JPH02232086A - Slot machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify a constitution for the control of a miss by operating a reel stop control means with identifying a pattern while a reel is finally rotated when the display of the pattern to constitute the win of a prize by the other reel is confirmed stopping and displaying a pattern, which does not constitute the win of the prize, on the final reel by being coupled with the pattern displayed on the other reel. CONSTITUTION:When there is no hit request and the first and second reels are respectively stopped by code numbers 17 and 19, the stop operation of the third reel is executed between the code numbers 3 and 4 of the third reel and a check is executed during an interval to a code number 8 which is the deviation of a frame. When there is no deviation of the frame, a medium hit is obtained and therefore, the third reel is stopped by a code number 5, for example, for which one frame is deviated. Accordingly, when the hit request is not generated, the special stop control is not executed concerning the first and second reels but it is enough to execute the stop control only concerning the third reel.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a slot machine in which reel stop control is performed using a microcomputer. [Prior Art] A slot machine is equipped with a plurality of reels with symbols arranged around the outer periphery, and these reels are rotated all at once by a player inserting a medal and then operating a start lever. Then, when the rotation of the reels has completely stopped, the presence or absence of winnings is displayed based on the combination of symbols appearing in the display window.

When a prize is won, the number of medals depending on the type of prize is paid out. The probability of winning in such a slot machine can be calculated based on the number of reels and how many winning symbols are arranged on each reel. The ratio with the number of inserted medals) can also be determined.

However, with a system that stops the rotation of the reels when a player operates a stop button provided on each reel, it seems that skilled players can win at a higher rate than the calculated probability of winning. become. In order to maintain a constant payout rate for such players, for example, even if the number of arranged symbols that make up winnings is reduced for each reel, as the player becomes more skilled, it is possible to maintain a fixed payout rate. On the other hand, it may become difficult for inexperienced players to win prizes, and they may lose their desire to play the game. Against this background, random numbers are sampled for each game, the combination of symbols is determined according to the sampled random numbers, and the stopping position of each reel is determined in advance so that the determined combination of symbols is obtained. A slot machine in which the reels are stopped at the stop position is being considered. According to such a control system, it becomes possible to maintain a constant payout rate regardless of the player's skill.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, when such a reel stop control method is adopted, the number of random numbers that correspond to a win is relatively small in consideration of the probability of winning, and therefore each random number is It is relatively easy to associate the stop positions of the reels with each other, but since the number of random numbers that correspond to a loss is enormous, it is necessary to associate the combination of symbols that result in a loss and the stop position of each reel with each of these. Things become extremely complicated. In order to store these data, a large-capacity memory is required, which creates a large burden not only in terms of cost but also in terms of reel stop control processing.

Furthermore, the reel stop signal for starting reel stop control is generated when the player presses the stop button in slot machines equipped with a stop button, and is obtained from a random timer etc. in automatic stop type machines. If the reel stop position is determined in advance as described above, the timing at which the reel stop signal is generated and the timing at which the reels actually stop tend to deviate from each other, which tends to be a cause of distrust among players.

The above problem is also common to video-type slot machines that display images of the reels on a cathode ray tube. [Purpose of the Invention] The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and by determining whether or not there will be a win based on sampled random numbers, it is possible to maintain a constant payout rate while preventing losses. An object of the present invention is to provide a slot machine with a simplified control configuration.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention includes: a winning determining means that determines the type of winning in response to a sampled random number; a reel stop control means that controls the rotating reels to stop after a reel stop signal is generated; When the no/discrepancy has been determined by the entered prize determining means, before stopping the last reel of the plurality of reels, stopping symbol confirmation means confirms the combination of symbols on other already stopped reels. and when the stop symbol confirmation means confirms that the other reel is displaying a symbol that can constitute a winning prize, the stop symbol confirming means stops the reel while identifying the symbol while the last reel is rotating. The stop control means is operated to stop and display on the last reel a symbol that does not constitute a winning combination in combination with symbols displayed on the other reels.

[Effect]

The prize determining means determines whether to win or lose the game in accordance with the sampled random numbers. When a winning prize is determined, the reel stop control means performs reel stop control so that each reel displays a symbol constituting the winning prize and stops. On the other hand, if a loss is determined by the winning determination means, when controlling the reels to be stopped last, it is checked whether the reels that have already been stopped are displaying symbols that can constitute a winning. However, if a symbol that can constitute a winning prize is displayed, stop control is performed while sequentially monitoring the symbols on the spinning reels, and the symbol that does not result in a prize even if combined with the symbol on the stopped reel is displayed as the last symbol. Stop and display on the reels.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail according to the drawings.

