JP7696597B2 - Gaming Machines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a gaming machine that controls the game state to make it easier to get the ball into the starting hole compared to the normal game state when the number of times the special symbols change reaches a ceiling number of times.

In gaming machines such as pachinko machines, a random number lottery is generally performed when a ball enters the starting hole, and then a special pattern is changed and then stopped and displayed in a pattern that notifies the result of the random number lottery, and if the reported random number lottery result is a jackpot, a jackpot game is executed in which the large prize entry hole is opened. In such gaming machines, a configuration has been proposed in which the number of times that the random number lottery result does not result in a jackpot is counted, and when the number reaches a ceiling number, the game state is controlled to make it easier for the ball to enter the starting hole compared to the normal game state (so-called "B time reduction") (see Patent Document 1). Furthermore, the gaming machine of Patent Document 1 is configured to execute a ceiling reach effect when the ceiling number is reached, notifying the user that the ceiling number has been reached while the special pattern is changing.

JP 2021-037305 A Figures 78 to 80

Generally, the special symbols are configured to vary over a large amount of time depending on the results of a random number lottery, but the ceiling reaching effect described in the above Patent Document 1 only continues to display a specified image from when the special symbols start to vary until they stop being displayed, and it is difficult to say that a diverse effect is being executed.

The present invention was made in consideration of this current situation, and aims to provide a gaming machine that can increase the variety of ceiling-reaching effects compared to conventional configurations.

The present invention includes a starting port into which a game ball flowing down a game area can enter, a special pattern display device which variably displays a special pattern, a random number extraction means which extracts a random number due to a game ball entering the starting port, a win/loss determination means which determines whether a game has been won based on the random number extracted by the random number extraction means, a special pattern control means which varies a special pattern on the special pattern display device when a predetermined variation condition is satisfied, and after a predetermined variation time has elapsed, stops and displays the special pattern in a pattern form which indicates the result of the win/loss determination by the win/loss determination means, a special game control means which executes a jackpot game which opens a jackpot opening, a game state control means which is capable of controlling the game state into a normal game state, a first game state and a second game state in which it is easier for a ball to enter the starting port compared to the normal game state, and the jackpot game, and a game control means which counts the number of times the special pattern on the special pattern display device varies and and a fluctuation counting means for clearing the counted number of fluctuations at least when the result of the hit/miss judgment by the hit/miss judgment means is a jackpot win, and the game state control means, when the result of the hit/miss judgment by the hit/miss judgment means is a jackpot win, controls to the jackpot game after the special pattern is stopped and displayed, and controls to the second game state when the number of counts by the fluctuation counting means reaches a predetermined ceiling number, at least in the normal game state and the first game state, and is further provided with a reach effect execution means for executing a ceiling reach effect that notifies the user of the reaching of the ceiling number when the number of counts by the fluctuation counting means becomes a fluctuation that reaches the ceiling number, and the reach effect execution means differs in start timing of the ceiling reach effect depending on the game state when the ceiling number is reached.

In this configuration, by appropriately setting the start timing of the ceiling reaching effect according to each game state, it is possible to increase the variety of the ceiling reaching effect compared to the conventional configuration, thereby improving the entertainment value of the game.

In the present invention, it is proposed that the first gaming state is one in which the average time it takes for the special symbol control means to vary the special symbol is different from that in the normal gaming state. In such a configuration, an interesting ceiling reach presentation can be executed by starting the ceiling reach presentation at a start timing that matches the average variation time in each gaming state.

In the present invention, it is proposed to configure the device so that, when the variation reaches the ceiling number of times in either the normal game state or the first game state, the ceiling reach effect is started when the variation of the special symbol starts, and, when the variation of the ceiling number of times is reached in the other of the normal game state and the first game state, the ceiling reach effect is started when the remaining variation time of the special symbol becomes a predetermined time. In this configuration, it is possible to provide a relatively large difference in the start timing of the ceiling reach effect between the normal game state and the first game state, so that the diversity of the ceiling reach effect can be improved.

In the present invention, a configuration is proposed in which the reach effect execution means executes the same ceiling reach effect with the same content, regardless of the type of game state when the ceiling reach effect is executed. In such a configuration, although the start timing of the ceiling reach effect differs between the normal game state and the first game state, the ceiling reach effect is executed with the same content in either game state, so that the player can easily understand that the second game state will start when the ceiling reach effect is executed. In addition, since there is no need to store data regarding the content of the ceiling reach effect for each game state, the burden of control processing can also be reduced.

The present invention also proposes a configuration in which the reach effect execution means executes different ceiling reach effects depending on the type of game state when the ceiling reach effect is executed. In this configuration, it is possible to execute a ceiling reach effect for each game state with a length appropriate to the average fluctuation time of the special symbol, thereby improving the interest of the ceiling reach effect. In addition, in this configuration, even in situations where it is difficult to determine which game state is in, such as before and after the transition from the first game state to the normal game state, the player can easily confirm which game state is in accordance with the content of the ceiling reach effect that is executed.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A front view of the game board 2 of the pachinko machine 1. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram explaining some of the game specifications. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of a main routine. A flowchart showing the start winning processing. This is a flowchart 1 showing the process of determining whether or not a special drawing is correct. This is a flowchart 2 showing the process of determining whether or not a special drawing is correct. This is a flowchart 3 showing the process of determining whether or not the special drawing is correct. This is a flowchart 4 showing the process of determining whether or not the special drawing is correct. This is a flowchart 5 showing the process of determining whether or not a special drawing is correct. 1 is a flowchart showing jackpot game processing. 2 is a flowchart showing the jackpot game processing. 3 is a flowchart showing the jackpot game processing. This is an example of a pseudo special effect display. 13A is a diagram showing an overview of the game state indicating characters, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing an overview of the ceiling reaching effect. 11 is a timing chart showing the execution timing of the ceiling reaching effect in a normal gaming state (A) and a first time-saving gaming state (B). This is an example of a pseudo-special effect accompanied by a ceiling reaching effect in normal gaming mode. This is an example of a pseudo-special effect accompanied by a ceiling reaching effect in the first short play state. 13 is a flowchart showing a pseudo special effect control process. 13 is a diagram showing an overview of the ceiling reaching effect in the modified example. 13 is a timing chart showing the execution timing of the ceiling reaching effect in the normal gaming state (A) and the first time-saving gaming state (B) relating to the modified example. 13 is a display example of a pseudo-special effect accompanied by a ceiling reaching effect in the normal gaming state according to the modified example. This is an example of the display of a pseudo-special effect accompanied by a ceiling reaching effect in the first time-saving gaming state relating to the modified example.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and various forms may be adopted as long as they fall within the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the following examples and modified examples may be combined as appropriate.

[Configuration Description]
(1) Overall Structure As shown in Fig. 1, the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment has a structure in which each component is held by an outer frame 51 that forms a vertically long fixed outer shell holding frame. An inner frame (not shown) is attached to the outer frame 51 via hinges 53 provided on the upper and lower left sides of the outer frame 51 so as to be openable and closable, and a front frame (glass frame) 52 is attached to the front of the inner frame so as to be openable and closable. A plate glass 61 is detachably provided on the front frame 52. A game board 2 (Fig. 2) attached to the inner frame is disposed on the rear side (rear side) of the plate glass 61.

Speakers 66 are provided on the upper left and right sides of the front frame 52, and game sounds and alarm sounds emitted from the speakers 66 enhance the entertainment value of the game and alert the player. The front frame 52 is also provided with multiple frame-side decorative lamps 65 that emit light according to the game status, enhancing the entertainment value of the game through the emission of light. Furthermore, the upper tray 55 and lower tray 63 are integrally provided on the lower part of the front frame 52, and a launch handle 64 is provided to the right of the lower tray 63. When the player rotates the launch handle 64 clockwise, it operates a launch device (not shown) and launches game balls supplied from the upper tray 55 toward the game area 3 of the game board 2.

Prize balls and loan balls are dispensed onto the upper tray 55. The lower tray 63 is configured to receive prize balls that have spilled over from the upper tray 55, and is equipped with a ball removal lever (not shown) that ejects the game balls in the lower tray 63. When the player operates this ball removal lever, the game balls that have accumulated in the lower tray 63 can be transferred to a separate box (dollar box).

The pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment is a so-called CR machine, and is adjacent to a prepaid card unit (CR unit) 56 that reads and writes prepaid cards. The pachinko machine 1 is provided with a settlement display device 94 (see Figure 3) that has a loan button 57, a settlement button 58, and a balance display device 59. In addition, the center of the upper tray 55 is provided with an effect button 67, a jog dial 68, and a decision switch 69 that can be operated by the player.

Figure 2 is a front view of the game board 2 of the pachinko machine 1. The game board 2 has a roughly circular game area 3 surrounded by guide rails 2a and 2b, and a large number of game nails (not shown) are planted in the game area 3. A center case 5 is disposed in the center of the game area 3, and a performance pattern display device 6 is disposed in the center of the center case 5. The performance pattern display device 6 is an LCD with a performance display screen 6a on the front side, and is disposed so that the performance display screen 6a is visible from the front of the pachinko machine 1. The center case 5 also has a warp entrance, warp passage, stage, etc., which are not shown.

Directly below the center case 5, a first starting hole 11 and a second starting hole 12 are arranged side by side, one above the other. The upper first starting hole 11 is configured to be able to receive game balls at all times, while the lower second starting hole 12 is configured with a normal electric device 13 with openable and closable wings, and is configured to allow game balls to be received only when the wings are open.

Furthermore, a large prize opening 14 is disposed directly below the normal electric device 13. The large prize opening 14 is composed of a special electric device 15, which has an opening/closing piece (not shown) that can be switched between an upright position to close the large prize opening 14 and a tilted position to open it by tilting it forward from the upright position. By switching the opening/closing piece to the upright position, the large prize opening 14 is closed so that game balls cannot enter it, and by switching the opening/closing piece to the tilted position, the large prize opening 14 is opened so that game balls can enter it. The special electric device 15 has a large prize opening solenoid 14b (see FIG. 3) that switches the opening/closing piece open and closed, and the large prize opening solenoid 14b can be driven and controlled to switch the large prize opening 14 between the closed state and the open state.

In addition, a normal symbol activation gate 17 through which game balls can always pass is provided to the left of the center case 5, and four general winning holes 41 are provided to the left of the normal electric device 13. These general winning holes 41 are configured to always allow game balls to enter. Furthermore, an outlet 16 is provided at the most downstream part of the game area 3, and if a game ball launched into the game area 3 does not enter any of the winning holes or the starting hole, the ball will enter the outlet 16.

In addition, at the lower right of the game board 2, there are arranged a normal symbol display device 7 consisting of multiple LEDs, a normal symbol reserved number display device 8, a first special symbol reserved number display device 18, and a second special symbol reserved number display device 19, as well as a first special symbol display device 9 and a second special symbol display device 10 consisting of 7-segment displays.

(2) Electrical Configuration Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical wiring of the pachinko machine 1. This block diagram does not show relay boards or power boards that simply relay signals. Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the main control device 80, payout control device 81, performance symbol control device 82, and sub-integrated control device 83 each have a CPU, ROM, RAM, input port, output port, etc. Then, the CPU of each of these control devices executes the programs loaded in each ROM by an interrupt signal with a 2 ms cycle, and performs various controls.

