The present application claims the benefit of patent application number 2011-205190, filed in Japan on Sep. 20, 2011, the subject matter of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a game machine including a lottery device.
Game machines including a lottery device are well known (for example, see Patent Literature 1). A pusher game in which in a medal game machine, a group of medals placed on a table is pushed out and then fall onto a predetermined medal falling portion by reciprocation of a pusher table has been known. Besides medals, balls are placed on the table, and the balls fall onto the falling portion with the movement of the medals. As the medals or the balls fall onto the falling portion, a predetermined game process is executed. A lottery process by a lottery device is executed as an example of a game process.
A lottery by a lottery device is performed for a player who has satisfied a condition for executing a lottery process. Typically, as payout of a lottery increases, a condition for acquiring a lottery right becomes stricter, and so an opportunity to execute a lottery process per player is reduced. Further, since a target of a lottery is one player, a player who is not a target of a lottery may have a low interest in a lottery, and there may be a lack of excitement in an overall game machine.
Thus, the present invention aims to provide a game machine which is capable of executing a lottery process in which a plurality of players participates.
The game machine of the present invention is a game machine comprising: a lottery device which executes a lottery to decide a privilege to be given to a player; a participation application receiving device which receives applications for participation of a plurality of players in a lottery by the lottery device on a condition of paying a game value; a lottery executing device which executes a lottery by the lottery device when a total of the number of game values paid by the plurality of players whose applications for participation have been received by the participation application receiving device reaches a predetermined specified number; and a privilege distributing device which distributes a privilege decided by the lottery device according to a ratio of the number of game values paid by each player whose application for participation has been received by the participation application receiving device.
According to the game machine of the present invention, the player who desires to participate in a lottery by the lottery device pays a game value and requests for participation. When a total of the number of game values paid by the players who have applied for participation satisfies the specified number, a lottery by the lottery device is executed. When a lottery is won, a privilege is distributed according to a ratio of the number of game values paid by the player to the specified number. Typically, as payout of a lottery increases, a condition for acquiring a lottery right becomes stricter, and so an opportunity to execute a lottery process per player is reduced. However, since each player shares and pays the game value, a condition for acquiring a lottery right per player becomes moderate, and thus it is easy to acquire an opportunity to execute a lottery of higher payout. Since a plurality of players is allowed to participate in a lottery, a game becomes exciting, and amusement of a game can be increased.
As one aspect of the game machine of the present invention, further comprising a execution instruction determining device which determines whether or not the player has given an execution instruction to request execution of a lottery of the lottery device on a condition of paying a game value, wherein when the execution instruction determining device determines that the player has given the execution instruction, the participation application receiving device receives an application for participation in the lottery from another player other than the player who has requested execution of the lottery of the lottery device. According to this, the execution instruction can be given at the time when the player desires to execute the lottery by the lottery device. Further, another player can pay a game value necessary to satisfy the specified number and participate in the lottery. A game's property can be diversified, and amusement of a game can be increased.
As one aspect of the game machine of the present invention, the participation application receiving device includes an insufficient game value presenting device which presents the other player with the number of game values necessary to satisfy the specified number. According to this, another player who desires to participate in the lottery can understand the number of game values to be paid to participate in.
As one aspect of the game machine of the present invention, the lottery device changes a winning probability of the lottery or content of the privilege according to the number of players whose applications for participation have been received by the participation application receiving device. A game's property can be diversified. Further, as one aspect of the game machine of the present invention, the lottery device changes a winning probability of the lottery or content of the privilege according to an amount of the specified number.
As one aspect of the game machine of the present invention, comprising a plurality of stations which respectively include a game field on which a medal as a first game medium and a second game medium different from the medal are arranged and a pusher table reciprocating along the game field, wherein in the station, a pusher game in which a group of medals placed on below the second game medium is pushed out of the game field by the pusher table is executed, and the second game medium is acquired as the second game medium is pushed out of the game field, and the game system further comprising a game value managing device which exchanges the acquired second game medium to the game value and manages the game value possessed by the player. According to this, the game medium acquired in the pusher game is exchanged to the game value. As the game medium is acquired, the game value is stored. The player is motivated to continue a game aimed at a lottery by the lottery device.
