Amusement Park Systems

Abstract

To provide a system for a game parlor capable of providing game information more properly, when many kinds of game information can be provided.SOLUTION: In the periphery of an operation part 33f'' operating for displaying first game information related in the case of a specific game state, related second game information different from the display is displayed on top of a display screen 53, and therefor game information can be provided more properly, when many kinds of game information can be provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for an amusement park. [Background technology]

[0002] In game arcades, game information is provided to players as part of the services provided to players, but the game information provided is diverse, and it is difficult to grasp what kind of game information is being provided. Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes switching and displaying corresponding game information screens depending on the establishment of conditions based on the game information, without the player's operation. According to such a configuration, although the available game information can be known, it is difficult to know what button operation is required to display the switched game information screen by simply switching the display. Also, if the display is switched without the player's operation, there is a risk that the player who was looking at the display screen before the switching display will feel uncomfortable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-301256 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide an amusement arcade system that can provide more appropriate game information when multiple types of game information are available. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In a gaming facility system having a display means (information display device 3 including a control unit 36) having a display screen (display screens 40, 41, 51 to 54 as a display area 32) that is provided corresponding to a gaming machine and can display game information of the gaming machine, The display means is positioned near an operation unit (e.g., operation button 33f'' in FIG. 7) that is operated to display first game information related to a specific game situation (e.g., data for the past 7 days in FIG. 8) when a specific game situation occurs on the corresponding gaming machine (e.g., when an eye-catching condition is met), and displays second game information related to the game situation different from the first game information (e.g., hit-time data in the balloon character area as eye-catching display Ec3 in FIG. 7) superimposed on the display screen.

[0006] When a specific game situation occurs, related second game information different from the first game information is displayed superimposed on the display screen near the operating unit that is operated to display the related first game information, so that more appropriate game information can be provided when multiple types of game information are available. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] Overall configuration diagram of an amusement park system in one embodiment [Diagram 2] Front view of information display device [Diagram 3] A block diagram showing the electrical configuration of an information display device. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a display example of a main display unit in an information display device. [Diagram 5] A diagram showing an example of eye-catching display Ec1 on the main display unit. [Figure 6] A diagram showing an example of eye-catching display Ec2 on the main display unit. [Figure 7] A diagram showing an example of eye-catching display Ec3 on the main display [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating data for the past seven days as first game information displayed on the main display unit. [Figure 9] Flowchart showing the flow of information display processing DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a gaming center system. A large number of gaming machines 1 are installed in the gaming center, and a gaming device 2 and an information display device 3 are provided corresponding to each gaming machine 1. These gaming machines 1, gaming devices 2, and information display devices 3 are connected to a gaming information management device 6 (hereinafter abbreviated as "management device 6") via a relay device 4 and a LAN 5. In addition, a POS and a balance adjustment machine (both not shown) are also installed in the gaming center, and these POS and balance adjustment machines are also connected to the management device 6 via the LAN 5. Although not shown in FIG. 1, for example, several hundred gaming machines 1 are actually managed by the management device 6.

[0009] The management device 6 is installed in, for example, an office in the gaming facility, and is connected to a keyboard 7 and a monitor 8 operated by the manager of the gaming facility, as well as a mouse, a printer, etc. (not shown). The management device 6 inputs game signals output from the gaming machines (gaming machine 1, gaming device 2, etc.) to manage the game data for each gaming machine 1 as game information.

[0010] The gaming machine 1 is a CR (card reader) pachinko machine, and has an operating handle 10, an upper tray 11, and a lower tray 12, which constitute a launching device that launches balls onto a board 1a, and the board 1a has a liquid crystal display unit 13, a normal prize opening 14, a first start opening 15, a second start opening 16, and a big prize opening 17. In addition, the upper surface of the upper tray 11 in the gaming machine 1 has a balance display unit 11a, a loan button 11b, and a return button 11c.

[0011] The gaming machine 1 operates as follows. (1) The first start hole 15 is a winning hole with a constant winning rate (a so-called center winning hole), and the second start hole 16 is a winning hole with a variable winning rate (a so-called electric chute). A lottery is held for a jackpot depending on the winning (start winning) at each start hole 15, 16, and the lottery result is notified by the pattern change (unit game) on the liquid crystal display 13, and the jackpot is determined according to the result of the change.

[0012] (2) If a start win occurs during the pattern change, the pattern changes are cumulatively reserved up to a predetermined reserved upper limit (for example, 4 each), and the reserved pattern changes are started after the pattern change ends. Note that if a start win occurs when the reserved number of pattern changes (reserved number) is at the upper limit, the pattern change is not reserved, and if there is a reserved pattern in the second start port 16, the reserved pattern change is executed in priority to the reserved pattern in the first start port 15.

[0013] (3) The probability of winning the jackpot lottery (jackpot probability) is 1 / 250, and the probability rate, which is the percentage of jackpots that subsequently enter a probability state (probability change) and become jackpots (probability change jackpots), is 50% for center hole wins and 70% for electric chute wins. When a jackpot occurs, the jackpot opening 17 is opened for the allocated number of rounds (R). Here, the rounds are all allocated to 4R for center hole wins, while for electric chute, 50% are allocated to 10R and 50% are allocated to 4R. The upper limit of the number of wins in one round is 10, and the upper limit of opening time is 30 seconds, and one round ends when either the upper limit of the number of wins or the upper limit of opening time is met.

