Gaming machine capable of broadcasting a status of a game by a reel action

Abstract

The present invention provides a gaming machine that is capable of prompting a player to concentrate his or her consciousness to a unit game that attracts the player's interest by performing rendering when a li-zhi has been established, the gaming machine beings capable of visually recognizing by the player an outcome of symbols without keeping off his or her eye from moving symbols. The gaming machine is configured to display symbols associated with at least one scroll line in a second mode that is different from a first mode from among scroll lines corresponding to the moving symbols as triggered by the fact that a li-zhi has been established by means of symbols displayed in a stopped state.

1 . A gaming machine for executing a unit game in which a prize is determined based on rearranged symbols, said gaming machine comprising:
 a display having a display region configured to display symbols associated with each of a plurality of scroll lines; and   a controller for controlling a unit game in which the symbols associated with the scroll line are moved and then rearranged in the display region,   the controller programmed to execute processing operations of:   (1-1-1) randomly determining symbols to be rearranged;   (1-1-2) displaying the symbols associated with the scroll line in the display region so as to move in a first mode along the scroll line;   (1-1-3) stopping the symbols associated with at least one scroll line from among the plurality of scroll lines and then displaying the stopped symbols in the display region;   (1-1-4) as triggered by a fact that a li-zhi has been established by the symbols displayed in a stopped state in accordance with the processing operation (1-1-3), displaying symbols associated with at least one scroll line from among scroll lines corresponding to moving symbols so as to move in a second mode that is different from the first mode; and   (1-1-5) automatically stopping the symbols associated with at least one scroll line from among the plurality of scroll lines and then rearranging the symbols determined in accordance with the processing operation (1-1-1).   
     
     
         2 . The gaming machine according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processing operation of (1-1-4) includes processing operations of:
 (1-2-1) determining whether or not a li-zhi has been established by means of symbols having been displayed in a stopped state every time the symbols associated with one scroll lines from among the plurality of scroll lines are stopped; 
 (1-2-2) displaying in the display region the symbols associated with a scroll line on which symbols are moving, from among the plurality of scroll lines, so as to move in the second mode; and 
 (1-2-3) invoking and executing the processing operation of (1-2-2) when it is determined that the li-zhi has been established in accordance with the processing operation of (1-2-1). 
   
     
     
         3 . The gaming machine according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the second mode includes a plurality of post-li-zhi modes for defining a symbol movement mode after a li-zhi has been established, and   the processing operation of (1-2-3) includes a processing operation of (1-3-1) determining as the second mode one post-li-zhi mode that is randomly selected from the plurality of post-li-zhi modes.   
     
     
         4 . The gaming machine according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processing operation of displaying symbols so as to move in the second mode includes processing operations of   (1-4-1) displaying the symbols in the display region to move by a predetermined distance;   (1-4-2) subsequent to the processing operation of (1-4-1), stopping the symbols for a predetermined period of time and then displaying the stopped symbols in the display region;   (1-4-3) executing the processing operations of (1-4-1) and (1-4-2) at least once; and   (1-4-4) after the processing operation of (1-4-3), stopping the determined symbols in the processing operation of (1-1-1) and then displaying the stopped symbols in the display region.   
     
     
         5 . The gaming machine according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processing operation of displaying symbols so as to move in the second mode includes processing operations of:   (1-5-1) stopping the symbols and displaying the stopped symbols in the display region;   (1-5-2) displaying the symbols in the display region so as to move in a mode similar to the first mode;   (1-5-3) executing the processing operations of (1-5-1) and (1-5-2) at least once; and   (1-5-4) after the processing operation of (1-5-3) has been executed, stopping the determined symbols in accordance with the processing operation of (1-1-1) and then displaying the stopped symbols in the display region.   
     
     
         6 . The gaming machine according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processing operation of displaying symbols so as to move in the second mode includes processing operations of:   (1-6-1) displaying the symbols in the display region so as to move by a predetermined distance;   (1-6-2) subsequent to the processing operation of (1-6-1), stopping the symbols for a predetermined period of time and then displaying the stopped symbols in the display region;   (1-6-3) executing the processing operations of (1-6-1) and (1-6-2) at least once;   (1-6-4) displaying the symbols in the display region so as to move in a mode similar to the first mode;   (1-6-5) executing the processing operations of (1-6-1) to (1-6-4) at least once; and   (1-6-6) after the processing operation of (1-6-5) has been executed, stopping the determined symbols in the processing operation of (1-1-1) and then displaying the stopped symbols in the display region.   
     
     
         7 . The gaming machine according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processing operation of displaying symbols so as to move in the second mode includes processing operations of:   (1-7-1) stopping the symbols and then displaying the stopped symbols in the display region;   (1-7-2) displaying the symbols in the display region so as to move in a mode similar to the first mode;   (1-7-3) displaying the symbols in the display region so as to move in a direction that is different from the one in the first mode;   (1-7-4) displaying the symbols in the display region so as to move at a speed that is different from the one in the first mode;   (1-7-5) after the processing operation of (1-7-1) has been executed, executing any of the processing operations (1-7-2) to (1-7-4);   (1-7-6) executing the processing operation of (1-7-5) at least once; and   (1-7-7) after the processing operation of (1-7-6) has been executed, stopping the determined symbols in the processing operation of (1-1-1) and then displaying the stopped symbols in the display region.   
     
     
         8 . The gaming machine according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processing operation of displaying symbols so as to move in the second mode includes processing operations of:   (1-8-1) displaying in the display region a predetermined symbol from among symbols associated with a first scroll line from among a plurality of scroll lines on which symbols are moving and a symbol associated with the predetermined symbol from among symbols associated with a second scroll line that is different from the first scroll line from among a plurality of scroll lines on which symbols are moving, so as to move in parallel to each other;   (1-8-2) after the processing operations of (1-8-1) has been executed, displaying the predetermined symbol and the symbol associated with the predetermined symbol so as to move at a speed that is different from a speed in the first mode; and   (1-8-3) after the processing operation of (1-8-2) has been executed, stopping the determined symbols in the processing operation of (1-1-1) and then displaying the stopped symbols in the display region.   
     
     
         9 . A gaming machine for executing a unit game in which a prize is determined based on rearranged symbols, said gaming machine comprising:
 a display having a display region configured to display symbols associated with each of a plurality of scroll lines;   a backlight configured to illuminate the display;   a spin button that can be operated by a player, for outputting an operating signal indicating that an operation has been made when the spin button has been operated by the player;   an indicator configured to display a degree of expectation indicating a possibility that the unit game is advantageous; and   a controller for controlling the indicator based on the fact that the operating signal has been received, the controller being programmed to execute processing operations of:   (1-9-1) turning off the backlight as triggered by the fact that the operating signal has been received;   (1-9-2) generating the degree of expectation from a progress of the unit game as triggered by the fact that the operating signal has been received; and   (1-9-3) transmitting to the indicator a control signal adapted to control the indicator in accordance with the degree of expectation.