As the aspect of comprising the plurality of stations, the privilege is payout of medals. Further, the second game medium is a ball.
As described above, according to the invention, the player who desires to participate in a lottery by a lottery device pays a game value and requests for participation. When a total of the number of game values paid by the players who have applied for participation satisfies the specified number, a lottery by the lottery device is executed. When a lottery is won, a privilege is distributed according to a ratio of the number of game values paid by the player to the specified number. Typically, as payout of a lottery increases, a condition for acquiring a lottery right becomes stricter, and so an opportunity to execute a lottery process is reduced. However, since each player shares and pays the game value, a condition for acquiring a lottery right per player becomes moderate, and thus it is easy to acquire an opportunity to execute a lottery of higher payout. Since a plurality of players is allowed to participate in a lottery, a game becomes exciting, and amusement of a game can be increased.
A game screen Sa is displayed on the monitor 12. In
Besides, a digital lottery game different from that in
The station unit ST includes a medal supply rail 21 that supplies the game field GF with the medal M, a table 22 on which the medal M and the ball B are placed, a pusher table 23 that reciprocates on the table 22, a falling portion 24 that is positioned at a front end of the table 22 and onto which the medal M and the ball B fall, a ball supply rail 25 that supplies the table 22 with the ball B, and a checker 26 that detects the medal M. The medal supply rail 21 supplies the medal M onto the pusher table 23 in response to insertion of the medal M into the medal insertion slot 11 or an insertion operation of the digital medal DM through the touch panel 13. A direction of the medal supply rail 21 is changed by operating the rail operating portion 15. Thus, it is possible to change the direction of the medal M guided to the game field GF. The pusher table 23 reciprocates in a front-back direction by a driving mechanism 64 (see
Next, the move of the medal M in the game field GF will be briefly described. When the medal M is inserted into the medal insertion slot 11, the medal M is supplied to a medal placing surface 23a of the pusher table 23 through the medal supply rail 21. A group of medals on the medal placing surface 23a is pushed out by reciprocation of the pusher table 23, and some medals are moved to a medal placing surface 22a of the table 22. The ball B is placed on a group of medals on the medal placing surface 22a. A group of medals is pushed out by reciprocation of the pusher table 23, and the ball B moves with the movement of a group of medals. The medal M fallen onto the falling portion 24 is dispensed from the medal dispensing opening 14. Further, the medal M that has entered the checker 26 is detected by the medal detecting portion 62. A game process of a slot game illustrated in
The chip ball B2 fallen onto the falling portion 24 is detected by the ball detecting portion 63. The player acquires the chip C based on the detection result. The player acquires one chip C when one chip ball B2 falls. Two or more types of chip balls B2 may be provided, and the type of acquirable chip C or the number of acquirable chips C may differ according to the type of chip ball B2. Alternatively, the chip C may be acquired depending on the game result of each station unit ST or the center unit CN.
The center unit CN executes a jackpot game when a “jackpot chance” is won in a lottery game executed by each station unit ST. Referring back to
In addition to a typical jackpot game, a cooperative jackpot game is displayed on the monitor 42.
The game machine 1 includes a motor 67 that drives the adjusting member 43c. Driving of the motor 67 is controlled by a control unit 61 (see
In a conventional lottery mechanism using a ball, each game machine differs in a lottery time due to influence of an installation state of a game machine. Thus, depending on a game machine, there was a case in which a lottery is not performed within a range of a desired lottery time. It is because depending on a status of a store, a game machine may be installed on a tilt or may be inclined during use due to some reason. For this reason, in the related art, the adjusting member is manually adjusted, but it was not easy to evaluate an adjustment result, and it was difficult to appropriately adjust the adjusting member. Further, due to a characteristic of a lottery mechanism, a lottery time is not constant due to a physical factor even though an installation state of a game machine is constant, and it was difficult to perform proper evaluation based on a single lottery result. In this regard, by controlling the motor 67 such that the angle formed between the adjusting member 43c and the rotating plate 43 is adjusted based on the average of the lottery time and the target time, the lottery time by the lottery mechanism 41 can be adjusted to fall into the target time. Further, since it is unnecessary for the operator to manually perform an adjustment, it is easy to manage the game machine 1.
