Game machine, game system, and game program

Abstract

The present invention provides a game machine in which symbols are alternately displayed in a changing and static manner. Position information of display regions at which a predetermined symbol is statically displayed is recorded. The recorded position information is used to determine if there is a fixed relationship in the position history of the predetermined symbol. Based on this, a game can be defined wherein a win is established based directly on the changing display and the static display of symbols. A second game can also be defined wherein a series of changing and static displays of symbols is performed and a win is established based on the accumulated position history for the static display of a predetermined symbols. The present invention provokes a player's curiosity and anticipation by using a display history for a main screen in a sub-screen.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A game machine comprising: 
 a display module with a plurality of display regions wherein, when a game starts, a plurality of types of symbols that were statically displayed in said display regions are changingly displayed and said symbols that are changingly displayed are again statically displayed in said display regions;    a recording module recording information about a position of one of said display regions in said display module in which a predetermined symbol is statically displayed, each time said predetermined symbol is statically displayed in one of said display regions of said display module, while said symbols are alternately changingly displayed and then statically displayed; and    an evaluation module evaluating whether a fixed relationship is formed in a position history of said predetermined symbol based on said recorded position information.    
     
     
         2 . A game machine as described in  claim 1 , wherein a player using said game machine is awarded a prize if said position history contains said fixed relationship.  
     
     
         3 . A game machine as described in  claim 1 , further comprising a dependent display module comprising a plurality of dependent display regions arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with said display regions of said display module; 
 wherein said dependent display module displays said predetermined symbol position history based on said recorded position information on said dependent display regions corresponding to said display regions on which said predetermined symbol was displayed statically.    
     
     
         4 . A game machine as described in  claim 3 , wherein: 
 each of said dependent display regions is formed as a polygon; and    said player is awarded a prize if said plurality of said dependent display regions displaying said predetermined symbol position history are adjacent to each other, each of said polygons being separated by a polygonal side of said adjacent polygons.    
     
     
         5 . A game machine as described in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 each of said display regions is formed as a polygon; and    said player is awarded a prize if said plurality of said display regions displaying at least one type of said symbol in said display module are adjacent to each other and are separated by a polygonal side of said adjacent polygons.    
     
     
         6 . A game system comprising: 
 a plurality of game machines, each of said game machines comprising a display module with a plurality of display regions wherein, when a game starts, a plurality of types of symbols that were statically displayed in said display regions are changingly displayed and said symbols that are changingly displayed are again statically displayed in said display regions;    each of said game machines further comprising a recording module recording information about a position of one of said display regions in said display module in which a predetermined symbol is statically displayed, each time said predetermined symbol is statically displayed in one of said display regions of said display module, while said symbols are alternately changingly displayed and then statically displayed, repeatedly; and    each of said game machines further comprising an evaluation module evaluating whether a fixed relationship is formed in a position history of said predetermined symbol based on said recorded position information; and    said game system further comprises:    a shared display module comprising a plurality of shared display regions arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with said display regions of said display modules of said game machines and displaying said position history of said predetermined symbol based on said position information recorded by said game machines on said shared display regions corresponding to said display regions at which said predetermined symbol was statically displayed;    wherein said game machines and said shared display module are connected by way of network communications.    
     
     
         7 . A game system as described in  claim 6 , wherein a player using said game system is awarded a prize if at least one of said shared display regions displaying said predetermined symbol position history is positioned on a predetermined alignment line.  
     
     
         8 . A game system as described in  claim 6 , wherein: 
 said display regions in said display module and said shared display regions in said shared display module are formed as polygons; and    said player is awarded a prize when a predetermined number of said shared display regions displaying said predetermined symbol position history are adjacent to each other, separated by a polygonal side of said adjacent polygons.    
     
     
         9 . A computer-readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method for providing a game, said method comprising the steps of: 
 changingly displaying a plurality of types of symbols that were statically displayed in a plurality of display regions in a display module, into different types of symbols when a game starting condition is established;    restoring to a static display state wherein said symbols in said display regions being displayed in said changing state;    recording information about a position of one of said display regions in said display module in which a predetermined symbol is statically displayed, each time said predetermined symbol is statically displayed in one of said display regions of said display module, while said changing display operation and said static display operation are repeated; and    evaluating whether a position history of said predetermined symbol based on said recorded position information contains a fixed relationship.    
     
