Video game machine

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

(Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a commercial video game machine configured to display sub-information such as a store name on the display screen of the commercial video game machine, and particularly, the first one such as a game title of the video game machine. A video game machine that superimposes and displays second information such as a store name that is not directly related to the game content on one part of the first information display screen at regular intervals during information display. Regarding. (Previous technology) For video game machines, when a player scores a high score, the score and the player's name can be freely recorded as Special Fairness No. 60-36309. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-84792 discloses an advertising method for selectively displaying game information and information other than game information on a blinding device by using a switching device. On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-272376, in a game machine capable of displaying a game message, the message input means is composed of a display means, a selection means, and a storage means, and is input by the message input means. It is stated that the message is displayed on a visual device. (Problems to be solved by the invention) In a commercial video game machine, it is recorded in the game machine in order to invite the game to be played during the advertisement period (the period in which the player does not start the game even though the player can start the game at any time). It is required to display information related to the game, such as an automatic game screen (demonstration image) of the game or a title screen of the game, which is the first information of the video game machine. That is, in a commercial game, continuous display of information prompting play on the game machine is required during the advertising period. In particular, since the game content of a commercial video game machine is not clear only from the shape of its housing, the above-mentioned demonstration screen display and continuous display of the title screen are indispensable items. However, the demonstration screen and the title screen are all the same in the same game program, so that they are uniform and lack uniqueness. On the other hand, if the information according to the installation location and the installation environment is displayed independently, the player cannot determine what kind of game the video game machine has, and the player is discouraged from playing the game. .. Therefore, an object of the present invention is a commercial video game in which the second information is superimposed and displayed on the first information display screen of the commercial video game machine at regular intervals so as not to interfere with the visibility of the first information. It is to provide an opportunity. (Means to solve the problem) In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 describes a game title, etc. during the period from the state in which the game can be started at any time when the power is turned on and coins are inserted until the coins are actually inserted. A second commercial video game machine that displays first information related to the game, including a first information storage means for storing the first information, and stores information other than the first information. Information storage means, information transmission means for transmitting the second information read from the second information storage means at regular intervals, and display screen for the second information transmitted by the information transmission means. A part of the above-mentioned first information and a mixer for superimposing display are provided. (Action) That is, according to the present invention, during the advertising period of the commercial video game machine, that is, during the display of the first information such as the title, the second information is displayed on a part of the first information display screen at regular intervals. Is displayed. (Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Examples thereof. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a table-type video game machine 1 according to the present invention, in which operation units 2 are provided on both sides, Joyce Tech 3 and a button switch 4 are provided, and the center is on the upper portion of the CRT screen 5. The store name is displayed. A test switch 6 for maintenance and inspection is usually installed in a commercial video game machine 1, and when a maintenance and inspector presses the test switch 6, the CRT screen 5 is shown in FIG. The various tests shown in the table can be performed. For example, in MEMORY TEST, the copy program embodied in the electronic circuit is checked and the RAM is checked. The INPUT TEST checks the continuity of the Joyce Tech 3 and button switch 4. In the above operation, the power of the commercial video game machine 1 is turned on, and the test switch 6 is pressed to turn it on and off to put the image on the CRT screen 5 into the test mode. On the test mode screen, for example, in INPUT TEST, each switch group such as Joyce Tech 3 and button switch 4 is displayed, and when the maintenance inspector operates the actual Joyce Tech 3 and button switch 4, the operated switch part is turned on. , Off is displayed and the continuity status can be checked. Similarly, each time the test switch 6 is turned on and off, the CRT screen 5 sequentially moves to the next test. Other than the above, the check contents include SOUND TEST, which checks the output of various sound effects used in the game, and DIP SWITCH ASSIGNMENTS, which displays the setting status of various switches on the electronic circuit. The mode before pressing the test switch 6 is restored and the advertisement screen is displayed. One of the test modes is YOUR STORE NAME, which is a store name input mode. This mode is as shown in Fig. 3, and the memory under the YOUR STORE NAME is currently the memory on the electronic circuit. The store name 7 stored in (BACK UP RAM or EEROR) is displayed, and the maintenance inspector operates Joyce Tech3 of the video game machine in the vertical direction to select YES8 and NO9 and press the button switch 4. And switch to the next mode. If you move the cursor 10 to YES8 and press the button switch 4, the input screen will be displayed as shown in Fig. 4, and the alphabets A to Z, numbers 0 to 9, and special symbols including blanks will be arranged vertically and horizontally on the CRT screen 5. The cursor 10 is displayed on one of the characters, and the cursor 10 can be moved vertically and horizontally for each character in response to the operation of Joyce Tech 3. The operator operates Joyce Tech 3 to select the cursor 10 according to the characters that make up the store name, and when the button switch 4 is pressed, that character is displayed at the selected character display position 11 at the top of the screen, and that character is displayed one after another. Operate Joyce Tech 3 character by character from the alphabet, move the cursor 10 and press the button switch 4, determine the symbols such as characters, display the store name at the top of the screen, and enter the store name. After that, enter the fixed number of characters, or enter the END mark 12 with the cursor 10, and finally it will be decided as a symbol group in which characters