Gaming machine

Abstract

To perform a performance in a variation pattern according to liking for a player through operation performed by the player.SOLUTION: A game machine 1 is configured such that: a variation pattern stored in a first variation table has a short variation period of special patterns, relative to a variation pattern stored in a second variation table; the variation pattern is determined from the variation table corresponding to a game state out of the first variation table and the second variation table; and on the basis of operation performed by a player, switching from a first normal state to a second normal state, or switching from the second normal state to the first normal state, can be performed. Through the operation performed by the player, switching between the variation tables having different variation period of the special patterns, is performed, for performing a performance in the variation pattern according to liking for the player.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a gaming machine that switches a variation pattern, which is a variation of a special symbol, according to the internal state of the gaming machine, such as a normal state or a high-probability state. Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a gaming machine that can adjust the appearance of a preview effect according to the preference of the player and improve the gaming interest by the preview effect.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, in order to enhance the interest of gaming machines, there have also appeared gaming machines that lengthen the variation pattern and execute a preview effect or a reach effect according to the variation pattern. However, by lengthening the variation pattern, the reach effect becomes redundant, and although some players adjust the appearance of the preview effect or the reach effect as in Patent Document 2, there are also players who desire to omit the variation of the special symbol because simply adjusting the appearance is not enough to satisfy them. On the other hand, since there are also players who desire to enjoy the preview effect or the reach effect, it is necessary to meet the needs of both.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine that can perform an effect with a variation pattern according to the preference of the player by the operation of the player.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is capable of performing a jackpot lottery based on winning an entry into the starting slot. Under normal circumstances In a gaming machine capable of generating a first normal state (e.g., high-speed mode) and a second normal state (e.g., low-speed mode) as game states, the machine includes: a variation display means (e.g., special symbol display unit 14) that displays the result of the jackpot lottery by the variation of special symbols; a variation table storage means (e.g., first variation table, second variation table) that stores a variation table containing a plurality of variation patterns of the special symbols; a symbol variation pattern determination means (e.g., steps A4, A5 in Figure 10) that determines the variation pattern of the special symbols based on the result of the jackpot lottery; and a state switching means (e.g., steps A13, A15, A18, A20 in Figure 11) that can switch the game state, wherein the variation display means displays the variation of the special symbols based on the variation pattern determined by the symbol variation pattern determination means, and the variation table storage means stores the variation pattern in the first normal state and the variation pattern in the second normal state. The first variable table stores the variable patterns in the first variable table, and the variable patterns stored in the first variable table are stored such that the variable time of the special symbols is shorter compared to the variable patterns stored in the second variable table (for example, an average of "4.2 seconds" in the example in Figure 6, and an average of "31.9 seconds" in the example in Figure 7). The symbol variable pattern determination means determines the variable pattern from the first variable table or the second variable table that corresponds to the game state (for example, if it is determined that the current state is an internal time-saving state (A3:YES), the variable pattern is determined from the second variable table explained in Figure 7 (A4), and if it is determined that the current state is not an internal time-saving state (A3:NO), the variable pattern is determined from the first variable table explained in Figure 6 (A5)). The state switching means switches from the first normal state to the second normal state or from the second normal state to the first normal state based on the player's operation. at will It is possible to switch between modes (for example, during the first normal state, you can end the second normal state and return to the first normal state by shooting left to win a time-saving symbol, or by shooting right to get the ball into the pass-through).

[0007] With this configuration, players can switch between special symbol variation tables with different variation times through their own actions, allowing for variations that suit the player's preferences. Furthermore, since the variation times are set to differ depending on the game state, it is possible to satisfy the needs of both players who want to skip the pre-announcement and reach effects with short variation times and players who want to enjoy the pre-announcement and reach effects with long variation times. In this way, variations that suit the player's preferences can be performed through their own actions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram showing the configuration of a gaming facility management system in one embodiment. [Figure 2] Front view of the gaming machine and card unit [Figure 3] Functional block diagram of a gaming machine [Figure 4] Front view of the game information display device. [Figure 5] Functional block diagram of the game information display device. [Figure 6] This figure shows the fluctuation table for the first normal state (first fluctuation table). [Figure 7] This figure shows the fluctuation table for the second normal state (second fluctuation table). [Figure 8] Diagram showing game flow [Figure 9] A diagram showing the transition from the second normal state to the first normal state. [Figure 10] Flowchart showing the process for determining the pattern variation of the design. [Figure 11] Flowchart showing the state switching process [Figure 12] Flowchart showing the process for identifying the game state [Figure 13] Diagram showing the results of identifying the game state. [Figure 14] A diagram showing the results of determining the proportions. [Figure 15] Front view of the game information display device. [Figure 16] Diagram showing the history of special prizes. [Figure 17] Figure showing a slump graph

