JP7478426B2 - Gaming Machines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an amusement machine.

Conventionally, gaming machines (reel gaming machines, slot machines) equipped with multiple reels with patterns arranged on the outer periphery are known. This type of gaming machine provides a fixed gaming value for gaming media such as medals and pachinko balls, and players play to acquire such gaming media. This type of gaming machine also performs an internal lottery and starts the rotation of the multiple reels when the player operates to start the rotation, and controls the multiple reels to stop in a manner according to the result of the internal lottery when the player operates to stop the reels. The result of the game is determined by the combination of patterns displayed on the winning determination line when the multiple reels are stopped, and medals and the like are paid out according to the result of the game.

In the gaming machine described above, a configuration is known in which a different prescribed number of coins can be set for each game state, thereby varying the probability of winning a bonus or a small prize, making it easier to win gaming media (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-183133 A

In the gaming machine described in Patent Document 1, when a preset symbol combination is displayed on a winning line in a game state after a bonus has ended, a replay time state is started, which is set to a prescribed number of balls inserted differently from other game states, and the probability of winning a bonus or a small prize in the replay time state is set differently from other game states when a bonus has not been won, so that the gaming machine is configured to attract the interest of players. However, in order to change the ease of acquiring gaming media, the gaming machine described in Patent Document 1 uses configurations such as changing the replay winning pattern, which is subject to strict rules, and changing the prescribed number of balls inserted, and there are many design constraints, making it difficult to attract the interest of players while maintaining the design freedom of the gaming machine.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a gaming machine that can attract the interest of players while maintaining the design freedom of the gaming machine.

The present invention relates to a reel system comprising:
a plurality of stop buttons respectively corresponding to the plurality of reels;
An internal lottery means for performing an internal lottery for a role;
a reel control means for controlling a rotation mode and a stopping mode of the reel,
The internal lottery includes a first winning mode (e.g., a winning area “batting order bell 1”) and a second winning mode (e.g., a winning area “batting order bell 7”) as the objects of the lottery,
The first winning mode is a winning mode in which a first small role (e.g., Bell A) and a third small role (e.g., 1-piece role D) are overlappingly won,
The second winning mode is a winning mode in which the second small prize (for example, Bell G) and the third small prize are won in combination,
The first minor prize is set to a larger payout than the third minor prize,
The second minor prize is set to a larger payout than the third minor prize,
The plurality of reels includes a specific reel (e.g., a left reel R1),
The plurality of stop buttons includes a specific stop button (e.g., stop button B1),
the specific stop button corresponds to the specific reel,
The symbols arranged on the specific reel include a first symbol (e.g., a bell A symbol "BLA" arranged at stop number 2) and a second symbol (e.g., a bell A symbol "BLA" arranged at stop number 12),
The first symbol is included in the symbol combination of the specific reel that indicates the winning of the first minor role (for example, the winning symbol combination "BLA-BLA-BLA") and the symbol combination of the specific reel that indicates the winning of the third minor role (for example, the winning symbol combination "BLA-white 7 (BKC)-white 7 (BKC)"),
The second symbol is included in the symbol combination (for example, the winning symbol combination "BLA-BLB-BLA") of the specific reel that constitutes the winning symbol combination of the second minor role and the symbol combination of the specific reel that constitutes the winning symbol combination of the third minor role ;
the reel control means stops, on an active line, symbols within a pull-in range corresponding to the position of the reel at the time the stop button is pressed;
In the case where the first winning mode is won, if the plurality of stop buttons are pressed in a predetermined order (e.g., batting order 1) and the specific stop button is pressed at a timing when symbols within a first range (e.g., a range of stop numbers 0 to 9) including the pull-in range of the first symbol on the specific reel are displayed in rotation on an active line, the first symbol is displayed stopped on the specific reel, and a symbol combination indicating the winning of the first minor role can be displayed stopped on the active line;
When the first winning mode is won, if the plurality of stop buttons are pressed in the predetermined order, and the specific stop button is pressed at a timing when symbols within a second range (e.g., a range from stop number 10 to stop number 19) not overlapping with the first range on the specific reel are displayed in rotation on an active line, the second symbol is displayed stopped on the specific reel, and a symbol combination indicating the winning of the third minor role can be displayed stopped on an active line;
In the case where the second winning mode is won, if the plurality of stop buttons are pressed in the predetermined order, and the specific stop button is pressed at a timing when symbols within a third range (e.g., a range from stop number 10 to stop number 19) including the pull-in range of the second symbol on the specific reel are displayed in rotation on an active line , the second symbol is displayed stopped on the specific reel, and a symbol combination indicating the winning of the second minor role can be displayed stopped on an active line;
When the second winning pattern is won, if the plurality of stop buttons are pressed in the predetermined order and the specific stop button is pressed at a timing when symbols within a fourth range (for example, a range from stop number 0 to stop number 9) that does not overlap with the third range on the specific reel are displayed rotating on an active line , the first symbol is displayed stopped on the specific reel, and a symbol combination indicating the winning of the third minor role can be displayed stopped on an active line.

The present invention provides a gaming machine that can attract the interest of players while maintaining freedom in the design of the gaming machine.

1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of an amusement machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a diagram illustrating the functional blocks of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A to 1C are diagrams showing internal lottery tables A to C of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a diagram showing a minor winning combination that occurs when a batting order minor winning combination is won in an gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of symbols on a reel in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram for explaining the symbol combinations showing the winning modes of Bell A to Bell L in the gaming machine of an embodiment of the present invention, and the symbol combinations showing the winning modes of 1-coin roles A to D. 1 is a diagram illustrating the symbol combinations showing the winning forms of 1-coin roles E to T in the gaming machine of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. This figure explains the pattern combinations that indicate the winning forms of chance roles in the gaming machine of an embodiment of the present invention, the pattern combinations that indicate the winning forms of special small roles A and special small roles B, and the pattern combinations that indicate the winning forms of 1-coin roles U and 1-coin roles V. (A) is a state transition diagram of the game state in a gaming machine of an embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is a transition diagram relating to the normal area and advantageous area controlled by the AT control means, and the presentation state during the advantageous area. This figure shows the winning combinations that can be won in each batting order when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are won in a non-RT state in an embodiment of the gaming machine of the present invention. This figure shows the winning combinations that can be won in each batting order when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are won in a bonus-achieved state in a gaming machine of an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows the reel stop control executed during the second stop operation and the winning role depending on the timing of the first stop operation when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are won in the winning area in an embodiment of the gaming machine of the present invention and the stop button is pressed in the correct batting order. This figure shows the winning combinations that can be won in each batting order when the winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" are won in the gaming machine of an embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a diagram showing the winning pattern combinations and payouts of minor symbols that overlap in the winning area "Batting Chance 1" in an embodiment of the gaming machine of the present invention; FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the number of pattern combinations that can be stopped by the symbols displayed on the active line when the stop button B1 is operated to make the first stop when the winning area "Batting Chance 1" is won; and FIG. 1C is a diagram showing the symbols that are stopped and displayed when special minor symbols A and special minor symbols B overlap in a winning combination. This figure explains the first batting order notification control and the second batting order notification control executed by the AT control means when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to the winning area "Batting Order Chance 3" are won in an embodiment of the gaming machine of the present invention. (A) is a diagram showing the winning support presentation when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" is won and the second batting order is announced in an embodiment of the gaming machine of the present invention, and (B) is a diagram showing the winning support presentation when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" is won and the first batting order is announced.

The present embodiment will be described below. Note that the present embodiment described below does not unduly limit the content of the present invention described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are necessarily essential components of the present invention.

1. Overview of the Configuration of the Gaming Machine Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a slot machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The slot machine 1 of this embodiment is a so-called reel type gaming machine, which is a type of gaming machine in which games are played using medals as gaming media.

The slot machine 1 of this embodiment contains a reel unit 310 (see FIG. 2) consisting of multiple reels, a left reel R1 to a right reel R3, in a box-shaped housing made up of a housing BX, an upper front door UD, and a lower front door DD. In addition, a hopper unit 320 (see FIG. 2) serving as a medal payout device is contained below the reel unit 310 in the housing. The housing of the slot machine 1 of this embodiment also contains a control board equipped with a CPU, ROM (an example of an information storage medium), RAM, etc., which controls the operation of the slot machine 1.

The outer periphery of each of the left reels R1 to right reels R3 shown in Figure 1 is divided into 20 regions (hereinafter, each region will be referred to as a "frame") at regular intervals, and one of several types of symbols is arranged on each frame.

The front upper door UD and the front lower door DD are provided so that they can be opened and closed separately. The front upper door UD is provided with a display window DW that allows the spinning and stopped states of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 to be observed. When the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 are stopped, three patterns (upper row pattern, middle row pattern, and lower row pattern) that are arranged consecutively on the outer periphery of each of the left reel R1 to right reel R3 among the multiple types of patterns arranged at regular intervals on the outer periphery of each of the left reel R1 to right reel R3 can be observed from the front of the slot machine 1 through the display window DW.

In addition, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, each reel is provided with an upper, middle, and lower display position for observing the patterns through the display window DW, and an active line L1 is set for an active line based on the combination of the display positions of each reel. In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the number of medals required for one game, the so-called specified insertion number, is set to three in any game state, and when medals equivalent to the specified insertion number are inserted, an active line L1 consisting of the upper row of the left reel R1, the middle row of the middle reel R2, and the lower row of the right reel R3 is activated.

The game result is determined by the symbol combination that is stopped and displayed on the pay line L1 in the display window DW, and if the symbol combination on the pay line L1 corresponds to a predetermined winning combination, that winning combination is treated as a winning combination and medals are paid out from the hopper unit 320.

The front upper door UD is provided with a game information display section DS. The game information display section DS is made up of LEDs, lamps, seven-segment displays, etc., and displays various game information such as the number of medal credits, the number of medals paid out or won in one game, the total number of medals paid out or won in bonus mode, information on the winning combination in this game, and information suggesting how to press stop buttons B1, B2, and B3 related to the payout of medals.

The game information display unit DS includes a main control display device 500 consisting of a seven-segment display, and when a specified number of medals are inserted and the start lever SL is operated, a notification display is displayed that corresponds to a winning role command, which is a control signal created based on winning information, which is information on the winning role in this game, and when the left reel R1 to right reel R3 stop after the notification display is displayed, the notification display ends and the number of medals paid out or won is displayed. In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, a notification display is executed in which each segment of the main control display device 500 lights up and goes out in a display mode corresponding to the winning role command.

The main control display device 500 is also provided with an interval notification section 500A, which is a dot on a seven-segment display and lights up when an advantageous interval is started by the AT control means 200 (see FIG. 2) described below and the expected medal acquisition value is 1 or more due to the assistance of winning a minor prize. The slot machine 1 of this embodiment is also provided with a plurality of sound devices 340 on the front upper door UD and the front lower door DD for producing effects using sound. The sound devices 340 output various sounds to assist and liven up the game.

The front lower door DD is provided with various operating means. The operating means include a single bet button BT for inserting one medal and a max bet button MB for inserting a specified number of medals as insert operating means for inserting credited (stored) medals, a start lever SL as a game start operating means for allowing the player to execute a start operation that triggers the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 to start playing, stop buttons B1 to B3 as stop operating means for allowing the player to execute a stop operation that triggers the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 that are driven to rotate by a stepping motor, and a settlement button BS for settling the credited medals.

In addition, a medal payout outlet MO and a medal tray MP are provided at the bottom of the lower front door DD, and a number of medals according to the results of a game are paid out from the medal payout outlet MO to the medal tray MP. In addition, when the settlement button BS is pressed while credited medals are stored in the gaming machine, pressing the settlement button BS executes a settlement process in which a number of medals equivalent to the number of credits (the number of credited medals) is paid out from the hopper unit 320, and the medals are paid out from the medal payout outlet MO to the medal tray MP.

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the slot machine 1 of this embodiment. The slot machine 1 of this embodiment is controlled by a game control means 10 serving as a control board. The game control means 10 receives input signals from input means such as a medal insertion switch 210, a bet switch 220, a start switch 230, a stop switch 240, a setting change permission switch 250, and a setting change switch 260 serving as a plurality of operation detection means, performs various calculations to execute a game, and controls the operation of output means such as the performance device 300, the reel unit 310, the hopper unit 320, and the main control display device 500 based on the calculation results.

The game control means 10 also includes a setting change means 100, an input acceptance means 105, a random number generation means 110, an internal lottery means 120, a reel control means 130, a winning determination means 140, a payout control means 150, a replay processing means 160, a game state transition control means 170, a performance control means 180, a storage means 190, and an assist time control means (AT control means) 200. Each of the means constituting the game control means 10 reads out and executes each control program pre-stored in the storage means 190 when each control process is executed.

