Game machine

Abstract

To suppress soaring prices of game machines in a more appropriate manner.SOLUTION: A reach performance includes a weak reach performance and a strong reach performance that can appear at a later stage than the weak reach performance, and in a win loss variation pattern, result display time is longer in the case of the strong ready performance than in the case of the weak ready performance in a last ready performance. Further, when a power operation unit and a RAM clear operation unit on a back side of a front frame are arranged near an opening / closing end in a left-right direction of the front frame, and the front frame is opened to a first open state with respect to an outer frame, the power operation unit and the RAM clear operation unit are visible from between the outer frame and the front frame, and in the first open state, the power operation unit and the RAM clear operation unit are located in front of a front edge of the outer frame, and the entire protruding portion that protrudes forward from a firing handle is located inside a hinge portion in the left-right direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A gaming machine such as a pachinko machine draws a lottery to determine whether or not to award a benefit to a player, and displays a varying pattern based on the result of the lottery, and when a benefit is awarded, stops the pattern in a specific manner, and while the pattern is changing, performs a presentation related to the result of the lottery according to one of a plurality of variation patterns. This type of gaming machine also includes an outer frame that is fixed to the gaming island equipment, and a front frame that is attached to the front of the outer frame in a rotatable manner around a hinge at one left-right end, for example, the left end. When the front frame is in the closed state, where the rotation angle relative to the outer frame is 0°, it can be locked to the outer frame by a locking device with a keyhole near the open / close end (for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, various operation units such as a power supply operation unit and a RAM clear operation unit, as well as various display means such as an error display means, are located on the back side of the front frame, and when performing RAM clear operations using the power supply operation unit and the RAM clear operation unit, or when checking the error content using the error display means, the person in charge at the amusement hall must open the front frame before performing the work. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-122649 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Recently, the price of parts has risen due to a decrease in the supply of parts, which has led to a rise in the price of gaming machines. Against this background, measures to control the price of gaming machines are required. One possible solution to the rising prices of gaming machines is to promote the reuse and repurposing of not only the hardware aspects such as gaming components, but also the software aspects, including the effects, in other machines. Regarding the latter, it is necessary to enhance the effects more than before so that players will not tire of the effects even if they are reused. Furthermore, in order to promote reuse, it is also important to devise measures that do not reduce purchasing motivation, such as making it easier for hall staff to manage the machines. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to suppress the price hike of gaming machines in a more appropriate manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention comprises lottery means for drawing a lottery to determine whether or not to award a player a benefit, pattern display means for variably displaying a pattern based on the result of the lottery drawn by the lottery means and stopping the pattern in a specific manner if the benefit is awarded, presentation control means for executing presentations relating to the result of the lottery in accordance with one of a plurality of variation patterns together with the variably displayed pattern by the pattern display means, an outer frame that can be fixed to a game island facility, a front frame that is disposed in front of the outer frame with its rear side inserted into the outer frame, and a power supply operation unit and a RAM clear operation unit that are disposed on the rear side of the front frame. and a launch handle that is protruded from the front side of the front frame and that can be used to launch game balls, and the plurality of types of variation patterns include a reach variation pattern in which, after the symbol reaches a reach state, one or more stages of reach performance are performed, and the result is displayed in the final reach performance, and the reach variation pattern is configured so that the reliability of the specific mode increases as the reach performance stage progresses, and the front frame is attached to the outer frame in a state where it can rotate around a hinge part on one end side in the left-right direction, and in a closed state where the rotation angle with respect to the outer frame is 0°. In this gaming machine, when the front frame is in the open state, the front frame can be locked to the outer frame by a locking means having a keyhole near the opening / closing end, which is the other end in the left-right direction of the front frame, and the front frame has a protruding portion that protrudes forward of the launch handle, and when the RAM clear operation unit is turned on, the power operation unit is switched from power OFF to power ON, thereby erasing the game information at the time of power OFF that is stored in the RAM and starting the gaming machine. In this gaming machine, the reach effects include a weak reach effect and a strong reach effect that can appear at a stage later than the weak reach effect, and the reach change Among the movement patterns, in a reach miss variation pattern corresponding to a miss variation in which the pattern does not become the specific mode, the result display time is configured to be longer when the final reach performance is the strong reach performance than when it is the weak reach performance, and the power supply operation unit and the RAM clear operation unit are arranged in a position close to the opening and closing end in the left-right direction of the front frame, and when the front frame is opened to a first open state relative to the outer frame, the power supply operation unit and the RAM clear operation unit become visible from between the outer frame and the front frame, and in the first open state,The power supply operation unit and the RAM clear operation unit are located forward of the front edge of the outer frame, and the entire protrusion is located inward of the hinge unit in the left-right direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to more appropriately suppress price increases of gaming machines. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lower front unit of the pachinko machine. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board of the pachinko machine. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the pachinko machine. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the lower part of the pachinko machine. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the lower part of the pachinko machine. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a plan cross-sectional view of the pachinko machine. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing the settings for the normal state and three advantageous states of the same pachinko machine. [Figure 12] This is a diagram showing the relationship between the jackpot determination random number value and the jackpot / time-saving determination value in the jackpot / time-saving lottery of the same pachinko machine. [Figure 13] Regarding the first and second special pattern variations of the pachinko machine, (a) shows the type of jackpot mode, allocation rate, special profit state, advantageous state to transition to, and conditions for terminating the advantageous state, and (b) shows the type of time-saving mode, allocation rate, advantageous state to transition to, and conditions for terminating the advantageous state. [Figure 14]10 is an explanatory diagram regarding the transition of game states in the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 15] This figure shows an overview of several types of errors related to payout control in the pachinko machine, as well as how to display and clear the errors. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a volume setting table of the pachinko machine. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a first open state of the front frame of the pachinko machine. [Figure 18] 10 is a plan view showing the second open state of the front frame of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a third open state of the front frame of the pachinko machine. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the fourth open state of the front frame of the pachinko machine. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the fifth open state of the front frame of the pachinko machine. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a rear view of a pachinko machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] FIG. 2 is a plan cross-sectional view of the pachinko machine. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a main part of a power supply board case of a pachinko machine according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 25] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of the power supply board case of the pachinko machine. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is an overall front view of a pachinko machine according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 27] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control system of the pachinko machine. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a variation pattern selection table for the pachinko machine. [Figure 29] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the general configuration of the fluctuation pattern of the pachinko machine. [Figure 30] This is a diagram showing the time chart and performance details of the S reach performance of the same pachinko machine. [Figure 31] This is a diagram showing the time chart and performance content of the SP pre-reach performance of the same pachinko machine. [Figure 32] This is a diagram showing the time chart and presentation content of the SP reach post-presentation (in the case of a miss) of the same pachinko machine. [Figure 33] This is a diagram showing the time chart and presentation content of the SP post-reach presentation (in the case of a jackpot) of the same pachinko machine. [Figure 34] This is an explanatory diagram of the rainbow light emission pattern in the normal / revival jackpot moving body performance of the same pachinko machine. [Figure 35] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a time chart and the content of the SP pre-reach performance of a pachinko machine according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 36] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a time chart and the content of the SP pre-reach performance of a pachinko machine according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 37] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a time chart and the content of the SP pre-reach performance of a pachinko machine according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 38] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a time chart and the content of the SP pre-reach performance of a pachinko machine according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 39] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a time chart and the content of the post-SP reach performance of a pachinko machine according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 40] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a time chart of the S reach effect and the post-SP reach effect of a pachinko machine according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 41] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a time chart and the effect contents of the S reach effect of the pachinko machine according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 21 illustrate a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko machine. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a gaming machine main body 1 includes an outer frame 2 that can be fixed to a gaming island installed in an amusement hall, and a front frame 3 that is disposed in front of the outer frame 2 with its rear side inserted into the outer frame 2. The front frame 3 is pivotally attached to the outer frame 2 via a first hinge (hinge portion) 4 on a vertical axis disposed at one end (here, the left end) in the left-right direction so as to be openable, closable, and detachable. The front frame 3 can be locked in the closed state relative to the outer frame 2 by a locking means 5 provided at the other end (here, the right end) in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the opening angle (rotation angle) of the front frame 3 around the first hinge 4 relative to the outer frame 2 is defined as 0° in the closed state, and the opening direction (i.e., clockwise in a plan view) is defined as the positive direction.

[0009] The front frame 3 includes an inner frame 6 and a glass door 7 arranged in front of the inner frame 6. The glass door 7 is pivotally attached to the inner frame 6 via a second hinge 8 on a vertical shaft arranged at one end in the left-right direction (here, the left end) so as to be openable, closable, and detachable, and can be locked in the closed state relative to the inner frame 6 by a locking means 5. In this embodiment, the second hinge 8 and the first hinge 4 are coaxial.

[0010] The locking means 5 has a keyhole 5a located at a predetermined vertical position near the opening / closing end (right end) of the front frame 3, for example, on the lower side, facing forward.By inserting a special key into this keyhole 5a and rotating it to one side in the left-right direction (for example, the right side), the locking state of the front frame 3 relative to the outer frame 2 is released, and by rotating it to the other side in the left-right direction (for example, the left side), the locking state of the glass door 7 relative to the inner frame 6 is released.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 2, the outer frame 2 is rectangular and includes a pair of vertical frame members 2a, 2b and a pair of upper and lower horizontal frame members 2c, 2d. In this embodiment, the upper and lower horizontal frame members 2c, 2d are made of wood, and the left and right vertical frame members 2a, 2b are made of metal (conductive material). A front cover member 9 made of synthetic resin is attached to the lower front side of the outer frame 2 along the front edge of the lower horizontal frame member 2d, connecting the lower front sides of the left and right vertical frame members 2a, 2b. The front cover member 9 protrudes forward beyond the left and right vertical frame members 2a, 2b, and the inner frame 6 is disposed above it. Furthermore, an upper outer frame hinge fitting 11, which constitutes the first hinge 4, is disposed on the upper left side of the outer frame 2, and a lower outer frame hinge fitting 12 is disposed above the front cover member 9 on the lower left side.

[0012] The inner frame 6 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in Figure 2, is integrally provided with a rectangular frame portion 13 that is above the front cover member 9 and can substantially abut against the front edge of the outer frame 2, a game board mounting portion 14 provided on the upper side within this frame portion 13, and a lower mounting portion 15 provided on the lower side within the frame portion 13. A game board 16 is detachably mounted on the game board mounting portion 14 from the front side, and a launching means 17, a lower speaker 18, etc. are disposed on the front side of the lower mounting portion 15. In addition, the inner frame 6 is provided with a main body frame upper hinge metal fitting 19 that constitutes the first hinge 4 and a main body frame upper hinge metal fitting 20 that constitutes the second hinge 8 at the upper left, and a main body frame lower hinge metal fitting 21 that constitutes the first and second hinges 4, 8 at the lower left.

[0013] The glass door 7 is provided with a door base 22 made of resin and formed in a rectangular shape corresponding to the front side of the inner frame 6. A window hole 24a of a glass window 24 is formed in this door base 22 corresponding to the front side of a play area 23 formed on the game board 16, and various presentation means such as a plurality of (four in this case) upper speakers 25, a frame first movable body 26, a frame second movable body 27, and a blower means 28 are arranged around the window hole 24a.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1 and other figures, the upper front side of the door base 22 is provided with a left decorative cover portion 29a that covers the hinge end side (left side) of the glass window 24, a right decorative cover portion 29b that covers the opening / closing end side (right side) of the glass window 24, and an upper decorative cover portion 29c that covers the upper side of the glass window 24. Comparing the left decorative cover portion 29a and the right decorative cover portion 29b, as shown in Figures 2 and 3 and other figures, the right decorative cover portion 29b on the opening / closing end side protrudes forward more than the left decorative cover portion 29a on the hinge end side, and the upper side of the right decorative cover portion 29b protrudes forward more than the lower side. Furthermore, the amount of forward protrusion of the upper decorative cover portion 29c is approximately the same as the amount of protrusion of the upper side of the right decorative cover portion 29b.

[0015] The frame first movable body 26 is located on the front side of the upper decorative cover portion 29c, approximately in the center in the left-right direction, and is formed in a predetermined shape, here a three-dimensional shape with a butterfly motif. This frame first movable body 26 can slide approximately back and forth between an origin position and a protruding position further forward by driving means not shown, and is normally held in the origin position shown in Figure 3. The frame second movable body 27 is located on the front side of the right decorative cover portion 29b, approximately in the center in the up-down direction, and as shown in Figure 3, etc., it has a protrusion 27a protruding forward from the right decorative cover portion 29b and an operating portion 27b provided at the front end of this protrusion 27a. This frame second movable body 27 can slide back and forth by driving means not shown, and can be pushed in by the player. The air blowing means 28 is capable of blowing air toward the player's hands that are touching the frame second movable body 27 at the timing when the player operates the frame second movable body 27.

[0016] A lower front unit 31 is disposed on the lower front side of the door base 22. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, this lower front unit 31 is provided with an upper tray 33 that stores game balls dispensed from a dispensing means 32 disposed behind the inner frame 6 and supplies them to the launching means 17, and a lower tray 34 that stores surplus balls when the upper tray 33 is full. On the upper surface, various operating means are also disposed. The lower front unit 31 protrudes forward, gradually decreasing in size from the center to both ends, with the effect button 35 located at the center of the left-right direction. A launching handle 39, which can be used to launch game balls using the launching means 17, protrudes forward from the opening / closing end (right side) of the lower front unit 31.

[0017] The maximum forward protrusion amount of the frame first movable body 26, the frame second movable body 27, and the lower front unit 31 is greater than the protrusion amount of the firing handle 39 (see, for example, Figure 3). Also, for the decorative cover parts 29a to 29c, the forward protrusion amount of the upper side of the right decorative cover part 29b and the upper decorative cover part 29c is greater than the protrusion amount of the firing handle 39, and the forward protrusion amount of the lower side of the right decorative cover part 29b and the left decorative cover part 29a is less than the protrusion amount of the firing handle 39 (see, for example, Figure 3).

[0018] 2, a glass unit 40 that substantially covers the window hole 24a from the rear side is detachably attached to the back side of the door base 22, and a vertical hinge end reinforcing plate 41a that is arranged along the edge of the first and second hinges 4, 8, a vertical opening / closing end reinforcing plate 41b that is arranged along the edge of the opening / closing end, and a horizontal lower reinforcing plate 41c that is arranged below the window hole 24a are detachably fixed by screws, etc. Also, a glass door upper hinge fitting 42a that constitutes the second hinge 8 is arranged on the upper left of the door base 22, and a glass door lower hinge fitting 42b is arranged on the lower left.

[0019] In addition, a ball feeding unit 43a, a lower tray guide unit 43b, etc. are attached to the back side of the lower reinforcing sheet metal 41c. The ball feeding unit 43a is for supplying the game balls in the upper tray 33 one by one to the launching means 17, and is arranged corresponding to the front side of the launching means 17. The lower tray guide unit 43b is for guiding surplus balls when the upper tray 33 is full, and foul balls that have been launched by the launching means 17 but have returned without reaching the playing area 23, to the lower tray 34, and is arranged adjacent to the ball feeding unit 43a on the side of its first and second hinges 4, 8.

[0020] As shown in Figure 5, the game board 16 has a base plate 45 made of polycarbonate or the like, on the front side of which a guide rail 46 for guiding the game balls launched from the launching means 17 is arranged in a circular shape, and in the game area 23 inside the guide rail 46, unit parts such as a central display frame unit 47, a start winning unit 48, a big winning unit 49, and a normal winning unit 50, as well as a large number of game nails (not shown), are arranged.

[0021] On the plurality of unit components 47 to 50 of the game board 16, there are provided a normal symbol starting means 61, a first special symbol starting means 62, a second special symbol starting means 63, a big prize means 64, a plurality of normal prize means 65, etc. Also, on the rear side of the base plate 45, there are arranged a liquid crystal display means (image display means) 66, as well as a board moving effect means 67 having a board moving body 67a that can move in front of the liquid crystal display means 66, etc.

[0022] The central display frame unit 47 constitutes a display frame for the liquid crystal display means 66 and is detachably attached from the front side to a mounting hole (not shown) formed in the base plate 45 that penetrates in the front-rear direction. The central display frame unit 47 has a display window 47a formed in the approximate center corresponding to the front side of the liquid crystal display means 66, a front mounting plate 71 arranged outside the mounting hole along the front surface of the base plate 45 and allowing game balls to pass in front of it, a decorative frame 72 arranged in a generally gate-like shape in a front view extending from both the left and right sides of the display window 47a to the upper side and protruding forward from the inner periphery of the front mounting plate 71, and a stage 73 arranged below the display window 47a and between the left and right lower ends of the decorative frame 72. Game balls launched by the launching means 17 and entering the upper side of the game area 23 are split left and right at the top of the decorative frame 72 and flow down either a left flow path 74a on the left side of the central display frame unit 47 or a right flow path 74b on the right side.

[0023] A warp inlet 75 through which game balls can flow is provided on at least one side of the left downflow path 74a side or the right downflow path 74b side, for example, on the left downflow path 74a side, of the central display frame unit 47. A game ball that flows into the warp inlet 75 while flowing down the left downflow path 74a rolls freely in the left-right direction on the stage 73, and then falls forward from either a central drop section 76 provided corresponding to the left-right center of the game area 23 or from another section.

[0024] In addition, various display means such as a normal symbol display means 81, a normal reserved number display means 82, a first special symbol display means 83, and a second special symbol display means 84 are provided on the central display frame unit 47. Of course, these display means 81 to 84 are not limited to being on the central display frame unit 47, but can be arranged at any position on the front side of the game board 16 in a state where they can be seen from the front side.

[0025] The starting winning unit 48 is disposed below the central display frame unit 47, and is detachably attached to the base plate 45 from the front side. The big winning unit 49 is disposed below the central display frame unit 47 to the right of the starting winning unit 48, and is detachably attached to the base plate 45 from the front side. The regular winning unit 50 is disposed below the central display frame unit 47 to the left of the starting winning unit 48, and is detachably attached to the base plate 45 from the front side.

[0026] The normal symbol starting means 61 is for starting the variable display of normal symbols by the normal symbol display means 81, and is composed of a passage gate or the like through which gaming balls can pass, and is equipped with a gaming ball detection switch (not shown) that detects the passage of gaming balls. This normal symbol starting means 61 is provided on the front side of the front mounting plate 71 on the right part of the central display frame unit 47, and gaming balls flowing down the right flow-down path 74b can pass through it.

[0027] The normal pattern display means 81 is used to display the normal pattern in a variable manner and is composed of multiple (here, two) LEDs. When the normal pattern starting means 61 detects a gaming ball, the two LEDs that make up the normal pattern light up in a normal variation light-emitting pattern, and then if the winning judgment random number value contained in the normal random number information acquired when the normal pattern starting means 61 detects the gaming ball matches a predetermined winning judgment value, the variation stops in a winning state, otherwise in a losing state.

[0028] The probability that a normal symbol will become a winning symbol (winning probability) has a low probability (here 100 / 251) and a high probability (here 250 / 251), and either of these is used depending on the game state (normal state, first to third advantageous states, which will be described later) (Fig. 11). Also, the normal symbol fluctuation time has a normal (non-reduced) fluctuation time (here 5 seconds) and a shorter reduced fluctuation time (here 4.9 seconds), and either of these is used depending on the game state (normal state, first to third advantageous states, which will be described later) (Fig. 11).

[0029] In addition, the normal random number information acquired when the normal symbol starting means 61 detects a gaming ball is reserved and stored up to a predetermined upper limit of reserved number, for example, 4 pieces, and each time a normal symbol becomes available for variation, one piece is consumed to vary the normal symbol. The number of stored normal random number information (normal reserved number) is notified to the player by the normal reserved number display means 82 or the like.

[0030] The first special symbol starting means 62 is used to start the symbol variation by the first special symbol display means 83. It is configured as a non-opening / closing winning means without an opening / closing means, and is equipped with a game ball detection switch (not shown) that detects winning game balls. This first special symbol starting means 62 is provided in the starting winning unit 48 and is arranged with an upward opening below the central drop section 76 of the stage 73, corresponding to the central drop section 76. Because there is a winning route from the warp entrance 75 on the left flow path 74a side through the stage 73, game balls flowing down the left flow path 74a have a higher chance of winning than game balls flowing down the right flow path 74b. When a game ball wins the first special symbol starting means 62, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out as prize balls per winning.

