JP7165168B2 - SYSTEM, METHOD AND PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING A GAME - Google Patents

Description

The disclosure herein relates to systems, methods, and programs for providing games.

A game called a rhythm game is known. In a rhythm game, notes that move along a lane in time with the rhythm of a song are displayed on the game screen. are evaluated for accuracy. Rhythm games are sometimes called timing games.

Rhythm games are one of the main genres of video games, and many inventions related to rhythm games have been patented. For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2020-22815 (Patent Document 1) proposes an improvement regarding a method of evaluating player operations in a rhythm game. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2014-195620 (Patent Document 2) discloses playing a battle game in which characters battle each other in parallel with a rhythm game. In Patent Literature 2, the accuracy of the player's operation timing is evaluated in the rhythm game, and based on the evaluation, the offensive power in the competition provided as a sub-game is determined.

JP 2020-22815 A JP 2014-195620 A

In rhythm games, notes are displayed in time with the rhythm of the music, and by comparing the timing at which the notes overlap the reference position and the timing of the player's operations, the accuracy of the player's operations relative to the rhythm of the music is evaluated. High game mechanics are established. For this reason, it is difficult to incorporate features of games other than rhythm games, such as battle games, into rhythm games. As described above, in Patent Document 2, the rhythm game and the competitive game are combined. No changes have been made to the game mechanics of the rhythm game itself, only the evaluation of sex is used. In other words, in Patent Document 2, when the rhythm game and the competitive game are progressed in parallel, the competitive game uses the evaluation result of the rhythm game, but the rhythm game does not incorporate the characteristics of the competitive game. .

Thus, it is difficult to incorporate features of other types of games into a rhythm game, and no rhythm game has been known that incorporates features of other types of games as part of its game mechanics.

It is an object of the invention disclosed in this application to solve or alleviate at least some of the problems of the prior art discussed above. One of the more specific objects of the invention disclosed in this application is to provide a novel game that incorporates features of other types of games into a rhythm game. One of the more specific objects of the invention disclosed in this application is to provide a novel game that incorporates the features of a competitive game into a rhythm game.

Objects other than the above of the invention disclosed in the present application will be made clear through the description of the entire specification. The invention disclosed in the present application may solve problems that are understood from other than the description in the column "Problems to be Solved by the Invention".

One aspect of the present invention relates to a system for providing games. The system comprises one or more computer processors. The one or more computer processors execute computer readable instructions to display a first game screen associated with a first character with a first attack action for attacking a second character from the first character. A first timing indicator that is attached and moves toward the first reference area, and a second timing that is associated with a first defense action related to defense of the first character and moves toward the first reference area. View metrics. The one or more computer processors perform the first attack action on the first character when an operation is accepted by the first input interface while the first timing indicator overlaps the first reference area. and causing the first character to perform the first defensive action when an operation is accepted by the first input interface while the second timing indicator overlaps the reference area.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, if the one or more computer processors do not receive an operation through the first input interface while the second timing indicator overlaps the first reference area, to change the first parameter of the first character by a first change amount.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the one or more computer processors, when an operation is received by the first input interface while the second timing indicator overlaps the first reference area, The first parameter is changed by a second change amount different from the first change amount.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, if the one or more computer processors do not receive an operation through the first input interface while the first timing indicator overlaps the first reference area, and accepted, the first parameter is not changed.

In one or a plurality of embodiments of the present invention, a second attack action related to an attack from the second character to the first character is associated with a second game screen related to the second character, and a second reference A third timing indicator is displayed moving towards the region. The one or more computer processors display the second timing indicator on the first game screen when an operation is accepted by the second input interface while the third timing indicator overlaps the second reference area. display.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, execution of the first attack action causes the second game screen to move toward a second reference area associated with a second defense action related to defense of the second character. A fourth timing indicator is displayed that moves with the

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, if the second input interface is not operated while the fourth timing indicator overlaps the second reference area, the second parameter of the second character is changed by the third change amount.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, when an operation is performed on the second input interface while the fourth timing indicator overlaps the second reference area, the second parameter is set to the second It changes by a fourth amount of change different from the three amounts of change.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a specific lane is determined from among a plurality of lanes in response to an operation on the first input interface, and the fourth timing indicator is the second reference along the specific lane. Move towards the area.

The one or more computer processors display a fifth timing indicator moving toward the first reference area on the first game screen, and while the fifth timing indicator overlaps the first reference area. Display of at least one of the third timing indicator and the fourth timing indicator on the second screen is changed when an operation is performed on the first input interface.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a game processing method in which one or more computer processors execute computer readable instructions to process a game. In the game processing method, a first game screen associated with a first character is associated with a first attack action relating to an attack from the first character to a second character, and a first character moves toward a first reference area. displaying a timing indicator and a second timing indicator associated with a first defensive action relating to defense of the first character and moving toward the first reference area; causing the first character to perform the first attack action when an operation is accepted by a first input interface while the second timing indicator overlaps the reference area; and causing the first character to perform the first defensive action if an operation is accepted by the first input interface while in the first character.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a program that causes one or more computer processors to execute the following steps. That is, the program in one aspect of the present invention associates, in one or more computer processors, a first game screen related to a first character with a first attack action related to an attack from the first character to the second character. and a second timing indicator associated with a first defensive action relating to defense of the first character and moving toward the first reference area. and causing the first character to perform the first attack action when an operation is accepted by the first input interface while the first timing indicator overlaps the first reference area. and causing the first character to perform the first defensive action when an operation is accepted by the first input interface while the second timing indicator overlaps the reference area.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a novel rhythm game incorporating the features of the competitive game.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a game processing system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating notes data stored in the game processing system of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating character data stored in the game processing system of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining user data stored in the game processing system of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen of a game provided by the game processing system of FIG. 1; FIG. This game screen is displayed on the user device 10a. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen of a game provided by the game processing system of FIG. 1; FIG. This game screen is displayed on the user device 10b. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining the flow of processing up to the start of a battle in a game provided by a game system according to one or more embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining the flow of battle processing in the game provided by the game system according to one or more embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining notes data updated during a match; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen related to the first character; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen related to a second character; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen related to the first character; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen related to a second character; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen related to the first character; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen related to a second character; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen related to the first character; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen related to a second character; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen related to the first character; FIG.

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described with appropriate reference to the drawings. Identical or similar components are provided with the same reference numerals in several drawings.

A game system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the game system 1, FIGS. 2 to 4 are diagrams for explaining various data stored in the game system 1, and FIGS. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a game screen of the provided game;

As illustrated, a game system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a user device 10a, a user device 10b, a server 20, and a storage 30. FIG. The user device 10a, the user device 10b, the server 20, and the storage 30 are connected to each other via a network 40 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The network 40 may be a single network, or may be configured by connecting a plurality of networks. Network 40 is, for example, the Internet, a mobile communication network, or a combination thereof. Any network that enables communication between electronic devices can be applied as the network 40 .

A game system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example of a system to which the present invention can be applied, and game systems to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to those shown in FIG. For example, the game system 1 to which the present invention is applicable may not include some of the illustrated components. For example, the game system 1 does not have to include the server 20 or the storage 30 . The game system 1 does not have to include the network 40 . The user device 10a and the user device 10b may be configured to transmit and receive information directly to and from each other without going through the network 40. FIG.

The illustrated game system 1 includes a plurality of devices connected to a network 40, but the game system 1 to which the present invention can be applied may consist of a single device. For example, the game processing system 1 may consist of only the user device 10a. In this case, the user device 10a and the game system 1 are synonymous.

In the illustrated embodiment, the user devices 10a, 10b are smartphones, game consoles, personal computers (PCs), mobile phones, tablet terminals, personal computers, e-readers, wearable computers, head-mounted displays, or any other variety of devices. It may be an information processing device. In this specification, it is assumed that user A uses user device 10a to play a game provided by game system 1, and user B uses user device 10b to play a game provided by game system 1. and explain. The user device 10b can be omitted from the game system 1 when the user A plays against a non-player character.

The game system 1 can provide a rhythm game that incorporates features of a competitive game. In the rhythm game provided by the game system 1, notes that move along the lane in time with the rhythm of the music are displayed on the game screen. The accuracy of the player's operation with respect to the rhythm of the game is evaluated. The details of the rhythm game incorporating the features of the competitive game will be described later. The rhythm game provided by the game system 1 may have a battle mode in which one competes against an opponent, and a solo mode in which one aims to obtain a high score without competing. User A and user B can compete against each other in the battle mode of the rhythm game.

