Gaming Machines

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of securing fairness of games.SOLUTION: When a stop operation is performed in a recommended pushing order, an acquisition expecting value of medals (coins) is configured to be lower than when the stop operation is performed in an irregular pushing order. In a normal section, when the stop operation is performed in the irregular pushing order, a specific presentation for urging a stop operation in the recommended pushing order is to be performed. In an advantageous section, during a situation staying in a normal presentation state, when the stop operation is performed in the irregular pushing order, the specific presentation is to be performed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 33

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, gaming machines (reel type gaming machines, slot machines) equipped with multiple reels with patterns arranged on the outer periphery are known. In this type of gaming machine, a certain gaming value is given to gaming media such as medals and pachinko balls, and a game is played to acquire such gaming value. In addition, in this type of gaming machine, an internal lottery is performed and the rotation of the multiple reels is started when the player operates to start the rotation, and the multiple reels are stopped in a manner according to the result of the internal lottery when the player operates to stop the rotation. The result of the game is determined by the combination of symbols displayed on the winning determination line when the multiple reels are stopped, and medals and the like are paid out according to the result of the game.

[0003] In recent years, gaming machines with instruction functions that change the probability of winning a small prize by providing instruction information that assists in winning a small prize, which pays out game value when the small prize is won, and make it easier to win game value such as medals in the AT state where instruction information can be provided, have become popular.

[0004] In gaming machines with such instruction functions, a method is known in which the expected gain in gaming value is biased depending on the order in which stop operations are performed, thereby creating a large difference in the gain performance of gaming value between normal play and play in which instruction information is provided (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-169321 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In recent years, when implementing an instruction function, it is required to design it so that a non-advantageous zone and an advantageous zone are provided, and the processing related to the instruction function is not executed in the non-advantageous zone, and the processing related to the instruction function is executed in the advantageous zone. Therefore, when there is a bias in the expected value of game value acquisition according to the operation sequence of the stop operation, there is an inherent strategy element of reducing the consumption of game value by intentionally selecting an operation sequence with a high expected value of game value acquisition in the non-advantageous zone, and measures to ensure the fairness of the game are required.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a gaming machine that can ensure fairness in games. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) The present invention relates to a gaming machine capable of setting non-advantageous zones and advantageous zones and having an instruction function capable of providing instruction information to assist in the winning of a winning combination in the advantageous zones, the gaming machine comprising: a plurality of reels having a plurality of types of patterns arranged on their outer peripheral surfaces; an internal lottery means for conducting an internal lottery to determine whether a winning combination will be achieved; a reel control means for spinning the plurality of reels and, upon a stop operation, controlling the reels to stop being rotated in a manner corresponding to the result of the internal lottery; and an effect control means for executing a specific effect that notifies a player that a stop operation should be performed in a specific operation sequence in which a specific reel among the plurality of reels is stopped first, wherein, when the stop operation is performed in the specific operation sequence, an expected acquisition value of game value is lower than when the stop operation is performed in a non-specific operation sequence in which a reel other than the specific reel stops first, and the effect control means executes the specific effect when the stop operation is performed in the non-specific operation sequence in the non-advantageous zone, and executes the specific effect when the stop operation is performed in the non-specific operation sequence in the advantageous zone in a situation in which the provision of the predetermined instruction information is not permitted.

[0009] In the present invention, since the expected value of game value obtained in a specific operation sequence is lower than that in a non-specific operation sequence, a strategy element that can reduce the consumption of game value by performing a stop operation in a non-specific operation sequence is included, but by making it possible to execute a specific presentation when a stop operation is performed in a non-specific operation sequence in both a non-advantageous section and an advantageous section, it is not easy to distinguish between the non-advantageous section and the advantageous section. Therefore, according to the present invention, a game method that utilizes a strategy element can be suppressed, and the fairness of the game can be guaranteed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a gaming machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration inside a cabinet of a gaming machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of a gaming machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal lottery table in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram illustrating the winning patterns of minor prizes in the gaming machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the winning patterns of small winning combinations and replays in the gaming machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of symbols on a reel in a gaming machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the order in which stop buttons are pressed and winning combinations in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the order in which stop buttons are pressed and winning combinations in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] 1 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 11] 1 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 12] 1 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 13] 1 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 14] 1 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 15] 1 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 16] 2 is a transition diagram of a gaming state in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 17] 2 is a transition diagram of presentation states in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 18] 2 is a transition diagram of a game zone in the gaming machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a winning combination when the batting order bell a3 is won in a BB formation state in the gaming machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the stopping of the batting order bell A3 when the batting order bell A3 is won in the gaming machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 21] 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the stopping of the batting order bell A3 when the batting order bell A3 is won in the gaming machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 22] 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the stopping of the batting order bell A3 when the batting order bell A3 is won in the gaming machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 23] 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the stopping of the batting order bell A3 when the batting order bell A3 is won in the gaming machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a winning combination when the batting order bell a3 is won in a normal state in the gaming machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 25] 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the stopping of the batting order bell A3 when the batting order bell A3 is won in the gaming machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 26]13 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the stopping of the batting order bell A3 when the batting order bell A3 is won in the gaming machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 27] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for realizing a stop control method in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 28] 1 is a diagram comparing the expected value of the payout rate for each game state in the gaming machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 29] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a batting order bell in a gaming machine according to a modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 30] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a batting order bell in a gaming machine according to a modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 31] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a batting order bell in a gaming machine according to a modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 32] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between game zones, presentation states, and zone display states in the first embodiment of the present invention and the conventional method. [Diagram 33] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a specific presentation in the gaming machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 34] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 35] 11 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of a cabinet of a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 36] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the functional blocks of a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 37] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an internal lottery table in a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 38] 13 is a diagram illustrating the winning patterns of minor winnings in the gaming machine of the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 39] 13 is a diagram illustrating the winning patterns of minor winnings in the gaming machine of the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 40] 13 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of symbols on the reels in a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 41]13 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the order in which stop buttons are pressed and winning combinations in the gaming machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 42] 13 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the order in which stop buttons are pressed and winning combinations in the gaming machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 43] 13 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the order in which stop buttons are pressed and winning combinations in the gaming machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 44] 13 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 45] 13 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 46] 13 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 47] 13 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 48] 13 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 49] FIG. 11 is a transition diagram of the gaming state in a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 50] A transition diagram of the presentation state in the gaming machine of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 51] A transition diagram of a game zone in a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 52] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the combination of special batting order roles in the gaming machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 53] 13 is a diagram illustrating a method of stop control regarding a special role in a batting order in a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 54] 13 is a diagram illustrating a method of stop control regarding a special role in a batting order in a gaming machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 55] 13 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of stop control regarding a special role in a game machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 56]FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of symbols on the reels in a gaming machine according to a modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 57] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to a modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 58] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of special role in the game machine according to the modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention, and the relationship between the order in which the stop buttons are pressed and the winning role. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. Note that each embodiment described below does not unduly limit the contents of the present invention described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in each embodiment are necessarily essential components of the present invention.

[0012] (First embodiment) 1-1.Configuration Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration (excluding the reel unit) of the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] The gaming machine of this embodiment is a so-called slot machine or reel type gaming machine, which is a type of gaming machine in which games are played using medals as gaming media.

[0014] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, a reel unit consisting of a first reel R1 to a third reel R3 (multiple reels) is stored in a box-shaped housing consisting of a storage box BX, an upper front door UD, and a lower front door DD. In addition, a power supply unit EU having a built-in power supply device and various switches such as a power switch ES, a setting change key cylinder KS, and a setting change button BS, and a hopper unit HP as a medal payout device are stored in the lower part of the reel unit storage space PS in the storage box BX. The hopper unit HP is equipped with a medal storage tank MT for storing medals to be used in a game, a payout motor (not shown) consisting of a stepping motor, and a rotating disk (not shown) axially supported by the payout motor, and is configured so that the rotating disk is rotated by the payout motor to pay out medals one by one. In addition, when the amount of medals stored in the medal storage tank MT reaches a certain amount, the hopper unit HP sends out surplus medals to a cash box CB. In the housing of the gaming machine of this embodiment, for example, a main board MAIN is attached above the reel unit storage space PS, and a sub-board SUB is attached to the side of the reel unit storage space PS, and these control boards (main board MAIN, sub-board SUB) are equipped with a CPU (an example of a calculation means), a ROM (an example of an information storage medium), a RAM (an example of a temporary storage means), etc., so that the operation of the gaming machine can be controlled. Note that in this embodiment, the power supply unit EU is provided with a setting change key cylinder KS and a setting change button BS, but the setting change key cylinder KS and the setting change button BS may be provided on the surface of the main board MAIN.

[0015] The first reel R1 to the third reel R3 shown in FIG. 1 are each divided into 20 regions (each region is called a "frame") at regular intervals on the outer periphery, and one of a number of different patterns is arranged on each frame. The first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are supported by a stepping motor (reel driving means: not shown), and are each driven to rotate around the axis of the stepping motor, and are provided so as to be able to stop in frame units (predetermined rotation angle units, predetermined rotation amount units) by controlling the number of pulses and pulse width of the driving pulse of the stepping motor. That is, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the stepping motor drives the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 to rotate in response to the driving pulse supplied from the control board, and when a driving pulse of all phase excitation is supplied from the control board, the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 stop as the rotation of the stepping motor stops.

[0016] The upper front door UD and the lower front door DD are provided so that they can be opened and closed separately, and the upper front door UD is provided with a display window DW that allows the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 to be observed in their spinning and stopped states. When the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are stopped, three patterns (upper pattern, middle pattern, and lower pattern) that are consecutively arranged on the outer periphery of each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 among a plurality of patterns arranged at regular intervals on the outer periphery of each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 can be observed from the front of the gaming machine through the display window DW.

[0017] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, an upper, middle, and lower section is provided for each reel as a display position for observing the symbols through the display window DW, and an active line is set by a combination of the display positions of each reel. In the gaming machine of this embodiment, the number of medals required for one game, the so-called prescribed insertion number, is set to three, and when a number of medals equivalent to the prescribed insertion number are inserted, an active line L1 consisting of the middle section of the first reel R1, the lower section of the second reel R2, and the upper section of the third reel R3 is activated.

[0018] The game result is determined by the symbol combination that is stopped and displayed on the winning line in the display window DW, and if the symbol combination on the winning line corresponds to a predetermined winning combination, that winning combination is treated as a winning combination and medals are paid out from the hopper unit HP.

[0019] The upper front door UD is provided with a game information display section DS and a section indicator SEC. The game information display section DS is made up of LEDs, lamps, 7-segment indicators, etc., and displays various game information such as the number of medal credits, the number of medals paid out or acquired in one game, the total number of medals paid out or acquired in the BB state, etc. The section indicator SEC (an example of a specific notification means) notifies whether or not the machine is in an advantageous section and in the AT state by turning on and off the built-in LED.

[0020] The upper front door UD is provided with a liquid crystal display LCD for game presentation. Various videos (or images) for supporting or livening up the game are displayed on this liquid crystal display LCD. In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, a plurality of speakers SP for game presentation are provided on the upper front door UD and the lower front door DD. Various sounds for supporting or livening up the game are output from these speakers SP.

[0021] In addition, various operating means are provided on the lower front door DD. The operating means include a bet button (insertion operating means) B0 for inserting credited (stored) medals, a start lever (game start operating means) SL for rotating the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 to start a game, and stop buttons (stop operating means) B1 to B3 for stopping each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 rotated by a stepping motor.

[0022] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, when a player inserts a medal into the medal slot MI or presses the bet button B0, the machine is set to a ready state in which the rotation control of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 can be started. Then, when the player presses the start lever SL, the control board starts rotating the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 by driving a stepping motor, and an internal lottery is performed using a random number value. On the condition that the rotation speed of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 has increased to a predetermined speed, pressing of the stop buttons B1 to B3 is permitted (enabled).

[0023] Thereafter, when the player presses the stop buttons B1 to B3 at any timing, the stop switch (stop signal output means: for example, a photosensor, a conductivity sensor, a pressure sensor, etc.) built into each of the stop buttons B1 to B3 turns on, changing the reel stop signal input to the control board from the OFF state to the ON state.

[0024] In addition, when the player releases any of the pressed stop buttons B1 to B3 at any timing, the stop switches corresponding to the stop buttons B1 to B3 are turned off, and the reel stop signal input to the control board changes from on to off.

[0025] The control board then stops the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 at a stop position according to the result of the internal lottery based on the change from an OFF state to an ON state of the reel stop signal, whose signal state changes depending on the timing of pressing and releasing the stop buttons B1 to B3.

[0026] A medal payout port MO and a medal tray MP are provided below the lower front door DD, and a number of medals according to the results of a game are paid out from the hopper unit HP through the medal payout port MO to the medal tray MP. When medals are paid out according to the results of a game, if crediting (internal storage) of medals is permitted, medals equivalent to some or all of the payout number are credited up to the credit upper limit (50 in this embodiment), and the display value of the credit indicator consisting of a 7-segment indicator of the game information display unit DS is changed in accordance with the change in the number of medal credits.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the gaming machine of this embodiment.

[0028] The gaming machine of this embodiment is controlled by a gaming control means (main board MAIN and sub board SUB) 100. The gaming control means 100 is started by power supplied from a power supply unit EU by the operation of a power switch ES, and receives input signals from input means such as a medal insertion switch 210, a bet switch 220, a start switch 230, a stop switch 240, a setting change permission switch 250, and a setting change switch 260, performs various calculations for executing a game, and controls the operation of output means such as a reel unit 310, a hopper unit (payout device) HP, a display device 330, and a sound device 340 based on the calculation results. The functions of the gaming control means 100 are realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.), ASICs (gate arrays, etc.), ROMs (an example of information storage media), or RAMs, or software consisting of a given program prestored in a ROM or the like.

[0029] The game control means 100 includes a setting change means 103, an input acceptance means 105, a random number generation means 110, an internal lottery means 120, a reel control means 130, a winning determination means 140, a payout control means 150, a replay processing means 160, a game status control means 170, an AT control means 175, a communication control means 177, a performance control means 180, a game information storage means 190a, and a performance information storage means 190b. In this embodiment, the setting change means 103, the input reception means 105, the random number generation means 110, the internal lottery means 120, the reel control means 130, the winning determination means 140, the payout control means 150, the replay processing means 160, the game state control means 170, the AT control means 175, and the communication control means 177 are realized by the CPU of the main board MAIN executing various programs, and the performance control means 180 is realized by the CPU of the sub-board SUB executing various programs. The game information storage means 190a is composed of a main ROM and a main RAM mounted on the main board MAIN, and the performance information storage means 190b is composed of a sub-ROM and a sub-RAM mounted on the sub-board SUB. The various programs executed by the CPU of the main board MAIN are stored in the main ROM of the game information storage means 190a, and the various programs executed by the CPU of the sub-board SUB are stored in the sub-ROM of the performance information storage means 190b.

[0030] The setting change means 103 controls changing the setting value stored in the setting value storage area 1913 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a. In this embodiment, the game machine is switched between starting in the game mode and starting in the setting change mode depending on the state of the setting change permission switch 250 when the power is turned on. When the setting key is inserted into the setting change key cylinder KS and the setting key is turned clockwise from the initial position, the signal state of the setting change permission switch 250 becomes ON. When the power switch ES is operated in this state to supply power from the power supply unit EU, the setting change means 103 starts the game machine in the setting change mode. In this embodiment, the setting value can be selected from six setting values ​​from setting 1 to setting 6, and the probability of winning the internal lottery is changed so that the expected value of the ball payout rate increases from setting 1 to setting 6. In this embodiment, the setting values ​​are expressed in the order of setting 1<setting 2<setting 3<setting 4<setting 5<setting 6.

[0031] Furthermore, when the setting change switch 260 is actuated by pressing the setting change button BS in the setting change mode, the setting change means 103 changes the setting value in the order of setting 1 → setting 2 →... setting 6 → setting 1 →... each time it receives an input signal from the setting change switch 260, determines the setting value based on a game start signal from the start switch 230 actuated by pressing the start lever SL, and controls to store the determined setting value in the setting value storage area 1913. In this embodiment, the signal state of the setting change permission switch 250 can be changed to the OFF state by returning the setting key inserted in the setting change key cylinder KS to the initial position, thereby making it possible to transition from the setting change mode to the game mode.

[0032] In this embodiment, when the power is turned on with the setting change key cylinder KS in the initial position, the gaming machine is started in the game mode based on the signal state of the setting change permission switch 260 being in the OFF state. In this embodiment, in the game mode, it is possible to play games but it is not possible to change the setting values, and in the setting change mode, it is possible to change the setting values ​​but it is not possible to play games.

[0033] In addition, the setting change means 103 performs an initialization process for initializing information stored in a predetermined storage area of ​​the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a in the setting change mode. In particular, in this embodiment, with respect to the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a, information stored in the lottery flag storage area 1915, the game status storage area 1916, the performance status storage area 1918, the high probability transition counter 1919, the AT stock number counter 1920, the AT game number counter 1921, the clear counter 1922, and the ceiling counter 1924 is initialized by the initialization process in the setting change mode. More specifically, the memory areas other than the lottery flag memory area 1915, the game state memory area 1916, the performance state memory area 1918, the high probability transition counter 1919, the AT stock number counter 1920, the AT game number counter 1921, the clear counter 1922, and the ceiling counter 1924 in the main RAM of the game information memory means 190a are designated as information holding areas, and information stored in the memory areas other than the information holding areas of the main RAM is initialized. For this reason, in the main RAM, the setting value memory area 1913 and the credit information memory area 1914 are designated as information holding areas, and the information stored in these memory areas is retained without being initialized by the initialization process in the setting change mode.

[0034] The insertion receiving means 105 receives insertion of medals for each game, and performs a process of validating a game start operation for the start lever SL (game start operating means) based on insertion of medals equivalent to the specified insertion number (3 medals). In the gaming machine of this embodiment, the first pressing operation of the start lever SL, which is validated based on insertion of medals equivalent to the specified insertion number, is accepted as a game start operation, and serves as a trigger for starting the rotation of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 and also serves as a trigger for executing an internal lottery.

[0035] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, when medals are inserted into the medal insertion slot MI, the medal insertion switch 210 is operated, and the insertion acceptance means 105 sets the inserted medals to an inserted state up to a specified insertion number. In the gaming machine of this embodiment, a maximum of 50 medals can be stored (accumulated) in the credit information storage area 1914 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a, and when the bet button B0 is pressed with medals credit-stored in the gaming machine, the bet switch 220 is operated, and the insertion acceptance means 105 sets the medals credit-stored in the credit information storage area 1914 to an inserted state up to a specified insertion number.

[0036] The random number generating means 110 is a means for generating random numbers for lottery. The random numbers can be generated by, for example, a 16-bit random number circuit that generates 65536 random numbers from 0 to 65535 without duplication in one period. In this embodiment, the "random number" includes not only values ​​that are generated randomly in the mathematical sense, but also values ​​that may be generated regularly but may function as random numbers because of irregular acquisition timing.

[0037] The internal lottery means 120 is a means for conducting an internal lottery to determine whether a winning combination will be achieved based on a start signal from the start switch 230, which is activated when the player operates the start lever SL to start the game (first pressing of the activated start lever SL), and performs lottery table selection processing, random number determination processing, lottery flag setting processing, etc.

[0038] In the lottery table selection process, it is determined which of the multiple internal lottery tables stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910 provided in the main ROM of the game information storage means 190a is used to perform the internal lottery. In the gaming machine of this embodiment, three types of internal lottery tables (internal lottery table 1 to internal lottery table 3) as shown in FIG. 4 are stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910. In each internal lottery table, various roles such as replay, small role, and bonus, and miss (non-winning) are associated with each of multiple random number values ​​(for example, 65536 random number values ​​from 0 to 65535). In this embodiment, three types of internal lottery tables are prepared for each of six setting values, and the probability of obtaining some winning modes in the internal lottery differs depending on the setting value, and the correspondence between roles and random number values ​​is set so that the higher the setting value, the higher the expected value of the ball payout rate.

[0039] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, minor roles are provided as minor roles 1 to 38, and the winning patterns of the minor roles are set as shown in Figures 5 and 6, and include batting order bell group a (batting order bell a3 to batting order bell a6), batting order bell group b (batting order bell b3 to batting order bell b6), batting order bell group c (batting order bell c3 to batting order bell c6), batting order bell group d (batting order bell d3 to batting order bell d6), special role group a (special role 1 to special role 3), special role group b (special role 4 to special role 11), common bell a, common bell b, common 1-coin role, cherry a, cherry b, JAC1, and JAC2.

[0040] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, Replay 1 to Replay 4 are provided as replays, and Replay a and Replay b are set as winning modes of the replays, as shown in FIG.

[0041] In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the probability of winning a small role is the same on internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2, the probability of winning a replay is higher on internal lottery table 2 than on internal lottery table 1, replays are not included in the lottery on internal lottery table 3, and the method of drawing small roles on internal lottery table 3 is different from that on internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2, and the probability of winning a small role is higher than that on internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2.

[0042] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, a big bonus (BB) is provided as a bonus, and the big bonus (BB) is an object of lottery in the internal lottery table 1.

[0043] In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the game state can be set to a normal state, a BB establishment state, and a BB state, and in the lottery table selection process, one of the internal lottery tables 1 to 3 is selected as the internal lottery table to be used in the internal lottery depending on the game state.

[0044] In this embodiment, the probability of winning a bonus or replay does not change depending on the setting value, but the probability of winning some of the minor winning patterns changes depending on the setting value, and the higher the setting value, the higher the probability of winning JAC1 and JAC2.

[0045] In the random number determination process, a random number value (random number for lottery) is obtained from the random number generating means 110 for each game based on a start signal from the start switch 230, and a determination is made as to whether or not the obtained random number value has won a winning combination by referring to an internal lottery table stored in the main lottery table memory area 1910 provided in the main ROM of the game information memory means 190a.

[0046] In the lottery flag setting process, based on the result of the random number determination process, the lottery flag corresponding to the winning combination is set from a non-winning state (first flag state, off state) to a winning state (second flag state, on state). In the gaming machine of this embodiment, when two or more types of combinations are won in a overlapping manner, the lottery flags corresponding to the two or more types of combinations that are won in a overlapping manner are set to a winning state. The setting information of the lottery flag is stored in the lottery flag storage area 1915 provided in the main RAM of the gaming information storage means 190a.

[0047] In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, a lottery flag (carry-over flag) that can carry over a winning state to the next game or later until a prize is won, and a lottery flag (non-carry-over flag) that is reset to a non-winning state without carrying over a winning state to the next game or later regardless of whether a prize is won are prepared. The former carry-over flag corresponds to a big bonus (BB), and the latter non-carry-over flag corresponds to a small bonus and a replay. In the lottery flag setting process, for example, when a big bonus (BB) is won in an internal lottery, a process is performed to carry over the winning state of the lottery flag of the big bonus (BB) until the big bonus (BB) is won. At this time, the internal lottery means 120 performs an internal lottery to determine whether or not a small bonus and a replay are won, even in a game in which the winning state of the lottery flag of the big bonus (BB) is carried over. That is, in the lottery flag setting process, in a game in which the winning state of the lottery flag of the bonus corresponding to the carryover flag is carried over, if a small winning combination or replay is won, the lottery flag corresponding to two or more types of combinations consisting of the lottery flag of the already won bonus and the lottery flag of the small winning combination or replay won in the internal lottery are set to a winning state.

