Gaming machine

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of effectively suppressing an act of photographing the game machine without permission and an act of uploading a photographed moving image or the like to an SNS or the like.SOLUTION: This game machine is provided with a mark arranged in a game area and composed of characters and / or graphics capable of specifying the game machine, a display means capable of performing various display performances and a light emitting means capable of performing various light emitting performances, and when a game ball enters a winning port, a prescribed game value is imparted to a player. In the game machine for imparting a privilege advantageous to a player in the case of satisfying a prescribed condition, a reflection means for reflecting light is arranged inside a virtual area which includes a specified ball entrance, a specified nail and a mark, is equal to or smaller than 1 / 4 of a minimum rectangular area including the whole of a game area and is rectangular in a front view with an aspect ratio of 16:9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Gaming machines such as pachinko machines are equipped with various presentation means such as display means such as liquid crystal display means, light emitting means, sound output means, and movable bodies, and these various presentation means are used to produce presentations during play (Patent Document 1). In addition, in pachinko machines, if a game ball shot by a shooting means enters a winning hole as it flows down the play area, a predetermined game value is awarded to the player, but it is clear that the state of the nails arranged near the winning hole affects the possibility of winning the prize in that winning hole. In recent years, with the spread of camera-equipped mobile devices such as smartphones and the emergence of various SNS (Social Networking Services), information dissemination using photos and videos has become more active at the individual level. However, the rampant nuisance and bad manners aimed at increasing the number of followers and views has become a major social problem. In the gaming machine industry, there has also been an increase in cases where players take unauthorized photos of gaming machines in gaming halls and upload them to social media without permission. In such cases, the photos are often taken from the front of the gaming area so that the effects and the state of the pins can be easily seen. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

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

[0004] If still images or videos taken inside an amusement hall and uploaded to social media show nuisance or bad manners, it is conceivable that the poster may be identified as a "flame war," which could have a negative impact on third parties. For example, if the amusement hall where the photos were taken is identified, the amusement hall, which is not at fault, could suffer reputational damage. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an amusement machine that can effectively prevent unauthorized filming of the amusement machine and uploading of such filmed videos to social networking sites, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention relates to a gaming machine that is equipped with a launching means capable of launching gaming balls toward a gaming area, a plurality of nails that are arranged within the gaming area and can change the direction of travel of the gaming balls, a plurality of ball entry ports that are arranged within the gaming area and through which the gaming balls can enter, a mark that is arranged within the gaming area and consists of letters and / or figures that can identify the gaming machine, a display means that is capable of various display effects, and a light-emitting means that is capable of various light-emitting effects, and that awards a predetermined gaming value to a player when a gaming ball enters a winning port among the ball entry ports, and awards a favorable bonus to the player when predetermined conditions are met, wherein the plurality of ball entry ports include specific ball entry ports, and the plurality of nails include specific nails that are arranged near the specific ball entry ports, and a reflection means that reflects light is arranged within a virtual rectangular area when viewed from the front that encompasses the specific ball entry port, the specific nails, and the mark, and that is less than 1 / 4 of the area of ​​the smallest rectangular area that includes all of the gaming area, and has an aspect ratio of 16:9. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively prevent the unauthorized taking of photographs of gaming machines and the uploading of such photographed videos to social networking sites, etc. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1]1 is an overall front view of a pachinko machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of the reflecting state of frame reflecting portions 301b, 301c, 301e, and 301f in the pachinko machine. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board of the pachinko machine. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view of the rear support member and fixed decorative means that constitute the game board of the pachinko machine. [Figure 6] 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a main part (upper side) of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a main part (lower part) of the game board of the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 8] 3 is a diagram showing first and second display areas of a liquid crystal display means in the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the aspect ratio (width to height ratio) of the pachinko machine. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the distance between the camera and the subject, the direction of the camera, and the photographing area in the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the state in which the camera is held diagonally downward and diagonally upward in the pachinko machine. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of shooting areas in the pachinko machine. [Figure 13] 10 is an explanatory diagram of the application of conditions for defining the shooting area SA2 in the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 14] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing examples of shooting areas SA1, SA2, and SA2' in the pachinko machine and corresponding shot images. [Figure 15] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of shooting areas SA11 to SA13 in the pachinko machine and corresponding shot images. [Figure 16] 10 is a diagram showing examples of shooting areas SA14 to SA16 in the pachinko machine and the corresponding shot images. FIG. [Figure 17]10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of shooting areas SA17 and SA17' in the pachinko machine and corresponding shot images. [Figure 18] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of the minimum rectangular area and its 1 / 4 and 1 / 8 areas in the pachinko machine. [Figure 19] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the variation of the mini symbols in the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 20] This is a diagram showing the types of preview effects and the settings of the jackpot reliability in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the step-up preview effect in the pachinko machine. [Figure 22] This is a diagram showing the types of third and fifth second half effects of the step-up preview effect in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a specific example of a step-up preview effect in the pachinko machine. [Figure 24] This is a diagram (part 1) showing details of the image changes from the start of high-brightness effect WO11 to the end of high-brightness effect WO12 and the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of step-up preview effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 25] This is a diagram (part 2) showing details of the image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO11 to the end of high-brightness effect WO12 and the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of step-up preview effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 26] This is a diagram (part 3) showing details of the image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO11 to the end of high-brightness effect WO12 and the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of step-up preview effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the types of presentation modes of reach notice presentations in the pachinko machine. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a specific example of a reach notice effect in the pachinko machine. [Figure 29]This is a diagram (part 1) showing details of the image changes during the period from the start of the high-brightness effect WO21 to the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of reach notice effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 30] This is a diagram (part 2) showing details of the image changes during the period from the start of the high-brightness effect WO21 to the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of reach notice effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 31] This is a diagram (part 3) showing details of the image changes during the period from the start of the high-brightness effect WO21 to the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of reach notice effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 32] This is a diagram showing an overview of a specific example of button preview performance 1 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 33] This is a diagram showing details of the image changes in the button introduction effect BA0, one of the specific examples of button preview effect 1 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 34] This is a diagram showing details of the image changes in the high brightness effect WO31, one of the specific examples of button preview effect 1 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 35] This is a diagram showing details of the image change from high brightness effect WO32 to high brightness effect WO33, among specific examples of button preview effect 1 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 36] This is a diagram showing the types and contents of dialogue preview performance 1 in the same pachinko machine, the dialogue content and display color, and the type of character. [Figure 37] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a specific example of a dialogue preview performance 1 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 38] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 1) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO41 to the end of high-brightness effect WO42, among specific examples of dialogue preview effect 1 in the pachinko machine. [Figure 39] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO41 to the end of high-brightness effect WO42, among specific examples of dialogue preview effect 1 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 40]FIG. 3 is a diagram (part 3) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO41 to the end of high-brightness effect WO42, among specific examples of dialogue preview effect 1 in the pachinko machine. [Figure 41] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an overview of a specific example of a pseudo consecutive announcement effect in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 42] This figure shows details of the image changes during the period from the first pseudo-consecutive first half performance PF1A through the high brightness performance WO51 to the start of the first pseudo-consecutive second half performance PF1B, among specific examples of pseudo-consecutive preview performances in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 43] This figure shows details of the image changes during the period from the second pseudo-consecutive first half performance PF2A through the high brightness performance WO52 to the start of the second pseudo-consecutive second half performance PF2B, among specific examples of pseudo-consecutive preview performances in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 44] This is a diagram showing an overview of a specific example of button preview performance 2 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 45] This is a diagram (part 1) showing details of the image changes in the button teasing effect BB1, one of the specific examples of the button preview effect 2 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 46] This is a diagram (part 2) showing details of the image changes in the button teasing effect BB1, one of the specific examples of the button preview effect 2 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 47] This is a diagram (part 3) showing details of the image changes in the button teasing effect BB1, one of the specific examples of the button preview effect 2 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 48] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the types of presentation modes for the interrupt notice presentation in the pachinko machine. [Figure 49] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a specific example of an interrupt notice effect in the pachinko machine. [Figure 50] 10 is a diagram (part 1) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO71 to the end of high-brightness effect WO73, among specific examples of interrupt notice effects in the pachinko machine. [Figure 51]This is a diagram (part 2) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO71 to the end of high-brightness effect WO73, among specific examples of interrupt notice effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 52] This is a diagram (part 3) showing details of image changes during the period from the start of high-brightness effect WO71 to the end of high-brightness effect WO73, among specific examples of interrupt notice effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 53] This is a diagram showing an overview of a specific example of dialogue preview performance 2 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 54] 10 is a diagram (part 1) showing details of image changes during the period from character appearance performance SB1 to line output performance SB3, among specific examples of line preview performance 2 in the pachinko machine. FIG. [Figure 55] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing details of image changes during the period from character appearance performance SB1 to line output performance SB3, among specific examples of line preview performance 2 in the pachinko machine. [Figure 56] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a specific example of a reliability suggestion effect in the pachinko machine. [Figure 57] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 1) showing details of image changes during the period from the first character string start effect PR1 to the second line output effect PR4, among specific examples of reliability suggestion effects in the pachinko machine. [Figure 58] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing details of image changes during the period from the first character string start effect PR1 to the second line output effect PR4, among specific examples of reliability suggestion effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 59] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a specific example of a reach title display effect in the pachinko machine. [Figure 60] This figure shows details of image changes during the period from the title display start effect TS1 to the title notification effect TS, among specific examples of reach title display effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 61] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an overview of specific examples of operation presentations in the pachinko machine. [Figure 62]This is a diagram showing details of the image changes during the period from operation display start effect BC1 to operation promotion effect BC2, among specific examples of operation effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 63] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a specific example of a reach development effect in the pachinko machine. [Figure 64] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 1) showing details of image changes during the period of high brightness effect WOB1, among specific examples of reach development effects in the pachinko machine. [Figure 65] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 2) showing details of image changes during the period of high-brightness effect WOB1, among specific examples of reach development effects in the pachinko machine. [Figure 66] FIG. 10 is a diagram (part 3) showing details of image changes during the period of high brightness effect WOB1, among specific examples of reach development effects in the pachinko machine. [Figure 67] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a specific example of a step-up advance notice effect in a pachinko machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 68] This is a diagram (part 1) showing details of the image changes from the start of high-reflection effect TD11 to the end of high-reflection effect TD12 and the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, which is a specific example of a step-up preview effect in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 69] This is a diagram (part 2) showing details of the image changes from the start of high-reflection effect TD11 to the end of high-reflection effect TD12 and the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, which is a specific example of a step-up preview effect in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 70] This is a diagram (part 3) showing details of the image changes from the start of high-reflection effect TD11 to the end of high-reflection effect TD12 and the transition to the decorative pattern changing screen, among specific examples of step-up preview effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 71] This is a diagram showing an overview of a specific example of button preview performance 1 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 72] This is a diagram showing details of the image changes in high-reflection effect TD31, one of the specific examples of button preview effect 1 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 73] This is a diagram showing details of the image change from high reflection effect TD32 to high reflection effect TD33, one of the specific examples of button preview effect 1 in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 74] This is a diagram (part 1) showing details of image changes during a period including the high brightness effect WO12 and the high reflection effects before and after it, among specific examples of step-up preview effects in a pachinko machine according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 75] This is a diagram (part 2) showing details of the image changes during a period including the high brightness effect WO12 and the high reflection effects before and after it, among specific examples of step-up preview effects in the same pachinko machine. [Figure 76] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a high-brightness image. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 66 illustrate a first embodiment in which the present invention is adopted in a pachinko machine. In Figures 1 and 2, a gaming machine main body 1 includes an outer frame 2 and a front frame 3 arranged in front of the outer frame 2. The front frame 3 is pivotally attached to the outer frame 2 via a first hinge 4 in the up-down direction arranged at one end in the left-right direction, for example, at the left end, so as to be openable, closable, and detachable. The front frame 3 can be locked in a closed state relative to the outer frame 2 by a locking means 5 provided on the opposite side in the left-right direction from the first hinge 4, for example, at the right end.

[0009] As shown in Figure 2, the front frame 3 includes a main body frame 6 and a glass door 7 arranged in front of the main body frame 6. The glass door 7 is pivotally attached to the main body frame 6 via a second hinge 8 in the vertical direction arranged at one end in the left-right direction, for example, at the left end, so as to be openable, closable, and detachable, and can be locked in the closed state relative to the main body frame 6 by a locking means 5. The first hinge 4 and the second hinge 8 are arranged, for example, to be coaxial.

[0010] As shown in Figure 2, the outer frame 2 is rectangular and made up of a pair of left and right vertical frame members 2a, 2b and a pair of upper and lower horizontal frame members 2c, 2d. A resin front cover member 9 is attached to the lower front side of the outer frame 2, connecting the lower front sides of the left and right vertical frame members 2a, 2b along the front edge of the lower horizontal frame member 2d. The front cover member 9 protrudes forward beyond the left and right vertical frame members 2a, 2b, with the main frame 6 disposed above it. Furthermore, an upper outer frame hinge fitting 11 constituting the first hinge 4 is disposed on the upper left side of the outer frame 2, for example, and a lower outer frame hinge fitting 12 is disposed above the front cover member 9 on the lower left side.

[0011] The main body frame 6 is made of resin and, for example, integrally comprises a rectangular frame portion 13 that is above the front cover member 9 and can substantially abut against the front edge of the outer frame 2, a game board mounting portion 14 provided on the upper side of this frame portion 13, and a lower mounting portion 15 provided on the lower side of the frame portion 13. A game board 16 is detachably mounted on the game board mounting portion 14, for example, from the front side, and a launching means 17 that can launch game balls toward the play area 23, a lower speaker 18, etc. are arranged on the front side of the lower mounting portion 15. In addition, on the main body frame 6, a main body frame upper hinge metal fitting 19 that constitutes the first hinge 4 and a main body frame upper hinge metal fitting 20 that constitutes the second hinge 8 are arranged, for example, on the upper left side, and a main body frame lower hinge metal fitting 21 that constitutes the first and second hinges 4, 8 are arranged, for example, on the lower left side.

[0012] 1 and 2, the glass door 7 is provided with a rectangular resin door base 22 corresponding to the front side of the main body frame 6. In this door base 22, a window hole 24a of a glass window 24 is formed corresponding to a play area 23 formed on the front side of the game board 16, and multiple (four in this case) upper speakers 25, a blower effect device 26, and other effect means are arranged around the window hole 24a, and an upper decorative cover 27 is attached to substantially cover the upper speaker 25 and the like from the front side. At least a portion of the upper decorative cover 27 constitutes a light-emitting lens portion having translucency, and one or more LED boards 28 having a large number of LEDs 28a are arranged behind the upper decorative cover 27.

[0013] Also, at the lower front side of the door base 22 are arranged an upper tray 30 that stores game balls paid out from the payout means 29 located at the rear of the main body frame 6 and supplies them to the launching means 17, a lower tray 31 that stores surplus balls when the upper tray 30 is full, a launch handle 32 that is operated to activate the launching means 17, etc., and furthermore a lower decorative cover 33 that substantially covers the upper tray 30, lower tray 31, etc. from the front is attached. The lower decorative cover 33 is formed in a forward-facing bulge, and on its upper side are provided operation means such as an effect button 34 that can be pressed by the player and a cross operation means 35.

[0014] Additionally, multiple frame reflectors 301 (shown in gray in FIG. 1 ) are arranged on the front side of the glass door 7. These frame reflectors 301 are an example of a reflective means for reflecting light, and have stronger specular (mirror) reflection characteristics than diffuse reflection. In this embodiment, they are configured as glossy, mirror-finished areas by plating. Plating is a processing method in which a metal coating is formed on the surface of an object by immersing it in a solution. The type of processing method (electroplating, dry plating, plating-like painting, etc.), the type of metal to be coated (nickel, anodized aluminum, gold, etc.), and the color of the metal (gold, silver, copper, etc.) are all acceptable. While the frame reflectors 301 may be configured as glossy surfaces made of glass or resin (acrylic, etc.), it is more preferable to configure them as metallic surfaces by plating, as in this embodiment.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the frame reflector 301 is composed of frame reflectors 301a and 301b located at the top of the glass door 7, frame reflectors 301c and 301d located in the vertical middle of the glass door 7, and frame reflectors 301e and 301f located at the bottom of the glass door 7. The frame reflector 301 also includes dedicated reflectors located in areas that do not have other functions, and dual-purpose reflectors located in areas that have other functions. The frame reflectors 301a and 301b are located at the top of the upper decorative cover 27, spaced apart from each other on the left and right. The right-hand frame reflector 301b is a dual-purpose reflector located in front of the air blowing device 26, while the left-hand frame reflector 301a is a dedicated reflector.

[0016] The frame reflector 301c is a dedicated reflector located approximately in the vertical center of one of the left and right sides (here, the right side) of the upper decorative cover 27. The frame reflector 301d is located on the lower side of the other left and right side (here, the left side) of the upper decorative cover 27, and is a dual-purpose reflector located in front of the upper speaker 25. The frame reflector 301e is a dual-purpose reflector located in a predetermined position of the lower decorative cover 33, for example, on and around the performance button 34 in approximately the horizontal center, and the frame reflector 301f is a dual-purpose reflector located in front of the launch handle 32. In this way, it is desirable to have at least one frame reflector 301 located in each of the "upper," "middle," and "lower" portions of the front side of the glass door 7 (front frame 3).

[0017] As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1, player P plays a game while facing the front of the gaming machine main body 1 with his / her head positioned in front of the glass window 24. Therefore, all of the frame reflectors 301 are positioned offset from the head of player P when viewed from the front as shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, it is desirable that the frame reflectors 301 are arranged in an inclined (or curved) shape so that (at least a portion of) their reflective surfaces face (the head of) player P. For example, frame reflector 301a may be arranged in an inclined shape so that it faces diagonally downward to the front right, frame reflector 301b may be arranged in an inclined shape so that it faces diagonally downward to the front left, frame reflector 301c may be arranged in an inclined shape so that it faces diagonally forward to the front left, and frame reflector 301d may be arranged in an inclined shape so that it faces diagonally upward to the front right; frame reflector 301e may be formed so that its top surface is smoothly curved from the front surface of the frame reflector 301e and its top surface faces diagonally upward to the front; and frame reflector 301f may be formed in an approximately bowl shape so that a portion of it faces diagonally upward to the front left. As a result, when player P tries to take a picture of the gaming machine with a camera such as a smartphone, player P's face will be reflected in the frame reflecting portion 301 and appear in the image, which is expected to act as a deterrent to player P taking unauthorized photos of the gaming machine or publishing the captured images without permission.

[0018] 3 shows an example of the image of player P reflected on frame reflectors 301b, 301c, 301e, and 301f. The image of player P is reflected as seen from diagonally above right on the roughly spherical frame reflector 301b located in the upper right of the gaming machine, as seen from diagonally above right on the roughly flat frame reflector 301c located in the center right of the gaming machine, as seen from diagonally in front right on the roughly flat frame reflector 301c, as seen from diagonally in front right on the curved frame reflector 301e located in the lower center of the gaming machine, as seen from diagonally below front looking up, and the image of player P is reflected as seen from diagonally below right on the roughly spherical frame reflector 301f located in the lower right of the gaming machine. When player P photographs the gaming machine with a camera such as a smartphone, the image is likely to include player P reflected on one of the frame reflectors 301 depending on the direction the camera is pointed.

[0019] A glass unit 36 ​​is detachably attached to the back side of the door base 22 so as to substantially block the window hole 24a from the rear side, and a vertical hinge end reinforcing plate 37 arranged along the edge of the first and second hinges 4, 8, a vertical opening / closing end reinforcing plate 38 arranged along the edge of the opening / closing end, and a horizontal lower reinforcing plate 39 arranged below the window hole 24a are detachably fixed by screws, etc. Also, a glass door upper hinge fitting 40 that constitutes the second hinge 8 is arranged on the upper left of the door base 22, and a glass door lower hinge fitting 41 is arranged on the lower left.

[0020] In addition, a ball feeding unit 42, a lower tray guide unit 43, etc. are attached to the back side of the lower reinforcing sheet metal 39. The ball feeding unit 42 is for supplying the game balls in the upper tray 30 one by one to the launching means 17, and is arranged corresponding to the front side of the launching means 17. The lower tray guide unit 43 is for guiding surplus balls when the upper tray 30 is full, and foul balls that have been launched by the launching means 17 but have returned without reaching the playing area 23, to the lower tray 31, and is arranged, for example, adjacent to the ball feeding unit 42 on the side of its first and second hinges 4, 8.

[0021] The gaming board 16 is a so-called transparent gaming board equipped with a base plate 45 formed of a transparent resin such as polycarbonate, and as shown in Figures 4 and 5, a guide rail 51, a central display frame unit 52, a normal winning unit 53, a start gate unit 54, a first starting winning unit 55, a second starting winning means 56, a big winning unit 57, a liquid crystal display means (image display means) 58, a movable presentation means 59, a fixed decoration means 60, etc. are attached to the base plate 45. Note that although the second starting winning means 56 is arranged on the central display frame unit 52, it may be attached to the base plate 45 as a unit separate from the central display frame unit 52. The gaming board 16 may also use an opaque base plate made of plywood or the like.

[0022] The liquid crystal display means 58, the movable performance means 59, the fixed decoration means 60, etc. are arranged on the rear side of the base plate 45 via a rear support member 61, etc. As shown in Figures 5 to 7, etc., the rear support member 61 integrally comprises a rear wall portion 62 arranged rearward of the base plate 45 and substantially parallel to the base plate 45, and a peripheral wall portion 63 extending substantially forward from the outer periphery of the rear wall portion 62, and is fixed by screws or the like with the front edge side of the peripheral wall portion 63 abutting against the back side of the base plate 45.

[0023] A substantially rectangular opening 62a is formed in the rear wall 62 of the rear support member 61, and the liquid crystal display means 58 is detachably fixed to the back side of the rear wall 62 with the display screen 58a corresponding to the opening 62a. In addition, the movable performance means 59 and the fixed decoration means 60 are arranged within the rear support member 61, that is, behind the base plate 45 and in front of the liquid crystal display means 58, and are detachably fixed to the rear wall 62 etc.

[0024] The guide rail 51 guides the game balls launched from the launching means 17 and is arranged in a generally annular shape on the front side of the base plate 45 so as to surround the periphery of the play area 23. As shown in FIG. 4, the guide rail 51 is composed of multiple rail members, for example, three rail members, first to third rail members 51a to 51c. The first rail member 51a is formed in a generally arc shape extending from the lower left side of the base plate 45 to the approximate center of the left edge, through the approximate center of the upper edge, and to the upper right. The second rail member 51b is arranged in a generally arc shape extending from the upper left to the lower left of the base plate 45, parallel to the inside of the first rail member 51a. The portion sandwiched between the first rail member 51a and the second rail member 51b forms a launch guide passage 66 that guides the game balls launched by the launching means 17 to the play area 23. The third rail member 51c is formed in an approximately L-shape when viewed from the front, along the right edge and lower edge of the base plate 45, so as to connect the upper right end of the first rail member 51a and the lower left end of the second rail member 51b.

[0025] The central display frame unit 52 constitutes a display frame for the liquid crystal display means 58, and is provided with a display window 74 in approximately the center for viewing the display screen 58a of the liquid crystal display means 58 from the front side, and is detachably attached from the front side to a mounting hole (not shown) that penetrates in the front-rear direction and is formed in the base plate 45. This central display frame unit 52 is made of transparent or translucent resin, and as shown in Figures 4, 6, 7, etc., is provided with a front mounting plate 71 that is arranged outside the mounting hole along the front surface of the base plate 45 and allows game balls to pass in front of it, a decorative frame 72 that is arranged in a roughly gate-like shape when viewed from the front and is provided with left and right side decorative frames 72a and an upper decorative frame 72b above it and that protrudes forward on the inner peripheral side of the front mounting plate 71, and a stage 73 that is provided between the left and right lower end portions of the decorative frame 72. The game ball is launched by the launching means 17 and enters the upper side of the game area 23 through the launch guide passage 66, and is divided to the left and right at the top of the upper decorative frame 72b, and flows down either the left flow-down area 76 on the left side of the central display frame unit 52 or the right flow-down area 77 on the right side.

[0026] The central display frame unit 52 is provided with a warp ball entrance 78 through which game balls can enter, in either the left flow-down area 76 or the right flow-down area 77, for example, on the left flow-down area 76 side. Game balls that enter the warp ball entrance 78 from the left flow-down area 76 are guided to a stage guide passage 79 and enter the stage 73 from its left end. The stage 73 is formed in a gentle, roughly V-shape when viewed from the front, with the center lower than the left and right ends. Game balls guided by the stage guide passage 79 are allowed to roll freely in the left and right directions, and then dropped forward from either a central drop section 80 or another part. On the sides of the central display frame unit 52, near and around the warp ball entrance 78, a number of nails 81 that can change the direction of travel of the game balls are arranged.

[0027] Also, various display means such as a normal symbol display means 91, a normal reserved number display means 92, a first special symbol display means 93, and a second special symbol display means 94 are provided on the central display frame unit 52. Of course, these display means 91 to 94 are not limited to being on the central display frame unit 52, but can be arranged at any position on the front side of the game board 16 in a state where they can be seen from the front side.

[0028] The normal winning unit 53 is arranged along the guide rail 51 in the lower left part of the gaming area 23, i.e., the lower side of the left flow-down area 76, and is equipped with a plurality of, for example, two normal winning openings 101, 102, one or more, for example, one outlet 103, and gaming ball detection means 104 that detects gaming balls that have entered the normal winning openings 101, 102. The normal winning openings 101, 102 open upward or diagonally upward, and are arranged adjacent to each other on the left and right near the downstream end of the normal winning unit 53.

[0029] Between the normal winning unit 53 and the central display frame unit 52 above it, multiple nails 81 are arranged in multiple rows diagonally downward to the right (so-called track nails). These guide game balls that flow down the left flow area 76 without entering the warp ball entry port 78 toward the first start winning port 111, which will be described later. Some game balls that fall off the track nails enter the normal winning ports 101 and 102 or the out port 103. Therefore, since the ease of ball entry into the first start winning port 111 and the like is likely to vary depending on the state of the track nails (e.g., whether the spacing between nails in a particular section is wide or narrow), the arrangement of the track nails can be of great interest to players. Additionally, a windmill 105 is located at the upstream end (left end) of the track nails. This windmill 105 is composed of a single nail and a rotating ornament that can rotate around the nail, and has the function of distributing balls. Since the probability of allocation to multiple rows of guide pins is thought to differ depending on the placement position of this windmill 105, the placement state of this windmill 105 can also be a major concern for players.

[0030] In addition, gaming balls that enter the normal winning openings 101, 102 are detected by gaming ball detection means 104, then guided to the rear of the gaming board 16 and discharged outside the machine. For each gaming ball that enters the normal winning openings 101, 102, a predetermined number of prize balls are paid out (a gaming value is awarded). The outlet opening 103 opens substantially upward, and is located adjacent to the upstream side of the normal winning openings 101, 102, i.e., on the left side. Gaming balls that enter the outlet opening 103 are guided to the rear of the gaming board 16 and discharged outside the machine.

