gaming machines

Abstract

To provide a game machine which can improve the interest of a game.SOLUTION: In a slot machine 10, after a bet operation, revolution of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R is started on the basis of an operation of a start lever 41. Then, an operation of stop switches 42-44 stops a corresponding reel, a stop symbol corresponding to a lottery result stops, and a put-out of medals may be generated. Additionally, when a grant trigger scheduled in advance is satisfied, a main controller grants a point. A total point being a total value of the point reaches a privilege provision value, a predetermined privilege is provided. In a display control device 81, a sub point other than the granted point in a side of the main controller is derived, the sub point is added to the granted point to derive a performance possible point, and an execution control of a grant suggestion performance is carried out on the basis of the performance possible point.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Known types of gaming machines include pachinko machines and slot machines, which are known to have an internal lottery that is held when a predetermined lottery condition is met (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-295707 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, in the gaming machines exemplified above, it is necessary to improve the entertainment value of the game, and there is still room for improvement in this regard.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the circumstances exemplified above, and aims to provide a gaming machine that can increase the enjoyment of the game. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides Based on a predetermined trigger Bonus numbers can be assigned Natsuki With means, specific control execution means for executing specific control according to the total value of the given bonus numerical values; Control is performed so that a specific notification is executed by a predetermined notification means as a notification regarding the bonus value. Specific notification execution Means and Equipped with 、 As the specific notification, it is possible to execute a first specific notification as a notification corresponding to the bonus numerical value granted based on the establishment of the granting trigger, and a second specific notification as a notification corresponding to the total value of the bonus numerical value, When the bonus value is awarded, there may be a case where the first specific notification is executed or a case where the first specific notification is not executed, The first specific notification has a plurality of modes, A mode determination means for determining the mode of the second specific notification in correspondence with the mode of the first specific notification that has been executed; a first means for executing the second specific notification in the mode determined by the mode determining means, thereby executing the second specific notification that does not correspond to an actual total value of the bonus numerical value; a second means for executing the second specific notification corresponding to an actual total value of the bonus numerical value when a predetermined condition is established after the execution of the second specific notification by the first means; When the second specific notification is executed by the second means, a specific performance can be executed before the execution of the second specific notification; Equipped with It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the enjoyment of the game. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a slot machine according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of the slot machine with the front door closed. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of the slot machine with the front door open. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the arrangement of symbols on each reel. [Figure 7] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the symbols visible through the display window and the pay lines. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between winning modes and the benefits to be awarded. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between winning modes and the benefits to be awarded. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between winning modes and the benefits to be awarded. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a winning mode. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a winning mode. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a winning mode. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the main control device. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the display control device. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart showing timer interrupt processing by the main control device. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart showing normal processing by the main control device. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart showing lottery processing. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery table for a normal gaming state when three bets are made. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery table for a normal gaming state when two bets are made. [Figure 21] 10 is a flowchart showing a reel control process. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the operation sequence of the stop switches and the winning patterns that are achieved. [Figure 23] 10 is a flowchart showing bonus state processing. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery table for a bonus state. [Figure 25] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the transition relationship between states. [Figure 26] 10 is a flowchart showing lottery result handling processing. [Figure 27] 10 is a flowchart showing the lottery process for transition to a favorable zone. [Figure 28] 10 is a flowchart showing the AT lottery processing. [Figure 29] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of various transition lottery tables. [Figure 30] 10 is a flowchart showing the AT top-up processing. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an additional lottery table. [Figure 32] 10A is a flowchart showing the rotation effect process, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing an example of a winning notification. [Figure 33] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an instruction monitor and a section indicator. [Figure 34]An explanatory diagram showing an overview of the push order notification display performed on the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 35] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for updating the number of games played. [Figure 36] 10 is a flowchart showing a winning result response process. [Figure 37] 10 is a flowchart showing a CZ mode process. [Figure 38] 10 is a flowchart showing a first AT mode transition process. [Figure 39] 10 is a flowchart showing a first AT mode termination process. [Figure 40] 10 is a flowchart showing a second AT mode process. [Figure 41] 10 is a flowchart showing a first point lottery process. [Figure 42] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a point lottery table. [Figure 43] 10 is a flowchart showing a first section display process. [Figure 44] 10 is a flowchart showing a second point lottery process. [Figure 45] 10 is a flowchart showing a second section display process. [Figure 46] A diagram to explain the relationship between the start game and end game of the advantageous zone and the display on the zone indicator. [Figure 47] 10 is a flowchart showing a performance setting process performed by a sub-side display control device. [Figure 48] 10 is a flowchart showing a start-up effect setting process. [Figure 49] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for setting effects when all the devices are stopped. [Figure 50] 10A is a flowchart showing the processing for points, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing the processing for release. [Figure 51] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for executing a point effect. [Figure 52] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a type lottery table. [Figure 53]10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 54] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 55] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 56] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of display effects by the auxiliary display unit. [Figure 57] An explanatory diagram for explaining the flow of point suggestion presentation. [Figure 58] 10(a) is a flowchart showing a point effect execution process according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 10(b) is a diagram showing an example of a used point table. [Figure 59] 10 is a flowchart showing a start-up effect setting process. [Figure 60] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for setting effects when all the devices are stopped. [Figure 61] 10 is a flowchart showing a first point process. [Figure 62] 10 is a flowchart showing a second point process. [Figure 63] An explanatory diagram for explaining the flow of point suggestion presentation. [Figure 64] An explanatory diagram for explaining the flow of point suggestion presentation. [Figure 65] 11 is a flowchart showing a point process according to a third embodiment. [Figure 66] 13A is a flowchart showing a point effect execution process according to a fourth embodiment, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing an example of a rank information table. [Figure 67] 10A is a flowchart showing the processing for points, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing the processing for release. [Figure 68] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a privilege award value and a point award trigger according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 69] 10A is a flowchart showing a first AT mode termination process, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing a first section display process. [Figure 70]10 is a flowchart showing a process for updating the number of games played. [Figure 71] 10A is a flowchart showing a first point lottery process, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing a second point lottery process. [Figure 72] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a point lottery table. [Figure 73] 10 is a flowchart showing a start-up effect setting process. [Figure 74] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a sub-point lottery table. [Figure 75] 10A is a diagram showing the configuration of a point information storage area, and FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram for explaining a trigger flag. [Figure 76] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for setting effects when all the devices are stopped. [Figure 77] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing for the award suggestion effect. [Figure 78] 10A is a diagram showing the correspondence between the trigger flag and the type lottery table, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the correspondence between the effect type and the points that have been produced. [Figure 79] 10A is a diagram showing an example of a type lottery table for the award suggestion effect, and FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram for explaining the relationship between the possible points for effect and the type allocation. [Figure 80] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing for total suggestion presentation. [Figure 81] A figure showing an example of a total suggestion effect. [Figure 82] A figure showing an example of a type lottery table for total suggestion effects. [Figure 83] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for release. [Figure 84] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the flow of point presentation. [Figure 85] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the flow of point presentation. [Figure 86] FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of continuous effects according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 87]This is a flowchart showing the processing for notifying specific roles. [Figure 88] 10 is a flowchart showing a start-up effect setting process. [Figure 89] 10 is a flowchart showing a continuous performance setting process. [Figure 90] 10A is a flowchart showing the process of setting effects when all the buttons are stopped, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing an example of a type lottery table. [Figure 91] 10A is a flowchart showing the process of setting effects when all the buttons are stopped, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing an example of a type lottery table. [Figure 92] 13 is a flowchart showing a complete stop effect setting process according to the seventh embodiment. [Figure 93] FIG. 10A is a diagram showing an example of a transition lottery table for the high probability mode, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing an example of a type lottery table for the high probability mode. [Figure 94] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing for the award suggestion effect. [Figure 95] 13 is a flowchart showing a start-time effect setting process according to the eighth embodiment. [Figure 96] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing for the award suggestion effect. [Figure 97] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a type lottery table. [Figure 98] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing for total suggestion presentation. [Figure 99] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a type lottery table for when a player reaches a goal. [Figure 100] This is an explanatory diagram to explain the flow of the total suggestion presentation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] First Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention, which is applied to a reel-type gaming machine, specifically a slot machine, will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a front view of the slot machine 10, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the slot machine 10 with the front door 12 closed, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the slot machine 10 with the front door 12 open, Figure 4 is a rear view of the front door 12, and Figure 5 is a front view of the cabinet 11.

[0010] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the slot machine 10 has a housing 11 that forms its outer shell. The housing 11 is formed in a box shape with an open front as a whole, and is attached to so-called island equipment by nailing it when installed in an amusement hall.

[0011] A front door 12 is attached to the front side of the housing 11 in an openable and closable manner. A pair of upper and lower support shafts 13a and 13b are provided on the left side of the housing 11 when viewed from the front. The front door 12 is provided with bearings 14a and 14b at positions corresponding to the support shafts 13a and 13b. When the support shafts 13a and 13b are inserted into the bearings 14a and 14b, the front door 12 is rotatably supported relative to the housing 11 about an opening / closing axis extending in the vertical direction connecting the support shafts 13a and 13b. Rotation of the front door 12 allows the front open side of the housing 11 to be opened or closed. The front door 12 is locked and cannot be opened by a locking device 20 provided on its back surface. A key cylinder 21 integrated with the locking device 20 is provided at the upper right end of the front door 12. The locked state is released by operating a predetermined key on the key cylinder 21.

[0012] A game panel 25 that notifies the player of the game status is provided near the upper center of the front door 12. The game panel 25 has three vertically long display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R formed side by side, and the interior of the slot machine 10 can be seen through each of the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R. The display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R may be combined into one common display window.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 3, the interior of the housing 11 is divided into two sections, upper and lower, by a partition plate 30, and a reel unit 31 constituting a variable display means is attached to the upper part of the partition plate 30. The reel unit 31 includes a left reel 32L, a center reel 32M, and a right reel 32R, each formed in a cylindrical (annular) shape. Each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R is rotatably supported so that its central axis coincides with the axis of rotation of the reel. The axes of rotation of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are arranged on the same axis extending substantially horizontally, and each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R corresponds one-to-one to each display window 26L, 26M, and 26R. Therefore, a portion of the surface of each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R is visible through the corresponding display window 26L, 26M, and 26R. Furthermore, when the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R rotate forward, the surfaces of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are projected through the respective display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R as if they were moving from top to bottom.

[0014] Here, the configuration of the reel unit 31 will be briefly described.

[0015] Each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is connected to a stepping motor, and each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R can be rotated individually, i.e., independently, by driving each stepping motor. The stepping motor is set to rotate once by applying a drive signal (hereinafter also referred to as an excitation pulse) of, for example, 500 pulses, and this excitation pulse controls the rotational position of the stepping motor, i.e., the rotational position of the reel. Furthermore, the reel unit 31 is provided with a reel index sensor on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R to detect when the reel has rotated once. Each time the reel index sensor detects that the reel has rotated once, it outputs a detection signal to the main control device 101, which will be described later. Therefore, the main control unit 101 can check and correct the angular position of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R for each rotation based on the detection signal of the reel index sensor and the number of excitation pulses output before the detection signal is input.

[0016] On the outer periphery of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R, a plurality of symbols are drawn along the long side (circumference direction) of the reel, serving as identification information. More specifically, 20 symbols are drawn at equal intervals. Therefore, to switch from one symbol to the next symbol at a predetermined position, 25 excitation pulses (= 500 pulses ÷ 20 symbols) must be output. Furthermore, the main control device 101 can determine which symbols are visible through the display windows 26L, 26M, 26R, and can stop a predetermined symbol at a position visible through the display windows 26L, 26M, 26R, based on the number of excitation pulses output after the reel index sensor detection signal is input.

[0017] Next, the symbols depicted on the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R will be described.

[0018] FIG. 6 shows the arrangement of symbols on the left reel 32L, center reel 32M, and right reel 32R. As shown in FIG. 6, 20 symbols are arranged in a row on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. Numbers ranging from 0 to 19 are assigned to the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, respectively. However, these numbers are used by the main control device 101 to identify the symbols visible through the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R, and are not actually assigned to the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. However, these numbers will be used in the following explanation.

[0019] There are ten types of symbols: a "bell" symbol (e.g., the first symbol on the left reel 32L), a "replay" symbol (e.g., the zeroth symbol on the left reel 32L), a "red 7" symbol (e.g., the fourteenth symbol on the left reel 32L), a "watermelon" symbol (e.g., the second symbol on the left reel 32L), a "cherry" symbol (e.g., the eighth symbol on the left reel 32L), a "bar" symbol (e.g., the ninth symbol on the left reel 32L), a "white 7" symbol (e.g., the third symbol on the left reel 32L), a "youth" symbol (e.g., the eighteenth symbol on the left reel 32L), a "red shell" symbol (e.g., the fourth symbol on the left reel 32L), and a "white shell" symbol (e.g., the nineteenth symbol on the left reel 32L). As shown in Figure 6, the number and arrangement order of the various symbols are completely different on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R.

[0020] Each of the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R is formed so that only three of the 20 symbols on the corresponding reel are visible in their entirety. Therefore, when each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is stopped, 3 x 3 = 9 symbols are visible through the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R.

[0021] In the slot machine 10, the game result of each game is announced using a combination of three symbols, one for each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, among the visible symbols. As described above, 3 × 3 = 9 symbols are visible, and as combinations of these three symbols, for example, as shown in Fig. 7, there are combinations of symbols that stop on an upper line L1 connecting the upper symbols of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, combinations of symbols that stop on a middle line L2 connecting the middle symbols of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, and combinations of symbols that stop on a lower line L3 connecting the lower symbols of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. There are also combinations of symbols that stop on a downward-sloping line L4 connecting the top symbol on the left reel 32L, the middle symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the bottom symbol on the right reel 32R, and combinations of symbols that stop on an upward-sloping line L5 connecting the bottom symbol on the left reel 32L, the middle symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the top symbol on the right reel 32R. There are also combinations of symbols that stop on a curved line L6 connecting the middle symbol on the left reel 32L, the top symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the top symbol on the right reel 32R. The above lines L1 to L5 are straight lines when the symbols are lined up, while the curved line L6 is a line that bends when the symbols are lined up. There are other combinations of symbols that stop on curved lines besides the curved line L6, but we will not explain them here.

[0022] Of these lines L1 to L6, some are activated by betting medals, and some are not, and when symbols stop in a predetermined combination on an activated line, i.e., an activated line, a win is achieved and a bonus is awarded in which a predetermined number of medals, which are game media, are paid out, or a bonus is awarded in which the game state is changed.On the other hand, when symbols stop in a predetermined combination on an inactivated line, a win is not achieved and the bonus is not awarded.

[0023] In the slot machine 10, of the above lines L1 to L6, the bent line L6 is set as the pay line. More specifically, in the slot machine 10, there are cases where a game is started by betting three medals or two medals. When a game is started by betting three or two medals, only the bent line L6 is set as the pay line, and the other lines L1 to L5 are not set as pay lines. In the following description, the bent line L6 may be referred to as the pay line ML. Also, hereinafter, a game that starts by betting three medals is also referred to as a 3-bet game, a game that starts by betting two medals is also referred to as a 2-bet game, and a game that starts by betting one medal is also referred to as a 1-bet game. In this embodiment, a 1-bet game is not set.

[0024] 8 to 10 are diagrams showing the correspondence between winning symbol combinations and the benefits awarded when a winning symbol combination is obtained.

[0025] The small winning combinations that result in medal payouts include the 1st small winning combination to the 32nd small winning combination.

[0026] When the "Replay" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Replay" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Replay" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the first small win is achieved. When the first small win is achieved, 13 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0027] As shown in Figure 11(a), when the symbol corresponding to the first small win stops on the activated line ML, the "bell" symbol stops in a line sloping downward to the right L4. Therefore, the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the bell has been achieved.

[0028] If the "Replay" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "Bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the second small win will be awarded. If the second small win is awarded, 13 medals will be paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals will be paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0029] As shown in Figure 11(b), when the symbol corresponding to the second small win stops on the activated line ML, the "bell" symbol stops in line on the upper line L1. Therefore, the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the bell has been achieved, and also understand that a small win different from the first small win has been achieved because of the difference in the line on which the "bell" symbol is aligned.

[0030] When the "bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "replay" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "watermelon" or "ark shell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the third small win is achieved. When the third small win is achieved, 13 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0031] As shown in Figure 11(c), when the symbol corresponding to the third small win stops on the activated line ML, the "bell" symbol stops in alignment on the middle line L2. Therefore, the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the bell has been achieved, and also understand that a small win different from the first and second small wins has been achieved because of the difference in the line on which the "bell" symbol is aligned.

[0032] When the "watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "replay" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the fourth small win is achieved. When the fourth small win is achieved, 13 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0033] As shown in Figure 11(d), when the symbol corresponding to the fourth small win stops on the activated line ML, the "bell" symbols stop in alignment on the right-sloping line L5. Therefore, the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the bell has been achieved, and also understand that a small win different from the first to third small wins has been achieved because of the difference in the line on which the "bell" symbols are aligned.

[0034] When the "watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "watermelon" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "replay" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the 5th small win is achieved. When the 5th small win is achieved, 13 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0035] As shown in Figure 11(e), when the symbol corresponding to the fifth small win stops on the activated line ML, the "bell" symbol stops in alignment on the lower line L3. Therefore, the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the bell has been achieved, and also understand that a small win different from the first to fourth small wins has been achieved because of the difference in the line on which the "bell" symbol is aligned.

[0036] When the "watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "replay" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "replay" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the 6th small win is achieved. When the 6th small win is achieved, 13 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0037] As shown in Figure 11 (f), when the symbol corresponding to the sixth small win stops on the activated line ML, "bell" symbols stop (in a small mountain shape) on the bottom of the left reel 32L, the middle of the middle reel 32M, and the bottom of the right reel 32R. Therefore, the player can easily understand that a small win corresponding to a bell has been achieved, and can also understand that a small win different from the first to fifth small wins has been achieved, based on the difference in the stopping position of the "bell" symbols.

[0038] When the "bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white 7" symbol, the "cherry" symbol, the "red shell" symbol or the "young man" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "white 7" symbol, the "white shell" symbol or the "young man" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, it is the 7th small win. When the 7th small win is achieved, 3 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 3 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0039] As shown in Figure 12(a), when the symbol corresponding to the seventh small win stops on the activated line ML, the "watermelon" symbol stops on the downward-sloping line L4, so the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the watermelon has been achieved.

[0040] When the "bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "watermelon" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "watermelon" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML, the 8th small win is achieved. When the 8th small win is achieved, 3 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 3 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

[0041] As shown in Figure 12(b), when the symbol corresponding to the 8th small win stops on the activated line ML, the "watermelon" symbol stops in alignment on the upper line L1. Therefore, the player can easily understand that the small win corresponding to the watermelon has been achieved, and also understand that a small win different from the 7th small win has been achieved because of the difference in the line on which the "watermelon" symbol is aligned.

[0042] The 9th to 32nd small wins are mainly awarded when the 1st to 6th small wins are missed, so-called missed wins. When the 9th to 32nd small wins are awarded, one medal is paid out in a 3-bet game, and one medal is paid out in a 2-bet game. For the 9th to 32nd minor winning combinations, a winning combination is achieved when the following symbols stop on the active line ML: "Replay", "Red 7", "BAR", "Red Shell", "White Shell", "Youth" or "Bell" on the left reel 32L, "White 7", "Cherry", "Red Shell", "Youth", "Red 7", "Watermelon", "Replay", "BAR", "Bell" or "White Shell" on the middle reel 32M, and "Red 7", "White 7", "White Shell", "Youth", "Watermelon", "Red Shell", "BAR" or "Replay" on the right reel 32R. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the combinations of symbols corresponding to the 9th to 32nd small wins are all set so that the "bell" symbols do not line up and stop on a straight line (L1 to L5), making it easy to understand that the small win corresponding to the bell has not been achieved.

[0043] Incidentally, in the configuration in which medals are paid out based on the above-mentioned 1st small prize winning to 32nd small prize winning, the paid out small prize is a kind of benefit given according to the result of the game. In this specification, the paid out medals may also be referred to as "out balls", and the ratio of the number of paid out medals (out balls) to the number of inserted (betted) medals may also be referred to as "out ball rate".

[0044] The winning combinations that can be awarded with a replay privilege, which allows a player to play the next game without inserting a medal, are the 1st replay winning combination to the 10th replay winning combination. As shown in Figure 10, winning symbol combinations are set for the 1st replay to the 10th replay.

[0045] The first replay wins when the "replay" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "watermelon" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "red 7," "white 7," "white shell" or "young man" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML. As shown in FIG. 12(c), when the symbols corresponding to the first replay win stop on the active line ML, the "replay" symbols stop in line on the center line L2. This allows the player to easily understand that a replay win corresponding to the replay has been achieved.

[0046] The second replay and the third replay are adjustment replays in the case where multiple replays overlap and result in a win.

[0047] In the fourth replay, a win is achieved when the "bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "watermelon" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "red 7", "white 7", "bar", "cherry", "white shell" or "young man" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the activated line ML. As shown in Figure 12(d), when the symbols corresponding to the fourth replay win stop on the activated line ML, the "watermelon" symbols stop on the upper row of the left reel 32L and the upper row of the middle reel 32M, but the "watermelon" symbol does not stop on the upper row of the right reel 32R (the "watermelon" symbol stops on the lower row of the right reel 32R), resulting in a stop pattern where the upper row watermelon is not in the ready state. Furthermore, when the symbol corresponding to the fourth replay win stops on the valid line ML, the "watermelon" symbol stops on the top row of the left reel 32L and the bottom row of the right reel 32R, but the "watermelon" symbol does not stop on the middle row of the middle reel 32M (the "watermelon" symbol stops on the top row of the middle reel 32M), resulting in a stopping pattern that is known as a right-downward watermelon tenpai miss.

[0048] In the fifth replay, a win is achieved when the "bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white 7" symbol, the "cherry" symbol, the "red shell" symbol or the "young man" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "watermelon" symbol or the "red shell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the activated line ML. As shown in FIG. 12(e), when the symbols corresponding to the fifth replay win stop on the activated line ML, the "watermelon" symbols stop on the upper row of the left reel 32L and the upper row of the right reel 32R, but the "watermelon" symbol does not stop on the upper row of the middle reel 32M (the "watermelon" symbol stops on the middle row of the middle reel 32M), resulting in a stop pattern where the upper row watermelon is not in a tenpai state. Furthermore, when the symbol corresponding to the fifth replay win stops on the valid line ML, the "watermelon" symbol stops on the top row of the left reel 32L and the middle row of the middle reel 32M, but the "watermelon" symbol does not stop on the bottom row of the right reel 32R (the "watermelon" symbol stops on the top row of the right reel 32R), resulting in a stopping pattern that is known as a right-downward watermelon tenpai miss.

[0049] The sixth replay wins when the "watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white 7" symbol, the "cherry" symbol, the "red shell" symbol or the "young man" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "replay" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML. As shown in Figure 13(a), when the symbol corresponding to the sixth replay win stops on the active line ML, the "watermelon" symbols stop in alignment on the center line L2.

[0050] The seventh replay wins when the "replay" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "watermelon" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "watermelon" symbol or the "ark shell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the activated line ML. As shown in Figure 13(b), when the symbols corresponding to the seventh replay win stop on the activated line ML, the "replay" symbols stop on the middle row of the left reel 32L and the middle row of the middle reel 32M, but the "replay" symbol does not stop on the middle row of the right reel 32R (the "bell" symbol stops on the middle row of the right reel 32R), resulting in a stop pattern where the so-called middle row replay is not ready.

[0051] The 8th replay is won when the "BAR" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white 7", "BAR", "cherry", "red shell" or "young man" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "red 7", "white 7", "BAR", "cherry", "white shell" or "young man" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML. The 10th replay is won when the "BAR" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "BAR" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "bell", "watermelon" or "red shell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the active line ML. As shown in Figures 13(c) and 13(d), when a symbol corresponding to an 8th or 10th replay win stops on the pay line ML, a "cherry" symbol stops on the bottom row of the left reel 32L. If an 8th or 10th replay win has been won, and a "cherry" symbol is stopped on the right reel 32R, the "cherry" symbol will stop on the top row in the case of an 8th replay win, and the "cherry" symbol will stop on the middle or bottom row in the case of a 10th replay win, making it possible to distinguish between the 8th and 10th replay wins. The 9th replay win is achieved when the 8th or 10th replay win is not possible, i.e., when a miss occurs.

[0052] The state transition winning events that only result in a transition of the gaming state include the first BB winning event and the second BB winning event.

[0053] When the "white 7" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white shell" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "cherry" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the activated line ML, the first BB win is achieved. When the first BB win is achieved, the game state transitions to the first BB state. As shown in Figure 13(e), when the symbols corresponding to the first BB win stop on the activated line ML, the "white 7" symbols stop in a line on the center line L2.

[0054] When the "white 7" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white shell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "BAR" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the pay line ML, a second BB win is achieved. When the second BB win is achieved, the game state transitions to the second BB state. As shown in FIG. 13(f), when the symbols corresponding to the second BB win stop on the pay line ML, the "white 7" symbol stops in the middle row of the left reel 32L and the middle row of the middle reel 32M, and the "red 7" symbol stops in the middle row of the right reel 32R.