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a game hall management system. In the game hall, two game machines 1, two card units 2 corresponding to the game machines 1, and two game information display devices 3 (corresponding to a game state specifying means, a ratio specifying means, an output means, a variation specifying means, a unit variation time calculating means, a difference game value calculating means, and a difference game value graph creating means) are each connected to a relay device 4. The relay device 4 is connected to a management device 6 via a LAN 5. The management device 6 receives game information indicating the game situation in the game machine 1 and manages the game information for each game machine 1. The game information in the game machine 1 is received by the management device 6 from the game machine 1 side sequentially via the card unit 2 and the relay device 4. On the other hand, the setting information managed by the management device 6 is received by the card unit 2 from the management device 6 side via the relay device 4. In the game hall, a POS (not shown) which is a prize exchange terminal, a change machine (not shown), etc. are also installed, and the POS and the change machine are also connected to the management device 6 via the LAN 5.

[0010] The POS has a card insertion slot into which an IC card such as a membership card or a general card issued by the card unit 2 is inserted. When an IC card is inserted, the inserted IC card is received, and the stored value and card identification information recorded on the IC card are read by a card reader (not shown), and a prize exchange process is performed based on the stored value or the like corresponding to the read stored value and card identification information. The general card is a general recording medium issued to an unspecified number of general players, and the membership card is a membership recording medium issued to members who have previously registered as members.

[0011] The payment machine has a card insertion slot into which an IC card is inserted. When an IC card is inserted, the inserted IC card is received, and the remaining deposit amount recorded on the IC card is read by a card reader (not shown), and based on the read remaining deposit amount, a process of returning banknotes and coins is performed. Further, the payment machine has a banknote insertion slot into which banknotes are inserted. When banknotes are inserted, a process of adding the inserted amount to the remaining deposit amount recorded on the IC card is performed.

[0012] The management device 6 is a management means installed, for example, in an office in a game arcade, and includes a keyboard 7 operated by the game arcade manager, a monitor 8, a printer (not shown), etc. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the control unit that is the control main body of the management device 6 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and an I / O. Although not shown in FIG. 1, actually, for example, several hundred gaming machines 1 are the management targets of the management device 6.

[0013] The gaming machine 1 will be described below. The gaming machine 1 is an enclosed pachinko machine that uses a circulating gaming medium (for example, circulating pachinko balls) enclosed in the machine in advance. The gaming value (gaming medium) used in the gaming machine 1 is a virtual pachinko ball, but it is a gaming value stored in the storage unit in the machine. Different from the conventional payout-type gaming machines, the balls launched on the board circulate, and even when winning, they are not paid out outside the gaming machine, and the gaming value in the storage unit increases or decreases according to the game.

[0014] When the gaming machine 1 receives gaming points from the card unit 2, it becomes possible to launch pachinko balls corresponding to the number of gaming points, and when the gaming points reach "0", it becomes impossible to launch pachinko balls. The gaming machine 1 transmits the gaming points to the card unit 2 in response to a counting operation and subtracts the gaming points. The gaming machine 1 displays various gaming data (number of jackpot occurrences, special figure lottery draw times, etc.) in response to an information display operation.

[0015] As shown in Figure 2, the gaming machine 1 has a game board 9 from which pachinko balls are launched, a launching handle 10 that constitutes the launching device, an information display unit 11 including a touch panel 11a (see Figure 3), and decorative lamps 12a and 12b. The game board 9 is provided with a liquid crystal display unit 13, a special symbol display unit 14 (corresponding to a variable display means), a regular symbol display unit 15, a regular symbol start opening 16 (corresponding to a regular symbol start opening), a special symbol 1 start opening 17 (center), a special symbol 2 start opening 18, a big prize opening 19, and an opening / closing prize device 20.

[0016] Gaming machine 1 operates as follows: (1) Normal state (1st normal state and 2nd usually In the state corresponding to the first normal state, you shoot left and aim for the ball to enter the center hole. The first normal state is the high-speed mode described later, and the second normal state is the low-speed mode described later. When the ball enters the center hole, a jackpot lottery (special symbol 1 lottery) is held in special symbol 1. One jackpot lottery is sometimes called the start. In the special symbol 1 lottery, a jackpot lottery is held with a probability of 1 / 239. If you win the jackpot in the special symbol 1 lottery, you start the jackpot game (transition to the jackpot state), and the large prize hole 19 opens for rounds (R) corresponding to the type of special symbol. In special symbol 1, it is always 4 rounds. Note that the maximum number of balls that can enter in 1 round is 10. When the ball enters the large prize hole 19, 15 points of game points are added.

