JP7620478B2 - Amusement Park Systems - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a system for amusement parks.

In an amusement center, many gaming machines are installed, and players tend to play on multiple gaming machines by changing the gaming machine they are playing on (hereinafter, "roaming"). For example, as shown in Figure 13 of Patent Document 1, there is a tendency to manage the number of times a player has roamed by dividing the machine into the destination and origin.

JP 2009-125074 A

In the case of Patent Document 1 mentioned above, machines with a high number of rotations should be placed in close proximity, but it is difficult to determine numerically whether they are in close proximity or not; for example, it is necessary to check the distance between the destination and origin machines on a layout display showing the placement of the machines.

However, it was difficult to grasp the number of rotations as described above using the layout display, and in the end it was necessary to compare two reports, the layout display and the number of rotations, to check whether the placement of the gaming machines was appropriate, which was extremely time-consuming.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an amusement arcade system that makes it easy to check whether the layout of the machines takes into account the movement of players to change the gaming machines they are playing on.

According to the invention of claim 1, the movement information indicating the frequency of movement of the player between gaming machines is identified, and the identification information whose identification mode can be changed according to the result of the discrimination process for discriminating the gaming machine to be migrated is displayed on a layout simulating a gaming island, so that it is easy to check whether the layout takes into consideration the movement of the player to change the gaming machine to be played on.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of an amusement park system according to an embodiment; A diagram showing the layout of machines on the game island. A diagram showing a migration rate indicating a migration origin and a migration destination in association with each other. A layout diagram showing the priority order when placing models with high turnover rates close to each other Layout diagram showing counters and their proximity to other types Layout diagram to explain special arrangement A diagram showing the distribution of age groups of players by machine type Layout diagram showing the placement results A layout diagram showing the play rates of game information of the same rank overlapped with each other 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of a management device; Flowchart showing the operation of the management device (part 2)

Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a gaming center system. In a gaming center A, a plurality of types of gaming machines 1 are installed, and a gaming device 2 is installed corresponding to each gaming machine 1. These gaming machines 1 and gaming devices 2 are connected to a relay device 3 in pairs, and the relay device 3 is connected to a management device 5 (management means, setting means, distinction means, display means, change means, neighborhood setting means, arrangement means, priority setting means) via a LAN 4. In addition, a POS and a balance settlement machine (not shown) are also installed in the gaming center A, and these POS and balance settlement machines are also connected to the management device 5 via the LAN 4. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a large number of gaming machines 1 (for example, several hundred) are actually managed by the management device 5.

The management device 5 is installed in, for example, an office in the amusement center A, and is connected to a keyboard 6, a monitor 7, a printer (not shown), etc., which are operated by the manager of the amusement center. The management device 5 inputs game signals output from the gaming machines (gaming machine 1, gaming device 2, etc.) to manage the game information for each gaming machine 1, the personal information of each registered member, the operating status of gaming machine 1, gaming device 2, etc.

In the game center system, the same configuration as game center A, which includes the gaming machines 1, gaming devices 2, relay devices 3, LAN 4, management device 5, etc., is also adopted in other game centers (game centers B and C in the example of FIG. 1). Each management device 5 installed in each game center A to C is connected to a management server 9 for system management installed separately from each game center A to C via a public line 8 such as the Internet or a VPN connection, and is configured to be able to communicate various signals and information with the management server 9 via the public line 8, etc.

The gaming machine 1 is a CR (card reader) pachinko machine, and has an operating handle 11, an upper tray 12, and a lower tray 13 that constitute a launching device that launches balls onto a board 10, and on the board 10, there is also a liquid crystal display 14, a normal winning hole 15, a first starting hole 16, a second starting hole 17, a big winning hole 18, etc.

The gaming machine 1 operates as follows.
(1) The first start hole 16 is a winning hole with a fixed winning rate (a so-called center winning hole), and the second start hole 17 is a winning hole with a variable winning rate (a so-called electric chute). A jackpot lottery is held according to winning (start winning) at each start hole 16, 17, and the lottery result is notified by the change in the pattern on the liquid crystal display 14, and the jackpot is awarded according to the result of the change.

(2) If a start win occurs during a pattern change, the pattern changes are cumulatively reserved up to a predetermined reserved upper limit (for example, four of each), and the reserved pattern changes will begin after the pattern changes have ended. Note that if a start win occurs when the number of reserved pattern changes (reserved number) is at the upper limit, the pattern changes will not be reserved.

(3) The probability of winning the jackpot lottery (jackpot probability) is 1/200, and the probability rate, which is the percentage of jackpots that subsequently enter a probability state (probability rate) and result in a jackpot (probability rate jackpot), is 50% for a center hole win and 70% for an electric chute. When a jackpot occurs, the jackpot opening is opened for the allocated number of rounds (R). Here, for center hole wins, all Rs are allocated to 4R, while for the electric chute, 50% are allocated to 10R and 50% are allocated to 4R. The upper limit for the number of winning jackpots in one round is 10, and the upper limit opening time is 30 seconds, and one round ends when either the upper limit for the number of winning jackpots or the upper limit opening time is met.