The setting change means 100 performs control (setting change control) to change the setting value stored in the setting value storage means 191 of the storage means 190. In a setting change permission state in which the setting change permission switch 250 is ON and the setting change is permitted with the front upper door UD open, the setting change means 100 cyclically changes the setting values stored in the setting value storage means 191 in the order of setting 1 → setting 2 ... setting 6 → setting 1 → ... each time it receives an input signal output from the setting change switch 260 provided in the power supply device. In addition, in the slot machine 1, the setting value stored in the setting value storage means 191 is confirmed based on a start signal from the start switch 230, which is operated by operating the start lever SL in the setting change permission state, and the setting change permission state is terminated. In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the winning probability of some of the winning areas that can be won by the internal lottery by the internal lottery means 120 is changed according to the setting value confirmed in the setting value storage means 191. In other words, the setting change means 100 is configured to be able to change a setting value that is a value that can change the probability of winning a role in an internal lottery by the internal lottery means 120.

In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when the setting change control is executed by the setting change means 100, the control related to the game state executed by the game state transition control means 170 and the control related to the advantageous zone executed by the AT control means 200 are configured to be initialized, and the game state is set to a non-replay time (hereinafter, replay time is also referred to as "RT") state described later, and the normal zone is set. Therefore, in the slot machine 1, the control related to the auxiliary game executed by the AT control means 200 before the setting change is also configured to be initialized. On the other hand, in the slot machine 1, when the supply of power to the game control means 10 is cut off (power interruption) and the supply of power is then resumed, the control related to the game state executed by the game state transition control means 170 and the control related to the advantageous zone executed by the AT control means 200 are configured to be resumed from the state before the power interruption. Therefore, in the slot machine 1, when the power interruption occurs and the supply of power is resumed afterwards, the control related to the auxiliary game executed by the AT control means 200 before the power interruption is also configured to be maintained in the state before the power interruption.

The coin insertion acceptance means 105 performs a process to enable a game start operation on the start lever SL based on the insertion of a specified number of coins (three coins) during the coin insertion acceptance period. Specifically, when a coin is inserted into the coin insertion slot MI (see FIG. 1), the coin insertion switch 210 is activated and the coin insertion acceptance means 105 sets the inserted coins to an inserted state up to the specified number. In addition, when a bet operation is performed in which the single bet button BT or the max bet button MB is pressed with the coins credited, the bet switch 220 is activated and the coin insertion acceptance means 105 sets the credited coins to an inserted state up to the specified number.

In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the first press of the start lever SL, which is activated based on the insertion of a specified number of medals, is accepted as the player's operation to start the game, and serves as a trigger for starting the rotation of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3, as well as a trigger for the internal lottery means 120, which will be described later, to execute an internal lottery.

The random number generating means 110 is a means for generating random numbers for lotteries. In this embodiment, "random numbers" include not only values that are generated randomly in the mathematical sense, but also values that may be generated regularly but may function as random numbers because the timing of acquisition is irregular.

The internal lottery means 120 is a means for conducting an internal lottery to determine whether a winning combination has been achieved based on a start signal output when the player performs a start operation on the start lever SL and the start switch 230 detects the start operation, and performs lottery table selection processing, random number determination processing, lottery flag setting processing, etc.

In the lottery table selection process, a selection is made based on the current game state as to which of the multiple internal lottery tables stored in the internal lottery table storage means 192 of the storage means 190 to use for the internal lottery. In each internal lottery table, multiple random numbers (for example, 65,536 random numbers from 0 to 65,535) are associated with various roles such as replays, small roles, and bonuses, as well as non-wins (misses).

In the following description, a bonus means a winning combination that activates a reel or a reel continuous operation device, a bonus being activated means that a bonus is won and activates a reel or a reel continuous operation device, and a bonus state means that the reel or reel continuous operation device is activated.

In the random number determination process, a random number (random number for lottery) generated by the random number generating means 110 is obtained for each game based on the start signal output from the start switch 230, and the obtained random number is compared with the internal lottery table selected in the lottery table selection process, and it is determined whether or not a winning combination has been achieved based on the comparison result.

In the lottery flag setting process, the lottery flag corresponding to the winning combination is set from a non-established state (first flag state, OFF state) to a established state (second flag state, ON state) based on the result of the random number determination process. In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when two or more types of combinations are won, the lottery flags corresponding to each of the two or more winning combinations are set to an established state. In addition, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, there are provided a lottery flag (carry-over flag) that can carry over the established state to the next game or later until a prize is won, and a lottery flag (non-carry-over flag) that is reset to an unestablished state without carrying over the established state to the next game or later regardless of whether a prize is won. In addition, the setting information of the lottery flag is stored in the lottery flag storage means 193 of the storage means 190.

The reel control means 130 executes reel rotation control, which starts the rotation drive of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 and controls the rotation state of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3, based on the output of a start signal from the start switch 230, which is activated when the player executes a start operation on the start lever SL. In addition, when the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 are in a steady rotation state at a predetermined speed (for example, about 80 rpm), the reel control means 130 executes control to validate a stop operation detected by the stop switch 240 when the stop button B1 to the stop button B3 corresponding to each reel is pressed. Then, when a reel stop signal is output from the stop switch 240 that detected the stop operation, the reel control means 130 executes control to stop each of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 corresponding to the stop switch 240 that detected the stop operation (reel stop control).

In the following description, when the reel control means 130 starts the rotation of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 and the player presses each of the active stop buttons B1 to B3, the first press operation will be referred to as the first stop operation, the second press operation will be referred to as the second stop operation, and the third press operation will be referred to as the third stop operation.

In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the reel that is spinning corresponding to the pressed stop button for the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 is stopped within a predetermined period of 190 ms from the time when the stop button B1 to B3 is pressed (the time when the stop switch 240 detects the stop operation). Here, when the spinning reel is stopped within 190 ms from the time when the stop button is pressed, the stopping position of each spinning reel is configured to be able to rotate a maximum of four frames from the time when the stop button is pressed until the reel stops, depending on the diameter and rotation speed of each reel.

For this reason, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, for the left reel R1 to the right reel R3, the range in which symbols can be pulled onto the active line L1 (pulling-in range) is a total of five frames, from the frame displayed on the active line L1 at the time the stop button is pressed until four frames have rotated.

When executing the reel stop control, the reel control means 130 performs a logic calculation process to determine the stop position of the spinning reel based on a preset priority order by logic calculation including a pull-in process to stop the spinning reel so that a combination with a lottery flag set to a hit state can win as much as possible, and a kick-off process to stop the spinning reel so that a combination with a lottery flag set to a non-hit state cannot win, and a table reference process to determine the stop position of the spinning reel by referring to the stop control table stored in the stop control table storage means 194 of the storage means 190, thereby stopping the spinning reel and displaying a pattern on the pay line L1 (hereinafter, stopping the spinning reel by the reel stop control and displaying a pattern on the pay line L1 is also referred to as "stop display").

In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when multiple types of minor roles are won in the internal lottery, the priority of the candidate stop positions can be determined according to the number of symbol combinations that can be displayed on the pay line L1 (number priority control), or according to the number of medals paid out based on a predetermined payout for the minor role (number priority control). However, when number priority control is executed, if multiple minor roles with the same payout are won, the priority of the candidate stop positions that can win each minor role is treated as being the same.

The winning determination means 140 performs a winning determination process to determine whether or not a winning combination has been achieved based on the stopping state of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3. Specifically, the winning determination means 140 refers to the winning determination table stored in the winning determination table storage means 195 of the storage means 190 to determine whether or not the symbol combination displayed on the pay line L1 at the time when all of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 have stopped is a winning form of a predetermined winning combination. The winning determination table is prepared so that the presence or absence of a bonus, replay, or small winning combination can be determined (hereinafter referred to as "winning determination") based on the symbol combination displayed on the pay line L1 when each reel has stopped. In the following description, the symbol combination that indicates the winning form of a winning combination will also be referred to as the "winning symbol combination".

In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, each process is executed based on the result of the determination by the winning determination means 140 in the winning determination process. For example, the processes executed based on the result of the determination of the winning role include a process to determine the number of medals to be paid out by the payout control means 150 when a small role is won, a process to cause the replay processing means 160 to execute the next game without consuming medals when a replay is won, and a process to cause the game state transition control means 170 to transition the game state when a role that triggers a transition of the game state, such as a bonus, is won.

The payout control means 150 performs a payout process for the payout of medals according to the game results. Specifically, when a minor winning combination is achieved, the payout number of medals in the game is determined based on the payout amount predetermined for each combination, and the payout control means 150 controls the hopper unit 320, which serves as a payout device, to pay out medals equivalent to the determined payout number.

The hopper unit 320 performs the operation of paying out the number of medals instructed by the payout control means 150. The hopper unit 320 is equipped with a payout medal detection switch 325 that is activated each time a medal is paid out. The payout control means 150 is configured to be able to manage the number of medals actually paid out from the hopper unit 320 based on an input signal from the payout medal detection switch 325. Note that when medal credit is permitted, instead of actually paying out medals using the hopper unit 320, a credit addition process is performed in which the payout number is added to the credit number (the number of credited medals) stored in the credit storage area (not shown) of the storage means 190, and medals are virtually paid out.

When the winning determination means 140 determines that a symbol combination indicating a winning replay among the multiple types of replay roles described below has been stopped and displayed on the pay line L1, and the replay wins, the replay processing means 160 performs a replay process (replay process) that sets the machine to a ready state for the next game without the need to insert medals. That is, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when a replay wins, an automatic insertion process is performed in which a specified number of medals are automatically inserted without using medals (including credit medals) held by the player, and the machine waits for the start operation of the start lever SL for the next game with the same winning line L1 as the previous game set.

The game state transition control means 170 performs processing for transitioning the game state between multiple game states, and processing related to the activation and termination of bonuses. Here, the transition condition for each game state may be one condition or multiple conditions. When multiple conditions are defined, the game state can be transitioned to another game state based on the fulfillment of any one of the multiple predefined conditions, or the fulfillment of all of the multiple predefined conditions.

The performance control means 180 controls the performance related to the game, such as image and video performance using the display device 330 as a performance display device, and sound performance using the sound device 340, based on the performance data stored in the performance control data storage means 196. Specifically, when the player operates each component of the slot machine 1 by inserting a medal, operating the single bet button BT, the max bet button MB, the start lever SL, and the stop buttons B1 to B3, or when a game event such as a change in the game state occurs, the means 180 controls the execution of performances that liven up the game or assist the game, such as lighting or blinking lamps and LEDs, outputting sounds from the sound device 340, and using the left reels R1 to R3 to delay the start of rotation of the left reels R1 to R3 when a start signal is output from the start switch 230.

The performance control means 180 also causes each component of the performance device 300 to execute a performance based on each performance state. In this embodiment, the performance control means 180 acquires a random number from the random number storage area of the random number generation means 110 for each lottery process that uses a random number, and executes each lottery process using the performance lottery table required for each lottery process from among the multiple performance lottery tables stored in the performance control data storage means 196.

In this embodiment, when the AT control means 200 executes the winning assistance, the presentation control means 180 executes a winning assistance presentation that uses the presentation device 300 to announce the content to be announced in the winning assistance (for example, announcing the correct batting order when the winning area "batting order bell 1" is won).

The AT control means 200 uses data stored in the AT control data storage means 197 to control the transition between the advantageous zone (advantageous period), which is a zone (period) in which an auxiliary game capable of executing a winning assistance to assist in the winning of a specific role is executed, and the normal zone (non-advantageous period, non-advantageous zone), which is a zone (period) in which a game is executed in which control related to the auxiliary game based on the result of the internal lottery by the internal lottery means 120 is not executed, using data stored in the AT control data storage means 197. The AT control data storage means 197 stores an advantageous zone transition lottery table used in the advantageous zone transition lottery that determines whether or not to start an advantageous zone in the normal zone, and data used in various controls related to multiple types of presentation states including the AT state and non-AT state executed in the advantageous zone (various flags, counters, etc. that are set to ON or OFF by a specified control process).

The AT control means 200 sets the presentation state to the AT state (assist time state) under predetermined conditions in the advantageous zone, and displays information (an example of operation instruction information) corresponding to the operation sequence (correct batting order) of the stop buttons B1 to B3 that enables the winning specific role to win on the main control display device 500 consisting of a 7-segment display, thereby performing a winning assistance (announcement of correct batting order) that assists the specific role to win. Also, in the slot machine 1, when the winning assistance is performed by the AT control means 200, the presentation control means 180 executes a winning assistance presentation that displays an indicator corresponding to the correct batting order on the display device 330. In this way, in the slot machine 1, in the AT state, the operation mode of the stop buttons B1 to B3 is notified by the winning assistance, thereby executing an auxiliary game (AT game, announcement game) that is advantageous to the player.

When a predetermined end condition for ending the advantageous zone, described later in more detail, is met, the AT control means 200 ends the advantageous zone and starts the normal zone from the next game, and executes an end process as a predetermined initialization process, which is a process for initializing information related to the advantageous zone, such as various flags and numerical values set within the advantageous zone. In addition, the AT control means 200 turns on the zone notification unit 500A when the advantageous zone starts and the winning assistance is executed, so that the expected medal acquisition value is 1 or more. For this reason, the AT control means 200 is configured to be able to turn off the zone notification unit 500A when the presentation state is such that the winning assistance is not executed, even if the advantageous zone has started.

