gaming machines

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of suppressing a decrease in the willingness of playing a game in a state that has multiple kinds of states having different degrees of advantage and has a relatively lower degree of advantage.SOLUTION: A game machine has a normal state, and a specific state more advantageous than the normal state as states regarding the game machine, control can be shifted to a state after completion of a privilege game induced in the specific state, the specific state includes a first specific state, and a second specific state having a higher degree of advantage than the first specific state, a specific situation may occur, and a state after completion of a privilege game can be identical by execution of common shift control pertaining to a state based on completion of the privilege game regardless of whether the specific state in which the privilege game is induced is the first specific state or the second specific state when the privilege game is induced in a predetermined situation in the specific state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to gaming machines such as pachinko machines and slot machines. [Background technology]

[0002] Gaming machines such as pachinko machines and slot machines have a plurality of states with different degrees of advantage, and increase the motivation to play in a state with a relatively high degree of advantage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-9877 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Such conventional gaming contributes to increasing motivation to play when the degree of advantage is relatively high while suppressing the gambling nature of the gaming machine as a whole, but there is a problem in that it leads to a decrease in motivation to play when the degree of advantage is relatively low.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a gaming machine that has multiple types of states with different degrees of advantage, but can suppress a decrease in motivation to play in states with relatively low degrees of advantage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine capable of executing a game using a gaming medium and generating a bonus game advantageous in terms of acquiring gaming media, the gaming machine having a normal state and a specific state more advantageous than the normal state as states related to the gaming machine, the state being capable of transitioning after the bonus game generated in the specific state is completed, the specific state being a first specific state and a second specific state more advantageous than the first specific state, and capable of becoming a predetermined state, and when the bonus game is generated in the predetermined state in the specific state, Leave Regardless of whether the specific state in which the bonus game has occurred is the first specific state or the second specific state, a common transition control relating to the state can be executed based on the end of the bonus game, so that the state after the end of the bonus game can be the same, a predetermined notification can be executed in the predetermined situation, and the predetermined notification can be in a plurality of notification modes, and the plurality of notification modes include a first mode and a second mode in which the possibility of the common transition control being executed in the predetermined situation is higher than the first mode. When the bonus game occurs in the predetermined situation in the specific state, a first notification can be executed to identify that the common transition control will be executed based on the satisfaction of a predetermined condition in the bonus game; when the bonus game occurs in the predetermined situation in the specific state, a second notification can be executed to identify that the common transition control has been executed based on the end of the bonus game; when the bonus game occurs in the predetermined situation in the specific state, if a power outage occurs without execution of a RAM clear process before the first notification is started and a power outage is restored without execution of a RAM clear process, the second notification is not executed based on the end of the bonus game; and when a power outage occurs without execution of a RAM clear process after the start of the first notification and a power outage is restored, the second notification is executed based on the end of the bonus game. A gaming machine characterized by the above is provided. Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine capable of executing a game using gaming media and generating a bonus game advantageous in terms of acquiring gaming media, the gaming machine having a normal state and a specific state more advantageous than the normal state as states related to the gaming machine, the state being capable of transitioning after the bonus game generated in the specific state is completed, the specific state being a first specific state and a second specific state more advantageous than the first specific state, and capable of becoming a predetermined state, and when the bonus game is generated in the predetermined state in the specific state, common transition control relating to the state is executed in response to the completion of the bonus game regardless of whether the specific state in which the bonus game was generated is the first specific state or the second specific state, thereby enabling the state after the bonus game is completed to be changed. a predetermined notification can be executed in the predetermined situation, the predetermined notification can be in a plurality of notification modes, the plurality of notification modes including a first mode and a second mode in which the possibility of the common transition control being executed in the predetermined situation is higher than the first mode, when the bonus game occurs in the predetermined situation in the specific state, a second notification that can identify that the common transition control has been executed can be executed in response to the end of the bonus game, when a power outage occurs without execution of a RAM clear process during the execution of the second notification, the second notification can be restored, and the notification mode of the second notification before the power outage and the notification mode of the second notification after the power outage are the same. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a gaming machine is provided that has a plurality of states with different degrees of advantage and can suppress a decrease in motivation to play in a state with a relatively low degree of advantage. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of the gaming machine. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a pattern display device disposed in the area II shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a bird's-eye view showing the operation buttons and their surroundings arranged in the area III shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a gaming board installed in the gaming machine. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a rear view of the gaming machine. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the gaming machine. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the gaming machine. [Figure 8] Figure 8(a) is a diagram schematically showing a lottery table for determining whether a special symbol is a hit or not, Figure 8(b) is a diagram schematically showing a lottery table for drawing the stopping symbols used when a big hit is derived in the determination of whether a special symbol is a hit or not related to special symbol 1, Figure 8(c) is a diagram schematically showing a lottery table for drawing the stopping symbols used when a small hit is derived in the determination of whether a special symbol is a hit or not related to special symbol 2, and Figure 8(d) is a diagram schematically showing a lottery table for drawing the stopping symbols used when a big hit is derived in the determination of whether a special symbol is a hit or not related to special symbol 2. [Figure 9] Figure 9(a) is a diagram schematically showing a special chart variation pattern lottery table used in the pattern variation related to special chart 1 when in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PA, and Figure 9(b) is a diagram schematically showing a special chart variation pattern lottery table used when special chart variation pattern HNP is determined in the pattern variation related to special chart 1 when in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PA. [Figure 10] Figure 10(a) is a diagram schematically showing a special chart variation pattern lottery table used in the pattern variation related to special chart 2 when the special chart variation pattern derivation state is PB, and Figure 10(b) is a diagram schematically showing a special chart variation pattern lottery table used when special chart variation pattern HNP is determined in the pattern variation related to special chart 2 when the special chart variation pattern derivation state is PB. [Figure 11] Figure 11(a) is a diagram schematically showing a special chart variation pattern lottery table used for pattern variations relating to special chart 2 when the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC is in effect, and Figure 11(b) is a diagram schematically showing a special chart variation pattern lottery table used when special chart variation pattern HNP is determined for pattern variations relating to special chart 2 when the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC is in effect. [Figure 12] FIG. 12(a) is a state transition diagram showing the transition of the special chart variation pattern derivation state, and FIG. 12(b) is a diagram showing the relationship between the average variation time for each special chart variation pattern derivation state. [Figure 13] Figure 13(a) is the flow of the state transition processing at the end of a normal high probability medium jackpot game, and Figure 13(b) is a table summarizing the types of special chart variation pattern derivation states set in each of the common state transition processing and the dedicated state transition processing. [Figure 14] Figures 14(a) to 14(c) are figures showing specific examples of presentations related to common state transition processing, where Figure 14(a) shows a specific example of the first announcement presentation, Figure 14(b) shows a specific example of the second announcement presentation, and Figure 14(c) shows a specific example of the high probability announcement presentation. [Figure 15] FIG. 15(a) is a diagram showing the flow of the first announcement effect control processing during a jackpot game, and FIG. 15(b) is a diagram showing a schematic drawing of the lottery table used in the lottery for executing the first announcement effect. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the flow of the second notification effect control process at the end of a big win game. [Figure 17] FIG. 17(a) is a diagram showing the flow of the presentation mode control process for the high probability notification presentation, and FIG. 17(b) is a diagram showing a schematic drawing of a lottery table used for the change lottery to the special mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all drawings, similar components are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted where appropriate. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower" refer to the gaming machine 10 as viewed from the front side (player side) as shown in FIG. 1. In the following explanation, "advantage (degree of advantage)" refers to an advantage for the player, and further, unless otherwise specified, refers to an advantage in terms of the amount of prize balls (gaming media) obtained (including not only the payout of gaming balls but also the payout of medals), excluding aspects of presentation such as so-called premium images.

[0010] <Features of the present invention> Before describing the details of the gaming machine 10 in this embodiment, the features of the invention (present invention) described in this embodiment will be described. In addition, when explaining the features, the configuration in parentheses is an example of the configuration of this embodiment corresponding to the immediately preceding configuration, and the configuration may be described in parentheses for the same purpose in the explanation of the gaming machine 10 that follows this explanation.

[0011] The present invention provides A gaming machine capable of executing a game using game media and generating a bonus game (jackpot game) advantageous in terms of acquiring game media, As the state of the gaming machine, there is a normal state (a special chart variation pattern derivation state relating to a normal chart low probability) and a specific state (a special chart variation pattern derivation state relating to a normal chart high probability) which is more advantageous than the normal state, The state may transition after the bonus game that occurred in the specific state ends, The specific state includes a first specific state (special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PB) and a second specific state (special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PC) which is more advantageous than the first specific state. It can become a predetermined situation (within 10 spins from the start of the normal high probability set at the end of the big win game), When the bonus game is generated in the predetermined situation in the specific state, a common transition control (common state transition process) related to the state can be executed based on the end of the bonus game, regardless of whether the specific state in which the bonus game is generated is the first specific state or the second specific state, so that the state after the end of the bonus game can be the same, A predetermined notification can be executed in the predetermined situation, The predetermined notification may be in a plurality of notification modes, The plurality of types of notification modes include a first mode and a second mode in which the possibility of the common transition control being executed in the predetermined situation is higher than the first mode. This is a gaming machine characterized by the above.

[0012] According to the present invention, while specific states with different degrees of advantage are provided, it is possible to prevent a decrease in motivation to play in the first specific state with a relatively low degree of advantage. Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to enhance the effect of preventing a decline in motivation to play in the first specific state in which the degree of advantage is relatively low.

[0013] As will be described later, the above-mentioned predetermined situation may be any situation that can occur in the above-mentioned specific state. The common transition control includes setting a state identical to the state in which the bonus game occurred after the bonus game ends.

[0014] Furthermore, the gaming machine according to this embodiment, which will be described later, is a pachinko machine that pays out actual gaming balls as prize balls, but the gaming machine according to the present invention may also be a pachinko machine that provides prize balls as electronic data (so-called smart pachinko).

[0015] Furthermore, the gaming machine of the present invention may be a conventional slot machine that uses a predetermined number of medals to perform pattern changes that cause multiple reels to spin, and pays out medals based on the results of the pattern changes (the stopping patterns of the multiple reels), or it may be a slot machine (so-called smart slot) that pays out all medals as electronic data. The bonus game in these cases is not limited to a so-called real bonus (a device that continuously operates a bonus), but also includes AT games (assist time) such as pseudo bonuses. In particular, when the bonus game in the present invention is an AT game, the termination condition may be set arbitrarily.

[0016] The gaming machine 10 having the above-mentioned features will be specifically described based on the following embodiment.

[0017] <Structure of the gaming machine 10> First, the structure of the gaming machine 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. Figure 1 is a front view of the gaming machine 10, Figure 2 is a diagram showing a pattern display device 90 arranged in area II shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a bird's-eye view showing a group of operation buttons arranged in area III shown in Figure 1 and their surroundings, Figure 4 is a diagram showing a gaming board 50 installed within the gaming machine 10, and Figure 5 is a rear view of the gaming machine 10. 1 to 5 are merely those necessary for explaining the gaming machine 10 of this embodiment, and configurations and functions not shown here may be added to the gaming machine 10. Furthermore, the gaming machine 10 does not necessarily have to include all of the configurations shown here, and some configurations or functions may be omitted as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired.

[0018] The gaming machine 10 of this embodiment is a so-called pachinko machine, in which gaming balls are shot into a front area (hereinafter referred to as "gaming area 50a") of a gaming board 50 on which a large number of gaming nails (not shown) are erected, and a prize ball is obtained when the gaming ball enters a prize opening (for example, a big prize opening 55, etc.). In the following description, the entry of a gaming ball into a prize opening may be simply expressed as "entering (a prize opening)."

[0019] The gaming machine 10 comprises a rectangular outer frame 15 that opens at the front and rear, a middle frame 17 that detachably holds a gaming board 50 on the front side of the opening of the outer frame 15, and a front frame 20 that is configured to cover the front side of the gaming board 50.

[0020] The middle frame 17 is supported so as to be rotatable about its left end by a hinge mechanism (not shown) on the same side as the hinge mechanism 21, and can be opened and closed in front of the outer frame 15. The middle frame 17 can be locked and unlocked by a cylinder lock 23 (by inserting a door key into the cylinder lock 23 and turning the door key in the direction opposite to the unlocking direction of the front frame 20 (to the right in this embodiment)).

[0021] The front frame 20 is supported by a hinge mechanism 21 so as to be rotatable around its left end, and can be opened and closed relative to the middle frame 17. The front frame 20 can be locked and unlocked by a cylinder lock 23 (by inserting a door key into the cylinder lock 23 and turning the door key in the direction opposite to the unlocking direction of the middle frame 17 (left in this embodiment)). The front frame 20 also includes a transparent member 25 arranged to cover the play area 50a, and the transparent member 25 protects the play area 50a and the play board 50 from view. The front frame 20 also includes an upper ball tray 27 and a lower ball tray 29 for storing game balls, and the upper ball tray 27 and the lower ball tray 29 are spaced apart vertically and are integral with the front frame 20. In this embodiment, a full-tank detection sensor (not shown) for detecting when the lower ball tray 29 is full with discharged game balls is provided upstream of the lower discharge port 30 that discharges game balls into the lower ball tray 29. In addition, the front frame 20 is provided with an operating handle 31 on the right side of the lower ball tray 29, and by rotating the operating handle 31, the game balls stored in the upper ball tray 27 are launched toward the game area 50a.

[0022] 1 to 5, the middle frame 17 has a middle frame open door sensor 76 that detects whether the middle frame 17 is in an open state or a closed state relative to the outer frame 15, and a front frame open door sensor 77 that detects whether the front frame 20 is in an open state or a closed state relative to the middle frame 17. In this embodiment, both of these door open sensors are ON in the open state and OFF in the closed state. However, these door open sensors may also be configured to be OFF in the open state and ON in the closed state. This allows the gaming machine 10 to detect both the open / closed state of the middle frame 17 relative to the outer frame 15 and the open / closed state of the front frame 20 relative to the middle frame 17.

[0023] 3, a group of operation buttons operated by the player is disposed on the upper surface of the upper ball tray 27. This group of operation buttons includes a main operation unit 39 electrically connected to the main control board 100 (described later), which includes a ball loan button 39a and a return button 39b for accepting a prepaid card return operation. The operation unit electrically connected to the first sub-control board 200 (described later) includes an effect button 37 for accepting a player's operation to switch effects occurring during play or to obtain various information related to the gaming machine 10, and cursor buttons 38 (up cursor button 38a, down cursor button 38b, left cursor button 38c, right cursor button 38d, and center cursor button 38e) for instructing operations up, down, left, and right. Each operation unit is provided with a sensor for detecting the operation, and the connected control board detects the operation of each operation unit by a change in the detection state of the sensor.

[0024] In addition, a movable decorative body 22 that operates (vibrates) due to an actuator such as a motor (not shown) is provided on the side of the upper ball tray 27. Furthermore, a lamp made up of a full-color LED is provided inside the movable decorative body 22, and the lamp lights up in accordance with the operation of the actuator, lighting up the movable decorative body 22 and making it easy to recognize that the movable decorative body 22 is operating.

[0025] A ball ejection mechanism 36 is provided below the lower ball tray 29 to eject the game balls stored in the lower ball tray 29 downward. By operating this ball ejection mechanism 36, a bottom opening (not shown) formed on the bottom surface of the lower ball tray 29 opens, and the game balls fall naturally through the bottom opening and are ejected. Although not shown in the figure, the upper ball tray 27 is provided with a mechanism that, similar to the ball removal mechanism 36, can be operated to move the stored balls to the lower ball tray 29, and by operating both this mechanism and the ball removal mechanism 36, it is possible to discharge the stored balls.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 1, a pair of speakers 33 (33a, 33b) are disposed on the left and right sides of the upper frame portion 32 of the front frame 20. The upper frame portion 32 and the left and right side frame portions 34a, 34b of the front frame 20 are formed with light-transmitting covers, inside which are disposed frame lamps 35 (35a, 35b, 35c). The speaker 33 and the frame lamp 35 can emit sounds or turn on or off in conjunction with effects that occur during play, error notifications, and the like.

[0027] The effect display device 80 is composed of a main display unit 81 disposed approximately in the center of the game board 50, and a sub-display unit 82 disposed around the main display unit 81. The sub-display unit 82 further includes an upper sub-display unit 82a disposed above the main display unit 81, a left sub-display unit 82b disposed on the left side of the main display unit 81, and a right sub-display unit 82c disposed on the right side of the main display unit 81. Here, the main display unit 81 is a fixed liquid crystal display device, and the upper sub-display unit 82a, the left sub-display unit 82b, and the right sub-display unit 82c are movable liquid crystal display devices operated by actuators such as motors (not shown).