Next, the user device 10a and the user terminal 10b will be described. Since the user device 10b can be configured in the same manner as the user device 10a, the user device 10a will be mainly described below, and a detailed description of the user device 10b will be omitted. The description for the user device 10a also applies as far as possible to the user device 10b.

The user device 10 a includes a computer processor 11 , memory 12 , user interface 13 , speaker 14 , communication interface 15 and storage 16 . User equipment 10b may also comprise similar components. In this specification, a computer processor may be simply referred to as a processor.

The processor 11 is an arithmetic device that loads various programs for executing an operating system and games into the memory 12 and executes instructions contained in the loaded programs. The processor 11 is, for example, a CPU, MPU, DSP, GPU, various arithmetic units other than these, or a combination thereof. The processor 11 may be realized by integrated circuits such as ASIC, PLD, FPGA, and MCU.

The memory 12 is used to store instructions executed by the processor 11 and various other data. The memory 12 is a main storage device (main memory) that the processor 11 can access at high speed. The memory 12 is, for example, a RAM such as a DRAM or an SRAM.

The user interface 13 includes an input interface that receives user input, and an output interface that outputs various information under the control of the processor 11 . The input interface is, for example, a touch panel. The output interface is, for example, a display panel. The touch panel may be laminated on the top or bottom surface of the display panel. The display panel is a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, an inorganic EL panel, or any other display panel capable of displaying an image. The touch panel is configured to be able to detect a user's touch operation. The touch panel is configured to be able to detect various touch operations such as user's tap, double-tap, and drag.

The speaker 14 generates music, game sound effects, and other sounds under the control of the processor 11 .

The communication interface 15 is implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP/IP driver or PPP driver, or a combination thereof. User device 10 a can transmit and receive data to and from other devices via communication interface 15 .

Storage 16 is an external storage device accessed by processor 11 . The storage 16 is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or various other storage devices capable of storing data. The storage 16 may store various programs such as game programs for executing various processes for providing a rhythm game.

Various data used in the game may be stored in the storage 16 . The storage 16 can store, for example, music data 16a, notes data 16b, character data 16c, user data 16d, and various other data used to provide the game. The data stored in the storage 16 may be updated as the game progresses.

The music data 16a is data relating to digitized music. The music data 16a is, for example, data in which the pitch of each played sound and the duration of each played sound are associated with each sounding time representing the elapsed time from the start of the performance, and in MIDI format. expressed. In other words, the music data represents the music to be played as digital data in chronological order. The music data 16a may be downloaded from the server 20 before starting the game. User A can download his or her favorite music to the user device 10a for a charge or free of charge.

The notes data 16b is data relating to timing indicators called notes that appear on the game screen. The notes data 16b includes a notes ID that identifies a note, reference timing information that indicates the time at which the note is displayed in a reference area of the game screen, note type information that identifies the type of the note, and a lane in which the note is displayed. Lane information to identify, appearance position information indicating the appearance position when the note appears on the game screen, shape and size of the note, movement speed of the note, and various other information related to the note obtain. Information contained in the notes data 16b is stored in the storage 16 in association with the notes ID. An example of the notes data 16b is shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 2, reference timing information, note type information, lane information, and appearance position information of the note are stored in association with the note ID (101 to 103) that identifies the note. . The appearance position of the note may represent the distance from the reference area on the game screen when the note appears on the game screen, or may represent the coordinates on the game screen.

The note reference timing information can be expressed in the form of elapsed time from the start of the performance. In the illustrated example, "00:02:12:000" is stored as the reference timing information associated with the note identified by the note ID "101". This reference timing information specifies that the note identified by the note ID "101" is displayed so as to reach the reference area of the game screen at 0 hours, 2 minutes and 12 seconds after the start of the performance.

Notes type information is represented by an integer from "1" to "3". A note whose note type information is set to "1" is an attack note for performing an attack action on the opponent's character. A note whose note type information is set to "2" is a defensive note for performing a defensive action to defend against an attack from an opponent. Notes whose note type information is set to "3" are skill notes for generating effects other than attack actions and defense actions related to battle functions in the game. Although details will be described later, an attack action is executed when the user's operation for the attack note is received while the attack note overlaps the reference area, and the defense action is executed while the defense note overlaps the reference area. A defensive action is executed when a user's operation on a note is accepted, and a skill corresponding to the skillnote when a user's operation on the skillnote is accepted while the skillnote overlaps the reference area. action is performed. The types of notes are not limited to the above three types. For example, in a rhythm game, if a dummy note is used in which the character does not take any action even if the user successfully operates it, the dummy note may be identified by the note type information. In the rhythm game provided by the game system 1, not all of the above three types of notes may be used. For example, "skill notes" and "dummy notes" may not be used.

If the rhythm game can play multiple songs, the notes data 16b may be prepared for each song. Since the rhythm differs for each piece of music, it is desirable that the notes data 16b be prepared for each piece of music. The arrival time of the notes to the reference area indicated by the reference timing information of the notes data 16b relating to a certain piece of music may be set so as to match the position of the beat of the piece of music. This causes beats to appear in the song being played when the notes overlap the reference area.

The character data 16c is data related to a character used by the user A in the game, and includes the character ID of the character, the name of the character, an icon representing the character, various parameters set for the character, and other characters of the character. may include information about The parameters to be set for the character include the character's hit points (HP), the character's attack power, the character's defense power, the character's attributes, the skill effects that the character can use (that is, the skill notes described later). skill identification data that identifies the skill effect to be invoked if the operation is successful), and various other parameters. In the battle mode of the rhythm game provided by the game system 1, user A's character can battle against characters of other users. Various parameters set for the character can be used to advance the game in this battle mode. The character data 16c may include data regarding a plurality of characters that the user A can use in the battle mode of the rhythm game. In the battle mode, multiple characters may be used simultaneously, or only one character may be used.

The user data 16d is data related to the user in the rhythm game provided by the game system 1. FIG. The user data 16d includes a user ID that identifies a user, a character ID that identifies a character that the user uses in a battle, scores that the user has obtained in the rhythm game, and song IDs that identify songs that the user can use in the rhythm game. , the level of the user, and various other information related to the user.

Next, the server 20 will be explained. The server 20 comprises a computer processor 21 , memory 22 , user interface 23 , communication interface 24 and storage 25 .

The processor 21 is an arithmetic device that loads various programs for providing an operating system and games into the memory 22 and executes instructions contained in the loaded programs. The description regarding processor 11 also applies to processor 21 , and the description regarding memory 12 also applies to memory 22 .

The user interface 23 includes an information input device such as a keyboard and a mouse for receiving operator input, and an information output device such as a liquid crystal display for outputting the calculation result of the processor 21 .

Communication interface 24 is implemented as hardware, firmware, or communication software such as TCP/IP drivers or PPP drivers, or a combination thereof. Server 20 can transmit and receive data to and from other devices via communication interface 22 .

Storage 25 is an external storage device accessed by processor 21 . The storage 25 is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or various other storage devices capable of storing data. The storage 25 can store user management data 25a for managing users of games provided by the game system 1 and various data necessary for providing other games. The user management data 25a manages data relating to users of games provided by the game system 1 for each user. The user management data 25a includes, for each user, a user ID, items owned by the user, earned points of the user, level of the user, match history data regarding the match history of the user, and information about the user registered as a friend. User IDs of other users (friend user IDs) and other various data necessary for providing the game may be included. Match history data may include data regarding past opponents, wins and losses, and other matches.

In the game system 1, there are no particular restrictions on where data is stored. For example, various data that can be stored in the storage 16 may be stored in a storage physically separate from the user device 10a (for example, storage 25 or storage 30) or a database server. Similarly, various data that can be stored in the storage 25 may be stored in a storage physically separate from the server 20 (for example, storage 16 or storage 30) or in a database server. Although the storage 15 and the storage 25 are each illustrated as a single unit in FIG. good. In other words, in this specification, the data stored in the storage 16 and the data stored in the storage 25 may be stored in a single storage, or distributed and stored in a plurality of storages. In addition, in the present specification and claims, the term "storage" may refer to either a single storage or a collection of multiple storages, as long as the context permits.

