Game machine

Abstract

To execute a more improved image performance control, and execute a more effective performance by visually emphasizing a specific scene and its switching.SOLUTION: A game machine includes image control means for issuing a display list that specifies the display content and image generation means that operates on the basis of the display list and can generate still image / moving image data in a frame buffer. The image generation means can execute all or part of multiple processing including acquisition processing that can acquire vertex data, primitive processing that generates primitives on the basis of the vertex data, and image generation processing that generates image data required for the frame buffer. In a character information display performance that dynamically displays character information, a first / second dynamic display performance that dynamically displays character information at a first / second change speed can be executed, specific display processing that displays character information in a specific display mode is executed during the second dynamic display performance, and the specific display processing is not executed during the first dynamic display performance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Gaming machines such as pachinko machines are capable of executing various effects, mainly image displays on image display means such as liquid crystal display means, depending on the game status. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-030912 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this type of gaming machine, various animation images are displayed on the image display means, and in many cases, these animation images display various text information in addition to images of characters, etc. This text information is not just a presentation image, but also serves to notify the player of information, so the question is how to display it in a way that ensures visibility while enhancing the presentation effect together with other images. Thus, further advances in image presentation and improvements in image presentation control are desired. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a gaming machine that is capable of executing improved image presentation control and that can further enhance the presentation effect of text information displayed on the image display means, together with other images. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention relates to a gaming machine that has an image control means that issues a display list that specifies the display content to be displayed on the image display means, and an image generation means that is configured to operate based on the display list and generate two-dimensional or three-dimensional still image data and / or video image data in a predetermined frame buffer, and that is capable of executing effects that include image display on the image display means, wherein the image generation means is configured to be able to execute all or some of a plurality of steps, including an acquisition step that can acquire vertex data corresponding to the image contour, a primitive step that generates appropriate primitives based on the vertex data, and an image generation step that generates image data required for the frame buffer, and the effects include a character information display effect that dynamically displays character information, and the character information display effect can execute a first dynamic display effect that dynamically displays the character information at a first change rate and a second dynamic display effect that dynamically displays the character information at a second change rate different from the first change rate, and during the second dynamic display effect, a specific display process is executed to display the character information in a specific display mode, and during the first dynamic display effect, the specific display process is not executed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform smooth and appropriate image control operations, and it is possible to further enhance the dramatic effect of the character information displayed on the image display means together with other images. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a pachinko machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a front view showing the gaming area of ​​the gaming machine of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall circuit configuration of the gaming machine of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates the internal configuration of the performance interface board, performance control board, and liquid crystal interface board. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram illustrating a composite chip including its associated circuit elements. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram illustrating an index space and a virtual drawing space. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating a display circuit. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of a data transfer circuit. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram for explaining the transfer operation of a display list and a voice command list. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram illustrating a filter process based on a display list. [Figure 11] 1 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for playing back IPB streaming video. [Figure 12] 1 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of an audio processing unit and a control procedure. [Figure 13] 10 is a diagram illustrating a drawing pipeline process of a drawing circuit. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a process diagram illustrating various rendering modes that utilize all or part of the rendering pipeline steps. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the control operation of a performance control CPU that does not include a preload operation. [Figure 16] 16 is a flowchart illustrating a part of FIG. 15. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the control operation of the performance control CPU, including the preload operation. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a performance display by a display device. [Figure 19] An explanatory diagram showing the fluctuations of mini patterns. [Figure 20] This is a diagram showing the types of preview effects and the settings for the probability of winning a jackpot. [Figure 21] A diagram showing the overall structure of the step-up preview performance. [Figure 22] This is a diagram showing the types of the third and fifth second half effects of the step-up preview effect. [Figure 23] A diagram showing an overview of a specific example of a step-up preview performance. [Figure 24]This is a diagram (part 1) showing details of the image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO11 to the end of high-brightness effect WO12 and the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of step-up preview effects. [Figure 25] This is a diagram (part 2) showing details of the image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO11 to the end of high-brightness effect WO12 and the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of step-up preview effects. [Figure 26] This is a diagram (part 3) showing details of the image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO11 to the end of high-brightness effect WO12 and the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of step-up preview effects. [Figure 27] A diagram showing the types of presentation modes of reach preview presentations. [Figure 28] A figure showing an overview of a specific example of a reach preview performance. [Figure 29] This is a diagram (part 1) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO21 to the transition to a decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of reach-notice effects. [Figure 30] This is a diagram (part 2) showing details of the image changes during the period from the start of the high-brightness effect WO21 to the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of reach-notice effects. [Figure 31] This is a diagram (part 3) showing details of the image changes during the period from the start of the high-brightness effect WO21 to the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of reach-notice effects. [Figure 32] A diagram showing an overview of a specific example of button preview performance 1. [Figure 33] This figure shows details of the image changes in button introduction performance BA0, a specific example of button preview performance 1. [Figure 34] This figure shows details of the image changes in high-brightness effect WO31, a specific example of button preview effect 1. [Figure 35] This is a diagram showing details of the image change from high brightness effect WO32 to high brightness effect WO33, a specific example of button preview effect 1. [Figure 36] This is a diagram showing the types and contents of dialogue preview performance 1, dialogue content and display color, and character type. [Figure 37] This is a diagram showing an overview of a specific example of dialogue preview performance 1. [Figure 38] 10 is a diagram (part 1) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO41 to the end of high-brightness effect WO42 in a specific example of dialogue preview effect 1. FIG. [Figure 39] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO41 to the end of high-brightness effect WO42, among specific examples of dialogue preview effect 1. [Figure 40] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 3) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO41 to the end of high-brightness effect WO42 in a specific example of dialogue preview effect 1. [Figure 41] A diagram showing an overview of a specific example of a pseudo-consecutive preview performance. [Figure 42] This figure shows details of the image changes during the period from the first pseudo-consecutive first half performance PF1A through the high brightness performance WO51 to the start of the first pseudo-consecutive second half performance PF1B, among specific examples of pseudo-consecutive preview performances. [Figure 43] This figure shows details of the image changes during the period from the second pseudo-consecutive first half performance PF2A through the high brightness performance WO52 to the start of the second pseudo-consecutive second half performance PF2B, among specific examples of pseudo-consecutive preview performances. [Figure 44] A diagram showing an overview of a specific example of button preview performance 2. [Figure 45] This is a diagram (part 1) showing details of the image changes in the button teasing performance BB1, one of the specific examples of the button preview performance 2. [Figure 46] This is a diagram (part 2) showing details of the image changes in the button teasing effect BB1, one of the specific examples of the button preview effect 2. [Figure 47] This is a diagram (part 3) showing details of the image changes in the button teasing performance BB1, one of the specific examples of button preview performance 2. [Figure 48]A diagram showing the types of presentation modes for interruption notice presentations. [Figure 49] A diagram showing an overview of a specific example of an interruption notice effect. [Figure 50] 10 is a diagram (part 1) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO71 to the end of high-brightness effect WO73, among specific examples of interrupt notice effects. [Figure 51] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 2) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO71 to the end of high-brightness effect WO73, among specific examples of interrupt notice effects. [Figure 52] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 3) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO71 to the end of high-brightness effect WO73, among specific examples of interrupt notice effects. [Figure 53] A diagram showing an overview of a specific example of dialogue preview performance 2. [Figure 54] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 1) showing details of image changes during the period from character appearance performance SB1 to line output performance SB3, among specific examples of line preview performance 2. [Figure 55] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing details of image changes during the period from character appearance performance SB1 to line output performance SB3, among specific examples of line preview performance 2. [Figure 56] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a specific example of a reliability suggestion effect. [Figure 57] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 1) showing details of image changes during the period from the first character string start effect PR1 to the second line output effect PR4, among specific examples of reliability suggestion effects. [Figure 58] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 2) showing details of image changes during the period from the first character string start effect PR1 to the second line output effect PR4, among specific examples of reliability suggestion effects. [Figure 59] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a specific example of a reach title display effect. [Figure 60] This figure shows details of image changes during the period from the title display start performance TS1 to the title notification performance TS, among specific examples of reach title display performances. [Figure 61] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a specific example of an operation presentation. [Figure 62] This figure shows details of image changes during the period from operation display start presentation BC1 to operation prompt presentation BC2, among specific examples of operation presentations. [Figure 63] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an overview of a specific example of a reach development effect. [Figure 64] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 1) showing details of image changes during the period of high-brightness effect WOB1, among specific examples of reach development effects. [Figure 65] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 2) showing details of image changes during the period of high-brightness effect WOB1, among specific examples of reach development effects. [Figure 66] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 3) showing details of image changes during the period of high-brightness effect WOB1, among specific examples of reach development effects. [Figure 67] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a high-brightness image. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the following embodiments. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pachinko machine GM according to this embodiment. This pachinko machine GM is composed of a rectangular wooden outer frame 1 that is detachably attached to an island structure, and an inner frame 3 that is pivotally attached so as to be able to open and close via hinges 2 fixed to the outer frame 1. A game board 5 is detachably attached to the inner frame 3 from the front side, not the back side, and a glass door 6 and a front panel 7 are pivotally attached to the front side so as to be able to open and close. In this specification, the glass door 6 and the front panel 7 are collectively referred to as the "front door member." The inner frame 3 to which the front door member (glass door 6 and front panel 7) is pivotally attached may also be referred to as the "game frame."

[0009] Illuminated lamps such as LED lamps are arranged around the periphery of the glass door 6. Meanwhile, a total of three speakers are arranged on the upper left and right positions and on the lower side of the glass door 6. The two upper speakers output audio for the left and right channels R and L, respectively, and the lower speaker is configured to output low frequencies.

[0010] An upper tray 8 for storing game balls to be launched is attached to the front panel 7, and a lower tray 9 for storing game balls that have spilled over or been removed from the upper tray 8, and a launch handle 10 are provided at the bottom of the inner frame 3. The launch handle 10 is linked to a launch motor, and the game balls are launched by a striking hammer that operates according to the rotation angle of the launch handle 10.

[0011] A chance button 11 is provided on the outer periphery of the upper tray 8. This chance button 11 is provided in a position where it can be operated by the player's left hand, and the player can operate the chance button 11 without taking his / her right hand off the launch handle 10. This chance button 11 is normally inactive, but when the game state is in the button chance state, a built-in lamp lights up and the button becomes operable. The button chance state is a game state that is set as needed.

[0012] In addition, a rotary switch-type volume switch VLSW is located below the chance button 11, and by operating the volume switch VLSW, the player can adjust the speaker volume in eight stages, from silent (=0) to the highest level (=7). The speaker volume is initially set by a setting switch (not shown) that can only be operated by an attendant, and the initial setting volume is maintained unless the player operates the volume switch VLSW. In addition, the abnormality alert sound that notifies the occurrence of an abnormal situation is emitted at the maximum volume, regardless of the volume initially set by the attendant or the volume set by the player.

[0013] On the right side of the upper tray 8, there is provided an operation panel 12 for operating the ball lending operation for the card-type ball lending machine, which is provided with a degree display section that displays the remaining balance on the card in three digits, a ball lending switch that commands the lending of game balls for a specified amount, and a return switch that commands the return of the card when the game ends.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, a guide rail 13 consisting of an outer and inner metal rail is provided in a ring shape on the surface of the game board 5, and a central opening HO is provided in approximately the center of the guide rail 13. A movable effect body (not shown) is stored in a concealed state below the central opening HO, and during the movable preview effect, the movable effect body rises and becomes exposed, thereby realizing a preview effect with a predetermined reliability. Here, the preview effect is an effect that uncertainly notifies the player that a favorable jackpot state will occur, and the reliability of the preview effect means the probability that the jackpot state will occur.

[0015] A display device (image display means) DS consisting of a large (for example, 1280 horizontal x 1024 vertical pixels) liquid crystal color display is disposed in the central opening HO. The display device DS is composed of a main liquid crystal display section MONI and an LED backlight section BL, and is a device that variably displays specific symbols (decorative symbols 164 described below) related to the jackpot state, as well as animated background images and various characters. This display device DS has special symbol display sections Da-Dc in the center and a normal symbol display section 19 in the upper right corner. The special symbol display sections Da-Dc may execute reach effects that raise expectations of the jackpot state, and appropriate preview effects are executed in and around the special symbol display sections Da-Dc.

[0016] The game area where the game balls fall and move is provided with a first symbol start opening 15a, a second symbol start opening 15b, a first big prize opening 16a, a second big prize opening 16b, a normal prize opening 17, and a gate 18. Each of these winning openings 15 to 18 has a detection switch inside, so that it can detect the passage of the game balls.

[0017] Above the first symbol start opening 15a, there is arranged a performance stage 14 configured so that a gaming ball that has entered from the introduction opening IN can move in a seesaw or roulette shape and then enter the first symbol start opening 15. When a gaming ball enters the first symbol start opening 15a, the special symbol display sections Da to Dc are configured to start varying.

[0018] The second pattern starting port 15b is configured to be opened and closed by an electric tulip equipped with a pair of opening and closing claws on the left and right, and when the stopped pattern after the normal pattern display section 19 changes displays a winning pattern, the opening and closing claws are opened for a predetermined time or until a predetermined number of game balls are detected.

[0019] The normal symbol display unit 19 displays normal symbols, and when a gaming ball that has passed through the gate 18 is detected, the normal symbol changes for a predetermined period of time and stops by displaying a stopping symbol determined by a random number value for lottery that is extracted at the time the gaming ball passes through the gate 18.

[0020] The first large prize opening 16a is configured with a slide plate that moves back and forth, and the second large prize opening 16b is configured with an opening / closing plate whose lower end is supported by a shaft and opens forward. The operation of the first large prize opening 16a and the second large prize opening 16b is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the first large prize opening 16a is configured to correspond to the first symbol starting opening 15a, and the second large prize opening 16b is configured to correspond to the second symbol starting opening 15b.

[0021] In other words, when a game ball enters the first pattern start port 15a, the special pattern display sections Da to Dc begin to change, and then when a predetermined jackpot pattern is aligned in the special pattern display sections Da to Dc, a special game representing the first jackpot begins, and the slide plate of the first jackpot entry port 16a opens forward, making it easier for the game ball to enter.

[0022] On the other hand, as a result of the varying operation initiated by the entry of a gaming ball into the second symbol start opening 15b, when a predetermined jackpot symbol is aligned in the special symbol display sections Da to Dc, a special game representing a second jackpot is initiated, and the opening and closing plate of the second large winning opening 16b is opened to facilitate the entry of the gaming ball. The gaming value of the special game (jackpot state) varies depending on the aligned jackpot symbols, etc., but which gaming value is awarded is determined in advance based on the result of a lottery according to the timing of the entry of the gaming ball.

[0023] In a typical jackpot state, after the opening / closing plate of the jackpot opening 16 is opened, the opening / closing plate closes after a predetermined time has elapsed or when a predetermined number of game balls (for example, 10 balls) have entered. This operation may continue up to, for example, 15 times, and is controlled to be advantageous to the player. If the stopped symbol after the change of the special symbol display sections Da to Dc is a specific symbol among the special symbols, a special benefit is given in which the game after the special game ends will be in a high probability state (probability variable state).

[0024] Fig. 3(a) is a block diagram showing the overall circuit configuration of the pachinko machine GM that realizes the above-mentioned operations. Fig. 3(b) is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration of the power supply monitor unit MNT arranged on the payout control board 25. As shown in Figure 3(a), this pachinko machine GM is mainly composed of a power supply board 20 that receives AC 24V and outputs various DC voltages (35V, 12V, 5V) together with AC 24V, a main control board 21 that is responsible for central and overall game control operations, a presentation interface board 22 that is equipped with a digital amplifier 29 for sound presentation, etc., a presentation control board 23 that executes lamp presentations, sound presentations, and image presentations in a unified manner based on control commands CMD received from the main control board 21, a liquid crystal interface board 24 located between the presentation control board 23 and the display device DS, a payout control board 25 that controls the payout motor M based on control commands CMD' received from the main control board 21 to pay out game balls, and a launch control board 26 that launches game balls in response to player operations.

[0025] Figure 4 is a slightly more detailed illustration of a portion of Figure 3(a), and shows the internal configuration of the performance interface board 22, performance control board 23, and LCD interface board 24. As shown in Figures 4 and 3(a), the performance interface board 22, performance control board 23, and LCD interface board 24 are directly connected via male and female connectors without using wiring cables. This makes it possible to minimize the storage space for the entire board even if the circuit configuration of each electronic circuit is made complex and advanced, and by shortening the connection lines, noise resistance can be improved.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3(a), the control command CMD' output by the main control board 21 is transmitted to the dispensing control board 25. On the other hand, the control command CMD output by the main control board 21 is transmitted to the performance control board 23 via the performance interface board 22. Here, the control commands CMD and CMD' are both 16 bits long, but are sent in parallel twice, each 8 bits long.

[0027] The main control board 21 and the payout control board 25 are equipped with computer circuits including a one-chip microcomputer. Furthermore, the performance control board 23 is equipped with a composite chip 50 incorporating computer circuits such as an integrated performance circuit (image generation means) 52 and an internal CPU circuit (image control means) 51. Therefore, in this specification, the main control unit 21, the performance control unit 23, and the payout control unit 25 are sometimes functionally collectively referred to as the control boards 21, 25, and 23, the circuits mounted on the performance interface board 22, and the LCD interface board 24, and the operations realized by these circuits. Furthermore, the performance control unit 23 and the payout control unit 25 are sub-control units relative to the main control unit 21.

[0028] This pachinko machine GM is broadly divided into a frame side member GM1 surrounded by a dashed line in Figure 3(a) and a board side member GM2 fixed to the back of the game board 5. The frame side member GM1 includes an inner frame 3 to which a glass door 6 and a front panel 7 are pivotally attached, and an outer wooden frame 1 outside of that, and is installed in a fixed position in the game hall for a long period of time regardless of changes in the model. On the other hand, the board side member GM2 is replaced in response to a model change, and a new board side member GM2 is attached to the frame side member GM1 in place of the original board side member. All parts except the frame side member GM1 are board side members GM2.

[0029] As shown in the dashed-line frame in Figure 3(a), the frame-side member GM1 includes a power supply board 20, a backup power supply board 33, a payout control board 25, a launch control board 26, a frame relay board 36, and a motor / lamp drive board 37, and these circuit boards are each fixed in appropriate locations on the inner frame 3. Meanwhile, a main control board 21 and a performance control board 23 are fixed to the back of the gaming board 5, along with a display device DS and other circuit boards. The frame-side member GM1 and the board-side member GM2 are electrically connected by centralized connectors C1 to C3, which are centrally located in one place.

[0030] The power supply board 20 generates three types of DC voltages (35V, 12V, 5V) based on the AC voltage AC24V distributed from the gaming hall, and distributes each DC voltage to the performance interface board 22 via the centralized connection connector C2. The three types of DC voltages (35V, 12V, 5V) are distributed to the payout control board 25 together with the AC voltage AC24V. The DC voltages (35V, 12V, 5V) distributed to the payout control board 25 are then distributed to the main control board 21 together with the backup power supply BAK via the centralized connection connector C1.

[0031] The DC 35V is used to drive the ball-feeding solenoid and launch solenoid involved in the launching of gaming balls, and to drive the electromagnetic solenoids that open and close the electric tulip (variable winning device) and the large winning slot 16. The DC 12V is used to drive the LED lamps and motors controlled by each control board, and as the power supply voltage for the digital amplifier, while the DC 5V is used as the power supply voltage for the one-chip microcomputers on the payout control board 25 and main control board 21, and for the logic elements mounted on each control board. The DC 5V is stepped down by the DC / DC converters on the performance interface board 22 and performance control board 23, and the stepped down voltages at various levels are then used as the power supply voltage for various computer circuits (such as the composite chip 50).

[0032] The backup power supply BAK is a DC 5V power supply for maintaining the data in the built-in RAM of the one-chip microcomputer of the main control unit 21 and the payout control unit 25 after the power is cut off, and is realized by, for example, an electric double layer capacitor. In this embodiment, a dedicated backup power supply board 33 is provided, and the electric double layer capacitor arranged on the backup power supply board 33 is configured to be charged by the DC voltage of 5V received from the payout control board 25 during game operation.

[0033] On the other hand, after the power is cut off, the backup power supply BAK retains the data in the built-in RAM of the one-chip microcomputer of the main control unit 21 and the payout control unit 25, so that the main control unit 21 and the payout control unit 25 can resume the gaming operation before the power was cut off after the power is turned on. The backup power supply board 33 is equipped with an electric double layer capacitor that can retain the memory contents of the built-in RAM of each one-chip microcomputer for at least several days.

[0034] In this embodiment, the power supply abnormality signal ABN, which indicates an abnormal drop in the AC voltage AC24V, is generated in the power supply monitor unit MNT of the dispensing control board 25, not in the power supply board 20. As shown in FIG. 3(b), the power supply monitor unit MNT includes a full-wave rectifier circuit that rectifies the AC24V received from the power supply board 20, a photodiode D that receives the output of the full-wave rectifier circuit and emits light, a phototransistor TR that is powered by the DC voltage of 5V received from the power supply board 20 and turns ON based on the light emitted by the photodiode D, and an output unit that outputs an H-level detection signal ABN (power supply abnormality signal) based on the ON state of the phototransistor TR. The photodiode D and the phototransistor TR form a photocoupler PH.

[0035] In the above configuration, after power is turned on, the photocoupler PH quickly switches to the ON state, causing the power supply abnormality signal ABN to go to a normal level (H). However, if the AC power subsequently drops abnormally for some reason (normally due to a power outage), the photocoupler PH switches to the OFF state, causing the power supply abnormality signal ABN to go to an abnormal level (L). This power supply abnormality signal ABN is transmitted to the one-chip microcomputer on the payout control board 25 and also to the one-chip microcomputer on the main control board 21 via the centralized connection connector C1. Therefore, each one-chip microcomputer that receives the abnormal-level power supply abnormality signal ABN executes a backup process to store necessary information in its own internal RAM. As explained above, the information in the internal RAM is maintained by the backup power supply BAK, allowing game operation to resume as it was before the power was turned off after power is turned on.

[0036] As shown in Figures 3(a) and 4, the performance interface board 22 is equipped with a reset circuit RST3 and a digital amplifier 29 (AMP), the performance control board 23 is equipped with a composite chip 50 that has built-in computer circuits such as a general performance circuit 52 and an internal CPU circuit 51, and the LCD interface board 24 is equipped with a clock circuit 38 (RTC), a performance data memory 39 (SRAM) that stores performance data, and a power supply control circuit SPY.

[0037] In this embodiment, the integrated effect circuit 52 built into the composite chip 50 includes a video display processor (VDP), an audio processor (SND), a motor controller MT_CTL, and a lamp controller L_CTL. Based on control from the built-in CPU circuit 51, the integrated effect circuit 52 operates intermittently with an operating period δ (= 1 / 30 seconds) to execute image effects using the display device DS, audio effects that drive speakers via the digital amplifier 29, motor effects that rotate effect motors M1 to Mn to move props, and lamp effects that flash LED lamps, etc. In the following description, the built-in CPU circuit 51 may be abbreviated as the CPU circuit 51.

[0038] When power is turned on, the reset circuit RST3 generates a power reset signal based on the rise in the power supply voltage of 5V received from the power supply circuit 20, and resets the power supply to the internal circuits and other electronic elements of the composite chip 50. As explained above, the internal circuits of the composite chip 50 include a video display processor (VDP) and an audio processor (SND), and the power reset signal is nothing more than the system reset signal SYS of the composite chip 50, and synchronously resets the power supply to the CPU circuit 51 and the overall performance circuit 52.

[0039] In this embodiment, while the system reset signal SYS is asserted low, all internal circuits are uniformly initialized and default values ​​are set in the performance control register RGij of the composite chip 50. After that, when the system reset signal SYS transitions to high level, the boot program is started and the necessary initial setting operations are performed on the performance control register RGij. On the other hand, if the DC voltage drops to 5V (usually when the power is cut off), the system reset signal SYS drops to low level, and the CPU circuit 51 and the overall performance circuit 52 of the performance control board 23 are put into a stopped state.

[0040] As will be described later, this embodiment is configured so that the system reset signal SYS does not change even when the WDT (Watch Dog Timer) circuit 58 is activated, and so not all internal circuits are initialized uniformly even in the event of an abnormality that activates the WDT 58. In other words, this embodiment is configured so that predetermined internal circuits that are arbitrarily selected are initialized.

[0041] Next, the clock circuit 38 and effect data memory 39 mounted on the liquid crystal interface board 24 are driven by a secondary battery (not shown), and this secondary battery is charged appropriately during game operation by the power supply voltage from the power supply board 20. Therefore, even after the power is cut off, the timekeeping operation of the clock circuit 38 continues, and the game performance information stored in the effect data memory 39 is permanently stored and held (non-volatile).

[0042] The clock circuit 38 is configured to be able to output an interrupt signal (RTC interrupt) to the CPU circuit 51. This RTC interrupt includes an alarm interrupt that can specify the date, day of the week, hour, minute, and second, and a timer interrupt that is activated after a predetermined time has elapsed, but in this embodiment, an alarm interrupt IRQ_RTC is used that updates the daily gaming performance information at the end of business each day.

[0043] As shown in Figure 3(a), the main control unit 21 and the dispensing control board 25 are each equipped with reset circuits RST1 and RST2, and are configured so that when the power is turned on, a power reset signal is generated and the power to each computer circuit is reset. In this way, in this embodiment, the main control unit 21, the dispensing control unit 25, and the performance interface board 22 are each equipped with reset circuits RST1 to RST3, and for example, a system reset signal generated by the power supply board 20 is not transmitted between circuit boards. In other words, since there is no wiring cable to transmit the system reset signal, the risk of the computer circuit being abnormally reset by noise superimposed on the wiring cable is eliminated.

[0044] However, the reset circuits RST1 and RST2 provided in the main control unit 21 and the dispensing control unit 25 each incorporate a watchdog timer, and if they do not receive a regular clear pulse from the CPU of each control unit 21, 25, the CPU is forcibly reset. The main control unit 21 is also provided with an initialization switch SW that can be operated by an attendant, and is configured to output a RAM clear signal CLR indicating whether the initialization switch SW has been turned ON when the power is turned on. This RAM clear signal CLR is transmitted to the one-chip microcomputers of the main control unit 21 and the dispensing control unit 25, and determines whether or not to initialize the entire RAM area of ​​the one-chip microcomputer of each control unit 21, 25.

[0045] As shown in Figure 3(a), the main control unit 21 receives from the payout control unit 25 a prize ball count signal indicating the payout operation of game balls, a status signal CON relating to abnormalities in the payout operation, and an operation start signal BGN. The status signal CON includes, for example, a supply shortage signal, a payout shortage error signal, and a lower tray full signal. The operation start signal BGN is a signal that notifies the main control unit 21 that the initial operation of the payout control unit 25 has been completed after power is turned on.

[0046] The main control unit 21 also receives switch signals from the detection switches built into each winning slot 16-18 on the gaming board, while driving solenoids such as electric tulips. The solenoids and detection switches are configured to operate on the power supply voltage VB (12V) distributed from the main control unit 21. Furthermore, each switch signal indicating the winning status of the symbol start slot 15 is converted into a TTL level or CMOS level switch signal by an interface IC that operates on the power supply voltage VB (12V) and the power supply voltage Vcc (5V), and then transmitted to the main control unit 21.

[0047] As explained above, the performance interface board 22 receives various levels of DC voltage (5V, 12V, 35V) from the power supply board 20 via the centralized connector C2 (see Figures 3(a) and 4). The 12V DC voltage is the power supply voltage for the digital amplifier 29 and is also used as a drive voltage for LED lamps and the like. The 35V DC voltage is distributed to appropriate locations in the game frame and is used as a drive voltage for solenoids that move movable objects back and forth.

