gaming machines

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of enhancing interest in a game.SOLUTION: A slot machine 10 holds an additional lottery of an AT mode for reporting operation order of stop switches 42 to 44 according to an AT random number and a lottery result of a game. Notification corresponding to an AT random number for allowing an additional lottery of an AT mode to be won easily and notification corresponding to an AT random number for preventing an additional lottery of an AT mode from being won easily may be performed, and a player can select whether the additional lottery of an AT mode is executed or avoided based on the notification. When a specific condition is satisfied, notification corresponding to an AT random number for allowing an additional lottery to be won easily may be performed even for the AT random number for preventing an additional lottery of an AT mode from being won easily.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0007] The present invention 1 is A plurality of rotating bodies on which a plurality of types of patterns are attached in the circumferential direction; A display unit that allows some of the patterns on each of the rotating bodies to be visible; a start operation means for starting rotation of each of the rotating bodies when operated; a stop operation means for stopping the rotation of each of the rotating bodies when operated; a drive control means for starting rotation of each of the rotating bodies when the start operation means is operated and for stopping rotation of each of the rotating bodies when the stop operation means is operated; a lottery means for holding a lottery to determine whether or not to award a special benefit to a player based on the operation of the start operation means; a bonus awarding means for awarding a bonus corresponding to a predetermined result when the result of the lottery by the lottery means is a predetermined result; A gaming machine comprising: a storage means for storing the specific information when a predetermined acquisition condition is met; a means for executing a specific process that enables a specific event to occur by using at least the specific information stored in the storage means and the lottery result by the lottery means; means for causing the specific event to occur when a result of the specific processing is a specific result corresponding to the occurrence of the specific event; Equipped with a first state set so that the specific event is more likely to occur, and a second state set so that the specific event is less likely to occur than in the first state or so that the specific event does not occur at all; The process for causing a state transition between the first state and the second state is set to be executable in both a first game in which execution of the specific process is permitted and a second game in which execution of the specific process is restricted, After a state transition from the second state to the first state occurs, a transition from the first state to the second state is possible; The predetermined processing for causing a state transition between the first state and the second state is executable when the lottery result by the lottery means is a first result, and is also executable when the lottery result is a second result different from the first result. The present invention 2 is a game start means for starting a game based on a start operation by a player; a game ending means for ending a game based on a player's ending operation; A grasping means capable of grasping specific information corresponding to the number of games played from a predetermined start trigger; a means for making it possible to execute a specific determination that enables a specific event to occur when the specific information becomes predetermined special information; means for enabling the specific event to occur when the result of the specific determination is a specific result corresponding to the occurrence of the specific event; Equipped with a first state in which the result of the determination is likely to be the specified result, and a second state in which the result of the determination is less likely to be the specified result than the first state or the result of the determination is not likely to be the specified result; a means for causing a state transition between the first state and the second state; As a game to be started by the game starting means, a first game in which a state transition between the first state and the second state may occur, and a second game in which a state transition between the first state and the second state is restricted are set, The grasping means is capable of grasping the specific information including the first game and the second game, After a state transition from the second state to the first state occurs, a transition from the first state to the second state is possible; The present invention is characterized in that it comprises a means for executing a notification corresponding to the specific information during a game before the specific information becomes the special information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the enjoyment of the game. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a slot machine according to an embodiment. [Figure 2]1 is a perspective view of the slot machine with the front door closed. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of the slot machine with the front door open. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the arrangement of symbols on each reel. [Figure 7] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the symbols visible through the display window and the pay lines. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between winning modes and the benefits to be awarded. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between winning modes and the benefits to be awarded. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between winning modes and the benefits to be awarded. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a winning mode. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a winning mode. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a winning mode. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a winning mode. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the main control device. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the display control device. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart showing timer interrupt processing by the main control device. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart showing normal processing by the main control device. [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart showing lottery processing. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery table for a normal gaming state when three bets are made. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery table for a normal gaming state when two bets are made. [Figure 22]10 is a flowchart showing a reel control process. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the operation sequence of the stop switches and the winning patterns that are achieved. [Figure 24] 10 is a flowchart showing bonus state processing. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery table for a bonus state. [Figure 26] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the transition relationship between states. [Figure 27] 10 is a flowchart showing lottery result handling processing. [Figure 28] 10 is a flowchart showing the lottery process for transition to a favorable zone. [Figure 29] 10 is a flowchart showing the AT lottery processing. [Figure 30] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of various transition lottery tables. [Figure 31] 10 is a flowchart showing the AT top-up processing. [Figure 32] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an additional lottery table. [Figure 33] 10 is a flowchart showing a rotation effect process. [Figure 34] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an instruction monitor and a section indicator. [Figure 35] An explanatory diagram showing an overview of the push order notification display performed on the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 36] 10 is a flowchart showing a winning result response process. [Figure 37] 10 is a flowchart showing a first section display process. [Figure 38] 10 is a flowchart showing a second section display process. [Figure 39] 10 is a flowchart showing a lottery trigger determination process. [Figure 40] 10 is a flowchart showing a performance setting process performed by a sub-side display control device. [Figure 41] 10 is a flowchart showing a start-up effect setting process. [Figure 42]A flowchart showing the AT lottery mode notification process. [Figure 43] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for setting effects when all the devices are stopped. [Figure 44] 10 is a flowchart showing a lottery opportunity notification process. [Figure 45] 10 is a flowchart showing a special notification process. [Figure 46] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a special notification lottery table. [Figure 47] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of display effects and reel effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 48] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 49] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 50] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 51] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 52] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 53] This is a timing chart to explain the relationship between the lottery trigger for the AT mode transition lottery and the transition to the lottery mode. [Figure 54] 10 is a flowchart showing a first BB notification process. [Figure 55] 10 is a flowchart showing a second BB notification process. [Figure 56] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 57] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 58] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 59] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 60] This is a timing chart to explain the relationship between the lottery trigger for the AT mode transition lottery and the transition to the lottery mode. [Figure 61]This is a timing chart to explain the relationship between the lottery trigger for the AT mode transition lottery and the transition to the lottery mode. [Figure 62] In the first modification, (a) is a flowchart showing the processing for the advantageous zone transition game, and (b) is a flowchart showing the processing for table notification. [Figure 63] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mode transition table. [Figure 64] 10 is a flowchart showing the AT lottery processing. [Figure 65] In variant example 2, (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the winning mode and the benefits granted, (b) is a diagram showing a portion of the lottery table for BB state, (c1) is a flowchart showing a portion of the lottery result response processing, and (c2) is a flowchart showing a portion of the winning result response processing. [Figure 66] 10 is a flowchart showing bonus state processing. [Figure 67] 10A is a flowchart showing the trigger adjustment process, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing a part of the AT lottery mode notification process. [Figure 68] In the third modification, (a) is a flowchart showing the processing for the advantageous zone transition game, and (b) is a flowchart showing the lottery trigger determination processing. [Figure 69] 13 is a flowchart showing a special notification process in Modification 4. [Figure 70] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a special notification lottery table. [Figure 71] A flowchart showing the AT lottery mode notification process. [Figure 72] 10 is a flowchart showing a reel control process in the second embodiment. [Figure 73] 10 is a flowchart showing a random number acquisition process. [Figure 74] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a lottery information storage area. [Figure 75] 10 is a flowchart showing lottery result handling processing. [Figure 76]10 is a flowchart showing a random number shift process. [Figure 77] 10 is a flowchart showing the AT lottery processing. [Figure 78] 10 is a flowchart showing a second section display process. [Figure 79] 10A is a flowchart showing the processing for the advantageous zone transition game, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing the lottery trigger determination processing. [Figure 80] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mode transition table. [Figure 81] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an AT mode transition lottery table. [Figure 82] 10 is a flowchart showing a start-up effect setting process. [Figure 83] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for setting effects when all the devices are stopped. [Figure 84] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for displaying a hold; [Figure 85] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the hold display. [Figure 86] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for a reserved shift. [Figure 87] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the hold display. [Figure 88] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the hold display. [Figure 89] 10A is a flowchart showing the AT lottery mode notification process, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing the notification restriction process. [Figure 90] 10 is a flowchart showing a lottery trigger notification process. [Figure 91] 10 is a flowchart showing a special notification process. [Figure 92] FIG. 10(a) is a diagram showing an example of a second mode notification lottery table, and FIG. 10(b) is a diagram showing an example of a predicted notification lottery table. [Figure 93] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 94] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 95] A diagram for explaining the relationship between the lottery mode and the AT counter. [Figure 96] A diagram for explaining the relationship between the lottery mode and the AT counter. [Figure 97] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 98] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 99] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an AT mode transition lottery table in Modification Example 1. [Figure 100] In variant example 2, (a) is a flowchart showing the random number acquisition process, and (b) is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the transition of lottery mode in various situations and whether or not various random number processes are executed. [Figure 101] In the third embodiment, (a) is a flowchart showing the random number acquisition process, (b) is a flowchart showing the random number shift process, and (c) is a diagram for explaining an overview of the lottery information storage area. [Figure 102] 10 is a flowchart showing lottery result handling processing. [Figure 103] 10 is a flowchart showing the AT lottery processing. [Figure 104] 10 is a flowchart showing the AT top-up processing. [Figure 105] A figure showing an example of an additional lottery table for the first AT. [Figure 106] A figure showing an example of an additional lottery table for the second AT. [Figure 107] 10 is a flowchart showing a winning result response process. [Figure 108] 10 is a flowchart showing a specialized zone counting process. [Figure 109] 10 is a flowchart showing the AT start process. [Figure 110] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for a first specialized zone. [Figure 111] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for a second specialized zone. [Figure 112]A figure showing an example of an additional lottery table for the first specialized zone. [Figure 113] A figure showing an example of an additional lottery table for the second specialized zone. [Figure 114] 10 is a flowchart showing remaining game number management processing. [Figure 115] 10 is a flowchart showing a remaining number management process. [Figure 116] 10 is a flowchart showing a start-up effect setting process. [Figure 117] 10 is a flowchart showing a first specialization process. [Figure 118] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for setting effects when all the devices are stopped. [Figure 119] 10 is a flowchart showing a second process for specialization. [Figure 120] FIG. 10A is a diagram showing an example of a notification type table, and FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of a first specialized zone and a second specialized zone. [Figure 121] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 122] 10 is a timing chart for explaining the flow of the first specialized zone. [Figure 123] 10 is a timing chart for explaining the flow of the second specialized zone. [Figure 124] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the difference in the number of medals won due to differences in the game mode in the first specialized zone. [Figure 125] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the difference in the number of medals won due to differences in the game mode in the first specialized zone. [Figure 126] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 127] 10 is a flowchart showing the process of setting the effect when all the buttons are stopped in the first modified example. [Figure 128] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an excess notification lottery table. [Figure 129] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an excess notification lottery table in Modification 2. [Figure 130]13 is a flowchart showing the process for setting effects when all the wheels are stopped in Modification 3. [Figure 131] 13 is a flowchart showing a second specialization process in Modification 4. [Figure 132] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a pseudo notification lottery table. [Figure 133] A figure showing an example of an additional lottery table for the first specialized zone in variant example 5. [Figure 134] 13 is a flowchart showing a process for a first specialized zone in Modification 6. [Figure 135] A figure showing an example of an additional lottery table for the first specialized zone. [Figure 136] 13 is a flowchart showing a process for a first specialized zone in the seventh modification. [Figure 137] 10 is a flowchart showing a specialized zone counting process. [Figure 138] 10 is a flowchart showing a first specialization process. [Figure 139] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the first specialized zone. [Figure 140] 19 is a flowchart showing specialized zone count processing in Modification 8. [Figure 141] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for a first specialized zone. [Figure 142] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for a second specialized zone. [Figure 143] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for dealing with the number of avoidances; [Figure 144] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] First Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention, which is applied to a reel-type gaming machine, specifically a slot machine, will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a front view of the slot machine 10, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the slot machine 10 with the front door 12 closed, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the slot machine 10 with the front door 12 open, Figure 4 is a rear view of the front door 12, and Figure 5 is a front view of the cabinet 11.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the slot machine 10 has a housing 11 that forms its outer shell. The housing 11 is formed in a box shape with an open front as a whole, and is attached to so-called island equipment by nailing it when installed in an amusement hall.

[0012] A front door 12 is attached to the front side of the housing 11 in an openable and closable manner. A pair of upper and lower support shafts 13a and 13b are provided on the left side of the housing 11 when viewed from the front. The front door 12 is provided with bearings 14a and 14b at positions corresponding to the support shafts 13a and 13b. When the support shafts 13a and 13b are inserted into the bearings 14a and 14b, the front door 12 is rotatably supported relative to the housing 11 about an opening / closing axis extending in the vertical direction connecting the support shafts 13a and 13b. Rotation of the front door 12 allows the front open side of the housing 11 to be opened or closed. The front door 12 is locked and cannot be opened by a locking device 20 provided on its back surface. A key cylinder 21 integrated with the locking device 20 is provided at the upper right end of the front door 12. The locked state is released by operating a predetermined key on the key cylinder 21.

[0013] A game panel 25 that notifies the player of the game status is provided near the upper center of the front door 12. The game panel 25 has three vertically long display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R formed side by side, and the interior of the slot machine 10 can be seen through each of the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R. The display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R may be combined into one common display window.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 3, the interior of the housing 11 is divided into two sections, upper and lower, by a partition plate 30, and a reel unit 31 constituting a variable display means is attached to the upper part of the partition plate 30. The reel unit 31 includes a left reel 32L, a center reel 32M, and a right reel 32R, each formed in a cylindrical (annular) shape. Each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R is rotatably supported so that its central axis coincides with the axis of rotation of the reel. The axes of rotation of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are arranged on the same axis extending substantially horizontally, and each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R corresponds one-to-one to each display window 26L, 26M, and 26R. Therefore, a portion of the surface of each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R is visible through the corresponding display window 26L, 26M, and 26R. Furthermore, when the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R rotate forward, the surfaces of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are projected through the respective display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R as if they were moving from top to bottom.

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

[0016] Each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is connected to a stepping motor, and each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R can be rotated individually, i.e., independently, by driving each stepping motor. The stepping motor is set to rotate once by applying a drive signal (hereinafter also referred to as an excitation pulse) of, for example, 500 pulses, and this excitation pulse controls the rotational position of the stepping motor, i.e., the rotational position of the reel. Furthermore, the reel unit 31 is provided with a reel index sensor on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R to detect when the reel has rotated once. Each time the reel index sensor detects that the reel has rotated once, it outputs a detection signal to the main control device 101, which will be described later. Therefore, the main control unit 101 can check and correct the angular position of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R for each rotation based on the detection signal of the reel index sensor and the number of excitation pulses output before the detection signal is input.

[0017] On the outer periphery of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R, a plurality of symbols are drawn along the long side (circumference direction) of the reel, serving as identification information. More specifically, 20 symbols are drawn at equal intervals. Therefore, to switch from one symbol to the next symbol at a predetermined position, 25 excitation pulses (= 500 pulses ÷ 20 symbols) must be output. Furthermore, the main control device 101 can determine which symbols are visible through the display windows 26L, 26M, 26R, and can stop a predetermined symbol at a position visible through the display windows 26L, 26M, 26R, based on the number of excitation pulses output after the reel index sensor detection signal is input.

[0018] Next, the symbols depicted on the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R will be described.

[0019] FIG. 6 shows the arrangement of symbols on the left reel 32L, center reel 32M, and right reel 32R. As shown in FIG. 6, 20 symbols are arranged in a row on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. Numbers ranging from 0 to 19 are assigned to the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, respectively. However, these numbers are used by the main control device 101 to identify the symbols visible through the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R, and are not actually assigned to the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. However, these numbers will be used in the following explanation.

[0020] There are ten types of symbols: a "bell" symbol (e.g., the first symbol on the left reel 32L), a "replay" symbol (e.g., the zeroth symbol on the left reel 32L), a "red 7" symbol (e.g., the fourteenth symbol on the left reel 32L), a "watermelon" symbol (e.g., the second symbol on the left reel 32L), a "cherry" symbol (e.g., the eighth symbol on the left reel 32L), a "bar" symbol (e.g., the ninth symbol on the left reel 32L), a "white 7" symbol (e.g., the third symbol on the left reel 32L), a "youth" symbol (e.g., the eighteenth symbol on the left reel 32L), a "red shell" symbol (e.g., the fourth symbol on the left reel 32L), and a "white shell" symbol (e.g., the nineteenth symbol on the left reel 32L). As shown in Figure 6, the number and arrangement order of the various symbols are completely different on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R.

[0021] Each of the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R is formed so that only three of the 20 symbols on the corresponding reel are visible in their entirety. Therefore, when each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is stopped, 3 x 3 = 9 symbols are visible through the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R.

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

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

[0024] In the slot machine 10, of the above lines L1 to L6, the bent line L6 is set as the pay line. More specifically, in the slot machine 10, there are cases where a game is started by betting three medals or two medals. When a game is started by betting three or two medals, only the bent line L6 is set as the pay line, and the other lines L1 to L5 are not set as pay lines. In the following description, the bent line L6 may be referred to as the pay line ML. Also, hereinafter, a game that starts by betting three medals is also referred to as a 3-bet game, a game that starts by betting two medals is also referred to as a 2-bet game, and a game that starts by betting one medal is also referred to as a 1-bet game. In this embodiment, a 1-bet game is not set.

[0025] 8 to 10 are diagrams showing the correspondence between winning symbol combinations and the benefits awarded when a winning symbol combination is obtained.

[0026] The small winning combinations that result in medal payouts include the 1st small winning combination to the 32nd small winning combination.

[0027] When the "Replay" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Replay" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Replay" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the first small win is achieved. When the first small win is achieved, 13 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0028] As shown in Figure 11(a), when the symbol corresponding to the first small win stops on the activated line ML, the "bell" symbol stops in a line sloping downward to the right L4. Therefore, the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the bell has been achieved.

[0029] If the "Replay" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the second small win will be awarded. If the second small win is awarded, 13 medals will be paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals will be paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0030] As shown in Figure 11(b), when the symbol corresponding to the second small win stops on the activated line ML, the "bell" symbol stops in line on the upper line L1. Therefore, the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the bell has been achieved, and also understand that a small win different from the first small win has been achieved because of the difference in the line on which the "bell" symbol is aligned.

[0031] When the "bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "replay" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "watermelon" or "ark shell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the third small win is achieved. When the third small win is achieved, 13 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0032] As shown in Figure 11(c), when the symbol corresponding to the third small win stops on the activated line ML, the "bell" symbol stops in alignment on the middle line L2. Therefore, the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the bell has been achieved, and also understand that a small win different from the first and second small wins has been achieved because of the difference in the line on which the "bell" symbol is aligned.

[0033] When the "watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "replay" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the fourth small win is achieved. When the fourth small win is achieved, 13 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0034] As shown in Figure 11(d), when the symbol corresponding to the fourth small win stops on the activated line ML, the "bell" symbols stop in alignment on the right-sloping line L5. Therefore, the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the bell has been achieved, and also understand that a small win different from the first to third small wins has been achieved because of the difference in the line on which the "bell" symbols are aligned.

[0035] When the "watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "watermelon" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "replay" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the 5th small win is achieved. When the 5th small win is achieved, 13 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0036] As shown in Figure 11(e), when the symbol corresponding to the fifth small win stops on the activated line ML, the "bell" symbol stops in alignment on the lower line L3. Therefore, the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the bell has been achieved, and also understand that a small win different from the first to fourth small wins has been achieved because of the difference in the line on which the "bell" symbol is aligned.

[0037] When the "watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "replay" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "replay" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the 6th small win is achieved. When the 6th small win is achieved, 13 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0038] As shown in Figure 11 (f), when the symbol corresponding to the sixth small win stops on the activated line ML, "bell" symbols stop (in a small mountain shape) on the bottom of the left reel 32L, the middle of the middle reel 32M, and the bottom of the right reel 32R. Therefore, the player can easily understand that a small win corresponding to a bell has been achieved, and can also understand that a small win different from the first to fifth small wins has been achieved, based on the difference in the stopping position of the "bell" symbols.

[0039] When the "bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white 7" symbol, the "cherry" symbol, the "red shell" symbol or the "young man" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "white 7" symbol, the "white shell" symbol or the "young man" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, it is the 7th small win. When the 7th small win is achieved, 3 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 3 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0040] As shown in Figure 12(a), when the symbol corresponding to the seventh small win stops on the activated line ML, the "watermelon" symbol stops on the downward-sloping line L4, so the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the watermelon has been achieved.

[0041] When the "bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "watermelon" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "watermelon" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the 8th small win is achieved. When the 8th small win is achieved, 3 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 3 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0042] As shown in Figure 12(b), when the symbol corresponding to the 8th small win stops on the activated line ML, the "watermelon" symbol stops in alignment on the upper line L1. Therefore, the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the watermelon has been achieved, and also understand that a small win different from the 7th small win has been achieved because of the difference in the line on which the "watermelon" symbol is aligned.

[0043] The 9th to 32nd small wins are mainly awarded when the 1st to 6th small wins are missed, so-called missed wins. When the 9th to 32nd small wins are awarded, one medal is paid out in a 3-bet game, and one medal is paid out in a 2-bet game. For the 9th to 32nd minor winning combinations, a winning combination is achieved when the following symbols stop on the active line ML: "Replay", "Red 7", "BAR", "Red Shell", "White Shell", "Youth" or "Bell" on the left reel 32L, "White 7", "Cherry", "Red Shell", "Youth", "Red 7", "Watermelon", "Replay", "BAR", "Bell" or "White Shell" on the middle reel 32M, and "Red 7", "White 7", "White Shell", "Youth", "Watermelon", "Red Shell", "BAR" or "Replay" on the right reel 32R. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the combinations of symbols corresponding to the 9th to 32nd small wins are all set so that the "bell" symbols do not line up and stop on a straight line (L1 to L5), making it easy to understand that the small win corresponding to the bell has not been achieved.

[0044] Incidentally, in the configuration in which medals are paid out based on the above-mentioned 1st small prize winning to 32nd small prize winning, the paid out small prize is a kind of benefit given according to the result of the game. In this specification, the paid out medals may also be referred to as "out balls", and the ratio of the number of paid out medals (out balls) to the number of inserted (betted) medals may also be referred to as "out ball rate".

[0045] The winning combinations that can be awarded with a replay privilege, which allows you to play the next game without inserting a medal, are the 1st replay winning combination to the 12th replay winning combination. As shown in Figure 10, winning symbol combinations are set for the 1st replay winning combination to the 12th replay winning combination.

[0046] The first replay wins when the "replay" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "watermelon" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "red 7," "white 7," "white shell" or "young man" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML. As shown in FIG. 12(c), when the symbols corresponding to the first replay win stop on the active line ML, the "replay" symbols stop in line on the center line L2. This allows the player to easily understand that a replay win corresponding to the replay has been achieved.

[0047] The second replay wins when the "replay" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "bell" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "bar" or "cherry" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML. When the symbols corresponding to the second replay win stop on the active line ML, the "bar" symbols may stop aligned on the upward-sloping line L5 as shown in FIG. 14(a), or the "red 7" symbol, "bar" symbol, and the "red 7" symbol may stop on the upward-sloping line L5 in order from left to right as shown in FIG. 14(b). When the second replay wins, the player may be awarded a special bonus.

[0048] The third replay wins when the "bell" symbol, "red shell" symbol, or "young man" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "bell" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML. When the symbols corresponding to the third replay win stop on the active line ML, as shown in Figure 14(c), "white 7" symbols may stop in a line on the bottom line L3, or as shown in Figure 14(d), "red 7" symbols may stop in a line on the downward-sloping line L4 to the right. When the third replay wins, a beneficial bonus may be awarded to the player.

[0049] The fourth and fifth replays are adjustment replays in the event that multiple replays result in overlapping wins.

[0050] In the sixth replay, a win is achieved when the "bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "watermelon" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "red 7," "white 7," "bar," "cherry," "white shell," or "young man" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the activated line ML. As shown in FIG. 12(d), when the symbols corresponding to the sixth replay win stop on the activated line ML, the "watermelon" symbols stop on the upper row of the left reel 32L and the upper row of the middle reel 32M, but the "watermelon" symbol does not stop on the upper row of the right reel 32R (the "watermelon" symbol stops on the lower row of the right reel 32R), resulting in a stop pattern where the upper row watermelon is not in the "tenpai" state. Furthermore, when the symbol corresponding to the sixth replay win stops on the valid line ML, the "watermelon" symbol stops on the top row of the left reel 32L and the bottom row of the right reel 32R, but the "watermelon" symbol does not stop on the middle row of the middle reel 32M (the "watermelon" symbol stops on the top row of the middle reel 32M), resulting in a stopping pattern that is known as a right-downward watermelon tenpai miss.

[0051] In the seventh replay, a win is achieved when the "bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white 7" symbol, the "cherry" symbol, the "red shell" symbol or the "young man" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "watermelon" symbol or the "red shell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the activated line ML. As shown in FIG. 12(e), when the symbols corresponding to the seventh replay win stop on the activated line ML, the "watermelon" symbols stop on the upper row of the left reel 32L and the upper row of the right reel 32R, but the "watermelon" symbol does not stop on the upper row of the middle reel 32M (the "watermelon" symbol stops on the middle row of the middle reel 32M), resulting in a stop pattern where the upper row watermelon is not in a tenpai state. Furthermore, when the symbol corresponding to the seventh replay win stops on the valid line ML, the "watermelon" symbol stops on the top row of the left reel 32L and the middle row of the middle reel 32M, but the "watermelon" symbol does not stop on the bottom row of the right reel 32R (the "watermelon" symbol stops on the top row of the right reel 32R), resulting in a stopping pattern that is known as a right-downward watermelon tenpai miss.

