JP5953607B2 - Production control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an effect control device, and in particular, provides a player with a sense of excitement mainly based on sound and a moving image and a still image (slide images) that are not directly related to the progress of the game. It is related with the production | presentation control apparatus for displaying.

  In a general gaming machine such as a pachinko machine, whether or not to generate a special prize state (so-called jackpot) is determined by lottery when a game ball is won at a start winning opening. When it is determined to generate the special prize state, the special symbol state is generated after the symbols are stopped in a specific combination in the symbol display unit. When a special prize state occurs, a special winning opening (so-called attacker) is opened and closed in a predetermined pattern, and a winning ball is paid out by winning a gaming ball in the special winning opening, and as a result, compared with the normal gaming state Many game balls are paid out in a concentrated manner in a relatively short time as prizes.

  According to the progress of the game, such a gaming machine changes to a fine still image or a high-speed image display device (typically a liquid crystal display (LCD)) as the symbol display unit. A video is displayed, and an audio output unit such as a speaker is provided to output various sounds depending on the situation for the purpose of improving a sense of urgency and a sense of presence, and a light emitting diode (LED: It is now common knowledge to emit light from a plurality of light emitting devices (elements) (lamps) such as light emitting diodes.

  For images, image data is stored as compressed data in an image data ROM (Read Only Memory) and is read out sequentially by a dedicated image display processor capable of high-speed processing and displayed on an image display device. Is done.

  As for sound, various kinds of sound data (music (eg, background music (BGM)), dialogue, sound effects, etc.) are stored in sound data ROM (which may be physically the same as image data ROM). The data is stored as compressed data, subjected to various processes as necessary, and then output from an audio output unit such as a speaker.

  As for light emission, a large number of lamps such as LEDs are arranged on the front surface of the gaming machine, and light emission is typically performed by various time increase / decrease transition light emission patterns and two-dimensional light emission patterns.

  Here, among the above-mentioned image, sound, and light emission, the most effective one that gives the player a sense of expectation (excitement) up to the so-called “big hit” is an image, and recently, the processing speed of the image display processor has increased. Along with the improvement, it is possible to change the image in a complex manner at high speed. In general, if the feeling of expectation lasts for a long time, the playability will increase. Therefore, recently, regardless of the final “hit / losing”, the results will be particularly step-by-step. It takes a long time.

  However, in the conventional gaming machine described above, the longer the duration of the dramatic change in the moving image, the more the excitement of the excitement will not be increased. Even there.

  Further, in the process of changing the moving image for a long time, the image data becomes enormous and a storage capacity corresponding to it is required. Recently, it has not been easy to create novel image content. Furthermore, in the process of dramatically changing moving images over a long period of time, even if a dedicated image display processor is used, the commands related to drawing become complicated, and the number of engineers involved in software design and creation has only increased. It was. In addition, there is a drawback that the price is also expensive.

  On the other hand, for the feeling of excitement, only voice and light emission are sufficient, and some players do not need a sudden loud sound.

  There is also a desire to relax and enjoy the game outside the critical time zone after so-called reach.

  The present invention has been made for the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an effect control device capable of giving a player a sense of fun based only on sound and an exciting feeling. It is in. In addition, another object is to provide an effect control device that displays moving images and still images (including slide images) that are not directly related to the progress of the game.

In order to achieve the above object, an effect control device of the present invention is an effect control device for performing an effect during a game using only sound in a gaming machine, and an image data storage unit that stores various image data in advance, An image reproduction unit that reads out the image data stored in the image data storage unit and performs processing related to reproduction, and an audio data storage that stores audio data for audio that is not linked to an image reproduced by the image reproduction unit In response to a control command related to the audio output that is input to the unit, the audio data for the non-coordinated audio is read from the audio data storage unit and processed so as to be output as a step-changed audio. The gist is that an audio data processing unit is provided.

  Here, the audio data processing unit gradually increases the volume, increases the reproduction speed, modulates, or superimposes a plurality of audio data, or a combination thereof as a process for the audio data. It is preferable to perform processing.

  In addition, the production control device of the present invention further includes an automatic music piece that generates different audio data as time elapses, and the audio data processing unit reads and processes the audio data from the automatic music piece.

Here, the audio data processing unit processes so as to generate silence or quiet music before the reach that occurs during the game, and after the reach, it is output as the audio that changes stepwise. It is preferable to perform the process.
On the other hand, the image data of the stored in the image data storage unit the various, it also Ru characterized der the game content and its progress in the game machine is an image data unrelated.

Here, the image reproduction unit reads out and reproduces image data corresponding to the selection command out of various image data stored in the image data storage unit in accordance with the input selection command.

