gaming machines

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of reducing a storage area to be used when extending lottery data by compressing various types of data related to a random number lottery.SOLUTION: A CPU 101 determines whether or not a determination bit group including a plurality of predetermined bits out of high-order bytes of base data read from a ROM 102 conforms to criteria, when it is determined not to conform thereto, generates one byte lottery data using a lower byte of the base data without using the upper byte, and when it is determined that the determination bit group conforms to the criteria, uses both the upper byte and the lower byte of the base data to generate two byte lottery data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Gaming machines, such as pachinko machines, generally perform various random number lotteries when a game is played (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-195906 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to realize the random number lottery, the gaming machines described above are equipped with a ROM that stores various data corresponding to the various random number lotteries, and this data must be expanded into the RAM memory area. As the number of random number lotteries increases, the ROM memory capacity and RAM memory area usage become more strained, so measures are often taken to compress the data capacity.

[0005] For example, the gaming machine of Patent Document 1 aims to compress data volume by standardizing the control data during the setting change period and the control data during the setting confirmation period in the process of displaying setting information regarding the probability of winning in a random number lottery.

[0006] Similar to Patent Document 1, the present invention aims to compress various data relating to random number lotteries, and this makes it possible to reduce the storage area used when expanding lottery data. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the present invention, a gaming machine is provided which obtains a random number when a predetermined condition is met, and uses the obtained random number and lottery data to conduct a lottery corresponding to the predetermined condition, and which is equipped with a memory means for storing two bytes of base data, and a lottery data expansion means for reading the base data from the memory means and expanding the lottery data in a predetermined memory area, wherein the lottery data expansion means determines whether a judgment bit group including a predetermined number of bits in the upper bytes of the base data read from the memory means conforms to a criterion, and when it is determined that the judgment bit group does not conform to the criterion, it generates one byte of the lottery data using the lower byte of the base data without using the upper byte, and when it is determined that the judgment bit group conforms to the criterion, it generates two bytes of the lottery data using both the upper byte and the lower byte of the base data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, a gaming machine is provided that is capable of compressing various data related to random number lotteries and reducing the memory area used when expanding lottery data. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of the gaming machine. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a bird's-eye view showing the operation buttons and their surroundings arranged in the area II shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a gaming board installed in the gaming machine. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the gaming machine. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the gaming machine. [Figure 6]Figure 6(a) is a diagram schematically showing a lottery table for determining whether a special symbol is a hit or not, Figure 6(b) is a diagram schematically showing a lottery table for drawing the stopping symbols used when a big hit is derived in the determination of whether a special symbol is a hit or not related to special symbol 1, Figure 6(c) is a diagram schematically showing a lottery table for drawing the stopping symbols used when a small hit is derived in the determination of whether a special symbol is a hit or not related to special symbol 2, and Figure 6(d) is a diagram schematically showing a lottery table for drawing the stopping symbols used when a big hit is derived in the determination of whether a special symbol is a hit or not related to special symbol 2. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a flowchart of the pass / fail determination process related to Special Drawing 1. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a flowchart of the pass / fail determination process related to Special Drawing 2. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the stop pattern determination process for special chart 1. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the stop pattern determination process for special chart 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all drawings, similar components are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted where appropriate. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower" refer to the gaming machine 10 as viewed from the front side (player side) as shown in FIG. 1. In the following explanation, "advantage (degree of advantage)" refers to an advantage for the player, and further, unless otherwise specified, refers to an advantage in terms of the amount of prize balls (gaming media) obtained (including not only the payout of gaming balls but also the payout of medals), excluding aspects of presentation such as so-called premium images.

[0011] <Features of the present invention> Before describing the details of the gaming machine 10 in this embodiment, the features of the invention (present invention) described in this embodiment will be described. In addition, when explaining the features, the configuration in parentheses is an example of the configuration of this embodiment corresponding to the immediately preceding configuration, and the configuration may be described in parentheses for the same purpose in the explanation of the gaming machine 10 that follows this explanation.

[0012] The gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment acquires a random number when a predetermined condition is met, and uses the acquired random number and lottery data to conduct a lottery corresponding to the predetermined condition. The gaming machine 10 also includes a storage means (e.g., ROM 102) that stores 2 bytes of base data, and a lottery data expansion means (e.g., CPU 101) that reads the base data from the storage means and expands the lottery data into a predetermined storage area (e.g., a storage area of ​​RAM 103). Here, "lottery data" refers to control data that is written to a storage area of ​​the RAM in order to execute a random number lottery (a determination using random numbers). Furthermore, "base data" refers to raw data that is the source of the lottery data (data that is stored before the lottery data is expanded into the corresponding storage area). In addition, in implementing the present invention, the memory means storing the base data and the memory area in which the lottery data is expanded may be implemented on the main control board, on the sub-control board, or on both.

[0013] The lottery data developing means determines whether or not a determination bit group including a predetermined number of bits in the upper bytes of the base data read from the storage means conforms to a criterion. Here, when it is determined that the determination bit group does not conform to the criterion, the lottery data developing means generates one byte of lottery data using the lower byte of the base data without using the upper byte. Furthermore, when it is determined that the determination bit group matches the criteria, the lottery data developing means generates two bytes of lottery data using both the upper and lower bytes of the base data.

[0014] Since the gaming machine 10 is equipped with the characteristic lottery data expansion means described above, it is possible to compress various data related to random number lotteries compared to conventional data compression methods, and it is possible to reduce the memory area used when expanding the lottery data.

[0015] The gaming machine 10 having the above-mentioned features will be specifically described based on the following embodiment.

[0016] <Structure of the gaming machine 10> First, the structure of the gaming machine 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. Figure 1 is a front view of the gaming machine 10, Figure 2 is a bird's-eye view showing the group of operation buttons arranged in area II shown in Figure 1 and their surroundings, Figure 3 is a diagram showing the gaming board 50 installed within the gaming machine 10, and Figure 4 is a rear view of the gaming machine 10. 1 to 4 are merely examples of components necessary for explaining the gaming machine 10 of this embodiment, and components and functions not shown here may be added to the gaming machine 10. Furthermore, the gaming machine 10 does not necessarily have to include all of the components shown here, and some components or functions may be omitted as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired.

[0017] The gaming machine 10 of this embodiment is a so-called pachinko machine, in which gaming balls are shot into a front area (hereinafter referred to as "gaming area 50a") of a gaming board 50 on which a large number of gaming nails (not shown) are erected, and a prize ball is obtained when the gaming ball enters a prize opening (for example, a big prize opening 55, etc.). In the following description, the entry of a gaming ball into a prize opening may be simply expressed as "entering (a prize opening)."

[0018] The gaming machine 10 comprises a rectangular outer frame 15 that opens at the front and rear, a middle frame 17 that detachably holds a gaming board 50 on the front side of the opening of the outer frame 15, and a front frame 20 that is configured to cover the front side of the gaming board 50.

[0019] The middle frame 17 is supported so as to be rotatable about its left end by a hinge mechanism (not shown) on the same side as the hinge mechanism 21, and can be opened and closed in front of the outer frame 15. The middle frame 17 can be locked and unlocked by a cylinder lock 23 (by inserting a door key into the cylinder lock 23 and turning the door key in the direction opposite to the unlocking direction of the front frame 20 (to the right in this embodiment)).

[0020] The front frame 20 is supported by a hinge mechanism 21 so as to be rotatable around its left end, and can be opened and closed relative to the middle frame 17. The front frame 20 can be locked and unlocked by a cylinder lock 23 (by inserting a door key into the cylinder lock 23 and turning the door key in the direction opposite to the unlocking direction of the middle frame 17 (left in this embodiment)). The front frame 20 also includes a transparent member 25 arranged to cover the play area 50a, and the transparent member 25 protects the play area 50a and the play board 50 from view. The front frame 20 also includes an upper ball tray 27 and a lower ball tray 29 for storing game balls, and the upper ball tray 27 and the lower ball tray 29 are spaced apart vertically and are integral with the front frame 20. In this embodiment, a full-tank detection sensor (not shown) for detecting when the lower ball tray 29 is full with discharged game balls is provided upstream of the lower discharge port 30 that discharges game balls into the lower ball tray 29. In addition, the front frame 20 is provided with an operating handle 31 on the right side of the lower ball tray 29, and by rotating the operating handle 31, the game balls stored in the upper ball tray 27 are launched toward the game area 50a.