[0014] (4) During the probability of a jackpot increase to 1 / 50 and the winning rate for the second starting hole 16 increases, resulting in a time-saving state (time-saving) that continues until a jackpot occurs. On the other hand, if a normal jackpot occurs that does not result in a probability of a jackpot, the time-saving state (single time-saving state) that does not result in a probability of a jackpot continues until 100 pattern changes are performed, and if no jackpot occurs, the state returns to the normal state.

[0015] (5) The second starting port 16 is in an open state with a high winning rate when the normal pattern (normal pattern) that changes depending on the winning of the normal pattern winning port 14 becomes a winning pattern. In this case, the time for one normal pattern to change is 30 seconds in the normal state and 3 seconds in the time-saving state. Also, the opening time is 0.3 seconds in the normal state and 5 seconds in the time-saving state. In other words, in the time-saving state, the normal pattern change time is shorter than in the normal state, while the opening time is longer, so the winning rate of the second starting port 16 is higher.

[0016] (6) If a jackpot does not occur until the pattern changes a specified number (800 times) after the initialization condition is met (for example, a jackpot occurs or the RAM is cleared), the time is shortened (ceiling time shortening, Ten-ji) until the pattern changes a specified number (700 times), but since it does not become a probability change, it becomes a single time shortening. Here, the pattern changes to generate Ten-ji, including the compound time shortening, are not counted during the probability change, but the single time shortening is counted because it is not a probability change. Also, if Ten-ji ends without a jackpot occurring, Ten-ji will not occur even if the pattern changes again a specified number (800 times) after that. Also, like the jackpot lottery, a lottery for sudden time shortening (To-ji) is also held, and if it is won (winning probability = 1 / 200), it becomes a To-ji, which is a single time shortening until 100 pattern changes.

[0017] In addition to this gaming machine 1, gaming machines that are added even during a probability change, gaming machines that do not have a single time reduction such as a so-called ST machine, or gaming machines that have multiple jackpot probabilities and can be changed by settings, other than the exemplified gaming machine 1, may be managed. The above is an example of model A, but for example, model B will have different round allocations, and so on, depending on the model.

[0018] The gaming machine outputs the following game signals as the game progresses, such as when the player shoots balls into the starting holes 15, 16 and when starting winnings occur. Out signal = A signal (operation signal) capable of identifying the consumption value (out) output from the out box that collects consumed balls. Since one pulse is output for every 10 balls consumed (used, inserted, collected), the "number of out signals x 10" is identified as out. Note that it may also be a signal output from the gaming machine 1.

[0019] Safe signal = a signal output from the gaming machine 1 that can identify the winning award value (safe). Since one pulse is output for every 10 balls paid out in response to a win, "number of safe signals x 10" is identified as safe. The resupply signal output from a resupply device may also be used as the safe signal. There are two types of safe signals: an actual safe signal that is output when balls are actually paid out, and a winning safe signal that is output when a payout is reserved in response to a win. It is preferable to use the latter in order to minimize the time lag between winning and output.

[0020] Start signal = a signal that can specify the start process (symbol change, device operation, unit game) and start (number of start processes) in the liquid crystal display unit 13 (gimmick) that changes (operates) due to the start winning (S winning) output from the gaming machine 1. Since it is output when the symbol change is confirmed, the start process is specified according to the signal input. Note that it may be substituted by the S winning signal that indicates that a win has been made in the start port 15, 16.

[0021] · Jackpot signal=a signal capable of identifying the jackpot period output from the gaming machine 1. Since it is a status signal whose level is output during a jackpot, the input of the jackpot signal is identified as the jackpot period. Special state signal = a signal capable of identifying a special state (sweet state) output from the gaming machine 1. Since this is a state signal whose level is output during a special state (during time reduction (including combined time reduction)) in which the winning rate of the second starting port 16 increases, the special state is identified as being in progress when the special state signal is being input. It may also be a state signal whose level is output during a probability variation in which the probability of a jackpot increases (probability variation signal). In addition, the period in which neither a jackpot signal nor a special state signal is input is identified as being in a normal state.

[0022] The gaming device 2 shown in Figure 1 is a rental machine with a so-called counting function for each machine, and has a status indicator light 2a that shows the gaming status of the gaming machine 1 and the status of the gaming device 2, a coin insertion slot 21 through which coins are inserted, a touch panel display unit 22, a payout button 23 for paying out held balls, a payout nozzle 24 through which the paid out balls pass, a card insertion slot 25 through which an IC card (recording medium not shown) such as a general card (held ball ticket) or a membership card is inserted, and a counting tray 26 located below the lower tray 12 of the gaming machine 1.