[0028] The main display unit 81 can display a changing display of a pattern row that is performed in conjunction with the changing display in the first special pattern display device 91 or the second special pattern display device 92 described below, and can also display various other effects. In the variable display of the symbol rows (decorative symbols) displayed on the main display unit 81, the displayed decorative symbols form three symbol rows. In this embodiment, the variable display direction of each symbol row is downward, but the direction is not particularly limited. For example, it may be upward, left / right, depthwise, or a combination of these (diagonal direction). Here, the depth direction refers to the virtual direction perceived by the player in a display mode that uses a method (for example, perspective) that makes the player perceive the pattern row as if it is changing from the back of the main display unit 81 to the front or vice versa, even though it is actually a flat changing display on the display screen of the main display unit 81. In addition, the decorative symbols in this embodiment include a "1 symbol" imitating the number "1," a "2 symbol" imitating the number "2," a "3 symbol" imitating the number "3," a "4 symbol" imitating the number "4," a "5 symbol" imitating the number "5," a "6 symbol" imitating the number "6," a "7 symbol" imitating the number "7," an "8 symbol" imitating the number "8," and a "9 symbol" imitating the number "9," and these symbols are provided in each symbol row. In the following description, the "1 symbol," "3 symbol," "5 symbol," "7 symbol," and "9 symbol" may be collectively referred to as "odd number symbols," and the "2 symbol," "4 symbol," "6 symbol," and "8 symbol" may be collectively referred to as "even number symbols."

[0029] Each of the sub-display units 82 is not only provided to mainly display effect images related to the effects, but is also configured to be movable. The initial positions of the upper sub-display unit 82a are on the upper side relative to the main display unit 81, the left sub-display unit 82b are on the left side relative to the main display unit 81, and the right sub-display unit 82c are on the right side relative to the main display unit 81, and each of the sub-display units 82 is configured to be movable from these initial positions to a position where the entire display area of the sub-display unit 82 overlaps the display area of the main display unit 81. However, even when the sub-display units 82 (particularly the left sub-display unit 82b and right sub-display unit 82c) are in the initial position shown in FIG. 4, approximately the upper half of the display area (a left display area 821 and a right display area 822, which will be described later) is visible to the player.

[0030] A plurality of light emitting diodes (hereinafter referred to as "LEDs") are arranged on the lower right side of the main display unit 81, and these LEDs form the display area of the pattern display device 90, which displays special patterns and normal patterns. In addition, the symbol display device 90 is disposed in a position that is more difficult for the player to see than the main display unit 81, and the display area of the symbol display device 90 is smaller than the display area of the main display unit 81. In addition, the arrangement and number of LEDs for the pattern display device 90 in this embodiment are as shown in Figure 2, but this is just one example, and the arrangement and number of LEDs for the pattern display device 90 are not limited to this example.

[0031] The special symbols are symbols that are stopped and displayed as a result of a symbol change that determines whether or not to activate a special electric device (for example, special electric device 65). The special symbols in this embodiment include a first special symbol displayed on first special symbol display device 91 and a second special symbol displayed on second special symbol display device 92. The special design may be abbreviated as "Special Design", the first special design as "Special Design 1", and the second special design as "Special Design 2".

[0032] The normal symbol is a symbol that is stopped and displayed as a result of a symbol change that determines whether or not to activate a normal electric device (for example, normal electric device 61). The normal symbol in this embodiment is displayed on the normal symbol display device 93. In addition, normal patterns are sometimes abbreviated as "Fuzu", and normal electric devices are sometimes called "Denchu".

[0033] In addition to the above-mentioned display devices, the symbol display device 90 is provided with a first special symbol reservation lamp 94, a second special symbol reservation lamp 95, and a normal symbol reservation lamp 96. The first special pattern reserve lamp 94 makes it possible to identify the number of pattern variations relating to reserved special pattern 1, the second special pattern reserve lamp 95 makes it possible to identify the number of pattern variations relating to reserved special pattern 2, and the normal pattern reserve lamp 96 makes it possible to identify the number of pattern variations of reserved normal patterns, and in all cases the number of corresponding pattern variations can be identified by the lighting state of the two LEDs (in this embodiment, right always lit only = 1, left and right always lit = 2, right flashing + left always lit = 3, left and right flashing = 4).

[0034] In the following explanation, the pattern change in which the special pattern is displayed in a variable manner on the first special pattern display device 91 or the second special pattern display device 92 and then the special pattern is displayed in a stationary manner will be referred to as the "pattern change of the special pattern," and in the following explanation, the pattern change in which the normal pattern is displayed in a stationary manner on the normal pattern display device 93 and then the normal pattern is displayed in a variable manner will be referred to as the "pattern change of the normal pattern." In addition, in the following explanation, the display of the change in the pattern sequence (decorative pattern) displayed on the main display unit 81 described above may be referred to as "pattern change of decorative pattern" to distinguish it from "pattern change of special pattern" and "pattern change of normal pattern." In the following explanation, when simply referring to "pattern change," it means the pattern change of the special design unless otherwise specified.

[0035] As shown in Figure 4, obstacles such as numerous game pegs (not shown), windmills 52, and decorative elements are placed on the front of the game board 50, thereby defining a game area 50a in which the game balls that are shot out roll. Additionally, curved outer rail 51 and inner rail 53 are arranged on the left and upper sides of play area 50a to guide game balls launched by rotating operating handle 31 to the top of play area 50a. Outer rail 51 is located outside inner rail 53 with respect to the center of play area 50a. Here, windmill 52 is a nail-shaped mechanism for changing the direction in which game balls fall.

[0036] The gaming machine 10 is capable of varying the strength of the game ball's launch depending on the amount of rotation (e.g., rotation angle) of the operating handle 31, and various obstacles are arranged in the gaming area 50a to make the game ball roll along either the first flow path X (so-called left-hand hit), in which a game ball that is launched more weakly rolls, or the second flow path Y (so-called right-hand hit), in which a game ball that is launched more strongly rolls.

[0037] Figure 4 shows the main prize winning openings as the large prize winning opening 55, the first starting opening 57, the second starting opening 59, the gate 63, and the general prize winning opening 67, but the prize winning openings shown are examples, and their number and arrangement may be changed as appropriate.

[0038] The large prize opening 55 is located in the lower right corner of the game area 50a. A large prize opening sensor 72 is attached to the large prize opening 55, and a prize ball is determined to have been won in the large prize opening 55 based on the detection result of the large prize opening sensor 72, and the number of prize balls associated with the large prize opening 55 (15 in this embodiment) is awarded. In this embodiment, the obstacles are arranged so that more game balls roll toward the big prize opening 55 when rolling from the second flow path Y compared to when rolling from the first flow path X.

[0039] A special electric device 65 is disposed above the large prize opening 55. The special electric device 65 is a member that can be switched between an open state, which makes it easy to win a prize in the large prize opening 55, and a closed state, which makes it difficult to win a prize, and is switched to either the open state or the closed state by a special electric device solenoid 66. More specifically, the special electric device 65 is in an open state during a portion of a jackpot game that starts when a jackpot is determined by the special symbol hit determination described below, or during a portion of a small jackpot game that starts when a small jackpot is determined by the special symbol hit determination, and thus entry into the large prize winning slot 55 is permitted. In this way, when the special electric device 65 is in an open state, entry into the large prize winning slot 55 becomes easier, so it can be said that jackpot games and small jackpot games, in which the chances of winning prize balls are significantly increased, are in an advantageous gaming state. Also, as will be described in detail later, the small jackpot game in this embodiment can give rise to a jackpot game. In a jackpot game, the special electric device 65 is alternately set to an open state and a closed state, and one open state (sometimes referred to as a "round game," and the total number of round games that occur in one jackpot may be referred to as the "number of rounds") ends when a predetermined number (10 in this embodiment) of game balls have entered the large prize opening 55, and the special electric device 65 enters a closed state. Furthermore, one open state in a jackpot game also ends when a sufficient time (30 seconds in this embodiment) has elapsed for the predetermined number of game balls to enter the large prize opening 55. On the other hand, in the small win game, the game ends when the special electric device 65 is in an open state for 1.8 seconds or when 10 game balls enter the large prize opening 55. Therefore, in the small win game, it is more difficult for game balls to enter the large prize opening 55 than in the large win game. In this embodiment, when a big win game or a small win game starts, a start demo that ends with the passage of time is set, and when the start demo ends, a round game (a small win game in the case of a small win) starts, and when all round games have ended, an end demo that ends with the passage of time is set. That is, in this embodiment, a big win game (including those occurring in small win games) is composed of a start demo, a round game, and an end demo, and the big win game progresses in this order.

[0040] The first starting hole 57 is located at the bottom center of the game area 50a. A first starting hole sensor 70 is attached to the first starting hole 57, and the detection result of the first starting hole sensor 70 determines whether a ball has entered the first starting hole 57, and the number of prize balls associated with the first starting hole 57 (4 in this embodiment) is awarded. In at least some cases where a ball has entered the first starting hole 57, a pattern change related to special image 1 is performed. In addition, in the game area 50a of this embodiment, obstacles such as game nails are arranged so that more game balls roll toward the first starting hole 57 when rolling from the first flow path X than when rolling from the second flow path Y.

[0041] The second starting hole 59 is located in the lower right of the play area 50a. A second starting hole sensor 71 is attached to the second starting hole 59, and the detection result of the second starting hole sensor 71 determines whether a ball has entered the second starting hole 59, and the number of prize balls associated with the second starting hole 59 (1 in this embodiment) is awarded. In at least some cases where a winning entry into the second starting port 59 is determined, a pattern change related to special chart 2 will be performed. In addition, in the game area 50a of this embodiment, obstacles such as game nails are arranged so that more game balls roll toward the second starting hole 59 when rolling from the second flow path Y than when rolling from the first flow path X.

[0042] A normal electric device 61 is disposed in the flow path connected to the second starting port 59. The normal electric device 61 is a member that can be switched between an open state, which makes it easy for a game ball to enter the second starting port 59, and a closed state, which makes it difficult for the ball to enter, and is switched to either the open state or the closed state by a normal electric device solenoid 62. More specifically, the normal electric device 61 opens when the result of the normal winning / losing judgment described later is a normal winning (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as a "normal winning"), and thus entry into the second starting hole 59 is permitted. In this way, when the normal electric device 61 is in the open state, entry into the second starting hole 59 is possible, so that the chances of the pattern variation relating to the special drawing 2 being executed can be greatly increased while suppressing the decrease in game balls due to the prize balls.

[0043] Gate 63 is located in the center right of game area 50a. Gate 63 is equipped with a gate sensor 74, and the detection result of gate sensor 74 determines whether or not a win has been made at gate 63. In at least some cases where a win has been made at gate 63, the normal symbol pattern will change.

[0044] The general winning opening 67 is located at the lower left of the game area 50a. A general winning opening sensor 73 is attached to the general winning opening 67, and a win at the general winning opening 67 is determined based on the detection result of the general winning opening sensor 73, and the number of prize balls associated with the general winning opening 67 (4 in this embodiment) is awarded. In this embodiment, the obstacles are arranged so that more game balls roll toward the general winning opening 67 when rolling from the first flow path X compared to when rolling from the second flow path Y, but the obstacles may be arranged so that more game balls roll toward the general winning opening 67 when rolling from the second flow path Y. Also, a plurality of general winning openings 67 may be provided.

[0045] The outlet 69 is located at the bottom of the game area 50a. A game ball that is shot into the game area 50a and does not enter any of the winning holes falls into the outlet 69 and is treated as an out ball. In this embodiment, an out ball sensor 75 (not shown) for detecting out balls, which are game balls that enter the winning hole and the out hole 69, is provided.

[0046] In addition to the sensors mentioned above, the game board 50 is also provided with a magnetic detection sensor for detecting magnetism and a radio wave detection sensor for detecting radio waves (both not shown) to prevent fraudulent acts such as receiving prize balls illegally.

[0047] As shown in Figure 5, the back of the game board 50 is equipped with a main control board case 109 housing the main control board 100, a first sub-control board case 209 housing the first sub-control board 200, a second sub-control board case 309 housing the second sub-control board 300, a power supply control board case 509 housing the power supply control board 500, and a payout control board case 409 housing the payout control board 400, and in addition to the back of the first sub-control board case 209 and the second sub-control board case 309, an open / close cover 45 covering part of the back of the main control board case 109 is attached in a removable manner. The main control board 100 is provided with a RAM clear switch 43. Furthermore, the substrate cases and covers that cover the respective substrates are made of transparent materials, and the corresponding substrates can be seen through the respective cases and covers.

[0048] Additionally, on the back of the gaming board 50, above the opening / closing cover 45, there is disposed a gaming ball tank 46 for storing gaming balls supplied from the ball supply equipment of the gaming island. The gaming ball tank 46 is further connected to a payout passage 49 leading to the upper ball tray 27 via a tank rail 47 and a payout unit 48, and the balls paid out by the payout unit 48 are paid out through the payout passage 49 to the upper ball tray 27.

[0049] Up to this point, the structure of the gaming machine 10 in this embodiment has been described, but this is only one specific example, and the present invention can also be implemented with other configurations.

[0050] <Regarding the control configuration of the gaming machine 10> Next, a control configuration of the gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the gaming machine 10. Note that the control configuration shown in Fig. 6 is necessary for explaining the gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment, and the gaming machine 10 may also have a control configuration not shown in Fig. 6.

[0051] The main control board 100 is equipped with a CPU 101 that performs various calculations related to the game, a ROM 102 that stores data such as control programs and various lottery tables, a RAM 103 that functions as a work area and buffer memory that serves as a temporary storage area, an I / O port 104 that inputs and outputs signals between peripheral boards and each device, and a random number circuit 105 that operates in a system separate from the program processing by the CPU 101 and generates random numbers (hard random numbers), and these are connected to each other via an internal bus.

[0052] The CPU 101 reads out various control programs stored in the ROM 102 and performs arithmetic processing to execute various processes related to the main control of the game. The RAM 103 is backed up by a backup power source generated by a backup power circuit (described later). Specifically, the RAM 103 is configured to back up various information that allows the gaming machine 10 to return to the state it was in immediately before the power outage when power is restored (when power is turned on) after a power outage. For example, in addition to data such as a stack pointer and various registers held at the time of the power outage, information related to gameplay, such as the state of the gaming machine 10 at the time (game stopped or playable) and the current normal symbol lottery status, is backed up. This information is cleared (initialized) by a RAM clearing process (described later). Therefore, after the RAM is cleared, a new special symbol variation pattern derivation state PA (low normal symbol probability, described later) is set. Furthermore, when the RAM clearing process is executed, the symbol string related to the decorative symbol is in a state in which the initial symbol combination is frozen. This state is also maintained if the RAM clearing process was not executed when power was turned on and the symbol variation was not in progress at the time of the previous power outage. Furthermore, this initial symbol combination is displayed in a static state only when the power is turned on, and is not displayed in a static state when the symbol variation is performed.

[0053] In this embodiment, at least an area in which such information related to the game is stored (sometimes referred to as the game-related area of RAM 103) is backed up, as well as an area in which the complement of a checksum and a backup flag related to the game-related area of RAM 103 are stored (sometimes referred to as the game-related backup information area of RAM 103). Then, when power is restored, the gaming machine 10 recovers using the various pieces of information stored in the backed-up game-related area of RAM 103 and the game-related backup information area of RAM 103. Note that the specific method of backup in this embodiment is not limited in any way. For example, the area of RAM 103 to be backed up may be configured to be able to retain data in a non-volatile manner even in a power outage. As another example, within RAM 103, different hardware may be provided for a first memory configured to retain data in a non-volatile manner even in a power outage and a second memory referenced during operation of the gaming machine 10. In this case, the gaming machine 10 may save the information to be backed up from the second memory to the first memory when power is lost, and then recover the saved information from the first memory to the second memory when power is restored.

[0054] Furthermore, the main control board 100 is electrically connected to the first start gate sensor 70, the second start gate sensor 71, the special prize gate sensor 72, the general prize gate sensor 73, the gate sensor 74, the out ball sensor 75, the middle frame open door sensor 76, the front frame open door sensor 77, etc., and is configured to be able to input detection signals from these sensors to the CPU 101 via the I / O port 104. Although not shown in the figure, in addition to these sensors, the main control board 100 is also electrically connected to a full tank detection sensor, a magnetic detection sensor, and a radio wave detection sensor, and is configured to be able to input detection signals from these sensors to the CPU 101 via the I / O port 104.

[0055] In addition, the main control board 100 is electrically connected to the first special pattern display device 91, the second special pattern display device 92, the normal pattern display device 93, the first special pattern hold lamp 94, the second special pattern hold lamp 95, the normal pattern hold lamp 96, the normal electric role solenoid 62 and the special electric role solenoid 66, and is configured to be able to control these via the I / O port 104. Similarly, the main control board 100 is electrically connected to the main operation unit 39 and the RAM clear switch 43, and is configured to be able to detect the operation of the main operation unit 39.

[0056] The main control board 100 and the first sub-control board 200 are connected by eight parallel signal lines and one strobe line, and are connected so that communication is possible in only one direction, from the main control board 100 to the first sub-control board 200, and various performance control commands are sent from the main control board 100 to the first sub-control board 200. Furthermore, the first sub-control board 200 is configured so that data cannot be transmitted from the first sub-control board 200 to the main control board 100, and the first sub-control board 200 is configured so that it cannot request the main control board 100 to transmit data. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a parallel transmission method is used for transmitting data from the main control board 100 to the first sub-control board 200, but a serial transmission method may also be used.

