Gaming machine

Abstract

To provide a gaming machine that can enhance the enjoyment of gaming. [Solution] In the normal performance state, a first AT lottery is held each time a specific point reaches a predetermined number of points. Based on whether a first AT or second AT is won in the first AT lottery, the game transitions to assist time play. If a first AT or second AT is won in the first AT lottery, a winning notification performance is executed. Multiple types of winning notification performances (winning performance A, winning performance B, winning reversal performance A, winning reversal performance B) are provided as winning notification performances, and the execution frequency of winning reversal performance A and winning reversal performance B is changed according to the number of cycles based on the specific point.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, gaming machines (rotary gaming machines, slot machines) having a plurality of reels with symbols arranged on the outer peripheral surface have been known. This type of gaming machine gives a certain gaming value to gaming media such as medals and pachinko balls, and conducts a game to acquire such gaming media. Also, in this type of gaming machine, when a player inserts a gaming media into a predetermined insertion slot and a prescribed number of gaming media are bet, a game start operation becomes possible. Triggered by the player's rotation start operation, an internal lottery is conducted and the rotation of a plurality of reels is started. Triggered by the player's stop operation, control is performed to stop the plurality of reels in a manner corresponding to the result of the internal lottery. Then, the result of the game is determined by the symbol combination displayed on the effective line in the state where the plurality of reels have stopped, and payouts such as medals are made according to the result of the game.

[0003] In recent years, by executing a winning assist effect that assists the winning of a minor winning combination in which a gaming value is paid out with a win under predetermined conditions, the winning probability of the minor winning combination is varied, and an assist time game that makes it easier to acquire a gaming value such as a medal in an AT state where the winning assist effect can be executed has gained popularity (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] In this type of gaming machine, the game is enlivened by performing an effect according to the result of the internal lottery or by performing an effect according to the result of an AT lottery that determines whether to shift to an assist time game (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0006] In the gaming machines described above, it is desirable to enhance the enjoyment of the game by performing effects according to parameters different from those used for internal lottery or AT lottery.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a gaming machine that can improve the enjoyment of gaming. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) The present invention relates to a gaming machine comprising: a reward granting means for determining whether or not to grant a reward at predetermined intervals; and an effect determination means for determining whether or not to perform a reward granting effect for notifying the granting of the reward when it is decided to grant the reward, wherein the reward granting effect includes a plurality of types of reward granting effects, including a specific effect, and the effect determination means changes the frequency of execution of the specific effect's reward granting effect according to the number of cycles in the predetermined interval.

[0009] In this invention, multiple types of bonus granting effects, including specific effect patterns, are provided as bonus granting effects that notify the granting of a bonus. The frequency of execution of the bonus granting effects of the specific effect patterns is changed according to the number of cycles in a predetermined cycle, thereby improving the enjoyment of the game. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the schematic electrical configuration of a gaming machine and dedicated unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating the functional block of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]This is a diagram illustrating the internal lottery table in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure illustrates the manner in which minor prizes are awarded in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This figure illustrates the manner in which minor prizes are awarded in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This figure illustrates the manner in which minor prizes are awarded in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This figure illustrates the arrangement of symbols on the reels in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the order in which the stop buttons are pressed and the winning combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the order in which the stop buttons are pressed and the winning combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the order in which the stop buttons are pressed and the winning combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the order in which the stop buttons are pressed and the winning combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] This diagram illustrates the relationship between winning combinations and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] This diagram illustrates the relationship between winning combinations and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] This diagram illustrates the relationship between winning combinations and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] This diagram illustrates the relationship between winning combinations and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] This diagram illustrates the relationship between winning combinations and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] This diagram illustrates the relationship between winning combinations and symbol combinations in a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19]This is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning combinations and symbol combinations in the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] This is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning combinations and symbol combinations in the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] This is a diagram for explaining the relationship between winning combinations and symbol combinations in the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] This is a transition diagram of the gaming state in the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] This is a transition diagram of the effect state in the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24] This is a transition diagram of the gaming section in the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 25] This is a diagram showing an example of a specific point notification effect in the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 26] This is a diagram showing an example of the selection probability of a winning notification effect and a non-winning notification effect in the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 27] This is a diagram showing an example of a winning reversal effect A in the gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 28] This is a diagram showing an example of the selection probability of a winning notification effect in the gaming machine according to a modified example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 29] This is a diagram showing an example of the selection probability of a winning notification effect in the gaming machine according to a modified example of an embodiment of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. Note that the embodiments described below do not unduly limit the content of the present invention described in the claims. Also, not all of the configurations described in this embodiment are essential constituent elements of the present invention.

[0012] 1. Configuration FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] The gaming machine of this embodiment is called a smart pachislo, and it is a type of gaming machine that maintains the gameplay of a slot machine while using electronic tokens, which are electronic game tokens with electronic value, as the game medium instead of physical tokens.

[0014] The gaming machine of this embodiment houses a reel unit 310 consisting of a first reel R1 to a third reel R3 (multiple reels) within a box-shaped casing consisting of a storage box BX (an example of the gaming machine body), an upper front door UD (an example of the front door), and a lower front door (an example of the front door) DD. Below the reel unit 310 inside the casing is a power supply unit which incorporates a power supply device and is equipped with various switches such as a power switch, a setting change key cylinder, and a setting change button. The casing of the gaming machine of this embodiment also houses a control board which controls the operation of the gaming machine and is equipped with a CPU (an example of the calculation means), ROM (an example of the information storage medium), RAM (an example of the temporary storage means), etc. In this embodiment, the control board includes a main board 10 that controls the progress of the game, a sub-board 20 that receives signals transmitted from the main board 10 and performs control to execute game effects in accordance with the progress of the game, and a medal count control board 30 that controls the number of electronic medals (number of game medals) that are electronically held in the game machine and can be used for playing the game. In the following, the total number of electronic medals that are electronically held in the game machine and can be used for playing the game will be referred to as the "number of game medals," and the storage unit that holds the electronic medals will be referred to as the "medal holding unit."

[0015] The first to third reels R1 to R3 shown in Figure 1 are each divided into 20 regions (each region referred to as a "frame") at regular intervals on their outer surface, and one of several types of patterns is arranged in each frame. The first to third reels R1 to R3 are pivotally supported by a stepping motor (reel driving means: not shown) and are rotationally driven around the axis of the stepping motor. By controlling the number of pulses and pulse width of the stepping motor's drive pulses, they are designed to be stopped in frame units (units of predetermined rotation angle and predetermined rotation amount). In other words, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the stepping motor rotates the first to third reels R1 to R3 in response to drive pulses supplied from the control board, and when a drive pulse for full-phase excitation is supplied from the control board, the rotation of the stepping motor stops, and the first to third reels R1 to R3 stop as a result.

[0016] The upper front door UD and lower front door DD, which can be opened and closed to close the front of the storage box BX (an example of the front), are individually designed to be opened and closed. The upper front door UD is provided with a display window DW that allows observation of the rotation and stopped states of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3. When the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 are stopped, three symbols (upper, middle, and lower) that are arranged consecutively on the outer surface of each of the multiple types of symbols arranged at regular intervals on the outer surface of each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 can be observed from the front of the gaming machine through the display window DW.

[0017] In this embodiment of the gaming machine, each reel is provided with an upper, middle, and lower display position for observing the symbols through the display window DW, and the active lines are set by the combination of the display positions on each reel. In this embodiment of the gaming machine, when the number of electronic tokens required for one game, the so-called prescribed number of tokens, is inserted (bet), the active line L1, which consists of the middle position of the first reel R1, the upper position of the second reel R2, and the middle position of the third reel R3, is activated.

[0018] The game result is determined by the combination of symbols that stop and are displayed on the active lines in the display window DW. If the combination of symbols on the active lines corresponds to a predetermined winning combination, the winning combination is considered achieved and electronic tokens are dispensed.

[0019] Furthermore, the upper front door UD is equipped with an LCD display and a frame lamp AL for displaying game effects. The LCD display shows various videos (or images) to assist or enhance gameplay, and the frame lamp AL performs lighting and flashing actions to enhance gameplay.

[0020] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the gaming machine, multiple speakers SP are provided on the lower front door DD for providing game-related effects. These speakers SP output various sounds to assist or enhance the gaming experience.

[0021] Furthermore, a game token count display device 70 (an example of a display device) is provided on the lower front door DD. The game token count display device 70 displays the total number of electronic tokens held in the token holder, i.e., the number of game tokens (an example of the number of game tokens). However, the number of game tokens does not include the electronic tokens that have been bet. Therefore, the game token count display device 70 displays the number obtained by subtracting the number of electronic tokens that were bet from the number of electronic tokens that the player has acquired. The number of game tokens is displayed on a 5-digit or 6-digit 7-segment display or the like, positioned in a location visible to the player, and is shown in a numerical range of 0 to 16382.

[0022] Furthermore, the lower front door DD is equipped with various operating means. These operating means include a bet button (an example of an insertion operation means, a game operation means) B0 for inserting (betting) electronic medals held in the medal holder; a start lever SL (an example of a game start operation means, a game operation means) for initiating the game by rotating the first reel R1 to the third reel R3; stop buttons B1 to B3 (an example of a stop operation means, a game operation means) for initiating the operation to stop each of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3, which are rotated by a stepping motor; and a settlement button B4 (a predetermined operation means, a settlement operation means, a game operation means) for returning (settling) all inserted (betted) electronic medals to the medal holder.

[0023] Furthermore, the lower front door DD is provided with a counting button B8 (an example of a counting operation means, a game operation means) for performing an operation (counting operation) to transfer some or all of the electronic medals held in the medal holder to a dedicated unit 50 (an example of a specific unit) described later.

[0024] Furthermore, the lower front door DD is equipped with a game information display unit DS. The game information display unit DS consists of LEDs, lamps, a 7-segment display, etc., and displays various game information such as the number of electronic tokens dispensed or acquired in a single game (the difference between the number of electronic tokens dispensed and the number inserted), and the total number of electronic tokens dispensed or acquired during bonus games.

[0025] In the gaming machine of this embodiment, when the player presses the bet button B0 in a state where the game can be started, a predetermined number of electronic tokens are inserted (bet), and the machine is set to a ready state in which the rotation control of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 can be started, and the operation of pressing the start lever is permitted (activated). When the player presses the start lever SL, the control board starts the rotation of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 by driving the stepping motor, and an internal lottery is performed using random values, and if the rotation speed of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 has increased to a predetermined speed, the operation of pressing the stop buttons B1 to B3 is permitted (activated).

[0026] Subsequently, when the player presses stop buttons B1 to B3 at any time, the stop switches (stop signal output means: for example, a photosensor, a continuity sensor, a pressure sensor, etc.) built into each of the stop buttons B1 to B3 are activated, changing the reel stop signal input to the control board from the off state to the on state.

[0027] Furthermore, when the player releases stop buttons B1 to B3 at any time, the stop switches corresponding to each of the stop buttons B1 to B3 turn off, changing the reel stop signal input to the control board from the ON state to the OFF state.

[0028] The control board then stops the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 at a stopping position corresponding to the result of an internal lottery, based on the change in the reel stop signal state from the off state to the on state, which changes in response to the timing of pressing and releasing the stop buttons B1 to B3.

[0029] When medals are to be dispensed according to the results of the game, the electronic medals are dispensed (stored) in the medal holder, and the display of the number of game medals on the game medal count display device 70 is updated.

[0030] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the schematic electrical configuration of the gaming machine and dedicated unit 50 of this embodiment, and Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the gaming machine of this embodiment.