[0052] The eighth replay wins when the "watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white 7" symbol, the "cherry" symbol, the "red shell" symbol or the "young man" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "replay" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the activated line ML. As shown in Figure 13(a), when the symbol corresponding to the eighth replay win stops on the activated line ML, the "watermelon" symbols stop in alignment on the center line L2.

[0053] The 9th replay wins when the "replay" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "watermelon" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "watermelon" symbol or the "ark shell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the activated line ML. As shown in Figure 13(b), when the symbols corresponding to the 9th replay win stop on the activated line ML, the "replay" symbols stop in the middle row of the left reel 32L and the middle row of the middle reel 32M, but the "replay" symbol does not stop in the middle row of the right reel 32R (the "bell" symbol stops in the middle row of the right reel 32R), resulting in a stop pattern where the so-called middle row replay is not ready.

[0054] The 10th replay is won when the "BAR" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white 7", "BAR", "cherry", "red shell" or "young man" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "red 7", "white 7", "BAR", "cherry", "white shell" or "young man" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML. Also, the 12th replay is won when the "BAR" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "BAR" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "bell", "watermelon" or "red shell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML. As shown in Figures 13(c) and 13(d), when a symbol corresponding to a 10th or 12th replay win stops on the pay line ML, a "cherry" symbol stops on the bottom row of the left reel 32L. If a 10th or 12th replay win has been won, and a "cherry" symbol is stopped on the right reel 32R, the "cherry" symbol will stop on the top row in the case of a 10th replay win, and the "cherry" symbol will stop on the middle or bottom row in the case of a 12th replay win, making it possible to distinguish between a 10th replay win and a 12th replay win. An 11th replay win is achieved when a 10th or 12th replay win is not possible, i.e., when a miss occurs.

[0055] The state transition winning events that only result in a transition of the gaming state include the first BB winning event and the second BB winning event.

[0056] When the "white 7" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white shell" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "cherry" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the activated line ML, the first BB win is achieved. When the first BB win is achieved, the game state transitions to the first BB state. As shown in Figure 13(e), when the symbols corresponding to the first BB win stop on the activated line ML, the "white 7" symbols stop in a line on the center line L2.

[0057] When the "white 7" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white shell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "BAR" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the pay line ML, a second BB win is achieved. When the second BB win is achieved, the game state transitions to the second BB state. As shown in FIG. 13(f), when the symbols corresponding to the second BB win stop on the pay line ML, the "white 7" symbol stops in the middle row of the left reel 32L and the middle row of the middle reel 32M, and the "red 7" symbol stops in the middle row of the right reel 32R.

[0058] A start lever 41 that is operated to start the rotation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is provided on the lower left side of the game panel 25. The start lever 41 constitutes a start operation means or a starting operation means that is operated to start the rotation of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, i.e., to start the variable display of symbols. When the start lever 41 is operated with a predetermined number of medals inserted, each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R starts to rotate.

[0059] Button-like stop switches 42-44 that are operated to individually stop the spinning reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are provided on the right side of the start lever 41. Each stop switch 42-44 is located directly below the display window 26L, 26M, and 26R that corresponds to the reel 32L, 32M, and 32R to be stopped.

[0060] Stop switches 42-44 are connected to stop detection sensors 42a-44a (FIG. 15), respectively, and the stop detection sensors 42a-44a are connected to main control device 101, which will be described later. Main control device 101 determines that stop switches 42-44 have been operated based on the detection signals from the stop detection sensors 42a-44a. Specifically, when stop switches 42-44 have not been operated, stop detection signals of LOW signals are output from stop detection sensors 42a-44a, and when stop switches 42-44 are operated, the detection signals switch from LOW to HI. Main control device 101 determines that stop switches 42-44 have been operated by detecting this signal switch. When main control device 101 determines that stop switches 42-44 have been operated, it controls the reel corresponding to the operated switch to stop spinning.

[0061] That is, when the left stop switch 42 is operated, the left reel 32L stops spinning, when the center stop switch 43 is operated, the center reel 32M stops spinning, and when the right stop switch 44 is operated, the right reel 32R stops spinning. The stop switches 42 to 44 constitute stop operation means that is operated to stop the variable display of symbols based on the rotation of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R.

[0062] A medal insertion slot 45 for inserting medals is provided below and to the right of the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R. The medal insertion slot 45 constitutes input means for inputting game media. In addition, considering that the medal insertion slot 45 involves the action of the player directly inserting medals, it can also be said to constitute direct input means for directly inputting game media.

[0063] Medals inserted through the medal insertion slot 45 are guided to either a storage passage 47 or a discharge passage 48 by a selector 46 serving as a passage switching means provided on the back surface of the front door 12. More specifically, the selector 46 is provided with a medal passage switching solenoid 46a, and when the medal passage switching solenoid 46a is not energized, the medals are guided to the discharge passage 48 side, and when the medal passage switching solenoid 46a is energized, the medals are guided to the storage passage 47 side. Medals guided to the storage passage 47 are guided to a hopper device 51 stored inside the housing 11. Meanwhile, medals guided to the discharge passage 48 are guided from a medal discharge port 49 provided at the bottom front of the front door 12 to a medal tray 50 and are returned to the player.

[0064] The hopper device 51 is composed of a storage tank 52 that stores medals and a payout device 53 that pays out medals to players. The payout device 53 rotates a medal payout rotating plate (not shown) to discharge medals into an opening 48a provided in the discharge passage 48, and then pays out the medals to a medal tray 50 via the discharge passage 48. In addition, a spare tank 54 is provided to the right of the hopper device 51 to prevent more than a predetermined amount of medals from being stored in the storage tank 52. A guide plate 52a is provided inside the storage tank 52 of the hopper device 51 to discharge medals from the storage tank 52 to the spare tank 54. Therefore, if medals are stored above the height at which the guide plate 52a is provided, those medals will be stored in the spare tank 54.

[0065] A button-shaped return switch 55 is provided below the medal insertion slot 45. If the return switch 55 is operated when a medal inserted into the medal insertion slot 45 is stuck in the selector 46, the selector 46 is mechanically linked and operated, and the medal stuck in the selector 46 is returned from the medal discharge slot 49.

[0066] A first credit insertion switch 56 is provided below and to the left of the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R for inserting a predetermined number of virtual medals, which are credited as gaming media, at one time out of the specified number of medals for the game. The specified number is set depending on the progress of the game. For example, when the specified number of medals for the game is set to three and the specified number is set to three, operating the first credit insertion switch 56 causes three virtual medals to be inserted, provided that there are credits. When the specified number of medals is set to two and the specified number is set to two, operating the first credit insertion switch 56 causes two virtual medals to be inserted, provided that there are credits. When the specified number is set to three or two and the specified number is set to three, operating the first credit insertion switch 56 causes three virtual medals to be inserted, provided that there are credits. When the specified number is set to three or two and the specified number is set to two, operating the first credit insertion switch 56 causes two virtual medals to be inserted, provided that there are credits. Furthermore, a second credit insertion switch 57 is provided to the left of the first credit insertion switch 56. The second credit insertion switch 57 is used to insert two virtual medals. The credit insertion switches 56, 57, together with the medal insertion slot 45, constitute input means for inputting game media. Furthermore, while the medal insertion slot 45 involves the player directly inserting medals, the credit insertion switches 56, 57 merely involve the insertion of virtual medals based on stored memory. Considering this, they can also be said to constitute indirect input means for indirectly inputting game media. Note that the slot machine 10 does not have a credit insertion switch because it inserts one virtual medal.

[0067] The first credit insertion switch 56 is set to have a larger operation surface operated by the player than the second credit insertion switch 57, and the first credit insertion switch 56 is easier to operate than the second credit insertion switch 57. Therefore, it is expected that a player will normally proceed with a game by operating the first credit insertion switch 56. In other words, it is expected that a player will normally insert a set specific number of coins out of the specified number to play a game.

[0068] To the right of the first credit insertion switch 56 and the second credit insertion switch 57, there is provided an effect switch 66 which is operated when an effect occurs.

[0069] A settlement switch 59 is provided to the left of the start lever 41. That is, the slot machine 10 has a credit function that stores and stores, as virtual medals, any surplus medals inserted up to a predetermined maximum value (equivalent to 50 medals) and medals paid out when a prize is won, and when the settlement switch 59 is operated while virtual medals are stored and stored, the virtual medals are paid out as real medals from the medal outlet 49. In this case, when attention is focused on the function of paying out credited virtual medals as real medals, the settlement switch 59 can also be said to constitute a settlement operation means for actually paying out the stored and stored game media.

[0070] Below the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R of the game panel 25, there are provided a credit display section 60 that displays the number of credited virtual medals, a remaining payout number display section 61 that displays the number of medals remaining to be paid out until the BB state ends, and a payout number display section 62 that displays the number of medals paid out when a win occurs. These display sections 60 to 62 are configured with 7-segment displays, but they can of course be replaced with liquid crystal displays or the like.

[0071] Below the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R on the gaming panel 25 and to the right of the payout number display unit 62, there is provided an instruction monitor 68 having a push order indicator that notifies the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and an interval indicator that notifies the operation order and indicates an advantageous interval that is an interval in which the winning rate of minor winning combinations can be changed and the game can proceed in an advantageous situation for the player. The instruction monitor 68 will be described in detail later.

[0072] The upper part of the front door 12 is provided with an upper lamp 63 that lights up and flashes as the game progresses, a pair of left and right speakers 64 that play various sound effects as the game progresses and notify the player of the game status, and an auxiliary display unit 65 that provides various information to the player. The auxiliary display unit 65 is used to perform various display effects as the game progresses, and since the game using each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R can be considered to be performed by the main display unit, it is referred to as the auxiliary display unit 65 in this embodiment. A display control device 81 for driving the upper lamp 63, speaker 64, and auxiliary display unit 65 is provided on the back of the auxiliary display unit 65.

[0073] On the front door 12, below the game panel 25 and below the stop switches 42 to 44, there is provided a lower display section 69 on which the model name of the gaming machine is written and which constitutes a predetermined display screen. The lower display section 69 may be configured as a liquid crystal display section, or the lower display section 69 may be provided with operation buttons for effect purposes, or the entire lower display section 69 may be configured to be operable.

[0074] A power supply box 70 is provided inside the housing 11 to the left of the hopper device 51. The power supply box 70 houses a power supply device 91 and is equipped with a power switch 71, a reset switch 72, a setting key insertion hole 73, and the like. The power switch 71 is an activation switch for supplying power to the main control device 101 and other components. The reset switch 72 is a switch for resetting an error state of the slot machine 10. The setting key insertion hole 73 is used by a hall manager or the like to adjust the number of medals dispensed. In other words, a hall manager or the like can set the winning probability (setting value) of the slot machine 10 by inserting a setting key into the setting key insertion hole 73 and turning it ON. The reset switch 72 is operated not only to reset an error state but also to change the winning probability of the slot machine 10.

[0075] Above the reel unit 31, a main control device 101 for controlling the overall game is attached to the cabinet 11.

[0076] The main control device 101 is provided with a hand ratio monitor 77 for indicating the ratio between advantageous and unfavorable game states for the player. The hand ratio monitor 77 is installed on the side of the main control device 101 facing the front of the gaming machine so that it is visible from the front of the gaming machine when the front door 12 is open and invisible from the front of the gaming machine when the front door 12 is closed. More specifically, the hand ratio monitor 77 is housed in a board box that houses the main control device 101 so that the display screen of the hand ratio monitor 77 is visible through the board box. Incidentally, when the front door 12 is closed, the hand ratio monitor 77 is not visible through the gaps between the display windows 26L-26R, etc., and cannot be viewed unless the front door 12 is unlocked by a predetermined key operation on the key cylinder 21 and opened. The hand ratio monitor 77 will be described in detail later.

[0077] Next, the electrical configuration of the slot machine 10 will be described with reference to the block diagrams of FIGS.

[0078] The main control device 101 is equipped with a microcomputer centered around a CPU 102, which is a calculation processing means. In addition to a power supply device 91, the CPU 102 is connected to a clock circuit 103 that outputs a rectangular wave of a predetermined frequency, an input / output port 104, and the like via an internal bus. The main control device 101 functions as a main board built into the slot machine 10.

[0079] Various sensors are connected to the input side of the main control device 101, including the reel unit 31 (more specifically, a reel index sensor that individually detects when each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R has made one rotation), a start detection sensor 41a that detects the operation of the start lever 41, stop detection sensors 42a to 44a that individually detect the operation of each stop switch 42 to 44, an inserted medal detection sensor 45a that detects medals inserted through the medal insertion slot 45, a payout detection sensor 51a that detects medals paid out from the hopper device 51, a first credit insertion detection sensor 56a that individually detects the operation of the first credit insertion switch 56, a second credit insertion detection sensor 57a that individually detects the operation of the second credit insertion switch 57, a settlement detection sensor 59a that detects the operation of the settlement switch 59, a reset detection sensor 72a that detects the operation of the reset switch 72, and a setting key detection sensor 73a that detects when a setting key is inserted into the setting key insertion hole 73 and turned ON, and signals from these various sensors are output to the CPU 102 via the input / output port 104.

[0080] Furthermore, a power supply unit 91 is connected to the input side of the main control unit 101 via an input / output port 104. The power supply unit 91 is equipped with a power supply unit 91a that supplies driving power to the main control unit 101 and other electronic devices of the slot machine 10, a power outage monitoring circuit 91b, and the like.

[0081] The power failure monitoring circuit 91b monitors the power supply interruption state and generates a power failure signal not only during a power failure but also when the power is shut off by the power switch 71. Therefore, the power failure monitoring circuit 91b monitors the stabilized drive voltage, which in this example is 12 volts DC, output from the power supply unit 91a, and is configured to output a power failure signal when this drive voltage drops to, for example, less than 10 volts, determining that the power supply has been interrupted. The power failure signal is supplied to both the CPU 102 and the input / output port 104, and the CPU 102 recognizes this power failure signal and executes the power failure processing described below. The power failure signal is also supplied to the display control device 81.

[0082] Power supply unit 91a is configured so that even if the output voltage drops below 10 volts, it outputs a stabilized voltage of 5 volts that is used as a drive voltage in control systems such as main control device 101. The time for which this stabilized voltage is output is long enough for main control device 101 to execute power outage processing.

[0083] The output side of the main control device 101 is connected via input / output port 104 to the reel unit 31 (more specifically, the stepping motor for rotating each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R), the medal passage switching solenoid 46a provided on the selector 46, the hopper device 51, the credit display unit 60, the remaining number of coins to be paid out display unit 61, the number of coins to be paid out display unit 62, the instruction monitor 68, the role ratio monitor 77, the display control device 81, and an external centralized terminal board 121 that can transmit information to a hall management device (not shown), etc.

[0084] The above-mentioned CPU 102 has built-in ROM 105 which stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 102, and RAM 106 which secures a working area for temporarily storing various data when executing the control programs stored in ROM 105, as well as various processing circuits required for the slot machine 10, such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, a data transmission / reception circuit, and various counters, such as a credit counter which counts the number of credits, although not shown. The ROM 105 and RAM 106 form a main memory as storage means, and programs for executing various processes are stored in the above-mentioned ROM 105 as part of the control programs.

[0085] The RAM 106 is configured to be able to retain (back up) data by receiving a backup voltage from the power supply device 91 even after the power supply to the slot machine 10 is cut off. The RAM 106 is provided with a backup area in addition to memories for temporarily storing various data, a win flag storage area 106a for storing the lottery results of winning combinations, a stop information storage area 106b for storing stop information used when controlling the stop of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, and a status information storage area 106c for storing game statuses such as a BB status.

[0086] The backup area is an area for storing the value of the stack pointer at the time of power cutoff (including power cutoff by operating the power switch 71; the same applies below) when the power is cut off due to a power outage or the like, and when the power outage is resolved (including power on by operating the power switch 71; the same applies below), the state of the slot machine 10 can be restored to the state before power cutoff based on the information in the backup area. Writing to the backup area is performed by the power outage processing (see Figure 17) when power is cut off, and the restoration of each value written to the backup area is performed in the main processing when power is turned on.

[0087] Furthermore, when the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, a power outage signal is input from the power outage monitoring circuit 91b to the NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of the CPU 102. When the power supply is cut off, an NMI interrupt process is immediately executed as a power outage flag generation process.

[0088] 16, the display control device 81 is equipped with a microcomputer centered around a CPU 181, which is a calculation means. The CPU 181 has built-in ROM 182 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 181, and RAM 183 that secures a work area for temporarily storing various data when the control programs stored in the ROM 182 are executed.

[0089] The display control device 81 is provided with an input / output port (not shown), with the main control device 101 connected to the input side and the upper lamp 63, speaker 64, and auxiliary display unit 65 connected to the output side. The display control device 81 drives and controls the upper lamp 63, speaker 64, and auxiliary display unit 65 based on various commands input from the main control device 101. In other words, the display control device 81 is a sub-board that performs auxiliary control in relation to the main control device 101, which is the main board that manages the overall game. In other words, by providing a sub-board for sounds, lamps, and displays indirectly related to the game, the burden on the main board is reduced.

[0090] The input side of the display control device 81 is connected to the effect switch 66 (more specifically, an effect switch detection sensor that detects the operation of the effect switch 66). The various display units 60 to 62, 68 may also be configured to be driven and controlled by the display control device 81.

[0091] Next, we will explain each control process executed by the CPU 102 of the main control device 101. The processes of the CPU 102 can be broadly divided into main processing which is started when the power is turned on, timer interrupt processing which is started periodically (every 1.49 msec in this embodiment), and NMI interrupt processing which is started when a power outage signal is input to the NMI terminal. Below, we will explain the processes related to the progress of the game, i.e., timer interrupt processing, and normal processing performed in the main processing.

[0092] FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the timer interrupt process that is periodically executed by the main control device 101, and the CPU 102 of the main control device 101 generates a timer interrupt every 1.49 msec, for example.

[0093] First, in the register save process shown in step S101, the values ​​of all registers in the CPU 102 used in normal processing, which will be described later, are saved to a backup area in the RAM 106. In step S102, it is checked whether the power outage flag is set, and if the power outage flag is set, the process proceeds to step S103, where power outage processing is executed.

[0094] Here, the power outage process will be outlined.

[0095] When the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, a power outage signal is output from the power outage monitoring circuit 91b of the power supply device 91, and the power outage signal is input to the main control device 101 via the NMI terminal. When the power outage signal is input, the main control device 101 immediately executes NMI interrupt processing and sets a power outage flag in a power outage flag storage area provided in the RAM 106.

[0096] In the power outage processing, the system first determines whether command transmission has finished. If transmission has not finished, the system terminates this processing, returns to the timer interrupt processing, and ends command transmission. If command transmission has finished, the value of the stack pointer of the CPU 102 is saved in the backup area of ​​the RAM 106. Then, the output status of the output port of the input / output port 104 is cleared, and all actuators (not shown) are turned off. Then, when the power outage is resolved, a RAM judgment value is calculated to determine whether the data in the RAM 106 is normal and saved in the backup area, thereby prohibiting further RAM access. After the above processing is performed, the system enters an infinite loop in preparation for a complete power outage that would prevent processing from being executed. Note that, in consideration of the possibility that the power outage flag may be erroneously set due to noise, for example, the system checks whether a power outage signal is being output before entering the infinite loop. If the power outage signal is not being output, this indicates that the system has recovered from the power outage, and writing to the RAM 106 is permitted, the power outage flag is reset, and the system returns to the timer interrupt processing. If the power outage signal continues to be output, the system enters the infinite loop. Incidentally, even under an infinite loop, it is checked whether or not a power outage signal is being output, and if the power outage signal is no longer being output, the process proceeds to the main processing.

[0097] Returning to the explanation of the timer interrupt process, if the power outage flag is not set in step S102, various processes from step S104 onwards are carried out.

[0098] That is, in step S104, a watchdog timer clearing process is performed to initialize the value of the watchdog timer for monitoring for malfunctions. In step S105, an interrupt end declaration process is performed to enable the CPU 102 itself to set the next timer interrupt. In step S106, a stepping motor control process is performed to drive the stepping motors that are the reel drive motors for rotating each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. In step S107, a sensor monitoring process is performed to read the status of various sensors (see FIG. 15) connected to the input / output port 104, such as the stop detection sensors 42a to 44a, the inserted medal detection sensor 45a, and the payout detection sensor 51a, and to monitor whether the read results are normal. In step S108, a timer update process is performed to subtract or add values ​​from each counter and timer. In step S109, a counter process is performed to count the number of medals bet and the number of medals paid out, and output the counted results to the external centralized terminal board 121.

[0099] In step S110, a command output process is performed to transmit various commands, such as a lottery result command (described later), to the display control device 81. In step S111, a segment data setting process is performed to set the segment data to be displayed in the credit display unit 60, the remaining payout number display unit 61, the payout number display unit 62, and the instruction monitor 68. In step S112, a segment data display process is performed to supply the segment data set in the segment data setting process to each display unit 60-62, 68 and display the corresponding numbers, symbols, etc. In step S113, a port output process is performed to output data corresponding to the I / O device from the input / output port 104. In step S114, the values ​​of each register saved to the backup area in the previous step S101 are restored to the corresponding register in the CPU 102. Thereafter, in step S115, an interrupt enable process is performed to enable the next timer interrupt, and this series of timer interrupt processes is terminated.

[0100] Next, the normal processing for carrying out main control relating to the game will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0101] First, in step S201, an interrupt permission process is performed to permit the next timer interrupt. In step S202, a pre-start process is performed to enable a game. In the pre-start process, the process waits until the display control device 81 and the like have completed initialization. When the initialization of the display control device 81 and the like has completed, a game management process shown in steps S203 to S212 is performed.

[0102] As part of the game management process, in step S203, data such as various game information (for example, random number values ​​used in the previous game) stored in the RAM 106 is cleared. Thereafter, in step S204, a start waiting process is performed.

[0103] In the start waiting process, it is determined whether any replay winnings were achieved in the previous game. If any replay winnings were achieved, an automatic insertion process is performed to automatically insert virtual medals in the same number as the previous bet number, and the start waiting process is terminated. Specifically, for example, if a replay winning is achieved in a 3-bet game, a process to automatically insert three virtual medals is performed, and if a replay winning is achieved in a 2-bet game, a process to automatically insert two virtual medals is performed.

[0104] In the automatic insertion process, virtual medals are inserted without reducing the number of virtual medals displayed on the credit display unit 60. In other words, if any replay wins were achieved in the previous game, the player can play the current game without reducing the number of medals owned or inserting any more medals. If no replay wins were achieved, a sensor abnormality confirmation process is performed to check whether any abnormalities have occurred in the sensor reading results obtained in the sensor monitoring process step S107 of the timer interrupt process. If an abnormality has occurred, an abnormality occurrence process is performed to place the slot machine 10 in an error state and notify the user of the occurrence of the error. This error state is maintained until the reset switch 72 is operated. If the sensor reading results are normal, a determination is made as to whether the settlement switch 59 has been operated. If the settlement switch 59 has been operated, a medal return process is performed to pay out the same number of medals as the credited virtual medals.

[0105] After the medal return process is completed or if the settlement switch 59 has not been operated, it is determined whether medals have been inserted or the credit insertion switches 56, 57 have been operated between the previous start waiting process and the current start waiting process, and if either has been done, a medal insertion process is carried out to change the number of bets, etc., and the start waiting process is terminated. Also, if neither medals have been inserted nor the credit insertion switches 56, 57 have been operated between the previous start waiting process and the current start waiting process, the start waiting process is terminated.

[0106] After the start waiting process is completed, in step S205, it is determined whether the number of medals bet has reached the specified number. In this slot machine 10, the specified number in the bonus state (BB state) is set to "3," and the specified numbers in the gaming states other than the bonus state are set to "2" and "3." That is, in the bonus state, a positive determination is made in step S205 on the condition that the number of medals bet is "3," and in the gaming states other than the bonus state, a positive determination is made in step S205 on the condition that the number of medals bet is "2" or "3." In other words, in the gaming states other than the bonus state, if no medals have been bet, or if even if medals have been bet, the bet number is "1," a negative determination is made in step S205. If the number of medals bet has not reached the specified number, the process returns to the start waiting process in step S204, and the processes from the sensor abnormality confirmation process onward are performed.

[0107] If the number of bets has reached the specified number, a bet command including information on the number of bets that resulted in a positive determination in step S205 is set as an output target to the display control device 81, which serves as a sub-side control device, in step S206. The command set here is output to the display control device 81 in step S110 of the timer interrupt processing. Upon receiving the bet command, the display control device 81 executes processing for notification based on the bet operation (for example, notification that a game start condition has been met or notification of the lottery result of a previous game), and controls the speaker 64 and auxiliary display unit 65.

[0108] After executing the process of step S206, it is determined in step S207 whether or not the start lever 41 has been operated. If the start lever 41 has not been operated, the process returns to the start waiting process of step S204, and the processes from the sensor abnormality confirmation process onwards are performed.

[0109] On the other hand, if the start lever 41 is operated, this means that a start command has been issued to start the game, since the game can be started by operating the start lever 41 when a specified number of medals have been bet. In this case, in step S208, an active line setting process is performed to set the combination of lines corresponding to the number of bets as active lines. In other words, only the bent line L6 is set as an active line. In step S209, the medal path switching solenoid 46a is switched to a non-excited state to prohibit bet acceptance. Thereafter, the lottery process in step S210, the reel control process in step S211, and the medal payout process in step S212 are executed in this order, and then the process returns to step S203.

[0110] Next, the lottery process in step S210 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0111] In step S301, a random number is acquired to be used when determining whether a winning combination has been achieved. In this slot machine 10, when the start lever 41 is operated, the hardware circuitry latches the value of the free-run counter at that time. The free-run counter generates a random number between 0 and 65535, and after the CPU 102 confirms the operation of the start lever 41, it stores the value latched by the hardware circuitry in the RAM 106. This configuration makes it possible to quickly acquire a random number when the start lever 41 is operated, thereby avoiding problems such as synchronization. The hardware circuitry of this slot machine 10 latches the value of the free-run counter each time the start lever 41 is operated.

