JP7496166B2 - Gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

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

A gaming machine is known in which the player can select the number of gaming media bets to place (1 bet, 2 bets, or 3 bets), and in which the internal probability of winning and the number of gaming media paid out are determined according to the number of bets (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2018-175116 A

The presentation of the gaming machine has the effect of increasing the interest of the game. However, there is room for improvement in the conventional presentation in relation to the duration of the game.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that can improve the entertainment value of the presentation in relation to the duration of the game.

According to the present invention,
A game control means for controlling a game;
A performance control means for controlling the performance;
A gaming machine equipped with
There is a first period of actual play that does not include pseudo play,
There is a second period including the pseudo game and the main game,
The first period is a period of a first number of games,
The second period is a period for a second number of games,
The first number of games is a number of games of a plurality of main games,
The second number of games is a number of games of the present game that is less than the first number of games,
The game control means transmits a command corresponding to a reel stop state in the game to the performance control means,
the game control means transmits a command corresponding to a reel stop state in a pseudo game to the performance control means;
A predetermined effect can be executed during the first period,
The predetermined effect can be executed during the second period,
The predetermined effect executed in the second period is an effect including an effect executed in a pseudo game,
The predetermined effect is an effect composed of a plurality of individual effects,
The plurality of individual effects are effects that are configured in a number of effects that can be performed within the first number of games,
The first period is a period during which each of the plurality of individual effects is executed in one game,
The second period is a period including a certain game in which a pseudo game and a main game are executed in one game,
The plurality of individual effects include an individual effect executed in a pseudo game of the certain game and an individual effect executed in a real game of the certain game,
A gaming machine characterized by the above is provided.

The present invention provides a gaming machine that can improve the entertainment value of the presentation in relation to the duration of the game.

1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a slot machine 100 as seen from the front side (player side). FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a winning line. 1 is an external perspective view showing a reel rotation device 185 of the slot machine 100. FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of a reel drive unit 25, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the arrangement of LEDs of a plurality of reel backlights 94 attached to an illumination base 90. FIG. FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram of a control unit. 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of symbols on each reel laid out in a plane. FIG. A diagram showing the types of winning roles (including operating roles). This is an explanatory diagram of the types of small bells. 1A is a transition diagram of the gaming state of the slot machine 100, and FIG. 1B is a transition diagram of the advantageous zone and non-advantageous zone of the slot machine 100. FIG. A transition diagram of the AT-related states of the slot machine 100. 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of main processing of a main control unit. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a main control unit timer interrupt process. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the pseudo-game related process (step S109) in FIG. 11. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of reel spin start processing (step S1003) of the pseudo game in FIG. 13. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of the reel stop control process (step S1005) of the pseudo game in FIG. 13. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of the pseudo next game start processing (step S1006) in FIG. 13. 12 is a flowchart showing the process of starting reel spinning (step S113) in FIG. 11. 18 is a flowchart showing the flow of the random delay rotation start process (step S1411) in FIG. 17. (a) is a flowchart of main processing executed by CPU 404 of first sub-control unit 400, (b) is a flowchart of command reception interrupt processing of first sub-control unit 400, and (c) is a flowchart of timer interrupt processing of first sub-control unit 400. (a) is a flowchart of main processing executed by the CPU 504 of the second sub-control unit 500, (b) is a flowchart of command reception interrupt processing of the second sub-control unit 500, (c) is a flowchart of timer interrupt processing of the second sub-control unit 500, and (d) is a flowchart of image control processing of the second sub-control unit 500. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of a simulated game in an embodiment. A diagram showing a pseudo-game lamp 190. A figure showing an example of the configuration of a continuous performance CE. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of execution of a continuous performance CE. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of execution of a continuous performance CE. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a presentation in a simulated game. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a presentation in a simulated game. 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the reel stop control process in a pseudo game. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a notification process executed by a CPU 304 of a main control unit 300. 13A to 13C are diagrams showing examples of operation navigation in the AT state. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of transition of an AT-related state. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of transition of an AT-related state. 13A is a diagram showing an example of information output from the information output circuit 334 to the information input circuit 652, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing an example of a display on a game information display device outside the slot machine 100. FIG. 5A to 5C are diagrams showing examples of changes in the RB and BB signals. 13A to 13C are diagrams showing examples of changes in the RB signal and the BB signal, and changes in the display example of the display 653. 13A to 13C are diagrams showing examples of changes in the RB signal and the BB signal, and changes in the display example of the display 653. 13A to 13C are diagrams showing examples of changes in the RB signal and the BB signal, and changes in the display example of the display 653. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a game start process. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a betting process. This is an explanatory diagram of the case where the bet buttons 130 to 132 are used as effect selection confirmation buttons. 1 is a front view showing the slot machine 100 with the front door 102 open. 2 is a block diagram of a control system related to the light-emitting elements 212 to 214.

The following embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined in any desired manner. In addition, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

First Embodiment
The slot machine of this embodiment described below is a gaming machine in which a predetermined number of gaming media are inserted as gaming value, and multiple reels, each decorated with multiple types of patterns, begin to spin when a predetermined rotation start instruction operation is received, and based on the reception of the rotation start instruction operation, a lottery is held to determine whether or not multiple types of roles have been internally won, and each of the multiple reels stops spinning individually when a predetermined rotation stop instruction operation is received.If the conditions determined by the role based on the result of the lottery and the combination of patterns when the multiple reels stop meet predetermined payout conditions, gaming media is paid out and the game ends, but if they do not meet, the game ends without paying out any gaming media.

First, the basic configuration of the slot machine 100 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is an external perspective view of the slot machine 100 as seen from the front side (player side). Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of a winning line.

The slot machine 100 shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to an example of a gaming machine of the present invention, and comprises a main body 101 and a front door 102 that is attached to the front side of the main body 101 and can be opened and closed relative to the main body 101. Three reels (left reel 110, middle reel 111, right reel 112) with multiple types of patterns arranged on their outer periphery are housed inside the center of the main body 101 (not shown), and are configured to rotate inside the slot machine 100. These reels 110 to 112 are rotated by a driving device such as a stepping motor.

In this embodiment, each symbol is printed on a strip-shaped member at equal intervals in appropriate numbers, and the strip-shaped member is attached to a predetermined circular cylindrical frame material to form each reel 110-112. When viewed from the player, the symbols on the reels 110-112 are displayed vertically in roughly three rows from the display window 113, so that a total of nine symbols can be seen. To explain this in detail using FIG. 2, the symbol displayed on the top row of the left reel 110 (position 1 shown in the figure) is the left reel top row symbol, the symbol displayed on the middle row of the left reel 110 (position 2 shown in the figure) is the left reel middle row symbol, the symbol displayed on the bottom row of the left reel 110 (position 3 shown in the figure) is the left reel bottom row symbol, the symbol displayed on the top row of the middle reel 111 (position 4 shown in the figure) is the middle reel top row symbol, the symbol displayed on the middle row of the left reel 111 (position 5 shown in the figure) is the middle reel middle row symbol, and the symbol displayed on the bottom row of the middle reel 111 (position 6 shown in the figure) is the middle reel middle row symbol. The symbol displayed in the lower row (position 6 in the figure) is called the middle reel lower row symbol, the symbol displayed in the upper row of the right reel 112 (position 7 in the figure) is called the right reel upper row symbol, the symbol displayed in the middle row of the right reel 112 (position 8 in the figure) is called the right reel middle row symbol, and the symbol displayed in the lower row of the right reel 112 (position 9 in the figure) is called the right reel lower row symbol, and each symbol of the reels 110 to 112 is displayed three vertically on each of the reels 110 to 112 through the display window 113, for a total of nine symbols. Then, by rotating each of the reels 110 to 112, the combination of symbols seen by the player changes. In other words, each of the reels 110 to 112 functions as a display device that variably displays a combination of multiple types of symbols. In addition to reels, electronic image display devices such as liquid crystal display devices can also be used as such display devices. In addition, in this embodiment, three reels are provided inside the center of the slot machine 100, but the number of reels and the installation position of the reels are not limited to this.

A backlight (see FIG. 4 described later) is provided on the back of each of the reels 110-112 to illuminate the individual symbols displayed in the display window 113. It is desirable that the backlight is shielded for each symbol so that each symbol can be evenly illuminated. Inside the slot machine 100, an optical sensor (not shown) consisting of a light-emitting section and a light-receiving section is provided near each of the reels 110-112, and a light-shielding piece of a certain length provided on the reel passes between the light-emitting section and the light-receiving section of this optical sensor. Based on the detection result of this optical sensor, the position of the symbol on the reel in the rotation direction is determined, and the reels 110-112 are stopped so that the target symbol is displayed on the winning line.

The winning line indicator lamp 120 is a lamp that indicates the winning line that is active. The winning line is a line that is used to determine whether or not a symbol combination corresponding to a winning role is displayed. In this embodiment, three lines are provided: a middle winning line L1 consisting of the middle symbols of the left reel, the middle symbols of the middle reel, and the middle symbols of the right reel; an upper winning line L2 consisting of the upper symbols of the left reel, the upper symbols of the middle reel, and the upper symbols of the right reel; and a lower winning line L3 consisting of the lower symbols of the left reel, the lower symbols of the middle reel, and the lower symbols of the right reel. FIG. 2 shows these winning lines L1 to L3. The winning lines that are active (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "active lines") are predetermined by the number of game media (medals) bet as game value. The slot machine 100 shown in FIG. 1 requires three medals, and if less than three medals are inserted, no winning lines are active. When three medals are bet, winning lines L1 to L3 are active. When the winning lines are active, the player can start playing by operating the start lever 135.

The number of winning lines is not limited to three. For example, there may be only the middle winning line L1. Alternatively, a downward-sloping winning line consisting of the upper pattern of the left reel, the middle pattern of the middle reel, and the lower pattern of the right reel, or an upward-sloping winning line consisting of the lower pattern of the left reel, the middle pattern of the middle reel, and the upper pattern of the right reel may be added, for a total of five lines, as valid winning lines. A number of winning lines according to the number of bets may be set as valid winning lines.

The notification lamp 123 is a lamp that notifies the player that, for example, a specific winning role (specifically, an RB (special role) has been internally won in an internal lottery described below), or that the player is in a special role internally won state or a special game state described below. The medal insertion possible lamp 124 is a lamp that notifies the player that a medal can be inserted. The replay lamp 122 is a lamp that notifies the player that the current game can be replayed (no medal insertion is necessary) if the player won a replay role (details of which will be described later), which is one of the winning roles, in the previous game. The reel panel lamp 128 is a lamp for presentation purposes.

The bet buttons 130 to 132 are buttons for inserting a predetermined number of medals (called credits) electronically stored in the slot machine 100, in other words, buttons for accepting bet operations. In this embodiment, one medal is inserted each time the bet button 130 is pressed, two medals are inserted when the bet button 131 is pressed, and three medals are inserted when the bet button 132 is pressed (maximum three medals). Hereinafter, the bet button 132 is also referred to as the MAX bet button. The game medal insertion lamp 129 lights up a number of lamps according to the number of medals inserted, and when the specified number of medals have been inserted, the game start lamp 121 lights up to indicate that the game can be started.

The medal insertion slot 141 is an insertion slot through which the player inserts medals when starting a game, and is an insertion slot that accepts the insertion of medals. In other words, medals can be inserted electronically using the bet buttons 130 to 132, or actual medals can be inserted (insertion operation) through the medal insertion slot 141, and the term "insertion" includes both.

The number of medals stored in the slot machine 100 is displayed on the display 125. The game information display 126 is displayed on the display 126 to display various internal information (e.g., the number of medals paid out during a special game state) in numerical form. The number of medals paid out display 127 is displayed on the display 127 to display the number of medals paid out to the player as a result of winning a certain winning combination. In the following, the expression "given to the player" may be used in the same sense as "paid out to the player." In this embodiment, the number of medals stored display 125, the game information display 126, and the number of medals paid out display 127 are configured as 7-segment (SEG) displays. This number of medals paid out display 127 corresponds to an example of an operation navigation execution means. Although omitted in FIG. 1, a favorable zone lamp indicating that the player is in a favorable zone, which will be described later, may be provided at the lower right of the number of medals paid out display 127.

As will be described later, in the slot machine 100 of this embodiment, most games are played in the advantageous zone, and since it is possible to know from the presentation that AT games are being played, it is not necessary to provide an advantageous zone lamp.

The start lever 135 is a lever-type switch for starting the rotation of the reels 110 to 112. In other words, when the desired number of medals is inserted into the medal insertion slot 141 or when the bet buttons 130 to 132 are operated and the start lever 135 is operated, the reels 110 to 112 start to rotate. The operation of the start lever 135 is called the operation to start the game.

The stop button unit 136 is provided with stop buttons 137-139 consisting of a left stop button 137, a center stop button 138, and a right stop button 139. The stop buttons 137-139 are button-type switches for individually stopping the reels 110-112 that have started to rotate by operating the start lever 135, and are associated with each of the reels 110-112.

More specifically, the left reel 110 can be stopped by operating the left stop button 137, the center reel 111 can be stopped by operating the center stop button 138, and the right reel 112 can be stopped by operating the right stop button 139. Hereinafter, the operations of the stop buttons 137 to 139 will be referred to as stop operations, with the first stop operation being the first stop operation, the next stop operation being the second stop operation, and the final stop operation being the third stop operation. Additionally, the reels that are stopped in response to these stop operations will be referred to as the first stop reel, second stop reel, and third stop reel, respectively.

The order in which the stop buttons 137-139 are operated to stop all of the reels 110-112 that are spinning is called the operation order or push order. The operation order in which the first stop operation is the stop operation of the left reel 110 is called the "forward push operation order" or simply "forward push", and the stop operation in which the first stop operation is the stop operation of the right reel 112 is called the "reverse push operation order" or simply "reverse push".

In addition, light emitters may be provided inside each of the stop buttons 137-139, and when the stop buttons 137-139 can be operated, the light emitters can be lit to notify the player.

The bet buttons 130-132, start lever 135, and stop buttons 137-139 are examples of operation means that accept player operations related to the progress of the game.

The medal return button 133 is a button that can be pressed to remove medals that have been inserted and become stuck. The settlement button 134 is a button that can be used to settle medals that have been electronically stored in the slot machine 100 and medals that have been bet, and to dispense them from the medal payout outlet 155. The door key hole 140 is a hole into which a key can be inserted to unlock the front door 102 of the slot machine 100.

Between the bet button 132 and the medal insertion slot 141, there are provided a chance button 165 and a selection confirmation button 166. A performance lamp is built into the chance button 165, and a performance lamp is built into the selection confirmation button 166. The chance button 165 is an operating means that the player operates during a performance. In addition, a left button 167 is provided to the left of the selection confirmation button 166, and a right button 168 is provided to the right. In some cases, the cursor displayed on the performance image display device 157 can be moved by operating the left button 167 and right button 168, and in such cases, the movement can be confirmed by the selection confirmation button 166.

Below the stop button unit 136 is a title panel 162 that displays the model name and allows various certificate stamps to be affixed. Below the title panel 162, a medal payout opening 155 and a medal tray 161 are provided.

The sound hole 145 is a hole for outputting the sound of the speaker 277 (see FIG. 5) located at the bottom inside the slot machine 100 to the outside. The side lamps 144 located on the left and right sides of the front door 102 are decorative lamps to liven up the game. The performance device 160 is disposed at the top of the front door 102, and the performance device 160 has a sound hole 143 at its top for outputting the sound of the speaker 272 (see FIG. 5) located at the top inside the slot machine 100 to the outside.

This performance device 160 is equipped with a shutter (shielding device) 163 consisting of two shutters, a right shutter 163a and a left shutter 163b, which can be opened and closed horizontally, and a performance image display device 157 (liquid crystal display device) disposed on the rear side of this shutter 163. When the right shutter 163a and the left shutter 163b are opened horizontally outward in front of the performance image display device 157, the display screen of the performance image display device 157 appears in front of the slot machine 100 (the player's side, the front side).

Note that the display device does not have to be a liquid crystal display device, and may be any display device capable of displaying various performance images and various game information, such as a multi-segment display (7-segment display), a dot matrix display, an organic EL display, a plasma display, a reel (drum), or a display device consisting of a projector and a screen. The display screen is rectangular and configured so that the player can view the entire screen. In this embodiment, the display screen is rectangular, but it may also be square. Also, decorations (not shown) may be provided on the periphery of the display screen, so that part of the periphery of the display screen is hidden by the decorations, making the display screen appear irregular. In this embodiment, the display screen is flat, but it may also be curved.

Although omitted in FIG. 1, a pseudo-game lamp 190 is provided in the upper right corner of the effect device 160 to indicate that a pseudo-game is in progress (FIG. 22).

<Reel rotation device>
Next, the reel rotation device 185 that rotates the reels 110 to 112 of the slot machine 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

Figure 3 is an external perspective view showing the reel rotation device 185 of the slot machine 100. The reel rotation device 185 is generally composed of reel drive units 25, 26, and 27, and a case member 221 that houses them. The reel drive units 25, 26, and 27 are all structurally composed of the same parts, with the only difference being the arrangement of the patterns printed on the reel band 30 (see Figure 6 described below). Each of the reel drive units 25, 26, and 27 (below, only the reel drive unit 25 will be described, as they have the same configuration) is individually housed in the case member 221 in a removable manner.

Figure 4(a) is an exploded perspective view of the reel drive unit 25. The reel drive unit 25 is composed of the mounting base 13, the sensor bracket 14, the stepping motor 20, the sensor 80, and the reel 110 composed of the belt-shaped member 30, the reel frame 40, the detection piece 50, and the reinforcing rim 70. It also has an illumination board 90 composed of multiple reel backlights 94 for illuminating the image from behind. Note that an attachment member for attaching the illumination board 90 to the reel drive unit 25 is also provided, but is omitted in the figure. The illumination board 90 is provided not only in the reel drive unit 25 but also in the reel drive units 26 and 27, each of which is provided with multiple reel backlights 94.

The mounting base 13 has a sensor bracket 14 and a stepping motor 20 formed on a flat plate. The sensor bracket 14 is attached to the mounting base 13, and a sensor 80 is attached to the tip for detecting the passage of the detection piece 50 described below.

The stepping motor 20 is, for example, a four-phase motor with a resolution of about 252 steps per revolution, driven by a 1-2 phase excitation method. Therefore, one revolution can be controlled with 504 pulses, and the rotation angle can be controlled at 0.7 degrees per pulse.

A reel frame 40 is attached to the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 20. The reel frame 40 is composed of a boss portion 42 attached to the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 20, a rim portion 44 to which the belt-shaped member 30 is attached, and four connecting portions 43 for connecting the boss portion 42 and the rim portion 44. This configuration makes the reel frame 40 lighter, reducing the load on the stepping motor 20. The connecting portions 43 further form screw holes 48 that are opened to attach the detection pieces 50 with screws 60.

A belt-shaped member 30 is glued to the periphery of the rim portion 44 of the reel frame 40. At the same time, a reinforcing rim 70 is glued to the opposite end of the belt-shaped member 30 in order to reinforce the belt-shaped member 30.

The main control unit 300 detects the rotation of each reel based on the detection results of a sensor (index sensor) 80 that detects an index (detection piece 50) provided on each reel, and identifies the stopping position of each reel (position of the pattern displayed on the reel) when the reel stops. Furthermore, the main control unit 300 transmits information regarding the position of the pattern displayed on the reel to the first sub-control unit 400.

The multiple reel backlights 94 are made of LEDs and are attached to the lighting base 90. By turning on all of the multiple reel backlights 94, all of the symbols on the symbol display window 113 can be illuminated from behind. By turning on some of the reel backlights 94, some of the symbols on the symbol display window 113 can be illuminated from behind. In this way, the multiple reel backlights 94 illuminate the symbols on the reels 110 to 112 from the back side toward the player.

Figure 4 (b) is an LED layout diagram of multiple reel backlights 94 attached to the lighting base 90. In detail, the multiple reel backlights 94 are equipped with LED-01 and LED-02 that illuminate the upper tier of the pattern display window 113, LED-03 and LED-04 that illuminate the middle tier of the pattern display window 113, and LED-05 and LED-06 that illuminate the lower tier of the pattern display window 113. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to control the lighting of the reels 110 to 112 separately for the upper, middle, and lower tiers. In order to distinguish between the backlights 94 of the reels 110 to 112, the LEDs 01 to 06 that illuminate the left reel 110 are written as LED-L01 to L06, the LEDs 01 to 06 that illuminate the center reel 111 are written as LED-C01 to C06, and the LEDs 01 to 06 that illuminate the right reel 112 are written as LED-R01 to R06.

<Circuit configuration of control unit>
Next, the circuit configuration of the control unit of the slot machine 100 will be described in detail with reference to Figure 5. This figure shows a circuit block diagram of the control unit.

The slot machine 100's control units are broadly divided into a main control unit 300 that controls the progress of the game, a first sub-control unit 400 that controls the main presentation in response to command signals (hereafter simply referred to as "commands") sent by the main control unit 300, and a second sub-control unit 500 that controls various devices based on the commands sent by the first sub-control unit 400. With regard to the main control unit 300, a large data capacity makes it difficult to verify the program and can also become a breeding ground for illegal tampering, which can lead to security issues, so there is a limit to the data capacity of the ROM 306 and RAM 308 of the main control unit 300.

<Main control unit>
First, the main control unit 300 of the slot machine 100 will be described. The main control unit 300 includes a basic circuit 302 that controls the entire main control unit 300, and this basic circuit 302 includes a CPU 304, a ROM 306 that stores control program data, lottery data used during internal lottery of winning combinations, and the arrangement and stop positions of symbols on the reels, a RAM 308 for temporarily storing data, an I/O 310 for controlling input and output of various devices, a counter timer 312 for measuring time and number of times, and a WDT (watchdog timer) 314.

Note that other storage devices may be used for ROM 306 and RAM 308, and the same applies to the first sub-control unit 400 and second sub-control unit 500 described below.

The CPU 304 of this basic circuit 302 operates by inputting a clock signal with a predetermined period output by the crystal oscillator 315b as a system clock. Furthermore, when the power is turned on, the CPU 304 transmits frequency division data stored in a predetermined area of the ROM 306 to the counter timer 312, and the counter timer 312 determines an interrupt time based on the received frequency division data and transmits an interrupt request to the CPU 304 for each interrupt time.

