Game machine

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of simplifying inspection work.SOLUTION: A Pachinko game machine PY1 includes a game ball number indicator 180 capable of displaying the number of possessed balls that is the number of game balls that a user can use, and a handle 72k capable of shooting game balls by operation. The handle 72k is set to a game inspection mode and a frame inspection mode for disabling progress of a game, and can shoot game balls by operation even if absence of the number of possessed balls ("0") is displayed on the game balls number indicator 180.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 44

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a pachinko gaming machine. [Background technology]

[0002] One example of a gaming machine is a pachinko gaming machine, which is equipped with a ball count display means capable of displaying the number of game balls a player has available, and a handle (fire operation means) capable of firing game balls by operation, as described in the following Patent Document 1. In this type of gaming machine, when the ball count display means shows that there are balls available (1 or more), the game balls are fired by operating the handle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-8164 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, when a player is not playing a game, there may be cases where it is desired to launch a game ball and perform an inspection based on the launched game ball. However, in this case, if the ball count display means displays that there are no balls held ("0"), the game ball cannot be launched and an inspection based on the game ball cannot be performed. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to simplify the inspection work when it displays that there are no balls held.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of simplifying the inspection work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The gaming machine of the present invention is a ball possession display means for displaying a ball possession number, which is the number of game balls that a player can use; In a gaming machine having a launch operation means capable of launching a gaming ball by operation, The game machine is characterized in that the launch operation means is set to a specific mode in which game progress is disabled and game balls can be launched by operation even when the ball count display means indicates that there are no balls in possession.

[0007] According to the present invention, the inspection work can be simplified. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] A front view of the gaming machine and the dedicated external unit according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] An oblique view showing the lower part of the front frame of the gaming machine. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board of the gaming machine. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged view of a portion A shown in FIG. 3, showing displays provided on the gaming machine. FIG. [Diagram 5] (A) is a schematic diagram showing game balls stored in a storage device, (B) is a schematic diagram showing game balls being launched toward a play area, and (C) is a schematic diagram showing a foul ball returning to the storage device. [Figure 6] A diagram showing a game ball number display. [Figure 7] A diagram showing the back side of the gaming machine. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 shows a frame substrate display. [Figure 9] 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the game control board of the gaming machine. FIG. [Figure 10] A block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the performance control board of the gaming machine. [Figure 11] 13 is a hit type determination table. [Figure 12] 13 is a table showing various random numbers acquired by the game control microcomputer. [Figure 13] (A) is a jackpot determination table, (B) is a losing symbol type determination table, (C) is a reach determination table, (D) is a normal symbol hit determination table, (E) is a normal symbol change pattern selection table, and (F) is an electric chute opening pattern determination table. [Figure 14] This is a special chart fluctuation pattern determination table. [Figure 15] FIG. [Figure 16] A block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the frame control board, the game control board, and the dedicated external unit. [Figure 17] 11 is a table showing information transmitted from a dedicated external unit to a frame control board. [Figure 18] 13 is a table showing information transmitted from the frame control board to the dedicated external unit. [Figure 19] This is a table showing hall control information and fraud monitoring information as a unified standard. [Figure 20] 1 is a table showing hole control information and fraud monitoring information according to an embodiment. [Figure 21] A diagram showing the circuitry between the first light-emitting area of ​​the game ball number display and the light-emitting driver. [Figure 22] 11 is a table showing the relationship between the game state and the display color of the game ball count display. [Diagram 23] A diagram showing the transition of the display color of the game ball count display when the game state changes. [Figure 24] 13A to 13C are diagrams showing the transition of the display on the frame substrate display. [Diagram 25] 1 is a table showing a base display. [Figure 26] 1 is an error code table. [Figure 27] 13 is a diagram showing the transition of the display on the frame board display when an error code is present. FIG. [Figure 28] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the transition of the display on the frame board display when there is no error code. [Figure 29] A diagram showing the transition of the game ball number display when the counting button is pressed once. [Diagram 30] A diagram showing the transition of the game ball number display when the counting button is pressed and held for a short period of time. [Diagram 31] A diagram showing the progress of the game ball count display when the counting button is pressed and held for a long time. [Diagram 32] This figure shows the transition of the game ball number display when the counting button is pressed and held for a long time and then pressed once. [Diagram 33] A diagram showing the transition of game inspection mode and frame inspection mode. [Diagram 34] A diagram for explaining the game inspection mode and the frame inspection mode. [Diagram 35] 11 is a table showing the relationship between each inspection object and the display in the first to third display areas of the game ball number display device. [Diagram 36] 4 is a flowchart of a main control process. [Figure 37] 4 is a flowchart of a power-on process. [Figure 38] 13 is a flowchart of a game inspection mode process. [Figure 39] 13 is a flowchart of a game inspection mode process. [Diagram 40] 13 is a flowchart of a main-side timer interrupt process. [Diagram 41] 13 is a flowchart of a sub-control main process. [Diagram 42] 13 is a flowchart of a 1 ms timer interrupt process. [Diagram 43] 13 is a flowchart of a 10 ms timer interrupt process. [Diagram 44] 13 is a flowchart of a frame control main process. [Diagram 45] 4 is a flowchart of a power-on process. [Figure 46] 13 is a flowchart of a frame inspection mode process. [Figure 47] 13 is a flowchart of a frame control timer interrupt process. [Figure 48] 13 is a flowchart of an input process. [Figure 49]13 is a flowchart of an input process. [Figure 50] 13 is a flowchart of a frame board display display process. [Figure 51] 13 is a flowchart of a frame board display display process. [Figure 52] 13 is a flowchart of a display color setting process. [Diagram 53] 13 is a flowchart of a counting process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] 1. Structure of the gaming machine A pachinko game machine PY1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the left and right directions of each part of the pachinko game machine PY1 will be described as being the left and right directions for a player facing the pachinko game machine PY1. Also, the front direction of each part of the pachinko game machine PY1 will be described as the direction approaching the player facing the pachinko game machine PY1, and the rear direction of each part of the pachinko game machine PY1 will be described as the direction away from the player facing the pachinko game machine PY1.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko game machine PY1 of the embodiment includes a game machine frame 2. The game machine frame 2 includes an outer frame 22, an inner frame 21, and a front door 23 (front frame). The outer frame 22 is a vertically rectangular frame body that forms the outer shell of the pachinko game machine PY1. The inner frame 21 is disposed inside the outer frame 22, and is a vertically rectangular frame body to which a game board 1 (described later) is attached. The front door 23 is disposed on the front side of the outer frame 22 and the inner frame 21, and is a vertically rectangular frame body that protects the game board 1. The front door 23 is the part that faces the player, and is decorated with various ornaments.

[0011] The gaming machine frame 2 is configured with a hinge portion 24 on the left end side. The hinge portion 24 allows the front door 23 to rotate freely relative to the outer frame 22 and the inner frame 21, and the inner frame 21 to rotate freely relative to the outer frame 22 and the front door 23. An opening is formed in the center of the front door 23, and a transparent plate is attached to the opening so that the player can see the game area 6 (see FIG. 3) described later. The transparent plate is a glass plate in this embodiment, but it may be a transparent synthetic resin plate. In other words, the transparent plate may be any plate that allows the game area 6 to be seen from the front. The front door 23 is also provided with a handle 72k (launching operation means) for launching the game balls toward the game area 6 with a launch strength according to the rotation angle.

[0012] A storage device 25 (see FIG. 5), which will be described later, is provided at the bottom of the inner frame 21. A predetermined number of game balls (for example, 50 balls) are stored in the storage device 25. The stored game balls are shot toward the game area 6 (see FIG. 3), and then flow down the game area 6 and are collected in a collection section (not shown) provided at the bottom of the inner frame 21. The game balls collected in the collection section are then guided toward the storage device 25 while being lifted by a lifting device (not shown). In this way, the game balls stored in the storage device 25 are sealed inside the pachinko game machine PY1 and are circulated without being discharged to the outside of the pachinko game machine PY1.

[0013] Therefore, the present pachinko game machine PY1 is a game machine (so-called "enclosed type pachinko") in which the game balls enclosed inside flow down the game area 6, circulate, and can enter the game area 6 again. Therefore, unlike a game machine (so-called "non-enclosed type pachinko") in which the game balls contained inside flow down the game area and are then discharged to the outside, the present pachinko game machine PY1 does not require a mechanism (a prize ball payout device, a prize ball motor, an upper tray, a lower tray, etc.) for paying out game balls to a player. As a result, the lower part of the present pachinko game machine PY1 can be configured more compactly than a conventional non-enclosed type pachinko. In the present pachinko game machine PY1, the front door 23 does not have an upper tray or a lower tray for storing game balls, so the player cannot touch the game balls.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 2, the lower part 23x (operation mechanism) of the front door 23 is provided with an effect button (input section) 40k and a select button 42k that can be operated by the player during effects executed as the game progresses. The select button (cross key) 42k is composed of an up button, a down button, a left button, and a right button. The front door 23 is also provided with a decorative frame lamp 56 (see Fig. 1) and a speaker 610 (not shown in Fig. 1) that outputs sound.

[0015] In addition, in the pachinko game machine PY1, as shown in Fig. 2, a call switch 41k is provided on the lower part 23x of the front door 23. The call switch 41k is an operation means (call operation means) that can be pressed by a player, and the pressing operation is detected by a call sensor 41a (see Fig. 9) built into the call switch 41k. This call switch 41k (specific sensor) is of an alternate operation type that continues to output a detection signal by the call sensor 41a unless it is pressed again after being pressed.

[0016] The call switch 41k includes a smoke lens and a call LED disposed inside the smoke lens. When the power is turned on to the pachinko game machine PY1, the call LED is turned on (lights up) and continues to be turned on. This makes the word "call switch" written on the smoke lens look like it is lit in red, allowing the player to recognize that the call switch 41k is ready for use.

[0017] On the other hand, when the call switch 41k is pressed, the call LED goes into a flashing state. This makes the word "Call Switch" written on the smoke lens appear to be flashing in red, allowing the player to recognize that the call switch 41k is in use. After that, if the call switch 41k is pressed again, the call LED goes back to a lit state.

[0018] In this embodiment, as described later, when the call switch 41k is pressed, a signal (call signal) related to the detection of the call sensor 41a is transmitted to the hall computer 230 (see FIG. 16) provided outside the present pachinko game machine PY1. As a result, the hall computer 230 notifies the employees of the game arcade (hall) by wireless communication that the call switch 41k of the present pachinko game machine PY1 has been pressed. As a result, it is possible to call the employees of the game arcade. That is, it is possible to call the employees of the game arcade by pressing the call switch 41k provided on the present pachinko game machine PY1 without pressing the call button of the data counter provided on the upper part of the present pachinko game machine PY1.

[0019] In this embodiment, the call switch 41k is configured as an alternate operation type in which the detection signal from the call sensor 41a continues to be output unless the call switch 41k is pressed again after being pressed, but it may be configured as a momentary operation type in which the detection signal from the call sensor 41a is output only at the moment when the call switch 41k is pressed.

[0020] In addition, in the pachinko game machine PY1, as shown in FIG. 1, a game ball number display 180 is provided at the center front of the lower part 23x of the front door 23. The game ball number display 180 (held ball number display means, display means) displays the number of game balls currently available to the player as the number of held balls. In other words, the number of held balls is the number of game balls that the player can use for playing. The game ball number display 180 is composed of six 7-segment displays arranged horizontally so that six digits or letters (Roman letters) can be displayed. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the game ball number display 180 includes, from left to right, a first light-emitting region 181, a second light-emitting region 182, a third light-emitting region 183, a fourth light-emitting region 184, a fifth light-emitting region 185, and a sixth light-emitting region 186. Each of the six light emitting areas 181-186 has eight light emitting parts (LED elements) LA1-LA8, LA9-LA16, LA17-LA24, LA25-LA32, LA33-LA40, and LA41-LA48. In FIG. 1, the game ball number display 180 shows "2500," which means that the player can currently shoot 2500 game balls toward the game area 6. The display control of the game ball number display 180 is executed by the frame control microcomputer 171 (see FIG. 9), as described later.

[0021] A game board 1 shown in FIG. 3 is attached to the inner frame 21 of the game machine frame 2. As shown in FIG. 3, a game area 6 is formed on the game board 1, where game balls launched by operating the handle 72k flow down. The game balls launched by operating the handle 72k pass between the inner rail 62 and the outer rail 63 and head toward the game area 6. A number of decorative board lamps 54 are also provided on the game board 1. A number of game nails are protruding from the game area 6 to guide the game balls. The game board 1 is an integrated unit of a plate-shaped member arranged on the front side and a back unit (a unit for mounting various control boards, an image display device 50, harnesses, etc., described later) arranged on the rear side.

[0022] Near the center of the game area 6, an image display device 50 (effect display means, image display means) which is a liquid crystal display device is provided. The image display device may be another image display device such as an organic EL display device. The display screen 50a (display section) of the image display device 50 has a performance pattern display area which performs variable display of a performance pattern EZ (decorative pattern) synchronized with the variable display of the first special pattern and the second special pattern described below. The performance which displays the performance pattern EZ is called a performance pattern variable performance. The performance pattern variable performance is sometimes called a "decorative pattern variable performance" or simply a "variable performance".

[0023] The performance symbol display area is composed of three performance symbol display areas, for example, "left", "middle", and "right". The left performance symbol display area displays the left performance symbol EZ1, the middle performance symbol display area displays the middle performance symbol EZ2, and the right performance symbol display area displays the right performance symbol EZ3. Each performance symbol EZ is composed of a plurality of symbols representing numbers, for example, from "1" to "8". The image display device 50 displays the results of the variable display of the first special symbol and the second special symbol displayed on the first special symbol display device 81a and the second special symbol display device 81b described later (i.e., the results of the big win lottery) in an easy-to-understand manner by combining the left performance symbol EZ1, the middle performance symbol EZ2, and the right performance symbol EZ3.

[0024] For example, if a jackpot is won, the effect symbols are displayed as repeated numbers such as "777". If a jackpot is lost, the effect symbols are displayed as random numbers such as "637". This makes it easier for the player to understand the progress of the game. In other words, the player generally does not understand the result of the jackpot lottery using the first special symbol display 81a or the second special symbol display 81b, but rather uses the image display device 50. The position of the effect symbol display area does not have to be fixed. Also, the variable display of the effect symbols can be, for example, scrolled up and down.

[0025] The image display device 50 displays on the display screen 50a not only the effect pattern change effect using the effect pattern EZ as described above, but also the big win effect performed in parallel with the big win game, and the demo effect for waiting for customers (customer waiting effect), etc. In the effect pattern change effect, in addition to the effect pattern EZ such as numbers, effect images other than the effect pattern EZ such as background images and character images are also displayed.

[0026] The display screen 50a of the image display device 50 also has a reserved icon display area that displays reserved icons HA (effect reserved images) according to the number of reserved first special symbols and reserved second special symbols described below. By displaying the reserved icons HA, the number of reserved first special symbols displayed on the first special symbol reserved display device 83a described below and the number of reserved second special symbols displayed on the second special symbol reserved display device 83b described below can be clearly shown to the player.

[0027] A center frame 61 (inner wall portion) is disposed near the center of the game area 6 and in front of the image display device 50. A stage 61s capable of guiding game balls rolling on the upper surface to a first starting opening 11 described later is formed in the lower portion of the center frame 61. A warp 61w is provided on the left portion of the center frame 61, which allows game balls to flow in from an entrance and out from an exit to the stage 61s. A board movable body 55k capable of moving up and down is provided in the upper portion of the center frame 61. The board movable body 55k is movable from an origin position above the display screen 50a to a performance position overlapping the center of the display screen 50a in the front-rear direction.

[0028] Below the image display device 50 in the game area 6, a first start winning device 11D is provided, which includes a first start hole 11 that does not change the ease of entry of a game ball. The first start hole 11 (ball entry hole) is also called a first ball entry hole, a fixed ball entry hole, a first start winning hole, or a first start area. The first start winning device 11D is also called a first ball entry means, a fixed ball entry means, or a first start winning device. The entry of a game ball into the first start hole 11 triggers the drawing of a first special symbol (a big win lottery, i.e., the acquisition and determination of a big win random number, etc.).

[0029] In addition, below the first starting hole 11 in the game area 6, a normal variable winning device (normal electric device, so-called electric chute) 12D equipped with a second starting hole 12 is provided. The second starting hole 12 (ball entry hole) is also called the second ball entry hole, variable ball entry hole, second starting winning hole, or second starting area. The electric chute 12D is also called the second ball entry means, variable ball entry means, or second starting winning device. The entry of a game ball into the second starting hole 12 triggers the drawing of a second special symbol (a big win drawing).

[0030] The electric chute 12D is provided with an electric chute opening / closing member 12k (ball entrance opening / closing member) that can be in an open state or a closed state, and the second starting opening 12 is opened and closed by the operation of the electric chute opening / closing member 12k. The electric chute opening / closing member 12k is driven by an electric chute solenoid 12s described below. When the electric chute opening / closing member 12k is in an open state, a game ball can enter the second starting opening 12, and when it is in a closed state, a game ball cannot enter the second starting opening 12. In other words, the second starting opening 12 is a starting opening in which the ease of entering a game ball can be changed. Note that the electric chute does not have to be one that makes it impossible to enter the second starting opening when it is in a closed state, as long as it makes it easier to enter the second starting opening when the electric chute opening / closing member is in an open state than when it is in a closed state.

[0031] In addition, a large prize device (special electric device) 14D equipped with a large prize opening 14 is provided to the right of the first starting hole 11 in the game area 6. The large prize opening 14 (special ball opening) is also called a special prize opening. The large prize device 14D is also called an attacker (AT), a special prize means, or a special variable prize device. The large prize device 14D is equipped with an AT opening / closing member 14k (special prize opening opening / closing member) that can be opened and closed, and opens and closes the large prize opening 14 by operating the AT opening / closing member 14k. The AT opening / closing member 14k is driven by an AT solenoid 14s described later. The large prize opening 14 allows game balls to enter only when the AT opening / closing member 14k is in the open state.

[0032] Also, a gate 13 through which the game ball can pass is provided to the right of the center frame 61. The gate 13 is also called a passing port or a passing area. The passing of the game ball through the gate 13 triggers the execution of a normal pattern lottery (i.e., the acquisition and determination of a normal pattern random number (a winning random number)) that determines whether or not the electric chute 12D is opened. Furthermore, a first general winning port 10A, a second general winning port 10B, and a third general winning port 10C are provided at the bottom of the game area 6. Also, an outlet 19 is provided at the bottom of the game area 6 to discharge game balls that have been shot into the game area 6 but have not won in any of the winning ports out of the game area 6.

[0033] In this manner, the game area 6 in which various winning holes and the like are arranged has a left game area 6L (first game area, predetermined game area) on the left side of the center in the left-right direction, and a right game area 6R (second game area) on the right side. A hitting method in which the game ball is shot so that it flows down the left game area 6L is called a left hit. On the other hand, a hitting method in which the game ball is shot so that it flows down the right game area 6R is called a right hit. In this form of pachinko game machine PY1, the flow path through which the game ball flows down when playing with a left hit is called a first flow path R1, and the flow path through which the game ball flows down when playing with a right hit is called a second flow path R2.

[0034] On the first flow path R1, there are provided a first starting hole 11, a first general winning hole 10A, an electric chute 12D, and an outlet 19. A player can aim to win at the first starting hole 11 or the first general winning hole 10A by hitting a game ball so that it flows down the first flow path R1. Note that since there is no gate on the first flow path R1, the electric chute 12D will not open when hitting from the left.

[0035] On the other hand, on the second flow path R2, there are provided a gate 13, a second general winning opening 10B, a third general winning opening 10C, a large winning device 14D, an electric chute 12D, and an outlet 19. By hitting a game ball so that it flows down the second flow path R2, a player can aim to pass through the gate 13 or win a prize in the second general winning opening 10B, the third general winning opening 10C, the second starting opening 12, or the large winning opening 14.

[0036] In addition, in this pachinko game machine PY1, one discharge path (not shown) is provided outside the game area 6. This discharge path constitutes a recovery section (not shown) provided at the bottom of the inner frame 21, and is connected to any of the first general winning opening 10A, the second general winning opening 10B, the third general winning opening 10C, the first starting opening 11, the electric chute 12D (the second starting opening 12), the big winning opening 14, and the out opening 19. Therefore, game balls that enter the first general winning opening 10A, the second general winning opening 10B, the third general winning opening 10C, the first starting opening 11, the electric chute 12D (the second starting opening 12), the big winning opening 14, and the out opening 19 will necessarily pass through the discharge path of the recovery section outside the game area 6. The discharge path is provided with a discharge port sensor 15a (see FIG. 9) capable of detecting game balls, and the game balls that have passed through the discharge path are directed to a storage device 25 (see FIG. 5) described later via a lifting device (not shown). In this way, the game balls shot toward the game area 6 enter either the general winning port 10, the first starting port 11, the electric chute 12D (the second starting port 12), the big winning port 14, or the out port 19, and then pass through the discharge path of the recovery section (not shown) and are detected by the discharge port sensor 15a. After that, the game balls that have passed through the discharge path are stored in the storage device 25 via the lifting device. The lifting device is designed to hold a predetermined number of game balls (for example, 20 balls), and the game balls are sent toward the storage device 25 by a lifting motor.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 3, displays 8 are arranged at the lower right of the game board 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the displays 8 include a first special symbol display 81a that variably displays the first special symbol, a second special symbol display 81b that variably displays the second special symbol, and a regular symbol display 82 that variably displays the regular symbol (regular symbol). The first special symbol is also called the first special symbol or special symbol 1, and the second special symbol is also called the second special symbol or special symbol 2. The regular symbol is also called the regular symbol.

[0038] The displays 8 also include a first special chart hold display 83a which displays the number of activated reserved items (first special chart hold) stored in the first special chart display 81a, a second special chart hold display 83b which displays the number of activated reserved items (second special chart hold) stored in the second special chart display 81b, and a regular chart hold display 84 which displays the number of activated reserved items (regular chart hold) stored in the regular chart display 82.

[0039] The variable display of the first special symbol is triggered by the entry of a game ball into the first starting hole 11. The variable display of the second special symbol is triggered by the entry of a game ball into the second starting hole 12. In the following description, the first special symbol and the second special symbol are sometimes collectively referred to as special symbols (special symbols, identification symbols). Also, the first special symbol display 81a and the second special symbol display 81b are sometimes collectively referred to as the special symbol display 81. Also, the first special symbol reserve display 83a and the second special symbol reserve display 83b are sometimes collectively referred to as the special symbol reserve display 83. Also, the first special symbol reserve and the second special symbol reserve are sometimes collectively referred to as the special symbol reserve.

[0040] The special symbol display 81 (identification symbol display means) notifies the result of a lottery (special symbol lottery, jackpot lottery) based on winning at the first start port 11 or the second start port 12 by displaying a special symbol in a variable manner (variable display) and then displaying it in a stopped state. The special symbol displayed in a stopped state (stopping symbol, special symbol derived and displayed as a display result of a variable display) is one special symbol selected from a plurality of types of special symbols by a special symbol lottery. When the stopping symbol is a predetermined specific special symbol (a special symbol in a specific stopping mode, i.e., a jackpot symbol), a jackpot game (one example of a special game) is played in which the jackpot opening port 14 is opened in an opening pattern according to the type of the specific special symbol displayed in a stopped state (i.e., the type of jackpot that has been won). The opening pattern of the jackpot opening in the special game will be described later.

[0041] Specifically, the special symbol display 81 is composed of, for example, eight LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) arranged side by side, and displays a special symbol according to the result of the jackpot lottery by the lighting state of the LEDs. For example, when a jackpot (one of the multiple types of jackpots described later) is won, the jackpot symbol is displayed with the first, second, fifth, and sixth LEDs from the left lit, such as "○○●●○○●●" (○: lit, ●: unlit). Also, when a loss occurs, a loss symbol is displayed with only the rightmost LED lit, such as "●●●●●●●○". A mode in which all LEDs are turned off as a loss symbol may be adopted. Note that the loss symbol is not a specific special symbol. Also, before the special symbol is stopped and displayed, the special symbol is displayed in a variable manner for a predetermined variable time, and the variable display mode is, for example, a mode in which each LED is lit so that light flows repeatedly from left to right. The manner in which the variable display takes place may be any manner, such as all LEDs flashing at the same time, as long as the individual LEDs are not displayed as stopped (illuminated in a specific manner).

[0042] In this pachinko game machine PY1, when a game ball enters the first start hole 11 or the second start hole 12, the values ​​(numerical information, judgment information) of various random numbers such as a jackpot random number acquired for the entry are temporarily stored in a special chart reservation memory unit 105 described later. In detail, if the entry is in the first start hole 11, it is stored as a first special chart reservation in a first special chart reservation memory unit 105a described later, and if the entry is in the second start hole 12, it is stored as a second special chart reservation in a second special chart reservation memory unit 105b described later. There is an upper limit to the number of special chart reservations that can be stored in each special chart reservation memory unit 105, and the upper limit in this embodiment is "4".

[0043] The reserved special symbols stored in the reserved special symbols storage unit 105 are consumed when the variable display of the special symbols based on the reserved special symbols becomes possible. The consumption of reserved special symbols means that the jackpot random number corresponding to the reserved special symbols is determined, and the variable display of the special symbols is executed to show the result of the determination. Therefore, in this pachinko game machine PY1, even if the variable display of the special symbols based on the winning of the game ball into the first start hole 11 or the second start hole 12 cannot be executed immediately after the winning, that is, even if the winning occurs during the variable display of the special symbols or during the execution of the special game, the right to the jackpot lottery for the winning can be reserved up to a predetermined number.

[0044] The number of reserved special drawings is displayed on the reserved special drawing display 83. Specifically, each reserved special drawing display 83 is composed of, for example, four LEDs, and displays the number of reserved special drawings by lighting up the LEDs as many as the number of reserved special drawings.

[0045] The variable display of the normal symbol is triggered by the passage of the game ball through the gate 13. The normal symbol display 82 notifies the result of the normal symbol lottery based on the passage of the game ball through the gate 13 by displaying the normal symbol variably (variably) and then stopping it. The normal symbol that is stopped and displayed (normal symbol stop symbol, normal symbol that is derived and displayed as the display result of the variable display) is one normal symbol selected from a plurality of normal symbols by the normal symbol lottery. If the normal symbol that is stopped and displayed is a specific normal symbol (a normal symbol in a predetermined stopping mode, i.e., a normal winning symbol), an auxiliary game is performed in which the second start hole 12 is opened in an opening pattern according to the current game state. The opening pattern of the second start hole 12 will be described later.

[0046] Specifically, the normal pattern display 82 is composed of, for example, two LEDs (see FIG. 4), and displays a normal pattern according to the result of the normal pattern lottery by the way they are lit. For example, if the lottery result is a win, a normal winning pattern with both LEDs lit, such as "○○" (○: lit, ●: off), is displayed. If the lottery result is a loss, a normal loss pattern with only the right LED lit, such as "●○", is displayed. A mode in which all LEDs are turned off may be adopted as a normal loss pattern. Note that the normal loss pattern is not a specific normal pattern. Before the normal pattern is displayed in a stopped state, the normal pattern is displayed in a specified change time, and the change display mode is, for example, a mode in which both LEDs are alternately lit. Note that the change display mode may be anything, such as all LEDs flashing at once, as long as each LED is not displayed in a stopped state (a light display in a specific mode).

[0047] In this pachinko game machine PY1, when a game ball passes through the gate 13, the value of the normal symbol random number (winning random number) obtained for that passage is temporarily stored as a normal symbol reserve in the normal symbol reserve memory unit 106 described below. There is an upper limit to the number of normal symbol reserves that can be stored in the normal symbol reserve memory unit 106, and the upper limit in this embodiment is "4".