The main control device 80 receives detection signals from the first start port switch 11a, which detects game balls that have entered the first start port 11, the second start port switch 12a, which detects game balls that have entered the second start port 12, the normal gate switch 17a, which detects game balls that have passed through the normal symbol activation gate 17, the count switch 14a, which counts game balls that have entered the big prize port 14, and each general prize port switch 41a, which respectively detects game balls that have entered the general prize port 41, via the game board relay terminal board 74.

The main control device 80 operates according to a program stored in its ROM, generates various commands related to the progress of the game based on the detection signals, etc., and outputs the commands to the payout control device 81 and the sub-integrated control device 83. The main control device 80 also controls the display of the first special symbol display device 9, the second special symbol display device 10, and the normal symbol display device 7 via the symbol display device relay terminal board 75, and controls the lighting of the first special symbol reserved number display device 18, the second special symbol reserved number display device 19, and the normal symbol reserved number display device 8. Furthermore, the main control device 80 is also connected to the large prize opening solenoid 14b and the normal electric solenoid 13a via the game board relay terminal board 74. The main control device 80 controls the opening and closing of the large prize opening 14 by driving and controlling the large prize opening solenoid 14b, and controls the opening and closing of the second starting opening 12 by driving and controlling the normal electric solenoid 13a. The main control device 80 also outputs management signals for symbol changes, jackpots, etc. to the hall computer 87 via the external connection terminal board 78.

The payout control device 81 is configured to be capable of two-way communication with the main control device 80, and drives the payout motor 90 to pay out prize balls in response to commands sent from the main control device 80. In this embodiment, a detection signal from a payout switch 91 for counting the game balls paid out as prize balls is input to the main control device 80 and the payout control device 81, and the counting of prize balls is performed by both.

Furthermore, signals from a full switch 92 and a ball out switch 93 are input to the payout control device 81. The full switch 92 detects that the lower tray 63 is full, and outputs a signal to the payout control device 81 upon detection. The ball out switch 93 detects that the amount of game balls stored in the ball tank (not shown) is low or that there is no stored amount, and outputs a signal to the payout control device 81 upon detection. When the payout control device 81 inputs signals from the full switch 92 and the ball out switch 93, it stops driving the payout motor 90 and stops the payout operation of the prize balls. The full switch 92 and the ball out switch 93 are configured to continue outputting signals until the detected state is resolved, and the payout control device 81 resumes driving the payout motor 90 when the input of the signal stops.

The payout control device 81 can communicate with the CR unit 56 via the CR unit terminal board 79, and drives the payout motor 90 in response to a loan command to pay out loaned balls. The CR unit terminal board 79 is also connected to the settlement display device 94 for two-way communication, and receives signals from the ball loan switch and settlement switch provided on the settlement display device 94. The ball loan switch detects the operation of the loan button 57 and outputs a signal, and the settlement switch detects the operation of the settlement button 58 and outputs a signal. The payout control device 81 is also connected to the launch control device 84, and sends a launch stop command to the launch control device 84 at a specified trigger.

The launch control device 84 controls the launch motor 97 to launch the game balls into the game area 3. In addition to the payout control device 81 described above, the launch control device 84 also receives a rotation amount signal from the launch handle 64, a touch signal from the touch switch 98, and a launch stop signal from the launch stop switch 99. The rotation amount signal is output when the player rotates the launch handle 64, the touch signal is output when the player touches the launch handle 64, and the launch stop signal is output when the player presses the launch stop switch 99. If the touch signal is not input, the launch control device 84 controls so as not to launch the game balls, and even when the launch stop signal is input, it controls so as not to launch the game balls regardless of the operation of the launch handle 64.

The sub-integrated control device 83 receives data and commands sent from the main control device 80, sorts them into data for performance display control, sound control, and lamp control, sends the commands for performance display control to the performance pattern control device 82, and distributes the data for sound control and lamp control to each control part contained in itself (functional parts as sound control device and lamp control device). The functional part as a sound control device then operates the sound LSI based on the data for sound control, thereby controlling the output of sound from the speaker 66, and the functional part as a lamp control device operates the lamp driver based on the data for lamp control, thereby controlling the illumination of various LEDs and lamps 65.

In addition, switches that detect the operation of the effect button 67, jog dial 68, and decision switch 69 are connected to the sub-integrated control device 83, and when each switch detects an operation by the player, the corresponding signal is input. The jog dial 68 may be configured to be connected to the effect symbol control device 82.

The effect pattern control device 82 performs control based on data and commands sent from the sub-integrated control device 83 (those sent from the main control device 80 and those generated by the sub-integrated control device 83 based on input from the main control device 80 and input from the effect button, etc.), and displays effect images such as special effect patterns on the screen of the effect pattern display device 6. The sub-integrated control device 83 and the main control device 80 are connected via a one-way communication circuit from the main control device 80 to the sub-integrated control device 83 via a performance relay terminal board, and the sub-integrated control device 83 and the effect pattern control device 82 are connected via a one-way communication circuit from the sub-integrated control device 83 to the effect pattern control device 82.

The power supply board (not shown) is configured as a DC power supply that generates a DC voltage from power supplied from an external AC power supply, and supplies power to each component of the pachinko machine 1 by operating a power switch provided on the power supply board. This power supply board is equipped with a backup power supply consisting of a capacitor and the like, and stores power in the backup power supply while power is being supplied from the AC power supply. As a result, in the event of a power outage, power is supplied to the main control device 80, etc. (for example, the RAM of the main control device 80, etc.), and data in the RAM of the main control device 80 is retained for a certain period of time even after the power supply from the AC power supply is stopped. The backup power supply may be provided in the main control device 80, or in a device other than the power supply board. In this case, the power supply board outputs a supply signal to a device equipped with a backup power supply when power is being supplied from the AC power supply, and outputs a power outage signal to the device equipped with a backup power supply when the power supply is stopped.

[Operation Description]
(1) Basic Operation Next, the operation of the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment will be described.
When a game ball that has flowed down the game area 3 enters the first start port 11 (the first start port switch 11a in FIG. 3 detects the game ball), the first special symbol starts to change on the first special symbol display device 9, and the random number extracted due to the ball entering the game is judged as a win or lose. Then, when a predetermined change time has elapsed from the start of the change, the first special symbol is stopped and displayed, and the result of this win or lose judgment is announced.
Here, the random number extracted when the ball enters the first starting hole 11 is stored as a first reserved memory, as described below. Up to four first reserved memories can be stored, and the number of first reserved memories (hereinafter referred to as the first reserved memory number) is represented by the number of lights on the first special symbol reserved number display device 18. The hit/miss judgment and the change of the first special symbol are executed by consuming the first reserved memories thus stored. The first reserved memory number indicates the number of unconsumed first reserved memories.

On the other hand, when the game ball that has flowed down the game area 3 passes through the normal symbol activation gate 17 (the normal gate switch 17a in FIG. 3 detects the game ball), the normal symbol display device 7 starts to display the normal symbol in a varying manner, and the random number extracted due to the ball entering is judged as a win or loss. Then, if the normal symbol that has stopped a predetermined time after the start of the variation is in a predetermined winning state, the wing piece of the normal electric device 13 is driven, the second start hole 12 is opened, and the game ball can enter the second start hole 12. Here, the wing piece of the normal electric device 13 opens once for 0.2 seconds in the non-time-saving mode described below with one hit of a normal symbol, and opens three times for 1 second in the time-saving mode described below.

When a game ball enters the second start hole 12 thus opened (the second start hole switch 12a in FIG. 3 detects the game ball), the second special symbol display device 10 starts to vary the second special symbol, and judges whether the random number extracted due to the ball entering the hole is a win or a loss. Then, when a predetermined variation time has elapsed from the start of the variation, the second special symbol is stopped and displayed, and the result of this judgment is announced.
Here, the random number extracted when the ball enters the second starting hole 12 is stored as a second reserved memory, as described below. Up to four second reserved memories can be stored, and the number of stored second reserved memories (hereinafter referred to as the second reserved memory number) is represented by the number of lights on the second special symbol reserved number display device 19. The hit/miss judgment and the change of the second special symbol are executed by consuming the second reserved memories thus stored. The second reserved memory number indicates the number of unconsumed second reserved memories.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first special pattern and the second special pattern are executed with priority for changing the second special pattern, regardless of the order in which the balls enter the first start hole 11 and the second start hole 12. In other words, if there is an unconsumed second reserved memory (if the number of second reserved memories is one or more), the second reserved memory is consumed and the change in the second special pattern begins, regardless of whether there is an unconsumed first reserved memory. And only when there is no unconsumed second reserved memory, is the first reserved memory consumed and the change in the first special pattern begins.

In the hit/miss judgment executed by the consumption of the first reserved memory (special symbol hit/miss judgment process described later), it is judged whether or not there is a jackpot, and if it is judged to be a jackpot, the first special symbol display device 9 stops the first special symbol in a predetermined jackpot symbol form to confirm the jackpot. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a judgment is executed as to whether or not there is a time-saving hit by the consumption of the first reserved memory. In this way, the hit/miss judgment by the consumption of the first reserved memory judges whether or not there is a jackpot, a time-saving hit, or a miss. Here, in this embodiment, if it is judged to be a time-saving hit in the normal game state described later, the first special symbol display device 9 stops the first special symbol in a predetermined time-saving hit symbol form to confirm the time-saving hit, while if it is judged to be a time-saving hit in a game state other than the normal game state, the time-saving hit is invalidated and the first special symbol is stopped in a miss symbol form to confirm the miss.

Meanwhile, the hit/miss determination executed by the consumption of the second reserved memory (second special pattern hit/miss determination process described below) determines whether or not a big hit has occurred, and if it is determined to be a big hit, the second special pattern display device 10 stops the second special pattern in a predetermined big hit pattern form to confirm the big hit. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second reserved memory is consumed to determine whether or not a small hit has occurred. Then, if it is determined to be a small hit, the second special pattern display device 10 stops the second special pattern in a predetermined small hit pattern form to confirm the small hit. In this way, the hit/miss determination executed by the consumption of the second reserved memory determines whether or not a big hit has occurred.

As described above, when a jackpot is confirmed by the display of the first special symbol and the second special symbol, a jackpot game is executed in which the large prize opening port 14 is opened. In the jackpot game, the opening round in which the large prize opening port 14 is opened is repeated a predetermined number of times with intervals. In addition, when a time-saving win is confirmed by the display of the first special symbol, the game transitions to a time-saving game state described later. The time-saving game state will be described in detail later. In addition, when a small win is confirmed by the display of the second special symbol, a small win game is executed in which the large prize opening 14 is opened and closed once. Here, in this embodiment, since the determination of whether or not a time-saving win has occurred is made only by the consumption of the first reserved memory, a time-saving win does not occur due to the consumption of the second reserved memory (change in the second special symbol). And, since the determination of whether or not a small win has occurred is made only by the consumption of the second reserved memory, a small win does not occur due to the consumption of the first reserved memory (change in the first special symbol). In the following, the first special design and the second special design may be collectively referred to simply as "special designs."

The small win game described above involves opening the large prize opening 14 once for 1.5 seconds. In this type of small win game, it is more difficult to win a prize ball than in the large win game described above.