[Example] In FIG. 1 showing a slot machine using the present invention,
A door panel 20, which is opened for maintenance and inspection, is attached to the front surface of the main body 10 so as to be openable and closable via a hinge 12. The door panel 20 is provided with three windows 2l, through which the three reels rotating within the zero body 10 can be observed. Reference numeral 23 denotes a medal slot into which the player inserts medals prior to the start of the game. When the player inserts 1 to 3 medals and operates the start lever 26, the three reels rotate simultaneously within the main body 10, and when the stop operation is activated after a certain period of time, the reels stop. The lamp 27 lights up to indicate that the operation of the stop button 25 has been validated.

After the stop lamp 27 is turned on, when the stop button 25 provided for each reel is pressed, the corresponding reel is stopped. And as a result of stopping all reels, window 21
When the combination of symbol marks observed from the above corresponds to winning, a predetermined number of medals will be digitally displayed on the display unit 22 according to the winning, and that number of medals will be delivered from the medal payout port 30 to the receiving tray. It is discharged at 31.

In FIG. 2, which shows in detail the window 21 for observing the reels, three symbol marks S of each reel can be observed from each window 21A to 21C. Five winning determination lines 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B are provided around these windows 21A to 21C. When the number of medals inserted before the start of the game is one, only winning determination line 1 is activated, and when two medals are inserted, winning determination lines 2A and 2B are added, and when three medals are inserted, winning determination line 1 is activated. Line 3A, 3B
will also be added. Note that the symbol L indicates a lamp, which indicates which winning determination line is activated.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the process of determining the winning determination line, in which the medals inserted from the medal slot 23 are detected one by one by a photo sensor or microswitch, and each time the number of activated medals on the winning determination line increases. . of course,
Since the activated prize-winning determination line is referred to when determining the prize, data indicating which prize-winning determination line is activated is input to the microcombi store.

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the basic game processing after the winning decision line is determined. Start lever 2
The three reels are rotated by the operation 6, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the stop lamp 27 is turned on waiting for a hit request setting process to be described later. Judgment process PI, . P2. P3 indicates a process of determining whether or not the stop button 25 has been pressed for the three rotating reels. Note that the order in which the stop buttons 25 are operated is arbitrary, and when it is confirmed in the judgment process P4 that all the reels have stopped, the winning judgment process shown in FIG.
The payout process for dividend medals is performed. In order to detect the symbol marks on the reels as electrical signals when determining winnings, the reels must be provided with a signal section for each symbol mark and this signal section must be read by a photo sensor, or if the reels are driven by a pulse mode, the reels must be A signal section is provided at one location on the reel so that a reset pulse is obtained every time it rotates, and the determination is made based on the number of drive pulses supplied until the pulse motor stops after the reset pulse is obtained. be able to. In addition, to determine the winnings, the symbol marks on each reel are detected as the electrical code signals as described above, and the combination of these symbol marks is compared with the ROM described later.

If a prize has been won, the request l-M calculation process is performed, and then the hopper motor is driven to pay out the payout medals. The payout medals are counted, for example, by a medal counter provided within the payout route, and when the counted value reaches a predetermined number, the payout ends and one game is completed. Figure 6 shows an outline of the microcomputer used in the slot machine of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the broken line block A is the main CPU 50, ROM 51, RAM 5.
The ROM 51, which is the main control unit including 2, contains the above-mentioned correspondence table between symbol marks and symbol mark codes, symbol mark codes corresponding to winnings, the number of medals to be paid out, and information on whether or not to win a prize for the executed game. It stores an entry probability table, etc. that generates a hit request according to the rank of the winning prize when it is decided and awarded. In addition, the RAM 52 includes a memory for temporarily storing random values sampled after the start of the game, a memory for storing hit requests, or data such as code numbers and symbol numbers detected by rotating reel colors as described later. Contains memory for temporarily storing information.

In the figure, reference numeral 53 indicates a clock pulse generator that generates a 4 MHz clock pulse for driving the main CPU 50, for example. Further, the frequency divider 55 outputs a pulse having a frequency of 500 Hz used for interrupt processing and the like. Reference numeral 55 designates a sound generation unit that generates sounds to enliven the game, and the sound signals are produced by a speaker 56. Reference numeral 58 indicates the display section 22 (first
A light emitting diode for a 7-segment digital display used in FIG.