[0048] Meanwhile, the 5V DC voltage is supplied as a power supply voltage to the circuit elements in various parts of the performance interface board 22, and is also supplied to the DC / DC converter DC to generate 3.3V (see Figure 4). The generated 3.3V DC voltage then becomes the base voltage for the power reset signal (system reset signal) SYS generated by the reset circuit RST3. The 5V DC voltage distributed to the performance interface board 22 is then distributed to the performance control board 23 together with the 3.3V generated by the DC / DC converter DC. The 3.3V DC voltage distributed to the performance control board 23 is then supplied as a power supply voltage to the composite chip 50 and external ROM 55.

[0049] 4, two DC / DC converters DC1 and DC2 are arranged on the performance control board 23, and generate 1.5V and 1.05V based on the DC voltage of 5V supplied to each of them. Here, the DC voltage of 1.05V is the power supply voltage for the chip core of the composite chip 50, and the DC voltage of 1.5V is the power supply voltage for I / O (input / output) with the VRAM 53 and the expansion RAM 54. Therefore, the DC voltage of 1.5V is also supplied to the VRAM 53 and the expansion RAM 54 as a power supply voltage.

[0050] As shown in Figure 3(a), the performance interface board 22 receives a control command CMD and a strobe signal STB from the main control unit 21 and transfers them to the performance control board 23. More specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the control command CMD and strobe signal STB are transferred to the composite chip 50 (CPU circuit 51) of the performance control board 23 via an input buffer 40. Here, the strobe signal STB is a received interrupt signal IRQ_CMD, and the performance control CPU 57 acquires the control command CMD based on an interrupt processing program (interrupt handler) that is started in response to the received interrupt signal IRQ_CMD.

[0051] 4, the input buffer 44 of the performance interface board 22 receives switch signals from the chance button 11 and the volume switch VLSW from the frame relay board 36, and transmits each switch signal to the CPU circuit 51 of the performance control board 23. Specifically, it transmits to the CPU circuit 51 a 3-bit length of the encoder output indicating the contact position (0 to 7) of the volume switch VLSW, and a 1-bit length indicating the ON / OFF state of the chance button 11.

[0052] Furthermore, the performance interface board 22 is connected to the lamp drive board 30 and the motor lamp drive board 31, and is also connected to the lamp drive board 37 via the frame relay board 36. As shown in the figure, an output buffer 42 is arranged corresponding to the lamp drive board 30, and an input buffer 43a and an output buffer 43b are arranged corresponding to the motor lamp drive board 31. For convenience, in FIG. 4, the input buffer 43a and the output buffer 43b are collectively referred to as the input / output buffer 43. The input buffer 43a receives outputs SN0 to SNn from origin sensors that grasp the current positions of the movable performance objects (the rotational positions of the performance motors M1 to Mn), and transmits these to the motor control unit MT_CTL of the performance control board 23.

[0053] The lamp drive board 30, motor lamp drive board 31, and lamp drive board 37 are equipped with the same type of driver IC, and the performance interface board 22 transfers to each driver IC serial signals received from the lamp control unit L_CTL and motor control unit MT_CTL of the performance control board 23. Specifically, the serial signals are lamp (motor) drive signal SDATA and clock signal CK, and the drive signal SDATA is transmitted to each driver IC in a clock synchronization system, executing lamp performances using numerous LED lamps and electric lamps, and role-play performances using performance motors M1 to Mn.

[0054] In this embodiment, the lamp effects are performed by three systems of lamp groups CH0 to CH2, and the driver IC of the lamp drive board 37 receives the lamp drive signal SDATA0 for CH0 output by the lamp control unit L_CTL in synchronization with the clock signal CK0 via the frame relay board 36. The series of lamp drive signals SDATA0 transmitted as serial signals are output from the driver IC to the lamp group CH0 at the timing when the operation control signal ENABLE0 output from the CPU circuit 51 (PIO 62) changes to the active level, thereby updating the lighting status of the lamp group CH0 all at once.

[0055] The same applies to the lamp drive board 30, and the driver IC of the lamp drive board 30 receives the lamp drive signal SDATA1 for the lamp group CH1 output from the lamp control unit L_CTL in synchronization with the clock signal CK1. Then, when the operation control signal ENABLE1 output from the CPU circuit 51 (actually, PIO 62) changes to the active level, the lighting states of the lamp group CH1 are updated all at once.

[0056] Meanwhile, the driver IC mounted on the motor lamp drive board 31 receives a lamp drive signal transmitted in clock synchronization from the motor control unit MT_CTL to drive the lamp group CH2, and also receives a motor drive signal transmitted in clock synchronization to drive the performance motor group M1-Mn, which is made up of multiple stepping motors. Because the lamp drive signal and the motor drive signal are the same type of serial signal, a series of composite serial signals SDATA2 is output from the motor control unit MT_CTL in synchronization with the clock signal CK2, and the driver IC that receives this updates the drive status of the lamp group CH2 and the motor group M1-Mn when the operation control signal ENABLE2 changes to the active level.

[0057] In this embodiment, for convenience, the motor control unit MT_CTL is in charge of the motor and lamp effects for the motor lamp drive board 31, and therefore the operation control signal ENABLE2 is also output from the motor control unit MT_CTL. Note that the lamp drive signals SDATA0 and SDATA1 for the lamp drive board 37 and the lamp drive board 30 may also be configured to be output from the motor control unit MT_CTL.

[0058] 4, the data bus and address bus of the CPU circuit 51 of the performance control unit 23 extend to the clock circuit (Real Time Clock) 38 and performance data memory 39 mounted on the liquid crystal interface board 24. The clock circuit 38 is connected to the lower 4 bits of the address bus and the lower 4 bits of the data bus of the CPU circuit 51, and is configured so that when the clock circuit 38 is chip-selected by a chip select signal, the CPU circuit 51 can arbitrarily access the internal registers (which have 4-bit address values).

[0059] In addition, the performance data memory 39 is a high-speed accessible memory element SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), and is connected to 16 bits of the address bus of the CPU circuit 51 and the lower 16 bits of the data bus.When the chip is selected, the game performance information and other data stored in the SRAM (performance data memory) 39 can be accessed by the CPU circuit 51 via R / W as appropriate.

[0060] Furthermore, a power supply control circuit SPY that controls the power supply to the display device DS and the backlight board BL is mounted on the liquid crystal interface board 24. Specifically, the power supply control circuit SPY controls the start timing of supplying power supply voltages of 12V and 5V to the display device DS and the backlight board BL using a control signal STBY, and controls the brightness of the backlight light and the start timing of light emission using a control signal PWM.

[0061] As shown on the right side of Figure 4, the performance control board 23 is equipped with a composite chip 50 that incorporates a CPU circuit 51 and an overall performance circuit 52, a VRAM 53 that is accessed via R / W at high speed from the CPU circuit 51 and the overall performance circuit 52, an expansion RAM 54 that can store large amounts of data, and an external ROM 55 that stores CG data and other data in a non-volatile manner.

[0062] The VRAM 53 is capable of high-speed access with a theoretical transfer rate of approximately 102 GB / sec and has a storage capacity of approximately 48 MB. The VRAM 53 is primarily used (1) to store reference data for the display circuit 71, drawing circuit 74, and GDEC circuit 73 (see FIG. 5(a)). It can also (2) store copies of data from the external ROM 55, and (3) be used as a work area for the CPU circuit 51.

[0063] The expansion RAM 54 can operate at a theoretical transfer rate of approximately 17.0 GB / sec, has a storage capacity of approximately 1 GB, and can be used in the same manner as the VRAM 53. That is, the expansion RAM 54 can (1) store reference data for the display circuit 71, drawing circuit 74, and GDEC circuit 73, (2) store copies of data in the external ROM 55, and (3) be used as a work area for the CPU circuit 51.

[0064] The external ROM 55 in this embodiment is a non-volatile storage device that stores a boot program that starts when the power is turned on, a control program for the CPU circuit 51 that realizes performance control, control data including lamp drive data, compressed CG data for image performance, and compressed audio data for audio performance. The storage capacity of the external ROM 55 is approximately 256 GB at maximum, but high-speed access is not possible. Therefore, in this embodiment, a portion of the data in the external ROM 55 is transferred to the expansion RAM 54 when the power is turned on. Specifically, the control program and control data that operate the CPU circuit 51 are transferred and copied from the external ROM 55 to the expansion RAM 54 by the boot program stored in the external ROM 55 when the power is turned on.

[0065] 5(a) is a circuit block diagram illustrating the composite chip 50 that constitutes the performance control unit 23, including its associated circuit elements. As shown in the figure, the composite chip 50 of the embodiment includes a CPU circuit 51 that issues a display list DL and a voice command list VC, and an overall performance circuit 52 that executes image performances based on the display list DL, executes voice performances based on the voice command list VC, and executes lamp and motor performances. The CPU circuit 51 and the overall performance circuit 52 are connected via a CPU bus unit 56 that relays data sent and received between them.

[0066] First, we will explain the CPU bus unit 56 located between the CPU circuit 51 and the overall performance circuit 52. As shown in Figure 5(a), the CPU bus unit 56 is connected to the VRAM 53, the extended RAM 54, and the external ROM 55 via the VRAM IF unit 53a, the extended RAM IF unit 54a, and the CG bus IF unit 55a. Therefore, in this embodiment, the VRAM 53, the extended RAM 54, and the external ROM 55 can be accessed not only by the overall performance circuit 52 but also by the CPU circuit 51.

[0067] The VRAMIF unit 53a, the extended RAMIF unit 54a, and the CG busIF unit 55a are connected to the VRAM 53, the extended RAM 54, and the external ROM 55 via an arbitration circuit ICM (Inter Connect Module) not shown. The arbitration circuit ICM is located between each functional block of the overall performance circuit 52 and the VRAMI / F unit 53a, the extended RAMI / F unit 54a, and the CG bus I / F unit 55a, and arbitrates data requests issued by each functional block as appropriate to establish the required connection relationships.

[0068] In any case, the CPU circuit 51 of this embodiment can access the VRAM 53, the expansion RAM 54, and the external ROM 55. However, after the CPU circuit 51 transfers and copies the control program and control data from the external ROM 55 to the expansion RAM 54 when the power is turned on, it does not access the external ROM 55. In other words, after the copy operation, the CPU circuit 51 executes control operations based on the control program and control data copied to the expansion RAM 54.

[0069] The CPU circuit 51 can read / write access various performance control registers RGij to control the internal operation of the overall performance circuit 52. The data transfer circuit 70 can also transmit and receive data between the CPU circuit 51 and the overall performance circuit 52 via the CPU bus unit 56. Data transmission from the CPU circuit 51 to the overall performance circuit 52 includes issuing a display list DL and a voice command list VC.

[0070] As shown on the right side of Figure 5(a), the overall performance circuit 52 includes (1) a data transfer circuit 70, (2) a display circuit 71, (3) a preloader 72, (4) a GDEC (Graphics Decoder) circuit 73, (5) a drawing circuit 74, (6) an image filter circuit 75, (7) an index table IDXTBL, (8) a motor control unit MT_CTL, (9) a lamp control unit L_CTL, and (10) an audio processing unit SND, and the performance control register RGij is used to enable the CPU circuit 51 to appropriately control these internal circuits of the overall performance circuit 52.

[0071] Therefore, the performance control registers RGij are broadly divided into (1) data transfer registers, (2) display registers, (3) preload registers, (4) GDEC registers, (5) drawing registers, (6) image filter registers, (7) index table registers, (8) MT_CTL registers, (9) L_CTL registers, and (10) sound registers, corresponding to the above circuits (1) to (10). A system control register is provided for overall system control (see Figure 5(b)). Note that the system control registers and the individual circuit registers (1) to (10) are actually composed of multiple further subdivided register groups.

[0072] Based on the above, we will now explain the CPU circuit 51. The CPU circuit 51 is a circuit with performance equivalent to that of a general-purpose one-chip microcomputer, and as shown on the left side of Figure 5(a), it is configured with a performance control CPU 57 that comprehensively controls image / audio / lamp / motor performances based on a control program, a watchdog timer (WDT) 58 that forcibly resets the CPU if the program goes out of control, an internal RAM 59 with a storage capacity of about 2 MB that is used as a working area for the performance control CPU 57, a DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller) 60 that realizes data transfer without going through the performance control CPU 57, a serial input / output port (SIO) 61 having multiple input ports Si and output ports So, a parallel input / output port (PIO) 62 having multiple input ports Pi and output ports Po, and an operation control register REG in which setting values ​​are set to control the internal configuration of the CPU circuit 51.

[0073] For convenience, the term "input / output port" is used in this specification, but the input / output port includes an input port and an output port that operate independently in the performance control unit 23. This also applies to the input / output circuit 64p corresponding to the parallel input / output port 62 and the input / output circuit 63s corresponding to the serial input / output port 63, which will be described below.

[0074] The parallel input / output port (PIO) 62 is connected to an external device (performance interface board 22) through an input / output circuit 64p, and the performance control CPU 57 receives the 3-bit encoder output of the volume switch VLSW, the switch signal of the chance button 11, the control command CMD, and the interrupt signal STB via the input circuit 64p. The 3-bit encoder output and the 1-bit switch signal are supplied to the parallel input / output port 62 via the input / output circuit 64p.

[0075] Similarly, the received control command CMD is supplied to the parallel input / output port 62 via the input / output circuit 64p. The strobe signal STB is supplied to the interrupt terminal of the performance control CPU 57 via the input / output circuit 64p, thereby activating the reception interrupt process. Based on the reception interrupt process, the performance control CPU 57 grasps the control command CMD and, through a performance lottery or the like, performs unified control of the audio performance, lamp performance, motor performance, and image performance corresponding to the control command CMD. The parallel input / output port 62 outputs operation control signals ENABLE0 to ENABLE1 for the lamp performance via the input / output circuit 64p.

[0076] Furthermore, the serial input / output port (SIO) 61 is configured to be able to transmit and receive serial signals via the input / output circuit 63s. Therefore, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 5(a), a clock signal CK that realizes synchronous serial transmission and a drive serial signal SDATA can also be output via the input / output circuit 63s internally connected to the serial input / output port SIO 61. However, in this embodiment, lamp / motor effects are realized using the lamp control unit L_CTL and motor control unit MT_CTL of the overall effect circuit 52 without using the serial input / output port 61.

[0077] Incidentally, a DL buffer BUF for sequentially updating and storing a display list DL in which a series of instruction commands specifying one frame of the display device DS are listed is secured in the built-in RAM 59 of the CPU circuit 51. Furthermore, this DL buffer BUF is configured by partitioning areas, and also sequentially updating and storing a voice command list VC specifying the performance contents of the voice performance.

[0078] In this embodiment, the instruction commands of the display list DL that define one frame of the display screen include (1) an index table control command (first command) related to the index table IDXTBL that manages the index space, (2) a texture load command (first command) such as a LOADTX command for reading and decoding (decompressing / expanding) image material (texture) from the external ROM 55, (3) a filter execution command (second command) that specifies the filter processing to be performed on the decompressed image data, (4) a drawing command such as a SPRITE command for placing the decoded (expanded) image material at a predetermined position in the virtual drawing space, (5) a pipeline command related to the drawing pipeline operation, and (6) an overall control command that defines the overall operation of the overall performance circuit 52, all of which are configured as an integer multiple (>0) of 32 bits.The display list DL is configured to list an appropriate number of instruction commands and then terminate with a predetermined end command EODL (32 bits long).

[0079] In addition, the voice command list VC, which specifies the operation of the voice processing unit SND that executes the voice performance, lists an appropriate number of voice commands and then concludes with a predetermined termination command EOSC (32 bits long). Here, the voice commands are roughly divided into track-related commands that specify the operation of the pre-processing unit FT shown in Fig. 12(a), master effect-related commands that specify the operation of the post-processing unit BK shown in Fig. 12(a), and other system-related commands, and all voice commands are composed of an integer multiple (>0) of 32 bits.

[0080] As will be described later, the rendering pipeline operation of this embodiment is executed using the vertex buffer VB built into the rendering circuit 74, the frame buffer FB reserved as an index space, and the depth / stencil buffer, and is configured to include an input assembler process IA, a geometry engine process TL, a rasterizer process RS, a texture sampler process TX, a texture process PS, a pixel drawing process PX, and a render process RO. The pipeline command (5) above functions as a setting command that specifies the specific operation of each process (IA, TL, RS, TX, PS, PX, RO) and the R / W position of the vertex buffer VB.

[0081] Incidentally, texture is generally a concept that refers to the feel and texture of an object's surface, but in this specification, the term texture is used to collectively refer to image data before and after decoding. For example, sprite image data that makes up a still image, frame image data that makes up one frame of video, and pasted image data that is pasted onto drawing primitives such as triangular polygons and quadrilateral polygons are also referred to as textures.

[0082] Then, (2) the texture is read from external ROM 55 and decoded by the LOADTX command, a texture load command. (5) The source image data is set to be a texture by the SETTXINDEX command, which is a texture sampler process TX command included in the pipeline commands. (4) The texture is then virtually drawn in the virtual drawing space shown in Figure 6(c) by the SPRITE command, a drawing command. The contents drawn in the virtual drawing space are output to the display device DS via the frame buffer FB, which will be described later.

[0083] The index space managed by the index table control command (1) above refers to a one-dimensional or two-dimensional memory work area (logical address space) used by the overall performance circuit 52 during drawing operations, etc. This index space is specified as a one-dimensional or two-dimensional logical address space by the index number written in the instruction command of the display list DL.

[0084] That is, in this embodiment, an index space is reserved in an appropriate location in memory (VRAM 53 and expansion RAM 54) that can be accessed as a memory work area, and this is specified by an index number. Also, the VRAM 53 and expansion RAM 54 are divided into virtual work areas (AAC area, page area, arbitrary area), and an index space can be reserved for each (see Figures 6(a) and 6(b)). Therefore, the index number becomes a unique value for each virtual work area, which simplifies texture load commands, filter execution commands, drawing commands, pipeline commands, etc.

[0085] It also allows for individual operation for each virtual work area (AAC area, page area, arbitrary area). For example, in the AAC area, index space is automatically reserved as an area for expanding decoded data, and then automatically released. Therefore, index numbers are not required in the ACC area.

[0086] Specifically, the virtual work area (AAC area, page area, arbitrary area) is defined during the initial processing after power-on, and the necessary index space is secured in the necessary virtual work area at the necessary timing thereafter. The secured index space is then linked to the index number and managed by the index table IDXTBL, thereby realizing subsequent operations based on the index number.

[0087] The relationship between the virtual work area and the actual work areas of VRAM 53 and expansion RAM 54 will be explained below. First, VRAM 53 is divided into a shared area that can be used as both an AAC area and a page area, and other optional areas. Specifically, in the initial processing after power-on, an appropriate starting address and area data size for VRAM 53 are set in the corresponding performance control register RGij, thereby securing the shared area of ​​VRAM 53. Then, areas other than the shared area secured in VRAM 53 automatically become optional areas of VRAM 53 (Figure 6(a)).

[0088] The shared area reserved in VRAM 53 can be used as both an ACC area, which does not require management of index numbers, and a page area, which requires management of index space using index numbers. Therefore, when using a shared area, you simply specify that index space is reserved in the AAC area with the SETTXINDEX command, and then specify the size and storage address of the texture (image material) with the LOADTX command, and the decompressed data of the read texture can be expanded in the index space automatically reserved in the ACC area.

[0089] Therefore, in this embodiment, taking the above-mentioned simplicity into consideration, for still images and I-stream moving images (S-stream moving images consisting only of I-pictures, which will be described later), decoded data is developed in the AAC area of ​​the VRAM 53. That is, in this embodiment, the shared area of ​​the VRAM 53 is used exclusively as an AAC area.

[0090] Next, in the initial processing after power-on, the expansion RAM 54 secures a page area in the expansion RAM 54 by setting the starting address and area data size in the expansion RAM 54 in the corresponding performance control register RGij, and the remaining area becomes an arbitrary area in the expansion RAM 54 (FIG. 6(b)). Here, the "arbitrary area" refers to an area in the expansion RAM 54 and VRAM 53 that can be used arbitrarily, and can be used not only for securing index space but also for other purposes. Therefore, in this embodiment, a preload area for pre-transferring (preloading) CG data acquired from the external ROM 55 is secured in an arbitrary area in the expansion RAM 54 (see FIG. 6(b)), and a preload buffer for storing a rewrite list DL' obtained by the preloader 72 rewriting the display list DL is secured in an arbitrary area in the VRAM 53 (see FIG. 6(a)).

[0091] In this embodiment, the control programs and control data stored in the external ROM 55 are transferred and copied to any area of ​​the extended RAM 54 when the power is turned on (see FIG. 6(b)). Of course, all or part of the control programs and control data may be transferred and copied to the VRAM 53 instead of the extended RAM 54. Furthermore, the control programs and control data are not limited to being transferred and copied, and all or part of compressed CG data and compressed audio data may also be transferred and copied to the RAMs 53 and 54.

[0092] In any case, the index space can be allocated appropriately in the extended RAM 54 and VRAM 53 in (1) the ACC area, (2) the VRAM page area, (3) the VRAM optional area, (4) the extended RAM page area, and (5) the extended RAM optional area, but in this embodiment, the shared area of ​​the VRAM 53 is used exclusively as the AAC area. However, the area allocated as a shared area in the VRAM 53 can be used as both a page area and an AAC area, so the following explanation will be based on this point.

[0093] When reserving index space in the page area of ​​the VRAM 53, it is necessary to set an index number and space size in a predetermined performance control register RGij for the VRAM. Furthermore, the index space in the page area of ​​the expansion RAM 54 is reserved by setting an index number and space size in a predetermined performance control register RGij for the expansion RAM. In this embodiment, the page area of ​​the expansion RAM 54 is used to expand video frames. In addition, in the page area, the starting address of the index space is determined appropriately based on internal processing, which is convenient as it eliminates the need to manage the starting address. In other words, when reserving index space in the page area, there is no need to worry about overlap with existing index space.

[0094] On the other hand, when a two-dimensional index space is secured in any area of ​​the VRAM 53 or any area of ​​the extended RAM 54, it is necessary to set the index number, the starting address of the index space, and the horizontal and vertical sizes of the index space in the corresponding predetermined performance control register RGij. Note that in the case of a one-dimensional index space, the vertical size is not necessary.

[0095] In this way, when an index space is allocated in an arbitrary area, the starting address and size can be set precisely, which has the advantage of allowing for efficient use of memory. Therefore, in this embodiment, the frame buffer FB, which completes one frame of image data for the display device DS, is allocated as a two-dimensional index space in an arbitrary area of ​​the VRAM 53 (see FIG. 6(a)). Of course, the frame buffer FB may also be allocated in an arbitrary area of ​​the expansion RAM 54.

[0096] The frame buffer FB allocated in any area of ​​the VRAM 53 corresponds to the drawing area of ​​the virtual drawing space that is the drawing target for drawing commands such as the SPRITE command. Figure 6(c) shows the relationship between the virtual drawing space (horizontal X direction ±8192: vertical Y direction ±8192), the drawing area that can be set arbitrarily within the virtual drawing space, and the frame buffer FB that stores image data to be output to the display device DS.

[0097] The frame buffer FB has image data for one display frame written thereto by the drawing circuit 74, while the display circuit 71 reads out the image data for one display frame. The frame buffer FB has a double buffer structure made up of a pair of index spaces, and is made up of a first buffer with index number N1 and a second buffer with index number N2.

[0098] For the display circuit 71, the first buffer and the second buffer are read-out areas for image data, and the image data in the first buffer and the second buffer are read out in sequence for each operating cycle δ by toggling the index numbers N1 / N2 based on the information embedded in a predetermined display register RGij.

[0099] On the other hand, for the drawing circuit 74, the first buffer and the second buffer are areas for writing image data, and image data is written alternately to the first buffer and the second buffer by toggling the index numbers N1 / N2 every operating period δ based on the instruction command on the display list DL.

[0100] The writing operation of the drawing circuit 74 corresponds to the reading operation of the display circuit 71, so that image data written to the first buffer in one operation cycle is read by the display circuit 71 in the next operation cycle, and in the operation cycle in which the image data in the first buffer is read, the drawing circuit 74 writes image data to the second buffer. Subsequent operations are the same, and the first buffer and second buffer are used alternately as the "writing area" and the "reading area".

[0101] In this embodiment, index spaces secured in any area of ​​the VRAM 53 or expansion RAM 54 are used as general work spaces other than the frame buffer FB and the space for expanding compressed data. These various index spaces can be secured when needed and can be released when not needed, but when an index space is secured / released, the contents of the index table IDXTBL, which stores the index space in association with the index number, are updated, enabling subsequent consistent operation.

[0102] The index space and the CPU circuit 51 have been explained above, so next, the overall performance circuit 52 will be explained.

[0103] The general effect circuit 52 includes (1) various effect control registers RGij, whose setting values ​​that define internal operations are set by the effect control CPU 57; (2) a data transfer circuit 70 that executes data transmission and reception between circuits inside and outside the chip; (3) an index table IDXTBL that manages an index space that is a working area secured in the VRAM 53 and the expansion RAM 54; (4) a preloader 72 that executes a preload operation that reads and accesses the external ROM 55 prior to a drawing operation; and (5) a GDEC (Graphics Decoder) circuit that decodes compressed data for image effects read from the external ROM 55. ) 73, (6) a drawing circuit 74 that generates one frame of image data for the display device DS in a frame buffer FB by appropriately combining decoded still image data and video data, (7) multiple display circuits 71 that read the image data generated by the drawing circuit 74 from the frame buffer FB and output it after appropriate image processing, (8) an output selection unit 76 that appropriately selects and outputs the output of the multiple display circuits 71, (9) an output unit 77 that converts the image data output by the output selection unit 76 into an LVDS signal or the like and outputs it, (10) an audio processing unit SND that executes audio effects based on the audio command list VC, (11) a motor control unit MT_CTL that executes motor effects, and (12) a lamp control unit L_CTL that executes lamp effects (see FIG. 5(a)). The audio processing unit SND includes an audio decoder that decodes compressed data for audio effects read from the external ROM 55.

[0104] The motor performance is executed based on the control operation of the performance control CPU 57, specifically, based on the set value of the predetermined performance control register RGij for the motor performance and the control data (motor drive data) copied to the expansion RAM 54. The lamp performance is also executed in the same way based on the control operation of the performance control CPU 57, specifically, based on the set value of the predetermined performance control register RGij for the lamp performance and the control data (lamp drive data) copied to the expansion RAM 54.

[0105] 5(b) illustrates the relationship between the CPU bus unit 56, CG bus IF unit 55a, extended RAM IF unit 54a, and VRAM IF unit 53a and the performance control register RGij, external ROM 55, extended RAM 54, and VRAM 53. As illustrated, the CG compressed data acquired from the external ROM 55 is supplied to the GDEC circuit 73 via the CG bus IF unit 55a and data transfer circuit 70, and the decompressed (decoded) data is expanded in a predetermined index space secured in the extended RAM 54 or VRAM 53.

[0106] As explained above, in this embodiment, an ACC area for storing still images is allocated in the VRAM 53, and a page area for storing video frames is allocated in the expansion RAM 54. Decoded data for still images and videos is then stored in a predetermined index space in the ACC area / page area. It should be noted that decompressed data of compressed CG data acquired from the external ROM 55 may also be transferred as preload data to the preload area of ​​the expansion RAM 54.

