JPH02232087A - Slot machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stop a reel under rotating in an arbitrary missed position by executing the stop control of the reel when the real is stopped so that patterns to constitute the win of a prize can not be coupled in order to execute the control of a miss. CONSTITUTION:A reel stop control means is operated even in a missed game, in which a hit request is not generated, and stops the specified reel so that the pattern to singly constitute the win of the prize can not be displayed in display windows 21A-21C. Then, the stop control of the reel is executed so to one of the other reels at least that the pattern not to constitute the win of the prize can be displayed when it is coupled with the pattern displayed by the specified reel. Namely, when the missed game is scheduled, concerning the specified reel in which the pattern to singly constitute the win of the prize is provided, the stop control is executed so that the pattern can not be displayed in the display window. Concerning the other reel, the stop control is executed so that the patterns not to constitute the win of the normal prize can be coupled.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a slot machine in which a microcomputer is used to control the stoppage of the tables.

[Conventional technology]

A slot machine is equipped with a plurality of reels with symbols arranged around the periphery, and these reels are rotated all at once by a player inserting a medal and then pressing a start lever. When the reels have stopped rotating, the combination of symbols appearing in the display window will indicate whether or not you have won a prize. In addition, as is known from slot machines that use fruit-shaped symbols, when the reel #1 located at the left end displays "cherry" and stops,
There are also other slot machines in which a prize is won no matter what kind of symbol is displayed on the second or third reel. When these prizes are won, the number of dividend 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 symbols constituting winnings are arranged on each reel. Since the number of payout medals is also determined in advance for each type of winning, the payout rate (ratio between the number of payout medals and the number of inserted medals) based on probability calculations can be determined based on these. 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 you reduce the number of symbols that make up winnings on each reel, if the player becomes more skilled, it will not be possible to maintain the expected payout rate.On the other hand, it will be difficult for inexperienced players to win, and It can also lead to a loss of motivation.

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 a stop position is being considered. According to such a control method, 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 winnings is relatively small in consideration of the probability of winning, so it is difficult to determine whether each of these random numbers wins It is relatively easy to associate the combinations of symbols that make up the game with the stop positions of each reel, but the number of random numbers that correspond to losses is enormous, so the combinations of symbols that result in losses and the stop positions of each reel are relatively easy to match. Correlating the stop positions of the reels is 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 are likely to deviate, which tends to be a cause of distrust among players. The above-mentioned problems are also common to video-type slot machines that project reel images 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. The purpose is to provide a slot machine with a simplified control configuration. [Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention determines the types of winnings, including losers, in accordance with sampled random numbers,
Hit request generating means for generating a hit request in the event of winning; and reel stop control means for controlling the reels to stop so as to satisfy the hit request while monitoring the rotation of the reels when the hit request is generated. Use. This reel stop control means also operates even in a losing game in which no hit request is generated, and stops a specific reel so that a symbol that alone constitutes a win is not displayed on the display window, and stops at least one of the other reels. Specifically, the reels are controlled to stop so as to display a symbol that cannot constitute a winning prize when combined with the symbol displayed by the specific reel.

[Effect]

In a slot machine configured as described above, the combination of symbols or the stopping position of each reel is not determined according to the sampled random numbers, but the type of winnings (including losses) are determined according to the random numbers. It can be decided. When a prize is won, a hit request is generated from the hit request generating means. When a hit request is generated, each reel is controlled to stop so that a symbol that satisfies the hit request is displayed. In addition, in a state where no hit request is generated, that is, when a losing game is scheduled, a specific reel with a symbol that constitutes a winning prize is controlled to stop so that the symbol does not stop in the display window.
The other reels are controlled to stop so that combinations of symbols that do not constitute normal winnings occur. 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,
On the front of the zero body 10, maintenance. A door panel 20 that is opened during inspection is attached to a hinge 12 so that it can be opened and closed. The door panel 20 is provided with three windows 2l, and each of the three reels rotating within the zero body 10 can be observed through the windows 21. 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 in unison within the zero body 10, and when a certain period of time has elapsed and the stop operation is activated, The stop lamp 27 lights up to indicate that the operation of the stop button 25 has been validated.

After the stop lamp 27 lights up, 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 to 3 liters.