(4) During the special probability period, the probability of winning increases to 1/50 and the rate of winning into the second starting hole 17 increases, resulting in a combined time-saving state (time-saving), which continues until a jackpot occurs. On the other hand, if a normal jackpot occurs that does not result in a special probability period, the time-saving state (single time-saving state) continues until 100 pattern changes have occurred, and if no jackpot occurs, the state returns to the normal state.

(5) The second starting port 17 opens with a high winning rate when the normal symbol (normal symbol) that changes in response to the winning of the normal symbol winning port 15 becomes a winning symbol. In this case, the time for one normal symbol to change is 30 seconds in the normal state and 3 seconds in the time-saving state. Also, the opening time is 0.3 seconds in the normal state and 5 seconds in the time-saving state. In other words, in the time-saving state, the normal symbol change time is shorter than in the normal state, while the opening time is longer, resulting in a higher winning rate for the second starting port 17.

In addition to these gaming machines, gaming machines other than the exemplified gaming machines, such as so-called ST machines that use a so-called number-cutting probability change, gaming machines that can generate so-called ceiling time reduction, gaming machines that have multiple jackpot probabilities and can be changed by settings, or slot machines, may also be managed.

The gaming machine 1 and the peripheral devices attached to the gaming machine 1 output the following game signals as the game progresses, such as when the player shoots balls and when starting winnings occur in the starting holes 16, 17.
(1) Out signal = a signal (operation signal) capable of identifying the consumption value (out) output from the out box that collects consumed balls. Since one pulse is output for every 10 balls consumed (used, inserted, collected), the "number of out signals x 10" is identified as out. Note that this may also be a signal output from the gaming machine.

(2) Safe signal = a signal that can identify the winning value (safe) output from the gaming machine. Since one pulse is output for every 10 balls paid out in response to a win, "number of safe signals x 10" is identified as safe. The resupply signal output from a resupply device may also be used as a safe signal. There are actual safe signals that are output when balls are actually paid out, and winning safe signals that are output when a payout is reserved in response to a win. It is preferable to use the latter in order to minimize the time lag between winning and output.

(3) Start signal = a signal that can specify the start process (symbol change, gimmick operation, unit game) and start (number of start processes) in the liquid crystal display unit 14 (gimmick) that changes (operates) due to the start winning (S winning) output from the gaming machine. Since it is output when the symbol change is confirmed, the start process is specified according to the signal input. Note that it may be substituted with the S winning signal output at the time of the start winning.
(4) Jackpot signal: a signal that can identify the jackpot period output from the gaming machine. Since it is a status signal that is output at a certain level during a jackpot, the input of the jackpot signal is identified as the jackpot period.

(5) Special state signal = a signal that can identify a special state (sweet state) output from the gaming machine. Since it is a state signal whose level is output during a special state (during time reduction (including combined time reduction)) in which the winning rate of the second starting hole 17 increases, the special state is identified as being in progress when the special state signal is being input. It may also be a state signal (probability bonus signal) whose level is output during a probability bonus in which the probability of a jackpot increases. In addition, the period in which neither a jackpot signal nor a special state signal is input is identified as being in a normal state.

The gaming device 2 is a rental machine with a so-called counting function for each machine, and includes a status indicator light 19 that indicates the status of the gaming device 2 and gaming machine 1, a coin insertion slot 20 into which coins (monetary value, valuable value) are inserted, a touch panel type liquid crystal display unit 21 that accepts input operations from the player and displays game information such as the number of pattern changes (number of starts) and the probability of a jackpot as the game progresses, a payout button 22 for paying out held balls (including saved balls if the player is a member, acquired value, valuable value), a payout nozzle 23 through which the paid out balls pass, a card insertion slot 24 into which a general card or a membership card is inserted, and a removable counting tray 25 located below the lower tray 13 of the gaming machine 1.

The gaming device 2 has the following functions.
(1) When currency is accepted (currency acceptance process), the amount of the deposit is displayed on both the gaming machine 1 and the gaming device 2, and one unit of loaned balls (value of the loan) (e.g., 500 yen) is dispensed from the gaming machine 1 (value grant process), and the amount of the deposit is displayed as the balance excluding the value of the loaned balls according to the value grant process. Currency can be accepted in an amount corresponding to multiple value grant processes (e.g., up to 10,000 yen).

(2) When a loan button (not shown) on gaming machine 1 is pressed (loan operation, grant operation) while there is a balance, loan balls for one unit are dispensed from gaming machine 1 and the payment is deducted from the balance. In addition, each machine is also equipped with a so-called counting function, which counts the balls acquired by the player and makes it possible to pay back balls again using the counted acquired balls as payment, and it is also possible to determine the number of balls excluding the payment as the held balls.

(3) When a return button (not shown) on gaming machine 1 is pressed (issuance operation) while there is remaining balance or balls in hand, a general card that can identify the remaining balls or balls in hand is issued. Note that for the sake of simplicity, partial issuance of a card that is the target of issuance of a portion of the balance or balls in hand is not possible, but may be possible.

(4) Serial communication with relay device 3 (receiving sales signals) can identify the currency acceptance process, the value granting process, the balance and number of balls lent, the amount deposited, the number of balls lent, the sales amount in exchange for the lent balls, the counted balls, the balls in hand, the paid-out balls, and the acceptance and issuance process of general cards. These can also be identified by pulse signals (e.g., one pulse for every 1,000 yen deposited, one pulse for every 100 yen sold, etc.).