[0057] The first sub-control board 200 comprises a CPU 201 that performs various arithmetic processing related to game presentation based on presentation control commands from the main control board 100, a ROM 202 that stores data such as presentation control programs and various lottery tables, a RAM 203 that functions as a work area or buffer memory that serves as a temporary storage area, and an I / O port 204 that inputs and outputs signals between peripheral boards and each device, and these are connected to each other via an internal bus, and the CPU 201 is configured to execute main control related to game presentation in accordance with the control program stored in ROM 202. The first sub-control board 200 is electrically connected to the effect button 37 and the cursor button 38, and is configured to be able to detect the operation of these operation units.

[0058] In addition, the first sub-control board 200 generates, through performance control processing based on performance control commands from the main control board 100, image control commands that instruct the image to be displayed on the second sub-control board 300, audio control commands that instruct the audio to be output to the audio control board 310, lamp control data for controlling the lighting of various lamps such as the frame lamp 35, and movement control data for controlling the movement of the sub-display unit 82, etc. Here, the first sub-control board 200 is connected to the second sub-control board 300 and the audio control board 310 to enable two-way communication, and each control command (image control command, audio control command) is sent from the first sub-control board 200 to the second sub-control board 300 or the audio control board 310, while in response, a response command (ACK command) indicating that the control command was successfully received is sent from each control board (second sub-control board 300, audio control board 310) to the first sub-control board 200.

[0059] The first sub-control board 200 is also electrically connected to the frame lamp 35 and the movable decorative body 22, and transmits lamp control data via the I / O port 204. The frame lamp 35 and the movable decorative body 22 are configured so that their lighting is controlled by the lamp control data transmitted from the first sub-control board 200. Furthermore, the first sub-control board 200 is electrically connected to the movable decorative body 22 and the sub-display unit 82, and transmits movement control data via the I / O port 204. The movable decorative body 22 and the sub-display unit 82 are configured so that their movement is controlled by the movement control data transmitted from the first sub-control board 200.

[0060] The second sub-control board 300, although not shown in the figure, is equipped with a CPU that performs various arithmetic processing related to image presentation based on image control commands from the first sub-control board 200, a ROM that stores image control programs and various data, a RAM that functions as a work area and buffer memory that serves as a temporary storage area, and an I / O port that inputs and outputs signals between peripheral boards and each device, and is configured so that the CPU executes main control related to image presentation in accordance with the control program stored in the ROM. Furthermore, the second sub-control board 300 is equipped with a VDP that generates image data according to the content of the effect determined by the effect content determination means 225 (described later) based on a control signal received from the CPU, and a sound source IC that generates sound data according to the content of the effect based on a control signal received from the CPU. The VDP is a so-called image processor that reads image data stored in an image ROM in response to instructions from the CPU, processes the image data, and sends the generated image data to the main display unit 81 and the sub-display unit 82. Also connected to this VDP is a high-speed VRAM that is used to expand and process the image data read from the image ROM.

[0061] The audio control board 310 is equipped with a CPU 311 that performs various arithmetic processing related to audio performance based on audio control commands from the first sub-control board 200, a ROM 312 that stores audio control programs, audio data, etc., a RAM 313 that functions as a work area or buffer memory that serves as a temporary storage area, and an I / O port 314 that inputs and outputs signals to and from peripheral boards and each device, and is configured so that the CPU 311 executes main control related to audio performance in accordance with the control program stored in ROM 312. Therefore, the audio control board 310 reads audio data stored in ROM 312 in accordance with audio control commands received from the first sub-control board 200, synthesizes the read audio data, and transmits the final synthesized audio data to the speaker 33 via an amplifier, causing the speaker 33 to output audio.

[0062] The dispensing control board 400 is mainly composed of a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (all not shown). In addition, the payout control board 400 is connected to the main control board 100 so as to be able to communicate in both directions, and performs control to drive the payout unit 48 to pay out game balls based on a payout control command from the main control board 100, and also controls the launch of game balls by synchronously driving the ball feeding mechanism and the launching mechanism based on the amount of operation of the operating handle 31.

[0063] The power supply control board 500 is composed of a normal power supply circuit 501 that generates normal power to be supplied to electronic and electrical components such as the control board mentioned above based on the primary power supply supplied from the power supply equipment of the game island, a backup power supply circuit 502 that generates backup power, and a power interruption detection circuit 503 that detects power interruption (when the voltage supplied by the normal power supply drops to a specified voltage). In addition, a power switch 40 is connected to the power supply control board 500, and assuming that primary power is supplied from the amusement island's power supply equipment, when the power switch 40 is turned ON, normal power is generated in the normal power supply circuit 501 of the power supply control board 500, and power is supplied to electronic and electrical components including the above-mentioned control boards (main control board 100, first sub-control board 200, second sub-control board 300, and payout control board 400). In addition, when a power interruption detection circuit 503 detects a power interruption, the power supply control board 500 transmits a power interruption signal (NMI signal) to each of the main control board 100, the first sub-control board 200, and the dispensing control board 400. In addition, the backup power supply circuit 502 is configured to be charged when power is supplied to the gaming machine 10 from the power supply equipment of the gaming island. In addition, the backup power supply circuit 502 may be provided on the dispensing control board 400, and the power interruption detection circuit 503 may not be provided on the power supply control board 500, but may be provided on each of the main control board 100, the first sub-control board 200, and the dispensing control board 400.

[0064] <Functional Configuration of Gaming Machine 10> Next, the functional configuration of the gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the gaming machine 10. Note that the functional configuration shown in Fig. 7 is necessary for explaining the gaming machine 10 of this embodiment, and the gaming machine 10 may also have functional configurations that are not shown in Fig. 7. Furthermore, when explaining the functional configuration, Figs. 8 to 11 will be referred to as necessary.

[0065] As shown in Figure 7, the main control board 100 is equipped with a ball entry determination means 110, a main random number generation means 115, a main hold control means 120, a pre-determination means 125, a special symbol lottery means 130, a normal symbol lottery means 135, a jackpot game control means 140, a pattern display control means 145, an electric device control means 150, a game status control means 155, a main information storage means 160, a main error control means 165, a main command management means 170, a power restoration processing execution means 175, and a power outage processing execution means 180. These means are functional representations of what is realized by each control configuration on the main control board 100 described using Figure 6.

[0066] First, the main information storage means 160 is a means for temporarily storing data read by the means provided in the main control board 100, data derived by calculations in the means, etc. in the corresponding storage areas. In particular, the data (performance control commands) stored in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160 is transmitted by the command transmission means to the sub-command management means 270 of the first sub-control board 200, which will be described later, after being stored.

[0067] The ball entry determination means 110 determines whether a ball has entered each winning hole based on the detection results of the sensors provided at each winning hole. In addition, when the ball entry determination means 110 determines that a game ball has entered a prize hole using a sensor installed in the prize hole, such as the large prize hole sensor 72, it generates a presentation control command (prize entry command) that includes information that can identify the type of sensor related to the prize, and stores the command in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160.

[0068] The main random number generating means 115 can generate multiple types of random numbers with different update ranges depending on the random number circuit 105, and when a win is determined to have been made at a winning slot, it acquires (latches) one or more random numbers corresponding to that winning slot from the random number circuit 105. More specifically, when it is determined that a prize has been won at the first start gate 57 or the second start gate 59, the main random number generating means 115 acquires a random number for determining whether a special symbol has been won, a random number for drawing a special symbol stop symbol pattern, and a random number for drawing a special symbol change pattern, which will be described later. When it is determined that a prize has been won at gate 63, the main random number generating means 115 stores the random number for determining whether a normal symbol has been won, a random number for drawing a normal symbol stop symbol pattern, and a random number for drawing a normal symbol change pattern, which will be described later, in the corresponding storage areas of the main information storage means 160. The random number circuit 105 monitors whether the multiple types of random numbers it updates are being updated normally, and if an update abnormality occurs in which the random numbers are not updated normally, information indicating the occurrence of the abnormality is written to a specific storage area of the random number circuit 105. Therefore, the CPU 101 can recognize that an update abnormality has occurred in the random number circuit 105.

[0069] The main reserve control means 120 controls the reservation of the pattern variation related to the special chart and the reservation of the pattern variation related to the normal chart. Regarding the special chart 1, the random number for determining whether the special chart is a hit or not, the random number for drawing the special chart stop pattern, and the random number for drawing the special chart variation pattern, which are acquired as a result of winning the first starting gate 57, are reserved (stored) as operation reservation information for the special chart 1. More specifically, the main hold control means 120 is provided with a hold counter (hereinafter referred to as the "special chart 1 hold counter") that is incremented by 1 each time the activation hold information of special chart 1 is held and decremented by 1 each time the activation hold information of special chart 1 is used (used in the lottery by the special chart lottery means 130), and stores the activation hold information in a storage area corresponding to the current special chart 1 hold counter of the main information storage means 160 until the value of the special chart 1 hold counter reaches an upper limit value (4 in this embodiment), and clears the used activation hold information each time the activation hold information is used, and controls the remaining activation hold information to be moved (shifted) from the current storage area to a storage area corresponding to a special chart 1 hold counter that is 1 less than the current special chart 1 hold counter, in order from the smallest special chart 1 hold counter. In addition, the main hold control means 120 performs the same control as described above for special drawing 2 and regular drawing separately from special drawing 1, and the hold counter for special drawing 2 is called the special drawing 2 hold counter, and the upper limit value of the special drawing 2 hold counter in this embodiment is 4. In addition, in the following explanation, "holding of operation hold information" may be expressed as "holding of pattern change" or simply as "holding." In addition, when the main hold control means 120 updates (adds or subtracts) the operation hold information (hold counter) of special chart 1 or special chart 2, it generates a performance control command (hold command) including the special chart 1 hold counter and the special chart 2 hold counter, and stores the command in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160. In this embodiment, when both the activation pending information corresponding to special chart 1 and the activation pending information corresponding to special chart 2 are reserved, a priority variation is performed in which the activation pending information corresponding to special chart 2 is used preferentially. However, instead of this priority variation, a winning order variation in which the activation pending information is used in the order in which it is reserved, regardless of whether it corresponds to special chart 1 or special chart 2, or a simultaneous variation in which the activation pending information corresponding to special chart 1 and the activation pending information corresponding to special chart 2 are simultaneously used when both the activation pending information corresponding to special chart 1 and the activation pending information corresponding to special chart 2 are reserved may be adopted.

[0070] The advance judgment means 125 executes advance judgment for a pre-reading performance targeting the pending activation information in at least some cases where the pending activation information of a special chart is pending at a predetermined advance judgment timing. More specifically, the preliminary judgment means 125 reads out each random number of the operation pending information that has been reserved this time, and performs preliminary judgment for each of the special symbol hit / miss judgment, special symbol stop symbol lottery, and special symbol change pattern lottery, which will be described later. In each preliminary judgment, a lottery table (not shown) that is the same as or equivalent to the lottery table used in the lottery corresponding to each preliminary judgment is used. Therefore, the results of these preliminary judgments will be the same as the results of the lottery that will be executed later. In addition, the preliminary determination means 125 generates a performance control command (preliminary determination command) including the result of the derived preliminary determination, and stores the command in a transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160. In particular, the preliminary determination command includes a random number used to determine whether or not the special symbol is correct, and the random number is referenced in the special symbol variation pattern derivation state PB decoration body pre-reading performance control process described later. The pre-determination command is transmitted (generated and stored in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160) at least part of the timing of the predetermined pre-determination, and therefore is transmitted following the above-mentioned hold command. Here, the predetermined timing of the pre-determination is, for example, the timing when the activation hold information of the special pattern is held. In this embodiment, if the activation hold information of special pattern 1 is held during the high probability of the normal pattern described below, the pre-determination is restricted, and therefore the transmission of the pre-determination command corresponding to that pre-determination is also restricted. On the other hand, if the activation hold information of special pattern 2 is held during the low probability of the normal pattern described below, the pre-determination may or may not be restricted.

[0071] The special chart lottery means 130 includes a special chart win / loss determination means 131, a special chart stop pattern lottery means 132, and a special chart change pattern derivation means 133, and executes processing by each means in the order of the special chart win / loss determination means 131, the special chart stop pattern lottery means 132, and the special chart change pattern derivation means 133. When the special chart change start condition is satisfied, the special chart lottery means 130 reads out the earliest activation pending information among the activation pending information reserved in the main information storage means 160. In addition, "the conditions for starting the change of the special chart are satisfied" means, for example, that all of the following conditions are satisfied: the player is not in the middle of a jackpot game, neither Special Chart 1 nor Special Chart 2 is currently changing the pattern (including when the pattern change related to Special Chart 1 or Special Chart 2 is stopped and displayed), and there is pending activation information on at least one of Special Chart 1 and Special Chart 2.

[0072] Here, FIGS. 8 and 9 are diagrams that schematically show the lottery table used in the main control board 100, and will be referred to as necessary in the following description. In a lottery using a lottery table, including other lottery tables, the lottery values stored in the lottery table are sequentially added to the read random number in a predetermined order (if there is only one target lottery value, the addition is performed once), and the result corresponding to the lottery value that has generated a carry (overflow) is derived as the result of the lottery. Similarly, in the explanation of the lottery tables, names are given to the lottery tables for convenience of explanation. However, as long as the data, such as the lottery values, contained in the lottery table corresponding to the names are identifiable and stored in each ROM, these names do not specify the area in which the data is stored. In the illustrated lottery tables, items listed for convenience of explanation or lottery values such as "-" or "0" are listed, but these do not necessarily indicate the data stored in each ROM. Furthermore, results with lottery values of "-" or "0" will not result in a win. Furthermore, if the lottery table contains a lottery value identical to the random number range used in the lottery (the number of random numbers that can be obtained within that range), the result will be derived 100%, so a lottery is not necessarily required. Furthermore, if the total value of the lottery values used in one lottery matches the random number range used in the lottery, a carry will always occur when adding the last lottery value, so the addition does not need to be performed, and in that case the lottery values used in the addition themselves become unnecessary.

[0073] The special symbol hit / miss judgment means 131 reads out a random number for the special symbol hit / miss judgment for each symbol change, and executes a special symbol hit / miss judgment to judge by lottery whether the winning is a big hit, a small hit, or a miss, using the read-out random number and a lottery table for the special symbol hit / miss judgment. Figure 8(a) is a diagram showing a schematic drawing of a lottery table for determining whether a special drawing is a hit or a miss. The lottery table differs between special drawing 1 and special drawing 2, and the range of random numbers used in these determinations is 0 to 65535. Therefore, in determining whether a special drawing is a hit or a miss in special drawing 1, a big hit is derived with a probability of 205 / 65536 (approximately 1 / 320), and any other result is a miss, and no small hit is derived. On the other hand, in determining whether a special drawing is a hit or a miss in special drawing 2, a big hit is derived with a probability of 205 / 65536 (approximately 1 / 320), and a small hit is derived with a probability of 1820 / 65536 (approximately 1 / 36.0), and any other result is a miss. Here, as described above, in a lottery using a lottery table, the lottery values stored in the lottery table are added to the read random number in a predetermined order, and the result corresponding to the lottery value where a carry occurred is derived as the result of the lottery. Therefore, in the special chart win / loss determination in special chart 2, if a random number included in the random number range of 63511 to 65535 is obtained, a big win or a small win is derived. In particular, if a random number included in the random number range of 65331 to 65535 is obtained, a big win is derived, and if a random number included in the random number range of 63511 to 65330 is obtained, a small win is derived. In this embodiment, as will be described later, a jackpot game can occur via a small jackpot, so the probability of a jackpot being derived in the special chart hit / miss determination is set to the single probability described above.

[0074] When the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment is a big hit or a small hit, the special chart stopping pattern lottery means 132 determines the special chart stopping pattern by lottery using a random number for special chart stopping pattern lottery (in this embodiment, in the range of 0 to 999) and a lottery table for special chart stopping pattern lottery. Specifically, as shown in Figure 8(b), which is a diagram that schematically illustrates the lottery table for lottery of stopping symbols used when a jackpot is derived in the judgment of whether the special symbol is a hit or miss related to special symbol 1, when a jackpot is derived in the judgment of whether the special symbol is a hit or miss related to special symbol 1, symbol A is determined as the stopping symbol with a probability of 900 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.11), and symbol B is determined with a probability of 100 / 1000 (1 / 10). Here, whether symbol A or symbol B is selected, the game will enter a normal high probability state after the jackpot game corresponding to these stopped symbols ends, as described below. However, the number of symbol changes during which the normal high probability state continues (hereinafter referred to as the "prescribed number of times related to normal high probability") will be 30 times after the jackpot game ends when symbol A is selected, and 60 times after the jackpot game ends when symbol B is selected. Also, the number of rounds of the jackpot game corresponding to symbol A is 4, while the number of rounds of the jackpot game corresponding to symbol B is 10. Therefore, symbol B can be said to be more advantageous than symbol A in terms of both the number of rounds and the prescribed number of times related to normal high probability.