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 2IC. 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.The medals inserted through 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 winning determination line is referenced when determining the prize, data on which winning determination line is activated is input to the microcomputer. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of basic game processing after the winning determination 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. Determination processes P1, P2, and P3 in the figure indicate processing for determining whether or not the stop button 25 has been pressed for the three rotating reels. The order in which the stop buttons 25 are operated is arbitrary, and when it is confirmed in the determination process P4 that all the reels have stopped, the winning determination process and payout process for payout medals shown in FIG. 5 are 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 the reels must be driven by a pulse mode. A signal section is provided at one location on the reel so that a reset pulse is obtained every time the reel rotates once, and the number of drive pulses supplied until the pulse motor stops after the reset pulse is obtained is determined. It can be determined by Also, to determine the winnings, the symbol marks on each reel are detected as 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 subtraction 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 the 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 indicates the main CPU 50. ROM51, RAM
The ROM 51, which is the main control unit including 52, stores 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 for the executed game. It stores a winning probability table, etc. that generates a hit request according to the rank of the winning prize when it is determined and a prize is won. 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 same figure, the reference numeral 53 indicates, for example, the main CP.
A clock pulse generator is shown that generates 4 MHz clock pulses to drive U50. Further, the frequency divider 55 outputs a pulse having a frequency of 500H2 used for interrupt processing and the like. Reference numeral 55 denotes a sound generating section that generates sounds to enliven the game, and the sound signals are produced by a speaker 56. Reference numeral 58 indicates a light emitting diode for 7-segment digital display used in the display section 22 (FIG. 1), which is driven for display by the LED drive section 57.

A broken line portion B indicates a reel drive monitoring block. In this slot machine, each reel Rl, R2, R3 is driven by a pulse motor Ml, M2, M3, respectively. 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 from the position detection input boat 61 to the main CPU 50. 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 ST1 to ST3 provided for each reel,
The main CPU 50 uses these pressing operations as electrical signals.
It includes a reel stop input port 65 for input to the reel stop input port 65. Further, reference numerals 70 and 71 indicate a hopper and a hopper motor drive unit for paying out dividend medals, respectively. code 72
is a medal detection unit that detects medals inserted by the player;
The number of inserted medals detected here is input to the main CPU 50 via the switch input section 75, and the number data is stored in a counter. In addition, a lamp that displays a winning determination line is driven based on this number of coins data.

Note that when the number of inserted medals reaches three, a lock solenoid that prohibits medal insertion is activated. Other switch operation units 78 include switches that are operated when the player wants to cancel the game after inserting medals. Next, the generation of a hit request, 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 power values that give a prize stored in a prize table on the ROM. 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 through the frequency divider 54, but the random value is updated by 4 times. This is done every interrupt, that is, every 8 msec. When random numbers are generated in FIG. 7, these random numbers are sequentially registered in the 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 l and 1 byte memory for RAND 2, but if the area used is, for example, 15 bits with diagonal lines, it can store decimal numbers from 0 to 32764. You will get a range of random values. Note that the usage area of the random number RAM 80 can be selected as appropriate depending on the winning probability setting. As shown in the flowchart in Figure 7, the random number is 8m.
It is updated every sec, and in the update process r+I
Processing J, r+3J, or "+4" means adding the prime number r7 6 9J in decimal to the previous random value, so it will not be updated to the same random value. Note that once the random number within a certain range is reached, the above process will be continued again. The update width when updating the random value is r+1'', r-t- in the processing flow of Fig. 7.
3J, or ``+4'' as a prime number r769J, but it is not necessarily limited to this number, and in principle any prime number may be used. Figure 9 shows the occurrence.
This is a flowchart showing the processing of sampling updated random values and checking hit requests. This flowchart corresponds to the "hit request" process in the flowchart shown in FIG. ), at that point the random number RAM 80
The random value set in is determined as the random value for that game. The random number determined in this way is compared with the winning probability table described later according to the flowchart in Figure 9, and if the number corresponds to a big hit, a big hit request signal will be generated, and if the number corresponds to a medium hit, a medium hit request signal will be generated. Judgment processing is performed for small hits, such as generation of a hit request signal, and it is checked which 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, Sl-S3 in the table are
Each is a preset value and is stored in a 2-byte memory area as shown in Figure 8, however, in ROM. Then, one of the lines is selected depending on the number of medals inserted (corresponding to "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. 7 is ro-N, the probability of a big hit when the number of inserted medals rlJ is "B1/NJ, probability of medium hit is rM1/NJ, probability of small hit is rs1/N
”. Therefore, each value of Bl, Ml, 31 is rB1-100J. rMl-500J, rs1=10
00'', the sampled random value is 1
If the number 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 hit request. As a result, the winning probability table has the function of determining the probability of winning for each rank. In this way, a random value is sampled and compared with the above-mentioned winning probability table, 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 subtracted by r-IJ. 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 handled by the flow center shown in FIG.