[0031] The gaming machine in this embodiment is electrically connected to an external device, a dedicated unit 50, via a gaming ball dispensing device connection terminal board 40. The dedicated unit 50 is equipped with a dedicated unit control board 60 that transmits and receives electronic tokens to and from the gaming machine.

[0032] Furthermore, the gaming machine of this embodiment is controlled by a control board that includes a main board 10 (an example of a main control unit and a first control unit), a sub-board 20 (an example of a sub-control unit), and a medal count control board 30 (an example of a game value count control unit and a second control unit). The main board 10 receives input signals from input means such as a bet switch 220, a start switch 230, a stop switch 240, a settlement switch 250, a setting change switch 260, and a setting change permission switch 265, performs various calculations to execute the game, and controls the operation of output means such as a reel unit 310 based on the calculation results. The sub-board 20 receives signals sent from the main board 10, performs various calculations to execute effects according to the progress of the game, and controls the operation of output means such as a display device 330 and a sound device 340 based on the calculation results. The medal count control board 30 receives input signals from input means such as a counting button switch 255, performs various calculations to manage the number of game medals, and controls the operation of output means such as a game medal count display device 70 based on the calculation results. Furthermore, the functions of each board, such as the main board 10, sub-board 20, and medal count control board 30, are realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.), ASICs (gate arrays, etc.), ROM (an example of an information storage medium), or RAM, and software consisting of given programs pre-stored in ROM, etc.

[0033] The main board 10 is equipped with a main CPU 10a, a main ROM 10b, a main RAM 10c, etc., and the main CPU 10a executes various programs stored in the main ROM 10b, thereby functioning as an input reception means 105 (reception control means, input processing means, settlement processing means), a random number generation means 110, an internal lottery means 120, a reel control means 130, a prize determination means 140, a payout control means 150, a replay processing means 160, a game state control means 170, a performance state control means 180 (an example of an auxiliary game control means or a bonus granting means), a performance determination means 185, a communication control means 190, etc.

[0034] The coin insertion receiving means 105 accepts the insertion of electronic tokens for each game and, based on the insertion of a predetermined number of electronic tokens (for example, 3 tokens), performs control to activate the game start operation on the start lever SL (game start operation means). In this embodiment of the game machine, the first press of the start lever SL, which has been activated based on the insertion of the predetermined number of electronic tokens, is accepted as the game start operation, triggering the rotation of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3, and also triggering the execution of an internal lottery.

[0035] Furthermore, when the bet button B0 is operated while the input receiving means 105 is in a state of accepting the input of electronic medals, the bet switch 220 is activated, and an input process (betting process) is performed to set the electronic medals held in the medal holder to the input state (betting state), up to a predetermined number of inputs.

[0036] Furthermore, when the input receiving means 105 is in a state where it is accepting the insertion of electronic medals, and the settlement button B4 is operated, the settlement switch 250 is activated, and a settlement process is performed in which all electronic medals set to the inserted state are returned to the medal holding unit.

[0037] The random number generation means 110 is a means for generating random numbers for drawing lots. Random numbers can be generated, for example, based on the count value of an increment counter (a counter that counts numbers so as to cycle within a predetermined count range). In this embodiment, "random numbers" include not only values ​​that are generated randomly in a mathematical sense, but also values ​​that, even if their generation is regular, can function as effectively random numbers because the timing of their acquisition is irregular.

[0038] The internal lottery means 120 performs an internal lottery to determine whether multiple types of roles, such as replays, minor roles, and bonuses, are achieved based on a start signal from the start switch 230, which is activated by the start lever SL being pressed (the first press operation on the activated start lever SL). If the internal lottery is successful, the lottery flag corresponding to the winning role is set from a non-winning state (first flag state, off state) to a winning state (second flag state, on state).

[0039] In the internal lottery, the random number obtained for the internal lottery is compared with the internal lottery table stored in the main ROM 10b, and the success or failure of a winning combination is determined according to the comparison result. In this embodiment of the gaming machine, three types of internal lottery tables (internal lottery table 1 to internal lottery table 3) are provided as shown in Figure 4. In each internal lottery table, various combinations such as replays, minor wins, and bonuses, as well as misses (failures), are associated with each of the multiple random number values ​​(for example, 65,536 random number values ​​from 0 to 65,535). In this embodiment, three types of internal lottery tables are provided for each of the six setting values, and the probability of obtaining some winning combinations in the internal lottery differs depending on the setting value, and the correspondence between combinations and random number values ​​is set so that the expected value of the payout rate increases as the setting value increases. Thus, in this embodiment, the internal lottery is performed in a lottery mode according to the setting value.

[0040] Furthermore, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, there are 95 types of small wins, and the winning patterns for the small wins are as shown in Figures 5 to 7: left-center batting order bell group (an example of multiple types of first winning patterns: left-center batting order bell A1 to left-center batting order bell A4, left-center batting order bell B1 to left-center batting order bell B4), left-right batting order bell group (an example of multiple types of first winning patterns: left-right batting order bell A1 to left-right batting order bell A4, left-right batting order bell B1 to left-right batting order bell B4), and center-left batting order bell group (an example of multiple types of second winning patterns: center-left batting order bell 1 to center-left batting order bell 4). The following symbols are set: center-right batting order bell group (an example of multiple types of second winning patterns: center-right batting order bell 1 to center-right batting order bell 4), right-left batting order bell group (an example of multiple types of second winning patterns: right-left batting order bell 1 to right-left batting order bell 6), right-center batting order bell group (an example of multiple types of second winning patterns: right-center batting order bell 1 to right-center batting order bell 6), common 1-coin A1 to common 1-coin A4, common 1-coin B1 to common 1-coin B4, special role group (special role A1 to special role A9, special role B1 to special role B3), cherry A, cherry B, watermelon, and JAC1 to JAC3. In the following explanation, the 36 types of winning patterns, including the left-center batting order bell group, left-right batting order bell group, center-left batting order bell group, center-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, and right-center batting order bell group, will be collectively referred to as "batting order bells." The 8 types of winning patterns, including Common 1-coin A1 to Common 1-coin A4 and Common 1-coin B1 to Common 1-coin B4, will be collectively referred to as "common 1-coin." The 12 types of winning patterns in the special role group will be collectively referred to as "special role."

[0041] Furthermore, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, Replay 1 and Replay 2 are provided as replays, and Normal Replay 1 and Normal Replay 2 are set as replay winning patterns. In Normal Replay 1, Replay 1 is won alone, and in Normal Replay 2, the lottery pattern is set so that both Replay 1 and Replay 2 are won simultaneously.

[0042] Furthermore, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the probability and manner of winning minor roles are the same in internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2, the probability of winning a replay is higher in internal lottery table 2 than in internal lottery table 1, replays are not included in the lottery in internal lottery table 3, and the manner of winning minor roles in internal lottery table 3 is different from that of internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2, and the probability of winning minor roles is higher in internal lottery table 3 than in internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2.

[0043] Furthermore, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, a Big Bonus (BB) is provided as a bonus, and the Big Bonus (BB) is subject to drawing in the internal drawing table 1. In the internal drawing table 1, the drawing method is set so that the Big Bonus (BB) can be won in combination with common 1-coin B1 to common 1-coin B4, special roles A1 to special roles A9, special roles B1 to special roles B3, cherry A, cherry B, and watermelon, or it can be won alone.

[0044] Furthermore, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the game state can be set to a normal state, a BB (Big Bonus) established state, and a BB state, and the internal lottery means 120 selects one of internal lottery tables 1 to 3 as the internal lottery table to be used for internal lottery depending on the game state.

[0045] Furthermore, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, there are two types of lottery flags: one that allows the winning state to be carried over to subsequent games until a win is achieved (carry-over flag), and another that resets to a non-winning state regardless of whether a win is achieved, without carrying over the winning state to subsequent games (carry-over non-flag). The former carry-over flag is associated with the Big Bonus (BB), while the latter carry-over non-flag is associated with the Small Win and Replay. In the internal lottery process, for example, if a Big Bonus (BB) is won in the internal lottery, the winning state of the Big Bonus (BB) lottery flag is carried over until a Big Bonus (BB) is achieved. At this time, the internal lottery means 120 also performs an internal lottery to determine the win or loss of Small Wins and Replays, even in games where the winning state of the Big Bonus (BB) lottery flag has been carried over. In other words, in the internal lottery process, when a game is played in which the winning state of the bonus lottery flag associated with the carryover flag is carried over, if a small win or replay is won, the lottery flags corresponding to two or more types of wins, consisting of the bonus lottery flag that has already been won and the small win or replay lottery flag that was won in the internal lottery, are set to a winning state.

[0046] The reel control means 130, based on a start signal from the start switch 230 which is activated by the start lever SL when the game is started, starts the rotational drive of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 with a stepping motor, and controls the operation to enable the stop operation by pressing the stop buttons B1 to B3 (stop operation means) corresponding to the reels that are rotating steadily at a predetermined speed (approximately 80 rpm: a rotational speed of approximately 80 rotations per minute), and also controls the first reel R1 to the third reel R3, which are being rotated by the stepping motor, to stop in a manner according to the setting state of the lottery flag (result of the internal lottery).

[0047] The reel control means 130, when the stop operation for stop buttons B1 to B3 is enabled and the player presses stop buttons B1 to B3, thereby activating the stop switch 240, disables the operation for the operated stop button and, based on the reel stop signal from the stop switch 240, supplies a drive pulse of full-phase excitation to the stepping motor of the reel unit 310, thereby controlling the stopping of each reel from the first reel R1 to the third reel R3.

[0048] In other words, each time one of the stop buttons B1 to B3 is pressed, the reel control means 130 determines the stopping position of the reel corresponding to the pressed button among the first reel R1 to the third reel R3, and controls the reel to stop at the determined stopping position. In this embodiment of the gaming machine, pressing stop button B1 corresponds to the operation to stop the first reel R1, pressing stop button B2 corresponds to the operation to stop the second reel R2, and pressing stop button B3 corresponds to the operation to stop the third reel R3. In other words, in this embodiment of the gaming machine, if the pressing order of stop buttons B1 to B3 (the order of operations for stopping) changes, the stopping order of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 changes. In this embodiment, among the first reels R1 to the third reels R3, the stop operation corresponding to the first reel to stop is referred to as the first stop operation, the stop operation corresponding to the second reel to stop is referred to as the second stop operation, and the stop operation corresponding to the last reel to stop is referred to as the third stop operation. The stop of the reel corresponding to the first stop operation may be referred to as the first stop, the stop of the reel corresponding to the second stop operation as the second stop, and the stop of the reel corresponding to the third stop operation as the third stop. In this embodiment, the order of operations for stopping the first reel R1 (an example of a specific reel) first may be referred to as the recommended batting order (an example of a specific operation order), and the order of operations for stopping the second reel R2 (an example of a reel different from the specific reel) or the third reel R3 (an example of a reel different from the specific reel) first may be referred to as the irregular batting order (an example of a non-specific operation order).

[0049] Furthermore, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, for the first reel R1 to the third reel R3, the rotating reel corresponding to the pressed stop button stops within 190ms from the time the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed. When stopping the rotating reels within 190ms from the time the stop button is pressed, the stopping position of each rotating reel is determined within a range of 0 to 4 frames (a predetermined pull-in range) from the time the stop button is pressed until the reel stops. The reel control means 130 controls the rotating reel corresponding to the pressed stop button so that, on the outer surface of the rotating reel corresponding to the pressed stop button, if the symbol corresponding to the winning combination in the internal lottery is located within a range of 0 to 4 frames relative to the display position on the active line at the time the stop button is pressed, the symbol corresponding to the winning combination for which the lottery flag is set to a winning state is displayed at the display position on the active line. In this embodiment, the stopping position is determined so that the patterns located within a predetermined pull-in range are displayed on the active line L1.