[0023] The gaming device 2 operates as follows. (1) When currency is accepted (currency acceptance process), the amount of the deposit is added to the balance and displayed on both the gaming machine 1 and the gaming device 2. When the loan button 11b on the gaming machine 1 is pressed (loan operation, grant operation) while there is a balance, loan balls (value granted) for one loan unit (e.g., 500 yen) are paid out from the gaming machine 1 (value grant process), and the value according to the rate is deducted from the balance. Currency can be accepted in an amount corresponding to multiple value grant processes (e.g., up to 10,000 yen).

[0024] (2) When counted balls are accepted, the counted balls are identified as held balls, and a refund process (replay process for held balls) is enabled to pay back the held balls by pressing the payout button 23, and when paid back, the held balls are deducted by the amount of the refund (for example, the same number as the number of paid-back balls). When the return button 11c on the gaming machine 1 is pressed (the issuance operation is accepted) while there is remaining balance or held balls, a held ball ticket is issued that can identify the balance and held balls stored in the gaming device 2. For the sake of simplicity of explanation, partial issuance in which only a portion of the held balls or the balance is to be issued is not permitted, but this may be possible.

[0025] (3) Through serial communication with the relay device 4 (receiving sales signals), the management device 6 can identify various information such as the currency acceptance process, the value granting process, the balance, balls held, number of balls lent, number of balls paid out, amount deposited, number of counted balls, number of lent balls, sales amount in exchange for the lent balls, and the acceptance and issuance process of ball tickets. However, these may also be identified by a pulse signal (for example, 1 pulse for every 1,000 yen deposited, 1 pulse for every 100 yen in sales, etc.).

[0026] 2 is an enlarged front view of the information display device 3. The information display device 3 is disposed above the corresponding gaming machine 1, and is a display means having a display screen capable of displaying game information of the gaming machine 1. The information display device 3 is provided with a call button 30 which allows the player to call an employee, an illumination section 31 made up of LEDs which provide an illumination effect when a call is displayed by the call button 30 or during a special state, and a display area 32 which displays various game information and the like as the display screen, and a touch panel 33 is provided on the outer surface of the display area 32.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the display area 32 is divided into a sub-display section 34 on the left side and a main display section 35 on the right side when viewed from the front. The sub-display unit 34 is composed of a plurality of display units 34a, 34b that display the number of jackpots, the number of bonuses, etc., using, for example, a seven-segment display that displays the numbers "0" to "9" using LEDs. The main display unit 35 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display unit such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) that can display in full color, and can display various things other than numbers, such as graphs and characters, which will be described later, and can also display in a variety of display modes, such as by dividing the display into a plurality of display units 35a to 35c.

[0028] 3, the control unit 36 ​​of the information display device 3 is configured by a microcomputer having a CPU 36a, ROM 36b, RAM 36c, I / O 36d, etc., and controls the operation of the entire device 3 based on a computer program stored in ROM 36b, etc. The control unit 36 ​​is connected to the relay device 4 via an I / F (transmitting / receiving unit) 37 that inputs and outputs signals, and inputs game signals from the gaming machines and game information from the management device 6 via the relay device 4.

[0029] The control unit 36 ​​can specify game information by inputting game signals from the gaming machine side or the management device 6, and for example, specifies the number of jackpots in the corresponding gaming machine 1 based on a jackpot signal input from the corresponding gaming machine 1 via the I / F 37. The control unit 36 ​​can also specify the game status of the corresponding gaming machine 1 based on a specific game signal input via the I / F 37. For example, when the maximum value of the cumulative number of balls (safe-out) since the opening of the corresponding gaming machine 1 reaches a reference value (e.g., 30,000 balls), the relevant game status can be specified by the control unit 36 ​​based on the game signal input from the gaming machine side or the management device 6 via the I / F 37.

[0030] 3, the control unit 36 ​​is connected to the call button 30 and the touch panel 33, as well as to an LED as the illumination unit 31, a segment display unit as the sub-display unit 34, a liquid crystal display unit as the main display unit 35, etc. The control unit 36 ​​controls the display of the illumination unit 31, the sub-display unit 34, and the main display unit 35 based on operations on the touch panel 33, etc., the game information, etc., thereby displaying the display screen shown in FIG. 2 and various display screens shown in FIG. 4 and subsequent figures.

[0031] Now, in the information display device 3 of this embodiment, when a specific gaming situation occurs on the corresponding gaming machine 1, such as when the maximum number of balls dispensed reaches 30,000 as described above, gaming information related to that gaming situation or information accompanying the gaming information being displayed on the display screen is displayed as an eye-catching pop-up display superimposed on the main display section 35 of the display screen.

[0032] Here, the eye-catching display refers to a display mode in which, when a predetermined eye-catching condition set in advance for determining a specific game situation is established, game information related to the eye-catching condition that is to be focused on by the player is displayed as information in the attention area. As shown by symbols Ec1 to Ec3 in Figs. 5 to 7 described later, the eye-catching display of this embodiment is exemplified by a pop-up display of game information in a balloon character display area or an attention area surrounded by a circle, superimposed on an image of the main display unit 35. In addition, the balloon character display area and the circle are displayed in a conspicuous color such as yellow to increase the attention of the player. In the following, we will first explain "1. Normal display in information display device" before the eye-catching display is performed, and then we will explain "2. Eye-catching conditions and eye-catching display mode" and "3. Processing flow of eye-catching display" on the main display unit 35 in order.

