CN115719535A

CN115719535A - Game device, program, game system, and recording medium

Info

Publication number: CN115719535A
Application number: CN202211295151.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 小谷英斗; 中井宏辅; 礒边恭平; 西村悠纪
Original assignee: Bandai Co Ltd
Current assignee: Bandai Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-11-05
Filing date: 2022-10-21
Publication date: 2023-02-28
Also published as: JP2023069495A; JP7249394B1; JP2023070203A; WO2023080220A1

Abstract

The invention provides a game device, a program, a game system and a recording medium. The application of better article supply is realized. The game device is provided with: a providing unit that provides a game play experience; a plurality of supply units capable of supplying articles of different types; a detection unit that detects whether each of the plurality of supply units is in a state in which the supply unit can supply the article; a setting unit that accepts setting of an operation mode of the game device; and a control unit that controls the operations of the supply unit and the plurality of supply units according to the operation mode set by the setting unit, wherein the operation mode includes a first mode that is set to a mode in which an experience of playing a game cannot be provided on condition that a predetermined one of the plurality of supply units becomes incapable of supplying an article.

Description

Game device, program, game system, and recording medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a game device, a program, and a game system, and more particularly to an electronic game provided with an article.

Background

There is a game machine with a scenery dispensing function for managing the stock condition of scenery and controlling the dispensed scenery in such a manner as to reduce variation in the number of stocks (patent document 1).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2005-152040

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In a game device configured to be able to control supply of a plurality of types of articles for one content, it is necessary, for example, for a staff of a store in which the game device is installed to order and appropriately replenish the articles. On the other hand, for example, when a plurality of categories of articles are articles with different degrees of rareness, if only some of the categories of articles can be ordered, there is a possibility that the game device is operated at a supply ratio (a probability that the articles of each category are supplied) that is not desired by the publisher, and that articles with high rareness (articles with low supply ratio) are distributed improperly. Therefore, the operation of ordering is permitted in units of a package in which a plurality of types of articles are loaded in accordance with the supply ratio set by the publisher.

In addition, generally, when the stock of any kind of article is exhausted, the function of supplying the corresponding article is not operated, and therefore, it is preferable to set the game device as described above in an unavailable state. However, when different supply ratios are set for each category, for example, a worker may misjudge the order timing, and in a system in which the game device is made unusable before the ordered item set arrives although a part of the rare items can be supplied, the profit margin of the shop may be lost. In particular, in the operation of permitting the ordering in units of a suit as described above, if the game device is not available at a point of time when the item with a high degree of rarity is exhausted, the store side may have an inventory of the item with a low degree of rarity.

The invention aims to provide a game device, a program and a game system which realize the operation of preferable article supply.

Means for solving the problems

A game device of the present invention includes: a providing unit that provides a game play experience; a plurality of supply units capable of supplying articles of different types; a detection unit that detects whether each of the plurality of supply units is in a state in which the supply unit can supply the article; a setting unit that accepts setting of an operation mode of the game device; and a control unit that controls the operations of the supply unit and the plurality of supply units according to the operation mode set by the setting unit, wherein the operation mode includes a first mode that is set to a mode in which an experience of playing a game cannot be provided on condition that a predetermined one of the plurality of supply units becomes incapable of supplying an article.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, preferable application of article supply can be realized.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of a game device 100 according to an embodiment and a modification of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the game device 100 according to the embodiment and the modification of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining operation modes of the game device 100 according to the embodiment and the modification of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a providing process executed in the game device 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a providing process executed in the game device 100 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a notification presented in the game device 100 according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.

Detailed Description

[ embodiment 1]

The embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the plurality of features described in the embodiments may be combined as desired. The same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

The following description will explain an example in which the present invention is applied to a game device configured to be capable of supplying a plurality of types of articles, as an example of the game device. However, the present invention can be applied to any device that can provide a service including provision of an experience of playing a game and can supply a plurality of types of items to a player.

Structure of Game System

The game device 100 according to the present embodiment has an external appearance as shown in fig. 1. The game device 100 is configured to be able to detect a payout when the payout is made available, and provide a service of providing a user (player) with a game play experience including supply of at least one item when the payout is detected. The payment of the cost is detected, for example, from the deposit of a predetermined amount of money into the deposit 141.

Further, an outlet 142 is provided on the external appearance of the game device 100, and a player can enter a holding portion 143 provided inside through the outlet 142. The game device 100 of the present embodiment is configured to supply any one of a plurality of types of articles when used. The holding portion 143 holds an article supplied from any one of the supply portions described below so that the player can safely take out the article.