(2) Game Specifications Next, the specifications of the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment will be described. Below, the number of prize balls, the probability of winning a big win, the probability of winning a time-saving win, the probability of winning a small win, the probability of winning a normal pattern, and each game state will be described. The other specifications are the same as those of the conventional one, so the explanation will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, when a ball lands in each of the starting holes 11, 12, the large prize hole 14, and the general prize hole 41, a set number of prize balls are paid out for each. Specifically, three prize balls are paid out for each ball that lands in the first starting hole 11, five prize balls are paid out for each ball that lands in the second starting hole 12, thirteen prize balls are paid out for each ball that lands in the large prize hole 14, and five prize balls are paid out for each ball that lands in the general prize hole 41.

The configuration of this embodiment also has the function of increasing the probability of winning a jackpot through the hit/miss judgment described above, and is configured as a so-called probability fluctuating machine. Games in this configuration are broadly divided into games that proceed with the jackpot opening 14 closed and the jackpot games described above in which the jackpot opening 14 is opened, and the games that proceed with the jackpot opening 14 closed have a normal game state, a sure-win game state, and a time-saving game state.

The normal game state is a game state in which the mode is a "low probability mode/non-time-saving mode," and the special game state is a game state in which the mode is a "high probability mode/time-saving mode." The time-saving game state is a game state in which the mode is a "low probability mode/time-saving mode."

In the low probability mode, a preset low probability is set as valid, and a hit/miss determination is made as to whether or not a jackpot has been reached, while in the high probability mode, a high probability, which is higher than the low probability, is set as valid, and a hit/miss determination is made. In other words, the low probability and high probability are set as the jackpot hit probability used to determine whether or not a jackpot has been reached, and the low probability is used in the hit/miss determination in the normal game state and the time-saving game state, and the high probability is used in the hit/miss determination in the special game state. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the low probability of winning in the low probability mode is 1/300, and the high probability of winning in the high probability mode is 1/30.

The time-saving mode has a function (hereinafter referred to as the time-saving function) that shortens the average change time of the first special symbol and the second special symbol compared to the non-time-saving mode and shortens the change time of the normal symbol compared to the non-time-saving mode, and a function (hereinafter referred to as the opening extension function) that makes the winning probability of the normal symbol higher than the non-time-saving mode and extends the opening time of the second start hole 12 compared to the non-time-saving mode. Due to such time-saving function and opening extension function, in the probability-changing game state and the first and second time-saving game states, the number of changes of the first and second special symbols and the number of changes of the normal symbol per unit time tend to increase compared to the normal game state, and it becomes easier for the ball to enter the second start hole 12. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the winning probability of the normal symbol is 1/10 in the non-time-saving mode, while it is 9/10 in the time-saving mode. The second starting port 12 is opened once for about 0.2 seconds in non-time-saving mode, and three times for about 1 second in time-saving mode.

The special chance game state described above is a game state to which a transition can be made following the end of a jackpot game, and ends when the total number of times the first special symbol changes and the second special symbol changes (hereinafter referred to as the special symbol change count) reaches the upper limit value for the special chance game, or when either the first special symbol or the second special symbol is stopped and displayed in the jackpot symbol mode described below (the jackpot game starts). When the special symbol change count reaches the upper limit value for the special chance game in the special chance game state, the game transitions to the normal game state. In this embodiment, the upper limit value for the special chance game is set to 100 times (see Figure 4).

The time-saving game state described above is a game state to which a transition can be made from the normal game state when a time-saving win is confirmed by the first special symbol during the normal game state, as described above, and is also a game state to which a transition can be made from the normal game state when the cumulative number of changes, described below, reaches a predetermined ceiling number (hereinafter referred to as the ceiling transition condition).

In this embodiment, the probability of determining whether or not a time-saving hit has been made based on the consumption of the first reserved memory (hereinafter, referred to as the probability of winning the time-saving hit) is set to 1/150 (see Figure 4).

The ceiling transition condition is set such that the total number (accumulated number of changes) of the number of times the first special symbol changes and the number of times the second special symbol changes in the low probability mode (normal game state and time-saving game state) reaches a predetermined ceiling number. That is, the ceiling transition condition is satisfied when the accumulated number of changes reaches the ceiling number, and the game transitions to the second time-saving game state. This accumulated number of changes is cleared when the RAM is cleared by turning on the power, and when the jackpot game starts (when the jackpot is confirmed) or ends. Here, since the number of changes of the first and second special symbols is substantially the same as the number of times the winning/losing judgment is made by consuming the first and second reserved memories, the accumulated number of changes can be said to be the total number of times the winning/losing judgment is made by consuming the first reserved memory and the number of times the winning/losing judgment is made by consuming the second reserved memory (so-called accumulated number of judgments).
In this embodiment, the ceiling number of times is set to 900. That is, in the low probability mode (normal game state and time-saving game state), when the total number of times that the winning/losing judgment is made based on the consumption of the first reserved memory and the consumption of the second reserved memory (the total number of fluctuations of the first special symbol and the second special symbol that do not determine a winning) reaches 900 times (the ceiling number of times), the game state is shifted to the time-saving game state.

The time-saving game state ends when the number of times the special symbol changes in each game state reaches a specified number (time-saving upper limit) and either the first special symbol or the second special symbol is stopped and displayed in the jackpot symbol form described below (the jackpot game starts). Then, when the number of times the special symbol changes in the time-saving game state reaches the time-saving upper limit, the game transitions to the normal game state.

Here, the time-saving game state is classified into a first time-saving game state that is started by the determination of the time-saving hit, and a second time-saving game state that is started by the satisfaction of the ceiling transition condition, and the first time-saving game state and the second time-saving game state are configured to have different time-saving upper limit values. Specifically, in this embodiment, the time-saving upper limit value for the first time-saving game state is set to 50 times, and the time-saving upper limit value for the second time-saving game state is set to 1000 times. The first time-saving game state and the second time-saving game state have the same game content (low probability mode/time-saving mode) except for the start condition and end condition.
Here, in this embodiment, if the ceiling transition condition is satisfied during the first time-shortened gaming state, the first time-shortened gaming state ends and a second time-shortened gaming state starts.

In addition, in this embodiment, the probability of winning a small jackpot in the hit/miss judgment based on the consumption of the second reserved memory is set to a uniform value (for example, 1/60) regardless of the game state. Note that, although the probability of winning a small jackpot is set to a uniform value in this embodiment, this is not limited to this, and a configuration in which different probabilities of winning a small jackpot are set between low probability mode and high probability mode, similar to the probability of winning a large jackpot described above, may also be used.

Next, the jackpot pattern aspects of the first and second special patterns will be described.
As described above, the first special symbol is displayed variably on the first special symbol display device 9 based on the consumption of the first reserved memory, and after the lapse of the variable time, it is stopped and displayed in a symbol form showing the result of the hit/miss judgment. In the consumption of the first reserved memory, a jackpot, a time-saving hit, or a miss is judged based on the hit/miss judgment, so the first special symbol is stopped and displayed in a symbol form showing a jackpot (jackpot symbol form), a symbol form showing a time-saving hit (time-saving hit symbol form), or a symbol form showing a miss (miss symbol form) to confirm the jackpot, time-saving hit, or miss. Note that, as described above, when a time-saving hit is judged, the first special symbol is stopped and displayed in a time-saving hit symbol form only in the normal game state (non-time-saving mode) to confirm the time-saving hit. On the other hand, in a game state other than the normal game state (time-saving mode), when a time-saving hit is determined, the time-saving hit is invalidated, and the first special pattern is stopped and displayed in a losing pattern mode to confirm the loss.

Similarly, the second special pattern is displayed variably on the second special pattern display device 10 based on the consumption of the second reserved memory, and after the variation time has elapsed, it is statically displayed in a pattern form that indicates the result of the hit/miss judgment. When the second reserved memory is consumed, a big hit, small hit, or miss is judged based on the hit/miss judgment, so the second special pattern is statically displayed in a pattern form that indicates a big hit (big hit pattern form), a pattern form that indicates a small hit (small hit pattern form), or a pattern form that indicates a miss (miss pattern form) to confirm a big hit, small hit, or miss.

Ten types of jackpot pattern forms are predefined for each of the first and second special patterns, and when a jackpot is determined by the hit/miss judgment, one of the jackpot pattern forms is determined according to the random numbers for determining the jackpot pattern in the first and second reserved memories.

In this embodiment, the first special symbol and the second special symbol are classified into two types, a normal jackpot symbol and a certain probability jackpot symbol, and the game state after the jackpot game differs depending on the type of the jackpot symbol. Specifically, when the normal jackpot symbol is stopped and displayed, the game state is changed to a normal game state (low probability mode/non-time shortening mode) after the jackpot game is executed.
When the sure-variable jackpot pattern is displayed in a stopped state, the game transitions to a sure-variable game state (high probability mode/time-saving mode) after the jackpot game is played.

The selection between the normal jackpot pattern and the special jackpot pattern is made according to a predetermined selection probability. In other words, when a jackpot is determined by a win/loss lottery based on the consumption of the first reserved memory or the second reserved memory, either the normal jackpot pattern or the special jackpot pattern is selected according to the respective selection probabilities, and after the first special pattern or the second special pattern is changed, either of the jackpot pattern patterns is stopped and displayed. In this embodiment, the selection probability of the normal jackpot pattern and the special jackpot pattern is 50% each.

[Description of Control Process]
Next, the processing of various programs executed by the main control device 80 will be described.
(1) Main routine Figure 5 shows a flow chart of the main routine. The main routine is composed of the main process from S10 to S80, and the residual process of S85, which is repeated as long as time permits within the time remaining after executing the main process, and is executed periodically by a hardware interrupt every 2 ms. When a hardware interrupt is executed by the microcomputer, it is first determined whether or not it is a normal interrupt (S10). This determination process is performed by determining whether or not a value in a predetermined area of the RAM as a memory is equal to a predetermined value, and is intended to determine whether or not normal processing may be executed when the processing executed by the microcomputer has shifted to the main process.

If a negative judgment is made in S10 (i.e., it is judged that the interrupt is not normal) (S10: No), the initial setting (S15) is executed, and the remaining processing (S85) is started. In this initial setting, for example, a predetermined value is written to a predetermined area of the RAM, and each initial value is written to the working area of the RAM, such as setting the first and second special patterns as the initial patterns. On the other hand, if a positive judgment is made in S10 (i.e., it is judged that the interrupt is normal) (S10: Yes), the following output processes are performed (S80): update process of the initial value random number (S20), update process of the random number for determining a big win (S25), update process of the random number for determining a big win pattern (S30), update process of the random number for determining a small win pattern (S35), update process of the random number for determining a time-saving win pattern (S40), update process of the random number for determining a win (S45), update process of the random number for reaching a reach (S50), update process of the random number for determining a variation pattern (S55), win confirmation process (S60), win/lose determination process (S65), special game process (S70), fraud monitoring process (S75), image output process, etc., and the initial value random number update process (S85) is looped within the remaining time until the next interrupt signal is input.

(2) Start Winning Process Next, the start winning process executed by the main control device 80 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 6. This start winning process is one of the subroutines called in the winning confirmation process (S60) of the main routine described above.
In the start winning process, in S100, it is determined whether the first start port switch 11a has detected a game ball. If the result is negative (S100: No), the process proceeds to S120, and if the result is positive (S100: Yes), the process proceeds to S105. In S105, it is determined whether the first reserved memory number has reached an upper limit (e.g., 4). If the result is positive (S105: Yes), the process proceeds to S120, and if the result is negative (S105: No), the process proceeds to S110.