The AT control means 200 sets the value "1500" as an initial value in the first advantageous zone counter 197a in a game that has started an advantageous zone, and executes a game number update process in which the value "1", which corresponds to one game, is subtracted from the value (stored value) stored in the first advantageous zone counter 197a each time a game is played, and the stored value of the first advantageous zone counter 197a is cumulatively decremented and updated. The AT control means 200 also executes a difference number update process in which the value (difference number) obtained by subtracting the number of medals paid out from the game that has started an advantageous zone by the number of medals inserted is cumulatively recorded in the second advantageous zone counter 197b.

When the AT control means 200 of this embodiment is controlling the advantageous zone, regardless of the game state, it executes a game number update process that cumulatively subtracts (updates) the value stored in the first advantageous zone counter 197a by a value of "1", which corresponds to one game, each time one game is played, and a number difference update process that cumulatively updates the value stored in the second advantageous zone counter 197b with a value corresponding to the difference in the number of medals.

Here, in the difference number update process for updating the stored value of the second advantageous zone counter 197b, when the number of medals paid out in the game is less than the specified number of medals inserted and the stored value of the second advantageous zone counter 197b is subtracted, the AT control means 200 sets the stored value of the second advantageous zone counter 197b to the value "0" if the stored value of the second advantageous zone counter 197b is less than the value "0". As a result, the AT control means 200 can fix the value of the stored value of the second advantageous zone counter 197b at the lowest point to the value "0", so that in the control process using the stored value of the second advantageous zone counter 197b, it is not necessary to vary the value that is the judgment threshold according to the specific numerical value at the lowest point, and the load of the control process using the stored value of the second advantageous zone counter 197b can be reduced.

When 1500 games have been played, that is, when the stored value of the first advantageous zone counter 197a becomes the first value "0", or when the player has won more than 2400 medals from the point at which the most medals were consumed in the advantageous zone, that is, when the stored value of the second advantageous zone counter 197b becomes the value "2401" from the point at which it was the lowest value (lowest point), the AT control means 200 determines that a specific end condition has been met as a predetermined end condition for ending the advantageous zone, and executes a predetermined end process that ends the advantageous zone and starts the normal zone from the next game.

In a specified termination process, the AT control means 200 initializes all information used in various control processes in the favorable zone, such as each flag set to ON in the favorable zone and values set in the favorable zone. The AT control means 200 can also terminate the favorable zone when a predetermined termination condition (normal termination condition) other than the specific termination condition is met, and executes the termination process even when the normal termination condition is met. Details of the normal termination condition set by the AT control means 200 in this embodiment will be described later.

2. Components of the Gaming Machine of the Present Embodiment Next, the components of the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

<Internal lottery method>
3 is a diagram showing internal lottery tables A to C, which are internal lottery tables selected in each game state in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment. The internal lottery table A is selected when the game state is a non-RT state. In the internal lottery table A, random numbers are associated with a winning area for winning a small role, a winning area for winning a small role and a bonus together, a winning area for winning a bonus, and a winning area for winning a replay, and the internal lottery table A is configured to win either a small role, a replay, or a bonus. In addition, in the internal lottery table A, the probability of winning a replay is set to about 1/7.3.

The slot machine 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a regular big bonus (hereinafter, the regular big bonus is also referred to as "RBB") as a bonus that is a consecutive operation device for a first type special feature, and the RBB is set to an established state by winning either the winning area "RBB & 1 coin role" or the winning area "RBB".

The internal lottery table B is selected when the game state is a bonus winning state, which is a gaming state to which the player is transitioned when the RBB is won in a non-RT state and the RBB is set to a winning state. In the internal lottery table B, the random number associated with the small win in the internal lottery table A and the random number associated with the winning area where a small win and a bonus are both won are associated with the small win, and the random number associated with the replay in the internal lottery table A and the random number associated with the bonus are associated with the replay.

The internal lottery table C is selected in the bonus state, which is the gaming state to which the player is shifted when the RBB is won and activated. The internal lottery table C is set so that the probability of winning a small prize is higher than the probability of winning a small prize set in either the internal lottery table A or the internal lottery table B.

In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the following small roles (hereinafter referred to as "winning roles") that can be won if the internal lottery is won are Bell A to Bell L, 1-coin role A to 1-coin role V, chance role, special small role A, special small role B, and rare role. The winning areas (winning patterns) of small roles in which multiple winning roles overlap and win are set as winning areas (winning patterns) of the small roles, which are won by overlapping multiple winning roles, including winning areas "batting order bell 1" to "batting order bell 12", winning areas "batting order chance 1" to "batting order chance 3", winning area "1-coin role", winning area "all small roles", and winning area "all 1-coin role". Here, "batting order" refers to the order (sequence) in which the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed. In the following description, the timing at which the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed is also referred to as "pressing timing".

Figure 4 shows the minor winning combinations that are overlappingly won when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" and the winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" are won. As shown in Figure 4, the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are configured as winning areas where any one of Bell A to Bell L is won without overlapping with each other, and other minor winning combinations of 1-coin winning combinations A to T are won as shown in Figure 4. In addition, the winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" are configured as winning areas where the chance winning combination, special minor winning combination A and special minor winning combination B are won, and 1-coin winning combinations U and V are won as shown in Figure 4.

In the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12", a batting order (correct batting order) that allows Bell A to Bell L to win when the game state is a bonus established state is set. In addition, in the winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3", a batting order (first batting order) in which a chance role will win and a batting order (second batting order) in which special small role A and special small role B will win together when the game state is a bonus established state are set, respectively. Details of the correct batting order set in the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" and the first and second batting orders set in the winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" will be described later.

The winning area "RBB & 1 coin role" is an area that can be won by overlapping with RBB and 1 coin role A to 1 coin role V. When the winning area "RBB & 1 coin role" is won, in the slot machine 1, one of the 1 coin roles A to 1 coin role V will win regardless of the hitting order and pressing timing of the stop buttons B1 to B3.

The winning area "1-coin role" is a winning area that overlaps with the winning area "RBB & 1-coin role" and wins with the same minor role, and is a winning area where any of the 1-coin roles A to V will win regardless of the hitting order and pressing timing of stop buttons B1 to B3, and the difference is whether or not RBB is included in the lottery.

The winning area "rare role" is configured to win a rare role and to allow a rare role to be won if the timing of pressing the stop button B3 is appropriate, and if the timing of pressing the stop button B3 is not such that a rare role can be won, the player will miss out on a prize (no prize). Note that the internal lottery means 120 of this embodiment is configured as a so-called rare role, in which the probability of winning each winning pattern, including a small role, is lower than the probability of winning any of the other winning patterns, including a small role.

The "All Small Winning" area is a winning area where all small winning combinations, including Bell A to Bell L, Chance, Special Small Winning A, Special Small Winning B, 1 Coin Winning A to 1 Coin Winning V, and Rare, will win, and any of the Bells A to L with the highest payout will win regardless of the hitting order and timing of pressing the Stop Buttons B1 to B3. The "All 1 Coin Winning" area is a winning area where all of the small winning combinations, including Special Small Winning A, Special Small Winning B, 1 Coin Winning A to 1 Coin Winning V, and Rare, will win, and any of the 1 Coin Winning A to 1 Coin Winning V will win, regardless of the timing of pressing the Stop Buttons B1 to B3.

Next, we will explain the winning areas that include replays. In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the winning areas that include only replays are set as the winning areas "normal replay 1", "normal replay 2", and "rare replay".

The winning area "Normal Replay 1" is a winning area set in each of the internal lottery tables A and B, and is configured to allow Replay A to be won and to win Replay A regardless of the batting order or press timing.

The winning area "Normal Replay 2" is a winning area set in both internal lottery table A and internal lottery table B, and is configured to overlap with Replay A and Replay B and to allow Replay A to win regardless of the batting order and timing of pressing. In addition, the winning area "Normal Replay 2" is configured as a winning area where the probability of winning increases when the game state transitions from a non-RT state to a bonus establishment state, with the random number associated with the winning area "Normal Replay 2" in internal lottery table A and the random number associated with the winning area "RBB" associated in internal lottery table B.

The winning area "Rare Replay" is a winning area that is set in each of the internal lottery tables A and B when a rare replay is won, and is configured to allow a rare replay to be won regardless of the batting order and the timing of pressing. Note that the internal lottery means 120 of this embodiment is configured as a so-called rare replay, in which the probability of winning each winning mode, including a replay, is lower for the winning area "Rare Replay" than for the winning areas "Normal Replay 1" and "Normal Replay 2".

Here, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the role associated with the carryover possible flag is RBB, and the small role and replay are associated with the non-carryover possible flag. That is, in the lottery flag setting process, when a winning area including RBB is won in the internal lottery, a process is performed to carry over the established state of the lottery flag of the winning RBB until the RBB is won. At this time, the internal lottery means 120 performs an internal lottery to determine whether or not the small role and replay are won, even in a game in which the established state of the lottery flag of RBB is carried over. That is, in the lottery flag setting process, when a small role or replay is won in a game in which the established state of the lottery flag of RBB is carried over, the lottery flag corresponding to two or more roles consisting of the lottery flag of the already won RBB and the lottery flag of the small role or replay won in the internal lottery is set to an established state.

<Arrangement of designs>
5 is a diagram showing the symbols arranged on the periphery of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a white 7 symbol "white 7", a BAR symbol "BAR", a replay symbol "RP", a bell A symbol "BLA", a bell B symbol "BLB", a cherry symbol "CH", a watermelon symbol "WM", a blank A symbol "BKA", a blank B symbol "BKB" and a blank C symbol "BKC" are arranged on the periphery of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3. Also, 20 frames of symbols are arranged on each of the periphery of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3.

In this embodiment, the BAR symbol "BAR" and the white 7 symbol "white 7" are wider than the other symbols when viewed from the front, and are configured as symbols that are more visible than the other symbols while the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 are spinning.

<Reel Control Means>
In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, in any game state, the priority order of the winning combinations to be stopped on the pay line L1 in the reel stop control is set in the order of "replay > small combination >bonus." In other words, when a bonus and a small combination or a bonus and a replay are won in combination, the reel control means 130 executes stop control to give priority to the bonus and win the small combination or the replay.

<Small prize payout>
In this embodiment, the payouts for Bell A to Bell L and Chance are set to a payout number (15 coins) that is greater than the specified number of coins (3 coins). Also, the payouts for Special Small Winning A, Special Small Winning B, 1 Coin Winning A to 1 Coin Winning V and Rare Winning are set to a payout number (1 coin) that is less than the specified number of coins (1 coin).

＜Winning combination of small symbols＞
6 and 7 are diagrams showing winning symbol combinations of Bell A to Bell L and 1-coin combination A to 1-coin combination T that are overlappingly won when the winning areas "Bell 1" to "Bell 12" are won. First, Bell A to Bell L will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

As shown in FIG. 5, on the left reel R1, bell A symbols "BLA" are arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less, and watermelon symbols "WM" are arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less. Also, on the left reel R1, cherry symbols "CH" or blank B symbols "BKB" are arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less.

On the center reel R2, bell A symbols "BLA" are arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less, bell B symbols "BLB" are arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less, and replay symbols "RP" are arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less. On the left reel R1, watermelon symbols "WM" or cherry symbols "CH" are arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less.

The right reel R3 has bell A symbols "BLA" arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less, and watermelon symbols "WM" arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less. The left reel R1 has cherry symbols "CH" or blank B symbols "BKB" arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less.

Because of this configuration, Bells A to L, which are made up of the winning symbol combination shown in Figure 6, are configured to be able to stop and display the symbols that make up the winning symbol combination on the pay line L1 when the first stop operation is executed at a press timing (described below) that is set to allow a win.

Next, the 1-coin roles A to T will be explained using Figs. 5 to 7. As shown in Fig. 5, on the left reel R1, a BAR symbol "BAR" is arranged on the frame with stop number 4, and a blank C symbol "BKC" is arranged on the frame with stop number 19. Also, on the left reel R1, a blank A symbol "BKA" is arranged on the frame with stop number 9, and a white 7 symbol "white 7" is arranged on the frame with stop number 14.

Also, on the center reel R2, the BAR symbol "BAR" is arranged on the frame with stop number 4, and the blank A symbol "BKA" is arranged on the frame with stop number 9. Also, on the center reel R2, the white 7 symbol "white 7" is arranged on the frame with stop number 14, and the blank C symbol "BKC" is arranged on the frame with stop number 19.

In addition, on the right reel R3, the BAR symbol "BAR" is arranged in the frame with stop number 4, and the blank A symbol "BKA" is arranged in the frame with stop number 9. In addition, on the right reel R3, the white 7 symbol "white 7" is arranged in the frame with stop number 14, and the blank C symbol "BKC" is arranged in the frame with stop number 19.

As shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the winning symbol combinations for 1 coin A to 1 coin T are composed of the symbols on the left reel R1, which are either the bell A symbol "BLA", the BAR symbol "BAR" and the blank C symbol "BKC", or the white 7 symbol "white 7" and the blank A symbol "BKA", the symbols on the center reel R2, which are either the bell A symbol "BLA", the bell B symbol "BLB", the BAR symbol "BAR" and the blank A symbol "BKA", or the white 7 symbol "white 7" and the blank C symbol "BKC", and the symbols on the right reel R3, which are either the bell A symbol "BLA", the watermelon symbol "WM", the BAR symbol "BAR" and the blank A symbol "BKA", or the white 7 symbol "white 7" and the blank C symbol "BKC".

Here, the pull-in range of the left reel R1 where the BAR symbol "BAR" or the blank C symbol "BKC" can be stopped and displayed on the active line L1 is the range of 10 frames out of 20 frames from the replay symbol "RP" at stop number 8 to the cherry symbol "CH" at stop number 0 and the blank C symbol "BKC" at stop number 19. Also, the pull-in range where the white 7 symbol "white 7" or the blank A symbol "BKA" can be stopped and displayed on the active line L1 is the range of 10 frames out of 20 frames from the replay symbol "RP" at stop number 18 to the blank A symbol "BKA" at stop number 9, and is composed of a range that does not overlap with the pull-in range of the BAR symbol "BAR" or the blank C symbol "BKC".

In addition, the pull-in range in which the BAR symbol "BAR" or the blank A symbol "BKA" can be stopped and displayed on the active line L1 on the center reel R2 is the range of 10 frames out of 20 frames from the bell A symbol "BLA" at stop number 13 to the BAR symbol "BAR" at stop number 4. In addition, the pull-in range in which the white 7 symbol "white 7" or the blank C symbol "BKC" can be stopped and displayed on the active line L1 is the range of 10 frames out of 20 frames from the bell A symbol "BLA" at stop number 3 to the replay symbol "RP" at stop number 0, and from the blank C symbol "BKC" at stop number 19 to the white 7 symbol "white 7" at stop number 14, and is composed of a range that does not overlap with the pull-in range of the BAR symbol "BAR" or the blank A symbol "BKA".

The pull-in range of the right reel R3 where the BAR symbol "BAR" or the blank A symbol "BKA" can be stopped and displayed on the active line L1 is the range of 10 frames out of 20 frames from the replay symbol "RP" at stop number 13 to the BAR symbol "BAR" at stop number 4. The pull-in range where the white 7 symbol "white 7" or the blank C symbol "BKC" can be stopped and displayed on the active line L1 is the range of 10 frames out of 20 frames from the replay symbol "RP" at stop number 3 to the bell A symbol "BLA" at stop number 0, and from the blank C symbol "BKC" at stop number 19 to the white 7 symbol "white 7" at stop number 14, and is composed of a range that does not overlap with the pull-in range of the BAR symbol "BAR" or the blank A symbol "BKA".

Because of this configuration, in the slot machine 1, for example, for a 1-coin role A consisting of "BLA-BAR (BKA)-BAR (BKA)," when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in an operation mode in which only the 1-coin role A can win, the bell A symbol "BLA" is displayed stopped on the activated line L1 on the left reel R1 regardless of the timing of pressing the stop button B1, and the BAR symbol "BAR" or blank A symbol "BKA" is displayed stopped on the activated line L1 on the left reel R1 regardless of the timing of pressing the stop button B2. When pressed within the pull-in range of the middle 10 frames, the BAR symbol "BAR" or blank A symbol "BKA" is displayed on the active line L1 on the middle reel R2, and when the stop button B3 is pressed within the pull-in range of 10 frames out of the 20 frames in which the BAR symbol "BAR" or blank A symbol "BKA" can be displayed, the BAR symbol "BAR" or blank A symbol "BKA" is displayed on the active line L1 on the right reel R3, so the probability of winning 1 coin A is 1/4.

Figure 8 shows winning symbol combinations of Chance Role, Special Small Role A, Special Small Role B, 1 Coin Role U, and 1 Coin Role V that are overlappingly won when winning areas "Batting Chance 1" to "Batting Chance 3" are won. Note that, in this embodiment, as will be described in more detail later, 1 Coin Role U and 1 Coin Role V are configured not to win when winning areas "Batting Chance 2" and "Batting Chance 3" are won, so in the following explanation, Chance Role, Special Small Role A, and Special Small Role B will be explained in more detail.

As shown in FIG. 8, the winning symbol combination for the chance role is composed of "BLA-WM(CH)-WM", which is composed of symbols that can be displayed on the pay line L1 regardless of the timing of pressing the stop buttons B1 to B3.

The winning symbol combination for special minor win A is composed of "WM-ANY-RP", and for center reel R2, the winning symbol combination is composed of any symbol (ANY) of all symbols arranged on center reel R2. The winning symbol combination for special minor win B is composed of "WM-RP-ANY", and for right reel R3, the winning symbol combination is composed of any symbol (ANY) of all symbols arranged on right reel R3.

Because of this configuration, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when the symbol combination "WM-RP-RP" is displayed on the pay line L1, both the winning symbol combination "WM-ANY-RP" for special minor win A and the winning symbol combination "WM-RP-ANY" for special minor win B are displayed, resulting in a winning combination of both special minor win A and special minor win B.

<Game state transition control means>
FIG. 9(A) is a state transition diagram showing game states to which a transition can be made from each game state in the control relating to the transition of game states executed by the game state transition control means 170 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9(A), the non-RT state is a gaming state (initial gaming state, normal gaming state) that corresponds to the initial state among multiple types of gaming states, and is a non-bonus state in which a bonus has not been activated or established. In the non-RT state, the gaming state transition control means 170 causes the internal lottery means 120 to execute an internal lottery using internal lottery table A, in which the probability of winning a replay is set to approximately 1/7.3.

The bonus establishment state is a game state to which a player enters when either the winning area "RBB" or the winning area "RBB & 1 coin role" is won in an internal lottery in a non-RT state, and RBB is set to an establishment state. In the bonus establishment state, the game state transition control means 170 causes the internal lottery means 120 to execute an internal lottery using the internal lottery table B, in which the probability of winning a replay is set to approximately 1/7.3.

The bonus state is a game state to which the game is transitioned when the RBB is won and activated. In the bonus state, the game state transition control means 170 determines whether the termination condition of the activated RBB is met based on the total number of medals paid out, and when the number of medals paid out exceeds a predetermined payout number (e.g., 100 medals), it terminates the bonus state by terminating the operation of the RBB, and transitions the game state to a non-RT state, which is a non-bonus state. In the bonus state, the game state transition control means 170 causes the internal lottery means 120 to execute an internal lottery using the internal lottery table C.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the internal lottery table C, random numbers are associated with the winning area "All Small Wins" which wins all small wins including Bell A to Bell L, Chance, Special Small Wins A, Special Small Wins B, 1 Coin Wins A to 1 Coin Wins V, and Rare, and the winning area "All 1 Coin Wins" which wins all 1-coin wins including Special Small Wins A, Special Small Wins B, 1 Coin Wins A to 1 Coin Wins V, and Rare.

The bonus state will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3. In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the probability of winning the winning area "all small roles" or the winning area "all 1-coin roles" in the bonus state in which the internal lottery table C is selected is set to be higher than the probability of winning any of the winning areas including small roles in the internal lottery table A and the internal lottery table B, that is, the probability of winning a small role in the bonus state is set to be higher than the probability of winning any of the small roles in a game state other than the bonus state. Also, in the internal lottery table C, the probability of winning the winning area "all small roles" is set to be higher than the probability of winning any one of the winning areas "batting order bell 1" to "batting order bell 12" in the internal lottery table A and the internal lottery table B, and higher than the probability of winning any of the winning areas "batting order chance 1" to "batting order chance 3" (the winning probability obtained by combining the winning probabilities of the winning areas "batting order chance 1" to "batting order chance 3").

Because of this configuration, the slot machine 1 of this embodiment is configured so that in the bonus state, the probability of winning all minor prizes is higher than in the non-RT state when the bonus is not activated, or in the bonus activation state, and the probability of winning any minor prize is also higher.

In addition, the slot machine 1 is configured so that in the bonus state, the probability of winning the "All Minor Features" winning area is lower than the probability of winning any of the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" (the combined probability of winning each of the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12").

In this way, the slot machine 1 of this embodiment has multiple types of first small role winning modes (winning area "Batting Order Bell 1" to winning area "Batting Order Bell 12") in which multiple types of specific small roles (Bell A to Bell L) set to a payout greater than the amount of game value inserted required to start play do not overlap with each other and overlap with other small roles, and a second small role winning mode (winning area "All Small Roles") in which multiple types of specific small roles overlap and are won, and the internal lottery means 120 is configured to perform an internal lottery so that multiple types of first small role winning modes exist in the normal game state (non-RT state) and bonus establishment state, and to perform an internal lottery so that the second small role winning mode exists in the bonus state. In addition, in the slot machine 1, the probability of winning the second small prize winning mode in the internal lottery in the bonus state is lower than the probability of winning any of the multiple types of first small prize winning modes in the internal lottery in the normal game state and the bonus establishment state, and the winning probability of each of the small prizes in the internal lottery in the bonus state is configured to be equal to or higher than the winning probability of each of the small prizes in the internal lottery in the normal game state and the bonus establishment state.

For this reason, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the expected medal acquisition rate in the bonus state is less than 100%.

Here, in the bonus formation state, when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are selected, the stop buttons B1 to B3 must be pressed in the correct batting order and the first stop operation must be performed at a timing that allows the winning Bells A to L to win. Therefore, the probability that any of Bells A to L will win is limited to when the stop buttons B1 to B3 can be pressed in the correct batting order from the six types of batting orders and the first stop operation is performed at an appropriate pressing timing set within a range of 10 frames out of 20 frames. Therefore, the probability that any of Bells A to L will win when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are selected is set to 1/12.

On the other hand, when AT play is performed in which the winning assistance is executed by the AT control means 200 described later, the correct batting order is announced when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are won, and the pressing timing that allows Bells A to L to win is announced by the winning assistance effect by the effect control means 180, so that Bells A to L can be made to win with certainty, and the probability of any of Bells A to L winning can be increased by up to 12 times compared to when the winning assistance is not executed.

In this embodiment, 12 types of bells A to L are set as winning roles (specific roles) that pay out more medals than the specified number of medals when the stop operation is performed in the correct stroke order and the timing of pressing the first stop operation is appropriate. The probability of obtaining a winning mode including a specific role in the bonus state is compressed to about 1/12 of the probability of obtaining a winning mode including a specific role in a game state other than the bonus state. By configuring in this way, the probability of obtaining a winning mode including a specific role in the bonus state can be compressed to about 1/N of the probability of obtaining a winning mode including a specific role in a game state other than the bonus state by providing a mode in which N types of specific roles are won without overlapping each other in a game state other than the bonus state and performing an internal lottery, and providing a mode in which N types of specific roles are won in overlapping in the bonus state. As a result, it is possible to design the medal acquisition performance for AT play while lowering the lower limit of the expected value of the medal acquisition rate in the bonus state to less than 100%, and thus the design freedom of the slot machine 1 with the AT function can be dramatically improved.

<AT Control Means>
FIG. 9(B) is a state transition diagram showing details of the normal and advantageous periods controlled by the AT control means 200 of this embodiment, and the presentation state controlled during the advantageous period.

As described above, the normal interval is a period during which control of auxiliary play based on the results of the internal lottery by the internal lottery means 120 is not executed. During play within the normal interval, the AT control means 200 executes a favorable interval lottery, which is a lottery that determines whether or not to end the normal interval and start a favorable interval, based on the winning area that is selected in the internal lottery by the internal lottery means 120.

In the advantageous zone lottery, the AT control means 200 first obtains from the AT control data storage means 197 an advantageous zone transition lottery table, which is a data table in which "start of advantageous zone" and "miss (no win)" are associated with each of a number of random numbers. The AT control means 200 then obtains a random number from the random number generation means 110, compares the obtained random number with the advantageous zone transition lottery table, and determines whether or not to start the advantageous zone based on the comparison result.

The AT control means 200 executes the advantageous zone lottery so that the probability obtained by multiplying the winning probability of the winning area selected in the internal lottery by the winning probability of the "start of advantageous zone" in the advantageous zone lottery is 1/17500 or more.

The AT control means 200 of this embodiment is configured to execute a favorable zone lottery when the winning area "batting order bell 1" to winning area "batting order bell 12", the winning area "batting order chance 1" to winning area "batting order chance 3", the winning area "rare role", the winning area "normal replay 1", the winning area "rare replay", and the winning area "RBB & 1 coin role" are won in the internal lottery in the non-RT state, and when the winning area "batting order bell 1" to winning area "batting order bell 12", the winning area "batting order chance 1" to winning area "batting order chance 3", the winning area "rare role", the winning area "normal replay 1", the winning area "rare replay", and the winning area "1 coin role" are won in the internal lottery in the bonus establishment state, and not to execute a favorable zone lottery when another winning area is won. In addition, the AT control means 200 executes a favorable zone lottery that wins the "start of the favorable zone" with a high probability of about 1/1.5.