The CPU 304 monitors each sensor and transmits a drive pulse in response to this interrupt request. For example, if the clock signal output by the crystal oscillator 315b is set to 8 MHz, the division value of the counter timer 312 is set to 1/256, and the division data in the ROM 306 is set to 47, the reference time for the interrupt is 256 x 47 ÷ 8 MHz = 1.504 ms.

The main control unit 300 is equipped with a random number generating circuit 316, which is used as a hardware random number counter that varies the value within the range of 0 to 65535 based on the clock signal input from the crystal oscillator 315a, and a start-up signal output circuit 338 that outputs a start-up signal (reset signal) when the power is turned on. When a start-up signal is input from this start-up signal output circuit 338, the CPU 304 starts game control (starts the main control unit main processing described below).

The main control unit 300 also includes a sensor circuit 320, and the CPU 304 monitors the status of various sensors 318 (bet button 130 sensor, bet button 131 sensor, bet button 132 sensor, medal acceptance sensor that detects medals inserted through the medal insertion slot 141, start lever 135 sensor, left stop button 137 sensor, middle stop button 138 sensor, right stop button 139 sensor, settlement button 134 sensor, medal payout sensor for medals paid out from the hopper unit 180, optical sensors (index sensor 80) of the reels 110 to 112, etc.) at each interrupt time.

When the sensor circuit 320 detects the H level of the start lever sensor, it outputs a signal indicating this detection to the random number generation circuit 316. The random number generation circuit 316 receives this signal, latches the value at that timing, and stores it in a register that stores random numbers to be used in the lottery.

Two medal acceptance sensors are installed in the internal passage of the medal insertion port 141, and detect whether a medal has passed through. Two start lever 135 sensors are installed inside the start lever 135, and detect the start operation by the player. The left stop button 137 sensor, middle stop button 138 sensor, and right stop button 139 sensor are installed on the corresponding stop buttons 137 to 139, and detect the operation of the stop button by the player.

The bet button 130 sensor, bet button 131 sensor, and bet button 132 sensor are installed on the corresponding bet buttons 130 to 132, respectively, and detect the insertion operation when medals stored electronically in RAM 308 are inserted as medals to be inserted into a game. The settlement button 134 sensor is provided on the settlement button 134. When the settlement button 134 is pressed once, the medals stored electronically are settled. The medal payout sensor is a sensor for detecting medals paid out by the hopper unit 180. Note that each of the above sensors may be a non-contact sensor or a contact sensor.

The optical sensors (index sensors 80) of the reels 110-112 are installed at predetermined positions on the mounting bases of the reels 110-112, and go low every time a light-shielding piece (detection piece 50) on the reel frame passes by. Rotational position information, which indicates how far the reel has rotated from the reference position from the time it goes low until it goes low again, is calculated based on the counted value of the clock signal output by the crystal oscillator 315b. When the CPU 304 detects the low-level signal, it determines that the reel has made one rotation, and resets the rotational position information of the reel to zero. This rotational position information is stored in the RAM 308 of the main control unit 300.

The main control unit 300 includes a drive circuit 322 that drives the stepping motors provided on the reels 110-112, a drive circuit 324 that drives a solenoid provided on the medal selector 170 that selects inserted medals, a drive circuit 326 that drives a motor provided on the hopper unit 180, and a drive circuit 328 that drives various lamps 336 (winning line indicator lamp 120, notification lamp 123, medal insertion possible lamp 124, replay lamp 122, medal insertion lamp 129, game start lamp 121, number of stored coins indicator 125, game information indicator 126, number of coins paid out indicator 127, pseudo play lamp 190, advantageous zone lamp 191).

In addition, an information output circuit 334 is connected to the basic circuit 302, and the main control unit 300 outputs game result information (e.g., information indicating the game status, number of games played, etc.) of the slot machine 100 to an information input circuit 652 provided in an external hall computer (not shown) or the like via this information output circuit 334.

The main control unit 300 also includes a voltage monitoring circuit 330 that monitors the voltage value of the power supply supplied to the main control unit 300 from a power supply management unit (not shown), and the voltage monitoring circuit 330 outputs a low voltage signal to the basic circuit 302 indicating that the voltage has dropped when the voltage value of the power supply is below a predetermined value (9V in this embodiment).

The main control unit 300 also has an output interface for sending control commands (sometimes called sub-commands) to the first sub-control unit 400, enabling communication with the first sub-control unit 400. Note that information communication between the main control unit 300 and the first sub-control unit 400 is one-way communication, and the main control unit 300 is configured to be able to send signals such as control commands to the first sub-control unit 400, but is configured such that signals such as control commands cannot be sent from the first sub-control unit 400 to the main control unit 300.

<Sub-control section>
Next, the first sub-control unit 400 of the slot machine 100 will be described. The first sub-control unit 400 receives the control command transmitted by the main control unit 300 via the input interface. The first sub-control unit 400 includes a basic circuit 402 that controls the entire first sub-control unit 400 based on the control command, and the basic circuit 402 includes a CPU 404, a RAM 408 for temporarily storing data, an I/O 410 for controlling input and output of various devices, and a counter timer 412 for measuring time, number of times, etc. The CPU 404 of the basic circuit 402 operates by inputting a clock signal of a predetermined period output by a crystal oscillator 414 as a system clock. The ROM 406 stores control programs and data for controlling the entire first sub-control unit 400, and data for controlling the backlight lighting pattern and various displays.

The CPU 404 transmits the frequency division data stored in a specified area of the ROM 406 to the counter timer 412 via the data bus at a specified timing. The counter timer 412 determines the interrupt time based on the received frequency division data, and transmits an interrupt request to the CPU 404 for each interrupt time. The CPU 404 controls each IC and each circuit based on the timing of this interrupt request.

The first sub-control unit 400 is also provided with a sound source IC 418, which is provided with speakers 272, 277 via an output interface. The sound source IC 418 controls the sound output from the amplifier and speakers 272, 277 in response to commands from the CPU 404. An S-ROM (sound ROM) in which sound data is stored is connected to the sound source IC 418, and sound data acquired from this ROM is amplified by the amplifier and output from the speakers 272, 277.

The first sub-controller 400 is also provided with a drive circuit 422, to which various lamps 420 (upper lamp, lower lamp, side lamp 144, title panel lamp, bet button lamp, reel backlight 94, etc.) are connected via an input/output interface.

The first sub-controller 400 also includes a drive circuit 424 that drives the motor of the shutter 163, and the drive circuit 424 is connected to the shutter 163 via an output interface. This drive circuit 424 outputs a drive signal to a stepping motor (not shown) provided in the shutter 163 in response to a command from the CPU 404.

The first sub-control unit 400 is also provided with a sensor circuit 426, to which a shutter sensor 428 is connected via an input interface. The CPU 404 monitors the state of the shutter sensor 428 at each interrupt time. The first sub-control unit 400 is also provided with a switch sensor 427, which detects the press of the chance button 165. The switch sensor 427 also detects the press of each of the selection confirmation button 166, left button 167, and right button 168. Detection signals from the shutter sensor 428 and switch sensor 427 are output to the basic circuit 402 by the sensor circuit 426.

The CPU 404 also transmits and receives signals to the second sub-control unit 500 via the output interface. The second sub-control unit 500 performs various controls of the performance device 160, including display control of the performance image display device 157. The second sub-control unit 500 may be configured with multiple control units, such as a control unit that controls the display of the performance image display device 157 and a control unit that controls various performance drive devices (for example, a control unit that controls the motor drive of the shutter 163).

The second sub-control unit 500 has a basic circuit 502 that receives control commands sent by the first sub-control unit 400 via an input interface and controls the entire second sub-control unit 500 based on these control commands. This basic circuit 502 is equipped with a CPU 504, a RAM 508 for temporarily storing data, an I/O 510 for controlling the input and output of various devices, and a counter timer 512 for measuring time, number of times, etc. The CPU 504 of the basic circuit 502 operates by inputting a clock signal of a predetermined period output by a crystal oscillator 514 as a system clock. The ROM 506 stores control programs and data for controlling the entire second sub-control unit 500, data for image display, etc.

The CPU 504 transmits the frequency division data stored in a specified area of the ROM 506 to the counter timer 512 via the data bus at a specified timing. The counter timer 512 determines the interrupt time based on the received frequency division data, and transmits an interrupt request to the CPU 404 for each interrupt time. The CPU 504 controls each IC and each circuit based on the timing of this interrupt request.

The second sub-control unit 500 is also provided with a VDP 516 (video display processor), which is connected to a ROM 506 and a VRAM 518 via a bus. The VDP 516 reads out image data and the like stored in the ROM 506 based on a signal from the CPU 504, generates a display image using the work area of the VRAM 518, and displays the image on the performance image display device 157.

<Pattern arrangement>
Next, the arrangement of symbols on each of the reels 110 to 112 will be described with reference to Figure 6. This figure shows the arrangement of symbols on each of the reels (left reel 110, center reel 111, right reel 112) in a two-dimensional layout.

Each of the reels 110-112 has a predetermined number of frames (20 frames numbered 1-20) of symbols of multiple types (8 types in this embodiment) as shown on the right side of the figure. The numbers 1-20 shown on the left side of the figure indicate the arrangement positions of the symbols on each of the reels 110-112. For example, in this embodiment, the "watermelon symbol" is placed on the number 20 frame of the left reel 110, the "bell symbol" is placed on the number 5 frame of the center reel 111, and the "replay symbol" is placed on the number 9 frame of the right reel 112.

In this embodiment, the slot machine 100 is configured to stop the corresponding reel 110-112 within the maximum retraction range (e.g., less than 5 frames) from the position where the reel is stopped in order to increase the excitement of the game.

<Types of winning roles>
Next, the types of winning combinations of the slot machine 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. This figure shows the types of winning combinations (including operating combinations).

The winning combinations on the slot machine 100 include RB (special combination), replay (replay combination), common bell (small combination), push order bell_LCR-RCL (small combination), cherry (small combination), and watermelon (small combination). Note that the types of winning combinations are not limited to these combinations, and any combination can be used.

Among the winning roles in this embodiment, the special role is a role (operating role) that transitions to a special game state (RT2) in which a player is awarded a predetermined benefit upon winning. The replay role is a role that allows replay without inserting new medals. These special roles and replay roles are sometimes called "operating roles." In addition, "winning" in this embodiment also includes cases in which a symbol combination of an operating role that does not involve a medal payout (does not involve the payment of medals) is displayed on an active line, and includes, for example, winning special roles and replay roles. Note that the special role is a role that is carried over to the next game if it is not determined to be a winning role, and other roles are general roles that are not carried over to the next game if it is not determined to be a winning role.

In this embodiment, the special combination does not result in the payout of medals. The corresponding symbol combination is "Seven 2 - Blank - Blank." In the following explanation, the special combination may be referred to as "RB."

When a special role is internally won, the internal win flag corresponding to this internally won special role is set to ON (stored in a specified area of RAM 308 of the main control unit 300). When the flag corresponding to the special role is set to ON, the main control unit 300 transitions the game state to a special role internal win state (RT1. RB internally won). This flag remains ON until the corresponding activated role is won. Specifically, even if the special role is not won in a game in which the special role is internally won, the next and subsequent games will be in the same state as when the special role was internally won, and it may be possible to win by matching the corresponding symbol combination.

In this embodiment, the replay role and each minor role can be internally won at the same time as the RB in one game. In this embodiment, when a special role is internally won, if a role other than the special role is internally won, the reel stop control is executed so that the symbols that make up this other role are preferentially aligned.

The replay role is a winning role (operating role) that allows you to play the next time without inserting medals (game media), and no medals are paid out. In other words, you can play again with the same number of bets as the number of medals inserted last time. The corresponding symbol combination is "Replay - Replay - Replay".

The replay role may be any role that allows the player to play the next game without inserting a medal. Therefore, for example, when a replay is won, medals may be automatically inserted in the next game (the number of medals inserted may be reset in the medal insertion number storage area prepared in RAM 308), or the medals inserted in the game in which a replay was won may be carried over and used in the next game.

A minor winning combination is a winning combination in which a specified number of medals are paid out upon winning. The corresponding symbol combinations are "ANY-Cherry-ANY" for cherry, "Watermelon-Watermelon-Watermelon" for watermelon, and "Bell-Bell-Bell" for common bell and each push order bell. However, push order bell includes a combination of one bell symbol with another symbol (a one-piece combination).

The common bell is a winning combination regardless of the order (press order) of the stop buttons 137 to 139, but the number of medals paid out and whether or not a win occurs for each press order bell differs depending on the order of the stop buttons 137 to 139. Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram of the common bell and each press order bell.

In Figure 8, "lottery probability" is the internal probability of winning each role. "Payout number" is the maximum number of medals paid out when each role is won. When the push order bell is won, the number of medals paid out may be less than the "payout number."

The LCR to RCL operations indicate the profits that a player can obtain depending on the order of the stop operations when an internal win occurs for each role. An LCR operation means performing the stop operations in the order of left → middle → right (stopping the reels in the order of 110 → 111 → 112). An LRC operation means performing the stop operations in the order of left → right → middle. A CLR operation means performing the stop operations in the order of middle → left → right. A CRL operation means performing the stop operations in the order of middle → right → left. An RLC operation means performing the stop operations in the order of right → left → middle. An RCL operation means performing the stop operations in the order of right → middle → left.

If Push Order Bell_LCR is an internal win and the player performs the LCR operation, the game result will be "6 bells on the upper row." This means that bell symbols line up on the upper winning line L2 and 6 medals will be paid out. If Push Order Bell_LCR is an internal win and the player performs the LRC operation, the game result will be "1 medal role." This means that one bell symbol and another symbol line up and 1 medal will be paid out.

When the Push Order Bell_LCR is an internal win and the player performs the CLR, CRL, RLC or RCL operation, the game result will be a "1 coin win" or a "spill" depending on the position of the symbol stop operation. A "spill" means that the symbol combination that results in a payout was not lined up.

If the Push Order Bell CLR is an internal win and the player performs the CLR operation, the game result will be "13 Middle Bells." This means that the bell symbols will line up on the middle winning line L1 and 13 medals will be paid out.

The same applies to the other push order bells, which are assigned "6 bells on the top row," "One bell role," "Spilling," and "13 bells on the middle row."

If the common bell is an internal winner, regardless of the order of the stop operations, the game result will be "13 middle bells." As mentioned above, this means that the bell symbols line up on the middle winning line L1 and 13 medals will be paid out.

In this way, each push order bell is a combination that may result in different game results depending on the manner in which the operating means (stop buttons 137 to 139) are operated.

<Internal lottery>
Next, the internal winning combination may be determined by a lottery method generally used in slot machines. For example, the internal winning combination may be determined by using a lottery table. In the lottery table, a plurality of condition devices and the lottery value of each condition device are set for each game state (RT0: normal state, RT1: RB internal winning state, RT2: RB game state). For each condition device, a role that will be internally won when the condition device is determined to be a winning combination is defined. The lottery value of each condition device specifies the range of lottery data.

The random number value obtained as a result of executing the internal lottery is determined to be a value corresponding to the lottery data corresponding to which condition device, and the internal lottery role (internal winning role) is determined. In a lottery table corresponding to the RB internal winning state or the RB game state, the winning probability of the condition device corresponding to RB is 0. In a lottery table corresponding to the RB game state, it may be arranged so that only the condition devices corresponding to each push order bell and the common bell are allowed to win.

Settings 1 to 6 are prepared for this lottery data, and the staff of the game establishment can arbitrarily select and set any of the setting values. Settings 1 to 6 may, for example, have different winning probabilities for at least one condition device, or the condition devices have the same winning probabilities, but the lottery that sets each state, such as the AT state, has different winning probabilities. The higher the setting value, the greater the player's advantage tends to be. Changing this setting is called a setting change. Setting changes can be performed by staff of the game establishment operating a setting change switch (not shown) installed inside the slot machine 100. When a setting change is performed, the internal information of the slot machine 100 is cleared. For example, even if the internal winning result of RB is carried over, it is cleared, and the game state is set to normal play (RT0).

If you do not win any of the condition devices, it is a miss, and the symbol combination corresponding to the winning combination will not be displayed. Note that when the symbol combination related to the winning combination does not stop on the winning line, it is sometimes referred to as a "miss." Also, when you do not win any of the condition devices, it is sometimes expressed as "winning a miss."

<Types of game states>
Next, a description will be given of the types of game states and their transitions in the slot machine 100. FIG.

The slot machine 100 is configured to be able to switch between a total of three game states (sometimes called RT game states): a normal state (RT0), an RB internal winning state (RT2), and an RB game state (RT3). The player's degree of advantage may be changed by transitioning between the RT game states.

In Figure 9(a), each game state is shown, and the transition conditions for these are written on the arrows. When the transition condition corresponding to each arrow is met, the game state transitions in the direction of the arrow. These transition conditions include, for example, winning a specified combination, an internal win for a specified combination, a specific symbol combination being displayed statically on a specific winning line, a specified number of plays being played, and a specified number of coins being paid out.

In the normal state (RT0), if an RB is internally won, the game state switches to the RB internal win state (RT1). In the RB internal win state (RT1), if an RB is won, the game state switches to the RB game state (RT2). In the RB game state (RT2), if the RB game termination condition is met, the game state switches to the normal state (RT0). The RB game state termination condition is, for example, the consumption of a specified number of plays (for example, 5 times) or the number of times a winning combination has been won reaches a specified number of times (for example, 5 times).

<Non-advantageous and advantageous sections>
In the slot machine 100 of this embodiment, a non-advantageous zone or an advantageous zone is set in addition to the game state described above. In the advantageous zone, notification of the recommended stop operation sequence for the internally winning role (operation navigation) is permitted, and in the non-advantageous zone, this operation navigation is not executed. Note that in the advantageous zone, operation navigation is executed according to conditions, but even if the push order bell is an internal win, there are cases where operation navigation is not displayed. These states will be explained below with reference to FIG. 9(b). This figure shows the transition of game states related to the advantageous zone and non-advantageous zone of the slot machine 100.

In this embodiment, the initial state (e.g., the state at the time of shipment from the factory) is set to a non-advantageous zone. Furthermore, if the setting is changed, this non-advantageous zone is set. This may prevent the gaming establishment from having an advantage in terms of balls when opening, and may prevent a decrease in operation (customer numbers at gaming machines) outside opening hours.

When playing in a non-advantageous zone, if transition condition A is met, the game will transition to an advantageous zone. In this embodiment, transition condition A is an internal win for any role. This means that the advantageous zone is set for the majority of games. In this embodiment, if the game is in a non-advantageous zone, the advantageous zone flag is set to off, and if the game is in an advantageous zone, the advantageous zone flag is set to on, and this advantageous zone flag is used to distinguish between non-advantageous zones and advantageous zones.

When the transition condition B is satisfied during a game in the advantageous zone, the game transitions to the non-advantageous zone. In the present embodiment, the transition condition B is as follows:
(A) The number of times the game is played in the advantageous zone has reached a specified number (for example, 3,000 times),
(a) The difference in the number of medals in the favorable zone has reached a specified number (for example, 2,400 medals);
(C) When the "AT normal state" described later ends, the number of remaining games in the advantageous zone is less than or equal to a specified number (for example, less than or equal to 500 games), or
(D) When the "AT normal state" described later ends, the remaining difference in the number of medals (remaining number) in the advantageous zone is less than a specified number (for example, less than 500 medals);
The above is true.

Note that this transition condition B is just one example. Transition condition B may include, for example, the number of plays in the "AT state" described below reaching the upper limit. It may also include the remaining rights in the "AT state" becoming 0 (AT stock = 0, remaining AT play count = 0, remaining AT difference = 0, remaining AT navigation count = 0, etc.).

The number of plays in the advantageous zone and the difference in number of coins are values that determine the end of the advantageous zone, and the number of plays is updated by one play, and the difference in number of coins is updated by the result of one play. However, in this embodiment, the number of plays in the advantageous zone and the difference in number of coins are not updated in the RB play state (RT2). Therefore, the "AT state" does not end in a game where the RB play state ends.

In addition, the number of games and the difference in number of coins are updated even in the RB game state (RT2) (the number of games and the difference in number of coins in the advantageous zone, the number of games and the difference in number of coins in the AT state, or both), but in the RB game state (RT2), even if the end condition of the difference in number of coins is met, the advantageous zone may not end, and the AT state may not end. It may be possible to prevent the AT state from ending unexpectedly to the player. In addition, since the probability that the AT state ends in the RB game state (RT2) is low in the first place in the specifications of this embodiment, it is not necessary to provide exception processing, and it may be possible to reduce the main program capacity. When the number of games and the difference in number of coins are not updated in the RB game state, it is possible to give the player the impression and a sense of security that the AT state will not end during the RB game state. On the other hand, when the number of plays or the difference in number of coins is updated in the RB gaming state, it is possible to prevent a player from intentionally switching to the RB gaming state in an attempt to gain as many coins as possible, and to impress upon the player that there is no benefit to starting the RB gaming state.

In this embodiment, the difference in number is the cumulative value of the difference between the number of medals inserted in one game and the number of medals that can be paid out (number of medals that can be paid out - number of medals inserted). The number of medals that can be paid out is the maximum number of medals that can be paid out that corresponds to the internal winning role, regardless of whether or not they have actually been paid out. For example, if the "Push Order Bell_LCR" in Figure 8 is an internal win, even if the number of medals paid out to the player due to "spill" is 0, the number of medals that can be paid out is 6, as specified in the "number of medals to be paid out."

However, the difference in number may be the cumulative value of the difference between the number of medals inserted in one game and the number actually paid out (number paid out - number inserted). The actual number paid out is the number paid out for winning a winning combination. For example, when the "Push Order Bell_LCR" in FIG. 8 is an internal winner, if the number of medals paid out to the player due to "spill" is 0, the number of medals paid out is 0. On the other hand, if the number of medals paid out to the player due to the "1 medal combination" is 1, the number of medals paid out is 1.