[0050] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, the red 7 symbol "Red 7", blue 7 symbol "Blue 7", BAR symbol "BAR", replay symbol 1 "RP1", replay symbol 2 "RP2", bell symbol "BL", watermelon symbol "WM", cherry symbol "CH", dummy symbol 1 "DUM1", and dummy symbol 2 "DUM2" are arranged on the outer circumferential surfaces of the first reels R1 to the third reels R3 that constitute the reel unit 310. When drawing symbols that are within 4 frames from the press detection position onto the active line, symbols arranged at intervals of 4 frames or less on the outer circumferential surface of each reel can be displayed on the active line regardless of the press detection position, which is the position of the reel at the time the stop switch 240 is activated (when the press of the stop button is detected). In this embodiment, the press detection position is based on the display position of the upper row of each reel.

[0051] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the gaming machine, the reel unit 310 is equipped with a reel index consisting of a photosensor, and the reel control means 130 can monitor the current rotation state of the reel by determining the rotation angle (number of rotation steps of the rotation axis of the stepping motor) from the reference position of the reel (the frame detected by the reel index 315) based on the reference position signal detected by the reel index each time the reel rotates once. In other words, the reel control means 130 can obtain the position of the reel when the stop switch 240 is activated by determining the rotation angle of the reel from the reference position. In this embodiment, the pressed detection position (operation detection position) is obtained based on the upper display position of the reel to be stopped at the time the stop operation is performed.

[0052] Furthermore, the reel control means 130 performs a process (table reference process) to determine the stopping position of the rotating reel by referring to the stop control table stored in the main ROM 10b.

[0053] In the stop control table, a correspondence is set between the pressed position, which is the position of the reels at the time the stop switch 240 is activated (when the stop button is detected to be pressed), and the number of sliding frames, which indicates the amount of rotation from the pressed position to the actual stop position, depending on the setting of the lottery flag. In addition, the stop control table may also set a correspondence between the pressed position and the actual stop position depending on the setting of the lottery flag.

[0054] Furthermore, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, priority is set for small wins, replays, and bonuses in the order of "replay > bonus" and "small win > bonus," and the stop control table is set so that a stop position including the symbols that constitute the winning pattern of the highest priority win is selected according to the priority assigned to each win.

[0055] Furthermore, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, in the stop control table that is referenced when multiple types of small wins are set to a winning state in the internal lottery, there are cases in which the stop position is set according to the number of symbol combinations that can be displayed on the active line to indicate a winning form (number priority control: an example of first control), and cases in which the stop position is set according to the number of medals paid out based on predetermined payouts for small wins (payout priority control: an example of second control). When the stop position is set according to the number of symbol combinations that can be displayed on the active line to indicate a winning form, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that the stop position that allows for a larger number of symbol combinations that can be displayed on the active line to indicate a winning form is given priority. When the stop position is set according to the number of medals paid out, the stop position relative to the press detection position is set so that the stop position that allows for a larger number of medals paid out based on the payout of the small win corresponding to the symbol displayed at the display position on the active line (a stop position that allows for the winning of a small win with a high payout) is given priority. However, when the stopping position is set according to the number of medals dispensed, if there are multiple stopping positions with the same number of medals dispensed, the priority of each stopping position is treated as the same and the stopping position is set relative to the press detection position. Similarly, when the stopping position is set according to the number of symbol combinations indicating winning patterns that can be displayed on the active line, if there are multiple stopping positions with the same number of symbol combinations indicating winning patterns that can be displayed on the active line, the priority of each stopping position is treated as the same and the stopping position is set relative to the press detection position.

[0056] Furthermore, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, the stop control table is set so that as many winning combinations as possible can be awarded when the lottery flag is set to a winning state, and the stop control table is set so that winning combinations when the lottery flag is set to a non-winning state cannot be awarded.

[0057] In this embodiment, a unique stop control number is provided according to the result of an internal lottery, and the reel control means 130 calls up a stop control table based on the stop control number to determine the stopping position of the rotating reel.

[0058] In this embodiment, a symbol number is pre-assigned to each position (frame) where the symbols are arranged (placed) on each reel, and as shown in Figure 8, the symbol numbers are assigned in the range of 0 to 19. The stop control table is set with table data (table data for 20 frames) that defines the number of sliding frames for each of the press detection positions from 0 to 19.

[0059] Furthermore, in this embodiment, for the sake of explanation, minor roles may be classified and referred to collectively by their payout, such as, for example, minor roles with a payout of 1 coin (minor roles 1 to 71) being called 1-coin minor roles, minor roles with a payout of 3 coins (minor roles 72 to 73) being called 3-coin minor roles, minor roles with a payout of 8 coins (minor roles 74 to 75) being called 8-coin minor roles, and minor roles with a payout of 15 coins (minor roles 76 to 95) being called 15-coin minor roles.

[0060] In the stop control table, which is referenced when any batting order bell is selected in the internal lottery, a correct batting order (an example of the correct operation) is set for each batting order bell, as shown in Figures 9 to 11. Any operation order different from the correct batting order is treated as an incorrect batting order (an example of an incorrect operation). In particular, in this embodiment, the correct batting order is set for batting order 1 in the left-center batting order bell group, for batting order 2 in the left-right batting order bell group, for batting order 3 in the center-left batting order bell group, for batting order 4 in the center-right batting order bell group, for batting order 5 in the right-left batting order bell group, and for batting order 6 in the right-center batting order bell group.

[0061] First, in the stop control table, which is referenced when either the left-center batting order bell group or the left-right batting order bell group is selected, as shown in Figure 9, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the correct batting order, an 8-coin small win (an example of a correct small win) is awarded. When stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the incorrect batting order, an incorrect batting order that stops the first reel R1 first (batting order 1 or batting order 2) awards a 1-coin small win (an example of an incorrect small win). In incorrect batting orders that stop the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 first (batting order 3 to batting order 6), the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that there are cases where a 1-coin small win is awarded and cases where no win is awarded (missed).

[0062] In Figures 9 to 11, "1-coin small win (1 / 4)" means that in a situation where only a 1-coin small win is possible, there is a 1 / 4 probability of winning a 1-coin small win and a 3 / 4 probability of missing out on any win. In Figures 10 and 11, "1-coin small win (1 / 2)" means that in a situation where only a 1-coin small win is possible, there is a 1 / 2 probability of winning a 1-coin small win and a 1 / 2 probability of missing out on any win.

[0063] Furthermore, in the stop control table, which is referenced when any of the batting order bells belonging to the middle-left batting order bell group, middle-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, or right-middle batting order bell group are selected in the internal lottery, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the correct batting order, a 15-coin small win (an example of a correct small win) is awarded, and when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the incorrect batting order, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that there are cases where a 1-coin small win (an example of an incorrect small win) is awarded, and cases where no win is awarded (missed).

[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a bell is won in each batting order, if the stop operation is performed in the correct batting order, the symbols that constitute the winning combination of 8-coin or 15-coin small wins are preferentially displayed on the active line by payout priority control, and if the stop operation is performed in the incorrect batting order, the symbols that constitute the winning combination of 1-coin small wins are preferentially displayed on the active line by quantity priority control, with the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position set in each stop control table.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the correct spinning sequence and the first reel to stop are the same, and there is a case where the second stop operation results in an incorrect spinning sequence. For spinning sequence bells belonging to the left-center spinning sequence bell group, in the incorrect spinning sequence (spinning sequence 2) where the first reel R1 is stopped first and the second stop operation results in an incorrect spinning sequence, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that a 1-coin small win is guaranteed. For spinning sequence bells belonging to the left-right spinning sequence bell group, in the incorrect spinning sequence (spinning sequence 1) where the first reel R1 is stopped first and the second stop operation results in an incorrect spinning sequence, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that a 1-coin small win is guaranteed. Furthermore, with regard to batting order bells belonging to the middle-left batting order bell group, middle-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, or right-middle batting order bell group, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that in incorrect batting orders (batting order 1 to batting order 2) where the first reel R1 is stopped first, there are cases where a single small win is awarded and cases where no wins are awarded (missed win).

[0066] Furthermore, in the stop control table, which is referenced when any of the common 1-coin A1 to common 1-coin A4 and common 1-coin B1 to common 1-coin B4 are selected in the internal lottery, as shown in Figure 11, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the order in which the first reel R1 is stopped first (order 1 to order 2), a 1-coin small win is awarded. When stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the order in which the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 is stopped first (order 3 to order 6), the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that there are cases where a 1-coin small win is awarded and cases where no win is awarded (missed win).

[0067] Furthermore, in the stop control table, which is referenced when any of the special roles belonging to the special role group is won in the internal lottery, a specific batting order is set for each special role, as shown in Figure 12, and any operation order different from the specific batting order is treated as a non-specific batting order. In the stop control table, which is referenced when any of the special roles A1 to A9 are won in the internal lottery, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in the specific batting order, a 15-coin small role of small role 86, small role 88, small role 89, or small role 91 is awarded. When stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in a non-specific batting order, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that a 15-coin small role different from small role 86, small role 88, and small role 89 is awarded.

[0068] Furthermore, in the stop control table, which is referenced when any of the special roles B1 to B3 are won in the internal lottery, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that when stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in a specific order, the 15-coin prize of small role 90 is awarded. When stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed in a non-specific order, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that a 15-coin prize different from small role 90 is awarded.

[0069] Furthermore, in the stop control table referenced when Cherry A is selected in the internal lottery, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that a single-coin win is awarded. In the stop control table referenced when Cherry B is selected in the internal lottery, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that there are cases where a three-coin win is awarded (1 / 2 chance of winning) and cases where neither win is awarded (1 / 2 chance of missing). In the stop control table referenced when Watermelon is selected in the internal lottery, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that a three-coin win is awarded.

[0070] Furthermore, in the stop control table referenced when JAC1 is won in the internal lottery, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that a 15-coin payout is awarded. In the stop control table referenced when JAC2 is won in the internal lottery, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that an 8-coin payout is awarded. In the stop control table referenced when JAC3 is won in the internal lottery, the number of sliding frames relative to the press detection position is set so that a 1-coin payout is awarded.

[0071] Furthermore, in the stop control table, which is referenced when either Normal Replay 1 or Normal Replay 2 is selected in the internal lottery, the number of sliding frames relative to the button press detection position is set so that either replay will be awarded.

[0072] Furthermore, regarding the Big Bonus (BB), it can only be awarded if the Big Bonus (BB) is won alone in the normal state. When a BB is established, there are no misses, and a minor role or replay with a higher priority than the Big Bonus (BB) is always won in conjunction with it. Therefore, the number of sliding frames relative to the button press detection position is set in the stop control table to prevent the Big Bonus (BB) from being awarded.

[0073] The prize determination means 140 performs a prize determination process to determine whether a winning combination has been achieved based on the stopping patterns of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3. Specifically, while referring to the prize determination table stored in the main ROM 10b, it determines whether the combination of symbols displayed on the active line when all of the first reel R1 to the third reel R3 have stopped is a predetermined winning combination. The prize determination table is prepared so that, as shown in Figures 13 to 21, it can determine whether a Big Bonus (BB), Replay 1 to Replay 2, and Small Win 1 to Small Win 95 have been achieved based on the combination of symbols displayed on the active line when each reel has stopped. The prize determination means 140 is not limited to performing prize determination processing based on the stopping pattern of each reel (information on the actual stopping position of each reel). For example, it may perform prize determination processing based on the stopping position of each reel determined by the reel control means 130 (the expected stopping position of each reel during the stopping operation), or it may perform prize determination processing based on the actual stopping position of a reel that has already stopped and the expected stopping position (planned stopping position) of the reel for the third stopping operation. In this example, prize determination processing can be performed before all reels have stopped (when the stopping position of the reel corresponding to the third stopping operation has been determined). Then, when a combination of symbols indicating a predetermined prize winning pattern for each winning combination is displayed on the active line, a win is achieved.

