JP7548397B2 - Gaming Machines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to gaming machines.

Pachinko machines and slot machines are known as types of gaming machines. In these gaming machines, an internal lottery is held when a specific lottery condition is met, and a bonus is awarded to the player depending on the result of the internal lottery.

Specifically, in slot machines, when the start lever is operated with medals as gaming media bets, an internal lottery is conducted and the reels begin to spin, and if the stop switch is operated while the reels are spinning, the reels stop spinning. If the reels stop in response to the results of the internal lottery, a bonus according to the result is awarded (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In this type of gaming machine, sound effects may be generated by sound generating means such as a speaker as one type of effect corresponding to the results of the internal lottery.

JP 2008-295707 A

Here, in the gaming machines exemplified above, there is a demand for more optimal presentation, and there is still room for improvement, for example, in terms of sound presentation.

The present invention was made in consideration of the circumstances exemplified above, and aims to provide a gaming machine that can provide optimal presentations.

The present invention relates to
A gaming machine including a sound reproducing means capable of reproducing a predetermined sound based on predetermined sound information generated by a sound information generating means,
The sound reproducing means includes a plurality of the sound reproducing means,
a means for generating a specific period during which a special sound that is difficult or impossible for a player to grasp is reproduced for a sound reproduced by at least one of the sound reproduction means during an overlapping period during which a first reproduction period during which a sound is reproduced by a first sound reproduction means among the plurality of sound reproduction means and a second reproduction period during which a sound is reproduced by a second sound reproduction means different from the first sound reproduction means overlap;
a start timing of the first playback period and a start timing of the second playback period can overlap;
The end timing of the first playback period and the end timing of the second playback period can overlap with each other .

The present invention makes it possible to perform the performance optimally.

1 is a front view of a slot machine according to an embodiment. 1 is an oblique view of the slot machine with the front door closed. 1 is an oblique view of the slot machine with the front door open. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement of symbols on each reel. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the symbols visible through the display window and the pay lines. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the symbols visible through the display window and the pay lines. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between winning modes and the benefits provided. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between winning modes and the benefits provided. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between winning modes and the benefits provided. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the main control device. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the display control device; 13 is a flowchart showing timer interrupt processing by the main control device. 4 is a flowchart showing normal processing by the main control device. 13 is a flowchart showing a lottery process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery table for a normal gaming state. 13 is a flowchart showing a reel control process. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the operation sequence of the stop buttons and the winning patterns that are achieved. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining reel stop control. 13 is a flowchart showing RT state processing. A figure showing an example of a lottery table for the first RT state. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the operation sequence of the stop buttons and the winning patterns that are achieved. FIG. A figure showing an example of a lottery table for the second RT state. A figure showing an example of a lottery table for the third RT state. 13 is a flowchart showing bonus state processing. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the operation sequence of the stop buttons and the winning patterns that are achieved. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery table for BB state. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the transition relationship between states. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a display mode. 13 is a flowchart showing a lottery result handling process. 13 is a flowchart showing the first specific role processing. 13 is a flowchart showing the second specific role processing. 13 is a flowchart showing the third specific role processing. 13 is a flowchart showing a mode change notification process. An explanatory diagram showing an overview of the push order notification. A flowchart showing the push order processing. 13 is a flowchart showing a winning result response process. 13 is a flowchart showing a game number management process. 13 is a flowchart showing an end determination process. 13 is a flowchart showing a process for a specialized zone. 13 is a flowchart showing a performance setting process by the sub-control device. 13 is a flowchart showing a bet time effect setting process. 13 is a flowchart showing a start-up performance setting process. 13 is a flowchart showing the process for notifying the push order. A flowchart showing the setting process for the added effects. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification timing table. 13 is a flowchart showing a process for setting effects at the time of each stop operation. A diagram showing the relationship between notification timing and additional performance. 13 is a flowchart showing a process for setting effects when all stops are performed. 13 is a flowchart showing a bonus notification process. 13 is a flowchart showing processing for announcing a specific role. 13 is a flowchart showing a continuous performance setting process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display presentation by a liquid crystal display device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display presentation by a liquid crystal display device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display presentation by a liquid crystal display device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display presentation by a liquid crystal display device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display presentation by a liquid crystal display device. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a continuous performance. 13 is a flowchart showing a performance data setting process. 13 is a flowchart showing a display data setting process. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the correspondence between the performance contents and performance commands and the display data. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a V interrupt process by the display control device. 13 is a flowchart showing a sound data setting process. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the correspondence between the content of a performance and sound data. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the relationship between sound data and sound source data. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a set of output data. 4 is a flowchart showing a sound generation process by a sound source IC. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining silence data in terms of its relationship with volume data. 11 is a timing chart for explaining the relationship between the frame update timing of the display performance and sound data. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the correspondence between the content of the performance and sound data in the second embodiment. 11 is a timing chart for explaining the relationship between the frame update timing of the display performance and sound data. An explanatory diagram for explaining the difference between game number-managed presentation and time-managed presentation in the third embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing a sound data setting process. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the points at which specific sounds are generated in a special effect in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing for special effects by the main control device. 13 is a timing chart for explaining the relationship between special effects and sound data.

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. Fig. 1 is a front view of a slot machine 10, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the slot machine 10 with a front door 12 closed, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the slot machine 10 with a front door 12 open, Fig. 4 is a rear view of the front door 12, and Fig. 5 is a front view of a cabinet 11.

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

A front door 12 is attached to the front side of the housing 11 so as to be openable and closable. That is, the housing 11 is provided with a pair of upper and lower support shafts 13a, 13b on the left side when viewed from the front, and the front door 12 is provided with bearings 14a, 14b at positions corresponding to the support shafts 13a, 13b. When the support shafts 13a, 13b are inserted into the bearings 14a, 14b, the front door 12 is supported rotatably around an opening and closing axis extending in the vertical direction connecting the support shafts 13a, 13b with respect to the housing 11, and the front open side of the housing 11 can be opened or closed by rotating the front door 12. The front door 12 is locked and cannot be opened by a locking device 20 provided on its back side. A key cylinder 21 integrated with the locking device 20 is provided at the upper right end side of the front door 12, and the locked state is released by a predetermined key operation on the key cylinder 21.

A game panel 25 that notifies the player of the game status is provided near the top center of the front door 12. The game panel 25 has three vertically long display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R arranged side by side, and the inside 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.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inside of the housing 11 is divided into two parts, an upper part and a lower part, 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 is provided with 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 supported so that it can rotate with its central axis being the axis of rotation of the reel. The axes of rotation of each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R are arranged on the same axis extending in a substantially horizontal direction, and each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R corresponds one-to-one to each display window 26L, 26M, and 26R. Therefore, a part of the surface of each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R is visible through the corresponding display window 26L, 26M, and 26R. Furthermore, when reels 32L, 32M, and 32R rotate forward, the surfaces of reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are displayed through display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R as if they are moving from top to bottom.

Here, we will briefly explain the configuration of the reel unit 31.

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 giving a drive signal (hereinafter also referred to as an excitation pulse) of, for example, 504 pulses, and the rotational position of the stepping motor, i.e., the rotational position of the reel, is controlled by this excitation pulse. In addition, reel index sensors are installed on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R in the reel unit 31 to detect that the reel has rotated once. When 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, each time it detects that the reel has rotated once. Therefore, the main control device 101 can check and correct the angular position of each reel 32L, 32M, and 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.

On the outer periphery of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R, multiple symbols are drawn in the long side direction (rotation direction) as identification information. More specifically, 21 symbols are drawn at equal intervals. Therefore, to switch from one symbol to the next symbol at a specified position, it is necessary to output 24 excitation pulses (= 504 pulses ÷ 21 symbols). Furthermore, the main control device 101 can determine which symbols are visible from the display windows 26L, 26M, 26R and stop a specified symbol at a position visible from the display windows 26L, 26M, 26R based on the number of excitation pulses output after the detection signal of the reel index sensor is input.

Next, we will explain the symbols depicted on each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R.

Figure 6 shows the arrangement of symbols on the left reel 32L, center reel 32M, and right reel 32R. As shown in the figure, 21 symbols are arranged in a row on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. Numbers from 0 to 20 are also assigned to each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, but these numbers are numbers used by the main control device 101 to identify the symbols that are 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.

There are ten types of symbols: "red bell" symbol (e.g., 20th on the left reel 32L), "first replay" symbol (e.g., 19th on the left reel 32L), "red 7" symbol (e.g., 18th on the left reel 32L), "watermelon" symbol (e.g., 17th on the left reel 32L), "white bell" symbol (e.g., 12th on the left reel 32L), "second replay" symbol (e.g., 11th on the left reel 32L), "white 7" symbol (e.g., 10th on the left reel 32L), "cherry" symbol (e.g., 9th on the left reel 32L), "BAR" symbol (e.g., 5th on the left reel 32L), and "young man" symbol (e.g., 0th on the left reel 32L). As shown in FIG. 6, the number and arrangement order of the various symbols are completely different on each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R.

Each display window 26L, 26M, 26R is formed so that of the 21 symbols on the corresponding reel, only three symbols are visible in their entirety. Therefore, when each reel 32L, 32M, 32R is stopped, 3 x 3 = 9 symbols are visible through the display window 26L, 26M, 26R.

In the slot machine 10, the game results of each game are announced using a total of three combinations of symbols, one symbol on each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, among the symbols that can be seen. As described above, 3 x 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 the upper line L1 connecting the upper symbols of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, combinations of symbols that stop on the middle line L2 connecting the middle symbols of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, and combinations of symbols that stop on the lower line L3 connecting the lower symbols of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. There are also combinations of symbols that stop on a line L4 that slopes downward to the right, connecting the top symbols on the left reel 32L, the middle symbols on the middle reel 32M, and the bottom symbols on the right reel 32R, and combinations of symbols that stop on a line L5 that slopes upward to the right, connecting the bottom symbols on the left reel 32L, the middle symbols on the middle reel 32M, and the top symbols on the right reel 32R. There are also combinations of symbols that stop on a curved line L6, connecting the top symbols on the left reel 32L, the middle symbols on the middle reel 32M, and the middle symbols on the right reel 32R. The above lines L1 to L5 are lines that form a straight line when the symbols are lined up, and the curved line L6 is a line that bends when the symbols are lined up. There are other combinations of symbols that stop on lines that bend, other than the curved line L6, but we will not explain them here.

Of these lines L1 to L6, some are activated and some are not, depending on the number of medals bet. When symbols stop in a specified combination on an activated line, i.e., an activated line, a win is achieved and a bonus is awarded in which a specified number of medals, which serve as gaming 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 specified combination on an inactivated line, a win is not achieved and the bonus is not awarded.

In this slot machine 10, there are cases where only the downward-right line L4 is the active line as shown in FIG. 8(a), cases where the two combination lines of the lower line L3 and the downward-right line L4 are the active lines as shown in FIG. 8(b), and cases where only the bent line L6 is the active line as shown in FIG. 8(c). More specifically, when three medals are bet and the game is started, only the downward-right line L4 is the active line, and when two medals are bet and the game is started, the lower line L3 and the downward-right line L4 are the active lines. Also, when one medal is bet and the game is started, only the bent line L6 is the active line. The three combination lines of the upper line L1, the middle line L2, and the upward-right line L5 are not the active lines. Hereinafter, a game started with three medals bet is also called a 3-bet game, a game started with two medals bet is also called a 2-bet game, and a game started with one medal bet is also called a 1-bet game.

Figures 9 to 11 show the correspondence between winning combinations of symbols and the benefits that will be awarded if a winning combination is achieved.

The small prize winnings that result in medal payouts include the 1st small prize winning to the 32nd small prize winning.

When the "red bell" or "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "red bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "red bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on an active line, the first small win is achieved. When the first small win is achieved, 9 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 15 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

For the 2nd to 17th minor prizes, although the winning symbol combinations are different, in a 3-bet game, the "red bell" or "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "red bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "red bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the upper line L1, i.e., the "bell" symbols on each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R stop on the upper line L1. For example, if the "red bell" or "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L stops on the upper row, the "cherry" symbol on the middle reel 32M stops on the middle row, and the "2nd replay" symbol on the right reel 32R stops on the lower row, it is the 5th minor prize. As shown in FIG. 6, the center reel 32M has the "red bell" symbol arranged adjacent to the "cherry" symbol (11th, 14th) on the upstream side (12th, 15th), and the right reel 32R has the "red bell" symbol arranged one symbol upstream (2nd, 5th) from the "second replay" symbol (0th, 3rd). Therefore, when the 5th small win is achieved on the right-downward line L4, the "red bell" symbol or "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "red bell" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "red bell" symbol on the right reel 32R will stop on the upper line L1. When the 2nd to 17th small wins are achieved, 3 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 14 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

The 18th minor win is a winning pattern in which the "cherry" symbol on the left reel 32L stops in the upper or lower row. When the 18th minor win is achieved, 3 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 15 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

When the "Red 7", "BAR" and "Watermelon" symbols on the left reel 32L, the "Red Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M and the "Red Bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on an active line, the 19th minor win is achieved. When the 19th minor win is achieved, 9 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game and 15 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

For the 20th to 24th small wins, if they occur in a 3 bet game, 3 medals will be paid out, and in a 2 bet game, 14 medals will be paid out.

The 25th minor win is a winning pattern in which the "cherry" symbol on the left reel 32L stops in the upper or lower row, just like the 18th minor win. In the case of the 18th minor win, the "red 7" symbol or the "white 7" symbol on the right reel 32R can stop in the middle row only if it is also won with BB (a combination of the "2nd replay" symbol, the "BAR" symbol, and the "BAR" symbol), but in the case of the 25th minor win, the "red 7" symbol or the "white 7" symbol on the right reel 32R can stop in the middle row regardless of whether BB is won or not. When the 25th minor win is established, 3 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 15 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

When the "watermelon" or "BAR" 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 an active line, the 26th minor win is achieved. When the 26th minor win is achieved, 5 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 5 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

The 27th minor winning combination occurs when, for example, the player operates the stop switches 42-44 to aim for the "watermelon" symbols on the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, and the "watermelon" symbols on the left reel 32L and center reel 32M, or the left reel 32L and right reel 32R, stop on an active line, while the "watermelon" symbols on the remaining reels do not stop on an active line, resulting in a so-called "watermelon tenpai miss" winning combination. When the 27th minor winning combination is achieved, 3 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 15 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

When the "Red Bell" or "White Bell" symbols on the left reel 32L, the "Red 7", "BAR", "White Bell", "Cherry" and "Youth" symbols on the middle reel 32M and the "Red Bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on an active line, the 28th small prize is won. As shown in FIG. 6, on the left reel 32L, the "First Replay" symbols are arranged in adjacent positions (2, 6, 14 and 19) downstream of the "Red Bell" symbols (3, 7, 15 and 20), and the "Second Replay" symbol is arranged in adjacent position (11) downstream of the "White Bell" symbol (12). On the right reel 32R, the "red bell" symbols (2, 5, 10, 15, 20) and the "first replay" or "second replay" symbols are arranged in adjacent positions on the upstream side (3, 6, 16, 0). Therefore, when the 28th small win is established on the right-downward line L4, the "bell" and "replay" symbols are in tenpai on the left reel 32L and the right reel 32R, but the "bell" and "replay" symbols on the middle reel 32M do not stop, resulting in a so-called double tenpai miss, except when the "white bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M stops in the middle row. When the 28th small win is established, 9 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 15 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

When the "watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "red bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "watermelon" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on an active line, the 29th minor win is won. In a 3-bet game, if the player operates the left stop switch when the No. 9 "cherry" symbol on the left reel 32L reaches the top or middle row, the 29th minor win is won when the "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "red bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "red bell" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on the middle line L2. When the 29th minor win is won, 3 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 15 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

When the "red bell" or "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "red bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "red 7" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on an active line, the 30th small win is won. Details will be explained later, but the 30th small win is a winning mode that can only be achieved in a 3-bet game. When the 30th small win is achieved, 9 medals are paid out.

When the "Red Bell" or "White Bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "Red Bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "BAR" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on an active line, the 31st minor win is achieved. Details will be described later, but the 31st minor win is a winning mode that can only be achieved in a 3-bet game. When the 31st minor win is achieved, 9 medals are paid out.

When the "watermelon" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white 7" symbol or the "cherry" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "watermelon" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on an active line, the 32nd minor win is achieved. When the 32nd minor win is achieved, 3 medals are paid out in a 3-bet game, and 15 medals are paid out in a 2-bet game.

The winning combinations that grant the replay privilege, which allows the player to play the next game without inserting a medal, include the 1st replay winning combination to the 8th replay winning combination. When the 2nd replay winning combination is achieved, the game state transitions to the 1st RT state, when the 3rd replay winning combination is achieved, the game state transitions to the 2nd RT state, and when the 4th or 5th replay winning combination is achieved, the game state transitions to the 3rd RT state. The 1st replay winning combination to the 8th replay winning combination are winning combinations that can only be achieved in a 3-bet game.

State transition winnings that only result in a transition of the game state include the 1st BB winning, the 2nd BB winning, and the CB winning.

When the "red 7" symbols on each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R stop on an active line, a first BB win is achieved. When the "white 7" symbols on each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R stop on an active line, or when the "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "second replay" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "white 7" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on an active line, a second BB win is achieved. When these BB wins are achieved, the game state transitions to the BB state. When the "red bell" symbol or the "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "red bell" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "watermelon" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on an active line, a CB win is achieved. When a CB win is achieved, the game state transitions to the CB state.

In addition, although not a winning combination, there are some winning combinations that cause the game state to transition to the first RT state. Specifically, when the "red bell" or "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "red 7" symbol, "BAR" symbol, "white bell" symbol, and "cherry" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "watermelon" symbol on the right reel 32R, all stop on an active line, the game state transitions to the first RT state. Also, when the "red bell" or "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "white 7" symbol, "watermelon" symbol, and "first replay" symbol on the center reel 32M, and the "red 7" symbol, "white 7" symbol, "second replay" symbol, and "cherry" symbol on the right reel 32R, all stop on an active line, the game state transitions to the first RT state. In the following, the combinations of the above symbols are referred to as transition results.

A start lever 41 is provided on the lower left side of the game panel 25, which is operated to start the rotation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. The start lever 41 constitutes a start operation means or a start operation means that is operated to start the rotation of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, i.e., to start the variable display of the patterns. 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.

Button-shaped stop switches 42-44 are provided to the right of the start lever 41 and are operated to individually stop each of the spinning reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. 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.

Stop detection sensors 42a to 44a (FIG. 12) are connected to the stop switches 42 to 44, respectively, and the stop detection sensors 42a to 44a are connected to the main control device 101, which will be described later. The main control device 101 then determines that the stop switches 42 to 44 have been operated based on the detection signals from the stop detection sensors 42a to 44a. Specifically, when the stop switches 42 to 44 are not operated, the stop detection sensors 42a to 44a output a detection signal of a LOW signal, and when the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated, the detection signal switches from a LOW signal to a HIGH signal. The main control device 101 determines that the stop switches 42 to 44 have been operated by determining this signal switch. When the main control device 101 determines that the stop switches 42 to 44 have been operated, it controls the reel corresponding to the operated switch to stop spinning.

That is, when the left stop switch 42 is operated, the left reel 32L stops spinning, when the middle stop switch 43 is operated, the middle 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 a stop operation means that is operated to stop the variable display of the symbols based on the rotation of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R.

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 an 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 a direct input means for directly inputting game media.

The medals inserted through the medal insertion port 45 are guided to either the storage passage 47 or the discharge passage 48 by a selector 46, which serves as a passage switching means provided on the back 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. The medals guided to the storage passage 47 are guided to a hopper device 51 stored inside the housing 11. On the other hand, the medals guided to the discharge passage 48 are guided to a medal tray 50 from a medal discharge port 49 provided on the lower front surface of the front door 12, and are returned to the player.

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 to an opening 48a provided in the discharge passage 48, and pays out the medals to a medal tray 50 through the discharge passage 48. In addition, a reserve tank 54 is provided to the right of the hopper device 51 to prevent medals from being stored in the storage tank 52 by more than a predetermined amount. Inside the storage tank 52 of the hopper device 51, a guide plate 52a is provided to discharge medals from the storage tank 52 to the reserve tank 54. Therefore, if medals are stored above the height at which the guide plate 52a is provided, the medals will be stored in the reserve tank 54.

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

On the lower left side of the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R, a first credit insertion switch 56 is provided for inserting three credited virtual medals as game media at a time. A second credit insertion switch 57 is provided to the right of the first credit insertion switch 56, and a third credit insertion switch 58 is provided to the left of the first credit insertion switch 56. The second credit insertion switch 57 is for inserting one virtual medal, and the third credit insertion switch 58 is for inserting two virtual medals at a time. The credit insertion switches 56 to 58, together with the medal insertion slot 45, constitute an input means for inputting game media. In addition, while the medal insertion slot 45 involves the action of the player directly inserting medals, the credit insertion switches 56 to 58 only involve the action of inserting virtual medals based on the stored memory. Considering this, it can also be said that they constitute an indirect input means for indirectly inputting game media.

Between the first credit input switch 56 and the second credit input switch 57, there is provided an effect switch 66 that is operated when an effect occurs. In other words, to the left of the effect switch 66, there are the first credit input switch 56 and the third credit input switch 58, and to the right of the effect switch 66, there is the second credit input switch 57.

A settlement switch 59 is provided to the left of the start lever 41. In other words, this slot machine 10 has a credit function that stores and stores as virtual medals any surplus inserted medals up to a predetermined maximum value (50 medals) or 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 from the medal discharge port 49 as real medals. In this case, when focusing 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.

Below the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R of the game panel 25 are 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 made up of seven-segment displays, but can of course be replaced with liquid crystal displays or the like.

Below the display windows 26L, 26M, and 26R on the game panel 25, to the right of the payout number display unit 62, there is a push order notification unit 68 for notifying the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44. The push order notification unit 68 is composed of three LED lamps corresponding to the left stop switch 42, the middle stop switch 43, and the right stop switch 44, respectively. Note that the push order notification unit 68 can also be replaced with a liquid crystal display or the like, and LED lamps may be provided inside the stop switches 42 to 44 to illuminate them, or LED lamps may be provided adjacent to each of the stop switches 42 to 44.

At the top of the front door 12, there are provided an upper lamp 63 that lights up or flashes as the game progresses, a pair of left and right speaker devices 64 that play various sound effects as the game progresses and notify the player of the game status, and a liquid crystal display device 65 as an auxiliary display unit that provides the player with various information. The liquid crystal display device 65 is for executing 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 the main display unit, it is referred to as the liquid crystal display device 65 in this embodiment. At the back of the liquid crystal display device 65, there are provided a sub-control device 81 for driving the upper lamp 63, the speaker device 64, and the liquid crystal display device 65, and a display control device 201 (not shown, see FIG. 12).

Inside the housing 11, a power supply box 70 is provided to the left of the hopper device 51. The power supply box 70 houses the power supply device 91 inside 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 each part including the main control device 101. The reset switch 72 is a switch for resetting an error state of the slot machine 10. The setting key insertion hole 73 is for the hall manager or the like to adjust the medal payout. In other words, the hall manager or the like can set the winning probability of the slot machine 10 by inserting the setting key into the setting key insertion hole 73 and turning it ON. The reset switch 72 is operated not only when resetting an error state but also when changing the winning probability of the slot machine 10.

Above the reel unit 31, a main control device 101 that controls the game is attached to the cabinet 11.

Next, the electrical configuration of the slot machine 10 will be explained based on the block diagrams in Figures 12 and 13.

The main control device 101 is equipped with a microcomputer centered around the CPU 102, which is an arithmetic processing means. In addition to the 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 the main board built into the slot machine 10.

On the input side of the main control device 101, there are the reel unit 31 (more specifically, a reel index sensor that individually detects when each of the reels 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 of the stop switches 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 52a that individually detects the operation of the first credit insertion switch 56, and a second credit insertion detection sensor 53a that detects the operation of the first credit insertion switch 56. 6a, a second credit insertion detection sensor 57a that individually detects the operation of the second credit insertion switch 57, a third credit insertion detection sensor 58a that individually detects the operation of the third credit insertion switch 58, 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, 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 other sensors are connected, and signals from these various sensors are output to the CPU 102 via the input/output port 104.

The power supply unit 91 is connected to the input side of the main control unit 101 via the 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 each electronic device of the slot machine 10, a power outage monitoring circuit 91b, and the like.

The power failure monitoring circuit 91b monitors the power supply cut-off state and generates a power failure signal not only during a power failure but also when the power supply is cut off by the power switch 71. For this reason, the power failure monitoring circuit 91b monitors the stabilized drive voltage of 12 volts DC in this example output from the power supply unit 91a, and is configured to determine that the power supply has been cut off and output a power failure signal when this drive voltage drops to less than 10 volts, for example. 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 configured to be supplied to the sub-control device 81.

The power supply unit 91a is configured to output a stabilized voltage of 5 volts to be used as a drive voltage in control systems such as the main control unit 101, even if the output voltage drops below 10 volts. The time for which this stabilized voltage is output is sufficient to allow the main control unit 101 to execute power outage processing.

The output side of the main control device 101 is connected via an 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 push order notification unit 68, the sub-control device 81, and an external centralized terminal board 121 that can transmit information to a hall management device (not shown), etc.

The above-mentioned CPU 102 includes a ROM 105 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 102, a RAM 106 that secures a working area for temporarily storing various data when executing the control programs stored in the ROM 105, and various counters, such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, a data transmission/reception circuit, and other processing circuits required for the slot machine 10, as well known in the art (not shown). The ROM 105 and RAM 106 form a main memory as a storage means, and the programs for executing various processes are stored in the above-mentioned ROM 105 as part of the control programs.

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

The backup area is an area for storing the value of the stack pointer at the time of power interruption (including power interruption by operating the power switch 71; the same applies below) in the event that power is interrupted 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 interruption based on the information in the backup area. Writing to the backup area is performed when power is interrupted by the power outage processing (see Figure 14), and the restoration of each value written to the backup area is performed during main processing when power is turned on.

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

As shown in FIG. 13, the sub-control device 81 is equipped with a microcomputer centered around a CPU 82, which is a calculation processing means. The CPU 82 includes a ROM 83 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 82, and a RAM 84 that secures a working area for temporarily storing various data when executing the control programs stored in the ROM 83.

The sub-control device 81 is provided with input/output ports (not shown), with the main control device 101 connected to the input side and the upper lamps 63, speaker device 64, and display control device 201 connected to the output side. The sub-control device 81 drives and controls the upper lamps 63, speaker device 64, and display control device 201 based on various commands input from the main control device 101. In other words, the sub-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.

The speaker device 64 has multiple individual speakers 87a to 87w (first speaker 87a to twenty-third speaker 87w). The individual speakers 87a to 87w are installed so that at least one of the installation position and the sound output direction is different. Here, an overview of the configuration in which sound (audio) is output from these multiple individual speakers 87a to 87w will be described.

The sub-control device 81 is provided with a sound source IC that controls the output of sound, and in this embodiment, the first sound source IC 85a to the 23rd sound source IC 85w are provided as the sound source IC. The first amplifier 86a to the 23rd amplifier 86w and the first speaker 87a to the 23rd speaker 87w are connected to each of the sound source ICs 85a to 85w, and in this embodiment, 23 channels are provided as sound output channels. When performing sound performance using sound, the CPU 82 outputs sound data as sound information to be reproduced to each of the sound source ICs 85a to 85w. The sound source ICs 85a to 85w read sound source data corresponding to the sound data from the sound source data storage area 83e of the ROM 83, and reproduce the sound source data to output sound from the individual speakers 87a to 87w via the corresponding amplifiers 86a to 86w. The processes related to outputting sound data to sound source ICs 85a-85w, reading sound data by sound source ICs 85a-85w, and outputting sound by individual speakers 87a-87w will be described in detail later. In the following description, sound source ICs 85a-85w will be collectively referred to as sound source ICs 85, amplifiers 86a-86w will be collectively referred to as amplifiers 86, and individual speakers 87a-87w will be collectively referred to as individual speakers 87. The speaker device 64 consisting of sound source IC 85, amplifier 86, and individual speakers 87 constitutes a sound generating means (sound reproducing means).

The input side of the sub-control device 81 is connected to the effect switch 66 (more specifically, the effect switch detection sensor that detects the operation of the effect switch 66). Also, the input side of the sub-control device 81 is connected to the first Vol switch 75 and the second Vol switch 76 as switches for adjusting the volume of the sound from the individual speakers 87a to 87w. The first Vol switch 75 is a volume switch for the manager of the game hall, and is provided in a position that cannot be operated without opening the front door 12, such as the back of the sub-control device 81 (not shown in FIG. 3, etc.). On the other hand, the second Vol switch 76 is a volume switch for the player, and is provided in a position that can be operated without opening the front door 12, such as the position adjacent to the effect switch 66 (not shown in FIG. 1, etc.). The effect switch 66 may also serve as the second Vol switch 76. That is, the first Vol switch 75 is a volume switch that cannot be operated by the player but can be operated by the arcade manager, and the second Vol switch 76 is a volume switch that can be operated by the player and also by the arcade manager.

The first Vol switch 75 can set the volume in multiple stages, for example, it can set the volume in 10 stages from set volume 0 to set volume 9. The higher the set volume value, the louder the volume becomes, with set volume 9 being the maximum volume, and set volume 0 being the minimum volume, and even if a sound effect occurs, the corresponding sound will not be output.

The second Vol switch 76 can also set the volume in multiple stages, for example, it can set the volume in 10 stages from set volume 1 to set volume 10. As with the first Vol switch 75, the higher the set volume value, the higher the volume, with set volume 10 being the maximum volume. However, unlike the first Vol switch 75, even in the case of set volume 1, which is the minimum volume, if a sound effect is to occur, a small amount of the corresponding sound is output.

For example, if the volume setting of the first Vol switch 75 is 0, no sound will be output regardless of the volume setting of the second Vol switch 76. Also, if the volume setting of the first Vol switch 75 is any value between 1 and 9, the volume to be output is determined by that value and the volume setting of the second Vol switch 76. In this case, a range is set for each of the volume settings 1 to 9 of the first Vol switch 75, and by adjusting the volume setting of the second Vol switch 76, the volume is set within the range corresponding to the volume setting of the first Vol switch 75. Note that the ranges set for the volume settings 1 to 9 of the first Vol switch 75 may be set so that there is an overlapping area between different volume settings, or they may be set so that there is no overlapping area.

The volume from each of the individual speakers 87a to 87w may be individually set for either or both of the first Vol switch 75 and the second Vol switch 76.

The display control device 201 is provided with a CPU 202, which is an element in which a program ROM 203 and a work RAM 204 are integrated into a chip, a video display processor (VDP) 205, a character ROM 206, and a video RAM 207.

The CPU 202 analyzes the various commands received from the sub-control device 81 or performs predetermined calculations based on the various commands received, and controls the VDP 205 (specifically, generates internal commands for the VDP 205).

The program ROM 203 is a memory for storing various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 202, and is a non-volatile storage means that does not require an external power supply to hold the stored information. The work RAM 204 is a memory for temporarily storing work data and flags used when the CPU 202 executes various programs, and is a volatile storage means that requires an external power supply to hold the stored information.

The VDP 205 is a type of drawing circuit that directly operates an image processing device that serves as a liquid crystal display driver built into the liquid crystal display device 65. The VDP 205 is also called a "drawing chip" because it is made into an IC chip, and its actual form can be described as a microcomputer chip with built-in firmware dedicated to drawing processing. The VDP 205 mediates the reading and writing of data by adjusting the respective timing of the CPU 202, video RAM 207, etc., and reads image data to be stored in the video RAM 207 from the character ROM 206 at a predetermined timing and displays it on the liquid crystal display device 65.

The character ROM 206 serves as an image data library for storing character data such as designs to be displayed on the liquid crystal display device 65. This character ROM 206 holds bitmap format image data of various display designs, a color palette table to be referenced when determining the color to be displayed for each dot of the bitmap image, and the like.

Video RAM 207 is a memory for storing display data to be displayed on liquid crystal display device 65, and the display content of liquid crystal display device 65 is changed based on rewriting the contents of video RAM 207.

Next, the control processes executed by the CPU 102 of the main control device 101 will be described. The processes of the CPU 102 can be broadly divided into main processes that are started when the power is turned on, timer interrupt processes that are started periodically (every 1.49 msec in this embodiment), and NMI interrupt processes that are started when a power outage signal is input to the NMI terminal. Below, the processes related to the progress of the game among these processes, i.e., timer interrupt processes, and normal processes performed in the main processes will be described with reference to Figures 14 to 41.

Figure 14 is a flowchart of the timer interrupt process that is periodically executed by the main control unit 101, and a timer interrupt is generated by the CPU 102 of the main control unit 101, for example, every 1.49 msec.

First, in the register save process shown in step S101, the values of all registers in the CPU 102 that are used in normal processing, which will be described later, are saved to a backup area in the RAM 106. In step S102, it is confirmed 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.

Here is an overview of how power outages are handled.

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 an NMI interrupt process and sets a power outage flag in a power outage flag storage area provided in the RAM 106.

In the power failure process, first, it is determined whether the transmission of the command has been completed, and if the transmission has not been completed, this process is terminated and the process returns to the timer interrupt process, and the transmission of the command is terminated. If the transmission of the command has been completed, the value of the stack pointer of the CPU 102 is saved in the backup area of the RAM 106. After that, the output state of the output port in the input/output port 104 is cleared, and all actuators (not shown) are turned off. Then, a RAM judgment value for judging whether the data in the RAM 106 is normal or not when the power failure is resolved is calculated and saved in the backup area, thereby prohibiting subsequent access to the RAM. After the above process is performed, an infinite loop is entered in preparation for the power being completely cut off and processing being unable to be executed. Note that, in consideration of the case where the power failure flag is erroneously set due to noise, for example, the power failure signal is checked to see if it is being output before entering the infinite loop. If the power failure signal is not being output, it means that the power failure state has been recovered, so writing to the RAM 106 is permitted, the power failure flag is reset, and the process returns to the timer interrupt process. If the power failure signal continues to be output, the infinite loop is entered as it is. Incidentally, even in an infinite loop, it checks whether the power outage signal is being output, and if the power outage signal is no longer being output, it transitions to the main process.

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.

That is, in step S104, a watchdog timer clear process is performed to initialize the value of the watchdog timer for monitoring the occurrence of malfunction. 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 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 (see FIG. 12), and to monitor whether the read results are normal or not. In step S108, a timer calculation process is performed to subtract the values of each counter and timer. In step S109, a counter process is performed to output the results of counting the number of medals bet and the number of medals paid out to the external centralized terminal board 121.

In step S110, a command output process is performed to send various commands such as a lottery result command to the sub-control device 81, which will be described later. 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 number of coins to be paid display unit 61, and the number of coins to be paid display unit 62. 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 to 62 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 that were 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 permission process is performed to permit the next timer interrupt, and this series of timer interrupt processes is terminated.

Next, the normal processing that performs the main control related to the game will be explained based on the flowchart in Figure 15.

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 play. In the pre-start process, the system waits until the sub-control device 81 and the like finishes initialization. When the initialization of the sub-control device 81 and the like finishes, the system performs the game management process shown in steps S203 to S215.

As part of the game management process, in step S203, various game information and other data (e.g., random number values used in the previous game) stored in the RAM 106 are cleared. Then, in step S204, a start waiting process is performed.

In the start waiting process, it is determined whether any replay winning was achieved in the previous game. If any replay winning was 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, 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 1 bet game, a process to automatically insert one virtual medal is performed. Incidentally, in this embodiment, a replay winning is not achieved in a 2 bet game, but if the replay winning can be achieved in a 2 bet game as well, it is advisable to set this automatic insertion process to automatically insert two virtual medals.

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 winning was achieved in the previous game, the player can play the current game without reducing the number of medals he owns and without inserting medals. If no replay winning was achieved, a sensor abnormality confirmation process is performed to check whether there is an abnormality in the sensor reading result performed in the sensor monitoring process step S107 of the timer interrupt process. If an abnormality is detected, an abnormality occurrence process is performed to put the slot machine 10 into 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 result is normal, it is determined whether the settlement switch 59 has been operated, and 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.

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 56-58 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 ends. Also, if neither medals have been inserted nor the credit insertion switches 56-58 have been operated between the previous start waiting process and the current start waiting process, the start waiting process ends as is.

After the start waiting process is completed, in step S205, it is determined whether the number of medals bet has reached the specified number. In this slot machine 10, the specified number in the CB state is set to "2", and the specified numbers in game states other than the CB state (specifically, the normal game state, the first RT state, the second RT state, the third RT state, and the BB state) are set to "1" and "3". In other words, in the CB state, a positive determination is made in step S205 on the condition that the number of medals bet is "2", and in other states than the CB state, a positive determination is made in step S205 on the condition that the number of medals bet is "1" or "3". In other words, in game states other than the CB state, if medals have not been bet, or if medals have been bet but the number of medals is "2", 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 of step S204, and the process from the sensor abnormality confirmation process onwards is performed.

If the number of bets has reached the specified number, the mode transition notification process is executed in step S206. Such mode transition notification process will be described in detail later.

After performing the processing of step S206, a bet command including information on the processing result of step S206 and information on the number of bets that was determined to be positive in step S205 is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81, which acts as a sub-side control device. The command set here is output to the sub-control device 81 in step S110 in the timer interrupt processing. The processing of the sub-control device 81 that receives the bet command will be explained in detail later.

After executing the process of step S207, it is determined in step S208 whether 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 process from the sensor abnormality confirmation process onwards is carried out.

On the other hand, when the start lever 41 is operated, it means that a start command has been issued to start the game, since the game can be started when the start lever 41 is operated under the condition that a prescribed number of medals have been bet. In such a case, in step S209, an effective line setting process is performed to set the combination line corresponding to the number of bets as an effective line. That is, in a 3-bet game, only the right-downward line L4 is set as an effective line, and in a 2-bet game, the lower line L3 and the right-downward line L4 are set as effective lines. Also, in a 1-bet game, the bent line L6 is set as an effective line. In step S210, the medal passage switching solenoid 46a is switched to a non-excited state to prohibit bet acceptance. After that, the lottery process in step S211, the reel control process in step S212, the medal payout process in step S213, the RT state process in step S214, and the bonus state process in step S215 are executed in order, and then the process returns to step S203.

Next, the lottery process in step S211 will be explained based on the flowchart in FIG.

In step S301, a random number is obtained 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 random numbers 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. With this configuration, it is possible to quickly obtain a random number when the start lever 41 is operated, and it is possible to avoid problems such as synchronization. The hardware circuitry of this slot machine 10 is configured to latch the value of the free-run counter each time the start lever 41 is operated.

After obtaining the random number, in step S302, a lottery table is selected to determine whether the winning combination has been achieved. The slot machine 10 has six game states, broadly categorized as a normal game state, a first RT state, a second RT state, a third RT state, a BB state, and a CB state.