[0055] A start lever 41 that is operated to start the rotation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is provided on the lower left side of the game panel 25. The start lever 41 constitutes a start operation means or a starting operation means that is operated to start the rotation of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, i.e., to start the variable display of symbols. When the start lever 41 is operated with a predetermined number of medals inserted, each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R starts to rotate.

[0056] Button-like stop switches 42-44 that are operated to individually stop the spinning reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are provided on the right side of the start lever 41. Each stop switch 42-44 is located directly below the display window 26L, 26M, and 26R that corresponds to the reel 32L, 32M, and 32R to be stopped.

[0057] Stop switches 42-44 are connected to stop detection sensors 42a-44a (FIG. 14), respectively, and the stop detection sensors 42a-44a are connected to main control device 101, which will be described later. Main control device 101 determines that stop switches 42-44 have been operated based on the detection signals from the stop detection sensors 42a-44a. Specifically, when stop switches 42-44 have not been operated, stop detection signals of LOW signals are output from stop detection sensors 42a-44a, and when stop switches 42-44 are operated, the detection signals switch from LOW to HI. Main control device 101 determines that stop switches 42-44 have been operated by detecting this signal switch. When main control device 101 determines that stop switches 42-44 have been operated, it controls the reel corresponding to the operated switch to stop spinning.

[0058] That is, when the left stop switch 42 is operated, the left reel 32L stops spinning, when the center stop switch 43 is operated, the center reel 32M stops spinning, and when the right stop switch 44 is operated, the right reel 32R stops spinning. The stop switches 42 to 44 constitute stop operation means that is operated to stop the variable display of symbols based on the rotation of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R.

[0059] A medal insertion slot 45 for inserting medals is provided below and to the right of the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R. The medal insertion slot 45 constitutes input means for inputting game media. In addition, considering that the medal insertion slot 45 involves the action of the player directly inserting medals, it can also be said to constitute direct input means for directly inputting game media.

[0060] Medals inserted through the medal insertion slot 45 are guided to either a storage passage 47 or a discharge passage 48 by a selector 46 serving as a passage switching means provided on the back surface of the front door 12. More specifically, the selector 46 is provided with a medal passage switching solenoid 46a, and when the medal passage switching solenoid 46a is not energized, the medals are guided to the discharge passage 48 side, and when the medal passage switching solenoid 46a is energized, the medals are guided to the storage passage 47 side. Medals guided to the storage passage 47 are guided to a hopper device 51 stored inside the housing 11. Meanwhile, medals guided to the discharge passage 48 are guided from a medal discharge port 49 provided at the bottom front of the front door 12 to a medal tray 50 and are returned to the player.

[0061] The hopper device 51 is composed of a storage tank 52 that stores medals and a payout device 53 that pays out medals to players. The payout device 53 rotates a medal payout rotating plate (not shown) to discharge medals into an opening 48a provided in the discharge passage 48, and then pays out the medals to a medal tray 50 via the discharge passage 48. In addition, a spare tank 54 is provided to the right of the hopper device 51 to prevent more than a predetermined amount of medals from being stored in the storage tank 52. A guide plate 52a is provided inside the storage tank 52 of the hopper device 51 to discharge medals from the storage tank 52 to the spare tank 54. Therefore, if medals are stored above the height at which the guide plate 52a is provided, those medals will be stored in the spare tank 54.

[0062] A button-shaped return switch 55 is provided below the medal insertion slot 45. If the return switch 55 is operated when a medal inserted into the medal insertion slot 45 becomes stuck in the selector 46, the selector 46 operates mechanically in conjunction with the return switch 55, and the medal stuck in the selector 46 is returned from the medal discharge slot 49.

[0063] A first credit insertion switch 56 is provided below and to the left of the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R for inserting a predetermined number of virtual medals, which are credited as gaming media, out of the specified number of medals for the game at one time. The specified number is set depending on the progress of the game. For example, when the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated in a situation where the specified number of medals for the game is set to three and the specified number is set to three, three virtual medals are inserted, provided that there are credits available. When the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated in a situation where the specified number of medals is set to two and the specified number is set to two, two virtual medals are inserted, provided that there are credits available. Furthermore, when the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated in a situation where the specified number is set to 3 or 2 and the specific number is set to 3, three virtual medals are inserted, provided that there are credits available; when the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated in a situation where the specified number is set to 3 or 2 and the specific number is set to 2, two virtual medals are inserted, provided that there are credits available.

[0064] A second credit insertion switch 57 is provided to the left of the first credit insertion switch 56. The second credit insertion switch 57 is used to insert two virtual medals.

[0065] The credit insertion switches 56, 57, together with the medal insertion slot 45, constitute input means for inputting game media. Furthermore, while the medal insertion slot 45 involves the player directly inserting medals, the credit insertion switches 56, 57 merely involve the insertion of virtual medals based on stored memory. Considering this, they can also be said to constitute indirect input means for indirectly inputting game media. Note that the slot machine 10 does not have a credit insertion switch because it inserts one virtual medal at a time.

[0066] The first credit insertion switch 56 is set to have a larger operation surface operated by the player than the second credit insertion switch 57, and the first credit insertion switch 56 is easier to operate than the second credit insertion switch 57. Therefore, it is expected that a player will normally proceed with a game by operating the first credit insertion switch 56. In other words, it is expected that a player will normally insert a set specific number of coins out of the specified number to play a game.

[0067] To the right of the first credit insertion switch 56 and the second credit insertion switch 57, there is provided an effect switch 66 which is operated when an effect occurs.

[0068] A settlement switch 59 is provided to the left of the start lever 41. That is, the slot machine 10 has a credit function that stores and stores, as virtual medals, any surplus medals inserted up to a predetermined maximum value (equivalent to 50 medals) and medals paid out when a prize is won, and when the settlement switch 59 is operated while virtual medals are stored and stored, the virtual medals are paid out as real medals from the medal outlet 49. In this case, when attention is focused on the function of paying out credited virtual medals as real medals, the settlement switch 59 can also be said to constitute a settlement operation means for actually paying out the stored and stored game media.

[0069] Below the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R of the game panel 25, there are provided a credit display section 60 that displays the number of credited virtual medals, a remaining payout number display section 61 that displays the number of medals remaining to be paid out until the BB state ends, and a payout number display section 62 that displays the number of medals paid out when a win occurs. These display sections 60 to 62 are configured with 7-segment displays, but they can of course be replaced with liquid crystal displays or the like.

[0070] Below the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R on the gaming panel 25 and to the right of the payout number display unit 62, there is provided an instruction monitor 68 having a push order indicator that notifies the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and an interval indicator that notifies the operation order and indicates an advantageous interval that is an interval in which the winning rate of minor winning combinations can be changed and the game can proceed in an advantageous situation for the player. The instruction monitor 68 will be described in detail later.

[0071] The upper part of the front door 12 is provided with an upper lamp 63 that lights up and flashes as the game progresses, a pair of left and right speakers 64 that play various sound effects as the game progresses and notify the player of the game status, and an auxiliary display unit 65 that provides various information to the player. The auxiliary display unit 65 is used to perform various display effects as the game progresses, and since the game using each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R can be considered to be performed by the main display unit, it is referred to as the auxiliary display unit 65 in this embodiment. A display control device 81 for driving the upper lamp 63, speaker 64, and auxiliary display unit 65 is provided on the back of the auxiliary display unit 65.

[0072] On the front door 12, below the game panel 25 and below the stop switches 42 to 44, there is provided a lower display section 69 on which the model name of the gaming machine is written and which constitutes a predetermined display screen. The lower display section 69 may be configured as a liquid crystal display section, or the lower display section 69 may be provided with operation buttons for effect purposes, or the entire lower display section 69 may be configured to be operable.

[0073] A power supply box 70 is provided inside the housing 11 to the left of the hopper device 51. The power supply box 70 houses a power supply device 91 and is equipped with a power switch 71, a reset switch 72, a setting key insertion hole 73, and the like. The power switch 71 is an activation switch for supplying power to the main control device 101 and other components. The reset switch 72 is a switch for resetting an error state of the slot machine 10. The setting key insertion hole 73 is used by a hall manager or the like to adjust the number of medals dispensed. In other words, a hall manager or the like can set the winning probability (setting value) of the slot machine 10 by inserting a setting key into the setting key insertion hole 73 and turning it ON. The reset switch 72 is operated not only to reset an error state but also to change the winning probability of the slot machine 10.

[0074] Above the reel unit 31, a main control device 101 for controlling the overall game is attached to the cabinet 11.

[0075] The main control device 101 is provided with a hand ratio monitor 77 for indicating the ratio between advantageous and unfavorable game states for the player. The hand ratio monitor 77 is installed on the side of the main control device 101 facing the front of the gaming machine so that it is visible from the front of the gaming machine when the front door 12 is open and invisible from the front of the gaming machine when the front door 12 is closed. More specifically, the hand ratio monitor 77 is housed in a board box that houses the main control device 101 so that the display screen of the hand ratio monitor 77 is visible through the board box. Incidentally, when the front door 12 is closed, the hand ratio monitor 77 is not visible through the gaps between the display windows 26L-26R, etc., and cannot be viewed unless the front door 12 is unlocked by a predetermined key operation on the key cylinder 21 and opened. The hand ratio monitor 77 will be described in detail later.

[0076] Next, the electrical configuration of the slot machine 10 will be described with reference to the block diagrams of FIGS.

[0077] The main control device 101 is equipped with a microcomputer centered around a CPU 102, which is a calculation processing means. In addition to a power supply device 91, the CPU 102 is connected to a clock circuit 103 that outputs a rectangular wave of a predetermined frequency, an input / output port 104, and the like via an internal bus. The main control device 101 functions as a main board built into the slot machine 10.

[0078] Various sensors are connected to the input side of the main control device 101, including the reel unit 31 (more specifically, a reel index sensor that individually detects when each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R has made one rotation), a start detection sensor 41a that detects the operation of the start lever 41, stop detection sensors 42a to 44a that individually detect the operation of each stop switch 42 to 44, an inserted medal detection sensor 45a that detects medals inserted through the medal insertion slot 45, a payout detection sensor 51a that detects medals paid out from the hopper device 51, a first credit insertion detection sensor 56a that individually detects the operation of the first credit insertion switch 56, a second credit insertion detection sensor 57a that individually detects the operation of the second credit insertion switch 57, a settlement detection sensor 59a that detects the operation of the settlement switch 59, a reset detection sensor 72a that detects the operation of the reset switch 72, and a setting key detection sensor 73a that detects when a setting key is inserted into the setting key insertion hole 73 and turned ON, and signals from these various sensors are output to the CPU 102 via the input / output port 104.

[0079] Furthermore, a power supply unit 91 is connected to the input side of the main control unit 101 via an input / output port 104. The power supply unit 91 is equipped with a power supply unit 91a that supplies driving power to the main control unit 101 and other electronic devices of the slot machine 10, a power outage monitoring circuit 91b, and the like.

[0080] The power failure monitoring circuit 91b monitors the power supply interruption state and generates a power failure signal not only during a power failure but also when the power is shut off by the power switch 71. Therefore, the power failure monitoring circuit 91b monitors the stabilized drive voltage, which in this example is 12 volts DC, output from the power supply unit 91a, and is configured to output a power failure signal when this drive voltage drops to, for example, less than 10 volts, determining that the power supply has been interrupted. The power failure signal is supplied to both the CPU 102 and the input / output port 104, and the CPU 102 recognizes this power failure signal and executes the power failure processing described below. The power failure signal is also supplied to the display control device 81.

[0081] Power supply unit 91a is configured so that even if the output voltage drops below 10 volts, it outputs a stabilized voltage of 5 volts that is used as a drive voltage in control systems such as main control device 101. The time for which this stabilized voltage is output is long enough for main control device 101 to execute power outage processing.

[0082] The output side of the main control device 101 is connected via input / output port 104 to the reel unit 31 (more specifically, the stepping motor for rotating each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R), the medal passage switching solenoid 46a provided on the selector 46, the hopper device 51, the credit display unit 60, the remaining number of coins to be paid out display unit 61, the number of coins to be paid out display unit 62, the instruction monitor 68, the role ratio monitor 77, the display control device 81, and an external centralized terminal board 121 that can transmit information to a hall management device (not shown), etc.

[0083] The above-mentioned CPU 102 has built-in ROM 105 which stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 102, and RAM 106 which secures a working area for temporarily storing various data when executing the control programs stored in ROM 105, as well as various processing circuits required for the slot machine 10, such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, a data transmission / reception circuit, and various counters, such as a credit counter which counts the number of credits, although not shown. The ROM 105 and RAM 106 form a main memory as storage means, and programs for executing various processes are stored in the above-mentioned ROM 105 as part of the control programs.

[0084] The RAM 106 is configured to be able to retain (back up) data by receiving a backup voltage from the power supply device 91 even after the power supply to the slot machine 10 is cut off. The RAM 106 is provided with a backup area in addition to memories for temporarily storing various data, a win flag storage area 106a for storing the lottery results of winning combinations, a stop information storage area 106b for storing stop information used when controlling the stop of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, and a status information storage area 106c for storing game statuses such as a BB status.

[0085] The backup area is an area for storing the value of the stack pointer at the time of power cutoff (including power cutoff by operating the power switch 71; the same applies below) when the power is cut off due to a power outage or the like, and when the power outage is resolved (including power on by operating the power switch 71; the same applies below), the state of the slot machine 10 can be restored to the state before power cutoff based on the information in the backup area. Writing to the backup area is performed by the power outage processing (see Figure 16) when power is cut off, and the restoration of each value written to the backup area is performed in the main processing when power is turned on.

[0086] Furthermore, when the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, a power outage signal is input from the power outage monitoring circuit 91b to the NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of the CPU 102. When the power supply is cut off, an NMI interrupt process is immediately executed as a power outage flag generation process.

[0087] 15, the display control device 81 is equipped with a microcomputer centered around a CPU 181, which is an arithmetic processing means. The CPU 181 incorporates a ROM 182 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 181, and a RAM 183 that secures a work area for temporarily storing various data when the control programs stored in the ROM 182 are executed.

[0088] The display control device 81 is provided with an input / output port (not shown), with the main control device 101 connected to the input side and the upper lamp 63, speaker 64, and auxiliary display unit 65 connected to the output side. The display control device 81 drives and controls the upper lamp 63, speaker 64, and auxiliary display unit 65 based on various commands input from the main control device 101. In other words, the display control device 81 is a sub-board that performs auxiliary control in relation to the main control device 101, which is the main board that manages the overall game. In other words, by providing a sub-board for sounds, lamps, and displays indirectly related to the game, the burden on the main board is reduced.

[0089] The input side of the display control device 81 is connected to the effect switch 66 (more specifically, an effect switch detection sensor that detects the operation of the effect switch 66). The various display units 60 to 62, 68 may also be configured to be driven and controlled by the display control device 81.

[0090] Next, we will explain each control process executed by the CPU 102 of the main control device 101. The processes of the CPU 102 can be broadly divided into main processing which is started when the power is turned on, timer interrupt processing which is started periodically (every 1.49 msec in this embodiment), and NMI interrupt processing which is started when a power outage signal is input to the NMI terminal. Below, we will explain the processes related to the progress of the game, i.e., timer interrupt processing, and normal processing performed in the main processing.

[0091] FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the timer interrupt process that is periodically executed by the main control device 101, and the CPU 102 of the main control device 101 generates a timer interrupt every 1.49 msec, for example.

[0092] First, in the register save process shown in step S101, the values ​​of all registers in the CPU 102 used in normal processing, which will be described later, are saved to a backup area in the RAM 106. In step S102, it is checked whether the power outage flag is set, and if the power outage flag is set, the process proceeds to step S103, where power outage processing is executed.

[0093] Here, the power outage process will be outlined.

[0094] When the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, a power outage signal is output from the power outage monitoring circuit 91b of the power supply device 91, and the power outage signal is input to the main control device 101 via the NMI terminal. When the power outage signal is input, the main control device 101 immediately executes NMI interrupt processing and sets a power outage flag in a power outage flag storage area provided in the RAM 106.

[0095] In the power outage processing, the system first determines whether command transmission has finished. If transmission has not finished, the system terminates this processing, returns to the timer interrupt processing, and ends command transmission. If command transmission has finished, the value of the stack pointer of the CPU 102 is saved in the backup area of ​​the RAM 106. Then, the output status of the output port of the input / output port 104 is cleared, and all actuators (not shown) are turned off. Then, when the power outage is resolved, a RAM judgment value is calculated to determine whether the data in the RAM 106 is normal and saved in the backup area, thereby prohibiting further RAM access. After the above processing is performed, the system enters an infinite loop in preparation for a complete power outage that would prevent processing from being executed. Note that, in consideration of the possibility that the power outage flag may be erroneously set due to noise, for example, the system checks whether a power outage signal is being output before entering the infinite loop. If the power outage signal is not being output, this indicates that the system has recovered from the power outage, and writing to the RAM 106 is permitted, the power outage flag is reset, and the system returns to the timer interrupt processing. If the power outage signal continues to be output, the system enters the infinite loop. Incidentally, even under an infinite loop, it is checked whether or not a power outage signal is being output, and if the power outage signal is no longer being output, the process proceeds to the main processing.

[0096] Returning to the explanation of the timer interrupt process, if the power outage flag is not set in step S102, various processes from step S104 onwards are carried out.

[0097] That is, in step S104, a watchdog timer clearing process is performed to initialize the value of the watchdog timer for monitoring for malfunctions. In step S105, an interrupt end declaration process is performed to enable the CPU 102 itself to set the next timer interrupt. In step S106, a stepping motor control process is performed to drive the stepping motors that are the reel drive motors for each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R to rotate. In step S107, a sensor monitoring process is performed to read the status of various sensors (see FIG. 14) such as the stop detection sensors 42a to 44a, the inserted medal detection sensor 45a, and the payout detection sensor 51a connected to the input / output port 104, and to monitor whether the read results are normal. In step S108, a timer calculation process is performed to subtract values ​​from each counter and timer. In step S109, a counter process is performed to count the number of medals bet and the number of medals paid out and output the count results to the external centralized terminal board 121.

[0098] In step S110, a command output process is performed to transmit various commands, such as a lottery result command (described later), to the display control device 81. In step S111, a segment data setting process is performed to set the segment data to be displayed in the credit display unit 60, the remaining payout number display unit 61, the payout number display unit 62, and the instruction monitor 68. In step S112, a segment data display process is performed to supply the segment data set in the segment data setting process to each display unit 60-62, 68 and display the corresponding numbers, symbols, etc. In step S113, a port output process is performed to output data corresponding to the I / O device from the input / output port 104. In step S114, the values ​​of each register saved to the backup area in the previous step S101 are restored to the corresponding register in the CPU 102. Thereafter, in step S115, an interrupt enable process is performed to enable the next timer interrupt, and this series of timer interrupt processes is terminated.

[0099] Next, the normal processing for carrying out main control relating to the game will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0100] First, in step S201, an interrupt permission process is performed to permit the next timer interrupt. In step S202, a pre-start process is performed to enable a game. In the pre-start process, the process waits until the display control device 81 and the like have completed initialization. When the initialization of the display control device 81 and the like has completed, a game management process shown in steps S203 to S212 is performed.

[0101] As part of the game management process, in step S203, data such as various game information (for example, random number values ​​used in the previous game) stored in the RAM 106 is cleared. Thereafter, in step S204, a start waiting process is performed.

[0102] In the start waiting process, it is determined whether any replay winnings were achieved in the previous game. If any replay winnings were achieved, an automatic insertion process is performed to automatically insert virtual medals in the same number as the previous bet number, and the start waiting process is terminated. Specifically, for example, if a replay winning is achieved in a 3-bet game, a process to automatically insert three virtual medals is performed, and if a replay winning is achieved in a 2-bet game, a process to automatically insert two virtual medals is performed.

[0103] In the automatic insertion process, virtual medals are inserted without reducing the number of virtual medals displayed on the credit display unit 60. In other words, if any replay win was achieved in the previous game, the player can play the current game without reducing the number of medals owned or inserting any more medals. If no replay win was achieved, a sensor abnormality confirmation process is performed to check whether any abnormality has occurred in the sensor reading results obtained in the sensor monitoring process (step S107) of the timer interrupt process. If an abnormality has occurred, an abnormality occurrence process is performed to place the slot machine 10 in an error state and notify the occurrence of the error. This error state is maintained until the reset switch 72 is operated. If the sensor reading results are normal, a determination is made as to whether the settlement switch 59 has been operated. If the settlement switch 59 has been operated, a medal return process is performed to pay out the same number of medals as the credited virtual medals.

[0104] After the medal return process is completed or if the settlement switch 59 has not been operated, it is determined whether medals have been inserted or the credit insertion switches 56, 57 have been operated between the previous start waiting process and the current start waiting process, and if either has been done, a medal insertion process is carried out to change the number of bets, etc., and the start waiting process is terminated. Also, if neither medals have been inserted nor the credit insertion switches 56, 57 have been operated between the previous start waiting process and the current start waiting process, the start waiting process is terminated.

[0105] After the start waiting process is completed, in step S205, it is determined whether the number of medals bet has reached a specified number. In this slot machine 10, the specified number in the bonus state (BB state) is set to "3," and the specified numbers in gaming states other than the bonus state are set to "2" and "3." That is, in the bonus state, a positive determination is made in step S205 on the condition that the number of medals bet is "3," and in a gaming state other than the bonus state, a positive determination is made in step S205 on the condition that the number of medals bet is "2" or "3." In other words, in a gaming state other than the bonus state, if no medals have been bet, or if even if medals have been bet, the bet number is "1," a negative determination is made in step S205. If the number of medals bet has not reached the specified number, the process returns to the start waiting process in step S204, and the processes from the sensor abnormality confirmation process onward are performed.

[0106] If the number of bets has reached the specified number, a bet command including information on the number of bets that resulted in a positive determination in step S205 is set as an output target to the display control device 81, which serves as a sub-side control device, in step S206. The command set here is output to the display control device 81 in step S110 of the timer interrupt processing. Upon receiving the bet command, the display control device 81 executes processing for notification based on the bet operation (for example, notification that a game start condition has been met or notification of the lottery result of a previous game), and controls the speaker 64 and auxiliary display unit 65.

[0107] After executing the process of step S206, it is determined in step S207 whether or not the start lever 41 has been operated. If the start lever 41 has not been operated, the process returns to the start waiting process of step S204, and the processes from the sensor abnormality confirmation process onwards are performed.

[0108] On the other hand, if the start lever 41 is operated, this means that a start command has been issued to start the game, since the game can be started by operating the start lever 41 when a specified number of medals have been bet. In this case, in step S208, an active line setting process is performed to set the combination of lines corresponding to the bet number as the active line. In other words, only the bent line L6 is set as the active line. In step S209, the medal path switching solenoid 46a is switched to a non-excited state to prohibit bet acceptance. Thereafter, the lottery process in step S210, the reel control process in step S211, and the medal payout process in step S212 are executed in this order, and then the process returns to step S203.

[0109] Next, the lottery process in step S210 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0110] In step S301, a random number is acquired to be used when determining whether a winning combination has been achieved. In this slot machine 10, when the start lever 41 is operated, the hardware circuitry latches the value of the free-run counter at that time. The free-run counter generates a random number between 0 and 65535, and after the CPU 102 confirms the operation of the start lever 41, it stores the value latched by the hardware circuitry in the RAM 106. This configuration makes it possible to quickly acquire a random number when the start lever 41 is operated, thereby avoiding problems such as synchronization. The hardware circuitry of this slot machine 10 latches the value of the free-run counter each time the start lever 41 is operated.

[0111] After obtaining the random number, in step S302, a lottery table for determining whether the winning combination has been achieved is selected. In the slot machine 10, the gaming states are broadly divided into a normal gaming state and a bonus state, and a lottery table is set for each gaming state. In the normal gaming state, since the specified number of bets is set to "3" and "2" as described above, a lottery table for a 3-bet game and a lottery table for a 2-bet game are set as the lottery table for the normal gaming state.

[0112] That is, in step S302, the current gaming state of the slot machine 10 is determined based on the number of bets and the gaming state flags set in the state information storage area 106c, and a lottery table corresponding to the number of bets and the gaming state is selected. For example, if the number of bets is "3" and no bonus state flags are set in the state information storage area 106c, it is determined that the current gaming state is the normal gaming state, and a lottery table for the normal gaming state is selected. Then, if the current game is a 3-bet game, the lottery table for the normal gaming state for a 3-bet game (FIG. 19) is selected, and if the current game is a 2-bet game, the lottery table for the normal gaming state for a 2-bet game (FIG. 20) is selected.

[0113] In addition, in this slot machine 10, six levels of winning probability, from "Setting 1" to "Setting 6," are prepared in advance, and by inserting the setting key into the setting key insertion hole to turn it ON and performing a predetermined operation, it is possible to set which winning probability the internal processing will be based on. In step S302, when the setting state is "Setting 1," a lottery table with the lowest expected value of medal payout is selected, and when it is "Setting 6," a lottery table with the highest expected value of medal payout is selected.