[0017] (2) When the jackpot game in Special Feature 1 ends, the game transitions to a time-saving state (specific state) in which the probability of winning the regular symbol (normal symbol) lottery is higher than in the normal state. In the time-saving state, play to the right and aim to get the ball into the pass-through (normal symbol start opening 16). If the ball enters the normal symbol start opening 16, there is a 1 / 1 chance of winning the normal symbol lottery. If you win the normal symbol lottery, the normal electric mechanism (electric tuner) located in the Special Feature 2 start opening 18 will open, making it possible to get the ball into the Special Feature 2 start opening 18. If the ball enters the Special Feature 2 start opening 18, a jackpot lottery (Special Feature 2 lottery) will be held in Special Feature 2. In the Special Feature 2 lottery, there is a 1 / 239 chance of winning the jackpot and a 1 / 2 chance of winning the minor prize.

[0018] (3) If you win a jackpot in the Special Feature 2 lottery, you will start playing the jackpot game in the same way as in Special Feature 1, and the large prize slot 19 will open for the number of rounds (R) corresponding to the type of Special Feature. In Special Feature 2, all rounds will be 10R. If you win a minor jackpot in the Special Feature 2 lottery, the opening and closing prize slot 20 will open. Inside the opening and closing prize slot 20 there is a V prize slot (specific area), and if you enter the V prize slot, you will start playing the jackpot game. In other words, it is possible to play the jackpot game by going through a minor jackpot.

[0019] (4) In the case of a big win via a minor win, the big prize slot 19 will open for a number of rounds corresponding to the type of special symbol that was drawn when the minor win was achieved, with a 20% chance of being 10 rounds and an 80% chance of being 2 rounds. After the big win game via special symbol 2 or the big win game via a minor win is completed, the game will transition to a time-saving state. In either case, the time-saving state will continue for a predetermined number of rounds until the special symbol 2 lottery is held, and if the special symbol 2 lottery is unsuccessful five times in a row, the game will transition to the normal state.

[0020] (5) In the Special Symbol 1 lottery, if a time-saving symbol is won, the player will enter an internal time-saving state (corresponding to the second normal state) which continues until the normal symbol lottery is won once. Since the internal time-saving state is a type of time-saving state, there is a 1 / 1 chance of winning the normal symbol lottery, but the player is instructed to shoot to the left instead of to the right. If the player shoots to the right instead of to the left, and the ball enters the normal symbol start opening 16, a normal symbol lottery will be held, and if the normal symbol lottery is won, the player will return from the internal time-saving state to the normal state. The probability of winning a time-saving symbol is 1 / 50. The normal state is a state other than the time-saving state and the jackpot state. The probability of winning the normal symbol lottery in the first normal state is 1 / 65536. In addition, the state that is set as either the time-saving state or the jackpot state is called a special state.

[0021] For example, the following game signals are output from game machine 1. A safe signal is a signal that can identify a player's safe score, which is the game points awarded to the player. The "out" signal is a signal that can identify the number of pachinko balls that have been launched. A jackpot signal is a signal that can identify the jackpot state. Special state signals are signals that are output during the jackpot state and the time-saving state. The start signal (symbol change stop signal) is a signal that can identify the symbol change in the liquid crystal display unit 13, which changes when a prize is won in either the special symbol 1 start port 17 or the special symbol 2 start port 18. The winning signal (starting port winning signal) is a signal output when a prize is won in either the starting port 17 in Special Figure 1 or the starting port 18 in Special Figure 2.

[0022] The electrical configuration of the gaming machine 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 3. The gaming machine 1 has a main control circuit 21 and an I / F unit 22 as a transmitting and receiving circuit. The main control circuit 21 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a CPU 21a (corresponding to a state switching means), a ROM 21b (corresponding to a variation table storage means), a random number generation unit 21c, a random number extraction unit 21d, a variation pattern determination unit 21e (corresponding to a symbol variation pattern determination means), a RAM 21f, and an I / O 21g. The ROM 21b stores a variation table in which multiple symbol variation patterns (corresponding to variation patterns) are stored. The variation pattern determination unit 21e determines which of the multiple symbol variation patterns stored in the ROM 21b to adopt, according to the random number extracted by the random number extraction unit 21d.

[0023] The Special Feature 1 Prize Sensor 23 detects when a ball enters the Special Feature 1 Start Opening 17 and outputs a detection signal to the main control circuit 21 each time a ball enters. When the main control circuit 21 receives a detection signal from the Special Feature 1 Prize Sensor 23, it performs a jackpot lottery for Special Feature 1. If a jackpot is won in the Special Feature 1 lottery, it starts the jackpot game, outputs a drive signal to the large prize opening solenoid 29, and opens the large prize opening 19 for the number of rounds (R) corresponding to the type of Special Feature.