That is, in step S302, the current gaming state of the slot machine 10 is determined based on the number of bets and the setting flag set in the state information storage area 106c, and a lottery table corresponding to the number of bets and the gaming state is selected. For example, if the number of bets is "3" and the setting flag is not 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. In addition, in this slot machine 10, six winning probabilities from "Setting 1" to "Setting 6" are prepared in advance, and it is possible to set which winning probability is used to execute the internal processing by inserting the setting key into the setting key insertion hole and turning it on, and performing a predetermined operation. In step S302, when the setting state is "Setting 1", a lottery table with the lowest expected value of medal payout is selected, and when the setting state is "Setting 6", a lottery table with the highest expected value of medal payout is selected.

The lottery table will be briefly explained. Figure 17 is a lottery table for the normal game mode selected in the normal game mode of "Setting 3". The lottery table has index values IV set, and each index value IV is uniquely associated with a winning combination and has a point value PV set.

After the lottery table is selected, 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 judging whether the hand is a win or a loss is set. In this judgment value setting process, the 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 initial 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 (1) is added to this random number value to set the new judgment value DV.

After that, in step S305, a win/loss determination is made for the combination corresponding to the index value IV. In the combination win/loss determination, a determination is made as to whether the judgment value DV exceeds 65535. If it exceeds 65535, the process proceeds to step S306, and a win flag corresponding to the index value IV at that time is set in the win flag storage area 106a of the RAM 106. For example, if the judgment value DV exceeds 65535 when IV=20, in step S306, a win flag indicating that the first to fifth small wins and the fourteenth to seventeenth small wins have been won is set in the win flag storage area 106a.

Incidentally, if the set winning flag is not a winning flag indicating that the first BB has been won (hereinafter referred to as the "first BB winning flag") or a winning flag indicating that the second BB has been won (hereinafter referred to as the "second BB winning flag"), the winning flag set in the winning flag storage area 106a is reset after the game in which the corresponding selection flag is set ends (see S203 in 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 established. In other words, the first BB winning flag and the second BB winning flag may be valid over multiple games. In addition, in step S306 in a state in which the first BB winning flag or the second BB winning flag is carried over, if a combination other than the first BB, second BB, or CB has been won, the corresponding winning flag is set, and if a combination other than the first BB, second BB, or CB has not been won, the corresponding winning flag is not set.

If the judgment value DV does not exceed 65535 in step S305, it means that the hand corresponding to the index value IV has not been won. In this case, the index value IV is incremented by 1 in step S307, and in the following step S308, it is determined whether or not there is a hand corresponding to the index value IV, that is, whether or not there is a target for judgment of whether it is a hit or a miss. Specifically, it is determined 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 it is a hit or a miss, the process returns to step S304, and the judgment of the hit or miss of the hand is continued. 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 the previous hand is a hit or a miss (i.e., the current judgment value DV) to obtain a new judgment value DV, and in step S305, the hand is judged based on the judgment value DV. Incidentally, when the winning combination is judged using the lottery table shown in FIG. 17, the probability of winning a normal replay (probability of winning when IV=1) is about 1 in 7.3, the probability of winning a strong cherry (probability of winning when IV=13) is about 1 in 263, and the probability of winning a weak cherry (probability of winning when IV=14) is about 1 in 183. The probability of winning a watermelon (probability of winning when IV=15) is about 1 in 154, the probability of winning Chance A (probability of winning when IV=16) is about 1 in 252, and the probability of winning Chance B (probability of winning when IV=17) is about 1 in 252. The probability of winning a middle bell (probability of winning when IV=18) is about 1 in 32,800, and the probability of winning a no-question bell (probability of winning when IV=19) is about 1 in 65,500. The probability of winning the forward push bell 1, forward push bell 2, pinch push bell 1, and pinch push bell 2 (probability of winning when IV = 20 to 23) is about 1 in 164, the probability of winning the center push bell 1, center push bell 2, right push bell 1, and right push bell 2 (probability of winning when IV = 24 to 27) is about 1 in 16.4. The probability of winning the strong cherry overlap 1 (probability of winning when IV = 31) is about 1 in 1770, the probability of winning the strong cherry overlap 2 (probability of winning when IV = 32) is about 1 in 4680, the probability of winning the weak cherry overlap 1 (probability of winning when IV = 33) is about 1 in 3280, and the probability of winning the weak cherry overlap 2 (probability of winning when IV = 34) is about 1 in 6550. The probability of winning Watermelon Duplicate 1 (probability of winning when IV = 35) is approximately 1 in 3280, and the probability of winning Watermelon Duplicate 2 (probability of winning when IV = 36) is approximately 1 in 6550. The probability of winning Chance A Duplicate 1, Chance A Duplicate 2, Chance B Duplicate 1, and Chance B Duplicate 2 (probability of winning when IV = 37 to 40) is approximately 1 in 3280. The probability of winning Middle Bell Duplicate 1 and Middle Bell Duplicate 2 (probability of winning when IV = 41, 42) is approximately 1 in 2620. The probability of winning 1st BB and 2nd BB alone (probability of winning when IV = 43, 44) is approximately 1 in 65500. The probability of winning CB (probability of winning when IV = 45) is approximately 1 in 19.9. The probability of losing and not winning any of the roles is approximately 1 in 1.94.

In addition, in the lottery table for normal gameplay, 0 is set for point values PV of IV = 2 to 12, 28 to 30, and 46 to 49. Therefore, in normal gameplay, these index values IV do not result in a win.

After the winning flag is set in step S306, or if it is determined in step S308 that there are no targets to be judged, this means that the judgment of the winning or losing role has been completed. In such a case, the process proceeds to step S309, where 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 specified period of time.

In the next step S310, a lottery result response process is performed. In the lottery result response process, a process is performed to determine whether or not to change the game state depending on the results of the lottery in steps S301 to S309, and a process is performed to notify the player of the push order role. The lottery result response process will be described in detail later.

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 sub-controller 81 to inform the sub-controller 81 of 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 sub-controller 81. The command is sent to the sub-controller 81 in the command output processing (step S110) of the timer interrupt processing described above.

Then, in step S312, a stop information setting process is performed to set stop information for reel stop control, and the lottery process is terminated. In the stop information setting process, if multiple roles out of the small role, replay, and bonus roles have been won, the stop information is set in the order of priority shown below. If a small role and a bonus have been won, the stop information is set so that a small role win is given priority, and if a small role win cannot be won, a bonus win is won. If a replay and a bonus have been won, the stop information is set so that a replay win is given priority.

Next, the reel control process in step S212 will be explained based on the flowchart in FIG. 18.

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. In step S402, a spin start process is performed to start the spinning of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R.

In the spin start process, it is checked whether a predetermined wait time (e.g., 4.1 seconds) has elapsed since the reels started spinning in the previous game, and if not, the process waits until the wait time has elapsed. If the wait time has elapsed, the wait time for the next game is reset, and a motor control initialization process is performed to set spin start information in a motor control storage area provided in RAM 106. By performing this process, the stepping motor acceleration process is started in the stepping motor control process (step S106) of the timer interrupt process, and each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R starts spinning. For this reason, even if a player bets a specified number of medals and operates the start lever 41, each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R may not immediately start spinning.

In step S403, the process waits until each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R rotates at a constant speed at a predetermined speed, and determines whether the invalid period from the start of rotation has elapsed. If the invalid period has not elapsed, the process waits in step S403. If the rotation speed of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R becomes a constant speed and the invalid period has elapsed, the process notifies the player that it is possible to issue a stop command by lighting up lamps (not shown) of each of the stop switches 42 to 44, and proceeds to step S404 to perform an effective flag setting process. The effective flag setting process is a process for setting the operation mode of the stop switches 42 to 44 that is effective when performing a stop operation for each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. This setting process will be described in detail later.

After the valid flag setting process is performed, in step S405, it is determined whether any of the stop switches 42 to 44 have been operated. If none of the stop switches 42 to 44 have been operated, the process waits until any of the stop switches 42 to 44 have been operated. If it is determined that any of the stop switches 42 to 44 have been operated, the process proceeds to step S406, 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 S405, and the process waits until any of the stop switches 42 to 44 have been operated.

When a stop command is issued, a stop command response process is executed in step S407. In the stop command response process, a process is performed to stop the rotation of the reel corresponding to the reel for which the stop command was issued. This response process will be described in detail later, but in this response process, the number of slips of the reel to be stopped this time is calculated based on the reaching pattern that has reached the reference position (the lower row in this embodiment) at the time the stop switch is operated and the stop information stored in the stop information storage area 106b, and the rotation of the reel is stopped when the pattern corresponding to the calculated number of slips reaches the reference position. In this case, in this slot machine 10, five stopping modes are prepared as the stopping modes for each reel 32L, 32M, 32R when the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated: a stopping mode in which the reaching symbol that has reached the base position is stopped as is, a stopping mode in which the corresponding reel is stopped after sliding for one symbol, a stopping mode in which the reel is stopped after sliding for two symbols, a stopping mode in which the reel is stopped after sliding for three symbols, and a stopping mode in which the reel is stopped after sliding for four symbols. The reel stopping control is performed in one of these stopping modes.

Then, in step S408, 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 S409, and the process returns to step S405.

The second stop information setting process is a process for 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 winning flag that has been set and the stop results of the stopped reels. In this slot machine 10, for example, when a win occurs when IV=20 to 27, that is, when a win occurs on forward push bell 1, forward push bell 2, pinch push bell 1, pinch push bell 2, center push bell 1, center push bell 2, right push bell 1, and right push bell 2 (hereinafter, these are also collectively referred to as "push order bells") (see FIG. 17), 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.

Figure 19 is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between winning roles, the operation order of stop switches 42 to 44, and the winning form that is achieved. For example, if center push bell 1 is won, the stop information is set so that the second or fifth small win is achieved when the left stop switch 42 is operated first, the stop information is set so that the first small win is achieved when the middle stop switch 43 is operated first, and the stop information is set so that the second or fifth small win is achieved when the right stop switch 44 is operated first. However, even if the stop information is set in this way, the corresponding win may not be achieved depending on the operation timing of stop switches 42 to 44.

The arrangement of symbols on each reel 32L, 32M, 32R will be briefly described. In this slot machine 10, in a game state other than the CB state (3-bet game), the reels 32L, 32M, 32R can be stopped after sliding a maximum of four symbols from the timing when the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated, and only the right-downward line L4 is set as an active line. Therefore, when the same symbols are arranged on each reel 32L, 32M, 32R with an interval of four symbols or less, when a winning symbol is formed, the winning symbol can be stopped on the active line regardless of the timing of the operation of the stop switch 43. On the other hand, for symbols arranged so that a section of five symbols or more is formed, the player needs to operate the stop switches 42 to 44 while aiming at the symbol in order to stop it on the active line.

As an example, a case will be described in which the center push bell 1 is won and the left stop switch 42, the center stop switch 43, and the right stop switch 44 are operated in that order. In such a case, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are controlled to stop in order to achieve the second or fifth small win.

The second small win symbols on the left reel 32L are the "red bell" symbol and the "white bell" symbol. The "red bell" symbol and the "white bell" symbol also function as the fifth small win symbols. The second small win symbols (fifth small win symbols) are arranged on the left reel 32L so that the interval between them is four symbols or less. Therefore, when the left stop switch 42 is operated first, the "red bell" symbol or the "white bell" symbol stops on the upper row regardless of the operation timing. For example, if the left stop switch 42 is operated at the timing when the "watermelon" symbol number 8 on the left reel 32L has reached the lower row, the "white bell" symbol number 12 stops on the upper row as shown in FIG. 20(a). As a result, there is still room for the second small win or the fifth small win to be established on the right-downward line L4.

The second minor win symbol on the middle reel 32M is a "red 7" symbol. On the middle reel 32M, the "red 7" symbol is only located at the 18th position. Also, the fifth minor win symbol on the middle reel 32M is a "cherry" symbol. On the middle reel 32M, the "cherry" symbols are located at the 11th and 14th positions. Therefore, depending on the operation timing of the middle stop switch 43, the second minor win symbol or the fifth minor win symbol may stop on an active line, or neither the second minor win symbol nor the fifth minor win symbol may stop on an active line.

Specifically, if the middle stop switch 43 is operated when any one of the "white bell" symbols (6) to the "first replay" symbols (13) has reached the bottom row, the "cherry" symbol, which is the fifth small win symbol, will stop in the middle row. As a result, there will be room for the fifth small win symbol to be established on the right-downward line L4. If the middle stop switch 43 is operated when any one of the "cherry" symbols (14) to the "first replay" symbols (17) has reached the bottom row, the "red 7" symbol, which is the second small win symbol, will stop in the middle row, as shown in FIG. 20(b). As a result, there will be room for the second small win symbol to be established on the right-downward line L4. If the middle stop switch 43 is operated at any other time, the second and fifth small win symbols cannot be stopped in the middle row even if the middle reel 32M is stopped after sliding four symbols. If the middle stop switch 43 is operated at this time, the number 2 "BAR" symbol or the number 6 "white bell" symbol will stop in the middle row.

When the second small win symbol on the middle reel 32M stops in the middle row, the second stop information setting process changes the stop information so that the second small win can be achieved.

The second small win symbol on the right reel 32R is a "red 7" symbol. On the right reel 32R, the "red 7" symbol is arranged only at the 18th position. Therefore, depending on the operation timing of the right stop switch 44, the second small win symbol may or may not stop on the active line. Specifically, if the right stop switch 44 is operated at the timing when any of the "watermelon" symbol (number 14) to the "red 7" symbol (number 18) has reached the bottom row, the "red 7" symbol, which is the second small win symbol, stops at the bottom row, as shown in FIG. 20(c). As a result, the second small win is established on the right downward line L4. If the right stop switch 44 is operated at another timing, the "watermelon" symbol stops at the bottom row. For example, if the right stop switch 44 is operated at the timing when the "cherry" symbol (number 13) has reached the bottom row, the "watermelon" symbol (number 14) stops at the bottom row, as shown in FIG. 20(d). From the left, the combination of the "white bell", "red 7" and "watermelon" symbols is a transition result, as shown in Figure 11.

When the 5th minor winning symbol on the middle reel 32M stops in the middle row, the second stop information setting process changes the stop information so that the 5th minor winning symbol can be achieved.

The fifth minor winning symbol on the right reel 32R is the "Second Replay" symbol. The "Second Replay" symbols are located at the 0th and 3rd positions on the right reel 32R. Therefore, depending on the operation timing of the right stop switch 44, the fifth minor winning symbol may or may not stop on the active line. Specifically, if the right stop switch 44 is operated when any of the "BAR" symbol (17th) to the "Second Replay" symbol (3rd) has reached the bottom row, the "Second Replay" symbol, which is the fifth minor winning symbol, stops at the bottom row. As a result, the fifth minor winning symbol is established on the right downward line L4. If the right stop switch 44 is operated at any other time, the "watermelon" symbol stops at the bottom row. The combination of the "white bell", "cherry" and "watermelon" symbols from the left is a transition result as shown in FIG. 11.

If the second and fifth minor winning symbols on the middle reel 32M do not stop in the middle row, i.e., if the "BAR" or "white bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M stops in the middle row, the second setting process of the stop information changes the stop information so that the "watermelon" symbol stops in the lower row.

The "watermelon" symbols are arranged on the right reel 32R so that there is a space of four symbols or less between each "watermelon" symbol. Therefore, when the right stop switch 44 is operated, the "watermelon" symbols stop on the bottom row regardless of the timing of the operation. The combination of "white bell", "BAR" and "watermelon" symbols from the left and the combination of "white bell", "white bell" and "watermelon" symbols from the left are transition results as shown in FIG. 11.

In this way, if center push bell 1 is won and the left stop switch 42 → center stop switch 43 → right stop switch 44 are operated in that order, the second small win will be achieved, the fifth small win will be achieved, or the transition result will stop.

Next, we will explain an example in which the center push bell 1 is won and the center stop switch 43, left stop switch 42, and right stop switch 44 are operated in that order. In such a case, the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are controlled to stop in order to achieve the first small win.

On the middle reel 32M, the "red bell" symbols, which are the first minor winning symbol, are arranged so that the distance between each "red bell" symbol is four symbols or less. Therefore, when the middle stop switch 43 is operated first, the "red bell" symbols will stop in the middle row regardless of the timing of the operation.

On the left reel 32L, the first minor winning symbols, the "red bell" symbol and the "white bell" symbol, are arranged so that the distance between the first minor winning symbols is four symbols or less. Therefore, when the left stop switch 42 is operated second, the "red bell" symbol or the "white bell" symbol stops on the top row regardless of the timing of the operation.

On the right reel 32R, the "red bell" symbols, which are the first minor symbol, are arranged so that the distance between each "red bell" symbol is four symbols or less. Therefore, if the right stop switch 44 is operated third, the "red bell" symbol will stop on the bottom row regardless of the timing of the operation.

As described above, if center push bell 1 is won and the center stop switch 43, left stop switch 42, and right stop switch 44 are operated in that order, the first small prize will be won regardless of the timing of the operation.

If the push order bell is won, and the stop switches 42-44 are operated in one or two pre-defined operating sequences, the first small prize will be won regardless of the timing of the operation, and if the stop switches 42-44 are operated in any other operating sequence, a small prize will be won or the transition result will stop on an active line depending on the timing of the operation. Incidentally, if the middle bell is won, the 29th small prize will be won regardless of the operating sequence and timing, and if the no-question bell is won, the first small prize will be won regardless of the operating sequence and timing.

Returning to the description of the reel control process, if it is determined in step S408 that all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are stopped, a payout determination process is performed in step S410. The payout determination process is a process for setting the number of medals to be paid out, with one of the conditions being that the winning combination 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 row of each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R, and it is determined whether or not a winning combination is established on the active line. If a winning combination is established, it is further determined whether or not the winning combination corresponds to the winning flag set in the winning flag storage area 106a. If the winning combination corresponds to the winning flag, the winning combination and the payout number corresponding to the winning combination are set in the payout information storage area provided in the 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 process is performed to notify the user of the occurrence of the error. This error state is maintained until the reset switch 72 is operated.

After the payout determination process is performed, a winning result response process is performed in step S411. In the winning result response process, a process for shifting the game state based on the winning result is performed. The winning result response process will be described in detail later.

After the winning result response process is performed, in step S412, a winning result command is set to allow the sub-control device 81 to determine the winning combination for this game, and the reel control process is terminated.

Next, we will provide an overview of the medal payout process in step S213.

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 the previous payout determination process determined that no small winning combination was achieved. In such a case, it is determined whether any of the first replay winning combination to the eighth replay winning combination was achieved, based on the winning combination set in the payout determination process. If none of the replay winning combinations was achieved, the medal payout process is terminated as is, and if any of the replay winning combinations was achieved, a replay setting process is performed to set the game state to a replay state, and the medal payout process is terminated. Note that in the start waiting process (step S204) described above, if it is determined that the current game state is a replay state, an automatic insertion process is performed.

On the other hand, if the payout number set in the payout information storage area is not 0, the same number of medals as the payout number is paid out, and the medal payout process is terminated. Specifically, when the credit counter count value has not reached the upper limit (the number of medals stored is 50), the payout number is added to the credit counter count value, and the added value is displayed on the credit display unit 60. When the credit counter count value has reached the upper limit, or when the count value reaches the 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 receiving tray 50 via the medal discharge port 49. Note that the medal payout process also performs a process of changing the payout number displayed on the payout number display unit 62 in accordance with the payout of medals. When the current game state is 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.

Next, the RT state processing in step S214 will be explained based on the flowchart in Figure 21.

In step S501, it is determined whether the transition result has stopped on the winning line. If the transition result has stopped, the process proceeds to step S502, where it is determined whether the current game state is a normal game state. If the current game state is a normal game state, the first RT setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c of the RAM 106 in step S503. Then, this process is terminated. If it is determined in step S501 that the transition result has not stopped on the winning line, the process proceeds to step S504, where it is determined whether the second replay winning has been established based on the winning combination set in the previous payout determination process. If the second replay winning has been established, the RT setting flag set in the state information storage area 106c is cleared in step S505, and the first RT setting flag is set in step S503. Then, this process is terminated. Furthermore, if the transition result stops on a pay line in a game state other than the normal game state, the RT setting flag set in the state information storage area 106c is cleared in step S505, and the first RT setting flag is set in step S503, and this process ends.

If the first RT setting flag is set in step S503, the game state transitions to the first RT state. Then, in step S302 of the lottery process, it is determined that the current game state is the first RT state based on the fact that the first RT setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c, and a lottery table for the first RT state is selected.

Figure 22 is a lottery table for the first RT state selected in the first RT state of "setting 3". When compared to the lottery table for the normal game state (see Figure 17), the lottery table for the first RT state has different point values PV for IV = 1 to 5, and the same point values PV are set for the other index values IV. For this reason, when using this lottery table to determine whether a combination is a win or lose, the probability of winning when IV = 6 to 49 is equal to the respective winning probabilities in the normal game state, the probability of winning when IV = 1 is approximately 1 in 67.0, and the probability of winning when IV = 2 to 5 is approximately 1 in 32.8. The probability of not winning any combination is approximately 1 in 1.94.

Here, as shown in FIG. 22, if a win occurs when IV=1, a normal replay is won, if a win occurs when IV=2, a first promotion replay 1 is won, if a win occurs when IV=3, a first promotion replay 2 is won, if a win occurs when IV=4, a first promotion replay 3 is won, and if a win occurs when IV=5, a first promotion replay 4 is won. The probability of winning when IV=1 to 5 is about 1 in 7.30. The probability of winning a normal replay under normal gaming conditions is also about 1 in 7.30. In other words, when the gaming state transitions to the first RT state, the odds of winning small roles, replays, and bonuses are the same as in the normal gaming state, while the winning mode in which the replay privilege is awarded changes to one different from that in the normal gaming state. More specifically, in the normal game state, only the first replay win, which does not transition the game state, is achieved, and in the first RT state, in addition to the first replay win, the third replay win, which transitions to the second RT state, is achieved.

In the second stop information setting process (step S409), in addition to the above-mentioned case where the push order bell is won, the stop information is set so as to change the winning pattern that is established depending on the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44 that generated the stop command, even if the first promotion replay 1 to the first promotion replay 4 are won.

Figure 23(a) is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between winning roles, the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44, and the winning form that is achieved. Unlike when the push order bell is won, when the first promotion replay 1 to first promotion replay 4 are won, the first replay win or the third replay win is always achieved regardless of the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44. For the first promotion replay 1 to first promotion replay 4, one of the six operation sequences is associated with the third replay, and the other operation sequences are associated with the first replay.

In addition, in the first promotion replays 2 to 4, in addition to the first replay and the third replay, the sixth replay, seventh replay, and eighth replay are also allocated as winning roles. However, these sixth replay to eighth replay are not associated with any of the six operation sequences described above. Therefore, even if the sixth replay to eighth replay are winning in the first promotion replays 2 to 4, they will not win regardless of the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44.

More specifically, for each of the first promotion replays 1 to 4, the first promotion replay 1 is assigned the first replay and the third replay, the first promotion replay 2 is assigned the sixth replay in addition to the first replay and the third replay, the first promotion replay 3 is assigned the seventh replay in addition to the first replay and the third replay, and the first promotion replay 4 is assigned the eighth replay in addition to the first replay and the third replay, but for any of the first promotion replays 1 to 4, the winning replay is either the first replay or the third replay. This is to make it difficult to understand the operation sequence that results in a third replay winning. That is, for example, if there is only one type of first promotion replay, then there will also be only one type of operation sequence corresponding to the third replay win, and when the first promotion replay is won, it may be possible to intentionally achieve the third replay win. Note that this relationship is not limited to the relationship between the first promotion replays 1 to 4, and the same can be said for other overlapping roles.

Returning to the explanation of the RT state processing, if it is determined in step S504 that the second replay winning combination has not been achieved, the process proceeds to step S506, where it is determined whether or not the third replay winning combination has been achieved, based on the winning combination set in the previous payout determination process. If the third replay winning combination has been achieved, the RT setting flag set in the state information storage area 106c is cleared in step S507, and the second RT setting flag is set in step S508, and this process ends.

If the second RT setting flag is set in step S508, the game state transitions to the second RT state. Then, in step S302 of the lottery process, it is determined that the current game state is the second RT state based on the fact that the second RT setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c, and a lottery table for the second RT state is selected.

Figure 24 is a lottery table for the second RT state selected in the second RT state of "setting 3". When compared with the lottery table for the first RT state (see Figure 22), the lottery table for the second RT state has different point values PV for IV = 1 to 10, and the same point values PV are set for the other index values IV. For this reason, when such a lottery table is used to determine whether a role is a winner, the probability of winning when IV = 11 to 49 is equal to each winning probability in the first RT state, the probability of winning when IV = 1 is about 1 in 13.2, the probability of not winning when IV = 2 to 5, the probability of winning when IV = 6 to 8 is about 1 in 10.5, and the probability of winning when IV = 9 and 10 is about 1 in 7.00. The probability of losing, i.e. not winning any role, is about 1 in 150. In other words, when the game transitions to the second RT state, the probability of losing is lower than in the normal game state and the first RT state, which is advantageous to the player. In addition, in the second RT state, in addition to the first replay win that does not transition the game state, the second replay win that transitions to the first RT state, and the fourth and fifth replay wins that transition to the third RT state are possible.

In the second stop information setting process (step S409), in addition to the above-mentioned cases where the first promotion replay 1 to first promotion replay 4 are won, the stop information is set so as to change the winning pattern that is established depending on the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44 that generated the stop command, even when the fall replay 1 to fall replay 3, second promotion replay 1, or second promotion replay 2 is won.

Figure 23(b) is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between winning roles, the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44, and the winning patterns that are achieved. If Fall Replay 1 to Fall Replay 3 are won, the first replay win or the second replay win will always be achieved, regardless of the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44. If Second Promotion Replay 1 is won, the first replay win, the fourth replay win, or the fifth replay win will always be achieved, regardless of the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44. If Second Promotion Replay 2 is won, the first replay win or the fourth replay win will always be achieved, regardless of the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44.

The numbers attached to the 4th replay in the figure correspond to the symbol combinations that result in the 4th replay winning. "1" corresponds to a symbol combination that results in a spread, "2" corresponds to a symbol combination that results in different color 7 symbols stopping in the middle row, "3" corresponds to a symbol combination that results in red 7, red 7, and BAR stopping in the middle row, and "4" corresponds to a symbol combination that results in white 7, white 7, and BAR stopping in the middle row (see FIG. 11). For example, if the left stop switch 42 is operated first when the 2nd promotion replay 1 is won, a symbol combination that results in a spread will stop and the 4th replay winning will be established, or a symbol combination that results in different color 7 symbols stopping in the middle row will stop and the 4th replay winning will be established.

Returning to the explanation of the RT state processing, if it is determined in step S506 that the third replay winning has not been achieved, the process proceeds to step S509, where it is determined whether the fourth replay winning or the fifth replay winning has been achieved based on the winning combination set in the previous payout determination process. If the fourth replay winning or the fifth replay winning has not been achieved, the process ends as is. If the fourth replay winning or the fifth replay winning has been achieved, the RT setting flag set in the state information storage area 106c is cleared in step S510, and the third RT setting flag is set in step S511, and the process ends.

If the third RT setting flag is set in step S511, the game state transitions to the third RT state. Then, in step S302 of the lottery process, it is determined that the current game state is the third RT state based on the fact that the third RT setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c, and a lottery table for the third RT state is selected.

Figure 25 is a lottery table for the third RT state selected in the third RT state of "setting 3". When compared with the lottery table for the second RT state (see Figure 24), the point values PV for IV = 9 to 12 in the third RT state are different, and the same point values PV are set for the other index values IV. For this reason, when the lottery table is used to determine whether a winning combination is a winning combination, the probability of winning when IV = 1 to 8 and 13 to 49 is equal to the respective winning probabilities in the second RT state, the winning combination is not a winning combination when IV = 9 and 10, and the winning combination is about 1 in 7.00 when IV = 11 and 12. The probability of losing when none of the combinations are won is about 1 in 150. In other words, when the game state transitions to the third RT state, the winning combinations of small combinations, replays, and bonuses are won with the same probability as in the second RT state, while the winning combination in which the replay privilege is granted changes to one different from that in the second RT state. More specifically, in the third RT state, in addition to the first replay winning event that does not result in a transition to the game state and the second replay winning event that transitions to the first RT state, the sixth replay winning event, the seventh replay winning event, and the eighth replay winning event that does not result in a transition to the game state, and the third replay winning event that transitions to the second RT state are also achieved.

In the second stop information setting process (step S409), even if BAR Replay 1 or BAR Replay 2 is won, the stop information is set to change the winning pattern that is established depending on the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 that generated the stop command.

Figure 23(c) is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between winning roles, the operation sequence of stop switches 42-44, and the winning mode that is achieved. If BAR Replay 1 is won, regardless of the operation timing of stop switches 42-44, one of the first replay winning, sixth replay winning, seventh replay winning, or third replay winning will always be achieved. If BAR Replay 2 is won, regardless of the operation timing of stop switches 42-44, one of the first replay winning, sixth replay winning, eighth replay winning, or third replay winning will always be achieved.

Next, the bonus state processing in step S215 will be explained based on the flowchart in Figure 26.

First, in step S601, it is determined whether the current gaming state is a bonus state, i.e., whether the current gaming state is a BB state or a CB state. If it is not a bonus state, the bonus determination process shown in steps S602 to S614 is performed.

In the bonus determination process, in step S602, it is determined whether any of the first BB winning flag, the second BB winning flag, or the CB winning flag is set. If any of the winning flags is set, the process proceeds to step S603, and it is determined whether a CB winning has occurred based on the winning combination set in the previous payout determination process. If a CB winning has occurred, in step S604, a CB setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c. In step S605, a remaining payout counter for counting the number of medals remaining that can be paid out during the bonus state, which is provided in the state information storage area 106c, is set to 15. By performing the processes of steps S604 to S605, the game state transitions to the CB state.

Here is a brief explanation of CB and CB states.

When the "red bell" or "white bell" symbol on the left reel 32L, the "red bell" symbol on the middle reel 32M, and the "watermelon" symbol on the right reel 32R stop on an active line, a CB win occurs. The CB symbols are arranged on each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R so that there is a gap of 4 symbols or less between each CB symbol. Therefore, when a CB win occurs, the CB win occurs regardless of the order and timing of operation of the stop switches 42 to 44.

When the CB setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c, the main control device 101 determines that the game state is in the CB state. Then, in step S205 of the normal processing, it determines whether the number of medals bet has reached "2" instead of "3", and in the active line setting process (step S207), it sets the lower line L3 and the right-downward line L4 as active lines.

In step S302 of the lottery process, a lottery table for the CB state is selected. Although the illustration of the lottery table for the CB state is omitted, in the lottery table for the CB state, the point value PV for IV=1 to 45 is set to "0", and the point value for IV=46 to 49 is set to "16384" (see FIG. 17 for the correspondence between IV and winning roles). Therefore, in the CB state, the probability of winning CB small/medium role 1 (probability of winning when IV=46) is about 1 in 4.00, the probability of winning CB small/medium role 2 (probability of winning when IV=47) is about 1 in 4.00, the probability of winning CB small/medium role 3 (probability of winning when IV=48) is about 1 in 4.00, and the probability of winning CB small/medium role 4 (probability of winning when IV=49) is about 1 in 4.00. No events of losing occur.

Figure 27 (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between winning roles, the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44, and the winning mode that is established. Although detailed explanation is omitted, regardless of the operation sequence and operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44, regardless of which of the CB small/medium roles 1 to 4 is won, some small role winning is always established. Since the CB state is a two-bet game, when the 1st small role winning, the 18th small role winning, the 19th small role winning, and the 25th small role winning are established, 15 medals are paid out, and when the 2nd small role winning to the 17th small role winning, the 20th small role winning to the 24th small role winning are established, 14 medals are paid out. In other words, when the game transitions to the CB state, 14 or 15 medals are always paid out.

In addition to or in addition to CB as a winning role and the CB state as a game state, a single bonus (SB) that allows one game (JAC game) to be played as a winning role, and an SB state to which a transition occurs based on the winning of the single bonus (winning) may be provided. The CB and CB states may also be referred to as MB and MB states.

Returning to the explanation of the bonus state processing, if it is determined in step S603 that a CB win has not been achieved, this means that a bonus win flag other than CB has been set. In such a case, the RT setting flag set in the state information storage area 106c is cleared in step S608, and it is determined in step S609 whether a 1st BB win or a 2nd BB win has been achieved.

If any of the BB wins is achieved, the BB win flag set in the win flag storage area 106a of the RAM 106 is cleared in step S610, and the BB setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c in step S611. After that, in step S612, the remaining payout counter is set to 216, and the remaining payout display unit 61 is caused to display 216. The number set in step S612 corresponds to the upper limit payout number in the BB state, and the BB state is ended on the condition that medals paid out in the BB state equal to or more than this number have been paid out.

By performing the processing of steps S610 to S612, the game state transitions to the BB state. Then, in step S302 of the lottery process, it is determined that the current game state is the BB state based on the fact that the BB setting flag is set in the state information storage area 106c, and the corresponding lottery table for the BB state is selected.

Figure 28 shows a lottery table for the BB state, which is selected in the BB state to which the first BB or second BB transition occurs. In the lottery table for the BB state, the point value PV for IV = 1 to 27, 31 to 49 is set to "0", and the point value for IV = 28 to 30 is set to "21845". Therefore, in the BB state, the probability of winning the BB small/medium combination 1 (probability of winning when IV = 28) is about 1 in 3.00, the probability of winning the BB medium red 7 combination (probability of winning when IV = 29) is about 1 in 3.00, and the probability of winning the BB BAR combination (probability of winning when IV = 30) is about 1 in 3.00. The probability of not winning any combination is about 1 in 65,500.

Figure 27 (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between winning roles, the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44, and the winning mode that is achieved. As described above, the first small role winning is a winning mode that can be achieved regardless of the operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44. Therefore, regardless of the operation sequence and operation timing of the stop switches 42 to 44, whether the BB small role 1, the BB red 7 matching role, or the BB BAR matching role is won, the first small role winning, the 30th small role winning, or the 31st small role winning will always be achieved. Since the BB state is a 3-bet game, when the first small role winning, the 30th small role winning, or the 31st small role winning is achieved, 9 medals are paid out. Since the probability of a miss in the BB state is about 1 in 65,500, it can be said that the BB state is a game state in which 9 medals are paid out with a very high probability.

If the game state has transitioned to the CB state or the BB state, a positive determination is made in step S601, and an end determination process is performed in step S613. In the end determination process, it is determined whether the value of the remaining payout counter has reached 0, and if it has reached 0, a process is performed to clear the CB setting flag or the BB setting flag. Furthermore, in the end determination process, if the BB setting flag is cleared, an end flag is set to indicate that the BB state has ended in this game. The end determination process will be described in detail later.

As shown in steps S602 to S613, when the CB is won and the CB winning is established, the CB setting flag is set without clearing the RT setting flag. Therefore, when the CB setting flag is cleared, that is, when the CB state ends, the game state when the CB winning is established will be restored. For example, when the CB winning is established under the normal game state, the game state will be restored to the normal game state after the CB state ends, and when the CB winning is established under the third RT state, the game state will be restored to the third RT state after the CB state ends. On the other hand, when the first BB and the second BB are won, the RT setting flag is cleared in step S608 regardless of whether the corresponding BB winning is established or not. Therefore, when the BB setting flag is cleared, that is, when the BB state ends, the game state will be transitioned to the normal game state even if the first BB winning is established under the second RT state. Incidentally, if a player transitions to the CB state, he or she can expect to gain an increase of 13 (=15-2) or 25 (=14-2+15-2) medals by the time the CB state ends. If a player transitions to the BB state, he or she can expect to gain an increase of approximately 144 (=9x24-3x24) medals by the time the BB state ends.

If none of the first BB winning flag, second BB winning flag, or CB winning flag is set (if step S602 is NO), if none of the first BB winning, second BB winning, or CB winning is established (if step S609 is NO), if a predetermined value is set in the remaining payout counter in steps S605 and S612, or if an end determination process is performed in step S613, the process proceeds to step S606 and a status command is set. Here, the status command is a command sent to the sub-control device 81 to grasp the game status at the end of the game (i.e., the game status of the next game), and in step S606, a status command corresponding to the setting flag set in the status information storage area 106c is set. After setting the status command, in step S607, an external signal setting process is performed to set an external signal to be output from the external centralized terminal board 121 to the outside of the slot machine 10. Then, this process ends.

<Overview of game state transitions and display modes>
Here, the transition of the gaming state will be described with reference to Figure 29. Note that the CB state is not shown in the figure.

If the game state is BB state, when the number of medals paid out in that BB state reaches 216, the BB state ends and the game state transitions to the normal game state.

When the game state is the normal game state, the game state transitions to the first RT state when the transition result stops on a winning line, and the game state transitions to the BB state when a BB win is made. The transition result stops on a winning line when a miss occurs in a game in which the push order bell is won. In the lottery process using the lottery table for the normal game state, the first promotion replays 1 to 4, which trigger a transition to the second RT state, and the second promotion replays 1 and 2, which trigger a transition to the third RT state, are not won, so there is no transition from the normal game state to the second RT state or the third RT state (see Figure 17).

When the game state is the first RT state, the game state transitions to the second RT state by the establishment of the third replay winning. The third replay winning is established when any of the first promotion replay 1 to first promotion replay 4 is won and the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in a specified operating sequence (see FIG. 23(a)). In the lottery process using the lottery table for the first RT state, the second promotion replays 1 and 2, which trigger the transition to the third RT state, are not won, so there is no transition from the first RT state to the third RT state.

In addition, if a BB win is not achieved in a game in which a BB win flag is set, i.e., if the BB win flag is carried over, the game state will transition to the normal game state, and if a BB win is achieved in a game in which a BB win flag is set, the game state will transition to the BB state. There is no transition from the first RT state to the third RT state.

When the game state is in the second RT state, the game state transitions to the third RT state by the establishment of the fourth replay winning or the fifth replay winning. In addition, when the second replay winning is established and when the transition result stops on the valid line, the game state transitions to the first RT state. The fourth replay winning and the fifth replay winning are established when the second promotion replay 1 or the second promotion replay 2 is won and the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in a predetermined operation sequence (see FIG. 23(b)). The second replay winning is established when any of the fall replays 1 to 3 is won and the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in a predetermined operation sequence (see FIG. 23(b)). The transition result stops on the valid line when a miss occurs in the game in which the push order bell is won. In addition, if a BB win is not achieved in a game in which a BB win flag is set, i.e., if the BB win flag is carried over, the game state transitions to the normal game state, and if a BB win is achieved in a game in which a BB win flag is set, the game state transitions to the BB state.