[0075] As shown in Figure 8(c), which is a diagram that schematically shows the lottery table for drawing the stopping pattern used when a small win is derived in the judgment of whether the special pattern is a hit or miss for special pattern 2, if a small win is derived in the judgment of whether the special pattern is a hit or miss for special pattern 2, pattern a will be determined as the stopping pattern with a probability of 500 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 2), and pattern b will be determined with a probability of 500 / 1000 (1 / 2). Here, symbol a is a stopping symbol that will result in 10 rounds of jackpot play during a small jackpot game related to that symbol, and will result in a normal high probability after the jackpot game ends, with the specified number of times for that normal high probability being 30 or 60 (details will be explained later). Symbol b is a stopping symbol that will result in 10 rounds of jackpot play during a small jackpot game related to that symbol, and will result in a normal high probability after the jackpot game ends, with the specified number of times for that normal high probability being 60. Therefore, it can be said that symbol b is more advantageous than symbol a in terms of both the specified number of times for that normal high probability. In addition, when a jackpot game occurs in a small hit game, the number of rounds in that jackpot game is the number calculated by counting that small hit game as one round. Furthermore, in the following explanation, a jackpot game that occurs in a small hit game related to symbol a may be expressed as a "jackpot game related to symbol a," and a jackpot game that occurs in a small hit game related to symbol b may be expressed as a "jackpot game related to symbol b."

[0076] As shown in Figure 8(d), which is a diagram schematically illustrating a lottery table for drawing the stopping symbols used when a jackpot is determined in the special symbol hit / miss judgment related to special symbol 2, when a jackpot is determined in the special symbol hit / miss judgment related to special symbol 2, symbol c is determined as the stopping symbol with a probability of 1000 / 1000 (1 / 1). In particular, symbol c is a stopping symbol for which the number of rounds of the jackpot game corresponding to the stopping symbol is 10, and which becomes a normal symbol with high probability after the jackpot game ends, and the specified number of times for the normal symbol with high probability is 60, which is the same as the jackpot game related to symbol b.

[0077] In addition, the special chart stop pattern lottery means 132 determines pattern C as the stop pattern if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment for special chart 1 is a miss, and determines pattern d as the stop pattern if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment for special chart 2 is a miss (both not shown).

[0078] In this way, in the above-described embodiment, the jackpot game that occurs in the pattern variation related to special chart 2 tends to be more advantageous than the jackpot game that occurs in the pattern variation related to special chart 1. Therefore, the interest in the game can be further increased by transitioning from the special chart variation pattern derivation state PA described later to another special chart variation pattern derivation state (special chart variation pattern derivation state PB or special chart variation pattern derivation state PC described later).

[0079] The special pattern variation pattern derivation means 133 has a plurality of types of special pattern variation pattern lottery tables to be referenced when determining the special pattern variation pattern, and selects one special pattern variation pattern lottery table for determining the current special pattern variation pattern based on the current special pattern variation pattern derivation state and the result of the current special pattern success / failure judgment, determines one special pattern variation pattern using the selected special pattern variation pattern lottery table and a random number for special pattern variation pattern lottery, and determines the variation time based on the determined special pattern variation pattern. Here, the variation time refers to the time from when the pattern variation related to the special pattern (special pattern 1 or special pattern 2) starts to when the pattern variation ends. Details of the transition conditions will be described later, but in this embodiment, there are three special pattern variation pattern derivation states: special pattern variation pattern derivation state PA, special pattern variation pattern derivation state PB, and special pattern variation pattern derivation state PC. The above-mentioned method of determining the special pattern variation pattern is adopted in the pattern variation related to special pattern 1 in the special pattern variation pattern derivation state PA, and in the special pattern variation pattern derivation state PB and the special pattern variation pattern derivation state PC, it is adopted in the pattern variation related to special pattern 2. On the other hand, in the pattern change related to the other special chart in each special chart change pattern derivation state (the special chart for which the above-mentioned method for determining the special chart change pattern is adopted), a predetermined special chart change pattern is determined according to the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment. In particular, in this embodiment, in the pattern change related to the special chart 2 in the special chart change pattern derivation state PA, if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment related to the pattern change is a miss, and if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment related to the pattern change is a jackpot, a change pattern with a change time of 1000 ms is determined, and in the pattern change related to the special chart 1 in the special chart change pattern derivation state PB or the special chart change pattern derivation state PC, if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment related to the pattern change is a miss, and if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment related to the pattern change is a jackpot, a change pattern with a change time of 2000 ms is determined, and if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment of the pattern change is a miss, a change pattern with a change time of 2000 ms is determined (the same applies to small hits).

[0080] Figure 9(a) is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a special chart variation pattern lottery table used for the pattern variation related to special chart 1 during the special chart variation pattern derivation state PA, and the range of random numbers used in the lottery is 0 to 999. As shown in FIG. 9(a), in the pattern variation related to the special chart 1 in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PA, special chart variation patterns HNP to ASP-C can be determined. Specifically, if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in the pattern change related to special chart 1 during the special chart change pattern derivation state PA is a miss, the special chart change pattern HNP occurs with a probability of 900 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.11), the special chart change pattern HRP occurs with a probability of 52 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 19.2), the special chart change pattern HSP1-A occurs with a probability of 13 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 76.9), and the special chart change pattern HS occurs with a probability of 11 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 90.9). P1-B, special chart fluctuation pattern HSP2-A with a probability of 9 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 111), special chart fluctuation pattern HSP2-B with a probability of 7 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 143), special chart fluctuation pattern HSP3-A with a probability of 5 / 1000 (1 / 200), special chart fluctuation pattern HSP3-B with a probability of 3 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 333) are determined, and in this case, special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-A to special chart fluctuation pattern ASP-C are not determined. Details will be described later using Figure 9 (b), but when special chart fluctuation pattern HNP is determined, the special chart fluctuation pattern is further specified using the value of the special chart 1 pending counter at the start of this pattern fluctuation. On the other hand, if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in the pattern fluctuation related to special chart 1 during the special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PA is a jackpot, the probability of special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-A is 90 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 11.1), the probability of special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-B is 110 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 9.09), the probability of special chart fluctuation pattern ASP2-A is 135 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 7.41), the probability of special chart fluctuation pattern ASP2-B is 165 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 6 Special chart fluctuation pattern ASP2-B is determined with a probability of 1 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 5.56), special chart fluctuation pattern ASP3-A with a probability of 180 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 5.56), special chart fluctuation pattern ASP3-B with a probability of 220 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 4.56), and special chart fluctuation pattern ASP-C with a probability of 100 / 1000 (1 / 10), and in such cases, special chart fluctuation pattern HNP to special chart fluctuation pattern HSP3-B will not be determined. In this way, in this embodiment, when the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in the pattern fluctuation related to the special chart 1 in the special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PA is a miss, any one of the special chart fluctuation patterns HRP to HSP3-B is determined at a rate of 100 / 1000 (1 / 10), and the special chart fluctuation pattern HNP is determined at a rate of 900 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.11). Furthermore, when the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in the pattern fluctuation related to the special chart 1 in the special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PA is a jackpot, any one of the special chart fluctuation patterns ASP1-A to ASP-C is determined at a rate of 1000 / 1000 (1 / 1). Here, in the explanation of the special chart fluctuation pattern of this embodiment, when two special chart fluctuation patterns are described with "~" in between, the description of the special chart fluctuation pattern that exists between the special chart fluctuation pattern described earlier and the special chart fluctuation pattern described later is omitted in accordance with the order described in the drawing related to the special chart fluctuation pattern lottery table for each special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state. Also, in the explanation of the special chart fluctuation pattern of this embodiment, regardless of whether the corresponding fluctuation time is described, if the names of the special chart fluctuation patterns are different, it means that the different special chart fluctuation patterns are different.

[0081] Figure 9(b) is a diagram schematically showing a special chart variation pattern lottery table used when a special chart variation pattern HNP is determined in the pattern variation related to special chart 1 during the special chart variation pattern derivation state PA, and the range of the random numbers used in this lottery (different from the random numbers used in the lottery related to the special chart variation pattern lottery table shown in Figure 9(a)) is 0 to 999. As shown in Figure 9(b), the special chart fluctuation patterns HNP that can be determined in the pattern fluctuation related to special chart 1 during the special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PA include special chart fluctuation pattern HNP-A with a fluctuation time of 3200 ms (milliseconds), special chart fluctuation pattern HNP-B with a fluctuation time of 5600 ms, special chart fluctuation pattern HNP-C with a fluctuation time of 8000 ms, and special chart fluctuation pattern HNP-D with a fluctuation time of 11200 ms, in that order of increasing fluctuation time. Specifically, if the special chart 1 reserved counter is 3 at the start of this pattern change, the special chart change pattern HNP-A will be determined with a probability of 1000 / 1000 (1 / 1). Similarly, if the special chart 1 reserved counter is 2 at the start of this pattern change, the special chart change pattern HNP-A will be determined with a probability of 150 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 6.67), and the special chart change pattern HNP-B will be determined with a probability of 850 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.18). If the special chart 1 reserved counter is 1 at the start of this pattern change, the special chart change pattern HNP-A will be determined with a probability of 50 / 1000 (1 / 20), and the special chart change pattern HNP-B will be determined with a probability of 150 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 6.67). The special pattern variation pattern HNP-B is determined with a probability of 800 / 1000 (1 / 1.25), and the special pattern variation pattern HNP-C is determined with a probability of 800 / 1000 (1 / 1.25). If the special pattern 1 reserved counter = 0 at the start of this pattern variation, the special pattern variation pattern HNP-B is determined with a probability of 50 / 1000 (1 / 20), the special pattern variation pattern HNP-C is determined with a probability of 100 / 1000 (1 / 10), and the special pattern variation pattern HNP-D is determined with a probability of 850 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.18). In the following explanation, if the value of the referenced special pattern reserved counter is 3, it will be referred to as "protected 3", if the value of the special pattern reserved counter is 2, it will be referred to as "protected 2", if the value of the special pattern reserved counter is 1, it will be referred to as "protected 1", and if the value of the special pattern reserved counter is 0, it will be referred to as "protected 0". In this way, when the special pattern variation pattern HNP is determined in the special pattern variation pattern derivation state PA, the special pattern variation pattern (variation time) that is likely to be determined depends on the value of the special pattern 1 reserved counter at the start of the current pattern variation. More specifically, the smaller the value of the special pattern 1 reserved counter at the start of the current pattern variation, the more likely it is that a special pattern variation pattern with a longer variation time will be determined (the larger the value of the special pattern 1 reserved counter at the start of the current pattern variation, the more likely it is that a shorter variation time will be determined). In addition, such special chart variation pattern HNP (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "basic special chart variation pattern") also exists in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB and the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC, and in these special chart variation pattern derivation states, the reserved counter referenced is different from that in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PA, and in both cases the value of the special chart 2 reserved counter is referenced.

[0082] Figure 10(a) is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a special chart variation pattern lottery table used for the pattern variation related to special chart 2 when in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB, and the range of random numbers used in the lottery is 0 to 999. As shown in FIG. 10(a), in the pattern variation related to the special chart 2 in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB, the special chart variation pattern HNP to the special chart variation pattern ASP-F can be determined. Specifically, if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment for the pattern change related to special chart 2 in the special chart change pattern derivation state PB is a miss, special chart change pattern HNP is determined with a probability of 960 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.04), special chart change pattern HSP-D with a probability of 20 / 1000 (1 / 50), special chart change pattern HSP-E with a probability of 15 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 66.7), and special chart change pattern HSP-F with a probability of 5 / 1000 (1 / 200). In such cases, special chart change pattern ASP-D to special chart change pattern ASP-F are not determined. Details will be described later using Figure 10(b). If special chart change pattern HNP is determined, the special chart change pattern is further specified using the value of the special chart 2 pending counter at the start of the current pattern change. The method of determining the special chart change pattern using this special chart 2 pending counter is also the same in the special chart change pattern derivation state PB, described later. On the other hand, if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in the pattern change related to special chart 2 during the special chart change pattern derivation state PB is a big hit or a small hit, special chart change pattern ASP-D will be determined with a probability of 500 / 1000 (1 / 2), special chart change pattern ASP-E with a probability of 350 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 2.86), and special chart change pattern ASP-F with a probability of 150 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 6.67), and in such cases, special chart change pattern HNP to special chart change pattern HSP-F will not be determined. Thus, in this embodiment, when the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in the pattern change related to the special chart 2 in the special chart change pattern derivation state PB is a miss, one of the special chart change patterns HSP-D to HSP-F is determined at a rate of 40 / 1000 (1 / 25), and the special chart change pattern HNP is determined at a rate of 960 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.04). Furthermore, when the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in the special chart change pattern derivation state PB is a big hit or a small hit, one of the special chart change patterns ASP-D to ASP-F is determined at a rate of 1000 / 1000 (1 / 1). In particular, in this embodiment, when the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in the special chart change pattern derivation state PB is a big hit or a small hit, the type of the stopped pattern is not referenced. This is also the case in the special chart change pattern derivation state PC.

[0083] Figure 10(b) is a diagram schematically showing a special chart variation pattern lottery table used when special chart variation pattern HNP is determined in the pattern variation related to special chart 2 during special chart variation pattern derivation state PB, and the range of the random numbers used in this lottery (different from the random numbers used in the lottery related to the special chart variation pattern lottery table shown in Figure 10(a)) is 0 to 999. As shown in Figure 10(b), the special chart fluctuation patterns HNP that can be determined in the pattern fluctuation related to special chart 2 in the special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PB include special chart fluctuation pattern HNP-E with a fluctuation time of 3000 ms and special chart fluctuation pattern HNP-F with a fluctuation time of 15000 ms. Specifically, if the special chart 2 reserved counter = 3 at the start of the current pattern change, if the special chart 2 reserved counter = 2 at the start of the current pattern change, or if the special chart 2 reserved counter = 1 at the start of the current pattern change, the special chart change pattern HNP-E is determined with a probability of 1000 / 1000 (1 / 1), and in these cases, the special chart change pattern HNP-F is not determined.On the other hand, if the special chart 2 reserved counter = 0 at the start of the current pattern change, the special chart change pattern HNP-F is determined with a probability of 1000 / 1000 (1 / 1), and in these cases, the special chart change pattern HNP-E is not determined. In addition, special chart variation pattern HNP-E and special chart variation pattern HNP-F are different from both the special chart variation pattern that can be determined when special chart variation pattern HNP is determined in the pattern variation related to special chart 1 in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PA described above, and the special chart variation pattern that can be determined when special chart variation pattern HNP is determined in the pattern variation related to the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC described below.

[0084] Figure 11(a) is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a special chart variation pattern lottery table used for the pattern variation related to special chart 2 when the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC is in, and the range of random numbers used in the lottery is 0 to 999. As shown in FIG. 11(a), in the pattern variation related to the special chart 2 in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC, special chart variation pattern HNP to special chart variation pattern ASP-I can be determined. Specifically, if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment for the pattern change related to special chart 2 when the special chart change pattern derivation state PC is in the state of miss, special chart change pattern HNP will be determined with a probability of 950 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.05), special chart change pattern HSP-G with a probability of 25 / 1000 (1 / 40), special chart change pattern HSP-H with a probability of 15 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 66.7), and special chart change pattern HSP-I with a probability of 10 / 1000 (1 / 100), and in such cases, special chart change pattern ASP-G to special chart change pattern ASP-I will not be determined. On the other hand, if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in the pattern change related to special chart 2 when in the special chart change pattern derivation state PC is a big hit or a small hit, regardless of the number of spins in that special chart change pattern derivation state PC, special chart change pattern ASP-G will be determined with a probability of 500 / 1000 (1 / 2), special chart change pattern ASP-H with a probability of 350 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 2.86), and special chart change pattern ASP-I with a probability of 150 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 6.67), and in such cases, special chart change pattern HNP to special chart change pattern HSP-I will not be determined.

[0085] Figure 11(b) is a diagram schematically showing a special chart variation pattern lottery table used when special chart variation pattern HNP is determined in the pattern variation related to special chart 2 when the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC is in, and the range of the random numbers used in this lottery (different from the random numbers used in the lottery related to the special chart variation pattern lottery table shown in Figure 11(a)) is 0 to 999. As shown in Figure 11(b), the special chart variation patterns HNP that can be determined in the pattern variation related to special chart 2 when the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC is in include special chart variation pattern HNP-G with a variation time of 2000 ms and special chart variation pattern HNP-H with a variation time of 10000 ms. Specifically, if the special chart 2 reserved counter = 3 at the start of the current pattern change, if the special chart 2 reserved counter = 2 at the start of the current pattern change, or if the special chart 2 reserved counter = 1 at the start of the current pattern change, the special chart change pattern HNP-G is determined with a probability of 1000 / 1000 (1 / 1), and in these cases, the special chart change pattern HNP-H is not determined.On the other hand, if the special chart 2 reserved counter = 0 at the start of the current pattern change, the special chart change pattern HNP-H is determined with a probability of 1000 / 1000 (1 / 1), and in these cases, the special chart change pattern HNP-G is not determined. In addition, the special chart variation pattern HNP-G and the special chart variation pattern HNP-H are different from both the special chart variation pattern that can be determined when the special chart variation pattern HNP is determined in the pattern variation related to special chart 1 in the above-mentioned special chart variation pattern derivation state PA, and the special chart variation pattern that can be determined when the special chart variation pattern HNP is determined in the pattern variation related to special chart 2 in the above-mentioned special chart variation pattern derivation state PB.