In S110, a first extracted random number reserved storage process is executed. In this first extracted random number reserved storage process, a random number for determining a first jackpot, a random number for determining a first jackpot pattern, a random number for determining a time-saving pattern, a random number for reaching a reach, a random number for determining a variation pattern, etc. are extracted and stored as a first reserved memory, and a first reserved number counter indicating the first reserved memory number is incremented by 1, and the necessary process is performed to light up the first special reserved number display device 18 according to the information of the first reserved number counter.

In S120, it is determined whether the second start port switch 12a has detected a game ball. If the determination is negative (S120: No), the start winning process is terminated, and if the determination is positive (S120: Yes), the process proceeds to S125. In S125, it is determined whether the second reserved memory count has reached an upper limit (e.g., 4). If the determination is positive (S125: Yes), the start winning process is terminated, and if the determination is negative (S125: No), the process proceeds to S130.

In S130, a second extracted random number reserved storage process is executed. In this second extracted random number reserved storage process, a random number for determining a second big win, a random number for determining a second big win pattern, a random number for determining a small win pattern, a random number for judging a reach, a random number for determining a variation pattern, etc. are extracted and stored as a second reserved memory, and the second reserved number counter indicating the second reserved memory number is incremented by 1, and the necessary process is performed to light up the second special pattern reserved number display device 19 according to the information of the second reserved number counter.

(3) Special drawing hit/miss judgment processing Next, the special drawing hit/miss judgment processing executed by the main control device 80 will be described using the flowcharts of Figures 7 to 11. This special drawing hit/miss judgment processing is one of the subroutines called in the hit/miss judgment processing (S65) of the main routine described above.

In the special symbol hit/miss determination process, as shown in FIG. 7, it is determined whether the special electric device 15 is operating (S150). If the determination is positive (S150: Yes), the special symbol hit/miss determination process is terminated, and if the determination is negative (S150: No), the process proceeds to S155. In S155, it is determined whether the first special symbol or the second special symbol is being displayed in a variable manner. If the determination is positive (S155: Yes), the special symbol hit/miss determination process is terminated, and if the determination is negative (S155: No), the process proceeds to S160.

In S160, it is determined whether the first special symbol or the second special symbol is being displayed. If the determination is positive (S160: Yes), the process proceeds to S400 in FIG. 11, and if the determination is negative (S160: No), the process proceeds to S165.

In S165, it is determined whether there is any unconsumed second reserved memory, and if the determination is positive (S165: Yes), the process proceeds to S170, and if the determination is negative (S165: No), the process proceeds to S180. In S170, the number of second reserved memories is decremented, and the oldest unconsumed second reserved memory (the unconsumed second reserved memory generated earliest) is selected, and the information stored in that second reserved memory (numeric data such as random numbers) is moved to a specified buffer for determining whether or not there is a jackpot, and the process proceeds to S171. In this way, the second reserved memory is consumed.

In S171, it is determined whether the special probability flag is 1 or not, and if the result is positive (S171: Yes), the process proceeds to S172, and if the result is negative (S171: No), the process proceeds to S173. Here, the special probability flag = 1 indicates the above-mentioned high probability mode (special probability game state), and the special probability flag = 0 indicates the above-mentioned low probability mode (normal game state or time-limited game state).

In S172, a winning/losing determination table (high probability table) corresponding to the winning probability of the high probability mode is selected, and based on the selected high probability table, it is determined whether the random number for determining a winning jackpot that has been moved to the buffer for determining a winning jackpot is a winning jackpot or a small winning jackpot, and the reserved memory for the random number for determining a winning jackpot is consumed. After processing S172, the process proceeds to S300 in FIG. 9.

Meanwhile, in S173, a win/loss determination table (normal table) corresponding to the winning probability in the low probability mode is selected, and based on the selected normal table, the random number for determining a jackpot that has been moved to the buffer for determining a jackpot is determined to be a jackpot or a minor jackpot, and the reserved memory for that random number for determining a jackpot is consumed. After processing S173, the process proceeds to S300 in FIG. 9.

In S180, it is determined whether there is an unconsumed first reserved memory, and if the determination is negative (S180: No), the special chart hit/miss determination process is terminated, and if the determination is positive (S180: Yes), the process proceeds to S181. In S181, the number of first reserved memories is decremented, and the oldest unconsumed first reserved memory (the first unconsumed first reserved memory generated first) is selected, and the information stored in that first reserved memory (numeric data such as random numbers) is moved to a specified buffer for jackpot determination, and the process proceeds to S182. In this way, the first reserved memory is consumed.

In S182, it is determined whether the high probability flag is 1 or not, and if the determination is positive (S182: Yes), the process proceeds to S183, and if the determination is negative (S182: No), the process proceeds to S184. Here, the high probability flag = 1 indicates the above-mentioned high probability mode (high probability game state), and the high probability flag = 0 indicates the above-mentioned low probability mode (normal game state or time-limited game state).

In S183, a winning/losing determination table (high probability table) corresponding to the winning probability of the high probability mode is selected, and based on the selected high probability table, it is determined whether the random number for determining a winning jackpot that has been moved to the buffer for determining a winning jackpot is a winning jackpot or not, and whether it is a time-saving winning jackpot or not, and the reserved memory related to the random number for determining a winning jackpot is consumed. After processing S183, the process proceeds to S200 in FIG. 8.

Meanwhile, in S184, a win/loss determination table (normal table) corresponding to the winning probability in the low probability mode is selected, and based on the selected normal table, the random number for determining a jackpot that has been moved to the buffer for determining a jackpot is determined to be a jackpot or not, and whether or not it is a time-saving win, and the reserved memory related to that random number for determining a jackpot is consumed. After processing S184, the process proceeds to S200 in FIG. 8.

In S200 of FIG. 8, it is determined whether or not there is a jackpot based on the result of the determination in S183 or S184. If the determination is positive (S200: Yes), the process proceeds to S205, and if the determination is negative (S200: No), the process proceeds to S220.
In S205, the jackpot symbol is determined based on the random number for determining the jackpot symbol related to the reserved memory that has been consumed. Then, the process proceeds to S210.

In the subsequent fluctuation pattern determination process of S210, the fluctuation time of the first special pattern is determined based on the random numbers for determining the fluctuation pattern and the random numbers for reaching the reach (the random numbers for determining the fluctuation pattern and the random numbers for reaching the reach in the buffer for determining a jackpot, etc.) related to the first reserved memory that has been consumed, the special probability flag, and the time-saving flag, and the fluctuation pattern of the first special pattern is determined according to the fluctuation time.
In more detail, the selectable variation time of the first special symbol is preliminarily determined according to the probability variation flag and the time-saving flag, and the variation time of the first special symbol is determined according to the above-mentioned variation pattern determination random number and reach determination random number. That is, when the probability variation flag = 0 and the time-saving flag = 0 (normal game state), the mode is a non-time-saving mode, so the variation time of the first special symbol corresponding to the non-time-saving mode can be selected, and the variation time of the first special symbol is determined according to the variation pattern determination random number and reach determination random number of the consumed first reserved memory. On the other hand, when the probability variation flag = 1 or the time-saving flag = 1 (probability variation game state or time-saving game state), the mode is a time-saving mode that shortens the variation time of the first special symbol, so the variation time of the first special symbol corresponding to the time-saving mode can be selected, and the variation time is determined according to the variation pattern determination random number and reach determination random number. The reach determination random number is used to determine whether or not to execute various reach effects that have been preliminarily determined.

Next, in S215, the number of rounds for the jackpot game, the opening pattern of the jackpot opening, the presentation time for the jackpot game, the interval time, and the presentation mode for the jackpot game are set, and the process proceeds to S250.

Meanwhile, in S220, which follows the negative judgment in S200, it is judged whether or not the time-saving feature has been selected based on the judgment result in S184. If the judgment is positive (S220: Yes), the process proceeds to S225, and if the judgment is negative (S220: No), the process proceeds to S240. Note that in this embodiment, as described above, it is judged whether or not the time-saving feature has been selected only when the first reserved memory has been consumed in low probability mode, so if the second reserved memory has been consumed or in high probability mode (time-saving flag = 1), a negative judgment is made in S220 (proceeds to S240).

In S225, the winning symbol for the time-saving function is determined based on the random number for determining the winning symbol related to the reserved memory that has been consumed, and the process proceeds to S230.
In S230, similar to S210 described above, the time for the first special symbol to change is determined based on the random numbers for reaching the goal and for determining the change pattern, etc., related to the reserved memory that has been consumed, and the probability change flag, and the change pattern of the first special symbol is determined according to the change time. After this S230, the process proceeds to S235. In S235, the performance time for the time-saving game and the performance mode for the time-saving game are set, and the process proceeds to S250.

Furthermore, in S240 following the negative judgment of S220, similar to S210, the first special symbol's fluctuation time and fluctuation pattern are determined based on the reach judgment random number and fluctuation pattern determination random number related to the consumed reserved memory and the probability change flag, and prior to this, a process to determine a losing symbol is performed. After S240, the process proceeds to S245, where a process related to a losing symbol is performed. Then, the process proceeds to S250. Note that in this embodiment, the process to determine a losing symbol is performed in S240, but this is not limited to this, and a configuration that includes a process to determine a losing symbol before S240 may also be used.

In S250, a reserved number command indicating the number of first reserved memories after decrementing in S181, a command including information on the result of the hit/miss judgment (jackpot, time-saving hit, or miss) judged in S183 or S184, and a change start command including the jackpot game content, the change time of the first special symbol, the stop mode of the first special symbol, etc., determined in S205 are transmitted to the sub-integrated control device 83. This change start command includes information indicating whether the consumed reserved memory is the first reserved memory or the second reserved memory, information on whether various reach effects are to be executed, and information on the time-saving flag and the probability change flag. Furthermore, the first special symbol display device 9 is driven and controlled according to the consumed first reserved memory to start changing the first special symbol, and the hit/miss judgment process is terminated.
When the sub-integrated control device 83 receives such a command, it stores the information indicated in the command (the number of first reserved memories, the time for the first special symbol to change, the presence or absence of various reach effects, the result of the win/loss judgment, the stopping state of the first special symbol, the content of the big win game, etc.) in a specified buffer. Then, the sub-integrated control device 83 transmits a command to the effect symbol control device 82 along with the change start command, and the effect symbol control device 82 drives and controls the effect symbol display device 6 according to the received command to start the pseudo special effect on the effect display screen 6a.

In S300 of FIG. 8, it is determined whether or not there is a jackpot based on the result of the determination in S172 or S173. If the determination is positive (S300: Yes), the process proceeds to S305, and if the determination is negative (S300: No), the process proceeds to S320.
In S305, the jackpot symbol is determined based on the random number for determining the jackpot symbol related to the reserved memory that has been consumed. Then, the process proceeds to S310.

