Pachinko machine

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of increasing interest of a game.SOLUTION: After performing a betting operation, a slot machine 10 starts rotating each of reels 32L, 32M, 32R on the basis of operation of a start lever 41. The reels corresponding to operation of stop switches 42 to 44 are stopped, and a stop combination according to a lottery result may be stopped. An AT counter is acquired based on the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44, the acquired AT counter is stored in a lottery information storage area, and it is used when an AT mode shift lottery is performed. An AT mode shift lottery may be performed at the time of BB by using the AT counter acquired at the normal time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Known types of gaming machines include pachinko machines and slot machines, which are known to have a configuration in which an internal lottery is held when predetermined lottery conditions are met, and a bonus is awarded to the player depending on the result of the internal lottery.

[0003] Specifically, in a slot machine, when a start lever is operated while medals as gaming media have been bet, an internal lottery is conducted and the reels start to rotate. If a stop switch is operated while the reels are rotating, the reels stop rotating. If the reels stop as a result of the internal lottery, a bonus according to the result is awarded (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-295707 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, in the gaming machines exemplified above, it is necessary to improve the entertainment value of the game, and there is still room for improvement in this regard.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the circumstances exemplified above, and aims to provide a gaming machine that can increase the enjoyment of the game. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides A plurality of rotating bodies with a plurality of patterns attached in the circumferential direction, A display unit that makes some of the patterns visible for each of the rotating bodies, A starting operation means for starting the rotation of each of the rotating bodies when operated, A stop operation means for stopping the rotation of each of the rotating bodies when operated, A drive control means for starting the rotation of each of the rotating bodies when the starting operation means is operated and stopping the rotation of each of the rotating bodies when the stop operation means is operated, A lottery means for performing a lottery on whether to give a privilege to the player based on the operation of the starting operation means, A privilege granting means capable of granting a privilege corresponding to the lottery result in the lottery means, A gaming machine comprising: A specific information acquisition means for acquiring specific information based on the establishment of a predetermined acquisition condition, A specific information storage means capable of storing the specific information acquired by the specific information acquisition means, A specific determination means capable of performing a specific determination for causing a specific event using at least the specific information stored in the specific information storage means and the lottery result by the lottery means, A means capable of executing a specific notification about the specific information stored in the specific information storage means by a predetermined notification means before the specific information becomes the object of the specific determination, Comprising: The specific information acquisition means: A first means capable of acquiring the specific information when a first condition is satisfied based on the operation of the player as the acquisition condition, A second means capable of acquiring the specific information when a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied based on the operation of the player as the acquisition condition, Comprising: The specific determination means is capable of performing the specific determination based on the lottery result by the lottery means and the specific information acquired in a game before the lottery by the lottery means, The specific information includes first specific information and second specific information, The lottery result by the lottery means includes a first result and a second result, When performing the specific determination using the first specific information and the first result, it is more likely to result in a result corresponding to causing the specific event than when performing the specific determination using the second specific information and the first result.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to enhance the amusement of the game.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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【Figure This is a diagram for explaining the overview of special images and situation display. ​ This is a diagram for explaining the overview of special images and situation display. ​ This is a diagram for explaining the overview of special images and situation display. ​ This is a flowchart showing the process for holding display in Modification 1. ​ This is a diagram for explaining how a special image is displayed. ​ This is a flowchart showing the process for adjusting BB winning games in Modification 2. ​ This is a diagram for explaining the overview of special images and situation display. ​ This is a diagram showing the overview of the symbol arrangement of each reel in Modification 3. ​ This is a diagram showing the overview of the lottery information storage area in the second embodiment. ​ This is a diagram showing an example of the AT mode transition lottery table. ​ This is a flowchart showing the process for obtaining a random number. ​ This is a flowchart showing the process for shifting a random number. ​ This is a diagram for explaining the overview of the AT mode transition lottery using the AT counter and the lottery result of the game. ​ This is a diagram for explaining the overview of the AT mode transition lottery using the AT counter and the lottery result of the game. ​ It is a flowchart showing the processing for random number shift in Modification 1. ​ It is a diagram for explaining the outline of the AT mode transition lottery using the AT counter and the lottery result of the game. ​ In Modification 2, (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the transition relationship of each state, and (b) is a diagram for explaining the end condition of each bonus. ​ It is a diagram showing an example of the AT mode transition lottery table. ​ It is a diagram for explaining the outline of the AT mode transition lottery using the AT counter and the lottery result of the game. ​ It is a flowchart showing the processing for obtaining the initial random number in the third embodiment. ​ It is a flowchart showing the processing for obtaining the initial random number in Modification 1. ​ It is a flowchart showing the processing for obtaining the initial random number in Modification 2. ​ It is a diagram showing an example of the conversion table. ​ It is a flowchart showing the processing for obtaining the initial random number in Modification 3. ​ It is a diagram showing an example of the lottery table for the first RT state in the fourth embodiment. ​ It is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the operation order of the stop switch and the winning modes that are established. ​ It is a diagram showing an example of the lottery table for the fourth RT state. ​ (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the winning modes and the privileges granted, and (b) is a diagram for explaining the difference in the winning probabilities of specific roles for each gaming state. ​ It is a diagram showing an example of the AT mode transition lottery table. ​ It is a flowchart showing the processing for obtaining the random number. ​It is a flowchart showing the process for random number shifting. ​ It is a flowchart showing the process for special notification. ​ It is a diagram showing an example of a display effect by an auxiliary display unit. ​ It is a flowchart showing the process for the fourth RT transition. ​ (a) is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the AT counter, cherry counter, and watermelon counter stored in each memory area, and (b) and (c) are diagrams for explaining the relationship between each fourth RT effect and the AT winning expectancy. ​ It is a flowchart showing the process for special notification in Modification 1. ​ It is a flowchart showing the process for the fourth RT transition. ​ It is a flowchart showing the process for random number acquisition in Modification 2. ​ It is a flowchart showing the process for integrated value information. ​ It is a diagram showing an example of a display effect by an auxiliary display unit. ​ It is a diagram showing an example of an AT mode transition lottery table in Modification 3. ​ It is a diagram for explaining the difference in the winning probability of a specific winning combination for each gaming state. ​ It is a diagram for explaining a specific area where it is easy to win the AT mode transition in the fifth embodiment. ​ It is a flowchart showing the process for random number acquisition. ​ It is a flowchart showing the process for the CZ mode. ​ It is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the AT counter stored in each memory area and the CZ mode effect.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, an embodiment in the case of applying to a rotary gaming machine, which is a type of gaming machine, specifically a slot machine, will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the slot machine 10, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the slot machine 10 with the front door 12 closed, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the slot machine 10 with the front door 12 open, FIG. 4 is a rear view of the front door 12, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the housing 11.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the slot machine 10 includes a housing 11 that forms its outer shell. The housing 11 is formed in a box shape with an open front as a whole, and is attached by driving nails or the like to so-called island equipment when installed in a game hall.

[0012] A front door 12 is attached to the front side of the housing 11 so as to be openable and closable. That is, the housing 11 is provided with a pair of upper and lower support shafts 13a and 13b on the left side when viewed from the front, and the front door 12 is provided with bearing portions 14a and 14b at positions corresponding to the respective support shafts 13a and 13b. When each support shaft 13a, 13b is inserted into each bearing portion 14a, 14b, the front door 12 is supported rotatably about an opening and closing axis extending in the vertical direction connecting the two support shafts 13a, 13b with respect to the housing 11, and the front opening side of the housing 11 can be opened or closed by the rotation of the front door 12. Further, the front door 12 is set in a locked state where it cannot be opened by a locking device 20 provided on its back surface. A key cylinder 21 integrated with the locking device 20 is provided at the upper right end side of the front door 12, and the locked state is configured to be released by a predetermined key operation on the key cylinder 21.

[0013] A game panel 25 for notifying the player of the game state is provided above the center of the front door 12. Three vertically long display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R are formed side by side on the game panel 25, and the inside of the slot machine 10 can be viewed through each display window 26L, 26M, and 26R. Note that the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R may be combined into one common display window.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 3, the inside of the housing 11 is vertically divided into two parts by a partition plate 30, and a reel unit 31 constituting variable display means is attached to the upper part of the partition plate 30. The reel unit 31 includes left reels 32L, middle reels 32M, and right reels 32R, each formed in a cylindrical (annular) shape. Each of the reels 32L, 32M, 32R is rotatably supported such that its central axis becomes the rotation axis of the reel. The rotation axes of the respective reels 32L, 32M, 32R are arranged on the same axis extending in a substantially horizontal direction, and the respective reels 32L, 32M, 32R correspond one-to-one with the respective display windows 26L, 26M, 26R. Therefore, a part of the surface of each of the reels 32L, 32M, 32R is visible through the corresponding display windows 26L, 26M, 26R. Further, when the reels 32L, 32M, 32R rotate forward, the surfaces of the reels 32L, 32M, 32R are projected as if they are moving downward from above through the respective display windows 26L, 26M, 26R.

[0015] Here, the configuration of the reel unit 31 will be briefly described.

[0016] Each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is connected to a stepping motor, and each reel 32L, 32M, 32R can be rotationally driven individually, that is, independently of each other, by driving each stepping motor. The stepping motor is set to be rotated by applying a drive signal of, for example, 504 pulses (hereinafter also referred to as excitation pulses). The rotational position of the stepping motor, that is, the rotational position of the reel, is controlled by this excitation pulse. Further, a reel index sensor for detecting that the reel has made one rotation is installed in each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R of the reel unit 31. When the reel index sensor detects that the reel has made one rotation, a detection signal is output to the main control device 101 described later each time such detection is made. For this reason, the main control device 101 can confirm and correct the angular position of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R every one rotation based on the detection signal of the reel index sensor and the number of excitation pulses output until the detection signal is input.

[0017] On the outer peripheral surface of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, a plurality of patterns are drawn as identification information in the long side direction (circumferential direction). More specifically, 21 patterns are drawn at equal intervals. For this reason, in order to switch a certain pattern to the next pattern at a predetermined position, it is necessary to output 24 pulses (= 504 pulses ÷ 21 patterns) of excitation pulses. Further, the main control device 101 can perform control to grasp the pattern visible from the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R or stop a predetermined pattern at a position visible from the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R based on the number of excitation pulses output after the detection signal of the reel index sensor is input.

[0018] Next, the patterns drawn on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R will be described.

[0019] Figure 6 shows the symbol arrangements of the left reel 32L, the middle reel 32M, and the right reel 32R. As shown in this figure, on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, 21 symbols are arranged in a row. Also, numbers from 0 to 20 are assigned to each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R corresponding to them. However, these numbers are for the main control device 101 to recognize the symbols that can be visually recognized from the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R, and are not actually attached to the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. However, in the following description, these numbers will be used for explanation.

[0020] As symbols, there are 11 types, namely, the "Red Bell" symbol (for example, the 7th on the left reel 32L), the "White Bell" symbol (for example, the 20th on the left reel 32L), the "First Replay" symbol (for example, the 19th on the left reel 32L), the "Second Replay" symbol (for example, the 6th on the left reel 32L), the "Red 7" symbol (for example, the 10th on the left reel 32L), the "Watermelon" symbol (for example, the 8th on the left reel 32L), the "Cherry" symbol (for example, the 4th on the left reel 32L), the "Black BAR" symbol (for example, the 18th on the left reel 32L), the "White BAR" symbol (for example, the 17th on the left reel 32L), the "LUCKY" symbol (for example, the 5th on the left reel 32L), and the "Young Man" symbol (for example, the 0th on the left reel 32L). And as shown in Figure 6, the number and arrangement order of various symbols on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are completely different.

[0021] Each of the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R is formed such that 3 symbols that can visually recognize the entire set of symbols out of the 21 symbols attached to the corresponding reel can be seen. For this reason, when all of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are stopped, 3×3 = 9 symbols can be seen through the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R.

[0022] In the slot machine 10, the game result of each game is announced using a combination of three symbols, one for each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, among the visible symbols. As described above, 3 × 3 = 9 symbols are visible, and as combinations of these three symbols, for example, as shown in Fig. 7, there are combinations of symbols that stop on an upper line L1 connecting the upper symbols of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, combinations of symbols that stop on a middle line L2 connecting the middle symbols of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, and combinations of symbols that stop on a lower line L3 connecting the lower symbols of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. There are also combinations of symbols that stop on a downward-sloping line L4 connecting the top symbol on the left reel 32L, the middle symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the bottom symbol on the right reel 32R, and combinations of symbols that stop on an upward-sloping line L5 connecting the bottom symbol on the left reel 32L, the middle symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the top symbol on the right reel 32R. There are also combinations of symbols that stop on a curved line L6 connecting the top symbol on the left reel 32L, the middle symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the middle symbol on the right reel 32R. The above lines L1 to L5 are straight lines when the symbols are lined up, while the curved line L6 is a line that bends when the symbols are lined up. There are other combinations of symbols that stop on curved lines besides the curved line L6, but we will not discuss them here.

[0023] Of these lines L1 to L6, some are activated and some are not, depending on the number of medals bet, and when symbols stop in a predetermined combination on an activated line, i.e., an activated line, a win is achieved and a bonus is awarded in which a predetermined number of medals, which are game media, are paid out, or a bonus is awarded in which the game state is changed.On the other hand, when symbols stop in a predetermined combination on an inactivated line, a win is not achieved and the bonus is not awarded.

[0024] In this slot machine 10, there are cases where only the downward right line L4 as shown in FIG. 8(a) is the valid line, cases where two combined lines of the downward line L3 and the downward right line L4 as shown in FIG. 8(b) are the valid lines, and cases where only the bent line L6 as shown in FIG. 8(c) is the valid line. More specifically, when three medals are bet and the game starts, only the downward right line L4 is the valid line. When two medals are bet and the game starts, the downward line L3 and the downward right line L4 are the valid lines. Also, when one medal is bet and the game starts, only the bent line L6 is the valid line. For the three combined lines of the upward line L1, the middle line L2, and the upward right line L5, they are never the valid lines. Hereinafter, a game started with three medals bet is called a 3-bet game, a game started with two medals bet is called a 2-bet game, and a game started with one medal bet is called a 1-bet game.

[0025] FIGS. 9 to 11 are diagrams showing the correspondence between the combinations of winning symbols and the benefits given when winning.

[0026] As small winning prizes for which medal payouts are made, there are the first small winning prize to the 41st small winning prize.

[0027] When the "red bell" symbol or the "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "red bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "red bell" symbol or the "white bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the valid line, it is the first small winning prize. When the first small winning prize is established, 9 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game and 15 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0028] From the second minor winning to the 26th minor winning, although the combinations of winning symbols are different, in the 3-bet game, the "Red Bell" symbol or "White Bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "White BAR" symbol, "Red 7" symbol, "Cherry" symbol, "White Bell" symbol or "LUCKY" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "White BAR" symbol, "Young Man" symbol, "White Bell" symbol, "Red 7" symbol or "Second Replay" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the upper line L1. That is, it is a winning mode where the "Bell" symbols on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R stop on the upper line L1. For example, when the "Red Bell" symbol or "White Bell" symbol on the left reel 32L stops in the upper row, the "Cherry" symbol on the middle reel 32M stops in the middle row, and the "White BAR" symbol on the right reel 32R stops in the lower row, it is a winning for the 8th minor winning. As shown in Figure 6, on the middle reel 32M, the "Cherry" symbol (No. 11) and the "Red Bell" symbol are arranged at the adjacent position on the upstream side (No. 12), and on the right reel 32R, the "Red Bell" symbol is arranged at the position (No. 20) separated by one symbol from the upstream side of the "White BAR" symbol (No. 18). Therefore, when the 8th minor winning is established on the downward right line L4, the "Red Bell" symbol or "White Bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Red Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Red Bell" symbol on the right reel 32R will stop on the upper line L1. When the second minor winning to the 26th minor winning is established, in the 3-bet game, 3 medals are paid out, and in the 2-bet game, 14 medals are paid out.

[0029] The 27th minor winning combination is determined by the symbol on the left reel 32L, which is the designated reel among the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. Specifically, the 27th minor winning combination is achieved when the "cherry" symbol on the left reel 32L stops in the upper or lower row. In this case, the symbols on the center reel 32M and the right reel 32R do not affect the winning determination. In other words, regardless of the symbols on the center reel 32M and the right reel 32R, the 27th minor winning combination is achieved when the "cherry" symbol on the left reel 32L stops in the upper row or stops, i.e., when the "cherry" symbol or the "second replay" symbol stops on an active line. When the 27th minor winning combination is achieved, three medals are paid out in a three-bet game, and 15 medals are paid out in a two-bet game.

[0030] The 28th minor win occurs when the "cherry" symbol on the left reel 32L stops on the upper or lower row, and when the "cherry" symbols stop aligned on the downward-sloping right line L4. More specifically, the 28th minor win occurs when the "cherry" symbol or the "second replay" symbol stops on the left reel 32L, the "red bell" symbol, the "white bell" symbol or the "cherry" symbol stops on the middle reel 32M, and the "cherry" symbol, the "first replay" symbol or the "second replay" symbol stops on the right reel 32R. When the 28th minor win occurs, three medals are paid out in a three-bet game, and 14 medals are paid out in a two-bet game.

[0031] To further explain the relationship between the 27th and 28th small wins, when the "cherry" or "2nd replay" symbol on the left reel 32L stops, the 27th small win is achieved regardless of the symbols stopped on the middle reel 32M and the right reel 32R, but depending on the symbols stopped on the middle reel 32M and the right reel 32R, the 28th small win may be achieved instead of the 27th small win. In other words, although the winning mode for the 27th small win includes the winning mode for the 28th small win, the 27th small win and the 28th small win are clearly distinguished when determining whether they are wins.

[0032] The winning of the 29th minor combination is a winning pattern in which the "Watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Watermelon" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Watermelon" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line. That is, when the downward-right line L4 is the active line, the winning of the 29th minor combination is achieved when the "Watermelon" symbols are aligned and stop in a downward-right direction. When the winning of the 29th minor combination is achieved, 5 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 14 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0033] The winning of the 30th minor combination is a winning pattern in which the "Watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Watermelon" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Watermelon" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the upper line L1. More specifically, when the "Watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Red Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Red Bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line, it is a winning of the 30th minor combination. When the winning of the 30th minor combination is achieved, 5 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 14 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0034] When the "Black BAR" symbol, "Young Man" symbol, "Watermelon" symbol, "First Replay" on the left reel 32L, the "Red Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Red Bell" symbol or "White Bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line, it is a winning of the 31st minor combination. When the winning of the 31st minor combination is achieved, 9 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 15 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0035] When the winning of the 32nd minor combination to the 35th minor combination is achieved in a 3-bet game, 3 medals are paid out, and in a 2-bet game, 14 medals are paid out.

[0036] The winning of the 36th minor combination occurs when the player operates the stop switches 42 to 44 aiming for the "Watermelon" symbols on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, for example. In this case, the "Watermelon" symbols on the left reel 32L and the middle reel 32M, or the left reel 32L and the right reel 32R stop on the active line, while the "Watermelon" symbols on the remaining reels do not stop on the active line. This is a winning pattern known as a "Watermelon Tenpai miss" stop outcome. When the 36th minor combination winning is achieved, 3 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 15 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0037] When the "Red Bell" symbol or "White Bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Black BAR" symbol, "Watermelon" symbol, "Cherry" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Red Bell" symbol, "White Bell" symbol, "Young Man" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line, it results in a winning of the 37th minor combination. As shown in Figure 6, on the left reel 32L, the "Red Bell" symbol (No. 7) and the "Second Replay" symbol are arranged at the adjacent position on the downstream side (No. 6), and the main "White Bell" symbols (No. 3, 12, 15, 20) and the "First Replay" symbols are arranged at the adjacent positions on the downstream side (No. 2, 11, 14, 19). On the right reel 32R, the main "Red Bell" symbols (No. 2, 5, 12, 20) and the "First Replay" symbol or "Second Replay" symbol are arranged at the adjacent positions on the upstream side (No. 3, 6, No. 16, 0), and the "White Bell" symbol (No. 10) and the "First Replay" symbol are arranged at the adjacent position on the upstream side (No. 11). Therefore, when the winning of the 37th minor combination is achieved on the downward right line L4, mainly, the "Bell" symbols and "Replay" symbols on the left reel 32L and the right reel 32R are in tenpai, while the "Bell" symbols and "Replay" symbols on the middle reel 32M do not stop. This is a stop outcome known as a "double tenpai miss". When the winning of the 37th minor combination is achieved, 3 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 15 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0038] When the "White BAR" symbol, "Youth" symbol, "Watermelon" symbol, and "First Replay" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Red Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "First Replay" symbol, "Watermelon" symbol, and "Black BAR" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line, it results in a win for the 38th minor winning combination. In a 3-bet game, if the player operates the left stop switch at the timing when the 4th "Cherry" symbol on the left reel 32L reaches from the upper to the lower position, and if a win for the 38th minor winning combination is established, the "Red Bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Red Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Red Bell" symbol or "White Bell" symbol on the right reel 32R will stop on the middle line L2. When a win for the 38th minor winning combination is established, 3 medals will be paid out in a 3-bet game and 15 medals will be paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0039] When the "Red Bell" symbol or "White Bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Red Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Black BAR" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line, it results in a win for the 39th minor winning combination. The 39th minor winning combination is a winning mode that is only valid in a 3-bet game. When a win for the 39th minor winning combination is established, 9 medals will be paid out.

[0040] When the "Red Bell" symbol or "White Bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Red Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Red 7" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line, it results in a win for the 40th minor winning combination. The 40th minor winning combination is a winning mode that is only valid in a 3-bet game. When a win for the 40th minor winning combination is established, 9 medals will be paid out.

[0041] When the "Watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Black BAR" symbol or "Cherry" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Watermelon" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line, it results in a win for the 41st minor winning combination. When a win for the 41st minor winning combination is established, 3 medals will be paid out in a 3-bet game and 14 medals will be paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0042] As prizes for replay that enable playing the next game without inserting medals, there are the 1st Replay Prize to the 12th Replay Prize. Also, when the 2nd Replay Prize is won, the game state transitions to the 1st RT state; when the 3rd Replay Prize is won, the game state transitions to the 2nd RT state; when the 4th Replay Prize or the 5th Replay Prize is won, the game state transitions to the 3rd RT state. And when the 11th Replay Prize or the 12th Replay Prize is won, the game state transitions to the 4th RT state.

[0043] As state transition prizes where only the game state transitions occur, there are the 1st BB Prize, the 2nd BB Prize, and the CB Prize.

[0044] When the "Red 7" symbols on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R stop on the winning lines, the 1st BB Prize is awarded and the game state transitions to the 1st BB state. Also, when the "White BAR" symbols on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R stop on the winning lines, the 2nd BB Prize is awarded and the game state transitions to the 2nd BB state. When the "Red Bell" symbol or the "White Bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Red Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Watermelon" symbol, the "1st Replay" symbol, and the "Black BAR" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the winning lines, the CB Prize is awarded. When the CB Prize is won, the game state transitions to the CB state.

[0045] In addition, there are stop winning combinations that cause the game state to shift to the first RT state, which are different from winning combinations. Specifically, when the "Red Bell" symbol or "White Bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "White BAR" symbol, "LUCKY" symbol, "Red 7" symbol, "White Bell" symbol, "Cherry" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Watermelon" symbol, "First Replay" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line, the game state shifts to the first RT state. Also, when the "Red Bell" symbol or "White Bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Red Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "White BAR" symbol, "Young Man" symbol, "White Bell" symbol, "Red 7" symbol, "Second Replay" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line, the game state also shifts to the first RT state. Hereinafter, each combination of the above symbols is referred to as a shift winning combination.

[0046] A start lever 41 for operating to start the rotation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is provided on the lower left side of the game panel 25. The start lever 41 constitutes start operation means or starting operation means for starting the rotation of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, that is, starting the variable display of symbols. When the start lever 41 is operated with a predetermined number of medals inserted, each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R starts to rotate.

[0047] Button-shaped stop switches 42 to 44 for operating to individually stop the rotating reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are provided on the right side of the start lever 41. Each of the stop switches 42 to 44 is disposed immediately below the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R corresponding to the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R to be stopped, respectively.

[0048] Stop switches 42 to 44 are each connected to stop detection sensors 42a to 44a (FIG. 12), and the stop detection sensors 42a to 44a are connected to a main control device 101 described later. The main control device 101 grasps that the stop switches 42 to 44 have been operated based on the detection signals from the stop detection sensors 42a to 44a. Specifically, when the stop switches 42 to 44 are not operated, the stop detection sensors 42a to 44a output detection signals of LOW signals, and when the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated, the detection signals are switched from LOW signals to HI signals. The main control device 101 grasps such a signal switch and grasps that the stop switches 42 to 44 have been operated. When the main control device 101 grasps that the stop switches 42 to 44 have been operated, it controls to stop the rotation of the reel corresponding to the operated switch.

[0049] That is, when the left stop switch 42 is operated, the rotation of the left reel 32L stops; when the middle stop switch 43 is operated, the rotation of the middle reel 32M stops; and when the right stop switch 44 is operated, the rotation of the right reel 32R stops. The stop switches 42 to 44 constitute stop operation means for stopping the variable display of symbols based on the rotation of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R.

[0050] Below the right side of the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R, a medal insertion port 45 for inserting medals is provided. The medal insertion port 45 constitutes input means for inputting game media. Also, focusing on the fact that the medal insertion port 45 involves the operation of directly inserting medals by the player, it can also be said to constitute direct input means for directly inputting game media.

[0051] The medals inserted through the medal insertion slot 45 are guided by a selector 46, which serves as a passage switching means provided on the back of the front door 12, to either the storage passage 47 or the discharge passage 48. More specifically, the selector 46 is provided with a medal passage switching solenoid 46a. When the medal passage switching solenoid 46a is de-energized, the medals are guided to the discharge passage 48 side, and when the medal passage switching solenoid 46a is energized, the medals are guided to the storage passage 47 side. The medals guided to the storage passage 47 are further guided to a hopper device 51 housed inside the housing 11. On the other hand, the medals guided to the discharge passage 48 are guided from a medal discharge port 49 provided at the lower front of the front door 12 to a medal tray 50 and returned to the player.