[0031] The start gate unit 54 is disposed on the right side of the gaming area 23, i.e., on the right flow-down area 77, and is detachably attached from the front side to a mounting hole formed in the base plate 45 that penetrates in the front-rear direction. The start gate unit 54 is equipped with a normal symbol start gate 106 through which gaming balls can pass in the vertical direction, and gaming ball detection means 107 that detects gaming balls that have passed through the normal symbol start gate 106. The normal symbol start gate 106 is used to start the variation of normal symbols by the normal symbol display means 91, and gaming balls flowing down the right flow-down area 77 either pass through the normal symbol start gate 106 or flow downstream without passing through the normal symbol start gate 106. A plurality of nails 81 are disposed upstream of the normal symbol start gate 106.

[0032] Here, the normal symbol display means 91 is used to variably display normal symbols, and is provided with a plurality of light-emitting elements (e.g., LEDs) corresponding to a plurality of normal symbols (e.g., two types: "○" and "X"). When a gaming ball flowing down the right flow area 77 passes through the normal symbol start gate 106 and is detected by the gaming ball detection means 107, the plurality of light-emitting elements blink to emit light in a predetermined sequence. If the winning determination random number value included in the normal random number information acquired when the gaming ball is detected by the gaming ball detection means 107 matches a predetermined winning determination value, the light-emitting element corresponding to the winning mode (predetermined mode), for example, on the "○" side, lights up; otherwise, the light-emitting element corresponding to the losing mode, for example, on the "X" side, lights up and stops. If the stopped symbol after the normal symbol display means 91 changes to a winning mode, a normal winning state occurs. The normal winning state will be described later.

[0033] In addition, when a gaming ball passes through the normal symbol start gate 106 during a normal reservation period, which includes the period during which the normal symbol display means 91 is changing and during the normal profit state, the normal random number information acquired thereby is reserved and stored up to a predetermined upper limit of reserved number, for example, up to four, and each time the normal reservation period ends, one piece is consumed and the normal symbol is changed. The number of stored normal random number information (normal reservation number) is notified to the player by the normal reservation number display means 92, etc.

[0034] The first start winning unit 55 is disposed on the lower side at approximately the center in the left-right direction within the gaming area 23, i.e., between the central display frame unit 52 and the guide rail 51 below it, and is detachably attached from the front side to a mounting hole formed in the base plate 45 that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction, and is equipped with a first start winning opening 111 and a gaming ball detection means 112 that detects a gaming ball that has entered this first start winning opening 111. The first start winning opening 111 is a non-operational winning opening for starting the variation of the first special pattern by the first special pattern display means 93, and is formed with an upward opening corresponding to the underside of the central drop section 80 provided in the stage 73.

[0035] Between the first start winning unit 55 and the central display frame unit 52 above it, a plurality of nails 81, including so-called "navel nails" and "jump nails," are arranged around the first start winning opening 111 (see the lower diagram in Figure 4). The "navel nails" are composed of a pair of first and second specific nails 81a, 81b arranged on the left and right sides of the upstream side (upper side) of the first start winning opening 111, with a nail spacing of approximately 12 mm, so that a gaming ball passing between these two navel nails 81a, 81b can enter the first start winning opening 111. Note that all gaming balls passing between the navel nails 81a, 81b may be configured to enter the first start winning opening 111, or the navel nails 81a, 81b may be arranged away from the first start winning opening 111 so that a gaming ball passing between the navel nails 81a, 81b may not enter the first start winning opening 111. The "jump nails" are composed of a pair of third and fourth specific nails 81c, 81d arranged on the left and right outer sides of the pair of navel nails 81a, 81b, with the nail spacing being approximately 50 mm, and the game ball can reach the navel nails 81a, 81b via these two jump nails 81c, 81d. Since the ease of a ball entering the first start winning hole 111 is thought to vary depending on the above-mentioned navel nails and jump nails, especially the arrangement of the navel nails (wide / narrow nail spacing, etc.), the arrangement of these navel nails, etc., can be of great interest to players.

[0036] A gaming ball that enters the first start winning opening 111 is detected by the gaming ball detection means 112, then guided to the rear side of the gaming board 16 and discharged outside the machine. A predetermined number of prize balls are paid out for each gaming ball that enters the first start winning opening 111 (a gaming value is awarded). An outlet 114 is provided below the first start winning unit 55, corresponding to the most downstream position of the gaming area 23. A gaming ball that enters the outlet 114 is guided to the rear side of the gaming board 16 and discharged outside the machine.

[0037] Here, the first special symbol display means (symbol display means) 93 is configured with a display means such as a 7-segment display capable of variably displaying one or more first special symbols, for example, one first special symbol. When a gaming ball enters the first start winning slot 111 and is detected by the gaming ball detection means 112 (when the symbol start condition is met), the first special symbol is variably displayed for a predetermined period of time. If the jackpot determination random number value included in the first special random number information (random number information) acquired when the gaming ball is detected by the gaming ball detection means 112 matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, the first special symbol stops in a first jackpot mode; otherwise, the first special symbol stops in a first miss mode. If the stopped symbol after the first special symbol display means 93 changes to the first jackpot mode (specific mode) (when a predetermined condition is met), a special advantage state (advantage state) occurs (a bonus is awarded). The special advantage state will be described later. In addition, while game balls that have flowed down the left flow area 76 can enter the first starting winning port 111, game balls that have flowed down the right flow area 77 cannot (or it is very difficult) to enter the first starting winning port 111.

[0038] The second start winning means 56 is arranged downstream of the start gate unit 54 in the right flow down area 77, on the front mounting plate 71 on the right side of the central display frame unit 52, and is equipped with a second start winning port 115 formed in the front mounting plate 71, an opening / closing member 116 that can change this second start winning port 115 between an open state where a game ball can enter and a closed state where a game ball cannot enter (or where it is more difficult to enter than in the open state), and a game ball detection means 117 that detects a game ball that has entered the second start winning port 115.

[0039] The second start winning opening 115 is an actuation winning opening for starting the variation of the second special symbol by the second special symbol display means 94, and is formed as a forward-facing opening. The opening / closing member 116 can swing, for example, around a left-right rotation axis provided on the lower side. In the closed state, it is approximately flush with the front mounting plate 71, closing the second start winning opening 115 and allowing the game ball to pass through the front side. In the open state, it is inclined downward from the rear in front of the front mounting plate 71, guiding the game ball into the second start winning opening 115. When the normal symbol of the normal symbol display means 91 changes and stops in a winning mode, this opening / closing member 116 changes from a closed state to an open state for a predetermined time under the control of a normal profit state generating means configured on the main control board, thereby making the second start winning opening 115 a state in which the game ball can enter (or can easily enter) (normal profit state). A gaming ball that enters the second start winning hole 115 is detected by the gaming ball detection means 117, and then guided to the rear side of the gaming board 16 and discharged outside the machine. For each gaming ball that enters the second start winning hole 115, a predetermined number of prize balls are paid out (a gaming value is awarded).

[0040] Here, the second special symbol display means (symbol display means) 94 is configured with a display means such as a 7-segment type that can variably display one or more, for example, one, second special symbol, and when a gaming ball enters the second start winning hole 115 that has opened during the normal winning state and the gaming ball detection means 117 detects it (when the symbol start condition is met), the second special symbol is variably displayed for a predetermined time, and when the jackpot determination random number value included in the second special random number information (random number information) acquired when the gaming ball is detected by the gaming ball detection means 117 matches a predetermined jackpot determination value, the second special symbol stops in the second jackpot mode, and otherwise stops in the second loss mode. When the stopped symbol after the variation of the second special symbol display means 94 becomes the second jackpot mode (specific mode) (when the predetermined condition is met), a special winning state occurs (a bonus is awarded).

[0041] If a gaming ball enters the first and second start winning slots 111, 115 during a special reservation period, including during the pattern change of the first special pattern display means 93, the pattern change of the second special pattern display means 94, and the special profit state, the first and second special random number information acquired thereby is reserved and stored in a predetermined reservation storage means, with a predetermined upper limit of the number of reserved pieces, for example, up to four pieces each. If the reserved memory on the second special pattern side is 1 or more at the time the special reservation period ends (when the pattern change start condition for the second special pattern is met), the reserved memory of the second special pattern is consumed and the second special pattern is changed, and if only the reserved memory on the first special pattern side is 1 or more (when the pattern change start condition for the first special pattern is met), the reserved memory of the first special pattern is consumed and the first special pattern is changed. In this embodiment, the first special symbol and the second special symbol are not both changing, and when there are reserved memories on both the first special symbol side and the second special symbol side, the second special symbol is given priority to change. The number of stored first and second special random number information (number of first and second special reserved information) is notified to the player by the liquid crystal display means 58 or the like, as will be described later.

[0042] The special prize unit 57 is disposed along the guide rail 51 on the downstream side of the second start prize winning means 56 in the right flow-down area 77, and is detachably attached from the front side to a front-rear through-hole formed in the base plate 45. The special prize unit 57 includes a special prize opening 121, an opening / closing member 122 that can change the special prize opening 121 between an open state where game balls can enter and a closed state where game balls cannot enter, one or more, for example, one normal prize opening 123, one or more, for example, one outlet 124, game ball detection means 125 that detects game balls that have entered the special prize opening 121, and game ball detection means 126 that detects game balls that have entered the normal prize opening 123.

[0043] A left-downward inclined surface 128 is provided on the upper front side of the special prize unit 57 to guide game balls toward the inside (left side) of the game area 23, and the special prize opening 121 is formed on the inclined surface 128 in a horizontally elongated, generally rectangular shape that opens generally upward. The opening / closing member 122 is a plate-like member that corresponds to the special prize opening 121 and is formed in a left-downward inclined shape to match the inclined surface 128, and is slidable in the front-rear direction between a closed state in which it protrudes forward from the front surface of the base plate 45 to close the special prize opening 121, and an open state in which it retracts to the rear of the special prize opening 121 to open it. A game ball that enters the special prize opening 121 is detected by the game ball detection means 125, then guided to the rear of the game board 16 and discharged outside the machine. When the opening / closing member 122 is in the closed state, the game balls that have fallen onto the inclined surface 128 are guided downstream (to the left) by the opening / closing member 122 and the like.

[0044] When the first and second special symbols of the first and second special symbol display means 93, 94 change and then stop in the first and second jackpot modes (specific modes), the opening / closing member 122 of the special prize unit 57 opens according to a predetermined opening pattern under the control of a special advantage state generating means (advantage state generating means) configured on the main control board, allowing game balls flowing down the inclined surface 128 to enter the special prize opening 121 (special advantage state). Here, the opening pattern of the opening / closing member 122 is configured to execute a predetermined unit opening operation for a predetermined number of rounds, such as 5R or 10R. The unit opening operation is an operation to close the special prize opening 121 (switch from the open state to the closed state) on the condition that a predetermined maximum time (e.g., 28 seconds) has elapsed since the special prize opening 121 was opened (switched from the closed state to the open state) or a predetermined maximum number of game balls (e.g., 9 balls) have entered the special prize opening 121 by that time. When a game ball enters the big prize opening 121, a predetermined number of prize balls are paid out per ball (a game value is awarded).

[0045] After the special advantage state ends, a special game state advantageous to the player occurs with a predetermined probability. In this embodiment, after the special advantage state ends, either a time-saving state or a probability variable state is generated according to the jackpot pattern random number value when the jackpot determination random number value included in the first and second special random number information matches the jackpot determination value.

[0046] During the time-saving state, the fluctuation time of the first and second special symbols is switched to a shortened fluctuation time that is shorter than the normal fluctuation time, the probability that the normal symbol will be a winning symbol is switched from a normal probability (e.g., 1 / 10) to a high probability (e.g., 1 / 1.3), the fluctuation time of the normal symbol is switched from a normal fluctuation time (e.g., 27 seconds) to a shortened fluctuation time (e.g., 2.7 seconds), and the opening and closing pattern of the second start winning slot 115 is switched from a normal opening and closing pattern (e.g., 0.2 seconds x 1 opening) to an extended opening and closing pattern (e.g., 2 seconds x 3 openings). The time-saving state begins after the special advantage state ends and ends when the next special advantage state occurs or when the first and second special symbols have changed a predetermined number of times (e.g., 50 times).

[0047] During the probability variable state, the probability that the first and second special symbols will become the first and second jackpot patterns is switched to a higher probability (e.g., 1 / 35) than the normal probability (e.g., 1 / 350). Also, during the probability variable state, the same switching as in the time-saving state is also performed in principle. The probability variable state begins after the special advantage state ends and ends when the next special advantage state occurs, but other termination conditions, such as the number of times the first and second special symbols change, may be added.

[0048] The normal winning opening 123 is disposed with an upward opening on the downstream side (left side) of the inclined surface 128 on which the big winning opening 121 is provided. A gaming ball that falls onto the inclined surface 128 and flows downstream without entering the big winning opening 121 is guided by a plurality of nails 81, etc., disposed above the normal winning opening 123, so that there is a high probability that the ball will enter the normal winning opening 123. A gaming ball that enters the normal winning opening 123 is detected by the gaming ball detection means 126, then guided to the rear side of the gaming board 16 and discharged outside the machine. A predetermined number of prize balls are paid out for each gaming ball that enters the normal winning opening 123 (amount of gaming value is awarded). The outlet 124 is disposed with an upward opening and is disposed adjacent to the upstream side of the inclined surface 128, i.e., on the right side. The game ball that enters the outlet 124 is guided to the rear side of the game board 16 and discharged outside the machine.

[0049] The special prize unit 57 is provided with a plurality of LEDs 129. In this embodiment, the LEDs 129 are arranged behind the special prize opening 121, enabling the special prize opening 121 and its vicinity to be illuminated according to any desired effect pattern. Furthermore, a number of nails 81 are arranged between the special prize unit 57 and the central display frame unit 52 above it, corresponding to the upper sides of the special prize opening 121, the regular prize opening 123, etc. A guide member 130 is erected along the third rail member 51c at the upper side of the upstream end (right end) of the special prize unit 57. The guide member 130 guides game balls that have flowed down the right flow-down area 77 above the inclined surface 128 toward the center of the game area 23, i.e., the left side. This guide member 130 may be formed integrally with the special prize unit 57 or the third rail member 51c.

[0050] Next, the liquid crystal display means 58, movable presentation means 59, fixed decorative means (decorative member) 60, etc., which are arranged behind the base plate 45, will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 7. The liquid crystal display means 58 is an example of a display means capable of various display presentations, and has a rectangular display screen 58a. The display screen 58a is arranged behind the display window 74 so that it is, for example, vertically long, and is supported by a rear support member 61.

[0051] The movable effect means 59 includes a movable body 141, movable body guide means 142 that movably supports the movable body 141, and drive means (not shown) that drives the movable body 141. The movable body 141 is formed in a horizontally long rectangular shape, and its front side is a decorative surface 143 that is decorated with any decoration such as the main character or logo of the model (here, the decoration is of an airplane with Kappa, the main character of the gaming machine, on board), and inside is arranged an LED board 151 having a large number of LEDs 151a that can illuminate the decorative surface 143 by irradiating light substantially forward.

[0052] The movable body guide means 142 supports the movable body 141 in a state where it can move in a predetermined direction (here, the up-and-down direction) along the front side of the display screen 58a of the liquid crystal display means 58, and is arranged along both the left and right sides of the liquid crystal display means 58, and is detachably fixed to the front side of the rear wall portion 62 of the rear support member 61. The movable body guide means 142 has a pair of left and right guide rails 142a arranged in the up-and-down direction, and each of these guide rails 142a supports both left and right end portions of the movable body 141 so that it can move in the up-and-down direction.

[0053] The movable body 141 is driven by a driving means such as a stepping motor, and is guided by a movable body guide means 142 to be movable in the vertical direction between an upper position above the liquid crystal display means 58 (shown by a solid line in FIG. 6) and a lower position in front of the liquid crystal display means 58 (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7), and is normally held in the upper position, which is the origin position. The upper position (origin position) of the movable body 141 is set above the display window 74 and behind the upper decorative frame 72b, and the lower position (performance position) of the movable body 141 is set within the display window 74 (here, approximately the center in the vertical direction). Therefore, the movable body 141 is normally retracted above the display window 74 and behind the upper decorative frame 72b (origin position), and at a predetermined timing, such as during a reach performance, it descends to the lower position, which is the performance position, and appears within the display window 74 so as to partially conceal the display screen 58a of the liquid crystal display means 58.

[0054] In addition, in this embodiment, the fixed decorative means 60 fixedly arranged on the rear side of the base plate 45 include an upper fixed decorative means 60a corresponding to the upper side of the display window 74, a lower fixed decorative means 60b corresponding to the lower side of the display window 74, a left fixed decorative means 60c corresponding to the left side of the display window 74, and a right fixed decorative means 60d corresponding to the right side of the display window 74.

[0055] The upper fixed decorative means (specific light-emitting means) 60a has a horizontally elongated, approximately rectangular shape and is located behind the base plate 45 and in front of the movable body 141 and the liquid crystal display means 58, corresponding to the area above the display window 74 in the gaming area 23. As a result, the area above the display window 74 of the display screen 58a of the liquid crystal display means 58 is located almost entirely behind the upper fixed decorative means 60a. The front side of the upper fixed decorative means 60a is a decorative surface 145, and an LED board 152 having a number of LEDs 152a that can illuminate the decorative surface 145 by irradiating light substantially forward is disposed inside. The decorative surface 145 is provided with a logo mark (identification information) 305 of a character (here, a kappa), which is one of the model logos of the gaming machine.

[0056] A machine logo is a mark consisting of letters and / or graphics that can identify the gaming machine. It includes at least a portion of the machine name and can be a logotype (logo + typography, expressed in letters), a logo mark (logo + mark, expressed in a design or motif), or a combination of these. It can be displayed in a variety of ways, including printed on the base plate (game board surface), a movable or immovable structure (flat or three-dimensional), or a structure located on the back side of a transparent base plate (game board surface) that can be seen through the base plate. The machine name can be either the model name (the name submitted to testing organizations or prefectural public safety commissions) or the sales name (the name actually sold to gaming parlors). The "at least a portion of the machine name" displayed in the machine logo is sufficient to allow players to distinguish it from other gaming machines. For example, in the case of a machine whose sales name is "Kappa Densetsu 3: The Mystery of Kappa Pond" and whose main title is "Kappa Densetsu 3" and whose subtitle is "The Mystery of Kappa Pond," the unique parts such as "kappa," "kappa 3," and "kappa pond" constitute part of the machine name that allows it to be differentiated from other gaming machines. Note that the machine logo may include characters (such as "cho," "kyoku," and "ju") or marks (such as the R mark or the mark of a character that appears) that are not in the machine name. Furthermore, the terms "specific mark" and "specific identification information" may be used as synonyms for the machine logo, and if there are multiple logos (including logos other than those representing the machine name), the terms "first mark" and "second mark" may be used.

[0057] The lower fixed decorative means (specific light-emitting means) 60b has a horizontally elongated, approximately rectangular shape and is located behind the stage 73 and in front of the liquid crystal display means 58, with its upper side located within the display window 74 when viewed from the front, and the other part located below the display window 74, i.e., behind the stage 73, etc. The front side of the lower fixed decorative means 60b forms a decorative surface 146, and inside is disposed an LED board 153 having a number of LEDs 153a that can illuminate the decorative surface 146 by irradiating light substantially forward. The decorative surface 146 is provided with a logotype (identification information) 306 of "Kappa Densetsu," one of the model logos of the gaming machine.

[0058] The left fixed decorative means 60c is arranged behind the base plate 45 and in front of the liquid crystal display means 58, corresponding to the area extending from the left side of the display window 74 to the lower left side. The front side of the left fixed decorative means 60c is a decorative surface 147 with optional decoration (not shown), and an LED board 154 having a large number of LEDs 154a that can illuminate the decorative surface 147 by irradiating it with light in a generally forward direction is arranged inside. The right fixed decorative means 60d is arranged behind the base plate 45 and in front of the liquid crystal display means 58, corresponding to the area extending from the right side of the display window 74 to the lower right side. The front side of the right fixed decorative means 60d is a decorative surface 148 with optional decoration (not shown), and an LED board 155 having a large number of LEDs 155a that can illuminate the decorative surface 148 by irradiating it with light in a generally forward direction is arranged inside.

[0059] In addition to the logo mark 305 and logotype 306, one or more marks that can identify the gaming machine are arranged in positions that are visible from the front side on the gaming board 16. In this embodiment, kappa character logo marks 307a to 307e are displayed on the front side of the warp entrance 78, the normal winning unit 53, the first start winning unit 55, the big winning unit 57, and the guide member 130. Note that these marks are not limited to those consisting only of figures such as characters, but may also be marks consisting only of letters, or marks consisting of figures and letters.

[0060] Note that "capable of identifying the gaming machine in question" refers to characters (arrangement, character color, character font, etc.), patterns (board design, color, etc.), and structures (starting gate, jackpot gate, logo, movable objects, etc.) that are unique to that model and can be elements that identify that model (identifying elements). While any one of these identifying elements can identify a model, adding multiple elements shortens the time required for identification (making identification easier). Conversely, undecorated parts, such as nails, windmills, and transparent gaming boards (transparent portions only), are non-identifiable elements (non-identifying elements). However, even if a non-identifying element (for example, a nail) alone cannot identify the model, a collection of such elements (the collection of nails = the nail arrangement called the gauge configuration) may make it possible to identify the model.

[0061] Additionally, the game board 16 has a plurality of board reflectors 311 arranged within an area visible from the front through the glass window 24 (shown in gray in Figures 4, 10, etc.). These board reflectors 311 are an example of a reflecting means for reflecting light, and have stronger characteristics of regular reflection (specular reflection) than diffuse reflection, and in this embodiment are made of a glossy, mirror-finished portion plated, similar to the frame reflector 301. Of course, the board reflector 311 may be made of a glossy surface made of glass or resin (acrylic, etc.), but it is more preferable to make it of a metal surface plated, as in this embodiment.

[0062] 4, the board reflecting portion 311 is made up of board reflecting portion 311a arranged on the upper side of the gaming board 16, board reflecting portions 311b and 311c arranged in the approximate middle portion of the gaming board 16 in the up-down direction, and board reflecting portions 311d to 311f arranged on the lower side of the gaming board 16. Furthermore, board reflecting portion 311 includes dedicated reflecting portions provided in parts that do not have any other particular function, and dual-purpose reflecting portions provided in parts that have other functions.

[0063] The board reflector 311a is a dual-purpose reflector provided in the portion having the logo mark 305 (a portion having other functions), and is disposed on the front side (decorative surface 145) of the upper fixed decorative means 60a, which is disposed above the visible area of ​​the liquid crystal display means 58 when viewed from the front (the second display area DA2, described later). The board reflectors 311b and 311c are dedicated reflectors, and are disposed on the left and right sides of the visible area of ​​the liquid crystal display means 58 when viewed from the front, at approximately the same height as the visible area. The board reflector 311d is a dual-purpose reflector provided in the portion having the logotype 306 (a portion having other functions), and is disposed on the front side (decorative surface 146) of the lower fixed decorative means 60b, which is disposed below the visible area of ​​the liquid crystal display means 58 when viewed from the front. The board reflector 311e is a dual-purpose reflector provided in the area having the logo mark 307c, and is located in front of the first start winning opening 111, which is located below the visible area of ​​the liquid crystal display means 58 when viewed from the front. The board reflector 311f is a dual-purpose reflector provided in the area having the logo mark 307e, and is located in front of the guide member 130, which is located below the visible area of ​​the liquid crystal display means 58 when viewed from the front.

[0064] In this way, it is desirable to place at least one board reflector 311 on the front side of the gaming board 16, "above," "at approximately the same height," and "below" the visible area (second display area DA2) of the liquid crystal display means 58 when viewed from the front. By placing such a board reflector 311 on the gaming board 16, when a player P tries to take a picture of the gaming machine with a camera such as a smartphone, there is a high possibility that the player P's image will be reflected in the board reflector 311 and appear in the image, and this is expected to act as a deterrent to player P taking unauthorized pictures of the gaming machine or publishing the taken images without permission.

[0065] The liquid crystal display means 58 can display images on the display screen 58a, but the entire display screen 58a is not necessarily visible from the front of the gaming machine. In this embodiment, a portion of the display screen 58a is obscured by game components, such as the fixed decorative means 60, positioned in front of the liquid crystal display means 58. In the following description, as shown in FIG. 8, the entire display screen 58a of the liquid crystal display means 58 is referred to as the first display area DA1, which is the maximum displayable area, and the area of ​​the first display area DA1 that is visible from the front is referred to as the second display area DA2. Note that if a movable body that can move in front of the liquid crystal display means 58 is mounted, the visible area from the front changes as the movable body moves. In this case, when the visible area changes due to the movement of the movable body, the maximum area of ​​the changing visible area may be referred to as the second display area DA2, or the visible area when the movable body is at a predetermined origin position may be referred to as the second display area DA2. In this embodiment, the origin position of the movable body 141 exists outside the visible area, so whether the former or latter is adopted, the second display area DA2 remains the same.

[0066] Next, we will explain the effects that are centered on image display on the liquid crystal display means 58. The effect means used for this effect include, in addition to the liquid crystal display means 58, light emitting means such as the LED 28a on the front frame 3 side and the LEDs 151a to 155a on the game board 16 side, sound output means such as the speakers 18 and 25, and the movable body 141, and various effects are executed by controlling these by effect execution means constituted by an effect control board.

[0067] The liquid crystal display means 58 displays various effect images, notification images, etc., and as shown in Figure 4, comprises a decorative pattern display means 161, a mini pattern display means 162, a reserved image display means 163, etc., and in parallel with the variable display of the first and second special patterns by the first and second special pattern display means 93, 94, the decorative pattern display means 161 can display the variable decorative pattern 164, and the mini pattern display means 162 can display the variable mini pattern 165, respectively, and the reserved image display means 163 can display various images such as the first and second reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 which indicate the number of first and second special reserved items.

[0068] The decorative symbol display means 161 is configured to be able to variably display decorative symbols 164 on the liquid crystal display means 58 based on the entry of a game ball into the first and second start winning holes 111, 115 (the establishment of a predetermined symbol start condition). The decorative symbols 164 include a left decorative symbol (first decorative symbol) 164a variably displayed on the left edge of the display screen 58a, a right decorative symbol (second decorative symbol) 164b variably displayed on the right edge of the display screen 58a, and a middle decorative symbol (third decorative symbol) 164c variably displayed in approximately the center in the left-right direction of the display screen 58a, and each of the decorative symbols 164a to 164c is configured as a symbol row in which a plurality of symbols are endlessly arranged. Furthermore, each decorative pattern 164a to 164c has a main body portion (number portion) 166 consisting of numbers such as "1" to "8" and the like, and characters and other decorative portions 167 attached to this main body portion 166, and can be changed to a plurality of display modes including a non-decorative display mode in which the main body portion 166 is displayed but the decorative portion 167 is not, and a decorative display mode in which both the main body portion 166 and the decorative portion 167 are displayed, and it is also possible to enlarge, reduce, change the display position, etc.