In the subsequent fluctuation pattern determination process of S310, the fluctuation time of the second special pattern is determined based on the random numbers for determining the fluctuation pattern and the random numbers for reaching the reach (the random numbers for determining the fluctuation pattern and the random numbers for reaching the reach in the buffer for determining a jackpot, etc.) related to the second reserved memory that has been consumed, the special probability flag, and the time-saving flag, and the fluctuation pattern of the second special pattern is determined according to the fluctuation time.
In more detail, the variation time of the selectable special symbols is predetermined according to the probability change flag and the time-saving flag, and the variation time of the second special symbol is determined according to the above-mentioned variation pattern determination random number and reach determination random number. That is, when the probability change flag = 0 and the time-saving flag = 0 (normal game state), the mode is a non-time-saving mode, so the variation time of the second special symbol corresponding to the non-time-saving mode can be selected, and the variation time of the second special symbol is determined according to the variation pattern determination random number and reach determination random number of the consumed second reserved memory. On the other hand, when the probability change flag = 1 or the time-saving flag = 1 (probability change game state or time-saving game state), the mode is a time-saving mode that shortens the variation time of the second special symbol, so the variation time of the second special symbol corresponding to the time-saving mode can be selected, and the variation time is determined according to the variation pattern determination random number and reach determination random number. The reach determination random number is used to determine whether or not to execute various reach effects that have been determined in advance.

Next, in S315, the number of rounds for the jackpot game, the opening pattern of the jackpot opening, the presentation time for the jackpot game, the interval time, and the presentation mode for the jackpot game are set, and the process proceeds to S350.

On the other hand, in S320, which follows the negative judgment in S300, it is judged whether or not there is a small win based on the judgment result of S195. Here, if the judgment is positive (S320: Yes), the process proceeds to S325, and if the judgment is negative (S320: No), the process proceeds to S340.

In S325, the small win symbol is determined based on the random number for determining the big win symbol related to the reserved memory that has been consumed, and the process proceeds to S330.
In S330, similar to S310 described above, the time for the second special symbol to change is determined based on the random number for reach judgment and the random number for changing pattern determination related to the consumed second reserved memory and the probability change flag, and the changing pattern of the second special symbol is determined according to the time for the change. After this S330, proceed to S335. In S335, the presentation time for the small win game and the presentation mode of the small win game are set, and proceed to S350.

Furthermore, in S340 following the negative judgment in S320, similar to S310, the time and pattern of change of the second special symbol are determined based on the reach judgment random number and the change pattern determination random number related to the consumed second reserved memory and the probability change flag, and prior to this, a process for determining a losing symbol is performed. After S340, the process proceeds to S345, where a process related to a losing symbol is performed. Then, the process proceeds to S350. Note that in this embodiment, the process for determining a losing symbol is performed in S340, but this is not limited to the above, and a configuration that includes a process for determining a losing symbol before S340 may also be used.

In S350, a reserved number command indicating the number of second reserved memories after decrementing in S170, a command including information on the result of the hit/miss judgment (big hit, small hit, or miss) judged in S172 and S173, and a change start command including the big hit game content determined in S305, the change time of the second special symbol, the stop mode of the second special symbol, etc. are transmitted to the sub-integrated control device 83. This change start command includes information indicating whether the consumed reserved memory is the first reserved memory or the second reserved memory, information on whether various reach performances are executed, and information on the probability change flag. Furthermore, the second special symbol display device 10 is driven and controlled according to the consumed second reserved memory to start changing the second special symbol, and the hit/miss judgment process is terminated.
When the sub-integrated control device 83 receives such a command, it stores the information indicated in the command (the number of second reserved memories, the time for the second special symbol to change, the presence or absence of various reach effects, the result of the win/loss judgment, the stopping mode of the second special symbol, the content of the big win game, etc.) in a specified buffer. Then, the sub-integrated control device 83 transmits a command to the effect symbol control device 82 along with the change start command, and the effect symbol control device 82 drives and controls the effect symbol display device 6 according to the received command to start the pseudo special effect on the effect display screen 6a.

In S360 of FIG. 10, which follows the positive judgment in S155 described above, it is judged whether the time for the first or second special symbol to change has elapsed. If the judgment is positive (S380: Yes), the process proceeds to S365. If the judgment is negative (S360: No), the process ends the special symbol win/lose judgment process. In S385, the display of the changing first or second special symbol is terminated and the determined symbol (i.e., the determined big win symbol, time-saving win symbol, small win symbol, or miss symbol) is displayed, and a symbol determination command is sent to the sub-integrated control device 83 to stop the display of the special performance symbol, and the process proceeds to S370.

In S370, the ceiling number counter, the probability change number counter, and the time-saving number counter are updated, and the special symbol hit/miss judgment process is terminated. The ceiling number counter counts the cumulative number of changes that trigger the start of the second time-saving game state, and is incremented by one each time the first special symbol and the second special symbol are stopped and displayed, and is cleared when a jackpot occurs or the RAM is cleared. The probability change number counter counts the number of changes of the special symbol that triggers the end of the probability change game state, and is set to a specified number (50 times) at the start of the probability change game state, and is decremented by one each time the first special symbol and the second special symbol are stopped and displayed. The time-saving number counter counts the number of changes of the special symbol that triggers the end of the time-saving game state, and is set to 50 times at the start of the first time-saving game state and 1000 times at the start of the second time-saving game state, and is decremented by one each time the first special symbol and the second special symbol are stopped and displayed. That is, in the process of S370, the ceiling count counter is incremented by 1, and the probability change count counter and the time reduction count counter are decremented by 1.

Furthermore, in S400 in FIG. 11, which follows the positive judgment in S160 described above, it is judged whether the duration of the stopped display of the special symbol has ended, and if the judgment is positive (S400: Yes), the process proceeds to S405, and if the judgment is negative (S400: No), the process ends the special symbol hit/miss judgment process. In S405, the stopped display of the special symbol is ended, and the process proceeds to S410. In S410, the high probability flag indicating that the game is in a high probability game state is referenced, and if the high probability flag = 1 (S410: Yes), the value of the high probability counter is referenced (S415). Then, if the high probability counter = 0 (S415: Yes), the high probability flag is cleared (S420), and the process proceeds to S440. On the other hand, if the judgment is negative in S415 (S415: No), the process proceeds to S440.

If the determination at S410 is negative (S410: No), the process proceeds to S425, where the time-saving flag indicating that the game is in a time-saving game mode is referenced, and if the time-saving flag = 1 (S425: Yes), the value of the time-saving count counter is referenced (S430). If the time-saving count counter = 0 (S430: Yes), the time-saving flag is cleared (S435) and the process proceeds to S440. On the other hand, if the determination at S430 is negative (S430: No), the process proceeds to S440. Also, if the determination at S425 is negative (S425: No), the process proceeds directly to S440.

In S440, it is determined whether the special symbol displayed in a stopped state is a symbol that will result in a jackpot. If the determination is affirmative (S440: Yes), the process proceeds to S445. If the determination is negative (S440: No), the process proceeds to S465. In S445, the count value of the ceiling count counter is cleared, and the probability bonus flag and time-saving flag are cleared. After that, the condition device operation start process (S450), the role continuous operation device operation start process (S455), and the jackpot start performance process (S460) are executed in sequence, and a command indicating the mode of the jackpot game or a command instructing the start of the jackpot game is sent to the sub-integrated control device 83 to start the jackpot game, and the process proceeds to S495.

On the other hand, in S465 following the negative judgment in S440, it is judged whether the special symbol displayed in the stopped state is a symbol that will result in a time-saving hit, and if the judgment is positive (S465: Yes), the sure-change flag is cleared and the time-saving flag is set (S470), and further, the number of times the special symbol can change in the first time-saving game state (50 times) is set in the time-saving counter (S480), and the program proceeds to S495.

Meanwhile, in S480, which follows the negative judgment in S465, the value of the ceiling count counter is referenced. Then, if the ceiling count counter is equal to 900 (S480: Yes), the special bonus flag is cleared and the time-saving flag is set (S485), and the number of times the special symbol can be changed in the second time-saving game state (1000 times) is set in the time-saving count counter (S490), and the program proceeds to S495. On the other hand, if the judgment in S480 is negative (S480: No), the program proceeds directly to S495.

In S495, the state designation command transmission process is executed, and the special chart hit/miss determination process is terminated. In the state designation command transmission process (S495) of this embodiment, when the special chance flag or time-saving flag is set or cleared, information indicating the start or end of the special chance game state or time-saving game state is transmitted to the sub-integrated control device 83.

(4) Big Win Game Processing Next, the big win game processing executed by the main control device 80 will be described using the flowcharts of Figures 12 to 14. This big win game processing is a process executed from the special game processing (S70) of the main routine described above when a big win is determined by the special game winning/losing determination process described above.

In the jackpot game process, as shown in FIG. 12, it is determined whether or not the continuous operation device of the role is in operation (i.e., whether or not the jackpot game is being played) (S500). If the determination is positive (S500: Yes), the process proceeds to S505, and if the determination is negative (S500: No), the jackpot game process is terminated.

In S505, it is determined whether the large prize opening 14 is open or not, and if the determination is positive (S505: Yes), the process proceeds to S550 in FIG. 13, and if the determination is negative (S505: No), the process proceeds to S510.

In S510, it is determined whether or not it is during an interval between open rounds in the jackpot game. If the determination is positive (S510: Yes), the process proceeds to S570 in FIG. 13, and if the determination is negative (S510: No), the process proceeds to S515. In S515, it is determined whether or not the end presentation of the jackpot game is in progress. If the determination is positive (S515: Yes), the process proceeds to S600 in FIG. 14, and if the determination is negative (S515: No), the process proceeds to S520.

In S520, it is determined whether the start presentation time for the jackpot game has elapsed. If the determination is positive (S520: Yes), the process proceeds to S525, and if the determination is negative (S520: No), the jackpot game process ends.

In S525, a large prize opening process is executed to open the large prize opening 14. In this large prize opening process, the opening time (e.g., 30 seconds) preset as the maximum opening time of the large prize opening 14 in the opening round is consumed in synchronization with the start of opening the large prize opening 14. After this large prize opening process, the jackpot game process is terminated. Here, the opening time is consumed by a subtraction process of the opening timer. Specifically, the opening timer is preset with a counter value equivalent to the opening time (30 seconds), and a process is executed to subtract the counter value each time the jackpot game process is executed (each time the timer interrupt process is executed), and the opening time is considered to have elapsed when the counter value = 0. Of course, the means for measuring the opening time is not limited to the subtraction process of the opening timer, and other means can be used.

In S550 of FIG. 13, which follows the positive judgment in S505, it is determined whether the number of game balls that have entered the big prize opening 14 has reached 10. If the judgment is positive (S550: Yes), the process proceeds to S560, and if the judgment is negative (S550: No), the process proceeds to S555. In S555, it is determined whether the opening time (30 seconds) has elapsed based on the expiration of the time of the opening timer described above. Here, if the judgment is positive (S555: Yes), the process proceeds to S560, and if the judgment is negative (S555: No), the big prize game processing is terminated. In S560, the big prize opening closing processing is executed to close the big prize opening 14 (ending the opening round). In the following S565, the big prize interval processing is executed to set the interval between each opening round of the big prize game, and the big prize game processing is terminated.

13, which follows the positive judgment of S510, judges whether the interval time of the big win game has elapsed. If the judgment is positive (S570: Yes), the process proceeds to S575, and if the judgment is negative (S570: No), the big win game process ends. In S575, it is judged whether the final round has ended, and if the judgment is positive (S575: Yes), the process proceeds to S580, and if the judgment is negative (S575: No), the process proceeds to S585.
In S580, a jackpot end effect process is executed to perform an effect when the jackpot game is ended. After S580, the jackpot game process is ended.
In S585, a special prize opening process is executed. In this process, the same process as S525 described above is executed to open the special prize opening 14 and start the expiration of the opening time (30 seconds).