[0031] The second special pattern starting means 63 is used to start the pattern change by the second special pattern display means 84, and is composed of an opening and closing type winning means that can be changed between an open state in which the game ball can win a prize and a closed state in which it is not possible to win a prize (or it is more difficult to win a prize than in the open state) by operating the opening and closing section 78, and is equipped with a game ball detection switch (not shown) that detects a winning game ball, and in the normal profit state that occurs when the stopped pattern after the change of the normal pattern display means 81 becomes a winning pattern, the opening and closing section 78 is set to be open for a predetermined time.

[0032] In addition, the opening time of the second special pattern starting means 63 in this normal profit state includes a normal (non-extended) opening time (here 80 ms) and a longer extended opening time (here 4000 ms), and either of them is used depending on the game state (normal state, first to third advantageous states described below) (Figure 11).

[0033] This second special symbol starting means 63 is disposed on the front mounting plate 71 at the right part of the central display frame unit 47 and downstream of the normal symbol starting means 61, and gaming balls flowing down the right flow path 74b can win. When a gaming ball wins at this second special symbol starting means 63, a predetermined number of gaming balls are paid out as prize balls per win.

[0034] The first special pattern display means 83 is composed of a display means such as a 7-segment type that can variably display the first special pattern, and variably displays the first special pattern for a predetermined period of time based on the first special pattern starting means 62 detecting a gaming ball, and stops the variation in a jackpot mode if the jackpot determination random number value contained in the first special random number information obtained when the first special pattern starting means 62 detects a gaming ball matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, in a time-saving mode if it matches a predetermined time-saving determination value (if the player wins the time-saving lottery), and in any other cases in a loss mode.

[0035] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 13(a), two types of jackpot modes, A1 and A2, are provided for the first special symbol display means 83, and when the jackpot lottery result is a jackpot, one of the jackpot modes A1 and A2 is selected at a predetermined allocation ratio (here, 6:4) based on the symbol determination random number included in the first special random number information. Also, as shown in Fig. 13(b), two types of time-saving modes, B1 and B2, are provided for the first special symbol display means 83, and when the time-saving lottery result is won, one of the time-saving modes B1 and B2 is selected at a predetermined allocation ratio (here, 1:9) based on the symbol determination random number included in the first special random number information.

[0036] If the stopped symbols after the variation of the first special symbol display means 83 become a jackpot pattern, a special advantage state occurs according to the type of jackpot pattern (either A1 or A2), and after the special advantage state ends, a transition to a predetermined advantageous state (here, either the second or third advantageous state) occurs (Fig. 13(a)). Also, if the stopped symbols after the variation of the first special symbol display means 83 become a time-saving pattern, the special advantage state does not occur, and at that point in time, a transition to a predetermined advantageous state (here, either the first or second advantageous state) occurs according to the type of time-saving pattern (either B1 or B2) (Fig. 13(b)).

[0037] The second special pattern display means 84 is composed of a display means such as a 7-segment type that can variably display the second special pattern, and variably displays the second special pattern for a predetermined period of time based on the second special pattern starting means 63 detecting a gaming ball, and stops the variation in a jackpot mode if the jackpot determination random number value contained in the second special random number information obtained when the second special pattern starting means 63 detects the gaming ball matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, in a time-saving mode if it matches a predetermined time-saving determination value (if the player wins the time-saving lottery), and in any other case in a loss mode.

[0038] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 13(a), the second special symbol display means 84 has two jackpot modes, A1 and A2, similar to the first special symbol display means 83, and when the jackpot lottery result is a jackpot, one of the jackpot modes A1 and A2 is selected at a predetermined allocation ratio (here, 6:4) based on the symbol determination random number included in the second special random number information. Also, as shown in Fig. 13(b), the second special symbol display means 84 has two time-saving modes, B1 and B2, similar to the first special symbol display means 83, and when the time-saving lottery result is a win, one of the time-saving modes B1 and B2 is selected at a predetermined allocation ratio (here, 1:9) based on the symbol determination random number included in the second special random number information.

[0039] If the stopped symbols after the variation of the second special symbol display means 84 become a jackpot pattern, a special advantage state occurs according to the type of jackpot pattern (either A1 or A2), and after the special advantage state ends, a transition to a predetermined advantageous state (here, either the second or third advantageous state) occurs (Fig. 13(a)). Also, if the stopped symbols after the variation of the second special symbol display means 84 become a time-saving pattern, the special advantage state does not occur, and at that point, a transition to a predetermined advantageous state (either the first or second advantageous state) occurs according to the type of time-saving pattern (either B1 or B2) (Fig. 13(b)).

[0040] The time-saving lottery is only conducted during the normal state (Figure 11), but as will be described later, in this embodiment, the second special pattern display means 84 rarely changes during the normal state, so in practice, the time-saving lottery is rarely conducted regarding the second special pattern display means 84.

[0041] FIG. 12 shows the relationship between the jackpot determination random number and the jackpot / time-saving determination value in the jackpot / time-saving lottery of the first and second special symbol display means 83, 84. As shown in FIG. 12, the jackpot determination random number is generated in the range of 0 to 65535. Of these, when the jackpot probability is high, the jackpot determination value is in the range of 10001 to 12048, but when the jackpot probability is low, the jackpot determination value is in the narrower range of 10001 to 10205. In this way, the probability that the first and second special symbols will be in the jackpot mode (jackpot probability) can be switched between a low probability (1 / 319 in this case) and a high probability (1 / 32 in this case). The jackpot probability is set to a high probability during the third advantageous state described below, and to a low probability during the normal state and the first and second advantageous states (FIG. 11).

[0042] Also, as shown in FIG. 12, only during the normal state described below, the time-saving judgment value is in the range of 20001 to 22184 (winning probability ≈ 1 / 30), and no time-saving judgment value is set during the advantageous state. In other words, the time-saving lottery is only performed during the normal state, not during the advantageous state. Alternatively, it can be said that during the advantageous state, the time-saving lottery is not not performed, but rather the winning probability in the time-saving lottery is set to 0. As described above, in this embodiment, the jackpot lottery and the time-saving lottery are performed using a common random number value.

[0043] In this embodiment, the normal state and multiple types of advantageous states are set as shown in Fig. 11. That is, in the normal state, the jackpot probability of the first and second special symbols is set to a low probability (1 / 319), the hit probability of the normal symbol is set to a low probability (100 / 251), the fluctuation time of the normal symbol is set to a normal (non-shortened) fluctuation time (5 seconds), and the opening time of the second special symbol starting means 63 is set to a normal (non-extended) opening time (80 ms).

[0044] Furthermore, the first advantageous state is when the normal symbol fluctuation time is changed to a shortened fluctuation time (4.9 seconds) compared to the normal state. The second advantageous state is when the opening time of the second special symbol activation means 63 is changed to an extended opening time (4000 ms) compared to the first advantageous state. The third advantageous state is when the jackpot probability for the first and second special symbols is increased (1 / 32) and the winning probability for the normal symbol is increased (250 / 251) compared to the second advantageous state. As mentioned above, the time-saving lottery is only conducted during the normal state and is not conducted during the first to third advantageous states. Regarding the normal symbol fluctuation time, the difference between the normal (non-reduced) fluctuation time (5 seconds) and the reduced fluctuation time (4.9 seconds) is so slight that it is difficult for a player to distinguish the difference. Therefore, the normal state and the first advantageous state are essentially the same, except for whether or not a time-saving lottery is conducted.

[0045] 11, during the normal state and the first advantageous state, the opening time of the second special symbol starting means 63 in the normal advantageous state is short (80 ms), so even if a player fires a game ball aiming at the normal symbol starting means 61 and the second special symbol starting means 63 and generates the normal advantageous state, it is difficult to make the second special symbol starting means 63 win. Therefore, during the normal state and the first advantageous state, it is desirable for the player to hit left, aiming at the first special symbol starting means 62, whose difficulty of winning does not change even if the game state changes.

[0046] On the other hand, during the second and third advantageous states, the opening time of the second special symbol activation means 63 is longer (4000 ms) during the normal advantageous state, making it easier to win a prize. Therefore, it is desirable for the player to hit the right, aiming at the normal symbol activation means 61 and the second special symbol activation means 63. As a result, the first special symbol display means 83 mainly fluctuates during the normal state and the first advantageous state, and the second special symbol display means 84 mainly fluctuates during the second and third advantageous states. As such, since the second special symbol display means 84 rarely fluctuates during the normal state, a time-saving lottery is rarely conducted regarding fluctuations of the second special symbol display means 84. Note that a time-saving lottery may not be conducted regarding the second special symbol display means 84, regardless of the game state.

[0047] Furthermore, when the first and second special symbols are varied by the first and second special symbol display means 83, 84, a symbol variation display is simultaneously performed on the liquid crystal display means 66 by the effect symbol 88. As shown in Fig. 5, the effect symbol 88 has a plurality of symbol rows (here, three in the left and right direction) each consisting of a plurality of symbols such as number symbols, and each symbol constituting each symbol row is composed of a symbol main body 88a consisting of numbers such as 1 to 8 and the like, and a character or other decorative part 88b attached to this symbol main body 88a. The display mode of the effect symbol 88 can be arbitrarily changed by enlarging or reducing it, changing the display position, erasing the decorative part 88b, etc.

[0048] The effect symbols 88 start to vary by vertical scrolling or the like for each symbol row according to a predetermined variation pattern at approximately the same time as the first and second special symbols start to vary, and the stopped symbols on a predetermined effective line finally stop at approximately the same time as the first and second special symbols stop varying so that the stopped symbols become the pattern determined by lottery. Note that with the effect symbols 88, when all the stopped symbols on the effective line are the same, it is a jackpot effect mode, and otherwise it is a time-saving effect mode or a loss effect mode, and when the first and second special symbols become a jackpot effect mode, a time-saving effect mode, or a loss effect mode, the effect symbols 88 become a jackpot effect mode, a time-saving effect mode, or a loss effect mode, respectively.

[0049] In addition, the first and second special random number information acquired at the time of winning in the first and second special symbol start means 62, 63 are reserved and stored up to a predetermined upper limit of reserved numbers, for example, up to four each, and when it becomes possible to change the first and second special symbols, if the reserved memory on the second special symbol side is one or more, one reserved memory of the second special symbol is consumed to change the second special symbol, and if only the reserved memory on the first special symbol side is one or more, one reserved memory of the first special symbol is consumed to change the first special symbol. In this way, in this embodiment, the first special symbol and the second special symbol are not both changing, and when there are reserved memories on both the first special symbol side and the second special symbol side, the change of the second special symbol is given priority.

[0050] The number of first and second special random number information pieces stored in reserve (first and second special reserve numbers) is notified to the player by the liquid crystal display means 66. As shown in Fig. 5, the liquid crystal display means 66 is capable of displaying first and second reserve images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4, and a changing reserve image Z, which indicate the first and second special reserve numbers. That is, when the number of first and second special reserved items increases based on the first and second special pattern starting means 62, 63 detecting a game ball, one additional first and second reserved image X1~, Y1~ is displayed on the liquid crystal display means 66, and when the number of first and second special reserved items decreases based on the start of a new variation of the first and second special patterns by the first and second special pattern display means 83, 84, the varying reserved image Z is erased, the first and second reserved images X1~, Y1~ are shifted one by one toward the front of the queue (for example, to the right side of the screen), and the pushed-out first first and second reserved images X1, Y1 are moved to a predetermined position and changed into a new varying reserved image Z.

[0051] The special winning means 64 is a winning means equipped with an opening / closing plate 79 that can be switched between an open state allowing a game ball to win and a closed state preventing a game ball from winning. The special winning means 64 is provided in the special winning unit 49 and is located downstream of the second special symbol starting means 63 and upstream of the first special symbol starting means 62. A game ball flowing down the right flow path 74b has a higher probability of winning than a game ball flowing down the left flow path 74a. In a special advantage state that occurs when the first and second special symbols of the first and second special symbol display means 83 and 84 fluctuate and then stop in a jackpot mode, the opening / closing plate 79 opens forward according to one or more opening patterns, allowing a game ball that falls onto it to win inside. When a game ball wins the special winning means 64, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out as prize balls for each win.

[0052] The opening pattern of the big prize winning means 64 in the special advantage state is configured to perform a closing operation for a predetermined number of rounds such as 3R, 10R, etc., on the condition that a predetermined time (e.g., 28 seconds) has passed since the big prize winning means 64 was opened or a predetermined number of game balls (e.g., 9 balls) have been won by that time, and in this embodiment, regardless of whether the first or second special pattern is a big prize winning pattern, the 10R opening pattern is selected regardless of the type of big prize winning pattern (A1, A2) (Figure 13(a)).

[0053] Furthermore, a plurality of normal winning means 65 are arranged in the normal winning unit 50 and the like within the gaming area 23. The normal winning means 65 is a non-opening / closing type winning means that does not have an opening / closing means, and is equipped with a game ball detection switch (not shown) that detects winning game balls, and when a game ball wins, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out as prize balls per winning.

[0054] In addition, gaming balls that have won in the winning means such as the first and second special symbol starting means 62, 63, the big winning means 64, the normal winning means 65, etc., are detected by the respective gaming ball detection switches, and then discharged to the outside of the gaming machine via the back side of the gaming board 16. In addition, gaming balls that have not won in any of the winning means are discharged to the outside of the gaming machine via the back side of the gaming board 16 from one or more outlets 90 arranged in the gaming area 23.

[0055] 7 and other figures, a rear attachment body 91 is disposed on the rear side of the gaming board 16, covering the winning means such as the big winning means 64, the outlet 90, etc. This rear attachment body 91 is composed of a rear mounting base 92 and a ball collection case 93. A liquid crystal display means 66 is detachably mounted on the rear mounting base 92 on the rear wall 92a side thereof and in a position corresponding to the rear of the display window 47a of the central display frame unit 47, and a board moving effect means 67 (FIG. 5) is disposed between the base plate 45 of the gaming board 16 and the rear wall 92a.

[0056] The ball collection case 93 is used to receive game balls that have won in a prize winning means such as the big prize winning means 64 or that have passed through the outlet 90 and been guided to the back of the game board 16, and to discharge them downstream.As shown in Figure 7, it is arranged to cover the lower side of the back mounting base 92, and an outlet 94 is formed at a predetermined position on the bottom wall 93a, for example, on the front side in approximately the center in the left-right direction, to discharge the collected game balls downward.

[0057] 7, 8, etc., a main control board case 102, a performance board case 106, etc. are detachably mounted on the rear side of the rear mounting body 91. The main control board case 102 is disposed on the lower side of the rear mounting body 91, i.e., behind the ball collection case 93, and the main control board 101 is housed inside with the first surface 101a, on which the main electronic components are mounted, facing rearward. The performance board case 106 is disposed on the upper side of the main control board case 102 corresponding to the rear side of the LCD display means 66, and the performance interface board 103, the LCD interface board 104, and the LCD control board 105 are housed inside with the first surfaces 103a, 104a, and 105a, on which the main electronic components are mounted, facing rearward.

[0058] The main control board 101 has a horizontally elongated, generally rectangular shape that straddles the open / close end and hinge end of the front frame 3, sandwiching the center of the front frame 3 in the left-right direction. As shown in Figures 6, 8, 9, etc., a RAM clear switch 107 is located on the lower side of the first surface 101a, on the open / close end side, i.e., on the lower left side when viewed from the rear (a position closer to the open / close end in the left-right direction on the front frame 3). The RAM clear switch (RAM clear operation unit) 107 is operated to clear the RAM when the power is turned on. It can be pressed from the outside of the main control board case 102 and is configured to be OFF when not operated and ON when pressed. When the front frame 3 is in the closed state, the RAM clear switch 107 is located behind the rear edge of the outer frame 2.

[0059] 6, the performance interface board 103 is provided with a volume setting knob 108 at a predetermined position on the first surface 103a side, for example, at a position near the left-right opening / closing end of the front frame 3. The volume setting knob 108 is used by the hall staff to make selections related to the volume, and is configured as a rotary switch that can be switched between multiple levels (here, 10 levels corresponding to the hall setting values ​​T0 to T9), and can be rotated from the outside of the performance board case 106. When the front frame 3 is in the closed state, the volume setting knob 108 is located behind the rear edge of the outer frame 2.

[0060] In addition, a rear cover 110 that covers the back side of the game board 16 and can be opened and closed freely is attached removably to the back side of the front frame 3, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, and a game ball tank 111 and a first tank rail 112a are attached above it, and a second tank rail 112b, a payout means 32 and a payout passage 113 are attached to one of the left and right sides, respectively.When a game ball enters a winning means such as the big prize means 64, or when a ball lending command is received from an automatic ball lending machine not shown, the game ball in the game ball tank 111 is paid out by the payout means 32 via the first and second tank rails 112a and 112b, and the game ball is guided to the upper tray 33 via the payout passage 113.

[0061] The back cover 110 is made of a transparent synthetic resin and has a vertical hinge 114 at one end in the left-right direction, for example, the right end (left end when viewed from the rear), and one or more latch means 115 for fixing it in the closed state at the other end in the left-right direction, for example, the left end (right end when viewed from the rear), so that in the closed state it covers almost the entire performance board case 106 and a part of the upper side of the main control board case 102 from the rear. The RAM clear switch 107 provided on the main control board 101 is located on the outside (bottom) of the back cover 110 and can be operated with the back cover 110 closed. Furthermore, the volume setting knob 108 provided on the performance interface board 103 is disposed inside the rear cover 110, but the rear cover 110 has an opening 110a formed in it corresponding to the rear side of the volume setting knob 108, and by inserting a tool such as a screwdriver into this opening 110a, it is possible to operate the volume setting knob 108 even with the rear cover 110 closed. Of course, if the rear cover 110 is open, the volume setting knob 108 can be operated without using a tool.

[0062] 6 to 10, a board mounting base 121 is disposed on the lower rear side of the front frame 3, i.e., on the rear side of the lower mounting portion 15. A power supply board case 124, which houses a power supply board 123, one of the components constituting the power supply unit 122, and a payout launch board case 126, which houses a payout launch control board 125, are each detachably mounted on the rear side of this board mounting base 121. A ball discharge passage 127 for discharging game balls guided to the rear side of the game board 16 to the outside of the machine is integrally formed on the front side of the board mounting base 121. An inlet 127a on the upstream end of the ball discharge passage 127 communicates from below with the outlet 94 on the ball collection case 93 side, and an outlet 127b on the downstream end opens downward at the front lower end of the board mounting base 121.

[0063] The power supply board case 124 and the dispensing / launching board case 126 are arranged near the lower side of the main control board case 102, with one on top of the other, and the power supply board case 124 is detachably mounted on the rear side of the board mounting base 121, and the dispensing / launching board case 126 is detachably mounted on the rear side of the power supply board case 124. Note that the dispensing / launching board case 126 may be fixed to the board mounting base 121 instead of the power supply board case 124.

[0064] The power supply board 123 does not have a backup power supply, nor does it have the function of determining or outputting a power supply abnormality signal when the power is turned off, so it does not have any functions that may affect or be likely to affect the outcome of the game, and it only has the function of supplying or cutting off power to the other boards and components, etc. In this way, since the power supply board 123 is just one of the components that make up the power supply unit 122, there is no need to engrave board identification information such as the company name, board number, etc. on it, and therefore it can be used commonly among group companies, etc.

[0065] It should be noted that a backup power supply can be provided on a relay board that relays between the power supply board 123 and the main control board 101, or on the payout / launch control board 125, but cannot be provided on the main control board 101. This is because if the main control board 101 alone were able to back up information about the game status, it could potentially make it easier to commit fraud. The function of determining and outputting a power supply abnormality signal can be provided on the main control board 101, as well as on the relay board, payout / launch control board 125, etc.

[0066] The power supply board 123 is a horizontally elongated, approximately rectangular shape that straddles the opening / closing end and the hinge end, sandwiching the left-right center of the front frame 3, and is housed in the power supply board case 124 with its first surface 123a, on which the main electronic components are mounted, facing rearward.A power switch 128 is located on the upper side of the first surface 123a, on the opening / closing end side of the front frame 3, i.e., on the upper left side when viewed from behind (a position closer to the opening / closing end in the left-right direction on the front frame 3), so that it can be operated from outside the power supply board case 124.