[0048] The reserved normal symbols stored in the reserved normal symbols storage unit 106 are consumed when the variable display of the normal symbols based on the reserved normal symbols becomes possible. The consumption of reserved normal symbols means judging the normal symbol random number (winning random number) corresponding to the reserved normal symbols and executing the variable display of the normal symbols to show the judgment result. Therefore, in this pachinko game machine PY1, even if the variable display of the normal symbols based on the passage of the game ball to the gate 13 cannot be performed immediately after the passage, that is, even if a prize is won during the variable display of the normal symbols or during the execution of the auxiliary game, the right to draw the normal symbols for the passage can be reserved up to a predetermined number.

[0049] The number of such reserved maps is displayed on the reserved map display 84. Specifically, the reserved map display 84 is composed of, for example, four LEDs, and displays the number of reserved maps by lighting up the LEDs corresponding to the number of reserved maps.

[0050] Next, the storage device 25 will be described with reference to Fig. 5, and a case where game balls stored in the storage device 25 are shot toward the game area 6 will be described. The storage device 25 stores game balls in the lower part of the inner frame 21, and shoots the stored game balls toward the game area 6 based on the rotation operation of the handle 72k.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 5(A), the storage device 25 includes a storage section 25a capable of storing a predetermined number of game balls (e.g., 50 balls), and a ball striking hammer 25b capable of striking the game balls stored in the storage section 25a one by one with a firing strength corresponding to the rotation angle of the handle 72k. The game balls struck by the ball striking hammer 25b travel along a firing path HR extending upward from the storage section 25a toward the game area 6. The firing path HR is connected to the storage section 25a of the storage device 25 at its lower end and to the game area 6 at its upper end.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 5, the storage device 25 is provided with a downstream monitoring sensor 31a and an upstream monitoring sensor 32a. The downstream monitoring sensor 31a is provided on the outlet side of the storage device 25 and detects game balls leaving the storage device 25. Therefore, the frame control microcomputer 171 (see FIG. 9) monitors game balls leaving the storage device 25 by the downstream monitoring sensor 31a. The upstream monitoring sensor 32a is provided on the inlet side of the storage device 25 and detects game balls entering the storage device 25. Therefore, the frame control microcomputer 171 (see FIG. 9) monitors game balls entering the storage device 25 by the upstream monitoring sensor 32a. In this way, the frame control microcomputer 171 can grasp how many game balls are currently stored in the storage device 25 by the downstream monitoring sensor 31a and the upstream monitoring sensor 32a. 5 shows a lifting outlet sensor 34a provided on the outlet side of a lifting device (not shown). The lifting outlet sensor 34a detects the game balls after they have been lifted by the lifting device.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 3, the upper end of the inner rail 62 is the boundary between the upper end of the launch path HR and the game area 6, and a backflow prevention member 64 is provided at the upper end of the inner rail 62. The backflow prevention member 64 allows the game ball to enter the game area 6 from the launch path HR, while preventing the game ball from entering (backflow) from the game area 6 to the launch path HR, and is rotatably attached to the upper end of the inner rail 62 with the lower end as a fulcrum. Specifically, when the game ball moves from the launch path HR to the game area 6, the backflow prevention member 64 rotates to the right from the state shown in FIG. 2, thereby allowing the game ball to enter the game area 6. On the other hand, when the game ball moves from the game area 6 to the launch path HR, the backflow prevention member 64 cannot rotate to the left from the state shown in FIG. 2, thereby preventing the game ball from entering (backflow) into the launch path HR.

[0054] 5(A), the launch path HR is provided with a return flow path MR that branches off and extends downward. The upper end of the return flow path MR is connected to the launch path HR, and the lower end of the return flow path MR is connected to the storage section 25a of the storage device 25. A backflow prevention member 26 is provided at the portion where the upper end of the return flow path MR and the launch path HR join together.

[0055] The backflow prevention member 26 allows the game ball to enter from the upstream side HR1 of the launch path HR to the downstream side HR2 of the launch path HR, while preventing the game ball from entering (backflowing) from the downstream side HR2 of the launch path HR to the upstream side HR1 of the launch path HR. Furthermore, when the game ball flows downward through the downstream side HR2 of the launch path HR, the backflow prevention member 26 guides the game ball to the return flow path MR while preventing the game ball from entering the upstream side HR1 of the launch path HR. As shown in FIG. 5(A), the backflow prevention member 26 is rotatably attached to the lower wall of the launch path HR with its lower end as a fulcrum. The backflow prevention member 26 is also configured to maintain a vertically extending position (the state shown in FIG. 5(A)) by the biasing force of a biasing member (not shown).

[0056] Therefore, under normal circumstances, when the game ball stored in the storage section 25a is hit by the hitting hammer 25b, it is launched upward toward the launch path HR as shown in FIG. 5(B). At this time, after passing the upstream side HR1 of the launch path HR, the game ball rotates the backflow prevention member 26 from the vertically extending position toward the left as shown in FIG. 5(B). This allows the game ball to enter the downstream side HR2 of the launch path HR. After that, the game ball enters the game area 6 from the upper end of the launch path HR while maintaining the momentum of the launch. After rotating toward the left as shown in FIG. 5(B), the backflow prevention member 26 immediately returns to the vertically extending position (the state shown in FIG. 5(A)) due to the biasing force of the biasing member (not shown).

[0057] On the other hand, as an irregular situation, a game ball may enter the downstream side HR2 of the launch path HR from the upstream side HR1 of the launch path HR, but may not enter the game area 6 due to the weak momentum of the game ball when launched (hit). In this case, the game ball flows downward on the downstream side HR2 of the launch path HR and attempts to enter the upstream side HR1 of the launch path HR. However, as shown in FIG. 5(C), the backflow prevention member 26 cannot rotate to the right from the attitude of extending vertically, and the game ball cannot enter the upstream side HR1 of the launch path HR. Therefore, the game ball is guided by the backflow prevention member 26 toward the return flow path MR and returns to the storage section 25a through the return flow path MR. In this way, a game ball (a so-called "foul ball") that has been launched from the storage device 25 but has not been able to enter the game area 6 can always return to the storage device 25 by passing through the return flow path MR.

[0058] Next, an increase or decrease in the number of game balls (the number of game balls that a player can currently use for playing) displayed on the game ball number display 180 (see FIG. 1) will be described. As shown in FIG. 5(A), a fired ball detection sensor 16a is disposed at the upper end of the upstream side HR1 of the firing path HR. The fired ball detection sensor 16a detects game balls passing through the upper end of the upstream side HR1 of the firing path HR. Therefore, every time a game ball is fired from the storage device 25, the game ball is detected by the fired ball detection sensor 16a. In this case, the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 decreases by one ball as a game ball is fired.

[0059] However, as described above, a foul ball may occur due to the weak momentum of the game ball when it is shot. In this case, the foul ball does not enter the game area 6 and is not involved in the game. However, even if it is a foul ball, the game ball is detected by the shot ball detection sensor 16a, so the number of game balls decreases by "1". In this way, the foul ball may cause a disadvantage to the player.

[0060] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5(A), the return ball detection sensor 17a is disposed in the return flow path MR. The return ball detection sensor 17a detects a game ball (return ball, foul ball) passing through the return flow path MR. Therefore, when a foul ball occurs, as described above, the foul ball always passes through the return flow path MR, so that the return ball detection sensor 17a can detect the foul ball. When a game ball is detected by the return ball detection sensor 17a, the number of balls held is increased by "1". In this way, when a foul ball occurs, the number of balls held is decreased by "1" and then increased by "1", so that the player is not disadvantaged. The return ball detection sensor 17a is composed of a photo sensor, but the configuration of the sensor can be changed as appropriate as long as it can detect a game ball passing through the return flow path MR.

[0061] In addition, the game ball that enters the first general winning opening 10A is detected by the first general winning opening sensor 10x. In this case, the player is deemed to have won a prize ball, and the number of game balls increases by "5". In addition, the game ball that enters the second general winning opening 10B is detected by the second general winning opening sensor 10y. In this case, the player is deemed to have won a prize ball, and the number of game balls increases by "5". In addition, the game ball that enters the third general winning opening 10C is detected by the third general winning opening sensor 10z. In this case, the player is deemed to have won a prize ball, and the number of game balls increases by "5". In addition, the game ball that enters the first starting opening 11 is detected by the first starting opening sensor 11a. In this case, the player is deemed to have won a prize ball, and the number of game balls increases by "3". In addition, the game ball that enters the second starting opening 12 is detected by the second starting opening sensor 12a. In this case, the player is deemed to have won a prize ball, and the number of game balls increases by "2". In addition, the game ball that enters the large prize opening 14 is detected by the large prize opening sensor 14a. In this case, the player is deemed to have won a prize ball, and the number of game balls increases by "15". Note that the increase in the number of balls held (number of prize balls) based on balls entering each prize opening (general prize opening 10, first start opening 11, second start opening 12, large prize opening 14) described above is merely an example, and can be changed as appropriate.

[0062] Next, the dedicated external unit 200 installed to the left of the present pachinko game machine PY1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The dedicated external unit 200 (external unit) accepts a visitor card (general card) or a member card, and is configured to be able to transmit and receive information (communicate) to and from the present pachinko game machine PY1. The visitor card is issued to a general player who is not registered as a member, and is capable of storing the number of game balls (number of game balls) that can be used in a game. The visitor card has a prepaid function. The member card is issued to a player who has registered as a member at a game parlor, and is capable of storing the number of game balls (number of game balls) that can be used in a game. The member card has a prepaid function and allows the player to use game balls (saved balls) that he or she has deposited at the game parlor the day before or before.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 1, the dedicated external unit 200 (external unit) has a card slot 205 at the bottom for inserting or ejecting a visitor card or a member card. When a visitor card is inserted into the card slot 205, the dedicated external unit 200 reads the number of game balls stored in the visitor card and the prepaid balance. When a member card is inserted into the card slot 205, the dedicated external unit 200 reads the number of game balls stored in the member card and the prepaid balance. Furthermore, by communicating with the hall computer 230 (see Fig. 16), the number of game balls (number of saved balls) that a registered player has deposited in the gaming facility before the previous day can be ascertained.

[0064] 1, the dedicated external unit 200 has a bill insertion slot 201 for inserting bills at the top, and a data display 202 below the bill insertion slot 201. When a bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 201, the dedicated external unit 200 can lend the player a number of game balls according to the amount of the bill. The data display 202 can display the prepaid balance, the remaining amount of the bills inserted into the bill insertion slot 201, and various other information.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 1, the dedicated external unit 200 has a replay button 203 below the data display 202. When the replay button 203 is pressed while the dedicated external unit 200 is reading the number of game balls stored in a card (visitor card or member card), a part or all of the read number of game balls is withdrawn. Then, the dedicated external unit 200 transmits information on the number of game balls withdrawn to the pachinko game machine PY1 as information related to lending, and the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 of the pachinko game machine PY1 is the sum of the number of game balls previously displayed and the number of game balls withdrawn. When the replay button 203 is pressed while the dedicated external unit 200 is grasping the number of stored balls, a part or all of the grasped number of stored balls is withdrawn. Then, when the dedicated external unit 200 transmits the information on the number of the withdrawn balls to the pachinko game machine PY1 as information related to the loan, the number of balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 of the pachinko game machine PY1 is the sum of the number of game balls previously displayed and the number of the withdrawn balls. The dedicated external unit 200 reads the number of game balls stored in the card, and when the replay button 203 is pressed while the dedicated external unit 200 is aware of the number of balls stored, it preferentially withdraws the number of game balls stored in the card.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 1, the dedicated external unit 200 has a ball loan button 204 below the replay button 203. When the ball loan button 204 is pressed while the dedicated external unit 200 is reading the prepaid balance stored in the card (visitor card or member card), the dedicated external unit 200 withdraws the prepaid balance and converts it into information on the number of game balls. The dedicated external unit 200 then transmits the converted information on the number of game balls to the pachinko game machine PY1 as information related to the loan. As a result, the number of game balls is displayed on the game ball number display 180 of the pachinko game machine PY1 by adding the previously displayed number of game balls and the converted number of game balls.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 1, the dedicated external unit 200 has a card return button 206 below the card slot 205. The card return button 206 is pressed when the player finishes playing. When the card return button 206 is pressed, the dedicated external unit 200 stores information on the number of balls held and the prepaid balance information that has been read in the card (visitor card or member card). The dedicated external unit 200 then returns the card with the new number of game balls (number of balls stored) stored therein through the card slot 205.

[0068] Here, in the present pachinko game machine PY1, as shown in FIG. 2, a counting button 43k is provided on the right side of the lower portion 23x of the front door 23. The counting button 43k is for executing a counting process in which a part (1 ball or 250 balls in this embodiment) or all (the number of balls held when the number is less than 250 balls) of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 is stored in a card (visitor card or member card) inserted in the dedicated external unit 200. As will be described in detail later, when the counting button 43k is pressed for a very short time, the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 is subtracted by 1, and when the counting button 43k is pressed continuously (for 500 ms or more), the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 is subtracted by 250 every 0.3 seconds (300 ms). The information on the number of game balls subtracted at this time is transmitted to the dedicated external unit 200 as information related to the counting. Then, the dedicated external unit 200 stores the received information on the number of game balls in the card in an overwritten state.

[0069] 2. Electrical configuration of the gaming machine Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko game machine PY1 will be described with reference to Figs. 9 and 10. As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the pachinko game machine PY1 includes a game control board 100 (main control board) that controls game profits such as big win lottery and transition of game states, a performance control board 120 (sub-control board) that controls performances executed as the game progresses, and a frame control board 170 that controls the number of game balls. The game control board 100 and the frame control board 170 constitute a main control unit. The game control board 100 and the frame control board 170 can be said to be main boards that can execute control processes that affect the game results. The performance control board 120 constitutes a sub-control unit together with an image control board 140, a sound control board 161, and a sub-drive board 162, which will be described later. The sub-controller at least needs to have a performance control board 120 and be capable of controlling game performance using performance means (image display device 50, speaker 610, board lamp 54, board movable body 55k, frame lamp 56, etc.).

[0070] The pachinko game machine PY1 also includes a power supply board 190. The power supply board 190 (power supply unit) receives AC 24V power from the outside and generates various voltages (DC 5V, DC 12V, DC 18V, DC 24V, DC 37V) required for the operation of the pachinko game machine PY1 based on the AC 24V power. The power supply board 190 supplies the generated power to the game control board 100, the performance control board 120, and the frame control board 170, and also supplies it to other devices via these boards.

[0071] A RAM clear switch 191 (RAM clear operation means) that can be pressed is provided on the power supply board 190. The RAM clear switch 191 is for erasing information related to the game (such as information on the game state such as a high probability state, information on the result of the special chart reservation and the big win judgment, etc.) stored in the game RAM (Random Access Memory) 104 of the game control microcomputer 101 described later.

[0072] The power supply board 190 is provided with a backup power supply circuit 192. When power is not supplied to the pachinko game machine PY1, the backup power supply circuit 192 supplies power to a game RAM (Random Access Memory) 104 of the game control board 100 and a performance RAM 124 of the performance control board 120, which will be described later. Therefore, information stored in the game RAM 104 of the game control board 100 and the performance RAM 124 of the performance control board 120 is retained even when the power to the pachinko game machine PY1 is cut off. In addition, a power switch 195 is connected to the power supply board 190. The power supply is turned on and off by turning the power switch 195 on and off. Note that a backup power supply circuit for the game RAM 104 of the game control board 100 may be provided in the game control board 100, and a backup power supply circuit for the performance RAM 124 of the performance control board 120 may be provided in the performance control board 120.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 9, a one-chip microcomputer for game control (hereinafter, "microcomputer for game control") 101 for controlling the progress of the game of the pachinko game machine PY1 according to a program is mounted on the game control board 100. The microcomputer for game control 101 includes a game ROM (Read Only Memory) 103 storing a program for controlling the progress of the game, a game RAM 104 used as a work memory, a game CPU (Central Processing Unit) 102 for executing the program stored in the game ROM 103, and a game I / O (Input / Output) port 118 for inputting and outputting data and signals. The game RAM 104 is provided with the above-mentioned special figure reservation memory unit 105 (first special figure reservation memory unit 105a and second special figure reservation memory unit 105b) and a normal figure reservation memory unit 106. The game ROM 103 may be external.

[0074] Various sensors and solenoids are connected to the game control board 100 via the relay board 110. Therefore, signals are input from each sensor to the game control board 100, and signals are output from the game control board 100 to each solenoid. Specifically, the sensors connected include a first general winning opening sensor 10x, a second general winning opening sensor 10y, a third general winning opening sensor 10z, a first starting opening sensor 11a, a second starting opening sensor 12a, a gate sensor 13a, a large winning opening sensor 14a, an outlet sensor 15a, and a magnetic sensor 28a.

[0075] The first general winning opening sensor 10x is provided in the first general winning opening 10A and detects a game ball that has won the first general winning opening 10A. The second general winning opening sensor 10y is provided in the second general winning opening 10B and detects a game ball that has won the second general winning opening 10B. The third general winning opening sensor 10z is provided in the third general winning opening 10C and detects a game ball that has won the third general winning opening 10C. The first starting opening sensor 11a is provided in the first starting opening 11 and detects a game ball that has won the first starting opening 11. The second starting opening sensor 12a is provided in the second starting opening 12 and detects a game ball that has won the second starting opening 12. The gate sensor 13a is provided in the gate 13 and detects a game ball that has passed through the gate 13. The big prize opening sensor 14 a is provided in the big prize opening 14 and detects a gaming ball that has entered the big prize opening 14 .

[0076] The outlet sensor 15a is provided in a discharge path (not shown) provided outside the play area 6, and detects game balls passing through the discharge path. This outlet sensor 15a detects all game balls (number of shot balls) that flow down the play area 6. The magnetic sensor 28a is provided on the game board 1, and detects magnetism that is generated when a player uses a magnet or the like to illegally cause a game ball to enter one of the various winning holes 10A, 10B, 10C, 11, 12, and 14.

[0077] In addition, the solenoids connected include an electric chute solenoid 12s and an automatic transmission solenoid 14s. The electric chute solenoid 12s drives an electric chute opening / closing member 12k of the electric chute 12D. The automatic transmission solenoid 14s drives an automatic transmission opening / closing member 14k of the special prize device 14D.

[0078] Furthermore, the game control board 100 is connected to a special chart display 81 (first special chart display 81a and second special chart display 81b), a normal chart display 82, a special chart reserve display 83 (first special chart reserve display 83a and second special chart reserve display 83b), and a normal chart reserve display 84. That is, the display control of these displays 8 is performed by the game control microcomputer 101.

[0079] The game control board 100 also transmits various commands and signals to the frame control board 170, and receives various commands and signals from the frame control board 170 to monitor the number of game balls (monitoring payout). The frame control board 170 is connected to a dedicated external unit 200 that is external to the present pachinko game machine PY1, and is also connected to the launching device 72 via a launch control circuit 175. The launching device 72 includes a handle 72k (see FIG. 1).

[0080] Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the game control board 100 is disposed inside the inner frame 21, on the rear side (back side) of the game board 1. In other words, the game control board 100 is disposed inside (front side) of the transparent rear case 25X at the rear side of the rear unit, and is not attached to the game machine frame 2. Therefore, the game control board 100 can be said to be a board side board attached to the game board 1, rather than a frame side board attached to the game machine frame 2. The game control board 100 is accommodated inside a transparent main board case 100A so as to ensure visibility of the game control microcomputer 101. The performance control board 120, the image control board 140, the sub-drive board 162, and the sound control board 161 are also board side boards attached to the game board 1.

[0081] On the other hand, the frame control board 170 (frame side board) is disposed below the rear case 25X and below the inner frame 21. In other words, the frame control board 170 is not attached to the game board 1 inside the inner frame 21 (game machine frame 2). Therefore, the frame control board 170 can be said to be a frame side board attached to the game machine frame 2, not a board side board attached to the game board 1. The frame control board 170 is housed inside a transparent frame board case 170A so as to ensure visibility of the frame control microcomputer 171. The power supply board 190 is also a frame side board attached to the game machine frame 2.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 9, the frame control board 170 is connected to a game ball number display 180 (see FIG. 1). The frame control board 170 controls the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 based on the prize ball command transmitted from the game control microcomputer 101, the detection signal from the shot ball detection sensor 16a, the detection signal from the return ball detection sensor 17a, and various signals transmitted from the dedicated external unit 200. The frame control board 170 also knows how many game balls are currently stored in the storage device 25 based on the detection signal from the downstream monitoring sensor 31a and the detection signal from the upstream monitoring sensor 32a. The frame control board 170 also knows how many game balls are currently inside the lifting device (not shown) based on the detection signal from the lifting inlet sensor 33a (see FIG. 5) and the detection signal from the lifting outlet sensor 34a. The lifting entrance sensor 33a is provided on the entrance side of the lifting device and detects the game balls before they are lifted by the lifting device. Here, the present pachinko game machine PY1 does not drive the prize ball motor of the prize ball payout device to pay out prize balls or pay out loan balls, unlike non-enclosed pachinko machines.

[0083] The frame control board 170 is equipped with a frame control one-chip microcomputer (hereinafter, "frame control microcomputer") 171 capable of controlling the display of the number of game balls according to a program. The frame control microcomputer (payout control means, game ball number control means) 171 includes a frame ROM 173 that stores a program for controlling the display of the number of game balls, a frame RAM 174 used as a work memory, a frame CPU 172 that executes the program stored in the frame ROM 173, and a frame I / O port (input / output circuit) 176 for inputting and outputting data and signals. The frame ROM 173 may be external.

[0084] The frame control board 170 is also connected to the shot ball detection sensor 16a, the return ball detection sensor 17a, the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, the upstream monitoring sensor 32a, the lift inlet sensor 33a, the lift outlet sensor 34a, the radio wave sensor 18a, the frame opening sensor 2a (specific sensor), the call sensor 41a, and the count button sensor 43a. The shot ball detection sensor 16a is provided on the upstream side of the shot path HR (see FIG. 5(A)) and detects game balls passing through the upstream side of the shot path HR. This shot ball detection sensor 16a detects all game balls shot from the storage device 25 toward the game area 6 (see FIG. 5(B)). The return ball detection sensor 17a is provided in the return flow path MR (see FIG. 5(A)) and detects game balls passing through the return flow path MR. This return ball detection sensor 17a detects game balls that have become foul balls among the game balls shot toward the game area 6 (see FIG. 5(C)).

[0085] As described above, the downstream monitoring sensor 31a is provided on the outlet side of the storage device 25 (see FIG. 5(A)) and detects game balls leaving the storage device 25. As described above, the upstream monitoring sensor 32a is provided on the inlet side of the storage device 25 (see FIG. 5(A)) and detects game balls entering the storage device 25. As described above, the lifting inlet sensor 33a is provided on the inlet side of the lifting device (not shown) and detects game balls before they are lifted by the lifting device. As described above, the lifting outlet sensor 34a is provided on the outlet side of the lifting device (see FIG. 5(A)) and detects game balls after they have been lifted by the lifting device.

[0086] The radio wave sensor 18a is provided near the shot ball detection sensor 16a and the return ball detection sensor 17a, and detects unauthorized radio waves. That is, as described above, when a game ball shot from the storage device 25 toward the game area 6 is detected by the shot ball detection sensor 16a, the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 is subtracted by "1". However, if the shot ball detection sensor 16a malfunctions due to unauthorized radio waves, the shot ball detection sensor 16a may not be able to detect the game ball shot toward the game area 6. On the other hand, when a game ball passing through the return flow path MR is detected by the return ball detection sensor 17a, the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 is added by "1". However, if the return ball detection sensor 17a malfunctions due to unauthorized radio waves, the return ball detection sensor 17a may erroneously detect a game ball even though the game ball has not passed through the return flow path MR. Therefore, in order to address the above-mentioned problems, the radio wave sensor 18a is capable of detecting unauthorized radio waves that cause the launched ball detection sensor 16a or the returned ball detection sensor 17a to malfunction.

[0087] The frame opening sensor 2a is provided on the hinge portion 24 of the gaming machine frame 2 and detects the opening of the front door 23 relative to the inner frame 21 or the opening of the inner frame 21 relative to the outer frame 22. In the following, if at least one of the opening of the front door 23 relative to the inner frame 21 and the opening of the inner frame 21 relative to the outer frame 22 is detected, the opening of the gaming machine frame 2 is detected. Note that the frame opening sensor that detects the opening of the front door 23 relative to the inner frame 21 and the sensor that detects the opening of the inner frame 21 relative to the outer frame 22 may be provided separately. The call sensor 41a is provided on the call switch 41k (see FIG. 2) and detects the pressing operation of the call switch 41k. The counting button sensor 43a is provided on the counting button 43k (see FIG. 2) and detects the pressing operation of the counting button 43k.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 7, a frame board display 300 is disposed on the frame control board 170. As will be described in detail later, the frame board display 300 displays a left-hit base as a performance display, a number of game balls that is the number of game balls currently available to the player, and an error code as an error display. The frame board display 300 is composed of six 7-segment displays arranged horizontally so that six digits or letters (Roman letters) can be displayed. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the frame board display 300 includes, from left to right, a first lighting area 301, a second lighting area 302, a third lighting area 303, a fourth lighting area 304, a fifth lighting area 305, and a sixth lighting area 306. The six lighting regions 301-306 each have eight lighting units (LED elements) LB1-LB8, LB9-LB16, LB17-LB24, LB25-LB32, LB33-LB40, and LB41-LB48. In FIG. 8, the frame board display 300 shows "bL35," which means that the left-handed hit base value being measured is "35(%)." The display control of the frame board display 300 is performed by the frame control microcomputer 171 (see FIG. 9), similar to the display control of the game ball count display 180.

[0089] Next, the launching device 72 will be described. When the player operates the handle 72k (see FIG. 1) of the launching device 72, the touch switch 72a detects the contact with the handle 72k, and the launch volume 72b detects the amount of rotation of the handle 72k. Then, the launch solenoid 72s is driven so that the game ball is launched with a strength corresponding to the size of the detection signal of the launch volume 72b, and the game ball is launched toward the launch path HR by the ball striking hammer 25b (see FIG. 5(B)). In this pachinko game machine PY1, one game ball is launched in about 0.6 seconds.

[0090] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the game control board 100 transmits various commands to the performance control board 120. The connection between the game control board 100 and the performance control board 120 is a one-way communication connection that allows only the transmission of signals from the game control board 100 to the performance control board 120. In other words, a one-way circuit (not shown, for example, a circuit using a diode) is interposed between the game control board 100 and the performance control board 120 as a communication direction restriction means.

[0091] As shown in Fig. 10, a one-chip microcomputer for performance control (hereinafter referred to as "microcomputer for performance control") 121 that controls the performance of the pachinko game machine PY1 according to a program is mounted on the performance control board 120. The microcomputer for performance control 121 includes a ROM for performance 123 that stores programs for controlling the performance as the game progresses, a RAM for performance 124 used as a work memory, a CPU for performance 122 that executes the programs stored in the ROM for performance 123, and an I / O port for performance 138 for inputting and outputting data and signals. The ROM for performance 123 may be external.

[0092] 10, the performance control board 120 is connected to an image control board 140, an audio control board 161 (audio control circuit), and a sub-drive board 162 (sub-drive circuit). The image control board 140 is connected to an image display device 50, and the audio control board 161 is connected to a speaker 610. The sub-drive board 162 is connected to a board lamp 54, a board movable body 55k, and a frame lamp 56.

