Drop slot game machine

A game machine comprising:

• a) a playing field having an upper interior edge, a middle field, and a lower interior edge;
• b) a plurality of drop zone deflectors located along the upper interior edge of said playing field;
• c) a plurality of zone divider walls oriented along the vertical axis of said playing field between said upper interior edge and said middle field and associated with said drop zone deflectors;
• d) a plurality of exit positions located along the lower interior edge of said playing field;
• e) a payline display;
• f) a payline symbol selector which selects a symbol for display in the payline display based in part upon which exit position a ball leaves the playing field through;
• g) a symbol selector display associated with said plurality of exit positions which displays the symbol that will be selected when a ball passes through said associated plurality of exit positions.

A game machine comprising:

• a) an inclined play field having a plurality of zones in which game balls move by gravity;
• b) a ball launching mechanism to start a plurality of game balls in the play field near an upper portion thereof;
• c) user controlled zone director for directing game balls from said ball launching mechanism into a selected one or more of said zones;
• d) a multi-symbol payline display;
• and
• e) a payline symbol selector that selects each of a plurality of symbols for display by said multi-symbol payline display in response to movement of game balls in said zones on said playing field.

A game machine comprising:

• a playing field;
• a launcher for providing at least one visible element on the playing field to allow the at least one visible element to move upon the playing field;
• a plurality of detection positions configured to detect said at least one visible element as it moves through the detection position;
• a symbol selector which performs an association between at least one symbol with at least one of said plurality of detection positions, said at least one symbol being selected from a plurality of available symbols, said symbol selector performing said association in a manner which varies from one game to another game;
• and
• at least one payline display configured to display at least one symbol which results from the at least one visible element being detected by at least one of said plurality of detection positions.

A method of operating a game machine comprising:

• providing a playing field;
• providing at least one visible element on the playing field whereon the at least one visible element moves upon the playing field in an apparently random manner;
• providing a plurality of detector positions which detect said at least one visible element after movement upon the playing field;
• associating at least one symbol with at least one of the plurality of detector positions, said associating being performed in a manner which provides associated symbols from a plurality of available symbols, said associated symbols varying from one game to another game;
• detecting the at least one visible element in one or more of the plurality of detector positions;
• displaying upon a payline display at least one symbol which results from the at least one visible element being detected in a detector position during play of a game.