[0107] Next, the display circuit 71 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The display circuit 71 is a circuit that reads image data from the frame buffer FB in synchronization with the dot clock DCK, performs final image processing, and outputs the data. The final image processing includes, for example, scaling processing by a scaler that enlarges or reduces the image to a similar shape, subtle color correction processing, and dithering processing that minimizes quantization error of the entire image. These image processing operations are performed uniformly based on the setting values ​​of the performance control register RGij (display register). The digital RGB signal that has undergone the uniform image processing is then output together with horizontal and vertical synchronization signals.

[0108] As shown in Fig. 7, three display circuits A / B / C are provided that perform the above operations in parallel, but in this embodiment, since there is only one display device, only the frame buffer FB (=FBa) is reserved for the display circuit A. However, if frame buffers FBa to FBc are reserved, it is also possible to drive two other display devices that can perform independent image presentations.

[0109] Next, returning to Fig. 5(a), the data transfer circuit 70 will be explained. The data transfer circuit 70 is a circuit that performs data transfer operations between the internal resources of the overall performance circuit 52 and an external storage medium as the transfer source or transfer destination in a DMA (Direct Memory Access) manner. Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of this data transfer circuit 70 together with the related circuit configuration.

[0110] The transfer sources of the data transfer circuit 70 in this embodiment include the CPU address space via the CPU bus unit 56, the external ROM 55, the expansion RAM 54, and the VRAM 53, as well as the CPU register port PORT. On the other hand, the transfer destinations of the data transfer circuit 70 include the CPU register port PORT, the CPU address space, the expansion RAM 54, the VRAM 53, the checksum circuit, the drawing circuit 74, the preloader 72, and the audio processing unit SND.

[0111] Here, the CPU address space refers to a storage area accessible by the performance control CPU 57. The CPU register port PORT is a 32-bit register connected to the CPU bus unit 56, and the performance control CPU 57 can arbitrarily access it via R / W.

[0112] Furthermore, virtual work areas such as page areas and arbitrary areas are defined in the expansion RAM 54 and VRAM 53, and index spaces specified by index numbers are secured / released within these virtual work areas. Therefore, the operation of the data transfer circuit 70 is executed by referring to an index table IDXTBL that stores the relationship between the index spaces and real address spaces. The index spaces secured in the expansion RAM 54 or VRAM 53 can also be set as the data transfer source or data transfer destination of the data transfer circuit 70. Therefore, data in the frame buffer FB secured in an arbitrary area of ​​the VRAM 53 can also be transferred to the expansion RAM 54.

[0113] 8, the transfer size that the data transfer circuit 70 can transfer is 32 bits × (01h to 4000_0000h) when passing through data relay units CH0 to CH1, and 32 bits × (01h to 100_0000h) when passing through data relay units CH2 to CH4. That is, the data transfer circuit 70 of this embodiment can transfer data of any size that is an integer multiple of 32 bits, although there is a predetermined upper limit. Here, h represents a hexadecimal number, and the upper limit of the transfer size is specifically 32 × 1,073,741,824 bits when passing through data relay units CH0 to CH1, and 32 × 16,777,216 bits when passing through data relay units CH2 to CH4.

[0114] 8, the data transfer circuit 70 is configured to receive necessary data from the external ROM 55 via an arbitration circuit ICM that has a router function and arbitrates access paths, and to transmit and receive necessary data to and from the VRAM 53 and the extended RAM 54. The external ROM 55, VRAM 53, and extended RAM 54 are accessed via a CG bus IF unit 55a, a VRAM IF unit 53a, and an extended RAM IF unit 54a.

[0115] This data transfer circuit 70 is composed of a 32-bit x 130-stage CPU data FIFO (First In First Out) circuit connected to a 32-bit CPU register port PORT, and five channel data relay units CH0 to CH4. As explained above, the CPU register port PORT is configured to be R / W accessible from the performance control CPU 57.

[0116] The data relay unit CH0 is composed of a CH0 data FIFO circuit of 1024 bits x 18 stages and a checksum circuit. Each of the data relay units CH1 to CH4 is composed of a CH0 data FIFO circuit of 1024 bits x 18 stages. The data relay units CH2 to CH4 are unidirectionally connected to the drawing circuit 74, preloader 72, and audio processing unit SND.

[0117] On the other hand, the CPU data FIFO circuit and the data relay units CH0-CH1 are configured to be capable of bidirectional communication, so that a predetermined amount of data set in the data transfer register is sent and received from a predetermined transfer source set in the data transfer register to a predetermined transfer destination set in the data transfer register via the CPU data FIFO circuit or the data relay units CH0-CH1.

[0118] Regardless of which path is taken among the data relay units CH0 to CH4, the amount of data to be transferred (transfer data size) must be set in 32-bit units, as described above, and there are also certain restrictions on the start addresses of the transfer source and destination. Specifically, the start addresses of the transfer source and destination must be set in 8-bit units in the CPU address space, and in 32-bit units in the VRAM 53 and expansion RAM 54. The transfer source start address in the external ROM 55 is also set in 32-bit units.

[0119] When data passes through the data relay units CH0 to CH1, the source and / or destination of the transfer is the external ROM 55, VRAM 53, or expansion RAM 54, and when data passes through the CPU data FIFO circuit connected to the CPU register port PORT, the source or destination of the transfer is the CPU address space, which naturally includes the built-in RAM 59.

[0120] While the data relay units CH0 to CH1, which are capable of two-way communication, have been described above, data relay units CH2 to CH4 form one-way communication paths. The performance control CPU 57 can then write-access the CPU register port PORT in 32-bit units via the CPU bus unit 56, thereby transmitting the display list DL and voice command list VC in the DL buffer BUF of the internal RAM 59 to the data relay units CH2 to CH4 in one direction.

[0121] In addition, the internal RAM 59 can be selected as the data transfer source, so that data can be transferred via the data relay units CH2 to CH4 (without going through the CPU register port PORT) with the DL buffer BUF as the data transfer source and the drawing circuit 74, preloader 72, or audio processing unit SND as the data transfer destination.

[0122] In this case, the start address of the data transfer source internal RAM 59 is specified in 8-bit units, so the lower 7 bits of the start address of the DL buffer BUF must be 0. Also, regardless of whether the data is transferred via the CPU register port PORT or not, the amount of data to be transferred (data transfer size) must be set in 32-bit units.

[0123] In any case, the data relay units CH2, CH3, and CH4 are unidirectionally connected to the drawing circuit 74, the preloader 72, and the audio processing unit SND, respectively. Therefore, a display list DL of a predetermined data transfer size is transferred to the drawing circuit 74 via the data relay unit CH2, and to the preloader 72 via the data relay unit CH3. Also, a voice command list VC of a predetermined data transfer size is transferred to the audio processing unit SND via the data relay unit CH4.

[0124] As described above, in this embodiment, the transfer paths for the display list DL and the voice command list VC are (1) a first path that passes through the CPU register port PORT, and (2) a second path that does not pass through the CPU register port PORT, and either of these can be used. This is also true for other data, which have (1) a first path that passes through the CPU register port PORT and data relay units CH0 to CH4, and (2) a second path that passes only through the data relay units CH0 to CH4. The first path is used for data transfers in which the performance control CPU 57 is directly involved, and the second path is used for data transfers in which the performance control CPU 57 is not directly involved (DMA operations).

[0125] 8, the CPU data FIFO circuit receives data in 32-bit units, while the data relay units CH0 to CH4 receive data in 1024-bit units. Therefore, when the first path is used, once 1024 bits of data have accumulated in the CPU data FIFO circuit, the accumulated data will be transferred to one of the data relay units CH0 to CH4 (hereinafter referred to as a channel data FIFO).

[0126] In other words, if less than 32 levels of data are written to the CPU data FIFO circuit, no data transfer to the channel data FIFO occurs, and when the 32nd level of data is written, the 32 levels of accumulated data are transferred to the channel data FIFO, and then the data is transferred to the next destination. On the other hand, since the data transfer size is an arbitrary value that is an integer multiple of 32 bits, it is possible that the data in the CPU data FIFO circuit will end up at less than 32 levels, but when the cumulative size of the written data reaches the transfer size previously set in the data transfer register, the accumulated data of less than 32 levels will be transferred to the channel data FIFO and the next destination.

[0127] As described above, in this embodiment, the transfer size of the data transfer circuit 70 is an arbitrary value that is an integer multiple of 32 bits, regardless of whether the transfer is via the first path or the second path. The instruction commands that make up the display list DL and the voice commands that make up the voice command list VC are all configured as an integer multiple of 32 bits. Therefore, in this embodiment, there is no restriction on the number of commands in the display list DL or the voice command list VC, allowing for a free list configuration, and there is no need to adjust the total data size by adding dummy commands or the like.

[0128] 9A and 9B show the operation of transferring the display list DL to the drawing circuit 74 via the CPU register port PORT and the data relay unit CH2 (FIG. 9A), the operation of transferring the display list DL from the internal RAM 59 to the drawing circuit 74 via the data relay unit CH2 (FIG. 9B), and the operation of transferring the rewrite list DL', which is a modified display list, from the VRAM 53 to the drawing circuit 74 via the data relay unit CH2 (FIG. 9C).

[0129] Figures 9(d) and 9(e) show the operation of transferring a display list DL to the preloader 72 via the CPU register port PORT and the data relay unit CH3, and the operation of transferring a display list DL from the internal RAM 59 to the preloader 72 via the data relay unit CH3.

[0130] Also, Figures 9(f) and 9(g) show the operation of transferring the voice command list VC to the voice processing unit SND via the CPU register port PORT and the data relay unit CH4, and the operation of transferring the voice command list VC from the built-in RAM 59 to the voice processing unit SND via the data relay unit CH4.

[0131] The CPU circuit 51 starts the operations of the drawing circuit 74, preloader 72, and audio processing unit SND prior to the start of operation of the data transfer circuit 70, so that the drawing circuit 74 starts drawing operations based on the transferred display list DL. Meanwhile, the preloader 72 executes the necessary preloading operations based on the transferred display list DL. The transferred display list DL is analyzed by a display list analyzer built into the drawing circuit 74 and preloader 72, and processing is executed according to the type of instruction command. Furthermore, the audio processing unit SND starts or progresses audio performance based on the transferred audio command list VC.

[0132] Note that data other than the display list DL and the voice command list VC in the CPU address space can be transmitted to the data relay units CH0 to CH4 via the CPU bus unit 56, and then further via the CPU register port PORT, or directly. The data relay units CH0 to CH1 then transfer the transmitted data to a predetermined destination in the VRAM 53 or the expansion RAM 54 via the arbitration circuit ICM. The reverse transfer operation is similar, and the data relay units CH0 to CH1 that receive data via the arbitration circuit ICM transfer the data to a predetermined destination in the CPU address space either via the CPU register port PORT, or directly.

[0133] Next, the preloader 72 will be described, but it is optional whether or not to utilize the preloader 72. When the display list analyzer interprets the display list DL transferred from the data relay unit CH3 of the data transfer circuit 70 and detects a LOADTX command, the preloader 72 pre-transfers (preloads) the CG data in the external ROM 55 referenced by the LOADTX command to the preload area of ​​the expansion RAM 54 (see FIG. 6(b)).

[0134] Furthermore, the preloader 72 stores a rewrite list DL' in which the reference destination of the CG data for the LOADTX command is rewritten to the address after transfer in the DL buffer BUF' (see FIG. 6(a)) of the VRAM 53. The DL buffer BUF' and the preload area are reserved in advance during the initial processing after the CPU is reset.

[0135] The rewrite list DL' is then transferred to the drawing circuit 74 via the arbitration circuit ICM and data relay unit CH2 of the data transfer circuit 70 when the drawing operation of the drawing circuit 74 starts (see FIG. 9(c)). The drawing circuit 74 then executes the drawing operation based on the rewrite list DL'. Therefore, CG data that should normally be obtained from the external ROM 55 based on a LOADTX command or the like is quickly obtained from the preload area of ​​the expansion RAM 54 as preload data that has been pre-read into the preload area. Taking this into consideration, the preloader 72 is put into operation in a normal device configuration.

[0136] In this embodiment, since the preload area is set in the external expansion RAM 54, which has sufficient storage capacity, multiple preloading, for example, in which multiple frames of CG data are preloaded at once, is also possible. That is, multiple preloading is realized by appropriately setting the operating period of the preloader 72, which is a series of preloading operations including the CG data prefetching operation, within the range of an integer multiple of the operating cycle δ of the overall performance circuit 52 during intermittent operation.

[0137] However, in the following explanation, for the sake of convenience, an embodiment without multiple preloading will be described, and therefore the preloader 72 of the embodiment will complete the preloading operation for one frame during one operation period δ. In this embodiment, the operation period δ during intermittent operation of the overall performance circuit 52 is 1 / 30 seconds, which is twice the period of the vertical synchronization signal of the display device DS.

[0138] Next, the drawing circuit 74 sequentially analyzes the instruction command sequences of the display list DL and the rewrite list DL′ transferred via the data transfer circuit 70, and works in cooperation with the GDEC circuit 73, the geometry engine, etc. to draw one frame of an image of the display device DS in the frame buffer FB secured in the VRAM 53.

[0139] As described above, when the preloader 72 is activated, the CG data in the rewrite list DL' is referenced not in the external ROM 55 but in the preload area set in the expansion RAM 54. This allows for rapid sequential access to CG data that occurs while the rendering circuit 74 is rendering, making it possible to render high-resolution moving images with rapid movement without any problems.

[0140] Regardless of whether the preloader 72 is enabled or disabled, even if data bit corruption occurs during transfer of the display list DL or the rewrite list DL', the drawing circuit 74 cannot detect this. Therefore, in this embodiment, a timeout monitoring circuit having a configuration similar to that of a watchdog timer is provided to detect an abnormality in which memory access is not performed for a certain period of time after the drawing circuit 74 starts operating.

[0141] In this embodiment, a time setting register (predetermined register) TO is provided that can arbitrarily set a timeout period (abnormality determination period) in order to detect an operational abnormality in the drawing circuit 74. The time setting register TO is a type of drawing register, and the operation of the drawing circuit 74 is configured to be started based on the set value in the predetermined drawing register (drawing operation permission / prohibition register).

[0142] When a predetermined timeout time is set in the time setting register TO and start information is set in the drawing operation permission register, the drawing circuit 74 starts operation, and in response, a timeout monitoring circuit (monitoring means) monitors the memory access period (memory access time interval). If no memory access is made after the timeout time has elapsed, an abnormality flag in a predetermined drawing register is set ON and an abnormality interrupt is initiated.

[0143] Although it is possible to deal with this abnormal interrupt by starting an interrupt processing program, in this embodiment, the appearance of an abnormal screen is prevented by checking the ON / OFF state of the abnormal flag for each operation cycle δ of the overall performance circuit 52. Specifically, if the abnormal flag is ON, the screen update for that operation cycle is skipped even if the operation of the drawing circuit 74 has been completed.

[0144] Here, if measures such as activating the WDT 58 or resetting the drawing circuit 74 are taken, as in the configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is a risk that an unnatural screen display will appear, but in this embodiment, the appearance of an abnormal screen is easily prevented with minimal measures. Also, the timeout period to be monitored can be set arbitrarily taking into consideration the arrangement of commands such as the LOADTX command in the display list DL and the access time of the external ROM 55, etc., thereby achieving optimal monitoring operation.

[0145] In the above configuration, the memory access cycle is monitored from the start to the end of the drawing circuit 74 operation, but instead of or in addition to this configuration, it is also preferable to adopt a configuration that monitors the operation time from the start to the end of the GDEC circuit 73 operation. In this case, too, an optimal value can be set in the time setting register TO' taking into account the texture data capacity, thereby achieving optimal monitoring operation.

[0146] In the latter configuration, the timeout monitoring circuit starts monitoring each time the GDEC circuit 73 starts decoding CG compressed data, and ends the monitoring operation when the decoding ends. Note that, like the former configuration, when a timeout occurs, an abnormality flag in a specified drawing register is set to ON, an abnormality interrupt is initiated, and when an abnormality is detected, screen updates are skipped for that operating cycle. Note that this embodiment uses a flag polling method that checks the ON / OFF state of the abnormality flag for each operating cycle δ of the overall performance circuit 52. However, a configuration may also be adopted in which an abnormality interrupt processing program is initiated to skip screen updates for the operating cycle in which a problem occurred.

[0147] Next, the image filter circuit 75 is a circuit that functions based on instruction commands (filter execution commands) written in the display list DL and performs appropriate filter processing on textures temporarily stored in the VRAM 53 or the extended RAM 54. In other words, the image filter circuit 75 of the embodiment does not perform a uniform filter operation based on the setting value of the performance control register RGij, but rather allows for free filter processing of required image data by arbitrarily writing appropriate instruction commands in the display list DL.

[0148] The content of the filter processing is determined by the selection of a filter execution command and the setting parameters of the selected command, but the executable filter processing includes (1) FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filter processing, (2) downsampling processing, and (3) linear interpolation processing. Here, downsampling processing is a process different from the scaling processing in the display circuit 71 that operates based on the setting value of the performance control register RGij (display register).

[0149] That is, downsampling does not reduce an image to a similar shape as scaling does, but involves reducing the image only in the vertical or horizontal direction. Although not limited to this, downsampling reduces the texture by calculating the average value of the image information of pixels in a predetermined range surrounding the target pixel and performing a thinning process such as moving average processing.

[0150] 10(a) is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation in which FIR filter processing is executed twice consecutively using a filter execution command. First, the SETFTINDEX command sets the destination index space where the reference texture to be filtered should be saved (command process L20), and then the LOADTX command retrieves the reference texture from the external ROM 55 specified by the command setting parameters, and saves the decoded image data in the destination index space (command process L21).

[0151] The following SETFTINDEX command sets the index space where the resultant texture will be saved (command process L22), and the SETFTSAMP command and SETFTCOEF command set the filter coefficients and other information (command process L23), before executing the FIR filter process with the FTEXECFIR command (command process L24). Note that the SETFTINDEX command distinguishes between specifying an index space for the reference texture or an index space for the resultant texture, depending on the setting parameters of the command.

[0152] As shown in Figure 10(b), the image data expanded in the index space for the reference texture specified by the instruction command L20 undergoes FIR filter processing specified by the instruction command L23, and then is stored in the index space for the result texture specified by the instruction command L22.

[0153] Next, the SETFTINDEX command sets the index space of the reference texture (command process L25), and the SETTXINDEX command sets the index space where the resultant texture will be saved (command process L26). In command L25, the image data after the filter process is set as the reference texture, so the resultant texture specified by command L22 is changed to the reference texture by command L25.

[0154] After that, the necessary filter coefficients are set using the SETFTSAMP and SETFTCOEF commands, and other information is set (command process L27), after which the necessary FIR filter processing is executed using the FTEXECFIR command (command process L28).The image data after filtering is then stored in the index space specified by instruction command L26, so by executing the SPRITE command after activating the SETTXMODE command (command process L29), the image data that has undergone FIR filtering will be drawn in an appropriate rectangular section in the virtual drawing space.

[0155] 10(c) is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation in which scaling processing is performed using a filter execution command. First, the SETFTINDEX command sets the destination index space where the reference texture to be scaled should be saved (command process L30), and then the LOADTX command retrieves the reference texture from the external ROM 55 specified by the setting parameters of that command (command process L31).

[0156] Next, the SETTXINDEX command is used to set an index space for storing auxiliary data required for scaling (command process L32). The auxiliary data is plane information extracted from the reference texture and characterizes the reference texture. The reason why such auxiliary data is important is that the scaling process of this embodiment involves deformations of dissimilar shapes, not similar shapes, and therefore appropriate interpolation processing is performed to eliminate unnaturalness in the image after deformation.

[0157] Therefore, in the scaling process of this embodiment, following command L32, the FTEXECGRD command is written to generate auxiliary information (plane information) in the index space specified by command L32 (command process L33). The necessary preparations are completed with the commands up to this point, so next, the SETTXINDEX command is used to set the index space to be used as the texture (command process L34), and after setting the necessary information with the SETTXSAMP command, the scaling process is executed with the SETTXMODE command (command process L35).

[0158] As a result of the above, the image data after scaling is saved in the index space specified by instruction command L34, so by activating the SETTXMODE command and then executing the SPRITE command (command processing L36), the image data after scaling is drawn in an appropriate rectangular section in the virtual drawing space.

[0159] The image filter circuit 75 has been described above, but the GDEC circuit 73 performs decoding processing by software processing corresponding to each compression algorithm for compressed data such as streaming video, still images, and other α values. In this embodiment, streaming video is divided into S streams, IP streams, and IPB streams, and the frames that make up the streaming video are composed of an appropriate combination of I pictures, S pictures, P pictures, or B pictures.

[0160] An I (Intra coded) picture refers to an intra (intra-picture) coded picture, and refers to image data obtained by compressing an input image as is, independent of other pictures. On the other hand, an S picture is image data that is predictively coded by referring to the I pictures immediately before and after it, and has the advantage of a higher compression rate than an I picture. The S stream video of this embodiment is a video that combines these I pictures and S pictures, and by arranging the I pictures according to a fixed cycle, random access and reverse playback starting from the I picture can be performed, thereby realizing effective image presentation. Note that S stream video that does not include S pictures is also possible, and S stream video without S pictures is essentially the same as I stream video.

[0161] Next, a P picture (Predictive coded) is image data that undergoes forward predictive coding, which predicts the current frame from a temporally past frame, and is predictively coded from an I picture or P picture located in the past. On the other hand, a B picture (Bidirectional coded) is image data that undergoes bidirectional predictive coding, which performs forward prediction as well as backward prediction, which predicts the current frame from a future frame, and is predictively coded from an I picture or P picture located in the past and future.

[0162] Generally, inter-frame prediction techniques include forward prediction, which predicts the current frame from a past frame, backward prediction, which predicts the current frame from a future frame, and bidirectional prediction, which performs backward prediction in addition to forward prediction.B pictures perform bidirectional prediction, which allows for improved prediction accuracy.

[0163] Therefore, in this embodiment, in addition to S-stream video, which is a combination of I-pictures and S-pictures, the system is configured to be able to play IP-stream video and IPB-stream video, which are appropriate combinations of I-pictures, P-pictures, and B-pictures. Note that IP-stream video is composed of a combination of I-pictures and P-pictures, and IPB-stream video is composed of a combination of I-pictures, P-pictures, and B-pictures.

[0164] As is clear from the above relationship, with S stream video containing S pictures and IPB stream video, the need for backward predictive coding means that I pictures and P pictures that are to be played back later in time must be acquired and decoded prior to acquiring S pictures and B pictures.

[0165] Therefore, this embodiment is configured so that one LOADTX command can specify multiple textures, i.e., main-frame CG data and sub-frame CG data. Here, main-frame refers to CG frame data that should be played at the current timing, and sub-frame refers to CG frame data that should be played at a different timing.

[0166] For example, in an S picture, predictive coding is performed by referring to the nearest (previous or next) I picture, so in an S stream video that consists of a series of I pictures and S pictures, the CG data for the S picture as the main frame and the I picture as the sub-frame can be obtained and decoded with a single LOADTX command.

[0167] Furthermore, since bidirectional predictive coding is performed on B pictures (bidirectional coded), it is necessary to reserve CG data of past frames and CG data of future frames in a decoded state prior to the decoding process of the B picture. Therefore, in this embodiment, when playing IPB stream video, it is necessary to reserve a first reference buffer for storing past frames and a second reference buffer for storing future frames prior to this playback operation. The reference buffer is an index space with sufficient capacity to store reference images, and is reserved in any area of ​​the VRAM 53 or expansion RAM 54 and identified by a unique index number.

[0168] Figure 11 explains the playback procedure for IPB video streams, with the playback operation progressing from top to bottom of the page. Figure 11 is divided horizontally into six sections, showing, from left to right, (1) the LOADTX command on the display list DL, (2) pictures constituting the IPB video stream, (3) mainframe and subframe decoding processing, (4) reference image decoding processing, (5) reference buffer where the reference images are stored, and (6) index space (expansion space) where the decoded images displayed on the display screen are stored.

[0169] The downward arrow in the first column indicates the transition of the operating cycle of the general performance circuit 52 (GDEC circuit 73), which operates intermittently, and the downward arrow in the sixth column indicates the display order of the images displayed on the display device DS. In the following explanation, for convenience, a group of video frames played at timings T1 to T7 is referred to as a GOP (Group Of Picture), but the GOP can be changed as appropriate based on the embedded parameters of the LOADTX command on a series of display lists for video playback.

[0170] First, the LOADTX command at timing T1 to play back an I-picture specifies the addresses of the I-picture (I1) as the main frame and the P-picture (P1) as the sub-frame by the embedded parameters of the command, as well as the index number of the expansion space where the decoded data should be stored.

[0171] Therefore, the I picture (I1) acquired based on the instruction of the LOADTX command at timing T1 is decoded and stored in the first reference buffer for storing past frames together with the original decompression space. Furthermore, a P picture (P1) is acquired based on the instruction of the LOADTX command at timing T1, and its decoded data is stored as a reference image in the second reference buffer for storing future frames. Although not limited to this, the reference image is stored in a compressed state using a special technique.

[0172] Next, the LOADTX command at timing T2 specifies only a B picture (B1) as the main frame. Then, as a bidirectional prediction operation, image data B1 of the current frame is reproduced based on the I picture (I1) in the first reference buffer, and the P picture (P1) and B picture (B1) in the second reference buffer, and saved in the playout space. The same is true for the subsequent LOADTX command at timing T3, where image data B2 of the current frame is reproduced based on the I picture (I1) in the first reference buffer, and the P picture (P1) and B picture (B2) in the second reference buffer, and saved in the playout space.

[0173] Next, the LOADTX command at timing T4 when a P picture should be played back instructs that the P picture (P1) serving as the main frame should be retrieved from the second reference buffer by the embedded parameters of the command, and also specifies the address of the P picture (P2) serving as the sub-frame.

[0174] Therefore, at timing T4, the P picture (P1) in the second reference buffer, which has been compressed using a special method, is decompressed and saved in the decompression space, and the P picture (P1) is stored in the first reference buffer as a past frame image for subsequent processing. Furthermore, a future P picture (P2) is acquired in response to the instruction of the LOADTX command at timing T4, and its decoded data is saved in the second reference buffer as a reference image for the future frame.

[0175] The subsequent operations at timings T5 and T6 are substantially the same as those at timings T2 and T3. That is, at timing T5, a B3 picture image based on the P picture (P1) in the first reference buffer, the P picture (P2) in the second reference buffer, and the B picture (B3) is rendered in the rendering space based on bidirectional prediction. At timing T6, a B4 picture image based on the P picture (P1) in the first reference buffer, the P picture (P2) in the second reference buffer, and the B picture (B4) is rendered in the rendering space.

[0176] Next, the LOAD command at timing T7 instructs that a P picture (P2) serving as a main frame should be retrieved from the second reference buffer. The address of the I picture (I2), a sub-frame, is also specified. Therefore, at timing T7, the P picture (P2) in the second reference buffer is decompressed and stored in the decompression space. The LOADTX command at timing T7 also instructs that an I picture (I2) be retrieved, and the decoded data is stored in the second reference buffer as a reference image for a future frame.

[0177] At the next timing T9, an instruction is issued to retrieve an I-picture (I2) as a main frame from the second reference buffer. Therefore, the I-picture (I2) in the second reference buffer is decompressed and saved in the decompression space, and the I-picture (I2) is stored in the first reference buffer as a past frame image for subsequent processing. Note that the LOAD command at timing T9 specifies the address of the P-picture (P3), which is a sub-frame, so the P-picture (P3) is retrieved and its decoded data is saved in the second reference buffer as a reference image for a future frame.