[0033] <1. Normal display on information display device> As shown in Figure 2, in the normal state, the information display device 3 displays the number of jackpots, the number of starts, etc. in multiple display areas 34a, 34b in the sub-display unit 34 on the left side, while the main display unit 35 on the right side displays multiple display areas 35a to 35c. 2, the sub-display section 34 is composed of a first sub-display section 34a that displays the number of jackpots and the number of bonuses, and a second sub-display section 34b that displays the start from the establishment of an initialization condition (established by the start of business, the end of a special state, etc.). In addition, below the second sub-display section 34b, a machine number display section 34c that shows the machine number of the corresponding gaming machine 1 is attached as a sticker.

[0034] On the other hand, the main display section 35 is divided into a first main display section 35a, a second main display section 35b, and a third main display section 35c from the top as illustrated in FIG. 2. The first main display section 35a displays images corresponding to the corresponding model and specifications such as the probability of winning. The second main display section 35b displays the number of "jackpots" and "first hits" (number of jackpots in normal state) that occurred in the corresponding period (business day), a so-called ball output graph showing the progress of the above-mentioned ball output, and a so-called start history graph that graphs the start of the jackpot unit. The third main display section 35c displays various buttons 33a to 33g identified by the characters "Away", "Menu", ... and "Easy → ← Detailed" from the left side of FIG. 2.

[0035] The main display unit 35 is a touch panel type in which a touch panel 33 is arranged at least in the third main display unit 35c, and the above-mentioned buttons 33a to 33g and the touch panel 33 constitute an operation unit (hereinafter also referred to as "operation buttons 33a to 33g") that is used for touch operation. The operation buttons 33a, 33b, ... 33g of "Leave", "Menu", ... "Easy → ← Detailed" of the third main display unit 35c correspond to the operation unit that is touched when the player leaves the seat or to display various game information. For convenience, hereinafter, the touch operation of the operation buttons 33a to 33g by the player or the like is simply referred to as "operation", and the control entity (control unit 36) is referred to as the "information display device 3" to simplify the explanation.

[0036] For example, when the "easy → detailed" operation button 33g among the operation buttons 33a to 33g is operated, the information display device 3 transitions from the display screen 40 in Fig. 2 to the detailed display screen 41 in Fig. 4, thereby making it possible to switch the display of game information in the main display section 35 of the display screens 40, 41. Incidentally, with the transition to the detailed display screen 41, the "easy → detailed" operation button 33g is also switched to and displayed as the "detailed → easy" operation button 33g'.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 4, on the detailed display screen 41, not only the number of start history items increases compared to the original display screen 40, but also more detailed game information than that shown in Fig. 1 is displayed, such as the number of balls generated during a jackpot divided into three categories, "super", "medium", and "small", by comparing the balls output during the jackpot with a reference value as a "jackpot breakdown", and the jackpot probability according to the state. The detailed display screen 41 returns to the original display screen 40 of Fig. 2 by operating the operation button 33g' again.

[0038] In addition, in the normal state, in either display screen 40, 41, the game information is displayed in the main display unit 35 divided into each of the display units 35a to 35c as described above. However, when information is displayed on the entire main display unit 35, for example, when a special state occurrence presentation is performed or when the game information is displayed in an enlarged manner as shown in Figure 8 described later, it is possible to display information without division. 2 shows an example of the entire display screen 40 (entire information display device 3) including the sub-display section 34 and the main display section 35, but the main display section 35 can display various things other than numbers and graphs, such as characters on the first main display section 35a, and can display in a variety of display modes. Display screens 51 to 54 in the following Figures 5 to 8 show the main display section 35 side in particular.

[0039] <2. Eye-catching conditions and eye-catching display format> 5 to 8 show display screens 51 to 54 relating to eye-catching conditions or eye-catching displays, and among these, FIG. 5 shows a display screen 51 that is displayed on the corresponding gaming machine 1 when eye-catching condition 1 is met.

[0040] That is, the information display device 3 determines that the eye-catching condition 1 is satisfied each time the start is updated a predetermined value (e.g., 50 times) in a state where the maximum value of the balls dispensed in the corresponding gaming machine 1 has reached a reference value (e.g., 30,000 balls). In addition, when a gaming situation that satisfies the eye-catching condition 1 occurs, if gaming information on the dispensed balls related to that gaming situation is being displayed on the display screen 40 (see the ball dispense graph in FIG. 2), the information display device 3 performs an eye-catching display Ec1 together with the gaming information on the dispensed balls. Here, the eye-catching display Ec1 is the third game information that displays a circle surrounding the ball output graph as an attention area and a pop-up balloon text area showing the message "Check! Maximum ball output: 35,480 balls" near the ball output graph, as exemplified in the display screen 51 of Fig. 5. In this way, the third game information is information accompanying the game information of the ball output graph being displayed, and the eye-catching display Ec1 is terminated when the eye-catching end condition is met (see S14 in Fig. 9 described later).