The difference in number of coins may be counted so that it falls below 0 (a difference count that also counts negative numbers), or it may be reset to 0 and counted (MY count) when it falls below 0. In this embodiment, the roles that are the subject of the difference in number count are the six types of push order bells and the common bell, and in the case of a miss, the difference in number of coins is updated by the number of coins inserted.

The state of the advantageous zone is broadly divided into an AT state and a non-AT state. In the AT state, when the push order bell is internally won, the operation navigation is executed using the effect image display device 157. In the operation navigation, a notification is usually made suggesting the stop operation sequence that will give the player the most benefit as the recommended stop operation sequence. For example, when the push order bell_CRL in FIG. 8 is internally won, the CRL operation is notified as the recommended stop operation sequence. However, when a certain condition is met, a stop operation sequence other than the stop operation sequence that will give the player the most benefit may be notified as the recommended stop operation sequence. In addition, this operation navigation is not limited to one that indicates the push order, but may also indicate the timing of the stop operation, such as a display such as "Aim for...!", or it may indicate both the push order and the timing, as long as it indicates the stop operation mode.

In this embodiment, the payout number display 127 is also used to perform operation navigation, and the seven-segment display lights up in a manner that corresponds to the stop operation sequence that will provide the player with the most profit (hereinafter, this may be referred to as navigation lighting). The display on this payout number display 127 may also light up in a manner that corresponds to the timing of the stop operation, or in a manner that corresponds to both the push order and the timing.

In the non-AT state, the operation navigation is not executed. In the non-AT state in the favorable zone, a lottery is held to transition to the AT state. In the non-favorable zone, the AT state is not set and it is a non-AT state. When transitioning from the favorable zone to the non-favorable zone, the number of plays and the difference in number of coins in the favorable zone are reset.

Note that the non-advantageous zone and the advantageous zone are set separately from the RT gaming state in FIG. 9(a), so for example, there may be cases where a transition occurs from the RB internal winning state to the RB gaming state during an advantageous zone.

<AT related status>
The transition of each state in the AT state and the non-AT state will be described with reference to Fig. 10. This is a transition diagram of the AT-related state of the slot machine 100. The AT-related state includes the non-AT state, the AT state, and the pull-back chance.

Non-AT states include a normal state and a chance zone state. The initial state (e.g., the state at the time of shipment from the factory) is the normal state. In addition, if the settings are changed, the normal state is set. The normal state can be set in both non-advantageous zones and advantageous zones. The chance zone state is a state that is easier to transition to the AT state than the normal state. The chance zone state is only set in advantageous zones.

The AT state includes the normal AT state, the pre-ending state, the ending state, the preparation state, and the specialized zone state. Each of these states is set in the favorable zone. The AT state continues until the difference in number of sheets in the favorable zone reaches a specified difference in number of sheets (called the AT upper limit difference in number of sheets). The initial value of the AT upper limit difference in number of sheets is set when the normal AT state is set (for example, 300 sheets). The pre-ending state and the ending state are states that are set when the end of the AT state due to the end of the favorable zone is confirmed.

In this embodiment, the difference in number is counted independently for the AT state and the advantageous zone, but the roles that are the subject of the difference in number count are the six types of push order bells and the common bell, and in the case of a miss, the difference in number is updated by the number of coins inserted. However, in another embodiment, the counter for the difference in number involved in transition condition B in the advantageous zone may update the number of coins inserted and the number of coins paid out regardless of the winning role.

The specialized zone state is a state in which the AT upper limit difference number can be added, and the preparation state is a state in which effects are performed to make the player aware that the transition to the specialized zone state will occur. In the specialized zone state, the number of additions is determined by the recommended stop operation sequence notified by the operation navigation. For example, left, center, and right are replaced with the numbers 1, 2, and 3, respectively. If the recommended stop operation sequence is left → center → right, an addition of 123 sheets is set. Also, if the recommended stop operation sequence is center → right → left, an addition of 231 sheets is set. In other words, this is a specialized zone state in which the notified stop operation sequence is the number of additions. If the initial value of the AT upper limit difference number is 300 and the number of additions is 123 sheets, the AT upper limit difference number will be 423 sheets. If the player further acquires 231 sheets as the number of additions, it will be 654 sheets. Note that the upper limit of the AT upper limit difference number is the specified number of sheets in the advantageous zone.

The pull-back chance state is a state in which the AT state is likely to be reset after the AT state has ended, and can be either an advantageous or non-advantageous zone (however, due to transition condition A described above, the player will only stay in the non-advantageous zone during the pull-back chance state for a few games). The pull-back chance state is advantageous to the player in that it is easier to transition to the AT state than the normal state. In the pull-back chance state, if the player is in an advantageous zone, operation navigation can be executed. However, various conditions are set so that the payout rate during the pull-back chance state does not exceed 100%. In other words, the pull-back chance state can be said to function to prevent the player's hand from decreasing too much during its setting.

The transition conditions are explained below. In the following explanation, winning the lottery in the transition condition can be, for example, when a specific condition device is selected, when a lottery is held by selecting a specific condition device and the lottery is won, or when a lottery unrelated to the condition device is won.

When transition condition 1 is met in the normal state, the chance zone state is set. Transition condition 1 is winning the lottery. When the chance zone state is set, the number of plays in the chance zone state is set. The number of plays may be a fixed number, or may be a number that varies depending on the lottery. When transition condition 2 is met in the chance zone state, the state returns to the normal state. Transition condition 2 is the consumption of the number of plays in the chance zone state without winning the AT lottery.

When transition condition 3 is met in the chance zone state, the AT normal state is set. Transition condition 3 is winning the AT lottery. When transition condition 4 is met in the normal state, the pre-ending state is set. Transition condition 4 is winning the lottery, but the probability of winning is extremely low (freeze).

When transition condition 5 is met in the normal AT state, the pre-ending state is set. Transition condition 5 is when the AT upper limit difference in number of coins reaches the specified number of coins in the advantageous zone (transition condition (B) (i)). When transition condition 6 is met in the pre-ending state, the ending state is set. Transition condition 6 is when the difference in number of coins in the advantageous zone is close to the specified number (for example, 400 coins remaining), or when the number of plays in the advantageous zone is close to the specified number (for example, 150 plays remaining).

When transition condition 7 is met in the ending state, the comeback chance state is set. Transition condition 7 is the end condition of the favorable zone being met (transition condition B (a) or (b)).

When transition condition 8 is met in the normal AT state, the preparation state is set. Transition condition 8 is winning the specialized zone transition lottery. When transition condition 9 is met in the preparation state, the specialized zone state is set. Transition condition 9 is playing a predetermined number of times (e.g., five times). When transition condition 10 is met in the specialized zone state, the AT returns to the normal state. Transition condition 10 is playing a predetermined number of times (e.g., five times).

When transition condition 11 is met in the normal AT state, the state returns to the normal state, and when transition condition 12 is met, a chance to pull back is set. Transition condition 11 and transition condition 12 have in common that the difference in number of coins in the favorable zone has reached the AT upper limit difference in number of coins, but transition condition 11 requires that the RB is not in an internal winning state, while transition condition 12 requires that the RB is in an internal winning state. In other words, when the normal AT state ends with the difference in number of coins consumed, whether the state returns to the normal state, which is disadvantageous to the player, or moves to a chance to pull back, which is advantageous to the player, will be determined depending on whether or not the RB is in an internal winning state.

When transition condition 11 or transition condition 12 is met, if transition condition B (C) or (D) is met, the advantageous zone ends. Transition condition B (C) and (D) are set to ensure that the minimum AT upper limit difference in number of coins (300 coins) is obtained when a transition to the normal AT is decided again during the pull-back chance. When the advantageous zone ends and a non-advantageous zone is set, the difference in number of coins and the number of games played in the advantageous zone are reset. Therefore, if transition condition 12 is met and the advantageous zone ends, the advantageous zone starts again in the pull-back chance state, and if the AT normal state is won, the player's profits may be greater in terms of the difference in number of coins and the number of games played in the advantageous zone.

In the pull-back chance state, if transition condition 13 is met, the AT returns to the normal state. The situation favorable to the player continues. Transition condition 13 is to win the lottery, but the probability of winning in a non-favorable zone is much lower than the probability of winning in a favorable zone. In the pull-back chance state, if transition condition 14 is met, the AT returns to the normal state. Transition condition 14 is playing a predetermined number of times (for example, between 30 and 50 times). The predetermined number of times may be a fixed number, or may be a number that varies depending on the lottery.

In the normal state, when transition condition 15 is satisfied, the ending state is set. Transition condition 15 occurs when the number of remaining plays in the advantageous zone reaches a specified number (e.g., 50 plays) without the AT state being set even once after the advantageous zone is set. In the case of this embodiment, transition condition 15 is not generally satisfied. However, if the player receives a penalty for the stop operation described below, it may happen that the AT state is never set after the advantageous zone is set. Therefore, in such a case, the ending state is forcibly set to set the AT state. By setting the ending state, the player can understand the end of the advantageous zone. Also, even if a beginner makes a mistake in the stop operation and the AT state is never set during the advantageous zone, the AT state is set by the satisfaction of transition condition 15, so beginners can enjoy the game.

In the above description, the transition condition 15 is when the number of remaining plays in the favorable zone reaches a specified number (e.g., 50 plays), but it is not limited to this and may be when the number of payouts in the favorable zone or the MY value of the difference in number count starting from 0 difference in number reaches a specified number (for example, when 2400 is the upper limit number of the favorable zone, the specified number may be 2200).

<Advantages and disadvantages in non-advantageous areas vs. advantageous areas>
In the case of this embodiment, the transition condition A for transitioning from the non-advantageous zone to the advantageous zone is, as described above, that any of the roles is internally won, and the advantageous zone is set in the majority of the games. A typical state in which the non-advantageous zone is set and then transitions to the advantageous zone is as follows:
(i) When RB has not been internally won: When the settings are changed, or when transition condition 11 is met and transition condition B (c) or (d) is met. (ii) When RB has been internally won: When transition condition 12 is met and transition condition B (c) or (d) is met, it can be broadly divided into cases. In the case of (i), the AT-related state is the normal state. In the case of (ii), the AT-related state is during a pullback chance. Therefore, when RB has been internally won in (ii), the player's advantage is higher in the advantageous zone to which the player has transitioned from the non-advantageous zone.

<Stopping operation penalty>
Regarding the stop operation sequence, a penalty may be imposed on the player in a predetermined case. In the push order bell configuration illustrated in FIG. 8, regarding the stop operation sequence, if the first stop operation is the left reel 110, a maximum of six medals can be paid out, and if the first stop operation is the right reel 112 or the middle reel 111, a maximum of 13 medals can be paid out. In a non-AT state in which the operation navigation is not activated, if the player always performs the first stop operation on the right reel 112 or the middle reel 111, there is a possibility that a slightly larger number of medals can be obtained.

For example, in the normal state, the expected value of winning medals may be higher when the first stop operation is the right reel 112 or the middle reel 111 than when the first stop operation is the left reel 110. The superiority or inferiority of the expected value of winning can be determined, for example, by setting the payout number in the recommended stop operation sequence when the first stop operation is the left reel 110 to a small payout and the payout number in the recommended stop operation sequence when the first stop operation is the right reel 112 or the middle reel 111 to a large payout, while setting the internal winning probability the same for each push order bell where the first stop operation is the left, middle, or right. Alternatively, the payout number is the same regardless of which reel the first stop operation is, but there is a difference in the internal winning probability for each push order bell where the first stop operation is the left, middle, or right (the internal winning probability of the push order bell where the first stop operation is the left is lower than that of the middle or right).

However, this can create a sense of unfairness between beginners who are unaware of these techniques and more advanced players who are. Furthermore, being able to get even the slightest bit of extra value while playing can itself become a strategy, undermining the fairness of the gaming machine.

Therefore, when a first stop operation is performed on the right reel 112 or the middle reel 111 in a non-AT state, a penalty can be imposed such as not holding a lottery to transition to the AT state in that game, lowering the probability of winning the lottery to transition to the AT state, or invalidating any win in the AT state. A penalty may be imposed when the first stop operation is repeated on the right reel 112 or the middle reel 111 (for example, when a specified number of games are played consecutively, or when the cumulative number of games reaches a specified number of games). In this case, the first stop operation on the left reel 110 is the recommended stop operation order in terms of avoiding the penalty, and the first stop operation on the right reel 112 or the middle reel 111 is the non-recommended stop operation order in terms of the risk of a penalty.

In this way, the expected number of medals won when performing the first stop operation on the right reel 112 or center reel 111 is higher than the expected number of medals won when performing the first stop operation on the left reel 110, but the latter has a higher advantage when it comes to transitioning to the AT state.

In addition, when playing in a favorable zone, even a game performed using a non-recommended stop operation sequence will be counted as one game. This prevents players from inappropriately procrastinating.

The penalty does not have to apply to games that are performed in a non-advantageous zone using a non-recommended stop operation sequence. This can prevent the non-advantageous zone from continuing indefinitely. Conversely, the penalty may also apply to games that are performed in a non-advantageous zone using a non-recommended stop operation sequence. This can prevent players who perform inappropriate operations from gaining excessive benefits.

<Processing Overview>
Below, the processing of the main control unit 300, the first sub-control unit 400, and the second sub-control unit 500 will be explained using the drawings.

<Main processing of main control unit>
First, the main control unit main process executed by the CPU 304 of the main control unit 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Note that Fig. 11 is a flow chart showing the flow of the main control unit main process.

As described above, the main control unit 300 is provided with a start-up signal output circuit (reset signal output circuit) 338 that outputs a start-up signal (reset signal) when power is applied. The CPU 304 of the basic circuit 302 that receives this start-up signal is reset and started by a reset interrupt, and executes the main control unit main processing shown in FIG. 11 according to a control program previously stored in the ROM 306.

When the power is turned on, first, in step S101, the main control unit initial setting process is performed. In this main control unit initial setting process, the stack initial value is set in the stack pointer (SP) of the CPU 304, interrupt prohibition is set, the I/O 310 is initialized, various variables stored in the RAM 308 are initialized, and operation permission and initial values are set for the WDT 314.

In step S103, a game start process (medal insertion/start operation acceptance process) is executed. In this process, the system checks whether a medal has been inserted (by hand or by operating the bet buttons 130-132), and turns on the winning line indicator lamp 120 in response to the insertion of a medal. If a medal has been inserted, the system prepares to send an insertion command to the first sub-control unit 400 indicating that a medal has been inserted. If a replay has been won in the previous game, the system performs a process to insert the same number of medals as the number inserted in the previous game, eliminating the need for the player to insert medals. In addition, the system checks whether the start lever 135 has been operated after the specified number of medals (3 medals) have been used, and if the start lever 135 has been operated, the system determines the number of medals inserted and the valid winning lines, and starts the game.

In step S105, various lottery processes including internal winning role lottery process are executed. In this process, a lottery table for internal winning roles stored in ROM 306 is read according to the current game state, and an internal lottery (role lottery) is performed using this and a random number value obtained from the random number generating circuit 316 to determine the internal winning role. If any role (including an activated role) is internally won as a result of the internal lottery, the flag for that role is turned on.

Also, in this step S105, preparations are made to send an internal lottery command including internal winning information indicating the result of the winning role internal lottery to the first sub-control unit 400. For example, if a replay role is internally won, preparations are made to send an internal lottery command indicating that a replay role has been internally won to the first sub-control unit 400, and if the result of the winning role internal lottery is a loss (non-winning role), preparations are made to send an internal lottery command indicating a loss to the first sub-control unit 400.

The internal winning command includes information on the internal winning role, as well as information that can identify the results of the AT lottery. Among the above information, the internal winning command, which includes an internal win on the push order bell in the AT state, also includes operation instruction information that indicates the recommended operation order (press order) of the stop buttons 137 to 139.

In step S107, it is determined whether the pseudo-game flag is set to ON. If this condition is met, the process proceeds to step S109; if not, the process proceeds to step S111.

In step S109, pseudo-game related processing is executed. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to FIG. 13.

In step S111, reel stop data corresponding to the first stop operation is prepared based on the result of the internal winning role lottery. This reel stop data is stored in the ROM 306 of the main control unit 300.

In step S113, on the condition that the game interval timer (which is subtracted in the timer update process described below) is 0, a reel rotation start process is executed, causing the reels 110 to 112 to start rotating. In addition, when the reels 110 to 112 start rotating, preparations are made to send a reel rotation start command to the first sub-control unit 400. After that, when the reels 110 to 112 reach a predetermined rotation speed and the optical sensors provided on each reel detect and grasp the pattern positions of each reel, the stop operation of the stop buttons 137 to 139 is enabled. Note that the game interval counter guarantees the minimum time required for one game (4.1 seconds in this embodiment), reducing the risk of gambling.

In step S115, a reel stop control process is executed. In this process, when any of the stop buttons 137-139 is pressed after the stop operation is enabled, the reel 110-112 corresponding to the pressed stop button 137-139 is stopped. Specifically, each time a stop operation is performed, the stop table of the reel stop data is referenced, and the reel 110-112 corresponding to the stop operation is stopped according to the number of reel-in frames set in the stop table. In addition, for the first stop operation, reel stop data corresponding to the second stop operation is prepared, and for the second stop operation, reel stop data corresponding to the third stop operation is prepared. In addition, for each stop operation, preparations are made to send the corresponding command (first to third press commands) to the first sub-control unit 400, and each time the reels 110-112 stop, preparations are made to send the corresponding command (first to third stop commands) to the first sub-control unit 400. When all the reels 110-112 have stopped, the process proceeds to step S117.

In step S117, a winning determination process is performed. Here, if a symbol combination corresponding to a winning role is displayed on an activated winning line, it is determined that the winning role has been won. For example, if "watermelon-watermelon-watermelon" is lined up on an activated winning line, it is determined that the watermelon has been won. After determining the winning role, preparations are made to send a winning command to the first sub-control unit 400.

In step S119, if a winning combination that entails a payout has been achieved, the number of medals corresponding to that winning combination is awarded (paid out), and the number of medals awarded is displayed using the payout number display 127.

In step S121, an update process is performed. In this process, the RT game state is transitioned based on the conditions shown in the state transition diagram in FIG. 9(a).

Furthermore, based on the results of the game, the non-advantageous zone and advantageous zone described in FIG. 9(a) and the AT-related state described in FIG. 10 are updated. For example, if an advantageous zone is set, the total number of games in the advantageous zone is incremented by one. By updating the total number of games in the advantageous zone at this timing, the total number of games can be managed as if one game had been played, even if a pseudo game and a main game have both been played, or if only a main game has been played. By not counting a pseudo game as one game, it is possible to prevent the total number of games in the advantageous zone from being counted higher than the normal game, which would be disadvantageous to the player. Furthermore, if an advantageous zone is set, the difference in number of coins is updated.

Also, for example, if transition condition A is met in a non-favorable zone, the favorable zone flag is set to on, and if transition condition B is met in a favorable zone, the favorable zone flag is set to off. A subcommand indicating the updated information is prepared. Also, when updating the AT-related state, the setting of either the AT state, non-AT state, or pull-back chance is updated. The AT state setting includes settings that distinguish between the normal AT state, pre-ending state, ending state, specialized preparation zone, and specialized zone. The non-AT state setting includes settings that distinguish between the normal state and chance zone state. A subcommand indicating the updated setting is prepared.

This completes one game. After this, the game will proceed by returning to step S103 and repeating the above-mentioned process.

<Main control unit 300 timer interrupt processing>
Next, a main control unit timer interrupt process executed by the CPU 304 of the main control unit 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Note that Fig. 12 is a flow chart showing the flow of the main control unit timer interrupt process.

The main control unit 300 is equipped with a counter timer 312 that generates a timer interrupt signal at a predetermined cycle (approximately once every 2 ms in this embodiment), and this timer interrupt signal is used as a trigger to start main control unit timer interrupt processing at the predetermined cycle.

In step S201, a timer interrupt start process is performed. This timer interrupt start process includes processes such as temporarily saving the values of each register of the CPU 304 to a stack area.

In step S203, WDT314 is periodically restarted (in this embodiment, once every 2 ms, which is the period of the main control unit timer interrupt) so that the count value of WDT314 does not exceed the initial setting value (32.8 ms in this embodiment) and a WDT interrupt does not occur (so that a processing abnormality is not detected).

In step S205, an input port status update process is performed. In this input port status update process, the detection signals of the sensor circuits 320 of the various sensors 318 are input via the input ports of the I/O 310 to monitor the presence or absence of the detection signals, and the presence or absence of the detection signals is stored in signal status storage areas partitioned for each of the various sensors 318 in the RAM 308. The status of the optical sensors is confirmed in this process.

In step S207, various game processes are executed, and processes are executed according to the interrupt status (various interrupt statuses are acquired based on signals from various sensors 318). For example, if the interrupt status is during medal insertion processing, medal insertion acceptance processing is executed, and if the interrupt status is during payout processing, medal payout processing is executed.

In step S209, a timer update process is performed. For example, a process is executed to update various timers according to their respective time units, such as subtracting from the game interval timer.

In step S211, a command setting and sending process is performed, and various sub-commands that have been prepared for sending by the main processing of the main control unit 300, timer interrupt processing, etc., are sent to the first sub-control unit 400. The output schedule information sent to the first sub-control unit 400 is composed of strobe information (when on, it indicates that data is set), command type (in this embodiment, basic command, input command, start lever acceptance command, internal winning command, performance command associated with performance lottery processing, reel rotation start command associated with the start of rotation of the reels 110 to 112, pseudo game start command, main game start command, first to third press commands associated with the acceptance of the operation of the stop buttons 137 to 139, first to third stop commands associated with the stopping of the reels 110 to 112, winning command, payout number command and payout end command associated with the medal payout processing, status update command), and command data (predetermined information corresponding to the command type).

The first sub-control unit 400 is able to determine the presentation control in response to changes in game control in the main control unit 300 based on the command type contained in the received output schedule information, and is also able to determine the content of the presentation control based on the command data information contained in the output schedule information.