[0024] The Special Feature 2 Prize Sensor 24 detects when a ball enters the Special Feature 2 Start Opening 18 and outputs a detection signal to the main control circuit 21 each time a ball enters. When the main control circuit 21 receives a detection signal from the Special Feature 2 Prize Sensor 24, it performs a jackpot lottery for Special Feature 2. If a jackpot is won in the Special Feature 2 lottery, the jackpot game starts, and a drive signal is output to the large prize opening solenoid 29, which opens the large prize opening 19 for the number of rounds (R) corresponding to the type of Special Feature. If a minor prize is won in the Special Feature 2 lottery, a drive signal is output to the opening / closing device solenoid 30, which opens the opening / closing prize opening device 20, and a drive signal is output to the V prize opening solenoid 31, which opens the V prize opening of the opening / closing prize opening device 20.

[0025] The regular ball entry sensor 25 detects when a ball enters the regular ball entry opening 16 and outputs a detection signal to the main control circuit 21 each time a ball enters. When the main control circuit 21 receives a detection signal from the regular ball entry sensor 25, it performs a regular ball lottery with a probability of 1 / 1. If it wins the regular ball lottery, it outputs a drive signal to the electric tuner solenoid 32 and opens the electric tuner.

[0026] The big prize sensor 26 detects when a ball enters the big prize slot 19 and outputs a detection signal to the main control circuit 21 each time a ball enters. When the main control circuit 21 receives a detection signal from the big prize sensor 26, it adds 15 points to the game score.

[0027] The opening / closing device prize entry sensor 27 detects when a ball enters the V prize entry slot of the opening / closing device prize entry device 20, and outputs a detection signal to the main control circuit 21 each time a ball enters. When the main control circuit 21 receives a detection signal from the opening / closing device prize entry sensor 27, it starts the jackpot game.

[0028] The power supply circuit 28 supplies power from an external source to the main control circuit 21 as a driving power source. The touch panel 11a detects touch input from the player and outputs a detection signal to the main control circuit 21.

[0029] The main control circuit 21 outputs a display control signal to the special drawing display unit 14 and controls the display of the special drawing display unit 14. The main control circuit 21 also outputs a display control signal to the general drawing display unit 15 and controls the display of the general drawing display unit 15.

[0030] The main control circuit 21 outputs a performance control signal to the performance control unit 33. When the performance control unit 33 receives a performance control signal from the main control circuit 21, it outputs a performance instruction signal to the amplifier 34, decorative lamps 12a and 12b, and the display control unit 35 (corresponding to the variable display means), and generates performance sounds from the speaker 36 according to the outcome of a jackpot, etc., and displays the performance content using the decorative lamps 12a and 12b.

[0031] The card unit 2 is described below. The card unit 2 includes a status lamp 37 that indicates the game status of the gaming machine 1 and the status of the card unit 2 (error status, etc.), a banknote slot 38 into which banknotes are inserted, a touch panel type liquid crystal display 39 that accepts operation input from the player and displays various game data, a loan button 40 for loaning out, a re-play button 41 for re-playing, a return button 42 for returning, and a card slot 43 into which an IC card is inserted. The card unit 2 also has a camera (not shown) that takes pictures of the player's upper body, including their face.

[0032] Card unit 2 operates as follows: (1) The system receives, aggregates, and stores the various game signals from the gaming machine 1, and transmits them to the management device 6 and the game information display device 3 via the relay device 4. The system also transmits the player's deposit balance and game points to the management device 6. The system receives and stores various setting information (gaming machine number, model name, point unit price, etc.) from the management device 6.

[0033] (2) When a banknote is inserted into the banknote slot 38, it is added to the deposit balance and stored. When an IC card is inserted into the card slot 43, the deposit balance and points associated with the card ID are read and displayed. When the disbursement button 40 is operated, the points corresponding to a certain amount (for example, 1000 yen) are converted into game points in increments of 250 and sent to the gaming machine 1. When the replay button 41 is operated, the points held are converted into game points in increments of 250 and sent to the gaming machine 1. The points held, game points, and total points (sum of points held and game points) are stored and displayed. Point addition information and point subtraction information are received from the gaming machine 1, the stored points are updated according to the received point addition information and point subtraction information, and the point information is transmitted to the relay device 4 according to the update of the points.

[0034] (3) When the return button 42 is operated while at least one of the deposit balance and the number of points held exists, the deposit balance and the number of points held are recorded on the IC card and issued. The number of game points is not recorded and remains on the game machine 1. (4) Up to 10 IC cards are stored.