  In addition, the effect control device of the present invention further includes a switching unit that switches and outputs the image data from the image reproduction unit and the image data from the TV tuner according to the input switching control signal.

Here, the image data to be reproduced is characterized in that it does not switch to another variation image regardless of the winning of a game ball in the start winning opening provided in the gaming machine .

In addition, the effect control apparatus of the present invention further includes a lamp data processing unit for processing lamp data for lighting a lamp for effect . Here, the lamp data processing unit generates and processes the lamp data so that the lamp is always lit in a regular pattern.

  According to the production control device of the present invention, it is possible to give a player a sense of entertainment based on an exciting feeling based on sound. Further, the configuration can be simplified and the cost is reduced.

  In particular, as the processing for the audio data, the process of increasing the volume, increasing the playback speed, transposing, superimposing a plurality of audio data, or combining them in a stepwise manner is substantially infinite. Yes, there is no limit to entertainment.

  If an image data storage unit that stores various image data in advance and an image reproduction unit that reads out the image data stored in the image data storage unit and performs processing related to reproduction are further provided, A feeling of entertainment can be given even in the gaming state.

It is a block diagram for demonstrating the control function of the pachinko machine containing one Embodiment of the presentation control apparatus of this invention. It is a front external appearance schematic diagram of the pachinko machine provided with one Embodiment of the presentation control apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the image displayed on a liquid crystal display part.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a pachinko machine provided with an embodiment of the effect control device of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the pachinko machine includes an outer frame 51 having a vertically long rectangular shape, an openable and closable glass frame 52 disposed on the front upper portion of the outer frame 51, and a game board covered with the glass frame 52. 53 and a saucer unit 54 disposed in the lower front part of the frame 51.

  On the left and right sides of the glass frame 52, lamps 55 made of light bulbs, LEDs, and the like are provided. Each of the lamps 55 is lit or blinks in accordance with the effect during the game, the state of the device (for example, device error), or the like. Speakers 56 are respectively disposed at both corners of the upper portion of the glass frame 52. Each speaker 56 outputs sounds such as BGM, sound effects, and error sounds during the game.

  A launching handle 57 for operating a launching device for launching a game ball on the game board 53 is provided at the lower right portion of the tray unit 54. A selection decision button 58 for selecting an image to be displayed on a liquid crystal display unit described later is provided on the upper left portion of the tray unit 54.

  As will be described in detail later, a liquid crystal display unit 531 capable of displaying a TV image, animation image data stored in advance in a ROM, and the like is provided at a substantially upper center portion of the game board 102.

  Below the liquid crystal display portion 531, a first start winning port 532 through which a game ball launched by the player operating the launch handle 57 can win, and a second start winning port 533 directly below it. Is provided. In addition, a pair of electric accessories (movable members) 534 are provided on the left and right sides of the second start winning prize opening 533.

  A special symbol display unit 535 is provided on the right side of the liquid crystal display unit 531. In response to the winning of a game ball in the first start winning opening 532 or the second starting winning opening 533, the three special symbols displayed on the special symbol display section 535 are displayed in a variable manner, and the main control section draws lots. Stop depending on the result. Here, the gaming state that occurs when the special symbols stopped and displayed in the three display areas of the special symbol display unit 535 become a specific combination is referred to as a jackpot (special prize state). A normal symbol start gate 536 is provided on the left side of the liquid crystal display unit 531. The normal symbol start gate 536 detects passage of a game ball by a gate switch described later with reference to FIG.

  A normal symbol display section 537 for displaying normal symbols is provided at the lower left portion of the first start winning opening 532. When the game ball passes through the normal symbol start gate 536, the normal symbol displayed on the normal symbol display unit 537 is started to change (for example, alternating display of ○ display and × display). Stops according to the normal symbol lottery result by the main control unit.

  Below the second start winning port 533, when a big hit is generated, the game ball can be awarded in a predetermined time pattern from a closed state where the game ball cannot be won in a normal game state. A large winning opening (so-called attacker) 538 is provided. The big winning opening 538 allows a large number of game balls to be won by opening the opening / closing member substantially horizontally when a big hit is generated. An out port 539 for collecting game balls that have not won any of the above winning ports or the like is provided below the big winning port 538 and at the bottom of the game board 53. In addition, lamps 55 are provided on the left and right below the game board 53.

  Next, the control function of the pachinko machine provided with one embodiment of the effect control device of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a control function of a pachinko machine.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control function inside the pachinko machine is mainly composed of a main control unit 2 and an effect control unit 1.