[0093] As shown in Fig. 10, the performance control microcomputer 121 (performance control means) of the performance control board 120 causes the image CPU 141 of the image control board 140 to control the image display device 50 based on a command received from the game control board 100. The image control board 140 includes an image ROM 142 that stores programs for controlling image display and the like, an image RAM 143 used as a work memory, and the image CPU 141 that executes the programs stored in the image ROM 142. The image ROM 142 stores still image data and video data to be displayed on the image display device 50, specifically image data of characters, items, figures, letters, numbers, symbols, etc. (including performance patterns) and background images.

[0094] Moreover, the performance control microcomputer 121 outputs voice, music, sound effects, etc. from the speaker 610 via the voice control board 161 based on a command received from the game control board 100. Sound data such as voice output from the speaker 610 is stored in the performance ROM 123 of the performance control board 120. A CPU may be mounted on the voice control board 161, and in that case, the CPU may be made to execute the voice control. Furthermore, in this case, a ROM may be mounted on the voice control board 161, and the sound data may be stored in the ROM. Furthermore, the speaker 610 may be connected to the image control board 140, and the image CPU 141 of the image control board 140 or the CPU for sound provided on the image control board 140 may be made to execute the voice control. Furthermore, in this case, the sound data may be stored in the image ROM 142 of the image control board 140.

[0095] 10, the performance control microcomputer 121 controls the lighting of lamps such as the frame lamp 56 and the board lamp 54 via the sub-drive board 162 based on commands received from the game control board 100. In detail, the performance control microcomputer 121 creates light emission pattern data (data that determines the on / off state, light emission color, etc., also called lamp drive data) that determines the light emission mode of each lamp, and controls the light emission of each lamp according to the light emission pattern data. Note that data stored in the performance ROM 123 of the performance control board 120 is used to create the light emission pattern data.

[0096] Furthermore, the performance control microcomputer 121 controls the drive of the board movable body 55k via the sub-drive board 162 based on the command received from the game control board 100. In detail, the performance control microcomputer 121 creates motion pattern data (also called drive data) that determines the motion mode of the board movable body 55k, and controls the drive of the motor for driving the board movable body 55k according to the motion pattern data. Data stored in the performance ROM 123 of the performance control board 120 is used to create the motion pattern data.

[0097] A CPU may be mounted on the sub-drive board 162, in which case the CPU may be made to control the lighting of the lamps and the driving of the movable board body 55k. Furthermore, in this case, a ROM may be mounted on the sub-drive board 162, and data relating to light emission patterns and operation patterns may be stored in the ROM.

[0098] In addition, an input section detection sensor (performance button detection sensor) 40a and a select button detection sensor 42a are connected to the performance control board 120. The input section detection sensor 40a detects that the input section 40k (see FIG. 1) has been pressed. When the input section 40k is pressed, a detection signal is output from the input section detection sensor 40a to the performance control board 120. The select button detection sensor 42a detects that the select button 42k (see FIG. 1) has been pressed. When the select button 42k is pressed, a detection signal is output from the select button detection sensor 42a to the performance control board 120.

[0099] 9 and 10 are merely functional block diagrams for explaining the electrical configuration of the pachinko game machine PY1, and are not limited to the boards shown in Fig. 9 and 10. Therefore, excluding the game control board 100, any of the boards shown in Fig. 9 and 10 may be configured as one board, and the one board shown in Fig. 9 and 10 may be configured as multiple boards.

[0100] 3. Explanation of the jackpot etc. In this form of pachinko game machine PY1, the results of the jackpot lottery (special symbol lottery) are a "jackpot" and a "loss." When there is a "jackpot," a "jackpot symbol" is displayed frozen on the special symbol display 81. When there is a "loss," a "loss symbol" is displayed frozen on the special symbol display 81. When a jackpot is won, a "jackpot game" is executed in which the jackpot winning hole 14 is opened in an opening pattern according to the type of special symbol (type of jackpot) that is frozen and displayed. The jackpot game is also called a special game.

[0101] In this embodiment, the jackpot game includes multiple round games (unit opening games), an opening (also written as OP) before the first round game starts, and an ending (also written as ED) after the final round game ends. Each round game starts with the end of the OP or the end of the previous round game, and ends with the start of the next round game or the start of the ED. The time (interval time) for closing the jackpot opening between round games is included in the open round game before the closure.

[0102] There are several types of jackpots. The types of jackpots are as shown in FIG. 11. As shown in FIG. 11, jackpots are divided into special jackpots and normal jackpots. A special jackpot is a jackpot that controls the game state after a jackpot game to a high probability state, which will be described later. A normal jackpot is a jackpot that controls the game state after a jackpot game to a normal probability state (low probability state), which will be described later.

[0103] There are three types of jackpots: 10R jackpot, 6R jackpot, and 3R jackpot. As shown in FIG. 11, the 10R jackpot is a jackpot in which the jackpot opening 14 is opened for a maximum of 29.5 seconds per R from 1R to 10R. The 6R jackpot is a jackpot in which the jackpot opening 14 is opened for a maximum of 29.5 seconds per R from 1R to 6R. The 3R jackpot is a jackpot in which the jackpot opening 14 is opened for a maximum of 29.5 seconds per R from 1R to 3R. In each round, game balls can enter (enter) the jackpot opening 14 up to the maximum number of winning balls (10 in this embodiment).

[0104] Thus, there are two types of jackpots that can be won in the lottery for special pattern 1 (lottery for the first special pattern), 10R special jackpot 1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "special jackpot 1") and 3R normal jackpot 1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "normal jackpot 1"), as shown in Fig. 11. When the 10R special jackpot 1 is won, "special pattern 1_jackpot pattern A" is displayed on the first special pattern display 81a, and when the 3R normal jackpot 1 is won, "special pattern 1_jackpot pattern B" is displayed on the first special pattern display 81a.

[0105] In addition, there are two types of jackpots that can be won in the lottery for special symbol 2 (lottery for the second special symbol), 10R special symbol 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as "special symbol 2") and 6R normal symbol 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as "normal symbol 2"), as shown in Fig. 11. If the 10R special symbol 2 is won, "special symbol 2_jackpot symbol A" is displayed on the second special symbol display 81b, and if the 6R normal symbol 2 is won, "special symbol 2_jackpot symbol B" is displayed on the second special symbol display 81b.

[0106] Regardless of which jackpot is won, the game is controlled to a time-saving state after the jackpot is played. However, in this embodiment, there are two types of time-saving states: a normal time-saving state and a slight time-saving state. When controlled to a normal time-saving state, the game is controlled to an electric support control state (high base state). When the electric support control state is controlled in accordance with a high probability state, the number of time-saving times is set to a very large number, for example, 10,000 times, and the time-saving times will continue until the next jackpot is won. The number of time-saving times refers to the upper limit of the number of times that the variable display of the special pattern is executed in the time-saving state. On the other hand, when controlled to a slight time-saving state, the number of time-saving times is set to 500 times.

[0107] Thus, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, when the special chart 1_jackpot pattern A is won, after the jackpot game, the game is controlled to a high probability state and an electric support control state (high base state), and the number of time-saving times is not consumed until the next jackpot is won. Hereinafter, the high probability state and the electric support control state are also referred to as a "high probability high base state (high probability time-saving state)". On the other hand, when the special chart 1_jackpot pattern B is won, after the jackpot game, the game is controlled to a normal probability state and a slight time-saving state, and the number of time-saving times is set to 500 times. Hereinafter, the normal probability state and the slight control state are also referred to as a "low probability slight time-saving state". Therefore, in the low probability slight time-saving state, when the time-saving times of 500 times are consumed, the game is controlled to a normal probability state and a non-time-saving state, that is, a normal game state.

[0108] Also, as shown in FIG. 11, if the special chart 2_jackpot pattern A is won, after the jackpot game, the game is controlled to a high probability state and an electric support control state (high base state), and the number of time-saving times will not be consumed until the next jackpot is won. On the other hand, if the special chart 2_jackpot pattern B is won, after the jackpot game, the game is controlled to a normal probability state and a slight time-saving state, and the number of time-saving times is set to 500 times. Therefore, in the low probability slight time-saving state, when the time-saving times of 500 times are consumed, the game is controlled to a normal probability state and a non-time-saving state, that is, a normal game state.

[0109] As shown in Figure 11, the distribution rate of the jackpot in the lottery of special chart 1 and the lottery of special chart 2 is 80% for the special jackpot and 20% for the regular jackpot. However, as mentioned above, if the regular jackpot is won based on the lottery of special chart 1, it is 3R regular jackpot 1, whereas if the regular jackpot is won based on the lottery of special chart 2, it is 6R regular jackpot 2. Therefore, the lottery of special chart 2 is more advantageous for the player than the lottery of special chart 1.

[0110] In this embodiment, when the result of the special pattern lottery is determined to be a miss, the type of the miss pattern is determined. As shown in FIG. 13(B), there are two types of miss patterns (miss patterns stopped and displayed on the first special pattern display 81a) determined by the lottery of special pattern 1, and there is one type of miss pattern (miss patterns stopped and displayed on the second special pattern display 81b) determined by the lottery of special pattern 2. Specifically, in the lottery of special pattern 1, "special pattern 1_miss pattern A" or "special pattern 1_miss pattern B" is determined. In the lottery of special pattern 2, "special pattern 2_miss pattern A" is determined.

[0111] "Special chart 2_missing pattern A" is a normal miss. In other words, even if "Special chart 2_missing pattern A" is stopped and displayed, the game state will not change. In contrast, "Special chart 1_missing pattern A" and "Special chart 1_missing pattern B" are special misses (one example of a specific judgment result). A special miss (specific result) is a miss that triggers a transition to the time-saving state (normal time-saving state or slight time-saving state). When a special miss is drawn, the game can be controlled to the time-saving state (normal time-saving state or slight time-saving state) without going through a jackpot game.

[0112] Specifically, when the player is controlled to the normal game state, if the player draws the special symbol 1_missing symbol A, the game is controlled to a low probability time-saving state (normal probability state and normal time-saving state) as shown in FIG. 13(B) without going through a jackpot game. In this low probability time-saving state, the number of time-saving times is set to a very large number, for example, 10,000 times, and the game continues until the next jackpot win. On the other hand, when the player is controlled to the normal game state, if the player draws the special symbol 1_missing symbol B, the game is controlled to a low probability minute time-saving state (normal probability state and minute time-saving state) as shown in FIG. 13(B) without going through a jackpot game. In this low probability minute time-saving state, the number of time-saving times is set to 500 times.

[0113] However, if you get a special miss when you are in a non-time-saving state (normal game state), you will transition to a time-saving state (normal time-saving state or minute time-saving state), but even if you get a special miss when you are in a time-saving state (normal time-saving state or minute time-saving state), it is treated as a normal miss and the game state does not change. Thus, in this form, the game state changes only to the normal game state (non-time-saving state) when you get a special miss.

[0114] As shown in FIG. 13(B), when the lottery for special chart 1 is executed, the special chart 1_missing pattern A is drawn with a 20% allocation rate, and the special chart 1_missing pattern B is drawn with a 80% allocation rate. Therefore, when the lottery for special chart 1 is executed, it always results in a special miss, so if it is controlled in the normal game state, the lottery for special chart 1 is executed only once, and it transitions to the low probability time-saving state or the low probability micro time-saving state. On the other hand, when the lottery for special chart 2 is executed, the special chart 2_missing pattern A is always drawn, and it will never result in a special miss.

[0115] In this pachinko game machine PY1, the lottery for determining whether or not a jackpot has been won is based on a "jackpot random number," and the lottery for the type of jackpot won is based on a "win type random number." In the case of a miss, the lottery for the type of miss is based on the "win type random number." As shown in FIG. 12(A), the jackpot random number has a value in the range of 0 to 65535. The win type random number has a value in the range of 0 to 99. The random numbers obtained based on winning at the first start port 11 or the second start port 12 include a "reach random number" and a "variation pattern random number" in addition to the jackpot random number and win type random number.

[0116] The reach random number is a random number that determines whether or not a reach occurs in the performance pattern variation performance that indicates the result when the result of the jackpot judgment is a miss. A reach is a state in which there is only one performance pattern remaining among multiple performance patterns that are displayed in a variable manner, and depending on which of the performance patterns that are displayed in a variable manner are displayed as stopped, a combination of performance patterns that indicates a jackpot win (for example, a "7↓7" state). Note that the performance pattern displayed in a stopped state in the reach state may be displayed as if it is shaking slightly on the display screen 50a, or may be displayed as if it is repeatedly expanding and contracting. This reach random number has a value in the range of 0 to 255.

[0117] The fluctuation pattern random number is a random number for determining a fluctuation pattern including a fluctuation time. The fluctuation pattern random number has a value in the range of 0 to 99. The random numbers obtained based on passing through the gate 13 include a normal symbol random number (winning random number) shown in FIG. 12(B). The normal symbol random number is a random number for a lottery (normal symbol lottery) for determining whether or not to play an auxiliary game that opens the electric chute 12D. The normal symbol random number has a value in the range of 0 to 65535.

[0118] 4. Description of game status Next, the game state of the pachinko game machine PY1 of this embodiment will be described. The special symbol display 81 and the normal symbol display 82 of the pachinko game machine PY1 each have a probability variation function and a variation time shortening function. The state in which the probability variation function of the special symbol display 81 is activated is called the "high probability state", and the state in which it is not activated is called the "normal probability state (non-high probability state, low probability state)". In the high probability state, the probability of a jackpot is higher than in the normal probability state. That is, a jackpot determination is performed using a jackpot determination table in which the value of the jackpot random number determined to be a jackpot is greater than that of the jackpot determination table used in the normal probability state (see FIG. 13(A)). In other words, when the probability variation function of the special symbol display 81 is activated, the probability that the display result of the variable display of the special symbol by the special symbol display 81 (i.e., the stopped symbol) will be a jackpot symbol is higher than when it is not activated.

[0119] In addition, the state in which the variable time shortening function of the special symbol display 81 is operating is called the "time shortening state," and the state in which it is not operating is called the "non-time shortening state." In the time shortening state, the variable time of the special symbol (the time from the start of the variable display to the time of the derived display of the display result) is shorter than in the non-time shortening state. In other words, the variable pattern is determined using a special symbol variable pattern table that is determined so that a variable pattern with a short variable time is selected more often than in the non-time shortening state (see FIG. 14). In other words, when the variable time shortening function of the special symbol display 81 is operating, a short variable time is more likely to be selected as the variable time of the variable display of the special symbol compared to when it is not operating.

[0120] However, in this embodiment, as described above, there are two types of time-saving states: a normal time-saving state and a slight time-saving state. When the type of time-saving state is different, the settings of various parameters related to the ease of winning on the electric chute 12D, such as the normal symbol variation pattern and the opening pattern of the electric chute 12D, are different. In detail, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13(D), the winning probability of the normal symbol lottery in the time-saving state (the slight time-saving state, the normal time-saving state) is the same as the winning probability of the normal symbol in the non-time-saving state. Specifically, in this embodiment, in any of the game states of the non-time-saving state, the slight time-saving state, and the normal time-saving state, the probability of being determined as a win in the normal symbol lottery is set to 65535 / 65536. In other words, in any game state, the normal symbol lottery is almost determined as a win. In addition, the configuration may be such that the probability of winning the normal pattern lottery is higher in the time-saving state than in the non-time-saving state (in other words, the probability fluctuation function of the normal pattern display 42 is activated in the time-saving state).

[0121] Also, in the time-saving state (micro-time-saving state, normal time-saving state), as shown in FIG. 13(E), the fluctuation time of the normal symbol is shorter than that in the non-time-saving state. Specifically, in this embodiment, the fluctuation time of the normal symbol is 60,000 ms in the non-time-saving state, 59,000 ms in the micro-time-saving state, and 1,000 ms (1 second) in the normal time-saving state. That is, in the time-saving state, the fluctuation time shortening function of the normal symbol display 42 is activated. The stopping time of the normal symbol is 500 ms (0.5 seconds) in either game state.

[0122] In addition, in the time-saving state (micro-time-saving state, normal time-saving state), the opening time of the electric chute 12D in the auxiliary game is longer than in the non-time-saving state, as shown in Fig. 13(F). Specifically, in this embodiment, the opening time of the electric chute 12D is 0.05 seconds per turn in the non-time-saving state, 0.1 seconds per turn in the micro-time-saving state, and 2.5 seconds per turn in the normal time-saving state. In other words, in the time-saving state, the opening time extension function of the electric chute 12D is activated.

[0123] In addition, in the time-saving state, as shown in Fig. 13(F), the number of times the electric chute 12D opens in the auxiliary game may be greater than in the non-time-saving state. Specifically, in this embodiment, the number of times the electric chute 12D opens is once in the non-time-saving state and the micro-time-saving state, but twice in the normal time-saving state. In other words, the function of increasing the number of times the electric chute 12D opens is activated only in the normal time-saving state.

[0124] Here, in the non-time-saving state, if the normal symbol lottery is executed, it will almost always be a win, but the normal symbol fluctuation time is long at 60,000 ms (60 seconds), and the electric chute 12D opens only once for 0.05 seconds in the auxiliary game, which is an extremely short time. Therefore, in the non-time-saving state, even if you play by hitting from the right (a hitting method that allows the game ball to pass through the gate 28), you can hardly expect to win on the electric chute 12D.

[0125] In contrast, in the normal time-saving state, if a normal symbol lottery is executed, it is almost always a win, the normal symbol variation time is short at 1000 ms (1 second), and the electric chute 12D opens twice in 2.5 seconds in the auxiliary play, which is sufficiently long. Therefore, in the normal time-saving state, playing with a right-handed shot can frequently result in winning on the electric chute 12D. In other words, the normal time-saving state can be said to be a game state (easy-to-score state) in which it is easier to win on the electric chute 12D than in the non-time-saving state (non-easy-to-score state).

[0126] On the other hand, in the micro-time-saving state, if the normal symbol lottery is executed, it is almost always a win, but the normal symbol fluctuation time is long at 59000 ms (59 seconds), and the electric chute 12D opens only once for 0.1 seconds in the auxiliary play. Therefore, in the micro-time-saving state, although various parameters related to the ease of winning on the electric chute 12D (the probability of winning the normal symbol lottery, the fluctuation time and stop time of the normal symbol, and the opening pattern of the electric chute 12D) are set to make it easier to win on the electric chute 12D compared to the non-time-saving state, it is almost impossible to win on the electric chute 12D even if you play by hitting from the right.

[0127] In this way, in the micro-time-saving state, since hitting from the right side is unlikely to result in a win on the electric chute 12D, the player plays by hitting from the left side (see FIG. 10). On the other hand, in the normal game state, hitting from the right side frequently results in a win on the electric chute 12D, so the player plays by hitting from the right side and proceeds with the lottery for the special chart 2 (see FIG. 10). In this pachinko game machine PY1, the game is played by hitting from the right side even during a jackpot game.

[0128] The micro-time-saving state, like the normal time-saving state, can be said to be a game state in which it is easier to win on the electric chute 12D compared to the non-time-saving state, but it is a game state in which it is more difficult to win on the electric chute 12D than in the normal time-saving state. Also, in the micro-time-saving state, since it is not possible to win on the electric chute 12D, it is a game state closer in nature to the non-time-saving state than the normal time-saving state, and the player progresses the game by hitting the left side and drawing the special chart 1 (see Figure 15).

[0129] Incidentally, in the normal time-saving state, the base, which is the ratio of the number of winning balls to the number of shot balls, is higher than in the non-time-saving state. Therefore, the normal time-saving state is also called the "high base state," and the non-time-saving state is also called the "low base state." In the high base state, you can aim for a big win without significantly reducing the number of game balls you have. The high base state is a state in which so-called electric support control (control that supports winning at the second starting hole 12 by the electric chute 12D) is being executed. Therefore, the high base state is also called the electric support control state. The low base state is also called the non-electric support control state. The base in the slight time-saving state is only slightly higher than the non-time-saving state, and is almost the same as the non-time-saving state.

[0130] In addition, the time-saving state may be such that the operation of one or more of the following functions makes it easier for the game ball to enter the second starting hole 12 associated with the electric chute 12D than when the function is not activated: the probability fluctuation function of the normal pattern display 42, the fluctuation time shortening function of the normal pattern display 42, the opening time extension function of the electric chute 12D, and the opening count increase function of the electric chute 12D; and it is not necessary for all of these functions to be activated.

[0131] Next, the determination of the special symbol variation pattern (special symbol variation pattern) will be explained. The pachinko game machine 1 determines the special symbol variation pattern according to the special symbol variation pattern determination table that differs between the non-time-saving state, the minute time-saving state, and the normal time-saving state (see FIG. 14). As shown in FIG. 14, the special symbol variation pattern determination table in the time-saving state (normal time-saving state, minute time-saving state) is a table in which a variation pattern with a short variation time is more likely to be selected than the special symbol variation pattern determination table in the non-time-saving state.

[0132] Specifically, in the normal time-saving state, the special chart 2 is mainly selected by hitting the right button, and the special chart fluctuation pattern determination table for the normal time-saving state shown in Fig. 14 is used. In the special chart fluctuation pattern determination table for the normal time-saving state, one of the fluctuation patterns P41 to P44 and P51 to P56 is determined as the fluctuation pattern of the special chart 2.

[0133] In the micro-time-saving state, the special chart 1 is mainly selected by hitting the left hand, and the special chart fluctuation pattern determination table for the micro-time-saving state shown in Fig. 14 is used. In the special chart fluctuation pattern determination table for the micro-time-saving state, one of the fluctuation patterns P21 to P24 or P31 to P36 is determined as the fluctuation pattern of the special chart 1. When these fluctuation patterns are selected, the fluctuation time may be used to execute a fluctuation performance accompanied by a normal reach or various SP reaches.

[0134] On the other hand, in the non-time-saving state (normal game state), the lottery for special chart 1 is mainly performed by hitting from the left, and the special chart fluctuation pattern determination table for the non-time-saving state shown in Figure 14 is used. In the special chart fluctuation pattern determination table for the non-time-saving state, one of fluctuation patterns P1 to P4 and P11 to P16 is determined as the fluctuation pattern for special chart 1. When one of these fluctuation patterns is selected, a fluctuation performance accompanied by a special SP reach is always executed using the fluctuation time, except in the case of winning a jackpot. This is because if the lottery for special chart 1 is executed in the non-time-saving state, it will always result in a special miss, except in the case of winning a jackpot.

[0135] In addition, when playing the pachinko game machine PY1 for the first time, the game state after powering on, or the game state after powering on with RAM clearing, is a normal probability state, a non-time-saving state, and a low base state. This game state is particularly called a "low probability non-time-saving state" or a "low probability low base state" or a "normal game state." In addition, the state during which a special game (jackpot game) is being played is called a "special game state" or a "jackpot game state." Furthermore, the state controlled to at least one of the high probability state and the time-saving state (high base state) is called a "bonus game state."

[0136] Next, the game flow of this embodiment will be described based on Fig. 15. As shown in Fig. 15, in this pachinko game machine PY1, the game state is a normal game state (normal probability state and non-time-shortening state), a low-probability minute time-shortening state (normal probability state and minute time-shortening state), a low-probability time-shortening state (normal probability state and normal time-shortening state), and a high-probability time-shortening state (high probability state and normal time-shortening state), except for the big win game state (special game state).

[0137] First, when the game is controlled to the low probability micro-time-saving state, the ball is unlikely to enter the electric chute 12D, so the game progresses by hitting from the left. Then, the lottery for the special chart 1 is executed, and the player aims to win the jackpot with a probability of about 1 / 320 (see FIG. 13(A)). The lottery for the special chart 1 always results in a special miss (see FIG. 13(B)), but in the micro-time-saving state, the special miss is treated as a normal miss. In other words, even if the player gets a special miss in the low probability micro-time-saving state, the game state does not change. In this low probability micro-time-saving state, the number of time-saving times is set to 500. Therefore, the variable display of the special pattern is executed 500 times, and the game can be transitioned to the normal game state (normal probability state and non-time-saving state). From the above, the low probability micro-time-saving state can be said to be a game state in which the game is played for a long time.

[0138] When controlled to the normal game state, it is highly unlikely that the ball will land in the electric chute 12D, so the game progresses by hitting from the left. When the lottery for special chart 1 is executed, it will always result in a special miss (see Figure 13(B)). In this case, with a 20% allocation rate, special chart 1_missing pattern A will be drawn, and the game will move to a low-probability time-saving state without going through a jackpot game. On the other hand, with an 80% allocation rate, special chart 1_missing pattern B will be drawn, and the game will move to a low-probability micro-time-saving state without going through a jackpot game. From the above, the normal game state can be said to be a game state in which the time during which the game is played is very short.

[0139] When the game is controlled in the low probability time-saving state, the ball is expected to land frequently in the electric chute 12D, so the game progresses by hitting the right hand. Then, the lottery for the special symbol 2 is executed, and the player aims to win the jackpot with a probability of about 1 / 320. However, in the low probability time-saving state, the normal time-saving state is selected, so the special symbol variation pattern in which the time for the variation display of the special symbol is short is likely to be selected (see Figure 14). Therefore, the lottery for the special symbol 2 is executed quickly. Also, in the low probability time-saving state, the normal time-saving state (electric support control state) continues until the next jackpot is won (see Figure 11). Therefore, the lottery for the special symbol 2 guarantees a jackpot win, and the special symbol 2_jackpot symbol A is won with an 80% distribution rate, and the special symbol 2_jackpot symbol B is won with a 20% distribution rate. In this way, if the special chart 2_jackpot pattern A is won, the game will be controlled to a high-probability time-saving state after the jackpot game, and if the special chart 2_jackpot pattern B is won, the game will be controlled to a low-probability time-saving state after the jackpot game.

[0140] When the game is controlled to the high probability time-saving state, the ball is expected to land frequently in the electric chute 12D, so the game progresses by hitting the right side. Then, the lottery for the special chart 2 is executed, and the player aims to win the jackpot with a probability of about 1 / 40 (see FIG. 13(A)). In the high probability time-saving state, the player is in the normal time-saving state, so the special chart change pattern in which the time for the change display of the special chart is short is likely to be selected (see FIG. 14). Therefore, the lottery for the special chart 2 is executed quickly. In the high probability time-saving state, the normal time-saving state (electric support control state) continues until the next jackpot is won (see FIG. 11). Therefore, the lottery for the special chart 2 guarantees a jackpot win, and the player wins the special chart 2_jackpot pattern A with an 80% distribution rate, and the player wins the special chart 2_jackpot pattern B with a 20% distribution rate. In this way, if the special chart 2_jackpot pattern A is won, the game will be controlled to a high-probability time-saving state after the jackpot game, and if the special chart 2_jackpot pattern B is won, the game will be controlled to a low-probability time-saving state after the jackpot game.

[0141] As described above, in this embodiment, the game states that are advantageous to the player are in the order of high probability time-saving state > low probability time-saving state > normal game state > low probability minute time-saving state. And as mentioned above, in the normal game state, if the lottery of special chart 1 is executed, it is possible to immediately transition to the low probability time-saving state, which guarantees a 20% chance of winning the next big win, while in the minute time-saving state, even if the lottery of special chart 1 is executed, it is not possible to transition to the low probability time-saving state. Therefore, in the normal game state and the minute time-saving state where the left hand is hit, the low probability minute time-saving state is a game state that is disadvantageous to the player and is set to extend the time played, compared to the normal game state.