Now, the management device 5 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, and is equipped with a memory unit consisting of a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc., and an I/O, etc., and operates according to a control program stored in the non-volatile memory unit. The management device 5 compiles the game information of each gaming machine 1 as a management means for managing game information specified by a game signal output from the gaming machine side.

Here, the management device 5 has a function of automatically rearranging the machine types on a layout that resembles a game island, and this function will be described.
2 is a schematic diagram showing the gaming machines arranged on a gaming island 26 in an amusement arcade so that the models can be identified. "PA", "PB"... indicate the model names, with "P~" corresponding to pachinko gaming machines and "S~" corresponding to slot machines. The prize counter (hereinafter, "counter") 27 is a place where prize exchange-related devices such as POS are installed for prize exchange, and it is assumed that players will stop by the prize counter (hereinafter, "counter") 27 to exchange for prizes after finishing their games before leaving the arcade.

Figure 3 shows an example of the ratio of players who have performed so-called machine transfers in the form of a matrix. In this embodiment, a distinction is made between machine transfers in which a player changes the gaming machine they are playing on as "roaming" and machine transfers performed by the gaming facility as "rearrangement."

In Figure 3, the number of players who moved from the origin (movement source) gaming machine to the destination (movement destination) gaming machine is counted by model, other types such as slot machines are grouped together into "other types", and players who left without moving to any gaming machine are classified as "exited" (specific movement information indicating the frequency of movement to a specific location is associated with the gaming machine and managed), and the total number of players in each category is counted, and the ratio of the number of players corresponding to each category to the total number of players (hereinafter referred to as the movement rate (movement information indicating the frequency of player movement) and end rate) are shown. In the example shown in Figure 3, for example, for the PA model, 7.7% of players moved to PB, 10.8% moved to other types, and 15.6% left without moving.

The player may be identified by a known management method, such as a recording medium such as a membership card or a so-called general card associated with the acquired value issued by the gaming device 2, or by providing an imaging device such as a camera on the gaming device 2 or POS, and tracking the player by image authentication to manage the origin and destination of the player's movement. Also, while a ratio is shown in Figure 3, other game information, such as managing the number of players, may of course be used. The end of play may be determined by a known determination method, such as when the player can be identified at the POS or edge of the island after playing on the target machine but cannot be identified on other machines, or when an imaging device is provided at the entrance/exit 28 of the gaming facility (see Figure 2) and an image of the player leaving the facility is captured.

In addition, the out indicates the gaming value used by the player of the relevant machine at the time of the transfer, and the operating rate indicates the ratio of the out of the relevant machine to the out that can be used during the business hours of the gaming center (for example, business hours x 5000), but other gaming information that can identify the operating status, such as the operating time or start, may also be used.

In Figure 3, "final order" indicates the ranking of the end rate of the relevant model among all the target models, and similarly "other order" indicates the ranking of the migration rate of other types for the relevant model. The migration rate is color-coded according to the ranking of the migration rate of the destination at the source, with red (horizontal line pattern in the figure) being 1st, orange (vertical line pattern in the figure) being 2nd, yellow (right diagonal line pattern in the figure) being 3rd, green (left diagonal line pattern in the figure) being 4th, and blue (dot pattern in the figure) being 5th. Similarly, out, final order, and other order are color-coded according to the ranking of the relevant model among all models. Note that although the top 5 are color-coded, the ranking of the identification target is not limited to color-coding everything.

However, since the movement paths of players when moving from the target machine to other machines, moving to other types of machines, or leaving the store tend to be as shown in Figure 3, it is desirable to consider rearranging the machines to keep the movement paths as short as possible.

In other words, if a machine with a high turnover rate is placed away from the target machine, resulting in a long traffic line, it is expected that players who want to move to that machine will lose their motivation to play it because it will be difficult to check the game status of that machine and the distance they will have to travel will be long.
For these reasons, in this embodiment, the machine models are rearranged to minimize the movement paths of players, thereby preventing a decline in the players' motivation to play.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the migration rate of the destination model relative to the source model is identified, and as shown in Figure 4, a model (second gaming machine) with a high migration rate (migration information that satisfies a certain condition) is placed nearby the placement location of the source target model (first gaming machine). In this case, a priority order (placement order) is set for the vicinity, with the back of the target model being set as the first priority. This is because not only is it easiest to migrate behind the target model, but it is also given a higher priority than the adjacent model with the shortest traffic line, taking into consideration the fact that the area behind the target model is not only the easiest for players to migrate to, but also allows players to easily check the playing status of the destination model by turning around during play.

The two machines on either side of the target model are given the second highest priority. Of course, if the target model is installed at the edge of the island and can only be placed on one side, only one side will be the target. In addition, the machines behind the two machines on either side will be given the third highest priority, and the machine behind the game island 26 of the target model will be given the fourth highest priority.
Furthermore, if another model is placed next to the model in second place, it will be ranked fourth, and if it is placed behind that, it will be ranked fifth, in which case the model behind will be demoted from fourth to sixth place. If another model is placed next to the model in fourth place, the above ranking determination is repeated.