[0041] On the other hand, the information display device 3 determines that the eye-catching condition 2 is established when the ceiling time reduction occurs in the corresponding gaming machine 1. Furthermore, when the gaming situation satisfies the eye-catching condition 2, the information display device 3 performs the eye-catching display Ec2 if the gaming information of the ceiling time reduction related to the gaming situation is not being displayed on the display screen 40.

[0042] As exemplified by the display screen 52 in Figure 6, the eye-catching display Ec2 is game information that displays a circle as an attention area surrounding the "Ceiling Time Reduction Data" operation button 33f', which is switched from the "Probability Data" operation button 33f when the ceiling time reduction occurs, and a pop-up speech bubble text area near the operation button 33f' showing the message "Check! Expected number of jackpots during ceiling time reduction." In addition, the display "Ceiling time-saving start, low probability 800" in the first main display section 35a at the top of the display screen 52 is a display showing the specifications, while "Low probability start" in the lower left of the second main display section 35b shows the actual situation, and in Figure 6 it shows the point at which the ceiling time-saving started when the 800-minute start occurred.

[0043] As described above, a specific game situation is defined in multiple ways as eye-catching conditions 1 and 2, and each of the eye-catching conditions can be associated with related game information in advance. Therefore, when eye-catching conditions 1 and 2 are met, if the associated game information related to the game situation is being displayed on the display screen 40, eye-catching display Ec1 is performed together with the game information, whereas if the game information is not being displayed on the display screen 40, eye-catching display Ec2 is performed.

[0044] Here, as is clear from the comparison between Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the eye-catching display Ec1 shows the third game information with the numerical value "35480 balls", while the eye-catching display Ec2 does not show such a numerical value and shows it as a game information item to be confirmed. This is because, if the currently displayed game information includes the game information of the corresponding balls as in the eye-catching display Ec1, the eye-catching display Ec1 displays the third game information showing further details, while if the eye-catching display Ec2 does not include the game information of the corresponding ceiling time reduction as in the eye-catching display Ec2, the display prompts the user to operate the "ceiling time reduction data" operation button 33f' to display the second game information (the thrust time data in Fig. 7) related to the game information.

[0045] The display screen 53 in FIG. 7 illustrates an eye-catching display Ec3 that is switched from the display screen 52 in FIG. 6 by operating the operation button 33f′ for “ceiling time-saving data.” The eye-catching display Ec3 is a second game information in which, in response to operation of the operation button 33f', the "ceiling time-saving data" operation button 33f' and the "easy → ← detailed" operation button 33g are switched to the "view data for the past 7 days" operation button 33f'' and the "close" operation button 33g'', and in addition, the "crash data" is displayed as a pop-up in the balloon text area near the operation buttons 33f'' and 33g''.

[0046] In this case, the "threat data" includes game information such as the "number of times a sudden time reduction" for the day, "breakthrough rate," "probability of a sudden time reduction," and "average number of jackpots obtained during a sudden time reduction," as illustrated in FIG. 7, and other game information such as the number of jackpots can also be confirmed on the display screen 53, so that by comparing these displays, the player can check the game status based on the comparison results.

[0047] On the display screen 53 in FIG. 7, when the operation button 33f'' for ``viewing data for the past 7 days'' is operated, the first main display area 35a and the second main display area 35b are switched and displayed as in the display screen 54 in FIG. On the display screen 54 in Fig. 8, the game information for the past seven days can be confirmed by switching the screen by swiping or operating the third main display unit 35c, including other game information such as the number of jackpots and starts. The game information on the display screen 54 is the first game information including at least a part of the content of the eye-catching display Ec3 in Fig. 7 and at least a part of the content displayed other than the pop-up display.

[0048] In other words, the eye-catching display Ec3 in Fig. 7 is the second gaming information showing at least a part of the first gaming information of "past 7 days" in Fig. 8, but the two are understood as gaming information in display forms including different contents. Also, it can be said that the contents of the second gaming information are suggested by the eye-catching display Ec2 on the display screen 52 in Fig. 6, and the eye-catching display Ec3 is displayed on top of that (on the display screen 53 in Fig. 7).

[0049] As will be explained in "3. Processing flow of eye-catching display" below, for example, the game information displayed on the display screen 40 in the normal state in Fig. 2 is different from that displayed on the detailed display screen 41 in Fig. 4, so when an eye-catching condition is established, depending on which of the display screens is displayed (see S2 in Fig. 9), depending on the corresponding game information, eye-catching display Ec1 and eye-catching display Ec2 are selectively displayed (see S3, S6). In other words, even if the same eye-catching condition is established, different eye-catching displays are displayed depending on the game information displayed on the display screens 40, 41, etc.

[0050] <3. Eye-catching display process flow> 9 shows a process flow related to eye-catching displays Ec1 to Ec3, and S1, S2, ... in the figure indicate steps executed by the information display device 3. Note that in the information display device 3, eye-catching conditions 1 and 2 for determining a specific game situation are predefined (stored in a storage means such as the RAM 36c).