[0178] 12(a) is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the audio processing unit SND. As shown in the figure, the audio processing unit SND is divided into a pre-processing unit FT in which 64-track processing blocks are arranged so that they can operate in parallel, a post-processing unit BK consisting of a master effect unit, a master volume unit, an output protection unit, and a serializer, and a mixer MX that transmits the output of the pre-processing unit FT to the post-processing unit BK.

[0179] As shown in the figure, the pre-processing unit FT is provided with 64 decoders that receive compressed audio data (compressed phrase data) from the external memory 55. Meanwhile, the post-processing unit BK is configured to be able to output audio signals SDOUTA to SDOUTD of four paths A / B / C / D as serial data together with the clock signal SBCLK and the control signal SLRCLK via a serializer. The serial data SDOUTA to SDOUTD of the four paths A / B / C / D each contain right data R and left data L on one data line, and depending on whether the control signal SLRCLK is in an H level period or an L level period, it is determined whether the serial data SDOUTA at that timing is left data L or right data R.

[0180] Next, the internal operation of the preprocessing unit FT will be explained. The phrase data decompressed by the decoder has its volume adjusted appropriately in the primary volume, secondary volume, and panpot units. Here, the primary volume and secondary volume are responsible for two-stage volume adjustment, and the panpot unit adjusts the volume ratio between the left and right speakers. The specific operations of the primary volume, secondary volume, and panpot units are each specified by a voice command listed in the voice command list VC.

[0181] Phrase data is audio data that realizes one unit of audio performance, and includes one unit of audio performance such as a piece of background music for one song, sound effects, or shouts. One phrase data is output to eight paths from the panpot section of the pre-processing section FT. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, 64-track processing blocks (pre-processing sections FT) are arranged to be able to operate in parallel, and up to 64 phrase data can be output to the mixer MX. The audio data collected on eight paths, which are left and right audio R / L on four paths A / B / C / D, is transmitted to the post-processing section BK.

[0182] The panpot section can adjust the volume ratio between the left and right speakers, so for example, the panpot section of the first track can set the left and right volume ratio to maximum:zero and output only to the first line of mixer MX, while the panpot section of the second track can set the left and right volume ratio to zero:maximum and output only to the second line of mixer MX. As a result, for example, the first phrase data, which is the left audio, will be output only to the first line, and the second phrase data, which is the right audio, will be output only to the second line, making it possible to play in stereo with the left and right speakers of system A.

[0183] Next, the internal operation of the post-processing unit BK will be explained. The master effect performs audio filtering, and the master volume determines the volume. The specific operations are specified by the voice commands listed in the voice command list VC. The master volume is used, for example, to provide a silent warning that instantly silences the volume effect, while the master effect is used, for example, to provide a warning that the sound quality will be changed drastically.

[0184] 12(b) illustrates the relationship between the voice command list VC and the voice effects realized by the voice commands written in the voice command list VC. Here, a START command that instructs the start of playback of specific phrase data, a PAUSE command that instructs the stop of playback of specific phrase data, a RESUME command that instructs the restart of playback of specific phrase data, and a STOP command that instructs the end of playback of specific phrase data are shown as examples. The voice command list VC is composed of one or more voice commands written therein, but must be terminated by a predetermined end command EOSC.

[0185] First, in the voice command list VC1, the start of reproduction of 64 types of phrase data is instructed by voice commands START1 to START64. Therefore, when the decoding process of the 64 types of compressed phrase data is completed, the reproduction operation of the 64 types of phrase data is started.

[0186] Next, since the voice command list VC2 contains the voice commands PAUSE1, PAUSE2, and STOP64, playback of the phrase data 1, 2, and 64 is paused or stopped. After that, the voice command list VC3 contains the voice commands RESUME1 and RESUME2, so playback of the paused phrase data 1 and 2 is resumed.

[0187] The voice command list VC can be output not only at the start and end of phrase data playback, but also at any necessary timing in the operation cycle δ (= 1 / 30 seconds) of the overall performance circuit 52. In other words, the display list DL is output for each operation cycle δ of the overall performance circuit 52, but the voice command list VC is generally output irregularly.

[0188] Next, a description will be given of the rendering pipeline processing that can be executed in the rendering circuit 74. FIG. 13(a) illustrates a portion of the rendering circuit 74 that is relevant to the rendering pipeline processing. The display list analyzer sequentially analyzes the instruction commands written in the display list DL and transfers the instruction commands to an appropriate internal circuit according to their type. Note that in FIG. 13(a), the instruction commands are specifically referred to as rendering commands, and in the following description, the instruction commands may also be referred to as rendering commands.

[0189] The internal circuits that receive the drawing commands are configured to operate in parallel, and the display list analyzer analyzes the drawing commands written in the display list DL in the order they are written, and transfers the drawing commands to the corresponding internal circuits one after another (see Figure 13(a)).

[0190] Incidentally, the internal circuitry of the drawing circuit 74 operates asynchronously with the CPU circuit 51 that issues the display list DL and the data transfer circuit 70 that transfers the configuration data of the display list DL in sequence, and in general, the operating speed of the internal circuitry of the drawing circuit 74 is much slower than the transfer speed of the configuration data of the display list DL.

[0191] Therefore, the internal circuit that receives the drawing commands is provided with a standby queue that stores drawing commands before processing begins, and the display list analyzer puts the drawing commands into the standby queue on the condition that there is space in the standby queue. In other words, the display list analyzer stalls (temporarily stops) the putting operation until the standby queue becomes empty, so there is no risk of the drawing commands being lost. Note that the numbers shown for the standby queue are merely an example of the number of stages in the queue.

[0192] As explained above, the instruction commands written in the display list DL include: (1) index table control commands related to the index table IDXTBL that manages the index space; (2) texture load commands such as the LOADTX command for reading image material (texture) from the external ROM 55 and decoding (decompressing / expanding) it; (3) filter execution commands that specify the filter processing to be performed on the decompressed image data; (4) drawing commands such as the SPRITE command for placing the decoded (expanded) image material at a predetermined position in the virtual drawing space; and (5) pipeline commands related to drawing pipeline operations.

[0193] 13(a), an index table control command (1) is transferred to the control circuit of the index table IDXTBL, a texture load command (2) is transferred to the GDEC circuit 73, and a filter execution command (3) is transferred to the image filter circuit 75, and each is processed appropriately by the circuit to which it is transferred. Specifically, the GDEC circuit 73 operates based on the transferred drawing command (texture load command), obtains the required texture, and expands the decompressed data into the decode space.

[0194] Furthermore, the index table IDXTBL is updated as appropriate by the functioning of the control circuit for the index table IDXTBL. The image filter circuit 75 performs a specified filter process on a predetermined reference texture and stores the filter process result in a predetermined index space (see FIG. 10). When a predetermined drawing command (high-speed transfer command) is received, the high-speed transfer circuit TRNS functions to transmit and receive data at high speed between the VRAM 53 and the expansion RAM 54. The high-speed transfer circuit TRNS is an internal circuit of the drawing circuit 74 and is a circuit separate from the data transfer circuit 70.

[0195] When using the data transfer circuit 70, the CPU circuit 51 must set the type of source medium and transfer start address, the type of destination medium and receiving start address, and transfer size in a specified performance control register RGij (data transfer register), but the high-speed transfer circuit TRNS has the advantage that it can be easily made to function when necessary by an instruction command (transfer execution command) from the display list DL, and can also perform high-speed transfer of two-dimensional data in units of index space.However, in a control program that is constantly functioning, it is not easy in terms of program configuration to use the data transfer circuit 70 only when necessary.

[0196] As explained above, the rendering pipeline operation is performed using the vertex buffer VB built into the rendering circuit 74, the frame buffer FB reserved as an index space, and the depth / stencil buffer that manages the front-to-back relationship of polygons and whether or not pixels are displayed, and is configured to execute an input assembler process (acquisition process) IA, a geometry engine process TL, a rasterizer process (primitive process) RS, a texture sampler process TX, a texture process PS, a pixel drawing process PX, and a render process (image generation process) RO as needed.

[0197] That is, the rendering pipeline processing is executed from upstream to downstream, passing through all or some of the processes in the following order: Process IA → Process TL (Process VB) → Process RS → Process TX → Process PS → Process PX → Process RO. Each process operates in parallel, but since the downstream processes take longer to complete the execution of rendering commands, the number of stages in the waiting queue that stores the rendering commands input to each process is configured so that it is not less than the number of stages in the waiting queue on the upstream side.

[0198] As shown in Figure 13(a), the number of stages in the waiting queue is 1 stage → 5 stages → 14 stages → 18 stages → 18 stages → 23 stages, corresponding to process IA → process TL → process RS → process TX → process PS → process PX → process RO, and the number of stages at each process is the same as or greater than the number of stages in the waiting queue upstream.

[0199] The pipeline commands described above are setting commands that specify the operation details of each pipeline process (IA, TL, VB, RS, TX, PS, PX, RO). The acquired pipeline commands are transferred to the parameter setting unit SET, which sets the operating parameters required for the necessary internal circuits, such as the geometry engine.

[0200] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the rendering pipeline is composed of process IA, process TL, process RS, process TX, process PS, process PX, and process RO. First, the input assembler process IA acquires the vertex stream of a three-dimensional 3D rendering object, which is usually defined in local coordinates, stores the information necessary for subsequent processing, and outputs vertex data having predetermined vertex information.

[0201] In this process IA, in addition to the setting commands for process IA (pipeline commands), drawing commands such as DRAW and DRAWD are used. The DRAW command specifies the start address of the memory (external ROM 55 in this embodiment) that stores a series of vertex streams, and the number of vertices.

[0202] On the other hand, a DRAWD command has a series of vertex streams embedded in it. The specific operation of the DRAW command and the DRAWD command is specified by the embedded information of each command and the setting commands for process IA. Note that a vertex color (RGBA color information) can be specified for each vertex in the vertex stream, but if a vertex color is not specified, a default value is set as the vertex information in the input assembler process IA. Here, RBG refers to color information of R=Red, B=Blue, and G=Green, and A is an alpha value α that indicates opacity and is used in the alpha blending process when overlapping images.

[0203] The following geometry engine process TL performs matrix operations to transform the vertex coordinates of the 3D drawing object and lighting processing related to light sources, etc., on the vertex data output from the input assembler process IA. The coordinate transformation process performs view matrix operations to transform local coordinates into view coordinates and matrix operations for projective transformation (perspective projection).

[0204] Here, the view coordinate system is a coordinate system in which the viewpoint is the origin and the point at infinity (0,0,-∞) is the line of sight. In projective transformation, in order to realize a sense of perspective that corresponds to the placement position of the 3D drawing object, the view coordinate system is transformed into the clip coordinate system by enlarging or reducing the shape of the 3D drawing object.

[0205] The specific content of the matrix operation is specified by the setting command (pipeline command) for the TL process, and the execution of a specified geometry matrix operation is instructed by the DRAW command or DRAWD command. Therefore, process IA and process TL can be executed together with a single drawing command (DRAW / DRAWD). However, in either case, the execution result of the geometry matrix operation by the drawing command (DRAW / DRAWD) is saved in the vertex buffer VB.

[0206] The geometry engine process TL is not essential, and when a vertex stream defined by clip coordinates is obtained from the external ROM 55, the information passes through the input assembler process IA and is stored directly in the vertex buffer VB. The input assembler process IA and the geometry engine process TL may be repeated for multiple 3D drawing objects, and the vertex buffer VB is configured to be able to store a maximum of 256 vertices.

[0207] Next, in the rasterizer process RS, primitives are generated and drawn based on the vertex information in the vertex buffer VB, and pixel data for 3D drawing objects is generated after removing polygons that do not need to be drawn by converting from the clip coordinate system to the window coordinate system, clipping, culling, scissoring, etc. In other words, a three-dimensional 3D image object is determined to be placed at a predetermined position and with a predetermined orientation in the window coordinate system (world coordinates) corresponding to the virtual drawing space.

[0208] To generate primitives, a triangle drawing method such as a triangle list, triangle strip, or triangle fan, or a line drawing method such as a line list, line strip, or line fan can be selected and used as appropriate.

[0209] In addition, in the rasterizer process RS, in addition to setting commands (pipeline commands) for the RS process that specifically define the processing content, drawing commands DRAW command, DRAWD command, DRAWI command, and SPRITE command are used as appropriate.

[0210] Here, the DRAWI command generates and draws primitives based on vertex data obtained from the vertex buffer VB, while the DRAW command generates and draws primitives based on a vertex stream obtained from the external ROM 55, and the DRAWD command generates and draws primitives based on a vertex stream embedded in the command.

[0211] Therefore, the rasterizer process RS can be executed without going through the geometry engine process TL. For example, in the case of a two-dimensional (2D) drawing object, the geometry engine process TL is not particularly necessary. In either case, each polygon generated through the rasterizer process RS has RGBA color information for each pixel based on the vertex color for each vertex.

[0212] Next, in the texture sampler process TX, the index space to be used as the texture and the texture coordinates for each pixel are specified. Then, in the texture process PS, the pixel color obtained in the rasterizer process RS and the texture color are calculated appropriately.

[0213] In these steps TX and PS, and the following step PX, in addition to the setting commands (pipeline commands) in each step, the drawing commands DRAW, DRAWD, DRAWI, and SPRITE are used as appropriate. With the DRAW, DRAWD, or DRAWI command, a texture is pasted into the area surrounded by specified vertices, and with the SPRITE command, a texture is pasted into a specified rectangular area.

[0214] Then, in the subsequent pixel drawing process PX, the drawing color and background color are combined, and tone mapping and inverse tone mapping are performed to adjust contrast. In this PX process, pixel data containing predetermined information is input for each pixel from the texture process PS, and data (background color) stored at the pixel drawing position is input for each pixel from the frame buffer FB.

[0215] The final rendering step RO refers to the depth and stencil buffers and performs a pixel test to determine whether or not to display the pixel based on the pixel's depth and stencil information, and then performs alpha blending on overlapping multiple drawing objects before writing the completed drawing object to the frame buffer FB. Writing to the frame buffer FB is nothing more than drawing in the virtual drawing space shown in Figure 6, and normally the SPRITE command is used.

[0216] In addition to the DRAW, DRAWD, DRAWI, and SPRITE commands, the rendering process RO can also use the CLEAR command, which fills the frame buffer FB with a single color, and the CLEARZ command, which fills the depth and stencil buffers with a single color. The CLEAR command is used to clear the frame buffer FB prior to the start of drawing operations, and the CLEARZ command is used when depth information and stencil information are not required.

[0217] In this way, in the present invention, all or some of the series of drawing pipeline steps function, and two-dimensional or three-dimensional drawing objects are written one after another into the frame buffer FB, ultimately completing the image data for one frame of the display device.

[0218] Figure 14 is a process diagram showing various rendering modes that use all or part of the rendering pipeline processes. First, the rendering mode in Figure 14(a) is an operating mode that uses the above-mentioned CLEAR command and CLEARZ command, and only the render process RO functions.

[0219] 14(b), the rasterizer process RS, texture sampler process TX, texture process PS, pixel drawing process PX, and render process RO function. Note that the rasterizer process RS simply adds an offset value to the X and Y coordinates of the vertices of the window coordinate system, but this offset value is related to the rectangular area where the SPRITE command is pasted.

[0220] In actual operation, the SETTXINDEX command sets the destination index space, the LOADTX command retrieves a specified texture and deploys it in the index space, and the SPRITE command secures this deployed texture in a specified location. The deployed texture information is then referenced and ultimately written to the frame buffer FB. In principle, video playback and playback of simple still images are achieved in this sprite drawing mode.

[0221] The rendering mode shown in Figure 14(c) is an example of an operation in which triangle rendering and line rendering are performed using all processes of the rendering pipeline. Note that the only difference between triangle rendering and line rendering is the method of generating primitives. In either case, primitives are identified and rendered based on the vertex stream of the 3D rendering object supplied to the input assembler process IA.

[0222] 14(d) shows a drawing operation using the DRAW command, DRAWD command, etc., in which pixel data for a drawing object is generated in the rasterizer process RS without performing coordinate transformation processing. This operation is typically used when displaying a two-dimensional (2D) drawing object, the contour of which can be identified by a vertex stream, on a display screen.

[0223] Figures 14(e) and (f) show operation modes when vertex data is stored in the vertex buffer VB, and are divided into (e) when coordinate transformation processing is performed and (f) when coordinate transformation processing is not performed. These operations are executed by the DRAW command and DRAWD command. Figure 14(g) shows an operation mode that uses vertex data stored in the vertex buffer VB, and is executed by the DRAWI command.

[0224] As described above, the rendering pipeline of this embodiment can be used in various ways. For example, playback of 2D still images and streaming video (S stream, IPB stream, IP stream) requires simple sprite rendering, so the playback operation is realized in the operating mode of Figure 14(b), as described above.

[0225] As explained above, the display list analyzer determines the drawing commands in the display list DL and transfers them to the processing blocks of the pipeline steps corresponding to the drawing commands. The transferred drawing commands are then first put into the waiting queues of the respective pipeline steps, and the processing corresponding to the drawing commands is executed in the order of their entry.

[0226] However, the operation of the data transfer circuit 70 that transfers the display list DL is much faster than the progress of this rendering pipeline, so if, for example, you want to display multiple 3D rendering objects on the screen and also other 2D rendering objects on the screen, you will have to wait a long time for the execution of the SPRITE command in the rendering process RO.

[0227] In other words, since it takes a certain amount of time to process the coordinate transformation matrix for a 3D drawing object, a large number of sprite commands will accumulate in the standby queue of, for example, an RO process. However, in this embodiment, as explained above, the input of drawing commands is put on hold until the standby queue is empty (stall state), and moreover the number of stages in the standby queue of a downstream process is the same as or greater than the number of stages in the standby queue of an upstream process, so the commands written in the display list DL can be executed smoothly in the order they are written.

[0228] Note that the execution of a drawing command transferred from the waiting queue is also put on hold (stall state) until the necessary start conditions are met, so that inconsistent drawing operations such as rewriting the index space do not occur.

[0229] Having explained the circuit configuration above, we will now explain the control operation by the CPU circuit 51. As explained above, when power is turned on, a reset period occurs prior to the start of the control operation, during which the system reset signal SYS is maintained at L level for a predetermined period of time.

[0230] During this reset period, first, one or two oscillator circuits that control the operation of the integrated performance circuit 52 and the built-in CPU circuit 51 start oscillating, and wait for the oscillation frequency of each system clock to stabilize. Next, the internal circuit of the composite chip 50 is initialized in synchronization with each system clock, and predetermined default values ​​are set in the performance control register RGij and the operation control register REG. Hereinafter, this operation will be referred to as a hardware reset to distinguish it from the software reset described below.

[0231] When this hardware reset period ends, the performance control CPU 57 of the built-in CPU circuit 51 executes the boot program stored in the external ROM 55 and transfers the control program and control data from the external ROM 55 to the extended RAM 54. Thereafter, the performance control CPU 57 continues control operations based on the control program transferred to the extended RAM 54.

[0232] The control operations executed by the performance control CPU 57 are as shown in Figure 15, and include a main process (a) consisting of an initial process and subsequent regular process, a timer interrupt process (b) that is started every 1 mS, a VBLANK interrupt process (c) that is started in response to a VBLANK signal output from the general performance circuit 52 at the start of the vertical blanking period of the display device DS, and a reception interrupt process (not shown) for receiving the control command CMD. The VBLANK signal is generated every 1 / 60 seconds.

[0233] As shown in Figure 15(b), in the timer interrupt process, a sensor signal for determining the motor position, etc. is acquired (ST20), and when necessary, a lamp effect or a motor effect is started or progressed (ST21). In this embodiment, the lamp effect is realized by the operation of the effect control CPU 57 and the lamp control unit L_CTL based on the lamp drive data, which is the control data. The motor effect is realized by the operation of the effect control CPU 57 and the motor control unit MT_CTL based on the lamp drive data, which is the control data. In addition, in the VBLANK interrupt process, which is activated in response to the VBLANK signal, the interrupt counter VCNT is incremented and the process ends (ST22), as shown in Figure 15(c).

[0234] First, the main processing will be described for the case where the preloader 72 is not utilized. As shown in Fig. 15(a), first, an initial setting process (ST1) is executed, and appropriate setting values ​​are set in the performance control register RGij of the overall performance circuit 52 and the operation control register REG of the CPU circuit 51.

[0235] The setting process for the performance control register RGij includes the process of reserving appropriate virtual working areas (AAC area, page area, arbitrary area) in the VRAM 53 and the extended RAM 54 (see Figures 6(a) and 6(b)), and the process of reserving index space essential for game control operations, such as the frame buffer FB. As explained above, the frame buffer FB is composed of a first buffer with index number N1 and a second buffer with index number N2.

[0236] The start address of the shared area (used as the AAC area in this embodiment) secured in the VRAM 53 is set in 4k byte units (the lower 15 bits are zero), and the area size is secured as an integral multiple of 4k bytes. Also, the page area secured in the expansion RAM 54 is set in 32k byte units (the lower 18 bits are zero), and the area size is secured as an integral multiple of 32k bytes.

[0237] The set values ​​in the operation control register REG include operation parameters for the watchdog timer WDT 58, which include an operation start instruction and a counter value. The WDT 58 in this embodiment is configured to count down an initial value (counter value), and by reloading the counter value before the count value reaches zero (underflow), activation of the WDT 58 is prevented.

[0238] On the other hand, when the count value underflows, a WDT reset request is generated, and the WDT 58 is activated, resulting in a software reset state. Then, as a standard operation, all internal circuits are initialized, and the values ​​of all registers RGij and REG except for specified registers are returned to their initial values ​​(default values), and the WDT 58 stops operating. Note that the register value that is exceptionally maintained is the register that indicates the operating state of the WDT.

[0239] However, in this embodiment, operations other than the standard operation described above are also possible, and (1) whether to initialize the internal circuit, and (2) whether to initialize the system clock circuit even if initialization is performed, can be arbitrarily selected by setting a corresponding value in a predetermined operation control register REG during the initial setting process after a hardware reset. Therefore, in this embodiment, based on the set value in the predetermined operation control register REG, when a software reset is performed, the internal circuit is not initialized and game operation resumes from the processing of step ST1.

[0240] Thus, in this embodiment, unlike the configurations of Prior Art Documents 1 and 2, even if the WDT 58 underflows, the hardware reset state is not entered, which has the advantage that the game operation can be resumed quickly. After the software reset, the WDT stops operating, so there is no risk of the software reset operation being repeatedly initiated.

[0241] When the initial setting process (ST1) including the above processes is completed, the intermittently executed steady-state process (ST2 to ST10) starts. As shown as step ST2 in Figure 15(a), the steady-state process starts when the interrupt counter VCNT becomes VCNT≧2, so the operation period (operation cycle) δ of the steady-state process is 1 / 30 seconds, corresponding to the operation period (1 / 60 seconds) of the VBLANK signal.

[0242] Then, in the processing of step ST3, after resetting the interrupt counter VCNT, it is determined whether or not the operation start conditions for starting normal operation are met. Specifically, a predetermined performance control register RGij indicating the operating state of the drawing circuit 74 is accessed for READ, and it is determined at this timing whether or not the drawing circuit 74 has completed the drawing operation based on the display list DL of the previous operation cycle. Also, in the drawing operation of the previous operation cycle, it is determined whether or not the memory access period of the drawing circuit 74 has exceeded the timeout time set in the time setting register TO based on the ON / OFF state of a predetermined abnormality flag.

[0243] If the abnormality flag is ON because the memory access of the drawing circuit 74 has taken an abnormally long time, even if the drawing circuit 74 has finished the drawing operation, it is determined that the operation start conditions have not been met, and the process proceeds to the performance command analysis process of step ST9.

[0244] The reason for skipping steps ST4 to ST8 is to avoid unreasonable screen display, since the memory access of the drawing circuit 74 is taking an abnormally long time, and there is a possibility that normal image data is not being generated, including bit garbled command data.

[0245] In the performance command analysis process (ST9), it is determined whether or not a control command CMD has been received from the main control board 21, and if a control command CMD has been received, the control command CMD is analyzed and necessary processing is performed. Here, the necessary processing includes a process for preparing to start a new variable performance based on the control command CMD that instructs the start of a variable performance, and a process for starting an error notification based on the control command CMD that indicates the occurrence of an error.

[0246] Next, the counter value is reloaded into the watchdog timer WDT 58, thereby preventing the watchdog timer 58 from starting (ST10). As explained above, even in the event of an abnormality that causes the watchdog timer 58 to start, the combined chip 50 of this embodiment enters a software reset state, which is different from a hardware reset. This completes the operation of this operation cycle, so the process proceeds to step ST2 and waits for the next VBLANK interrupt.

[0247] Although the above has explained the case where the operation start conditions are not satisfied, normally, after the judgment process of step ST3, the image data to be read by the display circuit 71 is identified based on the set value of the predetermined display register RGij, and the operation of the display circuit is started (ST4). As explained above, the frame buffer FB has a double buffer structure, and the first buffer and the second buffer are controlled by the set value of the predetermined display register RGij so that they toggle between each other.

[0248] Specifically, the index number N1 / N2 of the first buffer or second buffer specified as the "write area" by the display list DL of the previous operation cycle is set. By executing this step ST4, the "write area" of the previous operation cycle changes to the "read area" of the current operation cycle, so that the display circuit 71 outputs the image data completed by the drawing circuit 74 in the immediately previous operation cycle to the display device DS. In other words, the processing of step ST4 also includes an instruction to start the read operation of the display circuit 71.

[0249] After the processing of step ST4, which has the above significance, is completed, the performance control CPU 57 then completes a display list DL that specifies the image data that the display circuit 71 should output to the display device DS in the next operation cycle (ST5). Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, a list buffer area (DL buffer BUF) in the built-in RAM 59 is reserved in advance, and the display list DL is completed there (see FIG. 8).

[0250] In principle, the display list DL is created every time with its contents changed for each operation cycle, but the leading area of ​​the display list DL contains a command that specifies the index number of the frame buffer FB. As explained earlier, the frame buffer FB is an index space with a double buffer structure, with index numbers N1 and N2. And, in order to use the double buffer in a toggle manner, each display list DL alternately specifies the frame buffer FB with index number N1 and the frame buffer FB with index number N2, rotating the "write area."

[0251] The performance control CPU 57 issues the display list DL thus completed to the general performance circuit 52 (ST6). Next, the performance control CPU 57 updates the performance scenario EN that centrally manages image performance, audio performance, lamp performance, and motor performance (ST7), and if it is the necessary performance timing, issues a voice command list VC to the audio processing unit SND to start or progress the audio performance (ST8).

[0252] When the start time of the motor or lamp performance managed by the performance scenario EN is reached, the timer interrupt process (FIG. 15(b)) executes the motor or lamp performance based on the corresponding motor drive data or lamp drive data. The processes of steps ST9 to ST10 following step ST8 are as described above.

[0253] 16(a) and 16(b) are flowcharts showing the specific contents of the display list DL issuing process (ST6), and Fig. 16(c) is a schematic diagram showing the operation contents of the DL issuing process (ST6). As explained with reference to Fig. 9, the display list DL issuing process can be performed in two ways: by accessing the CPU register port PORT by write access in 32-bit units (Fig. 9(a)), or by not accessing the CPU register port PORT (Fig. 9(b)). The operation contents of each are shown in Fig. 16.

[0254] First, referring to Figure 16(a), the performance control CPU 57 sets the transfer register RGij to use the data relay unit CH2 (data transfer channel CH2), and also sets the total size of the transfer data in a specified transfer register RGij (ST30).