When it is determined in step S1 that the player has been made the execution request, the control unit 61 causes the process to proceed to step S2 and receives a participation application from other players. A screen of encouraging selection about whether or not to participate in a current cooperative jackpot game is displayed on the monitor 12 of the station unit ST other than the station unit ST operated by the player who has made the execution request in step S1. The player who has decided to participate in and applied for participation inputs the number of chips C to pay. In this case, the player who is to participate in decides the number of chips C to pay within the number of chips necessary to reach the specified number.
In step S3, the control unit 61 determines whether or not a total of the number of chips paid by the players who are to participate in a current game reaches the specified number. When 100 chips C are set as the specified number, when a total of the number of chips C paid by the player who has made the execution request in step S1 and the players who have applied for participation in step S2 is 100, the specified number is satisfied. For example, when the player who has made the execution request for the cooperative jackpot game has paid 100 chips, the specified number is satisfied. Further, when the player who has made the execution request has paid 50 chips C and two players who have applied for participation have paid 20 chips and 30 chips respectively, the specified number is satisfied. When it is determined in step S3 that a total of the number of chips C does not reach the specified number yet, the control unit 61 causes the process to proceed to step S4 and then determines whether or not a current participation application times out. After the execution request is received in step S1, a participation application is determined to time out when a predetermined time elapses after a participation application starts to be received in step S2. When it is determined in step S4 that a current participation application does not time out, the control unit 61 causes the process to proceed to step S5, and causes the number of chips C necessary to reach the specified number to be displayed on the monitor 12. This encourages the player to participate in. Then, the control unit 61 returns to step S2, and repeats the process. However, when it is determined in step S4 that a current participation application times out, in step S6, the control unit 61 stops the current bingo jackpot game and pays the paid chips C back to the players. Then, the control unit 61 causes the process to proceed to step S10 and displays a rendering effect of notifying the players of the fact that the current cooperative jackpot game is not to be executed. Then, the current process ends.
Meanwhile, when it is determined in step S3 that a total of the number of chips C reaches the specified number, the control unit 61 causes the process to proceed to step S7 and then executes a lottery process of the cooperative jackpot game. The control unit 61 executes the lottery process using a random number or the like. Alternatively, the lottery mechanism 41 may execute the lottery process. A well-known technique may be used for the lottery process. Then, in step S8, the control unit 61 determines whether or not a lottery is won as a result of the lottery process of step S7. The number of medals M to be paid to the player is set according to a line on which a bingo is formed as well as a jackpot as a win. When it is determined in step S8 that a lottery is not won, the control unit 61 causes the process to proceed to step S10 and then causes a rendering effect of notifying the participant players of the fact that the lottery is not won to be displayed on each monitor 12.
When it is determined in step S8 that the lottery is won, the control unit 61 causes the process to proceed to step S9 and then distributes obtained payout according to a ratio of chips C paid by the player who has participated in the cooperative jackpot game. For example, when a single player has paid all of the chips C, the player receives the full payout. Further, when three players have paid 50 chips, 30 chips, and 20 chips respectively, 50% of payout is paid to the player who has paid 50 chips, 30% of payout is paid to the player who has paid 30 chips, and 20% of payout is paid to the player who has paid 20 chips. The payout is paid according to the ratio of the number of chips C paid by each player to the specified number of chips C. Then, in step S10, the control unit 61 displays a rendering effect of notifying each player of the fact that the lottery is won and the number of medals acquired by each player. Then, the current process ends. When it is set to dispense a predetermined number of medals M to the game field GF as payout, the medals M which correspond in number to the ratio of the number of paid chips C to the predetermined number of medals M are dispensed from the medal supply portion 65 to the game field GF of the station unit ST of each player who has participated in the cooperative jackpot game through the medal supply rail 21. Alternatively, when it is set to pay out a predetermined number of medals M directly to the player as payout, the medals M which correspond in number to the ratio of the number of paid chips C to the predetermined number of medals M are dispensed through the medal dispensing opening 14 of each player who has participated in the cooperative jackpot game.