When the game state is in the third RT state, the game state transitions to the second RT state by the establishment of the third replay winning. In addition, when the second replay winning is established and when the transition result stops on the winning line, the game state transitions to the first RT state. The third replay winning is established when BAR Replay 1 or BAR Replay 2 is won and the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in a predetermined operation sequence (see FIG. 23(c)). The second replay winning is established when any of Fall Replay 1 to Fall Replay 3 is won and the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in a predetermined operation sequence (see FIG. 23(b)). The transition result stops on the winning line when a miss occurs in the game where the push order bell is won. In addition, if the corresponding BB win is not achieved in the game in which the winning flag is set, i.e., if the BB winning flag is carried over, the game state transitions to the normal game state, and if the corresponding BB win is achieved in the game in which the BB winning flag is set, the game state transitions to the BB state.

Incidentally, when each BB winning flag is carried over, a carryover lottery table (not shown) is used as the lottery table in the lottery process (Fig. 16). In this carryover lottery table, the PV values of IV1 to 22 are the same as the PV values of IV1 to 22 in the lottery table for normal game mode (Fig. 17), and the PV values from IV23 onwards are set to 0. In other words, in the carryover lottery table, bonuses and minor roles that overlap with bonuses cannot be won.

In this slot machine 10, the main control unit 101 manages six game states: normal game state, first RT state, second RT state, third RT state, BB state, and CB state, and also manages five display modes, broadly classified as normal mode, challenge mode, attack mode, VB mode (including a special zone for adding extra bonuses), and BB mode.

Figure 30 shows the transition between display modes.

The BB mode is a display mode that is entered when the first BB win or the second BB win is achieved, and ends when the BB state ends. In other words, the BB mode is a display mode that corresponds to the BB state. Therefore, when entering the BB mode, the player can expect an increase of approximately 144 medals.

When transitioning from normal mode or challenge mode to BB mode, a lottery for transitioning to challenge mode and a lottery for transitioning to attack mode are held in the BB mode. If the transition lottery for transitioning to attack mode is won, transition to attack mode will occur after the BB mode ends, and if the transition lottery for transitioning to challenge mode is won, transition to challenge mode will occur after the BB mode ends. If neither transition lottery is won, transition to normal mode will occur after the BB mode ends. If transitioning from attack mode to BB mode, return to attack mode after the BB mode ends. If transitioning from VB mode to BB mode, return to VB mode after the BB mode ends.

Normal mode is a display mode in which the operation order of the stop switches 42-44 is not announced when the push order bell is won, or when 1st promotion replay 1 to 1st promotion replay 4, fall replay 1 to fall replay 3, 2nd promotion replay 1, 2nd promotion replay 2, BAR replay 1, and BAR replay 2 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "push order replays") are won. In normal mode, a lottery for transition to challenge mode and a lottery for transition to attack mode are held. If the lottery for transition to challenge mode is won, the mode transitions from normal mode to challenge mode, and if the lottery for transition to attack mode is won, the mode transitions from normal mode to attack mode. There is no transition to VB mode from normal mode.

The normal mode corresponds to each of the game states of the normal game state, the first RT state, the second RT state, the third RT state, and the CB state. However, in the normal mode, when the push order bell is won and when the push order replay is won, the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 is not notified, so it is rare to transition to the second RT state or the third RT state, and it corresponds almost entirely to the normal game state or the first RT state. In the normal mode, if the game state at that time is the normal game state or the first RT state, it can be expected that approximately 1.59 medals will be lost for each game played, and if the game state at that time is the second RT state or the third RT state, it can be expected that approximately 0.06 medals will be lost for each game played.

The challenge mode is a display mode in which the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44 is not notified when the push order bell or push order replay is won, just like the normal mode. In the challenge mode, a lottery is held to determine whether to switch to the attack mode. However, the probability of winning the lottery to switch to the attack mode in the challenge mode is set higher than the probability of winning the lottery to switch to the attack mode in the normal mode. In other words, the challenge mode is set as a mode in which it is easy to switch to the attack mode, although the operation sequence is not notified, just like the normal mode. If the lottery to switch to the attack mode is won, the mode switches from the challenge mode to the attack mode. If the game is played a predetermined number of times (e.g., 10 times) without winning the above-mentioned lottery to switch, the mode switches from the challenge mode to the normal mode. There is no transition to the VB mode from the challenge mode.

The challenge mode corresponds to each of the game states of the normal game state, the first RT state, the second RT state, the third RT state, and the CB state. However, in the challenge mode, since the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44 is not notified when a push order replay is won, it rarely transitions to the second RT state or the third RT state, and it almost always corresponds to the normal game state or the first RT state. In the challenge mode, if the game state at that time is the normal game state or the first RT state, it can be expected that approximately 1.59 medals will be lost for each game played, and if the game state at that time is the second RT state or the third RT state, it can be expected that approximately 0.06 medals will be lost for each game played.

The attack mode is a display mode in which the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44 is announced both when the push order bell is won and when the push order replay is won. The attack mode is made up of four attack modes, the first attack mode to the fourth attack mode, which have different probabilities of transitioning to the VB mode, and the probability of transitioning to the VB mode is higher in each attack mode than in the normal mode. If the transition lottery to the VB mode is won, the mode transitions from the attack mode to the VB mode. If the game is played a predetermined number of times (e.g. 50 times) without winning the transition lottery to the VB mode, the mode transitions from the attack mode to the normal mode.

The first attack mode to the fourth attack mode are set to have different probabilities of winning the lottery to transition to VB mode. More specifically, the probability of winning the lottery to transition to VB mode is set to be highest for the fourth attack mode and lowest for the first attack mode, and the probability of winning the lottery to transition to VB mode is set to increase in the order of the first attack mode, the second attack mode, the third attack mode, and the fourth attack mode.

The attack mode corresponds to each of the game states of the normal game state, the first RT state, the second RT state, the third RT state, and the CB state. However, in the attack mode, the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44 is notified in both the case of winning the push order bell and the case of winning the push order replay, so if the player operates the stop switches 42 to 44 in the notified operation sequence, it corresponds to approximately the second RT state. In the attack mode, if the game state at that time is the normal game state or the first RT state, it is expected that the number of medals will increase by about 0.61 per game, and if the game state at that time is the second RT state or the third RT state, it is expected that the number of medals will increase by about 1.90 per game. Since the attack mode continues for at least 50 games after the game state transitions to the second RT state, when the attack mode is entered, the player can expect an increase of about 100 medals.

VB mode, like attack mode, is a display mode in which the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44 is announced when the push order bell is won and when the push order replay is won. The difference between VB mode and attack mode is that when the second promotion replay 1 or second promotion replay 2 is won, the attack mode announces the operation sequence for achieving the first replay win, whereas the VB mode announces the operation sequence for achieving the fourth replay win or the fifth replay win (see FIG. 23(b)).

The VB mode corresponds to each of the game states of the normal game state, the first RT state, the second RT state, the third RT state, and the CB state. However, in the VB mode, the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44 is notified in both the case of winning the push order bell and the case of winning the push order replay, and the operation sequence for establishing the fourth replay prize or the fifth replay prize in the case of winning the second promotion replay 1 or the second promotion replay 2 is notified. Therefore, the VB mode corresponds to the third RT state when the player operates the stop switches 42 to 44 in the notified operation sequence. In the VB mode, if the game state at that time is the normal game state or the first RT state, it is expected that the number of medals will increase by about 0.61 for each game, and if the game state at that time is the second RT state or the third RT state, it is expected that the number of medals will increase by about 1.90 for each game. In VB mode, the game state continues for at least 25 games after transitioning to the third RT state, so when transitioning to VB mode, players can expect to gain an additional 50 medals.

Regarding the transition of display modes when the number of medals owned by a player increases, the general flow is to transition from normal mode to challenge mode, from challenge mode to attack mode, and then back from attack mode to normal mode. In attack mode, a lottery is held to transition to VB mode, so if a loop occurs in which attack mode transitions to VB mode and then back to attack mode, the player can expect to increase the number of medals owned.

As mentioned above, when comparing normal mode and challenge mode, the probability of winning the lottery to switch to attack mode is set to be higher in challenge mode than in normal mode. Therefore, challenge mode is also called a chance zone that creates hope for switching to attack mode.

In addition, the attack mode is set to the first attack mode to the fourth attack mode, and the probability of winning the lottery for transition to the VB mode differs for each attack mode. When transitioning from the normal mode or the challenge mode to the attack mode, the mode basically transitions to the first attack mode. In the first attack mode, a lottery for transition to the VB mode is held, and a lottery for transition to the second attack mode is held. If the lottery for transition to the second attack mode is won, the mode transitions to the second attack mode, and the probability of winning the lottery for transition to the VB mode increases. In the second attack mode, a lottery for transition to the VB mode is held, and a lottery for transition to the third attack mode is held. If the lottery for transition to the third attack mode is won, the mode transitions to the third attack mode, and the probability of winning the lottery for transition to the VB mode increases. In the third attack mode, a lottery for transition to the VB mode is held, and a lottery for transition to the fourth attack mode is held. If you win the lottery to transition to the 4th attack mode, you will transition to the 4th attack mode, and your chances of winning the lottery to transition to the VB mode will increase.

Therefore, when transitioning to attack mode, the attack mode is promoted from first attack mode → second attack mode → third attack mode → fourth attack mode, increasing the probability of transitioning to VB mode, making it easier for a loop between attack mode and VB mode to occur.

As described above, the slot machine 10 is configured so that the player can increase the number of medals owned in each of the display modes, attack mode, VB mode, and BB mode. In addition, in conjunction with each display mode, multiple RT states and multiple states such as BB state and CB state are switched back and forth depending on the winning of each replay or the stopping of the transition result. As described above, when the push order replay is won or the push order bell is won, the corresponding replay winning is achieved or the transition result is stopped depending on the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 43. Also, in the attack mode and VB mode, when the push order bell is won, the operation sequence that can achieve the first minor prize is announced, so that the player can expect to increase the number of medals owned.

The display mode configuration is explained below.

The configurations related to the display modes are broadly divided into (1) processing related to the lottery for switching between display modes, (2) processing for switching the game state based on the results of the lottery for switching between display modes, (3) processing for switching the display mode based on the winning result, and (4) processing related to the notification effects on the sub side. Each will be explained in order below.

<Processing for lottery for switching display modes>
<Lottery result processing>
The process related to the display mode transition lottery in (1) is performed in the lottery result response process (step S310) of the lottery process (FIG. 16) by the main control device 101. Hereinafter, the lottery result response process will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

In step S701, it is determined whether the current lottery result is a strong cherry, a weak cherry, a watermelon, chance A, B and a middle bell, strong cherry overlap 1, 2, weak cherry overlap 1, 2, watermelon overlap 1, 2, chance A overlap 1, 2, chance B overlap 1, 2, middle bell overlap 1, 2 (for example, see FIG. 17, IV=13-18, 31-42, hereinafter, these roles are collectively referred to as "special roles"). If the lottery result is a special role, processing for switching the display mode based on the special role is executed in steps S702 to S708. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S701 that a special role has not been won, processing for switching the display mode is executed in steps S709 to S712.

Specifically, if it is determined in step S701 that a specific role has been won, it is determined in step S702 whether the current game state is the normal game state or the first RT state. If a positive determination is made in step S702, it is determined in step S703 whether an attack mode win flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106. The attack mode win flag is a flag that is set when the attack mode transition lottery is won and is cleared when transitioning to the attack mode. If a negative determination is made in step S703, the first specific role process is executed in step S704.

<First specific role processing>
The first specific role processing will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Here, the first specific role processing is performed when the player is in the normal game state or the first RT state and has not won the attack mode. The display mode in this case corresponds to the normal mode or the challenge mode. In the first specific role processing, a transition lottery is performed to determine whether or not the display mode should be transitioned to the challenge mode, and a transition lottery is performed to determine whether or not the display mode should be transitioned to the attack mode. In addition, in the first specific role processing, if the current display mode is the challenge mode, a process is performed to add to the number of continued games in the challenge mode.

That is, in step S801, it is determined whether the current display mode is in the challenge mode or not. When the current display mode is not in the challenge mode, it means that the current display mode is the normal mode. If the determination is negative in step S801, in step S802, a normal time table is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105 as a table for the attack mode lottery. On the other hand, if the determination is positive in step S801, in step S803, a chance mode table is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105 as a table for the attack mode lottery. In the normal time table and the chance mode table, the probability of transition to the attack mode is set according to the type of specific combination. For example, between strong cherries and weak cherries, the probability of transition to the attack mode is set higher for strong cherries than for weak cherries. In addition, the probability of transition to the attack mode is generally different between the normal time table and the chance mode table, and it is set so that the probability of transition to the attack mode is higher for the chance mode table than for the normal time table.

After the table for the attack mode transition lottery is acquired in step S802 or step S803, the attack mode lottery process is executed in step S804. In this process, the lottery counter is acquired from the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106, and the lottery counter is compared with the lottery table acquired in step S802 or step S803 to perform the lottery for transition to the attack mode.

In step S805, it is determined whether or not the lottery for switching to attack mode has been won based on the processing result of step S804. If the lottery for switching to attack mode has been won, in step S806, a process for setting the attack mode winning flag is performed.

In the next step S807, it is determined whether or not the bonus winning flag is set. If the determination in step S807 is negative, in step S808, a lottery process is performed to determine the number of premonition games. In this embodiment, if the transition lottery to challenge mode, attack mode, or VB mode is won as the transition lottery for the display mode, a notification that the transition lottery has been won is made after passing through the premonition mode. Therefore, the game in which the transition lottery has been won and the game in which the notification that the transition lottery has been won may differ, and the period from the game in which the transition lottery has been won to the game in which the notification of the transition lottery is made is set as the premonition mode.

The number of premonition games is set to 1 to 32, and in step S808, one of these 1 to 32 is randomly selected by lottery. The number of premonition games selected may be set to vary depending on the specific role that triggered the winning of the attack mode or the game state. This is the same for the lottery process for the other premonition game numbers.

In step S809, based on the processing result of step S808, a process is performed in which the number of premonition games is input to the premonition counter provided in the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. The premonition counter is a counter that is decremented by one for each game, and when the premonition counter reaches 0, the premonition mode ends and a notification is issued that the transition lottery has been won.

In step S810, a process is executed to set the premonition command as an output target to the sub-control device 81. The premonition command includes information on the lottery result that triggered the premonition mode (the display mode to be transitioned to after the premonition mode, in the case of step S810 above, attack mode) and the number of premonition games. The process on the sub-control device 81 side based on receiving the premonition command will be explained in detail later. After the process of step S810 is executed, the first specific role process is terminated.

In addition, if the bonus win flag is set in step S807, the first specific role processing ends without setting the premonition game count, etc. The bonus win flag is set when a specific role is won in the carryover state of the first BB or second BB and the lottery for transitioning to attack mode is won, or when a role overlapping with a bonus (strong cherry overlap 1, 2, etc.) wins the lottery for transitioning to attack mode. In this case, BB mode is prioritized as the display mode transition destination, rather than attack mode.

If it is determined in step S805 that the lottery for transition to the attack mode has not been won, the process proceeds to step S811. In step S811, a challenge mode lottery process is executed. In the challenge mode lottery process, a table for the challenge mode lottery is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105, and a counter for the lottery is obtained from the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. The table for the challenge mode lottery has a probability of transition to the challenge mode set according to the type of specific combination. For example, between a strong cherry and a weak cherry, the probability of transition to the challenge mode is set higher for the strong cherry than for the weak cherry.

The case where step S811 is performed includes a case where the display mode is the challenge mode. In this case, too, the challenge mode lottery process is executed in step S811, and the lottery table is a common table for the normal mode and the challenge mode. Note that, as in steps S801 to 803, the lottery table may be different depending on whether or not the game is in the challenge mode.

In step S812, it is determined whether or not the challenge mode has been selected based on the processing result of step S811. If it is determined that the challenge mode has been selected, in step S813, it is determined whether or not the current display mode is the challenge mode. If it is the normal mode and not the challenge mode, in step S814, a process is executed to set a challenge mode selection flag in the various flags storage area 106d of the RAM 106.

In the following step S815, it is determined whether or not the bonus winning flag is set, and if it is set, the first specific role processing ends. If it is not set, a lottery process for the number of premonition games is executed in step S816, a process for setting the number of premonition games in the premonition counter is executed in step S817, a process for setting the premonition command is executed in step S818, and then the first specific role processing ends. The processes in steps S815 to S818 correspond to steps S807 to S810.

If it is determined in step S813 that the player has been selected to play in challenge mode again during the challenge mode, processing for adding to the number of continued games in the challenge mode is performed in steps S819 to S823. That is, in step S819, it is determined whether or not the bonus win flag is set. If the bonus win flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S820, and a lottery process for the number of games to be added to the challenge mode is performed.

Here, "adding" refers to adding the number of continuing games in challenge mode or attack mode, and the number of added games corresponds to the value to be added to the number of continuing games. In step S820, the value to be added to the number of continuing games in challenge mode is determined by lottery.

Specifically, in the lottery process for the number of added games, a table for lottery of the number of added games in challenge mode is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105, and a counter for the lottery is obtained from the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. The table for lottery of the number of added games in challenge mode is set so that the number of added games increases according to the type of specific role. For example, a strong cherry adds 30 challenge mode games with an 80% probability, and 50 games with a 20% probability. Also, a weak cherry adds 5 games with an 80% probability, and 20 games with a 20% probability.

In step S821, a process of adding the number of games in the challenge mode is performed. In this process, a process of adding a value corresponding to the number of added games drawn in step S820 to a counter that manages the number of continued games in the challenge mode (more specifically, a challenge mode continuation counter provided in the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106) is performed. Then, in step S822, a process of setting the add-on command as an output target to the sub-control device 81 is performed, and then this first specific role process is terminated. The add-on command contains information that an add-on has occurred, the number of added games, and the target for the add-on (challenge mode or attack mode). The process on the sub-control device 81 side that receives the add-on command will be explained in detail later, but the sub-control device 81 performs an add-on notification (add-on performance) as a notification of the information contained in the add-on command based on the reception of the add-on command.

If the bonus win flag is set in step S819, proceed to step S823. In step S823, a challenge mode addition flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106, and then the first specific role processing is terminated. The challenge mode addition flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to know that the condition for adding the number of games in the challenge mode has been met. Details will be described later, but if the bonus ends while the challenge mode addition flag is set, the challenge mode is added at the end of the bonus.

Returning to the explanation of the lottery result response process (FIG. 31), if a negative judgment is made in step S702 or a positive judgment is made in step S703, the process proceeds to step S705. In step S705, it is determined whether or not the current game state is the second RT state. If it is the second RT state, it is determined in step S706 whether or not a VB mode win flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106. The VB mode win flag is a flag that is set when the VB mode transition lottery is won and is cleared when transitioning to the VB mode. If a negative judgment is made in step S706, a second specific role process is executed in step S707. Also, if a negative judgment is made in step S705 or a positive judgment is made in step S706, a third specific role process is executed in step S708.

<Second specific role processing>
The second specific combination processing will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The second specific role processing is performed when the player is in the second RT state and has not won the VB mode. In this case, the display mode corresponds to the attack mode. In the second specific role processing, a lottery is performed to determine whether or not the display mode should be switched to the VB mode. In addition, in the second specific role processing, a lottery is performed to upgrade the rank of the attack mode, and a process is performed to increase the number of continuing games in the attack mode.

That is, in step S901, a process is performed to determine the rank of the attack mode. As already explained, in this embodiment, four attack mode ranks are provided, from the first attack mode to the fourth attack mode, and the probability of transitioning to the VB mode differs for each rank. Therefore, in step S901, it is determined whether the rank of the current attack mode is the first attack mode, the second attack mode, or the fourth attack mode.

In step S902, a VB mode lottery table corresponding to the rank of the attack mode grasped in step S901 is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105. In the VB mode lottery table, the probability of transition to the VB mode is set according to the type of specific combination. For example, the probability of transition to the VB mode is set higher for strong cherries than for weak cherries. In addition, in the VB mode lottery table for each rank, the probability of transition to the VB mode is generally different, and is set so that the probability of transition to the VB mode is higher for the second attack mode than for the first attack mode, the probability of transition to the VB mode is higher for the third attack mode than for the second attack mode, and the probability of transition to the VB mode is higher for the fourth attack mode than for the third attack mode.

In step S903, a lottery for switching to VB mode is performed using the table acquired in step S902 and the lottery counter acquired from the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. Then, in step S904, it is determined whether the lottery result in step S903 corresponds to winning the VB mode.

If the result of the determination in step S904 is positive, a process of setting a VB mode winning flag in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106 is performed in step S905. Thereafter, in steps S906 to S909, a process for setting the premonition game number is performed in the same manner as in steps S807 to S810. That is, in step S906, it is determined whether or not the bonus winning flag is set, and if it is set, the second specific combination process is terminated. If it is not set, a lottery process for the premonition game number is performed in step S907, a process for setting the premonition game number in the premonition counter is performed in step S908, and a process for setting the premonition command is performed in step S909, after which the second specific combination process is terminated.

If it is determined in step S904 that the result of the VB mode lottery process is not a VB mode win, the process proceeds to step S910. Steps S910 to S913 are processes for promoting the rank of the attack mode.

In step S910, an attack mode promotion lottery process is performed. In this process, a table for the promotion lottery is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105, and a counter for the lottery is obtained from the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. There are multiple tables for the promotion lottery according to the rank of the attack mode, and specifically, there are three tables for the first attack mode, a table for the second attack mode, and a table for the third attack mode (promotion lottery is not performed when the player is in the fourth attack mode). In each table, the probability of winning the promotion lottery is set according to the type of specific role. For example, the probability of winning the promotion lottery is set higher for strong cherries than for weak cherries. Additionally, the tables for each attack mode are set so that the table for the second attack mode has a lower promotion probability than the table for the first attack mode, and the table for the third attack mode has a lower promotion probability than the table for the second attack mode, so that as the attack mode rank is promoted, it becomes more difficult to be promoted to the next rank.

In step S911, it is determined whether the result of the lottery in step S910 was a promotion win. If a promotion win was found, in step S912, attack mode promotion processing is performed. In this processing, the rank flag provided in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106 is rewritten from the rank flag corresponding to the current attack mode rank to a rank flag one rank higher. Then, in step S913, a promotion command is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81. The promotion command contains information on the attack mode to be promoted to. The sub-control device 81 that receives the promotion command controls the display control device 201 and the sound source IC to perform the performance for the attack mode of the rank to be promoted to. As an attack mode effect on the liquid crystal display device 65, for example, a different background color effect is set depending on the rank of the attack mode, and when the sub-control device 81 receives the above promotion command, it notifies the user that the attack mode rank has been promoted, and controls the display control device 201 to perform an attack mode effect with a background color that corresponds to the promoted rank.

If it is determined in step S911 that the player has not won the promotion lottery, or after the processing of step S913 has been executed, processing is performed in steps S915 to S920 to increase the number of continuing games in attack mode.

That is, in step S914, a lottery process for adding on the number of games in attack mode is performed. In this lottery process, a table for the attack mode add-on lottery is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105, and a counter for the lottery is obtained from the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. The table for the attack mode add-on lottery is set so that the probability of winning the add-on lottery differs depending on the type of specific role. For example, a strong cherry has an 80% probability of winning the add-on lottery, and a weak cherry has a 20% probability of winning the add-on lottery. The probability of winning may differ depending on the rank of the attack mode. Then, in step S915, it is determined whether or not the add-on lottery has been won. If it is determined that the add-on lottery has not been won, the second specific role process is terminated.

If it is determined that the additional lottery has been won, in step S916, it is determined whether or not the bonus winning flag is set. If the bonus winning flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S917, where a lottery process for the number of additional games in attack mode is performed. In this lottery process for the number of additional games, a table for lottery for the number of additional games in attack mode is obtained from the various table storage area 105a of the ROM 105, and a counter for the lottery is obtained from the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. The table for lottery for the number of additional games in attack mode is set so that the number of additional games differs depending on the type of specific combination. For example, with a strong cherry, 20 games of attack mode are added with a 90% probability, and 80 games are added with a 10% probability. Also, with a weak cherry, 5 games are added with a 95% probability, and 100 games are added with a 5% probability.

In step S918, a process of adding the number of games in attack mode is performed. In this process, a value corresponding to the number of added games drawn in step S917 is added to a counter that manages the number of continued games in attack mode (more specifically, an attack mode continuation counter provided in various counter area 106e of RAM 106). Then, in step S919, a process of setting the add-on command as an output target to the sub-control device 81 is performed, and then this second specific role process is terminated.

If the bonus win flag is set in step S916, the process proceeds to step S920. In step S920, an attack mode addition flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106, and then the second specific combination process is terminated. The attack mode addition flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to know that the condition for adding the number of games in the attack mode has been met. As will be described in more detail below, if the bonus ends while the attack mode addition flag is set, the attack mode is added at the end of the bonus.

<Third specific role processing>
Next, the third specific combination process executed in step S708 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The third specific combination process is performed when the player is in the third RT state, or when the player is in the second RT state and has won the VB mode. In this case, the display mode corresponds to the attack mode or the VB mode. The third specific combination process performs a process to add to the number of continuing games in the attack mode.

That is, in step S1001, a lottery process for adding the number of games in the attack mode is performed. This process is similar to the process in step S914. Note that the probability of winning the additional lottery may be different between the lottery process in step S914 and the lottery process in step S1001.

In step S1002, it is determined whether the result of the lottery in step S1001 was a winning result for the additional bonus. If it is determined that the additional bonus lottery has been won, in step S1003, it is determined whether the bonus winning flag is set. If the bonus winning flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S1004, where a lottery process for the number of additional bonus games in attack mode is performed. Then, in step S1005, the number of games in attack mode is added, and in step S1006, the process of setting the additional bonus command as an output target to the sub-control device 81 is performed, and then the third specific role process is terminated. The processes in steps S1003 to S1006 are the same as the processes in steps S916 to S919. The number of additional bonus games may be different in the lottery process in step S916 and the lottery process in step S1004.

If the result of step S1002 is negative, the third specific combination process is terminated. If the result of step S1003 is that the bonus win flag is set, the attack mode add-on flag is set in step S1007, and the third specific combination process is terminated. The attack mode add-on flag is as described above.

Returning to the explanation of the lottery result response process (Figure 31), if it is determined in step S701 that the result of this lottery process is not a win for a specific role, it is determined in step S709 whether or not the result of this lottery process is a win for a push order replay or a push order bell (hereinafter, these are also collectively referred to as "push order roles"). If a push order role is a win, push order role processing is executed in step S710. Such push order role processing will be explained in detail later.

After executing any of the processes of steps S704, S707, S708, and S710, or after a negative judgment in step S709, the process proceeds to step S711. In step S711, it is judged whether or not a specialized zone flag corresponding to the added specialized zone is set in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106. The specialized zone flag is a flag that is set based on the establishment of the seventh replay winning, and the added specialized zone indicates a state in which the number of continued games in the attack zone is added with a high probability over multiple games. If the specialized zone flag is set in step S711, specialized zone processing is executed in step S712. The specialized zone flag, specialized zone, and specialized zone processing will be described in detail later. If a negative judgment is made in step S711, or after the processing of step S712 is executed, this lottery result response processing is terminated.

As described above, if the lottery result response process determines that a specific role has been won, a lottery for transition to challenge mode, attack mode, or VB mode, and processing for adding to the number of continuing games in challenge mode or attack mode, etc. are performed. If the lottery for transition to challenge mode, attack mode, or VB mode is won, a premonition game will be played and then a notification that the transition lottery has been won will be made. Therefore, the process for transitioning the game state based on the result of the display mode transition lottery will be explained below.

<Process for transitioning game state based on result of lottery for transition of display mode>
(2) In the process for shifting the game state based on the result of the lottery for shifting the display mode, a process for notifying the winning of the lottery for shifting the display mode and a process for notifying the winning of the lottery for shifting the game state are performed. First, the process for notifying the winning of the lottery for shifting the display mode will be described.

<Mode transition notification process>
The notification of winning the transition lottery is performed in the mode transition notification process (step S206) in the normal process (FIG. 15). The mode transition notification process is performed when a predetermined betting operation is performed (when it is determined that the number of bets in step S205 is the specified number). The mode transition notification process will be described below with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

In step S1101, it is determined whether the number of premonition games is 0. The number of premonition games is counted in the winning result corresponding process described below, and the number of premonition games is decremented by 1 each time a game is played. If the number of premonition games is not 0, the mode transition notification process is terminated.

If the number of premonition games is 0, in step S1102, it is determined whether or not the challenge mode win flag is set. In other words, it is determined whether or not the current premonition mode was a premonition mode triggered by a challenge mode win. If the challenge mode win flag is set, in step S1103, the challenge mode win flag is cleared. Then, in step S1104, a challenge mode flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106. The challenge mode flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to know that the current display mode is the challenge mode. In step S1105, a challenge mode start command is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81. The sub-control device 81 that has received the challenge mode start command notifies the user that the challenge mode is about to start by the liquid crystal display device 65 or the like. Such notification will be described in detail later.

Then, in step S1106, counting the number of times the challenge mode will continue is started. Specifically, an initial value (e.g., 10) for the number of games to continue in the challenge mode is set in the challenge mode continuation counter provided in the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106. After the processing of step S1106 is performed, the processing for notifying the transition to this mode is terminated.

If it is determined in step S1102 that the challenge mode winning flag is not set, it is determined in step S1107 whether or not the attack mode winning flag is set. In other words, it is determined whether or not the present premonition mode was a premonition mode triggered by the winning of the attack mode. If the attack mode winning flag is set, the attack mode winning flag is cleared in step S1108. Then, in step S1109, an attack notification flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106. The attack notification flag is a flag for transitioning the game state to the second RT state in response to the winning of the attack mode transition lottery. Then, in step S1110, an attack mode winning notification command is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81. The sub-control device 81 that has received the attack mode winning notification command notifies the user of the winning of the attack mode transition lottery by the liquid crystal display device 65 or the like. Such notification will be described in detail later. After executing step S1110, the mode transition notification process ends.

If it is determined in step S1107 that the attack mode winning flag is not set, it is determined in step S1111 whether or not the VB mode winning flag is set. In other words, it is determined whether or not the present premonition mode was a premonition mode triggered by the winning of the VB mode. If the attack mode winning flag is set, the VB mode winning flag is cleared in step S1112. Then, in step S1113, a VB notification flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of the RAM 106. The VB notification flag is a flag for transitioning the game state to the third RT state in response to the winning of the VB mode transition lottery. Then, in step S1114, a VB mode winning notification command is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81. The sub-control device 81 that has received the VB mode winning notification command notifies the player that the VB mode transition lottery has been won by the liquid crystal display device 65 or the like. Such notification will be described in detail later. After executing the process of step S1114, this mode transition notification process ends. Also, if it is determined in step S1111 that the VB mode winning flag is not set, the mode transition notification process ends.

That is, of the challenge mode, attack mode, and VB mode, which are transitioned through the premonition mode, the challenge mode is initiated based on the betting operation when the premonition game count in the premonition mode reaches 0. On the other hand, for the attack mode and VB mode, only a notification that the attack mode transition lottery or the VB mode transition lottery has been won is made based on the betting operation when the premonition game count in the premonition mode reaches 0, and the attack mode or VB mode does not start even if the premonition game count reaches 0. This is due to the difference that the challenge mode as a display mode does not involve a transition in the game state, while the attack mode and VB mode involve a transition in the game state; specifically, the attack mode is initiated by transitioning to the second RT state, and the VB mode is initiated by transitioning to the third RT state.

As already explained, the second RT state is entered when the first promotion replays 1 to 4 are won and the third replay win is established, and the third RT state is entered when the second promotion replays 1 and 2 are won and the fourth and fifth replay wins are established. And when the first promotion replays 1 to 4 are won and the third replay win is established, or when the second promotion replays 1 and 2 are won and the fourth and fifth replay wins are established, it is the case that the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44 at the time of winning these promotion replays corresponds to the third replay win, etc. Therefore, when the transition lottery to the attack mode or VB mode is won, the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44 is notified in the game in which the role that will transition to these game states is won, and the game state can be transitioned. In addition, from the time when a notification is given that the player has won the lottery to switch to attack mode or VB mode, until the attack mode or VB mode starts (until the game state switches), a notification of the preparation state (for example, a notification that says "preparing") is given.

<Explanation about display mode transition>
The notification process for changing the game state is performed in the push order role process (step S710) in the lottery result corresponding process (FIG. 31). Prior to the explanation of the push order role process, an overview of the case where the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44 is notified will be explained with reference to FIG.

＜Outline of the push order announcement＞
Notification of the operation sequence when the push order role is won (push order notification performance) is mainly performed by the liquid crystal display device 65 and the push order notification unit 68. Here, an example will be described in which the operation sequence to be notified this time is center → right → left, and the push order role is won.

As shown in FIG. 36(a), on the liquid crystal display device 65, of the three parallel button displays corresponding to the stop switches 42 to 44, the button display corresponding to the stop switch to be operated first (the middle button display corresponding to the middle stop switch 43 in the figure) is marked with the number 1 and displayed larger than the other button displays. Also, each button display is displayed in a color corresponding to the winning role (yellow for bell, blue for replay, etc.). This allows the player to recognize the winning role in the current game and that the stop switch to be operated first is the middle stop switch 43. Also, on the liquid crystal display device 65, the right button display is displayed with the number 2 and the left button display is displayed with the number 3 to indicate that the next stop switch to be operated is the right stop switch 44 and the last stop switch to be operated is the left stop switch 42.

In the push order notification unit 68, three LED lamps 68a, 68b, and 68c are arranged side by side to correspond to the stop switches 42 to 44. The middle LED lamp 68b lights up, and the left and right LED lamps 68a and 68c turn off. This allows the player to know that the first stop switch to be operated in this game is the middle stop switch 43. The push order notification unit 68 may also be configured to notify the winning combination along with the push order by changing the color of the LED lamps that are turned on. Also, the LED lamps corresponding to the second and subsequent operations may be lit in different colors or flash so that the second and subsequent stop switches to be operated can be recognized.

When the player operates the middle stop switch 43, as shown in FIG. 36(b), the center button display corresponding to the middle stop switch 43 disappears on the liquid crystal display device 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.

In the push order notification section 68, the middle LED lamp 68b goes out and the right LED lamp 68c goes on (the left LED lamp 68a remains off). This allows the player to recognize that the operation of the middle stop switch 43 is complete, and that the next stop switch to be operated is the right stop switch 44.

When the player operates the right stop switch 44, as shown in FIG. 36(c), the right button display corresponding to the right stop switch 44 disappears on the liquid crystal display device 65, and the left button display corresponding to the left stop switch 42 is displayed large. 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.

In the push order notification section 68, the right LED lamp 68c goes out and the left LED lamp 68a goes on (the middle LED lamp 68b remains off). This allows the player to recognize that the operation of the right stop switch 44 is complete, and that the next stop switch to be operated is the left stop switch 42.

To explain the timing of the push order notification effect, it is set to be executed during the inactive period of the stop switches 42 to 44 from when the rotation of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R starts, through the acceleration period, until the reels reach constant speed rotation. By configuring the push order notification effect to be executed at a timing before the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44 becomes effective in this way, it is possible for the player to recognize the operation sequence of the stop switches 42 to 44 before operating the stop switches 42 to 44 as desired, allowing the game to progress at a good tempo.

<Push order processing>
Next, the push order role processing executed in step S710 in the lottery result response processing (Figure 31) will be explained with reference to the flowchart of Figure 37.

In step S1201, it is determined whether the current lottery result is any one of the first promotion replays 1 to 4. A positive determination is made in step S1201 when the first replay or the third replay wins, depending on the operation sequence of the current game. In this case, the process proceeds to step S1202, where it is determined whether an attack notification flag has been set in the various flags storage area 106d of RAM 106. As already explained, the attack notification flag is a flag that is set when the number of premonition games in the premonition mode becomes 0 after winning the lottery to transition to the attack mode in the mode transition notification process (Figure 35).

If the attack notification flag is set, in step S1203, processing for notifying the push order for the third replay is executed. Specifically, of the first and third replays, the operation sequence corresponding to the third replay winning is notified (see FIG. 23(a)). Then, in step S1204, processing is performed to set the push order notification command as an output target to the sub-control device 81, and then this push order role processing is terminated. The push order notification command contains information on the current display mode and information on the lottery result. The processing on the sub-control device 81 side based on receiving the push order notification command will be explained in detail later.

Note that the case where the operation sequence corresponding to the third replay winning is notified in step S1203 is basically assumed to be after the lottery for transition to attack mode is won, and the winning notification for attack mode is made after passing through the premonition mode, but before the transition to attack mode. In other words, the lottery table in the second RT state and the third RT state is designed so that the first promotion replays 1 to 4 cannot be won, and the first promotion replays 1 to 4 can only be won in the first RT state. However, even after transitioning to attack mode, there are cases where the game state falls from the second RT state to the first RT state, and even in such a case, it is possible to quickly return to the second RT state by winning the first promotion replays 1 to 4.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1201, then in step S1205 it is judged whether the current lottery result is any of Fall Replays 1 to 3. A positive judgment is made in step S1205 when the first replay or the second replay wins based on the operation sequence of the current game. In this case, in step S1206 it is judged whether the attack notification flag is set. If the attack notification flag is set, then in step S1207 processing for the push order notification for the first replay is executed. Specifically, out of the first replay and the second replay, the operation sequence corresponding to the first replay winning is notified (see FIG. 23(b)). Thereafter, in step S1208, a push order notification command is set, and then this push order processing is terminated.

In this way, if the first promotion replays 1 to 4 are won in a situation where the transition lottery to attack mode has been won, the operation sequence corresponding to the third replay win is notified, making it possible to transition the game state to the second RT state. On the other hand, if a negative judgment is made in step S1202, the push order role processing ends without performing the process for the push order notification. Therefore, for example, even if the first promotion replays 1 to 4 are won without winning attack mode in the first RT state, there are cases where the first replay win is achieved and cases where the third replay win is achieved.

In addition, if fall replays 1 to 3 are won while the attack notification flag is set, the operation sequence corresponding to the first replay win is notified, making it possible to prevent the game state from transitioning to the first RT state. On the other hand, if a negative judgment is made in step S1206, the push order role processing ends without performing the process for the push order notification. Therefore, for example, when the attack mode ends, the attack notification flag is cleared, and the display mode transitions to the normal mode, the second replay win may be established by winning fall replays 1 to 3, and the RT state will transition from the second RT state to the first RT state.

Also, for example, in the first RT state, if the first promotion replays 1-4 are won without winning the attack mode, and the operation sequence happens to correspond to the third replay win and the third replay win is achieved (even if the state transitions to the second RT state), the second replay win can be achieved by winning the fall replays 1-3. Therefore, as described above, even if the state transitions to the second RT state by chance without winning the attack mode, the state will then promptly transition to the first RT state.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1205, then in step S1209 it is judged whether the current lottery result is either the second promotion replay 1 or 2. A positive judgment is made in step S1209 when the first replay, the fourth replay, or the fifth replay wins depending on the operation sequence of the current game. In this case, in step S1210 it is judged whether the attack notification flag is set. If the attack notification flag is set, then in step S1211 it is judged whether the VB notification flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106. As already explained, the VB notification flag is a flag that is set in the mode transition notification process (FIG. 35) when the number of premonition games in the premonition mode becomes 0 after the transition lottery to the VB mode is won.