In step S213, an external signal setting process is performed. In this external signal setting process, the game information stored in the RAM 308 is output to the information input circuit 652, which is separate from the slot machine 100, via the information output circuit 334. An external device such as a hall computer can acquire the game information and compile the operation information of each slot machine 100 in the hall. In addition, it is possible to display the game information on an external device such as a game information display provided for each slot machine 100. The output external signal may include information on the number of games that allows the external device to count the total number of games played per day after the slot machine 100 is turned on. The information on the number of games may be, for example, information indicating the number of medals inserted, which is output when the start lever 135 is operated. By counting the number of games using information indicating the number of medals inserted, it is possible to manage the total number of games played per day as if one game was played, even if both a pseudo game and a real game were played, or if only a real game was played. The player of the slot machine 100 can grasp the total number of games played per day, etc., using the game information display.

In step S215, device monitoring processing is performed. In this device monitoring processing, the signal states of the various sensors 318 stored in the signal state storage area in step S205 are first read out to monitor for errors related to medal insertion abnormalities, medal payout abnormalities, etc., and if an error is detected (not shown), error processing is executed. Furthermore, depending on the current game state, the medal selector 170 (a medal blocker operated by a solenoid provided in the medal selector 170), various lamps 339, and various seven-segment (SEG) displays are set.

In step S217, it is monitored whether the low voltage signal is on. If a low voltage signal is received (if a power interruption is detected), the process proceeds to step S221, and if a low voltage signal is not received (if a power interruption is not detected), the process proceeds to step S219.

In step S219, timer interrupt end processing is performed. In this timer interrupt end processing, the values of each register temporarily saved in step S201 are set back to the original registers, and other processing is performed. After that, the processing returns to the main processing of the main control unit shown in FIG. 11.

On the other hand, in step S221, information that needs to be saved, such as specific variables and stack pointers for restoring the state at the time of power outage when power is restored, is saved in a specified area of RAM 308, a checksum value for the specified area that includes at least the used area of RAM 308 is derived and stored in RAM 308, and a power flag indicating that power outage processing has been performed is set to ON.

<Pseudo-game related processing>
Next, the pseudo game-related process (step S109) in the main control unit main process of FIG. 11 will be described with reference to FIG. 13. The pseudo game is a type of reel effect in which the reels are made to look as if they have stopped as an effect (also called pseudo stop), and refers to the fact that the reels can be pseudo-stopped by operating the stop buttons 137 to 139, or the situation in which the reels can be pseudo-stopped. In addition, in such a pseudo game, the game value is not awarded according to the pseudo-stopped stop mode. Furthermore, a pseudo operation for restarting the pseudo-stopped reels is also called a pseudo start operation. In order to distinguish from such a pseudo game, a game in which the reels are stopped by operating the stop buttons 137 to 139 and game value can be awarded according to the stop mode is also called the main game. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the pseudo game-related process (step S109) in FIG. 11.

In step S1001, reel stop data for a simulated game is prepared. For example, reel stop data is prepared in which predetermined symbols align on the winning line L1 and stop in a simulated manner. Note that reel stop data in which any symbol combination stops can be used as long as the symbol combination is different from the winning combination achieved in the actual game. Also, multiple types of such reel stop data may be prepared and a selection may be made from among the multiple types.

In step S1003, the reel spin start process for the pseudo game is executed. Details of this process will be described later with reference to FIG. 14.

In step S1005, the reel stop control process for the pseudo game is executed. Details of this process will be described later with reference to FIG. 15.

In step S1006, the pseudo next game start process is executed. Details of this process will be described later with reference to FIG. 16.

In step S1007, the random delay flag is set to on.

In step S1009, the pseudo-game flag is set to off.

<Reel Spin Start Processing for Simulated Game>
Next, the pseudo game reel spin start process (step S1003) in the pseudo game related process of Fig. 13 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a flow chart showing the flow of the pseudo game reel spin start process (step S1003) in Fig. 13.

In step S1101, the acceleration parameters for each reel are set.

In step S1103, preparations are made to send a pseudo-game start command to the first sub-control unit 400.

In step S1105, the start of rotation of the pseudo game is set. Specifically, the rotation of reels 110 to 112 is started using the acceleration parameters set in step S1101.

In step S1107, it is determined whether the rotation speed of reels 110 to 112 is constant. If the rotation speed of reels 110 to 112 is constant, the process proceeds to step S1109; if not, step S1107 is repeated.

In step S1109, the operation of the stop buttons 137 to 139 is enabled. The enablement here refers to the enablement of the stop operation in the simulated game, and means that the player is able to perform the simulated stop, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 15.

<Reel stop control process for pseudo game>
Next, the pseudo game reel stop control process (step S1005) in the pseudo game related process of Fig. 13 will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of the pseudo game reel stop control process (step S1005) in Fig. 13.

In step S1201, a pseudo-game restriction timer is set. The pseudo-game restriction timer is a timer that measures the time of one pseudo-game. In this embodiment, the pseudo-game restriction timer is used to limit the execution time of one pseudo-game to a predetermined time TA (specifically, about 50 seconds). In step S1201, a timer value equivalent to the predetermined time TA is set as the initial value in the pseudo-game restriction timer. This timer value is decremented each time the timer interrupt process (timer update process in step S209) of the main control unit 300 is executed.

In step S1203, it is determined whether or not the stop buttons 137 to 139 have been operated. If the stop buttons 137 to 139 have been operated, the process proceeds to step S1205; if not, the process proceeds to step S1209.

In step S1205, the reels 110 to 112 corresponding to the stop buttons 137 to 139 that were operated to stop are pseudo-stopped. In step S1206, preparations are made to send a sub-command to the first sub-control unit 400 indicating that the operation on the stop button has been accepted.

In step S1207, it is determined whether or not all reels 110 to 112 are pseudo-stopped. If all reels 110 to 112 are pseudo-stopped, the process proceeds to step S1208; if not, the process returns to step S1203.

In step S1208, preparations are made to send a sub-command for pseudo game winning determination to the first sub-control unit 400. For example, if a pattern corresponding to a certain role is pseudo-stopped in the pseudo game, a command corresponding to the pseudo-stopped pattern will be sent. This enables the first sub-control unit 400 to perform control according to the sub-command for pseudo game winning determination, and for example, when a pattern corresponding to a replay or bell is pseudo-stopped, a corresponding presentation can be executed.

This type of processing is necessary in pseudo-games when a stop operation is required at an appropriate operation timing, and by notifying the first sub-control unit 400 of the appearance of the pseudo-stopped pattern, it is possible to perform an effect corresponding to the pseudo-stopped pattern, which allows for more consistency in the effect than a configuration that performs an effect as if the pattern is pseudo-stopped even when it is not, and allows the game to be provided with a similar feeling to the actual game.

In step S1209, it is determined whether the pseudo-game restriction timer has timed out, i.e., whether a predetermined time TA corresponding to the set timer value has elapsed. If the pseudo-game restriction timer has timed out, the process proceeds to step S1211; if not, the process returns to step 1203.

In step S1211, all reels 110-112 are pseudo-stopped because a predetermined time TA has elapsed without any operation of any of the stop buttons 137-139. In this way, the pseudo game of this embodiment has a function of automatically pseudo-stopping the reels 110-112 if no stop operation is performed, in order to promote the progress of the pseudo game.

In step S1213, a pseudo game end timer is set. The pseudo game end timer is a timer that measures the time interval between the pseudo game and the actual game, and is provided to ensure time to execute a predetermined effect (for example, an effect that the pseudo game has ended, an effect that the actual game is about to start, etc.). In this embodiment, the time interval between the pseudo game and the actual game is set to a predetermined time TC (specifically, about 1 second), so in step S1213, a timer value equivalent to the predetermined time TC is set as the initial value in the pseudo game end timer. This timer value is decremented each time the timer interrupt process of the main control unit 300 is executed. In addition, in step S1213, preparations are made to send a pseudo game end command indicating that the pseudo game has ended to the first sub-control unit 400.

<Pseudo next game start process>
In this embodiment, after the reel stop control process of the pseudo game in Fig. 15, the game is not immediately started, but the coin insertion and start operation acceptance process of step S103 is performed in a pseudo manner. This allows the player to experience a pseudo game that is closer to the real game. Therefore, the pseudo game of this embodiment includes the start of the pseudo next game in a broad sense.

In step S1301, preparations are made to send a pseudo start command to the first sub-control unit 400, indicating that the pseudo next game start process has started. In step S1303, an MB timer is set. The MB timer is a timer that measures the time during which a pseudo betting operation can be accepted, and is set to a timer value equivalent to 20 seconds, for example, as an initial value. This timer value is decremented each time the timer interrupt process of the main control unit 300 is executed. In this embodiment, the MB timer is used to limit the operation acceptance time for one pseudo betting operation, ensuring smooth game progress.

In step S1305, it is determined whether or not the MAX BET button 132 has been operated by the player. If an operation is detected, the process proceeds to step S1309, and if an operation is not detected, the process proceeds to step S1307. In step S1307, it is determined whether or not the MB timer has timed out, and if not, the process returns to step S1305, and if it has timed out, the process proceeds to step S1309.

In step S1309, preparations are made to send a pseudo bet acceptance command to the first sub-control unit 400, indicating that a pseudo bet operation has been accepted. Even if the MB timer expires, the pseudo bet acceptance command can be sent, allowing the first sub-control unit 400 to proceed with its presentation processing.

From step S1311 onwards, processing related to the pseudo start operation of the start lever 135 is executed. In step S1311, preparations are made to send a pseudo lever reception wait start command to the first sub-control unit 400, which indicates that waiting for the pseudo start operation has begun.

In step S1313, an SR timer is set. The SR timer is a timer that measures the time during which a pseudo start operation can be accepted, and is set to a timer value equivalent to 20 seconds as an initial value, for example. This timer value is decremented each time the timer interrupt process of the main control unit 300 is executed. In this embodiment, the SR timer is used to limit the time during which a single pseudo start operation can be accepted, ensuring smooth gameplay.

In step S1315, it is determined whether or not the start lever 135 has been operated by the player. If operation is detected, the process ends and proceeds to step S111 in FIG. 11. If operation is not detected, the process proceeds to step S1317, where it is determined whether the SR timer has timed out. If not, the process returns to step S1315, and if timed out, the process proceeds to step S111 in FIG. 11.

<Reel rotation processing>
Next, the reel spin start process (step S113) in the main process of the main control unit in Fig. 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a flow chart showing the flow of the reel spin start process (step S113) in Fig. 11.

In step S1400, a wait timer of 4.1 seconds is set. This timer is for setting an interval of 4.1 seconds or more between games, and the game interval is limited to 4.1 seconds or more regardless of whether or not a pseudo game is being executed. This allows the feeling of game progress to match that of a game that is played only in the main game.

In step S1401, acceleration parameters for each reel are set. In step S1403, preparations are made to send a game start command to the first sub-control unit 400. In step S1405, a 7-segment setting process is executed. In this process, display settings related to the operation navigation are made.

In step S1407, it is determined whether the random delay flag is set to on. If this condition is met, the process proceeds to step S1411; if not, the process proceeds to step S1409.

In step S1409, the reels 110 to 112 start spinning using the acceleration parameters set in step S1401. In step S1411, a random delayed spin start process is executed. Details of this process will be described later with reference to FIG. 18.

In step S1413, it is determined whether the rotation speed of the reels 110 to 112 is constant. If the rotation speed of the reels 110 to 112 is constant, the process proceeds to step S1315; if not, step S1413 is repeated. In step S1415, the operation of the stop buttons 137 to 139 is enabled.

<Random delay rotation start process>
Next, the random delay spin start process (step S1311) in the reel spin start process of Fig. 17 will be described with reference to Fig. 18. Fig. 18 is a flow chart showing the flow of the random delay spin start process (step S1411) in Fig. 17.

In step S1501, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time TC has elapsed based on the measurement of the pseudo game end timer. If the predetermined time TC has elapsed based on the measurement of the pseudo game end timer, the process proceeds to step S1503, and if not, step S1501 is repeated.

In step S1503, the left reel 110 starts to spin. In step S1505, it is determined whether the acceleration of the left reel 110 has ended. If the acceleration of the left reel 110 has ended, the process proceeds to step S1507; if not, the process returns to step S1505.

In step S1507, the rotation start timer for the center reel 111 is set. Specifically, a timer value equivalent to 0 to 756.512 ms is obtained by lottery, and this value is set. The value of the rotation start timer for the center reel 111 is decremented each time the main control unit timer interrupt process is executed.

In step S1509, it is determined whether the rotation start timer for the center reel 111 has timed out, i.e., whether the waiting time corresponding to the initially set timer value has elapsed. If the rotation start timer for the center reel 111 has timed out, the process proceeds to step S1511; if not, the process returns to step S1509.

In step S1511, the center reel 111 starts to rotate. Note that, although the center reel 111 starts to rotate in step S1511, the center reel 111 is in a pseudo-stop state until it starts to rotate.

In step S1513, it is determined whether the acceleration of the center reel 111 has ended. If the acceleration of the center reel 111 has ended, the process proceeds to step S1515; if not, the process returns to step S1513.

In step S1515, a rotation start timer for the right reel 112 is set. Specifically, a timer value equivalent to 0 to 756.512 ms is obtained by lottery and this value is set. The value of the rotation start timer for the right reel 112 is decremented each time the main control unit timer interrupt process is executed.

In step S1517, it is determined whether the spin start timer for the right reel 112 has timed out, i.e., whether the waiting time corresponding to the initially set timer value has elapsed. If the spin start timer for the right reel 112 has timed out, the process proceeds to step S1519; if not, the process returns to step S1517.

In step S1519, the right reel 112 starts to spin. Note that in step S1511, the right reel 112 starts to spin, but until it starts to spin, the right reel 112 is in a pseudo-stop state. In step S1521, the random delay flag is set to off.

<Processing of first sub-control unit 400>
Next, the processing of the first sub-control unit 400 will be described using Figure 19. Figure 19 (a) is a flowchart of the main processing executed by the CPU 404 of the first sub-control unit 400. Figure 19 (b) is a flowchart of the command reception interrupt processing of the first sub-control unit 400. Figure 19 (c) is a flowchart of the timer interrupt processing of the first sub-control unit 400.

First, in step S301, various initial settings are performed. This initial setting is executed when the power is turned on. In this process, the initial settings of the input/output ports and the initialization process of the memory areas in RAM 408 are performed. In this process, various memory areas are provided in RAM 408, such as an area for storing internal winning information, which is information that indicates the result of an internal win, and an area for storing update information, which is information that indicates the game status.

In step S303, it is determined whether the timer variable is 10 or greater, and this process is repeated until the timer variable becomes 10. When the timer variable becomes 10 or greater, the process proceeds to step S305.

In step S305, the timer variable is assigned the value 0.

In step S307, command processing is performed, which is processing corresponding to each command received from the main control unit 300.

In step S309, performance control processing is performed. Here, the performance data is expanded, and device data is set in a performance execution area provided in RAM 408, performance data is set in a performance reservation area provided in RAM 408, and further, performance data is set and control processing is executed based on a received command and the information contained in that command. Note that the performance data set in the performance reservation area and the device data set in the performance execution area may be updated (overwritten) with different data. In this case, the performance content is changed based on the overwritten data.

In step S311, sound control processing is performed based on the processing result of step S309. For example, control data is obtained from the device data set in the performance execution area corresponding to the speakers 272 and 277, and the obtained control data is output to the sound source IC 418 to execute a sound performance.

In step S313, lamp control processing is performed based on the processing result of step S309. For example, control data is obtained from the device data set in the performance execution area corresponding to each of the lamps 420, and the obtained control data is output to the drive circuit 422 to cause the lamps to perform a performance.

In step S315, shutter control processing is performed based on the processing result of step S309. For example, control data is obtained from the device data set in the performance execution area corresponding to the shutter 163, and the obtained control data is output to the drive circuit 424, thereby causing the shutter 163 to perform a performance.

In step S317, an information output process is performed to set up the transmission of a control command to the second sub-control unit 500 based on the processing result of step S309. For example, if there is device data set in the performance execution area corresponding to the performance image display device 157, preparations are made to transmit this device data to the second sub-control unit 500, and the process returns to step S303.

Next, the command reception interrupt processing of the first sub-control unit 400 will be described using FIG. 19(b). This command reception interrupt processing is processing that is executed when the first sub-control unit 400 detects a strobe signal output by the main control unit 300. In step S321 of the command reception interrupt processing, the command output by the main control unit 300 is stored as an unprocessed command in a command memory area provided in the RAM 408.

Next, using FIG. 19(c), we will explain the first sub-control unit timer interrupt processing executed by the CPU 404 of the first sub-control unit 400. The first sub-control unit 400 is equipped with a hardware timer that generates a timer interrupt at a predetermined period (once every 2 ms in this embodiment), and executes the timer interrupt processing at a predetermined period in response to this timer interrupt.

In step S331, the value in the timer variable storage area of RAM 408 described in step S303 in the first sub-control unit main processing shown in FIG. 19(a) is incremented by 1 and stored in the original timer variable storage area. Therefore, in step S303, the timer variable value is determined to be 10 or greater every 20 ms (2 ms x 10).

In step S333, the device data set in step S315 is sent to the second sub-control unit 500, and the random number values for performance are updated.

<Processing of second sub-control unit 500>
Next, the processing of the second sub-control unit 500 will be described using Figure 20. Figure 20 (a) is a flowchart of the main processing executed by the CPU 504 of the second sub-control unit 500. Figure 20 (b) is a flowchart of the command reception interrupt processing of the second sub-control unit 500. Figure 20 (c) is a flowchart of the timer interrupt processing of the second sub-control unit 500. Figure 20 (d) is a flowchart of the image control processing of the second sub-control unit 500.

First, in step S401 in FIG. 20(a), various initial settings are performed. When the power is turned on, the initialization process is first executed in step S401. In this initialization process, the input/output port initial settings and the memory area in the RAM 508 are initialized, etc.

In step S403, it is determined whether the timer variable is 10 or greater, and this process is repeated until the timer variable becomes 10. When the timer variable becomes 10 or greater, the process proceeds to step S405.

In step S405, the timer variable is assigned the value 0.

In step S407, command processing is performed. In command processing, the CPU 504 of the second sub-control unit 500 determines whether or not a command has been received from the CPU 404 of the first sub-control unit 400.

In step S409, performance control processing is performed. Specifically, if a new command is received in step S407, processing corresponding to this command is performed. For example, processing is executed to read performance data for image control related to the background image from ROM 506. In addition, processing is executed to read other performance data from ROM 506, and if the performance data needs to be updated, processing to update the performance data is executed.

In step S411, image control processing is performed based on the processing result of step S409. For example, if the performance data read out in step S409 contains an image control command, image control corresponding to this command is performed. For example, image control related to the display image (notification image, background image) is executed. This image control processing will be described later with reference to FIG. 20(d). When this image control processing is completed, the process returns to step S403.

Next, the command reception interrupt processing of the second sub-control unit 500 will be described using FIG. 20(b). This command reception interrupt processing is processing that is executed when the second sub-control unit 500 detects a strobe signal output by the first sub-control unit 400. In step S415 of the command reception interrupt processing, the command output by the first sub-control unit 400 is stored as an unprocessed command in a command memory area provided in RAM 508.

Next, using FIG. 20(c), we will explain the second sub-control unit timer interrupt processing executed by the CPU 504 of the second sub-control unit 500. The second sub-control unit 500 is equipped with a hardware timer that generates a timer interrupt at a predetermined period (once every 2 ms in this embodiment), and executes the timer interrupt processing at a predetermined period in response to this timer interrupt.

In step S417, 1 is added to the value in the timer variable storage area of RAM 508 described in step S403 in the second sub-control unit main processing shown in FIG. 20(a), and the result is stored in the original timer variable storage area. Therefore, in step S403, the timer variable value is determined to be 10 or greater every 20 ms (2 ms x 10). In step S419, processing such as updating the random number value for presentation is performed.

Next, the image control processing of step S411 in the main processing of the second sub-control unit 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 20(d). This figure is a flowchart showing the flow of the image control processing.

In step S421, an instruction to transfer image data is issued. Here, the CPU 504 first swaps the designation of the drawing area of display area A and display area B of the VRAM 518. As a result, one frame of image stored in a display area not designated as a drawing area is displayed on the performance image display device 157. Next, the CPU 504 sets the ROM coordinates (the source address of the ROM 506), the VRAM coordinates (the destination address of the VRAM 518), etc. in the attribute register of the VDP 516 based on the position information table, and then sets a command to start transferring image data from the ROM 506 to the VRAM 518. The VDP 516 transfers the image data from the ROM 506 to the VRAM 518 based on the command set in the attribute register. The VDP 516 then outputs a transfer end interrupt signal to the CPU 504.

In step S423, it is determined whether a transfer end interrupt signal has been input from VDP516. If a transfer end interrupt signal has been input, the process proceeds to step S425; if not, the process waits for the transfer end interrupt signal to be input.

In step S425, parameters are set based on the performance scenario configuration table and attribute data, etc. Here, the CPU 504 instructs the VDP 516 on information about the image data that constitutes the display image (coordinate axes of the VRAM 518, image size, VRAM coordinates (layout coordinates), image overlay and transparency, etc.) in order to form a display image in display area A or B of the VRAM 518 based on the image data transferred to the VRAM 518 in step S421. The VDP 516 sets parameters according to the attributes based on the command stored in the attribute register.

In step S427, a drawing instruction is issued. In this drawing instruction, the CPU 504 instructs the VDP 516 to start drawing an image. The VDP 516 starts drawing the image in the frame buffer in accordance with the instruction from the CPU 504.

In step S429, it is determined whether a generation end interrupt signal has been input from VDP516 based on the end of image drawing. If a generation end interrupt signal has been input, the process proceeds to step S431; if not, the process waits for the generation end interrupt signal to be input.

In step S431, the scene display counter, which is set in a specified area of RAM 508 and counts how many scene images have been generated, is incremented (+1) and the process ends.

<About pseudo-games>
In the slot machine 100, the reels 110 to 112 are rotated by inserting medals and operating the start lever 135, and a winning combination is internally determined by an internal lottery. The reels 110 to 112 are stopped by operating the stop buttons 137 to 139, and a winning combination is achieved when a combination of symbols according to the internal determination is displayed on the symbol display window. When a winning combination involving the payment of medals is achieved, a specified number of medals corresponding to the winning combination is paid out. This series of operations is a normal game, but this normal game is referred to as the main game to distinguish it from the pseudo game described below. The pseudo game is executed before the main game. There are cases where one game is only the main game, and cases where one game is both the pseudo game and the main game. The number of games is equal to the number of games.