[0048] The reel control means 130, based on a start signal from the start switch 230 which is operated by the player operating the start lever SL to start a game, starts the rotation driving of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 by the stepping motor, and controls the activation of the stop operation by pressing the stop button B1 to B3 (stop operation means) corresponding to the reel which is rotating steadily at a predetermined speed (approximately 80 rpm: a rotation speed of approximately 80 rotations per minute), and also controls the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 which are rotated by the stepping motor to stop in a manner according to the setting state of the lottery flag (the result of the internal lottery).

[0049] When the stop switch 240 is activated by the player pressing one of the stop buttons B1 to B3 while the stop operation for the stop buttons B1 to B3 is enabled, the reel control means 130 performs control to stop each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 by supplying a full-phase excitation drive pulse to the stepping motor of the reel unit 310 based on a reel stop signal from the stop switch 240.

[0050] That is, the reel control means 130 determines the stop position of the reel corresponding to the pressed button among the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 every time the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed, and controls the reel to stop at the determined stop position. In the gaming machine of this embodiment, pressing the stop button B1 corresponds to an operation for stopping the first reel R1, pressing the stop button B2 corresponds to an operation for stopping the second reel R2, and pressing the stop button B3 corresponds to an operation for stopping the third reel R3. That is, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, when the pressing order of the stop buttons B1 to B3 is changed, the stopping order of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 is changed. In this embodiment, the stop operation corresponding to the first reel to be stopped among the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 is called the first stop operation, the stop operation corresponding to the second reel to be stopped the second stop operation, and the stop operation corresponding to the last reel to be stopped the third stop operation, and the stop of the reel corresponding to the first stop operation may be called the first stop, the stop of the reel corresponding to the second stop operation the second stop, and the stop of the reel corresponding to the third stop operation the third stop. Also, in this embodiment, the operation sequence of the stop operations that stops the first reel R1 (an example of a specific reel) first may be called the recommended hitting order (an example of a specific operation order), and the operation sequence of the stop operations that stops the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 first may be called the irregular hitting order (an example of a non-specific operation order).

[0051] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are stopped within 190 ms from the time when the stop button B1 to B3 is pressed. When the reels are stopped within 190 ms from the time when the stop button is pressed, the stop position of each reel is determined by the number of frames required from the time when the stop button is pressed until the reel stops within a range of 0 to 4 frames (predetermined pull-in range). The reel control means 130 performs control to stop the reel corresponding to the stop button pressed so that the symbol corresponding to the symbol with the lottery flag set to a winning state is displayed at the display position on the pay line when the symbol corresponding to the symbol that won the internal lottery is located within a range of 0 to 4 frames from the display position on the pay line at the time when the stop button is pressed on the outer circumferential surface of the reel that is rotating corresponding to the stop button B1 to B3 that was pressed.

[0052] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, red 7 symbol a "red 7a", red 7 symbol b "red 7b", BAR symbol a "BARa", BAR symbol b "BARb", special symbol "SP", replay symbol "RP", bell symbol a "BLa", bell symbol b "BLb", watermelon symbol "WM", and cherry symbol "CH" are arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 constituting the reel unit 310, and when symbols existing within 4 frames from the push detection position are drawn onto the activated line, the symbols arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less on the outer circumferential surface of each reel can be displayed on the activated line regardless of the push detection position, which is the position of the reel at the time when the stop switch 240 is operated (the time when the push of the stop button is detected). In this embodiment, the push detection position is the display position of the upper row of each reel.

[0053] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, the reel unit 310 is provided with a reel index 315 consisting of a photosensor, and the reel control means 130 is capable of monitoring the current rotation state of the reel by determining the rotation angle (the number of rotation steps of the rotating shaft of the stepping motor) from the reference position of the reel (the frame detected by the reel index 315) based on the reference position signal detected by the reel index 315 every time the reel rotates once. In other words, the reel control means 130 can obtain the position of the reel when the stop switch 240 is activated by determining the rotation angle from the reference position of the reel.

[0054] Furthermore, the reel control means 130 refers to a stop control table stored in a stop control table storage area 1911 provided in the main ROM of the game information storage means 190a to determine the stop positions of the reels that are spinning.

[0055] In the stop control table, a correspondence relationship between the push detection position, which is the position of the reel at the time when the stop switch 240 is actuated (the time when the push of the stop button is detected), and the actual stop position is set according to the setting state of the lottery flag. Note that in the stop control table, a correspondence relationship between the push detection position and the number of sliding symbols indicating the amount of rotation from the push detection position to the actual stop position may be set according to the setting state of the lottery flag.

[0056] In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the priorities for small wins, replays, and bonuses are set in the order of "replay > bonus" and then "small win > bonus", and the stop control table is set so that a stop position including a pattern that constitutes the winning form of a high priority win is selected according to the priorities associated with each win.

[0057] In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, in the stop control table that is referenced when the lottery flags related to multiple types of minor roles are set to a winning state in the internal lottery, there are cases where the stop position is set according to the number of pattern combinations that indicate winning forms that can be displayed on the active line (number priority control) and cases where the stop position is set according to the number of medals paid out based on a predetermined payout for the minor role (payout number priority control). When the stop position is set according to the number of pattern combinations that indicate winning forms that can be displayed on the active line, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that the stop position with a greater number of pattern combinations that indicate winning forms that can be displayed on the active line is given priority, and when the stop position is set according to the number of medals paid out, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that the stop position with a greater number of medals paid out based on the payout for the minor role corresponding to the pattern displayed at the display position on the active line (the stop position that can win a minor role with a greater payout) is given priority. However, when the stop positions are set according to the number of medals paid out, for multiple stop positions that have the same number of medals paid out, the priority of each stop position is treated as being the same and a stop position relative to the press detection position is set, and when the stop positions are set according to the number of pattern combinations that indicate winning forms that can be displayed on an active line, the priority of each stop position is treated as being the same and a stop position relative to the press detection position is set, and when the stop positions are set according to the number of pattern combinations that indicate winning forms that can be displayed on an active line, the priority of each stop position is treated as being the same and a stop position relative to the press detection position is set.

[0058] In the stop control table which is referenced when a batting order bell belonging to any of batting order bells a3 to a6 (an example of a specific winning mode), batting order bell b3 to a6 (an example of a specific winning mode), batting order bell c3 to a6 (an example of a specific winning mode), or batting order bell d3 to a6 (an example of a specific winning mode) is won in the internal lottery, a correct batting order (an example of a specific operation order, an example of a specific operation mode) is set for each batting order bell, as shown in Figures 9 and 10.

[0059] In the stop control table that is referred to when any of the batting order bells win, the stop positions for the pressing detection positions are set so that when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the correct batting order, a 9-coin small win (an example of a correct small win) will win, and when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in a pressing order different from the correct batting order, the stop positions for the pressing detection positions are set so that there are cases where a 1-coin small win (an example of an incorrect small win) will win and cases where no win will win (missed win). In Figs. 9 and 10, "1-coin small win (1 / 2)" means that in that pressing order, a 1-coin small win will win with a 1 / 2 probability, and a missed win will occur with a 1 / 2 probability. In Figs. 9 and 10, "1-coin small win (1 / 4)" means that in that pressing order, a 1-coin small win will win with a 1 / 4 probability, and a missed win will occur with a 3 / 4 probability.

[0060] In addition, when each batting order bell is won, the stop positions for the press detection positions are set in each stop control table so that in the correct batting order, the symbols that make up the winning form of a 9-coin minor prize are preferentially displayed on the valid line due to payout number priority control, and in the case of a press order different from the correct batting order, the symbols that make up the winning form of a 1-coin minor prize are preferentially displayed on the valid line due to number priority control.

[0061] In this embodiment, for the batting order bell group a (one example of the first group) and the batting order bell group b (one example of the first group), the correct batting order is valid only when the BB is established, and when the batting order bell is won in the normal state, even if the stop operation is performed according to the correct batting order, there is a 1 / 2 probability that a 1-coin small role will be won, and there is a 1 / 2 probability that a role will be missed. That is, in the normal state, for the batting order bell group a and the batting order bell group b, even if the stop operation is performed in a manner that allows the 9-coin small role to be won in the BB state, the stop position is determined so as to avoid the winning of the 9-coin small role by the number priority control. On the other hand, for the batting order bell group c (one example of the second group) and the batting order bell group d (one example of the second group), the correct batting order is valid in both the normal state and the BB state, and the stop position is determined so that the winning of the 9-coin small role is prioritized by the payout number priority control in the correct batting order in both game states.

[0062] In addition, in the stop control table which is referenced when a special role belonging to either special role group A (special role 1 to special role 3) or special role group B (special role 4 to special role 11) is won in the internal lottery, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that a one-coin small role will be won regardless of the manner in which the stop operation is performed, and when the stop operation is performed in a sequence that stops the first reel R1 first, a unique stop pattern according to the type of special role can appear.

[0063] In addition, in the stop control table that is referenced when common bell a or common bell b is won in the internal lottery, the stop position relative to the push detection position is set so that a 9-coin small prize is won, and when each common bell is won, the 9-coin small prize is always won regardless of the manner in which the stop operation is performed. However, in the stop control table that is referenced when common bell a or common bell b is won in the normal state, the winning of the 9-coin small prize is avoided by the number priority control regardless of the manner in which the stop operation is performed, and the 1-coin small prize is always won. That is, in this embodiment, when common bell a or common bell b is won in the BB formation state, the 9-coin small prize is won, and when common bell a or common bell b is won in the normal state, the 1-coin small prize is won.

[0064] In addition, in the stop control table which is referred to when a common 1-coin role is won in an internal lottery, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that a 1-coin minor role is won, and when a common 1-coin role is won, the 1-coin minor role is always won regardless of the manner in which the stop operation is performed.

[0065] In addition, in the stop control table which is referred to when Cherry A is won in the internal lottery, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that, of the one-coin small wins of small win 14, small win 32, small win 33, small win 36, and small win 38, one-coin small win is given priority, and when Cherry A is won, the one-coin small win is always won regardless of the manner in which the stop operation is performed.

[0066] In addition, in the stop control table that is referenced when Cherry B is won in the internal lottery, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that the 3-coin small win 7 is given priority over the 1-coin small win 36, and when Cherry B is won, there are cases where the 3-coin small win is won and cases where neither win is won.

[0067] In addition, in the stop control table which is referenced when JAC1 is selected in the internal lottery, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that a 9-coin small win is always won, and in the stop control table which is referenced when JAC2 is selected in the internal lottery, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that a 1-coin small win is always won.

[0068] In addition, for the winning patterns of various replays such as replay a and replay b, the stop positions relative to the press detection positions are set so that one of the replays included in the winning patterns will always win regardless of the pattern of the stop operation.

[0069] As for the Big Bonus (BB), in the normal state, it can only be won if the Big Bonus (BB) is won alone. In the BB state, there are no misses, and since there are always overlapping wins of small symbols or replays, which have a higher priority than the Big Bonus (BB), the stop position for the press detection position is set in the stop control table so that the Big Bonus (BB) is not won.

[0070] The winning judgment means 140 performs a winning judgment process to judge whether or not a winning combination has been achieved based on the stopping state of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3. Specifically, while referring to a winning judgment table stored in a winning judgment table storage area 1912 provided in the main ROM of the game information storage means 190a, it judges whether or not the symbol combination displayed on the pay line at the time when all of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 have stopped is a winning form of a predetermined winning combination. Then, the winning judgment table is prepared so that the presence or absence of winning of the big bonus (BB), replay 1 to replay 4, and small prize 1 to small prize 38 can be judged based on the symbol combination displayed on the pay line when each reel has stopped, as shown in Figs. 10 to 15.

[0071] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, when a winning combination is achieved, a winning process is executed based on the result of the determination by the winning determination means 140. As the winning process, for example, when a small combination is achieved, a medal payout process is executed by the payout control means 150, when a replay is achieved, a replay process is executed by the replay processing means 160, and when a bonus is achieved, a game state transition process is executed by the game state control means 170 to transition the game state.

[0072] The payout control means 150 performs a payout control process for the payout of medals according to the game result. Specifically, when a small winning combination is won, the payout number of medals in the game is determined based on the payout amount determined in advance for each combination, and the payout number of medals corresponding to the determined payout number is controlled to be paid out to the hopper unit HP (payout device).

[0073] The hopper unit HP performs an operation of paying out the number of medals instructed by the payout control means 150. The hopper unit HP is provided with a paid out medal detection switch 325 that is activated each time a medal is paid out, and the payout control means 150 is configured to be able to manage the number of medals actually paid out from the hopper unit HP based on an input signal from the paid out medal detection switch 325.

[0074] When credit storage (accumulation storage) of medals is permitted, instead of actually paying out medals using the hopper unit HP, a credit addition process is performed in which the number of payouts is added to the number of credits (the number of medals stored as credits) stored in the credit information storage area 1914 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a, and medals are virtually paid out.

[0075] When a replay wins, the replay processing means 160 performs a replay process (replay process) for setting the next game to the same preparation state as the previous game without requiring the player to insert medals owned by the player. That is, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, when a replay wins, an automatic insertion process is performed for automatically inserting medals in the number equivalent to the prescribed insertion number required for the next game without using medals (including credit medals) owned by the player, and the machine waits for the next game start operation on the start lever SL with the pay line corresponding to the prescribed insertion number set.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 16, the game state control means 170 performs a game state transition process for transitioning the game state between the normal state, the BB established state, and the BB state. In this embodiment, information indicating the game state in which the player is currently playing is stored in a game state storage area 1916 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a. The game state transition condition may be one condition or multiple conditions. When multiple conditions are set, the game state can be transitioned to another game state based on the establishment of one of the multiple predetermined conditions or the establishment of all of the multiple predetermined conditions.

[0077] The normal state is a game state corresponding to the initial state among a plurality of game states, and it is possible to transition from the normal state to the BB established state or the BB state. Specifically, if the big bonus (BB) is won in the normal state but the big bonus (BB) is not awarded, the state transitions to the BB established state, and if the big bonus (BB) is won and also awarded in the normal state, the state transitions to the BB state. In the normal state, the internal lottery is performed by referring to the internal lottery table 1, in which the winning probability of the replay is set to about 1 / 7.3 or more and the big bonus (BB) is set as a lottery target, among the internal lottery tables 1 to 3 shown in FIG. 4.

[0078] The BB established state is a game state to which a player transitions when a Big Bonus (BB) is won in an internal lottery in the normal state but the Big Bonus (BB) is not awarded. Of the internal lottery tables 1 to 3 shown in Figure 4, the probability of a replay winning is higher than that of internal lottery table 1, so a miss (non-winning) does not occur, and an internal lottery is held with reference to internal lottery table 2, in which the Big Bonus (BB) is excluded from the lottery.

[0079] In the BB state, the lottery flag corresponding to the big bonus (BB) is maintained in the winning state until the big bonus (BB) is won. In this embodiment, since the symbol combination showing the winning form of the big bonus (BB) is not displayed on the pay line in the BB state, once the game state has shifted to the BB state, it will not shift to the BB state again.

[0080] The BB state is a game state to which a player enters when a symbol combination indicating a big bonus (BB) winning form is displayed on an active line. Of internal lottery tables 1 to 3 shown in FIG. 4, an internal lottery is conducted by referring to internal lottery table 3, which has a different selection pattern for minor roles from internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2.

[0081] In the BB state, the game state control means 170 determines whether or not the end condition is met based on the total number of medals paid out by the game in the BB state, and when it is determined that medals exceeding a predetermined number (e.g., 83 medals) have been paid out, the game state control means 170 performs control to end the BB state and return the game state to the normal state. Note that in this embodiment, count information on the number of medals paid out in the BB state is stored in the game state storage area 1916.

[0082] 17, the AT control means 175 changes the presentation state among a plurality of types of presentation states including an initial presentation state, a normal presentation state (an example of a first state), and an AT state (an example of a second state), sets the presentation state to the AT state under a predetermined condition, judges whether the end condition of the AT state is satisfied based on the value of the AT stock number counter 1920 and the value of the AT game number counter 1921, and performs control to end the AT state when the end condition of the AT state is satisfied. In this embodiment, information indicating the currently-stayed presentation state is stored in a presentation state storage area 1918 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a. In this embodiment, when staying in the AT state, the AT control means 175 displays information (an example of instruction information) corresponding to the correct batting order on the main display 300 consisting of a 7-segment display provided in the game information display unit DS when the batting order chance role or the batting order bell is won, thereby performing a correct batting order notification to assist the winning of 9 small roles (small roles 3 to 6), and the performance control means 180 displays an image corresponding to the correct batting order on the liquid crystal display LCD when the batting order chance role or the batting order bell is won, thereby performing a winning assistance performance to assist the winning of 9 small roles (small roles 3 to 6), so that it is possible to play an assist time game in which it is easier to win medals than a game staying in the initial performance state or the normal performance state. In this embodiment, the function of executing an assist time game in an advantageous zone is the instruction function, and the processing that affects the execution of the assist time game is the processing related to the instruction function.

[0083] In addition, as shown in Figure 18, the AT control means 175 is capable of setting a normal zone (non-advantageous zone) and an advantageous zone, and in the normal zone, the presentation state is fixed to the initial presentation state, which is the initial state, and a lottery for transition to an advantageous zone is conducted, and by winning the lottery for transition to an advantageous zone, the advantageous zone is started, and the presentation state can be set to the AT state, provided that the advantageous zone is a beneficial zone.

[0084] The AT control means 175 performs a lottery for a transition to a favorable zone when the performance state is in a normal state or a BB establishment state during a game in a normal zone. In a normal state, the AT control means 175 performs a lottery for a transition to a favorable zone based on the fact that a winning mode of any of the following has been obtained in an internal lottery: special role group a+BB, special role group b, batting order bell group a, batting order bell group b, batting order bell group c, batting order bell group d, common bell a, common bell b, cherry a+BB, cherry b, common 1-piece role+BB, and normal replay a. In a normal state, there are cases where a winning mode in which the big bonus (BB) is won alone is obtained, but in that case, a lottery for a transition to a favorable zone is not performed. In addition, in a BB establishment state, the AT control means 175 performs a lottery for a transition to a favorable zone based on the fact that a winning mode of any of the following has been obtained in an internal lottery: special role group a, special role group b, batting order bell group a, batting order bell group b, batting order bell group c, batting order bell group d, common bell a, common bell b, cherry a, cherry b, common 1-piece role, and normal replay a. When BB is established, there is a possibility that a winning pattern of normal replay b may be obtained, but in that case, a lottery for transition to a favorable zone is not held.

[0085] In the advantageous zone transition lottery, the random number value acquired for the internal lottery is compared with the advantageous zone transition lottery table stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910, and it is determined whether or not the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won (advantageous zone win) based on the comparison result. In the advantageous zone transition lottery table, win or miss is assigned to the random number value for the internal lottery associated with the winning mode that triggers the execution of the advantageous zone transition lottery, and it is determined that the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won when the random number value acquired for the internal lottery is associated with the winning mode that triggers the execution of the advantageous zone transition lottery and is associated with win in the advantageous zone transition lottery table.

[0086] When the AT control means 175 wins the advantageous zone transition lottery in the normal zone, it performs advantageous zone transition processing based on the fact that the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won, starts the advantageous zone from the next game of the game in which the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won, and sets the presentation state to the normal presentation state. In this embodiment, a low probability mode and a high probability mode can be set as the selection mode of the AT lottery in the normal presentation state, and when the normal presentation state is in the normal presentation state, the game stays in either selection mode, and when the presentation state is to be transitioned to the normal presentation state, a mode determination lottery is performed, and the selection mode is determined according to the result of the mode determination lottery. The mode determination lottery is performed by acquiring any of the random numbers from 0 to 255 in association with the stop operation corresponding to the third stop of the game that transitions the presentation state to the normal presentation state, and obtaining any of the low probability mode or the high probability mode associated with these random numbers as the selection result. In this embodiment, the mode determination lottery is performed in a manner in which the low probability mode is more likely to be selected than the high probability mode. A game that transitions the presentation state to the normal presentation state refers to a game in which a favorable zone transition lottery is won, or a game in which the AT state ends in the favorable zone.In a game in which a favorable zone transition lottery is won, a mode determination lottery is held as part of the favorable zone transition process, and in a game in which the AT state ends in the favorable zone, a mode determination lottery is held as part of the process to return the presentation state to the normal presentation state.

[0087] In addition, the winning mode of the advantageous zone transition lottery may be, for example, two types, low probability winning and high probability winning, and the lottery mode to be shifted to in the advantageous zone transition process may be determined to be the low probability mode or the high probability mode. In this case, if the result of the advantageous zone transition lottery is a low probability win, the lottery mode can be set to the low probability mode in the advantageous zone transition process, and if the result of the advantageous zone transition lottery is a high probability win, the lottery mode can be set to the high probability mode in the advantageous zone transition process.

[0088] The AT control means 175 performs an AT lottery (an example of processing related to the instruction function) in the advantageous zone when the game state is a BB establishment state and the presentation state is a normal presentation state. Specifically, the AT lottery is performed based on the fact that the internal lottery has obtained any of the winning patterns of the special role group a, the special role group b, Cherry a, Cherry b, the common bell a, the common bell b, or the normal replay a. In this embodiment, when the game state is a normal state or a BB state, the AT lottery is not performed. However, the AT lottery may be configured to be performed at least when the game state is a normal state or when the game state is a BB state.

[0089] In the AT lottery, when a winning mode that triggers the execution of the AT lottery is obtained, a random number value in the range of 0 to 255 is obtained, and the obtained random number value is compared with the AT lottery table stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910 to determine whether or not the AT lottery has been won according to the comparison result. In the AT lottery table, AT win or loss is assigned to the random number value for the AT lottery, and it is determined that the AT lottery has been won when the random number value obtained for the AT lottery is associated with an AT win in the AT lottery table. In this embodiment, the probability of winning the AT is different between the low probability mode and the high probability mode, and the probability of winning the AT is set higher in the high probability mode than in the low probability mode. However, in this embodiment, for the special role group a and the special role group b, the lottery result of the AT lottery is always obtained in the AT lottery in both the low probability mode and the high probability mode.

[0090] In this embodiment, when a winning pattern that triggers the execution of the AT lottery other than the batting order bell is obtained, the AT lottery is executed before the stop operation for the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 is enabled, but for the AT lottery when the batting order bell is won, the AT lottery is executed when the 1-coin small role included in the winning batting order bell is won. Therefore, in a game in which the batting order bell is won, the AT lottery is not executed when the 9-coin small role is won or when none of the roles is won. Note that the AT lottery may be executed with the same execution trigger as when other winning patterns are obtained when the batting order bell is won, and the result of the AT lottery may be invalidated based on the fact that the 1-coin small role is not won. In this embodiment, when the first stop operation is to stop the first reel R1 when the batting order bell is won, the 1-coin small role is always won, so the AT lottery may be executed when the first stop operation is to stop the first reel R1. Thus, in this embodiment, the recommended batting order in which the first reel R1 stops first is treated more favorably in terms of the AT lottery than the irregular batting order in which the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 stops first.