[0067] The power switch (power operation unit) 128 is used to turn the power on and off. As shown in FIGS. 6, 8, and 10, it has a power ON portion 128a and a power OFF portion 128b. When the power ON portion 128a is pressed in, the power OFF portion 128b protrudes (power ON state), and when the power OFF portion 128b is pressed in, the power ON portion 128a protrudes (power OFF state). This is a so-called rocker switch (seesaw switch), and is positioned so that the power ON portion 128a is below the power OFF portion 128b. This minimizes the possibility of the power being turned off even if a falling object such as a game ball hits the power switch 128. When the front frame 3 is closed, the power switch 128 is located behind the rear edge of the outer frame 2.

[0068] Further, near the power switch 128 on the first surface 123a of the power supply board 123, for example on the lower side, a power connector 130 for connecting a power harness 129 is exposed rearward from the power supply board case 124. The power harness 129 is for connecting the power supply board 123 to an external power supply (24V), and as shown in Figures 6 to 10, has a power plug 129a on one end and a connector 129b on the other end connected to the power connector 130 of the power supply board 123.

[0069] The power harness 129 is guided along a predetermined wiring path 131 on the rear side of the front frame 3 from the connection point with the power supply board 123 (the left end of the power supply board 123 when viewed from the rear) to the upper part of the hinge end on the rear side of the front frame 3. This wiring path 131 includes a first wiring path 131a arranged in the left-right direction along the underside of the power supply board case 124, and a second wiring path 131b arranged in the up-down direction along the hinge end side of the front frame 3. The power harness 129 is guided along the first wiring path 131a by a first guiding means 132, and along the second wiring path 131b by a second guiding means 133.

[0070] The first guide means 132 is composed of a plurality of (four in this example) locking devices 132a to 132d arranged at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction along the lower edge of the power supply board case 124. The locking devices 132a to 132d are formed in a hook shape or any other shape that can lock the power supply harness 129, and are formed integrally with the rear side of the board mounting base 121 or are detachably attached to the board mounting base 121. The power supply harness 129 is guided in the left-right direction along the lower side of the power supply board case 124 by the first guide means 132 while avoiding the outlet 127b of the ball discharge passage 127 (first wiring path 131a).

[0071] The second guide means 133 is composed of a plurality of (here, five) locking devices 133a-133e arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction along the hinge end side edge of the front frame 3. The locking devices 133a-133e are formed in a hook shape or any other shape capable of locking the power harness 129, and are either formed integrally with the rear surface of the frame portion 13 constituting the inner frame 6 or are detachably attached to the frame portion 13. The power harness 129 is guided in the vertical direction by the second guide means 133 along the inner surface of the hinge-side vertical frame member 2a of the outer frame 2 (second wiring path 131b) and is drawn upward from a drawer portion 134 formed by the uppermost locking device 133e. This prevents the power harness 129 from being pinched between the outer frame 2 and the front frame 3 when the front frame 3 is opened, allowing for smooth opening and closing of the front frame 3. Of the multiple (five) fastening devices 133a to 133e that constitute the second guiding means 133, the lowest fastening device 133a is positioned below the main control board 101, and the topmost fastening device 133e is positioned above the performance interface board 103, LCD interface board 104, LCD control board 105, etc.

[0072] As described above, the power supply harness 129 is arranged in the second wiring path 131b along the metallic (conductive) vertical frame material 2a that constitutes the outer frame 2, and is also arranged on the outside (hinge side) of the rear cover 110 that covers the main control board case 102, etc., and a certain distance is maintained between the rear cover 110 and the second wiring path 131b by arranging the second tank rail 112b, dispensing means 32, dispensing passage 113, etc., so it is possible to eliminate the adverse effects of noise from the power supply harness 129 on the main control board 101, etc.

[0073] Furthermore, the first wiring path 131a is not wired between multiple control boards equipped with CPUs, for example, between the main control board 101 and the dispensing / firing control board 125, but is arranged below those control boards. In other words, the wiring path 131 of the power supply harness 129 is not arranged between multiple control boards equipped with CPUs, that is, the first wiring path 131a is arranged below all of the control boards, and the second wiring path 131b is arranged closer to the hinge end than all of the control boards, so that the wiring path 131 is arranged from the connection with the power supply board 123 to the drawer part 134 at the upper part of the hinge part on the rear side of the front frame 3, making it possible to effectively eliminate adverse effects of noise from the power supply harness 129 on each control board.

[0074] Furthermore, the power harness 129 is arranged on the outside of the rear cover 110 and is pulled out from the pull-out section 134 above the main control board 101, the performance interface board 103, the liquid crystal interface board 104, the liquid crystal control board 105, etc., so the power harness 129 does not come into contact with or come close to each control board.

[0075] As described above, the dispensing launch board case 126 is arranged behind the power supply board case 124, but as shown in Figures 6, 8 and 10, the left end side in rear view (the opening / closing end side of the front frame 3) is arranged slightly offset to the right side in rear view (the hinge end side of the front frame 3) relative to the power supply board case 124 so as not to overlap with the rear side of the power switch 128. Note that the dispensing launch control board 125 and the dispensing launch board case 126 are shorter in the left-right direction than the power supply board 123 and the power supply board case 124, so even when the dispensing launch board case 126 is attached, part of the left end side (the right end side in rear view) of the power supply board 123 and the power supply board case 124 is visible from the rear.

[0076] Furthermore, on the first surface 125a of the dispensing / firing control board 125, an error display means 141 and an error reset button (error reset operation unit) 142 are arranged on the opening / closing end side of the front frame 3, that is, on the left end side when viewed from the rear (a position closer to the opening / closing end in the left-right direction of the front frame 3). When the front frame 3 is in the closed state, the error display means 141 and the error reset button 142 are located behind the rear edge side of the outer frame 2.

[0077] The error display means 141 is configured to notify the user of the type of error that occurs when one of multiple types of error conditions occurs, and is composed of multiple (here, three) first to third LEDs 141a to 141c. This error display means 141 is configured to notify three types of error conditions: a ball counting switch disconnection error, a payout shortage error, and a ball counting switch error. In the case of a ball counting switch disconnection error, the first LED 141a is lit, in the case of a payout shortage error, the second LED 141b is lit, and in the case of a ball counting switch error, the third LED 141c is lit (Figure 15). Of course, the error display means 141 may also be configured with a 7-segment LED or the like. The details of each error condition will be described later.

[0078] The correspondence between the lighting mode of the error display means 141 and the error state is shown on the error notification information sticker 143 attached to the payout emission board case 126. As shown in FIG. 8 and the like, the error notification information sticker 143 is attached to the back side of the payout emission board case 126 and on the left end side in the rear view (position near the opening / closing end in the left-right direction of the front frame 3). When the front frame 3 is in the closed state, the error notification information sticker 143 is located behind the rear edge side of the outer frame 2.

[0079] The error release button 142 is operated when releasing a specific error state, can be pressed from the outside of the payout emission board case 126, and is configured to be OFF when not operated and ON when pressed. In the present embodiment, the operation of the error release button 142 is included in the error release conditions (specific error release conditions) for releasing the above-described payout shortage error and ball count switch error (FIG. 15). Details of the error release conditions will be described later.

[0080] As described above, on the back side of the front frame 3, there are arranged operation means such as the RAM clear switch 107, power switch 128, error release button 142, volume setting knob 108, etc., and display means such as the error display means 141, error notification information sticker 143, etc. Hereinafter, matters related to these operation means and display means arranged on the back side of the front frame 3 will be described.

[0081] <Regarding the RAM clear process> In this pachinko machine, the main control board 101 comprehensively controls the progress of the game, and various game information indicating the game situation is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM provided in the main control board 101. When the power supply is stopped due to the end of business in the game hall, power failure, etc. (when the power is OFF), the stored content of the RAM is held for a certain period of time by power supply from the backup power supply. After that, when the power supply is restarted with the RAM clear switch 107 remaining OFF (when the power is ON), the game resumes from the game state immediately before the power supply stop (power OFF) based on the game information held in the RAM (backup return).

[0082] On the other hand, when the power switch 128 is switched from OFF to ON while the RAM clear switch 107 is ON (hereinafter referred to as the RAM clear start operation), a predetermined area of ​​the RAM is forcibly cleared, and the game starts from the initial state regardless of the game state immediately before the power supply is stopped (power OFF).

[0083] In this way, when a waiter performs the RAM clear activation operation, he or she must release the locking means 5, open the front frame 3, and operate the RAM clear switch 107 and the power switch 128 simultaneously.

[0084] <Errors related to payment control and how to resolve them> Figure 15 shows an overview of several types of errors related to payout control, as well as how to display and clear the errors. A ball jam error occurs when balls are jammed in the lower tray 34. The error is displayed on the LCD display means 66, and the error is cleared by removing the balls from the lower tray 34. An out-of-supply error occurs when there are not enough game balls in the game ball tank 111. The error is displayed on the LCD display means 66, and the error is cleared by replenishing the game ball tank 111 with game balls.

[0085] The ball counting switch open circuit error occurs when the ball counting switch is open circuited, and the error is displayed by lighting up the first LED 141a that constitutes the error display means 141, and the error is cleared by returning the ball counting switch to its normal state. The ball counting switch (not shown) counts the number of game balls paid out from the payout means 32, and is located downstream of the payout means 32 (not shown).

[0086] An insufficient dispensing error occurs when a dispensing operation occurs a predetermined number of times (e.g., twice) within a predetermined time (e.g., 300,000.4 ms ≒ 5 minutes) such that the number of insufficient dispensed items (the difference between the number of items actually dispensed and the number of items that should be dispensed) is a predetermined number (e.g., two items), and the error is displayed by lighting up the second LED 141b that constitutes the error display means 141, and the dispensing motor of the dispensing means 32 is initialized when the error clear button 142 is operated and turned ON, and the error is cleared if normal operation is confirmed (if specific error clearing conditions are met, including the error clear button 142 being operated).

[0087] A ball counting switch error occurs when the number of balls detected when the dispensing motor of the dispensing means 32 is not operating and the number of balls detected when an over-dispensing occurs reaches a predetermined number (for example, 25 balls).The error is displayed by lighting up the third LED 141c that constitutes the error display means 141, and the dispensing motor of the dispensing means 32 is initialized when the error release button 142 is operated and turned ON, and the error is released when normal operation is confirmed (when specific error release conditions are met, including the error release button 142 being operated).

[0088] Thus, when a hall attendant checks whether a ball counting switch disconnection error, a payout shortage error, or a ball counting switch error has occurred, they must release the locking means 5, open the front frame 3, and make a judgment based on the lighting status of the error display means 141. The relationship between the lighting status of the error display means 141 and the type of error can be confirmed by the error notification information sticker 143 located near the error display means 141. Furthermore, if the error display means 141 confirms that either a payout shortage error or a ball counting switch error has occurred, the hall attendant can clear the error by operating the error clear button 142 while leaving the front frame 3 open.

[0089] <Volume adjustment operation> In this pachinko machine, the volume can be set to one of multiple levels, for example, eight levels from V0 (silent) to V7 (maximum volume), based on the setting of the volume setting knob 108 located on the back side of the front frame 3 and the volume adjustment operation using the volume adjustment operation unit 37 located on the front side of the front frame 3.

[0090] 16 shows an example of volume levels corresponding to ten settings from T0 to T9 by the volume setting knob 108 and five settings from M1 to M5 by the volume adjustment operation unit 37. When the volume setting knob 108 is set to any of T0 to T3, the volume is fixed to V0 to V3, respectively, and the volume cannot be adjusted by the volume adjustment operation unit 37. When the volume setting knob 108 is set to any of T4 to T9, the volume adjustable range by the volume adjustment operation unit 37 is the same for all of V3 to V7, but the initial setting values ​​are different. In particular, when the volume setting knob 108 is set to a range from T4 to T7, the initial setting values ​​are V4 to V7, respectively. As a result, when the volume setting knob 108 is set to a range from T0 to T7, the higher the setting step, the higher the initial setting value of the volume.

[0091] In this pachinko machine, if one wishes to fix the volume to one of V0 to V3, or to set the initial setting value to one of V3 to V7 while allowing the player to adjust the volume, the hall attendant must release the locking means 5 and open the front frame 3, then open the rear cover 110, or with the rear cover 110 closed, insert a tool such as a screwdriver through the opening 110a to rotate the volume setting knob 108.

[0092] As described above, when the hall staff performs a RAM clear startup operation, when performing confirmation and cancellation operations for a predetermined error, when setting the volume on the game hall side, etc., it is necessary to open the front frame 3 and perform a predetermined operation on the back side thereof, or to visually recognize the display content at a predetermined location. On the other hand, in the case of a pachinko machine like this one, when the front frame 3 has a portion (such as the frame first movable body 26, the frame second movable body 27, the lower front unit 31, etc.) that protrudes significantly forward, if the front frame 3 is opened widely, the protruding portion may contact the adjacent gaming machine and be damaged. Therefore, even when performing operations such as a RAM clear startup operation, the front frame 3 cannot be opened widely.

[0093] In this regard, in this pachinko machine, it is possible to efficiently perform work on the back side of the front frame 3 even when the front frame 3 is opened to such an extent that it does not contact the adjacent gaming machine. Hereinafter, the minimum required open state (opening angle) of the front frame 3 for each target operation will be described. In the following description, a portion (such as the frame first movable body 26, the frame second movable body 27, the lower front unit 31, etc.) that protrudes forward of the firing handle 39 is referred to as a "protruding portion" and is distinguished from other portions (non-protruding portions). When opening the front frame 3, the positional relationship with the adjacent gaming machine becomes a problem. However, for non-protruding portions with a smaller protrusion amount than the firing handle 39, even when the front frame 3 is opened widely, there is almost no problem of contact with the firing handle and other parts of the adjacent gaming machine.

[0094] <Open state of the front frame 3 when performing a RAM clear startup operation> As described above, the RAM clear activation operation is performed by simultaneously operating the RAM clear switch 107 and the power switch 128. In this embodiment, the RAM clear switch 107 and the power switch 128 are both located near the open / close end on the rear side of the front frame 3, i.e., near the open / close end, and are located close enough to each other that they can be operated simultaneously with one hand. That is, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the main control board 101 on which the RAM clear switch 107 is provided and the power supply board 123 on which the power switch 128 is provided are located adjacent to each other vertically, and the RAM clear switch 107 is located at the lower left of the main control board 101 when viewed from behind, and the power switch 128 is located at the upper left of the power supply board 123 when viewed from behind.

[0095] The RAM clear activation operation becomes possible when the front frame 3 is gradually opened from the closed state until both the RAM clear switch 107 and the power switch 128 reach the front edge of the outer frame 2, as shown in FIG. 17, making them visible and operable from between the outer frame 2 and the front frame 3 (first open state). In the first open state shown in FIG. 17, the protrusions (frame first movable body 26, etc.) are located further inward (on the right side in this case) than the first hinge 4 (and of course than the side surface of the outer frame 2), so there is no risk of contact with an adjacent gaming machine. In the first open state shown in FIG. 17, the opening angle of the front frame 3 is approximately 21 degrees, and the inclination angle of the keyhole 5a relative to the front is also an acute angle of approximately 21 degrees. If the front frame 3 is opened to the extent that it comes into contact with the adjacent gaming machine, such as when the inclination angle of the keyhole 5a relative to the front exceeds 90 degrees and becomes an obtuse angle, care must be taken when removing the dedicated key from the keyhole 5a to avoid contacting the adjacent gaming machine.However, if the inclination angle of the keyhole 5a relative to the front is an acute angle, the dedicated key can be easily removed from the keyhole 5a without such care, allowing for efficient work.

[0096] <Open state of front frame 3 when performing error release operation> When a payout shortage error or a ball count switch error occurs, the error reset button 142 must be operated to reset the error (FIG. 15). In this embodiment, the error reset button 142 is located near the open / close end on the rear side of the front frame 3, i.e., near the open / close end (FIGS. 8, 10, etc.). Then, when the front frame 3 is gradually opened and the error reset button 142 reaches a position forward of the front edge of the outer frame 2 as shown in FIG. 18, the error reset button 142 becomes visible and operable from between the outer frame 2 and the front frame 3 (second open state). In the second open state shown in FIG. 18, the protrusion (frame first movable body 26, etc.) is located further inward (here, on the right side) in the left-right direction than the first hinge 4 (and, of course, than the side surface of the outer frame 2), so there is no risk of contact with an adjacent gaming machine. In the second open state shown in Figure 18, the opening angle of the front frame 3 is approximately 22.3 degrees, and the inclination angle of the keyhole 5a relative to the front is also an acute angle of approximately 22.3 degrees, so as mentioned above, the dedicated key can be easily removed from the keyhole 5a without having to take care not to come into contact with the adjacent gaming machine, allowing for efficient work.

[0097] <Open state of front frame 3 when checking for errors> If a ball counting switch open circuit error, insufficient payout error, or ball counting switch error occurs, the type of error can be confirmed by the error display means 141 (Figure 15). In addition, the correspondence between the lighting state of the error display means 141 and the error state can be confirmed by the error notification information sticker 143 affixed to the payout launch board case 126. In this embodiment, both the error display means 141 and the error notification information sticker 143 are located near the opening / closing end on the back side of the front frame 3 (Figures 8, 10, etc.).

[0098] Then, the front frame 3 is gradually opened, and when the error display means 141 reaches the front side of the front edge of the outer frame 2 as shown in Fig. 19, the error display means 141 becomes visible between the outer frame 2 and the front frame 3 (third open state). When the front frame 3 is further opened from there, and substantially the entire error notification information sticker 143 reaches the front side of the front edge of the outer frame 2 as shown in Fig. 20, the error notification information sticker 143 becomes visible between the outer frame 2 and the front frame 3 (fourth open state).

[0099] 19 and 20, the protrusion (frame first movable body 26, etc.) is located further inward (on the right side in this case) in the left-right direction than the first hinge 4 (and of course than the side surface of the outer frame 2), so there is no risk of it coming into contact with an adjacent gaming machine. In the third open state shown in Fig. 19, the opening angle of the front frame 3 is approximately 22.7 degrees, and the inclination angle of the keyhole 5a relative to the front is also an acute angle of approximately 22.7 degrees. In the fourth open state shown in Fig. 20, the opening angle of the front frame 3 is approximately 30.2 degrees, and the inclination angle of the keyhole 5a relative to the front is also an acute angle of approximately 30.2 degrees. In either case, the dedicated key inserted into the keyhole 5a for unlocking can be easily removed, allowing for efficient operation.

[0100] <Open state of front frame 3 when setting the volume on the gaming hall side> To change the volume settings T0 to T9 on the gaming hall side, the volume setting knob 108 must be operated. In this embodiment, the volume setting knob 108 is located near the open / close end on the rear side of the front frame 3, i.e., near the open / close end (see FIG. 6, etc.). Then, as the front frame 3 is gradually opened, when the rear extension of the volume setting knob 108 reaches the left / right outer side of the outer frame 2 in a plan view as shown in FIG. 21, the volume setting knob 108 can be easily operated by inserting a tool through the opening 110a while keeping the rear cover 110 closed (fifth open state). In the fifth open state shown in FIG. 21, the protrusion (here, the frame first movable body 26) is located further inward (here, on the right side) than the first hinge 4 (and, of course, than the side surface of the outer frame 2) in the left / right direction, so there is no risk of contact with an adjacent gaming machine. In addition, in the fifth open state shown in Figure 21, the opening angle of the front frame 3 is approximately 32 degrees, and the inclination angle of the keyhole 5a relative to the front is also an acute angle of approximately 32 degrees, so the dedicated key inserted into the keyhole 5a for unlocking can be easily removed, allowing for efficient work.

[0101] As described above, in this embodiment, the opening angles of the first to fifth opening states are all less than 45 degrees. If the opening angle of the front frame 3 is less than 45 degrees, the possibility of contact with an adjacent gaming machine is extremely low, not only in the case of this pachinko machine, but also in gaming machines with different protrusion shapes. Therefore, when opening the front frame 3 to perform RAM clearing activation operations or other tasks, gaming hall personnel can prevent contact with an adjacent gaming machine simply by keeping the opening angle of the front frame 3 to the minimum necessary (the first to fifth opening states) or by making sure that it does not exceed 45 degrees at most.