Similar to the main game, the pseudo game is a type of reel presentation in which the reels 110-112 are stopped (pseudo-stopped in this embodiment) by operating the stop buttons 137-139, and some combination of symbols is displayed in the symbol display window. In this pseudo game, the reels 110-112 can be stopped like the main game, but unlike the main game, medals are not paid out as a result of the reels 110-112 stopping.

In this embodiment, the reels 110-112 are not completely stopped in the pseudo game as in the actual game, but are pseudo-stopped (for example, by continuing to vibrate slightly) to make it clear that it is a pseudo game (not an actual game). When the pseudo game ends, the reels 110-112 spin again and the actual game begins. In other words, the pseudo game is a game in which the reels 110-112 are stopped in a pseudo manner by operating the stop buttons 137-139 on the rotating reels 110-112 during the period from when the start lever 135 is operated until the speed of rotation of the reels 110-112 in the actual game becomes constant, allowing any combination of symbols to be displayed.

In this embodiment, the pseudo game is an effect game that can be executed until the rotation speed of all reels 110 to 112 in the actual game becomes constant, but it may be an effect game that can be executed until the rotation speed of some reels becomes constant. For example, when the spun reels 110 to 112 are stopped by operating the stop buttons 137 to 139, the pseudo game may be stopped only for reel 110 and the actual game may be stopped for reels 111 and 112, or the pseudo game may be stopped for reels 110 and 111 and the actual game may be stopped only for reel 112.

Here, an example of the pseudo game operation of this embodiment will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 21. For example, when the AT state is reached from the next game (pseudo game flag on), the reels 110 to 112 start rotating when the start lever 135 is operated (STA1 in FIG. 21(a)). Next, the corresponding first stop reel (left reel 110 in FIG. 21(a)) is pseudo-stopped based on the first stop operation (STO1-1 in FIG. 21(a), here the operation of the left stop button 137). Next, the corresponding second stop reel (middle reel 111 in FIG. 21(a)) is pseudo-stopped based on the second stop operation (STO1-2 in FIG. 21(a), here the operation of the middle stop button 138). Next, the corresponding second stop reel (middle reel 111 in FIG. 21(a)) is pseudo-stopped based on the second stop operation (STO1-2 in FIG. 21(a), here the operation of the middle stop button 138). Next, the corresponding third stop reel (right reel 112 in FIG. 21(a)) is pseudo-stopped based on the third stop operation (STO1-3 in FIG. 21(a), here the operation of the right stop button 139).

As shown in FIG. 21(b), during the pseudo-stop state, the reels 110-112 are not completely still, but are in a state of slight vibration (movement that changes state at intervals of 500 ms or less so as not to maintain the same state for more than 500 ms). Specifically, the reels 110-112 are made to slightly vibrate up and down between a predetermined position A and a position A' that is slightly away from position A.

Note that when the reels 110-112 are not completely still, this includes a state in which they are not still when viewed from a macro perspective (on the order of seconds), i.e., a state in which they are moving slowly enough that the player can see them moving (a state in which they are swaying back and forth), as well as a state in which they are still when viewed from a micro perspective (on the order of hundreds of milliseconds).

In other words, the micro-vibration may include a period in which the reels 110 to 112 are stationary, and in this embodiment, the period between movements in the micro-vibration is less than 500 ms. In other words, in this embodiment, if there is a stationary state of 500 ms or more between movements in the micro-vibration, it is defined that the reels 110 to 112 are in a stationary state, and if there is a stationary state of less than 500 ms, it is defined that the reels 110 to 112 are not in a stationary state.

The reason for performing pseudo stops in pseudo games is that if the reels 110-112 are completely stopped, the player may mistakenly think that the actual game has stopped and quit playing, leaving the machine. In other words, this is to prevent a situation in which the player gives up the benefits that would have been obtained in the actual game that is played thereafter. Note that in the above example, each of the reels 110-112 performs a pseudo stop, but, for example, the corresponding reel 110-112 may be completely stopped at the stage of the first stop operation and the second stop operation, and after the third stop operation, all of the reels 110-112 may simultaneously enter a pseudo stop state. Also, the vibrations of each of the reels 110-112 may be synchronous or asynchronous.

The state of micro-vibration is similar to the fluctuating vibration of decorative pattern images displayed on a pachinko display device. However, pachinko is designed to notify the result of the actual game by causing decorative pattern images to fluctuate and then stopping this vibration, whereas slot machines do not notify the result of the actual game by stopping the micro-vibration after the reels 110-112 vibrate slightly. When the reels 110-112 come to a complete stop in the actual game that is executed after this pseudo game, the result of that game is notified.

In this embodiment, when all reels 110 to 112 have been pseudo-stopped, a pseudo next game start process is performed, and then the actual game begins. However, a random delay is implemented when the reels start to spin in this actual game. In the pseudo game, a specific number is lined up, so if the reels 110 to 112 all start spinning at the same time in the subsequent actual game, some players may find it easier to aim for a certain symbol and stop it.

In other words, there is a possibility that an advantage/disadvantage may occur in the operation of the game depending on whether the reels 110 to 112 start to rotate all at once when a specific number is lined up, or whether the reels 110 to 112 start to rotate all at once when a specific number is not lined up. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21(c), when the reel rotation of the game starts after the pseudo game, the reels 110 to 112 are rotated in the order of the left reel 110, the center reel 111, and the right reel 112, and the center reel 111 and the right reel 112 are rotated after a random predetermined time determined by lottery has elapsed.

This configuration spreads out the positions of the left reel 110, center reel 111, and right reel 112, instead of the reels 110 to 112 starting to spin all at once when a specific result is achieved.

The arrangement for spreading out the positions may involve starting the rotation in an order other than the above, or may involve setting timers for the rotation start delay times for each of the reels 110-112 individually and then having each timer count down simultaneously. After the left reel 110, center reel 111, and right reel 112 start rotating, the operation of the stop buttons 137-139 in this game becomes effective after all the reels have reached a uniform rotation.

The triggers for executing pseudo-play include when the player transitions to the AT state, when the transition to the AT state is confirmed, when the transition to the AT state is confirmed after a predetermined number of plays, when a special role is internally won, etc.

The pseudo game may, for example, involve reel spinning or reel stopping that is difficult to achieve in the actual game (for example, reel control different from that in the actual game, such as reverse spinning of reels 110-112), or may involve, for example, increasing the number of games, including the pseudo game, thereby ultimately reducing the gambling element. Also, the game may be configured so that multiple pseudo games are executed in succession.

<Notification of pseudo-game other than pseudo-stop>
In the pseudo game described in Fig. 21, the pseudo stop allows the player to know that the game is a pseudo game and not a real game. That is, the pseudo stop can be said to be one aspect of a notification that the game is a pseudo game (hereinafter, pseudo game notification).

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, a pseudo game lamp 190 is provided to the right of the shutter 163, and turning on this pseudo game lamp 190 allows the player to know that a pseudo game is being played. FIG. 22(a) shows the shutter 163 in a closed state, FIG. 22(b) shows the shutter 163 in a half-open state, and FIG. 22(c) shows the shutter 163 in an open state, but the state of the pseudo game lamp 190 can be confirmed in any state. Turning on this pseudo game lamp 190 is also one form of pseudo game notification.

In this embodiment, when the image on the effect image display device 157 is to be viewed by the player, the shutter 163 is open, and the shutter 163 is positioned between the effect image display device 157 and the pseudo game lamp 190 (Figure 22 (c)). At this time, when the player focuses his or her attention on the image on the effect image display device 157, the pseudo game lamp 190 is positioned further out of the player's field of vision, sandwiched between the shutter 163, and as a result, the pseudo game lamp 190 can be made less noticeable.

The pseudo game lamp 190 may be described so as to indicate that it is a lamp that lights up during a pseudo game, as shown in FIG. 22(d). This description is not limited to "during pseudo game", and may be described as "free" or "free play", for example. In addition, in this embodiment, the pseudo game lamp 190 is controlled by the main control unit 300, but this is not limited to the configuration, and it may be controlled by the first sub-control unit 400.

<Example of performance>
An example of the effect produced by the effect producing device 160 will be described below. Fig. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing one example of the effect, and shows an example of a display image of the effect image display device 157. Sound output from the shutter 163 and the speaker 272 can also be used in combination with this effect.

The example in Figure 23 shows a continuous performance CE that is executed over a predetermined period of time. In this embodiment, the continuous performance CE is a continuous performance that is executed over a series of consecutive plays over a predetermined period of time, and in the example shown, the basic idea is that a set of performances is executed over four plays. For this reason, the continuous performance CE is made up of four individual performances EN1 to EN4. Each of the individual performances EN1 to EN4 can be made up of a video or still image.

The individual effects EN1 to EN4 are basically executed for each game. The individual effects EN to EN4 are updated when start information is received. The start information includes a real game start command (S1403 in FIG. 17), but in this embodiment, it also includes a pseudo game start command (S1103 in FIG. 14) for reasons that will be described later. The real game start command and the pseudo game start command may be exactly the same command, in which case this contributes to reducing the memory capacity of the main control unit 300.

Figure 24 (a) shows an example of the execution of a continuous effect CE over a predetermined period (from the Nth play to the N+3rd play). In the example shown, a continuous effect CE is used as an effect to notify the player that the AT state has been confirmed, and an example is shown of a case where no pseudo play is performed.

At the N-1th game, the effect image display device 157 displays a message suggesting the execution of a continuous effect CE (in the illustrated example, a notification of an advanced effect). The continuous effect CE starts from the Nth game. When the start lever 135 is operated by the player, the first sub-control unit 400 receives the main game start command (S1403 in FIG. 17), which triggers the execution of individual effect EN1 at the Nth game. When the Nth game ends and the player operates the start lever 135, the first sub-control unit 400 receives the main game start command (S1403 in FIG. 17), which triggers the execution of individual effect EN2 at the N+1th game.

In the same way, individual effect EN3 is executed in the N+2th game, and individual effect EN4 is executed in the N+3rd game. A series of consecutive effects CE is executed over a period of four games. After that, an effect is performed in the N+4th game to notify the player that the AT state has been confirmed.

Since individual effects EN1 to EN4 of this continuous effect CE are executed for each game, it is possible to give the player a sense of anticipation for each game.

On the other hand, it is also possible to execute a pseudo game while a continuous performance CE is being executed. However, if the continuous performance CE is interrupted midway and a pseudo game is executed, the continuity of the continuous performance CE may be lost, and the performance effect may be reduced. Also, the execution of a pseudo game may lengthen the time for one game session, resulting in a drawn-out game from the start to the end of the continuous performance CE, and the tempo of the game may be reduced.

In this embodiment, when a pseudo game is executed, the execution period of the consecutive performance CE is shortened, and the consecutive performance CE is executed without omission. FIG. 24(b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of this.

Figure 24 (b) shows an example of the execution of a continuous effect CE over a specific period (from the Nth play to the N+2th play). In the example shown, a continuous effect CE is used as an effect to notify the player that the AT state has been confirmed, and shows an example of a case where a pseudo game is played in the N+1th play.

At the N-1th game play, the effect image display device 157 displays a display suggesting the execution of a continuous effect CE (in the illustrated example, a notification of an advanced effect). The continuous effect CE starts from the Nth game play. When the start lever 135 is operated by the player, the first sub-control unit 400 receives a game start command (S1403 in FIG. 17), which triggers the execution of individual effect EN1 at the Nth game play.

When the Nth game is completed, the player operates the start lever 135 to start the N+1th game. In this game, a pseudo game is started before the main game. The pseudo game start command (S1103 in FIG. 14) is received by the first sub-control unit 400, which triggers the execution of individual performance EN2 in the N+1th game.

After that, in the pseudo game, the start lever 135 is operated by the player (S1315 in FIG. 16) or the SR timer times out (S1317 in FIG. 16), and then the first sub-control unit 400 receives the main game start command (S1403 in FIG. 17) via S1403 in FIG. 17, which triggers the execution of individual effect EN3. In other words, in the N+1th game, individual effect EN2 and individual effect EN3 are executed. Since the main game is started even if the SR timer times out, it is possible to prevent the interval between individual effect EN2 and individual effect EN3 from becoming too long and the effect becoming drawn out.

When the N+1th game ends and the start lever 135 is operated by the player, the first sub-control unit 400 receives the game start command (S1403 in FIG. 17), which triggers the execution of individual effect EN4 in the N+2th game. Compared to the example in FIG. 24(a), a series of consecutive effects CE are executed over a period of three games, which is one less game. After that, in the N+3th game, an effect is performed to notify the player that the AT state has been confirmed.

In this manner, in this embodiment, when a pseudo game is executed, the period during which the consecutive performance CE is executed is shortened. Since the consecutive performance CE is executed without interruption, the continuity of the consecutive performance CE is not lost. It is also possible to prevent the game from being prolonged from the start to the end of the consecutive performance CE, which would otherwise slow down the tempo of the game.

The shortening of the execution period of the consecutive performance CE is achieved by performing two individual performances in one game, with individual performances being performed in both the pseudo game and the actual game. Because the pseudo game is similar to the procedure of the actual game, the player is given the impression that each individual performance is being performed during the actual game, reducing the sense of discomfort felt by the player. In particular, in the example of FIG. 24(a) and the example of FIG. 24(b), the number of operations of the start lever 135 that can be accepted during the period in which the consecutive performance CE is executed is the same, allowing the player to play without feeling uncomfortable and at a good tempo.

The timing of pseudo-game execution when the consecutive effects CE is executed is not limited to the example in FIG. 24(b). The example in FIG. 25(a) illustrates a case where a pseudo-game is executed in the Nth game. In this example, individual effect EN1 is executed during the Nth game pseudo-game, and individual effect EN2 is executed during the actual game. Compared to the example in FIG. 24(a), a series of consecutive effects CE is executed in a period of three games, which is one game less. In both the example in FIG. 24(a) and the example in FIG. 25(a), the number of operations of the start lever 135 that can be accepted during the period in which the consecutive effects CE is executed is the same.

The example of FIG. 25(b) illustrates a case where pseudo games are executed in the Nth game and the N+1th game. In this example, individual effect EN1 is executed during the Nth pseudo game, and individual effect EN2 is executed during the actual game. Also, individual effect EN3 is executed during the N+1th pseudo game, and individual effect EN4 is executed during the actual game. Compared to the example of FIG. 24(a), a series of consecutive effects CE is executed in a period of two games, which is two fewer games. In both the example of FIG. 24(a) and the example of FIG. 25(b), the number of operations of the start lever 135 during the period in which the consecutive effects CE are executed is the same.

<Display control of specific numbers in pseudo-game 1>
In the pseudo game, when the operation navigation is executed and the player performs the stop operation in accordance with the stop operation order recommended by the operation navigation, the reels may be controlled to stop so that the reels 110 to 112 display a specific result. FIG. 26 shows an example.

State ST0 indicates the state in which a simulated game has started. The reels 110 to 112 spin, and the performance image display device 157 displays the recommended stop operation sequence as left → middle → right. The recommended stop operation sequence may also be displayed on the payout number display 127.

State ST1 indicates the stage where the player has performed the first stop on the left reel 110, and state ST2 indicates the stage where the player has performed the second stop on the center reel 111. State ST3 indicates the stage where the player has performed the third stop on the right reel 112, and because the stopping operation was performed in accordance with the recommended stopping operation sequence displayed on the performance image display device 157, the reels 110 to 112 have come to a pseudo-stop so that a specific outcome is displayed.

State ST11 indicates the stage where the player has performed the first stop on the right reel 112, and state ST12 indicates the stage where the player has performed the second stop on the center reel 111. State ST13 indicates the stage where the player has performed the third stop on the left reel 113, and because the stopping operation has not been performed according to the recommended stopping operation sequence displayed on the performance image display device 157, the reels 110 to 112 have been pseudo-stopped to display a number different from the specific number.

The specific result may be a result that indicates internal information of the slot machine 100 (so-called reach result). Examples of the internal information include an internal win of a predetermined role and confirmation of the setting of the AT state. The specific result may be a result that is not related to the internal information of the slot machine 100 but has a low probability of appearing. In addition, the specific result may be derived only when the pseudo game is being played and the recommended stop operation sequence is being used, or may be derived when the real game is being played and the recommended stop operation sequence is being used, or may be derived even if the recommended stop operation sequence is not being used.

Such display control of specific outcomes may be performed during play in the AT state, or may be performed by executing operation navigation during play that is not in the AT state. It may also be performed without executing operation navigation.

In addition, such display control of the specific result may be performed when a pseudo game is performed in a series of games in which the continuous performance CE is executed. For example, in the example of FIG. 24(b), display control of the specific result is performed in the pseudo game of the N+1th game. In this way, by deriving a specific result as a reach-point during the continuous performance, it is possible to give a player a sense of surprise and improve the interest in the game. In addition, when the specific result is made to function as a reach-point and a pseudo game can be executed during the continuous performance, the frequency and probability of the pseudo game occurring may be higher in the continuous performance when the transition to the AT state has been determined than in the continuous performance when the transition to the AT state has not been determined. On the other hand, the occurrence of the pseudo game may be restricted in the continuous performance when the transition to the AT state has not been determined. In another aspect, even during the continuous performance when the transition to the AT state has not been determined, a lottery is performed as to whether or not to generate a pseudo game, and when a decision is made to generate a pseudo game, a transition to the AT state is decided, and a specific result may be derived in the pseudo game. The recommended stop operation sequence may be displayed alongside the individual effect EN2, or may be displayed on the payout number display 127. In this case, the specific result may indicate that the AT state has been set. This may increase the player's motivation to play the pseudo game.

<Display control of specific numbers in pseudo game 2>
In a pseudo game, when a player performs a stop operation in accordance with a stop operation sequence recommended for avoiding a penalty for the player, the reels may be controlled to stop so that a specific result is displayed on the reels 110 to 112. The stop operation sequence recommended for avoiding a penalty may or may not be notified to the player by the operation navigation.

Examples of penalties are as described above. That is, in the push order bell configuration illustrated in FIG. 8, in terms of the stop operation sequence, if the first stop operation is on the left reel 110, a maximum of 6 medals can be paid out, and if the first stop operation is on the right reel 112 or the middle reel 111, a maximum of 13 medals can be paid out. In a non-AT state, if the first stop operation is repeated on the right reel 112 or the middle reel 111 (for example, if a specified number of plays are played consecutively, or if the cumulative number of plays reaches a specified number of plays), a penalty can be imposed such as not holding a lottery to transition to the AT state, or lowering the probability of winning the lottery to transition to the AT state. In this case, the first stop operation on the left reel 110 is the recommended stop operation sequence in terms of avoiding penalties, and the first stop operation on the right reel 112 or the middle reel 111 is the non-recommended stop operation sequence in terms of the risk of penalties.

The recommended and non-recommended stop operation sequences related to these penalties apply to the actual game, but by making some kind of effect apply to the pseudo game as well, it is possible to give the player the enjoyment of playing the pseudo game with the same feeling as playing the actual game.

Therefore, when a player performs a stop operation according to the recommended stop operation sequence for this game, the reels may be controlled to stop so that the reels 110 to 112 display a specific result. Figure 27 shows an example.

State ST20 shows the state where pseudo play has started. Here, pseudo play in a non-AT state is assumed. The recommended stop operation sequence is the first stop operation for the left reel 110, and the non-recommended stop operation sequence is the first stop operation for the right reel 112 or the center reel 111. The reels 110 to 112 spin, and the effect image display device 157 does not display the recommended stop operation sequence, but instead displays a simple effect image (here, the words "Chance!"). The recommended stop operation sequence is also not displayed on the payout number display 127.

State ST21 indicates the stage where the player has performed the first stop on the left reel 110, and state ST22 indicates the stage where the player has performed the second stop on the center reel 111. State ST23 indicates the stage where the player has performed the third stop on the right reel 112, and because the stopping operation was performed according to the recommended stopping operation sequence, the reels 110 to 112 have come to a pseudo-stop so that a specific outcome is displayed.

State ST31 indicates the stage where the player has performed a first stop on the right reel 112, and state ST32 indicates the stage where the player has performed a second stop on the center reel 111. State ST33 indicates the stage where the player has performed a third stop on the left reel 113. Because the first stop operation is not the recommended stop operation sequence, the reels 110 to 112 are pseudo-stopped to display a number different from the specific number.

The specific numbers may be numbers that indicate internal information of the slot machine 100 (so-called reach numbers). Examples of the internal information include an internal win of a predetermined role and confirmation of the setting of an AT state. The specific numbers may be numbers that are not related to the internal information of the slot machine 100 but have a low probability of appearing.

In addition, such display control of the specific result may be performed when a pseudo game is performed in a series of games in which a continuous performance CE is executed. For example, in the example of FIG. 24(b), display control of the specific result is performed in the pseudo game of the N+1th game. In this way, by deriving a specific result as a reach-point during the continuous performance, it is possible to give a player a sense of surprise and increase the interest in the game. In addition, when the specific result functions as a reach-point and a pseudo game can be executed during the continuous performance, the frequency and probability of the pseudo game occurring may be higher in the continuous performance when the transition to the AT state has been determined than in the continuous performance when the transition to the AT state has not been determined. On the other hand, the occurrence of the pseudo game may be restricted in the continuous performance when the transition to the AT state has not been determined. In another aspect, even during the continuous performance when the transition to the AT state has not been determined, a lottery is performed to determine whether or not to generate a pseudo game, and when a decision to generate a pseudo game is made, a transition to the AT state is decided, and a specific result may be derived in the pseudo game.

<Another Example 1 of the First Embodiment>
In the above embodiment, the information on the number of plays included in the game information output in S213 of Fig. 12 is exemplified as the number of plays being counted by an external device based on the main game, but an external signal may be output so that the total number of plays of the pseudo game and the main game is counted by an external device as the total number of plays per day. If the total number of plays per day is added up on the game information display provided for each slot machine 100 every time a pseudo game is played, it may be possible to give the player the recognition that the pseudo game is similar to the main game, and it may be possible to make the player actively enjoy the pseudo game.