[0021] 2, a group of operation buttons operated by the player is disposed on the upper surface of the upper ball tray 27. This group of operation buttons includes a main operation unit 39 electrically connected to the main control board 100 (described later), which includes a ball loan button 39a and a return button 39b for accepting a prepaid card return operation. The operation unit electrically connected to the first sub-control board 200 (described later) includes an effect button 37 for accepting a player's operation to switch effects occurring during play or to obtain various information related to the gaming machine 10, and cursor buttons 38 (up cursor button 38a, down cursor button 38b, left cursor button 38c, right cursor button 38d, and center cursor button 38e) for instructing operations up, down, left, and right. Each operation unit is provided with a sensor for detecting operation, and the connected control board detects the operation of each operation unit by a change in the detection state of the sensor. Furthermore, a movable decorative body 22 that is operated by an actuator such as a motor (not shown) is provided on the side of the upper ball tray 27.

[0022] A ball ejection mechanism 36 is provided below the lower ball tray 29 to eject the game balls stored in the lower ball tray 29 downward. By operating this ball ejection mechanism 36, a bottom opening (not shown) formed on the bottom surface of the lower ball tray 29 opens, and the game balls fall naturally through the bottom opening and are ejected. Although not shown in the figure, the upper ball tray 27 is provided with a mechanism that, similar to the ball removal mechanism 36, can be operated to move the stored balls to the lower ball tray 29, and by operating both this mechanism and the ball removal mechanism 36, it is possible to discharge the stored balls.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 1, a pair of speakers 33 (33a, 33b) are disposed on the left and right sides of the upper frame portion 32 of the front frame 20. The upper frame portion 32 and the left and right side frame portions 34a, 34b of the front frame 20 are formed with light-transmitting covers, inside which are disposed frame lamps 35 (35a, 35b, 35c). The speaker 33 and the frame lamp 35 can emit sounds or turn on or off in conjunction with effects that occur during play, error notifications, and the like.

[0024] The effect display device 80 is composed of a main display unit 81 disposed approximately in the center of the game board 50, and a sub-display unit 82 disposed around the main display unit 81. The sub-display unit 82 further includes an upper sub-display unit 82a disposed above the main display unit 81, a left sub-display unit 82b disposed on the left side of the main display unit 81, and a right sub-display unit 82c disposed on the right side of the main display unit 81. Here, the main display unit 81 is a fixed liquid crystal display device, and the upper sub-display unit 82a, the left sub-display unit 82b, and the right sub-display unit 82c are movable liquid crystal display devices operated by actuators such as motors (not shown).

[0025] The main display unit 81 can display a varying display of a symbol string that is performed in conjunction with the varying display of a special symbol, which will be described later, and can also display various other effects. In the variable display of the symbol rows (decorative symbols) displayed on the main display unit 81, the displayed decorative symbols form three symbol rows. In this embodiment, the variable display direction of each symbol row is downward, but the direction is not particularly limited. For example, it may be upward, left / right, depthwise, or a combination of these (diagonal direction). Here, the depth direction refers to the virtual direction perceived by the player in a display mode that uses a method (for example, perspective) that makes the player perceive the pattern row as if it is changing from the back of the main display unit 81 to the front or vice versa, even though it is actually a flat changing display on the display screen of the main display unit 81. In addition, the decorative symbols in this embodiment include a "1 symbol" imitating the number "1," a "2 symbol" imitating the number "2," a "3 symbol" imitating the number "3," a "4 symbol" imitating the number "4," a "5 symbol" imitating the number "5," a "6 symbol" imitating the number "6," a "7 symbol" imitating the number "7," an "8 symbol" imitating the number "8," and a "9 symbol" imitating the number "9," and these symbols are provided in each symbol row. In the following description, the "1 symbol," "3 symbol," "5 symbol," "7 symbol," and "9 symbol" may be collectively referred to as "odd number symbols," and the "2 symbol," "4 symbol," "6 symbol," and "8 symbol" may be collectively referred to as "even number symbols."

[0026] Each of the sub-display units 82 is not only provided to mainly display effect images related to the effects, but is also configured to be movable. The initial positions of the upper sub-display unit 82a are on the upper side relative to the main display unit 81, the left sub-display unit 82b are on the left side relative to the main display unit 81, and the right sub-display unit 82c are on the right side relative to the main display unit 81, and each of the sub-display units 82 is configured to be movable from these initial positions to a position where the entire display area of ​​the sub-display unit 82 overlaps the display area of ​​the main display unit 81. However, even when the sub-display units 82 (particularly the left sub-display unit 82b and right sub-display unit 82c) are in the initial position shown in FIG. 3, approximately the upper half of the display area (a left display area 821 and a right display area 822, which will be described later) is visible to the player.

[0027] A plurality of light emitting diodes (hereinafter referred to as "LEDs") are arranged on the lower right side of the main display unit 81, and these LEDs form the display area of ​​the pattern display device 90, which displays special patterns and normal patterns. In addition, the symbol display device 90 is disposed in a position that is more difficult for the player to see than the main display unit 81, and the display area of ​​the symbol display device 90 is smaller than the display area of ​​the main display unit 81. In addition, the arrangement and number of LEDs for the pattern display device 90 in this embodiment are as shown in Figure 2, but this is just one example, and the arrangement and number of LEDs for the pattern display device 90 are not limited to this example.

[0028] Although not shown, the pattern display device 90 includes lamps corresponding to special pattern display, normal pattern display, hold display for special pattern, and hold display for normal pattern. Here, the special symbol is a symbol that is stopped and displayed as a result of a symbol change that determines whether or not to activate a special electric device (for example, special electric device 65). The special symbols in this embodiment include a first special symbol and a second special symbol. In the following explanation, the special symbol may be abbreviated as "special symbol," the first special symbol as "special symbol 1," and the second special symbol as "special symbol 2," and the special electric device may be referred to as an "attacker." Here, the normal symbol is a symbol that is displayed as a result of a symbol change that determines whether or not to activate a normal electric device (for example, normal electric device 61). The normal symbol in this embodiment is displayed on the normal symbol display device 93. In the following description, the normal symbol may be abbreviated to "normal symbol," and the normal electric device may be referred to as "electric chute." In the following explanation, when simply referring to "pattern change," it means the pattern change of the special design unless otherwise specified.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, obstacles such as numerous game pegs (not shown), windmills 52, and decorative elements are placed on the front of the game board 50, thereby defining a game area 50a in which the game balls that are shot out roll. Additionally, curved outer rail 51 and inner rail 53 are arranged on the left and upper sides of play area 50a to guide game balls launched by rotating operating handle 31 to the top of play area 50a. Outer rail 51 is located outside inner rail 53 with respect to the center of play area 50a. Here, windmill 52 is a nail-shaped mechanism for changing the direction in which game balls fall.

[0030] The gaming machine 10 is capable of varying the strength of the game ball's launch depending on the amount of rotation (e.g., rotation angle) of the operating handle 31, and various obstacles are arranged in the gaming area 50a to make the game ball roll along either the first flow path X (so-called left-hand hit), in which a game ball that is launched more weakly rolls, or the second flow path Y (so-called right-hand hit), in which a game ball that is launched more strongly rolls.

[0031] Figure 3 shows the main prize winning openings as the large prize winning opening 55, the first starting opening 57, the second starting opening 59, the gate 63, and the general prize winning opening 67, but the prize winning openings shown are examples, and their number and arrangement may be changed as appropriate.

[0032] The large prize opening 55 is located in the lower right corner of the game area 50a. A large prize opening sensor 72 is attached to the large prize opening 55, and a prize ball is determined to have been won in the large prize opening 55 based on the detection result of the large prize opening sensor 72, and the number of prize balls associated with the large prize opening 55 (15 in this embodiment) is awarded. In this embodiment, the obstacles are arranged so that more game balls roll toward the big prize opening 55 when rolling from the second flow path Y compared to when rolling from the first flow path X.

