Game machine

Abstract

To provide a technology for controlling whether or not a specific small winning combination is won in a new stop-control manner to improve a degree of freedom in design of a game machine.SOLUTION: In a game machine, shooting-order special winning combination group (shooting-order special winning combination 1 to shooting-order special winning combination 16) is present as a winning mode of a small winning combination, and in a case where a shooting-order special winning combination is won, the mode of stop-control is varied such that whether or not 15 pieces of small winning combinations included in the shooting-order special winning combination are won changes on the basis whether the pressing detection position of a first stop operation is a specific pressing position which is predetermined based on the kind of the shooting-order special winning combination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

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

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

[0003] In recent years, gaming machines that can perform assist time play, which changes the probability of winning a specific minor role by executing a winning assistance effect that assists in the winning of a specific role under specified conditions, and makes it easier to win gaming media such as medals in the AT state where the winning assistance effect can be executed, have become popular (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-143437 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the past, in gaming machines capable of executing assist time games, the possibility of winning a specific minor prize was controlled by the order of stopping operations, thereby creating a difference in the acquisition of gaming media between assist time games and games other than assist time games. However, the method based on the order of stopping operations has the drawback of low design freedom, since the operation patterns are limited by the number of reels.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a technology that improves the design freedom of gaming machines by controlling whether or not a specific small winning combination is achieved using a new stop control method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) The present invention relates to a gaming machine comprising: a plurality of reels having a plurality of types of symbols arranged on their outer periphery; an internal lottery means for conducting an internal lottery for determining whether a plurality of types of roles including a minor role will be won; a reel control means for rotating the plurality of reels for each game and controlling the reels to stop rotating in a manner corresponding to the result of the internal lottery when a stop operation is performed; a winning determination means for determining that a role has won based on a symbol combination showing a winning form predetermined for each role being displayed on the pay line when the plurality of reels are stopped; and a payout control means for controlling to pay out game value based on the fact that the minor role has won, and capable of displaying symbols present within a predetermined pull-in range from an operation detection position, which is the position of the reel at the time of the stop operation, at a display position on the pay line, and The present invention relates to a gaming machine in which there are multiple types of specific winning patterns in which multiple types of roles including a specific minor role are won by overlapping, and on each of the multiple reels, the patterns that constitute the winning form of the specific minor role are arranged so that they are within the specified pull-in range regardless of the operation detection position, and a specific operation position that is the operation detection position that allows the specific minor role to be won is set according to the type of the specific winning pattern, and the reel control means, in a game in which the specific winning pattern is obtained, determines the stopping position of the reel based on a first control rule that allows the specific minor role to be won if the operation detection position is the specific operation position, and determines the stopping position of the reel based on a second control rule that prevents the specific minor role from being won if the operation detection position is different from the specific operation position.

[0008] (2) The present invention relates to a gaming machine that includes a plurality of reels having a plurality of types of symbols arranged on their outer periphery, an internal lottery means for performing an internal lottery for determining whether a plurality of types of roles including a minor role will be won, a reel control means for rotating the plurality of reels for each game and controlling the reels to stop in a manner corresponding to the result of the internal lottery when a stop operation is performed, a winning determination means for determining that a role has won based on a symbol combination showing a winning form predetermined for each role being displayed on the pay line when the plurality of reels are stopped, and a payout control means for controlling to pay out a game value based on the winning of the minor role, and that can display symbols that exist within a predetermined pull-in range from an operation detection position, which is the position of the reel at the time of the stop operation, at a display position on the pay line, and the winning form of the minor role is a combination of a specific minor role and a specific minor role. This relates to a gaming machine in which there are a plurality of types of specific winning modes in which several types of roles overlap to win, and in each of the plurality of reels, the symbols constituting the winning form of the specific minor role are arranged so as to be within the predetermined pull-in range regardless of the operation detection position, and a specific operation position which is the operation detection position that allows the specific minor role to be won is set according to the type of the specific winning mode, and when the operation detection position is the specific operation position, the reel control means, in a game in which the specific winning mode is obtained, determines the stopping position of the reel so that the payout amount of game value is maximized, thereby making it possible to win the specific minor role, and when the operation detection position is different from the specific operation position, determines the stopping position of the reel so that the number of symbol combinations showing winning forms that can be displayed on an active line is maximized, thereby avoiding the winning of the specific minor role.

[0009] (3) The present invention comprises a plurality of reels having a plurality of types of symbols arranged on their outer peripheral surfaces, an internal lottery means for conducting an internal lottery for determining whether a plurality of types of roles including minor roles have been won, a reel control means for rotating the plurality of reels for each game and controlling the reels to stop rotating in a manner corresponding to the result of the internal lottery when a stop operation is performed, a winning determination means for determining that a role has been won based on a symbol combination showing a winning form predetermined for each role being displayed on the pay line when the plurality of reels are stopped, and a payout control means for controlling the payout of game value based on the winning of the minor role, and a reel operation detection position which is the position of the reel at the time of the stop operation. The present invention relates to a gaming machine that can display symbols that exist within a predetermined pull-in range at a display position on a winning line, in which there are a plurality of types of specific winning modes in which a plurality of types of roles including a specific minor role are won by overlapping as winning modes of the minor role, and in each of the plurality of reels, the symbols that constitute the winning form of the specific minor role are arranged so as to exist within the predetermined pull-in range regardless of the operation detection position, and in a game in which the specific winning mode is obtained, the reel control means changes the mode of stop control so that the possibility of winning the specific minor role changes depending on whether the operation detection position is a specific operation position predetermined according to the type of the specific winning mode.

[0010] According to each of the inventions shown in (1) to (3) above, the possibility of winning a specific minor role in a game in which a specific winning pattern is obtained is affected by the operation detection position, so that it becomes possible to control the winning rate of a specific minor role simply by changing the setting mode of the specific operation position, thereby improving the design freedom of the gaming machine. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of an amusement machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is an oblique view showing the internal configuration of a cabinet of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating the functional blocks of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 13 is a diagram illustrating an internal lottery table in the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the winning patterns of minor prizes in the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the winning patterns of minor prizes in the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of symbols on a reel in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the order in which stop buttons are pressed and winning combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the order in which stop buttons are pressed and winning combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the order in which stop buttons are pressed and winning combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 11] 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 12] 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 13] 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 14] 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 15] 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 16] 2 is a transition diagram of a gaming state in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 17] A transition diagram of the presentation state in the gaming machine of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] A transition diagram of a game zone in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19]A diagram showing the role configuration of the batting order special role in the gaming machine of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] 13 is a diagram illustrating a method of stop control for special batting order roles in an gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 21] 13 is a diagram illustrating a method of stop control for special batting order roles in an gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 22] A figure explaining a specific example of stop control regarding special batting order roles in an gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] 13 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of symbols on the reels in a gaming machine according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 24] 13 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between winning roles and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 25] 13 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of special role in the game order in a gaming machine according to a modified embodiment of the present invention, and the relationship between the order in which the stop buttons are pressed and the winning role. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the embodiment described below does not unduly limit the contents of the present invention described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are necessarily essential components of the present invention.

[0013] 1. Configuration Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration (excluding the reel unit) of the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] The gaming machine of this embodiment is a so-called slot machine or reel type gaming machine, which is a type of gaming machine in which games are played using medals as gaming media.

[0015] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, a reel unit consisting of a first reel R1 to a third reel R3 (multiple reels) is stored in a box-shaped housing consisting of a storage box BX, an upper front door UD, and a lower front door DD. In addition, a power supply unit EU having a built-in power supply device and various switches such as a power switch ES, a setting change key cylinder KS, and a setting change button BS, and a hopper unit HP as a medal payout device are stored in the lower part of the reel unit storage space PS in the storage box BX. The hopper unit HP is equipped with a medal storage tank MT for storing medals to be used in a game, a payout motor (not shown) consisting of a stepping motor, and a rotating disk (not shown) axially supported by the payout motor, and is configured so that the rotating disk is rotated by the payout motor to pay out medals one by one. In addition, when the amount of medals stored in the medal storage tank MT reaches a certain amount, the hopper unit HP sends out surplus medals to a cash box CB. In the housing of the gaming machine of this embodiment, for example, a main board MAIN is attached above the reel unit storage space PS, and a sub-board SUB is attached to the side of the reel unit storage space PS, and these control boards (main board MAIN, sub-board SUB) are equipped with a CPU (an example of a calculation means), a ROM (an example of an information storage medium), a RAM (an example of a temporary storage means), etc., so that the operation of the gaming machine can be controlled. Note that in this embodiment, the power supply unit EU is provided with a setting change key cylinder KS and a setting change button BS, but the setting change key cylinder KS and the setting change button BS may be provided on the surface of the main board MAIN.

[0016] The first reel R1 to the third reel R3 shown in FIG. 1 are each divided into 20 regions (each region is called a "frame") at regular intervals on the outer periphery, and one of a number of different patterns is arranged on each frame. The first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are supported by a stepping motor (reel driving means: not shown), and are each driven to rotate around the axis of the stepping motor, and are provided so as to be able to stop in frame units (predetermined rotation angle units, predetermined rotation amount units) by controlling the number of pulses and pulse width of the driving pulse of the stepping motor. That is, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the stepping motor drives the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 to rotate in response to the driving pulse supplied from the control board, and when a driving pulse of all phase excitation is supplied from the control board, the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 stop as the rotation of the stepping motor stops.