[0112] After obtaining the random number, in step S302, a lottery table for determining whether the winning combination has been achieved is selected. In the slot machine 10, the gaming states are broadly divided into a normal gaming state and a bonus state, and a lottery table is set for each gaming state. In the normal gaming state, since the specified number of bets is set to "3" and "2" as described above, a lottery table for a 3-bet game and a lottery table for a 2-bet game are set as the lottery table for the normal gaming state.

[0113] That is, in step S302, the current gaming state of the slot machine 10 is determined based on the number of bets and the gaming state flag set in the state information storage area 106c, and a lottery table corresponding to the number of bets and the gaming state is selected. For example, if the number of bets is "3" and no bonus state flag is set in the state information storage area 106c, the current gaming state is determined to be the normal gaming state, and a lottery table for the normal gaming state is selected. If the current game is a 3-bet game, a lottery table for the normal gaming state for a 3-bet game (FIG. 20) is selected, and if the current game is a 2-bet game, a lottery table for the normal gaming state for a 2-bet game (FIG. 21) is selected. In addition, the slot machine 10 has six levels of winning probability prepared in advance, from "Setting 1" to "Setting 6." By inserting a setting key into the setting key insertion hole and turning it ON and performing a predetermined operation, it is possible to set which winning probability the internal processing will be based on. In step S302, when the setting state is "setting 1", a lottery table with the lowest expected value of medal payout is selected, and when the setting state is "setting 6", a lottery table with the highest expected value of medal payout is selected.

[0114] Here, a supplementary explanation will be given regarding the process for setting the winning probability.

[0115] The winning probability setting process is executed in the main process launched by the main control device 101 when the power is turned on. More specifically, the winning probability setting process is launched after the initialization process of the RAM 106 when the power is turned on while the setting key detection sensor 73a detects that the setting key is inserted into the setting key insertion hole and turned ON. In the winning probability setting process, the setting value is updated by one each time the start lever 41 is operated, as a predetermined operation. For example, each time the start lever 41 is operated, the setting value is updated as follows: "Setting 1" → "Setting 2" → "Setting 3" → "Setting 4" → "Setting 5" → "Setting 6" → "Setting 1." Note that each setting value is displayed, for example, on the credit display unit 60, and the display is updated each time the setting value is updated. Then, operating the start lever 41 while the setting key detection sensor 73a is turned OFF is considered to be the setting value confirmation operation, and the setting value at that time is set as the current setting value, and the winning probability setting process is terminated. Upon completion of the winning probability setting process, the display on the credit display unit 60 also terminates. The set value set in the process of setting the winning probability is stored and held in RAM 106 until the next process of setting the winning probability is started. In step S302, a process of selecting a lottery table is performed based on the stored set value.

[0116] The lottery table will be briefly explained. Fig. 20 is a lottery table for a normal game state selected in a normal game state in a 3-bet game. Fig. 21 is a lottery table for a normal game state selected in a normal game state in a 2-bet game. Index values ​​IV are set in the lottery table, and each index value IV is uniquely associated with a winning combination and is also set with a point value PV.

[0117] After selecting a lottery table, in step S303, the index value IV is set to 1, and in the following step S304, a judgment value DV to be used when determining whether a winning combination has been achieved is set. In this judgment value setting process, a point value PV corresponding to the current index value IV is added to the current judgment value DV to set a new judgment value DV. Note that in the first judgment value setting process, the random number value acquired in step S301 is set as the current judgment value DV, and the point value PV corresponding to the current index value IV, which is 1, is added to this random number value to set a new judgment value DV.

[0118] Then, in step S305, a win / loss determination is made for the combination corresponding to the index value IV. In the combination win / loss determination, it is determined whether the judgment value DV exceeds 65535. If it exceeds 65535, in step S306, a process is executed to set a win flag for the game result corresponding to the index value IV determined to be positive in step S305 in the win flag storage area 106a. For example, if the judgment value DV exceeds 65535 when IV=23, the seventh small win flag and the eighth small win flag are set in step S306. Also, if the judgment value DV exceeds 65535 when IV=25, the first BB win flag is set in step S306, and if the judgment value DV exceeds 65535 when IV=26, the second BB win flag is set in step S306.

[0119] Incidentally, if the set winning flag is not a winning flag indicating that the first BB has been won (first BB winning flag) or a winning flag indicating that the second BB has been won (second BB winning flag), the winning flag set in the winning flag storage area 106a is reset after the game in which the corresponding winning flag was set ends (see S203 of the normal processing). On the other hand, if the winning flag is a first BB winning flag or a second BB winning flag, these winning flags are reset on the condition that the corresponding winning is achieved. In other words, the first BB winning flag and the second BB winning flag may be valid over multiple games.

[0120] In step S306, when the 1st BB winning flag or the 2nd BB winning flag is carried over, if a winning combination other than the 1st BB or the 2nd BB is won, the corresponding winning flag is set, and if a winning combination other than the 1st BB or the 2nd BB is not won, the corresponding winning flag is not set.

[0121] That is, for example, in a state where the 1st BB winning flag is carried over, if the judgment value DV exceeds 65535 when the index value IV=25, the 1st BB winning flag is not set. Also, in a state where the 1st BB winning flag is carried over, if the judgment value DV exceeds 65535 when the index value IV=11, for example, the 1st small win flag, the 9th small win flag, the 10th small win flag, and the 13th small win flag are set.

[0122] In addition, a lottery table for when the first BB winning flag or the second BB winning flag is carried over may be separately prepared, and when the first BB winning flag or the second BB winning flag is carried over, the lottery process may be performed using the separately prepared lottery table. In this case, in the separately prepared lottery table, it is preferable to set each index value IV and point value PV so that the first BB and the second BB are not won.

[0123] If the judgment value DV does not exceed 65535 in step S305, this means that the hand corresponding to the index value IV has not been obtained. In this case, the index value IV is incremented by 1 in step S307, and the following step S308 determines whether or not there is a hand corresponding to the index value IV, i.e., whether or not there is a target for judgment of whether or not there is a winning or losing hand. Specifically, it determines whether or not the index value IV incremented by 1 exceeds the maximum value of the index value IV set in the lottery table. If there is a target for judgment of whether or not there is a winning or losing hand, the process returns to step S304, and the judgment of whether or not the hand is a winning or losing hand continues. At this time, in step S304, the point value PV corresponding to the current index value IV is added to the judgment value DV used to judge whether or not the previous hand is a winning or losing hand (i.e., the current judgment value DV) to obtain a new judgment value DV, and in step S305, the winning or losing hand is judged based on the judgment value DV.

[0124] Incidentally, when determining whether a winning combination is achieved using the lottery table shown in Figure 20, that is, when playing a 3-bet game in normal gaming mode, the probability of winning normal lip A (probability of winning when IV = 1) is approximately 1 in 27.3 with setting 1, approximately 1 in 27.5 with setting 3, and approximately 1 in 28.3 with setting 6, and the higher the setting value, the harder it is to win. The probability of winning normal lip B (probability of winning when IV = 2) and the probability of winning normal lip C (probability of winning when IV = 3) are both approximately 1 in 26.2 regardless of the setting value. The probability of winning chance symbol A (probability of winning when IV = 4) is approximately 1 in 164 regardless of the setting value, the probability of winning chance symbol B (probability of winning when IV = 5) is approximately 1 in 262 regardless of the setting value, and the probability of winning chance symbol C (probability of winning when IV = 6) is approximately 1 in 16,400 regardless of the setting value, so that chance symbol B is easier to win than chance symbol C, and chance symbol A is easier to win than chance symbol B. The probability of winning Cherry A (probability of winning when IV = 7) is approximately 1 in 107 with setting 1, approximately 1 in 104 with setting 3, and approximately 1 in 93.6 with setting 6, so that the higher the setting value, the easier it is to win. The probability of winning Cherry B (probability of winning when IV = 8) is approximately 1 in 215 regardless of the setting value, and the probability of winning Cherry C (probability of winning when IV = 9) is approximately 1 in 13,100 regardless of the setting value, so that Cherry B is easier to win than Cherry C, and Cherry A is easier to win than Cherry B. The probability of winning a common bell (probability of winning when IV = 10) is approximately 1 in 504 regardless of the setting value. The probability of winning a normal push bell 1, normal push bell 2, pinch push bell 1, pinch push bell 2, middle normal push bell 1, middle normal push bell 2, middle reverse push bell 1, middle reverse push bell 2, reverse pinch bell 1, reverse pinch bell 2, reverse push bell 1, reverse push bell 2 (hereinafter collectively referred to as push order bells) (probability of winning when IV = 11 to 22) is approximately 1 in 18.4 regardless of the setting value.The probability of winning a watermelon (when IV = 23) is approximately 1 in 107 regardless of the setting. The probability of winning a first BB (when IV = 25) is approximately 1 in 5.03 regardless of the setting, which is higher than the probability of winning other roles (replay, small roles, IV = 1-24). In 3-bet games, duplicate 1-coin roles (IV = 24) and second BB (IV = 26) are set to not win (the corresponding point value PV is set to 0). In 3-bet games, the probability of not winning any role, including the first BB, is 0. Furthermore, when the first BB is won, the probability of not winning any role in a 3-bet game is approximately 1 in 5.03 (for the first BB) regardless of the setting. Incidentally, in 3-bet games, excluding the increase in the first BB state, you can expect a loss of approximately 1.77 medals per game (net increase minus approximately 1.77 medals).

[0125] In contrast, when determining whether a winning combination is achieved using the lottery table shown in FIG. 21, i.e., when playing a two-bet game in normal game mode, the probability of winning Normal Lip A, Normal Lip B, Normal Lip C, Chance Eye A, Chance Eye B, Chance Eye C, Cherry A, Cherry B, or Cherry C (the probability of winning when IV = 1 to 9) is the same as the probability when playing the three-bet game. The probability of winning the Common Bell (the probability of winning when IV = 10) is approximately 1 in 9.64 regardless of the setting value, which is set to be easier to win than when playing a three-bet game. The Push Order Bell (IV = 11 to 22) is set to be impossible to win in a two-bet game. The probability of winning the Watermelon (the probability of winning when IV = 23) is approximately 1 in 257 regardless of the setting value, which is set to be harder to win than when playing a three-bet game. In a two-bet game, the system is set up so that a double 1-coin combination (IV = 24) can be won, with a probability of approximately 1 in 1.81 regardless of the setting value. Also, in a two-bet game, the system is set up so that the first BB (IV = 25) cannot be won, but the second BB (IV = 26) can be won, with a probability of approximately 1 in 4.95 regardless of the setting value. Even in a two-bet game, the probability of not winning any combination, including the second BB, is zero. And when the second BB is won, the probability of not winning any combination in a two-bet game is approximately 1 in 4.95 (for the second BB), regardless of the setting value. Incidentally, in a two-bet game, excluding the increase in the second BB, you can expect a decrease of approximately 0.64 medals per game (net increase minus approximately 0.64 medals).

[0126] After the winning flag is set in step S306, or if it is determined in step S308 that there is no target to be determined as a winning combination, it means that the winning combination determination has been completed. In such a case, the process proceeds to step S309, and a freeze lottery process is performed to determine whether or not to execute a freeze effect that disables the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44 for a predetermined period of time.

[0127] In the following step S310, a lottery result response process is performed. In the lottery result response process, a process of whether to shift the gaming state or not depending on the result of the lottery in steps S301 to S308, a process of notifying the push order combination, etc. are performed. The lottery result response process will be described in detail later.

[0128] After executing the processing of step S310, a lottery result command is set in step S311. Here, the lottery result command is a command sent to the display control device 81 to let the user know the result of the winning / losing role determination. However, in normal processing, various commands such as the lottery result command are simply set in the ring buffer, and no command is sent to the display control device 81. The command is sent to the display control device 81 in the command output processing (step S110) of the timer interrupt processing described above.

[0129] Then, in step S312, a stop information setting process is executed to set symbols that can be stopped on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R based on the lottery results of this game. In the stop information setting process, stop symbol information corresponding to the winning combination is set based on the winning flag set in step S306. For example, if the push order bell 1 is won (won when IV = 11) and the first small role winning flag, the ninth small role winning flag, the tenth small role winning flag, and the thirteenth small role winning flag are set, the stop symbol information is set so that symbols corresponding to the first small role winning, the ninth small role winning, the tenth small role winning, and the thirteenth small role winning are stoppable on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. Also, if the watermelon is won (won when IV = 23) and the seventh small role winning flag and the eighth small role winning flag are set, the stop symbol information is set so that symbols corresponding to the seventh small role winning and the eighth small role winning are stoppable on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R.

[0130] In this slot machine 10, the first BB is set to be won only in a three-bet game, and the second BB is set to be won only in a two-bet game. Therefore, even if the first BB hit flag is set, if the game is started with a two-bet game, the stop information setting process of step S312 does not set stop symbol information that will win the first BB (stop symbol information that will avoid the first BB hit is set). Also, even if the second BB hit flag is set, if the game is started with a three-bet game, the stop information setting process of step S312 does not set stop symbol information that will win the second BB (stop symbol information that will avoid the second BB hit is set).

[0131] In the following step S313, when multiple pieces of stoppable symbol information are set in step S312, a priority setting process is executed to set their priorities. For example, when multiple types of roles among small role, replay, and bonus are won, the following priorities are set. When small role and bonus are won, the priority is set so that the small role win is given priority, and when the small role win cannot be won, the bonus win is won. When replay and bonus are won, the priority is set so that the replay win is given priority.

[0132] For example, in a situation where the first BB has been won (the first BB win flag is set and the first BB win has been carried over), if a watermelon is also won and stop symbol information corresponding to the first BB win and the seventh and eighth small wins has been set, the priority is set so that the seventh and eighth small wins take priority over the first BB win. Also, in a situation where the second BB has been won (the second BB win flag is set and the second BB win has been carried over), if a normal lip A is also won and stop symbol information corresponding to the second BB win and the first replay, second replay, third replay, and fourth replay wins has been set, the priority is set so that each replay win takes priority over the second BB win.

[0133] Here, when a replay is won, the winning symbol combination is set so that one of the winning replays will always win. In other words, when a replay is won, a replay win is always achieved, and no misses occur. Therefore, when the stop symbol information for the replay and the bonus is set, one of the set replay wins is always achieved, and no bonus win is achieved.

[0134] After executing the process of step S313, the first section display process is executed in step S314, and then the lottery process is terminated. The first section display process is a process related to the display control of the instruction monitor 68 and the role ratio monitor 77, and this process will be described in detail later.

[0135] Next, the reel control process in step S211 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0136] In the reel control process, first, in step S401, a spin effect process is performed. The spin effect process is a process for performing an effect using reel control during an invalid period, based on the result of the freeze lottery process performed in step S309 and the result of the lottery result response process performed in step S310. The spin effect process will be described in detail later. In the following step S402, a spin start process is performed to start the rotation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R.

[0137] In the spin start process, the system checks whether a predetermined wait time (e.g., 4.1 seconds) has elapsed since the reels started spinning in the previous game. If not, the system waits until the wait time has elapsed. If the wait time has elapsed, the system resets the wait time for the next game and performs a motor control initialization process to set spin start information in a motor control storage area in RAM 106. This process initiates a stepping motor acceleration process in the stepping motor control process (step S106) of the timer interrupt process, causing each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R to start spinning. For this reason, even if a player bets a specified number of medals and operates the start lever 41, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R may not immediately start spinning. The system then waits until each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R spins at a predetermined constant speed, and the spin start process ends. In addition, when the rotation speed of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R reaches a constant speed, the CPU 102 notifies the player, etc. that it is now possible to issue a stop command by lighting up the lamps (not shown) of each stop switch 42 to 44.

[0138] Following the spin start process, in step S403, it is determined whether any of the stop switches 42 to 44 has been operated. If none of the stop switches 42 to 44 has been operated, the process waits until one of the stop switches 42 to 44 is operated. If it is determined that one of the stop switches 42 to 44 has been operated, the process proceeds to step S404, where it is determined whether the stop switch corresponding to the spinning reel has been operated, i.e., whether a stop command has been issued. If a stop command has not been issued, the process returns to step S403, where it waits until one of the stop switches 42 to 44 is operated. If a stop command has been issued, a stop command command is set in step S405. Here, the stop command command is a command sent to the display control device 81 to indicate which stop switch was operated to issue the stop command. If a stop command command has been set, the stop control process shown in steps S406 to S412 is performed to stop the spinning reel.

[0139] In step S406, the symbol number of the reaching symbol that has reached the base position (the lower position in this embodiment) at the time the stop switch is operated is confirmed. Specifically, the symbol number of the reaching symbol that has reached the base position is confirmed based on the number of excitation pulses output from the time the detection signal of the reel index sensor is input. In the following step S407, the number of reel slides to be stopped this time is calculated based on the stop information stored in the stop information storage area 106b. In this slot machine 10, five stop modes are available for stopping each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R when the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated: a stop mode in which the reaching symbol that has reached the base position is stopped as is, a stop mode in which the corresponding reel slides by one symbol, a stop mode in which the corresponding reel slides by two symbols, a stop mode in which the corresponding reel slides by three symbols, and a stop mode in which the corresponding reel slides by four symbols. Therefore, in step S407, a value between 0 and 4 is calculated as the number of slips based on the stop information stored in the stop information storage area 106b. Then, in step S408, the calculated number of slips is added to the symbol number of the reached symbol to determine the symbol number of the stop symbol that will actually stop at the base position. In step S409, it is determined whether the symbol number of the reached symbol on the reel to be stopped this time and the symbol number of the stop symbol are equal. If they are equal, a reel stop process is performed in step S410 to stop the reel rotation. Then, in step S411, it is determined whether all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R have stopped. If all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R have not stopped, a second stop information setting process is performed in step S412, and the process returns to step S403.

[0140] Here, the second stop information setting process is a process of changing the stop information stored in the stop information storage area 106b of the RAM 106 after the reels have stopped. In the second stop information setting process, the stop information is changed based on the set win flag and the stop outcome of the stopped reels. In the slot machine 10, for example, when a win occurs when IV=11 to 22, that is, when the push order bell is won (see Figures 20 and 21), the second stop information setting process is performed to change the winning mode established by the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 that generated the stop command.

[0141] 23 is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between winning combinations, the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and the winning patterns that are achieved. For example, when the center push bell 1 is won, if the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in the order of left → center → right, left → right → center, center → right → left, right → left → center, or right → center → left, the stop information is set so that the 17th small win, the 18th small win, or the 21st small win is achieved, and if they are operated in the order of center → left → right, the stop information is set so that the 3rd small win is achieved. However, even if the stop information is set in this way, the corresponding win may not be achieved depending on the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44.

[0142] A brief description will be given of the arrangement of symbols on each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R. In the slot machine 10, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R can be stopped after sliding a maximum of four symbols from the timing of the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44. Therefore, when symbols of the same kind are arranged on each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R with a spacing of four symbols or less, when a winning symbol is formed, the winning symbol can be stopped on an active line regardless of the timing of the operation of the stop switch 43. On the other hand, when symbols are arranged so that they form a section spaced five symbols or more apart, the player must operate the stop switches 42 to 44 while aiming at the symbol to stop it on an active line.

[0143] An example will be explained below in which the middle push bell 1 is won and the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in the order of left → middle → right. In such a case, as described above, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are stopped to achieve the 17th small win, the 18th small win, or the 21st small win.

[0144] The 17th minor winning symbol on the left reel 32L is a "red 7" symbol and a "BAR" symbol. The 18th minor winning symbol on the left reel 32L is a "red shell" symbol and a "white shell" symbol. The 21st minor winning symbol on the left reel 32L is a "replay" symbol and a "young man" symbol. The 17th, 18th, and 21st minor winning symbols on the left reel 32L are arranged so that the spacing between symbols is four symbols or less. Therefore, when the left stop switch 42 is operated first, one of the 17th, 18th, and 21st minor winning symbols will stop on the pay line (middle row) regardless of the timing of the operation. In this slot machine 10, when multiple target symbols are operated at a timing when they can be stopped, stop control is performed so that the symbol with the fewest slip frames stops on the pay line. That is, for example, if the left stop switch 42 is operated at the timing when the first "bell" symbol on the left reel 32L reaches the bottom row, it is possible to stop the fourth "red shell" symbol (2-frame slip) which is the 18th small win symbol and the fifth "replay" symbol (3-frame slip) which is the 21st small win symbol in the middle row, but the stop control of the left reel 32L is performed so that the fourth "red shell" symbol with the fewest slip frames stops in the middle row. In this case, although there is still room for the 18th small win symbol to be established, the 17th small win symbol and the 21st small win symbol will not be established.

[0145] When the 18th small winning symbol on the left reel 32L stops in the middle row, the stop information second setting process changes the stop information so that the 18th small winning symbol can be achieved.

[0146] The 18th minor winning symbol on the center reel 32M is a "replay" symbol. On the left reel 32L, the "replay" symbols are arranged so that the interval between each "replay" symbol is four symbols or less. Therefore, in this case, regardless of the operation timing of the center stop switch 43, stop control is performed so that the "replay" symbol stops on the upper row of the center reel 32M.

[0147] The 18th minor winning symbol on the right reel 32R is a "white shell" symbol and a "young man" symbol. The "white shell" and "young man" symbols are arranged on the right reel 32R so that the spacing between them is at least five symbols. In other words, depending on the timing of operation of the right stop switch 44, the 18th minor winning symbol, the "white shell" symbol or the "young man" symbol, may or may not be able to stop on the upper row. If the right stop switch 44 is operated at a time when it is possible to stop the symbol on the upper row, the 18th minor winning symbol is established, and if the right stop switch 44 is operated at a time when it is not possible to stop the symbol on the upper row, a so-called miss occurs.

[0148] Here, when the "red shell" symbol stops in the middle row of the left reel 32L and the "replay" symbol stops in the top row of the middle reel 32M, in addition to the case where the middle push bell 1 is won and the 18th small prize is achieved as described above, there is also a case where the middle push bell 2 is won and the 20th small prize is achieved. In other words, the 20th small prize symbol in the middle push bell 2 is the 18th small prize symbol on the left reel 32L and the middle reel 32M. And, on the right reel 32R, the 18th small prize symbol is the "white shell" symbol and the "young man" symbol, while the 20th small prize symbol is the "red 7" symbol and the "white 7" symbol, which are different. In particular, on the right reel 32R, the 18th small win symbol and the 20th small win symbol are arranged so that if the right stop switch 44 is operated at the timing when the 18th small win symbol can be stopped on an active line, the 20th small win symbol cannot be stopped on an active line, and if the right stop switch 44 is operated at the timing when the 20th small win symbol can be stopped on an active line, the 18th small win symbol cannot be stopped on an active line. Therefore, assuming that it is not known whether the middle push bell 1 or the middle push bell 2 has been won, even if the left reel 32L and the middle reel 32M are stopped and a stop pattern is formed in which there is a possibility of winning the 18th small win symbol and the 20th small win symbol, it is not possible to aim for that and win.

[0149] Next, we will explain an example in which the middle push bell 1 is won and the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in the order of middle → left → right. In this case, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are stopped to establish the third small win.

[0150] On the middle reel 32M, the "replay" symbol, which is the third minor winning symbol, is arranged so that the interval between the "replay" symbols is four symbols or less. Therefore, when the middle stop switch 43 is operated first, the "replay" symbol stops on the top row regardless of the operation timing.

[0151] On the left reel 32L, the "bell" symbols, which are the third minor winning symbols, are arranged so that the interval between each "bell" symbol is four symbols or less. Therefore, when the left stop switch 42 is operated second, the "bell" symbols will stop in the middle row regardless of the timing of the operation.

[0152] On the right reel 32R, the third minor winning symbols, the "watermelon" symbol and the "red shell" symbol, are arranged so that the spacing between these symbols is four symbols or less. Therefore, if the right stop switch 44 is operated third, the "watermelon" symbol or the "red shell" symbol will stop on the top row regardless of the timing of the operation. As shown above, if the middle order push bell 1 is won and the middle stop switch 43 → left stop switch 42 → right stop switch 44 are operated in this order, the third minor winning symbol will be established regardless of the timing of the operation.

[0153] As described above, when the push order bell is won, if the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in a predetermined operation sequence, the first small prize, the second small prize, the third small prize, the fourth small prize, the fifth small prize, or the sixth small prize will be achieved regardless of the operation timing, and if the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in a different operation sequence, depending on the operation timing, other small prizes will be achieved, or none of the small prizes will be achieved and the win will be missed. Incidentally, when the common bell is won, the first small prize, the second small prize, the third small prize, the fourth small prize, the fifth small prize, or the sixth small prize will be achieved regardless of the operation sequence and operation timing.

[0154] Returning to the explanation of the reel control process, if it is determined in step S411 that all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R have stopped, a payout determination process is performed in step S413. The payout determination process is a process for setting the number of medals to be paid out, with one of the conditions being that a winning combination of symbols is aligned on an active line. In the payout determination process, a combination of symbols formed on an active line is derived from the symbol numbers of the symbols that have stopped on the lower rows of each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R, and it is determined whether a winning combination has been achieved on the active line. If a winning combination has been achieved, it is further determined whether the winning combination corresponds to a winning flag set in the win flag storage area 106a. If the winning combination corresponds to a winning flag, the winning combination and the payout amount corresponding to the winning combination are set in a payout information storage area provided in RAM 106. On the other hand, if the winning combination does not correspond to the winning flag, the slot machine 10 is put into an error state and an error occurrence notification process is performed. This error state is maintained until the reset switch 72 is operated.

[0155] After the payout determination process is performed, bonus state process is performed in step S414. The bonus state process will be described in detail later. After the bonus state process is performed, winning result process is performed in step S415. The winning result process includes processes such as transitioning the game state based on the winning result. The winning result process will be described in detail later.