[0102] Next, the game progress of this pachinko machine will be explained in detail. As mentioned above, this pachinko machine has a normal state and first to third advantageous states as game states (Fig. 11). In the normal state, the jackpot probability for the first and second special symbols is set to a low probability (1 / 319), the hit probability for the normal symbol is set to a low probability (100 / 251), the fluctuation time of the normal symbol is set to a normal (non-shortened) fluctuation time (5 seconds), and the opening time of the second special symbol starting means 63 is set to a normal (non-extended) opening time (80 ms). In addition, the time-saving lottery is conducted only in this normal state and not in the advantageous state.

[0103] The first advantageous state differs from the normal state only in that the normal symbol fluctuation time is set to a shortened fluctuation time (4.9 seconds) and no time-saving lottery is conducted. The second advantageous state differs from the first advantageous state only in that the opening time of the second special symbol activation means 63 is set to an extended opening time (4000 ms). The third advantageous state differs from the second advantageous state only in that the jackpot probability for the first and second special symbols is set to a high probability (1 / 32), and the winning probability for the normal symbol is set to a high probability (250 / 251). Regarding the normal symbol fluctuation time, the difference between the normal (non-reduced) fluctuation time (5 seconds) and the shortened fluctuation time (4.9 seconds) is so slight that it is difficult for a player to distinguish the difference. Therefore, the normal state and the first gaming state are essentially the same except for whether or not a time-saving lottery is conducted.

[0104] In addition, since the normal state is the initial state in this pachinko machine, when the RAM is cleared (when the RAM clear activation operation is performed), gameplay starts from this normal state (Figure 14). In this normal state, the opening time of the second special symbol starting means 63 in the normal win state is short (80 ms). Therefore, even if a player fires a game ball aiming at the normal symbol starting means 61 and the second special symbol starting means 63 and generates the normal win state, it is difficult to make the second special symbol starting means 63 win. Therefore, during this normal state, it is desirable for the player to aim at the first special symbol starting means 62 and hit it left. As a result, during the normal state, the first special symbol, of the first and second special symbols, mainly fluctuates.

[0105] During this normal state, a time-saving lottery (with a winning probability of approximately 1 / 30) is held in addition to a jackpot lottery with a low probability (1 / 319) based on the entry of a gaming ball into the first special symbol starting means 62 (FIG. 12). If the time-saving lottery is won, the first special symbol stops in either time-saving mode B1 or B2 (FIG. 13(b)). When the first special symbol enters time-saving mode B1 (allocation rate 10 / 100), the game enters the second advantageous state (S1 in FIG. 14). Thereafter, the game returns to the normal state when the number of times the first and second special symbols change reaches a first predetermined number of times (here, 100 times) (S2 in FIG. 14).

[0106] On the other hand, if the first special symbol becomes the time-saving mode B2 (allocation rate 90 / 100), the game transitions to the first advantageous state at that point (S3 in Figure 14). This first advantageous state continues until the number of times the first and second special symbols change reaches the second predetermined number (here, 10,000 times) (Figure 13(b)). However, since the first special symbol is likely to be a jackpot by that time (jackpot probability 1 / 319), the possibility that the first advantageous state will end due to this limit on the number of changes is extremely low. Note that, as mentioned above, this first advantageous state is essentially the normal state in which the time-saving lottery is not performed.

[0107] As described above, when the RAM is cleared, gameplay begins in the normal state, followed by a time-saving lottery with a winning probability of approximately 1 / 30. If the lottery is won, the machine transitions to the second advantageous state with a 10 / 100 distribution rate, and then to the first advantageous state (effectively the normal state without the time-saving lottery) with a 90 / 100 distribution rate. In this way, with this pachinko machine, when the RAM is cleared, a time-saving lottery with a winning probability of 1 / 30 is held, and if the lottery is won, the machine transitions to the second advantageous state with a 10 / 100 distribution rate, granting the player a special advantage. By clearing the RAM and opening the game, the game hall can intentionally start the game in the normal state, where the time-saving lottery is held. Note that, since there is a high possibility that the game will be in the first advantageous state rather than the normal state when the game hall opens the game without clearing the RAM, gameplay often begins in the first advantageous state, preventing the player from enjoying the special advantage described above.

[0108] During the normal state, if the first special symbol becomes a jackpot before the time-saving lottery is won, a special advantage state occurs depending on the type of jackpot state, and after the end of the special advantage state, a transition to a predetermined advantageous state occurs (FIG. 13(a)). In this embodiment, for the special advantage state, the large prize winning means 64 is opened in a 10R opening pattern regardless of the type of jackpot state. The subsequent transition destination (advantageous state) is the third advantageous state (S4 in FIG. 14) in the case of jackpot state A1 (allocation rate 60 / 100), and the second advantageous state (S5 in FIG. 14) in the case of jackpot state A2 (allocation rate 40 / 100).

[0109] In addition, during the first advantageous state transitioned from the normal state, the game proceeds in the same way as during the normal state, except that no time-saving lottery is conducted. Then, when the first special symbol becomes a jackpot pattern, a special advantageous state of 10R opening pattern occurs, as in the normal state, and after that ends, in the case of jackpot pattern A1 (allocation rate 60 / 100), the game transitions to the third advantageous state (S6 in Figure 14), and in the case of jackpot pattern A2 (allocation rate 40 / 100), the game transitions to the second advantageous state (S7 in Figure 14).

[0110] During the second and third advantageous states, the opening time of the second special symbol starting means 63 in the normal advantageous state is longer (4000 ms), making it easier to win (Fig. 11), so it is desirable for the player to hit to the right, aiming at the normal symbol starting means 61 and the second special symbol starting means 63. Therefore, during the second and third advantageous states, of the first and second special symbols, mainly the second special symbol fluctuates.

[0111] In addition, when the first special symbol becomes the jackpot pattern A2 and transitions to the second advantageous state, the normal state is restored when the number of times the first and second special symbols change reaches the first predetermined number of times (here, 100 times) just as when the time-saving lottery is won and transitions to the second advantageous state are made (Fig. 13(a)). On the other hand, when the first special symbol becomes the jackpot pattern A1 and transitions to the third advantageous state, the number of times the first and second special symbols change continues until it reaches the third predetermined number of times (here, 10,000 times) (Fig. 13(a)). However, since the second special symbol is highly likely to be a jackpot by that time (jackpot probability 1 / 32), the possibility that the third advantageous state will end due to this limit on the number of times it changes is extremely low.

[0112] During the second advantageous state, a jackpot lottery is held with a low probability (1 / 319) based on the entry of a gaming ball into the second special symbol activation means 63 (FIG. 11). If the number of times the first and second special symbols change reaches 100 without the second special symbol becoming a jackpot, the game shifts to the normal state (S2 in FIG. 14). Similar to the RAM clear described above, a time-saving lottery (with a winning probability of approximately 1 / 30) is held in addition to the jackpot lottery with a low probability (1 / 319) based on the entry of a gaming ball into the first special symbol activation means 62 (FIG. 11). Thus, in this embodiment, even when the second advantageous state is ended due to the limit on the number of symbol changes (100 times), a time-saving lottery with a winning probability of 1 / 30 is held, similar to the RAM clear, and if the lottery is won, the player is granted a special benefit of transitioning to the second advantageous state with a winning probability of 10 / 100.

[0113] On the other hand, if the second special symbol becomes a jackpot during the second advantageous state, a special advantageous state of 10R opening pattern occurs, just as when the first special symbol becomes a jackpot, and after that ends, in the case of jackpot pattern A1 (allocation rate 60 / 100), the state transitions to the third advantageous state (S8 in Figure 14), and in the case of jackpot pattern A2 (allocation rate 40 / 100), the second advantageous state begins again with a limit of 100 pattern changes (S9 in Figure 14).

[0114] During the third advantageous state, a jackpot lottery is held with a high probability (1 / 32) based on the entry of a gaming ball into the second special symbol starting means 63 (FIG. 11). If the second special symbol becomes a jackpot during the third advantageous state, a special advantage state of a 10R opening pattern occurs, and after the end of the special advantage state, in the case of jackpot mode A1 (allocation rate 60 / 100), the third advantageous state starts again (S10 in FIG. 14), and in the case of jackpot mode A2 (allocation rate 40 / 100), the state transitions to the second advantageous state (S11 in FIG. 14).

[0115] In this embodiment, a normal state (initial state) and multiple advantageous states are established. A time-saving lottery is executed during the normal state, but not during other advantageous states. The multiple advantageous states include a first advantageous state (specific advantageous state) that is essentially the same as the normal state except for whether or not a time-saving lottery is executed. Winning the time-saving lottery transitions the player to either the first advantageous state or another advantageous state at a predetermined allocation rate. Therefore, when a RAM clear activation operation is performed (i.e., when gameplay starts from the normal state), a special benefit can be given to the player compared to when a backup is restored (i.e., when gameplay starts in a state other than the normal state, such as the first advantageous state). Thus, depending on whether or not the gaming hall clears the RAM for each gaming machine before opening, players can be given a sense of anticipation that a time-saving lottery will be executed at the start of business. Because the components related to the RAM clear operation in this pachinko machine are configured as described above, the RAM clear operation at startup can be efficiently performed to create a sense of anticipation for players.

[0116] 22 and 23 illustrate a second embodiment of the present application, which is a partial modification of the first embodiment, in which second guide means 133' for guiding power harness 129 along second wiring path 131b is formed from a conductive material. Note that the only difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is the second guide means 133' (second guide means 133 in the first embodiment).

[0117] As shown in Figure 22, the second guide means 133' in this embodiment is arranged vertically between the hinge-side vertical frame member 2a of the outer frame 2 and the first tank rail 112a, dispensing means 32, and dispensing passage 113 of the front frame 3, with its lower end positioned below the main control board 101 and its upper end positioned above the performance interface board 103, LCD interface board 104, LCD control board 105, etc. As shown in Figure 23, this second guide means 133' is formed by bending sheet metal (conductive material) into a roughly U-shaped cross section with an open front side, made up of a pair of left and right side walls 133a', 133b' and a back wall 133c', and is detachably attached to the back side of the inner frame 6 so as to close the front side.The power harness 129 is inserted inside it, and the tip side of the power harness 129, i.e., the power plug 129a side, is pulled upward from the pull-out portion 134 on the upper end side of this second guide means 133'.

[0118] In this way, second guide means 133' accommodating power plug 129a is conductive and is arranged, including drawer portion 134 at its upper end, on the outside (hinge side) of rear cover 110 that covers main control board case 102, etc., and a certain distance is maintained between rear cover 110 and second guide means 133' by arranging second tank rail 112b, dispensing means 32, dispensing passage 113, etc., so it is possible to eliminate adverse effects on main control board 101, etc., due to noise from power harness 129. In this embodiment, not only second guide means 133' but also vertical frame member 2a of outer frame 2 along second wiring path 131b are made of conductive material, but vertical frame member 2a of outer frame 2 does not have to be made of conductive material.

[0119] 24 and 25 illustrate a third embodiment of the present application, which is a partial modification of the first embodiment, in which a peripheral wall higher than the maximum height of the power switch 128 is provided around the power switch 128.

[0120] 24 and 25, the power supply board case 124 of this embodiment has a recess 151 formed on the rear surface 124a side, and the power switch 128 is disposed in the recess 151. The recess 151 is formed by being surrounded on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right) by a peripheral wall 152. The height (rear end position) of the peripheral wall 152 is approximately the same as or greater (rearward) than the maximum height (rearmost position) of the power switch 128.

[0121] This makes it possible to prevent the power switch 128 from being accidentally operated, for example, when searching by hand for various parts on the rear side of the front frame 3. It also minimizes the possibility that a falling object such as a game ball will hit the power switch 128 and turn it on / off. The peripheral wall 152 may be provided only on a portion of the periphery of the power switch 128, for example, on the top and both left and right sides.

[0122] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 26 to 34 illustrate a fourth embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko machine. In FIG. 26, a gaming machine main body 501 includes a rectangular outer frame 502 and a front frame 504 pivotally mounted on either the left or right side of the outer frame 502 via a hinge 503, for example, on the left side, so as to be able to open and close freely. In front of the front frame 504, a game board 505 and other components are disposed on the upper side, and a launching means 506 and other components that launch game balls toward a game area 505a in front of the game board 505 are disposed on the lower side. A glass door 507 is disposed in front of the game board 505 and other components, and a front panel 508 is disposed in front of the launching means 506 and other components, both of which are pivotally supported by a hinge 509 on the same side as the hinge 503 so as to be able to open and close freely. The glass door 507 and the front panel 508 may be configured to be able to open and close as a single unit.

[0123] An upper tray 510 is arranged on the upper side in front of the front panel 508, which stores game balls paid out from a payout means (not shown) and supplies them to the launching means 506, and below the upper tray 510, a lower tray 511 is provided on the left end side for storing surplus balls when the upper tray 510 is full, and a launch handle 512 is provided on the right end side for operating the launching means 506. Furthermore, an effect button (predetermined operating means) 514 that can be pressed by the player is provided on an upper tray cover 513 that covers the upper tray 510 etc. from the front.

[0124] A guide rail 515 that guides the game balls launched from the launching means 506 is attached in a ring shape to the front side of the game board 505, and various game components such as a center case 517, a normal pattern starting means 518, a special pattern starting means 519, a big prize means 520, and a normal prize means 521 are arranged in the game area 505a inside the guide rail 515.

[0125] The center case 517 is located, for example, approximately in the center of the game area 505a, and is provided with an approximately rectangular display window 523 corresponding to an image display means 522 such as a liquid crystal type, and on a decorative frame 524 surrounding the display window 523, various display means such as a normal pattern display means 525, a special pattern display means 526, a normal reserved number display means 527, a first special reserved number display means 528, etc., as well as a stage 529, a movable performance means 530, etc. are provided.

[0126] The stage 529 is arranged in the left-right direction at the lower front side of the image display means 522, and allows game balls that flow into the side of the center case 517, for example, the warp entrance 529a located on the left side, to roll freely, and then drops them to the front, for example, from a central drop section in the center of the left-right direction or from a side drop section on either side of that.

[0127] The movable effect means 530 includes a movable body 531, a movable body guide means 532 that movably supports the movable body 531, and a drive means 533 that drives the movable body 531. Any decorative body (here, the characters "Kappa Densetsu", which is the title of the gaming machine) is formed, for example, three-dimensionally on the movable body 531, and when an LED 571 arranged on the rear side (or inside) is turned on, a predetermined portion (here, the characters "Kappa Densetsu") is illuminated in any color.

[0128] Movable body guide means 532 supports movable body 531 in a state where it can move in a predetermined direction, for example, up and down, along the front side of display screen 522a of image display means 522, and is provided with a pair of guide rails 534 arranged in the up and down direction along both the left and right sides of display screen 522a of image display means 522, and both left and right ends of movable body 531 are supported so as to be movable up and down by each of these guide rails 534. This movable body guide means 532 allows movable body 531 to move up and down between an upper position above image display means 522 and a lower position in front of image display means 522, and is normally held in the upper position which is the original position.

[0129] The driving means 533 is composed of, for example, a stepping motor and is arranged on the rear side of the decorative frame 524, and is capable of moving the movable body 531 in the vertical direction according to a predetermined operating pattern via a belt or the like (not shown).

[0130] The normal pattern starting means 518 is used to start the pattern change by the normal pattern display means 525, and is composed of a passing gate through which the game ball can pass, is located on the left side of the center case 517, and is equipped with a game ball detection means (not shown) that can detect the passage of the game ball.

[0131] The normal pattern display means 525 is used to variably display normal patterns, and is provided with a plurality of light-emitting elements (e.g., LEDs) corresponding to a plurality of normal patterns (e.g., two types, "○" and "X"). Based on the detection of a gaming ball by the normal pattern starting means 518, these multiple light-emitting elements blink to emit light in a predetermined sequence, and if the winning determination random number value contained in the normal random number information acquired when the normal pattern starting means 518 detects a gaming ball matches a predetermined winning determination value, the light-emitting element on the "○" side, for example, corresponding to a winning mode (predetermined mode), lights up, and otherwise the light-emitting element on the "X" side, for example, corresponding to a losing mode, lights up and stops.

[0132] The normal random number information acquired when the normal symbol starting means 518 detects a gaming ball is reserved and stored up to a predetermined upper limit, for example, four pieces, and is consumed sequentially each time a pattern change is started by the normal symbol display means 525. The number of stored normal random number information (normal reserved number) is notified to the player by the normal reserved number display means 527 or the like.

[0133] The special symbol starting means 519 is used to start the variation of symbols by the special symbol display means 526, and is provided with, for example, two upper and lower starting winning means 519a, 519b, an opening / closing means 536 for opening and closing the lower starting winning means 519b, and a game ball detection means (not shown) for detecting the game balls that have won in the starting winning means 519a, 519b, and is arranged, for example, below the center case 517. The upper starting winning means 519a is a non-opening / closing type winning means that does not have an opening / closing means or the like, and is arranged with an upward opening directly below the central drop section of the stage 529. The lower start winning means 519b is an opening / closing type winning means that can be switched by the opening / closing means 536 between an open state in which the game ball can win a prize and a closed state in which it is not possible to win a prize (or it is more difficult to win a prize than in the open state), and is arranged below the upper start winning means 519a, and is configured so that the opening / closing means 536 changes from a closed state to an open state for a predetermined time in the normal profit state that occurs when the stopped pattern after the change of the normal pattern display means 525 becomes a winning pattern.

[0134] The special symbol display means 526 is configured to variably display one or more special symbols, such as a 7-segment display capable of variably displaying one or more special symbols. When the special symbol start means 519 detects a game ball (when the symbol start condition is met), i.e., when a game ball enters either of the upper and lower start winning means 519a, 519b, the special symbol is variably displayed for a predetermined period of time. If the jackpot determination random number value included in the special random number information acquired upon entry into the start winning means 519a, 519b matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, the game stops in a predetermined jackpot mode. If the value does not match, the game stops in, for example, a loss mode. The special symbol has one or more jackpot modes and one or more loss modes. Each mode may be assigned a numerical symbol or the like, or a symbol with no special meaning by itself, such as a combination of lines or dots, may be assigned so that the player cannot easily distinguish the type of special symbol.

[0135] The special random number information acquired when the game ball enters the special symbol starting means 519 is reserved and stored up to a predetermined upper limit, for example, up to four pieces, and is consumed sequentially each time a pattern change is started by the special symbol display means 526. The number of stored special random number information (special reserved number) is notified to the player by the first special reserved number display means 528, etc.

[0136] The big prize winning means 520 is an open / close type winning means equipped with an opening / closing plate 537 that can be switched between an open state in which game balls can win and a closed state in which game balls cannot win, and is arranged, for example, below the special pattern starting means 519, and in a special profit state that occurs when the stopped pattern after the change of the special pattern display means 526 becomes a big win state, the opening / closing plate 537 opens to the front according to a predetermined opening pattern, allowing game balls that fall onto it to win inside.

[0137] The image display means 522 also comprises a performance symbol display means 538, a second special reserved number display means 539, etc. The performance symbol display means (symbol display means) 538 displays a performance symbol (symbol) P in a variable manner in parallel with the variable display of the special symbol by the special symbol display means 526. The performance symbol P has a plurality of symbol rows (three in the left and right direction in the example of FIG. 26) consisting of a plurality of symbols including number symbols, and each symbol constituting each symbol row is composed of a symbol main body Pa consisting of numbers such as 1 to 8, etc., and a character or other decorative part Pb attached to this symbol main body Pa. The display mode of the performance symbol P can be arbitrarily changed by enlarging or reducing it, changing the display position, erasing the decorative part Pb, etc.

[0138] The effect symbol P starts to vary by vertical scrolling or the like for each symbol row according to a predetermined variation pattern at approximately the same time as the start of variation of the special symbol, and finally stops at approximately the same time as the special symbol stops varying so that the stopped symbols on a predetermined effective line become a predetermined mode. Note that with the effect symbol P, for example, when all the stopped symbols on an effective line are the same, it is a jackpot effect mode (specific mode), and otherwise it is a miss effect mode, and when the special symbol becomes a jackpot mode or a miss mode, the effect symbol P becomes a jackpot effect mode or a miss effect mode.