Next, the function of each device constituting the game system 1 will be described. First, functions of the user device 10a will be described. By executing computer-readable instructions, the processor 11 of the user device 10a performs an image generation unit 11a, an output control unit 11b, an operation reception unit 11c, an operation determination unit 11d, an action control unit 11e, and a battle result determination unit 11f. function as The user device 10b can also implement the same functions as the user device 10a.

The image generator 11a generates a game screen of a rhythm game. The game screen may be generated based on the asset data and notes data 16b for constructing the virtual space that constitutes the game screen.

The output control unit 11b reads the music data 16a corresponding to the music to be played from the storage 16, outputs the music to the speaker 14 based on the read music data 16a, and displays the game screen generated by the image generation unit 11a. Displayed on the display panel of the user interface 13 .

An example of a game screen displayed on the display panel of the user device 10a under the control of the output control section 11b will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, when the player A starts the rhythm game provided by the game system 1, a game screen 50 is displayed on the user device 10a. The game screen 50 includes a main area 51 in which notes are displayed in time with the rhythm of the music being played, a first character area 52 in which various information related to the character of user A is displayed, and an opponent's character area 52 when the battle mode is executed. It includes a second character area 53 in which various information about the character is displayed, and a score area 54 indicating the score obtained by the user A in the rhythm game. The game screen 50 includes, in addition to the above information, a menu button for displaying an operation menu, a setting button for changing various settings, and various other buttons and objects.

The main area 51 includes multiple lanes. In the illustrated example, five lanes L1 to L5 are displayed. For convenience of explanation, the upper left corner of the main area 51 is defined as an origin, and an X-axis extending rightward on the page and a Y-axis extending downward on the page in a direction orthogonal to the X-axis are defined. Lanes L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5 are arranged in this order along the X-axis direction. Each lane extends in the Y-axis direction.

The reference region SR1 is arranged near the lower end of the main region 51 . In the illustrated example, the reference region SR1 is a strip-shaped region extending along the X-axis direction across lanes L1 to L5.

In the main area 51, a plurality of appearance positions at which notes appear may be arranged. In the illustrated example, the main area 51 includes a first appearance position Y11, a second appearance position Y12 on the positive side of the Y-axis direction from the first appearance position Y11, and a Y-axis direction from the second appearance position Y12. A third appearance position Y13 on the positive side of is arranged. The second appearance position Y12 is closer to the reference region SR1 than the first appearance position Y11, and the third appearance position Y13 is closer to the reference region SR1 than the second appearance position Y12. When the notes appear on the game screen 50, they are arranged at any of the first appearance position Y11 to the third appearance position Y13. The closer the note is placed to the reference area SR1, the shorter the time it takes for the note to reach the reference area SR1 after being recognized by the user, making it more difficult to successfully operate the note.

One or a plurality of notes are displayed in each of lanes L1 to L5 in time with the rhythm of the music. In the illustrated example, six notes N11 to N16 are displayed in the main area 51 . Notes N11 and N13 are arranged on lane L1, note N12 on lane L2, note N14 on lane L3, note N15 on lane L4, and note N16 on lane L5. Each note moves in the lane along the Y-axis direction (from top to bottom on the page).

The notes displayed in the main area 51 may be displayed based on the notes data 16b. Notes N11 to N16 are displayed based on the note IDs 101 to 106 shown in FIG. 2, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the note with the note ID "101" has "1" set in the lane information and "1" in the note type information. displayed as attack notes. Since the reference timing information of the note is "00:02:12:000", the note N11 is displayed so as to overlap the reference region SR1 at 0 hours, 2 minutes and 12 seconds after the start of the musical piece in the rhythm game. be done. Notes N11 is displayed in the appearance position information "" a little before (for example, about 2 seconds) before the time specified by the reference timing information so that it overlaps the reference region SR1 at the time specified by the reference timing information. 1”, and moves from the first appearance position Y11 on the lane L1 along the Y axis to the reference area SR1. The movement speed of the note N11 is set so that the note N11 overlaps the reference area SR1 at the time designated by the reference timing information. The display of Notes N12 to N16 is controlled based on the information associated with Notes IDs "102" to "106" in the same manner as the display of Notes N11. A tempo (BPM: beats per minute) may be set in the music data 16a. If a tempo is set in the music data 16a, the movement speed of the notes is determined according to this tempo.

In the notes data 16b, the notes IDs "101", "104", and "105" are associated with "1" as the note type. Since "102" and "106" are associated with "2" as the note type, notes N12 and N16 are defensive notes, and "3" is associated with the note ID "103" as the note type. Because it is attached, Notes N13 is a skill note. Notes of one type may be displayed visually distinguishable from notes of another type. Attack notes, defense notes, and skill notes may have different shapes, patterns, colors, or other visual characteristics.

In the notes data 16b, the same reference timing information may be set for two or more different notes. In the example of FIG. 2, the same reference timing information "00:02:14:00" is set for Notes ID "105" and Notes ID "106". The same appearance position "1" is set for Notes ID "105" and Notes ID "106". Therefore, the notes N15 corresponding to the notes ID "105" and the notes N16 corresponding to the notes ID "106" appear on the game screen 50 at the same time and reach the reference area SR1 at the same time. In the rhythm game provided by the game system 1, when a plurality of notes are of different types, the plurality of notes are allowed to reach the reference area SR1 at the same time, and when the plurality of notes are of the same type, may prevent the plurality of notes from reaching the reference area SR1 at the same time. When multiple notes of different types arrive at the reference area SR1 at the same time, only one of the multiple notes arriving at the reference area SR1 at the same time may be selectable by the user. In this case, the user selects which kind of notes to operate, so the game can be more strategic.

The Notes data 16b may have an empty record in which a NULL value is set in the reference timing information. In the example shown in FIG. 2, a NULL value is set in the reference timing information of the record identified by the notes ID "107". A note corresponding to a note ID for which a NULL value is set in the reference timing information is not displayed on the game screen 50 . The NULL value of the reference timing information may be overwritten with data representing time as the game progresses. For example, in the battle mode, when an opponent character performs an attack action, for a record in which a NULL value is set in the reference timing information in the notes data 16b, the NULL value is set as a reference for the notes before and after the set. It may be overwritten at a time between the times specified in the timing information. The reference timing information in the record immediately before the notes ID "107" (the record identified by the notes ID "106") is "00:02:14:000", and in the record immediately before the notes ID "107" Since the reference timing information in the record (the record identified by the Notes ID "108") is "00:02:15:000", the reference timing information for the Notes ID "107" is "00:02:14:000". ” and “00:02:15:000” can be set. In the battle mode, when the opponent character performs an attack action, records other than the record in which the time is set in the reference timing information may be overwritten. For example, when the opponent character performs an attack action, the time set in the reference timing information can be changed to another time. If the note type information is set to "1" indicating attack notes or "3" indicating skill notes in the record in which the time is set in the reference timing information when the opponent character performs an attack action, The note type information can be rewritten to "2" indicating defense notes.

In the first character area 52, an icon 52a indicating the character A of the user A and an indicator 52b indicating the HP of the character A are displayed. In the second character area 53, an icon 53a indicating the character B of the user B who is fighting against the user A, and an indicator 53b indicating the HP of the character B are displayed. Information related to character A other than the above may be displayed in the first character area 52 , and information related to character B other than the above may be displayed in the second character area 53 . For example, in the first character area 52, character A's attack power, defense power, attributes, possessed items, level, and other information are displayed, and in the second character area 53, character A's attack power, defense power, and other information are displayed. Power, attributes, possessed items, level, and other information may be displayed. The second character area 53 may not be displayed when the rhythm game is not in the battle mode. When the rhythm game is not in the battle mode, the first character area 52 may not be displayed either.