[0069] The decorative symbols 164a-164c start to change by vertical scrolling or the like all at once according to a predetermined change pattern at approximately the same time as the first and second special symbols start to change, and stop in a predetermined order such as left, right, center, etc., or approximately simultaneously, so as to finally stop in accordance with the stop of the first and second special symbols. Note that when the decorative symbols 164a-164c stop in a combination (predetermined combination) where all symbols are the same, such as "2·2·2" or "7·7·7," a jackpot presentation is displayed, and otherwise a miss presentation is displayed, etc. When the first and second special symbols are in the first and second jackpot presentation mode, the decorative symbols 164a-164c are in the jackpot presentation mode, and when the first and second special symbols are in the first and second miss presentation mode, the decorative symbols 164a-164c are in the miss presentation mode. The decorative pattern display means 161 is not limited to arranging the decorative patterns 164a to 164c in the left-right direction and changing them by vertical scrolling, etc., but may also arrange the decorative patterns 164a to 164c in the up-down direction and change them by horizontal scrolling, etc.

[0070] The variation pattern of the decorative pattern 164 starts with a normal variation in which each row of decorative patterns 164a to 164c varies, and if a reach state such as "2·↓·2" or "7·↓·7" is established during this normal variation, it is configured to go through one or more stages of reach presentation (N reach, S reach, SP reach, etc.) and finally stop, and the reach variation pattern is when the normal variation develops into a reach presentation and becomes a jackpot presentation mode or a miss presentation mode, and the normal variation pattern is when the normal variation develops into a miss presentation mode without developing into a reach presentation mode.

[0071] The mini symbol display means 162 executes a mini symbol variation effect that displays mini symbols in synchronization with the symbol variations by the first and second special symbol display means 93, 94. The mini symbol 165 can be displayed by the liquid crystal display means 58 in response to the variable display of the decorative symbol 164 based on the entry of a game ball into the first and second start winning slots 111, 115. The decorative symbol 164 is not necessarily always displayed even during the variation of the first and second special symbols, and may disappear partially or completely from the screen depending on the content of the reach effect or other effects. Meanwhile, the mini symbol 165 is always displayed on the liquid crystal display means 58 during the variation of the first and second special symbols. The mini symbol 165 may disappear from the screen for a portion of the period during which the first and second special symbols vary. The mini symbol 165 may also be difficult or impossible to see for a portion of the period during which the movable body 141 moves.

[0072] The mini pattern 165 has the same number of pattern rows (here, three) and the types of patterns (here, numerical patterns from "1" to "8") that make up each pattern row as the decorative pattern 164, but has only a main body with numbers such as "1" to "8" and no decorative portion, and is displayed in a smaller size than the decorative pattern 164 near the periphery of the display screen 58a, as shown in FIG. 4. The display state of the mini pattern 165 is only a "fluctuation stop state" and a "high-speed fluctuation state," and there is no speed change during fluctuation (slowing down, frame advance, etc.) like the decorative pattern 164. When the first and second special patterns start to fluctuate, the fluctuation stop state is instantly switched from a predetermined fluctuation start result or from the previous stop result to a predetermined fluctuation start result, and then the pattern rows transition to a high-speed fluctuation state in which they circulate at a predetermined speed, and when the first and second special patterns stop fluctuating, the high-speed fluctuation state is switched to a fluctuation stop state with a predetermined fluctuation stop result. In addition, the speed of change of the mini pattern 165 during high-speed change is always constant, and as shown in Figure 19, the high-speed change display of the mini pattern 165 is performed at a speed where the pattern row goes around once every N frames on the liquid crystal display means 58 which displays moving images at a predetermined frame rate (60 fps, etc.).

[0073] Furthermore, for decorative symbols 164, the stop symbol for the next symbol is the start symbol for the next symbol, while for mini symbols 165, a predetermined start symbol is always used. At the start of the symbol, the stop symbol for the previous symbol is instantly switched to the predetermined start symbol, and then the high-speed symbol begins to change from that start symbol. This is because if the previous symbol was a missed-reach symbol or a jackpot symbol, starting the mini symbol 165 with the stop symbol as the start symbol would result in high-speed movement with the left and right symbols or all symbols aligned, potentially giving the player the misconception that the mini symbol 165 is about to reach or hit again. Therefore, the start symbol for mini symbols 165 must be set to a symbol unrelated to reach or hit, such as "1, 3, 5." The stop symbol for mini symbols 165 is the same as the stop symbol for decorative symbols 164.

[0074] The reserved image display means 163 executes a reserved display effect that displays a reserved image indicating the number of random number information stored in the reserved storage means, and is configured to be able to display on the liquid crystal display means 58, as shown in Fig. 4, first and second reserved images X1-X4, Y1-Y4, etc., indicating the number of first and second special reserved items, superimposed on the front of a predetermined reserved base image 168. The reserved image display means 163 displays one additional first and second reserved image X1-, Y1- on the reserved base image 168 when the number of first and second special reserved items increases based on game balls entering the first and second start winning holes 111, 115, and shifts the first and second reserved images X1-, Y1- by one toward the front of the queue (for example, to the right of the screen) when the number of first and second special reserved items decreases based on the start of new fluctuations of the first and second special patterns by the first and second special pattern display means 93, 94. The holding base image 168 is displayed on the periphery of the display screen 58a or in the vicinity thereof, and in this embodiment is displayed in a horizontally elongated shape along the bottom edge of the display screen 58a.

[0075] Next, we will explain the screen ratio (aspect ratio) and shooting area when a player takes a photo of a gaming machine. When a player takes a photo of a gaming machine, the purpose is often to post it on a video posting (sharing) site. Here, a video posting (sharing) site is one of SNS (Social Networking Services) where users can upload long / short videos they have created and share them online. This refers to a service for PCs and mobile information terminals (smartphones, etc.) that allows videos to be shared online. While these video posting (sharing) sites have the advantage of making it relatively easy to post videos and to connect individuals easily, there has also been an increase in cases where inappropriate video postings or copies of such videos have been spread, causing harm to third parties (individuals or companies) appearing in the videos, which has become a major social problem.

[0076] On video posting (sharing) sites, for long videos posted mainly for viewing on PCs, the aspect ratio, i.e., the screen ratio (width to height ratio) is often set to 9:16 (see Figure 9(a)), which is horizontal (hereinafter referred to as "landscape screen"), whereas for short videos posted mainly for viewing on smartphones, the screen ratio (width to height ratio) is often set to 16:9 (see Figure 9(b)), which is vertical (hereinafter referred to as "portrait screen"). These screen ratios are often specified as rules on video posting (sharing) sites, and users must follow them.

[0077] Even if the screen ratio is the same, the captured area varies greatly depending on the distance between the camera and the subject and the camera's orientation. Figures 10(a) to 10(c) all show the photographer (player) pointing the camera approximately horizontally toward the subject (gaming machine). All of these images assume a case where the camera is centered on the screen display of the LCD display unit 58. The camera height is the same (approximately directly in front of the LCD display unit 58), but the distance D from the subject (gaming machine) varies: approximately 0.8 m in Figure 10(a), approximately 0.6 m in Figure 10(b), and approximately 0.2 m in Figure 10(c). Figures 10(A) to 10(C) also show specific examples of the captured area on a landscape screen for the cases of Figures 10(a) to 10(c). As is clear from Figures 10(A) to 10(C), the greater the distance from the subject, the wider the captured area, allowing a wider area of ​​the subject to be captured in the image, but the size of each part of the subject becomes relatively smaller compared to the size of the image. Conversely, the smaller the distance from the subject, the smaller the photographic area becomes, and only a small range of the subject can be captured in the image, but the size of each part of the subject becomes larger relative to the size of the image.

[0078] In the case of FIG. 10(a), where the distance from the subject is approximately 0.8 m, the photographed area includes not only the screen of the liquid crystal display unit 58 but also a wide area including its surroundings, as shown in FIG. 10(A). Furthermore, because the photograph is taken in landscape orientation, the photographed area also includes a portion of the adjacent gaming machine. Thus, if you want to capture not only the screen display of the liquid crystal display unit 58 but also the surrounding light-emitting effects and movable object effects, you need to photograph the subject at a certain distance, as shown in FIG. 10(a). Furthermore, in the case of FIG. 10(b), where the distance from the subject is approximately 0.6 m, the photographed area and the screen of the liquid crystal display unit 58 are roughly aligned vertically, as shown in FIG. 10(B). Therefore, the screen display of the liquid crystal display unit 58 is easier to see than in the case of FIG. 10(a). However, because the top and bottom of the liquid crystal display unit 58 are not included in the photographed area, this is not suitable for capturing light-emitting effects and movable object effects. In this way, when it is desired to photograph the screen display of the liquid crystal display means 58 specifically, it is desirable to photograph at a distance where the photographing area and the screen of the liquid crystal display means 58 are approximately aligned vertically (in the case of a landscape screen), as shown in Figures 10(b) and 10(B). Also, in the case of Figure 10(c) where the distance from the subject is approximately 0.2 m, only a portion of the screen of the liquid crystal display means 58 is included in the photographing area, as shown in Figure 10(C). When photographing the screen display of the liquid crystal display means 58 as the subject, it is considered that there is little need to enlarge only a portion of the screen display in this way. On the other hand, when photographing a nail, a movable object, or the like as the subject, it is quite conceivable that there will be a need to enlarge only a portion of the subject, and in such cases it is desirable to photograph the subject from a close distance, as shown in Figure 10(c).

[0079] 10(a)-(c) show an example in which the photographer (player) points the camera approximately horizontally toward the subject (gaming machine). However, depending on the area that is primarily desired to be photographed, the camera may be held in a direction other than horizontal. For example, if one wishes to photograph the lower part of the gaming machine, such as the start winning slot 111 or the effect button 34, one may point the camera diagonally downward as shown in FIG. 11(a1). If one wishes to photograph the upper part of the gaming machine, such as the movable body located at the top of the gaming board 16 or the data display located above the gaming machine, one may point the camera diagonally upward as shown in FIG. 11(a2). Of course, even when the camera is held diagonally as shown in FIGS. 11(a1) and (a2), the distance between the camera and the subject can be adjusted appropriately depending on the area that is primarily desired to be photographed (not shown).

[0080] Next, specific examples of the shooting area will be described. FIG. 12 shows multiple examples of shooting areas for the horizontal and vertical screens of the gaming board 16. Video uploaders of gaming machines often focus on the LCD display when shooting. This is because users who watch videos about gaming machines on video posting (sharing) sites often want to see preview effects, reach effects, jackpot confirmation effects (premium effects), game results (result displays), and the like included in the LCD display. Video uploaders often focus on the LCD display when shooting pachislot machines (slot machines), just as they do with pachinko machines. However, in the case of pachislot machines, the reels (slot machines) are often also included in the shooting range. This is because users who watch videos about pachislot machines on video posting sites often want to see the combination of the LCD display (e.g., a specific character) and the symbols (e.g., bells and watermelons) displayed in a stopped state on the reels.

[0081] In consideration of the above, the photographing areas SA1, SA2, and SA2' shown in FIG. 12 indicate the photographing areas when photographing the gaming machine's LCD display as the center. FIGS. 14(a)-(c) show examples of the photographing areas SA1, SA2, and SA2' and the corresponding photographed images (as displayed on a smartphone). When photographing the LCD display as the center, it is generally unlikely that the LCD display means 58 will fall outside the photographing area. Therefore, the photographing area SA1 (FIG. 14(a)) encompasses the entire second display area DA2 (FIG. 8) of the LCD display means 58 (condition 1a), and is the smallest specific area (condition 3) among the virtual rectangular areas (condition 2a) in front view with a screen ratio (aspect ratio) of 16:9. Furthermore, the photographing area SA2 (Fig. 14(b)) encompasses the entire second display area DA2 (Fig. 8) of the liquid crystal display means 58 (condition 1a), and is the smallest specific area (condition 3) among the virtual areas (condition 2b) that are rectangular when viewed from the front and have a screen ratio (aspect ratio) of 9:16. Furthermore, the photographing area SA2' (Fig. 14(c)) encompasses the entire second display area DA2 (Fig. 8) of the liquid crystal display means 58 and the logotype 306 (part of the identification information) (condition 1b), and is the smallest specific area (condition 3) among the virtual areas (condition 2b) that are rectangular when viewed from the front and have a screen ratio (aspect ratio) of 9:16.

[0082] In this way, the photographing areas SA1, SA2, and SA2' are specific areas that are obtained by satisfying all of condition 1a or 1b, condition 2a or 2b, and condition 3. Here, the application of these three conditions will be explained using the photographing area SA2 (FIG. 14(b)) as an example. First, there are countless areas that satisfy condition 1a, "encompassing the entire second display area DA2 of the liquid crystal display means 58," because their shape (portrait or landscape, rectangular or other) and size are not determined, as shown in the example of FIG. 13(a). There are also countless areas that satisfy condition 2b, "a rectangular shape when viewed from the front with a screen ratio (aspect ratio) of 9:16," because their position and size are not determined, as shown in the example of FIG. 13(b). There are also countless areas that satisfy both condition 1a and condition 2b, because their size and other factors are not determined, as shown in the example of FIG. 13(c). For an area that satisfies condition 3, "minimum," in addition to conditions 1a and 2b, the shape, size, and vertical position are determined as shown in Fig. 13(d). However, even in this case, the horizontal position (condition 4) is not determined, as shown in Figs. 13(d1) to (d3). However, since the photographer's positioning of the LCD screen in the shooting area when taking a photo is arbitrary and unpredictable, this embodiment does not stipulate condition 4. Note that the shooting area SA2 is exemplified as a case where the second display area DA2 of the LCD display means 58 is positioned approximately in the center of the shooting area (Fig. 13(d3)).

[0083] This shooting area SA2 is horizontally long with a screen ratio (aspect ratio) of 9:16. Therefore, unless the aspect ratio of second display area DA2 is 9:16 or wider, there will be areas (hereinafter referred to as "surplus areas") on the left and right of the area (hereinafter referred to as "main area") where the LCD display, the main object of shooting, is displayed. Since gaming machines have limited horizontal space, it is unlikely that an extremely horizontally long screen with an aspect ratio exceeding 9:16 will be adopted in order to ensure a large LCD display area. The same is true for shooting area SA2'. As for shooting area SA1, because it is vertically long with a screen ratio (aspect ratio) of 16:9, there will be areas above and below the area where the LCD display, the main object of shooting, is displayed where parts that are not the main object of shooting are displayed.

[0084] In this embodiment, each of the photographing areas SA1, SA2, and SA2' is configured so that its area (here, the surplus area described above) includes at least a portion of the disc reflecting portion 311. That is, as shown in Figures 14(a) to 14(c), photographing area SA1 includes substantially all of disc reflecting portions 311a, 311d, and 311e, photographing area SA2 includes substantially all of disc reflecting portions 311b and 311c, and photographing area SA2' includes substantially all of disc reflecting portions 311b, 311c, 311d, and 311f. When player P takes a photo of the gaming machine's LCD display using a camera such as a smartphone, there is a high possibility that player P's upper body, especially his or her face, will be reflected by the board reflector 311 (shown in gray in Figures 14(a) to (c)) and appear in the image, regardless of whether the photo is taken in the shooting area SA1, SA2, or SA2'. Therefore, it is expected that this will act as a deterrent to player P taking unauthorized photos of the gaming machine or publishing the captured images without permission.

[0085] Video creators of gaming machines often film mainly the LCD display as described above, but it is also conceivable that they may film mainly parts other than the LCD display, such as a specific winning hole (winning hole, winning hole) or the pins 81 upstream of that. The filming areas SA11 to SA17, SA17' shown in Figure 12 are examples of filming mainly parts other than the LCD display, and all have a vertical screen with a screen ratio (aspect ratio) of 16:9. Of course, they may also be horizontal screens with a screen ratio (aspect ratio) of 9:16. Figures 15 to 17 show examples of filming areas SA11 to SA17, SA17' and their corresponding filmed images (as displayed on a smartphone).

[0086] The photographing areas SA11 and SA12 (FIGS. 15(a) and (b)) are centered on the first start winning hole (specific winning hole) 111 and the navel nails 81a and 81b (specific nails) upstream of it. The first start winning hole 111 is the winning hole known as the "navel," and is the part that players check most carefully, so it is likely to be the subject of photography. Note that the photographing area SA12 includes the navel nails 81a and 81b and the jump nails 81c and 81d, whereas the photographing area SA11 is narrower and includes the navel nails 81a and 81b but not the jump nails 81c and 81d.

[0087] The photographing area SA13 (Fig. 15(c)) includes the first start winning opening 111 and the navel nails 81a, 81b and jump nails 81c, 81d upstream thereof, as well as the so-called path nails (specific nails) that guide the game ball toward the first start winning opening 111, and the normal winning openings (specific ball winning openings) 101, 102 located below them. The path nails are parts that affect winning at the first start winning opening 111, so there is a possibility that they will be photographed along with the first start winning opening 111, etc. In addition, the photographing area SA14 (Fig. 16(d)) is obtained by slightly narrowing the photographing area SA13, thereby excluding the first start winning opening 111 and the navel nails 81a, 81b and jump nails 81c, 81d upstream thereof from that area.

[0088] The photographing area SA15 (Fig. 16(e)) is centered on the windmill (specific nail) 105. The windmill 105 has a ball distribution function, and the distribution probability for multiple rows of path nails is thought to vary depending on the arrangement of the windmill 105, so it may be a target for photography. The photographing area SA16 (Fig. 16(f)) is centered on the large prize opening (specific ball opening) 121 and the nails (specific nails) 81 around it upstream. The large prize opening 121 is a prize opening called the "attacker," and when a game ball enters it, a relatively large amount of game value (e.g., 15 balls per winning) is awarded (game value award), so it may be a target for photography. The photographing area SA17 (Fig. 17(g)) is centered on the out opening (specific ball opening) 124 and the nails (specific nails) 81 around it upstream. This outlet 124 is located upstream of the large prize opening 121, and discharges the game ball outside the game area if the game ball flowing down the right flow area 77 deviates from the route to the large prize opening 121 upstream of the large prize opening 121, so it may be subject to photography.

[0089] In this way, when a video creator of a gaming machine focuses on a specific ball entry area (winning hole, out hole) or the pins 81 upstream of the area other than the LCD display, for example, the shooting area needs to be narrowed so that the object being shot is captured at a certain size so that the placement of the pins can be clearly seen. Therefore, the shooting areas SA11 to SA17 in this embodiment are 1 / 4 or less, or even 1 / 8 or less, of the minimum rectangular area that includes the entire game area 23. Figure 18 shows examples of 1 / 4 and 1 / 8 areas of the minimum rectangular area in this embodiment.

[0090] As described above, the image capture areas SA11-SA17 are set to be small so as to capture a large image of the target. Therefore, it is difficult to recognize which part of a gaming machine the image was captured from, even when viewing the image. Uploading the image to a social networking site may not gain the sympathy of others. Therefore, in this embodiment, each of the image capture areas SA11-SA17 is configured to include a mark that can identify the gaming machine. Specifically, image capture areas SA11-SA13 include logo mark 307c, image capture area SA14 includes logo mark 307b, image capture area SA15 includes logo mark 307a, and image capture areas SA16 and SA17 include logo mark 307d. This allows a viewer of the image corresponding to image capture areas SA11-SA17 to easily identify the gaming machine and its portion by using the mark as a clue.

[0091] Furthermore, each of the above photographing areas SA11 to SA17 is configured to include at least a portion of disc reflecting portion 311. That is, photographing area SA11 includes a portion of disc reflecting portion 311e, photographing area SA12 includes substantially the entire disc reflecting portion 311e and a portion of disc reflecting portion 311d, photographing area SA13 includes substantially the entire disc reflecting portion 311e, a portion of disc reflecting portion 311d, and portions of frame reflecting portions 301d and 301e, photographing area SA14 includes a portion of disc reflecting portion 311d, photographing area SA15 includes portions of disc reflecting portions 311b and 311d, photographing area SA16 includes a portion of disc reflecting portion 311d, and photographing area SA17 includes a portion of disc reflecting portion 311f. When player P takes a photo of the gaming machine using a camera such as a smartphone, focusing on areas other than the LCD display, as shown in Figures 15 to 17, regardless of which of the shooting areas SA11 to SA17 the upper body of player P, particularly his face, is likely to be reflected by the reflecting portions 301, 311 (shown in gray in Figures 15 to 17) and appear in the image. Therefore, this is expected to act as a deterrent to player P taking unauthorized photos of the gaming machine or publishing the captured images without permission.

[0092] In this embodiment, with regard to the photographing area when photographing a portion other than the LCD display, no light-emitting means is disposed between the main photographing target portion (winning slot, outlet slot, etc.) and the board reflector 311. This is to prevent backlighting during photographing if a light-emitting means is disposed in that area, making it difficult for the image of player P, the photographer, to be reflected in the board reflector. On the other hand, it is desirable to dispose a light-emitting means on the opposite side of the board reflector 311 from the main photographing target portion (winning slot, outlet slot, etc.). In this embodiment, an LED 129 is disposed in a portion corresponding to the special prize slot 121 of the special prize unit 57. As a result, if player P, the photographer, holds the camera in the photographing area SA17 (FIG. 17(g)) to photograph the outlet slot 124 and its upstream surrounding area, the light from the LED 129 will be picked up, making it difficult to focus. Therefore, it is conceivable to shift the photographing area from SA17 (FIG. 17(g)) to SA17' (FIG. 17(h)) to avoid the LED 129. In this case, the proportion of the board reflecting portion 311f in the new photographing area SA17' will be larger than that in the photographing area SA17, and therefore the possibility that the face of the player P will appear in the image will be increased.

[0093] Next, specific examples of effects that occur while the decorative pattern 164 is changing (there may be periods when at least a portion of the decorative pattern 164 is not displayed) will be explained, focusing on the image effects by the liquid crystal display means 58, the light-emitting effects by light-emitting means such as the LED 28a, and the audio output effects by the speakers 18, 25, etc. Note that the light-emitting means that perform the light-emitting effects can be broadly divided into those that use the LED 28a on the front frame 3 side as the light source and those that use the LEDs 151a to 155a on the game board 16 side as the light source, but in the following explanation, the former will be referred to as the "frame-side lamp La" and the latter will be referred to as the "board-side lamp Lb" as necessary, and they will be collectively referred to as the "effect lamp L."

[0094] Below, we will explain eight types of preview effects executed during pattern fluctuation: step-up preview effect, reach preview effect, button preview effect 1, dialogue preview effect 1, pseudo consecutive preview effect, button preview effect 2, interrupt preview effect, and dialogue preview effect 2. These eight types of preview effects are selected and executed based on the jackpot reliability setting shown in FIG. 20. Here, "jackpot reliability" is an example of the reliability regarding the occurrence of a predetermined event, and in this case, refers to the reliability that the decorative pattern 164 will become a jackpot performance mode. After explaining these eight types of preview effects, we will explain several examples (reliability suggestion effect, reach title display effect, operation effect, reach development effect) of various effects that can be used as part of these various preview effects, etc. (hereinafter referred to as partial effects).

[0095] In addition, the content described below for each effect is not limited to each effect and may be used in other effects. For example, the configuration of the high-brightness effect that appears in the step-up preview effect may be used in other preview effects such as reach preview effects and dialogue preview effects, or in partial effects such as reliability suggestion effects.

[0096] [Step Up Preview] 21 to 26 show an example of a step-up notice effect that is executed during normal fluctuation in a reach fluctuation pattern or a normal fluctuation pattern. The step-up notice effect (specific notice effect) is an effect that is executed up to a predetermined stage among a plurality of stages (here, five stages) of effect steps according to the reliability of a jackpot, and is set so that the reliability of a jackpot increases as the stage of the effect step progresses.

[0097] As shown in FIG. 21, this step-up preview performance involves five characters - an elephant, a lion, a fox, a squirrel, and a bear - each of which corresponds to one of the first to fifth performance steps, taking turns firing an arrow at a balloon. The performance steps progress until an arrow fired by one of the characters hits the target and bursts the balloon. First, a step-up introduction performance ST0 is performed, indicating the start of the step-up preview performance (FIG. 21(a)). In this step-up introduction performance ST0, the five characters each taking aim at the balloon appear all at once, suggesting the content of the step-up preview performance. Of course, the characters may appear in the order of the corresponding performance steps: elephant → lion → fox → squirrel → bear, or in any other order.

[0098] Following the step-up introduction performance ST0 (Figure 21(a)), the first step performance ST1 begins as the first stage. The first step performance ST1 is made up of a first first half performance ST1A and a first second half performance ST1B, with the first first half performance ST1A being executed first. In this first first half performance ST1A, a scene is played in which the first character, an elephant, fires an arrow (Figure 21(b1)), and if the arrow hits a balloon (Figure 21(d1)), it is determined that the performance step will end in the first stage, and the first second half performance ST1B is executed. The second half performance, including this first second half performance ST1B, will be described later.

[0099] On the other hand, if the arrow fired by the elephant does not hit the balloon (FIG. 21(c1)), the first second half performance ST1B is not executed, and the second first half performance ST2A of the second step performance ST2 starts as the second stage. In this second first half performance ST2A, a scene is played in which the second character, a lion, fires an arrow (FIG. 21(b2)). If the arrow hits the balloon (FIG. 21(d2)), it is determined that the performance step will end at that second stage, and the second second half performance ST2B is executed. In this way, arrows are fired in the order of the elephant, lion, fox, squirrel, and bear until one of the characters fires an arrow that hits the balloon (FIGS. 21(b1) to (b5)). When the arrow hits the balloon (FIGS. 21(d1) to (d5)), it is determined that the performance step will end at that stage, and the second half performances ST1B to ST5B corresponding to that stage are executed. In this embodiment, the step-up preview performance only goes up to the fifth stage, so the arrow shot by the bear in at least the fifth first half performance ST5A will always hit the balloon (FIG. 9(d5)).

[0100] In addition, in the step-up preview performance of this embodiment, multiple types (here, five types of each) of the first to fifth second half performances ST1B to ST5B are provided, and one of these multiple types is selected depending on the reliability of the occurrence of a specified event (here, the reliability of a jackpot).

[0101] 22 illustrates five variations for each of the third second half performance ST3B and the fifth second half performance ST5B among the first to fifth second half performances ST1B to ST5B. Of course, similar variations using the respective characters are also prepared for the other first, second, and fourth second half performances ST1B, ST2B, and ST4B, but are omitted here. In the first to fifth second half performances ST1B to ST5B, a reserved pedestal image 168 is displayed at the bottom of the display screen 58a, a miniature symbol 165 is displayed at the top of the display screen 58a, the first and second reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4, etc. are displayed in front of the reserved pedestal image 168, and a step-up preview performance image 169 is displayed behind the reserved pedestal image 168 and the miniature symbol 165. However, the reserved pedestal image 168 may be displayed during the first half performance and not displayed during the second half performance. This makes it possible to enlarge the display area of ​​the latter half effect for displaying information about the jackpot reliability, and to execute a more impactful display effect. In the first to fifth latter half effects ST1B to ST5B, the decorative symbols 164 that are changing are not displayed.