[0142] 5. Communication between pachinko machines and dedicated external units Next, communication between the pachinko game machine PY1 and the dedicated external unit 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 16. In the pachinko game machine PY1, which is an enclosed type pachinko, as shown in FIG. 16, the frame control board 170 communicates with the dedicated external unit 200 provided outside the pachinko game machine PY1. The frame control board 170 includes a dedicated PIF (parallel interface) circuit 179 for serial communication with the dedicated external unit 200. The dedicated external unit 200 includes a dedicated PIF circuit 209 for serial communication with the frame control board 170, an SC board 210 for security, and a control unit 250. The control unit 250 includes a CPU as a control center, a ROM that stores programs and control data for the CPU to operate, and a RAM that functions as a work area for the CPU.

[0143] In FIG. 16, the bill insertion slot 201 (see FIG. 1), the data display 202, the replay button 203, the ball loan button 204, the card slot 205, and the card return button 206 provided in the above-mentioned dedicated external unit 200 are omitted. When a bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 201, the control unit 250 inputs information on the amount of the bill. When the replay button 203 is pressed, the control unit 250 inputs a detection signal based on the pressing operation. When the ball loan button 204 is pressed, the control unit 250 inputs a detection signal based on the pressing operation. When a card is inserted into the card slot 205, the control unit 250 can read the number of game balls and the prepaid balance stored in the card. The control unit 250 controls the display of the prepaid balance, the remaining amount of the bill inserted into the bill insertion slot 201, and various other information on the data display 202. In addition, when the card return button 206 is pressed, the control unit 250 can store the information on the number of balls held and the information on the prepaid balance that has been read in the card (visitor card or member card). Then, the control unit 250 returns the card with the new number of game balls (number of balls stored) stored therein from the card slot 205.

[0144] As shown in Fig. 16, the amusement parlor YG is provided with an HC (hall computer) BOX 220, a hall computer 230, and a management computer 240. The HCBOX 220 converts information from the pachinko game machine PY1 from a serial signal to a parallel signal and transmits it to the hall computer 230. That is, the HCBOX connects the existing hall computer 230, which receives the parallel signal, with the dedicated external unit 200, which outputs the serial signal. The management computer 240 communicates with the dedicated external unit 200, and also communicates with a gaming machine information center (not shown) located outside the amusement parlor YG.

[0145] As shown in FIG. 16, the frame control board 170 and the dedicated external unit 200 transmit and receive information (communicate) through serial communication. Specifically, the frame control board 170 and the control unit 250 of the dedicated external unit 200 communicate with each other by asynchronous serial communication (UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter) communication) in a telegram format via the dedicated PIF circuits 179, 209 and the SC board 210. The dedicated PIF circuits 179, 209 are connected to each other by a dedicated PIF cable 260. When the frame control board 170 and the control unit 250 of the dedicated external unit 200 communicate (transmit and receive) information through asynchronous serial communication, the communication speed (communication rate) is set to 31250 bps (see FIG. 49). In other words, communication between the frame control board 170 and the control unit 250 of the dedicated external unit 200 is always performed at a communication speed of 31250 bps through asynchronous serial communication.

[0146] Next, based on FIG. 17, the information transmitted from the dedicated external unit 200 to the frame control board 170 will be described. As shown in FIG. 17, the information transmitted from the dedicated external unit 200 to the frame control board 170 is only one type of information related to lending. The information related to lending transmitted to the frame control board 170 includes information on the number of balls lent to the player. The timing of transmitting the information related to lending is when the ball lending button 204 (see FIG. 1) or the replay button 203 (see FIG. 1) is pressed. As described above, when the player presses the ball lending button 204 or the replay button 203 of the dedicated external unit 200, the dedicated external unit 200 (control unit 250) transmits the information related to lending (a message in units of the number of lent balls) to the frame control board 170 by asynchronous serial communication.

[0147] Next, information transmitted from the frame control board 170 to the dedicated external unit 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 18. As shown in Fig. 18, there are three types of information transmitted from the frame control board 170 to the dedicated external unit 200: (1) information related to lending, (2) information related to counting, and (3) gaming machine information.

[0148] First, the information on lending transmitted to the dedicated external unit 200 includes information (reception result) indicating that the frame control board 170 has received the information on lending from the dedicated external unit 200. The timing of transmitting the information on lending is 50 ms after the information on lending is received from the dedicated external unit 200. As described above, when the player presses the ball lending button 204 of the dedicated external unit 200, 50 ms later, the frame control board 170 transmits the information on lending (a message indicating the reception result of the number of lent balls) to the dedicated external unit 200 by asynchronous serial communication.

[0149] The information related to the counting transmitted to the dedicated external unit 200 includes information on the number of game balls related to the counting process (number of counted balls). As described above, the counting process is a process performed when a part (1 ball or 250 balls) or all of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 is stored in the card. The timing of transmitting the information related to the counting is a 300 ms cycle, which is the communication cycle between the frame control board 170 and the dedicated external unit 200. As described above, when the player presses the counting button 43k, the frame control board 170 transmits the information related to the counting (a message in units of the number of counted balls) to the dedicated external unit 200 by asynchronous serial communication at a communication cycle of 300 ms.

[0150] As shown in FIG. 18, the gaming machine information transmitted to the dedicated external unit 200 is divided into three types depending on the contents contained therein. Firstly, there is gaming machine information that includes gaming machine installation information as its contents. The gaming machine installation information is information that indicates which gaming machines are installed for model management by the hall computer 230 (see FIG. 16) or the like. The timing of transmission of gaming machine information that includes gaming machine installation information as its contents is a 60-second cycle from the time of power-on. Therefore, the frame control board 170 transmits the gaming machine installation information (information that indicates which gaming machines are installed) to the dedicated external unit 200 at 60-second intervals by asynchronous serial communication.

[0151] Secondly, there is gaming machine information including gaming machine performance information as its contents. The gaming machine performance information indicates what kind of performance the gaming machine is exhibiting. Specifically, one of the gaming machine performance information is the number of gaming balls acquired in one minute in this pachinko gaming machine PY1. The number of gaming balls acquired in one minute (specific number of acquired balls) is the total number of prize balls acquired by the player when 100 gaming balls are shot. The gaming machine performance information is not limited to the number of gaming balls acquired in one minute, but may be the number of gaming balls acquired in a specific period other than one minute (specific number of acquired balls), and may be changed as appropriate. For example, the total number of prize balls acquired by the player when 1000 gaming balls are shot as the number of gaming balls acquired in 10 minutes may be one of the gaming machine performance information. The timing of transmission of the gaming machine information including the gaming machine performance information as its contents is a 180-second cycle from the time of power-on. Therefore, the frame control board 170 transmits gaming machine installation information (number of gaming balls acquired per minute) to the dedicated external unit 200 at 180-second intervals via asynchronous serial communication.

[0152] Thirdly, there is gaming machine information including hall control information and fraud monitoring information as its contents. The hall control information is information that the hall computer 230 (see FIG. 16) uses to grasp the gaming status of the pachinko gaming machine PY1, and the fraud monitoring information is information that the control unit 250 uses to monitor for fraud. The timing of transmission of gaming machine information including the hall control information and fraud monitoring information as its contents is a 300 ms cycle from the time of power-on. Therefore, the frame control board 170 transmits the hall control information and fraud monitoring information to the dedicated external unit 200 by asynchronous serial communication at 300 ms intervals.

[0153] As described above, in this embodiment, the frame control board 170 and the dedicated external unit 200 are connected by an asynchronous serial communication port, and information related to lending, information related to counting, and gaming machine information are transmitted through a common (same) asynchronous serial communication port. However, the information transmitted from the dedicated external unit 200 to the frame control board 170 is only information related to lending (see FIG. 17). On the other hand, the information transmitted from the frame control board 170 to the dedicated external unit 200 is information related to lending, information related to counting, and gaming machine information (see FIG. 18). In this way, even if the frame control board 170 and the dedicated external unit 200 communicate (transmit and receive) through a common asynchronous serial communication port, it is possible to make it difficult for unauthorized access to the pachinko gaming machine PY1 from the outside to occur by limiting (reducing) the information transmitted from the dedicated external unit 200.

[0154] In conventional non-sealed pachinko machines, hall control information (information for grasping the game status) and fraud monitoring information (information for fraud monitoring) are transmitted to the outside by parallel communication via an external terminal board installed in the game machine frame. In other words, the wires for transmitting signals indicating a jackpot, the wires for transmitting signals indicating the game status, and the wires for transmitting signals indicating errors and fraud are connected to the external terminal board one by one, and the hall control information and fraud monitoring information (information for fraud monitoring) are transmitted from the external terminal board to an external unit by parallel communication.

[0155] In contrast, in the present pachinko game machine PY1, as described above, not only the information related to the loan and the information related to the counting, but also the gaming machine information (particularly the hall control information and the fraud monitoring information) are transmitted by asynchronous serial communication (by a common (same) asynchronous serial communication port). This is based on the following reasons. In a newly developed sealed pachinko, serial communication is considered to be the basic method for transmitting information to the outside from the viewpoint of reducing the number of wirings. If the information related to the loan and the information related to the counting and the gaming machine information (particularly the hall control information and the fraud monitoring information) are transmitted to the outside by separate wirings, it will be inefficient. In particular, if the hall control information and the fraud monitoring information, which contain a large amount of information, are transmitted to the outside by parallel communication, the number of wirings will be very large, as in the conventional non-sealed pachinko. Therefore, from the viewpoint of reducing the number of wirings and improving efficiency, the information related to the loan, the information related to the counting, and the gaming machine information are all transmitted to the external unit (the dedicated external unit 200) by a common (same) asynchronous serial communication port.

[0156] Next, the details of the hall control information and fraud monitoring information defined by each manufacturer will be described with reference to Fig. 19. The hall control information and fraud monitoring information are transmitted as serial signals from the frame control board 170 to the dedicated external unit 200. Here, each manufacturer predefines (assigns) the information contained in the hall control information and fraud monitoring information as a unified standard. Thus, Fig. 19 shows the information (contents) contained in the hall control information and fraud monitoring information as a unified standard.

[0157] As shown in Fig. 19, the hall control information and fraud monitoring information are divided into four pieces of data: data indicating main control status 1, data indicating main control status 2, data indicating a gaming machine error status, and data indicating a fraud detection status. Each of the four pieces of data consists of one byte (a total of eight bits from the "0" bit to the "7" bit).

[0158] In the data showing the main control state 1, the "0" bit indicates whether or not all jackpots have been determined as jackpots. The "1" bit indicates whether or not a specific jackpot (for example, a jackpot that can transition to a high probability state after a jackpot game) has been determined. The "2" bit indicates whether or not a jackpot has been determined as a jackpot that can transition to a time-shortened state after a jackpot game. The "3" bit to the "7" bit are used to indicate information on the gaming machine status signals 1 to 5, respectively. The information on the gaming machine status signals 1 to 5 is transmitted from the control unit 250 to the hall computer 230 via the HCBOX 220.

[0159] In the data indicating the main control state 2, the "0" bit indicates whether or not the game is in a jackpot gaming state. The "1" bit indicates whether or not the game is in a high probability state. The "2" bit indicates whether or not the game is in a time-saving state. The "3" bit is unused. The "4" bit through the "7" bit are used to indicate information on the gaming machine status signals 6 through 9, respectively. The information on the gaming machine status signals 6 through 9 is transmitted from the control unit 250 to the hall computer 230 via the HCBOX 220.

[0160] In the data indicating the gaming machine error state, the "0" bit to the "4" bit include information on the error occurring in the pachinko gaming machine PY1. The error contents include, for example, ball jamming, abnormal winning into the big prize winning port 14 (winning into the big prize winning port 14 even though the big prize game state is not in), right hitting in the normal game state, etc. The "5" bit is unused. The "6" bit indicates whether the error has occurred in the frame control board 170 or the game control board 100. Specifically, if the "6" bit is "0", it indicates that an error has occurred in the frame control board 170, and if the "6" bit is "1", it indicates that an error has occurred in the game control board 100. The "7" bit indicates whether only an error notification is performed, or an error notification and output to the hall computer 230 are performed. Specifically, if the "7th" bit is "0", it indicates that only an error notification is to be performed, and if the "7th" bit is "1", it indicates that an error notification and output to the hall computer 230 are to be performed. Note that, in the data indicating the gaming machine error state, if the "0th" bit to the "7th" bit are all "0", it indicates that no error has occurred.

[0161] In the data indicating the fraud detection status, bits "0" through "5" are used to indicate information on board fraud signals 1 through 6, respectively. In other words, bits "0" through "5" indicate where on game board 1 the fraud has occurred. Bit "6" is unused. Bit "7" is unused. As described above, the data indicating main control status 1, data indicating main control status 2, data indicating a gaming machine error status, and the hall control information and fraud monitoring information, which are made up of data indicating a fraud detection status, can be said to be "information relating to the progress of the game."

[0162] In the present pachinko game machine PY1, as shown in Fig. 2, a call switch 41k is provided on the game machine frame 2 (the lower part 23x of the front door 23). Therefore, when the call switch 41k is pressed, it is preferable to transmit information related to the detection of the call sensor 41a (see Fig. 16) to the hall computer 230 via the dedicated external unit 200 in order to call an employee of the game parlor. Therefore, the problem is how to transmit the information related to the detection of the call sensor 41a to the dedicated external unit 200.

[0163] In this case, for example, a method can be considered in which a dedicated wiring is provided to connect the frame control board 170 and the dedicated external unit 200, and the frame control board 170, which receives a detection signal from the paging sensor 41a, transmits information related to the detection by the paging sensor 41a to the dedicated external unit 200 via the dedicated wiring. However, this method is not efficient because connecting the dedicated wiring to the frame control board 170 forces a change to the hardware configuration of the frame control board 170.

[0164] Therefore, in this embodiment, unused bits are used in the hall control information and fraud monitoring information (see FIG. 19) that are defined as a unified standard to include information related to detection by the paging sensor 41a. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 19, information related to detection by the frame opening sensor 2a is not assigned in the hall control information and fraud monitoring information (see FIG. 19). Therefore, information related to detection by the frame opening sensor 2a is also included in the hall control information and fraud monitoring information by using unused bits.

[0165] Specifically, Fig. 20 shows information (contents) included in the hall control information and fraud monitoring information of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 20, in the data showing the gaming machine error state, the "5" bit shows whether the gaming machine frame 2 is open or not (whether the frame open sensor 2a detects the opening of the gaming machine frame 2 or not). In other words, if the "5" bit is "0", it shows that the gaming machine frame 2 is closed, and if the "5" bit is "1", it shows that the gaming machine frame 2 is open.

[0166] 20, in the data indicating the fraud detection state, the "7th" bit indicates whether the call switch 41k has been pressed (whether the call sensor 41a has detected the pressing of the call switch 41k). That is, if the "7th" bit is "0", it indicates that the call switch 41k has not been pressed, and if the "7th" bit is "1", it indicates that the call switch 41k has been pressed.

[0167] As described above, in the present pachinko game machine PY1, despite the hall control information and fraud monitoring information that are defined as a unified standard (see FIG. 19), unused bits are used to allocate information related to the detection of the call sensor 41a (hereinafter referred to as "call information") and information related to the detection of the frame opening sensor 2a (hereinafter referred to as "frame opening information") (see FIG. 20). As a result, when the frame control board 170 transmits gaming machine information including the hall control information and fraud monitoring information as contents to the dedicated external unit 200 at a period of 300 ms by asynchronous serial communication (see FIG. 18), it is possible to transmit the call information and the frame opening information together. As a result, it is not necessary to connect the dedicated wiring for transmitting the call information and the dedicated wiring for transmitting the frame opening information to the frame control board 170, respectively. In this way, it is possible to transmit the call information and the frame opening information to the dedicated external unit 200 without making any hardware changes to the frame control board 170.

[0168] 6. Display on the game ball count indicator Next, the display on the game ball number display 180 will be described. The game ball number display 180 (display means) is provided as a 7-segment display on the center front of the lower part 23x of the front door 23 as shown in FIG. 1, and allows the player to know the number of game balls (number of balls held) that can be used at the present time. The display of the number of game balls performed by this game ball number display 180 is the game display related to the game. However, 7-segment displays are generally not full color, and only display numbers or Roman letters mainly in red. Therefore, if the game ball number display 180 only displays the number of game balls in red, it will lack interest and will look ordinary as a display of the number of game balls.

[0169] Therefore, in this embodiment, the game ball number display 180 is configured to display the game ball number in full color. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 21, a light emitting driver DRV whose driving is controlled by the frame control microcomputer 171 is provided. The light emitting driver DRV controls the light emission in the six light emitting areas 181 to 186 of the game ball number display 180 so that the light is emitted in full color. In the following, the connection between the light emitting driver DRV and the first light emitting area 181 of the game ball number display 180 will be representatively described based on FIG. 21.

[0170] 21, the light emitting driver DRV has input terminals IN1 to IN24 corresponding to the first light emitting area 181. Each of the input terminals IN1 to IN24 is a cathode terminal, and the output level ("H" level or "L" level) of each of the input terminals IN1 to IN24 is switched by the frame control microcomputer 171.

[0171] In the first light-emitting region 181 of the game ball number display 180, the first light-emitting section LA1 is composed of a red light-emitting diode RE1, a green light-emitting diode GR1, and a blue light-emitting diode BL1. Each of the light-emitting diodes RE1, GR1, and BL1 is connected to a 5V power supply voltage Vc, which is a common anode. Each of the light-emitting diodes RE1, GR1, and BL1 is also connected to a first input terminal IN1, a second input terminal IN2, and a third input terminal IN3 via a resistor, respectively.

[0172] Similarly, the second light-emitting unit LA2 is composed of a red light-emitting diode RE2, a green light-emitting diode GR2, and a blue light-emitting diode BL2. Each of the light-emitting diodes RE2, GR2, and BL2 is connected to a power supply voltage Vc of 5V, which is a common anode. Each of the light-emitting diodes RE2, GR2, and BL2 is connected to a fourth input terminal IN4, a fifth input terminal IN5, and a sixth input terminal IN6 via a resistor. The third light-emitting unit LA3 to the eighth light-emitting unit LA8 are as shown in FIG. 21, and therefore their explanations are omitted. The connection between the first light-emitting region 181 and the light-emitting driver DRV is as shown in FIG. 21, and the connection between the second light-emitting region 182 to the sixth light-emitting region 186 and the light-emitting driver DRV is also similar, and therefore their explanations are omitted.

[0173] Next, a method of displaying the game ball number display 180 in full color will be described. For example, when only the first light-emitting unit LA1 of the first light-emitting area 181 is made to emit white light and the remaining light-emitting units LA2 to LA8 are turned off, the frame control microcomputer 171 controls the output levels of the first input terminal IN1, the second input terminal IN2, and the third input terminal IN3 to be at the "L" level, while controlling the output levels of the remaining input terminals IN4 to IN24 to be at the "H" level. As a result, the red light-emitting diode RE1, the green light-emitting diode GR1, and the blue light-emitting diode BL1 in the first light-emitting unit LA1 emit light. As a result, the red light, the green light, and the blue light are mixed together, and the first light-emitting unit LA1 appears to be emitting white light.

[0174] For example, when only the second light-emitting unit LA2 of the first light-emitting area 181 is made to emit blue light and the remaining light-emitting units LA1, LA3 to LA8 are turned off, the frame control microcomputer 171 controls the output level of the sixth input terminal IN6 to be at the "L" level, while controlling the output levels of the remaining input terminals IN1 to IN5, IN7 to IN24 to be at the "H" level. This causes only the blue light-emitting diode BL2 in the second light-emitting unit LA2 to emit light. As a result, the second light-emitting unit LA2 appears to be emitting blue light.

[0175] For example, when only the third light-emitting element LA3 of the first light-emitting area 181 is made to emit red light and the remaining light-emitting elements LA1, LA2, LA4 to LA8 are turned off, the frame control microcomputer 171 controls the output level of the seventh input terminal IN7 to be at the "L" level, while controlling the output levels of the remaining input terminals IN1 to IN6, IN8 to IN24 to be at the "H" level. This causes only the red light-emitting diode RE3 in the third light-emitting element LA3 to emit light. As a result, the third light-emitting element LA3 appears to be emitting red light.

[0176] For example, when only the fourth light-emitting unit LA4 of the first light-emitting area 181 is made to emit light in rainbow colors and the remaining light-emitting units LA1 to LA3 and LA5 to LA8 are turned off, the frame control microcomputer 171 first controls the output level of the tenth input terminal IN10 to be at the "L" level, while controlling the output levels of the remaining input terminals IN1 to IN9 and IN11 to IN24 to be at the "H" level. Then, after an extremely short time has passed, the frame control microcomputer 171 controls the output level of the eleventh input terminal IN11 to be at the "L" level, while controlling the output levels of the remaining input terminals IN1 to IN10 and IN12 to IN24 to be at the "H" level. Then, after an extremely short time has passed, the frame control microcomputer 171 controls the output level of the twelfth input terminal IN12 to be at the "L" level, while controlling the output levels of the remaining input terminals IN1 to IN11 and IN13 to IN24 to be at the "H" level. Thereafter, the output level of the tenth input terminal IN10 is "L" level ⇒ the output level of the eleventh input terminal IN11 is "L" level ⇒ the output level of the twelfth input terminal IN12 is "L" level, and this is repeated every very short time. As a result, in the fourth light-emitting element LA4, the light emitted by the red light-emitting diode RE4 is switched to the light emitted by the green light-emitting diode GR4 and then the light emitted by the blue light-emitting diode BL4 is switched every very short time, and the light is emitted so that the hue (type of color) changes. As a result, the fourth light-emitting element LA4 appears to be emitting light in the colors of the rainbow.

[0177] As described above, the frame control microcomputer 171 can appropriately switch the output levels of each of the input terminals IN1 to IN24 to cause the first light-emitting area 181 to emit light in full color, and similarly, the second light-emitting area 182 to the sixth light-emitting area 186 can also emit light in full color.

[0178] Here, in this embodiment, the display color of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 is changed according to the game state. FIG. 22 shows the relationship between the game state and the display color of the game ball number display 180. As shown in FIG. 22, the frame control microcomputer 171 changes the display color of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 to blue when in a normal game state. Also, the frame control microcomputer 171 changes the display color of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 to white as a default when in a low-probability micro-time-saving state. Also, the frame control microcomputer 171 changes the display color of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 to green when in a low-probability time-saving state. Also, the frame control microcomputer 171 changes the display color of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 to red when in a high-probability time-saving state. In addition, when the game is in a big win state, the frame control microcomputer 171 changes the color of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 to rainbow colors.

[0179] Incidentally, in conventional gaming machines, default colors such as white are used to indicate that the likelihood of winning a jackpot is extremely low. Blue is used to indicate that the likelihood of winning a jackpot is low. Red is used to indicate that the likelihood of winning a jackpot is high. Rainbow colors are used to indicate that a jackpot has been won for sure. In this way, players are able to understand that favorable situations (states) are in the following order: white ⇒ blue ⇒ green ⇒ red ⇒ rainbow.

[0180] In contrast, in the present pachinko game machine PY1, the game state advantageous to the player is in the following order: low-probability micro-time-saving state ⇒ normal game state ⇒ low-probability time-saving state ⇒ high-probability time-saving state ⇒ jackpot game state. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22, by linking game states with different degrees of advantage with the display colors of the game ball count display 180, the player can easily understand which game state is being controlled while understanding the number of game balls on the game ball count display 180. In particular, since rainbow colors have traditionally been used to suggest that a jackpot has been won, when rainbow colors are displayed on the game ball count display 180, the player can easily understand that the game state is being controlled to the best jackpot game state (the jackpot game is being executed).

[0181] Next, an example of the transition of the display color on the game ball count display 180 when the game state changes will be described with reference to FIG. 23. As a prerequisite, it is assumed that the game is controlled to a low-probability minute time-saving state, and the number of game balls available to the player at the present time is "2000". In this case, as shown in FIG. 23, the game ball count display 180 displays "2000" in white. At this time, by looking at the game ball count display 180, the player can recognize that the game is in a low-probability minute time-saving state while grasping that the number of game balls is 2000.

[0182] Then, it is assumed that the player wins the 10R probability jackpot 1 (see FIG. 11) in the lottery of the special chart 1. In this case, when the jackpot game based on the winning of the 10R probability jackpot 1 starts, the display color of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 changes from white to rainbow colors. In this way, it is possible to make the player strongly aware that he is in an advantageous jackpot game state by showing the display color of the game ball number display 180 that is rainbow colors. After that, the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 increases every time a game ball enters the big prize opening 14 by executing the jackpot game. At this time, it is possible to give the player a great sense of elation by showing the rainbow colors on the game ball number display 180 together with the increasing number of game balls. Then, at the end of the 10R round, the player will have won approximately 1500 prize balls, and as shown in FIG. 23, the game ball count display 180 will display "3500" in rainbow colors.

[0183] Next, when the big win game ends, the game is controlled to a high-probability time-saving state. As a result, the display color of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 is switched from rainbow to red. In this way, by showing the player that the display color of the game ball number display 180 is red, it is possible to strongly make the player aware that the high-probability time-saving state is still sufficiently advantageous, although it is not more advantageous than the big win game state. In the high-probability time-saving state, since it is a high base state, the number of balls held by the player (the number of game balls) is hardly reduced. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 23, the game ball number display 180 displays "3450" in red. In this way, when the game ball number display 180 displays red, it is possible to give the player the impression that the situation is still sufficiently advantageous, since the number of game balls is hardly reduced while the game is in a high-probability time-saving state.

[0184] Then, the player wins the 6R normal jackpot 2 (see FIG. 11) in the lottery of the special chart 2. In this case, when the jackpot game based on the winning of the 6R normal jackpot 2 starts, the display color of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball count display 180 changes from red to rainbow colors. This makes it possible to give the player a sense of elation as the game is controlled to the jackpot game state again. After that, when the 6R round game ends, the player will have won about 900 prize balls, so the game ball count display 180 will display "4350" in rainbow colors as shown in FIG. 23.

[0185] Next, when the big win game ends, the game is controlled to a low-probability minute time-saving state. As a result, the display color of the game ball count displayed on the game ball count display 180 changes from rainbow to white. In this way, by showing the player that the display color of the game ball count display 180 has changed to white, it is possible to make the player aware that the game has been controlled to a low-probability minute time-saving state and that the so-called rush state has ended.

[0186] As described above, the display color of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 changes according to the game state that is different in the degree of advantage to the player. This makes it possible to provide novel entertainment using the game ball number display 180. In particular, since the player frequently looks at the game ball number display 180 during the game, it is possible to grasp the number of game balls and also recognize which game state the game is controlled to. Therefore, when the game is controlled to an advantageous jackpot game state or a high probability time-saving state, it is possible to give a great sense of excitement by showing the number of game balls and rainbow or red on the game ball number display 180. And, as shown in FIG. 23, in the game ball number display 180, the display color of the number of game balls changes colorfully, such as white ⇒ rainbow ⇒ red ⇒ rainbow ⇒ white, so that it is possible to improve the appearance of the display of the number of game balls.

[0187] 7. Display on frame board display Next, the display on the frame board display 300 will be described. The frame board display 300 (specific display) is arranged on the frame control board 170 as shown in FIG. 7, and three display items are switched and displayed in sequence. The three display items (multiple types of display items) are, as shown in FIG. 24, a game ball number display (ball number display item), a base display (performance display item), and an error display (abnormal display item). The game ball number display on the frame board display 300 indicates the number of game balls (number of balls held) that can be used at the present time, and as described above, the same value as the game ball number displayed on the game ball number display 180 (see FIG. 1) is also displayed on the frame board display 300. Note that in the frame board display 300 of this embodiment, numbers or letters are not displayed in full color as in the game ball number display 180 described above, but are displayed in a single color (red).