[0139] The fluctuation pattern of the performance symbol P is configured to start with a normal fluctuation in which each of the three symbol rows fluctuates, and when a reach state such as "2↓2" or "7↓7" is established during this normal fluctuation, it goes through one or more stages of reach performance before finally stopping, and the reach fluctuation pattern is when the normal fluctuation develops into a reach performance and becomes a jackpot performance mode or a miss performance mode, while the normal fluctuation pattern is when the normal fluctuation develops into a miss performance mode without developing into a reach performance mode.

[0140] In each reach effect in the reach variation pattern, an arbitrary image effect is performed by the image display means 522, etc., and a result is displayed to indicate whether the variation will stop in either a jackpot effect mode or a miss effect mode, or whether it will develop into the next stage of reach effect.

[0141] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 29, four stages of reach effects are provided: "N reach effect," "S reach effect," "SP pre-reach effect," and "SP post-reach effect." In the N reach effect, the possibility of it becoming a jackpot effect is extremely low, and in most cases, it is controlled to stop in a miss effect mode or develop into the next S reach effect. In addition, the SP pre-reach effect constitutes the first half of the SP reach effect, and does not end in a jackpot effect mode here, but is controlled to stop in a miss effect mode or develop into the next SP post-reach effect. The SP post-reach effect is the final stage of reach effect, and does not develop into the next reach effect, but is controlled to end in either a jackpot effect mode or a miss effect mode.

[0142] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 28 (b), as the reach jackpot fluctuation pattern that finally stops in the jackpot performance mode, there are three types: an N reach jackpot fluctuation pattern that develops and ends up to the N reach performance, an S reach jackpot fluctuation pattern that develops and ends up to the S reach performance, and an SP reach jackpot fluctuation pattern that develops and ends up to the SP reach post performance.Furthermore, as the SP reach jackpot fluctuation pattern, there are three types of SP reach 1 to 3 jackpot fluctuation patterns that have different SP reach performance.As mentioned above, since there is no case where the SP reach pre-performance becomes a jackpot performance mode, the SP reach 1 to 3 jackpot fluctuation patterns always develop up to the SP reach post performance.

[0143] 28(a), five types of loss fluctuation patterns are provided as final stop loss performance patterns in a loss performance mode: a normal fluctuation pattern that ends without developing into a reach performance, an N reach loss fluctuation pattern that develops into an N reach performance and ends, an S reach loss fluctuation pattern that develops into an S reach performance and ends, an SP before reach loss fluctuation pattern that develops into an SP before reach performance and ends, and an SP after reach loss fluctuation pattern that develops into an SP after reach performance.Furthermore, the normal fluctuation pattern has four types of fluctuation times: 15s (s = seconds, the same below), 10s, 5s, and 3s, and the N reach loss fluctuation pattern has four types of differences between the final stop symbol and the reach symbol: -3, -2, -1, and +1, and the SP before reach loss fluctuation pattern and the SP after reach loss fluctuation pattern have three types each with different SP reach performance.

[0144] The second special reserved number display means 539 is for notifying the number of special reserved items, and is capable of displaying reserved display images Q4 to Q1 for the number of special reserved items (maximum of four) and a changing reserved image Q0 corresponding to the changing performance symbol P at a predetermined position on the display screen 522a, for example, at the bottom. When the number of special reserved items increases due to the entry of a game ball into the special symbol start means 519, the second special reserved number display means 539 displays one additional reserved display image Q1 to the end of the queue (for example, on the left end), and when a new change of the special symbol starts and the number of special reserved items decreases, for example, it erases the changing reserved image Q0 and shifts the reserved display image Q1 to the front of the queue (for example, to the right), and changes the pushed-out front reserved display image Q1 to the new changing reserved image Q0.

[0145] Figure 27 is a block diagram of the control system of this pachinko machine. In Figure 27, 541 is a main control board, and 542 is a performance control board, and these control boards 541, 542 are detachably mounted in a board case at an appropriate location on the back of the game board 505. Note that in the block diagram of Figure 27, boards other than the main control board 541 and the performance control board 542 are omitted.

[0146] The main control board 541 controls the overall game operation, and is equipped with a normal random number creation processing means 551, a normal start port check processing means 552, a normal random number storage means 553, a normal pattern processing means 554, a normal pattern display control means 555, a normal reserved number display control means 556, a normal profit state generation means 557, a special random number creation processing means 561, a special start port check processing means 562, a special random number storage means 563, a special pattern processing means 564, a special pattern display control means 565, a first special reserved number display control means 566, a special profit state generation means 567, a special game state generation means 568, a control command transmission means 569, etc.

[0147] The normal random number creation processing means 551 is configured to repeatedly generate a winning determination random number, etc., at predetermined time intervals, which is used to determine whether or not the normal symbol after the change is a winning pattern. The normal start port check processing means 552 performs processing based on the detection of a gaming ball by the normal symbol start means 518, and is configured to obtain one piece of normal random number information, such as a winning determination random number value, created by the normal random number creation processing means 551 based on the detection of a gaming ball by the normal symbol start means 518, and store the normal random number information in a first-in, first-out normal random number storage means 553, with a predetermined upper limit on the number of reserved pieces (for example, four pieces).

[0148] The normal symbol processing means 554 performs processing related to the variable display of the normal symbol, and is equipped with a win determination means 554a, a normal stop symbol selection means 554b, a variable time selection means 554c, etc. The win determination means 554a performs a lottery to determine whether or not the stopped symbol after the variable normal symbol is a win, that is, whether or not a normal profit state will be generated, and is configured to take out the first win determination random number value from the queue of normal random number information stored in the normal random number storage means 553 on the condition that the normal symbol display means 525 is in a state where variable display is possible and one or more normal random number information is stored in the normal random number storage means 553 (the normal reserved number is one or more), and to determine whether or not the win determination random number value matches a predetermined win determination value.

[0149] The normal stop symbol selection means 554b selects the type of stop symbol after the normal symbol changes. In this embodiment, since only one type of symbol corresponds to each of the winning and losing modes, based on the winning / losing judgment result by the winning judgment function, "○" is selected in the case of a winning judgment, and "×" is selected in the case of a losing judgment. In addition, the fluctuation time selection means 554c selects the fluctuation time of the normal symbol.

[0150] The normal pattern display control means 555 controls the display of the normal pattern display means 525 based on the normal pattern processing by the normal pattern processing means 554, and starts the variation of the normal pattern by the normal pattern display means 525 on the condition that the normal pattern display means 525 is in a state where it can display a variable pattern and one or more normal random number information is stored in the normal random number storage means 553 (the number of normal reserved numbers is 1 or more), and stops the variation of the normal pattern at the stopping pattern selected by the normal stopping pattern selection means 554b based on the elapse of the variation time selected by the variation time selection means 554c.

[0151] The normal reserved number display control means 556 controls the display of the normal reserved number display means 527, and causes the normal reserved number display means 527 to display normal reserved number information based on the detection of a game ball by the normal pattern start means 518 and the change in the normal pattern by the normal pattern display means 525.

[0152] The normal profit state generating means 557 is configured to generate a normal profit state by changing the opening / closing means 536 of the lower special starting port 519b constituting the special pattern starting means 519 to an open state, for example, according to one of a plurality of opening / closing patterns, when the stopped pattern after the change of the normal pattern display means 525 becomes a winning pattern based on the judgment result by the winning judgment means 554a being a winning judgment.

[0153] The special random number creation processing means 561 is configured to perform special random number creation processing that repeatedly generates jackpot determination random numbers used to determine jackpot / miss, pattern determination random numbers used to select the stopping pattern after the special pattern changes, fluctuation pattern random numbers used to select the fluctuation pattern, and other specified random numbers.

[0154] The special start port check processing means 562 performs processing based on the entry of a game ball into the special pattern start means 519, and is configured to obtain special random number information consisting of a jackpot determination random number value, a pattern determination random number value, etc. created by the special random number creation processing means 561 based on the entry of a game ball into either the start entry means 519a or 519b, and store the special random number information in the special random number storage means 563 up to a predetermined upper limit of the number of reserved items (for example, 4).

[0155] The special start gate check processing means 562 also includes a look-ahead determination means 562a. This look-ahead determination means 562a executes a look-ahead determination process on the special random number information acquired when a gaming ball enters the start winning means 519a or 519b at a predetermined timing before the special random number information is used to change the symbols, for example, at the time of acquisition of the special random number information. This look-ahead determination process outputs a jackpot / loss determination result based on whether the jackpot determination random number value matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, provided that look-ahead is not prohibited. This look-ahead determination result is transmitted to the performance control board 542, etc., via a pending addition command transmitted based on the entry of a gaming ball into either the start winning means 519a or 519b. In this embodiment, this look-ahead determination process not only determines the jackpot described above, but also determines the type of change pattern.

[0156] The special symbol processing means 564 performs processing related to the variable display of special symbols, and is equipped with a jackpot determination means 564a, a jackpot / loss selection means 564b, a variable pattern selection means 564c, etc. The jackpot determination means (lottery means) 564a determines whether or not a jackpot / loss occurs by random number lottery, that is, determines whether or not a special advantage state will occur (lottery to determine whether or not an advantage will be given to the player), and is configured to take out the jackpot determination random number value at the top of the queue of special random number information stored in the special random number storage means 563, on the condition that the special symbol display means 526 is in a state where variable display is possible and one or more special random number information is stored in the special random number storage means 563 (the number of special reserved pieces is one or more), and to determine whether or not a jackpot / loss occurs depending on whether or not the jackpot determination random number value matches a predetermined jackpot determination value.

[0157] The jackpot / loss selection means 564b selects the type of jackpot / loss, and if the judgment result by the jackpot judgment means 564a is a miss, it selects the type of miss based on the miss variation pattern selection table shown in Figure 28(a) and the pattern judgment random number value, and if the judgment result by the jackpot judgment means 564a is a jackpot, it selects the type of jackpot based on the jackpot variation pattern selection table shown in Figure 28(b) and the pattern judgment random number value.

[0158] Regarding the loss, in this embodiment, two types, loss A and loss B, are provided, and either loss A or B is selected at an arbitrary allocation ratio such as 9:1 based on the pattern determination random number value as shown in Figure 28 (a). Loss A has a different allocation of variation patterns depending on the number of special reserved symbols at the start of the pattern variation, and as shown in Figure 28 (a), for each of the special reserved numbers 0 to 3, a correspondence relationship between the range of variation pattern random number values ​​and multiple types of loss variation patterns is specified. On the other hand, loss B has a variation pattern whose allocation does not change depending on the number of special reserved symbols at the start of the pattern variation, and as shown in Figure 28 (a), only one correspondence relationship between the range of variation pattern random number values ​​and multiple types of variation patterns is specified.

[0159] In this embodiment, four types of jackpots are provided: 10R normal, 5R normal, 10R special probability, and 5R special probability. One of these is selected at an arbitrary distribution ratio, such as 1:4:1:4, based on the symbol-determining random number value, as shown in FIG. 28(b). The 10R normal jackpot and the 5R normal jackpot are jackpots that trigger a time-saving state as a special game state, which will be described later. In the special advantage state, the special winning means 520 performs a predetermined unit opening operation for 10 rounds and 5 rounds, respectively. Here, the unit opening operation is, for example, an operation that closes the special winning means 520 after a predetermined time (e.g., 28 seconds) has elapsed since the special winning means 520 was opened, or after a predetermined number of game balls (e.g., 9 balls) have been won by that time. In addition, the 10R special jackpot and 5R special jackpot are jackpots that will generate a special jackpot state as a special game state described below, and in the special profit state, the unit opening operation will be performed for 10 rounds and 5 rounds, respectively.

[0160] The variation pattern selection means 564c selects a variation pattern of the performance symbol P from a plurality of patterns. For example, when the result of the judgment by the jackpot judgment means 564a is a miss and the miss A is selected by the jackpot / miss selection means 564b, one of a plurality of miss variation patterns is selected based on the number of special reserved items at that time and the random number value of the variation pattern at the head of the queue of special random number information stored in the special random number storage means 563 (FIG. 28(a)). When the result of the judgment by the jackpot judgment means 564a is a miss and the miss B is selected by the jackpot / miss selection means 564b, In this case, regardless of the number of special reserved items at that time, one of a plurality of miss fluctuation patterns is selected based on the random number value of the fluctuation pattern at the head of the queue of special random number information stored in the special random number storage means 563 (Figure 28(a)), and if the judgment result by the jackpot judgment means 564a is a jackpot, one of a plurality of jackpot fluctuation patterns is selected based on the type of jackpot selected by the jackpot / miss selection means 564b and the random number value of the fluctuation pattern at the head of the queue of special random number information stored in the special random number storage means 563 (Figure 28(b)).

[0161] As shown in Fig. 28, the reach variation pattern is configured so that the reliability of becoming a jackpot presentation mode (specific mode) increases as the reach presentation stage progresses, but in this embodiment, the N reach variation pattern will never become a jackpot presentation mode, and although the S reach variation pattern may become a jackpot presentation mode, the probability is extremely low (less than 1%). Also, the SP pre-reach presentation will never become a jackpot presentation mode, and if the SP reach variation pattern becomes a jackpot presentation mode, it will always develop into the SP post-reach presentation.

[0162] The special pattern display control means 565 controls the display of the special pattern display means 526, and, on the condition that the special pattern display means 526 is in a state where it can display changes and one or more special random number information is stored in the special random number storage means 563 (the number of special reserved numbers is one or more), it starts the change of the special pattern by the special pattern display means 526, and based on the lapse of the change time corresponding to the change pattern selected by the change pattern selection means 564c, stops the change of the special pattern in a predetermined miss mode if the judgment result of the jackpot judgment means 564a is a miss, or in a jackpot mode according to the type of jackpot selected by the jackpot / miss selection means 564b if the judgment result of the jackpot judgment means 564a is a jackpot.

[0163] The first special reserve number display control means 566 controls the display of the first special reserve number display means 528, and causes the first special reserve number display means 528 to display special reserve number information based on the detection of a game ball by the special pattern start means 519 and the change in the special pattern by the special pattern display means 526.

[0164] The special advantage state generating means 567 generates a special advantage state in which the big win means 520 opens according to a predetermined opening pattern, and when the stopped pattern after the variation of the special pattern by the special pattern display means 526 becomes a big win based on the judgment result by the big win judgment means 564a being a big win, the unit opening operation by the big win means 520 is repeatedly executed for, for example, 5 rounds or 10 rounds depending on the type of big win selected by the big win / lose selection means 564b (Figure 28(b)).

[0165] The special game state generating means 568 is for generating a special game state advantageous to the player after the occurrence of a special profit state, and is configured to generate a time-shortened state in the case of a 10R normal or 5R normal jackpot, or a special jackpot state in the case of a 10R special jackpot or 5R special jackpot, depending on the type of jackpot selected by the jackpot / miss selecting means 564b.

[0166] During the time-saving state, for example, the fluctuation time of the special symbol display means 526 for special symbols is switched to a shortened fluctuation time that is shorter than the normal fluctuation time, and for normal symbols, the winning probability is switched from a normal probability (e.g., 1 / 10) to a high probability (e.g., 1 / 1.3), the fluctuation time is switched from a normal fluctuation time (e.g., 27 seconds) to a shortened fluctuation time (e.g., 2.7 seconds), and the opening / closing pattern of the opening / closing means 536 of the lower special starting port 519b is switched from a normal opening / closing pattern (e.g., 0.2 seconds x 1 opening) to a special opening / closing pattern (e.g., 2 seconds x 3 openings). The time-saving state begins when the special advantage state ends, and ends, for example, when the special symbol changes a predetermined number of times (e.g., 50 times) or when the next special advantage state occurs.

[0167] During the probability variation state, in addition to the same switching as in the time-saving state, for example, by increasing the number of jackpot determination values, the probability that the special symbol will be in the jackpot state is switched to a higher probability (for example, 1 / 60) than the normal probability (for example, 1 / 319). The probability variation state starts when the special advantage state ends, and ends, for example, when the next special advantage state occurs.

[0168] The control command sending means 569 is used to send predetermined control commands to the performance control board 542 etc. to give control instructions, and has the function of sending a hold addition command to the performance control board 542 side which specifies the addition of the number of special holds when the number of special holds increases, a hold subtraction command which specifies the subtraction of the number of special holds when the special pattern starts to change based on the special pattern processing by the special pattern processing means 564, a change pattern command which specifies the change pattern of the performance pattern P, and a special pattern command which specifies the stopping pattern mode of the special pattern in this order to the performance control board 542 side, and a change stop command which instructs the change to stop to the performance control board 542 side when the change of the special pattern has finished.

[0169] The performance control board (performance control means) 542 controls the performances by various performance means such as LEDs 571, speakers 572, movable performance means 530, and image display means 522, and is equipped with a processing means 581 for processing when a reserved addition command is received, a processing means 582 for processing when a variable pattern command is received, and a performance control means 583 during play. The LEDs 571 are arranged in large numbers on the game board 505 and front frame 504, as well as in the center case 517 including the movable body 531 of the movable performance means 530, and two speakers 572 are arranged on the upper part of the front frame 504 and one speaker on the lower part (FIG. 26). In this embodiment, the movable performance means 530 is arranged only on the game board 505, but the movable performance means may be arranged on the front frame 504, or may be arranged on both the game board 505 and the front frame 504.

[0170] The processing means 581 when a hold addition command is received performs processing when the number of special holds increases, and is equipped with a pre-reading performance lottery means 581a, etc., and when a hold addition command is received from the main control board 541, except in cases where pre-reading is prohibited, the pre-reading performance lottery means 581a conducts a lottery regarding the pre-reading performance, and depending on the lottery result, etc., sets a hold change performance scenario in which one additional hold display image Q1~ is displayed on the screen of the image display means 522.

[0171] Here, "pre-reading effects" refer to effects based on the results of pre-reading judgment, such as "pre-reading continuous effects" and "pre-reading pending change effects." "Pre-reading continuous effects" are effects that, based on the results of pre-reading judgment by the pre-reading judgment means 562a, execute the same effect for multiple symbol changes up to the symbol change (target change) corresponding to the special random number information that was the subject of the pre-reading judgment. For example, if two types of effect modes, "rain" and "thunder," are prepared for the pre-reading continuous succession, if one of these effects is selected by the pre-reading effect lottery means 581a based on the results of pre-reading judgment, an image of "rain" or "thunder" will be used as the background image for the multiple symbol changes up to the target change corresponding to the special random number information. This allows the player to predict whether the target change will result in a jackpot depending on whether "rain" or "thunder" appears as the background image for the continuous effects.

[0172] Furthermore, the "pre-read hold change effect" displays the hold display images Q1-Q4 and the changing hold image Q0 in a predetermined display mode based on the result of the pre-read determination by the pre-read determination means 562a, and the hold change effect scenario is selected according to the lottery results of this pre-read hold change effect. For example, there are multiple hold display modes for the pre-read hold change effect, such as "elephant," "lion," and "giraffe." If one of these is selected by lottery by the pre-read effect lottery means 581a based on the pre-read determination result, the hold display image is displayed in the predetermined display mode selected, for example, when a new hold display image is additionally displayed, or at a predetermined timing thereafter. This allows the player to predict whether the change corresponding to the hold display image will result in a jackpot, depending on whether the display mode of the hold display image is "elephant," "lion," "giraffe," or something else.

[0173] In addition, the subject of the prediction by the pre-reading effect is not limited to whether or not there will be a jackpot, but may also be the type of fluctuation pattern (for example, whether or not it will develop into an SP reach), etc.

[0174] The processing means 582 when receiving a variation pattern command performs processing when starting a pattern variation by the special pattern display means 526, and is provided with a pattern variation content determining means 582a, etc., and when a reserved subtraction command, a variation pattern command, and a special pattern command are received from the main control board 541, for example, within a certain period of time, the pattern variation content determining means 582a makes a selection regarding the specific variation content of the performance pattern P and the preview performance, and sets a variation pattern scenario, a preview performance scenario, a reserve change performance scenario, etc., according to the results of these, etc. In the reserve change performance scenario in this case, for example, the changing reserved image Q0 is erased, the reserved display images Q1~ are shifted one by one toward the front of the queue (for example, to the right side of the screen), and the pushed-out leading reserved display image Q1 is moved, for example, to a predetermined position and changed to a new changing reserved image Q0.

[0175] The symbol variation content determining means 582a determines the specific presentation content of the variation pattern based on the variation pattern command etc. received from the main control board 541. For example, when the SP reach jackpot variation pattern is specified by the variation pattern command, it determines whether the result display in the last SP reach presentation will be a revival jackpot or a normal jackpot.