[0102] The five types of third second half performances ST3Ba to ST3Be shown in Figures 22(a1) to (e1) have in common the step-up preview performance image 169, in that it features a fox, which is the character of the third step performance ST3, and in that it has a basic screen layout centered around the fox and a specified text image, but they differ in the content of the displayed text image, the display mode of the text image (here, the display color), and the display color (base color) of at least a portion of the step-up preview performance image 169.

[0103] 22(a1)-(e1) show the step-up preview effect images 169 of the third second half effects ST3Ba-ST3Be. The image of a fox character is displayed large in a positional relationship that divides the background image into a left background image and a right background image. A character image consisting of a predetermined dialogue string (which may consist of only one character) is displayed horizontally in front of the character image (fox) and the background image, spanning the image. The content of the dialogue string is different for all five types. The dialogue strings corresponding to the third second half effects ST3Ba-ST3Be are "Good things are going to happen," "Okay, let's do our best," "Even better things are going to happen," "It's going to be okay," and "I feel great," respectively. The display color (display mode) of the dialogue string is also different for all five types. The display colors (interior colors of the characters) of the dialogue strings corresponding to the third second half effects ST3Ba-ST3Be are "blue," "red," "gold," "danger," and "rainbow," respectively. Here, "danger colors" refer to a striped color scheme made up of multiple colors that are different from rainbow colors, and in this embodiment, the three colors yellow, black, and red are arranged in diagonal stripes.

[0104] Furthermore, for the step-up preview performance image 169 of the third second half performances ST3Ba to ST3Bd (Figures 22(a1) to (d1)) other than the third second half performance ST3Be (Figure 22(e1)), the base color corresponds to the display color of the dialogue text, and the colors "blue," "red," "gold," and "danger" are used in at least a portion (such as the right background image) of the step-up preview performance image 169, corresponding to the respective text colors "blue," "red," "gold," and "danger." Here, the "danger color" as the base color is the same as the "danger color" as the text color in that it is composed of three colors: yellow, black, and red. However, it differs from the "danger color" as the text color in that the striped color scheme is only yellow and black, and the text "DANGER" is continuously arranged in red on the black line. Note that the configuration of the danger color is not limited to this, and it may be different from the other text colors / base colors.

[0105] Furthermore, the five types of fifth second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Be shown in Figures 22(a2) to (e2) have in common the step-up preview performance image 169 in that a bear, which is the character of the fifth step performance ST5, appears, and that the basic screen layout is centered around the bear and a specified text image, but they differ in the content of the text image displayed on the screen, the display mode of the text image (here, the display color), and the display color (base color) of at least a portion of the step-up preview performance image 169.

[0106] That is, the step-up preview performance images 169 of the fifth second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Be shown in Figures 22(a2) to (e2) are common in that a bear character image is displayed large in a positional relationship that divides the background image into a left background image and a right background image, and a character image consisting of a predetermined dialogue string (which may consist of only one character) is displayed horizontally in front of the character image (bear) and the background image, spanning them. Meanwhile, the content of the dialogue string is different for all five types, and the dialogue strings corresponding to the fifth second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Be are "Maybe we can do it," "Almost there," "I'm feeling refreshed," "I'm getting excited," and "Very satisfied!". Furthermore, the display colors of the dialogue strings are also different for all five types, and the display colors (interior colors of the characters) of the dialogue strings corresponding to the fifth second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Be are "blue," "red," "gold," "danger," and "rainbow," respectively. As described above, the contents of the dialogue character strings in the fifth second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Be are all different from the contents of the dialogue character strings in the third second half performances ST3Ba to ST3Be, but the contents of at least some of the dialogue character strings may be common.

[0107] Furthermore, for the step-up preview performance images 169 of the 5th second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Bd (Figures 22 (a2) to (d2)) other than the 5th second half performance ST5Be (Figure 22 (e2)), the base color of the screen corresponds to the display color of the dialogue text, and the colors ``blue,'' ``red,'' ``gold,'' and ``danger color'' are used in at least part of the screen (such as part of the background image) corresponding to the respective text colors ``blue,'' ``red,'' ``gold,'' and ``danger color.''

[0108] Here, the jackpot reliability is set to gradually increase from the third second half performance ST3Ba to ST3Be and from the fifth second half performance ST5Ba to ST5Be. That is, the relationship between the display color of the dialogue string and the jackpot reliability increases in the order of "blue," "red," "gold," "danger," and "rainbow." Note that "rainbow" indicates a jackpot reliability of 100%, i.e., a guaranteed jackpot. Thus, the third second half performance ST3Ba to ST3Be and the fifth second half performance ST5Ba to ST5Be have different jackpot reliability depending on the display color of the dialogue string. Therefore, the character image (specific character information) or the step-up preview performance image 169 containing that character image can be considered a specific image containing jackpot reliability information. The same applies to the other first, second, and fourth second half performances.

[0109] Thus, for example, the third latter half effect ST3Ba (FIG. 22(a1)) and the fifth latter half effect ST5Ba (FIG. 22(a2)) are examples of the A-1 reliability specific image corresponding to the A-1 reliability, and the third latter half effect ST3Bb (FIG. 22(b1)) and the fifth latter half effect ST5Bb (FIG. 22(b2)) are examples of the A-2 reliability specific image corresponding to the A-2 reliability. In this embodiment, the five display colors used in this step-up preview effect—blue, red, gold, danger, and rainbow—are a full lineup of reliability information related to jackpots (reliability information related to the occurrence of a predetermined event), and are set in order of increasing jackpot reliability. However, in other preview effects, it is not necessary to use all five display colors as reliability information; only some of the colors, such as red and gold, may be used. However, even in this case, the relationship between the high and low reliability of jackpots (for example, gold being higher than red) remains unchanged.

[0110] The base color of the step-up preview performance image 169 does not need to be exactly the same as the text color, but may be a similar color. Also, for the third second half performance ST3Be, fifth second half performance ST5Be, etc., in which the text color is "rainbow," the base color of the screen may be made to correspond to the text color by making at least a portion of the display color other than the dialogue text "rainbow." In this embodiment, the display modes other than the display color of the dialogue text, such as the font and size of the dialogue text, are generally the same for the five types of third second half performances ST3Ba to ST3Be and fifth second half performances ST5Ba to ST5Be, etc., but other display modes (font, etc.) may be different along with the text color. Alternatively, the text color may be generally the same and other specific display modes (font, etc.) may be different, and the specific display mode may be used as reliability information.

[0111] Next, a specific example of the step-up notice performance will be explained using an example in which the performance step progresses to the third stage and ST3Bc (Fig. 22(c1)) is selected as the third latter half performance, but first an overview will be given with reference to Fig. 23. When the step-up notice performance starts during normal fluctuation in the reach fluctuation pattern, the speakers 18, 25 start outputting BGM1 related to this step-up notice performance as background music, and on the display screen 58a, the decorative pattern 164 during high-speed fluctuation is hidden, and the reserved base image 168 is displayed on the bottom end side and the mini pattern 165 is displayed on the top end side, and behind them, a performance image related to the step-up introduction performance ST0 is displayed (Fig. 23(a)).

[0112] In this step-up introduction performance ST0, a step-up preview performance image 169 is displayed, in which five characters corresponding to the five performance steps—an elephant, a lion, a fox, a squirrel, and a bear—are lined up, each preparing to fire an arrow at a balloon. Seeing this, a player can recognize that this is a step-up preview performance in which the performance steps will progress until one of the characters pops the balloon. Also, in this step-up introduction performance ST0 (FIG. 23(a)), for example, at the start, a predetermined introductory sound is output from the speakers 18, 25 as a sound effect. Furthermore, during this step-up introduction performance ST0 (FIG. 23(a)), at least a portion of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) emits light in an introduction light-emitting mode corresponding to this step-up introduction performance ST0, for example, orange. Note that "at least a part of the effect lamps L" may refer to either the frame-side lamps La or the panel-side lamps Lb, or both, or at least one of a part of the frame-side lamps La and a part of the panel-side lamps Lb. This applies to all the following explanations.

[0113] Following the step-up introduction performance ST0 (FIG. 23(a)), one or more step performances from the first stage to a predetermined stage, here the first step performance ST1 to the third step performance ST3, are executed sequentially. That is, first, the first first half performance ST1A of the first step performance ST1 starts as the first stage (FIG. 23(b)). In this first first half performance ST1A, the first character, an elephant, fires an arrow at a balloon, but fails to hit the balloon.

[0114] Furthermore, during this first first half performance ST1A (Fig. 23(b)), for example, at the start, a predetermined first start sound is output from speakers 18, 25 as a sound effect, and then following this first start sound, a first first half voice such as "Let's go" is output as a dialogue sound. Note that the output of the first first half voice may start after the output of the first start sound has finished, or may start while the first start sound is being output. Furthermore, during this first first half performance ST1A (Fig. 23(b)), at least a portion of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) emit light in a first half light-emitting mode corresponding to the first half performance (first light-emitting mode corresponding to the first half performance), for example, in green.

[0115] When the arrow shot by the elephant misses the balloon, the first first half performance ST1A ends, and the second first half performance ST2A of the second step performance ST2 begins (Figure 23(c)). In this second first half performance ST2A, the second character, the lion, fires an arrow at the balloon, but just like the first step performance ST1, he is unable to hit the balloon.

[0116] Furthermore, during this second first half performance ST2A (Figure 23(c)), for example, at the start, a predetermined second start sound is output from speakers 18, 25 as a sound effect, and then following this second start sound, a second first half voice such as "This time for sure" is output as a dialogue sound. The second start sound may be the same as or different from the first start sound. Furthermore, the output of the second first half voice may start after the output of the second start sound has finished, or may start while the second start sound is being output. Furthermore, during this second first half performance ST2A (Figure 23(c)), at least some of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) continue to emit light in a first half light-emitting mode corresponding to the first half performance, for example, in green.

[0117] When the arrow shot by the lion misses the balloon, the second first half performance ST2A ends, and the third first half performance ST3A of the third step performance ST3 begins (Figure 23(d)). In this third first half performance ST3A, the third character, the fox, fires an arrow at the balloon, and in the example of Figure 23, the arrow hits the balloon beautifully (Figure 23(d)).

[0118] Furthermore, during this third first half performance ST3A (FIG. 23(d)), for example, at the start, a predetermined third start sound is output from speakers 18, 25 as a sound effect, and then following this third start sound, a third first half voice such as "How's that?" is output as a dialogue sound. The third start sound may be the same as or different from the first and second start sounds. Furthermore, the output of the third first half voice may begin after the third start sound has finished being output, or may begin while the third start sound is being output. Furthermore, during this third first half performance ST2A (FIG. 23(d)), at least some of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) continue to emit light in a first half light-emitting mode corresponding to the first half performance, for example, green, until just before the arrow hits the balloon, and then transition to a first half end light-emitting mode, for example, a short-term extinguishment state, just before or at the time the arrow hits the balloon.

[0119] The first half light-emitting mode may be different for each of the first half performances ST1A to ST5A. In this case, the light-emitting mode may be changed, for example, when the second starting sound, the third starting sound, etc. are generated. This configuration allows the player to easily sense the step-up stage. The light-emitting mode may also be temporarily changed when the second starting sound, the third starting sound, etc. are generated. In this case, the light-emitting mode does not change for the first to fifth first half performances ST1A to ST5A, but the light will be emitted in a different light-emitting mode (e.g., white) at least before and after the timing when the second starting sound, the third starting sound, etc. are output. This configuration allows the player to easily sense the change in the step-up stage.

[0120] When the arrow hits the balloon (Fig. 23(d)), it is determined that the performance step will end at its third stage, and at that timing (first timing), a high-brightness performance WO11 (first high-brightness performance) (Fig. 23(e)) is performed, and during (or after) the high-brightness performance WO11, one of multiple types (here, five types) of third second half performances ST3Ba to ST3Be, here third second half performance ST3Bc, is executed (Fig. 23(f)). In other words, the high-brightness performance WO11 is executed at the timing (first timing) when the first scene image related to the first half performance is switched to the second scene image related to the second half performance.

[0121] Here, the high-brightness effect refers to an effect in which a high-brightness image 170 is displayed to reduce the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170 (here, step-up preview effect image 169). All of the high-brightness effects in this embodiment are so-called whiteout effects, and a white high-brightness image 170 is used, but the color of the high-brightness image may be any color other than white, such as gray, yellow, blue, red, etc., or may be composed of multiple colors. Also, there may be cases in which no image is displayed behind the high-brightness image 170.

[0122] In the high-brightness effect WO11, the high-brightness image 170a is displayed in front of the step-up notice effect image (specific image) 169 and behind the mini symbol 165, the reserved base image 168, and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of them, so that the visibility of the step-up notice effect image (specific image) 169 can be changed without changing the visibility of the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4, or the mini symbol 165. This is also true for other high-brightness effects described later. Note that in the high-brightness effect WO11, the common high-brightness image 170a is displayed regardless of which of the third second-half effects ST3Ba to ST3Be is selected. The same is true for the other first, second, fourth, and fifth second-half effects.

[0123] However, without being limited to this, the high-brightness image 170 may be displayed in front of at least one of the mini-pattern 165, reserved images X1-, Y1-, and reserved base image 168, thereby reducing their visibility. In this case, the high-brightness image 170 may be displayed in front of the reserved base image 168 and behind the reserved images X1-, Y1-. This allows for a wider, more impactful high-brightness effect to be performed without reducing the visibility of at least the reserved images X1-, Y1-. Furthermore, it is desirable to configure the display area that does not overlap with the high-brightness image 170 to be smaller than the area in which the high-brightness image 170 is displayed. This makes it possible to more strongly impress the player with the feeling that the high-brightness image 170 is hiding the image behind it. Furthermore, it is desirable that the display area that does not overlap with the high-brightness image 170 be an area in which information suggesting reliability (text information, character images, other images displayed in reliability colors) is not located among the images of the third second half performance ST3B that will be displayed subsequently. This allows the high-brightness image 170 to exert a concealing effect without concealing the entire area of ​​the display screen with the high-brightness image 170.

[0124] The high-brightness image 170 is displayed in white in a predetermined area on the screen, and is set to an arbitrary transmittance within that area. The transmittance of the high-brightness image 170 may be uniform or non-uniform within the display area. When the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170 is non-uniform, the transmittance and / or the rate of change in transmittance of the high-brightness image 170 may be configured to be different between an area where information suggesting reliability (text information, character images, other images displayed in a reliability color) is located and other areas. In this case, it is desirable to configure the transmittance and / or the rate of change in transmittance to be lower in an area where information suggesting reliability (text information, character images, other images displayed in a reliability color) is located. Furthermore, the transmittance and / or the rate of change in transmittance may be lower in an area where particularly important text information or other images displayed in a reliability color among information suggesting reliability is located than in an area where character images are located, or vice versa. In this way, by varying the transmittance and rate of change of the transmittance of the high-brightness image depending on the display position, it is possible to prevent the high-brightness effect from becoming monotonous. Also, from the level of the transmittance and rate of change of the transmittance, it is possible to make the display content of the image of the third latter half effect ST3B, for example, more complex and interesting.

[0125] Furthermore, the size (display range) of the high-brightness image can be changed over time, and the transmittance value and transmittance distribution can also be changed over time. If the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170 is 0%, the image behind the high-brightness image 170 is completely invisible, and if the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170 is 100%, the high-brightness image 170 itself is completely invisible. Therefore, if the transmittance of a predetermined portion of the high-brightness image 170 is 100%, it can be considered that the predetermined portion is not a part that constitutes the high-brightness image 170 in the first place. Furthermore, if the transmittance of a predetermined portion of the high-brightness image 170 changes from a value less than 100% to 100%, it can be considered that the predetermined portion falls outside the range of the high-brightness image 170 when it reaches 100%.

[0126] During the high brightness effect WO11 (FIG. 23(e)), the output of BGM1 related to the step-up notice effect continues. Also, during the high brightness effect WO11, a predetermined emphasis sound is output as a sound effect, and this predetermined emphasis sound is selected from the first to fifth predetermined emphasis sounds according to reliability information related to the jackpot in the latter half effect (for example, according to which of ST3Ba to ST3Be is selected in the case of the third latter half effect). That is, for example, when an image (first reliability specific image) relating to the third latter half effect ST3Ba (FIG. 22(a1)) is displayed while the high-brightness image 170a is being displayed, a first predetermined emphasis sound corresponding to the image (first reliability specific image) relating to the third latter half effect ST3Ba can be output (first sound effect), and when an image (first reliability specific image) relating to the third latter half effect ST3Bc (FIG. 22(c1)) is displayed while the high-brightness image 170a is being displayed, a third predetermined emphasis sound corresponding to the image (second reliability specific image) relating to the third latter half effect ST3Bc can be output (second sound effect). This has the advantage that reliability information can be notified to the player in advance by sound during the high-brightness effect WO11 when the dialogue character string (character information) is still not visible or difficult to see, thereby improving the presentation effect.

[0127] Furthermore, a common predetermined emphasis sound may be output for each jackpot reliability in the second half effects. For example, a common first predetermined emphasis sound may be output when an image (first reliability specific image) related to the third second half effect ST3Ba (FIG. 22(a1)) is displayed, when an image (first reliability specific image) related to the third second half effect ST3Bb (FIG. 22(b1)) is displayed, and when an image (first reliability specific image) related to the third second half effect ST3Bc (FIG. 22(c1)) is displayed, and a common second emphasis sound may be output when an image (first reliability specific image) related to the third second half effect ST3Bd (FIG. 22(d1)) is displayed, and when an image (first reliability specific image) related to the third second half effect ST3Be (FIG. 22(e1)) is displayed. This allows the player to be notified of the expected reliability of the reliability information in advance based on the content of the predetermined emphasis sound, which has the advantage of improving the presentation effect.

[0128] The first to fifth predetermined emphasis sounds may be configured so that the higher the reliability of a jackpot is based on reliability information about a jackpot in the latter half of the performance, the larger the output volume and / or output time. In this case, the output volume and / or output time of the third predetermined emphasis sound (first specific sound) output when the high-brightness effect WO11 is executed (first high-brightness effect) during the third latter half of the performance ST3Bc (Fig. 22(c1)) is larger than the first predetermined emphasis sound (second specific sound) output when the high-brightness effect WO11 is executed (second second high-brightness effect) during the third latter half of the performance ST3Ba (Fig. 22(a1)).

[0129] Furthermore, the first to fifth predetermined accent sounds may be configured to be accompanied by a vibration effect by activating a vibration means, the higher the reliability of a jackpot in the latter half of the performance, based on reliability information regarding a jackpot. For example, the first to third predetermined accent sounds may be configured without a vibration effect, while the fourth and fifth predetermined accent sounds may be configured with a vibration effect. Alternatively, only the fifth predetermined accent sound may be configured with a vibration effect. Here, the vibration means may be configured to vibrate a predetermined portion, such as the effect button 34. Furthermore, when two types of predetermined accent sounds, the first and second predetermined accent sounds, are used, only the second predetermined accent sound may be configured with a vibration effect. Furthermore, a vibration effect does not necessarily have to be accompanied by the execution of a predetermined accent sound; a vibration effect may or may not be performed together with the execution of the predetermined accent sounds. More preferably, a vibration effect is configured to be accompanied only when the expectation of a jackpot is high.

[0130] Furthermore, during the high-brightness effect WO11 (first high-brightness effect), at least some of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (a first light-emitting mode corresponding to the high-brightness effect) (first light-emitting effect in which the light-emitting means emits light in the first light-emitting mode, first light-emitting effect). In this embodiment, the first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode during the high-brightness effect WO11 is a cyclic change mode in which the light circulates through multiple colors (e.g., three colors: gold, green, and white) including the text color (e.g., gold) of the third second half effect ST3B. Note that the first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode may be a single color such as gold, as long as it includes a color corresponding to the text color (e.g., gold) of the third second half effect ST3B. This allows the reliability information to be notified to the player in advance by light emission during the high-brightness effect WO11, when the dialogue string (text information) is still not visible or difficult to see, which has the advantage of improving the effect of the effect. When the effect lamp L is illuminated in a color corresponding to an image, the color of the light does not have to be exactly the same as the color of the image, as long as it is a similar color (for example, yellow for a gold image).

[0131] During the third latter half of the performance ST3Bc (Figure 23(f)) after the end of the high-brightness performance WO11, as described above, as a step-up preview performance image 169, a fox character image is displayed large in a position that divides the background image into a left background image and a right background image, and a line of dialogue saying "It seems like something even better is going to happen" is displayed in "gold" in front of the character image (fox) and the background image, spanning them.

[0132] Furthermore, during this third-second half performance ST3Bc (FIG. 23(f)), the output of BGM1 related to the step-up preview performance continues, and a predetermined third-second half voice is output as a dialogue sound. This third-second half voice corresponds to the dialogue string (text information) displayed on the screen, and in this case, "It seems like something even better is going to happen." When this dialogue sound is output, it is desirable to have the character image perform what is known as lip-syncing (speaking).

[0133] Furthermore, during the third second half effect ST3Bc (FIG. 23(f)), at least some of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a second half light-emitting mode (a third light-emitting mode corresponding to a specific image) corresponding to the third second half effect ST3Bc, for example, in a cyclical change mode that cycles through multiple colors (here, three colors: gold, green, and white) including the text color (here, gold) of the third second half effect ST3Bc. This second half light-emitting mode may be the same as or different from the preceding first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode, but it is preferable to configure it to include the text color (here, gold) of the third second half effect ST3Bc. This allows for light-emitting effects in a light-emitting mode corresponding to the text color (here, gold) indicating the probability of a jackpot even after the image effect of the third second half effect ST3Bc has finished displaying. This makes it possible to notify players who missed the image effect using the text color (here, gold) indicating the probability of a jackpot whenever possible. Furthermore, it is desirable that the light color of this second half light-emitting mode does not include colors corresponding to other second half performances (here, blue, red, danger color, rainbow color). Also, the second half light-emitting mode may be configured with only a light color corresponding to the character color (for example, gold). Also, it may be configured not to include the character color of the third second half performance ST3Bc (here, gold), which makes it possible to visually sense that the performance period of the third second half performance ST3Bc has ended.

[0134] After the third second half performance ST3Bc is executed, a high-brightness performance WO12 (first second high-brightness performance) is executed at that timing (second timing) (FIG. 23(g)). During the execution of the high-brightness performance WO12, the step-up preview performance image 169 related to the third second half performance ST3Bc is switched to a variable screen of the decorative pattern 164 (specific image end performance) (FIG. 23(h)). The high-brightness performance WO12 differs from the high-brightness performance WO11 in the display area of ​​the high-brightness image and the rate of change in transmittance. This makes it possible to clearly express the start and end of the second half performance. While the high-brightness performance WO12 and the high-brightness performance WO11 have the same minimum transmittance (0%), this may also be different. The high-brightness performance WO12 may also have the same display area of ​​the high-brightness image as the high-brightness performance WO11. Also, the transmittance (minimum value) and / or the rate of change of transmittance may be the same. This makes it possible to give the player a sense of expectation that the second half performance may still continue. Also, it is desirable that the high-brightness performance WO12 is displayed so that at least the area where information suggesting the reliability of the second half performance (text information, character images, other images displayed in reliability colors) is located is concealed by a high-brightness image. This makes it possible to end the second half performance without creating a sense of incongruity and transition to the pattern variation screen. Also, it may be configured so that at least the area where any one of the information suggesting the reliability of the second half performance (text information, character images, other images displayed in reliability colors) is located is concealed by a high-brightness image.

[0135] During the high-brightness effect WO12 (FIG. 23(g)), for example, the output of background music (BGM) is stopped. During the high-brightness effect WO12, a specific emphasis sound is output as a sound effect. This specific emphasis sound is selected from the first to fifth specific emphasis sounds depending on the reliability information regarding the jackpot in the second half effect (for example, depending on which of ST3Ba to ST3Be is selected in the case of the third second half effect). During the high-brightness effect WO12, a common specific emphasis sound may be output as a sound effect. That is, a common specific emphasis sound may be output regardless of the reliability information regarding the jackpot in the second half effect. This allows, for example, different specific emphasis sounds to be output depending on the reliability information regarding the jackpot in the second half effect during the high-brightness effect WO11, while a common specific emphasis sound can be output during the high-brightness effect WO12 regardless of the reliability information regarding the jackpot. This allows different effect expressions to be achieved in the high-brightness effect WO11 and the high-brightness effect WO12. In addition, the predetermined emphasis sound in the high brightness effect WO11 may be configured to be common regardless of the reliability information regarding the jackpot, and the specific emphasis sound in the high brightness effect WO12 may be configured to be different depending on the reliability information regarding the jackpot.

[0136] The first to fifth specific emphasis sounds may be configured to have a larger output volume and / or output duration as the jackpot reliability increases based on reliability information about the jackpot in the second half performance. In this case, the third specific emphasis sound (first specific sound) output when the high-brightness performance WO12 is executed during the third second half performance ST3Bc (FIG. 22(c1)) (first high-brightness performance B) has a larger output volume and / or output duration than the first specific emphasis sound (second specific sound) output when the high-brightness performance WO12 is executed during the third second half performance ST3Ba (FIG. 22(a1)). The first to fifth specific emphasis sounds in the high-brightness performance WO12 may be different from or the same as the first to fifth specific emphasis sounds in the high-brightness performance WO11.

[0137] Furthermore, during the high-brightness effect WO12 (second high-brightness effect), at least some of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a second high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (second light-emitting mode), for example, in a cyclical change mode that cyclically changes between multiple colors (here, three colors: gold, green, and white) including the text color (here, gold) of the third second half effect ST3Bc (specific light-emitting effect in which the light-emitting means emits light in a specific light-emitting mode corresponding to a specific image). In this way, the second half light-emitting mode may be the same as or different from the first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode and the second half light-emitting mode, but it is preferable to configure it to include the text color (here, gold) of the third second half effect ST3Bc. Alternatively, the second half light-emitting mode may be configured not to include the text color (here, gold). Furthermore, by configuring the first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode to include the text color and the second half light-emitting mode to not include the text color, it is possible to avoid monotony in the presentation and prevent a decrease in the presentation effect.

[0138] When the symbol changing screen starts after the high brightness effect WO12, a symbol stopping sound is output as a sound effect in accordance with the stopping of the decorative symbols 164a to 164c.

[0139] Next, regarding the step-up notice effect shown in Figure 23, the effect period centered on the high-brightness effects WO11 and WO12 will be described in more detail. Figures 24 to 26 show the changes in the display screen and light-emitting means at even shorter time intervals than those in Figure 23 for the period from Figure 23(e) to (h), that is, the period from the start of the high-brightness effect WO11 to the end of the high-brightness effect WO12 and the transition to the variable screen of the decorative pattern 164. Note that the 22 frames of display images shown in Figures 24 to 26 do not represent all frames in the period from Figure 23(e) to (h), but are extracted at a fixed interval from all of those frames. Therefore, in Figures 24 to 26, the time interval between adjacent frames is the same (here, A milliseconds). As such, in Figures 24 to 26, if the number of frames doubles, the time also doubles. For example, the elapsed time between Figures 23(a) to (c) is the same as that between Figures 23(d) to (f), but the elapsed time between Figures 23(a) to (c) and Figures 23(d) to (g) is longer than that between Figures 23(a) to (c) and 23(d) to (g).