[0035] The game information display device 3 will be described below. As shown in Figure 4, the game information display device 3 includes a liquid crystal display unit 44, a lamp unit 45, a call button 46 for the player to call an employee, a group of operation buttons 47 including a switch button for switching the display content of the display screen on the liquid crystal display unit 44, and a remote control receiver unit 48 that receives remote control signals transmitted from a remote control (not shown) carried by an employee. Instead of or in addition to the group of operation buttons 47, a touch panel may be provided on the liquid crystal display unit 44 to accept touch operations from the player. The liquid crystal display unit 44 can be divided into a main display area 44a and the first to sixth sub-display areas 44b to 44g, and can display the number of jackpots, the number of starts, etc. separately, as well as various non-numerical displays such as slump graphs and characters, and can display in various display modes by changing the display content and divisions.

[0036] The electrical configuration of the game information display device 3 will be explained with reference to Figure 5. The game information display device 3 has a main control circuit 49 and an I / F unit 50 as a transmitting and receiving circuit. The main control circuit 49 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a CPU 49a (corresponding to a means for identifying the game state, a means for identifying the ratio, an output means, a means for identifying the variation, a means for calculating the unit variation time, a means for calculating the difference in game value, and a means for creating a difference in game value graph), a ROM 49b, a RAM 49c, and an I / O 49d.

[0037] The game information display device 3 operates as follows: (1) The control device 6 receives various setting information via the relay device 4, and also receives various game information from the gaming machine 1 and card unit 2 via the relay device 4, and creates and displays various display information based on the received setting information and game information.

[0038] (2) Based on the game information, various data such as the number of starts and the number of big wins are compiled and displayed, the game state of the gaming machine 1 is identified and display information corresponding to the identified game state is displayed. Based on the signals output from the gaming machine 1, the time of a unit symbol change is calculated based on the start and stop timing of the symbol change, the game state of the gaming machine 1 is identified based on the time of the unit symbol change (corresponding to the unit change time), and display information corresponding to the identified game state is displayed.

[0039] Conventional gaming machines allowed for customized presentations to suit players' preferences by adjusting the appearance rates of pre-announcement and reach animations. However, simply customizing the appearance rates of pre-announcement and reach animations does not allow for the omission of symbol changes, and some players desire to omit even the redundant symbol changes. It is necessary to allow players to transition between game states by utilizing internal time-saving symbols, thereby enabling presentations tailored to players' preferences. However, according to regulations, players are not permitted to arbitrarily adjust the time of symbol changes within a single game state.

[0040] In the gaming machine 1, the game is set to either the first normal state or the second normal state in its normal state, and different gameplay is provided depending on the game state. The variation patterns of the special symbol 1 lottery are different in the first normal state and the second normal state, and effects are executed according to the variation pattern. The player can arbitrarily transition from the first normal state to the second normal state and from the second normal state to the first normal state, and the player can enjoy effects according to their own preferences.

[0041] The results of the special symbol lottery are displayed as symbol changes (LCD effects) on the LCD display unit 13 of the gaming machine 1, and multiple change patterns are available for each change time depending on the type of special symbol. The change patterns are stored in a change table corresponding to the game state. Figure 6 shows the first change table, which is the change table for the first normal state, and the first change table stores change patterns with relatively short change times (an average of "4.2 seconds" in the example in Figure 6). In the first normal state, the change pattern is determined from the first change table, and the result of the symbol change can be displayed in a short time without performing the long LCD effects of the past, allowing the player to play a new type of game. Figure 7 shows the second change table, which is the change table for the second normal state, and the second change table stores change patterns with relatively long change times (an average of "31.9 seconds" in the example in Figure 7). In the second normal state, the change pattern is determined from the second change table, and LCD effects corresponding to the content of the gaming machine 1 can be executed, allowing the player to play a game similar to that of conventional gaming machines. For example, even when playing left-handed, the variation pattern is determined by referring to different variation tables for the first normal state and the second normal state. In this way, the variation pattern stored in the first variation table is stored in such a way that the variation time of the special symbols is shorter compared to the variation pattern stored in the second variation table.

[0042] The game flow will be explained with reference to Figures 8 and 9. During normal play, the player aims to get the ball into the center hole by shooting left. During normal play, the game is set to either the first normal state or the second normal state, and the variation pattern differs depending on the state. Once the game transitions to the second normal state during normal play, it remains in the second normal state until a specific action is taken by the player, and it does not transition from the second normal state to the first normal state. Therefore, most players will play in the second normal state. The second normal state features long LCD animations, which may dissatisfy players who want to skip the LCD animations. Therefore, such players will shoot right to get the ball into the pass-through, ending the second normal state and transitioning to the first normal state. This allows players who want to skip the LCD animations to play in the first normal state. However, even in the first normal state, if a time-saving symbol is won, the game will transition to the second normal state. Even in that case, however, it is possible to always play in the first normal state by shooting right again. Players who wish to play in the second normal state can do so by hitting the left-hand button during the first normal state to win the time-saving symbol. After transitioning to the second normal state, players can continue playing in the second normal state by continuing to hit the left-hand button without hitting the right-hand button. The LCD display 13 may also display whether the game is currently set to the first normal state or the second normal state.