  The main control unit 2 includes at least a microcomputer 21, an input port 22, and an output port 23. Furthermore, the microcomputer 21 includes at least a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 211, a ROM 212, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 213, and a random number circuit 214. That is, in this embodiment, the microcomputer 21 is a one-chip microcomputer.

  The ROM 212 stores a program for controlling the pachinko machine executed by the main control unit 2. The ROM 212 further stores various parameter values for controlling the pachinko machine including a control command for controlling the effect control unit 1.

  The RAM 213 is a memory as temporary storage means, and specifically temporarily stores input / output data for the main control unit 2, data for arithmetic processing, various counters including a random number counter related to games, and the like. . In addition, when the special symbol is being displayed in a variable manner at the time of winning the game ball to the first start winning opening 532 and the second starting winning opening 533 in the holding area of the RAM 213, the variable display effect based on the winning is put on hold. Information such as a random number value acquired at the time of winning is stored as the reserved ball information up to a predetermined upper limit number (for example, 8).

  The CPU 211 advances the control process based on the program and control commands stored in the ROM 212 while using the storage area of the RAM 213.

  The random number circuit 214 generates a random number for determination to determine whether or not to make a big hit based on the display result of the variable symbol variable display.

In addition, signals from the first start port switch 31, the second start port switch 32, the gate switch 33, and the big prize port switch 34 are input to the main control unit 2 through the input port 22. It has become. Here, the first start opening switch 31 and the second start opening switch 32 are provided at the first start winning opening 532 and the second starting winning opening 533, respectively, and are switches that detect game balls that have won the respective winning openings. It is. The gate switch 33 is
This switch is provided in the normal symbol start gate 536 and detects a game ball that has passed through the gate. The big prize opening switch 34 is a switch that is provided in the big prize opening 538 and detects a game ball won in the prize opening.

  Further, the main control unit 2 is configured to send a signal to the special symbol display unit 535, the normal symbol display unit 537, the electric accessory solenoid 41, and the big prize opening solenoid 42 through the output port 23. . The functions of the special symbol display unit 535 and the normal symbol display unit 536 are as described above with reference to FIG. The electric accessory solenoid 41 is a solenoid provided in the electric accessory 534 for temporarily opening it. The special winning opening solenoid 42 is a solenoid that is provided in the special winning opening 538 and temporarily opens the opening / closing member horizontally.

  Therefore, the main control unit 2 performs lottery related to the normal symbol based on the signal from the gate switch 33, and based on the result, the normal symbol display unit 537 is variably displayed via the output port 23 to finally display the final symbol. To stop. At this time, if the lottery result is a win, the main control unit 2 controls the electric accessory solenoid 41 via the output port 23 to temporarily open the electric accessory 534.

  Further, the main control unit 2 performs a lottery related to the special symbol based on the signal from the first start winning port 532 or the second start winning port 533, and the special symbol is output via the output port 23 based on the result. The display unit 535 is variably displayed and finally stopped. At this time, if the lottery result is a big win (special prize state), the main control unit 2 controls the big prize opening solenoid 42 via the output port 23 to start opening / closing of the opening / closing member and Based on a signal from the winning port switch 34 (a signal related to the number of winning game balls), the opening / closing of the opening / closing member is controlled.

  On the other hand, the main control unit 2 controls the effect control unit 1 by transmitting a control command to the effect control unit 1 via another output port (not shown).

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the effect control unit 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3.
As shown in FIG. 1, the effect control unit 1 includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, an image reproduction unit 141, an image data ROM 142, a switching unit 143, an audio / lamp data processing unit 151, and an audio data ROM 152. And an automatic music composition unit 153, an amplification unit 154, a serial controller 155, a lamp driver 156, and an input port 16. The effect control unit 1 reduces the load on the main control unit 2 by specially performing control related to effects such as liquid crystal display, audio output, and lamp lighting.

  The CPU 11, the ROM 12, the RAM 13, the image reproduction unit 141, and the sound / lamp data processing unit 151 are connected by a bus. In addition, the image data stored in the image data ROM 142 is configured to be read by the image reproduction unit 141. Image data from the image reproduction unit 141 and image data from the TV tuner 61 arranged outside the effect control unit 1 are input to the switching unit 143. In addition, the switching control signal SC from the CPU 11 is input to the switching unit 143. Image data from the switching unit 143 is sent to the liquid crystal display unit 531. Note that the switching unit 143 may be disposed outside the effect control unit 1.