The broken line section B indicates the reel drive monitoring block. In this slot machine, each reel Rl, R2, R3 is operated by a pulse motor Ml, M2. Driven by M3. The motor drive section 60 supplies drive pulses to the pulse motors M1, M2, and M3. A reset signal section is provided at a predetermined position of each reel R1 to R3, and its passage is photoelectrically detected every rotation, and a reset pulse for each reel is input to the main CPU 50 from the position detection input boat 6l. Therefore, the symbol mark of each reel can be specified based on how many drive pulses are supplied until the pulse mode stops after the reset pulse is obtained. Block C is a stop operation block, with stop buttons STl-ST3 provided for each reel,
It includes a reel stop input boat 65 that inputs these pressing operations as electrical signals to the main CPUSO.
Further, reference numerals 70 and 71 indicate a hopper and a hopper motor drive unit for paying out dividend medals, respectively. Reference numeral 72 is a medal detection unit that detects medals inserted by the player, and the number of inserted medals detected here is determined by the switch input unit 7.
5 to the main CPU 50, and the sheet count data is stored in a counter. In addition, this number of sheets data drives the lamp that displays the winning determination line. Furthermore, when the number of inserted medals reaches three, a lock solenoid that prohibits medal insertion is activated. Other switch operation units 78 include a switch that is operated when the player wants to cancel the game after inserting medals. Next, the generation of hit requests, which is a feature of the present invention, will be explained in detail. A hit request is generated as a result of comparing a random number sampled at the start of the game with a group of numbers stored in a winning table on the ROM that should award a prize.
Figure 7 is a flowchart of random value updating. That is, when the main power switch of the slot machine is turned on and the game is ready to start, this process is executed by a timer interrupt every 2 msec obtained via the frequency divider 54, but the random value is updated at 4 ms. This is done every 8 msec. When random numbers are generated in FIG. 7, they are sequentially registered in a 2-byte random number RAM 80, as schematically shown in FIG. The random number RAM 80 has a total of 2 bytes, consisting of 1 byte memory for RAND 1 and 1 byte memory for RAND 2. If the area used is, for example, 15 bits with diagonal lines, the decimal numbers 0 to 32764 can be stored. You will get a range of random values. Note that the usage area of the random number RAM 80 can be appropriately selected depending on the winning probability setting.

As shown in the flowchart in Figure 7, the random number is 8m.
It is updated every s e c, and the processing of ``r+l'', r-4-3, or r+4'' in the update process is
Since the prime number r7 6 9 in lO base is added to the previous random number, the random number will not be updated to the same number. Note that once the random number value within a certain range is reached, the above-mentioned process is continued again. The update width when updating the random value is r-1- in the processing flow of Fig. 7.
1,, r+3" or "+4" prime number r769
, but is not necessarily limited to this number; in principle, any prime number is sufficient.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing of sampling generated and updated random numbers and checking hit requests. This flowchart corresponds to the "hit request" process in the middle of the flowchart shown in FIG. (preferably, the random number has been reached), and the random number set in the random number RAM 80 at that point is determined as the random number for the game. The random value determined in this way is the 9th
According to the flowchart in the figure, the winning probability table (described later) is checked, and if the number corresponds to a large hit, a large hit request signal is generated, if the value corresponds to a medium hit, a medium hit request signal is generated, and so on. Judgment processing up to the hit is performed, and it is checked whether any hit request signal has been generated or whether there is no hit request. Furthermore, the process of "winning table selection" means that the number of winning determination lines changes depending on how many medals are inserted before the game starts, so the winning table corresponding to this is selected. are doing.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram of the winning probability table.

Bl-B3, Ml-M3, S1-S3 in the table are
Each is a preset value and is stored in a 2-byte memory area as shown in FIG. 8, however, in ROM. Then, one of the lines is selected depending on the number of inserted medals (corresponding to "R winning table selection" in the flowchart of FIG. 9). Note that the above-mentioned numerical value is normally set to B<M<S. For example, if the random number generated by the process shown in FIG. The probability is rBl/N, the probability of a medium hit is rMl/NJ, and the probability of a small hit is Sl/N.
”. Therefore, the values of Bl, Ml, and 31 are rB1=l00J, rMl=500''. rst=to
When ooJ, the sampled random value is 1
If it is less than 00, a large hit request will be generated, if it is 100 or more and less than 600, a medium hit request will be generated, if it is 600 or more and less than 1600, a small hit request will be generated, and if it is 1600 or more, there will be no hint request. Thereby, the winning probability table has a function of determining the probability of winning for each rank.