[0086] In addition, at the start of the pattern change, the special chart change pattern derivation means 133 generates a performance control command (change start command) including the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment, the determined special chart stop pattern, and the determined special chart change pattern, and stores the command in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160.

[0087] The regular map lottery means 135, like the special map lottery means 130, reads out the earliest pending activation information from the pending activation information stored in the main information storage means 160 when the regular map pattern is not changing, and uses the read random number to perform a regular map validity judgment to determine whether the regular map is valid or invalid, and determines various parameters related to the regular map (regular map change time, regular map stop display time, etc.) based on the result of the regular map validity judgment and information such as the current special map change pattern derivation state. In determining whether a regular drawing is a hit or miss, there are two states where the regular drawing lottery state is a high probability state (sometimes abbreviated as "regular drawing high probability") and a low probability state (sometimes abbreviated as "regular drawing low probability"). An illustration of the lottery table is omitted, but in this embodiment, in a regular drawing high probability state, the probability of a regular drawing being a hit is 65535 / 65536, and the remaining probability of a miss is 1 / 65536, while in a regular drawing low probability state, the probability of a regular drawing being a hit is 1 / 65536, and the remaining probability of a miss is 65535 / 65536. Note that in a regular drawing low probability state, it may be configured so that the regular drawing does not win (65536 / 65536 is a miss).

[0088] At the start of a jackpot game, the jackpot game control means 140 generates a presentation control command (start demo command) including information related to the jackpot game (the required time for the start demo, the number of rounds, and the subsequent special chart variation pattern derivation state) and stores it in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160, and at the end of the start demo, generates a presentation control command (round start command) and stores it in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160. Furthermore, at the end of the round game, a presentation control command (end demo command) including the required time for the end demo of the jackpot game is generated and stored in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160. Furthermore, these commands are the same in a big win game caused by a small win game. Specifically, at the start of a small win game, the big win game control means 140 generates a start demo command and stores it in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160, and at the end of the start demo, generates a round start command and stores it in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160, and generates an end demo command and stores it in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160.

[0089] In addition, the jackpot game control means 140 starts a small jackpot game if the result of the special symbol hit / miss determination is a small jackpot, and if the game ball passes through the V winning area (not shown) provided in the large winning port 55 during the small jackpot game, the jackpot game corresponding to the small jackpot can be started after the small jackpot game ends. Therefore, in this embodiment, the small jackpot game functions as a trigger for the jackpot game. Note that if the game ball does not pass through the V winning area during the small jackpot game, the jackpot game does not start after the small jackpot game ends.

[0090] The pattern display control means 145 causes the first special pattern display device 91 to variably display the special pattern 1 in accordance with the variation time corresponding to the determined special pattern variation pattern of the special pattern 1, and causes the special pattern 1 to be stopped and displayed with the stop pattern determined by the special pattern stop pattern lottery after the variation time has elapsed. Similarly, the second special pattern display device 92 causes the special pattern 2 to variably display in accordance with the variation time corresponding to the determined special pattern variation pattern of the special pattern 2, and causes the special pattern 2 to be stopped and displayed with the stop pattern determined by the special pattern stop pattern lottery after the variation time has elapsed. Here, the stop display time (interval) of the pattern change related to the special chart refers to the time from when the special chart is stopped and displayed until the pattern change of the next special chart can start (if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment is a miss), or the time from when the pattern change of the special chart ends until the big hit game or small hit game starts (if the result of the normal chart hit / miss judgment is a normal hit), and in this embodiment the stop display time of the pattern change related to the special chart is a uniform 300 ms regardless of the type of special chart or the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment. In addition, the pattern display control means 145 has a special pattern game timer for managing the time (variation time, stop display time) related to the display of special pattern 1 and special pattern 2, and when the special pattern is stopped for display (at the timing when the value of the special pattern game timer becomes "0"), it generates a presentation control command (variation stop command) for requesting the fixed stop display of the decorative pattern, and stores the command in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160. Here, the "confirmed stop display of a decorative pattern" refers to the final stop display of a decorative pattern in the pattern change, and is different from the provisional stop display of a decorative pattern that may occur during the pattern change. In the provisional stop display of a decorative pattern, the decorative pattern displayed as stopped is accompanied by a small up and down movement (so-called "swinging fluctuation"), while in the confirmed stop display of a decorative pattern, the decorative pattern displayed as stopped is not accompanied by a swinging fluctuation. Therefore, the player can recognize whether the decorative pattern display is a confirmed stop display or a provisional stop display.

[0091] Furthermore, the pattern display control means 145 causes the normal map to be displayed on the normal pattern display device 93 in a variable manner according to a variable time corresponding to the determined normal map variable pattern, and after the variable time has elapsed, causes the normal map to be displayed in a stopped state with the determined stopping pattern. In addition, the symbol display control means 145 has a regular symbol game timer for managing the time related to the regular symbol (regular symbol fluctuation time, regular symbol stop display time, etc.).

[0092] In the above-mentioned big win game or small win game, the electric device control means 150 outputs a control signal to the special electric device solenoid 66, and opens the special electric device 65 according to an opening pattern corresponding to the stopping pattern of the special chart.

[0093] The game state control means 155 controls the normal symbol lottery state. Specifically, the game state control means 155 sets the normal symbol to low probability at the start of a jackpot game regardless of the stopped symbol of the special symbol related to the jackpot game, and when a specified condition such as the end of the jackpot game is met, sets the normal symbol to high probability until the specified number of symbol changes related to the high normal symbol probability are performed, and sets the normal symbol to low probability when the specified number of symbol changes related to the high normal symbol probability are completed. Here, as will be described later, in this embodiment, the number of symbol changes used to determine whether the specified number of symbol changes related to the high normal symbol probability has been reached is the number of symbol changes related to special symbol 2, but the number of symbol changes used to determine this may be the number of symbol changes related to special symbol 2 plus the number of symbol changes related to special symbol 1. In addition, in this embodiment, during a small win game, the normal symbol lottery state is maintained in the symbol variation that caused the small win game.

[0094] Such a regular drawing state changes in conjunction with the above-mentioned special drawing variation pattern derivation state, and the transition of the special drawing variation pattern derivation state is managed by the game state control means 155. The transition of the special drawing variation pattern derivation state will be explained below with reference to Figures 12(a) and 12(b). Figure 12(a) is a state transition diagram showing the transition of the special drawing variation pattern derivation state, and Figure 12(b) is a diagram showing the relationship between the average variation time for each special drawing variation pattern derivation state. As shown in Figure 12(a), in the special chart variation pattern derivation state, there is a special chart variation pattern derivation state PA as a special chart variation pattern derivation state corresponding to a normal chart low probability, and there are a special chart variation pattern derivation state PB and a special chart variation pattern derivation state PC as special chart variation pattern derivation states corresponding to a normal chart high probability, and one of these special chart variation pattern derivation states is set except during a jackpot game. And, there are transition conditions (i) to (v) for the transition conditions between the special chart variation pattern derivation state PA and the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC.

[0095] Specifically, transition condition (i) is the end of a jackpot game related to pattern A, transition condition (ii) is the end of a jackpot game related to pattern B, transition condition (iii) is the end of a jackpot game related to part of pattern a (details will be given later), pattern b, or pattern c, transition condition (iv) is the end of pattern changes related to special pattern 2 executed without a jackpot game in a normal high probability state by 30 times (the specified number of times related to a normal high probability state in special pattern change pattern derivation state PB), and transition condition (v) is the end of pattern changes related to special pattern 2 executed without a jackpot game in a normal high probability state by 60 times (the specified number of times related to a normal high probability state in special pattern change pattern derivation state PC). In addition, if a jackpot game involving pattern a, pattern b, or pattern c occurs in the special pattern variation pattern derivation state PC, the state will transition back to the special pattern variation pattern derivation state PC after the jackpot game ends, and the number of pattern variations involving special pattern 2 that can be performed up to the specified number of times for the high probability of normal patterns in the special pattern variation pattern derivation state PC will be reset. Also, although not shown in the figure, in a small win game that occurs in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB and the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC, if the game ball does not pass through the V winning area and a big win game does not occur, the end of the small win game triggers the end of the current special chart variation pattern derivation state and transition to the special chart variation pattern derivation state PA.

[0096] As shown in Figure 12(b), the average fluctuation time for the special symbol fluctuation pattern derivation state PA, the special symbol fluctuation pattern derivation state PB, and the special symbol fluctuation pattern derivation state PC decreases in the following order: special symbol fluctuation pattern derivation state PA, special symbol fluctuation pattern derivation state PB, special symbol fluctuation pattern derivation state PC. This is due to the length of the fluctuation time for the basic special symbol fluctuation pattern that is most likely to be determined in each special symbol fluctuation pattern derivation state. Here, the average fluctuation time refers to the sum of the fluctuation times derived by multiplying the occurrence rate (the probability that an arbitrary symbol fluctuation can occur, derived by multiplying the probability of the result of the special symbol win / fail judgment by the probability of the special symbol fluctuation pattern) for each fluctuation time for the special symbol fluctuation pattern that can be selected in a certain special symbol fluctuation pattern derivation state. However, in this embodiment, if there is only one special symbol fluctuation pattern that can be selected in that certain special symbol fluctuation pattern derivation state, the fluctuation time for that special symbol fluctuation pattern is treated as the average fluctuation time.

[0097] Thus, in this embodiment, in terms of the prescribed number of times related to the normal high probability, it can be said that the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC is a more advantageous game state than the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB. Also, in terms of the time efficiency of winning prize balls due to the average variation time, it can be said that the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC is a more advantageous game state than the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB.

[0098] In addition, when a transition occurs between the normal drawing state and the special drawing pattern derivation state, the game state control means 155 generates a presentation control command (game state designation command) including the state after the transition, and stores the command in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160. Furthermore, the game state control means 155 counts the number of times that a pattern change related to a transition to another special pattern change pattern derivation state is executed in each special pattern change pattern derivation state, and generates a performance control command including the number of times that the pattern change is counted each time a pattern change is started, and stores the command in a transmission command area of the main information storage means 160. Note that the information included in the performance control command may be included in the above-mentioned change start command.

[0099] As described above, the main information storage means 160 is a means for temporarily storing data read by each means and data derived by calculations or the like by each means in the corresponding storage areas.

[0100] The main error control means 165 monitors the input information of the I / O port 104 and determines whether or not the gaming machine 10 is in an error state. If it is determined that the gaming machine 10 is in an error state, it stores a performance control command (error command) including information that can identify the error state in a transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160.

[0101] When a performance control command is stored in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160, the main command management means 170 transmits the performance control command to the first sub-control board 200. In principle, each performance control command is transmitted in the order in which it is stored in the transmission command storage area of the main information storage means 160.

[0102] The power restoration process execution means 175 includes a restoration state setting means 176 and a playable state transition means 179 .

[0103] The recovery state setting means 176 executes a recovery state setting process to set a recovery state based on whether or not there is an abnormality in the RAM 103 when power is restored, the state at the time of power outage immediately before the power restoration, the state of the RAM clear switch 43 when power is restored, and the state of the inner frame door open sensor 76 when power is restored. The recovery states set by this process include a game-stopped state and a playable state (which may or may not involve the execution of a RAM clear process). Specifically, if there is an abnormality in RAM 103 when power is restored, a game-stopped state is set regardless of the state of RAM clear switch 43 and the state of middle frame door open sensor 76 when power is restored. Also, if there is no abnormality in RAM 103 when power is restored and RAM clear switch 43 is ON (pressed state) when power is restored, RAM clear processing is executed and a playable state is set on the condition that middle frame door open sensor 76 is ON when power is restored (if middle frame door open sensor 76 is OFF when power is restored, the RAM clear processing is not executed and the playable state is set), and if there is no abnormality in RAM 103 when power is restored and RAM clear switch 43 is OFF (not pressed state) when power is restored, the RAM clear processing is not executed and the playable state is set. Here, the game stop state is a return state in which the game cannot proceed because processing is not performed according to the detection results of the sensors installed at each winning port (the detection results of the sensors themselves do not need to be looked at). On the other hand, the playable state is a restored state in which the game can be continued by executing a process according to the detection results of the sensors installed in each winning slot. In particular, if the RAM clear process is not executed when power is restored, the game will return to the playable state at the time of the previous power outage. For example, if a big win game or a small win game was being played at the time of the previous power outage, the game will return to the big win game or small win game that was being played, and if a pattern change was being played at the time of the previous power outage, the game will return to the pattern change that was being played.

[0104] In addition, whether or not there is an abnormality in RAM103 is determined by executing a RAM abnormality check (specifically, a process that determines whether or not a backup flag is stored (whether or not the backup flag is ON) in the backup information area related to the target area, and if the backup flag is stored (if the backup flag is ON), derives a checksum of the target area and the complement stored in the backup information area related to the area, and if the calculation result is 0, determines that the target area is normal, and otherwise determines that the target area is abnormal) performed on the area related to the game in RAM103.

[0105] The playable state transition means 179 executes a playable state transition process for transitioning to a playable state when the playable state is set. More specifically, in the process of transitioning to a playable state, if the security signal output is ON, a process of turning the security signal output OFF and initial setting of the device are executed. In addition, during the initial setting of the device, processes such as sending a launch permission command to the payout control board 400 to allow the launch of game balls, setting the state in which balls will be valid when they enter each winning slot, and setting data to activate the random number circuit 105 are performed.

[0106] The power cutoff process execution means 180 executes the power cutoff process based on the reception of the power cutoff signal from the power supply control board 500. Specifically, for the area of RAM 103 related to gaming, the checksum of that area is derived, the complement of that checksum is stored in the backup information area of RAM 103 related to gaming, and a backup flag indicating that power-off processing has been performed on that area is turned ON (the backup flag is stored in the backup information area of RAM 103 related to gaming).

[0107] As shown in Figure 7, the first sub-control board 200 is equipped with a sub-random number generating means 210, a normal performance control means 220, a sub-error control means 230, a lamp control means 240, a movable prop control means 245, a sub-information storage means 260, and a sub-command management means 270, and these means are functional representations of what is realized by each control configuration on the first sub-control board 200 described using Figure 6. Here, the sub-information storage means 260 is a means for temporarily storing data read by the means provided in the first sub-control board 200, data derived by calculations in the means, etc., in the corresponding storage areas. Also, the performance control command transmitted from the main command management means 170 is stored by the sub-command management means 270 in a received command storage area of the sub-information storage means 260. In the following explanation, the storage of the performance control command transmitted from the main command management means 170 in the received command storage area of the sub-information storage means 260 by the sub-command management means 270 may be simply referred to as "receiving a performance control command."

[0108] The sub-random number generating means 210 can generate random numbers (software random numbers) that are updated by the CPU 201 through program processing, and obtains random numbers at the timing when each lottery (details will be described later) is executed by the normal performance control means 220.

[0109] The normal presentation control means 220 includes a presentation mode control means 221, a presentation route determination means 222, a sub-hold control means 223, a pre-reading presentation control means 224, a presentation content determination means 225, a decorative pattern control means 226, and a jackpot presentation control means 227.

[0110] When the presentation mode control means 221 receives a game state designation command, it controls the transition of the presentation mode in a manner that is consistent with the special chart variation pattern derivation state managed on the main control board 100 side. The presentation modes in this embodiment are broadly divided into normal mode, lower RUSH mode, and upper RUSH mode, with normal mode corresponding to the special chart variation pattern derivation state PA, lower RUSH mode corresponding to the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB, and upper RUSH mode corresponding to the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC.

[0111] When receiving a preliminary determination command, the performance route determination means 222 determines (sets) a performance route corresponding to the currently reserved pattern change based on the result of the preliminary determination included in the command (in this embodiment, the special symbol change pattern). Note that if the special symbol change pattern corresponding to the pattern change is the above-mentioned special symbol change pattern HNP, the performance route determination means 222 does not determine a performance route when the preliminary determination command is transmitted, and determines a performance route based on the special symbol change pattern included in the change start command at the start of the pattern change (for example, if the special symbol change pattern derivation state PA, special symbol change pattern HNP-A to special symbol change pattern HNP-D). Here, the presentation route is the presentation from the start to the end of the pattern change, and specifies the process of the presentation that notifies the result of the special pattern judgment in the pattern change, and the content of the presentation executed in the pattern change will be determined by the presentation content determination means 225 described later in accordance with the presentation route corresponding to the pattern change.

[0112] The presentation route in this embodiment is roughly divided into a miss presentation route that notifies that the result of the special symbol hit / miss judgment in the current symbol change is a miss (the result of the special symbol hit / miss judgment in the current symbol change is neither a big hit nor a small hit), and a hit presentation route that notifies that the result of the special symbol hit / miss judgment in the current symbol change is a big hit or a small hit. Furthermore, the miss presentation route includes a non-development miss presentation route in which the development presentation is not executed, and a development miss presentation route in which the development presentation is executed. Note that, as will be described later, if the hit presentation route is determined, the development presentation will be executed unless otherwise explained. Here, the development effect is an effect that is executed after the decorative symbols reach a reach state (a state in which all but one symbol row are displayed stationary and the remaining symbol rows are displayed in a variable manner), and at the end of which it is announced whether the result of the special symbol hit / miss judgment in the current symbol change is a big hit or a small hit. Therefore, in the development effect corresponding to the development miss effect route, a series of effects corresponding to the development effect is executed, and at the end of which it is announced that the result of the special symbol hit / miss judgment in the current symbol change is neither a big hit nor a small hit. On the other hand, in the development effect corresponding to the hit effect route, a series of effects corresponding to the development effect is executed, and at the end of which it is announced that the result of the special symbol hit / miss judgment in the current symbol change is a big hit or a small hit. Also, as will be described later, in this embodiment, in one presentation mode, each determined special chart variation pattern corresponds to a different presentation route. Therefore, in the following description, the presentation route for the special chart variation pattern may be simply expressed as a special chart variation pattern. However, multiple presentation routes may be associated with one special chart variation pattern, and in this case, one presentation route may be determined from multiple presentation routes corresponding to the determined special chart variation pattern. Below, we will explain the contents of the presentation route corresponding to each special chart change pattern determined in each presentation mode.