[0043] Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained with reference to Figures 10 to 17. The gaming machine 1 performs the symbol variation pattern determination process and the state switching process. The gaming information display device 3 performs the game state identification process. Each process will be explained below.

[0044] (1) Pattern variation determination process (see Figure 10) In the gaming machine 1, the main control circuit 21 transitions from the main processing (not shown) which controls the entire game to the symbol variation pattern determination processing. When the symbol variation pattern determination processing begins, it starts the special symbol 1 variation (A1) and determines whether the current state is the normal state or not (A2). If the main control circuit 21 determines that the current state is the normal state (A2: YES), it determines whether the current state is the internal time-saving state (second normal state) or not (A3). If the main control circuit 21 determines that the current state is the internal time-saving state (A3: YES), it determines a variation pattern from the second variation table explained in Figure 7 (A4), terminates the symbol variation pattern determination processing, and returns to the main processing. If the main control circuit 21 determines that the current state is not the internal time-saving state (A3: NO), it determines a variation pattern from the first variation table explained in Figure 6 (A5), terminates the symbol variation pattern determination processing, and returns to the main processing. If the main control circuit 21 determines that the current state is not the normal state (A2: NO), it determines a variation pattern corresponding to the time-saving state (A6), terminates the pattern variation pattern determination process, and returns to the main process.

[0045] (2) State switching process (see Figure 11) The main control circuit 21 transitions from the main processing to the symbol switching processing, and upon starting the symbol switching processing, determines whether the current state is the normal state or not (A11). If the main control circuit 21 determines that the current state is the normal state (A11: YES), it determines whether the current state is the first normal state (high-speed mode) or not (A12). If the main control circuit 21 determines that the current state is the first normal state (A12: YES), it sets the first normal state (A13) and determines whether or not a time-saving symbol has been won (A14). If the main control circuit 21 determines that a time-saving symbol has not been won (A14: NO), it terminates the symbol switching processing and returns to the main processing.

[0046] If the main control circuit 21 determines that a time-saving symbol has been won (A14: YES), it sets the second normal state (low-speed mode) (A15) and determines whether or not a regular symbol has been won (A16). If the main control circuit 21 determines that a regular symbol has not been won (A16: NO), it terminates the symbol switching process and returns to the main process.

[0047] If the main control circuit 21 determines that the current state is not the normal state (A11: NO), it determines whether the current state is a jackpot state (A17). If the main control circuit 21 determines that the current state is a jackpot state (A17: YES), it sets the jackpot state (A18), and when the jackpot state ends (A19), it sets the time-saving state (A20). If the main control circuit 21 determines that the current state is not a jackpot state (A17: NO), it sets the time-saving state without setting the jackpot state (A20). When the main control circuit 21 sets the time-saving state, it determines whether the jackpot lottery has failed to win for a predetermined number of times (A21). If the main control circuit 21 determines that the jackpot lottery has failed to win for a predetermined number of times (A21: YES), it terminates the symbol switching process and returns to the main process.

[0048] (3) Game state identification process (see Figure 12) In the game information display device 3, the main control circuit 49 transitions from the main process, which controls the entire process related to the display of game data, to the game state identification process. Upon starting the game state identification process, it calculates the unit variation time, which indicates the time of a unit symbol variation, based on the start and stop timings of the symbol variation (B1). Based on the calculated unit variation time, it calculates the average variation time (B2). It then determines whether the calculated average variation time is, for example, "3 seconds to 13 seconds" (B3). If the main control circuit 49 determines that the average variation time is "3 seconds to 13 seconds" (B3: YES), it identifies that the game state of the game machine 1 is the first normal state (B4), terminates the game state identification process, and returns to the main process. If the main control circuit 49 determines that the average variation time is not "3 seconds to 13 seconds" (B3: NO), it identifies that the game state of the game machine 1 is the second normal state (B5), terminates the game state identification process, and returns to the main process.

[0049] The game information display device 3 identifies the game state as shown in Figure 13 by performing the game state identification process described above. For example, if the average fluctuation time of the first normal state is "4.2 seconds" as explained in Figure 6, and the average fluctuation time of the second normal state is "31.9 seconds" as explained in Figure 7, then if the average fluctuation time each time the number of starts reaches 50 as a predetermined period is "3 seconds to 13 seconds", the game information display device 3 identifies that the game state of the game machine 1 is the first normal state. If the average fluctuation time is not "3 seconds to 13 seconds", the game information display device 3 identifies that the game state of the game machine 1 is the second normal state. In Figure 13, the game state is identified each time the number of starts reaches 50 as a predetermined period, but the number of starts can be divided in any way, and the state may be identified each time a predetermined period of time has elapsed instead of each number of starts. Alternatively, the game state may be identified each time a start is made.