In the battle mode, user A may use multiple characters at the same time. When multiple characters are used simultaneously by user A in the battle mode, the multiple characters may be displayed in the first character area 52 . Each of the plurality of characters used simultaneously in the battle mode may be assigned to each of lanes L1-L5. For example, if five characters A1-A5 are used at the same time, one character among characters A1-A5 may be assigned to each of lanes L1-L5. For example, the character A1 can be assigned to the lane L1, and any one of the characters A2 to A5 can be assigned to the other lanes L2 to L5. The image of the character assigned to each lane may be displayed in the main area 51 of the game screen 50 in association with the assigned lane. For example, if character A1 is assigned to lane A1, an image of character A1 may be displayed above, below, or in lane L1. Thereby, the correspondence between the characters and the lanes can be shown to the user A on the game screen 50 . User A has multiple characters.

In the battle mode, a plurality of characters may be exchanged and used. In this case, one character is used at the same time, but the character used in the battle mode may be switched during execution of the battle mode according to user A's operation, for example. For example, the character A1 may be used at the start of the battle mode, and the character A1 may be replaced by the character A2 at a predetermined point after the start.

The main area 51 includes an operation area that receives user operations. It is assumed that the user operates the operation area by tapping, long pressing (long tapping), flicking left, flicking right, or other forms. In the illustrated example, operation buttons B1 to B5 are provided for each lane. Each of the operation buttons B1 to B5 is an operation area for receiving an operation for notes moving on the corresponding lane.

A game screen 60 displayed on the user terminal 10b used by user B who is competing with user A will be described with reference to FIG. As shown, game screen 60 includes generally the same display elements as game screen 50 . Specifically, the game screen 60 includes a main area 61 in which notes are displayed in time with the rhythm of the music being played, a first character area 62 in which various types of information regarding the character of user B are displayed, and a battle mode. It includes a second character area 63 in which various pieces of information about the character of the opponent are displayed when the game is executed, and a score area 64 in which the score obtained by the user B in the rhythm game is displayed. The main area 61 includes five lanes L1 to L5. Near the lower end of the main area 61, a reference area SR2 extending along the X-axis direction is displayed so as to straddle lanes L1 to L5. In the main area 61, three appearance positions where notes appear, ie, a first appearance position Y21, a second appearance area Y22, and a third appearance area Y23 are arranged. Eight notes N21 to N28 are displayed in each of the lanes L1 to L5 in accordance with the rhythm of the music. Each note moves in the lane along the Y-axis direction (from top to bottom on the page). Notes N21, N24, N25, and N27 are attack notes, N23, N26, and N28 are defense notes, and N22 is skill notes. The main area 61 includes an operation area that receives user operations. In the illustrated example, operation buttons B1 to B5 are provided for each lane.

The game screen 50 may include at least part of the main area 61 of the game screen 60 . For example, on the game screen 50 , the main area 61 of the game screen 60 is displayed smaller than the main area 51 . As a result, user A can look at the arrangement of the opponent's notes in the main area 61 and consider the strategy, thereby enhancing the gameplay of the rhythm game. The game screen 60 may include at least part of the main area 51 of the game screen 50 .

The game mechanics in the battle mode of the rhythm game provided by the game system 1 will be described. The outcome of the battle is determined based on, for example, the HP of user A's character A and the HP of user B's character B. FIG. For example, the character whose HP reaches zero first loses. Therefore, in the battle mode, it is assumed that the user plays so as not to reduce the HP of his or her character. In the rhythm game provided by the game system 1, it is assumed that the user A operates the operation area at the timing when the note reaches the reference area (SR1, SR2), and the operation of the note that reaches the reference area is successful. It is determined whether or not

In the illustrated example, as types of notes, three types of attack notes, defense notes, and skill notes can be set. Each user's character can be caused to perform different actions in the battle mode depending on which type of note operation is performed. First, the game effect caused by the operation of the defense notes will be described. If the user fails to operate the defensive notes, the user's character receives damage and its HP decreases. If the operation of the defensive notes is successful, the user's character executes the defensive action, and the damage received by the character is reduced compared to when the operation of the defensive notes is unsuccessful. becomes smaller) or the damage becomes zero (HP does not decrease). Therefore, the user can suppress the decrease in the HP of his or her character by timely operating the defense notes that have reached the reference area.

Next, a description will be given of the game effects caused by operating the attack notes. If the operation on the attack note is successful, an attack action is executed on the opponent's character. For example, when an attack note is successfully operated, a defense note can additionally be displayed in the main area of the opponent's game screen. Since the character of the opponent receives damage when the added defense notes reach the reference area, adding the defense notes to the game screen of the opponent is an attack on the character of the opponent. If the operation to the attack notes fails, the attack action to the opponent's character is not performed. On the other hand, even if the user fails to operate the attack notes, the HP of the user's character does not decrease, unlike the case where the user fails to operate the defense notes.

Next, a description will be given of the game effect caused by the operation of Skillnotes. When the user successfully operates the skill note, the user's character executes the skill action associated with the skill note. A skill action is an action that produces a skill effect that is different from the effect caused by an attack action or the effect caused by a defense action. Skill effects can include, for example, the following effects.
(1) An effect that disables the opponent's notes operation for a certain period of time (for example, 3 seconds) (2) An effect that increases the movement speed of the opponent's notes for a certain period of time (3) Increases the movement speed of the opponent's notes Effect of slowing down for a certain period of time (4) Effect of making it impossible to distinguish the type of notes on the opponent's game screen (5) Effect of changing the arrangement of the opponent's notes to a different arrangement from that determined by the notes data 16b (6) ) Effect of moving the reference area on the opponent's game screen (7) Effect of reducing the operation area for accepting user operations on the opponent's game screen (8) Displaying dummy notes on the opponent's game screen Effect (9) An effect that makes the notes invisible on the opponent's game screen (for example, an effect that makes a part of the main area (for example, the upper half) invisible on the opponent's game screen)
(10) Effect of changing the appearance position of the opponent's notes to a position closer to the reference area than the appearance position determined by the notes data 16b (11) Effect of lowering the timing threshold for opponent's timing determination, which will be described later ( 12) Effect of decreasing the HP of the opponent character (13) Effect of decreasing the attack power of the opponent character (14) Effect of decreasing the defense power of the opponent character

As shown in (2) to (5), execution of a skill action by a character has the effect of changing the display of notes on the game screen associated with the character's opponent character. can be made

Skill notes may include multiple types of notes, each associated with a different skill effect. The different types of skillnotes may have different appearances so that the user can identify them on the game screen. The skill effect that occurs when the skillnote is successfully operated may differ for each character used in the battle mode. For example, even if the same skillnote is successfully operated, different skill effects may be produced when character A1 is used and when character A2 is used in battle mode. For example, when a certain skill note is successfully operated, if the character A1 is used in a battle game, an effect is activated that makes it impossible for the opponent to operate the note for a certain period of time. Even in the case of success, if the character A2 is used, the effect of increasing the movement speed of the opponent's notes for a certain period of time may be activated. A skill effect that occurs when a skill note is successfully operated may be determined, for example, by referring to available skills stored as character data 16c. As described above, the character data 16c of the character used in the battle game may include skill identification data identifying skills that the character can use. A skill effect generated by operating a skill note while a certain character is fighting in the battle mode may be a skill effect identified by skill identification data of the character. Thus, when the character A1 is used at the start of the game and then switched to the character A2, different skill effects can be activated when the character A1 is used and when the character A2 is used. As described above, by activating a different skill effect for each character used in the battle game or for each attribute of the character when the SkillNotes operation is successful, the skill corresponding to the individuality and type of the character, which is the feature of the battle game, can be activated. Activation of effects can be incorporated into rhythm games.

When a battle game is played by associating different characters with each lane, if the operation to the skillnote is successful, the skill effect corresponding to the character associated with the lane where the skillnote was displayed is activated. may For example, when the character A1 is associated with the lane L1 and the character A2 is associated with the lane L2, if the skill note moving on the lane L1 is successfully operated, the skill effect corresponding to the character A1 is is activated, and the skill effect corresponding to the character A2 may be activated when the operation to the skill note moving on the lane L2 is successful. In this way, by determining the skill effects to be activated when the skill notes moving on the lane are successfully operated according to the characters placed in the lane, it is possible to deepen the strategic nature of the fighting game. .

Even if the user fails to operate the skill notes, HP of the user's character does not decrease, unlike the case where the user fails to operate the defense notes.

A successful operation on a note may increase the user's points or other parameters regardless of the type of note. The amount of parameter increase may be different depending on the type of notes, or may be the same regardless of the type of notes. A character's parameters may be changed when the note operation is successful. For example, at least one of the character's offensive power or defensive power may be increased when the note operation is successful.