[0156] After the winning result processing is performed, a second interval display processing is executed in step S416. The second interval display processing is processing related to display control of the instruction monitor 68, and this processing will be explained in detail later. Thereafter, in step S417, a winning result command is set so that the display control device 81 knows the winning combination in the current game, and the reel control processing is terminated.

[0157] Next, the medal payout process in step S212 will be outlined.

[0158] In the medal payout process, it is determined whether the payout number set in the payout information storage area is 0. If the payout number is 0, it means that it was determined in the previous payout determination process that no small winning combination was achieved. In such a case, it is determined whether any of the 1st replay winning combination to the 12th replay winning combination was achieved, based on the winning combination set in the payout determination process. If none of the replay winning combinations has been achieved, the medal payout process is terminated as is, and if any of the replay winning combinations has been achieved, a replay setting process is performed to change the play mode to replay mode, and the medal payout process is terminated. Note that in the start waiting process (step S204) described earlier, if it is determined that the current play mode is replay mode, an automatic insertion process is performed.

[0159] On the other hand, if the payout number set in the payout information storage area is not 0, medals equal to the payout number are paid out, and the medal payout process is terminated. Specifically, regarding the payout of medals, if the count value of the credit counter has not reached its upper limit (50 medals stored), the payout number is added to the count value of the credit counter, and the value after the addition is displayed on the credit display unit 60. If the count value of the credit counter has reached its upper limit, or if the count value reaches its upper limit during the addition of the payout number, the medal payout rotating plate is driven, and medals are paid out from the hopper device 51 to the medal tray 50 via the medal discharge port 49. The medal payout process also involves changing the payout number displayed on the payout number display unit 62 in accordance with the payout of medals. If the current game state is the BB state, the payout number is subtracted from the value of the remaining payout number counter (described later), and the remaining payout number displayed on the remaining payout number display unit 61 is subtracted.

[0160] Next, the bonus state process in step S414 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0161] First, in step S501, it is determined whether the current gaming state is a bonus state, i.e., whether the current gaming state is the first BB state or the second BB state. Whether the current gaming state is the first BB state or the second BB state can be determined by the presence or absence of a first BB state flag or a second BB state flag that are set in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106 when transitioning to the first BB state or the second BB state. That is, in step S501, if neither the first BB state flag nor the second BB state flag is set, it is determined that the current state is not the first BB state or the second BB state, and the process proceeds to step S502.

[0162] In step S502, it is determined whether the first BB hit flag or the second BB hit flag is set, and whether either BB has been hit. If neither BB hit flag is set, the bonus state processing ends. If either BB hit flag is set, the process proceeds to step S503.

[0163] In step S503, a process is performed to input 3 into the MAX bet counter provided in the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. The MAX bet counter is used to set a specific number of virtual medals to be inserted when the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated. That is, when the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated while the MAX bet counter has input 3, three virtual medals are inserted. In this case, since the MAX bet counter does not set the specified number of medals for the game, when the specified number of medals for the game is set to two or three, it is permitted to play a two-bet game by operating the second credit insertion switch 57. Note that if 3 has already been input into the MAX bet counter in step S503, that state is maintained.

[0164] The initial value of the MAX bet counter is 2, and when the reset switch 72 is operated to clear the RAM, 2 is input to the MAX bet counter and the slot machine 10 is started up.

[0165] In the following step S504, it is determined whether the first BB win or the second BB win has been achieved. If neither of the BB wins has been achieved, the bonus state processing ends. If either of the BB wins has been achieved, the process proceeds to step S505, where it is determined whether the first BB win has been achieved.

[0166] If the first BB win has been achieved, in step S506, a process of inputting "90" into the BB counter provided in the various counter area 106e is executed. The BB counter is a counter for determining the upper limit of the payout amount in each BB state. That is, by inputting "90" into the BB counter in step S506, the first BB state is set to end when 90 or more medals are paid out. In step S507, the first BB hit flag is cleared. Then, in step S508, the first BB state flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. As a result, from the next game onwards, a positive determination is made in step S501. In the following step S509, a process of setting a first BB start command to be output to the display control device 81 is executed. The first BB start command is a command for informing the display control device 81 that the first BB state has started. Upon receiving this first BB start command, the display control device 81 controls the speaker 64, the auxiliary display unit 65, etc. to perform a first BB start effect corresponding to the start of the first BB state. In addition, by receiving the 1st BB start command, the display control device 81 can understand that the 1st BB state will start from the next game, and controls the speaker 64, auxiliary display unit 65, etc. so that the effects for the 1st BB state will be performed from the next game.

[0167] After the output setting of the 1st BB start command is performed in step S509, the process of setting the specified number of bets to 3 is performed in step S510, and then this bonus state process is terminated. The specified number of bets corresponds to the specified number of coins for the game described above. In other words, by transitioning to the 1st BB state, the specified number of coins for the game is set to 3 coins, and the 1st BB state is performed in a 3-bet game.

[0168] The initial values ​​of the specified number of bets are 2 and 3, and when the reset switch 72 is operated to clear the RAM, the specified number of bets is set to 2 and 3 and the slot machine 10 is started up.

[0169] In step S505, it is determined that the first BB win has not been achieved when the second BB win has been achieved. In this case, the process proceeds to step S511, where the BB counter is set to "90." That is, the second BB state is set to end when 90 or more medals are paid out. Then, in step S512, the second BB win flag is cleared, and in step S513, the second BB state flag is set. After that, in step S514, a second BB start command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The second BB start command corresponds to the first BB start command and is a command for informing the display control device 81 that the second BB state has started. Upon receiving the second BB start command, the display control device 81 controls the speaker 64, the auxiliary display unit 65, etc. to perform a second BB start effect corresponding to the start of the second BB state, and controls the speaker 64, the auxiliary display unit 65, etc. to perform an effect for the second BB state from the next game onward. The first BB start effect and the second BB start effect are different in appearance and content to the extent that they can be distinguished by the player. The effects for the first BB state and the effects for the second BB state are also different in appearance and content to the extent that they can be distinguished by the player. The processing on the display control device 81 side when the first BB start command or the second BB start command is received will be explained in detail later.

[0170] After the output setting of the second BB start command is performed in step S514, the process of setting the specified number of bets to 3 is performed in step S510, and then this bonus state process is terminated. That is, the specified number of coins for the game is set to 3 not only in the first BB state but also in the second BB state, and the second BB state is performed in a 3-bet game.

[0171] If the determination in step S501 is affirmative and the state is the first BB state or the second BB state, the process proceeds to step S515, where processing for the first BB state or the second BB state is performed. FIG. 25 shows an example of a lottery table for the BB state. In this embodiment, a common lottery table is used for the first BB state and the second BB state. However, separate lottery tables may be provided for each state, with different types of winning combinations and winning probabilities for each combination. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 25, in the first BB state and the second BB state, normal lip A, common bell, and overlapping 1-coin combinations are possible. The probability of winning normal lip A (the probability of winning when IV = 1) is approximately 1 in 61.2, the probability of winning common bell (the probability of winning when IV = 10) is approximately 1 in 5.96, and the probability of winning overlapping 1-coin combinations (the probability of winning when IV = 24) is approximately 1 in 1.31. Additionally, in the 1st BB state or the 2nd BB state, the probability of a losing result (not winning any role) is approximately 1 in 10.14. In this case, you can expect an increase of approximately 0.00 medals per game (a net increase of approximately plus or minus 0.00 medals), and no increase or decrease in medals occurs in the 1st BB state or the 2nd BB state. In other words, although you cannot expect an increase in medals in the 1st BB state or the 2nd BB state, you can progress through the game without losing medals.

[0172] Here, in the normal game state in a 3-bet game and the 1st BB state to which a transition can be made in a 3-bet game, the main medal increase is caused by the winning of the 1st to 6th minor combinations, which result in a payout of 13 medals, and these combinations are the push order bell in the normal game state and the common bell in the 1st BB state. Comparing the winning rates of these main minor combinations, in the normal game state, assuming that the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in a fixed operation order, the winning probability is about 1 in 9.19, while in the 1st BB state the winning probability is about 1 in 5.96, and in a 3-bet game, the 1st BB state is set to be more likely to result in a winning than the normal game state. In addition, in the normal game state in a 2-bet game and the second BB state to which a 2-bet game can be entered, the main medal increase is the common bell, and while in the normal game state the probability of winning is approximately 1 in 9.64, in the second BB state the probability of winning is approximately 1 in 5.96, so even in a 2-bet game, it is set up so that winning is more likely to occur in the second BB state than in the normal game state.

[0173] However, as mentioned above, in the first BB state and the second BB state, a lottery table is used in which the number of medals may decrease in each game, so even if the first BB state or the second BB state is completed, an increase in the number of medals held cannot be expected; conversely, it is expected that the number of medals held will decrease as the first BB state or the second BB state is completed.

[0174] In the bonus state processing, in step S515, it is determined whether or not any small winning combination has been achieved in the current game as a result of the lottery processing using the BB state lottery table and the control of each reel. If no winning combination has been achieved, the bonus state processing is terminated. If a winning combination has been achieved, in step S516, the payout amount corresponding to the winning combination is subtracted from the BB counter in the various counter area 106e. Then, in step S517, it is determined whether or not the BB counter has become 0 or less as a result of the subtraction processing in step S516. For example, if a common bell is won and the first to sixth small winning combinations are achieved, a payout of 13 coins will be generated, so in step S516, 13 is subtracted from the BB counter.

[0175] If it is determined in step S517 that the value is not 0 or less, the bonus state processing is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the value is 0 or less, the BB state flag corresponding to the current BB state is cleared in step S518. That is, if it is the first BB state, the first BB state flag is cleared, and if it is the second BB state, the second BB state flag is cleared. Then, in step S519, a process of inputting 2 to the MAX bet counter is executed, and in step S520, a BB end command corresponding to the BB state to be terminated is set as an output target to the display control device 81. More specifically, if the first BB state is to be terminated, the first BB end command is set as an output target, and if the second BB state is to be terminated, the second BB end command is set as an output target. Upon receiving the first BB end command or the second BB end command, the display control device 81 controls the speaker 64 and the auxiliary display unit 65 so that a first BB end effect or a second BB end effect is performed. The processing on the display control device 81 side when the first BB end command or the second BB end command is received will be described in detail later.

[0176] Then, in step S521, the specified number of bets is set to 2 and 3, and the bonus state processing is terminated. In this case, in the normal gaming state after the end of the first BB state or the second BB state, a 2-bet game and a 3-bet game are possible. In contrast, since 2 is input into the MAX BET counter in step S519 as described above, when the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated, two virtual medals are inserted and a 2-bet game is played. In other words, when neither the first BB hit flag nor the second BB hit flag is set, the system is set to make it easier to play a 2-bet game. Incidentally, after the end of the first BB state or the second BB state, 2 is input into the MAX BET counter, so a 3-bet cannot be made by operating the first credit insertion switch 56 or the second credit insertion switch 57. To play a 3-bet game, three medals must be inserted into the medal insertion slot 45.

[0177] Here, the gameplay of the slot machine 10 using the 2-bet game and the 3-bet game will be briefly explained with reference to FIG.

[0178] The normal gaming state in which the first BB hit flag and the second BB hit flag are not set and no BB has been hit is a state called a non-internal state. In this case, as described above, the specified bet number (specified number of coins per game) is set to 2 or 3, and a 2-bet game and a 3-bet game are possible. However, if 2 is input to the MAX bet counter as described above and the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated to start a game, it will be a 2-bet game.

[0179] In the non-internal state, the first BB can be won in a 3-bet game but the second BB cannot be won, and in a 2-bet game, the second BB can be won but the first BB cannot be won. In a game in which the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated as described above, the second BB can basically be won in a 2-bet game.

[0180] If the first BB or second BB is won but no prize is awarded in that winning game, the internal state will be one in which the first BB win or second BB win is carried over (carryover state). Even in the internal state, as described above, the specified bet number (specified number of coins per game) is set to 2 or 3, and a 2-bet game or a 3-bet game is possible. However, if 3 is input into the MAX bet counter as described above and the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated to start a game, it will be a 3-bet game.

[0181] As already explained, in the slot machine 10, in the internal state where the first BB is won, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are stopped so that the first BB win is possible in a 3-bet game, but the first BB win is not possible in a 2-bet game. Also, in the internal state where the second BB is won, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are stopped so that the second BB win is not possible in a 3-bet game, but the second BB win is possible in a 2-bet game. That is, if the first BB is won in a 3-bet game, the first BB win can be achieved by continuing the 3-bet game, but the first BB win cannot be achieved by switching to a 2-bet game after the first BB is won. Also, if the second BB is won in a 2-bet game, the second BB win can be achieved by continuing the 2-bet game, but the second BB win cannot be achieved by switching to a 3-bet game after the second BB is won. Furthermore, the first BB and the second BB cannot be won twice, and if a first BB win is carried over, the first BB cannot be won again, and the second BB cannot be won twice. Also, if a second BB win is carried over, the second BB cannot be won again, and the first BB cannot be won twice. In other words, if you win the first BB and play a 2-bet game, the game will continue in an internal state where the first BB win is carried over, and if you win the second BB and play a 3-bet game, the game will continue in an internal state where the second BB win is carried over.

[0182] Here, since the first BB win is only possible in a three-bet game and the second BB win is only possible in a two-bet game as described above, even if a three-bet game results in a loss (no winning combination) while the second BB win is carried over, the second BB win will not be achieved, and even if a two-bet game results in a loss (no winning combination) while the first BB win is carried over, the first BB win will not be achieved. This dramatically simplifies the role configuration and control of reels 32L, 32M, and 32R in an internal state where a first BB win or a second BB win is carried over. If a configuration were such that a second BB win could be achieved in a three-bet game or a first BB win could be achieved in a two-bet game, maintaining the internal state where the first BB win or the second BB win is carried over would require a lottery table that would prevent a loss, and, for example, in a role where a miss may occur, it would be necessary to have a different role win when the miss occurs.

[0183] Also, in the 1st BB state and the 2nd BB state, the main role for increasing medals is the common bell. Also, in the non-internal state and the internal state, the main role for increasing medals in a 2-bet game is the common bell, whereas the main role for increasing medals in a 3-bet game is the push order bell. For the common bell, any of the 1st to 6th small roles will be achieved regardless of the operation sequence and operation timing of each of the stop switches 42 to 44, whereas for the push order bell, the small role that is achieved will differ depending on the operation sequence and operation timing of each of the stop switches 42 to 44. In other words, the fluctuation in medal increase or decrease depending on the operation sequence and operation timing (mainly the operation sequence) when the push order bell is won is greater in the non-internal state and the internal state in a 3-bet game than in the 1st BB state and the 2nd BB state. For example, by announcing the operation sequence (Figure 25) that will result in the first to sixth small prize winnings when the push order bell is won, it is possible to switch between an AT mode (assist time mode, navigation mode) that assists in winning and a non-AT mode (non-navigation mode) that does not, and to create a state in which medals increase or decrease depending on whether or not the notification (assist) is given.

[0184] The basic flow of a game in which the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated is as follows: first, in the non-internal state, a 2-bet game is played, and the second BB is won in the 2-bet game. When the second BB is won, the state switches to the internal state, the game switches to the 3-bet game, and the game proceeds in a state in which the above-mentioned second BB winning cannot be realized. In this case, as described above, in the 3-bet game in which the second BB winning is carried over, neither the first BB nor the second BB is won, and the game continues in the internal state in which the second BB winning is carried over.

[0185] Below, we will assume that the game is played with the second BB win carried over, and explain the gameplay using notifications (push order notifications) when the push order bell is won during that game (also referred to as normal game in the following explanation).

[0186] <Lottery result processing> First, the lottery result response process performed in step S310 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 27. The lottery result response process is a process performed after the lottery process for each game has been performed, and is a process that performs a lottery for transition to an AT mode in which a push order notification is generated based on the lottery result of the game.

[0187] First, in steps S601 to S603, a process is executed to determine the number of bets for the game that will start this time. That is, in step S601, it is determined whether either the first BB state flag or the second BB state flag is set, and it is determined whether the game that will start this time is in either of the BB states. If it is not in the BB state, it is determined in step S602 whether the number of bets is 3. Also, if it is in the BB state, it is determined in step S603 whether the number of bets is 2. As already explained, in the non-internal state before the first BB or second BB win and in the internal state after the first BB or second BB win, the specified number of bets is set to 2 or 3, and in the first BB state or the second BB state, the specified number of bets is set to 3. The processing of steps S602 and S603 is to determine whether the number of bets for the current game is a specific specified number (specific set number) that is specified (set) in association with the game status, and if the specific specified number does not exist, the lottery result response processing is terminated without performing processing for the display mode (processing for the instruction function) from step S604 onwards.

[0188] That is, in the non-internal state and internal state, processing for the display mode is executed in a 3-bet game, but processing for the display mode is not executed in a 2-bet game. Also, in the first BB state and the second BB state, since the specified bet number is set to 3, a 2-bet game is not executed, and processing for the display mode is not executed in the first BB state and the second BB state.

[0189] That is, in this embodiment, if the internal state is a 2-bet game, the lottery for transition to the AT mode after step S604 is not performed, which is disadvantageous to the player. By doing this, the internal state is made to be a 3-bet game, making it easier to play a normal game with the second BB carried over.

[0190] If a positive determination is made in step S602 or step S603, it is determined in step S604 whether or not an advantageous zone flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. In this slot machine 10, regarding whether or not a push order notification or the like occurs, advantageous zones in which the push order notification or the like may occur and normal zones in which the notification may not occur are set. The advantageous zone flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to determine whether the current game is in an advantageous zone, and is set upon transition to an advantageous zone and cleared upon transition to a normal zone.

[0191] If the advantageous zone flag is not set, it means that the current game is in the normal zone, and in this case, the advantageous zone transition lottery process is executed in step S605, and then the lottery result response process is terminated.

[0192] In the advantageous zone transition lottery process, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 28, the lottery result of the current game is grasped in step S701. Then, in step S702, an advantageous zone transition lottery table is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105. As shown in FIG. 30, the advantageous zone transition lottery table has a transition rate to the advantageous zone (probability of winning the advantageous zone transition lottery) set according to the lottery result of each game. As shown in FIG. 30, the trigger roles for the lottery for transition to the advantageous zone are set as follows: normal lip A, normal lip B, normal lip C, chance eye A, chance eye B, chance eye C, cherry A, cherry B, cherry C, common bell, push order bell, and watermelon. In other words, in normal play as a 3-bet game carrying over the second BB, all possible winning results are set as trigger roles for the lottery for transition to the advantageous zone.

[0193] After obtaining the lottery table in step S702, a process of obtaining a random number for the advantageous zone transition lottery is executed in step S703. The random number for the advantageous zone transition lottery is generated using a dedicated counter in the various counter area 106e, which is updated at a predetermined interval, and the most recent updated value of the counter is obtained in step S703. Then, in step S704, an advantageous zone transition lottery is executed, and in step S705, it is determined whether or not the transition lottery has been won. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the lottery table is set so that any trigger role has a 100% probability of winning the advantageous zone transition lottery. In this case, if it is determined that the game result grasped in step S701 is a trigger role for the transition lottery (not a losing result), it is possible to omit the processes of steps S702 to S705.

[0194] If it is determined in step S705 that the transition lottery has been won, then in step S706, a process is executed to set an advantageous zone winning game flag in the various flag storage area 106d. The advantageous zone winning game flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to determine that the current game is a game that has won the transition lottery to the advantageous zone. If a negative determination is made in step S705, or after the process of step S706 has been executed, the advantageous zone transition lottery process is terminated.

[0195] Returning to the description of the lottery result corresponding process, if it is determined in step S604 that the advantageous section flag is set, the process proceeds to step S606. In step S606, it is determined whether the first AT mode flag or the second AT mode flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. Here, in the present embodiment, the first AT mode and the second AT mode with different additional winning probabilities are set as the AT modes, and the first AT mode flag and the second AT mode flag are flags for the CPU 102 to recognize that it is the AT mode and its type, and are flags set when shifting to the AT mode. If neither of the AT mode flags is set in step S606, the AT lottery process is executed in step S607. On the other hand, if any flag is set in step S606, the AT additional process is executed in step S608.

[0196] <AT lottery process> First, the AT lottery process in step S607 will be described while referring to the flowchart of FIG. 29.

[0197] In step S801, a process of grasping the lottery result of the current game is executed. Then, in step S802, by determining whether the first mode flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d, the lottery mode of the lottery for shifting to the AT mode is grasped. That is, in the present embodiment, the first mode and the second mode are set as lottery modes with different winning probabilities for the AT mode shift lottery, and the second mode is set to be more likely to win in the AT mode shift lottery than the first mode. The above first mode flag is a flag for the CPU 102 to recognize that the lottery mode of the AT mode shift lottery is the first mode. <00009​​If the first mode flag is set in step S802, a process of acquiring a second mode transition lottery table from the various table storage area 105a is executed in step S803. On the other hand, if the first mode flag is not set in step S802, a process of acquiring a first mode transition lottery table is executed in step S804. The second mode transition lottery table is a table used in the AT lottery mode transition lottery to determine whether or not to transition from the first mode to the second mode, and the first mode transition lottery table is a table used in the AT lottery mode transition lottery to determine whether or not to transition from the second mode to the first mode.

[0199] As shown in FIG. 30, the second mode transition lottery table and the first mode transition lottery table have a transition rate (probability of winning the AT lottery mode transition lottery) set according to the lottery results of each game. As shown in FIG. 30, the trigger roles for the lottery to transition from the first mode to the second mode are set as follows: normal lip A, normal lip B, normal lip C, chance eye A, chance eye B, chance eye C, cherry A, cherry B, cherry C, and watermelon. The lottery to transition to the second mode is basically set to make it easier to win the lottery triggered by specific roles known as rare roles, such as chance eye A, chance eye B, chance eye C, cherry A, cherry B, cherry C, and watermelon. For example, the lottery to transition triggered by normal lip A to normal lip C has a 1% probability of winning, while the lottery to transition triggered by cherry A has a 10% probability of winning. In contrast, as shown in Figure 30, normal replies A, B, and C are set as trigger roles for the lottery to transition from the second mode to the first mode, and no specific roles are set as trigger roles for the lottery to transition to the first mode.

[0200] After acquiring each mode transition lottery table in step S803 or step S804, the AT lottery mode transition lottery process is executed in step S805. Then, in step S806, it is determined whether or not the AT lottery mode transition lottery has been won. If the AT lottery mode transition lottery has been won, it is determined in step S807 whether or not the first mode flag has been set.

[0201] If the first mode flag is set and the lottery for transitioning from the first mode to the second mode is won, processing is executed in step S808 to clear the first mode flag. As a result, the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery transitions from the first mode to the second mode. Then, processing is executed in step S809 to set a second mode transition command. The second mode transition command is a command for making the display control device 81 know that the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery has transitioned from the first mode to the second mode. The processing on the display control device 81 side that receives the second mode transition command will be explained in detail later.

[0202] If the first mode flag is not set in step S807 and the lottery for transitioning from the second mode to the first mode is won, processing is executed in step S810 to set the first mode flag. As a result, the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery transitions from the second mode to the first mode. Then, processing is executed in step S811 to set a first mode transition command. The first mode transition command is a command for informing the display control device 81 that the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery has transitioned from the second mode to the first mode. The processing on the display control device 81 side that receives the first mode transition command will be explained in detail later.

[0203] If a negative judgment is made in step S806, or after the processing of step S809 or step S811 has been executed, the process proceeds to step S812. In step S812, it is determined whether or not a lottery trigger flag has been set in the various flag storage area 106d. The lottery trigger flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to grasp that a specific trigger has occurred to execute a lottery for transitioning to the AT mode. In this embodiment, the specific trigger occurs when a predetermined number of games have been played since a transition to the advantageous zone has occurred, and more specifically, the lottery trigger flag is set when 50 games have been played since a transition to the advantageous zone has occurred.

[0204] If the lottery trigger flag is not set in step S812, a process is executed to acquire a non-trigger AT mode transition lottery table from the various table storage area 105a in step S813. If the lottery trigger flag is set, it is determined in step S814 whether the first mode flag is set, and if the first mode flag is set, a process is executed to acquire a first AT mode transition lottery table from the various table storage area 105a in step S815. If the first mode flag is not set, a process is executed to acquire a second AT mode transition lottery table from the various table storage area 105a in step S816.

[0205] As shown in FIG. 30, the non-trigger AT mode transition lottery table sets the winning probability of the AT mode transition lottery according to the lottery result of the game. In contrast, the first-use AT mode transition lottery table and the second-use AT mode transition lottery table set the winning probability of the AT mode transition lottery regardless of the lottery result of the game. More specifically, in the non-trigger AT mode transition lottery table, the above-mentioned specific roles are set as the trigger roles for the AT mode transition lottery. For example, if the lottery result is anything other than the specific roles such as normal lip A to normal lip C, the AT mode transition lottery is not executed. Furthermore, the first-use AT mode transition lottery table has a 10% probability of winning the AT mode transition lottery regardless of the lottery result of the game, and the second-use AT mode transition lottery table has a 60% probability of winning the AT mode transition lottery regardless of the lottery result of the game. The AT mode transition lottery table for second use is set so that it is easier to win the AT mode transition lottery than the first-use AT mode transition lottery table.

[0206] More specifically, in the non-triggered AT mode transition lottery table, the AT mode transition lottery is executed using a specific role as a trigger role as described above, while in the first AT mode transition lottery table and the second AT mode transition lottery table, the AT mode transition lottery is executed regardless of the lottery results of the game, and the total probability of winning the AT mode transition lottery taking into account the ratio of the lottery results of each game is set so that the non-triggered AT mode transition lottery table is the least likely to win, and the second AT mode transition lottery table is the most likely to win. However, for example, if the lottery result of the game is Cherry C, the non-triggered AT mode transition lottery table will win with a 100% probability, but the first AT mode transition lottery table and the second AT mode transition lottery table may not win, and depending on the lottery results of the game, it is set so that it may be easier to win using the non-triggered AT mode transition lottery table.