The front panel 144 is a door that can be opened and closed, and is configured to be opened to allow entry into the housing of the game apparatus 100. The input port 141, the output port 142, and the holding portion 143 are formed integrally with the front panel 144, and when the front panel 144 is opened, the operations of the control device, the board, and the like of the game device 100 can be performed without interfering with them. The front panel 144 is normally operated in the locked state, and the front panel 144 can be opened and closed by unlocking with a dedicated key provided to a staff or the like in an installation shop of the game apparatus 100.

Functional structure of game device

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the game device 100 according to the present embodiment.

The control unit 101 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each functional block included in the game device 100. Specifically, the control unit 101 reads an operation program related to each functional block recorded in the storage device 102, for example, and expands and executes the operation program in the memory 103 to realize the operation of each functional block.

The storage device 102 is a storage device capable of permanently holding data, such as a nonvolatile memory or an HDD. The storage device 102 stores, in addition to the operation programs related to the respective function blocks included in the game device 100, information on parameters required for the operation of the respective function blocks, various kinds of graphic data used in the game executed by the game device 100, and the like. The memory 103 is a storage device for temporarily storing data, such as a volatile memory. The memory 103 is used not only as an expansion area of the operation program of each block but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data and the like output during the operation of each block.

The payout detecting unit 104 detects that a payout of a cost is made in the game apparatus 100. The cost payment can be determined by detecting that a predetermined amount of medal or a corresponding medal (coin) is inserted into the slot 141 of the game device 100 or that a settlement process based on communication with a chip related to predetermined electronic money is completed. The game device 100 of the present embodiment is explained in order to start providing a service including provision of an experience of playing a game based on a cost payment related to the start of service provision.

The supply control unit 105 controls the supply of the item to the player when the game device is used. In the present embodiment, the game device 100 includes two types of supply units (the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120) that can accommodate and supply articles of different types so as to dynamically control the types of articles to be supplied to the player. The supply control unit 105 controls which supply unit is to supply the article according to the progress of the game, thereby providing interest in article supply. As described above, the supply control unit 105 controls the supply unit that supplies the articles to send out the corresponding articles. The delivered article is held by the holding portion 143 so as to be removable by the player.

The articles supplied by these supply units may be any articles, and in one embodiment, the articles may be configured to be usable (capable of being presented in a game by information acquisition, etc.) in a game in which the game playing experience is provided by the game apparatus 100. In the following description, for easy understanding of the invention, both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 are configured to be able to supply a card as a solid object. More specifically, the first supply unit 110 is configured to be able to supply a normal card as a first type of article according to the present invention, and the second supply unit 120 is configured to be able to supply a rare card as a second type of article according to the present invention. That is, the game device 100 is configured to load a card set that can be separated by bundling the cards into a bundle for each category, and to perform operations of replenishing the bundle of ordinary cards in the card set to the first supply unit 110 and replenishing the bundle of rare cards to the second supply unit 120.

Here, the cards that can be supplied by the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 are classified into different categories according to the difference in the degree of rareness. The degree of rareness may be determined based simply on the supply ratio (probability of each type of card being supplied) when the game device 100 is used, for example, in which case, a normal card is classified as an article with low rareness due to a high supply ratio, and a rare card is classified as an article with high rareness due to a low supply ratio. However, the degree of rareness is not limited to the case where it is determined based only on the supply ratio, and may be determined based on, for example, the degree of favorability for the progress of the game when the article is used (the rareness degree increases as the rareness degree increases), the manufacturing cost of the article (the rareness degree increases as the manufacturing cost increases), or the like. Alternatively, the determination may be made based on two or more factors.

Further, the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 are provided with sensors (hereinafter, described as storage sensors) for detecting whether or not a card is stored, that is, whether or not the supply unit is in a state in which the card can be supplied. The sensor may be any sensor as long as it can detect a state in which at least one card that can be supplied is accommodated, and may include, for example, a sensor that can count the number of cards accommodated.

In the present embodiment, the game device 100 is described as being configured to be able to supply two types of articles, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it should be understood that the present invention can also be applied to a mode in which three or more types of articles can be supplied.

The presentation control unit 106 is responsible for control of presenting various information to the player via the presentation unit 130 in the game device 100. In the present embodiment, the presentation unit 130 for realizing information presentation is a display device capable of presenting visual information, such as a liquid crystal display, for example, which displays images (game screens, menu screens, and the like). However, it goes without saying that the method of information presentation is not limited thereto, and substitution or addition can be made. The presentation unit 130 may include, for example, a speaker for presenting auditory information.

In the embodiment in which the presentation unit 130 is a display device, the presentation control unit 106 includes a rendering device such as a GPU, for example, and performs predetermined rendering processing for generating a screen to be displayed on the presentation unit 130. Specifically, the presentation control unit 106 performs the drawing of the screen by executing necessary arithmetic processing on necessary drawing objects (graphic data) based on processing or commands performed by the control unit 101 during the startup period (service provision period, standby state period) of the game device 100. The generated screen is output to the presentation unit 130, and is displayed in a predetermined display area to be presented to the player.