[0140] First, the details of the high brightness effect WO11 will be explained. In the high brightness effect WO11 shown in Fig. 24(a) to Fig. 25(j), at the start, a high brightness image 170a is displayed in front of the step-up notice effect image (specific image) 169 and behind the mini symbol 165, the reserved base image 168 and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of it (Fig. 24(a)) (high brightness image display process), and the size (range) and transmittance of the high brightness image 170a gradually change and finally disappear (Fig. 25(j)).

[0141] Furthermore, the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a is configured to be maximum at the start of display (FIG. 24(a)) and gradually decrease over time. That is, the high-brightness effect WO11 is configured with an enlargement change effect that changes the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a in an enlargement direction, and a reduction change effect that changes the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a in a reduction direction, and the execution time of the latter (FIGS. 24(a) to 25(j)) is longer than that of the former (FIG. 24(a)). In the high-brightness effect WO11, the coverage rate of the high-brightness image 170a with respect to the entire step-up preview effect image 169 is less than 100%, and even when the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a is maximum (FIG. 24(a)), a portion of the step-up preview effect image 169 is visible from the front. Of course, when the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a is at its maximum, the coverage rate of the high-brightness image 170a with respect to the entire step-up notice performance image 169 may be 100%. Also, it is sufficient that part of the predetermined information (text information, character image, reliability color display image, etc.) in the step-up notice performance image is concealed by the high-brightness image 170a, making it difficult to perceive and / or see, and it is not necessary for all of the predetermined information to be concealed.

[0142] The high-brightness image 170a is set so that its transmittance is approximately uniform within its range. The high-brightness image 170a changes not only its size (range) but also its transmittance over time (transmittance change processing, transmittance change effect), with the transmittance at a minimum (e.g., 0%) at the start of display (FIG. 24(a)) gradually increasing (rising) at a constant rate over time. That is, the high-brightness effect WO11 is comprised of a low-transmittance change effect that decreases the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a and a high-transmittance change effect that increases the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a, with the latter (FIGS. 24(a) to 25(j)) taking longer to execute than the former (FIG. 24(a)).

[0143] The minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a may be greater than 0%. The rate of change (amount of change per unit time) of the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a need not be constant. The transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a may be non-uniform, and the non-uniform transmittance may be changed over time. The size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a may be changed without changing the transmittance, or the transmittance may be changed without changing the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a. However, a reduction in the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a can be considered to mean that the transmittance of a portion of the high-brightness image 170a increases to 100%, essentially eliminating that portion. Therefore, changing the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a can be considered to essentially change the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a.

[0144] In addition, in the high-brightness performance WO11, the step-up notice performance image 169 displayed behind the high-brightness image 170a is switched from the previous image of the third first half performance ST3A (see FIG. 23(d)) to the image of the third second half performance ST3Bc (see FIG. 22(c1)) when the display of the high-brightness image 170a starts (FIG. 24(a)). As a result, after the start of the high-brightness performance WO11, the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a gradually decreases, and as the transmittance also gradually increases, the visibility of the step-up notice performance image 169 improves, and when the high-brightness image 170a eventually disappears (FIG. 25(j)), the entire step-up notice performance image 169 (excluding the part hidden behind the mini-pattern 165, etc.) becomes completely visible.

[0145] During the high-brightness effect WO11, the effect lamp L emits light in a first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode. The first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode is a cyclical change mode that cyclically changes among multiple colors (e.g., three colors: gold, green, and white) including the text color (e.g., gold) of the third latter half effect ST3Bc. For example, the light emission color changes in the order of green (FIGS. 24(a)-(c)), white (FIGS. 24(d)-(f)), and gold (FIGS. 24(g)-(i)) so that gold light corresponding to the text color appears in the latter half or final stage of the high-brightness effect WO11. However, without being limited to this, the light-emitting mode of the effect lamp L, for example, brightness and / or light-emitting color, may be changed in response to changes in the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a. This allows for a better correlation between changes in the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a and changes in the light-emitting mode, enhancing the effect of the effect. Furthermore, the light emission mode (e.g., brightness and light color) of the effect lamp L may be configured to change in stages according to changes in the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a. For example, when the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a is 0% to 30%, a first light emission mode is used, when it is 31% to 70%, a second light emission mode is used, and when it is 71% to 99%, a third light emission mode is used, and so on.

[0146] As described above, during the high-brightness performance WO11, the visibility of the step-up preview performance image 169 behind the high-brightness image 170a changes over time due to changes in the size (range) and / or transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a, and the text information constituting the step-up preview performance image 169 transitions from an invisible (or difficult to see) state to a visible (or easily visible) state at a predetermined point in time (e.g., FIG. 24(d)). That is, during the high-brightness performance WO11, a first transmittance change process can be executed that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a while making the text information invisible (or difficult to see), and a second transmittance change process can be executed that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a while making all of the text information visible (or easily visible). The execution times for the former (e.g., FIGS. 24(a) to (d)) and the latter (e.g., FIGS. 24(d) to 25(j)) are different, with the execution time for the latter being longer than the former. In this way, by making the execution time of the latter longer than that of the former, the character information that the player is most interested in can be disclosed to the player at an early stage, and the display time of the high brightness image can be set sufficiently, thereby enhancing the effect of the high brightness presentation itself.

[0147] The execution time of the first transmittance change process may be longer than that of the second transmittance change process, or the execution times of the first and second transmittance change processes may be approximately the same. By executing the first transmittance change process for a longer time than that of the second transmittance change process, the disclosure of the text information can be delayed, thereby increasing the player's sense of anticipation and tension. Furthermore, once the text information has been revealed, it is desirable to reveal the entire information as soon as possible (to increase visibility so that the text information is easier to see as soon as possible). Therefore, if the execution time of the first transmittance change process is set long, it is desirable to execute the second transmittance change process for a shorter time.

[0148] The boundary between the state in which the text information is invisible (or difficult to be visible) and the state in which it is visible (or easily visible) may be defined as the moment when at least a part of the text information is no longer overlapped with the high-brightness image, or the moment when all (the entire) of the text information is no longer overlapped with the high-brightness image.

[0149] Furthermore, during the high-brightness performance WO11, a first range change process can be executed that changes the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a while making the text information invisible (or difficult to see), and a second range change process can be executed that changes the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170a while making all of the text information visible (or easy to see). The execution times for the former (e.g., Figures 24(a) to (d)) and the latter (e.g., Figures 24(d) to 25(j)) are different, with the latter taking longer than the former. Note that the execution time for the first range change process may be longer than that for the second range change process, or the execution times for the former and latter may be approximately the same.

[0150] When the high-brightness effect WO11 ends and the entire step-up preview effect image 169 for the third-second half effect ST3Bc becomes visible (FIG. 25(j)), the line "Even better things could happen" (third-second half voice) corresponding to the line string (text information) displayed on the screen is output. The following dynamic display is performed on the step-up preview effect image 169 in response to the output of the line sound (post-execution dynamic display process, post-execution change process). That is, as shown in FIGS. 25(j)-(o), while the line sound (third-second half voice) is being output, the fox character image lip-syncs in time with the line sound, and the line string performs a predetermined movement (here, each character swings). Furthermore, the display color of the characters corresponding to the line sound being output temporarily changes (e.g., from gold to white). This causes the white portion to be perceived as moving, for example, from left to right, on the gold-colored string of "Even better things could happen." It should be noted that the dialogue may be output without the character lip-syncing.

[0151] When the post-execution dynamic display process (FIGS. 25(j)-(o)) in the third latter half performance ST3Bc ends, the high-brightness performance WO12 starts. In the high-brightness performance WO12 shown in FIG. 25(o)-FIG. 26(v), similar to the high-brightness performance WO11, high-brightness image 170b appears in front of step-up notice performance image 169 and behind mini symbol 165, reserved base image 168, and reserved images X1-X4, Y1-Y4 in front of them, and then disappears. However, the display pattern of high-brightness image 170b in this high-brightness performance WO12 (second high-brightness performance) is different from the display pattern of high-brightness image 170a in high-brightness performance WO11 (first high-brightness performance), and the length of their execution time is also different. In addition, the high-brightness effect WO12 (second high-brightness effect), like the high-brightness effect WO11 (first high-brightness effect), may be configured to display a high-brightness image with low transmittance (e.g., 0%) for a short period of time, and then transition to a pattern-changing screen by increasing the transmittance of the high-brightness image over a longer period of time.

[0152] That is, the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b gradually increases over time, reaching a maximum at a predetermined point (FIGS. 25(o) to 26(s)), and then gradually decreases over time until it finally disappears (FIGS. 26(s) to (v)). In this way, the high-brightness effect WO12 is composed of an enlargement change effect that changes the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b in an enlargement direction, and a reduction change effect that changes the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b in a reduction direction, and the execution time of the latter (FIGS. 26(s) to 26(v)) is shorter than that of the former (FIGS. 25(o) to 26(s)). In the high-brightness effect WO12, the coverage rate of the high-brightness image 170b with respect to the entire step-up preview effect image 169 is less than 100%, and even when the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b is at its maximum (FIG. 26(s)), a part of the step-up preview effect image 169 is outside the range of the high-brightness image 170b. Of course, when the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b is at its maximum, the coverage rate of the high-brightness image 170 relative to the entire step-up preview performance image 169 may be 100%.

[0153] Note that the high-brightness effect WO12 (second high-brightness effect) and the high-brightness effect WO11 (first high-brightness effect) may be configured to have different coverage rates of high-brightness images relative to the entire step-up preview effect image, and in this case, it is desirable that at least the information suggesting reliability (text information, character information, display suggesting reliability color) is covered by high-brightness images in both the high-brightness effect WO12 (second high-brightness effect) and the high-brightness effect WO11 (first high-brightness effect). Also, at the time when the high-brightness effect WO12 (second high-brightness effect) is executed, the information suggesting reliability has already been disclosed, so there may be areas / ranges where this information is not hidden by the high-brightness image.

[0154] The high-brightness image 170b is set so that its transmittance is approximately uniform within its range. The high-brightness image 170b is configured to change not only its size (range) but also its transmittance (transmittance change processing, transmittance change effect), so that the transmittance gradually decreases over time, for example, at a constant rate of change, reaching a minimum (0% here) at a predetermined point in time (FIGS. 25(o) to 26(s)), and then gradually increases over time, for example, at a constant rate of change (FIGS. 26(s) to 26(v)). That is, the high-brightness effect WO12 is comprised of a low-transmittance change effect that decreases the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170b, and a high-transmittance change effect that increases the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170b, and the execution time of the latter (FIGS. 26(s) to 26(v)) is shorter than that of the former (FIGS. 25(o) to 26(s)). Although the minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170b is set to 0% (FIG. 26(s)), it may be greater than 0%. Of course, the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170b may be non-uniform, and the non-uniform transmittance may be changed over time. Furthermore, the execution time of the high-transmittance change effect may be longer than that of the low-transmittance change effect, or the execution times of both may be approximately the same.

[0155] Furthermore, the size (range) of high-brightness image 170b may be changed without changing the transmittance of high-brightness image 170b, or the transmittance may be changed without changing the size (range) of high-brightness image 170b. However, a reduction in the size (range) of high-brightness image 170b can be considered to mean that the transmittance of a portion of high-brightness image 170b has increased to 100%, causing that portion to essentially disappear. Therefore, changing the size (range) of high-brightness image 170b can be said to essentially change the transmittance of high-brightness image 170b.

[0156] In addition, in the high-brightness effect WO12, the step-up notice effect image 169 displayed behind the high-brightness image 170b is switched to a variable screen (see FIG. 23(h)) of the decorative pattern 164, for example, when the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b becomes maximum and the transmittance becomes minimum (FIG. 26(s)), or at a timing close to that time. As a result, after the start of the high-brightness effect WO12, the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b gradually increases, and similarly the transmittance gradually decreases, the visibility of the step-up notice effect image 169 related to the third latter half effect ST3B decreases, and the screen is switched to the variable screen of the decorative pattern 164 at the point when the visibility of the step-up notice effect image 169 becomes lowest (FIG. 26(s)), or at a timing close to that time. Then, the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170b gradually decreases, and as the transmittance also gradually increases, the visibility of the varying screen of the decorative pattern 164 improves, and when the high-brightness image 170b eventually disappears (FIG. 26(v)), the entire varying screen of the decorative pattern 164 (excluding the part hidden behind the mini-pattern 165, etc.) becomes completely visible. In this way, during the execution of the high-brightness effect WO12, a specific image end effect is executed to end the display of the step-up notice effect image (specific image) 169.

[0157] During the third latter half of the performance ST3Bc (during post-execution dynamic display processing) after the high-brightness performance WO11 ends, the performance lamp L emits light in the latter half of the performance mode, and during the subsequent high-brightness performance WO12, the performance lamp L emits light in the second high-brightness medium performance mode. In this embodiment, both the latter half of the performance mode and the second high-brightness medium performance mode are common to the first high-brightness medium performance mode, and are cyclically changed to multiple colors (e.g., three colors: gold, green, and white) including the text color (e.g., gold) of the third latter half of the performance ST3Bc, and the light color changes in the order of green (Figures 25(j)-(l)), white (Figures 25(m)-(o)), gold (Figures 25(p)-(r)), and green (Figures 26(s)-(u)). At least one of the latter half of the performance mode and the second high-brightness medium performance mode may be different from the first high-brightness medium performance mode. However, even in this case, it is desirable that any light emission mode include a color corresponding to the character color (for example, gold).

[0158] As described above, the step-up notice performance has a first half performance before displaying the step-up notice performance image 169 (specific image) having reliability information about the jackpot (i.e., text information whose display color and content differ depending on the reliability of the jackpot), and a second half performance in which the step-up notice performance image 169 (specific image) having the reliability information about the jackpot is displayed, and after the first half performance is executed, before or at the start of the second half performance, a high-brightness performance WO11 is executed in front of the specific image. Also, the performance lamp (light-emitting means) L emits light in a first half light-emitting mode (first light-emitting mode) corresponding to this first half performance in the first half performance, and emits light in a first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (second light-emitting mode) corresponding to this high-brightness performance WO11 in the high-brightness performance WO11.

[0159] Moreover, in the high-brightness performances WO11 and WO12 of the step-up notice performance, the high-brightness images 170a and 170b are displayed in front of the step-up notice performance image 169 (specific image) and behind the first and second reserved images (reserved images) X1-, Y1- and the mini pattern 165, thereby changing the visibility of the step-up notice performance image 169 while not changing the visibility of the first and second reserved images X1-, Y1- and the mini pattern 165. The high-brightness performance WO11 is composed of a low-transmittance change performance that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a in a decreasing direction and a high-transmittance change performance that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a in an increasing direction, and the latter (Fig. 24(a) to Fig. 25(j)) has a longer execution time than the former (Fig. 24(a)). On the other hand, in the high brightness effect WO12, the execution time of the high transmittance change effect (FIGS. 26(s) to 26(v)) is shorter than that of the low transmittance change effect (FIGS. 25(o) to 26(s)).

[0160] In addition, in the high-brightness performance WO11 of the step-up preview performance, it is possible to execute a high-brightness image display process (Figure 24(a)) that displays a high-brightness image 170a, and a transmittance change process (Figures 24(a) to 25(j)) that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a displayed by the high-brightness image display process, and by increasing the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a by the transmittance change process, the visibility of the step-up preview performance image 169 behind it is gradually improved. In addition, the step-up preview performance image 169 has a character image (specific character information) having reliability information, and during the high-brightness performance WO11, it is possible to execute a first transmittance change process that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a in a state where the character information is not visible (or difficult to see), and a second transmittance change process that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170a in a state where all of the character information is visible (or easy to see), and the execution time differs between the former (e.g., Figures 24(a) to (d)) and the latter (e.g., Figures 24(d) to 25(j)), with the latter taking longer than the former.

[0161] In addition, in the step-up notice performance, it is possible to display any of a plurality of types of specific images, including a step-up notice performance image (first reliability specific image having first reliability information corresponding to first reliability) displayed in the third latter half performance ST3Ba (Fig. 22(a1)) and a step-up notice performance image (second reliability specific image having second reliability information corresponding to second reliability higher than first reliability) displayed in the third latter half performance ST3Bc (Fig. 22(c1)), and the high brightness image 170 in the high brightness performance WO11 While the third second half performance ST3Ba is displayed, the high-brightness image 170a is common to both the third second half performance ST3Ba and the third second half performance ST3Bb, and in the case of the third second half performance ST3Ba, a first predetermined emphasis sound corresponding to the image related to the third second half performance ST3Ba (first reliability specific image A) can be output (first sound effect), and in the case of the third second half performance ST3Bc, a third predetermined emphasis sound corresponding to the image related to the third second half performance ST3Bc (second reliability specific image A) can be output (second sound effect) while the high-brightness image 170a is displayed.

[0162] Furthermore, in the step-up notice performance, while the high-brightness performance WO12 is being executed, the step-up notice performance image 169 relating to the third latter half performance ST3Bc is switched to a variable screen of the decorative pattern 164, thereby making it possible to execute a specific image end performance that ends the display of the step-up notice performance image 169 including the text image. Furthermore, when the specific image end performance is executed while the high-brightness performance WO12 is being executed, the performance lamp (light-emitting means) L emits light in a second high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (specific light-emitting mode corresponding to the specific image) including the text color of the latter half performance (specific light-emitting mode).

[0163] In the step-up notice performance, a step-up notice performance image (specific image) 169 having reliability information regarding a jackpot is displayed during the execution of a high-brightness performance WO11 (first high-brightness performance), and then the display is terminated during the execution of a high-brightness performance WO12 (second high-brightness performance) (performance at the end of a specific image). The high-brightness performance WO11 and the high-brightness performance WO12 have different lengths of execution time, and in the examples of Figures 24 to 26, the high-brightness performance WO11 has a longer execution time than the high-brightness performance WO12.

[0164] In addition, in the step-up preview performance, a step-up preview performance image 169 containing jackpot reliability information is displayed while the high-brightness performance WO11 is being executed, and after the high-brightness performance WO11 ends, a post-execution dynamic display process is executed to dynamically display at least a part of the step-up preview performance image 169, and a post-execution change process (Figures 25(j) to (o)) is executed to perform a predetermined change (color change) on at least a part of the step-up preview performance image 169.

[0165] In addition, in the step-up preview performance, it is possible to execute a high-brightness performance (A-1 high-brightness performance) WO11 that displays a high-brightness image (A-1 high-brightness image) 170a, and a high-brightness performance (A-2 high-brightness performance) WO12 that displays a high-brightness image (A-2 high-brightness image) 170b. The high-brightness performance (A-1 high-brightness performance) WO11 is executed at the first timing when the first scene image relating to the first half performance switches to the second scene image relating to the second half performance, and the high-brightness performance (A-2 high-brightness performance) WO12 is executed at the second timing thereafter.

[0166] In the step-up notice performance, during the high-brightness performance WO11, a character image containing jackpot reliability information is displayed, and when the display of the character image ends, a high-brightness performance WO12 (performance at the end of a specific image) can be executed. During the high-brightness performance WO11, a first light-emitting performance is executed in which the performance lamp (light-emitting means) L is illuminated in a first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (first light-emitting mode) corresponding to the reliability information (for example, display color) in the character image, and during the high-brightness performance WO12 (performance at the end of a specific image), a second light-emitting performance is executed in which the performance lamp (light-emitting means) L is illuminated in a second high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (second light-emitting mode). Note that the second high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (second light-emitting mode) may be different from the first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (first light-emitting mode).

[0167] Furthermore, in the step-up preview performance, the output volume and / or output duration of the third predetermined emphasis sound (first specific sound B) output when the high brightness performance WO11 is executed (first high brightness performance B) during the third latter half performance ST3Bc (Fig. 22(c1)) is greater than the first predetermined emphasis sound (second second specific sound B) output when the high brightness performance WO11 is executed (second high brightness performance B) during the third latter half performance ST3Ba (Fig. 22(a1)). A vibration performance may be executed substantially simultaneously with the third predetermined emphasis sound. Alternatively, a vibration performance may be executed instead of the third predetermined emphasis sound.

[0168] The step-up preview performance is an example of a text information display performance that displays text information, and is capable of executing a high-brightness performance WO11 as a text information display start performance (first specific performance) that is performed when the display of text information begins, and a high-brightness performance WO12 as a text information display end performance (second specific performance) that is performed when the display of text information ends.After the high-brightness performance WO11 (text information display start performance) is executed, a display mode change process (specific display process that displays text information in a specific display mode) (Figures 25(j) to (o)) is executed to change the display mode of the text information, and the display mode change process (specific display process) is not executed while the high-brightness performance WO12 (text information display end performance) is being executed.

[0169] In the above step-up preview effects, the number of variations of reliability indications that can be implemented in the first to fifth second-half effects ST1B to ST5B is uniformly set to five (FIG. 22). However, the number of variations of reliability suggestions that can be implemented in the first to fifth second-half effects ST1B to ST5B that are executed thereafter may be varied depending on the contents of the first to fifth first-half effects ST1A to ST5A. Specifically, in the first to third second-half effects ST1B to ST3B, three types of reliability suggestions may be implemented, starting with the lowest reliability, and in the fourth and fifth second-half effects ST4B to ST5B, five types of reliability suggestions may be implemented. Furthermore, in the fourth and fifth second-half effects ST4B to ST5B, reliability suggestions (two types with high reliability) that are not implemented in the first to third second-half effects ST1B to ST3B may be implemented. In addition, the number of variations in executable reliability suggestions may be varied depending on the character and stage, such as three types for the first second half performance ST1B, three types for the second second half performance ST2B, three types for the third second half performance ST3B, five types for the fourth second half performance ST4B, and four types for the fifth second half performance ST5B.

[0170] Furthermore, depending on the selection rate of each character, the number of reliability suggestion variations may be increased for characters with high selection rates and decreased for characters with low selection rates. This configuration allows the player to see more presentation variations, resulting in a presentation configuration that does not bore the player. Furthermore, the number of reliability suggestion variations may be increased for characters with low selection rates compared to characters with high selection rates. Furthermore, if the order of selection rates is set to elephant, lion, fox, squirrel, and bear, the number of reliability suggestion variations may be increased for foxes and squirrels compared to elephants and lions. Furthermore, in this case, the number of reliability suggestion variations for bears may be decreased compared to foxes and squirrels. In this case, it is desirable to configure the reliability suggestion variations that are executed when a bear is selected so that only high-reliability suggestions are available, and no low-reliability suggestions are available.

[0171] The various configurations in the step-up preview effect described above are not limited to this step-up preview effect, but can also be used in other various effects (preview effects and partial effects). For example, various configurations such as the high-brightness effects WO11 and WO12 in the step-up preview effect may be used in the reach preview effect, dialogue preview effect, etc., which will be described later.

[0172] [Reach announcement effect] 27 to 31 show an example of a reach notice effect executed during normal fluctuation in a reach fluctuation pattern or a normal fluctuation pattern. This reach notice effect (specific notice effect) provides a notice regarding the establishment of a reach state and is composed of a reach notice first half effect RC1 and a reach notice second half effect RC2. The effect mode of the reach notice second half effect RC2 is set to be selected from multiple types (here, four types shown in FIG. 27) depending on the type of fluctuation pattern selected. The jackpot reliability is set to gradually increase from the first effect mode RC2a (FIG. 27(a)) to the fourth effect mode RC2d (FIG. 27(d)). In this way, for example, the effect image according to the first effect mode RC2a (FIG. 27(a)) is an example of a B-1 reliability specific image corresponding to the B-1 reliability, and the effect image according to the second effect mode RC2b (FIG. 27(b)) is an example of a B-2 reliability specific image corresponding to the B-2 reliability.

[0173] The multiple types (four types) of performance modes RC2a to RC2d of this reach notice second half performance RC2 are generally the same in terms of the characters that appear in the performance images and their actions, but the line strings displayed in front of the character images, etc., the corresponding line sounds that are output as voice, and the base color of the performance images are different. That is, as shown in Figure 27, the first to fourth performance modes RC2a to RC2d all display the same kappa character image, but the line strings displayed in front of the character image and the corresponding line sounds are different for all four types, and are respectively "It's a reach!", "It's a SP reach!", "Big chance!!", and "Super hot!!".

[0174] The display colors of the dialogue text and the base colors of the effect images are also different for all four types. The display colors (internal colors) and base colors of the dialogue text corresponding to the first to fourth effect modes RC2a to RC2d are "blue," "red," "gold," and "danger," respectively. The danger colors are as described above. Since the first to fourth effect modes RC2a to RC2d have different jackpot reliability depending on the display color of the text, the text image (specific text information) or the reach notice effect image containing the text image can be said to contain reliability information regarding a jackpot. Multiple display modes (here, display colors) may be used for a common text string. In cases where the text string itself indicates reliability, such as "super hot," it is desirable to enable the effect to be expressed using multiple display modes (display colors) with different reliability, such as configuring the danger-colored "super hot" to indicate a higher reliability than the gold-colored "super hot." In this case, a plurality of display modes other than the display color (character color), such as the size of the character outline, may be provided.

[0175] Next, a specific example of the reach notice performance will be described using an example in which the first performance mode RC2a (FIG. 27(a)) of the first to fourth performance modes RC2a to RC2d is selected, but first an overview will be provided with reference to FIG. 28. When the reach notice performance starts during normal fluctuation in the reach fluctuation pattern, the speakers 18, 25 start outputting BGM2 related to this reach notice performance as background music, and on the display screen 58a, the decorative pattern 164 during high-speed fluctuation is hidden, and the reserved base image 168 is displayed at the bottom end and the mini pattern 165 is displayed at the top end, with a reach notice performance image 171 related to the reach notice first half performance RC1 displayed behind them (FIG. 28(a)). This reach notice performance image 171 related to the reach notice first half performance RC1 is composed of a scene in which a kappa character flies in the sky.

[0176] During this reach notice first half performance RC1 (Fig. 28(a)), at least a part of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame side lamps La and the board side lamps Lb) emits light in a first half light emission pattern corresponding to the reach notice first half performance, for example, orange. At the start of the reach notice performance, a predetermined start sound may be output as a sound effect.

[0177] Thereafter, the game transitions from the reach notice first half performance RC1 to the reach notice second half performance RC2 (here, the first performance mode RC2a), and the reach notice performance image 171 switches to a scene in which the kappa character's upper body is shown up close (FIG. 28(b)~). Furthermore, at the time of the scene change (switching from the first scene image to the second scene image) accompanying the transition from this reach notice first half performance RC1 to the reach notice second half performance RC2 (first timing), a high-brightness performance (first high-brightness performance) WO21 is executed, which reduces the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170c (here, the reach notice performance image 171) (FIG. 28(b)). Thus, at the first timing when the high-brightness performance WO21 is executed, the dialogue string (character image) containing reliability information regarding the jackpot is not yet displayed on the screen. In this high brightness effect WO21, the minimum transmittance of the high brightness image is set to greater than 0%, but the minimum transmittance of the high brightness image may be set to 0% so that the character image behind it becomes completely invisible.

