section in which sound is output at the first volume is executed, the sound (third sound) related to the hold change performance (specific performance) is output at a third volume that is lower than the first volume before the second half section in which sound is output at the second volume is executed.

As described above, by generating the "appearance sound" etc. that is executed when the notice appears at the first volume, the player can first be made aware that the notice has appeared. In other words, it is possible to draw the player's gaze from the smartphone to the LCD screen on the gaming machine board. In addition, in the example of FIG. 20, the screen is toned down on the LCD screen, so that a player who shifts his gaze to the LCD screen can be given a different impression than usual, and the player's gaze can be further glued to the LCD screen. Of course, the screen is not limited to being toned down, and a whited-out screen may also be used, and a mechanism may be provided to glue the player's gaze by already displaying the image of an "arrow" at that time.

Next, it is desirable to set the volume (third volume) of the "teasing sound" etc. that is generated following the "appearance sound" to be smaller than the volume (first volume) of the "appearance sound" etc. The key point here is that the role of the sound output here is solely as a "teasing sound." In other words, it is conceivable that a player who has shifted his/her gaze from the smartphone to the LCD screen will have a sense of expectation that a relatively highly anticipated performance will be executed, and will stop operating the smartphone and look at the LCD screen, but the "teasing sound" that is executed at this timing is a sound effect that is solely intended to arouse the player as to whether or not the subsequent change in the pending image (performance suggesting the degree of expectation) will be executed. For example, by executing the sound at a volume louder than the first or second volume, excessive expectations will be created, and the risk of causing the player to feel a great sense of disappointment if the highly anticipated performance is not executed afterwards is taken into consideration. In particular, since this was the moment when the player's interest was diverted from the smartphone to the LCD screen, if the effects and notices were configured without considering such risks, the player would feel a great deal of disgust if the change in the pending image (the effect suggesting the level of expectation) was not executed, and even if a similar effect or notice was executed thereafter, there is a high possibility that players who already know the sound will not shift their gaze from the smartphone to the LCD screen at the intended timing (the moment the effect or notice appeared). Taking these factors into consideration, it is desirable to configure the volume of the "teasing sound" (third volume) to be lower than the volume of the "appearance sound" etc. (first volume) and the volume of the subsequent "crash change sound" etc. (second volume).

Next, when a "collision change sound" or the like is generated following a "teasing sound" or the like, that is, when a change in the reserved image (a performance suggesting the degree of expectation) is executed, it is desirable to set the volume of the "collision change sound" or the like (second volume) louder than the volume of the "appearance sound" or the volume of the "teasing sound" or the like (third volume). One of the purposes of setting it in this way is to maximize the atmosphere so that the interest of the player who has already shifted his gaze from the smartphone to the LCD screen in the change in the reserved image (a performance suggesting the degree of expectation) that is executed is further increased. The second purpose is to appeal again to players who unfortunately could not catch the gaze of the player at the time the notice was issued. Some players are not interested in the appearance of the notice, and are only interested in the result of the notice, so by generating a "collision change sound" or the like at a volume louder than the "appearance sound" or "teasing sound" for such players, it is possible to effectively direct the gaze of such players to the LCD screen.

In this way, the hold change notice shown in FIG. 20 attracts more of the player's attention than a hold change effect (an effect that only changes the color of the hold using an effect image), and can even draw the player's attention to the LCD effect, even if the player is concentrating on operating their smartphone and not looking at the LCD effect. By optimally combining such effects that draw attention away from the smartphone with normal effects that do not, it is possible to more effectively execute effects that draw attention away from the smartphone. In other words, by being creative and ingenious in executing not just one effect but both of them coexisting with each other at the most optimal timing and expression, it is possible to realize unprecedented effects and to draw the player's attention away from the smartphone, which has been a recent challenge.

In the example of FIG. 20, the effect button 41 is vibrated to generate a vibration sound at the timing when a "crash change sound" or the like is output. Therefore, even if a player has set the volume level low by operating the volume control means 39 and is concentrating on their smartphone, the vibration sound, which is generated at a substantially constant volume regardless of the volume level, can be appealing to the player and effectively attract their attention.

The above-described numerical values and graphs of the volume change history shown in FIG. 20 show the volume of the execution sound combining the normal sound production and the specific sound production, but FIG. 21 shows the volume of the execution sound of the normal sound production and the volume of the execution sound by the specific sound production separately. Of the normal sound production and the specific sound production, only the normal sound production changes the volume of the execution sound due to a change in the volume level (set volume), and the volume of the execution sound of the specific sound production does not change even if the volume level (set volume) changes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 21, the change history of the volume by the normal sound production has approximately the same shape at each volume level, and the increase rate (volume ratio), which is the rate of change in the volume when the volume level is changed from 3 (first set volume) to 7 (second set volume), is always about 1.2. On the other hand, the volume of the vibration sound in the specific sound production is 80 dB regardless of the volume level. The volume of this special sound effect, 80 dB, is greater than the volume of the normal sound effect at the minimum volume level 3 during the same period, and is less than the volume of the normal sound effect at the maximum volume level 7.

On the other hand, looking at the volume change history (Figure 20) combining the normal sound effects and the specific sound effects, during the period when the normal sound effects occur but the specific sound effects do not (non-specific period), the increase rate, which is the increase in volume when the volume level is changed from 3 to 7, is approximately 1.2 (first volume ratio), but during the period when both the normal sound effects and the specific sound effects occur (specific period), the increase rate is less than 1.2 (second volume ratio). Note that the composite volume LP (dB) obtained by combining the first volume LP1 (dB) and the second volume LP2 (dB) is calculated using the formula shown in Figure 22.

In this way, in the hold change presentation shown in Figures 20 and 21, when the volume level is set to the minimum volume level (first set volume) 3 that can be changed by the player operation and when the volume level is set to the maximum volume level (second set volume) 7, there is a non-specific period in which the volume ratio of the execution sound when the sound presentation is executed is a first volume ratio, and a specific period in which the volume ratio is a second volume ratio that is smaller than the first volume ratio. Also, during the non-specific period, normal sound presentation is executed but no specific sound presentation is executed, and during the specific period, normal sound presentation and specific sound presentation are executed. Furthermore, the volume of the specific sound presentation is lower than the volume of the normal sound presentation during the specific period when the volume level is set to the maximum volume level (second set volume) 7.

Also, when the hall setting value by the volume control knob 140 is set to T4, as shown in FIG. 15, the initial position of the volume level is set to volume level 4 corresponding to the player setting value M2. In this case, in the example of 2s to 3s in FIG. 21, when the volume level is set to 3 (first level), the volume of the normal sound effect is smaller than the volume of the specific sound effect, so the volume of the normal sound effect is more difficult to hear (listen) than the specific sound effect, whereas when the volume level is set to 7 (third level), the volume of the normal sound effect is larger than the volume of the specific sound effect, so the volume of the normal sound effect is easier to hear (listen) than the specific sound effect. Furthermore, when the volume level is set to 4 (second level), the difference between the volume of the specific sound effect and the volume of the normal sound effect is smaller than when the volume level is set to 3 (first level) and when the volume level is set to 7 (third level). In this case, the reset means (second volume level changing means) 166b changes (resets) the volume level to volume level 4 (second level) when a predetermined reset condition is met (FIG. 19). The same can be said for cases where the hall setting value is set to T5 or T6, but in these cases, when it is set to the second level, which is the initial position (volume level 5 for T5, volume level 6 for T6), the difference between the volume of the specific sound effect and the volume of the normal sound effect is smaller than when it is set to volume level 7 (third level), but larger than when it is set to volume level 3 (first level).

In addition, a first hold change effect shown in FIG. 20 and a second hold change effect that excludes the specific sound effect from the first hold change effect may be provided, and the first hold change effect may be controlled so that the appearance of the first hold change effect is more likely to result in a jackpot than the appearance of the second hold change effect. In addition, in the hold change effect shown in FIG. 20, the display mode of the changing hold image Z corresponding to the change is changed, but the display modes of the first hold images X1 to X4, second hold images Y1 to Y4, etc. may be changed at any time. In addition, the display mode of the hold images other than the display color, such as the shape and size, may be changed.

Next, we will explain specific examples of the effects during normal fluctuations (pattern fluctuations due to normal fluctuation patterns) during the special game state (special gaming state) shown in Figure 23 and during the normal gaming state shown in Figures 25 and 26.

The normal fluctuation during the probability change state (high probability state) is short, lasting only a few seconds, and in the example of Figure 23, as an image effect, normal fluctuations (start → high-speed fluctuation → stop) of about 2 seconds by the performance pattern 120 are repeated in front of a background image for high probability. Also, in the example of Figure 23, as a normal sound effect, BGM for high probability is continuously output, and as a pattern fluctuation sound, a "start sound" is output in accordance with the start and high-speed pattern fluctuation, and a "stop sound" is output in accordance with the stop of the pattern fluctuation.

In the example of FIG. 23, various notices are executed in specific pattern changes. That is, at each of the timings of 8 s, 10 s, and 12 s corresponding to three consecutive pattern changes, the vibration device 72 vibrates the effect button 41 in accordance with the stop of the pattern and the output of the "stop sound" (specific sound effect). Also, at the timing of 14 s corresponding to the next pattern change, for example, the entire screen is toned down as shown in FIG. 23(a), and a "changing sound" is output in accordance with the "stop sound" as a volume increase effect. Furthermore, at the timing of 16 s corresponding to the next pattern change, as shown in FIG. 23(b), in addition to the same effect as at the time of 14 s (tone down of the screen and volume increase effect), the third movable body 109 of the board is moved upward (specific sound effect). Also, at the timing of 18 to 19 s corresponding to the next pattern change, the third movable body 109 of the board returns to the origin and the second movable body 108 of the board is swung as shown in FIG. 23(c).

Figure 24 also shows the volume of the execution sound of the normal sound effect and the volume of the execution sound of the specific sound effect separately for the range of 6s to 14s in Figure 23. As shown in Figure 24, the change history of the volume of the normal sound effect is approximately the same at each volume level, and the increase rate (volume ratio), which is the rate of change in volume when the volume level is changed from 3 (first set volume) to 7 (second set volume), is always approximately 1.2. On the other hand, the volume of the vibration sound in the specific sound effect is 80 dB regardless of the volume level, which is higher than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 5 at all of 8s, 10s, and 12s, and is approximately the same as or lower than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 6.

On the other hand, looking at the volume change history (Figure 23) combining the normal and specific sound effects, during periods when no specific sound effects occur (non-specific periods), the increase rate, which is the rate of change in volume when the volume level is changed from 3 to 7, is approximately 1.2. However, for example, at the timings of 8 s, 10 s, and 12 s after elapsed time, both normal and specific sound effects (vibration sounds) occur (specific periods), so the increase rate is smaller than 1.2. Also, at the timings of 16 s, 18 s, and 19 s after elapsed time, both normal and specific sound effects occur, but the increase rate at the point of 16 s after elapsed time is 1.2, the same as the non-specific period. This is because the sound of the third movable body 109 moving is very small, about 50 dB, compared to the sound from the speaker, and has almost no effect on the overall volume change.

In the normal fluctuation during the normal game state (low probability) shown in Figures 25 and 26, first, one pattern fluctuation is performed in a period of 1s to 9s, where the fluctuation starts at 1s, and after high-speed fluctuation from 2s to 5s, the left pattern, right pattern, and center pattern stop in that order from 6s to 9s, and finally stop. In addition, as the normal sound effect, normal BGM is continuously output, and as the pattern fluctuation sound, a "start sound" is output in response to the start of the pattern fluctuation, and a "stop sound" is output in response to each stop of the left pattern, right pattern, and center pattern. In addition, at the 3s point during the high-speed fluctuation, the SU1 false effect of the SU effect appears, and for example, a predetermined line is displayed on the screen as a caption, and a predetermined "SU sound" is output from the speakers 18, 25.

In addition, during the next pattern change, which takes place during the period from 10s to 23s, the SU effects SU1, SU2, and SU3 are executed in sequence at 11s, 12s, and 13s during the high-speed change, with each predetermined line being displayed as a caption on the screen and an "SU sound" being output from the speakers 18 and 25, and then from 14s to 16s, the SU3 confirmation effect is displayed, that is, an image indicating that SU3 has been confirmed is displayed on the screen. During the SU3 confirmation effect, a "confirmation sound" is output as a volume increase effect, and then the character's lines (character voice) are output.

In addition, at the start of the next pattern change, which takes place after 24 seconds has elapsed, a vibration sound (specific sound effect) is generated from the effect button 41 in sync with the output of a "start sound" (normal sound effect) at the start of the change (special effect that executes both normal and specific sound effects). This is an example of a jackpot suggestion effect (first special effect) that can suggest the possibility of a jackpot occurring with that pattern change, and indicates that there is a higher possibility of a jackpot occurring than if no vibration sound is generated.