[0033] A special electric device 65 is disposed above the large prize opening 55. The special electric device 65 is a member that can be switched between an open state, which makes it easy to win a prize in the large prize opening 55, and a closed state, which makes it difficult to win a prize, and is switched to either the open state or the closed state by a special electric device solenoid 66. More specifically, the special electric device 65 is in an open state during a portion of a jackpot game that starts when a jackpot is determined by the special symbol hit determination described below, or during a portion of a small jackpot game that starts when a small jackpot is determined by the special symbol hit determination, and thus entry into the large prize winning slot 55 is permitted. In this way, when the special electric device 65 is in an open state, entry into the large prize winning slot 55 becomes easier, so it can be said that jackpot games and small jackpot games, in which the chances of winning prize balls are significantly increased, are in an advantageous gaming state. Also, as will be described in detail later, the small jackpot game in this embodiment can give rise to a jackpot game. In a jackpot game, the special electric device 65 is alternately set to an open state and a closed state, and one open state (sometimes referred to as a "round game," and the total number of round games that occur in one jackpot may be referred to as the "number of rounds") ends when a predetermined number (10 in this embodiment) of game balls have entered the large prize opening 55, and the special electric device 65 enters a closed state. Furthermore, one open state in a jackpot game also ends when a sufficient time (30 seconds in this embodiment) has elapsed for the predetermined number of game balls to enter the large prize opening 55. On the other hand, in the small win game, the game ends when the special electric device 65 is in an open state for 1.8 seconds or when 10 game balls enter the large prize opening 55. Therefore, in the small win game, it is more difficult for game balls to enter the large prize opening 55 than in the large win game.

[0034] The first starting hole 57 is located at the bottom center of the game area 50a. A first starting hole sensor 70 is attached to the first starting hole 57, and the detection result of the first starting hole sensor 70 determines whether a ball has entered the first starting hole 57, and the number of prize balls associated with the first starting hole 57 (4 in this embodiment) is awarded. In at least some cases where a ball has entered the first starting hole 57, a pattern change related to special image 1 is performed. In addition, in the game area 50a of this embodiment, obstacles such as game nails are arranged so that more game balls roll toward the first starting hole 57 when rolling from the first flow path X than when rolling from the second flow path Y.

[0035] The second starting hole 59 is located in the lower right of the play area 50a. A second starting hole sensor 71 is attached to the second starting hole 59, and the detection result of the second starting hole sensor 71 determines whether a ball has entered the second starting hole 59, and the number of prize balls associated with the second starting hole 59 (1 in this embodiment) is awarded. In at least some cases where a winning entry into the second starting port 59 is determined, a pattern change related to special chart 2 will be performed. In addition, in the game area 50a of this embodiment, obstacles such as game nails are arranged so that more game balls roll toward the second starting hole 59 when rolling from the second flow path Y than when rolling from the first flow path X.

[0036] A normal electric device 61 is disposed in the flow path connected to the second starting port 59. The normal electric device 61 is a member that can be switched between an open state, which makes it easy for a game ball to enter the second starting port 59, and a closed state, which makes it difficult for the ball to enter, and is switched to either the open state or the closed state by a normal electric device solenoid 62. More specifically, the normal electric device 61 opens when the result of the normal winning / losing judgment described later is a normal winning (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as a "normal winning"), and thus entry into the second starting hole 59 is permitted. In this way, when the normal electric device 61 is in the open state, entry into the second starting hole 59 is possible, so that the chances of the pattern variation relating to the special drawing 2 being executed can be greatly increased while suppressing the decrease in game balls due to the prize balls.

[0037] Gate 63 is located in the center right of game area 50a. Gate 63 is equipped with a gate sensor 74, and the detection result of gate sensor 74 determines whether or not a win has been made at gate 63. In at least some cases where a win has been made at gate 63, the normal symbol pattern will change.

[0038] The general winning opening 67 is located at the lower left of the game area 50a. A general winning opening sensor 73 is attached to the general winning opening 67, and a win at the general winning opening 67 is determined based on the detection result of the general winning opening sensor 73, and the number of prize balls associated with the general winning opening 67 (4 in this embodiment) is awarded. In this embodiment, the obstacles are arranged so that more game balls roll toward the general winning opening 67 when rolling from the first flow path X compared to when rolling from the second flow path Y, but the obstacles may be arranged so that more game balls roll toward the general winning opening 67 when rolling from the second flow path Y. Also, a plurality of general winning openings 67 may be provided.

[0039] The outlet 69 is located at the bottom of the game area 50a. A game ball that is shot into the game area 50a and does not enter any of the winning holes falls into the outlet 69 and is treated as an out ball. In this embodiment, an out ball sensor 75 (not shown) for detecting out balls, which are game balls that enter the winning hole and the out hole 69, is provided.

[0040] In addition to the sensors mentioned above, the game board 50 is also provided with a magnetic detection sensor for detecting magnetism and a radio wave detection sensor for detecting radio waves (both not shown) to prevent fraudulent acts such as receiving prize balls illegally.

[0041] As shown in Figure 4, the back of the game board 50 is equipped with a main control board case 109 housing the main control board 100, a first sub-control board case 209 housing the first sub-control board 200, and a second sub-control board case 309 housing the second sub-control board 300, and in addition to the backs of the first sub-control board case 209 and the second sub-control board case 309, an open / close cover 45 is detachably attached to cover part of the back of the main control board case 109. The main control board 100 is provided with a RAM clear switch 43. The substrate cases and covers that encase each substrate are made of transparent materials, and the corresponding substrates can be seen through each case and cover.

[0042] Additionally, on the back of the gaming board 50, above the opening / closing cover 45, there is disposed a gaming ball tank 46 for storing gaming balls supplied from the ball supply equipment of the gaming island. The gaming ball tank 46 is further connected to a payout passage 49 leading to the upper ball tray 27 via a tank rail 47 and a payout unit 48, and the balls paid out by the payout unit 48 are paid out through the payout passage 49 to the upper ball tray 27.

[0043] Up to this point, the structure of the gaming machine 10 in this embodiment has been described, but this is only one specific example, and the present invention can also be implemented with other configurations.

[0044] <Regarding the control configuration of the gaming machine 10> Next, a control configuration of the gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the gaming machine 10. Note that the control configuration shown in Fig. 5 is necessary for explaining the gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment, and the gaming machine 10 may also have a control configuration not shown in Fig. 5.

[0045] The main control board 100 is equipped with a CPU 101 that performs various calculations related to the game, a ROM 102 that stores data such as control programs and various lottery tables, a RAM 103 that functions as a work area and buffer memory that serves as a temporary storage area, an I / O port 104 that inputs and outputs signals between peripheral boards and each device, and a random number circuit 105 that operates in a system separate from the program processing by the CPU 101 and generates random numbers (hard random numbers), and these are connected to each other via an internal bus.

[0046] The CPU 101 reads out various control programs stored in the ROM 102 and performs arithmetic processing to execute various processes related to the main control of the game. The RAM 103 is backed up by a backup power source generated by a backup power circuit (described later). Specifically, the RAM 103 is configured to back up various information that can be used to restore the gaming machine 10 to the state it was in immediately before the power outage when power is restored (when power is turned on) after a power outage. For example, in addition to data such as a stack pointer and various registers held at the time of the power outage, information related to gameplay, such as the state of the gaming machine 10 at the time (game stopped or playable) and the current normal lottery status, is backed up. This information is cleared (initialized) by a RAM clear process. Furthermore, when a RAM clear process is executed, the symbol string related to the decorative symbols is frozen with the initial symbol combination displayed. This also applies if the RAM clear process was not executed when power was turned on and if a symbol variation was not in progress at the time of the previous power outage. Furthermore, this initial symbol combination is frozen only when power is turned on, and is not frozen with the execution of a symbol variation.

[0047] In this embodiment, at least an area in which such information related to the game is stored (sometimes referred to as the game-related area of ​​RAM 103) is backed up, as well as an area in which the complement of a checksum and a backup flag related to the game-related area of ​​RAM 103 are stored (sometimes referred to as the game-related backup information area of ​​RAM 103). Then, when power is restored, the gaming machine 10 recovers using the various pieces of information stored in the backed-up game-related area of ​​RAM 103 and the game-related backup information area of ​​RAM 103. Note that the specific method of backup in this embodiment is not limited in any way. For example, the area of ​​RAM 103 to be backed up may be configured to be able to retain data in a non-volatile manner even in a power outage. As another example, within RAM 103, different hardware may be provided for a first memory configured to retain data in a non-volatile manner even in a power outage and a second memory referenced during operation of the gaming machine 10. In this case, the gaming machine 10 may save the information to be backed up from the second memory to the first memory when power is lost, and then recover the saved information from the first memory to the second memory when power is restored.

[0048] Furthermore, the main control board 100 is electrically connected to the first start opening sensor 70, the second start opening sensor 71, the special prize opening sensor 72, the general prize opening sensor 73, the gate sensor 74, the out ball sensor 75, etc., and is configured to be able to input detection signals from these sensors to the CPU 101 via the I / O port 104. Although not shown in the figure, in addition to these sensors, the main control board 100 is also electrically connected to a full tank detection sensor, a magnetic detection sensor, and a radio wave detection sensor, and is configured to be able to input detection signals from these sensors to the CPU 101 via the I / O port 104.