[0052] The hopper device 51 is composed of a storage tank 52 for storing medals and a payout device 53 for paying out medals to the player. The payout device 53 discharges medals to an opening 48a provided in the discharge passage 48 by rotating a medal payout rotating plate (not shown) and pays out the medals to the medal tray 50 through the discharge passage 48. Also, to the right of the hopper device 51, a reserve tank 54 is provided to prevent more than a predetermined amount of medals from being stored in the storage tank 52. Inside the storage tank 52 of the hopper device 51, a guiding plate 52a for discharging medals from the storage tank 52 to the reserve tank 54 is provided. Therefore, when medals are stored above the height where the guiding plate 52a is provided, such medals will be stored in the reserve tank 54.

[0053] Below the medal insertion slot 45, a button-like return switch 55 is provided. When the return switch 55 is operated under the condition that the medals inserted into the medal insertion slot 45 are jammed inside the selector 46, the selector 46 is mechanically interlocked and operated, and the medals jammed inside the selector 46 are returned from the medal discharge port 49.

[0054] Below the lower left sides of the windows 26L, 26M, and 26R, a first credit insertion switch 56 is provided for inserting three virtual medals credited as game media at a time. Further, a second credit insertion switch 57 is provided to the right of the first credit insertion switch 56, and a third credit insertion switch 58 is provided to the left of the first credit insertion switch 56. The second credit insertion switch 57 is for inserting one virtual medal, and the third credit insertion switch 58 is for inserting two virtual medals at a time. Each of the credit insertion switches 56 to 58 constitutes an input means for inputting game media together with the medal insertion port 45. Also, while the medal insertion port 45 involves the operation of directly inserting medals by the player, if we focus on the fact that each of the credit insertion switches 56 to 58 only involves the operation of inserting virtual medals based on stored memory, it can be said that they constitute an indirect input means for indirectly inputting game media.

[0055] Between the first credit insertion switch 56 and the second credit insertion switch 57, an effect switch 66 that is operated when an effect occurs is provided. That is, to the left of the effect switch 66, the first credit insertion switch 56 and the third credit insertion switch 58 are provided, and to the right of the effect switch 66, the second credit insertion switch 57 is provided.

[0056] To the left of the start lever 41, a settlement switch 59 is provided. That is, in this slot machine 10, it has a credit function of storing surplus inserted medals and payout medals at the time of winning as virtual medals until a predetermined maximum value (equivalent to 50 medals) is reached. When the settlement switch 59 is operated under the situation where virtual medals are stored in memory, the virtual medals are paid out as actual medals from the medal payout port 49. In this case, if we focus on the function of paying out the credited virtual medals as actual medals, it can be said that the settlement switch 59 constitutes a settlement operation means for actually paying out the stored game media.

[0057] Below the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R of the game panel 25, there are provided a credit display unit 60 for displaying the number of virtual medals credited, a remaining payout medal number display unit 61 for displaying the number of remaining medals to be paid out until the end of the BB state, and a payout medal number display unit 62 for displaying the number of medals paid out at the time of winning. These display units 60 to 62 are constituted by 7-segment displays, but it is of course possible to replace them with a liquid crystal display or the like.

[0058] Below the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R in the game panel 25 and to the right of the payout medal number display unit 62, there is provided an operation order display for notifying the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and a section display for indicating a favorable section which is a section where the winning rate of a small winning combination is changed by notifying the operation order and the game can be advanced in a favorable situation for the player. An instruction monitor 68 having these is provided. The instruction monitor 68 will be described in detail later.

[0059] At the upper part of the front door 12, there are provided an upper lamp 63 that lights up or blinks as the game progresses, a pair of left and right speakers 64 that emit various sound effects as the game progresses and notify the player of the game state, and an auxiliary display unit 65 that gives various information to the player. The auxiliary display unit 65 is for executing various display effects as the game progresses. Since the game by each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R can be considered as being by the main display unit, it is referred to as the auxiliary display unit 65 in this embodiment. On the back surface of the auxiliary display unit 65, there are provided an upper lamp 63, speakers 64, and a display control device 81 for driving the auxiliary display unit 65.

[0060] Inside the housing 11, to the left of the hopper device 51, a power supply box 70 is provided. The power supply box 70 houses a power supply device 91 inside and is equipped with a power switch 71, a reset switch 72, a setting key insertion hole 73, and the like. The power switch 71 is a start switch for supplying power to each part including the main control device 101. The reset switch 72 is a switch for resetting the error state of the slot machine 10. Also, the setting key insertion hole 73 is for a hall manager or the like to adjust the medal payout. That is, when a hall manager or the like inserts a setting key into the setting key insertion hole 73 and performs an ON operation, the winning probability (set value) of the slot machine 10 can be set. Note that the reset switch 72 is also operated when changing the winning probability of the slot machine 10 in addition to resetting the error state.

[0061] Above the reel unit 31, a main control device 101 for overall management of the game is attached to the housing 11.

[0062] The main control device 101 is provided with a ratio monitor 77 for indicating the ratio between a game state advantageous to the player and a state that is not. The ratio monitor 77 is installed on the side facing the front of the gaming machine in the main control device 101 so that it can be visually recognized from the front of the gaming machine when the front door 12 is in the open state and cannot be visually recognized when the front door 12 is in the closed state. More specifically, it is housed in the substrate box such that the display surface of the ratio monitor 77 can be visually recognized through the substrate box in which the main control device 101 is housed. Incidentally, when the front door 12 is in the closed state, the ratio monitor 77 cannot be visually recognized even through gaps such as the display windows 26L to 26R, and it is impossible to check the ratio monitor 77 unless the locked state is released by a predetermined key operation on the key cylinder 21 and the front door 12 is opened. The ratio monitor 77 will be described in detail later.

[0063] Next, the electrical configuration of this slot machine 10 will be described based on the block diagrams of FIGS. 12 and 13.

[0064] The main control device 101 is equipped with a microcomputer centered around a CPU 102 which is an arithmetic processing means. In addition to the power supply device 91, a clock circuit 103 that outputs a rectangular wave of a predetermined frequency, an input / output port 104, etc. are connected to the CPU 102 via an internal bus. Such a main control device 101 serves as a main board built into the slot machine 10.

[0065] On the input side of the main control device 101, there are connected various sensors such as a reel unit 31 (more specifically, a reel index sensor that individually detects that each of the reels 32L, 32M, 32R has rotated once), a start detection sensor 41a that detects the operation of the start lever 41, stop detection sensors 42a - 44a that individually detect the operations of the respective stop switches 42 - 44, a inserted medal detection sensor 45a that detects medals inserted from the medal insertion port 45, a payout detection sensor 51a that detects medals paid out from the hopper device 51, a first credit insertion detection sensor 56a that individually detects the operation of the first credit insertion switch 56, a second credit insertion detection sensor 57a that individually detects the operation of the second credit insertion switch 57, a third credit insertion detection sensor 58a that individually detects the operation of the third credit insertion switch 58, a settlement detection sensor 59a that detects the operation of the settlement switch 59, a reset detection sensor 72a that detects the operation of the reset switch 72, and a setting key detection sensor 73a that detects that a setting key has been inserted into the setting key insertion hole 73 and turned on. Signals from these various sensors are output to the CPU 102 via the input / output port 104.

[0066] Also, on the input side of the main control device 101, a power supply device 91 is connected via the input / output port 104. The power supply device 91 is equipped with a power supply unit 91a that supplies drive power to each electronic device of the slot machine 10 including the main control device 101, a power failure monitoring circuit 91b, etc.

[0067] The power failure monitoring circuit 91b monitors the power-off state and is for generating a power failure signal not only during a power failure but also when the power is cut off by the power switch 71. Therefore, the power failure monitoring circuit 91b monitors the stabilized drive voltage of 12 VDC in this example output from the power supply unit 91a, and when this drive voltage drops to less than 10 V, for example, it is determined that the power supply has been cut off and a power failure signal is output. The power failure signal is supplied to each of the CPU 102 and the input / output port 104, and the CPU 102 executes power failure processing described later by recognizing this power failure signal. Also, this power failure signal is configured to be supplied to the display control device 81 as well.

[0068] The power supply unit 91a is configured such that even when the output voltage drops to less than 10 V, a stabilized voltage of 5 V used as a drive voltage in the control system such as the main control device 101 is output. As the time for which this stabilized voltage is output, sufficient time is ensured for the main control device 101 to execute power failure processing.

[0069] On the output side of the main control device 101, there are an external centralized terminal board 121 etc. that can transmit information to a reel unit 31 (more specifically, a stepping motor for rotating each of the reels 32L, 32M, 32R), a medal passage switching solenoid 46a provided in a selector 46, a hopper device 51, a credit display unit 60, a remaining payout number display unit 61, a payout number display unit 62, an instruction monitor 68, a winning ratio monitor 77, a display control device 81, a hall management device (not shown), etc., which are connected via the input / output port 104.

[0070] The above-mentioned CPU 102 includes a ROM 105 that stores various control programs and fixed-value data executed by this CPU 102, and a RAM 106 for securing a work area for temporarily storing various data when executing the control programs stored in this ROM 105. In addition, although not shown in the figure, as is well known, various processing circuits necessary in the slot machine 10, such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission / reception circuit, and various counters such as a credit counter for counting the number of credit cards are built in. The ROM 105 and the RAM 106 constitute a main memory as a storage means, and the programs for executing various processes are stored in the above-mentioned ROM 105 as a part of the control programs.

[0071] The RAM 106 is configured such that backup voltage is supplied from the power supply device 91 even after the power of the slot machine 10 is cut off, and data can be retained (backed up). In the RAM 106, there are a memory for temporarily storing various data, a winning flag storage area 106a for storing the lottery result of the role, a stop information storage area 106b for storing the stop information used when performing stop control of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R, a state information storage area 106c for storing the game state such as the BB state, etc., and a backup area is provided.

[0072] The backup area is an area for storing the value of the stack pointer at the time of power-off (including power-off by operating the power switch 71. The same applies hereinafter) when the power is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like. When the power failure is resolved (including power-on by operating the power switch 71. The same applies hereinafter), the state of the slot machine 10 can be restored to the state before the power-off based on the information in the backup area. Writing to the backup area is executed at the time of power-off by the power-off process (see FIG. 14), and the restoration of each value written in the backup area is executed in the main process at the time of power-on.

[0073] Further, the NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of the CPU 102 is configured such that a power failure signal from the power failure monitoring circuit 91b is input when the power supply is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like. And when the power supply is cut off, NMI interrupt processing as power failure flag generation processing is immediately executed.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 13, the display control device 81 is equipped with a microcomputer centered on the CPU 181 which is an arithmetic processing means. The CPU 181 incorporates a ROM 182 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by this CPU 181, and a RAM 183 for securing a work area for temporarily storing various data when executing the control programs stored in the ROM 182.

[0075] The display control device 81 is provided with an input / output port (not shown). The main control device 101 is connected to the input side, and the upper lamp 63, the speaker 64, and the auxiliary display unit 65 are connected to the output side. Then, based on various commands input from the main control device 101, the upper lamp 63, the speaker 64, and the auxiliary display unit 65 are driven and controlled. That is, the display control device 81 serves as a sub-base for executing auxiliary control in relation to the main control device 101 which is the main base for overall management of the game. That is, by providing a sub-base for indirect game-related sounds, lamps, and displays, the burden on the main base is reduced.

[0076] An effect switch 66 (more specifically, an effect switch detection sensor for detecting the operation of the effect switch 66) is connected to the input side of the display control device 81. In addition, the various display units 60 to 62, 68 may also be configured to be driven and controlled by the display control device 81.

[0077] Next, each control process executed by the CPU 102 of the main control device 101 will be described. The processes of such CPU 102 are roughly classified into a main process that is started when the power is turned on, a timer interrupt process that is started periodically (at a cycle of 1.49 msec in this embodiment), and an NMI interrupt process that is started when a power failure signal is input to the NMI terminal. Below, among these processes, the processes related to the progress of the game, that is, the timer interrupt process and the normal process performed in the main process, will be described.

[0078] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the timer interrupt process periodically executed by the main control device 101, and a timer interrupt occurs, for example, every 1.49 msec by the CPU 102 of the main control device 101.

[0079] First, in the register save process shown in step S101, the values of all the registers in the CPU 102 used in the normal process described later are saved in the backup area of the RAM 106. In step S102, it is confirmed whether the power failure flag is set. When the power failure flag is set, the process proceeds to step S103 and the power failure process is executed.

[0080] Here, the outline of the power failure process will be described.

[0081] When the power is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like, a power failure signal is output from the power failure monitoring circuit 91b of the power supply device 91, and the power failure signal is input to the main control device 101 via the NMI terminal. When the power failure signal is input, the main control device 101 immediately executes the NMI interrupt process and sets the power failure flag in the power failure flag storage area provided in the RAM 106.

[0082] In the power failure process, first, it is determined whether the transmission of the command has been completed. If the transmission has not been completed, this process is terminated and the program returns to the timer interrupt process to complete the transmission of the command. If the transmission of the command has been completed, the value of the stack pointer of the CPU 102 is saved in the backup area of the RAM 106. Then, the output state of the output port in the input / output port 104 is cleared, and all actuators (not shown) are turned off. And, a RAM determination value for determining whether the data in the RAM 106 is normal when the power failure is eliminated is calculated and saved in the backup area, thereby prohibiting subsequent RAM access. After performing the above processes, in preparation for the power supply being completely cut off and the process being unable to be executed, an infinite loop is entered. Note that, considering the case where the power failure flag is erroneously set due to, for example, noise, it is confirmed whether the power failure signal is being output until entering the infinite loop. If the power failure signal is not being output, it means that the power failure state has been recovered, so writing to the RAM 106 is permitted and the power failure flag is reset, and the program returns to the timer interrupt process. If the output of the power failure signal continues, an infinite loop is entered as it is. Incidentally, even under the infinite loop, it is confirmed whether the power failure signal is being output, and if the power failure signal stops being output, the process proceeds to the main process.

[0083] Returning to the description of the timer interrupt process, if the power failure flag is not set in step S102, various processes after step S104 are performed.

[0084] That is, in step S104, a watchdog timer clear process is performed to initialize the value of the watchdog timer for monitoring the occurrence of malfunction. In step S105, an interrupt end declaration process is performed to enable the CPU 102 itself to set the next timer interrupt. In step S106, a stepping motor control process is performed to drive the stepping motors, which are the respective reel driving motors, to rotate each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. In step S107, the states of various sensors (see FIG. 12) such as the stop detection sensors 42a to 44a, the inserted medal detection sensor 45a, and the payout detection sensor 51a connected to the input / output port 104 are read, and a sensor monitoring process is performed to monitor whether the read result is normal. In step S108, a timer arithmetic process is performed to subtract the values of the respective counters and timers. In step S109, a counter process is performed to output the results of counting the number of medal bets and the number of payout medals to the external centralized terminal board 121.

[0085] In step S110, a command output process is performed to transmit various commands such as a lottery result command, which will be described later, to the display control device 81. In step S111, a segment data setting process is performed to set the segment data respectively displayed on the credit display unit 60, the remaining payout number display unit 61, and the payout number display unit 62. In step S112, a segment data display process is performed to supply the segment data set in the segment data setting process to the respective display units 60 to 62 and 68 to display the corresponding numbers, symbols, etc. In step S113, a port output process is performed to output data corresponding to the I / O device from the input / output port 104. In step S114, the values of the respective registers saved in the backup area in the previous step S101 are restored to the corresponding registers in the CPU 102. Then, in step S115, an interrupt permission process is performed to permit the next timer interrupt, and this series of timer interrupt processes is terminated.

[0086] Next, the normal process for performing the main control related to the game will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. 15.

[0087] First, in step S201, an interrupt permission process for permitting the next timer interrupt is performed. In step S202, a pre-start process for enabling the game is performed. In the pre-start process, the display control device 81 and the like wait until the initialization is completed. When the initialization of the display control device 81 and the like is completed, the game management process shown in steps S203 to S215 is performed.

[0088] As the game management process, in step S203, data such as various game information stored in the RAM 106 (for example, the random number value used in the previous game) is cleared. Then, in step S204, a start waiting process is performed.

[0089] In the start waiting process, it is determined whether any replay winning has been established in the previous game. If any replay winning has been established, an automatic input process for automatically inputting the same number of virtual medals as the previous bet number is performed, and the start waiting process ends. Specifically, for example, when a replay winning is established in a 3-bet game, a process of automatically inputting 3 virtual medals is performed, and when a replay winning is established in a 1-bet game, a process of automatically inputting 1 virtual medal is performed.

[0090] Note that in the automatic input process, the virtual medals are input without reducing the number of virtual medals displayed on the credit display unit 60. That is, if any replay winning has been established in the previous game, the player can play this game without reducing the medals owned and without inputting medals. If no replay winning has been established, a sensor abnormality confirmation process is performed to check whether an abnormality has occurred in the sensor reading result obtained in the sensor monitoring process step S107 of the timer interrupt process. If an abnormality has occurred, an abnormality occurrence process is performed to set the slot machine 10 to an error state and notify the occurrence of the error. Such an error state is maintained until the reset switch 72 is operated. If the sensor reading result is normal, it is determined whether the settlement switch 59 has been operated. If the settlement switch 59 has been operated, a medal return process for paying out the same number of medals as the credited virtual medals is performed.

[0091] After the medal return process is completed or when the settlement switch 59 is not operated, it is determined whether a medal has been inserted or the credit insertion switches 56 to 58 have been operated between the previous start waiting process and the current start waiting process. If either is done, a medal insertion process for changing the number of bets, etc. is performed, and the start waiting process is terminated. Also, if neither a medal has been inserted nor the credit insertion switches 56 to 58 have been operated between the previous start waiting process and the current start waiting process, the start waiting process is terminated as it is.

[0092] After the start waiting process is completed, in step S205, it is determined whether the number of medal bets has reached the specified number. In this slot machine 10, "2" is set as the specified number in the CB state, and "1" and "3" are set as the specified numbers in game states other than the CB state (specifically, the normal game state, the first RT state, the second RT state, the third RT state, the fourth RT state, the BB state). That is, in the CB state, an affirmative determination is made in step S205 on the condition that the number of bets is "2", and in states other than the CB state, an affirmative determination is made in step S205 on the condition that the number of bets is "1" or "3". In other words, in game states other than the CB state, if no medal is bet, or even if a medal is bet and the number of bets is "2", a negative determination is made in step S205. If the number of bets has not reached the specified number, the process returns to the start waiting process in step S204, and the processes after the sensor abnormality confirmation process in that process are performed.

[0093] If the number of bets has reached the specified number, the mode transition notification process is executed in step S206. Such a transition notification process will be described in detail later.

[0094] After performing the process of step S206, a bet command including the information on the result of the process of step S206 and the information on the number of bets for which an affirmative determination was made in step S205 is set as an output target to the display control device 81 as a control device on the sub side. The command set here is output to the display control device 81 in step S110 in the timer interrupt process. The process of the display control device 81 that has received the bet command will be described in detail later.

[0095] After executing the process of step S207, it is determined in step S208 whether or not the start lever 41 has been operated. If the start lever 41 has not been operated, the process returns to the start wait process of step S204, and the processes after the sensor abnormality confirmation process among the processes are performed.

[0096] On the other hand, when the start lever 41 is operated, since the game can be started when the start lever 41 is operated under the situation where the specified number of medals have been bet, it means that a start command has been generated to start the game. In such a case, in step S209, an effective line setting process is performed to set the combination line corresponding to the number of bets as an effective line. That is, in the 3 - bet game, only the downward - right line L4 is set as the effective line, in the 2 - bet game, the lower line L3 and the downward - right line L4 are set as the effective lines, and in the 1 - bet game, the bent line L6 is set as the effective line. In step S210, the medal passage switching solenoid 46a is switched to the non - excited state to prohibit bet reception. Thereafter, the lottery process of step S211, the reel control process of step S212, the medal payout process of step S213, the RT state process of step S214, and the bonus state process of step S215 are executed in order, and the process returns to step S203.

[0097] Next, the lottery process of step S211 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. 16.

[0098] In step S301, a random number used for determining the success or failure of a role is obtained. In this slot machine 10, when the start lever 41 is operated, the hard circuit is configured to latch the value of the free run counter at that time. The free run counter generates random numbers from 0 to 65535. After the CPU 102 confirms the operation of the start lever 41, it stores the value latched by the hard circuit in the RAM 106. With such a configuration, it becomes possible to quickly obtain a random number at the timing when the start lever 41 is operated, and it becomes possible to avoid problems such as synchronization. The hard circuit of this slot machine 10 is configured to latch the value of the free run counter each time the start lever 41 is operated.

[0099] After obtaining the random number, in step S302, a lottery table for determining the success or failure of a role is selected. In this slot machine 10, as game states, there are six types of game states: generally classified into a normal game state, a first RT state, a second RT state, a third RT state, a fourth RT state, a BB state, and a CB state. The lottery tables are set for each game state respectively.

[0100] That is, in step S302, based on the number of bets and the setting flag set in the state information storage area 106c, the current game state of the slot machine 10 is determined, and a lottery table corresponding to the number of bets and the game state is selected. For example, when the number of bets is "3" and the setting flag is not set in the state information storage area 106c, it is determined that the current game state is the normal game state, and the lottery table for the normal game state is selected. In this slot machine 10, winning probabilities in six levels from "setting 1" to "setting 6" are prepared in advance. By inserting a setting key into the setting key insertion hole, performing an ON operation, and performing a predetermined operation, it is possible to set which winning probability to execute the internal process based on. In step S302, when the setting state is "setting 1", a lottery table with the lowest expected value of medal payout is selected, and when it is "setting 6", a lottery table with the highest expected value of medal payout is selected.

[0101] Here, a supplementary explanation will be given regarding the process for setting the winning probability.

[0102] The process for setting the winning probability is executed in the main process that is started by the main control device 101 when the power is turned on. More specifically, the process for setting the winning probability is started after the initialization process when the power is turned on while the setting key detection sensor 73a has detected that the setting key is inserted into the setting key insertion hole and is in the ON operation state. In the process for setting the winning probability, as a predetermined operation, the set value is updated by 1 for each operation of the start lever 41. For example, each time the start lever 41 is operated, the set value is updated so that it goes from "Setting 1" → "Setting 2" → "Setting 3" → "Setting 4" → "Setting 5" → "Setting 6" → "Setting 1". Note that each set value is displayed, for example, on the credit display unit 60, and the display is updated each time the above set value is updated. Then, the operation of the start lever 41 with the setting key detection sensor 73a in the OFF operation state is regarded as the confirmation operation of the set value, and the set value at that time is taken as the current set value, and the process for setting the winning probability is terminated. Based on the termination of the process for setting the winning probability, the display on the credit display unit 60 also ends. The set value set in the process for setting the winning probability is stored and held in the RAM 106 until the next process for setting the winning probability is started. In step S302, based on this stored set value, a process of selecting a lottery table will be performed.

[0103] The lottery table will be briefly explained. FIG. 17 is a lottery table for the normal game state selected in the normal game state of "Setting 3". Index values IV are set in the lottery table, and for each index value IV, a winning combination is uniquely associated with it and a point value PV is set.

[0104] After selecting the lottery table, in step S303, the index value IV is set to 1, and in the subsequent step S304, a determination value DV used for determining the success or failure of a role is set. In such a determination value setting process, the current point value PV corresponding to the current index value IV is added to the current determination value DV to set a new determination value DV. In the first determination value setting process, the random number value obtained in step S301 is used as the current determination value DV, and the point value PV corresponding to 1, which is the current index value IV, is added to this random number value to obtain a new determination value DV.

[0105] Thereafter, in step S305, a determination of the success or failure of the role corresponding to the index value IV is made. In the determination of the success or failure of the role, it is determined whether the determination value DV exceeds 65535. If it exceeds 65535, then in step S306, it is determined whether any of the first BB, second BB, and CB has been won. Specifically, it is determined whether a positive determination was made in step S305 with an index value IV (IV = 34 to 54) including any of the first BB, second BB, and CB. If a positive determination is made in step S306, then in step S307, the corresponding bonus winning flag (first BB winning flag, second BB winning flag, CB winning flag) is set in the winning flag storage area 106a. If a negative determination is made in step S306, or after the process of step S307, in step S308, the winning flags of each minor role corresponding to the index value IV for which a positive determination was made in step S305 are set in the winning flag storage area 106a. For example, when the determination value DV exceeds 65535 when IV = 34, the first BB winning flag is set in step S307, and the 28th minor role winning flag, 33rd minor role winning flag, and 35th minor role winning flag are set in step S308. Also, when the determination value DV exceeds 65535 when IV = 17, the winning flags indicating winning the 30th minor role and 41st minor role are set in the winning flag storage area 106a in step S308.

[0106] Incidentally, if the set winning flag is not the winning flag indicating winning in the first BB (first BB winning flag) or the winning flag indicating winning in the second BB (second BB winning flag), the winning flag set in the winning flag storage area 106a is reset after the game in which the corresponding winning flag is set (see S203 of the normal process). On the other hand, if the winning flag is the first BB winning flag or the second BB winning flag, these winning flags are reset on the condition that the corresponding winning is established. That is, the first BB winning flag and the second BB winning flag may be valid over a plurality of games.

[0107] In addition, in steps S306 to S308 in the state where the first BB winning flag or the second BB winning flag is carried over, if winning in a combination other than the first BB, the second BB, and the CB, the corresponding winning flag is set, and if not winning in a combination other than the first BB, the second BB, and the CB, the corresponding winning flag is not set.

[0108] That is, for example, in the state where the first BB winning flag is carried over, when the determination value DV exceeds 65535 at, for example, the index value IV = 34, the first BB winning flag is not set, and the 28th smallest winning flag, the 33rd smallest winning flag, and the 35th smallest winning flag are set. Also, in the state where the first BB winning flag is carried over, when the determination value DV exceeds 65535 at, for example, the index value IV = 35, the second BB winning flag is not set, and the 28th smallest winning flag, the 33rd smallest winning flag, and the 35th smallest winning flag are set.