In order to include the number of pseudo games in the total number of games played per day, for example, a signal to update the number of games played may be output to an external device when the processing in FIG. 16 ends (Yes in S1315 or S1317).

As another example, a signal to update the number of plays may be output to an external device when the pseudo game ends. FIG. 28 is a flow chart showing one such example, showing an example of processing executed in place of the pseudo game reel stop control processing of FIG. 15. To explain the processing different from the example of FIG. 15, in the example of FIG. 28, information output processing S1212 is added after S1208, where a signal to update the number of plays is output to information input circuit 652 via information output circuit 334. Information updating is performed on the side of an external device such as a hall computer.

Next, in the above embodiment, the start lever 135 is exemplified as the operation means that triggers switching between the individual effects EN1 to EN4, but other operation means may be used, for example operation means related to the progress of the game. Specifically, it may be the MAX BET button 132 or the stop buttons 137 to 139. In the case of the stop buttons 137 to 139, the third stop operation may be the target.

<Example of operation navigation>
An example of operation navigation using the liquid crystal image display device 157 in this game will be described with reference to Figures 29 and 30. Figure 29 is a flow chart showing the flow of the notification process executed by the CPU 304 of the main control unit 300 when the AT state is set, and for example, it is started after the reels 110 to 112 start to rotate (S113) and before the stop operation is enabled. It is also possible to adopt a mode in which this process is not executed by the main control unit 300, but the sub-control unit 400 executes the same process according to a sub-command from the main control unit 300.

In step S1701, it is determined whether the current RT gaming state is RT2 (RB gaming state). If the RT gaming state is RT2, the process ends.

In step S1702, it is determined whether or not the push order bell has been internally won in this game. If the push order bell has been internally won, the process proceeds to step S1703, in which preparations are made to send a sub-command to the sub-control unit 400 to notify the recommended stop operation sequence. If the push order bell has not been internally won, the process proceeds to step S1704, in which it is determined whether or not the common bell has been internally won in this game. If the common bell has been internally won, the process proceeds to step S1705, and if not, the process ends.

In step S1705, it is determined whether the remaining number of AT coins is equal to or less than the number of coins waiting for the end. If the remaining number of AT coins is equal to or less than the number of coins waiting for the end, the process proceeds to step S1706. If the remaining number of AT coins is greater than the number of coins waiting for the end, the process ends. Step S1705 is a process for determining whether the AT state will win a common bell in the final game. The remaining number of AT coins means the remaining difference in the number of coins that will reach the end condition of the AT state related to the difference in the number of coins. The number of coins waiting for the end means the difference in the number of coins that the player will obtain as a result of the current game. In the case of a common bell, the payout is 13 coins and the number of coins inserted by the player is 3 coins, so the number of coins waiting for the end is 10 coins. In S1706, the stop operation order is notified. The stop operation order for the common bell is arbitrary. However, here, in order to notify the stop operation order, a subcommand is prepared to be sent to the sub-control unit 400.

Figures 30(a) to 30(c) show examples of notifications in steps S1703, S1707, and S1706, respectively.

Figure 30 (a) is an example of the operation navigation, and shows the recommended stop operation sequence as 3 → 1 → 2 when an internal win occurs in the Push Order Bell_RLC. This suggests that you should operate in the order of right → left → middle. It also shows that the number of coins remaining in the AT is 25.

Figure 30 (b) is an example of notification during RB play. Even if the bell is an internal winner, the recommended stop operation sequence is not notified. In this way, in this embodiment, even if the AT state is set, operation navigation is not performed during RB play. If operation navigation is performed during RB play, the player may be concerned that the AT state may end due to the end condition of the difference in number of coins during RB play. Generally, players often feel satisfied that they have completed the AT state or made full use of the AT state by performing operation navigation in a game where the AT state ends and receiving a payout corresponding to the winning combination. In this embodiment, by not performing operation navigation during RB play, the player's satisfaction can be improved without making the player concerned that the AT state will end during RB play.

In addition, "even if the AT state is set, operation navigation is not performed during RB play" means that even if the game state is controlled to the AT state as shown in FIG. 10 etc. and then controlled to the RB play state, operation navigation is not performed during the RB play, indicating that operation navigation is not performed during RB play in the AT state.

Here, "even if the AT state is set, operation navigation is not performed during RB play" includes, for example, the following configuration:

(i) When the RB gaming state is started during the AT state, information indicating that it is controlled to the AT state (AT state command, AT state flag, AT permission information; hereafter referred to as AT state information) is maintained or held even during the RB gaming state, but information indicating that it is in the RB gaming state (RB state command and RB state flag; hereafter referred to as RB state information) is also set or stored, so that when the AT state information and the RB state information are established simultaneously, a notification of a stop operation corresponding to the lottery result of the internal winning role lottery process is not performed. Then, when the RB gaming state ends, the RB state information is not set or not stored, and in the subsequent AT state, a notification of a stop operation corresponding to the lottery result of the internal winning role lottery process is performed.

(ii) If the RB gaming state is started during the AT state, the AT state is considered to be temporarily interrupted, and the AT state information is not set or stored. However, since the RB state information is set or stored, a stop operation corresponding to the lottery result of the internal winning role lottery process is not notified during the RB gaming state. However, since information that can identify a return to the AT state (AT return information) is set or stored when the RB gaming state ends, the RB state information is not set or not stored when the RB gaming state ends, and since the AT state information is set or stored again by the AT return information, a return to the AT state is made, and a stop operation corresponding to the lottery result of the internal winning role lottery process is notified.

(iii) If the RB gaming state is started during the AT state, the AT state information is not set or stored, and information indicating that the RB gaming state is in the AT (RB state command during the AT state and RB state flag during the AT state, hereinafter referred to as RB information during the AT) is set or stored, so that during the RB gaming state, a stop operation corresponding to the lottery result of the internal winning role lottery process is not notified. Then, when the RB gaming state ends, the RB information during the AT is not set or not stored, and then the AT state information is set or stored again, and during the AT state, a stop operation corresponding to the lottery result of the internal winning role lottery process is notified.

Thus, "operation navigation is not performed during RB play even if the AT state is set" can mean (i) a configuration in which the AT state information is set and stored even in the RB play state, (ii) a configuration in which the AT state information is not set and not stored in the RB play state, but AT return information is set and stored, and (iii) a configuration in which the AT state information is not set and not stored in the RB play state, but RB information is set and stored during the AT state. The common point among these is that it is possible to return to the AT state after the RB play state ends, and thus "even if the AT state is set" refers to having AT rights and information that allow for a return to the AT state after the RB play state ends.

Figure 30 (c) is an example of notification when the common bell wins internally in the final game of the AT state. The stop operation order for the common bell to win is arbitrary. However, as described above, in general, players often feel a sense of satisfaction that they have completed the AT state or made full use of the AT state by receiving a payout corresponding to the winning combination when the operation navigation is performed in the game where the AT state ends. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the common bell wins internally in the final game of the AT state and the AT state ends, the stop operation order is notified. The stop operation order to be notified may be a predetermined stop operation order, and in this case, the program capacity can be reduced by eliminating the need for a process to determine the stop operation order. Conversely, the stop operation order to be notified may be determined by lottery. This eliminates bias in the stop operation order to be notified, and reduces the feeling of a fixed race (the feeling that it always ends with the left, middle, or right bell).

In the example of Figure 30(c), the stop operation sequence is displayed as 2 → 1 → 3. This suggests that the operation is center → left → right, but even if the player selects a different stop operation sequence, the common bell will be won. The example of Figure 30(c) also shows that the number of remaining AT coins is 5.

In this embodiment, there are predetermined roles (common bell) that do not involve a stop operation mode, and predetermined roles (push order bell) that involve an operation mode, and in a game that could be the final game in the AT state (when there is one bell remaining), even if the internal winning role is a push order-independent bell, the recommended operation mode is notified. By ending the final game in the AT state with the operation navigation, the player can be given a sense of satisfaction that the AT end conditions have been met.

The above notification process provides an AT state that is highly satisfying to the player. The CPU 304 of the main control unit 300 can also perform similar processing in the operation navigation of the payout number display 127.

<Example of AT game progress>
An example of the progress of the game regarding the AT will be described with reference to Figures 31 and 32. Figures 31 and 32 each show an example of the progress of the game before and after the AT state ends due to the ending condition of the difference number of coins. First, the example of Figure 31 will be described.

At the N play stage, the states are RT1 (RB internal win state), advantageous zone, and normal AT state, and the common bell has been internally won. Since the common bell has been internally won, no operation navigation is performed. The common bell has been won and the number of remaining AT coins is 17.

At the N+1 game stage, the push order bell is internally won, and operation navigation is performed. As a result of winning the push order bell (13 coins), the number of coins remaining in the AT is the number of coins inserted + 3 coins, and the number of coins paid out - 13 coins, which is 7 coins. Since there are 7 coins remaining in the AT, the AT state may end depending on the result of the next game, and the machine enters a waiting state for the AT to end.

At the N+2 play stage, the internal lottery result is a miss. No operation navigation is performed. The number of remaining AT coins is 10 coins, which is the number of coins inserted + 3 coins and the number of coins paid out 0 coins. Since there are 10 coins remaining in the AT, the AT state may end depending on the result of the next play, and the game enters a waiting state for the end. At the N+3 play stage, the internal lottery result is an internal win for the common bell. Since this is the final play of the AT state, operation navigation is performed. The AT state ends. Since the RT play state is RT1, the establishment of transition condition 12 (FIG. 10) sets the pullback chance state in the next play. In the illustrated example, it is assumed that transition condition B (C) or (D) is established, the advantageous zone ends, and a non-advantageous zone is set in the next play.

At the N+4 game stage, the internal lottery result is an internal win for the common bell. No operation navigation is performed. When transition condition A is met, the game transitions from the non-advantageous zone to the advantageous zone. At the N+5 game stage, the internal lottery result is the push order bell. In the pull-back chance state, operation navigation for the push order bell is performed in the advantageous zone. After that, play progresses to the N+6 game, N+7 game, and so on in the pull-back chance state.

The example in Figure 32 will be explained. At the M play stage, the states are RT1 (RB internal win state), advantageous zone, and normal AT state, with the push order bell being internally won. As the push order bell is an internal win, no operation navigation is performed. The push order bell is won and the number of coins remaining in the AT is 7. As the number of coins remaining in the AT is 7, the state enters a waiting state for the AT to end, which may end depending on the result of the next play.

At the M+1 play stage, the internal lottery result is a miss. No operation navigation is performed. The number of remaining coins in the AT is the number of coins inserted + 3, and the number of coins paid out is 0, which is 10 coins. Since there are 10 coins remaining in the AT, the AT state may end depending on the result of the next play, and the machine enters a waiting state for the end. However, at the M+1 play stage, a symbol combination corresponding to RB is displayed, and RB has been won. From the next play, the RT play state becomes RT2 (RB play state).

At the M+2 play stage, the push order bell is an internal winner, but since the RT play state is RT2 (RB play state), no operation navigation is performed. Also, since the RT play state is RT2 (RB play state), the difference in number of coins and the number of plays are not updated, and the number of coins remaining in the AT remains at 10 coins.

The M+7 play stage is the final play of RT2 (RB play state). The internal lottery result is an internal win on the common bell. No operation navigation is performed. The number of remaining AT coins remains at 10. RT0 (normal play) is set from the next play.

At the M+8 play stage, the internal lottery result is a simultaneous internal win for the common bell and RB. Here, since this is the final play of the AT state, operation navigation is performed for the common bell. The AT state ends. Since the RT play state becomes RT1 in this play, the establishment of transition condition 12 (FIG. 10) sets the pull-back chance state in the next play. In the illustrated example, it is assumed that transition condition B (C) or (D) is established, the advantageous zone ends, and a non-advantageous zone is set in the next play. At the M+9 play stage, the internal lottery result is the common bell. Operation navigation is not performed. The establishment of transition condition A transitions from the non-advantageous zone to the advantageous zone. At the M+10 play stage, the internal lottery result is the push order bell. In the pull-back chance state, operation navigation for the push order bell is executed in the advantageous zone.

<Another Example 2 of the First Embodiment>
In the information output of step S123, even if the RB game starts (RT2 starts), an external signal does not have to be output. In this embodiment, since the player's profit in the AT state is large, an external signal is output and the data lamp is updated, which may prevent the player from misunderstanding that a special benefit greater than that in the AT state has been granted.

Even when RB play starts (start of RT2), it is not necessary to have an effect indicating that the current play is RB play, as in FIG. 30(b). Specifically, a configuration can be considered in which the effect that was being performed before RB play started is continued without an effect indicating that it is RB play. In this embodiment, since the player's profit in the AT state is large, it may be possible to prevent the player from mistakenly believing that a bonus greater than that in the AT state has been granted in RB play.

Even if an internal win is made to the RB (RT1 is set), it is not necessary to have a presentation to inform the player that an internal win has been made to the RB. Specifically, a configuration can be considered in which the presentation that was being made before the RB was won is continued without any presentation indicating that an internal win has been made to the RB. In this embodiment, since the player's profit in the AT state is large, it may be possible to prevent the player from mistakenly believing that a bonus greater than that in the AT state has been granted in RB play.

If an internal win has been achieved for RB, the symbol combination corresponding to RB may not be announced. Specifically, a configuration may be considered in which the effect that was being performed before the symbol combination corresponding to RB was displayed is continued without the effect showing the symbol combination corresponding to RB. In this embodiment, since the player's profit in the AT state is large, it may be possible to prevent the player from mistakenly believing that a special benefit greater than that in the AT state has been granted in RB play.

It is also possible to prevent the presentation from changing before and after the setting change. By continuing the presentation that was being performed before the setting change after the setting change, it may be possible to prevent the player from noticing that the setting has been changed.

It is also possible to prevent the presentation from changing when the power is restored after a power outage (S221) and when the settings are changed. By providing the same presentation when the power is restored after a power outage and when the settings are changed, it may be possible to prevent the player from noticing that the settings have been changed.

<Display of the number of games after setting the AT state>
In the slot machine 100 of this embodiment, whether or not the AT state is set greatly affects the profitability of the player. When a player selects a slot machine 100 at a gaming establishment, the number of games played after the AT state is set is one guide. For example, when the AT state has ended and the number of games played after the AT state is set is not small but is rather large, the player may have an expectation that the AT state will be set soon. In this embodiment, an external device outputs information that can provide such number of games to the player.

Figure 33 (a) shows an example of information output from the information output circuit 334 to the information input circuit 652, and shows an example of an external signal output in S213 of Figure 12. In the example shown, eight external signals can be assigned to pins 1 to 8 of the connector connecting the information output circuit 334 and the information input circuit 652.

Pin 1 is assigned to the medal insertion number signal. The medal insertion number signal outputs a signal corresponding to the number of bets when the start lever 135 is operated. This signal is output for each game, so an external device can determine the number of games played from this signal. Pin 2 is assigned to the medal payout number signal. The medal payout number signal outputs a signal corresponding to the number of medals paid out when medals are paid out as a result of a game.

Pin 5 is unused. Pin 7 is assigned a security signal. The security signal is a signal that indicates that a setting change or setting confirmation is being performed. Pin 8 is assigned a door open signal. The door open signal is a signal that indicates that the front door 102 is open.

The RB signal is assigned to pin 3. The RB signal is a signal that is output when the AT state is set in the advantageous zone (when the first win occurs). However, if the AT state (ending state) is set by the establishment of transition condition 15, it is not output. The first win refers to when the AT state is set by a transition condition other than when a win occurs in the pullback chance state (when the AT normal state is set by transition condition 13).

Figure 34 (a) shows an example of the change of the RB signal. In this embodiment, the RB signal turns ON after two plays from the setting of the AT state, and turns OFF in the next play. The reason why the signal is turned ON after two plays from the setting of the AT state is that if two plays have passed since the setting of the AT state, the state is reliably controlled to the AT state, and because it takes one or two plays to transition from the non-advantageous zone to the advantageous zone, it is possible to ensure consistency with the number of plays after the transition to the advantageous zone. The RB signal may be turned ON in a game in which the AT state is set. Also, if the RB signal is ON in a game in which the advantageous zone ends, it is turned OFF. Whether or not the AT state is the first hit is managed by the first hit flag. In this embodiment, the first hit flag is set to OFF when transition condition 14 is met, and is set to ON when transition condition 12 is met.

The BB signal is assigned to pin 4. The BB signal is a signal that is output when the AT state is set. Figure 34 (a) shows an example of the change in the BB signal. In this embodiment, when the AT state is hit for the first time, the RB signal is output, so the BB signal is output (turned ON) after four plays from the setting of the AT state. When the AT state is set for the second or subsequent times, the BB signal turns ON after two plays from the setting of the AT state. Figure 34 (b) shows an example. The BB signal may be turned ON in a game in which the AT state is set. The BB signal also turns ON in that game when transition condition 15 is met. Figure 34 (c) shows an example. In either case, the BB signal is turned OFF at the end of the AT state or the end of the advantageous period.

Figure 33 (b) shows an example of the display of the display 653 of the external device. The external device in this example is a game information display (generally called a data counter, data lamp, etc.) provided for each slot machine 100. In the illustrated example, the display 653 displays "BB 1", "RB 1", and "262 times". "BB 1" indicates that the number of times the AT state is set is 1, and is information based on the BB signal. "RB 1" indicates that the first hit in the AT state is 1, and is information based on the RB signal. "262 times" indicates that the number of times of play after the AT state is set (or may be after the AT state ends, or may be after the output of the RB signal or BB signal is turned OFF) is 262 times, and is information based on the BB signal and the medal insertion number signal (a configuration in which one game is updated with a signal of the number of inserted medals for three medals. Note that a signal of the number of inserted medals for three medals is also output during replay).

The RB signal and BB signal are used as signals to reset the number of games played after the AT state displayed by the external device is set (or after the AT state ends). Figures 35 to 37 are diagrams showing examples of changes in the RB signal and BB signal, and changes in the display example of the display 653. In this embodiment, the number of games is reset at the rising edge of the RB signal or the rising edge of the BB signal.

The example of FIG. 35 will be described. In the example of FIG. 35, the AT state is set in the Nth game, which is the first AT state setting since the start of the advantageous zone (so-called first win). At this time, the display 653 shows "BB 0", "RB 0", and "250 times". The RB signal is ON in the N+2th game, which is the second game since the AT state was set. The display 653 shows "BB 0", "RB 1", and "0 times", and the RB display becomes 1 in response to the rising edge of the RB signal, and the number of games is reset to 0. The BB signal is ON in the N+4th game, which is the fourth game since the AT state was set. The display 653 shows "BB 1", "RB 1", and "0 times", and the BB display becomes 1 in response to the rising edge of the BB signal, and the number of games is reset to 0.

The example in FIG. 36 will be explained. In the example in FIG. 36, the AT state is set in the Mth game following the AT state explained in the example in FIG. 35 (so-called consecutive wins), and this is the second or subsequent AT state setting from the start of the advantageous zone. At this time, the display 653 shows "BB 1", "RB 1", and "150 times". The BB signal is ON in the M+2th game, which is the second game since the AT state was set. The display 653 shows "BB 2", "RB 1", and "0 times", and in response to the rising edge of the BB signal, the BB display is incremented by one to become 2, and the number of games is reset to 0. Since the AT state is not set for the first time, the RB signal does not change.

The example in Figure 37 will be described. In the example in Figure 37, it is assumed that the AT state is never set from the start of the advantageous period until the remaining number of plays reaches the specified number, and transition condition 15 is met. In the illustrated example, it is assumed that the number of plays that is the end condition for the advantageous period is 3000 plays, and the remaining specified number is 50 plays.

At the 2948th game, the display 653 shows "BB 0", "RB 0", and "2948 times". At the 2950th game when transition condition 15 is met, the AT state is set and the BB signal is ON. The display 653 shows "BB 1", "RB 0", and "0 times", and in response to the rising edge of the BB signal, the BB display becomes 1 and the number of games played is reset to 0.

In this favorable zone, the AT state is set for the first time in the 2950th game when transition condition 15 is established, but it is not treated as a first win and the RB signal does not turn ON. In the 3000th game, which is the end game of the favorable zone, the display 653 shows "BB 1", "RB 0", and "50 times", and the number of games has been updated. The "RB" display remains at 0, so the player can understand that transition condition 15 has been established. For the sake of convenience, an example has been shown in which the number of games is updated from the output of the BB signal until the 3000th game, which is the end game of the favorable zone, but this is not limited to this, and an example in which the number of games is updated after the BB signal turns OFF in the 3000th game may also be used.

In this manner, in this embodiment, even if the player performs a stop operation that results in a penalty and the state in which the AT state is not set continues in the advantageous zone, the AT state (ending state) is forcibly set by the establishment of transition condition 15, and the display of the number of plays on the display 653 can be reset by outputting a BB signal. If the reset was not performed, the display of the number of plays on the display 653 would far exceed 3000, which could cause other players who see this to avoid the machine. However, according to this embodiment, the number of plays is always reset once before the end of the advantageous zone, which prevents the machine from being avoided. This reduces the decrease in operating rate.

In this embodiment, the same BB signal is output whether the AT state is set by the satisfaction of the normal transition condition that is originally planned, as exemplified in Figures 35 and 36, or whether the AT state is set by the exceptional satisfaction of transition condition 15, as exemplified in Figure 37, and in either case, the output of the BB signal is turned OFF when the favorable zone ends. By sharing the output of the external signal, it is possible to reduce the number of programs, etc.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 37, even if transition condition 15 is satisfied in a favorable zone and the AT state is set for the first time, this is not treated as a first win and the RB signal is not output to ON, but a configuration in which the signal is output to ON can also be adopted. In this case, the number of "RB"s on display 653 is updated, and the number of first wins in the AT state in the favorable zone corresponds to the actual situation. Also, although the configuration is such that the AT state (ending state) is forcibly set when transition condition 15 is satisfied and the BB signal is output, it is also possible to output the BB signal without forcibly setting the AT state.

Second Embodiment
In the first embodiment, the slot machine 100 has been described as a three-coin bet dedicated machine in which, on the condition that three medals have been bet, a game can be started by operating the start lever 135. In this case, the bet buttons 130 and 131 other than the MAX BET button 132 may also be configured to insert three medals with one bet operation.