[0074] In this embodiment of the gaming machine, if a winning combination is achieved based on the result of the winning determination means 140, a winning process is executed. For example, if a minor winning combination is achieved, the payout control means 150 performs the payout of electronic tokens; if a replay is achieved, the replay processing means 160 performs the replay processing; and if a bonus is achieved, the game state control means 170 performs a game state transition process to change the game state.

[0075] The payout control means 150 determines the number of electronic tokens to be paid out based on the predetermined payout for each winning combination when a minor win occurs, and dispenses the determined number of electronic tokens to the token holder.

[0076] The replay processing means 160 performs a replay process (re-play process) when a replay is awarded, which sets the next game to the same preparation state as the previous game without requiring the player to insert any electronic tokens they possess. In other words, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, when a replay is awarded, an automatic insertion process is performed in which the same number of electronic tokens as in the previous game are automatically inserted without using any electronic tokens the player possesses, and the machine waits for the next game start operation by pressing the start lever SL with the same active lines as in the previous game set.

[0077] As shown in Figure 22, the game state control means 170 performs a game state transition process to transition the game state between the normal state, the BB (Big Bonus) established state, and the BB state. In this embodiment, information indicating the current game state is stored in the game state storage area of ​​the main RAM 10c. The conditions for transitioning game states may be one condition or multiple conditions. If multiple conditions are defined, the game state can be transitioned to another game state based on the fulfillment of one of the multiple predetermined conditions, or on the fulfillment of all of the multiple predetermined conditions.

[0078] The normal state is the initial state among several types of game states, and it is possible to transition from the normal state to the BB established state or the BB state. Specifically, if a Big Bonus (BB) is won in the normal state but the Big Bonus (BB) is not awarded, the game transitions to the BB established state, and if a Big Bonus (BB) is won in the normal state and the Big Bonus (BB) is awarded, the game transitions to the BB state. In the normal state, the internal lottery is conducted by referring to internal lottery table 1, one of the internal lottery tables 1 to 3 shown in Figure 4, in which the probability of winning a replay is set to approximately 1 / 7.3 or higher and the Big Bonus (BB) is set as the target of the lottery.

[0079] The BB (Big Bonus) state is a game state that is entered when, in the normal state, a Big Bonus (BB) is selected in the internal lottery but is not awarded. In this state, an internal lottery is conducted referring to Internal Lottery Table 2, one of the Internal Lottery Tables 1 to 3 shown in Figure 4, where the probability of winning a replay is higher than that of Internal Lottery Table 1, so no misses (failures) occur, and the Big Bonus (BB) is excluded from the lottery.

[0080] Furthermore, in the Big Bonus (BB) established state, the lottery flag corresponding to the Big Bonus (BB) is maintained in a winning state until a Big Bonus (BB) is awarded. When a combination of symbols indicating the winning form of the Big Bonus (BB) is displayed on an active line, the game state control means 170 transitions the game state from the BB established state to the BB state.

[0081] The BB state is a game state that is entered when a combination of symbols indicating a Big Bonus (BB) win is displayed on an active payline. Of the internal lottery tables 1 to 3 shown in Figure 4, internal lottery is performed by referring to internal lottery table 3, which has a different method of drawing small wins than internal lottery table 1 and internal lottery table 2.

[0082] Furthermore, in the BB state, the game state control means 170 determines whether the termination condition has been met based on the total number of electronic tokens dispensed during gameplay in the BB state. If it is determined that more than a predetermined number of electronic tokens (for example, 18 tokens) have been dispensed, the game state control means 170 terminates the BB state and returns the game state to the normal state. In this embodiment, the count information regarding the number of tokens dispensed in the BB state is stored in the game state storage area.

[0083] Furthermore, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, in the normal state (an example when the bonus is not active) and the BB established state (an example when the bonus is not active), an internal lottery is performed so that there are multiple types of first winning patterns (left-center batting order bell group, left-right batting order bell group, center-left batting order bell group, center-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, and right-center batting order bell group) in which multiple types of 8-coin small wins (an example of correct small wins: small wins 74 to small wins 75) and 15-coin small wins (an example of correct small wins: small wins 76 to small wins 83) are won without overlapping with each other, and in the BB state (an example when the bonus is active), In addition, there is a second winning pattern (JAC1) in which multiple types of 8-coin small wins (small wins 74 to 75) and 15-coin small wins (small wins 76 to 83) are won simultaneously. The internal lottery is conducted such that the probability of the second winning pattern occurring in BB state is lower than the probability of any of the multiple types of first winning patterns occurring in normal state and BB state, and the probability of winning each small win is higher than the probability of winning in normal state and BB state, and the overall probability of winning small wins is higher than in normal state and BB state. In other words, in the BB state of this embodiment, the probability of winning at least one type of small win is higher than in the normal state or the BB state, and the probability of winning small wins as a whole is also higher than in the normal state or the BB state. However, the probability of obtaining a second winning pattern (JAC1) that includes small wins 74 to 83, which have a higher payout than the prescribed number of coins inserted (3), is lower than the probability of obtaining any of the first winning patterns that include any of small wins 74 to 83 in the normal state or the BB state. Therefore, the expected value of the acquisition rate of electronic medals (number of payouts / number of coins inserted) in the BB state can be set to less than 100%.

[0084] As shown in Figure 23, the performance state control means 180 performs a performance state transition process to transition between the initial performance state, the normal performance state, the first AT state, and the second AT state. In this embodiment, information indicating the current performance state is stored in the performance state storage area of ​​the main RAM 10c. One condition may be defined for transitioning between performance states, or multiple conditions may be defined. If multiple conditions are defined, the performance state can be transitioned to another performance state based on the fulfillment of one of the multiple predetermined conditions, or on the fulfillment of all of the multiple predetermined conditions.

[0085] In this embodiment, when the player is in the first AT state or the second AT state, the performance control means 210 performs an assist performance to help the player win a prize, making it possible to play an assist time game (an example of an assist game, advantageous game, or bonus game) in which it is easier to acquire electronic medals than in a normal game when the player is in the initial performance state or the normal performance state. In this embodiment, the function to execute the assist time game in the advantageous section is an instruction function, and the processing that affects the execution of the assist time game is the processing related to the instruction function.

[0086] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 24, the performance state control means 180 allows setting a normal section (non-advantageous section) and an advantage section. In the normal section, the performance state is fixed to the initial performance state, and a lottery for transitioning to the advantage section is conducted. If the lottery for transitioning to the advantage section is won, the advantage section is started, and the performance state can be set to the AT state (first AT state and second AT state) on the condition that it is in the advantage section.

[0087] The performance state control means 180 then performs a lottery for transitioning to the advantageous section when the normal section is in the normal state or the BB established state. In the normal state and the BB established state, the lottery for transitioning to the advantageous section is performed when a winning pattern other than normal replay 2 is selected in the internal lottery.

[0088] If you win the advantageous period transition lottery, the advantageous period transition process will be performed based on your win, the advantageous period will start from the next game after the game in which you won the advantageous period transition lottery, and the presentation state will be set to the normal presentation state.

[0089] Furthermore, the performance state control means 180 performs a point acquisition lottery (an example of processing related to the instruction function) each time a game is played when the performance state is in the normal performance state during the advantageous section. In the point acquisition lottery, the winning probability differs depending on the result of the internal lottery. When any of the following are won, the winning probability is set to less than 100%, and when any of the following are won, the winning probability is set to 100%, and when any of the following are won, the winning probability is set to 100%, and when any of the following are won, the winning probability is set to 100%.

[0090] When the point acquisition lottery is won, the performance state control means 180 performs a process of adding a given value to a specific point counter in the main RAM 10c. In this embodiment, the process of adding a value corresponding to the result of the internal lottery (for example, a value of "10" corresponding to 10 points when Cherry A is won, a value of "30" corresponding to 30 points when Watermelon is won, etc.) is performed. The value (points) to be added may also be determined by lottery.

[0091] Then, when the value of a specific point counter reaches a threshold (for example, "100" which corresponds to 100 points), the performance state control means 180 performs a first AT lottery (an example of processing related to the instruction function). In this embodiment, the winning types are provided as first AT win and second AT win.

[0092] Furthermore, when the performance state control means 180 performs a first AT lottery in the normal performance state, it initializes the value of the specific point counter to its initial value "0". In this embodiment, the first AT lottery is performed periodically during normal gameplay whenever the specific points stored (stocked) by the specific point counter reach a predetermined number of points (for example, 100 points).

[0093] Furthermore, when the value of a specific point counter reaches a threshold (for example, "100" corresponding to 100 points) and the first AT lottery is performed, the performance state control means 180 adds a fixed value "1" corresponding to one cycle to the cycle counter of the main RAM 10c if the result of the first AT lottery is a loss. If the first AT lottery results in a first AT win or a second AT win, the value of the cycle counter is initialized to the initial value "0". In addition, when the value of the cycle counter is the initial value "0" in the normal performance state, the performance state control means 180 adds a fixed value "1" corresponding to one cycle to the cycle counter.

[0094] In this embodiment, the probability of winning the first AT lottery is set according to the value of the cycle counter. If the value of the cycle counter is less than the upper limit (e.g., "10") corresponding to the upper limit number of cycles (e.g., 10 times), the probability of winning the first AT or the second AT is set to less than 100%. If the value of the cycle counter is the upper limit (e.g., "10") corresponding to the upper limit number of cycles (e.g., 10 times), the probability of winning the first AT or the second AT is set to 100%. Thus, in this embodiment, the probability of winning the first AT lottery is set according to the number of cycles (a cycle based on specific points: an example of a predetermined cycle) which is defined as the period until a specific point reaches a predetermined number of points (e.g., 100 points).

[0095] Furthermore, the performance state control means 180 controls the transition of the performance state to the 1st AT state based on the fact that the 1st AT is won in the 1st AT lottery during the normal performance state, and transitions the performance state to the 2nd AT state based on the fact that the 2nd AT is won in the 1st AT lottery. In this way, the 1st AT lottery determines whether or not to transition to the assist time game (determines whether or not to grant a bonus).

[0096] Furthermore, when transitioning the performance state from the normal performance state to the first AT state, the performance state control means 180 sets a value of "50" corresponding to the initial number of plays in the first AT state, which is 50, to the first AT game counter of the main RAM 10c. When transitioning the performance state from the normal performance state to the second AT state, it sets a value of "50" corresponding to the initial number of plays in the first AT state, which is 50, to the first AT game counter, and also sets a value of "10" corresponding to the initial number of plays in the second AT state, which is 10, to the second AT game counter of the main RAM 10c.

[0097] When the system transitions to the first AT state, the performance state control means 180 causes the system to perform an assist time game based on the fact that the performance state is the first AT state. For each game played during the assist time game, a fixed value "1" equivalent to one game is subtracted from the value of the first AT game counter. When the value of the first AT game counter reaches its initial value of "0", the system determines that the conditions for ending the first AT state have been met, and terminates the first AT state, transitioning to the normal performance state.

[0098] Furthermore, in the first AT state, the performance state control means 180 performs an additional win lottery (an example of processing related to the instruction function) based on whether a specific winning pattern (for example, a rare winning pattern such as watermelon, cherry A, cherry B, or 12 types of special roles) is won in the internal lottery, and if the additional win lottery is won, a given value is added to the first AT game counter.