[0207] After obtaining the AT mode transition lottery table in step S813, step S815, or step S816, an AT mode transition lottery is executed in step S817. Then, in step S818, a determination is made as to whether or not the AT mode transition lottery has been won. If the AT mode transition lottery has been won, a process of setting an AT mode winning flag is executed in step S819. After executing the process of step S819, a process of setting the AT winning notification command as an output target to the display control device 81 is executed in step S820, and then this AT lottery process ends.

[0208] If it is determined in step S818 that the AT mode transition lottery has not been won, the process proceeds to step S821. In step S821, it is determined whether or not the lottery trigger flag is set, and it is determined whether or not the current AT mode transition lottery is a lottery based on a specific trigger. If the AT mode transition lottery is a lottery based on a specific trigger, a process of clearing the lottery trigger flag is executed in step S822, and a process of setting a trigger non-winning flag in the various flag storage area 106d is executed in step S823. The trigger non-winning flag is a flag for the CPU 102 to recognize that the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger has not been won. Thereafter, a process of setting the trigger non-winning command as an output target to the display control device 81 is executed in step S824, and then this AT lottery process ends. The trigger non-winning command is a command for the display control device 81 to recognize that the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger has not been won. The process on the display control device 81 side when receiving the trigger non-winning command will be described in detail later. Also, if the AT mode transition lottery is not a lottery based on a specific trigger in step S821, the AT lottery process ends as it is.

[0209] <AT Overlay Process> Next, the AT addition process executed in step S608 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 31. As already explained, the AT addition process is a process executed when any of the AT mode flags is set, and is a process for adding to the number of continuing games in the AT mode.

[0210] In the AT addition process, first, in step S901, the lottery result of the current game is grasped, and then, in step S902, a process is executed to obtain an addition lottery table from the various table storage area 105a.

[0211] As described above, in this embodiment, the first AT mode and the second AT mode are set with different probabilities of winning the additional prize, and the second AT mode is set to have a higher probability of winning the additional prize than the first AT mode. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 32, in the additional prize lottery table, the additional prize winning rate is set according to the lottery result of the game and the type of AT mode, and for example, in the additional prize lottery triggered by Cherry A, the first AT mode has a 5% probability of winning the additional prize lottery, while the second AT mode has a 10% probability of winning the additional prize lottery.

[0212] In step S903, an add-on lottery is executed, and in step S904, it is determined whether or not the add-on lottery has been won. If the add-on lottery has not been won, the AT add-on processing is terminated. If the add-on lottery has been won, in step S905, an add-on game number lottery processing is executed. In the add-on game number lottery processing, an add-on game number table is obtained from the various table storage area 105a, and the number of add-on games this time is determined by lottery. As shown in FIG. 32, the add-on game number table is set so that the number of add-on games varies depending on the lottery result of the game that triggered the add-on. For example, when the add-on is triggered by a normal lip A, an average of 150 games are added, while when the add-on is triggered by a cherry A, an average of 15 games are added. In other words, the number of add-on games is set to be greater when the add-on is triggered by an opportunity that is unlikely to win the add-on lottery.

[0213] After executing the process for determining the number of added games in step S905, the CPU 102 executes a process for adding the current number of added games to the AT game counter provided in the various counter area 106e in step S906. The AT game counter is a counter that allows the CPU 102 to grasp the number of games remaining in the AT mode. After executing the process in step S906, the CPU 102 executes a process for setting the added command as an output target to the display control device 81 in step S907, and then terminates the AT added-on process. The display control device 81, which has received the added-on command, executes a process for performing an added-on notification effect corresponding to the addition on the auxiliary display unit 65 and the speaker 64.

[0214] <Rotation effect setting process> In this embodiment, the AT mode to be transitioned to is determined after the AT mode hit flag is set and before transitioning to the AT mode. More specifically, the determination is made in the spin effect processing at the start of reel spinning for the game that has won the AT mode transition lottery. The spin effect processing is a process executed in step S401 in the reel control processing (FIG. 22), and is executed after the lottery processing (FIG. 19).

[0215] As shown in FIG. 33, in step S1001, it is determined whether the lottery trigger flag or the trigger non-winning flag is set, and whether the game is a game in which an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger has been held. If neither flag is set, the spin effect process is terminated. If either flag is set, it is determined in step S1002 whether the lottery trigger flag is set. If set, the lottery trigger flag is cleared in step S1003. Then, in step S1004, an AT type determination process is executed. In the AT type determination process, the current AT mode type is determined by lottery, for example, depending on the setting value, the type of the previous AT mode, the number of medals increased during the advantageous zone, the number of games during the advantageous zone, etc., or randomly. In the following step S1005, it is determined whether the processing result of step S1004 was the first AT mode. If the current AT mode is determined to be the first AT mode, a process is executed in step S1006 to set the first AT mode flag, and then in the following step S1007, the rotation effect for the current rotation effect is set to be the first AT notification rotation effect, and then the rotation effect process is terminated.

[0216] As the spin effect for informing the first AT, for example, as shown in Fig. 47(b1), after the rotation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R starts, as shown in Fig. 47(b2), the "white 7" symbol is temporarily stopped (stopped) on a predetermined line (middle line L2) as a symbol combination for the first AT corresponding to the first AT, and then, as shown in Fig. 47(b4), the spin effect for informing the first AT is set to resume. Note that the spin effect for informing the first AT is an effect that is performed during an ineffective period after the game starts and before the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44 becomes effective.

[0217] If the current AT mode is determined to be the second AT mode in step S1005, a process of setting the second AT mode flag is executed in step S1008, and then in the following step S1009, the current rotation effect is set to be a rotation effect for the second AT notification, and then the rotation effect process is terminated.

[0218] As the spin effect for informing the second AT, for example, as shown in Fig. 47(b1), after the rotation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R starts, as shown in Fig. 47(b3), the "BAR" symbol is temporarily stopped (stopped) on a predetermined line (middle line L2) as a symbol combination for the second AT corresponding to the second AT, and then, as shown in Fig. 47(b4), the spin effect for informing the second AT is set to resume. Note that the spin effect for informing the second AT is an effect that is performed during the invalid period after the game starts and before the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44 becomes valid.

[0219] If the lottery trigger flag is not set in step S1002 and the AT mode transition lottery based on this specific trigger is not won, step S1010 sets the spin effect to be executed as the spin effect for notifying a loss, and then the spin effect processing is terminated.

[0220] As the spin effect for loss notification, for example, as shown in Fig. 47(b1), after the rotation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, 32R starts, without pausing either the symbol combination for the first AT in Fig. 47(b2) or the symbol combination for the second AT in Fig. 47(b3), for example, the scattered symbols are temporarily stopped on a predetermined line (middle line L2), and then, as shown in Fig. 47(b4), the spin effect for loss notification is set to resume. Note that the spin effect for loss notification is an effect that is performed during the invalid period after the game starts and before the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44 becomes valid.

[0221] In other words, in this embodiment, when the AT mode transition lottery is won, a notification that the AT mode transition lottery has been won in that game is executed, and the corresponding AT mode flag is set, and a transition to the AT mode occurs. When a transition to the AT mode occurs, a notification of the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 when the push order bell is won can be made.

[0222] Then, as a spin effect at the start of the game, the first AT symbol combination is temporarily stopped on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, thereby indicating that a transition to the first AT mode will occur, and the second AT symbol combination is temporarily stopped on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, thereby indicating that a transition to the second AT mode will occur. In this case, the auxiliary display unit 65 may be configured to notify that the AT mode transition lottery has been won, for example, by displaying text such as "AT Confirmed," as shown in FIG. 47(a). The notification mode on the auxiliary display unit 65 may be different depending on the type of AT mode to be transitioned to, or may be a common notification mode regardless of the type of AT mode to be transitioned to.

[0223] The notification of the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 is executed in the processing of steps S609 to S612 in the lottery result corresponding processing (FIG. 27). That is, after the AT lottery processing or the AT additional processing is executed in the processing of step S607 or step S608, the push order notification processing is executed in steps S609 to S612.

[0224] <Outline of push order notification> Prior to explaining the processing for pressing order notification executed in steps S609 to S612, an overview of the pressing order notification executed by the instruction monitor 68 and the pressing order notification effect executed by the auxiliary display unit 65 will be explained. Note that the pressing order notification and pressing order notification effect can also be referred to as, for example, pressing order navigation, sequence notification, or mode notification. The instruction monitor 68 is connected to the main control unit 101, and the pressing order notification is performed by the main control unit 101. In contrast, the auxiliary display unit 65 is connected to the display control unit 81, and the pressing order notification effect is performed by the display control unit 81.

[0225] First, the configuration of this instruction monitor 68 will be described with reference to Fig. 34. Fig. 34(a) is a front view of the instruction monitor 68, and Fig. 34(b) is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the display mode and display content of the instruction monitor 68.

[0226] As shown in FIG. 34(a), the indication monitor 68 is provided with eight display segments N1 to N8. Each display segment N1 to N8 has an individual light source made up of an LED, and by controlling the on / off of each individual light source, it is possible to light up any one display segment or any combination of display segments. This allows the indication monitor 68 to individually display predetermined symbols (including letters and numbers). Note that each of the individual light sources emits light of the same color, so the same color is displayed on each of the display segments N1 to N8.

[0227] More specifically, the first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7 are all linear display segments, and are arranged so that they can display at least the numbers "1" to "6." The eighth display segment N8 is a circular display segment, and is arranged laterally in the lower right portion of the area where the first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7 are arranged. Therefore, the indication monitor 68 can display at least the numbers "1" to "6," "1." to "6.", and "."

[0228] As long as the indicator monitor 68 can individually display multiple patterns of symbols, the shape and arrangement of the display segments N1-N8 are arbitrary, and a configuration using seven or nine segments instead of eight segments is also possible. Furthermore, it is not essential that the colors displayed by the display segments N1-N8 be the same; the colors displayed by the display segments N1-N8 may be appropriately changed. Furthermore, it is not essential to control the on / off of the light source to turn on or off each of the display segments N1-N8; as long as the display can be individually controlled for each of the display segments N1-N8, a segment display device may be formed using a single backlight and liquid crystal display. Furthermore, instead of applying a segment display to each display area, symbols may be displayed using other types of display devices, such as a liquid crystal display device, an organic electroluminescence display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT), or a dot matrix display.

[0229] The first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7 are display segments used to notify the operation sequence of the push order combination. For example, as shown in FIG. 34(b), if the player can win an advantageous winning mode by operating the stop switches 42 to 44 in the order of "left" → "center" → "right," the sixth display segment N6 and the seventh display segment N7 will light up to display "1." Also, if the player can win an advantageous winning mode by operating the stop switches 42 to 44 in the order of "right" → "left" → "center," the first display segment N1, the second display segment N2, the third display segment N3, the fifth display segment N5, and the sixth display segment N6 will light up to display "5." In other words, the numbers (symbols) displayed on each display segment N1 to N7 correspond one-to-one to the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and by operating the stop switches 42 to 44 to stop based on the numbers (symbols) displayed on the display segments N1 to N7, the player can win in an advantageous manner.

[0230] The eighth display segment N8 is lit in the game in which the start condition is met, including the notification condition that causes a transition to the advantageous zone and a situation where a push order notification can occur. It is also turned off when the AT mode ends and the game transitions from the advantageous zone to the normal zone.

[0231] In other words, an advantageous zone (specific game state, specific mode) is a zone in which it becomes easier for the player to win in an advantageous manner by making it easier to notify the operation order of the push order bell, etc., and the eighth display segment N8 is a zone indicator (specific notification means) that lights up during the specific zone in which the player can actually benefit from the push order notification in the advantageous zone, and turns off during normal zones that are not advantageous zones, or during non-specific zones that are not advantageous zones even if they are advantageous zones.

[0232] As already explained, the instruction monitor 68, which includes the first display segment N1 through the seventh display segment N7 as a push order indicator and the eighth display segment N8 as a section indicator, is located near the side of the payout number display unit 62 on the gaming panel 25. In other words, the instruction monitor 68 is located above the stop switches 42 through 44, etc., which are operated by the player. In other words, the instruction monitor 68 is not located on the decorative panel, which is the front part of the gaming machine, below the positions of the stop switches 42 through 44, etc. Therefore, the eighth display segment N8 is prevented from being obscured by the hand operating the stop switches 42 through 44, etc., and is located in a position that is easily visible to the player. Furthermore, since the instruction monitor 68 is located near the payout number display unit 62, which is easily visible to players playing a game aiming to win medals, it can be said that the player is less likely to miss it.

[0233] Furthermore, the brightness of the corresponding LED of the eighth display segment N8 in the instruction monitor 68 is set so that it is brighter than the brightness of the surrounding display units (e.g., the payout number display unit 62 and the backlight of the gaming panel 25) (more specifically, so that it is twice as bright as the brightness of the surrounding display units). Therefore, even when the eighth display segment N8 and the surrounding display units are both controlled to emit light (i.e., are lit), the eighth display segment N8 stands out. The illuminance of the corresponding LED is also set so that the illuminance of the eighth display segment N8 toward the front of the gaming machine is higher than that of the surrounding display units (more specifically, so that it is twice as bright as the illuminance of the surrounding display units). This configuration also improves the visibility of the eighth display segment N8, reducing the likelihood of missing the eighth display segment N8 when it is lit.

[0234] Next, the push order notification effect performed on the auxiliary display unit 65 will be described with reference to Fig. 35. Here, the push order notification effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 will be described using the example of a case where the push order combination is won when the operation order to be notified this time is center → right → left.

[0235] As shown in FIG. 35(a), in the auxiliary display unit 65, of the three button displays arranged in parallel corresponding to the stop switches 42 to 44, the button display corresponding to the stop switch that should be operated first (in the figure, the middle button display corresponding to the middle stop switch 43) is marked with the number 1 and displayed larger than the other button displays. In addition, each button display is displayed in a color corresponding to the winning combination (yellow for bell, blue for replay, etc.). This allows the player to recognize the winning combination in the current game and that the stop switch that should be operated first is the middle stop switch 43. In addition, in the auxiliary display unit 65, the right button display is displayed with the number 2 and the left button display is displayed with the number 3, indicating that the stop switch that should be operated next is the right stop switch 44 and the stop switch that should be operated last is the left stop switch 42.

[0236] When the player operates the middle stop switch 43, as shown in Figure 35(b), the center button display corresponding to the middle stop switch 43 disappears on the auxiliary display unit 65, and the right button display corresponding to the right stop switch 44 is displayed large. This allows the player to confirm that the operation of the middle stop switch 43 has been completed, and that the next stop switch to be operated is the right stop switch 44.

[0237] When the player operates the right stop switch 44, as shown in Figure 35(c), the right button display corresponding to the right stop switch 44 disappears on the auxiliary display unit 65, and the left button display corresponding to the left stop switch 42 is displayed larger. This allows the player to confirm that the operation of the right stop switch 44 has been completed, and that the next stop switch to be operated is the left stop switch 42.

[0238] To explain the timing of the push order notification, the push order notification is set to be executed during the inactive period of the stop switches 42 to 44 from the start of rotation of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R through the acceleration period until the reels reach constant speed rotation. By configuring the push order notification to be executed at a timing before the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44 becomes active in this way, it becomes possible to recognize the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 and then operate the stop switches 42 to 44 as desired, allowing the game to proceed at a good tempo.

[0239] The process for notifying the push order in steps S609 to S612 will be explained.

[0240] That is, in step S609, it is determined whether the lottery result of this game was a push order bell win. If the push order bell win is determined, in step S610, it is determined whether the first AT mode flag or the second AT mode flag is set. If either AT mode flag is set, in step S611, the instruction monitor 68 is controlled so that push order notifications corresponding to the first small win to the sixth small win are performed according to the type of push order bell this time. Then, in step S612, a push order notification command including information on the operation sequence corresponding to the first small win to the sixth small win is set as an output target to the display control device 81, and then this push order notification process is terminated. Upon receiving this push order notification command, the display control device 81 controls the auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64 so that push order notification effects corresponding to the first small win to the sixth small win are performed.

[0241] If the push order bell is not won in step S609, or if none of the AT mode flags are set in step S610, the lottery result response processing ends.

[0242] <Winning result processing> Next, the winning result response process performed in step S415 in the reel control process will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 36. In the winning result response process, processing is performed to start or end the AT mode depending on the game result.

[0243] First, in step S1101, it is determined whether either the first BB state flag or the second BB state flag is set, and it is determined whether the game to be started this time is in either of the BB states. If it is not in the BB state, it is determined in step S1102 whether the number of bets is 3. If it is in the BB state, it is determined in step S1103 whether the number of bets is 2. In other words, the processing of steps S1101 to S1103 corresponds to the processing of steps S601 to S603 above, and is processing to determine whether it is a specific specified number that is specified in association with the gaming state. If it is not the specific specified number, the winning result processing ends without performing the processing for the display mode (processing for the instruction function) from step S1104 onwards.

[0244] If the determination in step S1102 or step S1103 is affirmative and the number of bets is equal to the specified number, the process proceeds to step S1104. In step S1104, it is determined whether the AT mode hit flag is set. The AT mode hit flag is set when the AT mode hit flag is set at the start of the current game. In this case, the AT mode hit flag is cleared in step S1105, and then "50" is input to the AT game counter provided in the various counter area 106e in step S1106. The AT game counter is a counter that allows the CPU 102 to grasp the number of games remaining in the AT mode, and is decremented by one each time one game is played during the AT mode. In other words, the first AT mode and the second AT mode have different bonus hit rates, but the initial number of games set at the time of transition is the same.

[0245] If the AT mode win flag is not set in step S1104, or after executing the processing of step S1106, the process proceeds to step S1107. In step S1107, it is determined whether any AT mode flag is set. If any AT mode flag is set, the AT game counter is decremented by 1 in step S1108. Then, in step S1109, it is determined whether the AT game counter has reached 0. If it has reached 0, the AT mode flag is cleared in step S1110. Then, in step S1111, an AT mode end flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. The AT mode end flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to know that the AT mode has ended. Then, in step S1112, an AT end command is set as an output target to the display control device 81, and the winning result response processing is terminated. The processing on the display control device 81 side that has received the AT end command will be described in detail later. If none of the AT mode flags are set in step S1107, or if the AT game counter is not 0 in step S1109, the winning result response processing ends.

[0246] <Management of advantageous zones> Next, we will explain the first section display process and the second section display process, which are used to control the eighth display segment N8 as a section indicator, transition to a favorable section, and end the favorable section.

[0247] <First section display process> First, the first section display process will be described with reference to Fig. 37. The first section display process is a process carried out in step S314 of the lottery process (Fig. 19), and is carried out after the lottery result of the game is determined based on the operation of the start lever 41, and a lottery for switching the display mode, etc. (lottery result corresponding process) is carried out based on the lottery result.

[0248] In step S1201, it is determined whether the eighth display segment N8 as a section indicator is being displayed, more specifically, whether the eighth display segment N8 is being lit. As already explained, when the eighth display segment N8 is being lit, it indicates that it is a specific section among the advantageous sections where at least the notification conditions for the push order notification to occur are met. If a negative determination is made in step S1201 and it is determined that the eighth display segment N8 is being turned off, the process proceeds to step S1202.

[0249] In step S1202, it is determined whether or not an advantageous zone flag has been set in the various flag storage area 106d. If the advantageous zone flag has not been set, it is determined in step S1203 whether or not an advantageous zone winning game flag has been set. The advantageous zone winning game flag is a flag that is set when the advantageous zone transition lottery is won in the advantageous zone transition lottery process, and is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to identify that it is the winning game. If the advantageous zone winning game flag has been set, processing is executed in step S1204 to clear the advantageous zone winning game flag. Then, processing is executed in step S1205 to set the advantageous zone flag.

[0250] In step S1206, a process is performed to count the number of games in the advantageous zone, more specifically, to start measuring the advantageous zone game number AG in the various counter areas 106e. The advantageous zone game number AG corresponds to a grasping means for grasping the number of games executed in the advantageous zone. Then, in step S1207, a process for advantageous zone transition games is executed. In the advantageous zone transition game process, the advantageous zone to be transitioned to this time is set, for example, the ceiling game number of the AT mode is set.

[0251] After executing the processing for the advantageous zone transition game in step S1207, or if it is determined in step S1202 that the advantageous zone flag is set, or if it is determined in step S1203 that the advantageous zone winning game flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S1208. In step S1208, it is determined whether any of the AT mode flags are set and the display start conditions of the zone indicator are met. If any of the AT mode flags are set, in step S1209, the display of the zone indicator is started by lighting up the eighth display segment N8.

[0252] If it is determined in step S1201 that the eighth display segment N8 is being displayed as a section indicator, then in step S1210, processing is executed to continue displaying the advantageous section. Specifically, in step S1210, processing is executed to continue the situation in which the eighth display segment N8 is lit. In other words, processing to end the display of the section indicator is not executed in this section display first processing.

[0253] If it is determined in step S1208 that none of the AT mode flags are set, the process proceeds to step S1211. In step S1211, a process of adding 1 to the first role ratio counter provided in the various counter area 106e is executed. The first role ratio counter is a counter for counting the number of games in which no push order notification occurs, that is, the number of games in the normal section and the non-specific section.

[0254] After the section indicator display start process is executed in step S1209, and after the display continuation process is executed in step S1210, the process proceeds to step S1212. In step S1212, a process of adding 1 to the role ratio second counter provided in the various counter area 106e is executed. The role ratio second counter is a counter for counting the number of games that can generate a push order notification, that is, the number of games in a specific section.

[0255] After the processing of step S1211 or step S1212 is executed, a role ratio calculation process is executed in step S1213. In this process, the value of the role ratio second counter is divided by the sum of the role ratio first counter and the role ratio second counter (total number of games). In other words, the role ratio calculation process is a process of calculating the proportion of the number of games in which a push order notification may occur out of the total number of games. Then, in step S1214, a process is executed to display the calculation result of step S1213 on the role ratio monitor 77.

[0256] As shown in FIG. 5, the win ratio monitor 77 has multiple 7-segment displays each consisting of seven display segments. Specifically, the win ratio monitor 77 has a first display section 77a, a second display section 77b, a third display section 77c, a fourth display section 77d, and a fifth display section 77e as 7-segment displays. The display segments in the first display section 77a to the fifth display section 77e have individual light sources made of LEDs, similar to the display segments N1 to N7 of the instruction monitor 68. By controlling the on / off of these individual light sources, it is possible to light up any one display segment or any combination of display segments. As a result, each win ratio monitor 77 individually displays a predetermined symbol (including alphabets and numbers), and in particular, the win ratio monitor 77 is capable of displaying five-digit numbers.

[0257] In step S1214, the result of the calculation process in step S1213 is output to the role ratio monitor 77, and display control is performed on each display section 77a to 77e on the role ratio monitor 77 so that a four-digit number is displayed on the role ratio monitor 77. Specifically, a number smaller than 1 and with four decimal places, such as "0.5012," is displayed on the role ratio monitor 77 as the ratio of the number of games in which a push order notification may occur to the total number of games. After the process of step S1214 is executed, the first section display process is terminated.

[0258] Note that the configuration may be such that the display of the role ratio monitor 77 is controlled after the process of rounding off the number to the fifth decimal place in the calculation process of step S1213. Furthermore, since the first display unit 77a of the role ratio monitor 77 basically displays "0", the first display unit 77a may not be provided, or the first display unit 77a may be configured to always display "0" by printing or the like. Furthermore, it is preferable to configure the first display unit 77a and the second display unit 77b to display a decimal point by printing or the like between them.

[0259] <Second section display process> Next, the second section display process will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 38. As already explained, the second section display process is a process that is carried out in step S416 of the reel control process, and is carried out at the end of one game after medal payout (payout determination process) and transition of the game state based on the winning result (winning result response process) have been carried out.

[0260] In step S1301, it is determined whether or not the advantageous zone flag is set. If it is not set, the second zone display process is terminated. If the advantageous zone flag is set, in step S1302, a process is executed to count the number of games in the advantageous zone. Specifically, a process is executed to add 1 to the number of advantageous zone games AG. After the process of step S1302 is executed, in step S1303, an update process is executed for the advantageous zone increase / decrease number MY (MY counter) provided in the various counter area 106e.

[0261] In the MY update process in step S1303, provided that the result of the current game is not a replay win, the number of coins inserted (number of coins bet) is subtracted from the number of coins paid out, and the subtraction result is added to the number of coins increased or decreased in the advantageous zone MY, thereby updating the number of coins increased or decreased in the advantageous zone MY.

[0262] After executing the MY update process in step S1303, a remaining game number management process is executed in step S1304, followed by a remaining coin management process in the following step S1305. The remaining game number management process is a process for managing whether or not the advantageous zone will reach its upper limit number of games (1500 games) with the current remaining number of games based on the number of games remaining in the AT mode, etc. The remaining game number management process, for example, determines whether or not the sum of the advantageous zone game number AG (the number of games played in the advantageous zone) and the AT game counter (the number of games remaining in the AT mode) is greater than the upper limit number of games in the advantageous zone. If such a situation exists, a first excess flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d as a flag for identifying that situation. The remaining coin management process is a process for managing whether or not the advantageous zone will reach its upper limit increase number (2400 coins) with the current remaining number of games based on the number of games remaining in the AT mode, etc. In the remaining payout number management process, for example, it is determined whether the sum of the expected increase calculated from the AT game counter and the average increase per game in AT mode and the current increase / decrease in the advantageous zone MY is greater than the increase / decrease in the advantageous zone. If this is the case, a second excess flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d as a flag to identify the situation.

[0263] In the following step S1306, a process is executed to set the advantageous zone game command as an output target to the display control device 81. The advantageous zone game command includes the contents of the processing results of the above steps S1302 to S1305. That is, the advantageous zone game command includes information on the advantageous zone game number AG, information on the MY counter, and information on the presence or absence of the first exceedance flag and the second exceedance flag. The processing on the display control device 81 side that receives the advantageous zone game command will be explained in detail later.