[0017] The upper front door UD and the lower front door DD are provided so that they can be opened and closed separately, and the upper front door UD is provided with a display window DW that allows the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 to be observed in their spinning and stopped states. When the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are stopped, three patterns (upper pattern, middle pattern, and lower pattern) that are consecutively arranged on the outer periphery of each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 among a plurality of patterns arranged at regular intervals on the outer periphery of each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 can be observed from the front of the gaming machine through the display window DW.

[0018] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, an upper, middle, and lower section is provided for each reel as a display position for observing the symbols through the display window DW, and an active line is set by a combination of the display positions of each reel. In the gaming machine of this embodiment, the number of medals required for one game, the so-called prescribed insertion number, is set to three, and when a number of medals equivalent to the prescribed insertion number are inserted, an active line L1 consisting of the upper section of the first reel R1, the middle section of the second reel R2, and the lower section of the third reel R3 is activated.

[0019] The game result is determined by the symbol combination that is stopped and displayed on the winning line in the display window DW. If the symbol combination on the winning line corresponds to a predetermined winning combination, that winning combination is treated as a winning combination and medals are paid out from the hopper unit HP.

[0020] The upper front door UD is provided with a game information display section DS and a zone indicator SEC. The game information display section DS is made up of LEDs, lamps, 7-segment indicators, etc., and displays various game information such as the number of medal credits, the number of medals paid out or won in one game, the total number of medals paid out or won in BB state, etc. The zone indicator SEC notifies whether or not the player is in an advantageous zone by turning on and off the built-in LED.

[0021] The upper front door UD is provided with a liquid crystal display LCD for game presentation. Various videos (or images) for supporting or livening up the game are displayed on this liquid crystal display LCD. In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, a plurality of speakers SP for game presentation are provided on the upper front door UD and the lower front door DD. Various sounds for supporting or livening up the game are output from these speakers SP.

[0022] In addition, various operating means are provided on the lower front door DD. The operating means include a bet button (insertion operating means) B0 for inserting credited (stored) medals, a start lever (game start operating means) SL for rotating the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 to start a game, and stop buttons (stop operating means) B1 to B3 for stopping each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 rotated by a stepping motor.

[0023] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, when a player inserts a medal into the medal slot MI or presses the bet button B0, the machine is set to a ready state in which the rotation control of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 can be started. Then, when the player presses the start lever SL, the control board starts rotating the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 by driving a stepping motor, and an internal lottery is performed using a random number value. On the condition that the rotation speed of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 has increased to a predetermined speed, pressing of the stop buttons B1 to B3 is permitted (enabled).

[0024] Thereafter, when the player presses the stop buttons B1 to B3 at any timing, the stop switch (stop signal output means: for example, a photosensor, a conductivity sensor, a pressure sensor, etc.) built into each of the stop buttons B1 to B3 turns on, changing the reel stop signal input to the control board from the OFF state to the ON state.

[0025] In addition, when the player releases any of the pressed stop buttons B1 to B3 at any timing, the stop switches corresponding to the stop buttons B1 to B3 are turned off, and the reel stop signal input to the control board changes from on to off.

[0026] The control board then stops the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 at a stop position according to the result of the internal lottery based on the change from an OFF state to an ON state of the reel stop signal, whose signal state changes depending on the timing of pressing and releasing the stop buttons B1 to B3.

[0027] A medal payout port MO and a medal tray MP are provided below the lower front door DD, and a number of medals according to the results of a game are paid out from the hopper unit HP through the medal payout port MO to the medal tray MP. When medals are paid out according to the results of a game, if crediting (internal storage) of medals is permitted, medals equivalent to some or all of the payout number are credited up to the credit upper limit (50 in this embodiment), and the display value of the credit indicator consisting of a 7-segment indicator of the game information display unit DS is changed in accordance with the change in the number of medal credits.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the gaming machine of this embodiment.

[0029] The gaming machine of this embodiment is controlled by a gaming control means (main board MAIN and sub board SUB) 100. The gaming control means 100 is started by power supplied from a power supply unit EU by the operation of a power switch ES, and receives input signals from input means such as a medal insertion switch 210, a bet switch 220, a start switch 230, a stop switch 240, a setting change permission switch 250, and a setting change switch 260, performs various calculations for executing a game, and controls the operation of output means such as a reel unit 310, a hopper unit (payout device) HP, a display device 330, and a sound device 340 based on the calculation results. The functions of the gaming control means 100 are realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.), ASICs (gate arrays, etc.), ROMs (an example of information storage media), or RAMs, or software consisting of a given program prestored in a ROM or the like.

[0030] The game control means 100 includes a setting change means 103, a throw-in receiving means 105, a random number generating means 110, an internal lottery means 120, a reel control means 130, a winning determination means 140, a payout control means 150, a replay processing means 160, a game state control means 170, an AT control means 175, a performance control means 180, a game information storage means 190a, and a performance information storage means 190b. In this embodiment, the setting change means 103, the throw-in receiving means 105, the random number generating means 110, the internal lottery means 120, a reel control means 130, a winning determination means 140, a payout control means 150, a replay processing means 160, a game state transition control means 170, and an AT control means 175 are realized by the CPU of the main board MAIN executing various programs, and the performance control means 180 is realized by the CPU of the sub board SUB executing various programs. The game information storage means 190a is composed of a main ROM and a main RAM mounted on the main board MAIN, and the performance information storage means 190b is composed of a sub-ROM and a sub-RAM mounted on the sub-board SUB. Various programs executed by the CPU of the main board MAIN are stored in the main ROM of the game information storage means 190a, and various programs executed by the CPU of the sub-board SUB are stored in the sub-ROM of the performance information storage means 190b. The setting change means 103 controls changing the setting value stored in the setting value storage area 1913 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a. In this embodiment, the game machine is switched between starting in the game mode and starting in the setting change mode depending on the state of the setting change permission switch 250 when the power is turned on. When the setting key is inserted into the setting change key cylinder KS and the setting key is turned clockwise from the initial position, the signal state of the setting change permission switch 250 becomes ON. When the power switch ES is operated in this state to supply power from the power supply unit EU, the setting change means 103 starts the game machine in the setting change mode. In this embodiment, the setting value can be selected from six setting values ​​from setting 1 to setting 6, and the probability of winning the internal lottery is changed so that the expected value of the ball payout rate increases from setting 1 to setting 6. In this embodiment, the setting values ​​are expressed in the order of setting 1<setting 2<setting 3<setting 4<setting 5<setting 6.

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

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

[0033] In addition, the setting change means 103 performs an initialization process in the setting change mode to initialize information stored in a predetermined storage area of ​​the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a. In particular, in this embodiment, with respect to the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a, information stored in the lottery flag storage area 1915, the game status storage area 1916, the performance status storage area 1917, the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 is initialized by the initialization process in the setting change mode. More specifically, the memory areas other than the lottery flag memory area 1915, the game state memory area 1916, the performance state memory area 1917, the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 in the main RAM of the game information memory means 190a are designated as information holding areas, and information stored in the memory areas other than the information holding areas of the main RAM is initialized. For this reason, in the main RAM, the setting value memory area 1913 and the credit information memory area 1914 are designated as information holding areas, and the information stored in these memory areas is retained without being initialized by the initialization process in the setting change mode.

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

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

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

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

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

[0039] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, minor roles 1 to 48 are provided as minor roles, and the winning patterns of the minor roles are set as shown in Figures 5 and 6, and include batting order bell group a (batting order bell a1 to batting order bell a6), batting order bell group b (batting order bell b1 to batting order bell b6), batting order bell group c (batting order bell c1 to batting order bell c6), batting order bell group d (batting order bell d1 to batting order bell d6), batting order bell group e (batting order bell e1 to batting order bell e6), batting order special role group (batting order special role 1 to batting order special role 16: an example of a specific winning pattern), weak cherry, JAC1, and JAC2.

[0040] In addition, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, replays are provided as Replay 1 to Replay 7, and the winning patterns of the replays are set as normal replay a, normal replay b, watermelon, chance eye a, chance eye b, and strong cherry, as shown in Figure 6.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0050] That is, the reel control means 130 determines the stop position of the reel corresponding to the pressed button among the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 every time the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed, and controls the reel to stop at the determined stop position. In the gaming machine of this embodiment, pressing the stop button B1 corresponds to an operation for stopping the first reel R1, pressing the stop button B2 corresponds to an operation for stopping the second reel R2, and pressing the stop button B3 corresponds to an operation for stopping the third reel R3. That is, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, when the pressing order of the stop buttons B1 to B3 is changed, the stopping order of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 is changed.

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

[0052] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, the red 7 symbol "red 7", the bar symbol "BAR", the special symbol 1 "SP1", the special symbol 2 "SP2", the special symbol 3 "SP3", the replay symbol "RP", the bell symbol 1 "BL1", the bell symbol 2 "BL2", the watermelon symbol "WM", and the cherry symbol "CH" are arranged on the outer periphery of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 constituting the reel unit 310, and when the symbols existing within 4 frames from the pressing detection position are drawn onto the activated line, the symbols arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less on the outer periphery of each reel can be displayed on the activated line regardless of the pressing detection position (an example of the operation detection position) which is the position of the reel at the time when the stop switch 240 is operated (the time when the pressing of the stop button is detected). In this embodiment, the pressing detection position is the display position of the upper row of each reel.