Figure 27 also shows the volume of the execution sound for the normal sound effect and the volume of the execution sound for the specific sound effect separately for the range from 22s to 26s in Figure 26. As shown in Figure 27, the change history of the volume for the normal sound effect is roughly the same at each volume level, and the increase rate (volume ratio), which is the rate of change in volume when the volume level is changed from 3 (first set volume) to 7 (second set volume), is always about 1.2. On the other hand, the volume of the vibration sound in the specific sound effect is 80 dB regardless of the volume level, which is higher than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 6 and lower than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 7.

On the other hand, looking at the volume change history (Figures 25 and 26) combining the normal and specific sound effects, during periods when the specific sound effects do not occur (non-specific periods), the increase rate, which is the rate of change in volume when the volume level is changed from 3 to 7, is approximately 1.2. However, at the timing of 24 seconds elapsed, both the normal sound effect and the specific sound effect (vibration sound) occur (specific period), so the increase rate is smaller than 1.2.

In addition, when comparing the volume of the normal sound effects during the normal fluctuation during the probability variable state (special game state) shown in FIG. 23 with the normal fluctuation during the normal game state (low probability) shown in FIG. 25 and FIG. 26, the average volume of the execution sound due to the normal sound effects is larger during the probability variable state (special game state) than during the normal game state (one example of a case where they are different). On the other hand, there is no difference in the volume of the specific sound effects between the probability variable state (special game state) and the normal game state. That is, in this embodiment, the volume of the normal sound effects is larger in the probability variable state (special game state) than during the normal game state relative to the volume of the specific sound effects, and as a result, the operating sounds such as vibration sounds due to the specific sound effects are easier to hear (easier to hear) in the normal game state compared to the sound from the speakers 18, 25 due to the normal sound effects during the probability variable state (special game state).

In addition, when normal sound effects and specific sound effects are executed simultaneously, the increase rate, which is the rate of change in volume when the volume level is changed from 3 to 7 (the volume ratio of the sound effects when set to the maximum volume level to the sound effects when set to the minimum volume level), is compared between the normal fluctuation during the probability variable state (special game state) shown in Figure 23 and the normal fluctuation during the normal game state (low probability) shown in Figures 25 and 26, and is greater during the probability variable state (special game state) than during the normal game state.

In addition, in both the normal game state and the special game state (special game state), when both normal and specific sound effects are executed, the volume of each execution sound is such that, when the volume level is set to the minimum volume level (here, volume level 3), the volume of the normal sound effect is smaller than the volume of the specific sound effect, making it harder to hear the volume of the normal sound effect than the specific sound effect, whereas, when the volume level is set to the maximum volume level (here, volume level 7), the volume of the normal sound effect is larger than the volume of the specific sound effect, making it easier to hear the volume of the normal sound effect than the specific sound effect.

Next, two specific examples of effects during reach fluctuations (pattern changes after a reach due to a reach fluctuation pattern) with different jackpot reliability are described in Figs. 28 to 32 and Figs. 35 to 39. Reach effect A (low jackpot reliability) shown in Figs. 28 to 32 features an effect themed around a battle between a monster and the main character, a kappa. During the early period of the reach fluctuation (elapsed time 0 s to 41 s), image effects and corresponding normal sound effects are executed, and specific sound effects (operation sounds) are not executed.

In this early period, the image presentation scenes progress in the following order: "Reach title displayed" → "Monster appears" → "Mini monster appears" → "Main character (kappa) appears" → "Mini monster attacks" → "Main character avoids and prepares" → "Main character attacks and repels the mini monster" → "Monster reappears" → "Monster attacks the main character", and each of these scenes is made up of one or more cuts (cut division).

Here, a cut refers to the timing at which, in a series of moving images made up of multiple scene images, the continuity of images is broken and a scene image (including not only still images but also moving images) is switched, for example, from the first scene to the second scene. When the scene switches, the content displayed on the LCD screen changes, for example, from the image of an ally character depicted in the first scene to the image of a monster depicted in the second scene. In this way, by switching scenes, the image of the character you want to display on the LCD screen can be made to appear on the screen in the reach performance.

This allows the content depicted in the first scene to instantly switch to the second scene, making it an effective technique when you want to drastically change the content being displayed, such as when you want to display a different character or switch to a different scene, as mentioned above. Of course, there are also cases where the cut changes in the middle of a scene.

On the other hand, there is also a technique that does not use cutting, but instead transitions the image on the LCD screen up, down, left or right (like the image created when a video camera is panned left, right, up and down), changing the display target of the LCD effect, for example, from an ally character to a monster located opposite. In this way, by transitioning the image on the LCD screen while maintaining continuity, it is possible to give the player a sense of the relative positions of the characters and the surrounding environment, as mentioned above. When creating images for reach effects, etc., techniques such as cutting and image transitions as mentioned above are combined to create a single image in the most optimal form.

In addition, text captions are displayed as necessary in each scene. For example, in the "Reach title display" scene (0s-3s), a title caption such as "Monster vs. Kappa" (Fig. 28(a)), in some scenes (5s-9s) from "Monster appears" to "Mini monster appears", a monster line caption such as "Roar" (Fig. 28(b), (c)), in the latter half of the "Hero evades and prepares" scene (17s-18s) a hero line caption such as "I'll defeat him!" (Fig. 28(d)), and in the scenes (32s-41s) from "Monster reappears" to "Monster attacks hero", a monster line caption such as "Roar" (Fig. 29(e)). Note that the performance pattern 120 is displayed in a corner of the screen.

Here, for the "reach title display" scene, the display mode of the title caption, for example, the display color, may be changed to suggest the reliability of the reach performance. Also, before the caption display of the reach title and/or the reading out of the reach title (described later), the first and second characters (here, a monster and a kappa) may be displayed on the screen as characters used in the reach performance. This allows the display and audio output of the reach title to be executed after the player is made aware of the content of the reach performance, making it easier for the player to understand the content of the reach performance compared to when all are displayed at once. Also, in cases where the reliability differs depending on the type of character appearing in the reach performance (such as when branching to a reach performance depending on the character appearing), by showing the characters scheduled to appear in advance, the content of the reach performance at the branch destination can be notified and then the display of the reach title can be executed. In this case, if a text caption is used to suggest reliability when the reach title is displayed as described above, the information can be conveyed to the player in stages, such as announcing the content of the reach performance and then suggesting reliability, making it easier for the player to grasp the information compared to conveying it all at once. It is also desirable to read out the reach title by voice, as described below, once all of the content is ready. However, this is not limited to this, and the system may be configured to display a caption for the reach title, suggest reliability, display the first and second characters that will appear, etc., while or after the reach title is being read out. This can give the player a sense of surprise, thereby increasing the interest in the performance at the timing when the reach performance begins.

In addition, during the normal sound effects in the early stages, multiple types of background music are played in sequence depending on the scene, and audio (telop voice) corresponding to the telop displayed on the screen is played. That is, when the telop for the "Monster vs. Kappa" reach title is displayed (0s to 3s), a telop voice reading the reach title is output from the speaker, when the telop for the monster's lines is displayed (5s to 9s, 32s to 41s), a monster voice is output, and when the telop for the main character's lines is displayed (17s to 18s), the main character's voice is output.

At this time, when a specific sound (the protagonist's voice corresponding to the protagonist's dialogue telop in this case) is output (elapsed time 17s, 18s), the playback of the BGM up to that point is paused, and the playback of the BGM is resumed when the specific sound ends. Also, at this time, the resumed BGM is different from the previous BGM. In this way, when a specific sound (the protagonist's voice) is output at the timing of switching from the first BGM to the second BGM, a BGM stop period (output stop period) may be provided between the stop of the first BGM and the start of the second BGM, and a specific sound (a predetermined sound different from the first and second BGM) may be output during this BGM stop period. Also, in this case, at the timing when the BGM stop period ends, that is, the timing when the second BGM is output, the scene is changed from the "protagonist evades and prepares" scene (first scene) to the "protagonist attacks and repels the mini monster" scene (second scene). Note that the BGM stop period may be a mute period in which no sound is output from the speaker.

In addition, in the normal sound effects during this early stage, in addition to the caption voices corresponding to the captions, reach effect voices corresponding to each scene of the reach effect are output, and the volume increase effect is executed at any timing. For example, in a part of the scene (19s-29s) in which the "hero attacks and repels the mini-monster", the voice of the mini-monster's lines (mini voice) is output without the caption displayed. In the "hero evades and prepares" scene (15s-18s), an "evasion sound" is output when the hero evades the mini-monster's attack, and a "preparation sound" is output when the hero prepares, and in a part of the "hero attacks and repels the mini-monster" scene (21s, 31s), an "attack sound" is output in accordance with the hero's attack, and a "repel sound" is output in accordance with the mini-monster's defeat.

In the middle period of the reach fluctuation (elapsed time 42s to 63s), in addition to the image effects and the corresponding normal sound effects, specific sound effects (action sounds) are executed. In this middle period, the image effects progress in the following order: "Main character prepares" → "Monster and main character are about to collide" → "Gem effect" → "Rainbow effect" → "Defeat" → "Monster falls."

In this middle period, the main focus is on the button effects and the corresponding movable body effects, and no subtitles are displayed on the screen, except in some cases. First, in the scene (42s to 48s) of "Main character prepares" → "Monster and main character are about to collide", the screen is toned down (visibility suppressed) and a fade-in image of the effect button 41 is displayed on the screen (Fig. 30(f)), after which a button press guide image and a gauge image for the player to press the effect button 41 are displayed, and the effective operation period begins (Fig. 30(g)). The button press guide image is composed of, for example, a moving image showing the effect button 41 being pressed and a text image such as "Press!". The gauge image shows the remaining time of the effective operation period in real time. At this time, it is desirable to exclude images related to the button effects, i.e., the fade-in image of the button, the button press guide image, the gauge image, etc. from the subject of the tone-down, and to tone down other parts including the effect pattern 120, so that the button effect-related images are visually prominent.

During the display period (42s to 45s) of the fade-in image of the effect button 41, a "fade-in sound" is output from the speaker as a volume increase effect, and operation sounds are generated by the rocking motion of the rotating body 44 of the movable effect means 42 and the rising motion of the third movable board body 109 (Fig. 30 (f) → (g)). At this time, since the operation sounds such as "clack" caused by the rocking motion of the rotating body 44 are relatively loud, at the time point 42s when the rocking motion of the rotating body 44 is performed, the rise rate, which is the rate of change in volume when the volume level is changed from 3 to 7, is smaller than 1.2. On the other hand, since the moving sound of the third movable board body 109 is very small compared to the sound from the speaker at about 50 dB, the rise rate from 43s to 45s is 1.2, the same as the non-specific period.

Here, a pattern may be provided in which the rotating body 44 does not rock during pre-fade notification, i.e., no operating sounds such as "rattle" are generated. Also, instead of the rotating body, the first movable body 107, the third movable body 109, etc. may be configured to rock up and down to generate operating sounds.

During the display period of the button press guidance image (46s to 48s), a press guidance voice such as "Press the button" and a "press guidance sound" as a volume increase effect are output from the speaker, the third movable board body 109 pauses at a specified position, the second movable board body 108 swings, and the rotating body 44 rotates. When the button press guidance image is displayed, the playback of the BGM is paused, and the press guidance voice and the like are output while the BGM is stopped.

Whereas the press-down guidance sound is output continuously until the player presses the effect button 41 and the valid operation period ends, the press-down guidance voice such as "Press the button" is stopped when it has been output a predetermined number of times (for example, once) (at 47 s in the example of FIG. 30) and is not continued until the valid operation period ends. Of course, the press-down guidance voice may be output continuously until the valid operation period ends, but in that case, there is a high possibility that the output of the press-down guidance voice will be cut off midway. In that case, if the press-down guidance voice is in the middle of being output when the valid operation period ends, it may be configured to continue outputting until the end.

When the effect button 41 is pressed during the valid operation period, the valid operation period ends, and the button press prompt image and the like are faded out from the screen (49s). In addition, in the subsequent "rainbow effect" scene (51a-60s), a rainbow effect (rainbow effect) is executed in which the entire screen is, for example, a rainbow gradation.

When the effect button 41 is pressed, the vibration device 72 drives the effect button 41 to vibrate, and a "vibration sound" is output from the speaker (49s onwards). In this way, by vibrating the effect button 41 when the player presses it, the player can be sure to recognize the vibration. The vibration sound is generated by vibrating the effect button 41 with the vibration device 72, but as described above, the volume of the specific sound effect is maximum when the player is not touching the effect button 41 (when a specific volume change operation is not performed), and when the player is touching and pressing the effect button 41 (when a specific volume change operation is performed), the drive of the effect button (predetermined part) 41 by the vibration device (drive means) 72 is limited, and the volume of the vibration sound is suppressed compared to when the effect button 41 is not touched. Therefore, by outputting a "vibration sound" from the speaker when vibrating the effect button 41, it is possible to compensate for the decrease in the volume of the actual vibration sound.