[0109] In addition, a separate lottery table may be prepared in the state where the first BB winning flag or the second BB winning flag is carried over, and in the state where the first BB winning flag or the second BB winning flag is carried over, the lottery process may be performed using the separately prepared lottery table. In this case, in the separately prepared lottery table, it is preferable to set each index value IV and point value PV so as not to win in the first BB, the second BB, and the CB.

[0110] If the determination value DV does not exceed 65535 in step S305, it means that the corresponding role for the index value IV has failed. In such a case, the index value IV is incremented by 1 in step S309, and in the subsequent step S310, it is determined whether there is a role corresponding to the index value IV, that is, whether there is a determination target to be judged as valid or invalid. Specifically, it is determined whether the incremented index value IV exceeds the maximum value of the index value IV set in the lottery table. If there is a determination target to be judged as valid or invalid, the process returns to step S304 to continue the determination of whether the role is valid or invalid. At this time, in step S304, the point value PV corresponding to the current index value IV is added to the determination value DV (i.e., the current determination value DV) used in the previous determination of whether the role is valid or invalid to obtain a new determination value DV, and in step S305, the determination of whether the role is valid or invalid is performed based on the determination value DV. Incidentally, when performing the determination of whether the role is valid or invalid using the lottery table shown in Fig. 17, the probability of winning the normal replay (the probability of winning when IV = 1) is about 1 / 7.3, the probability of winning the strong cherry (the probability of winning when IV = 15) is about 1 / 300, and the probability of winning the weak cherry (the probability of winning when IV = 16) is about 1 / 183. The probability of winning the strong watermelon (the probability of winning when IV = 17) is about 1 / 300, the probability of winning the weak watermelon (the probability of winning when IV = 18) is about 1 / 218, the probability of winning Chance A (the probability of winning when IV = 19) is about 1 / 252, and the probability of winning Chance B (the probability of winning when IV = 20) is about 1 / 252. The probability of winning the middle bell (the probability of winning when IV = 21) is about 1 / 32800, and the probability of winning the no - question bell (the probability of winning when IV = 22) is about 1 / 65500. The probabilities of winning the straight - press bell 1, straight - press bell 2, pinch - press bell 1, and pinch - press bell 2 (the probabilities of winning when IV = 23 - 26) are each about 1 / 43.7, and the probabilities of winning the middle - press bell 1, middle - press bell 2, right - press bell 1, and right - press bell 2 (the probabilities of winning when IV = 27 - 30) are each about 1 / 21.8.The probability of winning the strong cherry duplicate 1 (the probability of winning when IV = 34) is about 1 in 21,800, the probability of winning the strong cherry duplicate 2 (the probability of winning when IV = 35) is about 1 in 21,800, the probability of winning the weak cherry duplicate 1 (the probability of winning when IV = 36) is about 1 in 32,800, and the probability of winning the weak cherry duplicate 2 (the probability of winning when IV = 37) is about 1 in 32,800. The probability of winning the strong watermelon duplicate 1 (the probability of winning when IV = 38) is about 1 in 32,800, and the probability of winning the strong watermelon duplicate 2 (the probability of winning when IV = 39) is about 1 in 32,800. The probability of winning the weak watermelon duplicate 1 (the probability of winning when IV = 40) is about 1 in 65,500, and the probability of winning the weak watermelon duplicate 2 (the probability of winning when IV = 41) is about 1 in 65,500. The probabilities of winning the Chance A duplicate 1, Chance A duplicate 2, Chance B duplicate 1, and Chance B duplicate 2 (the probabilities of winning when IV = 42 - 45) are each about 1 in 32,800. The probabilities of winning the middle bell duplicate 1 and middle bell duplicate 2 (the probabilities of winning when IV = 46, 47) are each about 1 in 21,800. The probability of winning the special replay A duplicate 1 (the probability of winning when IV = 48) is about 1 in 1,010, and the probability of winning the special replay A duplicate 2 (the probability of winning when IV = 49) is about 1 in 1,310. The probability of winning the special replay AB duplicate 1 (the probability of winning when IV = 50) is about 1 in 1,010, and the probability of winning the special replay AB duplicate 2 (the probability of winning when IV = 51) is about 1 in 1,310. The probabilities of winning the first BB and second BB alone (the probabilities of winning when IV = 52, 53) are each about 1 in 32,800. The probability of winning the CB (the probability of winning when IV = 54) is about 1 in 19.9. Also, the probability of a miss, not winning any of the hands, is about 1 in 1.96.

[0111] Note that in the lottery table for the normal game state, 0 is set for the point values PV of IV = 2 - 14, 31 - 33, 55 - 58. Therefore, in the normal game state, there is no win for these index values IV.

[0112] After setting the winning flag in step S308 or when it is determined in step S310 that there is no determination target to be determined, it means that the winning / losing determination of the role has ended. In such a case, the process proceeds to step S311, and a freeze lottery process is performed to determine whether to execute a freeze effect that invalidates the operations of the stop switches 42 to 44 for a predetermined period.

[0113] In the subsequent step S312, lottery result corresponding processing is performed. In the lottery result corresponding processing, processing such as whether to shift the game state according to the result of the lottery from step S301 to step S311 and processing for notifying the pushing order role are performed. The lottery result corresponding processing will be described in detail later.

[0114] After executing the processing of step S312, a lottery result command is set in step S313. Here, the lottery result command is a command transmitted to the display control device 81 to make the result of the winning / losing determination of the role known. However, in normal processing, only various commands such as the above lottery result command are set in the ring buffer, and no command is transmitted to the display control device 81. The command transmission to the display control device 81 is performed in the command output processing (step S110) of the timer interrupt processing described above.

[0115] And in step S314, a stop information setting process is executed to set the symbols that can stop on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R based on the lottery result of the current game. In the stop information setting process, stop symbol information corresponding to the winning combinations is set based on the winning flags set in steps S306 to S308. For example, when winning the strong cherry (winning when IV = 15) and the strong cherry winning flag is set, the stop symbol information is set so that the symbols corresponding to winning the 28th minor combination, the 32nd minor combination to the 35th minor combination can stop on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. Also, when winning the strong cherry duplication 1 (winning when IV = 34) and the strong cherry winning flag and the first BB winning flag are set, the stop symbol information is set so that the symbols corresponding to winning the 28th minor combination, the 33rd minor combination, the 35th minor combination, and the first BB can stop on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R.

[0116] In the subsequent step S315, when a plurality of stoppable symbol information is set in step S314, a priority setting process is executed to set the priority order thereof. For example, when winning multiple types of combinations among the minor combinations, replay games, and bonuses, the following priority order is set. When winning both a minor combination and a bonus, the priority order is set such that the minor combination win takes precedence and, if the minor combination win cannot be achieved, the bonus win is achieved. When winning both a replay game and a bonus, the priority order is set such that the replay game win takes precedence.

[0117] For example, when winning the strong cherry duplicate 1 and the stop symbol information corresponding to the 28th minor winning, 33rd minor winning, 35th minor winning, and the first BB winning is set, the priority is set so that the 28th minor winning, 33rd minor winning, and 35th minor winning are established with priority over the first BB winning. Also, when winning the special replay A duplicate 1 and the stop symbol information corresponding to the 9th replay game and the first BB winning is set, the priority is set so that the 9th replay game winning is established with priority over the first BB winning. And, for example, in a situation where the first BB winning is carried over and winning the normal replay, and the stop symbol information corresponding to the first BB winning and the first replay game winning is set, the priority is set so that the first replay game winning is established with priority over the first BB winning.

[0118] Here, when winning a replay game, the combination of symbols for winning is set so that one of the winning replay games among the winning replay games will surely win. That is, when winning a replay game, the replay game winning is surely established and no omission occurs. Therefore, when the stop symbol information for the replay game and the bonus is set, the replay game winning of one of the set replay games is surely established and the bonus winning does not occur.

[0119] Also, when multiple minor winning combinations or multiple replay games are won simultaneously, which symbol corresponding to which minor winning combination or replay game stops on the active line depends on the timing of the stop operation. For example, when winning on a strong watermelon and the stop symbol information corresponding to the 30th minor winning combination and the 41st minor winning combination is set, as described above, for the 30th minor winning combination and the 41st minor winning combination, the target symbol on the left reel 32L is the "watermelon" symbol in common. Therefore, depending on the timing of the stop operation of the left reel 32L, which minor winning combination will be established is not determined. On the other hand, the target symbols on the middle reel 32M and the right reel 32R are both the "red bell" symbols for the 30th minor winning combination, and for the 41st minor winning combination, the middle reel 32M has the "cherry" symbol and the "black BAR" symbol, and the right reel 32R has the "watermelon" symbol. For example, in a 3-bet game, on the middle reel 32M, when the stop operation of the middle stop switch 43 is performed at the timing when the 7th "red bell" symbol reaches the middle stage from the 4th "watermelon" symbol, for both the 7th "red bell" symbol which is the target symbol of the 30th minor winning combination and the "black BAR" symbol which is the target symbol of the 41st minor winning combination, it is possible to stop them on the middle stage which is the active line. In this case, in the present embodiment, the stop symbol information is set so as to preferentially stop the symbol with fewer slipping numbers. As a result, in the above case, the stop drive control is performed so that the "red bell" symbol stops in the middle stage, the 41st minor winning combination does not occur, and the 30th minor winning combination becomes winnable.

[0120] On the other hand, on the middle reel 32M, when the stop operation of the middle stop switch 43 is performed at the timing when the 12th "red bell" symbol reaches the middle stage from the 8th "black BAR" symbol, for both the 8th "black BAR" symbol and the 11th "cherry" symbol which are the target symbols of the 41st minor winning combination and the 12th "red bell" symbol which is the target symbol of the 30th minor winning combination, it is possible to stop them in the middle stage. Also in this case, since the stop symbol information is set so as to preferentially stop the symbol with fewer slipping numbers, the 8th "black BAR" symbol or the 11th "cherry" symbol stops in the middle stage, the 30th minor winning combination does not occur, and the 41st minor winning combination becomes winnable.

[0121] The same applies to the right reel 32R. Depending on the timing when the stop operation of the right stop switch 44 is performed, the stop symbol information is set so that the symbol with fewer slips, either the "Red Bell" symbol which is the target symbol of the 30th minor winning combination or the "Watermelon" symbol which is the target symbol of the 41st minor winning combination, stops at the lower stage which is the valid line. In the right reel 32R, when the stop operation of the right stop switch 44 is performed at the timing when the 6th "First Replay" symbol and the 7th "Black BAR" symbol reach the valid positions, neither the "Watermelon" symbol nor the "Red Bell" symbol can be stopped. In this case, no minor winning combination is established and it becomes a so-called miss.

[0122] After executing the process of step S315, the interval display first process is executed in step S316, and then the lottery process is terminated. The interval display first process is a process related to the display control of the instruction monitor 68 and the winning ratio monitor 77, and such a process will be described in detail later.

[0123] Next, the reel control process of step S212 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. 18.

[0124] In the reel control process, first, a rotation effect process is performed in step S401. The rotation effect process is a process for performing an effect using reel control during the invalid period based on the result of the freeze lottery process performed in step S311 above. In the subsequent step S402, a rotation start process for starting the rotation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, 32R is performed.

[0125] In the rotation start process, it is checked whether a predetermined wait time (for example, 4.1 seconds) has elapsed since the reels started rotating in the previous game. If it has not elapsed, the process waits until the wait time elapses. When the wait time has elapsed, the wait time for the next game is reset, and motor control initialization processing is performed to set rotation start information in the motor control storage area provided in the RAM 106. By performing such processing, the acceleration processing of the stepping motor is started in the stepping motor control processing (step S106) of the timer interrupt processing, and each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R starts rotating. For this reason, even if the player bets a specified number of medals and operates the start lever 41, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R may not immediately start rotating. Thereafter, the process waits until each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R rotates at a predetermined rotation speed at a constant speed, and the rotation start process ends. Further, when the rotation speed of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R becomes a constant speed, the CPU 102 notifies the player or the like that it has become possible to generate a stop command by lighting a lamp (not shown) of each of the stop switches 42 to 44.

[0126] Subsequent to the rotation start process, in step S403, it is determined whether any of the stop switches 42 to 44 has been operated. If none of the stop switches 42 to 44 has been operated, the process waits until any of the stop switches 42 to 44 is operated. When it is determined that any of the stop switches 42 to 44 has been operated, the process proceeds to step S404, and it is determined whether the stop switch corresponding to the rotating reel has been operated, that is, whether a stop command has been generated. If a stop command has not been generated, the process returns to step S403 and waits until any of the stop switches 42 to 44 is operated. When a stop command has been generated, a stop command is set in step S405. Here, the stop command is a command transmitted to the display control device 81 to identify which stop switch has been operated to generate the stop command. When the stop command is set, stop control processing shown in steps S406 to S412 is performed to stop the rotating reel.

[0127] In step S406, the symbol number of the reaching symbol that has reached the base position (the lower position in this embodiment) at the time the stop switch is operated is confirmed. Specifically, the symbol number of the reaching symbol that has reached the base position is confirmed based on the number of excitation pulses output from the time the detection signal of the reel index sensor is input. In the following step S407, the number of reel slides to be stopped this time is calculated based on the stop information stored in the stop information storage area 106b. In this slot machine 10, five stop modes are available for stopping each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R when the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated: a stop mode in which the reaching symbol that has reached the base position is stopped as is, a stop mode in which the corresponding reel slides by one symbol, a stop mode in which the corresponding reel slides by two symbols, a stop mode in which the corresponding reel slides by three symbols, and a stop mode in which the corresponding reel slides by four symbols. Therefore, in step S407, a value between 0 and 4 is calculated as the number of slips based on the stop information stored in the stop information storage area 106b. Then, in step S408, the calculated number of slips is added to the symbol number of the reached symbol to determine the symbol number of the stop symbol that will actually stop at the base position. In step S409, it is determined whether the symbol number of the reached symbol on the reel to be stopped this time and the symbol number of the stop symbol are equal. If they are equal, a reel stop process is performed in step S410 to stop the reel rotation. Then, in step S411, it is determined whether all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R have stopped. If all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R have not stopped, a second stop information setting process is performed in step S412, and the process returns to step S403.

[0128] Here, the stop information second setting process is a process of changing the stop information stored in the stop information storage area 106b of the RAM 106 after the reel stops. In the stop information second setting process, the stop information is changed based on the set winning flag and the stop outcome of the stopped reel. In this slot machine 10, for example, when winning occurs when IV = 23 to 30, that is, when winning occurs for the forward push bell 1, forward push bell 2, sandwich push bell 1, sandwich push bell 2, middle push bell 1, middle push bell 2, right push bell 1, right push bell 2 (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as "push order bells" as well), the stop information second setting process is performed to change the winning mode established by the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 that generated the stop command (see FIG. 17).

[0129] FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence relationship between the winning combination, the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and the established winning mode. For example, when winning for the middle push bell 1, the stop information is set so that a second minor winning combination, a seventh minor winning combination, or a ninth minor winning combination is established when the left stop switch 42 is operated first, the stop information is set so that the first minor winning combination is established when the middle stop switch 43 is operated first, and the stop information is set so that a second minor winning combination, a seventh minor winning combination, or a ninth minor winning combination is established when the right stop switch 44 is operated first. However, even when the stop information is set in this way, there may be cases where the corresponding winning combination does not occur depending on the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44.

[0130] The symbol arrangements of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R will be briefly described. In this slot machine 10, in a gaming state other than the CB state (3-bet game), the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R can be stopped after being slid by up to four symbols from the timing of the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44, and only the downward-sloping line L4 is set as the effective line. Therefore, when the intervals between symbols of the same type on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are arranged to be four symbols or less, the winning symbol can be stopped on the effective line regardless of the operation timing of the stop switch 43 when it becomes the winning symbol. On the other hand, regarding symbols arranged so that an interval of five or more symbols is formed, when stopping on the effective line, the player needs to operate the stop switches 42 to 44 aiming at the symbols.

[0131] Taking the case where the medium-push bell 1 wins and the left stop switch 42 → the middle stop switch 43 → the right stop switch 44 are operated in this order as an example for explanation. In such a case, stop control of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is performed to establish a second minor winning combination, a seventh minor winning combination, or a ninth minor winning combination.

[0132] The second minor winning symbols on the left reel 32L are the "red bell" symbol and the "white bell" symbol. Also, the "red bell" symbol and the "white bell" symbol also have the function as the seventh minor winning symbols and the function as the ninth minor winning symbols. On the left reel 32L, the intervals between the second minor winning symbols (the seventh minor winning symbols, the ninth minor winning symbols) are arranged to be four symbols or less. Therefore, when the left stop switch 42 is operated first, the "red bell" symbol or the "white bell" symbol stops in the upper row regardless of the operation timing. For example, when the left stop switch 42 is operated at the timing when the "cherry" symbol at the fourth position on the left reel 32L reaches the middle row, as shown in Fig. 20(a), the "red bell" symbol at the seventh position stops in the upper row. As a result, there remains a possibility of establishing a second minor winning combination, a seventh minor winning combination, or a ninth minor winning combination on the downward-sloping line L4.

[0133] The second small win symbol on the middle reel 32M is a "white bar" symbol. On the middle reel 32M, the "white bar" symbol is located only at position 18. Also, the seventh small win symbol on the middle reel 32M is a "red 7" symbol. On the middle reel 32M, the "red 7" symbol is located only at position 14. And the ninth small win symbol on the middle reel 32M is a "cherry" symbol. On the middle reel 32M, the "cherry" symbol is located only at position 11. Therefore, depending on the operation timing of the middle stop switch 43, the second small win symbol, the seventh small win symbol, or the ninth small win symbol may stop on an active line, or none of the second small win symbol, the seventh small win symbol, or the ninth small win symbol may stop on an active line.

[0134] Specifically, if the middle stop switch 43 is operated when any of the "First Replay" symbols (numbered 13 through 17) reach the bottom row, the "White BAR" symbol, which is the second small win symbol, will stop in the middle row. As a result, there will be room for the second small win symbol to be established on the downward-sloping right line L4. If the middle stop switch 43 is operated when any of the "Second Replay" symbols (numbered 9 through 13) reach the bottom row, the "Red 7" symbol, which is the seventh small win symbol, will stop in the middle row, as shown in FIG. 20(b). As a result, there will be room for the seventh small win symbol to be established on the downward-sloping right line L4. If the middle stop switch 43 is operated when any of the "White Bell" symbols (numbered 6 through 10) reach the bottom row, the "Cherry" symbol, which is the ninth small win symbol, will stop in the middle row. If the middle stop switch 43 is operated at any other time, the second, seventh and ninth small win symbols cannot be stopped in the middle row even if the middle reel 32M is stopped after sliding four symbols. If the middle stop switch 43 is operated at such a time, the No. 2 "LUCKY" symbol or the No. 6 "white bell" symbol will stop in the middle row.

[0135] When the 7th small winning symbol of the center reel 32M stops in the middle row, the stop information second setting process changes the stop information so that the 7th small winning symbol can be achieved.

[0136] The seventh minor winning symbol on the right reel 32R is the "White Bell" symbol. On the right reel 32R, the "White Bell" symbol is arranged only at the 10th position. Therefore, depending on the operation timing of the right stop switch 44, the seventh minor winning symbol stops or does not stop on the valid line. Specifically, when the right stop switch 44 is operated at the timing when any one of the 6th "First Replay" symbol to the 10th "White Bell" symbol reaches the lower stage, as shown in Fig. 20(c), the "White Bell" symbol, which is the seventh minor winning symbol, stops at the lower stage. As a result, a seventh minor winning is achieved on the downward right line L4. When the right stop switch 44 is operated at other timings, the "Watermelon" symbol or the "First Replay" symbol stops at the lower stage. For example, when the right stop switch 44 is operated at the timing when the 3rd "Second Replay" symbol reaches the lower stage, as shown in Fig. 20(d), the 4th "Watermelon" symbol stops at the lower stage. The combination of the "Red Bell" symbol, "Red 7" symbol, and "Watermelon" symbol from left to right is a transition outcome as shown in Fig. 11.

[0137] When the ninth minor winning symbol on the middle reel 32M stops in the middle stage, in the stop information second setting process, the stop information is changed so that a ninth minor winning can be achieved.

[0138] The ninth minor winning symbol on the right reel 32R is the "Young Man" symbol. On the right reel 32R, the "Young Man" symbol is arranged at the 15th position. Therefore, depending on the operation timing of the right stop switch 44, the ninth minor winning symbol stops or does not stop on the valid line. Specifically, when the right stop switch 44 is operated at the timing when any one of the 11th "First Replay" symbol to the 15th "Young Man" symbol reaches the lower stage, the "Young Man" symbol, which is the ninth minor winning symbol, stops at the lower stage. As a result, a ninth minor winning is achieved on the downward right line L4. When the right stop switch 44 is operated at other timings, the "Watermelon" symbol or the "First Replay" symbol stops at the lower stage. The combination of the "White Bell" symbol (the "Red Bell" symbol), "Cherry" symbol, and "Watermelon" symbol (the "First Replay" symbol) from left to right is a transition outcome as shown in Fig. 11.

[0139] When the second minor winning symbol on the middle reel 32M stops in the middle row, in the stop information second setting process, the stop information is changed so that a second minor winning can be established.

[0140] The second minor winning symbol on the right reel 32R is the "White BAR" symbol. On the right reel 32R, the "White BAR" symbol is arranged at the 18th position. For this reason, depending on the operation timing of the right stop switch 44, the second minor winning symbol may or may not stop on the valid line. Specifically, when the right stop switch 44 is operated at the timing when any one of the 14th "Watermelon" symbol to the 18th "White BAR" symbol has reached the lower row, the "White BAR" symbol, which is the second minor winning symbol, stops in the lower row. As a result, a second minor winning is established on the lower right diagonal line L4. When the right stop switch 44 is operated at other timings, the "Watermelon" symbol or the "First Replay" symbol stops in the lower row. The combination of the "White Bell" symbol ("Red Bell" symbol), "White BAR" symbol, "Watermelon" symbol ("First Replay" symbol) from left to right is a transition outcome as shown in FIG. 11.

[0141] When the second minor winning symbol, the seventh minor winning symbol, and the ninth minor winning symbol on the middle reel 32M do not stop in the middle row, that is, when the "LUCKY" symbol or the "White Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M stops in the middle row, in the stop information second setting process, the stop information is changed so that the "Watermelon" symbol or the "First Replay" symbol stops in the lower row.

[0142] On the right reel 32R, the "Watermelon" symbol and the "First Replay" symbol are arranged so that the interval between them is 4 symbols or less. For this reason, when the right stop switch 44 is operated, the "Watermelon" symbol or the "First Replay" symbol stops in the lower row regardless of the operation timing. The combination of the "White Bell" symbol ("Red Bell" symbol), "LUCKY" symbol ("White Bell" symbol), "Watermelon" symbol ("First Replay" symbol) from left to right is a transition outcome as shown in FIG. 11.

[0143] In this way, if the middle push bell 1 is won and the left stop switch 42 → middle stop switch 43 → right stop switch 44 are operated in that order, the second small win will be made, the seventh small win will be made, the ninth small win will be made, or the transition result will stop.

[0144] Next, we will explain an example in which the center push bell 1 is won and the center stop switch 43 → left stop switch 42 → right stop switch 44 are operated in this order. In this case, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are stopped to achieve the first small win.

[0145] On the center reel 32M, the "red bell" symbols, which are the first minor winning symbols, are arranged so that the interval between each "red bell" symbol is four symbols or less. Therefore, when the center stop switch 43 is operated first, the "red bell" symbols will stop in the middle row regardless of the operation timing.

[0146] On the left reel 32L, the first minor winning symbols, "red bell" and "white bell," are arranged so that the interval between each first minor winning symbol is four symbols or less. Therefore, when the left stop switch 42 is operated second, the "red bell" or "white bell" symbol will stop on the top row regardless of the timing of the operation.

[0147] On the right reel 32R, the first minor winning symbols, "red bell" and "white bell," are arranged so that the interval between each first minor winning symbol is four symbols or less. Therefore, when the right stop switch 44 is operated third, the "red bell" or "white bell" symbol will stop on the bottom row regardless of the timing of the operation.

[0148] As described above, if the middle push bell 1 is won and the middle stop switch 43 → left stop switch 42 → right stop switch 44 are operated in that order, the first small prize will be won regardless of the timing of the operation.

[0149] When winning the pressing-order bell, if the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in one or two predetermined operation sequences, regardless of the operation timing, the first minor winning is established. If the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in other operation sequences, depending on the operation timing, either the minor winning is established or the transition-out result stops on the valid line. Incidentally, when winning the middle-stage bell, the 38th minor winning is established regardless of the operation sequence and operation timing. When winning the non-question bell, the first minor winning is established regardless of the operation sequence and operation timing.

[0150] Returning to the explanation of the reel control process, if it is determined in step S411 that all the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R have stopped, the payout determination process is performed in step S413. The payout determination process is a process of setting the number of medals to be paid out on the condition that the combination of winning symbols is arranged on the valid line. In the payout determination process, the combination of symbols formed on the valid line is derived from the symbol numbers of the stop symbols stopped at the lower stage of each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R, and it is determined whether a winning is established on the valid line. If a winning is established, it is further determined whether the winning-established combination corresponds to the winning flag set in the winning flag storage area 106a. If the winning-established combination corresponds to the winning flag, the winning-established combination and the payout number corresponding to the winning-established combination are set in the payout information storage area provided in the RAM 106. On the other hand, if the winning-established combination does not correspond to the winning flag, the slot machine 10 is set to an error state and the abnormal occurrence process for notifying the occurrence of an error is performed. Such an error state is maintained until the reset switch 72 is operated.

[0151] After performing the payout determination process, the winning result corresponding process is performed in step S414. In the winning result corresponding process, processes such as shifting the game state based on the winning result are performed. The winning result corresponding process will be described in detail later.

[0152] After performing the winning result corresponding process, the section display second process is executed in step S415. The section display second process is a process related to the display control of the instruction monitor 68, and such process will be described in detail later. In the subsequent step S416, a random number acquisition process for acquiring a random number for use in the lottery for shifting the display mode is executed. The random number acquisition process will also be described in detail later. Thereafter, in step S417, a winning result command is set so that the display control device 81 can grasp the winning established combination in the current game, and the reel control process is terminated.