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

[0054] Furthermore, the reel control means 130 determines the stop positions of the reels during rotation by referring to a stop control table stored in a stop control table storage area 1911 provided in the main ROM of the game information storage means 190a.

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

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

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

[0058] In the stop control table which is referenced when batting order bell group a (batting order bell a1 to batting order bell a6), batting order bell group b (batting order bell b1 to batting order bell b6), batting order bell group c (batting order bell c1 to batting order bell c6), batting order bell group d (batting order bell d1 to batting order bell d6), and batting order bell group e (batting order bell e1 to batting order bell e8) are selected in the internal lottery, the correct batting order is set for each batting order bell, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, and any pressing order that differs from the correct batting order is treated as an incorrect batting order.

[0059] First, as shown in FIG. 8, in the stop control table which is referenced when a batting order bell belonging to any of batting order bell groups a to d is won, the stop positions relative to the press detection position are set so that when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the correct batting order, a 15-coin small win or a 1-coin small win will be awarded (if batting order 3 to batting order 6 are the correct batting order, there may be a miss), and when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in an incorrect batting order, the stop positions relative to the press detection position are set so that a 1-coin small win will be awarded (if batting order 3 to batting order 6 are the incorrect batting order, there may be a miss).

[0060] In addition, in this embodiment, when a batting order bell belonging to any of batting order bell groups a to d is won and a stop operation is performed in the correct batting order, whether or not a 15-coin small win will be awarded is determined by the press detection position of the stop operation corresponding to the reel that stops first in the correct batting order (hereinafter referred to as the first stop operation), and whether or not a 15-coin small win will be awarded is determined by whether the press detection position of the first stop operation is the first press position or the second press position shown in Figure 7. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, for the batting order bell group a and the batting order bell group c, if the batting order is correct and the first stopping operation is in the second press position, a 15-coin small prize will be awarded, and if the batting order is correct but the first stopping operation is in the first press position, a 15-coin small prize will not be awarded. For the batting order bell group b and the batting order bell group d, if the batting order is correct and the first stopping operation is in the first press position, a 15-coin small prize will be awarded, and if the batting order is correct but the first stopping operation is in the second press position, a 15-coin small prize will not be awarded.

[0061] Next, as shown in Fig. 9, in the stop control table that is referenced when the batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell group e is won, the stop position for the pressing detection position is set so that when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the correct batting order, 15 small prizes are won, and when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the incorrect batting order, 1 small prize is won (when batting order 3 to batting order 6 are incorrect batting orders, there is a possibility of missing out). Note that, unlike the batting order bell group a to the batting order bell group d, the batting order bell group e is set so that 15 small prizes can be won regardless of the pressing detection position for the first stop operation in the correct batting order.

[0062] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in the normal state, all the sequences of the stop operations are treated as incorrect sequences, and only when the BB is established, there are sequences of the stop operations that are treated as correct sequences and sequences of the stop operations that are treated as incorrect sequences. Therefore, in the normal state, even if the stop operation is performed in a manner that allows the winning of 15 small prizes in the BB state, the winning of 1 small prize will be achieved.

[0063] In addition, when each batting order bell is won, the stop position for the press detection position is set in each stop control table so that in the correct batting order, the payout number priority control causes the symbols that make up the winning form of a 15-coin small prize to be preferentially displayed on the valid line, and in the incorrect batting order, the number priority control causes the symbols that make up the winning form of a 1-coin small prize to be preferentially displayed on the valid line.

[0064] In addition, in the stop control table that is referenced when a batting order special role belonging to the batting order special role group (batting order special role 1 to batting order special role 16) is won in the internal lottery, as shown in FIG. 10, when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in a specific batting order (a predetermined operation sequence for each batting order special role) and the press detection position of the first stop operation (a stop operation related to the reel that is to be stopped first in the specific batting order) is a specific press detection position (a press detection position predetermined for each batting order special role: an example of a specific operation position), a 15-coin small role (one of the specific small roles) is generated. The stop positions are set so that when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in a specific batting order and the first stop operation is performed at a non-specific batting order (a different batting order from the specific batting order), a 1-coin small win is won. When the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in a non-specific batting order (a different operation order from the specific batting order), a 14-coin small win is won. The specific batting order shown in FIG. 10 indicates the number of the symbol located at the top when the stop button is pressed. For example, the specific batting order special role 1 shown in FIG. 10, which is the number 0 and the number 16, indicates the case where either the cherry symbol "CH" at number 0 or the watermelon symbol "WM" at number 16 is located at the top of the batting order special role 1 when the first reel R1 is pressed in the specific batting order. In the following, if necessary, the manner of stopping operation that results in the winning of a 15-coin minor role when a special batting order role is won may be referred to as a specific operation mode.

[0065] In addition, when the batting order special role is won, in the case of a specific batting order, the stop positions for the push detection positions are set in each stop control table so that, for a specific push position, the symbols constituting the winning form of the 15-coin small role are preferentially displayed on the valid line by payout priority control, and for a push detection position different from the specific push position, the symbols constituting the winning form of the 1-coin small role are preferentially displayed on the valid line by number priority control, and in the case of a non-specific batting order, the symbols constituting the winning form of the 14-coin small role are preferentially displayed on the valid line by number priority control. In other words, when the batting order special role is won, payout priority control is performed only when the specific operation mode is selected, and number priority control is performed when the specific operation mode is not selected.

[0066] In addition, in the stop control table which is referenced when Weak Cherry 1 is won, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that small win 48 will win in priority over small win 29, small win 32, and small win 43, and in the stop control table which is referenced when JAC1 is won, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that any of the 15-coin small wins will definitely win, and in the stop control table which is referenced when JAC1 is won, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that any of the 1-coin small wins will definitely win.

[0067] In addition, for the winning patterns of various replays such as normal replay a, normal replay b, watermelon, chance eye a, chance eye b, and strong cherry, the stop positions relative to the press detection position are set so that any of the replays included in the winning patterns will always win regardless of the type of stop operation.

[0068] As for the Big Bonus (BB), in the normal state, it can only be won if the Big Bonus (BB) is won alone. In the BB state, there are no misses, and since there are always overlapping wins of small symbols or replays, which have a higher priority than the Big Bonus (BB), the stop position for the press detection position is set in the stop control table so that the Big Bonus (BB) is not won.

[0069] The winning judgment means 140 performs a winning judgment process to judge whether or not a winning combination has been achieved based on the stopping state of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3. Specifically, the winning judgment means 140 judges whether or not the symbol combination displayed on the pay line at the time when all of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 have stopped is a winning form of a predetermined winning combination, etc., while referring to the winning judgment table stored in the winning judgment table storage area 1912 provided in the main ROM of the game information storage means 190a. Then, the winning judgment table is prepared so that the presence or absence of winning of the big bonus (BB), replay 1 to replay 7, and small prize 1 to small prize 48 can be judged based on the symbol combination displayed on the pay line when each reel has stopped, as shown in Figs. 11 to 15.

[0070] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, when a winning combination is achieved, a winning process is executed based on the result of the determination by the winning determination means 140. As the winning process, for example, when a small combination is achieved, a medal payout process is executed by the payout control means 150, when a replay is achieved, a replay process is executed by the replay processing means 160, and when a bonus is achieved, a game state transition process is executed by the game state control means 170 to transition the game state.

[0071] The payout control means 150 performs a payout control process for the payout of medals according to the game result. Specifically, when a small winning combination is won, the payout number of medals in the game is determined based on the payout amount determined in advance for each combination, and the payout number of medals corresponding to the determined payout number is controlled to be paid out to the hopper unit HP (payout device).

[0072] The hopper unit HP performs an operation of paying out the number of medals instructed by the payout control means 150. The hopper unit HP is provided with a paid out medal detection switch 325 that is activated each time a medal is paid out, and the payout control means 150 is configured to be able to manage the number of medals actually paid out from the hopper unit HP based on an input signal from the paid out medal detection switch 325.

[0073] When credit storage (accumulation storage) of medals is permitted, instead of actually paying out medals using the hopper unit HP, a credit addition process is performed in which the number of payouts is added to the number of credits (the number of medals stored as credits) stored in the credit information storage area 1914 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a, and medals are virtually paid out.

[0074] When a replay wins, the replay processing means 160 performs a replay process (replay process) for setting the next game to the same preparation state as the previous game without requiring the player to insert medals owned by the player. That is, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, when a replay wins, an automatic insertion process is performed for automatically inserting medals in the number equivalent to the prescribed insertion number required for the next game without using medals (including credit medals) owned by the player, and the machine waits for the next game start operation on the start lever SL with the pay line corresponding to the prescribed insertion number set.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 16, the game state control means 170 performs a game state transition process for transitioning the game state between the normal state, the BB established state, and the BB state. In this embodiment, information indicating the game state in which the player is currently playing is stored in a game state storage area 1916 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a. The game state transition condition may be one condition or multiple conditions. When multiple conditions are set, the game state can be transitioned to another game state based on the establishment of one of the multiple predetermined conditions or the establishment of all of the multiple predetermined conditions.