[0188] Next, the base display shown in Fig. 24 will be explained based on Fig. 25. Conventionally, the base display is designed to display the normal base, which is the ratio between the total number of winning balls acquired by the player in the normal game state (normal total number of winning balls) and the number of shot balls shot by the player in the normal game state (normal number of shot balls). However, in this pachinko game machine PY1, displaying the normal base has the following problems.

[0189] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, in addition to the normal game state, there is a low probability micro time-saving state as a game state in which the left hand is hit. As described above, in the low probability micro time-saving state, the player aims to win the jackpot with a probability of about 1 / 320, and the game time is long. On the other hand, in the normal game state, if the lottery of the special chart 1 is executed once, the player will always transition to the low probability time-saving state or the low probability micro time-saving state due to a special miss, so the game time is very short.

[0190] Here, even if a player plays for a long time, the time spent in the normal game state is short, so the value of the normal total number of winning balls for calculating the normal base is very small, and the value of the normal number of shot balls for calculating the normal base is also very small. Therefore, the normal base is not a ratio value between the total number of winning balls, which is a sufficiently large value, and the total number of shot balls, which is a sufficiently large value, and the value varies greatly depending on the game situation. Therefore, the normal base calculated based on the normal game state, in which the time spent playing is very short, is not suitable as a value for determining whether this pachinko game machine PY1 is normal.

[0191] Therefore, in this embodiment, the base display is not a normal base but a left-handed base. The left-handed base is the ratio of the total number of winning balls acquired by the player in a game state in which the player hits the ball from the left (total number of winning balls acquired by the left-handed player) to the number of shot balls fired by the player in a game state in which the player hits the ball from the left (number of shot balls fired by the left-handed player). In other words, it is the ratio of the sum of the total number of winning balls acquired by the player in the short-time-saving state (total number of winning balls fired by the short-time-saving player) to the sum of the number of shooting balls fired by the player in the short-time-saving state (number of shot balls fired by the short-time-saving player). More specifically, the left-handed base is calculated as a percentage by dividing the total number of winning balls fired by the left-handed player (the sum of the total number of winning balls fired by the left-handed player and the sum of the total number of winning balls fired by the left-handed player and the total number of winning balls fired by the left-handed player).

[0192] In this way, if the left-hand hit base is used, the low probability micro time-saving state is played for a long time, so the ratio between the total number of winning balls, which is a sufficiently large value, and the total number of shot balls, which is also a sufficiently large value, is a value that does not vary greatly depending on the game situation, and is suitable as a value for determining whether the present pachinko game machine PY1 is normal.

[0193] In this pachinko game machine PY1, only the left hit base is calculated, and only the left hit base is displayed in the right two digits of the frame board display 300 (the fifth lighting area 305 and the sixth lighting area 306 (see FIG. 8)). That is, the base in the low probability time-saving state, the base in the high probability time-saving state, and the base in the big win game state are not calculated, and the frame board display 300 does not display the base in the low probability time-saving state, the base in the high probability time-saving state, and the base in the big win game state. Here, the left hit base is calculated by the game control microcomputer 101, and the calculated information on the left hit base is sequentially transmitted from the game control board 100 to the frame control board 170. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays the left hit base on the frame board display 300 based on the received information on the left hit base. Then, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays the left-handed hit base value in two digits in the right two digits (the fifth lighting area 305 and the sixth lighting area 306 (see FIG. 8)) of the frame board display 300, as shown in FIG.

[0194] Here, the game control microcomputer 101 is configured to constantly count the total number of winning balls hit from the left (total number of winning balls in the micro-time-saving mode, total number of winning balls in the normal mode), the number of balls fired from the left (number of balls fired from the micro-time-saving mode, number of balls fired from the micro-time-saving mode), and the total number of balls fired. The total number of balls fired is the number of balls fired by the player in all game states including the micro-time-saving mode, normal game state, low-probability time-saving mode, high-probability time-saving mode, and big win game state. The information on the counted total number of winning balls hit from the left, the information on the number of balls fired from the left, and the information on the total number of balls fired are stored in the game RAM 104 (see FIG. 9). However, even if the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed when the power is turned on, the information on the total number of winning balls hit from the left, the information on the number of balls fired from the left, and the information on the total number of balls fired are not erased. Therefore, the left-hand hit base, which is the ratio between the total number of winning balls hit by left-hand hits and the number of shot balls hit by left-hand hits, is calculated without being affected by power cutoff or RAM clearing. The information on the total number of shot balls is also counted without being affected by power cutoff or RAM clearing. The information on the total number of winning balls hit by left-hand hits, the information on the number of shot balls hit by left-hand hits, and the information on the total number of shot balls counted by the game control microcomputer 101 are sequentially transmitted from the game control board 100 to the frame control board 170.

[0195] Regardless of the game state (micro-time-saving state, normal game state, low-probability time-saving state, high-probability time-saving state, big win game state), the game control microcomputer 101 displays the value of the left-hit base in the right two digits (the fifth lighting area 305 and the sixth lighting area 306 (see FIG. 8)) of the frame board display 300. Here, the left-hit base is calculated in units of 60,000 total shot balls. In other words, the left-hit base calculated from the first time the power is turned on after factory shipment until the total shot ball number reaches 60,000 is the first left-hit base. After that, when the total shot ball number exceeds 60,001, the value that was the first left-hit base is stored as the left-hit base one time before. And the left-hit base calculated from the total shot ball number reaches 60,001 to 120,000 is the current left-hit base. After that, when the total number of shots exceeds 120,001, the value of the left-handed base one inning ago is stored as the left-handed base two innings ago, and the value of the current left-handed base is stored as the left-handed base one inning ago. The left-handed base calculated from the time when the total number of shots goes from 120,001 to 180,000 becomes the current left-handed base.

[0196] After that, when the total number of shot balls exceeds 180,001, the value of the left hit base two shots ago is stored as the left hit base three shots ago, the value of the left hit base one shot ago is stored as the left hit base two shots ago, and the value of the current left hit base is stored as the left hit base one shot ago. Then, the left hit base calculated from the time when the total number of shot balls becomes 180,001 to 240,000 becomes the current left hit base. After that, when the total number of shot balls exceeds 240,001, the value of the left hit base three shots ago is erased, the value of the left hit base two shots ago is stored as the left hit base three shots ago, the value of the left hit base one shot ago is stored as the left hit base two shots ago, and the value of the current left hit base is stored as the left hit base one shot ago. Then, the left hit base calculated from the time when the total number of shot balls becomes 240,001 to 300,000 becomes the current left hit base. Thereafter, the left-handed base is calculated in the same manner every time the total number of balls fired reaches 60,000, and the left-handed base values ​​from the previous three balls are stored.

[0197] In this way, the game control microcomputer 101 can store a maximum of the current normal base, the normal base one time ago, the normal base two times ago, and the normal base three times ago in the game RAM 104. In this case, when the game control microcomputer 101 displays the base on the frame board display 300, it switches between the current normal base ⇒ the normal base one time ago ⇒ the normal base two times ago ⇒ the normal base three times ago ⇒ the current normal base every five seconds.

[0198] Specifically, in the frame board display 300, when "bL" is displayed in the middle two digits (third display area 330 and fourth display area 340 (see FIG. 8)), the current left-handed base is displayed in the right two digits (fifth display area 350 and sixth display area 360). Therefore, a person who sees "bL" in the middle two digits can understand that the value (left-handed base) displayed in the right two digits is the current left-handed base.

[0199] After the display of the current left-handed base is finished, the frame board display 300 displays "b1" in the middle two digits and the previous normal base in the right two digits. Therefore, a person who sees "b1" in the middle two digits can understand that the value (left-handed base) displayed in the right two digits is the previous left-handed base.

[0200] Then, after the display of the left-handed base hit one in the previous inning is finished, the frame board display 300 displays "b2" in the middle two digits and the left-handed base hit two in the previous innings in the right two digits. Therefore, a person who sees "b2" in the middle two digits can understand that the value displayed in the right two digits (left-handed base hit) is the left-handed base hit two in the previous innings.

[0201] After the display of the left-handed base hit two hits ago is finished, the frame board display 300 displays "b3" in the middle two digits and displays the left-handed base hit three hits ago in the right two digits. Therefore, a person who sees "b3" in the middle two digits can understand that the value displayed in the right two digits (left-handed base hit) is the left-handed base hit three hits ago.

[0202] Then, after the display of the left-handed base three hits ago has finished, as described above, the frame board display 300 will show "bL" in the middle two digits and the current left-handed base in the right two digits, and the same process will be repeated thereafter.

[0203] In addition, in the frame board display 300, if the total number of shot balls is 300 or less after the power is turned on for the first time after shipping from the factory, "--" is displayed in the right two digits. In other words, if the total number of shot balls is 300 or less, the left-hit base value is not displayed, and the left-hit base value is displayed after the total number of shot balls exceeds 300. In this way, when the total number of shot balls is 300 or less, the denominator value of the left-hit base (number of shot balls by left-hit) is too small, so it is possible to avoid displaying an unreliable left-hit base value. Even if the total number of shot balls is 300 or less, the middle two digits of the frame board display 300 will repeatedly display "bL" ⇒ "b1" ⇒ "b2" ⇒ "b3" every five seconds.

[0204] In addition, in the frame board display 300, if the number of left-handed shot balls is 6000 or less after the power is turned on for the first time after shipping from the factory, the middle two digits "bL", "b1", "b2", and "b3" will flash. After that, if the number of left-handed shot balls exceeds 6000 after the power is turned on for the first time after shipping from the factory, the middle two digits "bL", "b1", "b2", and "b3" will light up. In this way, when the middle two digits flash, it is possible for a person checking the left-handed base on the frame board display 300 to understand that the value of the left-handed base indicated by the right two digits has not yet converged sufficiently. In other words, when the middle two digits light up, it is possible for a person checking the left-handed base to understand that the value of the left-handed base indicated by the right two digits has converged to a certain extent.

[0205] In this embodiment, as described above, the game control microcomputer 101 (game control board 100) calculates the left-hit base based on the total number of winning balls for left-hit and the number of balls fired for left-hit, and transmits the information on the left-hit base to the frame control board 170. Then, the frame control microcomputer 171 of the frame control board 170 displays the left-hit base on the frame board display 300 based on the received information on the left-hit base. Thus, for the game control microcomputer that conventionally calculated the normal base, the control program that calculates the base changes. On the other hand, for the frame control microcomputer 171, since it is not calculating the left-hit base, the control program does not change.

[0206] Here, when constructing a new pachinko game machine PY1, there are cases where only the game board 1 is replaced without replacing the game machine frame 2 of a conventional pachinko game machine. In this case, if the frame control microcomputer 171 is configured to calculate the left hit base, not only the game board 1 but also the frame control board 170 on which the frame control microcomputer 171 capable of calculating the left hit base is mounted is required to be replaced. In contrast, in this embodiment, a game control board 100 on which a game control microcomputer 101 capable of calculating the left hit base is mounted is produced, and the game board 1 incorporating this game control board 100 is replaced. Therefore, it is not necessary to replace the frame control board 170 provided on the game machine frame 2. Therefore, when constructing a new pachinko game machine PY1, it is possible to deal with it by only replacing the game board 1.

[0207] In this embodiment, the game control microcomputer 101 determines whether to display "--" or "left hit base" in the right two digits of the frame board display 300 based on the total number of shot balls. Therefore, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "--" or "left hit base" in the right two digits of the frame board display 300 based on an instruction from the game control microcomputer 101. In addition, the game control microcomputer 101 determines whether to display "bL + current left hit base", "b1 + left hit base 1 time ago", "b2 + left hit base 2 times ago", or "b3 + left hit base 3 times ago" in the middle two digits and the right two digits of the frame board display 300 based on the total number of shot balls and the switching timing. Therefore, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "bL + current left hit base" ⇒ "b1 + left hit base 1 in the past" ⇒ "b2 + left hit base 2 in the past" ⇒ "b3 + left hit base 3 in the past" in the middle two digits and the right two digits of the frame board display 300 based on the instruction from the game control microcomputer 101. Also, the game control microcomputer 101 determines whether to display the identifier (bL, b1, b2, b3) in the lighting mode or the blinking mode in the middle two digits of the frame board display 300 based on the number of balls shot by left hit. Therefore, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays the identifier (bL, b1, b2, b3) in the lighting mode or the blinking mode in the middle two digits of the frame board display 300 based on the instruction from the game control microcomputer 101. Here, if the base before one, base before two, and base before three have not been tallied, the middle two digits of the identifier (bL, b1, b2, b3) of the frame board display 300 will be displayed in a blinking manner, and the blinking manner of this identifier is also controlled by the frame control microcomputer 171 based on instructions from the game control microcomputer 101.

[0208] Next, the error display shown in FIG. 24 will be described based on FIG. 26. The error display is a four-digit error code displayed on the frame board display 300. The error code is a code that indicates the error content, and an error code table shown in FIG. 26 is stored in advance in the frame ROM 173 of the frame control microcomputer 171. The frame control microcomputer 171 judges whether or not there is an error code based on the detection signals of each sensor connected to the frame control board 170 (detection signal by the frame opening sensor 2a, detection signal by the radio wave sensor 18a, detection signal by the call sensor 41a) and the information of the detection signals of each sensor transmitted from the game control board 100 (information of the detection signal by the magnetic sensor 28a) and the error code table shown in FIG. 26. If there is an error code, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays a four-digit error code as an error display in the middle two digits and the right two digits (the third lighting area 303 to the sixth lighting area 306) of the frame board display 300.

[0209] For example, suppose that the frame opening sensor 2a detects the opening of the gaming machine frame 2 by opening the gaming machine frame 2. In this case, a detection signal by the frame opening sensor 2a is transmitted to the frame control board 170. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 obtains an error code "E001" based on the detection signal by the frame opening sensor 2a and the error code table shown in FIG. 26. As a result, when the frame control microcomputer 171 displays an error, it displays "E001" on the frame board display 300 (see FIG. 24). Similarly, when there is detection by the radio wave sensor 18a, the error code "E002" is displayed on the frame board display 300, and when there is detection by the call sensor 41a, the error code "E004" is displayed on the frame board display 300.

[0210] Also, for example, assume that an illegal magnetism is detected near the magnetic sensor 28a. In this case, a detection signal by the magnetic sensor 28a is transmitted to the game control board 100. Then, the game control microcomputer 101 transmits information on the received detection signal by the magnetic sensor 28a to the frame control board 170. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 obtains the error code "E003" based on the information on the detection signal by the magnetic sensor 28a and the error code table shown in FIG. 26. As a result, when performing an error display, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "E003" on the frame board display 300.

[0211] Meanwhile, in the frame board display 300, as shown in FIG. 24, three display items, namely, a game ball number display, a base display, and an error display, are displayed in sequence. Each display item is displayed for 5000 ms (5 seconds). In addition, the base display has a display order as described in FIG. 25. Therefore, for example, after the game ball number display, the left hit base value currently being measured before the total number of shot balls reaches 60,000 balls is displayed for 5000 ms as the base display. In this case, after a 5000 ms error display and a 5000 ms game ball number display, the next base display displays the left hit base value one hit before for 5000 ms. Next, after a 5000 ms error display and a 5000 ms game ball number display, the next base display displays the left hit base value two hits before for 5000 ms. Next, an error message is displayed for 5000 ms, followed by a display of the number of balls played for 5000 ms, and then the next base display will show the base value of the left hit three times before for 5000 ms, and so on.

[0212] Here, as shown in Fig. 24, in the frame board display 300, suppose that the number of game balls is displayed for 5000 ms, and then it immediately (instantaneously) switches to the base display. Then, after the base display is displayed for 5000 ms, it immediately (instantaneously) switches to the error display. Then, after the error display is displayed for 5000 seconds, it immediately (instantaneously) switches to the number of game balls display, and this is repeated thereafter. With such a switching method, there is a problem in that it is difficult to tell when to switch from one display item (e.g., the number of game balls display) to another display item (e.g., the base display).

[0213] That is, for a person looking at the frame board display 300, when the display is switched from the number of game balls to the base display in an instant, it is difficult to understand what the base display immediately after the switch indicates. In particular, the game ball number display does not always display the same number of game balls for 5000 ms, and the base display does not always display the same left-hit base value for 5000 ms. Therefore, immediately after the display is switched from the number of game balls to the base display in an instant, a person looking at the frame board display 300 may feel that the value of the number of game balls has simply changed, and may not clearly recognize that the display has been switched to the base display. Similarly, immediately after the display is switched from the base display to the error display in an instant, a person looking at the frame board display 300 may feel that the value of the left-hit base has simply changed, and may not clearly recognize that the display has been switched to the error display.

[0214] In this embodiment, in order to address the above problem, as shown in FIG. 27, when switching from one display item to another display item in the frame board display 300, the display is turned off for 500 ms. The turned off mode refers to a mode in which all the lighting parts LB1 to LB48 (see FIG. 8) in the lighting areas 301 to 306 of the frame board display 300 are turned off. In this way, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays the number of game balls on the frame board display 300 for 5000 ms, and then turns off the display for a short period of 500 ms. After that, the frame control microcomputer 171 starts a base display, and after performing the base display for 5000 ms, turns off the display for a short period of 500 ms. After that, the frame control microcomputer 171 starts an error display, and after performing the error display for 5000 ms, turns off the display for a short period of 500 ms. Thereafter, the frame control microcomputer 171 starts displaying the number of game balls, and repeats the same process thereafter.

[0215] In this way, when switching from one display item to another on the frame board display 300, a 500 ms off state is inserted, making it possible to make the switching of display items easier to understand. That is, for example, a person looking at the frame board display 300 can see the off state after the game ball count display is performed for 5000 ms and before the base display starts. This off state allows the user to recognize that the game ball count display has ended, making it easier for the user to understand that the newly displayed value is the left-handed hit base value.

[0216] In particular, in the game ball count display, even if the value of the game ball count changes for 5000 ms, when it switches to the base display, it goes into an off state for only 500 ms. Therefore, for those who are looking at the frame board display 300, it is possible to clearly recognize the difference between when the value of the game ball count changes and when it switches to the base display. Similarly, in the base display, even if the value of the left hit base changes for 5000 ms, when it switches to the error display, it goes into an off state for only 500 ms. Therefore, for those who are looking at the frame board display 300, it is possible to clearly recognize the difference between when the value of the left hit base changes and when it switches to the error display.

[0217] Here, the time (500 ms) for the frame board display 300 to be in the off state will be explained. The longer the time for the off state, the easier it is to understand the switching of the display items. On the other hand, the longer the time for the off state, the more the display time for the display items that should be displayed is relatively reduced. Therefore, in this embodiment, the balance between the above advantages and disadvantages is considered, and after the game ball number display is performed for 5000 ms, the off state is performed for 500 ms, which is one tenth of the 5000 ms. Similarly, after the base display is performed for 5000 ms, the off state is performed for 500 ms, which is one tenth of the 5000 ms. Also, after the error display is performed for 5000 ms, the off state is performed for 500 ms, which is one tenth of the 5000 ms. In this way, it is possible to make the switching of display items easy to understand without significantly reducing the display time for the display items that should actually be shown, such as the number of game balls played, the base display, and the error display.

[0218] In this embodiment, the frame control microcomputer 171 changes the number of display items displayed on the frame board display 300 depending on whether an error code is present or not. That is, as described above, the frame control microcomputer 171 determines whether an error code is present or not based on the information on the detection signals of the sensors connected to the frame control board 170 and the detection signals of the sensors transmitted from the game control board 100, and the error code table shown in FIG.

[0219] If an error code is present, the following sequence is repeated: display of the number of game balls for 5000 ms ⇒ light-off state for 500 ms ⇒ base display for 5000 ms ⇒ light-off state for 500 ms ⇒ error display for 5000 ms ⇒ light-off state for 500 ms ⇒ display of the number of game balls for 5000 ms, as shown in Fig. 27. On the other hand, if no error code is present, the following sequence is repeated: display of the number of game balls for 5000 ms ⇒ light-off state for 500 ms ⇒ base display for 5000 ms ⇒ light-off state for 500 ms ⇒ display of the number of game balls for 5000 ms, as shown in Fig. 28.

[0220] In this embodiment, when there is no error (abnormality) in the pachinko game machine PY1, as shown in Fig. 28, the frame board display 300 does not display an error code, which eliminates unnecessary display on the frame board display 300 and relatively lengthens the time during which display items other than the error display (number of game balls display, base display) can be understood. On the other hand, only when there is an error in the pachinko game machine PY1, as shown in Fig. 27, the error display is displayed, which makes the error display stand out. In addition, the error display is turned off for 500 ms before it is displayed and turned off for 500 ms after it, which makes it easier to understand the error display.

[0221] 8.Counting Next, the counting process performed by the frame control microcomputer 171 will be described with reference to Fig. 29 to Fig. 33. As described above, when the player presses the counting button 43k (see Fig. 2), a counting process is executed to store a part (1 ball or 250 balls in this embodiment) or all (the number of game balls when it is less than 250 balls) of the game ball number displayed on the game ball number display 180 in a card (visitor card or member card) inserted in the dedicated external unit 200.

[0222] The pressing operation of the counting button 43k is mainly divided into a single pressing operation (hereinafter simply referred to as a "single pressing") in which the counting button 43k is pressed for an extremely short time, and a long pressing operation (hereinafter simply referred to as a "long pressing") in which the counting button 43k is pressed continuously for 500 ms or more. FIG. 29 shows an example of the transition of the game ball number display 180 when the counting button 43k is pressed once. As shown in FIG. 29, the frame control board 170 (frame control microcomputer 171) can transmit information related to counting (a message in units of the number of counted balls) to the dedicated external unit 200 at a communication period of 300 ms shown as time T1 to time T6 (see FIG. 18). Also, the game ball number display 180 displays "10000" as the number of balls possessed.

[0223] As shown in FIG. 29, when the counting button 43k is pressed once immediately after time T1, the frame control microcomputer 171 performs a one-ball counting process to count only one ball at time T2. Specifically, the frame control microcomputer 171 transmits information related to the counting of one ball to the dedicated external unit 200 at time T2, and switches the "10000" displayed on the game ball number display 180 to "9999". In addition, it is assumed that the counting button 43k is pressed twice between time T3 and time T4. Even in this case, the frame control microcomputer 171 does not count only two balls at time T5, but performs a one-ball counting process to count only one ball. Therefore, the frame control microcomputer 171 transmits information related to the counting of one ball to the dedicated external unit 200 at time T5, and switches the "9999" displayed on the game ball number display 180 to "9998". In this way, when the counting button 43k is pressed once, even if the button is pressed repeatedly (single presses in succession) within an extremely short period of time (300 ms), the balls will basically be counted one by one.

[0224] Next, a case where the counting button 43k is pressed for a long time will be described. FIG. 30 shows an example of the transition of the game ball number display 180 when the counting button 43k is pressed for a long time. As shown in FIG. 30, when the counting button 43k is pressed for a long time immediately after time T1, the counting button 43k has not yet been pressed for 500 ms or more at time T2. Therefore, at time T2, the frame control microcomputer 171 does not determine that the counting button 43k has been pressed for a long time, and does not execute the counting process. Note that at time T2, the counting button 43k is not pressed for a single time, and therefore the one-ball counting process is not executed.

[0225] After that, at time T3, the counting button 43k has already been pressed for 500 ms or more, so the frame control microcomputer 171 determines that the counting button 43k has been pressed for a long time, and performs a 250-ball counting process to count only 250 balls. Specifically, at time T3, the frame control microcomputer 171 transmits information related to the counting of 250 balls to the dedicated external unit 200, and switches the "10000" displayed on the game ball count display 180 to "9750". In this embodiment, when the frame control microcomputer 171 subtracts the value displayed on the game ball count display 180 by the 250-ball counting process, it displays the number of balls being subtracted by 3 balls every 3 ms on the game ball count display 180. This makes it appear to the player that the number of balls held is being subtracted by 3 balls at a time, rather than 250 balls being subtracted at once.

[0226] Next, at time T4, the counting button 43k continues to be pressed long, so the frame control microcomputer 171 performs a 250-ball counting process. Therefore, at time T4, the "9750" displayed on the game ball count display 180 switches to "9500." Next, at time T5, the counting button 43k continues to be pressed long, so the frame control microcomputer 171 performs a 250-ball counting process. Therefore, at time T5, the "9500" displayed on the game ball count display 180 switches to "9250."

[0227] Here, it is assumed that the long press of the counting button 43k is stopped immediately before time T6. In this case, at time T6, the frame control microcomputer 171 determines that the long press of the counting button 43k has not been executed, and therefore does not execute the 250 ball counting process. Therefore, at time T6, the display of "9250" displayed on the game ball count display 180 is maintained. In this way, when the counting button 43k is pressed and held, 250 balls are basically counted every 300 ms during the period during which the long press is executed.

[0228] In the past, for example, in order to perform the counting process until the number of balls held becomes "0" from "10000", the 250 ball counting process had to be performed 40 times. Therefore, in this case, the player had to continue to press and hold the counting button 43k for at least 300 ms x 40 times = 12 seconds. Furthermore, for example, in order to perform the counting process until the number of balls held becomes "0" from "30000", the player had to continue to press and hold the counting button 43k for 12 seconds x 3 = 36 seconds. Thus, when the number of balls held is large, the time required to press and hold the counting button 43k until the number of balls held becomes "0" becomes long, which causes a problem of a large operational burden on the player.

[0229] In this embodiment, the long press of the counting button 43k is divided into a short long press and a long long press, and is handled as follows. First, a short long press means that the counting button 43k is pressed (long pressed) for 500 ms or more and less than 4000 ms. Also, a long long press means that the counting button 43k is pressed (long pressed) for 4000 ms or more.

[0230] When the counting button 43k is pressed for a short time, the frame control microcomputer 171 executes a 250 ball counting process every 300 ms during the period when the short time is pressed, as described in Fig. 30. In other words, when a short time is pressed for a long time, if the player stops pressing the counting button 43k, the subsequent counting process is also stopped.

[0231] On the other hand, when the counting button 43k is pressed for a long time, even if the player stops pressing the counting button 43k, the frame control microcomputer 171 can execute the 250 ball counting process every 300 ms until the number of balls held becomes "0". In other words, after the player presses the counting button 43k for 4000 ms or more (long press), the counting process is automatically executed until the number of balls held becomes "0", even if the player stops pressing the counting button 43k midway.

[0232] Based on Fig. 31, the transition of the game ball number display 180 when the counting button 43k is pressed for a long time will be described. As shown in Fig. 31, the long press of the counting button 43k starts immediately after time T1, and the long press of the counting button 43k is stopped immediately after time T15. In this case, the counting button 43k is pressed for 4000 ms immediately before time T15, and the long press of the counting button 43k is executed.

[0233] In this situation, as shown in FIG. 31, from time T2 to time T15, the frame control microcomputer 171 executes 250 ball counting processing every 300 ms. Therefore, at time T14, the game ball count display 180 displays "7000", and at time T15, the game ball count display 180 displays "6750". Then, the frame control microcomputer 171 determines that the counting button 43k was pressed long just before time T15. As a result, even if the long press of the counting button 43k is stopped just after time T15, the 250 ball counting processing is executed every 300 ms thereafter. In other words, the counting processing is executed every 300 ms even after time T15.