Furthermore, in S600 in FIG. 14 following the positive judgment in S515, it is judged whether or not the time for the jackpot end presentation has ended. In the case of a positive judgment (S600: Yes), the process proceeds to S605, where S605 and S610 are executed in sequence, whereas in the case of a negative judgment (S600: No), the jackpot game processing is terminated. In S605 and S610, the role device continuous operation device and the condition device are stopped, and the process proceeds to S615. In S615, it is judged whether or not to transition to the high probability game state after the jackpot game. Here, in the case of a positive judgment (S615: Yes), the number of times (100 times) that the special pattern can be changed during the high probability game state is set in the high probability game counter (S620), and the high probability game flag is set to 1 (S625). Then, the process proceeds to S640. On the other hand, in the case of a negative judgment in S615 (S615: No), the process proceeds to S640.

In S640 and S645, a process of sending a jackpot end command to the sub-integrated control device 83 to end the presentation related to the jackpot game, and a state designation command sending process are executed, and the jackpot game process is terminated. Here, in the state designation command sending process (S645), information indicating the game state after the jackpot game (normal game state or special game state) is sent to the sub-integrated control device 83.

[Explanation of the pseudo special effects]
On the performance display screen 6a of the performance pattern display device 6, special performance patterns 101a to 101c (see Figure 15) are displayed in a variable manner in conjunction with the variation of the special patterns (first special pattern and second special pattern), and the special performance patterns 101a to 101c are displayed in a static manner in conjunction with the stopped display of each special pattern, and a pseudo-special performance is executed in which the win/lose determination result indicated by the stopped pattern state of the special patterns is announced based on the pattern state of the special performance patterns 101a to 101c that are stopped and displayed.

(1) Special performance symbols FIG. 15 is a display example of the performance display screen 6a in the pseudo special performance. As shown in FIG. 15, during the pseudo special performance, three special performance symbols 101a to 101c are displayed side by side in the middle of the performance display screen 6a. Each special performance symbol 101a to 101c is composed of nine types of symbols from "1" to "9", and during the variable display, each special performance symbol 101a to 101c is displayed in nine types of symbols in turn, and during the stop display, each special performance symbol 101a to 101c is displayed statically in one of the types of symbols. In the figure, the special performance symbols 101a to 101c in the variable display state are conveniently represented by up and down arrows.

(2) Regarding the pseudo-special effect Figure 15 (A) shows a state in which the special effect symbols 101a to 101c are displayed in a static manner in the pseudo-special effect, and Figure 15 (B) shows a state in which the static display has ended and the special effect symbols 101a to 101c have started to change in the next pseudo-special effect. The pseudo-special effect starts at the same time as the first special symbol or the second special symbol starts to change. As shown in Figure 15 (B), when the pseudo-special effect starts, all the special effect symbols 101a to 101c start to change at the same time. After that, as shown in Figures 15 (C) to 15 (D), in the pseudo-special effect, the special effect symbols 101a to 101c that were changing stop one by one. In the pseudo special effect, the last special effect symbol 101a-101c stops at the same time as the first special symbol or the second special symbol ends its variation, the variation display of the special effect symbols 101a-101c ends, and the stop display starts. In the stop display of the special effect symbols 101a-101c, as shown in FIG. 15(E), all the special effect symbols 101a-101c are displayed statically for a certain period of time. Then, the winning/losing judgment result is notified by the combination of the stop symbols of the three special effect symbols 101a-101c that are stopped and displayed. For example, a combination in which the three special effect symbols 101a-101c are the same stop symbol is a symbol pattern that indicates a big win. Similarly, a combination of stop symbols that indicate a time-saving win or a small win is also determined, and a combination that does not correspond to any of a big win, a time-saving win, or a small win is a symbol pattern that indicates a loss. The stopped display of the special performance patterns 101a to 101c is synchronized with the stopped display of the first special pattern or the second special pattern, and when the first special pattern or the second special pattern starts to change anew, the stopped display ends, and as shown in Figure 15 (F), the special performance patterns 101a to 101c change again, and the next pseudo-special performance begins.
In the pseudo special effects, a reach effect may be executed. In the pseudo special effects accompanied by the reach effect, two of the three fluctuating special effect symbols 101a to 101c are stopped first at a symbol combination that may indicate a big win, and the remaining symbol is fluctuated for a relatively long time while performing an effect using images and sounds to stimulate the player's expectation of a big win.

(3) About the change time and the stop display time of the special performance pattern As described above, in the pseudo special performance, the special performance patterns 101a to 101c change and stop in conjunction with the change and stop of the first special pattern or the second special pattern, so that the change time of the special performance patterns 101a to 101c in the pseudo special performance (the time until all the special performance patterns 101a to 101c stop) is equal to the change time of each special pattern. In addition, the stop display time of the special performance patterns 101a to 101c is equal to the stop display time of each special pattern. In this embodiment, since the stop display time of each special pattern is a fixed time (1 second), the stop display time of the special performance patterns 101a to 101c is also a fixed time (1 second). On the other hand, since the change time of each special pattern is not fixed, the change time of the special performance patterns 101a to 101c changes variously according to the change time of the special pattern.

Specifically, in the non-time-saving mode (normal game state), the change time of each special symbol and special effect symbol 101a-101c is selected from the range of 8 seconds to 60 seconds. In the time-saving mode (time-saving game state or special bonus game state), the change time of each special symbol and special effect symbol 101a-101c is selected from the range of 2.5 seconds to 30 seconds. In other words, in the time-saving mode, the average change time of each special symbol and special effect symbol 101a-101c is about half that of the non-time-saving mode, and the shortest change time (2.5 seconds) of each special symbol and special effect symbol 101a-101c is less than half that of the non-time-saving mode (8 seconds).

(4) Regarding reserved symbols Also, as shown in Fig. 15, in the pseudo special performance, a first reserved symbol 111 indicating the first reserved memory number and a second reserved symbol 112 indicating the second reserved memory number are usually displayed at the bottom of the performance display screen 6a. Specifically, at the bottom of the performance display screen 6a, the first reserved symbols 111 in the same number as the first reserved memory number are displayed horizontally from the left, and to the right of the first reserved symbols 111, the second reserved symbols 112 in the same number as the second reserved memory number are displayed horizontally.

(5) Game Status Indicating Characters As shown in Fig. 15, in this embodiment, during the pseudo special effect, characters indicating the current game status are displayed in the game status display section 115 in the upper left of the effect display screen 6a, and a game status indicating character 116 corresponding to the game status is displayed. As shown in Fig. 16(A), three types of game status indicating characters 116 are prepared: rabbit, tiger, and lion. The rabbit is displayed during the normal game status, the tiger is displayed during the first time-saving game status, and the lion is displayed during the second time-saving game status.

[Explanation of Main Parts]
Next, the main part of the present invention will be described.
As described above, in this embodiment, in the low probability mode (normal game state and temporary short game state), when the cumulative number of fluctuations reaches the ceiling number (900 times) without winning a jackpot, the ceiling transition condition is satisfied and the second time-saving game state is started. Here, the transition to the second time-saving game state occurs not only when the ceiling transition condition is satisfied in the normal game state, but also when the ceiling transition condition is satisfied in the first time-saving game state. Since the time-saving upper limit value (1000 times) of the second time-saving game state is larger than the time-saving upper limit value (50 times) of the first time-saving game state, the duration of the time-saving game state is significantly extended by the transition from the first time-saving game state to the second time-saving game state.

In this embodiment, the cumulative number of changes is not notified to the player until it reaches the ceiling number, and in the 900th pseudo-special performance when the cumulative number of changes reaches the ceiling number, a ceiling-reach performance is executed to notify the player that the ceiling number has been reached. The ceiling-reach performance is a performance in which an image consisting of a specific character 118 (Tatsuyoshi the Bear) and a bubble 119 is displayed on the performance display screen 6a for three seconds, as shown in FIG. 16(B). For the first two seconds of the ceiling-reach performance, the message "Ahahaha!!" is displayed in the bubble 119, and for the last second, the message "Breaking the Limit!!" is displayed in the bubble 119. The execution time of the ceiling-reach performance (3 seconds) is set within a range that does not exceed the sum of the shortest change time (2.5 seconds) and the stop display time (1 second) of the special symbol so that the ceiling-reach performance fits within the execution time of one pseudo-special performance.

The ceiling reach effect is executed with the same content regardless of the game state or the change time of the special effect symbols 101a to 101c, but is executed so that the start timing differs depending on the game state. Specifically, if the ceiling number of times is reached in the normal game state, the ceiling reach effect starts when there are 2.5 seconds left in the change time of the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a to 101c in the pseudo special effect when the ceiling number of times is reached. On the other hand, if the ceiling number of times is reached in the first time-saving game state, the ceiling reach effect starts at the start of the pseudo special effect when the ceiling number of times is reached.

The manner in which the ceiling reach effect is executed will be explained in detail using a specific example. Figure 17(A) is a timing chart of a specific example in which the ceiling reach effect is executed during normal gaming mode, and Figures 18(A) to 18(F) show the display contents of the effect display screen 6a in this specific example. In this example, during the period T1 to T2 in Figure 17(A), the stop display of the previous pseudo special effect is executed (see Figure 18(A)). Next, at the time T2, the pseudo special effect when the ceiling count is reached (the 900th time) is started, and the special effect symbols 101a to 101c change (see Figure 18(B)). As shown in FIG. 18(B)→18(C)→18(D)→18(E), the special effect symbols 101a-101c stop one by one during the period T2-T4, and at the time T4, the fluctuation of the special effect symbols 101a-101c stops completely, and the display of the special effect symbols 101a-101c starts (see FIG. 18(E)). Then, at the time T6, when the display of the special effect symbols 101a-101c stops, the second time-saving game state starts, the game state display unit 115 and the game state suggestion character 116 switch to the display of the second time-saving game state, and the 901st pseudo special effect starts (see FIG. 18(F)).

Here, as shown in Fig. 17(A), in the pseudo special effect when the ceiling count is reached (900th time), the ceiling reach effect starts at T3 when there are 2.5 seconds left to change the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a to 101c, and as shown in Fig. 18(D), a specific character 118 and a bubble 119 related to the ceiling reach effect are displayed at the bottom of the effect display screen 6a. Since the ceiling reach effect continues for 3 seconds, the specific character 118 and the bubble 119 related to the ceiling reach effect are displayed on the effect display screen 6a until T5 while the special effect symbols 101a to 101c are displayed (see Fig. 18(E)). In addition, in the normal game state, the time that the special symbols and special performance symbols 101a-101c change varies within a range of 8 to 60 seconds (8 seconds in the example of FIG. 17(A)), but the ceiling reaching effect starts when there are 2.5 seconds left in the change time, regardless of the length of time that the special symbols and special performance symbols 101a-101c change.

Figure 17(B) is a timing chart of a specific example in which the ceiling-reaching effect is executed during the first time-saving gaming state, and Figures 19(A)-19(F) show the display contents of the effect display screen 6a in this specific example. In this example, during the period T1-T2 in Figure 17(B), the stop display of the previous pseudo-special effect is executed (see Figure 19(A)). Then, at the time T2, the pseudo-special effect for when the ceiling count is reached (the 900th time) is started, and the special effect symbols 101a-101c change (see Figure 19(B)). As shown in FIG. 19(B)→19(C)→19(D)→19(E), the special effect symbols 101a-101c stop one by one during the period T2-T3, and at the time T3, the fluctuation of the special effect symbols 101a-101c stops completely, and the display of the special effect symbols 101a-101c starts (see FIG. 19(E)). Then, at the time T5, when the display of the special effect symbols 101a-101c stops, the second time-saving game state starts, the game state display unit 115 and the game state suggestion character 116 switch to displaying the second time-saving game state, and the 901st pseudo-special effect starts (see FIG. 19(F)).