[0076] The normal state is a game state corresponding to the initial state among a plurality of game states, and it is possible to transition from the normal state to the BB established state or the BB state. Specifically, if the big bonus (BB) is won in the normal state but the big bonus (BB) is not awarded, the state transitions to the BB established state, and if the big bonus (BB) is won and also awarded in the normal state, the state transitions to the BB state. In the normal state, the internal lottery is performed by referring to the internal lottery table 1, in which the winning probability of the replay is set to about 1 / 7.3 or more and the big bonus (BB) is set as a lottery target, among the internal lottery tables 1 to 3 shown in FIG. 4.

[0077] The BB established state is a game state to which a player transitions when a Big Bonus (BB) is won in an internal lottery in the normal state but the Big Bonus (BB) is not awarded. Of the internal lottery tables 1 to 3 shown in Figure 4, the probability of a replay winning is higher than that of internal lottery table 1, so a miss (non-winning) does not occur, and an internal lottery is held with reference to internal lottery table 2, in which the Big Bonus (BB) is excluded from the lottery.

[0078] In the BB established state, the lottery flag corresponding to the big bonus (BB) is maintained in a winning state until the big bonus (BB) is won, and when the symbol combination showing the winning form of the big bonus (BB) is displayed on the pay line, the game state control means 170 transitions the game state from the BB established state to the BB state.

[0079] The BB state is a game state to which a player enters when a symbol combination indicating a big bonus (BB) winning form is displayed on an active line. Of internal lottery tables 1 to 3 shown in FIG. 4, an internal lottery is conducted by referring to internal lottery table 3, which has a different selection pattern for minor roles from internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2.

[0080] In the BB state, the game state control means 170 determines whether or not the end condition is met based on the total number of medals paid out by the game in the BB state, and when it determines that medals exceeding a predetermined number (e.g., 200 medals) have been paid out, the game state control means 170 performs control to end the BB state and return the game state to the normal state. Note that in this embodiment, count information on the number of medals paid out in the BB state is stored in the game state storage area 1916.

[0081] As shown in Fig. 17, the AT control means 175 changes the presentation state among a plurality of presentation states including a non-AT state, an AT low probability state, an AT state, and a CZ state, sets the presentation state to an AT state (assist time state) under a predetermined condition, judges whether the end condition of the AT state is satisfied based on the value of the AT game number counter 1919, and performs control to end the AT state when the end condition of the AT state is satisfied. In this embodiment, information indicating the currently-stayed presentation state is stored in a presentation state storage area 1917 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a. In this embodiment, when the player is in the AT state, the AT control means 175 notifies the player of the correct batting order to assist in the winning of the 15-coin minor prize (minor prize 1 to minor prize 20) by displaying information (an example of operation instruction information) corresponding to the correct batting order, etc. (at least one of the correct batting order and the press position) on the main display 300 consisting of a 7-segment display provided in the game information display unit DS when the batting order bell is won, and the performance control means 180 performs a winning assistance performance to assist in the winning of the 15-coin minor prize (minor prize 1 to minor prize 20) by displaying an image corresponding to the correct batting order, etc. (at least one of the correct batting order and the press position) on the liquid crystal display LCD when the batting order bell is won, allowing the player to play an assist time game (an example of an auxiliary game) in which it is easier to win medals than when playing in a non-AT state.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 18, the AT control means 175 can set a normal zone (non-advantageous zone) and an advantageous zone, and in the normal zone, the presentation state is fixed to the initial non-AT state, and a favorable zone transition lottery is performed, and the advantageous zone transition lottery is won to start the advantageous zone and set the presentation state to the AT state on the condition that the advantageous zone is the advantageous zone. In the normal zone game, when the game state is the normal state or the BB establishment state, the AT control means 175 performs the advantageous zone transition lottery based on the fact that any of the winning patterns of batting order bell 1 to batting order bell 24, batting order special role belonging to the batting order special role a group to the batting order special role d group, weak cherry, normal replay a, watermelon, chance eye a, chance eye b, or strong cherry is obtained in the internal lottery. In this embodiment, when the winning pattern including JAC1, the winning pattern including normal replay b, and the winning pattern including big bonus (BB) are obtained in the normal state or the BB establishment state, the advantageous zone transition lottery is not performed.

[0083] In the advantageous zone transition lottery, the random number value acquired for the internal lottery is compared with the advantageous zone transition lottery table stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910, and whether or not the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won (advantageous zone win) is determined based on the comparison result. In the advantageous zone transition lottery table, advantageous zone win or loss is assigned to the random number value for the internal lottery associated with each winning mode that triggers the execution of the advantageous zone transition lottery, and it is determined that the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won when the random number value acquired for the internal lottery is associated with the winning mode that triggers the execution of the advantageous zone transition lottery and is associated with advantageous zone win in the advantageous zone transition lottery table.

[0084] Then, when the AT control means 175 wins the advantageous zone transition lottery in the normal zone, it performs advantageous zone transition processing based on the fact that the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won, and starts the advantageous zone from the next game of the game in which the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won. In this embodiment, if the result of the advantageous zone transition lottery is a win, the advantageous zone transition processing transitions the presentation state to an AT low probability state. Note that there may be two or more types of winning patterns of the advantageous zone transition lottery, and it may be determined whether the presentation state is transitioned to an AT low probability state or an AT state in the advantageous zone transition processing.

[0085] And, the AT control means 175 performs AT lottery for every game when the performance state is AT low probability state or CZ state in the advantageous zone. In the normal state, AT lottery is performed based on the fact that the winning mode of the batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell a group to the batting order bell e group, the batting order special role belonging to the batting order special role group, weak cherry, normal replay a, normal replay b, watermelon, chance eye a, chance eye b, strong cherry, JAC1 + big bonus (BB), or big bonus (BB) is obtained in the internal lottery. In the BB establishment state, AT lottery is performed based on the fact that the winning mode of the batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell a group to the batting order bell e group, the batting order special role belonging to the batting order special role group, weak cherry, normal replay a, normal replay b, watermelon, chance eye a, chance eye b, strong cherry, or JAC1 is obtained in the internal lottery. In the BB state, an AT lottery is held based on whether a winning mode of JAC1 or JAC2 has been obtained, or based on the result of the internal lottery being a miss (non-winning).

[0086] In the AT lottery, the random number acquired for the internal lottery is compared with the AT lottery table stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910, and whether or not the AT lottery has been won is determined according to the comparison result. In the AT lottery table, AT win or loss is assigned to the random number for the internal lottery, and it is determined that the AT lottery has been won when the random number acquired for the internal lottery is associated with AT win in the AT lottery table. In this embodiment, the probability of winning the AT is different between the AT low probability state and the CZ state, and the probability of winning the AT is set higher in the CZ state than in the AT low probability state. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, the execution of the AT lottery is prohibited in the normal zone, and the AT lottery is executed only when the player is in the advantageous zone.

[0087] In addition, the AT control means 170 performs an AT lottery before the stop operation for the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 is enabled, and for the AT lottery when the batting order special role is won, the AT lottery is performed when the first stop operation is a specific batting order and the pressing detection position of the first stop operation is a non-specific pressing position, and when the first stop operation is a specific batting order and the pressing detection position of the first stop operation is a specific pressing position, an invalidation process is performed to invalidate the result of the AT lottery as a penalty for the current game. In addition, the AT control means 170 also performs an invalidation process when the first stop operation is a non-specific batting order when the batting order special role is won. In the invalidation process, for example, it may be treated as if the AT lottery was not performed, the result of the AT lottery may be rewritten to a loss regardless of the actual result, or the process based on the result of the AT lottery after the first stop operation may be canceled. Also, the AT lottery may be triggered after the first stop operation only when a special winning combination is won, and the AT lottery may be performed when the first stop operation is in a specific batting order and the push detection position of the first stop operation is not a specific push position, and the AT lottery may not be performed when the first stop operation is in a specific batting order and the push detection position of the first stop operation is a specific push position, or when the first stop operation is in a non-specific batting order. Also, the AT lottery may be triggered after the first stop operation not only when a special winning combination is won, and the possibility of executing the AT lottery may be determined only when a special winning combination is won by the result of the first stop operation.

[0088] In addition, the process of the AT lottery according to the state of the stop operation when the batting order special role is won is not limited to the invalid process, and the degree of advantage of the AT lottery may be different. For example, when the state of the stop operation is such that a 1-coin small role can be won, a more advantageous AT lottery may be performed than when the state of the stop operation is such that a 14-coin small role or a 15-coin small role can be won, and when the state of the stop operation is such that a 1-coin small role can be won, a less advantageous AT lottery may be performed than when the state of the stop operation is such that a 14-coin small role or a 15-coin small role can be won. Also, even when the batting order special role is won, an AT lottery with the same degree of advantage may be performed regardless of the state of the stop operation.

[0089] If the result of the AT lottery in the low AT probability state is an AT win, the AT control means 175 performs control to transition the presentation state from the low AT probability state to the AT state. Also, the AT control means 175 adds a fixed value "1" to the AT stock number counter 1918 based on the lottery result of the AT win, and when transitioning the presentation state to the AT state with the end of the game, subtracts a fixed value "1" from the AT stock number counter 1920 and sets a value "50" corresponding to 50 times, which is the number of games that is the end condition of the AT state, to the AT game number counter 1919.