If the VB notification flag is set, processing for notifying the push order for the 4th replay or the 5th replay is executed in step S1212. Specifically, among the 1st replay, 4th replay, and 5th replay, the operation sequence corresponding to the 4th replay winning or the 5th replay winning is notified (see FIG. 23(b)). After that, in step S1213, processing is performed to set the push order notification command, and then this push order role processing is terminated.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1210, the push order notification process is not performed and the push order role processing is terminated. On the other hand, if a negative judgment is made in step S1211, the push order notification process for the first replay is executed in step S1207, and the push order notification command is set in step S1208, after which the push order role processing is terminated. Therefore, if the player wins the second promotion replay 1 or 2 without winning the VB mode, if the player is in attack mode, the push order notification effect corresponding to the first replay win is performed, but if the player is not in attack mode, the push order notification effect is not performed.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1209, then in step S1214 it is determined whether the current lottery result is either BAR Replay 1 or 2. A positive judgment is made in step S1214 when, depending on the operation sequence of the current game, any of the first replay, third replay, and sixth replay to eighth replay will win. In this case, in step S1215 it is determined whether the attack notification flag is set. If the attack notification flag is set, then in step S1216 it is determined whether the VB notification flag is set. If the attack notification flag is set and the VB notification flag is set, then in step S1217 processing is executed for notification of the push order for the sixth replay to the eighth replay. Specifically, among the first replay, the third replay, and the sixth replay through the eighth replay, the operation sequence corresponding to the sixth replay winning through the eighth replay winning is notified (see FIG. 23(c)). After that, in step S1218, a push order notification command is set, and then the push order processing is terminated.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1215, the push order notification process is not performed and the push order role processing ends. On the other hand, if a negative judgment is made in step S1216, the push order notification process for the first replay is executed in step S1207, and the push order notification command is set in step S1208, after which the push order role processing ends. Therefore, if BAR replay 1 or 2 is won without winning VB mode, if the player is in attack mode, a push order notification effect corresponding to the first replay win is performed, but if the player is not in attack mode, no push order notification effect is performed.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1214, then in step S1219 it is judged whether or not the current lottery result is a push order bell win. If a push order bell win is made, then in step S1220 it is judged whether or not the current display mode is normal mode or challenge mode. If it is not normal mode or challenge mode, then in step S1221 a push order notification process is executed to notify the operation sequence corresponding to the first minor win (see FIG. 19). Then, in step S1222 a process is executed to set a push order notification command, and then the main push order role process is terminated. If a negative judgment is made in step S1219 or a positive judgment is made in step S1220, the main push order role process is terminated without executing the push order notification process.

<Processing for switching display modes based on winning results>
<Winning Result Processing>
Next, the process when the winning combination corresponding to the transition of the gaming state is won as a result of the notification for transition of the gaming state as described above will be described (3). This process is performed in the winning result corresponding process (step S411) in the reel control process (FIG. 18). The winning result corresponding process will be described below with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

In step S1301, a game count management process is executed. Details will be described later, but in this game count management process, in addition to counting the number of premonition games in the premonition mode, the number of continued games in the challenge mode, attack mode, VB mode, and specialized zone is also counted.

In the following step S1302, it is determined whether or not the current stop result is a third replay winning. As described above, if the third replay winning is established, in the RT state processing (FIG. 21), processing is performed to transition the game state to the second RT state. In this case, in step S1303, it is determined whether or not the attack notification flag is set. If the attack notification flag is set, in step S1304, it is determined whether or not the current display mode is in the attack mode. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the attack mode flag is set in the various flag storage area 106d. The attack mode flag is a flag for the CPU 102 to specify that the display mode is the attack mode. Incidentally, in addition to the attack mode flag, a challenge mode flag, a VB mode flag, a specialized zone flag, and a BB mode flag are provided as flags for specifying the display mode. In this embodiment, when the display mode is a mode (VB mode, added special zone) that corresponds to a higher RT state than the attack mode, the attack mode flag coexists with the corresponding flag of that mode (VB mode flag, special zone flag). Therefore, for example, in step S1304, cases in which it is determined that the attack mode flag is set include when in attack mode, when in VB mode, and when in a special zone.

If the attack mode flag is set in step S1304, the display mode is already attack mode, so this winning result response process ends. On the other hand, if the attack mode flag is not set, processing to start attack mode is performed in steps S1305 to S1307.

That is, in step S1305, the attack mode flag is set. In the following step S1306, the attack mode start command is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81. The sub-control device 81 that receives the attack mode start command notifies the user that the attack mode will start from the next game, using the liquid crystal display device 65 or the like. This notification will be described in detail later. Then, in step S1307, the attack mode continuation number is started to be counted. Specifically, the attack mode continuation counter provided in the various counter area 106e of the RAM 106 is set to an initial value (e.g., 50) for the number of continued games in the attack mode. After the processing of step S1307 is performed, this winning result response processing is terminated.

If it is determined in step S1302 that the third replay win has not been achieved, the process proceeds to step S1308. In step S1308, it is determined whether or not the fourth and fifth replay wins have been achieved as the current stop result. As described above, if the fourth and fifth replay wins have been achieved, the RT state process (FIG. 21) performs processing to transition the game state to the third RT state. In this case, in step S1309, it is determined whether or not the VB notification flag has been set. If the VB notification flag has been set, it is determined whether or not the VB mode flag has been set. If the VB mode flag has been set, the display mode is already VB mode, so this winning result response process is terminated as is. On the other hand, if the VB mode flag has not been set, processing to start the VB mode is performed in steps S1311 to S1313.

That is, in step S1311, a process is performed to set the VB mode flag. In this case, the attack mode flag and the VB mode flag coexist in the various flag storage area 106d. This is because VB mode is a mode that is transitioned to via attack mode, and after VB mode ends, the transition to attack mode is always made.

Then, in step S1312, a VB mode start command is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81. The sub-control device 81 that receives the VB mode start command notifies the user, via the liquid crystal display device 65 or the like, that VB mode will start from the next game. This notification will be described in detail later. Then, in step S1313, counting the number of VB mode continuations is started. Specifically, an initial value (e.g., 60) for the number of continued games in VB mode is set in a VB mode continuation counter provided in the various counter areas 106e of RAM 106. After the processing of step S1313 is performed, this winning result response processing is terminated.

If it is determined in step S1308 that the 4th and 5th replay winnings have not been achieved, the process proceeds to step S1314. In step S1314, it is determined whether or not the 7th replay winnings have been achieved as the current stopping result. In this embodiment, if the 7th replay winnings have been achieved, that is, if the BAR symbol stops in the middle of the left reel 32L, the BAR symbol stops in the middle of the middle reel 32M, and the BAR symbol stops in the middle of the right reel 32R, and the BAR symbol stops on the combination line in the middle, the configuration is such that the system transitions to the add-on special zone. In the add-on special zone, the number of continued games in the attack mode is added not only for specific roles, but also for all roles that can be won (push order roles, specific roles, and bonuses). The seventh replay win occurs when BAR Replay 1 is won, and the stop switches 42-44 are operated in the operation sequence corresponding to the seventh replay win (FIG. 23(c)), and the seventh replay out of the first, sixth, and seventh replays is won in the lottery. For example, when BAR Replay 1 is won, there is a 1 in 20 chance of winning the lottery for the seventh replay.

If the seventh replay win has been achieved, in step S1315, it is determined whether or not the VB notification flag is set. If the VB notification flag is set, in step S1316, a process is performed to set a specialized zone flag in the various flag storage area 106d of RAM 106. The specialized zone flag is a flag that allows the CPU 102 to know that it is the above-mentioned added specialized zone, and when the specialized zone flag is set, the count of the number of continued games in VB mode is stopped. In this case, the attack mode flag, VB mode flag, and specialized zone flag coexist in the various flag storage area 106d. This is because the specialized zone transitions during VB mode, and after the specialized zone ends, the transition always occurs to VB mode.

After that, in step S1317, the specialized zone start command is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81. The sub-control device 81 that receives the specialized zone start command notifies the user that the specialized zone will start from the next game, using the liquid crystal display device 65 or the like. Such notification will be described in detail later. Then, in step S1318, counting the number of times the specialized zone will continue is started. Specifically, an initial value (e.g., 5) for the number of games to continue in the specialized zone is set in the specialized zone continuation counter provided in the various counter areas 106e of the RAM 106. After the processing of step S1318 is performed, this winning result response processing is terminated. Furthermore, if a negative judgment is made in step S1314 or step S1315, the winning result response processing is terminated as is.

As described above, a process for transitioning the display mode is performed separately from the RT state process (Fig. 21) based on the winning of a combination (third to fifth replay) that corresponds to a transition in the game state. This is to avoid a situation where an attack mode or the like is started based on the winning of a combination that corresponds to a transition in the game state even though the lottery for transitioning the display mode has not been won.

In addition, when the display mode transition is accompanied by a transition of the game state, transition to a higher mode, i.e., transition from normal mode or challenge mode to attack mode, transition from attack mode to VB mode, or transition from VB mode to specialized zone, is configured to transition based on the winning result of the corresponding role. Therefore, the transition of the display mode and the transition of the game state are performed as a set in the same game. On the other hand, in the case of transition to a lower mode, for example, when the game state transitions due to a second replay win as a fall replay or the stopping of a transition result, the display mode is not transitioned. When transitioning to a lower mode, the game state is managed by the winning result (RT state processing), while the display mode is managed by the number of games. Therefore, when transitioning to a lower mode, the transition of the game state and the transition of the display mode may be performed in separate games.

<Game Number Management Processing>
The game count management process executed in step S1301 of the winning result response process will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 39. In the game count management process, the number of premonition games in the premonition mode is counted, and the number of continued games in the challenge mode, attack mode, VB mode, and specialized zone is counted, and when the number of continued games in these display modes becomes 0, a process for terminating the corresponding display mode is performed.

In the game count management process, first, in step S1401, it is determined whether the number of bets is a specific number. As already explained, in this embodiment, each game can be played with a bet number of 1 to 3, and in step S1401, it is determined whether the specific number is 3 bets. If it is not 3 bets, the game count management process ends. In other words, in games with 1 or 2 bets, the number of games in premonition mode and the number of continued games in challenge mode, etc. are not counted.

If the game to be ended this time is a 3-bet game, proceed to step S1402. In step S1402, it is determined whether the bonus win flag is set or whether the game is in a bonus state. If a positive determination is made in step S1402, the display mode flags, namely the challenge mode flag, attack mode flag, VB mode flag, and specialized zone flag, are cleared in step S1403, and then this game count management process is terminated. In other words, if the bonus win flag is set or during a bonus, the number of games in attack mode, etc. is not counted. Note that if any flag is not set in step S1403, that state is maintained.

Incidentally, in step S1403, the attack mode flag, VB mode flag, etc. are cleared, but the attack notification flag and VB notification flag are not cleared. Therefore, after the bonus ends, after going through a preparation state such as attack mode, these flags will notify you of the push order to transition the game state, making it possible to return to the game state before the bonus.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1402, then in step S1404 it is judged whether the number of premonition games is 0. If it is not 0, then in step S1405, the number of premonition games is decremented by 1. If the number of premonition games is 0 in step S1404 (if the game is not in premonition mode), or after the processing of step S1405 has been executed, then in steps S1406 to S1427, the number of continued games in each mode is counted.

That is, in step S1406, it is determined whether or not the current display mode is the challenge mode. If it is the challenge mode, the process proceeds to step S1407, where the challenge mode continuation counter is decremented by 1, thereby decrementing the number of games to be continued in the challenge mode. Then, in step S1408, it is determined whether or not the challenge mode continuation counter is 0. If it is not 0, the game count management process ends. If it is 0, the challenge mode flag is cleared in step S1409, and a challenge mode end command is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81 in step S1410. The sub-control device 81 that has received the challenge mode end command notifies the LCD display device 65 or the like that the challenge mode will end in the current game. After the process of step S1410 has been performed, the game count management process ends.

If it is determined in step S1406 that the mode is not the challenge mode, the process proceeds to step S1411. In step S1411, it is determined whether the current display mode is the attack mode. If it is the attack mode, the process proceeds to step S1412, where the attack mode continuation counter is decremented by 1, thereby decrementing the number of games in the attack mode. Then, in step S1413, it is determined whether the attack mode continuation counter is 0. If it is not 0, the game number management process is terminated. If it is 0, the attack mode flag is cleared in step S1414, and the attack notification flag is cleared in step S1415. Then, in step S1416, the attack mode end command is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81. In the sub-control device 81 that has received the attack mode end command, a notification that the attack mode will end in this game is made on the liquid crystal display device 65 or the like. Such notification will be described in detail later. After step S1416 is performed, the game count management process ends.

If it is determined in step S1411 that the mode is not the attack mode, the process proceeds to step S1417. In step S1417, it is determined whether the current display mode is the VB mode. If it is the VB mode, the process proceeds to step S1418 to determine whether it is an add-on specialization zone. If it is not an add-on specialization zone, the VB mode continuation counter is decremented by 1 in step S1419, thereby decrementing the number of games continued in VB mode. Then, in step S1420, it is determined whether the VB mode continuation counter is 0. If it is not 0, the game number management process is terminated as it is. If it is 0, the VB mode flag is cleared in step S1421, and the VB notification flag is cleared in step S1422. Then, in step S1423, the VB mode end command is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81. In the sub-control device 81 that has received the VB mode end command, a notification that the VB mode will end in this game is performed on the liquid crystal display device 65 or the like. Such notifications will be explained in detail later. After processing step S1423, the game count management process ends.

If it is determined in step S1418 that the zone is an added specialized zone, the process proceeds to step S1424. In step S1424, the specialized zone continuation counter is decremented by 1, thereby decrementing the number of games continued in the specialized zone. Then, in step S1425, it is determined whether the specialized zone continuation counter is 0 or not. If it is 0, in step S1426, the specialized zone flag is cleared, and in step S1427, a specialized zone end command is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81. In the sub-control device 81 that has received the specialized zone end command, a notification that the specialized zone will end in this game is made on the liquid crystal display device 65 or the like. As such a notification, for example, a notification of the total number of games in which the addition was successful in the current specialized zone is made. After the process of step S1427 is performed, the game number management process is terminated. If a negative determination is made in step S1417 or step S1425, the game number management process is terminated.

<End Determination Process>
Next, the end determination process as the process at the end of the bonus will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 40. As already described, the end determination process is a process carried out in step S615 in the bonus state process (Fig. 26). In the end determination process, it is determined whether the bonus end condition is met, and when the bonus is to be ended, a process for notifying the winning of the attack mode or the like which has been won in combination with the bonus is performed, and a process for adding the number of games in the attack mode or the like which has been won in combination with the bonus is performed.

That is, in step S1501, it is determined whether or not a small win has been achieved. As already explained, during the bonus, the first small win (BB medium small win 1) is achieved with a high probability (Figure 28). In addition, when the BB medium red 7 matching role (IV = 29) is won, the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated in the operation sequence corresponding to the 30th small win (Figure 27 (b)), and further, when the lottery for the 30th small win of the first small win and the 30th small win is won, the 30th small win is achieved. In this embodiment, for example, when the BB medium red 7 matching role is won, the lottery for the 30th small win is won with a probability of 1 in 100. If the BAR combination during BB (IV=30) is won, the stop switches 42-44 are operated in the operation sequence corresponding to the winning of the 31st small win (FIG. 27(b)), and if the lottery for the winning of the 31st small win of the 1st small win and the 31st small win is won, the winning of the 31st small win is established. In this embodiment, for example, if the BAR combination during BB is won, there is a 1 in 200 probability of winning the lottery for the winning of the 31st small win.

If it is determined in step S1501 that a small win has been achieved, a process is performed in step S1502 to subtract the payout amount for this game from the remaining payout amount. If a negative determination is made in step S1501, or after the process of step S1502 has been executed, a process for adding is executed in step S1503. The process for adding is a process for granting a bonus other than the payout of gaming media based on the result of the game during this bonus. For example, if the result of this game is the 30th small win (7 reds in the lower row), if the display mode before the bonus transition is normal mode or challenge mode, the attack mode is selected, and if it is other than normal mode or challenge mode, the number of continued games in the attack mode is added (for example, 100 games). In addition, if the 31st minor combination win (lower BAR alignment) is achieved, if the display mode before the bonus transition is normal mode or challenge mode, attack mode and VB mode are won, if it is attack mode, VB mode and specialized zone are won, if it is VB mode, the specialized zone is won multiple times (for example, twice), and if it is in the specialized zone, the number of continued games in attack mode is added (for example, 300 games). In step S1503, a flag corresponding to the transition of the display mode (attack mode win flag, etc.) is set, and a counter increment process according to the number of added games (increment process of attack mode continuation counter, etc.) is performed.

In the next step S1504, it is determined whether the remaining payout amount has reached 0. If it is not 0, the end determination process is terminated. If it is 0, in step S1505, a bonus end command is set as an output target to the sub-control device 81, and then in steps S1506 to S1519, processing for notifying a win such as in attack mode and processing for adding to the number of continuing games such as in attack mode are performed.

That is, in step S1506, it is determined whether or not the attack mode hit flag is set. If the attack mode hit flag is set, a lottery process for the number of premonition games is performed in step S1507, the number of premonition games is set in step S1508, and a premonition command is set in step S1509. The processes in steps S1507 to S1509 are the same as the processes in steps S808 to S810. After the process in step S1509 is executed, the end determination process is terminated.

In other words, if the bonus ends while the player has won the attack mode, a premonition game will be played after the bonus ends, and then the player will be notified that the attack mode has been won. This allows the player to play while hoping that the game will once again become favorable after the bonus ends.

Here, if a bonus is won during the premonition mode before any winning announcement, the number of premonition games has already been set when the lottery process for the number of premonition games is performed in step S1507. In this embodiment, even in such a case, the number of premonition games is reset. In other words, regardless of the number of premonition games remaining when the bonus is won, the number of premonition games is again set to 1 out of 1 to 32 after the bonus ends. By doing this, it is possible to prolong the thrill after the bonus ends.

If the attack mode winning flag is not set in step S1506, it is determined in step S1510 whether or not the challenge mode winning flag is set. If the challenge mode winning flag is set, the process for the premonition mode in steps S1507 to S1509 is performed, and then the end determination process is terminated. If the challenge mode winning flag is not set in step S1510, it is determined in step S1511 whether or not the VB mode winning flag is set. If the VB mode winning flag is set, the process for the premonition mode in steps S1507 to S1509 is performed, and then the end determination process is terminated. In other words, if the bonus ends while the challenge mode or VB mode has also been won, a premonition game is played after the bonus ends, and then a winning announcement for the challenge mode or VB mode is made.

If the VB mode win flag is not set in step S1511, proceed to step S1512. In step S1512, it is determined whether or not the attack mode add-on flag is set. If the attack mode add-on flag is set, a lottery process for the number of attack mode add-on games is performed in step S1513, a process for adding the number of attack mode games is performed in step S1514, and an add-on command is set in step S1515. The processes in steps S1513 to S1515 are the same as the processes in steps S917 to S919. After the process in step S1515 is executed, the end determination process is terminated.

If the attack mode addition flag is not set in step S1512, then in step S1516 it is determined whether or not the challenge mode addition flag is set. If the challenge mode addition flag is set, then in step S1517 a lottery process for the number of games to be added to the challenge mode is performed, in step S1518 a process for adding the number of games to the challenge mode is performed, and in step S1519 an addition command is set. The processes in steps S1517 to S1519 are the same as those in steps S820 to S822. If a negative determination is made in step S1516, or after the process in step S1519 has been executed, the end determination process is terminated.

<Specialized Zone Treatment>
Next, the specialized zone process will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 41. The specialized zone process is executed in step S712 in the lottery result process (Fig. 31). As already explained, the specialized zone is entered during VB mode, and during the specialized zone, the number of continued games in the attack mode is added for each game.

That is, in the specialized zone processing, first, in step S1601, the result of the current lottery processing is grasped. In the following step S1602, a lottery processing for the number of added games in attack mode is performed. In the following step S1603, a processing for adding the number of games in attack mode is performed. Then, in step S1604, an add-on command is set, and the specialized zone processing is terminated. The processing of steps S1602 to S1604 is the same as the processing of steps S917 to S919. However, the number of games selected in the lottery processing for the number of added games in step S1602 is greater than the lottery processing for the number of added games in step S917.

<Processing related to notification performance on the sub side>
Next, as (4) processing related to notification performance on the sub side, various notification processing performed by the sub control device 81 will be described. As various notification processing, a performance setting process executed at a predetermined cycle (2 msec cycle) is provided. The performance setting process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the performance setting process, first in step S1701, it is determined whether or not a new command has been received from the main control device 101. If a new command has been received, in step S1702, a process is executed to store the received command in RAM 84. A command storage area is provided in RAM 84, and this command storage area is configured as a ring buffer that can store multiple commands individually and can read out previously stored commands.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1701, or after the processing of step S1702 is executed, in step S1703, it is judged whether or not the newly received command is a bet command. A bet command is a command output from the main control device 101 based on a bet operation being performed, and includes the bet command set in step S207 of the normal processing, as well as the challenge mode start command in the mode transition notification processing (FIG. 35), the attack mode winning notification command, the VB mode winning notification command, and the like. If it is one of these bet commands, in step S1704, the bet performance setting processing is executed.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1703, or after the processing of step S1704 has been executed, in step S1705, it is judged whether or not 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 the lottery result command set in step S311 of the lottery processing, as well as premonition commands and added commands set in the first to third specific role processing (Figures 32 to 34), and push order notification commands set in the push order role processing (Figure 37). If it is one of these start commands, in step S1706, the start performance setting processing is executed.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1705, or after the processing of step S1706 is executed, in step S1707, it is judged whether or not the newly received command is a command at the time of each stop operation. Each stop operation command is a command output from the main control device 101 based on the stop operation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, and is a command set in the stop command response processing in step S407 of the reel control processing (FIG. 18). If it is such a stop operation command, in step S1708, each stop operation effect setting processing is executed.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1707, or after the processing of step S1708 is executed, in step S1709, it is judged whether or not 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 S411 of the reel control processing (FIG. 18), as well as the attack mode start command, VB mode start command, specialized zone start command, challenge mode end command, attack mode end command, VB mode end command, specialized zone end command, etc., which are set in the winning result response processing (FIG. 38). If it is one of these all stop commands, in step S1710, the all stop performance setting processing is executed.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1709, or after the processing of step S1710 has been executed, other processing is executed in step S1711. In step S1711, settings are made for effects based on commands from the main control device 101 other than when a bet is made, when the game is started, or when the game is stopped (for example, effects based on the 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.

After the various effects are set in steps S1701 to S1711, the effect data setting process is performed in step S1712, and then this effect setting process ends. The effect data setting process is a process for setting data for display effects (effect commands) and data for sound effects (sound data) so that the effects set by the sub-control device 81 are performed as display effects by the display control device 201 and sound effects by the sound source IC 85.

Below, we will explain the bet time performance setting process, start time performance setting process, each stop operation time performance setting process, and all stop time performance setting process. Each performance setting process will be explained with reference to the overview diagrams of the display performance in Figures 54 to 59. The performance data setting process will be explained after each performance setting process, but the following explanation will also provide an overview of the display and sound performances that are performed when data for display performance and data for sound performance are set based on each performance setting process.

<Bet time performance setting process>
The bet time effect setting process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S1801, it is determined whether or not the currently received bet time command includes a challenge mode start command. If the challenge mode start command is included, in step S1802, processing is performed to set the challenge mode start effect. In the challenge mode start effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 54(a), the liquid crystal display device 65 displays the text "Challenge mode start" and also displays a display (for example, a specified character display) suggesting that the display mode to be transitioned to is a chance mode that is likely to win the attack mode transition lottery. In addition, in the challenge mode start effect, a corresponding sound effect (for example, a man's rough voice saying "Seize attack mode!") is emitted from the speaker device 64.

If the challenge mode start command is not included in step S1801, it is determined in step S1803 whether the currently received bet time command includes an attack mode win notification command. If the attack mode win notification command is included, processing is performed in step S1804 to set the attack mode win notification effect. In the attack mode win notification effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 55(a), the text "Attack mode confirmed" is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 65. In addition, in the attack mode win notification effect, a corresponding sound effect (for example, a high-pitched female voice saying "Attack number one!") is emitted from the speaker device 64.

If the attack mode winning notification command is not included in step S1803, then in step S1805 it is determined whether or not the currently received bet time command includes a VB mode winning notification command. If the VB mode winning notification command is included, then in step S1806 a process is performed to set up a VB mode winning notification effect. In the VB mode winning notification effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 55(b), the text "VICTORY BONUS confirmed" is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 65. Additionally, in the VB mode winning notification effect, a corresponding sound effect (for example, a male and female voice saying "Victory!") is issued from the speaker device 64.

After any of the processes in steps S1802, S1804, and S1806 has been executed, or if a negative judgment is made in step S1805, in step S1807, other bet effects are set, and then this effect setting process ends. In the process of step S1807, for example, in response to the reception of a bet command, the lamps around (or inside) the credit insertion switches 56-58 for the corresponding bet number are turned off to notify that the operation has been accepted, or the process of returning from a demo mode in which a certain condition is entered when no play has been made for a predetermined period of time, or the process of turning on the lamp around the start lever 41 to notify that the operation has been validated, etc. are performed.

<Start-time performance setting process>
Next, the start-time performance setting process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S1901, a display mode setting process is performed. In this process, it is determined whether the display mode currently set on the main control device 101 side is normal mode, challenge mode, attack mode, VB mode, or specialized zone, and the display performance of the liquid crystal display device 65 is set in the corresponding display mode. Specifically, the various flag storage area 84b of the RAM 84 on the sub-control device 81 side also has an area for setting a challenge mode flag, attack mode flag, VB mode flag, and specialized zone flag as flags for grasping the display mode, and the corresponding flag is set when each mode starts and cleared when it ends. For example, in the process of setting the challenge mode start performance in step S1802 above, the challenge mode flag is set. In step S1901, by grasping these various mode corresponding flags, the current display mode is identified, and the display control device 201, the sound source IC 85, the upper lamp 63, etc. are controlled so that the corresponding performance is performed.

Here, in the display mode setting process, if the display effects corresponding to the display mode have already been set, the display effects of the same display mode are not set again. In other words, when a game in which a display mode transition has been made is started, the display effects corresponding to the new destination display mode are set, whereas if a display mode transition has not occurred, the display effects of the previous game are continued. This eliminates the increase in processing load caused by the display mode setting process being performed at the start of every game, and makes it easier to recognize that the display mode has transitioned due to the difference between a new display effect being set due to a display mode transition and the display effects of the previous game being continued due to no display mode transition. It is also possible to associate such differences with joy or disappointment regarding the transition of the display mode.

In the next step S1902, it is determined whether the lottery result of the game to be started is a push order role win based on the received lottery result command. If the push order role wins, in step S1903, a push order notification process is performed. Here, the push order notification process is explained with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 45.

In step S2001, it is determined whether the currently received start command includes a push order notification command. If the push order notification command is not included, the push order notification process is terminated. If the push order notification command is included, the process proceeds to step S2002.

In step S2002, it is determined whether the current lottery result is the first promotion replay 1 to 4. If it is the first promotion replay 1 to 4, in step S2003, the display control device 201, sound source IC 85, etc. are controlled to notify the push order that will result in the third replay win, and then the push order notification process is terminated.

If it is determined in step S2002 that the first promotion replays 1 to 4 are not the winning combination, then in step S2004 it is determined whether the current lottery result is fall replays 1 to 3. If it is fall replays 1 to 3, then the process proceeds to step S2005, where the display control device 201, sound source IC 85, etc. are controlled to notify the player of the push order that will result in the first replay winning combination, and then the push order notification process is terminated.

If it is determined in step S2004 that the result is not one of the fall replays 1 to 3, then in step S2006 it is determined whether the current lottery result is the second promotion replay 1 or 2. If it is the second promotion replay 1 or 2, then in step S2007 it is determined whether the VB mode winning notification effect has already been performed. For example, when setting the VB mode winning notification effect in step S1806, a notification flag indicating that a VB win has been notified is set in the various flag storage area 84b of the RAM 84. The notification flag is cleared based on a transition to VB mode. Then, in step S2007, it is preferable to determine whether or not the notification flag exists. If a VB mode winning has been notified, then in step S2008 the display control device 201, sound source IC 85, etc. are controlled to perform a push order notification in which the fourth and fifth replay wins are established, and then the push order notification process is terminated. If a win has not been notified in VB mode, the process proceeds to step S2005, where the push order notification for the first replay win is performed, and the push order notification process ends.

If it is determined in step S2006 that the result is not the second promotion replay 1 or 2, then in step S2009 it is determined whether the current lottery result is BAR replay 1 or 2. If it is BAR replay 1 or 2, then in step S2010 the mode flag is checked to determine whether the current display mode is VB mode. If it is in VB mode, then in step S2011 the display control device 201 and sound source IC 85 are controlled to notify the push order for the sixth to eighth replay wins, and then the push order notification process is terminated. If it is not in VB mode, then the process proceeds to step S2005, where a push order notification for the first replay win is performed, and then the push order notification process is terminated.

If it is determined in step S2009 that the result is not BAR replay 1 or 2, then in step S2012 it is determined whether or not the current lottery result is a bell. If a bell has been won, then in step S2013 the display control device 201, sound source IC 85, etc. are controlled to notify the player of the push order that will result in a bell winning as the first minor win, and then the push order notification process ends. If a negative determination is made in step S2012, then the push order notification process ends.

Returning to the explanation of the start-time performance setting process (FIG. 44), if it is determined in step S1902 that the push order role has not been won, it is determined in step S1904 whether or not a specific role has been won. If a specific role has been won, processing for announcing a specific role is performed in step S1905. The processing for announcing a specific role will be explained in detail later.

If a negative judgment is made in step S1904, or after the processing of step S1903 or step S1905 is executed, the process proceeds to step S1906. In step S1906, it is judged whether or not an add-on command has been received as the current start command. If an add-on command has been received, in step S1907, a process is performed to set the add-on effect in advance so that the add-on effect for the number of games corresponding to the add-on command is executed when the game is stopped. As an example of the add-on effect, as shown in FIG. 58(b), a number corresponding to the number of games to be added is displayed as "+10" on the liquid crystal display device 65. In addition, in the add-on effect, a corresponding sound effect (for example, an electronic sound like "Kyukyukyukyukyueen!") is emitted from the speaker device 64.

Here, the process for setting the additional effects in step S1907 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 46.

In step S2101, a process is performed to determine the number of games to be added based on the currently received add-on command. In the following step S2102, a notification timing lottery process is executed. The notification timing lottery process is a process of drawing lots to determine the timing in the game at which the additional performance will be performed, assuming that an additional performance will be performed in the current game.

The execution timing of the additional effects is set to differ depending on the number of additional games. Specifically, as shown in the lottery table in FIG. 47, the execution timing of the additional effects in the current game is set to be when the first reel is stopped, when the second reel is stopped, and when the third reel is stopped, assuming that the order of the stop operations for each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is the first reel, the second reel, and the third reel. Also, the timing of the stop ON operation, which is when the stop switches 42 to 44 are pressed among the stop operations for each reel, and the stop OFF operation, which is when the pressing operation is ended, are set.

Here, we will provide additional explanation regarding the operation of the stop switches 42-44. The stop switches 42-44 can be moved from an initial position located at the front to an operating position located at the back. When placed at the initial position, the detection signals from the stop detection sensors 42a-44a are in a LOW state, and when the stop switches are operated from the initial position to the operating position, the detection signals from the stop detection sensors 42a-44a switch to a HI signal. Then, based on the detection signal switching from a LOW signal to a HI signal, the main control device 101 determines that a stop ON operation has been performed, which means that the stop switches 42-44 have been pressed.

The stop switches 42-44 are also biased toward their initial positions by springs or the like. Therefore, when the hand is released from the stop switches 42-44 and the operating force (pressing force) applied to the operating positions is no longer applied, the stop switches 42-44 return to their initial positions by the biasing force of the springs or the like. In this case, the detection signals from the stop detection sensors 42a-44a switch from a HI signal to a LOW signal. Then, based on the detection signal switching from a HI signal to a LOW signal, the main control device 101 determines that a stop OFF operation has been performed, which means that the pressing operation of the stop switches 42-44 has ended.

The added effects are set to occur when the stop switches 42 to 44 are operated to stop either when the stop switch is turned on or when the stop switch is turned off. In other words, in a game in which added effects occur, the added effects can occur not only when the stop switches 42 to 44 are pressed, but also when the pressing operation ends.

In the execution timing table for the added effects, when the number of added games is relatively small, for example 5 to 10 games, the timing when the first reel's stop ON operation is performed is selected 50% of the time, the timing when the first reel's stop OFF operation is performed 5%, the timing when the second reel's stop ON operation is performed 20%, the timing when the second reel's stop OFF operation is performed 5%, the timing when the third reel's stop ON operation is performed 10%, and the timing when the third reel's stop OFF operation (when all reels are stopped) is performed 10%. In this case, the timing when each reel's stop ON operation is performed is more likely to be selected than the timing when the reel's stop OFF operation is performed.

On the other hand, when the number of added games is relatively large, for example 100 or more games are added, the timing when the first reel's stop ON operation is performed is selected 5% of the time, the timing when the first reel's stop OFF operation is performed 20%, the timing when the second reel's stop ON operation is performed 10%, the timing when the second reel's stop OFF operation is performed 35%, the timing when the third reel's stop ON operation is performed 10%, and the timing when the third reel's stop OFF operation (when all reels are stopped) is selected 20% of the time. In this case, the timing when each reel's stop OFF operation is performed is more likely to be selected than the timing when the reel's stop ON operation is performed.

In other words, in this embodiment, it is set so that a larger number of games are more likely to be played when the additional effects occur during the stop OFF operation than when the additional effects occur during the stop ON operation of each reel. Also, when comparing the first to third reels, it is set so that the largest number of games is more likely to be selected when the second reel is stopped (ON operation, OFF operation), the next largest number of games is more likely to be selected when the third reel is stopped, and the smallest number of games is more likely to be selected when the first reel is stopped.

In this way, because the number of added games announced differs depending on the stopping order, it is possible to vary the sense of expectation for the added effect for each stopping operation. For example, when a stopping operation is performed that is likely to result in a large number of added effects, the player can be made to expect that the effect will occur, specifically, when the second reel is stopped, and particularly when the second reel is stopped and turned OFF. In this case, for example, a player hoping for an added effect when the second reel is stopped and turned OFF will likely calm down before stopping and turning OFF the second reel, and then perform the stop and OFF operation on the second reel, hoping that an added effect will occur.

In other words, if there is a possibility that a notification will be generated that will be advantageous to the player if the player performs a specified operation, the player may pause play before performing the specified operation in anticipation of the notification, create some time to save up, and then enjoy the time to their heart's content before performing the specified operation. This allows the player to enjoy the notification to the fullest, rather than being informed of the advantageous outcome without being mentally prepared. In this regard, by increasing the sense of anticipation when the second reel is stopped and turned OFF, as described above, it becomes easier to create some time to save up before the second reel is stopped and turned OFF, i.e., when the second reel is stopped and turned ON. In this way, it becomes easier to create some time to save up in the middle of the stop operation, in relation to the timing of the notification of the benefit to be obtained.

Returning to the explanation of the setting process of the additional effects, after the notification timing lottery process is performed in step S2102, in step S2103, it is determined whether the lottery result in step S2102 was when any of the reels were stopped ON. If it was when the reels were stopped ON, in step S2104, the target reel for generating the additional effects is set, and the additional effects are set to occur when the target reel is stopped ON. Specifically, a process is performed to set one of the flags for when the first reel is stopped ON to the flag for when the third reel is stopped ON in the various flag storage area 84b. These flags are flags that allow the CPU 82 to grasp the timing of the additional effects. In addition, in step S2104, the performance data of the additional effects corresponding to the number of additional games to be generated when the stop ON is operated is read from the performance data storage area, and the data is temporarily stored in a predetermined performance data setting area. When the CPU 82 determines that an additional performance will occur at a timing corresponding to the stop ON operation time flag, it reads out the performance data temporarily stored in the performance data setting area and performs the additional performance.

If a negative judgment is made in step S2103, in step S2105, it is judged whether or not the first or second reel was stopped and turned OFF. If these reels were stopped and turned OFF, in step S2106, a target reel for generating an additional effect is set, and the additional effect is set to occur when the target reel is stopped and turned OFF. Specifically, a process is performed to set either a flag for when the first reel is stopped and OFF or a flag for when the second reel is stopped and turned OFF in the various flag storage area 84b. These flags are also flags that allow the CPU 82 to grasp the timing of the additional effect occurrence. Also in step S2106, the effect data for the additional effect corresponding to the number of games for additional play is read from the effect data storage area, and the data is temporarily stored in a predetermined effect data setting area.

If a negative judgment is made in step S2105, in step S2107, the current additional effect is set to occur when all reels are stopped (when the third reel is turned OFF). Specifically, a process is performed to set a flag when the third reel is turned OFF in the various flag storage area 84b. Also in step S2107, a temporary storage process is performed for the effect data of the additional effect corresponding to the number of additional games. After the process of step S2104, step S2106, or step S2107 is executed, the process of setting the additional effect is terminated.

Returning to the explanation of the start-up effect setting process, if no top-up command is received in step S1906, or after the process of step S1907 is executed, the bonus notification process is executed in step S1908, the continuous effect setting process is executed in step S1909, and then other start-up effects are set in step S1910, after which the start-up effect setting process ends. The bonus notification process and the continuous effect setting process will be explained in detail later. The process of step S1910 performs, for example, setting effects that suggest the lottery results in response to the start of the game, or turning off the lamp around the start lever 41 to notify that the operation has been accepted.

<Performance setting process at each stop operation>
Next, the process of setting the effects to be performed at each stop operation, which is performed in step S1708, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S2201, it is determined whether each stop operation command received this time is a stop ON operation command. A stop ON operation command is a command output from the main control device 101 when the stop switch 42 to 44 is pressed during the stop operation of each reel.

If the determination in step S2201 is positive, the process proceeds to step S2202, where it is determined whether or not an effect that occurs when the reel is turned on for stop is set as the effect for this game. If it is not set, this setting process is terminated. If it is set, in step S2203, it is determined whether or not the stop ON operation command received this time is a stop operation for the reel that is the target of the effect set for the stop ON operation. If it is not a stop ON operation for the target reel, this setting process is terminated. If it is a stop ON operation for the target reel, in step S2204, the display control device 201, sound source IC 85, etc. are controlled so that an effect is performed when the stop ON operation is performed, and then this setting process is terminated.