In the advantageous zone, the AT control means 200 has multiple types of presentation states, including a normal non-AT state and a CZ state, as a non-AT state (second state) in which the winning assistance of Bells A to L is not performed when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are won, and has an AT state (first state) in which the winning assistance of Bells A to L is possible when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are won. In addition, the slot machine 1 of this embodiment is configured so that the proportion of players staying in the advantageous zone during the entire game can be 70% or more.

In this embodiment, when the winning area "batting order chance 1" to the winning area "batting order chance 3" are won in the internal lottery in the non-AT state, the AT control means 200 executes a winning assistance control to notify the player of the operation order of the stop buttons B1 to B3 that increases the number of winning small winning combinations as the operation order of the stop buttons B1 to B3 that is advantageous to the player. Specifically, when the winning area "batting order chance 1" to the winning area "batting order chance 3" are won in the non-AT state, the AT control means 200 executes a winning assistance control (second batting order notification control) to notify the player of the stop button set to the first stop operation among the batting order (second batting order) that allows the special small winning combination A and the special small winning combination B to be won. As the second batting order notification control, the AT control means 200 causes the main control display device 500 to display a display mode that is displayed only when the winning area "batting order chance 1" to the winning area "batting order chance 3" are won in the internal lottery.

In addition, when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to winning area "Batting Order Chance 3" are won in the internal lottery in the non-AT state and the second batting order notification control is executed by the AT control means 200, the presentation control means 180 executes a winning assistance presentation that displays on the display device 330 a first winning assistance presentation indicator 330a (see FIG. 16) that notifies the stop button that executes the first stop operation. Details of the winning assistance presentation executed by the presentation control means 180 when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to winning area "Batting Order Chance 3" are won in the internal lottery in the non-AT state will be described later.

The normal non-AT state is a presentation state (normal presentation state) that corresponds to the normal state among multiple types of presentation states, and is set when there is no transition to another presentation state. When the presentation state transitions to the normal non-AT state, the AT control means 200 executes an incremental update to add a value "1" equivalent to one game to the stored value of a non-AT game number counter (not shown), which counts the number of times a game is played in the normal non-AT state, each time a game is played. When the stored value of the non-AT game number counter becomes a value of "700", the AT control means 200 determines that the transition condition to the CZ state has been met, and transitions the presentation state from the normal non-AT state to the CZ state.

In addition, the AT control means 200 executes a normal AT lottery to determine whether or not to transition to the AT state when the winning area "rare role" is won in the internal lottery, and when the winning area "rare replay" is won.

The AT control means 200 performs a lottery in the normal AT lottery to determine either "transition to AT state" or "non-win", and if "transition to AT state" is won in the normal AT lottery, it determines that the condition for transition to the AT state (AT transition condition) has been met, and transitions the presentation state from the normal non-AT state to the AT state.

In the CZ state, the probability of transitioning to an AT state in which the winning assistance for Bells A to L is executed when the winning area "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" is won in an internal lottery is higher than in a normal non-AT state, and the CZ state is a more favorable presentation state than a normal non-AT state. At the start of the CZ state, the AT control means 200 sets a value corresponding to a predetermined number of games (e.g., 32 games) to the CZ game number counter (not shown) of the AT control data storage means 197, and executes a decrement update each time a game is executed, subtracting the stored value of the CZ game number counter by the value "1" corresponding to one game.

The AT control means 200 is configured to execute a CZ AT lottery to determine whether or not to transition to the AT state during a game in which the CZ state has been started. If the "transition to the AT state" is selected in the CZ AT lottery, the AT control means 200 transitions the presentation state from the CZ state to the AT state after 32 games have been played since the start of the CZ state. On the other hand, if the "transition to the AT state" is not selected in the CZ AT lottery, the AT control means 200 ends the CZ state after 32 games have been played since the start of the CZ state. If the CZ state is ended without the AT transition condition being satisfied, the AT control means 200 determines that the normal termination condition, which is one of the conditions for terminating the advantageous zone, has been satisfied, and executes a predetermined initialization process, which is a process for initializing information regarding the advantageous zone, and a predetermined termination process for terminating the advantageous zone and starting the normal zone from the next game.

In the CZ AT lottery, the AT control means 200 executes a lottery that allows a player to win "Transition to AT state" with a higher probability than the normal AT lottery executed in a normal non-AT state, regardless of the result of the internal lottery. Also, in the CZ AT lottery, the AT control means 200 is configured to obtain a lottery table by referring to the winning area won in the internal lottery, so that the probability of winning "Transition to AT state" changes depending on the winning area won in the internal lottery. When the winning area "Rare Role" or winning area "Rare Replay" is won in the internal lottery, the AT control means 200 obtains a lottery table that allows a player to win "Transition to AT state" with a higher probability than when other winning areas are won.

In this way, the CZ state is configured such that at the start of play, a CZ AT lottery is executed in which the player can win "transition to AT state" regardless of the result of the internal lottery, and if the CZ AT lottery wins the winning area "rare role" or the winning area "rare replay" in the internal lottery, the player has a higher chance of winning "transition to AT state" than if the player wins other winning areas, and is configured as a more advantageous presentation state for the player than the normal non-AT state, in which the conditions for transitioning to the AT state can be met only if the winning area "rare role" or the winning area "rare replay" is won.

In this embodiment, the AT control means 200 is configured to execute a lottery for the award of a special benefit to a player as a control related to an auxiliary game (control related to an instruction function) according to the winning role when the winning area "batting order chance 1" to the winning area "batting order chance 3" are won in an internal lottery in a non-AT state between the normal non-AT state and the CZ state. The AT control means 200 executes a normal bonus award lottery when the winning area "batting order chance 1" to the winning area "batting order chance 3" are won and the stop button B1 to the stop button B3 are pressed in the first batting order to win a chance role, and executes a specific bonus award lottery when the winning area "batting order chance 1" to the winning area "batting order chance 3" are won and the stop button B1 to the stop button B3 are pressed in the second batting order to win a special small role A and a special small role B in a double win.

The AT control means 200 determines by lottery whether or not to store (stock) one set of AT states from when the start condition is met until the end condition is met as a normal bonus lottery. The AT control means 200 also determines by lottery whether or not to store two sets of AT states as a specific bonus lottery. When the AT control means 200 determines to store one or more sets of AT states, it stores the number of sets stored in a stock memory area (not shown) of the AT control data memory means 197.

The AT control means 200 is configured so that when one or more sets of AT states are stored, the conditions for transitioning to the AT state are met in the normal non-AT state or CZ state, and after one set of AT states has started and ended, the AT control means 200 starts one set of stored AT states, and when one set of AT states is stored in the normal bonus lottery and the specific bonus lottery, the AT control means 200 is configured so as not to start the AT state based on the fact that the AT state has been stored.

In this embodiment, the probability of winning one set of AT state stocks in the normal bonus lottery, i.e., the probability of a bonus being awarded, is set to approximately 1/100. Also, the probability of winning two sets of AT state stocks in the specific bonus lottery, i.e., the probability of a bonus being awarded, is set to approximately 1/100.

The AT state is a state in which an auxiliary game can be played in which, when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" through "Batting Order Bell 12" are won, the winning assistance for Bells A through L is performed. As an assistance for winning in the AT state, the AT control means 200 causes the main control display device 500 to display a display informing the player of the correct batting order that allows Bells A through L to win.

In addition, when the AT control means 200 executes the winning assistance, the presentation control means 180 of this embodiment executes a winning assistance presentation that notifies the display device 330 of the correct batting order and the timing for pressing the first stop operation. As the winning assistance presentation, the presentation control means 180 displays a first winning assistance presentation indicator that notifies the stop button that executes the first stop operation and the timing for pressing the first stop operation, a second winning assistance presentation indicator that notifies the stop button that executes the second stop operation, and a third winning assistance presentation indicator that notifies the stop button that executes the third stop operation. Details of the first winning assistance presentation indicator will be described later.

The AT state, which is more advantageous to the player than the non-AT state in terms of medal payouts due to the auxiliary game in which assistance is provided for winning Bells A through L, with a payout (15 coins) set higher than the specified number of coins inserted (3 coins), constitutes the first state in this embodiment, and the AT control means 200, which controls the normal zone, advantageous zone, and auxiliary game, constitutes the auxiliary game control means in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, when the winning area "batting order chance 1" to the winning area "batting order chance 3" are won in the internal lottery in the AT state, the AT control means 200 executes a winning assistance control that notifies the player of the operation order of the stop buttons B1 to B3 that increases the number of medals paid out when winning, as the operation order of the stop buttons B1 to B3 that is advantageous to the player. Specifically, when the winning area "batting order chance 1" to the winning area "batting order chance 3" are won in the AT state, the AT control means 200 executes a winning assistance control (first batting order notification control) that notifies the player of the stop button set to the first stop operation among the batting order (first batting order) that allows the chance role to be won. As the first batting order notification control, the AT control means 200 causes the main control display device 500 to display a display mode that is displayed only when the winning area "batting order chance 1" to the winning area "batting order chance 3" are won in the internal lottery.

In addition, when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to winning area "Batting Order Chance 3" are won in the internal lottery in the AT state and the first batting order notification control is executed by the AT control means 200, the presentation control means 180 executes a winning assistance presentation that displays on the display device 330 a first winning assistance presentation indicator 330a (see FIG. 16) that notifies the stop button that executes the first stop operation. Details of the winning assistance presentation executed by the presentation control means 180 when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to winning area "Batting Order Chance 3" are won in the internal lottery in the non-AT state will be described later.

At the start of the AT state, the AT control means 200 sets an initial value (50 games) corresponding to a predetermined number of games in the AT game number counter (not shown) of the AT control data storage means 197, and executes a decrement update each time a game is played, subtracting the stored value of the AT game number counter by the value "1" corresponding to one game.

The AT control means 200 is also configured to execute an add-on lottery to determine whether or not to add (add) to the duration of the AT state when the winning area "Rare Replay" is won in the internal lottery by the internal lottery means 120 by determining whether or not to add a value determined by lottery to the stored value of the AT game number counter.

When the stored value of the AT game number counter becomes "0" due to the decrement update performed each time a game is played in the AT state, the AT control means 200 refers to the stock storage area to determine whether one or more sets of AT states are stocked. When the AT control means 200 determines that no AT states are stocked, it determines that the AT state termination condition (AT termination condition) is met and terminates the AT state. In addition, the AT control means 200 also determines that the AT termination condition is met and terminates the AT state when the stored value of the first advantageous zone counter 197a reaches the value "1500" in the AT state and when the stored value of the second advantageous zone counter 197b in the AT state exceeds the value "2400".

When the AT state is ended based on the determination that the stored value of the AT game number counter becomes the value "0" and one set of AT states is not stocked, the AT control means 200 is configured to be able to execute a favorable zone continuation lottery to determine whether or not to continue the favorable zone. In this embodiment, the AT control means 200 executes a favorable zone continuation lottery when the stored value of the second favorable zone counter 197b is less than the value "900", that is, when the number of medals (number difference) acquired by the player in the current AT state is less than 900.

The AT control means 200 executes a lottery for the continuation of the advantageous zone, and if the "continuation of the advantageous zone" is selected, the presentation state transitions from the AT state to the normal non-AT state. On the other hand, the AT control means 200 executes a lottery for the continuation of the advantageous zone, and if the "continuation of the advantageous zone" is not selected, or if the stored value of the second advantageous zone counter 197b is equal to or greater than the value "900" at the end of the AT state, it determines that the normal end condition among the end conditions of the advantageous zone has been met, and executes a predetermined initialization process which is a process for initializing information related to the advantageous zone, and a predetermined end process which ends the advantageous zone and starts the normal zone from the next game.

In addition, when the AT state is ended based on the stored value of the first advantageous zone counter 197a reaching the value "1500" in the AT state, and when the AT state is ended based on the stored value of the second advantageous zone counter 197b exceeding the value "2400" in the AT state, the AT control means 200 determines that a specific end condition among the end conditions of the advantageous zone is met, and executes a predetermined initialization process which is a process of initializing information related to the advantageous zone, and a predetermined end process which ends the advantageous zone and starts the normal zone from the next game.

The AT control means 200 is configured not to execute the set batting order notification control when the winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" are selected in the internal lottery in the AT state, and is configured not to execute the lottery for awarding the bonus, including the normal bonus award lottery and the specific bonus award lottery. In other words, the AT control means 200 is configured to be able to award the bonus with a probability of 0% when the winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" are selected in the AT state.

3. Details of winning the batting order minor role As described above, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, as winning areas (batting order minor roles) in which the minor roles that can be won vary depending on the batting order, there are winning areas "batting order bell 1" to "batting order bell 12" and winning areas "batting order chance 1" to "batting order chance 3".

＜Details of the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12"＞
First, the winning areas "batting order bell 1" to "batting order bell 12" will be described. In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when the winning areas "batting order bell 1" to "batting order bell 12" are won, the control contents of the reel stop control by the reel control means 130 are changed according to the game state, so that the winning combinations that can be won are different.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing the winning combinations that can be won depending on the batting order of the stop buttons B1 to B3 when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are won in the non-RT state. As shown in Figure 10, in the slot machine 1, when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are won by the internal lottery in the non-RT state, regardless of the order in which the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed, Bell A to Bell L, which are set to a payout (15 coins) greater than the specified number of coins to be inserted, will not win, and 1-coin combinations A to T, which are set to a payout (1 coin) less than the specified number of coins to be inserted, will win with the winning probabilities shown in Figure 10.