Also, for example, in Fig. 4, specific movement information indicating the frequency of movement to rest areas (specific places) where a player stops playing or goes after playing, such as a toilet or a smoking area, may be associated with the gaming machine and managed, and a range of proximity to these places may be set. In this case, it is assumed that a machine is placed on the upper side of the gaming island 26 in Fig. 4 but not on the lower side, and in such a case, the priority of the upper machine may be set higher in consideration of the traffic line to the rest area, including the case where the machines are shown to have the same priority in Fig. 4.
In the above example, the priority of the rear of the target model is set to be high, but other priorities may be adopted, such as setting the priority of the adjacent model to be high. Also, if no island is set behind the target model, the priority of the adjacent models on both sides may be set to 1st.

In Figure 4, the priority order is set to the vicinity based on the model that is the source of migration, which is the target model, but it is also possible to place models with high migration rates in the vicinity based on the target model that is the destination of migration. In this case, the priority order is set to the vicinity based on the target model that is the destination of migration.

Figure 5 shows an example of setting a neighborhood range for pachinko based on the counter 27 (specific location) and the installation locations of other types of machines (specific locations). The other types of machines are slot machines. In addition, in Figure 3, "End" corresponds to a player whose destination is the counter 27. That is, a player who has finished playing moves to the counter 27 to exchange their winnings for prizes.

The relevant locations, including those in Figure 4, can be set in advance, but in Figure 5, the green line (thick dotted line in the figure) indicates counter 27, and the red line (thick solid line in the figure) indicates the locations corresponding to other types of nearby locations.
In Fig. 5, "1st" to "4th" are shown for other types, which indicates the priority of the origin of migration with a high migration rate toward the other types in the vicinity of the other types. In other words, if there is a model to be placed near the other types, the model that will be the origin of migration is placed according to this priority. Although not shown in Fig. 5, a similar priority is set for the vicinity of the counter 27.

Figure 5 shows overlapping areas that are adjacent to both the counter 27 and other types of machines (for example, one area for second and third place, and two areas for fourth place). Machines that are the source of visits and that are adjacent to both the counter 27 and other types of machines are placed in these areas. In addition, the proportion of people who go to the restroom and the proportion who play immediately after arriving at the store can be managed, and the vicinity of the restrooms and entrances/exits 28 can be treated as nearby targets in the same way as above.

In the above example, the priority is given to machines closer to the counter 27 or other types of machines, but it is not necessary to adopt the priority order as shown in the example, since, for example, you may want players leaving the store to check out other machines, or players playing other machines may wander around even if the counter 27 is nearby.

On the other hand, a location that is not related to the neighborhood but is close to the entrance/exit 28 of the arcade, such as the location shown in a blue frame (dash line in FIG. 5), is designated as a priority location. Since this priority location is close to the entrance/exit 28, it is the location that is most likely to catch the eye of players who enter the arcade, and it can also be considered an advertisement for the arcade, so there is a need to place attractive machines with high operating rates in that location.
In other words, even when placing a destination model with a high migration rate near a target model as described above, or placing a source model with a high migration rate near a target model, it is necessary to consider models that should be given priority for special placement (hereinafter, special placement) when placing the models.

There are four types of special arrangements: Special Arrangement 1, in which a specified model is placed in a specified location as in the past (mainly for models that require special consideration, such as new machines (models with a short introduction period)); Special Arrangement 2, in which so-called development models that have a high payout rate and prioritize operation are set in advance and placed near attractive models that meet attractive conditions such as a high number of wins and a low rate of game completion (completion rate); Special Arrangement 3, in which models that are suitable for players of a similar age group are grouped together and arranged; and Special Arrangement 4, in which certain models are excluded from the rearrangement targets.

Special arrangement 1 is the same as before, so a description will be omitted. First, special arrangement 2 will be described. The attraction conditions are met when at least one item related to the likelihood of migration to other machines is met based on the comparison results with the standard information, such as the outs reaching a standard value (e.g. 30,000, standard information), the completion rate not reaching a standard value (e.g. 10%, standard information), or the migration rate of a specific model or other type reaching a standard value (e.g. 5% for a model, 10% for other types, standard information). It may also include the migration rate to a development model reaching a standard value or the direct specification of an attraction model.

Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining special placement in which models are given priority when placing them. When a development model is set, an attraction model is identified from among the models to be placed based on the attraction conditions, and the development model is placed in a nearby location where it can be placed based on the characteristics of the attraction model. For example, if the migration rate of other models is high based on the comparison with the reference value, the models are placed as shown in Figure 6 as attraction model 1 and development model 1. That is, attraction model 1 is placed in a nearby location to the other models shown in Figure 5, and development model 1 is placed so that it is sandwiched between other models that have a high priority and a high migration rate relative to attraction model 1 as shown in Figure 4.

Also, for example, when the OUT reaches a reference value as an attraction condition, the attraction model 2 is identified and arranged as the attraction model 2 and the development model 2 in FIG. 6. That is, the attraction model 2 is arranged near the counter 27 based on FIG. 5, and the development model 2 is arranged near the attraction model 2 and between the counter 27 as described above. In such a case, the attraction condition can be simply that the OUT is high, but it is also possible to add the condition that the completion rate reaches a reference value.