In this way, a random value is sampled and compared with the winning probability table mentioned above, and if the value corresponds to winning, a hit request is obtained, but a request counter is used to keep the payout rate constant. . In other words, when the hit request mentioned above occurs, the request counter that counts each hit request becomes "+".
1'' and stored on RAM. Then, when a hit occurs, the request counter is decremented by "-1". Furthermore, if there is no hit, the request is saved as is, and a hit request is generated until the request counter finally reaches "0", so the payout rate is kept constant. This is processed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The large scale I have mentioned so far. Examples of medium and small hits include a large hit that allows you to play a bonus game after paying out 15 medals, a medium hit that pays out 10 to 15 medals, and a small hit that pays out 2 to 5 medals. Payout of dividend medals, etc. As a bonus game,
For example, each time a medal is inserted, the game is run on only one reel, and if a certain symbol appears on that reel, 15 payout medals are paid out. You may be able to play several games.

A hit request is generated as described above, and next, the control to stop the rotation of the reels in response to the generation of this hit request will be described. First, as a reel drive method suitable for such a purpose, reel rotation drive using a pulse motor is desirable.

In other words, according to Barsmoyu, the reel rotates by a predetermined angle for each drive pulse sent.
For example, using a pulse motor that rotates by 1.8 degrees with one drive pulse (one rotation in 200 pulses),
If you set 21 symbols on one reel, you will get 200
/21=9.523... In other words, one symbol mark is rotated by 9 to 10 drive pulses.

As mentioned above, a photoelectrically detectable reset signal section is provided at one location on the periphery of the reel, and a code number is sequentially numbered from 0 to 20 in accordance with the arrangement in the reel rotation direction from the symbol mark at this reset position.
If the symbol number corresponding to the symbol mark is stored in the ROM, the code number is calculated by counting the number of drive pulses sent to the morke after the main control unit obtains the reset pulse, and the code number and the code number described above are calculated. By referring to the ROM in which the symbol number is stored, the type of symbol mark appearing on the window can be identified. Of course, if the reset position detection sensor provided on the reel that detects the reset signal section is shifted from the window position, the number of drive pulses is adjusted by the amount of shift.

According to such a configuration, the moment the reel stop button is pressed, the number of drive pulses sent after the reset pulse is generated is monitored, and the number of drive pulses is determined by referring to the symbol number ROM described above. You can identify what the symbol mark that appears on the window is at the moment. Therefore, if it is sufficient to stop the reels from when the stop button is pressed until the reels make one revolution, by adjusting the number of drive pulses sent after that, any symbol mark can be It becomes possible to stop at a certain position.

However, in practice, if it takes too long for the reels to stop after pressing the stop button, it will give the player an unnatural feeling. Therefore, as explained below, the reels are stopped within a limited time after the stop button is pressed, and moreover, the reels are stopped with a combination of symbol marks that corresponds to the hit request as much as possible.

First, after the stop button is operated, the reels are stopped until the symbol mark moves by, for example, four positions. Then, it is checked what a total of five symbol marks are, from the reel position at the time the stop button was pressed to the four symbol marks following this. The symbol marks are checked in this way, and if the symbol mark required to obtain a combination of symbol marks that satisfies the hit request that has already been set up is within the range, the reels are stopped there. Note that, of course, such processing is performed for each file.

FIG. 12 conceptually shows an example of the code number and symbol code table described above, and FIG. 13 shows reel stop processing. The symbol mark itself in FIG. 12 is actually a simplified design figure, and symbol numbers are associated with each type of figure.

In addition, code numbers 1 to 8 of “O to 20” on each reel
The symbol number is actually stored in the ROM as a binary number, and it is sufficient to prepare 5 bits for the code number and 3 bits for the symbol number.

The flowchart in FIG. 13 is performed for each of the three reels, and is started by operating the start lever. The processing of Pi0 and Pll in FIG. 13 is as follows:
It detects the reset signal section provided on the reel, that is, the code number "0", and sequentially updates the code number as the reel rotates to clear the RAM.
At P12 and P13, a new code number is set up in the RAM after confirming whether or not the drive pulses necessary for moving one symbol have been sent to the motor.