[0178] During the high-brightness effect WO21 (Figure 28(b)), the output of BGM2 related to the reach notice effect continues. Furthermore, at the start of the high-brightness effect WO21, a predetermined first emphasis sound is output as a sound effect. Furthermore, during the high-brightness effect WO21, at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a high-brightness medium light-emitting mode. This high-brightness medium light-emitting mode includes a specific color (e.g., blue) corresponding to the text color of the reach notice second half effect RC2, and is configured to change, for example, from a specific color (here, white) to the specific color (here, blue). Note that this high-brightness medium light-emitting mode may also be configured not to include the specific color corresponding to the text color. This makes it possible to prevent the content of the text information to be displayed subsequently from being revealed in advance.

[0179] When the high-brightness effect WO21 ends and the reach preview effect image 171 becomes fully visible (Fig. 28(c)), the dialogue string (text information) "It's reach!" begins to be displayed in front of the character image (text information display start effect). At this time, the dialogue string appears accompanied by a first dynamic display effect (Fig. 28(c) -> (d)). That is, during the first dynamic display period in which the first dynamic display effect is executed, a text information display start effect (first specific effect) is executed when the display of text information begins. In this first dynamic display effect, the dialogue string moves (here, a movement involving rotation) at a first change speed toward a predetermined display position.

[0180] During the text information display start effect, the output of BGM2 related to the reach notice effect continues. Furthermore, when the dialogue string begins to be displayed (when the text information display start effect begins), a predetermined character appearance sound is output as a sound effect. Furthermore, during the text information display start effect, at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a character appearance light-emitting mode. This character appearance light-emitting mode is a cyclic change mode that cyclically changes between multiple colors (e.g., blue and white) including the text color (here, blue) of the dialogue string displayed on the screen. It is preferable that the light-emitting color used in this cyclic change mode not be a color (here, red, gold, etc.) that indicates higher reliability than the text color (here, blue) of the dialogue string. In this case, it is preferable to use a color that indicates lower reliability than the text color of the dialogue string, or a light-emitting color (here, white, etc.) that is not used to indicate reliability. Furthermore, a light-emitting mode corresponding only to the text color of the dialogue string may be adopted, or a light-emitting mode other than continuous lighting, such as flashing, may be used. Also, it may be configured so that only specific light-emitting points have an emitting color corresponding to the character color of the dialogue string, and other light-emitting points have an emitting color other than that (for example, white or off). In this case, for the other emitting colors, it is desirable not to use a color (here, red, gold, etc.) that indicates higher reliability than the emitting color (here, blue) that corresponds to the character color of the dialogue string, and it is desirable to use a color that indicates lower reliability than the character color of the dialogue string, or an emitting color (here, white, etc.) that is not used to suggest reliability.

[0181] When the dialogue string is displayed at a predetermined display position after the first dynamic display effect (second timing), a high-brightness effect (first-class second high-brightness effect) WO22 is executed, which reduces the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170d (here, the reach notice effect image 171) by displaying the high-brightness image 170d (FIG. 28(d)). Thus, at the second timing when the high-brightness effect WO22 is executed, the dialogue string (character image) containing the reliability information regarding the jackpot is already displayed on the screen. During this high-brightness effect WO22, the output of BGM2 related to the reach notice effect continues, and a predetermined second emphasis sound is output as a sound effect. Furthermore, during the high-brightness effect WO22, at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) continue to emit light in the character appearance light-emitting mode.

[0182] When the high-brightness effect WO22 ends and the reach notice effect image 171 including the dialogue string becomes fully visible (FIG. 28(e)), a predetermined reach notice voice is output as a dialogue sound (dialogue output effect). This reach notice voice corresponds to the dialogue string displayed on the screen, and in this case, "It's reach." However, this is not a limitation, and the dialogue output effect of "It's reach" may be configured to be executed while the high-brightness effect WO22 is being executed, or may be configured to be executed from the timing when the dialogue string appears before the execution of the high-brightness effect WO22. Furthermore, during the dialogue output effect, the output of BGM2 related to the reach notice effect continues, and at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emits light in a dialogue output light-emitting mode (here, blue) corresponding to the character color of the dialogue string (i.e., the reliability information).

[0183] When the dialogue output effect ends, an end effect (specific image end effect) is executed to end the display of the reach notice effect image 171 related to the reach notice effect and switch to a pattern changing screen (Fig. 28(f)). During this end effect, at least a part of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in an end light-emitting mode (for example, orange) that is different from the previous dialogue output light-emitting mode (here, blue) or character appearance light-emitting mode (here, a cyclical change mode between blue and white), but this end light-emitting mode may be configured to be the same light-emitting mode as either the dialogue output light-emitting mode or the character appearance light-emitting mode. When the pattern changing screen starts after the end effect (Fig. 28(g)), a pattern stop sound is output as a sound effect in accordance with the stopping of the decorative patterns 164a to 164c. Note that the reach preview effect shown in Figure 28 has a different jackpot reliability than the step-up preview effect shown in Figure 23, and here the latter has a higher jackpot reliability than the former (Figure 20).

[0184] The high-brightness effect (A-2 high-brightness effect) WO22 may be configured to have a different execution time than the high-brightness effect (A-1 high-brightness effect) WO21, or may be configured to have the same execution time. The two may also be configured to have different or identical transmittances for the high-brightness images. The display ranges of the high-brightness images may also be different or identical. Since no text is displayed during the execution of the high-brightness effect (A-1 high-brightness effect) WO21, but text is displayed during the execution of the high-brightness effect (A-2 high-brightness effect) WO22, it is sufficient for the high-brightness effect (A-2 high-brightness effect) WO22 to display a high-brightness image that makes at least the text difficult to see. For example, the high-brightness image may be configured to have different transmittances for the character (kappa) portion and the text portion. Alternatively, the high-brightness image may be displayed so that it does not overlap or only partially overlaps the character (kappa) portion, and so that it overlaps the character string portion. When dynamically displaying the character (kappa) and / or character string, it is desirable that they are always displayed within the display range of the high-brightness image. However, this is not limiting, and the character (kappa) and / or character string may be configured so that there are times when they overlap the display range of the high-brightness image and times when they do not. This allows the visibility of the character (kappa) and / or character string to be changed during dynamic display, thereby improving the presentation effect. The dynamic pattern used when dynamically displaying the character (kappa) and / or character string during high-brightness presentation may be configured to be different from the dynamic pattern used when dynamically displaying the character (kappa) and / or character string after the high-brightness presentation has ended.

[0185] Next, regarding the reach notice effect shown in Figure 28, the effect period centered on the high-brightness effects WO21 and WO22 will be described in more detail. Figures 29 to 31 show changes in the display screen and light-emitting means at even shorter time intervals than those in Figure 28 during the period from Figure 28(b) to (g), that is, the period from the start of the high-brightness effect WO21 to the end of the reach notice effect and the transition to the variable screen of the decorative pattern 164. Note that the 20 frames of display images shown in Figures 29 to 31 are extracted at a constant interval from all frames during the period from Figure 28(b) to (g). Therefore, in Figures 29 to 31, the time interval between adjacent frames is all the same, and is A milliseconds, the same as in Figures 24 to 26 for the step-up notice effect.

[0186] First, the details of the high brightness effect WO21 will be explained. In the high brightness effect WO21 shown in Fig. 29(a) to (f), at the start, a high brightness image 170c is displayed in front of the reach notice effect image 171 and behind the mini symbol 165, reserved base image 168 and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of them (Fig. 29(a)), and the transmittance of the high brightness image 170c gradually changes and finally disappears (Fig. 29(f)).

[0187] Here, the high-brightness image 170c is displayed in a range (size) that covers the entire reach notice effect image 171, and the transmittance is uniform within the display range. The display range does not change over time, but the transmittance changes over time (transmittance change processing, transmittance change effect). The transmittance of the high-brightness image 170c is minimum (25% here) at the start of display (FIG. 29(a)), and is configured to gradually increase (rise) at a constant rate over time (first display pattern). That is, the high-brightness effect WO21 is composed of a low-transmittance change effect that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170c in a decreasing direction, and a high-transmittance change effect that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170c in an increasing direction, and the execution time of the latter (FIGS. 29(a)-(f)) is longer than that of the former (FIG. 29(a)). In the high-brightness image 170c, the minimum transmittance is greater than 0% (here, 25%), and even at the start of display at this minimum transmittance (FIG. 29(a)), the reach notice effect image 171 is slightly visible. The transmittance at the start of display of the high-brightness image 170c may be set to 0%, so that the display content behind the high-brightness image 170c cannot be seen at the start of display.

[0188] Of course, the high-brightness image 170c may be set to a display range (size) such that the coverage rate of the reach notice effect image 171 is less than 100%, or the transmittance within the display range may be non-uniform. The display range (size) may be changed over time while changing the transmittance or without changing the transmittance. The minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170c may be set to 0%. The execution time of the high-transmittance change effect may be shorter than that of the low-transmittance change effect, or the execution times of both may be approximately the same.

[0189] Furthermore, at a predetermined point in the high-brightness effect WO21, for example, at its start (FIG. 29(a)), the effect scenario is switched, and the reach notice effect image 171 behind the high-brightness image 170c is switched from the image of the previous reach notice first-half effect RC1 to the image of the reach notice second-half effect RC2. In other words, the high-brightness effect WO21 is an example of a high-brightness effect at the time of image change that can be executed when an image change process is performed to change from the first image to the second image, and is an example of a high-brightness effect at the time of scenario change that is executed when the effect scenario is switched. As a result, after the start of the high-brightness effect WO21, as the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170c gradually increases, the visibility of the reach notice effect image 171 improves, and when the high-brightness image 170c eventually disappears (FIG. 29(f)), the entire reach notice effect image 171 (except for the portion hidden behind the mini-pattern 165, etc.) becomes completely visible.

[0190] During the execution of the high brightness effect WO21, the mini symbol 165 goes from between "3·5·7" and "4·6·8" (Fig. 29(a)) to "8·2·4" (Fig. 29(f)). In other words, the execution time of the high brightness effect WO21 (Figs. 29(a) to (f)) is longer than the period for the mini symbol 165 to go around one cycle.

[0191] During the high-brightness effect WO21, the effect lamp L emits light in a medium-high-brightness light-emitting mode. The medium-high-brightness light-emitting mode is configured to emit a predetermined color (white in this case) until a predetermined point in time during the high-brightness effect WO21 (FIGS. 29(a)-(b)), and then change to a specific color (blue in this case) thereafter (FIGS. 29(c)-(e)).

[0192] When the high-brightness effect WO21 ends and the reach notice effect image 171 becomes fully visible (Fig. 29(f)), the text information display start effect (Figs. 29(f)-(h)) is performed simultaneously or at a predetermined timing thereafter. In this text information display start effect, a line string (text information) of "It's reach!" appears in front of the character image, etc., accompanied by a first dynamic display effect (first dynamic display period). In this first dynamic display effect, the line string moves at a first change speed (here, a movement accompanied by rotation and shrinking changes) toward a predetermined display position. Due to this first dynamic display effect accompanied by rotation and shrinking changes, the player perceives the line string as moving toward the back of the screen while rotating, for example, clockwise. Note that the dialogue string "It's a win!" is displayed in blue (Figure 27(a)), but the display mode (display color and shape) of the dialogue string does not change during the first dynamic display performance (a specific display process that displays the text information in a specific display mode is not executed).

[0193] When the dialogue character string reaches a predetermined display position after the first dynamic display effect (Fig. 29(h)), a high-brightness effect WO22 (Figs. 29(h) to 30(l)) is executed, which displays a high-brightness image 170d to reduce the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170d (here, the reach notice effect image 171). Unlike the high-brightness effect WO21, this high-brightness effect WO22 is executed when the effect scenario is not switched, i.e., at a timing when the reach notice effect image 171 is not changed. In this way, the high-brightness effect WO22 is an example of a high-brightness effect when an image is not changed that can be executed when the predetermined image is not changed (image change), and is an example of a high-brightness effect when a scenario is not switched that is executed at a timing when the effect scenario is not switched.

[0194] In this high brightness effect WO22, similar to the high brightness effect WO21, a high brightness image 170d appears in front of the reach notice effect image 171 and behind the mini symbol 165, reserved base image 168, and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of it, and then disappears, but the change (display pattern) of the high brightness image 170d is different from the high brightness image 170b in the high brightness effect WO21. Note that the high brightness image may be configured to appear in front of the reserved base image 168 and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of it, and this is the same in other effects.

[0195] That is, the high-brightness image 170d is displayed in a range (size) that covers the entire reach-notification effect image 171, and the transmittance is uniform within the display range, and the display range does not change over time, but the transmittance changes over time (transmittance change processing, transmittance change effect), which is the same as the high-brightness image 170c, but the transmittance gradually decreases over time to a minimum (here, 40%) at a predetermined time point (FIGS. 29(h) to 30(j)), and then gradually increases over time (FIGS. 30(j) to (l)) (second display pattern). Thus, the high-brightness effect WO22 is composed of a low-transmittance change effect that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170d in a decreasing direction, and a high-transmittance change effect that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170d in an increasing direction, and the execution times of the former (FIGS. 29(h) to 30(j)) and the latter (FIGS. 30(j) to (l)) are approximately the same. Of course, the execution time of the high transmittance change effect may be longer than that of the low transmittance change effect, or vice versa. Note that in the high-brightness image 170d, the minimum transmittance is greater than 0% (here, 40%), and the reach notice effect image 171 is visible even at the predetermined time point (FIG. 30(j)) when the minimum transmittance is reached.

[0196] During the execution of the high brightness effect WO22, the mini symbol 165 goes from "5·7·1" (Fig. 29(h)) to "7·1·3" (Fig. 30(l)). In other words, the execution time of the high brightness effect WO22 (Fig. 29(h) to Fig. 30(l)) is longer than the period for the mini symbol 165 to go through one cycle. In addition, the execution time of the high transmittance change effect may be longer than that of the low transmittance change effect, or vice versa.

[0197] Furthermore, during this high-brightness effect WO22, an arrival emphasis operation is performed to emphasize that the dialogue character string has reached a predetermined display position; in this case, an expansion / contraction operation (enlargement / reduction operation) of the dialogue character string is performed (FIGS. 29(h) to 30(l)). Note that the type of arrival emphasis operation is arbitrary, and any type of operation may be used, such as a bounding operation of the dialogue character string or a transformation operation other than enlargement / reduction. Furthermore, the high-brightness effect WO22 may be configured to be executed at the timing when the arrival emphasis operation of the dialogue character string is completed. In other words, during the high-brightness effect WO22, the transformation operation of the dialogue character string may be configured not to be executed. Alternatively, during the high-brightness effect WO22, the dialogue character string may be configured to be only subjected to a smaller transformation operation than the arrival emphasis operation of the dialogue character string performed before the execution of the high-brightness effect WO22.

[0198] During the period from the character information display start effect to the high brightness effect WO22, the effect lamp L emits light in a character appearance light-emitting mode. The character appearance light-emitting mode is a cyclic change mode in which the light circulates through multiple colors (e.g., blue and white) including the character color (here, blue) of the dialogue string displayed on the screen, and the light color changes as follows: white (Fig. 29(f)-(g)) → blue (Fig. 29(h)-(i)) → white (Fig. 30(j)-(k)).

[0199] When the high-brightness effect WO22 ends and the entire reach-notification effect image 171, including the dialogue string, becomes visible (Fig. 30(l)), a dialogue output effect is performed, and a voice message (a reach-notification voice) of "It's reach" corresponding to the dialogue string (text information) displayed on the screen is output. During this dialogue output effect (second dynamic display period), a second dynamic display effect is performed for the dialogue string (Figs. 30(l)-(p)). In this second dynamic display effect, the dialogue string is displayed at a second change speed (here, slower than the first change speed) that is different from the change speed during the first dynamic display effect (first change speed), for example, by slowly shrinking. This shrinking display causes the player to perceive the dialogue string as moving toward the back of the screen.

[0200] During the second dynamic display period in which the second dynamic display effect is performed on the dialogue character string, the mini-pattern 165 goes from "7·1·3" (Fig. 30(l)) to "1·3·5" (Fig. 30(p)). That is, the second dynamic display period (Fig. 30(l) to (p)) is longer than the period in which the mini-pattern 165 goes around, and is also longer than the first dynamic display period (Fig. 29(f) to (h)). In the example of Fig. 29, the first dynamic display period (Fig. 29(f) to (h)) is shorter than the period in which the mini-pattern goes around.

[0201] Furthermore, during this second dynamic display effect (FIGS. 30(l) to (p)), a display mode change process (specific display process for displaying character information in a specific display mode) is performed to change the display mode (here, the display color) of the dialogue character string. This display mode change process is performed within the outline of the dialogue character string (character information). For example, the display color of the character corresponding to the dialogue sound being output temporarily changes (for example, from blue to white). As a result, a white portion is recognized as moving, for example, from left to right, on the blue character string "It's a reach!" When a predetermined change effect is performed within the outline of the dialogue character string in this way, the dialogue character string may be configured to be displayed dynamically, or an effect image may be displayed in a static state. Note that when the dialogue sound is output, it is desirable to have the character image perform a so-called lip-syncing action (speaking action). Furthermore, the display mode change process (specific display process for displaying character information in a specific display mode) in which the white portion moves on the dialogue character string is desirably performed in response to the output of the dialogue sound. By synchronizing the output timing of the dialogue sounds with the change (movement) of the display color of the dialogue character string in this way, it is possible to more clearly express the relationship between the output of the dialogue sounds and the dialogue characters being output, even if lip-syncing (speaking) is not involved. The lip-syncing may be performed while the high-brightness image is being displayed, or may be configured to be performed after the display of the high-brightness image has ended. When the lip-syncing is performed while the high-brightness image is being displayed, it is desirable to configure the lip-syncing to be performed at least while the dialogue character string is being displayed or after the first dynamic display of the dialogue character string has ended, but this is not limiting, and the lip-syncing may be configured to be performed during the first dynamic display.

[0202] During the dialogue output effect, the effect lamp L emits light in a dialogue output light emitting mode corresponding to the character color (here, blue) of the dialogue character string, that is, in blue (FIGS. 30(l) to (p)).

[0203] When the dialogue output effect (Fig. 30(l) to (p)) ends (i.e., after the second dynamic display period), an end effect (specific image end effect, character information display end effect) is carried out to end the display of the reach notice effect image 171 related to the reach notice effect and switch to a pattern changing screen (Fig. 30(q) to Fig. 31(t)). In this end effect, a concealed image 172 that conceals the reach notice effect image 171 is displayed in front of the reach notice effect image 171, and the pattern changing screen appears when the display of the concealed image 172 ends. In the end-of-game performance of this embodiment, the concealed image 172 is composed of a curtain and a character pulling it. The character closes the curtain to conceal the reach notice performance image 171 (FIGS. 30(q)-(r)). Then, the character opens the curtain, gradually revealing the variable screen of the decorative symbols 164 (excluding the portion hidden behind the mini symbols 165, etc.) (FIG. 30(r) → FIG. 31(t)). During the execution of this end-of-game performance, the display mode (display color and shape) of the dialogue character strings does not change (specific display processing for displaying text information in a specific display mode is not executed). Here, a white image is used as the concealed image 172. However, this is not a limitation. For example, a display color suggesting reliability or another color may be used. The transmittance of the concealed image 172 may be greater than 0%. If the concealed image 172 is another color, it is desirable to use an image with a color or pattern that is at least different from that of a high-brightness image. Also, concealed image 172 may be configured to be displayed in an area including the front side of retaining pedestal image 168 and retained images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 so as to overlap them. Also, the display period of concealed image 172 may be configured to be different from the display period of the high-brightness images, or may be the same period, but if they are different periods, the display period of concealed image 172 may be configured to be longer than the display period of the high-brightness images, or conversely, may be configured to be shorter.

[0204] During the end effect, the effect lamp L emits light in the end light emission mode, for example, in orange (FIG. 30(q) to FIG. 31(s)).

[0205] In addition, when comparing the execution times of the high-brightness effects WO21, WO22 and the end-time effect in the reach preview effect, the high-brightness effect WO21 (Figures 29(a) to (f)) is approximately 5A milliseconds, the high-brightness effect WO22 (Figures 29(h) to 30(l)) is approximately 4A milliseconds, and the end-time effect is approximately 4A milliseconds, but the execution time of the end-time effect may be shorter than the execution time of the high-brightness effect WO22, or conversely, it may be longer.

[0206] As described above, in the reach notice performance, it is possible to execute a high brightness performance (First A high brightness performance) WO21 that displays a high brightness image (First A first high brightness image) 170c, and a high brightness performance (First A second high brightness performance) WO22 that displays a high brightness image (First A second high brightness image) 170d, and the high brightness performance WO21 is executed at the first timing when a scene change (switching from the first scene image to the second scene image) accompanying the transition from the reach notice first half performance RC1 to the reach notice second half performance RC2 is performed, and the high brightness performance WO22 is executed at the second timing thereafter. Note that at the first timing when the high brightness performance WO21 is performed, a line string (character image) having reliability information regarding the jackpot is not yet displayed on the screen, and is displayed at the second timing thereafter.

[0207] Furthermore, in the reach notice performance, the display of a character image having jackpot reliability information is started before the high brightness performance WO22, and an end performance (specific image end performance) can be executed when the display of the character image is finished (Fig. 30(q) to Fig. 31(t)). Furthermore, during the high brightness performance WO22, a first light-emitting performance is executed in which the performance lamp (light-emitting means) L is made to light up in a character appearance light-emitting mode (first light-emitting mode) corresponding to the reliability information (for example, display color) in the character image, and during the end performance (specific image end performance), a second light-emitting performance is executed in which the performance lamp (light-emitting means) L is made to light up in an end light-emitting mode (second light-emitting mode) different from the character appearance light-emitting mode (first light-emitting mode).

[0208] Furthermore, in the reach preview performance, a high-brightness performance (high-brightness performance when image is changed) WO21 that can be executed when image change processing is performed to switch from the image (first image) of the reach preview first half performance RC1 to the image (second image) of the reach preview second half performance RC2, and a high-brightness performance (high-brightness performance when image is not changed) WO22 that can be executed when image change processing is not performed can be executed, and the minimum transmittance (transparency) of the high-brightness image is made different between the high-brightness performance WO21 and the high-brightness performance WO22. Note that here, the minimum transmittance is made different as an example of the transparency performance of the high-brightness image, but other transparency performance, such as the range (size) of the high-brightness image or the distribution of transmittance, may also be made different. Furthermore, the image change processing is not limited to switching from the image (first image) of the reach preview first half performance RC1 to the image (second image) of the reach preview second half performance RC2, but may be any processing that switches from a predetermined first image to a predetermined second image. That is, an image that is displayed before the high-brightness effect is executed but is not displayed after the execution corresponds to the first image, and an image that is not displayed before the high-brightness effect is executed but is displayed after the execution corresponds to the second image. In this way, if there are images (first image and second image) whose display can be switched before and after the high-brightness effect, it may be considered that image change processing is being executed.

[0209] Furthermore, the reach announcement effect is an example of a text information display effect that displays text information (here, dynamically displays), and can execute a text information display start effect (a first specific effect executed when the text information display starts) that starts the display of text information, and an end effect (a second specific effect executed when the text information display ends) that ends the display of text information. After the text information display start effect is executed (during the first specific effect), a display mode change process (specific display process that displays the text information in a specific display mode) (Fig. 30(l)-(p)) that changes the display mode of the text information is executed, and the display mode change process (specific display process) is not executed during the execution of the end effect (second specific effect). However, this is not limited to this, and the display mode change process (specific display process) may also be executed during the execution of the end effect (second specific effect). In this case, the display mode change process that started after the execution of the text information display start effect (during the first specific effect) will continue to be executed during the execution of the end effect (second specific effect). In addition, it may be configured to execute a display mode change effect that is different from the display mode change effect that started after the character information display start effect was executed (during the first specific effect) during the execution of the end effect (second specific effect).

[0210] In addition, the reach preview performance includes a high-brightness performance WO21 (high-brightness performance when scenario is switched) that is executed when the performance scenario is switched, and a high-brightness performance WO22 (high-brightness performance when scenario is not switched) that is executed when the performance scenario is not switched. In the high-brightness performance WO21, a high-brightness image 170c is displayed in a first display pattern, and in the high-brightness performance WO22, a high-brightness image 170d is displayed in a second display pattern that is different from the first display pattern, and the high-brightness performance WO21 (Figures 29(a) to (f)) has a longer execution time than the high-brightness performance WO22 (Figures 29(h) to 30(l)). As described above, the minimum transmittance (transmission performance) of the high-brightness image differs between the high-brightness effect WO21 and the high-brightness effect WO22, with the minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170d of the high-brightness effect WO22 being greater than that of the high-brightness image 170c of the high-brightness effect WO21. The minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170d of the high-brightness effect WO22 may be smaller than that of the high-brightness image 170c of the high-brightness effect WO21, or may be substantially the same. Other transmission performance, such as the maximum range (size) and transmittance distribution of the high-brightness image, may be different between the high-brightness effect WO21 and the high-brightness effect WO22. In this case, the high-brightness effect WO21 may be large and the high-brightness effect WO22 may be small, or the high-brightness effect WO21 may be small and the high-brightness effect WO22 may be large.

[0211] Furthermore, in the reach preview effect, a first dynamic display effect can be executed in which the dialogue string moves toward a predetermined display position at a first change speed (here, a movement involving rotation and shrinking), and a second dynamic display effect can be executed in which the dialogue string is displayed at a second change speed (here, slower than the first change speed) that is different from the change speed during the first dynamic display effect (the first change speed), for example, slowly shrinking. During the second dynamic display effect, a display mode change process (specific display process that displays the text information in a specific display mode) is executed to change the display mode (here, the display color) of the dialogue string (text information), but the display mode change process (specific display process) is not executed during the first dynamic display effect. Note that the display mode change process (specific display process) is executed within the outline of the dialogue string (text information). During the first dynamic display effect, a text information display start effect (first specific effect executed when the display of the text information is started) is executed to start displaying the dialogue string (text information). The display mode (display color and shape) of the dialogue string (character information) does not change while the end effect (second specific effect performed when the display of character information is ended) that ends the display of the dialogue string (character information) is being executed (specific display processing is not executed).

[0212] In addition, the reach notice effect includes a first dynamic display period in which the dialogue character string is dynamically displayed at a first change speed toward a predetermined display position, and a second dynamic display period in which the dialogue character string is dynamically displayed at a second change speed slower than the first change speed, and the second dynamic display period (Fig. 30(l)-(p)) is longer than the first dynamic display period (Fig. 29(f)-(h)). Also, during the first dynamic display period, a character information display start effect (first specific effect) is executed when the dialogue character string (character information) starts to be displayed, and after the second dynamic display period, an end effect (second specific effect) is executed when the dialogue character string (character information) ends to be displayed. Note that the second dynamic display period is longer than the time it takes for the mini symbol 165 to change in one cycle. Also, the first dynamic display period is longer than the time it takes for the mini symbol 165 to change in one cycle.

[0213] The reach notice effect is an example of a text information display effect that displays text information, and is capable of executing a text information display start effect (first specific effect) that is executed when the display of text information begins, and an end effect (second specific effect) that is executed when the display of text information ends.After the text information display start effect is executed, a display mode change process (specific display process that displays text information in a specific display mode) (Figures 30(l) to (p)) is executed to change the display mode of the text information, and the display mode change process (specific display process) is not executed while the end effect is being executed.