In this way, the volume of the normal sound effects can be changed by the player operating the volume control means 39 even when the normal sound effects are not being performed, whereas the volume of the specific sound effects can be changed by the player touching or pressing the effect button (prescribed portion) 41 only while the specific sound effects are being performed. Note that the "vibration sound" from the speaker may only be output during the vibration period of the effect button 41 (49 s to 53 s), but in the example of Figure 30, even after the vibration period of the effect button 41 has ended, the "vibration sound" from the speaker continues to be output for a certain period of time (up to 56 s).

Here, the vibration sound (normal sound performance) output from the speaker may be output for a shorter period than the actual vibration performance and the vibration sound (specific sound performance) generated accordingly. Also, multiple types of vibration sounds may be provided to be output from the speaker. Also, multiple vibration sounds may be output from the speaker depending on the length and vibration pattern of the actual vibration performance and the vibration sound generated accordingly. Also, even if the length and vibration pattern of the actual vibration performance and the vibration sound generated accordingly are different, one type of vibration sound may be output from the speaker. It is desirable that the vibration sound output from the speaker be similar to the vibration sound generated accompanying the actual vibration performance, but this is not limited thereto, and it may be dissimilar to the vibration sound output from the speaker. Even in this case, by outputting in parallel with the actual vibration sound, the two can be synchronized and cooperate to generate a unique vibration sound, which can increase interest.

In addition, during the actual vibration effect, the speaker may output a vibration sound or not, and the reliability may be indicated depending on which of these two cases it is. Furthermore, when a vibration effect is executed during an effect to notify a win or loss at the end of a reach, the speaker may output a vibration sound, and when a vibration effect is executed as an indication of reliability during fluctuation, the speaker may not output a vibration sound. This allows the vibration effect to be configured to have different presentation modes depending on the role of the vibration effect. Of course, the speaker may be configured to output a vibration sound in both cases, when a vibration effect is executed during an effect to notify a win or loss at the end of a reach, and when a vibration effect is executed as an indication of reliability during fluctuation.

When the effect button 41 is pressed, the movable bodies 107 to 109 execute the following post-operation effect (49s to 54s). That is, the third movable body 109 on the board resumes its upward movement (49s to ), and when it reaches the maximum operating position, it waits at that position (51s to ). Next, the first movable body 107 on the board starts to move downward (51s to ), and when it reaches the maximum operating position and becomes one with the third movable body 109 vertically (53s), the movable bodies 107 to 109 are integrated into one another, and as shown in FIG. 30(h), for example, the second movable body 108 rotates (53s to 54s). During this post-operation effect, a "moving sound" according to the movement of the movable bodies 107 to 109 is output from the speaker as a volume increase effect. Also, at a predetermined timing after the effect button 41 is pressed, the playback of BGM after the button is pressed starts (52s to ).

When the post-operation performance (49s to 54s) ends, the first movable board body 107 and the third movable board body 109 each begin to move to their origin positions (Figure 30 (h) → (i)), and for example, at a specific timing during the movement, a protagonist voice corresponding to a successful button press is output from the speaker, and also, at the timing when each movable body 107, 109 reaches its respective origin position, a "return to origin sound" is output from the speaker as a volume increase performance.

After the "Rainbow Effect" ends, in the "Defeat" and "Monster Defeated" scenes (61s-63s), the protagonist's lines are captioned on the screen, and the protagonist's voice corresponding to those lines is output from the speaker, and finally the defeated monster's lines (monster voice) are output. Note that during the "Defeat" scene, the BGM stops playing, but at the start of the "Monster Defeated" scene (62s), new BGM starts playing in the middle of the protagonist's voice being output.

Figure 33 shows the volume of the normal sound effect and the volume of the specific sound effect separately for the period from 42s to 61s in Figure 30. As shown in this Figure 33, from 42s, when the rotating body 44 swings and the third movable body 109 of the board rises as a specific sound effect, through 43s to 45s, when only the third movable body 109 of the board rises, to 46s to 47s, when the rotating body 44 rotates and the second movable body 108 swings, the volume of the specific sound effect is smaller than the volume of the normal sound effect for all settable volume levels.

After that, at the time 48s, the rocking motion of the second movable board body 108 ends and only the rotation motion of the rotating body 44 remains as the specific sound effect, so the volume of the specific sound effect becomes slightly smaller, but as for the normal sound effect, the background music also stops and the press guidance voice ends, causing the volume to suddenly drop, so the volume of the specific sound effect is higher than the volume of the normal sound effect at the minimum volume level 3, but lower than the volume of the normal sound effect at the next higher volume level 4.

Then, during the period from 49s to 53s when the vibration sound of the effect button 41 is generated, the volume of the specific sound effect is maintained at a level higher than the volume of the normal sound effect at the minimum volume level 3. Specifically, the volume of the specific sound effect during the period from 49s to 52s is higher than the volume of the normal sound effect at the minimum volume level 3 and lower than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 4, and the volume of the specific sound effect at 53s is higher than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 4 and lower than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 5. Then, from 54s onwards after the vibration sound of the effect button 41 ends, the volume of the specific sound effect is lower than the volume of the normal sound effect at all settable volume levels, except for 55s where the volume of the normal sound effect drops sharply.

During the final stage of the reach fluctuation (elapsed time 64s to 98s), image effects and corresponding normal sound effects are executed, and specific sound effects (operation sounds) are not executed except for the vibration sound from 93s to 95s.

During this final period, the visual effects in the scene progress in the following order: "The protagonist pursues and defeats the monster as it tries to attack again" → "Gold effect" → "Black background" → "Gold effect" → "The protagonist waves a flag" → "Gold effect."

In the scene where the "hero pursues and defeats the monster as it attempts to attack again," the effect pattern 120 during the retreat display is enlarged as shown in FIG. 31(j) (64s-69s), and then temporarily stops in a normal jackpot pattern such as "4, 4, 4" as shown in FIG. 31(k) (70s-77s). During this scene, for example, before the effect pattern 120 is enlarged (64s-67s), the hero's lines are displayed as subtitles, and the hero's voice corresponding to those lines is output. Also, as a volume increase effect, the "defeat sound" when the monster is defeated is output from the speaker.

In the following "gold effect" scene (78s-80s), as shown in FIG. 31(l), a gold effect is executed in which the entire screen turns gold, and the temporarily stopped performance pattern 120 starts to change again (full rotation), for example in a reduced state, and the background music is switched and a "re-changing sound" is output from the speaker as a volume-up performance.

Then, after a "black background" where the entire screen goes black, the next "gold effect" scene sees the button effects performed again. That is, after a pre-fade notification is given on the screen from the end of the "black background" to the beginning of the "gold effect" (Fig. 32(m)), a fade-in image of the effect button 41 is displayed (Fig. 32(n)), followed by a button press prompting image and a gauge image, and the valid operation period begins (Fig. 32(o)). Note that in the pre-fade notification, for example, an image of the effect button 41 rotating is displayed.

In addition, a pre-button performance voice to notify the start of the button performance is output at the timing spanning from the pre-fade notification to the button fade-in, and then a press guidance voice such as "Press the button" is output after the button press guidance image starts to be displayed. Furthermore, as a volume increase effect, a "background change sound" is output from the speaker during "black background" scenes, and a "fade-in sound" is output while the fade-in image is being displayed.

The contents of the pre-fade notification are configured such that when the screen goes black, an effect button image or an image similar to the effect button image, or a related image for deriving the effect button image, is displayed in front of the blacked-out image, making the image display related to the operation effect stand out more (Figure 32 (m)). This allows the player to sense that the timing to operate the effect button 41 is coming soon, before the fade-in image of the effect button image and operation button image is actually displayed.

Here, it may be possible to determine whether or not to execute a fade pre-alert depending on the reliability of the operation presentation and reach presentation, and may be configured so that, for example, if a fade pre-alert is executed, the possibility of the subsequent operation presentation being successful is higher than if a fade pre-alert is not executed (if the operation result indicates that the fluctuation is a hit, success = a jackpot announcement, otherwise a presentation suggesting a predetermined reliability as a result of the operation presentation is executed). Also, it may be configured so that if a fade pre-alert is executed, the subsequent operation presentation is always successful.

As described above, by blacking out the background during a fade pre-notification, the visibility of the scene image on the screen is reduced and the fade pre-notification can be executed using the entire LCD screen, which is thought to be able to direct the player's attention and consciousness from the scene image to the fade pre-notification. However, a screen mode other than blackout (black background) may be executed to make the fade pre-notification stand out. The screen mode may be one that stands out more than the scene image (scene moving image) that is executed before the fade pre-notification is executed and that is executed in a hierarchical layer with a lower display priority even during the execution of the fade pre-notification (it only needs to have a display priority set at least higher than that of the scene image).

In addition, the voice before the button performance may have voice content that suggests the appearance of the operation performance to be executed thereafter. The reliability may be varied depending on the content of the voice before the button performance. For example, voice content that is likely to result in the subsequent operation performance being successful and voice content that is unlikely to result in success may be prepared, and the reliability of the operation performance may be suggested depending on the voice content to be played. In addition, without being limited to this, for example, if there are multiple operation buttons used in the operation performance, a voice that is likely to result in a highly reliable operation button and a voice that is unlikely to result in a highly reliable operation button may be prepared.

As a form of pre-fade notification, the contents of the voice before the button performance that is executed at approximately the same time may be displayed as lines. In this case, unlike the captions that are displayed during a reach, the lines that are the contents of the voice being played may be displayed as text in a larger format that uses the entire LCD screen.

In addition, the system is configured to switch scenes while the pre-fade notification is being executed. In this case, the scene switching is executed in a display layer with a lower display priority than the pre-fade notification, so the scene can be switched while the pre-fade notification is being executed without giving the player a sense of incongruity. In this case, the system may be configured so that the player can see the scene image being switched; for example, a blackout effect with a certain degree of transparency may be executed as the pre-fade notification, so that the player can see the scene image switching behind it during the blackout. This makes it possible to increase the interest of the presentation by the pre-fade notification, and since the player can also see the switching of the scene images, the player can grasp the connection between the scene images, making it possible to achieve a more natural presentation.

In addition, by configuring the scene image to progress behind the fade pre-notification in this way, even if a reach effect is executed in a pattern in which the fade pre-notification is not executed, the performance content will progress so that the scene image appears to progress, making it possible to execute the reach effect without giving the player a sense of discomfort. In this way, by switching the scene image while the fade pre-notification is being executed, or by progressing the content of the scene image without switching, it is possible to achieve the effects described above.

When the effect button 41 is pressed during the valid operation period, the valid operation period ends, the "hero waves a flag" scene (Figure 32 (p)) starts, and the button press prompt image and the like fade out from the screen. In addition, after the hero's voice regarding the re-draw of the pattern is output, a "flag waving sound" is output as a volume increase effect.

From the end of the "Main Character Waves the Flag" scene to the beginning of the "Golden Effect", the re-changing performance pattern 120 is enlarged (93s-94s), and then it finally stops and is confirmed in a sure-win state such as "7-7-7" as shown in FIG. 32(q) (95s-98s). Also, from the enlarged display of the performance pattern 120 until it finally stops (93s-95s), the vibration device 72 is activated to vibrate the performance button 41, and a "vibration sound" is output from the speaker (a special effect that executes both a normal sound effect and a specific sound effect). This is an example of a jackpot notification effect (second special effect) that can notify that the stopped pattern will be in a jackpot state (specific state). In addition, in this jackpot notification effect (second special effect), the volume of the normal sound effects (background music from the speaker, vibration sounds, etc.) is relatively smaller than the volume of the special sound effects (vibration sounds from the effect button 41) compared to the jackpot suggestion effect (first special effect) shown in FIG. 26. In addition, the jackpot notification effect (second special effect) has a longer presentation time than the jackpot suggestion effect (first special effect) shown in FIG. 26.

Figure 34 shows the volume of the normal sound effect and the volume of the specific sound effect separately for the period from 92s to 96s in Figure 32. As shown in this Figure 34, during the period from 93s to 95s when the vibration sound of the effect button 41 is generated as the specific sound effect, the volume of the specific sound effect is maintained in a state that is louder than the volume of the normal sound effect at the minimum volume level 3. Specifically, the volume of the specific sound effect at 93s and 95s is higher than the volume of the normal sound effect at the minimum volume level 3 and lower than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 4, and the volume of the specific sound effect at 94s is higher than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 4 and lower than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 5.

Next, the reach effect B (high probability of winning) shown in Figs. 35 to 39 will be explained. In the reach effect B shown in Figs. 35 to 39, as in the reach effect A shown in Figs. 28 to 32, an effect based on the theme of a battle between a monster and the main character, a kappa, is performed. In the early stage of the reach effect (elapsed time 0 s to 39 s), image effects and corresponding normal sound effects are executed, and specific sound effects (operation sounds) are not executed.