[0099] Furthermore, the performance state control means 180 performs a second AT lottery (an example of processing related to the instruction function) based on the fact that a specific winning pattern (for example, a highly rare winning pattern such as watermelon, cherry A, cherry B, or 12 types of special roles) has been won in the internal lottery during the first AT state. In this embodiment, a second AT win is provided as a winning pattern. In the second AT lottery, the probability of obtaining a second AT win differs depending on the result of the internal lottery, with the probability of obtaining a second AT win increasing in the order of "cherry A < watermelon < cherry B < special role".

[0100] Furthermore, the performance state control means 180 interrupts the first AT state and transitions the performance state to the second AT state based on the fact that a second AT win has been obtained in the second AT lottery while in the first AT state. When the performance state control means 180 transitions the performance state from the first AT state to the second AT state, it retains the value of the first AT game counter and sets the second AT game counter to a value of "10", which corresponds to the initial number of plays in the second AT state of 10.

[0101] When transitioning from the normal performance state or the first AT state to the second AT state, the performance state control means 180 causes an assist time game to be played based on the fact that the performance state is the second AT state. For each game played during the assist time game, a fixed value "1" equivalent to one game is subtracted from the value of the second AT game counter. When the value of the second AT game counter reaches the initial value "0", it is determined that the termination condition for the second AT state has been met, and the second AT state is terminated, transitioning to the first AT state.

[0102] Furthermore, in the second AT state, the performance state control means 180 performs a strong bonus lottery (an example of processing related to the instruction function) each time a game is played. The probability of winning the strong bonus lottery is set to 100%, and if the strong bonus lottery is won, a given value is added to the first AT game counter. In this embodiment, the process of adding a value according to the result of the internal lottery (for example, "5" when a batting order bell is won, "10" when a normal replay 1 is won, "10" when a cherry A is won, "30" when a watermelon is won, etc.) is performed. The value to be added (number of games played) may also be determined by lottery. Thus, in this embodiment, the second AT state is a more advantageous game state for the player than the first AT state in that the number of games played is increased with each game played.

[0103] Furthermore, the performance state control means 180 is capable of setting penalty state and non-penalty state as penalty management states for managing whether or not a penalty unfavorable to the player occurs. When the penalty occurrence condition is met, it controls to the penalty state, and when the penalty occurrence condition is not met, it controls to the non-penalty state. In this embodiment, when a stop operation is performed in an irregular batting order during a game that is in an advantageous section and in a normal performance state, it is determined that the penalty occurrence condition has been met, and the game is controlled to the penalty state at the end of the game. That is, the next game after a game in which a stop operation was performed in an irregular batting order will be in the penalty state. In the penalty state, as a penalty, the point acquisition lottery and the 1st AT lottery are performed at an extremely low probability (for example, 1 / 65536) than in the non-penalty state. When a stop operation is performed in the recommended batting order in the penalty state, it is determined that the penalty release condition has been met, and the game is controlled to the non-penalty state at the end of the game. On the other hand, when a stop operation is performed in an irregular batting order in the penalty state, the penalty state continues.

[0104] Furthermore, if the performance state control means 180 finds that the penalty conditions have been met, it performs a penalty process with respect to that game, which invalidates the results of the point acquisition lottery and the first AT lottery.

[0105] In this embodiment, when the performance state is the normal performance state, the game state may be the normal state, the BB established state, or the BB state, and depending on the change in the game state, the performance state will not change and the normal performance state will continue. Similarly, when the performance state is the 1st AT state or the 2nd AT state, the game state may be the normal state, the BB established state, or the BB state, and depending on the change in the game state, the performance state will not change and the 1st AT state or the 2nd AT state will continue.

[0106] In this embodiment, the performance state control means 180 sets the value of the first clear counter of the main RAM 10c to a predetermined value "1" during the advantageous section transition process. In the advantageous section, an increment update is performed by adding a fixed value (for example, 1) corresponding to one game to the value of the first clear counter each time a game is played. When the value of the first clear counter exceeds a threshold (for example, 4000) (when the value of the first clear counter reaches "4001"), it is determined that the conditions for ending the advantageous section have been met. In this embodiment, the update of the first clear counter is performed after all the spinning reels in each game have stopped. However, the update of the first clear counter may be performed at any trigger, as long as it is predetermined for each game. For example, the game start operation on the start lever SL may be used as the trigger for the update.

[0107] Furthermore, the performance state control means 180 sets the value of the second clear counter of the main RAM 10c to its initial value "0" during the advantageous section transition process. In the advantageous section, it updates the value of the second clear counter based on the difference in the number of electronic tokens in each game. It subtracts the value "3" corresponding to the number of electronic tokens inserted into the game (3 tokens) from the value corresponding to the number of electronic tokens paid out (for example, "15" if 15 electronic tokens were paid out, and "0" if no winning combinations were achieved). The calculation result of the difference in the number of tokens in that game is obtained by subtracting this calculation result from the value of the second clear counter. The update process adds this calculation result to the value of the second clear counter, and it determines that the conditions for ending the advantageous section have been met when the value of the second clear counter exceeds a threshold (for example, 2400: a predetermined number). Furthermore, the difference in the number of tokens in the advantageous period, which is counted by the second clear counter, starts counting from a base of 0 tokens when the advantageous period begins (after the advantageous period transition process), and even if the value of the second clear counter falls below the initial value of "0", the counting of the difference in tokens continues, and negative amounts are also counted as they are. For this reason, in this embodiment, it is possible to acquire more than a predetermined amount of 2400 tokens from the lowest point of the difference in tokens in one advantageous period. For example, if the lowest point is -600 tokens, it is possible to acquire 3000 tokens (=600 tokens + 2400 tokens) + α (for example, if a 15-token small win occurs in the next game after the game in which the difference in tokens reached +2400 tokens, 12 tokens (=15 tokens - 3 tokens) can be acquired). Furthermore, if a replay is awarded during gameplay, the game in which the replay was awarded is treated as if a payout of electronic tokens equivalent to the prescribed number of tokens for that game had been made, and the difference in tokens is calculated accordingly. For the next game, which is provided free of charge due to the replay award, even if no actual electronic tokens have been inserted, it is treated as if an electronic token equivalent to the prescribed number of tokens for that game had been inserted, and the difference in tokens is calculated accordingly.

[0108] Furthermore, the performance state control means 180 also determines that the conditions for the termination of the advantageous section have been met if the conditions for the termination of the advantageous section are met at the end of the first AT state. In this embodiment, the conditions for the termination of the advantageous section are determined to be met if the number of games played in which a first AT win or a second AT win was obtained in the first AT lottery during the normal performance state is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of games (for example, 2001 games) since the start of the advantageous section. Specifically, when a first AT win or a second AT win is obtained in the first AT lottery during the normal performance state, the value of the first clear counter is checked, and if the value of the first clear counter is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, 2001), the advantageous section reset flag of the main RAM 10c is set to the ON state, and if the value of the first clear counter is less than a predetermined value (for example, 2001), the advantageous section reset flag is set to the OFF state. In this embodiment, the conditions for the termination of the advantageous section are determined to be met if the advantageous section reset flag is set to the ON state at the end of the first AT state.

[0109] Furthermore, during the advantageous period, unless the conditions for ending the advantageous period are met, the first and second clear counters will be updated even if a change in game state or performance state occurs.

[0110] Furthermore, the performance state control means 180 performs initialization processing to initialize the information stored in a predetermined memory area of ​​the main RAM 10c based on the end of the advantageous period. Specifically, AT-related information such as the specific point counter, cycle counter, first AT game counter, second AT game counter, first clear counter, second clear counter, performance state, and advantageous period reset flag is initialized by the initialization processing that accompanies the end of the advantageous period. However, information such as the number of electronic tokens bet, the number of game tokens played, the internal lottery table, the internal lottery flag, and the game state are not initialized by the initialization processing that accompanies the end of the advantageous period.

[0111] Then, when the initialization process is performed upon the end of the advantageous period, the performance state is reset to the initial performance state and returns to the normal period. For this reason, at the end of the first AT state, if the advantageous period reset flag is set to the off state, the performance state transitions to the normal performance state and the advantageous period continues, while if the advantageous period reset flag is set to the on state, the advantageous period ends and the performance state transitions to the initial performance state.

[0112] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since initialization processing is performed upon the end of the advantageous period and the player returns to the normal period, if the value of the first clear counter or the second clear counter exceeds a threshold while the player is in the first AT state or the second AT state, the initialization processing upon the end of the advantageous period will forcibly terminate the first AT state or the second AT state and reset the performance state to the initial performance state.

[0113] The performance determination means 185 controls the system to determine (select) which of several types of winning notification performances to execute when a first AT win or a second AT win is obtained in the first AT lottery during the normal performance state (when it is decided to grant a bonus). In this embodiment, as the first AT lottery result notification performance for notifying the result of the first AT lottery, there is a winning notification performance that notifies that a first AT win or a second AT win has been obtained in the first AT lottery (an example of a bonus granting performance that notifies that a bonus will be granted), and a losing notification performance that notifies that the result of the first AT lottery was a loss. There are four types of winning notification performances: winning performance A, winning performance B, winning reversal performance A (a specific performance, an example of a bonus granting performance of a specific performance type), and winning reversal performance B (a specific performance, an example of a bonus granting performance of a specific performance type). The performance determination means 185, in the normal performance state, performs a specific performance selection lottery when a first AT win or a second AT win is obtained in the first AT lottery, and selects a winning notification performance to be executed from among four types of winning notification performances. In this embodiment, the main ROM 10b stores a specific performance selection lottery table that is referenced in the specific performance selection lottery. In this embodiment, it is determined whether or not to execute winning reversal performance A or winning reversal performance B.

[0114] The communication control means 190 controls the transmission of signals to the sub-board 20. In this embodiment of the gaming machine, only unidirectional communication from the main board 10 to the sub-board 20 is possible between the main board 10 and the sub-board 20, and the communication connection is configured such that the sub-board 20 cannot transmit signals to the main board 10.

[0115] The communication control means 190 then transmits signals (commands) to the sub-board 20 that notify the results of the internal lottery, the results of the prize winning determination, the results of the advantageous section transition lottery, the results of the point acquisition lottery, the results of the first AT lottery, the results of the second AT lottery, the results of the bonus lottery, the results of the strong bonus lottery, the results of the specific performance selection lottery, the operations performed by the player (operations on the bet button B0, start lever SL, stop buttons B1~B3, and settlement button B4), the game state, the performance state, the penalty management state, the value of the specific point counter, the value of the cycle counter, the value of the first AT game counter, the value of the second AT game counter, etc. As a result, in the gaming machine of this embodiment, based on various notifications from the main board 10, the performance control means 210 of the sub-board 20 can cause the display device 330, sound device 340, etc. to execute performances corresponding to the results of internal lotteries, the results of prize winning judgments, the results of advantageous section transition lotteries, the results of point acquisition lotteries, the results of first AT lotteries, the results of second AT lotteries, the results of bonus lotteries, the results of strong bonus lotteries, the results of specific performance selection lotteries, the operations performed by the player, the game state, the performance state, the penalty management state, the value of the specific point counter, the value of the cycle counter, the value of the first AT game counter, the value of the second AT game counter, etc.

[0116] Furthermore, the communication control means 190 performs control by sending signals (commands) to the medal count control board 30. In this embodiment of the gaming machine, the main board 10 and the medal count control board 30 are connected via bidirectional communication, and by exchanging various information, it is possible to appropriately determine whether the machine is playable or has an error state.