[0049] In addition, the main control board 100 is electrically connected to the pattern display device 90, the normal electric role solenoid 62, and the special electric role solenoid 66, and is configured to be able to control these via the I / O port 104. Similarly, the main control board 100 is electrically connected to the main operation unit 39 and the RAM clear switch 43, and is configured to be able to detect the operation of the main operation unit 39.

[0050] The main control board 100 and the first sub-control board 200 are connected by eight parallel signal lines and one strobe line, and are connected so that communication is possible in only one direction, from the main control board 100 to the first sub-control board 200, and various performance control commands are sent from the main control board 100 to the first sub-control board 200. Furthermore, the first sub-control board 200 is configured so that data cannot be transmitted from the first sub-control board 200 to the main control board 100, and the first sub-control board 200 is configured so that it cannot request the main control board 100 to transmit data. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a parallel transmission method is used for transmitting data from the main control board 100 to the first sub-control board 200, but a serial transmission method may also be used.

[0051] The first sub-control board 200 comprises a CPU 201 that performs various arithmetic processing related to game presentation based on presentation control commands from the main control board 100, a ROM 202 that stores data such as presentation control programs and various lottery tables, a RAM 203 that functions as a work area or buffer memory that serves as a temporary storage area, and an I / O port 204 that inputs and outputs signals between peripheral boards and each device, and these are connected to each other via an internal bus, and the CPU 201 is configured to execute main control related to game presentation in accordance with the control program stored in ROM 202. The first sub-control board 200 is electrically connected to the effect button 37 and the cursor button 38, and is configured to be able to detect the operation of these operation units.

[0052] In addition, the first sub-control board 200 generates, through performance control processing based on performance control commands from the main control board 100, image control commands that instruct the image to be displayed on the second sub-control board 300, audio control commands that instruct the audio to be output to the audio control board 310, lamp control data for controlling the lighting of various lamps such as the frame lamp 35, and movement control data for controlling the movement of the movable decorative body 22 and the sub-display unit 82, etc. Here, the first sub-control board 200 is connected to the second sub-control board 300 and the audio control board 310 to enable two-way communication, and each control command (image control command, audio control command) is sent from the first sub-control board 200 to the second sub-control board 300 or the audio control board 310, while in response, a response command (ACK command) indicating that the control command was successfully received is sent from each control board (second sub-control board 300, audio control board 310) to the first sub-control board 200.

[0053] The first sub-control board 200 is also electrically connected to the frame lamp 35, and transmits lamp control data via the I / O port 204. The frame lamp 35 is configured so that its illumination is controlled by the lamp control data transmitted from the first sub-control board 200. Furthermore, the first sub-control board 200 is electrically connected to the movable decorative body 22 and the sub-display unit 82, and transmits movement control data via the I / O port 204. The movable decorative body 22 and the sub-display unit 82 are configured so that their movement is controlled by the movement control data transmitted from the first sub-control board 200.

[0054] The second sub-control board 300, although not shown in the figure, is equipped with a CPU that performs various arithmetic processing related to image presentation based on image control commands from the first sub-control board 200, a ROM that stores image control programs and various data, a RAM that functions as a work area and buffer memory that serves as a temporary storage area, and an I / O port that inputs and outputs signals between peripheral boards and each device, and the CPU is configured to execute main control related to image presentation in accordance with the control program stored in the ROM 302. Furthermore, the second sub-control board 300 is equipped with a VDP that generates image data according to the content of the effect determined by the effect content determination means 225 (described later) based on a control signal received from the CPU, and a sound source IC that generates sound data according to the content of the effect based on a control signal received from the CPU. The VDP is a so-called image processor that reads image data stored in an image ROM in response to instructions from the CPU, processes the image data, and sends the generated image data to the main display unit 81 and the sub-display unit 82. Also connected to this VDP is a high-speed VRAM that is used to expand and process the image data read from the image ROM.

[0055] The audio control board 310 is equipped with a CPU 311 that performs various arithmetic processing related to audio performance based on audio control commands from the first sub-control board 200, a ROM 312 that stores audio control programs, audio data, etc., a RAM 313 that functions as a work area or buffer memory that serves as a temporary storage area, and an I / O port 314 that inputs and outputs signals to and from peripheral boards and each device, and is configured so that the CPU 311 executes main control related to audio performance in accordance with the control program stored in ROM 312. Therefore, the audio control board 310 reads audio data stored in ROM 312 in accordance with audio control commands received from the first sub-control board 200, synthesizes the read audio data, and transmits the final synthesized audio data to the speaker 33 via an amplifier, causing the speaker 33 to output audio.

[0056] <Regarding acquisition of random numbers and random number lottery on the main control board 100> The main control board 100 can generate multiple types of random numbers with different update ranges using the random number circuit 105, and when a win is determined to have been won at a winning slot, it obtains (latches) one or more random numbers corresponding to that winning slot from the random number circuit 105. More specifically, when it is determined that a prize has been won at the first start gate 57 or the second start gate 59, the main control board 100 acquires a random number for determining whether the special symbol has been won, a random number for drawing a lottery for a special symbol stop symbol, and a random number for drawing a lottery for a special symbol change pattern. When it is determined that a prize has been won at gate 63, the main control board 100 stores the random number for determining whether the normal symbol has been won, a random number for drawing a lottery for a normal symbol stop symbol, and a random number for drawing a lottery for a normal symbol change pattern in the corresponding storage areas of RAM 103. The random number circuit 105 monitors whether the multiple types of random numbers it updates are being updated normally, and if an update abnormality occurs in which the random numbers are not updated normally, information indicating the occurrence of the abnormality is written to a specific storage area of ​​the random number circuit 105. Therefore, the CPU 101 can recognize that an update abnormality has occurred in the random number circuit 105.

[0057] Here, these random number lotteries will be explained using the example of the special symbol win / loss determination and the stopping symbol lottery that is carried out based on the results of that determination. Figure 6(a) is a diagram schematically showing a lottery table for determining whether a special symbol is a hit or not, Figure 6(b) is a diagram schematically showing a lottery table for drawing the stopping symbols used when a big hit is derived in the determination of whether a special symbol is a hit or not related to special symbol 1, Figure 6(c) is a diagram schematically showing a lottery table for drawing the stopping symbols used when a small hit is derived in the determination of whether a special symbol is a hit or not related to special symbol 2, and Figure 6(d) is a diagram schematically showing a lottery table for drawing the stopping symbols used when a big hit is derived in the determination of whether a special symbol is a hit or not related to special symbol 2. In the explanation of the lottery tables in this embodiment, names are given to the lottery tables for the sake of convenience, but it is sufficient that the data such as lottery values ​​contained in the lottery tables corresponding to the names are stored in an identifiable manner in each ROM, and these names do not specify the area in which the data is stored. In the lottery tables shown in the figures, there may be items written for the sake of convenience, or lottery values ​​such as "-" or "0", but these do not necessarily indicate the data stored in each ROM. Furthermore, results in which "-" or "0" is written as the lottery value will not result in a win.

[0058] The main control board 100 reads out a random number for determining whether the special symbol has been won or not for each pattern change, and executes a special symbol win / loss determination by lottery using the read out random number and a lottery table for determining whether the symbol has been won or not, to determine whether the winning is a big win, a small win, or a miss. The lottery table for determining whether a special chart is a hit or miss shown in Figure 6(a) is different for special chart 1 and special chart 2, and the range of random numbers used in these determinations is 0 to 65535. Therefore, in determining whether a special chart is a hit or miss for special chart 1, a big hit is derived with a probability of 205 / 65536 (approximately 1 / 320), and any other result is a miss, and no small hit is derived. On the other hand, in determining whether a special chart is a hit or miss for special chart 2, a big hit is derived with a probability of 205 / 65536 (approximately 1 / 320), and a small hit is derived with a probability of 1820 / 65536 (approximately 1 / 36.0), and any other result is a miss. In this embodiment, since a big win game can occur via a small win, the probability of a big win being derived in the special chart hit / miss determination is set to the single probability described above.

[0059] The process flow for determining whether or not a special drawing is won based on the probability of the lottery table shown in FIG. 6(a) will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. Figure 7 is a flowchart of the correct / incorrect determination process related to Special Drawing 1, and Figure 8 is a flowchart of the correct / incorrect determination process related to Special Drawing 2.

[0060] As shown in Figure 7, in step S102, which is the first step of the win / loss determination process for special drawing 1, it is determined whether the pattern change for special drawing 1 has started, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S104, and if the condition is not met, the win / loss determination process for special drawing 1 ends.