In this early stage, the image presentation scenes progress in the following order: "Reach title display" (Fig. 35(a)) → "Main character (kappa) appears" (Fig. 35(b)) → "Repeated attacks and evasions by both sides" (Fig. 35(c)) → "Monster defense" → "Monster counterattack" (Fig. 36(d)) → "Allied characters" → "Monster evasion" → "Monster counterattack" → "Mutual offense and defense" (Fig. 36(e)) → "Main character prepares" → "Monster prepares and launches an attack", and each of these scenes is made up of one or more cuts.

In addition, text captions are displayed as necessary in each of these scenes. For example, in the "Reach Title Display" scene (0s-3s), a title caption such as "Monster VS Kappa" (Figure 35(a)) is displayed on the screen, and in the "Main Character (Kappa) Appears" scene (4s-13s), a caption of the main character's lines (Figure 35(b)) is displayed. Also, the performance pattern 120 is displayed in a corner of the screen.

The reach title of this reach performance B is "Monster VS Kappa", the same as reach performance A, but the display format of the title caption is different from reach performance A (Figure 28 (a)), which has a low reliability of a jackpot. In this way, the display format of the reach title may be configured to suggest the reliability. Note that various examples have already been shown for the "reach title display" scene (Figure 28) in reach performance A, and all of these examples can also be applied to this reach performance B.

In addition, during the normal sound effects in the early stages, multiple types of background music are played in sequence depending on the scene, and audio (telop voice) corresponding to the telop displayed on the screen is played. That is, when the telop for the "Monster vs. Kappa" reach title is displayed (0s to 3s), a telop voice reading the reach title is output from the speaker, when the telop for the main character's lines is displayed (4s to 13s, 35s), the main character's voice is output, when the telop for the monster's lines is displayed (22s, 28s, 38s to 39s), the monster's voice is output, and when the telop for the ally character's lines is displayed (26s), an ally's voice is output from the speaker.

In the example of FIG. 35, when switching from reach performance BGM1 to reach performance BGM2 (elapsed time 14 s), a BGM stop period (output stop period) is provided between the end of reach performance BGM1 (first BGM) and the start of reach performance BGM2 (second BGM), and the scene is changed from "the main character (kappa) appears" (first scene) to "repeated attacks and evasions" (second scene) at the timing when reach performance BGM2 (second BGM) is executed. During the BGM stop period, a "change sound" (a specified sound different from the first and second BGM) is output to emphasize the scene change. Note that the BGM stop period may be a mute period in which no sound is output from the speaker.

In addition, in the normal sound effects during the early stage, in addition to the telop voices corresponding to the telops, reach effect voices corresponding to each scene of the reach effect are output, and the volume increase effect is executed at any timing. For example, in a part (16s) of the scene "repeatedly attacking and dodging each other", the monster's dialogue voice (monster voice) is output without the telop display, and similarly in a part (23s) of the scene "monster counterattack", a monster voice is output, and in the "mutual attack and defense" scene, the ally character's ally voice is output at 29s, the monster voice at 31s, and the hero's voice at 33s. Here, in the "mutual attack and defense" scene (Figure 36 (e)), the hero and monster appear on the screen, and the ally character does not appear, but the voices of the hero, monster, and ally character are output. In other words, the ally characters (characters less important than the hero) do not appear as images on the screen, and only the voices such as dialogue are output.

For example, in the "reach title display" scene (0s-3s), an "emphasis sound" is output in response to the voice reading out the reach title, in some of the "protagonist (kappa) appearance" scenes (6s-8s, 12s, 14s), "action sounds" are output in response to the various actions of the protagonist, and at the end of the scene, the above-mentioned "change sound" is output, and in some of the "monster counterattack" scenes (23s), a "counterattack sound" is output in response to the monster's counterattack action. Note that in reach performance A (Figure 28), no emphasis sound is output during the "reach title display". In this way, during the display of the reach title caption, the reliability may be suggested by whether or not to output a sound (other than BGM) other than the caption voice corresponding to the caption display, or by the type of sound (including BGM).

In addition, during this early period, while ally voice 1 is being output (20s to 21s), it is desirable to display the corresponding ally character as a scene image. In that case, it is desirable to also display a caption image corresponding to the voice. The caption image may indicate the reliability of the reach effect by changing the display mode (display color, etc.). Of course, even when ally voice 1 is being output and the corresponding ally character is being displayed as a scene image, the caption image may not be displayed.

In addition, when a scene is expressed such that the corresponding ally character is not displayed in the scene image, such as when ally voice 2 is being output (29s), only the voice may be played and the caption image may not be displayed. In this way, the expression of the scene image and caption image (whether or not they are displayed) may be varied depending on the content of the voice being played. In addition, even when ally voice 2 is being output and the corresponding ally character is not displayed in the scene image, the caption image may be displayed. Ideally, it is desirable not to display the caption image when the image of the corresponding ally character is not being displayed, but when the caption image is used to suggest reliability, the caption image may be configured to be displayed.

In addition, in this embodiment, the expression method is changed according to the type of voice as described above, but this is not limited to this. For example, for a main character such as the protagonist, both the character image (scene image) and the telop image, or either of them, may be displayed during voice output. On the other hand, for a character with lower importance than the protagonist, such as an ally character, both the character image (scene image) and the telop image, or either of them may not be displayed even during voice output. In this way, the performance mode at the time of voice output may be configured to be different as described above depending on the importance of the target character, the contribution during reach, the display frequency, etc. Furthermore, even for the same character, the performance mode may be configured to be different as described above depending on the progress and content of the reach performance. By configuring in this way, when there is a character who speaks relatively frequently or a character who speaks infrequently in the reach performance, it is not necessary to display the corresponding character by switching the scene image every time the voice of that character is played, and the number of scene images can be reduced, and the performance data can be made smaller. Furthermore, when creating scene images, they can be created with a high degree of freedom without being bound by the output voice.

In addition, in a reach performance, in a scene where a character outputting a voice speaks for the first time, it is desirable to display the corresponding character in the scene image at the time of voice output. More preferably, it is desirable to display a caption image at that time. At that time, the caption image may be changed to a form according to the reliability. Furthermore, at subsequent voice output, it is not necessarily necessary to display the corresponding character in the scene image or to display a caption image, and it is desirable to configure the performance form as described above, for example, in a scene where a character appears, taking into account the progress of the reach performance.

When a voice is output, if the corresponding character is not displayed in the scene image, it is preferable that other characters are not displayed either. This prevents the player from misunderstanding that the voice being output is a voice from a different character. In this case, it is preferable to display a background image on the screen. Even if a character different from the character corresponding to the voice is displayed, it is preferable to display a character with the same attributes as the corresponding character, for example, a different ally character when the voice of an ally character is output, and a different enemy character when the voice of an enemy character is output, so that the content of the dialogue is not confused between characters with different attributes such as an ally and an enemy. On the other hand, it is also possible to display a character with different attributes from the character corresponding to the voice, such as an enemy character when the voice of an ally character is played. This may work more effectively depending on the situation. The attributes of characters with different attributes are not limited to enemy/ally, but include various things such as gender, good person/bad person, and type of animal.

In the middle period of the reach fluctuation (40s to 67s elapsed time), in addition to the image effects and the corresponding normal sound effects, specific sound effects (movement sounds) are executed by the moving object effects. In this middle period, the image effects scene progresses in the following order: "Main character sets a trap" → "Button effect background" → "Gem effect" → "Rainbow effect" → "Monster falls."

First, in the "protagonist sets a trap" scene (40s-41s), the monster's lines (monster voice) are output from the speaker, then across to the next "button production effect background", the protagonist's lines are captioned on the screen, and the protagonist's lines (protagonist voice) corresponding to the caption are output from the speaker.

When the "Button Effect Background" scene (42s-48s) starts, a pre-fade notification is made on the screen (Fig. 37(f)), followed by a fade-in image of the effect button 41 (Fig. 37(g)), followed by a button press guidance image and a gauge image, and the effective operation period begins (Fig. 37(h)). In the pre-fade notification, for example, an image of the effect button 41 rotating is displayed. In addition, after a button pre-effect voice notifying the start of the button effect is output during the pre-fade notification, a press guidance voice such as "Press the button" is output after the button press guidance image starts to be displayed.

In addition, in this reach performance B, a blackout (black background) is not performed during the fade pre-notification, but a blackout (black background) may be performed as in reach performance A. Also, the reliability may be indicated by whether or not a blackout is performed, or by the type of screen state including the blackout. Various other examples have already been shown regarding the fade pre-notification in reach performance A, but all of these examples can also be applied to this reach performance B.

During the on-screen pre-fade notification, a "pre-fade notification sound" is output from the speaker as a volume increase effect, and the sound of the swinging motion of the rotating body 44 of the movable effect means 42 and the rising motion of the third movable body 109 on the board are emitted. At this time, the sound of the swinging motion of the rotating body 44, such as a rattle, is relatively loud, so at 42s to 44s when the swinging motion of the rotating body 44 is performed, the rise rate, which is the rate of change in volume when the volume level is changed from 3 to 7, is smaller than 1.2. On the other hand, the movement sound of the third movable body 109 on the board is very small at about 50 dB compared to the sound from the speaker, so at 45s when only the third movable body 109 on the board is moving, the rise rate is 1.2, the same as in the non-specific period.

Here, a pattern may be provided in which the rotating body 44 does not rock during pre-fade notification, i.e., no operating sounds such as "rattle" are generated. Also, instead of the rotating body, the first movable body 107, the third movable body 109, etc. may be configured to rock up and down to generate operating sounds.

During the display period of the button press guidance image (46s to 48s), a press guidance voice such as "Press the button" and a "press guidance sound" as a volume increase effect are output from the speaker, the third movable board body 109 pauses at a specified position, the second movable board body 108 swings, and the rotating body 44 rotates. When the button press guidance image is displayed, the playback of the background music is paused, and the press guidance voice and the like are output while the background music is stopped.

When the effect button 41 is pressed during the valid operation period, the valid operation period ends, and the button press prompt image and the like are faded out from the screen (49s to 50s). In addition, in the subsequent "rainbow effect" scene (51a to 60s), for example, a rainbow effect is executed, in which the entire screen is turned into a rainbow gradation.

When the effect button 41 is pressed, the effect button 41 vibrates due to the driving of the vibration device 72, and a "vibration sound" is output from the speaker (49s~). In this way, by vibrating the effect button 41 when the player presses the effect button 41, the player can be sure to recognize the vibration. Note that the vibration sound is generated by vibrating the effect button 41 with the vibration device 72, but as described above, the volume of the specific sound effect is maximum when the player is not touching the effect button 41 (when a specific volume change operation is not performed), and when the player is touching and pressing the effect button 41 (when a specific volume change operation is performed), the driving of the effect button (predetermined part) 41 by the vibration device (driving means) 72 is limited, and the volume of the vibration sound is suppressed compared to when the effect button 41 is not touched. Therefore, by outputting a "vibration sound" from the speaker when vibrating the effect button 41, it is possible to compensate for the decrease in the volume of the actual vibration sound. The "vibration sound" from the speaker may be output only during the vibration period of the effect button 41 (49 s to 53 s), but in the example of Figure 37, even after the vibration period of the effect button 41 ends, the "vibration sound" is continuously output from the speaker for a certain period of time (up to 56 s).

Note that various examples have already been shown regarding the vibration effect in reach performance A and the vibration sound output from the speaker that is performed in parallel with it, but all of these examples can also be applied to this reach performance B.

When the effect button 41 is pressed, the movable bodies 107 to 109 execute the following post-operation effect (49s to 54s). That is, the third movable body 109 on the board resumes its upward movement (49s onwards), and when it reaches the maximum operating position, it waits at that position (51s onwards). Next, the first movable body 107 on the board starts to move downward (51s onwards), and when it reaches the maximum operating position and becomes one with the third movable body 109 on the top and bottom (53s), an integrated effect of the movable bodies 107 to 109 is performed as shown in FIG. 37(i), and for example, the second movable body 108 on the board performs a rotational movement (53s to 54s). During this post-operation effect, a "moving sound" according to the movement of the movable bodies 107 to 109 is output from the speaker as a volume increase effect. Note that at a predetermined timing after the effect button 41 is pressed, playback of BGM after the button is pressed starts (52s onwards).

When the post-operation performance (49s to 54s) ends, the first movable board body 107 and the third movable board body 109 each begin to move to their origin positions (Fig. 37 (i) → (j)), and for example, at a specific timing during the movement, a protagonist voice corresponding to a successful button press is output from the speaker, and also, at the timing when each movable body 107, 109 reaches its respective origin position, a "return to origin sound" is output from the speaker as a volume increase performance.

In the "Monster Falls" scene after the end of the "Rainbow Effect" (61s-67s), the words of the monster just before it falls are displayed on the screen as a caption, and the monster's voice corresponding to those words is output from the speaker. Furthermore, when the monster finally falls (Figure 38(k)), the monster's voice is output again, and a "falling sound" is output as a volume increase effect. When the scene changes from "Rainbow Effect" to "Monster Falls", the BGM stops almost simultaneously with the scene change, and after a period of BGM stoppage, the new BGM begins playing later than the start of the new scene.