[0153] Next, an overview of the medal payout process in step S213 will be described.

[0154] In the medal payout process, it is determined whether the payout number set in the payout information storage area is 0. If the payout number is 0, it means that it was determined in the previous payout determination process that a minor winning did not occur. In such a case, based on the winning established combination set in the payout determination process, it is determined whether any of the first replay winning to the eighth replay winning has occurred. If none of the replay winnings have occurred, the medal payout process is terminated as it is. If any of the replay winnings have occurred, a replay setting process for setting the game state to the replay state is performed, and the medal payout process is terminated. Note that in the start waiting process (step S204) described above, when it is determined that the current game state is the replay state, the automatic insertion process is performed.

[0155] On the other hand, if the payout number set in the payout information storage area is not 0, medals equal to the payout number are paid out, and the medal payout process is terminated. Specifically, regarding the payout of medals, if the count value of the credit counter has not reached its upper limit (50 medals stored), the payout number is added to the count value of the credit counter, and the value after the addition is displayed on the credit display unit 60. If the count value of the credit counter has reached its upper limit, or if the count value reaches its upper limit during the addition of the payout number, the medal payout rotating plate is driven, and medals are paid out from the hopper device 51 to the medal tray 50 via the medal discharge port 49. The medal payout process also involves changing the payout number displayed on the payout number display unit 62 in accordance with the payout of medals. If the current game state is the BB state, the payout number is subtracted from the value of the remaining payout number counter (described later), and the remaining payout number displayed on the remaining payout number display unit 61 is subtracted.

[0156] Next, the RT state processing in step S214 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0157] In step S501, it is determined whether the gaming state is the fourth RT state by checking whether the fourth RT setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c of RAM 106. If the gaming state is the fourth RT state, the process proceeds to step S502, where a subtraction process for the fixed RT game number is performed. As will be described in detail later, the fourth RT state is an RT state in which the number of executable games is predetermined, and the process of step S502 is a process for subtracting the number of executable remaining games. In the following step S503, based on the result of the process of step S502, it is determined whether the number of executable remaining games in the fourth RT state has become 0. If it has become 0, the fourth RT setting flag is cleared in step S504, and then this RT state process is terminated. By performing the process of step S504, the gaming state transitions to the normal gaming state. If a negative determination is made in step S503, this RT state process is terminated. In this case, the fourth RT state continues.

[0158] If a negative determination is made in step S501, a determination is made in step S505 as to whether the transitional result has stopped on an active line. If the transitional result has stopped, the process proceeds to step S506, where a determination is made as to whether the current gaming state is a normal gaming state. If the current gaming state is a normal gaming state, a first RT setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c of the RAM 106 in step S507. Thereafter, this process is terminated. If a determination is made in step S505 that the transitional result has not stopped on an active line, the process proceeds to step S508, where a determination is made as to whether a second replay win has been achieved based on the winning combination set in the previous payout determination process. If a second replay win has been achieved, the RT setting flag set in the state information storage area 106c is cleared in step S509, and the first RT setting flag is set in step S507. Thereafter, this process is terminated. In addition, if the transition result stops on an active line under a game state other than the fourth RT state or the normal game state, the RT setting flag set in the state information storage area 106c is cleared in step S509, and the first RT setting flag is set in step S507, and this process is terminated.

[0159] If the first RT setting flag is set in step S507, the game state transitions to the first RT state. Then, in step S302 of the lottery process, it is determined that the current game state is the first RT state based on the fact that the first RT setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c, and a lottery table for the first RT state is selected.

[0160] Figure 22 is a lottery table for the first RT state selected in the first RT state of "setting 3." When compared with the lottery table for the normal gaming state (see Figure 17), the lottery table for the first RT state has different point values PV for IV = 1 to 5, and the same point values PV are set for the other index values IV. Therefore, when determining whether a winning combination is achieved using this lottery table, the probability of winning when IV = 6 to 58 is equal to the respective winning probabilities in the normal gaming state, and the probability of winning when IV = 1 is approximately 1 in 67.0, and the probability of winning when IV = 2 to 5 is approximately 1 in 32.8. The probability of losing, i.e., not winning any combination, is approximately 1 in 1.94.

[0161] As shown in FIG. 22, if a win occurs when IV=1, it results in a normal replay win; if a win occurs when IV=2, it results in a first promotion replay 1 win; if a win occurs when IV=3, it results in a first promotion replay 2 win; if a win occurs when IV=4, it results in a first promotion replay 3 win; and if a win occurs when IV=5, it results in a first promotion replay 4 win. The probability of winning when IV=1 to 5 is approximately 1 in 7.30. The probability of winning a normal replay under normal gaming mode is also approximately 1 in 7.30. In other words, when the gaming mode transitions to the first RT mode, the winning probability for each of the small combination, replay, and bonus combinations is the same as in the normal gaming mode, but the winning pattern for awarding the replay bonus changes to one different from that under normal gaming mode. More specifically, in the normal game state, only the first replay win, which does not result in a transition to the game state, is achieved, and in the first RT state, in addition to the first replay win, a third replay win, which results in a transition to the second RT state, is achieved.

[0162] In the second stop information setting process (step S409), in addition to when the above-mentioned push order bell is won, when the first promotion replay 1 to first promotion replay 4 are won, stop information is set to change the winning pattern that is achieved depending on the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 that generated the stop command.

[0163] FIG. 23(a) is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between the winning candidates, the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and the winning modes. When winning the first promotion replay 1 to the first promotion replay 4, unlike when winning the push order bell, regardless of the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44, the first replay prize or the third replay prize is always established. Among the first promotion replay 1 to the first promotion replay 4, the third replay game is associated with one of the six operation orders, and the first replay game is associated with the other operation orders.

[0164] In addition, in the first promotion replay 2 to 4, in addition to the first replay game and the third replay game, the sixth replay game, the seventh replay game, and the eighth replay game are also distributed as winning candidates. However, none of these sixth to eighth replay games are associated with any of the above six operation orders. Therefore, even if winning the first promotion replay 2 to 4, regardless of the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, they do not win.

[0165] More specifically, for the first promotion replay 1 to 4, the first promotion replay 1 is distributed with the first replay game and the third replay game, the first promotion replay 2 is distributed with the sixth replay game in addition to the first replay game and the third replay game, the first promotion replay 3 is distributed with the seventh replay game in addition to the first replay game and the third replay game, and the first promotion replay 4 is distributed with the eighth replay game in addition to the first replay game and the third replay game. However, for any of the first promotion replay 1 to 4, the replay game that wins is either the first replay game or the third replay game. This is to make the operation order for the third replay prize winning less obvious. That is, for example, if there is only one type of the first promotion replay, the operation order corresponding to the third replay prize winning will also be one type, and it may be possible to intentionally establish the third replay prize winning when winning the first promotion replay. Note that this relationship is not limited to only the relationship of the first promotion replay 1 to 4, and the same can be said for other overlapping roles.

[0166] Returning to the description of the RT state process, if it is determined in step S508 that the second replay winning has not been established, the process proceeds to step S510, and based on the winning established combination set in the previous payout determination process, it is determined whether the third replay winning has been established. If the third replay winning has been established, in step S511, the RT setting flag set in the status information storage area 106c is cleared, and in step S512, the second RT setting flag is set, and this process ends.

[0167] When the second RT setting flag is set in step S512, the game state shifts to the second RT state. Then, in step S302 of the lottery process, based on the fact that the second RT setting flag is set in the status information storage area 106c, it is determined that the current game state is the second RT state, and the lottery table for the second RT state is selected.

[0168] FIG. 24 is the lottery table for the second RT state selected in the second RT state of "Setting 3". When the lottery table for the second RT state is compared with the lottery table for the first RT state (see FIG. 22), the point values PV for IV = 1 to 10 are different, and the same point values PV are set for other index values IV. Therefore, when determining the winning or losing of a combination using such a lottery table, the probability of winning when IV = 11 to 58 is equal to each winning probability in the first RT state, the probability of winning when IV = 1 is about 1 / 11.0, the probability of not winning when IV = 2 to 5, the probability of winning when IV = 6 to 8 is about 1 / 15.5 respectively, and the probability of winning when IV = 9, 10 is about 1 / 8.90 respectively. And the probability of a miss where no combination wins is about 1 / 150. That is, when shifting to the second RT state, the probability of a miss becomes lower compared to the normal game state and the first RT state, which is advantageous for the player. Also, in the second RT state, in addition to the first replay winning where the game state does not shift, the second replay winning that shifts to the first RT state, the fourth replay winning, and the fifth replay winning that shift to the third RT state are established.

[0169] In the second stop information setting process (step S409), in addition to when the above-mentioned first promotion replay 1 to first promotion replay 4 are won, stop information is set so as to change the winning pattern that is achieved depending on the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 that generated the stop command, even when the fall replay 1 to fall replay 3, second promotion replay 1, or second promotion replay 2 is won.

[0170] FIG. 23(b) is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between winning combinations, the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and the winning patterns that are achieved. When Fall Replay 1 to Fall Replay 3 are won, the first replay win or the second replay win is always achieved, regardless of the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44. When Second Promotion Replay 1 is won, either the first replay win, the fourth replay win, or the fifth replay win is always achieved, regardless of the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44. When Second Promotion Replay 2 is won, either the first replay win or the fourth replay win is always achieved, regardless of the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44.

[0171] The numbers assigned to the fourth replay in the diagram correspond to the symbol combinations that result in the fourth replay winning. "1" corresponds to the symbol combination that results in a scatter, and "2" corresponds to the symbol combination that results in a red 7, red 7, and black bar stopping in the middle row (see Figure 11). For example, if the left stop switch 42 is operated first when the second promotion replay 1 is won, the symbol combination that results in a scatter will stop, resulting in the fourth replay winning, or the symbol combination that results in a red 7, red 7, and black bar stopping in the middle row will stop, resulting in the fourth replay winning.

[0172] Returning to the explanation of the RT state processing, if it is determined in step S510 that the third re-game winning has not been achieved, the process proceeds to step S513, where it is determined whether the fourth re-game winning or the fifth re-game winning has been achieved based on the winning combination set in the previous payout determination process. If the fourth re-game winning or the fifth re-game winning has been achieved, the RT setting flag set in the state information storage area 106c is cleared in step S514, and the third RT setting flag is set in step S515, and this process ends.

[0173] If the third RT setting flag is set in step S515, the game state transitions to the third RT state. Then, in step S302 of the lottery process, it is determined that the current game state is the third RT state based on the fact that the third RT setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c, and a lottery table for the third RT state is selected.

[0174] Figure 25 shows a lottery table for the third RT state selected in the third RT state of "Setting 3." Compared to the lottery table for the second RT state (see Figure 24), the lottery table for the third RT state has different point values PV for IV = 9 to 12, while the same point values PV are set for the other index values IV. Therefore, when using this lottery table to determine whether a winning combination is achieved, the probability of winning when IV = 1 to 8 and 13 to 58 is equal to the respective winning probabilities in the second RT state, while winning when IV = 9 and 10 is not achieved, and the winning probabilities when IV = 11 and 12 are approximately 1 in 7.00. The probability of losing, i.e., not winning any combination, is approximately 1 in 150. In other words, when the gaming state transitions to the third RT state, the winning probability for each combination of small combination, replay, and bonus is the same as in the second RT state, but the winning mode for awarding the replay bonus changes to one different from that in the second RT state. More specifically, in the third RT state, in addition to the first replay winning event which does not result in a transition to the game state and the second replay winning event which results in a transition to the first RT state, the sixth replay winning event, the seventh replay winning event, and the eighth replay winning event which does not result in a transition to the game state, and the third replay winning event which results in a transition to the second RT state are also achieved.

[0175] In the stop information second setting process (step S409), even when winning in BAR replay 1 or BAR replay 2, stop information is set to change the winning mode established by the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 that generated the stop command.

[0176] FIG. 23(c) is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence relationship between the winning combination, the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and the established winning mode. When winning in BAR replay 1, regardless of the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44, any one of the first replay winning, the sixth replay winning, the seventh replay winning, and the third replay winning is always established. When winning in BAR replay 2, regardless of the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44, any one of the first replay winning, the sixth replay winning, the eighth replay winning, and the third replay winning is always established.

[0177] Returning to the explanation of the RT state process, if it is determined in step S513 that the fourth replay winning or the fifth replay winning is not established, the process proceeds to step S516, and based on the winning combination established in the previous payout determination process, it is determined whether the eleventh replay winning or the twelfth replay winning is established. If neither the eleventh replay winning nor the twelfth replay winning is established, the RT state process is terminated as it is. If the eleventh replay winning or the twelfth replay winning is established, in step S517, the RT setting flag set in the state information storage area 106c is cleared, and in step S518, the fourth RT setting flag is set. After executing the fixed RT game number setting process in step S519, this process is terminated. Step S519 is a process for setting the number of games executable in the fourth RT state. Specifically, in step S519, a specified value (for example, 10) is input to the fixed RT counter provided in the various counter area 106e. In step S502 above, the fixed RT counter is decremented, and when the counter becomes 0, the process for ending the fourth RT state is executed in step S503.

[0178] Next, the bonus state process in step S215 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. 26.

[0179] First, in step S601, it is determined whether the current game state is a bonus state, that is, whether the current game state is the BB state or the CB state. If it is not in the bonus state, the bonus determination process shown in steps S602 to S613 is performed.

[0180] In the bonus determination process, in step S602, it is determined whether any of the first BB winning flag, the second BB winning flag, and the CB winning flag is set. If any of the winning flags is set, the process proceeds to step S603, and based on the winning combination established in the previous payout determination process, it is determined whether a CB win has been established. If a CB win has been established, in step S604, the CB setting flag is set in the status information storage area 106c. In step S605, 15 is set in the remaining payout counter for counting the remaining number of medals that can be paid out during the bonus state provided in the status information storage area 106c. By performing the processes of steps S604 to S605, the game state shifts to the CB state.

[0181] Here, CB and the CB state will be briefly described.

[0182] When the "red bell" symbol or the "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "red bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "watermelon" symbol, the "first replay" symbol, or the "black bar" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line, a CB win occurs. On each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, the CB symbols are arranged such that the interval between the CB symbols is 4 symbols or less. Therefore, when winning on CB, a CB win is established regardless of the operation order and operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44.

[0183] When the CB setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c, the main control device 101 determines that the gaming state is the CB state. Then, in step S205 of the normal processing, it determines whether the number of medals bet has reached "2" instead of "3", and in the activated line setting processing (step S209), it sets the lower line L3 and the right-downward line L4 as activated lines.

[0184] In step S302 of the lottery process, a lottery table for the CB state is selected. Although the illustration of the lottery table for the CB state is omitted, in the lottery table for the CB state, "0" is set as the point value PV for IV = 1 to 52, and "16384" is set as the point value for IV = 55 to 58 (see FIG. 17 etc. for the correspondence between IV and winning roles). Therefore, in the CB state, the probability of winning CB small / medium role 1 (the probability of winning when IV = 55) is approximately 1 in 4.00, the probability of winning CB small / medium role 2 (the probability of winning when IV = 56) is approximately 1 in 4.00, the probability of winning CB small / medium role 3 (the probability of winning when IV = 57) is approximately 1 in 4.00, and the probability of winning CB small / medium role 4 (the probability of winning when IV = 58) is approximately 1 in 4.00. No losing events occur.

[0185] FIG. 27(a) is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between winning combinations, the operation order of the stop switches 42-44, and the winning patterns that are achieved. Although detailed explanations are omitted, regardless of the order and timing of operation of the stop switches 42-44, regardless of which of the CB small / medium combinations 1 to 4 is won, some small combination will always be achieved. Since the CB state is a two-bet game, when the first small combination, the 27th small combination, the 31st small combination, the 36th small combination, and the 38th small combination are achieved, 15 medals are paid out. When the second small combination, the 26th small combination, the 28th small combination, the 30th small combination, and the 32nd small combination, the 35th small combination, and the 36th small combination are achieved, 14 medals are paid out. In other words, when the game transitions to the CB state, 14 or 15 medals are always paid out.

[0186] In addition to the CB as the winning combination and the CB state as the game state, a single bonus (SB) that enables the execution of a one-game play (JAC game) as the winning combination, and an SB state that transitions based on the winning (prize winning) of the single bonus may be provided instead of or in addition to them.

[0187] Returning to the explanation of the bonus state process, if it is determined in step S603 that the CB winning has not been established, it means that a bonus winning flag other than the CB is set. In such a case, the RT setting flag set in the state information storage area 106c is cleared in step S608, and it is determined in step S609 whether the first BB winning or the second BB winning has been established.

[0188] If any of the BB winnings is established, the BB winning flag set in the winning flag storage area 106a of the RAM 106 is cleared in step S610, and the BB setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c in step S611. Thereafter, in step S612, 216 is set in the remaining payout number counter, and a process of displaying 216 on the remaining payout number display unit 61 is performed. The numerical value set in step S612 is a numerical value corresponding to the upper limit payout number in the BB state, and the BB state ends on the condition that medals are paid out in an amount equal to or more than the numerical value in the BB state.

[0189] By performing the processes of steps S610 to S612, the game state transitions to the BB state. And in step S302 of the lottery process, based on the fact that the BB setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c, it is determined that the current game state is the BB state, and the corresponding lottery table for the BB state is selected.

[0190] 28 shows a lottery table for the first BB state selected in the first BB state to which a transition occurs due to a first BB win, and a lottery table for the second BB state selected in the second BB state to which a transition occurs due to a second BB win. In the lottery table for the first BB state and the second BB state, the point value PV for IV=1 to 14, 22 to 30, 34 to 58 is set to "0". Therefore, in either the first BB state or the second BB state, these IV=1 to 14, 22 to 30, 34 to 58 do not result in a win. In addition, in the lottery table for the first BB state and the lottery table for the second BB state, the point values for IV=19-21, 31-33 are set to the same point values in both lottery tables, and in both the first BB state and the second BB state, the probability of winning Chance A with IV=19 is approximately 1 in 65.5, the probability of winning Chance B with IV=20 is approximately 1 in 65.5, the probability of winning the middle bell with IV=21 is approximately 1 in 1310, the probability of winning the first role in BB with IV=31 is approximately 1 in 2.12, the probability of winning the second role in BB with IV=32 is approximately 1 in 13.1, and the probability of winning the third role in BB with IV=33 is approximately 1 in 13.1.

[0191] On the other hand, in the lottery table for the 1st BB state and the lottery table for the 2nd BB state, different point values are set for IV=15 to 18, and the probability of winning a strong cherry with IV=15 is approximately 1 in 21.8 in the 1st BB state, while it is approximately 1 in 93.6 in the 2nd BB state, making it easier to win a strong cherry in the 1st BB state than in the 2nd BB state. Also, the probability of winning a weak cherry with IV=16 is approximately 1 in 6.56 in the 1st BB state, while it is approximately 1 in 26.2 in the 2nd BB state, making it easier to win a weak cherry in the 1st BB state than in the 2nd BB state.

[0192] The probability of winning the jackpot of IV = 17 strong watermelon is about 1 in 93.6 in the first BB state, while it is about 1 in 21.8 in the second BB state. The second BB state is more likely to win the jackpot of strong watermelon than the first BB state. Also, the probability of winning the jackpot of IV = 18 weak cherry is about 1 in 26.2 in the first BB state, while it is about 1 in 6.56 in the second BB state. The second BB state is more likely to win the jackpot of weak watermelon than the first BB state.

[0193] That is, in the first BB state and the second BB state, the winning probability of lottery results called so-called rare roles such as strong cherry and strong watermelon is higher than that in the normal game state and other states such as the first RT state to the third RT state. Also, when comparing the first BB state and the second BB state, it is set so that it is easier to win the jackpot of strong cherry or weak cherry in the first BB state than in the second BB state, and it is easier to win the jackpot of strong watermelon or weak watermelon in the second BB state than in the first BB state.

[0194] Also, for strong cherry, weak cherry, strong watermelon, weak watermelon, etc., winning is established depending on the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44. If they are operated at a timing that does not correspond to winning, winning is not established and it will be missed.

[0195] FIG. 27(b) is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between the winning positions and the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44. As described above, the first minor winning combination is a winning mode that can be achieved regardless of the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44. Therefore, when winning the first position during BB, any one of the first minor winning combination, the 39th minor winning combination, and the 40th minor winning combination will surely be achieved regardless of the operation order and operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44. In contrast, for the second position and the third position during BB, the first minor winning combination is associated with 4 out of 6 operation orders, and the 40th minor winning combination or the 41st minor winning combination is associated with 2 operation orders. That is, for the second position and the third position during BB, if the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 matches the first minor winning combination, the first minor winning combination is achieved; if it matches the 40th minor winning combination or the 41st minor winning combination, the 40th minor winning combination or the 41st minor winning combination other than the first minor winning combination is achieved. In the 3-bet game in the BB state, when the first minor winning combination or the 40th minor winning combination is achieved, 9 medals are paid out; when the 41st minor winning combination is achieved, 3 medals are paid out. That is, when winning the first position during BB, the first minor winning combination is achieved regardless of the operation order and 9 medals are paid out; when winning the second position during BB, the first minor winning combination or the 40th minor winning combination is achieved depending on the operation order and 9 medals are paid out. When winning the third position during BB, the first minor winning combination or the 41st minor winning combination is achieved depending on the operation order. When the first minor winning combination is achieved, 9 medals are paid out; when the 41st minor winning combination is achieved, 3 medals are paid out. That is, for the third position during BB, the number of medals paid out varies depending on the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44.

[0196] If a negative determination is made in step S609 and any BB winning is established, then in step S613, a carry-over command is set. The carry-over command is a command transmitted to the display control device 81 to indicate that the bonus winning did not occur in the bonus winning game and that the so-called carry-over state has occurred. Such a carry-over command is output to the display control device 81 in the command output process (step S110) of the timer interrupt process.

[0197] As already described, in the game conducted in the carry-over state, winning other bonuses is restricted. More specifically, in the lottery table for the normal game state (Figure 17), when winning a duplicate combination or the like with a bonus of IV = 34 to 51 (the first BB, the second BB, CB), the winning flags corresponding to these bonuses are not set. Therefore, for example, when winning a duplicate combination with each small combination or replay game of IV = 34 to 51, although the winning flags for these small combinations and replay games are set, the winning flags corresponding to the bonuses are not set, and only the small combination winning is valid. That is to say, the carry-over state can also be said to be a state where the bonus lottery is restricted.

[0198] When the game state transitions to the CB state or the BB state, an affirmative determination is made in step S601, and an end determination process is performed in step S614. In the end determination process, it is determined whether the value of the remaining payout count counter has become 0, and if it has become 0, a process of clearing the CB setting flag or the BB setting flag is performed. Also, in the end determination process, when the BB setting flag is cleared, an end flag indicating that the BB state has ended in this game is set. Note that the end determination process will be described in detail later.

[0199] As shown in steps S602 to S614, when a CB is selected and a CB win is established, the CB setting flag is set without clearing the RT setting flag. Therefore, when the CB setting flag is cleared, that is, when the CB state ends, the game state at the time when the CB win was established will be restored. For example, when a CB win is established in the normal game state, after the end of the CB state, it will return to the normal game state, and when a CB win is established in the third RT state, after the end of the CB state, it will return to the third RT state. On the other hand, when the first BB or the second BB is selected, the RT setting flag is cleared in step S608 regardless of whether the corresponding BB win is established. Therefore, when the BB setting flag is cleared, that is, when the BB state ends, even if the first BB win is established in the second RT state, the game will shift to the normal game state. When shifting to the CB state, the player can expect an increase of 13 (= 15 - 2) or 25 (= 14 - 2 + 15 - 2) medals until the end of the CB state. When shifting to the BB state, the player can expect a maximum increase of 144 (= 9×24 - 3×24) medals until the end of the BB state.

[0200] As described above, when winning on a strong cherry or strong watermelon etc. in the BB state, depending on the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44, the win may not be established, and if the win is not established, no medal payout will occur in that game. Also, when winning on the third role during BB, depending on the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, a medal payout of 9 or 3 medals will occur. That is, an upper limit payout number is set in the BB state (step S216), and when a payout of 9 medals occurs in each game, as described above, a maximum increase of 144 medals can be expected, and although the BB state ends in 24 games, depending on the lottery result of each game in the BB state, the operation timing and operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 in that game, the number of medals increased when reaching the upper limit payout number can be less than the above maximum number, and the number of games until reaching the upper limit payout number can be set to be large.

[0201] When none of the first BB winning flag, the second BB winning flag, and the CB winning flag are set (when step S602 is NO), when none of the first BB winning, the second BB winning, and the CB winning are established and a carry-over command is set (when the process of step S613 is executed), when a predetermined value is set in the remaining payout counter in step S605 or step S612, and when an end determination process is performed in step S614, the process proceeds to step S606 to set a status command. Here, the status command is a command transmitted to the display control device 81 to grasp the game state at the end of the game (i.e., the game state of the next game). In step S606, a status command corresponding to the setting flag set in the status information storage area 106c is set. After setting the status command, in step S607, an external signal setting process for setting an external signal output from the external centralized terminal board 121 to the outside of the slot machine 10 is performed. Then, this process ends.

[0202] <Overview of Game State Transition and Display Mode> Here, the transition of the game state will be described with reference to FIG. 29. Note that the CB state is not shown in the figure.

[0203] When the game state is the BB state, when the number of medal payouts in the BB state reaches 216, the BB state ends and the game state transitions to the normal game state.

[0204] When the game state is the normal game state, the game state transitions to the first RT state when the transition outcome stops on the valid line, and the game state transitions to the BB state when the BB win is established. The transition outcome stops on the valid line when a miss occurs in the game that wins the push-order bell. In the lottery process using the normal game state lottery table, the first promotion replay 1 to 4 that trigger the transition to the second RT state, the second promotion replay 1 and 2 that trigger the transition to the third RT state, and the transition replay 1 and 2 that trigger the transition to the fourth RT state are not won. Therefore, the game state does not transition from the normal game state to the second RT state to the fourth RT state (see FIG. 17).