[0061] In step S104, a random number for determining whether the special drawing 1 is correct or not is read out, and the process proceeds to step S106. In step S106, the lottery value for determining whether or not there is a jackpot related to special chart 1 is added to the random number read in step S104, and the process proceeds to step S108. Here, the "lottery value for determining whether or not there is a jackpot related to special chart 1" is specifically "205" shown in the jackpot column for special chart 1 in FIG. 6(a). In step S108, it is determined whether an overflow has occurred as a result of the addition process in step S106. If the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S110. If the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S112. Here, "overflow" means that the range of random numbers read for use in the process (65,535, which is the upper limit of the random number read in step S104) is exceeded. That is, in this embodiment, if the random number read in step S104 is between 0 and 65,330, the condition of step S108 is not met, and if the random number read in step S104 is between 65,331 and 65,535, the condition of step S108 is met.

[0062] In step S110, control data indicating that a jackpot has been won with the pattern change related to special chart 1, the start of which was determined in step S102, is stored in a predetermined memory area that stores the result of the win / loss determination related to special chart 1. In step S112, control data indicating that the pattern change related to special drawing 1, which was determined to start in step S102, is a miss, is stored in a predetermined memory area that stores the result of the hit / miss judgment related to special drawing 1.

[0063] As described above, the hit / miss determination process for Special Chart 1 is executed, and the probability of winning the jackpot through this process becomes the above-mentioned probability (205 / 65536).

[0064] As shown in Figure 8, in step S202, which is the first step of the win / loss determination process for special drawing 2, it is determined whether the pattern change for special drawing 2 has started, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S204, and if the condition is not met, the win / loss determination process for special drawing 2 ends.

[0065] In step S204, a random number for determining whether the special drawing 2 is correct or incorrect is read out, and the process proceeds to step S206. In step S206, the lottery value for determining whether or not there is a jackpot for special drawing 2 is added to the random number read in step S204, and the process proceeds to step S208. Here, the "lottery value for determining whether or not there is a jackpot for special drawing 2" is specifically "205" shown in the jackpot column for special drawing 2 in FIG. 6(a). In step S208, it is determined whether an overflow occurred as a result of the addition process in step S206, and if the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S210, and if the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S212. In this embodiment, if the random number read in step S204 is between 0 and 65330, the condition of step S208 is not satisfied, and if the random number read in step S204 is between 65331 and 65535, the condition of step S208 is satisfied. In step S212, the lottery value for determining a small win related to the special drawing 2 is added to the random number read in step S204, and the process proceeds to step S214. Here, the "lottery value for determining a small win related to the special drawing 2" is specifically "2025", which is the sum of "205" shown in the big win column related to the special drawing 2 in Figure 6(a) and "1820" shown in the small win column. In step S214, it is determined whether an overflow occurred as a result of the addition process in step S212, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S216, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S218. In this embodiment, if the random number read in step S204 is between 0 and 63510, the condition of step S214 is not met, and if the random number read in step S204 is between 63511 and 65330, the condition of step S214 is met.

[0066] In step S210, control data indicating that a jackpot has been won by the pattern change related to special chart 2, the start of which was determined in step S202, is stored in a predetermined memory area that stores the result of the hit / miss judgment related to special chart 2. In step S216, control data indicating that a small win has been achieved with the pattern change related to special chart 2, the start of which was determined in step S202, is stored in a predetermined memory area that stores the result of the win / loss determination related to special chart 2. In step S218, control data indicating that the pattern change related to special drawing 2, which was determined to start in step S202, is a miss, is stored in a predetermined memory area that stores the result of the hit / miss judgment related to special drawing 2.

[0067] As described above, the hit / miss determination process for Special Chart 2 is executed, so that the probability of winning a big hit through this process becomes the above-mentioned probability (205 / 65536), and the probability of winning a small hit through this process becomes the above-mentioned probability (1820 / 65536).

[0068] Furthermore, when the result of the special chart hit / miss judgment is a big hit or a small hit, the main control board 100 determines the special chart stopping pattern by lottery using a random number (in this embodiment, in the range of 0 to 999) for drawing the special chart stopping pattern and a lottery table for drawing the special chart stopping pattern.

[0069] If a jackpot is determined in the special pattern hit / miss determination for special pattern 1, the main control board 100 determines the stopping pattern by referring to the lottery table for the stopping pattern lottery shown in Figure 6(b), and determines pattern A as the stopping pattern with a probability of 100 / 1000 (1 / 10) and pattern B with a probability of 900 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.11). If the result of the special drawing pass / fail judgment for special drawing 1 is a miss, the main control board 100 will always determine pattern C as the stopping pattern. Here, symbols A and B correspond to jackpots with different degrees of advantage, with the jackpot associated with symbol A being more advantageous than the jackpot associated with symbol B. Specifically, "advantageous" here refers to being advantageous in terms of the number of rounds of the jackpot game corresponding to these stopped symbols, the type of game state to which the player transitions after the jackpot game ends, or the maximum number of symbol changes (prescribed number of times) that the advantageous game state to which the player transitions after the jackpot game ends can continue.

[0070] The processing flow for determining the stop symbol related to special symbol 1 using the probability of the lottery table shown in FIG. 6(b) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the stop pattern determination process for Special Chart 1.

[0071] As shown in Figure 9, in step S302, which is the first step in the process of determining the stopping pattern related to special chart 1, it is determined whether or not a jackpot has been won due to the pattern change related to special chart 1, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S304, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S314. The determination result in step S302 is the same as the determination result in step S108 described above.

[0072] In step S304, a random number for lottery of symbols to be stopped in the event of a big win is read out, and the process proceeds to step S306. In step S306, the lottery value for symbol A is added to the random number read in step S304, and the process proceeds to step S308. Here, the "lottery value for symbol A" is specifically "100" shown in the symbol A column in FIG. 6(b). In step S308, it is determined whether an overflow occurred as a result of the addition process in step S306, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S310, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S312. In this embodiment, if the random number read in step S304 is between 0 and 899, the condition of step S308 is not met, and if the random number read in step S304 is between 900 and 999, the condition of step S308 is met.

[0073] In step S310, control data indicating that the stopping pattern has been determined to be pattern A is stored in a predetermined memory area that stores the results of the stopping pattern determination for special pattern 1. In step S312, control data indicating that the stopping pattern has been determined to be pattern B is stored in a predetermined memory area that stores the result of the stopping pattern determination related to special pattern 1. In step S314, control data indicating that the stopping pattern has been determined to be pattern C is stored in a predetermined memory area that stores the results of the stopping pattern determination for special pattern 1.

[0074] As described above, the process for determining the stopping pattern for special chart 1 is executed, so that the probability that pattern A will stop when special chart 1 hits will be the above-mentioned probability (100 / 1000), the probability that pattern B will stop when special chart 1 hits will be the above-mentioned probability (900 / 1000), and pattern C will always stop when special chart 1 misses.

[0075] If a small win is derived in the special pattern hit / miss judgment for special pattern 2, the main control board 100 determines the stopping pattern by referring to the lottery table for the stopping pattern lottery shown in Figure 6 (c), and pattern a is determined as the stopping pattern with a probability of 700 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 1.43) and pattern b with a probability of 300 / 1000 (approximately 1 / 3.33). If a jackpot is determined in the special pattern hit / miss determination for special pattern 2, the main control board 100 determines the stopping pattern by referring to the lottery table for the stopping pattern lottery shown in Figure 6 (d), and pattern c is determined as the stopping pattern with a probability of 1000 / 1000 (1 / 1). If the result of the special drawing pass / fail judgment for special drawing 2 is a miss, the main control board 100 determines pattern d as the stopping pattern. Here, symbols a and b correspond to small wins with different degrees of advantage, with small wins related to symbol a being more advantageous than small wins related to symbol b. Specifically, "advantageous" here refers to being advantageous in terms of the number of rounds of the big win game that occurs via the small wins corresponding to these stopped symbols, the type of game state to which the big win game is transitioned after the end of the big win game, or the maximum number of pattern changes (prescribed number of times) that the advantageous game state to which the big win game is transitioned can continue after the end of the big win game.

[0076] The processing flow for determining the stop symbol related to special symbol 2 using the probabilities in the lottery tables shown in Figures 6(c) and 6(d) will be described with reference to Figure 10. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the stop pattern determination process for special chart 2.