     
         10 . The method as described in  claim 9 , wherein said computer further executes a dependent display operation for displaying said predetermined symbol position history based on said recorded position information in a plurality of dependent display regions arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with said display regions, said dependent display regions being in a dependent display module disposed at a position different from said display module.  
     
     
         11 . A game machine as described in  claim 2 , further comprising a dependent display module comprising a plurality of dependent display regions arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with said display regions of said display module; 
 wherein said dependent display module displays said predetermined symbol position history based on said recorded position information on said dependent display regions corresponding to said display regions on which said predetermined symbol was displayed statically.    
     
     
         12 . A game machine as described in  claim 4 , wherein: 
 each of said dependent display regions is formed as a polygon; and    said player is awarded a prize if said plurality of said display regions displaying at least one type of said symbol in said display module are adjacent to each other and are separated by a polygonal side of said adjacent polygons.    
     
     
         13 . A game system as described in  claim 6 , wherein a player using said game system is awarded a prize if said position history contains said fixed relationship.  
     
     
         14 . A game system as described in  claim 6 , further comprising a dependent display module comprising a plurality of dependent display regions arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with said display regions of said display module; 
 wherein said dependent display module displays said predetermined symbol position history based on said recorded position information on said dependent display regions corresponding to said display regions on which said predetermined symbol was displayed statically.    
     
     
         15 . A game system as described in  claim 6 , wherein: 
 each of said dependent display regions is formed as a polygon; and    said player is awarded a prize if said plurality of said dependent display regions displaying said predetermined symbol position history are adjacent to each other, each of said polygons being separated by a polygonal side of said adjacent polygons.    
     
     
         16 . A game system as described in  claim 6 , wherein: 
 each of said dependent display regions is formed as a polygon; and    said player is awarded a prize if said plurality of said display regions displaying at least one type of said symbol in said display module are adjacent to each other and are separated by a polygonal side of said adjacent polygons.    
     
     
         17 . A method for providing a game, said method comprising the steps of: 
 statically displaying a plurality of types of symbols that were changingly displayed on a display module with a plurality of display regions, when a game starts;    statically displaying again said symbols that were changingly displayed in said display regions;    recording information about a position of one of said display regions in said display module in which a predetermined symbol is statically displayed, each time said predetermined symbol is statically displayed in one of said display regions of said display module, while said symbols are alternately changingly displayed and then statically displayed; and    evaluating whether a fixed relationship is formed in a position history of said predetermined symbol based on said recorded position information.    
     
     
         18 . The method as described in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of awarding a prize to a player if said position history contains said fixed relationship.  
     
     
         19 . The method as described in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of: 
 displaying on a dependent display module said predetermined symbol position history based on said recorded position information on a plurality of dependent display regions arranged on said dependent display module in a one-to-one correspondence with said display regions of said display module;    wherein said predetermined symbol position history is based on said recorded position information on said dependent display regions corresponding to said display regions on which said predetermined symbol was displayed statically.    
     
     
         20 . The method as described in  claim 17 , further comprising the steps of: 
 forming each of said display regions as a polygon; and    awarding a prize to said player if said plurality of said display regions displaying said predetermined symbol position history are adjacent to each other, each of said polygons being separated by a polygonal side of said adjacent polygons.    
     
     
         21 . The method as described in  claim 19 , further comprising the steps of: 
 forming each of said dependent display regions as a polygon; and    awarding a prize to said player if said plurality of said display regions displaying at least one type of said symbol in said display module are adjacent to each other and are separated by a polygonal side of said adjacent polygons.    
     
     
         22 . The method as described in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of connecting said game machines to a shared display module by way of network communications, said shared display module comprising a plurality of shared display regions arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with said display regions of said display modules of said game machines and displaying said position history of said predetermined symbol based on said position information recorded by said game machines on said shared display regions corresponding to said display regions at which said predetermined symbol was statically displayed.