[0205] When the gaming state is in the first RT state, the gaming state transitions to the second RT state when the third replay win is achieved. The third replay win is achieved when one of the first promotion replays 1 to 4 is won and the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in a predetermined operating sequence (see FIG. 23(a)). Also, when the gaming state is in the first RT state, the gaming state transitions to the fourth RT state when the eleventh replay win or the twelfth replay win is achieved. As already explained, the fourth RT state is a fixed RT state with a fixed number of games. Therefore, even if the transition result stops in the fourth RT state, the gaming state does not transition to the first RT state. In the lottery process using the lottery table for the first RT state, the second promotion replays 1 and 2, which trigger a transition to the third RT state, are not won, so the first RT state does not transition to the third RT state.

[0206] However, in this embodiment, in the first RT state, it is set so that transition replays 1 and 2, which are the trigger for transition to the fourth RT state, are not won. Therefore, there is no transition from the first RT state to the fourth RT state. In this embodiment, it is set so that transition to the fourth RT state does not occur not only from the first RT state but also from other game states. The fourth RT state will be explained in detail when explaining an embodiment in which it is set so that the transition is possible.

[0207] When the corresponding BB win is not achieved in the game in which each BB win flag is set, that is, when the BB win flag is carried over, the game state shifts to the normal game state, and when the corresponding BB win is achieved in the game in which each BB win flag is set, the game state shifts to the BB state.

[0208] When the game state is the second RT state, if the fourth replay winning or the fifth replay winning is established, the game state shifts to the third RT state. Also, when the second replay winning is established and when the transfer-out symbol stops on the valid line, the game state shifts to the first RT state. The fourth replay winning and the fifth replay winning are established when winning the second promotion replay 1 or the second promotion replay 2 and operating the stop switches 42 to 44 in a predetermined operation sequence (see Fig. 23(b)). The second replay winning is established when winning any one of the falling replays 1 to 3 and operating the stop switches 42 to 44 in a predetermined operation sequence (see Fig. 23(b)). The transfer-out symbol stops on the valid line when a miss occurs in the game that has won the push-order bell. In addition, when the corresponding BB winning is not established in the game in which each BB winning flag is set, that is, when the BB winning flag is carried over, the game state shifts to the normal game state, and when the corresponding BB winning is established in the game in which each BB winning flag is set, the game state shifts to the BB state.

[0209] When the game state is the third RT state, if the third replay winning is established, the game state shifts to the second RT state. Also, when the second replay winning is established and when the transfer-out symbol stops on the valid line, the game state shifts to the first RT state. The third replay winning is established when winning the BAR replay 1 or the BAR replay 2 and operating the stop switches 42 to 44 in a predetermined operation sequence (see Fig. 23(c)). The second replay winning is established when winning any one of the falling replays 1 to 3 and operating the stop switches 42 to 44 in a predetermined operation sequence (see Fig. 23(b)). The transfer-out symbol stops on the valid line when a miss occurs in the game that has won the push-order bell. In addition, when the corresponding BB winning is not established in the game in which each winning flag is set, that is, when the BB winning flag is carried over, the game state shifts to the normal game state, and when the corresponding BB winning is established in the game in which each BB winning flag is set, the game state shifts to the BB state.

[0210] In this slot machine 10, the main control unit 101 manages six types of game states: normal game state, first RT state, second RT state, third RT state, fourth RT state, BB state, and CB state, and also manages five types of display modes, broadly classified as normal mode, AT mode (assist time mode), VB mode (virtual bonus mode, pseudo bonus mode), and BB mode.

[0211] FIG. 30 is a diagram showing transitions between display modes.

[0212] The BB mode is a display mode that is entered when the first BB win or the second BB win is achieved, and ends when the BB state ends. In other words, the BB mode is a display mode that corresponds to the BB state. Therefore, when the mode is entered, the player can expect an increase of up to 144 medals.

[0213] When transitioning from normal mode to BB mode, a lottery to transition to AT mode may be held in that BB mode. If you win the lottery to transition to AT mode, you will transition to AT mode after BB mode ends. If you do not win the lottery to transition to AT mode, you will transition to normal mode after BB mode ends. When transitioning from AT mode to BB mode, you will return to AT mode after BB mode ends. When transitioning from VB mode to BB mode, you will return to VB mode after BB mode ends.

[0214] Normal mode is a display mode in which the operation order of stop switches 42 to 44 is not announced when the push order bell is won, or when 1st promotion replay 1 to 1st promotion replay 4, fall replay 1 to fall replay 3, 2nd promotion replay 1, 2nd promotion replay 2, BAR replay 1, BAR replay 2, transition replay 1, transition replay 2 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "push order replays") are won. In normal mode, a lottery for transition to AT mode is held. If the lottery for transition to AT mode is won, the mode will transition from normal mode to AT mode. There is no transition from normal mode to VB mode.

[0215] The normal mode corresponds to each of the game states: normal game state, first RT state, second RT state, third RT state, fourth RT state, and CB state. However, in normal mode, the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 is not notified when the push order bell is won or when the push order replay is won, so transition to the second RT state to the fourth RT state is rare, and the game state almost always corresponds to the normal game state or the first RT state. In normal mode, if the game state at that time is the normal game state, the first RT state, or the fourth RT state, it can be expected that approximately 1.59 medals will be lost per game, and if the game state at that time is the second RT state or the third RT state, it can be expected that approximately 0.06 medals will be lost per game.

[0216] The AT mode is a display mode in which the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 is displayed when the push order bell is won or when the push order replay is won. The AT mode is made up of four AT modes, LV.1 mode to LV.4 mode, which have different probabilities of transitioning to VB mode, and the probability of transitioning to VB mode is higher in all AT modes than in normal mode. If the lottery for transitioning to VB mode is won, the game will transition from AT mode to VB mode. If a predetermined number of games (for example, 50 games) have been played without winning the lottery for transitioning to VB mode, the game will transition from AT mode to normal mode.

[0217] The LV.1 mode to LV.4 mode are set so that the probability of winning the lottery to transition to VB mode differs. More specifically, the probability of winning the lottery to transition to VB mode is set so that the LV.4 mode has the highest probability of winning, and the LV.1 mode has the lowest probability of winning. The probability of winning the lottery to transition to VB mode increases in the order of LV.1 mode, LV.2 mode, LV.3 mode, and LV.4 mode.

[0218] The AT mode corresponds to each of the game states of the normal game state, the first RT state, the second RT state, the third RT state, the fourth RT state, and the CB state. However, in the AT mode, since the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 is notified both when the push-order bell is won and when the push-order replay is won, when the player operates the stop switches 42 to 44 in the notified operation order, it will correspond to the second RT state and the third RT state. In the AT mode, when the game state at that time is the normal game state, the first RT state, or the fourth RT state, it can be expected that about 0.61 medals will increase every time one game is played. When the game state at that time is the second RT state or the third RT state, it can be expected that about 1.90 medals will increase every time one game is played. Since the AT mode continues for at least 50 games after the game state transitions to the second RT state, when shifting to the AT mode, the player can expect an increase of about 100 medals.

[0219] The VB mode is a display mode in which, similar to the AT mode, the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 is notified both when the push-order bell is won and when the push-order replay is won. The difference between the VB mode and the AT mode is that when winning the second promotion replay 1 or the second promotion replay 2, in the AT mode, the operation order for establishing the first re-game winning is notified, while in the VB mode, the operation order for establishing the fourth re-game winning or the fifth re-game winning is notified (see Fig. 23(b)).

[0220] The VB mode corresponds to each gaming state of the normal gaming state, the first RT state, the second RT state, the third RT state, the fourth RT state, and the CB state. However, in the VB mode, the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 is notified both when the push-order bell is selected and when the push-order replay is selected. Therefore, when the player operates the stop switches 42 to 44 in the notified operation order in the VB mode, it will correspond to the third RT state. In the VB mode, when the gaming state at that time is the normal gaming state, the first RT state, or the fourth RT state, it can be expected that about 0.61 medals will increase per game, and when the gaming state at that time is the second RT state or the third RT state, it can be expected that about 1.90 medals will increase per game. Since the VB mode continues for at least 25 games after the gaming state transitions to the third RT state, when transitioning to the VB mode, the player can expect an increase of about 50 medals.

[0221] Regarding the transition of the display mode when the player's owned medals increase, it is common to transition from the normal mode to the AT mode and then back from the AT mode to the normal mode. And since a transition lottery to the VB mode is conducted in the AT mode, when a loop occurs where the player transitions from the AT mode to the VB mode and then back from the VB mode to the AT mode, the player can expect a greater increase in owned medals.

[0222] In addition, in the AT mode, LV.1 mode to LV.4 mode are set, and the winning probabilities of the transition lottery to the VB mode are different in each AT mode. When transitioning from the normal mode to the AT mode, basically, it transitions to the LV.1 mode. In the LV.1 mode, a transition lottery to the VB mode is conducted, and a transition lottery to the LV.2 mode is also conducted. If winning the transition lottery to the LV.2 mode, it transitions to the LV.2 mode, and the winning probability of the transition lottery to the VB mode increases. In the LV.2 mode, a transition lottery to the VB mode is conducted, and a transition lottery to the LV.3 mode is also conducted. If winning the transition lottery to the LV.3 mode, it transitions to the LV.3 mode, and the winning probability of the transition lottery to the VB mode increases. Then, in the LV.3 mode, a transition lottery to the VB mode is conducted, and a transition lottery to the LV.4 mode is also conducted. If winning the transition lottery to the AT LV.4 mode, it transitions to the LV.4 mode, and the winning probability of the transition lottery to the VB mode increases.

[0223] Therefore, when transitioning to the AT mode, by ascending in the order of LV.1 mode → LV.2 mode → LV.3 mode → LV.4 mode and the AT mode, the transition probability to the VB mode increases, and a loop between the AT mode and the VB mode is likely to occur.

[0224] As described above, in this slot machine 10, in each display mode of the AT mode, VB mode, and BB mode, the player aims to increase the owned medals. And in conjunction with each display mode, a plurality of RT states and a plurality of states such as the BB state and CB state come and go depending on the winning of each replay or the stop of the transition outcome. As described above, the corresponding replay winning is established or the transition outcome stops depending on the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 43 at the time of winning the push-order replay or the push-order bell. Also, in the AT mode and VB mode, when winning the push-order bell, an operation order that enables the establishment of the first minor winning is notified, so an increase in the owned medals can be expected.

[0225] Here, when the display mode is the AT mode or the VB mode, as described above, the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 is notified when the push order bell or the push order replay is won. In the normal mode, the operation order at the time of these push order bells or the push order replay winning is not notified. Therefore, from the viewpoint of whether or not to notify the operation order at the time of these push order bells or the push order replay winning, the AT mode and the VB mode are more advantageous for the player than the normal mode. That is, the AT mode and the VB mode are included in the advantageous section, which is a section where the winning rate of small winning combinations and the like can be changed by notifying the operation order, and the game can be advanced in a situation advantageous to the player. In this slot machine 10, a transition lottery to the AT mode is performed by shifting to the advantageous section, and it is configured such that a transition to the AT mode or the VB mode can occur. In other words, in the normal section that is not the advantageous section, a transition to the AT mode or the VB mode is not configured to occur.

[0226] Note that while the transition lottery to the AT mode is performed in the advantageous section, the transition lottery to the AT mode is not performed in the normal section. Therefore, the state before the transition to the AT mode and the state before winning the AT mode in the advantageous section can also be referred to as the chance zone mode (CZ mode) as a state in which the transition to the AT mode is likely to occur.

[0227] Hereinafter, the configuration related to the display mode will be described.

[0228] The configuration related to the display mode is roughly classified into (1) processing related to the transition lottery of the display mode, (2) processing for shifting the game state based on the result of the transition lottery of the display mode, (3) processing for shifting the display mode based on the winning result, and (4) processing related to the sub-side notification effect. Hereinafter, it will be described in order.

[0229] <Processing related to the transition lottery of the display mode> <Lottery result corresponding processing> (1)'s process related to the transition lottery of the display mode is performed in the lottery result corresponding process (step S312) of the lottery process (Figure 16) by the main control device 101. Therefore, hereinafter, the lottery result corresponding process will be described with reference to the flowchart of Figure 31.

[0230] In step S701, a random number shift process is executed. Such a process is a process for the random number used in the AT mode lottery and will be described in detail later.

[0231] In the subsequent step S702, it is determined whether the current game is in the advantageous section by determining whether the advantageous section flag is set in the various flag storage areas 106d of the RAM 106. The advantageous section flag is a flag that is set based on winning the transition lottery to the advantageous section including the above AT mode and VB mode, and is cleared when the advantageous section ends. If the advantageous section flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S703, where the advantageous section transition lottery process is executed and then this lottery result corresponding process ends.

[0232] In the advantageous zone transition lottery process, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 32, first, in step S801, the lottery result of the current game is grasped. Then, in step S802, a advantageous zone transition lottery table is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105. As shown in FIG. 39, the advantageous zone transition lottery table is set so that the transition rate (the winning probability of the advantageous zone transition lottery) varies depending on the lottery result of each game. As shown in FIG. 38, the trigger roles for the transition lottery to the advantageous zone are strong cherry, weak cherry, strong watermelon, weak watermelon, Chance A, Chance B, and middle bell (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as "transition trigger roles"). Regardless of the setting value, these transition trigger roles have the same set point value PV, and there is no setting difference in the winning probability. Furthermore, there is no setting difference in the winning probability of the advantageous zone transition lottery. In other words, a configuration is adopted in which an advantageous zone transition lottery is performed with no setting difference in the winning probability for transition trigger roles with a common appearance rate, and the transition rate to the advantageous zone is common. By doing this, regardless of the setting values of the gaming machines, of which multiple machines may be installed in an amusement hall, the chances of moving to the advantageous zone are equal, thereby eliminating inequality between players.

[0233] After obtaining the lottery table in step S802, a process for obtaining a random number for the advantageous zone transition lottery is executed in step S803. The random number for the advantageous zone transition lottery is generated using a dedicated counter in the various counter area 106e. This dedicated counter is updated at a predetermined interval, and the most recent updated value of the counter is obtained in step S803. Then, in step S804, an advantageous zone transition lottery is executed, and in step S805, it is determined whether or not the transition lottery has been won. If not, the lottery process is terminated. If the transition lottery has been won, in step S806, a process for setting the advantageous zone flag is executed. This process enables a positive determination to be made in step S702 of the lottery result response process (FIG. 31) for the next game or later. In the following step S807, a process for setting an advantageous zone winning game flag is executed in the various flag storage area 106d. The advantageous zone winning game flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to determine whether the advantageous zone transition lottery has been won in the current game. After executing the processing of step S807, this advantageous zone transition lottery processing is terminated.

[0234] In the lottery result response processing, if it is determined in step S702 that the advantageous zone flag is set, i.e., if the lottery for transitioning to the advantageous zone has been won in the previous game or before, the process proceeds to step S704. In step S704, it is determined whether or not either the AT mode win flag or the AT mode flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106. The AT mode win flag is a flag that the CPU 102 uses to identify that the lottery for transitioning to the AT mode has been won. It is set when the lottery for transitioning to the AT mode is won and is cleared when transitioning to the AT mode. The AT mode flag is a flag that the CPU 102 uses to identify that the display mode is the AT mode. It is set when transitioning to the AT mode and is cleared when the AT mode finally ends (excluding transitions from the AT mode to the VB mode, specialized zone, or BB mode). If a negative determination is made in step S704, a first specific combination process is executed in step S705.

[0235] <First Specific Role Process> The first specific role process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 33.

[0236] In the first specific role process, a transition lottery is conducted to determine whether to shift to the AT mode. That is, in step S901, the lottery result of the current game is grasped. Then, in step S902, the AT mode transition lottery table is obtained from the various table storage areas 105a of the ROM 105. In the AT mode transition lottery table, the transition probability to the AT mode is set according to the type of the lottery result (winning role).

[0237] Specifically, in the mode lottery table in the advantageous section stored in the various table storage areas 105a, the probability of winning each mode transition lottery is set to be different according to the current display mode and the type of the game result that triggers the lottery.

[0238] Here, as shown in FIG. 39, in addition to the above-mentioned transition trigger roles, normal replay, push-order replay, and push-order bell are set as the game results that trigger the mode transition lottery in the advantageous section. That is, regarding the transition lottery to the advantageous section, it is set so that there is no difference in the transition rate due to the set value, and the transition lottery is conducted based on the game results called so-called rare roles with a particularly low winning probability. On the other hand, regarding the transition lottery to the AT mode or the like included in the advantageous section, a chance of lottery is given in addition to these rare roles, enhancing the anticipation of each game. In the following description, these normal replay, push-order replay, push-order bell, and transition trigger roles are collectively referred to as "specific roles" as the roles that trigger the lottery regarding the instruction function in the advantageous section.

[0239] In the transition lottery table to the AT mode, the winning probability of the transition lottery is set according to the type of specific combination. As shown in FIG. 39, for example, when the specific combination is a strong cherry, the probability of winning the transition lottery to the AT mode is about 51%, while when the specific combination is a weak cherry, the probability of winning the transition lottery to the AT mode is about 15%. The lower the winning probability (appearance rate) in each game, the easier it is to win the transition lottery to the AT mode.

[0240] After obtaining the AT mode transition lottery table in step S902, the process of obtaining a random number for the AT mode transition lottery is executed in step S903. In step S903, a random number for the AT mode transition lottery is obtained from the lottery information storage area 106f in the RAM 106. Although the configuration of the lottery information storage area 106f and the process for storing the random number for the AT mode transition lottery in the area 106f will be described in detail later, the process of obtaining the random number for the AT mode transition lottery in step S903 is different from the configuration of obtaining the latest counter value at the time of lottery like other lotteries (for example, the advantageous section transition lottery).

[0241] Then, the AT mode transition lottery is executed in step S904, and in step S905, it is determined whether or not the player has won the transition lottery to the AT mode. If the player has won the transition lottery to the AT mode, the process of setting the AT mode winning flag in the various flag storage area 106d is executed in step S906. By setting the AT mode winning flag, an affirmative determination will be made in step S704 in the above lottery result corresponding process (FIG. 31). In the subsequent step S907, it is determined whether the AT mode won this time is the SAT mode. The SAT mode is an AT mode that starts after passing through the bonus specialization zone. For example, if the initial number of games in the normal AT mode is 50, in the SAT mode, the AT mode starts with the number of games obtained by adding the number of games added in the bonus specialization zone to 50 of the initial number of games. Therefore, the degree of advantage for the player is different between the normal AT mode and the SAT mode, and the SAT mode is more advantageous for the player than the AT mode.

[0242] The lottery for shifting to the SAT mode is carried out when winning in the lottery for shifting to the AT mode (when winning in the lottery process of step S904), and this lottery is carried out based on the shifting lottery table for the SAT mode set according to the shifting trigger factor and the type of display mode. As shown in FIG. 39, in the shifting lottery table for the SAT mode, the probability of winning in the lottery for shifting to the AT mode triggered by a strong watermelon is about 51%, and the probability of winning in the SAT mode is about 5% when winning in that lottery.

[0243] In step S907, when it is determined that the SAT mode is won, in step S908, the process of setting the specialized zone winning flag is executed. When the determination in step S907 is negative, or after the process of step S908 is executed, the process proceeds to step S906. The processes of steps S909 to S912 are for setting the precursor mode.

[0244] The precursor mode is a mode in which a winning suggestion effect suggesting winning in the AT mode or the like is likely to occur. After each game of the precursor mode, the winning notification of winning in the AT mode or the like is performed. The precursor mode continues for 0 to 32 games, and is set so that the number of continuous games of the precursor mode differs depending on the type of the winning AT mode or the like and whether or not a bonus is won simultaneously. When the AT mode or the like is won simultaneously with the bonus, the winning notification of the bonus is performed after passing through the precursor mode, and after the bonus state ends, the notification of winning in the AT mode or the like is performed. Also, when the number of precursor games is set to 0 games, the winning notification is performed without passing through the precursor mode.

[0245] Specifically, in step S909, first, a process of obtaining a premonitory game number table from the various table storage areas 105a of the ROM 105 is performed. As shown in FIG. 40, in the premonitory game number table, the number of premonitory games to be selected is set to be different depending on the selected display mode. Specifically, for example, when the AT mode is selected, 0 games are selected at 30%, 1 to 5 games are selected at 60%, and 6 to 10 games are selected at 10%. On the other hand, when the SAT mode is selected, 0 games are selected at 10%, 1 to 5 games are selected at 70%, 6 to 10 games are selected at 10%, and 11 to 20 games are selected at 10%. It is set such that the number of premonitory games is more likely to be larger when the player wins the advantageous SAT mode.

[0246] In this embodiment, simultaneous winning of a bonus and the AT mode etc. is not defined. However, in a configuration where simultaneous winning occurs, the number of premonitory games may be made different depending on whether there is simultaneous winning. Also, the number of premonitory games may be made different depending on the game result that triggered the winning.

[0247] In step S910, based on the premonitory game number table obtained in step S909 and the lottery counter obtained from the various counter areas 106e of the RAM 106, a process of lottery for the number of games in the current premonitory mode is performed. The lottery counter for the number of premonitory games is also updated at a predetermined cycle, similar to the random number (counter) for advantageous section transition lottery. When performing the lottery in step S910, the latest updated value among those counters is obtained and used for the lottery. In the following description, for the lottery random numbers (counters) used in other lotteries (for example, VB mode transition lottery, AT mode boost lottery, boost game number lottery, specialized zone transition lottery, etc.), unless otherwise specified, they have the same configuration as the random number (counter) for advantageous section transition lottery, and the latest updated value is obtained when performing that lottery.

[0248] Then, in step S911, a process of inputting the number of omen games into an omen counter provided in each counter area 106e of the RAM 106 is performed. The omen counter is a counter that is decremented by 1 for each game. When the omen counter reaches 0, the omen mode ends, and a winning notification for winning the transition lottery to the AT mode or the like is given.

[0249] In step S912, a process of setting the omen command as an output target to the display control device 81, which is the control device on the sub side, is executed. The omen command includes the lottery result that triggered the omen mode and information on the number of omen games. The processing on the display control device 81 side based on receiving the omen command will be described in detail later. After executing the process of step S912, the first specific role process ends.

[0250] If it is determined in step S905 that the lottery for transitioning to the AT mode has not been won, the first specific role process ends as it is.

[0251] Returning to the explanation of the lottery result corresponding process (Fig. 31), if an affirmative determination is made in step S704, the process proceeds to step S706. In step S706, it is determined whether either the VB mode winning flag or the VB mode flag is set in the various flag storage areas 106d of the RAM 106. The VB mode winning flag is a flag that is set when winning the lottery for transitioning to the VB mode and is cleared when transitioning to the VB mode. The VB mode flag is a flag for the CPU 102 to identify that the display mode is the VB mode. It is a flag that is set when transitioning to the VB mode and is cleared when the VB mode ends. If a negative determination is made in step S706, the second specific role process is executed in step S707. Also, if an affirmative determination is made in step S706, the third specific role process is executed in step S708.

[0252] <Second Specific Role Process> The second specific role process will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 34.

[0253] In the second specific role process, an additional draw for the AT mode is performed, or a transition draw is performed to determine whether to shift the display mode to the VB mode or the additional specialized zone. Note that "additional" means adding (increasing) the number of continuous games (remaining number) in the AT mode or the like, and the additional game number corresponds to the value (the value to be increased) added to the number of continuous games. Also, the additional specialized zone indicates a state in which an additional increase in the number of continuous games in the AT mode occurs with a high probability over a plurality of games. In the second specific role process, a draw for increasing the level of the AT mode is performed, and a process for adding to the number of continuous games in the AT mode is also performed.

[0254] That is, in step S1001, a process is performed to grasp the level of the AT mode. As already described, in this embodiment, four levels of the AT mode, namely the LV.1 mode to the LV.4 mode, are provided, and the transition probability to the VB mode is different for each level. Therefore, step S1001 determines which of the LV.1 mode to the LV.4 mode the current level of the AT mode is.

[0255] In step S1002, a VB mode draw table corresponding to the level of the AT mode grasped in step S1001 is acquired from the various table storage areas 105a of the ROM 105. In the VB mode draw table, the transition probability to the VB mode is set according to the type of game result that triggers the draw. As shown in FIG. 39, for example, for a strong cherry and a weak cherry, the transition probability to the VB mode is set higher for the strong cherry than for the weak cherry. Also, in the VB mode draw table for each level, the transition probability to the VB mode is different overall, such that the transition probability to the VB mode is higher for the LV.2 mode than for the LV.1 mode, higher for the LV.3 mode than for the LV.2 mode, and higher for the LV.4 mode than for the LV.3 mode.

[0256] In step S1003, a transition lottery for the VB mode is performed using the table obtained in step S1002 and the lottery random number (counter) obtained from each counter area 106e of the RAM 106. Then, in step S1004, it is determined whether or not the lottery result in step S1003 corresponds to winning the VB mode. If an affirmative determination is made in step S1004, in step S1005, a process of setting a VB mode winning flag in each flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106 is performed. Thereafter, in steps S1006 to S1009, a process for setting the number of preliminary games is performed. That is, the preliminary game number table is acquired in step S1006, the number of preliminary games is lottery-drawn in step S1007, the number of preliminary games is set in step S1008, and after setting the preliminary command in step S1009, the second specific role process ends.

[0257] If, in step S1004, it is determined that the result of the VB mode lottery process is not a win for the VB mode, the process proceeds to step S1010. Steps S1010 to S1013 are processes for raising the AT mode level.

[0258] In step S1010, an AT mode upgrade lottery process is performed. In such a process, a lottery table for upgrade is acquired from the various table storage areas 105a of the ROM 105, and a random number (counter) for lottery is acquired from the various counter areas 106e of the RAM 106. A plurality of lottery tables for upgrade are provided according to the level of the AT mode. Specifically, there are a total of three tables, namely, a table for LV.1 mode, a table for LV.2 mode, and a table for LV.3 mode (no upgrade lottery is performed when staying in the LV.4 mode). In each table, the winning probability of the upgrade lottery is set according to the type of game result that triggers the lottery. For example, in the case of a strong cherry and a weak cherry, the winning probability of the upgrade lottery is set higher for the strong cherry than for the weak cherry. Also, in the table for each AT mode, the upgrade probability of the table for LV.2 mode is set lower than that of the table for LV.1 mode, and the upgrade probability of the table for LV.3 mode is set lower than that of the table for LV.2 mode, so that as the level of the AT mode increases, it becomes more difficult to upgrade to the next level.