For example, if an additional performance is set as the performance at the time of the current stop ON operation, as shown in FIG. 49(a), an additional performance occurs on the liquid crystal display device 65 at the timing when the stop switches 42 to 44 are pressed (ON operation). In this case, a sound effect corresponding to the additional performance is also emitted from the speaker device 64.

Also, for example, if the current game is a push order role win and the push order notification effect is set, the push order notification effect will change to an effect indicating the reel to be operated next by stopping the corresponding reel based on each stop ON operation. Specifically, if all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are spinning before the stop ON operation effect, a display indicating the first reel to be operated as shown in FIG. 36(a) is displayed. Then, when the corresponding reel (middle reel 32M in the figure) stops due to the stop ON operation corresponding to the first reel, the effect changes to an effect indicating the next reel to be operated (right reel 32R in the figure) as shown in FIG. 36(b). Also, if two reels are spinning before the stop ON operation effect, a display indicating the second reel to be stopped as shown in FIG. 36(b) is displayed, and based on the second reel stopping due to the stop ON operation, the display changes to an effect indicating the third reel to be stopped (FIG. 36(c)).

If the determination in step S2201 is negative, the process proceeds to step S2205, where it is determined whether the stop operation command received this time is a stop OFF operation command. A stop OFF operation command is a command that is output from the main control device 101 when the pressing operation of the stop switches 42 to 44, which is one of the stop operations for each reel, is completed.

If the determination in step S2205 is positive, the process proceeds to step S2206, where it is determined whether or not an effect that occurs when the reel is stopped and turned OFF is set as the effect for this game. If it is not set, this setting process is terminated. If it is set, in step S2207, it is determined whether or not the stop OFF operation command received this time is a stop operation for the reel that is the target of the effect set for the stop OFF operation. If it is not a stop OFF operation for the target reel, this setting process is terminated. If it is a stop OFF operation for the target reel, in step S2208, the display control device 201, sound source IC 85, etc. are controlled so that an effect is performed when the stop OFF operation is performed, and then this setting process is terminated.

For example, if an additional effect is set as the effect at the time of the current stop OFF operation, as shown in FIG. 49(b), when the pressing operation of the stop switch 42 to 44 is finished and the hand is released from the stop switch 42 to 44, an additional effect occurs on the liquid crystal display device 65. In this case, a sound effect corresponding to the additional effect is also emitted from the speaker device 64.

If the result of step S2205 is negative, the process for setting the effects at each stop operation is terminated.

<Performance setting process when all stops>
Next, the complete stop effect setting process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S2301, it is determined whether the currently received stop command includes a challenge mode end command. If the challenge mode end command is included, in step S2302, the display control device 201, the sound source IC 85, etc. are controlled so that a challenge mode end effect is performed. In the challenge mode end effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 54(b), the liquid crystal display device 65 displays the text "Challenge mode end." In addition, in the challenge mode end effect, a sound effect corresponding to the end of the challenge mode (for example, a man's rough voice saying "Put yourself together!") is emitted from the speaker device 64.

If the challenge mode end command is not included in step S2301, then in step S2303 it is determined whether the currently received stop command includes an attack mode start command. If the attack mode start command is included, then in step S2304 processing is performed to set the attack mode start effect. In the attack mode start effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 56(a), the text "Attack mode!! Ver. 1" is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 65. In addition, in the attack mode start effect, a corresponding sound effect (for example, a high-pitched female voice saying "Attack mode start!") is issued from the speaker device 64.

The "Ver.1" display during the attack mode start effect corresponds to the rank of the attack mode. In other words, it is a display indicating that the attack mode being started this time is the first attack mode. Then, when the attack mode rank is promoted to the second attack mode (when a promotion command is received), the words "Attack Mode!! Ver.2" are displayed on the liquid crystal display device 65 as a promotion effect. When the attack mode rank is promoted to the third attack mode, the words "Attack Mode!! Ver.3" are displayed, and when it is promoted to the fourth attack mode, the words "Attack Mode!! Ver.4" are displayed.

If the attack mode start command is not included in step S2303, it is determined in step S2305 whether the currently received stop command includes an attack mode end command. If the attack mode end command is included, processing is performed in step S2306 to set the attack mode end effect. In the attack mode end effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 56(b), the liquid crystal display device 65 displays the words "ATTACK MODE END" and also displays the number of games to be continued in this attack mode (including VB mode and specialized zone), and also displays the total number of coins paid out in this attack mode (including VB mode, specialized zone, and bonus). In addition, in the attack mode end effect, a corresponding sound effect (for example, a high-pitched female voice saying "See you later") is emitted from the speaker device 64.

If the attack mode end command is not included in step S2305, then in step S2307 it is determined whether the currently received stop command includes a VB mode start command. If the VB mode start command is included, then in step S2308 a process is performed to set the VB mode start effect. In the VB mode start effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 57(a), the text "777 VICTORY!!" is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 65. Additionally, in the VB mode start effect, a corresponding sound effect (for example, a male and female voice saying "Victory Bonus Start") is issued from the speaker device 64.

If the VB mode start command is not included in step S2307, it is determined in step S2311 whether or not the currently received stop command includes a VB mode end command. If the VB mode end command is included, in step S2312, a process for setting a VB mode end effect is performed. In the VB mode end effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 57(b), the liquid crystal display device 65 displays the text "VICTORY BONUS END" and displays the number of continued games in the attack mode (including VB mode and specialized zone) at the end of the current VB mode, and also displays the total number of coins paid out in the attack mode (including VB mode, specialized zone, and bonus) at the end of the current VB mode. In addition, in the VB mode end effect, a corresponding sound effect (for example, a male and female voice saying "It's not over yet") is emitted from the speaker device 64.

If the VB mode end command is not included in step S2311, then in step S2313 it is determined whether the currently received stop command includes a specialized zone start command. If the specialized zone start command is included, then in step S2314 a process is performed to set the specialized zone start effect. In the specialized zone start effect, for example, as shown in FIG. 58(a), the liquid crystal display device 65 displays the text "Add-on challenge!!" and also displays a character indicating that this is a special mode in which attack mode add-ons are likely to occur. In addition, in the specialized zone start effect, a corresponding sound effect (for example, a boy's voice saying "Let's go") is emitted from the speaker device 64.

If a specialized zone start command is not included in step S2313, it is determined in step S2315 whether or not the currently received stop command includes a specialized zone end command. If a specialized zone end command is included, processing is performed in step S2316 to set a specialized zone end effect. In the specialized zone end effect, for example, the total number of games that have been added in the current specialized zone is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 65. In addition, in the specialized zone end effect, a corresponding sound effect (for example, an electronic sound such as "Kyukyukyukyukyueen!") is emitted from the speaker device 64. It is preferable to vary the display content of the liquid crystal display device 65 and the sound effect emitted from the speaker device 64 depending on the total number of games that have been added.

If the specialized zone end command is not included in step S2315, it is determined in step S2317 whether the currently received stop command includes a bonus end command. If the bonus end command is included, processing is performed in step S2318 to set the bonus end effect. In the bonus end effect, for example, the liquid crystal display device 65 displays the total number of coins won during the current bonus, and if the bonus was entered into attack mode, VB mode, or a specialized zone, the total number of coins won in attack mode (including VB mode, specialized zone, and bonus) is displayed. In addition, in the bonus end effect, depending on whether the attack mode was successful, whether the challenge mode was successful, and the number of added games, characters or the like are used to suggest these contents.

After executing any of the processes of steps S2302, S2304, S2306, S2308, S2312, S2314, S2316, and S2318, or after a negative judgment is made in step S2315, the process proceeds to steps S2309 and S2319. In steps S2309 and S2319, if an additional performance is set, the display control device 201 and the sound source IC 85 are controlled to execute the additional performance. As already explained, the setting of the additional performance is performed in step S1907 in the start-time performance setting process. Specifically, if the timing of the current additional performance is set to when all reels stop in the setting process of the additional performance (FIG. 46), the additional performance is generated on the liquid crystal display device 65 when all reels 32L, 32M, and 32R stop, as shown in FIG. 49 (c). In this case, sound effects corresponding to the added performance are emitted from the speaker device 64.

After that, in steps S2310 and S2320, other stop time effects are set, and then this effect setting process is terminated. In steps S2310 and S2320, for example, the upper lamp 63 is controlled to light up in a color corresponding to the winning combination, the sound source IC 85 is controlled so that a sound effect corresponding to the payout amount of the winning combination is emitted from the speaker device 64, and the sound source IC 85 is controlled so that a sound effect corresponding to an automatic bet during a replay is emitted from the speaker device 64.

As described above, various processes for notifying the transition of display modes are performed on the sub-controller 81 side based on various commands from the main control unit 101, and the notification is performed by the liquid crystal display device 65, etc. In addition to notifying the transition of display modes, the sub-controller 81 side also performs various processes for effects during the game.

<Processing for various in-game effects>
In this embodiment, continuous effects and bonus effects are provided as effects during various games. Continuous effects are effects that make the player expect a favorable result (winning a bonus, attack mode, challenge mode, VB mode, etc.), and can be continued over multiple games (four games in this embodiment), and are effects that notify the player whether the favorable result was achieved in the final game. Bonus effects are effects that are performed in each game during the bonus state that is transitioned to based on winning the first BB or the second BB.

The outline of the continuous performance is explained with reference to Figure 59.

For example, as shown in FIG. 59(a), at the start of the first game in which the consecutive performance is set, a display is made suggesting the number of times the consecutive performance will continue (the figure shows a four-stage daruma drop performance corresponding to the four games of consecutive performance). Then, at the end of the first game in which the consecutive performance is set, a performance is made to notify whether the consecutive performance will continue or not (the figure shows a performance in which the first stage of the daruma drop is successful, indicating that the consecutive performance will continue). If the consecutive performance is interrupted, at the end of the first game in which the consecutive performance is set, a performance is made to notify that the consecutive performance will end halfway (for example, a performance in which the first stage of the daruma drop fails, etc.). The performance regarding whether the consecutive performance will continue or not is the same for each game in the consecutive performance.

As shown in FIG. 59(b), at the start of the second game in which consecutive effects are set, a display is made suggesting the number of consecutive effects remaining (in the figure, a daruma drop effect with three stages remaining). Then, at the end of the second game, a display is made to notify whether the consecutive effects will continue (in the figure, a display is shown indicating that the second stage of the daruma drop was successful, indicating that the consecutive effects will continue).

As shown in FIG. 59(c), at the start of the third game in which consecutive effects are set, a display is made suggesting the number of remaining consecutive effects (in the figure, the remaining two stages of Daruma Drop effects are shown). Then, at the end of the third game, a display is shown to notify whether the consecutive effects will continue (in the figure, a display is shown indicating that the third stage of Daruma Drop was successful, indicating that the consecutive effects will continue).

As shown in FIG. 59(d), at the start of the final game (the fourth game) of the series, a display is displayed indicating that it is the final game of the series (in the figure, a one-stage Daruma Drop display). Then, at the end of the final game, a display is displayed indicating whether the result was favorable for the player (in the figure, a display indicating that the final Daruma Drop was successful).

As described above, in continuous performance, the performance of the next game is set by taking over the performance of the previous game, and the performance of each game has continuity. Also, it is possible to clearly recognize which game the current game is from the start of the continuous performance (how many games there are until the end of the continuous performance).

Here, in each game of the continuous performance, the continuation rate of the continuous performance is set to be higher as the game of the continuous performance progresses. In other words, the possibility of the continuous performance being notified that it will not continue is highest at the end of the first game of the continuous performance, and the more the game progresses, the lower the possibility of the non-continuation being notified. Therefore, in the continuous performance, the level of interest of the player varies greatly depending on which game in the continuous performance the current game is, and interest increases as the game progresses from the starting game to the ending game.

The above continuous effects are set in the specific role notification process (step S1905), bonus notification process (step S1908) and continuous effect setting process (step S1909) in the start-time effect setting process (Figure 44). Each process will be explained in turn below.

<Bonus Notification Processing>
First, the bonus notification process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the bonus notification process, first, in step S2401, it is determined whether the game to be started is a bonus winning game based on the currently received lottery result command. If it is a bonus winning game, in step S2402, a notification game lottery process is executed to notify the bonus winning. In this notification game lottery process, the number of games after which the bonus winning will be notified is determined by lottery. Specifically, one notification game is determined from 0 games (notified in the current game) to 10 games. In addition, when drawing the lottery for the notification game, the notification game may be different depending on the winning role that triggered the win (whether there was a double win, and if there was a double win, the type of overlapping minor role, etc.). For example, if a bonus is won with a strong cherry overlap, a small number of games may be selected, and if a bonus is won with a weak cherry overlap, a large number of games may be selected.

In the next step S2403, a process is performed to set the number of consecutive performance games based on the notification game determined by the process of step S2402. Specifically, in step S2403, the consecutive performance game is set in the consecutive performance counter provided in the various counter areas 84c. The consecutive performance counter is a counter for grasping the number of games until the result is notified, and is decremented by one for each game. For example, in a configuration in which four consecutive performance games are performed, the consecutive performance is started in a game in which the consecutive performance counter is 4, and the result is notified in a game in which the consecutive performance counter is 0. More specifically, for example, if it is decided in step S2402 that the bonus winning will be notified after 10 games, in step S2403, 10 is input to the consecutive performance counter. In this case, the consecutive performance is started from the game in which the consecutive performance counter is 4. If it is decided in step S2402 that the bonus winning will be notified after 5 games, in step S2403, 5 is input to the consecutive performance counter. Even in this case, the consecutive performance is started from the game in which the consecutive performance counter is 4.

If less than four notification games are set in step S2402, the continuous performance will start midway. For example, if a decision is made in step S2402 to notify a bonus win after two games, then in step S2403, 2 is entered into the continuous performance counter. In this case, the continuous performance will start from the current game, and will be performed from the third game of the continuous performance in FIG. 59(c).

After executing the process of step S2403, in step S2404, a continuous performance flag is set in the various flag storage area 84b. The continuous performance flag is a flag that allows the CPU 82 to know that a continuous performance is being executed.

If a negative judgment is made in step S2401, or after the processing of step S2404 is executed, the process proceeds to step S2405. In step S2405, it is judged whether or not a bonus game is started from the current game. The bonus game corresponds to the game following the first BB or second BB winning until the end of the bonus. A positive judgment is made in step S2405 when the first BB or second BB winning was established in the previous game. In this case, in step S2406, the number of bonus effect games is set in the bonus effect counter in the various counter area 84c in the RAM 84. The bonus effect counter is a counter for executing an effect set for each game in accordance with the progress of the bonus game, and an effect corresponding to the counter is displayed by the liquid crystal display device 65 or the like.

As already explained, in this embodiment, in the bonus game of the first BB or the second BB, a combination in which nine medals are paid out per game is won, and the bonus ends with the payment of 216 medals. In other words, the bonus game of the first BB or the second BB ends after 24 games. The effects in the bonus game are set to be executed over 24 games, and the bonus effect counter is a counter for determining which game out of the 24 games the effect should be executed in. Then, in step S2406, the bonus effect counter is set to 24 as the number of bonus effect games, and the bonus effect counter is decremented in each bonus game. After the process of step S2406 is performed, in step S2407, a bonus effect flag is set in the various flag storage area 84b. The bonus effect flag is a flag for the CPU 82 to determine that a bonus effect is being executed. If a negative determination is made in step S2405, or after the process of step S2407 is performed, the bonus notification process ends.

<Processing for notifying specific roles>
Next, the specific role notification process executed in step S1905 will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S2501, it is determined whether or not a premonition command is included as the start command for this time. If a premonition command is not included, in step S2502, it is determined whether or not an additional command is included as the start command for this time. If an additional command is not included, in step S2503, it is determined whether or not a bonus has been won. If a bonus has not been won, that is, if a specific role has been won as a result of the lottery, and if the lottery for transition to challenge mode, attack mode, or VB mode or the lottery for the additional number of continued games has not been won, and if a bonus has not been won, in step S2504, a lottery process for the pseudo premonition mode is executed. The pseudo premonition mode is a mode that is difficult to distinguish from the premonition mode in appearance, but in the premonition mode, a result advantageous to the player (such as winning the challenge mode) is notified based on the end of the premonition game number, while in the pseudo premonition mode, the game ends without notifying the player of a result advantageous to the player based on the end of the pseudo premonition game number.

In step S2504, a table for the pseudo premonition mode lottery is obtained from the various table storage areas of ROM 83, and a lottery counter is obtained from the various counter area 84c to perform a lottery on whether or not to execute the pseudo premonition mode. In the table for the pseudo premonition mode lottery, the probability of winning the lottery for the pseudo premonition mode is set to differ depending on the type of specific role that has been won, and for example, it is set so that a strong cherry has a higher probability of winning the lottery for the pseudo premonition mode than a weak cherry.

In step S2505, it is determined whether or not the pseudo premonition mode lottery has been won based on the processing result of step S2504. If the lottery has been won, in step S2506, a lottery process is performed to determine the number of games in the pseudo premonition mode. This process corresponds to step S808 on the main control device 101 side, and the number of pseudo premonition games is randomly determined by lottery to be 1 out of 1 to 32. In the following step S2507, a process is performed to set the number of pseudo premonition games determined in step S2506 to a continuous performance counter. In this embodiment, when the premonition mode or pseudo premonition mode is set, the premonition mode or pseudo premonition mode is ended after a continuous performance. Then, by inputting the number of pseudo premonition games into the continuous performance counter in step S2507, when the number of remaining games in the pseudo premonition mode corresponds to the start of the continuous performance (4 games remaining), the continuous performance will start.

In step S2508, a process is executed to set a pseudo flag indicating that the pseudo premonition mode is being set in the various flag storage area 84b. In the following step S2509, a continuous performance flag is set. After that, the process for notifying a specific role is terminated. Also, if a positive judgment is made in any of steps S2501 to S2503, or if a negative judgment is made in step S2505, the process for notifying a specific role is terminated.

<Continuous performance setting process>
Next, the continuous performance setting process performed in step S1909 of the start-time performance setting process (FIG. 44) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S2601, it is determined whether or not the currently received start command includes a premonition command. If a premonition command is included, in step S2602, the number of premonition games in the premonition mode included in the premonition command is input to the continuous performance counter. When the number of remaining games in the premonition mode corresponds to the start of continuous performance (4 games remaining), continuous performance will start. In the following step S2603, the continuous performance flag is set.

If a negative judgment is made in step S2601, or after the processing of step S2603 is executed, the process proceeds to step S2604. In step S2604, it is judged whether or not the continuous performance flag is set. If the continuous performance flag is set, the process of subtracting 1 from the continuous performance counter is performed in step S2605. Then, in step S2606, it is judged whether or not the continuous performance counter is a number (0 to 3) corresponding to continuous performance. If the continuous performance counter is a number corresponding to continuous performance, it is judged whether or not the pseudo flag is set in step S2607. If the pseudo flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S2608, where the performance data table for this premonition is obtained from the performance data table storage area 83a of ROM 83. Then, in step S2609, the performance data of the corresponding continuous performance is identified from the performance data table for this premonition and the continuous performance counter, and the process of setting it as the current continuous performance is performed. The performance data for the continuous performance specified from this premonition performance data table is performance data indicating that the continuous performance will continue into the next game if the continuous performance counter is 1-3, and performance data indicating that the current continuous performance will end successfully if the continuous performance counter is 0.

If it is determined in step S2607 that the pseudo flag is set, the process proceeds to step S2610. In step S2610, a pseudo premonition effect data table is obtained from the effect data table storage area 83a of ROM 83. Then, in step S2611, the effect data of the corresponding continuous effect is identified from the pseudo premonition effect data table and the continuous effect counter, and processing is performed to set it as the current continuous effect. The continuous effect effect data identified from the pseudo premonition effect data table is, if the continuous effect counter is 1 to 3, effect data indicating that the continuous effect will continue until the next game or effect data indicating that it will not continue, and if the continuous effect counter is 0, effect data indicating that the current continuous effect will end in failure.

Note that when the continuous performance counter is 1 to 3, the performance data specified from the pseudo premonition performance table includes those in which no continuous performance is set. For example, when the continuous performance counter is 3 or 2, no continuous performance data is set, when the continuous performance counter is 1, performance data for the first game of the continuous performance is set, indicating that the continuous performance will continue until the next game in FIG. 59(a), and when the continuous performance counter is 0, performance data for the second game of the continuous performance is set, indicating that the continuous performance will not continue until the next game in FIG. 59(b). In this way, it is possible to set a performance in which the continuous performance is interrupted midway in a game in which the number of pseudo premonition games in the pseudo premonition mode is 0.

After the processing of step S2609 or step S2611 is performed, in step S2612, it is determined whether or not the continuous performance counter is 0. If the continuous performance counter is 0, in step S2613, the continuous performance flag and the pseudo flag are cleared. If the pseudo flag is not set, that state is maintained. If a negative determination is made in step S2606 or step S2612, or after the processing of step S2613 is performed, this continuous performance setting process is terminated.

If it is determined in step S2604 that the continuous performance flag is not set, the process proceeds to step S2614. In step S2614, it is determined whether or not the bonus performance flag is set. If it is set, in step S2615, a subtraction process is performed on the bonus performance counter. Specifically, the bonus performance counter is subtracted by 1. In the following step S2616, a bonus performance data table is obtained from the performance data table storage area 83a. Then, in step S2617, the performance data of the corresponding bonus performance is identified from the bonus performance data table and the bonus performance counter, and the corresponding performance data is set as the current bonus performance. In step S2618, it is determined whether or not the bonus performance counter is 0. If the bonus performance counter is 0, in step S2619, a process is performed to clear the bonus performance flag. Thereafter, this continuous performance setting process is terminated.

As described above, in this slot machine 10, the main control device 101 performs a lottery process based on the insertion of medals as game media and the start operation of the start lever 41, and each reel 32L, 32M, 32R starts to rotate, and each reel 32L, 32M, 32R stops based on the stop operation of the stop switches 42 to 44. If the combination of symbols that stops on an active line corresponds to the result of the lottery process, the corresponding bonus is awarded. In this configuration, multiple RT states with different probabilities of a replay being the result of the lottery process are provided, and the RT state is changed when a corresponding promotion replay or fall replay is won. Whether or not the corresponding replay is won is determined by the result of the win/lose lottery and the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, and the notification of the operation order is made by winning the display mode transition lottery that is held according to the result of the lottery process. The result of the lottery process is a push order bell, and depending on the operation order of the stop switches 42 to 44, it is possible to achieve this push order bell winning and win medals. By transitioning to the second RT state or the third RT state, which are game states where the replay probability is improved, and transitioning to a display mode where the operation order is notified, in that RT state, it is possible to achieve the push order bell winning in a state where the replay probability is improved, and it is possible to win a large number of medals.

<Performance data setting process>
Next, the effect data setting process in the effect setting process (FIG. 42) will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 60. The effect data setting process is a process for causing the effects set in each process of steps S1701 to S1710 to be performed as display effects by the display control device 201 (liquid crystal display device 65) and to be performed as sound effects by the sound source IC 85.

That is, in step S2701, it is determined whether or not the effects have been set in each of the processes in steps S1701 to S1710. More specifically, it is determined whether or not any of the effect setting processes in the bet effect setting process in step S1704, the start effect setting process in step S1706, the effect setting process at each stop operation in step S1708, the effect setting process at all stops in step S1710, and the various effect setting processes in other processes in step S1711 have been performed. If any of the effect setting processes has been performed, a display data setting process is executed in step S2702. The display data setting process is a process for causing the display control device 201 to perform display effects. In the following step S2703, a sound data setting process is executed. The sound data setting process is a process for causing the sound source IC 85 to perform sound effects.

If a negative judgment is made in step S2701, or after the processing of step S2703 is executed, the performance data setting processing is terminated.

The display data setting process and the sound data setting process are explained below.

<Display data setting process>
As shown in the flowchart of Fig. 61, in the display data setting process, first in step S2801, the effects set in the processes of steps S1701 to S1710 are grasped, and address information corresponding to the grasped effects is specified. Specifically, the effect data table is obtained from the effect data table storage area 83a of the ROM 83, and address information of the effect command corresponding to the currently set effect is specified.

As shown in FIG. 62, the performance data table stores a performance number (performance content), a performance command to the display control device 201, and command address information indicating the storage location of the performance command, each in a one-to-one correspondence. Therefore, the performance command to be output to the display control device 201 is identified by identifying the address information of the performance data table based on the currently set performance content.

For example, if a challenge mode start effect (step S1802) is set in the bet time effect setting process, in step S2801, the effect number of the challenge mode start effect is obtained from the effect data table, and the command address information corresponding to that effect number is identified. If a continuous effect is set in the start time effect setting process, in step S2801, the effect number of the continuous effect corresponding to the current value of the continuous effect counter is obtained from the effect data table, and the command address information corresponding to that effect number is identified. Also, if an effect for the display mode is set by performing the display mode setting process in the start time effect setting process, in step S2801, the effect number of the current display mode effect is obtained from the effect data table, and the command address information corresponding to that effect number is identified.

In the next step S2802, a process is executed to acquire a performance command based on the address information identified in step S2801. Specifically, a process is executed to acquire a performance command from a corresponding address in the performance command storage area 83d of the ROM 83 based on the command address information identified in step S2801. Then, in step S2803, the performance command is output to the display control device 201, and the display data setting process is terminated.

In other words, the display data setting process is executed at the timing when various effects are set as one process of the periodic process (effect setting process) that is started periodically (2 msec) by the sub-control device 81, and the effect commands set in the display data setting process are also output to the display control device 201 at the timing when various effects are set in this periodic process.

<V interrupt processing of the display control device 201>
Next, the V interrupt process executed by the CPU 202 in the display control device 201 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 63. The V interrupt process is a process executed when the CPU 202 detects a V interrupt signal. The V interrupt signal is a signal transmitted by the VDP 205 to the CPU 202. When the VDP 205 outputs an image signal for one frame to the liquid crystal display device 65, it starts outputting an image signal from a dot in the upper left corner of the display screen, and outputs image signals sequentially to dots arranged on a horizontal line including the dot at one end, and outputs image signals to dots from left to right in order from the top to the bottom of each horizontal line. Then, it finally outputs an image signal to a dot in the lower right corner of the display screen. In this case, the VDP 205 outputs a V interrupt signal to the CPU 202 at the timing of outputting an image signal for the last dot, and makes the CPU 202 recognize that updating of the image for one frame has been completed. The output period of this V interrupt signal is 1/30 sec (about 33.3 msec). In this regard, the V interrupt process can also be considered to be initiated in synchronization with the reception of the V interrupt signal.

Here, in addition to V interrupt processing, the CPU 202 executes main processing that is repeatedly executed after power is turned on, and command interrupt processing that is executed when a command is received from the sub-control device 81. A detailed explanation of the main processing and command interrupt processing will be omitted, but the performance command output from the sub-control device 81 is stored in a command storage area by the command interrupt processing.

In the V interrupt process, as shown in FIG. 62, first in step S2901, it is determined whether or not a new command has been received. Specifically, in the display data setting process, a performance command is output from the sub-control device 81 by performing a performance command output process, and it is determined whether or not such a performance command has been stored in the command storage area by the command interrupt process. If a performance command has been stored, in step S2902, a data table selection process is executed. A data table is a group of information that defines the processing required to display one frame of an image at each update timing when a video corresponding to a received command is displayed on the display screen of the liquid crystal display device 65.

By the way, the output of the performance command on the sub-control device 81 side is performed in a 2 msec cycle, while the V interrupt processing is performed in a cycle of about 33.3 msec., and multiple performance commands may be output during one V interrupt processing cycle. In this case, in steps S2901 and S2902, a determination is made as to whether or not a command exists and a data table selection process is performed for all commands stored in the command storage area.

As shown in FIG. 62, in the data table, a group of image data corresponding to the performance commands set on the sub-control device 81 side is set. For example, when a performance command C1 corresponding to performance number 1 is received, a data table is selected in which the number of frames is p (p is a natural number) and Da(1) to Da(p) are used as the data to be used. When a performance command Cx corresponding to performance number x (x is a natural number) is received, a data table is selected in which the number of frames is s (s is a natural number) and Dx(1) to Dx(s) are used as the data to be used.

If a negative determination is made in step S2901, or after the processing of step S2902 has been executed, the process proceeds to step S2903. In step S2903, a pointer update process is executed. In the pointer update process, the pointer information set in the data table is updated to advance by one frame. This allows the CPU 202 to determine the processing required to display one frame of image corresponding to the current update timing.

In the next step S2904, task processing is executed. In the task processing, in order to display one frame of image corresponding to the current update timing, the type of image data required for issuing a drawing instruction to the VDP 205 is identified, and parameters to be applied to the identified image data are calculated.

After that, in step S2905, the drawing list output process is executed, and then this V interrupt process is terminated. In the drawing list output process, a drawing list for displaying one frame of images corresponding to the update timing related to the current processing is created, and the created drawing list is sent to the VDP 205. In this case, in the drawing list, the image data grasped in the immediately previous task process becomes the drawing target in the video RAM 207, and the parameter information updated in the task process is also set. In the VDP 205, the necessary image data is read from the character ROM 206 according to this drawing list, and the read image data is set in the frame buffer of the video RAM 207 with the above parameters applied to it. In this way, drawing data for one frame is created. Then, an image signal is output to the liquid crystal display device 65 according to this created drawing data, and one frame of images is displayed on the display screen of the liquid crystal display device 65.

For example, in FIG. 62, if a data table corresponding to performance number 2 is selected, and the data Db(q-5) is used and displayed as the F(q-5)th frame image, the pointer update process of step S2903 updates the number of the data used to advance by one frame. Then, the task process of step S2904 grasps the data Db(q-4) and calculates the parameters to be applied to the grasped data. After that, the drawing list output process of step S2905 creates a drawing list for the data Db(q-4) and sends it to the VDP 205. As a result, the F(q-4)th frame image is displayed on the display screen.

As described above, each time the V interrupt process is started in the display control device 201 at a cycle of approximately 33.3 msec, the image on the display screen of the liquid crystal display device 65 is updated by one frame. In other words, the display performance set as the display data setting process in the performance data setting process of the sub-control device 81 is updated at a cycle of approximately 33.3 msec in the display control device 201 (liquid crystal display device 65).

<Sound data setting process>
Next, the sound data setting process executed in step S2703 in the performance data setting process (FIG. 60) of the sub-control device 81 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 64. The sound data setting process is a process for performing sound performance in accordance with the display performance set in the immediately preceding display data setting process.

As already explained, in this embodiment, the speaker device 64 that performs the sound effects has multiple sound source ICs 85, amplifiers 86, and individual speakers 87, and each sound source IC 85 controls the generation and output of sound via the corresponding amplifier 86 and individual speaker 87. The sound data setting process is a process for instructing the sound source IC 85 on the sound data to be output in the current sound effect. Then, after the sound data setting process has instructed the sound source IC 85 on the sound data, the sound source IC 85 generates and outputs sound based on the instructed data.

The sound generation process in which the sound source IC 85 generates sound and updates the output will be described in detail later, but the sound source IC 85 is configured to perform the sound generation process at a cycle of 10 msec, which is a cycle that is shorter than the one-frame update cycle in the display control device 201. In this case, the one-frame update cycle on the display control device 201 side and the update cycle on the sound source IC 85 side are in a mutually indivisible cycle relationship, and a lag may occur between the generation of the sound effect and the update timing of the display effect.

More specifically, for example, if a predetermined sound effect is to be started in the second frame of a predetermined frame of effects, and the start timing of the predetermined sound effect is set to the update timing of the sound source IC 85, then after about 33.3 msec, which is the update timing of the second frame, there will be a delay of about 3.3 msec (about 33.3 msec - 10 msec x 3) from the update timing of the sound source IC 85. Also, if a predetermined sound effect is to be started in the third frame of a predetermined frame of effects, and the start timing of the predetermined sound effect is set to the update timing of the sound source IC 85, then after about 66.6 msec, which is the update timing of the third frame, there will be a delay of about 6.6 msec (about 66.6 msec - 10 msec x 6) or about 3.4 msec (10 msec x 7 - about 66.6 msec) from the update timing of the sound source IC 85.

In other words, in a configuration in which sound effects are set using update data for each sound generation process of the sound source IC 85, even if you try to match the start timing of the sound effects with the frame update timing, a discrepancy will occur. In this case, for example, a sound effect corresponding to the updated frame will occur slightly after the frame update timing, or a sound effect corresponding to the updated frame will occur slightly earlier than the frame update timing. Such a discrepancy can ruin the intended effect.

In particular, as described above, this embodiment is a game in which the aim is to win a large number of medals by transitioning between display modes as well as transitioning between game states, and it can be said that there is a great deal of interest in the display effects implemented on the liquid crystal display device 65. In that regard, if the content of the display effects were to be understood by the sound effects before the display effects (for example, if the content of the display effects could be understood by the sound effects before the display effects, whether or not the lottery for transitioning to attack mode was won could be understood by the sound effects before the display effects), not only would it be impossible to fully expect the effect of the key aspects of the game, such as whether or not the display mode would transition, but the key aspects would also be ruined, greatly reducing interest in the gameplay of this embodiment.

The sound data setting process in this embodiment is therefore designed to prevent any misalignment between the display effects and sound effects.

As shown in FIG. 64, in the sound data setting process, first, in step S3001, a process is executed to grasp the current performance content. More specifically, a process is executed to identify the performance number identified in step S2801 of the display data setting process as the current performance content. In the following step S3002, a process is executed to grasp the value of the sound source counter K stored in the various counter area 84c of the RAM 84. The sound source counter K is a counter for identifying the type of sound source IC 85 for which sound data is set in the current process. The value of the sound source counter K corresponds to the number of the sound source IC 85, and in the processes from step S3003 onwards, a sound data setting process is executed for the sound source IC 85 corresponding to the sound source counter K grasped in step S3002.

That is, in step S3003, the sound effect data table stored in the effect data table storage area 83a of the ROM 83 is read based on the effect number identified in step S3001, and a process is performed to identify the frame on the display control device 201 side at which the sound source IC 85 in this process should start generating and outputting sound (hereinafter referred to as the sound data generation frame).

As shown in FIG. 65, the sound effect data table stores each sound source IC 85 and a sound data generation frame in correspondence with each effect number. For example, in an effect with effect number 1, the sound data generation frame is set as the first frame for the first sound source IC 85a to the 23rd sound source IC 85w. Therefore, in an effect with effect number 1, sound generation and output is started in all sound source ICs 85 at the start timing of the display effect, and the sound effect is started in all sound source ICs 85. In addition, in an effect with effect number 2, the sound data generation frame is set as the first frame for the first sound source IC 85a to the 3rd sound source IC 85c, while the sound data generation frame is not set for the 4th sound source IC 85d to the 23rd sound source IC 85w. Therefore, in the effect with effect number 2, the first sound source IC 85a to the third sound source IC 85c start sound effects at the start timing of the display effect, and the other sound source ICs 85d to 85w do not perform sound effects in any frame. In other words, although effects 1 and 2 differ in the type and number of sound source ICs 85 used, the start timing of the sound effects is the same as the start timing of the display effect in both cases.

On the other hand, in the performance with performance number 3, for example, the sound data generation frame is set as the first frame for the first sound source IC 85a to the third sound source IC 85c, the sound data generation frame is set as the second frame for the fourth sound source IC 85d, and the sound data generation frame is set as the third frame for the fifth sound source IC 85e. In addition, the sound data generation frame is set as the xth frame for the sixth sound source IC 85f, and the sound data generation frame is set as the yth frame for the twenty-first sound source IC 85v. Therefore, in the performance with performance number 3, the sound performance by the first sound source IC 85a to the third sound source IC 85c is started at the start timing of the display performance, the sound performance by the fourth sound source IC 85d is started at the update timing of the next frame (update timing to the second frame), and the sound performance by the fifth sound source IC 85e is started at the update timing of the next frame (update timing to the third frame). In addition, the sound effect by the sixth sound source IC 85f starts when the frame is updated to the xth frame, and the sound effect by the 21st sound source IC 85v starts when the frame is updated to the yth frame. In other words, in the third effect, the start timing of the display effect and the start timing of the sound effect may differ.

In step S3003, for example, if the current performance number is 3 and the value of the sound source counter K is 1, it is determined that the number of frames with sound data generated for the first sound source IC 85a is 1. Also, for example, if the current performance number is 3 and the value of the sound source counter K is 4, it is determined that the number of frames with sound data generated for the fourth sound source IC 85d is 2.

After the sound data generation frame is identified in step S3003, the sound data address after the sound data generation frame is identified in step S3004. In the sound performance data table, sound data numbers corresponding to the content of the sound performance to be performed after the sound data generation frame are stored for each sound source IC 85. For example, in performance No. 1, for the first sound source IC 85a, sound performance based on sound data No. a is performed, followed by sound performance based on sound data No. a+1, followed by sound data No. a+2, No. a+3, and so on, and so on. Also, for the second sound source IC 85b, sound performance based on sound data No. b is performed, followed by sound data No. b+1, No. b+2, No. b+3, and so on, and so on, and so on.

The sound effects corresponding to each sound data number each have a predetermined period (e.g., approximately 11.1 msec), and when sound effect number 1 is performed by the first sound source IC 85a, sound effect number a is performed for a predetermined period, followed by sound effect number a+1 for a predetermined period, followed by sound effect number a+2 for a predetermined period, followed by sound effect number a+3, and so on, and so on, generating and outputting consecutive sounds according to the set sound data numbers.

The sound data number is for linking with the address information of the sound source data stored in the sound source data storage area 83e of the ROM 83. The sound source data is data that each sound source IC 85 reproduces in the sound generation process to generate and output sound, and is data for reproducing music, voice, sound effects, etc. As shown in FIG. 66(a), a sound data table is stored in the sound data table storage area 83b of the ROM 83, and the sound data table stores sound data numbers and address information of the sound source data in one-to-one correspondence. Each sound source IC 85 can obtain the corresponding sound source data from the sound source data storage area 83e shown in FIG. 66(b) based on the sound source data address information, thereby enabling the corresponding sound performance to be performed through the amplifier 86 and the individual speaker 87. That is, as described above, the sound data numbers are set consecutively, and the sound source data is linked to the sound data numbers. The sound source IC 85 is configured to continuously acquire sound source data for playback and play back the sound source data (generate and output sound) in the order that it was acquired.

Here, the sound source data storage area 83e stores volume information along with the sound source data. That is, the sound source data storage area 83e stores a set of output frequency (pitch, type of sound, etc.) as sound source data and output volume as volume information. Volume information is set to a value between 1 and 139, and the higher the value, the higher the output volume. When each sound source IC 85 acquires sound source data based on the sound source data address information, it can also acquire volume information, and performs sound performance at the corresponding volume.

In step S3004, the sound data number after the sound data generation frame is obtained based on the sound performance data table, and the sound source data address information is obtained from the sound data table based on the obtained sound data number.