[0234] As a result, even if the player does not press the counting button, the game ball count display 180 executes the 250 ball counting process every 300 ms, such as "6750" ⇒ "6500" ⇒ "6250" ⇒ "6000". Then, at time T41, the game ball count display 180 displays "250", and at time T42, the game ball count display 180 displays "0". In this way, when the counting button 43k is pressed for a long time, even if the player stops pressing the counting button 43k midway, it is possible to continue the 250 ball counting process until the number of balls held becomes "0". As a result, when the number of balls held is, for example, "30000", the player can execute the counting process until the number of balls held becomes "0" by simply pressing the counting button 43k for at least 4000 ms (long press) without pressing the counting button 43k for a long time thereafter. In other words, unlike the conventional method, it is no longer necessary to press and hold the count button 43k for approximately 36 seconds until the number of balls held goes from "30,000" to "0," thereby reducing the operational burden on the player.

[0235] Here, even after the counting button 43k is pressed long and the player stops pressing the counting button 43k, there may be cases where the player wants to stop the automatic counting process before the number of balls held becomes "0". In this case, the player can stop the automatic counting process by operating the counting button 43k after stopping the long pressing of the counting button 43k. Below, based on FIG. 32, the transition of the game ball number display 180 when the counting button 43k is pressed once after the counting button 43k is pressed long will be described.

[0236] As shown in FIG. 32, the counting button 43k is pressed for a long time immediately after time T1, and the counting button 43k is stopped for a long time immediately after time T15. In this case, as in the case shown in FIG. 31, even if the counting button 43k is not pressed for a long time, the frame control microcomputer 171 executes the 250 ball counting process every 300 ms, and at time T41, the game ball count display 180 displays "250". Here, it is assumed that the counting button 43k is pressed once between time T41 and time T42. In this case, the frame control microcomputer 171 stops the automatic counting process, and does not execute the 250 ball counting process at time T42. Therefore, at time T42, the display of "250" displayed on the game ball count display 180 is maintained. In this way, the player can press and hold the counting button 43k for a long time, and then stop the automatic counting process before the number of balls held becomes "0" even after the long press on the counting button 43k is released.

[0237] In the example shown in Fig. 32, the automatic counting process is stopped by pressing the counting button 43k once after the long press on the counting button 43k is released. However, the operation on the counting button 43k to stop the automatic counting process is not limited to a single press, and may be a long press.

[0238] In this embodiment, even after the counting button 43k is pressed and released, if the frame control microcomputer 171 determines that there is an abnormality in the pachinko game machine PY1, the automatic counting process is stopped. For example, as shown in FIG. 32, the counting button 43k is pressed and held immediately after time T1, and the counting button 43k is held and held immediately after time T15. Then, between time T41 and time T42, the frame control microcomputer 171 determines that there is an abnormality in the communication between the pachinko game machine PY1 and the dedicated external unit 200. In this case, the frame control microcomputer 171 stops the automatic counting process, and the display of "250" displayed on the game ball number display 180 at time T42 is maintained. In this way, even if the counting button 43k is pressed and held for a long time and then the long press on the counting button 43k is released, if it is determined that there is an abnormality in the pachinko game machine PY1, the automatic counting process is stopped.

[0239] In the above, a case has been described in which the frame control microcomputer 171 stops the automatic counting process when it determines that there is an abnormality in the communication between the pachinko game machine PY1 and the dedicated external unit 200 after the long press on the counting button 43k is released. However, the abnormality when the automatic counting process is stopped is not limited to an abnormality in the communication between the pachinko game machine PY1 and the dedicated external unit 200. Therefore, even if the frame control microcomputer 171 determines that there is a frame open, radio wave fraud, magnetic fraud, or calling (a pressing operation on the call switch 41k) shown in FIG. 26 after the long press on the counting button 43k is released, the frame control microcomputer 171 stops the automatic counting process.

[0240] In this embodiment, the operation means for performing the short long press and the operation means for performing the long long press are the same counting button 43k. In contrast, it is conceivable to provide a dedicated operation means different from the counting button 43k for performing the short long press as the operation means for performing the long long press. However, when providing a dedicated operation means for performing the long long press, the following problems arise. That is, in this pachinko game machine PY1, even when the player is shooting game balls by rotating the handle 72k, the counting process (S3006) by the frame control microcomputer 171 can be executed. Therefore, when the player is rotating the handle 72k, that is, during the game, there may be a case where the player mistakenly operates the dedicated operation means for performing the long long press. In this case, the number of balls the player has suddenly becomes "0" during the game, and the game is interrupted. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to prevent the above-mentioned problems from occurring (to prevent erroneous operation of the dedicated operating means for long presses), the same counting button 43k is used as both the operating means for short long presses and the operating means for long long presses.

[0241] 9. Game Inspection Mode and Frame Inspection Mode Next, the game inspection mode will be described. As shown in FIG. 33, the game inspection mode (inspection mode) is a mode set by the game control board 100 (game control microcomputer 101) when the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed with power-on. The game inspection mode is a mode for checking whether the game drive connected to the game control board 100 operates normally. Here, the game drive (game inspection object) specifically refers to the AT solenoid 14s, the electric chute solenoid 12s, the first start hole sensor 11a, the second start hole sensor 12a, the big prize hole sensor 14a, the first general prize hole sensor 10x, the second general prize hole sensor 10y, the third general prize hole sensor 10z, the discharge hole sensor 15a, and the gate sensor 13a.

[0242] In the game inspection mode, the game progress is not controlled by the game control board 100 (game control microcomputer 101), and the player cannot play the game. When the game inspection mode ends, the RAM is cleared, and then the game mode is switched to in which the game progress is controlled by the game control board 100. In this way, the game mode is switched to in which the player can play the game. Therefore, the game inspection mode can be said to be a mode in which the game progress cannot be controlled by the game control board 100 (non-game mode).

[0243] Incidentally, when changing the specifications of a pachinko machine or manufacturing a successor or derivative model, there are cases where only the game board 1 or only the movable body unit (a part of the front door 23) is replaced without manufacturing the entire pachinko machine anew. In such cases, the applicant does not send the manufactured pachinko machine to the game parlor (hall) in an assembled state, but is adopting an on-site replacement method in which the game board 1 and the movable body unit are sent to the game parlor (hall) and employees of the game parlor replace the game board 1 and the movable body unit that have been sent to complete the pachinko machine.

[0244] In this on-site replacement method, for example, in the game parlor where the game board 1 is delivered, an employee will assemble the pachinko game machine PY1 using the game machine frame that has already been installed. In this case, the employee of the game parlor needs to check whether the game drive works properly in the assembled pachinko game machine PY1. This is because if a player plays a game with the game drive not working properly, there is a risk of causing a great disadvantage to the player.

[0245] Therefore, in this embodiment, as described above, when the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed when the power is turned on, the game inspection mode is set immediately after the power is turned on. That is, the condition for transitioning to the game inspection mode is that the power switch 195 is turned ON and the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed. When the game inspection mode is set, the game control board 100 (game control microcomputer 101) drives the AT solenoid 14s and the electric chute solenoid 12s. As a result, while the game inspection mode is set, the opening and closing operation of the AT opening and closing member 14k is repeatedly executed as shown in FIG. 34(B), and the opening and closing operation of the electric chute opening and closing member 12k is repeatedly executed as shown in FIG. 34(C). In this way, when the game inspection mode is set, an employee of the amusement arcade can confirm that the AT solenoid 14s is operating normally by watching the opening and closing operation of the AT opening and closing member 14k, and can also confirm that the electric chute solenoid 12s is operating normally by watching the opening and closing operation of the electric chute opening and closing member 12k.

[0246] Here, in order to check whether the first start hole sensor 11a, the second start hole sensor 12a, the special prize hole sensor 14a, the first general prize hole sensor 10x, the second general prize hole sensor 10y, the third general prize hole sensor 10z, the discharge hole sensor 15a, and the gate sensor 13a among the game drive mechanisms are operating normally, the game ball number display 180 is used. Note that the first start hole sensor 11a, the second start hole sensor 12a, the special prize hole sensor 14a, the first general prize hole sensor 10x, the second general prize hole sensor 10y, the third general prize hole sensor 10z, the discharge hole sensor 15a, and the gate sensor 13a correspond to the "game side sensor".

[0247] Specifically, when the game inspection mode is set, when a game ball passes through the first start hole 11, a detection signal by the first start hole sensor 11a is input to the game control microcomputer 101. As a result, the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a command to the frame control board 170 to display "H01" (see FIG. 35) in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 (the first light-emitting area 181, the second light-emitting area 182, and the third light-emitting area 183) of the game ball number display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H01" in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180, so that an employee of the game arcade who sees "H01" on the game ball number display 180 can understand that the first start hole sensor 11a is operating normally.

[0248] In addition, when the game inspection mode is set, when the game ball passes through the second start hole 12, a detection signal by the second start hole sensor 12a is input to the game control microcomputer 101. As a result, the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a command to the frame control board 170 to display "H02" (see FIG. 35) in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H02" in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180, so that the employees of the game arcade who see "H02" on the game ball number display 180 can understand that the second start hole sensor 12a is operating normally.

[0249] Also, when the game inspection mode is set, when a game ball passes through the special winning opening 14, a detection signal by the special winning opening sensor 14a is input to the game control microcomputer 101. As a result, the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a command to the frame control board 170 to display "H03" (see FIG. 35) in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H03" in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180, so that an employee of the game arcade who sees "H03" on the game ball number display 180 can know that the special winning opening sensor 14a is operating normally.

[0250] In addition, when the game inspection mode is set, when a game ball passes through the first general winning opening 10A, a detection signal by the first general winning opening sensor 10x is input to the game control microcomputer 101. As a result, the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a command to the frame control board 170 to display "H04" (see FIG. 35) in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H04" in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180, so that an employee of the game arcade who sees "H04" on the game ball number display 180 can know that the first general winning opening sensor 10x is operating normally.

[0251] In addition, when the game inspection mode is set, when a game ball passes through the second general winning opening 10B, a detection signal by the second general winning opening sensor 10y is input to the game control microcomputer 101. As a result, the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a command to the frame control board 170 to display "H05" (see FIG. 35) in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H05" in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180, so that an employee of the game arcade who sees "H05" on the game ball number display 180 can know that the second general winning opening sensor 10y is operating normally.

[0252] In addition, when the game inspection mode is set, when a game ball passes through the third general winning opening 10C, a detection signal by the third general winning opening sensor 10z is input to the game control microcomputer 101. As a result, the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a command to the frame control board 170 to display "H06" (see FIG. 35) in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H06" in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180, so that an employee of the game arcade who sees "H06" on the game ball number display 180 can know that the third general winning opening sensor 10z is operating normally.

[0253] In addition, when the game inspection mode is set, when a game ball passes through a discharge path (not shown) provided outside the game area 6, a detection signal by the discharge port sensor 15a is input to the game control microcomputer 101. As a result, the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a command to the frame control board 170 to display "H07" (see FIG. 35) in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H07" in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180, so that an employee of the game arcade who sees "H07" on the game ball number display 180 can understand that the discharge port sensor 15a is operating normally.

[0254] Also, when the game inspection mode is set, when a game ball passes through the gate 13, a detection signal by the gate sensor 13a is input to the game control microcomputer 101. As a result, the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a command to the frame control board 170 to display "H08" (see FIG. 35) in the first light-emitting region 181 to the third light-emitting region 183 of the game ball number display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H08" in the first light-emitting region 181 to the third light-emitting region 183 of the game ball number display 180, so that an employee of the game arcade who sees "H08" on the game ball number display 180 can know that the gate sensor 13a is operating normally.

[0255] The termination condition of the game play inspection mode will be described. The game play inspection mode is initiated when a predetermined time (two minutes in this embodiment) has elapsed since the game play inspection mode was entered, that is, when the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed with power-on, or when the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed. That is, the termination conditions of the game play inspection mode include a first termination condition that two minutes have elapsed since the game play inspection mode was entered, and a second termination condition that the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed. The first termination condition allows the game to automatically transition to the game mode even if an employee of the game arcade forgets to terminate the game play inspection mode. The second termination condition allows the employee of the game arcade to terminate the game play inspection mode and transition to the game mode at any time.

[0256] Incidentally, in this pachinko game machine PY1, when the game inspection mode is set, the frame inspection mode is also set. That is, as shown in FIG. 33, the frame inspection mode is a mode for checking whether the frame drive connected to the frame control board 170 operates normally when the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed with power-on. Here, the frame drive (frame inspection object) specifically refers to the shot ball detection sensor 16a, the return ball detection sensor 17a, the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, the upstream monitoring sensor 32a, the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, the lift inlet sensor 33a, and the lift outlet sensor 34a. These sensors can be called "frame side sensors" and can be said to be sensors related to the circulation of game balls and the launch of game balls in this pachinko game machine PY1.

[0257] In the frame inspection mode, similar to the game inspection mode, the game progress is not controlled by the game control board 100 (game control microcomputer 101), and the player cannot play the game. When the frame inspection mode ends, as in the game inspection mode, RAM is cleared, and then the game mode is entered in which the game progress is controlled by the game control board 100. Thus, the frame inspection mode can be said to be a mode (non-game mode) in which the game progress cannot be controlled by the game control board 100.

[0258] As described above, in the on-site replacement method, the employees of the game parlor assemble the pachinko game machine PY1. In this case, it is desirable that the employees of the game parlor check not only whether the game drive mechanism works properly in the assembled pachinko game machine PY1, but also whether the frame drive mechanism works properly. This is because if the player plays the game in a state where the frame drive mechanism does not work properly, there is a risk of causing a great disadvantage to the player.

[0259] Therefore, in this embodiment, as described above, when the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed when the power is turned on, the game inspection mode is set immediately after the power is turned on, and the frame inspection mode is set. In the frame inspection mode, the game ball number display 180 is used to check whether the shot ball detection sensor 16a, the return ball detection sensor 17a, the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, the upstream monitoring sensor 32a, the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, the lifting inlet sensor 33a, and the lifting outlet sensor 34a among the frame driving objects are operating normally.

[0260] Specifically, when the frame inspection mode is set, if a gaming ball is detected by the shot ball detection sensor 16a, a detection signal from the shot ball detection sensor 16a is input to the frame control microcomputer 171. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H09" in the first light emitting area 181 to the third light emitting area 183 of the gaming ball number display 180 (see FIG. 35), so that an employee of the gaming facility who sees "H09" on the gaming ball number display 180 can know that the shot ball detection sensor 16a is operating normally.

[0261] Also, when the frame inspection mode is set, if a game ball is detected by the return ball detection sensor 17a, the detection signal by the return ball detection sensor 17a is input to the frame control microcomputer 171. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H10" in the first light emitting area 181 to the third light emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180 (see FIG. 35), so that an employee of the game arcade who sees "H10" on the game ball number display 180 can know that the return ball detection sensor 17a is operating normally.

[0262] Furthermore, when the frame inspection mode is set, if a gaming ball is detected by the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, a detection signal from the downstream monitoring sensor 31a is input to the frame control microcomputer 171. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H11" in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the gaming ball number display 180 (see FIG. 35), so that an employee of the gaming facility who sees "H11" on the gaming ball number display 180 can know that the downstream monitoring sensor 31a is operating normally.

[0263] Furthermore, when the frame inspection mode is set, if a gaming ball is detected by the upstream monitoring sensor 32a, a detection signal from the upstream monitoring sensor 32a is input to the frame control microcomputer 171. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H12" in the first light-emitting area 181 to the third light-emitting area 183 of the gaming ball number display 180 (see FIG. 35), so that an employee of the gaming facility who sees "H12" on the gaming ball number display 180 can know that the upstream monitoring sensor 32a is operating normally.

[0264] Also, when the frame inspection mode is set, if a game ball is detected by the lifting entrance sensor 33a, a detection signal by the lifting entrance sensor 33a is input to the frame control microcomputer 171. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H13" in the first light emitting area 181 to the third light emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180 (see FIG. 35), so that an employee of the game arcade who sees "H13" on the game ball number display 180 can know that the lifting entrance sensor 33a is operating normally.

[0265] Also, when the frame inspection mode is set, if a game ball is detected by the lifting exit sensor 34a, a detection signal by the lifting exit sensor 34a is input to the frame control microcomputer 171. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H14" in the first light emitting area 181 to the third light emitting area 183 of the game ball number display 180 (see FIG. 35), so that an employee of the game arcade who sees "H14" on the game ball number display 180 can know that the lifting exit sensor 34a is operating normally.

[0266] The conditions for ending the frame inspection mode will be described. The frame inspection mode ends together with the game inspection mode. That is, the conditions for ending the frame inspection mode include a first ending condition that two minutes have passed since the mode was switched to the frame inspection mode, and a second ending condition that the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed. Thus, in this pachinko game machine, the game inspection mode and the frame inspection mode start at the same time and end at the same time. As a result, the employees of the game arcade do not need to set and end the game inspection mode and the frame inspection mode separately, and the operation of switching between the modes can be simplified.

[0267] In the game inspection mode and the frame inspection mode, the following actions are required by the employee of the game arcade to check whether each sensor is operating normally. That is, the employee of the game arcade rotates the handle 72k to launch the game ball toward the game area 6. Then, the launched game ball passes through the launched ball detection sensor 16a, the return ball detection sensor, the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, the upstream monitoring sensor 32a, the lifting inlet sensor 33a, the lifting outlet sensor 34a, and the outlet sensor 15a. Furthermore, the employee of the game arcade opens the front door 23 to the inner frame 21, and passes the game ball through the first general winning opening sensor 10x, the second general winning opening sensor 10y, the third general winning opening sensor 10z, the first starting opening sensor 11a, the second starting opening sensor 12a, the gate sensor 13a, and the big winning opening sensor 14a with his own hands.

[0268] Thus, in the game inspection mode and the frame inspection mode, the employee of the game parlor needs to launch the game ball and pass the game ball through various sensors with his own hand. However, in the case of an enclosed type pachinko machine such as the present pachinko machine PY1, the game inspection mode and the frame inspection mode have the following problems.

[0269] In the on-site replacement method, immediately after an employee of the game parlor assembles the present pachinko game machine PY1, there are no balls held, so "0" is displayed on the game ball count display 180. When "0" is displayed on the game ball count display 180, the frame control microcomputer 171 controls the launch device 72 via the launch control circuit 175 so that game balls are not launched. Specifically, the frame control microcomputer 171 controls the launch device 72 via the launch control circuit 175 not to output a launch permission signal that enables the launch of game balls to the launch device 72. Therefore, in the game inspection mode and frame inspection mode, since the game ball count display 180 shows "0," the arcade employee is unable to launch the game balls, and is therefore unable to allow the game balls to pass primarily through the launched ball detection sensor 16a, the returned ball detection sensor 17a, the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, the upstream monitoring sensor 32a, the lifting inlet sensor 33a, the lifting outlet sensor 34a (mainly the frame drive mechanism), and the discharge outlet sensor 15a.

[0270] In order to address the above-mentioned problems, in the present pachinko game machine PY1, when the game inspection mode and frame inspection mode are set and the game ball count display 180 displays "0", the frame control microcomputer 171 outputs a launch permission signal to the launch device 72 via the launch control circuit 175. That is, when the game inspection mode and frame inspection mode are set, game balls can be launched even if the game ball count display 180 displays "0".

[0271] Therefore, even if the game ball count indicator 180 shows "0" immediately after assembling the pachinko game machine PY1 by the on-site replacement method, the employee of the game arcade can shoot the game ball toward the game area 6. This allows the employee to pass the shot game ball through the shot ball detection sensor 16a, the return ball detection sensor 17a, the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, the upstream monitoring sensor 32a, the lifting inlet sensor 33a, the lifting outlet sensor 34a, and the outlet sensor 15a, even if the display shows that there are no balls in hand, and check whether these sensors are operating normally. This makes it possible to improve the convenience of the inspection in the game inspection mode and the frame inspection mode.

[0272] In the case of an enclosed pachinko, as shown in FIG. 5(A), only a predetermined number of game balls (for example, 50 balls) are stored in the storage device 25. Therefore, when the game inspection mode and frame inspection mode are set, an employee of the game arcade opens the front door 23 to the inner frame 21 and passes game balls through various sensors with his / her own hand. The game balls that have passed the various sensors are sent to the storage device 25 via the discharge path and the lifting device. As a result, the storage device 25 stores many game balls that exceed the predetermined number (for example, 50 balls), which may cause an error of excessive game balls. Therefore, the employee of the game arcade removes the balls so that all the game balls stored in the storage device 25 are removed to the outside of the enclosed pachinko. However, when the game balls stored in the storage device 25 are gone, the game balls cannot be launched.

[0273] Therefore, in this pachinko game machine PY1, when the game inspection mode and the frame inspection mode are set, if the frame control microcomputer 171 determines that no game balls are stored in the storage device 25, it rotates and drives a lifting motor (not shown) provided in the lifting device (not shown). As a result, a predetermined number of game balls (e.g., 20 balls) stored in the lifting device are sent toward the storage device 25 by the lifting motor. As a result, the storage device 25 stores a predetermined number of game balls, and it is possible to launch the game balls stored in the storage device 25 toward the game area 6. As a result, even after all game balls stored in the storage device 25 have been removed outside the sealed pachinko machine, the game balls can be fired, and as described above, the fired game balls can pass through the fired ball detection sensor 16a, the returned ball detection sensor 17a, the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, the upstream monitoring sensor 32a, the lifting inlet sensor 33a, the lifting outlet sensor 34a, and the discharge outlet sensor 15a.

[0274] Then, the employee of the game center opens the front door 23 relative to the inner frame 21 and passes the game balls through the first general winning opening sensor 10x, the second general winning opening sensor 10y, the third general winning opening sensor 10z, the first starting opening sensor 11a, the second starting opening sensor 12a, the gate sensor 13a, and the large winning opening sensor 14a with his own hands. This makes it possible to check that the above-mentioned various sensors are operating normally, and also makes it possible to prevent an excess game ball error from occurring even if the game balls that have passed through the various sensors are sent to the storage device 25 via the discharge path and the lifting device.

[0275] 10. Operation of the gaming control microcomputer Next, the operation of the game control microcomputer 101 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0276] [Main control main processing] When the power is turned on, the game control microcomputer 101 provided in the game control board 100 reads out and executes the program of the main control main processing shown in FIG. 36 from the game ROM 103. As shown in FIG. 36, in the main control main processing, the power-on processing described later is performed (S001). Next, interrupts are prohibited (S002), and the normal and special symbols main random number update processing is performed (S003). In this normal and special symbols main random number update processing (S003), various random number counter values ​​shown in FIG. 12 are updated by adding 1. When each random number counter value reaches the upper limit value, it returns to "0" and is added again. When the normal and special symbols main random number update processing (S003) is completed, interrupts are permitted (S004). While the interrupts are permitted, the main side timer interrupt processing (S005) can be executed. The main timer interrupt process (S005) is executed based on an interrupt pulse repeatedly input to the gaming CPU 102, for example, at a 4 msec cycle. That is, it is executed at a 4 msec cycle, for example. Then, after the main timer interrupt process (S005) ends, various counter value update processes are repeatedly executed by the normal symbol / special symbol main random number update process (S003) until the next main timer interrupt process (S005) starts. Note that, if an interrupt pulse is input to the gaming CPU 102 when the interrupt is prohibited, the main timer interrupt process (S005) does not start immediately, but starts after the interrupt is permitted (S004).

[0277] [Power-on processing] As shown in FIG. 37, in the power-on processing (S011), the game control microcomputer 101 first sets permission for access to the game RAM 104 (S011). This allows writing and reading of information to and from the game RAM 104. Next, the game control microcomputer 101 judges whether the RAM clear switch 191 has been pressed (whether it has been turned ON) (S012). That is, the game control microcomputer 101 judges whether it has received a RAM clear operation signal from the power supply board 190 when the power is turned on. If the RAM clear switch 191 has been pressed (YES in S012), the process proceeds to the game inspection mode processing of step S020. In this way, the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed with the power turned on, and the game goes to the game inspection mode. When the game inspection mode processing (S020) ends, the process proceeds to the RAM clear processing of step S018. In the RAM clear process (S018), the game control microcomputer 101 erases information related to the progress of the game stored in the game RAM 104 (for example, information on the game state such as a high probability state, information on the results of special chart reservation and jackpot hit / miss judgment, etc.), and outputs a RAM clear notification command to the performance control board 120. On the other hand, if the RAM clear switch 191 has not been pressed when the power is turned on (NO in S012), it then determines whether or not the power failure flag is ON (S013). The power failure flag is a flag that indicates the occurrence of a power failure (that the power supply has been cut off).

[0278] If the power-off flag is not ON (NO in S013), the power may not have been shut off properly, so the process proceeds to the RAM clear process in step S018. On the other hand, if the power-off flag is ON (YES in S013), a checksum is calculated (S014) and compared with the checksum calculated when the power was shut off (S015). The checksum is calculated by treating the game information stored in the game RAM 104 (particularly the RAM clear erasure area 104a) as numerical values ​​and adding them up. If the checksum values ​​do not match (NO in S015), the memory contents of the RAM clear erasure area 104a are not normal, so the process proceeds to the RAM clear process in step S018. On the other hand, if the checksum values ​​match (YES in S015), it is determined that the memory contents of the RAM clear erasure area 104a are normal, and the process proceeds to step S016.

[0279] In step S016, the setting management of the working area of ​​the game RAM 104 at the time of power recovery is performed. In this setting process, the power recovery information is read from the game ROM 103, and this power recovery information is set in the working area of ​​the game RAM 104. After that, the game control microcomputer 101 turns off the power interruption flag (S017) and proceeds to step S019.

[0280] In step S019, as other initial settings, the game control microcomputer 101 performs settings of the game CPU 102, SIO, PIO, CTC (circuit for managing interrupt time), etc., and then ends this process.

[0281] [Game Inspection Mode Processing] The game inspection mode processing (S020) is processing in which the game control microcomputer 101 sets the game inspection mode. As shown in FIG. 38, in the game inspection mode processing (S020), first, the game control microcomputer 101 outputs a frame inspection mode start command to the frame control board 170 and outputs an inspection mode presentation start command to the presentation control board 120 (S021). As a result, the frame control board 170 (frame control microcomputer 171) that has received the frame inspection mode start command understands that the game inspection mode has started and starts the frame inspection mode. Also, the presentation control board 120 (presentation control microcomputer 121) that has received the inspection mode presentation start command understands that the inspection mode (game inspection mode and frame inspection mode) has started and executes the inspection mode notification presentation.

[0282] In the inspection mode notification performance, as shown in FIG. 34(A), a game inspection mode image YK indicating "game inspection mode in progress" is displayed on the display screen 50a. This allows the employees of the game arcade to understand that the game inspection mode is set. Also, a frame inspection mode image WK indicating "frame inspection mode in progress" is displayed on the display screen 50a. This allows the employees of the game arcade to understand that the frame inspection mode is set. Also, a termination condition explanation image S2 indicating "The game inspection mode and frame inspection mode will end when two minutes have elapsed or the RAM clear switch is pressed" is displayed on the display screen 50a. This allows the employees of the game arcade to understand the termination conditions of the game inspection mode and frame inspection mode.

[0283] Following step S021, the gaming control microcomputer 101 executes an AT solenoid drive process (S022). In the AT solenoid drive process (S022), the AT solenoid 14s is driven so that the big winning opening 14 opens at predetermined short intervals (see FIG. 34(B)). This allows the employees of the gaming facility to confirm that the AT solenoid 14s, that is, the AT opening / closing member 14k, is operating correctly. Next, the gaming control microcomputer 101 executes an electric chute solenoid drive process (S023). In the electric chute solenoid drive process (S022), the electric chute solenoid 12s is driven so that the electric chute 12D (second starting opening 12) opens at predetermined short intervals (see FIG. 34(C)). This allows the employees of the gaming facility to confirm that the electric chute solenoid 12s, that is, the AT opening / closing member 14k, is operating correctly.