Next, special arrangement 3 will be explained. First, the proportion of players of a certain age group is identified for each model, and models that meet a reference value are grouped. The number of gaming machines belonging to the grouped models is identified, and locations where models within the group can be arranged are identified. In this case, the arrangement location may be specified in advance, or the machine may be arranged outside the vicinity range shown in Figure 5, taking into account the arrangement of other models.

Figure 7 shows a distribution table that identifies the age range of players by machine type. The age of the player may be identified by any known method, such as identifying the age from attribute information of a member player who uses a membership card on the target machine, estimating the age from an image of the player captured by an imaging means such as a camera installed on the gaming device 2, or having the player input the age when starting play.

As shown in the right-most column of Figure 7, the ratio of models targeted at a specific age group (50 years and older in Figure 7) that is separately specified is identified for each model, and models that reach the standard value (for example, the average value of 38.5% in Figure 7) are extracted. In the case of Figure 7, PB, PD, PE, and PF are extracted, and these models are grouped and made the target of special allocation 3.

Then, within the position where special arrangement 3 has been specified as described above, the arrangement of the machines belonging to the group is specified based on the play rate and completion rate in the same way as other machines, as in the flowchart described below. Note that the arrangement within the group may adopt a different arrangement method from other machines, such as arranging the machines in order of closestness to the entrance/exit 28 of the gaming facility in order of outs. This special arrangement 3 takes into consideration the fact that there are players who do not want to get too close to machines played by players of different age groups.

Next, Special Arrangement 4 will be explained. Special Arrangement 4 is a process for setting models to be excluded from rearrangement in order to reduce the effort involved in rearrangement by simply rearranging models that would not be very effective, and for preventing the rearrangement of the excluded models from being changed before and after the rearrangement of other models. For the excluded models, exclusion conditions can be set, such as the out not reaching a reference value even if specified, or not being in the vicinity shown in Figure 5, and models that satisfy the exclusion conditions can be identified as excluded models.

Figure 8 shows the result of arranging the machines according to the procedure explained up to Figure 7 and the flowchart described below. For convenience of explanation, Figure 8 only covers pachinko machines such as "P~" and does not include rearrangements of slot machines such as "S~".

In FIG. 8, three red (white in the figure) arrows (PJ→PM, PJ→PB, PJ→PQ) starting from the machine type "PJ" and two blue (black in the figure) arrows (PJ→PG, PJ→PD) are shown, which indicate the route (identification information) from the machine type "PJ" that is the starting point of the arrow to the machine type (machine type to be migrated to) that is the destination machine of the migration when "PJ" that is the starting point of the arrow is selected. The machine type to be migrated to is, for example, a machine type with a high migration rate (for example, the top five machines), and among them, the machine type with the highest influence (for example, the top three machines) is indicated by a red arrow, and the machine type with the lowest influence (the bottom two machines) is indicated by a blue arrow. In other words, a distinction process is performed to distinguish the machine type to be migrated to depending on the result of comparing the ranking with the standard information such as the top three or top five, and the identification mode is changed to a red arrow or a blue arrow.

The thickness of the arrow (distinguishing feature) indicates the degree of influence; for example, PJ→PM, which has the highest migration rate, is shown with the thickest arrow, and PJ→PD, which has the fifth highest migration rate, is shown with the thinnest arrow. The length of the arrow allows the sense of distance when the player migrates, and in the case of migration across game islands 26, such as PG, for example, the arrow is shown to detour around the intermediate game islands 26. In other words, the ranking itself (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) is used as reference information, and a distinction process is performed according to the ranking to change the distinguishing feature such as the thickness of the arrow.

Once a model has been selected with the mouse, it can be rearranged by operations such as dragging and dropping. For example, when rearranging a PJ to a PP, if the number of PPs and PJs is the same, they will be swapped as is, but if the number of models differs, you can choose to reduce the number of models with more units, adjust the number by selecting models adjacent to the model with fewer units, or slide the models into place.

For example, if the number of PPs is reduced when there are many PPs, the game machine to be left is selected and replaced with PJ, while if the number of PPs is not reduced, the game machine to be rearranged on either side of the PP is selected. Of course, the selection is not limited to such an operation input, and conditions such as giving priority to the machine with the lower machine number to be left or rearranged may be set in advance, and the game machine or game machine to be rearranged may be specified according to the condition. In addition, when sliding the machine, for example, whether to slide clockwise or counterclockwise is selected, and when sliding counterclockwise, for example, the PB next to the PJ is slid to the PJ side, and the PQ is slid to the PB side (crossing the island) to secure the remaining number of machines. In this way, it is possible to rearrange the machine on the layout display as shown in FIG. 8, but in this case, even after the replacement, the arrow display is performed in conjunction with the PJ in the same manner as above.

Furthermore, models such as PPs that have been rearranged due to rearrangements of PJs will also be subject to changes in the linked arrow display in the same way as PJs, but it is desirable to display them differently from the arrow display for PJs, such as by dimming the arrow display color or by switching the display. Of course, if other models such as PPs or PMs are selected in the same way as PJs, they will also be subject to the same arrow display as above.