[0050] As shown in Figure 14, the game information display device 3 aggregates the number of starts in each game state and identifies the result of dividing the number of starts in the first normal state and the second normal state by the total number of starts as a percentage. In Figure 14, the number of starts in the first normal state is exemplified as "total high-speed mode starts," and the number of starts in the second normal state is exemplified as "total low-speed mode starts."

[0051] As shown in Figure 15, the game information display device 3 displays the identified game data on the liquid crystal display unit 44. The display information exemplified in Figure 15 is as follows: Total number of jackpots = the total number of jackpots won on the same day. The number of initial wins = the number of times a jackpot was won in normal mode. The current start count is the number of starts since the start of business. The count is reset to zero and counting resumes after each big win. Cumulative starts = the number of starts since the start of business operations. Total number of high-speed mode starts = Total number of starts during the period in which the system was identified as being in the first normal state during normal operation. Total number of low-speed mode starts = Total number of starts during the period in which the vehicle was identified as being in the second normal state under normal conditions. Normal Start Count = Total number of starts during normal time (a period identified as being in the first or second normal state).

[0052] The percentage of time spent in normal mode is the ratio of the total number of high-speed mode starts and the total number of low-speed mode starts to the total number of starts during normal mode. Figure 15 shows an example of displaying the percentage as a pie chart, but the percentage may also be displayed as a numerical value. When displaying the percentage as a pie chart, the high-speed mode area (the "62%" area in the example in Figure 15) and the low-speed mode area (the "38%" area in the example in Figure 15) are distinguished and displayed. In this case, the game information display device 3 may use different colors or patterns for the distinguishing display. Furthermore, the game information display device 3 is not limited to displaying this information on the same screen, but may also display it on separate screens.

[0053] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 16, the game information display device 3 displays the special prize history, which is the history of big wins, as a bar graph up to a predetermined number of times prior (7 times prior in Figure 16). The game information display device 3 displays the bar graph in a manner in which blocks on a horizontal rectangle, each representing 100 starts between big wins, are stacked, and identifies whether it is the first normal state or the second normal state. The number of starts between big wins is the number of symbol changes required from the end of the previous big win state or specific state until the occurrence of the current big win state. In this case, the game information display device 3 may use different colors or patterns for identification.

[0054] Furthermore, the game information display device 3 calculates the difference in game value, which is the difference between the game points used for the jackpot lottery and the game points awarded for winning, and plots the calculated difference in game value on a time axis to display a slump graph (corresponding to a difference in game value graph), as shown in Figure 17. The game information display device 3 identifies and displays the slump graph so that it can be identified as either the first normal state or the second normal state. In this case, the game information display device 3 may use different colors or line types for identification.

[0055] According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained. The variation patterns stored in the first variation table are compared with the variation patterns stored in the second variation table, and the variation pattern corresponding to the game state is determined from either the first or second variation table. Based on the player's operation, it is possible to switch from the first normal state to the second normal state or from the second normal state to the first normal state. The player can switch between variation tables for special symbols with different variation times by operating the system, and the game can be played with variation patterns that suit the player's preferences. Furthermore, since the variation times are set to differ depending on the game state, it is possible to satisfy the needs of both players who want to skip the pre-announcement and reach effects with short variation times and players who want to enjoy the pre-announcement and reach effects with long variation times. As a result, the game can be played with variation patterns that suit the player's preferences by operating the system.

[0056] The game allows players to switch from the second normal state to the first normal state by entering the regular symbol start slot 16 as an action. By entering the regular symbol start slot 16, the game can switch between special symbol variation tables with different variation times, allowing for variations that can be tailored to the player's preferences.

[0057] The system identifies whether the gaming machine 1 is in a first normal state or a second normal state, and displays the percentage of time spent in the first normal state and the percentage of time spent in the second normal state. This allows players to understand the duration of play in the first normal state and the second normal state, helping them to predict which gaming machine 1 they should choose. This enables players to make a more informed decision about which machine to play.

[0058] The game state is determined based on the fluctuation time. Even if no signal indicating the game state is output from the game machine 1, the game state can be determined with high accuracy, allowing the player to make a suitable selection of game machines.

[0059] The system now displays the special prize history, which shows the history of big wins. The bar graph on the special prize history allows players to understand the state of play during the game, and even if there are consecutive misses in the big prize lottery, it is possible to infer whether or not the game was in a state with a high winning rate, allowing players to make better choices when selecting a game machine.