As described above, among the multiple types of notes, if the user fails to operate the defensive notes, the user's character's HP decreases. not decrease. In the conventional rhythm game, if the user fails to operate the notes (if the user does not operate the notes in a timely manner when the notes reach the reference area), the HP of the user's character is reduced or a game effect equivalent thereto is produced. was occurring. For this reason, in the conventional rhythm game, the degree of freedom in arranging the notes has been restricted in order to prevent the difficulty of the game from becoming too high. In the embodiment of the present invention, if the user fails to operate a defensive note among a plurality of types of notes, the user's character's HP decreases. 's HP does not decrease, so the degree of freedom in placement of notes has increased. For example, even if two or more notes reach the reference area at the same time, the user can prevent damage to the character by successfully operating one of the defensive notes. It is possible to arrange such notes without

Also, if the user successfully operates (at least some of) the attack notes and skill notes among the plurality of types of notes, it is possible to influence the arrangement and display of the opponent's user's notes. For example, successful manipulation of an offensive note can influence the display of the opposing user's notes by additionally displaying a defensive note on the opposing user's game screen.

In the above-described embodiment, when the offensive notes are successfully operated, the defensive notes can be additionally displayed on the game screen of the opponent user. can be executed. As described above, the rhythm game according to the embodiment of the present invention incorporates the element of a competitive game in which the user performs an attack on the opponent through the user's operation (operation on attack notes) intended to attack the opponent. . In addition, the rhythm game according to the embodiment of the present invention incorporates a battle game element in which the user's operation (operation on defense notes) intended to defend against the character's damage suppresses the damage to the player's own character. is

When the user operates the touch panel of the user interface 13, the operation reception unit 11c receives coordinates indicating the position of the user's operation (hereinafter referred to as "operation position information") and an operation representing the time of the user's operation. Generate operation information including time and The operation information may include operation type information including the type of user's operation. The types of user operations may include tap, long press (long tap), left flick, right flick, and other types of operations. When the touch panel is operated with a finger, the left flick means an operation of touching the touch panel with the finger, sliding the finger leftward while keeping the finger in contact with the touch panel, and then releasing the finger from the touch panel. A right flick means an operation of touching a touch panel with a finger, sliding the finger rightward while keeping the finger in contact with the touch panel, and then releasing the finger from the touch panel.

The operation determination unit 11d determines whether or not the user has performed an operation on the operation area within the main area 51 when any note overlaps the reference area SR1. In this specification, this determination is called operation determination. Since the note arrives at the reference area SR1 at the time indicated by the reference timing information, the operation determination unit 11d performs operation determination each time the time indicated by the reference timing information included in the notes data 16b arrives. you can go The operation determination unit 11d can perform operation determination regarding the note based on the reference timing information set in the note and the operation information generated by the operation reception unit 11c. For example, the operation determination unit 11d determines whether or not the user's operation has been performed on the operation area based on the operation position information included in the operation information. and timing determination to determine whether or not the difference between the operation time and the reference time indicated by the reference timing information associated with Notes is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (timing threshold). In the case of "successful", the operation determination for the note is regarded as successful. A timing threshold is, for example, 300 milliseconds.

The operation determination unit 11d can set any one of the buttons B1 to B5 as an operation area for operation position determination. For example, in determining the operation position of a note moving on a certain lane, the operation position is determined by determining whether or not the user has operated a button on the lane. In the example shown in FIG. 5, when determining the operation position of the note N11 moving on the lane L1, it is determined whether or not the user has operated the button B1 on the lane L1. , the operation position determination may be performed.

An area other than the buttons B1 to B5 in the main area 51 may be used as the operation area. For example, for a note that moves on a certain lane, the entire lane may be used as the operation area. When the entire lane is defined as the operation area, in the operation position determination for notes moving on a certain lane, it is determined whether or not the user's operation has been performed on any position included in the lane. Operation position determination is performed with . The reference area SR1 may be used as the operation area. When the entire lane or the operation area SR1 is used as the operation area, the buttons B1 to B5 may not be displayed.

When the operation determination is performed for the notes, the action control unit 11e determines an action to be executed by the character A of the user A according to the determination result and the type of the note, and performs processing for executing the determined action. . As described above, three types of notes can be set: attack notes, defense notes, and skill notes. The action control unit 11e determines whether the user's operation is determined to be "successful" or "failed" based on the operation determination for these three types of notes. , and which actions to perform.

First, a description will be given of the processing according to the operation determination of attack notes. When it is determined in the operation determination that the user A's operation on the attack note is "successful", the action control unit 11e causes the character A used by the user A to perform an attack action. The attack action is an action of attacking character B of user B who is an opponent. When the attack action is executed, for example, processing for adding defensive notes to the main area 61 of the game screen 60 associated with the opponent's character B is executed. Specifically, when the attack action is executed, the user device 10a transmits to the user device 10b an action notification that notifies the user B of the occurrence of the attack action on the character B. FIG. The action notification may be sent via the server 20 or may be sent without the server 20 . The user device 10 b additionally displays defense notes on the game screen 60 in response to receiving the action notification from the server 20 . User B's character B receives additional damage (or at least may receive damage) from the additionally displayed defense notes. Attacks on character B can be made. User B's character B attacks user A's character A in the same manner.

When the operation determination determines that the operation to the attack note is "failed", the action control section 11e does not cause the character A to perform the attack action. In this case, addition of defensive notes to the game screen 60 of character B by the operation of user A does not occur.

Next, the processing according to the operation determination of the defensive notes will be described. When the operation determination determines that the operation to the defensive note is "successful", the action control section 11e causes the character A to perform the defensive action. When character A performs a defensive action, the damage to character A is calculated according to the first logic, and the HP of character A is reduced by an amount calculated based on the calculated damage. For example, when a defensive action is performed by character A, the difference between the attack power set for character B and the value obtained by doubling the defense power set for character A is It can be calculated as the amount of decrease in HP.

When the operation determination determines that the operation to the defensive note is "failed", the action control section 11e does not cause the character A to perform the defensive action. If no defensive action is taken by character A, the damage to character A is calculated according to the second logic, and the HP of character A is reduced by an amount calculated based on the calculated damage. For example, when the defensive action by character A is not executed, the difference between the attack power set for character B and the defense power set for character A is calculated as the decrease in HP of character A according to the second logic. may

The damage to the character calculated based on the first logic used when the defensive notes are successfully operated is less than the damage calculated based on the second logic used when the defensive notes are operated unsuccessfully. is small, the user A successfully operates the defensive notes, which means that the defensive action by the character A has been executed. Various logics can be used as the first logic and the second logic as long as the damage to character A calculated according to the first logic is less than the damage to character A calculated according to the second logic.

In this way, by successfully operating the defensive notes and having character A perform a defensive action, character A receives less damage than when it does not perform a defensive action. Character A may not take any damage if the action on the defensive note is successful. If Character A does not receive any damage, the amount of decrease in HP of Character A is zero.

The action control unit 11e may notify the server 20 of the amount of damage to the character A or the amount of decrease in HP calculated according to the operation determination of the defense notes. As a result, the server 20 can also determine whether to win or lose.

Next, a description will be given of the processing according to the skill notes operation determination. When the operation determination determines that the operation to the skill notes is "successful", the action control section 11e causes the character A to perform the skill action. When the skill action by character A is executed, the above-described skill effect occurs. Specifically, when the skill action is executed, the user device 10a transmits a skill action notification that notifies the occurrence of the skill action to the user device 10b. A skill action notification that notifies the occurrence of a skill action may include a skill identification code for specifying the skill to be generated. Upon receiving the skill action notification, user device 10b identifies a skill effect based on the skill identification code included in the action notification, and generates the identified skill effect. For example, if the skill effect specified by the skill identification code included in the action notification is an effect that makes it impossible for the opponent to operate Notes for a certain period of time, the user device 10b displays the Notes on the user screen 60. Disables operations for a certain period of time. For example, even if an operation is performed on the touch panel during the certain period of time, the operation is invalidated. While the operation to the notes is disabled, the user B cannot perform the attack action to the character A because he cannot operate the attack notes, and cannot perform the defensive action because he cannot operate the defensive notes. In this way, the generation of the skill effect allows the user who generated the skill effect to proceed with the battle advantageously. Execution of a skill action by character B of user B is performed in the same procedure.