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

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

[0116] The lottery table will be briefly explained. Fig. 19 is a lottery table for a normal game state selected in a normal game state in a 3-bet game. Fig. 20 is a lottery table for a normal game state selected in a normal game state in a 2-bet game. Index values ​​IV are set in the lottery table, and each index value IV is uniquely associated with a winning combination and is also set with a point value PV.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0124] Incidentally, when determining whether a winning combination is achieved using the lottery table shown in Figure 19, that is, when playing a 3-bet game in normal game mode, the probability of winning normal lip A (probability of winning when IV = 1) is approximately 1 in 27.3 with setting 1, approximately 1 in 27.5 with setting 3, and approximately 1 in 28.3 with setting 6, and the higher the setting value, the harder it is to win. The probability of winning normal lip B (probability of winning when IV = 2) and the probability of winning normal lip C (probability of winning when IV = 3) are both approximately 1 in 26.2 regardless of the setting value. The probability of winning chance symbol A (probability of winning when IV = 4) is approximately 1 in 164 regardless of the setting value, the probability of winning chance symbol B (probability of winning when IV = 5) is approximately 1 in 262 regardless of the setting value, and the probability of winning chance symbol C (probability of winning when IV = 6) is approximately 1 in 16,400 regardless of the setting value, so that chance symbol B is easier to win than chance symbol C, and chance symbol A is easier to win than chance symbol B. The probability of winning Cherry A (probability of winning when IV = 7) is approximately 1 in 107 with setting 1, approximately 1 in 104 with setting 3, and approximately 1 in 93.6 with setting 6, so that the higher the setting value, the easier it is to win. The probability of winning Cherry B (probability of winning when IV = 8) is approximately 1 in 215 regardless of the setting value, and the probability of winning Cherry C (probability of winning when IV = 9) is approximately 1 in 13,100 regardless of the setting value, so that Cherry B is easier to win than Cherry C, and Cherry A is easier to win than Cherry B. The probability of winning a common bell (probability of winning when IV = 10) is approximately 1 in 504 regardless of the setting value. The probability of winning a normal push bell 1, normal push bell 2, pinch push bell 1, pinch push bell 2, middle normal push bell 1, middle normal push bell 2, middle reverse push bell 1, middle reverse push bell 2, reverse pinch bell 1, reverse pinch bell 2, reverse push bell 1, reverse push bell 2 (hereinafter collectively referred to as push order bells) (probability of winning when IV = 11 to 22) is approximately 1 in 18.4 regardless of the setting value.The probability of winning a watermelon (the probability of winning when IV = 23) is approximately 1 in 107 regardless of the setting value. The probability of winning the first BB (the probability of winning when IV = 25) is approximately 1 in 5.03 regardless of the setting value, which is set higher than the probability of winning other roles (replay, small roles, IV = 1 to 24). In a 3-bet game, the system is set so that duplicate 1-piece roles (IV = 24) and the second BB (IV = 26) do not win (the corresponding point value PV is set to 0). In a 3-bet game, the probability of not winning any role, including the first BB, is 0. And when the first BB has been won, the probability of not winning any role in a 3-bet game is approximately 1 in 5.03 (for the first BB) regardless of the setting value. By the way, in a 3-bet game, before the first BB win, you can expect a decrease of about 1.50 medals per game (net increase of about minus 1.50 medals), excluding the increase in the first BB state, and in the carryover state after the first BB win, you can expect a decrease of about 2.10 medals per game (net increase of about minus 2.10 medals), excluding the increase in the first BB state.

[0125] In contrast, when determining whether a winning combination is achieved using the lottery table shown in FIG. 20, i.e., when playing a two-bet game in normal game mode, the probability of winning Normal Lip A, Normal Lip B, Normal Lip C, Chance Eye A, Chance Eye B, Chance Eye C, Cherry A, Cherry B, or Cherry C (the probability of winning when IV = 1 to 9) is the same as the probability when playing the three-bet game. The probability of winning the Common Bell (the probability of winning when IV = 10) is approximately 1 in 9.64 regardless of the setting value, which is set to be easier to win than when playing a three-bet game. The Push Order Bell (IV = 11 to 22) is set to be impossible to win in a two-bet game. The probability of winning the Watermelon (the probability of winning when IV = 23) is approximately 1 in 257 regardless of the setting value, which is set to be harder to win than when playing a three-bet game. In a 2-bet game, the system is set up so that a double 1-coin combination (IV=24) can be won, with a probability of approximately 1 in 1.81 regardless of the setting value. Also, in a 2-bet game, the system is set up so that the first BB (IV=25) cannot be won, but the second BB (IV=26) can be won, with a probability of approximately 1 in 4.95 regardless of the setting value. Even in a 2-bet game, the probability of not winning any combination, including the second BB, is 0. And, if the second BB is won, the probability of not winning any combination in a 2-bet game is approximately 1 in 4.95 (for the second BB), regardless of the setting value. By the way, in a 2-bet game, before winning the 2nd BB, you can expect a decrease of about 0.24 medals per game (net increase of about minus 0.24 medals), excluding the increase in the 2nd BB, and in the carryover state after winning the 2nd BB, you can expect a decrease of about 0.64 medals per game (net increase of about minus 0.64 medals), excluding the increase in the 2nd BB state.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0134] After executing the process of step S313, a process for updating the number of games is executed in step S314. In the process for updating the number of games, the number of remaining games in the premonition mode, CZ mode, and AT mode is updated. The process for updating the number of games will be described in detail later.

[0135] In the following step S315, the first interval display process is executed, and then the lottery process is terminated. The first interval display process is a process related to the display control of the instruction monitor 68 and the role ratio monitor 77, and this process will be described in detail later.

[0136] Next, the reel control process in step S211 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0137] In the reel control process, first, in step S401, a spin effect process is performed. The spin effect process is a process for performing an effect using reel control during an invalid period, based on the result of the freeze lottery process performed in step S309 and the result of the lottery result response process performed in step S310. The spin effect process will be described in detail later. In the following step S402, a spin start process is performed to start the rotation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R.

[0138] In the spin start process, the system checks whether a predetermined wait time (e.g., 4.1 seconds) has elapsed since the reels started spinning in the previous game. If not, the system waits until the wait time has elapsed. If the wait time has elapsed, the system resets the wait time for the next game and performs a motor control initialization process to set spin start information in a motor control storage area in RAM 106. This process initiates a stepping motor acceleration process in the stepping motor control process (step S106) of the timer interrupt process, causing each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R to start spinning. Therefore, even if a player bets a specified number of medals and operates the start lever 41, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R may not immediately start spinning. The system then waits until each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R spins at a predetermined constant speed, and the spin start process ends. In addition, when the rotation speed of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R reaches a constant speed, the CPU 102 notifies the player, etc. that it is now possible to issue a stop command by lighting up the lamps (not shown) of each stop switch 42 to 44.

[0139] Following the spin start process, in step S403, it is determined whether any of the stop switches 42 to 44 has been operated. If none of the stop switches 42 to 44 has been operated, the process waits until one of the stop switches 42 to 44 is operated. If it is determined that one of the stop switches 42 to 44 has been operated, the process proceeds to step S404, where it is determined whether the stop switch corresponding to the spinning reel has been operated, i.e., whether a stop command has been issued. If a stop command has not been issued, the process returns to step S403, where it waits until one of the stop switches 42 to 44 is operated. If a stop command has been issued, a stop command command is set in step S405. Here, the stop command command is a command sent to the display control device 81 to indicate which stop switch was operated to issue the stop command. If a stop command command has been set, the stop control process shown in steps S406 to S412 is performed to stop the spinning reel.

[0140] In step S406, the symbol number of the symbol that has reached the base position (the lower row in this embodiment) at the time the stop switch is operated is confirmed. Specifically, the symbol number of the symbol that has reached the base position is confirmed based on the number of excitation pulses output from the time the detection signal of the reel index sensor is input.

[0141] In the next step S407, the number of reels to be stopped is calculated based on the stop information set in the stop information storage area 106b. In the slot machine 10, five stop patterns are provided for stopping each reel 32L, 32M, 32R when the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated: a stop pattern in which the reached symbol that has reached the base position is stopped as is, a stop pattern in which the corresponding reel is stopped after sliding by one symbol, a stop pattern in which the corresponding reel is stopped after sliding by two symbols, a stop pattern in which the corresponding reel is stopped after sliding by three symbols, and a stop pattern in which the corresponding reel is stopped after sliding by four symbols. Therefore, in step S407, a value of 0 to 4 is calculated as the number of reels to be stopped based on the stop information stored in the stop information storage area 106b.

[0142] Then, in step S408, the calculated slip count is added to the symbol number of the reached symbol to determine the symbol number of the stopped symbol that will actually stop at the base position. In step S409, it is determined whether the symbol number of the reached symbol on the reel to be stopped this time and the symbol number of the stopped symbol are equal, and if they are equal, a reel stop process is performed to stop the reel rotation in step S410. Then, in step S411, it is determined whether all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R have stopped. If all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R have not stopped, a second stop information setting process is performed in step S412, and the process returns to step S403.

[0143] Here, the second stop information setting process is a process of changing the stop information stored in the stop information storage area 106b of the RAM 106 after the reels have stopped. In the second stop information setting process, the stop information is changed based on the set win flag and the stop outcome of the stopped reels. In the slot machine 10, for example, when a win occurs when IV=11 to 22, that is, when the push order bell is won (see Figures 19 and 20), the second stop information setting process is performed to change the winning mode established by the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 that generated the stop command.

[0144] 22 is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between winning combinations, the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and the winning patterns that are achieved. For example, when the center push bell 1 is won, if the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in the order of left → center → right, left → right → center, center → right → left, right → left → center, or right → center → left, the stop information is set so that the 17th small win, the 18th small win, or the 21st small win is achieved, and if they are operated in the order of center → left → right, the stop information is set so that the 3rd small win is achieved. However, even if the stop information is set in this way, the corresponding win may not be achieved depending on the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44.

[0145] A brief description will be given of the arrangement of symbols on each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R. In the slot machine 10, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R can be stopped after sliding a maximum of four symbols from the timing of the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44. Therefore, when symbols of the same kind are arranged on each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R with a spacing of four symbols or less, when a winning symbol is formed, the winning symbol can be stopped on an active line regardless of the timing of the operation of the stop switch 43. On the other hand, when symbols are arranged so that they form a section spaced five symbols or more apart, the player must operate the stop switches 42 to 44 while aiming at the symbol to stop it on an active line.

[0146] An example will be explained below in which the middle push bell 1 is won and the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in the order of left → middle → right. In such a case, as described above, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are stopped to achieve the 17th small win, the 18th small win, or the 21st small win.

[0147] The 17th minor winning symbol on the left reel 32L is a "red 7" symbol and a "BAR" symbol. The 18th minor winning symbol on the left reel 32L is a "red shell" symbol and a "white shell" symbol. The 21st minor winning symbol on the left reel 32L is a "replay" symbol and a "young man" symbol. The 17th, 18th, and 21st minor winning symbols are arranged on the left reel 32L so that the spacing between the symbols is four symbols or less. Therefore, when the left stop switch 42 is operated first, any of the 17th, 18th, and 21st minor winning symbols will stop on the active line (middle row) regardless of the timing of the operation.

[0148] In this slot machine 10, when multiple target symbols are operated at the timing when they can be stopped, the stop control is performed so that the symbol with the fewest slipping frames stops on the pay line. That is, for example, if the left stop switch 42 is operated when the first "bell" symbol on the left reel 32L reaches the bottom row, the fourth "red shell" symbol (2-frame stop) which is the 18th minor winning symbol and the fifth "replay" symbol (3-frame stop) which is the 21st minor winning symbol can stop on the middle row, but the stop control of the left reel 32L is performed so that the fourth "red shell" symbol with the fewest slipping frames stops on the middle row. In this case, although there is still a chance of the 18th minor winning symbol being achieved, the 17th and 21st minor winning symbols will not be achieved.

[0149] When the 18th small winning symbol on the left reel 32L stops in the middle row, the stop information second setting process changes the stop information so that the 18th small winning symbol can be achieved.

[0150] The 18th minor winning symbol on the center reel 32M is a "replay" symbol. On the left reel 32L, the "replay" symbols are arranged so that the interval between each "replay" symbol is four symbols or less. Therefore, in this case, regardless of the operation timing of the center stop switch 43, stop control is performed so that the "replay" symbol stops on the upper row of the center reel 32M.

[0151] The 18th minor winning symbol on the right reel 32R is a "white shell" symbol and a "young man" symbol. The "white shell" and "young man" symbols are arranged on the right reel 32R so that the spacing between them is at least five symbols. In other words, depending on the timing of operation of the right stop switch 44, the 18th minor winning symbol, the "white shell" symbol or the "young man" symbol, may or may not be able to stop on the upper row. If the right stop switch 44 is operated at a time when it is possible to stop the symbol on the upper row, the 18th minor winning symbol is established, and if the right stop switch 44 is operated at a time when it is not possible to stop the symbol on the upper row, a so-called miss occurs.

[0152] Here, when the "red shell" symbol stops in the middle row of the left reel 32L and the "replay" symbol stops in the top row of the middle reel 32M, in addition to the case where the middle push bell 1 is won and the 18th small prize is achieved as described above, there is also a case where the middle push bell 2 is won and the 20th small prize is achieved. In other words, the 20th small prize symbol in the middle push bell 2 is the 18th small prize symbol on the left reel 32L and the middle reel 32M. And, on the right reel 32R, the 18th small prize symbol is the "white shell" symbol and the "young man" symbol, while the 20th small prize symbol is the "red 7" symbol and the "white 7" symbol, which are different. In particular, on the right reel 32R, the 18th small win symbol and the 20th small win symbol are arranged so that if the right stop switch 44 is operated at the timing when the 18th small win symbol can be stopped on an active line, the 20th small win symbol cannot be stopped on an active line, and if the right stop switch 44 is operated at the timing when the 20th small win symbol can be stopped on an active line, the 18th small win symbol cannot be stopped on an active line. Therefore, assuming that it is not known whether the middle push bell 1 or the middle push bell 2 has been won, even if the left reel 32L and the middle reel 32M are stopped and a stop pattern is formed in which there is a possibility of winning the 18th small win symbol and the 20th small win symbol, it is not possible to aim for that and win.

[0153] Next, we will explain an example in which the middle push bell 1 is won and the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in the order of middle → left → right. In this case, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are stopped to establish the third small win.

[0154] On the middle reel 32M, the "replay" symbol, which is the third minor winning symbol, is arranged so that the interval between the "replay" symbols is four symbols or less. Therefore, when the middle stop switch 43 is operated first, the "replay" symbol stops on the top row regardless of the operation timing.

[0155] On the left reel 32L, the "bell" symbols, which are the third minor winning symbols, are arranged so that the interval between each "bell" symbol is four symbols or less. Therefore, when the left stop switch 42 is operated second, the "bell" symbols will stop in the middle row regardless of the timing of the operation.

[0156] On the right reel 32R, the third minor winning symbols, the "watermelon" symbol and the "red shell" symbol, are arranged so that the spacing between these symbols is four symbols or less. Therefore, if the right stop switch 44 is operated third, the "watermelon" symbol or the "red shell" symbol will stop on the top row regardless of the timing of the operation. As shown above, if the middle order push bell 1 is won and the middle stop switch 43 → left stop switch 42 → right stop switch 44 are operated in this order, the third minor winning symbol will be established regardless of the timing of the operation.

[0157] As described above, when the push order bell is won, if the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in a predetermined operation sequence, the first small prize, the second small prize, the third small prize, the fourth small prize, the fifth small prize, or the sixth small prize will be won regardless of the operation timing, and if the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in a different operation sequence, depending on the operation timing, a small prize will be won, or none of the small prizes will be won and it will be missed. Incidentally, when the common bell is won, the first small prize, the second small prize, the third small prize, the fourth small prize, the fifth small prize, or the sixth small prize will be won regardless of the operation sequence and operation timing.

[0158] Returning to the explanation of the reel control process, if all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are stopped in step S411, a payout determination process is performed in step S413. The payout determination process is a process for setting the number of medals to be paid out, with one of the conditions being that a winning combination of symbols is lined up on an active line. In the payout determination process, a combination of symbols formed on an active line is derived from the symbol numbers of the symbols stopped on the lower rows of each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R, and it is determined whether a winning combination has been achieved on the active line. If a winning combination has been achieved, it is further determined whether the winning combination corresponds to a winning flag set in the win flag storage area 106a. If the winning combination corresponds to a winning flag, the winning combination and the payout amount corresponding to the winning combination are set in a payout information storage area provided in RAM 106. On the other hand, if the winning combination does not correspond to the winning flag, the slot machine 10 is put into an error state and an error occurrence notification process is performed. This error state is maintained until the reset switch 72 is operated.

[0159] After the payout determination process is performed, bonus state process is performed in step S414. The bonus state process will be described in detail later. After the bonus state process is performed, winning result process is performed in step S415. The winning result process includes processes such as transitioning the game state based on the winning result. The winning result process will be described in detail later.

[0160] After the winning result processing is performed, a second interval display processing is executed in step S416. The second interval display processing is processing related to display control of the instruction monitor 68, and this processing will be explained in detail later. Thereafter, in step S417, a winning result command is set so that the display control device 81 knows the winning combination in the current game, and the reel control processing is terminated.

[0161] Next, the medal payout process in step S212 will be outlined.

[0162] In the medal payout process, it is determined whether the payout number set in the payout information storage area is 0. If the payout number is 0, it means that no small winning combination was achieved in the previous payout determination process. In such a case, it is determined whether any of the 1st replay winning combination to the 10th replay winning combination was achieved, based on the winning combination set in the payout determination process. If none of the replay winning combinations has been achieved, the medal payout process is terminated as is, and if any of the replay winning combinations has been achieved, a replay setting process is performed to change the play mode to replay mode, and the medal payout process is terminated. Note that in the start waiting process (step S204) described earlier, an automatic insertion process is performed if the current play mode is replay mode.

[0163] On the other hand, if the payout number set in the payout information storage area is not 0, medals equal to the payout number are paid out, and the medal payout process is terminated. Specifically, regarding the payout of medals, if the count value of the credit counter has not reached its upper limit (50 medals stored), the payout number is added to the count value of the credit counter, and the value after the addition is displayed on the credit display unit 60. If the count value of the credit counter has reached its upper limit, or if the count value reaches its upper limit during the addition of the payout number, the medal payout rotating plate is driven, and medals are paid out from the hopper device 51 to the medal tray 50 via the medal discharge port 49. The medal payout process also involves changing the payout number displayed on the payout number display unit 62 in accordance with the payout of medals. If the current game state is the BB state, the payout number is subtracted from the value of the remaining payout number counter (described later), and the remaining payout number displayed on the remaining payout number display unit 61 is subtracted.

[0164] Next, the bonus state process in step S414 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0165] First, in step S501, it is determined whether the current gaming state is a bonus state, i.e., whether the current gaming state is the first BB state or the second BB state. Whether the current gaming state is the first BB state or the second BB state can be determined by the presence or absence of a first BB state flag or a second BB state flag that are set in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106 when transitioning to the first BB state or the second BB state. That is, in step S501, if neither the first BB state flag nor the second BB state flag is set, it is determined that the current state is not the first BB state or the second BB state, and the process proceeds to step S502.

[0166] In step S502, it is determined whether the first BB hit flag or the second BB hit flag is set, and whether either BB has been hit. If neither BB hit flag is set, the bonus state processing ends. If either BB hit flag is set, the process proceeds to step S503.

[0167] In step S503, a process is performed to input 3 into the MAX bet counter provided in the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. The MAX bet counter is used to set a specific number of virtual medals to be inserted when the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated. That is, when the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated while the MAX bet counter has input 3, three virtual medals are inserted. In this case, since the MAX bet counter does not set the specified number of medals for the game, when the specified number of medals for the game is set to two or three, it is permitted to play a two-bet game by operating the second credit insertion switch 57. Note that if 3 has already been input into the MAX bet counter in step S503, that state is maintained.

[0168] The initial value of the MAX bet counter is 2, and when the reset switch 72 is operated to clear the RAM, 2 is input to the MAX bet counter and the slot machine 10 is started up.

[0169] In the following step S504, it is determined whether the first BB win or the second BB win has been achieved. If neither of the BB wins has been achieved, the bonus state processing ends. If either of the BB wins has been achieved, the process proceeds to step S505, where it is determined whether the first BB win has been achieved.

[0170] If the first BB win has been achieved, in step S506, a process of inputting "90" into the BB counter provided in the various counter area 106e is executed. The BB counter is a counter for defining the upper limit payout number in each BB state. That is, by inputting "90" into the BB counter in step S506, the first BB state is set to end when 90 or more medals are paid out. In step S507, the first BB hit flag is cleared. Then, in step S508, the first BB state flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. As a result, from the next game onwards, a positive determination will be made in step S501.

[0171] In the following step S509, the first BB start command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The first BB start command is a command for making the display control device 81 aware that the first BB state is about to start, and upon receiving this first BB start command, the display control device 81 controls the speaker 64, auxiliary display unit 65, etc. so that a first BB start effect corresponding to the start of the first BB state is performed. Furthermore, by receiving the first BB start command, the display control device 81 is able to understand that the first BB state will start from the next game, and controls the speaker 64, auxiliary display unit 65, etc. so that an effect for the first BB state is performed from the next game.

[0172] After setting the output of the first BB start command in step S509, a process of setting the specified number of bets to 3 is executed in step S510, and then this bonus state process is terminated. The specified number of bets corresponds to the specified number of coins for the game described above, and corresponds to the number of coins that can be bet to start the rotation of each of the reels 32L to 32R by operating the start lever 41 (in other words, the number of coins that can be bet to start the game). In other words, by transitioning to the first BB state, the specified number of coins for the game is set to 3 coins, and the first BB state is executed in a 3-bet game.

[0173] The initial values ​​of the specified number of bets are 2 and 3, and when the reset switch 72 is operated to clear the RAM, the specified number of bets is set to 2 and 3 and the slot machine 10 is started up.

[0174] In step S505, it is determined that the first BB win has not been achieved when the second BB win has been achieved. In this case, the process proceeds to step S511, where the BB counter is set to "90." That is, the second BB state is set to end when 90 or more medals are paid out. Then, in step S512, the second BB win flag is cleared, and in step S513, the second BB state flag is set. After that, in step S514, a second BB start command is set to be output to the display control device 81. The second BB start command corresponds to the first BB start command and is a command for informing the display control device 81 that the second BB state has started. Upon receiving the second BB start command, the display control device 81 controls the speaker 64, the auxiliary display unit 65, etc. to perform a second BB start effect corresponding to the start of the second BB state, and controls the speaker 64, the auxiliary display unit 65, etc. to perform an effect for the second BB state from the next game onward.

[0175] The first BB start effect and the second BB start effect are different in appearance and content to the extent that they can be distinguished by the player. The effects for the first BB state and the effects for the second BB state are also different in appearance and content to the extent that they can be distinguished by the player. The processing on the display control device 81 side when the first BB start command or the second BB start command is received will be explained in detail later.

[0176] After the output setting of the second BB start command is performed in step S514, the process of setting the specified number of bets to 3 is performed in step S510, and then this bonus state process is terminated. That is, the specified number of coins for the game is set to 3 not only in the first BB state but also in the second BB state, and the second BB state is performed in a 3-bet game.

[0177] In this embodiment, the BB counter (maximum payout amount) is set to the same value when the first BB win is achieved and when the second BB win is achieved, but these may be different values. For example, the BB counter value set when the first BB win is achieved may be larger than that when the second BB win is achieved, or vice versa.

[0178] If the determination in step S501 is affirmative and the state is the first BB state or the second BB state, the process proceeds to step S515, where processing for the first BB state or the second BB state is performed. FIG. 24 shows an example of a lottery table for the BB state. In this embodiment, a common lottery table is used for the first BB state and the second BB state. However, separate lottery tables may be provided for each state, with different types of winning combinations and winning probabilities for each combination. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 25, in the first BB state and the second BB state, normal lip A, common bell, and overlapping 1-coin combinations are possible. The probability of winning normal lip A (the probability of winning when IV = 1) is approximately 1 in 61.2, the probability of winning common bell (the probability of winning when IV = 10) is approximately 1 in 5.96, and the probability of winning overlapping 1-coin combinations (the probability of winning when IV = 24) is approximately 1 in 1.31. Additionally, in the 1st BB state or the 2nd BB state, the probability of a losing result (not winning any role) is approximately 1 in 10.14. In this case, you can expect an increase of approximately 0.00 medals per game (a net increase of approximately plus or minus 0.00 medals), and no increase or decrease in medals occurs in the 1st BB state or the 2nd BB state. In other words, although you cannot expect an increase in medals in the 1st BB state or the 2nd BB state, you can progress through the game without losing medals.

[0179] Here, in the normal game state in a 3-bet game and the 1st BB state to which a transition can be made in a 3-bet game, the main medal increase is caused by the winning of the 1st to 6th minor combinations, which result in a payout of 13 medals, and these combinations are the push order bell in the normal game state and the common bell in the 1st BB state. Comparing the winning rates of these main minor combinations, in the normal game state, assuming that the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in a fixed operation order, the winning probability is about 1 in 9.19, while in the 1st BB state the winning probability is about 1 in 5.96, and in a 3-bet game, the 1st BB state is set to be more likely to result in a winning than the normal game state. In addition, in the normal game state in a 2-bet game and the second BB state to which a 2-bet game can be entered, the main medal increase is the common bell, and while in the normal game state the probability of winning is approximately 1 in 9.64, in the second BB state the probability of winning is approximately 1 in 5.96, so even in a 2-bet game, it is set up so that winning is more likely to occur in the second BB state than in the normal game state.