[0051] When neither of the eye-catching conditions 1 and 2 is satisfied and the information display device 3 is not in one of the eye-catching displays Ec1 to Ec3, the information display device 3 executes a standby flow in which it determines NO in S1 and NO in S13. First, the information display device 3 determines whether or not a specific game situation has occurred in the corresponding gaming machine 1 based on whether or not at least one of the eye-catching conditions 1 and 2 has been met (S1).

[0052] When it is determined that at least one of the eye-catching conditions 1 and 2 is met (S1: YES), the information display device 3 determines whether or not game information corresponding to the game status is being displayed on the display screen (S2). For example, when a specific game situation that satisfies the eye-catching condition 1 is reached, if the game information of the balls output related to that game situation is being displayed on the display screen 40 by the switching display (S2: YES, see the ball output graph in FIG. 2), the eye-catching display Ec1 is made to appear (see FIG. 5) to start displaying the third game information together with the game information of the balls output (S3). After this (after return, S1: NO), the process moves to a standby flow in which it is determined that the eye-catching display is being displayed (S13: YES), the eye-catching end condition is not satisfied (S14: NO), and other eye-catching displays Ec2 and Ec3 are not being displayed (S15: NO and S16: NO).

[0053] In this case, if a new eye-catching condition is met (S1: YES), new processing is performed; however, when a predetermined period (e.g., 5 seconds) has elapsed since the start of displaying the eye-catching display Ec1, or an eye-catching end condition is met by operating the main display unit 35 (S14: YES), the eye-catching display Ec1 is ended (return after S17).

[0054] On the other hand, for example, when a specific gaming situation that satisfies eye-catching condition 2 is reached (S1: YES), if the gaming information for the ceiling time reduction related to that gaming situation is not being displayed on the display screen 40 by the switching display (S2: NO), and if the corresponding operation button 33f' for "ceiling time reduction data" in Figure 6 is not being displayed (S4: NO) in order to display the second gaming information, the operation button 33f' is displayed (S5), and the eye-catching display Ec2 is made to appear (S6), indicating the confirmable gaming information items and prompting the operation of the operation button 33f'.

[0055] Here, if the operation button 33f' is not operated (S7: NO), the process returns, and if it is operated (S7: YES), the eye-catching display Ec2 is ended (S8), and the eye-catching display Ec3 in Fig. 7 is made to appear, thereby starting the display of the second game information (S9). Also, in this case, the display is switched from the "ceiling time-saving data" operation button 33f' and the "easy → ← detailed" operation button 33g in Fig. 6 to the "view data for the past 7 days" operation button 33f'' and the "close" operation button 33g'' in Fig. 7 (S10).

[0056] In this way, if the operation button 33f'' for ``View data for the past 7 days'' is not operated (S11: NO), the process returns, and if it is operated (S11: YES), the display screen is switched from the display screen 53 in Figure 7 to the display screen 54 in Figure 8 (S12), thereby displaying the first game information.

[0057] On the other hand, if the eye-catching display Ec2 is started and then returned (S7: NO), the eye-catching condition is not met (S1: NO), the eye-catching display Ec2 is in progress (S13: YES), the eye-catching end condition is not met (S14: NO and S15: YES), and the process transitions to a standby flow which determines that the operation button 33f' has not been operated (S7: NO). In this case, as described above, if a new eye-catching condition is met, a new process is performed (S1: YES), and if an eye-catching end condition is met (S14: YES), the eye-catching display Ec2 is ended (return after S17), and the display of the corresponding operation button 33f' is also returned to the display of the operation button 33f before the switch.

[0058] On the other hand, if the eye-catching display Ec3 is started and then returned (S11: NO), the eye-catching condition is not met (S1: NO), the eye-catching display Ec3 is in progress (S13: YES), the eye-catching end condition is not met (S14: NO), the eye-catching display Ec3 is in progress (S16: YES), not the eye-catching display Ec2, and the process transitions to a standby flow which determines that the operation button 33f'' has not been operated (S11: NO). In this case, too, if a new eye-catching condition is met, new processing is performed (S1: YES), and if an eye-catching end condition is met (S14: YES), the eye-catching display Ec3 is ended (return after S17). Note that the eye-catching end condition also includes the operation of the "close" operation button 33g" in FIG. 7.

[0059] According to the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained. When a specific gaming situation occurs on the corresponding gaming machine 1, the information display device 3 is positioned near an operation unit (for example, a switching button such as the operation button 33f" in FIG. 7) that is operated to display the first gaming information in FIG. 8 related to that gaming situation, and the second gaming information related to the gaming situation different from the first gaming information is superimposed on the display screen 53 in the form of a pop-up by the eye-catching display Ec3, so that a sneak peek, so to speak, is given. Therefore, at least a part of the gaming information already being displayed on the display screen can be confirmed by the eye-catching display Ec3, and the risk of a player who has been referring to other gaming information feeling uncomfortable can be reduced. Also, since the player can confirm the gaming situation by comparing the other confirmable gaming information with the gaming information by the eye-catching display Ec3, the need to provide more information than necessary in the eye-catching display Ec3 can be reduced. Furthermore, since the eye-catching display Ec3 is displayed near the operation button 33f'', a player who is interested in the game information displayed in the eye-catching display Ec3 and can view the desired game information by operating a button can grasp the game information displayed in response to the button operation, and then the game information is displayed by operating a button. In this way, by being able to provide a variety of game information, even if the operation becomes complicated, it is possible to provide game information more appropriately.