[0117] The communication control means 190 then, when it is accepting the insertion of electronic tokens, transmits a token insertion command to the token count control board 30, notifying the number of tokens to be inserted, when the bet button B0 or ​​the payout button B4 is pressed. The communication control means 190 also transmits a payout completion command to the token count control board 30, notifying the number of electronic tokens dispensed, when electronic tokens are dispensed due to a winning combination.

[0118] Next, the sub-board 20 will be described. The sub-board 20 is equipped with a sub-CPU 20a, sub-ROM 20b, sub-RAM 20c, etc., and the sub-CPU 20a executes various programs stored in the sub-ROM 20b, thereby functioning as a performance control means 210, etc., as shown in Figure 3.

[0119] The performance control means 210 controls display effects performed using the display device 330 (an example of a performance device) and sound effects performed using the sound device 340 (an example of a performance device) based on performance data stored in the sub-ROM 20b of the sub-board 20. For example, in response to the occurrence of game events such as operations on the bet button B0, start lever SL, stop buttons B1-B3, and counting button B8, changes in game state and performance state, it controls the execution of performances (for example, prize-winning assistance performances) to enhance or assist the game according to the progress of the game by lighting or flashing lamps and LEDs, changing the display content of the liquid crystal display LCD, or outputting sound from the speaker SP. The content of the performances to be executed in the game is determined by referring to the performance lottery table stored in the sub-ROM 20b according to the game state, performance state, results of internal lottery, etc. However, among the various performances, the winning notification performance of the first AT lottery result notification performance is exceptionally determined by the main CPU 10a (performance determination means 185).

[0120] Furthermore, the performance control means 210 controls the display device 330 and sound device 340 to execute an award assistance performance that assists in winning an 8-coin prize by notifying the correct batting order according to the type of batting order bell when either the left-center batting order bell group or the left-right batting order bell group is won in the first AT state or the second AT state.

[0121] Furthermore, the performance control means 210 controls the display device 330 and sound device 340 to execute a prize-winning assistance performance that notifies the correct batting order according to the type of batting order bell and assists in winning a 15-coin prize when any of the batting order bells belonging to the middle-left batting order bell group, middle-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, or right-middle batting order bell group is won in the first AT state or the second AT state.

[0122] Furthermore, the performance control means 210 controls the display device 330 and sound device 340 to execute a prize-winning assistance performance that assists in winning 15-coin prizes by notifying a non-specific batting order according to the type of special role when any of the special roles belonging to the special role group is won in the first AT state or the second AT state. For example, when special role A1 or special role A2 is won, batting order 6 (B3→B2→B1) is announced as a non-specific batting order; when special role A3 is won, batting order 3 (B2→B1→B3) is announced as a non-specific batting order; when special role A4 is won, batting order 4 (B2→B3→B1) is announced as a non-specific batting order; when any of special roles A5 to A9 is won, batting order 5 (B3→B1→B2) is announced as a non-specific batting order; when special role B1 is won, batting order 5 (B3→B1→B2) is announced as a non-specific batting order; when special role B2 is won, batting order 3 (B2→B1→B3) is announced as a non-specific batting order; and when special role A3 is won, batting order 4 (B2→B3→B1) is announced as a non-specific batting order.

[0123] Furthermore, the performance control means 210 controls the display device 330 and sound device 340 to execute a specific point notification performance that notifies or suggests the current number of points for a specific point and the current number of cycles of the cycle based on the specific point, when it is a normal section or when it is a favorable section and in a normal performance state.In the specific point notification performance of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 25, a point count display 400 showing the current number of points for a predetermined number of points (for example, 100 points) corresponding to one cycle is displayed on the liquid crystal display LCD based on the value of the specific point counter, and a cycle count display 410 showing the current number of cycles of the cycle based on the specific point is displayed on the liquid crystal display LCD based on the value of the cycle count counter.In particular, in the cycle count display 410, as shown in Figure 25, the characters from "Country 1" to "Country 10" are displayed corresponding to each cycle number from the 1st to the 10th, which is the upper limit of the cycle count.The point count display 400 and the cycle count display 410 are displayed while the normal background image 420 indicating that normal gameplay is in progress is displayed.

[0124] Furthermore, when the value of a specific point counter is updated, the performance control means 210 changes the display content of the point count display 400 to reflect the update, and when the value of the cycle count counter is updated, it changes the display content of the cycle count display 410 to reflect the update. Also, when the value of the cycle count counter is the initial value "0" or the value corresponding to the first cycle count "1", the performance control means 210 displays the characters "1st country" corresponding to the first cycle count on the liquid crystal display LCD in the cycle count display 410.

[0125] Furthermore, the performance control means 210 controls the display device 330 and sound device 340 to execute a first AT lottery result notification performance (specific performance) when a first AT lottery is conducted in the normal performance state, which notifies the result of the first AT lottery. This notifies whether or not there is a transition to assist time gameplay (an example of bonus granting). In this embodiment, the first AT lottery result notification performance includes a winning notification performance that notifies that a first AT or second AT has been won in the first AT lottery, and a losing notification performance that notifies that the result of the first AT lottery was a loss. For the winning notification performance, the performance notified by the main CPU 10a is executed.

[0126] Furthermore, the performance control means 210 causes the display device 330 and sound device 340 to execute a recommended batting order warning performance (a predetermined warning performance, an example of a warning performance) to warn the user that if a stop operation is performed in an irregular batting order (batting order 3 to 6) in which the second reel R2 or the third reel R3 is stopped first when it is in a normal section or when it is in an advantageous section and in a normal performance state, the user should stop the reels in the recommended batting order (batting order 3 to 6) in which the stop operation should be performed in which the first reel R1 is stopped first (an example of an event different from an error). In the recommended batting order warning performance, a recommended batting order warning image (for example, an image including the message "Left press recommended") that warns the user that the stop operation should be performed in the recommended batting order is displayed on the liquid crystal display LCD, and a recommended batting order warning voice (for example, a voice saying "Left press recommended": an example of a warning voice) that warns the user that the stop operation should be performed in the recommended batting order is output from the speaker SP.

[0127] Next, the medal count control board 30 will be described. The medal count control board 30 is connected to the main board 10 and is equipped with a medal CPU 30a, a medal ROM 30b, a medal RAM 30c, etc. The medal CPU 30a manages the electronic medals used for the game by executing various programs stored in the medal ROM 30b, and the medal RAM 30c functions as a medal holder (an example of a storage unit or storage means) which is a storage unit that holds the electronic medals. In the gaming machine of this embodiment, the medal count control board 30 is also connected to the dedicated unit 50 in a bidirectional manner via the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 40. The medal holder also stores the number of game medals up to a predetermined upper limit (for example, 16,382 medals).

[0128] When the medal CPU 30a receives a game medal insertion command transmitted by the main board 10, it determines the total number of electronic medals that can be inserted (bet) from the medal holder, which is the number of medals that can be inserted, and updates the number of game medals based on the determined number of medals that can be inserted. Therefore, when an insertion process is performed on the main board 10, the number of game medals held in the medal holder decreases, and when a settlement process is performed, the number of game medals increases.

[0129] The medal CPU 30a also sends a medal count control information command to the main board 10 to notify it of the number of medals that can be inserted and the updated number of game medals, and updates the display of the number of game medals on the game medal count display device 70. Furthermore, when the medal CPU 30a receives a lending command sent by the dedicated unit 50, it updates the number of game medals and updates the display of the number of game medals on the game medal count display device 70.

[0130] Furthermore, when the medal CPU 30a receives a payout completion command transmitted by the main board 10, it adds the number of payouts to the number of game medals, and based on the number of game medals after the addition, it sends a medal count control information command to the main board 10 to notify the number of game medals after the addition, and updates the display of the number of game medals on the game medal count display device 70.

[0131] Next, the dedicated unit 50 will be described. The dedicated unit 50 is installed near the gaming machine and is a device for lending electronic tokens to players and counting the electronic tokens acquired by players. The dedicated unit 50 is equipped with a dedicated unit control board 60, and when a predetermined lending operation is performed, the dedicated unit control board 60 performs lending processing by sending a lending command to the gaming machine (medal CPU 30a) and updates the number of electronic tokens held by the dedicated unit 50. Also, when electronic tokens are sent from the gaming machine, the number of electronic tokens held by the dedicated unit 50 is updated.

[0132] 2. The method of this embodiment The control methods employed in the gaming machine of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 25 to 27. Figure 25 is a diagram showing an example of a specific point notification effect in the gaming machine of this embodiment, Figure 26 is a diagram showing an example of the selection probability of a winning notification effect and a losing notification effect in the gaming machine of this embodiment, and Figure 27 is a diagram showing an example of a winning reversal effect A in the gaming machine of this embodiment.

[0133] First, in this embodiment, in the normal performance state, the sub-CPU 20a displays a normal background image 420 on the liquid crystal display LCD, as shown in Figure 25, indicating that normal gameplay is in progress. In front of the normal background image 420, it displays a point count display 400 that shows the current number of points relative to a predetermined number of points (for example, 100 points) corresponding to one cycle, and a cycle count display 410 that indicates the current number of cycles based on specific points. When the value of the specific point counter is updated, the display content of the point count display 400 is changed to reflect the update, and when the value of the cycle count counter is updated, the display content of the cycle count display 410 is changed to reflect the update.

[0134] In this embodiment, when the main CPU 10a reaches a threshold value (for example, "100" which corresponds to 100 points) during normal performance mode, it performs a first AT lottery. When the first AT lottery is performed, the sub-CPU 20a executes a first AT lottery result notification performance to notify the result of the first AT lottery. In this embodiment, the first AT lottery result notification performance includes a winning notification performance, which is selected when a first AT win or a second AT win is obtained in the first AT lottery and notifies that a first AT win or a second AT win has been obtained in the first AT lottery, and a losing notification performance, which is selected when the result of the first AT lottery is a loss and notifies that the result of the first AT lottery is a loss. As shown in Figure 26(A), there are four types of winning notification performances: winning performance A, winning performance B, winning reversal performance A, and winning reversal performance B. As shown in Figure 26(B), there are two types of losing notification performances: losing performance A and losing performance B.

[0135] Furthermore, the first AT lottery result notification performance is a continuous performance that takes place over a predetermined number of games (for example, 3 or 4 times), and the result of the first AT lottery is announced at the final stage of the continuous performance. In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 26, the winning performance A, winning performance B, losing performance A, and losing performance B are continuous performances that take place over 3 games, while the winning reversal performance A and winning reversal performance B are continuous performances that take place over 4 games.

[0136] In this embodiment, the selection probability (drawing probability) of the winning notification animation is set according to the number of cycles based on a specific point. As shown in Figure 26(A), from the 1st to the 9th cycle, the selection probability of winning animation A is set to 10%, the selection probability of winning animation B is set to 50%, the selection probability of winning reversal animation A is set to 20%, and the selection probability of winning reversal animation B is set to 10%. In the 10th cycle, which is the upper limit of the cycles, the selection probability of winning animation A is set to 40%, the selection probability of winning animation B is set to 60%, and the selection probabilities of winning reversal animation A and winning reversal animation B are set to 0%. Thus, in this embodiment, the main CPU 10a (animation determination means 185) changes the execution frequency of the winning notification animation according to the number of cycles based on a specific point, and in particular, in the 10th cycle, which is the upper limit of the cycles, it controls the system not to select winning reversal animation A and winning reversal animation B among the four types of winning notification animations.