[0259] In step S1011, it is determined whether the result of the lottery in step S1010 is a promotion win. If a promotion win is found, in step S1012, an AT mode promotion process is performed. In this process, the level flag stored in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106 is rewritten from the level flag corresponding to the current AT mode level to the next higher level flag. Then, in step S1013, a promotion command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The promotion command includes information about the AT mode to be promoted. Upon receiving the promotion command, the display control device 81 controls the auxiliary display unit 65, etc., to perform an AT mode effect for the promoted level. For example, a different background color effect is set depending on the AT mode level as the AT mode effect in the auxiliary display unit 65. When the display control device 81 receives the promotion command, it notifies the user that the AT mode level has been promoted and controls the display control device 81 to perform an AT mode effect with a background color corresponding to the promoted level.

[0260] If it is determined in step S1011 that the player has not won the promotion lottery, or after the processing of step S1013 has been executed, processing for adding to the number of games to be continued in the AT mode is performed in steps S1014 to S1021.

[0261] That is, in step S1014, a lottery process for adding the number of games in the AT mode is performed. In this lottery process, a table for the AT mode additional lottery is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105, and a random number (counter) for the lottery is obtained from the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. As shown in Fig. 41, the table for the AT mode additional lottery is set so that the probability of winning the additional lottery differs depending on the type of lottery result.

[0262] Here, in the present embodiment, the lottery for adding games in the AT mode is set such that a specific combination including a bell for push order, a replay for push order, and a normal replay serves as the lottery trigger for the transition trigger combination. As shown in FIG. 41, among the specific combinations, the bell for push order, the replay for push order (hereinafter, these are collectively also referred to as "push order combinations") and the normal replay are set to have a lower winning probability in the lottery for adding games in the AT mode compared to the transition trigger combination. Therefore, when the transition trigger combination appears as the lottery result of each game, there is more expectation for adding games in the AT mode than when the push order combination or the normal replay appears. Then, it is considered that the player will proceed with the game while expecting to win the transition trigger combination on that premise. On the other hand, the push order combination and the normal replay have a higher winning probability in each game compared to the transition trigger combination, and can be said to be game results that are relatively likely to appear. By adopting such a combination configuration, the presence of the push order combination and the normal replay as the trigger combination for adding games can be reduced, and the surprise when adding games occurs can be increased. Moreover, the opportunity for adding games based on these push order combinations and normal replays can realistically occur during the AT mode (more specifically, the appearance rate is such that it will occur once if the initial number of games, which is 50 games, is executed 2 to 3 times). Therefore, it is possible to suitably generate a surprising addition of games triggered by the push order combination or the normal replay as described above.

[0263] In the subsequent step S1015, it is determined whether or not the player has won the top-up lottery. If it is determined that the player has won the top-up lottery, then in step S1016, it is determined whether or not the bonus winning flag is set. If the bonus winning flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S1017, and a lottery process for the number of top-up games in the AT mode is performed. In such a lottery process for the number of top-up games, a table for lottery of the number of top-up games in the AT mode is obtained from the various table storage areas 105a of the ROM 105, and a random number (counter) for lottery is obtained from the various counter areas 106e of the RAM 106. The table for lottery of the number of top-up games in the AT mode is set such that the number of top-up games varies according to the type of specific hand, as shown in FIG. 41. For example, for a strong cherry, a top-up of 20 to 200 games in the AT mode is performed, and the average number of top-up games is 30 games. Also, for a weak cherry, a top-up of 5 to 300 games is performed, and the average number of top-up games is 20 games. Although there are cases where a larger number of games may be selected for a weak cherry than for a strong cherry, the average value is set such that a larger number of games are selected for a strong cherry.

[0264] In step S1018, a process for increasing the number of games in the AT mode is performed. In such a process, a value corresponding to the number of top-up games lottery-selected in step S1017 is added to a counter that manages the number of continuous games in the AT mode (more specifically, an AT mode continuous counter provided in the various counter areas 106e of the RAM 106). In the subsequent step S1019, a process for top-up notification for notifying that the player has won the top-up lottery and the number of games thereof is performed.

[0265] <Process for top-up notification> Here, in this slot machine 10, a plurality of modes for bonus notifications are set when a bonus is added to the number of continuous games in the AT mode. More specifically, as modes for bonus notifications, there are a plurality of modes in which the games in which the bonus notification is made are different. When making a bonus notification in the game in which the bonus has occurred or in a series of games triggered by the game in which the bonus has occurred (hereinafter also referred to as "immediate bonus notification"), and when making a bonus notification in a game after the game in which the bonus has occurred and the notification game is determined retrospectively (hereinafter also referred to as "delayed bonus notification") are set.

[0266] In the immediate bonus notification, a series of games triggered by the game in which the bonus has occurred means, for example, when a precursor mode occurs or a continuous effect occurs triggered by the game in which the bonus has occurred, etc. The games that can continue over a plurality of games from the game in which the bonus has occurred are referred to as a series of games. The series of games includes cases where no continuous effect occurs. For example, in the game in which the bonus has occurred, the corresponding effect does not occur, and the mode in which the bonus notification occurs in the next game or a plurality of games later is also regarded as a series of games including the game in which the bonus has occurred and the games until the bonus notification occurs, and such a mode of bonus notification is also included in the immediate bonus notification.

[0267] On the other hand, in the delayed bonus notification, the notification game that is determined retrospectively in a game after the game in which the bonus has occurred is not determined in the game in which the bonus has occurred. For example, in a game near the end of the AT mode, etc., the notification timing is determined retrospectively as the AT mode progresses, which is different from the series of games in the immediate bonus notification described above. In other words, the above notification game can also be said to be a game set without being triggered by the game in which the bonus has occurred.

[0268] Regarding the immediate bonus notification and the delayed bonus notification, the outline of the display content of the auxiliary display unit 65 will be described with reference to FIG. 42.

[0269] As described above, the immediate add-on notification notifies a portion of the number of games remaining in AT mode, etc. (number of games remaining in the advantageous zone, ZG), while the later add-on notification notifies the number of games remaining in AT mode, etc. later. If the number of games notified first is the display remaining number counter HG and the number of games notified later is the later add-on counter BG, the number of games remaining in AT mode, etc. (number of games remaining in the advantageous zone, ZG) will be equal to the sum of the display remaining number counter HG and the later add-on counter BG. The display remaining number counter HG is decremented by one each time a game is played, and the later add-on counter BG is not decremented even if a game is played unless a later add-on notification occurs.

[0270] As shown in FIG. 42, in this embodiment, when the number of remaining games (remaining game number display ZGP) displayed on the auxiliary display unit 65 reaches a predetermined number (1) during the AT mode, that is, when the display remaining number counter HG reaches a predetermined number (1), a later-add notification is generated. The later-add notification notifies that the number of games corresponding to the later-add counter BG (150 in the figure) has been added. In this case, the later-add counter BG is decremented by the notification amount (becoming 0 in the figure), and the display remaining number counter HG is updated by adding the amount notified by the later-add notification, and the remaining game number display ZGP in the auxiliary display unit 65 also becomes a value corresponding to the display remaining number counter HG (150 in the figure after one game has been played).

[0271] In this way, when an additional win is won, if the later-addition notification is selected, a difference may occur between the display remaining number counter HG and the actual number of remaining games in the AT mode, etc. (number of remaining games in the advantageous zone ZG). On the other hand, if the immediate-addition notification is selected, no difference occurs between the display remaining number counter HG and the actual number of remaining games in the AT mode, etc. (number of remaining games in the advantageous zone ZG). In this slot machine 10, the later-addition counter BG is referenced when an additional win is won, and whether the later-addition notification or the immediate-addition notification is selected depends on the current value of the later-addition counter BG.

[0272] In the process for adding bonuses in step S1019, the game for which the bonus is to be notified is set, and if the bonus is to be notified in that game, the timing for executing the bonus is set. That is, as shown in FIG. 35, first, in step S1101, a process for determining the value of the subsequent bonus counter BG in the various counter area 106e is performed. In the following step S1102, a notification game lottery process is executed. The notification game lottery process is a lottery process for determining whether the current bonus is to be a subsequent bonus notification or an immediate bonus notification. In the notification game lottery process, a subsequent bonus lottery table is obtained from the various table storage area 105a, and a lottery is performed to determine whether to perform a subsequent bonus notification depending on the value of the subsequent bonus counter BG determined in step S1101.

[0273] As shown in Fig. 43, the later-addition lottery table is set so that the probability of selecting the later-addition notification varies depending on the value of the later-addition counter BG and the type of specific role that triggered the additional win. For example, when a strong cherry is added as a trigger, if the later-addition counter BG is less than 30, the later-addition notification is selected at 20% (the immediate addition notification is selected at 80%), while if the later-addition counter BG is 30 or more and less than 100, the later-addition notification is selected at 10%, and if the later-addition counter BG is 100 or more, the later-addition notification is selected at 5%. In this way, the larger the value of the later-addition counter BG, the lower the selection rate of the later-addition notification.

[0274] In addition, the types of specific roles that trigger additional wins are so-called normal roles (high probability trigger results, high probability results) that have a relatively high probability of winning, such as various push order replays and various push order bells, rather than so-called rare roles (low probability trigger results, low probability results) that have a relatively low probability of winning, such as strong cherries, weak cherries, strong watermelons, and weak watermelons, so that the selection rate for additional wins when the value of the additional win counter BG is small is set to be higher. More specifically, in the notification game lottery process triggered by various push order replays and various push order bells, when the additional win counter BG is less than 30, the additional win notification is selected with a 100% probability.

[0275] As described above, after the carry-on counter BG is incremented after the display remaining count counter HG reaches a predetermined number, the carry-on notification is performed and the carry-on notification amount is subtracted. Therefore, basically, as the AT mode game progresses, the value of the carry-on counter BG often increases. Conversely, at the beginning of the AT mode game, the value of the carry-on counter BG is likely to be 0 or a small value.

[0276] That is, if a carry-on win is selected at the beginning of the AT mode game, the probability of selecting a carry-on notification is high. In particular, when a carry-on win is selected triggered by a normal winning combination that is not a rare winning combination such as a push-order replay or a push-order bell, the carry-on notification is always selected if it is the beginning of the AT mode. As a result, after the start of the AT mode, the carry-on counter BG is likely to accumulate relatively early.

[0277] After executing the notification game lottery process in step S1102, it is determined in step S1103 whether a carry-on win has occurred. If no carry-on win has occurred and an immediate carry-on notification has been selected, in step S1104, the current carry-on win game is added to the display remaining count counter HG provided in the various counter area 106e. Then, in step S1105, a notification timing setting process is executed to set at which timing the carry-on notification is executed in the current game. The notification timing setting process is a process of setting at which timing in the current game the carry-on notification is to be performed.

[0278] In a certain game, the additional notification is set so that the execution timing varies according to the number of additional games. Specifically, as shown in the execution timing table of FIG. 44, as the execution timing of the additional notification in this game, assuming that the first reel, the second reel, and the third reel are in the order of the stop operation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, the timing of the stop operation of the first reel, the timing of the stop operation of the second reel, and the timing of the stop operation of the third reel are set. And, among the stop operations of each reel, the timing when the stop ON operation is performed, which is the pressing operation of the stop switches 42 to 44, is performed, and the timing when the stop OFF operation is performed, which is the pressing operation is terminated, are set.

[0279] Here, a supplementary explanation will be given regarding the operation modes of the stop switches 42 to 44. The stop switches 42 to 44 can be displaced from the initial position arranged on the frontmost side to the operation position arranged on the rearmost side. In the situation of being arranged at the initial position, the detection signals from the stop detection sensors 42a to 44a are in the LOW state, and by operating from the initial position to the operation position, the detection signals from the stop detection sensors 42a to 44a are switched from the LOW signal to the HI signal. And, in the main control device 101, based on the fact that the detection signal is switched from the LOW signal to the HI signal, it is grasped that the stop ON operation, which is the pressing operation of the stop switches 42 to 44, is performed.

[0280] Also, the stop switches 42 to 44 are biased toward the initial position by a spring or the like. Therefore, if the hands are released from the stop switches 42 to 44 and the operating force (pressing force) for pushing toward the operation position is not applied, the stop switches 42 to 44 return to the initial position by the biasing force of the spring or the like. In this case, the detection signals from the stop detection sensors 42a to 44a are switched from the HI signal to the LOW signal. And, in the main control device 101, based on the fact that the detection signal is switched from the HI signal to the LOW signal, it is grasped that the stop OFF operation, which is the pressing operation of the stop switches 42 to 44 is terminated, is performed.

[0281] The bonus notification is set to occur when either the stop ON operation or the stop OFF operation is performed as the stop operation of each of the stop switches 42 to 44. In other words, in a game in which the bonus notification occurs, the bonus effect can occur not only when the stop switch 42 to 44 is pressed, but also when the pressing operation is ended.

[0282] In the execution timing table for the addition notification, when the number of added games is relatively small, for example, 5 to 10 games, the timing when the stop ON operation of the first reel is performed is selected 5%, the timing when the stop OFF operation of the first reel is performed 10%, the stop ON operation of the second reel 15%, the stop OFF operation of the second reel 20%, the stop ON operation of the third reel 20%, and the stop OFF operation of the third reel (when all reels are stopped) 30%. In this case, the stop OFF operation of each reel is more likely to be selected than the stop ON operation, and the operation on the back is more likely to be selected.

[0283] On the other hand, when the number of added games is relatively large, for example, when 100 or more games are added, the timing when the stop ON operation of the first reel is performed is selected 5% of the time, the timing when the stop OFF operation of the first reel is performed 10%, the stop ON operation of the second reel 5%, the stop OFF operation of the second reel 30%, the stop ON operation of the third reel 5%, and the stop OFF operation of the third reel (when all reels are stopped) 45% of the time. In this case, too, the stop OFF operation of each reel is more likely to be selected than the stop ON operation, and the operation on the back side is relatively more likely to be selected.

[0284] In other words, in this embodiment, the setting is made so that the additional notification occurs more easily when the reels are turned off than when they are turned on. Also, when comparing the first to third reels, the setting is made so that the stop operation (ON operation, OFF operation) of the third reel is most likely to be selected, the stop operation of the second reel is next most likely to be selected, and the stop operation of the first reel is least likely to be selected.

[0285] From the relationship with the number of bonus games, the larger the number of bonus games, the easier it is to select the timing, especially at the time of the third reel stop OFF operation. That is, when it is foreseen that a bonus notification will occur, if no bonus notification occurs by the time of the third reel stop ON operation, the player is considered to execute the third reel stop OFF operation while greatly expecting that a large number of bonus games will occur.

[0286] In step S1105, based on the execution timing table of the above-mentioned bonus notification, the execution timing of the bonus notification in the current game is set. Then, this bonus notification dedicated process ends. In this case, information that the current bonus is to be notified as an immediate bonus in the current game and information regarding the execution timing of the bonus notification in the current game are set in the bonus command in the bonus command setting process (step S1020) that is executed following this bonus notification dedicated process. In the display control device 81 that has received the bonus command including these pieces of information, based on these pieces of information, setting of the bonus notification effect is performed. This process will be described later.

[0287] If it is determined in step S1103 that the player has won the later bonus lottery, the process proceeds to step S1106. In step S1106, a process of adding the number of current bonus games to the later bonus counter BG provided in the various counter areas 106e is executed. Then, after performing the process of setting the later bonus flag in the various flag storage areas 106d in step S1107, this bonus notification dedicated process ends.

[0288] The carry-on flag is a flag for the CPU 102 of the main control device 101 to recognize that the value of the carry-on counter BG is greater than 0 and the display remaining number counter HG has reached a predetermined value, indicating a situation where carry-on notification should be performed. Also, in this case, in the set process of the carry-on command that is executed following the carry-on notification process, information indicating that no carry-on notification occurs in this game is set in the carry-on command. The display control device 81 that receives the carry-on command including this information controls so that no carry-on notification occurs in this game.

[0289] Returning to the description of the second specific role process (Fig. 34), after executing the carry-on notification process in step S1019, a process of setting the carry-on command including the processing result of the carry-on notification process as an output target to the display control device 81 is performed in step S1020, and then this second specific role process ends. The carry-on command includes information on the occurrence of carry-on, the number of carry-on games, and the target for carry-on.

[0290] If the bonus winning flag is set in step S1016, the process proceeds to step S1021. In step S1021, the AT mode carry-on flag is set in the various flag storage areas 106d of the RAM 106, and then this second specific role process ends. The AT mode carry-on flag is a flag for the CPU 102 to recognize that the carry-on condition for the number of games in the AT mode is satisfied. Although details will be described later, when the bonus ends with the AT mode carry-on flag set, carry-on in the AT mode is performed at the end of the bonus. That is, depending on whether there is a simultaneous bonus win, the games in which carry-on notification is performed are set to be different.

[0291] If it is determined in step S1015 that the player has not won the additional draw, the process proceeds to step S1022. In step S1022, a lottery for shifting to the specialized zone is executed. That is, when the player wins a special role during the AT mode and does not win the lottery for shifting to the VB mode or the lottery for increasing the number of games in the AT mode, etc., the lottery for shifting to the specialized zone is conducted. In the specialized zone lottery process, a table for the specialized zone shift lottery is acquired from the various table storage areas 105a of the ROM 105, and a lottery is conducted using a random number (counter) for the lottery, etc., to determine whether to shift the display mode to the specialized zone. As shown in FIG. 39, the table for the specialized zone shift lottery is set such that the winning probability of the shift lottery varies depending on the type of the special role. For example, in the specialized zone shift lottery based on the strong cherry, the winning probability is approximately 5%, and in the specialized zone shift lottery based on the weak cherry, the winning probability is approximately 0.8%. On the other hand, in the specialized zone shift lottery based on the strong watermelon, the winning probability is approximately 2%, and in the specialized zone shift lottery based on the weak watermelon, the winning probability is approximately 0.8%.

[0292] In step S1023, based on the processing result of step S1022, it is determined whether the player has won the lottery for shifting to the specialized zone. If the player has won, in step S1024, a process of setting a specialized zone winning flag in the various flag storage areas 106d is performed. Then, in step S1025, a process of acquiring the premonition game number table is performed, in step S1026, a lottery process for the premonition game number is performed, in step S1027, a process of setting the premonition game number is performed, and in step S1028, a process of setting the premonition command is performed, and then the second special role process ends. The processes of steps S1025 to S1028 are the same as the processes of steps S1006 to S1009, for example, and are processes for setting the premonition mode.

[0293] If a negative determination is made in step S1023 and the player loses in all of the VB mode transition lottery, the AT mode game count increase lottery, and the specialized zone transition lottery, then after performing the pseudo-increase notification process in step S1029, the second specific role process ends. The pseudo-increase notification process is a process for maintaining the sense of anticipation by generating an effect similar to that of winning even if the player loses in these lotteries.

[0294] <Third Specific Role Process> Next, the third specific role process executed in step S708 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 36.

[0295] In the third specific role process, a process for increasing the number of consecutive games in the AT mode and a transition lottery for determining whether to transition to the specialized zone are performed. That is, in step S1201, a lottery process for increasing the game count in the AT mode is performed. Such a process is the same as the process in step S1014. Note that the winning probability of the increase lottery in the lottery process of step S1014 and the lottery process of step S1201 may be different.

[0296] In step S1202, it is determined whether the lottery result in step S1201 is a winning result for the increase. If it is determined that the player has won the increase lottery, then in step S1203, it is determined whether the bonus winning flag is set. If the bonus winning flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S1204, and a lottery process for the increased game count in the AT mode is performed. Then, in step S1205, a process for increasing the game count in the AT mode is performed, in step S1206, a process for notifying the increase is performed, and in step S1207, a process for setting the increase command as an output target to the display control device 81 is performed, and then this third specific role process ends. The processes in steps S1203 to S1207 are the same as the processes in steps S1016 to S1020. Note that the lottery process in step S1016 and the lottery process in step S1204 may result in different increased game counts.

[0297] If a negative determination is made in step S1202, the process proceeds to step S1209. In step S1209, a lottery for transfer to the specialized zone is executed. That is, even when winning a specific role during VB mode and not winning the lottery for adding games in AT mode, a lottery for transfer to the specialized zone is conducted. The specialized zone lottery process is the same as the process of step S1022 above and is performed based on a table for the specialized zone transfer lottery (Fig. 39). The processes of steps S1210 to S1216 are the same as the processes of steps S1023 to S1029 above. Also, if it is determined in step S1203 that the bonus winning flag is set, after setting the AT mode addition flag in step S1207, the third specific role process ends. The AT mode addition flag is as described above.

[0298] Return to the explanation of the lottery result corresponding process (Fig. 31). After executing any of the processes of step S705, step S707, and step S708, in step S709, it is determined whether the result of the current lottery process is a winning of the pressing order replay or the pressing order role in the pressing order bell. If it is a winning of the pressing order role, the pressing order role process is executed in step S710. Such a pressing order role process will be described in detail later.

[0299] If a negative determination is made in step S709, or after executing the process of step S710, the process proceeds to step S711. In step S711, it is determined whether a specialized zone flag corresponding to the addition specialized zone is set in the various flag storage areas 106d of the RAM 106. The specialized zone flag is a flag that is set when a transfer to the specialized zone occurs (when the seventh replay winning is established) after the specialized zone winning flag is set based on winning the lottery for transfer to SAT mode or the lottery for transfer to the specialized zone as described above. If the specialized zone flag is set in step S711, the specialized zone process is executed in step S712. If a negative determination is made in step S711, or after executing the process of step S712, this lottery result corresponding process ends.

[0300] <Processing for Special Zone> The processing for the special zone will be described while referring to the flowchart of FIG. 37.

[0301] In the processing for the special zone, first, the result of the current lottery process is grasped in step S1301. In the subsequent step S1302, the additional game number lottery process for the AT mode is performed. In the subsequent step S1303, the additional game number process for the AT mode is performed. Then, in step S1304, the process for additional notification is executed, and after setting the additional command in step S1305, the processing for the special zone ends. The processing from step S1302 to step S1305 is the same as the processing from step S1017 to step S1020. However, the number of games selected in the additional game number lottery process in step S1302 is larger than that in the additional game number lottery process in step S1017 (FIG. 41). Also, in the special zone, it is set so that the additional game number of the AT mode always occurs regardless of the game result (FIG. 41).

[0302] As described above, in the lottery result corresponding process, if not in the advantageous section, the lottery for transition to the advantageous section is performed, and if in the advantageous section, the lottery for transition to the AT mode or VB mode, the process for increasing the number of continuous games in the AT mode, etc. are performed. In other words, even when a specific winning combination is obtained, if it is not in the advantageous section but in the normal section, the lottery for transition to the AT mode or VB mode, the process for increasing the number of continuous games in the AT mode, etc. are basically not performed and their implementation is restricted. That is, the normal section can also be said to be a section where the execution of the process related to the instruction function such as the AT mode is restricted compared to the advantageous section. When winning the lottery for transition to the AT mode or VB mode, after going through the precursor game, the winning of the lottery for transition is notified. Therefore, hereinafter, the process for shifting the game state based on the result of the lottery for transition of the display mode will be described.

[0303] <Process for Shifting the Game State Based on the Result of the Lottery for Transition of the Display Mode> (2) In the process of shifting the game state based on the result of the transition lottery for the display mode, a process for notifying the winning of the transition lottery for the display mode and a process for notifying the shift of the game state are performed. Therefore, first, the process related to the notification of winning the transition lottery will be described.

[0304] <Process for Mode Transition Notification> The notification of winning the transition lottery is performed in the process for mode transition notification (step S206) in the normal process (Figure 15). The process for mode transition notification is a process that is executed when a predetermined bet operation is performed (when it is determined that the bet amount in step S205 is the specified number). Hereinafter, the process for mode transition notification will be described with reference to the flowchart of Figure 45.

[0305] In step S1401, it is determined whether the number of omen games is 0. The count of the number of omen games is performed in the winning result corresponding process described later, and each time one game is completed, the number of omen games is decremented by 1. If the number of omen games is not 0, the process for mode transition notification is terminated as it is.

[0306] If the number of omen games is 0, in step S1402, it is determined whether the bonus winning flag is set. That is, it is determined whether the current omen mode is an omen mode triggered by winning a bonus. If the bonus winning flag is set, in step S1403, the bonus winning notification command is set as the output target to the display control device 81, and then this process for mode transition notification is terminated. The display control device 81 that has received the bonus winning notification command notifies the winning of the bonus, for example, by displaying "Bonus Confirmed!!" on the auxiliary display unit 65. Note that it may be configured to notify the type of the winning bonus (either the first BB or the second BB) together.

[0307] Incidentally, in the present embodiment, when a bonus and the AT mode or the like are both won, a winning notification for the AT mode or the like is given at the end of the bonus notified in step S1403. Although the processing related to such a winning notification will be described in detail later, when giving a winning notification for the AT mode or the like in accordance with the bonus winning notification, it is preferable to configure to set a winning notification command for the AT mode or the like in accordance with the bonus winning notification command set in step S1403.

[0308] If a negative determination is made in step S1402, the process proceeds to step S1404. In step S1404, it is determined whether or not the AT mode winning flag is set. That is, it is determined whether or not the current precursor mode is a precursor mode triggered by winning the AT mode. If the AT mode winning flag is set, in step S1405, the AT mode winning flag is cleared. Then, in step S1406, an AT notification flag is set in the various flag storage areas 106d of the RAM 106. The AT notification flag is a flag for shifting the game state to the second RT state when winning the transition lottery for the AT mode. After that, in step S1407, the AT mode winning notification command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The display control device 81 that has received the AT mode winning notification command gives a notification of winning the AT mode transition lottery by the auxiliary display unit 65 or the like. Such a notification will be described in detail later. After executing the process of step S1407, the process for notifying the mode transition ends.