[0255] Here, the display list DL has different contents for each operation cycle, but is issued after being terminated by a predetermined end command EODL. In this embodiment, the instruction commands used for the display list DL, including the end command EODL, are one word or multiple words (=N*32 bits), so there is no need to adjust the amount of data. In other words, the total size of the transfer data set in the transfer register RGij is any value that is an integer multiple of 32 bits.

[0256] Next, the performance control CPU 57 sets the number of writes corresponding to the total size of the transfer data in the management counter CN (ST31), starts the operation of the drawing circuit 74 (ST32), and then starts the operation of the data transfer circuit 70 (ST33). Here, the instructions to start the operation of the drawing circuit 74 and the data transfer circuit 70 are realized by setting processes to the predetermined drawing register RGij and transfer register RGij, respectively.

[0257] Next, the performance control CPU 57 checks that the 130-stage CPU data FIFO circuit is not full, and writes the configuration data of the display list DL to the CPU register port PORT in 32-bit units (ST35).Then, it continues the write operation while decrementing the management counter CN (ST36, ST37).

[0258] As explained above, the CPU data FIFO circuit receives data in 32-bit units, while the data relay units CH0 to CH4 receive data in 1024-bit units. Therefore, in principle, when 1024 bits of data have accumulated in the CPU data FIFO circuit, the accumulated data is transferred to data relay unit CH2, but when the set value for transfer register RGij (total size of transfer data) is reached, the accumulated data in the CPU data FIFO circuit at that time is transferred to data relay unit CH2.

[0259] The above process completes the DL issuing process (ST6) via the CPU register port PORT, but next, Figure 16(b) shows an example in which the data transfer circuit 70 reads the display list from the list buffer (DL buffer BUF) without going through the CPU register port PORT. In this case, the performance control CPU 57 sets the transfer register RGij to use the data relay unit CH2 (ST40), and also sets the total size of the transfer data and the starting address of the list buffer BUF in the specified transfer register RGij (ST41).

[0260] As explained above, the starting address of the list buffer BUF set in the internal RAM 59 must be set in 8-bit units, so the lowest 7 bits of the starting address of the DL buffer BUF are set to zero. This address condition applies not only to the starting address of the list buffer BUF that stores the display list DL, but also to the starting address of the list buffer BUF that stores the voice command list VC.

[0261] Next, the performance control CPU 57 starts the operation of the drawing circuit 74 (ST42), and then starts the operation of the data transfer circuit 70 (ST43). Note that these operation instructions are also realized by setting processes to the predetermined drawing register RGij and transfer register RGij, respectively. Then, the data transfer process is started by this operation instruction, and the data transfer circuit 70 ends its operation upon completion of the transfer of a predetermined amount of data. Therefore, after processing step ST43, the performance control CPU 57 can immediately proceed to another process following the display list issuance process (ST6).

[0262] In this case as well, when the amount of transfer data reaches the set value (total size of transfer data) in the transfer register RGij, the data stored in the CPU data FIFO circuit at that time is transferred to the data relay unit CH2.

[0263] The above has explained the process of issuing a display list DL based on Figures 16(a) and 16(b), but when issuing a voice command list VC to the voice processing unit SND, the processing content is essentially the same as Figures 16(a) and 16(b) (see Figures 9(f) and 9(g)).

[0264] That is, the voice command list VC listing the voice commands is terminated with a predetermined end command EOSC before being issued. Note that a voice command, including the end command EOSC, is one word or multiple words (=N*32 bits), so no adjustment processing of the data amount is required.

[0265] The above has been a description of the case where the preloader 72 is not used, but the main processing when the preloader 72 is used is as shown in Fig. 17(a). The processing content shown in Fig. 17(a) is similar to the processing content shown in Fig. 15(a).

[0266] However, as shown in FIG. 17(a), (a) after creating a display list DL for the next operation cycle (ST5), the display list DL is issued to the preloader 72 (ST60) instead of the drawing circuit 74, and (b) this display list DL is rewritten by the preloader 72 to become a rewrite list DL', but the rewrite list DL' rewritten in the previous operation cycle is acquired by the drawing circuit 74 (ST41) prior to the processing of step ST5, which is different from the processing of FIG. 15(a).

[0267] 17(a), the issue process (ST60) for issuing the display list DL to the preloader 72 is almost the same as that of Figures 16(a) and 16(b), except that the issue destination is changed to the preloader 72. The outline of the operation is as shown in Figures 9(d) and 9(e), and in response to the change in the issue destination to the preloader 72, the data relay unit CH2 is changed to the data relay unit CH3 (data transfer channel CH3), but other than that, the operation is the same as that of Figures 16(a) and 16(b), and the corresponding operations are shown in Figures 17(b) and 17(c).

[0268] On the other hand, the process of acquiring the rewrite list DL' by the drawing circuit 74 (ST41 in FIG. 17) is shown in FIG. 17(d). As shown in FIG. 9(c), in this embodiment, the rewrite list DL' is stored in the preload buffer of the VRAM 53 (see FIG. 6(a)).

[0269] In the processing of step ST41 in Fig. 17, the performance control CPU 57 sets the transfer register RGij to use the data relay unit CH2 (transfer channel CH2) (ST50 in Fig. 17(d)). Next, the total size of the rewrite list DL', which is the transfer data, and the starting address of the preload buffer in which the rewrite list DL' is stored are set in a predetermined transfer register RGij (ST51).

[0270] Since the starting address in VRAM 53 must be set in 32-bit units, the starting address of the preload buffer that stores the rewrite list DL' must have the lower 31 bits set to zero, and in this embodiment, the preload buffer is allocated at a location that meets this condition.

[0271] Next, the performance control CPU 57 starts the operation of the drawing circuit 74 (ST52) and starts the operation of the data transfer circuit 70 (ST53). Note that these operation instructions are realized by setting processes to the predetermined drawing register RGij and transfer register RGij, respectively. Then, the data transfer process is started by this operation instruction, and upon completion of the data transfer, the data transfer circuit 70 ends its operation.

[0272] Next, we will explain the effects that are centered on image display on the display device DS. The effect means used for this effect include, in addition to the display device DS, light-emitting means (illumination lamps) such as frame-side LED lamps on the frame side (i.e., glass door 6, front panel 7 side) and board-side LED lamps on the board side (i.e., game board 5 side), sound output means consisting of speakers, etc., movable effect bodies, etc., and various effects are executed by controlling these by the effect control board (effect execution means) 23.

[0273] The display device DS displays various performance images, notification images, etc., and as shown in Figure 18, is composed of a decorative pattern display means 161, a mini pattern display means 162, a reserved image display means 163, etc., and the decorative pattern display means 161 can variably display a decorative pattern 164, and the mini pattern display means 162 can variably display a mini pattern 165, and the reserved image display means 163 can display various images such as first and second reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 indicating the number of first and second special reserved items.

[0274] The decorative symbol display means 161 is configured to be able to variably display decorative symbols 164 on the display device DS based on the entry of a game ball into the first and second symbol start holes 15a, 15b (the establishment of a predetermined symbol start condition). The decorative symbols 164 include a left decorative symbol (first decorative symbol) 164a variably displayed on the special symbol display section Da (see FIG. 2), a right decorative symbol (second decorative symbol) 164b variably displayed on the special symbol display section Dc (see FIG. 2), and a center decorative symbol (third decorative symbol) 164c variably displayed on the special symbol display section Db (see FIG. 2), and each of the decorative symbols 164a to 164c is configured as a symbol string in which a plurality of symbols are arranged endlessly. Furthermore, each decorative pattern 164a to 164c has a main body portion (number portion) 166 consisting of numbers such as "1" to "8" and the like, and characters and other decorative portions 167 attached to this main body portion 166, and can be changed to a plurality of display modes including a non-decorative display mode in which the main body portion 166 is displayed but the decorative portion 167 is not, and a decorative display mode in which both the main body portion 166 and the decorative portion 167 are displayed, and it is also possible to enlarge, reduce, change the display position, etc.

[0275] When a gaming ball enters the first and second pattern start holes 15a and 15b (when the pattern start conditions are met), the decorative patterns 164a to 164c are displayed fluctuating for a predetermined period of time according to a predetermined variation pattern, and if the jackpot determination random number value contained in the first special random number information (random number information) obtained when the gaming ball enters the first pattern start hole 15a matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, they stop in a jackpot presentation mode, otherwise they stop in a miss presentation mode, and if the jackpot determination random number value contained in the second special random number information (random number information) obtained when the gaming ball enters the second pattern start hole 15b matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, they stop in a miss presentation mode, otherwise they stop In the decorative symbols 164a to 164c, a combination (predetermined combination) of all the same symbols, such as "2·2·2" or "7·7·7", is a big win presentation mode, and the rest is a loss presentation mode or the like.

[0276] When the decorative symbols 164a-164c are in a jackpot presentation mode during the pattern change based on the entry of a gaming ball into the first pattern start hole 15a, a special game representing a first jackpot is started, and the sliding plate of the first large prize opening 16a is opened. Furthermore, when the decorative symbols 164a-164c are in a jackpot presentation mode during the pattern change based on the entry of a gaming ball into the second pattern start hole 15b, a special game representing a second jackpot is started, and the opening / closing plate of the second large prize opening 16b is opened. The decorative symbol display means 161 is not limited to a system in which the decorative symbols 164a-164c are arranged horizontally and changed by vertical scrolling or the like; for example, the decorative symbols 164a-164c may be arranged vertically and changed by horizontal scrolling or the like.

[0277] The variation pattern of the decorative pattern 164 starts with a normal variation in which each row of decorative patterns 164a to 164c varies, and if a reach state such as "2·↓·2" or "7·↓·7" is established during this normal variation, it is configured to go through one or more stages of reach presentation (N reach, S reach, SP reach, etc.) and finally stop, and the reach variation pattern is when the normal variation develops into a reach presentation and becomes a jackpot presentation mode or a miss presentation mode, and the normal variation pattern is when the normal variation develops into a miss presentation mode without developing into a reach presentation mode.

[0278] The mini symbol display means 162 is configured to display a mini symbol 165 on the display device DS in response to the variable display of the decorative symbol 164 based on the entry of a gaming ball into the first and second symbol start holes 15a and 15b. The decorative symbol 164 is not necessarily always displayed during the symbol change from the time the symbol change begins based on the entry of a gaming ball into the first and second symbol start holes 15a and 15b until the change stops (hereinafter simply referred to as "during symbol change"). Part or all of the decorative symbol 164 may disappear from the screen depending on the effect content, such as a reach effect. Meanwhile, the mini symbol 165 is always displayed on the display device DS during the symbol change. Note that the mini symbol 165 may disappear from the screen for a portion of the symbol change. Also, the mini symbol 165 may be difficult or impossible to see for a portion of the time when a movable effect body (not shown) moves.

[0279] The mini pattern 165 has the same number of pattern rows (here, three) and the types of patterns (here, numerical patterns from "1" to "8") that make up each pattern row as the decorative pattern 164, but has only a main body with numbers such as "1" to "8" and no decorative portion, and is displayed in a smaller size than the decorative pattern 164 near the periphery of the display screen DSa of the display device DS, as shown in Fig. 18. Also, the display state of the mini pattern 165 is only a "change stop state" and a "high-speed change state," and there is no speed change during change (deceleration, frame advance, etc.) like the decorative pattern 164. When the pattern change starts, the change stop state based on a predetermined change start result or from the previous stop result is instantly switched to a predetermined change start result, and then the pattern rows change to a high-speed change state in which they circulate at a predetermined speed, and when the pattern change stops, the high-speed change state is switched to a change stop state based on a predetermined change stop result. In addition, the speed of change of the mini pattern 165 during high-speed change is always constant, and as shown in Figure 19, on a display device DS that displays video at a predetermined frame rate (60 fps, etc.), the high-speed change display of the mini pattern 165 is performed at a speed at which the pattern row completes one cycle every N frames.

[0280] Furthermore, for decorative symbols 164, the stop symbol for the next symbol is the start symbol for the next symbol, while for mini symbols 165, a predetermined start symbol is always used. At the start of the symbol, the stop symbol for the previous symbol is instantly switched to the predetermined start symbol, and then the high-speed symbol begins to change from that start symbol. This is because if the previous symbol was a missed-reach symbol or a jackpot symbol, starting the mini symbol 165 with the stop symbol as the start symbol would result in high-speed movement with the left and right symbols or all symbols aligned, potentially giving the player the misconception that the mini symbol 165 is about to reach or hit again. Therefore, the start symbol for mini symbols 165 must be set to a symbol unrelated to reach or hit, such as "1, 3, 5." The stop symbol for mini symbols 165 is the same as the stop symbol for decorative symbols 164.

[0281] The reserved image display means 163 executes a reserved display effect that displays a reserved image indicating the number of pieces of random number information stored in the reserved storage means. Here, when a game ball enters the first and second pattern start holes 15a and 15b during a special reserved period, including during the pattern variation of the decorative pattern display means 161 and during a jackpot (special game), the first and second special random number information acquired thereby are reserved and stored in a predetermined reserved storage means, each up to a predetermined upper reserved number, for example, four pieces each. Thereafter, when the special reserved period ends, the reserved information is consumed and a new pattern variation by the decorative pattern display means 161 is started. The reserved image display means 163 notifies the number of stored pieces of the first and second special random number information (first and second special reserved numbers) by displaying the number of reserved images.

[0282] As shown in FIG. 18, the display device DS is configured to display first and second reserved images X1-X4, Y1-Y4, etc., indicating the number of first and second special reserved items, superimposed on the front of a predetermined reserved base image 168. The reserved image display means 163 displays one additional first and second reserved image X1-, Y1- on the reserved base image 168 when the number of first and second special reserved items increases based on game balls entering the first and second symbol start holes 15a, 15b, and shifts the first and second reserved images X1-, Y1- by one toward the front of the queue (for example, the right side of the screen) when the number of first and second special reserved items decreases based on the start of a new variation of the decorative symbol 164 by the decorative symbol display means 161. The reserved base image 168 is displayed on or near the periphery of the display screen DSa, and in this embodiment, it is displayed horizontally along the bottom edge of the display screen DSa.

[0283] Next, specific examples of effects that occur during the changing of the decorative pattern 164 (there may be periods when at least a portion of the decorative pattern 164 is not displayed) will be described, focusing on the image effects produced by the display device DS, the light-emitting effects produced by light-emitting means (electrical lamps) such as the frame-side LED lamps and the board-side LED lamps, and the audio output effects produced by the audio output means. In the following description, the light-emitting means that produce the light-emitting effects will be referred to as the "frame-side lamp La" and the board-side LED lamps as the "board-side lamp Lb," and collectively as the "effect lamps L." In the drawings used in the following description, the board-side lamp Lb and the frame-side lamp La will be represented in a simplified diagram, as shown in FIG. 18, with the former positioned above and on both the left and right sides of the display device DS, and the latter positioned on both the left and right sides of those. Of course, the arrangement of the board-side lamps Lb and frame-side lamps La is not limited to this.

[0284] Below, we will explain eight types of preview effects executed during pattern fluctuation: step-up preview effect, reach preview effect, button preview effect 1, dialogue preview effect 1, pseudo consecutive preview effect, button preview effect 2, interrupt preview effect, and dialogue preview effect 2. These eight types of preview effects are selected and executed based on the jackpot reliability setting shown in FIG. 20. Here, "jackpot reliability" is an example of the reliability regarding the occurrence of a predetermined event, and in this case, refers to the reliability that the decorative pattern 164 will become a jackpot performance mode. After explaining these eight types of preview effects, we will explain several examples (reliability suggestion effect, reach title display effect, operation effect, reach development effect) of various effects that can be used as part of these various preview effects, etc. (hereinafter referred to as partial effects).

[0285] In addition, the content described below for each effect is not limited to each effect and may be used in other effects. For example, the configuration of the high-brightness effect that appears in the step-up preview effect may be used in other preview effects such as reach preview effects and dialogue preview effects, or in partial effects such as reliability suggestion effects.

[0286] [Step Up Preview] 21 to 26 show an example of a step-up notice effect that is executed during normal fluctuation in a reach fluctuation pattern or a normal fluctuation pattern. The step-up notice effect (specific notice effect) is an effect that is executed up to a predetermined stage among a plurality of stages (here, five stages) of effect steps according to the reliability of a jackpot, and is set so that the reliability of a jackpot increases as the stage of the effect step progresses.

[0287] As shown in FIG. 21, this step-up preview performance involves five characters - an elephant, a lion, a fox, a squirrel, and a bear - each of which corresponds to one of the first to fifth performance steps, taking turns firing an arrow at a balloon. The performance steps progress until an arrow fired by one of the characters hits the target and bursts the balloon. First, a step-up introduction performance ST0 is performed, indicating the start of the step-up preview performance (FIG. 21(a)). In this step-up introduction performance ST0, the five characters each taking aim at the balloon appear all at once, suggesting the content of the step-up preview performance. Of course, the characters may appear in the order of the corresponding performance steps: elephant → lion → fox → squirrel → bear, or in any other order.

[0288] Following the step-up introduction performance ST0 (Figure 21(a)), the first step performance ST1 begins as the first stage. The first step performance ST1 is made up of a first first half performance ST1A and a first second half performance ST1B, with the first first half performance ST1A being executed first. In this first first half performance ST1A, a scene is played in which the first character, an elephant, fires an arrow (Figure 21(b1)), and if the arrow hits a balloon (Figure 21(d1)), it is determined that the performance step will end in the first stage, and the first second half performance ST1B is executed. The second half performance, including this first second half performance ST1B, will be described later.

[0289] On the other hand, if the arrow fired by the elephant does not hit the balloon (FIG. 21(c1)), the first second half performance ST1B is not executed, and the second first half performance ST2A of the second step performance ST2 starts as the second stage. In this second first half performance ST2A, a scene is played in which the second character, a lion, fires an arrow (FIG. 21(b2)). If the arrow hits the balloon (FIG. 21(d2)), it is determined that the performance step will end at that second stage, and the second second half performance ST2B is executed. In this way, arrows are fired in the order of the elephant, lion, fox, squirrel, and bear until one of the characters fires an arrow that hits the balloon (FIGS. 21(b1) to (b5)). When the arrow hits the balloon (FIGS. 21(d1) to (d5)), it is determined that the performance step will end at that stage, and the second half performances ST1B to ST5B corresponding to that stage are executed. In this embodiment, the step-up preview performance only goes up to the fifth stage, so the arrow shot by the bear in at least the fifth first half performance ST5A will always hit the balloon (Figure 21 (d5)).

[0290] In addition, in the step-up preview performance of this embodiment, multiple types (here, five types of each) of the first to fifth second half performances ST1B to ST5B are provided, and one of these multiple types is selected depending on the reliability of the occurrence of a specified event (here, the reliability of a jackpot).

[0291] 22 illustrates five variations for each of the third second half performance ST3B and the fifth second half performance ST5B among the first to fifth second half performances ST1B to ST5B. Of course, similar variations using the respective characters are also prepared for the other first, second, and fourth second half performances ST1B, ST2B, and ST4B, but are omitted here. In the first to fifth second half performances ST1B to ST5B, a reserved pedestal image 168 is displayed at the bottom of the display screen DSa, a mini symbol 165 is displayed at the top of the display screen DSa, the first and second reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4, etc. are displayed in front of the reserved pedestal image 168, and a step-up preview performance image 169 is displayed behind the reserved pedestal image 168 and the mini symbol 165. However, the reserved pedestal image 168 may be displayed during the first half performance and not displayed during the second half performance. This makes it possible to enlarge the display area of ​​the latter half effect for displaying information about the jackpot reliability, and to execute a more impactful display effect. In the first to fifth latter half effects ST1B to ST5B, the decorative symbols 164 that are changing are not displayed.

[0292] The five types of third second half performances ST3Ba to ST3Be shown in Figures 22(a1) to (e1) have in common the step-up preview performance image 169, in that it features a fox, which is the character of the third step performance ST3, and in that it has a basic screen layout centered around the fox and a specified text image, but they differ in the content of the displayed text image, the display mode of the text image (here, the display color), and the display color (base color) of at least a portion of the step-up preview performance image 169.

[0293] 22(a1)-(e1) show the step-up preview effect images 169 of the third second half effects ST3Ba-ST3Be. The image of a fox character is displayed large in a positional relationship that divides the background image into a left background image and a right background image. A character image consisting of a predetermined dialogue string (which may consist of only one character) is displayed horizontally in front of the character image (fox) and the background image, spanning the image. The content of the dialogue string is different for all five types. The dialogue strings corresponding to the third second half effects ST3Ba-ST3Be are "Good things are going to happen," "Okay, let's do our best," "Even better things are going to happen," "It's going to be okay," and "I feel great," respectively. The display color (display mode) of the dialogue string is also different for all five types. The display colors (interior colors of the characters) of the dialogue strings corresponding to the third second half effects ST3Ba-ST3Be are "blue," "red," "gold," "danger," and "rainbow," respectively. Here, "danger colors" refer to a striped color scheme made up of multiple colors different from rainbow colors, and in this embodiment, the three colors yellow, black, and red are arranged in diagonal stripes.

[0294] Furthermore, for the step-up preview performance image 169 of the third second half performances ST3Ba to ST3Bd (Figures 22(a1) to (d1)) other than the third second half performance ST3Be (Figure 22(e1)), the base color corresponds to the display color of the dialogue text, and the colors "blue," "red," "gold," and "danger" are used in at least a portion (such as the right background image) of the step-up preview performance image 169 corresponding to the respective text colors "blue," "red," "gold," and "danger." Here, the "danger color" as the base color is the same as the "danger color" as the text color in that it is composed of three colors: yellow, black, and red. However, it differs from the "danger color" as the text color in that the striped color scheme is only yellow and black, and the text "DANGER" is continuously arranged in red on the black line. Note that the configuration of the danger color is not limited to this, and it may be different from the other text colors / base colors.

[0295] Furthermore, the five types of fifth second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Be shown in Figures 22(a2) to (e2) have in common the step-up preview performance image 169 in that a bear, which is the character of the fifth step performance ST5, appears, and that the basic screen layout is centered around the bear and a specified text image, but they differ in the content of the text image displayed on the screen, the display mode of the text image (here, the display color), and the display color (base color) of at least a portion of the step-up preview performance image 169.

[0296] That is, the step-up preview performance images 169 of the fifth second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Be shown in Figures 22(a2) to (e2) are common in that a bear character image is displayed large in a positional relationship that divides the background image into a left background image and a right background image, and a character image consisting of a predetermined dialogue string (which may consist of only one character) is displayed horizontally in front of the character image (bear) and the background image, spanning them. Meanwhile, the content of the dialogue string is different for all five types, and the dialogue strings corresponding to the fifth second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Be are "Maybe we can do it," "Almost there," "I'm feeling refreshed," "I'm getting excited," and "Very satisfied!". Furthermore, the display colors of the dialogue strings are also different for all five types, and the display colors (interior colors of the characters) of the dialogue strings corresponding to the fifth second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Be are "blue," "red," "gold," "danger," and "rainbow," respectively. As described above, the contents of the dialogue character strings in the fifth second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Be are all different from the contents of the dialogue character strings in the third second half performances ST3Ba to ST3Be, but the contents of at least some of the dialogue character strings may be common.

[0297] Furthermore, for the step-up preview performance images 169 of the 5th second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Bd (Figures 22 (a2) to (d2)) other than the 5th second half performance ST5Be (Figure 22 (e2)), the base color of the screen corresponds to the display color of the dialogue text, and the colors ``blue,'' ``red,'' ``gold,'' and ``danger color'' are used in at least part of the screen (such as part of the background image) corresponding to the respective text colors ``blue,'' ``red,'' ``gold,'' and ``danger color.''

[0298] Here, the jackpot reliability is set to gradually increase from the third second half performance ST3Ba to ST3Be and from the fifth second half performance ST5Ba to ST5Be. That is, the relationship between the display color of the dialogue string and the jackpot reliability increases in the order of "blue," "red," "gold," "danger," and "rainbow." Note that "rainbow" indicates a jackpot reliability of 100%, i.e., a guaranteed jackpot. Thus, the third second half performance ST3Ba to ST3Be and the fifth second half performance ST5Ba to ST5Be have different jackpot reliability depending on the display color of the dialogue string. Therefore, the character image (specific character information) or the step-up preview performance image 169 containing that character image can be considered a specific image containing jackpot reliability information. The same applies to the other first, second, and fourth second half performances.

[0299] Thus, for example, the third latter half effect ST3Ba (FIG. 22(a1)) and the fifth latter half effect ST5Ba (FIG. 22(a2)) are examples of the A-1 reliability specific image corresponding to the A-1 reliability, and the third latter half effect ST3Bb (FIG. 22(b1)) and the fifth latter half effect ST5Bb (FIG. 22(b2)) are examples of the A-2 reliability specific image corresponding to the A-2 reliability. In this embodiment, the five display colors used in this step-up notice effect, "blue," "red," "gold," "danger," and "rainbow," represent a full lineup of reliability information related to jackpots (reliability information related to the occurrence of a predetermined event), and are set in order of increasing jackpot reliability. However, in other notice effects, it is not necessary to use all five display colors as reliability information; only some of the colors, such as "red" and "gold," may be used. However, even in this case, the relationship between the high and low reliability of jackpots (for example, "gold" is higher than "red") remains unchanged.

[0300] The base color of the step-up preview effect image 169 does not need to be exactly the same as the text color, but may be a similar color. Also, for the third second half effect ST3Be, the fifth second half effect ST5Be, etc., in which the text color is "rainbow," the base color of the screen may be made to correspond to the text color by making at least a portion of the display color other than the dialogue text "rainbow." In this embodiment, the display modes other than the display color of the dialogue text, such as the font and size of the dialogue text, are generally the same for the five types of the third second half effect ST3Ba to ST3Be, the fifth second half effect ST5Ba to ST5Be, etc., but other display modes (font, etc.) may be different along with the text color. Alternatively, the text color may be generally the same and other specific display modes (font, etc.) may be different, and the specific display mode may be used as reliability information.

[0301] Next, a specific example of the step-up notice performance will be explained using an example in which the performance step progresses to the third stage and ST3Bc (Fig. 22(c1)) is selected as the third latter half performance, but first an overview will be explained with reference to Fig. 23. When the step-up notice performance starts during normal fluctuation in the reach fluctuation pattern, the speaker starts outputting BGM1 related to this step-up notice performance as background music, and on the display screen DSa, the decorative pattern 164 during high-speed fluctuation is hidden, and the reserved base image 168 is displayed on the bottom end side and the mini pattern 165 is displayed on the top end side, and behind them, a performance image related to the step-up introduction performance ST0 is displayed (Fig. 23(a)).

[0302] In this step-up introduction effect ST0, a step-up preview effect image 169 is displayed, showing five characters—an elephant, a lion, a fox, a squirrel, and a bear—corresponding to the five stages of the effect, each preparing to fire an arrow at a balloon. Seeing this, a player can recognize that this is a step-up preview effect, in which the effect steps will progress until one of the characters pops the balloon. Furthermore, in this step-up introduction effect ST0 (FIG. 23(a)), for example, at the start, a predetermined introductory sound is output from the speaker as a sound effect. Furthermore, during this step-up introduction effect ST0 (FIG. 23(a)), at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emits light in an introduction mode corresponding to this step-up introduction effect ST0, for example, orange. Note that "at least a portion of the effect lamps L" may refer to either the frame-side lamps La or the board-side lamps Lb, or both, or at least a portion of the frame-side lamps La and a portion of the board-side lamps Lb. This also applies to all the following explanations.