[0077] As shown in Figure 10, in step S402, which is the first step of the stopping pattern determination process for special chart 2, it is determined whether or not a small win has been won with the pattern change for special chart 2, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S404, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S414. The determination result in step S402 is the same as the determination result in step S214 described above.

[0078] In step S404, a random number for drawing the symbols to be stopped when a small win occurs is read out, and the process proceeds to step S406. In step S406, the lottery value for the symbol a is added to the random number read in step S404, and the process proceeds to step S408. Here, the "lottery value for the symbol a" is specifically "700" shown in the column for the symbol a in FIG. 6(c). In step S408, it is determined whether an overflow occurred as a result of the addition process in step S406, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S410, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S412. In this embodiment, if the random number read in step S404 is between 0 and 299, the condition of step S408 is not met, and if the random number read in step S304 is between 300 and 999, the condition of step S408 is met.

[0079] In step S414, it is determined whether or not a jackpot has been won with the pattern change related to special chart 2, and if the condition is met, the process proceeds to step S416, and if the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S422. The determination result in step S414 is the same as the determination result in step S208 described above.

[0080] In step S416, a random number for lottery of symbols to be stopped in the event of a big win is read, and the process proceeds to step S418. In step S418, the lottery value for symbol c is added to the random number read in step S416, and the process proceeds to step S420. Here, the "lottery value for symbol c" is specifically "1000" shown in the symbol c column in Figure 6(d). The lottery value added in step S418 exceeds the maximum value (999) of the random number read in step S416, so an overflow will always occur. Therefore, even if the processing of steps S416 and S418 in this embodiment is omitted, the result of the stopping pattern determination processing for special drawing 2 (the rate at which each pattern stops) does not change.

[0081] In step S410, control data indicating that the stopping pattern has been determined to be pattern a is stored in a predetermined memory area that stores the result of the stopping pattern determination related to special pattern 2. In step S412, control data indicating that the stopping pattern has been determined to be pattern b is stored in a predetermined memory area that stores the result of the stopping pattern determination for special pattern 2. In step S420, control data indicating that the stopping pattern has been determined to be pattern c is stored in a predetermined memory area that stores the results of the stopping pattern determination for special pattern 2. In step S422, control data indicating that the stopping pattern has been determined to be pattern d is stored in a predetermined memory area that stores the result of the stopping pattern determination for special pattern 2.

[0082] As described above, the process of determining the stopping pattern for special chart 1 is executed, so that the probability that pattern a will stop when there is a small hit on special chart 2 is the above-mentioned probability (700 / 1000), the probability that pattern b will stop when there is a small hit on special chart 2 is the above-mentioned probability (300 / 1000), the probability that pattern c will stop when there is a big hit on special chart 2 is the above-mentioned probability (1000 / 1000), and pattern d will always stop when there is a miss on special chart 2.

[0083] As described above with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10, when various determination processes are performed by random number lottery, a lottery value corresponding to the random number read for the determination process is required. In this embodiment, a simple random number lottery in which one or two lottery values ​​exist for one random number read for the judgment process is exemplified, but in random number lotteries related to special chart variation patterns and random number lotteries related to performance control (to determine the performance content), it is not uncommon for more than several hundred lottery values ​​to exist for one random number. When the lottery values ​​are expanded into each RAM to realize such a random number lottery, there is a problem that the memory area for storing the lottery values ​​increases, putting pressure on memory area for other uses.

[0084] As a general rule, this lottery value will be smaller than the random number read out (as an exception, it is possible to set a lottery value that exceeds the range of the random number read out, such as the "lottery value for pattern c" used to draw the stopping pattern when a jackpot is won on Special Chart 2, but as mentioned above, in this case the lottery itself can be omitted). Therefore, even when a 2-byte random number is read out, there are cases where part of the lottery value corresponding to that random number can be expressed in 1 byte. In the case described above, there is a conventional method in which lottery values ​​below a predetermined value are expanded as 1-byte lottery data, and lottery values ​​above the predetermined value are expanded as 2-byte lottery data, and then 1-byte judgment data (data to distinguish it from the 1-byte lottery data) is added to the lottery data to expand the data. This conventional method is effective when there is a lot of lottery data that can be expressed in 1 byte, but in the opposite case, 3 bytes of RAM memory area are used to expand one lottery value, which actually puts a strain on the memory area.

[0085] The gaming machine 10 according to this embodiment implements one of the following data compression methods to achieve more effective data compression than the above-mentioned methods.

[0086] <First specific example of the data compression method according to this embodiment> In order to distinguish between 1-byte lottery data and 2-byte lottery data, CPU 101 treats a part of a bit group in the first byte of the 2-byte base data read from ROM 102 as judgment data and judges whether the bit group complies with a predetermined criterion.

[0087] Here, the "predetermined standard" means, for example, that all of the bits treated as the determination data are all "1." In other words, the CPU 101 treats the bits from the most significant bit to the fifth consecutive bit of the upper byte of the two-byte base data read from the ROM 102 as the determination data. In the following description, for convenience, the bit group treated as the above-mentioned judgment data will be referred to as a "judgment bit group."

[0088] If the CPU 101 determines that the judgment bit group does not meet the criteria, it generates one byte of lottery data by using the second byte (lower byte) of the two bytes of base data it reads out, without using the first byte (upper byte), and stores the lottery data in a memory area of ​​the RAM 103 corresponding to the lottery data. On the other hand, if the CPU 101 determines that the judgment bit group meets the criteria, it generates two bytes of lottery data using the first and second bytes (both the upper and lower bytes) of the two bytes of base data that it reads, and stores the lottery data in a memory area of ​​RAM 103 corresponding to the lottery data. Therefore, in the former case, the storage area used to expand the lottery data is 1 byte, and in the latter case, the storage area used to expand the lottery data is 2 bytes.

[0089] As explained using Figure 8, in the hit / miss judgment related to the special chart 2 in this embodiment, the lottery value for the big hit judgment is "205", and the lottery value for the small hit judgment is "2025". These will be used as examples to explain in detail. For example, if the fifth most significant bit of two bytes of base data is used as a judgment bit group, and all of the judgment bit group is "1" to judge that it meets the criteria, the values ​​that can be expressed using only the lower bytes of the base data are limited to the range of 0 ("0000,0000" in binary) to 247 ("1111,0111" in binary). This is because for values ​​exceeding 248 ("1111,1000" in binary), all of the fifth most significant bits become "1".

[0090] The lottery value "205" for determining whether a jackpot has occurred according to the special drawing 2 is within the range of 0 to 247, and can therefore be represented by only the lower byte of the base data. Therefore, ROM 102 is written with two bytes of base data that represent the lottery value "205" for determining whether a jackpot has occurred according to the special drawing 2 in binary as "0000,0000,1100,1101." When CPU 101 expands the data into RAM 103, CPU 101 generates one byte of lottery data "1100,1101" based only on the lower byte of the base data and stores it in the corresponding storage area of ​​RAM 103. On the other hand, the lottery value "2025" for determining a small win according to the special drawing 2 is not included in the range of 0 to 247, so it must be represented by both the upper and lower bytes of the base data. Therefore, the ROM 102 converts the five most significant bits of the binary representation of the lottery value "2025" for determining a small win according to the special drawing 2, "0000, 0111, 1110, 1001" to "1", and writes two bytes of base data represented as "1111, 1111, 1110, 1001". Then, when the CPU 101 expands the data in the RAM 103, the CPU 101 refers to the upper and lower bytes of the base data, rewrites all five bits of the determination bit group to "0", and generates two bytes of lottery data "0000, 0111, 1110, 1001", which is stored in the corresponding storage area of ​​the RAM 103.

[0091] According to the above data compression method, lottery data that can be expressed in 1 byte is stored in a storage area of ​​1 byte of RAM 103, and lottery data that can be expressed in 2 bytes is stored in a storage area of ​​2 bytes of RAM 103. Therefore, compared to the conventional method described above, it is possible to reduce the storage area used for data development.

[0092] In the above data compression method, when the determination bit group is the fifth most significant bit, if the lottery value used for the target random number lottery is within the range of 0 to 247, the lottery data can be 1 byte. If the lottery value used for the target random number lottery is within the range of 248 to 2047, the lottery data can be 2 bytes. If the decision bit group is the top five bits, it is not possible to express lottery values ​​exceeding 2048. This is because 2048 can be expressed in binary as "0000,1000,0000,0000," and the top five bits of the two-byte base data cannot be used as the decision bit group.