[0309] Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the mode of notifying the winning of the SAT mode is different from the mode of notifying the winning of the AT mode. Therefore, in step S1407, it is preferable to configure to set the AT mode winning notification command so as to include information on whether or not it is the SAT mode. The mode of notifying the winning of the AT mode and the mode of notifying the winning of the SAT mode only need to be different to such an extent that the player can distinguish them. More preferably, the mode of notifying the winning of the SAT mode with a higher degree of advantage is more elaborate than the mode of notifying the winning of the AT mode.

[0310] Note that the winning notification modes for these AT mode and SAT mode may be made common. By doing so, it becomes possible to make the content of the winning appear as if it has been upgraded from the AT mode to the SAT mode between the AT mode winning notification game and the start notification game, and it is possible to eliminate the delay caused by the difference between the AT mode winning notification game and the start notification game.

[0311] If it is determined in step S1404 that the AT mode winning flag is not set, it is determined in step S1408 whether the VB mode winning flag is set. That is, it is determined whether the current precursor mode is a precursor mode triggered by winning the VB mode. If the VB mode winning flag is set, in step S1409, the VB mode winning flag is cleared. Then, in step S1410, a VB notification flag is set in the various flag storage areas 106d of the RAM 106. The VB notification flag is a flag for shifting the game state to the third RT state when winning the VB mode transition lottery. Thereafter, in step S1411, the VB mode winning notification command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The display control device 81 that has received the VB mode winning notification command notifies the winning of the VB mode transition lottery by the auxiliary display unit 65 or the like. Such notification will be described in detail later. After executing the process of step S1411, the mode transition notification process is terminated.

[0312] If it is determined in step S1408 that the VB mode win flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S1412. In step S1412, it is determined whether the specialized zone win flag is set. If it is not set, the mode transition notification process is terminated. If it is set, the specialized zone win flag is cleared in step S1413. Then, in step S1414, a specialized zone notification flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. The specialized zone notification flag is a flag for executing a push order notification corresponding to the seventh re-play win. After executing the process of step S1414, in step S1415, a specialized zone win notification command is set as an output target to the display control device 81, and then the mode transition notification process is terminated. Upon receiving the specialized zone win notification command, the display control device 81 controls the auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64 to notify the player that the specialized zone has been won.

[0313] That is, for the AT mode, VB mode, and specialized zone, which transition via the premonition mode, only the notification of winning the AT mode transition lottery or VB mode transition lottery is made based on the bet operation when the number of premonition games in the premonition mode reaches 0, and the AT mode, VB mode, and specialized zone do not start even if the number of premonition games reaches 0. This is because the AT mode and VB mode as display modes involve a transition of the game state; specifically, the AT mode starts with a transition to the second RT state, and the VB mode starts with a transition to the third RT state. Note that the specialized zone may not involve a transition of the game state (third RT state → third RT state), but in this embodiment, the seventh replay winning game in the third RT state is set as the starting game, so the above processing configuration is used.

[0314] As described above, the transition to the second RT state occurs when one of the first promotion replays 1 to 4 is won and the third replay winning is established. The transition to the third RT state occurs when one of the second promotion replays 1 and 2 is won and the fourth and fifth replay winnings are established. The cases where one of the first promotion replays 1 to 4 is won and the third replay winning is established, or one of the second promotion replays 1 and 2 is won and the fourth and fifth replay winnings are established, are those where the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 at the time of winning the promotion replay corresponds to the third replay winning or the like. Therefore, when winning the lottery for the transition to the AT mode or the VB mode, thereafter, in the game that has won the role of causing these game states to transition, the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 is notified to enable the transition of the game state. Note that, from the notification of winning the lottery for the transition to the AT mode or the VB mode until the AT mode or the VB mode is started (until the game state transitions), a notification in the preparation state (for example, a notification saying "preparing") is made.

[0315] <Explanation regarding the transition of the display mode> The process for notification for transitioning the game state is performed in the push order role process (step S710) in the lottery result corresponding process (Fig. 31). Here, prior to the explanation of the push order role process, the outline of the case where the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 is notified will be explained with reference to Fig. 46.

[0316] <Outline of the push order notification effect> The notification of the operation order at the time of winning the push order role (push order notification, push order notification effect, order notification, mode notification) is mainly performed on the auxiliary display unit 65 and the instruction monitor 68. Here, taking the case of winning the push order role when the operation order to be notified this time is middle → right → left as an example, the push order notification effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 will be explained. The push order notification on the instruction monitor 68 will be explained in detail later.

[0317] As shown in FIG. 46(a), in the auxiliary display unit 65, among the three button displays arranged in parallel corresponding to the stop switches 42 to 44, the button display corresponding to the stop switch to be operated first (the middle button display corresponding to the middle stop switch 43 in the figure) is marked with the number 1 and is displayed larger than the other button displays. Also, each button display is displayed in the color corresponding to the winning combination (yellow for bells, blue for replay games, etc.). Thereby, the player can recognize the winning combination in the current game and that the stop switch to be operated first is the middle stop switch 43. Also, in the auxiliary display unit 65, the number 2 is attached to and displayed on the right button display to indicate that the next stop switch to be operated is the right stop switch 44, and the number 3 is attached to and displayed on the left button display to indicate that the last stop switch to be operated is the left stop switch 42.

[0318] When the player operates the middle stop switch 43, as shown in FIG. 46(b), in the auxiliary display unit 65, the middle button display corresponding to the middle stop switch 43 disappears, and the right button display corresponding to the right stop switch 44 is displayed larger. Thereby, the player can confirm that the operation of the middle stop switch 43 is completed and that the next stop switch to be operated is the right stop switch 44.

[0319] When the player operates the right stop switch 44, as shown in FIG. 46(c), in the auxiliary display unit 65, the right button display corresponding to the right stop switch 44 disappears, and the left button display corresponding to the left stop switch 42 is displayed larger. Thereby, the player can confirm that the operation of the right stop switch 44 is completed and that the next stop switch to be operated is the left stop switch 42.

[0320] Regarding the execution timing of the push order notification, it is set such that the push order notification is executed during the invalid period of the stop switches 42 to 44 from the start of the rotation of each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R until it reaches a constant speed rotation after passing through an acceleration period. By adopting a configuration in which the push order notification is executed at a timing earlier than when the operations of the stop switches 42 to 44 become effective, it becomes possible to make the operations of the stop switches 42 to 44 desirable after recognizing the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and the game can proceed smoothly.

[0321] <Push order winning combination process> Next, the push order winning combination process executed in step S710 in the lottery result corresponding process (Fig. 31) will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 47.

[0322] In step S1501, it is determined whether the current lottery result is any one of the first promotion replays 1 to 4. A positive determination in step S1501 means that the first replay game or the third replay game wins according to the operation order of the current game. In this case, the process proceeds to step S1502, and it is determined whether an AT notification flag is set in the various flag storage areas 106d of the RAM 106. As already described, the AT notification flag is a flag that is set when the number of omen games in the omen mode becomes 0 after winning the lottery for the transition to the AT mode in the mode transition notification process (Fig. 45).

[0323] If the AT notification flag is set, in step S1503, the process for the push order notification of the third replay game is executed. Specifically, the operation order corresponding to the winning of the third replay game among the first replay game and the third replay game is notified (see Fig. 23(a)). Then, in step S1504, after performing the process of setting the push order notification command as the output target to the display control device 81 which is the sub-control device, this push order winning combination process ends. The push order notification command includes information on the current display mode and information on the lottery result. The process on the display control device 81 side based on receiving the push order notification command will be described in detail later.

[0324] In step S1503, the notification of the operation sequence corresponding to the third re-play win basically occurs after the lottery for transition to the AT mode is won, and the AT mode win notification is made after the premonition mode, but before the transition to the AT mode. That is, the lottery table in the second RT state and the third RT state does not allow the first promotion replays 1 to 4 to be won, and the first promotion replays 1 to 4 are won only in the first RT state. However, even in the AT mode, there are cases where the game state falls from the second RT state to the first RT state due to an incorrect operation, etc., and even in such a case, it is possible to quickly return to the second RT state by winning the first promotion replays 1 to 4.

[0325] If a negative judgment is made in step S1501, it is determined in step S1505 whether the current lottery result is one of Fall Replays 1 to 3. A positive judgment in step S1505 means that the first replay or the second replay will win based on the operation sequence of the current game. In this case, it is determined in step S1506 whether the AT notification flag is set. If the AT notification flag is set, processing for notifying the push order for the first replay is executed in step S1507. Specifically, the operation sequence corresponding to the first replay winning, of the first replay and the second replay, is notified (see Figure 23(b)). Thereafter, in step S1508, a process for setting a push order notification command is performed, and then this push order winning process is terminated.

[0326] Thus, when winning the first promotion replay 1 to 4 in the situation of winning the lottery for shifting to the AT mode, the notification of the operation order corresponding to the third replay winning is performed, so that the game state can be shifted to the second RT state. On the other hand, when the negative determination is made in step S1502, the process for the push order notification is not performed, and the push order role process is terminated as it is. Therefore, for example, in the first RT state, even if winning the first promotion replay 1 to 4 without winning the AT mode, there are cases where the first replay winning is established and cases where the third replay winning is established.

[0327] Also, when winning the fall replay 1 to 3 in the situation where the AT notification flag is set, the notification of the operation order corresponding to the first replay winning is performed, so that it is possible not to shift the game state to the first RT state. On the other hand, when the negative determination is made in step S1506, the process for the push order notification is not performed, and the push order role process is terminated as it is. Therefore, for example, when the AT mode ends and the AT notification flag is cleared and the display mode shifts to the normal mode, there may be cases where the second replay winning is established by winning the fall replay 1 to 3, and the RT state shifts from the second RT state or the third RT state to the first RT state.

[0328] Also, for example, in the first RT state, even if winning the first promotion replay 1 to 4 without winning the AT mode and by chance the operation order corresponds to the third replay winning and the third replay winning is established (even when shifting to the second RT state), the second replay winning may be established by winning the fall replay 1 to 3. Therefore, as described above, even when accidentally shifting to the second RT state without winning the AT mode, subsequently, it will quickly shift to the first RT state.

[0329] If a negative determination is made in step S1505, then in step S1509, it is determined whether the current lottery result is either the second promotion replay 1 or 2. A positive determination in step S1509 means that, depending on the operation order of the current game, the first replay game, the fourth replay game, or the fifth replay game wins. In this case, in step S1510, it is determined whether the above-mentioned notification flag for the AT is set. If the notification flag for the AT is set, then in step S1511, it is determined whether the notification flag for the VB or the notification flag for the specialized zone is set in the various flag storage areas 106d of the RAM 106. As already explained, the notification flag for the VB is a flag that is set when the number of preview games in the preview mode becomes 0 after winning the lottery for the transition to the VB mode in the mode transition notification process (Figure 45). Also, the notification flag for the specialized zone is a flag that is set when the number of preview games in the preview mode becomes 0 after winning the lottery for the transition to the specialized zone in the mode transition notification process (Figure 45).

[0330] If the notification flag for the VB or the notification flag for the specialized zone is set, then in step S1512, the process for notifying the pressing order for the fourth replay game or the fifth replay game is executed. Specifically, among the first replay game, the fourth replay game, and the fifth replay game, the operation order corresponding to the winning of the fourth replay game or the winning of the fifth replay game is notified (see Figure 23(b)). After that, in step S1513, the process of setting the pressing order notification command is performed, and then this pressing order role process ends.

[0331] If a negative determination is made in step S1510, then the pressing order role process ends without performing the process for notifying the pressing order. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S1511, then in step S1507, the process for notifying the pressing order for the first replay game is executed, and in step S1508, the process of setting the pressing order notification command is performed, and then this pressing order role process ends. Therefore, when winning the second promotion replay 1 or 2 without winning the VB mode or the specialized zone, if it is during the AT mode, the pressing order notification effect corresponding to the winning of the first replay game is performed, and if it is not during the AT mode, the pressing order notification effect is not performed.

[0332] If a negative determination is made in step S1509, then in step S1514, it is determined whether the current lottery result is a BAR replay. A positive determination in step S1514 means that depending on the operation order of the current game, any one of the first replay game, the third replay game, and the sixth to eighth replay games wins. In this case, in step S1515, it is determined whether the AT notification flag is set. If the AT notification flag is set, then in step S1516, it is determined whether the specialized zone notification flag is set. If the AT notification flag is set and the specialized zone notification flag is set, then in step S1517, the process for notifying the pressing order of the seventh replay game is executed. Specifically, among the first replay game, the third replay game, and the sixth to eighth replay games, the operation order corresponding to the winning of the seventh replay game is notified (see Fig. 23(c)). After that, in step S1518, after the process of setting the pressing order notification command is performed, this pressing order role process ends.

[0333] If a negative determination is made in step S1515, then the pressing order role process ends without performing the process for notifying the pressing order. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S1516, then in step S1503, the process for notifying the pressing order of the third replay game is executed, and in step S1504, after the process of setting the pressing order notification command is performed, this pressing order role process ends. Therefore, when winning the BAR replay without winning the VB mode or the specialized zone, if it is in the AT mode, the pressing order notification effect corresponding to the winning of the third replay game is performed and the transition to the second RT state occurs, and if it is not in the AT mode, the pressing order notification effect is not performed.

[0334] If a negative determination is made in step S1514, in step S1519, it is determined whether the current lottery result is a winning bell in the push order. If it is a winning bell in the push order, in step S1520, it is determined whether the AT notification flag is set. If it is set, in step S1521, the process for push order notification for notifying the operation order corresponding to the first minor winning is executed (see FIG. 19). Then, in step S1522, after the process of setting the push order notification command is performed, this push order winning process ends. If a negative determination is made in step S1520, this push order winning process ends as it is without performing the process for push order notification.

[0335] In addition, when winning the push order bell with the AT notification flag set (when an affirmative determination is made in step S1520), if the current game state is the normal game state, it is preferable not to perform the push order notification corresponding to the first minor winning. By doing so, the transition outcome stops, and it becomes possible to transition the game state to the first RT state, that is, to subsequently win the first promotion replay 1 to 4 and transition to the high RT state.

[0336] If a negative determination is made in step S1519, in step S1523, it is determined whether the current lottery result is a transition replay. If it is a winning transition replay, in step S1524, the process for special notification is executed and then the push order winning process ends. Also, if a negative determination is made in step S1523, the push order winning process ends. The process for special notification in step S1524 is a process for transitioning to the fourth RT state when winning the transition replay. As already described, in this embodiment, it is set so as not to win the transition replay in any game state. Therefore, the transition to the fourth RT state does not occur either. The process in step S1524 will be described in detail when explaining an embodiment that is set so as to be able to win the transition replay.

[0337] <Process for transitioning the display mode based on the winning result> <Processing corresponding to the winning result> Next, the process when a winning combination corresponding to the transition of the gaming state is won as a result of the notification for transitioning the gaming state as described above will be explained (3). This process is performed in the winning result corresponding process (step S414) in the reel control process (FIG. 18). The winning result corresponding process will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0338] In step S1601, a game count management process is executed. Details will be described later, but this game count management process counts the number of premonition games in the premonition mode, as well as the number of continued games in the AT mode, VB mode, and specialized zone. In the following step S1602, a post-addition notification process is executed. The post-addition notification process is a process for performing the post-addition notification described in FIG. 42 above, and executes a post-addition notification (post-addition notification) corresponding to the post-addition counter BG on the condition that the post-addition flag is set based on the display remaining number counter HG reaching a predetermined value (1). Then, a value corresponding to the executed post-addition notification is added to the display remaining number counter HG and subtracted from the post-addition counter BG, and the post-addition flag is cleared on the condition that the post-addition counter BG is 0.

[0339] In the subsequent step S1603, it is determined whether or not the current stop result satisfies the third replay winning. As described above, when the third replay winning is satisfied, in the RT state process (FIG. 21), a process for shifting the game state to the second RT state is performed. In this case, in step S1604, it is determined whether or not the AT notification flag is set. The case where the AT notification flag is not set is a case where the third replay winning is satisfied without the condition for shifting to the AT mode being satisfied. In this case, without performing the process for starting the AT mode, the process corresponding to the winning result is terminated as it is. When the AT notification flag is set, in step S1605, it is determined whether or not the current display mode is in the AT mode. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the AT mode flag is set in the various flag storage areas 106d. As described above, the AT mode flag is a flag for the CPU 102 to identify that the display mode is the AT mode. Incidentally, as flags for identifying the display mode, in addition to the AT mode flag, a VB mode flag, a specialized zone flag, and a BB mode flag are provided. In the present embodiment, when the display mode is a mode (VB mode, additional specialized zone) corresponding to an RT state higher than the AT mode, the AT mode flag coexists with the corresponding flag (VB mode flag, specialized zone flag) of that mode. Therefore, for example, the case where it is determined in step S1605 that the AT mode flag is set includes not only the case where it is in the AT mode but also the case where it is in the VB mode or the specialized zone.

[0340] In step S1605, when the AT mode flag is set, since the display mode is already the AT mode, the process corresponding to this winning result is terminated as it is. On the other hand, when the AT mode flag is not set, the process for starting the AT mode is performed in steps S1606 to S1609.

[0341] That is, in step S1606, the AT mode flag is set. In the subsequent step S1607, the AT mode start command is set as the output target to the display control device 81. The display control device 81 that has received the AT mode start command notifies the auxiliary display unit 65 or the like that the AT mode will start from the next game. Such notification will be described in detail later. After that, in step S1608, the counting of the AT mode continuation count starts. Specifically, an initial value (for example, 50) of the number of continuous games in the AT mode is set in the AT mode continuation counter provided in each counter area 106e of the RAM 106.

[0342] After the process of step S1608 is performed, it is determined in step S1609 whether the specialization zone flag is set. A positive determination in step S1609 means that the AT mode won this time is the SAT mode. In this case, after clearing the specialization zone winning flag in step S1610, the process proceeds to the process for starting the additional specialization zone (steps S1619 to S1621). The process for starting the additional specialization zone will be described later. If a negative determination is made in step S1609, the prize result corresponding process is terminated as it is.

[0343] If it is determined in step S1603 that the third replay win has not been achieved, the process proceeds to step S1611. In step S1611, it is determined whether the fourth and fifth replay wins have been achieved as the current stop result. As described above, if the fourth and fifth replay wins have been achieved, the RT state process (FIG. 21) performs processing to transition the game state to the third RT state. In this case, in step S1612, it is determined whether the VB notification flag is set. If the VB notification flag is not set, this means that the fourth and fifth replay wins have been achieved without winning the VB mode transition lottery. In this case, the winning result response process is terminated without performing the VB mode start process. If the VB notification flag is set, it is determined in step S1613 whether the VB mode flag is set. If the VB mode flag is set, the display mode is already VB mode, so the winning result response process is terminated. On the other hand, if the VB mode flag is not set, processing for starting the VB mode is performed in steps S1614 to S1616.

[0344] That is, in step S1614, a process is performed to set the VB mode flag. In this case, the AT mode flag and the VB mode flag coexist in the various flag storage area 106d. This is because VB mode is a mode to which a transition occurs via AT mode, and after VB mode ends, a transition to AT mode is always made.

[0345] After that, in step S1615, the VB mode start command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The display control device 81 that has received the VB mode start command notifies, via the auxiliary display unit 65 or the like, that the VB mode will be started from the next game. Such notification will be described in detail later. Then, in step S1616, counting of the VB mode continuation number is started. Specifically, an initial value (for example, 25) of the number of continuous games in the VB mode is set in the VB mode continuation counter provided in each counter area 106e of the RAM 106. After the process of step S1616 is performed, this winning result corresponding process ends.

[0346] If it is determined in step S1611 that the fourth and fifth replay winnings have not been established, the process proceeds to step S1617. In step S1617, it is determined whether or not the seventh replay winning has been established as the current stop result. In the present embodiment, when the seventh replay winning is established, that is, when the "black BAR" symbol stops in the middle stage of the left reel 32L, the "black BAR" symbol stops in the middle stage of the middle reel 32M, and the "black BAR" symbol stops in the middle stage of the right reel 32R, and the "black BAR" symbol stops on the middle combination line, the configuration is such that it shifts to the bonus specialization zone. Note that the case where the seventh replay winning is established is the case where the player has won the BAR replay 1 and the stop switches 42 to 44 have been operated in the operation order corresponding to the seventh replay winning (FIG. 23(c)).

[0347] If the seventh replay winning is established, in step S1618, it is determined whether or not the notification flag for the specialization zone is set. If the notification flag for the specialization zone is set, the processes for starting the specialization zone are performed in steps S1619 to S1621. As already described, when a positive determination is made in step S1609 and the process of step S1610 is performed at the start of the SAT mode, the processes of steps S1619 to S1621 are also performed.

[0348] Specifically, in step S1619, a process of setting a specialization zone flag in various flag storage areas 106d of the RAM 106 is performed. The specialization zone flag is a flag for the CPU 102 to recognize that the above-mentioned overlaid specialization zone exists. When the specialization zone flag is set, the counting of the number of continuous games in the AT mode and the VB mode is stopped. In this case, in the various flag storage areas 106d, the AT mode flag, the VB mode flag, and the specialization zone flag may coexist.

[0349] After that, in step S1620, a specialization zone start command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The display control device 81 that has received the specialization zone start command notifies the auxiliary display unit 65 or the like that the specialization zone will start from the next game. Such notification will be described in detail later. Then, in step S1621, the counting of the number of continuous specialization zones is started. Specifically, an initial value (for example, 5) of the number of continuous games in the specialization zone is set in the specialization zone continuous counter provided in the various counter areas 106e of the RAM 106. After the process of step S1621 is performed, this winning result corresponding process ends.

[0350] If it is determined in step S1617 that the seventh replay winning has not been established, or if a negative determination is made in step S1618, the process proceeds to step S1622. In step S1622, it is determined whether the eleventh and twelfth replay winnings are established as the current stop result. As described above, in this embodiment, the eleventh and twelfth replay winnings are set not to be established, so a negative determination is made in step S1622 in this embodiment. In this case, the winning result corresponding process ends as it is. In an embodiment where the eleventh and twelfth replay winnings can be established, an affirmative determination can be made in step S1622. In this case, after executing the fourth RT transition process corresponding to shifting the game state to the fourth RT state in step S1623, the winning result corresponding process ends. The fourth RT transition process will be described in detail when describing an embodiment in which the eleventh and twelfth replays can be won.

[0351] As described above, a process for transitioning the display mode is performed separately from the RT state process (Fig. 21) based on the winning combination that corresponds to transitioning the gaming state to the second RT state to the fourth RT state. This is to avoid the AT mode, etc., being started based on the winning combination that corresponds to transitioning the gaming state by chance, even though the lottery for transitioning the display mode has not been won.

[0352] Furthermore, when transitioning between display modes involves a transition of the game state, transitions to higher modes, i.e., transitions from normal mode to AT mode, transitions from AT mode to VB mode, or transitions from AT mode or VB mode to a specialized zone, are configured to be transitions based on the winning result of the corresponding role. Therefore, the transition of the display mode and the transition of the game state are performed in the same game. On the other hand, when transitioning to a lower mode, for example, when the game state is transitioned due to a second replay win as a fall replay or the stopping of a transition result, the display mode is not transitioned. When transitioning to such a lower mode, the game state is managed by the winning result (RT state processing), while the display mode is managed by the number of games. Therefore, when transitioning to these lower modes, the transition of the game state and the transition of the display mode may occur in separate games.

[0353] <Game Count Management Processing> The number-of-games management process executed in step S1601 of the winning result response process will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 49. In the number-of-games management process, the number of premonition games in the premonition mode is counted, and the number of continued games in the AT mode, VB mode, and specialized zone is counted, and when the number of continued games in these display modes reaches 0, processing is performed to end the corresponding display mode.

[0354] In the game count management process, first, at step S1701, it is determined whether the bet number is a specific number. As already explained, in this embodiment, each game can be played with a bet number of 1 to 3, and at step S1701, it is determined whether the specific number is 3 bets among these. If it is not 3 bets, the game count management process ends as it is. That is, in 1 - bet or 2 - bet games, the count of the number of games in the omen mode is not performed. Note that it may also be configured to perform the count regardless of the bet number.

[0355] If the current game is a 3 - bet game, the process proceeds to step S1702. At step S1702, it is determined whether the bonus winning flag is set or it is in the bonus state. If an affirmative determination is made at step S1702, after performing the process of clearing the flags for various display modes such as the AT mode flag, VB mode flag, and specialization zone flag at step S1703, this game count management process ends. That is, when the bonus winning flag is set or during the bonus, the count of the number of games in the AT mode etc. is not performed. Note that at step S1703, if each flag is not set, that state is maintained.

[0356] Incidentally, at step S1703, while clearing the AT mode flag, VB mode flag, etc., the AT notification flag and VB notification flag are not cleared. Therefore, after the bonus ends, after going through the preparation state of the AT mode etc., based on these flags, the push - order notification for shifting the game state is performed and it becomes possible to return to the game state before the bonus. On the other hand, when a bonus is won during the specialization zone, the specialization zone ends due to the bonus win. Also, at step S1703, the AT mode winning flag etc. are not cleared. Therefore, when there is a simultaneous win of the AT mode etc. and the bonus, after the bonus ends, the winning notification based on these winning flags is performed.

[0357] If a negative determination is made in step S1702, in step S1704, it is determined whether the number of precursor games is 0. If it is not 0, in step S1705, a process of subtracting 1 from the number of precursor games is performed. If the number of precursor games is 0 in step S1704 (when not in the precursor mode), or after the process of step S1705 is executed, in steps S1706 to S1723, a count process of the number of continuous games in each mode is performed.

[0358] That is, in step S1706, it is determined whether the current display mode is the AT mode. If it is the AT mode, the process proceeds to step S1707, and it is determined whether it is a specialized zone during the AT mode. That is, when shifting to the specialized zone at the start of the AT mode like the SAT mode, an affirmative determination is made in step S1707. If it is within the specialized zone, in steps S1720 to S1723, a game number management process for the specialized zone is performed. These processes will be described later.