[0180] However, as mentioned above, in the first BB state and the second BB state, a lottery table is used in which the number of medals may decrease in each game, so even if the first BB state or the second BB state is completed, an increase in the number of medals held cannot be expected; conversely, it is expected that the number of medals held will decrease as the first BB state or the second BB state is completed.

[0181] In the bonus state processing, in step S515, it is determined whether or not any small winning combination has been achieved in the current game as a result of the lottery processing using the BB state lottery table and the control of each reel. If no winning combination has been achieved, the bonus state processing is terminated. If a winning combination has been achieved, in step S516, the payout amount corresponding to the winning combination is subtracted from the BB counter in the various counter area 106e. Then, in step S517, it is determined whether or not the BB counter has become 0 or less as a result of the subtraction processing in step S516. For example, if a common bell is won and the first to sixth small winning combinations are achieved, a payout of 13 coins will be generated, so in step S516, 13 is subtracted from the BB counter.

[0182] If the count is not 0 or less in step S517, the bonus state processing is terminated. On the other hand, if the count is 0 or less, the BB state flag corresponding to the current BB state is cleared in step S518. That is, if the current BB state is the first BB state, the first BB state flag is cleared, and if the current BB state is the second BB state, the second BB state flag is cleared. Then, in step S519, the MAX bet counter is set to 2, and in step S520, a BB end command corresponding to the BB state to be terminated this time is set as an output target to the display control device 81. More specifically, if the first BB state is to be terminated, the first BB end command is set as an output target, and if the second BB state is to be terminated, the second BB end command is set as an output target. Upon receiving the first BB end command or the second BB end command, the display control device 81 controls the speaker 64 and the auxiliary display unit 65 so that a first BB end effect or a second BB end effect is performed.

[0183] Then, in step S521, the specified number of bets is set to 2 and 3, and the bonus state processing is terminated. In this case, in the normal gaming state after the end of the first BB state or the second BB state, a 2-bet game and a 3-bet game are possible. In contrast, since 2 is input into the MAX BET counter in step S519 as described above, when the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated, two virtual medals are inserted and a 2-bet game is played. In other words, when neither the first BB hit flag nor the second BB hit flag is set, the system is set to make it easier to play a 2-bet game. Incidentally, after the end of the first BB state or the second BB state, 2 is input into the MAX BET counter, so a 3-bet cannot be made by operating the first credit insertion switch 56 or the second credit insertion switch 57. To play a 3-bet game, three medals must be inserted into the medal insertion slot 45.

[0184] Here, the gameplay of the slot machine 10 using the 2-bet game and the 3-bet game will be described with reference to FIG.

[0185] The normal gaming state in which the first BB hit flag and the second BB hit flag are not set and no BB has been hit is a state called a non-internal state. In this case, as described above, the specified bet number (specified number of coins per game) is set to 2 or 3, and a 2-bet game and a 3-bet game are possible. However, if 2 is input to the MAX bet counter as described above and the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated to start a game, it will be a 2-bet game.

[0186] If the first BB or second BB is won but no prize is awarded in that winning game, the internal state will be one in which the first BB win or second BB win is carried over (carryover state). Even in the internal state, as described above, the specified bet number (specified number of coins per game) is set to 2 or 3, and a 2-bet game or a 3-bet game is possible. However, if 3 is input into the MAX bet counter as described above and the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated to start a game, it will be a 3-bet game.

[0187] As already explained, in the slot machine 10, in the internal state where the first BB is won, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are stopped so that the first BB win is possible in a 3-bet game, but the first BB win is not possible in a 2-bet game. Also, in the internal state where the second BB is won, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are stopped so that the second BB win is not possible in a 3-bet game, but the second BB win is possible in a 2-bet game. That is, if the first BB is won in a 3-bet game, the first BB win can be achieved by continuing the 3-bet game, but the first BB win cannot be achieved by switching to a 2-bet game after the first BB is won. Also, if the second BB is won in a 2-bet game, the second BB win can be achieved by continuing the 2-bet game, but the second BB win cannot be achieved by switching to a 3-bet game after the second BB is won. Furthermore, the first BB and the second BB cannot be won twice, and if a first BB win is carried over, the first BB cannot be won again, and the second BB cannot be won twice. Also, if a second BB win is carried over, the second BB cannot be won again, and the first BB cannot be won twice. In other words, if you win the first BB and play a 2-bet game, the game will continue in an internal state where the first BB win is carried over, and if you win the second BB and play a 3-bet game, the game will continue in an internal state where the second BB win is carried over.

[0188] Here, since the first BB win is only possible in a three-bet game and the second BB win is only possible in a two-bet game as described above, even if a three-bet game results in a loss (no winning combination) while the second BB win is carried over, the second BB win will not be achieved, and even if a two-bet game results in a loss (no winning combination) while the first BB win is carried over, the first BB win will not be achieved. This dramatically simplifies the role configuration and control of reels 32L, 32M, and 32R in an internal state where a first BB win or a second BB win is carried over. If a configuration were such that a second BB win could be achieved in a three-bet game or a first BB win could be achieved in a two-bet game, maintaining the internal state where the first BB win or the second BB win is carried over would require a lottery table that would prevent a loss, and, for example, in a role where a miss may occur, it would be necessary to have a different role win when the miss occurs.

[0189] Also, in the 1st BB state and the 2nd BB state, the main role for increasing medals is the common bell. Also, in the non-internal state and the internal state, the main role for increasing medals in a 2-bet game is the common bell, whereas the main role for increasing medals in a 3-bet game is the push order bell. For the common bell, any of the 1st to 6th small roles will be achieved regardless of the operation sequence and operation timing of each of the stop switches 42 to 44, whereas for the push order bell, the small role that is achieved will differ depending on the operation sequence and operation timing of each of the stop switches 42 to 44. In other words, the fluctuation in medal increase or decrease depending on the operation sequence and operation timing (mainly the operation sequence) when the push order bell is won is greater in the non-internal state and the internal state in a 3-bet game than in the 1st BB state and the 2nd BB state. For example, by announcing the operation sequence for winning the first to sixth small prizes when the push order bell is won, it is possible to switch between an AT mode (assist time mode, navigation mode) that assists in winning and a non-AT mode (non-navigation mode) that does not, and it is also possible to create a state in which the number of medals increases and a state in which the number of medals decreases depending on whether or not the notification (assist) is given.

[0190] The basic flow of a game in which the first credit insertion switch 56 is operated is as follows: first, in the non-internal state, a 2-bet game is played, and the second BB is won in the 2-bet game. When the second BB is won, the state switches to the internal state, the game switches to the 3-bet game, and the game proceeds in a state in which the above-mentioned second BB winning cannot be realized. In this case, as described above, in the 3-bet game in which the second BB winning is carried over, neither the first BB nor the second BB is won, and the game continues in the internal state in which the second BB winning is carried over.

[0191] Below, we will assume that the game is played with the second BB win carried over, and explain the gameplay using notifications (push order notifications) when the push order bell is won during that game (also referred to as normal game in the following explanation).

[0192] <Lottery result processing> First, the lottery result response process performed in step S310 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 26. The lottery result response process is a process performed after the lottery process for each game is performed, and is a process that performs a lottery for transition to an AT mode in which a push order notification is generated based on the lottery result of the game.

[0193] First, in steps S601 to S603, the number of bets for the game to be started this time is determined, and it is determined whether the determined number of bets matches the specific specified number corresponding to the game state at that time. That is, in step S601, it is determined whether either the first BB state flag or the second BB state flag is set, and it is determined whether the game to be started this time is in either of the BB states. If it is not in the BB state, it is determined in step S602 whether the number of bets is 3. If it is in the BB state, it is determined in step S603 whether the number of bets is 2.

[0194] As already explained, in the non-internal state before the first BB or second BB is won, and in the internal state after the first BB or second BB is won, the specified number of bets is set to 2 or 3, and in the first BB state or the second BB state, the specified number of bets is set to 3. The processing of step S602 and step S603 is processing to determine whether or not the number of bets for the current game is one specific specified number (specific set number) specified (set) in association with the gaming state, and if it is not the specific specified number, the lottery result response processing is terminated without performing the processing for the display mode (processing for the instruction function) from step S604 onwards.

[0195] That is, in this embodiment, the specific specified number for the non-internal state and the internal state is set to 3, and while the processing for the display mode is executed in a 3-bet game, the processing for the display mode is not executed in a 2-bet game. Also, in this embodiment, the specific specified number for the first BB state and the second BB state is set to 3, and since the specified bet number is set to 3 in each of these BB states, a 2-bet game is not executed, and the processing for the display mode is not executed in the first BB state or the second BB state.

[0196] In other words, in this embodiment, if a 2-bet game is played in a certain internal state, the lottery for transition to the AT mode after step S604 is not performed, which is disadvantageous to the player. By doing this, the internal state is set to a 3-bet game, making it easier to play a normal game that carries over the second BB state.

[0197] If a positive determination is made in step S602 or step S603, it is determined in step S604 whether or not an advantageous zone flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. In this slot machine 10, regarding whether or not a push order notification or the like occurs, advantageous zones in which the push order notification or the like may occur and normal zones in which the notification may not occur are set. The advantageous zone flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to determine that the current game is a game in an advantageous zone, and is set upon transition to an advantageous zone and cleared upon transition to a normal zone.

[0198] If the advantageous zone flag is not set, it means that the current game is in the normal zone, and in this case, the advantageous zone transition lottery process is executed in step S605, and then the lottery result response process is terminated.

[0199] In the advantageous zone transition lottery process, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 27, the lottery result of the current game is grasped in step S701. Then, in step S702, an advantageous zone transition lottery table is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105. As shown in FIG. 29, the advantageous zone transition lottery table has a transition rate to the advantageous zone (probability of winning the advantageous zone transition lottery) set according to the lottery result of each game. The trigger roles for the lottery for transition to the advantageous zone are set as follows: normal lip A, normal lip B, normal lip C, chance eye A, chance eye B, chance eye C, cherry A, cherry B, cherry C, common bell, push order bell, and watermelon. In other words, in normal play as a 3-bet game carrying over the second BB, all possible winning results are set as trigger roles for the lottery for transition to the advantageous zone.

[0200] After obtaining the lottery table in step S702, a process of obtaining a random number for the advantageous zone transition lottery is executed in step S703. The random number for the advantageous zone transition lottery is generated using a dedicated counter in the various counter area 106e, which is updated at a predetermined interval, and the most recent updated value of the counter is obtained in step S703. Then, in step S704, an advantageous zone transition lottery is executed, and in step S705, it is determined whether or not the transition lottery has been won. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the lottery table is set so that any trigger role has a 100% probability of winning the advantageous zone transition lottery. In this case, if it is determined that the game result grasped in step S701 is a trigger role for the transition lottery (not a losing result), it is possible to omit the processes of steps S702 to S705.

[0201] If the transition lottery is won in step S705, an advantageous zone winning game flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d in step S706. The advantageous zone winning game flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to determine that the current game is a game that has won the transition lottery to the advantageous zone. If a negative determination is made in step S705, or after the processing of step S706 has been executed, the advantageous zone transition lottery processing is terminated.

[0202] Returning to the explanation of the lottery result response process (FIG. 26), if the advantageous zone flag is set in step S604, the process proceeds to step S606. In step S606, it is determined whether the first AT flag or the second AT flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d.

[0203] Here, in the present embodiment, a first AT mode and a second AT mode are set, in which the number of continuous games in the AT mode and the probability of winning an additional prize for the number of AT mode games are different. The first AT flag and the second AT flag are flags for the CPU 102 to recognize that it is in the AT mode and its type. Each of these AT flags is set when shifting to the AT mode. If none of the AT flags are set in step S606, the AT lottery process is executed in step S607. On the other hand, if any flag is set in step S606, the AT additional prize process is executed in step S608.

[0204] <AT lottery process> The AT lottery process in step S607 will be described while referring to the flowchart of FIG. 28.

[0205] In the AT lottery process, first, the lottery result of the current game is grasped in step S801. In the subsequent step S802, it is determined whether the first AT flag is set in the various flag storage areas 106d of the RAM 106. If the first AT flag is not set, that is, when not in the first AT mode, the process proceeds to step S803, and it is determined whether the value of the ceiling counter provided in the various counter areas 106e of the RAM 106 is 0. In the present embodiment, when the number of games (stuck games) that lost in the first AT mode transition lottery in the situation of staying in the advantageous section reaches a predetermined ceiling number of games (for example, 700 games), regardless of the result of the first AT mode transition lottery, it is configured to shift to the first AT mode. The ceiling counter is for the CPU 102 to grasp the remaining number of games up to the ceiling number of games, and the process in step S803 discriminates whether the remaining number of games has become 0, that is, whether the ceiling number of games has been reached.

[0206] If a negative judgment is made in step S803 (if the value of the ceiling counter is not 0), the process proceeds to step S804, where it is judged whether or not a CZ flag is set in the various flags storage area 106d of the RAM 106. The CZ flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to know that the CZ mode is in progress, and is set when the CZ mode starts and cleared when the CZ mode ends. In this embodiment, normal mode and CZ (chance zone) mode are provided as advantageous zones before winning the lottery for transitioning to the AT mode, and the CZ mode is set as a mode in which it is easier to win the lottery for transitioning to the AT mode than normal mode.

[0207] If the CZ flag is not set in step S804, that is, if the mode is normal, then in step S805, a normal first AT mode transition lottery table is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105. In the normal first AT mode transition lottery table, as shown in Fig. 29, the transition rate to the first AT mode (probability of winning the first AT mode transition lottery) is set according to the lottery results of each game.

[0208] On the other hand, if the CZ flag is set in step S804, that is, if the game is in CZ mode, then in step S806, the first AT mode transition lottery table for CZ mode is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105. In the first AT mode transition lottery table for CZ mode, the transition rate to the first AT mode is also set according to the lottery results of each game, as shown in FIG.

[0209] In this embodiment, in both the normal first AT mode transition lottery table and the CZ mode first AT mode transition lottery table, the trigger roles for the first AT mode transition lottery are set as follows: normal lip A, normal lip B, normal lip C, chance eye A, chance eye B, chance eye C, cherry A, cherry B, cherry C, common bell, push order bell, and watermelon. That is, in normal mode and CZ mode games as a 3-bet game in which the second BB is carried over, all possible winning results are set as trigger roles for the first AT mode transition lottery. However, in the CZ first AT mode transition lottery table, the transition rate to the first AT mode when chance eye A, chance eye B, chance eye C, cherry A, cherry B, cherry C, common bell, or watermelon is won is higher than in the normal first AT mode transition lottery table, and the transition rate to the first AT mode is favored.

[0210] In addition, the trigger role for the lottery to transition to the first AT mode is not limited to the above, and for example, the lottery to transition to the first AT mode may be executed only when some of the chance symbols are won, or the trigger role may be configured to be only for some of the results that can be won in playing in normal mode and CZ mode as a 3-bet game that carries over the second BB.

[0211] After step S805 or step S806 is executed, the process proceeds to step S807, where a first AT mode lottery process is executed. In the first AT mode lottery process, a random number for the first AT mode transition lottery is acquired, and a lottery for determining whether the first AT mode will be selected is performed using the acquired random number, the lottery result determined in step S801, and the first AT mode transition lottery table acquired in step S805 or step S806. In the following step S808, it is determined whether or not the transition to the first AT mode has been selected in the first AT mode lottery process of step S807. If the selection has been selected, the process for selecting the first AT mode in steps S809 to S813 is executed, and if the selection has not been selected, the process for selecting the first AT mode in steps S814 to S819 is executed.

[0212] Here, the first AT mode is a mode in which push order notifications corresponding to the first to sixth small roles occur when the push order bell is won, and is a mode in which a large increase in medals can be expected. When the first AT mode is entered and push order notifications occur, it becomes possible to achieve the first to sixth small role wins when each push order bell is won. In this embodiment, the net increase in coins per game during the first AT mode is approximately 8.04 coins. In the first AT mode, the initial number of games is 15, and the remaining number of games is increased by winning the additional lottery. The first AT mode ends when the remaining number of games reaches 0.

[0213] If the first AT mode transition lottery is won in step S808, a process is executed in step S809 to clear the value of the ceiling counter provided in the various counter area 106e (to set the value to 0). In the following step S810, it is determined whether the value of the loss counter provided in the various counter area 106e is 0. The role of the loss counter will be described later. If the value of the loss counter is not 0 in step S810, the value of the counter is cleared in step S811.

[0214] After execution of step S811 or if a positive judgment is made in step S810 (the value of the miss counter is 0), in step S812, a first AT winning flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106. The first AT winning flag is a flag that allows CPU 102 to know that the first AT mode has been won. In the following step S813, a first AT winning command is set as an output target to display control device 81, and then this AT lottery processing is terminated. The first AT winning command is a command for notifying display control device 81 that the first AT mode transition lottery has been won.

[0215] If the determination in step S808 is negative (the first AT mode has not been entered), the process proceeds to step S814, where it is determined whether the CZ flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. If the CZ flag is not set, i.e., if the game is in normal mode, the CZ mode transition lottery table is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105 in step S815. In the CZ mode transition lottery table, as shown in FIG. 29, the transition rate to CZ mode (the winning probability of the CZ mode transition lottery) is set according to the lottery results of each game. In this embodiment, the trigger roles for the CZ mode transition lottery are set as follows: normal lip A, normal lip B, normal lip C, chance eye A, chance eye B, chance eye C, cherry A, cherry B, cherry C, common bell, push order bell, and watermelon. In other words, in a game in normal mode as a 3-bet game with the second BB carried over, all possible winning results are set as trigger roles for the CZ mode transition lottery.

[0216] In addition, the trigger role for the CZ mode transition lottery is not limited to the above, and for example, the AT mode transition lottery may be executed only when certain chance numbers are won, or the trigger role may be configured to be only for certain results that can be won when playing in normal mode as a 3-bet game with the second BB carried over.

[0217] After acquiring the CZ mode transition lottery table in step S815, the CZ mode lottery process is executed in step S816. In the CZ mode lottery process, a lottery for transition to CZ mode is performed based on the acquired CZ mode transition lottery table and the lottery counters acquired from the various counter area 106e of RAM 106. In step S817, it is determined whether or not the transition to CZ mode has been won in the CZ mode lottery process of step S816.

[0218] If the CZ mode transition lottery is won in step S817, proceed to step S818, and set a CZ winning flag in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106. The CZ winning flag is a flag that allows CPU 102 to know that the CZ mode transition lottery has been won. In step S819, a CZ winning command is set as an output target to display control device 81, and then the AT lottery processing is terminated. The CZ winning command is a command for notifying display control device 81 that the CZ mode transition lottery has been won.

[0219] If a positive judgment is made in step S814 (if the player is in CZ mode) or a negative judgment is made in step S817 (if the player has not won the CZ mode transition lottery), the AT lottery processing is terminated.

[0220] If the determination in step S802 is affirmative (if the device is in the first AT mode), the process proceeds to step S820, where a second AT mode transition lottery table is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105. That is, in this embodiment, the lottery for transition to the second AT mode is conducted only when the device is in the first AT mode.

[0221] The second AT mode, like the first AT mode, is a mode in which push order notifications corresponding to the first to sixth minor roles are generated when the push order bell is won, and is a mode in which a large increase in medals can be expected. In both the first AT mode and the second AT mode, a game number addition lottery is held to add to the number of games played, but the game number addition rate in the second AT mode is more favorable than that in the first AT mode. In other words, the second AT mode is a higher-ranking AT mode than the first AT mode, or in other words, an AT mode that is more advantageous to players than the first AT mode.

[0222] In the second AT mode transition lottery table, as shown in Fig. 29, the transition rate to the second AT mode (the winning probability of the second AT mode transition lottery) is set according to the lottery result of each game. In this embodiment, chance eye A, chance eye B, chance eye C, cherry A, cherry B, cherry C, and watermelon are set as trigger roles for the second AT mode transition lottery. That is, in a game in the first AT mode as a 3-bet game carrying over the second BB, some of the results that can be won are set as trigger roles for the second AT mode transition lottery.

[0223] In addition, the trigger role for the second AT mode transition lottery is not limited to the above, and for example, as in the case of the first AT mode transition lottery, all results that can be won in normal mode play as a 3-bet game with the second BB carried over can be the trigger role.

[0224] After the second AT mode transition lottery table is acquired in step S820, a second AT mode lottery process is executed in step S21. In the second AT mode lottery process, a lottery for transition to the second AT mode is performed based on the acquired second AT mode transition lottery table and the lottery counters acquired from the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. In step S822, it is determined whether or not the second AT mode lottery process in step S821 has been won.

[0225] If the second AT mode transition lottery is not won in step S822, the AT lottery processing is terminated. On the other hand, if the second AT mode transition lottery is won, the process proceeds to step S823, where a second AT win flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106. The second AT win flag is a flag that allows CPU 102 to know that the second AT mode transition lottery has been won. In step S824, a second AT win command is set as an output target to display control device 81, and then the AT lottery processing is terminated. The second AT win command is a command for notifying display control device 81 that the second AT mode transition lottery has been won.

[0226] <AT Overlay Process> The AT overlay process in step S608 will be described while referring to the flowchart of FIG. 30. As already described, the AT overlay process is a process executed in a situation where the AT flag is set, and is a process for increasing the number of consecutive games in the AT mode.

[0227] In the AT overlay process, first, in step S901, the lottery result of the current game is grasped. In the subsequent step S902, it is determined whether the first AT flag is set in the various flag storage areas 106d of the RAM 106. The first AT flag is a flag for the CPU 102 to grasp that it is in the first AT mode.

[0228] If the first AT flag is set in step S902 (when it is in the first AT mode), in step S903, the first AT overlay lottery table is acquired from the various table storage areas 105a of the ROM 105. On the other hand, if the first AT flag is not set in step S902, it means that it is in the second AT mode. In this case, the process proceeds to step S904, and the second AT overlay lottery table is acquired from the above-mentioned various table storage areas 105a.

[0229] In the overlay lottery table for each AT mode, as shown in FIG. 31, the overlay winning rate is set according to the lottery result of the game and the type of AT mode. Comparing the first AT overlay lottery table and the second AT overlay lottery table, the overlay lottery using the second AT overlay lottery table is more likely to win the overlay lottery than the overlay lottery using the first AT overlay lottery table. For example, in the overlay lottery triggered by Cherry B, the overlay lottery using the first AT overlay lottery table wins with a probability of 15%, while the overlay lottery using the second AT overlay lottery table wins with a probability of 30%. In the situation after the AT mode transition, the winning probability of the overlay lottery is higher in the second AT mode than in the first AT mode.

[0230] After the add-on lottery table is acquired in step S903 or step S904, add-on lottery processing is executed in step S905. In the add-on lottery processing, a lottery processing is executed to determine whether or not to add on the number of games based on the add-on lottery table for each AT mode acquired above and the lottery counter acquired from the various counter area 106e of RAM 106. In step S906, it is determined whether or not the addition of the number of games has been selected in the add-on lottery processing of step S905.

[0231] If the number of games added is not won, the AT addition process is terminated. On the other hand, if the number of games added is won, the process proceeds to step S907, and the number of games added is drawn by lottery. In the number of games added by lottery process, the number of games added is determined by lottery by obtaining the number of games added from the various table storage area 105a. As shown in FIG. 31, the number of games added is set so that the number of games added varies depending on the lottery result of the game that triggered the addition. For example, when the addition is triggered by a normal lip B, an average of 100 games are added, while when the addition is triggered by a cherry A, an average of 15 games are added. In other words, the number of games added is greater when the addition is triggered by a trigger that is less likely to win the lottery.

[0232] In step S908, a process is executed to add the current number of added games drawn in the add-on game number drawing process of step S907 to the AT counter provided in the various counter area 106e. The AT counter is a counter that allows the CPU 102 to grasp the number of games remaining in the AT mode. After execution of step S908, in step S909, an add-on command is set as an output target to the display control device 81, and then this AT add-on process is terminated. The add-on command includes information indicating that the number of games will be added and the number of added games, and upon receiving this command, the display control device 81 executes a process to perform an add-on notification effect corresponding to the addition on the auxiliary display unit 65 or speaker 64.

[0233] <Rotation effect processing> Here, the spin effect process of step S401 in the reel control process (Fig. 21) will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 32(a). In this embodiment, a specific symbol combination is stopped in the display windows 26L to 26R corresponding to each of the reels 32L to 32R to notify the winning of the first AT mode, and the spin effect process is performed for this purpose.

[0234] First, in step S1001, it is determined whether or not a CZ flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106. As already explained, the CZ flag is used by CPU 102 to determine whether or not CZ mode is in effect. If the CZ flag is not set (if not in CZ mode), this rotation effect processing is terminated. If the CZ flag is set, the process proceeds to step S1002, where it is determined whether or not a first AT win flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d.