[0093] When applying the above data compression method, the relationship between the number of bits treated as the judgment bit group, the range that can be expressed by 1 byte of lottery data, and the range that can be expressed by 2 bytes of lottery data is as follows: When the first two most significant bits are used as the determination bit group, the lottery values ​​of 0 to 191 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​of 192 to 16383 can be used as 2-byte lottery data. When the first three bits are used as the determination bit group, the lottery values ​​from 0 to 223 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​from 224 to 8192 can be used as 2-byte lottery data. When the first four bits are used as the judgment bit group, the lottery values ​​from 0 to 239 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​from 240 to 4095 can be used as 2-byte lottery data. When the first five bits are used as the determination bit group, the lottery values ​​from 0 to 247 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​from 248 to 2047 can be used as 2-byte lottery data. When the six most significant bits are used as the judgment bit group, the lottery values ​​of 0 to 251 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​of 252 to 1023 can be used as 2-byte lottery data. When the seven most significant bits are used as the judgment bit group, the lottery values ​​of 0 to 253 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​of 254 to 511 can be used as 2-byte lottery data.

[0094] When applying the above data compression method, it is not desirable to limit the number of bits treated as the decision bit group to one, because unexpected events often occur in which the value of the corresponding bit changes, making the process unstable. Furthermore, when applying the above data compression method, it is not desirable to set the number of bits treated as the decision bit group to eight, because all of the upper bytes become the decision bit group, and the range that can be expressed in two bytes becomes the same as the range that can be expressed in one byte.

[0095] To summarize, when applying the above data compression method, it is desirable that the judgment bit group be multiple bits (2nd or more from the most significant bit) and 7th or less from the most significant bit.The maximum value of 1 byte of lottery data that can be generated when base data whose judgment bit group does not meet the criteria is read is 253 or less in decimal.

[0096] <Second specific example of the data compression method according to this embodiment> In the first specific example, it was explained that when the top five digits are used as the judgment bit group, lottery values ​​from 0 to 247 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and lottery values ​​from 248 to 2047 can be used as 2-byte lottery data. According to the method shown in the first specific example, the 2-byte base data representing the lottery value of 248 can be expressed in binary as "1111,1000,1111,1000", and the 2-byte lottery data obtained by expanding this base data into RAM 103 can be expressed as "0000,0000,1111,1000". That is, the method shown in the first specific example does not use 2-byte data in the range of "1111,1000,0000,0000" to "1111,1000,1111,0111" as base data, which is not necessarily desirable from the perspective of data compression efficiency.

[0097] In order to solve the above problem, when the CPU 101 reads two bytes of base data in which all of the first five bits from the most significant bit are "1", the CPU 101 adds 248 to the value represented by the remaining bits of the base data (i.e., the 10 bits from the sixth to the sixteenth bits counting from the most significant bit) to generate two bytes of lottery data, and expands the lottery data in the RAM 103. For example, when the CPU 101 reads base data expressed as "1111,1000,0000,0000", it refers to the upper and lower bytes of the base data, rewrites all five bits of the determination bit group to "0", and then adds 248 to the remaining bits to generate two bytes of lottery data expressed as "0000,0000,1111,1000".

[0098] The data compression method described here can be summarized as follows: First, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the determination bit group of the base data read from the ROM 102 is a predetermined bit string (all of the most significant bits up to the fifth most significant bit are "1"). If it is determined that the value of the determination bit group is not a predetermined bit string as a result of the above determination, the CPU 101 generates one byte of lottery data that has the same value as the lower byte of the base data. As a result of the above judgment, when it is determined that the value of the judgment bit group is a predetermined bit string, CPU 101 generates 2-byte lottery data for the base data whose value is the maximum value of 1-byte lottery data that can be generated in the first instance plus 1.

[0099] By applying the above-described data compression method, ROM 102 can store first base data whose group of judgment bits does not conform to the standard (e.g., "0000,0000,0000,0000"), and second base data whose group of judgment bits conforms to the standard and whose lower byte value is the same as that of the first base data (e.g., "1111,1000,0000,0000"), and the result of the lottery performed when the first base data is read (the result corresponding to the lottery value "0") will differ from the result of the lottery performed when the second base data is read (the result corresponding to the lottery value "248").

[0100] By applying the above data compression method, the 2-byte data in the range of "1111,1000,0000,0000" to "1111,1000,1111,0111" can be used as base data without waste, further improving the data compression efficiency. When applying the data compression method described here, the relationship between the number of bits treated as a judgment bit group, the range that can be expressed by 1 byte of lottery data, and the range that can be expressed by 2 bytes of lottery data is as follows: When the first two most significant bits are used as the determination bit group, the lottery values ​​of 0 to 191 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​of 192 to 16575 can be used as 2-byte lottery data. When the first three bits are used as the determination bit group, the lottery values ​​of 0 to 223 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​of 224 to 8416 can be used as 2-byte lottery data. When the first four bits are used as the determination bit group, the lottery values ​​from 0 to 239 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​from 240 to 4335 can be used as 2-byte lottery data. When the first five bits are used as the judgment bit group, the lottery values ​​from 0 to 247 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​from 248 to 2295 can be used as 2-byte lottery data. When the six most significant bits are used as the judgment bit group, the lottery values ​​of 0 to 251 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​of 252 to 1275 can be used as 2-byte lottery data. When the seven most significant bits are used as the determination bit group, the lottery values ​​of 0 to 253 can be used as 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​of 254 to 765 can be used as 2-byte lottery data.

[0101] <Third specific example of the data compression method according to this embodiment> In the first and second specific examples described above, the criterion for determining the determination bit group is that all bits are "1". In the specific example described below, the above criteria are changed so that if the value represented by the determination bit group is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, it is treated as meeting the criteria.

[0102] In this specific example, the determination bit group is all bits of the upper byte (that is, the eighth most significant bit of the base data), and the reference value is 115 ("0111,0011" in binary).

[0103] The CPU 101 determines whether the value of the determination bit group of the base data read from the ROM 102 is 115 or greater. If the value of the determination bit group is less than 115, the CPU 101 generates one byte of lottery data having the same value as the lower byte of the base data, and expands the data in a storage area of ​​the RAM 103 corresponding to the lottery data. When the value of the determination bit group is 115 or greater, CPU 101 finds a new bit group whose value is obtained by subtracting 115 from the value of the determination bit group, replaces the determination bit group of the base data with the new bit group, and generates 2 bytes of lottery data whose value is obtained by adding 115 to the new bit group, and expands the data into the memory area of ​​RAM 103 corresponding to the lottery data.

[0104] For example, if the base data read by the CPU 101 is "0000,0000,0000,0000," the lower byte "0000,0000" is expanded into the storage area of ​​the RAM 103 as one-byte lottery data representing the lottery value "0." Alternatively, if the base data read by CPU 101 is "0111,0011,0000,0000", it subtracts "0111,0011" from the upper byte, which is the group of judgment bits, to obtain "0000,0000,0000,0000", and then adds "0111,0011" to obtain "0000,0000,0111,0011", and expands this two-byte data into the memory area of ​​RAM 103 as lottery data representing the lottery value "115". Furthermore, if the base data read by CPU 101 is "1111, 1111, 1111, 1111," it subtracts "0111, 0011" from the upper byte, which is the group of judgment bits, to obtain "1000, 1100, 1111, 1111," and then adds "0111, 0011" to obtain "1000, 1101, 0111, 0010," and expands this two-byte data into the memory area of ​​RAM 103 as lottery data representing the lottery value "36210."

[0105] Even with the above data compression method, as with the method described as the second specific example, ROM 102 can store first base data whose judgment bit group does not conform to the criterion (e.g., "0000,0000,0000,0000"), and second base data whose judgment bit group conforms to the criterion and whose lower byte value is the same as that of the first base data (e.g., "0111,0011,0000,0000"), and the result of the lottery conducted when the first base data is read (the result corresponding to the lottery value "0") will differ from the result of the lottery conducted when the second base data is read (the result corresponding to the lottery value "115").

[0106] Furthermore, by applying the above-described data compression method, even if all bits of the upper byte (the eighth most significant bit of the base data) are used as the judgment bit group, which was deemed undesirable in the first and second specific examples, a wider range of values ​​can be expressed as two-byte lottery data, thereby further improving the data compression efficiency. According to the data compression method described above, the lottery values ​​of 0 to 114 can be converted into 1-byte lottery data, and the lottery values ​​of 115 to 36210 can be converted into 2-byte lottery data.

[0107] <Other variations> Modifications not mentioned in the above description are listed below.