[0359] If it is determined in step S1707 that it is not in the specialized zone, in step S1708, by performing a process of subtracting 1 from the AT mode continuation counter, the number of continuous games in the AT mode is subtracted. Then, in step S1709, it is determined whether the AT mode continuation counter is 0. If it is not 0, the game number management process is terminated as it is. If it is 0, in step S1710, the AT mode flag is cleared, and in step S1711, the AT notification flag is cleared. Thereafter, in step S1712, the AT mode end command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. After the process of step S1712 is performed, the game number management process is terminated.

[0360] If it is determined in step S1706 that it is not in the AT mode, the process proceeds to step S1713. In step S1713, it is determined whether the current display mode is the VB mode. If it is the VB mode, the process proceeds to step S1714, and it is determined whether it is the overlaid specialized zone. If it is not the overlaid specialized zone, in step S1715, the VB mode continuation counter is decremented by 1 to subtract the number of VB mode continuation games. Then, in step S1716, it is determined whether the VB mode continuation counter is 0. If it is not 0, the game number management process ends as it is. If it is 0, in step S1717, the VB mode flag is cleared, and in step S1718, the VB notification flag is cleared. Thereafter, in step S1719, the VB mode end command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. In the display control device 81 that has received the VB mode end command, the auxiliary display unit 65 or the like notifies that the VB mode ends in this game. Such notification will be described in detail later. After performing the process of step S1719, the game number management process ends.

[0361] In step S1714, if it is determined that it is a superimposition specialization zone, the process proceeds to step S1720. As already described, when it is determined in step S1707 that it is a specialization zone during the AT mode, the process also proceeds to step S1720. In step S1720, the number of continuous games in the specialization zone is decreased by performing a process of subtracting 1 from the specialization zone continuous counter. Then, in step S1721, it is determined whether the specialization zone continuous counter is 0. If it is 0, in step S1722, the specialization zone flag is cleared, and in step S1723, the specialization zone end command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. In the display control device 81 that has received the specialization zone end command, the auxiliary display unit 65 or the like notifies that the specialization zone ends in the current game. Such notification includes, for example, notifying the total number of games in which the superimposition was successfully performed in the current specialization zone. After the process of step S1723 is performed, the game number management process ends. If a negative determination is made in step S1713 or step S1721, the game number management process ends as it is.

[0362] <End determination process> Next, as the process at the end of the bonus, the end determination process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 50. As already described, the end determination process is the process performed in step S614 in the bonus state process (FIG. 27). In the end determination process, it is determined whether the bonus end condition is satisfied, and when the bonus ends, for the AT mode or the like that was won after the bonus winning and before the bonus prize, or for the AT mode or the like that was won during the bonus, the process for notifying the winning and the process for increasing the number of games of the AT mode or the like are performed.

[0363] That is, in step S1801, it is determined whether a small winning combination has been formed. During the bonuses of the first BB or the second BB, the first combination during BB is highly likely to be formed, and in part, so-called rare combinations such as the second combination during BB, the third combination during BB, strong cherry, and strong watermelon are formed (Figure 28). When the first combination during BB is won, mainly the first small winning combination is formed and 9 medals are paid out. In other cases, 3 to 9 medals are paid out, or it is missed and no medal payout occurs. Also, during CB, when winning any of the small combinations 1 to 4 during CB, in any case, mainly the first small winning combination is formed and a predetermined number (15) of medals are paid out. Step S1801 is a process of determining whether a small winning combination that results in a medal payout has been formed among the combinations that can be won during these bonuses or CB.

[0364] If it is determined in step S1801 that a small winning combination has been formed, then in step S1802, a process of subtracting the payout number of the current game from the remaining payout number is performed. If a negative determination is made in step S1801, or after the process of step S1802 is executed, in step S1803, it is determined whether the remaining payout number has become 0. If it is not 0, the end determination process is simply ended. If it is 0, after setting the bonus end command as an output target to the display control device 81 in step S1804, in steps S1805 to S1814, processes for winning notification such as the AT mode and processes for adding to the number of continuous games such as the AT mode are performed.

[0365] In step S1805, it is determined whether the AT mode hit flag is set. If the AT mode hit flag is set, a lottery process for the number of premonition games is performed in step S1806, the number of premonition games is set in step S1807, and a premonition command is set in step S1808. Incidentally, in this embodiment, in the lottery process for the number of premonition games in step S1806, a lottery is performed in which the number of premonition games is 0 with a 100% probability. In other words, in step S1807, the number of premonition games is always set to 0, and a win notification for the AT mode, etc. is made in the game next to the bonus end game. After executing the process in step S1808, the end determination process is terminated.

[0366] If the AT mode hit flag is not set in step S1805, it is determined in step S1809 whether the VB mode hit flag is set. If the VB mode hit flag is set, the process for the premonition mode in steps S1806 to S1808 is performed, and then the end determination process is terminated.

[0367] The bonus ends when the AT mode winning flag is set if the AT mode and bonus are won simultaneously, if the AT mode is won after the bonus is won but before the bonus is won, if the AT mode is won during a bonus, or if the bonus is won during the premonition mode of the AT mode winning announcement. On the other hand, the bonus ends when the VB mode winning flag is set if the VB mode and bonus are won simultaneously during the AT mode, if the VB mode is won after the bonus is won but before the bonus is won, if the VB mode is won during a bonus, or if the bonus is won during the premonition mode of the VB mode winning announcement.

[0368] If the VB mode selection flag is not set in step S1809, the process proceeds to step S1810. In step S1810, it is determined whether the AT mode override flag is set. If the AT mode override flag is not set, the end determination process is terminated as it is. If the AT mode override flag is set, in step S1811, the AT mode override game number lottery process is performed, in step S1812, the AT mode game number override process is performed, in step S1813, the override notification process is performed, and in step S1814, the override command is set. The processes of steps S1811 to S1814 are the same as the processes of steps S1017 to S1020. After executing the process of step S1814, the end determination process is terminated.

[0369] As described above, on the main control device 101 side, as a result of performing each of the following processes: (1) a process related to the lottery for shifting the display mode, (2) a process for shifting the game state based on the result of the lottery for shifting the display mode, and (3) a process for shifting the display mode based on the winning result, the auxiliary display unit 65 generates a push order notification effect, and the game state also shifts so as to follow the shift of the display mode. Furthermore, the push order bell winning can be generated by the push order notification effect of the auxiliary display unit 65, and a large number of medals can be expected to be obtained.

[0370] Here, when the push order replay or the push order bell winning occurs and the push order notification effect (push order notification effect by the display control device 81) by the auxiliary display unit 65 is performed, in addition to the push order notification effect, the push order is also notified on the instruction monitor 68 connected to the main control device 101. The configuration of this instruction monitor 68 will be described with reference to FIG. 51. FIG. 51(a) is a front view of the instruction monitor 68, and FIG. 51(b) is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the display mode and the display content of the instruction monitor 68.

[0371] As shown in FIG. 51(a), the indication monitor 68 is provided with eight display segments N1 to N8. Each display segment N1 to N8 has an individual light source made up of an LED, and by controlling the on / off of each individual light source, it is possible to light up any one display segment or any combination of display segments. This allows the indication monitor 68 to individually display predetermined symbols (including letters and numbers). Note that each of the individual light sources emits light of the same color, so the same color is displayed on each of the display segments N1 to N8.

[0372] More specifically, the first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7 are all linear display segments, and are arranged so that they can display at least the numbers "1" to "6." The eighth display segment N8 is a circular display segment, and is arranged laterally in the lower right portion of the area where the first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7 are arranged. Therefore, the indication monitor 68 can display at least the numbers "1" to "6," "1." to "6.", and "."

[0373] As long as the indicator monitor 68 can individually display multiple patterns of symbols, the shape and arrangement of the display segments N1-N8 are arbitrary, and a configuration using seven or nine segments instead of eight segments is also possible. Furthermore, it is not essential that the colors displayed by the display segments N1-N8 be the same; the colors displayed by the display segments N1-N8 may be appropriately changed. Furthermore, it is not essential to control the on / off of the light source to turn on or off each of the display segments N1-N8; as long as the display can be individually controlled for each of the display segments N1-N8, a segment display device may be formed using a single backlight and liquid crystal display. Furthermore, instead of applying a segment display to each display area, symbols may be displayed using other types of display devices, such as a liquid crystal display device, an organic electroluminescence display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT), or a dot matrix display.

[0374] The first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7 are display segments used to notify the operation sequence of the push order combination. For example, as shown in FIG. 51(b), if the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in the order of "left" → "center" → "right" to perform the stop operations in this order, which results in a winning mode advantageous to the player, the sixth display segment N6 and the seventh display segment N7 are lit to display "1." Also, if the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in the order of "right" → "left" → "center" to perform the stop operations in this order, which results in a winning mode advantageous to the player, the first display segment N1, the second display segment N2, the third display segment N3, the fifth display segment N5, and the sixth display segment N6 are lit to display "5." In other words, the numbers (symbols) displayed on each display segment N1 to N7 correspond one-to-one to the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and by operating the stop switches 42 to 44 to stop based on the numbers (symbols) displayed on the display segments N1 to N7, the player can win in an advantageous manner.

[0375] When a predetermined start condition including notification conditions where the 8th display segment N8 shifts to a favorable section and AT mode winning notification is performed and an AT notification flag is set, etc., and a push order notification can occur is satisfied, it lights up in the game where the start condition is satisfied. Also, it turns off when the AT mode or SAT mode ends and the game shifts from the favorable section to the normal section.

[0376] That is, a navigation state (AT mode, SAT mode, high-frequency mode) that makes it easier for the player to win in a favorable manner for the player by making it easier to notify the operation order of the push order bell or push order replay, a chance state (CZ mode, first BB, high-probability mode) that makes it easier to win the lottery for shifting to the navigation state, or a winning state (winning mode) that has won the lottery for shifting to the navigation state or chance state but has not shifted to these navigation states or chance states. An interval including these is defined as a favorable section (specific game state, specific mode). The 8th display segment N8 serves as an interval display (specific notification means) that lights up during a specific interval in the favorable section so that benefits can be obtained through push order notification, and turns off during the normal section that is not the favorable section or during a non-specific interval that is the favorable section but not the specific interval.

[0377] As already described, the instruction monitor 68 having the 1st display segment N1 to the 7th display segment N7 as push order displays and the 8th display segment N8 as an interval display is arranged near the side of the paid-out number display section 62 on the game panel 25. That is, the instruction monitor 68 is arranged above the stop switches 42 to 44 etc. operated by the player. In other words, it is not arranged on the decorative panel which is the front part of the gaming machine below the position where the stop switches 42 to 44 etc. are provided. Therefore, it can be said that the 8th display segment N8 is less likely to be hidden by the hand etc. operating the stop switches 42 to 44 etc. and is arranged at a position where it is easy for the player to visually recognize. Also, since it is arranged near the paid-out number display section 62 which is easy for the player aiming to acquire medals to focus on while progressing the game, it can be said that overlooking by the player is suppressed.

[0378] Furthermore, in the instruction monitor 68, particularly for the eighth display segment N8, the brightness of the corresponding LED is determined so as to be higher than the brightness of the surrounding display portions (for example, the payout number display portion 62 or the backlight of the game panel 25) (more specifically, so as to be twice the brightness of the surrounding display portions). Therefore, even when both the eighth display segment N8 and the surrounding display portions are under emission control (when in the lit state), the eighth display segment N8 stands out prominently. Regarding the illuminance directed toward the front of the gaming machine, the illuminance of the corresponding LED is also determined so that the eighth display segment N8 has a higher illuminance directed toward the front of the gaming machine than the surrounding display portions (more specifically, so as to be twice the illuminance of the surrounding display portions). From such a configuration as well, the visibility of the eighth display segment N8 is improved, and overlooking when the eighth display segment N8 is in the lit state is suppressed.

[0379] Hereinafter, as processing related to the lighting / extinguishing of the eighth display segment N8, the section display first processing and the section display second processing will be described.

[0380] <Section display first processing> First, the section display first processing will be described with reference to FIG. 52. The section display first processing is processing implemented in step S316 in the lottery processing (FIG. 16), and is implemented after the lottery result of the game is determined based on the operation of the start lever 41 and the shift lottery of the display mode etc. (lottery result corresponding processing) is performed based on the lottery result.

[0381] In step S1901, it is determined whether the eighth display segment N8 as the section display is being displayed, more specifically, whether the eighth display segment N8 is lit. As described above, the case where the eighth display segment N8 is lit indicates a specific section in the advantageous section where at least the notification condition for which the push order notification can occur is satisfied. If a negative determination is made in step S1901 and it is determined that the eighth display segment N8 is extinguished, the process proceeds to step S1902.

[0382] In step S1902, it is determined whether an advantageous section flag is set in the various flag storage areas 106d. As already described, the advantageous section flag is a flag that is set when winning the transition lottery to the advantageous section in the advantageous section transition lottery process (Fig. 32). If the advantageous section flag is set, in step S1903, it is determined whether an advantageous section winning game flag is set. The advantageous section winning game flag is a flag that is set when winning the advantageous section transition lottery in the above-mentioned advantageous section transition lottery process, and is a flag for the CPU 102 to identify that it is the winning game. If the advantageous section winning game flag is set, in step S1904, a process of clearing the advantageous section winning game flag is executed. If the advantageous section winning game flag is not set in step S1903, the process proceeds to step S1905.

[0383] In step S1905, it is determined whether the counting of the number of games in the advantageous section, more specifically, whether the measurement of the advantageous section game number AG in the various counter areas 106e has started. If the measurement of the advantageous section game number AG has not started, in step S1906, a process of starting the measurement of the advantageous section game number AG is performed. The advantageous section game number AG corresponds to a grasping means for grasping the number of executed games in the advantageous section, and a process of adding 1 to each game in the advantageous section is executed.

[0384] If it is determined in step S1905 that the measurement has already started, or after the process of step S1906 is executed, the process proceeds to step S1907. In step S1907, it is determined whether the AT notification flag is set. As already explained, when the AT mode winning notification is performed and the AT notification flag is set, the push order notification at the time of winning the push order role can occur, and the above notification conditions are satisfied. If it is determined in step S1907 that the AT notification flag is set, in step S1908, the display of the section indicator is started by lighting the eighth display segment N8. Additionally, when the main control device 101 starts the display with the eighth display segment N8 as the section indicator in the lit state, a command for sound output is output to the display control device 81 so that a predetermined sound effect (for example, a mechanical sound "Gagok!") is output from the speaker 64. The display control device 81 controls the speaker 64 based on the sound output command so that the predetermined sound effect is emitted. Note that when starting the display of the eighth display segment N8, it may be configured to generate an effect in the auxiliary display unit 65 or other display units. In this case, a corresponding command is output to the display control device 81, and the display control device 81 is configured to control the auxiliary display unit 65 and the like so that the corresponding effect is performed.

[0385] If it is determined in step S1901 that the eighth display segment N8 as the section indicator is being displayed, in step S1909, a process of continuing the display during the advantageous section is executed. Specifically, for step S1909, a process for continuing the situation where the eighth display segment N8 is in the lit state is performed. That is, the process for ending the display of the section indicator is not performed in the first process of this section display.

[0386] When it is determined in step S1902 that the advantageous section flag is not set, or even when the advantageous section flag is set but it is a winning game (after executing the process of step S1904), or when it is not a winning game and it is not a situation where the order-of-push notification can occur (when it is determined in step S1907 that the AT use notification flag is not set), the process proceeds to step S1910. In step S1910, a process of adding 1 to the ratio first counter provided in the various counter area 106e is executed. The ratio first counter is a counter for counting the number of games in which the order-of-push notification does not occur, that is, the number of games in the normal section and the unspecified section.

[0387] Also, after executing the display start process of the section display in step S1908 and after executing the display continuation process of step S1909, the process proceeds to step S1911. In step S1911, a process of adding 1 to the ratio second counter provided in the various counter area 106e is executed. The ratio second counter is a counter for counting the number of games in which the order-of-push notification can occur, that is, the number of games in the specified section.

[0388] After executing the process of step S1910 or step S1911, a ratio calculation process is executed in step S1912. In such a process, a process of dividing the value of the ratio second counter by the added value (total number of games) of the ratio first counter and the ratio second counter is performed. That is, the ratio calculation process is a process of calculating the ratio of the number of games in which the order-of-push notification can occur out of the total number of games. Then, in step S1913, a process for causing the operation result of step S1912 to be displayed on the ratio monitor 77 is executed.

[0389] As shown in FIG. 5, the ratio monitor 77 has a plurality of 7-segment display units each composed of seven display segments. Specifically, the ratio monitor 77 has a first display unit 77a, a second display unit 77b, a third display unit 77c, a fourth display unit 77d, and a fifth display unit 77e as the 7-segment display units. The display segments in the first display unit 77a to the fifth display unit 77e have individual light sources made of LEDs, similar to the display segments N1 to N7 of the instruction monitor 68. By controlling the on / off of these individual light sources, only any one display segment can be lit, and any combination of display segments can be lit. As a result, the ratio monitor 77 can display a predetermined symbol (including alphabets and numbers) individually, and in particular, the ratio monitor 77 can display five-digit numbers.

[0390] In step S1913, the result of the arithmetic processing in step S1912 is output to the ratio monitor 77, and the display control of each display unit 77a to 77e in the ratio monitor 77 is performed so that a four-digit number is displayed on the ratio monitor 77. Specifically, as the ratio of the number of games in which the push order notification can occur out of the total number of games, for example, a number smaller than 1 such as "0.5012", and the numbers up to four digits after the decimal point are displayed on the ratio monitor 77. After the process of step S1913 is executed, the first interval display process ends.

[0391] Note that, after performing the process of rounding the fifth digit after the decimal point in the arithmetic processing of step S1912, the display control of the ratio monitor 77 may be configured. Also, in the ratio monitor 77, since "0" is basically displayed on the first display unit 77a, the first display unit 77a may not be provided, or the first display unit 77a may be configured to always display "0" by printing or the like. Further, it is preferable to configure the decimal point to be displayed by printing or the like between the first display unit 77a and the second display unit 77b.

[0392] <Second Interval Display Process> Next, the second interval display process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 53. As already described, the second interval display process is a process executed in step S415 of the reel control process. When one game ends, it is executed after medal payout (payout determination process) and transition of the game state based on the winning result (winning result corresponding process), etc.

[0393] In step S2001, it is determined whether the advantageous interval flag is set. If it is not set, the second interval display process is terminated as it is. If the advantageous interval flag is set, in step S2002, a process of counting the number of games in the advantageous interval is executed. Specifically, a process of adding 1 to the above-mentioned advantageous interval game number AG is performed. After executing the process of step S2002, in step S2003, an update process of the advantageous interval increase / decrease number ZM provided in the various counter areas 106e is executed. The advantageous interval increase / decrease number ZM is a counter for the CPU 102 to grasp the increase / decrease number of medals in the advantageous interval (the difference between the number of medals bet and paid out in each game in the advantageous interval). In step S2003, based on the winning result of this game (the winning result corresponding process and payout determination process immediately before), the medal increase / decrease number of this game (the medal payout number of this game - the bet number of this game) is grasped, and a process of adding the medal increase / decrease number to the advantageous interval increase / decrease number ZM is performed. For example, if this game is a 3-bet game and 9 medals are paid out, the medal increase / decrease number is +6, and in step S2003, a process of adding +6 to the advantageous interval increase / decrease number ZM is performed. Also, if this game is a 3-bet game and no medal payout is made, the medal increase / decrease number is -3, and in step S2003, a process of adding -3 to the advantageous interval increase / decrease number ZM is performed.

[0394] After executing the process of step S2003, in step S2004, the remaining game count management process is executed, and in the subsequent step S2005, the remaining number management process is executed. The remaining game count management process is a process for managing whether or not the advantageous section reaches the upper limit game count with the current remaining game count based on the remaining game count in the AT mode and the like. The remaining number management process is a process for managing whether or not the advantageous section reaches the upper limit increment number with the current remaining game count based on the remaining game count in the AT mode and the like.

[0395] Regarding the remaining game count management process, specifically, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 54, first, in step S2101, the precursor game count G1 is grasped. The precursor game count G1 represents, for example, the number of remaining precursor mode games when the current state is in the precursor mode during the advantageous section, and is decremented by 1 for each game in the game count management process (FIG. 49). In step S2102, the AT mode continuation count G2 is grasped. The AT mode continuation count G2 represents, for example, the number of remaining AT mode games when the current state is in the AT mode during the advantageous section, and is decremented by 1 for each game in the game count management process (FIG. 49). In step S2103, the VB mode continuation count G3 is grasped. The VB mode continuation count G3 represents, for example, the number of remaining VB mode games when the current state is in the VB mode during the advantageous section, and is decremented by 1 for each game in the game count management process (FIG. 49). In step S2104, the specialization zone continuation count G4 is grasped. The specialization zone continuation count G4 represents, for example, the number of remaining specialization zone games when the current state is in the specialization zone during the advantageous section, and is decremented by 1 for each game in the game count management process (FIG. 49). In step S2105, the BB remaining game count G5 is grasped. The BB remaining game count G5 represents, for example, the number of remaining BB mode games when the current state is in the BB mode (bonus state) during the advantageous section, and is decremented by 1 in a subtraction process (not shown) on the condition that it is in the BB mode each time the game count management process (FIG. 49) is activated.

[0396] Here, even if these continuation counts G1 to G5 are not for the modes or zones corresponding to the current situation, values of 0 or more may be input. Specifically, for example, in the VB mode, specialized zones, or BB mode, where the count of the remaining games in the AT mode stops, when a transition to these VB mode, specialized zones, or BB mode occurs during the AT mode, values of 0 or more are input for the AT mode continuation count G2 and the continuation counts of these respective modes.

[0397] In step S2106, a process of calculating the remaining game count ZG of the advantageous section is performed by integrating G1 to G5 grasped in each process of steps S2101 to S2105 above. By performing such a process, it becomes possible to grasp how many more games the advantageous section will continue. In the subsequent step S2107, a process of calculating the total advantageous section game count SG is performed by adding the game count of the advantageous section (advantageous section game count AG) implemented so far and the remaining game count ZG above. Then, in step S2108, a process of calculating the available game count (additional available game count, remaining game count) FG is performed by subtracting the total advantageous section game count SG from 1500G, which is the upper limit game count for the continuation of the advantageous section.

[0398] After the process of step S2108 is performed, in step S2109, it is determined whether the available game count FG is greater than 0, that is, whether there is an available game count and it is possible to add more. If the available game count FG is greater than 0, the remaining game count management process is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if the available game count FG is 0 or less, a process of setting the first excess flag in the various flag storage areas 106d is executed in step S2110, and then the remaining game count management process is terminated. The first excess flag is a flag for the CPU 102 to grasp that the situation is such that the first forced termination condition of the advantageous section is established.

[0399] As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 55, the remaining coin number management process first determines the advantageous zone increase / decrease coin number ZM updated in step S2003 in step S2201. In the following step S2202, the process calculates the expected remaining increase / decrease coin number NM that can be obtained in the remaining number of games in the advantageous zone from the number of remaining games in the advantageous zone ZG (step S2106) calculated in the remaining game management process in step S2004 and the net increase coin number expected in each game in the advantageous zone (expected increase / decrease coin number KM) stored in ROM 105. In this embodiment, the expected increase / decrease coin number KM is calculated when the advantageous zone is consumed in a high RT state when the above-mentioned push order notification occurs, and is configured to use the net increase coin number (approximately +2.46 coins) taking into account the bonus state. That is, for example, if the remaining number of games in the advantageous zone ZG is 500 games, the expected remaining increase / decrease coin number NM is 500 games × 2.46 coins = 1230 coins.

[0400] In step S2203, the number of coins expected to be won during the current advantageous zone (total expected increase / decrease SM) is calculated from the advantageous zone increase / decrease coin number ZM determined in step S2201 and the remaining expected increase / decrease coin number NM calculated in step S2202, taking into account the current number of games remaining in the advantageous zone. Then, in step S2204, the number of available coins FM that can be increased is calculated. The processing in step S2204 corresponds to the processing in step S2108 in the remaining game number management processing that calculates the number of available games FG that can be added. The processing in step S2109 is processing to predict in advance that the advantageous zone will be forcibly terminated in the subsequent game due to the first forced termination condition, and the processing in step S2204 is processing to predict in advance that the advantageous zone will be forcibly terminated in the subsequent game due to the second forced termination condition. That is, in step S2204, the total expected increase / decrease coin number SM calculated in step S2203 is processed from 2400 coins, which is the upper limit increase number for the advantageous zone.

[0401] In step S2205, based on the pr...

Claims

Claim 1. A plurality of rotating bodies with a plurality of patterns attached in the circumferential direction, a display unit that makes some of the patterns visible for each of the rotating bodies, a start operation means that starts the rotation of each of the rotating bodies when operated, a stop operation means that stops the rotation of each of the rotating bodies when operated, a drive control means that starts the rotation of each of the rotating bodies when the start operation means is operated and stops the rotation of each of the rotating bodies when the stop operation means is operated, a lottery means that conducts a lottery on whether to grant a privilege to the player based on the operation of the start operation means, a privilege granting means capable of granting a privilege corresponding to the lottery result in the lottery means, A gaming machine comprising: a specific information acquisition means that acquires specific information based on the establishment of a predetermined acquisition condition, a specific information storage means capable of storing the specific information acquired by the specific information acquisition means, a specific determination means capable of executing a specific determination to cause a specific event using at least the specific information stored in the specific information storage means and the lottery result by the lottery means, a means capable of executing a specific notification about the specific information stored in the specific information storage means by a predetermined notification means before the specific information becomes the subject of the specific determination, Comprising: The specific information acquisition means a first means capable of acquiring the specific information when a first condition is established based on the operation of the player as the acquisition condition, a second means capable of acquiring the specific information when a second condition different from the first condition is established based on the operation of the player as the acquisition condition, Comprising: The specific determination means is capable of executing the specific determination based on the lottery result by the lottery means and the specific information acquired in a game before the lottery by the lottery means, The specific information has first specific information and second specific information, The lottery result by the lottery means has a first result and a second result, A gaming machine characterized in that when making the specific determination using the first specific information and the first result, it is more likely to result in a result corresponding to causing the specific event than when making the specific determination using the second specific information and the first result.

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