[0284] Following step S023, the game control microcomputer 101 judges whether the RAM clear switch 191 has been pressed (S024). That is, it judges whether the end condition (first end condition) of the game inspection mode is satisfied. If the RAM clear switch 191 has been pressed (YES in S024), the process proceeds to step S019, where a frame inspection mode end command is output to the frame control board 170 and an inspection mode presentation end command is output to the presentation control board 120. As a result, the frame control board 170 (frame control microcomputer 171) that has received the frame inspection mode end command knows that the game inspection mode has ended and ends the frame inspection mode. Also, the presentation control board 120 (presentation control microcomputer 121) that has received the inspection mode presentation end command knows that the game inspection mode and the frame inspection mode have ended and ends the inspection mode notification presentation shown in FIG. 34(A). After step S019, the process proceeds to a RAM clear process (see FIG. 37) of step S018 in order to end the game inspection mode process (S020).

[0285] Following step S024, the gaming control microcomputer 101 judges whether or not two minutes have passed since the gaming inspection mode was started (since the power was turned on) (S025). That is, it judges whether or not the termination condition (second termination condition) of the gaming inspection mode is satisfied. If two minutes have passed (YES in S025), the process proceeds to step S019, and as described above, outputs a frame inspection mode termination command to the frame control board 170. Thereafter, the process proceeds to the RAM clear process (see FIG. 37) in step S018 to terminate the gaming inspection mode process (S020).

[0286] If the gaming control microcomputer 101 determines in step S025 that two minutes have not elapsed, it determines that it is not yet time to end the gaming inspection mode. In this case, in step S026, the gaming control microcomputer 101 determines whether or not a detection signal has been input from the first start hole sensor 11a (S026). If a detection signal has been input from the first start hole sensor 11a (YES in S026), the first start hole sensor detection display process is executed (S027) and the process proceeds to step S028. In the first start hole sensor detection display process (S027), the gaming control microcomputer 101 transmits a display command to the frame control board 170 to display "H01" (see FIG. 35) on the game ball number display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 that has received the display command displays "H01" on the game ball number display 180, so that the employees of the game arcade can confirm that the first start hole sensor 11a is operating normally. In step S026, if a detection signal is not input from the first start port sensor 11a (NO in S026), the process skips step S027 and proceeds to step S028.

[0287] In step S028, the game control microcomputer 101 judges whether or not a detection signal has been input from the second start hole sensor 12a (S028). If a detection signal has been input from the second start hole sensor 12a (YES in S028), the game control microcomputer 101 executes a second start hole sensor detection display process (S029) and proceeds to step S030 shown in FIG. 39. In the second start hole sensor detection display process (S029), the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a display command to the frame control board 170 to display "H02" (see FIG. 35) on the game ball number display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 that has received the display command displays "H02" on the game ball number display 180, so that the employees of the game arcade can confirm that the second start hole sensor 12a is operating normally. In step S028, if a detection signal has not been input from the second start hole sensor 12a (NO in S028), the process skips step S029 and proceeds to step S030 shown in FIG.

[0288] As shown in FIG. 39, in step S030, the game control microcomputer 101 judges whether or not a detection signal has been input from the special prize opening sensor 14a. If a detection signal has been input from the special prize opening sensor 14a (YES in S030), the game control microcomputer 101 executes special prize opening sensor detection display processing (S031) and proceeds to step S032. In the special prize opening sensor detection display processing (S031), the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a display command to the frame control board 170 to display "H03" (see FIG. 35) on the game ball count display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 that has received the display command displays "H03" on the game ball count display 180, so that the employees of the game arcade can confirm that the special prize opening sensor 14a is operating normally. In step S030, if a detection signal is not input from the special prize opening sensor 14a (NO in S030), the process skips step S031 and proceeds to step S032.

[0289] In step S032, the game control microcomputer 101 judges whether or not a detection signal has been input from the first general winning opening sensor 10x. If a detection signal has been input from the first general winning opening sensor 10x (YES in S032), the game control microcomputer 101 executes a first general winning opening sensor detection display process (S033) and proceeds to step S034. In the first general winning opening sensor detection display process (S033), the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a display command to the frame control board 170 to display "H04" (see FIG. 35) on the game ball count display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 that has received the display command displays "H04" on the game ball count display 180, so that the employees of the game arcade can confirm that the first general winning opening sensor 10x is operating normally. In step S032, if a detection signal is not input from the first general winning port sensor 10x (NO in S032), the process skips step S033 and proceeds to step S034.

[0290] In step S034, the game control microcomputer 101 judges whether or not a detection signal has been input from the second general winning opening sensor 10y. If a detection signal has been input from the second general winning opening sensor 10y (YES in S034), the game control microcomputer 101 executes a second general winning opening sensor detection display process (S035) and proceeds to step S036. In the second general winning opening sensor detection display process (S035), the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a display command to the frame control board 170 to display "H05" (see FIG. 35) on the game ball count display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 that has received the display command displays "H05" on the game ball count display 180, so that the employees of the game arcade can confirm that the second general winning opening sensor 10y is operating normally. In step S034, if a detection signal is not input from the second general winning port sensor 10y (NO in S034), the process skips step S035 and proceeds to step S036.

[0291] In step S036, the gaming control microcomputer 101 judges whether or not a detection signal has been input from the third general winning opening sensor 10z. If a detection signal has been input from the third general winning opening sensor 10z (YES in S036), the gaming control microcomputer 101 executes a third general winning opening sensor detection display process (S037) and proceeds to step S038. In the third general winning opening sensor detection display process (S037), the gaming control microcomputer 101 transmits a display command to the frame control board 170 to display "H06" (see FIG. 35) on the game ball count display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 that has received the display command displays "H06" on the game ball count display 180, so that the employees of the gaming facility can confirm that the third general winning opening sensor 10z is operating normally. In step S036, if a detection signal is not input from the third general winning port sensor 10z (NO in S036), the process skips step S037 and proceeds to step S038.

[0292] In step S038, the gaming control microcomputer 101 judges whether or not a detection signal has been input from the outlet sensor 15a. If a detection signal has been input from the outlet sensor 15a (YES in S038), the gaming control microcomputer 101 executes an outlet sensor detection display process (S039) and proceeds to step S040. In the outlet sensor detection display process (S039), the gaming control microcomputer 101 transmits a display command to the frame control board 170 to display "H07" (see FIG. 35) on the game ball number display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 that has received the display command displays "H07" on the game ball number display 180, so that the employee of the game arcade can confirm that the outlet sensor 15a is operating normally. In step S038, if a detection signal has not been input from the outlet sensor 15a (NO in S038), the gaming control microcomputer 101 skips step S039 and proceeds to step S040.

[0293] In step S040, the game control microcomputer 101 judges whether or not a detection signal has been input from the gate sensor 13a. If a detection signal has been input from the gate sensor 13a (YES in S040), the game control microcomputer 101 executes a gate sensor detection display process (S041) and returns to step S024 shown in FIG. 38. In the gate sensor detection display process (S041), the game control microcomputer 101 transmits a display command to the frame control board 170 to display "H08" (see FIG. 35) on the game ball number display 180. As a result, the frame control microcomputer 171 that has received the display command displays "H08" on the game ball number display 180, so that the employee of the game arcade can confirm that the discharge port sensor 15a is operating normally. In step S040, if a detection signal has not been input from the gate sensor 13a (NO in S040), the game control microcomputer 101 skips step S041 and returns to step S024 shown in FIG. 38. In this manner, the processes of steps S024 to S039 are repeatedly executed unless the end condition of the game inspection mode is met.

[0294] [Main timer interrupt processing] The game control microcomputer 101 repeats the main timer interrupt processing (S005) shown in Fig. 40 every short time, for example, 4 msec. This main timer interrupt processing (S005) corresponds to the control processing that affects the game result. First, the game control microcomputer 101 performs random number update processing (S101) to update the jackpot random number used in the jackpot lottery, the win type random number for determining the type of jackpot, the reach random number for determining whether or not to enter a reach state in the performance pattern variation performance, the fluctuation pattern random number for determining the fluctuation pattern, the normal pattern random number (win random number) used in the normal pattern lottery, etc.

[0295] Next, the game control microcomputer 101 performs input processing (S102). In the input processing (S102), the microcomputer 101 reads detection signals detected by various sensors (general winning hole sensor 10a, first starting hole sensor 11a, second starting hole sensor 12a, gate sensor 13a, big winning hole sensor 14a, discharge hole sensor 15a, magnetic sensor 28a (see FIG. 9)) mainly attached to the pachinko game machine PY1, and sets a prize ball command for paying out prize balls according to the type of winning hole in the output buffer of the game RAM 104. As a result, the set prize ball command is transmitted to the frame control board 170 by the output processing (S108) described later.

[0296] Next, the game control microcomputer 101 executes a start hole sensor detection process (S103), a special action process (S104), and a normal action process (S105). In the start hole sensor detection process (S103), if there is a winning detection by the first start hole sensor 11a or the second start hole sensor 12a, random numbers such as a jackpot random number (jackpot random number, winning type random number, reach random number, and variable pattern random number (see FIG. 12(A))) are acquired on the condition that the reserved memory corresponding to the start hole where the winning detection occurred is less than four. Also, if there is a passage detection by the gate sensor 13a, a normal pattern random number (see FIG. 12(B)) is acquired on the condition that the reserved normal pattern is less than four.

[0297] In the special operation process (S104), random numbers such as the jackpot random number acquired in the start port sensor detection process (S103) are judged using the jackpot judgment table (see FIG. 13(A)), the win type judgment table (not shown), the reach judgment table (see FIG. 13(C)), and the special pattern variation pattern judgment table (see FIG. 14). Then, a special pattern is displayed (variable display and stationary display) to show the result of the jackpot lottery. When starting the variable display of the special pattern, a variation start command including information on the variable display pattern of the special pattern is set in the output buffer of the game RAM 104. Also, when starting the stationary display of the special pattern, a variation stop command is set in the output buffer of the game RAM 104. If the jackpot random number judgment result shows that a jackpot has been won, a jackpot game is played in which the jackpot winning port 14 is opened according to a predetermined opening pattern (opening time and number of openings, see FIG. 11) corresponding to the type of jackpot.

[0298] In the execution of a jackpot game, when starting an opening, the game control microcomputer 101 sets an opening command including information on the type of the jackpot symbol that has been won in the output buffer of the game RAM 104. When starting a round game, the game control microcomputer 101 sets a round designation command in the output buffer of the game RAM 104. When starting an ending, the game control microcomputer 101 sets an ending command in the output buffer of the game RAM 104. When the game state is changed in the special operation process (S104), a game state designation command including information on the game state is set in the output buffer of the game RAM 104. When there is no random number such as a jackpot random number stored in the special operation process (S104), a customer waiting standby command is set to cause the performance control microcomputer 121 to execute a customer waiting performance.

[0299] In the normal operation process (S105), a determination is made using the normal symbol random number obtained in the start hole sensor detection process (S103) and a normal symbol winning determination table (see FIG. 13(D)), and a normal symbol variation pattern selection table (see FIG. 13(E)) is used to select the normal symbol variation time according to the game status. Then, normal symbols are displayed (variable display and stationary display) to notify the result of the normal symbol lottery determination. If the normal symbol random number determination shows that a normal winning symbol has been selected, an auxiliary game is played in which the electric chute 12D is opened according to a predetermined opening pattern (opening time and number of openings, see FIG. 13(F)) according to the game status.

[0300] Next, the gaming control microcomputer 101 executes a fraud detection process (S106). In the fraud detection process (S106), for example, it is determined whether or not a detection signal by the magnetic sensor 28a has been received, and if so, the information of the detection signal by the magnetic sensor 28a is set in the gaming RAM 104. As a result, the information of the detection signal by the magnetic sensor 28a is transmitted to the frame control board 170 by an output process (S108) described later.

[0301] Next, the game control microcomputer 101 executes left-hit base calculation processing (S107). In the left-hit base calculation processing (S107), in the micro-time-saving state, the total number of winning balls in the micro-time-saving mode is calculated based on the detection signal from the general winning hole sensor 10a, the detection signal from the first starting hole sensor 11a, and the detection signal from the second starting hole sensor 12a. Also, in the micro-time-saving state, the number of micro-time-saving shot balls is calculated based on the detection signal from the discharge hole sensor 15a. Also, in the normal game state, the total number of normal winning balls is calculated based on the detection signal from the general winning hole sensor 10a, the detection signal from the first starting hole sensor 11a, and the detection signal from the second starting hole sensor 12a. Also, in the normal game state, the number of normal shot balls is calculated based on the detection signal from the discharge hole sensor 15a. In this way, the game control microcomputer 101 sequentially calculates the left-hit base, which is the ratio between the total number of winning balls hit from the left (total number of winning balls for micro-time-saving, total number of winning balls for normal play) and the number of balls fired from the left (number of balls fired from the micro-time-saving, number of balls fired from the micro-time-saving). Specifically, the left-hit base is calculated by dividing the total number of winning balls hit from the left by the number of balls fired from the left and multiplying the result by 100. The game control microcomputer 101 sequentially counts the total number of balls fired based on the detection signal from the discharge port sensor 15a in all game states.

[0302] Then, the game control microcomputer 101 executes the output process (S108) and ends this process. In the output process (S108), the commands set in the game RAM 104 in each of the above processes are output to the performance control board 120, and the commands set in the game RAM 104 are output to the frame control board 170. Therefore, the game state designation command is output to the frame control board 170 by the output process (S108). This allows the frame control microcomputer 171 to grasp the current game state. In addition, the output process (S108) also outputs information on the left hit base value, information on the total number of shot balls, information on the number of shot balls by left hit, information on the detection signal by the magnetic sensor 28a, information on winning the jackpot (jackpot signal), and the like to the frame control board 170.

[0303] 11. Operation of the performance control microcomputer Next, the operation of performance control microcomputer 121 will be described with reference to Figs.

[0304] [Sub-control main processing] When power is turned on, the performance control microcomputer 121 provided in the performance control board 120 reads out and executes the sub-control main processing program shown in Fig. 41 from the performance ROM 123. As shown in Fig. 41, in the sub-control main processing, it is determined whether the sub-side power cut flag is ON and the contents of the performance RAM 124 are normal (S1001). The sub-side power cut flag is a flag that indicates the occurrence of a power cut. If the determination result in step S1001 is NO, that is, if the sub-side power cut flag is not ON, or if the sub-side power cut flag is ON but the contents of the performance RAM 124 are not normal, the performance RAM 124 is initialized (S1002) and the process proceeds to step S1003.

[0305] On the other hand, if the determination result in step S1001 is YES, that is, if the sub-side power cut flag has been turned ON due to a power cut but the contents of the performance RAM 124 are maintained normally, it is then determined whether or not a RAM clear notification command has been received (S1011). If a RAM clear notification command has been received (YES in S1011), the game RAM 104 of the game control board 100 has been cleared. Therefore, the performance RAM 124 of the performance control board 120 is cleared (S1002), and the process proceeds to step S1003. On the other hand, if a RAM clear notification command has not been received (NO in S1011), the performance RAM 124 is not cleared and the process proceeds to step S1003.

[0306] In step S1003, other initial settings are performed. For example, the settings of the performance CPU 122, SIO, PIO, CTC (circuit for managing interrupt time), etc. are performed. Also, if the sub-side power cut flag is ON, it is turned OFF.

[0307] In step S1004, interrupts are inhibited. Next, a random number seed update process is executed (S1005). In the random number seed update process (S1005), the values ​​of various random number counters for determining effects are updated. When the random number seed update process (S1005) is completed, a command transmission process is executed (S1006). In the command transmission process (S1006), various commands stored in the output buffer in the performance RAM 124 of the performance control board 120 are transmitted to the image control board 140. The image control board 140 that has received the command executes various performances (variable performances, opening performances, round performances, and jackpot performances consisting of ending performances, etc.) using the image display device 50 in accordance with the command. The performance control microcomputer 121 then permits interrupts (S1007). Thereafter, steps S1004 to S1007 are looped. While interrupts are enabled, the sub-side power interruption monitoring process (S1012), the receive interrupt process (S1008), the 1 ms timer interrupt process (S1009), and the 10 ms timer interrupt process (S1010) can be executed.

[0308] [1 ms timer interrupt processing] The 1 ms timer interrupt processing (S1009) is executed each time an interrupt pulse with a 1 msec period is input to the performance control board 120. As shown in Fig. 42, the 1 ms timer interrupt processing (S1009) first performs input processing (S1201). In the input processing (S1201), switch data (edge ​​data and level data) is created based on detection signals from the input section detection sensor 40a (see Fig. 10) and the select button detection sensor 42a (see Fig. 10).

[0309] Next, lamp data output processing is performed (S1202). In the lamp data output processing (S1202), in order to cause the frame lamp 56 and the board lamp 54 to emit light at a timing suited to the performance, the set lamp data (data for controlling the emission of the frame lamp 56 and the board lamp 54) is output to the sub-drive board 162. As a result, the sub-drive board 162 controls the emission of the frame lamp 56 and the board lamp 54.

[0310] Next, a drive control process (S1203) is performed. In the drive control process (S1203), drive data is created and output to drive the board movable body 55k at a timing that matches the performance. In other words, the board movable body 55k is driven in a predetermined operating mode according to the drive data. Then, a watchdog timer process (S1204) is performed to reset the watchdog timer, and this process is completed.

[0311] [10 ms timer interrupt processing] The 10 ms timer interrupt processing (S1010) is executed every time an interrupt pulse with a 10 msec period is input to the performance control board 120. As shown in FIG. 43, the 10 ms timer interrupt processing (S1010) first performs a received command analysis processing (S1301). In the received command analysis processing (S1301), the performance control microcomputer 121 judges whether or not it has received a fluctuation start command from the game control microcomputer 101, and if it has received it, it executes a variable performance pattern selection processing. In the received command analysis processing (S1301), it also judges whether or not it has received an opening command from the game control microcomputer 101, and if it has received it, it executes an opening performance selection processing. In addition, if it has received a round designation command, it executes a round performance selection processing, and if it has received an ending command, it executes an ending performance selection processing.

[0312] In addition, in the received command analysis process (S1301), the presentation control microcomputer 121 judges whether an inspection mode presentation start command has been received from the game control microcomputer 101, and if so, executes a frame mode notification presentation selection process for executing the inspection mode notification presentation shown in Fig. 34(A). Also, it judges whether an inspection mode presentation end command has been received from the game control microcomputer 101, and if so, executes a frame mode notification presentation end process for ending the inspection mode notification presentation shown in Fig. 34(A).

[0313] Following the received command analysis process (S1301), the performance control microcomputer 121 performs a switch state acquisition process (S1302) to store the switch data created in the 1 ms timer interrupt process in the performance RAM 124 as switch data for the 10 ms timer interrupt process. Next, a switch process (S1303) is performed to set the display contents of the display screen 50a based on the switch data stored in the switch state acquisition process (S1302).

[0314] Thereafter, the performance control microcomputer 121 performs lamp processing (S1304). In the lamp processing (S1304), lamp data (data for controlling the lighting of the frame lamp 56 and the board lamp 54) is created, and time management of the light emission performance is performed. Next, audio control processing (S1305) is performed. In the audio control processing (S1305), audio data (data for controlling the output of audio from the speaker 610) is created and output to the audio control board 161, and time management of the audio performance is performed. As a result, audio suited to the performance to be executed is output from the speaker 610. Then, other processing such as updating various random numbers for determining performance is performed (S1306), and this processing ends.

[0315] 12. Operation of the frame control microcomputer [Frame control timer interrupt processing] Next, the operation of the frame control microcomputer 171 will be described with reference to Fig. 44 to Fig. 53. As shown in Fig. 44, the frame control microcomputer 171 executes a power-on process (S2001), and then executes a frame control timer interrupt processing (S2002) every time an interrupt pulse with a period of several msec (3 msec in this embodiment) is input to the frame control board 170.

[0316] As shown in FIG. 45, in the power-on process (S2001), the frame control microcomputer 171 first determines whether or not a frame inspection mode start command has been received from the game control microcomputer 101 (S2100). If the frame inspection mode start command has not been received (NO in S2100), the initial setting process is executed (S2104) and the process ends. On the other hand, if the frame inspection mode start command has been received (YES in S2100), the frame inspection mode process described below is executed (S2101). This starts the frame inspection mode. Next, the frame inspection launch control process is executed (S2102).

[0317] In the frame inspection launch control process (S2102), the frame control microcomputer 171 outputs a launch permission signal to the launch device 72 via the launch control circuit 175 to enable launch of game balls, regardless of whether there are balls in hand (the game ball number display 180 shows "1" or more) or whether there are no balls in hand (the game ball number display 180 shows "0"). Therefore, when the game inspection mode and frame inspection mode are set, game balls can be launched toward the game area 6 regardless of whether there are balls in hand. In other words, when the game inspection mode and frame inspection mode are set, even if the game ball number display 180 shows "0," an employee of the arcade can launch game balls.

[0318] Following step S2102, the frame control microcomputer 171 determines whether or not a frame inspection mode end command has been received from the game control microcomputer 101 (S2103). If the frame inspection mode end command has not been received (NO in S2103), the process returns to the frame inspection mode process of step S2101. On the other hand, if the frame inspection mode end command has been received (YES in S2103), the process executes initial setting process (S2104) and ends this process. In this way, the frame inspection mode ends.

[0319] [Frame Inspection Mode Processing] The frame inspection mode processing (S2101) is processing that the frame control microcomputer 171 sets to the frame inspection mode. As shown in FIG. 46, in the frame inspection mode processing (S2101), first, the frame control microcomputer 171 judges whether or not a detection signal is input from the shot ball detection sensor 16a (S2201). If a detection signal is input from the shot ball detection sensor 16a (YES in S2201), the frame control microcomputer 171 executes the shot ball sensor detection display processing (S2202) and proceeds to step S2203. In the shot ball sensor detection display processing (S2202), the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H09" on the game ball number display 180 (see FIG. 35). This allows the employees of the game arcade to confirm that the shot ball detection sensor 16a is operating normally. In step S2201, if a detection signal is not input from the first start port sensor 11a (NO in S2201), step S2202 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S2203.

[0320] In step S2203, the frame control microcomputer 171 judges whether or not a detection signal has been input from the return ball detection sensor 17a. If a detection signal has been input from the return ball detection sensor 17a (YES in S2203), the frame control microcomputer 171 executes a return ball sensor detection display process (S2204) and proceeds to step S2205. In the return ball sensor detection display process (S2204), the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H10" on the game ball count display 180 (see FIG. 35). This allows the employees of the game arcade to confirm that the return ball detection sensor 17a is operating normally. In step S2203, if a detection signal has not been input from the return ball detection sensor 17a (NO in S2203), the frame control microcomputer 171 skips step S2204 and proceeds to step S2205.

[0321] In step S2205, the frame control microcomputer 171 judges whether or not a detection signal has been input from the upstream monitoring sensor 32a. If a detection signal has been input from the upstream monitoring sensor 32a (YES in S2205), the frame control microcomputer 171 executes an upstream monitoring sensor detection display process (S2206) and proceeds to step S2207. In the upstream monitoring sensor detection display process (S2206), the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H11" on the game ball count display 180 (see FIG. 35). This allows the employees of the game arcade to confirm that the upstream monitoring sensor 32a is operating normally. In step S2205, if a detection signal has not been input from the upstream monitoring sensor 32a (NO in S2205), the frame control microcomputer 171 skips step S2206 and proceeds to step S2207.

[0322] In step S2207, the frame control microcomputer 171 judges whether or not a detection signal has been input from the downstream monitoring sensor 31a. If a detection signal has been input from the downstream monitoring sensor 31a (YES in S2207), the frame control microcomputer 171 executes downstream monitoring sensor detection display processing (S2208) and proceeds to step S2209. In the downstream monitoring sensor detection display processing (S2208), the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H12" on the game ball count display 180 (see FIG. 35). This allows the employees of the game arcade to confirm that the downstream monitoring sensor 31a is operating normally. In step S2207, if a detection signal has not been input from the downstream monitoring sensor 31a (NO in S2207), the frame control microcomputer 171 skips step S2208 and proceeds to step S2209.

[0323] In step S2209, the frame control microcomputer 171 judges whether or not a detection signal has been input from the lifting inlet sensor 33a. If a detection signal has been input from the lifting inlet sensor 33a (YES in S2209), a lifting inlet sensor detection display process is executed (S2210), and the process proceeds to step S2211. In the lifting inlet sensor detection display process (S2210), the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H13" on the game ball count display 180 (see FIG. 35). This allows the employees of the game arcade to confirm that the lifting inlet sensor 33a is operating normally. In step S2209, if a detection signal has not been input from the lifting inlet sensor 33a (NO in S2209), the process skips step S2210 and proceeds to step S2211.

[0324] In step S2211, the frame control microcomputer 171 judges whether or not a detection signal has been input from the lifting exit sensor 34a. If a detection signal has been input from the lifting exit sensor 34a (YES in S2211), the frame control microcomputer 171 executes a lifting exit sensor detection display process (S2212) and proceeds to step S2213. In the lifting exit sensor detection display process (S2212), the frame control microcomputer 171 displays "H14" on the game ball count display 180 (see FIG. 35). This allows the employees of the game arcade to confirm that the lifting exit sensor 34a is operating normally. In step S2211, if a detection signal has not been input from the lifting exit sensor 34a (NO in S2211), the frame control microcomputer 171 skips step S2212 and ends this process.

[0325] [Frame control timer interrupt processing] In the frame control timer interrupt processing (S2202), as shown in FIG. 47, the frame control microcomputer 171 first executes the launch control processing (S3000). In this launch control processing (S3000), unlike the above-mentioned frame inspection launch control processing (S2102), the frame control microcomputer 171 outputs a launch permission signal that enables the launch of game balls to the launch device 72 via the launch control circuit 175 when there are balls held (the game ball number display 180 displays "1" or more). On the other hand, when there are no balls held (the game ball number display 180 displays "0"), the frame control microcomputer 171 does not output a launch permission signal that enables the launch of game balls to the launch device 72 via the launch control circuit 175. In this way, after the game inspection mode and the frame inspection mode are finished, game balls can be launched only when there are balls held.

[0326] Following step S3000, the frame control microcomputer 171 executes input processing (S3001) to be described later. Next, it executes game control board output processing to output the signal (command, etc.) set in the frame RAM 174 to the game control board 100 (S3002). Note that since the present pachinko game machine PY1 is an enclosed type pachinko and does not have a prize ball payout device, the frame control microcomputer 171 does not need to execute prize ball motor control processing to drive the prize ball motor of the prize ball payout device.

[0327] Next, the frame control microcontroller 171 executes a dedicated external unit output process to transmit the lending information, counting information, and gaming machine information (gaming machine installation information, gaming machine performance information, hall control information, and fraud monitoring information) shown in FIG. 18 to the dedicated external unit 200 via asynchronous serial communication (S3003). In the dedicated external unit output processing (S3003), as shown in FIG. 18, the timing for transmitting information related to lending is 50 ms after receiving information related to lending from the dedicated external unit 200, the timing for transmitting information related to counting is in 300 ms cycles, the timing for transmitting gaming machine information including gaming machine installation information as its content is in 60 s cycles, the timing for transmitting gaming machine information including gaming machine performance information (including information on the number of gaming balls acquired in one minute measured in the number of gaming balls acquired in one minute measurement processing in step S3120 described later) as its content is in 180 s cycles, and the timing for transmitting gaming machine information including hall control information and fraud monitoring information as its content is in 300 ms cycles.

[0328] Next, the frame control microcomputer 171 executes a frame board display display process (S3004) to be described later. Then, it executes a display color setting process (S3005) to be described later. Then, it executes a counting process (S3006) to be described later. After that, it executes other processes (S3007) and ends this process.