The presentation of information by the presentation control unit 106 in the presentation unit 130 includes presentation of a performance at the time of card supply. The details of the performance at the time of card supply will be described later, but the performance is not limited to the screen/image display on the display device, and may include at least any one of the performance operations performed by other performance presentation devices, not shown, provided in the game device 100 such as an audio output device, a lighting device, and a force sense presentation device.

The operation input unit 107 is a user interface provided in the game device 100, such as an operation member for determining input and various sensors. When detecting that an operation is input to the operation member, the operation input unit 107 outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the control unit 101. The operation input unit 107 may include, for example, a touch input detection sensor or the like that detects a touch input performed on the display screen of the presentation unit 130.

The game device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a special switch such as a DIP switch (DIP switch) that can be operated by a person on the service providing side such as a clerk in the installation shop of the game device 100, in a housing not shown in fig. 1. The operation input unit 107 is configured to output a corresponding control signal to the control unit 101 when detecting that an operation input to the special switch is performed or in accordance with an input state of the special switch. That is, the operation input unit 107 is configured not only to be able to detect an operation input to an operation member that is disposed on a so-called control panel and that can be operated by a player during service provision, but also to be able to detect an operation input to an operation member (special switch) that cannot be operated by a player during service provision.

Operation mode of Game device

Next, an outline of an operation mode related to card supply in the game device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

In the game device 100 of the present embodiment, one card is supplied to the player in response to acceptance of the payout of the cost in a state where the game device 100 can provide the service. The one card is either a normal card stored in the first supply unit 110 or a rare card stored in the second supply unit 120, and the supply control unit 105 determines which card is to be supplied. Specifically, when the payment detection unit 104 detects the payment of the cost, the control unit 101 executes, for example, a drawing process, and the supply control unit 105 determines which of the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 is to be supplied with the card and executes supply control based on the drawing result. The drawing process is a process of determining a result based on the drawing probability according to the supply ratio of the normal card and the rare card as described above, that is, the drawing probability according to the distribution ratio of the normal card and the rare card in the card set loaded in the store or the like, and the supply control unit 105 determines to cause the second supply unit 120 to supply the rare card, for example, when the drawing result is drawing. More specifically, the lottery process is controlled such that the probability that the first supply unit 110 supplies the normal card is higher than the probability that the second supply unit 120 supplies the rare card.

In addition, the card supply by the drawing process is ensured by bringing both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 into a state in which the card can be supplied. That is, the state in which the card corresponding to the drawing result can be supplied regardless of the drawing result is realized by the state in which the cards are accommodated in both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120. That is, in order to ensure that the card supply is performed fairly with a predetermined supply probability (for example, a rare card is supplied with a probability of 10%) for a card supply opportunity given to the player once, it is assumed that any type of card can be supplied.

On the other hand, in a card set in which a store or the like is installed to receive a drawing, as described above, the number of ordinary cards and rare cards is fixed, and only one card can be supplied in a state in which the other card is completely supplied. In particular, rare cards having a smaller stock quantity than ordinary cards are highly likely to be completely fed before ordinary cards, and thereafter, even if a drawing result related to the feeding of rare cards is obtained, the rare cards cannot be fed. In order to avoid such a situation, an operation is generally performed in which a staff member such as an installation shop orders a card set based on the supply status and performs replenishment before the number of cards stored in the two supply units becomes 0.

However, depending on the timing of ordering or stocking the card sets, it may be difficult to ensure a fair card supply with a predetermined supply probability because either one of the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 reaches a state in which the card storage count is 0. In this case, it is also conceivable that the game device 100 is controlled to be in a state in which the service cannot be provided on the condition that either of the supply units is in a state in which the card cannot be supplied, but the setting store or the like loses the chance of profit. In another aspect, if the control is performed in a state in which the service cannot be provided, the cards stored in the other supply unit are not supplied and remain, and as a result, there is a possibility that the setting store has an inventory of cards that cannot be supplied.

In other words, as the installation shop side, the service provision of the card supply in which the predetermined supply ratio is secured for the payment of the cost according to the number of cards included in one card set can be performed by storing the bundle of ordinary cards and rare cards included in the card set in each of the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 of the game device 100. For example, by housing a card set including 90 normal cards +10 rare cards = 100 cards in total, it is possible to realize a card feed of "feeding rare cards at a probability of 10%" (a card feed of feeding rare cards 10 out of 100 times) for 100 times of use of the game device 100. On the other hand, in a situation where the card cannot be replenished, the condition that any one of the feeders does not accommodate the card is that the service cannot be provided deprives the card supply opportunity regarding one card set permitted to the installation shop side.