[0113] First, the presentation routes corresponding to the special chart variation patterns HNP-A to HNP-D and the special chart variation pattern HRP, which are determined normally (special chart variation pattern derivation state PA), correspond to the non-development miss presentation route described above. Specifically, the special pattern variation patterns HNP-A to HNP-D correspond to a presentation route that notifies the user that the result of the special pattern hit / miss judgment in this pattern change is a miss when the decorative patterns are not in a reach state and are stopped and displayed in a barrage (a state in which all pattern rows are stopped and the same decorative pattern is not stopped and displayed in each pattern row). Here, the same decorative pattern refers to a decorative pattern that resembles the same number, and the parts other than the numbers that make up the decorative pattern may be different. Similarly, different decorative patterns refer to decorative patterns that resemble different numbers. The special symbol variation pattern HRP corresponds to a presentation route in which the decorative symbols reach a reach state without pseudo-variation, and then the decorative symbols stop and display in a scattered pattern without executing the development presentation described below, thereby announcing that the result of the special symbol hit / miss judgment for this symbol variation is a miss. Here, pseudo-variation refers to a period before the development presentation begins, which is divided by the stopping of decorative symbols based on a certain rule (for example, the stopping of decorative symbols in a pattern in which the same decorative symbols stop in the middle and right symbol rows, such as "5 symbols-6 symbols-6 symbols"). Therefore, it can be said that a pseudo-variation only occurs when the number of pseudo-variations is two. In other words, if the decorative symbols change only once until the reach state is reached, it can be said that a pseudo-variation does not occur, and in such a case, it can be said that one pseudo-variation is executed. Note that, although the maximum number of pseudo-variations in this embodiment is three, the maximum number of pseudo-variations is not limited to this, and any number greater than two can be used.

[0114] The special chart change patterns HSP1-A to HSP3-B correspond to the above-mentioned development miss performance route. Specifically, for the special chart variation patterns HSP1-A and HSP1-B, the decorative symbols will reach a reach state without any pseudo-variation, and then a development effect will be executed to notify you that the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in this pattern change is a miss, and after the development effect ends, the decorative symbols will stop and be displayed in a spread pattern. Note that the types of development effects corresponding to each special chart variation pattern are different from each other, and the development effect HEA corresponds to the special chart variation pattern HSP1-A, and the development effect HEB corresponds to the special chart variation pattern HSP1-B. For the special chart fluctuation pattern HSP2-A and the special chart fluctuation pattern HSP2-B, the decorative pattern reaches a reach state through two pseudo fluctuations, and then a development effect is executed to notify that the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in this pattern fluctuation is a miss, and after the development effect ends, the decorative pattern stops and is displayed with a spread. Note that, as with the special chart fluctuation pattern HSP1-A and the special chart fluctuation pattern HSP1-B, the types of development effects corresponding to each special chart fluctuation pattern are different from each other, and the development effect HEA corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern HSP2-A, and the development effect HEB corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern HSP2-B. For the special chart fluctuation pattern HSP3-A and the special chart fluctuation pattern HSP3-B, the decorative pattern reaches a reach state through three pseudo fluctuations, and then a development effect is executed to notify that the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in this pattern fluctuation is a miss, and after the development effect ends, the decorative pattern stops and is displayed with a spread. Note that, as with the special chart fluctuation pattern HSP1-A and the special chart fluctuation pattern HSP1-B, the types of development effects corresponding to each special chart fluctuation pattern are different from each other, and the development effect HEA corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern HSP3-A, and the development effect HEB corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern HSP3-B.

[0115] The special chart change pattern ASP1-A and the special chart change pattern ASP1-B correspond to the winning performance route described above. Specifically, for the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-A and the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-B, the decorative pattern reaches a reach state without pseudo-fluctuation, and then a development effect is executed to notify that the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in this pattern fluctuation is a jackpot, and after the development effect ends, the decorative pattern is displayed in a pattern alignment (all pattern rows are displayed stopped, and the same decorative pattern is displayed stopped in each pattern row). Note that the types of development effects corresponding to each special chart fluctuation pattern are different from each other, and the development effect HEA corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-A, and the development effect HEB corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-B. For the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP2-A and the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP2-B, the decorative pattern reaches a reach state through two pseudo fluctuations, and then a development effect is executed to notify that the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in this pattern fluctuation is a jackpot, and after the development effect ends, the decorative pattern stops and is displayed with the pattern aligned. As with the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-A and the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-B, the types of development effects corresponding to each special chart fluctuation pattern are different from each other, and the development effect HEA corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP2-A, and the development effect HEB corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP2-B. For the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP3-A and the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP3-B, the decorative pattern reaches a reach state through three pseudo fluctuations, and then a development effect is executed to notify that the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in this pattern fluctuation is a jackpot, and after the development effect ends, the decorative pattern stops and is displayed with the pattern aligned. As with the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-A and the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-B, the types of development effects corresponding to each special chart fluctuation pattern are different from each other, and the development effect HEA corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP3-A, and the development effect HEB corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP3-B. The special pattern change pattern ASP-C corresponds to a performance route in which the decorative pattern reaches a reach state without any pseudo-change, and then a development performance HEC is executed to notify that the result of the special pattern hit / miss judgment in this pattern change is a jackpot, and after the development performance ends, the decorative pattern is displayed stopped with the pattern aligned.

[0116] In this way, in this embodiment, by associating the same development effects, the effect route corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern HSP1-A corresponds to the effect route corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern ASP1-A, the effect route corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern HSP1-B corresponds to the effect route corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern ASP1-B, the effect route corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern HSP2-A corresponds to the effect route corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern ASP2-A, the effect route corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern HSP2-B corresponds to the effect route corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern ASP2-B, the effect route corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern HSP3-A corresponds to the effect route corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern ASP3-A, and the effect route corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern HSP3-B corresponds to the effect route corresponding to the special symbol variation pattern ASP3-B. As a result, the contents of the effects of the associated effect routes are consistent from the start to the very end (the timing when the result of the special symbol win / loss determination is shown by the development effect related to the effect route). Therefore, the pattern changes in which the development effect HEA and development effect HEB are executed can give the player a sense of anticipation of winning a jackpot. In addition, the special pattern variation patterns described above, which determine the performance route in which the development performance HEA and development performance HEB are executed, can also be said to be special pattern variation patterns that make you expect a jackpot. These are the same for other performance modes described later. In addition, there is no corresponding development miss effect route for the special chart variation pattern ASP-C. Therefore, when the development effect HEC is executed in the pattern variation, the player can be made to recognize with certainty that he has won the jackpot. Therefore, it can be said that the effect route corresponding to the special chart variation pattern is an effect route that determines a jackpot win, and the special chart variation pattern can also be said to be a special chart variation pattern that determines a jackpot win.

[0117] Also, as shown in Figure 9 (a), if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment is a miss, within the range where the number of pseudo-fluctuations is the same, the special chart fluctuation pattern corresponding to the performance route in which the development performance HEA is executed (for example, special chart fluctuation pattern HSP1-A), the special chart fluctuation pattern corresponding to the performance route in which the development performance HEB is executed (for example, special chart fluctuation pattern HSP1-B) will be less likely to be determined in that order. And, if the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment is a jackpot, within the range where the number of pseudo-fluctuations is the same, the special chart fluctuation pattern corresponding to the performance route in which the development performance HEA is executed (for example, special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-A), the special chart fluctuation pattern corresponding to the performance route in which the development performance HEB is executed (for example, special chart fluctuation pattern ASP1-B) will be more likely to be determined in that order. And, as mentioned above, the development performance HEC is only executed when a jackpot is won. Therefore, the expectation of winning the jackpot can be increased in the order of the development effect HEA, the development effect HEB, and the development effect HEC. The expectation of winning the jackpot related to such development effects is also the same in the relationship between the development effect HED, the development effect HEE, and the development effect HEF, and the relationship between the development effect HEG, the development effect HEH, and the development effect HEI, which will be described later.

[0118] Next, the above-mentioned non-development miss effect route corresponds to the effect route corresponding to the basic special chart fluctuation patterns (special chart fluctuation patterns HNP-E and HNP-F) that can be determined in the special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PB. Specifically, the special chart fluctuation pattern HNP-E and the special chart fluctuation pattern HNP-F correspond to an effect route in which the decorative pattern does not reach a reach state and the decorative pattern stops and displays with a spread pattern, thereby announcing that the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in this pattern fluctuation is a miss. This is also the case for the basic special chart fluctuation patterns in the special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PC described later, so an explanation of this special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state will be omitted.

[0119] The special chart change patterns HSP-D to HSP-F correspond to the above-mentioned development miss performance route. Specifically, for special chart fluctuation patterns HSP-D to HSP-F, the decorative pattern reaches a reach state without pseudo-fluctuation, and then a development effect is executed to notify that the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in this pattern fluctuation is a miss, and after the development effect ends, the decorative pattern is displayed stopped with a spread. Note that the types of development effects corresponding to each special chart fluctuation pattern are different from each other, and the development effect HED corresponds to special chart fluctuation pattern HSP-D, the development effect HEE corresponds to special chart fluctuation pattern HSP-E, and the development effect HEF corresponds to special chart fluctuation pattern HSP-F. In addition, the special chart change pattern ASP-D to special chart change pattern ASP-F correspond to the above-mentioned winning performance route. Specifically, for special chart fluctuation patterns ASP-D to ASP-F, the decorative pattern will be in a reach state without pseudo-fluctuation, and then a development effect will be executed to notify that the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in this pattern fluctuation is a big hit or a small hit, and after the development effect ends, the decorative pattern will be displayed stopped with the pattern aligned. Note that the types of development effects corresponding to each special chart fluctuation pattern are different from each other, and the development effect HED corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP-D, the development effect HEE corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP-E, and the development effect HEF corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP-F.

[0120] In addition, the special symbol variation patterns HSP-G to HSP-I, which can be determined by the special symbol variation pattern derivation state PC, correspond to the above-mentioned development miss effect route. Specifically, the special symbol variation patterns HSP-G to HSP-I correspond to an effect route in which the decorative symbol reaches a reach state without pseudo-variation, and then a development effect is executed to notify that the result of the special symbol hit / miss judgment in this symbol variation is a miss, and after the development effect ends, the decorative symbol is displayed stopped with a spread pattern. Note that the type of development effect corresponding to each special symbol variation pattern is different, and the development effect HEG corresponds to the special symbol variation pattern HSP-G, the development effect HEH corresponds to the special symbol variation pattern HSP-H, and the development effect HEI corresponds to the special symbol variation pattern HSP-I. In addition, the special chart fluctuation patterns ASP-G to ASP-I correspond to the above-mentioned winning performance route. Specifically, the special chart fluctuation patterns ASP-G to ASP-I correspond to a performance route in which the decorative pattern reaches a reach state without pseudo-fluctuation, and then a development performance is executed to notify that the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment in this pattern fluctuation is a big hit or a small hit, and after the development performance ends, the decorative pattern is displayed stopped with the pattern aligned. Note that the types of development performance corresponding to each special chart fluctuation pattern are different, and the development performance HEG corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP-G, the development performance HEH corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP-H, and the development performance HEI corresponds to the special chart fluctuation pattern ASP-I.

[0121] When the sub-hold control means 223 receives a hold command (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the occurrence of a hold winning), it sets performance data for displaying the number of hold images corresponding to the special chart 1 hold counter and the number of hold images corresponding to the special chart 2 hold counter in the hold display area (not shown) of the main display unit 81 based on the information of the special chart 1 hold counter and the special chart 2 hold counter included in the command. The hold images are images that are the subject of a hold pre-reading performance that changes into various forms that suggest the degree of advantage, such as the expectation of a jackpot game occurring.

[0122] When the pre-reading effect control means 224 receives a pre-determination command, it determines the content of the so-called pre-reading effect based on the result of the pre-determination included in the command. The pre-reading effect is an effect that suggests the expectation for the result of the special symbol hit / miss judgment in the pre-reading target symbol change and the content of the effect to be executed in the pre-reading target symbol change before the pre-reading target symbol change begins, with the aim of increasing the interest in the game. Note that the pre-reading target symbol change is a symbol change related to the main special symbol (special symbol 1 in the special symbol change pattern derivation state PA, and special symbol 2 in the special symbol change pattern derivation state PB and the special symbol change pattern derivation state PC), and refers to a symbol change that is reserved in the states of hold 1 to hold 3.

[0123] When the variation start command is received, the performance content determination means 225 determines the content of the performance to be executed in the current pattern variation according to the performance route already determined by the performance route determination means 222. More specifically, the effect content determination means 225 determines an effect pattern lottery table to be referenced for the content of the effect (effect pattern) for each effect execution timing in the pattern variation, based on the effect route determined by the effect route determination means 222, and determines the content of the effect by lottery using the determined effect pattern lottery table. In particular, by doing this, it is possible to change the content of the effect related to (executed according to) the determined effect route, and also to provide a connection between the effects in one pattern variation.

[0124] When the decorative pattern control means 226 receives a variation start command, it determines the final (determined stopped display) combination of decorative patterns (left pattern, center pattern, right pattern) based on the stopped pattern of the determined special pattern. Specifically, in the pattern variation related to special symbol 1 in the special symbol variation pattern derivation state PA, any of the pattern alignments related to decorative symbols excluding symbol 7 is determined for symbol A, and a pattern alignment related to symbol 7 is determined for symbol B. Therefore, in this embodiment, the number of rounds of the jackpot game to be generated and the subsequent (after the jackpot game ends) presentation mode (special symbol variation pattern derivation state) can be estimated depending on the type of pattern alignment related to decorative symbols corresponding to the jackpot game. When a jackpot game occurs with a pattern change related to special symbol 2 in the special symbol change pattern derivation state PB, if 30 times is determined as the specified number of times related to the normal symbol high probability, one of the pattern alignments related to decorative symbols other than the 7 symbol is determined, and if 60 times is determined as the specified number of times related to the normal symbol high probability, a pattern alignment related to the 7 symbol is determined. Also, when a jackpot game occurs with a pattern change related to special symbol 2 in the special symbol change pattern derivation state PC, a pattern alignment related to the 7 symbol is determined. Therefore, in this embodiment, when a pattern alignment related to the 7 symbol is stopped and displayed, it is determined that the special symbol change pattern derivation state PC will be set after the jackpot game related to the pattern alignment is completed.

[0125] When the jackpot presentation control means 227 receives a presentation control command related to a jackpot game (start demo command, round start command, end demo command), it determines the content of the presentation during the jackpot game based on the type of the presentation control command and the information contained in the presentation control command. In addition, the effects that occur during jackpot play include a start demo effect that is executed based on the reception of a start demo command and notifies the player that a jackpot play has begun, a round effect that is executed based on the reception of a round start command and notifies the player that a round play is in progress, and an end demo effect that is executed based on the reception of an end demo command and notifies the player that a jackpot play has ended.

[0126] The normal performance control means 220 reads out performance data for each device corresponding to each performance at the execution timing of that performance, in accordance with the content of the performance determined by the above-mentioned means provided in the first sub-control board 200. If the read performance data includes performance data related to images, it generates image control commands based on that performance data and stores those commands in a transmission command storage area of the sub-information storage means 260. Furthermore, if the read performance data includes performance data related to sound, it generates audio control commands related to sound based on that performance data and stores those commands in a transmission command storage area of the sub-information storage means 260. Furthermore, if the restored state upon power restoration is a playable state following the execution of a RAM clear process, the normal presentation control means 220 reads presentation data for announcing that the playable state has been achieved following the execution of a RAM clear process, and if the restored state upon power restoration is a playable state without the execution of a RAM clear process, the normal presentation control means 220 reads presentation data for announcing that the playable state has been achieved without the execution of a RAM clear process. Furthermore, if a game-stop state is achieved, the normal presentation control means 220 reads presentation data for announcing that the game has been stopped and that a RAM clear process needs to be executed. Note that while details of these notifications are omitted, it is preferable that they continue to be executed for a certain period of time (e.g., 30 seconds) after execution has begun, and the presentation device for executing the notification does not matter.