When it is necessary to distinguish between an action notification that notifies the occurrence of an attack action and an action notification that notifies the occurrence of a skill action, the action notification that notifies the occurrence of an attack action is referred to as an attack action notification, and the action notification that notifies the occurrence of a skill action is referred to as an attack action notification. is called a skill action notification.

Operations on each note include tap, long press, left flick, right flick, or other operations. As described above, what type of operation has been performed on Notes can be detected by the operation reception unit 11c. The effect that occurs in response to a successful operation on each note may differ according to the type of operation. For example, the position of the defensive notes added to the opponent's game screen can be changed depending on the type of operation performed on the offensive notes. More specifically, when the attack notes are operated by tapping (or long-pressing), the defense notes are displayed in a lane near the center of the opponent's game screen (lane L3 in the examples of FIGS. 5 and 6). When the offensive notes are operated by left flick or right flick, the defensive notes can be displayed in the lane corresponding to the direction of the flick among the plurality of lanes on the opponent's game screen. For example, when an operation to attack notes is performed by a left flick, defense notes are displayed in lane L1 or R2 located on the left side of the center of the opponent's game screen, and an operation to attack notes is performed by a right flick. In this case, the defensive notes can be displayed in the lane L4 or L5 located on the right side of the center of the opponent's game screen. Further, when the defensive note is operated by tapping or by long-pressing, a higher defensive effect may be exhibited when the operation is performed by long-pressing. Specifically, when a defensive note is operated by long-pressing, the damage received by the character may be smaller than when the defensive note is selected by tapping.

The battle result determination unit 11f determines whether the game is won or lost in the battle mode. In the battle mode, victory or defeat can be determined under various conditions. For example, when the HP of the opponent's character reaches zero, it may be determined that the character with remaining HP has won. In another example, it may be determined that the character with the higher HP has won when the reproduction of the song being played ends. In still another example, it may be determined that the character with the higher HP has won when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the performance. Win/lose criteria applicable to the present invention are not limited to those explicitly described herein. When determining the outcome of a match based on the remaining HP, the HP of the user's own character and the HP of the opponent's character can be determined by notifying the user devices of the users who are competing against each other about the HP of their own character. Make it possible to compare with HP.

Next, functions of the server 20 will be described. The processor 21 of the server 20 functions as a matching section 21a and a battle control section 21b by executing computer-readable instructions.

The matching unit 21a can match opponents in the battle mode. For example, in response to receiving a matching request for searching for an opponent from user A, the matching unit 21a can specify opponent candidates for user A based on the user management data 25a. User A's potential opponents may be identified according to various logics. For example, user A's opponent candidates may be randomly selected from users registered as user A's friends. Candidates for user A's opponents may be randomly selected from users of the same level as user A. The user A can select an opponent from opponent candidates presented by the matching unit 21a. The matching unit 21a may select only one opponent candidate. In this case, user A decides whether or not to play against the presented opponent.

When one of the users during the battle successfully operates the attack notes, the battle control unit 21b receives a request to attack the character of the opponent from the user device of the user, and recognizes that the attack request has been received. In response, it transmits an attack notification indicating that an attack has been made against the opponent's user terminal. For example, when user B successfully operates an attack note during a match between user A and user B, an attack request is received from user B's user device 10b, and user A's user device 10b receives the attack request. Send an attack notification to the device 10a. The user device 10a adds defense notes to the game screen 50 in response to receiving this attack notification.

At least some of the functions performed by any device of game system 1 may be performed by another device. For example, in the above embodiments, at least some of the functions described as being implemented by the processor 11 of the user device 10a may be implemented by the processor 21 of the server 20 or processors of other devices. may be implemented by the processor 11 of the user device 10a and/or the user device 10b or by processors of other devices. In other words, at least part of the functions of the image generation unit 11a, the output control unit 11b, the operation reception unit 11c, the operation determination unit 11d, the action control unit 11e, and the match result determination unit 11f are realized by a processor other than the processor 11. Alternatively, at least part of the functions of the matching 21a and the battle control section 21b may be realized by a processor other than the processor 21. FIG. For example, the game image 50 may be generated by the server 20 and distributed to the user device 10a (and the user device 10b). Further, the server 20 may determine whether the game is won or lost by monitoring the HP of each character A and character B that are competing in the battle mode.

In the above embodiments, at least some of the functions described as being implemented by the processor 11 and/or at least some of the functions described as being implemented by the processor 21 can be omitted. For example, the battle control unit 21b can be omitted by directly transmitting and receiving action notifications between the user devices 10a and 10b.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, game start processing in the battle mode in the rhythm game provided by the game system 1 will be described. In the game start processing in the battle mode shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the user A selects the battle mode after logging in and battles against the user B. FIG.

In the game start process in the battle mode shown in FIG. 7, after the login process is performed in step S11, it is determined in step S12 whether or not user A has issued a request to execute the battle mode. The rhythm game provided by the game system 1 may have a solo mode in addition to the battle mode. When the solo mode is selected in step S12, the user A can start the rhythm game in the solo mode without competing against other users. In the solo mode, even if one kind of notes not associated with offensive or defensive actions are displayed on the game screen 50 instead of offensive or defensive notes for executing actions associated with the battle, such as offensive or defensive actions. good. In the solo mode, when the note reaches the reference position SR1, it is determined whether or not an operation area (for example, one of the operation buttons B1 to B5) has been operated. If the operation is successful, points are given to the user A. may be granted.

When the start of the battle mode is requested in step S12, the opponent is determined in step S13, and the rhythm game is started in the battle mode. The opponent is selected by the user A from opponent candidates selected by the matching unit 21a. For example, User B is selected as an opponent. When the game is started in the battle mode, either the user A or the opponent user B selects a piece of music to be played in the battle. In the competition mode, the music played on the user devices of the competing users may be the same as or different from each other. When user A or user B possesses a plurality of characters that can be used in battle, a character to be used in battle is selected from among the plurality of characters. As described above, the rhythm game is started in the battle mode.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8, battle processing in the battle mode will be described. In the battle process shown in FIG. 8, it is assumed that user A and user B will compete.

First, in step S21, a battle between user A and user B is started. As described with reference to FIG. 7, in order to start the game in the battle mode, user B is matched as an opponent of user A, and the music and characters used for this battle are selected. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, it is assumed that user A uses character A and user B uses character B. In the embodiment of FIG. At the start of the game, the user device 10a of user A generates a game screen 50 based on the asset data and the notes data 16b, and the user device 10b of user B generates a game screen 60 based on the asset data and the notes data 16b. be done. The game screen 50 may be generated by the image generator 11a of the user device 10a, and the game screen 60 may be generated by the image generator 11a of the user device 10a. When the music starts playing, the notes displayed on the game screens 50 and 60 move toward the reference areas SR1 and SR2 in time with the rhythm of the music. Each note moves so as to reach the reference area SR1 or the reference area SR2 at the time specified by the reference timing information set for each note.

When any note reaches the reference area in step S22, the battle process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, operation determination is performed to determine whether or not the user's operation on the note that has reached the reference area has succeeded. Specifically, in the user device 10a, operation determination is performed when any note reaches the reference region SR1, and in the user device 10b, operation determination is performed when any note reaches the reference region SR2. . As described above, the operation determination includes operation position determination for determining whether or not the user's operation has been performed on the operation area, and reference timing at which the operation time at which the user performed the operation is associated with Notes. Timing determination is performed to determine whether or not it is within a predetermined time from the time indicated by the information, and if both of these two determination results are "success", the operation determination for the note is successful. Operation determination may be performed by the operation determination unit 11d.