Figure 40 shows the volume of the normal sound effect and the volume of the specific sound effect separately for the period from 42s to 61s in Figure 37. As shown in this Figure 40, from 42s to 44s, when the rotating body 44 swings and the third movable body 109 of the board rises as a specific sound effect, through 45s, when only the third movable body 109 of the board rises, to 46s to 47s, when the rotating body 44 swings and the second movable body 108 of the board swings, the volume of the specific sound effect is smaller than the volume of the normal sound effect for all settable volume levels.

After that, at the time 48s, the rocking motion of the second movable board body 108 ends and only the rotation motion of the rotating body 44 remains as the specific sound effect, so the volume of the specific sound effect becomes slightly smaller, but as for the normal sound effect, the background music has stopped and the press guidance voice has ended, causing a sudden drop in volume, so the volume of the specific sound effect is higher than the volume of the normal sound effect at the minimum volume level 3, but lower than the volume of the normal sound effect at the next higher volume level 4.

Then, during the period from 49s to 53s when the vibration sound of the effect button 41 is generated, the volume of the specific sound effect is maintained at a level higher than the volume of the normal sound effect at the minimum volume level 3. Specifically, the volume of the specific sound effect during the period from 49s to 52s is higher than the volume of the normal sound effect at the minimum volume level 3 and lower than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 4, and the volume of the specific sound effect at 53s is higher than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 4 and lower than the volume of the normal sound effect at volume level 5. Then, from 54s onwards after the vibration sound of the effect button 41 ends, the volume of the specific sound effect is lower than the volume of the normal sound effect at all settable volume levels, except for 55s where the volume of the normal sound effect drops sharply.

During the final period of the reach fluctuation (elapsed time 68s to 98s), image effects and corresponding normal sound effects are executed, and specific sound effects (action sounds) are not executed. During this final period, the image effect scene progresses in the following order: "Hurray for the main character" → "Golden curtain" → "Golden effect" → "Golden effect & gold curtain" → "Golden effect" → "Golden curtain" → "Golden folding screen".

In the "Hurray for the hero" scene, the effect pattern 120 in the retreat display is enlarged (68s-73s) as shown in FIG. 38(l), and then temporarily stops in a normal jackpot pattern such as "4-4-4" as shown in FIG. 38(m) (74s-77s). Then, in the following "golden curtain" scene, the background music is changed, and the effect pattern 120 is covered and concealed by a gold curtain as shown in FIG. 38(n), and a "concealment sound" is output as a volume increase effect. Then, in the "gold effect" scene, a gold effect is executed in which the entire screen turns gold as shown in FIG. 38(o), and the effect pattern 120 reappears and starts changing again (full rotation).

In the following "gold effect & gold curtain" scene (82s-89s), the variation of the performance symbol 120 continues, and the performance symbol 120 alternates between a concealed state (Fig. 39(p)) in which it is hidden by a gold curtain and an unconcealed state (Fig. 39(q)). After the "gold effect" and "gold curtain" scenes (90s-93s), the "gold folding screen" scene (94s-98s) shows the performance symbol 120 being re-varied enlarged against the background of a gold folding screen (94s-95s), after which it finally stops and is confirmed in a normal jackpot pattern such as "4-4-4" as shown in Fig. 39(r) (96s-98s).

Next, we will explain a specific example of dialogue presentation as an example of a pattern change presentation with reference to Figures 41 to 44.

The dialogue presentation in this embodiment is composed of an image presentation in which a character image and dialogue text are displayed on the liquid crystal display means 106, and a sound presentation in which dialogue sounds and sound effects are output. Of course, it is also possible to execute light emission presentations, movable body presentations, etc. in parallel with these image presentations and sound presentations, but presentations other than the image presentations and sound presentations will be omitted here.

Figure 41 (a) is a diagram showing the types of dialogue effects α and their contents. For example, when dialogue effect α is selected from multiple types of pattern change effects in a lottery held when the first and second special symbols start to change, one of the ten types of dialogue effects α1 to α10 shown in Figure 41 (a) is selected by lottery. This selection lottery for dialogue effects α1 to α10 is based on a selection table (not shown) in which the allocation rate of dialogue effects α1 to α10 is set for each change pattern. In this embodiment, the selection table is set so that the reliability of a jackpot increases stepwise from dialogue effects α1 to α10 as shown in Figure 41 (a).

Dialogue effects α1 to α10 are classified according to several factors, such as the type of dialogue, the type of character, the character's facial expression, the tone of the dialogue sound, the length of the character's lip-syncing movements (lip-sync length), the colour of the dialogue text, and the type of regular sound effect.

As shown in FIG. 41(b), there are five types of lines, L1 to L5, with the line L1 "I feel a curse" assigned to line performance α1, the line L2 "Here is the key to break the curse" assigned to line performance α2, the line L3 "This is..." assigned to line performances α3 and α4, the line L4 "I drew a fortune and it was a great fortune" assigned to line performances α5 and α6, and the line L5 "I feel great" assigned to line performances α7 to α10. In other words, the reliability of a big win increases in the order of lines L1 to L5. Note that lines L1 to L5 are not of the same length, with line L3 "This is..." being the shortest and line L4 "I drew a fortune and it was a great fortune" being the longest.

There are two types of characters that are assumed to utter these lines: a boy character C1 and a girl character C2, and they are displayed on the liquid crystal display means 106 as character images shown in FIG. 41(c). In the following explanation, characters C1 and C2 refer to the character images displayed on the liquid crystal display means 106. As shown in FIG. 41(a), character C1 is assigned to lines L1 and L3 in the case of line performances α1, α3, and α4, character C2 is assigned to lines L2 and L4 in the case of line performances α2, α5, and α6, and either character C1 or C2 is assigned to line L5 in the case of line performances α7 to α10. In the line performances α7 to α10 to which line L5 is assigned, character C2's line performances α9 and α10 have a higher jackpot reliability than character C1's line performances α7 and α8.

As shown in FIG. 41(d), each character C1, C2 can switch between four different facial expressions: a happy expression FE1, a surprised expression FE2, an anxious expression FE3, and a calm expression FE4. The facial expressions of these characters are determined according to the type of dialogue, and as shown in FIG. 41(a), an anxious expression FE3 is assigned to the dialogue L1 in dialogue performance α1, a calm expression FE4 is assigned to the dialogue L2 in dialogue performance α2, a surprised expression FE2 is assigned to the dialogue L3 in dialogue performances α3 and α4, and a happy expression FE1 is assigned to the dialogue L4 in dialogue performances α5 and α6 and to the dialogue L5 in dialogue performances α7 to α10.

The dialogue sounds are the voice representations of the lines L1 to L5, and are output from the speakers 18, 25 by playing back the dialogue sound data. The voice quality of these dialogue sounds differs for each character C1, C2 who is assumed to utter them, and furthermore, they are output in one of four voice tones (examples of dialogue sound output modes) corresponding to the character's facial expressions (four types in this case), as shown in Figure 41 (e): a voice tone of joy V1, a voice tone of surprise V2, a voice tone of anxiety V3, and a voice tone of calm V4.

When dialogue sounds are output, lip-syncing by the character image is performed in parallel. This lip-syncing (speaking) action is the action of moving the character image's mouth as if it is speaking a line. Therefore, ideally, the execution time of the lip-syncing action (lip-sync length) should match the length of each line sound, but in that case, if the number of types of lines increases, a correspondingly huge number of lip-sync images must be prepared, which puts a strain on storage capacity. Therefore, in this embodiment, the number of types of lip-sync lengths is narrowed down to three types, for example, short S, medium M, and long L, which is smaller than the number of types of lines, and one of the three types of lip-sync lengths is assigned depending on the length of each line. In the example of FIG. 41(a), a lip-sync length of S (short) is assigned to the line L3 "This is...", a lip-sync length of M (medium) is assigned to the line L1 "I feel a curse" and the line L5 "I feel great", and a lip-sync length of L (long) is assigned to the line L2 "Here is the key to breaking the curse" and the line L4 "I drew my fortune and it was a great fortune".

The dialogue characters are lines L1 to L5 expressed as text, and are displayed on the liquid crystal display means 106 together with the character image. The dialogue characters are displayed in one of two character colors, white W and red R (one example of a dialogue character display mode), as shown in FIG. 41(f). The dialogue characters may be displayed as subtitles on the lower part of the screen, or in a speech bubble for the character image. In the example of FIG. 41(a), the dialogue characters L3, L4, and L5 have a higher probability of winning when the dialogue character color is R (red) than when it is W (white). The dialogue character color may be provided in a variety of display modes other than color, such as font type and size.

The sound effects include normal sound effects output from the speakers 18, 25 by playing back sound effect data, and specific sound effects generated by driving a movable body (a specific part) by a driving means. As shown in FIG. 41(g), the normal sound effects output in this embodiment are either of two types: a normal sound effect SE1 expressed as "beep" or a normal sound effect SE2 expressed as "boom". In the example of FIG. 41(a), the type of normal sound effect corresponds to the dialogue color, and when the dialogue color is W (white), the normal sound effect SE1 of "beep" is output, and when the dialogue color is R (red), the normal sound effect SE2 of "boom" is output.

The specific sound effect in this embodiment is a vibration sound produced by the vibration of the effect button 41 caused by the operation of the vibration device 72, and is generated in parallel with the normal sound effect in all of the dialogue effects α1 to α10, as shown in FIG. 41(a).

Figures 42 to 44 show time charts of image and sound effects for some of the dialogue effects α1 to α10. First, the time chart for dialogue effect α1 shown in Figure 42(a) will be explained. Note that in dialogue effect α1, as shown in Figure 41(a), the settings are as follows: dialogue type L1 (feeling cursed), character type C1 (boy), character facial expression FE3 (anxious), voice tone V3 (anxious), lip-sync length M (medium), dialogue text color W (white), normal sound effect SE1 (ringing sound), and specific sound effect.

As shown in Figure 42 (a), in dialogue performance α1, first, the display of a boy character C1 begins on the liquid crystal display means 106. Of the four facial expressions FE1 to FE4, for example, a calm facial expression FE4 (Figure 41 (d)) is set as the default for the character image, and the character appears in this default facial expression FE4 (Figure 42 (A1)). Note that a facial expression other than the multiple facial expressions (here, the four facial expressions FE1 to FE4) that are switched depending on the type of dialogue may also be set as the default.

Then, at a predetermined timing after the character image starts to be displayed, the dialogue text "I feel a curse" corresponding to the dialogue L1 starts to be displayed on the liquid crystal display means 106, and the character image's facial expression changes to an anxious expression FE3 corresponding to the dialogue L1 (Figure 42 (A2)). Here, the dialogue text is displayed in white W. Note that the timing of the start of the dialogue text display and the change in the character image's facial expression does not need to be the same; the character image's facial expression may change first, or the dialogue text may start to be displayed first. The character image may also appear with a facial expression corresponding to the dialogue. The dialogue text may also start to be displayed at approximately the same time as the character image starts to be displayed. In this case, it is desirable for the character image to have a facial expression corresponding to the dialogue from the moment it appears.

Also, at approximately the same time as the display of the dialogue characters begins, playback of dialogue sound data corresponding to the dialogue L1 "I feel the curse", playback of sound effect data corresponding to the normal sound effect SE1 "beep", and vibration of the effect button 41 due to operation of the vibration device 72 begin. Here, the dialogue sound data (specific dialogue sound data) has a silent period during which no sound is output for a predetermined time before the dialogue sound period corresponding to the output of the dialogue sound, whereas the sound effect data does not have a silent period. Therefore, output of the normal sound effect SE1 "beep" and output of the vibration sound (specific sound effect) begin at approximately the same time as the display of the dialogue characters begins, and output of the dialogue sound "I feel the curse" begins after the predetermined time.

Also, at approximately the same time as the dialogue begins to be output, the character image starts to lip-sync (speak) (Figure 42 (A3)). It is desirable for the facial expression of the character image during this lip-sync to maintain the anxious facial expression FE3 that has changed in response to the dialogue L1.

The playback of the dialogue sound data and sound effect data ends when the dialogue sound and normal sound effect output have finished, respectively, and the vibration sound (specific sound effect) ends, for example, at approximately the same time as the end of the normal sound effect. The length of the lip-syncing movement of the character image (lip-sync length) is M (medium), so that the lip-syncing movement ends after the output of the dialogue sound has finished. The display of the dialogue text ends after the lip-syncing movement of the character image has finished, and the display of the character image ends at a specified timing thereafter. In other words, the lip-syncing movement (speaking movement) of the character image ends after the output of the dialogue sound has finished, but before the display of the dialogue text has finished.

As described above, the display of dialogue characters corresponding to the dialogue sound begins before the dialogue sound starts to be output, and sound effects are also output, so that the player can be effectively prevented from missing the dialogue sound.