In addition, while the above example shows the ranking of the migration rate by the color and thickness of the arrow (multiple distinguishing modes), it is also possible to display the ranking only by color, such as the colors according to the ranking of the migration rate shown in Figure 3, while using different colors and thicknesses based on different information (different information related to the migration information), such as adjusting the thickness of the arrow according to the migration rate. Of course, other display methods such as shading of the display color other than color and thickness may also be adopted. Furthermore, while the ranking is exemplified as the standard information, it is also possible to perform differentiation processing by setting standard information other than the ranking, such as using a standard value for the migration rate of 3.0% as the standard information.

In order to indicate the sense of the travel distance of the player by the length of the arrow, an arrow display that bypasses the game island 26 when crossing over the game island 26 has been shown as an example, but a simple straight line display may also be used. Furthermore, even if an arrow display is not used, the origin and destination of the travel may be displayed in association with each other, and any display method may be used as long as it indicates the sense of the travel distance.

The above example shows the use of Figure 8 to fine-tune the layout after the automatic layout described above is complete, but Figure 8 may also be used, for example, when performing special layout 1, when simulating conventional rearrangement regardless of automatic layout, or when displaying a layout regardless of rearrangement.

As shown in FIG. 1, the management device 5 installed in the gaming center is connected to the management server 9 via a public line 8, and the data shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7 collected by the management device 5 is also managed by the management server 9. The management server 9 is also connected to management devices 5 installed in other gaming centers, such as gaming center B and gaming center C, and such gaming information may be managed, for example, on a national level, but it may also be limited to information on other stores, such as affiliated stores, or may include information on the store itself if information on other stores is included.

The management server 9 compiles gaming information for each gaming facility, and ranks the gaming facilities (for example, high, medium, low) based on gaming information such as outs and gross profits contained therein, and manages the gaming information by classifying it according to this rank, making it possible to distribute the gaming information to the management device 5 of each gaming facility.
In FIG. 8, arrows are used to display the rate of customer movement in the store, but arrows may be used to display information distributed from the management server 9.

In this case, it is desirable to alternate between displaying the migration rate at the facility itself (first migration information) and the migration rate delivered from the management server 9 (second migration information), but they may also be displayed simultaneously by, for example, displaying two arrows (first identification information, second identification information) (first distinction process, second distinction process). Also, it is desirable to display the migration rate at a rank higher than the rank corresponding to the gaming facility among the ranked gaming information, but it is also possible to display the migration rate at a specified rank. Of course, it is also possible to simultaneously display, for example, the migration rates between high, medium, and low ranks and the facility itself by displaying multiple arrows.

Figure 9 shows an example of an arrow display (second identification information) managed by the management server 9, which corresponds to the same rank of shop movement rate as the store itself, superimposed on the arrow display (first identification information) of Figure 8. In Figure 9, the arrow display corresponding to the shop movement rate in the management server 9 is shown in green (diagonal lines in the figure), the thickness of the arrow changes depending on the degree of the shop movement rate, and the thickness of each arrow corresponding to the store itself and the management server 9 is compared and the thinner one is displayed preferentially, but it is of course also possible to display them side by side, and any display method such as switching display or superimposing display may be used as long as comparison is possible.

In Figure 9, as in Figure 8, the thickness of the arrow for the own store is adjusted according to the ranking, but the thickness may also be adjusted according to the migration rate, as with the migration rate in the management server 9, and any of the display methods exemplified may be adopted, and the same display method may be used for the own store and the management server 9, or different display methods may be used.
Although it has been shown that the gaming information is classified by ranking, it is also possible to classify the gaming information by, for example, whether it is in front of a station or in the suburbs, or by the population of the city or town to which the address belongs, and display the information in the same manner as the above ranking.

Next, the operation of the management device 5 for carrying out the above-mentioned rearrangement process on the layout will be described with reference to FIGS.
When the management device 5 starts the layout process, it first performs a special arrangement in which a specific model is arranged with priority as shown in Fig. 6 (S1). Next, it specifies the priority order of the remaining unarranged models in the order of highest outage or operation rate as shown in Fig. 3, and specifies the top model as the model to be arranged next (S2).

Next, it is determined whether the placed model's final order or other order is higher (within the standard order (e.g., 5th place)) (S3, S4, S7). If neither is higher (S3: NO, S7: NO), in other words if the model is unlikely to be closed or migrated to another type, it is determined whether it can be placed near a placed model (within 4th place as shown in FIG. 4) that has a high migration rate to the placed model among placed models (standard order (e.g., 3rd place)) (S11). If this is possible (S11: YES), it is placed in the highest possible position among the nearby models (S12).

On the other hand, if the model with the highest circulation rate is not placed or cannot be placed nearby (other models have already been placed) (S11: NO), if it is possible to place it in the priority designated location described in Figure 5 (S13: YES), it will be placed in the priority designated location (S15); if it is not possible to place it (S13: NO), it will be placed in the closest location (nearby) (S14).

In addition, if the final order is not high (S3: NO) but the other orders are high (S7: YES), in other words, the possibility of leaving the store is low but the possibility of migration to other types is high, it is possible to predict the movement of the customer to other types, so if it is possible to place it near the other types (S8: YES), it will be placed near the highest priority of the other types (S9); if it is not possible to place it there (S8: NO), it will be placed closest to that (S10).