For example, in step S3004, if the current performance number is 3 and the value of the sound source counter K is 1, then for the first sound source IC 85a, information such as A(c), A(c), A(c), A(a), A(a), etc. is obtained as sound source data address information corresponding to c, c, c, a, a, etc. Furthermore, if the current performance number is 3 and the value of the sound source counter K is 4, then for the fourth sound source IC 85d, information such as A(d), A(d), A(d), A(d), A(d), etc. is obtained as sound source data address information corresponding to d, d, d, d, d, etc.

Then, in step S3005, a process is performed to determine the number of frames up to the sound data generation frame. For example, in the case of performances 1 and 2, the number of frames up to the sound data generation frame in each sound source IC 85 is 0. On the other hand, in the case of performance 3, the number of frames up to the sound data generation frame in the first sound source IC 85a to the third sound source IC 85c is 0, but the number of frames up to the sound data generation frame in the fourth sound source IC 85d is 1, the number of frames up to the sound data generation frame in the fifth sound source IC 85e is 2, and the number of frames up to the sound data generation frame in the sixth sound source IC 85f is x-1.

In the next step S3006, it is determined whether the number of frames determined in step S3005 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (in this embodiment, 150 frames, 5 seconds). If it is less than the predetermined number, the process proceeds to step S3007.

In step S3007, a process is performed to determine the silent data addresses for the number of frames determined in step S3005. As shown in FIG. 66(a), in the sound data table, silent data address information (B(x), B(y)) is set as the sound data address with sound data number x or y. Silent data is data (20 kHz in this embodiment) whose output frequency is equal to or lower than the lower discrimination limit (20 Hz) or equal to or higher than the upper discrimination limit (20 kHz) as sound source data, and whose volume information is set to 0. The silent data x and silent data y have different corresponding playback lengths, and the playback length of the silent data x is set to the length of one frame (approximately 33.3 msec). On the other hand, the playback length of the silent data y is variable, and the length is set in a later process (step S3011).

When the sound source IC 85 performs sound effects by playing back sound source data with volume information of 1 or more, the player can understand the sound if the sound source data has an output frequency set to be equal to or greater than the lower discrimination limit and equal to or less than the upper discrimination limit. On the other hand, if sound source data with volume information of 0 is played back, or if sound source data with an output frequency set to be equal to or less than the lower discrimination limit or equal to or greater than the upper discrimination limit is played back, the player cannot understand the sound.

In other words, in this embodiment, it is possible to set sound data in which sound source data that outputs sounds that the player can understand is reproduced, and it is also possible to set sound data in which sound source data that outputs sounds that the player cannot or cannot easily understand is reproduced. Sound data in which sound source data that outputs sounds that the player can understand (sound data) corresponds to normal information as sound information in this embodiment, and sound data in which sound source data that outputs sounds that the player cannot or cannot easily understand is reproduced (silent data) corresponds to special information as sound information in this embodiment.

In step S3007, processing is performed to obtain address information for sound data number x and sound data address information B(x) as silent data corresponding to the number of frames up to the sound data generation frame. Specifically, for example, if the number of frames up to the sound data generation frame is 1, one frame's worth of B(x) is obtained as sound data address information. Also, if the number of frames is 3, three frames' worth of B(x), B(x), and B(x) are obtained as sound data address information.

In order to distinguish between sound data address information corresponding to silent data and sound data address information corresponding to sound data different from silent data, the former is also referred to as a silent data address and the latter is also referred to as a sound data address.

In the next step S3008, the silent data address obtained in step S3007 and the audio data address obtained in step S3004 are set in the area of the data output area 84a of the RAM 84 that corresponds to the current sound source counter K. That is, the data output area 84a has 1st to 23rd areas set in accordance with the number of sound source ICs 85, and each sound source IC 85 obtains sound source data and volume information from the sound source data storage area 83e based on the data address set in the corresponding area.

For example, if the current performance number is 3 and the value of the sound source counter K is 4, two frames of B(x), B(x) are grasped as silent data addresses, and A(e), A(e), A(e), ... are grasped as voice data addresses. In this case, in step S3008, information such as B(x), B(x), A(e), A(e), A(e), ... is set in the fourth area of the data output area 84a corresponding to the value of the sound source counter K. Also, if the current performance number is 3 and the value of the sound source counter K is 22, no silent data address is grasped, and A(b), A(b), A(b), ... are grasped as voice data addresses. In this case, in step S3008, information such as A(b), A(b), A(b), ... is set in the 22nd area of the data output area 84a corresponding to the value of the sound source counter K.

If it is determined in step S3006 that the number of frames until the audio data generation frame is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the process proceeds to step S3009. In step S3009, a process is performed to determine the update timing (processing timing) of the sound source IC 85 immediately before the audio data generation frame. For example, if the audio data generation frame is the 182nd frame, the length of the period until it is updated to the audio data generation frame is 181 frames x approximately 33.3 msec = approximately 6.0333 sec. In this case, given the update period (10 msec) of the sound source IC 85, the update timing of the sound source IC 85 immediately before the audio data generation frame is 6.030 sec.

In step S3010, a process is performed to identify the length from the update timing of the sound source IC 85 identified in step S3009 to the start timing of the audio data generation frame (approximately 3.3 msec in the above example). Then, in step S3011, a process is performed to grasp the silent data address corresponding to the length identified in step S3010. In other words, the silent data address B(y) corresponding to the yth silent data, whose length can be set, is grasped for the length identified in step S3010 (approximately 3.3 msec).

In the next step S3012, the process performs a process of setting the information (start timing information) on the update timing of the sound source IC 85 immediately before the sound data generation frame identified in step S3010, the silent data address grasped in step S3011, and the sound data address grasped in step S3004 in the area of the data output area 84a of the RAM 84 that corresponds to the current sound source counter K.

After executing the process of step S3008 or step S3012, the process proceeds to step S3013. In step S3013, the process of incrementing the sound source counter K by 1 is performed. Then, in step S3014, it is determined whether the sound source counter K has reached its upper limit of 24. If it is 24, in step S3015, the process of resetting the value of the sound source counter K to its initial value of 1 is performed, and the sound data setting process is terminated. As a result, in the next sound data setting process, the setting process of the sound data corresponding to the first sound source IC 85a is performed. Also, if it is less than 24 in step S3014, this means that there is still a sound source IC 85 that has not been set, and in this case, the process returns to step S3002 and repeats the process of setting the sound data of the corresponding sound source IC 85.

By performing the sound data setting process described above, address information for the sound data corresponding to the current effect is set in each area of the data output area 84a. An example of the address information set in each area is explained below with reference to FIG. 67. FIG. 67 shows the case where the effect number is 3.

For example, the first area corresponding to the first sound source IC 85a stores address information such as A(c), A(c), A(c), A(a), A(a), A(a), A(b), A(b), A(b), ... All of this address information is a sound data address, and the first sound source IC 85a performs a sound performance based on the sound data address from the start timing of the performance, i.e., from the start timing of the display of the first frame in the display performance.

Meanwhile, in the fourth area corresponding to the fourth sound source IC 85d, address information such as B(x), A(d), A(d), A(d), A(d), A(d), A(d), A(d), ... is stored. As already explained, B(x) is a silent data address with a length of one frame. Therefore, although the fourth sound source IC 85d generates sound from the start timing of the performance, the sound is generated based on silent data for one frame from the start timing, and the sound generated in this way is not understood or is difficult for the player to understand. Therefore, although the sound generation by the fourth sound source IC 85d starts from the display start timing of the first frame in the display performance, the player perceives it as if the sound performance started from the display start timing of the second frame.

Similarly, the fifth area corresponding to the fifth sound source IC 85e stores address information such as B(x), B(x), A(e), A(e), A(e), .... Therefore, although the fifth sound source IC 85e starts generating sound from the start of the display of the first frame in the display effect, the player perceives the sound effect as if it started from the start of the display of the third frame.

In the sixth area corresponding to the sixth sound source IC 85f, address information such as B(y), A(c), A(c)A(c) and sound generation start timing information are stored. The sound source IC 85 starts generating sound from this start timing. As already explained, B(y) is a silent data address corresponding to the length of the start timing of the sound data generation frame and the update timing of the sound source IC 85 immediately before that. Therefore, although the sixth sound source IC 85f starts generating sound slightly earlier than the display start timing of the xth frame in the display performance, the player perceives it as if the sound performance started from the display start timing of the xth frame.

<Sound generation processing by sound source IC 85>
Next, the sound generation process executed by the sound source IC 85 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 68. The sound generation process is a process executed individually by the first sound source IC 85a to the 23rd sound source IC 85w, and is started based on the setting of new data in the data output area 84a by the sub-control device 81, and is then executed at a predetermined period (10 msec period). In other words, the sound generation process is a process that is started periodically, and the start of the period is the execution of the sound data setting process by the sub-control device 81. In addition, if a new sound data setting process is performed after the periodic sound generation process is started based on the sound data setting process, the update period of the sound generation process is reset. In other words, if a new performance is triggered, the sound generation process is started at a new period. In addition, the startup period of the sound generation process by the sound source IC 85 is longer than the startup period (2 msec) of the performance setting process by the sub-control device 81, and is shorter than the startup period (33.3 msec) of the V interrupt process of the display control device 201.

Here, the sound source IC 85 can access the RAM 84 in the sub-controller 81, and more specifically, can access the data output area 84a of the RAM 84. Therefore, when sound data setting processing is performed in the sub-controller 81 and various data is set in the data output area 84a, the data is not output to the sound source IC 85 by a command or the like, but is maintained in the state set in that area. In other words, the sub-controller 81 and sound source IC 85 can exchange data via the data output area 84a, simplifying the processing configuration.

Furthermore, the sound source IC 85 can also access the ROM 83 of the sub-control device 81, and more specifically, can access the sound source data storage area 83e of the ROM 83. Therefore, when causing the sound source IC 85 to perform sound effects, there is no need to output sound source data (and volume information) to the sound source IC 85 by command or the like, and there is no need for the sound source IC 85 to store the sound source data (and volume information). This makes it possible to dramatically simplify the processing configuration when performing sound information, and also makes it possible to simplify the configuration of the sound source IC 85 itself.

In step S3101, it is determined whether or not start timing information has been set in the data output area 84a. If start timing information has been set, in step S3102, it is determined whether or not the start timing of the current sound generation process corresponds to the start timing information. If it is not the start timing, the sound generation process is terminated. If start timing information has not been set in step S3101, or if it is determined in step S3102 that it is the start timing, the process proceeds to step S3103.

In step S3103, a process is performed to grasp the sound data address set in the data output area 84a. In the following step S3104, a process is performed to obtain sound source data from the sound source data storage area 83e based on the sound data address. In the following step S3105, a process is performed to obtain volume information from the sound source data storage area 83e based on the sound data address.

After grasping the sound source data and volume information for the current performance set in the sound data setting process in steps S3104 and S3105, a process is executed in step S3106 to grasp the set volume information. The process in step S3106 is a process to grasp the setting values of the Vol switches 75, 76 connected to the sub-control device 81.

Incidentally, when the set values of the Vol switches 75, 76 are changed or initialized, for example, the corresponding counter values in the various counter areas 84c of the RAM 84 may be changed, and the sound source IC 85 may grasp the counter values in the various counter areas 84c, and grasp the counter values in step S3106. Also, when the set values of the Vol switches 75, 76 are changed or initialized, the values may be output to the sound source IC 85. Furthermore, the Vol switches 75, 76 may be directly or indirectly connected to the sound source IC 85.

After that, in step S3107, sound generation control is performed via the amplifier 86 and the speaker 87 based on the sound source data acquired in step S3104 and the sound output amount grasped in steps S3105 and S3106. After executing the processing of step S3107, the sound generation processing is terminated.

Here, we will provide additional explanation with reference to Figure 69 regarding the difference between the sound source data when 0 is set as the volume information and the sound source data when 1 to 139 is set as the volume information. Figure 69(a) shows the relationship between the sound source data and the setting value of each Vol switch when 0 is set as the volume information, and Figure 69(b) shows the relationship between the sound source data and the setting value of each Vol switch when a, which is a value between 1 and 139, is set as the volume information.

As already explained, in this embodiment, there is provided a first Vol switch 75 mainly for the manager of the game hall, and a second Vol switch 76 mainly for the players, and the volume can be set using both of these Vol switches 75, 76. The first Vol switch 75 allows the volume to be set in 10 stages from 0 to 9, and the second Vol switch 76 allows the volume to be set in 10 stages from 1 to 10. Regardless of which Vol switch 75, 76 is used to set the volume, the higher the setting value, the louder the sound that is output.

When the volume information for sound data is set to 0, as shown in FIG. 69(a), even if a sound generation process is performed, the player will not be able to hear the sound, regardless of the volume settings of the first Vol switch 75 and the second Vol switch 76. In other words, for sound source data with volume information set to 0, a sound that the player cannot hear is output, regardless of the volume settings of both Vol switches 75, 76. In other words, no sound is output.

When the volume information is set as a for the sound source data, as shown in FIG. 69(b), a sound is output at a volume that takes into account the volume setting value of the first Vol switch 75 and the volume setting value of the second Vol switch 76 (the figure shows the multiplication value of both settings and the output volume value of the sound data). However, when the volume setting of the first Vol switch 75 is 0, a sound that the player cannot grasp is output, regardless of the volume information or the volume setting of the second Vol switch 76. In other words, no sound is output.

The volume setting of 0 on the first Vol switch 75 is used when the manager of the gaming hall makes adjustments to the gaming machine, etc. The reason why the first Vol switch 75 has a volume setting of 0, but the second Vol switch 76 does not, is to make it more difficult to commit fraudulent acts that intentionally do not generate special effects (for example, acts that prevent the manager of the gaming hall from hearing an error sound or from noticing an illegal bonus win, etc.).

<Relationship between sound effects and display effects>
Next, the relationship between the frame update timing in the display performance, the update timing of the sound performance, and the length of the sound data will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG.

When a performance trigger occurs and display data (performance command) and sound data are set in the performance data setting process in the sub-control device 81 at timing t1, the display control device 201 starts updating frames from timing t1, and the sound source IC 85 starts updating the sound generation process from timing t1.

As already explained, the frame update period is 1/30 sec, which is about 33.3 msec. On the other hand, the sound generation process update period is 10 msec. The frame update period and the sound generation process update period are in a relationship that cannot be divided by a natural number. Therefore, when the frame and sound generation process updates start simultaneously at the timing of t1, the frame update period and the sound generation process update period hardly match. For example, at the timing of t3, which is the update timing from the first frame to the second frame, there is a deviation of about 3.3 msec from the timing of t2, which is the update timing of the fourth sound generation process. Also, at the timing of t5, which is the update timing from the second frame to the third frame, there is a deviation of about 6.6 msec from the timing of t4, which is the update timing of the seventh sound generation process, and there is a deviation of about 3.4 msec from the timing of t6, which is the update timing of the eighth sound generation process. Therefore, even if you try to generate sound using the sound generation process so that the sound effect starts at the frame update timing, the sound effect will start earlier or later depending on the difference in the update cycle.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to avoid such a shift, sound generation processing based on silent data is performed before the update timing of the frame (audio data generation frame) at which the sound effect starts. Specifically, for example, in the third sound source IC 85c of FIG. 70 (e), sound effect starts from the timing of t3, which is the update timing to the second frame. In this case, in the sound data setting process of the sub-control device 81, silent data and audio data are set as a set so that sound generation processing based on silent data is performed from the timing of t1, which is the timing before the timing of t3. Also, in the fourth sound source IC 85d of FIG. 70 (f), sound effect starts from the timing of t5, which is the update timing to the third frame. In this case, in the sound data setting process of the sub-control device 81, silent data and audio data are set as a set so that sound generation processing based on silent data is performed from the timing of t1, which is the timing before the timing of t5. In this way, there is no need to perform sound generation processing so that the third sound source IC 85c starts the sound effect at timing t3, and the fourth sound source IC 85d starts the sound effect at timing t5. At timings t3 and t5, it is sufficient to simply continue the playback of the sound data that started before that. This makes it possible to effectively avoid a mismatch between the display effect and the sound effect.

The silent data set for the third sound source IC 85c is playback data with a length of one frame from timing t1 to timing t3, and the silent data set for the fourth sound source IC 85d is playback data with a length of two frames from timing t1 to timing t5. In this way, by configuring the silent data so that it can be set in frame units (a natural number multiple of the frame length), the processing configuration for setting the silent data can be simplified.

In the relationship between the third sound source IC 85c and the fourth sound source IC 85d, in which silence data is set, and the first sound source IC 85a and the second sound source IC 85b, in which silence data is not set (Figures 70(c) and 70(d)), regardless of whether silence data is set or not, all of the sound source ICs 85a to 85d start playing sound data (generating sound through sound generation processing) from the start timing of the first frame. In other words, each sound source IC 85a to 85d does not need to monitor the sound playback start timing, making it possible to avoid an increase in the processing load on each sound source IC 85a to 85d.

In addition, when comparing the amount of sound data between the first sound source IC 85a, which does not set silence data, and the third sound source IC 85c and fourth sound source IC 85d, which set silence data, all of them have sound data for the length from t1 to t10 (x frames), so there is no difference in the amount of data between the sound source ICs 85a, 85c, and 85d, and processing is equalized.

In contrast, for the second sound source IC 85b, which performs sound effects from the start of the first frame to the end of the second frame, only sound data for two frames is set, and sound data for the third frame and onward is not set. In other words, like the third sound source IC 85c and the fourth sound source IC 85d, when there is a period when sound effects are not performed and sound effects are performed after that period, silent data is set to adjust the start timing of the sound effects, but like the second sound source IC 85b, even if there is a period when sound effects are not performed, if sound effects are not performed after that period, there is no need to adjust the start timing of the sound effects, so silent data is not set. In this way, it is possible to avoid unnecessary data setting and reduce the amount of set data.

In the relationship between the second sound source IC 85b and the fourth sound source IC 85d, the second sound source IC 85b performs sound production by sound generation processing based on sound data over the first and second frames, and the fourth sound source IC 85d does not perform sound production by sound generation processing based on silent data for the first and second frames, but performs sound production by sound generation processing based on sound data from the third frame to the xth frame. In other words, sound production is performed by the second sound source IC 85b from the first frame to the second frame, and sound production is performed by the fourth sound source IC 85d from the third frame to the xth frame, and a series of sound productions from the first frame to the xth frame are performed by the second sound source IC 85b and the fourth sound source IC 85d. In this way, by configuring a series of sound effects using multiple sound source ICs 85, even if the sound effects are of the same length, the sound output location and output direction are different compared to a configuration realized with a single sound source IC 85 (for example, the first sound source IC 85a), making the sound effects more profound. Moreover, with such a configuration, it is possible to prevent interruptions and overlaps in the sound when the sound source IC 85 is switched (the frame update timing in the above example), making it possible to optimally realize the series of sound effects.

The fifth sound source IC 85e to the seventh sound source IC 85g in Figures 70(g) to 70(i) show patterns in which the above-mentioned series of sound effects are realized by multiple sound source ICs 85. For example, the fifth sound source IC 85e executes sound generation processing based on the first frame of sound data as the first period, and the sixth sound source IC 85f executes sound generation processing based on the first frame of silent data as the first period, and executes sound generation processing based on the second frame of sound data as the second period. That is, the fifth sound source IC 85e and the sixth sound source IC 85f realize a series of sound effects spanning the first frame (fifth sound source IC 85e) and the second frame (sixth sound source IC 85f). Furthermore, the seventh sound source IC 85g executes sound generation processing based on silent data for the first frame as the first period and the second frame as the second period, and executes sound generation processing based on audio data for the third frame as the third period. That is, in addition to the fifth sound source IC 85e and the sixth sound source IC 85f, the seventh sound source IC 85g realizes a series of sound effects spanning the first frame (fifth sound source IC 85e), the second frame (sixth sound source IC 85f), and the third frame (seventh sound source IC 85g). In this way, by using silent data in a configuration in which sound is generated and output by multiple sound source ICs 85, it is possible to realize a series of sound effects in which the output locations and output directions of the sound are different, without causing interruptions or overlaps in the sound.

In the above embodiment, when the number of frames until the voice data generation frame is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, no silent data is set from the timing t1, as in the eighth sound source IC 85h in FIG. 70(j). In this case, the update timing (t8) of the sound generation process immediately before the start timing (t9) of the voice data generation frame is specified, and along with the update timing (start timing information) of the sound generation process, silent data for the length from the update timing to the start timing of the voice data generation frame (xth frame) (silent data from t8 to t9) and voice data after the voice data generation frame (voice data from t9 to t10) are set. In this way, when sound generation processing based on silent data may be performed over a too long period of time, it is possible to reduce the amount of set data by setting the silent data to the minimum necessary, rather than setting silent data for the entire period.

The present embodiment described above provides the following excellent advantages:

In a configuration in which the display performance and sound performance are set in the performance data setting process in the sub-control device 81, and the display performance is performed in the display control device 201 and the sound performance is performed in the sound source IC 85 based on the settings, the update timing of the display performance on the display control device 201 side and the update timing of the sound performance on the sound source IC 85 side are different, and these update periods are in an indivisible relationship. In such a configuration, the two update timings are not easily synchronized, and even if the sound performance is started at the update timing of the display performance, for example, a mismatch occurs between the two performances due to the mismatch with the update timing of the sound performance side. Therefore, in the above configuration, silent data is set before the update timing of the display performance, and sound data is set from the update timing of the display performance, and sound based on the silent data is started at the update timing of the sound performance side. By doing so, it is possible to start the sound performance based on the sound data at the update timing of the display performance even if there is a mismatch between the update timing of the two performances.

When silent data is set, the audio data generation frame on the display performance side is identified, and the amount of data and the setting method of the silent data to be set are varied depending on the results of the identification. More specifically, as in the first sound source IC 85a to the seventh sound source IC 85g in FIG. 70, if the audio data generation frame is less than a predetermined number of frames, silent data is set from the start frame (first frame), and as in the eighth sound source IC 85h in FIG. 70, if the number of frames is equal to or more than the predetermined number, silent data is set from the sound performance update timing immediately before the audio data generation frame. In other words, if silent data that is too long is set, the amount of data to be set increases, and if the start timing information must be set even though the amount of data is small, the processing load may increase. By doing this, it is possible to maintain a balance between the amount of data of the silent data to be set and the processing load.

When setting silence data from the start frame, it is possible to set the silence data in frame units. This makes it possible to avoid discrepancies with the display performance with a simple configuration without the need for special processing to match the length of the silence data with the frame update cycle.

Having multiple sound source ICs 85, the sub-controller 81's sound data setting process sets sound data for each sound source IC 85, while each sound source IC 85 is configured to be able to execute sound generation processing individually. In this way, after the sub-controller 81 has performed the sound data setting process, the execution of sound effects can be left to each sound source IC 85, and the sub-controller 81 can perform other processing in preparation for the occurrence of new effects.

In each performance, the multiple sound source ICs 85 are set so that the sound data generation frames can be different. The sub-control device 81 is then configured to set silent data for each of the sound data generation frames. In this way, it is possible to achieve the effect of overlapping sound performances by the multiple sound source ICs 85 using a simple sound lag prevention mechanism that uses silent data.

In a configuration in which sound generation processing is performed by multiple sound source ICs 85, the sound data of each sound source IC 85 can be set so that one sound source IC 85 performs sound generation processing based on sound data at a predetermined timing, and another sound source IC 85 performs sound generation processing based on silent data at the same predetermined timing. In this way, it is possible to realize continuous sound effects by overlapping the sounds from each sound source IC 85 with each other.

Sound data, including silent data, is set in the data output area 84a of the RAM 84, and each sound source IC 85 can access this data output area 84a. In this way, there is no need to output commands when issuing sound production instructions from the sub-control device 81 to each sound source IC 85, which simplifies the processing configuration when exchanging information and prevents information loss.

Furthermore, the data output area 84a is configured to set address information of the sound source data as sound data, and the sound source IC 85 is configured to acquire the sound source data from the sound source data storage area 83e of the ROM 83 based on the address information. As a result, raw data (sound source data) for playback is no longer set in the data output area 84a, so it is possible to significantly reduce the amount of information to be set. This makes it possible to reduce the processing load when setting sound effects.

Second Embodiment
In the first embodiment, silent data is set before the audio data as the sound data to be subjected to the sound generation process, but in this embodiment, silent data is also set after the audio data. Fig. 71 shows an example of a data table for sound effects in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, in a performance with performance number p, the audio data generation frame is set as the first frame in all sound source ICs 85. For the first sound source IC 85a, the sound data numbers indicating the audio data after the audio data generation frame are set as a, a, a, x, b, b, and b. As already explained, when the sound data number is x, silent data (H(0)) of frame length is set. In other words, in performance number p, the first sound source IC 85a performs sound generation processing based on the audio data a from the first frame, then performs sound generation processing based on the silent data x, and then performs sound generation processing based on the audio data b.

In the pth performance, for the second sound source IC 85b, the sound data numbers indicating the sound source data after the sound data generation frame are set as x, c, c, c, x. That is, in the pth performance, the second sound source IC 85b performs sound generation processing based on the silent data of x from the first frame, then performs sound generation processing based on the sound data of c, and then performs sound generation processing based on the silent data of x. That is, in this embodiment, even if the first frame is set as the sound data generation frame, sound generation processing based on the silent data from the first frame may be performed. In other words, depending on the number of substantial sound data generation frames (which in the case of the second sound source IC 85b above, essentially corresponds to the second frame), the sound data number corresponding to the silent data is stored in advance as the sound data number up to the substantial sound data generation frame.

In the performance of p in FIG. 71, the third sound source IC 85c shows a modified example of the second sound source IC 85b. That is, in the second sound source IC 85b, out of the sound data numbers x, c, c, c, and x, the sound data number x after c is not stored, and after the sound generation process based on the sound data corresponding to the sound data number c is performed, no sound generation process is performed. Even in this way, the total data amount of the sound data for the first sound source IC 85a and the total data amount of the sound data for the third sound source IC 85c will be different, but it is possible to achieve the same performance effect in terms of sound performance.

In the performance numbered p in FIG. 71, the fourth sound source IC 85d shows a modified example of a frame that generates substantial sound data. That is, in this embodiment, the frame that generates substantial sound data is the first frame, while the configuration is such that a sound data number corresponding to silent data can be set in advance from the first frame, and the period (amount of data) of the silent data is not limited to the first frame, but may be any period corresponding to the frame in which sound generation processing based on the sound data is performed. In the fourth sound source IC 85d, sound generation processing based on sound data (sound data numbered c) is performed substantially from the third frame, and silent data numbered x is set for the period corresponding to the first and second frames.

In this embodiment, in the performance with performance number q, the length of the silent data set after the sound data is particularly different from the performance with number p. For example, for both the first sound source IC 85a and the second sound source IC 85b, the first frame is set as the sound data generation frame, and further, sound data numbers corresponding to the sound data are set from the first frame. Specifically, for the first sound source IC 85a, sound data numbers a, a, a, a, a, y, b, b, and b are set. As already explained, when the sound data number is y, silent data (H(0)) with a length shorter than the length of the frame unit is set. In other words, in the performance with number q, the first sound source IC 85a performs sound generation processing based on the sound data with number a from the first frame, then switches to sound generation processing based on the silent data with number y in the middle of the frame, and then performs sound generation processing based on the sound data with number b.

In the qth performance, the second sound source IC 85b is set with sound data numbers c+1, c+1, c+1, b+1, a, y, b, b, and b. As shown in FIG. 66, the sound data c+1, b+1, and a have the same sound source data, but different volume information, and are set so that the volume gradually decreases in the order of c+1, b+1, and a. Therefore, in the qth performance, the second sound source IC 85b performs sound generation processing based on the c+1th sound data from the first frame, and then the volume gradually decreases, switching to sound generation processing based on the yth soundless data in the middle of the frame, and then performing sound generation processing based on the bth sound data.

In the qth performance, the first and third frames are set as the sound data generation frames for the third sound source IC 85c. The sound data numbers are set as a, a, and a, and then after a blank period of data, b, b, and b are set. In this case, in the sound data setting process (FIG. 64), the first and third frames are grasped as sound data generation frames in the process of grasping the sound data generation frames (step S3003). Then, in step S3006 in this embodiment, whether or not the number of frames is equal to or greater than a predetermined number is judged to be equal to or greater than 0. That is, in this embodiment, step S3006 always returns a positive judgment. Then, in steps S3009 to S3012, silent data (yth silent data) corresponding to the period up to the update timing of the third sound source IC 85c immediately before the update timing to the third frame is set, and the update timing of the third sound source IC 85c immediately before the update timing is set as the start timing.

Figure 72 is a timing chart showing the relationship between the frame update timing, the sound performance update timing, and the length of the sound data in this embodiment.

When the display and sound effects p start at time t11, the first sound source IC 85a to the fourth sound source IC 85d all start generating sounds through sound generation processing. In this case, the first sound source IC 85a starts generating sounds based on sound data, while the second sound source IC 85b to the fourth sound source IC 85d all start generating sounds based on silent data.

At timing t12, which is the update timing from the first frame to the second frame, the sound data of the sound generation process of the first sound source IC 85a switches from sound data to silent data. Therefore, the sound generated by the sound generation process of the first sound source IC 85a (sound output from the first speaker 87a) switches from a sound that the player can grasp to a sound that the player cannot grasp (difficult to grasp). Also, at the same timing, the sound data of the sound generation process of the second sound source IC 85b and the third sound source IC 85c switches from silent data to sound data. Therefore, the sound generated by the sound generation process of the second sound source IC 85b and the third sound source IC 85c (sound output from the second speaker 87b and the third speaker 87c) switches from a sound that the player cannot grasp (difficult to grasp) to a sound that the player can grasp. For the fourth sound source IC 85d, the silent data is inherited from the silent data, so there is no sound switching at the same timing.

At timing t13, which is the update timing from the second frame to the third frame, the sound data of the sound generation process of the first sound source IC 85a and the fourth sound source IC 85d switches from silent data to sound data. Therefore, the sounds generated by the sound generation process of the first sound source IC 85a and the fourth sound source IC 85d (sounds output from the first speaker 87a and the fourth speaker 87d) switch from sounds that are impossible (difficult to understand) for the player to understand to sounds that can be understood. Also, at the same timing, the sound data of the sound generation process of the second sound source IC 85b and the third sound source IC 85c switches from sound data to silent data, or the sound generation process ends. Therefore, the sound generated by the sound generation process of the second sound source IC 85b (sound output from the second speaker 87b) switches from a sound that the player can understand to a sound that is difficult to understand, and the sound generation process of the third sound source IC 85c is terminated (stopped), and no sound is output from the third speaker 87c. Then, at the timing t14 when the third frame ends, the performance of the number p ends.

When the qth display and sound performance starts at time t15, sound generation by sound generation processing starts in all of the first sound source IC 85a to the third sound source IC 85c. The first sound source IC 85a continues to perform sound generation processing based on sound data even after time t16, which is the timing of updating from the first frame to the second frame, and switches to sound generation processing based on silent data at time t18, which is a timing before time t20, which is the timing of updating to the third frame and during the display period of the second frame. Then, at time t20, it switches again to sound generation processing based on sound data, and continues sound generation processing based on the same sound data until time t21.

The second sound source IC 85b is the same as the first sound source IC 85a in that it performs sound generation processing based on sound data from the start timing of the first frame (t15) to the timing of switching to silent data (t18), but the sound data (volume information) is set so that the volume gradually decreases. That is, at timing t16 the volume is reduced by one step, and at timing t17 the volume is reduced even further. Then, at timing t18 it switches to sound generation processing based on silent data, and the player can no longer hear the sound at all. Then, at timing t20 it switches to sound data, and the sound generation processing based on the sound data continues until timing t21, just like the first sound source IC 85a.

The third sound source IC 85c performs sound generation processing based on audio data from the start of the first frame until the end of the first frame, but terminates the sound generation processing at the end of the first frame at t16. Then, from the time t19, which is the execution timing of the sound generation processing immediately before the update timing to the third frame at t20, the sound generation processing based on silent data is resumed. Then, at the time t20, the processing switches from silent data to sound generation processing based on audio data, and the sound generation processing based on the audio data continues until the time t21.

The present embodiment described above provides the following excellent advantages:

The silent data is set so that it will be the target of sound generation processing after the voice data. This makes it possible to adjust the amount of sound data and playback length to be set in each sound source IC 85 using the silent data. When silent data is set so that it will be the target of sound generation processing before voice data, the amount of silent data set is determined by the order of the voice data generation frames, whereas when silent data is set so that it will be the target of sound generation processing after voice data, the amount of silent data set is not regulated by the voice data generation frames. Therefore, in terms of adjusting the total data amount and playback length, it can be said that it is preferable to set silent data after voice data. In other words, it is possible to adjust the amount of sound data to be set and the playback length depending on whether silent data is set after voice data.

In addition, since silent data can be set after audio data, multiple audio data generation frames can be set. In other words, multiple start timings for sound effects can be set in one sound source IC 85. In such sound effects with multiple start timings, if silent data is set between audio data, each sound source IC 85 can perform sound generation processing sequentially based on the sound data without monitoring each start timing, making it possible to significantly simplify the processing configuration.

The sound data can be set so that the timing of switching between sound data and silent data in one sound source IC 85 and the timing of switching between sound data and silent data in another sound source IC 85 overlap. In a configuration in which sound performance is performed in multiple sound source ICs 85, even if the start and end of the sound performance is controlled by on/off control of sound playback without using silent data, some controls may be shifted due to the relationship of the processing cycle. In particular, when one is turned off and the other is turned on, if the off control is shifted earlier or the on control is shifted later, a blank period in the sound performance will occur. Conversely, if the off control is shifted later or the on control is shifted earlier, the sound performance will unintentionally overlap. In this respect, in the above configuration, since silent data is used as a substitute for on/off control, not only does the sound source IC 85 not need to know the timing of the on/off control, it is sufficient to simply perform sound generation processing based on the set sound data in sequence, and the occurrence of inconveniences due to the on/off control as described above can be avoided.

Third Embodiment
In this embodiment, the presence or absence of setting of silence data varies depending on the type of effect. Fig. 73 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a type of effect that continues across a number of games.

Examples of types of effects that continue across multiple games include the effects during a bonus shown in FIG. 73(a) and the effects during an attack mode shown in FIG. 73(b).

As already explained, the bonus state is set to end when a predetermined number of medals are paid out, and the number of games actually played during the bonus is a fixed number (24 games) depending on the probability of winning a winning combination during the bonus and the number of medals paid out for that winning combination. The effects during the bonus are set so that the effects differ for each game, and the corresponding effects are set depending on the number of games played in the bonus state (in the continuous effects setting process in FIG. 54, effects are set according to the bonus effect counter).

For example, in the effects during a bonus, the first to fifth games correspond to an opening effect, and effects celebrating the bonus win (transition to the bonus state) continue for five games. Then, for the sixth to twelfth games, effects are performed for each winning BB depending on the type of bonus won or transitioned to (first BB or second BB). For the thirteenth to nineteenth games, effects are performed for each winning display mode corresponding to the display mode in the game in which the bonus was won. Then, for the twentieth to twenty-third games, a special effect is performed, for example, to notify the player of whether attack mode or VB mode has been won at the same time. The twenty-fourth game corresponds to an ending effect, and the number of medals won during the bonus is displayed.

The effects during the bonus are updated at the start of each game, more specifically, at the operation of the start lever 41. That is, for example, when an opening effect is being played, the opening effect is updated to a winning BB specific effect when the sixth game is started, and when a winning BB specific effect is being played, the winning BB specific effect is updated when the thirteenth game is started. Similarly, when the twentieth game is started, the winning BB specific effect is updated to a winning display mode specific effect, when the nineteenth game is started, the winning display mode specific effect is updated to a special effect, and when the twenty-fourth game is started, the ending effect is updated.

As described above, the bonus effect is an effect that continues over multiple games, and is updated to a new effect when an operation (start operation) is performed to advance the game. In other words, if an operation to advance the game that triggers an update to a new effect is not performed, the new effect is not updated, and for example, if an operation to start the sixth game is not performed after the fifth game is finished, the game waits at the point when the opening effects up to the fifth game are finished. In more detail, the display effect and the sound effect are not updated until an operation to start the game that triggers an update is performed, and for example, the end frame remains displayed on the display screen of the liquid crystal display device 65, and the sound effect from the speaker device 64 does not generate sound after the sound effect corresponding to the end frame ends, and the effect becomes silent (if it overlaps with another effect, that sound effect may be performed). Or, the display frame remains the end frame, and for example, a predetermined music is repeatedly played as the sound effect.

The effects during attack mode are effects that are set when the display mode transitions to attack mode in the display mode setting process of step S1901. As shown in FIG. 73(b), after the opening effect from the start, the first turn effect, the second turn effect, ..., the seventh turn effect are performed, and then it returns to the first turn effect. The opening effect is performed for 15 seconds, and each subsequent turn effect switches to the next turn effect after 15 seconds have passed. In other words, excluding the opening effect, the first turn effect to the seventh turn effect are performed in 105 seconds, and one loop is set as a 105-second loop effect. Each turn effect is set so that the content of the effect differs depending on the turn, for example, the first turn effect shows a close-up of the main character (female character) from the front, the second turn effect shows the main character running as seen from the left, and the third turn effect shows the main character practicing a volleyball serve.

In this case, during the attack mode, the timing of updating each turn's performance is determined by the passage of time. For example, even if the player does not perform any game operations (start or stop operations) during the attack mode, the performance during that attack mode will progress over time.

In other words, the presentation during attack mode is one that continues across multiple games, and the presentation content progresses over time; it is not updated to a new presentation when an operation that advances the game (start operation) is performed, and once it is set, it continues until a transition to another display mode occurs.

The sound data setting process in this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 74.

In this embodiment, in step S3201, a process is executed to grasp the content of the current presentation. This process is the same as the process of step S3001. In the following step S3202, it is determined whether the content of the presentation grasped in step S3201 is a loop presentation. Specifically, it is determined whether the presentation is not a presentation in which the presentation progresses based on game operations like the bonus presentation described above, but a presentation in which the presentation progresses based on the passage of time like the attack mode presentation, and the presentation loops at a predetermined period of time. If it is a loop presentation, the process proceeds to step S3203, and a process is performed to grasp the value of the sound source counter K. The processes of steps S3203 to S3216 are the same as the processes of steps S3002 to S3015 described above. In other words, if it is a loop presentation, a process is performed to prevent sound delays caused by setting silent data, as in the first and second embodiments described above.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3202 that the effect is not a loop effect, i.e., if the current effect is, for example, an effect during a bonus, the process proceeds to step S3217. In step S3217, a process is performed to grasp the value of the sound source counter K, and the sound source IC 85 to be processed this time is identified. This process is the same as in step S3203 (step S3002). Thereafter, in step S3218, a process is performed to grasp the sound data generation frame in the same manner as in step S3204 (step S3003), and in step S3219, a process is performed to grasp the sound data address after the sound data generation frame in the same manner as in step S3205 (step S3004).