Figure 38 is a flow chart showing an example of the processing of step S103 in Figure 11 (game start processing) in this embodiment. In step S1801, it is determined whether or not a replay was won in the previous game. If a replay was won, the process proceeds to step S1803, where the number of bets is set to 3. The number of bets refers to the number of bets that have been validly set. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S1826. If a replay was not won in the previous game, the process proceeds to step S1805 as determined in step S1801.

Steps S1805 to S1811 are processes when a medal is inserted into the medal insertion slot 141, steps S1813 to S1821 are processes when a bet operation is performed on the bet buttons 130 to 132, and the bet process in step S1823 is a common process for inserting a medal into the medal insertion slot 141 and for betting operations on the bet buttons 130 to 132. By modularizing the processes for inserting a medal into the medal insertion slot 141 and for betting operations on the bet buttons 130 to 132 into a common module, it may be possible to reduce the program capacity. Furthermore, the processes in steps S1813 to S1821 allow betting operations on the bet buttons 130 to 132 to be accepted substantially simultaneously. It is also possible to employ processes that allow betting operations on each of the bet buttons 130 to 132 to be accepted at different times, but by allowing simultaneous acceptance as in this embodiment, it may be possible to reduce the program capacity.

In step S1805, the detection result of the medal acceptance sensor among the various sensors 318 is obtained, and it is determined whether or not a medal has been inserted into the medal insertion slot 141. If insertion of a medal is detected, the process proceeds to step S1807, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1819.

In step S1807, one credit is added. In step S1809, the number of added coins is set to one. The number of added coins is a variable used in the process of setting the number of bets, and an added number of one coin means that one bet has been provisionally accepted. In step S1811, the command type of the subcommand to be sent to the sub-control unit 400 is set to "080H". This command type is a type that means that a coin has been inserted into the coin insertion slot 141. Then, the process proceeds to step S1823.

In step S1813, it is determined whether or not a bet operation has been performed on the MAX BET button 132. Specifically, the detection result of the BET button 132 sensor of the various sensors 318 is obtained, and it is determined whether or not the detection result of the BET button 132 sensor has changed from OFF to ON. If the detection result of the BET button 132 sensor has changed from OFF to ON, proceed to step S1819, and if it has not changed from OFF to ON, proceed to step S1815.

In step S1815, it is determined whether or not a bet operation has been performed on the 2-coin bet button 131. Specifically, the detection result of the bet button 131 sensor of the various sensors 318 is obtained, and it is determined whether or not the detection result of the bet button 131 sensor has changed from OFF to ON. If the detection result of the bet button 131 sensor has changed from OFF to ON, proceed to step S1819, and if it has not changed from OFF to ON, proceed to step S1817.

In step S1817, it is determined whether or not a bet operation has been performed on the 1 coin bet button 130. Specifically, the detection result of the bet button 130 sensor of the various sensors 318 is obtained, and it is determined whether or not the detection result of the bet button 130 sensor has changed from OFF to ON. If the detection result of the bet button 130 sensor has changed from OFF to ON, proceed to step S1819, and if it has not changed from OFF to ON, proceed to step S1825.

In step S1819, the number of coins to be added is set to 3. This means that a bet of 3 has been provisionally accepted. In step S1821, the command type of the subcommand to be sent to the sub-controller 400 is set to "040H." This command type is a type that indicates that a bet operation has been performed using the bet buttons 130 to 132. Then, the process proceeds to step S1823.

In this embodiment, a bet operation is accepted when each bet button sensor changes from OFF to ON. For this reason, even if the bet button sensor remains ON before the bet operation acceptance period (steps S1805 to S1825) due to a malfunction of the bet button, for example, because the button portion of the bet button becomes embedded and remains pressed down, the bet operation will not be accepted as a valid bet operation.

Conversely, even if the bet button sensor for a certain bet button has been in the ON state continuously since before the bet operation acceptance period, if a bet operation is made on another normal bet button within the acceptance period, that bet operation can be validly accepted.

In addition, if it is within the acceptance period, three bet operations are accepted regardless of which of the bet buttons 130 to 132 is operated, and if a bet operation on any of the bet buttons is detected, the process proceeds to step S1819, so there is no risk of duplicate bet operations being accepted. Furthermore, since the processes of steps S1819 and S1821 are modularized in common for bet operations on each of the bet buttons 130 to 132, it may be possible to reduce the program capacity.

In step S1823, betting processing is performed. FIG. 39 is a flowchart of this process. In step S1831, it is determined whether the current number of bets is 3. If the number of bets is not 3, the process proceeds to step S1833, and if the number of bets is 3, the process proceeds to step S1842.

In step S1833, it is determined whether the current number of credits is 0 (whether it is 1 or more). If the number of credits is 0, the process proceeds to step S1842 without adding to the number of bets, in order to invalidate the insertion of one medal (betting operation). If the number of credits is not 0, the process proceeds to step S1835 in order to validate the insertion of one medal.

In step S1835, the number of credits is subtracted by one, and in the following step S1837, the number of bets is incremented by one and set. In step S1839, the added number is subtracted by one. In step S1841, it is determined whether the added number is 0 or not. If the added number is 0, the process proceeds to step S1842, and if the added number is not 0, the process returns to step S1831 and the same process is repeated. For example, if a bet operation is performed using the bet buttons 130 to 132, the process is repeated three times up to the number of credits, and if medals are inserted one at a time into the medal insertion slot 141, the process is repeated once each time.

In step S1842, command processing is performed. Here, preparations are made so that a sub-command including the command type and the number of bets set in step S1811 or step S1821 can be sent. By receiving this sub-command, the sub-control unit 400 can identify the current number of bets and distinguish the medal insertion operation (medal insertion slot 141 or bet buttons 130-032). Then, proceed to step S1825 in Figure 38.

In step S1825, it is determined whether the number of bets is 3 or not. If the number of bets is 3, the process proceeds to step S1826 to allow the start of the game, and if the number of bets is 1 or 2, the process returns to step S1805. In step S1826, a start operation on the start lever 135 is accepted, and if a start operation is performed, this process ends.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the 1 coin bet button 130 and the 2 coin bet button 131 are used as the same max bet button as the bet button 132. Even if some of the bet buttons break down, the other bet buttons can be used to bet 3 coins, improving convenience for the player and the continued operation of the machine. On the other hand, since 1 bet is possible for the medal insertion slot 141, it is possible to make a 3 bet by inserting 3 medals, or even if there are not enough credits to bet on the bet buttons 130 to 132 and the bet becomes 1 or 2, additional medals can be inserted through the medal insertion slot 141 to make a 3 bet.

When betting using the bet buttons 130 to 132, three bets are set with one bet operation, so the time required to place the bets can be shorter than placing three bets by inserting one medal at a time into the medal insertion slot 141.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, among the bet buttons 130 to 132, the MAX bet button 132 has a larger operation surface than the other bet buttons 130 and 131. In some cases, it may be possible to make the MAX bet button 132 stand out while still allowing three bets with any of the bet buttons 130 to 132.

To make the MAX bet button 132 stand out, the MAX bet button 132 may have a built-in light-emitting element such as an LED that can emit light, but the bet buttons 130 and 131 do not need to have a built-in light-emitting element. If the MAX bet button 132 has a built-in light-emitting element, the timing of its emission may be later than the timing at which betting operations for the bet buttons 130 and 131 begin to be accepted. There are cases in which the player can place a bet on the bet buttons 130 and 131 earlier.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, of the bet buttons 130 to 132, the MAX bet button 132 is positioned closest to the player. It may be possible to improve the operability of the MAX bet button 132 while still allowing three bets with any of the bet buttons 130 to 132.

Of the bet buttons 130-132, the MAX bet button 132 may be pressed the deepest when it is turned ON. This may improve the player's feel when using the MAX bet button 132. Conversely, of the bet buttons 130-132, the MAX bet button 132 may be pressed the shallowest when it is turned ON. This may improve the player's feel when using the MAX bet button 132. This may reduce the burden on the player when using the MAX bet button 132.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, among the bet buttons 130 to 132, the MAX bet button 132 protrudes the furthest upward in a natural state where no operation is performed. There are cases where it is easier for a player to operate the MAX bet button 132.

These configuration examples of the bet buttons 130 to 132 can be combined as appropriate.

Next, in the process of step S103 (game start process), the processing time when a replay was established in the previous game (the time from step S1801 to the start of step S1826) and the processing time when the bet buttons 130 to 132 are operated (the time from when any of steps S1813 to S1817 becomes Yes to when step S1826 is started via steps S1819 and S1823) may be the same. In this case, each processing time may be adjusted by inserting an appropriate wait in the middle. This may allow the game to be played without changing the progress speed of the game across multiple games, whether or not a replay was established in the previous game. Conversely, these processing times may be different, and the processing time of one of them may be shorter than the processing time of the other. This may make it easier for the player to recognize that a replay was established in the previous game.

<Select a performance>
The bet buttons 130 to 132 can also be used as confirmation buttons for effect selection. In this case, the command type indicating the operation for the bet buttons 130 to 132 is assigned the above-mentioned "040H", so whichever bet button 130 to 132 is operated, it can be processed with the same command type, which reduces the program capacity.

Figure 40 is an explanatory diagram of the case where the bet buttons 130 to 132 are used as effect selection confirmation buttons. In states ST40 to ST42, a character selection image is displayed on the effect image display device 157, and one character can be selected from three characters: the lord, the princess, and the chief retainer. State ST40 shows an image in which the lord can be selected, and after a predetermined time has passed, this switches to an image in which the princess can be selected, as shown in state ST41. After a further predetermined time has passed, the image switches to an image in which the chief retainer can be selected, as shown in state ST42, and after a further predetermined time has passed, the state returns to state ST40.

The effect image display device 157 displays that the character selection will be confirmed when the MAX BET button 132 is operated. However, in this embodiment, the character selection can be confirmed by operating any of the BET buttons 130 to 132, which may improve the player's operability.

For example, assume that one of the bet buttons 130 to 132 is operated at the timing of state ST40. The main control unit 300 monitors the detection results of the bet button 130 sensor, bet button 131 sensor, and bet button 132 sensor among the various sensors 318, and when an operation is detected by any of them, it sends a sub-command with the command type set to "040H" to the sub-control unit 400. The sub-control unit 400 recognizes that a selection confirmation operation has been performed, and displays an image showing the lord's selection being confirmed on the performance image display device 157, as shown in state ST50.

Similarly, assume that at the timing of state ST41, any of the bet buttons 130 to 132 is operated. The main control unit 300 sends a sub-command with the command type set to "040H" to the sub-control unit 400. The sub-control unit 400 recognizes that a selection confirmation operation has been performed, and displays an image of the princess's selection being confirmed on the performance image display device 157, as shown in state ST51.

Similarly, assume that one of the bet buttons 130 to 132 is operated at the timing of state ST42. The main control unit 300 sends a sub-command with the command type set to "040H" to the sub-control unit 400. The sub-control unit 400 recognizes that a selection confirmation operation has been performed, and displays an image showing that the selection of the elder retainer has been confirmed on the performance image display device 157, as shown in state ST52.

In this way, the character selection can be confirmed by operating any of the bet buttons 130 to 132, but for presentation purposes, it may be possible to prevent the player from becoming confused by prompting the player to operate a specific bet button (here, the MAX bet button 132).

The selection may be confirmed only when the bet button indicated by the display among the bet buttons 130 to 132 is operated. Specifically, in the example of FIG. 40, since the operation of the MAX bet button 132 is indicated, the selection may be confirmed when the MAX bet button 132 is operated, and the operation may not be confirmed even if the bet buttons 130 and 132 are operated. This may prevent confusion for the player.

In addition, the character selection can be confirmed by operating any of the bet buttons 130 to 132, and a three-coin bet can be performed by operating any of the bet buttons 130 to 132, providing common functions, but in the case of character selection, the character may be selected by using the indicated MAX BET button 132, and other presentation modes may be selected by operating the uninformed bet buttons 130 and 131. For example, the character selection displayed first may be the so-called "front presentation mode" which is the standard frequency of presentation or the expectation of presentation, but a so-called "back presentation mode" may be provided, allowing the selection of a mode in which the frequency of presentation or the expectation of presentation is extremely allocated, such as "if it occurs, it's a win". In this way, while a common function can be achieved by operating any of the bet buttons 130 to 132 in a certain state, the functions may be separated in a predetermined state.

The effects and operation acceptance for these bet buttons 130 to 132 are not limited to finalizing the effect selection. For example, in the pseudo bet operation (FIG. 16: step S1305), betting operations for any of the bet buttons 130 to 132 may be accepted. By treating the pseudo game and the actual game in the same way, it may be possible to match the hitting sensations in these games.

Conversely, in the pseudo bet operation, only the operation on the MAX bet button 132 may be accepted, and operations on the bet buttons 130 and 132 may not be accepted. In this case, if the MAX bet button 132 is operated, a subcommand with the command type set to "040H" is sent to the sub-control unit 400, but even if the bet buttons 130 and 132 are operated, a subcommand with the command type set to "040H" does not have to be sent to the sub-control unit 400.

<Check the bet button status>
It is also possible to provide light emitting elements for checking the state of each of the bet buttons 130 to 132. Here, an example will be described in which the light emitting elements are provided on the main control board on which the main control unit 300 is executed.

Figure 41 is a front view showing the slot machine 100 with the front door 102 open. The main body 101 is a box body surrounded by an upper panel 261, a left side panel 260, a right side panel 260, a lower panel 264, and a rear panel 242, and opens to the front. Inside the main body 101, a main control board storage case 210 storing a main control board 211 therein is disposed in a position that does not overlap with the ventilation hole 249 provided at the top of the rear panel 242, and three reels 110 to 112 are disposed below this main control board storage case 210. To the side of the main control board storage case 210 and the reels 110 to 112, i.e., on the left side panel 260 as viewed from the front, a sub-control board storage case 220 storing a sub-control board therein is disposed. Additionally, an external centralized terminal board 248 is attached to the side panel 260 on the right side, which is connected to the main control board and outputs information about the slot machine 100 to an external device.

The medal payout device 180 (a device that pays out medals accumulated in a bucket) is disposed on the lower panel 264, and above this medal payout device 180, i.e., below the reels 110 to 112, a power supply device 252 having a power board is disposed, and a power switch 244 is disposed on the front of the power supply device 252. The power supply device 252 converts AC power supplied from outside to the slot machine 100 into DC, converts it to a predetermined voltage, and supplies it to each control unit and each device, such as the main control unit 300, sub control units 400, 500, etc. Furthermore, it is equipped with a storage circuit (e.g. a capacitor) for supplying power to a predetermined component (e.g. the RAM 308 of the main control unit 300, etc.) for a predetermined period (e.g. 10 days) even after the external power supply is cut off.

The medal auxiliary storage 240 is provided to the right of the medal payout device 180, with an overflow terminal provided behind it (not shown). The power supply device 252 is provided with a power cord connector for connecting a power cord 264, which is connected to the power cord 264 and extends to the outside through a power cord hole 262 provided in the back panel 242 of the main body 101.

The front door 102 is hinged to the left side panel 260 of the main body 101 via a hinge device 276, and above the pattern display window 113 are provided the performance device 160, a performance control board (not shown) that controls this performance device 160, and an upper speaker 272. Below the pattern display window 113 are provided the medal selector 170 for selecting inserted medals, and a passage 266 through which medals pass when the medal selector 170 drops illegal medals, etc. into the medal receiving tray 161. Furthermore, a low-frequency speaker 277 is provided at a position corresponding to the lower sound hole 143.

The main control board storage case 210 is made of a translucent material, and the main control board 211 stored therein can be seen (transparent) from outside the main control board storage case 210. The main control unit 30 is mounted on the main control board 211, and light-emitting elements 212 to 214 are also mounted on it. The light-emitting elements 212 to 214 can be seen (transparent) from outside the main control board storage case 210, whether they are on or off. The light-emitting elements 212 to 214 are, for example, LEDs.

The light-emitting elements 212 to 214 are controlled by the basic circuit 302. Figure 42 is a block diagram of a control system related to the light-emitting elements 212 to 214. The light-emitting elements 212 to 214 are individually controlled by the basic circuit 302 via the drive circuit 329.

Light emitting element 212 corresponds to the 1-coin bet button 130, light emitting element 213 corresponds to the 2-coin bet button 131, and light emitting element 214 corresponds to the MAX bet button 132.

For example, when the bet button 130 sensor detects an operation on the 1-coin bet button 130, the basic circuit 302 turns on the light-emitting element 212, and if no operation is detected, the basic circuit 302 turns on the light-emitting element 213 when the bet button 131 sensor detects an operation on the 2-coin bet button 131, and if no operation is detected, the basic circuit 302 turns on the light-emitting element 213. For example, when the bet button 132 sensor detects an operation on the MAX bet button 132, the basic circuit 302 turns on the light-emitting element 214, and if no operation is detected, the basic circuit 302 turns off the light-emitting element 214.

These light-emitting elements may be configured to light up when no operation is performed and to turn off when an operation is performed.

In addition, light emitting elements 212-214 corresponding to the bet buttons 130-132 are provided, but this is not limiting, and light emitting elements corresponding to, for example, a stop button, a start lever, and various sensors may be provided.

A store clerk can check whether the bet buttons 130-132 and the corresponding sensors are normal or abnormal by checking the state of the light-emitting elements 212-214 when the bet buttons 130-132 are operated. In the case of this embodiment, as described above, the bet buttons 130-132 are alternate buttons for the three bets, so it may be difficult to notice a malfunction of each button. However, it is easy to check for malfunctions by using the light-emitting elements 212-214.

<Another Example of the Second Embodiment>
In the second embodiment, both the 1-coin bet button 130 and the 2-coin bet button 131 are operation buttons that can accept 3 bets, but either one of them may be acceptable. In other words, 3 bets may be accepted using a total of two buttons, the MAX bet button 132 and the bet button 130 or 131. In this case, a total of three light-emitting elements 212 to 214 may be provided in association with each button, or only two may be provided in association with the MAX bet button 132 and the button that can accept 3 bets out of the bet buttons 130 or 131.

Next, in the processing example of FIG. 38, when the number of credits is 1 or 2, bets are accepted with the bet operation of the bet buttons 130 to 132 up to the upper limit of the number of credits, but it is also possible to have a processing that does not accept bets at all. For example, when the number of credits is 1 or 2 and a bet operation is performed on any of the bet buttons 130 to 132, the bet operation is invalidated and it does not have to be treated as a bet of 1 or 2. In this case, the processing is such that when a bet operation of the bet buttons 130 to 132 is detected, the number of credits is checked, and if it is less than 3, the bet operation is invalidated.

<Other embodiments related to the gaming machine>
In this embodiment, a slot machine 100 in which medals (coins) are used as a gaming medium is shown as an example of a gaming machine, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to slot machines in which gaming balls (e.g., pachinko balls) are used as a gaming medium, pachinko machines, arrange ball gaming machines, janball gaming machines, smart ball gaming machines, etc.

The slot machine may be a slot machine that does not use medals but only exchanges electronic data, such as one that runs on a mobile terminal (smartphone, game machine) or PC using a program that simulates operation based on the above configuration. In this case, the gaming medium includes electronic data equivalent to medals, and inserting the gaming medium includes inputting the electronic data from a specified external device (electronic storage device), and paying out the gaming medium includes outputting the electronic data to the specified external device (electronic storage device).

Summary of the embodiment
The above embodiment discloses at least the following gaming machine.

A1. The gaming machine (e.g. 100) of the above embodiment is
A gaming machine equipped with a performance means (e.g., 157),
The presentation means is a means capable of executing a predetermined presentation (e.g., CE) over a first period (e.g., N to N+3 game plays in FIG. 24(a)),
The presentation means is a means capable of executing the predetermined presentation over a second period (for example, N to N+2 game plays in FIG. 24(b)),
The second period is shorter than the first period.
According to this embodiment, since the same effect is executed in two periods of different lengths, it may be possible to improve the interest of the effect in relation to the game period. Since the second period is a short period, it may be possible to prevent the game period from being prolonged by the execution of the effect.

A2. In the above embodiment,
The first period is a period including a period during which a player's operation on an operating means (e.g., 135) is accepted,
the second period includes a period during which an operation of the operation means by a player is accepted,
the number of operations on the operation means that can be accepted during the first period is a first number of operations,
the number of operations on the operation means that can be accepted during the second period is a second number of operations,
The second number of times is the same as the first number of times (eg, FIG. 24).
According to this embodiment, by matching the number of operations on the operating means in two periods of different lengths, it may be possible to make it difficult for the player to feel uncomfortable in the two periods.

A3. In the above embodiment,
The presentation means is a means capable of executing presentation in a pseudo game,
The presentation means is a means capable of executing presentation in the present game,
The predetermined effect executed over the second period is an effect including a first effect (for example, EN2 in FIG. 24(b)) executed in the pseudo game.
According to this embodiment, even when a pseudo game is executed, it may be possible to prevent the game period from being prolonged with respect to the execution of the specified presentation.

A4. In the above embodiment,
The predetermined effect executed over the first period is an effect including the first effect (for example, EN2 in FIG. 24(a)) executed in the present game.
According to this embodiment, by using the same presentation for the pseudo game and the actual game, the difference between the pseudo game and the actual game can be made ambiguous, and the player may be less likely to feel uncomfortable about playing the pseudo game.

A5. In the above embodiment,
The first period is a period during which a player's operation on an operating means (e.g., 135) is accepted,
the second period is a period during which an operation of the operating means by a player is accepted,
The predetermined effect executed over the first period is an effect that can execute a second effect (e.g., EN3 in FIG. 24(a)) when an operation on the operation means is accepted (e.g., a start operation in FIG. 24(a)) in the case where the first effect is executed in the present game,
The predetermined effect executed over the second period is an effect that can execute the second effect (e.g., EN3 in FIG. 24(b)) when an operation on the operation means is accepted (e.g., a start operation in FIG. 24(b)) in the case where the first effect is executed in the pseudo game,
The specified presentation executed over the second period is a presentation that can execute the second presentation when the first presentation is executed in the pseudo-game and the time for accepting operations on the operating means expires (for example, the timeout in Figure 24(b) or the SR timer in Figure 16).
According to this embodiment, the second performance is executed when the operation means is operated or the reception time expires, so that it is possible to avoid a situation where the second performance is not executed due to no operation being performed, and to prevent the game from becoming protracted. It is possible to prevent the pseudo game from being executed for an unnecessarily long time, and since the pseudo game is a type of reel performance, it is possible to reduce the load on the reel motor.