In order to cope with such card supply on the player side and the installation shop side, the game device 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to have two operation modes for card supply, and to be able to switch between the two operation modes.

One of the operation modes is a "drawing priority mode" as a second mode according to the present invention, which is a mode in which fair card supply with a fixed supply probability is realized preferentially for all the card supply opportunities and service cannot be provided on condition that any one of the supply units cannot supply a card. Specifically, the drawing-priority mode is an operation mode in which the game device 100 is set to a state in which the game playing experience cannot be provided on condition that either one of the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 cannot supply cards.

The other of the operation modes is a "supply priority mode" as the first mode according to the present invention, and the supply priority mode is a mode in which a card supply based on a predetermined supply probability is realized with priority among a predetermined number of supply opportunities according to the amount in the card set, and a service cannot be provided on condition that a predetermined one supply section becomes unable to supply the card. In the present embodiment, the offer priority mode is an operation mode in which the game device 100 is set in a state in which the game playing experience cannot be provided on condition that the first supply unit 110, which supplies a large number of ordinary cards, that is, a large absolute number of cards supplemented by one card set, cannot supply cards. That is, in the supply priority mode, even if the supply unit other than the first supply unit 110, that is, the second supply unit 120 is in a state in which the rare card cannot be supplied, the game device 100 is controlled so as to be able to provide the experience of playing the game as long as the first supply unit 110 is in a state in which the ordinary card can be supplied.

The switching of these operation modes is configured to be settable only in a test mode, which is a third mode according to the present invention, for example, and is configured to be not settable in an operation mode in which use of the game device 100 is permitted, and the switching is made to the test mode when an operation input is made to a special switch at the time of restart. That is, such an operation mode is set according to the situation of setting a shop or the like, and for example, it is not preferable to give a switching authority to a player or to perform a switching setting by a staff or the like in front of a player, and therefore, it is set so that switching can be performed only in a test mode in which a player is not allowed to use the game apparatus 100.

Therefore, the game device 100 of the present embodiment has three operation modes as shown in fig. 3. As shown in the figure, the operation modes of the game device 100 are roughly divided into an operation mode 301 in which the player is permitted to use the game device 100 and a test mode 302 in which the player is not permitted to use the game device 100, and the operation mode 301 is further divided into a drawing priority mode 311 and a supply priority mode 312 according to the setting made in the test mode 302.

The transition to the test mode does not require an operation input to a special switch, and may be forcibly transitioned to the test mode when the game device 100 is started, for example. In this case, for example, the operation mode of the game device 100 may be controlled to be changed to the business mode in response to the reception of an operation input related to a confirmation instruction in the test mode.

Providing treatment

A specific process of the game device 100 according to the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of fig. 4, regarding a providing process executed in association with service provision, that is, utilization of the game device 100 by a player. The processing corresponding to this flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading a corresponding processing program stored in the storage device 102, for example, and expanding and executing the processing program in the memory 103. Note that the present providing process is explained, for example, when the payment detection unit 104 detects a cost payment.

In S401, the control section 101 executes a lottery process related to card supply for the detected cost payment. When the lottery result is obtained, the control unit 101 transmits the lottery result to the supply control unit 105.

In S402, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the operation mode of the game device 100 is the supply priority mode. The control unit 101 shifts the process to S403 when determining that the operation mode is the supply priority mode, and shifts the process to S410 when determining that the operation mode is not the supply priority mode, that is, the sampling priority mode.

In S403, the supply control unit 105 determines whether or not the second supply unit 120 is in a state in which the rare card cannot be supplied, under the control of the control unit 101. That is, the supply control unit 105 determines whether or not the second supply unit 120 is in a state of not accommodating any rare card. When determining that the second supply unit 120 is in a state in which the rare card cannot be supplied, that is, when determining that only the first supply unit 110 is in a state in which the card can be supplied, the supply control unit 105 proceeds to S404. On the other hand, when determining that the second supply unit 120 is in a state in which the rare card can be supplied, that is, when determining that both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 are in a state in which the cards can be supplied, the supply control unit 105 proceeds with the process to S405.

In S404, the supply control section 105 controls the first supply section 110 to supply the ordinary card under the control of the control section 101. That is, when the present step is reached, the player is supplied with the normal card without depending on the drawing result.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S403 that the second supply unit 120 is in a state in which it is possible to supply a rare card, the supply control unit 105 controls the supply unit corresponding to the drawing result to supply a card in S405 under the control of the control unit 101. For example, the supply control unit 105 performs the following operation control: when the drawing result is drawing, the second supply unit 120 is caused to supply a rare card, and when the drawing result is not drawing, the first supply unit 110 is caused to supply a normal card.