If it is determined in step S23 that the operation to the determination target note that has reached the reference area is successful, the battle process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, it is determined whether or not the notes to be determined are attack notes. If the note to be determined is an attack note, the battle process proceeds to step S25, and the character of the user who has successfully operated the attack note in step S25 performs an attack action. With reference to FIGS. 10a to 11b, an attack action on user A's character, which is executed when user B successfully operates attack notes, will be described. FIGS. 10a and 10b respectively show the main area 51 of the game screen 50 and the main area 61 of the game screen 60 at a time of 2 minutes, 11 seconds, and 500 milliseconds after the start of playing the music. The arrangement of the notes N11 to N16 in FIG. 10a is determined based on the notes data 16b. The arrangement of notes N21-N28 in FIG. 10b is determined according to the notes data for user B (not shown). As shown in FIG. 10b, in the game screen 60 associated with character B of user B, attack note N21 overlaps reference area SR2. As shown in FIG. 11b, while the attack note N21 overlaps the reference area SR2, if user B operates the operation button B2 with the finger F2 as shown in FIG. If the difference between the time when the operation button B2 is operated by and the reference time specified by the reference timing information set in the attack note N21 is equal to or less than the timing threshold, the operation of the attack note N21 is determined to be successful. , character B's attack action against character A is executed. Specifically, an attack action notification is transmitted from user B's user device 10b to user A's user device 10a. The attack action notification may be sent via the server 20 or may be sent without the server 20 .

Upon receiving the attack action notification, the user device 10a adds data indicating a defense note to the empty record included in the notes data 16b, as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the record identified by the note ID "107", which was empty before the attack action from character B, is replaced with the record representing the defensive note. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the note type information is "2" representing a defense note, and the reference timing information is "00:02:14:15" in association with the notes ID "107". A new record with lane information of "1" and appearance position information of "1" is stored. The data corresponding to the defensive notes added by the attack action may overwrite the closest empty record from the time when the operation corresponding to the attack action was performed. In the above example, the operation of the attack note N21, which reaches the reference area SR2 at the time 2 minutes, 11 seconds, 500 milliseconds (00:02:11:500) has passed since the start of the music performance, is successful, and the attack action is executed. Therefore, in the note data 16b for the game screen 50 corresponding to Character A, the defensive note corresponding to the attack action is assigned to the note ID "107" closest to the time after the time "00:02:11:500". It stores the data to represent.

In data representing defensive notes added by attack actions, "lane information" is defined as one of "1" to "3". For example, lane information can be set to "1" in order to display defensive notes in lane L1 on the left side of the center of game screen 50 when User B performs a left flick operation on notes N21. When the tap operation is performed on the notes N21, the lane information may be set to "3", and when the right flick operation is performed on the notes N21, the lane information may be set to "5". Lane designation information that designates lane information may be included in the attack action notification and transmitted from the user device 10b to the user device 10b.

In the data representing the defense notes added by the attack action, the "appearance position information" is set to any one of "1" to "3". Appearance position information may be determined based on an evaluation regarding the timing of user B's operation on Notes N21. For example, if the difference between the time when the Notes N21 is operated and the reference time represented by the reference timing information of the Notes N21 is equal to or less than the first threshold, "3" is set, and the difference is the first threshold. If the difference is less than or equal to a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, it is set to "2", and if the difference is less than or equal to a third threshold that is greater than the second threshold and the second threshold, it is set to "1". may The third threshold may be the same as the timing threshold used when determining whether the timing determination is successful. The first threshold, second threshold, and third threshold may be 100 ms, 300 ms, and 500 ms, respectively. As described above, when user B performs an operation on the notes N21 at a timing closer to the time specified by the reference timing information set in the attack notes N21, the game screen 50 of user A, who is the opponent, is displayed by the operation. , can appear closer to the reference area SR1.

A record indicating a defensive note among the notes data may include "attack power information" (not shown) used for calculating the damage that the character receives if the operation of the defensive note is unsuccessful. Even if the damage is calculated so that the higher the numerical value set in the "attack power information" of the defensive note, the greater the damage that the user's character receives when the user fails to operate the defensive note. good. The offensive power information set in the defensive notes added by the attack action activated when the note N21 is successfully operated may be determined based on the evaluation regarding the timing of the user B's operation on the notes N21. . For example, the smaller the difference between the time when the Notes N21 was operated and the reference time represented by the reference timing information of the Notes N21 (that is, the higher the evaluation regarding the timing of the operation to the Notes N21), the more the Notes N21 is operated. A high value may be set as the offensive power information of the defense notes added by the successful operation of . As a result, the more accurate the user's timing of operating the attack notes, the more advantageous the user can be in the competitive game.

In the game screen 50, the defensive notes may have different appearances depending on the set attack power information. For example, the defense notes may be displayed in different colors, shapes, and sizes on the game screen 50 according to the attack power information set for the defense notes. By changing the appearance of the defense notes displayed on the game screen 50 according to the attack power information set for the defense notes in this way, operations are preferentially performed on defense notes having high attack power. For example, the user is required to make a game strategy according to the attack power information set in the defense notes. Therefore, it is possible to enhance the strategy in the battle mode of the rhythm game.

When defensive note data indicating defensive notes is added to the notes data 16b, defensive notes N17 appear on the game screen 50 as shown in FIG. 11a according to the data added to the notes data 16b. Comparing FIG. 10a and FIG. 11a, it can be seen that the defensive note N17 was added to the game screen 50 associated with the character A by the successful operation of the offensive note N21 and the execution of the offensive action against the character A. I understand. Since the defensive note N17 is the note corresponding to the note ID "107", it appears at the first appearance position Y11 on the lane L1. The Notes N17 reaches the reference area SR1 at the time "00:02:14:500" indicated by the reference timing information.

Similar to the processing when user B successfully operates attack notes N21, when user A succeeds in operating attack notes, character A performs an attack action against character B. FIG. Execution of an attack action by User A will now be described with reference to FIGS. 12a-13b. Figures 12a and 12b show game screens 50 and 60, respectively, 500 milliseconds (0.5 seconds) after the time in Figures 10a and 10b. At the time shown in these figures, 2 minutes and 12 seconds have passed since the start of the performance, so on the game screen 50, the attack note N11 has reached the reference area. As shown in FIG. 13a, while the attack note N11 overlaps the reference area SR1, the user A operates the operation button B1 with the finger F1, and the user A operates the operation button B1. If the difference between the time of execution and the reference time specified by the reference timing information set in the attack notes N11 is equal to or less than the timing threshold, the operation on the attack notes N11 is determined to be successful, and the character A's character B An attack action against is performed. Specifically, an attack action notification is transmitted from user A's user device 10a to user B's user device 10b. The attack action notification may be sent via the server 20 or may be sent without the server 20 . Upon receiving the attack action notification, the user device 10b causes a defense note N29 to appear on the game screen 60 as shown in FIG. 13ba. Comparing FIG. 13b and FIG. 12b, it can be seen that the defensive note N29 has been added to the game screen 60 associated with the character B by successfully operating the offensive note N11 and executing the attack action against the character B. I understand.

If it is determined in step S24 that the notes to be determined are not offensive notes, the battle process proceeds to step S26, where it is determined whether or not the notes to be determined are defensive notes. If the judgment target note is a defensive note, the battle process proceeds to step S27. In step S27, a defensive action is executed by the character of the user who performed the operation, and the damage (reduced amount of HP) to the character when the defensive action is executed is calculated. Damage received by the character when the defensive action is performed is calculated according to the first logic. The damage calculated according to the first logic is a smaller value than the damage calculated according to the second logic, which is used to calculate the damage that the character will receive if the operation on the defensive notes fails. A character performing a defensive action need not take damage. In other words, the HP of a character that has performed a defensive action does not have to decrease.

Execution of a defensive action by character A of user A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 shows the game screen 50 300 milliseconds (0.3 seconds) after the time in FIGS. 12a and 12b. As shown, on the game screen 50, the defensive note N12 has reached the reference area SR1. While the defensive note N12 overlaps the reference region SR1 on the lane L2, the user A operates the operation button B2 with the finger F1. If the difference from the reference time specified by the set reference timing information is equal to or less than the timing threshold, the operation on the defensive note N12 is determined to be successful, and the defensive action by character A is executed. Unlike when an attack action is performed, when a defense action is performed, no notes are added to the main area 61 of the game screen 60 associated with the character B of the opponent.

If it is determined in step S26 that the notes to be determined are not defensive notes, the battle process proceeds to step S28. In this case, since it is determined that the notes to be determined are neither offensive notes nor defensive notes, the notes to be determined are skill notes. Therefore, in step S28, the character is made to perform a skill action. When a character is caused to perform a skill action, a predetermined skill effect is generated. For example, execution of a skill action has the effect of making it impossible for the opponent to operate Notes for a certain period of time. When the user A successfully operates the skill notes, the character A executes the skill action.