[0264] In the next step S1307, a lottery trigger determination process is executed. The lottery trigger determination process is a process for determining whether or not a specific trigger for executing an AT mode transition lottery has occurred.

[0265] <Lottery trigger determination process> In the lottery trigger determination process, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 39, in step S1401, a process is executed to determine whether the number of games in the advantageous zone AG is a predetermined number. More specifically, it is determined whether the number of games in the advantageous zone AG is 50. If it is not 50, the lottery trigger determination process is terminated. If it is 50, the process proceeds to step S1402, and a process is executed to set the lottery trigger flag. By executing this process, an AT mode transition lottery based on the lottery trigger flag will be executed in the lottery result response process for the next game.

[0266] In the following step S1403, a process is executed to set the lottery trigger command as an output target to the display control device 81. The process on the display control device 81 side that has received the lottery trigger command will be explained in detail later. After the process of step S1403 is executed, the lottery trigger determination process is terminated.

[0267] Returning to the explanation of the second interval display process, after executing the lottery trigger determination process in step S1307, it is determined in step S1308 whether the number of games in the advantageous interval AG has reached the upper limit of 1500, or whether the number of coins in the advantageous interval increase / decrease MY has reached the upper limit of 2400. If either of these forced termination conditions is met, in step S1309, the number of games in the advantageous interval AG and the number of coins in the advantageous interval increase / decrease MY are cleared to 0. In the following step S1310, a process is performed to terminate the display of the eighth display segment N8 as an interval indicator. Then, in step S1311, a process is performed to initialize parameters and information such as various flags and counters in the advantageous interval, and then the second interval display process is terminated.

[0268] More specifically, the initialization process for advantageous zone information in step S1311 is a process that resets flags and counters set upon transition to the current advantageous zone and flags and counters set during the current advantageous zone to their initial values. For example, if advantageous zone flags, AT mode win flags, various AT mode flags, etc. are not cleared but are set, these flags are cleared. Furthermore, if the advantageous zone game count AG, advantageous zone increase / decrease number MY, counters for the number of AT mode games continued, etc. are greater than 0, all of these counters are reset to 0. In other words, the initialization process initializes all variables and parameters that affect the performance of push order notifications for advantageous zones that are advantageous states using push order notifications, and is a process that clears RAM for such variables and parameters.

[0269] If it is determined in step S1308 that the number of games in the advantageous zone AG has not reached the upper limit and the number of coins increased or decreased in the advantageous zone MY has not reached the upper limit increase number, the process proceeds to step S1312, where it is determined whether or not the AT mode end flag has been set. If the AT mode end flag has been set, the process proceeds to step S1309, where processing for ending the advantageous zone is executed. If the AT mode end flag has not been set, it is determined in step S1313 whether or not the trigger non-winning flag has been set. If the trigger non-winning flag has been set, the process proceeds to step S1309, where processing for ending the advantageous zone is executed.

[0270] That is, in this embodiment, after transitioning to the advantageous zone, a lottery for transitioning to AT mode is held, and if the transition lottery is won, the game transitions to AT mode. Then, when the AT mode ends, the advantageous zone also ends along with the end of the AT mode. Furthermore, when the number of games after transitioning to the advantageous zone reaches 50, a lottery for transitioning to AT mode based on a specific trigger is held, and the advantageous zone also ends if the lottery for transitioning to AT mode is not won.

[0271] On the other hand, if neither the AT mode end flag nor the trigger non-winning flag is set, the second section display process is terminated without ending the advantageous section.

[0272] As already explained, in this embodiment, processing related to the instruction function, such as the AT mode transition lottery, the additional lottery, and the mode transition lottery for the AT mode transition lottery, is executed in a game in which a specific specified number of bets set according to the gaming state is made, but is not executed in a game in which a bet other than the specific specified number is made. More specifically, in a state before transition to the first BB state or the second BB state, such as a non-internal state or an internal state, both a 2-bet game and a 3-bet game are executable, but since the specific specified number is set to 3, in the non-internal state or the internal state, processing related to the instruction function is executed in a 3-bet game, but not in a 2-bet game. In contrast, in the first BB state or the second BB state, only a 3-bet game is executable, but since the specific specified number is set to 2, processing related to the instruction function is not executed in the first BB state or the second BB state. In other words, processing related to the instruction function is executed in a 3-bet game in the non-internal state or the internal state, but not in a 2-bet game or in each BB state in the non-internal state or the internal state.

[0273] In contrast, the specific trigger for the AT mode transition lottery is determined by the number of games in the advantageous zone AG, which is counted regardless of the number of bets or the state, as described above, and the lottery trigger flag is set when the number of games in the advantageous zone AG reaches 50. More specifically, the number of games in the advantageous zone AG is counted not only by the number of games in 3-bet games in non-internal states and internal states, but also by the number of games in 2-bet games and each BB state in non-internal states and internal states.

[0274] In this case, for example, by playing a 2-bet game in a non-internal state or an internal state, the processing related to the instruction function is not performed, but it is possible to set the lottery trigger flag, and in this case, the AT mode transition lottery based on the lottery trigger flag is executed in the first game of the specific specified number after the lottery trigger flag is set. In other words, in a game that switches from a 2-bet game to a 3-bet game in a non-internal state or an internal state, the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific trigger is executed.

[0275] More specifically, as part of the instruction function processing, the transition to the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery occurs in a 3-bet game in a non-internal state or an internal state, but does not occur in a 2-bet game or in each BB state in a non-internal state or an internal state. In contrast, the specific trigger occurs 50 games after transitioning to the advantageous zone, regardless of the game state or number of bets. Therefore, for example, by playing a 3-bet game in a non-internal state or an internal state, the AT lottery mode transition lottery process is executed, and after successfully transitioning the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery from the first mode to the second mode, it is possible to avoid executing the AT lottery mode transition lottery process again by playing a 2-bet game until the specific trigger occurs. This makes it possible to trigger the specific trigger while remaining in the second mode, and then by switching to a 3-bet game, it is possible to realize a game in which the AT mode transition lottery is entered using the second AT mode transition lottery table with the higher probability.

[0276] In this embodiment, the novel game described above can be realized by utilizing the relationship between whether or not a process related to an instruction function defined by a specific defined number is executed and a specific opportunity that occurs regardless of the specific defined number. The following describes the presentation process for realizing the game described above.

[0277] <Performance setting processing> The effect setting process executed by the CPU 181 of the display control device 81 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 40. The effect setting process is initiated by the CPU 181 at predetermined intervals (for example, every 2 msec).

[0278] In the performance setting process, first, in step S1501, it is determined whether or not a new command has been received from main control device 101. If a new command has been received, in step S1502, a process is executed to store the received command in RAM 183. RAM 183 is provided with a command storage area, and this command storage area is configured as a ring buffer that can store multiple commands individually and can read commands from the previously stored command.

[0279] If a negative determination is made in step S1501, or after the processing of step S1502 has been executed, it is determined in step S1503 whether or not the newly received command is a betting command. A betting command is a command output from the main control device 101 in response to a betting operation, such as a betting command set in step S206 of the normal processing. If it is a betting command, a betting effect setting process is executed in step S1504 to set effects based on the current betting operation.

[0280] If a negative decision is made in step S1503, or after the processing of step S1504 has been executed, it is determined in step S1505 whether the newly received command was a start command. A start command is a command output from the main control device 101 based on the operation of the start lever 41, and includes a lottery result command set in step S311 of the lottery processing, as well as a first mode transition command, a second mode transition command, an AT win notification command, a trigger non-win command, an additional command, a push order notification command, etc., which are set in the lottery result response processing (Fig. 27). If the command is one of these start commands, a start performance setting processing is executed in step S1506.

[0281] If a negative decision is made in step S1505, or after the processing of step S1506 has been executed, in step S1507 it is determined whether the newly received command is a command at the time of each stop operation. A command at the time of each stop operation is a command output from main control device 101 based on the stop operation of each of reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, and is a stop command set in step S405 of the reel control processing (FIG. 22). If the stop command is a stop command at the time of each stop operation, in step S1508 a process for setting effects at the time of each stop operation is executed to set effects based on the current stop operation.

[0282] If a negative determination is made in step S1507, or after the processing of step S1508 has been executed, in step S1509 it is determined whether the newly received command is an all-stop command. An all-stop command is a command output from main control device 101 when all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R have stopped, and includes the winning result command set in step S417 of the reel control processing (FIG. 22), as well as the first BB start command, second BB start command, first BB end command, second BB end command, AT end command, advantageous zone game command, lottery trigger command, etc., which are set in the bonus state processing (FIG. 24), winning result corresponding processing (FIG. 36), and second zone display processing (FIG. 38). If it is one of these all-stop commands, in step S1510 an all-stop effect setting process is executed.

[0283] If a negative decision is made in step S1509, or after the processing of step S1510 has been executed, other processing is executed in step S1511, and then the effect setting processing is terminated. In step S1511, the auxiliary display unit 65, speaker 64, etc. are controlled so that the various effects set in the above-mentioned effect setting processing are executed at the corresponding timing. Also, in step S1511, settings are made for effects based on commands from the main control device 101 other than when betting, starting, or stopping (for example, effects based on operation of the settlement switch 59), effects based on signals from sensors connected without going through the main control device 101 (such as an effect switch detection sensor), settings for error notification, etc.

[0284] The following describes the start-time performance setting process and the full-stop performance setting process.

[0285] <Start-up performance setting process> The start-time performance setting process in step S1506 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0286] In step S1601, it is determined whether the lottery result of the game to be started this time is a push order role win (push order bell win) based on the received lottery result command. If the push order role win is a push order role win, it is determined in step S1602 whether a push order notification command has been received. If a push order notification command has been received, in step S1603, settings are executed so that push order notification effects corresponding to the first small role win to the sixth small role win are performed on the auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64.

[0287] If it is determined in step S1601 that the result of the current game is not a push-order combination win, it is determined in step S1604 whether the result of the current game is a specific combination win. As already explained, a specific combination is a combination of a so-called rare combination that is unlikely to appear (become a win) as a result of the game. In this embodiment, chance eye A to chance eye C, cherry A to cherry C, and watermelon are set as specific combinations. As shown in FIG. 30, even if a specific trigger does not occur, these combinations may trigger a lottery to transition to the AT mode. Also, as shown in FIG. 33, the AT mode additional combinations triggered by these combinations are set to be more likely to result in an additional combination win than combinations other than the specific combination. If the result of the current game is a specific combination win, a specific combination notification process is executed in step S1605. In the specific combination notification process, settings are executed to notify the auxiliary display unit 65 or the speaker 64 that the result of the current game is one of the specific combinations. For example, as a notification of a specific role, as shown in Figure 48 (b), an effect is set up in which three exclamation mark characters are displayed on the auxiliary display unit 65 in correspondence with the three stop switches 42 to 44.

[0288] If a negative determination is made in step S1602 or step S1604, or after the processing of step S1603 or step S1605 is executed, the process proceeds to step S1606. In step S1606, it is determined whether an overriding command is received. If an overriding command is received, in step S1607, setting processing for the overriding effect is executed. In the setting processing for the overriding effect, as notification corresponding to the overriding of the remaining game count in the AT mode, an overriding effect is executed in which the overridden game count is displayed on the auxiliary display unit 65. Note that the mode of the overriding effect is not limited to the mode performed in the game in which the overriding is performed. For example, a mode in which notification of the overriding game count is performed after a predetermined number of games triggered by the game in which the overriding is performed may be included. Alternatively, for example, a configuration may be adopted that includes a so-called post-overriding effect mode in which the overriding effect is executed when the remaining game count in the AT mode reaches a predetermined number (for example, 1 remaining game).

[0289] If a negative determination is made in step S1606, or after the processing of step S1607 is executed, in step S1608, processing for AT lottery mode notification is executed. As described above, in the present embodiment, as lottery modes for the AT mode transition lottery, a first mode in which it is difficult to win the AT mode transition lottery and a second mode in which it is easier to win than the first mode are set. In the present embodiment, there may be a case where special notification indicating which of the first mode and the second mode is being stayed in is executed, and the processing for AT lottery mode notification is processing for setting the execution condition of the special notification.

[0290] <Processing for AT lottery mode notification> In the processing for AT lottery mode notification, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 42, first, in step S1701, it is determined whether a first mode transition command is received as the start command this time. If a first mode transition command is received, in step S1702, a process of setting a first flag in the various flag storage areas 183a is executed. The first flag is a flag for the CPU 181 to recognize that the AT lottery mode is the first mode on the low probability side.

[0291] If the determination in step S1701 is negative, or after the processing in step S1702 has been executed, it is determined in step S1703 whether or not a second mode transition command has been received as the current start command. If a second mode transition command has been received, the processing to clear the first flag is executed in step S1704.

[0292] If a negative determination is made in step S1703, or after the processing of step S1704 is executed, in step S1705, it is determined whether or not a trigger non-winning command has been received as the current start command. As already explained, the trigger non-winning command is a command output from the main control device 101 when a non-winning event occurs in the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger. If a trigger non-winning command has been received, in step S1706, a process is executed to increment the trigger through counter provided in the various counter area 183b by 1. The trigger through counter is a counter that allows the CPU 181 to keep track of the number of consecutive times that a non-winning event occurs in the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger. The process for executing the special notification will be explained in detail later, but in this embodiment, a special notification can be executed in the second mode depending on the value of the trigger through counter.

[0293] If a negative judgment is made in step S1705, or after the processing of step S1706 is executed, it is determined in step S1707 whether or not an AT winning notification command has been received as the current start command. If an AT winning notification command has been received, the above-mentioned trigger skip counter is cleared to 0 in step S1708, and then the AT lottery mode notification processing is terminated. Also, if an AT winning notification command has not been received in step S1707, the AT lottery mode notification processing is terminated as is.

[0294] Returning to the explanation of the start-time effect setting process, after executing the AT lottery mode notification process in step S1608, it is determined in step S1609 whether or not an AT winning notification command or a trigger non-winning command has been received as the current start-time command. When an AT winning notification command or a trigger non-winning command has been received, it is highly likely that an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger has been held, and more specifically, when an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger or an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific winning combination has been won (AT winning notification command), or when an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger has not been won (trigger non-winning command). In this embodiment, in these cases, a result notification effect is executed on the auxiliary display unit 65 to notify the result of the AT mode transition lottery.

[0295] In the result notification effect, for example, as shown in Fig. 52, a battle is fought between a main character and an enemy character, and if the main character wins the battle, it is notified that the AT mode transition lottery has been won, and if the main character is defeated in the battle, it is notified that the AT mode transition lottery has been lost. More specifically, when the result notification effect occurs, first, as shown in Fig. 52(a), as a start effect for the battle to occur, the auxiliary display unit 65 displays text such as "Battle begins!!" and also displays an animation of the enemy character. Then, after an attack effect showing the main character attacking as shown in Fig. 52(b1) and an attacked effect showing the enemy character attacking as shown in Fig. 52(b2), the result notification effect ends with the execution of either a victory effect in which the main character wins (Fig. 52(c1)) or a defeat effect in which the main character is defeated (Fig. 52(c2)). In this case, if the AT mode transition lottery that triggered the result notification effect is a winning result, a winning effect is executed, and if the AT mode transition lottery is a non-winning result, a losing effect is executed.

[0296] If an AT winning notification command or a trigger non-winning command is received in step S1609, processing for executing the above-mentioned result notification effect is performed in steps S1610 to S1613. That is, in step S1610, as the start processing of the result notification effect, an effect setting process is performed so that the start effect of FIG. 52(a) is performed on the auxiliary display unit 65 and the speaker 64. More specifically, effect data for the start effect is obtained from the effect table stored in the various table storage area 182a of ROM 182, and the effect data is set so that the effect based on the effect data is executed on the corresponding notification means (auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64) at the corresponding timing. In this case, in other processing of step S1511 in the effect setting process (FIG. 40), the display control device 81 reads out the effect data at the corresponding timing and controls the corresponding notification means so that the effect is executed using the read data. In this way, the effect set in the various effect setting process is executed at the desired timing. The processing related to the effect settings and effect execution is similar to that for other effects, so the explanation will generally be omitted below.

[0297] Incidentally, when an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger is held, as already explained, the rotation effect processing (Fig. 33) is set so that a rotation effect is held during the invalid period of the stop switches 42 to 44. In this case, when a result notification effect for the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger is executed, the spin effect is set so that a victory effect and a defeat effect are held from the start effect before a pause (Fig. 47(b1)) occurs in the spin effect corresponding to the result of the AT mode transition lottery or the type of AT mode (Fig. 47(b2) and Fig. 47(b3)). Then, a victory effect is held on the result notification effect side, a pause corresponding to the type of AT mode is held on the spin effect side, and then the AT winning notification effect of Fig. 47(a) is held.

[0298] On the other hand, when a result notification effect based on a specific role is performed, the specific role notification effect is performed before the result notification effect (step S1605). In this case, for example, the occurrence timing of each effect may be set so that the result notification effect is performed as a continuous effect executed over a plurality of games, or the result notification effect may be set to start at a timing after the specific role notification effect in the game in which the specific role is won, and to end in the game.

[0299] After executing the process of step S1610, in step S1611, it is determined whether the command currently received is an AT winning notification command, and if it is an AT winning notification command, in step S1612, an effect setting process is executed so that the current result notification effect will ultimately end as a winning effect. In this case, it is preferable to make it easier to select an attack effect than an attacked effect.

[0300] In step S1611, if the command currently received is not an AT winning notification command but a non-winning trigger command, in step S1613, a presentation setting process is executed so that the current result notification presentation will end as a defeat presentation. In this case, it is preferable to make the attacked presentation more likely to be selected than the attack presentation.

[0301] If no command has been received in step S1609, or after the processing of step S1612 or step S1613 has been executed, the process proceeds to step S1614. In step S1614, a first BB notification process is executed. This process is for producing game effects using the first BB state or the second BB state, and will be described in detail later. Thereafter, in step S1615, other start-time effect setting processes are executed, and then this start-time effect setting process is terminated. In step S1615, for example, processes are executed to set effects suggesting the lottery result in response to the start of the game, or to turn off the lamp around the start lever 41 to notify that the operation has been accepted, etc.

[0302] <Performance setting process when all stops> Next, the full stop effect setting process of step S1510 will be described with reference to Fig. 43. As already explained, the full stop effect setting process is a process for setting effects when a newly received command is a full stop command such as a winning result command, an AT end command, an advantageous zone game command, or a lottery trigger command.

[0303] In step S1801, it is determined whether or not an AT end command has been received. If an AT end command has been received, in step S1802, effect settings are executed to perform an AT end effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64. For example, as shown in Fig. 48(a), the AT end effect displays the number of games continued in the current AT mode and the number of medals acquired in the current AT mode on the auxiliary display unit 65.

[0304] If a negative determination is made in step S1801, it is determined in step S1803 whether or not a favorable zone game command has been received. If a favorable zone game command has been received, it is determined in step S1804 whether or not the current display mode is AT mode, and if it is not AT mode, that is, if it is in a favorable zone and is in a state before transition to AT mode, the process proceeds to step S1805. In step S1805, lottery trigger notification processing is executed, and in the following step S1806, special notification processing is executed.

[0305] After executing the processing of step S1802 or step S1806, if a negative determination is made in step S1803 or a positive determination is made in step S1804, the process proceeds to step S1807. In step S1807, a second BB notification process is executed. This process is for producing game effects using the first BB state or the second BB state, and will be described in detail later. Thereafter, in step S1808, other all-stop effect setting process is executed, and then this all-stop effect setting process is terminated. In step S1808, for example, the upper lamp 63 is controlled to light up in a color corresponding to the winning combination, a sound effect corresponding to the payout number of the winning combination is controlled to be emitted from the speaker 64, or a sound effect corresponding to an automatic bet during a replay is controlled to be emitted from the speaker 64.

[0306] <Lottery opportunity notification processing> In the lottery trigger notification process of step S1805, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 44, in step S1901, effect settings are executed to perform a game count notification effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 and the speaker 64. The game count notification effect is an effect for notifying the number of games played from the transition to the advantageous zone until a specific trigger occurs. More specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 49(a), the number of games played until an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger caused by the lottery trigger flag being set is notified based on the information on the advantageous zone game count AG in the currently received advantageous zone game command (FIG. 49(a) shows that the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific trigger will be held after 50 games). In this case, for example, as the game progresses in the advantageous zone, the number of games notified in the game count notification effect is also subtracted and updated for each game (see FIG. 49(b)). Then, when the number of games until a specific trigger occurs becomes 0 and the specific trigger occurs, the number of games announced in the game number announcement effect will also become 0 (displaying "0 games left until chance"), as shown in Figure 50(a).

[0307] In the following step S1902, it is determined whether the game to be ended this time is a 3-bet game. If it is a 3-bet game, it is determined in step S1903 whether it is a game in the first BB state or the second BB state. If it is determined in step S1902 that it is not a 3-bet game, or if it is in the first BB state or the second BB state in step S1903, this means that it is in a restricted state (restricted state, restricted game) in which execution of processing related to the instruction function is restricted. In this case, in step S1904, an effect setting is executed to perform a mode transition restriction notification effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 or the speaker 64. The mode transition restriction notification effect is an effect for notifying the player that the player is in the above-mentioned restricted state, and for example, as shown in FIG. 51(a), the player is notified that the player is in the restricted state by displaying text such as "HOLD!!" on the display screen of the auxiliary display unit 65.

[0308] If a negative decision is made in step S1903 or after the processing of step S1904 has been executed, a decision is made in step S1905 as to whether or not a lottery trigger command has been received. If a lottery trigger command has not been received, the lottery trigger notification processing is terminated. If a lottery trigger command has been received, a decision is made in step S1906 as to whether or not the game to be ended this time is a 3-bet game. If it is a 3-bet game, a decision is made in step S1907 as to whether or not the game is in the 1st BB state or the 2nd BB state.

[0309] A three-bet game that is not in the first BB state or the second BB state means that the game is being played with a specific prescribed number of bets in a non-internal state or an internal state, and the game is in an allowable state (allowed game) in which execution of processing related to the instruction function is allowed. That is, it is when a lottery trigger command is received in the allowable state. In this case, in step S1908, effect settings are executed to perform a lottery notice effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 or the speaker 64, and then the lottery notice notification process is terminated. The lottery notice effect is an effect to notify the player that the lottery trigger command has been received in the allowable state, that is, that the next game will also be played in the allowable state, and an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger will be executed. For example, as shown in FIG. 50(a), the main character is displayed on the display screen of the auxiliary display unit 65, and then text such as "Next time, it's battle!!" is displayed.

[0310] In contrast, when a lottery trigger command is received and the game is a two-bet game, or the first or second BB state is in effect, it means that a game is being played with a bet other than the specified number, and the game is in a restricted state in which execution of processing related to the instruction function is restricted. In other words, it means that the lottery trigger command is received in the restricted state. In this case, in step S1909, effect settings are executed to perform a standby effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 or the speaker 64, and then the lottery trigger notification process is terminated. The standby effect is an effect to notify the player that the lottery trigger command has been received in the restricted state, that is, that by switching from the restricted state to the permissive state and playing the game from the next game onwards, an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger will be executed. For example, as shown in FIG. 51(b), the main character is displayed on the display screen of the auxiliary display unit 65, and text such as "Defeat the enemy with a MAXBET!!" is displayed.

[0311] It should be noted that the MAXBET referred to here means the first credit insertion switch 56. As already explained, by operating the first credit insertion switch 56, a bet number associated with the MAX bet counter is bet, and more specifically, a bet of 2 is set in the non-internal state, a bet of 3 is set in the internal state, and a bet of 3 is set in the first BB state and the second BB state. In other words, when the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated, there are cases where a game is executed with a bet according to a specific specified number (internal state and each BB state), and cases where a game is not executed with a bet according to a specific specified number (non-internal state).

[0312] 50(b), when a lottery trigger command is received and a specific trigger occurs (when the lottery trigger flag is set), a lottery notice effect or a standby effect is executed on the auxiliary display unit 65 or the speaker 64. If the next game is executed as a two-bet game while the lottery notice effect or standby effect is being executed, the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific trigger will not be executed in the game executed as a two-bet game. In this case, the standby effect will be executed again.

[0313] On the other hand, if the next game is executed as a 3-bet game while a lottery preview effect or a waiting effect is being executed, a lottery for transitioning to AT mode based on a specific trigger will be executed, provided that the game is not in the first BB state or the second BB state, and a result notification effect (battle effect) will be executed based on an AT winning notification command or a trigger non-winning command.

[0314] <Special notification processing> Next, the special notification process executed in step S1806 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0315] In step S2001, a process is executed to grasp the trigger skip counter. As already explained, the trigger skip counter is a counter that indicates the number of consecutive times that the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger has not been won. In the following step S2002, it is determined whether or not the first flag is set. If the first flag is set and the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery is the first mode on the low probability side, in step S2003, a process is executed to acquire a first special notification lottery table from the various table storage area 182a. Also, if the first flag is not set in step S2002 and the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery is the second mode on the high probability side, in step S2004, a process is executed to acquire a second special notification lottery table from the various table storage area 182a. Then, in step S2005, a special notification lottery process is executed using the special notification lottery table acquired in step S2003 or step S2004. The special notification lottery process is a process that determines by lottery whether or not to execute a special notification as a suggestion of the lottery mode of the AT mode transition lottery.

[0316] When comparing the first special notification lottery table (FIG. 46(a)) with the second special notification lottery table (FIG. 46(b)), the special notification lottery using the second special notification lottery table is set to make it easier for a special notification to occur. In other words, the special notification is an effect that suggests that you are in the second mode.