A6. In the above embodiment,
The operation means is a means (eg, 135) for accepting operations related to the progress of the game.
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to switch the presentation in accordance with the progress of the game, which may improve the tempo of the player's game. It may also be possible to make the difference between the pseudo game and the real game ambiguous, which may make it difficult for the player to feel uncomfortable about the pseudo game.

A7. In the above embodiment,
The first period is a period of a first number of games,
The second period is a period for a second number of games,
The second number of times of play is less than the first number of times of play (for example, FIG. 24(b)).
According to this embodiment, the two periods are defined by the number of plays, and the second period is a smaller number of plays, so that it may be possible to prevent the play period from being prolonged by the execution of the effects.

A8. In the above embodiment,
The presentation means is a means capable of executing presentation in a pseudo game,
The presentation means is a means capable of executing presentation in the game,
The first number of games is the number of games of the main game,
The second number of times of play is the number of times of play of the main game.
According to this embodiment, the two periods are defined by the number of plays, and the second period is a smaller number of plays, so that it may be possible to prevent the play period from being prolonged by the execution of the effects.

A9. In the above embodiment,
The predetermined effect is an effect composed of a plurality of individual effects (e.g., EN1-EN4),
The number of the plurality of individual effects is the same as the number of times of the first game,
The plurality of individual effects include a first individual effect (e.g., EN2) and a second individual effect (e.g., EN3),
The second period is a period including a certain game in which the first individual performance is executed (for example, the N+1 game in FIG. 24(b)),
The certain game is a game in which the second individual performance is also executed.
According to this embodiment, by executing two individual effects in one game, it may be possible to make the second period shorter than the first period.

A10. In the above embodiment,
The predetermined effect is an effect composed of a plurality of individual effects (e.g., EN1-EN4),
The number of the plurality of individual effects is the same as the number of times of the first game,
The second period is a period including a certain game (for example, the N+1 game in FIG. 24(b)) in which the pseudo game and the main game are executed in one game,
The plurality of individual effects include an individual effect executed in the pseudo game of the certain game, and an individual effect executed in the main game of the certain game.
According to this embodiment, by utilizing the pseudo game effects and the actual game effects, two individual effects can be executed in one game, and it may be possible to make the second period shorter than the first period.

A11. In the above embodiment,
The first period is a period that does not include the pseudo game,
The first period is a period during which each of the plurality of individual effects is executed in one of the main games (for example, FIG. 24).
According to this embodiment, by utilizing the pseudo-game presentation and the actual game presentation, and by making the presence or absence of pseudo-game different between the two periods, it may be possible to make the second period shorter than the first period.

A12. In the above embodiment,
A start lever (e.g., 135) that is operated to start a game;
A plurality of reels (e.g., 110-112) each having a plurality of different patterns and rotating;
and stop buttons (e.g., 137-139) that are operated to individually stop the plurality of reels during rotation;
The first period is a period based on the number of games played,
The second period is a period based on the number of games played (for example, FIG. 24).
According to this embodiment, in a slot machine, it may be possible to improve the entertainment value of the presentation in relation to the duration of play.
A21. The gaming machine of the above embodiment is
A game control means for controlling a game;
A performance control means for controlling the performance;
A gaming machine equipped with
There is a first period of actual play that does not include pseudo play,
There is a second period including the pseudo game and the main game,
The first period is a period of a first number of games,
The second period is a period for a second number of games,
The first number of games is a number of games of a plurality of main games,
The second number of games is a number of games of the present game that is less than the first number of games,
The game control means transmits a command corresponding to a reel stop state in the game to the performance control means,
The game control means transmits a command corresponding to a stopping state of the reels in the pseudo game to the performance control means.
A22. In the above embodiment,
A predetermined effect can be executed during the first period,
The predetermined effect can be executed during the second period,
The predetermined effect executed in the second period includes an effect executed in a simulated game.
A23. In the above embodiment,
The predetermined effect is an effect composed of a plurality of individual effects,
The plurality of individual effects are effects that are configured in a number of effects that can be performed within the first number of games,
The first period is a period during which each of the plurality of individual effects is executed in one game,
The second period is a period including a certain game in which a pseudo game and a main game are executed in one game,
The plurality of individual effects include an individual effect executed in a simulated game of the certain game, and an individual effect executed in a real game of the certain game.
A31. The gaming machine of the above embodiment is
A game control means for controlling a game;
A performance control means for controlling the performance;
A gaming machine equipped with
There is a first period of actual play that does not include pseudo play,
There is a second period including the pseudo game and the main game,
The first period is a period of a first number of games,
The second period is a period for a second number of games,
The first number of games is a number of games of a plurality of main games,
The second number of games is a number of games of the present game that is less than the first number of games,
The game control means transmits a command corresponding to a reel stop state in the game to the performance control means,
the game control means transmits a command corresponding to a reel stop state in a pseudo game to the performance control means;
A predetermined effect can be executed during the first period,
The predetermined effect can be executed during the second period,
The predetermined effect executed in the second period is an effect including an effect executed in a pseudo game,
The predetermined effect is an effect composed of a plurality of individual effects,
The plurality of individual effects are effects that are configured in a number of effects that can be performed within the first number of games,
The first period is a period during which each of the plurality of individual effects is executed in one game,
The second period is a period including a certain game in which a pseudo game and a main game are executed in one game,
The plurality of individual effects include an individual effect executed in a simulated game of the certain game, and an individual effect executed in a real game of the certain game .

B1. The gaming machine (e.g. 100) of the above embodiment is
A plurality of reels (e.g., 1110-112) each having a plurality of different patterns and rotating;
A plurality of stop operation means (e.g., 137-139) for receiving a stop operation for individually stopping the plurality of reels during rotation;
A lottery means (e.g., S105) for determining an internal winning combination;
A notification means (e.g., 157) for executing a suggestion notification that suggests an operation mode of the stop operation;
A gaming machine equipped with
The notification means is a means capable of executing the suggestive notification when a notification state is set (e.g., S1703),
The lottery means is a means capable of determining the internal win of the first role (e.g., push order bell),
The notification means is a means capable of executing the suggestion notification when the internal win of the first role is determined (for example, S1373),
The notification means is a means for not executing the suggestive notification in a certain situation even if the notification state is set (eg, S1707).
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to provide a gaming machine that can improve the satisfaction of the player. It may be possible to improve the satisfaction of the player without making the player have concerns that the notification state will end in the certain situation.

B2. The gaming machine (e.g. 100) of the above embodiment is
A game state setting means (e.g., S121, RT2) is provided for setting a special game state when a certain symbol combination is displayed by the plurality of reels;
The lottery means is a means capable of determining the internal win of a special role,
The certain symbol combination is a symbol combination corresponding to the special role,
The lottery means is a means capable of determining the internal win of the first winning combination in the special gaming state,
The certain situation is a situation in which the special game state is set (for example, S1301).
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to improve the player's sense of satisfaction without making the player worry that the notification state will end during the special game state.

B3. In the above embodiment,
The notification state is a state that can be set in a favorable zone,
The notification state is a state that is not set in a non-advantageous section,
There is a first case in which the non-advantageous zone is transitioned to the advantageous zone in a first state (for example, normal play after a setting change),
There is a second case in which the game moves from the non-favorable zone to the favorable zone in a second state (e.g., a pullback chance state),
The advantageous zone is a zone in which the player has a higher advantage in the second case than in the first case.
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to differentiate the degree of advantage in the transition from the non-advantageous zone to the advantageous zone.

B4. In the above embodiment,
The game state setting means is a means for setting an internal winning state of a special role until the certain symbol combination is displayed by the plurality of reels when the internal winning of the special role is determined by the lottery means (for example, RT1);
The first state is a state in which the special role internal winning state is not set,
The second state is a state in which the special role internal winning state is set.
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to differentiate the degree of advantage in transitioning from the non-advantageous zone to the advantageous zone depending on whether or not the special role is being carried over.

B5. In the above embodiment,
The favorable zone is a zone that may end when the notification state ends (for example, when transition conditions 11 and 12 are satisfied, transition conditions B (c) and (d) are satisfied).
According to this embodiment, by ending the advantageous zone after the end of the notification state, the degree of advantage may be increased when transitioning to a new advantageous zone, and it may be possible to give the player a sense of anticipation of a favorable development even after the end of the notification state.

B6. In the above embodiment,
The notification state is a state that does not end in a game in which the special game state ends,
The notification state is a state in which the suggestion notification is executed by the notification means in a game in which the notification state ends (e.g., S1703, S1706).
According to this embodiment, the suggestion notification is executed in the final game of the notification state, which may increase the player's sense of satisfaction.

B7. In the above embodiment,
The game state setting means is a means for setting an internal winning state of a special role until the certain symbol combination is displayed by the plurality of reels when the internal winning of the special role is determined by the lottery means (for example, RT1);
The lottery means is means capable of determining the internal win of the first combination and the internal win of the special combination in a certain game (for example, FIG. 7).
According to this embodiment, the internal win of the first combination and the internal win of the special combination may be determined simultaneously, which may create an advantageous situation for the player.

B8. In the above embodiment,
The notification state is a state in which a value for determining the end of the notification state is not updated in the special game state.
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to prevent the notification state from ending in the special game state.

B9. The gaming machine (e.g. 100) of the above embodiment is
A plurality of reels (e.g., 1110-112) each having a plurality of different patterns and rotating;
A plurality of stop operation means (e.g., 137-139) for receiving a stop operation for individually stopping the plurality of reels during rotation;
A lottery means (e.g., S105) for determining an internal winning combination;
A notification means (e.g., 157) for executing a suggestion notification that suggests an operation sequence of the stop operation;
A game state setting means (e.g., S121) for setting a game state;
A gaming machine equipped with
The lottery means is a means capable of determining the internal win of a first role (e.g., a push order bell) and the internal win of a special role (e.g., RB) in a certain game (e.g., FIG. 7),
The gaming state setting means is a means for setting a special gaming state (e.g., RT2) when a certain symbol combination is displayed by the plurality of reels,
The certain symbol combination is a symbol combination corresponding to the special role,
The game state setting means is a means for setting a special role internal winning state until the certain symbol combination is displayed when the lottery means determines the internal winning of the special role (for example, RT1);
The notification means is a means capable of executing the suggestive notification when a notification state is set (e.g., S1703),
The notification means is a means capable of executing the suggestion notification when the internal win of the first role is determined (e.g., S1703),
The notification means is a means for not executing the suggestion notification in the special game state even if the notification state is set (for example, S1707),
The notification state is a state that can be set in a favorable zone,
The notification state is a state that is not set in a non-advantageous section,
The advantageous zone is a zone into which a transition may occur from the non-advantageous zone in a first state (e.g., normal play after a setting change),
The advantageous zone is a zone into which a transition may occur from the non-advantageous zone in a second state (e.g., a pullback chance state),
The advantageous zone is a zone in which the player has a higher advantage in the second state than in the first state,
The first state is a state in which the special role internal winning state is not set,
The second state is a state in which the special role internal winning state is set,
The advantageous section is a section that may end when the notification state ends (for example, when transition conditions 11 and 12 are satisfied, transition conditions B (c) and (d) are satisfied),
The notification state is a state that does not end in a game in which the special game state ends,
The notification state is a state in which the suggestion notification is executed by the notification means in a game in which the notification state ends (e.g., S1703, S1706).
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to provide a gaming machine that can improve the satisfaction of the player. It may be possible to improve the satisfaction of the player without making the player have concerns that the notification state will end in the certain situation. When the advantageous degree of the advantageous zone is made different depending on whether or not the special role is in a carry-over state, it may be possible to prevent the player from falling into a uniformly disadvantageous situation after the end of the notification state by preventing a transition from a non-carry-over state and the non-advantageous zone to the advantageous zone after the end of the advantageous gaming state accompanied by the end of the advantageous zone, and by making a transition from a carry-over state and the non-advantageous zone to the advantageous zone.

C1. The gaming machine (e.g. 100) of the above embodiment is
A signal output means (e.g., 334) for outputting a signal to the outside;
A game state control means (e.g., S121) for controlling a game state;
A gaming machine equipped with
The game state control means is capable of controlling a predetermined game state (for example, an AT state, particularly an ending state),
The predetermined gaming state is a controllable state in an advantageous zone,
The predetermined gaming state is a state that is not controlled in a non-advantageous zone,
The signal output means is a means capable of outputting a first signal (e.g., a BB signal) in a first case (e.g., when the transition condition 15 is satisfied),
The first signal is a signal capable of resetting the number of games displayed by an external device (e.g., 653),
The first case is when a specific situation occurs that ends the advantageous period (for example, transition condition 15, Figure 37).
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to provide a gaming machine that can reduce the decrease in the operating rate. Since the number of plays displayed by the external device is reset at least once in the advantageous zone, it may be possible to avoid a situation where the number of plays is too many, and to reduce the impression that the machine is a stuck machine when the player selects the machine.

C2. In the above embodiment,
The signal output means is a means capable of outputting the first signal in a second case (e.g., when the AT state is set) (e.g., Figs. 35 and 36),
The second case is a case where the game is controlled to the predetermined gaming state.
According to this embodiment, the number of times the external device has been controlled to the predetermined gaming state may be displayed.

C3. In the above embodiment,
The predetermined gaming state is a gaming state that is advantageous to a player,
The specific situation is a situation in which the game is not controlled to the specified gaming state until a specific timing that is a specified timing before the timing at which the advantageous zone ends.
According to this embodiment, the number of plays displayed by the external device is reset at least once within the advantageous zone, thereby avoiding a situation where too many plays are played, and may reduce the impression that the player is stuck on a machine when selecting a machine.

C4. In the above embodiment,
The specific situation is a situation in which the game is not controlled to the specified game state until a specific number of games that is a specified number of games before the number of games at which the advantageous zone ends.
According to this embodiment, the number of plays displayed by the external device is reset at least once within the advantageous zone, thereby avoiding a situation where too many plays are played, and may reduce the impression that the player is stuck on a machine when selecting a machine.

C5. In the above embodiment,
A plurality of stop operation means (e.g., 137-139) for receiving a stop operation for individually stopping a plurality of reels (e.g., 110-112) that are rotating;
and a notification means (e.g., 157) for executing a suggestion notification that suggests an operation mode of the stop operation.
The notification means is a means capable of executing the suggestion notification when the game is controlled to the specified game state.
According to this embodiment, there are cases where the player has an advantage in the predetermined gaming state.

C6. In the above embodiment,
The notification means is a means capable of executing the suggestive notification when the first case occurs without being controlled to the specified gaming state in the advantageous zone.
According to this embodiment, the player may have an advantage when the first case occurs.

C7. In the above embodiment,
The first signal is a signal whose output is stopped when the same condition is met (for example, the end of a favorable zone) in both the first and second cases.
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to eliminate exception handling and reduce the burden on program control.

C8. In the above embodiment,
The occurrence of the same condition means that the advantageous period has ended.
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to communicate the end of the advantageous period to the external device.

C9. In the above embodiment,
The signal output means is a means capable of outputting a second signal (for example, a signal indicating the number of inserted medals),
The second signal is a signal capable of counting the number of plays on the gaming machine.
According to this embodiment, the number of plays in the advantageous zone may be counted by the external device.

C10. In the above embodiment,
A determination means (e.g., S105) is provided for determining a control that is advantageous to a player;
The determination means is configured so that a specific operation mode of the multiple stop operation means, which accepts stop operations to individually stop multiple reels while they are spinning, is more disadvantageous in determining the advantageous control (e.g., a penalty) than a predetermined operation mode.
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to penalize a player who attempts an inappropriate stopping operation.

D1. The gaming machine (e.g. 100) of the above embodiment is
A detection means (e.g., a medal acceptance sensor) for detecting the insertion of a gaming value from an insertion port (e.g., 141);
A first operation means (e.g., 130, 131, 132) for accepting an operation;
A second operation means (e.g., 130, 131, 132) for accepting an operation;
A control means (e.g., 300) capable of starting a game on the condition that the number of bets is three;
A gaming machine equipped with
The control means can set the bet by one when the detection means detects the insertion of one gaming value (e.g., S1809, S1837),
The first operation means is a means for setting three bets by one operation (e.g., S1819, S1837),
The second operation means is a means for allowing three bets to be set by one operation (for example, S1819, S1837).
According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a gaming machine that allows three bets and has distinctive bets. Three bets are possible with the first operating means and the second operating means, and even if one of them breaks down, it may be possible to continue playing, which may improve convenience for the player.

D2. In the above embodiment,
The first operation means is a means capable of accepting an operation during a reception period (e.g., S1805-S1825),
the second operation means is means capable of accepting an operation during the acceptance period,
The first operating means is a means capable of accepting an operation to the first operating means during the acceptance period even if the second operating means is in an operating state before the acceptance period (e.g., S1813, S1815, S1817),
The second operating means is a means capable of accepting an operation to the second operating means during the acceptance period even if the first operating means has been in an operating state before the acceptance period (e.g., S1813, S1815, S1817).
According to this embodiment, even if one of the first operating means or the second operating means is broken, betting operations can be performed using the other operating means, which may improve convenience for the player.

D3. In the above embodiment,
The first operation means is a means capable of accepting an operation during a reception period (e.g., S1805-S1833),
the second operation means is means capable of accepting an operation during the acceptance period,
The first operation means is a means for not accepting an operation to the first operation means if an operation to the second operation means has already been accepted during the acceptance period (e.g., S1809, S1811, S1813, S1815, S1833),
The second operation means is a means for not accepting an operation to the second operation means if an operation to the first operation means has already been accepted during the acceptance period (for example, S1813, S1815, S1817, S1819, S1833).
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to eliminate duplicate betting operations.

D4. The gaming machine (e.g. 100) of the above embodiment is
A given substrate (e.g., 211),
A first light emitting means (e.g., 212, 213, 214);
A second light emitting means (e.g., 2212, 213, 214),
the first light-emitting means is a means mounted on the predetermined substrate,
the second light-emitting means is a means mounted on the predetermined substrate,
the first light-emitting means is a means for emitting light when an operation is performed on the first operating means,
The second light emitting means is a means that emits light when an operation is performed on the second operating means.
According to this embodiment, there are cases where the operation of the first operating means and the second operating means can be checked relatively easily.

D5. In the gaming machine of the above embodiment (for example, 100),
The first operation means is a means for setting a bet from a gaming value whose amount is stored as credit (e.g., S1835, S1837),
The second operation means is a means for setting a bet from a gaming value whose amount is stored as the credit (e.g., S1835, S1837),
The first operation means is a means for setting a bet of the amount of the credits by one operation when the amount of the credits is 2 or less (e.g., S1833, S1835, S1837),
The second operation means is means for setting a bet of the amount of credits by one betting operation when the amount of credits is 2 or less (for example, S1833, S1835, S1837).
According to this embodiment, when the number of credits is insufficient for three bets, a bet operation corresponding to the number of credits can be accepted.
D11. The gaming machine (e.g. 100) of the above embodiment is
A first operation means (e.g., 130, 131, 132) for accepting an operation;
A second operation means (e.g., 130, 131, 132) for accepting an operation;
A control means (e.g., 300) capable of starting a game on the condition that the number of bets is three;
A gaming machine equipped with
The first operation means is a means for setting three bets by one operation (e.g., S1819, S1837),
The second operation means is a means for setting three bets by one operation (e.g., S1819, S1837),
During a normal acceptance period (e.g., S1805-S1825) during which a valid operation can be accepted, the first operation means is an operation-accepting means, and the second operation means is an operation-accepting means,
Even if the second operating means is in an operating state from before the reception period through the reception period, the operation of the first operating means can be accepted during the reception period (e.g., S1813, S1815, S1817),
Even if the first operating means is in an operating state from before the reception period through the reception period, the second operating means is configured to be able to accept operations during the reception period (e.g., S1813, S1815, S1817).
D12. In the gaming machine of the above embodiment (e.g. 100),
the first operation means is means for notifying that an operation can be accepted during the acceptance period,
The second operation means is means for not notifying that an operation can be accepted during the acceptance period.
D13. In the gaming machine of the above embodiment (e.g. 100),
the first operating means is a means for pressing the second operating means by a larger amount than the second operating means when the first operating means is pressed,
the first operating means is a means that protrudes more than the second operating means when not being operated,
the first operating means is disposed in front of the second operating means as viewed from a player,
The first operating means has a larger operating surface than the second operating means.
D14. The gaming machine (e.g. 100) of the above embodiment is
An insertion slot (for example, 141) into which gaming value can be inserted;
A detection means (e.g., a medal receiving sensor) for detecting the game value inserted through the insertion port,
When the detection means detects the insertion of one gaming value, the number of bets can be set by one bet (for example, S1809, S1837).

Although the embodiment of the invention has been described above, the invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

100 slot machines

Claims (1)

A game control means for controlling a game;
A performance control means for controlling the performance;
A gaming machine equipped with
There is a first period of actual play that does not include pseudo play,
There is a second period including the pseudo game and the main game,
The first period is a period of a first number of games,
The second period is a period for a second number of games,
The first number of games is a number of games of a plurality of main games,
The second number of games is a number of games of the present game that is less than the first number of games,
The game control means transmits a command corresponding to a reel stop state in the game to the performance control means,
the game control means transmits a command corresponding to a reel stop state in a pseudo game to the performance control means;
A predetermined effect can be executed during the first period,
The predetermined effect can be executed during the second period,
The predetermined effect executed in the second period is an effect including an effect executed in a pseudo game,
The predetermined effect is an effect composed of a plurality of individual effects,
The plurality of individual effects are effects that are configured in a number of effects that can be performed within the first number of games,
The first period is a period during which each of the plurality of individual effects is executed in one game,
The second period is a period including a certain game in which a pseudo game and a main game are executed in one game,
The plurality of individual effects include an individual effect executed in a pseudo game of the certain game and an individual effect executed in a real game of the certain game,
A gaming machine characterized by:

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