In S406, the control unit 101 starts providing the game play experience related to the service provision of the game device 100 at this time.

In S407, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a game termination condition is satisfied. When determining that the game termination condition is satisfied, the control unit 101 terminates the provision of the game play experience and shifts the process to S408, and when determining that the game termination condition is not satisfied, repeats the process of this step.

In S408, the supply control unit 105 determines whether or not the first supply unit 110 is in a state in which it is not possible to supply the normal card under the control of the control unit 101. That is, the supply control unit 105 determines whether or not the first supply unit 110 is in a state of not housing any normal card, based on the card supply during the present service provision period, that is, during the period in which the player is using the game device 100. The supply control unit 105 shifts the process to S409 when determining that the first supply unit 110 is in the state in which the normal card cannot be supplied, and completes the present supply process when determining that the first supply unit 110 is not in the state in which the normal card cannot be supplied.

In S409, the control unit 101 controls the game device 100 to be in the unusable state after the present providing process is completed, and completes the present providing process. Here, the state of the unusable game device 100 is realized by controlling the payout detecting unit 104 to be in a state in which the payout is not able to be paid out, for example, controlling the payout detecting unit 104 to be in a state in which the payout is not able to be paid out, or returning the payout to a return port (not shown) without detecting the payout by the payout detecting unit 104 even if the payout is made. The release of this state is controlled by replenishing the first supply unit 110 (and the second supply unit 120) with cards. In the unavailable state, in order to notify the player of the unavailable meaning, the presentation control unit 106 may be controlled to add a display indicating that the card cannot be supplied and is unavailable to the normal standby display displayed on the presentation unit 130 after the completion of the providing process. The notification is not limited to the presentation unit 130, and may include a method of presenting a notification to the effect that the game device 100 cannot supply at least a normal card to a staff or the like who sets up a shop, or a notification requesting at least a supplement of a normal card (transmitting a notification to a communication terminal used by the staff or the like).

On the other hand, when it is determined in S402 that the drawing priority mode is selected, the supply control unit 105 controls the supply unit corresponding to the drawing result to supply the card in S410 under the control of the control unit 101.

In S411, the control unit 101 starts providing the game play experience related to the service provision of the game device 100 at this time.

In S412, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a game termination condition is satisfied. When determining that the game termination condition is satisfied, the control unit 101 terminates the provision of the game play experience and shifts the process to S413, and when determining that the game termination condition is not satisfied, repeats the process of this step.

In S413, the supply control unit 105 determines whether any one of the supply units is in a state in which the card cannot be supplied, under the control of the control unit 101. That is, the supply control unit 105 determines whether or not any of the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 is in a state in which no card is accommodated, based on the card supply during the present service provision period, that is, during the period in which the player is using the game device 100. The supply control unit 105 shifts the process to S414 when determining that any one of the supply units is in the card-supply-disabled state, and completes the present supply process when determining that none of the supply units is in the card-supply-disabled state.

In S414, the control unit 101 controls the game device 100 to be in the unavailable state after the present providing process is completed, and completes the present providing process. In this unavailable state, in order to notify the player of the unavailable meaning, the presentation control unit 106 may be controlled so as to add a display of a meaning that cannot be used because the card cannot be supplied to the normal standby display displayed on the presentation unit 130 after the completion of the providing process. The notification is not limited to the presentation unit 130, and may include a notification to present to the staff or the like in the installation shop that the card which is not stored cannot be supplied, and a notification to request the replenishment of the card (such as transmission of a notification to a communication terminal used by the staff or the like).

As described above, according to the game device of the present embodiment, the operation mode can be switched to realize a preferable operation of supplying articles.

In the providing process of the present embodiment, the description has been given of the mode in which the determination as to whether or not the second supply unit 120 can supply the rare card is performed only before the card supply (S403) and the determination as to whether or not the first supply unit 110 can supply the normal card is performed only after the game play experience is provided (S408) in the supply priority mode, so that the fact that the rare card cannot be supplied is not notified, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, after the end of providing the experience of the game play in the supply priority mode, the determination as to whether or not the cards can be supplied may be performed for both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 as in the drawing priority mode, and the notification may be controlled not to be performed when the supply unit that cannot supply the cards is the second supply unit 120.