[0090] The AT control means 175 then plays an assist time game based on the fact that the presentation state is the AT state, and subtracts a fixed value "1" equivalent to one game from the value of the AT game number counter 1919 each time an assist time game is played. In this embodiment, when a batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell group a to the batting order bell group d is drawn in the AT state, a correct batting order notification that notifies the correct batting order and the pressed position related to the first stop operation and a winning assistance presentation are performed, and when a batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell group e is drawn, a correct batting order notification that notifies the correct batting order and a winning assistance presentation are performed.

[0091] In this embodiment, when the AT control means 175 performs a correct batting order notification for the batting order bell group a to the batting order bell group d, information corresponding to the correct batting order and the pressed position related to the first stop operation is displayed on the main display 300. Specifically, an operation instruction number is set for each combination of the correct batting order and the pressed position related to the first stop operation, and the main display 300 displays "01" (batting order 1 and the second pressed position), "02" (batting order 2 and the second pressed position), "03" (batting order 3 and the second pressed position), "04" (batting order 4 and the second pressed position), "05" (batting order 5 and the second pressed position), "06" (batting order 6 and the second pressed position), "07" (batting order 7 and the second pressed position), "08" (batting order 8 and the second pressed position), "09" (batting order 9 and the second pressed position), "10" (batting order 10 and the second pressed position), "11" (batting order 11 and the second pressed position), "12" (batting order 12 and the second pressed position), "13" (batting order 13 and the second pressed position), "14" (batting order 14 and the second pressed position), "15" (batting order 15 and the second pressed position), "16" (batting order 16 and the second pressed position), "17" (batting order 17 and the second pressed position), "18" (batting order 19 and the second pressed position), "19" (batting order 20 and the second pressed position), "19" (batting order 21 and the second pressed position), "19" (batting order 22 and the second pressed position), "19" (batting order 23 and the second pressed position), "19" (batting order 24 and the second pressed position), "19" (batting order 25 and the second pressed position), " (batting order 3 and second press position), "04" (batting order 4 and second press position), "05" (batting order 5 and second press position), "06" (batting order 6 and second press position), "07" (batting order 1 and first press position), "08" (batting order 2 and first press position), "09" (batting order 3 and first press position), "10" (batting order 4 and first press position), "11" (batting order 5 and first press position), or "12" (batting order 6 and first press position).

[0092] In addition, in this embodiment, when the AT control means 175 notifies the correct batting order for the batting order bell group e, information corresponding to the correct batting order is displayed on the main display 300. Specifically, an operation instruction number is set for each correct batting order, and the main display 300 displays one of the operation instruction numbers "13" (batting order 3), "14" (batting order 4), "15" (batting order 5), or "16" (batting order 6) using a 7-segment display.

[0093] In this embodiment, when the performance state is not the AT state in the advantageous zone, a specific batting order notification and a winning assistance performance are performed when a batting order special role belonging to the batting order special role group is won. In this embodiment, when the performance state is not the AT state in the advantageous zone, a specific batting order notification and a winning assistance performance related to the batting order special role are not performed. In the AT state, even if a stop operation is performed in a non-specific batting order, a penalty process that is disadvantageous to the player is not performed, so even if a notification is not performed when a batting order special role is won in the AT state, if a stop operation is performed in a non-specific batting order, the player can win 14 small roles and increase the number of medals in hand.

[0094] In this embodiment, when the AT control means 175 notifies a specific batting order, information corresponding to the specific batting order is displayed on the main display 300. Specifically, an operation instruction number is set for each specific batting order, and the main display 300 displays one of the operation instruction numbers "13" (batting order 3), "14" (batting order 4), "15" (batting order 5), and "16" (batting order 6) using a 7-segment display. In this embodiment, since batting order 3, batting order 4, batting order 5, and batting order 6 are specific batting orders for each batting order special role, an arbitrary operation instruction number determined by lottery in a game in which the batting order special role is won is displayed on the main display 300.

[0095] In addition, when the performance state is the AT state in the advantageous zone, the AT control means 175 performs an add-on lottery based on the fact that a weak cherry, a watermelon, a chance eye a, a chance eye b, or a strong cherry is won in the internal lottery. In the add-on lottery, the random number value acquired for the internal lottery is compared with the add-on lottery table stored in the main lottery table storage area 1910, and whether or not the add-on lottery has been won is determined according to the comparison result. In the add-on lottery table, an add-on win or a miss is assigned to the random number value for the internal lottery associated with the winning mode that triggers the execution of the add-on lottery, and it is determined that the add-on lottery has been won when the random number value acquired for the internal lottery is associated with either a weak cherry, a watermelon, a chance eye a, a chance eye b, or a strong cherry, and is associated with an add-on win in the add-on lottery table. In this embodiment, the AT control means 175 adds a fixed value "1" to the AT stock number counter 1918 based on the fact that the lottery result of the add-on lottery is obtained.

[0096] When the value of the AT game number counter 1919, which is subtracted by a certain value each time an assist time game is played, reaches the initial value "0", the AT control means 175 determines that the end condition of the AT state is met and sets the presentation state to the CZ state. In this embodiment, when the AT control means 175 transitions the presentation state to the CZ state, it sets the number of games, which is the end condition of the CZ state, to 50, and sets the value "50" corresponding to the set number of games, 50, to the CZ game number counter 1921.

[0097] In the CZ state of this embodiment, even if a batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell group a to batting order bell group e is won, no correct batting order announcement or winning assistance performance is performed, so the medal acquisition performance is such that the medals held by the player gradually decrease (the expected value of the payout rate is less than 100%). In this embodiment, the medal acquisition performance of the AT state is sufficiently higher than that of the CZ state, and the net increase in the number of medals per game is about 8 medals (the expected value of the payout rate is about 367%).

[0098] Then, the AT control means 175 subtracts a fixed value "1" corresponding to one game from the value of the CZ game number counter 1921 each time a game is played in the CZ state, and when the value of the CZ game number counter 1921 reaches the initial value "0", it determines that the condition for ending the CZ state is met, and determines the transition destination of the presentation state based on the value of the AT stock number counter 1918. Specifically, if the value of the AT stock number counter 1918 is greater than the initial value "0", it sets the transition destination presentation state to the AT state, and if the value of the AT stock number counter 1918 is the initial value "0", it sets the transition destination presentation state to the AT low probability state.

[0099] In the CZ state, the AT lottery is performed as described above, but even if the lottery result of the AT lottery is an AT win, the value of the AT stock number counter 1918 only increases, and in a situation where the player is staying in a favorable zone, the game does not move to another presentation state until at least the end condition of the CZ state (the value of the CZ game number counter 1921 reaches the initial value "0") is met. However, if the AT lottery is won in the CZ state, the CZ state may be ended based on the fact that the AT lottery was won.

[0100] In this embodiment, the AT control means 175 sets the value of the first clear counter 1922 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a to a predetermined value "1" in the advantageous zone transition process, and in the advantageous zone, an incremental update is performed by adding a certain value (for example, 1) corresponding to one game to the value of the first clear counter 1922 every time one game is played, and when the value of the first clear counter 1922 exceeds a threshold value (for example, 1500) (when the value of the first clear counter 1922 reaches "1501"), it is determined that the end condition of the advantageous zone is established. In this embodiment, the first clear counter 1922 is updated after all reels rotating in each game have stopped, but the first clear counter 1922 may be updated at any timing as long as it is predetermined for each game. For example, the update may be triggered by a game start operation on the start lever SL.

[0101] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the AT control means 175 sets the value of the second clear counter 1923 provided in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a to an initial value of "0" in the advantageous zone transition process, and in the advantageous zone, updates the value of the second clear counter 1923 according to the difference in the number of medals in each game, subtracts the value "3" corresponding to the number of medals inserted in the game (3 medals) from the value corresponding to the number of medals paid out (for example, "13" if 13 medals are paid out, and "0" if no role is won and no medals are paid out) to obtain a calculation result of the difference in the number of medals in the game, and performs an update process in which this calculation result is added to the value of the second clear counter 1923, and also when the value of the second clear counter 1923 exceeds a threshold value (for example, 2400), it is determined that the condition for ending the advantageous zone has been met. The value of the second clear counter 1923 is controlled so as not to fall below the initial value "0". For example, if the value of the second clear counter 1923 at the start of a game is "2" and, as a result of playing a game, no winning combination is won and no medals are paid out, the calculation result of the difference in the number of medals in that game will be "-3", and if the calculation result of the difference in the number of medals is added to the value of the second clear counter 1923, it will fall below the initial value "0". However, the count of the second clear counter 1923 after the update is stopped with the initial value "0" as the lower limit. Also, if a replay is won in a game, the difference in the number of medals is calculated by treating the game in which the replay was won as having been paid out with medals equivalent to the prescribed number of medals for that game, and the difference in the number of medals for the next game provided free of charge due to the replay winning as having been inserted with medals equivalent to the prescribed number of medals for that game, even if no actual medals have been inserted, is calculated.

[0102] In addition, in the advantageous zone, the first clear counter 1922 and the second clear counter 1923 are updated even if a transition in the game state or presentation state occurs, unless the end condition of the advantageous zone is met.