According to the cooperative jackpot game process, by the player's execution request (step S1), other players are encouraged to participate in the cooperative jackpot game (step S2), and when a total of the number of chips C paid by the players satisfies the specified number necessary to execute the cooperative jackpot game (step S3), the lottery process is executed (step S7). When the lottery is won as a result of the lottery (step S8), payout is distributed according to a ratio of the number of chips paid by each player (step S9). Thus, since a plurality of players challenge a jackpot game of higher payout in a cooperative manner, a sense of connectedness among players who play with a single machine 1 can increase, excitement of a game can be increased, and amusement of a game can be increased. Even though it is difficult for one person to execute a jackpot game, since an opportunity to execute a jackpot game is given to the player by seeking other player's cooperation, it is easy to obtain an opportunity to acquire higher payout, and players are motivated to continue a game. In the related art, a jackpot game is executed when a predetermined condition is satisfied, whereas in the invention, a jackpot game can be executed based on a player's intension. Thus, the progress of a game can be diversified, and amusement of a game can be increased.
In the above process, the process of step S7 of the cooperative jackpot game process executed by the control unit 61 functions as a lottery device, the process of step S2 functions as a participation application receiving device, the process of step S3 functions as a lottery executing device, the process of step S9 functions as a privilege distributing device, the process of step S1 functions as an execution instruction determining device, and the process of step S5 functions as an insufficient game value presenting device. Further, the control unit 61 functions as a game value managing device.
The invention is not limited to the above embodiment and may be embodied in various forms. For example, in the present embodiment, other players are encourage to participate in a cooperative jackpot game by the execution request of the player in step S1 of the cooperative jackpot game process, but the invention is not limited to this example. For example, a message to encourage participation in a cooperative jackpot game may be constantly displayed on the monitor 12, and step S1 may not be performed. Further, the lottery process of step S7 may be executed when the player requests for participation and a total of the number of paid chips C satisfies the specified number.
The present embodiment has been described in connection with the example in which 100 chips are set as the specified number as an example, but the invention is not limited to this example. For example, 10 chips, 200 chips, or an arbitrary number of chips may be set as the specified number. The player may be allowed to set the specified number. Alternatively, the player may select any one from among a plurality of specified number choices. The number of chips C to participate may be set to a certain amount. In this case, a predetermined number of participant players need to be collected to satisfy the specified number, and a privilege is equally distributed when a game is won.
In the above embodiment, a winning probability may change according to an amount of the specified number. The winning probability may increase in proportion to the amount of the specified number. Further, the amount of payout may change according to an amount of the specified number. That is, the amount of payout may increase according to the number of chips C necessary to be paid as an execution condition to execute a lottery. Further, the winning probability may change according to the number of people who are participated in the cooperative jackpot game. For example, as the number of participants increases, the wining probability may increase. Since many players are involved, a game becomes exciting, and amusement of a game can be increased. Alternatively, as the number of participants decreases, the wining probability may increase. In this case, since a lottery is executed by a small number of participants, many chips C are paid. The chip C has been described as a game value, and the game value is not limited to this example. For example, the medal M may be used as the game value. Alternatively, one given as a result of the slot game executed based on a detection result of the medal M on the game field GF may be used as the game value. The game value may be appropriately set depending on a game. A privilege at the time of winning is not limited to payout of the medal M and may include prize of the chip C, an item effective to develop a game, or the like. For example, the ball B may be supplied to the game field GF. In this case, the ball B is supplied from the ball supply portion 66 to the table 22 through the ball supply rail 25. Alternatively, a lottery game executed by each station unit may be performed a predetermined number of times as a privilege, and the predetermined number of times may be allocated.
In the present embodiment, the bingo jackpot game has been described as the cooperative jackpot game, but the invention is not limited to this example. For example, a slot game, a roulette game, or the like may be performed as the cooperative jackpot game. Further, a digital lottery of step S7 executed by the control unit 61 has been described as a lottery device, but the invention is not limited to this example. A lottery may be performed by the lottery mechanism 41. A configuration of the lottery mechanism may be appropriately changed depending on a game.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2011-205190 | Sep 2011 | JP | national |