[0060] When the specific game situation occurs, the information display device 3 displays information suggesting the contents of the second game information on the display screen 52 of Figure 6 in eye-catching display Ec2, and displays the second game information on the display screen 53 of Figure 7 in eye-catching display Ec3 in response to operation of the operation button 33f', thereby reducing the risk of players who are not interested in the suggested game information or who are viewing other game information feeling uncomfortable when more information is presented than necessary using the eye-catching display Ec3.

[0061] A plurality of specific game situations are provided as eye-catching conditions, each of which is associated with related game information. If game information related to that game situation is being displayed on the display screen 40, an eye-catching display Ec1 of third game information is displayed together with that game information, whereas if that game information is not being displayed on the display screen 40, an eye-catching display Ec2 or eye-catching display Ec3 of the second game information is displayed, thereby enabling the player to understand when a button operation is required and when it is not required.

[0062] Since the third gaming information such as the eye-catching display Ec1 is information accompanying the gaming information being displayed, the accompanying information can be confirmed without operating a button, which not only allows for a deeper look into the gaming situation indicated by the displayed gaming information, but also makes it easier to understand the significance of its existence.

[0063] The information display device 3 is capable of switching display of game information on the display screens 40 and 41 as illustrated in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4, and when a specific game situation occurs, if game information related to that game situation is being displayed on the display screen by the switching display, the eye-catching display Ec1 of the third game information is displayed together with the game information, while if the game information is not being displayed on the display screen by the switching display, the eye-catching display Ec2 or the eye-catching display Ec3 of the second game information is displayed, so that an appropriate eye-catching display according to the displayed game information can be displayed. For example, when the display screen 41 of Fig. 4 is displayed, the related game information is displayed by the eye-catching display Ec1, so no button operation is required, but when the display screen 40 of Fig. 2 is displayed, a button operation is required to display the related game information by the eye-catching display Ec2, so that the player can grasp the advantages and disadvantages of the switching-displayed game information.

[0064] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be modified or expanded as follows. Although the display screen 53 of FIG. 7 is displayed by operating the operation button 33f' while the display screen 52 of FIG. 6 is displayed, the display screen 53 of FIG. 7 may be displayed when a switching condition is met, such as the passage of a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds), regardless of the operation. Regarding the display processing, the display screen 53 of FIG. 7 may be displayed without displaying the display screen 52 of FIG. 6, or only one of the display screens 51, 52, and 53 of FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 may be processed. The display screen 54 of FIG. 8 is displayed by screen switching (screen transition) from the previous display screen 53 to the display screen 54, but it may be displayed as a layer (without screen switching) in a superimposed manner like a pop-up display, and the display screens corresponding to other button operations may also be displayed by screen switching or as a layer display.

[0065] In the display screens 51 and 52 in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the information to be focused on by the player and the operation button 33f' are surrounded by a circle in a conspicuous color to be output as a distinctive display, but other distinctive displays such as blinking the relevant parts or increasing the brightness may be adopted, and it is not necessary to output as a distinctive display. In addition, since the target information (ball output graph) is displayed in the display screen 51 in Fig. 5, the eye-catching display Ec1 that displays numerical values ​​is exemplified, but for example, by touching the target ball output graph while the eye-catching display Ec1 is being displayed, the screen may be switched to enlarge the ball output graph, or the corresponding "graph" operation button 33c may be output as a distinctive display to prompt the player to operate it.

[0066] Although the example of setting a plurality of types of eye-catching conditions has been shown, the game information corresponding to the eye-catching display itself may be used as the related game information. In addition, with regard to the eye-catching condition 2, the specification "Ceiling time-saving start, low probability 800" shown in the upper right of FIG. 6 and the actual situation "low probability start" shown in the lower left of FIG. 6 are shown as examples on the display screen 52, but the eye-catching condition 2 may be established, for example, when the start during the game reaches a predetermined number of starts (for example, 700 times) less than the start for the ceiling time-saving (for example, 100 times) in number. Furthermore, the game information for specifying the eye-catching condition does not need to be limited to game information that can be specified by a game signal output from the gaming machine side, and a configuration in which game information indicating the jackpot situation at a predetermined time is presented as the related game information by game information such as time can be assumed, and any condition related to the game may be adopted as the eye-catching condition. Although an example has been given in which the operation button 33g is switched in display depending on whether the eye-catching condition is met, the button corresponding to the eye-catching display may remain displayed regardless of whether the eye-catching condition is met, without switching the display.

[0067] Although an example of a configuration in which the information is displayed on an information display device 3 above the gaming machine 1 has been given, this proposal may also be adopted in an information display device (display unit 22) provided between gaming machines 1 such as gaming device 2, or in a collective information display device provided at the edge of an island. The related setting information (such as information on eye-catching conditions) may be set in advance and arbitrarily by the amusement arcade manager, may be set by the manufacturer of the management device 6, or may be downloaded from an external management server (such as a chain store headquarters or a gaming machine manufacturer) and set.