[0103] The AT control means 175 also performs an initialization process to initialize information stored in a predetermined storage area of ​​the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a based on the end of the advantageous period. In particular, in this embodiment, with respect to the main RAM of the game information storage means 190, information stored in the performance state storage area 1917, the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 is initialized by an initialization process associated with the end of the advantageous period. More specifically, the storage areas other than the performance state storage area 1917, the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 in the main RAM of the game information storage means 190a are designated as information storage areas, and information stored in storage areas other than the information storage area of ​​the main RAM is initialized. Therefore, when the initialization process is performed at the end of the favorable zone, unlike the case where the initialization process is performed in the setting change mode, in addition to the setting value storage area 1913 and the credit information storage area 1914, the lottery flag storage area 1915 and the game status storage area 1916 are also designated as information holding areas, and the information stored in these storage areas is retained without being initialized by the initialization process at the end of the favorable zone. When the initialization process is performed at the end of the favorable zone, the performance state is initialized to a non-AT state, and the values ​​of the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 are initialized to their initial values ​​(for example, 0) to return to the normal zone.

[0104] In this embodiment, an initialization process is executed at the end of the favorable zone to return to the normal zone, so that if the value of the first clear counter 1922 or the second clear counter 1923 exceeds a threshold value while remaining in the AT state, the initialization process at the end of the favorable zone forcibly terminates the AT state and initializes the presentation state to a non-AT state, and the values ​​of the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 are initialized to their initial values ​​(e.g., 0). Also, when the value of the first clear counter 1922 or the second clear counter 1923 exceeds the threshold value while remaining in another presentation state, the currently remaining presentation state is forcibly terminated by the initialization process associated with the end of the advantageous zone, the presentation state is initialized to a non-AT state, and the values ​​of the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 are initialized to initial values ​​(for example, 0). In this embodiment, the presentation state is not initialized by turning the power on / off, but when the device is started in the setting change mode, even if the initialization process is performed in the setting change mode, the presentation state is initialized to a non-AT state, and the values ​​of the AT stock number counter 1918, the AT game number counter 1919, the CZ game number counter 1921, the first clear counter 1922, and the second clear counter 1923 are initialized to initial values ​​(for example, 0).

[0105] In this embodiment, the advantageous zone starts when the advantageous zone transition lottery is won in the normal zone, and the presentation state is set to the AT state under certain conditions within the advantageous zone to play the assist time game, but even if the AT state ends, the advantageous zone is maintained as long as the advantageous zone end condition is not met. In other words, in this embodiment, since the advantageous zone continues even after the AT state ends, there are cases where the player stays in the advantageous zone even if the presentation state transitions from the AT state to a presentation state different from the AT state.

[0106] Furthermore, the AT control means 175 controls the LED built into the section indicator SEC to light up based on the start of an advantageous section to indicate that the player is in the advantageous section, and the LED built into the section indicator SEC to turn off based on the end of the advantageous section. In this embodiment, the LED built into the section indicator SEC is turned off during normal sections, so that it is possible to determine whether or not the player is in an advantageous section by checking the lighting state of the section indicator SEC.

[0107] In this embodiment, the AT control means 175 starts or ends advantageous zone notification, which is a notification that the player is staying in an advantageous zone, based on the value of the first clear counter 1922. For example, when a predetermined value "1" is set to the first clear counter 1922 with a transition to an advantageous zone, advantageous zone notification is started based on the value of the first clear counter 1922 becoming larger than the initial value "0" (the value of the first clear counter 1922 not being the initial value "0"), and when the value of the first clear counter 1922 is initialized to the initial value "0" with a transition from the advantageous zone to the normal zone, advantageous zone notification is ended based on the value of the first clear counter 1922 becoming the initial value "0".

[0108] The section indicator SEC does not need to be provided exclusively as in the present embodiment, and may be used in combination with the main display 300. For example, whether or not the player is in the advantageous section may be indicated by switching on / off a dot display section that displays decimal points, etc., of a seven-segment display, and the dot display section may be turned off in a normal section, and the dot display section may be turned on in an advantageous section to notify the player of the advantageous section. When an advantageous section starts, an LED built into the section indicator SEC lights up to immediately notify the player of the advantageous section, but the advantageous section may be set as a non-notification section that does not notify the player of the advantageous section until a predetermined number of games are played from the start of the advantageous section, or the advantageous section may be set as a non-notification section that does not notify the player of the advantageous section until the first correct batting order notification in the advantageous section is executed.

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

[0110] When the presentation state is in the AT state, the presentation control means 180 controls the display device 330 and the audio device 340 to execute a winning assistance presentation that notifies the player of the correct batting order and the press position for the first stop operation when a batting order bell belonging to batting order bell group a to batting order bell group d is won, and assists in the winning of 15 small prizes (small prize 1 to small prize 20).

[0111] In addition, when the presentation state is the AT state, the presentation control means 180 controls the display device 330 and the audio device 340 to execute a winning assistance presentation that notifies the player of the correct batting order when a batting order bell belonging to the batting order bell group e is won, and assists in the winning of 15 small prizes (small prize 3 to small prize 6, small prize 9, small prize 10, small prize 15, small prize 16).

[0112] In addition, when the presentation state is not an AT state (when the player is in a low AT probability state or a CZ state) in a favorable zone, the presentation control means 180 controls the display device 330 and the audio device 340 to execute a winning assistance presentation that notifies the player of the target of the first stop operation in a specific batting order when a batting order special role belonging to the batting order special role group is won, and assists in the winning of a 15-coin small role (small role 21).

[0113] Furthermore, when playing in the AT state or when playing in the CZ state, the presentation control means 180 controls to execute a remaining number display presentation that displays the remaining number of times to be played until the AT state or the CZ state ends on the display device 330 such as a liquid crystal display LCD. In the remaining number display presentation, when the value of the AT game number counter 1919 or the CZ game number counter 1921 is subtracted by playing, the display content is changed so that the remaining number of times to be played also decreases to reflect the subtraction.

[0114] In addition, when the AT lottery executed in the CZ state results in an AT winning draw, the presentation control means 180 withholds notification of the right to transition to the AT state until the final play in the CZ state (the play in which the value of the CZ game number counter 1921 becomes the initial value "0"), and controls the display device 330 and the sound device 340 to execute an AT confirmation presentation notifying the player of the right to transition to the AT state if the value of the AT stock number counter 1918 is greater than the initial value "0" in the final play in the CZ state.

[0115] The functional block configuration of this embodiment can also be applied to computer systems (including game systems). In these systems, the functions of the game control means 100 of this embodiment can be realized by downloading a program that causes a computer to function as the game control means 100 of this embodiment from an information storage medium such as a CD or DVD or a Web server on the Internet via a network. In the above computer system, the medal insertion switch 210, the bet switch 220, the start switch 230, the stop switch 240, etc. can be realized by virtually allocating their functions to operation means such as a keyboard, a pointing device (such as a mouse), a touch panel, or a controller. In the above computer system, the reel unit 310, the hopper unit HP, etc. are not essential components, and these device units can virtually realize their functions by controlling images displayed and output on a display (display device 330).

[0116] 2. Method of the Present Invention In this embodiment, there are a group of special batting order roles (special batting order roles 1 to 16) as winning modes of the small roles, and when the special batting order role is won, the method of changing the mode of stop control is adopted so that the possibility of winning the 15-coin small roles included in the special batting order role changes depending on whether the push detection position of the first stop operation is a specific push position that is predetermined according to the type of the special batting order role. Below, the case where the special batting order role 5 is won is taken as an example and will be described in detail with reference to Figures 19 to 22.

[0117] First, a description will be given of the composition of the special batting order combination 5. FIG.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 19, the batting order special role 5 is composed of a 15-coin small role (small role 21), a 14-coin small role (small role 22), and four types of 1-coin small roles (small role 23, small role 29, small role 46, small role 47), and the specific batting order is set to batting order 3 to batting order 6, and the specific pressing position is set to number 4.

[0119] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a case where a stopping operation is performed in a mode in which the first reel R1 is stopped first in a game in which the batting order special combination 5 is won.

[0120] First, as shown in FIG. 20(A), if the stop button B1 is pressed at the press detection position where the replay symbol No. 3 "RP" is located at the top of the spinning first reel R1, the order of the stop operations to make the first reel R1 the first stop in the batting order special role 5 corresponds to the non-specific batting order.

[0121] In this embodiment, if the first stop operation is a non-specific batting order when the batting order special role is won, the stop position is determined by the number priority control so that the number of symbol combinations showing winning forms that can be displayed on the active line is the largest, and when the bell symbol 1 "BL1" is displayed among the symbols present within the pull-in range for the push detection position of No. 3, the number of symbol combinations is the largest at 7, and the first reel R1 is stopped at a position where the bell symbol 1 "BL1" of No. 2 is displayed on the upper row, as shown in Figure 20 (B). At the time when this first reel R1 stops, the small symbols included in the batting order special role 5 that have the possibility of winning are small symbols 22, 23, and 46.

[0122] Next, when the second reel R2 and the third reel R3 are stopped, the stop positions are determined so that the number of medals paid out is maximized by payout number priority control. Therefore, the winning of the small prize 22, which has the highest payout among the small prizes 22, 23, and 46, is prioritized, and the symbols constituting the winning form of the small prize 22 are arranged so that they can be displayed on the pay line on the second reel R2 and the third reel R3 regardless of the pressing detection position, so that the second reel R2 and the third reel R3 stop in a manner in which the small prize 22 is won, as shown in FIG. 20(C).

[0123] FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a case where a stopping operation is performed in a mode in which the second reel R2 is the first stop in a game in which the batting order special combination 5 is won.