As shown in Fig. 17(B), in the pseudo special effect when the ceiling count is reached (the 900th time), the ceiling reach effect starts at the start of the pseudo special effect when the ceiling count is reached, that is, at the time T2 when the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a-101c start to change (see Fig. 19(B)). In this example, the change time of the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a-101c is 2.5 seconds, while the ceiling reach effect continues for 3 seconds, so the ceiling reach effect is executed until the time T4 while the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a-101c are displayed still (see Fig. 19(E)). As mentioned above, in the first time-saving game state, the time for the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a-101c to fluctuate varies within a range of 2.5 to 30 seconds (2.5 seconds in the example of FIG. 17(B)), but the ceiling reach effect starts at the same time as the pseudo special effect starts when the ceiling count is reached, regardless of the length of time for which the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a-101c fluctuate.

[Regarding the control of pseudo-special effects]
The control process related to the pseudo special effects will be explained in detail below.
The control process related to the pseudo-special effects is mainly executed by the sub-integrated control device 83. The sub-integrated control device 83 controls the display contents of the pseudo-special effects according to a change start command transmitted from the main control device 80. That is, when the sub-integrated control device 83 receives a change start command, it determines a pseudo-special effect display pattern for displaying a series of pseudo-special effects from the start of change of the special effect pattern to the stop display based on the information included in the change start command, and controls the display of the pseudo-special effects on the effect pattern display device 6 according to the pseudo-special effect display pattern.

In this embodiment, the display control of such pseudo-special effects is performed by the pseudo-special effect control process shown in FIG. 20. This pseudo-special effect control process is a process that is periodically executed (for example, a timer interrupt process with a 2 ms cycle) by the sub-integrated control device 83.

As shown in FIG. 20, the pseudo special effect control process determines in S1000 whether or not a start winning command has been received from the main control device 80. If the determination is affirmative (S1000: Yes), the process proceeds to S1005, and if the determination is negative (S1000: No), the process proceeds to S1015.

In S1005, a reserved mode update process is executed, and the process proceeds to S1015. In this reserved mode update process, a display command for displaying new reserved patterns 111, 112 in addition to the reserved patterns displayed in the first reserved pattern display area 131 or the second reserved pattern display area 132 described above is sent to the performance pattern control device 82.

In S1015, it is determined whether or not a fluctuation start command has been received from the main control device 80. If the determination is affirmative (S1015: Yes), the process proceeds to S1020, and if the determination is negative (S1015: No), the pseudo special performance control process is terminated.

In S1020, a process is performed to determine the pseudo-special effect display pattern. In this process, the information on the hit/miss judgment result, the information on the reach, the information on the change pattern, and the information on the change time, etc., included in the change start command are confirmed, and according to each of these pieces of information, a series of change modes from the start of the change of the special effect pattern to the end of the change and the mode of stopping and displaying the special effect pattern are determined, and in the case of a reach, the performance mode of the reach performance is also determined. In addition, the sub-integrated control device 83 is equipped with a ceiling number of times performance counter that counts the same value as the ceiling number of times counter of the main control device 80, and in S1020, by referring to the value of the ceiling number of times performance counter, it is determined whether the ceiling transition condition is satisfied, and if it is determined that the ceiling transition condition is satisfied, a pseudo-special effect display pattern including the ceiling reaching performance is selected. In addition, when selecting a pseudo-special effect display pattern including a ceiling reach effect, the current game state is referenced, and in the normal game state, a pseudo-special effect display pattern in which the ceiling reach effect starts when the fluctuation time of the special effect symbols 101a to 101c is 2.5 seconds remaining is selected, and in the first time-saving game state, a pseudo-special effect display pattern in which the ceiling reach effect starts when the fluctuation of the special effect symbols 101a to 101c starts is selected. In this embodiment, the value of the ceiling count effect counter is referenced to determine whether or not to execute the ceiling reach effect, but when the ceiling transition condition is satisfied, a signal notifying the satisfaction of the ceiling transition condition may be sent from the main control device 80 to the sub-integrated control device 83, and the sub-integrated control device 83 may determine whether or not to execute the ceiling reach effect based on the signal.

The pseudo-special effect display pattern is thus formed by a combination of the change and stop modes of the special effect symbols determined in S1020, the display mode of the reach effect, and the presence or absence of the ceiling reach effect. In other words, whether or not the ceiling reach effect can be executed and the start timing are determined as part of the pseudo-special effect display pattern in S1020.

In the next S1025, a pseudo-special effect display process is executed. In this pseudo-special effect display process, a display command including information on the pseudo-special effect display pattern determined in the process of S1020 is sent to the effect pattern control device 82. By sending this display command, the sub-integrated control device 83 controls the display of a pseudo-special effect according to the pseudo-special effect display pattern on the effect pattern display device 6 via the effect pattern control device 82.
When the effect symbol control device 82 receives the display command from the sub-integrated control device 83, it generates video data for displaying the pseudo-special effect display pattern according to the information of the pseudo-special effect display pattern included in the display command. That is, the effect symbol control device 82 has a large number of data used for generating the video data stored in advance, and selects a plurality of data necessary for configuring the pseudo-special effect display pattern based on the display command from the large number of data, and generates the video data by combining the selected plurality of data. Then, it drives and controls the effect symbol display device 6 to play back the video data, thereby displaying the pseudo-special effect according to the pseudo-special effect display pattern determined in the pseudo-special effect display pattern determination process (S1005) on the effect display screen 6a.

In S1030, which follows S1025, a reserved mode update process is executed, and the pseudo special effect control process is terminated. In this reserved mode update process, a reserved pattern display pattern is generated that removes the reserved patterns 111, 112 corresponding to the reserved memory to be consumed from the first reserved pattern display area 131 or the second reserved pattern display area 132, and a display command including information on the reserved pattern display pattern is sent to the effect pattern control device 82.

[Features of the embodiment]
As described above, in this embodiment, in the pseudo-special presentation when the ceiling number of times is reached, the ceiling reaching presentation starts at different start times depending on the game status, so that the diversity of the ceiling reaching presentation can be increased compared to the conventional configuration, thereby improving the interest of the game.
In particular, in this embodiment, since the average fluctuation time of the special pattern differs between the normal game state and the first time-saving game state, there is an advantage in that an interesting ceiling reaching presentation can be executed by starting the ceiling reaching presentation at a start timing that matches the average fluctuation time in each game state.
In addition, in this embodiment, although the start timing of the ceiling reach effect differs between the normal game state and the first time-saving game state, the ceiling reach effect is executed with the same content in either game state, so there is an advantage that the player can easily understand that the ceiling number has been reached by the ceiling reach effect. Also, with this configuration, it becomes unnecessary to hold data on the content of the ceiling reach effect for each game state, so the burden of the control process can be reduced.
In this embodiment, when the ceiling number of times is reached in the first time-saving game state, the ceiling reach effect is started when the special symbol starts to change, and when the ceiling number of times is reached in the normal game state, the ceiling reach effect is started when the remaining time for the special symbol to change becomes a predetermined time (2.5 seconds). With this configuration, it is possible to provide a relatively large difference in the start timing of the ceiling reach effect between the normal game state and the first time-saving game state, thereby improving the diversity of the ceiling reach effect.
In particular, in this embodiment, in a time-saving game state where the average fluctuation time and the shortest fluctuation time are relatively short, the start timing of the ceiling reach effect is set to the start of the fluctuation of the special symbol, and in a normal game state where the average fluctuation time and the shortest fluctuation time are relatively long, the start timing of the ceiling reach effect is set to the time when the remaining fluctuation time of the special symbol becomes a predetermined time. According to this configuration, in a normal game state where the average fluctuation time is relatively long, there is a time surplus between the start of the fluctuation of the special symbol and the start of the ceiling reach effect, so that it is possible to liven up the ceiling reach effect by executing an effect that hints at the ceiling count being reached before the start of the ceiling reach effect.

[Correspondence to claims]
The correspondence between the terms used in the above embodiments and the terms described in the claims will be explained below.
The pachinko machine 1 corresponds to an example of a gaming machine according to the present invention.
The first starting port 11 and the second starting port 12 correspond to an example of a starting port according to the present invention.
The first special symbol and the second special symbol correspond to examples of special symbols according to the present invention.
The first special pattern display device 9 and the second special pattern display device 10 correspond to an example of a special pattern display device according to the present invention.
S110 and S130 of the initial winning process correspond to an example of the random number extraction means according to the present invention.
S165 to S200, S220, S300, and S320 of the special drawing correct/incorrect determination process correspond to an example of the correct/incorrect determination means according to the present invention.
The steps S205 to S215, S225 to S250, S305 to S315, and S325 to S365 of the special symbol win/loss determination process correspond to an example of the special symbol control means according to the present invention.
The big win game processing S500 to S610 corresponds to an example of the special game control means according to the present invention.
The ceiling count counter, the ceiling count performance counter, and S370, S445 of the special drawing win/loss determination process correspond to an example of a fluctuation counting means according to the present invention.
The process of S370 to S495 for determining whether or not the special symbol has been won, and the process of S615 to S645 for the jackpot game process correspond to an example of the game state control means according to the present invention.
The temporary short gaming state corresponds to an example of a first gaming state according to the present invention.
The second time-saving gaming state corresponds to an example of a second gaming state according to the present invention.
The pseudo special effect control process steps S1015 to S1025 correspond to an example of the arrival effect execution means according to the present invention.

[Modification]
The following describes a modified example in which the configuration of the ceiling reaching effect is changed from the above embodiment. Note that, in the following, the same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

Figure 21 shows the content of the second entry effect in this modified example. Whereas the ceiling reach effect in the above embodiment displays an image of a specific character 118 (Tatsukichi the Bear) and a bubble 119 on the effect display screen 6a (see Figure 16 (B)), the ceiling reach effect in this modified example displays only an image of the bubble 119 next to the game state indication character 116. Also, whereas in the above embodiment the ceiling reach effect has the same content in the normal game state and the first time-saving game state, in this modified example the content of the ceiling reach effect differs between the normal game state and the first time-saving game state.

Specifically, in the ceiling reaching effect in the normal game state, as shown in FIG. 21(A), the image of the bubble 119 is displayed for 9 seconds. Then, for 3 seconds from the start, the message "Something coming?" is displayed in the bubble 119, followed by the message "Maybe?" for 2 seconds. After that, the message "You've come a long way" is displayed for 2 seconds, and finally the message "Great work!!" is displayed for 2 seconds. On the other hand, in the ceiling reaching effect in the first time-saving game state, as shown in FIG. 21(B), the bubble 119 is displayed for 1 second, and the message "The time has come!!" is displayed in the bubble 119 for 1 second. The execution time (9 seconds) of the ceiling reaching effect in the normal game state is set within the execution time of one pseudo special effect, within a range not exceeding the sum of the shortest change time (8 seconds) and the stop display time (1 second) of the special pattern in the normal game state. Similarly, the execution time (1 second) of the ceiling reaching effect in the first time-saving game state is set within the execution time of one pseudo special effect, within a range that does not exceed the sum of the shortest change time (2.5 seconds) and the stop display time (1 second) of the special symbol in the first time-saving game state.