In addition, in the stop control process of P14, it is determined whether or not the symbol mark for winning a prize corresponding to the hit request that has already been obtained exists within the range of the four symbol marks mentioned above when the stop button is operated. A judgment is made based on the code number, and if there are any, it is calculated how many more drive pulses should be sent to the motor. Then, through the process of P15, the motor is stopped after counting the calculated drive pulses, and P1
The code number and symbol number will be referenced in step 6. Of course, these processes are performed for each reel.

FIG. 14 shows the state of the RAM area where data is rewritten every time the process of P13 in FIG. 13 is performed. The RAMI in FIG. 14 is a RAM that is rewritten in the process of P13, and for example, at a certain point in time, the code number of each reel that appears on the central winning determination line I (FIG. 2) is set. When the symbol numbers of each reel are set in this way, the R
The symbol code of each reel appearing in the window is uniquely determined by referring to the OM, and this result is stored in RAM2 in FIG.
is set to . Once the data in RAM2 is determined in this way, each winning determination line 1.2A, 2B, 3 in FIG.
The arrangement of each symbol mark on A and 3B is determined, and this is stored in the RAM 13 as shown.

The combination of symbol codes on each winning determination line is referred to the winning symbol table in which winning symbol code combinations, the corresponding number of payout medals, and whether or not a bonus game has started are stored.

FIG. 15 conceptually shows an example of such a winning symbol table. Note that if the number of inserted medals is one, it goes without saying that only the winning determination line l needs to be verified. Assume that three medals have been inserted, and the symbol code combination '5 (E
) -5 (E) -5 (E) If J is a medium hit that yields 10 dividend medals, this is R as shown in the diagram.
It is set to AM4. Furthermore, area 4a in RAMd
A flag indicating whether or not a bonus game has occurred is set in area 4b, and the number of payout medals is set in area 4b. Furthermore, RAM 5 has a big hit area 5a.
．． A medium hit area 5b, a small hit area 5c, and a no-hit area 5d are prepared, and a flag is set in any of these areas in response to a hit request.

The reel stopping process when the number of medals inserted is three and the first reel, second reel, and third reel are stopped in order from the left in FIG. 2 will be described.

■ Processing of the 1st reel First, if a big hit request is generated, according to the flowchart in Fig. 16, based on the data in area Rl of RAMI at the time the stop button was operated (Fig. 14), The symbol mark is checked within a range of four symbol marks. If there is a symbol mark that constitutes a big hit in this range, determine the number of drive pulses to be supplied to the motor so that it appears on the window. In addition, in this flowchart, "out of 3 symbols". The meaning of "window position symbol number" is the three symbol marks and symbol numbers that appear on the window. This corresponds to the number of inserted medals being three and all winning determination lines being valid. do. Also, the three symbol numbers in the window position are Rl of RAMI in Figure 14.
It is determined from the area, that is, the symbol number on the winning determination line l. When a medium hit request is occurring, the 16th
In the flowchart in the figure, "big hit" is a medium hit.
The process is the same as that of , and when a small hit request occurs, the process is performed according to the flowchart of FIG. 17. During small hit processing, if there is a small hit within the range of four frames, it is processed so that it appears in the window position. Furthermore, if there is no hit request, the first
The first judgment in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is ``No small/medium hit for 3 symbols?'', which is checked within the range of 4 frame deviation, and if there is no small hint symbol, the process is stopped at that position. That is, processing is performed so that a symbol mark constituting a large hit or a medium hit appears at the window position.

Note that in the above-described processing, if the corresponding symbol cannot appear in the window position, the processing is performed without a hit request. This is especially likely to occur when a small hit request occurs. In other words, a small hint is generally achieved simply by the appearance of a specific symbol mark on the first reel, so there are often only 2 to 3 small hit symbols on the first reel, and conversely Large for 1 reel,
This means that the symbol marks that make up the medium hit are arranged in large numbers.

When the first reel is controlled to stop in this way, the symbol table in FIG. 12 is referred to, and the RAM2, R in FIG.
The symbol number is set in the R1 area of AM3.

■ Processing of the second reel As mentioned above, the second reel is performed after the first reel is stopped.
The reel stopping process is as follows.