Next, the time chart of the dialogue performance α3 shown in Fig. 42(b) will be explained while comparing it with the time chart of the dialogue performance α1 shown in Fig. 42(a). Note that in the dialogue performance α3, as shown in Fig. 41(a), the dialogue type L3 (This is...), character type C1 (boy), character facial expression FE2 (surprise), voice tone V2 (surprise), lip movement length S (short), dialogue text color W (white), normal sound effect SE1 (ping), and specific sound effect are set.

The dialogue performance α3 shown in FIG. 42(b) differs from the dialogue performance α1 shown in FIG. 42(a) in that the dialogue text and sound are "This is..." which corresponds to the dialogue L3, the facial expression of the character image changes to a surprised expression FE2 which corresponds to the dialogue L3 (FIGS. 42(B2) and (B3)), and the length of the lip movement of the character image is S (short), which corresponds to the dialogue L3.

In this way, in the dialogue performance α3 of FIG. 42(b), the length of the dialogue L3 is shorter than the dialogue L1 of the dialogue performance α1, and the lip-sync length is correspondingly shorter, so that the timing of the end of the dialogue sound output and the end timing of the lip-sync movement are earlier than in the dialogue performance α1. By varying the dialogue sound output period according to the length of the dialogue and ending the playback of the dialogue sound data at the same time as the end of the dialogue sound output, the audio playback channel can be quickly released. The lip-sync movement ends after the end of the dialogue sound output. On the other hand, although the dialogue lengths are different between the dialogue performance α3 and the dialogue performance α1, the display period of the dialogue characters is approximately the same. Also, although the types of dialogue are different between the dialogue performance α3 and the dialogue performance α1, the same sound effects are used.

Next, the time chart of the dialogue performance α2 shown in Fig. 43(a) will be explained. Note that in the dialogue performance α2, as shown in Fig. 41(a), the dialogue type L2 (here lies the key to breaking the curse), character type C2 (girl), character facial expression FE4 (calm), voice tone V4 (calm), lip movement length L (long), dialogue text color W (white), normal sound effect SE1 (ringing sound), and specific sound effect are set.

As shown in FIG. 43(a), in dialogue performance α3, first, the display of a girl character C2 begins on the liquid crystal display means 106 (FIG. 43(A1)). At that time, the facial expression of the character image is, for example, the default calm facial expression FE4. Then, at a predetermined timing after the character image starts to be displayed, the display of the dialogue text "Here is the key to break the curse" corresponding to the dialogue L2 begins on the liquid crystal display means 106. At that time, the facial expression of the character image changes to an expression corresponding to the dialogue, but in the case of dialogue performance α3, since the facial expression corresponding to the dialogue L2 is the same as the default facial expression FE4, the facial expression of the character image remains the default (FIG. 43(A2)).

Also, at approximately the same time as the display of the dialogue characters starts, playback of dialogue sound data corresponding to the dialogue L2 "Here is the key to break the curse", playback of sound effect data corresponding to the normal sound effect SE1 of "beep", and vibration of the effect button 41 due to the operation of the vibration device 72 starts. Here, the dialogue sound data has a silent period of a predetermined time before the dialogue sound period corresponding to the output of the dialogue sound, while the sound effect data does not have a silent period. Therefore, output of the normal sound effect SE1 of "beep" and output of the vibration sound (specific sound effect) start approximately at the same time as the display of the dialogue characters starts, and output of the dialogue sound "Here is the key to break the curse" starts after the predetermined time. Also, at approximately the same time as the output of the dialogue sound starts, lip-syncing action (speaking action) by the character image starts (FIG. 43 (A3)).

The playback of the dialogue sound data and sound effect data ends when the dialogue sound and normal sound effect output have finished, respectively, and the vibration sound (specific sound effect) ends, for example, at approximately the same time as the end of the normal sound effect. In addition, the length of the lip-syncing movement of the character image (lip-syncing length) is L (long), so that the lip-syncing movement ends after the output of the dialogue sound has finished. In addition, the display of the dialogue text ends after the lip-syncing movement of the character image has finished, and the display of the character image ends at a specified timing thereafter. The display period of the dialogue text is approximately the same as that of dialogue performances α1 and α3 (Figure 42).

Next, the time chart of the dialogue performance α5 shown in Fig. 43(b) will be explained while comparing it with the time chart of the dialogue performance α2 in Fig. 43(a). Note that in the dialogue performance α5, as shown in Fig. 41(a), the dialogue type L4 (I drew a lucky fortune), character type C2 (girl), character facial expression FE1 (joy), voice tone V1 (joy), lip sync length L (long), dialogue text color W (white), normal sound effect SE1 (ping), and specific sound effect are set.

The dialogue presentation α5 shown in FIG. 43(b) differs from the dialogue presentation α2 in FIG. 43(a) in that the dialogue text and sound are "I drew a lucky fortune when I drew my fortune slip," which corresponds to the dialogue L4, and in that the facial expression of the character image changes to a joyful facial expression FE1, which corresponds to the dialogue L4 (FIGS. 43(B2) and (B3)).

Thus, in dialogue performance α5 in FIG. 43(b), although the type of dialogue is different from dialogue performance α2 and the length of the dialogue is also different, the display period of the dialogue text is approximately the same, and the lip-sync length is also approximately the same. In this way, by using a common lip-sync motion for different lines, it is possible to reduce the amount of image data, although the performance may appear slightly unnatural. Note that the unnaturalness of the performance can be minimized by setting the lip-sync length as close as possible to the display period of the dialogue text. Also, although the types of dialogue are different between dialogue performance α5 and dialogue performance α2, the same sound effects are used.

Next, the time chart of the dialogue performance α7 shown in Fig. 44(a) will be explained. Note that in the dialogue performance α7, as shown in Fig. 41(a), the dialogue type L5 (feeling great), character type C1 (boy), character facial expression FE1 (joy), voice tone V1 (joy), lip-sync length M (medium), dialogue text color W (white), normal sound effect SE1 (ringing sound), and specific sound effect are set.

As shown in FIG. 44(a), in dialogue performance α7, first, a boy's character C1 begins to be displayed on the liquid crystal display means 106. At this time, the facial expression of the character image is, for example, the default calm facial expression FE4. Then, at a predetermined timing after the character image starts to be displayed, the dialogue text "I feel great" corresponding to the dialogue L5 begins to be displayed on the liquid crystal display means 106. At that time, the facial expression of the character image changes to a joyful facial expression FE1 corresponding to the dialogue L5.

Also, substantially simultaneously with the start of displaying the dialogue characters, playback of dialogue sound data corresponding to the dialogue L5 "I feel great", playback of sound effect data corresponding to the normal sound effect SE1 "beep", and vibration of the effect button 41 due to operation of the vibration device 72 are started. Here, the dialogue sound data has a silent period of a predetermined time before the dialogue sound period corresponding to the output of the dialogue sound, during which no sound is output, whereas the sound effect data does not have a silent period. Therefore, output of the normal sound effect SE1 "beep" and output of the vibration sound (specific sound effect) are started substantially simultaneously with the start of displaying the dialogue characters, and output of the dialogue sound "I feel great" is started after the predetermined time. Also, substantially simultaneously with the start of outputting the dialogue sound, lip-syncing action (speaking action) by the character image is started.

The playback of the dialogue sound data and sound effect data ends when the dialogue sound and normal sound effect output have finished, respectively, and the vibration sound (specific sound effect) ends, for example, at approximately the same time as the end of the normal sound effect. The length of the lip-syncing movement of the character image (lip-sync length) is M (medium), and the lip-syncing movement ends after the dialogue sound output has finished. The display of the dialogue text ends after the lip-syncing movement of the character image has finished, and the display of the character image ends at a specified timing thereafter. The display period of the dialogue text is approximately the same as the dialogue performances α1, α3 (Figure 42), α2, and α5 (Figure 43).

Next, the time chart of dialogue performance α8 shown in Fig. 44(b) will be explained while comparing it with the time chart of dialogue performance α7 in Fig. 44(a). Note that in dialogue performance α8, as shown in Fig. 41(a), the dialogue type L5 (feeling great), character type C1 (boy), character facial expression FE1 (joy), voice tone V1 (joy), lip-sync length M (medium), dialogue text color R (red), normal sound effect SE2 (bang), and specific sound effect are set.

The dialogue performance α8 shown in FIG. 44(b) is the same as the dialogue performance α7 shown in FIG. 44(a) in terms of the dialogue type L5 (feeling great), character type C1 (boy), character facial expression FE1 (joy), voice tone V1 (joy), and lip-sync length M (medium), but differs from the dialogue performance α7 shown in FIG. 44(a) in terms of the dialogue text color and the type of normal sound effect. That is, in the dialogue performance α7 shown in FIG. 44(a), the dialogue text color is W (white) and the normal sound effect SE1 (beep) is selected accordingly, whereas in the dialogue performance α8 shown in FIG. 44(b), the dialogue text color is R (red) and the normal sound effect SE2 (boom) that is more flashy than the normal sound effect SE1 (beep) is selected accordingly. In this way, in the dialogue performance α of this embodiment, the type of sound effect is assigned according to the display mode (here, color) of the dialogue text.

In addition, the dialogue performance α8 shown in FIG. 44(b) and the dialogue performance α7 shown in FIG. 44(a) have different types of normal sound effects and different output times for those normal sound effects, but the output start timing of the dialogue sound is the same regardless of the length of the normal sound effect.

The dialogue effect α8 shown in FIG. 44(b) and the dialogue effect α7 shown in FIG. 44(a) have the same dialogue type L5 (feeling great), character type C1 (boy), etc., but the reliability of the jackpot differs due to differences in the dialogue text color and sound effects (FIG. 41(a)).

Next, the time chart of the dialogue performance α9 shown in Fig. 44(c) will be explained while comparing it with the time chart of the dialogue performance α7 in Fig. 44(a). Note that in the dialogue performance α9, as shown in Fig. 41(a), the dialogue type L5 (feeling great), character type C2 (girl), character facial expression FE1 (joy), voice tone V1 (joy), lip movement length M (medium), dialogue text color W (white), normal sound effect SE1 (ringing sound), and specific sound effect are set.

The dialogue effect α9 shown in FIG. 44(c) is the same as the dialogue effect α7 shown in FIG. 44(a) in terms of the dialogue type L5 (I'm feeling great), character facial expression FE1 (joy), voice tone V1 (joy), lip movement length M (medium), dialogue text color W (white), and normal sound effect SE1 (ping), but differs from the dialogue effect α7 shown in FIG. 44(a) in terms of the type of character, and the reliability of the jackpot differs depending on the character (FIG. 41(a)).

As described above, in the pachinko machine of this embodiment, the normal advance notice performance control means (dialogue performance execution means) 164 is configured to start displaying the dialogue characters and outputting sound effects at approximately the same time when executing dialogue performance α, and then start outputting the dialogue sounds after a predetermined time delay. Sound effects can be output according to the display mode of the dialogue characters, and regardless of the length of the sound effects, the timing at which the dialogue sounds start to be output is approximately the same, and the sound effects are the same for the first and second lines.

The normal preview performance control means (dialogue performance execution means) 164 is configured to start displaying the dialogue characters after starting to display the character image, and to start outputting the dialogue sound after starting to display the dialogue characters. The character image starts speaking at approximately the same time as the dialogue sound is output, and ends the character image speaking after the dialogue sound output ends, but before the dialogue text display ends.

The speaking action of the character image is the same for the first and second lines. Also, the facial expression of the character image is changed before the line sound starts to be output according to the line.

The dialogue sound data includes specific dialogue sound data having a silent period of a predetermined length before the dialogue sound output period, and the normal preview performance control means (dialogue performance execution means) 164 is configured to start outputting the dialogue sound a predetermined time after the start of displaying the dialogue characters by starting displaying the dialogue characters and playing the specific dialogue sound data at approximately the same time.

The normal preview performance control means (dialogue performance execution means) 164 starts outputting the dialogue sound a predetermined time after starting to display the dialogue text, and the length of the dialogue sound output period varies depending on the length of the dialogue, but the length of the dialogue text display period is approximately the same.

In addition, when the first volume setting is selected and when the second volume setting is selected, a non-specific period is provided in which the volume ratio of the executed sound when the sound effect is executed is a first volume ratio, and a specific period is provided in which the volume ratio is a second volume ratio smaller than the first volume ratio, and during the non-specific period, the normal sound effect is executed but the specific sound effect is not executed, and during the specific period, the normal sound effect and the specific sound effect are executed. In addition, the second volume setting is the upper limit of the set volume that can be changed by the set volume changing means based on the volume adjustment operation by the player, and the volume of the specific sound effect is lower than the volume of the normal sound effect during the specific period when the second volume setting is selected.