[0137] In this embodiment, the main CPU 10a selects which of the four types of winning notification animations to execute through a specific animation selection lottery. Specifically, a normal table and an upper limit table are provided as specific animation selection lottery tables referenced in the specific animation selection lottery, and the specific animation selection lottery table is selected according to the number of cycles in the cycle based on specific points. The normal table is referenced when the number of cycles in the cycle based on specific points is from the 1st to the 9th cycle, and the upper limit table is referenced when the number of cycles in the cycle based on specific points is the upper limit, which is the 10th cycle. As shown in Figure 26(A), each table has a selection probability set for the four types of winning notification animations.

[0138] Furthermore, in this embodiment, winning animation A and losing animation A are common in that they are battle animations in which the main character A and the enemy character B fight, but they differ in whether or not the main character A defeats the enemy character B in the final stage of the continuous animation. Similarly, winning animation B and losing animation B are common in that they are battle animations in which the main character A and the enemy character C fight, but they differ in whether or not the main character A defeats the enemy character C in the final stage of the continuous animation. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 26(A), the probability of selecting winning animation B is set higher than that of winning animation A, and as shown in Figure 26(B), the probability of selecting losing animation B is set lower than that of losing animation A. Therefore, winning animation B is an animation that offers a higher expectation of winning an AT (first AT win or second AT win) than winning animation A.

[0139] Furthermore, the reversal of the win animation A is similar to the win animation A in that it is a battle animation in which the main character A and the enemy character B fight, but differs from the win animation A in that the main character A goes through a stage where he is initially defeated by the enemy character B. Similarly, the reversal of the win animation B is similar to the win animation B in that it is a battle animation in which the main character A and the enemy character C fight, but differs from the win animation B in that the main character A goes through a stage where he is initially defeated by the enemy character C. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 26(A), the reversal of the win animation B is an animation that has a higher expectation of winning an AT (first AT win or second AT win) than the reversal of the win animation A.

[0140] The following explains the winning reversal scenarios A and B, using winning reversal scenario A as an example.

[0141] First, in the winning reversal performance A, in the first game, as shown in FIG. 27(A), the protagonist character A confronts the enemy character B. As shown in FIG. 27(B), the protagonist character A attacks the enemy character B. In the second game, as shown in FIG. 27(C), the enemy character B attacks the protagonist character A. In the third game, as shown in FIG. 27(D), the protagonist character A and the enemy character B attack each other, and an animation showing that the protagonist character A loses to the enemy character B is displayed as shown in FIG. 27(E). Then, when a game start operation is performed on the start lever SL in the next (fourth) game, as shown in FIG. 27(F), it returns to the screen during normal gameplay and is presented as if the winning reversal performance A has ended. When the first stop operation is performed in the fourth game, a resurrection animation showing that the protagonist character A resurrects is displayed as shown in FIG. 27(G), and an animation showing that the protagonist character A attacks the enemy character B and the protagonist character A wins against the enemy character B is displayed as shown in FIG. 27(H). Thus, the winning reversal performance A ends, and the game transitions to the assist time game from the next game. As such, as shown in FIG. 27(E), the winning reversal performance A is an example of a specific performance (after notifying that no privilege is given, notifying that points are given) that notifies that the result of the first AT lottery is a non-winning (losing) and then, as shown in FIG. 27(H), notifies that a first AT win or a second AT win is obtained in the first AT lottery. Note that the winning reversal performance B is different from the winning reversal performance A in that the opponent is the enemy character C, and other points are common to the winning reversal performance A.

[0142] In this embodiment, during normal gameplay, as shown in Figures 25 and 27(F), the normal background image 420 is displayed, and the point count display 400 and the cycle count display 410 are displayed in front of the normal background image 420. However, when the winning reversal performance A starts, as shown in Figure 27(A), the point count display 400 and the cycle count display 410 are hidden. When the game returns to the normal gameplay screen during the fourth round of the winning reversal performance A, the point count display 400 and the cycle count display 410 are displayed again, as shown in Figure 27(F). When the first stop operation is performed during the fourth round of the game, the point count display 400 and the cycle count display 410 are hidden again, as shown in Figure 27(G). In this embodiment, when the game returns to the normal gameplay screen during the fourth round of the winning reversal performance A, the sub-CPU 20a (performance control means 180) updates the display content of the point count display 400 and the cycle count display 410. For example, if the winning reversal animation A is performed based on the first AT lottery conducted in the third cycle, then in the fourth game of the winning reversal animation A, the display content of the cycle number display 410 on the screen returning to normal gameplay will be updated from "3rd country" to "4th country", and the current point count in the point count display 400 will be updated to "0" points.

[0143] Furthermore, in the non-winning animation A and non-winning animation B, the animation ends with the animation videos shown in Figures 27(A) to 27(E), and when the game is started by pressing the start lever SL in the next game, the screen returns to the normal gameplay screen as shown in Figure 27(F). At this time, the sub-CPU 20a (animation control means 180) updates the display contents of the point count display 400 and the cycle count display 410, similar to the winning reversal animation A.

[0144] In addition, in winning animations A and B, the sequence from Figure 27(A) to Figure 27(D) is the same as in winning reversal animation A, and then, as shown in Figure 27(H), an animation video is displayed in which the main character A defeats enemy character B or enemy character C. Thus, winning animation A or winning animation B ends, and the game transitions to assist time gameplay from the next game.

[0145] In this embodiment, if the main CPU 10a selects winning animation A or winning animation B through a specific animation selection lottery, after 3 games the animation state will transition to the 1st AT state or the 2nd AT state and start assist time gameplay from the next game. If the winning reversal animation A or winning reversal animation B is selected through a specific animation selection lottery, after 4 games the animation state will transition to the 1st AT state or the 2nd AT state and start assist time gameplay from the next game.

[0146] As described above, in this embodiment, the selection probability of the winning notification animation is set according to the number of cycles based on a specific point, and the main CPU 10a (animation determination means 185) performs a specific animation selection lottery by referring to the number of cycles based on the specific point (value of the cycle counter). As a result, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 26(A), the execution frequency of the four types of winning notification animations is changed according to the number of cycles based on the specific point, and in particular, in this embodiment, at the 10th cycle, which is the upper limit number of cycles (an example of an upper limit or ceiling), the system is controlled not to select the winning reversal animation A and the winning reversal animation B from the four types of winning notification animations, thereby improving the enjoyment of the game.

[0147] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the game returns to the normal gameplay screen midway through either the winning reversal animation A or the winning reversal animation B, if the winning reversal animation A or the winning reversal animation B is executed in the 10th cycle, which is the upper limit of the number of cycles, it becomes necessary to display the 11th cycle, which exceeds the upper limit of the number of cycles, in the cycle count display 410 on the normal gameplay screen. However, in this embodiment, the game is controlled so that the winning reversal animation A and the winning reversal animation B are not selected in the 10th cycle, which is the upper limit of the number of cycles, thus preventing any impairment of gameplay.

[0148] Furthermore, this embodiment employs a method that can suppress the expected value of the payout rate during normal gameplay when playing in the recommended batting order.

[0149] First, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, a correct batting order is set for the left-center batting order bell group and the left-right batting order bell group, relative to the recommended batting order (batting order 1 or batting order 2). Therefore, it is possible to win an 8-coin small win when playing with the recommended batting order. For this reason, in this embodiment, the expected value of the payout rate in normal gameplay when playing with the recommended batting order increases by the amount of the 8-coin small win.

[0150] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the stop control is performed so that in the recommended batting order, there will be cases where no winning combination is achieved (missed wins) for the center-left batting order bell group, center-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, and right-center batting order bell group. In this embodiment, the overall winning probability of the center-left batting order bell group, center-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, and right-center batting order bell group (an example of the winning probability of multiple types of second winning combinations) is set higher than the overall winning probability of the left-center batting order bell group and left-right batting order bell group (an example of the winning probability of multiple types of first winning combinations).

[0151] As a result, in this embodiment, stop control can be executed so that there are cases where no winning combination is achieved (missed combination) in the middle-left batting order bell group, middle-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, and right-middle batting order bell group, which are set to have a higher winning probability than the left-middle batting order bell group and left-right batting order bell group, in which an 8-coin winning combination can be achieved in the recommended batting order. Therefore, with regard to the expected value of the payout rate in normal gameplay when playing with the recommended batting order, the increase in the expected value of the payout rate due to the achievement of an 8-coin winning combination can be suppressed, and the expected value of the payout rate can be suitably adjusted.

[0152] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 11, with respect to common 1-coin A1 to common 1-coin A4 and common 1-coin B1 to common 1-coin B4, stop control can be executed so that a single-coin small win is guaranteed in the recommended batting order. This makes it possible to raise the expected value of the payout rate in both normal gameplay and assist time gameplay when playing in the recommended batting order.

[0153] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, with respect to the left-center batting order bell group and the left-right batting order bell group, it is possible to perform stop control so that a single-coin small win is guaranteed in the incorrect batting order where the first reel R1 is stopped first. This makes it possible to raise the expected value of the payout rate in normal gameplay when playing with the recommended batting order.

[0154] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, with respect to the left-center bell group and the left-right bell group, the stop control can be executed so that a single-coin small win is always awarded in the incorrect spin sequence in which the first reel R1 is stopped first. This simplifies the stop control compared to designing the stop control so that there are cases where a single-coin small win is awarded and cases where no wins are awarded in the incorrect spin sequence. In specifications where it is possible to miss out on winning combinations in the incorrect spin sequence, it is necessary to design the stop control so that no exploitation occurs, which complicates the stop control. However, in this embodiment, since the stop control can be executed so that a single-coin small win is always awarded in the incorrect spin sequence in which the first reel R1 is stopped first, the stop control can be simplified, and the degree of design freedom for the stop control, including the symbol arrangement, combination configuration, and winning patterns, can be increased.

[0155] 3. Variant The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible. These modifications are introduced below. The embodiments described above, as well as the various methods described below as modifications, can be appropriately combined and adopted as control methods to realize the present invention.

[0156] In the above embodiment, we have described an example in which the first AT lottery is periodically performed during normal gameplay each time a specific point reaches a predetermined number of points (for example, 100 points). However, the second AT lottery may be periodically performed during assist time gameplay. For example, when the performance state is the 1st AT state, a point acquisition lottery is performed each time a game is played. If the point acquisition lottery is won, a given value is added to a specific point counter. When the value of the specific point counter reaches a threshold (for example, "100" which corresponds to 100 points), a 2nd AT lottery is performed. If the 2nd AT lottery is performed, the value of the specific point counter is initialized to its initial value "0". If the result of the 2nd AT lottery is a loss, a fixed value "1" corresponding to one cycle is added to the cycle counter. If the 2nd AT is won in the 2nd AT lottery, the value of the cycle counter is initialized to its initial value "0". Based on the fact that the 2nd AT has been won in the 2nd AT lottery, the 1st AT state is interrupted and the performance state is transitioned to the 2nd AT state. In this example, in the first AT state, the point count display 400 and the cycle count display 410 are displayed on the liquid crystal display LCD. When the value of a specific point counter is updated, the display content of the point count display 400 is changed to reflect the update. When the value of the cycle count counter is updated, the display content of the cycle count display 410 is changed to reflect the update. When a second AT lottery is held based on the value of the specific point counter reaching a threshold, the first AT lottery result notification performance of the above embodiment may be executed as a second AT lottery result notification performance to notify the result of the second AT lottery. This also produces the same effects and advantages as the above embodiment.