Similarly, if the final order is high (S3: YES) but the other orders are not high (S4: NO), i.e., the possibility of leaving the store is high but the possibility of wandering to other types of items is low, it is possible to imagine a movement pattern in which the customer will stop by counter 27 before leaving the store. Therefore, if it is possible to place the customer near counter 27 (S5: YES), it will be placed near counter 27 (S18); if it is not possible to place the customer near counter 27 (S5: NO), it will be placed as close as possible to the counter (S6).

If both the final order and the other orders are high (S3: YES, S4: YES), that is, if there is a high possibility of the customer leaving the store or moving to other types of items, both a movement line of a customer stopping by counter 27 and then leaving the store and a movement line of a customer moving to other types of items can be expected, so if it is possible to place the customer near counter 27 and the other types of items (S16: YES, S17: YES), it is placed near counter 27 and the other types of items (S21); if not possible (S17: NO), it is placed near counter 27 (S18).
If it is not possible to place it near the counter 27 (S16: NO), then if it is possible to place it near the other type of item (S19: YES), then it is placed near the other type of item (S9); if it is not possible to place it near the other type of item (S19: NO), then it is placed closest to the other type of item and the counter 27 (S20).

When the placement of the placed models has been completed in this manner (when gaming machines are placed near a specific location), it is determined whether there are any remaining models (gaming machines whose migration information satisfies a specified condition) that can be placed near the placed models (S22) and have a high rotation rate among the placed models (S24). If either condition is not met (S22: NO or S24: NO), the process returns to step S2 (S23: YES) and the higher-level operation is repeated until there are no remaining models (S23: NO).

If both conditions are met (S22: YES, S24: YES), the model with the highest migration rate is selected as the remaining model (S25), and the final order and other orders of the remaining model are determined in the same manner as in steps S3, S4 and S7 above (S26, S27, S29). If both are in the top order, meaning there is a high possibility of customers leaving the store and of customers migrating to other types of machines (S26: YES, S27: YES), the model is placed on the counter 27 side near the placed model (S28), and if the final order is in the top order but the other orders are not in the top order (S26: YES, S27: NO), the model is placed on the counter 27 side near the placed model (S32). Also, if the remaining model is not ranked high but the other models are ranked high (S26: NO, S29: YES), it will be placed on the other model side in the vicinity of the placed model (S30); if neither model is ranked high (S26: NO, S29: NO), it will be placed in the vicinity of the placed model regardless (S31).

In other words, the remaining model is placed near the placed model, but if possible, the final order and other orders of the remaining models are also taken into consideration, and priority is given to placing the model near the placed model with a higher priority than considering the final order and other orders of the remaining model. In this way, the above is repeated starting with the model with the highest play rate until there are no more models that satisfy the conditions of the remaining model (S22: YES, S24: YES), and when the conditions of the remaining model are no longer satisfied (S22: NO or S24: NO), the process returns to step S2 (S23: NO) and proceeds as described above until there are no more remaining models (S23: YES).

In the above, after the special arrangement is implemented, the model with a high rotation rate among the models arranged in the special arrangement is not arranged as in step S22 onwards, but is arranged in the final order or other order of the arranged models. However, the model arranged in the special arrangement may be arranged as the arranged model as in step S22 onwards. In addition, there are special arrangements such as special arrangement 2, which is highly influenced by the rotation rate, and special arrangements 3 and 4, which do not require much consideration of the rotation rate, so the processing in step S22 onwards may be selectively carried out.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The management device 5 identifies the migration rate between gaming machines and displays an arrow indicating the migration destination according to the information relating to the migration rate on a layout simulating a gaming island 26, so that the importance according to the migration rate and the migration distance that the player will travel can be easily grasped by the identification and length of the arrow.

The placement of gaming machines on the layout can be changed, and the arrow display is updated in conjunction with the change, making it easy to understand how rearrangement affects player movement.

When rearrangement is changed as described above, the rearranged gaming machine will also be displayed with an arrow indicating the destination according to the player's rotation rate, so that the rearrangement of the rearranged gaming machine can be performed while taking into account the player's rotation.

When an arrow indicates a destination across the game island 26, the destination is indicated by bypassing the game island 26, so that it is possible to rearrange the gaming machines after understanding the distance that the player will actually travel when moving around.

The arrows can be identified by at least two of the following: color, thickness, and darkness, and each is identified based on different information related to the rate of player movement. This makes it possible to grasp the distance played by players and then rearrange the gaming machines based on various information related to the rate of player movement.

It manages the traffic rate including other stores, and arrows can be displayed corresponding to information about both the traffic rate including other stores and the traffic rate of the store itself, and the two are displayed for comparison, so that when the data is not reliable when only looking at the store itself, it is possible to refer to the layout by referring to the traffic rate of other stores. In this case, if the traffic rate of other stores with a higher rank than the store itself is displayed, it is possible to refer to the layout by referring to the traffic rate of the stronger arcade.

The play rate between gaming machines is identified, and the gaming machines are arranged on a layout that mimics the gaming island 26 so that models with high play rates are located close to each other. For example, when a game ends, machines that are likely to be played next are placed close to each other, reducing the risk of customers simply leaving the store and preventing a decline in operation.

When placing machines near machines with high turnover rates, a priority is set for the machines behind and to the side of the machine, and machines with higher priority are placed first. For example, by placing a machine with a high turnover rate behind the machine, where it is easier to check the progress of a game while playing, it becomes possible to operate the machine in a way that encourages players to turn around during and after the game ends.