The details of the winning probability of 1 coin role A to 1 coin role T will be explained using the winning area "Bell 1 in Batting Order" as an example. As shown in Figure 4, in the winning area "Bell 1 in Batting Order", Bell A, 1 coin role A, 1 coin role D, 1 coin role L, and 1 coin role Q are all overlapping wins.

When the winning area "Battle Order Bell 1" is won and the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in Batting Order 1 or Batting Order 2, the reel control means 130 executes number-priority control as reel stop control based on the fact that the stop button B1 has been operated to stop for the first time, and stops and displays the Bell A symbol "BLA" that constitutes the winning symbol combination "BLA-BLA-BLA" of Bell A on the activated line L1. As a result, in the slot machine 1, the winning combinations that can win in the game are limited to Bell A with the winning symbol combination "BLA-BLA-BLA", 1-coin role A with the winning symbol combination "BLA-BAR (BKA)-BAR (BKA)", and 1-coin role D with the winning symbol combination "BLA-White 7 (BKC)-White 7 (BKC)".

Next, the reel control means 130 executes number priority control as reel stop control based on the second stop operation of the stop button B2 or the stop button B3. When the winning area "Battle Order Bell 1" is won and the Bell A symbol "BLA" is stopped and displayed on the top row of the left reel R1 that constitutes the active line L1, in the slot machine 1, when the Bell A symbol "BLA" is stopped and displayed on the active line L1 on the center reel R2 or right reel R3, there is one symbol combination that can be displayed, and when the BAR symbol "BAR", blank A symbol "BKA", white 7 symbol "white 7", or blank C symbol "BKC" are stopped and displayed on the active line L1, there are two symbol combinations that can be displayed. Therefore, on the reel corresponding to the stop button on which the second stop operation was performed, the BAR symbol "BAR", blank A symbol "BKA", white 7 symbol "white 7", or blank C symbol "BKC" are stopped and displayed on the active line L1.

As described above, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the pull-in ranges in which the BAR symbol "BAR" or the blank A symbol "BKA" can be stopped and displayed on the pay line L1 on the center reel R2 and the right reel R3, and the pull-in ranges in which the white 7 symbol "white 7" or the blank C symbol "BKC" can be stopped and displayed on the pay line L1 are set to non-overlapping ranges and to a range of 10 out of 20 frames each.

Because of this configuration, in the slot machine 1, when the winning area "Batting Order Bell 1" is won and stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed during batting order 1 or batting order 2, the winning combination that can be won in that game at the time the second stop operation is executed is limited to either 1-coin role A, whose winning symbol combination is "BLA-BAR (BKA)-BAR (BKA)," or 1-coin role D, whose winning symbol combination is "BLA-White 7 (BKC)-White 7 (BKC)."

In the slot machine 1, the third stop operation causes the symbols that make up the winning symbol combination of 1-coin role A or 1-coin role D, which are limited to the minor roles that can be won in the game at the time of the second stop operation, to be stopped and displayed on the pay line L1, thereby causing 1-coin role A or 1-coin role D to win, and the timing of pressing the third stop operation that makes it possible to win 1-coin role A or 1-coin role D is the timing at which symbols in a range of 10 frames out of 20 frames are displayed in rotation on the pay line L1.

In this configuration, in the slot machine 1, when the winning area "Batting Order Bell 1" is won in a non-RT state and stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed during batting order 1 or batting order 2, there is a 1/2 probability that a 1-coin role A or 1-coin role D will win depending on the timing of the third stop operation, and there is a 1/2 probability that a symbol combination different from any winning symbol combination for either role will be displayed on the pay line L1, resulting in a missed opportunity (non-winning).

In addition, in the slot machine 1, when the winning area "Battle Bell 1" is won in a non-RT state and stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in batting order 3 or batting order 4, the number-priority control is executed as the reel stop control based on the first stop operation of stop button B2, and the bell B symbol "BLB" that constitutes the winning symbol combination "White 7 (BKA)-BLB-White 7 (BKC)" of the 1-coin role L is stopped and displayed on the activated line L1. As a result, in the slot machine 1, the roles that can win in the game are limited to the 1-coin role L that consists of the winning symbol combination "White 7 (BKA)-BLB-White 7 (BKC)".

As described above, in slot machine 1, the pull-in range in which the white 7 symbol "WHITE 7" or the blank A symbol "BKA" can be stopped and displayed on the pay line L1 on the left reel R1 is set to a range of 10 out of 20 frames.

For this reason, in slot machine 1, the small winning combination that can be won in that game at the time of the first stop operation is limited to a 1-coin role L, and the timing of pressing the second stop operation and the timing of pressing the third stop operation that make it possible to win a 1-coin role L are timings in which a range of 10 frames out of 20 frames are rotated and displayed on the pay line L1, with a 1/4 probability of a 1-coin role L winning and a 3/4 probability of a missed opportunity (non-winning) in which a different pattern combination from any winning combination for any role is displayed on the pay line L1.

In addition, in slot machine 1, when the winning area "Batting Order Bell 1" is won in a non-RT state and stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed at batting order 5 or batting order 6, the possible minor winning combinations in that game are limited to the 1-coin role Q at the time stop button B3 is pressed for the first stop operation, and the timing of pressing the second stop operation and the timing of pressing the third stop operation that make the 1-coin role Q a winning combination are set so that the symbols in a range of 10 out of 20 frames are rotated and displayed on the pay line L1, so there is a 1/4 probability that the 1-coin role Q will win, and a 3/4 probability that a symbol combination different from the winning symbol combinations of any of the roles will be displayed on the pay line L1, resulting in a missed opportunity (non-winning).

Figure 11 is a diagram showing the winning combinations that can be won depending on the batting order of stop buttons B1 to B3 when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are won in the bonus-established state. As shown in Figure 11, in the slot machine 1, when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are won in the internal lottery in the bonus-established state, the batting order (correct batting order) that makes it possible to win Bells A to L is set for each winning area.

In slot machine 1, if the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are won, the batting order of stop buttons B1 to B3 is the correct batting order, and the first stop operation is performed at the timing set as the pressing timing for Bells A to L to win in each of winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12", one of the winning Bells A to L will win.

In addition, in the slot machine 1, when the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are won and the first stop operation is performed in the correct batting order at the timing set as the pressing timing that does not allow a win for Bells A to L in each of the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12", or when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in a batting order different from the correct batting order (incorrect batting order), one of the winning 1-coin roles A to T will win with the winning probability shown in FIG. 11.

Figure 12 is a diagram explaining the timing of pressing stop buttons B1 to B3 to make it possible to win bells A to L set in the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12", respectively.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 6", the timing at which the pieces with stop numbers 0 to 9 are displayed rotating on the active line L1 is set as the pressing timing for the first stop operation when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the correct batting order, and this is set as the pressing timing that makes Bells A to F win.

For example, when a bonus is established and the winning area "Bell 1" is won, and the first stop operation is performed on the stop button B1, if the stop button B1 is pressed at the timing when the blank A symbol "BKA" at stop number 9 through the cherry symbol "CH" at stop number 0 among the symbols arranged on the left reel R1 are displayed rotating on the activated line L1, when the reel control means 130 presses the stop button B2 as the second stop operation, it determines to execute number priority control.

As a result, in slot machine 1, if the winning area "Battle Order Bell 1" is won in a bonus established state and the pressing timing of the first stop operation is set to be a pressing timing that allows Bell A to be won, the minor winning combination that can be won in that game at the time the second stop operation is executed is limited to Bell A.

On the other hand, when the winning area "Battle Order Bell 1" is won in the bonus established state and the first stop operation is performed on the stop button B1, if the stop button B1 is pressed at the timing when the blank C symbol "BKC" at stop number 19 to the blank B symbol "BKB" at stop number 10 among the symbols arranged on the left reel R1 are displayed rotating on the pay line L1, the reel control means 130 determines to execute the number priority control when the stop button B2 is pressed as the second stop operation.

As a result, in the slot machine 1, when the winning area "Battle Order Bell 1" is won in a bonus established state, and the pressing timing of the first stop operation is a pressing timing set so that Bell A cannot be won, the pressing timing of the second stop operation limits the minor winning combinations that can be won in that game to either 1-coin combination A or 1-coin combination D.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 7" to "Batting Order Bell 12", the timing at which the pieces with stop numbers 10 to 19 are displayed rotating on the pay line L1 is set as the pressing timing for the first stop operation when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the correct batting order, and this is set as the pressing timing that makes Bells G to L eligible to win.

For example, when the winning area "Battle Order Bell 7" is won in a bonus established state and the first stop operation is performed on the stop button B1, if the stop button B1 is pressed at the timing when the blank C symbol "BKC" at stop number 19 through the blank B symbol "BKB" at stop number 10 among the symbols arranged on the left reel R1 are displayed rotating on the pay line L1, the reel control means 130 determines to execute number priority control when the stop button B2 is pressed as the second stop operation.

As a result, in the slot machine 1, when the winning area "Battle Order Bell 7" is won in a bonus established state, and the pressing timing of the first stop operation is a pressing timing set to allow the winning of Bell G, the minor winning combination that can be won in that game at the time the second stop operation is executed is limited to Bell G.

On the other hand, when the winning area "Bell 7" is won in the bonus establishment state and the first stop operation is performed on the stop button B1, if the stop button B1 is pressed at the timing when the blank A symbol "BKA" at stop number 9 through the cherry symbol "CH" at stop number 0 among the symbols arranged on the left reel R1 are displayed rotating on the activated line L1, the reel control means 130 determines to execute the number priority control when the stop button B2 is pressed as the second stop operation.

As a result, in the slot machine 1, when the winning area "batting order bell 7" is won in a bonus established state, and the pressing timing of the first stop operation is a pressing timing set so that bell G cannot be won, the pressing timing of the second stop operation limits the minor winning combination that can be won in that game to either 1-coin combination A or 1-coin combination D.

As shown in FIG. 5, in slot machine 1, on the periphery of each of left reel R1 to right reel R3, the BAR symbol "BAR" is arranged on the frame with stop number 4, and the white 7 symbol "white 7" is arranged on the frame with stop number 14. In other words, on left reel R1 to right reel R3, the BAR symbol "BAR" is arranged within the range of stop number 0 to stop number 9, and the white 7 symbol "white 7" is arranged within the range of stop number 10 to stop number 19.

In other words, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when the game state is in a bonus established state and the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 6" are won, the first stop operation is executed at the timing when the stop button B1 to stop button B3 are pressed in the correct batting order and the BAR symbol "BAR" is displayed rotating on the pay line L1, making it possible to win Bells A to F.

In addition, in the slot machine 1, when the game state is in a bonus established state and the winning area "Batting Order Bell 7" to winning area "Batting Order Bell 12" are won, the stop button B1 to stop button B3 are pressed in the correct batting order, and the first stop operation is executed at the timing when the white 7 pattern "White 7" is displayed rotating on the pay line L1, making it possible to win Bell G to Bell L.

As described above, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the BAR symbol "BAR" and the white 7 symbol "white 7" are configured as symbols with higher visibility than other symbols. Due to this configuration, when the game state is a bonus establishment state and the presentation state is an AT state, and when the winning area "batting order bell 1" to the winning area "batting order bell 6" are won, the presentation control means 180 of this embodiment displays an image having a design substantially similar to the BAR symbol "BAR" on the display device 330 as the stop button that performs the first stop operation in the correct batting order and the first winning support presentation indicator that notifies the pressing timing of the stop button when the winning area is won in the winning area "batting order bell 1" to the winning area "batting order bell 6". In addition, when the game state is in a bonus established state and the presentation state is in an AT state, and the winning area "Batting Order Bell 7" to winning area "Batting Order Bell 12" are won, the presentation control means 180 executes a winning assistance presentation that notifies the correct batting order and the timing of pressing the first stop operation that allows Bell G to Bell L to win. In this case, the display device 330 displays an image having a design similar to the white 7 pattern "white 7" as the first winning assistance presentation indicator that notifies the stop button that executes the first stop operation in the correct batting order and the timing of pressing the stop button.

Here, in the slot machine 1, as shown in FIG. 6, the winning symbol combinations of Bell A to Bell L do not include the BAR symbol "BAR" and the white 7 symbol "white 7". However, in the slot machine 1, as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, the winning symbol combinations of 1-piece role A to 1-piece role T that overlap with Bell A to Bell L in the winning areas "Bell 1" to "Bell 12" are configured to include the BAR symbol "BAR" or the white 7 symbol "white 7" as the symbol of the reel that corresponds to the first reel that is stopped in the correct batting order. Specifically, in the winning area "Bell 1", the winning symbol combination of 1-piece role Q that overlaps with Bell A is configured as "BAR (BKC)-BAR (BKA)-WM", and the winning symbol combination includes the BAR symbol "BAR" as the symbol of the left reel R1.