[0091] In addition, in a situation where the AT control means 175 is in the low probability mode in the normal performance state, the AT control means 175 performs a process (an example of a process related to the instruction function) of updating the value of the high probability transition counter 1919 when a one-coin small role is won in a game in which the batting order bell is won, and the value of the high probability transition counter 1919 is not updated when a nine-coin small role is won or when no role is won even if the batting order bell is won. In other words, the recommended batting order in which the first reel R1 is stopped first is treated more favorably in terms of transition to the high probability mode than the irregular batting order in which the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 is stopped first. In this embodiment, when the normal performance state is in the low probability mode and transition is made, a predetermined value "255" is set in the high probability transition counter 1919, and the AT control means 175 performs a lottery for a high probability transition subtraction value when the batting order bell is won, determines the subtraction value for updating the high probability transition counter 1919 to be either "3" or "29", and subtracts the determined subtraction value from the value of the high probability transition counter 1919.

[0092] The high probability transition subtraction value lottery involves obtaining a random number between 0 and 255 when a 1-coin minor win occurs in a game in which the batting order bell is won, and the subtraction value that is pre-assigned to this random number, either "3" or "29," is drawn as the lottery result.

[0093] Then, the AT control means 175 judges that the high probability transition condition is established based on the value of the high probability transition counter 1919 reaching the initial value "0" in the low probability mode, and transitions the lottery mode to the high probability mode. In a situation where the player stays in the high probability mode in the normal performance state, the AT control means 175 performs a fall lottery based on the winning of the batting order bell group a, the batting order bell group b, the batting order bell group c, the batting order bell group d, or the common 1-piece role. In the fall lottery, the random number value acquired for the internal lottery is compared with the fall lottery table stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910, and it is determined whether or not the fall lottery has been won based on the comparison result. In the fall lottery table, a fall win or a miss is assigned to the random number value for the internal lottery that corresponds to the winning mode that triggers the execution of the fall lottery, and if the random number value acquired for the internal lottery corresponds to any of the batting order bell a group, batting order bell b group, batting order bell c group, batting order bell d group, or common 1-piece role, and corresponds to a fall win in the fall lottery table, it is determined that the fall lottery has been won. In this embodiment, the AT control means 175 determines that the high probability end condition has been established based on the lottery result of the fall lottery being obtained, and shifts the lottery mode to the low probability mode.

[0094] In this embodiment, when the presentation state is shifted to the normal presentation state, the AT control means 175 sets a predetermined value "1024" to the ceiling counter 1924, and performs a process (an example of a process related to the instruction function) of subtracting a subtraction value according to the result of an internal lottery from the value of the ceiling counter 1924 every time a game is played in the normal presentation state. In particular, in this embodiment, when the batting order bell is won, a process of subtracting the value of the ceiling counter 1924 is performed on the condition that a 1-coin small combination is won, and the value of the ceiling counter 1924 is not updated when a 9-coin small combination is won or when no combination is won. In other words, the recommended batting order in which the first reel R1 stops first is treated more favorably in terms of updating the ceiling counter 1924 than the irregular batting order in which the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 stops first.

[0095] The AT control means 175 controls the transition of the presentation state from the normal presentation state to the AT state based on the result of the AT lottery being an AT win or the value of the ceiling counter 1924 reaching the initial value "0". In addition, the AT control means 175 adds a fixed value "1" to the AT stock number counter 1920 based on the decision to transition to the AT state, and when transitioning the presentation state to the AT state with the end of a game in which the transition condition to the AT state is established (a game in which the lottery result of the AT win is obtained or a game in which the value of the ceiling counter 1924 reaches the initial value "0"), the AT control means 175 subtracts a fixed value "1" from the AT stock number counter 1920 and sets a value "30" corresponding to 30 times, which is the number of times of play that is the end condition of the AT state, to the AT game number counter 1921.

[0096] The AT control means 175 then plays an assist time game based on the fact that the presentation state is the AT state, and subtracts a fixed value "1" equivalent to one game from the value of the AT game number counter 1921 each time an assist time game is played. In this embodiment, when a batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell group a, batting order bell group b, batting order bell group c, or batting order bell group d wins in the AT state, a correct batting order announcement and a winning assistance presentation are performed to announce the correct batting order.

[0097] In addition, in this embodiment, when the AT control means 175 notifies the correct batting order for the batting order bell, the operation instruction number corresponding to the correct batting order for the won batting order bell ("03" (batting order 3), "04" (batting order 4), "05" (batting order 5), "06" (batting order 6)) is displayed on the main display 300.

[0098] In addition, when the performance state is the AT state in the advantageous zone, the AT control means 175 performs an add-on lottery (an example of processing related to the instruction function) based on the fact that the special role group a, the special role group b, Cherry a, Cherry b, the common bell a, or the common bell b is won in the internal lottery. In the add-on lottery, when a winning mode that triggers the execution of the add-on lottery is obtained, a random number value in the range of 0 to 255 is obtained, and the obtained random number value is compared with the add-on lottery table stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910, and whether or not the add-on lottery has been won is determined according to the comparison result. In the add-on lottery table, a win or a miss is assigned to the random number value for the add-on lottery, and it is determined that the add-on lottery has been won when the random number value obtained for the add-on lottery is associated with the win of the add-on lottery in the add-on lottery table. Note that in the add-on lottery performed when a winning mode belonging to either the special role group a or the special role group b is obtained, the lottery result of the win of the add-on is always obtained. In this embodiment, the AT control means 175 adds a fixed value "1" to the AT stock number counter 1920 based on the result of obtaining an additional win in the additional lottery.

[0099] Then, when the value of the AT game number counter 1921, which is subtracted by a fixed value each time an assist time game is played in the AT state, reaches the initial value "0", if the AT stock number > 0, the AT control means 175 subtracts a fixed value "1" from the value of the AT stock number counter 1920 and resets the value of the AT game number counter 1921 to "30" to continue the AT state, and if the AT stock number = 0, it determines that the termination condition is met because the AT game number = 0 and the AT stock number = 0, and returns the presentation state to the normal presentation state.

[0100] Also in this embodiment, the AT control means 175 sets the value of the clear counter 1922 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a to an initial value of "0" in the advantageous zone transition process, and in the advantageous zone, updates the value of the clear counter 1922 by the difference in the number of medals in each game, subtracts the value "3" corresponding to the number of medals inserted in the game (3 medals) from the value corresponding to the number of medals paid out (for example, "15" if 15 medals are paid out, and "0" if no winning combination is achieved and no payout is made) to obtain a calculation result of the difference in the number of medals in the game, and performs an update process in which this calculation result is added to the value of the clear counter 1922, and also when the value of the clear counter 1922 exceeds a threshold value (for example, 2400), it is determined that the end condition of the advantageous zone has been met. The value of the clear counter 1922 is controlled so as not to fall below the initial value "0". For example, if the value of the clear counter 1922 at the start of a game is "2" and, as a result of playing a game, no winning combination is won and no medals are paid out, the calculation result of the difference in the number of medals in that game will be "-3", and if the calculation result of the difference in the number of medals is added to the value of the clear counter 1922, it will fall below the initial value "0". However, the count of the clear counter 1922 after the update is stopped with the initial value "0" as the lower limit. If a replay is won in a game, the difference in the number of medals is calculated by treating the game in which the replay was won as having paid out medals equivalent to the prescribed number of medals for that game, and the difference in the number of medals for the next game provided free of charge due to the replay winning as having medals equivalent to the prescribed number of medals for that game, even if no actual medals are inserted, is calculated.

[0101] In addition, in the advantageous zone, the clear counter 1922 is updated even if a transition in the game state or presentation state occurs, unless the end condition of the advantageous zone is met.

[0102] The AT control means 175 also performs an initialization process to initialize information stored in a predetermined storage area of ​​the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a based on the end of the advantageous zone. In particular, in this embodiment, with respect to the main RAM of the game information storage means 190, information stored in the performance state storage area 1918, the high probability transition counter 1919, the AT stock number counter 1920, the AT game number counter 1921, the clear counter 1922, and the ceiling counter 1924 is initialized by an initialization process associated with the end of the advantageous zone. More specifically, the storage areas other than the performance state storage area 1918, the high probability transition counter 1919, the AT stock number counter 1920, the AT game number counter 1921, the clear counter 1922, and the ceiling counter 1924 in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a are designated as information storage areas, and information stored in storage areas other than the information storage area of ​​the main RAM is initialized. Therefore, when the initialization process is performed following the end of the favorable zone, unlike the case where the initialization process is performed in the setting change mode, in addition to the setting value storage area 1913 and the credit information storage area 1914, the lottery flag storage area 1915 and the game status storage area 1916 are also designated as information holding areas, and the information stored in these storage areas is retained without being initialized by the initialization process following the end of the favorable zone. When the initialization process is performed following the end of the favorable zone, the presentation state is initialized to the initial presentation state, and the values ​​of the high probability transition counter 1919, the AT stock number counter 1920, the AT game number counter 1921, the clear counter 1922, and the ceiling counter 1924 are initialized to their initial values ​​(for example, 0) to return to the normal zone.

[0103] In this embodiment, the initialization process is executed with the end of the favorable zone to return to the normal zone, so that if the value of the clear counter 1922 exceeds a threshold value while staying in the AT state, each AT state is forcibly terminated by the initialization process with the end of the favorable zone, the presentation state is initialized to the initial presentation state, and the values ​​of the high probability transition counter 1919, the AT stock number counter 1920, the AT game number counter 1921, the clear counter 1922, and the ceiling counter 1924 are initialized to their initial values ​​(for example, 0). Also, if the value of the clear counter 1922 exceeds a threshold value while staying in other presentation states, the currently staying presentation state is forcibly terminated by the initialization process with the end of the favorable zone, the presentation state is initialized to the initial presentation state, and the values ​​of the high probability transition counter 1919, the AT stock number counter 1920, the AT game number counter 1921, the clear counter 1922, and the ceiling counter 1924 are initialized to their initial values ​​(for example, 0). In this embodiment, the presentation state is not initialized by turning the power on / off, but when started in the setting change mode, if an initialization process is performed in the setting change mode, the presentation state is initialized to the initial presentation state, and the values ​​of the high probability transition counter 1919, AT stock number counter 1920, AT game number counter 1921, clear counter 1922, and ceiling counter 1924 are initialized to their initial values ​​(e.g., 0).

[0104] In this embodiment, the advantageous zone starts when the advantageous zone transition lottery is won in the normal zone, and the presentation state is set to the AT state under certain conditions within the advantageous zone to play the assist time game, but even if the AT state ends, the advantageous zone is maintained as long as the advantageous zone end condition is not met. In other words, in this embodiment, since the advantageous zone continues even after the AT state ends, there are cases where the player stays in the advantageous zone even if the presentation state transitions to a presentation state different from the AT state.

[0105] Furthermore, the AT control means 175 controls the LED built into the section indicator SEC to light up when the AT state is reached in the advantageous section, to notify the player that the player is in the AT state, and controls the LED built into the section indicator SEC to turn off when the AT state ends. In this embodiment, the LED built into the section indicator SEC is turned off when the player is in a normal section or when the player is in a presentation state other than the AT state in the advantageous section. In other words, in this embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not the player is in the AT state by checking the lighting state of the section indicator SEC.

[0106] In this embodiment, the AT control means 175 starts or ends a specific notification that indicates that the player is in the AT state based on the presentation state in which the player is in the advantageous zone. For example, the specific notification is started when the presentation state transitions to the AT state, and the specific notification is ended when the AT state ends. In particular, in this embodiment, there are cases where the advantageous zone continues even after the AT state ends, but the specific notification is ended not only when the AT state ends and the advantageous zone ends, but also when the AT state ends and the advantageous zone continues.

[0107] The section indicator SEC does not need to be provided exclusively as in this embodiment, and may be used in combination with the main display 300. For example, whether or not the player is in the AT state may be indicated by switching on / off the dot display unit that displays the decimal point of the 7-segment display, and the dot display unit may be turned off in a performance state other than the AT state, and the dot display unit may be turned on in the AT state to provide a specific notification. When the AT state starts, an LED built into the section indicator SEC lights up to immediately notify the player that the player is in the AT state, but the section may be set as a non-notification section that does not notify the player that the section is advantageous until a predetermined number of games are played from the start of the AT state, or the section may be set as a non-notification section that does not notify the player that the section is advantageous until the first correct batting order notification in the AT state is executed.

[0108] The communication control means 177 performs control to output a specific external signal to an external device such as the data counter 410 or the hall computer 420 when the presentation state is an AT state in the advantageous zone. In this embodiment, the specific external signal is output to the external device via the external centralized terminal board from the main board. The specific external signal is output based on the game start operation of the start lever SL of the first game (first game) in each set in the AT state. The specific external signal may be output based on the end of the last game (30th game) in each set in the AT state. In this embodiment, the specific external signal is output corresponding to each set in the AT state, so that the number of consumed sets in the AT state can be tallied in the external device.

[0109] The effect control means 180 controls display effects using the display device 330 (one example of an effect device) and sound effects using the sound device 340 (one example of an effect device) based on the effect data stored in the effect data storage area 1926 provided in the sub-ROM of the effect information storage means 190b. For example, in response to the occurrence of game events such as the insertion of medals, the operation of the bet button B0, the start lever SL, and the stop buttons B1 to B3, and the change in the game state, the effect control means 180 controls the execution of effects to liven up the game or to assist the game, depending on the progress of the game, by lighting or blinking lamps or LEDs, changing the display contents of the liquid crystal display LCD, and outputting sounds from the speaker SP. The contents of the effects executed in the game are determined by referring to the effect lottery table stored in the sub-lottery table storage area 1927 provided in the sub-ROM of the effect information storage means 190b, depending on the game state, the effect state, the result of the internal lottery, and the like. In this embodiment, image data corresponding to the progress of the game, etc. is read from the performance data memory area 1926 of the sub-ROM into an image buffer 1928 provided in the sub-RAM, and an image based on the image data read into the image buffer 1928 is output to the liquid crystal display LCD, and sound data corresponding to the progress of the game, etc. is read from the performance data memory area 1926 of the sub-ROM into a sound buffer 1929 provided in the sub-RAM, and sound based on the sound data read into the sound buffer 1929 is output from the speaker SP.

[0110] When the presentation state is the AT state, the presentation control means 180 controls the display device 330 and the audio device 340 to execute a winning assistance presentation that notifies the player of the correct batting order when the batting order bell is won and assists in the winning of 9 small prizes (small prize 3 to small prize 6).

[0111] In addition, when a game is being played in the AT state, the presentation control means 180 controls the execution of a remaining number display presentation that displays the remaining number of times to be played until the AT state ends on the display device 330 such as a liquid crystal display LCD. In the remaining number display presentation, when the value of the AT game number counter 1921 is subtracted by playing a game, the display content is changed so that the remaining number of times to be played also decreases to reflect the subtraction.

[0112] The effect control means 180 also controls to execute a specific effect that notifies the player that a stop operation should be performed in the recommended batting order in which the first reel R1 is stopped first. In particular, in this embodiment, the effect control means 180 executes a specific effect when a stop operation is performed in an irregular batting order in which the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 is stopped first in the normal section, and executes a specific effect when a stop operation is performed in an irregular batting order in which the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 is stopped first in the advantageous section while the player is in the normal performance state. As a specific effect, for example, a warning including a message "left push recommended" can be displayed on the display device 330 such as a liquid crystal display LCD. The specific effect may be executed in response to a first stop operation in an irregular batting order, a second stop operation in an irregular batting order, or a third stop operation in an irregular batting order. The specific effect may be executed in response to an irregular batting order after all reels have stopped. In addition, the trigger for determining whether the order of stop operations is an irregular batting order or not may be different from the trigger for executing a specific effect. For example, the determination of whether the batting order is an irregular batting order may be triggered by a first stop operation, and if it is determined that the batting order is an irregular batting order, the trigger for executing a specific effect may be a third stop operation.

[0113] The functional block configuration of this embodiment can also be applied to computer systems (including game systems). In these systems, the functions of the game control means 100 of this embodiment can be realized by downloading a program that causes a computer to function as the game control means 100 of this embodiment from an information storage medium such as a CD or DVD or a Web server on the Internet via a network. In the above computer system, the medal insertion switch 210, the bet switch 220, the start switch 230, the stop switch 240, etc. can be realized by virtually allocating their functions to operation means such as a keyboard, a pointing device (such as a mouse), a touch panel, or a controller. In the above computer system, the reel unit 310, the hopper unit HP, etc. are not essential components, and these device units can virtually realize their functions by controlling images displayed and output on a display (display device 330).

[0114] 1-2. Method of this embodiment In this embodiment, there are batting order bell a group (batting order bell a3 to batting order bell a6), batting order bell b group (batting order bell b3 to batting order bell b6), batting order bell c group (batting order bell c3 to batting order bell c6), and batting order bell d group (batting order bell d3 to batting order bell d6) as winning modes of small roles, and in the BB establishment state, it is possible to win 9 small roles for any batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell a group to the batting order bell d group by performing a stop operation according to the correct batting order according to the winning mode, but in the normal state, it is impossible to win 9 small roles for the batting order bell a group and the batting order bell b group, and it is possible to win 9 small roles for the batting order bell c group and the batting order bell d group as in the BB establishment state. In this embodiment, the difference in stop control between the normal state and the BB establishment state will be explained by taking the case where the batting order bell a3 belonging to the batting order bell a group wins as an example.

[0115] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing winning combinations when the winning pattern of the batting order bell a3 is obtained in the BB formation state.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 19, when the winning pattern of batting order bell a3 is obtained in the BB formation state, small prize 3, small prize 16, small prize 17, small prize 24, small prize 27, small prize 28, and big bonus (BB) are won, and when the order of stopping operation is batting order 3 (B2→B1→B3), small prize 3, which is a 9-coin small prize, is won.

[0117] In the following, a case will be described where the reels are stopped in the batting order 3 when the batting order bell a3 is won in the BB establishment state.

[0118] When the stop button B2 is pressed while the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are spinning, and the detection position of the first stop operation for the second reel R2 is number 6 as shown in Figure 20 (A), since the first stop operation is in line with the correct hitting order, the stop position of the first reel R1 is determined by payout number priority control.

[0119] Specifically, the patterns that exist within the pull-in range for the push detection position of number 6 on the second reel R2 are as shown in Figure 21, and the highest number of medals will be paid out when the replay pattern "RP" is displayed on the active line.

[0120] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 20(B), the second reel R2 is stopped so that the replay symbol "RP" of No. 5 is displayed on the pay line. Then, as shown in Fig. 20(C), when the second reel R2 stops, the winning combinations that can win a prize among the small combinations included in the batting order bell a3 are small combination 3, small combination 24, and small combination 27.

[0121] Next, when the stop button B1 is pressed while the second reel R2 is stopped and the first reel R1 and the third reel R3 are rotating, and the pressing detection position of the second stop operation for the first reel R1 is the number 7 as shown in Fig. 22(A), the symbols present within the pull-in range for this pressing detection position are as shown in Fig. 23, and the symbols that can display the symbol combination that shows the winning form of the winning combination that can be won are the BAR symbol a "BARa" and the bell symbol a "BLa". Here, the BAR symbol a "BLa" can win a 1-coin small combination, and the bell symbol a "BLa" can win a 9-coin small combination, so the winning of the 9-coin small combination is prioritized by the payout number priority control, and the first reel R1 is stopped so that the bell symbol a "BLa" of the number 6 is displayed on the pay line as shown in Fig. 22(B). Then, as shown in FIG. 22(C), when the first reel R1 stops, among the small roles included in the batting order bell a3, the only winning role that can be won is the small role 3.

[0122] Finally, when the rotating third reel R3 is stopped, the replay symbol "RP" is arranged in a positional relationship that allows it to be displayed on the pay line regardless of the push detection position, so the small win 3 will always be won. For example, if the push detection position of the third reel R3 is the number 8, as shown in Figure 22 (D), the third reel R3 stops at a position that displays the number 4 replay symbol "RP" on the pay line, and the small win 3 will be won.

[0123] FIG. 24 shows the winning combination when the winning pattern of the batting order bell a3 is obtained in the normal state.

[0124] As shown in Fig. 24, when the winning mode of the batting order bell a3 is obtained in the normal state, the small prize 3, small prize 16, small prize 17, small prize 24, small prize 27, and small prize 28 are won, and even if the order of the stopping operation is batting order 3 (B2 → B1 → B3), the winning of the small prize 3, which is a 9-piece small prize, is avoided. In addition, even if the order of the stopping operation is other than batting order 3, the winning of the 9-piece small prize is avoided.

[0125] In the following, a case will be described in which, in a normal state, when the batting order bell A3 is won, each reel is stopped in accordance with the batting order 3.

[0126] When the stop button B2 is pressed while the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are each spinning, and the detection position of the first stop operation for the second reel R2 is number 6 as shown in Figure 20 (A), since the first stop operation is not the correct hitting order, the stop position of the first reel R1 is determined by number priority control.

[0127] Specifically, the symbols present within the pull-in range for the push detection position of number 6 on the second reel R2 are as shown in Figure 25, and the largest number of symbol combinations indicating the winning form of a winning role that can be displayed on an active line is when the replay symbol "RP" is displayed on an active line.

[0128] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 20(B), the second reel R2 is stopped so that the replay symbol "RP" of No. 5 is displayed on the pay line. Then, as shown in Fig. 20(C), when the second reel R2 stops, the winning combinations that can win a prize among the small combinations included in the batting order bell a3 are small combination 3, small combination 24, and small combination 27.

[0129] In this embodiment, when the first stop operation is to stop the second reel R2 when the batting order bell a3 is won, the second reel R2 stops in the same manner in both payout number priority control and number priority control. This is because even if the first stop operation is in line with the correct batting order in each batting order bell, the second stop operation may change to an incorrect batting order, and the stop position is determined so that the symbols common to the 9-piece small role and the 1-piece small role are drawn onto the active line.

[0130] Next, when the stop button B1 is pressed while the second reel R2 is stopped and the first reel R1 and the third reel R3 are spinning, and the press detection position of the second stop operation for the first reel R1 is number 7 as shown in Figure 26 (A), the patterns that exist within the pull-in range for this press detection position are as shown in Figure 23, and the patterns that can display the pattern combination indicating the winning form of the possible winning combination are the BAR pattern a "BARa" and the bell pattern a "BLa". Here, the number of symbol combinations showing the winning form of the BAR symbol a "BLa" that can be displayed on the pay line is two, and the number of symbol combinations showing the winning form of the BAR symbol a "BLa" that can be displayed on the pay line is one, so the display of the BAR symbol a "BARa" is prioritized by the number priority control, and the first reel R1 is stopped so that the seventh BAR symbol a "BARa" is displayed on the pay line, as shown in Figure 26 (B). Then, as shown in Figure 26 (C), at the time when the first reel R1 stops, the only winning symbol that can be won among the small symbols included in the batting order bell a3 is the small symbol 24.

[0131] Finally, when the third reel R3 being rotated is stopped, if the third stop operation is performed at a push detection position that includes the watermelon symbol "WM" No. 2 or the red 7 symbol b "red 7b" No. 7 within the pull-in range on the third reel R3, the small prize 24 will be awarded. For example, as shown in FIG. 26(D), if the push detection position of the third reel R3 is the number 8, as shown in FIG. 26(E), the third reel R3 stops at a position that displays the red 7 symbol b "red 7b" No. 7 on the pay line, and the small prize 24 will be awarded. Note that, if the push detection position of the third stop operation for the third reel R3 does not include either the watermelon symbol "WM" No. 2 or the red 7 symbol b "red 7b" No. 7 within the pull-in range, the third reel R3 will stop in a manner that does not award any prize.