First, if a big hit request is occurring, the 18th
Processing is performed according to the flowchart in the figure, and if the corresponding symbol arrangement is achieved, it is executed. In addition, when a medium hit request occurs, the first judgment in FIG. 18 is whether there is a sequence of medium hits? ", and when a small hit request occurs, the reels are stopped without any processing.

In this flowchart, the process of "creating a combination table for each winning line" is to create a symbol combination table for each winning determination line on the RAM, for example, as shown in FIG. 19. Now, if the 1st 17-le is the code number 15 (12th
If the stop operation of the second reel is performed at the position of code number 18 on the second reel, taking into consideration what has been explained in FIG. 14, the table in FIG. The symbol number for each line is determined as follows. That is, each line is created by referring to symbol codes that are shifted by four frames.

And the symbol number is 2 (B) −2 (B),
If 3 (C) -3 (C) is a combination element of a big hit symbol, then the sequence check "IJ" is stored, and if 6 (F) - 6 (F) is an element of a medium hit symbol, then a medium hit symbol is stored. and "rl" are stored. Therefore, in this case, if a medium hit request has occurred, 6 (F) - 6 (F) will be lined up on line 1, so the second reel will be stopped at this position.

When the second reel is stopped in this way, the symbol number of the second reel R2 is stored in each RAM shown in FIG. When the second reel stops, the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 20 is further performed. In the process of P20 in FIG. 20, each symbol number on the third reel stops at winning determination line 1 for the combination of symbol numbers determined by the first and second reels, which have already been stopped. The possibility of winning when combined is checked for each winning determination line, and the hits obtained as a result of that check are set up as hit flags for each rank according to the code number of the third reel. For example, this is equivalent to creating the table shown in FIG. This winning determination process is executed according to the flowchart of FIG. 22.

In addition, in the table of Figure 21, the first reel is code number 17.
In other words, it is assumed that the second reel has stopped at the code number 19, that is, the 6 (F) symbol.

This tl, if the third reel is stopped at which symbol mark, what kind of hit will occur is all checked.

(3) Third reel process After the second reel stop process is completed as described above, the third reel stop process is performed according to the flowchart of FIG. 23 if a big hit request has been generated. In this case, the determination of a hit is executed with reference to the winning classification table (FIG. 21) that has already been created after the second reel stops.

Furthermore, when a medium hit request is generated, the two hit judgment processing blocks in this flowchart are exchanged and performed. If a small hit request is generated, the 31st nol symbol can be any symbol, but depending on the number of medals inserted (2 or more), a big hit or a big hit from one of the multiple winning lines may occur. A medium hit may occur, so the third
17- It is necessary to check this within the range of 4 frame deviation in the frame stop processing, and even if there is no hit request, the 1st. It is also possible that the second 17th rule is a sequence of symbols that constitutes a large or medium hit, so it is necessary to check again.
The process will be performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

For example, if there is no hit request, the first and second 1J
- If the reel stops at code number 17.19 (see Figure 21), if the stop operation on the third reel is performed between code numbers 3 and 4 on the third reel, the frame will be shifted. Checks are performed up to code number 8.

And if there is no frame shift, it will be a medium hit, so the third
For example, the 17-rule will be stopped at code number 5, which is shifted by one frame. As mentioned above, the 21st
Since the prize classification table shown in the figure is applied not only to the prize determining line 1 but also to other prize determining lines, a winning will not occur on any of the winning determining lines.

Furthermore, if a symbol mark that alone constitutes a small hit is not used, a loss can be achieved just by controlling the stop of the third reel, which is finally stopped. Therefore, when no hit request occurs, the first
, No special stop control is performed for the second reel, and the third reel is
It is sufficient to perform the above-mentioned stop control only on the reel.

When the third reel stops in this way, the process according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 25 is executed. That is,
By stopping the third reel, the symbol marks of all the reels appearing in the window are determined, and each RAM area shown in FIG. 14 now has all the data. At this point, the winning determination process shown in FIG. 22 is executed again. If the result of this determination process is a win, the hit request obtained at the start of the game is subtracted, and the hopper motor for medal payment is turned on.

As can be seen from FIG. 22, according to the winning determination process after the third reel is stopped, in the case of winning, the number of paid medals is stored in the payout area (RAM4 in FIG. 14). Each time a medal is paid by the hopper, the number in the payout area is calculated by r1, and when it reaches "0", the hopper motor is turned off and one game ends.