[0235] If the first AT winning flag is not set, this rotation effect processing is terminated. If the first AT winning flag is set (if the first AT mode transition lottery is won), the first AT winning flag is cleared in step S1003, and then a first AT start flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d in step S1004. The first AT start flag is used by the CPU 102 to determine that the first AT mode should be started.

[0236] After step S1004 is executed, in step S1005, a setting is made to execute a spin effect for informing the first AT. For example, as the spin effect for informing the first AT, after the rotation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R has started, as shown in FIG. 32(b), a "red 7" symbol is temporarily stopped (stopped) on a predetermined line (a downward-right line L4) as a symbol combination for the first AT corresponding to the first AT, and then the rotation of each of the reels 32L to 32R is resumed. This spin effect for informing the first AT is executed during an inactive period after the game has started and before the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44 becomes effective. In this embodiment, the first AT mode is a so-called pseudo bonus.

[0237] In the following step S1006, the first AT notification command is set as an output target to the display control device 81, and then this rotation effect processing is terminated. The first AT notification command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that the first AT mode will be won in this game by the first AT notification rotation effect.

[0238] In this embodiment, the first AT mode win is announced by the first AT announcement spin effect using each of the reels 32L to 32R in the game following the game in which the first AT mode win is made or in the game after the CZ mode ends. At the same time, a first AT start flag for starting the transition to the first AT mode is set, and the game following the winning announcement transitions to the first AT mode. When the first AT mode is entered, an announcement of the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 when the push order bell is won can be generated.

[0239] The notification of the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 is executed in the processing of steps S609 to S612 in the lottery result corresponding processing (Fig. 26). That is, after the AT lottery processing or the AT additional processing is executed in the processing of step S607 or step S608, the push order notification processing is executed in steps S609 to S612.

[0240] <Outline of push order notification> Before explaining the push order notification process, we will provide an overview of the push order notification performed by the instruction monitor 68 and the push order notification effect performed by the auxiliary display unit 65. Note that the push order notification and push order notification effect can also be referred to as push order navigation, sequence notification, or mode notification, for example. The instruction monitor 68 is connected to the main control unit 101, and the push order notification is performed by the main control unit 101. In contrast, the auxiliary display unit 65 is connected to the display control unit 81, and the push order notification effect is performed by the display control unit 81.

[0241] First, the configuration of this instruction monitor 68 will be described with reference to Fig. 33. Fig. 33(a) is a front view of the instruction monitor 68, and Fig. 33(b) is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the display mode and display content of the instruction monitor 68.

[0242] As shown in FIG. 33(a), the indication monitor 68 is provided with eight display segments N1 to N8. Each display segment N1 to N8 has an individual light source made up of an LED, and by controlling the on / off of each individual light source, it is possible to light up any one display segment or any combination of display segments. This allows the indication monitor 68 to individually display predetermined symbols (including letters and numbers). Note that each of the individual light sources emits light of the same color, so the same color is displayed on each of the display segments N1 to N8.

[0243] More specifically, the first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7 are all linear display segments, and are arranged so that they can display at least the numbers "1" to "6." The eighth display segment N8 is a circular display segment, and is arranged laterally in the lower right portion of the area where the first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7 are arranged. Therefore, the indication monitor 68 can display at least the numbers "1" to "6," "1." to "6.", and "."

[0244] As long as the indicator monitor 68 can individually display multiple patterns of symbols, the shape and arrangement of the display segments N1-N8 are arbitrary, and a configuration using seven or nine segments instead of eight segments is also possible. Furthermore, it is not essential that the colors displayed by the display segments N1-N8 be the same; the colors displayed by the display segments N1-N8 may be appropriately changed. Furthermore, it is not essential to control the on / off of the light source to turn on or off each of the display segments N1-N8; as long as the display can be individually controlled for each of the display segments N1-N8, a segment display device may be formed using a single backlight and liquid crystal display. Furthermore, instead of applying a segment display to each display area, symbols may be displayed using other types of display devices, such as a liquid crystal display device, an organic electroluminescence display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT), or a dot matrix display.

[0245] The first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7 are display segments used to notify the operation sequence of the push order combination. For example, as shown in Fig. 33(b), if the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in the order of "left" → "center" → "right" to perform the stop operations in this order, which results in a winning mode advantageous to the player, the sixth display segment N6 and the seventh display segment N7 are lit to display "1." Also, if the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in the order of "right" → "left" → "center" to perform the stop operations in this order, which results in a winning mode advantageous to the player, the first display segment N1, the second display segment N2, the third display segment N3, the fifth display segment N5, and the sixth display segment N6 are lit to display "5." In other words, the numbers (symbols) displayed on each display segment N1 to N7 correspond one-to-one to the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and by operating the stop switches 42 to 44 to stop based on the numbers (symbols) displayed on the display segments N1 to N7, the player can win in an advantageous manner.

[0246] The eighth display segment N8 is lit in the game in which the start condition is met, including the notification condition that causes a transition to the advantageous zone and a situation where a push order notification can occur. It is also turned off when the AT mode ends and the game transitions from the advantageous zone to the normal zone.

[0247] In other words, an advantageous zone (specific game state, specific mode) is a zone in which it becomes easier for the player to win in an advantageous manner by making it easier to notify the operation order of the push order bell, etc., and the eighth display segment N8 is a zone indicator (specific notification means) that lights up during the specific zone in which the player can actually benefit from the push order notification in the advantageous zone, and turns off during normal zones that are not advantageous zones, or during non-specific zones that are not advantageous zones even if they are advantageous zones.

[0248] As already explained, the instruction monitor 68, which includes the first display segment N1 through the seventh display segment N7 as a push order indicator and the eighth display segment N8 as a section indicator, is located near the side of the payout number display unit 62 on the gaming panel 25. In other words, the instruction monitor 68 is located above the stop switches 42 through 44, etc., which are operated by the player. In other words, the instruction monitor 68 is not located on the decorative panel, which is the front part of the gaming machine, below the positions of the stop switches 42 through 44, etc. Therefore, the eighth display segment N8 is prevented from being obscured by the hand operating the stop switches 42 through 44, etc., and is located in a position that is easily visible to the player. Furthermore, since the instruction monitor 68 is located near the payout number display unit 62, which is easily visible to players playing a game aiming to win medals, it can be said that the player is less likely to miss it.

[0249] Furthermore, the brightness of the corresponding LED of the eighth display segment N8 in the instruction monitor 68 is set so that it is brighter than the brightness of the surrounding display units (e.g., the payout number display unit 62 and the backlight of the gaming panel 25) (more specifically, so that it is twice as bright as the brightness of the surrounding display units). Therefore, even when the eighth display segment N8 and the surrounding display units are both controlled to emit light (i.e., are lit), the eighth display segment N8 stands out. The illuminance of the corresponding LED is also set so that the illuminance of the eighth display segment N8 toward the front of the gaming machine is higher than that of the surrounding display units (more specifically, so that it is twice as bright as the illuminance of the surrounding display units). This configuration also improves the visibility of the eighth display segment N8, reducing the likelihood of missing the eighth display segment N8 when it is lit.

[0250] Next, the push order notification effect performed on the auxiliary display unit 65 will be described with reference to Fig. 34. Here, the push order notification effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 will be described using the example of a case where the push order combination is won when the operation order to be notified this time is center → right → left.

[0251] As shown in FIG. 34(a), in the auxiliary display unit 65, of the three button displays arranged in parallel corresponding to the stop switches 42 to 44, the button display corresponding to the stop switch that should be operated first (in the figure, the middle button display corresponding to the middle stop switch 43) is marked with the number 1 and displayed larger than the other button displays. In addition, each button display is displayed in a color corresponding to the winning combination (yellow for a bell, blue for a replay, etc.). This allows the player to recognize the winning combination in the current game and that the stop switch that should be operated first is the middle stop switch 43. In addition, in the auxiliary display unit 65, the right button display is displayed with the number 2 and the left button display is displayed with the number 3, indicating that the stop switch that should be operated next is the right stop switch 44 and the stop switch that should be operated last is the left stop switch 42.

[0252] When the player operates the middle stop switch 43, as shown in Figure 34(b), the center button display corresponding to the middle stop switch 43 disappears on the auxiliary display unit 65, and the right button display corresponding to the right stop switch 44 is displayed large. This allows the player to confirm that the operation of the middle stop switch 43 has been completed, and that the next stop switch to be operated is the right stop switch 44.

[0253] When the player operates the right stop switch 44, as shown in Figure 34(c), the right button display corresponding to the right stop switch 44 disappears on the auxiliary display unit 65, and the left button display corresponding to the left stop switch 42 is displayed larger. This allows the player to confirm that the operation of the right stop switch 44 has been completed, and that the next stop switch to be operated is the left stop switch 42.

[0254] To explain the timing of the push order notification, the push order notification is set to be executed during the inactive period of the stop switches 42 to 44 from the start of rotation of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R through the acceleration period until the reels reach constant speed rotation. By configuring the push order notification to be executed at a timing before the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44 becomes active in this way, it becomes possible to recognize the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 and then operate the stop switches 42 to 44 as desired, allowing the game to proceed at a good tempo.

[0255] The process for notifying the push order in steps S609 to S612 will be explained.

[0256] That is, in step S609, it is determined whether the lottery result of this game was a push order bell win. If the push order bell win is determined, in step S610, it is determined whether the first AT flag or the second AT flag is set. If either AT flag is set, in step S611, the instruction monitor 68 is controlled so that push order notifications corresponding to the first small win to the sixth small win are made according to the type of push order bell this time. Then, in step S612, a push order notification command including information on the operation sequence corresponding to the first small win to the sixth small win is set as an output target to the display control device 81, and then this push order notification process is terminated. Upon receiving this push order notification command, the display control device 81 controls the auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64 so that push order notification effects corresponding to the first small win to the sixth small win are made.

[0257] If the push order bell is not won in step S609, or if none of the AT flags are set in step S610, the lottery result response processing ends.

[0258] <Game count update process> The number of games update process in step S314 in the lottery process (Fig. 18) will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 35. In the number of games update process, the number of games remaining up to the ceiling number of games, the number of games remaining in the CZ mode, the number of games remaining in the AT mode, etc. are updated.

[0259] In the number-of-games update process, first, in step S1101, it is determined whether either the first BB state flag or the second BB state flag is set, and it is determined whether the game to be started this time is in either of the BB states. If it is not in the BB state, it is determined in step S1102 whether the number of bets is 3. If it is in the BB state, it is determined in step S1103 whether the number of bets is 2. In other words, the processes of steps S1101 to S1103 correspond to the processes of steps S601 to S603 above, and are processes for determining whether the number is one specific specified number specified in association with the gaming state.

[0260] If a negative determination is made in each of the processes in step S1102 and step S1103, the process for updating the number of games is terminated. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in these processes, the process proceeds to step S1104, where it is determined whether or not an advantageous zone flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106. The advantageous zone flag is used by CPU 102 to determine whether or not the game is in an advantageous zone.

[0261] If the advantageous zone flag is not set (if not in an advantageous zone), the number of games updated process is terminated. If the advantageous zone flag is set (if in an advantageous zone), the process proceeds to step S1105, where it is determined whether any of the AT winning flags are set in the various flag storage area 106d. The AT winning flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to know whether the AT transition lottery has been won.

[0262] If none of the AT winning flags are set, it is determined in step S1106 whether any of the AT flags are set in the various flag storage area 106d. The AT flag is a flag that the CPU 102 uses to determine that the AT mode is in effect. If none of the AT flags are set, the process proceeds to step S1107, where the value of the ceiling counter provided in the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106 is updated by subtracting 1.

[0263] In the following step S1108, the value of the miss counter provided in the various counter area 106e is updated by subtracting 1 from the value.

[0264] Here, the loss counter will be explained. In this embodiment, the system is configured to be able to internally award points as the game progresses. These points are awarded through an award lottery process consisting of an award lottery to determine whether or not points will be awarded, and a point number lottery to determine the number of points to be awarded if points are awarded. When points are awarded, the points are not limited to one game, but are cumulatively added. When the total points reach a bonus award value (for example, 5 points), a predetermined bonus is awarded to the player.

[0265] A point-awarding lottery is held when an undesirable event occurs for the player, and this configuration allows the player's disappointment to be alleviated by awarding points. In this embodiment, multiple triggers are provided to trigger the execution of such a point-awarding lottery, one of which is when the number of games (number of stuck games) in which the player fails to win the first AT mode transition lottery while staying in the advantageous zone reaches a specific number (e.g., 600 games). The loss counter counts the number of games remaining up to the specific number, and as described above, it is decremented by one each time a game in which the player fails to win the first AT mode transition lottery while staying in the advantageous zone is played. The point-awarding lottery and the benefits that are awarded when the total points reach the benefit award value will be described in detail later.

[0266] After step S1108 is executed, in step S1109, it is determined whether the value of the loss counter is 0. A loss counter value of 0 means that the number of games remaining until the specific number is 0, or in other words, that the number of stuck games has reached the specific number. In this case, the process proceeds to step S1110, where a point lottery flag A is set in the flag storage area 106d. The point lottery flag A is used by the CPU 102 to determine that a point award lottery execution trigger has been established. In step S1111, a point trigger command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The point trigger command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that a point award lottery execution trigger (point award trigger) has been established. Note that in this embodiment, multiple triggers are set as point award triggers, and the point trigger command includes information indicating that a point award trigger has been established, as well as information indicating which trigger this point award trigger is.

[0267] After executing step S1111, if a positive judgment is made in step S1105 (if any AT winning flag is set) or a negative judgment is made in step S1109 (if the value of the loss counter is not 0), the process proceeds to step S1112, where it is determined whether or not a CZ flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. The CZ flag is a flag that indicates that the CZ mode is in progress.

[0268] If the CZ flag is set (if in CZ mode), in step S1113, a process is executed to subtract 1 from the value of the CZ counter. This updates the number of games remaining in CZ mode. In step S1114, a CZ game count update command is set as the output target to the display control device 81. The CZ game count update command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that the number of games remaining in CZ mode has been updated. After execution of step S1114 or if a negative judgment is made in step S1112 (if not in CZ mode), this game count update process is terminated.

[0269] If a positive judgment is made in step S1106 above (if the game is in AT mode), a process is executed in step S1115 to subtract 1 from the value of the AT counter. This updates the number of games remaining in the AT mode. In step S1116, an AT game number update command is set as an output target to the display control device 81, and then this game number update process is terminated. The AT game number update command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that the number of games remaining in the AT mode has been updated.

[0270] <Winning result processing> The winning result corresponding process of step S415 in the reel control process (Fig. 21) will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 36. In the winning result corresponding process, processing is performed to start or end the CZ mode, AT mode, etc. according to the game results. Note that this process is executed when all reels 32L to 32R have stopped (when the game has ended).

[0271] First, in step S1201, it is determined whether either the first BB state flag or the second BB state flag is set, and it is determined whether the game to be started this time is in either of the BB states. If it is not in the BB state, it is determined in step S1202 whether the number of bets is 3. If it is in the BB state, it is determined in step S1203 whether the number of bets is 2. In other words, the processing of steps S1201 to S1203 corresponds to the processing of steps S601 to S603 above, and is processing to determine whether the number is one specific specified number specified in association with the gaming state.

[0272] If an affirmative determination is made in each of the processes of step S1202 and step S1203, proceed to step S1204 and execute the CZ mode processing for starting or ending the CZ mode. In step S1205, execute the first AT mode transition processing for starting the first AT mode, and in step S1206, execute the first AT mode end processing for ending the first AT mode. In step S1207, execute the second AT mode processing for starting or ending the second AT mode. In step S1208, execute the first point lottery processing for performing a point awarding lottery. After the execution of step S1208, if a negative determination is made in step S1202 or a negative determination is made in step S1203, end this winning result corresponding processing.

[0273] <Processing for CZ mode> The CZ mode processing in step S1204 will be described while referring to the flowchart of FIG. 37.

[0274] First, in step S1301, determine whether a CZ winning flag is set in the various flag storage areas 106d of the RAM 106. The CZ winning flag is for the CPU 102 to grasp the winning state of the CZ mode transition lottery. If the CZ winning flag is set, proceed to step S1302, clear the winning flag, and then, in step S1303, set a CZ flag in the various flag storage areas 106d. Thereby, the CZ mode is started (transitioned to the CZ mode).

[0275] In step S1304, execute a process of inputting a predetermined value (for example, a value corresponding to 10 games) as an initial value of a CZ counter provided in the various counter areas 106e of the RAM 106. The CZ counter is a counter for the CPU 102 to grasp the remaining number of games in the CZ mode, and it is decremented by 1 for each game. Note that the initial value of the CZ counter (the initial number of games in the CZ mode) does not necessarily have to be a fixed number of games. For example, multiple types of game numbers may be selected by a game number lottery.

[0276] After execution of step S1304, in step S1305, a CZ start command is set as an output target to the display control device 81, and then this CZ mode processing is terminated. The CZ start command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that a transition to CZ mode has occurred. The CZ start command includes information indicating a transition to CZ mode as well as information indicating the initial number of games in CZ mode. Therefore, by receiving the CZ start command, the display control device 81 can determine that a transition to CZ mode has occurred and the number of games in CZ mode.

[0277] If a negative judgment is made in step S1301 (the CZ winning flag is not set), the process proceeds to step S1306, where it is determined whether or not a CZ flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d, i.e., whether or not the game is in CZ mode. If the CZ flag is set (if the game is in CZ mode), it is determined in step S1307 whether or not the value of the CZ counter provided in the various counter area 106e is 0.

[0278] If the value of the CZ counter is 0 (the number of games remaining in CZ mode is 0), proceed to step S1308, and clear the CZ flag set in the various flag storage area 106d. This ends the CZ mode. In step S1309, a CZ end command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The CZ end command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that the CZ mode has ended.

[0279] After step S1309 is executed, in step S1310, it is determined whether or not the first AT winning flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. The first AT winning flag is used by the CPU 102 to determine whether the first AT mode transition lottery has been won. If the first AT winning flag is set, that is, if the first AT mode transition lottery has been won during CZ mode, the CZ mode processing is terminated.

[0280] On the other hand, if the first AT winning flag is not set (if the first AT mode transition lottery is not won during CZ mode), the process proceeds to step S1311, and a point lottery flag B is set in the various flag storage area 106d. The point lottery flag B is used by the CPU 102 to determine that an opportunity to execute a point awarding lottery has been established. In other words, in this embodiment, one of the opportunities to execute a point awarding lottery is when the CZ mode has ended without the player being able to transition to CZ mode but winning the first AT mode transition lottery.

[0281] In the following step S1312, a point trigger command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The point trigger command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that a point awarding trigger has occurred. After executing step S1312, if a negative judgment is made in step S1306 (if not in CZ mode) or a negative judgment is made in step S1307 (if the number of remaining games in CZ mode is not 0), this CZ mode processing is terminated.

[0282] <Processing for transition to 1st AT mode> The first AT mode transition process in step S1205 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0283] First, in step S1401, it is determined whether or not a CZ flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106. If the CZ flag is not set (if not in CZ mode), the process proceeds to step S1402, where it is determined whether or not a first AT win flag or any of the AT flags is set in the various flag storage area 106d.

[0284] If the first AT winning flag is not set and neither of the AT flags is set (it is not a first AT mode winning game and it is not in the AT mode), it is determined in step S1403 whether or not a first AT mode start flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. The first AT mode start flag is used by the CPU 102 to know that the first AT mode should be started.

[0285] If the first AT mode start flag is set, the process proceeds to step S1404, where the first AT mode start flag is cleared, and in step S1405, the first AT flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. This starts the first AT mode (transition to the first AT mode). In step S1406, a process is executed to input a predetermined value (e.g., a value equivalent to 15 games) as the initial value of the AT counter provided in the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. The AT counter is a counter that allows the CPU 102 to grasp the number of games remaining in the AT mode, and is decremented by 1 for each game. Note that the initial value of the AT counter (initial number of games in the AT mode) does not necessarily have to be a fixed number of games; for example, multiple numbers of games may be selected by lottery.

[0286] In step S1407, a first AT start command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The first AT start command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that the mode has been switched to the first AT mode. The first AT start command includes information indicating the mode has been switched to the first AT mode, as well as information indicating the initial number of games in the first AT mode. Therefore, by receiving the first AT start command, the display control device 81 can determine that the mode has been switched to the first AT mode and the number of games in the first AT mode.

[0287] After executing step S1407, if a positive judgment is made in step S1401 (if CZ mode is in progress), if a positive judgment is made in step S1402 (if the first AT winning flag is set or any of the AT flags is set), or if a negative judgment is made in step S1403 (if the first AT start flag is not set), the processing for transitioning to the first AT mode is terminated.

[0288] <Processing for ending the first AT mode> The first AT mode termination process in step S1206 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0289] First, in step S1501, it is determined whether or not the first AT flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106. If the first AT flag is not set (if the game is not in the first AT mode), the first AT mode termination process is terminated. If the first AT flag is set (if the game is in the first AT mode), the process proceeds to step S1502, where it is determined whether or not the value of the AT counter provided in the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106 is 0. If the value of the AT counter is not 0, that is, if the number of games remaining in the first AT mode is 1 or more, the first AT mode termination process is terminated to continue the first AT mode. On the other hand, if the value of the AT counter is 0 (if the number of games remaining in the first AT mode is 0), the process proceeds to step S1503, where the first AT flag set in the various flag storage area 106d is cleared. This terminates the first AT mode.

[0290] In step S1504, it is determined whether or not the second AT winning flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. The second AT winning flag is used by the CPU 102 to determine whether the second AT mode transition lottery has been won. If the second AT winning flag is set, that is, if the second AT mode transition lottery is won during the first AT mode, the process proceeds to step S1505, where the second AT winning flag is cleared. In step S1506, a second AT start flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d, and then this first AT mode termination process is terminated. The second AT start flag is used by the CPU 102 to determine that the second AT mode should be initiated.

[0291] If a negative judgment is made in step S1504 (the second AT winning flag is not set), that is, if the first AT mode ends without winning the second AT mode transition lottery, the process proceeds to step S1507, where it is determined whether the value of the PT counter provided in the various counter area 106e of RAM 106 is 5 or more. As already explained, in this embodiment, when the total points reach a bonus award value (for example, 5 points), a bonus is awarded to the player, and the processing of this step is to determine whether the total points have reached the bonus award value.

[0292] If the value of the PT counter is 5 or more and the total points have reached the bonus award value, the process proceeds to step S1508, where the value of the PT counter is cleared to 0. In step S1509, a point achievement command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The point achievement command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that the total points have reached the bonus award value. After step S1509 is executed, the process proceeds to step S1506, where a flag for starting the second AT is set in the various flag storage area 106d.

[0293] That is, in this embodiment, even if the second AT mode transition lottery is not won during the first AT mode, if the total points reach the benefit value, the system is configured to transition to the second AT mode after the end of the first AT mode, and this is the benefit when the total points reach the benefit value. Note that there is also a case where the second AT mode transition lottery is won during the first AT mode when the total points have reached the benefit value. In that case, the transition to the second AT mode is performed without consuming the total points, and the total points are carried over to the next or subsequent first AT mode.

[0294] If a negative judgment is made in step S1507 (if the value of the PT counter is less than 5), the process proceeds to step S1510, where a first AT end flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. The first AT end flag is used by the CPU 102 to know that the first AT mode has ended. In step S1511, a first AT end command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The first AT end command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that the first AT mode has ended.

[0295] In step S1512, a point lottery flag C is set in the various flag storage area 106d. The point lottery flag C is used by the CPU 102 to grasp that an opportunity to execute a point awarding lottery has been realized. That is, in this embodiment, one of the opportunities to execute a point awarding lottery is when the first AT mode is ended without winning the lottery to shift to the second AT mode, even though the first AT mode has been successfully shifted to the first AT mode. In the following step S1513, a point trigger command is set as an output target to the display control device 81, and then this first AT mode ending process is terminated.

[0296] <Processing for second AT mode> The second AT mode process in step S1207 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0297] First, in steps S1601 and S1602, it is determined whether the CZ flag or the first AT flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106. If either of these flags is set (either in CZ mode or first AT mode), the second AT mode processing is terminated. On the other hand, if neither the CZ flag nor the first AT flag is set (neither in CZ mode nor in first AT mode), the process proceeds to step S1603, where it is determined whether the second AT flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d.

[0298] If the second AT flag is not set, in step S1604 it is determined whether or not a second AT start flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. If the second AT start flag is not set, the second AT mode processing ends. On the other hand, if the second AT start flag is set, the processing proceeds to step S1605 to clear the second AT start flag, and in step S1606 the second AT flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. This starts the second AT mode (transitions to the second AT mode).

[0299] In step S1607, a process is executed in which a predetermined value (for example, a value equivalent to 40 games) is input as the initial value of the AT counter provided in the various counter area 106e of RAM 106. Note that the initial value of the AT counter in the second AT mode (initial number of games in the AT mode) does not necessarily have to be larger than the initial value of the AT counter in the first AT mode, and may be the same value or a value smaller than the initial value of the AT counter in the first AT mode. Also, the initial value of the AT counter in the second AT mode does not necessarily have to be a fixed number of games, and may be one in which multiple types of number of games can be selected by lottery, for example.