  The sound data stored in the sound data ROM 152 is configured to be read by the sound / lamp data processing unit 151. In addition, the music data output from the automatic music composition unit 153 is configured to be input to the voice / lamp data processing unit 151. The audio data output from the audio / lamp data processing unit 151 is output to the speaker 56 via the amplifying unit 154. On the other hand, the audio / lamp data processing unit 151 is configured to output lamp data to the serial controller 155, and the data is sent to the lamp 55 via the lamp driver 156. In addition, a signal from the selection determination button 58 shown in FIG. 2 is input to the CPU 11.

  The CPU 11 basically performs a control operation in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 12, and when receiving a control command from the main control unit 2 via the input port 16, the image is displayed according to the control command. A command is given to the reproduction unit 141 or the voice / lamp data processing unit 151. The RAM 13 temporarily stores input / output data, arithmetic processing data, operation setting values, and the like.

  The image data ROM 142 basically stores image data that is not directly related to the game contents of the pachinko machine and its progress. For example, various animation data, talent promotion video data, music video data, sports video data, and the like. These content data do not necessarily need to be compressed, but are of course preferably compressed from the viewpoint of capacity reduction.

  The image reproduction unit 141 performs processing to the extent that the above-described reserved ball information or, for example, the big hit round information is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 531 according to the control command from the main control unit 2, but basically, It is not for displaying an effect by an effect symbol corresponding to the progress of the game. Therefore, the image playback unit 141 does not have to be a VDP (Video Display Processor) for displaying high-speed images that change in a complicated manner, and has a function (for example, an MPEG decoder) capable of playing back the above-described content data. Just do it.

  Therefore, the player can select what is reproduced and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 531 during the game at the beginning of the game and during the game. Specifically, the image playback unit 141 displays a menu screen as shown in FIG. 3A on the liquid crystal display unit 531 at the beginning and during the game. Therefore, the player selects and decides the content to be viewed by operating the selection decision button 58 shown in FIG. Preferably, the selection operation and the screen have a hierarchical structure so that detailed selection can be performed hierarchically. In FIG. 3A, “TV”, “animation”, “talent promotion video”, “music video”, and “sports video” are given as examples, but the present invention is not limited to this. Popular content categories can also be prepared.

  The signal from the selection determination button 58 is input to the CPU 11 of the effect control unit 1, and when other than TV viewing is selected, the CPU 11 instructs the image reproduction unit 141 to reproduce the selected content. To do. The image reproduction unit 141 instructed to reproduce the image data on the selected content is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 531 via the switching unit 143 while reading out the image data from the image data ROM 142. On the other hand, when the television viewing is selected, the CPU 11 switches the input of the switching unit 143 to the TV tuner 61 side so that the television image from the TV tuner 61 is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 531. FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen during reproduction. During playback, the player selects a displayed operation button so that a general playback operation can be performed. Moreover, it returns to a menu screen so that another content can be selected. It should be noted that the sound related to the content being played can be heard through the earphone separately from the sound related to the game described later output from the speaker 56. Or, if it is voice information, it may be displayed on the screen as a caption.

  The replay image on the liquid crystal display unit 531 as described above does not become another special variation image triggered by the winning of a game ball in the first start winning opening 532 or the second starting winning opening 533. That is, the fluctuation image is simply displayed only on the special symbol display unit 535.

  The sound data ROM 152 stores a program for controlling sound effects that constitute the jackpot effect and various sound data (wave data, MP3 data, etc.) necessary for sound effects.

  When the CPU 11 receives a control command related to voice output or lamp lighting from the main control unit 1, it gives a command to the voice / lamp data processing unit 151. When the voice / lamp data processing unit 151 receives a command related to voice output, the voice / lamp data processing unit 151 reads the voice data designated from the voice data ROM 152 and outputs the voice data from the speaker 56 via the amplification unit 154. In addition, the voice / lamp data processing unit 151 may read voice data from the voice data ROM 152 regardless of the input of the control command from the main control unit 1, or input the music organized in the automatic music piece unit 153. Then, the output from the speaker 56 is also performed.

  Here, in the embodiment of the present invention, the sense of pleasure (mainly exciting feeling) given to the player is mainly performed by voice, regardless of the image, so the expectation of the big hit (special prize state) The rise is made clearer by voice. However, on the other hand, while the big hit is not expected, the player wants to concentrate on the video flowing on the liquid crystal display unit 531, so during that time, for example, quiet music such as BGM is played. Alternatively, it may be silent only by regular flashing of a lamp 55 described later. For example, when so-called reach occurs, after that, the sound is changed so as to make the player feel excited. Here, “when reach has occurred” may be the time when the reach symbol is actually displayed in the special symbol display diagram 535, or at least the reach or more is determined by lottery in the microcomputer 21 of the main control unit 2. It may be at the time when the symbol variation that has started.

  As a way to give a sense of expectation due to the sound after reaching the reach, the tempo of the sound is changed or the tone is shifted to a bright tone as the probability of the jackpot increases. Or the sound of a special instrument (for example, a trumpet) can be added, or specific insertion music can be added sequentially. In any case, it is possible to give the player a sense of fun that is not inferior to that of a conventional image only by a change in sound. Further, in order to further enhance the sense of entertainment, the automatic music composition unit 153 can create new audio data by sequentially arranging the basic audio data and output it.

  In any case, the main control unit 1 only gives information as to whether or not the lottery result is equal to or greater than the occurrence of reach as a control command. 151. That is, the audio / lamp data processing unit 151 performs stepwise audio output control, for example, by changing at least one of a volume, a pitch, and a timbre with respect to an output audio (BGM or the like) before reach. . Therefore, various combinations of changes are possible. On the other hand, after reaching, other specific sounds (such as new background sounds) may be changed stepwise.

  The lighting of the lamp 55 is normally blinked with a certain regular pattern or color change, and after reaching, it is blinked with a pattern that matches the change in sound. Alternatively, if the player's excitement is sufficient with only sound, it may not be changed after reaching. In the case of blinking somewhat complicatedly, a lamp data ROM similar to the voice data ROM is provided, blinking pattern data is stored therein, and the voice / lamp data processing unit 151 reads the data. Good.

  As described above, according to the above-described embodiment of the presentation control device of the present invention, each player can select an image content that is of interest to each other. Can be defeated. In particular, a sense of fun is maintained even during normal times other than when reach occurs. In addition, when the game ball is won at the first start winning opening 532 or the second starting winning opening 533, there is no other special variation image.

  On the other hand, it is possible to provide the player with the same feeling of expectation and excitement as in the prior art using only voice. In particular, variations in sound change (volume, pitch, speed, timbre, effect, mixing, etc.) are virtually infinite and are not limited to a sense of fun.

  In addition, the control command from the main control unit 2 to the effect control unit 1 is simplified, and the configuration of the effect control unit 1 can be simplified accordingly. Therefore, one-chip implementation from the CPU 11 to the voice / lamp data processing unit 151 is also facilitated. Therefore, the price is low as a whole. It also leads to energy saving.

  The effect control device of the present invention can be incorporated in a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine, a pachislot machine, or a game machine.

1 Production control unit 11 CPU
141 Image reproduction unit 142 Image data ROM
143 Switching unit 151 Audio / lamp data processing unit 152 Audio data ROM
153 Automatic composition part 2 Main control part 21 Microcomputer 211 CPU
53 Game board 531 Liquid crystal display part 535 Special symbol display part 537 Normal symbol display part 55 Lamp 56 Speaker 58 Selection decision button 61 TV tuner

Claims (10)

An effect control device for performing an effect during a game only by voice in a gaming machine,
An image data storage unit for storing various image data in advance;
An image reproduction unit that reads out the image data stored in the image data storage unit and performs processing related to reproduction;
An audio data storage unit for storing audio data for audio not linked to an image reproduced by the image reproduction unit;
In response to an input control command related to audio output, the audio data for the uncorrelated audio is read from the audio data storage and processed so as to be output as step-by-step audio. An effect control device comprising a processing unit. The audio data processing unit performs a process for increasing the volume, increasing a reproduction speed, transposing, superimposing a plurality of audio data, or combining them as a process for the audio data. The production control device according to claim 1 , wherein the production control device is characterized in that:   The effect control according to claim 1, further comprising an automatic music piece that generates different audio data according to the passage of time, wherein the audio data processing unit reads and processes the audio data from the automatic music piece. apparatus. The voice data processing unit performs processing so as to generate silence or quiet music before a reach that occurs during a game, and outputs the stepped sound after the reach. The effect control device according to claim 2 , wherein the effect control device is performed. The image data storing unit the image data of the various stored, the attraction control apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in Oh Rukoto image data unrelated to the game content and its progress in the game machine. The image reproduction unit reads out and reproduces image data corresponding to the selection command out of various image data stored in the image data storage unit in response to an input selection command. The production control device according to claim 5.   7. The effect control according to claim 6, further comprising a switching unit that switches and outputs the image data from the image reproduction unit and the image data from the TV tuner according to an input switching control signal. apparatus. 8. The effect control device according to claim 6, wherein the reproduced image data is not switched to another variation image regardless of a winning of a game ball at a start winning opening provided in the gaming machine . 2. The effect control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a lamp data processing unit for processing lamp data for lighting a lamp for effect. 10. The effect control device according to claim 9, wherein the lamp data processing unit generates and processes the lamp data so that the lamp is always lit in a regular pattern.

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