[0214] Further, in the reach notice performance, there is a high brightness performance (high brightness performance when image is changed) WO21 which can be executed when an image change process is performed to change the reach notice performance image 171 from the first image to the second image, and a high brightness performance (high brightness performance when image is not changed) WO22 which can be executed when the reach notice performance image (predetermined image) 171 is not changed (image change process is not performed), and the execution time of the high brightness performance WO22 and the high brightness performance WO21 is approximately the same, and the execution time of the high brightness performances WO21 and WO22 is longer than one cycle of variation of the mini pattern 165. Note that the execution time of the high brightness performance (high brightness performance when image is changed) WO21 may be longer than the execution time of the high brightness performance (high brightness performance when image is not changed) WO22, or vice versa.

[0215] Furthermore, the minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image differs between high-brightness effect WO21 (high-brightness effect when image is changed) and high-brightness effect WO22 (high-brightness effect when image is not changed). That is, high-brightness image 170c in high-brightness effect WO21 has a minimum transmittance of 25%, whereas high-brightness image 170d in high-brightness effect WO22 has a minimum transmittance of 40%. Thus, high-brightness image 170d in high-brightness effect WO22 has a higher minimum transmittance than high-brightness image 170c in high-brightness effect WO21.

[0216] The various configurations in the reach preview effect described above are not limited to this reach preview effect, but can also be similarly adopted in various other effects (preview effects and partial effects). For example, various configurations such as the high-brightness effects WO21 and WO22 and end-time effects in the reach preview effect may be adopted in the step-up preview effect described above, the button preview effects 1 and 2 described below, and the dialogue preview effect. In other words, if the (preview) effect involves the execution of a high-brightness effect or an end-time effect, the contents of the high-brightness effects WO21 and WO22 and end-time effects in this preview effect may be configured to be adopted in a different effect. Needless to say, the same can also be adopted in the character information display start effect and display mode change processing that are executed in conjunction with this.

[0217] [Button preview 1] 32 to 35 show an example of a button advance notice effect 1 executed during a reach fluctuation in a reach fluctuation pattern. This button advance notice effect (operation effect) 1 is an effect (related to the operation of the operation means by the player) that requires the player to operate the effect button (operation means) 34, and suggests the reliability of a jackpot, etc., by executing a predetermined post-operation effect based on the establishment of one or more conditions, including the case where the effect button 34 is operated during the operation valid period. There are multiple types of post-operation effects, for example, two types: a post-operation success effect and a post-operation failure effect, and the post-operation success effect has a higher reliability of a jackpot than a post-operation failure effect.

[0218] Next, a specific example of the button advance notice performance 1 will be described using an example in which a post-operation success performance is selected as the post-operation performance, but first an overview will be provided with reference to Fig. 32. When the button advance notice performance 1 starts after a reach is achieved in the reach fluctuation pattern, the speakers 18, 25 start outputting BGM3 related to this button advance notice performance 1 as background music, and on the display screen 58a, the left decorative pattern 164a and the right decorative pattern 164b that constitute the reach are left, and the rapidly fluctuating middle decorative pattern 164c is hidden, and the reserved base image 168 is displayed on the bottom end side, and the mini pattern 165 is displayed on the top end side, and behind them, a button advance notice performance image 173 related to the button introduction performance BA0 is displayed (Figs. 32(a) and (b)).

[0219] In the button preview effect image 173 of this button introduction effect BA0, for example, a character image 174 with a serious expression and a text image 175 such as "Make the character laugh" are displayed on the screen in that order, allowing the player to recognize that this effect suggests the possibility of a jackpot depending on whether the character laughs or not. Furthermore, at the start of this button introduction effect BA0 (FIGS. 32(a) and (b)), for example, a predetermined introductory sound is output from the speakers 18 and 25 as a sound effect, and a line corresponding to the text image 175, i.e., "Make the character laugh," is output in sync with the display of the text image 175. Furthermore, during this button introduction effect BA0 (FIGS. 32(a) and (b)), at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) emits light in an introduction light-emitting mode (predetermined light-emitting mode) corresponding to this button introduction effect BA0, for example, in light blue.

[0220] Following the button introduction performance BA0 (Figs. 32(a) and (b)), an operation prompt performance BA1 (Figs. 32(c)-(d)) is performed, which displays an operation prompt image 176 that prompts the user to operate the performance button (operation means) 34. Here, the operation prompt image 176 is composed of a button image (operation target image) 176a indicating the performance button (operation means) 34 that is the operation target, and an operation mode notification image 176b indicating the operation mode for the performance button 34 that is the operation target, and is displayed approximately in the center of the screen in place of the character string image 175, "Make the character laugh." Note that the operation mode notification image 176b is composed of an arrow indicating the pressing direction of the performance button 34 and the character string "PUSH."

[0221] Furthermore, during the execution of the operation prompting effect BA1, a high-brightness effect WO31 is executed, which reduces the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170e (here, the operation prompting image 176) by displaying the high-brightness image 170e (FIG. 32(c)). This high-brightness effect WO31 can emphasize the appearance of the operation prompting image 176, i.e., the start of the valid operation period. During this high-brightness effect WO31, the output of BGM3 related to the button advance notice effect 1 continues. At the start of the high-brightness effect WO31, a predetermined first emphasis sound is output as a sound effect. During the high-brightness effect WO31, at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) emits light in a first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode, for example, in blue. Although not shown, a gauge section indicating the progress of the valid operation period may also be displayed. In this case, the gauge section begins to be displayed when the display of high-brightness image 170e ends (FIG. 32(d)), and the display mode of the gauge section is displayed so as to change as the valid operation period elapses. The display range of high-brightness image 170e may be configured to be displayed in a range overlapping the area where the gauge section is scheduled to be displayed thereafter, or may be configured to be displayed in a range that does not overlap the area where the gauge section is scheduled to be displayed and that overlaps only with the operation prompt image. The high-brightness image may also be displayed so as to overlap with the character image. The execution time of high-brightness effect WO31 may be configured to differ from the execution times of high-brightness effects WO21 and WO22. In this case, the former may be longer or shorter than the latter.

[0222] During the operation prompting effect BA1, the output of BGM3 related to the button preview effect 1 continues even after the end of the high brightness effect WO31. Also, after the end of the high brightness effect WO31, at least some of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) emit light in an operation waiting light-emitting mode, for example, flashing blue.

[0223] During the operation prompting effect BA1, i.e., during the valid operation period, when the effect button 34 is operated, a high-brightness effect WO32 is performed in which a high-brightness image 170f is displayed to reduce the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170f (here, the operation prompting image 176) (FIG. 32(e)). During the high-brightness effect WO32, a post-operation success effect BA2A is started as a post-operation effect BA2. Here, in the high-brightness effect WO32, the display of the high-brightness image 170f begins in the range corresponding to the operation prompting image 176 (FIG. 32(e)). While the high-brightness image 170f is displayed (during the high-brightness effect WO32), the operation prompting image 176 is erased from the screen, and, for example, a character image 174 with a serious face starts a predetermined action (FIG. 32(f)). In this case, the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170f in the high-brightness effect WO32 may be reduced, and the operation prompting image 176 may be made invisible and then erased from the screen.

[0224] Then, by displaying high-brightness image 170g, a high-brightness effect WO33 is performed that reduces the visibility of the image behind high-brightness image 170g (here, character image 174) (FIG. 32(g)), and during this high-brightness effect WO33, character image 174 changes from a serious expression to a smiling face. In this case, the transmittance of high-brightness image 170g in high-brightness effect BA33 may be increased, and character image 174 may be changed while remaining visible (with reduced visibility).

[0225] Even while the post-operation success performance BA2A is being executed, the output of BGM3 related to the button advance performance 1 continues. At the start of the high-brightness performances WO32 and WO33, second and third accent sounds are output as sound effects, respectively. During the high-brightness performance WO32, at least a portion of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) emit light in a second high-brightness medium light-emitting mode, for example, white, and during the subsequent high-brightness performance WO33, at least a portion of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) emit light in a success light-emitting mode, for example, red. After the high-brightness performance WO32 ends, the performance lamps L are temporarily turned off until the high-brightness performance WO33 begins. In the case of a post-operation failure performance, during the high-brightness performance WO33, they emit light in a failure light-emitting mode different from the success light-emitting mode, for example, green.

[0226] When the success effect BA2A ends after the above operation, a jackpot variation result effect is performed, and the middle decorative symbol 164c stops, resulting in a jackpot effect such as "7 7 7" (Fig. 32(h)). In this jackpot variation result effect, a jackpot stop sound is output as a sound effect, and at least a part of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamp La and the board-side lamp Lb) emits light in a jackpot stop light-emitting mode, for example, flashing red.

[0227] Next, we will explain in more detail the button preview performance 1 shown in Figure 32, focusing on the button introduction performance BA0 and the high-brightness performances WO31-33. Figure 33 shows the changes in the display screen and light-emitting means for the period from Figure 32(a) to (b), Figure 34 for the period from Figure 32(c) to (d), and Figure 35 for the period from Figure 32(e) to (g), each at even shorter time intervals than those in Figure 32. In Figures 33 to 35, the time interval between adjacent frames is the same, A milliseconds, as in Figures 24 to 26 for the step-up preview performance.

[0228] First, the details of the button introduction effect BA0 will be explained. In the button introduction effect BA0, as shown in FIGS. 33(a) to 33(e), a character string image 175 of "Make the character laugh" is displayed on the screen, for example, so that it appears sequentially from the beginning to the end of the character string at a predetermined speed. This character string image 175 is displayed in a common display mode regardless of whether a post-operation success effect or a post-operation failure effect is selected as the post-operation effect. In other words, the character string image 175 is an example of non-specific character information to which reliability information, which is displayed in a display mode according to the reliability of the occurrence of a predetermined event (such as jackpot reliability), is not added. Note that the time required from the start of display of the character string image 175 to its completion (i.e., when the character string image 175 becomes easily recognizable) (FIGS. 33(a) to 33(e)) is 4A milliseconds.

[0229] Here, the character string image 175 uses red (specific color) and white (non-specific color) as the character colors. The first character of each row, i.e., "ki" in "character" in the first column and "warai" in "waraisero" in the second column, is displayed in red, and the other characters are displayed in white (non-specific color). The number of characters without red (specific color) is greater than the number of characters with red (specific color). Furthermore, during the button introduction effect BA0 (FIGS. 32(a) and (b)) in which the character string image 175 is displayed, at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in the introduction light-emitting mode (FIGS. 32(a) and (b)). However, the light-emitting color in this introduction light-emitting mode does not correspond to the specific color (red), for example, light blue (FIGS. 33(a) to 33(e)). Note that when the character string image 175 is displayed, the effect lamps L may emit light in a color corresponding to the specific color.

[0230] The character color of the character string image 175 may all be red (specific color), and the effect lamp L may be configured to emit light in a color other than red (specific color). Furthermore, when the character color of the character string image 175 is all red (specific color) but is not used as a color suggesting reliability, it is desirable to make the outline of the character string image 175 different from the outline of the character string when red (specific color) is used as a color suggesting reliability. In this case, red (specific color) may be used as the outline of the character string when red (specific color) is used as a color suggesting reliability, or another color may be used. When another color is used, it is desirable to use a color that is not used when the color is not expressed as a color suggesting reliability. Furthermore, not only the color of the outline, but also the thickness or shape of the outline may be different. Furthermore, a configuration may be adopted in which sound effects are different when the character string image is displayed. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which no sound effects are output when the color is not used as a color suggesting reliability, and a sound effect is output when the color is used as a color suggesting reliability. Furthermore, when the character color of the character string image 175 is all red (specific color) but is not used as a color suggesting reliability, it is desirable to configure the outline of the character string image 175 in a color other than red (specific color). In this case, the thickness and shape of the character outline may be expanded so that the outline portion occupies a larger display area than the red (specific color) portion of the character. Furthermore, the thickness and shape of the outline portion of only specific characters in the character string image 175 may be made different. When such outline representation is performed, even if the character color is red (specific color), it may not be used as a color suggesting reliability. Furthermore, in this case, the character color of characters other than the specific characters may be red (specific color) or may be a color other than red (specific color). Conversely, such representation may be performed only when a color suggesting reliability is to be represented, and such representation may not be performed when a color not suggesting reliability is to be represented.

[0231] As described above, the character string image 175 uses red (specific color) as the character color. However, as described above, the character string image 175 is non-specific character information to which no reliability information is added, and this red (specific color) does not indicate the reliability of the occurrence of a predetermined event (such as the reliability of a jackpot). In this way, by using multiple colors, including the specific color, as the display colors of each character in the character string image 175, the appearance of the character string can be diversified and made more attractive. Furthermore, since the specific color is used only for some characters and the effect lamp L is configured to emit a color (light blue) that does not correspond to the specific color, the possibility of the specific color being mistakenly interpreted as indicating reliability can be reduced. Furthermore, when the effect lamp L is configured to emit a color that does not correspond to the specific color, the effect lamp L may be configured to emit a color that corresponds to the character color of the character string image 175 that is composed of colors other than the specific color. For example, in the character string image 175, if specific characters are displayed in red (specific color) as the character color and other characters are displayed in white (non-specific color), the effect lamp L may be configured to emit light in white (non-specific color). Also, the effect lamp L may be configured to emit light in the outline color of the characters. For example, if the outline color of the characters is yellow (non-specific color), the effect lamp L may be configured to emit light in yellow (non-specific color).

[0232] However, without being limited to this, the character string image 175 may be configured to be displayed in a display mode that indicates the reliability of the occurrence of a predetermined event (the reliability of a jackpot or the expected success rate of a button preview effect). In this case, even if the character string image 175 is configured to be displayable in any of a plurality of display modes that indicate different reliability, it is desirable that the high-brightness effect executed thereafter be the same. Furthermore, without being limited to this, when the character string image 175 is configured to be displayable in any of a plurality of display modes that indicate different reliability, different high-brightness effects may be executed when a character string image 175 with low reliability is displayed and when a character string image 175 with high reliability is displayed. For example, the high-brightness image may be configured to be displayed over a wider area when a character string image 175 with high reliability is displayed. That is, when a low-reliability character string image 175 is displayed, a high-brightness image is displayed in an area overlapping the operation prompt image, whereas when a high-reliability character string image 175 is displayed, a high-brightness image may be displayed in an area overlapping not only the operation prompt image but also all or at least one of other display objects such as designs, button preview effects, character images, background effects, etc. Conversely, when a low-reliability character string image 175 is displayed, a high-brightness image may be displayed over a wider area.

[0233] Next, the details of the high-brightness effect WO31 will be explained. In the high-brightness effect (first range high-brightness effect) WO31 shown in Figures 34(a) to (e), at the start, a high-brightness image 170e is displayed in front of the button preview effect image 173 and behind the miniature symbol 165, the reserved base image 168, and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of them (Figure 34(a)), and the size and transmittance of the high-brightness image 170e gradually change and finally disappear (Figure 34(e)). Here, the high-brightness image 170e is displayed in a size (range) corresponding to a part of the button preview effect image 173, here the area between the left and right decorative symbols 164a and 164b, and the transmittance is uniform within the display range, and the size (range) and transmittance change over time.

[0234] When the display of high-brightness image 170e begins (FIG. 34(a)), character string image 175 is erased at that point, and operation prompting image 176 is displayed within the display range of high-brightness image 170e. The size (range) of high-brightness image 170e is configured to be maximum at the start of display (FIG. 34(a)) and gradually decrease over time. That is, high-brightness effect WO31 is configured with an enlargement change effect that changes the size (range) of high-brightness image 170e in the enlargement direction, and a reduction change effect that changes the size (range) of high-brightness image 170e in the reduction direction, with the latter (FIGS. 34(a)-(e)) taking longer to execute than the former (FIG. 34(a)). Note that if the system is configured to be able to display any one of a plurality of types of operation prompting images, the display size of the high-brightness image may be configured to differ depending on the operation prompting image to be displayed. Furthermore, when displaying an operation prompting image corresponding to high reliability (high reliability of a jackpot or high expectation of success of the button preview effect) among the multiple types of operation prompting images, the display range of the high-brightness image may be configured to be wider than when displaying an operation prompting image corresponding to low reliability. In this case, an operation prompting image corresponding to high reliability may be adopted that has a larger display size than an operation prompting image corresponding to low reliability, and a high-brightness image according to the display size of the operation prompting image may be displayed within the display range of the high-brightness image, and the display size of the high-brightness image may be configured to differ depending on the reliability. Furthermore, when displaying an operation prompting image corresponding to high reliability, the high-brightness image may be displayed over a wider range than the display size of the operation prompting image, so that it overlaps with all or at least one of the design, button preview effect character image, background image, etc.

[0235] The transmittance of the high-brightness image 170e is configured to be minimum (e.g., 10%) at the start of display (Fig. 34(a)) and gradually increase (rise) at a constant rate of change over time (transmittance change processing, transmittance change effect). That is, the high-brightness effect WO31 is configured with a low-transmittance change effect that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170e in a decreasing direction, and a high-transmittance change effect that changes the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170e in an increasing direction, and the execution time of the latter (Figs. 34(a) to (e)) is longer than that of the former (Fig. 34(a)).

[0236] During the high-brightness effect WO31, the effect lamp L emits light in a first high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (here, blue) (FIGS. 34(a) to (d)). The minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170e is greater than 0% (e.g., 10%). Even at the start of display (FIG. 34(a)) when the minimum transmittance is reached, the operation prompting image 176 is slightly visible. However, the minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170e may be 0%. Alternatively, only the size of the high-brightness image 170e may be changed while the transmittance is constant, or only the transmittance may be changed while the size is constant. The transmittance of the high-brightness image 170e may be non-uniform. The execution time of the high-transmittance change effect may be shorter than that of the low-transmittance change effect, or the execution times of both may be approximately the same.

[0237] When the high-brightness image 170e disappears and the high-brightness effect WO31 ends (FIG. 34(e)), the effect button 34 is operated and the operation prompting image 176 is dynamically displayed to show the effect button 34 being pressed until the operation valid period ends (FIG. 34(f)). During this time, the effect lamp L emits light in an operation-waiting light-emitting mode (here, flashing blue). The operation-waiting light-emitting mode of the effect lamp L may be turned off. Also, some of the effect lamps may be flashing blue and the others may be turned off, or some of the effect lamps may be turned off and the others may be flashing blue. The operation valid period may start when the display of the operation prompting image 176 begins, i.e., when the high-brightness effect WO31 starts (FIG. 34(a)), or when the high-brightness image 170e disappears, i.e., when the high-brightness effect WO31 ends (FIG. 34(e)), or at any timing therebetween.

[0238] Next, the details of the high-brightness effects WO32 and WO33 will be explained. When the effect button 34 is operated during the operation valid period (FIG. 34(f)), the operation prompt effect BA1 is switched to the post-operation success effect BA2A, and the high-brightness effect WO32 is first performed (FIG. 35(a)). In this high-brightness effect (second range high-brightness effect) WO32, similar to the high-brightness effect WO31, a high-brightness image 170f is displayed in front of the button preview effect image 173 and behind the mini pattern 165, the reserved base image 168 and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of them (Figure 35(a)), and the size and transmittance of the high-brightness image 170f gradually change and finally disappear (Figure 35(d)), but the change in the high-brightness image 170f is different from the high-brightness image 170e in the high-brightness effect WO31 (Figures 34(a) to (e)).

[0239] That is, after the high-brightness image 170f starts to be displayed at a size (range) corresponding to the operation prompting image 176 (FIG. 35(a)), its size (range) gradually increases over time, reaching a maximum at a predetermined point (FIG. 35(b)), and then gradually decreases over time until it finally disappears (FIGS. 35(b)-(d)). Thus, the high-brightness effect WO32 is configured with an enlargement change effect that enlarges the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170f, and a reduction change effect that reduces the size (range) of the high-brightness image 170f, and the latter (FIGS. 35(b)-(d)) takes longer to execute than the former (FIGS. 35(a)-(b)). Furthermore, the maximum range (second range) of the high-brightness image 170f in the high-brightness effect (second range high-brightness effect) WO32 is wider than the maximum range (first range) of the high-brightness image 170e in the high-brightness effect (first range high-brightness effect) WO31.

[0240] The high-brightness image 170f has, for example, a uniform transmittance that changes over time (transmittance change processing, transmittance change effect). The transmittance gradually decreases over time, reaching a minimum (lowest) at a predetermined point (FIGS. 35(a)-(b)), and then gradually increases over time (FIGS. 35(b)-(d)). That is, the high-brightness effect WO32 is configured with a low-transmittance change effect that decreases the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170f, and a high-transmittance change effect that increases the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170f, with the latter (FIGS. 35(b)-(d)) taking a longer time to execute than the former (FIGS. 35(a)-(b)). Note that the minimum (lowest) transmittance of the high-brightness image 170f is set to be greater than 0% (e.g., 20%), but may also be 0%. Furthermore, only the size of the high-brightness image 170f may be changed while the transmittance remains constant, or only the transmittance may be changed while the size remains constant. The transmittance of the high-brightness image 170f may be non-uniform. The execution time of the high-transmittance change effect may be shorter than that of the low-transmittance change effect, or the execution times of both may be approximately the same.

[0241] Furthermore, the high-brightness effects WO31 and WO32 may be configured to have different minimum transmittances (transparency) of the high-brightness images, or different display ranges (transparency) of the high-brightness images. In this case, it is desirable that the minimum transmittance of the high-brightness images for the high-brightness effects WO32 be smaller than that for the high-brightness effects WO31, and that the display range of the high-brightness images for the high-brightness effects WO32 be larger than that for the high-brightness effects WO31. This makes it possible to execute different high-brightness effects before and after the display of the operation prompting image, or before and after the player operates the operation means, and further makes it possible to execute high-brightness effects with a greater impact when the operation is successful.

[0242] During the high-brightness effect WO32, the operation prompting image 176 is first erased behind the high-brightness image 170f (Fig. 35(a) → (b)), and then the character image 174 rotates with a serious expression and performs other predetermined actions (Fig. 35(b) to (d)). Also, during the high-brightness effect WO32, the effect lamp L emits light in the second high-brightness medium light-emitting mode (white in this case) (Fig. 35(a) to (c)). Then, after the high-brightness effect WO32 ends, the character image 174 expands and switches from a serious expression to a smiling expression (Fig. 35(d) → (e)), and at this time the high-brightness effect WO33 is performed.

[0243] The high-brightness effect WO33 is intended to emphasize that the character image 174 has changed to a smiling face, and at the timing when the character image 174 changes from a serious face to a smiling face, a high-brightness image 170g corresponding to the display range of the character image 174 is displayed (Fig. 35(e)). When the high-brightness effect WO33 ends with the disappearance of the high-brightness image 170g, the smiling character image 174 becomes fully visible (Fig. 35(f)). The effect lamp L is turned off once after the high-brightness effect WO32, and after the high-brightness effect WO33, it emits light in a successful light-emitting mode (here, red) (Figs. 35(d) to (f)).

[0244] Here, the minimum (lowest) transmittance of the high-brightness image 170g is greater than 0% (for example, 10%), but may be 0%. Also, the high-brightness image 170g has a uniform transmittance, but may have a non-uniform transmittance. The execution time of this high-brightness effect WO33 (the display time of the high-brightness image 170g) is shorter than the execution times of the high-brightness effects WO31 and WO32. The maximum range (second range) of the high-brightness image 170g in the high-brightness effect WO33 is wider than the maximum range (first range) of the high-brightness image 170e in the high-brightness effect WO31.

[0245] As described above, when the effect button 34 is operated, a high brightness effect (second high brightness effect) WO32, WO33 is performed, and during the execution of the high brightness effects WO32, WO33, a post-operation success effect (post-operation effect) BA2A is executed.

[0246] As explained above, in button preview performance 1, it is possible to execute a high-brightness performance (first range high-brightness performance) WO31 that displays a high-brightness image 170e in a first range, and a high-brightness performance (second range high-brightness performance) WO32 that displays a high-brightness image 170f in a second range wider than the first range, it is possible to execute an operation prompting performance that displays an operation prompting image 176 that prompts the operation of performance button (operation means) 34, and a post-operation performance that is performed after the operation of performance button 34, it is possible to execute high-brightness performance WO31 while the operation prompting performance is being executed, it is possible to execute high-brightness performance WO32 when performance button 34 is operated, and it is possible to execute a post-operation performance while executing high-brightness performance WO32. Note that the high-brightness image displayed in front of operation prompting image 176 and the high-brightness image displayed in front of character image 174 may be configured to have different transmittances. In this case, the high-brightness image displayed in front of the operation prompting image 176 may be configured to have a lower transmittance, and the high-brightness image displayed in front of the character image 174 may be configured to have a higher transmittance, or vice versa.

[0247] The various configurations in the above-mentioned button preview performance 1 are not limited to this button preview performance 1, but can also be used in various other performances (preview performances and partial performances). For example, the various configurations of the high brightness performances WO31, WO32, WO33, etc. in the button preview performance 1 may be used in the step-up preview performance, reach preview performance, dialogue preview performance, etc., described below.

[0248] [Dialogue preview 1] 36 to 40 show an example of a line preview effect 1 executed during a normal fluctuation in a reach fluctuation pattern or a normal fluctuation pattern, or during a reach fluctuation in a reach fluctuation pattern. This line preview effect 1 is an effect in which a character speaks a line, and as shown in FIG. 36, the line preview effect 1 is controlled so that the reliability of a jackpot varies depending on the type of line, the type of character, the display mode of the line text, etc. In the line preview effect 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 36, there are provided six different performance modes with different combinations of five types of lines L1 to L5 (FIG. 36(b)), namely, "I feel a curse," "Here's the key to breaking the curse," "This is...," "I drew a fortune and it was a great fortune," and "I feel great," and two types of characters C1 and C2 (FIG. 36(c)), a boy and a girl. The high and low reliability of a jackpot for these six performance modes is set as shown in FIG. 36(a). The dialogue characters corresponding to the dialogues L1 to L5 are displayed in different display modes (here, display colors), and the respective display colors are "blue," "red," "gold," "danger color," and "rainbow color" (Figure 36(b)).

[0249] Note that the same number of presentation modes (for example, six types) may be provided for each of characters C1 and C2, or the number of types of presentation modes may differ for each character, such as L3 to L5 for character C1 and L1 to L5 for character C2. Also, multiple presentation modes may be provided for one display mode (for example, red) for a character string, and in this case, the number of presentation modes for one display mode (for example, red) for a character string may differ for each character. That is, for example, there may be two types of presentation modes for character C1 when the character color is red, and one type for character C2. When multiple presentation modes are provided for one display mode (for example, display color) for a character string, it is desirable to vary the content of the dialogue for each presentation mode.