[0157] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the example of changing the execution frequency of the winning notification animation according to the number of cycles based on a specific point was explained, but the execution frequency of the losing notification animation may also be changed according to the number of cycles based on a specific point. For example, as shown in Figure 28, the execution frequency of the winning notification animation may be changed depending on whether the number of cycles based on a specific point is even or odd. In the example shown in Figure 28, the expected value for AT winning (first AT winning or second AT winning) can be changed for each animation according to the number of cycles based on a specific point. If the number of cycles based on a specific point is odd, the expected value for AT winning (first AT winning or second AT winning) can be set to be higher for winning animation B than for winning animation A. If the number of cycles based on a specific point is even, the expected value for AT winning (first AT winning or second AT winning) can be set to be higher for winning animation A than for winning animation B.

[0158] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case in which the main CPU 10a selects a winning notification animation to be executed from among four types of winning notification animations and notifies the sub-CPU 20a of this selection, may also be configured so that the sub-CPU 20a (an example of an animation determination means) selects a winning notification animation to be executed from among four types of winning notification animations. In this example, the main CPU 10a determines the duration of the winning notification animation from three or four times by a specific animation selection lottery, notifies the sub-CPU 20a of the determined duration, and if the duration of the winning notification animation is determined to be three times, the sub-CPU 20a selects a winning notification animation to be executed from among winning animation A and winning animation B by animation lottery, and if the duration of the winning notification animation is determined to be four times, the sub-CPU 20a selects a winning notification animation to be executed from among winning reversal animation A and winning reversal animation B by animation lottery. In this example, the main CPU 10a performs a selection lottery for a specific performance based on a specific point, with a selection probability corresponding to the number of cycles in the cycle, as shown in Figure 29(A). The sub-CPU 20a may perform a performance lottery with the selection probability shown in Figure 29(B) if the performance period for the winning notification performance is determined to be 3 times, and perform a performance lottery with the selection probability shown in Figure 29(C) if the performance period for the winning notification performance is determined to be 4 times. In this example, the main CPU 10a may also transition the performance state to the 1st AT state or the 2nd AT state after the performance period for the winning notification performance has been completed, and start assist time gameplay from the next game. This also produces the same effects and benefits as the embodiment described above.

[0159] For example, the sub-CPU 20a (an example of a means for determining the performance) may perform a performance lottery with a selection probability corresponding to the number of cycles based on a specific point, as shown in Figure 26(A), and select a winning notification performance to execute from among four types of winning notification performances. In this example, if the main CPU 10a obtains a first AT win or a second AT win in the first AT lottery during the normal performance state, it will play four games and transition the performance state to the first AT state or the second AT state at the end of the game, starting the assist time game from the next game. The sub-CPU 20a may, if it executes winning performance A or winning performance B, execute an opening performance to announce the start of the assist time game in the next game after the game in which the performance has ended, but may not execute an opening performance if it executes winning reverse performance A or winning reverse performance B. This also produces the same effects and benefits as the above embodiment. Furthermore, this allows the main CPU 10a and the sub-CPU 20a to synchronize the game in which the assist time game starts.

[0160] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when the first AT lottery is performed in the normal performance state, the value of the specific point counter is initialized to the initial value "0" as an example. However, instead of initializing the value of the specific point counter to the initial value "0", a value of "100" corresponding to a predetermined number of points (for example, 100 points) may be subtracted from the value of the specific point counter. In this way, the remaining number of points after consuming the predetermined number of points (for example, 100 points) can be carried over to the next cycle. Alternatively, for example, when the first AT lottery is performed in the normal performance state, the value of the specific point counter may be initialized to the initial value "0", then the initial points may be determined by lottery, and a value corresponding to the determined initial points may be added to the specific point counter.

[0161] Furthermore, although the above embodiment was described using the example of counting specific points using a specific point counter, the specific point counter may also be used to count the number of games played.

[0162] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, we have explained using as an example a case where four types of effects are provided for the announcement of a win and two types of effects are provided for the announcement of a loss, but the types of effects for the announcement of a win and a loss are not limited to these.

[0163] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, we have explained the case where the overall winning probability of the center-left batting order bell group, center-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, and right-center batting order bell group is set higher than the overall winning probability of the left-center batting order bell group and the left-right batting order bell group. However, the overall winning probability of the center-left batting order bell group, center-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, and right-center batting order bell group may be set lower than or the same as the overall winning probability of the left-center batting order bell group and the left-right batting order bell group.

[0164] Furthermore, the overall winning probability for the left-center batting order bell group may be set higher, lower, or the same as the overall winning probability for the left-right batting order bell group. Also, the overall winning probabilities for the center-left batting order bell group, center-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, and right-center batting order bell group may be different from or the same as each other. Furthermore, the overall winning probabilities for the left-center batting order bell group and the left-right batting order bell group may be set higher, lower, or the same as the overall winning probabilities for the center-left batting order bell group, center-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, and right-center batting order bell group.

[0165] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was given in which an 8-coin small win is awarded in the left-center bell group and the left-right bell group, and a 15-coin small win is awarded in the center-left bell group, center-right bell group, right-left bell group, and right-center bell group. However, it is also possible to award a 15-coin small win in the left-center bell group and the left-right bell group, and an 8-coin small win in the center-left bell group, center-right bell group, right-left bell group, and right-center bell group. Alternatively, the correct small win with the same payout may be awarded in the left-center bell group, left-right bell group, center-left bell group, center-right bell group, right-left bell group, and right-center bell group.

[0166] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, regarding the left-center bell group and the left-right bell group, the example given was that in an incorrect spin sequence where the first reel R1 is stopped first, the stopping control is performed so that a single-coin small win is always achieved. However, in an incorrect spin sequence where the first reel R1 is stopped first, the stopping control may be performed so that there are cases where a single-coin small win is achieved and cases where no wins are achieved (missed wins).

[0167] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, with respect to the middle-left batting order bell group, middle-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, and right-middle batting order bell group, the recommended batting order was explained using an example where the stop control is performed so that there are cases where a single small win is awarded and cases where no wins are awarded (missed wins). However, in the recommended batting order, the stop control may be performed so that a single small win is always awarded.

[0168] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, regarding the common 1-coin A1 to common 1-coin A4 and common 1-coin B1 to common 1-coin B4, the recommended batting order was explained using the example of stopping control so that a single-coin small win is always achieved. However, in the recommended batting order, the stopping control may be set so that there are cases where a single-coin small win is achieved and cases where no wins are achieved (misses).

[0169] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where an 8-coin small win is awarded in the correct hitting order was explained as an example for the left-center hitting order bell group and the left-right hitting order bell group. However, whether or not an 8-coin small win is awarded is determined by the button press detection position of the first stop operation in the correct hitting order. If the button press detection position of the first stop operation in the correct hitting order is the correct position (an example of the correct operation mode) (when it is both the correct hitting order and the correct position), an 8-coin small win is awarded (a 1 / 2 chance of being awarded), and if it is an incorrect position different from the correct position (an example of the incorrect operation mode) (when it is both the correct hitting order and the incorrect position), a 1-coin small win is awarded (a 1 / 2 chance of being awarded). Alternatively, if the button press detection position of the first stop operation in the correct hitting order is the correct position, an 8-coin small win is awarded (a 1 / 2 chance of being awarded), and if it is an incorrect position, neither win is awarded (a 1 / 2 chance of being missed). Similarly, for the middle-left batting order bell group, middle-right batting order bell group, right-left batting order bell group, and right-middle batting order bell group, whether or not a 15-coin prize is awarded is determined by the detection position of the first stop operation in the correct batting order. Stop control may be set up so that if the detection position of the first stop operation in the correct batting order is the correct position (an example of a correct operation), a 15-coin prize is awarded (1 / 2 chance of being awarded), and if it is an incorrect position (an example of an incorrect operation), a 1-coin prize is awarded (1 / 2 chance of being awarded). Alternatively, if the detection position of the first stop operation in the correct batting order is the correct position, a 15-coin prize is awarded (1 / 2 chance of being awarded), and if it is an incorrect position, neither prize is awarded (1 / 2 chance of being missed).

[0170] Furthermore, although the above embodiment described an example where the same stop control is performed in both the normal state and the BB (Big Bonus) state, in the normal state, if any of the bell sequences belonging to the left-center bell group, left-right bell group, center-left bell group, center-right bell group, right-left bell group, and right-center bell group are won, the order of all stop operations may be treated as incorrect, and a 1-coin small win may be awarded. In other words, in the normal state, even if the stop operation is performed in the correct sequence that allows for the awarding of an 8-coin or 15-coin small win in the BB state, a 1-coin small win may still be awarded.

[0171] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case in which the main CPU 10a notifies the sub-CPU 20a of the result of the internal lottery was explained as an example. However, when notifying the result of the internal lottery when any batting order bell is won, in the normal section, the notification is given that any batting order bell has been won in the internal lottery, and in the advantageous section, the type of batting order bell that was won is notified. However, in the penalty state during the advantageous section, the notification may be given that any batting order bell has been won in the internal lottery.

[0172] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the example described was one in which the main board 10, sub-board 20, and medal count control board 30 are arranged to share the functions necessary for advancing the game. However, some of the functions of the main board 10 may be placed on the sub-board 20 or medal count control board 30, some of the functions of the sub-board 20 may be placed on the main board 10 or medal count control board 30, some of the functions of the medal count control board 30 may be placed on the main board 10 or sub-board 20, or all the functions may be placed together on a single control board. Moreover, all the functions of the medal count control board 30 may be placed on the main board 10, and the medal count control board 30 may not be provided at all.

[0173] Furthermore, the invention of the above embodiment is not limited to smart pachislo, but can also be applied to slot machines that use actual tokens (game value) for gameplay, and gaming machines that use game balls (pachinko balls) for gameplay (spinning game machines, smart pachinko (registered trademark)). In smart pachinko, a main board (first control unit) that controls the progress of the game, a sub-board that controls the effects, and a frame control board (second control unit) that can communicate with the main board and a dedicated unit (specific unit) that dispenses game balls can be provided, and the frame control board can manage the number of game balls. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0174] BX storage box, UD upper front door, DD lower front door, DW display window, L1 Active line, DS game information display unit, LCD liquid crystal display, AL Frame lamp, R1 1st reel, R2 2nd reel, R3 3rd reel, SL Start Lever, B0 Bet Button, B1~B3 Stop Buttons, B4 settlement button, B8 counting button, 10 Main board, 10a Main CPU, 10b Main ROM, 10c Main RAM, 20 Sub-board, 20a Sub-CPU, 20b Sub-ROM, 20c Sub-RAM, 30 Medal count control board, 30a Medal CPU, 30b Medal ROM, 30c Medal RAM, 40 Terminal board for connecting game ball dispensing device, 50 Dedicated unit, 60 Dedicated unit control board, 103 Setting change means, 105 Input acceptance means, 110 Random number generation means, 120 Internal lottery means, 130 Reel control means, 140 Prize determination means, 150 Payout control means, 160 Replay processing means, 170 Game state control means, 180 Performance state control means, 190 Communication control means, 210 Performance control means, 220 Bet switch, 230 Start switch, 240 Stop switch, 250 Settlement switch, 255 Counting button switch, 260 Setting change switch, 265 Setting change permission switch, 310 Reel units, 330 Display devices, 340 Sound devices, 400 Point count display, 410 Cycle count display, 420 Normal background image

Claims

[Claim 1] A means for determining whether or not to grant a benefit at predetermined intervals, A gaming machine comprising: an effect determination means that, when it is decided to grant the aforementioned benefit, decides to execute a benefit grant effect that notifies the granting of the aforementioned benefit; As part of the aforementioned bonus-granting effects, multiple types of bonus-granting effects are provided, including specific performance modes. The aforementioned means for determining the performance, A gaming machine characterized by changing the execution frequency of the special performance mode of the predetermined performance according to the number of cycles of the predetermined cycle.

Images