The game also includes a first volume level changing means for changing the volume level of the normal sound effects to at least a first level, a second level that is louder than the first level, and a third level that is louder than the second level, based on a volume adjustment operation by the player, and a second volume level changing means for changing the volume level without the volume adjustment operation, based on the establishment of a predetermined condition. When the first volume level changing means is set to the first level, the volume of the normal sound effects is set to be harder to hear than the specific sound effects, and when the first volume level changing means is set to the third level, the volume of the normal sound effects is set to be easier to hear than the specific sound effects, and when the second volume level is set, the difference between the volume of the specific sound effects and the volume of the normal sound effects is set to be smaller than when the first level and/or the third level is set, and the second volume level changing means is configured to change the volume level to the second level when the predetermined condition is established.

In addition, the volume of the execution sound when a normal sound effect is executed differs between the normal game state and the special game state, and in both the normal game state and the special game state, when the volume level changing means is set to the minimum volume level, the volume of the normal sound effect is set to be more difficult to hear than the specific sound effect, and when the volume level is set to the maximum volume level, the volume of the normal sound effect is set to be more easily heard than the specific sound effect.

In addition, it is possible to execute a first special effect that can suggest the possibility that the stopped symbols will have a specific pattern when a specific sound effect is executed while a normal sound effect is being executed, and a second special effect that can notify that the stopped symbols will have a specific pattern when a specific sound effect is executed while a normal sound effect is being executed, and the first special effect is configured so that the volume of the normal sound effect is relatively smaller than the volume of the specific sound effect compared to the second special effect. Furthermore, the performance time of the second special effect is longer than the performance time of the first special effect.

The volume of the normal sound effect can be changed based on a normal volume change operation performed by the player, and the volume of the specific sound effect can be changed based on a specific volume change operation performed by the player. The volume can be changed by the normal volume change operation even when the normal sound effect is not being performed, and the volume can be changed by the specific volume change operation only while the specific sound effect is being performed. Furthermore, the specific volume change operation is a contact and/or pressing operation on a specific part, and while the specific sound effect is being performed, an operation guidance notification can be executed to guide the player to the specific volume change operation.

The display device further includes a display performance execution means capable of executing a display performance consisting of a series of moving images in which a plurality of scenes are joined together, and a sound performance execution means capable of executing a sound performance that outputs sound from the sound output means, and during the execution of the display performance, the sound performance execution means executes a first sound performance, then starts executing a second sound performance after a mute period in which no sound is output from the sound output means, and the display performance execution means changes the scene of the display performance from the first scene to the second scene at the timing of executing the second sound performance. Furthermore, after the output of the first BGM is stopped, the sound performance execution means starts outputting the second BGM after a BGM stop period, and the display performance execution means changes the scene of the display performance from the first scene to the second scene at the timing of outputting the second BGM. Furthermore, during the BGM stop period, a predetermined sound different from each BGM is output from the sound output means.

In addition, a specific notice can be executed while the pattern is being displayed, and the specific notice has a first half section that does not yet suggest the possibility of a specific mode, and a second half section that suggests the possibility of a specific mode after the first half section. When the specific notice is executed, the device has an audio output means that can output audio related to the specific notice, and the audio output means is configured to output the audio related to the specific notice at a first volume when the first half section is executed, and to output the audio related to the specific notice at a second volume that is higher than the first volume when the second half section is executed. Furthermore, after the first half section is executed, the audio related to the specific notice is output at a third volume that is lower than the first volume before the second half section is executed.

Figure 45 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention, showing an example in which the content of the dialogue performance α in the first embodiment (Figure 41) has been changed to enable sound effects to be output according to the output mode of the dialogue sounds. Note that the only difference between Figure 45 and Figure 41 of the first embodiment is the part shown in gray. The following explanation will focus on these differences.

As shown in FIG. 45(a), in the dialogue performance α of this embodiment, two types of character facial expressions and voice tones (one example of the dialogue sound output mode) are provided for the dialogue L3 (This is...). That is, for dialogue performances α3 and α4, the type of dialogue is both L3 (This is...), but for the character facial expressions and voice tones, dialogue performance α3 has FE3 and V3, which correspond to anxiety, and dialogue performance α4 has FE1 and V1, which correspond to joy.

The dialogue characters in dialogue performances α3 and α4 are the same, using the same dialogue color (white), but normal sound effects are output according to the character's facial expression and tone of voice. That is, in dialogue performance α3, normal sound effect SE3 (Gaaah) is output in response to the character's facial expression FE3 (anxiety) and tone of voice V3 (anxiety) (Figure 45(g)), and in dialogue performance α4, normal sound effect SE1 (Peek) is output in response to the character's facial expression FE1 (joy) and tone of voice V1 (joy).

In addition, the dialogue effects α3 and α4 have the same lines and characters, but the reliability of winning varies depending on the character's facial expression, tone of voice, and type of sound effect.

In this way, multiple character expressions and tones of voice (output modes of the dialogue sound) can be provided for the same line, and sound effects can be output according to the character's expressions and output modes of the dialogue sound (e.g., tone of voice), and the reliability of a jackpot can also be made different.

The character's facial expression may be the same but the tone of voice may be different, and sound effects corresponding to the tone of voice may be output. The character's facial expression may be different but the tone of voice may be the same, and sound effects corresponding to the character's facial expression may be output. The display mode (display color) of the dialogue text may be different depending on the sound effects.

Figure 46 illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention, showing an example in which the first embodiment is partially modified to provide different sound effects for each type of character image. Note that the only difference between Figure 46 and Figure 41 of the first embodiment is the portion shown in gray. The following explanation will focus on these differences.

In the dialogue performance α of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 46(a), normal sound effect SE1 is assigned to character C1, and normal sound effect SE2 is assigned to character C2. As a result, among the dialogue performances α7 to α10 to which the dialogue L5 is assigned, the dialogue performances α9 and α10 of character C2 and normal sound effect SE2 have a higher jackpot reliability than the dialogue performances α7 and α8 of character C1 and normal sound effect SE1.

Figures 47 to 49 illustrate a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which the volume level setting table (Figure 15) in the first embodiment is modified to provide a different adjustable range for the volume level for each hall setting value. Note that any parts not specifically mentioned in the following explanation are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In the volume level setting table of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 47, for the hall setting values (value A) T3 to T7 for normal mode, the volume level changes by a predetermined step value for each player setting value (value B), M1 to M5, and the predetermined step value is different for each hall setting value T3 to T7, and the larger the hall setting value, the larger the predetermined step value. Also, the volume level corresponding to the smallest player setting value M1 is the same for all hall setting values T3 to T7. For example, the volume levels corresponding to the hall setting value T3 are 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 corresponding to the player setting values M1 to M5, and the predetermined step value in this case is 3, while the volume levels corresponding to the hall setting value T7 are 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 corresponding to the player setting values M1 to M5, and the predetermined step value in this case is 7.

In this manner, in the volume level setting table of this embodiment, when the first A value (e.g., T3) is selected by operating the volume adjustment knob (A operation means) 140 and the first B value (e.g., M1) is selected by operating the volume operation means (B operation means) 39, a first predetermined value (e.g., 3) is set; when the first A value (e.g., T3) is selected and a second B value (e.g., M2) that is greater than the first B value (e.g., M1) is selected, a second predetermined value (e.g., 6) is set; when the second A value (e.g., T4) is selected and the first B value (e.g., M1) is selected, a third predetermined value (e.g., 3) is set; when the second A value (e.g., T4) is selected and the second B value (e.g., M2) is selected, a third predetermined value (e.g., 3) is set; A predetermined value of 4 (e.g., 7) is set, the amount of change between the first and second predetermined values (e.g., 3) is different from the amount of change between the third and fourth predetermined values (e.g., 4), the first upper limit predetermined value (e.g., 15) is set when the first A value (e.g., T3) is selected and the upper limit B value at that time (e.g., M5) is selected, the second upper limit predetermined value (e.g., 19) is set when the second A value (e.g., T4) is selected and the upper limit B value at that time (e.g., M5) is selected, and since the first upper limit value and the second upper limit value are different, it is possible for the game hall to operate the volume adjustment knob 140 to change the adjustable range of the volume level. Moreover, since the first and third predetermined values are the same, it is possible to change the upper limit of the adjustable range of the volume by operating the volume adjustment knob 140.

In addition, while the volume of the normal sound effects changes depending on the volume level setting, the volume of the specific sound effects is constant regardless of the volume level setting. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the first B value (e.g., M3) is selected by the volume operation means (B operation means) 39, the volume of the normal sound effects will be relatively higher than the volume of the specific sound effects when the second A value (e.g., T4) is selected by the volume adjustment knob (A operation means) 140 than when the first A value (e.g., T3) is selected.

In this embodiment, the initial position (default player setting value) is different for each hall setting value T3 to T7 for normal mode. That is, as shown in FIG. 47, the initial positions for hall setting values T3 to T7 are M1 to M5, respectively, and the larger the hall setting value, i.e., the higher the upper limit of the volume level, the larger the initial position.

The hall setting value T8 for the power saving mode is set to, for example, the same as the hall setting value T3, which has the smallest upper limit of the volume level among the hall setting values T3 to T7 for the normal mode. The hall setting value T9 for the power saving mode is set to, for example, the same as the hall setting value T7, which has the largest upper limit of the volume level among the hall setting values T3 to T7 for the normal mode. The same applies to the initial position.

Of the hall setting values T0 to T2 that are not normally selected by the gaming hall, the silent hall setting value T0 has all volume levels 0 (silent) corresponding to the player setting values M1 to M5. The hall setting value T1 is for presentation purposes, and for example, the volume level corresponding to the minimum player setting value M1 is 1, and the volume levels corresponding to the other player setting values M2 to M5 are the same as the hall setting value T3. The hall setting value T2 is for factory settings, and for example, the volume level corresponding to the minimum player setting value M1 is 2, and the volume levels corresponding to the other player setting values M2 to M5 are the same as the hall setting value T3. The initial positions for the hall setting values T0 to T2 are all set to the minimum M1, for example.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the volume level at which an error sound is output is set to the maximum volume level corresponding to the hall setting value at that time (here, the volume level corresponding to player setting value M5) regardless of the player setting value using the volume control means 39. In this way, the volume level of the error sound is always the upper limit value corresponding to the hall setting value at that time, so it cannot be changed by the player operating the volume control means 39, but it can be changed by hall staff operating the volume adjustment knob 140.

Figures 48 and 49 are modified versions of Figure 21 in the first embodiment to suit this embodiment, with Figure 48 showing the change in volume when the hall setting value (selection value) using the volume adjustment knob (second operation means) 140 is set to T7 (first selection value), which is the maximum upper limit of the volume level, and the player setting value (volume setting value) using the volume operation means (first operation means) 39 is set to M1 (first volume setting value) to M5 (second volume setting value), and Figure 49 showing the change in volume when the hall setting value is set to T3 (second selection value), which is the minimum upper limit of the volume level, and the player setting value (volume setting value) is set to M1 (first volume setting value) to M5 (second volume setting value). As shown in FIG. 47, when the hall setting value is set to T3 (second selection value) and when it is set to T7 (first selection value), the volume level (second corresponding volume level) when the player setting value is set to M5 (second volume setting value) is smaller when it is set to T3. Also, the volumes corresponding to volume levels 3 (first corresponding volume level), 10, 17, 24, and 31 (second corresponding volume level) in FIG. 48 are made common to the volumes corresponding to volume levels 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 in FIG. 21.

Comparing Figure 48 and Figure 49, the lower limit of the volume level (first corresponding volume level) is the same, but the upper limit (second corresponding volume level) is lower in Figure 49, so the increase rate (volume ratio), which is the rate of change in volume when the volume level is changed from the lower limit to the upper limit, is smaller in Figure 49 (1.097) than in Figure 48 (1.200). Also, in both the case of Figure 48 where the hall setting value is set to T7 (first selection value) and the case of Figure 49 where the hall setting value is set to T3 (second selection value), when the player setting value is set to M1 (first volume setting value), the volume of the specific sound effect is higher than the volume of the normal sound effect, and the volume of the specific sound effect is easier to hear than the normal sound effect. Also, in both the case of FIG. 48 where the hall setting value is set to T7 (first selection value) and the case of FIG. 49 where the hall setting value is set to T3 (second selection value), when the player setting value is set to M5 (second volume setting value), the volume of the specific sound effects is small compared to the volume of the normal sound effects, making the volume of the specific sound effects difficult to hear compared to the normal sound effects.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the first B value is selected by the volume operation means (B operation means) 39, the volume of the normal sound effect relative to the volume of the specific sound effect is relatively higher when the second A value is selected by the volume adjustment knob (A operation means) 140 than when the first A value is selected.