[0132] In this embodiment, if the stop operation is performed according to the batting order 3 in the BB formation state, the 9-coin minor role can be won, but if the stop operation is performed according to the batting order 3 in the normal state, the winning of the 9-coin minor role is avoided, and a 1-coin minor role is won, or a role is missed. And in this embodiment, even if any batting order bell is won, there is a possibility of falling from the correct batting order to the incorrect batting order at the time of the first stop operation, so the stop control is switched according to the game state at the time of the second stop operation.

[0133] FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for switching the stop control during the second stop operation.

[0134] First, when the batting order bell is won, the stop data for the correct batting order and the stop data for the incorrect batting order are set as reference data (step S100). The stop data for the correct batting order is stop data for preferentially displaying the symbols constituting the winning form of the 9-piece minor combination on the effective line, and the stop data for the incorrect batting order is stop data for preferentially displaying the symbols constituting the winning form of the 1-piece minor combination on the effective line.

[0135] If it is not the first stopping operation (N in step S101) or the third stopping operation (N in step S102), a check is made to see whether the selected batting order bell belongs to either batting order bell group c or batting order bell group d (step S103).

[0136] If the winning batting order bell belongs to the batting order bell group c or batting order bell group d (Y in step S103), the process of step S104 for determining the game state is skipped and the process proceeds to step S105 and subsequent steps.

[0137] Furthermore, if the winning batting order bell belongs to either batting order bell group a or batting order bell group b (N in step S103), a check is made to see if the game status is normal (step S104), and if the game status is normal (Y in step S104), the referenced stop data is updated to stop data for an incorrect batting order (step S107).

[0138] On the other hand, if the game state is a BB established state (N in step S104), a check is made as to whether the second stop operation is in accordance with the correct batting order (step S105), and if it is in accordance with the correct batting order (N in step S105), the referenced stop data is updated to stop data for the correct batting order (step S106), and if it is not in accordance with the correct batting order (Y in step S105), the referenced stop data is updated to stop data for an incorrect batting order (step S106).

[0139] In this embodiment, in a game in which a batting order bell is won, the type of batting order bell that has been won is determined at the time of the second stop operation, and if it is determined that it belongs to batting order bell group A or batting order bell group B, the current game state is determined and the processing is branched to switch the stop control.

[0140] According to the present embodiment described above, for batting order bells belonging to batting order bell group a and batting order bell group b, it is not possible to win a 9-coin minor prize in the normal state, but a 9-coin minor prize is possible in the BB state, and for batting order bells belonging to batting order bell group c and batting order bell group d, a 9-coin minor prize is possible in both the normal state and the BB state, so it is possible to suitably adjust the medal acquisition performance in each game state.

[0141] FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram comparing medal acquisition performance (here, expected value of ball payout rate) in each gaming state in this embodiment.

[0142] As shown in FIG. 28, in the normal state, the batting orders 1 and 2 < the relationship of the batting orders 3 to 6, and even in the BB establishment state, the relationship of the batting orders 1 and 2 < the batting orders 3 to 6 holds. That is, in the normal state and the BB establishment state, the irregular batting order in which the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 is stopped first is more advantageous in terms of the expected value of the medal payout rate than the recommended batting order in which the first reel R1 is stopped first. Note that for the BB state, there is no bias in the expected value of the medal payout rate depending on the order of the stop operation.

[0143] Also, as shown in FIG. 28, when comparing the differences in the expected values of the medal payout rates between game states, for the batting orders 3 to 6, the relationship is normal state < BB state < BB establishment state. In the gaming method in which the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 is stopped first, it can be seen that the expected value of the medal payout rate in the BB state is higher than that in the normal state, and furthermore, the expected value of the medal payout rate in the BB establishment state is higher than that in the BB state.

[0144] In a specification such that the medal acquisition performance of the batting orders 3 to 6 (gaming method in which the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 is stopped first) is higher than that of the batting orders 1 and 2 (gaming method in which the first reel R1 is stopped first) as in the present embodiment, it is necessary to design the expected value of the medal payout rate at a high level for the batting orders 3 to 6 so as not to fall below the lower limit of the range of the medal payout rate defined by the rules.

[0145] And in the present embodiment, by designing the expected value of the medal payout rate in the BB state to be low, the expected value of the medal payout rate in the BB establishment state is increased so as not to exceed the upper limit of the range of the medal payout rate defined by the rules, and the degree of freedom in design can be secured by the amount by which the expected value of the medal payout rate in the BB state is lowered. And regarding the BB state, since it is required that the medal acquisition performance in the BB state exceeds the medal acquisition performance in the normal state, in order to lower the expected value of the medal payout rate in the BB state, it is necessary to design the expected value of the medal payout rate in the normal state to be low.

[0146] However, a comparison of medal acquisition performance between the normal state and the BB state involves a comparison with the playing method with the highest expected ball payout rate in the normal state, which means a comparison with batting orders 3 to 6, which have the highest expected ball payout rate, which makes it difficult to design medal acquisition performance in the BB state to be low.

[0147] Therefore, in order to lower the medal acquisition performance in the normal state, which is an index for designing the medal acquisition performance in the BB state, the control rules for the stop control in the BB establishment state and when the batting order bell is won are made different in the normal state, so that the desired effect can be obtained by limiting the winning of small roles with high dividends. However, in the specification in which the playing method of stopping the first reel R1 first is recommended when playing in the normal performance state in the advantageous zone as in this embodiment, in order to treat the playing method of stopping the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 first as disadvantageous, it may be required to maintain the magnitude relationship of the expected value of the payout rate in each of the stop operation orders in the normal state and the BB establishment state.

[0148] For this reason, in this embodiment, batting order bell groups a and b are provided as batting order bell groups with different control rules in the normal state and the BB state, and batting order bell groups c and d are provided as batting order bell groups with common control rules in the normal state and the BB state. By making it impossible for batting order bell groups a and b to win a 9-coin minor combination in the normal state, it is possible to lower the expected ball payout rate in the normal state while maintaining the magnitude relationship of the expected ball payout rate between the order of the stopping operations, and as a result, it is possible to obtain the effect of ensuring the extent of the reduction in the expected ball payout rate in the BB state.

[0149] In this embodiment, the gaming method in which reels other than the first reel R1 are stopped first is explained using an example in which the reels are designed to have the same expected ball payout rate, but as long as the difference is only slight, they do not have to be completely identical.

[0150] In addition, in this embodiment, in providing a batting order bell group in which the control rules for stop control differ from the BB establishment state in the normal state, and a batting order bell group in which the control rules for stop control are common between the normal state and the BB establishment state, the combinations of one small role are made the same in the batting order bell a3 and the batting order bell c4, the combinations of one small role are made the same in the batting order bell a4 and the batting order bell c3, the combinations of one small role are made the same in the batting order bell a5 and the batting order bell c6, the combinations of one small role are made the same in the batting order bell a6 and the batting order bell c5, the combinations of one small role are made the same in the batting order bell b3 and the batting order bell d4, the combinations of one small role are made the same in the batting order bell b4 and the batting order bell d3, the combinations of one small role are made the same in the batting order bell b5 and the batting order bell d6, and the combinations of one small role are made the same in the batting order bell b6 and the batting order bell d5. That is, in the batting order bell group a and the batting order bell group c, the combination of one small prize with overlapping small prize 3 and the combination of one small prize with overlapping small prize 4 are interchanged, and the combination of one small prize with overlapping small prize 5 and the combination of one small prize with overlapping small prize 6 are interchanged. In the batting order bell group b and the batting order bell group d, the combination of one small prize is interchanged in a similar manner. In this way, according to this embodiment, by making an effort to interchange the combination of nine small prizes and overlapping one small prizes, the number of types of batting order bells can be increased without increasing the number of types of one small prizes.

[0151] In addition, in this embodiment, there are four types of correct small roles (small roles that can win in a correct batting order: 9 small roles in this embodiment) included in the batting order bell (small roles 3 to 6), and in each batting order bell, small roles 3 to 6 do not win in duplicate, but in the BB state, small roles 3 to 6 are allowed to win in duplicate in JAC1.This method reduces the chances of correct small roles winning in the BB state compared to the BB state, thereby lowering the expected ball payout rate in the BB state.

[0152] Furthermore, when adopting a method for lowering the expected value of the payout rate in the BB state as in this embodiment, the effect of lowering the expected value of the payout rate can be further obtained by increasing the types of correct minor winning symbols that can be won without overlapping in the normal state or the BB state.

[0153] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 29, eight types of correct small roles (correct small role 1 to correct small role 8) are provided, and correct small role 1 and correct small role 5 are set as correct small roles only for batting order 3, correct small role 2 and correct small role 6 are set as correct small roles only for batting order 4, correct small role 3 and correct small role 7 are set as correct small roles only for batting order 5, and correct small role 4 and correct small role 8 are set as correct small roles only for batting order 6. Then, the batting order bell a group and the batting order bell b group are formed using the correct small role 1 to the correct small role 4, and the batting order bell c group and the batting order bell d group are formed using the correct small role 5 to the correct small role 8. In this way, the number of types of correct small roles increases compared to the case of the present embodiment described above, and the chance of winning a correct small role in the BB state can be greatly reduced, and as a result, the expected value of the ball payout rate in the BB state can be greatly reduced.

[0154] In addition, in this embodiment, there is no batting order bell that awards a correct minor role with batting order 1 or batting order 2, which are the order of the stopping operation that stops the first reel R1 first, as the correct batting order, but it is also possible to configure it so that there is a batting order bell in which the correct batting order is set for batting order 1 and batting order 2, and in that case, a group of batting order bells in which it is impossible to award a correct minor role under normal conditions can include a batting order bell with batting order 1 as the correct batting order and a batting order bell with batting order 2 as the correct batting order.

[0155] For example, in the example shown in Fig. 30, six types of correct answer roles (correct answer role 1 to correct answer role 6) are provided, and correct answer role 1 is set as the correct answer role only for batting order 1, correct answer role 2 is set as the correct answer role only for batting order 2, correct answer role 3 is set as the correct answer role only for batting order 3, correct answer role 4 is set as the correct answer role only for batting order 4, correct answer role 5 is set as the correct answer role only for batting order 5, and correct answer role 6 is set as the correct answer role only for batting order 6. Correct answer role 1 to correct answer role 6 are used to form batting order bell group a and batting order bell group b, and correct answer role 3 to correct answer role 6 are used to form batting order bell group c and batting order bell group d. In this way, even if it becomes impossible to win the correct small winning combination in the normal state for the batting order bell group a and the batting order bell group b, the effect of lowering the expected value of the ball payout rate can be obtained without bias in the order of the stopping operations, so that it is possible to obtain the effect of lowering the expected value of the ball payout rate in the normal state while maintaining the relationship between the magnitude relationship of the expected value of the ball payout rate for each of the orders of the stopping operations in the normal state and the BB formation state.

[0156] Furthermore, for batting order Bell group c and batting order Bell group d, by using a correct minor role different from that of batting order Bell group a and batting order Bell group b, it is possible to increase the variety of correct minor roles and ensure a reduction in the expected value of the ball payout rate in the BB state.For example, as shown in Figure 31, the correct minor roles that make up batting order Bell group c and batting order Bell group d can be set to correct minor role 7 exclusive to batting order 3, correct minor role 8 exclusive to batting order 4, correct minor role 9 exclusive to batting order 5, and correct minor role 10 exclusive to batting order 6.

[0157] In this embodiment, small prize 1 and small prize 2 are provided as 9-coin small prizes that do not constitute the batting order bell, and these constitute the common bell a and common bell b. When the common bell is won, the control law of the stop control is switched so that the 9-coin small prize is won regardless of the order of the stop operation in the BB establishment state, whereas the 1-coin small prize is won regardless of the order of the stop operation in the normal state. That is, according to this embodiment, the control law of the stop control is also switched according to the game state for the common bell a and common bell b, and the effect of lowering the expected value of the ball output rate in the normal state is exerted, but at that time, the expected value of the ball output rate is lowered without bias in the order of the stop operation, so that the effect of lowering the expected value of the ball output rate in the normal state can be obtained while maintaining the magnitude relationship of the expected value of the ball output rate in each order of the stop operation in the normal state and the BB establishment state.

[0158] In addition, in this embodiment, with only the batting order bell group a to the batting order bell group b, there is a risk that the expected value of the payout rate in games that are not in the AT state (hereinafter referred to as games during non-AT) will fall below the lower limit of the range of payout rates set by the rules. Therefore, the presence of common bell a and common bell b, which can win 9 small prizes regardless of the order of the stopping operations in the BB formation state, can raise the expected value of the payout rate in games during non-AT.

[0159] In addition, in this embodiment, when the batting order bell is drawn, it is determined that the batting order is correct at the time of the second stopping operation, but it may also be determined whether the batting order is correct or not at the time of the first stopping operation.

[0160] In this embodiment, the batting order bell group a to the batting order bell group d are configured to perform stop control so that one small role may not win if the first stop operation stops the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 and is different from the correct batting order. This is because, in designing a high net increase specification, the correct batting order is biased to batting order 3 to batting order 6, which stops the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 first, so that the increase in the ball output rate of non-AT games in these operation orders is suppressed. In particular, in this embodiment, even if the stop operation is performed according to batting order 3 to batting order 6 when the batting order bell is won in the normal performance state, there is no penalty for the next game or later, so if the difference in the ball output rate of non-AT games between batting order 1, 2 and batting order 3 to batting order 6 is large, it becomes difficult to eliminate the strategy element that it is better to play with batting order 3 to batting order 6 even if you consider that you cannot receive the AT lottery. Therefore, when the first stopping operation stops the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 and is different from the correct batting order, the winning rate of the one-coin small combination can be reduced to 1 / 4, and the increase in the payout rate during non-AT play from batting order 3 to batting order 6 can be suppressed.

[0161] In this embodiment, when the batting order bell is won, if the stop operation is performed according to the correct batting order, the 9-coin small prize can be won without fail, but even if the stop operation is performed according to the correct batting order, the 9-coin small prize may not be won unless the stop operation is performed at a specific push detection position on any of the reels. In this case, the stop operation at the specific push detection position is required to be performed for at least one of the first stop operation, the second stop operation, and the stop operation at the specific push detection position may be required depending on the order of the stop operation, such as only the first stop operation, or the stop operation at the specific push detection position may be required only for a specific reel (the specific reel may be one or more) among the first reel R1 to the third reel R3. That is, in this application, the fact that the correct small prize can be won in a specific operation order means that the correct small prize can be won without fail in a specific operation order, or that there may be cases where the correct small prize is won and cases where the correct small prize is not won even in a specific operation order. In this application, the specific operation mode includes an operation mode in which the order of the stop operation is specified but the press detection position is not specified, and an operation mode in which both the order of the stop operation and the press detection position are specified.

[0162] Also, when a lottery for moving to an advantageous zone is performed in the normal zone, the lottery result of the advantageous zone winning may be obtained and the game may move to the advantageous zone. In this embodiment, the lottery for moving to an advantageous zone is performed when a winning mode other than the normal replay b is obtained in a game in the BB formation state in the normal zone. Therefore, if the game is configured to always move to the advantageous zone except when the winning mode of the normal replay b is obtained, the staying period in the normal zone can be reduced. Here, in this embodiment, when the first reel R1 is stopped first in the BB formation state and the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 is stopped first, the expected value of medals is higher when the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 is stopped first, and the process related to the move to the advantageous zone in the normal zone is executed in accordance with the result of the internal lottery, and the degree of advantage does not differ regardless of which reel is stopped first. Therefore, if the game stays in the normal zone for a long period of time, a strategy element occurs in which the game method of stopping the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 first becomes advantageous. Moreover, since the player can recognize whether or not he is in the advantageous zone by the advantageous zone notification, it becomes easy to switch the game method by checking the presence or absence of the advantageous zone notification. Therefore, by extremely increasing the advantageous zone transition probability, it is possible to reduce as much as possible the situation in which it is advantageous to stop the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 first. In particular, the method of increasing the advantageous zone transition rate described above is suitable for a game specification designed so that the value obtained by dividing the total number of medals paid out in the BB state and the number of medals paid out due to the correct batting order notification in the assist time game by the total number of medals paid out (the so-called instruction-included role ratio) does not exceed 70%, and the same game specification is also adopted in this embodiment.

[0163] In this embodiment, when the player is in the advantageous zone in the BB formation state, the ceiling function is installed so that the player always transitions to the AT state once before the advantageous zone ends. This makes it possible to avoid the advantageous zone ending without transitioning to the AT state during a series of advantageous zones and without the notification of the correct batting order for winning 9 small roles by reaching the end condition of the advantageous zone. In this embodiment, the value of the ceiling counter is updated when the player is in the normal performance state in the advantageous zone, and is updated by a certain value each time a game is played. Only when the batting order bell is won, the update is permitted on the condition that a 1 small role is won, but it may be updated with a value according to the result of an internal lottery, or with a value according to the game result such as the winning of a role. As for updating the value of the ceiling counter, when the stop operation is performed in the operation sequence (batting order 1, 2) that stops the first reel R1 first, it is preferable to allow the value of the ceiling counter to approach a predetermined value, and when the stop operation is performed in the operation sequence (batting order 3 to batting order 6) that stops the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 first, it is preferable not to allow the value of the ceiling counter to approach a predetermined value. The reason for setting a specification that transitions to the AT state at least once during a series of advantageous zones is to reduce the possibility of falling below the lower limit of the range of the ball payout rate in the so-called new mid-term test (1600G) as much as possible. In particular, in this embodiment, the medal acquisition performance in the operation sequence in which the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 stops first (batting order 3 to 6) is higher than that in the operation sequence in which the first reel R1 stops first (batting order 1, 2), and since it is difficult to acquire medals in the operation sequence in which the first reel R1 stops first (batting order 1, 2), if the advantageous zone continues for a long period without transitioning to the AT state even once, there is a possibility that the payout rate will be too low. For this reason, it is preferable to provide a ceiling function and allow the update of the ceiling counter value required to activate the ceiling function for the operation sequence in which the first reel R1 stops first (batting order 1, 2).

[0164] In addition, in this embodiment, common bell a and common bell b are provided as winning patterns in which two or more medals are paid out when the first reel R1 is stopped first in the operation sequence (stroke order 1, 2) when the BB is formed, and the probability of obtaining either of these winning patterns is at least 1 / 400.

[0165] In this embodiment, when a batting order bell belonging to any of the batting order bell groups a to d is won in the BB formation state, if the first reel R1 is stopped first (batting order 1,2), one small prize can be won without fail, but the lower limit of the range of the payout rate in the so-called short-time test is the number of medals paid out relative to the number of medals inserted that is "more than 1 / 3", and a payout rate of 33.33333...% is not suitable for the short-time test. For this reason, in a game method in which the first reel R1 is stopped first (batting order 1,2), it is necessary to provide a winning mode in which two or more medals are paid out at a moderate frequency.

[0166] Therefore, in this embodiment, the winning modes of common bell a and common bell b are prepared, and two or more medals are always paid out when the first reel R1 is stopped in the operation sequence (batting order 1, 2). In this embodiment, the winning probability of common bell a and common bell b is about 1 / 64 (combined probability is about 1 / 32), and since it is almost certain that any of the common bells will be obtained at least once during the 400G of the short-time test, it is possible to design it to be suitable for the short-time test.

[0167] In addition, in this embodiment, since the order of the stop operation that may win the 9-coin minor prize when the batting order bell is won is biased toward the operation order that stops the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 first (batting order 3 to batting order 6), it is preferable that the winning information of the batting order bell is not notified to the sub-board at least during non-AT play. In a situation where the operation instruction information is provided to the player in an advantageous zone, the winning information of the batting order bell may be notified to the sub-board, or the winning information of the batting order bell may not be notified to the sub-board at all regardless of whether it is a non-AT play or an AT play. Even if the winning information of the batting order bell is not notified to the sub-board when the main board side notifies the correct batting order, the winning assistance performance can be executed on the sub-board side, and it is possible to play the assist time game smoothly without notifying the winning information of the batting order bell itself. In this way, by preventing the notification of winning information on the batting order bell to the sub-board, at least for non-AT play, it is possible to prevent fraudulent acts such as modifying the sub-board to illegally determine winning information on the batting order bell during non-AT play and thereby reducing the consumption of medals during non-AT play.

[0168] In addition, in this embodiment, when the presentation state transitions to an AT state in a favorable zone, a specific notification is initiated by lighting up the zone indicator SEC, and there are cases where the favorable zone continues after the AT state ends and cases where the favorable zone ends, and when the AT state ends and the favorable zone ends, the zone indicator SEC is turned off and the specific notification is terminated, and also when the AT state ends and the favorable zone continues, the zone indicator SEC is turned off and the specific notification is terminated.

[0169] FIG. 32 is a diagram showing the relationship between the game interval, the presentation state, and the state of the interval indicator SEC.

[0170] First, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 32(A), if the end condition is not satisfied even when the first AT state ends in the advantageous zone, specifically, if the value of the clear counter 1992 does not reach the threshold value, the advantageous zone continues. Also, as shown in Fig. 32(A), if the end condition is satisfied in the second AT state in the advantageous zone, specifically, if the value of the clear counter 1922 reaches the threshold value, the AT state ends and the advantageous zone ends, returning to the normal zone.

[0171] In this embodiment, the interval indicator SEC remains off after the end of both the first and second AT states. Therefore, if a player changes while the interval indicator SEC is off, the player who plays later will not be able to determine whether they are in the normal interval or the advantageous interval by referring to the interval indicator SEC.

[0172] On the other hand, in the past, a section indicator SEC was used to notify the advantageous section, and as shown in FIG. 32(B), the section indicator SEC was turned off in the normal section, and when the advantageous section started, the section indicator SEC was turned on, and when the advantageous section ended, the section indicator SEC was turned off. In such a conventional method, it is easy to know whether the player is in the normal section or the advantageous section by referring to the section indicator SEC. Therefore, in the conventional method, when there is a bias in the expected value of medal acquisition according to the order of the stopping operation, it is not possible to suppress the strategy element of reducing medal consumption by playing with an irregular batting order in the normal section, which has a higher expected value of medal acquisition than the recommended batting order.

[0173] Therefore, in this embodiment, after the AT state ends in the advantageous zone, the specific notification by the zone indicator SEC is terminated in both cases where the advantageous zone continues and where the advantageous zone ends. Therefore, when the zone indicator SEC is off, it is not possible to know whether the player is in the normal zone or the advantageous zone. This makes it possible to prevent strategies that utilize irregular batting orders that have a high expected value for winning medals, thereby ensuring the fairness of the game.

[0174] In this embodiment, even if the setting value is changed, the information related to the game zone is initialized and set to the normal zone, but in a conventional configuration in which the zone indicator SEC notifies the player of the advantageous zone, the player knows that he or she is in the normal zone because the zone indicator SEC is off. On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the zone indicator SEC is off, it is not possible to know whether the player is in the normal zone or the advantageous zone, so the inconvenience of being able to determine whether the setting value has been changed or not can be eliminated.