In addition, in this modified example, in the normal game state, the ceiling reach effect starts at the same time as the pseudo special effect starts, whereas in the first time-saving game state, the ceiling reach effect starts 1.5 seconds before the pseudo special effect ends, i.e., when there is 0.5 seconds left of the fluctuation time of the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a to 101c.

The timing of the execution of the ceiling reach effect will be explained in detail using a specific example. Figure 22 (A) is a timing chart of a specific example in which the ceiling reach effect is executed during normal game play, and Figures 23 (A) to 23 (F) show the display contents of the effect display screen 6a in that specific example. In this example, during the period T1 to T2 in Figure 22 (A), the stop display of the previous pseudo special effect is executed (see Figure 23 (A)). Next, at the time point T2, the pseudo special effect of the ceiling number (ceiling number counter = 900) is started, and the special effect patterns 101a to 101c change (see Figure 23 (B)). As shown in Fig. 23(B) → 23(C) → 23(D) → 23(E), during the period T2 to T3, the special effect symbols 101a to 101c stop one by one, and at the time T3, all the special effect symbols 101a to 101c stop, and the stopped display begins (see Fig. 23(E)). Then, at the time T4, when the stopped display ends, the second time-saving game state begins, the game state display unit 115 and the game state suggestion character 116 switch to displaying the second time-saving game state, and the 901st pseudo-special effect begins (see Fig. 23(F)).

Here, as shown in FIG. 22(A), in the 900th pseudo special effect, the ceiling reach effect starts at the time T2 when the 900th pseudo special effect starts and the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a to 101c start to change (see FIG. 23(B)). In this example, the change time of the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a to 101c is 8 seconds, while the ceiling reach effect continues for 9 seconds, so the ceiling reach effect is executed until the time T4 when the 1-second stop display ends (see FIG. 23(E)). Note that in the normal game state, the change time of the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a to 101c changes within a range of 8 to 60 seconds (8 seconds in the example of FIG. 22(A)), but the ceiling reach effect starts at the timing when the pseudo special effect starts, regardless of the length of the change time of the special effect symbols 101a to 101c.

Figure 22 (B) is a timing chart of a specific example in which the ceiling reaching effect is executed during the first time-saving game state, and Figures 24 (A) to 24 (F) show the display contents of the effect display screen 6a in the specific example. In this example, during the period T1 to T2 in Figure 22 (B), the stop display of the previous pseudo special effect is executed (see Figure 24 (A)). Then, at the time of T2, the pseudo special effect of the ceiling number (ceiling number counter = 900) is started, and the special effect symbols 101a to 101c change (see Figure 24 (B)). Then, as shown in Figures 24 (B) → 24 (C) → 24 (D) → 24 (E), during the period T2 to T4, the special effect symbols 101a to 101c stop one by one, and at the time of T4, all the special effect symbols 101a to 101c stop, and the stop display starts (see Figure 24 (E)). Then, at time T6, when the stop display ends, the second time-saving game state begins, the game state display unit 115 and game state suggestion character 116 switch to displaying the second time-saving game state, and the 901st pseudo-special performance begins (see FIG. 24 (F)).

As shown in FIG. 22(B), in the 900th pseudo special effect, the ceiling reach effect starts 1.5 seconds before the pseudo special effect ends, that is, at T3 when the time for the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a to 101c to fluctuate is 0.5 seconds remaining (see FIG. 24(D)). Since the ceiling reach effect continues for 1 second, the ceiling reach effect is executed until T5 during the stopped display of the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a to 101c (see FIG. 24(E)). As described above, in the first time-saving game state, the time for the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a to 101c to fluctuate in the range of 2.5 to 30 seconds (2.5 seconds in the example of FIG. 22(B)), but the ceiling reach effect starts 1.5 seconds before the end of the pseudo special effect regardless of the length of the time for the special symbols and special effect symbols 101a to 101c to fluctuate.

[Features of the modified example]
As described above, in this modified example, in the pseudo special presentation when the ceiling number of times is reached, the ceiling reach presentation starts at different start timings depending on two types of game states which have different average fluctuation times and shortest fluctuation times of the special symbols, so that the diversity of the ceiling reach presentation can be increased compared to the conventional configuration, thereby improving the enjoyment of the game.
In addition, in this modified example, the length of time for which the ceiling reach effect is executed is varied depending on the game state when the ceiling number of times is reached. Therefore, by lengthening the execution time of the ceiling reach effect in the normal game state where the average fluctuation time and the shortest fluctuation time of the special patterns are relatively long, it is possible to execute an interesting ceiling reach effect.
In addition, in this modified example, in the normal game state where the average fluctuation time and the shortest fluctuation time are relatively long, the start timing of the ceiling reach effect is set to the start of the fluctuation of the special symbol, and in the time-saving game state where the average fluctuation time and the shortest fluctuation time are relatively short, the start timing of the ceiling reach effect is set to the time when the remaining fluctuation time of the special symbol becomes a predetermined time. According to this configuration, in the normal game state where the average fluctuation time and the shortest fluctuation time are relatively long, it is possible to extend the execution time of the ceiling reach effect as much as possible, so that it is possible to improve the diversity of the ceiling reach effect and execute a spectacular ceiling reach effect.

[Other Modifications]
Other modifications of the above embodiment will now be described.

(1) About the game state The pachinko machine of the above embodiment has a probability variable game state, but the present invention can be applied to a pachinko machine that does not have a probability variable game state. In addition, the above embodiment has two types of time-saving game states (first time-saving game state and second time-saving game state) with different starting conditions, but a third time-saving game state (so-called "A time-saving") that is executed for a certain period after the end of a big win game may be provided.

In the above embodiment, the first time-saving game state and the second time-saving game state correspond to the first game state and the second game state of the present invention, respectively. Although the first time-saving game state and the second time-saving game state have different start conditions and end conditions, they are common in that they have a common time-saving function and an open extension function, but the first game state and the second game state of the present invention do not have to have a common time-saving function or an open extension function.

In the above embodiment, the first time-saving game state in which the average change time or the shortest change time of the special symbols is shorter than the normal game state corresponds to the first game state according to the present invention, but the first game state according to the present invention also includes a game state in which the average change time or the shortest change time of the special symbols is longer than the normal game state.

(2) Regarding special designs:
The pachinko machine in the above embodiment has two types of special symbols (first special symbol and second special symbol), but the present invention can also be applied to a pachinko machine with one type of special symbol. In the above embodiment, both the first special symbol and the second special symbol correspond to the special symbol of the present invention, but only one of the special symbols may be configured to correspond to the special symbol of the present invention.

(3) About the ceiling reaching effect The ceiling reaching effect in the above embodiment is an image effect executed on the effect display screen 6a of the effect pattern display device 6, but the ceiling reaching effect according to the present invention can be an effect using a speaker or a lamp instead of or in addition to the image effect. In the above embodiment, the content of the ceiling reaching effect is one type that is common to the normal game state and the first game state, but multiple types of effect content common to the normal game state and the first game state may be provided. In addition, the ceiling reaching effect in the modified example shown in FIG. 21 is provided for each game state, but multiple types of ceiling reaching effects with different effect content may be provided for each game state.

In the above embodiment, the configuration is such that the ceiling reach effect is always executed when the ceiling number of times is reached, but the present invention is not limited to always executing the ceiling reach effect when the ceiling number of times is reached. For example, in the pseudo-special effect at the ceiling number of times, if an effect with a high expectation of a jackpot, such as a reach effect, is executed, it is proposed not to execute the ceiling reach effect. This is because executing the ceiling reach effect would make it clear that the pseudo-special effect will not result in a jackpot.

The start timing of the ceiling reach effect according to the present invention is not limited to the timing of the above embodiment and can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the normal game state, the ceiling reach effect may be started 3 seconds after the start of the pseudo special effect, and in the first time-saving game state, the ceiling reach effect may be started 1 second after the start of the pseudo special effect. Also, in the normal game state, the ceiling reach effect may be started 5 seconds after the end of the pseudo special effect, and in the first time-saving game state, the ceiling reach effect may be started 2 seconds after the start of the pseudo special effect. Also, in the above embodiment, the ceiling reach effect is started during the fluctuation of the special pattern in either game state, but the start timing of the ceiling reach effect according to the present invention may include the stop display of the special pattern. Also, in the above embodiment, the start timing of the ceiling reach effect is uniform for each game state, but multiple types of start timings may be provided for one or both game states. For example, in the normal game state, the ceiling reach effect may be configured to start when the fluctuation time of the special pattern is 2.5 seconds or 5 seconds remaining, and when the ceiling number is reached, one of the start timings may be determined by lottery.

(4) Combination with ceiling suggestion effect In the above embodiment, in the pseudo special effect when the ceiling number is reached, only the ceiling reach effect that notifies the reaching of the ceiling number is executed, but a configuration is also proposed in which a ceiling suggestion effect that suggests the reaching of the ceiling number is executed before the start of the ceiling reach effect in the pseudo special effect. That is, the ceiling suggestion effect is an effect that can be executed both when the ceiling number is reached and when the ceiling number is not reached, and although the player can know that the ceiling number is likely to be reached, it is an effect that cannot be sure that the ceiling number has been reached. For example, in the above embodiment, when the ceiling reach effect is executed in the normal game state, a period in which other effects can be executed is provided from the start of the variation of the special effect pattern to the start of the ceiling reach effect (T2 to T3 in FIG. 17(A)), so if the ceiling suggestion effect is executed during this period and is connected to the ceiling reach effect, it is possible to further increase the interest of the game.

1. Pachinko machines (amusement machines)
6: Performance symbol display device 6a: Performance display screen 9: First special symbol display device 10: Second special symbol display device 11: First start port 12: Second start port 14b: Big prize port 101a to 101c: Special performance symbol 115: Game status display section 116: Game status suggesting character 118: Specific character 119: Balloon

Claims (1)

A starting port into which a game ball flowing down the game area can enter;
A special symbol display device that variably displays special symbols;
A random number extraction means for extracting a random number due to a game ball entering the starting hole;
A winning/losing determination means for determining winning/losing based on the random number extracted by the random number extraction means;
A special symbol control means for changing the special symbol on the special symbol display device when a predetermined change condition is satisfied, and for stopping and displaying the special symbol in a pattern form that indicates the result of the hit/miss judgment by the hit/miss judgment means after a predetermined change time has elapsed;
A special game control means for executing a big win game by opening a big win opening;
a game state control means for controlling a game state into a normal game state, a first game state and a second game state in which a ball can be easily inserted into the starting hole as compared with the normal game state, and the big win game;
A variation counting means is provided for counting the number of variations of the special pattern in the special pattern display device, and clearing the counted number of variations at least when the result of the win/loss determination means is a big win;
The game state control means includes:
When the result of the hit/miss determination by the hit/miss determination means is a hit, control is made to the hit game after the special symbol is stopped and displayed;
When the count number of the fluctuation counting means reaches a predetermined ceiling number at least in the normal gaming state and the first gaming state, the game state is controlled to the second gaming state;
A reaching effect execution means is provided for executing a reaching effect for notifying the reaching of the ceiling number of times when the count number of the fluctuation counting means reaches the ceiling number of times;
The game machine is characterized in that the reach effect execution means changes the start timing of the ceiling reach effect depending on the game state when the ceiling number of times is reached .

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