In the next step S3220, a process is performed to identify the sound source IC update timing immediately before the sound data generation frame. This process is the same as the process in step S3210 (step S3009). Then, in step S3221, the timing identified in step S3220 is set as start timing information, and the start timing information and the sound data address information grasped in step S3219 are set in the area corresponding to the current sound source counter K in the data output area 84a. Then, in step S3222, an update process is performed to increment the sound source counter K by 1, and in step S3223, it is determined whether the upper limit value (24) has been reached. If a negative determination is made in step S3223, the process returns to step S3217. If a positive determination is made in step S3223, a process is performed to reset the sound source counter K to the initial value (1) in step S3224, and then the sound data setting process is terminated.

As described above, by configuring the loop performance to set silent data, it is possible to efficiently eliminate discrepancies, especially in cases where discrepancies with the display performance tend to occur.

In addition, while silent data is set during loop effects, silent data is not set for effects whose update timing is set according to the operation timing associated with the game progress, making it possible to reduce the amount of data for silent data. In other words, for loop effects that are prone to misalignment, the system is designed to avoid misalignment, and even if misalignment does occur, in cases where new effect settings are made through subsequent game operations, the system is designed to tolerate some misalignment and prioritize reducing the amount of data settings, making it possible to maintain an optimal balance between performance effect and processing load when performing various sound effects.

Fourth Embodiment
In the above embodiments, the mismatch between the display effect and the sound effect has been described, but in this embodiment, the mismatch between the other effects and the sound effect will be described. Here, as the other effects, the reel spin effect caused by the spin control of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R will be described.

In this embodiment, a specific effect is set in which a specific sound is generated when a specific symbol reaches a specific position during the reel spinning effect. For example, as shown in FIG. 75, a specific sound is generated from the speaker device 64 when the number 16 "red 7" symbol on the left reel 32L as the specific symbol reaches the bottom line L3 (lower row) as the specific position. In this case, as long as the left reel 32L is spinning, the specific effect continues, and a specific sound is generated each time the number 16 "red 7" symbol reaches the bottom line L3.

Here we provide additional explanation regarding the rotation control of each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R.

As already explained, each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is connected to a stepping motor, and the rotation of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is controlled individually by driving each stepping motor. The stepping motor is set to rotate once by giving a drive signal of 504 pulses, and this excitation pulse controls the rotation position of the stepping motor, i.e., the rotation position of the reel. The excitation pulse is output one pulse at a time in step S106 of the timer interrupt process (Figure 14) of the main control device 101. The excitation pulse is output one pulse at a time in a cycle of 1.49 msec, which is the processing cycle of the timer interrupt process, and when each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is rotating at a constant speed, the rotation angle based on the drive signal of one pulse, i.e., the angle change for each processing of the timer interrupt process, is approximately 0.714°. Additionally, when each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R rotates at a constant speed, each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R rotates once in 750.96 msec (1.49 x 504).

As already explained, the update period of the sound data in the sound generation process of the sound source IC 85 is 10 msec, which is not divisible by a natural number from the update period for one revolution of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R. Therefore, if you try to generate a specific sound at the update period of the sound generation process, a deviation of 0.96 msec per revolution may occur.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in a specific performance in which a specific sound is generated each time a specific image reaches a specific position, sound generation processing based on silent data is performed at a timing different from the timing at which the specific sound is generated.

Figure 76 is a flowchart showing the special effect processing in this embodiment. This special effect start processing is performed when the spin start processing (step S402) of the reel control processing (Figure 18) is started in the main control device 101. For example, it is performed when a special effect occurrence lottery is won in the spin effect processing (step S401).

In step S3301, a process is performed to determine the position of a predetermined symbol on the left reel 32L before the reel starts to spin. Specifically, a process is performed to determine the amount of deviation between the number of the symbol stopped at the predetermined position (lower line L3) and the "red 7" symbol number 16 that is the subject of the special performance.

In the next step S3302, the period required for constant speed rotation is determined based on the effect set in the spin start effect, and a process is performed to determine the period from the start of rotation until the specified symbol reaches the specified position. Specifically, a process is performed to determine the period from constant speed rotation until the symbol that is the target of the special effect reaches the specified position, taking into account the acceleration process at the start of rotation, etc. In this case, for example, if a freeze effect that involves the rotation of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R is set in the spin start effect, the period until the symbol that is the target of the special effect reaches the specified position is determined taking that period into account.

After that, in step S3303, a sound effect command including information about the period grasped in step S3302 is output to the sub-control device 81, and then the special effect process is terminated. The sub-control device 81 performs sound data setting process based on the received sound effect command, and generates a specific sound for the special effect by having each sound source IC 85 perform sound generation process.

In this case, the sound data setting process sets silent data for the period leading up to constant speed rotation. Then, once constant speed rotation is reached, sound data with a length of 24 pulses (35.76 msec = 1.49 msec x 24 processing), which is equivalent to one pattern when a specific pattern reaches a specific position, and silent data with a length of 480 pulses (715.2 msec), which is equivalent to 20 patterns, are alternately set as a loop effect that is the subject of sound generation processing.

Figure 77 is a timing chart to explain the relationship between the symbol position on the left reel 32L during a special performance and sound data.

When the rotation of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R starts at the timing of t22, after an acceleration period, constant speed rotation is reached at the timing of t23. After that, at the timing of t24, the predetermined symbol, the "red 7" symbol number 16, reaches the lower line L3. The predetermined symbol passes the lower line L3 by the timing of t25, and the next symbol (the "watermelon" symbol number 17) reaches the lower line L3 at the timing of t25. The predetermined symbol then reaches the lower line L3 again at the timing of t26, which is the next arrival timing, and the next symbol reaches the lower line L3 at the timing of t27.

In this case, during the period from t22 to t24, silent data is set as the sound data corresponding to the sound source IC 85 (shown as the nth sound source IC in the figure) that performs the sound effects in the special effects. During the period from t24 to t25, sound data is set, and during the period from t25 to t26, silent data is set. Then, sound data is set during the period from t26 to t27, and thereafter, sound data is set as a loop effect so that sound data is set for each rotation period.

As described above, by setting silent data and sound data according to the rotation cycle when performing sound effects synchronized with the rotation of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R, it is possible to optimally execute sound effects synchronized with the rotation of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R without changing the update cycle of the sound effects or the control mode of the rotation control of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R.

In particular, when the sound effects synchronized with the rotation of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R are used as so-called eye-pressing assistance, which indicates that a predetermined pattern has reached a predetermined position, if there is a misalignment between the sound effects and the rotational position of the reels, not only will the misalignment reduce the attention of the player, but the sound effects that serve as an indicator for performing eye-pressing based on the eye-pressing assistance will no longer have any meaning as an indicator, which will actually cause a disadvantage to the player. However, if the reel rotation control mode is adjusted to match the sound effects in order to avoid such sound misalignment, the difference from when eye-pressing assistance is not performed will induce eye-pressing errors, and even if sound effects are performed based on the arrival of a predetermined pattern at a predetermined position without using silent data, it will be necessary to change the update timing of the sound effects, which will require significant design changes. In this regard, if silent data is used as described above to synchronize with the rotation period, it is possible to avoid misalignment with a simple configuration.

As described above, the processing period of the spin control of each reel 32L, 32M, 32R depends on the processing period (1.49 msec) of the timer interrupt processing of the main control device 101, and is indivisible with the processing period (10 msec) of the sound source IC 85, and is also indivisible with the processing period (33.3 msec) of the display control device 201. In other words, even if, for example, a configuration is used in which the processing period is synchronized without using silent data to synchronize the display performance and the sound performance, as in the first to third embodiments, if an attempt is made to add a synchronous performance between the performance on the main control device 101 side and the sound performance, as in this embodiment, it becomes necessary to further synchronize the processing period. In this regard, by using silent data as in the above configuration, it becomes possible to easily synchronize the performance of each processing period without changing any of the processing periods.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-mentioned embodiments, and may be implemented, for example, as follows. Each of the following configurations may be applied individually to each of the above-mentioned embodiments, or may be applied in combination with some or all of the following configurations to each of the above-mentioned embodiments. It is also possible to arbitrarily combine all or some of the various configurations shown in each of the above-mentioned embodiments. In this case, it is preferable that the technical significance (effects exerted) of each of the configurations to be combined is guaranteed. Each of the following configurations may be applied individually to a new configuration consisting of a combination of the embodiments, or may be applied in combination with some or all of the following configurations.

(1) The sub-control device 81 sets sound data for the sound source IC 85, and the sound source IC 85 performs sound generation processing based on the sound data to realize the sound performance. However, the sub-control device 81 itself may be capable of controlling each amplifier 86 and individual speaker 87 based on the sound data.

(2) The processing period of the V interrupt processing in the display control device 201, the processing period of the sound generation processing in the sound source IC 85, and the processing period of the timer interrupt processing by the main control device 101 are not limited to those described above. It is sufficient that these processing periods are different from each other, and more specifically, if they are indivisible from each other, deviations are likely to occur, and therefore benefits can be obtained by applying each of the above inventions.

(3) In the sound data setting process, all sound data for each sound source IC 85 is set, but the sound source IC 85 for which sound data is set may be different depending on the content of the performance. For example, in the first performance, sound data for the first sound source IC 85a to the tenth sound source IC 85j is set, and in the second performance, sound data for the eleventh sound source IC 85k to the twentieth sound source IC 85t is set.
For the third performance, sound data for the first sound source IC 85a to the fifteenth sound source IC 85o may be set, so that the sound source ICs 85 to be set do not overlap depending on the performance content, or the sound source ICs 85 to be set overlap depending on the performance content. In these cases, it is preferable that the sound data generation frames of each sound source IC 85 are set to be different, and the presence or absence of silent data setting, the length of the silent data to be set, start timing information, etc. may be different depending on the sound source IC 85. In addition, for example, the 21st sound source IC 85u to the 23rd sound source IC 85w may be configured not to be used normally, but to be used as substitutes when other sound source ICs 85 have a problem (such as a malfunction).

(4) In the sound data setting process, sound data for each sound source IC 85 is set, but the sound source IC 85 for which sound data is set based on the sound data generation frame may be different from the sound source IC 85 for which sound data is not set in the current process. That is, for example, sound data may not be set in the current process for a sound source IC 85 for which the sound data generation frame is a predetermined number or more. In this case, the sub-control device 81 may temporarily store the timing corresponding to the sound data generation frame for the sound source IC 85, and set the sound data for the sound source IC 85 at a timing prior to the timing. In this way, for the sound source IC 85 for which sound data is set later, the sound source IC 85 does not need to wait for the start timing. In addition, by doing so, it is possible to set the sound data for each sound source IC 85 at different timings, and a temporary increase in the processing load can be avoided by distributing the setting process.

(5) It may be possible to configure whether or not to set silent data depending on the content of the sound data generation frame in the display performance. For example, it may be possible to configure a sound data generation frame such that silent data is set if the difference from the immediately preceding frame (e.g., color tone, the presence or absence of a character, the character's action, brightness, etc.) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and to configure no silent data if the difference from the immediately preceding frame is less than a predetermined value. It is believed that the greater the difference from the immediately preceding frame, the easier it is to notice a discrepancy between the sound performance and the display performance. By doing as described above, it may be possible to use silent data to prevent discrepancies from occurring for performances in which discrepancies are easy to notice, and to allow discrepancies without using silent data for performances in which discrepancies are difficult to notice, thereby reducing the amount of data set.

(6) The configuration may vary whether or not to set silent data depending on the content of the sound effect. For example, silent data may be set for an effect that starts a sound effect when the volume information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and silent data may not be set for an effect that starts a sound effect when the volume information is less than the predetermined value. This is because it is believed that the louder the volume, the easier it will be to notice any discrepancy between the sound effect and the display effect.

In addition, the presence or absence of silent data may be set differently for effects that start with sound source data in a frequency band that is easy for the player to recognize and effects that start with sound source data in a frequency band that is more difficult for the player to recognize than the first frequency band. Silent data may be set for effects in the easy-to-recognize frequency band, and silent data may not be set for effects in the difficult-to-recognize frequency band.

(7) The silent data is sound data that is generated in a way that is impossible or difficult to understand, regardless of the setting value of each Vol switch 75, 76. However, it is sufficient that the sound data is impossible or difficult for the player to understand, regardless of at least the setting value of the second Vol switch 76 that is operated by the player, and the sound generated may be configured to be understandable depending on the setting value of the first Vol switch 75 for the manager of the amusement hall.

(8) Although the silent data is pre-stored in a length in frame units or a length equivalent to the amount of deviation between the audio data generation frame and the sound generation process, the length of the silent data to be stored is not limited to the above and may be other lengths. Also, instead of or in addition to the configuration in which silent data of a predetermined length is pre-stored, a configuration in which the length can be changed each time may be used. For example, when the number of frames until the audio data generation frame is grasped, silent data of a length equal to that number of frames may be created each time, or when the amount of deviation between the audio data generation frame and the sound generation process is grasped, silent data of a length equivalent to that amount of deviation may be created each time. Furthermore, for example, silent data of a length of a specific period (e.g., 0.01 msec), which is a relatively short period, may be pre-stored, and the silent data may be set so that the silent data of the length of the specific period is repeatedly played back according to the grasped length. In this case, it is advisable to set the length of the specific period so that the frame length (approximately 33.3 msec) and the amount of deviation are divisible by natural numbers.

(9) In the sound data setting process, the silent data and the audio data are set after the audio data generation frame is specified, but a data set in which the type of silent data and the audio data and the playback (generation) order are predetermined in accordance with the content of the performance may be prepared. More specifically, for example, for the first performance, a first data set of silent data and audio data is stored in advance so that the sound generation process based on the silent data is performed over a first period, and then the sound generation process based on the audio data is performed over a second period, and for the second performance, a second data set of silent data and audio data is stored in advance so that the sound generation process based on the silent data is performed over a third period, and then the sound generation process based on the audio data is performed over a fourth period. Then, in the sound data setting process for the first performance, the first data set is read and the data set is set in the data output area 84a, and in the sound data setting process for the second performance, the second data set is read and the data set is set in the data output area 84a. In this way, there is no need to specify a sound data generation frame for each effect, and processing when an effect occurs is simplified. Note that each of the above data sets may include not only a pattern in which sound generation processing is performed for sound data after silent data, but also a pattern in which sound generation processing is performed for silent data after silent data, or a repeating pattern of silent data and sound data.

(10) In the sound data setting process, the address information of the sound data is set in the data output area 84a, but the sound source data itself may be set. In this way, the sound generation process of each sound source IC 85 does not need to perform processing to obtain the sound source data based on the address information, and it is sufficient to simply read (play) the sound source data in the data output area 84a, thereby simplifying the processing on the sound source IC 85 side.

(11) Although the sub-control device 81 and sound source IC 85 are configured to exchange sound data via the data output area 84a, sound data may also be exchanged using commands, etc. In particular, a command including sound data (address information) and sound source data to be set in the data output area 84a may be output to the sound source IC 85 in the sound data setting process, and the sound source IC 85 may perform sound generation processing based on the command. In this case, instead of a configuration in which the sub-control device 81 and sound source IC 85 are capable of two-way communication, a configuration in which one-way communication is possible from the sub-control device 81 to the sound source IC 85 (two-way communication is not possible) may be used.

(12) Although two-way communication is not possible between the display control device 201 and the sub-control device 81, and one-way communication is possible from the sub-control device 81 to the display control device 201, two-way communication may be possible. In this case, the display control device 201 may output the update timing to the sound data generation frame (processing timing of V interrupt processing) to the sub-control device 81, and the sound generation processing may be started in the sound source IC 85 in accordance with the update timing of the sound data generation frame. Even in this case, for example, for a performance in which there are multiple sound data generation frames, if sound generation processing based on silent data is performed before the subsequent sound data generation frame, the display control device 201 outputs the update timing to the previous sound data generation frame to the sub-control device 81, and after starting the sound generation processing at that timing, it is only necessary to repeat the sound generation processing on the sound source IC 85 side, and there is no need to output such information from the display control device 201 to the sub-control device 81 at the time of the subsequent sound data generation frame, which simplifies the processing.

(13) As the silent data, sound data is set such that a sound that is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp is output from the corresponding individual speaker 87 by performing the sound generation process. However, sound data may be set such that a sound that the player can grasp is output from the individual speaker 87, but that is difficult or impossible to grasp due to interference with a sound output from another individual speaker 87. That is, the sound data set for the first sound source IC 85 is set as the first sound data, and the sound data set for the second sound source IC 85 is set as the second sound data. In this case, the first sound data and the second sound data are set so that the first sound that can be output by the sound generation process based on the first sound data and the second sound that is output by the sound generation process based on the second sound data are both sounds that the player can grasp, but, for example, the first sound and the second sound are set as sounds of wavelengths that are in opposite phase, so that each sound (at least one sound) is drowned out. Then, the first sound data is set in the first sound source IC 85, and the second sound data is set in the second sound source IC 85 so that the sound generation processes for the first sound data and the second sound data are performed simultaneously. Even in this way, if sound generation process for a third sound that the player can understand is performed following the first sound and the second sound, it becomes possible to set the output start timing of the third sound independently of the update timing of the sound generation process.

(14) The first sound source IC 85a to the 23rd sound source IC 85w may be classified according to the effects and applications, and the sound source IC 85 for setting sound data may be different depending on the effects and applications. For example, sound effects performed in conjunction with display effects may be performed by the first sound source IC 85a to the 10th sound source IC 85j, sound effects performed in conjunction with the spinning effects of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R may be performed by the 11th sound source IC 85k to the 20th sound source IC 85t, and sound effects for error notification may be performed by the 21st sound source IC 85u to the 23rd sound source ICw. In addition, in the sound data setting process, sound data for the corresponding sound source IC 85 is set, while sound data for the non-corresponding sound source IC 85 is not set. In this way, there is no need to set sound data for unused sound source ICs 85, and the process is simplified.

(15) Although the sub-control device 81 is configured to control each sound source IC 85, the display control device 201 may control each sound source IC 85, or the main control device 101 may control each sound source IC 85. Also, each sound source IC 85 may be connected to each of the control devices 81, 101, and 201, and the sound source IC 85 controlled by each of the control devices 81, 101, and 201 may be different.

(16) The sound source IC 85 is configured to start the sound generation process based on a predetermined performance trigger, but the sound source IC 85 may be configured to always execute the sound generation process based on silent data, and when a predetermined performance trigger occurs, the sound data as the source data of the sound generation process being executed may be rewritten. Specifically, the sound source IC 85 is configured to repeatedly execute the sound generation process at a predetermined cycle (10 msec) after the power is turned on, for example. When it is not the timing to execute a performance, the address information of the sound data that is the source of the sound generation process is set to the address information of silent data. In other words, the state in which sound is output based on silent data is set to a standby state. Then, when a predetermined performance trigger occurs, the sound data setting process of the sub-control device 81 rewrites the address information of the silent data set in the data output area 84a to the address information of the sound data corresponding to the current performance. In this way, the sound source IC 85 only needs to repeatedly execute the sound generation process (sound output), and the configuration of the sound source IC 85 can be simplified.

(17) The effects performed in conjunction with the sound effects are not limited to display effects or spinning effects of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R, but may be, for example, action effects using a gadget capable of performing a predetermined action, or light-emitting effects using light-emitting units such as LEDs. As an action effect, for example, a predetermined drive unit is driven and controlled to displace the gadget between a first position and a second position, and an action effect is set in which the gadget is displaced from the first position to the second position at a predetermined timing. Then, a sound effect is performed so that a predetermined sound is generated at the timing of displacement to the second position. In such a configuration, if a configuration is used in which the discrepancy that may occur due to the relationship between the drive cycle of the drive control of the predetermined drive unit and the update cycle of the sound generation process is compensated for by silent data, it becomes possible to match the timing of displacement to the second position and the timing of the generation of the predetermined sound.

(18) In a configuration in which sound effects and spin effects of each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R are performed together, sound generation processing based on silent data is performed except when a predetermined pattern reaches a predetermined position. However, for example, sound generation processing based on silent data in which the set value of volume information gradually increases so that the volume increases as the predetermined position is approached, or sound generation processing based on silent data in which the set value of volume information gradually decreases so that the volume decreases as the player moves away from the predetermined position may be performed. In these cases, it is sufficient that sound generation processing based on silent data is performed at least at any timing when the predetermined pattern does not reach the predetermined position. In other words, it is sufficient that the silent data compensates for the discrepancy between the rotation period of each reel 32L, 32M, and 32R and the generation period of a specific sound, regardless of the length of the silent data.

(19) In a configuration in which sound effects and spin effects of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R are performed together, a specific sound is generated while each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is rotating at a constant speed. However, a configuration in which the rotation during the period until the constant speed is reached (the acceleration period) and the sound effects are synchronized may also be used. Specifically, a configuration in which the sound effects are synchronized with a freeze effect in which each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R is rotated at a low speed during a period in which the operation of the stop switches 42 to 44 is disabled, etc., may also be used.

(20) When a performance command is output in the display data setting process in the performance data setting process on the sub-control device 81 side, the display control device 201 starts updating frames at the update timing of the subsequent V interrupt process, so there may be a discrepancy in the start timing of the display performance and the sound performance. Therefore, for example, the display control device 201 may be configured to start the V interrupt process based on receiving a performance command (similar to the sound generation process on the sound source IC 85 side), or the display control device 201 and the sub-control device 81 may be configured to be capable of two-way communication, and the performance data setting process of the sub-control device 81 may grasp the execution timing (execution status) of the V interrupt process on the display control device 201 side, and based on the grasped result, the performance command may be output and sound data setting process may be performed.

(21) In the sound data setting process of the sub-control device 81, the address information of each sound data number corresponding to the performance number is set in the data output area 84a, and in the sound generation process of the sound source IC 85, the sound source data is individually acquired based on each address information, and sound source data with a predetermined playback length is connected together to generate sound. However, it is also possible to store sound source data having the playback length of the entire performance corresponding to the performance number, and generate sound by reading out the sound source data having the playback length of the entire performance.

(22) In the sound data setting process, whether silent data is set on a frame-by-frame basis or whether the amount of deviation is grasped and silent data is set is configured to vary depending on the number of frames until the sound data generation frame, but the number of frames is not limited to the above (150). Also, it may be configured to vary depending on the content of the performance, regardless of the number of frames until the sound data generation frame, or in addition to the number of frames until the sound data generation frame.

(23) If the sound data generation frame occurs after 1/3 sec, which is the common divisor of the update period of the sound generation process of the sound source IC 85 and the update period of the V interrupt process of the display control device 201, the sound generation process using silent data may be performed on a frame-by-frame basis from an update period that is a natural number multiple of the common divisor.

(24) In the sound data setting process, the silent data is set to either a length in frame units or a length equivalent to the amount of shift, but it may be possible to set silent data to a length that is a combination of the length in frame units and the length equivalent to the amount of shift.

(25) An example of a loop performance in attack mode has been given, in which the first turn performance is performed through the seventh turn performance, and then the first turn performance is performed through the seventh turn performance again. However, it is not necessary to loop the entire performance, as long as only a part of it is looped. For example, the performance may be configured to perform the first turn performance through the seventh turn performance, then return to the first turn performance, and perform up to the sixth turn performance, and then return to the first turn performance. Also, the looped part may be different for each loop. For example, the performance may be configured to perform the first turn performance through the seventh turn performance, then perform the first turn performance through the sixth turn performance, and then perform the second turn performance through the seventh turn performance.

(26) In a configuration in which silent data is set as sound data for each sound source IC 85 to match the playback length of the sound data for each sound source IC 85, the silent data may be set after all the sound data. For example, if the playback of the sound data for the first sound source IC 85a ends at a first timing, and the playback of the sound data for the second sound source IC 85b ends at a second timing that is later than the first timing, the silent data for the first sound source IC 85a from the first timing to the second timing can be set as sound data for the first sound source IC 85a to match the playback end timing of the sound for the first sound source IC 85a and the second sound source IC 85b. In this case, the silent data for the second sound source IC 85b up to the timing later than the second timing may be set, and the silent data for that amount may also be set for the first sound source IC 85a. In addition to the above, if the playback of the sound data for the third sound source IC 85c ends at a third timing that is later than the second timing, the sound playback end timings for the first sound source IC 85a to the third sound source IC 85c can be matched by setting silent data from the first timing to the third timing as the sound data for the first sound source IC 85a and setting silent data from the second timing to the third timing as the sound data for the second sound source IC 85c.

(27) Although a slot machine having three reels and corresponding stop switches arranged in parallel has been described, the present invention is not limited to this configuration and may be, for example, a slot machine having five reels and corresponding stop switches arranged in parallel. From the viewpoint of preventing erroneous operations when stopping the reels, at least two reels and corresponding stop switches are sufficient. Also, although a slot machine in which the number of active lines is set to one when the number of bets is three has been described, the present invention is not limited to this configuration and may be, for example, five active lines.

(28) Although a specific example of a slot machine 10 has been shown, the present invention may be applied to a gaming machine that combines a slot machine and a pachinko machine. In other words, instead of the medal insertion and medal payout functions of a slot machine, a gaming machine may have a ball insertion and ball payout function like a pachinko machine. If such a gaming machine is used in place of a slot machine, the amusement hall can handle only balls as gaming value, which can eliminate problems seen in current amusement halls where pachinko machines and slot machines are mixed, such as the burden on facilities due to the separate handling of medals and balls as gaming value, and restrictions on the location of gaming machines.

The present invention can also be applied to pachinko machines in which a game ball is shot into a game area and a jackpot lottery is held based on the game ball entering a starting winning hole, pachinko machines in which an electric device opens a specified number of times when a game ball enters a specific area of a special device, pachinko machines in which a right is generated and a jackpot is awarded when a game ball enters a specific area of a special device, pachinko machines with other devices, arrange ball machines, mahjong ball machines, and other gaming machines.

<Inventions extracted from the above embodiments>
The following describes characteristic configurations extracted from each of the above-mentioned embodiments, while indicating effects, etc., as necessary. Note that in the following, for ease of understanding, the corresponding configurations in the above-mentioned embodiments are appropriately indicated in parentheses, etc., but are not limited to the specific configurations indicated in parentheses, etc.

The inventions shown in the following feature groups have been made with a view to solving the problem that the invention aims to solve, with respect to the background technology that states, "Pachinko machines, slot machines, and the like are known as types of gaming machines. In these gaming machines, an internal lottery is held when a predetermined lottery condition is met, and a bonus is awarded to the player depending on the result of the internal lottery. Specifically, in a slot machine, when a start lever is operated with medals as gaming media betted, an internal lottery is held and the reels start to spin. If a stop switch is operated while the reels are spinning, the reels stop spinning. If the result of the reels stopping corresponds to the result of the internal lottery, a bonus corresponding to the result is awarded (see, for example, JP 2008-295707 A). In this type of gaming machine, sound effects may be generated by sound generating means such as speakers as a type of effect corresponding to the result of the internal lottery, etc.", and "Here, in the gaming machines exemplified above, there is a demand for optimizing the effects, and there is still room for improvement, for example, in terms of sound effects."

<Features Group A>
Feature A1. A predetermined performance means (a function for executing a display data setting process by the sub-control device 81, and a function for executing a V interrupt process by the display control device 201) that executes a predetermined performance by a predetermined performance means (liquid crystal display device 65) based on the occurrence of a predetermined performance trigger;
A sound production means (a function of executing a sound data setting process by the sub-control device 81, and a function of executing a sound generation process by the sound source IC 85) that executes a sound production corresponding to the predetermined production by the predetermined production means using a sound generated by a predetermined sound generation means (a speaker device 64 including a sound source IC 85, an amplifier 86, and an individual speaker 87);
A gaming machine comprising:
A first update means (a function of executing a V interrupt process by the display control device 201) capable of executing the update process of the predetermined performance by the predetermined performance means in a first cycle (about 33.3 msec);
A second update means (a function of executing a sound generation process by a sound source IC 85) capable of executing sound generation control by the sound generation means in a second period (10 msec) different from the first period;
Equipped with
The sound production means includes:
a setting means (a function of executing a sound data setting process by the sub-control device 81) for setting sound information (sound data) of the sound effect corresponding to the predetermined effect by the predetermined effect means;
the sound generation means sequentially generates sounds for the sound effects based on the sound information set by the setting means,
The gaming machine is characterized in that the setting means can set, as the sound information, special information (silent data) that makes it difficult or impossible for a player to grasp the sound generated by the sound generation means, so that the generation of a sound by the sound generation means corresponding to the special information is performed at least either before or after a predetermined update timing in the first period.

In a gaming machine in which a predetermined performance, which is updated in a first cycle, is executed together with a sound performance, which is generated in a second cycle, the predetermined performance and the sound performance are executed separately, which distributes the processing, but there is a high possibility that a mismatch will occur between the update timing of the predetermined performance and the timing of the sound generation in the sound performance due to the difference in the cycles. If such a mismatch occurs, not only will the performance effect of the predetermined performance and the sound performance not be fully expected, but the mismatch may also discourage the player and may actually reduce the player's interest. In this regard, in the above configuration, the sound before or after the update timing of the first cycle is set so that it is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp. In this way, it is possible to cause a switch between sound and silence at the update timing of the predetermined performance, and it is possible to match the update timing of the predetermined performance with the start or end timing of the sound performance. This makes it possible to execute the sound performance in an optimal manner.

The "special information in which the sound generated by the sound generating means is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp" may also be expressed as "special information in which the sound generated by the sound generating means is difficult or impossible for the player to distinguish" or "special information in which no sound is generated by the sound generating means."

The "sound generating means" may also be referred to as "sound output means." In this case, the "special information" may be expressed as "special information in which the sound output by the sound output means is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp," etc.

Furthermore, "at least one of before and after a specified update timing in the first cycle" may be expressed as "at least one of immediately before and immediately after a specified update timing in the first cycle."

Feature A2. A predetermined performance means (a function for executing a display data setting process by the sub-control device 81, and a function for executing a V interrupt process by the display control device 201) that executes a predetermined performance by a predetermined performance means (liquid crystal display device 65) based on the occurrence of a predetermined performance trigger;
A sound production means (a function of executing a sound data setting process by the sub-control device 81, and a function of executing a sound generation process by the sound source IC 85) that executes a sound production corresponding to the predetermined production by the predetermined production means using a sound generated by a predetermined sound generation means (a speaker device 64 including a sound source IC 85, an amplifier 86, and an individual speaker 87);
A gaming machine comprising:
A first update means (a function of executing a V interrupt process by the display control device 201) capable of executing the update process of the predetermined performance by the predetermined performance means in a first cycle (about 33.3 msec);
A second update means (a function of executing a sound generation process by a sound source IC 85) capable of executing sound generation by the sound generation means in a second period (10 msec) different from the first period;
Equipped with
The sound production means includes:
A setting means for setting sound information of the sound effect corresponding to the predetermined effect by the predetermined effect means (a function for executing a sound data setting process by the sub-control device 81);
an output means (a function of executing the processes of step S3008, step S3012, etc. by the sub-control device 81) that outputs the sound information set by the setting means to the sound generating means;
Equipped with
the sound generation means sequentially generates sounds for the sound effects based on the sound information output by the output means,
The gaming machine is characterized in that the setting means can set, as the sound information, special information (silent data) that makes it difficult or impossible for a player to grasp the sound generated by the sound generation means, so that the generation of a sound by the sound generation means corresponding to the special information is performed at least either before or after a predetermined update timing in the first period.

In a gaming machine in which a predetermined effect, which is updated in a first cycle, is executed together with a sound effect, which is generated in a second cycle, the predetermined effect and the sound effect are executed separately, which decentralizes the processing, but there is a high possibility that a mismatch will occur between the update timing of the predetermined effect and the timing of the sound generation in the sound effect due to the difference in cycles. If such a mismatch occurs, not only will the effect of the predetermined effect and the sound effect not be fully expected, but the mismatch may also discourage the player and reduce the player's interest. In this regard, in the above configuration, the sound before or after the update timing of the first cycle is set so that it is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp. In this way, it is possible to switch between sound and silence at the update timing of the predetermined effect, and it is possible to match the update timing of the predetermined effect with the start or end timing of the sound effect.

Moreover, in the above configuration, the sound production means has a setting means for setting sound information and an output means for outputting the sound information set by the setting means to the sound generation means, and the sound generation means is configured to generate sounds sequentially based on the sound information output by the output means. Therefore, after the setting means sets the sound information, the sound generation can be left to the sound generation means, and processing is distributed between the setting means and the sound generation means. In this way, when a new production trigger occurs and sound information is to be set, the possibility that the setting process based on the previous production trigger and the setting process based on the new production trigger will overlap can be reduced. In this way, by distributing the processing between the predetermined production means and the sound production means, and further distributing the processing between the setting means and the sound generation means for the sound production means, it is possible to avoid an increase in the processing load while adding functions such as adjusting the timing of sound production as described above, and to perform sound production appropriately.

The "special information in which the sound generated by the sound generating means is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp" may also be expressed as "special information in which the sound generated by the sound generating means is difficult or impossible for the player to distinguish" or "special information in which no sound is generated by the sound generating means."

The "sound generating means" may also be referred to as "sound output means." In this case, the "special information" may be expressed as "special information in which the sound output by the sound output means is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp," etc.

Furthermore, "at least one of before and after a specified update timing in the first cycle" may be expressed as "at least one of immediately before and immediately after a specified update timing in the first cycle."

Feature A3. The gaming machine according to Feature A1 or Feature A2, wherein the setting means sets, as the sound information, normal information (sound data) that allows the player to understand the sound generated by the sound generating means, such that the sound generated by the sound generating means corresponding to the normal information is generated before or after the special information, with the predetermined update timing in between.

According to the above configuration, a switch occurs between sound generation processing based on special information and sound generation processing based on normal information at a specified update timing. This makes it possible to match the specified update timing in a specified performance with the start or end timing of the sound performance.

Feature A4. The gaming machine according to any one of Features A1 to A3, characterized in that the setting means can set, as the sound information, normal information (sound data) that allows the player to understand the sound generated by the sound generating means, such that the generation of a sound by the sound generating means corresponding to the normal information is performed after the special information.

According to the above configuration, the boundary between the generation of a sound for special information that is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp and the generation of a sound for normal information that the player can grasp is the update timing of the specified effect, and since the normal information is set after the special information, it is possible to make it possible for the player to grasp the sound at the update timing. Therefore, it is possible to match the update timing of the specified effect with the start timing of the sound effect.

Feature A5. A gaming machine according to any one of Features A1 to A4, characterized in that the setting means can set, as the sound information, normal information (sound data) that allows the player to understand the sound generated by the sound generating means, such that the sound generated by the sound generating means corresponding to the normal information is generated before the special information.

According to the above configuration, the boundary between the generation of a sound for special information that is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp and the generation of a sound for normal information that the player can grasp is the update timing of the specified effect, and since the normal information is set before the special information, it is possible to make it difficult or impossible for the player to grasp the sound at the update timing. Therefore, it is possible to match the update timing of the specified effect with the end timing of the sound effect.

Feature A6. The gaming machine described in Feature A5, wherein the setting means sets the special information for a specific period following a period in which the sound generating means generates a sound corresponding to the normal information, if the sound generating means generates a sound corresponding to the normal information after the specific period, so that the sound generating means generates a sound corresponding to the special information for the specific period, and does not set the special information for the specific period if the sound generating means does not generate a sound corresponding to the normal information after the specific period.

According to the above configuration, when setting sound information in the order of normal information → special information, if sound is generated in the order of normal information → special information → normal information, the special information is set, but if sound is not generated for normal information after setting normal information → special information, the special information is not set. In this way, it is possible to reduce the setting data.

Feature A7. The gaming machine described in any one of Features A1 to A6, characterized in that the first period is longer than the second period and has a length different from an integer multiple of the second period.

According to the above configuration, since the first period is not an integer multiple of the second period, a discrepancy is likely to occur in the update timing between the first period and the second period. In a performance with such a periodic relationship, by applying the configuration of feature A1, it is possible to effectively eliminate the discrepancy between the two performances (the specified performance and the sound performance).

In addition, in a configuration in which the second period is longer than the first period, the same effect as above can be achieved by configuring the second period to have a length that is different from an integer multiple of the first period.

Feature A8. Equipped with a display means having a predetermined display screen,
A gaming machine described in any one of features A1 to A7, characterized in that the specified presentation means executes the specified presentation by controlling the display means to update the frame image displayed on the specified display screen at a first period.

According to the above configuration, the specified performance is a display performance, and the frame image is updated in the first cycle. Generally, the update of the frame image in the display performance is performed by setting and updating each pixel that constitutes the display screen, and if it is desired to change the update timing of such a frame image, it is necessary to change the setting and update of each of these pixels as well. In this regard, as described above, since special information is set before or after the update timing of the frame image, it is possible to match the output start timing and output end timing of the sound in the sound performance to the update timing of the frame image, and it is possible to match the start and end timing of both performances without changing the update timing of the frame image.

Feature A9. A start frame grasping means for grasping a start frame at which the sound production by the sound generation means starts among the predetermined effects (a function for executing a process for grasping a sound data generation frame by the sub-control device 81: step S3004, etc.),
The gaming machine according to feature A8, wherein the setting means sets the special information based on a result of determination by the start frame determining means.

According to the above configuration, by determining the start frame of the sound effect and setting special information to match that start frame, it is possible to match the start timing of the sound effect with the update timing of that start frame.

Feature A10: A means for storing the special information in advance by the length of the first period unit (a sound data table storage area 83b by the sub-control device 81),
The gaming machine according to feature A8 or A9, wherein the setting means is capable of setting the special information with a length of the first period unit.

According to the above configuration, the special information is set in units of the update cycle of the unit frame image (frame unit). In this way, it becomes much easier to adjust the length of the special information in order to match the start and end timing of the sound performance with the update timing of the frame image, and the process for matching such timing can be simplified.

Feature A11. The gaming machine described in any one of Features A8 to A10, characterized in that the setting means is capable of setting the special information to a length shorter than the first period.

The above configuration reduces the amount of data to be set and increases the degree of freedom in the length of the special information to be set. This results in a configuration that can handle a variety of delays in eliminating audio delays.

Feature A12. A start frame grasping means for grasping a start frame at which the sound production by the sound generating means starts among the predetermined effects (a function for executing a process for grasping a sound data generation frame by the sub-control device 81: step S3004, etc.);
A period ascertaining means (a function of executing the processes of steps S3009, S3010, etc. by the sub-control device 81) for ascertaining the length of a period from an update timing of the second cycle preceding the start frame to the start frame;
Equipped with
The gaming machine according to any one of features A8 to A11, wherein the setting means is capable of setting the special information to the length of the period grasped by the period grasping means (e.g., approximately 3.3 msec).

