Gaming machine and control method thereof
View Patent ↗To provide a gaming machine and a control method therefor, having a new entertainment characteristics, a slot machine 10 of the present invention, when a “BONUS” symbol 250 associated with a pick-up bonus game is selected, receives selection of any one of twenty little pig's noses 210 displayed. Then, a benefit associated with the selected little pig's nose 210 is awarded. When the benefit to be awarded is a “stick house” 218 which means “step-up”, a step-up occurs to the stick house stage and the expectation value for a payout is raised. Thus, when one little pig's nose 210 is selected out of the twenty little pig's noses 210 displayed in the stick house stage, the payout amount of the benefit associated with the little pig's nose 210 is increased.
1. A wagering machine comprising:
a symbol display device configured to variably display a plurality of symbols;
an input device for receiving an input of an instruction related to a game;
a value-addition mechanism for receiving game media;
an award payout mechanism by which currency or other game media is paid out to the player or credited to an available-betting-amount account of the player; and
a controller programmed to execute the following steps as a result of the player having made a bet of the game media:
(a1) running a base game which variably displays the symbols on the symbol display device and stop-displays the symbols thereafter;
(a2) when the symbols stop-displayed in the base game run in (a1) includes a plurality of specific symbols, enabling the input device to accept an input related to selection of any of the specific symbols stop-displayed;
(a3) determining whether or not the specific symbol selected in (a2) is a symbol that causes occurrence of a pick-up bonus game;
(a4) when the symbol is determined as to be a symbol that causes occurrence of a pick-up bonus game in (a3), enabling the input device to accept an input of selection of any of a plurality of selectable objects displayed on the symbol display device;
(a5) awarding a payout according to an object selected out of the selectable objects in (a4);
(a6) when the object selected in (a4) is an object that increases an expectation value for a payout awarded in the pick-up bonus game, raising the expectation value for the payout; and
(a7) repeating (a4) to (a6), until an object that terminates the pick-up bonus game is selected in (a4), wherein, all of the gains associated with the other selectable objects are awarded, when the object selected in (a4) is a winner-takes-all object,
wherein in (a4), when the symbol is determined as to be a symbol that causes occurrence of a pick-up bonus game, (1) displaying, as the plurality of selectable objects, an array of identical selectable symbols each corresponding to a respective hidden object; and (2) enabling the input device to accept an input for selection of any of the identical selectable symbols so as to reveal a corresponding hidden object on the symbol display device;
wherein in (a6), when the hidden object revealed in (a4) is an object that increases an expectation for a payout in the pick-up bonus game, displaying a new array of identical selectable symbols each corresponding to a respective hidden object in which the identical selectable symbols of the new array have an increased expectation for the payout; and
wherein the increased expectation for the payout is based on (1) an increase in the amount of the payout awarded upon selection of a hidden object corresponding to an award payout; (2) an increase in the probability of selecting a hidden object corresponding to an award payout; and (3) selection of a hidden object that further increases the expectation for the payout.
2. The wagering machine according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is programmed to execute the following steps of:
(b1) receiving the bet input of the game media via the input device;
(b2) accumulatively storing at least a part of the game media having been placed as the bet in (b1); and
(b3) when the object selected in (a4) is an object that relates to awarding of a progressive payout, awarding at least a part of the game media stored in (b2) as a progressive payout.
3. The wagering machine according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is programmed to execute the following step of: (c1) when the object selected in (a4) is a winner-takes-all object, awarding the all the gains associated with the other selectable objects.