[0127] When an error command is transmitted, the sub-error control means 230 determines an error notification pattern and reads out performance data for executing an error notification in accordance with the error notification pattern. It should be noted that the error notification is executed with priority over the variation effect. Here, the variation effect is executed during the execution of the pattern variation, including the start of the pattern variation, and refers to an effect that suggests the likelihood of a jackpot occurring in the pattern variation or the pending pattern variation. Furthermore, when the device involved in the execution of the error notification and the device involved in the execution of the variation effect are the same device, the error notification being executed with priority does not only mean that only the error notification is executed in that device (the execution of the variation effect is restricted by the execution of the error notification), but also means that the error notification is executed in that device in a manner that is easier to recognize than the variation effect. Furthermore, the sub-error control means 230 may independently (independently of the main error control means 165) determine whether the gaming machine 10 is in an error state, and if it determines that the gaming machine 10 is in an error state, read out performance data that executes an error notification.

[0128] The lamp control means 240 holds lamp control data for controlling the lighting of various lamps such as the frame lamp 35. For example, if the performance data read by the normal performance control means 220 contains performance data corresponding to a lamp, the lamp control means 240 reads out the lamp control data based on the performance data and transmits the read lamp control data to the lamp to be executed.

[0129] When the performance data read by the normal performance control means 220 contains performance data corresponding to a movable role, the movable role control means 245 reads movement control data for controlling the movement of the movable decorative body 22 and the sub-display unit 82 from ROM 202 based on the performance data, and transmits the read movement control data to the movable decorative body 22 and the sub-display unit 82 to control the movement of the movable decorative body 22 and the sub-display unit 82.

[0130] As described above, the sub-information storage means 260 is a means for temporarily storing data read out by the means provided in the first sub-control board 200, data derived by calculations in the means, etc. in corresponding storage areas.

[0131] The sub-command management means 270 receives performance control commands transmitted from the main control board 100 and stores the received performance commands in a received command storage area of the sub-information storage means 260. Furthermore, if an image control command is stored in the transmission command storage area of the sub-information storage means 260, the sub-command management means 270 transmits the image control command to the second sub-control board 300. Furthermore, if an audio control command or a volume adjustment command is stored in the storage area, the sub-command management means 270 transmits these commands to the audio control board 310. Note that these commands are transmitted in the order in which they are stored in the transmission command storage area of the sub-information storage means 260, as a general rule.

[0132] As explained above, the gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment has a special chart variation pattern derivation state PB and a special chart variation pattern derivation state PC that is more advantageous than the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB, as special chart variation pattern derivation states related to high probability of normal charts. This contributes to improving the desire to play when the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC is set while suppressing the gambling nature of the gaming machine as a whole, but it leads to a decrease in the desire to play when the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB is set. In contrast, the present invention has a function for improving the above-mentioned problems, and the details of this function will be explained below.

[0133] <Regarding game state transition processing at the end of a jackpot game during normal high probability> First, using Figures 13(a) and 13(b), the details of the state transition process at the end of a normal high probability medium jackpot game will be explained. FIG. 13(a) shows the flow of the state transition process at the end of a jackpot game during a normal high probability game, and this process is executed at the end of a jackpot game that occurs during a normal high probability game. FIG. 13(b) is a table summarizing the types of special chart variation pattern derivation states set in each of the common state transition process and the dedicated state transition process.

[0134] As shown in Figure 13(a), in step S102, which is the first step of the state transition processing at the end of a normal high probability medium jackpot game, it is determined whether or not the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB is in effect, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S104, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S106. In step S104, it is determined whether or not the pattern change that caused the jackpot game (hereinafter simply referred to as "this jackpot game") that triggered the execution of the state transition process at the end of this regular high probability jackpot game occurred within 10 spins from the start of the special pattern change pattern derivation state PB, and if the condition is met, it proceeds to step S106, and if the condition is not met, it proceeds to step S108. In step S106, the common state transition process is executed, and then the state transition process at the end of the normal high probability medium jackpot game is terminated. In step S108, a dedicated state transition process is executed, and then the state transition process at the end of the normal high probability medium jackpot game is terminated.

[0135] As shown in Figure 13 (b), in the common state transition process, the special symbol variation pattern derivation state PC is set regardless of the type of the stopped symbol related to the current jackpot game, whether the symbol is a, b, or c. In other words, when the common state transition process is executed, the special symbol variation pattern derivation state PC is set regardless of the type of the stopped symbol related to the current jackpot game. On the other hand, in the dedicated state transition processing, if the stopping pattern for the current jackpot game is pattern a, the special pattern change pattern derivation state PB is set, and if the stopping pattern for the current jackpot game is pattern b or pattern c, the special pattern change pattern derivation state PC is set.

[0136] In this way, in this embodiment, if a jackpot game occurs within 10 spins from the start of the normal high probability state, which is set upon the end of a jackpot game, the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC is set by executing a common state transition process regardless of whether the normal high probability state is the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB or the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC. This allows for the provision of a normal pattern with high probability (a so-called easy-to-win state) with different degrees of advantage, while preventing a decline in motivation to play in the special pattern variation pattern derivation state PB, which has a relatively low degree of advantage.

[0137] In this embodiment, the common state transition process sets a relatively advantageous normal high probability (in this embodiment, the special symbol variation pattern derivation state PC), but in order to achieve this effect, the common state transition process may also set a relatively unfavorable normal high probability (the special symbol variation pattern derivation state PB) or a normal low probability. In other words, the common state transition process does not matter what state is set as long as it sets the same state. This is because the effect is achieved when there is no difference in the advantageous degree of the state related to the end of the jackpot game that occurred in a situation where the common state transition process can be executed. Furthermore, to achieve this effect, the circumstances under which the common state transition process can be executed are not limited to those of this embodiment, and the range of the number of spins in which the common state transition process is executed is not limited, for example, from 11 spins onwards but within 20 spins from the start of the normal high probability set at the end of the jackpot game, or from 21 spins onwards but within 30 spins from the start of the normal high probability set at the end of the jackpot game, etc. In particular, instead of the factors that cause differences in the degree of advantage of the normal high probability in this embodiment, the probability of a jackpot game occurring is changed to cause differences in the degree of advantage of the normal high probability, and if the specified number of times for the normal high probability with different advantages is made the same, the common state transition process may be executed within the range of spins that includes the pattern variation at which the normal high probability ends (for example, the last 10 spins). Furthermore, the circumstances in which the common state transition process can be executed are not limited to those based on the number of symbol variations performed in the above-mentioned normal high probability state. For example, the common state transition process may be executed when a jackpot game occurs in a normal high probability state where the number of jackpot games (number of consecutive wins) executed via the normal high probability state without an intervening normal low probability state (excluding small win games and jackpot games) is a predetermined number (e.g., three times). Also, the circumstances in which the common state transition process can be executed include when a jackpot game occurs in a normal high probability state where the number of game balls acquired in the jackpot game during the above-mentioned consecutive wins is a predetermined number (e.g., 3,600 balls) or more. In other words, the situation in which the common state transition process can be executed does not matter as long as it occurs in both the special symbol variation pattern derivation state PB and the special symbol variation pattern derivation state PC. However, as in this embodiment, it is preferable that it occurs due to the progress of the game (the number of times the symbol variation is executed, the number of jackpot games, the number of balls acquired). In addition, in this embodiment, when a jackpot game occurs in a situation where the common state transition process can be executed, the common state transition process is always executed, but this is not limited to this. In other words, the common state transition process may be executed in some cases where a jackpot game occurs in the situation.

[0138] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, the state may transition after the end of a bonus game (jackpot game) that occurs in a specific state (a special chart variation pattern derivation state related to a high probability of a normal chart), and the specific states include a first specific state (special chart variation pattern derivation state PB) and a second specific state (special chart variation pattern derivation state PC) that is more advantageous than the first specific state, and may become a predetermined situation (within 10 spins from the start of the high probability of a normal chart that is set as a trigger for the end of the jackpot game), and when a bonus game occurs in a predetermined situation in a specific state, regardless of whether the specific state in which the bonus game occurred is the first specific state or the second specific state, a common transition control (common state transition processing) related to the state can be executed based on the end of the bonus game, and in other words, the state after the end of the bonus game can be the same.

[0139] In particular, in this embodiment, as described above, when the result of the special symbol hit / miss judgment during the special symbol variation pattern derivation state PB is a big hit or a small hit, the type of the stopped symbol is not referenced. This makes it possible to prevent the determination of whether or not the common state transition process is executed after the end of the big hit game caused by the type of special symbol variation pattern (contents of the development performance) in the special symbol variation pattern derivation state PB. This is also true in the special symbol variation pattern derivation state PC.

[0140] <About the effects related to common state transition processing> Next, the details of the effects relating to the common state transition process described above will be explained with reference to FIGS. Figures 14(a) to 14(c) are figures showing specific examples of presentations related to common state transition processing, where Figure 14(a) shows a specific example of the first announcement presentation, Figure 14(b) shows a specific example of the second announcement presentation, and Figure 14(c) shows a specific example of the high probability announcement presentation. Figure 15(a) is a diagram showing the flow of the first notification effect control process during a jackpot game, and this process is executed when a game ball enters the big prize opening during a jackpot game that occurs in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB. Figure 15(b) is a diagram showing a schematic drawing of a lottery table used in the lottery to execute the first notification effect, and the range of random numbers used in this lottery is 0 to 999. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the flow of the second notification effect control process at the end of a jackpot game, and this process is executed in response to the end of a jackpot game that occurs in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB. 17(a) is a diagram showing the flow of the presentation mode control process for the high probability notification presentation, and this process is executed when a game ball enters the second starting hole in a situation where the common state transition process of the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB can be executed. Fig. 17(b) is a diagram showing a schematic drawing of a lottery table used for the change lottery to the special mode, and the range of random numbers used in this lottery is 0 to 999.

[0141] As shown in Figures 14(a) to 14(c), in this embodiment, the effects related to the common state transition processing include a first notification effect (see Figure 14(a)) that makes it possible to identify that the common state transition processing will be executed, a second notification effect (see Figure 14(b)) that makes it possible to identify that the common state transition processing has been executed, and a high-probability notification effect (see Figure 14(c)) that suggests the possibility that the common state transition processing will be executed, and the first notification effect can be executed during a jackpot game that occurs in the special chart change pattern derivation state PB, the second notification effect can be executed at the end of the jackpot game, and the high-probability notification effect can be executed in the special chart change pattern derivation state PB. 14(a), the first notification effect is an effect that can be executed when a gaming ball enters the big prize opening 55 during a big win game, and in this effect, a first notification image kg1 including the words "Higher RUSH waiting" is displayed. However, the first notification effect is not accompanied by sound output from the speaker 33. In addition, the first announcement effect in this embodiment ends after a certain period of time (5000 ms in this embodiment), and if the jackpot game ends before that time has elapsed, it will be forcibly terminated (in this case, it will switch to the second announcement effect, as described below).

[0142] As shown in Figure 14(b), the second announcement effect is an effect that can be executed when a jackpot game ends, and in this effect, a second announcement image kg2 containing the words "Entering upper RUSH" is displayed, and the speaker 33 outputs the voice "Entering upper RUSH."

[0143] As shown in Figure 14(c), the high probability notification effect is an effect that continues to be displayed in a situation where a common state transition process can be executed in the special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PB (specifically, within 10 spins from the start of the special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PB), and in this effect, a high probability notification image kg3 containing the words "High probability of upper RUSH" is displayed. In particular, in the high probability notification performance, the normal mode (the mode shown on the left side in FIG. 14(c)) can be changed to the special mode (the mode shown on the right side in FIG. 14(c)) when the game ball enters the second starting hole 59. At this time, the speaker 33 emits a sound effect corresponding to the change.

[0144] Next, as shown in Figure 15(a), in step S202, which is the first step of the first announcement effect control process during jackpot play that controls the execution of the first announcement effect, it is determined whether the power cutoff flag during jackpot play is ON, and if the condition is met, the first announcement effect control process during jackpot play is terminated (in this case, the first announcement effect is not executed), and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S204. Here, the power interruption flag during jackpot play is a flag that enables identification of a power interruption that does not involve the execution of RAM clear processing, such as a momentary power outage, during jackpot play, and is set to ON when a power interruption occurs during jackpot play. Note that this flag is uniformly set to OFF when jackpot play ends, and is also uniformly set to OFF (initialized) when power is turned on with the execution of RAM clear processing.

[0145] In step S204, it is determined whether the current jackpot game is a jackpot game related to the common state transition process. If the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S206. If the condition is not met, the first notification effect control process during the jackpot game is terminated. Here, the jackpot game related to the common state transition process refers to a jackpot game that will have the common state transition process executed after its completion. This also applies to the second notification effect control process at the end of the jackpot game, which will be described later.

[0146] In step S206, it is determined whether the completion flag is ON, and if the condition is met, the first announcement effect control process during the jackpot game is terminated, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S208. Here, the completion flag is a flag that enables identification that the first notification effect has been executed, and the flag is uniformly set to OFF when the jackpot game ends (particularly, after the second notification effect control process at the end of the jackpot game, which will be described later, ends). In particular, in this embodiment, the state of the completion flag is maintained when power is restored after a power outage such as a momentary power outage that does not involve the execution of RAM clear processing, and is initialized (set to OFF) when power is restored after a power outage that involves the execution of RAM clear processing.

[0147] In step S208, a lottery is held to determine whether the first announcement effect will be executed. Specifically, as shown in Figure 15(b), in the execution lottery for the first announcement performance, there is a 50 / 1000 (1 / 20) probability of winning the execution lottery, and a 950 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.05) probability of not winning the lottery.

[0148] In step S210, it is determined whether or not the lottery for executing the first announcement effect has been won, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S212, and if the condition is not met, the second announcement effect control process is terminated when the jackpot game ends. In step S212, effect data relating to the first notification effect is set, and the first notification effect is executed based on the set effect data. In step S214, the completion flag is set to ON, and then the second notification effect control process at the end of the big win game is terminated.

[0149] In this way, in this embodiment, in a jackpot game that occurs in a situation where the common state transition processing of the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB can be executed, a first notification effect can be executed that makes it possible to identify that the common state transition processing will be executed. According to this, by making the player aware that a common state transition process is executed during a jackpot game in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB, the player can enjoy the jackpot game while feeling a sense of security. In order to achieve this effect, the first notification effect is executed in some cases when a jackpot game occurs in a situation where the common state transition processing of the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB can be executed, but the system may be configured so that the first notification effect is always executed in the jackpot game. Furthermore, the execution condition for the first announcement effect is not limited to a specific condition as long as it is satisfied during a jackpot game. However, from the perspective of making it easier for a player to recognize the first announcement effect, it is preferable that the execution condition be satisfied by the acquisition of a game ball during a jackpot game (entry of a game ball into the large prize opening 55), as in this embodiment, and the acquisition of the game ball may include the entry of a game ball into a place other than the large prize opening 55, such as the general prize opening sensor 73. In particular, in this embodiment, the first announcement effect is executed when the above-mentioned execution condition is satisfied (triggered by the satisfaction of the execution condition), but the first announcement effect may also be executed based on the satisfaction of the execution condition, such as the passage of a certain amount of time since the execution condition was satisfied. In addition, in a jackpot game that occurs in a situation where the common state transition processing of the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC can be executed (within 10 spins from the start of the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC), the first notification effect may be executed, similar to a situation where the common state transition processing of the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB can be executed.

[0150] Therefore, in gaming machine 10, when a bonus game (jackpot game) occurs in a predetermined situation (within 10 spins from the start of the normal high probability game set as a trigger for the end of the jackpot game) in a specific state (a state in which a special game variation pattern related to a normal high probability game is derived), a first notification (first notification effect) that can identify that a common transition control (common state transition processing) will be executed can be executed based on the predetermined conditions in the bonus game being satisfied.

[0151] Furthermore, in other words, the above-mentioned predetermined condition can be satisfied by acquiring gaming media in a bonus game (jackpot game).

[0152] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown by the judgment related to step S202, if a power outage occurs during jackpot play (if the power outage flag during jackpot play is turned ON) before the presentation data related to the first announcement presentation is set (before step S212 is executed), the first announcement presentation will not be executed during the jackpot play.

[0153] Next, as shown in Figure 16, in step S302, which is the first step of the second announcement effect control process at the end of a jackpot game that controls the execution of the second announcement effect, it is determined whether the jackpot game that has just ended is a jackpot game related to the common state transition process, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S304, and if the condition is not met, the second announcement effect control process at the end of a jackpot game is terminated (in this case, the second announcement effect is not executed). In step S304, it is determined whether the completion flag is ON, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S306, and if the condition is not met, the second announcement effect control process is terminated when the jackpot game ends. In step S306, the effect data for the first notification effect is set, and then the second notification effect control process at the end of the big win game is ended, whereby the second notification effect is executed.