[0176] Furthermore, the symbol variation content determination means 582a performs a lottery to determine whether or not to execute one or more types of preview effects, and if executed, performs a lottery to determine the preview effect content, etc. Here, the preview effect is an effect that suggests the appearance of a predetermined event such as a jackpot mode or an SP reach, and includes the so-called "SU preview," "timer preview," "premium preview," "pseudo consecutive effects," "button effects," etc.

[0177] In addition, various presentation scenarios such as a variation pattern scenario, a notice presentation scenario, and a hold change presentation scenario are set, for example, in each row for each elapsed time (ms) from the start of execution of the scenario, with each presentation content set by various presentation means, that is, LED 571, speaker 572, movable presentation means 530, image display means 522, etc. This presentation scenario is executed by in-game presentation control means 583 by sequentially starting the presentation set in each row at the timing set for each row.

[0178] Next, we will specifically explain the variation patterns of the performance symbols P in this embodiment, especially the performance contents of the reach variation pattern, but before that, we will explain the outline of the variation pattern. As shown in Figure 29, in the variation pattern of the performance symbols P, normal variation is performed first. In this normal variation, after all (three) pattern rows vary in parallel at high speed, the first (for example, left) and second (for example, right) pattern rows stop (temporarily stop) with the same pattern and a reach state is established, or they stop and are confirmed in a miss performance mode without passing through the reach state. The former is a reach variation pattern, and the latter is a normal variation pattern. In this embodiment, four types of normal variation patterns with different variation times are prepared (Figure 28(a)).

[0179] In the case of a reach variation pattern (when a reach state is established in a normal variation), an N reach effect is performed after the normal variation. In the N reach effect, after an arbitrary video effect is executed, one of the following result displays is performed: a development result display indicating a transition (development) to the next S reach effect, a jackpot result display indicating that the effect pattern P will become a jackpot effect mode (specific mode), or a miss result display indicating that the effect pattern P will not become a jackpot effect mode (specific mode) (a miss effect mode will occur). In this embodiment, at one branching point during the N reach effect, one of these multiple types of result displays is executed. Note that, as is clear from FIG. 28, in the N reach effect of this embodiment, a jackpot result display is not performed (i.e., the N reach jackpot variation pattern is not selected), and when the N reach effect ends, a miss result display is always performed and the effect becomes a miss effect mode (N reach miss variation pattern).

[0180] When a development result display is performed at the end of the N reach effect, an S reach effect is subsequently performed. In this S reach effect, after an arbitrary video effect is performed, one of the following result displays is performed: a development result display indicating a transition (development) to the next SP reach effect, a jackpot result display indicating that the effect pattern P will become a jackpot effect mode (specific mode), or a miss result display indicating that the effect pattern P will not become a jackpot effect mode (specific mode) (a miss effect mode will occur). In this embodiment, one of these multiple types of result displays is performed at one branching point during the S reach effect. As is clear from Figure 28, the probability that a jackpot result will be displayed in the S reach presentation of this embodiment is not zero, but is extremely low (in the example of Figure 28, if the jackpot probability is 1 / 319, the jackpot reliability in the S reach variation pattern is approximately 0.08%, the appearance rate of the S reach variation pattern is approximately 1.6%, and the frequency of a jackpot in the S reach variation pattern is approximately 1 / 80,000), and if the game ends with an S reach presentation, there is a high probability that a miss result will be displayed, resulting in a miss presentation mode (S reach miss variation pattern).The probability that a jackpot result will be displayed in the S reach presentation (jackpot reliability) is preferably less than 1%, more preferably less than 0.5%, even more preferably less than 0.2%, and may be 0.

[0181] When a development result display is performed at the end of the S reach performance, a SP reach pre-performance is subsequently performed. In this S reach pre-performance, after an arbitrary video performance is performed, either a development result display indicating a transition (development) to the next SP reach post-performance, or a miss result display indicating that the performance pattern P does not become a jackpot performance mode (specific mode) (becomes a miss performance mode) is displayed. In this embodiment, at a branching point during the SP reach performance, one of these multiple types of result displays is executed. Note that, as is clear from FIG. 28, in the SP reach pre-performance of this embodiment, a jackpot result display is not performed (i.e., the SP reach pre-jackpot variation pattern is not selected), and when the SP reach pre-performance ends, a miss result display is always performed, resulting in a miss performance mode (SP reach pre-miss variation pattern).

[0182] When a development result display is performed at the end of the SP pre-reach performance, the SP post-reach performance is subsequently performed. In this SP post-reach performance, after an arbitrary video performance is performed, either a jackpot result display indicating that the performance symbol P will become a jackpot performance mode (specific mode) or a miss result display indicating that the performance symbol P will not become a jackpot performance mode (specific mode) (will become a miss performance mode) is displayed. In this embodiment, since there is no reach performance following the SP post-reach performance, the development result display is not performed in this SP post-reach performance.

[0183] Next, of the multiple types of reach effects in this embodiment, the S reach effect, the SP pre-reach effect, and the SP post-reach effect will be specifically explained. First, a specific example of the S reach effect will be explained based on Fig. 30 etc. As shown in Fig. 30, the effect period of the S reach effect is composed of a reach image display period for executing an image effect specific to the S reach, and a result display period following the reach image display period for executing either a development result display, a jackpot result display, or a miss result display.

[0184] In addition, just before the result display period, i.e., at the end of the reach image display period, a pre-result display effect is executed to suggest the appearance of the result display. This pre-result display effect is composed of an excitement period to build up the player's anticipation for the result display, and a delay period (i.e., a waiting period) to create a delay during the transition from the excitement period to the result display.

[0185] When the S reach effect starts (reach image display period), as shown in Fig. 30(a1), the S reach image is displayed on the image display means 522, and optional audio output and LED light emission effects are performed in synchronization with the S reach image. In the S reach image, a reduced (retracted) reach pattern image Ps such as "7 7", a reach effect image 602a of characters, etc., and other images are displayed in front of a special background 601a for S reach.

[0186] After that, when the exciting period at the end of the reach video display period begins (Fig. 30(a2)), the reach effect image 602a that had been there until then changes to an exciting effect image 603a. This exciting effect image 603a performs the final stage of effect before the third (for example, the center) symbol row that is still changing stops, and in the example of Fig. 30(a2) to (a3), the first character repeatedly hits with a hammer the first candidate stopped symbol (here, "7") that will constitute a jackpot effect (i.e., the same as the reach symbol), and the second character repeatedly hits with a hammer the second candidate stopped symbol (here, "6") that will constitute a miss effect (i.e., different from the reach symbol), and the content is a competition to see which one can destroy the candidate stopped symbol first.

[0187] This provocative effect image 603a is configured to gradually build up over time, for example, by gradually increasing the striking pitch of each character and gradually increasing the damage to each candidate stopped symbol, until the provocative period ends just before one of the candidate stopped symbols is destroyed (FIG. 30(a3)). In the example of FIG. 30, the length of the provocative period is set to 3 seconds. When the provocative period ends, the provocative effect image 603a becomes stationary at that point (FIG. 30(a3)), and the stationary state of the provocative effect image 603a is maintained during the subsequent charge period. In the example of FIG. 30, the length of the charge period is set to 1 second.

[0188] Then, when the waiting period ends, at that branching point, either the development result display, the jackpot result display, or the loss result display starts in a manner that connects to the paused teasing effect image 603a (result display period). In this way, by branching into jackpot / loss / development at a single point, it is possible to perform the effect more efficiently than when branching into development or non-development after branching into jackpot / loss. In particular, since the probability of a jackpot result display being performed in the S reach effect of this embodiment is extremely low (less than 1%), the effect of teasing the jackpot / loss independently is low, and by teasing the development or non-development together, an efficient effect is possible.

[0189] In the jackpot result display, a jackpot result performance is performed. In this jackpot result performance, the second stop symbol candidate "6" is destroyed and disappears (Fig. 30(c1)), and the remaining first stop symbol candidate "7" stops as the middle symbol (Fig. 30(c2)). In the example of Fig. 30, the length of the jackpot result performance is set to 7 seconds.

[0190] In the losing result display, a losing result effect is first performed. In this losing result effect, the first candidate stopping symbol "7" is destroyed and disappears (Fig. 30(d1)), and the middle symbol stops at the remaining second candidate stopping symbol "6" (Fig. 30(d2)). After that, a background return effect (Fig. 30(d3)) occurs in which the special background 601a returns to the normal background 600, and then the display transitions to the normal screen display (Fig. 30(d4)) in which a losing effect mode such as "7·6·7" is displayed. In the example of Fig. 30, the lengths of the losing result effect, background return effect, and normal screen display that make up the losing result display are set to 3 seconds, 1 second, and 2 seconds, respectively, and the total time is shorter than the 7 seconds of the jackpot result display.

[0191] In addition, a development effect is performed in the development result display. In this development effect, both the first and second stop symbol candidates "7" and "6" are simultaneously destroyed and disappear (Fig. 30(b1)), and then a development notification image 604a such as "Development" indicating the development to SP Reach is displayed (Fig. 30(b2)). In the example of Fig. 30, the length of the development effect is set to 4 seconds, which is shorter than the 7 seconds for the jackpot result display and the 6 seconds for the loss result display, but the length of the development effect may be the same as or longer than the loss result display.

[0192] Next, a specific example of the SP pre-reach effect will be explained based on FIG. 31 etc. As shown in FIG. 31, the effect period of the SP pre-reach effect is composed of a reach image display period for executing a video effect specific to the SP pre-reach, and a result display period following the reach image display period, in which either a development result display or a miss result display (a jackpot result display is not included). Also, just before the result display period, i.e., at the end of the reach image display period, a pre-result display effect that suggests the appearance of a result display is executed. This pre-result display effect, like the S reach effect (FIG. 30), is composed of a provocation period and a delay period (i.e., a waiting period). Note that this SP pre-reach effect is an example of a non-win reach effect that does not become a jackpot effect mode (specific mode).

[0193] When the SP pre-reach performance starts (reach image display period), as shown in Fig. 31(a1), the image display means 522 displays the SP pre-reach image, and in synchronization with the SP pre-reach image, any audio output or LED light emission performance is performed. In the SP pre-reach image, a reduced (retracted) reach symbol image Ps such as "7 7", a reach performance image 602b of characters, etc., and other images are displayed in front of a special background 601b for SP pre-reach.

[0194] Then, when the excitement period at the end of the reach video display period begins (FIG. 31(a2)), the reach effect image 602b changes to an excitement effect image 603b. In the examples of FIGS. 31(a2) to (a3), the excitement effect image 603b depicts a monster (enemy) character being attacked with a cannon. Since the pre-SP reach effect (non-win reach effect) of this embodiment does not display a jackpot result as described above, it is desirable that the effect during this excitement period (pre-result display effect) not be evocative of a jackpot so as not to create unnecessary expectations in the player. Therefore, in this embodiment, when a specific result display such as "Development by defeating the monster" appears, an explanatory display 605 indicating that the game will move to the next reach effect is displayed in parallel with the excitement effect image 603b (FIGS. 31(a2) and (a3)). This prevents the player from mistaking the defeat of the monster (enemy) for a big win, and prevents the player from feeling unnecessarily disappointed despite a favorable outcome (development). In the example of Figure 31, the length of the excitement period is set to 3 seconds, the same as the S reach effect (Figure 30).

[0195] The explanatory display 605 may be configured to be composed of an explanation of the effect such as "Attack the monster" and an explanation of the result such as "If successful, the game will progress to XX", and these may be displayed simultaneously or alternately.

[0196] When the provocation period ends, the provocation effect image 603b becomes still at that point (Fig. 31(a3)), and the still state of the provocation effect image 603b is maintained during the subsequent charge period. The explanation display 605 continues to be displayed during this charge period. In the example of Fig. 31, the length of the charge period is set to 1 second, the same as the S reach effect (Fig. 30).

[0197] Then, when the charging period ends and the result display period begins, either the development result display or the failure result display starts in a manner that connects to the teasing effect image 603b that was paused.

[0198] In the miss result display, a miss result effect is first performed. In this miss result effect, the attack on the monster ends in failure (FIG. 31(c1)), and the center symbol stops at "6" (FIG. 31(c2)), which is different from the reach symbol (here, "7"). After that, a background return effect occurs in which the special background 601b returns to the normal background 600, and then the display transitions to the normal screen display, where a miss result pattern such as "7·6·7" is displayed. Note that in the example of FIG. 31, the length of the miss result effect is 4 seconds, which is longer than the 3 seconds in the S reach effect (FIG. 30), but the lengths of the background return effect and the normal screen display are 1 second and 2 seconds, respectively, the same as in the S reach effect.

[0199] Furthermore, a development effect is performed in the development result display. In this development effect, the attack is successful and the monster is defeated (Fig. 31(b1)), after which a development notification image 604b such as "Development" is displayed, indicating the development to the SP post-reach effect (Fig. 31(b2)). In the example of Fig. 31, the length of the development effect is set to 4 seconds, the same as in the S reach effect, but the length of the development effect in the SP pre-reach effect may be longer than the length of the development effect in the S reach effect. Also, the length of the development effect may be the same as that of the failure result display, or it may be longer.

[0200] In addition to the development result display (normal development effect) as shown in Fig. 31, a revival development effect may be executed in which a development notification image is displayed via a revival effect after or during the display of a failure result. In the case of this revival development effect, the execution timing of the revival effect may be before or after the background return effect in the display of a failure result, but it is preferable that it be executed before the background return effect.

[0201] Next, a specific example of the SP post-reach effect (specific reach effect) will be explained based on Figures 32 and 33. Note that Figure 32 shows the case where a miss result display is executed, and Figure 33 shows the case where a jackpot result display is executed. As shown in Figures 32 and 33, the effect period of the SP post-reach effect is made up of a reach image display period for executing an image effect specific to after the SP reach, and a result display period following the reach image display period for executing either a jackpot result display (Figure 33) or a miss result display (Figure 32) (development result display is not included).

[0202] Also, just before the result display period, i.e., at the end of the reach image display period, a pre-result display effect is performed to suggest the appearance of the result display. This pre-result display effect in the SP post-reach effect is a so-called button effect, and includes an operation valid period suggestion effect that suggests the arrival of an operation valid period in which operation of the effect button 514 is valid, and the operation valid period starts after the operation valid period suggestion effect ends.

[0203] When the SP after-reach performance starts (reach image display period), as shown in Fig. 32(a1), the image display means 522 displays the SP after-reach image, and in synchronization with the SP after-reach image, any audio output or LED light emission performance is performed. In the SP after-reach image, a reduced (retracted) reach symbol image Ps such as "7 7", a reach performance image 602c of characters, etc., and other images are displayed in front of a special background 601c for after the SP reach.

[0204] Thereafter, at the end of the reach video display period, a valid operation suggestion effect is started. This valid operation suggestion effect is configured to fade in (form a valid operation image) on the screen an operation target image 606 indicating the effect button 514, which is the operation target during the valid operation period. In the example of FIGS. 32(a2) to 32(a4), this fade-in of the operation target image 606 is effected as if the operation target image 606 were rotating from a distance and approaching. Note that the display mode of the operation target image 606 during the valid operation suggestion effect is arbitrary, but it must be at least different from the display mode during the valid operation period so that the player does not mistakenly believe that the valid operation period is in progress. Note that the fade-in of the operation target image 606 is completed, for example, at the end of the valid operation suggestion effect, i.e., at the start of the valid operation period (FIG. 32(a4)). In this way, the effect from when the operation target image starts to be formed (displayed) on the screen until it is formed is the valid operation suggestion effect, and the operation target image during that time is the valid operation suggestion image.

[0205] Furthermore, in this embodiment, at the start of the valid operation period, i.e., substantially simultaneously with the completion of fading in of the operation target image 606 (formation of the operation target image), an operation mode notification image 607 consisting of the character "PUSH!" and an arrow image, etc., for notifying the operation mode, and a progress status notification image 608 for notifying the progress status of the valid operation period are newly displayed (Fig. 32(a4)). The progress status notification image 608 is configured so that the length of a strip-shaped gauge decreases from 100% to 0% as time passes during the valid operation period (Fig. 32(a5)). In the example of Fig. 32, the valid operation time from the start to the expiration of the valid operation period is set to 3 seconds, and the duration of the previous valid operation suggestion effect is set to 4 seconds, which is longer than the valid operation time.

[0206] If the player presses the effect button 514 during this valid operation period, thereby satisfying the effect execution conditions, the valid operation period ends at that point, and the result display (either a miss result display or a jackpot result display) begins. While the timing of the start of the result display varies depending on the player's operation, the variable time is already set. Therefore, a time adjustment (described below) must be performed during the result display to accommodate changes in the player's operation timing (i.e., the start timing of the result display). If the time required for this time adjustment is long, the effect will appear unnatural. Therefore, a short valid operation period is desirable. However, a short valid operation period increases the likelihood that the player will miss an opportunity to operate. Therefore, in this embodiment, the valid operation period is set as short as possible (3 seconds in this case) to minimize the unnatural effect of the effect due to the time adjustment. To prevent the player from missing an opportunity to operate as a result, a valid operation suggestion effect (4 seconds in this case) longer than the valid operation period (3 seconds) is executed immediately before the valid operation period.

[0207] Possible effect execution conditions for the effect button 514 include a single-hit execution condition that is met when the effect button 514 is operated once, a rapid-hit execution condition that is met when the effect button 514 is operated multiple times in succession, and a long-press execution condition that is met when the effect button 514 remains operated for a long time, but in this embodiment, the single-hit execution condition is adopted.

[0208] Figures 32(A1) and (A2) are both time charts for displaying a losing result, with Figure 32(A1) showing the earliest start timing, i.e., when the effect button 514 is operated at approximately the same time as the start of the valid operation period, and Figure 32(A2) showing the latest start timing, i.e., when the effect button 514 is operated at approximately the same time as the expiration of the valid operation period. Note that if the effect button 514 is not operated during the valid operation period (if the operation conditions are not met), the same or a different losing result display as when the effect button 514 is operated may be configured to start at the expiration of the valid operation period.

[0209] As shown in Figures 32(A1) and (A2), in the losing result display, a losing result effect is first performed. In this losing result effect, after the center symbol stops at "6" which is different from the reach symbol (here, "7") (Figure 32(b1)), a loop standby effect is executed (Figure 32(b2)) whose length corresponds to the operation timing of the effect button 514, i.e., the start timing of the losing result display. This loop standby effect adjusts the time so that the end timing of the result display does not change even if the start timing of the result display changes.

[0210] As shown in FIG. 32(A1), the duration of the loop standby effect is the longest (3 seconds in this case) when a button operation is performed approximately simultaneously (earliest) with the start of the valid operation period, and as shown in FIG. 32(A2), the duration of the loop standby effect is the shortest (0 seconds in this case) when a button operation is performed approximately simultaneously (latest) with the expiration of the valid operation period. In this way, in the failure result display of this embodiment, the loop standby effect for time adjustment is performed after the failure result display is executed and before switching to the normal screen display (before the background return effect in this case). This makes it possible to suppress the sense of incongruity caused by the time adjustment, without impairing the tempo from the end of the failure result display (background return effect, normal screen display) to the next change, even if the duration of the loop standby effect is long.

[0211] The loop standby effect is configured to repeatedly play, on the image display means 522, video data for loop standby that is connected to the previous video, for example. The light-emitting effect by the LED 571 is caused to emit light in a light-emitting pattern corresponding to a loss (using light-emitting pattern data for one-time playback) when the effect button 514 is operated, and then a predetermined light-emitting pattern is repeated until the end of the loop standby effect (using light-emitting pattern data for loop playback). The sound output from the speaker 572 is configured to output a sound effect corresponding to a loss (using sound effect data for one-time playback) when the effect button 514 is operated, and then either silence is output until the end of the loop standby effect, or the output of a predetermined sound effect is repeated (using sound effect data for loop playback). This loop standby effect is repeated until a fluctuation stop command is received from the main control board 541.

[0212] After that, after a background return effect in which the special background 601c returns to the normal background 600, the screen transitions to the normal screen display in which a miss effect such as "7·6·7" is displayed. In the example of Figure 32, the shortest length of the miss result effect is 5 seconds, which is longer than the S reach effect (3 seconds) and the SP pre-reach effect (4 seconds), but the lengths of the background return effect and the normal screen display are 1 second and 2 seconds, respectively, the same as the S reach effect and the SP pre-reach effect.