[0250] Next, a specific example of the dialogue preview performance 1 will be described using an example in which dialogue L5 and character C1 are selected. First, an overview will be provided with reference to FIG. 37. When dialogue preview performance 1 begins during a normal fluctuation in a reach fluctuation pattern or a normal fluctuation pattern (or during a reach fluctuation in a reach fluctuation pattern), BGM4 related to this dialogue preview performance 1 begins to be output as background music from speakers 18, 25. At the same time, decorative pattern 164 is hidden on display screen 58a, with reserved pedestal image 168 displayed at the bottom and miniature pattern 165 displayed at the top, and behind them, for example, a dialogue preview performance image 181a related to dialogue first half performance SA1, in which two types of characters C1 and C2 appear together, is displayed (FIG. 37(a)). During dialogue first half performance SA1, at least a portion of performance lamps L (here, both frame-side lamp La and board-side lamp Lb) emits light in a dialogue first half illumination mode, for example, in white.

[0251] Then, the dialogue preview performance image 181a (FIG. 37(a)) transitions from the first half of the dialogue performance SA1 to the second half of the dialogue performance SA2, and the dialogue preview performance image 181a (FIG. 37(a)) is switched to the dialogue preview performance image 181b (FIG. 37(c)) related to the second half of the dialogue performance SA2 via the high-brightness performance WO41 (FIG. 37(b)). At least a portion of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) is switched from the first half of the dialogue light-emitting mode (here, white) to the second half of the dialogue light-emitting mode (here, orange). Here, the high-brightness performance WO41 displays the high-brightness image 170h, thereby reducing the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170h (here, the dialogue preview performance images 181a, 181b). Note that in the dialogue preview performance image 181b, only one of the characters C1 and C2 selected (here, the boy character C1) is displayed.

[0252] During the high-brightness performance WO41 (Figure 37(b)), the output of BGM4 related to the dialogue preview performance continues, and as sound effects, a high-brightness first half emphasis sound is output in the first half when the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170h decreases, and a high-brightness second half emphasis sound is output in the second half when the transmittance increases.

[0253] When the high-brightness effect WO41 (Figure 37(b)) ends and the dialogue preview effect image 181b (Figure 37(c)) becomes fully visible (Figure 37(c)), a dialogue image 182 is additionally displayed on the dialogue preview effect image 181b (Figure 37(d)). Here, the dialogue image 182 is composed of a speech bubble image 182a and dialogue text 182b displayed within the speech bubble image 182a. Here, the dialogue text 182b is composed of the string of characters "I feel great."

[0254] Then, at a predetermined time point after the start of display of the dialogue image 182, a dialogue output effect is started, and a dialogue sound (preview voice) of "I feel great" corresponding to the dialogue characters 182b displayed on the screen is output, and a high-brightness effect WO42 is performed corresponding to the range of the dialogue image 182 in the dialogue preview effect image 181b (FIG. 37(e)). In this high-brightness effect WO42, the high-brightness image 170i moves over the dialogue image 182 in accordance with the progress of the dialogue output, for example, at a timing preceding the progress of the dialogue output, thereby temporarily reducing the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170i (here, the dialogue characters 182b).

[0255] After the display of the dialogue image 182 starts, at least some of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a dialogue output light-emitting mode. The dialogue output light-emitting mode is a cyclic change mode that cyclically changes to multiple colors (here, orange and white) including the light-emitting color of the previous dialogue second half light-emitting mode, for example.

[0256] Next, we will explain in more detail the performance period centered on the high-brightness performances WO41 and WO42 for the dialogue preview performance shown in Figure 37. Figures 38 to 40 show the changes in the display screen and light-emitting means over the entire period of Figures 37(a) to (e) at even shorter time intervals than Figure 37. Note that in Figures 38 to 40, the time interval between adjacent frames is the same, A milliseconds, the same as in Figures 24 to 26 for the step-up preview performance.

[0257] First, the details of the high brightness effect WO41 will be explained. In the high brightness effect WO41 shown in Fig. 38(a) to Fig. 39(r), when the line preview effect image 181a is switched to the line preview effect image 181b, the high brightness image 170h is displayed in front of the line preview effect images 181a and 181b and behind the mini symbol 165, the reserved base image 168, and the reserved images X1 to X4, Y1 to Y4 in front of them.

[0258] Here, the high-brightness image 170h is displayed in a range (size) that covers the entire dialogue preview effect images 181a and 181b, and the transmittance is uniform within the display range. The display range does not change over time, but the transmittance changes over time (transmittance change processing, transmittance change effect). The transmittance of the high-brightness image 170h is configured to gradually decrease over time, for example, from 100% to 0% (FIGS. 38(a)-(i)), and then gradually increase over time, for example, from 0% to 100% (FIGS. 39(j)-(r)). During the first half of the period when the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170h decreases, the effect lamp L emits light in the dialogue first half illumination mode (here, white) (FIGS. 39(a)-(i)). During the second half of the period when the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170h increases, the effect lamp L emits light in the dialogue second half illumination mode (here, orange) (FIGS. 39(j)-(r)). The first half of the dialogue and the second half of the dialogue may be configured to have a common light emission mode (for example, white light).

[0259] When the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170h becomes 0% and the image behind it becomes completely invisible (FIGS. 38(i), 39(j)), the dialogue preview effect image 181a is switched to the dialogue preview effect image 181b. In this way, the high-brightness effect WO41 is configured to display the high-brightness image 170h in front of the effect image at the timing when the effect image is changed. Furthermore, when executed during a reach effect, the high-brightness image may be configured to be displayed in front of the effect image at the timing when the reach effect is switched to the special reach effect.

[0260] Furthermore, during the first half of the high-brightness effect WO41, when the transmittance of high-brightness image 170h decreases, the transmittance values ​​of high-brightness image 170h in each frame of Figures 38(a) to 38(i) gradually increase in value, from 100% to 95% to 88% to 79% to 68% to 55% to 40% to 23% to 0%. That is, if the rate of change in transmittance of high-brightness image 170h during the period from Figure 38(a) to 38(e) (first transmittance change effect) is designated as the first change rate, and the same amount of change is designated as the first change amount, and if the rate of change in transmittance of high-brightness image 170h during the subsequent period from Figure 38(e) to 38(i) (second transmittance change effect) is designated as the second change rate, and the same amount of change is designated as the second change amount, then the second change rate is greater than the first change rate, and the second change amount is greater than the first change amount. In this way, by gradually increasing the rate and amount of change in transmittance, it is possible to prevent the transmittance change effect from becoming monotonous. Furthermore, by gradually increasing the rate and amount of change in transmittance toward the latter half, it is possible to make a relatively smooth transition to a low transmittance state in a short time after the player understands that the transmittance change effect has started. Furthermore, without being limited to this, it is also possible to configure the rate and amount of change in transmittance to gradually decrease. In this case, since the rate and amount of change decrease toward the latter half, it is possible to execute a transmittance change effect that gives a more lingering impression toward the latter half, and it is possible to prevent the transmittance change effect from becoming monotonous and enhance the effect of the effect.

[0261] Also, during the performance period of the high-brightness effect WO41, in the latter half period when the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170h increases, for example, in each frame of FIGS. 39(j) to (r), the transmittance values of the high-brightness image 170h are 0% → 23% → 40% → 55% → 68% → 79% → 88% → 95% → 100% respectively, and the change rate and change amount of the transmittance are gradually decreasing. That is, for example, taking the change rate of the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170h during the period of FIGS. 39(j) → (n) (the second transmittance change effect) as the second change rate, and the change amount as the second change amount, and the change rate of the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170h during the subsequent period of FIGS. 39(n) → (r) (the first transmittance change effect) as the first change rate, and the change amount as the first change amount, the second change rate is larger than the first change rate, and the second change amount is larger than the first change amount. Incidentally, it may be configured such that the change rate and change amount of the transmittance gradually increase. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the transmittance change effect from becoming monotonous. Also, by gradually increasing the change rate and change amount of the transmittance towards the latter half, after allowing the player to recognize that the transmittance change effect has started, it is possible to transition to a low transmittance state relatively smoothly in a short time.

[0262] Also, it may be configured such that the second change rate and second change amount in the second transmittance change effect are smaller than the first change rate and first change amount in the first transmittance change effect, or it may be configured to be substantially the same. Also, when the first transmittance change effect and the second transmittance change effect are each configured such that the change rate and change amount of the transmittance increase, or when each is configured such that the change rate and change amount of the transmittance decrease, in any case, it is desirable to configure the first change rate and second change rate, and the first change amount and second change amount to be different. Also, even in this case, it may be configured such that the second change rate and second change amount are larger than the first change rate and first change amount, or it may be configured to be smaller. By making the first change rate and second change rate, and the first change amount and second change amount different in this way, it is possible to execute various transmittance change effects and improve the effect of the performance.

[0263] During the execution of the high brightness effect WO41, the mini symbol 165 cycles from "8·2·4" (Fig. 38(a)) multiple times to reach between "2·4·6" and "3·5·7" (Fig. 39(r)). In other words, the execution time of the high brightness effect WO41 (Fig. 38(a) to Fig. 39(r)) is longer than the period for the mini symbol 165 to cycle through one cycle.

[0264] Next, the details of the high-brightness effect WO42 will be explained. When the dialogue preview effect image 181b becomes fully visible due to the end of the high-brightness effect WO41 (Fig. 39(r)), a dialogue image 182 consisting of a balloon image 182a and dialogue characters 182b is additionally displayed in the dialogue preview effect image 181b (Fig. 40(s)). At the same time, a dialogue sound (preview voice) of "I feel great" corresponding to the dialogue characters 182b is output, and the high-brightness effect WO42 (Figs. 40(s) to (w)) is performed in response to the output of the dialogue sound. Here, the high-brightness effect WO42 displays a high-brightness image in front of the dialogue characters in the order in which they are arranged, but is not limited to this, and a high-brightness image may be displayed in front of all of the dialogue characters. In this case, the high-brightness image is not limited to being displayed in front in a manner that completely covers all of the serif characters, but as long as it is in a state that almost covers the entire serif characters, some of the serif characters may be visible (or easily visible) without overlapping with the high-brightness image.

[0265] The dialogue characters 182b have different jackpot reliability depending on their type and display mode (display color) (Fig. 36(a) and (b)), and are an example of specific character information to which reliability information consisting of a display mode according to the jackpot reliability (reliability regarding the occurrence of a predetermined event) is added. During the high-brightness effect WO42, the effect lamp L emits light in a dialogue output light-emitting mode (here, a cyclical change mode between orange and white) (Fig. 40(s) to (w)). Also, a different dialogue output light-emitting mode may be executed depending on the type of selected character. Also, a common dialogue output light-emitting mode may be executed regardless of the selected character. Also, a dialogue output light-emitting mode according to the display color of the dialogue characters may be executed.

[0266] The high-brightness image 170i used in the high-brightness effect WO42 is about the size of one character of the dialogue characters 182b, and its transmittance is set, for example, uniformly to a value greater than 0% (e.g., 20%). The high-brightness image 170i moves over the dialogue image 182 in accordance with the progress of the dialogue output, for example, at a timing preceding the progress of the dialogue output (FIGS. 40(s)-(w)). Because the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170i is greater than 0% (e.g., 20%), the characters behind the high-brightness image 170i are also visible. However, a high-brightness image with a lower transmittance may be displayed so that the characters behind the high-brightness image 170i are not visible. In this way, the high-brightness effect WO42 is configured to display the high-brightness image 170i in accordance with the display area of ​​the dialogue characters (specific character information) 182b. It is also possible to configure the system so that the dialogue characters 182b are displayed in sequence from the top side in advance of the dialogue output, and the high-brightness image 170i is displayed and moved in accordance with the display of the dialogue characters 182b.

[0267] During the execution of the high brightness effect WO42, the mini symbol 165 goes from "5·7·1" (Fig. 40(s)) to "7·1·3" (Fig. 40(w)). In other words, the execution time of the high brightness effect WO42 (Fig. 40(s)~(w)) is longer than the period for the mini symbol 165 to go through one cycle.

[0268] As described above, in dialogue preview performance 1, for example, if the rate of change in the transmittance of high-brightness image 170h during the period from Figure 38(a) to (e) (first transmittance change performance) is defined as the first change rate, and the amount of change is defined as the first change amount, and if the rate of change in the transmittance of high-brightness image 170h during the subsequent period from Figure 38(e) to (i) (second transmittance change performance) is defined as the second change rate, and the second change amount is defined as the first change amount, the second change rate is greater than the first change rate, and the second change amount is greater than the first change amount. In this way, when the transmittance of high-brightness image 170h is to be reduced, the second transmittance change performance is executed after the first transmittance change performance is executed. 39(j)→(n) (second transmittance change performance), the rate of change in the transmittance of high-brightness image 170h is defined as the second change rate, and the amount of change is defined as the second change amount. Then, the rate of change in the transmittance of high-brightness image 170h in the subsequent period from FIG. 39(n)→(r) (first transmittance change performance) is defined as the first change rate, and the amount of change is defined as the first change amount. In this way, when increasing the transmittance of high-brightness image 170h, the first transmittance change performance is executed after the second transmittance change performance is executed.

[0269] Furthermore, in the dialogue preview performance 1, there is a high-brightness performance (high-brightness performance when image is changed) WO41 that can be executed when an image change process is performed to change the dialogue preview performance image (predetermined image), and a high-brightness performance (high-brightness performance when image is not changed) WO42 that can be executed when the dialogue preview performance image (predetermined image) is not changed (image change process is not performed), and the execution time of the high-brightness performance WO41 is longer than that of the high-brightness performance WO42, and the execution time of the high-brightness performance WO41 is longer than the cycle of variation of the mini-pattern 165. Incidentally, the execution time of the high-brightness performance WO42 is also longer than the cycle of variation of the mini-pattern 165, but this may be shorter than the cycle of variation of the mini-pattern 165.

[0270] Furthermore, the minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image differs between the high-brightness effect (high-brightness effect when image is changed) WO41 and the high-brightness effect (high-brightness effect when image is not changed) WO42. That is, the high-brightness image 170h of the high-brightness effect WO41 has a minimum transmittance of 0%, whereas the high-brightness image 170i of the high-brightness effect WO42 has a minimum transmittance greater than 0%, so that the high-brightness image 170i of the high-brightness effect WO42 has a higher minimum transmittance than the high-brightness image 170h of the high-brightness effect WO41. Note that the minimum transmittance of the high-brightness image 170i of the high-brightness effect WO42 may be smaller than that of the high-brightness image 170h of the high-brightness effect WO41, or may be approximately the same.

[0271] The various configurations of the line preview performance 1 described above are not limited to this line preview performance, but can also be used in various other performances (preview performances and partial performances). For example, the various configurations of the high-brightness performances WO41 and WO42, the line output performance, etc., in the line preview performance 1 may be used in the step-up preview performance, reach preview performance, etc., described above, the pseudo-consecutive preview performance, button preview performance 2, etc., described below. A line preview performance by a character may be executed before the high-brightness performance WO41. In this case, it is desirable that the line preview performance is a line preview performance that does not suggest reliability. Furthermore, the line preview performance in this case may suggest reliability, but it is desirable that the suggested reliability be lower than that of the line preview performance (Figures 40(s) to (w)) executed after the high-brightness performance WO41. The line preview performance may also be in a form that suggests the content to be executed in the line preview performance (Figures 40(s) to (w)). Furthermore, the dialogue preview performance may be configured to be executed during a period in which the transmittance of the high-brightness image during the high-brightness performance WO41 is reduced, for example, during the period shown in Figures 39(k) to (r). It is desirable that the dialogue preview performance at this time is a dialogue preview performance that does not include any indication of reliability. Furthermore, the dialogue preview performance at this time may include an indication of reliability, but it is desirable that the indication of reliability be lower than that of the dialogue preview performance (Figures 40(s) to (w)) executed after the high-brightness performance WO41, and the dialogue preview performance may be in a form that suggests the content that will be executed in the dialogue preview performance (Figures 40(s) to (w)).

[0272] [Pseudo consecutive announcement performance] 41 to 43 show an example of a pseudo consecutive announcement effect that is executed during normal fluctuation in a normal fluctuation pattern. The pseudo consecutive announcement effect is an effect in which pseudo pattern fluctuations by the decorative pattern 164 are executed multiple times while the first and second special patterns fluctuate once, and when a pseudo consecutive display appears in the fluctuation of the decorative pattern 164 (for example, when the middle decorative pattern 164c stops at a predetermined pseudo consecutive pattern such as "@"), a new pseudo pattern fluctuation is started, and it is set so that the more the number of pseudo pattern fluctuations (pseudo consecutive number of times), the higher the reliability of a jackpot.

[0273] Below, a specific example of the pseudo consecutive announcement performance will be explained using an example in which the first and second pseudo symbol changes are performed, but first an overview will be explained with reference to Fig. 41. When the pseudo consecutive announcement performance is executed, for example, during normal change in a reach change pattern or normal change pattern, BGM5 relating to the first pseudo symbol change is output as background music from the speakers 18, 25, and, for example, the decorative symbol 164 is not displayed on the display screen 58a, and the reserved base image 168 is displayed on the lower end side and the mini symbol 165 is displayed on the upper end side, and behind them, a first pseudo consecutive first half performance image 191a relating to the first half performance of the first pseudo symbol change (first pseudo consecutive first half performance PF1A) is displayed (Fig. 41(a)).

[0274] The first pseudo consecutive first half performance image 191a includes a character image 192a of an arbitrary character (here, kappa), and is expressed in a color based on the first display color (here, blue) corresponding to the first pseudo pattern variation. Also, during the first pseudo consecutive first half performance PF1A, at least a part of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emits light in the first pseudo consecutive first half light-emitting mode corresponding to the first display color, here, blue.

[0275] Thereafter, the first pseudo consecutive first half performance image 191a is switched to the first pseudo consecutive second half performance image 194a, thereby transitioning from the first pseudo consecutive first half performance PF1A (FIG. 41(a)) to the first pseudo consecutive second half performance PF1B (FIG. 41(c)), and during this transition, a high-brightness performance WO51 (FIG. 41(b)) is performed. That is, an arbitrary shape, for example, a rectangular first transition area 195a is displayed in front of the first pseudo consecutive first half performance image 191a, and a part of the first pseudo consecutive second half performance image 194a is displayed within the first transition area 195a, but in the high-brightness performance WO51, by displaying a high-brightness image 170j in the first transition area (first area) 195a, the visibility of the image behind the high-brightness image 170j (here, the first pseudo consecutive second half performance image 194a) is reduced. During the high-brightness effect WO51, a character image 193a consisting of an arbitrary character string (here, "At the beginning...") is displayed on the screen, for example, outside the first transition area 195a.

[0276] During the high-brightness effect WO51 (Fig. 41(b)), the output of BGM5 related to the first pseudo symbol variation continues, and a first pseudo consecutive high-brightness emphasis sound is output as a sound effect. Also, during the high-brightness effect WO51, at least a part of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emits light in a first pseudo consecutive high-brightness light-emitting mode (for example, blue flashing) corresponding to the first display color, for example.

[0277] When the high-brightness image 170j disappears, the high-brightness effect WO51 (Fig. 41(b)) ends, and the first pseudo consecutive second half effect image 194a in the first transition area 195a becomes completely visible, the first transition area 195a expands to fill the entire screen, and the entire first pseudo consecutive second half effect image 194a becomes visible (Fig. 41(c)). Note that the first pseudo consecutive second half effect image 194a includes a character image 196a, and this character image 196a uses the same type of character as the character image 192a and is displayed larger than the character image 192a.

[0278] After that, the screen shifts to the pattern change screen of the decorative pattern 164, and the transition to the second pseudo pattern change is confirmed when the middle decorative pattern 164c stops at the pseudo consecutive pattern "@" (the pseudo consecutive display appears) (Fig. 41(d)). While the pattern change screen is displayed, for example, the output of background music is stopped, and a pattern stop sound is output as a sound effect in accordance with the stopping of the decorative patterns 164a to 164c.

[0279] During the second subsequent pseudo pattern change, BGM6 relating to the second pseudo pattern change is output as background music from the speakers 18, 25, and on the display screen 58a, for example, the decorative pattern 164 is not displayed, and the reserved base image 168 is displayed at the bottom end and the mini pattern 165 is displayed at the top end, and behind them, the second pseudo consecutive first half performance image 191b relating to the first half performance of the second pseudo pattern change (second pseudo consecutive first half performance PF2A) is displayed (Figure 41(e)).

[0280] The second pseudo consecutive first half performance image 191b includes a character image 192b of an arbitrary character (here, the same kappa as the first pseudo consecutive first half performance image 191a), and is expressed in a color based on the second display color (here, red) corresponding to the second pseudo pattern change. During the second pseudo consecutive first half performance PF2A, at least a portion of the performance lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a second pseudo consecutive first half light-emitting mode corresponding to the second display color, here red. In this embodiment, the character images 192a and 192b are substantially the same images with different base colors.

[0281] Thereafter, second pseudo consecutive first half performance image 191b is switched to second pseudo consecutive second half performance image 194b, resulting in a transition from second pseudo consecutive first half performance PF2A (FIG. 41(e)) to second pseudo consecutive second half performance PF2B (FIG. 41(g)), and during this transition a high-brightness performance WO52 (FIG. 41(f)) is performed. That is, an arbitrary shape, for example a rectangular second transition area 195b is displayed in front of second pseudo consecutive first half performance image 191b, and a part of second pseudo consecutive second half performance image 194b is displayed within second transition area 195b, but in high-brightness performance WO52, by displaying high-brightness image 170k in second transition area (second area) 195b, the visibility of the image behind high-brightness image 170k (here, second pseudo consecutive second half performance image 194b) is reduced. During the high-brightness effect WO51, character image 193b consisting of an arbitrary character string (here, "Next time...") is displayed on the screen, for example, inside second transition area 195b. Second transition area 195b is formed to be larger than first transition area 195a. During the high-brightness effect WO52, the character image consisting of a character string may also be configured to be displayed outside second transition area 195b.

[0282] During the high-brightness effect WO52 (FIG. 41(f)), the output of BGM 6 related to the second pseudo symbol variation continues, and a second pseudo-continuous high-brightness emphasis sound is output as a sound effect. Here, it is desirable that the first pseudo-continuous high-brightness emphasis sound and the second pseudo-continuous high-brightness emphasis sound are different emphasis sounds. If different emphasis sounds are used, it is desirable that the second pseudo-continuous high-brightness emphasis sound be louder or more flashy than the first pseudo-continuous high-brightness emphasis sound. Furthermore, in order to reduce audio data, the first pseudo-continuous high-brightness emphasis sound and the second pseudo-continuous high-brightness emphasis sound may be a common emphasis sound. Furthermore, during the high-brightness effect WO52, at least a portion of the effect lamps L (here, both the frame-side lamps La and the board-side lamps Lb) emit light in a second pseudo-continuous high-brightness light-emitting mode (e.g., flashing red) corresponding to the second display color, for example.

[0283] When the high-brightness image 170k disappears, the high-brightness effect WO52 (FIG. 41(f)) ends, and the second pseudo consecutive second-half effect image 194b in the second transition area 195b becomes fully visible. The second transition area 195b expands to fill the entire screen, and the entire second pseudo consecutive second-half effect image 194b becomes visible (FIG. 41(g)). The second pseudo consecutive second-half effect image 194b includes a character image 196b, which uses the same type of character as the character image 192b and is displayed larger than the character image 192b. In this embodiment, the character image 196b and the character image 196a use substantially the same image (except for the base color), but the character image 196b is displayed larger than the character image 196a. However, this is not a limitation, and the character images 196a and 196b may be displayed at the same size.

[0284] After that, the screen shifts to the pattern change screen of the decorative pattern 164, and the middle decorative pattern 164c stops at the pseudo consecutive pattern "@" (the pseudo consecutive display appears), thereby confirming the transition to the third pseudo pattern change (Figure 41(h)). While the pattern change screen is displayed, for example, the output of background music is stopped, and a pattern stop sound is output as a sound effect in accordance with the stopping of the decorative patterns 164a to 164c.

[0285] Next, regarding the pseudo consecutive preview performance shown in Figure 41, the performance period centered on the high brightness performances WO51 and WO52 will be explained in more detail. Figure 42 shows the changes in the display screen and light-emitting means for the period of Figure 41(a) to (c), and Figure 43 shows the changes in the period of Figure 41(e) to (g), each at even shorter time intervals than Figure 41. In Figures 42 and 43, the time interval between adjacent frames is all the same, A milliseconds, the same as in Figures 24 to 26 for the step-up preview performance.

[0286] First, the details of the high-brightness effect WO51 will be described. In the high-brightness effect WO51, a first transition area 195a of an arbitrary shape (here, rectangular) is first displayed in front of the first pseudo consecutive first half effect image 191a after a predetermined display start operation, here, an expansion operation centered on a predetermined point on the screen (FIGS. 42(a)-(c)). A character image 193a consisting of an arbitrary character string (here, "Starting with...") is also displayed outside the first transition area 195a. Note that a portion of the first pseudo consecutive second half effect image 194a is displayed within the first transition area 195a from the start of its display. However, since a high-brightness image 170j is also displayed in front of the first pseudo consecutive second half effect image 194a within the first transition area 195a, the visibility of the first pseudo consecutive second half effect image 194a is reduced by the high-brightness image 170j.

[0287] In this embodiment, the size (range) of high-brightness image 170j corresponds to the entire display range of first transition area 195a, has uniform transmittance, and is set to 0% when first transition area 195a starts to be displayed. Therefore, when first transition area 195a starts to be displayed (FIGS. 42(b)-(c)), first pseudo consecutive second half effect image 194a inside it is not visible. Of course, the transmittance of high-brightness image 170j when first transition area 195a starts to be displayed may be greater than 0%.

[0288] When the first transition area 195a is displayed at a predetermined size after a predetermined display start operation (FIG. 42(c)), the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170j gradually increases over time (transmittance change processing, transmittance change effect), and accordingly, the visibility of the first pseudo consecutive second half effect image 194a gradually increases within the first transition area 195a (FIGS. 42(c)-(g)). Then, when the transmittance of the high-brightness image 170j reaches 100%, the high-brightness image 170j disappears and the high-brightness effect WO51 ends (FIG. 42(g)), the first transition area 195a expands to the entire screen, the character image 193a is erased from the screen, and the first pseudo consecutive first half effect image 191a is completely switched to the first pseudo consecutive second half effect image 194a (FIGS. 42(g)-(i)). During the high brightness effect WO51, the effect lamp L emits light in a first pseudo consecutive high brightness light emitting mode (for example, blue flashing) corr...

Claims

1. a launching means capable of launching a game ball toward a game area; A plurality of nails that are arranged within the game area and can change the direction of travel of the game ball; A plurality of ball entrances arranged within the game area and through which game balls can enter; A mark that is placed in the gaming area and is made up of letters and / or figures that can identify the gaming machine; Display means capable of various display effects; and a light-emitting means capable of producing various light-emitting effects. When a game ball enters a winning hole among the ball entrance holes, a predetermined game value is awarded to the player; To provide advantageous benefits to players when predetermined conditions are met In gaming machines, The plurality of entrances includes a specific entrance, The plurality of nails includes a specific nail arranged near the specific ball entrance, A reflecting means for reflecting light is disposed within a virtual area that is rectangular in front view and has an area of ​​1 / 4 or less of the smallest rectangular area that includes the specific ball entrance, the specific nail, and the mark and has an aspect ratio of 16:

9. A gaming machine characterized by:

Images