[0329] [Input Processing] As shown in FIG. 48, in the input processing (S3001), the frame control microcomputer 171 first judges whether or not it has received information related to lending (see FIG. 17) from the dedicated external unit 200 (S3101). If it has not been received (NO in S3101), the process proceeds to step S3105. On the other hand, if it has been received (YES in S3101), a game ball number setting process is executed to newly set the number of game balls (number of balls held) to be displayed on the game ball number display 180 based on the information on the number of lent balls included in the information related to lending (S3102). As a result, the game ball number display 180 displays a new number of game balls, which is the sum of the number of game balls previously displayed and the number of lent balls.

[0330] In step S3105, it is determined whether or not a detection signal has been received from the shot ball detection sensor 16a. If a detection signal has not been received (NO in S3105), the player has not shot the game ball, so the process proceeds to step S3107. On the other hand, if a detection signal has been received (YES in S3105), a game ball number subtraction process is executed to decrease the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 by "1" (S3106), and the process proceeds to step S3107.

[0331] In step S3107, it is determined whether or not a detection signal is received from the return ball detection sensor 17a. If a detection signal is not received (NO in S3107), no game ball has passed through the return flow path MR, and no foul ball has been thrown. In this case, the process immediately proceeds to step S3109. On the other hand, if a detection signal is received (YES in S3107), a foul ball has been thrown. In this case, a game ball number addition process is executed to increase the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 by "1" (S3108), and the process proceeds to step S3109. In this way, even if a foul ball is thrown, the number of game balls of the player is not substantially decreased, and it is possible to prevent the player from suffering any disadvantage.

[0332] In step S3109, it is determined whether or not a prize ball command has been received from the game control board 100. If not (NO in S3109), the process proceeds to step S3112 shown in FIG. 49. On the other hand, if the prize ball command has been received (YES in S3109), a prize ball command analysis process is executed (S3110) to analyze the information included in the prize ball command (information on the number of prize balls, information that can determine which winning slot the ball was won in). Next, based on the analysis result of the prize ball command, a game ball number addition process is executed (S3111) to increase the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180, and the process proceeds to step S3112 shown in FIG. 49.

[0333] As shown in Fig. 49, in step S3112, it is determined whether or not the frame open sensor 2a is ON based on the reception status of the detection signal by the frame open sensor 2a. If it is determined that the frame open sensor 2a is not ON (NO in S3112), the process proceeds to step S3114. On the other hand, if it is determined that the frame open sensor 2a is ON (YES in S3112), the frame open flag is set ON (S3113), and the process proceeds to step S3114. The frame open flag is a flag that indicates that the gaming machine frame 2 is open.

[0334] In step S3114, it is determined whether the frame open sensor 2a is in the OFF state based on the reception status of the detection signal by the frame open sensor 2a. If it is determined that the frame open sensor 2a is not in the OFF state (remains in the ON state) (NO in S3114), the process proceeds to step S3116. On the other hand, if it is determined that the frame open sensor 2a is in the OFF state (YES in S3114), the frame open flag is turned OFF (S3115) and the process proceeds to step S3116. In this way, the frame control microcomputer 171 sets the "5" bit in the data indicating the gaming machine error state (see FIG. 20) to "0" or "1" based on whether the frame open flag is ON or OFF.

[0335] In step S3116, it is determined whether or not the call sensor 41a is ON based on the reception status of the detection signal by the call sensor 41a. If it is determined that the call sensor 41a is not ON (NO in S3116), the process proceeds to step S3118. On the other hand, if it is determined that the call sensor 41a is ON (YES in S3116), the call flag is set ON (S3117), and the process proceeds to step S3118. The call flag is a flag that indicates that the call switch 41k has been pressed.

[0336] In step S3118, it is determined whether or not the call sensor 41a is in the OFF state based on the reception status of the detection signal by the call sensor 41a. If it is determined that the call sensor 41a is not in the OFF state (remains in the ON state) (NO in S3118), the process proceeds to step S3120. On the other hand, if it is determined that the call sensor 41a is in the OFF state (YES in S3118), the call flag is turned OFF (S3119) and the process proceeds to step S3120. In this way, the frame control microcomputer 171 sets the "7th" bit in the data indicating the fraud detection state (see FIG. 20) to "0" or "1" based on whether the call flag is ON or OFF.

[0337] In step S3120, the frame control microcomputer 171 measures the number of game balls acquired per minute, which is the total number of prize balls acquired by the player when 100 game balls are shot. Specifically, the frame control microcomputer 171 sequentially monitors whether the period is one in which 100 game balls are shot by the game ball number subtraction process in step S3106 (it is constantly monitoring from the time the power is turned on). Then, when it is determined that the period is one in which 100 game balls are shot, it calculates the value by which the number of game balls has increased during the period in which 100 game balls are shot by the game ball number addition process in step S3111. In this way, the frame control microcomputer 171 always calculates the value by which the number of game balls has increased during the period in which 100 game balls are shot from the time the power is turned on, and measures (calculates) the number of game balls acquired per minute. In this way, the information on the measured number of game balls acquired per minute is transmitted to the dedicated external unit 200 by the dedicated external unit output process (S3003) described above. After that, in step S3121, other input processes (such as processes based on detection signals from other sensors) are executed, and this process ends.

[0338] [Frame Board Display Display Processing] The frame board display display processing (S3004) is processing for the frame control microcomputer 171 to control the display on the frame board display 300 (see Figs. 27 and 28). In this frame board display display processing (S3004), the frame control microcomputer 171 uses a display flag to control the display of the number of game balls shown in Fig. 27 when the value of the display flag is "1", to show the light-off state after the display of the number of game balls when the value of the display flag is "2", to show the base display shown in Fig. 27 when the value of the display flag is "3", to show the light-off state after the base display when the value of the display flag is "4", to show the error display shown in Fig. 27 when the value of the display flag is "5", and to show the light-off state after the error display when the value of the display flag is "6".

[0339] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 50, in step S3200, it is determined whether the value of the display flag is "1". If it is "1" (YES in S3200), the frame control microcomputer 171 executes a game ball number display setting process to display the same number of game balls as the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 on the frame board display 300 (S3201). Then, it is determined whether 5000 ms, which is the display time for displaying the game ball number, has elapsed (S3202). If 5000 ms has not elapsed (NO in S3202), this process is terminated. On the other hand, if 5000 ms has elapsed (YES in S3202), the value of the display flag is set to "2" (S3203), and this process is terminated. In this way, the game ball number display is executed on the frame board display 300 for 5000 ms (see FIG. 27).

[0340] Also, in step S3200, if the value of the display flag is not "1" (NO in S3200), it is then determined whether or not the value of the display flag is "2" (S3204). If it is "2" (YES in S3204), a light-off setting process is executed to turn off all the lighted parts LB1 to LB48 (see FIG. 8) of the frame board display 300 (S3205). Then, it is determined whether or not 500 ms has elapsed (S3206). If 500 ms has not elapsed (NO in S3206), the light-off state is still continued, so this process is terminated. On the other hand, if 500 ms has elapsed (YES in S3206), the value of the display flag is set to "3" (S3207), and this process is terminated. In this way, after displaying the number of game balls for 5000 ms, the frame board display 300 is turned off for a short period of 500 ms (see FIG. 27).

[0341] Also, in step S3204, if the value of the display flag is not "2" (NO in S3204), it is then determined whether or not the value of the display flag is "3" (S3208). If it is "3" (YES in S3208), the frame control microcomputer 171 executes a base display setting process for displaying the base (displaying one of "bL.", "b1", "b2.", or "b3." and the left-handed base) on the frame board display 300 (S3209). Then, it is determined whether or not 5000 ms, which is the display time for the base display, has elapsed (S3210). If 5000 ms has not elapsed (NO in S3210), this process is terminated. On the other hand, if 5000 ms has elapsed (YES in S3210), the value of the display flag is set to "4" (S3211), and this process is terminated. In this way, the base display is executed on the frame board display 300 for 5000 ms (see FIG. 27).

[0342] Also, in step S3208, if the value of the display flag is not "3" (NO in S3208), the process proceeds to step S3212 shown in FIG. 51, where it is determined whether the value of the display flag is "4". If it is "4" (YES in S3212), a light-off setting process is executed to turn off all the lighting parts LB1 to LB48 (see FIG. 8) of the frame board display 300 (S3213). Then, it is determined whether 500 ms have elapsed (S3214). If 500 ms have not elapsed (NO in S3214), the light-off state is still continued, so this process is terminated. On the other hand, if 500 ms have elapsed (YES in S3214), the value of the display flag is set to "5" (S3215), and this process is terminated. In this way, after the base display for 5000 ms, the frame board display 300 is in the light-off state for a short period of 500 ms (see FIG. 27).

[0343] Also, in step S3212, if the value of the display flag is not "4" (NO in S3212), it is then determined whether or not the value of the display flag is "5" (S3216). If it is "5" (YES in S3216), the frame control microcomputer 171 determines whether or not an error code is present based on the information on the detection signal by the frame opening sensor 2a, the detection signal by the radio wave sensor 18a, the detection signal by the call sensor 41a, and the detection signal by the magnetic sensor 28a transmitted from the game control board 100, and the error code table shown in FIG. 26 (S3217). Then, if it is determined that an error code is present (YES in S3217), an error display setting process for displaying the error code is executed on the frame board display 300 (S3218). Then, it is determined whether or not 5000 ms, which is the display time for the error display, has elapsed (S3219). If 5000 ms has not elapsed (NO in S3219), this process is terminated. On the other hand, if 5000 ms have elapsed (YES in S3219), the value of the display flag is set to "6" (S3220) and this process ends. Thus, if there is an error code, an error display is executed on the frame board display 300 for 5000 ms (see FIG. 27).

[0344] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3217 that there is no error code (NO in S3217), the error display setting process in step S3218 is not executed, and the value of the display flag is set to "1" in step S3221, and this process ends. Thereafter, since the value of the display flag is "1", as described above, the game ball count display is executed again for 5000 ms. In this way, if there is no error code, as shown in FIG. 28, the error display is not executed, and the game ball count display for 5000 ms ⇒ the light off state for 500 ms ⇒ the base display for 5000 ms ⇒ the light off state for 500 ms is repeated.

[0345] Furthermore, in step S3216, if the value of the display flag is not "5" (NO in S3216), it is determined whether or not the value of the display flag is "6." If it is not "6" (NO in S3222), this process ends. On the other hand, if it is "6" (YES in S3222), a light-off setting process is executed (S3223) to turn off all of the lighting units LB1 to LB48 (see FIG. 8) of the frame board display 300. Then, it is determined whether or not 500 ms have elapsed (S3224). If 500 ms have not elapsed (NO in S3224), the light-off state is still to be continued, so this process ends. On the other hand, if 500 ms have elapsed (YES in S3224), the value of the display flag is set to "1" (S3225), and this process ends. In this way, when the error display is executed for 5000 ms, the frame board display 300 is then turned off for a short period of 500 ms (see FIG. 27). Then, the value of the display flag becomes "1", and the game ball count display is executed again for 5000 ms as described above.

[0346] [Display Color Setting Process] The display color setting process (S3005) is a process in which the frame control microcomputer 171 sets the display color of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180. As shown in FIG. 52, in the display color setting process (S3005), the frame control microcomputer 171 first determines whether the current game state is in a micro-time-shortening state based on a game state designation command transmitted from the game control board 100 (S3301). If it is in a micro-time-shortening state (YES in S3301), a white display setting process is executed to set the display color of the number of game balls displayed on the game ball number display 180 to white (see FIG. 22) (S3302), and this process is terminated. As a result, the game ball number display 180 displays the number of game balls in white, so that the player can be made aware of the micro-time-shortening game state while grasping the number of game balls.

[0347] If it is determined in step S3301 that the game is not in the micro-time-saving state (NO in S3301), it is then determined whether or not the game is in the normal game state (S3303). If the game is in the normal game state (YES in S3303), a blue display setting process is executed to set the display color of the game ball count displayed on the game ball count display 180 to blue (see FIG. 22) (S3304), and this process ends. As a result, the game ball count display 180 displays the game ball count in blue, so that the player can be made aware that the game is in the normal game state while being aware of the number of game balls.

[0348] Also, if it is determined in step S3303 that the game is not in a normal game state (NO in S3303), it is then determined whether or not the game is in a low-probability time-saving state (S3305). If the game is in a low-probability time-saving state (YES in S3305), a green display setting process is executed to set the display color of the game ball count displayed on the game ball count display 180 to green (see FIG. 22) (S3306), and this process ends. As a result, the game ball count display 180 shows the green game ball count, so that the player can be made aware of the low-probability time-saving state while understanding the game ball count.

[0349] Also, if it is determined in step S3303 that the game is not in a low-probability time-saving state (NO in S3305), it is then determined whether or not the game is in a high-probability time-saving state (S3307). If the game is in a high-probability time-saving state (YES in S3307), a red display setting process is executed to set the display color of the game ball count displayed on the game ball count display 180 to red (see FIG. 22) (S3308), and this process ends. As a result, the game ball count display 180 shows the game ball count in red, so that the player can be made aware of the high-probability time-saving state while being aware of the game ball count.

[0350] Also, if it is determined in step S3307 that the game is not in the high probability time-saving state (NO in S3307), the game is in the jackpot game state. In this case, therefore, a rainbow color display setting process is executed (S3309) to set the display color of the game ball count displayed on the game ball count display 180 to rainbow colors (see FIG. 22), and this process ends. As a result, the game ball count display 180 displays the game ball count in rainbow colors, so that the player can be made aware that the game is in the jackpot game state (the jackpot game is being played) while being aware of the number of game balls.

[0351] [Counting process] The counting process (S3006) is a process in which the frame control microcomputer 171 executes the 250 ball counting process (S3407) (S3409) or the 1 ball counting process (S3410) based on the pressing operation of the counting button 43k. As shown in FIG. 53, in the counting process (S3006), the frame control microcomputer 171 first judges whether or not there is an abnormality in the present pachinko game machine PY1 (S3401). Here, the abnormality in the present pachinko game machine PY1 is an abnormality in communication between the frame control board 170 and the dedicated external unit 200, the frame opening shown in FIG. 26, radio wave irregularity, magnetic irregularity, an abnormality during calling (pressing operation of the call switch 41k), and the like.

[0352] If there is no abnormality in the pachinko game machine PY1 (NO in S3401), it is then determined whether the long press flag is ON and the count button 43k has been operated (S3402). The long press flag indicates that the count button 43k has been pressed for a long time. If the long press flag is OFF or the count button 43k has not been operated (NO in S3402), it is determined whether the count button 43k has been pressed for a long time of 4000 ms or more (S3403). If the count button 43k has been pressed for a long time of 4000 ms or more (YES in S3403), the long press flag is turned ON (S3404) and the process proceeds to step S3405. In this way, the frame control microcomputer 171 successively monitors whether a long press operation has been performed. On the other hand, if the count button 43k has not been pressed for 4000 ms or longer (NO in S3403), the process skips step S3404 and proceeds to step S3405.

[0353] In step S3405, the frame control microcomputer 171 determines whether the communication cycle with the dedicated external unit 200 is 300 ms. If the communication cycle is not 300 ms (NO in S3405), it is not the timing to execute the 250 ball counting process (S3407) (S3409) or the 1 ball counting process (S3410), and this process ends. On the other hand, if the communication cycle is 300 ms (YES in S3405), it determines whether the long press flag is ON (S3406). If the long press flag is ON (YES in S3406), the 250 ball counting process is executed (S3407), and this process ends.

[0354] As a result, after the counting button 43k is pressed for a long time, regardless of whether the counting button 43k is pressed for a long time or not, the 250 ball counting process can be executed at a communication cycle of 300 ms until the number of balls held becomes "0". At this time, the frame control microcomputer 171 subtracts 3 every 3 ms so that the value displayed on the game ball number display 180 is subtracted by 250. When the frame control microcomputer 171 executes the 250 ball counting process (S3407), if the value displayed on the game ball number display 180 is less than 250, it executes the counting process by the value displayed on the game ball number display 180 and subtracts 3 every 3 ms until the value displayed on the game ball number display 180 becomes "0".

[0355] Also, in step S3406, if the frame control microcomputer 171 determines that the long press flag is not ON (NO in S3406), it then determines whether the counting button 43k has been pressed for 500 ms or more (S3408). If the counting button 43k has been pressed for 500 ms or more (YES in S3408), it executes the 250 ball counting process (S3409) and ends this process. As a result, the counting button 43k is pressed for a long time in a communication cycle of 300 ms, so the 250 ball counting process (S3409) is executed. At this time, the frame control microcomputer 171 subtracts 3 every 3 ms so that the value displayed on the game ball count display 180 is subtracted by 250. When executing the 250 ball counting process (S3409), if the value displayed on the game ball number display 180 is less than 250, the frame control microcomputer 171 executes the counting process for the value displayed on the game ball number display 180, and subtracts 3 every 3 ms until the value displayed on the game ball number display 180 becomes "0".

[0356] Also, in step S3408, if the frame control microcomputer 171 determines that the counting button 43k has not been pressed for 500 ms or more (NO in S3408), it then determines whether the counting button 43k has been pressed once (S3410). If the counting button 43k has not been pressed once (NO in S3410), this process ends. On the other hand, if the counting button 43k has been pressed once (YES in S3410), one ball counting process is executed (S3411) and this process ends. As a result, since the counting button 43k is pressed once at a communication cycle of 300 ms, one ball counting process is executed. At this time, the frame control microcomputer 171 displays the value displayed on the game ball number display 180 so that it is subtracted by 1.

[0357] Also, in step S3401, if the frame control microcomputer 171 determines that there is an abnormality in the pachinko game machine PY1 (YES in S3401), the process proceeds to step S3412. That is, if it determines that there is an abnormality in communication between the frame control board 170 and the dedicated external unit 200, an abnormality such as frame opening shown in FIG. 26, radio wave fraud, magnetic fraud, or calling (pressing the call switch 41k), the process proceeds to step S3412. Also, in step S3402, if the frame control microcomputer 171 determines that the long press flag is ON and the count button 43k has been operated (YES in S3402), the process proceeds to step S3412. That is, if the count button 43k has been operated after the count button 43k has been long pressed, the process proceeds to step S3402.

[0358] In step S3402, the long press flag is turned OFF, and this process ends. In this way, when the 250 ball counting process (S3407) is automatically executed until the number of balls in possession becomes "0", if there is an abnormality in communication between the frame control board 170 and the dedicated external unit 200, an open frame as shown in FIG. 26, radio wave fraud, magnetic fraud, or a call in progress (pressing the call switch 41k), it is possible to stop the automatic 250 ball counting process (S3407). Also, if the count button 43k is operated while the 250 ball counting process (S3407) is automatically executed until the number of balls in possession becomes "0", it is possible to stop the automatic 250 ball counting process (S3407). If there is an abnormality in the pachinko game machine PY1, the 250-ball counting process (S3407) (S3409) and the 1-ball counting process (S3411) will not be executed regardless of whether the automatic 250-ball counting process (S3407) is being executed or not.

[0359] Incidentally, in a situation where a player has 250 or fewer balls, there may be cases where the launch of game balls and the counting process that reduces the number of balls to zero (the 250-ball counting process in steps S3407 and S3409, and the 1-ball counting process in step S3411) are executed simultaneously. In this case, if the counting process that reduces the number of balls to zero (the 250-ball counting process in steps S3407 and S3409, and the 1-ball counting process in step S3411) is executed with priority over the process when the game balls are launched, the process when the game balls are launched will be executed immediately after the number of balls reaches zero. As a result, a situation occurs where the game balls cannot be launched despite the player's intentions.

[0360] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the processing when the game ball is shot and the counting processing (250 ball counting processing in steps S3407 and S3409, 1 ball counting processing in step S3411) are executed simultaneously (at the same timing), the frame control microcomputer 171 executes the processing when the game ball is shot with priority. Specifically, as described above, the frame control microcomputer 171 executes the frame control timer interrupt processing shown in FIG. 47 every 3 msec, and executes the counting processing (S3006) shown in FIG. 53 after executing the input processing S3001 shown in FIG. 48. Therefore, after the game ball number subtraction processing (S3106, see FIG. 48) that subtracts the number of balls held when the game ball is shot is executed, the 250 ball counting processing (S3407, S3409) or the 1 ball counting processing (S3411) is always executed. Therefore, even if the launch of game balls and the counting process that reduces the number of balls held to zero (the 250-ball counting process in steps S3407 and S3409, and the 1-ball counting process in step S3411) are executed simultaneously, the process that occurs when the game balls are launched immediately after the number of balls held reaches zero (the game ball subtraction process (S3106)) is not executed, making it possible to prevent a situation in which the game balls cannot be launched.

[0361] 13.Effects of this Form As described above in detail, according to the pachinko game machine PY1 of this embodiment, when the game inspection mode and frame inspection mode in which the game cannot proceed are set, even when "0" is displayed on the game ball count display 180, game balls are released when the handle 72k is operated. Therefore, even if it is displayed that there are no balls in the game inspection mode and frame inspection mode, it is possible to release game balls and perform an inspection based on the released game balls. As a result, it is possible to simplify the inspection work when the game inspection mode and frame inspection mode are set. Specifically, even if it is displayed that there are no balls remaining, it is possible to check whether the first start port sensor 11a, the second start port sensor 12a, the large prize port sensor 14a, the first general prize port sensor 10x, the second general prize port sensor 10y, the third general prize port sensor 10z, the discharge port sensor 15a, the gate sensor 13a, and the launched ball detection sensor 16a, the returned ball detection sensor 17a, the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, the upstream monitoring sensor 32a, the lifting inlet sensor 33a, and the lifting outlet sensor 34a, which are connected to the frame control board 170, are operating normally.

[0362] Furthermore, according to this embodiment of the pachinko game machine PY1, when the frame inspection mode is set, when a game ball passes through the fired ball detection sensor 16a, the returned ball detection sensor 17a, the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, the upstream monitoring sensor 32a, the lifting inlet sensor 33a, and the lifting outlet sensor 34a (frame side sensor) connected to the frame control board 170, a detection signal is output from each of the above-mentioned sensors to the frame control board 170. 35, if the game ball passes the shot ball detection sensor 16a, "H09" is displayed on the game ball number display 180, if the game ball passes the return ball detection sensor 17a, "H10" is displayed on the game ball number display 180, if the game ball passes the downstream monitoring sensor 31a, "H11" is displayed on the game ball number display 180, if the game ball passes the upstream monitoring sensor 32a, "H12" is displayed on the game ball number display 180, if the game ball passes the lift inlet sensor 33a, "H13" is displayed on the game ball number display 180, if the game ball passes the lift outlet sensor 34a, "H14" is displayed on the game ball number display 180. In this way, when the frame inspection mode is set, by looking at the game ball number display 180, it is possible to check whether the above-mentioned sensors (frame side sensors) connected to the frame control board 170 are operating normally. As shown in Fig. 1, the game ball count display 180 can be easily viewed without opening the game machine frame 2 (inner frame 21, front door 23) (see Fig. 1). Therefore, for example, compared with a case where the frame board display 300, which can be viewed by opening the game machine frame 2, indicates whether each of the sensors connected to the frame control board 170 is operating normally, the game ball count display 180 makes it easier for the employees of the game arcade to check.

[0363] Furthermore, according to the pachinko game machine PY1 of this embodiment, when the start condition is met in which the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed when the power is turned on, as shown in FIG. 33, the game inspection mode is set and also the frame inspection mode is set. In this way, it is possible to check whether the game drive mechanisms (AT solenoid 14s, electric chute solenoid 12s, first start port sensor 11a, second start port sensor 12a, large prize port sensor 14a, first general prize port sensor 10x, second general prize port sensor 10y, third general prize port sensor 10z, discharge port sensor 15a, gate sensor 13a) connected to the game control board 100, and the frame drive mechanisms (fired ball detection sensor 16a, returned ball detection sensor 17a, downstream monitoring sensor 31a, upstream monitoring sensor 32a, downstream monitoring sensor 31a, lifting inlet sensor 33a, lifting outlet sensor 34a) connected to the frame control board 170 are operating normally under the same starting conditions.

[0364] According to the pachinko game machine PY1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 33, when two minutes have elapsed since the game inspection mode and the frame inspection mode were set, or when the RAM clear switch 191 is pressed, the game inspection mode ends and the frame inspection mode ends. In this way, it is possible to check whether the game drive connected to the game control board 100 and the frame drive connected to the frame control board 170 operate normally by setting not only the start condition but also the end condition to the same. In other words, if the start condition of the game inspection mode is different from the start condition of the frame inspection mode, and the end condition of the game inspection mode is different from the end condition of the frame inspection mode, the mode switching work becomes complicated for the employees of the game arcade. Therefore, as in this embodiment, the start condition of the game inspection mode is common to the start condition of the frame inspection mode, and the end condition of the game inspection mode is common to the end condition of the frame inspection mode, so that the mode switching work can be simplified for the employees of the game arcade.

[0365] In addition, according to the pachinko game machine PY1 of this embodiment, in both the normal game state and the micro-time-saving state, the game proceeds so that the game balls flow down to the left game area 6L. In this case, the total number of left-hit winning balls for determining the left-hit base includes the total number of micro-time-saving winning balls acquired by the player in the micro-time-saving state, and the number of left-hit shot balls for determining the left-hit base includes the number of micro-time-saving shot balls shot by the player in the micro-time-saving state. This makes it possible to appropriately determine whether the pachinko game machine PY1 is normal even when there is a micro-time-saving state in which the game is played in the same way as the normal game state.

[0366] According to the pachinko game machine PY1 of this embodiment, the micro-time-saving state is set to be played for a longer time than the normal game state. Therefore, if the total number of left-hit winning balls for determining the left-hit base does not include the total number of micro-time-saving winning balls acquired by the player in the micro-time-saving state, and the number of left-hit firing balls for determining the left-hit base does not include the number of micro-time-saving firing balls fired by the player in the micro-time-saving state, the variation in the value of the left-hit base will be very large. Therefore, the total number of left-hit winning balls for determining the left-hit base includes the total number of micro-time-saving winning balls, and the number of left-hit firing balls for determining the left-hit base includes the number of micro-time-saving firing balls, so that the variation in the value of the left-hit base can be suppressed.

[0367] Incidentally, when constructing a new pachinko game machine, there are cases where only the game board 1 is replaced without replacing the game machine frame 2. In this case, if the frame control board 170 (frame control microcomputer 171) is newly configured to calculate the left-hit base based on the left-hit total number of winning balls including the total number of winning balls for the micro-time-saving and the number of left-hit shot balls including the number of shot balls for the micro-time-saving, not only the game board 1 but also the frame control board 170 provided in the game machine frame 2 must be replaced. According to the present pachinko game machine...

Claims

1. A frame control board provided in the gaming machine frame, A specific device for circulating game balls is provided in the aforementioned gaming machine frame, A gaming machine comprising a sensor for a specific device connected to the frame control board for confirming whether the specific device is operating normally, The frame control board can be set to an inspection mode in which it is possible to confirm whether the game cannot proceed and whether the sensor for the specific device is functioning correctly. The frame control board is provided with dedicated operating means, A gaming machine characterized in that when the dedicated operating means is operated in conjunction with the power being turned on, the machine is set to the inspection mode.

2. In the gaming machine described in claim 1, The termination condition for the inspection mode is characterized by the operation of a predetermined operating means.

3. In the gaming machine described in claim 2, The aforementioned specific device is a lifting device for lifting game balls, The gaming machine is characterized in that the sensor for the specified device is a sensor for the lifting device used to confirm whether the lifting device is operating normally.

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