[0213] 32, the effective operation time (here, 3 seconds) is shorter than the presentation time of the failure result presentation (here, the shortest 5 seconds). This allows the presentation time of the loop standby presentation for time adjustment to be less than half of the presentation time of the failure result presentation, making it possible to suppress the sense of incongruity caused by the time adjustment.

[0214] As described above, in this embodiment, in a reach-miss effect pattern, when the final reach effect is a weak reach effect (e.g., an S reach effect) (FIG. 30) and a strong reach effect (e.g., an SP reach effect) (FIG. 32) that can appear later (i.e., has a higher probability of winning a jackpot than a weak reach effect), the result display time is set to be longer for the strong reach effect than for the weak reach effect. This makes it possible to shorten the result display time and increase the tempo for reach fluctuation patterns with low jackpot reliability and low player expectations, and to lengthen the result display time and enhance the effect of the effect for reach fluctuation patterns with high jackpot reliability and high player expectations. Furthermore, by improving the effect of the effect in this way, players are less likely to tire of the effect even if the effect is used in other machines, which ultimately reduces the cost of the gaming machine.

[0215] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the duration of the miss result effect is longer in the case of a strong reach effect (for example, an SP post-reach effect) than in the case of a weak reach effect (for example, an S reach effect), but the duration of the background return effect and the normal screen display are the same. Note that, when setting the result display duration to be longer in the case of a strong reach effect than in the case of a weak reach effect, one of the background return effect and the normal screen display may be the same in the case of a weak reach effect and in the case of a strong reach effect, and the other of the background return effect and the normal screen display and the miss result effect may be different in the case of a weak reach effect and in the case of a strong reach effect.

[0216] 33(A1), (A2), (B1), and (B2) are all time charts for displaying the jackpot result, with Fig. 33(A1) and (A2) showing the normal jackpot result display and Fig. 33(B1) and (B2) showing the revival jackpot result display. Here, the revival jackpot result display (Fig. 33(B1), (B2)) is configured to execute a miss result presentation followed by a revival jackpot movable body presentation involving the movement of the movable body, while the normal jackpot result display (Fig. 33(A1), (A2)) is configured to execute a normal jackpot result presentation followed by a normal jackpot movable body presentation involving the movement of the movable body, without executing a miss result presentation.

[0217] Whether to execute the normal jackpot result display shown in Figures 33(A1) and (A2) or the revival jackpot result display shown in Figures 33(B1) and (B2) is determined by the symbol change content determination means 582a (Figure 33) on the presentation control board 542 when a change pattern command corresponding to a specific change pattern (for example, an SP reach 1 jackpot change pattern) is received from the main control board 541. Therefore, the change time is the same for the normal jackpot result display and the revival jackpot result display, and therefore the presentation time for the normal jackpot result display and the revival jackpot result display, and the end timing of each result display are also the same. In other words, the time from the timing of the win / lose branch (the timing when the presentation button 514 is operated and the result display begins) to the symbol being confirmed and stopped is the same for the normal jackpot result display and the revival jackpot result display.

[0218] 33(A1) and (A2), which show the normal jackpot result display, Fig. 33(A1) shows the earliest start timing, i.e., when the effect button 514 is operated almost simultaneously with the start of the valid operation period, and Fig. 33(A2) shows the latest start timing, i.e., when the effect button 514 is operated almost simultaneously with the expiration of the valid operation period. Similarly, Fig. 33(B1) and (B2), which show the revival jackpot result display, Fig. 33(B1) shows the earliest start timing, i.e., when the effect button 514 is operated almost simultaneously with the start of the valid operation period, and Fig. 33(B2) shows the latest start timing, i.e., when the effect button 514 is operated almost simultaneously with the expiration of the valid operation period. Note that if the effect button 514 is not operated during the valid operation period (if the operation condition is not met), the same or a different jackpot result display may be started at the expiration of the valid operation period.

[0219] As shown in Figures 33(A1) and (A2), in the normal jackpot result display, a normal jackpot movable body effect is first performed. In this normal jackpot movable body effect, as shown in Figures 33(b1) to (b3), movable body 531 operates in a predetermined normal jackpot operation pattern, and on image display means 522, an arbitrary image effect corresponding to the operation of movable body 531 is performed, and the center symbol stops with the same symbol as the reach symbol (here, "7"), and LED 571 emits light in a predetermined normal jackpot light-emitting pattern. In the example of Figure 33, the normal jackpot operation pattern is configured so that movable body 531 rapidly descends from the origin position (upper position) to a lower position in front of image display means 522 (Figure 33(b1)), stops for a predetermined time, and then slowly returns to the origin position (Figures 33(b2) and (b3)).

[0220] The normal jackpot light-emitting pattern is a so-called rainbow light-emitting pattern, and as shown in FIG. 34(a), the light-emitting portion of the movable body 531, i.e., the characters "Kappa Legend," emit light in a rainbow of colors flowing in a predetermined direction (e.g., left and right). This rainbow light-emitting pattern is configured to circulate at a predetermined cycle, and one cycle of light-emitting data is repeatedly executed a predetermined number of times during the 5 seconds from the start to the end of the normal jackpot movable body effect. It should be noted that not only the LED of the movable body 531, but also the other LEDs on the game board 505 and front frame 504 may be illuminated in a similar rainbow light-emitting pattern. Furthermore, when the effect button 514 is operated, i.e., at the start of the normal jackpot movable body effect, the LEDs may be illuminated in a light-emitting mode corresponding to the normal jackpot (e.g., rainbow flashing), and then the rainbow light-emitting pattern may be repeatedly illuminated.

[0221] After the normal jackpot moving body effect ends, the normal jackpot result effect is performed. In this normal jackpot result effect, after a celebration effect (Fig. 33(b4)) to celebrate the jackpot is performed, a loop standby effect of a length corresponding to the operation timing of the effect button 514, i.e., the start timing of the normal jackpot result display is executed (Fig. 33(b5)). This loop standby effect adjusts the time so that the end timing of the result display does not change even if the start timing of the result display changes.

[0222] As shown in FIG. 33(A1), when the button is operated at approximately the same time (earliest) as the start of the valid operation period, the loop standby effect lasts (3 seconds in this case). As shown in FIG. 33(A2), when the button is operated at approximately the same time (latest) as the expiration of the valid operation period, the loop standby effect lasts (0 seconds in this case). In this way, in the normal jackpot result display of this embodiment, the loop standby effect for time adjustment is performed at the end of the jackpot result effect that is performed after the normal movable body effect, i.e., before the jackpot is confirmed. As a result, starting from the timing of the button operation, the movable body effect that notifies the player of a jackpot and the result effect celebrating the jackpot are continuously executed. This series of events is not affected by the loop standby effect, making it possible to suppress the sense of incongruity caused by time adjustment without impairing the exhilarating feeling of the effect.

[0223] The loop standby effect is configured to repeatedly play, on the image display means 522, video data for loop standby connected to the previous video, for example. Regarding the light-emitting effect by the LED 571, when the effect button 514 is operated, the LED 571 emits light in a light-emitting pattern (e.g., rainbow flashing) corresponding to a normal jackpot (using light-emitting pattern data for one-time playback), and then repeats a predetermined light-emitting pattern (rainbow light-emitting pattern) until the end of the loop standby effect (using light-emitting pattern data for loop playback). Regarding the audio output from the speaker 572, when the effect button 514 is operated, the speaker 572 outputs a sound effect corresponding to a normal jackpot (using sound effect data for one-time playback), and then remains silent until the end of the loop standby effect, or repeats the output of a predetermined sound effect (using sound effect data for loop playback). This loop standby effect is repeated until a fluctuation stop command is received from the main control board 541.

[0224] In the example of Figure 33, the length of the normal jackpot moving body presentation in the normal jackpot result display is set to 5 seconds, and the minimum length of the normal jackpot result presentation is set to 8 seconds.

[0225] As shown in Figures 33(B1) and (B2), the revival jackpot result display first performs the same effects as the failure result display shown in Figures 32(A1) and (A2). That is, after the failure result display (Figures 33(c1) and (c2)) is first performed, a background return display (Figure 33(c3)) in which the special background 601b returns to the normal background 600 is performed, followed by a normal screen display (Figure 33(c4)) in which a failure display pattern such as "7·6·7" is displayed. In the failure result display, after the center symbol stops at "6" (Figure 33(c1)), which is different from the reach symbol (here, "7"), a loop standby effect is executed (Figure 33(c2)) with a length corresponding to the operation timing of the effect button 514, i.e., the start timing of the failure result display. This loop standby effect adjusts the time so that the end timing of the result display does not change even if the start timing of the result display changes.

[0226] As shown in Figure 33 (B1), if the button operation is performed at approximately the same time (earliest) as the start of the valid operation period, the duration of the loop standby effect will be the longest (here, 3 seconds), and as shown in Figure 33 (B2), if the button operation is performed at approximately the same time (latest) as the expiration of the valid operation period, the duration of the loop standby effect will be the shortest (here, 0 seconds).

[0227] The loop standby effect is configured to repeatedly play, on the image display means 522, video data for loop standby that is connected to the previous video, for example. The light-emitting effect by the LED 571 is caused to emit light in a light-emitting pattern corresponding to a loss (using light-emitting pattern data for one-time playback) when the effect button 514 is operated, and then a predetermined light-emitting pattern is repeated until the end of the loop standby effect (using light-emitting pattern data for loop playback). The sound output from the speaker 572 is configured to output a sound effect corresponding to a loss (using sound effect data for one-time playback) when the effect button 514 is operated, and then either silence is output until the end of the loop standby effect, or the output of a predetermined sound effect is repeated (using sound effect data for loop playback). This loop standby effect is repeated until a fluctuation stop command is received from the main control board 541.

[0228] In the example of Figure 33, the minimum length of the miss result display in the revival jackpot result display is 5 seconds, and the lengths of the background return display and normal screen display are 1 second and 2 seconds, respectively, both of which are the same as in the miss result display (Figures 32 (A1), (A2)).

[0229] After the normal screen display, a revival jackpot moving body effect is performed. In this revival jackpot moving body effect, as shown in Figure 33 (c5) to (c7), the moving body 531 operates in a predetermined revival jackpot movement pattern, and the image display means 522 performs an arbitrary image effect corresponding to the movement of the moving body, and the center symbol that had temporarily stopped at "6" different from the reach symbol changes to the same symbol as the reach symbol (here, "7"), and the LED 571 emits light in a predetermined revival jackpot light-emitting pattern. Note that the performance time (3 seconds) of this revival jackpot moving body effect is shorter than the performance time (5 seconds) of the normal jackpot moving body effect.

[0230] In the example of Figure 33, the revival jackpot operation pattern is configured so that the movable body 531 descends at high speed from the origin position (upper position) to a lower position in front of the image display means 522 (Figure 33(c5)), stops for a predetermined time, and then returns to the origin position at a low speed (Figures 33(c6), (c7)). In this way, the revival jackpot operation pattern is substantially the same as the normal jackpot operation pattern (Figures 33(b1) to (b3)) in terms of the operation content of the movable body 531, but the presentation time is different. This difference in presentation time is adjusted, for example, by varying the stop time at the lower position and the movement speed (for example, the return speed to the origin position).

[0231] Furthermore, the content of the effect image displayed on image display means 522 during the revival jackpot moving body effect is different from the content of the effect image displayed on image display means 522 during the normal jackpot moving body effect. The difference in the content of the effect image between the revival jackpot moving body effect and the normal jackpot moving body effect may be based only on the difference in the operation of movable body 531 due to the difference in the effect time (difference in the stopping time at the lower position or the moving speed), or may be based on something beyond the difference in the operation of movable body 531, such as the appearance of a different character.

[0232] The revival jackpot light-up pattern is a so-called rainbow light-up pattern, and as shown in FIG. 34(b), the light-emitting portion of the movable body 531, i.e., the characters "Kappa Legend," light up in a rainbow of colors flowing in a predetermined direction (for example, left and right). The revival jackpot light-up pattern shown in FIG. 34(b) and the normal jackpot light-up pattern shown in FIG. 34(a) are executed at the same cycle using common light-up pattern data; the only difference between the two is the number of repetitions based on the length of the presentation time. It should be noted that not only the LED on the movable body 531, but also the LEDs on the game board 505 and front frame 504 may be illuminated in a similar rainbow light-up pattern.

[0233] In this way, by using the same movable body 531 to perform different effects for the normal jackpot movable body effect and the revival jackpot movable body effect, it is possible to reduce costs while increasing the effect of the effect.

[0234] After the revival jackpot moving body performance ends, a revival jackpot result performance (Fig. 33 (c8)) is performed to celebrate the jackpot. In the example of Fig. 33, the performance time of this revival jackpot moving body performance is 2 seconds, which is shorter than the performance time of the normal jackpot moving body performance (minimum 8 seconds).

[0235] As explained above, in the revival jackpot result display of this embodiment, the loop standby effect for time adjustment is performed after the miss result effect is executed and before switching to the normal screen display (here, before the background return effect), so that the revival jackpot result effect is executed after the time adjustment is completed. As a result, even if the time of the loop standby effect is long, the connection from the button operation to the miss result effect is not lost, and the series of flows from the movable body effect that notifies the player of a jackpot to the result effect that celebrates the jackpot is not affected, so it is possible to suppress the sense of incongruity caused by the time adjustment without losing the exhilaration of the effect.

[0236] In addition, in the post-SP reach performance of this embodiment, the end timing of the normal jackpot result display and the revival jackpot result display is the same, and if the timing of the button operation by the player is the same, the performance time for both is also the same.

[0237] Figure 35 illustrates a fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which the fourth embodiment is partially modified so that in the pre-result display performance of the SP pre-reach performance, which is an example of a non-winning reach performance, a provocative performance is executed using a pattern other than the reach pattern and the patterns immediately before and after it as the final stopping pattern, thereby executing a performance that does not suggest that the pattern will become a jackpot performance pattern (specific pattern).

[0238] Fig. 35 corresponds to Fig. 31 of the fourth embodiment. In the SP pre-reach performance of this embodiment, when the excitement period at the end of the reach video display period begins (Fig. 35(a1)→(a2)), the reach performance image 602d up to that point changes to an excitement performance image 603d. The excitement performance image 603d is a performance of the final stage before the third (for example, the center) symbol row that is still changing stops, and in the example of Fig. 35(a2) to (a3), the first character repeatedly hits the first candidate stopped symbol (here, "5"), which is -2 different from the reach symbol (here, "7"), and the second character repeatedly hits the second candidate stopped symbol (here, "4"), which is -3 different from the reach symbol (here, "7"), with a hammer, competing to see which character can destroy the candidate stopped symbol first.

[0239] In this way, in the pre-result display performance in the SP pre-reach performance of this embodiment, a provocative performance is executed using a pattern other than the reach pattern (here, "7") and the patterns immediately before and after it (here, "6" and "8") as the final stopping pattern.

[0240] When the hype period ends, the hype effect image 603d becomes still at that point (FIG. 35(a3)), and the still state of the hype effect image 603d is maintained during the subsequent delay period. Then, when the delay period ends and the result display period begins, either the development result display or the failure result display starts in a manner that connects to the hype effect image 603d that was paused.

[0241] In the losing result display, a losing result effect is first performed. In this losing result effect, the first candidate stopping symbol "5" is destroyed (Fig. 35(c1)), and the middle symbol stops on the remaining second candidate stopping symbol "4" (Fig. 35(c2)). After that, a background return effect (Fig. 35(c3)) is performed, and the screen transitions to the normal screen display (Fig. 35(c4)). In addition, in the development result display, a development effect is performed. In this development effect, the second candidate stopping symbol "4" is destroyed (Fig. 35(b1)), and then a development notification image 604d such as "development" indicating the development after the SP reach is displayed (Fig. 35(b2)).

[0242] In this way, in the pre-result display performance in the SP pre-reach performance of this embodiment, a teasing performance is executed using a pattern other than the reach pattern and the pattern immediately before and after it as the final stopping pattern, so that no matter what the result of the teasing performance is, the player will not mistake it for a jackpot, and it is possible to prevent the player from feeling unnecessarily disappointed.

[0243] In this embodiment, as in the fourth embodiment, if a specific result display such as "Destroy 4 to progress" appears, an explanatory display indicating that the game will move to the next reach effect may be executed in parallel with the teasing effect image 603d.

[0244] Figure 36 illustrates a sixth embodiment of the present invention, in which the fourth embodiment is partially modified so that, in the pre-result display performance of the SP pre-reach performance, which is an example of a non-winning reach performance, the success (win) performance result is not used among multiple types of performance results including success (win) and failure (lose), thereby executing a performance that does not suggest that the pattern will become a jackpot performance form (specific form).

[0245] Figure 36 corresponds to Figure 31 of the fourth embodiment. In the SP pre-reach performance of this embodiment, when the excitement period at the end of the reach video display period begins (Figure 36(a1) -> (a2)), the reach performance image 602e up to that point changes to an excitement performance image 603e. In the example of Figures 36(a2) to (a3), the excitement performance image 603e shows a kappa (ally) who has been defeated by a monster (enemy) trying to stand up again.

[0246] When the hype period ends, the hype effect image 603e becomes still at that point (FIG. 36(a3)), and the still state of the hype effect image 603e is maintained during the subsequent delay period. Then, when the delay period ends and the result display period begins, either the development result display or the failure result display starts in a manner that connects to the hype effect image 603e that was paused.

[0247] When the losing result is displayed, the losing result effect is first performed. In this losing result effect, the fallen kappa cannot get up and loses (fails) (Fig. 36(c1)), and the center symbol stops at "6" (Fig. 36(c2)), which is different from the reach symbol (here, "7") (Fig. 36(c3)). After that, the background returns to the display (Fig. 36(c3)), and the screen transitions to the normal screen display (Fig. 36(c4)).

[0248] Furthermore, a development effect is performed in the development result display. In this development effect, the kappa stands up again (Fig. 36(b1)), and then a development notification image 604e such as "Development" indicating the development after the SP reach is displayed (Fig. 36(b2)). As such, in the development effect of this embodiment, the kappa simply standing up does not mean that the player has won the game against the monster, so the player will not mistake this for a jackpot, and it is possible to prevent the player from feeling unnecessarily disappointed.

[0249] In this embodiment, as in the fourth embodiment, when a specific result display such as "If you can stand up, it will progress" appears, an explanatory display indicating that the game will move to the next reach effect may be executed in parallel with the teasing effect image 603e.

[0250] Figure 37 illustrates a seventh embodiment of the present invention, in which the fourth embodiment is partially modified so that, in the result display of the SP pre-reach effect, which is an example of a non-winning reach effect, the LED is illuminated in a light pattern other than the specific light pattern (rainbow light pattern) used in the jackpot result display in other reach effects, thereby executing an effect that does not suggest that the pattern will be in a jackpot effect mode (specific mode).

[0251] FIG. 37 corresponds to FIG. 31 of the fourth embodiment. In the SP pre-reach performance of this embodiment, when the excitement period at the end of the reach video display period begins (FIG. 37(a1)→(a2)), the reach performance image 602f up to that point changes to an excitement performance image 603f. In the example of FIGS. 37(a2) to (a3), the excitement performance image 603f shows a monster (enemy) character being attacked with a cannon. In this embodiment, when a specific result display such as "Development if the monster is defeated" appears, an explanatory display indicating that the game will move to the next reach performance is not executed in parallel with the excitement performance image 603f, but such an explanatory display may be displayed as in the fourth embodiment.

[0252] When the teasing period ends, the teasing effect image 603f becomes still at that point (FIG. 37(a3)), and the still state of the teasing effect image 603f is maintained during the subsequent delay period. Then, when the delay period ends and the result display period begins, either the development result display or the failure result display starts in a manner that connects to the teasing effect image 603f that was paused.

[0253] When the result of a miss is displayed, the first thing that happens is a miss effect. In this miss effect, the attack on the monster ends in failure (Fig. 37(c1)), and the center symbol stops at "6" (Fig. 37(c2)), which is different from the reach symbol (here, "7") (Fig. 37(c3)). After that, the background returns to the display (Fig. 37(c3)), and the screen transitions to the normal screen display (Fig. 37(c4)).