The above configuration allows the length of the special information to be kept to a minimum. This reduces the amount of data for the sound information to be set, while allowing the start and end timing of the sound effects and the display effects to match.

Feature A13. A start frame grasping means for grasping a start frame at which the sound production by the sound generating means starts among the predetermined effects (a function for executing a process for grasping a sound data generation frame by the sub-control device 81: step S3004, etc.);
A means for storing the special information in advance by the length of the first period unit (a sound data table storage area 83b by the sub-control device 81);
A period ascertaining means (a function of executing the processes of steps S3009, S3010, etc. by the sub-control device 81) for ascertaining the length of a period from an update timing of the second cycle preceding the start frame to the start frame;
Equipped with
The setting means is
a first means for setting the special information by a length of the first period unit;
A second means for setting the special information to the length of the period grasped by the period grasp means (for example, about 3.3 msec),
The gaming machine described in feature A4 is characterized in that when the result of the start frame determination means indicates that the start frame is more than a specified number of frames before the start of the specified performance, the first means sets the special information, and when the result of the start frame determination means indicates that the start frame is after the specified number of frames from the start of the specified performance, the second means sets the special information.

According to the above configuration, when the number of frames until the start frame is small, the special information is set with a length in frame units, and when the number of frames until the start frame is large, the special information is set with a length equivalent to the amount of deviation. In this way, for example, when the number of frames until the start frame is small, the display performance and the start of sound generation based on the special information can be synchronized, eliminating the need to time the start, thereby reducing the subsequent processing load, and when the number of frames until the start frame is large, the amount of data to be set can be reduced.

Feature A14. The sound generating means includes a plurality of the sound generating means;
The setting means is
The sound information can be set for each of the plurality of sound generating means,
The sound information is set for a first sound generating means among the plurality of sound generating means so that a sound corresponding to the special information is generated at least either before or after a first update timing in the first period;
A gaming machine described in any one of features A1 to A13, characterized in that the sound information to be set for a second sound generation means, which is different from the first sound generation means, among the multiple sound generation means, is capable of generating a sound corresponding to the special information at least either before or after a second update timing, which is different from the first update timing, in the first period.

According to the above configuration, in a configuration having multiple sound generating means, the timing at which a sound corresponding to special information is generated varies depending on the sound generating means. In this way, not only is the sound presentation more profound, but it is also possible to achieve the effect of feature A1 at multiple update timings in a given presentation.

Feature A15. The sound generating means includes a plurality of the sound generating means;
The setting means is
The sound information can be set for each of the plurality of sound generating means,
The sound information to be set for a first sound generating means among the plurality of sound generating means is set so that a sound corresponding to the special information is generated at a predetermined timing;
A gaming machine described in any one of features A1 to A14, characterized in that the sound information set for a second sound generation means among the multiple sound generation means, which is different from the first sound generation means, can be generated at the specified timing, such that the sound generated by the sound generation means corresponds to normal information (sound data) that can be understood by the player.

According to the above configuration, in a configuration having multiple sound generating means, at a predetermined timing when the first sound generating means generates a sound for special information, the second sound generating means generates a sound for normal information. In other words, at the predetermined timing, the sound generated by the first sound generating means is difficult or impossible to grasp, but the sound generated by the second sound generating means is understandable. As a result, rather than all sounds in a predetermined performance being difficult or impossible to grasp at the predetermined timing, any of the sounds can be grasped, so in a configuration having multiple sound generating means, it is possible to realize a performance in which sounds are generated continuously while the sounds generated by each sound generating means overlap each other.

Feature A16. A gaming machine according to any one of features A1 to A15, characterized in that as the predetermined performance by the predetermined performance means, the update process is performed by the first update means, thereby executing a predetermined first performance to a second performance, and after the execution of the second performance, a special performance (loop performance, for example, a performance for an attack mode) is set that returns to the first performance.

In the above configuration, a special effect is set as a so-called loop effect in which the first effect is executed, followed by the second effect, and then the first effect is executed. In a gaming machine having such a special effect, once the special effect is set, it is only necessary to execute the special effect repeatedly, and the processing load is drastically reduced compared to when each effect is set separately. This allows for a processing delay to be generated while the special effect is being executed, allowing for the effect of other effects to be optimally enhanced. On the other hand, in a gaming machine in which such a special effect is set, if there is a misalignment between the update timing of the special effect and the start and end timing of the sound effect, the misalignment may accumulate with each loop. In this regard, as described in feature A1, the special information is set so that such a misalignment does not occur, and therefore it is possible to optimally enjoy the effect of the loop effect.

Feature A17: A game progress means (a function of executing normal processing by the main control device 101) that performs a game progress process when a specific event based on a game operation by a player (for example, the start of a game based on the operation of the start lever 41) occurs;
A first performance means (a function for executing a performance during a bonus by the sub-control device 81) capable of executing a predetermined first performance (performance during a bonus);
A second performance means (a function for executing a performance during the attack mode by the sub-control device 81) capable of executing a second performance (performance during the attack mode) different from the first performance;
When the specific event occurs during the execution of the first performance, a means for updating the first performance (a subtraction process of the performance counter during the bonus by the sub-control device 81: a function for executing the process of step S2615);
A means for updating the second performance based on the fact that the execution time of the second performance has reached a predetermined update period (a function for executing a process for updating the performance during the attack mode by the sub-control device 81);
a means for restricting the setting of the special information by the setting means when the first performance is performed by the first performance means, and allowing the setting of the special information by the setting means when the second performance is performed by the second performance means (a function for executing the process of step S3202 by the sub-control device 81);
A gaming machine according to any one of features A1 to A16, characterized in that it is equipped with:

According to the above configuration, a first effect is set in which the effect is updated based on the game operation (specific event) by the player, and a second effect is set in which the effect is updated based on the passage of time. The game operation by the player is performed at the player's discretionary timing, and a certain degree of freedom is required for the update of the first effect. In this case, for example, even if special information is set so that the start or end timing of the sound effect coincides with the update timing for the first effect, the setting of such special information may be wasted due to the update occurring at the discretionary timing as described above. Therefore, by configuring in such a way that special information is not set for the first effect, while special information is set for the second effect, the special information can be set as necessary, and the setting can be prevented from being wasted.

Feature A18. The predetermined performance means includes a first predetermined performance means (a function for executing a display data setting process by the sub-control device 81, and a function for executing a V interrupt process by the display control device 201) capable of executing a first predetermined performance (display performance), and a second predetermined performance means (a function for executing a reel control process by the main control device 101) capable of executing a second predetermined performance (a spin performance of each of the reels 32L, 32M, and 32R) different from the first predetermined performance,
As the first update means, a first specific update means (a function of executing V interrupt processing by the display control device 201) capable of executing an update process of the first predetermined performance by the first predetermined performance means in a first specific period (about 33.3 msec), and a second specific update means (a function of executing timer interrupt processing by the main control device 101) capable of executing an update process of the second predetermined performance by the second predetermined performance means in a second specific period (1.49 msec) different from the first specific period;
A gaming machine according to any one of features A1 to A17, characterized in that it is equipped with:

In gaming machines, there are a wide variety of sound effects, and it is common, for example, to perform a set of a display effect and a sound effect as a first predetermined effect, or a set of an action effect using a movable role object and a sound effect as a second predetermined effect. In such a configuration, if the update cycle of the first predetermined effect differs from the update cycle of the second predetermined effect, even if a design change is made to match the update cycle of one effect with the update cycle of the sound effect, there is a possibility that a misalignment will occur with the update cycle of the other effect. In this regard, if the configuration of feature A1 is applied to such a configuration, it becomes possible to avoid the occurrence of a misalignment using special information in relation to the wide variety of effects, and it becomes possible to realize sound effects appropriately without requiring major changes to the design.

Feature A19. Operation means (reels 32L, 32M, 32R) for performing a predetermined operation;
A driving means (a function of executing a reel control process by the main control device 101) for driving and controlling the operation means at a predetermined driving cycle to cause the operation means to perform the predetermined operation;
Equipped with
A gaming machine described in any one of features A1 to A18, characterized in that the specified update timing occurs at the specified drive cycle by the drive means.

According to the above configuration, the predetermined effect is an effect caused by the operation of the operating means, and the sound effect is performed in conjunction with the operation of the operating means. Such an operation of the operating means is flashy in appearance and easily attracts the player's attention, but if there is a mismatch between the operation and the sound effect, the more flashy the operation is, the higher the possibility of the player losing interest. Therefore, by setting special information as sound information as in feature A1, the start and end timing of the sound effect can be matched with the update timing of the effect caused by the operation of the operating means, thereby reducing the possibility of losing interest due to a mismatch and making it possible to fully utilize the performance effect caused by the operating means.

Feature A20. A plurality of rotating bodies (reels 32L, 32M, and 32R) on which a plurality of types of pictures are applied in the circumferential direction;
A display unit (display windows 26L, 26M, 26R) that allows some of the patterns on each of the rotating bodies to be viewed;
A start operation means (start lever 41) that starts rotation of each of the rotating bodies when operated;
A lottery means (a function of executing lottery processing by the main control device 101) for performing a lottery to determine whether or not to grant a special benefit to a player based on the operation of the start operation means;
Stop operation means (stop switches 42 to 44) are provided for each of the rotating bodies, and when operated, the rotation of the corresponding rotating body is stopped;
A drive control means (a function of executing a reel control process by the main control device 101) that starts rotation of each of the rotating bodies when the start operation means is operated and stops the rotation of the corresponding rotating body when the stop operation means is operated;
a bonus awarding means (a function of executing a payout determination process by the main control device 101) for awarding a bonus corresponding to a predetermined result when a lottery result in the lottery means is a predetermined result and a predetermined pattern combination corresponding to the predetermined result stops at an active position set at a position where the pattern is visible via the display unit;
A gaming machine comprising:
The operating means is each of the rotating bodies,
the driving means is the driving control means,
The gaming machine described in feature A19, characterized in that the specified update timing is a timing at which the drive control means controls so that a specific pattern (the number 16 ``red 7'' pattern) of a specific one of the reels (left reel 32L) is positioned at a specific position where it is visible through the display unit.

In the above configuration, when the start operation means is operated, a lottery is drawn by the lottery means and the rotation of the circulating body is started, and when the stop operation means is operated, the circulating body stops, and if the stop result corresponds to the lottery result, a bonus is awarded by the bonus awarding means. In such a so-called slot machine, sound effects corresponding to the rotation of the circulating body may be performed, and this sound effect occurs when a specific pattern on a specific circulating body is placed at a specific position. In this case, the circulating body continues to rotate until the stop operation means is operated, and the sound effect occurs each time the specific pattern reaches the specific position. In such a configuration, if there is a difference between the timing of the sound effect and the timing of the specific pattern reaching the specific position, the difference will increase cumulatively with each revolution of the circulating body.

In particular, for example, in a configuration in which the sound effects are used to assist in hitting a specific symbol, it is believed that accustomed players will be able to aim for the specific symbol without needing such eye-pressing assistance, and will be able to perform operations aimed at the specific symbol with fewer revolutions of the rotating body. On the other hand, players who are not accustomed to playing the game will attempt to aim for the specific symbol by relying on the sound effects as eye-pressing assistance, but if they hesitate to operate the stop operation means due to lack of confidence in their operation, the number of revolutions of the rotating body will increase accordingly, and the above-mentioned deviation may increase cumulatively. In that case, even though the sound effects are intended to assist players who need assistance, there is a possibility that they may end up hindering that assistance.

Therefore, as in the above configuration, by generating sound for special information as sound information before or after the timing at which the specific image reaches the specific position, it is possible to prevent a discrepancy between the start and end timing of the sound performance and the timing at which the specific image arrives.

Feature A21. The device includes a volume setting unit (a first Vol switch 75 and a second Vol switch 76) that can set the volume of the sound produced by the sound production unit in a plurality of stages;
the setting means is capable of setting normal information (sound data) that allows a player to understand the sound generated by the sound generating means,
The sound generating means includes:
When a first volume (sound setting 1) is set by the volume setting means, the sound corresponding to the normal information is generated so as to have the first volume;
When the volume setting means sets a second volume (sound setting 9) that is larger than the first volume, the sound corresponding to the normal information is generated so as to have the second volume,
A gaming machine described in any one of features A1 to A17, characterized in that, in both cases where the first volume is set by the volume setting means and where the second volume is set by the volume setting means, the sound is generated so that it is difficult or impossible for the player to understand the special information.

According to the above configuration, by changing the set volume with the volume setting means, the volume of sounds for which normal information is set is changed, but sounds for which special information is set are difficult or impossible for the player to understand regardless of the set volume. In this way, it is possible to avoid an incident in which the start and end timings of the sound effects are aligned with the update timing of the specified effects by setting special information, but the set volume causes them to become out of sync.

<Characteristics Group B>
Feature B1. A gaming machine equipped with a sound reproducing means (a speaker device 64 including a sound source IC 85, an amplifier 86, and an individual speaker 87) capable of reproducing a predetermined sound based on predetermined sound information generated by a sound information generating means (a function for executing a sound data setting process by a sub-control device 81),
The sound information generating means
A first sound information generating means (e.g., a function of executing a process of setting sound data for the first sound source IC 85a by the sub-control device 81) that generates first sound information (e.g., sound data from t11 to t12 in FIG. 72(c) );
a second sound information generating means (e.g., a function of executing a process of setting sound data for the second sound source IC 85b by the sub-control device 81) that generates second sound information having the same playback period as the first sound information (e.g., silent data from t11 to t12 in FIG. 72(d)) and third sound information following the second sound information (e.g., sound data from t12 to t13 in FIG. 72(d));
Equipped with
The reproduction by the sound reproduction means based on the second sound information makes it difficult or impossible for the player to understand the sound,
A gaming machine capable of reproducing a series of sounds by the sound reproduction means reproducing sounds based on the first sound information and sounds based on the third sound information.

According to the above configuration, when playing a series of sounds using the first sound information and the third sound information generated by the first sound information generating means and the second sound information generating means, there is no need to synchronize the playback timing of the sound information generated by the first sound information generating means with the playback timing of the sound information generated by the second sound information generating means, and it is possible to perform a series of sounds using multiple sound information with a simple configuration. For example, when a configuration is used to synchronize the playback timing of the sound information generated by both sound information generating means, such as starting playback of the third sound information generated by the second sound information generating means at the timing when the playback of the first sound information generated by the first sound information generating means ends, it is necessary to use a specified timer, etc., but depending on the update timing of the specified timer, it may not be possible to start playback of the third sound information at the end timing. In this configuration, if the first sound information is generated by the first sound information generating means, and then the third sound information is generated by the second sound information generating means, a discrepancy occurs between the timing at which the first sound information ends and the timing at which the third sound information starts, and even if an attempt is made to perform a superimposed sound performance using multiple sound information generating means such as the first sound information generating means and the second sound information generating means, the discrepancy may result in a lack of sufficient performance effect or may even reduce the performance effect. In this regard, with the above configuration, there is no need to use a timer, and sound information can be handed over at a timing that is not dependent on the timer update timing, making it possible to fully obtain the effect of sound performance using multiple sound information generating means.

Feature B2. A third sound information generating means (e.g., a function of executing a process of setting sound data for the fourth sound source IC 85d by the sub-control device 81) is provided that generates fourth sound information (e.g., silent data from t11 to t13 in FIG. 72(f)) having the same playback period as the sum of the second sound information and the third sound information, and fifth sound information (e.g., sound data from t13 to t14 in FIG. 72(f)) following the fourth sound information,
The sound reproduction means reproduces the fourth sound information to make it difficult or impossible for the player to understand the sound,
The gaming machine described in feature B1 is characterized in that a series of sounds can be reproduced by the sound reproduction means reproducing sounds based on the first sound information, the third sound information, and the fifth sound information.

According to the above configuration, when playing a series of sounds using the fifth sound information in addition to the first and third sound information, not only is there no need to synchronize the generation of sound information by the first sound information generating means and the second sound information generating means, but there is also no need to synchronize the generation of sound information by the third sound information generating means. In other words, the configuration that enables the realization of a series of overlapping sound performances using the first sound information generating means and the second sound information generating means of feature B1 is not limited to a set of the first sound information generating means and the second sound information generating means, but can be expanded to include overlapping sound performances using more than one sound information generating means, such as the third sound information generating means, the fourth sound information generating means, and so on. In this way, if the number of sound information generating means is increased and the sound information generating means are configured to synchronize, the increased number can complicate the configuration for achieving synchronization, but by using the configuration of feature B2, it is possible to enjoy only the benefit of an overlapping sound performance even if the number of sound information generating means is increased, and the configuration does not become more complicated. Therefore, it is possible to realize sound performance in an optimal manner.

Feature B3: The first sound information generating means is capable of generating sixth sound information (e.g., silent data from t12 to t13 in FIG. 72(c)) having the same playback period as the second sound information, following the first sound information;
A gaming machine according to feature B1 or feature B2, characterized in that the sound reproduced by the sound reproduction means based on the sixth sound information makes it difficult or impossible for the player to understand the sound.

According to the above configuration, the playback period of the first sound information and sixth sound information generated by the first sound information generating means is the same length as the playback period of the second sound information and third sound information generated by the second sound information generating means. In other words, in a configuration in which sound information is generated by multiple sound information generating means, the playback periods of each piece of sound information are the same length. This makes it possible to distribute the sound information generation process by multiple sound information generating means, and to equalize the processing load of each sound information generating means. This makes it possible to prevent processing slowdowns caused by processing being concentrated in one area.

Feature B4: The first sound information generating means can generate sixth sound information (e.g., silent data from t12 to t13 in FIG. 72(c)) having the same playback period as the second sound information following the first sound information, and can further generate seventh sound information (e.g., sound data from t13 to t14 in FIG. 72(c)) following the sixth sound information;
The sound reproduction means reproduces the sixth sound information to make it difficult or impossible for the player to understand the sound,
A gaming machine described in any one of features B1 to B3, characterized in that a series of sounds can be reproduced by the sound reproduction means reproducing sounds based on the first sound information, the third sound information, and the seventh sound information.

According to the above configuration, a series of sound effects are performed, such as the reproduction of sound based on the first sound information by the first sound information generating means, the reproduction of sound based on the third sound information by the second sound information generating means, and the reproduction of sound based on the seventh sound information by the first sound information generating means. In this way, even after sound information that is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp has been set, sound is still reproduced based on comprehensible sound information, making it possible to make effective use of each sound information generating means.

Feature B5. The gaming machine according to any one of Features B1 to B4, characterized in that the sound reproducing means can simultaneously or approximately simultaneously start reproducing sound information by each of the sound information generating means.

According to the above configuration, for example, in feature B1, the playback of sound based on the first sound information by the first sound information generating means and the playback of sound based on the second sound information by the second sound information generating means start simultaneously or approximately simultaneously. The first sound information and the second sound information are set to have the same playback period, and by starting playback simultaneously as described above, the end timing of the first sound information and the end timing of the second sound information match, making it possible to seamlessly end playback of the first sound information by the first sound information generating means and start playback of the third sound information by the second sound information generating means. Therefore, by simply aligning the length of each piece of sound information, it is possible to ensure the continuity of a series of sound performances by each sound information generating means.

Note that "capable of starting simultaneously or approximately simultaneously" does not only include cases where the playback is completely simultaneous, but also cases where "the playback of each piece of sound information can be started with an amount of lag that is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp."

Feature B6. The sound reproducing means is provided in correspondence with each of the sound information generating means,
The gaming machine according to feature B5, wherein each of the sound reproducing means generates the sound information generated by the corresponding one of the sound information generating means.

The above configuration is a specific configuration of feature B5, and such a configuration makes it possible to more effectively achieve the effect of feature B5.

Feature B7. The gaming machine described in Feature B6, characterized in that the sound reproduction means are installed so that at least one of the output direction and installation position of the reproduced sound is different.

With the above configuration, even if the sound is the same, if the output direction or installation position is different, the sound perceived by the player will be different, which makes it possible to enhance the significance of generating multiple pieces of sound information using the sound information generating means and playing overlapping sounds using multiple sound playing means.

Feature B8: A sound source information storage means (sound source data storage area 83e) for storing sound source information (sound source data) to be reproduced by the sound reproduction means;
a sound information storage means (data output area 84a) for storing the sound information generated by the sound information generating means;
Equipped with
The sound reproducing means includes:
An acquisition means for acquiring the sound source information from the sound source information storage means based on the sound information stored in the sound information storage means (a function for executing the process of step S3104 by the sound source IC 85);
A reproduction means (a function of executing the process of step S3107 by the sound source IC 85) for reproducing the sound source information acquired by the acquisition means;
A gaming machine according to any one of features B1 to B7, characterized in that it is equipped with:

According to the above configuration, when the sound reproduction means reproduces sound based on the sound information generated by the sound information generation means, the sound information plays a role of linking the data generated by the sound information generation means with the data reproduced by the sound reproduction means. In other words, the sound reproduction means obtains sound source information based on the sound information generated by the sound information generation means, and reproduces the sound source information to perform sound effects. In this way, by using sound information, it is possible to significantly reduce the amount of data exchanged, for example, compared to a configuration in which sound source information is generated each time.

Feature B9. The device is provided with a specific performance execution means (a function for executing a performance data setting process by the sub-control device 81) that can execute a specific performance including a sound performance played by the sound playback means and a predetermined performance (display performance) different from the sound performance based on a predetermined performance trigger;
The gaming machine according to any one of features B1 to B8, wherein the specific effect execution means starts the predetermined effect at the same or substantially the same timing as the start timing of the sound effect by the sound playback means.

According to the above configuration, in a configuration in which a sound effect is started simultaneously or approximately simultaneously with a predetermined effect, the sound effect is configured to generate overlapping sound information by multiple sound information generating means, and the timing at which the sound playback starts based on the sound information generated by each sound information generating means can be easily synchronized with the start timing of each predetermined effect. In this way, by applying the configuration that allows for easy synchronization while overlapping sound effects as in feature B1 to synchronization with other effects, it is possible to realize a highly effective effect effect with a simple configuration that combines not only the sound effect but also the other effects.

Feature B10: The predetermined effect is a display effect in which a display frame is updated at a predetermined cycle;
The gaming machine described in feature B9, wherein each of the sound information has a playback length that is an integer multiple of the predetermined period, which is the update period of the display frame.

According to the above configuration, the end timing of sound playback based on the first sound information (second sound information), i.e., the start timing of sound playback based on the third sound information, coincides with the update timing of the display frame. In this way, by setting the playback length of the sound information in relation to the update cycle of the display frame, it is possible to easily match the update timing of the display performance with the switching timing of the sound information that is the basis for sound playback, making it possible to avoid misalignment between the display and the sound.

<Characteristics Group C>
Feature C1. A gaming machine equipped with a predetermined performance execution means (a function for executing a performance data setting process by the sub-control device 81) that executes a predetermined performance at a predetermined timing based on the occurrence of a predetermined performance trigger,
The predetermined performance execution means includes:
a sound effect execution means (a function of executing a sound data setting process by the sub-control device 81) capable of executing a sound effect as the predetermined effect by a sound generation means (a speaker device 64 including a sound source IC 85, an amplifier 86, and an individual speaker 87) that performs sound generation control based on predetermined sound information;
The sound effect execution means includes:
A generation control update means (a function of executing a sound generation process by a sound source IC 85) that updates the generation control by the sound generation means at a predetermined specific period (a period of 10 msec);
a first control means (a function of executing processes such as steps S3007, S3008, S3011, S3012, etc. by the sub-control device 81) for controlling the sound generating means so that the sound generating control based on special information that is difficult or impossible for a player to grasp when the sound generating control is performed by the sound generating means is performed for a specific period corresponding to the deviation between the predetermined timing and the update timing of the specific cycle, as the sound information;
A second control means (a function of executing the processes of steps S3004, S3008, S3012, etc. by the sub-control device 81) that controls the sound generating means so that sound generation control based on sound information corresponding to the predetermined performance is performed following the sound generation control based on the special information;
A gaming machine comprising:

In a configuration in which a predetermined performance is performed at a predetermined timing based on the occurrence of a performance trigger, in the above configuration, a sound performance is performed as the predetermined performance by controlling the generation of sound by a sound generation means. The sound generation control by the sound generation means is performed in a specific cycle, and depending on the length of the specific cycle and the execution timing of the predetermined performance, a shift may occur between the update timing of the specific cycle, i.e., the update timing of the sound generation control, and the execution timing of the predetermined performance, i.e., the timing at which the sound performance should be executed. In this regard, in the above configuration, sound generation control is performed for special information that is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp over a specific period corresponding to the amount of shift, and then sound generation control is performed based on sound information corresponding to the predetermined performance. Therefore, even if there is a shift between the update timing of the sound generation control and the timing at which the sound performance should be executed as described above, it is possible to start the sound performance from the predetermined timing by starting the sound generation control from the update timing with the shift remaining. This makes it possible to execute the sound performance preferably without requiring complex configuration changes such as changing the update cycle to eliminate the above-mentioned shift.

Feature C2. A grasping means (a function of executing the processes of steps S3005, S3007, S3009 to S3011, etc. by the sub-control device 81) for grasping the amount of deviation between the predetermined timing and the update timing of the specific cycle based on the occurrence of the performance trigger,
The gaming machine described in feature C1, wherein the first control means controls the sound generation means so that sound generation control based on the special information is performed based on the results of the determination by the determination means.

According to the above configuration, the amount of deviation between the timing of updating the sound generation control and the timing at which the sound performance should be executed is appropriately grasped based on the occurrence of a performance trigger. In this way, the configuration can respond to a variety of deviation amounts, making it possible to execute the sound performance more optimally.

Feature C3. The gaming machine described in Feature C2, wherein the grasping means grasps the amount of deviation so that the specific period is shorter than the length of the specific cycle.

The above configuration can reduce the amount of deviation. This can shorten the period during which sound generation control based on special information is performed, and reduce the amount of data for the sound information to be set.

Feature C4. The gaming machine according to Feature C3, wherein the grasping means grasps the amount of deviation between the update timing immediately prior to the predetermined timing among the update timings of the specific cycle and the predetermined timing.

The above configuration makes it possible to minimize the amount of deviation. Therefore, the length of the specific period during which sound generation control based on special information is performed is minimized, making it possible to reduce the amount of data for the sound information to be set.

Feature C5. The sound generating means includes a first sound generating means and a second sound generating means;
A gaming machine described in any one of features C1 to C4, characterized in that the specified timing for executing the specified effect when the effect trigger occurs is set so that a first specified timing for executing a first sound effect using a sound generated and controlled by the first sound generation means and a second specified timing for executing a second sound effect using a sound generated and controlled by the second sound generation means are different timings.

According to the above configuration, there are multiple sound generating means, and the predetermined timing for executing the sound effects using the sounds generated and controlled by each sound generating means is different. In such a configuration, by applying the configuration of feature C1, when controlling effects that start at different times even if they are based on the same effect trigger, there is no need to separately adjust the start timing of control, and it is possible to execute each sound effect appropriately without complicating the processing configuration.

Feature C6. The device includes a setting unit (a function of executing a sound data setting process by the sub-control device 81) that sets the sound information used for sound generation control by the first control unit and the second control unit;
The gaming machine described in feature C5 is characterized in that the setting means sets the sound information used for sound generation control by the first control means and the sound information used for sound generation control by the second control means at a timing based on the performance trigger, regardless of the first specified timing and the second specified timing.

According to the above configuration, the setting of sound information for the first sound generating means and the second sound generating means is performed at a timing based on a performance trigger, regardless of the timing of execution of the first sound performance or the second sound performance. In this way, it is possible to prevent inconveniences such as waiting indefinitely without setting sound information depending on the execution timing of the sound performance.

Feature C7. The first control means is
a control unit for controlling the generation of the sound based on the special information by the first sound generating unit to be performed for a specific period corresponding to a shift amount between the first predetermined timing and an update timing of the specific period of the first sound generating unit;
A gaming machine described in feature C5 or feature C6, characterized in that the control of sound generation based on the special information by the second sound generation means is controlled to be performed over a specific period corresponding to the deviation between the second predetermined timing and the update timing of the specific period of the second sound generation means.

With the above configuration, even if the execution timing of each sound effect is out of sync with the specific cycle, sound generation control based on special information is performed over a specific period corresponding to the amount of deviation, so that each sound effect can be started at the intended execution timing even if there is a deviation from the update timing.

<Feature D group>
Feature D1. A gaming machine equipped with a sound reproducing means (a speaker device 64 including a sound source IC 85, an amplifier 86, and an individual speaker 87) capable of reproducing a predetermined sound based on predetermined sound information generated by a sound information generating means (a function for executing a sound data setting process by a sub-control device 81),
The sound reproducing means includes a plurality of the sound reproducing means,
The sound information generating means has a first reproduction period (e.g., a period from t11 to t14 in FIG. 72(c)) in which sound is reproduced by a first sound reproduction means (e.g., a first sound source IC 85a, a first amplifier 86a, a first speaker 87a) among the plurality of sound reproduction means, and a second reproduction period (e.g., a period from t11 to t14 in FIG. 72(d)) in which sound is reproduced by a second sound reproduction means (e.g., a second sound source IC 85b, a second amplifier 86b, a second speaker 87b) different from the first sound reproduction means. a gaming machine capable of generating the sound information so that, during an overlapping period (for example, the period from t11 to t14 in Figures 72(c) and 72(d)) in which the sounds reproduced by at least one of the sound reproduction means overlap, a specific period is generated in which a special sound that is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp is reproduced (for example, the period from t12 to t13 in Figure 72(c), the period from t11 to t12, and the period from t13 to t14 in Figure 72(d)).

According to the above configuration, in a configuration that realizes an overlapping sound effect by overlapping the sound playback periods of multiple sound playback means, a specific period occurs during which the sound played by at least one of the sound playback means is difficult or impossible for the player to grasp, so it is possible to provide cases where the sounds overlap and cases where they do not, without turning on/off the playback of each sound. In this way, it is possible to gradually adjust the degree of overlap of the sound effects with a simple configuration. Therefore, the sound effects can be executed optimally.

Feature D2. The gaming machine described in Feature D1, characterized in that the sound information generating means is capable of generating the sound information so that the specific period includes a first specific period during which the first sound reproducing means reproduces the special sound while the second sound reproducing means reproduces a normal sound that the player can understand, and a second specific period during which the first sound reproducing means reproduces the normal sound while the second sound reproducing means reproduces the special sound.

According to the above configuration, when realizing a superimposed sound effect using both sound playback means, it is possible to create a period in which sound effects are performed using only one of the sound playback means for each sound playback means. Moreover, such a configuration can be realized by continuously playing back normal sounds and specific sounds without turning sound playback on and off, making it possible to obtain a more suitable performance effect without increasing the processing load.

Feature D3. The gaming machine according to Feature D2, characterized in that the sound information generating means is capable of generating the sound information so that the second specific period occurs following the first specific period, or the first specific period occurs following the second specific period.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to realize a configuration in which the timing of the on/off control of both sound reproduction means overlaps without performing such on/off control. That is, when the second specific period occurs following the first specific period, it is usually necessary to perform on control of the first sound reproduction means and off control of the second sound reproduction means at the boundary between the first and second specific periods. Also, when the first specific period occurs following the second specific period, it is usually necessary to perform off control of the first sound reproduction means and on control of the first sound reproduction means at the boundary between the first and second specific periods. If the timing of these on/off controls is shifted, a period in which both sounds cannot be heard may occur. In this regard, in the above configuration, switching between the two specific periods is performed by continuous playback of the special sound and the normal sound without such on/off control, so it is possible to achieve the effect of generating both specific periods without causing inconveniences due to shifts in control timing, etc.

Feature D4. The gaming machine described in any one of Features D1 to D3, characterized in that the sound information generating means generates the sound information to create the specific period, so that the end timing of the first playback period and the end timing of the second playback period overlap.

According to the above configuration, sound playback by both sound playback means ends at the same time. In this way, for example, when playing back sound for a so-called loop effect, an event such as the presence of sound playback means that has already finished playing sound and sound playback means that has not yet finished does not occur. This eliminates the need to control differently depending on whether the playback of these sounds has finished or not, and makes it possible to use uniform control and simplify the processing configuration. Moreover, since the same end timing is achieved depending on the specific period during which the playback of special sounds is performed, it is possible to achieve the above effect without reconsidering the harmony of the sounds in the effect, such as taking into account the overlap of normal sounds.

Note that "the end timing of the first playback period overlaps with the end timing of the second playback period" may also be expressed as "the end timing of the first playback period and the end timing of the second playback period are the same or approximately the same timing." In this case, "the same or approximately the same timing" may also be expressed as "the same timing to the extent that the player cannot or has difficulty in understanding the difference in timing."

Feature D5. The gaming machine described in Feature D4, characterized in that the sound information generating means generates the sound information such that the first specific period during which the first sound reproducing means reproduces the special sound and the second specific period during which the second sound reproducing means reproduces the special sound are of different lengths, thereby causing the end timing of the first reproduction period to overlap with the end timing of the second reproduction period.

According to the above configuration, the sound information for the special sounds having different playback lengths is set, so that the sound playback by both sound playback means ends simultaneously. In this way, it is possible to achieve the effect of feature D4 even if the playback periods of the normal sounds by both sound playback means are different.

Feature D6. The gaming machine described in Feature D4 or Feature D5, characterized in that a specific sound effect (loop effect) is set as the sound effect performed by the sound playback means, in which after the first sound playback means finishes playing the sound for the first playback period and the second sound playback means finishes playing the sound for the second playback period, the first sound playback means starts playing the sound for the first playback period again and the second sound playback means starts playing the sound for the second playback period again.

According to the above configuration, in a so-called loop performance as a specific sound performance, when sound playback by each sound playback means is resumed, all sound playback ends at the same timing, so there is no need to wait for the end of sound playback by the final sound playback means to align the restart timing. In other words, for any sound playback means, when playback of its own sound ends, it is sufficient to resume sound playback in succession, and there is no need for a configuration to check the behavior of the other sound playback means. Thus, a loop performance can be realized with a simple configuration.

Feature D7. The gaming machine described in any one of Features D1 to D6, characterized in that the sound information generating means generates the sound information to create the specific period, so that the start timing of the first playback period and the start timing of the second playback period overlap.

According to the above configuration, sound playback by both sound playback means starts at the same time. In this way, when realizing the production of overlapping sounds by both sound playback means based on a performance trigger, there is no need to time the start of playback of the sound playback means that has not started playback after the performance trigger. Therefore, it is possible to realize the production of overlapping sounds with a simple configuration. Moreover, since the same start timing is achieved depending on the specific period in which sound playback based on special information is performed, it is possible to achieve the above effect without reconsidering the harmony of the sounds in the performance, such as taking into account the overlap of normal sounds.

Note that "the start timing of the first playback period overlaps with the start timing of the second playback period" may also be expressed as "the start timing of the first playback period and the start timing of the second playback period are the same or approximately the same." In this case, "the same or approximately the same timing" may also be expressed as "the same timing to the extent that the player cannot or has difficulty in understanding the difference in timing."

Feature D8. The gaming machine described in any one of Features D1 to D7, characterized in that the first playback period and the second playback period are the same length by the sound information generating means generating the sound information so as to produce the specific period.

According to the above configuration, the sound playback period by the first sound playback means and the sound playback period by the second sound playback means are the same length, so that when realizing an overlapping sound effect by multiple sound playback means, it is possible to evenly distribute the processing load. This makes it possible to avoid localized increases in processing load. Moreover, since the playback period is the same depending on the specific period in which the special sound is played, it is possible to achieve the above effect without having to reconsider the harmony of the sounds in the performance, such as taking into account the overlap of normal sounds.

Feature D9. The gaming machine according to any one of Features D1 to D3, characterized in that the sound information generating means is capable of setting the predetermined sound information so that the overlapping period becomes the specific period, and the start timing of the second playback period occurs after the start timing of the first playback period, and the end timing of the second playback period occurs after the end timing of the first playback period.

According to the above configuration, the first playback period and the second playback period have an overlapping period during which they overlap, but are set so that there is a shift between the periods. During the overlapping period, one of the sounds becomes a special sound and is not noticeable to the player. In this way, it is possible to seamlessly realize the performance of continuous sounds using multiple sound playback means, such as sound generation by the first sound playback means and sound generation by the second sound playback means.

Note that, to each of the configurations of Feature Group A through Feature Group D described above, it is possible to apply the technical ideas shown in the configurations of other Feature Groups A through D individually, or to apply each technical idea in combination. When applying each technical idea in combination, it is also possible to combine them across feature groups.

The basic configuration of a gaming machine to which the above-mentioned features can be applied is shown below.

Pachinko game machine: A game machine that has an operating means operated by the player, a game ball launching means that launches game balls based on the operation of the operating means, a ball passage that guides the launched game balls to a specified game area, and various game components arranged within the game area, and that awards a special prize to the player when the game ball passes through a specified passage section of each of the game components.

Slot machines and other reel-type gaming machines: A gaming machine equipped with a variable display means that displays a series of symbols consisting of multiple symbols in a variable manner and then displays the series of symbols in a final stopped state, in which the variation of the symbols is started by operating a start operating means, the variation of the symbols is stopped by operating a stop operating means or after a predetermined time has passed, and a special gaming state (bonus game, etc.) advantageous to the player is generated on the condition that the final stopped symbol at the time of the stop is a specific symbol.

Ball-operated belt-type gaming machine: A gaming machine equipped with a variable display means that displays a variable pattern sequence consisting of multiple patterns and then displays the final stop of the pattern sequence, in which the pattern variation is started due to the operation of a start operation means, the pattern variation is stopped due to the operation of a stop operation means or after a predetermined time has passed, and a special gaming state (bonus game, etc.) advantageous to the player is generated on the condition that the final stop pattern at the time of the stop is a specific pattern, and further equipped with a ball receiving tray and an insertion device that performs an insertion process to take in game balls from the ball receiving tray, and a payout device that pays out game balls to the ball receiving tray, and configured so that the operation of the start operation means is valid when game balls are inserted by the insertion device.

10... slot machine, 32... reel, 41... start lever, 42-44... stop switches, 64... speaker device, 65... liquid crystal display device, 81... display control device, 82... CPU, 85... sound source IC, 86... amplifier, 87... individual speaker, 101... main control device, 102... CPU, 201... display control device, 202... CPU.

Claims (1)

A gaming machine including a sound reproducing means capable of reproducing a predetermined sound based on predetermined sound information generated by a sound information generating means,
The sound reproducing means includes a plurality of the sound reproducing means,
a means for enabling a specific period during which a special sound that is difficult or impossible for a player to grasp is reproduced for a sound reproduced by at least one of the sound reproduction means during an overlapping period during which a first reproduction period during which a sound is reproduced by a first sound reproduction means among the plurality of sound reproduction means and a second reproduction period during which a sound is reproduced by a second sound reproduction means different from the first sound reproduction means are overlapped,
a start timing of the first playback period and a start timing of the second playback period can overlap;
A gaming machine, characterized in that an end timing of the first playback period and an end timing of the second playback period can overlap .

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