[0108] The above embodiment has been explained on the premise that the present invention is applied to a pachinko machine that launches a gaming ball into a gaming area and changes the pattern when the gaming ball enters a start hole, but the present invention may also be applied to a slot machine that consumes gaming media, starts the reels in response to operation of a start lever, and stops the reels by operating a stop button.

[0109] The above embodiment describes the application of the present invention to the pass / fail determination related to Special Drawing 2, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this form and may be applied to either a random number lottery under main control (a random number lottery performed by the main control board 100) or a random number lottery under sub-control (a random number lottery performed by the first sub-control board 200 and the second sub-control board 300).

[0110] The method of determining whether or not the determination bit group conforms to the criteria, as explained in the above embodiment, is not particularly limited, and may be selected appropriately within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention. In addition, in any of the data compression methods described using the first, second, and third specific examples, the above judgment can be made by simply comparing with a value determined by a JCP command or the like, so the processing load for the judgment is extremely small.

[0111] Any of the data compression methods described in the above embodiments may be used in combination with known data compression methods within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention. For example, it is possible to use a known technique in combination, such as changing the judgment criteria by using a value that is not used as a lottery value.

[0112] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as long as the relationship between the probability, rate, frequency, and number of times is ensured, the smaller value may be 0, and the larger value may be the maximum value. In particular, as long as the phenomenon aspect is ensured, the control for realizing the rate can be any. Furthermore, each lottery value in the lottery table illustrated in this embodiment is an example, and as long as the magnitude relationship between the lottery tables is maintained, each lottery value may adopt any value within the range.

[0113] The present invention described above is not limited to the above description, and includes various modifications and improvements as long as the object of the present invention is achieved.

[0114] <Additional Notes> The present embodiment encompasses the following technical idea. (1) A gaming machine that acquires a random number when a predetermined condition is met, and uses the acquired random number and lottery data to conduct a lottery corresponding to the predetermined condition, comprising: a memory means for storing two bytes of base data; and a lottery data expansion means for reading the base data from the memory means and expanding the lottery data in a predetermined memory area, wherein the lottery data expansion means determines whether a judgment bit group including a predetermined number of bits in the upper bytes of the base data read from the memory means conforms to a criterion, and when it is determined that the judgment bit group does not conform to the criterion, generates one byte of the lottery data using the lower byte of the base data without using the upper byte, and when it is determined that the judgment bit group conforms to the criterion, generates two bytes of the lottery data using both the upper byte and the lower byte of the base data. (2) The gaming machine described in (1), wherein the lottery data expansion means uses the base data read from the storage means from the most significant bit of the upper byte to a predetermined consecutive bit as the judgment bit group. (3) The gaming machine described in (2) above, wherein the storage means stores first base data whose judgment bit group does not conform to the criterion, and second base data whose judgment bit group conforms to the criterion and whose lower byte value is the same as that of the first base data, and the result of the lottery conducted when the first base data is read from the storage means is different from the result of the lottery conducted when the second base data is read from the storage means. (4) The lottery data expansion means determines whether the determination bit group of the base data read from the storage means is a predetermined bit sequence or not, and when the value of the determination bit group is a first value that is not the predetermined bit sequence, generates 1 byte of lottery data that has the same value as the lower byte of the base data, and when the value of the determination bit group is a second value that is the predetermined bit sequence, generates 2 bytes of lottery data that has a value obtained by adding 1 to the maximum value of the 1 byte of lottery data that can be generated in the first value to the base data, in the gaming machine described in (3). (5) The lottery data expansion means determines whether the value of the determination bit group of the base data read from the storage means is greater than or equal to a reference value, and when the value of the determination bit group is less than the reference value, generates one byte of lottery data whose value is the same as the lower byte of the base data, and when the value of the determination bit group is greater than or equal to the reference value, determines a new bit group whose value is the determination bit group minus the reference value, replaces the determination bit group of the base data with the new bit group, and generates two bytes of lottery data whose value is the reference value added to it. (6) A gaming machine described in any one of (2) to (5), wherein the predetermined number is 7 or less, and the maximum value of the 1-byte lottery data generated when first base data whose judgment bit group does not conform to the criterion is read from the memory means is 253 or less in decimal. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 10 Gaming machines 15 Outer Frame 17 Middle Frame 20 Front frame 21 Hinge mechanism 22 Movable Decorations 23 Cylinder lock 25 Transparent materials 27 Upper ball tray 29 Lower ball tray 31 Operating handle 32 Upper frame part 33(33a, 33b) Speaker 34a, 34b Left and right side frame parts 35(35a, 35b, 35c) Frame Lamp 36 Ball removal mechanism 37 Production button 38 Cursor Button 38a Up cursor button 38b Down cursor button 38c Left cursor button 38d Right cursor button 38e Middle cursor button 39 Main operation section 39a Ball loan button 39b Return button 43 RAM clear switch 45 Opening and closing cover 46 Game Ball Tank 47 Tank rail 48 Dispensing Unit 49 Dispensing aisle 50 Game Board 50a Gaming area 51 outer rail 52 Windmill 53 Inner rail 54 Protective material 55 Grand Prize Winner 57 First starting point 59 Second starting point 61 Normal electric device 62 Ordinary electric accessory solenoid Gate 63 65 Special Electric Devices 66 Special electric accessory solenoid 67 General Prize Winning Entrance 69 Outlet 70 First starting port sensor 71 Second starting port sensor 72 Large prize entrance sensor 73 General prize entry sensor 74 Gate Sensor 75 Out ball sensor 76 Middle frame door open sensor 77 Front frame door open sensor 80 Performance display device 81 Main display 82 Sub display 82a Upper sub display 82b Left sub-display 82c Right sub display 90 Pattern display device 100 Main control board 101 CPU 102 ROM 103 RAM 104 I / O ports 105 Random Number Circuit 109 Main control board case 200 1st sub-control board 201 CPU 202 ROM 203 RAM 204 I / O ports 209 1st sub-control board case 300 Second sub-control board 301 CPU 302 ROM 303 RAM 304 I / O ports 309 Second sub-control board case 310 Voice control board 311 CPU 312 ROM 313 RAM 314 I / O ports X First flow path Y Second flow path

Claims

1. A gaming machine that acquires a random number when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and performs a lottery corresponding to the predetermined condition using the acquired random number and lottery data, a storage means for storing two bytes of base data; a lottery data expanding means for reading out the base data from the storage means and expanding the lottery data in a predetermined storage area; Equipped with The lottery data expanding means determining whether a determination bit group including a predetermined number of bits in the upper bytes of the base data read from the storage means conforms to a criterion; When it is determined that the determination bit group does not conform to the criterion, the lottery data of one byte is generated using the lower byte without using the upper byte of the base data; When it is determined that the determination bit group satisfies the criterion, the lottery data of 2 bytes is generated using both the upper byte and the lower byte of the base data. A gaming machine characterized by:

2. The lottery data expanding means the base data read from the storage means includes bits from the most significant bit of the most significant byte to a predetermined consecutive bit, and the bits are set as the determination bit group; The gaming machine according to claim 1.

3. the storage means stores first base data whose determination bit group does not conform to the criterion, and second base data whose determination bit group conforms to the criterion and whose lower byte value is the same as that of the first base data; The result of the lottery conducted when the first base data is read from the storage means is different from the result of the lottery conducted when the second base data is read from the storage means. The gaming machine according to claim 2.

4. The lottery data expanding means determining whether the determination bit group of the base data read from the storage means is a predetermined bit string; When the value of the determination bit group is a first value that is not the predetermined bit string, generating the lottery data of 1 byte having the same value as the lower byte of the base data, When the value of the determination bit group is the predetermined bit string, a 2-byte lottery data is generated that is a value obtained by adding 1 to the maximum value of the 1-byte lottery data that can be generated when the first time is set to the base data. The gaming machine according to claim 3.

5. The lottery data expanding means determining whether the value of the determination bit group of the base data read from the storage means is equal to or greater than a reference value; When the value of the determination bit group is less than the reference value, one byte of the lottery data is generated, the lottery data having the same value as the lower byte of the base data; When the value of the determination bit group is equal to or greater than the reference value, a new bit group having a value obtained by subtracting the reference value from the value of the determination bit group is obtained, the determination bit group of the base data is replaced with the new bit group, and the reference value is added to generate the 2-byte lottery data. The gaming machine according to claim 3.

6. the predetermined number is seventh or less, the maximum value of the one-byte lottery data generated when the first base data, the determination bit group of which does not conform to the criterion, is read from the storage means is 253 or less in decimal notation; 6. The gaming machine according to claim 2.

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