[0300] Next, in step S1608, a second AT start command is set as an output target to the display control device 81, and then this second AT mode processing is terminated. The second AT start command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that the mode has been switched to the second AT mode. The second AT start command includes information indicating the mode has been switched to the second AT mode, as well as information indicating the initial number of games in the second AT mode. Therefore, by receiving the second AT start command, the display control device 81 can determine that the mode has been switched to the second AT mode and the number of games in the second AT mode.

[0301] If the determination in step S1603 above is affirmative (if the second AT flag is set), the process proceeds to step S1609, where it is determined whether the value of the AT counter provided in the various counter area 106e of RAM 106 is 0. If the value of the AT counter is not 0, that is, if the number of games remaining in the second AT mode is 1 or more, the second AT mode processing is terminated as is to continue the second AT mode. On the other hand, if the value of the AT counter is 0 (if the number of games remaining in the second AT mode is 0), the process proceeds to step S1610, where the second AT flag set in the various flag storage area 106d is cleared. This ends the second AT mode.

[0302] In step S1611, a second AT end flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. The second AT end flag is used by the CPU 102 to recognize that the second AT mode has ended. In step S1612, a second AT end command is set as an output target to the display control device 81, and then the second AT mode processing is terminated. The second AT end command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that the second AT mode has ended.

[0303] <First point lottery processing> The first point lottery process in step S1208 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0304] First, in step S1701, it is determined whether any AT flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106. If no AT flag is set and the game is not in AT mode, the flow proceeds to step S1702, where it is determined whether or not a point lottery flag A is set in the various flag storage area 106d. The point lottery flag A is set when the value of the loss counter becomes 0 and the number of stuck games (the number of games played that did not win the first AT mode transition lottery) reaches a specific number (for example, 600 games), as this indicates that an opportunity to execute a point awarding lottery has been established (step S1110 in FIG. 35).

[0305] If the point lottery flag A is set, the process proceeds to step S1703, where point lottery table A is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of ROM 105. In point lottery table A, the probability of awarding points is set for each point number from 0 to 5, as shown in FIG. 42. The award probability for each point number is highest at 90%, with the probability that the number of points will be 0 (no points will be awarded). In the 10% chance of points being awarded, the highest probability of awarding 5 points is highest, and the award probability decreases as the number of points decreases. In other words, in point lottery table A, the probability of awarding points is low, but when points are awarded, a large number of points are likely to be awarded.

[0306] If a negative judgment is made in step S1702 (point lottery flag A is not set), the process proceeds to step S1704, where it is determined whether or not point lottery flag B is set in the various flag storage area 106d. Point lottery flag B is set when the CZ mode ends without winning the first AT mode transition lottery, as this indicates that the trigger for executing the point awarding lottery has been met (step S1311 in Figure 37).

[0307] If the point lottery flag B is set, the process proceeds to step S1705, and point lottery table B is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of ROM 105. As shown in FIG. 42, the probability of awarding each point amount in point lottery table B is such that there is a 50% probability that the number of points will be 0 (no points will be awarded), and the point award rate is higher than that in point lottery table A. On the other hand, the allocation of points when points are awarded is such that the lowest value, 1 point, is awarded most frequently, and the award probability decreases as the number of points increases. In other words, in point lottery table B, although the probability of awarding points is high, when points are awarded, small numbers are more likely to be awarded.

[0308] If a negative judgment is made in step S1704 (point lottery flag B is not set), the process proceeds to step S1706, where it is judged whether or not point lottery flag C is set in the various flag storage area 106d. Point lottery flag C is set when the first AT mode ends without winning the second AT mode transition lottery, as this indicates that an opportunity to execute a point awarding lottery has been established (step S1512 in FIG. 39).

[0309] If the point lottery flag C is set, the process proceeds to step S1707, and the point lottery table C is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105. As shown in Fig. 42, the point award probability for each number of points in the point lottery table C is the same as that in the point lottery table B.

[0310] If a negative determination is made in step S1706 (the point lottery flag C is not set), that is, if the point lottery opportunity is not established, the first point lottery process is terminated.

[0311] After step S1703, step S1705, or step S1707 is executed, the process proceeds to step S1708, where a point-granting lottery process is executed. In the point-granting lottery process, a lottery is performed to determine the number of points based on the acquired point lottery table and the lottery counter acquired from the various counter area 106e of RAM 106. In step S1709, it is determined whether or not the point grant has been won in the granting lottery process of step S1708 (whether or not the number of points to be granted is 1 or more).

[0312] If the player does not win the point award (if the number of points drawn is 0), the first point lottery process is terminated. If the player wins the point award, in step S1710, a process is executed to add a value corresponding to the number of points awarded in this award lottery to the PT counter provided in the various counter area 106e. The PT counter is used by the CPU 102 to grasp the number of accumulated points (total number of points). In step S1711, a point awarding command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The point awarding command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that points have been awarded. The point awarding command includes information indicating that points have been awarded, as well as information indicating the number of points awarded in this award lottery and the total number of points. Therefore, by receiving the point awarding command, the display control device 81 can grasp not only that points have been awarded, but also the number of awarded points and the total number of accumulated points.

[0313] After step S1711 is executed, the first point lottery process ends. Also, if a positive judgment is made in step S1701 (if any AT flag is set and the game is in AT mode), the first point lottery process ends. In other words, if the game is in AT mode, the point awarding lottery (awarding of points) is not performed.

[0314] <Management of advantageous zones> The following describes the first section display process and the second section display process for controlling the eighth display segment N8 as a section indicator, transitioning to a favorable section, and ending the favorable section.

[0315] <First section display process> First, the first section display process will be described with reference to Fig. 43. The first section display process is a process carried out in step S315 of the lottery process (Fig. 18), and is carried out after the lottery result of the game is determined based on the operation of the start lever 41, and a lottery for switching the display mode, etc. (lottery result corresponding process) is carried out based on the lottery result.

[0316] In step S1801, it is determined whether the eighth display segment N8 as a section indicator is being displayed, more specifically, whether the eighth display segment N8 is being lit. As already explained, when the eighth display segment N8 is being lit, it indicates that it is a specific section among the advantageous sections where at least the notification conditions for the push order notification to occur are met. If the determination in step S1801 is negative and the eighth display segment N8 is being turned off, the process proceeds to step S1802.

[0317] In step S1802, it is determined whether or not an advantageous zone flag has been set in the various flag storage area 106d. If the advantageous zone flag has not been set, it is determined in step S1803 whether or not an advantageous zone winning game flag has been set. The advantageous zone winning game flag is a flag that is set when the advantageous zone transition lottery is won in the advantageous zone transition lottery process, and is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to identify that it is the winning game. If the advantageous zone winning game flag has been set, the advantageous zone winning game flag is cleared in step S1804. Then, in step S1805, the advantageous zone flag is set. This starts the advantageous zone (transition to the advantageous zone).

[0318] In step S1806, the number of games played in the advantageous zone is counted, more specifically, the process of starting to measure the advantageous zone game number AG in the various counter areas 106e is performed. The advantageous zone game number AG corresponds to a grasping means for grasping the number of games played in the advantageous zone.

[0319] In step S1807, a process is executed in which a value corresponding to the ceiling game number (for example, a value equivalent to 700 games) is input as the initial value of the ceiling counter provided in the various counter area 106e of RAM 106. In step S1808, a process is executed in which a predetermined value (for example, a value equivalent to 600 games) is input as the initial value of the loss counter provided in the various counter area 106e, and then in step S1809, a process for the second point lottery is executed. In this embodiment, the start of an advantageous zone is one of the triggers for executing a point awarding lottery, and the process of step S1809 corresponds to the point awarding lottery based on the establishment of this trigger.

[0320] The second point lottery process will now be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 44. In the second point lottery process, first in step S1901, it is determined whether any AT flags are set in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106. If no AT flags are set and the game is not in AT mode, the process proceeds to step S1902, where a point trigger command is set as an output target to the display control device 81.

[0321] In the next step S1903, point lottery table D is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of ROM 105. As shown in Fig. 42, the probability of awarding each point number in point lottery table D is such that the probability that the number of points will be 0 (no points will be awarded) is 30%, and the probability of awarding points is higher than in other point lottery tables. Furthermore, when points are awarded, the distribution of points is such that smaller points are more likely to be awarded than larger points.

[0322] It should be noted that the point lottery tables A to D in this embodiment are merely examples, and the point award probability and the allocation of the number of points can be set arbitrarily. Also, although a different lottery table is used in response to the establishment of each trigger, the present invention is not limited to this, and a common lottery table corresponding to all triggers (a configuration in which there is no difference between the point award probability and the allocation rate of each number of points for each trigger) may be provided.

[0323] After step S1903 is executed, steps S1905 to S1907 are executed, which are the same as steps S1708 to S1711 in the first point lottery process (FIG. 41). That is, the number of points is drawn based on the point lottery table acquired above and the lottery counter acquired from the various counter area 106e of RAM 106, and if points are awarded, the current number of points is added to the previous number of points.

[0324] Returning to the explanation of the first section display process (FIG. 43), after the second point lottery process is executed in step S1809, in step S1810, a favorable section start command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The favorable section start command is a command for notifying the display control device 81 that an advantageous section has started.

[0325] After step S1810 is executed, if the above step S1802 makes a positive determination (if the game is in an advantageous zone) or the above step S1803 makes a negative determination (if the advantageous zone winning game flag is not set), then in step S1811 it is determined whether any of the AT mode flags are set and the display start conditions for the zone indicator are met. If any of the AT mode flags are set, in step S1812 the eighth display segment N8 is turned on to start displaying the zone indicator.

[0326] After the display of the section indicator has started in this way, if the eighth display segment N8 is being displayed as the section indicator in step S1801 above, the process proceeds to step S1813, where processing is executed to continue the display during the favorable section. Specifically, processing is executed to continue the situation in which the eighth display segment N8 is lit. In other words, processing to end the display of the section indicator is not executed in this section display first processing.

[0327] If none of the AT mode flags are set in step S1811, the process proceeds to step S1814. In step S1814, a process of adding 1 to the first role ratio counter provided in the various counter area 106e is executed. The first role ratio counter is a counter for counting the number of games in which no push order notification occurs, that is, the number of games in the normal section and the non-specific section.

[0328] After executing the processing of step S1812 or step S1813, the process proceeds to step S1815. In step S1815, the process adds 1 to the role ratio second counter provided in the various counter area 106e. The role ratio second counter is a counter for counting the number of games in which a push order notification can be generated, that is, the number of games in a specific section.

[0329] After the processing of step S1814 or step S1815 is executed, a role ratio calculation process is executed in step S1816. In this process, the value of the role ratio second counter is divided by the sum of the role ratio first counter and the role ratio second counter (total number of games). In other words, the role ratio calculation process is a process that calculates the proportion of the number of games in which a push order notification may occur out of the total number of games. Then, in step S1817, a process is executed to display the calculation result of step S1816 on the role ratio monitor 77.

[0330] As shown in FIG. 5, the win ratio monitor 77 has multiple 7-segment displays each consisting of seven display segments. Specifically, the win ratio monitor 77 has a first display section 77A, a second display section 77B, a third display section 77C, a fourth display section 77D, and a fifth display section 77E as 7-segment displays. The display segments in the first display section 77A to the fifth display section 77E have individual light sources made of LEDs, similar to the display segments N1 to N7 of the instruction monitor 68. By controlling the on / off of these individual light sources, it is possible to light up any one display segment or any combination of display segments. As a result, each win ratio monitor 77 individually displays a predetermined symbol (including alphabets and numbers), and in particular, the win ratio monitor 77 is capable of displaying five-digit numbers.

[0331] In step S1817, the result of the calculation process in step S1816 is output to the role ratio monitor 77, and display control is performed on each display section 77A-77E on the role ratio monitor 77 so that a four-digit number is displayed on the role ratio monitor 77. Specifically, a number smaller than 1 and with four decimal places, such as "0.5012," is displayed on the role ratio monitor 77 as the ratio of the number of games in which a push order notification may occur to the total number of games. After the process of step S1817 is executed, the first section display process is terminated.

[0332] Note that the configuration may be such that the display of the role ratio monitor 77 is controlled after the process of rounding off the number to the fifth decimal place in the calculation process of step S1816. Furthermore, since the first display unit 77A of the role ratio monitor 77 basically displays "0", the first display unit 77A may not be provided, or the first display unit 77A may be configured to always display "0" by printing or the like. Furthermore, it is preferable to configure the first display unit 77A and the second display unit 77B to display a decimal point by printing or the like between them.

[0333] <Second section display process> The second section display process will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 45. As already explained, the second section display process is a process that is carried out in step S417 of the reel control process (Fig. 21), and is carried out at the end of one game after medal payout (payout determination process) and transition of the game state based on the winning result (winning result response process) have been carried out.

[0334] In step S2101, it is determined whether or not the advantageous zone flag is set. If it is not set, the second zone display process is terminated. If the advantageous zone flag is set, in step S2102, a process is executed to count the number of games in the advantageous zone. Specifically, a process is executed to add 1 to the number of games in the advantageous zone AG. After the process of step S2102 is executed, in step S2103, an update process is executed for the advantageous zone increase / decrease number MY (MY counter) provided in the various counter area 106e.

[0335] In the MY update process in step S2103, provided that the result of the current game is not a replay win, the number of coins inserted (number of coins bet) is subtracted from the number of coins paid out, and the subtraction result is added to the number of coins increased or decreased in the advantageous zone MY, thereby updating the number of coins increased or decreased in the advantageous zone MY.

[0336] After the MY update process in step S2103 is executed, the remaining number of games management process is executed in step S2104, and the remaining number management process is executed in the following step S2105.

[0337] The remaining game number management process is a process for managing whether the advantageous zone will reach its upper limit number of games (1500 games) with the current remaining number of games, based on the number of games remaining in the AT mode, etc. The remaining game number management process, for example, determines whether the sum of the advantageous zone game number AG (number of games played in the advantageous zone), the AT counter (number of games remaining in the AT mode), and the CZ counter (number of games remaining in the CZ mode) is equal to or greater than the upper limit number of games in the advantageous zone. If this is the case, a first excess flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d as a flag for identifying the situation.

[0338] The remaining coin number management process is a process for managing whether the advantageous zone will reach its upper limit increase number (2400 coins) with the current remaining number of games, based on the number of games remaining in AT mode, etc. The remaining payout coin number management process determines whether the sum of the expected increase number calculated from the AT counter and the average increase number per game in AT mode and the current advantageous zone increase / decrease number MY is greater than the upper limit increase number of the advantageous zone. If this is the case, a second excess flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d as a flag to identify the situation.

[0339] In the following step S2106, it is determined whether the number of games in the advantageous zone AG has reached the upper limit of 1500, or whether the number of coins in the advantageous zone that increase or decrease MY has reached the upper limit of 2400. If either of these conditions for forced termination is met, in step S2107, the number of games in the advantageous zone AG and the number of coins in the advantageous zone that increase or decrease MY are cleared to 0. In the following step S2108, processing is performed to terminate the display of the eighth display segment N8 as a zone indicator.

[0340] In step S2109, a process is performed to initialize parameters and information such as various flags and counters during the advantageous zone. In the initialization process for advantageous zone information, flags and counters set upon transition to the current advantageous zone, as well as flags and counters set during the current advantageous zone, are reset to their initial values. For example, if advantageous zone flags, AT win flags, AT flags, various CZ flags, etc. are set and not cleared, these flags are cleared. Furthermore, if counters for the number of games in the advantageous zone AG, the number of coins increased or decreased in the advantageous zone MY, the number of games continued in CZ mode, etc., are greater than 0, all of these counters are reset to 0. In other words, in the initialization process, all variables and parameters that affect the performance of the push order notification are initialized for the advantageous zone as an advantageous state using the push order notification, and RAM is cleared for these variables and parameters.

[0341] The initialization process in step S2109 also clears flags related to the point awarding lottery process and counters related to the awarded points. Specifically, if any point awarding lottery flags are set, those flags are cleared, and if the value of the PT counter (counter for keeping track of the total number of points) is greater than 0, the value is cleared to 0 (total points are initialized).

[0342] In step S2110, the advantageous zone end command and the initialization command are set as the output targets to the display control device 81. The advantageous zone end command is a command for notifying that the advantageous zone has ended, and the initialization command is a command for notifying that the initialization process has been performed.

[0343] If a negative judgment is made in step S2106 (the number of games in the advantageous zone AG has not reached the upper limit, and the number of coins increased or decreased in the advantageous zone MY has not reached the upper limit increase number), the process proceeds to step S2111, where it is determined whether any of the AT end flags have been set. The AT end flag is set at the end of each AT mode (step S1510 in FIG. 39, step S1611 in FIG. 40).

[0344] If the AT end flag is set, the AT end flag is cleared in step S2112. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S2107, and the processing of steps S2107 to S2110 is executed to end the advantageous zone. That is, in this embodiment, the advantageous zone is configured to end when the AT mode entered during the advantageous zone ends. On the other hand, if a negative judgment is made in step S2111 (if none of the AT end flags are set), the second zone display processing is ended as is.

[0345] Note that the second interval display process does not execute a process for determining whether the number of bets corresponds to the gaming status, as in steps S601 to S603 of the lottery result response process (FIG. 26) and steps S1101 to S1103 of the number of games updated process (FIG. 35). Therefore, the number of games played in the advantageous interval AG (the number of games played in the advantageous interval) and the number of medals increased or decreased in the advantageous interval MY (the difference obtained by subtracting the number of medals inserted in the advantageous interval from the number of medals paid out in the advantageous interval) are updated each time a game is played, regardless of the number of medals bet when the game is played. In other words, the process for updating the number of games played in the advantageous interval and the number of medals increased or decreased is executed even when the game is played with the number of bets set to 2 (when the game is played with the number of bets not matching the specified number).

[0346] <About the push order indicator and section indicator and game progress> The relationship between the start and end of the advantageous zone and the display of the eighth display segment N8 as a zone indicator will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0347] In this slot machine 10, as shown in FIG. 46, in the normal zone, which is not an advantageous zone, the eighth display segment N8 as a zone indicator is turned off (not lit). In this normal zone, push order notification is not performed. In other words, while the advantageous zone has the performance related to the instruction function such as push order notification, the normal zone can be said to be a zone that does not have such instruction function. The situation in which the display mode is in the normal mode mainly corresponds to the normal zone.

[0348] In the normal zone, for example, if the lottery for transitioning to the advantageous zone is won by winning the 7th minor prize 7 (common bell), the measurement of the number of games played in the advantageous zone (counting the number of advantageous zone games AG) will start from the game following the game in which the game result that triggered the winning is realized. Then, if the lottery for transitioning to the AT mode is won during the advantageous zone, and a winning notification and AT flag are set, etc., and a push order notification can occur, the start condition for the display of the zone indicator is met, and the 8th display segment N8 lights up.

[0349] After that, while the eighth display segment N8 is lit, a push order notification is generated using the first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7. In this case, the push order information ("1" to "6") is displayed by the first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7 as described above, and the player can understand the push order based on this push order information. In the push order notification, the push order information begins to be displayed when the start lever 41 is operated in the game, and ends when the third reel is stopped and turned on in the game. If the game is not the final game of the advantageous zone, when the third reel is stopped and turned on, only the display of the push order information by the first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7 ends, and the display of the advantageous zone by the eighth display segment N8 continues. Then, if a push order combination is won again in the next game or later, the push order information corresponding to that push order combination is displayed by the first display segment N1 to the seventh display segment N7.

[0350] When the number of continuing games in the advantageous zone reaches the upper limit, or the number of medal increases in the advantageous zone reaches the upper limit increase number, and it is the final game of the advantageous zone, the eighth display segment N8 also goes out, and the notification of the advantageous zone ends. In this embodiment, in the final game of the advantageous zone, the eighth display segment N8 goes out when medal payout is completed (by the second zone display process, which is the process after the payout determination process). Note that if medal payout is not performed in the final game, the eighth display segment N8 goes out when the third reel stop OFF operation is performed. This allows the player to clearly understand that the game in question was the final game of the advantageous zone.

[0351] As described above, the number of games in the advantageous zone is counted from the game following the game that wins the lottery to move to the advantageous zone, while the push order notification only occurs while the eighth display segment N8 is lit. In other words, even in an advantageous zone, the push order notification does not occur in a zone where the eighth display segment N8 is off (a non-specific zone). In other words, by checking whether the eighth display segment N8 as a zone indicator is lit, it is possible to clearly determine whether the advantageous zone is at least in a situation where the benefit of the push order notification can be enjoyed (a specific zone, a zone where actual increase is possible). In this way, the manager of the gaming hall can clearly confirm, for example, whether an increase in medals is occurring by enjoying the benefit of the push order notification in the advantageous zone, or whether fraudulent activity is occurring that results in an increase in medals by illegally enjoying the benefit of the push order notification even when the zone is not advantageous.

[0352] <About point-related effects> As already explained, in this embodiment, when a trigger for executing a point-awarding lottery is established as the game progresses, the point-awarding lottery is executed. If the point-awarding lottery is won, points are awarded, and the awarded points are cumulatively added. Then, when the total number of awarded points (total points) reaches the bonus-awarding value, the player is awarded a bonus (transition to the second AT mode). In this case, if an effect (announcement) is provided that suggests the total points each time the total points reach the bonus-awarding value, the player can get the impression that points are being accumulated and can predict the number of points remaining until the bonus-awarding value, thereby stimulating the player's desire to further increase their points. In other words, this can encourage the player to continue playing.

[0353] However, in a configuration in which the value of the PT counter is cleared to 0 upon the end of the advantageous zone and the points accumulated up to that point are lost, if this is reflected directly in the presentation, there is a risk that the motivation to continue playing due to the points awarded will remain during the advantageous zone and will not be properly stimulated after the advantageous zone ends. Therefore, in this embodiment, the presentation is devised so that the motivation to continue playing due to the points awarded will be suitably stimulated even after the advantageous zone ends. The specific configuration for this purpose will be explained below.

[0354] <Performance setting processing> The effect setting process executed by the CPU 181 of the display control device 81 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 47. The effect setting process is initiated by the CPU 181 at predetermined intervals (for example, every 2 msec).

[0355] In the effect setting process, first, in step S2201, it is determined whether or not a new command has been received from main control device 101. If a new command has been received, in step S2202, a process is executed to store the received command in RAM 183. RAM 183 is provided with a command storage area, which is configured as a ring buffer capable of individually storing multiple commands and from which previously stored commands can be read.

[0356] If a negative determination is made in step S2201, or after the processing of step S2202 has been executed, it is determined in step S2203 whether or not the newly received command is a betting command. A betting command is a command output from the main control device 101 in response to a betting operation, such as a betting command set in step S206 of the normal processing (FIG. 17). If it is a betting command, a betting effect setting process is executed in step S2204 to set effects based on the current betting operation.

[0357] If a negative decision is made in step S2203, or after the processing of step S2204 has been executed, it is determined in step S2205 whether the newly received command was a start command. A start command is a command output from the main control device 101 based on the operation of the start lever 41, and includes a lottery result command set in step S311 of the lottery processing (FIG. 18), a CZ winning command, an AT winning command, an additional command set in the lottery result corresponding processing (FIG. 26), and a point granting command set in the second point lottery processing (FIGS. 43 and 44). If the command is one of these start commands, a start effect setting process is executed in step S2206.

[0358] If a negative decision is made in step S2205, or after the processing of step S2206 has been executed, it is determined in step S2207 whether the newly received command is a command at the time of each stop operation. A command at the time of each stop operation is a command output from main control device 101 based on the stop operation of each of reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, and includes a stop command set in step S405 of the reel control processing (FIG. 21). If the stop command is a stop command at the time of each stop operation, in step S2208, a process for setting effects at the time of each stop operation is executed to set effects based on the current stop operation.

[0359] If a negative decision is made in step S2207, or after the processing of step S2208 has been executed, in step S2209 it is determined whether the newly received command is an all-stop command. An all-stop command is a command output from the main control device 101 when all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R have stopped, and includes the winning result command set in step S418 of the reel control processing (FIG. 21), as well as the CZ start command, CZ end command, AT start command, and AT end command set in the winning result response processing (FIG. 36), the point awarding command set in the first point lottery processing (FIGS. 36 and 41), and the point achievement command set in the first AT mode termination processing (FIGS. 36 and 39). If the command is one of these all-stop commands, in step S2210 an all-stop effect setting process is executed.

[0360] If a negative decision is made in step S2209, or after the processing of step S2210 has been executed, other processing is executed in step S2211, and then the effect setting processing is terminated. In step S2211, the auxiliary display unit 65, speaker 64, etc. are controlled so that the various effects set in each of the above effect setting processes are executed at the corresponding timing. Also, in step S2211, settings are made for effects based on commands from the main control device 101 other than when betting, starting, or stopping (for example, effects based on operation of the settlement switch 59), effects based on signals from sensors connected without going through the main control device 101 (such as an effect switch detection sensor), settings for error notification, etc.

[0361] The following describes the start-time performance setting process and the full-stop performance setting process.