The reel stopping process has been described above based on an example in which the reels are stopped sequentially starting from the first reel, but other cases can be dealt with in the same way by slightly changing the processing procedure. Further, although the reel processing has been described assuming a four-frame shift, it is possible that the symbol corresponding to the hit request does not exist within the four-frame shift range. (
Especially since there are few big hit symbols, it is quite possible. )
In such a case, the result is that the hit request is not satisfied, and the set probability of winning a prize decreases, and the effect is particularly large in the case of a big hit. In order to optimize this, if a hit request is generated but no prize is won, the hit request may be saved until the next game. It goes without saying that the probability of achieving a hit request will be improved if the 4-frame shift is further increased to enable checking and stop control up to, for example, 10 frames. 7.Furthermore, especially regarding the symbol arrangement of the third reel, if a non-hit symbol is always arranged within the range of 4 frame deviation, the payout rate will be stable according to the value of the winning probability table.

The basic constituent blocks of the slot machine described above are shown in a table as shown in FIG.

That is, first, a random number is sampled at an arbitrary point in time, such as the timing of operation of the start lever, and a hit request is generated by comparing the value of the sampled random number with a winning probability table. Then, each reel is controlled to stop so that a prize can be obtained according to this hint request, and by adding a limited condition such as the timing of the player's stop bokun hill to this reel control, randomness and the player's This means that it will be possible to mix these technologies. The payout rate can be kept constant at a considerable expected value by using the entered prize probability table, and can also be set arbitrarily. Therefore, by maintaining a certain set payout rate, most winning sequences can appear regardless of the level of the payout, and it is also possible to prevent the uneven characteristics of the slot machine itself from appearing.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As detailed above, according to the slot machine of the present invention, there is no need to associate each random number with the combination of symbols that result in a loss or the stop position of the reel in order to perform loss control. can be saved. Furthermore, in order to control losses, the last reel to be stopped is controlled after checking the symbols of the other reels that have been stopped up to that point, so there is no chance of winning by mistake, and even while the reel is spinning. Since all you have to do is stop the last reel at any losing position, you can stop the reel in a natural way without taking much time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external front view showing an example of the slot machine of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the reel window portion in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the valid winning line determination process. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the basic game flow of the slot machine of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the basic processing after the reels stop until the game is over. FIG. 6 is a system block diagram of an example of the slot machine of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of random value updating. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of a RAM area for storing skin values. Figure 9 is a flowchart of hit request check. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram of the winning probability table. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of request counter subtraction processing. The ml Z diagram is a conceptual diagram of a code number and symbol number table. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the basic processing of the reels. FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram of the RAM area that stores code numbers, symbol numbers, etc. Figure 15 is the winning synd? FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a table. FIGS. 16 and 17 are flowcharts of the first reel stop process, respectively. Figure 18 is a flowchart of the second reel stop process. FIG. 19 shows a prize comparison table created after the second reel stops. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the processing after the second reel is stopped. FIG. 21 is a hit flag occurrence table created by checking each code number of the third reel after the second reel stops. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing hit flag generation processing. FIGS. 23 and 24 are flowcharts of the 31st J-ru stop process, respectively. FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the processing after the third reel is stopped. FIG. 26 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of the slot machine of the present invention. 2l...Reel window 25...Stop button 26...Star 1 Lever S...Symbol controller...Lamp 1.2A, 2B, 3A, -3B 50...cpu , ・Winning line Figure 7 Figure 9 RAM 1 RAM RAM 5 RAM

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a slot machine that is equipped with multiple reels that are rotated by the operation of a start means, and that displays winnings or not based on the combination of symbols that appear on the display window when these reels stop, it corresponds to sampled random numbers. When a loss has been determined by the winning determining means that determines the type of winning by determining the type of winning, the reel stop control means that controls the rotating reels to stop after the reel stop signal is generated, and the entered prize determining means,
Before stopping the last reel of the plurality of reels, there is provided a stop symbol confirmation means for checking the combination of symbols on the other reels that have already been stopped, and the stop symbol confirmation means causes the other reels to be stopped. When it is confirmed that the symbol is displaying a symbol that can constitute a winning prize, the reel stop control means is operated while identifying the symbol during the rotation of the last reel, and the other reel is displayed. This slot machine is characterized in that symbols that do not constitute a winning combination with other symbols are stopped and displayed on the last reel.