Because of this configuration, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the winning symbol combinations of Bell A to Bell L do not include the BAR symbol "BAR" and the white 7 symbol "white 7". However, in the winning support performance, a first winning support performance indicator consisting of an image having a design similar to the BAR symbol "BAR" or the white 7 symbol "white 7" is displayed to notify the pressing timing of the first stop operation that makes it possible to win Bell A to Bell L. However, the winning area "Bell 1" to the winning area In "Bell 12", the symbols that make up the winning symbol combinations of 1-coin A through 1-coin T, which are overlapping wins, include the BAR symbol "BAR" or the white 7 symbol "white 7" that correspond to the image displayed by the first winning assistance performance indicator as the symbols on the reels that are not included in the winning symbol combinations of Bell A through Bell L, so even though they are displayed, they can assist in the winning of Bell A through Bell L without compromising the fairness of the game.

＜Details of winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3"＞
Next, the winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" will be described. The slot machine 1 of this embodiment is configured not to change the control content of the reel stop control by the reel control means 130 when the winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" are won, regardless of whether the game state is a non-RT state or a bonus established state.

Figure 13 is a diagram showing the winning combinations that can be won depending on the batting order of the stop buttons B1 to B3 when the winning areas "Batting Chance 1" to "Batting Chance 3" are won in a non-RT state or a bonus state. As shown in Figure 13, the winning areas "Batting Chance 1" to "Batting Chance 3" are configured so that when the first stop operation is executed, the small combinations that can be won in the game are limited to either the chance combination, the special small combination A, or the special small combination B.

Details of the reel stop control by the reel control means 130 when the winning areas "Batting Chance 1" to "Batting Chance 3" are won will be explained using FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a diagram explaining the reel stop control by the reel control means 130 when the winning area "Batting Chance 1" is won. FIG. 14(A) is a diagram showing the winning symbol combinations of the chance role, the special small role A, and the special small role B that are overlappingly won when the winning area "Batting Chance 1" is won.

Figure 14 (B) is a diagram showing the symbols that can be displayed in a stopped state on the active line L1 when the stop button B1 is pressed as the first stop operation, and the number of symbol combinations that can be displayed on the active line L1 when each symbol is displayed in a stopped state. As shown in FIG. 14(B), in the slot machine 1, when the winning area "Batting Chance 1" is won and stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the second batting order in which stop button B1 is operated to make the first stop, the bell A symbol "BLA" is stopped and displayed on the pay line L1, making it possible to display two winning symbol combinations of chance roles, "BLA-WM-WM" and "BLA-CH-WM", on the pay line L1, and the watermelon symbol "WM" is stopped and displayed on the pay line L1, making it possible to display two winning symbol combinations of special minor role A, "WM-ANY-RP", and special minor role B, "WM-RP-ANY", on the pay line L1.

The reel control means 130 determines to stop and display the watermelon symbol "WM" on the activated line L1 by using reel stop control using the stop control table stored in the stop control table storage means 194, since the number of winning symbol combinations that can be displayed on the activated line L1 when the bell A symbol "BLA" and the watermelon symbol "WM" are each stopped and displayed on the top row of the left reel R1 is the same, and therefore cannot assign priority between the bell A symbol "BLA" and the watermelon symbol "WM" by number priority control.

By executing this reel stop control, in the slot machine 1, when the winning area "Batting Chance 1" is won and the first stop operation is performed on the stop button B1, the watermelon symbol "WM" is displayed stopped on the top row of the left reel R1, and the small symbols that can be won in that game are limited to special small symbols A and special small symbols B.

When the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" is won and stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the first batting order in which stop button B2 or stop button B3 is operated to perform the first stop operation, the reel control means 130 executes number-priority control, and stops and displays on the active line L1 the symbols that make up the winning symbol combination "BLA-WM(CH)-WM" of the chance role, which is set to a payout of 1 coin, more than the special minor role A and special minor role B, and which is set to a payout of 15 coins, and which is more than the payout of special minor role B. Even if the second stop operation is performed, the symbols that make up the winning symbol combination of the chance role are stopped and displayed on the active line L1, thereby winning the chance role.

Figure 14 (C) shows the state where the winning area "Batting Chance 1" is won, and the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the second batting order, causing the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 to stop. In either case where the second stop operation is performed or the third stop operation is performed when the winning area "Batting Chance 1" is won and the first stop operation is performed by pressing the stop button B1 to cause the watermelon symbol "WM" to be displayed statically on the top row of the left reel R1, the reel control means 130 of this embodiment executes reel stop control to stop and display the replay symbol "RP" on the pay line L1 for the reel corresponding to each stop operation.

By executing such reel stop control, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the symbol combination "WM-RP-RP" is stopped and displayed on the pay line L1, as shown in Figure 14 (C). As described above, the winning symbol combination for the special minor role A is "WM-ANY-RP", and since the winning symbol combination is composed of any symbol (ANY) of all symbols arranged on the middle reel R2, the replay symbol "RP" is also included as one of the any symbols, and therefore "WM-RP-RP" displayed on the pay line L1 also constitutes the winning symbol combination for the special minor role A. Additionally, the winning symbol combination for special minor win B is "WM-RP-ANY," and since the winning symbol combination is made up of any symbol (ANY) among all symbols arranged on right reel R3, the replay symbol "RP" is included as one of the optional symbols, so "WM-RP-RP" displayed on activated line L1 also makes up the winning symbol combination for special minor win B.

In other words, the symbol combination "WM-RP-RP" stopped and displayed on the pay line L1 is a symbol combination that satisfies either the winning symbol combination of special minor win A or the winning symbol combination of special minor win B. As a result, in the slot machine 1, when the symbol combination "WM-RP-RP" is stopped and displayed on the pay line L1, the two minor wins, special minor win A and special minor win B, overlap and win (double win).

<Details of the first batting order notification control and the second batting order notification control>
Figure 15 is a diagram explaining the details of the first batting order notification control and the second batting order notification control executed by the AT control means 200 when within the advantageous zone and when winning in the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to winning area "Batting Order Chance 3".

As shown in FIG. 15, when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" are won during the favorable zone and in the non-AT state, the AT control means 200 executes a second batting order notification control to notify the second batting order in which special minor wins A and special minor wins B are won in combination. In the second batting order notification control, the AT control means 200 executes a winning assistance control to notify the stop button that executes the first stop operation in the second batting order (for example, stop button B1 in the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1").

In addition, when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" is won during the advantageous period and in the AT state, the AT control means 200 executes a first batting order notification control that notifies the first batting order in which the chance role will win. In the first batting order notification control, the AT control means 200 executes a winning assistance control that notifies one of two stop buttons as the stop button that executes the first stop operation in the first batting order.

As shown in Figures 13 and 15, the winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" are associated with four of the six batting orders, batting order 1 to batting order 6, for the first batting order, and multiple stop buttons are set as the first stop operation that allows the chance role to be won. Therefore, when executing the first batting order notification control, the AT control means 200 determines by lottery one of the multiple stop buttons as the stop button that will perform the first stop operation, and notifies the determined stop button as the stop button that will perform the first stop operation.

Specifically, when the winning area "Batting Chance 1" is won in the AT state, the AT control means 200 performs a lottery to determine either stop button B2 or stop button B3 as the stop button to perform the first stop operation, and if the result of the lottery determines that stop button B2 is the stop button to perform the first stop operation, it notifies that batting orders 3 and 4 are batting orders that will allow the chance role to win, and if the result of the lottery determines that stop button B3 is the stop button to perform the first stop operation, it notifies that batting orders 5 and 6 are batting orders that will allow the chance role to win.

With this configuration, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" is won in the AT state and the first batting order notification control is executed, it is possible to prevent the player's game from becoming monotonous due to the stop buttons that are notified as the stop buttons to be operated as the first stop operation being biased towards some stop buttons, and to prevent the player's interest in the game from decreasing.

Figure 16 (A) is a diagram showing the winning support effect executed by the effect control means 180 when the winning area "batting order chance 1" is won in the internal lottery in the non-AT state. As shown in Figure 16 (A), the effect control means 180 displays on the display device 330 a first winning support effect indicator 330a notifying that the stop button that executes the first stop operation in the second batting order is stop button B1, and displays a second winning support effect indicator 330b with the same content near the center reel R2 and near the right reel R3, thereby executing a winning support effect that notifies that the stop button that executes the second stop operation in the second batting order is stop button B2 or stop button B3.

Figure 16 (B) is a diagram showing the winning support effect executed by the effect control means 180 when the winning area "batting order chance 1" is won in the internal lottery in the AT state. As shown in Figure 16 (B), based on the AT control means 200 deciding to announce batting order 3 or batting order 4 in which the stop button B2 is operated for the first stop as the first batting order, the effect control means 180 displays on the display device 330 a first winning support effect indicator 330a announcing that the stop button that performs the first stop operation in the first batting order is the stop button B2, and displays a second winning support effect indicator 330b with the same content near the left reel R1 and near the right reel R3, thereby executing a winning support effect announcing that the stop button that performs the second stop operation in the first batting order is the stop button B1 or the stop button B3.

4. Summary of the present embodiment As described above, in the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment, when the winning area "batting order chance 1" to the winning area "batting order chance 3" are won in the internal lottery in the non-AT state, the operation mode of the stop buttons B1 to B3 advantageous to the player is the second batting order notification control, which is the operation mode in which the number of winning small roles increases, and the winning assistance performance corresponding to the second batting order notification control are executed, and by pressing the stop buttons B1 to B3 in the second batting order, the special small role A and the special small role B, each set to a payout of one coin, are overlapped and win, and two coins are paid out.

In addition, in the slot machine 1, when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" are selected in the internal lottery while the slot machine is in the AT state, the operation mode of the stop buttons B1 to B3 that is advantageous to the player is the first batting order notification control, which notifies the player of the first batting order, which is the operation mode that results in the largest number of medals being paid out as a result of playing, and the winning assistance performance corresponding to the first batting order notification control is executed, and by pressing the stop buttons B1 to B3 in the first batting order, a chance role with a payout of 15 coins, which is more than the combined payout (2 coins) of the special small role A and the special small role B, which are set to a payout of 1 coin, is won, and 15 coins are paid out.

Because of this configuration, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to the winning area "Batting Order Chance 3" are won in the non-AT state, the second batting order notification control is executed to execute a game in which the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the second batting order, and the number of medals paid out is less than when a chance role is won, and a game in which two medals are paid out, which is less than the specified number of three medals, is executed, thereby lowering the lower limit of the expected medal winning rate, and If "Winning Event 3" is won, the first batting order notification control is executed to execute a game in which stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the first batting order, and a game in which 15 medals are paid out for the specified number of medals inserted, 3, is executed, thereby raising the upper limit of the expected medal acquisition rate. By allowing the player to win medals through a game following the winning assistance executed in the AT state, the player can easily win medals without causing stress to the player, and therefore the slot machine 1's design freedom can be maintained while attracting the player's interest.

The winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" constitute the multiple batting order winning patterns in this embodiment, the chance role set to a payout of 15 coins as the first payout constitutes the first minor role in this embodiment, the special minor role A set to a payout of 1 coin as the second payout constitutes the second minor role in this embodiment, and the special minor role B set to a payout of 1 coin as the third payout, which is the same as the second payout, constitutes the third minor role in this embodiment.

As mentioned above, the winning symbol combination for special minor win A is "WM-ANY-RP", and the winning symbol combination for special minor win B is "WM-RP-ANY", and the symbols on the left reel R1 are composed of the common watermelon symbol "WM". Also, for the symbols on the middle reel R2, the special minor win A is composed of any symbol among all symbols arranged on the periphery of the middle reel R2, and the special minor win B is composed of the replay symbol "RP". And for the symbols on the right reel R3, the special minor win A is composed of the replay symbol "RP", and the special minor win B is composed of any symbol among all symbols arranged on the periphery of the right reel R3.

With this configuration, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, by displaying the symbol combination "WM-RP-RP" on one active line L1, both the winning symbol combination "WM-ANY-RP" for special minor win A and the winning symbol combination "WM-RP-ANY" for special minor win B can be displayed on the active line L1. Since multiple minor wins can be achieved using one active line L1, the configuration of the symbols arranged on the periphery of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 and the program related to reel stop control can be simplified, thereby reducing design costs.

The left reel R1 constitutes the third reel in this embodiment, the watermelon symbol "WM" arranged on the left reel R1 constitutes the second specific symbol in this embodiment, the center reel R2 constitutes the first reel in this embodiment, the right reel R3 constitutes the second reel in this embodiment, and the replay symbol "RP" arranged on the center reel R2 and the replay symbol "RP" arranged on the right reel R3 constitute the first specific symbol in this embodiment.