[0154] In this embodiment, the second notification effect is executed when the completion flag is ON, i.e., when the first notification effect is executed during a jackpot game. On the other hand, when the completion flag is OFF, i.e., when the first notification effect is not executed during a jackpot game, the second notification effect is not executed. As described above, in this embodiment, if a power outage or restoration without execution of RAM clear processing such as a momentary power outage occurs before the first notification effect is executed during a jackpot game, the first notification effect will not be executed during the jackpot game after the power outage is restored. Furthermore, if a power outage or restoration without execution of RAM clear processing such as a momentary power outage occurs after the first notification effect is executed during a jackpot game, the completion flag will be held in the ON state. Therefore, in this embodiment, in a jackpot game that has occurred in a situation where the common state transition process can be executed, if a power outage or restoration without execution of RAM clearing process such as a momentary power outage occurs before the first announcement effect is executed, the second announcement effect is not executed when the jackpot game ends after the restoration. On the other hand, in a jackpot game that has occurred in a situation where the common state transition process can be executed, if a power outage or restoration without execution of RAM clearing process such as a momentary power outage occurs after the first announcement effect is executed, the second announcement effect is executed when the jackpot game ends after the restoration. This makes it less likely that players will be confused when a power outage or restoration occurs during a jackpot game that occurs in a situation where common state transition processing can be executed, without the execution of RAM clear processing such as a momentary power outage, and also strengthens the flow from the first announcement display to the second announcement display (the correlation between the first announcement display and the second announcement display can be increased). In this embodiment, the second notification effect is executed at the timing when the jackpot game ends (triggered by the end of the jackpot game), but the second notification effect may also be configured to be executed based on the end of the jackpot game, such as when a certain amount of time has passed since the end of the jackpot game. In addition, even after the end of a jackpot game that occurs in a situation where the common state transition processing of the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC can be executed (within 10 spins from the start of the special chart variation pattern derivation state PC), the second notification effect may be executed, just as in a situation where the common state transition processing of the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB can be executed.

[0155] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, when a bonus game (jackpot game) occurs in a predetermined situation (within 10 spins from the start of the normal high probability game set as a trigger for the end of the jackpot game) in a specific state (a state in which a special game variation pattern related to the normal high probability game is derived), a second notification (second notification effect) that can identify that a common transition control (common state transition processing) has been executed can be executed based on the end of the bonus game; when a bonus game occurs in a predetermined situation in a specific state, if a power outage occurs without the execution of a RAM clear process before the start of the first notification (first notification effect), the second notification is not executed based on the end of the bonus game; and when a power outage occurs without the execution of a RAM clear process after the start of the first notification, the second notification is executed based on the end of the bonus game.

[0156] Although not mentioned in the above explanation, in this embodiment, if a power outage or restoration occurs during the execution of the first announcement performance without performing a RAM clear process, such as a momentary power outage, the first announcement performance may return, but the presentation mode of the first announcement performance before the power outage is configured to be different from the presentation mode of the first announcement performance after restoration (illustration of the presentation mode of the first announcement performance after restoration is omitted). This makes it less likely for players to become confused when a power outage and restoration occurs without the execution of RAM clearing processing such as a momentary power outage during a jackpot game that occurs in a situation where the above-mentioned common state transition processing can be executed, and it also has the effect of strengthening the flow from the first announcement display to the second announcement display, while making it easier for players to recognize that a power outage and restoration has occurred without the execution of RAM clearing processing such as a momentary power outage. Here, different presentation modes are not limited to different content of the first notification image kg1 itself, such as different content of the characters included in the first notification image kg1, different color of the characters, or a combination of these. For example, it also includes different appearance of the first notification image kg1 due to an image (for example, background image) displayed in parallel with the first notification image kg1 being different before and after the power outage is restored. In addition, the above statement that "the first announcement effect may return" takes into consideration the fact that the first announcement effect will not return if there is no timing for restoration (for example, the start of a new round) when the power outage and restoration occurs during a jackpot game (such as when the power outage and restoration occurs in the final round). In particular, in this embodiment, the first notification effect ends after a certain period of time, but if the first notification effect starts during a jackpot game, it may continue until the end of the jackpot game. In this configuration, it is possible to further enhance the effect of making it easier to recognize that a power outage or restoration without executing a RAM clear process, such as the momentary power outage, has occurred.

[0157] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, when a power outage and restoration occurs without the execution of a RAM clear process while the first notification (first notification presentation) is being executed, the first notification can be restored, and in other words, when a power outage and restoration occurs without the execution of a RAM clear process while the first notification is being executed, the notification mode of the first notification before the power outage and the notification mode of the first notification after the power restoration are different.

[0158] On the other hand, in this embodiment, if a power outage occurs during the execution of the second announcement display and is restored without performing a RAM clear process, such as a momentary power outage, the second announcement display can be restored, and the presentation mode of the second announcement display before the power outage and the presentation mode of the second announcement display after the power restoration are configured to be the same. This makes it easier to recognize when the power outage and restoration occurred (during the execution of the first announcement performance or the second announcement performance) if the power outage and restoration occurred during the flow from the first announcement performance to the second announcement performance.

[0159] Next, as shown in Figure 17(a), in step S402, which is the first step of the presentation mode control process for high probability announcement effects that controls the presentation mode of high probability announcement effects, it is determined whether or not a high probability announcement effect related to a special mode is being executed, and if the condition is met, the presentation mode control process for the high probability announcement effect is terminated, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S404. In step S404, it is determined whether the pattern change that triggered the execution of the performance mode control process for this high probability notification performance (hereinafter referred to as "this pattern change", particularly that related to the second starting port 59) is a miss without a development performance, and if the condition is met, the performance mode control process for the high probability notification performance is terminated, and if the condition is not met, it proceeds to step S406. Here, the case where the condition is not met refers to the case where the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment (the result of the advance judgment) is a big hit or a small hit, and the case where the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment is a miss and a special chart change pattern in which a development performance is executed is determined.

[0160] In step S406, a lottery for changing to a special mode is conducted. Specifically, as shown in Figure 17(b), if the result of the special pattern hit / miss judgment for this pattern change is a big hit or a small hit, there is a 700 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.43) probability of winning the lottery to change into the special mode, and a 300 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 3.33) probability of not winning the lottery to change into the special mode. On the other hand, if the result of the special pattern hit / miss judgment for this pattern change is a miss, and the result of the special pattern hit / miss judgment is a miss and a special pattern change pattern in which a development performance is executed is determined, there is a 400 / 1000 (1 / 2.5) probability of winning the change lottery to the special mode, and a 600 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.67) probability of not winning the change lottery. Here, as described above, the high probability notification effect is displayed in a situation where the common state transition process can be executed in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB. Therefore, it can be said that the high probability notification effect of the special mode is an effect that makes you expect the common state transition process to be executed.

[0161] In step S408, it is determined whether or not the variation lottery has been won, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S410, and if the condition is not met, the process ends the presentation mode control process for the high probability announcement presentation. In step S410, the effect data for the high probability notification effect of the special mode is set, and then the effect mode control process for the high probability notification effect is terminated. As a result, the high probability notification effect changes from the normal mode to the special mode.

[0162] In this way, in this embodiment, the high probability notification effect is configured to be able to be displayed in a situation where the common state transition processing can be executed in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB (specifically, within 10 spins from the start of the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB), and it can be said that the high probability notification effect suggests the possibility of the common state transition processing being executed depending on its presentation mode. This can enhance the effect of preventing a decline in motivation to play in the special chart variation pattern derivation state PB, which has a relatively low degree of advantage. In order to achieve this effect, in a situation where the common state transition processing of the special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PC can be executed (within 10 spins from the start of the special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PC), a high probability notification display may be executed in the same way as in a situation where the common state transition processing in the special chart fluctuation pattern derivation state PB can be executed.

[0163] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, a predetermined notification (high probability notification display) can be executed in a predetermined situation (within 10 spins from the start of the normal high probability set at the end of the jackpot game), and the predetermined notification can be in multiple notification modes, which can be rephrased as including a first mode (normal mode) and a second mode (special mode) in which the possibility of a common transition control (common state transition processing) being executed in a predetermined situation is higher than the first mode.

[0164] In particular, in this embodiment, the change in the presentation mode of the high probability notification presentation described above occurs when the gaming ball enters the second starting hole 59. This makes it easier to recognize pattern changes that are likely to result in the common state transition process being executed.

[0165] Therefore, in other words, in the gaming machine 10, the predetermined notification (second notification effect) can change from a first mode (normal mode) to a second mode (special mode) based on the entry of a gaming ball into the start hole (second start hole 59) while the pattern change is being performed.

[0166] <Other variations> Modifications not mentioned in the above description are listed below.

[0167] First, the various controls shown in the drawings and the like in the invention according to this embodiment are one means for realizing the above-mentioned inventions, and do not limit the specific control contents of the inventions. In other words, the above-mentioned inventions merely describe the phenomena.

[0168] In addition, the gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment is a so-called one-type two-type hybrid machine that can derive both a big hit and a small hit that can result in a big hit game in determining whether the special chart is a hit or not, but it is not limited to this, and it is also possible to adopt one that can derive only a so-called two-type hit. Furthermore, the special chart change pattern derivation state PB and the special chart change pattern derivation state PC in this embodiment are game states that execute a pattern change related to special chart 2, but these game states may also be game states that execute a pattern change related to a normal chart (so-called normal chart RUSH), and in this case, a normal chart hit functions as a game ball entering the second starting hole 59 to cause a small hit game (which generates a big hit game).

[0169] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as long as the relationship between the probability, rate, frequency, and number of times is ensured, the smaller value may be 0, and the larger value may be the maximum value. In particular, as long as the phenomenon aspect is ensured, the control for realizing the rate can be any. Furthermore, each lottery value in the lottery table illustrated in this embodiment is an example, and as long as the magnitude relationship between the lottery tables is maintained, each lottery value may adopt any value within the range.

[0170] In the above explanation, the restoration state at the time of power recovery is determined by referring to the state of the RAM clear switch 43 at the time of power recovery, but it may also be determined by referring to whether the time that the RAM clear switch 43 has been in the ON state since power recovery exceeds a specified time (for example, 3 seconds). In this way, it is possible to further prevent erroneous RAM clear processing from occurring.

[0171] In addition, in the above explanation, the state of the middle frame door open sensor 76 (the open / closed state of the middle frame 17) was referenced when determining the recovery state upon power restoration, but the recovery state may be set without reference to this state. In this case, the recovery state upon power restoration may be uniformly set according to the case where the middle frame door open sensor 76 is ON (the middle frame 17 is open).

[0172] The present invention described above is not limited to the above description, and includes various modifications and improvements as long as the object of the present invention is achieved.

[0173] <Additional Notes> The present embodiment encompasses the following technical idea. (1) A gaming machine capable of executing a game using a gaming medium and generating a bonus game advantageous in relation to the acquisition of the gaming medium, The gaming machine has a normal state and a specific state that is more advantageous than the normal state, The state may transition after the bonus game that occurred in the specific state ends, The specific states include a first specific state and a second specific state that is more advantageous than the first specific state, It may be a given situation, When the bonus game is generated in the predetermined situation in the specific state, a common transition control for the state can be executed based on the end of the bonus game, regardless of whether the specific state in which the bonus game is generated is the first specific state or the second specific state, so that the state after the end of the bonus game can be the same; A predetermined notification can be executed in the predetermined situation, The predetermined notification may be in a plurality of notification modes, The plurality of types of notification modes include a first mode and a second mode in which the possibility that the common transition control will be executed in the predetermined situation is higher than the first mode. A gaming machine characterized by: (c) A pattern change can be performed based on the winning of a game ball into a starting hole, The start of the pattern change can be suspended until the change start condition is met, The predetermined notification may change from the first mode to the second mode based on the winning of a game ball into the starting hole during the execution of a pattern variation. A gaming machine characterized by: [Explanation of symbols]

[0174] 10 Gaming machines 15 Outer Frame 17 Middle Frame 20 Front frame 21 Hinge mechanism 22 Movable decorative body 23 Cylinder lock 25 Transparent materials 27 Upper ball tray 29 Lower ball tray 31 Operating handle 32 Upper frame part 33(33a, 33b) Speaker 34a, 34b Left and right side frame parts 35(35a, 35b, 35c) Frame Lamp 36 Ball removal mechanism 37 Production button 38 Cursor Button 38a Up cursor button 38b Down cursor button 38c Left cursor button 38d Right cursor button 38e Middle cursor button 39 Main operation section 39a Ball loan button 39b Return button 40 Power switch 43 RAM clear switch 45 Opening and closing cover 46 Game Ball Tank 47 Tank rail 48 Dispensing Unit 49 Dispensing aisle 50 Game Board 50a Gaming area 51 outer rail 52 Windmill 53 Inner rail 54 Protective material 55 Grand Prize Winner 57 First starting point 59 Second starting point 61 Normal electric device 62 Ordinary electric accessory solenoid Gate 63 65 Special Electric Devices 66 Special electric accessory solenoid 67 General Prize Winners 69 Outlet 70 First starting port sensor 71 Second starting port sensor 72 Large prize entrance sensor 73 General prize entry sensor 74 Gate Sensor 75 Out ball sensor 76 Middle frame door open sensor 77 Front frame door open sensor 80 Performance display device 81 Main display 82 Sub display 82a Upper sub display 82b Left sub-display 82c Right sub display 90 Pattern display device 91 First special pattern display device 92 Second special pattern display device 93 Ordinary pattern display device 94 1st special pattern reserved lamp 95 2nd special pattern reserved lamp 96 Normal pattern hold lamp 100 Main control board 101 CPU 102 ROM 103 RAM 104 I / O ports 105 Random Number Circuit 109 Main control board case 110 Ball entrance determination method 115 Main random number generator 120 Main Hold Control Means 125 Preliminary Judgment Measures 130 Special drawing lottery method 131 Special drawing validity determination means 132 Special stop pattern lottery means 133 Special chart variation pattern derivation means 135 General lottery method 140 Jackpot game control means 145 Pattern display control means 150 Electrical equipment control means 155 Game status control means 160 Main information storage means 165 Main Error Control Measures 170 Main Command Management Method 175 Power restoration processing execution means 176 Return state setting means 179 Means for transitioning to playable state 180 Power cut processing execution means 200 1st sub-control board 201 CPU 202 ROM 203 RAM 204 I / O ports 209 1st sub-control board case 210 Sub-random number generator 220 Normal performance control means 221 Presentation mode control means 222 Production Route Determination Method 223 Sub-hold control means 224 Predictive performance control means 225 Performance content determining means 226 Decorative pattern control means 227 Jackpot performance control means 230 Sub-error Control Measures 240 Lamp control means 245 Movable equipment control means 260 Sub-information storage means 270 Subcommand Management Method 300 Second sub-control board 309 Second sub-control board case 310 Voice control board 311 CPU 312 ROM 313 RAM 314 I / O ports 400 Dispensing control board 409 Dispensing control board case 500 Power Control Board 501 Normal power circuit 502 Backup power circuit 503 Power interruption detection circuit 509 Power supply control board case X First flow path Y Second flow path kg1 1st announcement image kg2 2nd announcement image kg3 high probability notification image

Claims

1. A gaming machine capable of executing a game using a gaming medium and generating a bonus game advantageous in relation to the acquisition of the gaming medium, The gaming machine has a normal state and a specific state that is more advantageous than the normal state, The state may transition after the bonus game that occurred in the specific state ends, The specific states include a first specific state and a second specific state that is more advantageous than the first specific state, It may be a given situation, When the bonus game is generated in the predetermined situation in the specific state, a common transition control for the state can be executed based on the end of the bonus game, regardless of whether the specific state in which the bonus game is generated is the first specific state or the second specific state, so that the state after the end of the bonus game can be the same; A predetermined notification can be executed in the predetermined situation, The predetermined notification may be in a plurality of notification modes, the plurality of types of notification modes include a first mode and a second mode in which the possibility of the common transition control being executed in the predetermined situation is higher than the first mode, When the bonus game occurs in the predetermined situation in the specific state, a first notification that can specify that the common transition control will be executed may be executed based on the satisfaction of a predetermined condition in the bonus game, When the bonus game occurs in the predetermined situation in the specific state, a second notification that can identify that the common transition control has been executed may be executed based on the end of the bonus game, When the bonus game occurs in the predetermined situation in the specific state, When a power outage occurs without the execution of a RAM clear process before the first notification is started, the second notification is not executed based on the end of the bonus game, When a power outage and restoration occurs without execution of a RAM clear process after the first notification is started, the second notification is executed based on the end of the bonus game. A gaming machine characterized by:

2. A gaming machine capable of executing a game using a gaming medium and generating a bonus game advantageous in relation to the acquisition of the gaming medium, The gaming machine has a normal state and a specific state that is more advantageous than the normal state, The state may transition after the bonus game that occurred in the specific state ends, The specific states include a first specific state and a second specific state that is more advantageous than the first specific state, It may be a given situation, When the bonus game is generated in the predetermined situation in the specific state, a common transition control for the state can be executed in response to the end of the bonus game, regardless of whether the specific state in which the bonus game is generated is the first specific state or the second specific state, so that the state after the end of the bonus game can be the same; A predetermined notification can be executed in the predetermined situation, The predetermined notification may be in a plurality of notification modes, the plurality of types of notification modes include a first mode and a second mode in which the possibility of the common transition control being executed in the predetermined situation is higher than the first mode, When the bonus game occurs in the predetermined situation in the specific state, a second notification that can specify that the common transition control has been executed may be executed in response to the end of the bonus game, When a power outage and restoration without execution of a RAM clear process occurs during execution of the second notification, the second notification can be restored, and the notification mode of the second notification before the power outage and restoration occurs will be the same as the notification mode of the second notification after the power outage and restoration occurs. A gaming machine characterized by:

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