[0317] In addition, the first special notification lottery table and the second special notification lottery table are set so that the occurrence rate of the special notification differs depending on the setting value set in the winning probability setting process and the value of the trigger pass counter. More specifically, the higher the setting value and the higher the ball payout rate, the higher the occurrence rate of the special notification even with the same trigger pass counter value, and also, the higher the value of the trigger pass counter is, the higher the occurrence rate of the special notification even with the same setting value.

[0318] After the special notification lottery process is executed in step S2005, it is determined in step S2006 whether or not the special notification lottery has been won. If the special notification lottery has been won, in step S2007, an effect is set to display a special notification on the auxiliary display unit 65 or the speaker 64, and then the special notification process is terminated. If the special notification lottery has not been won, the special notification process is terminated. As the special notification, for example, as shown in Figure 49(b) or Figure 51(a), an effect is set in which a flame burns behind the main character on the auxiliary display unit 65, showing that the main character is getting more and more motivated.

[0319] <Game flow> Next, the basic flow of the game will be described with reference to the timing chart in Fig. 53. Note that Fig. 53 will be described assuming a game in an internal state where the second BB win has been carried over.

[0320] As shown in Figure 53, when the above internal state is played in a 3-bet game, and the game transitions to the advantageous zone at timing t1 after the advantageous zone transition lottery, counting begins for the number of games until the lottery trigger flag is set, i.e., the number of games until a specific trigger occurs. Since the 3-bet game in the internal state is played with a specific set number of games, the advantageous zone transition lottery is executed as described above, and a transition to the advantageous zone also occurs. In addition, an AT mode transition lottery may also be executed after the transition to the advantageous zone, and a transition lottery (mode transition lottery) for the lottery mode of the AT mode transition lottery is also executed.

[0321] For example, at t2, the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery transitions to the second mode, and at t3, it transitions to the first mode. However, since these lottery modes affect the probability of winning the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger, even if a mode transition occurs at t2 or t3 before the specific trigger, the AT mode transition lottery using that mode information will not be executed. When the number of games after the transition to the advantageous zone reaches 50 at t4, a specific trigger has occurred, and the lottery trigger flag is set. Then, the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific trigger is executed in the next game. Note that in the figure, both the game in which the specific trigger occurs and the game in which the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific trigger is executed are shown as timing t4, but in reality, there is a one-game delay as described above.

[0322] As described above, a transition to the first mode occurs at the timing of t3, and the first mode is maintained until the timing of t4. Therefore, the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger at the timing of t4 is executed in the first mode, which has a low probability. If the AT mode transition lottery at the timing of t4 is not won, the trigger non-winning flag is set, and the advantageous zone in the game ends (second zone display process).

[0323] At time t5, the game transitions to the advantageous zone, and the count of the number of games until a specific opportunity occurs begins. At time t6, the game transitions to the second mode, and while maintaining that lottery mode (without transitioning to the first mode), if a specific opportunity occurs at time t7, a lottery for transitioning to AT mode is executed in the second mode, which has a higher probability of winning. If the lottery for transitioning to AT mode is successful, the display mode transitions to AT mode, and when the AT mode ends at time t8, the advantageous zone also ends (second zone display process).

[0324] If the game moves to the advantageous zone at time t9, and then switches from a 3-bet game to a 2-bet game at time t10, the execution of processing related to the instruction function is restricted in the 2-bet game, and therefore the execution of the mode transition lottery is also restricted. In this case, the first mode before switching to the 2-bet game is maintained.

[0325] However, since the number of games until the specific trigger occurs is counted regardless of whether the number of bets is the specific required number, the specific trigger occurs at t11, 50 games after t9, and the lottery trigger flag is set. On the other hand, since the AT mode transition lottery is a process related to the instruction function, even if the lottery trigger flag is set, the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific trigger is not executed in a 2-bet game. Then, by switching to a 3-bet game at t12, the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific trigger is executed. Note that the AT mode transition lottery at t12 is executed in the first mode, which has a lower probability, and the figure shows that the AT mode transition lottery was not won, and the advantageous period also ends at t12.

[0326] If the game enters the favorable zone at t13, transitions from the first mode to the second mode at t14, and then switches from a three-bet game to a two-bet game at t15, the execution of the mode transition lottery is restricted as described above. Therefore, the second mode before the switch to the two-bet game is maintained. As described above, the count of the number of games until the specific trigger occurs continues even in the two-bet game, so at t16, the specific trigger occurs and the lottery trigger flag is set. Then, by switching to a three-bet game at t17, the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific trigger is executed, and this AT mode transition lottery is executed in the second mode, which has a higher probability of winning. The figure shows that the AT mode transition lottery was won, and the AT mode begins at t17.

[0327] In this way, in this embodiment, a first mode on the low probability side and a second mode on the high probability side are provided as lottery modes for the AT mode transition lottery, and the transition to the lottery mode and the AT mode transition lottery are carried out in a game with a bet number based on a specific specified number, and the specific trigger occurs regardless of whether the number of bets is the specific specified number or not.Therefore, it is possible to generate the specific trigger while maintaining the second mode on the high probability side, and it is possible to realize innovative gameplay that utilizes such a specific specified number.

[0328] In this case, as described above, the player can predict whether the lottery mode is the first mode or the second mode based on the occurrence rate of the special notification. In other words, since the occurrence rate of the special notification is higher when the lottery mode is the second mode than when the lottery mode is the first mode, it is possible to realize a game in which the player determines whether the lottery mode is the second mode by referring to the special notification and changes the number of bets.

[0329] Moreover, the more consecutive times the player fails to win the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger, the more likely the special notification will occur. By doing this, it is possible to compensate for not winning the AT mode transition lottery, and a so-called ceiling function can be realized simply by using the notification of the lottery mode, such as the special notification.

[0330] The advantageous zone can end if the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific opportunity is not won, and initialization processing of the advantageous zone information is executed when the advantageous zone ends. Therefore, by storing the number of consecutive times that the AT mode transition lottery based on the above-mentioned specific opportunity was not won in the above-mentioned AT mode transition lottery in the sub-side display control device 81, it is possible to preferably realize the ceiling function of the AT mode transition lottery, even while assuming a configuration in which the information for each advantageous zone is not carried over on the main control device 101 side.

[0331] Here, for example, instead of ending the advantageous zone every time the AT mode transition lottery is lost, a configuration is also conceivable in which whether or not to end the advantageous zone is determined based on the upper limit of the number of games (1,500) for the advantageous zone. That is, for example, if the number of games remaining up to the upper limit of the advantageous zone at the time of losing the AT mode transition lottery is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of games, the advantageous zone is not ended in response to the loss of the AT mode transition lottery. On the other hand, if the number of games remaining is less than the predetermined number of games, the advantageous zone is ended in response to the loss of the AT mode transition lottery. In such a configuration, the main control device 101 can manage the number of consecutive losses, thereby enabling a ceiling function to be implemented on the main control device 101 side. In this case, a command corresponding to the number of consecutive losses can be output to the display control device 81, and the display control device 81 can manage whether or not to execute a special notification based on the number of consecutive losses. Alternatively, the main control device 101 can determine whether or not to execute a special notification based on the number of consecutive losses, and if a special notification is to be executed, output a command to that effect to the display control device 81, thereby enabling a ceiling function based on the occurrence rate of the special notification.

[0332] On the other hand, if the setting value is changed, for example, before the opening of the gaming hall, the RAM clear process is executed on the main control device 101 side, and the above-mentioned consecutive count managed on the main control device 101 side is also erased. As a result, whether or not the setting value has been changed is more likely to be discovered depending on whether or not the ceiling function based on the consecutive count is activated. In this regard, by configuring the display control device 81 side to manage the consecutive count as described above, even if the RAM clear process is executed on the main control device 101 side in response to a change in the setting value, it is possible to activate the ceiling function without being involved in that situation. Therefore, it is possible to make it more difficult to discover whether or not the setting value has been changed.

[0333] As described above, in the present embodiment, not only in the non - internal state and the 2 - bit game in the internal state, but also in the first BB state and the second BB state, the execution of the process related to the instruction function is restricted. That is, not only by switching the bet number in the non - internal state and the internal state, but also by causing a transition to the first BB state or the second BB state, it is possible to restrict the mode transition of the AT mode transition lottery. In particular, in the first BB state and the second BB state, the medal reduction per game is suppressed compared to the 3 - bit game and the 2 - bit game in the internal state (see Fig. 26). By causing a transition to the first BB state or the second BB state, it is possible to execute a game that causes a specific opportunity while restricting the mode transition of the AT mode transition lottery while suppressing the reduction of the held medals. Therefore, hereinafter, the process for the production of the game using the transition etc. of each BB state will be described.

[0334] <First BB - related notification process> First, the first BB - related notification process in the start - up production setting process will be described while referring to the flowchart of Fig. 54. As already described, the first BB - related notification process (start - up production setting process) is a process for performing production setting based on the start - up command (lottery result command, AT winning notification command, non - winning opportunity command, etc.) output at the start of the game.

[0335] In step S2101, it is determined whether or not the first BB has been won based on the currently received lottery result command. If the first BB has been won, in step S2102, a process is executed to set a first BB win flag in the various flag storage area 183a. Then, in step S2103, it is determined whether or not a first BB end flag or a second BB end flag has been set in the various flag storage area 183a. The first BB end flag and the second BB end flag are flags that allow the CPU 181 to understand that the first BB state or the second BB state has already ended, but that the effects corresponding to these first BB states or second BB states are still ongoing. The process when these BB end flags are set will be described in detail after the explanation of the effects corresponding to each BB state. Here, the process when none of the BB end flags are set will be described.

[0336] That is, if a negative decision is made in step S2103 and none of the BB completed flags are set, then in step S2104, effect settings are executed to perform a first BB winning effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 and the speaker 64. The first BB winning effect is an effect for informing the player that the first BB has been won in the current game, and for example, as shown in Fig. 56(a), it is displayed on the display screen of the auxiliary display unit 65 that a tank has been acquired as the first BB corresponding character associated with the first BB (the figure shows the tank jumping out of a treasure chest).

[0337] If it is determined in step S2101 that the first BB has not been won, the process proceeds to step S2105. In step S2105, it is determined whether or not the second BB has been won, based on the lottery result command currently received. If the second BB has been won, a process is executed in step S2106 to set a second BB won flag in the various flag storage area 183a. Then, in step S2107, it is determined whether or not a first BB finished flag or a second BB finished flag has been set in the various flag storage area 183a. If a negative determination is made in step S2107, and neither of the BB finished flags has been set, effect setting is executed in step S2108 to perform a second BB winning effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 and the speaker 64. The second BB winning effect is an effect to notify the player that he / she has won the second BB in this game, and for example, as shown in Figure 56(b), the display screen of the auxiliary display unit 65 displays that the player has acquired a sword as the second BB corresponding character that is associated with the second BB (the figure shows the sword popping out of the treasure chest).

[0338] If it is determined in step S2105 that the second BB win has not occurred, the process proceeds to step S2109. In step S2109, it is determined whether or not the first BB win flag is set. If the first BB win flag is set, the process proceeds to step S2110, where it is determined whether or not the game to be started this time is a 3-bet game. Here, the first BB win flag is a flag that is cleared when the first BB win occurs. When the first BB win flag is set and the game is a 3-bet game, this means that the internal state in which the first BB win is carried over is being executed in a 3-bet game. In this case, in step S2111, effect settings are executed to display a first BB win effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 and the speaker 64. The first BB win effect is an effect for notifying the player that the first BB win has been carried over and that a first BB win may be achieved in this game. For example, as shown in FIG. 57(a), a tank is displayed as the first BB corresponding character at a predetermined position (left end) on the display screen of the auxiliary display unit 65.

[0339] If the first BB winning flag is not set in step S2109, it is determined in step S2112 whether the second BB winning flag is set. If the second BB winning flag is set, the process proceeds to step S2113, and it is determined whether the game to be started this time is a 2-bet game. Here, the second BB winning flag is a flag that is cleared based on the second BB winning. The case where the second BB winning flag is set and it is a 2-bet game means that the internal state with the carry-over of the second BB winning is being executed in a 2-bet game. In this case, in step S2114, production settings for performing the second BB winning production on the auxiliary display unit 65 and the speaker 64 are executed. The second BB winning production is a production for notifying the player that there is a carry-over of the second BB winning and that the second BB winning may be achieved in the current game. For example, as shown in FIG. 57(b), a sword as the above-mentioned second BB corresponding character is displayed at a predetermined position (left end) of the display screen of the auxiliary display unit 65.

[0340] <Second BB Notification Process> The process for executing the production corresponding to the first BB state and the second BB state is executed in the second BB notification process. Therefore, prior to the explanation of the process when the production corresponding to each of these BB states is continuing in the first BB notification process, the second BB notification process will be described while referring to the flowchart of FIG. 55. As already described, the second BB notification process is a process executed in the all-stop production setting process, and is a process for performing production settings based on start commands (winning result commands, first BB start commands, second BB start commands, first BB end commands, second BB end commands, AT end commands, advantageous section game commands, lottery trigger commands, etc.) output at the end of the game.

[0341] In the second BB notification process, step S2201 determines whether a first BB start command has been received. If a first BB start command has been received, step S2202 executes the effect setting for starting the first BB effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64, and then terminates the second BB notification process. The first BB effect is an effect for notifying the player that the first BB state is in effect and that execution of processing related to the instruction function is restricted. For example, as shown in FIG. 58(a), the display screen of the auxiliary display unit 65 displays the main character riding a tank as the first BB character associated with the first BB character. When the first BB effect is executed, a mode transition restriction notification effect displaying text such as "HOLD!!" is executed to notify the player that the restricted state exists, and a medal reduction suppression effect displaying text such as "Conserving stamina" is executed to notify the player that medal reduction is being suppressed. The first BB effect continues at least until the process for terminating the first BB effect is executed. Then, if the number of games in the advantageous zone AG reaches 50 during the first BB state and a lottery trigger command is received, a standby effect will occur as shown in Figure 59(a) (step S1909).

[0342] If the first BB start command has not been received in step S2201, it is determined in step S2203 whether or not a second BB start command has been received. If the second BB start command has been received, in step S2204, effect settings for starting the second BB effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64 are executed, and then the second BB notification process is terminated. The second BB effect is an effect for notifying the player that the second BB state is in effect and that execution of processing related to the instruction function is restricted. For example, as shown in FIG. 58(b), the display screen of the auxiliary display unit 65 displays the main character equipped with a sword as the second BB character associated with the second BB corresponding character. Furthermore, when the second BB effect is executed, a mode transition restriction notification effect displaying the text "HOLD!!" is executed to notify the player that the state is restricted, and a medal reduction suppression effect displaying the text "Conserving stamina" is executed to notify the player that medal reduction is being suppressed. Note that the second BB effect continues at least until the process for terminating the second BB effect is executed. Then, if the number of games in the advantageous zone AG reaches 50 during the second BB state and a lottery trigger command is received, a standby effect will occur as shown in Figure 59(b) (step S1909).

[0343] If it is determined in step S2203 that the second BB start command has not been received, then in step S2205 it is determined whether or not the first BB end command has been received. If the first BB end command has been received, then in step S2206 a process is executed to set a first BB end flag. Then, in step S2207 a process is executed to input "3" as the first predetermined number into the end counter provided in the various counter area 183b, and then the second BB notification process is terminated. In this embodiment, the first BB effect and the second BB effect are configured to continue until a game after the corresponding BB end game, and the end counter is a counter that specifies the maximum number of games that the ongoing BB effect will continue even after the BB end game.

[0344] If it is determined in step S2205 that the first BB end command has not been received, then in step S2208 it is determined whether or not the second BB end command has been received. If the second BB end command has been received, then in step S2209 a process is executed to set a second BB end flag. Then, in step S2210 a process is executed to input "5" as the second predetermined number into the end counter, and then this BB notification second process is terminated. Note that in this embodiment, the second predetermined number is different from the first predetermined number and is set to a number greater than the first predetermined number, but it may be set to a number less than the first predetermined number or the same as the first predetermined number. If a negative determination is made in step S2208, then the BB notification second process is terminated.

[0345] Returning to the explanation of the first BB notification process, if the first BB is won in step S2101 and it is determined in step S2103 that the first BB completed flag or the second BB completed flag is set, the process proceeds to step S2115. In step S2115, the process of ending the BB effect currently being executed is executed. That is, if a first BB effect is being executed, the first BB effect is ended, and if a second BB effect is being executed, the second BB effect is ended. Note that when the process of ending the BB effect is executed, the counter is also reset to 0 after the end. That is, each BB effect can continue after the BB state ends until the next first BB is won.

[0346] Furthermore, if the second BB is won in step S2105 and it is determined in step S2107 that the first BB completed flag or the second BB completed flag is set, the process proceeds to step S2116. In step S2116, similar to step S2115 above, the process of ending the BB effect currently being executed is executed. That is, if a first BB effect is being executed, the first BB effect is ended, and if a second BB effect is being executed, the second BB effect is ended. Note that when the BB effect is ended, the counter is also reset to 0 after the end. That is, each BB effect can continue after the BB state ends until the next second BB is won.

[0347] After executing any of the processes in step S2104, step S2108, step S2111, or steps S2114 to S2116, or after a negative judgment is made in step S2110, step S2112, or step S2113, the process proceeds to step S2117. In step S2117, it is determined whether or not any of the BB effects are currently being executed. If any of the BB effects are being executed, it is determined in step S2118 whether or not the first BB completed flag or the second BB completed flag is set, and it is determined whether or not the BB state has already ended. If any of the BB completed flags is set, a process is performed in step S2119 to subtract 1 from the end counter.

[0348] Then, in step S2120, it is determined whether the counter has reached 0 after termination, and if it has reached 0, in step S2121, termination processing for the BB effect currently being executed is executed, and then the first BB notification processing is terminated. That is, if a first BB effect is being executed, the first BB effect is terminated, and if a second BB effect is being executed, the second BB effect is terminated. Also, even if the counter does not reach 0 after termination, if an AT win notification command or a trigger non-win command has been received in step S2122 and a lottery to transition to AT mode based on a specific trigger has been executed, the process proceeds to step S2121, termination processing for the BB effect currently being executed is executed, and then the first BB notification processing is terminated. If a negative determination is made in step S2117, step S2118, or step S2122, the first BB notification processing is terminated as is.

[0349] In other words, each BB effect ends when an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger is executed after the BB state ends, and even if an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger is not executed, it ends when the next BB is won or the counter becomes 0 after the end.

[0350] <Relationship between each BB state and AT mode transition lottery> The relationship between the gameplay and the presentation that creates a specific opportunity while restricting the transition to the lottery mode by transitioning to each BB state will be explained with reference to the timing charts of Figures 60 and 61.

[0351] For example, suppose a player plays a 3-bet game in an internal state that carries over a second BB win, transitions to a favorable zone at t21, and starts counting the number of games until a specific trigger. At t22, the lottery mode transitions to the second mode. Then, for example, by using a special notification to determine the mode transition, the player switches from the 3-bet game to the 2-bet game at t23. After the specific trigger occurs at t24, the player switches to the 3-bet game at t25, and the AT mode transition lottery is executed based on the specific trigger. In this case, if the player plays a 3-bet game in the internal state, a loss of approximately 1.77 coins per game is expected. Furthermore, if the player plays a 2-bet game in the internal state, a loss of approximately 0.64 coins per game is expected. In other words, the game from t21 to t23 results in a loss of approximately 1.77 medals per game, and the game from t23 to t24 results in a loss of approximately 0.64 medals per game.

[0352] In contrast, suppose the game enters the advantageous zone at t26, the count of the number of games until the specific trigger begins, and the lottery mode transitions to the second mode at t27. Then, at t28, the game switches to a two-bet game, and at t29, the second BB win occurs. In this case, the second BB state from t29 to t31 is played in a three-bet game, but no mode transition occurs, so the second mode is maintained. Meanwhile, the count of the number of games until the specific trigger continues, and the specific trigger occurs at t30. After the second BB state ends at t31, the game switches to a three-bet game and the AT mode transition lottery is held, allowing the player to enjoy the benefits of the second mode.

[0353] Here, as described above, when the internal state is set to 3-bet games, a decrease of approximately 1.77 medals per game is expected, and when the internal state is set to 2-bet games, a decrease of approximately 0.64 medals per game is expected. However, in the 2nd BB state, a decrease of approximately 0.00 medals per game is expected, making it difficult for medals to decrease (and increase). Therefore, while the games from t26 to t28 decrease by approximately 1.77 medals per game, the same as in the case of t21 to t23, the games from t28 to t29 decrease by approximately 0.64 medals per game, and the games from t29 to t31 do not decrease medals. In other words, the number of games up to the specific trigger allocated to the internal state and 2-bet games is reduced by the amount of the 2nd BB win, making it possible to dramatically reduce the number of medal decreases. By doing this, when playing a game that generates a specific opportunity in a restricted state, not only is the number of bets changed but also an action of achieving a bonus win is added, which significantly improves the fun of the game.

[0354] Then, when the game is switched to the 2-bet game at the timing of t28, since the 2nd BB win has already been carried over, the 2nd BB win effect is executed along with the mode shift restriction notification effect as shown in Fig. 57(b). Therefore, the player can easily understand that the 2nd BB win can be achieved immediately, that is, that it is possible to wait for the occurrence of a specific opportunity while suppressing the decrease in the number of medals held.

[0355] If the second BB win is achieved at t29, the second BB effect begins. In this case, as shown in FIG. 58(b), the mode transition restriction notification effect and the medal decrease suppression effect are also executed, allowing the player to understand that this is more advantageous for the player than continuing the internal state of the two-bet game. As the game progresses, the number of games notification effect is also updated, and when a specific opportunity occurs at t30, the above-mentioned waiting effect such as "Defeat the enemy with a MAXBET!!" occurs, and the player is notified that the situation has become such that the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific opportunity can be entered after the second BB state ends.

[0356] As already explained, in this embodiment, in a 3-bet game, the 1st BB can be won but the 2nd BB cannot be won, and in a 2-bet game, the 2nd BB can be won but the 1st BB cannot be won. In a 3-bet game, the 1st BB winning is possible but the 2nd BB winning is not possible, and in a 2-bet game, the 2nd BB winning is possible but the 1st BB winning is not possible. In other words, if an internal state in which a 2nd BB winning has been carried over is played in a 3-bet game, the 2nd BB winning will not occur, and by switching to a 2-bet game, the carried-over 2nd BB winning can be achieved. In this case, if a non-internal state after the 2nd BB state ends is played in a 3-bet game, the 1st BB winning will be possible, and the 1st BB winning will also be possible.

[0357] For example, as shown in Figure 61, suppose that the game count until the specific trigger occurs is started at time t41 after the transition to the advantageous zone, and the first BB win is achieved at time t42 in the first mode. In this case, as described above, the transition to the lottery mode does not occur during the first BB state, but the game count until the specific trigger is executed, so the specific trigger may occur, for example, at time t43 in the first BB state. Then, when the first BB state ends at time t44 and a lottery for transitioning to the AT mode based on the specific trigger is executed in a 3-bet game, the lottery for transitioning to the AT mode will be drawn in the first mode, which has a low probability, as described above, and the possibility of winning the AT mode transition is low.

[0358] In other words, in an internal state where the first BB win is carried over, there is a possibility that the first BB win will occur unintentionally in a 3-bet game before transitioning to the first mode, which increases the possibility that the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific opportunity will be drawn in the first mode, which has a lower probability. Therefore, in an internal state where the first BB win is carried over, players will be forced to play every game in order to avoid the first BB win while determining the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery before transitioning to the second mode.

[0359] Here, in this embodiment, when the first credit insertion switch 56 as a MAXBET button is operated, a bet number according to the value of the MAX bet counter is placed, and the MAX bet counter is set to 2 in the non-internal state, and 3 when the internal state is entered. In other words, when the first BB state or the second BB state ends and the non-internal state is entered, the MAX bet counter becomes 2, and when a game is played by operating the first credit insertion switch 56, the non-internal state naturally becomes a game with 2 bets, and the game is played in a restricted state in which the execution of processing related to the instruction function is restricted.

[0360] That is, at the timing of t44, the MAX bet counter is 2, which means that a 3-bet game is executed by inserting three medals into the medal insertion slot 45. Then, at the timing of t45, the first BB is won, and the MAX bet counter is set to 3.

[0361] Suppose that the game enters the advantageous zone at t46, transitions to the second mode at t47, switches to the 2-bet game at t48, and achieves the second BB win at t49. In these circumstances, the MAX bet counter is 3 in the internal state up until the second BB win is achieved at t48, and to switch to the 2-bet game at t48, it is necessary to operate the second credit insertion switch 57 instead of the first credit insertion switch 56, or to place a bet by inserting medals into the medal insertion slot 45. Since the MAX bet counter is also 3 in the second BB state, it is possible to play the desired game (game in the restricted state) by operating the first credit insertion switch 56 in the second BB state from t49 to t51.

[0362] After the specific trigger occurs at time t50, when the second BB state ends at time t51, the non-internal state is entered. In this case, the MAX bet counter becomes 2, so in a game where the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated, a game with a 2-bet game continues. In a 2-bet game in the non-internal state, the second BB is won with a relatively high probability of about 1 in 4.95, and if the second BB is not won in that winning game, the internal state is entered. When the internal state is entered, the MAX bet counter becomes 3, and in a game where the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated, the game transitions to the internal state at t52, switching to a 3-bet game and a lottery for transitioning to the AT mode is executed based on the specific trigger.

[0363] In other words, in this embodiment, the second mode, which has a higher probability, is maintained as the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery, and a game that generates a specific opportunity while suppressing medal reduction is realized by switching from a 3-bet game to a 2-bet game and achieving the second BB win. After the second BB state ends, the restricted state is maintained until the second BB win occurs again. This makes it less likely that an internal state carrying over the first BB win will be executed in a 3-bet game. This makes it possible to effectively avoid situations where the AT mode transition lottery is held in the first mode, which has a lower probability, due to the first BB win being unintentionally achieved, or where a player is forced to play a game that avoids the first BB win every game to prevent this from happening. This makes it possible to realize a smoother game without causing any disadvantage to the player.