Here, in the mode in which the judgment as to whether or not the card can be supplied is made with respect to both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 after the provision of the experience of playing the game in the supply priority mode is finished, even if the second supply unit 120 is in the state in which the rare card cannot be supplied, if the first supply unit 110 is in the state in which the ordinary card can be supplied, the control unit 101 does not set the game device 100 in the unusable state after the completion of the providing process. Even if the second supply unit 120 is in a state in which it is possible to supply a rare card, the control unit 101 sets the game device 100 in a state in which it is not possible to supply a normal card after the supply processing is completed if the first supply unit 110 is in a state in which it is not possible to supply a normal card. Further, if both the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 are in a state in which cards cannot be supplied, the control unit 101 sets the game device 100 in a state in which it is not available after the supply processing is completed. As a result, whether or not the game device 100 is in the unusable state is determined regardless of whether or not the second supply unit 120 contains a rare card, as in the above-described supply process.

In the supply processing of the present embodiment, a mode in which the first supply unit 110 supplies the normal card according to the drawing result when the second supply unit 120 is in a state in which the rare card cannot be supplied in the supply priority mode is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the state of the second supply unit 120 may be detected before the drawing process is executed, and the drawing process itself may be controlled based on the state, that is, when the second supply unit 120 is in a state in which the card cannot be supplied, only the result of the drawing performed by the first supply unit 110 may be obtained.

In the supply processing of the present embodiment, a mode of determining which kind of card is to be supplied for the detected cost payment by the drawing processing has been described, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to specify information on which kind of card is to be supplied in a table held in advance in the memory 103 or the like, and to determine which kind of card is to be supplied by acquiring information on a reference position determined based on a predetermined rule from the table.

[ modification 1]

In the above-described providing process of embodiment 1, a mode has been described in which a single chance of card supply is set before a game play experience is provided for a single use of the game device 100, but the practice of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, a continuous purchase of cards may be provided, and a plurality of card supply opportunities (cards may be supplied on condition that the payment of the cost is accepted every time) may be provided during the use period of the game device 100.

In this case, since there is a possibility that any one of the supply units may become unable to supply cards in the middle of a plurality of times of card supply opportunities, the supply control unit 105 determines the card storage status of the supply unit that has just supplied cards after one card is supplied (after S404, S405, or S410). The control unit 101 controls the first supply unit 110 not to generate a subsequent card supply opportunity in the current usage period on condition that the first supply unit 110 is unable to supply a normal card in the case of the supply priority mode, and controls the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 not to generate a subsequent card supply opportunity in the current usage period on condition that either one of the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120 is unable to supply a card in the case of the drawing priority mode. In this case, the control unit 101 may be included to control the payment detection unit 104 to a state where the payment of the fee is not allowed.

[ embodiment 2]

In the above-described providing process of embodiment 1, the description has been given of the mode in which the card supply is performed once and the experience of the game play is provided once during the service providing period started in accordance with the cost payment, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied even when a so-called continuation function is provided in which after the provision of the game play experience is completed, the service provision period is extended in accordance with the detection of further payment of the cost, and the processing returns to S401 again to perform the provision of the additional card supply and the game play experience. That is, the game device 100 is configured to provide a plurality of game playing experiences on the condition that the player receives a further payout of the cost at a specific stage during one use of the game device 100.

Providing treatment

The specific process of the providing process executed in connection with the provision of the service in the game device 100 of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of fig. 5. The processing corresponding to this flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading a corresponding processing program stored in the storage device 102, for example, and expanding and executing the processing program in the memory 103. Note that the present providing process will be described, for example, when the payment detection unit 104 detects a cost payment. In the present supply processing, steps for performing the same processing as that of the supply processing of embodiment 1 described above are assigned the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted, and only the processing of the steps for performing the processing unique to the present embodiment will be described below.

If it is determined in S407 that the game termination condition is satisfied, the control unit 101 terminates the provision of the game play experience and shifts the process to S501.

In S501, the supply control unit 105 determines whether or not the first supply unit 110 is in a state in which it is not possible to supply the normal card under the control of the control unit 101. The supply control unit 105 shifts the process to S502 when determining that the first supply unit 110 is in the state in which the normal card cannot be supplied, and shifts the process to S503 when determining that the normal card cannot be supplied.

In S502, the control unit 101 controls the game device 100 to be in the unusable state after the present providing process is completed, and completes the present providing process. That is, the control unit 101 does not set a further chance of paying out a cost for providing an additional play experience using the continuation function to the use of the game device 100 of this time, and completes the present providing process.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S501 that the first supply unit 110 is not in the state in which the normal card cannot be supplied, the presentation control unit 106 causes the presentation unit 130 to present a notification indicating that the additional game play experience can be provided using the resume function in S503 under the control of the control unit 101. Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not further payment of the cost is made in relation to the provision of the additional experience of playing the game within a predetermined limit time. The control unit 101 returns the process to S401 when determining that further cost payment is made within the predetermined limit time, and completes the present providing process when determining that further cost payment is not made.

Similarly, when determining in S412 that the game termination condition is satisfied, the control unit 101 terminates the provision of the game play experience and shifts the process to S504.