[0175] In this way, according to this embodiment, by making it impossible to distinguish between normal zones and advantageous zones by referring to the lighting state of the zone indicator SEC, fairness in the game can be ensured even if the player is given more favorable treatment in the advantageous zone transition process performed when transitioning from the normal zone to the advantageous zone than if the same internal lottery result was obtained in the advantageous zone.

[0176] In addition, the method of the present embodiment is to notify by the section indicator SEC that the player is in any presentation state in which the instruction information is provided by the instruction function in the advantageous section. Therefore, there may be multiple types of presentation states in which the instruction information is provided in the advantageous section.

[0177] In this embodiment, there is only one type of AT state, but multiple types of AT states may be provided. When there are multiple types of AT states (presentation states in which instruction information is provided by the instruction function), a specific notification may be made in association with some of the AT states, or a specific notification may be made in association with all of the AT states. In other words, there may be an AT state in which a specific notification is not executed. For example, a configuration may be made in which a first AT state and a second AT state exist, and a specific notification is executed in the first AT state, but a specific notification is not executed in the second AT state.

[0178] It is preferable that the output of a specific external signal is permitted in the AT state where a specific notification is made, and that the output of a specific external signal is not made in the AT state where a specific notification is not made. In other words, it is possible to perform control that permits the output of a specific external signal to an external device via an external centralized terminal board, on the condition that a specific notification is being made.

[0179] In addition, the output of a specific external signal to an external device relayed through an external centralized terminal board can be output in different ways when transitioning from a normal presentation state to an AT state (at the time of the so-called first win) and when transitioning again from an AT state to an AT state (when consuming the AT state for the second or subsequent set). For example, a BB signal and an RB signal are prepared as specific external signals, and when transitioning from a normal presentation state to an AT state, a mode can be set in which a BB signal is output and then an RB signal is output, and when transitioning again from an AT state to an AT state, a mode can be set in which a BB signal is not output and an RB signal is output.

[0180] Also, when there are multiple types of AT states, different specific external signals may be output according to the type of AT state. For example, a BB signal and an RB signal may be prepared as specific external signals, and a first AT state and a second AT state may exist as AT states, with the BB signal being output in response to the first AT state and the RB signal being output in response to the second AT state. Note that when there are multiple types of AT states, a common specific external signal may be output in response to different AT states.

[0181] Furthermore, when multiple types of AT states exist, a unique interval indicator SEC may be provided for each AT state, or one interval indicator SEC may be shared among multiple types of AT states. In particular, when one interval indicator SEC is shared among multiple types of AT states, the notification mode of the specific notification (the lighting mode of the interval indicator SEC) may be made different depending on the type of AT state, or the notification mode of the specific notification may be made common regardless of the type of AT state.

[0182] Furthermore, the specific notification may be executed only when the AT state transitions in the advantageous zone, that is, the zone indicator SEC is lit only when switching between a non-AT state (normal presentation state in this embodiment) and an AT state. In this case, the zone indicator SEC can be lit in the process of transitioning the presentation state to the AT state, and the zone indicator SEC can be turned off during the first play in the AT state. The timing for turning off the zone indicator SEC can be set to any trigger, such as inserting a medal, operating the start lever SL to start play, starting the reels to spin, or operating the third stop.

[0183] In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, there is a difference in the expected value of medal acquisition between the recommended batting order in which the first reel R1 is stopped first and the irregular batting order in which the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 is stopped first, and since the irregular batting order has a higher expected value of medal acquisition than the recommended batting order, if the player can easily understand the difference between the normal section and the advantageous section, it is difficult to suppress the playing method of suppressing medal consumption by performing the stopping operation in the irregular batting order in the normal section that does not affect the advantageous degree of the processing related to the instruction function. And in this embodiment, although it is not possible to distinguish between the normal section and the advantageous section depending on the lighting state of the section indicator SEC, if the player is staying in the normal performance state in the advantageous section, playing in the irregular batting order will be disadvantageous to the processing related to the instruction function, so it is desirable to notify the player that he should play in the recommended batting order to draw his attention.

[0184] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 33, when a game is played with an irregular batting order, a special effect is executed on the liquid crystal display LCD to encourage the player to perform the stopping operation in the recommended batting order by displaying a warning including the message "Push left is recommended."

[0185] However, in this embodiment, playing with an irregular batting order is disadvantageous when you are in an advantageous zone and in a normal performance state, so if a specific performance is only possible in an advantageous zone, the occurrence or non-occurrence of a specific performance can be used to determine whether the zone is in a normal zone. For example, after the end of the AT state in an advantageous zone, a player intentionally plays with an irregular batting order, and determines whether the advantageous zone continues or returns to the normal zone depending on whether a specific performance occurs, or when a player is replaced, a new player who starts playing plays with an irregular batting order and determines whether the zone is in a normal zone or an advantageous zone depending on whether a specific performance occurs.

[0186] For this reason, in this embodiment, it is possible to execute special effects in both normal zones and advantageous zones, and in normal zones, special effects are executed based on a stop operation being performed in an irregular batting order, and in advantageous zones, special effects are executed based on a stop operation being performed in an irregular batting order while remaining in the normal display state, making it impossible to distinguish between normal zones and advantageous zones based on the occurrence of special effects for play in an irregular batting order.

[0187] In this manner, in this embodiment, since the expected value of winning medals in the recommended batting order is lower than in an irregular batting order, there is an inherent strategy element that can reduce the consumption of medals by performing a stopping operation in an irregular batting order in a normal zone; however, since it is not possible to determine whether the zone is a normal zone or an advantageous zone depending on whether a specific effect occurs or not, playing methods that utilize strategy elements can be discouraged, thereby ensuring fairness in the game.

[0188] In this embodiment, a warning display on the liquid crystal display LCD is described as a special effect, but a warning sound may be output in the special effect. Also, the special effect may not display a message, and the effect image displayed on the liquid crystal display LCD may go dark, as long as the change in effect due to the irregular batting order can be conveyed to the player.

[0189] In this embodiment, an example has been given in which the end condition of the advantageous zone is set based on the value of the clear counter 1922, which is updated according to the number of medals inserted and the number of medals paid out, but any end condition for the advantageous zone may be set such that a predetermined number of plays have been played in the advantageous zone.

[0190] In addition, in this embodiment, when the setting value is changed, the information related to the game zone and the information related to the game state are reset, and the player always stays in the normal zone and normal state immediately after the setting value is changed. Therefore, in a specification that provides favorable handling when moving from the normal zone to the favorable zone, it is preferable that there is no advantage when the setting value is changed.

[0191] Therefore, in the normal state, except when a winning pattern in which the Big Bonus (BB) is won alone is obtained, the advantageous zone is won, and in the normal state when a winning pattern in which the Big Bonus (BB) and a small prize are both won is obtained, a special flag is set, and the degree of advantage is adjusted by referring to the game state and the special flag, thereby eliminating the advantage when the setting value is changed.

[0192] For example, in a specific period from the third stop of a game that has achieved a winning pattern that results in a transition to a favorable zone to the internal lottery for the next game (the first game in the favorable zone), if a special flag is not set, more favorable processing can be performed than if a special flag is set.

[0193] Specifically, in a game in which a winning pattern in which a big bonus (BB) and a small prize overlap in a normal period and in a normal state is obtained, a process of setting a special flag is performed at least prior to the third stop.

[0194] If a special flag is set during the specific period, the selection mode of the AT selection in the normal presentation state is set to the low probability mode, and even if the game state is normal during the specific period, the selection mode of the AT selection in the normal presentation state is set to the low probability mode. On the other hand, if a special flag is not set during the specific period and the game state is a BB establishment state, the selection mode of the AT selection in the normal presentation state is set to the high probability mode.

[0195] In this way, when a transition to an advantageous zone occurs while staying in a normal zone and in a normal state, the lottery mode of the AT lottery at the time of transition to the advantageous zone becomes a low probability mode, so that the advantage in the case of a change in the setting value can be eliminated. Note that the adjustment of the degree of advantage may be realized by changing the transition destination of the presentation state, for example, when a special flag is set in a specific period and when the game state is in a normal state in a specific period, the transition destination of the presentation state may be the normal presentation state, and when a special flag is not set in a specific period and the game state is in a BB establishment state, the transition destination of the presentation state may be a presentation state (for example, an AT state) that is more advantageous than the normal presentation state.

[0196] In addition, in a state where the player is in the normal zone and in the BB formation state, it is preferable to prevent the player from winning in the advantageous zone in a winning pattern where the player wins a big bonus (BB) and a small bonus in the normal zone. For example, in the above embodiment, when the player gets a winning pattern of a common 1-piece role or a cherry a in a state where the player is in the normal zone and in the BB formation state, the special flag is not set, and the process related to the transition to the advantageous zone is not performed.

[0197] Another embodiment for eliminating the advantage when the setting value is changed can be achieved by not winning in the advantageous zone in either the normal state or the BB formation state for all winning patterns in which a big bonus (BB) is won in the normal state, and by implementing more advantageous processing in the BB formation state than in the normal state.

[0198] For example, for a specific period from the third stop of a game in which a winning pattern occurs and the internal lottery for the next game (the first game in the advantageous zone) is performed, if the game state is in the normal state, the lottery mode for the AT lottery in the normal presentation state can be set to a low probability mode, and if the game state is in the BB establishment state, the lottery mode for the AT lottery in the normal presentation state can be set to a high probability mode. In this way, when a transition to an advantageous zone occurs in the normal zone and in the normal state, the transition to the advantageous zone will be made while maintaining the normal state, so that it is possible to prevent an advantage from occurring when the setting value is changed. The adjustment of the degree of advantage may be realized by changing the transition destination of the presentation state. For example, if the game state is in the normal state during the specific period, the transition destination of the presentation state may be set to the normal presentation state, and if the game state is in the BB establishment state during the specific period, the transition destination of the presentation state may be set to a presentation state more advantageous than the normal presentation state (for example, an AT state, etc.).

[0199] In this embodiment, the instruction information is provided in the AT state in the advantageous zone, and the instruction information is not provided in the normal presentation state, but the instruction information may be provided in the normal presentation state. The presentation state that can be set in the advantageous zone is not limited to the normal presentation state and the AT state. For example, a configuration in which a premonition state (an example of the first state) in which the player stays between the determination of the right to transition to the AT state in the normal presentation state and the transition to the AT state is made, a configuration in which the right to transition to the AT state is granted under conditions different from those of the normal presentation state, and a chance zone state (an example of the first state) in which the right to transition to the AT state is more easily obtained than in the normal presentation state, a configuration in which the player stays in the end waiting state (an example of the first state) when the end condition of the AT state is satisfied, and returns to the AT state when the return condition to the AT state is satisfied in the end waiting state, and transitions to the normal presentation state when the return condition to the AT state is not satisfied, and a configuration in which the success or failure of any end condition of the advantageous zone is determined in the end waiting state after the end of the AT state, and there are cases in which the advantageous zone continues by transitioning from the end waiting state to the normal presentation state, and cases in which the advantageous zone ends in the end waiting state and transitions to the normal zone can be adopted.

[0200] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the AT state is not in the advantageous zone, and a stop operation is performed in the recommended batting order in a game in which the batting order bell has been won, the game is treated more favorably in various processes related to the instruction function than if the stop operation was performed in an irregular batting order for that game, but the following configuration can also be adopted.

[0201] For example, when a stop operation is performed in the recommended batting order in a situation where the player is in an advantageous zone and in a normal performance state, a specific game is awarded once based on the first stop operation, and this is recorded in the specific game counter. Specifically, the initial value of the specific game counter is set to 0, and when the first stop operation is an operation on the stop button B1, 1 is added to the value of the specific game counter. The value of the specific game counter is subtracted when a game start operation is performed for a game that is in an advantageous zone and in a normal performance state, and 1 is subtracted from the value of the specific game counter after processing related to the instruction function such as AT lottery is performed. That is, before subtracting the value of the specific game counter, at least one or more processing related to the instruction function is executed by referring to the value of the specific game counter. When the value of the specific game counter is 1, a more advantageous process is executed than when the value of the specific game counter is 0. For example, when the value of the specific game counter is 1, an AT lottery can be executed that can obtain a result of AT winning with a higher probability than when the value of the specific game counter is 0. Also, for example, when the value of the specific game counter is 1, the execution of the AT lottery can be permitted, and when the value of the specific game counter is 0, the execution of the AT lottery can be not permitted. According to these examples, when a stop operation is performed in an irregular batting order in a game in an advantageous zone and in a normal performance state, the degree of advantage can be adjusted in the next game of the game. Therefore, by combining with the method of the above embodiment, in a game in which a stop operation is performed in an irregular batting order, it is treated disadvantageously in the processing related to the instruction function as a penalty due to the stop operation being performed in the irregular batting order, and in the next game, it is treated disadvantageously in the processing related to the instruction function as a penalty due to the value of the specific counter being 0. In other words, the information that records that a stop operation was performed in the recommended batting order is carried over to the next game, and the information is referred to in the next game to perform advantageous processing, so that the effect of adjusting the degree of advantage can be generated in multiple games. The game in which it is determined whether or not to add the value of the specific game counter may be only the game in which the batting order bell is won, or it may be the game in which all winning patterns including the batting order bell are obtained.

[0202] In addition, in a situation where the normal presentation state is maintained in the advantageous zone, if a stop operation is performed in an irregular batting order in a game in which the batting order bell is won, control may be performed to make the specific presentation less likely to appear or to prevent the specific presentation from appearing until a specified release condition is met in the next or subsequent games.

[0203] An example of the specific effect is an effect that suggests the result of an internal lottery. Specifically, when a highly rare winning mode such as Cherry a or Cherry b is obtained, an image that suggests that the highly rare winning mode has been won is displayed on the liquid crystal display LCD, or a lamp is lit in a color corresponding to the highly rare winning mode. In addition, control that makes it difficult for a specific effect to appear or control that does not allow a specific effect to appear can be realized by changing a table for selecting effects. In addition, the release condition can be arbitrarily set to the number of times of play, obtaining the result of a predetermined internal lottery, performing a release lottery and winning the release lottery.

[0204] Here, in the case where a rare winning pattern is obtained in the internal lottery in the advantageous zone, in the specification that is treated favorably in the processing related to the instruction function, a specific effect that allows the player to know that a rare winning pattern is obtained is executed between the detection of the game start operation and the detection of the first stop operation. In this case, if the specific effect does not occur, the possibility of a rare winning pattern is low, so the stop operation is performed in the irregular batting order with a high expected value of medal acquisition, and if the specific effect occurs, the possibility of a rare winning pattern is high, so the stop operation is performed in the recommended batting order.

[0205] In response to this, by adopting control that limits the appearance of a specific effect (control that reduces the frequency of appearance or control that does not appear) until a predetermined release condition is met when a stop operation is performed in an irregular batting order with a high expected value of medal acquisition, it is possible to suppress highly strategic game procedures. The decision on whether to perform control to limit the appearance of a specific effect may be made only when the batting order bell is won, or may be made when the batting order bell and other than the batting order bell are won. In other words, a decision on whether to perform control to limit the execution of a specific effect may be made only when a winning mode is obtained in which the degree of advantage is adjusted in relation to the processing related to the instruction function when a stop operation is performed in an irregular batting order, or a decision on whether to perform control to limit the execution of a specific effect may be made even when a winning mode is obtained in which the degree of advantage in relation to the processing related to the instruction function is not affected even when a stop operation is performed in an irregular batting order.

[0206] In the present embodiment, the gaming machine is configured to insert gaming media such as medals when playing a game, and to pay out gaming media when winning a winning combination, but the game may be played by consuming or granting gaming value as electronic information without using gaming media. For example, the gaming machine or an external unit connected to the gaming machine may be configured to store information on the gaming value owned by the player, and the consumption of gaming value by subtracting the number of gaming values ​​may be replaced by the insertion of gaming media, and the granting of gaming value by adding the number of gaming values ​​may be replaced by the payout of gaming media.

[0207] Second embodiment 2-1.Configuration Fig. 34 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 35 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration (excluding the reel unit) of the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0208] The gaming machine of this embodiment is a so-called slot machine or reel type gaming machine, which is a type of gaming machine in which games are played using medals as gaming media.

[0209] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, a reel unit consisting of a first reel R1 to a third reel R3 (multiple reels) is stored in a box-shaped housing consisting of a storage box BX, an upper front door UD, and a lower front door DD. In addition, a power supply unit EU having a built-in power supply device and various switches such as a power switch ES, a setting change key cylinder KS, and a setting change button BS, and a hopper unit HP as a medal payout device are stored in the lower part of the reel unit storage space PS in the storage box BX. The hopper unit HP is equipped with a medal storage tank MT for storing medals to be used in a game, a payout motor (not shown) consisting of a stepping motor, and a rotating disk (not shown) axially supported by the payout motor, and is configured so that the rotating disk is rotated by the payout motor to pay out medals one by one. In addition, when the amount of medals stored in the medal storage tank MT reaches a certain amount, the hopper unit HP sends out surplus medals to a cash box CB. In the housing of the gaming machine of this embodiment, for example, a main board MAIN is attached above the reel unit storage space PS, and a sub-board SUB is attached to the side of the reel unit storage space PS, and these control boards (main board MAIN, sub-board SUB) are equipped with a CPU (an example of a calculation means), a ROM (an example of an information storage medium), a RAM (an example of a temporary storage means), etc., so that the operation of the gaming machine can be controlled. Note that in this embodiment, the power supply unit EU is provided with a setting change key cylinder KS and a setting change button BS, but the setting change key cylinder KS and the setting change button BS may be provided on the surface of the main board MAIN.

[0210] The first reel R1 to the third reel R3 shown in FIG. 34 are each divided into 20 regions (each region is called a "frame") at regular intervals on the outer periphery, and one of a plurality of types of symbols is arranged on each frame. The first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are supported by a stepping motor (reel driving means: not shown), and are each driven to rotate around the axis of the stepping motor, and are provided so as to be able to stop in frame units (predetermined rotation angle units, predetermined rotation amount units) by controlling the number of pulses and pulse width of the driving pulse of the stepping motor. That is, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the stepping motor drives the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 to rotate in response to the driving pulse supplied from the control board, and when a driving pulse of all phase excitation is supplied from the control board, the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 stop as the rotation of the stepping motor stops.

[0211] The upper front door UD and the lower front door DD are provided so that they can be opened and closed separately, and the upper front door UD is provided with a display window DW that allows the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 to be observed in their spinning and stopped states. When the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are stopped, three patterns (upper pattern, middle pattern, and lower pattern) that are consecutively arranged on the outer periphery of each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 among a plurality of patterns arranged at regular intervals on the outer periphery of each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 can be observed from the front of the gaming machine through the display window DW.

[0212] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, an upper, middle, and lower section is provided for each reel as a display position for observing the symbols through the display window DW, and an active line is set by a combination of the display positions of each reel. In the gaming machine of this embodiment, the number of medals required for one game, the so-called prescribed insertion number, is set to three, and when a number of medals equivalent to the prescribed insertion number are inserted, an active line L1 consisting of the upper section of the first reel R1, the middle section of the second reel R2, and the lower section of the third reel R3 is activated.

[0213] The game result is determined by the symbol combination that is stopped and displayed on the winning line in the display window DW, and if the symbol combination on the winning line corresponds to a predetermined winning combination, that winning combination is treated as a winning combination and medals are paid out from the hopper unit HP.

[0214] The upper front door UD is provided with a game information display section DS and a zone indicator SEC. The game information display section DS is made up of LEDs, lamps, 7-segment indicators, etc., and displays various game information such as the number of medal credits, the number of medals paid out or won in one game, the total number of medals paid out or won in BB state, etc. The zone indicator SEC notifies whether or not the player is in an advantageous zone by turning on and off the built-in LED.

[0215] The upper front door UD is provided with a liquid crystal display LCD for game presentation. Various videos (or images) for supporting or livening up the game are displayed on this liquid crystal display LCD. In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, a plurality of speakers SP for game presentation are provided on the upper front door UD and the lower front door DD. Various sounds for supporting or livening up the game are output from these speakers SP.

[0216] In addition, various operating means are provided on the lower front door DD. The operating means include a bet button (insertion operating means) B0 for inserting credited (stored) medals, a start lever (game start operating means) SL for rotating the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 to start a game, and stop buttons (stop operating means) B1 to B3 for stopping each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 rotated by a stepping motor.

[0217] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, when a player inserts a medal into the medal slot MI or presses the bet button B0, the machine is set to a ready state in which the rotation control of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 can be started. Then, when the player presses the start lever SL, the control board starts rotating the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 by driving a stepping motor, and an internal lottery is performed using a random number value. On the condition that the rotation speed of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 has increased to a predetermined speed, pressing of the stop buttons B1 to B3 is permitted (enabled).

[0218] Thereafter, when the player presses the stop buttons B1 to B3 at any timing, the stop switch (stop signal output means: for example, a photosensor, a conductivity sensor, a pressure sensor, etc.) built into each of the stop buttons B1 to B3 turns on, changing the reel stop signal input to the control board from the OFF state to the ON state.

[0219] In addition, when the player releases any of the pressed stop buttons B1 to B3 at any timing, the stop switches corresponding to the stop buttons B1 to B3 are turned off, and the reel stop signal input to the control board changes from on to off.

[0220] The control board then stops the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 at a stop position according to the result of the internal lottery based on the change from an OFF state to an ON state of the reel stop signal, whose signal state changes depending on the timing of pressing and releasing the stop buttons B1 to B3.

[0221] A medal payout port MO and a medal tray MP are provided below the lower front door DD, and a number of medals according to the results of a game are paid out from the hopper unit HP through the medal payout port MO to the medal tray MP. When medals are paid out according to the results of a game, if crediting (internal storage) of medals is permitted, medals equivalent to some or all of the payout number are credited up to the credit upper limit (50 in this embodiment), and the display value of the credit indicator consisting of a 7-segment indicator of the game information display unit DS is changed in accordance with the change in the number of medal credits.

[0222] FIG. 36 is a functional block diagram of the gaming machine of this embodiment.

[0223] The gaming machine of this embodiment is controlled by a gaming control means (main board MAIN and sub board SUB) 100. The gaming control means 100 is started by power supplied from a power supply unit EU by the operation of a power switch ES, and receives input signals from input means such as a medal insertion switch 210, a bet switch 220, a start switch 230, a stop switch 240, a setting change permission switch 250, and a setting change switch 260, performs various calculations for executing a game, and controls the operation of output means such as a reel unit 310, a hopper unit (payout device) HP, a display device 330, and a sound device 340 based on the calculation results. The functions of the gaming control means 100 are realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.), ASICs (gate arrays, etc.), ROMs (an example of information storage media), or RAMs, or software consisting of a given program prestored in a ROM or the like.