Examples of the large, medium, and small hits mentioned so far include a large hit that allows you to play a bonus game after paying out 15 medals, and a medium hit that pays out 10 to 15 medals. , such as paying out dividend medals with a small hit of about 2 to 5 pieces. 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. Sometimes you can play the game several times. 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 the pulse motor, 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 symbol marks on the reels, you will get 200
/21=9,523... In other words, 9 to 10 drive pulses rotate one symbol mark. 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 rotation direction of the reel from the symbol mark at this reset position. RO the symbol number corresponding to the symbol mark
If the code number is stored in memory in M, the code number is calculated by counting the number of drive pulses sent to the motor after a reset pulse is obtained by the main control unit, and the code number and symbol number are stored in the ROM.
By referring to , you can identify the type of symbol mark appearing on the window. 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 from when the stop button is pressed until the reels stop, the player will feel unnatural.

Therefore, as explained below, the reels are stopped within a limited time after the stop button is pressed, and the reels are stopped with a combination of symbol marks that corresponds to the hit request as much as possible. First, after operating the stop button, the reels are stopped until the symbol mark moves, for example, by 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 such processing is of course performed for each reel.

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 “θ ~ 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 P10 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 pressed. ,
It makes a judgment based on the code number, and if there are any, calculates how many more drive pulses should be sent to the motor. Then, in the process of P15, the motor is stopped after counting the calculated drive pulses, and P1
In step 6, the code number and symbol number are referenced. Of course, these processes are performed for each reel. Figure 14 shows P1 in Figure 13.
This shows the RAM area where data is rewritten every time the processing in step 3 is performed. RAMI in Figure 14 is P13
For example, at a certain point in time, the code number of each reel that appears on the central winning determination line l (Figure 2) is set in the RAM that is rewritten in the process. When the symbol number of each reel is set in this way, the symbol code of each reel appearing in the window is uniquely determined by referring to the ROM storing the table shown in FIG. 12, and this result is shown in FIG. is set in RAM2. Thus RAM2
Once the data is determined, the arrangement of each symbol mark on each winning determination line 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B in FIG. 2 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.

Figure 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 1 needs to be checked. Suppose that three medals are inserted, and symbol code combination r5 (E
)-5 (E)-5 (E) If J is a medium hit that yields 10 dividend medals, this is the RA as shown in the diagram.
Set to M4. Note that a flag indicating whether or not a bonus game has occurred is set in area 4a in RAMd, and the number of payout medals is set in area 4b. Further, the RAM 5 has a large hit area 5a, a medium hit area 5b, a small hit area 5c, and a no-hit area 5d, and a flag is set in any of these areas in response to a hit request.

The number of medals to be inserted is 3, and in Figure 2, the number of medals is 1 from the left.
11-Ru. The reel stopping process when stopping the 2nd J-role and the 3rd 17-reel will be explained. ■ 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 RAMI area R1 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 this flowchart, "out of 3 symbols" and "window position symbol number" mean the three symbol marks and symbol numbers that appear on the window. Corresponds to all being enabled. Also, the three symbol numbers in the window position are R1 of RAMI in Figure 14.
It is determined from the area, that is, the symbol number on the winning determination line 1.

When a medium hit request is occurring, the 16th
In the flowchart in the figure, "large hit" is "medium hit"
When a small hit request occurs, the process is the same as in the above, and the process is performed according to the flowchart in FIG. 17 when a small hit request occurs. When processing small hits, if there is a small hit within the range of 4 frames, it will be processed so that it appears in the window position. Furthermore, if there is no hit request, the first
The first judgment in the flowchart shown in Figure 7 is ``Are there no small or medium hits for 3 symbols?'' and the process is checked within a four-frame shift, and if there is no small hit symbol, the process is stopped at that position. In other words, the symbol mark constituting a hit among big hits appears at the window position. Note that in the above process when a hit request is generated, if the corresponding symbol cannot appear in the window position, the process is performed without a hit request.
This is especially likely to occur when a small hit request occurs. In other words, a small hit on one i is 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 vice versa. The first reel is large. This means that there are many symbol marks that make up a medium hit. When the first reel is controlled to stop in this way, the symbol table in FIG. 12 is referred to, and the RAM2. R
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
The process is performed according to the flowchart in the figure, and if the corresponding symbol sequence is achieved, it is executed. Furthermore, when a medium hit request occurs, the first judgment in Figure 18 is processed in the same way as "Is there a sequence of medium hits?", and when a small hit request occurs, the reels are reeled without any processing. It will be stopped. In this flowchart, the process of "creating a combination table for each winning line" is to create a symbol combination table for each entry determination line on the RAM, for example, as shown in FIG. Now suppose that the first reel is stopped at code number 15 (see Figure 12), and the second reel is stopped at the position of code number 18 on the second reel, as shown in Figure 14. Considering what was explained above, the symbol number for each line can be found as shown in the table in Figure 19. That is, each line is created by referring to symbol codes that are shifted by four frames. And the symbol number is 2 CB) -2 (B), 3 (C) -3
If (C) is the combination element of the big hit symbol, the sequence check “l” is stored and 6 (F) −
6 If (F) is an element of a medium hit symbol, the sequence r1 of medium hits is stored. Therefore, in this case, if a medium hit request has occurred, 6
Since (F)-6 (F) is lined up, 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 17-role stops, the processing 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 on 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 used as hit flags for each rank, and are set up according to the code number of the third reel. This is equivalent to creating the table shown in FIG. 21, for example.