In S504, the supply control unit 105 determines whether any one of the supply units is in a state in which the card cannot be supplied, under the control of the control unit 101. The supply control unit 105 proceeds with the process to S505 when determining that any one of the supply units is in the card-supply-disabled state, and proceeds with the process to S506 when determining that none of the supply units is in the card-supply-disabled state.

In S505, the control unit 101 controls the game device 100 to be in an unavailable state after the present providing process is completed, and completes the present providing process. That is, the control unit 101 does not set a further chance of paying for a cost related to the experience of providing an additional play using the continuation function to the use of the current game device 100, and completes the present providing process.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S504 that none of the supply units is in the card-feed-disabled state, the presentation control unit 106 causes the presentation unit 130 to present a notification indicating that the additional game play experience can be provided using the resume function in S506 under the control of the control unit 101. Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not further payment of the cost is made in relation to the provision of the additional experience of playing the game within a predetermined limit time. The control unit 101 returns the process to S401 when determining that further cost payment is made within the predetermined limit time, and completes the present providing process when determining that further cost payment is not made.

In this way, the game device 100 can be used in a manner that ensures flexible use and realizes preferable supply of articles.

[ embodiment 3]

In the above-described embodiment and modification, the mode in which the supply opportunity of the ordinary card or the rare card is provided before the experience of playing the game is provided has been described, but in order to increase the interest of the game, it may be possible to generate a supply opportunity of another card while the experience of playing the game is provided. That is, the other card is not a card supplied for the detected cost payment but a card supplied, for example, in accordance with satisfaction of a specific condition in the experience of playing the game. Here, the other cards are different from the ordinary cards and the rare cards, and the following description will be given by using special cards. The special card is accommodated in a third supply unit, not shown, provided separately from the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120, and is configured to be able to be supplied. Further, the special card is provided so as to be able to be ordered and shipped separately from the card set composed of the ordinary card and the rare card.

Since the operation control in the supply priority mode as described above can ensure that the cards stored in the supply units of the game device 100 are supplied with a predetermined supply probability, whether or not the second supply unit 120 is in a state in which the rare cards cannot be supplied does not affect the interest of card supply according to the payment of the price. On the other hand, whether or not the third supply unit is in a state in which the special card cannot be supplied causes a difference in reward among players who have achieved a specific condition during the game play, and therefore, the interest of the game play can be affected.

That is, although the special card is supplied only when a specific condition is satisfied during provision of the game play experience, it is not preferable to use the game device 100 by the player without making the player know that the game device 100 is in a state in which the special card cannot be supplied. On the other hand, setting the game device 100 in the unusable state on the condition that the third supply unit does not accommodate the special card that is not normally supplied and can be supplied only if a specific condition is satisfied is not appropriate from the viewpoint of profitability of an installation shop or the like in which the game device 100 is installed.

Therefore, in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, when the third supply unit is in a state in which the special card cannot be supplied in the usable state, a notification indicating that the special card cannot be supplied is displayed on the standby display. When an operation input related to the use start, such as a touch input to the presentation unit 130, is detected while the standby display is displayed on the presentation unit 130, a use confirmation notification 600 as shown in fig. 6 is further presented. As shown, the notification 600 includes a statement 601 confirming that a special card cannot be supplied during provision of the game play experience, whether the game device 100 is utilized, and an option for confirming whether this is known (items 602 and 603). Then, the control unit 101 controls the payment detection unit 104 to a state in which the payment of the cost can be detected, and accepts the payment of the cost, on the condition that the awareness operation (the touch operation on the item 602) is performed with respect to the notification 600.

In this way, it is possible to improve the interest of the game and to exercise the profitability of the game apparatus 100.

[ modification 2]

In the above-described embodiment and modification, the operation mode in which the first supply unit 110 is set to the state in which the game device 100 cannot provide the game play experience has been described as the supply priority mode on the condition that the normal card cannot be supplied. That is, the supply unit used for determining whether or not the game play experience cannot be provided in the supply priority mode may be changeable. This change may be realized by designating one supply unit as an option when the operation mode is set in the test mode.

In the above-described embodiment and modification, the two types of supply units that supply cards in response to acceptance of the payment of the cost have been described as the first supply unit 110 and the second supply unit 120, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the types of supply units may be three or more. In this case, the supply unit used for determining whether or not the game play experience cannot be provided in the supply priority mode is set to any one of the supply units.

[ other embodiments ]

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

100: a game device; 101: a control unit; 102: a storage device; 103: a memory; 104: a payment detection section; 105: a supply control unit; 106: a presentation control section; 107: an operation input unit; 110: a first supply unit; 120: a second supply unit; 130: a presentation section; 141: a throwing port; 142: a take-out port; 143: a holding section; 144: a front panel.