[0303] Following the step-up introduction performance ST0 (FIG. 23(a)), one or more step performances from the first stage to a predetermined stage, here the first step performance ST1 to the third step performance ST3, are executed sequentially. That is, first, the first first half performance ST1A of the first step performance ST1 starts as the first stage (FIG. 23(b)). In this first first half performance ST1A, the first character, an elephant, fires an arrow at a balloon, but fails to hit the balloon.

[0304] Furthermore, during this first first half performance ST1A (Figure 23(b)), for example, at the start, a predetermined first start sound is output from the speaker as a sound effect, and then following this first start sound, a first first half voice such as "Let's go" is output as a dialogue sound. The output of the first first half voice may start after the output of the first start sound has finished, or it may start while the first start sound is being output. Furthermore, during this first first half performance ST1A (Figure 23(b)), at least a portion of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) emits light in a first half light-emitting mode corresponding to the first half performance (first light-emitting mode corresponding to the first half performance), for example, in green.

[0305] When the arrow shot by the elephant misses the balloon, the first first half performance ST1A ends, and the second first half performance ST2A of the second step performance ST2 begins (Figure 23(c)). In this second first half performance ST2A, the second character, the lion, fires an arrow at the balloon, but just like the first step performance ST1, he is unable to hit the balloon.

[0306] Furthermore, during this second first half performance ST2A (Figure 23(c)), for example, at the start, a predetermined second start sound is output from the speaker as a sound effect, and then following the second start sound, a second first half voice such as "This time for sure" is output as a dialogue sound. The second start sound may be the same as or different from the first start sound. Furthermore, the output of the second first half voice may start after the output of the second start sound has finished, or may start while the second start sound is being output. Furthermore, during this second first half performance ST2A (Figure 23(c)), at least some of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) continue to emit light in a first half light-emitting mode corresponding to the first half performance, for example, green.

[0307] When the arrow shot by the lion misses the balloon, the second first half performance ST2A ends, and the third first half performance ST3A of the third step performance ST3 begins (Figure 23(d)). In this third first half performance ST3A, the third character, the fox, fires an arrow at the balloon, and in the example of Figure 23, the arrow hits the balloon beautifully (Figure 23(d)).

[0308] Furthermore, during this third first half performance ST3A (Figure 23(d)), for example, at the start, a predetermined third start sound is output from the speaker as a sound effect, and then following this third start sound, a third first half voice such as "How's that?" is output as a dialogue sound. The third start sound may be the same as or different from the first and second start sounds. The output of the third first half voice may begin after the output of the third start sound has finished, or it may begin while the third start sound is being output. Furthermore, during this third first half performance ST2A (Figure 23(d)), at least some of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) continue to emit light in a first half light-emitting mode corresponding to the first half performance, for example, green, until just before the arrow hits the balloon, and then transition to a first half end light-emitting mode, for example, a short-term off state, at the time when the arrow hits the balloon or just before.

[0309] The first half light-emitting mode may be different for each of the first half performances ST1A to ST5A. In this case, the light-emitting mode may be changed, for example, when the second starting sound, the third starting sound, etc. are generated. This configuration allows the player to easily sense the step-up stage. The light-emitting mode may also be temporarily changed when the second starting sound, the third starting sound, etc. are generated. In this case, the light-emitting mode does not change for the first to fifth first half performances ST1A to ST5A, but the light will be emitted in a different light-emitting mode (e.g., white) at least before and after the timing when the second starting sound, the third starting sound, etc. are output. This configuration allows the player to easily sense the change in the step-up stage.

[0310] When the arrow hits the balloon (Fig. 23(d)), it is determined that the performance step will end at its third stage, and at that timing (first timing), a high-brightness performance WO11 (first high-brightness performance) (Fig. 23(e)) is performed, and during (or after) the high-brightness performance WO11, one of multiple types (here, five types) of third second half performances ST3Ba to ST3Be, here third second half performance ST3Bc, is executed (Fig. 23(f)). In other words, the high-brightness performance WO11 is executed at the timing (first timing) when the first scene image related to the first half performance is switched to the second scene image related to the second half performance.

[0311] Here, the high-brightness effect refers to an effect in which a high-brightness image 170 is displayed to reduce the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170 (here, the step-up preview effect image 169). All of the high-brightness effects in this embodiment are so-called whiteout effects, and a white high-brightness image 170 is used, but the color of the high-brightness image may be any color other than white, such as gray, yellow, blue, red, etc., or may be composed of multiple colors. Also, there may be cases in which no image is displayed behind the high-brightness image 170.

[0312] In the high-brightness effect WO11, the high-brightness image 170a is displayed in front of the step-up notice effect image (specific image) 169 and behind the mini symbol 165, the reserved base image 168, and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of them, so that the visibility of the step-up notice effect image (specific image) 169 can be changed without changing the visibility of the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4, or the mini symbol 165. This is also true for other high-brightness effects described later. Note that in the high-brightness effect WO11, the common high-brightness image 170a is displayed regardless of which of the third second-half effects ST3Ba to ST3Be is selected. The same is true for the other first, second, fourth, and fifth second-half effects.

[0313] However, without being limited to this, the high-brightness image 170 may be displayed in front of at least one of the mini-pattern 165, reserved images X1-, Y1-, and reserved base image 168, thereby reducing their visibility. In this case, the high-brightness image 170 may be displayed in front of the reserved base image 168 and behind the reserved images X1-, Y1-. This allows for a wider, more impactful high-brightness effect to be performed without reducing the visibility of at least the reserved images X1-, Y1-. Furthermore, it is desirable to configure the display area that does not overlap with the high-brightness image 170 to be smaller than the area in which the high-brightness image 170 is displayed. This makes it possible to more strongly impress the player with the feeling that the high-brightness image 170 is hiding the image behind it. Furthermore, it is desirable that the display area that does not overlap with the high-brightness image 170 be an area in which information suggesting reliability (text information, character images, other images displayed in reliability colors) is not located among the images of the third second half performance ST3B that will be displayed subsequently. This allows the high-brightness image 170 to exert a concealing effect without concealing the entire area of ​​the display screen with the high-brightness image 170.

[0314] The high-brightness image 170 is displayed in white in a predetermined area on the screen, and is set to an arbitrary transmittance within that area. The transmittance of the high-brightness image 170 may be uniform or non-uniform within the display area. When the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170 is non-uniform, the transmittance and / or the rate of change in transmittance of the high-brightness image 170 may be configured to be different between an area where information suggesting reliability (text information, character images, other images displayed in a reliability color) is located and other areas. In this case, it is desirable to configure the transmittance and / or the rate of change in transmittance to be lower in an area where information suggesting reliability (text information, character images, other images displayed in a reliability color) is located. Furthermore, the transmittance and / or the rate of change in transmittance may be lower in an area where particularly important text information or other images displayed in a reliability color among information suggesting reliability is located than in an area where character images are located, or vice versa. In this way, by varying the transmittance and rate of change of the transmittance of the high-brightness image depending on the display position, it is possible to prevent the high-brightness effect from becoming monotonous. Also, from the level of the transmittance and rate of change of the transmittance, it is possible to make the display content of the image of the third latter half effect ST3B, for example, more complex and interesting.

[0315] Furthermore, the size (display range) of the high-brightness image can be changed over time, and the transmittance value and transmittance distribution can also be changed over time. If the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170 is 0%, the image behind the high-brightness image 170 is completely invisible, and if the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170 is 100%, the high-brightness image 170 itself is completely invisible. Therefore, if the transmittance of a predetermined portion of the high-brightness image 170 is 100%, it can be considered that the predetermined portion is not a part that constitutes the high-brightness image 170 in the first place. Furthermore, if the transmittance of a predetermined portion of the high-brightness image 170 changes from a value less than 100% to 100%, it can be considered that the predetermined portion falls outside the range of the high-brightness image 170 when it reaches 100%.

[0316] During the high brightness effect WO11 (FIG. 23(e)), the output of BGM1 related to the step-up notice effect continues. Also, during the high brightness effect WO11, a predetermined emphasis sound is output as a sound effect, and this predetermined emphasis sound is selected from the first to fifth predetermined emphasis sounds according to reliability information related to the jackpot in the latter half effect (for example, according to which of ST3Ba to ST3Be is selected in the case of the third latter half effect). That is, for example, when an image (first reliability specific image) relating to the third latter half effect ST3Ba (FIG. 22(a1)) is displayed while the high-brightness image 170a is being displayed, a first predetermined emphasis sound corresponding to the image (first reliability specific image) relating to the third latter half effect ST3Ba can be output (first sound effect), and when an image (first reliability specific image) relating to the third latter half effect ST3Bc (FIG. 22(c1)) is displayed while the high-brightness image 170a is being displayed, a third predetermined emphasis sound corresponding to the image (second reliability specific image) relating to the third latter half effect ST3Bc can be output (second sound effect). This has the advantage that reliability information can be notified to the player in advance by sound during the high-brightness effect WO11 when the dialogue character string (character information) is still not visible or difficult to see, thereby improving the presentation effect.

[0317] Furthermore, a common predetermined emphasis sound may be output for each jackpot reliability in the second half effects. For example, a common first predetermined emphasis sound may be output when an image (first reliability specific image) related to the third second half effect ST3Ba (FIG. 22(a1)) is displayed, when an image (first reliability specific image) related to the third second half effect ST3Bb (FIG. 22(b1)) is displayed, and when an image (first reliability specific image) related to the third second half effect ST3Bc (FIG. 22(c1)) is displayed, and a common second emphasis sound may be output when an image (first reliability specific image) related to the third second half effect ST3Bd (FIG. 22(d1)) is displayed, and when an image (first reliability specific image) related to the third second half effect ST3Be (FIG. 22(e1)) is displayed. This allows the player to be notified of the expected reliability of the reliability information in advance based on the content of the predetermined emphasis sound, which has the advantage of improving the presentation effect.

[0318] The first to fifth predetermined emphasis sounds may be configured so that the higher the reliability of a jackpot is based on reliability information about a jackpot in the latter half of the performance, the larger the output volume and / or output time. In this case, the output volume and / or output time of the third predetermined emphasis sound (first specific sound) output when the high-brightness effect WO11 is executed (first high-brightness effect) during the third latter half of the performance ST3Bc (Fig. 22(c1)) is larger than the first predetermined emphasis sound (second specific sound) output when the high-brightness effect WO11 is executed (second second high-brightness effect) during the third latter half of the performance ST3Ba (Fig. 22(a1)).

[0319] Furthermore, the first to fifth predetermined accent sounds may be configured to be accompanied by a vibration effect by activating a vibration means, the higher the reliability of a jackpot in the latter half of the performance, based on reliability information regarding a jackpot. For example, the first to third predetermined accent sounds may be configured not to be accompanied by a vibration effect, and the fourth and fifth predetermined accent sounds may be configured to be accompanied by a vibration effect. Alternatively, only the fifth predetermined accent sound may be configured to be accompanied by a vibration effect. Here, the vibration means may be configured to vibrate a predetermined part such as the chance button 11. Furthermore, when two types of predetermined accent sounds, the first and second predetermined accent sounds, are used, only one of the second predetermined accent sounds may be configured to be accompanied by a vibration effect. Furthermore, a vibration effect does not necessarily have to be accompanied by the execution of the predetermined accent sounds; a vibration effect may or may not be performed together with the execution of the predetermined accent sounds. More preferably, a vibration effect is configured to be accompanied only when the expectation of a jackpot is high.

[0320] During the high-brightness effect WO11 (first high-brightness effect), at least some of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (a first light-emitting mode corresponding to the high-brightness effect) (first light-emitting effect in which the light-emitting means emits light in the first light-emitting mode, first light-emitting effect). In this embodiment, the first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode during the high-brightness effect WO11 is a cyclic change mode that cyclically changes between multiple colors (e.g., three colors: gold, green, and white) including the text color (e.g., gold) of the third second half effect ST3B. Note that the first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode may be a single color such as gold, as long as it includes a color corresponding to the text color (e.g., gold) of the third second half effect ST3B. This allows the reliability information to be notified to the player in advance by light emission during the high-brightness effect WO11, when the dialogue string (text information) is still not visible or difficult to see, which has the advantage of improving the effect of the effect. When the effect lamp L is illuminated in a color corresponding to an image, the color of the light does not have to be exactly the same as the color of the image, as long as it is a similar color (for example, yellow for a gold image).

[0321] During the third latter half of the performance ST3Bc (Figure 23(f)) after the end of the high-brightness performance WO11, as described above, as a step-up preview performance image 169, a fox character image is displayed large in a position that divides the background image into a left background image and a right background image, and a line of dialogue saying "It seems like something even better is going to happen" is displayed in "gold" in front of the character image (fox) and the background image, spanning them.

[0322] Furthermore, during this third-second half performance ST3Bc (FIG. 23(f)), the output of BGM1 related to the step-up preview performance continues, and a predetermined third-second half voice is output as a dialogue sound. This third-second half voice corresponds to the dialogue string (text information) displayed on the screen, and in this case, "It seems like something even better is going to happen." When this dialogue sound is output, it is desirable to have the character image perform what is known as lip-syncing (speaking).

[0323] Furthermore, during the third second half effect ST3Bc (FIG. 23(f)), at least some of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a second half light-emitting mode (a third light-emitting mode corresponding to a specific image) corresponding to the third second half effect ST3Bc, for example, in a cyclical change mode that cycles through multiple colors (here, three colors: gold, green, and white) including the text color (here, gold) of the third second half effect ST3Bc. This second half light-emitting mode may be the same as or different from the preceding first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode, but it is preferable to configure it to include the text color (here, gold) of the third second half effect ST3Bc. This allows for light-emitting effects in a light-emitting mode corresponding to the text color (here, gold) indicating the probability of a jackpot even after the image effect of the third second half effect ST3Bc has finished displaying. This makes it possible to notify players who missed the image effect using the text color (here, gold) indicating the probability of a jackpot whenever possible. Furthermore, it is desirable that the light color of this second half light-emitting mode does not include colors corresponding to other second half performances (here, blue, red, danger color, rainbow color). Also, the second half light-emitting mode may be configured with only a light color corresponding to the character color (for example, gold). Also, it may be configured not to include the character color of the third second half performance ST3Bc (here, gold), which makes it possible to visually sense that the performance period of the third second half performance ST3Bc has ended.

[0324] After the third second half performance ST3Bc is executed, a high-brightness performance WO12 (first second high-brightness performance) is executed at that timing (second timing) (FIG. 23(g)). During the execution of the high-brightness performance WO12, the step-up preview performance image 169 related to the third second half performance ST3Bc is switched to a variable screen of the decorative pattern 164 (specific image end performance) (FIG. 23(h)). The high-brightness performance WO12 differs from the high-brightness performance WO11 in the display area of ​​the high-brightness image and the rate of change in transmittance. This makes it possible to clearly express the start and end of the second half performance. While the high-brightness performance WO12 and the high-brightness performance WO11 have the same minimum transmittance (0%), this may also be different. The high-brightness performance WO12 may also have the same display area of ​​the high-brightness image as the high-brightness performance WO11. Also, the transmittance (minimum value) and / or the rate of change of transmittance may be the same. This makes it possible to give the player a sense of expectation that the second half performance may still continue. Also, it is desirable that the high-brightness performance WO12 is displayed so that at least the area where information suggesting the reliability of the second half performance (text information, character images, other images displayed in reliability colors) is located is concealed by a high-brightness image. This makes it possible to end the second half performance without creating a sense of incongruity and transition to the pattern variation screen. Also, it may be configured so that at least the area where any one of the information suggesting the reliability of the second half performance (text information, character images, other images displayed in reliability colors) is located is concealed by a high-brightness image.

[0325] During the high-brightness effect WO12 (FIG. 23(g)), for example, the output of background music (BGM) is stopped. During the high-brightness effect WO12, a specific emphasis sound is output as a sound effect. This specific emphasis sound is selected from the first to fifth specific emphasis sounds depending on the reliability information regarding the jackpot in the second half effect (for example, depending on which of ST3Ba to ST3Be is selected in the case of the third second half effect). During the high-brightness effect WO12, a common specific emphasis sound may be output as a sound effect. That is, a common specific emphasis sound may be output regardless of the reliability information regarding the jackpot in the second half effect. This allows, for example, different specific emphasis sounds to be output depending on the reliability information regarding the jackpot in the second half effect during the high-brightness effect WO11, while a common specific emphasis sound can be output during the high-brightness effect WO12 regardless of the reliability information regarding the jackpot. This allows different effect expressions to be achieved in the high-brightness effect WO11 and the high-brightness effect WO12. In addition, the predetermined emphasis sound in the high brightness effect WO11 may be configured to be common regardless of the reliability information regarding the jackpot, and the specific emphasis sound in the high brightness effect WO12 may be configured to be different depending on the reliability information regarding the jackpot.

[0326] The first to fifth specific emphasis sounds may be configured to have a larger output volume and / or output duration as the jackpot reliability increases based on reliability information about the jackpot in the second half performance. In this case, the third specific emphasis sound (first specific sound) output when the high-brightness performance WO12 is executed during the third second half performance ST3Bc (FIG. 22(c1)) (first high-brightness performance B) has a larger output volume and / or output duration than the first specific emphasis sound (second specific sound) output when the high-brightness performance WO12 is executed during the third second half performance ST3Ba (FIG. 22(a1)). The first to fifth specific emphasis sounds in the high-brightness performance WO12 may be different from or the same as the first to fifth specific emphasis sounds in the high-brightness performance WO11.

[0327] Furthermore, during the high-brightness effect WO12 (second high-brightness effect), at least some of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a second high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (second light-emitting mode), for example, in a cyclical change mode that cyclically changes between multiple colors (here, three colors: gold, green, and white) including the text color (here, gold) of the third second half effect ST3Bc (specific light-emitting effect in which the light-emitting means emits light in a specific light-emitting mode corresponding to a specific image). In this way, the second half light-emitting mode may be the same as or different from the first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode and the second half light-emitting mode, but it is preferable to configure it to include the text color (here, gold) of the third second half effect ST3Bc. Alternatively, the second half light-emitting mode may be configured not to include the text color (here, gold). Furthermore, by configuring the first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode to include the text color and the second half light-emitting mode to not include the text color, it is possible to avoid monotony in the presentation and prevent a decrease in the presentation effect.

[0328] When the symbol changing screen starts after the high brightness effect WO12, a symbol stopping sound is output as a sound effect in accordance with the stopping of the decorative symbols 164a to 164c.

[0329] Next, regarding the step-up notice effect shown in Figure 23, the effect period centered on the high-brightness effects WO11 and WO12 will be described in more detail. Figures 24 to 26 show the changes in the display screen and light-emitting means at even shorter time intervals than those in Figure 23 for the period from Figure 23(e) to (h), that is, the period from the start of the high-brightness effect WO11 to the end of the high-brightness effect WO12 and the transition to the variable screen of the decorative pattern 164. Note that the 22 frames of display images shown in Figures 24 to 26 do not represent all frames in the period from Figure 23(e) to (h), but are extracted at a fixed interval from all of those frames. Therefore, in Figures 24 to 26, the time interval between adjacent frames is the same (here, A milliseconds). As such, in Figures 24 to 26, if the number of frames doubles, the time also doubles. For example, the elapsed time between Figures 24(a) to (c) is the same as that between Figures 24(d) to (f), but the elapsed time between Figures 24(a) to (c) and Figures 24(d) to (g) is longer than that between Figures 24(a) to (c) and Figures 24(d) to (g).

[0330] First, the details of the high brightness effect WO11 will be explained. In the high brightness effect WO11 shown in Fig. 24(a) to Fig. 25(j), at the start, a high brightness image 170a is displayed in front of the step-up notice effect image (specific image) 169 and behind the mini symbol 165, the reserved base image 168 and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of it (Fig. 24(a)) (high brightness image display process), and the size (range) and transmittance of the high brightness image 170a gradually change and finally disappear (Fig. 24(j)).

[0331] Furthermore, the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a is configured to be maximum at the start of display (FIG. 24(a)) and gradually decrease over time. That is, the high-brightness effect WO11 is configured with an enlargement change effect that changes the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a in an enlargement direction, and a reduction change effect that changes the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a in a reduction direction, and the execution time of the latter (FIGS. 24(a) to 25(j)) is longer than that of the former (FIG. 24(a)). In the high-brightness effect WO11, the coverage rate of the high-brightness image 170a with respect to the entire step-up preview effect image 169 is less than 100%, and even when the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a is maximum (FIG. 24(a)), a portion of the step-up preview effect image 169 is visible from the front. Of course, when the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a is at its maximum, the coverage rate of the high-brightness image 170a with respect to the entire step-up notice performance image 169 may be 100%. Also, it is sufficient that part of the predetermined information (text information, character image, reliability color display image, etc.) in the step-up notice performance image is concealed by the high-brightness image 170a, making it difficult to perceive and / or see, and it is not necessary for all of the predetermined information to be concealed.

[0332] The high-brightness image 170a is set so that its transmittance is approximately uniform within its range. The high-brightness image 170a changes not only its size (range) but also its transmittance over time (transmittance change processing, transmittance change effect), with the transmittance at a minimum (e.g., 0%) at the start of display (FIG. 24(a)) gradually increasing (rising) at a constant rate over time. That is, the high-brightness effect WO11 is comprised of a low-transmittance change effect that decreases the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a and a high-transmittance change effect that increases the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a, with the latter (FIGS. 24(a) to 25(j)) taking longer to execute than the former (FIG. 24(a)).

[0333] The minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a may be greater than 0%. The rate of change (amount of change per unit time) of the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a need not be constant. The transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a may be non-uniform, and the non-uniform transmittance may be changed over time. The size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a may be changed without changing the transmittance, or the transmittance may be changed without changing the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a. However, a reduction in the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a can be considered to mean that the transmittance of a portion of the high-brightness image 170a increases to 100%, essentially eliminating that portion. Therefore, changing the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a can be considered to essentially change the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a.

[0334] In addition, in the high-brightness performance WO11, the step-up notice performance image 169 displayed behind the high-brightness image 170a is switched from the previous image of the third first half performance ST3A (see FIG. 23(d)) to the image of the third second half performance ST3Bc (see FIG. 22(c1)) when the display of the high-brightness image 170a starts (FIG. 24(a)). As a result, after the start of the high-brightness performance WO11, the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a gradually decreases, and as the transmittance also gradually increases, the visibility of the step-up notice performance image 169 improves, and when the high-brightness image 170a eventually disappears (FIG. 25(j)), the entire step-up notice performance image 169 (excluding the part hidden behind the mini-pattern 165, etc.) becomes completely visible.

[0335] During the high-brightness effect WO11, the effect lamp L emits light in a first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode. The first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode is a cyclical change mode that cyclically changes among multiple colors (e.g., three colors: gold, green, and white) including the text color (e.g., gold) of the third latter half effect ST3Bc. For example, the light emission color changes in the order of green (FIGS. 24(a)-(c)), white (FIGS. 24(d)-(f)), and gold (FIGS. 24(g)-(i)) so that gold light corresponding to the text color appears in the latter half or final stage of the high-brightness effect WO11. However, without being limited to this, the light-emitting mode of the effect lamp L, for example, brightness and / or light-emitting color, may be changed in response to changes in the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a. This allows for a better correlation between changes in the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a and changes in the light-emitting mode, enhancing the effect of the effect. Furthermore, the light emission mode (e.g., brightness and light color) of the effect lamp L may be configured to change in stages according to changes in the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a. For example, when the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a is 0% to 30%, a first light emission mode is used, when it is 31% to 70%, a second light emission mode is used, and when it is 71% to 99%, a third light emission mode is used, and so on.

[0336] As described above, during the high-brightness performance WO11, the visibility of the step-up preview performance image 169 behind the high-brightness image 170a changes over time due to changes in the size (range) and / or transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a, and the text information constituting the step-up preview performance image 169 transitions from an invisible (or difficult to see) state to a visible (or easily visible) state at a predetermined point in time (e.g., FIG. 24(d)). That is, during the high-brightness performance WO11, a first transmittance change process can be executed that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a while making the text information invisible (or difficult to see), and a second transmittance change process can be executed that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a while making all of the text information visible (or easily visible). The execution times for the former (e.g., FIGS. 24(a) to (d)) and the latter (e.g., FIGS. 24(d) to 25(j)) are different, with the execution time for the latter being longer than the former. In this way, by making the execution time of the latter longer than that of the former, the character information that the player is most interested in can be disclosed to the player at an early stage, and the display time of the high brightness image can be set sufficiently, thereby enhancing the effect of the high brightness presentation itself.

[0337] The execution time of the first transmittance change process may be longer than that of the second transmittance change process, or the execution times of the first and second transmittance change processes may be approximately the same. By executing the first transmittance change process for a longer time than that of the second transmittance change process, the disclosure of the text information can be delayed, thereby increasing the player's sense of anticipation and tension. Furthermore, once the text information has been revealed, it is desirable to reveal the entire information as soon as possible (to increase visibility so that the text information is easier to see as soon as possible). Therefore, if the execution time of the first transmittance change process is set long, it is desirable to execute the second transmittance change process for a shorter time.

[0338] The boundary between the state in which the text information is invisible (or difficult to be visible) and the state in which it is visible (or easily visible) may be defined as the moment when at least a part of the text information is no longer overlapped with the high-brightness image, or the moment when all (the entire) of the text information is no longer overlapped with the high-brightness image.

[0339] Furthermore, during the high-brightness performance WO11, a first range change process can be executed that changes the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a while making the text information invisible (or difficult to see), and a second range change process can be executed that changes the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a while making all of the text information visible (or easy to see). The execution times for the former (e.g., Figures 24(a) to (d)) and the latter (e.g., Figures 24(d) to 25(j)) are different, with the latter taking longer than the former. Note that the execution time for the first range change process may be longer than that for the second range change process, or the execution times for the former and latter may be approximately the same.

[0340] When the high-brightness effect WO11 ends and the entire step-up preview effect image 169 for the third-second half effect ST3Bc becomes visible (FIG. 25(j)), the line "Even better things could happen" (third-second half voice) corresponding to the line string (text information) displayed on the screen is output. The following dynamic display is performed on the step-up preview effect image 169 in response to the output of the line sound (post-execution dynamic display process, post-execution change process). That is, as shown in FIGS. 25(j)-(o), while the line sound (third-second half voice) is being output, the fox character image lip-syncs in time with the line sound, and the line string performs a predetermined movement (here, each character swings). Furthermore, the display color of the characters corresponding to the line sound being output temporarily changes (e.g., from gold to white). This causes the white portion to be perceived as moving, for example, from left to right, on the gold-colored string of "Even better things could happen." It should be noted that the dialogue may be output without the character lip-syncing.

[0341] When the post-execution dynamic display process (FIGS. 25(j)-(o)) in the third latter half performance ST3Bc ends, the high-brightness performance WO12 starts. In the high-brightness performance WO12 shown in FIG. 25(o)-FIG. 26(v), similar to the high-brightness performance WO11, high-brightness image 170b appears in front of step-up notice performance image 169 and behind mini symbol 165, reserved base image 168, and reserved images X1-X4, Y1-Y4 in front of them, and then disappears. However, the display pattern of high-brightness image 170b in this high-brightness performance WO12 (second high-brightness performance) is different from the display pattern of high-brightness image 170a in high-brightness performance WO11 (first high-brightness performance), and the length of their execution time is also different. In addition, the high-brightness effect WO12 (second high-brightness effect), like the high-brightness effect WO11 (first high-brightness effect), may be configured to display a high-brightness image with low transmittance (e.g., 0%) for a short period of time, and then transition to a pattern-changing screen by increasing the transmittance of the high-brightness image over a longer period of time.