[0124] First, as shown in FIG. 21(A), if the stop button B2 is pressed at the press detection position where the No. 4 bar pattern "BAR" is located at the top of the spinning second reel R2, the order of the stop operations that makes the second reel R2 the first stop in the batting order special role 5 corresponds to a specific batting order.

[0125] In this embodiment, when the first stop operation is a specific batting order when the batting order special combination is won, the manner of control differs depending on whether the push detection position of the first stop operation is a specific push position or not. The specific push position of the batting order special combination 5 is number 4, and in the example shown in FIG. 21(A), since the push detection position of the first stop operation is number 4, it corresponds to the specific push position, and the stop position is determined so that the number of medals paid out is the largest by the payout number priority control. Here, the small combination 21 with the highest payout among the small combinations included in the batting order special combination 5 is the small combination 21 with the 15-coin small combination, and as shown in FIG. 21(B), the second reel R2 stops at a position where the watermelon pattern "WM" of number 3 is displayed in the middle row. At the time when this second reel R2 stops, the small combinations included in the batting order special combination 5 that may win are the small combination 21 and the small combination 46.

[0126] Next, when the first reel R1 and the third reel R3 are stopped, the stop positions are determined so that the number of medals paid out is maximized by the payout number priority control. Therefore, the display of the watermelon pattern "WM" constituting the winning form of the small prize 21 with the highest payout among the small prizes 21 and the small prizes 46 is prioritized, and the watermelon pattern "WM" constituting the winning form of the small prize 21 is arranged so that it can be displayed on the pay line on the first reel R1 and the third reel R3 regardless of the pressing detection position, so that the first reel R1 and the third reel R3 stop in a manner in which the small prize 21 wins, as shown in FIG. 21(C).

[0127] Next, as shown in FIG. 21(D), if the stop button B2 is pressed at the press detection position where the watermelon symbol "WM" No. 3 is located at the top of the spinning second reel R2, then the second reel R2 will also be the first to stop, which corresponds to the specific playing order.

[0128] In the example shown in Fig. 21(D), the push detection position of the first stop operation is No. 3, which does not fall under the specific push position, and the stop position is determined by the number priority control so that the number of symbol combinations showing winning forms that can be displayed on the active line is the largest. Here, for symbols present within the pull-in range for the push detection position of No. 3, when the watermelon symbol "WM" is displayed, the number of symbol combinations is the largest at 5, and as shown in Fig. 21(E), the second reel R2 is stopped at a position where the watermelon symbol "WM" No. 3 is displayed in the middle row. At the time when this second reel R2 stops, the small symbols included in the special hit order symbol 5 that have the possibility of winning are small symbol 21 and small symbol 46.

[0129] Next, when the first reel R1 and the third reel R3 are stopped, the stop positions are determined by the number priority control so that the number of winning symbol combinations that can be displayed on the pay line is maximized. Therefore, when the first reel R1 is stopped second, the display of the bell symbol 1 "BL1" or the bell symbol 2 "BL2" that have two symbol combinations is prioritized, and when the third reel R3 is stopped second, the display of the cherry symbol "CH" or the special symbol 2 "SP2" that have two symbol combinations is prioritized. The first reel R1 is arranged so that either bell symbol 1 "BL1" or bell symbol 2 "BL2" can be displayed on an active line regardless of the press detection position, and the third reel R3 is arranged so that either cherry symbol "CH" or special symbol 2 "SP2" can be displayed on an active line regardless of the press detection position, so that when either the first reel R1 or the third reel R3 is stopped for the second time, only the small win 46 can be won, and as shown in Figure 21 (F), the first reel R1 and the third reel R3 stop in a manner that will result in the small win 46 being won.

[0130] FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a case where a stopping operation is performed in a mode in which the third reel R3 is the first stop in a game in which the batting order special combination 5 is won.

[0131] First, as shown in FIG. 22(A), if the stop button B3 is pressed at the press detection position where the No. 4 bar pattern "BAR" is located at the top of the spinning third reel R3, the order of the stop operations that makes the third reel R3 the first stop in the batting order special role 5 corresponds to a specific batting order.

[0132] The specific pressing position of the special batting order role 5 is number 4. In the example shown in FIG. 22(A), the pressing detection position of the first stop operation is number 4, so it corresponds to the specific pressing position, and the stop position is determined so that the number of medals paid out is the largest by the payout number priority control. Here, the small role 21 with the highest payout among the small roles included in the special batting order role 5 is the 15-coin small role, and as shown in FIG. 22(B), the third reel R3 stops at a position where the watermelon pattern "WM" of number 2 is displayed in the lower row. At the time when the third reel R3 stops, the small roles included in the special batting order role 5 that have the possibility of winning are the small roles 21, 22, and 47.

[0133] Next, when the first reel R1 and the second reel R2 are stopped, the stop positions are determined so that the number of medals paid out is maximized by payout number priority control. Therefore, the display of the watermelon pattern "WM" constituting the winning form of the small prize 21 with the highest payout among the small prizes 21, 22, and 47 is prioritized, and the watermelon pattern "WM" constituting the winning form of the small prize 21 is arranged so that it can be displayed on the pay line on the first reel R1 and the second reel R2 regardless of the pressing detection position, so that the first reel R1 and the second reel R2 stop in a manner in which the small prize 21 wins, as shown in FIG. 22(C).

[0134] Next, as shown in FIG. 22(D), if the stop button B3 is pressed at the press detection position where the No. 2 watermelon symbol "WM" is located at the top of the spinning third reel R3, then the third reel R3 will also be the first to stop, which corresponds to the specific playing order.

[0135] In the example shown in Fig. 22(D), the push detection position of the first stop operation is No. 2, which does not fall under the specific push position, and the stop position is determined by the number priority control so that the number of symbol combinations showing winning forms that can be displayed on the active line is the largest. Here, for symbols present within the pull-in range for the push detection position of No. 2, when the watermelon symbol "WM" is displayed, the number of symbol combinations is the largest at 7, and as shown in Fig. 22(E), the third reel R3 is stopped at a position where the watermelon symbol "WM" No. 2 is displayed in the lower row. At the time when this third reel R3 stops, the small symbols included in the special hit order symbol 5 that may win are small symbols 21, 22, and 47.

[0136] Next, when the first reel R1 and the second reel R2 are stopped, the stop positions are determined so that the number of symbol combinations that can be displayed on the pay line is the largest by the number priority control. Therefore, when the first reel R1 is stopped second, the display of the cherry symbol "CH" or the special symbol 2 "SP2" that has two symbol combinations is prioritized, and when the second reel R2 is stopped second, the display of the cherry symbol "CH", the special symbol 2 "SP2", or the replay symbol "RP" that has two symbol combinations is prioritized. Note that the replay symbol "RP" on the third reel R3 is a symbol that constitutes the winning form of the small symbol 22, which is a 14-piece small symbol, but in this embodiment, the winning of the small symbol 47, which is a 1-piece small symbol and has the same number of symbols, is prioritized. Furthermore, since the first reel R1 and the second reel R2 are arranged so that either the cherry symbol "CH" or the special symbol 2 "SP2" can be displayed on the active line regardless of the press detection position, when either the first reel R1 or the second reel R2 is stopped for the second time, only the small win 47 can be won, and the first reel R1 and the second reel R2 stop in a manner that results in the small win 47 being won, as shown in Figure 22 (F).

[0137] According to the embodiment described above, in a game in which the special role is won, if the push detection position of the first stop operation is a specific push position, the reel stop position is determined by payout number priority control to allow the 15-coin small role to be won, and if the push detection position of the first stop operation is different from the specific push position, the reel stop position is determined by number priority control to avoid the winning of the 15-coin small role. In this way, since the possibility of winning the 15-coin small role in a game in which the special role is won is affected by the push detection position, it becomes possible to control the winning rate of the 15-coin small role just by changing the setting mode of the specific push position, and the design freedom of the gaming machine can be improved.

[0138] Specifically, in this embodiment, a unique specific pressing position is assigned to 16 types of batting order special roles, and there are 16 types of setting modes of the specific pressing position. In this embodiment, when the batting order special role is won in the advantageous zone when the AT state is not in, the specific batting order is notified, but the player cannot know the specific pressing position. Therefore, in this embodiment, the expected value of the winning rate of the 15-piece small role in the specific batting order when the batting order special role is won can be 1 / 16. And the setting mode of the specific pressing position can be configured to be fewer than that of this embodiment. For example, if 10 types of batting order special roles are provided and two specific pressing positions are uniquely assigned to each batting order special role, 10 types of setting modes of the specific pressing position can be provided, and in this way, the expected value of the winning rate of the 15-piece small role can be 1 / 10. Also, the number of setting modes of the specific pressing position can be more than that of the present embodiment. For example, if 20 types of batting order special roles are provided and one specific pressing position is assigned to each batting order special role, 20 types of setting modes of the specific pressing position can be provided, and the expected value of the winning rate of the 15-coin small role can be reduced to 1 / 20. In this way, according to the method of the present embodiment, the expected value of the winning rate can be controlled by the setting mode of the specific pressing position, so the design freedom of the gaming machine is improved. Also, in this embodiment, the control law is switched using the pressing detection position, which also leads to an improvement in the design freedom of the winning number (stop mode).