[0224] The game control means 100 includes a setting change means 103, a throw-in receiving means 105, a random number generating means 110, an internal lottery means 120, a reel control means 130, a winning determination means 140, a payout control means 150, a replay processing means 160, a game state control means 170, an AT control means 175, a performance control means 180, a game information storage means 190a, and a performance information storage means 190b. In this embodiment, the setting change means 103, the throw-in receiving means 105, the random number generating means 110, the internal lottery means 120, a reel control means 130, a winning determination means 140, a payout control means 150, a replay processing means 160, a game state transition control means 170, and an AT control means 175 are realized by the CPU of the main board MAIN executing various programs, and the performance control means 180 is realized by the CPU of the sub board SUB executing various programs. The game information storage means 190a is composed of a main ROM and a main RAM mounted on the main board MAIN, and the performance information storage means 190b is composed of a sub-ROM and a sub-RAM mounted on the sub-board SUB. Various programs executed by the CPU of the main board MAIN are stored in the main ROM of the game information storage means 190a, and various programs executed by the CPU of the sub-board SUB are stored in the sub-ROM of the performance information storage means 190b. The setting change means 103 controls changing the setting value stored in the setting value storage area 1913 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a. In this embodiment, the game machine is switched between starting in the game mode and starting in the setting change mode depending on the state of the setting change permission switch 250 when the power is turned on. When the setting key is inserted into the setting change key cylinder KS and the setting key is turned clockwise from the initial position, the signal state of the setting change permission switch 250 becomes ON. When the power switch ES is operated in this state to supply power from the power supply unit EU, the setting change means 103 starts the game machine in the setting change mode. In this embodiment, the setting value can be selected from six setting values ​​from setting 1 to setting 6, and the probability of winning the internal lottery is changed so that the expected value of the ball payout rate increases from setting 1 to setting 6. In this embodiment, the setting values ​​are expressed in the order of setting 1<setting 2<setting 3<setting 4<setting 5<setting 6.

[0225] Furthermore, when the setting change switch 260 is actuated by pressing the setting change button BS in the setting change mode, the setting change means 103 changes the setting value in the order of setting 1 → setting 2 →... setting 6 → setting 1 →... each time it receives an input signal from the setting change switch 260, determines the setting value based on a game start signal from the start switch 230 actuated by pressing the start lever SL, and controls to store the determined setting value in the setting value storage area 1913. In this embodiment, the signal state of the setting change permission switch 250 can be changed to the OFF state by returning the setting key inserted in the setting change key cylinder KS to the initial position, thereby making it possible to transition from the setting change mode to the game mode.

[0226] In this embodiment, when the power is turned on with the setting change key cylinder KS in the initial position, the gaming machine is started in the game mode based on the signal state of the setting change permission switch 260 being in the OFF state. In this embodiment, in the game mode, it is possible to play games but it is not possible to change the setting values, and in the setting change mode, it is possible to change the setting values ​​but it is not possible to play games.

[0227] In addition, the setting change means 103 performs an initialization process in the setting change mode to initialize information stored in a predetermined storage area of ​​the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a. In particular, in this embodiment, with respect to the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a, information stored in the lottery flag storage area 1915, the game status storage area 1916, the performance status storage area 1917, the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 is initialized by the initialization process in the setting change mode. More specifically, the memory areas other than the lottery flag memory area 1915, the game state memory area 1916, the performance state memory area 1917, the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 in the main RAM of the game information memory means 190a are designated as information holding areas, and information stored in the memory areas other than the information holding areas of the main RAM is initialized. For this reason, in the main RAM, the setting value memory area 1913 and the credit information memory area 1914 are designated as information holding areas, and the information stored in these memory areas is retained without being initialized by the initialization process in the setting change mode.

[0228] The insertion receiving means 105 receives insertion of medals for each game, and performs a process of validating a game start operation for the start lever SL (game start operating means) based on insertion of medals equivalent to the specified insertion number (3 medals). In the gaming machine of this embodiment, the first pressing operation of the start lever SL, which is validated based on insertion of medals equivalent to the specified insertion number, is accepted as a game start operation, and serves as a trigger for starting the rotation of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 and also serves as a trigger for executing an internal lottery.

[0229] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, when medals are inserted into the medal insertion slot MI, the medal insertion switch 210 is operated, and the insertion acceptance means 105 sets the inserted medals to an inserted state up to a specified insertion number. In the gaming machine of this embodiment, a maximum of 50 medals can be stored (accumulated) in the credit information storage area 1914 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a, and when the bet button B0 is pressed with medals credit-stored in the gaming machine, the bet switch 220 is operated, and the insertion acceptance means 105 sets the medals credit-stored in the credit information storage area 1914 to an inserted state up to a specified insertion number.

[0230] The random number generating means 110 is a means for generating random numbers for lottery. The random numbers can be generated by, for example, a 16-bit random number circuit that generates 65536 random numbers from 0 to 65535 without duplication in one period. In this embodiment, the "random number" includes not only values ​​that are generated randomly in the mathematical sense, but also values ​​that may be generated regularly but may function as random numbers because of irregular acquisition timing.

[0231] The internal lottery means 120 is a means for conducting an internal lottery to determine whether a winning combination will be achieved based on a start signal from the start switch 230, which is activated when the player operates the start lever SL to start the game (first pressing of the activated start lever SL), and performs lottery table selection processing, random number determination processing, lottery flag setting processing, etc.

[0232] In the lottery table selection process, it is determined which of the multiple internal lottery tables stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910 provided in the main ROM of the game information storage means 190a is used to perform the internal lottery. In the gaming machine of this embodiment, three types of internal lottery tables (internal lottery table 1 to internal lottery table 3) as shown in FIG. 37 are stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910. In each internal lottery table, various roles such as replay, small role, and bonus, and miss (non-winning) are associated with each of multiple random number values ​​(for example, 65536 random number values ​​from 0 to 65535). In this embodiment, three types of internal lottery tables are prepared for each of six setting values, and the probability of obtaining some winning modes in the internal lottery differs depending on the setting value, and the correspondence between roles and random number values ​​is set so that the higher the setting value, the higher the expected value of the ball payout rate.

[0233] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, minor roles 1 to 48 are provided as minor roles, and the winning patterns of the minor roles are set as shown in Figures 38 and 39, and include batting order bell group a (batting order bell a1 to batting order bell a6), batting order bell group b (batting order bell b1 to batting order bell b6), batting order bell group c (batting order bell c1 to batting order bell c6), batting order bell group d (batting order bell d1 to batting order bell d6), batting order bell group e (batting order bell e1 to batting order bell e6), batting order special roles group (batting order special roles 1 to batting order special roles 16: an example of a specific winning pattern), weak cherry, JAC1, and JAC2.

[0234] In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, replays are provided in the form of Replay 1 to Replay 7, and the winning patterns of the replays are set to normal replay a, normal replay b, watermelon, chance eye a, chance eye b, and strong cherry, as shown in FIG. 39.

[0235] In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the probability of winning a small role is the same on internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2, the probability of winning a replay is higher on internal lottery table 2 than on internal lottery table 1, replays are not included in the lottery on internal lottery table 3, and the method of drawing small roles on internal lottery table 3 is different from that on internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2, and the probability of winning a small role is higher than that on internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2.

[0236] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, a big bonus (BB) is provided as a bonus, and the big bonus (BB) is an object of lottery in the internal lottery table 1.

[0237] In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the game state can be set to a normal state, a BB establishment state, and a BB state, and in the lottery table selection process, one of the internal lottery tables 1 to 3 is selected as the internal lottery table to be used in the internal lottery depending on the game state.

[0238] In this embodiment, the probability of winning a bonus or replay does not change depending on the setting value, but the probability of winning some of the minor winning patterns changes depending on the setting value, and the higher the setting value, the higher the probability of winning JAC1 and JAC2.

[0239] In the random number determination process, a random number value (random number for lottery) is obtained from the random number generating means 110 for each game based on a start signal from the start switch 230, and a determination is made as to whether or not the obtained random number value has won a winning combination by referring to an internal lottery table stored in the main lottery table memory area 1910 provided in the main ROM of the game information memory means 190a.

[0240] In the lottery flag setting process, based on the result of the random number determination process, the lottery flag corresponding to the winning combination is set from a non-winning state (first flag state, off state) to a winning state (second flag state, on state). In the gaming machine of this embodiment, when two or more types of combinations are won in a overlapping manner, the lottery flags corresponding to the two or more types of combinations that are won in a overlapping manner are set to a winning state. The setting information of the lottery flag is stored in the lottery flag storage area 1915 provided in the main RAM of the gaming information storage means 190a.

[0241] In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, a lottery flag (carry-over flag) that can carry over a winning state to the next game or later until a prize is won, and a lottery flag (non-carry-over flag) that is reset to a non-winning state without carrying over a winning state to the next game or later regardless of whether a prize is won are prepared. The former carry-over flag corresponds to a big bonus (BB), and the latter non-carry-over flag corresponds to a small bonus and a replay. In the lottery flag setting process, for example, when a big bonus (BB) is won in an internal lottery, a process is performed to carry over the winning state of the lottery flag of the big bonus (BB) until the big bonus (BB) is won. At this time, the internal lottery means 120 performs an internal lottery to determine whether or not a small bonus and a replay are won, even in a game in which the winning state of the lottery flag of the big bonus (BB) is carried over. That is, in the lottery flag setting process, in a game in which the winning state of the lottery flag of the bonus corresponding to the carryover flag is carried over, if a small winning combination or replay is won, the lottery flag corresponding to two or more types of combinations consisting of the lottery flag of the already won bonus and the lottery flag of the small winning combination or replay won in the internal lottery are set to a winning state.

[0242] The reel control means 130, based on a start signal from the start switch 230 which is operated by the player operating the start lever SL to start a game, starts the rotation driving of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 by the stepping motor, and controls the activation of the stop operation by pressing the stop button B1 to B3 (stop operation means) corresponding to the reel which is rotating steadily at a predetermined speed (approximately 80 rpm: a rotation speed of approximately 80 rotations per minute), and also controls the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 which are rotated by the stepping motor to stop in a manner according to the setting state of the lottery flag (the result of the internal lottery).

[0243] When the stop switch 240 is activated by the player pressing one of the stop buttons B1 to B3 while the stop operation for the stop buttons B1 to B3 is enabled, the reel control means 130 performs control to stop each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 by supplying a full-phase excitation drive pulse to the stepping motor of the reel unit 310 based on a reel stop signal from the stop switch 240.

[0244] That is, the reel control means 130 determines the stop position of the reel corresponding to the pressed button among the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 every time the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed, and controls the reel to stop at the determined stop position. In the gaming machine of this embodiment, pressing the stop button B1 corresponds to an operation for stopping the first reel R1, pressing the stop button B2 corresponds to an operation for stopping the second reel R2, and pressing the stop button B3 corresponds to an operation for stopping the third reel R3. That is, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, when the pressing order of the stop buttons B1 to B3 is changed, the stopping order of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 is changed.

[0245] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are stopped within 190 ms from the time when the stop button B1 to B3 is pressed. When the reels are stopped within 190 ms from the time when the stop button is pressed, the stop position of each reel is determined by the number of frames required from the time when the stop button is pressed until the reel stops within a range of 0 to 4 frames (predetermined pull-in range). The reel control means 130 performs control to stop the reel corresponding to the stop button pressed so that the symbol corresponding to the symbol with the lottery flag set to a winning state is displayed at the display position on the pay line when the symbol corresponding to the symbol that won the internal lottery is located within a range of 0 to 4 frames from the display position on the pay line at the time when the stop button is pressed on the outer circumferential surface of the reel that is rotating corresponding to the stop button B1 to B3 that was pressed.

[0246] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 40, the red 7 symbol "red 7", the bar symbol "BAR", the special symbol 1 "SP1", the special symbol 2 "SP2", the special symbol 3 "SP3", the replay symbol "RP", the bell symbol 1 "BL1", the bell symbol 2 "BL2", the watermelon symbol "WM", and the cherry symbol "CH" are arranged on the outer periphery of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 constituting the reel unit 310, and when the symbols existing within 4 frames from the push detection position are drawn onto the activated line, the symbols arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less on the outer periphery of each reel can be displayed on the activated line regardless of the push detection position (an example of the operation detection position) which is the position of the reel at the time when the stop switch 240 is operated (the time when the push of the stop button is detected). In this embodiment, the push detection position is the display position of the upper row of each reel.

[0247] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, the reel unit 310 is provided with a reel index 315 consisting of a photosensor, and the reel control means 130 is capable of monitoring the current rotation state of the reel by determining the rotation angle (the number of rotation steps of the rotating shaft of the stepping motor) from the reference position of the reel (the frame detected by the reel index 315) based on the reference position signal detected by the reel index 315 every time the reel rotates once. In other words, the reel control means 130 can obtain the position of the reel when the stop switch 240 is activated by determining the rotation angle from the reference position of the reel.

[0248] Furthermore, the reel control means 130 determines the stop positions of the reels during rotation by referring to a stop control table stored in a stop control table storage area 1911 provided in the main ROM of the game information storage means 190a.

[0249] In the stop control table, a correspondence relationship between the push detection position, which is the position of the reel at the time when the stop switch 240 is actuated (the time when the push of the stop button is detected), and the actual stop position is set according to the setting state of the lottery flag. Note that in the stop control table, a correspondence relationship between the push detection position and the number of sliding symbols indicating the amount of rotation from the push detection position to the actual stop position may be set according to the setting state of the lottery flag.

[0250] In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the priorities for small wins, replays, and bonuses are set in the order of "replay > bonus" and then "small win > bonus", and the stop control table is set so that a stop position including a pattern that constitutes the winning form of a high priority win is selected according to the priorities associated with each win.

[0251] In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, in the stop control table that is referenced when the lottery flags related to multiple types of minor roles are set to a winning state in the internal lottery, there are cases where the stop position is set according to the number of pattern combinations that indicate winning forms that can be displayed on the winning line (number priority control: an example of the second control rule) and cases where the stop position is set according to the number of medals paid out based on a predetermined payout for the minor role (payout number priority control: an example of the first control rule). When the stop position is set according to the number of pattern combinations that indicate winning forms that can be displayed on the winning line, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that the stop position with a greater number of pattern combinations that indicate winning forms that can be displayed on the winning line is given priority, and when the stop position is set according to the number of medals paid out, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that the stop position with a greater number of medals paid out based on the payout for the minor role corresponding to the pattern displayed at the display position on the winning line (the stop position that can win a minor role with a greater payout) is given priority. However, when the stop positions are set according to the number of medals paid out, for multiple stop positions that have the same number of medals paid out, the priority of each stop position is treated as being the same and a stop position relative to the press detection position is set, and when the stop positions are set according to the number of pattern combinations that indicate winning forms that can be displayed on an active line, the priority of each stop position is treated as being the same and a stop position relative to the press detection position is set, and when the stop positions are set according to the number of pattern combinations that indicate winning forms that can be displayed on an active line, the priority of each stop position is treated as being the same and a stop position relative to the press detection position is set.

[0252] In the stop control table that is referenced when batting order bell group a (batting order bell a1 to batting order bell a6), batting order bell group b (batting order bell b1 to batting order bell b6), batting order bell group c (batting order bell c1 to batting order bell c6), batting order bell group d (batting order bell d1 to batting order bell d6), and batting order bell group e (batting order bell e1 to batting order bell e8) are selected in the internal lottery, the correct batting order is set for each batting order bell, as shown in Figures 41 and 42, and any pressing order that differs from the correct batting order is treated as an incorrect batting order.

[0253] First, as shown in FIG. 41, in the stop control table which is referenced when a batting order bell belonging to any of batting order bell groups a to d is won, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the correct batting order, a 15-coin small win or a 1-coin small win will be awarded (if batting order 3 to batting order 6 are the correct batting order, there may be a miss), and when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in an incorrect batting order, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that a 1-coin small win will be awarded (if batting order 3 to batting order 6 are the incorrect batting order, there may be a miss).

[0254] In addition, in this embodiment, when a batting order bell belonging to any of batting order bell groups a to d is won and a stop operation is performed in the correct batting order, whether or not a 15-coin small win will be awarded is determined by the press detection position of the stop operation corresponding to the reel that stops first in the correct batting order (hereinafter referred to as the first stop operation), and whether or not a 15-coin small win will be awarded is determined by whether the press detection position of the first stop operation is the first press position or the second press position shown in Figure 40. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 41, for the batting order bell group a and the batting order bell group c, if the batting order is correct and the first stopping operation is in the second press position, a 15-coin small prize will be awarded, and if the batting order is correct but the first stopping operation is in the first press position, a 15-coin small prize will not be awarded. For the batting order bell group b and the batting order bell group d, if the batting order is correct and the first stopping operation is in the first press position, a 15-coin small prize will be awarded, and if the batting order is correct but the first stopping operation is in the second press position, a 15-coin small prize will not be awarded.

[0255] Next, as shown in Fig. 42, in the stop control table that is referred to when the batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell group e is won, the stop position for the pressing detection position is set so that when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the correct batting order, 15 small prizes are won, and when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the incorrect batting order, 1 small prize is won (when batting order 3 to batting order 6 are incorrect batting orders, there is a possibility of missing out). Note that, unlike the batting order bell group a to the batting order bell group d, the batting order bell group e is set so that 15 small prizes can be won regardless of the pressing detection position for the first stop operation in the correct batting order.

[0256] As shown in Figures 41 and 42, for all batting order bells, in the normal state, all stop operation sequences are treated as incorrect batting orders, and only when the BB is established, there are stop operation sequences that are treated as correct batting orders and stop operation sequences that are treated as incorrect batting orders. Therefore, in the normal state, even if a stop operation is performed in a mode in which a 15-coin small win can be won in the BB state, a 1-coin small win will be won.

[0257] In addition, when each batting order bell is won, the stop position for the press detection position is set in each stop control table so that in the correct batting order, the payout number priority control causes the symbols that make up the winning form of a 15-coin small prize to be preferentially displayed on the valid line, and in the incorrect batting order, the number priority control causes the symbols that make up the winning form of a 1-coin small prize to be preferentially displayed on the valid line.

[0258] In addition, in the stop control table that is referenced when a batting order special role belonging to the batting order special role group (batting order special role 1 to batting order special role 16) is won in the internal lottery, as shown in FIG. 43, when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in a specific batting order (a predetermined operation sequence for each batting order special role) and the press detection position of the first stop operation (a stop operation related to the reel that is to be stopped first in the specific batting order) is a specific press detection position (a press detection position predetermined for each batting order special role: an example of a specific operation position), a 15-coin small role (one of the specific small roles) is generated. The stop positions are set so that when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in a specific batting order and the first stop operation is a non-specific batting order (a different batting order from the specific batting order), a 1-coin small win is won. When the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in a non-specific batting order (a different operation order from the specific batting order), a 14-coin small win is won. The specific batting order shown in FIG. 43 indicates the number of the pattern located in the upper row when the stop button is pressed. For example, the specific batting order special role 1 shown in FIG. 43, which is the 0th and 16th press positions, indicates the case where either the 0th cherry pattern "CH" or the 16th watermelon pattern "WM" is located in the upper row for the press detection position of the first reel R1 to be stopped first in the specific batting order. In the following, if necessary, the manner of stopping operation that results in the winning of a 15-coin minor role when a special batting order role is won may be referred to as a specific operation mode.

[0259] In addition, when the batting order special role is won, in the case of a specific batting order, the stop positions for the push detection positions are set in each stop control table so that, for a specific push position, the symbols constituting the winning form of the 15-coin small role are preferentially displayed on the valid line by payout priority control, and for a push detection position different from the specific push position, the symbols constituting the winning form of the 1-coin small role are preferentially displayed on the valid line by number priority control, and in the case of a non-specific batting order, the symbols constituting the winning form of the 14-coin small role are preferentially displayed on the valid line by number priority control. In other words, when the batting order special role is won, payout priority control is performed only when the specific operation mode is selected, and number priority control is performed when the specific operation mode is not selected.

[0260] In addition, in the stop control table which is referenced when Weak Cherry 1 is won, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that small win 48 will win in priority over small win 29, small win 32, and small win 43, and in the stop control table which is referenced when JAC1 is won, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that any of the 15-coin small wins will definitely win, and in the stop control table which is referenced when JAC1 is won, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that any of the 1-coin small wins will definitely win.

[0261] In addition, for the winning patterns of various replays such as normal replay a, normal replay b, watermelon, chance eye a, chance eye b, and strong cherry, the stop positions relative to the press detection position are set so that any of the replays included in the winning patterns will always win regardless of the type of stop operation.

[0262] As for the Big Bonus (BB), in the normal state, it can only be won if the Big Bonus (BB) is won alone. In the BB state, there are no misses, and since there are always overlapping wins of small symbols or replays, which have a higher priority than the Big Bonus (BB), the stop position for the press detection position is set in the stop control table so that the Big Bonus (BB) is not won.

[0263] The winning judgment means 140 performs a winning judgment process to judge whether or not a winning combination has been achieved based on the stopping state of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3. Specifically, the winning judgment means 140 judges whether or not the symbol combination displayed on the pay line at the time when all of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 have stopped is a winning form of a predetermined winning combination, etc., while referring to the winning judgment table stored in the winning judgment table storage area 1912 provided in the main ROM of the game information storage means 190a. Then, the winning judgment table is prepared so that the presence or absence of winning of the big bonus (BB), replay 1 to replay 7, and small prize 1 to small prize 48 can be judged based on the symbol combination displayed on the pay line when each reel has stopped, as shown in Figures 44 to 48.

[0264] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, when a winning combination is achieved, a winning process is executed based on the result of the determination by the winning determination means 140. As the winning process, for example, when a small combination is achieved, a medal payout process is executed by the payout control means 150, when a replay is achieved, a replay process is executed by the replay processing means 160, and when a bonus is achieved, a game state transition process is executed by the game state control means 170 to transition the game state.

[0265] The payout control means 150 performs a payout control process for the payout of medals according to the game result. Specifically, when a small winning combination is won, the payout number of medals in the game is determined based on the payout amount determined in advance for each combination, and the payout number of medals corresponding to the determined payout number is controlled to be paid out to the hopper unit HP (payout device).

[0266] The hopper unit HP performs an operation of paying out the number of medals instructed by the payout control means 150. The hopper unit HP is provided with a paid out medal detection switch 325 that is activated each time a medal is paid out, and the payout control means 150 is configured to be able to manage the number of medals actually paid out from the hopper unit HP based on an input signal from the paid out medal detection switch 325.

[0267] When credit storage (accumulation storage) of medals is permitted, instead of actually paying out medals using the hopper unit HP, a credit addition process is performed in which the number of payouts is added to the number of credits (the number of medals stored as credits) stored in the credit information storage area 1914 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a, and medals are virtually paid out.

[0268] When a replay wins, the replay processing means 160 performs a replay process (replay process) for setting the next game to the same preparation state as the previous game without requiring the player to insert medals owned by the player. That is, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, when a replay wins, an automatic insertion process is performed for automatically inserting medals in the number equivalent to the prescribed insertion number required for the next game without using medals (including credit medals) owned by the player, and the machine waits for the next game start operation on the start lever SL with the pay line corresponding to the prescribed insertion number set.

[0269] The game state control means 170 performs a game state transition process for transitioning the game state between the normal state, the BB established state, and the BB state, as shown in FIG. 49. In this embodiment, information indicating the game state in which the player is currently playing is stored in a game state storage area 1916 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a. The game state transition condition may be one condition or multiple conditions. When multiple conditions are set, the game state can be transitioned to another game state based on the establishment of one of the multiple predetermined conditions, or the establishment of all of the multiple predetermined conditions.