[0254] Furthermore, a development effect is performed in the development result display. In this development effect, a development movable body effect (Fig. 37(b1) to (b3)) is performed. In this development movable body effect, the movable body 531 moves in a predetermined development movement pattern, and the image display means 522 displays an arbitrary image effect corresponding to the movement of the movable body 531 (here, the attack is successful and the monster is defeated), and a development notification image 604f such as "Development" indicating the development to the SP Reach Post-effect is displayed, and the LED 571 of the movable body 531 emits light in a predetermined development light-emitting pattern.

[0255] In the example of Figure 37, the development motion pattern is configured so that the movable body 531 descends at high speed from the origin position (upper position) to a lower position in front of the image display means 522 (Figure 37(b1)), stops for a predetermined time, and then returns to the origin position at a low speed (Figures 37(b2), (b3)). In this way, the development motion pattern is substantially the same as the normal jackpot motion pattern (Figures 33(b1) to (b3)) in terms of the motion content of the movable body 531, but the duration of the performance is different. This difference in the duration of the performance is adjusted, for example, by varying the duration of the stop at the lower position and the movement speed (for example, the speed of returning to the origin position).

[0256] In addition, the content of the effect image displayed on the image display means 522 during the developing movable body effect is different from the content of the effect image displayed on the image display means 522 during the normal jackpot movable body effect (Fig. 33). In addition, the developing light emitting pattern is a light emitting pattern (including the case where no light is emitted) that is different from the normal jackpot light emitting pattern, i.e., the rainbow light emitting pattern (specific light emitting pattern).

[0257] In this way, in this embodiment, the LED 571 of the movable body 531 is configured to emit light in an advanced light pattern that is different from the normal jackpot light pattern (here, a rainbow light pattern). Therefore, even though the movable body 531 is operated in an advanced operation pattern whose operation content is approximately the same as the normal jackpot operation pattern in the normal jackpot result presentation, the player will not mistake this for a jackpot, and it is possible to prevent the player from feeling unnecessarily disappointed.

[0258] Figure 38 illustrates an eighth embodiment of the present invention, which is a partial modification of the fourth embodiment, in which an explanatory display indicating that if a specific result display appears, the game will move to the next reach display is displayed before the pre-result display display (hype display, tame period).

[0259] Fig. 38 corresponds to Fig. 31 of the fourth embodiment. As shown in Fig. 38, in the SP pre-reach performance of this embodiment, a reach title 611 is first displayed on the image display means 522 (Fig. 38(a1)), after which an explanatory display 605 such as "Development will occur if you defeat the monster" is displayed large in the approximate center of the screen for a predetermined time (for example, about 2 seconds) (Fig. 38(a2)). Then, after the explanatory display 605 is reduced in size and retreated to the periphery (for example, the top) of the screen (Fig. 38(a3)), the reach performance progresses with reach performance image 602b of characters etc.

[0260] Thereafter, when the excitement period at the end of the reach video display period begins (Fig. 38(a4)), the reach effect image 602b changes to an excitement effect image 603b while continuing to display the explanation display 605. In the examples of Fig. 38(a4) to (a5), as in Fig. 31, the excitement effect image 603b shows a monster (enemy) character being attacked with a cannon.

[0261] When the hype period ends, the hype effect image 603b becomes still at that point (Fig. 38(a5)), and the still state of the hype effect image 603b is maintained during the subsequent delay period. Note that the explanation display 605 continues to be displayed during this delay period. The effects during the result display period after the delay period end are the same as those in the fourth embodiment (Fig. 31), so a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0262] As explained above, the explanatory display indicating that when a specific result display appears, the game will move to the next reach effect may be configured to be displayed not only during the effect before the result display (hype effect, tame period), but also before that.

[0263] Figure 39 illustrates a ninth embodiment of the present invention, in which the fourth embodiment is partially modified so that an image to be operated is formed during the operation validity suggestion presentation, and the valid operation period begins a predetermined time after the completion of the formation of the image to be operated.

[0264] FIG. 39 corresponds to FIGS. 32 and 33 of the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 39, in the post-SP reach effect of this embodiment, an effective operation suggestion effect begins at the end of the reach image display period. In the effective operation suggestion effect of this embodiment, the effect period (4 s) is composed of a button formation period (3 s) and a post-button formation waiting period (1 s) following the button formation period. The button formation period is a period during which an operation target image 606 representing the effect button 514 is formed. As shown in FIGS. 39(a2) to 39(a4), for example, the transparency of the operation target image 606 on the screen gradually decreases from 100% and becomes gradually clearer, and at the end of the button formation period, the transparency reaches 0% and the operation target image 606 is completed (FIG. 39(a4)). However, this button formation process is arbitrary. The post-button formation waiting period is a waiting time from the completion of the formation of the operation target image 606 to the start of the effective operation period, during which the display state of the operation target image 606 at the time of completion of formation is maintained.

[0265] In addition, a waiting period after gauge formation (0.5 seconds) is provided in the latter half of the waiting period after button formation. This waiting period after gauge formation is a period during which the progress status notification image 608 for notifying the progress status of the valid operation period is maintained in a start waiting state (for example, a state in which the gauge is stopped at 100%), and starts a first time (here, 0.5 seconds) after the start of the waiting period after button formation, at which point the progress status notification image 608 is displayed on the screen (FIG. 39(a5)).

[0266] The waiting period after gauge formation (and the waiting period after button formation) ends after a second time (here, 0.5 seconds) has elapsed since the start of the waiting period after gauge formation, and the valid operation period begins. When the valid operation period begins, an operation mode notification image 607 consisting of the word "PUSH!" and an arrow image, etc., to notify the operation mode is displayed (Fig. 39(a6)), and the gauge of the progress status notification image 608 begins to change (Figs. 39(a6) to (a7)).

[0267] As explained above, in this embodiment, the valid operation period is configured to start a predetermined time after the completion of the formation of the operation target image 606 during the valid operation suggestion presentation, and further, the progress status notification image 608 is displayed in a state waiting to start a first time (0.5 seconds) after the completion of the formation of the operation target image 606, and the valid operation period is configured to start a second time (0.5 seconds) after the start of the display of the progress status notification image 608. Therefore, even if the valid operation period is shortened to prevent the presentation from feeling unnatural due to subsequent time adjustments, it is possible to more reliably prevent the player from losing an opportunity to operate as a result.

[0268] 40 illustrates a tenth embodiment of the present invention, in which the fourth embodiment is partially modified so that the presentation time of the effective operation suggestion presentation in the strong reach presentation (here, the post-SP reach presentation) is longer than the presentation time of the effective operation suggestion presentation in the weak reach presentation (here, the S reach presentation). As mentioned above, the strong reach presentation is a reach presentation that has a higher expectation of becoming a specific pattern than the weak reach presentation.

[0269] Figure 40(b) is a time chart relating to the effective operation suggestion effect and the effective operation period in the post-SP reach effect (an example of a strong reach effect) of this embodiment, which is the same as that of the fourth embodiment (Figure 32). Also, Figure 40(a) is a time chart relating to the effective operation suggestion effect and the effective operation period in the S reach effect (an example of a weak reach effect) of this embodiment. In the fourth embodiment (Figure 30), the effect before the result display of the S reach effect was not a button effect, but in the S reach effect of this embodiment (Figure 40(a)), a button effect is executed in the same way as in the post-SP reach effect, and an effective operation suggestion effect and an effective operation period are provided before the result display period.

[0270] 40(a) and (b), in this embodiment, the presentation time (here, 4 seconds) of the effective operation suggestion effect in the SP post-reach effect (strong reach effect) is longer than the presentation time (here, 2 seconds) of the effective operation suggestion effect in the S reach effect (weak reach effect). Furthermore, the effective operation time from the start to the expiration of the effective operation period is the same for the S reach effect and the SP post-reach effect (both 3 seconds), and the presentation time of the pre-display effect, which is the combination of the effective operation suggestion effect and the effective operation period, is longer in the SP post-reach effect (strong reach effect) than in the S reach effect (weak reach effect). Furthermore, the presentation time (4 seconds) of the effective operation suggestion effect in the SP post-reach effect is longer than the effective operation time (3 seconds), whereas the presentation time (2 seconds) of the effective operation suggestion effect in the S reach effect is shorter than the effective operation time (3 seconds).

[0271] In this embodiment, as with the fourth embodiment, with regard to the SP post-reach effect (strong reach effect), the effective operation time (here 3 seconds) is made as short as possible to suppress the awkwardness of the effect due to subsequent time adjustments, and in order to reliably prevent the player from losing their opportunity to operate as a result, an effective operation suggestion effect (here 4 seconds) longer than the effective operation time (3 seconds) is executed immediately before the effective operation period, but with regard to the S reach effect (weak reach effect), the effective operation suggestion effect (here 2 seconds) is made shorter than the effective operation time (3 seconds) to prioritize increasing the effect of the reach effect over losing the player's opportunity to operate.

[0272] Figure 41 illustrates an eleventh embodiment of the present invention, which is a partial modification of the fourth embodiment, so that a development preview effect can be executed before the pre-result display effect, indicating that the game will develop into the next reach effect (or that there is a high possibility of this happening), and the content of the pre-result display effect is configured to differ depending on whether or not the development preview effect appears.

[0273] Figure 41 corresponds to Figure 30 of the fourth embodiment, and shows the content of the pre-result display performance in the S reach performance when a development notice performance is executed during normal variation in the pattern variation (before the reach state is reached) indicating that the performance will develop (or there is a high possibility of this developing) into an SP reach post performance (the reach performance after the next reach performance). Note that the content of the pre-result display performance in the S reach performance when a development notice performance is not executed is the same as that in the fourth embodiment (Figure 30).

[0274] In the example of Figure 41, during the normal variation of the symbol variation, a preview image 612 showing a green light is displayed on the screen (development preview effect). This preview image 612 of the green light indicates that the symbol variation will develop into an SP reach post-effect (a predetermined reach effect), and when the preview image 612 is displayed, there is a 100% probability that the effect will develop into an SP reach post-effect.

[0275] When this notice image 612 is displayed, in the reach performance until the SP post-reach performance is reached, a pre-result display performance that assumes development is executed, unlike when the notice image 612 is not displayed (Fig. 30). That is, the teasing performance image 603g shown in Fig. 41(a3) to (a4) is a content in which a character plants and ignites bombs on both the first stop symbol candidate (here, "7") that will constitute a jackpot performance mode (i.e., the same as the reach symbol) and the second stop symbol candidate (here, "6") that will constitute a loss performance mode (i.e., different from the reach symbol).

[0276] When the teasing period ends, the teasing effect image 603g becomes static at that point (Fig. 41(a4)), and the static state of the teasing effect image 603g is maintained during the subsequent charge period. Then, when the charge period ends and the result display period begins, the development result display starts by connecting from the teasing effect image 603g that was paused. In this development effect, both the first and second candidate stop symbols, "7" and "6," are simultaneously exploded (Fig. 41(b1)), and then a development notification image 604a such as "Development," which indicates development to an SP reach, is displayed (Fig. 41(b2)). Note that the content of the development result display may be the same as when the preview image 612 is not displayed (Fig. 30) (i.e., common effect data is used).

[0277] As explained above, by varying the content of the pre-result display performance depending on whether or not a development preview performance appears, which indicates that the game will develop to a specified (next) reach performance, it is possible to execute a more appropriate pre-result display performance depending on whether or not it is clear that the game will develop to a specified reach performance.

[0278] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, although the first to third embodiments and the fourth to eleventh embodiments are embodied as completely different gaming machines, it goes without saying that the former and the latter can be embodied as the same gaming machine by appropriately combining them. For example, the gaming machines according to the first to third embodiments can be configured to perform effects similar to those of the gaming machines according to the fourth to eleventh embodiments. In this case, the two gaming machines can be appropriately adapted to take into account their differences, such as by changing the board movable body 67a shown in FIG. 5 to a configuration similar to that of the movable body 531 decorated with the "Kappa Legend" design shown in FIG. 26.

[0279] In the first to third embodiments, the opening angle of the front frame 3 increases in the order of the first to fifth opening states, but this is not limited to this. For example, the opening angle may be approximately the same in any two or more of the first to fifth opening states, or the opening angle in the first opening state may be greater than the opening angle in the second opening state, and the order of the first to fifth opening states and the order of the corresponding opening angles do not have to match.

[0280] In the first to third embodiments, an example is shown in which the opening angle of the front frame 3 is an acute angle (hereinafter referred to as the first condition) and the protrusion is positioned further left-right inward than the first hinge 4 (and outer frame 2) (hereinafter referred to as the second condition) in all of the first to fifth opening states, but it is also possible to configure the device so that only one of the first and second conditions is satisfied and the other is not satisfied for at least one of the first to fifth opening states.

[0281] If operating means (hereinafter referred to as other operating means) other than the above-mentioned RAM clear switch 107, power switch 128, error reset button 142, etc. are provided on the back side of the front frame 3, or if display means (hereinafter referred to as other display means) other than the error display means 141, etc. are provided, these operating means and display means should also be positioned near the opening and closing ends in the left-right direction on the front frame 3, for example, near the opening and closing ends, and when the front frame 3 is opened to a predetermined open state relative to the outer frame 2, these operating means and display means should be positioned forward of the front edge of the outer frame 2, so that they can be seen from between the outer frame 2 and the front frame 3, and the operating means should be operable, and it is desirable that the protruding portion be positioned inward in the left-right direction from the first hinge 4 (and outer frame 2).

[0282] Another possible operating means is a setting key switch (setting operating means) that is operated to set a setting value corresponding to the jackpot probability in a specification that allows the setting value to be set to one of multiple levels (e.g., six levels from Setting 1 to Setting 6). This setting key switch is provided on the main control board 101, etc., along with the RAM clear switch 107, etc., and can be switched ON / OFF by inserting a dedicated setting key into the keyhole from the outside of the main control board case 102 and rotating it. When the power switch 128 is switched from OFF to ON with the setting key switch ON and the RAM clear switch 107 ON, a setting value setting period is provided in the startup process during which the setting value can be set. During this setting value setting period, the setting value is sequentially changed by operating the RAM clear switch 107, and the changed setting value is then confirmed by switching the setting key switch OFF.

[0283] Other possible display means include specific information display means (for example, a base monitor that displays base values) that displays specific information obtained based on game results, and setting information display means that displays information related to the setting values ​​described above. These specific information display means and setting information display means are arranged on main control board 101 in a state that is visible from outside main control board case 102, for example. The specific information display means and setting information display means may be configured as a common display means.

[0284] In the first to third embodiments, the connection portion of power harness 129 to power board 123 is located near power switch 128, but the connection portion of power harness 129 may be located away from power switch 128. Furthermore, the location of the connection portion of power harness 129 is not limited to the opening / closing end side of front frame 3 on power board 123, but may be located near the lower edge side of power board 123 or on the hinge end side of front frame 3 on power board 123. In this case, first wiring path 131a will be short or will not be necessary.

[0285] Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments, an example was shown in which the RAM clear switch 107 was provided on the main control board 101, but this is not limited to this, and it may be provided on another board, for example, the payout / launch control board 125. In this case, the RAM clear switch provided on the payout / launch control board 125 may also be used as an error reset button.

[0286] As a modified example of the sixth embodiment (Figure 36), a battle-type presentation may be performed before the result of the non-winning reach presentation is displayed, and the presentation may be configured to result in either a draw or a loss, and in the event of a draw, the presentation may be developed into the next reach presentation, thereby executing a presentation that does not suggest that the pattern will become a winning presentation mode (specific mode).

[0287] In the ninth embodiment (FIG. 39), an example is shown in which the progress status notification image 608 is displayed after the first time (0.5 seconds) has elapsed since the completion of the formation of the operation target image 606 (end of the button formation period), but the progress status notification image 608 may be displayed substantially simultaneously with the completion of the formation of the operation target image 606, and the progress status notification image 608 may be displayed in a state of waiting for start during the subsequent waiting period after button formation.

[0288] In the tenth embodiment (Figure 40), an example is shown in which the presentation time of the effective operation suggestion presentation is longer than the effective operation time in the case of a strong reach presentation, and the presentation time of the effective operation suggestion presentation is shorter than the effective operation time in the case of a weak reach presentation, but the presentation time of the effective operation suggestion presentation and the effective operation time may be set to be approximately the same in either the case of a weak reach presentation or a strong reach presentation.

[0289] In the 11th embodiment (Fig. 41), even when a development notice effect appears, the effect before displaying the results of the hype and tame is executed, but when a development notice effect appears, the development result may be displayed without executing the effect before displaying the results of the hype and tame. Also, in the 11th embodiment (Fig. 41), the development notice effect is executed during normal fluctuation, but the development notice effect may be executed after a reach (for example, during an N reach effect).

[0290] Furthermore, in the eleventh embodiment (FIG. 41), an example was shown in which a development notice effect was executed during the symbol change, but the development notice effect may also be executed as a look-ahead effect executed before the start of the symbol change (target change). This look-ahead effect may be either the look-ahead continuous effect or the look-ahead pending change effect described above. When the look-ahead continuous effect is used as a development notice effect, it is possible to use a "snow" background image for multiple symbol changes leading up to the target change, provided that a look-ahead determination result indicates that the target change will be an SP reach change pattern. Furthermore, when the look-ahead pending change effect is used as a development notice effect, it is possible to use a specific image such as "● (red circle)" as the pending display image corresponding to the target change, provided that a look-ahead determination result indicates that the target change will be an SP reach change pattern.

[0291] The fifth to eleventh embodiments are each a partial modification of the fourth embodiment, but two or more of the fifth to eleventh embodiments may be combined as appropriate. Also, two or more of the first to eleventh embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

[0292] Although the embodiment shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko machine, it can also be applied to various gaming machines such as slot machines, arrange ball machines, mahjong ball gaming machines, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0293] 2 Outer frame 3 Front frame 4 First hinge (hinge part) 5 Locking means 5a Keyhole 39 Firing Handle 107 RAM clear switch (RAM clear operation part) 128 Power switch (power control section) 538 Production pattern display means (pattern display means) 542 Performance control board (performance control means) 564a Jackpot determination means (lottery means)

Claims

[Claim 1] a lottery means for drawing lots to determine whether or not to award a benefit to a player; a symbol display means for variably displaying symbols based on the result of the lottery by the lottery means and for stopping the symbols in a specific manner when the benefit is awarded; a performance control means for executing a performance relating to the lottery result in accordance with one of a plurality of variation patterns together with the variation display by the symbol display means; An outer frame that can be fixed to the game island equipment; a front frame disposed on a front side of the outer frame with a rear portion thereof inserted into the outer frame; a power supply operation unit and a RAM clear operation unit disposed on the rear side of the front frame; A launch handle is provided on the front side of the front frame and is capable of launching game balls. The plurality of types of variation patterns include a reach variation pattern in which, after the symbol reaches a reach state, one or more stages of reach performance are performed, and a result is displayed in the final reach performance, The reach fluctuation pattern is configured so that the reliability of the specific pattern increases as the reach performance stage progresses, the front frame is attached to the outer frame in a state in which it can rotate about a hinge portion at one end in the left-right direction, and when in a closed state in which the rotation angle relative to the outer frame is 0°, it can be locked to the outer frame by a locking means having a keyhole near an opening / closing end at the other end in the left-right direction of the front frame, The front frame has a protruding portion that protrudes forward of the firing handle, With the RAM clear operation unit turned on, by switching the power operation unit from power off to power on, it is possible to start up the game while erasing the game information stored in the RAM when the power was off. In gaming machines, The reach effects include a weak reach effect and a strong reach effect that can appear later than the weak reach effect, Among the reach variation patterns, in a reach failure variation pattern corresponding to a failure variation in which the symbol does not become the specific mode, the result display time is configured to be longer when the final reach performance is the strong reach performance than when the final reach performance is the weak reach performance, the power supply operation unit and the RAM clear operation unit are disposed at positions near the opening and closing ends in the left-right direction of the front frame, When the front frame is opened relative to the outer frame to a first open state, the power supply operation unit and the RAM clear operation unit are visible between the outer frame and the front frame; In the first open state, the power supply operation unit and the RAM clear operation unit are located forward of the front edge of the outer frame, and the entire protrusion is located inward of the hinge unit in the left-right direction. A gaming machine characterized by:

Images