[0139] The method of this embodiment is optimal when the target combination for controlling the winning rate is set to a winning form that can be drawn regardless of the pressing detection position on any reel, and it is preferable to win with a combination of roles that can draw a role with a lower dividend than the target role by number priority control when the stopping operation is not performed at the specific pressing position. In addition, when determining the composition of the special role in the batting order, the target role for controlling the winning rate and the role that wins when the specific pressing position is not selected can be fixed, so it is possible to realize it without increasing the number of roles unnecessarily, which also leads to saving memory usage.

[0140] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the manner of stop control is changed by determining whether or not a specific press position is reached on the first reel to stop when a special batting order role is won, but the manner of stop control may also be changed by determining whether or not a specific press position is reached on the second reel to stop (the reel to stop second) or the third reel to stop (the reel to stop third).

[0141] In this embodiment, the first reel out of the three reels to stop is determined to be at a specific pressed position, but it may also be possible to determine whether a specific pressed position is at two or more reels and change the manner of stop control.

[0142] In addition, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which payout number priority control is applied when it is determined that the position is a specific press position, and number priority control is applied when it is determined that the position is not a specific press position, but it is also possible to apply number priority control when it is determined that the position is a specific press position, and apply payout number priority control when it is determined that the position is not a specific press position.

[0143] In the example described in this embodiment, when the batting order special role is won, a judgment is also made as to whether the first stop operation is a specific batting order or not. Specifically, when the first stop operation is a non-specific batting order, a payout number priority control is performed, and when the first stop operation is a specific batting order, a payout number priority control is performed if the specific pressing position is selected, and a number priority control is performed if the specific pressing position is not selected. However, as in this embodiment, when the first stop operation is performed in a specific batting order, a pattern common to the 15-piece small role and the 1-piece small role is displayed on the pay line in both the specific pressing position and the non-specific pressing position, so that the stopping result of the reel stopped by the first stop operation in the specific batting order will be the same regardless of which control rule is used. For this reason, if the first stopping operation is a non-specific batting order, number priority control is performed for the reel corresponding to the first stopping operation, and if the first stopping operation is a specific batting order, payout number priority control is performed for the reel corresponding to the first stopping operation. For the reels that stop after the second stopping operation, payout number priority control may continue to be performed if the first stopping operation is a specific batting order and is in a specific pressed position, and number priority control may be switched to if the first stopping operation is a specific batting order and is not in a specific pressed position.

[0144] In this embodiment, when the special batting order role is won, the specific batting order is notified, but the specific pressing position is not notified. However, the specific pressing position may be notified. The specific batting order of the special batting order role in the advantageous zone is notified when the AT state is not in effect, but the specific batting order of the special batting order role may be notified even in the AT state.

[0145] In addition, in this embodiment, the number of reels is three, but the number of reels may be four. In this embodiment, the number of reels is 20, but the number of reels may be 21 or less than 20.

[0146] In the present embodiment, the gaming machine is configured to insert gaming media such as medals when playing a game, and to pay out gaming media when winning a winning combination, but the game may be played by consuming or granting gaming value as electronic information without using gaming media. For example, the gaming machine or an external unit connected to the gaming machine may be configured to store information on the gaming value owned by the player, and the consumption of gaming value by subtracting the number of gaming values ​​may be replaced by the insertion of gaming media, and the granting of gaming value by adding the number of gaming values ​​may be replaced by the payout of gaming media.

[0147] In addition, the configuration of the special batting order combination that is different from other winning patterns in the process related to the AT lottery may be implemented in the following manner. The following description will be given with reference to Figs. 23 to 25.

[0148] First, Fig. 23 shows the arrangement of symbols on the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 used in this example, and based on this arrangement, small wins A to F are configured as shown in Fig. 24. "ANY" in Fig. 24 indicates that any symbol arranged on the reel may be used.

[0149] As shown in Figure 25 (A), there are batting order special roles a to d, and these batting order special roles are composed of one of four types of 13-coin small roles (small role A to small role D) and two types of 1-coin small roles (small role E and small role F).

[0150] The winning combinations according to the stop operation for each batting order special combination are as shown in Figure 25(B). A specific batting order (batting order 3 to batting order 6) is set for each batting order special combination, and when the stop operation is performed according to the specific batting order, a 13-coin small combination is won, and when the stop operation is performed according to a non-specific batting order (a stop operation sequence different from the specific batting order), two types of 1-coin small combinations are won in overlapping. In addition, when 1-coin small combinations are won in overlapping, two medals will be paid out.

[0151] In this example, when the performance state is different from the AT state in the advantageous zone, a non-specific batting order is notified to assist the winning of the 1-coin small prize, and when the performance state is the AT state, a specific batting order is notified to assist the winning of the 13-coin small prize. In this way, the winning rate of the 13-coin small prize when the performance state is different from the AT state is lowered, and the game specification can be made such that the medal winning rate in the AT state is relatively high. Note that when the performance state is different from the AT state in the advantageous zone (when the performance state is the AT low probability state or the CZ state), a specific batting order is notified to assist the winning of the 13-coin small prize, and when the performance state is the AT state, a non-specific batting order is notified to assist the winning of the 1-coin small prize.

[0152] Regarding the process of AT lottery when a special batting order role is won in the AT low probability state or CZ state, if the stop operation is performed in a specific batting order, the AT lottery is performed, and if the stop operation is performed in a non-specific batting order, the AT lottery is not performed. In other words, when a special batting order role is won, the AT lottery is performed if a 1-coin small role is won, and if a 13-coin small role is won, the AT lottery is not performed. In this way, by providing an advantage to perform a stop operation in a specific batting order when the performance state is different from the AT state, it is possible to provide a motivation to perform a stop operation according to the specific batting order. Note that if the stop operation is performed in a specific batting order (if a 1-coin small role is won), the AT lottery may not be performed, and if the stop operation is performed in a non-specific batting order (if a 13-coin small role is won), the AT lottery may be performed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0153] BX storage box, UD front upper door, DD front lower door, DW display window, L1 Valid line, DS Game information display, LCD liquid crystal display, BS setting change button, KS setting change key cylinder, SEC section indicator, EU power supply unit, ES power switch, SP speaker, PS Reel unit storage space, MAIN Main board, SUB Sub board, HP Hopper Unit, MT Medal Storage Tank, CB Cash Box, R1 1st reel, R2 2nd reel, R3 3rd reel, B0 bet button, SL start lever, B1~B3 stop buttons, MI medal slot, MO medal outlet, MP medal tray, 100 Game control means, 103 setting change means, 105 input acceptance means, 110 random number generation means, 120 internal lottery means, 130 reel control means, 140 winning determination means, 150 payout control means, 160 replay processing means, 170 game state control means, 175 AT control means, 180 Production control means, 190a game information storage means, 1910 main lottery table storage area, 1911: stop control table storage area; 1912: winning determination table storage area; 1913 setting value storage area, 1914 credit information storage area, 1915 lottery flag storage area, 1916 game status storage area, 1917 Performance state memory area, 1918 AT stock counter, 1919 AT game counter, 1921 CZ Game Number Counter, 1922 1st clear counter, 1923 2nd clear counter, 190b performance information storage means, 1926 performance data storage area, 1927 Sub lottery table storage area, 1928 Image Buffer, 1929 Sound Buffer, 210 coin insertion switch, 220 bet switch, 230 start switch, 240 Stop switch, 250 Setting change permission switch, 260 Setting change switch, 300 Main display, 310 reel units, 315 reel index, 325 payout medal detection switch, 330 display device, 340 sound device,

Claims

[Claim 1] A plurality of reels having a plurality of types of symbols arranged on the outer circumferential surface thereof; An internal lottery means for performing an internal lottery to determine whether or not a plurality of types of roles including small roles are won; a reel control means for rotating the plurality of reels for each game and controlling the reels to stop in a manner corresponding to the result of the internal lottery when a stop operation is initiated; Equipped with When a symbol combination showing a winning form predetermined for each winning combination is displayed on an active line, the winning combination wins, and a gaming value according to the dividend of the winning minor combination is paid out in accordance with the winning of the minor combination. As the winning mode of the small prize, there are a plurality of specific winning modes in which at least the first small prize, the second small prize, and the third small prize are overlapped and won, The first small prize is set to a higher payout than the second small prize and the third small prize, The second minor prize and the third minor prize are set to have the same payout, the plurality of reels are a first reel, a second reel, and a third reel; a correct operation sequence is set for each of the plurality of specific winning modes, and an operation sequence for first stopping the first reel is not set as a correct operation sequence for any of the specific winning modes; There exists the specific winning mode in which the operation sequence for first stopping the second reel is the correct operation sequence, and there exists the specific winning mode in which the operation sequence for first stopping the third reel is the correct operation sequence, but there does not exist the specific winning mode in which the operation sequence for first stopping the first reel is the correct operation sequence, The reel control means a first failure operation sequence that stops the first reel first among failure operation sequences that are different from the correct operation sequence corresponding to the specific winning mode in a game in which the specific winning mode has been obtained by the internal lottery; a second minor role is always won when a stop operation is performed with a first failure operation sequence that stops the first reel first among failure operation sequences that are different from the correct operation sequence corresponding to the specific winning mode, and a second failure operation sequence that stops the second reel or the third reel first, the reel being stopped first is different from the correct operation sequence corresponding to the specific winning mode, and the third minor role is always won depending on the timing of the stop operation.

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