This person award determination process is executed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

Furthermore, in the table of Figure 21, the first reel is code number l7.
In other words, it is assumed that the second reel has stopped at the code number 19, that is, the 6 (F) symbol.

As a result, what kind of hit will occur if the third reel is stopped at which symbol mark is all checked. ■ 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 in FIG. 23 if a big hit request has been generated. In this case, the determination of a hit is executed by referring 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. If a small hit request is generated, the symbol on the third reel can be any symbol, but depending on the number of medals inserted (2 or more), it may be a large hit or medium hit depending on one of the multiple winning lines. may occur, so
After all, it is necessary to check this within the range of 4 frame deviation in the 317th reel stop processing, and even if there is no hit request, the first and second reels are in the sequence of symbols that constitute a large or medium hit. Since it is possible that the data has been deleted, it is still necessary to check this, and this will be processed using the flowchart shown in Figure 24. For example, in the case of no hit request, the first. If the second reel stops at code numbers 17 and 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 frames will shift. The check is performed up to code number 8. If there is no frame shift, it will be a medium hit, so the third reel will be stopped at code number 5, for example, with a one frame shift. As mentioned above, the prize classification table in Figure 21 applies not only to the prize determining line l, but also to other prize determining lines.
No winnings will occur on any of the winning determination lines.

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 judgment 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 one medal is paid by the hopper, the number in the payout area is subtracted by "1", and when rQJ is reached, 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. Furthermore, although the reel processing has been explained assuming a 4-frame shift, it is possible that the symbol corresponding to the hit request does not exist within the 4-frame shift. (
Especially since there are few big hit symbols, it is quite possible. )
In such a case, the result will not satisfy the hit request, and the set winning probability will decrease, and the effect will be particularly severe 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 should 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 of up to 10 frames of shift, for example. moreover,
In particular, with respect to the symbol arrangement on the third reel, if symbols without hits are always arranged within a four-frame shift range, the payout rate will be stable in accordance with the value of the winning probability table.

The basic constituent blocks of the slot machine described above can be expressed 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 won according to this hit request, and by adding a limited condition such as the timing of the player's stop button operation to this reel control, randomness and the player's skill are controlled. This means that you can mix the following. 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, when a hit request is generated based on a sampled random number, the reels are controlled to stop so as to satisfy this hit request, while the hit request is generated. When performing loss control without being hit, the reels are controlled to stop so that combinations of symbols constituting a winning prize cannot be made when the reels are stopped. therefore,
Memory can be saved because 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 control the loss.
Furthermore, in order to control losses, it is sufficient to stop the rotating reels at any loss position, and the stopping process does not require much time and is a natural error.4. You can stop the reel at the same time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external front view showing an example of the slot machine of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the reel window in Figure 1. Figure 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. Figure 8 is a conceptual diagram of the RAM area that stores random numbers. 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. Figure 12 is a conceptual diagram of the code number and symbol number table. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the basic processing of the reels. Figure 14 is a conceptual diagram of the RAM area that stores code numbers, symbol numbers, etc. Figure 15 is a conceptual diagram of the actual symbol 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 an entry 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 generation 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. 23 and 24 are flowcharts of the third reel 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. S・L・1. ... Reel window ... Stop button ... Start lever ... Symbol mark ... Lamps 2A, 2B, 3A, ... CPU. 3B ・・Winning line 1st RAM 1 RAM R1 R2 R3 RAM 4Q 4b RAM 5 5q 5b 5C 5d

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) It is equipped with a plurality of reels that are rotated by the operation of the start means, and when these reels stop, the presence or absence of a prize is displayed by the combination of symbols that appear in the display window, and the presence or absence of a prize is specified among the plurality of reels. One of the methods is to determine the types of winnings, including losses, in response to sampled random numbers in slot machines that have symbols that constitute winnings by themselves, and to generate a hit error when a winning is determined. The hit request generating means operates after a reel stop signal is generated, and when a hit request is generated, symbols constituting winnings are displayed on a display window while monitoring symbols on the rotating reels. when the hit request signal is not generated, the specific reel is stopped so that the symbol that alone constitutes a winning prize is not displayed on the display window, and at least one of the other reels is stopped. The slot machine is characterized by comprising reel stop control means that performs stop control to display a symbol that cannot constitute a winning prize when combined with a symbol displayed by the specific reel.