[0270] The normal state is a game state corresponding to the initial state among a plurality of game states, and it is possible to transition from the normal state to the BB established state or the BB state. Specifically, if the big bonus (BB) is won in the normal state but the big bonus (BB) is not awarded, the state transitions to the BB established state, and if the big bonus (BB) is won and the big bonus (BB) is awarded in the normal state, the state transitions to the BB state. In the normal state, the internal lottery is performed by referring to the internal lottery table 1, in which the winning probability of the replay is set to about 1 / 7.3 or more and the big bonus (BB) is set as a lottery target, among the internal lottery tables 1 to 3 shown in FIG. 37.

[0271] The BB established state is a game state to which a player transitions when a Big Bonus (BB) is won in an internal lottery in the normal state but the Big Bonus (BB) is not awarded. Of the internal lottery tables 1 to 3 shown in Figure 37, the probability of a replay winning is higher than that of internal lottery table 1, so a miss (non-winning) does not occur, and an internal lottery is held by referring to internal lottery table 2, in which the Big Bonus (BB) is excluded from the lottery.

[0272] In the BB established state, the lottery flag corresponding to the big bonus (BB) is maintained in a winning state until the big bonus (BB) is won, and when the symbol combination showing the winning form of the big bonus (BB) is displayed on the pay line, the game state control means 170 transitions the game state from the BB established state to the BB state.

[0273] The BB state is a game state to which the player enters when a symbol combination indicating a big bonus (BB) winning form is displayed on an active line, and an internal lottery is conducted by referring to internal lottery table 3, of internal lottery tables 1 to 3 shown in Figure 37, which has a different selection pattern for small winning roles from internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2.

[0274] In the BB state, the game state control means 170 determines whether or not the end condition is met based on the total number of medals paid out by the game in the BB state, and when it determines that medals exceeding a predetermined number (e.g., 200 medals) have been paid out, the game state control means 170 performs control to end the BB state and return the game state to the normal state. Note that in this embodiment, count information on the number of medals paid out in the BB state is stored in the game state storage area 1916.

[0275] 50, the AT control means 175 changes the presentation state among a plurality of presentation states including a non-AT state, an AT low probability state, an AT state, and a CZ state, sets the presentation state to an AT state (assist time state) under a predetermined condition, judges whether the end condition of the AT state is satisfied based on the value of the AT game number counter 1919, and performs control to end the AT state when the end condition of the AT state is satisfied. In this embodiment, information indicating the currently-stayed presentation state is stored in a presentation state storage area 1917 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a. In this embodiment, when the player is in the AT state, the AT control means 175 notifies the player of the correct batting order to assist in the winning of the 15-coin minor prize (minor prize 1 to minor prize 20) by displaying information (an example of operation instruction information) corresponding to the correct batting order, etc. (at least one of the correct batting order and the press position) on the main display 300 consisting of a 7-segment display provided in the game information display unit DS when the batting order bell is won, and the performance control means 180 performs a winning assistance performance to assist in the winning of the 15-coin minor prize (minor prize 1 to minor prize 20) by displaying an image corresponding to the correct batting order, etc. (at least one of the correct batting order and the press position) on the liquid crystal display LCD when the batting order bell is won, allowing the player to play an assist time game (an example of an auxiliary game) in which it is easier to win medals than when playing in a non-AT state.

[0276] As shown in FIG. 51, the AT control means 175 can set a normal zone (non-advantageous zone) and an advantageous zone, and in the normal zone, the presentation state is fixed to the initial non-AT state, and a favorable zone transition lottery is performed, and the advantageous zone is started by winning the favorable zone transition lottery, and the presentation state can be set to the AT state on the condition that the advantageous zone is the advantageous zone. In the normal zone game, when the game state is the normal state or the BB establishment state, the AT control means 175 performs the advantageous zone transition lottery based on the fact that any of the winning patterns of batting order bell 1 to batting order bell 24, batting order special role belonging to the batting order special role a group to the batting order special role d group, weak cherry, normal replay a, watermelon, chance eye a, chance eye b, or strong cherry is obtained in the internal lottery. In this embodiment, when the winning pattern including JAC1, the winning pattern including normal replay b, and the winning pattern including big bonus (BB) are obtained in the normal state or the BB establishment state, the advantageous zone transition lottery is not performed.

[0277] In the advantageous zone transition lottery, the random number value acquired for the internal lottery is compared with the advantageous zone transition lottery table stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910, and whether or not the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won (advantageous zone win) is determined based on the comparison result. In the advantageous zone transition lottery table, advantageous zone win or loss is assigned to the random number value for the internal lottery associated with each winning mode that triggers the execution of the advantageous zone transition lottery, and it is determined that the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won when the random number value acquired for the internal lottery is associated with the winning mode that triggers the execution of the advantageous zone transition lottery and is associated with advantageous zone win in the advantageous zone transition lottery table.

[0278] Then, when the AT control means 175 wins the advantageous zone transition lottery in the normal zone, it performs advantageous zone transition processing based on the fact that the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won, and starts the advantageous zone from the next game of the game in which the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won. In this embodiment, if the result of the advantageous zone transition lottery is a win, the advantageous zone transition processing transitions the presentation state to an AT low probability state. Note that there may be two or more types of winning patterns of the advantageous zone transition lottery, and it may be determined whether the presentation state is transitioned to an AT low probability state or an AT state in the advantageous zone transition processing.

[0279] And, the AT control means 175 performs AT lottery for every game when the performance state is AT low probability state or CZ state in the advantageous zone. In the normal state, AT lottery is performed based on the fact that the winning mode of the batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell a group to the batting order bell e group, the batting order special role belonging to the batting order special role group, weak cherry, normal replay a, normal replay b, watermelon, chance eye a, chance eye b, strong cherry, JAC1 + big bonus (BB), or big bonus (BB) is obtained in the internal lottery. In the BB establishment state, AT lottery is performed based on the fact that the winning mode of the batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell a group to the batting order bell e group, the batting order special role belonging to the batting order special role group, weak cherry, normal replay a, normal replay b, watermelon, chance eye a, chance eye b, strong cherry, or JAC1 is obtained in the internal lottery. In the BB state, an AT lottery is held based on whether a winning mode of JAC1 or JAC2 has been obtained, or based on the result of the internal lottery being a miss (non-winning).

[0280] In the AT lottery, the random number acquired for the internal lottery is compared with the AT lottery table stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910, and whether or not the AT lottery has been won is determined according to the comparison result. In the AT lottery table, AT win or loss is assigned to the random number for the internal lottery, and it is determined that the AT lottery has been won when the random number acquired for the internal lottery is associated with AT win in the AT lottery table. In this embodiment, the probability of winning the AT is different between the AT low probability state and the CZ state, and the probability of winning the AT is set higher in the CZ state than in the AT low probability state. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 51, the execution of the AT lottery is prohibited in the normal zone, and the AT lottery is executed only when the player is in the advantageous zone.

[0281] In addition, the AT control means 170 performs an AT lottery before the stop operation for the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 is enabled, and for the AT lottery when the batting order special role is won, the AT lottery is performed when the first stop operation is a specific batting order and the pressing detection position of the first stop operation is a non-specific pressing position, and when the first stop operation is a specific batting order and the pressing detection position of the first stop operation is a specific pressing position, an invalidation process is performed to invalidate the result of the AT lottery as a penalty for the current game. In addition, the AT control means 170 also performs an invalidation process when the first stop operation is a non-specific batting order when the batting order special role is won. In the invalidation process, for example, it may be treated as if the AT lottery was not performed, the result of the AT lottery may be rewritten to a loss regardless of the actual result, or the process based on the result of the AT lottery after the first stop operation may be canceled. Also, the AT lottery may be triggered after the first stop operation only when a special winning combination is won, and the AT lottery may be performed when the first stop operation is in a specific batting order and the push detection position of the first stop operation is not a specific push position, and the AT lottery may not be performed when the first stop operation is in a specific batting order and the push detection position of the first stop operation is a specific push position, or when the first stop operation is in a non-specific batting order. Also, the AT lottery may be triggered after the first stop operation not only when a special winning combination is won, and the possibility of executing the AT lottery may be determined only when a special winning combination is won by the result of the first stop operation.

[0282] In addition, the process of the AT lottery according to the state of the stop operation when the batting order special role is won is not limited to the invalid process, and the degree of advantage of the AT lottery may be different. For example, when the state of the stop operation is such that a 1-coin small role can be won, a more advantageous AT lottery may be performed than when the state of the stop operation is such that a 14-coin small role or a 15-coin small role can be won, and when the state of the stop operation is such that a 1-coin small role can be won, a less advantageous AT lottery may be performed than when the state of the stop operation is such that a 14-coin small role or a 15-coin small role can be won. Also, even when the batting order special role is won, an AT lottery with the same degree of advantage may be performed regardless of the state of the stop operation.

[0283] If the result of the AT lottery in the low AT probability state is an AT win, the AT control means 175 performs control to transition the presentation state from the low AT probability state to the AT state. Also, the AT control means 175 adds a fixed value "1" to the AT stock number counter 1918 based on the lottery result of the AT win, and when transitioning the presentation state to the AT state with the end of the game, subtracts a fixed value "1" from the AT stock number counter 1920 and sets a value "50" corresponding to 50 times, which is the number of games that is the end condition of the AT state, to the AT game number counter 1919.

[0284] The AT control means 175 then plays an assist time game based on the fact that the presentation state is the AT state, and subtracts a fixed value "1" equivalent to one game from the value of the AT game number counter 1919 each time an assist time game is played. In this embodiment, when a batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell group a to the batting order bell group d is drawn in the AT state, a correct batting order notification that notifies the correct batting order and the pressed position related to the first stop operation and a winning assistance presentation are performed, and when a batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell group e is drawn, a correct batting order notification that notifies the correct batting order and a winning assistance presentation are performed.

[0285] In this embodiment, when the AT control means 175 performs a correct batting order notification for the batting order bell group a to the batting order bell group d, information corresponding to the correct batting order and the pressed position related to the first stop operation is displayed on the main display 300. Specifically, an operation instruction number is set for each combination of the correct batting order and the pressed position related to the first stop operation, and the main display 300 displays "01" (batting order 1 and the second pressed position), "02" (batting order 2 and the second pressed position), "03" (batting order 3 and the second pressed position), "04" (batting order 4 and the second pressed position), "05" (batting order 5 and the second pressed position), "06" (batting order 6 and the second pressed position), "07" (batting order 7 and the second pressed position), "08" (batting order 8 and the second pressed position), "09" (batting order 9 and the second pressed position), "10" (batting order 10 and the second pressed position), "11" (batting order 11 and the second pressed position), "12" (batting order 12 and the second pressed position), "13" (batting order 13 and the second pressed position), "14" (batting order 14 and the second pressed position), "15" (batting order 15 and the second pressed position), "16" (batting order 16 and the second pressed position), "17" (batting order 17 and the second pressed position), "18" (batting order 19 and the second pressed position), "19" (batting order 20 and the second pressed position), "19" (batting order 21 and the second pressed position), "19" (batting order 22 and the second pressed position), "19" (batting order 23 and the second pressed position), "19" (batting order 24 and the second pressed position), "19" (batting order 25 and the second pressed position), " (batting order 3 and second press position), "04" (batting order 4 and second press position), "05" (batting order 5 and second press position), "06" (batting order 6 and second press position), "07" (batting order 1 and first press position), "08" (batting order 2 and first press position), "09" (batting order 3 and first press position), "10" (batting order 4 and first press position), "11" (batting order 5 and first press position), or "12" (batting order 6 and first press position).

[0286] In addition, in this embodiment, when the AT control means 175 notifies the correct batting order for the batting order bell group e, information corresponding to the correct batting order is displayed on the main display 300. Specifically, an operation instruction number is set for each correct batting order, and the main display 300 displays one of the operation instruction numbers "13" (batting order 3), "14" (batting order 4), "15" (batting order 5), or "16" (batting order 6) using a 7-segment display.

[0287] In this embodiment, when the performance state is not the AT state in the advantageous zone, a specific batting order notification and a winning assistance performance are performed when a batting order special role belonging to the batting order special role group is won. In this embodiment, when the performance state is not the AT state in the advantageous zone, a specific batting order notification and a winning assistance performance related to the batting order special role are not performed. In the AT state, even if a stop operation is performed in a non-specific batting order, a penalty process that is disadvantageous to the player is not performed, so even if a notification is not performed when a batting order special role is won in the AT state, if a stop operation is performed in a non-specific batting order, the player can win 14 small roles and increase the number of medals in hand.

[0288] In this embodiment, when the AT control means 175 notifies a specific batting order, information corresponding to the specific batting order is displayed on the main display 300. Specifically, an operation instruction number is set for each specific batting order, and the main display 300 displays one of the operation instruction numbers "13" (batting order 3), "14" (batting order 4), "15" (batting order 5), and "16" (batting order 6) using a 7-segment display. In this embodiment, since batting order 3, batting order 4, batting order 5, and batting order 6 are specific batting orders for each batting order special role, an arbitrary operation instruction number determined by lottery in a game in which the batting order special role is won is displayed on the main display 300.

[0289] In addition, when the performance state is the AT state in the advantageous zone, the AT control means 175 performs an add-on lottery based on the fact that a weak cherry, a watermelon, a chance eye a, a chance eye b, or a strong cherry is won in the internal lottery. In the add-on lottery, the random number value acquired for the internal lottery is compared with the add-on lottery table stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910, and whether or not the add-on lottery has been won is determined according to the comparison result. In the add-on lottery table, an add-on win or a miss is assigned to the random number value for the internal lottery associated with the winning mode that triggers the execution of the add-on lottery, and it is determined that the add-on lottery has been won when the random number value acquired for the internal lottery is associated with either a weak cherry, a watermelon, a chance eye a, a chance eye b, or a strong cherry, and is associated with an add-on win in the add-on lottery table. In this embodiment, the AT control means 175 adds a fixed value "1" to the AT stock number counter 1918 based on the fact that the lottery result of the add-on lottery is obtained.

[0290] When the value of the AT game number counter 1919, which is subtracted by a certain value each time an assist time game is played, reaches the initial value "0", the AT control means 175 determines that the end condition of the AT state is met and sets the presentation state to the CZ state. In this embodiment, when the AT control means 175 transitions the presentation state to the CZ state, it sets the number of games, which is the end condition of the CZ state, to 50, and sets the value "50" corresponding to the set number of games, 50, to the CZ game number counter 1921.

[0291] In the CZ state of this embodiment, even if a batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell group a to batting order bell group e is won, no correct batting order announcement or winning assistance performance is performed, so the medal acquisition performance is such that the medals held by the player gradually decrease (the expected value of the payout rate is less than 100%). In this embodiment, the medal acquisition performance of the AT state is sufficiently higher than that of the CZ state, and the net increase in the number of medals per game is about 8 medals (the expected value of the payout rate is about 367%).

[0292] Then, the AT control means 175 subtracts a fixed value "1" corresponding to one game from the value of the CZ game number counter 1921 each time a game is played in the CZ state, and when the value of the CZ game number counter 1921 reaches the initial value "0", it determines that the condition for ending the CZ state is met, and determines the transition destination of the presentation state based on the value of the AT stock number counter 1918. Specifically, if the value of the AT stock number counter 1918 is greater than the initial value "0", it sets the transition destination presentation state to the AT state, and if the value of the AT stock number counter 1918 is the initial value "0", it sets the transition destination presentation state to the AT low probability state.

[0293] In the CZ state, the AT lottery is performed as described above, but even if the lottery result of the AT lottery is an AT win, the value of the AT stock number counter 1918 only increases, and in a situation where the player is staying in a favorable zone, the game does not move to another presentation state until at least the end condition of the CZ state (the value of the CZ game number counter 1921 reaches the initial value "0") is met. However, if the AT lottery is won in the CZ state, the CZ state may be ended based on the fact that the AT lottery was won.

[0294] In this embodiment, the AT control means 175 sets the value of the first clear counter 1922 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a to a predetermined value "1" in the advantageous zone transition process, and in the advantageous zone, an incremental update is performed by adding a certain value (for example, 1) corresponding to one game to the value of the first clear counter 1922 every time one game is played, and when the value of the first clear counter 1922 exceeds a threshold value (for example, 1500) (when the value of the first clear counter 1922 reaches "1501"), it is determined that the end condition of the advantageous zone is established. In this embodiment, the first clear counter 1922 is updated after all reels rotating in each game have stopped, but the first clear counter 1922 may be updated at any timing as long as it is predetermined for each game. For example, the update may be triggered by a game start operation on the start lever SL.

[0295] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the AT control means 175 sets the value of the second clear counter 1923 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a to an initial value of "0" in the advantageous zone transition process, and in the advantageous zone, updates the value of the second clear counter 1923 according to the difference in the number of medals in each game, subtracts the value "3" corresponding to the number of medals inserted in the game (3 medals) from the value corresponding to the number of medals paid out (for example, "13" if 13 medals are paid out, and "0" if no role is won and no medals are paid out) to obtain a calculation result of the difference in the number of medals in the game, and performs an update process in which this calculation result is added to the value of the second clear counter 1923, and also when the value of the second clear counter 1923 exceeds a threshold value (for example, 2400), it is determined that the condition for ending the advantageous zone has been met. The value of the second clear counter 1923 is controlled so as not to fall below the initial value "0". For example, if the value of the second clear counter 1923 at the start of a game is "2" and, as a result of playing a game, no winning combination is won and no medals are paid out, the calculation result of the difference in the number of medals in that game will be "-3", and if the calculation result of the difference in the number of medals is added to the value of the second clear counter 1923, it will fall below the initial value "0". However, the count of the second clear counter 1923 after the update is stopped with the initial value "0" as the lower limit. Also, if a replay is won in a game, the difference in the number of medals is calculated by treating the game in which the replay was won as having been paid out with medals equivalent to the prescribed number of medals for that game, and the difference in the number of medals for the next game provided free of charge due to the replay winning as having been inserted with medals equivalent to the prescribed number of medals for that game, even if no actual medals have been inserted, is calculated.

[0296] In addition, in the advantageous zone, the first clear counter 1922 and the second clear counter 1923 are updated even if a transition in the game state or presentation state occurs, unless the end condition of the advantageous zone is met.

[0297] The AT control means 175 also performs an initialization process to initialize information stored in a predetermined storage area of ​​the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a based on the end of the advantageous period. In particular, in this embodiment, with respect to the main RAM of the game information storage means 190, information stored in the performance state storage area 1917, the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 is initialized by an initialization process associated with the end of the advantageous period. More specifically, the storage areas other than the performance state storage area 1917, the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a are designated as information storage areas, and information stored in storage areas other than the information storage area of ​​the main RAM is initialized. Therefore, when the initialization process is performed at the end of the favorable zone, unlike the case where the initialization process is performed in the setting change mode, in addition to the setting value storage area 1913 and the credit information storage area 1914, the lottery flag storage area 1915 and the game status storage area 1916 are also designated as information holding areas, and the information stored in these storage areas is retained without being initialized by the initialization process at the end of the favorable zone. When the initialization process is performed at the end of the favorable zone, the performance state is initialized to a non-AT state, and the values ​​of the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 are initialized to their initial values ​​(for example, 0) to return to the normal zone.

[0298] In this embodiment, an initialization process is executed at the end of the favorable zone to return to the normal zone, so that if the value of the first clear counter 1922 or the second clear counter 1923 exceeds a threshold value while remaining in the AT state, the initialization process at the end of the favorable zone forcibly terminates the AT state and initializes the presentation state to a non-AT state, and the values ​​of the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 are initialized to their initial values ​​(e.g., 0). Also, when the value of the first clear counter 1922 or the second clear counter 1923 exceeds the threshold value while remaining in another presentation state, the currently remaining presentation state is forcibly terminated by the initialization process associated with the end of the advantageous zone, the presentation state is initialized to a non-AT state, and the values ​​of the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 are initialized to initial values ​​(for example, 0). In this embodiment, the presentation state is not initialized by turning the power on / off, but when the device is started in the setting change mode, even if the initialization process is performed in the setting change mode, the presentation state is initialized to a non-AT state, and the values ​​of the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 are initialized to initial values ​​(for example, 0).

[0299] In this embodiment, the advantageous zone starts when the advantageous zone transition lottery is won in the normal zone, and the presentation state is set to the AT state under certain conditions within the advantageous zone to play the assist time game, but even if the AT state ends, the advantageous zone is maintained as long as the advantageous zone end condition is not met. In other words, in this embodiment, since the advantageous zone continues even after the AT state ends, there are cases where the player stays in the advantageous zone even if the presentation state transitions from the AT state to a presentation state different from the AT state.

[0300] Furthermore, the AT control means 175 controls the LED built into the section indicator SEC to light up based on the start of an advantageous section to indicate that the player is in the advantageous section, and the LED built into the section indicator SEC to turn off based on the end of the advantageous section. In this embodiment, the LED built into the section indicator SEC is turned off during normal sections, so that it is possible to determine whether or not the player is in an advantageous section by checking the lighting state of the section indicator SEC.

[0301] In this embodiment, the AT control means 175 starts or ends advantageous zone notification, which is a notification that the player is staying in an advantageous zone, based on the value of the first clear counter 1922. For example, when a predetermined value "1" is set to the first clear counter 1922 with a transition to an advantageous zone, advantageous zone notification is started based on the value of the first clear counter 1922 becoming larger than the initial value "0" (the value of the first clear counter 1922 not being the initial value "0"), and when the value of the first clear counter 1922 is initialized to the initial value "0" with a transition from the advantageous zone to the normal zone, advantageous zone notification is ended based on the value of the first clear counter 1922 becoming the initial value "0".

[0302] The section indicator SEC does not need to be provided exclusively as in the present embodiment, and may be used in combination with the main display 300. For example, whether or not the player is in the advantageous section may be indicated by switching on / off a dot display section that displays decimal points, etc., of a seven-segment display, and the dot display section may be turned off in a normal section, and the dot display section may be turned on in an advantageous section to notify the player of the advantageous section. When an advantageous section starts, an LED built into the section indicator SEC lights up to immediately notify the player of the advantageous section, but the advantageous section may be set as a non-notification section that does not notify the player of the advantageous section until a predetermined number of games are played from the start of the advantageous section, or the advantageous section may be set as a non-notification section that does not notify the player of the advantageous section until the first correct batting order notification in the advantageous section is executed.

[0303] The effect control means 180 controls display effects using the display device 330 (one example of an effect device) and sound effects using the sound device 340 (one example of an effect device) based on the effect data stored in the effect data storage area 1926 provided in the sub-ROM of the effect information storage means 190b. For example, in response to the occurrence of game events such as the insertion of medals, the operation of the bet button B0, the start lever SL, and the stop buttons B1 to B3, and the change in the game state, the effect control means 180 controls the execution of effects to liven up the game or to assist the game, depending on the progress of the game, by lighting or blinking lamps or LEDs, changing the display contents of the liquid crystal display LCD, and outputting sounds from the speaker SP. The contents of the effects executed in the game are determined by referring to the effect lottery table stored in the sub-lottery table storage area 1927 provided in the sub-ROM of the effect information storage means 190b, depending on the game state, the effect state, the result of the internal lottery, and the like. In this embodiment, image data corresponding to the progress of the game, etc. is read from the performance data memory area 1926 of the sub-ROM into an image buffer 1928 provided in the sub-RAM, and an image based on the image data read into the image buffer 1928 is output to the liquid crystal display LCD, and sound data corresponding to the progress of the game, etc. is read from the performance data memory area 1926 of the sub-ROM into a sound buffer 1929 provided in the sub-RAM, and sound based on the sound data read into the sound buffer 1929 is output from the speaker SP.