[0342] That is, the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b gradually increases over time, reaching a maximum at a predetermined point (FIGS. 25(o) to 26(s)), and then gradually decreases over time until it finally disappears (FIGS. 26(s) to (v)). In this way, the high-brightness effect WO12 is composed of an enlargement change effect that changes the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b in an enlargement direction, and a reduction change effect that changes the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b in a reduction direction, and the execution time of the latter (FIGS. 26(s) to (v)) is shorter than that of the former (FIGS. 25(o) to 26(s)). Note that in the high-brightness effect WO12, the coverage rate of the high-brightness image 170b with respect to the entire step-up preview effect image 169 is less than 100%, and even when the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b is at its maximum (FIG. 26(s)), a part of the step-up preview effect image 169 is outside the range of the high-brightness image 170b. Of course, when the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b is at its maximum, the coverage rate of the high-brightness image 170 relative to the entire step-up preview performance image 169 may be 100%.

[0343] Note that the high-brightness effect WO12 (second high-brightness effect) and the high-brightness effect WO11 (first high-brightness effect) may be configured to have different coverage rates of high-brightness images relative to the entire step-up preview effect image, and in this case, it is desirable that at least the information suggesting reliability (text information, character information, display suggesting reliability color) is covered by high-brightness images in both the high-brightness effect WO12 (second high-brightness effect) and the high-brightness effect WO11 (first high-brightness effect). Also, at the time when the high-brightness effect WO12 (second high-brightness effect) is executed, the information suggesting reliability has already been disclosed, so there may be areas / ranges where this information is not hidden by the high-brightness image.

[0344] The high-brightness image 170b is set so that its transmittance is approximately uniform within its range. The high-brightness image 170b is configured to change not only its size (range) but also its transmittance (transmittance change processing, transmittance change effect), so that the transmittance gradually decreases over time, for example, at a constant rate of change, reaching a minimum (0% here) at a predetermined point in time (FIGS. 25(o) to 26(s)), and then gradually increases over time, for example, at a constant rate of change (FIGS. 26(s) to (v)). That is, the high-brightness effect WO12 is composed of a low-transmittance change effect that decreases the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170b, and a high-transmittance change effect that increases the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170b, and the execution time of the latter (FIGS. 26(s) to (v)) is shorter than that of the former (FIGS. 25(o) to 26(s)). Although the minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170b is set to 0% (FIG. 26(s)), it may be greater than 0%. Of course, the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170b may be non-uniform, and the non-uniform transmittance may be changed over time. Furthermore, the execution time of the high-transmittance change effect may be longer than that of the low-transmittance change effect, or the execution times of both may be approximately the same.

[0345] Furthermore, the size (range) of high-brightness image 170b may be changed without changing the transmittance of high-brightness image 170b, or the transmittance may be changed without changing the size (range) of high-brightness image 170b. However, a reduction in the size (range) of high-brightness image 170b can be considered to mean that the transmittance of a portion of high-brightness image 170b has increased to 100%, causing that portion to essentially disappear. Therefore, changing the size (range) of high-brightness image 170b can be said to essentially change the transmittance of high-brightness image 170b.

[0346] In addition, in the high-brightness effect WO12, the step-up notice effect image 169 displayed behind the high-brightness image 170b is switched to a variable screen (see FIG. 23(h)) of the decorative pattern 164, for example, when the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b becomes maximum and the transmittance becomes minimum (FIG. 26(s)), or at a timing close to that time. As a result, after the start of the high-brightness effect WO12, the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b gradually increases, and similarly the transmittance gradually decreases, the visibility of the step-up notice effect image 169 related to the third latter half effect ST3B decreases, and the screen is switched to the variable screen of the decorative pattern 164 at the point when the visibility of the step-up notice effect image 169 becomes lowest (FIG. 26(s)), or at a timing close to that time. Then, the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b gradually decreases, and as the transmittance also gradually increases, the visibility of the varying screen of the decorative pattern 164 improves, and when the high-brightness image 170b eventually disappears (FIG. 26(v)), the entire varying screen of the decorative pattern 164 (excluding the part hidden behind the mini-pattern 165, etc.) becomes completely visible. In this way, during the execution of the high-brightness effect WO12, a specific image end effect is executed to end the display of the step-up notice effect image (specific image) 169.

[0347] In addition, during the third latter half of the performance ST3Bc after the high-brightness performance WO11 ends (during post-execution dynamic display processing), the performance lamp L lights up in the latter half of the performance mode, and during the subsequent high-brightness performance WO12, the performance lamp L lights up in the second high-brightness medium performance mode. In this embodiment, both the latter half of the performance mode and the second high-brightness medium performance mode are common to the first high-brightness medium performance mode, and are cyclically changed to multiple colors (e.g., three colors: gold, green, and white) including the text color (e.g., gold) of the third latter half of the performance ST3Bc, and the light color changes in the order of green (Figures 25(j)-(l)), white (Figures 25(m)-(o)), gold (Figures 25(p)-(r)), and green (Figures 26(s)-(u)). In addition, at least one of the latter half of the performance mode and the second high-brightness medium performance mode may be different from the first high-brightness medium performance mode. However, even in this case, it is desirable that any light emission mode include a color corresponding to the character color (for example, gold).

[0348] As described above, the step-up notice performance has a first half performance before displaying the step-up notice performance image 169 (specific image) having reliability information about the jackpot (i.e., text information whose display color and content differ depending on the reliability of the jackpot), and a second half performance in which the step-up notice performance image 169 (specific image) having the reliability information about the jackpot is displayed, and after the first half performance is executed, before or at the start of the second half performance, a high-brightness performance WO11 is executed in front of the specific image. Also, the performance lamp (light-emitting means) L emits light in a first half light-emitting mode (first light-emitting mode) corresponding to this first half performance in the first half performance, and emits light in a first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (second light-emitting mode) corresponding to this high-brightness performance WO11 in the high-brightness performance WO11.

[0349] Moreover, in the high-brightness performances WO11 and WO12 of the step-up notice performance, the high-brightness images 170a and 170b are displayed in front of the step-up notice performance image 169 (specific image) and behind the first and second reserved images (reserved images) X1-, Y1- and the mini pattern 165, thereby changing the visibility of the step-up notice performance image 169 while not changing the visibility of the first and second reserved images X1-, Y1- and the mini pattern 165. The high-brightness performance WO11 is composed of a low-transmittance change performance that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a in a decreasing direction and a high-transmittance change performance that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a in an increasing direction, and the latter (Fig. 24(a) to Fig. 25(j)) has a longer execution time than the former (Fig. 24(a)). On the other hand, in the high brightness effect WO12, the execution time of the high transmittance change effect (FIGS. 26(s) to (v)) is shorter than that of the low transmittance change effect (FIGS. 25(o) to 26(s)).

[0350] In addition, in the high-brightness performance WO11 of the step-up preview performance, it is possible to execute a high-brightness image display process (Figure 24(a)) that displays a high-brightness image 170a, and a transmittance change process (Figures 24(a) to 25(j)) that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a displayed by the high-brightness image display process, and by increasing the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a by the transmittance change process, the visibility of the step-up preview performance image 169 behind it is gradually improved. In addition, the step-up preview performance image 169 has a character image (specific character information) having reliability information, and during the high-brightness performance WO11, it is possible to execute a first transmittance change process that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a in a state where the character information is not visible (or difficult to see), and a second transmittance change process that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a in a state where all of the character information is visible (or easy to see), and the execution time differs between the former (e.g., Figures 24(a) to (d)) and the latter (e.g., Figures 24(d) to 25(j)), with the latter taking longer than the former.

[0351] In addition, in the step-up notice performance, it is possible to display any of a plurality of types of specific images, including a step-up notice performance image (first reliability specific image having first reliability information corresponding to first reliability) displayed in the third latter half performance ST3Ba (Fig. 22(a1)) and a step-up notice performance image (second reliability specific image having second reliability information corresponding to second reliability higher than first reliability) displayed in the third latter half performance ST3Bc (Fig. 22(c1)), and the high brightness image 170 in the high brightness performance WO11 While the third second half performance ST3Ba is displayed, the high-brightness image 170a is common to both the third second half performance ST3Ba and the third second half performance ST3Bb, and in the case of the third second half performance ST3Ba, a first predetermined emphasis sound corresponding to the image related to the third second half performance ST3Ba (first reliability specific image A) can be output (first sound effect), and in the case of the third second half performance ST3Bc, a third predetermined emphasis sound corresponding to the image related to the third second half performance ST3Bc (second reliability specific image A) can be output (second sound effect) while the high-brightness image 170a is displayed.

[0352] Furthermore, in the step-up notice performance, while the high-brightness performance WO12 is being executed, the step-up notice performance image 169 relating to the third latter half performance ST3Bc is switched to a variable screen of the decorative pattern 164, thereby making it possible to execute a specific image end performance that ends the display of the step-up notice performance image 169 including the text image. Furthermore, when the specific image end performance is executed while the high-brightness performance WO12 is being executed, the performance lamp (light-emitting means) L emits light in a second high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (specific light-emitting mode corresponding to the specific image) including the text color of the latter half performance (specific light-emitting mode).

[0353] In the step-up notice performance, a step-up notice performance image (specific image) 169 having reliability information regarding a jackpot is displayed during the execution of a high-brightness performance WO11 (first high-brightness performance), and then the display is terminated during the execution of a high-brightness performance WO12 (second high-brightness performance) (performance at the end of a specific image). The high-brightness performance WO11 and the high-brightness performance WO12 have different lengths of execution time, and in the examples of Figures 24 to 26, the high-brightness performance WO11 has a longer execution time than the high-brightness performance WO12.

[0354] In addition, in the step-up preview performance, a step-up preview performance image 169 containing jackpot reliability information is displayed while the high-brightness performance WO11 is being executed, and after the high-brightness performance WO11 ends, a post-execution dynamic display process is executed to dynamically display at least a part of the step-up preview performance image 169, and a post-execution change process (Figures 25(j) to (o)) is executed to perform a predetermined change (color change) on at least a part of the step-up preview performance image 169.

[0355] In addition, in the step-up preview performance, it is possible to execute a high-brightness performance (A-1 high-brightness performance) WO11 that displays a high-brightness image (A-1 high-brightness image) 170a, and a high-brightness performance (A-2 high-brightness performance) WO12 that displays a high-brightness image (A-2 high-brightness image) 170b. The high-brightness performance (A-1 high-brightness performance) WO11 is executed at the first timing when the first scene image relating to the first half performance switches to the second scene image relating to the second half performance, and the high-brightness performance (A-2 high-brightness performance) WO12 is executed at the second timing thereafter.

[0356] In the step-up notice performance, during the high-brightness performance WO11, a character image containing jackpot reliability information is displayed, and when the display of the character image ends, a high-brightness performance WO12 (performance at the end of a specific image) can be executed. During the high-brightness performance WO11, a first light-emitting performance is executed in which the performance lamp (light-emitting means) L is illuminated in a first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (first light-emitting mode) corresponding to the reliability information (for example, display color) in the character image, and during the high-brightness performance WO12 (performance at the end of a specific image), a second light-emitting performance is executed in which the performance lamp (light-emitting means) L is illuminated in a second high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (second light-emitting mode). Note that the second high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (second light-emitting mode) may be different from the first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (first light-emitting mode).

[0357] Furthermore, in the step-up preview performance, the output volume and / or output duration of the third predetermined emphasis sound (first specific sound B) output when the high brightness performance WO11 is executed (first high brightness performance B) during the third latter half performance ST3Bc (Fig. 22(c1)) is greater than the first predetermined emphasis sound (second second specific sound B) output when the high brightness performance WO11 is executed (second high brightness performance B) during the third latter half performance ST3Ba (Fig. 22(a1)). A vibration performance may be executed substantially simultaneously with the third predetermined emphasis sound. Alternatively, a vibration performance may be executed instead of the third predetermined emphasis sound.

[0358] The step-up preview performance is an example of a text information display performance that displays text information, and is capable of executing a high-brightness performance WO11 as a text information display start performance (first specific performance) that is performed when the display of text information begins, and a high-brightness performance WO12 as a text information display end performance (second specific performance) that is performed when the display of text information ends.After the high-brightness performance WO11 (text information display start performance) is executed, a display mode change process (specific display process that displays text information in a specific display mode) (Figures 25(j) to (o)) is executed to change the display mode of the text information, and the display mode change process (specific display process) is not executed while the high-brightness performance WO12 (text information display end performance) is being executed.

[0359] In the above step-up preview effects, the number of variations of reliability indications that can be implemented in the first to fifth second-half effects ST1B to ST5B is uniformly set to five (FIG. 22). However, the number of variations of reliability suggestions that can be implemented in the first to fifth second-half effects ST1B to ST5B that are executed thereafter may be varied depending on the contents of the first to fifth first-half effects ST1A to ST5A. Specifically, in the first to third second-half effects ST1B to ST3B, three types of reliability suggestions may be implemented, starting with the lowest reliability, and in the fourth and fifth second-half effects ST4B to ST5B, five types of reliability suggestions may be implemented. Furthermore, in the fourth and fifth second-half effects ST4B to ST5B, reliability suggestions (two types with high reliability) that are not implemented in the first to third second-half effects ST1B to ST3B may be implemented. In addition, the number of variations in executable reliability suggestions may be varied depending on the character and stage, such as three types for the first second half performance ST1B, three types for the second second half performance ST2B, three types for the third second half performance ST3B, five types for the fourth second half performance ST4B, and four types for the fifth second half performance ST5B.

[0360] Furthermore, depending on the selection rate of each character, the number of reliability suggestion variations may be increased for characters with high selection rates and decreased for characters with low selection rates. This configuration allows the player to see more presentation variations, resulting in a presentation configuration that does not bore the player. Furthermore, the number of reliability suggestion variations may be increased for characters with low selection rates compared to characters with high selection rates. Furthermore, if the order of selection rates is set to elephant, lion, fox, squirrel, and bear, the number of reliability suggestion variations may be increased for foxes and squirrels compared to elephants and lions. Furthermore, in this case, the number of reliability suggestion variations for bears may be decreased compared to foxes and squirrels. In this case, it is desirable to configure the reliability suggestion variations that are executed when a bear is selected so that only high-reliability suggestions are available, and no low-reliability suggestions are available.

[0361] The various configurations in the step-up preview effect described above are not limited to this step-up preview effect, but can also be used in other various effects (preview effects and partial effects). For example, various configurations such as the high-brightness effects WO11 and WO12 in the step-up preview effect may be used in the reach preview effect, dialogue preview effect, etc., which will be described later.

[0362] [Reach notice effect] 27 to 31 show an example of a reach notice effect executed during normal fluctuation in a reach fluctuation pattern or a normal fluctuation pattern. This reach notice effect (specific notice effect) provides a notice regarding the establishment of a reach state and is composed of a reach notice first half effect RC1 and a reach notice second half effect RC2. The effect mode of the reach notice second half effect RC2 is set to be selected from multiple types (here, four types shown in FIG. 27) depending on the type of fluctuation pattern selected. The jackpot reliability is set to gradually increase from the first effect mode RC2a (FIG. 27(a)) to the fourth effect mode RC2d (FIG. 27(d)). In this way, for example, the effect image according to the first effect mode RC2a (FIG. 27(a)) is an example of a B-1 reliability specific image corresponding to the B-1 reliability, and the effect image according to the second effect mode RC2b (FIG. 27(b)) is an example of a B-2 reliability specific image corresponding to the B-2 reliability.

[0363] The multiple types (four types) of performance modes RC2a to RC2d of this reach notice second half performance RC2 are generally the same in terms of the characters that appear in the performance images and their actions, but the line strings displayed in front of the character images, etc., the corresponding line sounds that are output as voice, and the base color of the performance images are different. That is, as shown in Figure 27, the first to fourth performance modes RC2a to RC2d all display the same kappa character image, but the line strings displayed in front of the character image and the corresponding line sounds are different for all four types, and are respectively "It's a reach!", "It's a SP reach!", "Big chance!!", and "Super hot!!".

[0364] The display colors of the dialogue text and the base colors of the effect images are also different for all four types. The display colors (internal colors) and base colors of the dialogue text corresponding to the first to fourth effect modes RC2a to RC2d are "blue," "red," "gold," and "danger," respectively. The danger colors are as described above. Since the first to fourth effect modes RC2a to RC2d have different jackpot reliability depending on the display color of the text, the text image (specific text information) or the reach notice effect image containing the text image can be said to contain reliability information regarding a jackpot. Multiple display modes (here, display colors) may be used for a common text string. In cases where the text string itself indicates reliability, such as "super hot," it is desirable to enable the effect to be expressed using multiple display modes (display colors) with different reliability, such as configuring the danger-colored "super hot" to indicate a higher reliability than the gold-colored "super hot." In this case, a plurality of display modes other than the display color (character color), such as the size of the character outline, may be provided.

[0365] Next, a specific example of the reach notice performance will be described using an example in which the first performance mode RC2a (FIG. 27(a)) of the first to fourth performance modes RC2a to RC2d is selected, but first an overview will be provided with reference to FIG. 28. When the reach notice performance starts during normal fluctuation in the reach fluctuation pattern, the speaker starts outputting BGM2 related to this reach notice performance as background music, and on the display screen DSa, the decorative pattern 164 during high-speed fluctuation is hidden, and a reserved base image 168 is displayed on the bottom edge side, and a mini pattern 165 is displayed on the top edge side, and behind them, a reach notice performance image 171 related to the reach notice first half performance RC1 is displayed (FIG. 28(a)). This reach notice performance image 171 related to the reach notice first half performance RC1 is composed of a scene in which a kappa character flies in the sky.

[0366] During this reach notice first half performance RC1 (Fig. 28(a)), at least a part of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame side lamps La and the board side lamps Lb) emits light in a first half light emission pattern corresponding to the reach notice first half performance, for example, orange. At the start of the reach notice performance, a predetermined start sound may be output as a sound effect.

[0367] Thereafter, the game transitions from the reach notice first half performance RC1 to the reach notice second half performance RC2 (here, the first performance mode RC2a), and the reach notice performance image 171 switches to a scene in which the kappa character's upper body is shown up close (FIG. 28(b)~). Furthermore, at the time of the scene change (switching from the first scene image to the second scene image) accompanying the transition from this reach notice first half performance RC1 to the reach notice second half performance RC2 (first timing), a high-brightness performance (first high-brightness performance) WO21 is executed, which reduces the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170c (here, the reach notice performance image 171) (FIG. 28(b)). Thus, at the first timing when the high-brightness performance WO21 is executed, the dialogue string (character image) containing reliability information regarding the jackpot is not yet displayed on the screen. In this high brightness effect WO21, the minimum transmittance of the high brightness image is set to greater than 0%, but the minimum transmittance of the high brightness image may be set to 0% so that the character image behind it becomes completely invisible.

[0368] During the high-brightness effect WO21 (Figure 28(b)), the output of BGM2 related to the reach notice effect continues. Furthermore, at the start of the high-brightness effect WO21, a predetermined first emphasis sound is output as a sound effect. Furthermore, during the high-brightness effect WO21, at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a high-brightness medium light-emitting mode. This high-brightness medium light-emitting mode includes a specific color (e.g., blue) corresponding to the text color of the reach notice second half effect RC2, and is configured to change, for example, from a specific color (here, white) to the specific color (here, blue). Note that this high-brightness medium light-emitting mode may also be configured not to include the specific color corresponding to the text color. This makes it possible to prevent the content of the text information to be displayed subsequently from being revealed in advance.

[0369] When the high-brightness effect WO21 ends and the reach preview effect image 171 becomes fully visible (Fig. 28(c)), the dialogue string (text information) "It's a reach!" begins to be displayed in front of the character image (text information display start effect). At this time, the dialogue string appears accompanied by a first dynamic display effect (Fig. 28(c) -> (d)). That is, during the first dynamic display period in which the first dynamic display effect is executed, a text information display start effect (first specific effect) is executed when the display of text information begins. In this first dynamic display effect, the dialogue string moves (here, a movement involving rotation) at a first change speed toward a predetermined display position.

[0370] During the text information display start effect, the output of BGM2 related to the reach notice effect continues. Furthermore, when the dialogue string begins to be displayed (when the text information display start effect begins), a predetermined character appearance sound is output as a sound effect. Furthermore, during the text information display start effect, at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a character appearance light-emitting mode. This character appearance light-emitting mode is a cyclic change mode that cyclically changes between multiple colors (e.g., blue and white) including the text color (here, blue) of the dialogue string displayed on the screen. It is preferable that the light-emitting color used in this cyclic change mode not be a color (here, red, gold, etc.) that indicates higher reliability than the text color (here, blue) of the dialogue string. In this case, it is preferable to use a color that indicates lower reliability than the text color of the dialogue string, or a light-emitting color (here, white, etc.) that is not used to indicate reliability. Furthermore, a light-emitting mode corresponding only to the text color of the dialogue string may be adopted, or a light-emitting mode other than continuous lighting, such as flashing, may be used. Also, it may be configured so that only specific light-emitting points have an emitting color corresponding to the character color of the dialogue string, and other light-emitting points have an emitting color other than that (for example, white or off). In this case, for the other emitting colors, it is desirable not to use a color (here, red, gold, etc.) that indicates higher reliability than the emitting color (here, blue) that corresponds to the character color of the dialogue string, and it is desirable to use a color that indicates lower reliability than the character color of the dialogue string, or an emitting color (here, white, etc.) that is not used to suggest reliability.

[0371] When the dialogue string is displayed at a predetermined display position after the first dynamic display effect (second timing), a high-brightness effect (first-class second high-brightness effect) WO22 is executed, which reduces the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170d (here, the reach notice effect image 171) by displaying the high-brightness image 170d (FIG. 28(d)). Thus, at the second timing when the high-brightness effect WO22 is executed, the dialogue string (character image) containing the reliability information regarding the jackpot is already displayed on the screen. During this high-brightness effect WO22, the output of BGM2 related to the reach notice effect continues, and a predetermined second emphasis sound is output as a sound effect. Furthermore, during the high-brightness effect WO22, at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) continue to emit light in the character appearance light-emitting mode.

[0372] When the high-brightness effect WO22 ends and the reach notice effect image 171 including the dialogue string becomes fully visible (FIG. 28(e)), a predetermined reach notice voice is output as a dialogue sound (dialogue output effect). This reach notice voice corresponds to the dialogue string displayed on the screen, and in this case, "It's reach." However, this is not a limitation, and the dialogue output effect of "It's reach" may be configured to be executed while the high-brightness effect WO22 is being executed, or may be configured to be executed from the timing when the dialogue string appears before the execution of the high-brightness effect WO22. Furthermore, during the dialogue output effect, the output of BGM2 related to the reach notice effect continues, and at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emits light in a dialogue output light-emitting mode (here, blue) corresponding to the character color of the dialogue string (i.e., the reliability information).

[0373] When the dialogue output effect ends, an end effect (specific image end effect) is executed to end the display of the reach notice effect image 171 related to the reach notice effect and switch to a pattern changing screen (Fig. 28(f)). During this end effect, at least a part of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in an end light-emitting mode (for example, orange) that is different from the previous dialogue output light-emitting mode (here, blue) or character appearance light-emitting mode (here, a cyclical change mode between blue and white), but this end light-emitting mode may be configured to be the same light-emitting mode as either the dialogue output light-emitting mode or the character appearance light-emitting mode. When the pattern changing screen starts after the end effect (Fig. 28(g)), a pattern stop sound is output as a sound effect in accordance with the stopping of the decorative patterns 164a to 164c. Note that the reach preview effect shown in Figure 28 has a different jackpot reliability than the step-up preview effect shown in Figure 23, and here the latter has a higher jackpot reliability than the former (Figure 20).

[0374] The high-brightness effect (A-2 high-brightness effect) WO22 may be configured to have a different execution time than the high-brightness effect (A-1 high-brightness effect) WO21, or may be configured to have the same execution time. The two may also be configured to have different or identical transmittances for the high-brightness images. The display ranges of the high-brightness images may also be different or identical. Since no text is displayed during the execution of the high-brightness effect (A-1 high-brightness effect) WO21, but text is displayed during the execution of the high-brightness effect (A-2 high-brightness effect) WO22, it is sufficient for the high-brightness effect (A-2 high-brightness effect) WO22 to display a high-brightness image that makes at least the text difficult to see. For example, the high-brightness image may be configured to have different transmittances for the character (kappa) portion and the text portion. Alternatively, the high-brightness image may be displayed so that it does not overlap or only partially overlaps the character (kappa) portion, and so that it overlaps the character string portion. When dynamically displaying the character (kappa) and / or character string, it is desirable that they are always displayed within the display range of the high-brightness image. However, this is not limiting, and the character (kappa) and / or character string may be configured so that there are times when they overlap the display range of the high-brightness image and times when they do not. This allows the visibility of the character (kappa) and / or character string to be changed during dynamic display, thereby improving the presentation effect. The dynamic pattern used when dynamically displaying the character (kappa) and / or character string during high-brightness presentation may be configured to be different from the dynamic pattern used when dynamically displaying the character (kappa) and / or character string after the high-brightness presentation has ended.

[0375] Next, regarding the reach notice effect shown in Figure 28, the effect period centered on the high-brightness effects WO21 and WO22 will be described in more detail. Figures 29 to 31 show changes in the display screen and light-emitting means at even shorter time intervals than those in Figure 28 during the period from Figure 28(b) to (g), that is, the period from the start of the high-brightness effect WO21 to the end of the reach notice effect and the transition to the variable screen of the decorative pattern 164. Note that the 20 frames of display images shown in Figures 29 to 31 are extracted at a constant interval from all frames during the period from Figure 28(b) to (g). Therefore, in Figures 29 to 31, the time interval between adjacent frames is all the same, and is A milliseconds, the same as in Figures 24 to 26 for the step-up notice effect.

[0376] First, the details of the high brightness effect WO21 will be explained. In the high brightness effect WO21 shown in Fig. 29(a) to (f), at the start, a high brightness image 170c is displayed in front of the reach notice effect image 171 and behind the mini symbol 165, reserved base image 168 and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of them (Fig. 29(a)), and the transmittance of the high brightness image 170c gradually changes and finally disappears (Fig. 29(f)).

[0377] Here, the high-brightness image 170c is displayed in a range (size) that covers the entire reach notice effect image 171, and the transmittance is uniform within the display range. The display range does not change over time, but the transmittance changes over time (transmittance change processing, transmittance change effect). The transmittance of the high-brightness image 170c is minimum (25% here) at the start of display (FIG. 29(a)), and is configured to gradually increase (rise) at a constant rate over time (first display pattern). That is, the high-brightness effect WO21 is composed of a low-transmittance change effect that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170c in a decreasing direction, and a high-transmittance change effect that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170c in an increasing direction, and the execution time of the latter (FIGS. 29(a)-(f)) is longer than that of the former (FIG. 29(a)). In the high-brightness image 170c, the minimum transmittance is greater than 0% (here, 25%), and even at the start of display at this minimum transmittance (FIG. 29(a)), the reach notice effect image 171 is slightly visible. The transmittance at the start of display of the high-brightness image 170c may be set to 0%, so that the display content behind the high-brightness image 170c cannot be seen at the start of display.

[0378] Of course, the high-brightness image 170c may be set to a display range (size) such that the coverage rate of the reach notice effect image 171 is less than 100%, or the transmittance within the display range may be non-uniform. The display range (size) may be changed over time while changing the transmittance or without changing the transmittance. The minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170c may be set to 0%. The execution time of the high-transmittance change effect may be shorter than that of the low-transmittance change effect, or the execution times of both may be approximately the same.