Claims

1. A game device is provided with:

a providing unit that provides a game play experience;

a plurality of supply units capable of supplying articles of different types;

a detection unit that detects whether each of the plurality of supply units is in a state in which it is possible to supply an article;

a setting unit that receives a setting of an operation mode of the game device; and

a control unit that controls the operations of the supply unit and the plurality of supply units according to the operation mode set by the setting unit,

wherein the operation mode includes a first mode in which the game play experience cannot be provided on condition that a predetermined one of the plurality of supply units cannot supply an item.

2. The game apparatus according to claim 1,

in the first mode, the game playing experience may be provided when the supply unit other than the predetermined one of the plurality of supply units is unable to supply the item and the predetermined one of the plurality of supply units is able to supply the item.

3. The game apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the operation mode further includes a second mode in which the game play experience cannot be provided on condition that any one of the plurality of supply units cannot supply an item.

4. The game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the action modes further include a third mode, the third mode being a mode in which a player is not allowed to utilize the game apparatus,

the setting unit accepts setting of the first mode only during operation in the third mode.

5. The game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the game device further includes an acceptance unit that accepts a payment of a cost related to provision of the game play experience,

while operating in the first mode, the control unit controls the acceptance unit to be in a state in which the cost payment cannot be accepted on condition that the predetermined one supply unit cannot supply the article.

6. The game apparatus according to claim 5,

the providing means can provide the game play experience a plurality of times on condition that the accepting means accepts further payment of the cost in one use of the game device,

when the predetermined one supply means is unable to supply an article while the game machine is operating in the first mode, the control means controls the supply means so that the subsequent game play experience cannot be provided during the one-time use of the game machine.

7. The game apparatus according to claim 5 or 6,

in the case where the predetermined one of the supply units becomes unable to supply an item while the supply unit is providing the game play experience while the operation is performed in the first mode, the control unit controls the supply unit to a state in which the game play experience cannot be provided after the provision of the game play experience is completed.

8. The game apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7,

the plurality of supply units include a first supply unit capable of supplying an article of a first category and a second supply unit capable of supplying an article of a second category having a higher degree of rareness than the article of the first category,

the predetermined one supply unit is the first supply unit.

9. The game device of claim 8,

the control means determines which of the first supply means and the second supply means is to be supplied with the article in response to acceptance of the cost payment, and controls so that a probability of determining that the first supply means is to be supplied with the article of the first type is higher than a probability of determining that the second supply means is to be supplied with the article of the second type in the determination.

10. The game apparatus according to claim 8 or 9,

the game device further includes a notification unit for notifying that the plurality of supply units cannot supply the item,

while operating in the first mode, the control means controls the notification means so as not to notify that the second supply means cannot supply the second type of article.

11. The game device of claim 10,

the first and second feeding units feed items after starting to utilize the game device and before providing the game play experience,

the plurality of supply units further include a third supply unit that is determined whether to supply an item after the game play experience is started and that is capable of supplying an item of a third category that is different from the items of the first category and the items of the second category,

the control unit performs the following control:

when the third supply means is unable to supply the third type of article, causing the notification means to notify that the third type of article cannot be supplied;

conditioned on the operation of knowing about this notification, the providing unit is caused to provide the experience of playing the game.

12. The game apparatus according to claim 10 or 11,

the notification of the meaning of the item not being able to be supplied includes a notification of a request to replenish the corresponding item.

13. The game apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12,

when any one of the plurality of supply units becomes unable to supply an article while the game device is being used, the control unit causes the notification unit to notify that the article cannot be supplied after the use is completed.

14. The game apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the game device further includes a changing unit that changes a supply unit that is the predetermined one of the plurality of supply units.

15. A program for causing a computer provided with a plurality of supply units capable of supplying articles of different types to execute:

providing a process providing a game play experience;

a plurality of supply processes capable of supplying articles of different types;

a detection process of detecting whether or not each of the plurality of supply units is in a state in which an article can be supplied;

a setting process of receiving a setting of an operation mode of the computer; and

a control process of controlling execution of the supply process and operations of the plurality of supply units in accordance with the operation mode set in the setting process,

16. A game system comprising a plurality of categories of items and a game apparatus capable of supplying the plurality of categories of items, wherein,

the game device is provided with:

a providing unit that provides a game play experience;

a plurality of supply units capable of supplying articles of different categories among the plurality of categories of articles, respectively;

a detection unit that detects whether each of the plurality of supply units is in a state in which an article can be supplied;

a setting unit that accepts setting of an operation mode of the game device; and

the operation mode includes a first mode in which the game play experience cannot be provided on condition that a predetermined one of the plurality of supply units cannot supply an item.

17. A computer-readable recording medium recording a program according to claim 15.