[0304] When the presentation state is in the AT state, the presentation control means 180 controls the display device 330 and the sound device 340 to execute a winning assistance presentation that notifies the player of the correct batting order and the press position for the first stop operation when a batting order bell belonging to batting order bell group a to batting order bell group d is won, and assists in the winning of 15 small prizes (small prize 1 to small prize 20).

[0305] In addition, when the presentation state is the AT state, the presentation control means 180 controls the display device 330 and the audio device 340 to execute a winning assistance presentation that notifies the player of the correct batting order when a batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell group e is won, and assists in the winning of 15 small prizes (small prize 3 to small prize 6, small prize 9, small prize 10, small prize 15, small prize 16).

[0306] In addition, when the presentation state is not an AT state (when the player is in a low AT probability state or a CZ state) in a favorable zone, the presentation control means 180 controls the display device 330 and the audio device 340 to execute a winning assistance presentation that notifies the player of the target of the first stop operation in a specific batting order when a batting order special role belonging to the batting order special role group is won, and assists in the winning of a 15-coin small role (small role 21).

[0307] Furthermore, when playing in the AT state or when playing in the CZ state, the presentation control means 180 controls to execute a remaining number display presentation that displays the remaining number of times to be played until the AT state or the CZ state ends on the display device 330 such as a liquid crystal display LCD. In the remaining number display presentation, when the value of the AT game number counter 1919 or the CZ game number counter 1921 is subtracted by playing, the display content is changed so that the remaining number of times to be played also decreases to reflect the subtraction.

[0308] In addition, when the AT lottery executed in the CZ state results in an AT winning draw, the presentation control means 180 withholds notification of the right to transition to the AT state until the final play in the CZ state (the play in which the value of the CZ game number counter 1921 becomes the initial value "0"), and controls the display device 330 and the sound device 340 to execute an AT confirmation presentation notifying the player of the right to transition to the AT state if the value of the AT stock number counter 1918 is greater than the initial value "0" in the final play in the CZ state.

[0309] The functional block configuration of this embodiment can also be applied to computer systems (including game systems). In these systems, the functions of the game control means 100 of this embodiment can be realized by downloading a program that causes a computer to function as the game control means 100 of this embodiment from an information storage medium such as a CD or DVD or a Web server on the Internet via a network. In the above computer system, the medal insertion switch 210, the bet switch 220, the start switch 230, the stop switch 240, etc. can be realized by virtually allocating their functions to operation means such as a keyboard, a pointing device (such as a mouse), a touch panel, or a controller. In the above computer system, the reel unit 310, the hopper unit HP, etc. are not essential components, and these device units can virtually realize their functions by controlling images displayed and output on a display (display device 330).

[0310] 2-2. Method of this embodiment In this embodiment, there are a group of special batting order roles (special batting order roles 1 to 16) as winning modes of the small roles, and when the special batting order role is won, the method of changing the mode of stop control is adopted so that the possibility of winning the 15-coin small roles included in the special batting order role changes depending on whether the push detection position of the first stop operation is a specific push position that is predetermined according to the type of the special batting order role. Below, the case where the special batting order role 5 is won will be taken as an example and will be described in detail with reference to Figures 52 to 55.

[0311] First, the composition of the special batting order combination 5 will be described. FIG. 52 is a diagram showing the types of minor combinations that compose the special batting order combination 5.

[0312] As shown in FIG. 52, the batting order special role 5 is composed of a 15-coin small role (small role 21), a 14-coin small role (small role 22), and four types of 1-coin small roles (small role 23, small role 29, small role 46, small role 47), and the specific batting order is set to batting order 3 to batting order 6, and the specific pressing position is set to number 4.

[0313] FIG. 53 is a diagram illustrating a case where a stopping operation is performed in a mode in which the first reel R1 is stopped first in a game in which the batting order special combination 5 is won.

[0314] First, as shown in FIG. 53(A), if the stop button B1 is pressed at the press detection position where the No. 3 replay symbol "RP" is located at the top of the spinning first reel R1, the order of the stop operations to make the first reel R1 the first stop in the batting order special role 5 corresponds to a non-specific batting order.

[0315] In this embodiment, if the first stop operation is a non-specific batting order when the batting order special role is won, the stop position is determined by the number priority control so that the number of symbol combinations that show winning forms that can be displayed on the active line is the largest, and when the bell symbol 1 "BL1" is displayed among the symbols present within the pull-in range for the push detection position of No. 3, the number of symbol combinations is the largest at 7, and the first reel R1 is stopped at a position where the bell symbol 1 "BL1" of No. 2 is displayed on the upper row, as shown in Figure 53 (B). At the time when this first reel R1 stops, the small symbols included in the batting order special role 5 that have the possibility of winning are small symbols 22, 23, and 46.

[0316] Next, when the second reel R2 and the third reel R3 are stopped, the stop positions are determined so that the number of medals paid out is maximized by payout number priority control. Therefore, the winning of the small prize 22, which has the highest payout among the small prizes 22, 23, and 46, is prioritized, and the symbols constituting the winning form of the small prize 22 are arranged so that they can be displayed on the pay line on the second reel R2 and the third reel R3 regardless of the pressing detection position, so that the second reel R2 and the third reel R3 stop in a manner in which the small prize 22 is won, as shown in FIG. 53(C).

[0317] FIG. 54 is a diagram illustrating a case where a stopping operation is performed in a mode in which the second reel R2 is the first stop in a game in which the batting order special combination 5 is won.

[0318] First, as shown in FIG. 54(A), if the stop button B2 is pressed at the press detection position where the No. 4 bar pattern "BAR" is located at the top row for the spinning second reel R2, the order of the stop operations that makes the second reel R2 the first stop in the batting order special role 5 corresponds to a specific batting order.

[0319] In this embodiment, when the first stop operation is a specific batting order when the batting order special combination is won, the manner of control differs depending on whether the push detection position of the first stop operation is a specific push position or not. The specific push position of the batting order special combination 5 is number 4, and in the example shown in FIG. 54(A), since the push detection position of the first stop operation is number 4, it corresponds to the specific push position, and the stop position is determined so that the number of medals paid out is the largest by the payout number priority control. Here, the small combination 21 with the highest payout among the small combinations included in the batting order special combination 5 is the small combination 21 with the 15-coin small combination, and as shown in FIG. 54(B), the second reel R2 stops at a position where the watermelon pattern "WM" of number 3 is displayed in the middle row. At the time when this second reel R2 stops, the small combinations included in the batting order special combination 5 that may win are the small combination 21 and the small combination 46.

[0320] Next, when the first reel R1 and the third reel R3 are stopped, the stop positions are determined so that the number of medals paid out is maximized by payout number priority control. Therefore, the display of the watermelon pattern "WM" constituting the winning form of the small prize 21 with the highest payout among the small prizes 21 and the small prizes 46 is prioritized, and the watermelon pattern "WM" constituting the winning form of the small prize 21 is arranged so that it can be displayed on the pay line on the first reel R1 and the third reel R3 regardless of the pressing detection position, so that the first reel R1 and the third reel R3 stop in a manner in which the small prize 21 wins, as shown in FIG. 54(C).

[0321] Next, as shown in FIG. 54(D), if the stop button B2 is pressed at the press detection position where the watermelon symbol "WM" No. 3 is located at the top row for the spinning second reel R2, then the second reel R2 will also be the first to stop, which corresponds to the specific playing order.

[0322] In the example shown in Fig. 54(D), the push detection position of the first stop operation is No. 3, which does not fall under the specific push position, and the stop position is determined by the number priority control so that the number of symbol combinations showing winning forms that can be displayed on the active line is the largest. Here, for symbols present within the pull-in range for the push detection position of No. 3, when the watermelon symbol "WM" is displayed, the number of symbol combinations is the largest at 5, and as shown in Fig. 54(E), the second reel R2 is stopped at a position where the watermelon symbol "WM" No. 3 is displayed in the middle row. At the time when this second reel R2 stops, the small symbols included in the special hit order symbol 5 that have the possibility of winning are small symbol 21 and small symbol 46.

[0323] Next, when the first reel R1 and the third reel R3 are stopped, the stop positions are determined by the number priority control so that the number of winning symbol combinations that can be displayed on the pay line is maximized. Therefore, when the first reel R1 is stopped second, the display of the bell symbol 1 "BL1" or the bell symbol 2 "BL2" that have two symbol combinations is prioritized, and when the third reel R3 is stopped second, the display of the cherry symbol "CH" or the special symbol 2 "SP2" that have two symbol combinations is prioritized. The first reel R1 is arranged so that either bell pattern 1 "BL1" or bell pattern 2 "BL2" can be displayed on an active line regardless of the position of press detection, and the third reel R3 is arranged so that either cherry pattern "CH" or special pattern 2 "SP2" can be displayed on an active line regardless of the position of press detection, so that when either the first reel R1 or the third reel R3 is stopped for the second time, only the small win 46 can be won, and the first reel R1 and the third reel R3 stop in a manner that will result in the small win 46 being won, as shown in Figure 54 (F).

[0324] FIG. 55 is a diagram illustrating a case where a stopping operation is performed in a mode in which the third reel R3 is the first stop in a game in which the batting order special combination 5 is won.

[0325] First, as shown in FIG. 55(A), if the stop button B3 is pressed at the press detection position where the No. 4 bar pattern "BAR" is located at the top row for the third reel R3 that is spinning, then the order of the stop operations that makes the third reel R3 the first stop in the batting order special role 5 corresponds to a specific batting order.

[0326] The specific pressing position of the special batting order role 5 is number 4. In the example shown in FIG. 55(A), the pressing detection position of the first stop operation is number 4, so it corresponds to the specific pressing position, and the stop position is determined so that the number of medals paid out is the largest by the payout number priority control. Here, the small role 21 with the highest payout among the small roles included in the special batting order role 5 is the 15-coin small role, and as shown in FIG. 55(B), the third reel R3 stops at a position where the watermelon pattern "WM" of number 2 is displayed in the lower row. At the time when the third reel R3 stops, the small roles included in the special batting order role 5 that have the possibility of winning are the small roles 21, 22, and 47.

[0327] Next, when the first reel R1 and the second reel R2 are stopped, the stop positions are determined so that the number of medals paid out is maximized by payout number priority control. Therefore, the display of the watermelon pattern "WM" constituting the winning form of the small prize 21 with the highest payout among the small prizes 21, 22, and 47 is prioritized, and the watermelon pattern "WM" constituting the winning form of the small prize 21 is arranged so that it can be displayed on the pay line on the first reel R1 and the second reel R2 regardless of the pressing detection position, so that the first reel R1 and the second reel R2 stop in a manner in which the small prize 21 wins, as shown in FIG. 55(C).

[0328] Next, as shown in FIG. 55(D), if the stop button B3 is pressed at the press detection position where the No. 2 watermelon symbol "WM" is located at the top of the spinning third reel R3, then the third reel R3 will also be the first to stop, which corresponds to the specific playing order.

[0329] In the example shown in Fig. 55(D), the pressing detection position of the first stop operation is No. 2, which does not correspond to the specific pressing position, and the stop position is determined so that the number of symbol combinations showing winning forms that can be displayed on the active line is the largest by the number priority control. Here, among the symbols present within the pull-in range for the pressing detection position of No. 2, when the watermelon symbol "WM" is displayed, the number of symbol combinations is the largest at 7, and as shown in Fig. 55(E), the third reel R3 is stopped at a position where the watermelon symbol "WM" of No. 2 is displayed in the lower row. At the time when this third reel R3 stops, the small symbols included in the special hitting symbol 5 that have the possibility of winning are small symbols 21, 22, and 47.

[0330] Next, when the first reel R1 and the second reel R2 are stopped, the stop positions are determined so that the number of symbol combinations that can be displayed on the pay line is the largest by the number priority control. Therefore, when the first reel R1 is stopped second, the display of the cherry symbol "CH" or the special symbol 2 "SP2" that has two symbol combinations is prioritized, and when the second reel R2 is stopped second, the display of the cherry symbol "CH", the special symbol 2 "SP2", or the replay symbol "RP" that has two symbol combinations is prioritized. Note that the replay symbol "RP" on the third reel R3 is a symbol that constitutes the winning form of the small symbol 22, which is a 14-piece small symbol, but in this embodiment, the winning of the small symbol 47, which is a 1-piece small symbol and has the same number of symbols, is prioritized. Furthermore, since the first reel R1 and the second reel R2 are arranged so that either the cherry symbol "CH" or the special symbol 2 "SP2" can be displayed on the active line regardless of the press detection position, when either the first reel R1 or the second reel R2 is stopped for the second time, only the small win 47 can be won, and the first reel R1 and the second reel R2 stop in a manner that will result in the small win 47 being won, as shown in Figure 55 (F).

[0331] According to the embodiment described above, in a game in which the special role is won, if the push detection position of the first stop operation is a specific push position, the reel stop position is determined by payout number priority control to allow the 15-coin small role to be won, and if the push detection position of the first stop operation is different from the specific push position, the reel stop position is determined by number priority control to avoid the winning of the 15-coin small role. In this way, since the possibility of winning the 15-coin small role in a game in which the special role is won is affected by the push detection position, it becomes possible to control the winning rate of the 15-coin small role just by changing the setting mode of the specific push position, and the design freedom of the gaming machine can be improved.

[0332] Specifically, in this embodiment, a unique specific pressing position is assigned to 16 types of batting order special roles, and there are 16 types of setting modes of the specific pressing position. In this embodiment, when the batting order special role is won in the advantageous zone when the AT state is not in, the specific batting order is notified, but the player cannot know the specific pressing position. Therefore, in this embodiment, the expected value of the winning rate of the 15-piece small role in the specific batting order when the batting order special role is won can be 1 / 16. And the setting mode of the specific pressing position can be configured to be fewer than that of this embodiment. For example, if 10 types of batting order special roles are provided and two specific pressing positions are uniquely assigned to each batting order special role, 10 types of setting modes of the specific pressing position can be provided, and in this way, the expected value of the winning rate of the 15-piece small role can be 1 / 10. Also, the number of setting modes of the specific pressing position can be more than that of the present embodiment. For example, if 20 types of batting order special roles are provided and one specific pressing position is assigned to each batting order special role, 20 types of setting modes of the specific pressing position can be provided, and the expected value of the winning rate of the 15-coin small role can be reduced to 1 / 20. In this way, according to the method of the present embodiment, the expected value of the winning rate can be controlled by the setting mode of the specific pressing position, so the design freedom of the gaming machine is improved. Also, in this embodiment, the control law is switched using the pressing detection position, which also leads to an improvement in the design freedom of the winning number (stop mode).

[0333] The method of this embodiment is optimal when the target combination for controlling the winning rate is set to a winning form that can be drawn regardless of the pressing detection position on any reel, and it is preferable to win with a combination of roles that can draw a role with a lower dividend than the target role by number priority control when the stopping operation is not performed at the specific pressing position. In addition, when determining the composition of the special role in the batting order, the target role for controlling the winning rate and the role that wins when the specific pressing position is not selected can be fixed, so it is possible to realize it without increasing the number of roles unnecessarily, which also leads to saving memory usage.

[0334] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the manner of stop control is changed by determining whether or not a specific press position is reached on the first reel to stop when a special batting order role is won, but the manner of stop control may also be changed by determining whether or not a specific press position is reached on the second reel to stop (the reel to stop second) or the third reel to stop (the reel to stop third).

[0335] In this embodiment, the first reel out of the three reels to stop is determined to be at a specific pressed position, but it may also be possible to determine whether a specific pressed position is at two or more reels and change the manner of stop control.

[0336] In addition, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which payout number priority control is applied when it is determined that the position is a specific press position, and number priority control is applied when it is determined that the position is not a specific press position, but it is also possible to apply number priority control when it is determined that the position is a specific press position, and apply payout number priority control when it is determined that the position is not a specific press position.

[0337] In the example described in this embodiment, when the batting order special role is won, a judgment is also made as to whether the first stop operation is a specific batting order or not. Specifically, when the first stop operation is a non-specific batting order, a payout number priority control is performed, and when the first stop operation is a specific batting order, a payout number priority control is performed if the specific pressing position is selected, and a number priority control is performed if the specific pressing position is not selected. However, as in this embodiment, when the first stop operation is performed in a specific batting order, a pattern common to the 15-piece small role and the 1-piece small role is displayed on the pay line in both the specific pressing position and the non-specific pressing position, so that the stopping result of the reel stopped by the first stop operation in the specific batting order will be the same regardless of which control rule is used. For this reason, if the first stopping operation is a non-specific batting order, number priority control is performed for the reel corresponding to the first stopping operation, and if the first stopping operation is a specific batting order, payout number priority control is performed for the reel corresponding to the first stopping operation. For the reels that stop after the second stopping operation, payout number priority control may continue to be performed if the first stopping operation is a specific batting order and is in a specific pressed position, and number priority control may be switched to if the first stopping operation is a specific batting order and is not in a specific pressed position.

[0338] In this embodiment, when the special batting order role is won, the specific batting order is notified, but the specific pressing position is not notified. However, the specific pressing position may be notified. The specific batting order of the special batting order role in the advantageous zone is notified when the AT state is not in effect, but the specific batting order of the special batting order role may be notified even in the AT state.

[0339] In addition, in this embodiment, the number of reels is three, but the number of reels may be four. In this embodiment, the number of reels is 20, but the number of reels may be 21 or less than 20.

[0340] In the present embodiment, the gaming machine is configured to insert gaming media such as medals when playing a game, and to pay out gaming media when winning a winning combination, but the game may be played by consuming or granting gaming value as electronic information without using gaming media. For example, the gaming machine or an external unit connected to the gaming machine may be configured to store information on the gaming value owned by the player, and the consumption of gaming value by subtracting the number of gaming values ​​may be replaced by the insertion of gaming media, and the granting of gaming value by adding the number of gaming values ​​may be replaced by the payout of gaming media.

[0341] In addition, the configuration of the special batting order combination that is different from other winning patterns in the process related to the AT lottery may be implemented in the following manner. The following description will be given with reference to Figures 56 to 58.

[0342] First, Figure 56 shows the arrangement of symbols on the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 used in this example, and based on this arrangement, small wins A to F are configured as shown in Figure 57. "ANY" in Figure 57 indicates that any symbol arranged on the reel may be used.

[0343] As shown in Figure 58 (A), there are batting order special roles a to d, and these batting order special roles are composed of one of four types of 13-coin small roles (small role A to small role D) and two types of 1-coin small roles (small role E and small role F).

[0344] The winning combinations according to the stop operation for each batting order special combination are as shown in Figure 58(B). A specific batting order (batting order 3 to batting order 6) is set for each batting order special combination, and when the stop operation is performed according to the specific batting order, a 13-coin small combination is won, and when the stop operation is performed according to a non-specific batting order (a stop operation sequence different from the specific batting order), two types of 1-coin small combinations are won in overlapping. In addition, when 1-coin small combinations are won in overlapping, two medals will be paid out.

[0345] In this example, when the performance state is different from the AT state in the advantageous zone, a non-specific batting order is notified to assist the winning of the 1-coin small prize, and when the performance state is the AT state, a specific batting order is notified to assist the winning of the 13-coin small prize. In this way, the winning rate of the 13-coin small prize when the performance state is different from the AT state is lowered, and the game specification can be made such that the medal winning rate in the AT state is relatively high. Note that when the performance state is different from the AT state in the advantageous zone (when the performance state is the AT low probability state or the CZ state), a specific batting order is notified to assist the winning of the 13-coin small prize, and when the performance state is the AT state, a non-specific batting order is notified to assist the winning of the 1-coin small prize.

[0346] Regarding the process of AT lottery when a special batting order role is won in the AT low probability state or CZ state, if the stop operation is performed in a specific batting order, the AT lottery is performed, and if the stop operation is performed in a non-specific batting order, the AT lottery is not performed. In other words, when a special batting order role is won, the AT lottery is performed if a 1-coin small role is won, and if a 13-coin small role is won, the AT lottery is not performed. In this way, by providing an advantage to perform a stop operation in a specific batting order when the performance state is different from the AT state, it is possible to provide a motivation to perform a stop operation according to the specific batting order. Note that if the stop operation is performed in a specific batting order (if a 1-coin small role is won), the AT lottery may not be performed, and if the stop operation is performed in a non-specific batting order (if a 13-coin small role is won), the AT lottery may be performed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0347] BX storage box, UD front upper door, DD front lower door, DW display window, L1 Valid line, DS Game information display, LCD liquid crystal display, BS setting change button, KS setting change key cylinder, SEC section indicator, EU power supply unit, ES power switch, SP speaker, PS Reel unit storage space, MAIN Main board, SUB Sub board, HP Hopper Unit, MT Medal Storage Tank, CB Cash Box, R1 1st reel, R2 2nd reel, R3 3rd reel, B0 bet button, SL start lever, B1~B3 stop buttons, MI medal slot, MO medal outlet, MP medal tray, 100 Game control means, 103 setting change means, 105 input acceptance means, 110 random number generation means, 120 internal lottery means, 130 reel control means, 140 winning determination means, 150 payout control means, 160 replay processing means, 170 game state control means, 175 AT control means, 177 communication control means, 180 Production control means, 190a game information storage means, 1910 main lottery table storage area, 1911: stop control table storage area; 1912: winning determination table storage area; 1913 setting value storage area, 1914 credit information storage area, 1915 lottery flag storage area, 1916 game status storage area, 1918 Performance state memory area, 1919 High probability transition counter, 1920 AT stock counter, 1921 AT game counter, 1922 Clear Counters, 1924 Ceiling counter, 190b performance information storage means, 1926 performance data storage area, 1927 Sub lottery table storage area, 1928 Image Buffer, 1929 Sound Buffer, 210 coin insertion switch, 220 bet switch, 230 start switch, 240 Stop switch, 250 Setting change permission switch, 260 Setting change switch, 300 Main display, 310 reel units, 315 reel index, 325 payout medal detection switch, 330 display device, 340 sound device, 410 Data Counter, 420 Hall Computer

Claims

[Claim 1] A gaming machine having an instruction function capable of setting a non-advantageous zone and an advantageous zone and providing instruction information to assist winning of a combination in the advantageous zone, A plurality of reels on which a plurality of types of symbols are arranged on the outer circumferential surface; An internal lottery means for performing an internal lottery for determining whether a winning combination is achieved; a reel control means for rotating the plurality of reels and controlling the reels to stop in response to a stop operation in a manner corresponding to a result of the internal lottery; and a performance control means for executing a specific performance that notifies a player that a specific reel among the plurality of reels should be stopped first in a specific operation sequence. When the stop operation is performed in the specific operation sequence, the expected acquisition value of the game value is lower than when the stop operation is performed in a non-specific operation sequence in which a reel other than the specific reel stops first, The performance control means A gaming machine characterized in that in the non-advantageous zone, the specific presentation is executed when the stop operation is performed in the non-specific operation sequence, and in the advantageous zone, the specific presentation is executed when the stop operation is performed in the non-specific operation sequence in a situation where the provision of the specified instruction information is not permitted.

Images