[0379] Furthermore, at a predetermined point in the high-brightness effect WO21, for example, at its start (FIG. 29(a)), the effect scenario is switched, and the reach notice effect image 171 behind the high-brightness image 170c is switched from the image of the previous reach notice first-half effect RC1 to the image of the reach notice second-half effect RC2. In other words, the high-brightness effect WO21 is an example of a high-brightness effect at the time of image change that can be executed when an image change process is performed to change from the first image to the second image, and is an example of a high-brightness effect at the time of scenario change that is executed when the effect scenario is switched. As a result, after the start of the high-brightness effect WO21, as the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170c gradually increases, the visibility of the reach notice effect image 171 improves, and when the high-brightness image 170c eventually disappears (FIG. 29(f)), the entire reach notice effect image 171 (except for the portion hidden behind the mini-pattern 165, etc.) becomes completely visible.

[0380] During the execution of the high brightness effect WO21, the mini symbol 165 goes from between "3·5·7" and "4·6·8" (Fig. 29(a)) to "8·2·4" (Fig. 29(f)). In other words, the execution time of the high brightness effect WO21 (Figs. 29(a) to (f)) is longer than the period for the mini symbol 165 to go around one cycle.

[0381] During the high-brightness effect WO21, the effect lamp L emits light in a medium-high-brightness light-emitting mode. The medium-high-brightness light-emitting mode is configured to emit a predetermined color (white in this case) until a predetermined point in time during the high-brightness effect WO21 (FIGS. 29(a)-(b)), and then change to a specific color (blue in this case) thereafter (FIGS. 29(c)-(e)).

[0382] When the high-brightness effect WO21 ends and the reach notice effect image 171 becomes fully visible (Fig. 29(f)), the text information display start effect (Figs. 29(f)-(h)) is performed simultaneously or at a predetermined timing thereafter. In this text information display start effect, a line string (text information) of "It's reach!" appears in front of the character image, etc., accompanied by a first dynamic display effect (first dynamic display period). In this first dynamic display effect, the line string moves at a first change speed (here, a movement accompanied by rotation and shrinking changes) toward a predetermined display position. Due to this first dynamic display effect accompanied by rotation and shrinking changes, the player perceives the line string as moving toward the back of the screen while rotating, for example, clockwise. Note that the dialogue string "It's a win!" is displayed in blue (Figure 27(a)), but the display mode (display color and shape) of the dialogue string does not change during the first dynamic display performance (a specific display process that displays the text information in a specific display mode is not executed).

[0383] When the dialogue character string reaches a predetermined display position after the first dynamic display effect (Fig. 29(h)), a high-brightness effect WO22 (Figs. 29(h) to 30(l)) is executed, which displays a high-brightness image 170d to reduce the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170d (here, the reach notice effect image 171). Unlike the high-brightness effect WO21, this high-brightness effect WO22 is executed when the effect scenario is not switched, i.e., at a timing when the reach notice effect image 171 is not changed. In this way, the high-brightness effect WO22 is an example of a high-brightness effect when an image is not changed that can be executed when the predetermined image is not changed (image change), and is an example of a high-brightness effect when a scenario is not switched that is executed at a timing when the effect scenario is not switched.

[0384] In this high brightness effect WO22, similar to the high brightness effect WO21, a high brightness image 170d appears in front of the reach notice effect image 171 and behind the mini symbol 165, reserved base image 168, and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of it, and then disappears, but the change (display pattern) of the high brightness image 170d is different from the high brightness image 170b in the high brightness effect WO21. Note that the high brightness image may be configured to appear in front of the reserved base image 168 and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of it, and this is the same in other effects.

[0385] That is, the high-brightness image 170d is displayed in a range (size) that covers the entire reach-notification effect image 171, and the transmittance is uniform within the display range, and the display range does not change over time, but the transmittance changes over time (transmittance change processing, transmittance change effect), which is the same as the high-brightness image 170c, but the transmittance gradually decreases over time to a minimum (here, 40%) at a predetermined time point (FIGS. 29(h) to 30(j)), and then gradually increases over time (FIGS. 30(j) to (l)) (second display pattern). Thus, the high-brightness effect WO22 is composed of a low-transmittance change effect that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170d in a decreasing direction, and a high-transmittance change effect that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170d in an increasing direction, and the execution times of the former (FIGS. 29(h) to 30(j)) and the latter (FIGS. 30(j) to (l)) are approximately the same. Of course, the execution time of the high transmittance change effect may be longer than that of the low transmittance change effect, or vice versa. Note that in the high-brightness image 170d, the minimum transmittance is greater than 0% (here, 40%), and the reach notice effect image 171 is visible even at the predetermined time point (FIG. 30(j)) when the minimum transmittance is reached.

[0386] During the execution of the high brightness effect WO22, the mini symbol 165 goes from "5·7·1" (Fig. 29(h)) to "7·1·3" (Fig. 30(l)). In other words, the execution time of the high brightness effect WO22 (Fig. 29(h) to Fig. 30(l)) is longer than the period for the mini symbol 165 to go through one cycle. In addition, the execution time of the high transmittance change effect may be longer than that of the low transmittance change effect, or vice versa.

[0387] Furthermore, during this high-brightness effect WO22, an arrival emphasis operation is performed to emphasize that the dialogue character string has reached a predetermined display position; in this case, an expansion / contraction operation (enlargement / reduction operation) of the dialogue character string is performed (FIGS. 29(h) to 30(l)). Note that the type of arrival emphasis operation is arbitrary, and any type of operation may be used, such as a bounding operation of the dialogue character string or a transformation operation other than enlargement / reduction. Furthermore, the high-brightness effect WO22 may be configured to be executed at the timing when the arrival emphasis operation of the dialogue character string is completed. In other words, during the high-brightness effect WO22, the transformation operation of the dialogue character string may be configured not to be executed. Alternatively, during the high-brightness effect WO22, the dialogue character string may be configured to be only subjected to a smaller transformation operation than the arrival emphasis operation of the dialogue character string performed before the execution of the high-brightness effect WO22.

[0388] During the period from the character information display start effect to the high brightness effect WO22, the effect lamp L emits light in a character appearance light-emitting mode. The character appearance light-emitting mode is a cyclic change mode in which the light circulates through multiple colors (e.g., blue and white) including the character color (here, blue) of the dialogue string displayed on the screen, and the light color changes as follows: white (Fig. 29(f)-(g)) → blue (Fig. 29(h)-(i)) → white (Fig. 30(j)-(k)).

[0389] When the high-brightness effect WO22 ends and the entire reach-notification effect image 171, including the dialogue string, becomes visible (Fig. 30(l)), a dialogue output effect is performed, and a voice message (a reach-notification voice) of "It's reach" corresponding to the dialogue string (text information) displayed on the screen is output. During this dialogue output effect (second dynamic display period), a second dynamic display effect is performed for the dialogue string (Figs. 30(l)-(p)). In this second dynamic display effect, the dialogue string is displayed at a second change speed (here, slower than the first change speed) that is different from the change speed during the first dynamic display effect (first change speed), for example, by slowly shrinking. This shrinking display causes the player to perceive the dialogue string as moving toward the back of the screen.

[0390] During the second dynamic display period in which the second dynamic display effect is performed on the dialogue character string, the mini-pattern 165 goes from "7·1·3" (Fig. 30(l)) to "1·3·5" (Fig. 30(p)). That is, the second dynamic display period (Fig. 30(l) to (p)) is longer than the period in which the mini-pattern 165 goes around, and is also longer than the first dynamic display period (Fig. 29(f) to (h)). In the example of Fig. 29, the first dynamic display period (Fig. 29(f) to (h)) is shorter than the period in which the mini-pattern goes around.

[0391] Furthermore, during this second dynamic display effect (FIGS. 30(l) to (p)), a display mode change process (specific display process for displaying character information in a specific display mode) is performed to change the display mode (here, the display color) of the dialogue character string. This display mode change process is performed within the outline of the dialogue character string (character information). For example, the display color of the character corresponding to the dialogue sound being output temporarily changes (for example, from blue to white). As a result, a white portion is recognized as moving, for example, from left to right, on the blue character string "It's a reach!" When a predetermined change effect is performed within the outline of the dialogue character string in this way, the dialogue character string may be configured to be displayed dynamically, or an effect image may be displayed in a static state. Note that when the dialogue sound is output, it is desirable to have the character image perform a so-called lip-syncing action (speaking action). Furthermore, the display mode change process (specific display process for displaying character information in a specific display mode) in which the white portion moves on the dialogue character string is desirably performed in response to the output of the dialogue sound. By synchronizing the output timing of the dialogue sounds with the change (movement) of the display color of the dialogue character string in this way, it is possible to more clearly express the relationship between the output of the dialogue sounds and the dialogue characters being output, even if lip-syncing (speaking) is not involved. The lip-syncing may be performed while the high-brightness image is being displayed, or may be configured to be performed after the display of the high-brightness image has ended. When the lip-syncing is performed while the high-brightness image is being displayed, it is desirable to configure the lip-syncing to be performed at least while the dialogue character string is being displayed or after the first dynamic display of the dialogue character string has ended, but this is not limiting, and the lip-syncing may be configured to be performed during the first dynamic display.

[0392] During the dialogue output effect, the effect lamp L emits light in a dialogue output light emitting mode corresponding to the character color (here, blue) of the dialogue character string, that is, in blue (FIGS. 30(l) to (p)).

[0393] When the dialogue output effect (Fig. 30(l) to (p)) ends (i.e., after the second dynamic display period), an end effect (specific image end effect, character information display end effect) is carried out to end the display of the reach notice effect image 171 related to the reach notice effect and switch to a pattern changing screen (Fig. 30(q) to Fig. 31(t)). In this end effect, a concealed image 172 that conceals the reach notice effect image 171 is displayed in front of the reach notice effect image 171, and the pattern changing screen appears when the display of the concealed image 172 ends. In the end-of-game performance of this embodiment, the concealed image 172 is composed of a curtain and a character pulling it. The character closes the curtain to conceal the reach notice performance image 171 (FIGS. 30(q)-(r)). The character then opens the curtain, gradually revealing the variable screen of the decorative symbols 164 (excluding the portion hidden behind the mini symbols 165, etc.) (FIG. 30(r) → FIG. 31(t)). During the execution of this end-of-game performance, the display mode (display color and shape) of the dialogue character strings does not change (specific display processing for displaying text information in a specific display mode is not executed). While a white image is used as the concealed image 172, this is not a limitation. For example, a display color suggesting reliability or another color may be used. The transmittance of the concealed image 172 may be greater than 0%. If the concealed image 172 is another color, it is desirable to use an image with a color or pattern that is at least different from that of a high-brightness image. Also, concealed image 172 may be configured to be displayed in an area including the front side of retaining pedestal image 168 and retained images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 so as to overlap them. Also, the display period of concealed image 172 may be configured to be different from the display period of the high-brightness images, or may be the same period, but if they are different periods, the display period of concealed image 172 may be configured to be longer than the display period of the high-brightness images, or conversely, may be configured to be shorter.

[0394] During the end effect, the effect lamp L emits light in the end light emission mode, for example, in orange (FIG. 30(q) to FIG. 31(s)).

[0395] In addition, when comparing the execution times of the high-brightness effects WO21, WO22 and the end-time effect in the reach preview effect, the high-brightness effect WO21 (Figures 29(a) to (f)) is approximately 5A milliseconds, the high-brightness effect WO22 (Figures 29(h) to 30(l)) is approximately 4A milliseconds, and the end-time effect is approximately 4A milliseconds, but the execution time of the end-time effect may be shorter than the execution time of the high-brightness effect WO22, or conversely, it may be longer.

[0396] As described above, in the reach notice performance, it is possible to execute a high brightness performance (First A high brightness performance) WO21 that displays a high brightness image (First A first high brightness image) 170c, and a high brightness performance (First A second high brightness performance) WO22 that displays a high brightness image (First A second high brightness image) 170d, and the high brightness performance WO21 is executed at the first timing when a scene change (switching from the first scene image to the second scene image) accompanying the transition from the reach notice first half performance RC1 to the reach notice second half performance RC2 is performed, and the high brightness performance WO22 is executed at the second timing thereafter. Note that at the first timing when the high brightness performance WO21 is performed, a line string (character image) having reliability information regarding the jackpot is not yet displayed on the screen, and is displayed at the second timing thereafter.

[0397] Furthermore, in the reach notice performance, the display of a character image having jackpot reliability information is started before the high brightness performance WO22, and an end performance (specific image end performance) can be executed when the display of the character image is finished (Fig. 30(q) to Fig. 31(t)). Furthermore, during the high brightness performance WO22, a first light-emitting performance is executed in which the performance lamp (light-emitting means) L is made to light up in a character appearance light-emitting mode (first light-emitting mode) corresponding to the reliability information (for example, display color) in the character image, and during the end performance (specific image end performance), a second light-emitting performance is executed in which the performance lamp (light-emitting means) L is made to light up in an end light-emitting mode (second light-emitting mode) different from the character appearance light-emitting mode (first light-emitting mode).

[0398] Furthermore, in the reach preview performance, a high-brightness performance (high-brightness performance when image is changed) WO21 that can be executed when image change processing is performed to switch from the image (first image) of the reach preview first half performance RC1 to the image (second image) of the reach preview second half performance RC2, and a high-brightness performance (high-brightness performance when image is not changed) WO22 that can be executed when image change processing is not performed can be executed, and the minimum transmittance (transparency) of the high-brightness image is made different between the high-brightness performance WO21 and the high-brightness performance WO22. Note that here, the minimum transmittance is made different as an example of the transparency performance of the high-brightness image, but other transparency performance, such as the range (size) of the high-brightness image or the distribution of transmittance, may also be made different. Furthermore, the image change processing is not limited to switching from the image (first image) of the reach preview first half performance RC1 to the image (second image) of the reach preview second half performance RC2, but may be any processing that switches from a predetermined first image to a predetermined second image. That is, an image that is displayed before the high-brightness effect is executed but is not displayed after the execution corresponds to the first image, and an image that is not displayed before the high-brightness effect is executed but is displayed after the execution corresponds to the second image. In this way, if there are images (first image and second image) whose display can be switched before and after the high-brightness effect, it may be considered that image change processing is being executed.

[0399] Furthermore, the reach announcement effect is an example of a text information display effect that displays text information (here, dynamically displays), and can execute a text information display start effect (a first specific effect executed when the text information display starts) that starts the display of text information, and an end effect (a second specific effect executed when the text information display ends) that ends the display of text information. After the text information display start effect is executed (during the first specific effect), a display mode change process (specific display process that displays the text information in a specific display mode) (Fig. 30(l)-(p)) that changes the display mode of the text information is executed, and the display mode change process (specific display process) is not executed during the execution of the end effect (second specific effect). However, this is not limited to this, and the display mode change process (specific display process) may also be executed during the execution of the end effect (second specific effect). In this case, the display mode change process that started after the execution of the text information display start effect (during the first specific effect) will continue to be executed during the execution of the end effect (second specific effect). In addition, it may be configured to execute a display mode change effect that is different from the display mode change effect that started after the character information display start effect was executed (during the first specific effect) during the execution of the end effect (second specific effect).

[0400] In addition, the reach preview performance includes a high-brightness performance WO21 (high-brightness performance when scenario is switched) that is executed when the performance scenario is switched, and a high-brightness performance WO22 (high-brightness performance when scenario is not switched) that is executed when the performance scenario is not switched. In the high-brightness performance WO21, a high-brightness image 170c is displayed in a first display pattern, and in the high-brightness performance WO22, a high-brightness image 170d is displayed in a second display pattern that is different from the first display pattern, and the high-brightness performance WO21 (Figures 29(a) to (f)) has a longer execution time than the high-brightness performance WO22 (Figures 29(h) to 30(l)). As described above, the minimum transmittance (transmission performance) of the high-brightness image differs between the high-brightness effect WO21 and the high-brightness effect WO22, with the minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170d of the high-brightness effect WO22 being greater than that of the high-brightness image 170c of the high-brightness effect WO21. The minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170d of the high-brightness effect WO22 may be smaller than that of the high-brightness image 170c of the high-brightness effect WO21, or may be substantially the same. Other transmission performance, such as the maximum range (size) and transmittance distribution of the high-brightness image, may be different between the high-brightness effect WO21 and the high-brightness effect WO22. In this case, the high-brightness effect WO21 may be large and the high-brightness effect WO22 may be small, or the high-brightness effect WO21 may be small and the high-brightness effect WO22 may be large.

[0401] Furthermore, in the reach preview effect, a first dynamic display effect can be executed in which the dialogue string moves toward a predetermined display position at a first change speed (here, a movement involving rotation and shrinking), and a second dynamic display effect can be executed in which the dialogue string is displayed at a second change speed (here, slower than the first change speed) that is different from the change speed during the first dynamic display effect (the first change speed), for example, slowly shrinking. During the second dynamic display effect, a display mode change process (specific display process that displays the text information in a specific display mode) is executed to change the display mode (here, the display color) of the dialogue string (text information), but the display mode change process (specific display process) is not executed during the first dynamic display effect. Note that the display mode change process (specific display process) is executed within the outline of the dialogue string (text information). During the first dynamic display effect, a text information display start effect (first specific effect executed when the display of the text information is started) is executed to start displaying the dialogue string (text information). The display mode (display color and shape) of the dialogue string (character information) does not change while the end effect (second specific effect performed when the display of character information is ended) that ends the display of the dialogue string (character information) is being executed (specific display processing is not executed).

[0402] In addition, the reach notice effect includes a first dynamic display period in which the dialogue character string is dynamically displayed at a first change speed toward a predetermined display position, and a second dynamic display period in which the dialogue character string is dynamically displayed at a second change speed slower than the first change speed, and the second dynamic display period (Fig. 30(l)-(p)) is longer than the first dynamic display period (Fig. 29(f)-(h)). Also, during the first dynamic display period, a character information display start effect (first specific effect) is executed when the dialogue character string (character information) starts to be displayed, and after the second dynamic display period, an end effect (second specific effect) is executed when the dialogue character string (character information) ends to be displayed. Note that the second dynamic display period is longer than the time it takes for the mini symbol 165 to change in one cycle. Also, the first dynamic display period is longer than the time it takes for the mini symbol 165 to change in one cycle.

[0403] The reach notice effect is an example of a text information display effect that displays text information, and is capable of executing a text information display start effect (first specific effect) that is executed when the display of text information begins, and an end effect (second specific effect) that is executed when the display of text information ends.After the text information display start effect is executed, a display mode change process (specific display process that displays text information in a specific display mode) (Figures 30(l) to (p)) is executed to change the display mode of the text information, and the display mode change process (specific display process) is not executed while the end effect is being executed.

[0404] Further, in the reach notice performance, there is a high brightness performance (high brightness performance when image is changed) WO21 which can be executed when an image change process is performed to change the reach notice performance image 171 from the first image to the second image, and a high brightness performance (high brightness performance when image is not changed) WO22 which can be executed when the reach notice performance image (predetermined image) 171 is not changed (image change process is not performed), and the execution time of the high brightness performance WO22 and the high brightness performance WO21 is approximately the same, and the execution time of the high brightness performances WO21 and WO22 is longer than one cycle of variation of the mini pattern 165. Note that the execution time of the high brightness performance (high brightness performance when image is changed) WO21 may be longer than the execution time of the high brightness performance (high brightness performance when image is not changed) WO22, or vice versa.

[0405] Furthermore, the minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image differs between high-brightness effect WO21 (high-brightness effect when image is changed) and high-brightness effect WO22 (high-brightness effect when image is not changed). That is, high-brightness image 170c in high-brightness effect WO21 has a minimum transmittance of 25%, whereas high-brightness image 170d in high-brightness effect WO22 has a minimum transmittance of 40%. Thus, high-brightness image 170d in high-brightness effect WO22 has a higher minimum transmittance than high-brightness image 170c in high-brightness effect WO21.

[0406] The various configurations in the reach preview effect described above are not limited to this reach preview effect, but can also be similarly adopted in various other effects (preview effects and partial effects). For example, various configurations such as the high-brightness effects WO21 and WO22 and end-time effects in the reach preview effect may be adopted in the step-up preview effect described above, the button preview effects 1 and 2 described below, and the dialogue preview effect. In other words, if the (preview) effect involves the execution of a high-brightness effect or an end-time effect, the contents of the high-brightness effects WO21 and WO22 and end-time effects in this preview effect may be configured to be adopted in a different effect. Needless to say, the same can also be adopted in the character information display start effect and display mode change processing that are executed in conjunction with this.

[0407] [Button preview 1] 32 to 35 show an example of a button advance notice effect 1 executed during a reach fluctuation in a reach fluctuation pattern. This button advance notice effect (operation effect) 1 is an effect (related to the operation of the operation means by the player) that requires the player to operate the chance button (operation means) 11, and suggests the reliability of a jackpot, etc., by executing a predetermined post-operation effect based on the establishment of one or more conditions, including the case where the chance button 11 is operated during the valid operation period. There are multiple types of post-operation effects, for example, two types: a post-operation success effect and a post-operation failure effect, and the post-operation success effect has a higher reliability of a jackpot than a post-operation failure effect.

[0408] Next, a specific example of the button advance notice performance 1 will be described using an example in which a post-operation success performance is selected as the post-operation performance, but first an overview will be provided with reference to Fig. 32. When the button advance notice performance 1 starts after a reach is achieved in the reach fluctuation pattern, BGM3 related to this button advance notice performance 1 starts to be output from the speaker as background music, and on the display screen DSa, the left decorative pattern 164a and the right decorative pattern 164b that constitute the reach are left, and the rapidly fluctuating middle decorative pattern 164c is hidden, and the reserved base image 168 is displayed on the bottom end side, and the mini pattern 165 is displayed on the top end side, and behind them, a button advance notice performance image 173 related to the button introduction performance BA0 is displayed (Figs. 32(a) and (b)).

[0409] In the button preview effect image 173 of this button introduction effect BA0, for example, a character image 174 with a serious expression and a text image 175 such as "Make the character laugh" are displayed on the screen in that order, allowing the player to recognize that this effect suggests the possibility of a jackpot depending on whether the character laughs or not. Furthermore, in this button introduction effect BA0 (FIGS. 32(a) and (b)), for example, at the start of the effect, a predetermined introductory sound is output from the speaker as a sound effect, and a line corresponding to the text image 175, i.e., "Make the character laugh," is output in sync with the display of the text image 175. Furthermore, during this button introduction effect BA0 (FIGS. 32(a) and (b)), at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) emits light in an introduction light-emitting mode (predetermined light-emitting mode) corresponding to this button introduction effect BA0, for example, in light blue.

[0410] Following the button introduction effect BA0 (FIGS. 32(a) and (b)), an operation prompt effect BA1 (FIGS. 32(c)-(d)) is performed, which displays an operation prompt image 176 that prompts the user to operate the operating means. Here, the operation prompt image 176 is composed of a button image (operation object image) 176a indicating the operation object, and an operation mode notification image 176b indicating the operation mode for the operation object, and is displayed approximately in the center of the screen in place of the character string image 175, for example, "Make the character laugh." Note that the operation mode notification image 176b is composed of an arrow indicating the pressing direction of the operation object and the character string "PUSH."

[0411] Here, the operation target in this embodiment is the chance button 11. However, as shown in FIG. 1, the chance button 11 installed in the pachinko machine GM is generally rectangular in front view and configured to be pressed backward, which is hardly typical. Therefore, in FIG. 32 and subsequent figures, an operation prompting image 176 is used that assumes a more typical chance button (here, a generally circular chance button in plan view that is pressed generally downward) to make the image effects easier to understand. The same applies to the operation prompting image 206 ( FIG. 44 , etc.) and button image 251 ( FIG. 61 , etc.) described below. However, the following explanation is based solely on the assumption that the operation prompting images 176, 206, and button image 251 correspond to the chance button 11. Of course, in an actual pachinko machine, a button image 176a and an operation mode notification image 176b corresponding to the shape and operation mode of the chance button (operation means) installed in that pachinko machine should be used.

[0412] Furthermore, during the execution of the operation prompting effect BA1, a high-brightness effect WO31 is executed, which reduces the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170e (here, the operation prompting image 176) by displaying the high-brightness image 170e (FIG. 32(c)). This high-brightness effect WO31 can emphasize the appearance of the operation prompting image 176, i.e., the start of the valid operation period. During this high-brightness effect WO31, the output of BGM3 related to the button advance notice effect 1 continues. At the start of the high-brightness effect WO31, a predetermined first emphasis sound is output as a sound effect. During the high-brightness effect WO31, at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) emits light in a first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode, for example, in blue. Although not shown, a gauge section indicating the progress of the valid operation period may also be displayed. In this case, the gauge section begins to be displayed when the display of high-brightness image 170e ends (FIG. 32(d)), and the display mode of the gauge section is displayed so as to change as the valid operation period elapses. The display range of high-brightness image 170e may be configured to be displayed in a range overlapping the area where the gauge section is scheduled to be displayed thereafter, or may be configured to be displayed in a range that does not overlap the area where the gauge section is scheduled to be displayed and that overlaps only with the operation prompt image. The high-brightness image may also be displayed so as to overlap with the character image. The execution time of high-brightness effect WO31 may be configured to differ from the execution times of high-brightness effects WO21 and WO22. In this case, the former may be longer or shorter than the latter.

[0413] During the operation prompting effect BA1, the output of BGM3 related to the button preview effect 1 continues even after the end of the high brightness effect WO31. Also, after the end of the high brightness effect WO31, at least some of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) emit light in an operation waiting light-emitting mode, for example, flashing blue.

[0414] During the operation prompting effect BA1, i.e., during the operation valid period, when the chance button 11 is operated, a high-brightness effect WO32 is performed in which a high-brightness image 170f is displayed to reduce the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170f (here, the operation prompting image 176) (FIG. 32(e)). During the high-brightness effect WO32, a post-operation success effect BA2A is started as a post-operation effect BA2. Here, in the high-brightness effect WO32, the display of the high-brightness image 170f begins in an area corresponding to the operation prompting image 176 (FIG. 32(e)). While the high-brightness image 170f is displayed (during the high-brightness effect WO32), the operation prompting image 176 is erased from the screen, and, for example, a character image 174 with a serious face starts a predetermined action (FIG. 32(f)). In this case, the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170f in the high-brightness effect WO32 may be reduced, and the operation prompting image 176 may be made invisible and then erased from the screen.

[0415] Then, by displaying high-brightness image 170g, a high-brightness effect WO33 is performed that reduces the visibility of the image behind high-brightness image 170g (here, character image 174) (FIG. 32(g)), and during this high-brightness effect WO33, character image 174 changes from a serious expression to a smiling face. In this case, the transmittance of high-brightness image 170g in high-brightnes...

Claims

[Claim 1] an image control means for issuing a display list that specifies display contents to be displayed on the image display means; an image generating means configured to operate based on the display list and generate two-dimensional or three-dimensional still image data and / or video image data in a predetermined frame buffer; In a gaming machine capable of executing a performance including image display on the image display means, the image generating means is configured to be capable of executing all or a part of a plurality of steps including an acquisition step capable of acquiring vertex data corresponding to an image contour, a primitive step of generating an appropriate primitive based on the vertex data, and an image generating step of generating image data required for the frame buffer; The presentation includes a character information display presentation that dynamically displays character information, In the character information display performance, a first dynamic display performance in which the character information is dynamically displayed at a first change speed, and a second dynamic display performance in which the character information is dynamically displayed at a second change speed different from the first change speed can be executed. During the second dynamic display performance, a specific display process is executed to display the character information in a specific display mode; The specific display process is not executed during the first dynamic display performance. A gaming machine characterized by:

Images