[0364] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the non-internal state after the second BB state is played as a 2-bet game, the effects during the second BB state can continue until the internal state is entered. In other words, the second BB effects that started at t49 when the state transitions to the second BB state do not end at t51 when the second BB state ends, but can continue until t52 when the state transitions to the internal state. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the sense of incongruity caused by playing a 2-bet game without switching to a 3-bet game, even though a specific trigger has already occurred and the player can receive the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific trigger if they simply switch to a 3-bet game.

[0365] On the other hand, for example, when the game time is limited, such as when the game parlor is about to close, there may be situations where the time or even medals to play the two-bet game until the internal state is reached after the second BB state ends is precious. In this regard, in this embodiment, since betting is possible not only with the first credit insertion switch 56 and the second credit insertion switch 57 but also with the medal insertion slot 45, it is possible to skip the two-bet game until the internal state is reached after the second BB state ends, but to immediately switch to the three-bet game after the second BB state ends and participate in the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger (Figure 60). In this way, it is possible to play while respecting the player's wishes.

[0366] According to the present embodiment described above in detail, the following excellent effects are achieved.

[0367] Allowable games (first games, non-internal states or 3-bet games in internal states) that may result in a transition to the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery and restricted games (second games, games in BB states, 2-bet games in non-internal states or internal states) that restrict the transition to the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery are set, and the AT mode transition lottery is held when the number of advantageous zone games AG, which is counted in either allowable games or restricted games, reaches a predetermined number of 50. By doing this, it is possible to realize a game feature in which the lottery mode is transitioned to the second mode with higher probability in allowable games, and then switched to restricted games to avoid transitioning to the lottery mode until the number of advantageous zone games AG reaches a predetermined number, thereby improving the enjoyment of the game.

[0368] In this case, since not only the transition of the lottery mode of the AT mode transition lottery but also the AT mode transition lottery itself is configured to be limited by limited play, the AT mode transition lottery is configured to be performed by playing allowable play after the number of advantageous zone games AG reaches a predetermined number. By doing this, not only do you need to determine the second mode and switch to limited play, but you also need to play while understanding that the number of advantageous zone games AG has reached a predetermined number, that is, you need to understand the timing to switch from limited play to allowable play, which can improve the playability of limited play.

[0369] In this embodiment, the player can easily know that the predetermined number has been reached by the lottery notice effect and standby effect displayed on the auxiliary display unit 65. In addition, the number of games notifying effect also makes it possible to know that the predetermined number has been reached and the number of games remaining until the predetermined number is reached. In this way, it becomes possible to play a game while knowing how long it will take for a specific opportunity to occur, and not only whether or not a BB win has been made and the timing for switching to the 2-bet game, but also the time limit if the transition to the second mode has not occurred, thereby making the game more interesting.

[0370] In addition, in this embodiment, since the AT mode transition lottery is performed in the first allowed game after the occurrence of a specific trigger, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a specific trigger causing the AT mode transition lottery to be performed in the limited game, and to prevent the occurrence of an event in which the lottery mode is shifted to because the AT mode transition lottery is not performed for a long time after switching to the allowed game after the occurrence of a specific trigger. Therefore, it is possible to preferably realize the game feature of switching to the allowed game after determining the occurrence of a specific trigger.

[0371] Furthermore, by configuring the system so that a special notification is issued when the player wins the special notification lottery, and by making the probability of winning the special notification lottery higher when the player is in the second mode than when the player is in the first mode, the special notification can be perceived as an indication that the player is in the second mode, which allows the player to switch from allowed play to restricted play using the special notification as an indicator.

[0372] The special notification lottery is set so that the larger the value of the trigger through counter, which indicates the consecutive number of times the AT mode transition lottery has been lost, the easier it is to win. The more times the AT mode transition lottery is lost, the more likely the special notification is to occur. In other words, it becomes easier to determine that the player is in the second mode, and as a result, it becomes easier to win the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger. In this way, the ceiling function of the AT mode transition lottery can be realized by using the special notification.

[0373] In this case, the special notification can be regarded not as a notification that the player is in the second mode, but as a notification corresponding to the number of bets. In other words, it can be regarded as a suggestion of the type of game to be played (limited game and permitted game) rather than a direct notification of the high or low lottery mode of the AT mode transition lottery. This allows the player to understand the game to be played from the special notification.

[0374] If the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger is not won, the advantageous zone is ended, and at the end of the advantageous zone, the main control device 101 performs initialization processing for the advantageous zone information. On the other hand, the trigger through counter that determines the execution probability of the special notification is managed by the display control device 81, so it is possible to adjust the likelihood of winning the AT mode transition lottery across advantageous zones through special notifications.

[0375] Since the probability of winning the special notification lottery varies depending on the setting value set in the winning probability setting process, even if there are circumstances that make it impossible to set a difference in the winning probability of the AT mode transition lottery, this can be achieved through the special notification.

[0376] In this case, the special notification is set to be executed as a full stop effect in the full stop effect setting process, and is executed when the game ends. In contrast, the lottery mode transition process, such as the AT lottery mode transition lottery process, is executed in the lottery result response process on the main control device 101 side. In other words, in one game, the lottery mode transition process is performed before the special notification is executed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an event such as switching to limited play using the special notification as an indicator, but the transition to lottery mode occurring after the transition.

[0377] The AT lottery mode transition lottery process allows transition to the first mode or the second mode to occur depending on the lottery result of the game, so in a game that aims to receive an AT mode transition lottery in the second mode with a higher probability by generating a specific opportunity in limited play, the lottery result of each game is not ignored, and a decrease in the attention of each game can be avoided.

[0378] In this case, it is assumed that when a specific role, known as a rare role, is obtained, a transition from the first mode to the second mode is likely to occur, and when a normal role, known as a normal lip A to normal lip C, is obtained, a transition from the second mode to the first mode is likely to occur. However, since it is possible for the normal role to also cause a transition from the first mode to the second mode, it is no longer possible to determine the mode transition with certainty based on the lottery results of each game alone, and it is possible to increase the fun of playing by predicting the mode transition.

[0379] When a specific role is won in an allowable game, an AT mode transition lottery triggered by the specific role can be held, so that an AT mode transition can occur without going through an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific opportunity, thereby diversifying games. Moreover, by doing this, an AT mode transition is more likely to occur in a game in which an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific role is held in an allowable game and a player waits for a transition to the second mode, compared to a game in which only limited games are played and only AT mode transition lotteries based on specific opportunities are held, and it is also possible to motivate players to play allowable games.

[0380] Moreover, although it is possible to win a specific role in a restricted game as a two-bet game, the execution of the lottery for switching to the AT mode based on the winning of the specific role is restricted, so the frustration of not being able to execute the lottery for switching to the AT mode even though you have won a specific role can be an encouragement for playing the permitted game.

[0381] Because the two-bet game as a restricted game is designed to have a higher game base, which is the average value per game of the difference between the number of medals required for the game and the number of medals paid out as a result of the game, than the three-bet game as an allowable game, by determining whether to transition to the second mode and then switching to a two-bet game, it becomes possible to generate a specific trigger while relatively minimizing medal loss. In other words, the sooner the transition to the second mode occurs, and the sooner the transition to the second mode is determined, the fewer medals are required to generate the specific trigger, so the attention paid to the transition to the second mode is dramatically increased, and it becomes possible to achieve an interesting gameplay in balance with the actual medal loss.

[0382] Furthermore, if a transition to the first BB state or the second BB state is triggered as a limited game, the game base for these BB states is set higher than that for a two-bet game, so fewer medals are required to trigger the specific trigger than if the specific trigger were triggered while remaining in the two-bet game. In other words, by triggering the transition to the second mode earlier, identifying it earlier, and further triggering the second BB win or the first BB win earlier, it is possible to reduce the medal loss required to trigger the specific trigger. Therefore, in addition to improving gameplay by creating room for player knowledge intervention, such as identifying the transition to the second mode, gameplay is also improved by creating room for player skill intervention, such as achieving a BB win, making it possible to realize a game that is more interesting than ever before.

[0383] Moreover, it is not enough to just make the BB win happen, but it is necessary to determine the timing of the BB win because there may be cases where the specific trigger does not occur depending on the timing of the BB win and the timing of the end of the BB state. More specifically, if the BB win is made too early, it will be necessary to play another 2-bet game after the BB state ends, and if the BB win is made too late, it will be necessary to continue playing the BB state even after the specific trigger occurs, which will be a concern as it will reduce time efficiency.

[0384] In this case, if the internal state is in a favorable zone, the number of games in the favorable zone AG is counted, so the timing for achieving the BB win can be determined in the internal state where the BB win has been carried over, and a game can be played in which the BB win is achieved when the desired timing occurs. In other words, if the desired timing is reached and the BB win is waited for and then the BB win is attempted to be achieved, the difference between the desired timing and the BB win may become large. In this regard, since the game is designed to wait for the occurrence of a specific trigger in the internal state as described above, the BB win can be achieved earlier, making it possible to avoid inconveniences (particularly a decrease in time efficiency) caused by a difference in the timing of the win.

[0385] Here, in this embodiment, the 3-bet game in which the 2nd BB win is carried over is basically set as the normal game, and since the 2nd BB can be won in the 2-bet game but cannot be won in the 3-bet game, in order to play the limited game while suppressing the loss of medals due to the BB win, it is necessary to switch to the 2-bet game. By doing so, it is possible to avoid an incident in which the 2nd BB win is unintentionally achieved in the normal game in the 3-bet game, which causes the game to switch to the limited game.

[0386] In this case, since the MAX bet counter is configured to be set to 2 in the non-internal state and 3 in the internal state, in a game in which the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated, when the non-internal state is entered after the BB state ends, the 2-bet game is automatically played, and if the second BB is won in the 2-bet game, the internal state is entered and the game switches to a 3-bet game. This makes it easier to play the normal game of the 3-bet game in which the second BB win is carried over, and makes it difficult to play in a state in which the first BB win is carried over, for example. This makes it possible to avoid forcing a stop operation to avoid the first BB win in the allowed game, and allows the game to proceed smoothly.

[0387] On the other hand, when the MAX bet counter is set to 3, a player can play a 2-bet game by operating the second credit insertion switch 57 instead of the first credit insertion switch 56 or inserting medals into the medal insertion slot 45. Also, when the MAX bet counter is set to 2, a player can play a 3-bet game by inserting medals into the medal insertion slot 45 instead of the first credit insertion switch 56. Therefore, for example, a 3-bet game is permitted after the BB state ends, such as when the gaming hall is about to close, but before the second BB is won. This allows a player to carry over a 2-BB win without eliminating the thrill of playing the slot machine 10, which is to start a game by the player's own start operation and end a game by the player's own end operation.

[0388] In addition, as described above, after the BB state ends, it is easy to play the 2-bet game until the second BB is won, and the BB effects are also configured to continue until the second BB is won. By doing this, it is possible to prevent the player from feeling uncomfortable when they are encouraged to play the 2-bet game in a non-internal state even though the BB state has ended.

[0389] However, it is anticipated that there may be player needs to switch to the 3-bet game after the BB state has ended, for example, just before the amusement hall closes as described above, and before winning the second BB, and to take the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger.Since the BB effect is ended based on the execution of the AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger after the BB state has ended, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience of only the BB effect continuing.

[0390] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the BB state ends, the BB effect ends after a predetermined number of games (3 or 5 games) even if the second BB is not won. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience of the BB effect continuing endlessly even if the second BB is not won. Incidentally, the number of games in which the second BB effect can continue after the second BB state ends is set to a number greater than the denominator of the probability of winning the second BB (approximately 1 in 4.95), and the second BB effect basically ends when the second BB is won.

[0391] <Variation 1> In the first embodiment described above, the first mode and the second mode are switched back and forth through the AT lottery mode transition lottery process, but in this modified example, the first mode and the second mode are switched back and forth depending on the number of games in the advantageous zone AG.

[0392] 62(a) is a flowchart showing the advantageous zone transition game processing in this modified example. As already explained, the advantageous zone transition game processing is executed as processing on the main control device 101 side in the game that transitions to the advantageous zone in the zone display first processing.

[0393] In step S2301, a lottery process for determining a mode transition table is executed. In this modified example, as shown in FIG. 63(a), multiple types of mode transition tables, each of which defines a relationship between the number of advantageous zone games AG and the transition games between the first mode and the second mode, are stored in the various table storage area 105a. More specifically, for example, the mode transition table of address information M0001 indicates that if the number of advantageous zone games AG is 1 to 10, the second mode is selected, and if the number of advantageous zone games AG is 11 to 49, the first mode is selected. Furthermore, the mode transition table of address information M0005 indicates that if the number of advantageous zone games AG is 1 to 40, the second mode is selected, and if the number of advantageous zone games AG is 41 to 49, the first mode is selected. Step S2301 is a process of randomly selecting a mode transition table to be used in the current advantageous zone from among the multiple stored mode transition tables.

[0394] More specifically, regarding the mode transition tables with multiple types set, each mode transition table is set so that either the first mode or the second mode occurs regardless of the advantageous zone game count AG. In other words, the type of lottery mode is not determined solely by the advantageous zone game count AG. Furthermore, the mode transition tables in this modified example are set to include at least a zone that is the second mode, and no mode transition table is set such that the first mode is used regardless of the value of the advantageous zone game count AG. In contrast, the mode transition table for address information MXXX is set to the second mode for all advantageous zone game count AG values ​​from 1 to 49, and is a mode transition table that does not include a zone that is the first mode.

[0395] In step S2302, based on the processing result of step S2301, the address information of the determined mode transition table is stored in the address information storage area 106f. Then, in step S2303, the table command is set as an output target to the display control device 81, and the advantageous zone transition game processing is terminated. The table command includes information on the type of mode transition table set for the transition to the advantageous zone this time.

[0396] In the display control device 81, for example, processing when a table command is received is set as table notification processing (Figure 62 (b)) executed in step S1615 (other start-up performance setting processing) in the start-up performance setting processing.

[0397] That is, in the table notification process, in step S2311, it is determined whether or not a table command has been received, and if a table command has been received, in step S2312, a process is executed in which the mode transition table information included in the table command is stored in address information storage area 183c. Note that if mode transition table information has already been stored, that information is erased and new mode transition table information is stored. If a table command has not been received in step S2311, the table notification process is terminated.

[0398] After executing the process of step S2312, in step S2313, it is determined whether the trigger through counter is greater than a predetermined number (5). If it is equal to or less than the predetermined number, the table notification process is terminated. If it is greater than the predetermined number, i.e., if the number of consecutive times that the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific trigger has not been won is greater than the predetermined number, the table notification lottery process is executed in step S2314. The table notification lottery process is a process of determining whether or not to notify information about the type of mode transition table at this time. The probability of winning varies depending on, for example, the value of the trigger through counter, the setting value, and the type of mode transition table. More specifically, for example, the larger the value of the trigger through counter, the more likely it is to win the table notification lottery, and the higher the setting value, the more likely it is to win the table notification lottery. Furthermore, as for the type of mode transition table, for example, the longer the section of the second mode that is secured, the more likely it is to win the table notification lottery.

[0399] After executing the table notification lottery process in step S2314, a determination is made in step S2315 as to whether or not the notification lottery has been won. If the result is not a win, the table notification process is terminated. If the result is a win, a stored mode transition table is read in step S2316, and effect data corresponding to the mode transition table is acquired from RAM 183. The effect data corresponding to the mode transition table is set in a one-to-one correspondence with the mode transition table, as shown in FIG. 63, and the effects corresponding to each effect data are different enough to be distinguishable by a player. Note that instead of a one-to-one correspondence between mode transition tables and effect data, a configuration may be adopted in which multiple mode transition tables are associated with one effect data, or a configuration in which one mode transition table is associated with multiple effect data.

[0400] After obtaining the effect data in step S2316, effect settings are executed in step S2317 to execute table notification effects based on the obtained effect data on the auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64, and then the table notification processing is terminated. As a table notification effect, for example, one table notification effect is performed by combining the color and type of the background of the auxiliary display unit 65, the position where the main character is displayed, and the size where the main character is displayed. For example, if the background color of the auxiliary display unit 65 is blue, the display position of the main character is central, and the display size of the main character is medium, the table notification effect corresponds to the mode transition table of address information M0001. If the background color and position of the main character are the same but the display size of the main character is large, the table notification effect corresponds to the mode transition table of address information M0002. If the background color and position of the main character are the same but the display size of the main character is small, the table notification effect corresponds to the mode transition table of address information M0003. In this way, a table notification effect corresponding to one mode transition table is configured by a combination of each parameter. In this case, the player can predict the mode transition table that will be set when the advantageous zone transition occurs based on the table notification display.

[0401] In addition to or instead of a configuration in which the presentation style of the table notification effect is set in a one-to-one relationship with each mode transition table so that one mode transition table can be identified from the table notification effect, a configuration in which one presentation style of the table notification effect is associated with multiple mode transition tables so that it is difficult to identify one mode transition table from the table notification effect may be used. In this case, for example, the mode transition tables may be classified according to the number of games assigned to the second mode or the timing of the game entering the second mode, and a table notification effect may be associated with each classification.

[0402] 64 is a flowchart showing the AT lottery process in this modified example. As already explained, the AT lottery process is a process executed in the lottery result corresponding process, and is permitted to be executed when the number of bets is a specific specified number, and is restricted to be executed when the number of bets is not the specific specified number.

[0403] In step S2401, the address information of the mode transition table stored in the address information storage area 106f is read out, thereby executing a process to determine the mode transition table set in the current advantageous zone. In the following step S2402, a process to determine the advantageous zone game count AG is executed. Then, in step S2403, the mode transition table is compared with the advantageous zone game count AG to determine whether the current game corresponds to the first mode.

[0404] For example, if the mode transition table is for address information M0001, as described above, if the number of advantageous zone games AG is 1 to 10, the second mode is set, and if the number of advantageous zone games AG is 11 to 49, the first mode is set.However, in step S2403, if the number of advantageous zone games AG is 11 to 49, a positive judgment is made that the current game corresponds to the first mode.

[0405] If it is determined in step S2403 that the game corresponds to the first mode, it is determined in step S2404 whether the first mode flag has already been set. If the first mode flag is not set and the previous AT lottery process was executed in the second mode, processing is executed to set the first mode flag in step S2405. Then, processing is executed to set a first mode transition command as an output target to the display control device 81 in step S2406.

[0406] If a negative determination is made in step S2403, a determination is made in step S2407 as to whether the game corresponds to the second mode. That is, if the mode transition table is for address information M0001 and the number of games in the advantageous zone AG is 1 to 10, a positive determination is made that the current game corresponds to the second mode.

[0407] If it is determined in step S2407 that the game corresponds to the second mode, it is determined in step S2408 whether the first mode flag is set. If the first mode flag is set and the previous AT lottery process was executed in the first mode, the first mode flag is cleared in step S2409. Then, in step S2410, a second mode transition command is set as an output target to the display control device 81.

[0408] If a positive determination is made in step S2404, if the processing of step S2406 or step S2410 is executed, or if a negative determination is made in step S2407 or step S2408, the process proceeds to step S2411. In steps S2411 to S2416, processing for the AT mode transition lottery is executed similarly to the processing of steps S812 to S817 above. In addition, in steps S2417 to S2424, processing according to the result of the AT mode transition lottery is executed similarly to the processing of steps S818 to S824.

[0409] Here, as shown in Figure 63, the mode transition table does not specify a lottery mode when the number of advantageous zone games AG is 50 or more. In other words, if the number of advantageous zone games AG is 50 or more, a negative judgment will be made in both steps S2403 and S2407. In this way, after the number of advantageous zone games AG reaches 50 and a specific trigger occurs, a transition to the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery will not occur regardless of the value of the number of advantageous zone games AG thereafter.

[0410] By doing this, when playing with a bet based on a specific specified number, the game will switch between the first mode and the second mode depending on the value of the number of games in the advantageous zone AG, whereas when playing with a bet that is different from the specific specified number, the game will not switch between the first mode and the second mode regardless of the value of the number of games in the advantageous zone AG.

[0411] More specifically, for example, when the mode transition table of address information M0001 is set, the second mode is set for games in which the number of advantageous zone games AG is up to 10, and the first mode is set for games in which it is 11 or more, but by switching from a 3-bet game to a 2-bet game for games in which the number of advantageous zone games AG is up to 10 and playing in a restricted state, it is possible to continue playing while maintaining the second mode. Then, after the number of advantageous zone games reaches 50 and the trigger lottery flag is set, it is possible to receive an AT mode transition lottery based on a specific trigger in the second mode by switching to a 3-bet game.

[0412] As described above, in this modified example, the lottery mode for the AT mode transition lottery is set based on the mode transition table and the number of games in the advantageous zone AG. This allows the gaming machine to determine the transition of the lottery mode in advance from the mode transition table and the number of games in the advantageous zone AG. In other words, in the first embodiment, the lottery mode transition is performed after the AT lottery mode transition lottery process in the allowable game. Therefore, the transition of the lottery mode cannot be determined until the AT lottery mode transition lottery process is performed. However, by using the modified example, it is possible to determine the lottery mode in advance. Moreover, even if the lottery mode transition does not actually occur in the allowable game, it is possible to determine which lottery mode will be selected if the limited game is allowed. Therefore, it is possible to realize a game that allows the player to determine the timing to switch to a three-bet game, for example, when the first mode is switched to a two-bet game.

[0413] As the mode transition table, multiple mode transition tables are stored in advance, and these multiple mode transition tables are set so that the mode in which the player is staying cannot be determined from the advantageous zone game number AG. More specifically, for example, if the number of games after the advantageous zone transition (advantageous zone game number AG) is 1 to 10 games, the mode transition table of address information M0001 will set the mode to the second mode, but the mode transition table of address information M0002 will set the mode to the first mode. If the number of games after the advantageous zone transition is 11 to 20 games, the mode transition table of address information M0001 will set the mode to the first mode, and the mode transition table of address information M0002 will set the mode to the second mode. In this way, a mode transition table is set to set the respective lottery mode for each number of games so that the lottery mode in which the player is staying cannot be determined solely from the number of games after the advantageous zone transition. By doing so, the significance of playing a game that predicts the mode transition table is guaranteed.

[0414] On the other hand, when the advantageous zone transition occurs, i.e., when the mode transition table is set, a table notification effect can be produced that suggests each mode transition table, so that it is possible to play a game in which the current lottery mode and future lottery modes are predicted based on the number of games played after the advantageous zone transition and the content of the table notification effect.

[0415] In this case, for example, if a table notification effect corresponding to address information M0001 is performed, after the transition to the advantageous zone, it is sufficient to play any of the first through tenth games in the allowable mode, and subsequent games must be played in the limited mode until a specific trigger occurs. In other words, if the player can detect from the table notification effect or special notification that the mode transition table for address information M0001 has been set by the tenth game, they can switch to the limited mode by the eleventh game and play up to the 49th game, allowing them to remain in the second mode while participating in the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific trigger. In other words, if the player fails to detect the mode transition table by the tenth game or plays any of the eleventh through 49th games in the allowable mode, the player will be forced to participate in the AT mode transition lottery based on the specific trigger in the first mode, which has a lower probability of winning. This increases the importance of detecting the mode transition table and switching to the limited mode, improving the enjoyment of the game. 【04...

Claims

1. A plurality of rotating bodies on which a plurality of types of patterns are attached in the circumferential direction; A display unit that allows some of the patterns on each of the rotating bodies to be visible; a start operation means for starting rotation of each of the rotating bodies when operated; a stop operation means for stopping the rotation of each of the rotating bodies when operated; a drive control means for starting rotation of each of the rotating bodies when the start operation means is operated and for stopping rotation of each of the rotating bodies when the stop operation means is operated; a lottery means for holding a lottery to determine whether or not to award a special benefit to a player based on the operation of the start operation means; a bonus awarding means for awarding a bonus corresponding to a predetermined result when the result of the lottery by the lottery means is a predetermined result; A gaming machine comprising: a storage means for storing the specific information when a predetermined acquisition condition is met; means for executing a specific process that enables a specific event to occur by using at least the specific information stored in the storage means and the lottery result by the lottery means; means for causing the specific event to occur when a result of the specific processing is a specific result corresponding to the occurrence of the specific event; Equipped with a first state set so that the specific event is more likely to occur, and a second state set so that the specific event is less likely to occur than in the first state or so that the specific event does not occur at all; The process for causing a state transition between the first state and the second state is set to be able to be executed in both a first game in which execution of the specific process is permitted and a second game in which execution of the specific process is restricted, After a state transition from the second state to the first state occurs, a transition from the first state to the second state is possible, A gaming machine characterized in that a predetermined process for causing a state transition between the first state and the second state can be executed when the lottery result by the lottery means is a first result, and can also be executed when the lottery result is a second result different from the first result.

2. A game start means for starting a game based on a start operation by a player; a game ending means for ending a game based on a player's ending operation; A grasping means capable of grasping specific information corresponding to the number of games played from a predetermined start trigger; a means for making it possible to execute a specific determination that enables a specific event to occur when the specific information becomes predetermined special information; means for enabling the specific event to occur when the result of the specific determination is a specific result corresponding to the occurrence of the specific event; Equipped with a first state in which the result of the determination of the specificity is likely to be the specific result, and a second state in which the result of the determination of the specificity is less likely to be the specific result than the first state or the result of the determination of the specificity is not likely to be the specific result; a means for causing a state transition between the first state and the second state; As a game to be started by the game starting means, a first game in which a state transition between the first state and the second state may occur, and a second game in which a state transition between the first state and the second state is restricted are set, The grasping means is capable of grasping the specific information including the first game and the second game, After a state transition from the second state to the first state occurs, a transition from the first state to the second state is possible; A gaming machine characterized by comprising a means for executing a notification corresponding to the specific information during a game before the specific information becomes the special information.

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