[0068] All of the game information shown as examples may be specified directly by the input signal or indirectly by using an arithmetic expression. In addition, the type of the game machine may be classified in any manner that indicates the type of the game machine, such as by manufacturer or by specification. The numerical values, the number of digits, the items, etc. are merely examples, and any numerical values ​​may be used. Furthermore, the arithmetic expressions are merely examples, and any arithmetic expressions may be used as long as they show the same values ​​as the exemplified arithmetic expressions, or calculate values ​​having the same meaning.

[0069] Either "less than" or "less than" can be used, and expressions such as "has not reached" are expressions that correspond to either "less than" or "less than". The same is true for "above" and "exceeds", and expressions such as "has reached" are expressions that correspond to both. Although the display screen has been exemplified as including a liquid crystal display unit or a segment display unit, other display methods such as organic electroluminescence (EL) may be adopted. Furthermore, while the operation unit has been exemplified as touch panel type operation buttons 33f-33f'' that accept touch operations, it may be configured as push-type buttons that accept press operations.

[0070] The target gaming machine 1 can be a pachinko gaming machine or a slot machine, and the unit game can be a so-called pattern change or game, but since it is also possible to assume a so-called sealed gaming machine in which the points on the data are updated according to the game without discharging the gaming medium, the expression "game value" including the gaming medium such as balls or medals and the above points is used as appropriate. In addition, although the gaming machine 1 in which the probability change continues until a big hit occurs when the probability change occurs is exemplified, the target gaming machine may be a so-called ST machine in which the probability change ends when a predetermined number of pattern changes occur, such as the number of time-saving times, or a gaming machine equipped with a so-called small hit RUSH function in which the probability of small hits increases during a special state.

[0071] A part of the processing performed by the information display device 3 may be performed by the management device 6, the game device 2, the relay device 4, or the like, or the entire processing may be configured by the information display device 3 alone. In addition, the above exemplary configurations may be adopted or not depending on the settings as appropriate, the exemplary configurations including modified examples may be combined in any way, and configurations may be excluded as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] In the drawing, 1 is a gaming machine, 3 is an information display device (display means), 32 is a display area (display screen), 33f-33f'' are operation units, 36 is a control unit (display means), and 40, 41, 51-54 are display screens.

Claims

1. A gaming facility system including a display means provided for each gaming machine and having a display screen capable of displaying game information of the gaming machine, The display means is configured to display, when a specific gaming situation occurs in the corresponding gaming machine, a second gaming information related to the gaming situation different from the first gaming information, superimposed on the display screen, the second gaming information being located near an operation unit operated to display the first gaming information related to the gaming situation, the second gaming information being superimposed on the display screen, A plurality of specific game situations are provided, and each specific game situation is associated with related game information; The first gaming information and the second gaming information are gaming information of the corresponding gaming machine that can be identified by a gaming signal output from the corresponding gaming machine, and among these, the second gaming information is displayed superimposed on the display screen on which the gaming information that was displayed until the corresponding gaming machine reached the specific gaming status is visibly displayed, while the first gaming information is not displayed unless the operation unit is operated, even when the specific gaming status is reached.

2. A system for an amusement facility having a display means provided in correspondence with a gaming machine and having a display screen capable of displaying game information of the gaming machine, The display means is configured to display, when a specific gaming situation occurs in the corresponding gaming machine, a second gaming information related to the gaming situation different from the first gaming information, superimposed on the display screen, the second gaming information being located near an operation unit operated to display the first gaming information related to the gaming situation, the second gaming information being superimposed on the display screen, A plurality of specific game situations are provided, and each specific game situation is associated with related game information; The display means is characterized in that, when the specific gaming situation occurs, if gaming information related to that gaming situation is being displayed on the display screen, it displays third gaming information together with that gaming information, and if that gaming information is not being displayed on the display screen, it displays the second gaming information.

3. The amusement park system described in claim 1, characterized in that when the specific game situation occurs, the display means displays information suggesting the content of the second game information on the display screen, and displays the second game information in response to operation of the operating unit.

4. 3. The game arcade system according to claim 2, wherein the third game information is information associated with the game information being displayed.

5. The display means is capable of switching display of game information on the display screen, An amusement park system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that when the specific gaming situation occurs, if gaming information related to that gaming situation is being displayed on the display screen by the switching display, third gaming information is displayed together with that gaming information, while if that gaming information is not being displayed on the display screen by the switching display, the second gaming information is displayed.

6. A system for an amusement facility having a display means provided in correspondence with a gaming machine and having a display screen capable of displaying game information of the gaming machine, The display means is capable of switching display of game information on the display screen, and is configured to display, when a specific game situation occurs on the corresponding gaming machine, a second game information related to the game situation different from the first game information by superimposing the second game information on the display screen, the second game information being located near an operation unit operated to display the first game information related to the game situation, the second game information being superimposed on the display screen, When the specific gaming situation occurs, if gaming information related to that gaming situation is being displayed on the display screen by the switching display, third gaming information is displayed together with that gaming information, while if that gaming information is not being displayed on the display screen by the switching display, the second gaming information is displayed.

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