Priorities (placement order) are set based on outs (operation information, reference information showing the operation status of gaming machines) and introduction periods, such as whether or not a machine is new (introduction information, reference information showing the time of introduction of gaming machines), and gaming machines are placed according to those priorities. This increases the priority of models that are important to the amusement facility, and allows more important models to be placed with priority, making it possible to place machines in accordance with the practical benefits of the amusement facility.

Based on information indicating a tendency to move to a specific location during or after a game, gaming machines are arranged near the specific location, making it possible to arrange the machines according to the movement of players and improving convenience for players.
When gaming machines are arranged as described above, models of gaming machines with higher turnover rates are arranged nearby, making it possible to arrange the machines in a manner that further enhances convenience for players.

Other Embodiments
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be modified or expanded as follows, or each modified example may be combined with the above-described embodiment, or each modified example may be combined.
Each set value may be set by an administrator through operation input, may be set in advance by the manufacturer of the management device 5, or may be set by downloading setting information from an external server (such as the headquarters of a chain store). In this case, the set value is also input through operation input by the server. Also, past game information may be set as a reference value.

All of the game information exemplified above may be specified directly by the input signal or indirectly by using an arithmetic expression. In addition, although a pulse signal is exemplified as the game signal, a signal input by serial communication or the like may also be used.
Although the above embodiment exemplifies the management of the placement and turnover rate of gaming machines on a machine-by-machine basis, the placement and turnover rate may be managed on a machine-by-machine basis.

In the example shown, when placing machines with high migration rates in close proximity, the migration rate from the migration origin to the migration destination (for example, the migration rate when viewed horizontally in FIG. 3) is used, but the migration rate from the migration destination to the migration origin (the migration rate when viewed vertically in FIG. 3) or a migration rate determined by the existence of migration regardless of the migration origin or destination (a mixture of the above) may also be used. In other words, either the migration destination or the migration origin may be used as the migration partner gaming machine.
The priority order set for the target model in the vicinity thereof has been exemplified by prioritizing placement of out-of-date or high operating rate models or new models such as special placement 1, but placement may also be in the order of introduction period.

The numerical values, digits, items, etc. are merely examples, and any numerical values may be used. In addition, the identification output may be in any output form, such as adding symbols other than those shown in the examples, and at least printing and display output are assumed as the output.
Either "above" or "exceeds" can be used, with expressions such as "reached" corresponding to either "above" or "exceeded." The same is true for "below" and "below," with expressions such as "did not reach" corresponding to both.

As the target gaming machine, a pachinko gaming machine other than the exemplified pachinko gaming machine, such as a so-called sealed type that manages the gaming medium only by data, and a slot machine, etc. can be adopted. Note that, in consideration of a gaming machine that does not pay out the gaming medium, such as a so-called sealed type, the gaming medium is expressed as a gaming value as necessary.
Part of the processing performed by the management device 5 may be performed by a relay device, a game device 2, or the like, and any other configuration may be used. Furthermore, the configurations shown as examples may be combined in any manner, including modified examples, and configurations that are not adopted as appropriate may be provided.

In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a gaming machine, and 5 denotes a management device (management means, setting means, distinction means, display means, change means).

Claims (5)

A management means for associating migration information indicating a frequency of movement of a player between gaming machines with the gaming machines and managing the information by a migration partner gaming machine which is at least one of a destination gaming machine and a source gaming machine;
A setting means for setting reference information for distinguishing the counterpart gaming machine from the migration information;
A distinguishing means for performing a distinguishing process for distinguishing the counterpart gaming machines by comparing the migration information classified by the counterpart gaming machines with the reference information;
a display means for displaying a route between a target gaming machine and a counterpart gaming machine on a layout simulating a gaming island, and displaying identification information whose identification mode can be changed according to a result of the discrimination process ;
and a change means for changing the arrangement of the gaming machines on the layout in response to an operation by an administrator ,
the change means is capable of selecting any one of the gaming machines displayed on the layout on which the identification information is displayed by the display means, and changes the arrangement of the gaming machines in response to an operation on the selected gaming machine;
The display means is a system for an amusement park that updates the identification information in accordance with the rearrangement of a gaming machine when the arrangement of the gaming machines is changed in response to an operation on the gaming machine displayed on the layout on which the identification information is displayed by the change means . 2. The gaming facility system according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays the identification information of a gaming machine that is to be rearranged when the rearrangement of the gaming machine is changed by the rearrangement means . 3. The gaming parlor system according to claim 1, wherein the display means, when a route between a target gaming machine and a companion gaming machine crosses a gaming island, displays the identification information by bypassing the gaming island . The identification information can be identified by at least a plurality of identification modes,
4. The amusement park system according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays the identification information based on a plurality of pieces of information relating to the wandering information, each of which has a different content . The management means manages first shopping trip information targeted at the store and second shopping trip information targeted at at least other stores;
The distinguishing means enables a first distinguishing process for distinguishing a counterpart gaming machine based on the first play information and a second distinguishing process for distinguishing a counterpart gaming machine based on the second play information;
5. The amusement arcade system according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays the first identification information corresponding to the first distinction process and the second identification information corresponding to the second distinction process in a comparative manner .

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