[0362] <Start-up performance setting process> The start-time effect setting process in step S2206 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0363] In step S2301, it is determined whether the lottery result of the game to be started this time is a press order role win based on the received lottery result command. If the press order role win is a press order role win, it is determined in step S2302 whether a press order notification command has been received. If a press order notification command has been received, the process proceeds to step S2303, where settings are made to display the press order notification effects corresponding to the first to sixth small role wins on the auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64.

[0364] In step S2301, if the lottery result of this game is not a push order role win, in step S2304 it is determined whether the lottery result of this game is a specific role win. A specific role is a lottery result called a rare role that is unlikely to appear (hard to win) as a lottery result for each game, and in this embodiment, chance eyes A to chance eyes C, cherry A to cherry C, and watermelon are set as specific roles. As shown in Figure 29, in the AT mode transition lottery triggered by these lottery results, it is set so that the AT mode transition win is more likely to occur than when it is triggered by a lottery result other than a specific role.

[0365] If the result of the lottery in this game is a win for a specific role, in step S2305, a process for announcing a specific role is executed. In the process for announcing a specific role, settings are executed so that a chance effect suggesting that the result of the lottery in this game is one of the above-mentioned specific roles is performed on the auxiliary display unit 65 and the speaker 64. In the chance effect, as shown in Fig. 53(c), for example, the auxiliary display unit 65 displays the word "Chance!!" and characters with exclamation marks are displayed corresponding to each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R.

[0366] After executing steps S2303 and S2305, if a negative judgment is made in step S2302 (if the push order notification command has not been received) or if a negative judgment is made in step S2304 (if a specific role has not been won), then in step S2306 it is determined whether or not a first AT notification command (step S1006 in Figure 32(a)) has been received as the current start command. If a first AT notification command has been received, then in step S2307 settings are executed to ensure that a pseudo bonus winning presentation that notifies the player that they have won the first AT mode transition lottery is performed on the auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64. In the pseudo bonus presentation, as shown in Figure 53(d), for example, "V!!777" is displayed on the auxiliary display unit 65, and a sound is output to congratulate the player on winning the pseudo bonus (first AT mode).

[0367] After step S2307 is executed or if a negative judgment is made in step S2306 (if the first AT notification command has not been received), it is judged in step S2308 whether or not a second AT winning command has been received as the current start command. If a second AT winning command has been received, in step S2309, settings are made to display a promotion winning effect on the auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64 to notify the player that they have won the second AT mode transition lottery.

[0368] After execution of step S2309 or if a negative judgment is made in step S2308 (the second AT winning command has not been received), in step S2310, it is judged whether or not a favorable zone start command (step S1810 in FIG. 43) has been received as the current start command. If a favorable zone start command has been received, in step S2311, a favorable zone flag is set in the various flag storage area 183a of RAM 183. This favorable zone flag is used by the CPU 181 to determine that it is in a favorable zone.

[0369] In step S2312, it is determined whether or not a point-granting command (step S1907 in FIG. 44) has been received as the current start command. As already explained, in this embodiment, the main control device 101 is configured to hold a point-granting lottery at the start of the advantageous zone, and this step is for determining whether or not points have been awarded in the point-granting lottery. If a point-granting command has been received, that is, if points have been awarded in the above-mentioned awarding lottery, in step S2313, point processing is executed to manage points accumulated on the main control device 101 side in the CPU 181 (display control device 81 side). Details of the point processing will be described later.

[0370] After step S2313 is executed, if a negative judgment is made in step S2310 (if the advantageous zone start command has not been received) or if a negative judgment is made in step S2312 (if the point awarding command has not been received), then step S2314 executes a point effect execution process. The point effect execution process is for executing effects related to points, and performs processing for the above execution based on the processing results of the point processing in step S2313 above and step S2405 (FIG. 49) described later. Details of the point effect execution process will be described later.

[0371] Next, in step S2315, other start-time effect setting processing is executed, and then this start-time effect setting processing is terminated. In step S2315, for example, processing is performed to set an effect suggesting the lottery result in response to the start of the game, or to turn off the lamp around start lever 41 to notify that the operation has been accepted, etc.

[0372] <Performance setting process when all stops> The full stop effect setting process of step S2210 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0373] First, in step S2401, it is determined whether or not a CZ start command (step S1305 in FIG. 37) has been received as the current full stop command. If a CZ start command has been received, in step S2402, the auxiliary display unit 65 and the like are controlled so that a CZ start effect will be performed in the next game. In the CZ start effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 53(a), the auxiliary display unit 65 displays text such as "CZ mode start" to notify that CZ mode is starting.

[0374] If a negative judgment is made in step S2401 above (if the CZ start command has not been received), in step S2403, it is determined whether or not a CZ end command (step S1309 in FIG. 37) has been received as the current all-stop command. If a CZ end command has been received, the process proceeds to step S2404, where it is determined whether or not a point awarding command (step S1711 in FIG. 41) has been received as the current all-stop command. As already explained, in this embodiment, if the CZ mode ends without winning the first AT mode transition lottery, the main control device 101 is configured to hold a point awarding lottery, and this step determines whether or not points have been awarded in that point awarding lottery. If a point awarding command has been received, that is, if points have been awarded in the above awarding lottery, point processing is executed in step S2405. This processing is similar to the point processing in step S2313 (FIG. 48).

[0375] After step S2405 is executed or if a negative judgment is made in step S2404 (if the point awarding command has not been received), in step S2406, the auxiliary display unit 65 etc. is controlled so that a CZ end effect is performed for the current game. In the CZ end effect, for example, as shown in Figure 53(b), the auxiliary display unit 65 displays text such as "CZ mode ended" to notify that the CZ mode has ended.

[0376] If a negative judgment is made in step S2403 (if the CZ end command has not been received), in step S2407, it is determined whether or not a first AT start command (step S1407 in FIG. 38) or a second AT start command (step S1608 in FIG. 40) has been received as the current full stop command. If these commands have been received, in step S2408, the auxiliary display unit 65 and the like are controlled so that the corresponding AT start effect will be performed in the next game. In the first AT start effect (pseudo bonus start effect), for example, as shown in FIG. 54(a), the auxiliary display unit 65 displays text such as "BONUS START" to notify that a pseudo bonus will start. In the second AT start effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 54(c), the auxiliary display unit 65 displays text such as "RUSH ENTER!!" to notify that an AT mode will start.

[0377] If a negative judgment is made in step S2407 above (if the AT start command has not been received), it is determined in step S2409 whether or not a first AT end command (step S1511 in FIG. 39) has been received as the current full stop command. If the first AT end command has been received, the process proceeds to step S2410, where it is determined whether or not a point achievement command (step S1509 in FIG. 39) has been received. The point achievement command indicates that the total points stored in RAM 106 of the main control device 101 have reached the bonus award value, and if this command has been received, a release process is executed in step S2411. The release process is a process for executing a point release effect in conjunction with the awarding of a bonus (transition to the second AT mode) based on the reaching of the bonus award value. Details of the point release effect will be described later.

[0378] On the other hand, if a negative judgment is made in step S2410 (if the point achievement command has not been received), the process proceeds to step S2412, where it is determined whether or not a point awarding command (step S1711 in FIG. 41) has been received as the current full stop command. As already explained, in this embodiment, if the first AT mode ends without winning the second AT mode transition lottery, the main control device 101 is configured to hold a point awarding lottery, and this step is for determining whether or not points have been awarded in that point awarding lottery. If a point awarding command has been received, point processing is executed in step S2413.

[0379] After step S2413 is executed or if a negative judgment is made in step S2412 (if the point awarding command has not been received), the auxiliary display unit 65 and the like are controlled so that a first AT mode end effect (pseudo bonus end effect) is performed in this game in step S2414. In the first AT mode end effect, for example, as shown in Fig. 54(b), the auxiliary display unit 65 displays text such as "BONUS END" to notify that the pseudo bonus has ended, as well as text to notify the achievements such as the number of medals acquired during the pseudo bonus.

[0380] If a negative judgment is made in the above step S2409 (the first AT end command has not been received), the process proceeds to step S2415, where it is judged whether or not a second AT end command (step S1612 in FIG. 40) has been received as the current full stop command. If a second AT end command has been received, the auxiliary display unit 65 and the like are controlled in step S2416 so that a second AT mode end effect (RUSH end effect) is performed in the current game. In the second AT mode end effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 54(d), the auxiliary display unit 65 displays "RUSH In addition to displaying text such as "END" to notify that the second AT mode has ended, text is also displayed to notify the player of the continuation of the AT mode game and the total number of medals won in the first AT mode and second AT mode.

[0381] If a negative judgment is made in step S2415 above (if the second AT end command has not been received), it is judged in step S2417 whether or not a point awarding command (step S1711 in FIG. 41) has been received as the current full stop command. As already explained, in this embodiment, if 600 games have been played without winning the first AT mode transition lottery, the main control device 101 is configured to hold a point awarding lottery, and this step is to judge whether or not points have been awarded in that point awarding lottery. If a point awarding command has been received, point processing is executed in step S2418.

[0382] If a negative judgment is made in step S2417 (if a point granting command has not been received), then in step S2419, it is determined whether an initialization command (step S2110 in FIG. 45) has been received as the current all-stop command. If an initialization command has been received, then in step S2420, a process is executed to erase the information on accumulated points stored in the point information storage area 183d of RAM 183. The accumulated points correspond to the total points managed by the main control device 101, and specifically, indicate the same value as the total points. In other words, they are used by the CPU 181 on the display control device 81 side to grasp the accumulated points. Note that in this embodiment, information on retained points is stored and managed in RAM 183 separately from the accumulated points, and these retained points are retained without being erased even when an initialization command is received. The details of retained points will be described later.

[0383] If a negative judgment is made in step S2419 (if the initialization command has not been received), it is judged in step S2421 whether or not the first BB end command or the second BB end command has been received as the current all-stop command. If these commands have been received, the auxiliary display unit 65, etc. are controlled in step S2422 so that a bonus end effect is performed in the current game.

[0384] After the processing of step S2402, step S2406, step S2408, step S2411, step S2414, step S2416, step S2418, step S2420, or step S2422 has been executed, or if a negative determination is made in step S2421, other stop-time effects are set in step S2423, and then this effect setting process ends. In step S2423, for example, the upper lamp 63 is controlled to light up in a color corresponding to the winning combination, a sound effect corresponding to the payout number of the winning combination is controlled to be emitted from the speaker 64, or a sound effect corresponding to an automatic bet during a replay is controlled to be emitted from the speaker 64.

[0385] <Point processing> The point processing in steps S2313, S2405, S2413, and S2418 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 50(a).

[0386] First, in step S2601, the total points (number of points accumulated on the main control device 101 side) are identified based on the point granting command received from the main control device 101, and the accumulated points are grasped. Note that although the names are different for the sake of distinction, the total points and accumulated points indicate the same information. In step S2602, a process is executed to update the accumulated points. Specifically, the accumulated points (previous accumulated points) stored in the point information storage area 183d of RAM 183 are rewritten with the current accumulated points grasped in step S2601 above.

[0387] In step S2603, a process is executed to read and grasp the retained points stored in the point information storage area 183d. The retained points indicate the highest value of accumulated points (total points) during the period from when the points were set to the initial value (0) to the present. As already explained, the total points are set to the initial value (0) each time an advantageous zone ends, and the retained points indicate the highest number of points among the total points obtained in each advantageous zone. For example, if the total points in the advantageous zone before last were 3 points, the total points in the previous advantageous zone were 1 point, and the total points up to now in the current advantageous zone are 2 points, the retained points will be 3 points.

[0388] In step S2604, it is determined whether the accumulated point value determined in step S2601 is greater than the retained point value determined in step S2603. If the accumulated point is equal to or less than the retained point, the point processing ends. On the other hand, if the accumulated point is greater than the retained point, that is, if an accumulated point greater than the highest value up to that point is determined, the processing proceeds to step S2605, where processing to update the retained point is executed. Specifically, the retained point stored in point information storage area 183d of RAM 183 is rewritten to the accumulated point determined in step S2601.

[0389] In step S2606, an effect execution lottery process is performed to determine whether or not to perform a point suggestion effect. In the effect execution lottery process, a lottery is performed to determine whether or not to perform a point suggestion effect based on a lottery counter obtained from the various counter area 183b of RAM 183 and a lottery table for allocating whether or not to perform a point suggestion effect. The point suggestion effect suggests the accumulated points (total points) at that time, and details thereof will be described later. Note that the probability of winning in the execution lottery is not particularly limited and can be set arbitrarily, but since the various point awarding triggers according to this embodiment are not frequently realized and opportunities for point suggestion effects are also low, the probability of execution winning is set to be higher than the probability of not winning.

[0390] In step S2607, it is determined whether or not the execution of the point suggestion effect has been won in the effect execution lottery process of step S2606. If the execution has been won, the process proceeds to step S2608, and a suggestion effect flag is set in the various flag storage area 183a of the RAM 183. The suggestion effect flag is used by the CPU 181 to determine that a point suggestion effect should be executed. After execution of step S2608 or if a negative determination is made in step S2607 (if the execution of the point suggestion effect has not been won), this point processing is terminated.

[0391] <Discharge treatment> The release process in step S2411 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0392] First, in step S2701, a process for clearing (initializing) the accumulated points is executed. Specifically, the value of the accumulated points stored in the point information storage area 183d of the RAM 183 is changed to the initial value (0), or the information on the points is erased. In step S2702, the value of the retained points stored in the point information storage area 183d is changed to the initial value, or the information on the points is erased, thereby clearing (initializing) the retained points. That is, the retained points are initialized when the total points reach a bonus award value, in other words, when a bonus is awarded based on the reaching of the bonus award value, and are retained for a period until the next reaching of the bonus award value.

[0393] Next, in step S2703, a payout effect flag is set in the various flag storage area 183a of the RAM 183, and then this payout process is terminated. The payout effect flag is used by the CPU 181 to determine that a point payout effect should be executed. Details of the point payout effect will be described later.

[0394] <Point performance execution processing> The point effect execution process in step S2314 (FIG. 48) will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0395] First, in step S2801, it is determined whether or not a suggestion effect flag is set in the various flag storage area 183a of the RAM 183. If the suggestion effect flag is set, that is, if the situation is such that a point suggestion effect should be executed, the suggestion effect flag is cleared in step S2802, and then, in step S2803, a type lottery table is obtained from the various table storage area 182a of the ROM 182.

[0396] Here, the point suggestion effect will be explained. The point suggestion effect not only notifies the player that points have been awarded, but also notifies the player of the accumulated points (total points) that have been accumulated at that time. In this case, the accumulated points are not indicated by a numerical value indicating the number of points, but are merely suggested by an animated image displayed on the auxiliary display unit 65.

[0397] In the point suggestion effect, as shown in Fig. 55, a plurality of bubble images are displayed on the auxiliary display unit 65, and the size of each bubble image indicates the level of accumulated points. When the game starts (when the start lever 41 is operated), these bubble images are displayed rising from the bottom to the top of the display screen of the auxiliary display unit 65, and when a bubble image is displayed, a predetermined sound effect is output from the speaker 64. In this embodiment, there are four types (modes) of point suggestion effect: small bubble effect (Fig. 55(a)), medium bubble effect (Fig. 55(b)), large bubble effect (Fig. 55(c)), and extra large bubble effect (Fig. 55(d)).

[0398] As shown in FIG. 55(a), the small bubble effect displays a very small bubble image 201 and a small bubble image 202, suggesting that the number of accumulated points is low. As shown in FIG. 55(b), the medium bubble effect displays a small bubble image 202 and a medium bubble image 203, suggesting that the number of accumulated points is moderate. As shown in FIG. 55(c), the large bubble effect displays a medium bubble image 203 and a large bubble image 204, suggesting that a large number of accumulated points have been accumulated and that the bonus award value is close to being reached. As shown in FIG. 55(d), the extra-large bubble effect displays an extra-large bubble image 205, which is larger than the bubble image 204, suggesting that the accumulated points have reached a specific bonus value.

[0399] The suggestion effect table acquired in step S2803 is used to draw a lottery to determine which of the above-mentioned bubble effects will be executed. In the type lottery table, as shown in FIG. 52, the number of points held at that time and the probability of selection of each bubble effect are set, and the more points held, the more likely a higher-ranked bubble effect will be selected. For example, when the held point is 1 point, either no effect (no execution of the point suggestion effect) or a small bubble effect will be selected, and in this case, the small bubble effect is more likely to be selected than no effect.

[0400] The point suggestion effect is not limited to the bubble effect, but may be other animations or still images. The number of types is also not limited to four, but may be three or less, or five or more.

[0401] After step S2803 is executed, in step S2804, a type lottery is executed to select the type of point suggestion effect. In this step, a process is executed to select the type of point suggestion effect based on the acquired type lottery table, the retained points updated in step S2605 of Fig. 50, and the lottery counter acquired from the various counter area 183b of RAM 183. At this time, since the retained points and the accumulated points have the same value, the lottery process in this step can also be said to be executed based on the type lottery table, the accumulated points at that time, and the lottery counter.

[0402] In step S2805, the effect data is set so that the point suggestion effect of the type selected in step S2804 is executed. In the following step S2806, the corresponding notification means (auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64) is controlled based on the set effect data so that the point suggestion effect selected by lottery is executed. After step S2806 is executed, the point suggestion effect execution process ends.

[0403] In this embodiment, the point suggestion effect is executed at the start of the game, but it may also be configured to be executed when a predetermined time has passed since the start of the game, when a predetermined stop operation (for example, a first stop operation) is performed after the start of the game, or when the game ends (when a final stop operation is performed). In these cases, the display control device 81 reads out the effect data at the corresponding timing in other processing of step S2211 in the effect setting processing (FIG. 47), and controls the corresponding notification means so that the effect is performed using the read data.

[0404] If a negative determination is made in step S2801 (the suggestion effect flag is not set), the process proceeds to step S2807, where it is determined whether or not a release effect flag is set in the various flag storage area 183a. If the release effect flag is set, that is, if a point release effect should be executed, the release effect flag is cleared in step S2808, and then, in step S2809, effect data for executing the point release effect is set.

[0405] The point release effect notifies the player that the accumulated points (total points) have reached the bonus value, and that the accumulated points have been released, thereby granting a bonus. In this embodiment, the bonus is a transition to the second AT mode, and the timing of this transition (the bonus is granted) is the end of the first AT mode. Based on this, the point granting effect is configured as follows. First, to make the player believe that the first AT mode has ended, the auxiliary display unit 65 notifies the player that the first AT mode has ended, as shown in FIG. 56(a). Then, as shown in FIG. 56(b), a large number of bubble images 205 (extra-large bubble images) are displayed rising from the bottom of the display screen, and the bubble images 205 obscure the first AT mode end screen so that it is invisible or difficult to see. Then, when all the bubble images 205 disappear from the top of the display screen, a second AT mode start notification appears, as shown in FIG. 56(c), thereby notifying the player of the transition to the second AT mode.

[0406] The form of the point release presentation is not limited to the above, and may be any other form as long as it allows the player to recognize that a bonus has been awarded based on reaching the bonus award value.

[0407] In the following step S2810, the corresponding notification means (auxiliary display unit 65 and speaker 64) is controlled so that a point release effect is executed based on the effect data that has been set. In this embodiment, the point release effect is executed at the start of the game, but it may also be configured to be executed when a predetermined time has passed since the start of the game, when a predetermined stop operation (for example, a first stop operation) is performed after the start of the game, or when the game ends (when a final stop operation is performed). After step S2810 is executed or if a negative judgment is made in step S2807 (the release effect flag is not set), the point suggestion effect execution process is terminated.

[0408] <Point suggestion flow> The flow of the point suggestion effect will be explained with reference to Figure 57. Here, it is assumed that the first advantageous section A starts when the total points (accumulated points) are 0 points. In addition, in the effect execution lottery when points are awarded (lottery to decide whether or not to execute the point suggestion effect), all are won, and the effect type with the higher selection probability is selected.

[0409] After the advantageous zone A starts at timing t1, when the CZ mode ends without winning the first AT mode transition lottery at timing t2 and the trigger for the point award lottery is established, the point award lottery is executed. If 1 point is awarded at that time, the main control device 101 updates the total points to 1 point (step S1710 in FIG. 41), and the display control device 81 updates the retained points to 1 point (step S2605 in FIG. 50(a)).

[0410] Also, at timing t2, in response to the awarding of points, a type lottery is executed to determine the type of point suggestion effect. In this case, since the retained point is one point, a lottery is executed to determine whether the type of point suggestion effect will be no effect or a small bubble effect (Figure 52). As a result, if the small bubble effect is selected as the point suggestion effect, a small bubble effect is executed on the auxiliary display unit 65, etc., as shown in Figure 57(a). This indicates that points have been awarded and that the total number of points at that time is still small. The point suggestion effect ends when all bubble images have passed the display screen, and its duration is set to be shorter than the duration of one game. In other words, the point suggestion effect begins at the start of the game and then ends midway through the game.

[0411] Thereafter, at timing t3, which is midway through advantageous section A, when the number of stuck games reaches 600 and a trigger for executing a point awarding lottery is met, the awarding lottery is executed again. If 2 points are awarded in the awarding lottery, the main control device 101 updates the total points to 3 points. At that time, the display control device 81 updates the retained points to 3 points based on the fact that the accumulated points (3 points) at that time are greater than the retained point (1 point) (steps S2601 to S2605 in FIG. 50(a)).

[0412] At timing t3, a type lottery is executed in response to the awarding of points. In this case, the number of points awarded is 2, but the type lottery is executed based on the number of points on the retained points side (3 points). As a result, as shown in FIG. 57(b), a bubble effect is executed on the auxiliary display unit 65, etc. This indicates that points have been awarded, that the total number of points at that time is medium, or in other words, that the accumulated points have increased.

[0413] At timing t4, when the first AT mode ends without winning the lottery to transition to the second AT mode, the advantageous zone A ends. Accordingly, the main control device 101 executes an initialization process (step S2109 in FIG. 45) and the value of the total points is set to the initial value (0). At that time, the accumulated points are also set to the initial value (0) in the display control device 81, but the retained points are not initialized and the value (3) at the end of the advantageous zone A is maintained as is.

[0414] When a new advantageous zone B starts at timing t5, a point awarding lottery is executed in the main control device 101 (step S1904 in FIG. 44). If 1 point is awarded in the lottery, the main control device 101 updates the total points to 1 point. At that time, the display control device 81 compares the accumulated points (1 point) with the retained points (3 points) at that time, but because the value of the accumulated points does not exceed the retained points, the retained points are not updated and remain at 3 points. Furthermore, the execution of the point suggestion effect is restricted based on the fact that the accumulated points are equal to or less than the retained points, and the point suggestion effect is not executed (step S2604 in FIG. 50(a)). In other words, a suggestion effect corresponding to the accumulated points (total points) being 1 point is not executed.

[0415] In the above case, after the total points are initialized, the execution of the point suggestion effect is restricted at the first execution trigger of the effect. However, considering that the situation in which the current accumulated points are less than or equal to the held points (in other words, the situation in which the execution of the point suggestion effect should be restricted) begins with the initialization of the total points, it can also be said that the state of restriction on effect execution begins when the total points are initialized.

[0416] At timing t6, if the first AT mode ends without winning the lottery to transition to the second AT mode, advantageous section B ends and the total points are reset to the initial value. Even if one point is awarded in the previous lottery, bringing the total points (accumulated points) to two points, the accumulated points at that point are still smaller than the retained points, so the retained points are not updated and the point suggestion effect is not executed. In other words, the execution restriction on the point suggestion effect is maintained.

[0417] After advantageous zone C starts at timing t7, if a point awarding lottery is triggered at timing t8 and 4 points are awarded, the total points will be set to 4 points in main control device 101. Accordingly, the accumulated points on the display control device 81 side will be greater than the held points at that time (3 points), and the held points will be updated to 4 points.

[0418] Also, at timing t8, since the accumulated points have become greater than the retained points, the execution restriction of the point suggestion effect is lifted and a type lottery is executed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 57(c), a large bubble effect is executed on the auxiliary display unit 65, etc., indicating that points have been awarded and that the total number of points at that time has increased. At this time, the actual change in the total points is that the points were initialized to 0 points and then increased to 4 points in one award lottery. However, because the point suggestion effect was not executed while the accumulated points were less than the retained points, from the player's perspective, it appears as if the total points have increased from the number suggested in the previous point suggestion effect (timing t3).

[0419] If the point awarding lottery is triggered again at timing t9 and 1 point is awarded, the total points are updated to 5 points in the main control device 101, and the retained points are updated to 5 points in the display control device 81. Also, at timing t9, a type lottery corresponding to the retained points being 5 points is executed, and an extra-large bubble effect is executed on the auxiliary display unit 65, etc., as shown in Figure 57(d). This indicates that the total points have reached the bonus awarding value.

[0420] At timing t10, the first AT mode ends, and when the opportunity to award a bonus arrives, a bonus (transition to the second AT mode) is awarded. Accordingly, the total points are initialized in the main control device 101 (step S1508 in FIG. 39), and the retained points are also initialized in the display control device 81 (step S2702 in FIG. 50(b)). At this time, a point release effect (FIG. 56) is executed on the auxiliary display unit 65, etc., and the awarding of a bonus based on the reaching of the bonus award value is notified.

[0421] According to the present embodiment described above in detail, the following excellent effects are achieved.