The device is also provided with a volume control means (first control means) 39 arranged on the front side of the main body, which allows a player to change the volume setting value (volume setting value) for the volume level of normal sound effects between M1 (first volume setting value) and M5 (second volume setting value), and a volume adjustment knob (second control means) 140 arranged on the rear side of the main body, which allows a first corresponding volume level corresponding to M1 (first volume setting value) and a second corresponding volume level corresponding to M5 (second volume setting value) by setting the knob to one of a plurality of hall setting values (selection values). The plurality of hall setting values (selection values) are T7 (first selection value) and a second corresponding volume level corresponding to the player setting value M5 (second volume setting value). The volume level includes at least T3 (second selection value) with a low volume level, and when the volume control knob 140 is set to either the hall setting value T7 (first selection value) or T3 (second selection value), if the volume control means 39 is set to the player setting value M1 (first volume setting value), the volume of the specific sound effects becomes easy to hear compared to the volume of the normal sound effects, and when the volume control means 39 is set to the player setting value M5 (second volume setting value), the volume of the specific sound effects becomes hard to hear compared to the volume of the normal sound effects, regardless of whether the volume control knob 140 is set to either the hall setting value T7 (first selection value) or T3 (second selection value), if the volume control means 39 is set to the player setting value M5 (second volume setting value), the volume of the specific sound effects becomes hard to hear compared to the volume of the normal sound effects.

Figures 50 to 52 illustrate a fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which the volume levels corresponding to each player setting value are common to at least some of the hall setting values in the volume level setting table, but the maximum volume levels are made different by making the range of player setting values different between those hall setting values.

The volume level setting table (Figure 50) of this embodiment has volume level allocations corresponding to the 10 hall setting values T0 to T9 set by the volume control knob 140 and the 10 player setting values M1 to M10 set by the volume operation means 39, but the possible range of player setting values differs for each hall setting value. Also, as with the fourth embodiment, the hall setting value T0 is for silence, T1 is for presentation, T2 is for factory settings, T3 to T7 are for normal mode, and T8 and T9 are for power saving mode.

For hall setting values T3 to T7 in normal mode, the volume levels corresponding to player setting values M1 to M10 are all the same, and change in predetermined step values (here 9) from volume level 5 corresponding to the minimum player setting value M1 to volume level 86 corresponding to the maximum player setting value M10, for example.

On the other hand, the upper limit of the possible range of player setting values varies for each of the hall setting values T3 to T7, but the lower limit is the same for all. In other words, the lower limit of the possible range of player setting values is M1 for all of the hall setting values T3 to T7, while the upper limit of the possible range of player setting values is M6 to M10 for the hall setting values T3 to T7, respectively. As a result, the upper limit values of the volume level for the hall setting values T3 to T7 are 50, 59, 68, 77, and 86, respectively, meaning that the higher the hall setting value, the higher the upper limit value of the volume level.

In this embodiment, the volume level corresponding to each player setting value is common for each hall setting value T3 to T7 for normal mode, and the upper limit of the range of possible player settings is different. Therefore, it is possible to change the upper limit of the adjustable range of the volume level by operating the volume adjustment knob 140. Another advantage is that changing the volume adjustment knob 140 does not cause discomfort when the player adjusts the volume.

In this embodiment, the initial positions corresponding to the hall setting values T3 to T7 for normal mode are set to the upper limit of the possible range of player setting values. That is, as shown in FIG. 50, the initial positions for hall setting values T3 to T7 are M6 to M10, respectively, and the larger the hall setting value, i.e., the higher the upper limit of the volume level, the larger the initial position.

The hall setting value T8 for the power saving mode is set to, for example, the same as the hall setting value T3, which has the smallest upper limit of the volume level among the hall setting values T3 to T7 for the normal mode. The hall setting value T9 for the power saving mode is set to, for example, the same as the hall setting value T7, which has the largest upper limit of the volume level among the hall setting values T3 to T7 for the normal mode. The same applies to the initial position.

For hall setting value T0, the volume levels corresponding to player setting values M1 to M10 are all 0 (silent). For hall setting value T1, the volume levels corresponding to player setting values M1 to M10 are all the same as for hall setting values T3 to T7, and the upper limit of the range of possible player setting values is, for example, M6, the same as for hall setting value T3. For hall setting value T2, the volume levels corresponding to player setting values M1 to M10 are all the same as for hall setting values T3 to T7, and the upper limit of the range of possible player setting values is, for example, M7, the same as for hall setting value T4.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the volume level at which an error sound is output is set to the maximum volume level corresponding to the hall setting at that time, regardless of the player setting value using the volume control means 39.

As described above, in the volume level setting table of this embodiment, when the first A value (e.g., T3) is selected by operating the volume adjustment knob (A operation means) 140 and the first B value (e.g., M1) is selected by operating the volume operation means (B operation means) 39, a first predetermined value (e.g., 5) is set; when the first A value (e.g., T3) is selected and a second B value (e.g., M2) that is greater than the first B value is selected, a second predetermined value (e.g., 14) is set; when the second A value (e.g., T4) is selected and the first B value (e.g., M1) is selected, a third predetermined value (e.g., 5) is set; when the second A value (e.g., T4) is selected and the second B value (e.g., M2) is selected, a third predetermined value (e.g., 5) is set; When the second A value (for example, T4) is selected, the fourth predetermined value (for example, 14) is set, and when the second B value (for example, T4) is selected and the third B value (for example, M7) that is greater than the second B value is selected, the fifth predetermined value (for example, 59) is set, the first predetermined value (for example, 5) and the third predetermined value (for example, 5) are set to be the same, the second predetermined value (for example, 14) and the fourth predetermined value (for example, 14) are set to be the same, and the third B value (for example, M7) is not included in the first selection range (for example, M1 to M6) that can be selected when the first A value (for example, T3) is selected, so it is possible to change the adjustable range of the volume level by the player by operating the volume adjustment knob 140 on the gaming hall side. Moreover, since the upper limit value of the player setting value (B value) that can be selected by operating the volume operation means (B operation means) 39 is different for the hall setting values (specific A values) T3 to T7 in the normal mode, it is possible to change the upper limit value of the adjustable range of the volume level by operating the volume adjustment knob 140.

Figures 51 and 52 are modified versions of Figure 21 in the first embodiment to suit this embodiment. Figure 51 shows the volume change when the hall setting value by the volume control knob (second operation means) 140 is set to T7, which is the maximum upper limit of the volume level, and the player setting value by the volume operation means (first operation means) 39 is set to M1 to M10. Similarly, Figure 52 shows the volume change when the hall setting value is set to T3, which is the minimum upper limit of the volume level, and the player setting value is set to M1 to M6. As shown in Figure 50, when the hall setting value is set to T3, the changeable range of the volume level by the volume operation means 39 is 5 (first level) to 50 (second level) (second changeable range), and when the hall setting value is set to T7, the changeable range of the volume level by the volume operation means 39 is 5 (first level) to 86 (third level) (first changeable range). In addition, the volume levels corresponding to the range of volume levels 5 to 86 in FIG. 51 are the same as the volume levels corresponding to the range of volume levels 3 to 7 in FIG. 21.

As is clear from Figures 51 and 52, when the player setting value is set to M2 (volume level 14) or lower, the volume of the specific sound effects is louder than the volume of the normal sound effects, and the volume of the specific sound effects is easier to hear than the normal sound effects, whereas when the player setting value is set to M3 (volume level 23) or higher, the volume of the specific sound effects is quieter than the volume of the normal sound effects, and the volume of the specific sound effects is harder to hear than the normal sound effects.

As described above, in this embodiment, the device is provided with a volume operation means (first operation means) 39 arranged on the front side of the main body and capable of performing a volume level change operation to change the volume level of the normal sound performance to 5 (first level), a louder 50 (second level), and an even louder 86 (third level), and a volume adjustment knob (second operation means) 140 arranged on the rear side of the main body and capable of a changeable range switching operation to switch the changeable range of the volume level by the volume operation means 39, and the changeable range that can be switched by the changeable range switching operation is set to the hall setting value T7. The first changeable range includes 5 (first level), 50 (second level) and 86 (third level), and the second changeable range includes 5 (first level) and 50 (second level) but does not include 86 (third level) when set to the hall setting value T3, and is configured so that when the volume level of the normal sound performance is set to 5 (first level), the volume of the specific sound performance is easy to hear relative to the volume of the normal sound performance, and when the volume level of the normal sound performance is set to 50 (second level) or 86 (third level), the volume of the specific sound performance is difficult to hear relative to the volume of the normal sound performance.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment, in the lottery for determining the type of dialogue performance α, dialogue performances α1 to α10 are provided in which the type of dialogue, the type of character (character), etc. are set in advance, and one of these dialogue performances α1 to α10 is selected. However, the type of dialogue performance may be determined by multiple lotteries, for example by holding a selection lottery for the type of dialogue and then holding a selection lottery for the type of character (character) based on the result.

In dialogue presentation, the dialogue text may start to be displayed at approximately the same time as the character image starts to be displayed. Also, the timing of the dialogue text start to be displayed and the character image's facial expression change does not need to be the same; the character image's facial expression may change first, or the dialogue text may start to be displayed first. After the dialogue text starts to be displayed, the character's facial expression may change at approximately the same time as the character starts lip-syncing.

In the embodiment, multiple types of voice tones are provided as an example of the output mode of the dialogue sound, but this output mode is not limited to voice tones and may be tone, tempo, etc. Also, multiple types of character colors are provided as an example of the display mode of the dialogue characters, but this display mode is not limited to character color and may be font type, size, type of effect, etc.

In the embodiment, only one type of specific sound effect pattern is provided, but multiple types may be provided. In FIG. 53, two types of vibration sound (specific sound effect) patterns are provided as the vibration of the performance button 41 by the operation of the vibration device 72: a continuous pattern (FIG. 53(a)) and an intermittent pattern (FIG. 53(b)). For example, an example is shown in which, depending on the type of normal sound effect, when the normal sound effect is SE1 (beep), a continuous pattern vibration sound is generated, and when the normal sound effect is SE2 (boom), an intermittent pattern vibration sound is generated.

It should be noted that normal sound effects and specific sound effects do not need to correspond one-to-one; for example, multiple types of normal sound effects and multiple types of specific sound effects can be combined to diversify the sound effects. In this case, there may be cases where only one of the normal sound effects or the specific sound effects is output.

There may be cases where sound effects (normal sound effects and special sound effects) are not output. Even if sound effects are not output, a certain degree of effectiveness can be expected in preventing the player from missing the dialogue by starting to display the dialogue text before the dialogue sound starts to be output.

In the embodiment, the specific sound effect produced by the driving of the movable body (predetermined part) by the driving means is exemplified by a vibration sound produced by the vibration of the performance button 41 due to the operation of the vibration device 72, but this is not limited to this, and the specific sound effect may also be the "clank clatter" sound of the rotating body 44 reciprocating when driven by the rotation driving means 47, or the "clank" collision sound produced by the high-speed descent of the first movable body 107 of the board.

In the embodiment, the sound effect is configured to start outputting at approximately the same time as the dialogue starts to be displayed, but the sound effect output start timing may be any timing before the dialogue starts to be displayed, and does not have to be approximately the same time as the dialogue starts to be displayed.

Also, multiple types of sound effects (e.g., normal sound effects and specific sound effects) may be output, and the output of the first sound effect (e.g., normal sound effect) may start substantially simultaneously with the start of displaying the dialogue characters, and the output of the second sound effect (e.g., specific sound effect) may start before (or after). If the second sound effect starts before the first sound effect (e.g., when the character image starts to be displayed), the output of the second sound effect may end substantially simultaneously with the start of outputting the first sound effect, or may end after the start of outputting the first sound effect but before the end of outputting the first sound effect, or the first and second sound effects may end substantially simultaneously, or the second sound effect may end after the end of the first sound effect.

The button effect and the dialogue effect may be combined, and the dialogue effect α may be executed when the player operates the effect button 41 or the like during the operation valid period of the button effect. In this case, the display of the character image may be started during the button effect, and the output of the sound effect and the display of the dialogue text may be started at approximately the same time as the player operates the button.

The present invention can also be implemented in various pinball gaming machines such as arrange ball machines and mahjong ball gaming machines, as well as gaming machines other than pinball gaming machines such as slot machines.

164 Normal preview performance control means (dialogue performance execution means)

Claims (1)

A symbol display means capable of variably displaying symbols;
A speech effect execution means for executing a speech effect that outputs a speech sound and displays a speech character corresponding to the speech sound,
A specific notice can be executed during the variable display of the pattern,
a voice output means for outputting a voice relating to the specific notice when the specific notice is executed;
a driving sound generating means for generating a driving sound by driving a predetermined portion,
a volume level setting means for setting the volume level of the audio output means between a maximum volume level and a minimum volume level ,
the drive sound generating means is capable of generating the drive sound in parallel with a sound related to the specific notice when the sound is output ;
The volume of the audio for the specific notice is as follows:
When the volume level is set to the maximum volume level, the volume is louder than the volume of the drive sound,
When the volume level is set to the minimum volume level, the volume level is lower than the volume of the drive sound,
When the output of the driving sound is started, the volume of the sound related to the specific notice is changed.
A gaming machine characterized by: