US20070123339A1

US20070123339A1 - Gaming machine

Info

Publication number: US20070123339A1
Application number: US11/604,353
Authority: US
Inventors: Kazunobu Sato
Original assignee: Aruze Corp
Current assignee: Universal Entertainment Corp
Priority date: 2005-11-28
Filing date: 2006-11-27
Publication date: 2007-05-31
Also published as: JP2007143877A; AU2006236069A1; ZA200609875B

Abstract

If the treasure box 301 selected by the player has the “OCTOPUS” 311 on the lower liquid crystal display 4, one treasure box 301 to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” 311 is determined among the unopened treasure boxes 301 by the lottery conducted based on the lottery table and the sampled random number value by using the code No. given to each of the treasure boxes 301. And, the payout number based on the content of the treasure box 301 opened by the “OCTOPUS” (“60”) is given to the player, in addition to the payout number based on the content of the treasure box 301 selected by the player(“5”).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO THE RELATED APPLICATIONS (S)

This application is based upon and claims a priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-342602 filed on Nov. 28, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gaming machine which provides a game awarding a payout in accordance with a selection element selected by a player.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional gaming machine, such as a slot machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,127,815, for example, when a player selects one selection element among plural selection elements which are displayed on a display device, a bonus game which is a game awarding a payout in accordance with the selection element selected by the player is executed. However, since the payout is awarded in accordance with only the selection element selected by the player, it is difficult for the player to anticipate a payout in accordance with a selection element not selected by the player.
Hence, a slot machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,944 adds a payout in accordance with a selection element automatically selected, such selection element positioned adjacent to the selection element selected by a player when the player selects the selection element in the above bonus game.
However, a selection element automatically selected when the player selects a specific selection element is limited to elements adjacent to the specific selection element selected by the player. Therefore, for the player, a payout is merely added within a predictable range. Hence, the more the player plays games, the more it may cause him/her to feel the game monotonous.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine which can give new feeling to the player who is awarded a payout in accordance with a selection element selected by himself/herself.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to accomplish the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is provided a gaming machine comprising:
a display device for displaying plural selection elements thereon, each of the selection elements having an identification number and a payout number;
a selection device for selecting one selection element among the selection elements displayed on the display by a manual operation of a player; and
a processor programmed to operate with the display device and the selection device (a) to determine the selection element among the selection elements not selected on the display device based on a lottery conducted by using the identification number attached to each of the selection elements, when the selection element selected through the selection device corresponds to a first specific selection element and (b) to award a payout based on the payout number of the selection element selected through the selection device and the payout number of the selection element determined through the lottery device.
The above and further objects and novel features of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description when the same is read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for purpose of illustration only and not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the objects, advantages and principles of the invention.
In the drawings,
FIG. 1 is a view showing an example in which a content of a treasure box opened by an “OCTOPUS” coming out of another treasure box selected by a player is schematically displayed, in a treasure bonus game.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a slot machine.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing nine variable display portions.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing eight pay lines.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the slot machine
FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing a liquid crystal drive circuit of the slot machine.
FIG. 7 is a view showing a symbol row (video reel) variably displayed while being scrolled in each of the variable display portions on a lower liquid crystal display.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a lottery table to determine the symbols stopped and displayed in nine variable display portions, in the game.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a payout table in which winning symbol combinations and payouts thereof are mutually corresponded.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a main process program.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an acceptance process program.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a lottery process program.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a game process program.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing another game process program.
FIG. 15 is a view showing an example in which each of the “SCATTER” symbols is displayed in three variable display portions on the lower liquid crystal display.
FIG. 16 is a view showing a content displayed on the lower liquid crystal display, in a shell chance game.
FIG. 17 is an explanatory view showing a table used to determine each of the contents of the shells, in the shell chance game.
FIG. 18 is a view showing each of the contents of the shells displayed on the lower liquid crystal display, in the shell chance game.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a treasure bonus process program.
FIG. 20 is a view showing a content displayed on the lower liquid crystal display, in the treasure bonus game.
FIG. 21 is a view showing an example in which numbering for each treasure box is conducted in the treasure bonus game.
FIG. 22 is an explanatory view showing a table used to determine each of the contents of the treasure boxes (any of “5”, “10”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, “70”, “80”, “100”, and “200”), in the treasure bonus game.
FIG. 23 is an explanatory view showing a table used to determine each of the contents of the treasure boxes (existence or nonexistence of the “OCTOPUS”), in the treasure bonus game.
FIG. 24 is a view showing an example in which three treasure boxes selected by the player are opened and the contents thereof are displayed, in the treasure bonus game.
FIG. 25 is a view showing an example in which the first “OCTOPUS” coming out of the treasure box selected by the player is displayed.
FIG. 26 is a view showing an example in which the second “OCTOPUS” coming out of the treasure box opened by the first “OCTOPUS” is displayed.
FIG. 27 is a view showing an example in which a content of the treasure box opened by the second “OCTOPUS” is displayed.
FIG. 28 is an explanatory view showing a table used to determine the treasure box to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” in the treasure bonus game.
FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing a treasure bonus process program.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A gaming machine according to the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings based on an embodiment embodying the invention as a slot machine. At first, the construction of the slot machine according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a slot machine. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing nine variable display portions. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing eight pay lines. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control system of the slot machine.
In FIG. 2, a slot machine 1 has a cabinet 2 forming the whole. An upper liquid crystal display 3 is positioned in the upper front part of the cabinet 2, and a lower liquid crystal display 4 is positioned on a device front panel 20 positioned in the front center part of the cabinet 2. Both the upper liquid crystal display 3 and the lower liquid crystal display 4 are constructed from the liquid crystal display used widely. A transparent touch panel 201 is positioned on the front surface of the lower liquid crystal display 4. The upper liquid crystal display 3 displays information on a game such as a game method, a payout table 123 indicating kinds of winning combinations and payouts corresponding thereto (see FIG. 9, which will be described later), and various effects on the game. The lower liquid crystal display 4 displays nine variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C shown in FIG. 3, and eight pay lines “L1” to “L8” at maximum shown in FIG. 4. And, various kinds of symbols to form a video reel 100, which will be described later in FIG. 7, are displayed while being scrolled from the right to the left in each of the display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C and, 24A to 24C.
An operation table 5 formed by projecting to proximal side is provided at the bottom of the lower liquid crystal display 4. A CHANGE button 6, a CASHOUT button 7 and a HELP button 8 in order from the left side are arranged on the operation table 5. A coin insertion slot 9 and a bill insertion portion 10 are arranged at the right of the HELP button 8. A 1-BET button 11, a SPIN/REPEAT BET button 12, a 3-BET button 13, a 5-BET button 14, and a 8-BET button 15 in order from the left side are arranged on the forward part of the operation table 5.
Hence, the CHANGE button 6 is a button to be pressed when the bill inserted in the bill insertion portion 10 is changed, and changed coins are paid out through a coin payout opening 16 to a coin tray 17 which is formed at the lower part of the cabinet 2. To the CHANGE button 6, a CHANGE switch 62, which will be described later, is attached, and a switch signal which is generated from the CHANGE switch 62 will be output to a CPU 50 on the basis of pressing the CHANGE button 6 (see FIG. 5).
The CASHOUT button 7 is a button to be pressed when the game is ended. When the CASHOUT button 7 is pressed, coins won in games are paid out through the coin payout opening 16 to the coin tray 16. Here, to the CASHOUT button 7, a CASHOUT switch 63, which will be described later, is attached and a switch signal which is generated from the CASHOUT switch 63 will be output to the CPU 50 on the basis of pressing the CASHOUT button 7 (see FIG. 5).
The HELP button 8 is a button to be pressed when a player cannot understand game operation method. When the HELP button 8 is pressed, various help information is displayed on the upper liquid crystal display 3. To this button 8, a HELP switch 64, which will be described later, is attached and a switch signal which is generated from the HELP switch 64 will be output to the CPU 50 on the basis of pressing the help button 8 (see FIG. 5).
To the coin insertion slot 9, a coin sensor 65, which will be described later, is arranged, and when the coin (s) is inserted in the coin insertion slot 9, a coin detection signal which is generated from the coin sensor 65, will be output to the CPU 50 (see FIG. 5).
To the bill insertion portion 10, a bill sensor 66, which will be described later, is arranged, and when the bill is inserted in the bill insertion portion 10, a bill detection signal which is generated from the bill sensor 66, will be output to the CPU 50 (see FIG. 5).
The 1-BET button 11 is a button to bet one bet every one press operation thereof To the 1-BET button 11, a 1-BET switch 58, which will be described later, is attached. And if the 1-BET button 11 is pressed, a switch signal which is generated from the 1-BET switch 58, will be output to the CPU 50 (see FIG. 5).
A SPIN/REPEAT BET button 12 is a button to start variable display of the symbols in each of the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C on the lower liquid crystal display 4 to start the game with the present bet number or the previous bet number on the basis of press operation thereof. To the SPIN/REPEAT BET button 12, a spin switch 57, which will be described later, is attached. And if the SPIN/REPEAT BET button 12 is pressed, a switch signal which is generated from the spin switch 57, will be output to the CPU 50 (see FIG. 5). Here, the bet number which can be betted by pressing of the SPIN/REPEAT BET button 12 will be one, two, three, five or eight.
The 3-BET button 13 is a button to bet three bets at one time on the basis of press operation thereof. To the 3-BET button 13, a 3-BET switch 59, which will be described later, is attached. And if the 3-BET button is pressed, a switch signal which is generated from the 3-BET switch 59, will be output to the CPU 50 (see FIG. 5).
And, the 5-BET button 14 is a button to bet five bets at one time on the basis of press operation thereof. To this 5-BET button 14, a 5-BET switch 60, which will be described later, is attached. And if the 5-BET button 14 is pressed, a switch signal which is generated from the 5-BET switch 60, will be output to the CPU 50 (see FIG. 5).
And, the 8-BET button 15 is a button to bet eight bets at one time on the basis of press operation thereof. To this 8-BET button 15, a 8-BET switch 61, which will be described later, is attached. And if the 8-BET button 15 is pressed, a switch signal which is generated from the 8-BET switch 61, will be output to the CPU 50 (see FIG. 5).
And, the bet number which can be bet by pressing of the 1-BET button 11, the SPIN/REPEAT BET button 12, the 5-BET button 14, and the 8-BET button will be one, two, three, five or eight. Here, if the bet number is one, the pay line is any one of the lines “L1” to “L8”. If the bet number is two, the pay lines are any two of the lines “L1” to “L8”.
If the number of betting is three, the pay lines are any three of the lines “L1” to “L8”. If the bet number is five, the pay lines are any five of the lines “L1” to “L8”. If the bet number is eight, the pay lines are all of the lines “L1” to “L8”.
And, the system mentioned above can be applicable to the slot machine model which has the button to set all of the lines “L1” to “L8” at one time.
Hereinafter, for explanation's sake, it is supposed that the game is progressed in a state that all of eight pay lines “L1” to “L8” are activated, if no description is done.
And at a lower position of the cabinet 2, the coin payout opening 16 is formed, and the coin tray 17 for receiving coins paid out from the coin payout opening 16 is provided. The coin detection portion 73 which is constructed from the sensor etc., which will be described later, is arranged inside the coin payout opening 16. And the coin detection portion 73 detects the number of coins paid out from the coin payout opening 16 (see FIG. 15).
Next, the symbols used in the game of the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a view showing a symbol row (video reel) which is variably displayed while being scrolled in each of the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C.
Here, the video reef 100 is constructed from the symbol row. The symbol row is constructed from ten symbols of “SCATTER” 101, “MARINE TURTLE” 102, “MUDSKIPPER” 103, “SEAHORSE” 104, “HERMIT CRAB” 105, “FLAGTAIL SURGEONFISH” 106, “AMMONITE” 107, “CLOWNFISH” 108, “SEAL” 109, and “SWORD FISH” 110.
Next, the construction of the control system in the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the control system in the slot machine 1.
In FIG. 5, the control system in the slot machine 1 is basically constructed from a CPU 50, and a ROM 51 and a RAM 52. The ROM 51 and the RAM 52 are connected to the CPU 50. A main process program, the start acceptance process program, the lottery process program, the game process program, the lottery table used to determine the symbols stopped and displayed in the game in a lottery, various programs for controlling the slot machine 1, data tables, which will be described later, are stored in the ROM 51. The RAM 52 is a temporary memory for storing various data processed by the CPU 50.
And to the CPU 50, a clock pulse generator 53 for generating standard clock pulses and a frequency divider 54 are connected. And to the CPU 50, a random number generator 55 and a random number sampling circuit 56 for generation random numbers are connected. The random number sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 is used in various lotteries of the winning symbol combinations. Further, to the CPU 50, a SPIN switch 57 attached to the SPIN/REPEAT button 12, a 1-BET switch 58 attached to the 1-BET button 12, a 3-BET switch 59 attached to the 3-BET button 13, 5-BET switch 60 attached to the 5-BET button 14, the 8-BET switch 61 attached to the 8-BET button 15, the CHANGE switch 62 attached to the CHANGE button 6, the CASHOUT switch 63 attached to the CASHOUT button 7, and the HELP switch 64 attached to the HELP button 8 are connected, respectively. The CPU 50 controls various operations corresponding to each of the buttons based on the switch signal output from each switch on the basis of press operation thereof.
Further, to the CPU 50, the coin sensor 65 arranged in the coin insertion slot 9 and the bill sensor 66 arranged in the bill insertion portion 10 are connected respectively. The coin sensor 65 detects coins inserted from the coin insertion slot 9 and the CPU 50 calculates the number of inserted coins based on the coin detection signal output from the coin sensor 65. The bill sensor 66 detects the kind and sum of the bill inserted from bill insertion portion 10 and the CPU 50 calculates the number of coins equal to the sum of bill, based on the bill detection signal output from the bill sensor 66.
To the CPU, a hopper 71 is connected through a hopper drive circuit 7. If a drive signal which is generated from the CPU 50 is output to the hopper drive circuit 70, the hopper 71 will pay out a predetermined number of coins from the coin payout opening 16.
And to the CPU 50, a coin detection portion 73 is connected through the payout completion signal circuit 72. The coin detection portion 73 is arranged in the coin payout opening 16. And if the coin detection portion 73 detects that a predetermined number of coins are paid out from the coin payout opening 16, a coin payout detection signal which is from the coin detection portion 73, is output to the payout completion signal circuit 72. Thereby, the payout completion signal circuit 72 outputs a payout completion signal to the CPU 50. Further, to the CPU 50, the upper liquid crystal display 3 and the lower liquid crystal display 4 are connected through a liquid crystal drive circuit 74. And the upper liquid crystal display 3 and the lower liquid crystal display 4 are controlled by the CPU 50.
Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the liquid crystal drive 74 is constructed from a program ROM 81, an image ROM 82, an image control CPU 83, a work RAM 84, a VDP (video display processor) 85, and a video RAM 68. And in the program ROM 81, an image control program related to the display on the upper liquid crystal display 3 and the lower liquid crystal display 4, and various selection tables are stored.
And, in the image ROM 82, the dot data to form images, for example, various images of the demonstration effects and the treasure bonus displayed on the upper liquid crystal display 3 and the lower liquid crystal display 4, help information and the payout table displayed on the upper liquid crystal display 3 and the symbols of the video reel 100 shown in FIG. 7 displayed in the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C on the lower liquid crystal display 4, are stored. And, the image control CPU 83 determines the images displayed on the upper liquid crystal display 3 and the lower liquid crystal display 4 among the dot data stored beforehand in the image ROM 82 based on parameters set by the CPU 50.
And, the work RAM 84 works as a temporary memory when the image control program is executed in the image control CPU 83. And the VDP 85 forms images corresponding to display contents determined by the image control CPU 83. And the VDP 85 outputs the images formed thereby to the upper liquid crystal display 3 and the lower liquid crystal display 4. Thereby, for example, each of the symbols of the video reel 100 shown in FIG. 7 is variably displayed and stopped in the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C on the lower liquid crystal display 4 (see FIG. 3). And the video RAM 86 works as a temporary memory when the images are formed by the VDP 85.
Here, when each of the symbols to form the video reel 100 which is variably displayed while being scrolled in the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C respectively is stopped and displayed, one symbol is stopped and displayed in each of the variable display portions. And various winning combinations are predetermined based on a plurality of symbol combinations (see FIG. 9). And if the symbol combination corresponding to the winning combination is stopped on each of the pay lines “L1” to “L8”, the coins corresponding to the winning combination are paid out from the coin payout opening 16. The above-mentioned points are the same as in the conventional slot machine, therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Returning to FIG. 5, to the CPU 50, the transparent touch panel 201 is connected through a touch panel drive circuit 202. As mentioned, the transparent touch panel 201 is arranged on the image screen of the lower liquid crystal display 4. And the transparent touch panel 201 can recognize the place the player touches based on the coordinate information of the portion touched by the player.
And, to the CPU 50, LEDs 78 are connected through a LED drive circuit. Many LEDs 78 are arranged on the front face of the slot machine 1, and are lighting-controlled by the LED drive circuit 77 based on the drive signal from the CPU 50 when various effects are produced. And, to the CPU 50, a sound output circuit 79 and a speaker 80 are connected. The speaker 80 reproduces various effect sounds when various effects are produced based on the output signal from the sound output circuit 79.
Here, it will be described with reference to FIG. 8 the lottery table which is used when the symbols stopped and displayed in each of the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C are determined, in a case that the game is performed by using nine variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing the lottery table of the stop display symbols used when the game is performed by using nine variable display portions. Here, the lottery table shown in FIG. 8 is stored in the ROM 51.
The symbols stopped and displayed in each of the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C and 24A to 24C are determined every each variable display portion. Therefore, a code No., which lies in a range of “0” to “9”, is allotted to each of the symbols to form the video reel 100 shown in FIG. 7, in order from the left. And the lottery table shown in FIG. 8 is provided beforehand. Further, nine random numbers are sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 so as to correspond to each of the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C.
Here, each of the symbols to form the video reel 100 in the variable display portion 23A will be described. As shown in the lottery table in FIG. 8, if the random number lies in a range of 0 to 1, the “SCATTER” symbol 101 allotted to the code No. “0” is stopped and displayed in the variable display portion 23A. And, each of the code Nos. “1” to “9” is processed in the same way based on the lottery table in FIG. 8.
And each of the symbols to form the video reel in the other variable display portions is processed as well as the symbol to form the video reel in the variable display portion 23A.
Here, the winning combinations and the payouts thereof used when the game is performed by using nine portions of the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing the payout table indicating the winning combinations and the payouts thereof.
The payout table 123 shown in FIG. 9 is constructed from an any odds table 121 and a line odds table 122, and is stored in the ROM 51.
The any-odds table 121 holds a payout number every one symbol in accordance with the number of the same symbols stopped and displayed in the variable display portions (see FIG. 3) existing on the pay lines (see FIG. 4) displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. For example, concerning with the nine variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C, if five code Nos. corresponding to the variable displayed portions on the pay lines (see FIG. 4) are any of “2” to “19” respectively, “ANY5 of MARINE TURTLE” is won (see FIG. 8). In this case, “MARINE TURTLE” is stopped and displayed in five variable display portions respectively on the pay lines (see FIG. 4), and the payout number “1” will be acquired. And similar to this; each of the payouts of any-odds is determined based on the any-odds table 121 shown in FIG. 9.
And in the line odds table 122, it is shown every one symbol a payout number given to the pay line (see FIG. 4) in all variable display portions (see FIG. 3) of which the same symbols are stopped and displayed. For example, concerning with the nine variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C and, 24A to 24C, if all code Nos. for the variable display portions on one pay line among pay lines are any of “2” to “19”, “MARINE TURTLE-MARINE TURTLE-MARINE TURTLE” is won (see FIG. 8) for this pay line (see FIG. 4). In this case, the symbol “MARINE TURTLE” is stopped and displayed in all variable portions on the pay line (see FIG. 4) respectively (see FIG. 8), and the payout number “5” will be acquired. Here, in a case that there exist plural pay lines for each of which “MARINE TURTLE-MARINE TURTLE-MARINE TURTLE” is won, the payout number calculated by multiplying the number of pay lines by “5” will be obtained. And similarly to this, each payout number of line-odds will be determined based on the line-odds table 122.
Here, concerning with the nine variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, 24A to 24C, if code Nos. for three or more variable display portions on the pay lines (see FIG. 4) displayed on the lower-liquid crystal display 4 are “0” or “1,” the scatter symbol 101 is displayed in each of three or more variable display portions on the pay lines (see FIG. 4) is respectively stopped and displayed (see FIG. 7). Thereafter, a shell chance game is progressed on the lower liquid crystal display 4.
FIG. 15 is a view showing the example in which the “SCATTER” symbols 101 are stopped and displayed in three variable displayed portions respectively. In this example, if at least three or more pay lines are displayed on the lower display 4, the game state can be shifted to the shell chance game.
If the game state shifts to the shell chance game, as shown in FIG. 16, at first, five shells 211 are displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. Here, as for the content in each of five shells 211, any one of “A”, “B”, “10”, “20” and “30” is respectively stored in each of five shells 211. In this embodiment, the lottery is conducted for each shell 211 based on the table (see FIG. 17) and the random number value sampled in a range of 0 to 127 through the random number sampling circuit 56, thereby the content in each of five shells 211 are determined.
Therefore, according to the table shown in FIG. 17, if the random number sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 0 to 26, the content of the shell 211 will be “A”. If the random number sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 27 to 53, the content of the shell 211 will be “B”. If the random number sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 54 to 78, the content of the shell 211 will be “10”. If the random number sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 79 to 104, the content of the shell 211 will be “20”. If the random number sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 105 to 127, the content of the shell 211 will be “30”.
If the player selects one shell 211 among five shells 211 displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4 by touching the transparent touch panel 201, the contents of 5 shells (one of the symbol “A”, “B”, “10”, “20” and “30”) are displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4 as shown FIG. 18. At that time, the arrow indicating shell 211 selected by the player is displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4.
Here, if the content of the shell 211 selected by the player is “A,” the game state shifts to another bonus game. The explanation thereof will be omitted. If the content of the shell 211 selected by the player is “B,” the game state shifts to the treasure bonus game, and the explanation thereof will be described later. And, if the content of the shell 211 selected by the player is “10,” the payout number “10” can be acquired. If the content of the shell 211 selected by the player is “20,” the payout number “20” can be acquired. If the content of the shell 211 selected by the player is “30” , the payout number “30” can be acquired.
Here, as shown in FIG. 16, to keep the condition in which the player can select the another bonus game or the treasure bonus game, the contents of five shells 211 may be determined so that “A” and “B” are always stored in any two of five shells 211 displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4.
Next, the treasure bonus game will be described. In the treasure bonus game, as shown in FIG. 20, at first, twenty three treasure boxes 301 are displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. Each of the contents of twenty three treasure boxes 301 is any one of “5”, “10”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, “70”, “80”, “100,” and “200”. In this embodiment, the contents thereof are determined every each treasure box 301 by the lottery conducted based on the table (see FIG. 22) and the random number value sampled by the random sampling circuit 56 in a range of 0 to 127.
Hence, according to the table shown in FIG. 22, if the random number value sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 0 to 7, “5” is selected out as the content of the treasure box 301. And as for “10”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, “70”, “80”, “100,” and “200,” each of them is similarly selected out as the content of the treasure box 301.
Further, among twenty three treasure boxes 301, in addition to any of “5”, “10”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, “70”, “80”, “90”, “100” and “200”, there will exist the treasure box in which an “OCTOPUS” is stored and the treasure box in which the “OCTOPUS” is not stored. In this embodiment, the lottery is conducted for each treasure box 301 based on the table (see FIG. 23) and the random number value sampled through the random number sampling circuit 56 in a range of 0 to 127, thereby it is determined whether or not the “OCTOPUS” is stored in the treasure box.
According to the table shown in FIG. 23, if the random number value sampled by the random sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 0 to 15, the “OCTOPUS” is stored in the treasure box as the content thereof, and if the random number value sampled by the random sampling circuit 56 lies in a range 16 to 127, the “OCTOPUS” is not stored in the treasure box as the content thereof.
And the player can select three treasure boxes 301 among twenty three treasure boxes 301 displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4 by touching the transparent touch panel 201 without any betting coins and the like. And, after the player selects three treasure boxes 301, the treasure box 301 selected by the player will be opened and contents thereof will be displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4 every the player selects the treasure box. FIG. 24 shows one example that three treasure boxes 301 selected by the player are opened and the contents thereof are displayed. In this example, the “OCTOPUS” is not stored in any of the treasure boxes 301 selected by the player.
On the other hand, if the treasure box 301 selected by the player has the “OCTOPUS,” for example, as shown in FIG. 25, on the liquid crystal display 4, the treasure box is opened and the content thereof (“5” shown in FIG. 25) is displayed thereon, and the “OCTOPUS” coming out of the treasure box 301 is displayed thereon. And, the “OCTOPUS” moves to one of the treasure boxes 301 which have not been opened, and the treasure box 301 will be opened, after that, the content thereof (“60” shown in FIG. 1) is displayed on the liquid crystal display 4.
Then, the treasure box 301 opened by the “OCTOPUS” has the other “OCTOPUS,” for example, as shown FIG. 26, on the liquid crystal display 4, the other “OCTOPUS” coming out of the treasure box 301 is newly displayed thereon. And, as shown FIG. 27, on the liquid crystal display 4, the other “OCTOPUS” moves to one of the treasure boxes 301 which have not been opened, and the treasure box 301 will be opened, after that, the content thereof (“70” shown in FIG. 27) is displayed on the liquid crystal display 4. That is to say, if the “OCTOPUS” is stored in the treasure box 301 opened by the player or the “OCTOPUS” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4, another treasure box 301 is continuously opened. Therefore, it will be a case that the treasure boxes 301 are successively opened by the “OCTOPUS” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4.
Here, in this embodiment, the treasure box opened by the “OCTOPUS” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4 will be determined by the lottery conducted based on the table (see FIG. 28) and the random number value sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 in a range of 0 to 127.
In other words, for example, as shown in FIG. 21, each of the treasure boxes 301 displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4 is respectively numbered beforehand in a range of No. 1 to No. 23.
And, according to the table shown in FIG. 28, if the random number value sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 0 to 2, it will be determined that there is no treasure box 301 to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” which is displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. If the random number value sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 3 to 27, it will be determined that one of the unopened treasure boxes which are numbered from No. 1 to No. 5 is determined to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. If the random number value sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 28 to 52, it will be determined that one of the unopened treasure boxes which are numbered from No. 6 to No. 9 is determined to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. If the random number value sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 53 to 77, it will be determined that one of the unopened treasure boxes which are numbered from No. 10 to No. 14 is determined to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. If the random number value sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 78 to 102, it will be determined that one of the unopened treasure boxes which are numbered from No. 15 to No. 18 is determined to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. If the random number value sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 lies in a range of 103 to 127, it will be determined that one of the unopened treasure boxes which are numbered from No. 19 to No. 23 is determined to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4.
Here, to determine one treasure box 301 among the treasure boxes 301 which are numbered from No. 1 to No. 5 and have not been opened, for example, it is checked according to increase order, decrease order or random order of the numbers allotted to the treasure boxes 301 numbered from No. 1 to No. 5, whether or not the treasure box 301 is already opened, based on each of flags corresponding to each of the treasure boxes 301.
If all treasure boxes 301 which are numbered from No. 1 to No. 5 have already opened, each flag corresponding to each of all treasure boxes 301 may be checked, a new random number for each treasure box may be sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56, or it may be determined that there is no treasure box 301 to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4.
And, the treasure boxes 301 which are numbered from No. 6 to No. 9 and not opened, the treasure boxes 301 which are numbered from No. 10 to No. 14 and not opened, the treasure boxes 301 which are numbered from No. 15 to No. 18 and not opened, and the treasure boxes 301 which are numbered from No. 19 to No. 23 and not opened are processed in the same way.
And, when the player finish selecting three treasure boxes 301, the player can acquire the payout including total contents (any of “5”, “10”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, “70”, “80”, “100,” and “200”) selected by the player or the “OCTOPUS”.
Next, the main processing program executed in the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the main process program. In FIG. 10, at first, in step S11, the start acceptance process is executed. This start acceptance process is the process to receive the switch signal output from the spin switch 57, the 1-BET switch 58, the 3-BET switch 59, the 5-BET switch 60, or the 8-BET switch 61 based on the operation of the 1-BET button 11, the 3-BET button 13, the 5-BET button 14, or the 8-BET button 15. Here, the game is started at the time that such switch signal output from each switch is accepted.
And, at step S12, the lottery process shown in FIG. 12, which will be described later, is executed based on the switch signal output from the spin switch 57, the 1-BET switch 58, the 3-BET switch 59, the 5-BET switch 60, or the 8-BET switch 61.
At step S13, the game processing shown in FIG. 13, which will be described later, is executed. Thereafter, at step S14, the another game process shown in FIG. 14, which will be described later, is executed. Therefore, the main process program is ended.
Next, the start acceptance process program executed in the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the start acceptance process program. At step S11 in the main process program shown in FIG. 11, the start acceptance process is executed. Therefore, at first, the procedure shifts to step S21 shown in FIG. 11 and it is determined whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 15 seconds) elapses. Here, if it is determined that the predetermined time does not elapse (step S21: No), the procedure will shift to step S23. And, if it is determined that the predetermined time elapses (step S21: YES), the demonstration effect is produced on the upper liquid crystal display 3 and the lower liquid crystal display 4, after that, the procedure will shift to step S23. And, at step S23, it is determined whether or not the spin button 12, the 1-BET button 11, the 3-BET button 13, the 5-BET button 14, or the 8-BET button 15 is operated. Here, if it is determined that the 1-BET button 11 or the like is not operated (step S23: NO), the procedure will return to step S21 and the above procedure will be re-executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the 1-BET button 11 or the like is operated (step S23: YES), the demonstration effect will be ended. The pay lines “L1” to “L8” are displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4, and, for example, the payout table including the any-odds table 121 and the line-odds table 122 shown in FIG. 9 will be displayed on the upper liquid crystal display 3, after that, the procedure will return to the main process program of FIG. 10, and will shift to the lottery process at step S12.
Next, the lottery process program executed in the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the lottery process program. At step S12 in the main processing program shown in FIG. 10, the lottery process is executed, therefore, at first, the procedure will shift to step S31 shown in FIG. 12 and the symbol determination processing is executed. Here, each of the symbols to be stopped and displayed in each of the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C and 24A to 24C is determined every each variable display portion in the game (step 42 shown in FIG. 13). Concretely, as mentioned above, nine random number values are sampled through the random number sampling circuit 56 in a range of 0 to 127 so as to correspond to each of the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C and 24A to 24C and the stop symbols are determined by the code Nos. based on the lottery table shown in FIG. 8. And, if each of the symbols stopped and displayed in each of the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C is determined, the winning combination determination process will be executed at step S32. In this winning combination determination process, concretely, as mentioned above, the winning symbol combination on the pay line and the payout thereof are determined based on the payout table 123 shown in FIG. 9 by using code Nos. at step S31.
After that, the procedure returns to the main process program of FIG. 10 and shifts the game process at step S13.
Next, the game process program executed in the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the game process program. At step S13 shown in FIG. 10, the game process program is executed. Therefore, at first, at step S41 shown in FIG. 13, the rotation process is executed. In this rotation process, concretely, each of the images of the symbols to form the video reel 100 are scrolled from the right to the left in each of the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C based on the switch signal output from the spin switch 57, the 1-BET switch 58, the 3-BET switch 59, the 5-BET switch 60, or the 8-BET switch 61 operated at step S11 shown in FIG. 10.
And, at step S42, the stop control process is executed. In this stop control process, in each of the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C, each of the symbol images to form the video reel 100 is stopped based on the result determined in the symbol determination process.
Hereby, each of the symbol images is stopped and displayed.
And, at step S43, coins corresponding to the payout number predetermined based on the table shown in FIG. 9 will be paid out, according to the symbol combination of the winning combination stopped and displayed in the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C, and 24A to 24C on the pay lines “L1” to “L8” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. Here, if the winning combinations are realized on plural pay lines “L1” to “L8”, each of the payout numbers corresponding to each of the winning combinations will be added up. Therefore, for example, if a plurality of any-odds and/or line-odds are realized at the same time, as for the payout of odds the payout change information of which is displayed on the upper liquid crystal display 3, after the payout is multiplied by the magnification of such payout change information, coins corresponding to the sum obtained by totally adding up each of the payouts are paid out.
After that, the procedure returns to the main process program shown in FIG. 10, and the procedure shifts the another game process at step S14.
Next, the another game process program executed in the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the another process program. The another process program is executed in the main process program (step S14) shown in FIG. 10. Therefore, at first, at step S51 shown in FIG. 14, it is determined whether or not the scatter symbols 101 with more than a predetermined number are stopped and displayed in the variable display portions 22A to 22C, 23A to 23C and 24A to 24C on the pay lines L1 to L8 displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. Here, the predetermined number of the scatter symbols in the embodiment is set to three (see FIG. 15).
Here, if it is determined that the number of the “SCATTER” symbol is smaller than predetermined number (step S51: NO), the procedure will shift to the payout process (step S59), which will be described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of the “SCATTER” symbol is larger than the predetermined number (step S51: YES), the procedure will shift to step S52.
At step S52, the shell's content determination process is executed. Concretely, as mentioned above, five shells 211 are displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4 (see FIG. 16), and each of the contents thereof is determined as any one of “A”, “B”, “10”, “20”, “30” by the lottery conducted based on the table (see FIG. 17) and the random number value sampled by the random sampling circuit 56 in a range of 0 to 127.
And, after the procedure shifts step S53, procedure will be waiting until the player selects one shell 211 among five shells 211 displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4 (step S52: NO). Here, as mentioned above, the player can select one shell 211 among five shells by touching the transparent touch panel 201.
And, if the player selects one shell 211 among five shells 211 displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4 (step S52: YES), the procedure will shift to step S54 and the content of the shell 211 selected by the player is displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, for example, contents of all shells 211 are displayed and the arrow indicating the shell 211 selected by the player is also displayed.
And, after the procedure shifts to step S55, it is determined whether or not the content of the shell 211 selected by the player is the bonus game. In this determination, the content of the shell 211 selected by the player is “A” or “B”, the content thereof is the bonus game. And, if the content thereof is “10”, “20” or “30”, the content thereof is not the bonus game. Here, if it is determined that the content thereof is not the bonus game (step S55: NO), the procedure will shift the payout process (step S59), which will be described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that the content thereof is the bonus game (step S55: YES), procedure will shift to step S56.
At step S56, it is determined whether or not the bonus game is the treasure game. In this determination, if the content of the treasure box 301 selected by the player is “A”, the bonus game is not the treasure bonus game. And, if the content of the treasure box 301 selected by the player is “B”, the bonus game is the treasure bonus game. And, if it is determined that the bonus game is not the treasure bonus game (step 56: NO), the another bonus game process is executed at step S58, after that, the procedure will shift to step S59. And, the another bonus game is executed in the another game process step 58, but explanation thereof will be omitted. On the other hand, if it is determined that the bonus game is the treasure bonus game (step S56: YES), at step S57, the treasure bonus process shown in FIG. 19 is executed, which will be described later, after that, the procedure will shift to step S59.
At step S59, the payout process is executed. If the content of the shell 211 selected by the player at step S55 is any of “10”, “20”, or “30” (step S55: NO), the coins, in which the number thereof is equal to the content, are paid out. And the payouts which the player won in the another bonus game at step S58 and in the treasure bonus game at step S57 are also paid out as coins corresponding to the payouts, in the payout process.
And, after the process at step S59 is executed, the main processing program shown in FIG. 10 is ended. And a new main process program shown in FIG. 10 will be started.
Next, the treasure bonus process program executed in the slot machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 19. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the treasure bonus process program. The treasure bonus process is executed at step S57 in the another game processing program. Therefore, at first, at step S71 shown in FIG. 19, the shell's content determination process program is executed. Concretely, as shown in FIG. 20, for example, twenty three treasure boxes 301 are displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4, and as mentioned above, each of the contents thereof is determined as any one of “5”, “10”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, “70”, “80”, “100”, and “200” by the lottery conducted based on the table (see FIG. 22) and the random number value sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 in a range of 0 to 127. Further, the lottery is conducted for each of the treasure boxes 301 based on the table (see FIG. 23) and the random number value sampled through the random number sampling circuit 56 in a range of 0 to 127. Thereby, it is determined whether or not existence of the “OCTOPUS” is added to each of the contents of the treasure boxes 301. Here, each of the contents of the treasure boxes 301 is stored in the table retained in the RAM 52.
And, after the procedure shifts to step S72, the procedure will be waiting until the player selects one treasure box 301 (step S72: NO). Here, as mentioned above, the player can select the treasure box by touching the transparent touch panel 201. However, the player cannot select the treasure box which has already been opened. To determine whether or not the treasure box has already been opened, for example, the flag retained in the RAM 52 corresponding to each of the treasure boxes 301 is checked. And, one of the treasure boxes 301 is selected (step S72: YES), number of times of the treasure box 301 selected by the player is stored in the RAM 52, after that, the procedure shifts to step S73.
At step S73, the treasure box 301 is opened and the content thereof (any of “5”, “10”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, “70”, “80”, “100”, “200”) is displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4 (for example, see FIGS. 24 and 25). This display process is executed based on the table (which is stored in the RAM 52) holding the content of each treasure box 301. And, the flag associated with each treasure box 301 opened by the player holds that condition.
And, after the procedure shifts step S74, if it is determined whether or not the “OCTOPUS” exists in the treasure box 301 selected by the player. This determination process is executed based on the table storing each of the content of the treasure box 301 (which is stored in the RAM 52). Here, if it is determined that the “OCTOPUS” does not exist in the treasure box 301 selected by the player (step S74: NO), the procedure will shift to step S75, which will be described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that the “OCTOPUS” exists in the treasure box 301 selected by the player (step S74: YES), the procedure will shift to step S76.
At step S76, it is determined whether or not the treasure box 301 which has not been opened by the player remains on the lower liquid crystal display 4. This determination process is executed by checking the flag (which is stored in the RAM 52) associated with each of the contents of the treasure boxes 301. Here, if it is determined that there is no treasure box 301 which has not been opened (step S76: NO), the procedure will return to the another game process program, and shift to the payout process at step S59. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is the treasure box 301 which has not been opened (step S76: YES), the procedure will shift to step S77.
At step S77, it is conducted the determination process for the treasure box 301 to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. Concretely, for example, as mentioned above, the treasure box 301 to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” is determined by the lottery based on the table (see FIG. 28) and the random number value sampled by the random sampling circuit 56 in a range of 0 to 127. Thereby, the treasure box 301 opened by the “OCTOPUS” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4 is determined. Thereafter, the procedure will shift to step S78. Here, if the table shown in FIG. 28 is used, there will be a case in which it is determined that there exists no treasure box 301 opened by the “OCTOPUS” displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. At that time, the procedure will shift to step S75, which will be described later.
And, after the procedure shifts to step S78, the “OCTOPUS” which comes out of the treasure box 301 opened at step S73 and moves to the treasure box 301 determined at step S77, is displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4. And, the treasure box 301 determined at step S77 is opened and the content thereof (any of “10”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, “70”, “80”, “100”, and “200”) is displayed (for example, see FIGS. 24 and 25), after that, the procedure returns to step S74. Here, the content displayed based on the table (which is stored in the RAM 52) associated with the content of each of the treasure boxes 301 and the like.
On the other hand, at step 74, if it is determined that there is not the “OCTOPUS” in the treasure box 301 selected by the player (step S74: NO), the procedure will shift to step S75, as mentioned above. At step S75, it is determined whether or not the number of times in which the player can select is left. Here, in this embodiment, the number of times in which the player can select is set to three. And, as mentioned above, the number of times in which the player has already selected is stored in the RAM 52. Here, if the number of times is left (step S75: YES), the procedure will return to step S72 and the process mentioned above will be repeated. On the other hand, if the number of times is not left (step S75: NO), the procedure will return to the another game process program and will shift to the payout process at step S59.
Here, in the payout process at step S59, the payouts corresponding to each of the contents of the treasure boxes 301 selected are accumulated and awarded. Here, the payout may be done every each of the contents of the treasure boxes 301 is displayed.
As mentioned, the CPU 50 works as “the lottery selection device” when the process at step S77 in the treasure bonus process is executed.
And, the CPU 50 works as “the payout devices” when the process at step 59 in the another process is executed.
As mentioned above in detail, in the slot machine 1 of the embodiment, during the treasure bonus game, if there exists the “OCTOPUS” in the treasure box 301 selected by the player on the lower liquid crystal display 4 (step S74: YES, see FIG. 25), the treasure box 301 to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” is determined by the lottery conducted based on the table (see FIG. 28) and the random number value sampled through the random number sampling circuit 56 in a range of 0 to 127 by using the code No. (see FIG. 21) corresponding to each of the treasure boxes 301 (step S77). And the procedure will shift to step S78. The payout number based on the content of the treasure box 301 (any of “5”, “10”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, “70”, “80”, “100”, and “200”) opened by the “OCTOPUS” will be paid out in addition to the payout number based on the content of the treasure box 301 (any of “5”, “10”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, “70”, “80”, “100”, and “200”) selected by the player (see step S59, FIG. 1). Therefore, it is difficult for the player to anticipate a payout which is added up, thus, a new feeling can be given to the player who plays the game in which the payout is given corresponding to the selection element (treasure box 301) selected by the player.
Further, if there exists another “OCTOPUS” in the treasure box 301 opened by the octopus (step S74: YES, see FIG. 26), one treasure box 301 to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” is determined among the treasure boxes 301 not opened by the lottery conducted based on the table (see FIG. 28) and the random number value sampled by the random number sampling circuit 56 in a range of 0 to 127 by using the code No. (see FIG. 21) corresponding to each of the treasure boxes 301 (step S77). And, the payout number based on the content of the treasure box 301 (any of “5”, “10”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, “70”, “80”, “100”, and “200”) opened by the “OCTOPUS” will be paid out in addition to the payout number based on the content of the treasure box 301 (any of “5”, “10”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, “70”, “80”, “100”, and “200”) selected by the player (see step S59, FIG. 1). Thus, the treasure box 301 will be opened continuously, as long as there exists the “OCTOPUS” in the treasure box 301 opened by the other “OCTOPUS”, therefore, since there will be a probability to continuously obtain a large payout, such situation is beneficial for the player. As a result, strong interest for the game can be given to the player who plays the game in which the payout is given corresponding to the selection element (treasure box 301) selected by the player.
Here, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. And various changes and modification can be done within the scope of the present invention.
For example, there may be two or more kinds of the “OCTOPUS” coming out of the treasure box which is opened. In this case, a “RED OCTOPUS” and a “BLUE OCTOPUS” being in the treasure boxes are preset as the “OCTOPUS” stored in the treasure box 301 and the procedure shown in FIG. 29 is executed. That is, after the procedure at step S73 in the treasure bonus process shown in FIG. 19 is executed, as shown in FIG. 29, the procedure will shift to step S101 and it is determined whether the “OCTOPUS” coming out of the treasure box 301 opened is red or blue. In this determination, if it is determined that the “OCTOPUS” is “RED” (step S101: YES), the procedure will return to step S74 shown in FIG. 19 and the treasure bonus game will be performed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the “OCTOPUS” is “BLUE” (step S101: NO), base free games will be performed at step 102, after that, the procedure will return to step 75 in the treasure bonus process and the treasure bonus game mentioned above will be performed.
In this case, the “OCTOPUS” in the treasure box 301 selected by the player or opened by the “OCTOPUS” is “BLUE” (step S101: NO), the base free games will be performed in the treasure bonus game (step S102), therefore, the slot machine 1 of the embodiment can give new feeling to the player.
Therefore, in this case, the CPU 50 works as “specific game execution device” when the process is executed at step S102 in FIG. 29 And, in the treasure bonus game, there may be two or more treasure boxes 301 which are opened by the “OCTOPUS”. And, the content of the treasure box 301 may be only the “OCTOPUS”. And, the content of the treasure box 301 may be two or more of the “OCTOPUS”. In this case, if the treasure box 301 which is opened has two or more the “OCTOPUS”, the treasure boxes 301 to be opened by each “OCTOPUS” are determined.
And, in the treasure bonus game, if there is the “OCTOPUS” in the treasure box 301 which is opened by the “OCTOPUS” (step S74: YES, see FIG. 26), the player may be allowed to newly select the treasure box 301 displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4.
And, in the treasure bonus game, if the first specific selection element (the treasure box which has the “RED OCTOPUS”) is selected among a plurality of selection elements (treasure boxes 301) displayed on the lower liquid crystal display 4, the treasure box to be opened by the “OCTOPUS” at step S77 in the treasure bonus process shown in FIG. 19 is determined among a predetermined group including the unopened selection elements (treasure boxes 301) by the random lottery based on the identification number associated with each of the selection elements (No. 1 to No. 23) by using the table shown in FIG. 28, however, this embodiment is not limited.
For example, at step S77, if the first specific selection element (the treasure box 301 which has red “OCTOPUS”) is selected, at least one treasure box 301 opened by the “OCTOPUS” will be selected among the selection elements (the treasure boxes 301) which are in the grid on the display (the lower liquid crystal display 4), which are in the area away from that by more than the first predetermined number of the boxes and by less than the second predetermined number of the boxes and which have not been opened, by the random lottery. Therefore, the red “OCTOPUS” coming out of the treasure box 301 corresponding to the first specific selection element will select the treasure box 301 among the unopened treasure boxes 301 which are in the area away from that by more than the first predetermined number of the boxes and by less than the second predetermined number of the boxes, that is, not close and not far.
For example, at step S77, if the first predetermined specific selection element (the treasure box 301 which has the “RED OCTOPUS”) is selected, at least one treasure box 301 opened by the “OCTOPUS” will be selected among the selection elements (the treasure boxes 301) which are in the grid on the display (the lower liquid crystal display 4), which are in the area away from the first specific selection element (treasure box 301 of the red “OCTOPUS”) by more than the second predetermined number of the boxes, and which have not been open, by the random lottery.
Therefore, the “red OCTOPUS” coming out of the treasure box 301 corresponding to the first specific selection element will always select the treasure box 301 among the unopened treasure boxes 301 which are in the area away from that by more than the second predetermined number of the boxes.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a display device for displaying plural selection elements thereon, each of the selection elements having an identification number and a payout number;

a selection device for selecting one selection element among the selection elements displayed on the display by a manual operation of a player; and

a processor programmed to operate with the display device and the selection device (a) to determine the selection element among the selection elements not selected on the display device based on a lottery conducted by using the identification number attached to each of the selection elements, when the selection element selected through the selection device corresponds to a first specific selection element and (b) to award a payout based on the payout number of the selection element selected through the selection device and the payout number of the selection element determined through the lottery device.

2. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines for each of the selection elements displayed on the display device whether or not the selection element satisfies a first specific condition and determines the selection element as the first specific selection element when the selection element selected through the selection device satisfies the first specific condition.

3. The gaming machine according to claim 2, wherein the processor determines whether or not the selection elements not selected exist after selection of the selection element through the selection device, and

wherein the processor determines the selection element among the selection elements not selected when the selection elements not selected exist.

4. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the processor newly determines the selection element among the selection elements not selected after selection of the selection element through the selection device.

5. The gaming machine according to claim 1, further comprising:

a lottery table in which the identification numbers attached to the selection elements displayed on the display device and random number values are correlated with each other;

wherein the processor selects the selection element among the selection elements not selected and displayed on the display device based on the lottery table.

6. The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the processor executes a specific game when the selection element selected through the selection device or determined therethrough corresponds to a second specific selection element.

7. The gaming machine according to claim 6, wherein the processor determines whether or not the selection element satisfies a second specific condition and determines the selection element as the second specific selection element when the selection element selected through the selection device or determined therethrough satisfies the second specific condition.