etc. are arranged, and the test switch 6 will be turned on and off to end the store input mode. Then, the screen switches to the input screen shown in Fig. 3. The symbol group such as the character string selected here is semi-permanently recorded and retained even when the power is turned off until it is rewritten as electronic information in the BACKUP RAM of the electronic circuit. A typical block diagram of a video game machine is shown in FIG. 5, and a part related to the present invention is explained. FIG. 8 is shown in the table of FIG. 2 of the test switch 6 inside the housing of the video game machine 1. The eighth operation signal corresponding to the eighth YOUR STORE NAME enters the data bus 14 from the input buffer 13, the signal is transmitted to the CPU 15, the CPU 15 sends a signal to the ROM 16, and the test mode embodied in the ROM 16. The store input mode of the game program is executed, and this state is transmitted from the CPU 15 to the RAM 17, stored in the RAM 17, and the contents of the RAM 17 are projected on the CRT screen 5 via the mixed AND circuit 18. Now, when Joyce Tech 3 is operated to align the cursor 10 with the target character in Fig. 4, the signal from Joyce Tech 3 enters the data bus 14 from the input buffer 13, and this signal enters CPU 15 and is processed by the CPU 15. This process is sent to RAM17 sequentially, and an image that aligns the cursor 10 with the target character is displayed on the CRT screen 5, and when the button switch 4 is pressed, the character is displayed at the display position of YOUR STORE NAME, and the signal of the same character is displayed. It is temporarily held in CPU15 or RAM17, and the first character is determined. Next, when you move the cursor 10 to the second character on Joys Tech 3 and press the button switch 4 to determine the character, the signal of that character is temporarily held in CPU 15 or RAM 17, and under YOUR STORE NAME on CRT screen 5. Is displayed at the position to the right of the first character. In this way, when characters are selected one after another using Joyce Tech 3 and Button Switch 4, the character strings are displayed in the order in which Button Switch 4 is determined. If you enter the maximum number of characters (for example, 18), or if you enter the END mark 12 that indicates the end of the input character, the signal corresponding to the input character group will be from CPU 15 or RAM 17 to RAM 18 for backup. Since the RAM 18 is backed up by the battery 19, even if the power of the video game machine 1 is turned off, the input character group is retained unless it is rewritten. In the above explanation, the RAM 18 and the battery 19 are used for backup, but the input character group is retained even if the power of the video game machine 1 is turned off as a non-volatile memory (for example, EEROM). When you press the test switch to return to the normal mode screen, the CPU 15 executes the game program stored in ROM 16 until a coin (not shown) is inserted, and displays the first information about the game such as the game title, which is the main information. To do. On the other hand, the information transmission means composed of the shift register and the master timing shown in FIG. 5 is the second information that is read by the CPU 15 and is given the display position information, which is information other than the information related to the game. Is sent to the mixing AND circuit 18 at regular intervals. The transmitted second information is superimposed and displayed on the first information at an arbitrary position on the display screen at regular intervals by the mixed AND circuit 18. The second information is superimposed and displayed on the period display screen during which the information transmission means is transmitting the second information, and is not displayed when the transmission of the information transmission means is completed. In addition, the superimposed display of the second information related to this case is based on signals from the mixing circuit AND circuit 18 controlled by the CPU 15 and the CPU 15 controlling the progress of the game. It is also possible to display it in a position that does not get in the way. If only blank is selected in the store input mode, nothing is displayed. As another embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the character string to be displayed first is selected in advance, and the operator operates Joyce Tech 3, for example, to change the cursor 10 to the character string [WELCOME TO]. If you press any button switch 4 together, the character string will be displayed at the top of the screen, then operate Joyce Tech 3 character by character from the alphabet for the name of the store, move the cursor 10 and press button switch 4. When you press it, it will be displayed at the position below the above character string [WELCOME TO] at the top of the screen, and after you finish entering the store name, turn the test switch 6 on and off to end the store input mode. In the above embodiment, the input characters are alphabetic characters, but of course katakana or flat characters may be used, kanji characters may be used as long as the memory capacity allows, and it is not necessary to limit the input characters to the store name, and the user can use his or her own. Any character should be entered. (effect) According to the above configuration, in the commercial game being advertised, the player is provided with the second information other than the game of the game machine without interfering with the transmission of the first information such as the title of the game machine. Can be done. Further, no matter where the second information is displayed, the second information is sent to the superimposition display mixer at regular intervals by the sending means, so that even if the first information is main. Even if the second information is displayed in a certain part, the display of the first information can be visually observed after a certain period of time, so that the second information display position can be fixedly set and the software can be used. It has a remarkable effect that it is easy to produce. Further, when the first information is displayed and the second information is displayed alternately, in a game machine having a large display screen such as a commercial video game machine, the player can see the first information displayed and then the second information. At the moment of switching to the information display of, it is possible to prevent the video game machine from giving a misunderstanding as if the provision of the software related to the first information was terminated.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a video game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows the contents of various test modes, FIG. 3 shows a store name input mode screen, and FIG. 4 shows input. It is a symbol selection screen on the mode screen, and FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a typical video game. In addition, FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the symbol selection screen. 1 ...... Video game console, 2 ...... Operation unit, 3 ...... Joyce Tech, 4 ...... Button switch, 5 ...... CRT screen , 6 ...... Test switch, 7 ...... Store name, 8 ...... YES, 9 ...... NO, 10 ...... Cursor, 11. ..... Selected character display position, 12 ...... END mark, 13 ...... input buffer, 14 ...... data bus, 15 ...... CPU, 16 ...... ROM, 17 ...... RAM, 18 ...... RAM, 19 ...... Battery