[0422] In this embodiment, points are awarded when the awarding conditions are met, and when the total number of points (total points) reaches the bonus award value, the player is awarded a bonus (transition to the second AT mode). By providing a notification corresponding to the total points each time, the player can recognize that the total points are increasing toward the bonus award value, and this stimulates the player's desire to further increase the points. In other words, this can encourage the player to continue playing. However, in a configuration in which the total points are initialized at the end of the advantageous zone and the points accumulated up to that point are lost, if the initialization of the total points is reflected directly in the notification, there is a concern that the player will be given the impression that they are being forced to start accumulating points again from the beginning, which may reduce the player's desire to continue playing.

[0423] In this regard, in this embodiment, even if the total points are initialized by the main control device 101, the display control device 81 does not initialize the retained points stored in RAM 183, but retains them and then controls the execution of the point suggestion effect by referring to the retained points. With this configuration, when the point suggestion effect is executed after the total points are initialized, the execution can be controlled while taking into account the total points before the initialization, and the initialization of the total points can be prevented from being directly reflected in the suggestion effect. This prevents the player from getting the impression that they are trying to save up again, and can prevent a decrease in their motivation to continue playing.

[0424] Whether or not to execute the point suggestion effect is controlled based on the current total points (accumulated points) and the retained points, and the execution of the point suggestion effect is restricted when the current total points are equal to or less than the retained points.

[0425] According to the above configuration, the execution of the point suggestion effect is permitted when the current total points are greater than the retained points, but is restricted when the total points are equal to or less than the retained points. In other words, the point suggestion effect is executed with the number of point suggestion effects that notify values ​​less than the retained points thinned out for each point awarded. Therefore, even if the total points actually decrease due to the effects of initialization, it can be made to appear to the player as if the total points are gradually increasing. This prevents the impression that the total value has disappeared, and makes it possible to effectively stimulate the player's desire to continue playing after the total points are initialized.

[0426] The point suggestion effect is performed after the execution lottery, and when the execution of the point suggestion effect is restricted, the point suggestion effect is not executed without the execution lottery. In other words, since the execution of the point suggestion effect is forcibly prohibited, it is possible to suitably prevent the execution of a suggestion effect that reflects the initialized total points.

[0427] If the current total points (accumulated points) are greater than the points stored in RAM 183, the total points are updated as new points. This configuration makes it possible to limit the execution of the point suggestion effect based on the highest total points obtained through play up to that point. This makes it possible to execute the point suggestion effect only when a total point that updates the previous highest value is obtained, giving the player the impression that the total points are continually increasing.

[0428] <Second embodiment> In this embodiment, the configuration is devised to expand the opportunities for executing point suggestion effects. This embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 58 to 64. In these figures, the same components as those in the above embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

[0429] <Point performance execution processing> The point effect execution process according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 58(a). This process is executed in step S2314 of the start-time effect setting process (Fig. 48) in the display control device 81, and is executed in place of the point effect execution process in Fig. 51. Note that in Fig. 58(a), the same processes as in Fig. 51 are assigned the same step numbers, and their descriptions will be omitted or simplified.

[0430] In step S2801, it is determined whether or not a suggestion effect flag is set in the various flag storage area 183a of the RAM 183. The suggestion effect flag is used by the CPU 181 to determine that a point suggestion effect should be executed. If the suggestion effect flag is set, the flag is cleared in step S2802, and then a type lottery table (FIG. 52) is acquired in step S2803. In step S2804, a lottery process for the point suggestion effect is executed based on the acquired type lottery table and the lottery counters acquired from the various counter area 183b of the RAM 183.

[0431] In step S3101, the use point table stored in the various table storage area 182a of the ROM 182 is referenced to identify the use points corresponding to the type (mode) of the suggestive effect allocated by the lottery process. In the use point table, as shown in FIG. 58(b), a unique use point is set for each mode of the point suggestive effect, with higher use points being assigned to the suggestive effect. For example, 0 points are assigned to no effect, 1 point to the small bubble effect (FIG. 55(a)), 3 points to the medium bubble effect (FIG. 55(b)), 4 points to the large bubble effect (FIG. 55(c)), and 5 points to the extra-large bubble effect (FIG. 55(d)). The use points are information indicating how many points the suggestive effect (the effect selected by lottery) to be executed this time is equivalent to.

[0432] In step S3102, the identified use points are subtracted from the accumulated points at that time to calculate a difference value. The calculated difference value is stored in a predetermined area of ​​RAM 183. Note that although the above describes subtracting the use points from the accumulated points, when this step is executed (when the suggestion effect flag is set indicating that a point suggestion effect should be executed and a positive judgment is made in step S2801), the held points are updated with the accumulated points, and the two have the same value (steps S2604 to S2608 in FIG. 50(a)), so the processing in this step can also be said to subtract the use points from the held points.

[0433] After step S3102 is executed, in step S2805, the effect data is set so that the point suggestion effect selected in step S2804 is executed. In this embodiment, the process of specifying the points to be used and the process of calculating the difference value are performed before step S2805 is executed, but since the execution timing of each of these processes is sufficient as long as it is after the selection of the suggestion effect mode, they may be performed after step S2805 is executed.

[0434] <Start-up performance setting process> The start-time effect setting process according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 59. This process is executed in place of the start-time effect setting process in Fig. 48. Note that in Fig. 59, the same processes as in Fig. 48 are assigned the same step numbers, and their descriptions will be omitted or simplified.

[0435] After step S2309 (setting process for the second AT winning effect) is executed or if a negative decision is made in step S2308 (if the second AT winning command has not been received as the current start command), in step S2310, it is determined whether or not a favorable zone start command has been received as the current start command. If a favorable zone start command has been received, In step S2311, the advantageous zone flag is set in the various flag storage area 183a of the RAM 183.

[0436] In step S2312, it is determined whether a point-granting command has been received as the current start command. As explained in the first embodiment above, in this embodiment, the main control device 101 is configured to hold a point-granting lottery at the start of the advantageous zone, and this step determines whether points have been awarded in the point-granting lottery. Note that the point-granting command includes information indicating that points have been awarded, as well as information indicating the number of points awarded in the current awarding lottery and the total number of points.

[0437] If a point-granting command has been received, i.e., if points have been awarded in this awarding lottery process, first point processing is executed in step S3201. On the other hand, if a point-granting command has not been received (if points have not been awarded), second point processing is executed in step S3202. Details of the first point processing and second point processing will be described later. After execution of step S3201 or step S3202, the process proceeds to step S2314 (point effect execution processing).

[0438] If a negative judgment is made in step S2310 above (if the advantageous zone start command has not been received), the process proceeds to step S3203, where it is judged whether or not a point trigger command (step S1111 in FIG. 35) has been received as the current start command. As explained in the first embodiment above, in this embodiment, if the number of games in which the player has not won the first AT mode transition lottery (number of stuck games) while staying in the advantageous zone reaches a specific number (for example, 600 games), the main control device 101 is configured to recognize that a trigger for executing the point awarding lottery has been established, and to send a point trigger command. This step is for judging whether or not the trigger has been established.

[0439] If a point trigger command has been received, a trigger establishment flag is set in the various flag storage area 183a in step S3204. The trigger establishment flag is used by the CPU 181 to determine that a point award lottery trigger has been established based on the number of stuck games reaching a specific number. After step S3204 is executed or if a negative judgment is made in step S3203 (if a point trigger command has not been received), the process proceeds to step S2314 (processing for executing point effects).

[0440] <Performance setting process when all stops> The full stop effect setting process according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 60. This process is executed in place of the full stop effect setting process in Fig. 49. Note that in Fig. 60, the same steps as in Fig. 49 are given the same step numbers, and their explanations will be omitted or simplified.

[0441] If a positive judgment is made in step S2403 (if a CZ end command has been received) or a negative judgment is made in step S2410 (if a point achievement command has not been received), then in step S2404 or step S2412, it is determined whether a point awarding command has been received as the current full stop command. As described in the first embodiment above, in this embodiment, a point awarding lottery is held in the main control device 101 when the CZ mode ends without winning the first AT mode transition lottery and when the first AT mode ends without winning the second AT mode transition lottery, and step S2404 or step S2412 determines whether points have been awarded in those point awarding lotteries.

[0442] If a point awarding command has been received, i.e., if points have been awarded in this awarding lottery process, the first point processing is executed in step S3301. On the other hand, if a point awarding command has not been received (if points have not been awarded), the second point processing is executed in step S3302. These first point processing and second point processing are similar to the first point processing and second point processing in the start-time performance setting processing (Figure 59) described above. After executing step S3301 or step S3302, proceed to step S2406 (CZ end performance setting processing) or step S2414 (1st AT end performance setting processing).

[0443] Also, if a negative judgment is made in step S2415 (the second AT end command has not been received), in step S3303, it is determined whether or not a trigger establishment flag has been set in the various flags storage area 183a of RAM 183. If the trigger establishment flag is set, that is, if the trigger for the point award lottery based on the number of stuck games reaching a specific number has been established, the trigger establishment flag is cleared in step S3304, and then in step S3305 it is determined whether or not a point award command has been received as the current all-stop command.

[0444] If a point-granting command has been received, first point processing is executed in step S3306, and if a point-granting command has not been received, second point processing is executed in step S3307. These first point processing and second point processing are the same as the first point processing and second point processing in the start-time effect setting processing (FIG. 59) described above. After step S3306 or step S3307 is executed, the process proceeds to step S2423 (other all-stop effect setting processing).

[0445] <Processing for the first point> The first point processing in steps S3201, S3301, and S3306 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 61. Note that in Fig. 61, the same steps as those in the point processing in Fig. 50(a) are given the same step numbers, and their descriptions will be omitted or simplified.

[0446] If the accumulated points are greater than the retained points in step S2604, processing to update the retained points is executed in step S2605. Thereafter, in step S2606, a performance execution lottery process is executed to determine whether or not to execute a point suggestion performance. If the execution lottery is won, in step S2804 of the point performance execution process (FIG. 58), a lottery for the type of point suggestion performance (lottery process to determine which point suggestion performance to execute) is executed using the type lottery table (FIG. 52), the retained points, and the lottery counter. In this case, the type lottery is executed using the latest retained points updated in step S2605.

[0447] On the other hand, if a negative judgment is made in step S2604 (if the accumulated points are equal to or less than the held points), the process proceeds to step S3401, where it is judged whether the difference value (step S3102 in FIG. 58) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, 1). If the difference value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S2606, where an effect execution lottery process is performed. That is, in the first embodiment described above, if the accumulated points are equal to or less than the held points, the point suggestion effect is not executed across the board, but in this embodiment, even if the accumulated points are equal to or less than the held points, if the difference value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the point suggestion effect is allowed to be executed. In this case, the effect execution lottery is performed with the same probability of winning as the execution lottery when the accumulated points are greater than the held points (the flow when a positive judgment is made in step S2604 in FIG. 61).

[0448] If the execution lottery is won, in step S2804 of the point effect execution process (Fig. 58), a lottery is held for the type of point suggestion effect using the type lottery table (Fig. 52), the retained points, and the lottery counter. However, if the execution of the point suggestion effect is permitted based on the difference value being equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the retained points are not updated, and so the type lottery in this case is held using the previously retained points that are retained at that time.

[0449] <Processing for the second point> The second point processing in steps S3202, S3302, and S3307 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 62. All of these processes are executed when the opportunity for the point awarding lottery is met but no points are awarded.

[0450] In step S3501, it is determined whether the difference value (step S3102 in FIG. 58) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, 1). If the difference value is smaller than the predetermined value, the second point processing is terminated. If the difference value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the processing of steps S3502 to S3504 is executed. These processes are the same as steps S2606 to S2608 in FIG. 61. In other words, a lottery is held to execute a point suggestion effect, and if the execution is successful, a suggestion effect flag is set in the various flags storage area 183a of RAM 183.

[0451] <Point suggestion flow> The flow of the point suggestion effect according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 63 and 64. Here, it is assumed that in the effect execution lottery when points are awarded, the execution of the point suggestion effect is won in both cases.

[0452] First, the flow when points are awarded but the accumulated points at that time are less than the retained points (maximum value) will be described with reference to FIG.

[0453] At timing t1, when a trigger for executing a point-awarding lottery occurs in the middle of advantageous section A, the point-awarding lottery is executed by main control device 101. If three points are awarded at that time, the total points are updated to three points by main control device 101 (step S1710 in FIG. 41), and the retained points are updated to three points by display control device 81 (step S2605 in FIG. 61).

[0454] Also, at timing t1, a type lottery corresponding to the fact that the retained points are 3 points is executed using the type lottery table (FIG. 52). At that time, it is assumed that a small bubble effect, which has a selection probability of 30%, is selected as the type of point suggestion effect. In this case, the display control device 81 derives 1 point as the used point corresponding to the small bubble effect (step S3101 in FIG. 58(a) and FIG. 58(b)). Then, the used point (1 point) is subtracted from the accumulated points (3 points), and 2 points is calculated as the difference value (step S3102 in FIG. 58(a)). Also, at timing t1, a small bubble effect is executed on the auxiliary display unit 65, etc., as shown in FIG. 63(a).

[0455] When advantageous zone A ends at timing t2, the main control device 101 executes an initialization process (step S2109 in FIG. 45), and the value of the total points is set to the initial value (0). At that time, the accumulated points are also set to the initial value (0) in the display control device 81, but the retained points are not initialized, and the value (3) at the end of advantageous zone A is maintained as is. The difference value is also not initialized, and the value (2) at the end of advantageous zone A is maintained as is.

[0456] At timing t3, when the trigger for executing the point awarding lottery is established in the middle of the next advantageous section B, the point awarding lottery is executed by the main control device 101. If 1 point is awarded at that time, the total points are updated to 1 point in the main control device 101. At that time, since the accumulated points (1 point) at that time are smaller than the retained points (3 points), the display control device 81 does not update the retained points, and they remain at 3 points.

[0457] In this case, in the first embodiment, the execution of the point suggestion effect is restricted and no effect execution lottery is conducted, but in this embodiment, an effect execution lottery is conducted based on the difference value being equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, 1) (steps S2604 and S3401 in FIG. 61). In this effect execution lottery, the same lottery table as that used in the effect execution lottery when the accumulated points are greater than the held points is used. Therefore, the point suggestion effect is performed with the same probability as when the accumulated points are greater than the held points.

[0458] If the execution of the point suggestion effect is selected in the effect execution lottery, a lottery process corresponding to the currently held points (3 points) is executed in the subsequent type lottery. At that time, it is assumed that the 70% bubble effect is selected as the type of point suggestion effect. In this case, the display control device 81 derives 3 points as the used points corresponding to the bubble effect (Figure 58(b)), and calculates 0 points as the difference value obtained by subtracting the used points (3 points) from the accumulated points (3 points). Furthermore, at timing t3, the bubble effect is executed on the auxiliary display unit 65, etc., as shown in Figure 63(b).

[0459] At timing t4 in advantageous zone B, when the trigger for executing the point awarding lottery is met, the main control device 101 executes the point awarding lottery again. As a result, if 1 point is awarded, the main control device 101 updates the total points to 2 points. As in the case of timing t3, the accumulated points at that time (2 points) are less than the retained points (3 points), but in this case, the difference value (0) is less than the predetermined value, so the execution of the point suggestion effect is restricted. In other words, the point suggestion effect is not executed.

[0460] Next, the flow when the trigger for executing the point awarding lottery is met but points are not awarded will be described with reference to FIG.

[0461] When the trigger for executing the point awarding lottery is established at timing t1, the point awarding lottery is executed by the main control device 101. If three points are awarded at that time, the total points are updated to three points by the main control device 101, and the retained points are updated to three points by the display control device 81.

[0462] Also, at timing t1, a type lottery corresponding to the fact that the retained points are 3 points is executed using the type lottery table. At that time, it is assumed that a small bubble effect, which has a selection probability of 30%, is selected as the type of point suggestion effect. In this case, the display control device 81 derives 1 point as the used point corresponding to the small bubble effect, and calculates 2 points as the difference value obtained by subtracting the used point (1 point) from the accumulated points (3 points). Also, at timing t1, a small bubble effect is executed on the auxiliary display unit 65, etc., as shown in FIG. 64(a).

[0463] When the trigger for executing the point awarding lottery is met at timing t2, the main control device 101 executes the point awarding lottery. At that time, it is assumed that no points are awarded. In this case, in the first embodiment, the point suggestion effect is not executed across the board, but in this embodiment, the effect execution lottery is executed based on the difference value being equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 1) (steps S3302 and S3307 in FIG. 60, FIG. 62). In this effect execution lottery, the same lottery table as that used in the effect execution lottery when the accumulated points are greater than the held points is used.

[0464] If the execution of the point suggestion effect is selected in the effect execution lottery, a lottery process corresponding to the currently held points (3 points) is executed in the subsequent type lottery. At that time, it is assumed that the 70% bubble effect is selected as the type of point suggestion effect. In this case, the display control device 81 derives 3 points as the used points corresponding to the bubble effect, and calculates 0 points as the difference value obtained by subtracting the used points (3 points) from the accumulated points (3 points). Also, at timing t2, the bubble effect is executed on the auxiliary display unit 65, etc., as shown in Figure 64(b).

[0465] When the trigger for executing the point awarding lottery is met again at timing t3, the main control device 101 executes the point awarding lottery. At that time, it is assumed that no points are awarded. As in the case of timing t2, the accumulated points at that time (2 points) are smaller than the retained points (3 points), but in this case, the difference value (0) is less than the predetermined value, so the effect execution lottery is not executed and the point suggestion effect is not executed.

[0466] According to the present embodiment described above in detail, the following excellent effects are achieved.

[0467] After the previous point suggestion performance is executed, a difference value between the used points corresponding to the point suggestion performance and the total points (accumulated points) at the time of the performance is calculated, and the subsequent point suggestion performance is executed based on the difference value.

[0468] As described in the first embodiment above, in a configuration in which the total points are initialized upon the end of a favorable zone, restricting the execution of the point suggestion effect when the total points at that time are equal to or less than the retained points can prevent the player from getting the impression that the total points have been reset. However, on the other hand, if the execution restriction reduces the frequency of the point suggestion effect, the player has fewer opportunities to become aware of the existence of points, which could lead to a gradual decline in the player's interest in points. In this case, it is possible to increase the frequency of the point suggestion effect in the restricted state. However, if the suggestion effect is configured to correspond to the actual total points (the total points reduced by the initialization), this could give the player the impression that the total points have disappeared, thereby undermining the original purpose of restricting the execution of the effect. Conversely, if the suggestion effect is configured to correspond to the retained points, it could trigger a notification that deviates from the actual total points, potentially reducing the player's trust in the notification.

[0469] In this regard, in this configuration, the point suggestion effect based on the difference between the used points and the retained points corresponding to the previous point suggestion effect is performed under the above-mentioned restricted state. Since the subsequent suggestion effect utilizes the surplus of the total points for the already executed suggestion effect, by executing such an effect under the restricted state, the frequency of the suggestion effect can be increased while aligning the aspect of the point suggestion effect with the actual total points. Therefore, it is possible to effectively deal with the above-mentioned inconveniences caused by the creation of the restricted state.

[0470] The main control device 101 is configured to retain the above-mentioned difference value even when the total points are initialized. With this configuration, the difference value does not disappear when the total points are initialized and is maintained thereafter, making it possible to use the difference value across initialization when restricting the execution of point suggestion effects. This makes it possible to execute point suggestion effects by utilizing the difference value generated by the point suggestion effects before initialization after initialization, making it possible to suitably increase the execution frequency of point suggestion effects in a configuration in which the total points are initialized at the end of an advantageous zone.

[0471] The point suggestion effect based on the difference value is configured to be executed when no points have been awarded. With this configuration, the point suggestion effect can be executed even when no points have been awarded, and the execution frequency of the suggestion effect can be suitably increased. Note that the notification in this case does not necessarily have to be executed under a restricted state, and may be executed under an unrestricted state, for example, when the point award lottery trigger is established but the point award lottery is not won.

[0472] <Third embodiment> This embodiment differs from the above-described embodiments in that it allows cases in which the retention point is not updated even when the accumulated points are greater than the retention point. This embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 65. In these figures, the same reference numerals are used to designate components that are the same as those in the above-described embodiments, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

[0473] <First point lottery processing> The first point lottery process according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 41. After executing step S1710 (processing for adding the awarded points to the value of the PT counter (accumulated points)), in step S1711 a point awarding command is set as an output target to the display control device 81. The point awarding command according to this embodiment includes information that points have been awarded, information indicating the number of points awarded in this awarding lottery, information indicating the total number of points, as well as information regarding which lottery trigger caused the points to be awarded. This information may be included in the point trigger command that is set when the point awarding trigger is established, instead of or in addition to the point awarding command.

[0474] <Point processing> The point processing according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 65. This processing is executed in step S2313 of the start-time performance setting processing (Fig. 48) in the display control device 81, and in steps S2405, S2413, and S2418 of the full-stop performance setting processing (Fig. 49), and is executed in place of the point processing in Fig. 50(a). Note that in Fig. 65, processing similar to that in Fig. 50(a) is assigned the same step numbers, and their description will be omitted or simplified.

[0475] After executing step S2603 (determining the retained points), in step S2604 it is determined whether the value of the accumulated points determined in step S2601 is greater than the value of the retained points determined in step S2603. If the accumulated points are greater than the retained points, i.e., if accumulated points greater than the highest value up to that point are determined, the process proceeds to step S3601, where it is determined whether the current point award is based on the end of the first AT mode (the end of the first AT mode without winning the lottery to transition to the second AT mode). The award trigger (the trigger for the award lottery) based on the end of the first AT mode is the final trigger that can occur in the advantageous zone, and this step determines whether the current point award is due to the final trigger before the end of the advantageous zone (before the accumulated points are initialized).

[0476] If the current point allocation is not based on the end of the first AT mode, proceed to step S2605 and execute the process of updating the retained points. On the other hand, if the current point allocation is based on the end of the first AT mode, proceed to step S3602 and determine whether the accumulated points at that time are equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 3). Note that this point process is executed when the accumulated points have not yet reached the bonus allocation value (e.g., 5) (step S2410 in FIG. 49), so the accumulated points being equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 3) means that the points are equal to or greater than the predetermined value and less than the bonus allocation value.

[0477] If the accumulated points are not equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S2605, where the process of updating the held points is executed. Conversely, if the accumulated points are equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the process of step S2605 is skipped, and the process of updating the held points is not executed. For example, if the held point before the points are awarded is 1 point, and the held point after the points are awarded is 4 points, the held point is not updated, and remains at 1 point. After execution of step S2605 or if a positive determination is made in step S3602, the process proceeds to step S2606, where a lottery is held to determine whether to execute a point suggestion effect.

[0478] <Point performance execution processing> The point effect execution process according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 51. If the suggestion effect flag is set in step S2801, that is, if a situation exists in which a point suggestion effect should be executed, an effect type lottery is executed in step S2804 to select the type of point suggestion effect. The effect type lottery is executed using the type lottery table (Fig. 52), the retained points, and a lottery counter (random number). If the retained points have been updated in the previous point processing (Fig. 65), the updated points are used as the retained points used in the lottery. For example, if the retained points before point awarding were 1 point and the accumulated points after point awarding were 4 points, and the retained points have been updated, 4 points are used as the retained points in the lottery, and an effect type is selected from either a medium bubble effect or a large bubble effect.

[0479] On the other hand, if the retained points have not been updated in the previous point processing, the retained points before the point is awarded are used as the retained points used in the lottery. That is, even if points are awarded due to the point award trigger at the end of the first AT mode and the accumulated points become greater than the retained points due to the awarded points, if the update of the retained points is restricted because the accumulated points are equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 3 points) (the flow of YES in step S2604, YES in step S3601, and YES in step S3602 in the previous point processing (FIG. 65)), the lottery for the type of point suggestion effect is performed using the retained points from before the point was awarded, which are smaller than the accumulated points at that time. For example, if the retained points before the point was awarded were 1 point and the accumulated points after the point was awarded were 4 points, and the retained points have not been updated, 1 point is used as the retained point at the time of the lottery, and the effect type is selected from either no effect or a small bubble effect. That is, th...

Claims

[Claim 1] An awarding means capable of awarding a bonus value based on a predetermined awarding trigger; specific control execution means for executing specific control according to the total value of the given bonus numerical values; a specific notification execution means for controlling a specific notification to be executed by a predetermined notification means as a notification regarding the bonus value; Equipped with As the specific notification, a first specific notification as a notification corresponding to the bonus numerical value awarded based on the establishment of the award trigger, and a second specific notification as a notification corresponding to the total value of the bonus numerical value can be executed, When the bonus value is awarded, the first specific notification may be executed or may not be executed. The first specific notification has a plurality of modes, A mode determining means for determining a mode of the second specific notification in correspondence with the mode of the first specific notification that has been executed; a first means for executing the second specific notification in the mode determined by the mode determining means, thereby executing the second specific notification that does not correspond to an actual total value of the bonus numerical value; a second means for executing the second specific notification corresponding to an actual total value of the bonus numerical value when a predetermined condition is met after the second specific notification is executed by the first means; When the second specific notification is executed by the second means, a specific effect can be executed before the execution of the second specific notification; A gaming machine characterized by comprising:

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