Returning to step S23, the processing when it is determined that the operation of the note to be determined that has reached the reference area has failed in step S23 will be described. If it is determined in step S23 that the operation on the notes subject to determination has failed, the battle process proceeds to step S29. In step S29, it is determined whether or not the notes to be determined are defense notes. If the judgment target note is a defensive note, the battle process proceeds to step S30. In step S30, the damage (HP reduction amount) to the character when the defensive action is not executed is calculated. Damage received by the character when no defensive action is performed is calculated according to the second logic. The damage calculated according to the second logic is greater than the damage calculated according to the first logic, which is used to calculate the damage that the character receives when the defensive action is performed. If it is determined in step S29 that the notes to be determined are not defensive notes, the battle process proceeds to step S31. In this way, even if the operation to the note that has reached the reference area is not successful, the damage to the character is not calculated if the note is other than the defensive note. In other words, if the user fails to operate a note that has reached the reference area, the user's character is damaged only if the failed note is a defensive note among a plurality of types of notes.

The processing of steps S24 to S30 is processing to specify the type of note to be determined and to cause the character to execute an action according to the specified type of note when the operation determination is determined to be successful in step S23. . The flow for realizing this processing is not limited to the illustrated one. For example, steps S24 and S25 may be interchanged with steps S26 and S27. Also, instead of determining whether or not the target note is an attack note in step S24, it may be determined whether or not the target note is a skill action. The processing of steps S24 to S30 may be performed by the action control section 11e.

After the processing corresponding to the determination results in steps S23, S24, S26, and S29 is executed, the battle processing proceeds to step S31. In step S31, it is determined whether or not conditions for ending the battle are satisfied. The battle in the rhythm game is when the music used in the battle ends, when the HP of one of the characters in the battle becomes zero, when a predetermined time has passed since the start of the battle, or other than these. is determined to be terminated when the termination condition of is satisfied. If the competition end condition is not satisfied, the competition process returns to step S22. If the competition end condition is satisfied, the competition process proceeds to step S32. In step S32, it is determined which of the opponents has won. Winning users may be awarded points, items, or other benefits.

With the above, the battle process ends. After the battle process ends, the user may start another battle process, start the game in solo mode, or end the game.

According to said embodiment, there exist the following effects. According to one or more embodiments of the invention disclosed in the present application, a rhythm game is provided that incorporates features of a fighting game, namely, an attack action to attack an opponent character and a defense action to defend against an attack from the opponent character. can provide.

According to one or more embodiments of the invention disclosed in the present application, it is possible to detect successful selection of attack notes associated with an attack action on a game screen associated with one of the fighting characters. As a condition, defensive notes are displayed on the game screen associated with the other character. In this manner, by selecting an attack note on a game screen related to one character, the other character is attacked, so that a rhythm game incorporating features of a fighting game can be provided.

Although the processes and procedures described herein are described as being performed by a single device, software, component or module, such processes or procedures may be performed by multiple devices, software, components or modules. and/or by multiple modules. In addition, even if the data, tables, or databases described herein are described as being stored in a single storage device (storage or memory), such data, tables, or databases are It can be distributed and stored in a plurality of storage devices provided in one device or in a plurality of storage devices distributed in a plurality of devices. Furthermore, the software and hardware elements described herein can be implemented by consolidating them into fewer components or decomposing them into more components.

In the processing procedures described in this specification, particularly in the processing procedures described using flow diagrams or sequence diagrams, omitting some of the processes (steps) that constitute the processing procedures, It is possible to add steps that are not specified as steps to be performed and / or change the order of the steps, and such omission, addition, or order change of the processing procedure also departs from the spirit of the present invention It is included in the scope of the present invention unless specified otherwise.

1 game processing system 10a, 10b user device 11a image generation unit 11b output control unit 11c operation reception unit 11d operation determination unit 11e action control unit 11f competition result determination unit 16b notes data 20 server

Claims (10)

A system for providing a game, comprising one or more computer processors,
The one or more computer processors, by executing computer readable instructions,
a first timing indicator that is associated with a first attack action relating to an attack from the first character to the second character and that moves toward a first reference area on a first game screen associated with the first character; displaying a second timing indicator that is associated with a first defense action related to defense of the first character and that moves toward the first reference area;
causing the first character to perform the first attack action when an operation is accepted by a first input interface while the first timing indicator overlaps the first reference area;
causing the first character to perform the first defensive action when an operation is accepted by the first input interface while the second timing indicator overlaps the first reference area;
A second game screen related to the second character has a third timing indicator that is associated with a second attack action related to an attack from the second character to the first character and that moves toward a second reference area. displayed,
The one or more computer processors display the second timing indicator on the first game screen when an operation is accepted by the second input interface while the third timing indicator overlaps the second reference area. to display
By executing the first attack action, the second game screen displays a fourth timing indicator that is associated with a second defense action related to defense of the second character and that moves toward a second reference area. ,
system. The one or more computer processors set the first parameter of the first character to the first parameter when the first input interface does not accept an operation while the second timing indicator overlaps the first reference area. change by 1 change amount,
The system of claim 1. The one or more computer processors set the first parameter as the first amount of change when an operation is received by the first input interface while the second timing indicator overlaps the first reference area. is changed by a different second change amount,
3. The system of claim 2. The one or more computer processors control whether the operation is accepted or not accepted by the first input interface while the first timing indicator overlaps the first reference area. without changing the first parameter,
4. A system according to claim 2 or 3. A second parameter of the second character changes by a third change amount when no operation is performed on the second input interface while the fourth timing indicator overlaps the second reference area;
5. A system according to any one of claims 1-4. When an operation is performed on the second input interface while the fourth timing indicator overlaps the second reference area, the second parameter changes by a fourth amount of change different from the third amount of change.
6. The system of claim 5. a specific lane is determined from among a plurality of lanes according to an operation on the first input interface;
the fourth timing indicator moves along the particular lane toward the second reference area;
7. System according to claim 5 or 6. The one or more computer processors display a fifth timing indicator that moves toward the first reference area on the first game screen;
at least one of the third timing indicator and the fourth timing indicator on the second game screen when an operation is performed on the first input interface while the fifth timing indicator overlaps the first reference area; display is changed,
A system according to any one of claims 1-7. A game processing method in which one or more computer processors execute computer readable instructions to process a game, comprising:
a first timing indicator that is associated with a first attack action relating to an attack from the first character to the second character and that moves toward a first reference area on a first game screen associated with the first character; displaying a second timing indicator associated with a first defensive action relating to the defense of the first character and moving toward the first reference area;
causing the first character to perform the first attack action when an operation is accepted by a first input interface while the first timing indicator overlaps the first reference area;
causing the first character to perform the first defensive action when an operation is accepted by the first input interface while the second timing indicator overlaps the first reference area;
with
A second game screen related to the second character has a third timing indicator that is associated with a second attack action related to an attack from the second character to the first character and that moves toward a second reference area. displayed,
The game processing method displays the second timing indicator on the first game screen when an operation is accepted by the second input interface while the third timing indicator overlaps the second reference area. further comprising the step of
By executing the first attack action, the second game screen displays a fourth timing indicator that is associated with a second defense action relating to defense of the second character and that moves toward a second reference area. ,
Game processing method. to one or more computer processors;
a first timing indicator that is associated with a first attack action relating to an attack from the first character to the second character and that moves toward a first reference area on a first game screen associated with the first character; displaying a second timing indicator associated with a first defensive action relating to the defense of the first character and moving toward the first reference area;
causing the first character to perform the first attack action when an operation is accepted by a first input interface while the first timing indicator overlaps the first reference area;
causing the first character to perform the first defensive action when an operation is accepted by the first input interface while the second timing indicator overlaps the first reference area;
and
A second game screen related to the second character has a third timing indicator that is associated with a second attack action related to an attack from the second character to the first character and that moves toward a second reference area. displayed,
The one or more computer processors , if the operation is accepted by the second input interface while the third timing indicator overlaps the second reference area, the further executing the step of displaying the second timing indicator on the first game screen;
By executing the first attack action, the second game screen displays a fourth timing indicator that is associated with a second defense action related to defense of the second character and that moves toward a second reference area. ,
program.

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