[0060] The system now displays a slump graph showing the trend of the difference between the game points used for the jackpot lottery and the game points awarded for winning. By looking at the slump graph, players can understand what state of play they were in, and even if the difference in the number of balls continues to decrease, they can infer whether or not the winning rate was high, allowing players to make better choices when selecting a game machine.

[0061] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be modified or expanded as follows. As an example of a player operation to switch the game state, a regular drawing is performed by entering the regular drawing start slot 16. However, the game state may also be switched by accepting button operations on the game machine 1 by the player.

[0062] While the example given is a gaming machine 1 in which a big win is achieved by winning a small win during the shortened time period, it is also acceptable to use a gaming machine of the so-called probability variation type, which does not employ small wins but in which the probability of winning a big win increases after a big win. Although I have used a so-called sealed-type gaming machine 1, which does not dispense balls, as an example, the example may also include gaming machines in which balls are dispensed upon winning.

[0063] While a first and second variation table were given as examples of variation tables, a third variation table may also be provided, which stores variation patterns with even more different average variation times.

[0064] The combinations of variation patterns stored in each variation table may be other than those exemplified, and the number of variation patterns and variation times can be any they wish.

[0065] The first variation table stores variation patterns with short variation times, but it is also possible to store the same variation patterns as the second variation table and change the occurrence rate so that the average variation time differs. Although the example shows left-handed hitting during the first and second normal states, it is also acceptable to switch between left-handed and right-handed hitting between the first and second normal states. While the internal time-saving state is designated as the second normal state, it is also acceptable to designate the internal time-saving state as the first normal state and the normal state (not the internal time-saving state) as the second normal state.

[0066] While the example given illustrates identifying the game state based on the average fluctuation time, any configuration is acceptable as long as it allows for the identification of the game state. For example, if a signal indicating the first normal state or the second normal state is output, the game state may be identified based on that signal. The average fluctuation time used to determine the game state may differ for each type of gaming machine, and may be set in advance by the administrator of the gaming facility. The relay device 4 or the management device 6 may perform all or part of the processing that the game information display device 3 performs. When displaying game information, it is also acceptable to display only the currently identified game information.

[0067] When determining the game state, the average fluctuation time over a predetermined period is determined by the arithmetic mean. However, any average value can be used as long as the game state can be determined, and it may also be determined using a moving average for each start count.

[0068] While the example shows the special prize history and slump graph being displayed separately, it is also acceptable to display the special prize history and slump graph on the same screen. Furthermore, these displays may be combined with other game information. The example configurations, including variations, can be combined in any way, and some configurations may be omitted as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] In the drawing, 1 is a gaming machine, 3 is a gaming information display device (means for identifying the gaming state, identifying the ratio, output means, identifying the variation, calculating the unit variation time, calculating the difference in gaming value, and creating a difference in gaming value graph), 14 is a special symbol display unit (variation display means), 16 is a normal symbol start port (normal symbol start port), 21 is a main control circuit, 21a is a CPU (state switching means), 21b is a ROM (variation table storage means), 21e is a variation pattern determination unit (symbol variation pattern determination means), 35 is a display control unit (variation display means), 49 is a main control circuit, and 49a is a CPU (means for identifying the gaming state, identifying the ratio, output means, identifying the variation, calculating the unit variation time, calculating the difference in gaming value, and creating a difference in gaming value graph).

Claims

1. In a gaming machine capable of generating a first normal state and a second normal state as normal gameplay states in which a jackpot lottery can be performed based on winning an entry into the starting slot, A variation display means that displays the result of the aforementioned jackpot lottery by the variation of special symbols, A variation table storage means that stores a variation table containing multiple variation patterns of the aforementioned special symbols, A symbol variation pattern determination means that determines the variation pattern of the special symbols based on the result of the aforementioned jackpot lottery, The game includes a state switching means that can switch the aforementioned game state, The variation display means displays the variation of the special symbol based on the variation pattern determined by the symbol variation pattern determination means. The variation table storage means stores a first variation table storing variation patterns in the first normal state and a second variation table storing variation patterns in the second normal state, and further stores the variation patterns stored in the first variation table such that the variation time of the special symbols is shorter compared to the variation patterns stored in the second variation table. The symbol variation pattern determination means determines the variation pattern from the variation table corresponding to the game state among the first variation table or the second variation table, The state switching means is a gaming machine that can be arbitrarily switched from the first normal state to the second normal state or from the second normal state to the first normal state based on the player's operation.

2. The aforementioned gaming machine is equipped with a regular symbol start slot that conducts a lottery for regular symbols upon winning, The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the state switching means is capable of switching from the second normal state to the first normal state based on the player's operation of entering the normal symbol starting slot.

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