As described above, the gaming machine (1) of this embodiment has the following features:
A plurality of reels (R1, R2, R3);
a plurality of stop buttons (B1, B2, B3) corresponding to the plurality of reels, respectively;
An internal lottery means (120) for performing an internal lottery for a winning combination;
and an auxiliary game control means (200) for controlling a normal zone and an advantageous zone and for controlling an auxiliary game in the advantageous zone.
The internal lottery includes a plurality of batting order winning modes as the objects of the lottery,
The plurality of batting order winning patterns are winning patterns in which the first small win, the second small win, and the third small win are each won in a duplicate manner,
The first minor prize is set to a first payout,
The second minor prize is set to a second payout,
The third minor prize is set to the third payout,
the first dividend is higher than a combined dividend of the second dividend and the third dividend,
In the batting order selection mode, a first batting order and a second batting order are preset as the order of pressing the plurality of stop buttons,
When the batting order winning mode is won and the plurality of stop buttons are pressed in the first batting order, the first minor winning combination is won;
When the batting order winning mode is won and the plurality of stop buttons are pressed in the second batting order, the second minor prize and the third minor prize are won in an overlapping manner,
The auxiliary game control means controls a first state and a second state as states related to the auxiliary game in the advantageous zone,
the first state is a state more advantageous to a player than the second state,
The auxiliary game control means notifies the first batting order when the first state is reached and the batting order winning mode is selected,
The auxiliary game control means notifies the player of the second batting order when the second state is reached and the batting order selection mode is selected.

With this configuration, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to the winning area "Batting Order Chance 3" are won in the non-AT state, the second batting order notification control is executed, and a game in which the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the second batting order is executed, and a game in which two medals are paid out, which is a smaller number of medals than when a chance role is won, is executed, thereby lowering the lower limit of the expected medal acquisition rate, and when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to the winning area "Batting Order Chance 3" are won in the AT state, the first batting order notification control is executed. By executing the control, a game is executed in which stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the first hitting order, and a game is executed in which 15 medals are paid out, which is more than the number of medals paid out when special minor win A and special minor win B are both won, thereby raising the upper limit of the expected medal winning rate, and by allowing the player to win medals through a game according to the winning assistance executed in the AT state, the player can easily win medals without causing stress to the player, thereby attracting the player's interest while maintaining the design freedom of the slot machine 1.

In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment,
The second dividend and the third dividend are the same dividend.

With this configuration, the slot machine 1 of this embodiment can execute reel stop control using number priority control and a stop control table in a configuration that does not cause differences with number priority control in the reel stop control that causes special small wins A and special small wins B to overlap when the winning areas "Batting Chance 1" to "Batting Chance 3" are won, and the program related to the reel stop control can be simplified and the program capacity reduced.

In addition, the gaming machine of this embodiment has
A winning determination means (140) for determining whether a winning combination has been achieved is provided;
the plurality of reels include a first reel (R2), a second reel (R3), and a third reel (R1);
In the winning judgment, the symbol combination displayed on the pay line (L1) is compared with the winning symbol combination determined for each winning combination to judge whether the winning combination has won or not.
A common first specific symbol is arranged on the first reel and the second reel,
A second specific symbol is arranged on the third reel,
The second minor winning combination is composed of any symbol arranged on the first reel, the first specific symbol on the second reel, and the second specific symbol on the third reel;
The third minor winning combination is constituted by the first specific symbol on the first reel, any symbol arranged on the second reel, and the second specific symbol on the third reel.

With this configuration, the slot machine 1 of this embodiment can display both the winning symbol combination "WM-RP-RP" of special minor win A and the winning symbol combination "WM-RP-ANY" of special minor win B on the single active line L1 by stopping and displaying the symbol combination "WM-RP-RP" on the single active line L1. This allows for multiple wins of minor wins to be achieved using a single active line L1, simplifying the configuration of the symbols arranged on the periphery of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3 and the program related to reel stop control, thereby reducing design costs.

5. Modifications In this embodiment, the slot machine 1 sets the payout for the special small win A and the special small win B to the same payout of 1 coin, but is not limited to this. For example, the slot machine 1 may set the payout for the special small win A to 1 coin and the payout for the special small win B to 2 coins, and may be configured so that the number of medals paid out when the special small win A and the special small win B are won simultaneously is less than the number of medals paid out when the chance win is won.

In addition, in this embodiment, the slot machine 1 is configured to have one active line L1, but is not limited to this. The slot machine 1 may be configured to have multiple active lines, for example, a first active line consisting of the top row of the left reel R1, the middle row of the middle reel R2, and the bottom row of the right reel R3, and a second active line consisting of the bottom row of the left reel R1, the middle row of the middle reel R2, and the top row of the right reel R3.

When configured in this way, the slot machine 1 may be configured such that when the winning areas "Batting Chance 1" to "Batting Chance 3" are won and stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the first batting order, a chance role is awarded on only either the first or second valid line, and when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the second batting order, special small role A is awarded on either the first or second valid line, and special small role B is awarded on the other of the first or second valid line, resulting in a double win of special small role A and special small role B.

In addition, when the slot machine 1 is configured to have multiple winning lines, such as a first winning line and a second winning line, the slot machine 1 may be configured to display the winning symbol combination of special minor win A on both the first and second winning lines when, for example, winning areas "Batting Chance 1" through "Batting Chance 3" are won and stop buttons B1 through B3 are pressed in the second batting order, thereby allowing special minor win A to be won multiple times.

In other words, the gaming machine is
When the batting order winning mode is won and the plurality of stop buttons are pressed in the first batting order, the first minor combination wins alone and a first number of game values is paid out;
When the batting order winning mode is won and the plurality of stop buttons are pressed in the second batting order, the second minor winning combination is won in duplicate and a second number of game values is paid out;
The first number may be greater than the second number.

When configured in this way, the slot machine 1 can achieve a duplicate win with a single minor win for minor wins that would occur if the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the second batting order when the winning areas "Batting Chance 1" to "Batting Chance 3" are won, and the data volume related to the minor wins can be reduced compared to when multiple minor wins are used to achieve duplicate wins.

In addition, in this embodiment, the AT control means 200 is configured to notify the second batting order when the winning areas "batting order chance 1" to "batting order chance 3" are won in a non-AT state, but is not limited to this. For example, when the winning areas "batting order chance 1" to "batting order chance 3" are won, the AT control means 200 may be configured to notify the first batting order at a first frequency and to notify the second batting order at a second frequency higher than the first frequency, that is, when the winning areas "batting order chance 1" to "batting order chance 3" are won in a non-AT state, the first batting order may be notified at a lower frequency than the second batting order. Also, when configured in this manner, the AT control means 200 may be configured to, for example, announce the second batting order when the winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" are won in the normal non-AT state, and to determine by lottery whether to announce the first or second batting order when the winning areas "Batting Order Chance 1" to "Batting Order Chance 3" are won in the CZ state.

In addition, in this embodiment, the AT control means 200 is configured to determine one of the multiple stop buttons as the first stop button to be operated by lottery when the winning area "Batting Order Chance 1" to the winning area "Batting Order Chance 3" are won in the AT state and the first batting order is announced, but is not limited to this. For example, the AT control means 200 may be configured to execute a first batting order announcement control that announces that any of the multiple stop buttons may be pressed when announcing the first batting order. When configured in this way, the presentation control means 180 is configured to display multiple first winning assistance presentation indicators 330a in the winning assistance presentation.

Specifically, in the slot machine 1, when the winning area "batting order chance 1" is won in the AT state, a first batting order notification control is executed to notify that either the stop button B2 or the stop button B3 may be operated to perform the first stop operation, and the display device 330 may be configured to display a first winning assistance performance indicator 330a near the center reel R2 and near the right reel R3, and to display a second winning assistance performance indicator 330b near the left reel R1.

In this embodiment, the performance control means 180 is configured to execute a performance in which an image having a design similar to the BAR symbol "BAR" or the white 7 symbol "white 7" is displayed as the first winning auxiliary performance indicator as a display to make the player aim to press a specific stop button when the BAR symbol "BAR" or the white 7 symbol "white 7" is displayed in the display window DW, but is not limited to this. For example, the performance control means 180 may make the player aim to press a specific stop button when the BAR symbol "BAR" or the white 7 symbol "white 7" is displayed in the display window DW by using an image composed of the number "1" indicating the order of the stop operation and the color of the BAR symbol "BAR" or the white 7 symbol "white 7" (black for the BAR symbol "BAR" and white for the white 7 symbol "white 7") as the first winning auxiliary performance indicator.

The presentation control means 180 may be configured to use, for example, an image made up of the number "1" indicating the order of the stop operation as the first winning auxiliary presentation indicator, and to change the background in the display device 330 to a color similar to the color of the BAR symbol "BAR" or the white 7 symbol "white 7" when the first to third winning auxiliary presentation indicators are displayed, thereby making the player aim to press a specific stop button when the BAR symbol "BAR" or the white 7 symbol "white 7" is displayed in the display window DW.

In other words, the presentation control means 180 only needs to be configured to display a specific presentation that prompts the player to press a specific stop button when the BAR symbol "BAR" or the white 7 symbol "white 7" is displayed in the display window DW, and the specific content of the presentation is not limited to that of this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the slot machine 1 has symbols (BAR symbol "BAR" and white 7 symbol "white 7") that are more visible because they are wider than the other symbols arranged on the periphery of the left reel R1 to the right reel R3, but this is not limited to this. For example, the slot machine 1 may have, as the first symbol, a highly visible symbol composed of an image through which the reel backlight that illuminates the reel tape from the backside of the reel is transmitted, and a symbol that is less visible than the highly visible symbol composed of an image that the reel backlight does not transmit, so that when a specific reel is rotating, the highly visible symbol is illuminated and displayed in rotation, making it more visible than the other symbols.

In other words, the slot machine 1 only needs to be configured so that the visibility of highly visible symbols is higher than that of other symbols, and the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment.

In addition, in this embodiment, the winning areas "Batting Order Bell 1" to "Batting Order Bell 12" are configured so that Bell A to Bell L can win if the first stop operation is performed in the correct batting order and at the appropriate pressing timing, but this is not limited, and it is sufficient that Bell A to Bell L can win if at least one of the first to third stop operations is pressed at the appropriate timing.

In addition, in this embodiment, the slot machine 1 is configured to set the stored value of each counter or memory means as an initial value, and to perform a decrement update in which one is subtracted each time a game is played, or an increment update in which one is added each time a game is played, but this is not limited to this, and the method of updating each counter or memory means may be configured to perform multiplication, division, etc., and is not particularly limited.

1. Slot machine (amusement machine)
120 Internal lottery means 140 Winning determination means 200 AT control means (auxiliary game control means)
B1 Stop button B2 Stop button B3 Stop button L1 Active line R1 Left reel (third reel)
R2 Middle reel (1st reel)
R3 Right reel (2nd reel)

Claims (1)

Multiple reels and
a plurality of stop buttons respectively corresponding to the plurality of reels;
An internal lottery means for performing an internal lottery for a role;
a reel control means for controlling a rotation mode and a stopping mode of the reel,
The internal lottery includes a first winning mode and a second winning mode as targets of the lottery,
The first winning mode is a winning mode in which the first small win and the third small win are won in combination,
The second winning mode is a winning mode in which the second small prize and the third small prize are won in combination,
The first minor prize is set to a larger payout than the third minor prize,
The second minor prize is set to a larger payout than the third minor prize,
the plurality of reels includes a specific reel,
The plurality of stop buttons includes a specific stop button,
the specific stop button corresponds to the specific reel,
The symbols arranged on the specific reel include a first symbol and a second symbol,
The first symbol is included in the symbol of the specific reel constituting the symbol combination indicating the winning of the first minor role and the symbol of the specific reel constituting the symbol combination indicating the winning of the third minor role;
The second symbol is included in the symbol of the specific reel constituting the symbol combination indicating the winning of the second minor role and the symbol of the specific reel constituting the symbol combination indicating the winning of the third minor role;
the reel control means stops, on an active line, symbols within a pull-in range corresponding to the position of the reel at the time the stop button is pressed;
When the first winning mode is won, if the plurality of stop buttons are pressed in a predetermined order, and the specific stop button is pressed at a timing when the symbols within a first range including the pull-in range of the first symbol are displayed in rotation on the pay line on the specific reel, the first symbol is displayed stopped on the specific reel, and a symbol combination showing the winning of the first minor role can be displayed stopped on the pay line;
When the first winning mode is won, if the plurality of stop buttons are pressed in the predetermined order, and the specific stop button is pressed at a timing when symbols within a second range not overlapping with the first range on the specific reel are displayed in rotation on an active line, the second symbol is displayed stationary on the specific reel, and a symbol combination showing the winning of the third minor role can be displayed stationary on the active line;
When the second winning mode is won, if the plurality of stop buttons are pressed in the predetermined order, and the specific stop button is pressed at a timing when symbols within a third range including the pull-in range of the second symbol are displayed in rotation on an active line on the specific reel, the second symbol is displayed stationary on the specific reel, and a symbol combination indicating the winning of the second minor combination can be displayed stationary on the active line;
When the second winning mode is won, if the plurality of stop buttons are pressed in the predetermined order, and the specific stop button is pressed at a timing when symbols within a fourth range not overlapping with the third range on the specific reel are being displayed in rotation on an active line, the first symbol is displayed stationary on the specific reel, and a symbol combination showing the winning of the third minor role can be displayed stationary on the active line.
A gaming machine characterized by:

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