JP2000135374A - Game system, information recording medium and method for altering character's value of ability and its shape - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a game system that has a character whose value of ability and figure are altered in accordance with the place where it exists, an information recording medium in which such a character is recorded and a method for altering the value of the character's ability and its figure. SOLUTION: When the level of a character, NPC and the like, rises up (step S501), an display that the level of the character has risen up appears and the place is recorded (step S503). A table of the value of its ability at each place is inspected when the times of recordings excesses the prescribed times (step S505). When the value of its ability that corresponds to the place firstly appears, the value is taken (step S507) and an order to add, expand or reduce a component is given (step S508). Thus, the value of the character's ability is altered. The figure of the character may be changed in with the value of the character's ability.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game apparatus using a character whose ability or shape changes over time, an information recording medium on which such a game is recorded, or an ability value or shape representing the ability of the character. The present invention relates to a method of changing a character ability value and a method of changing a character shape that are changed as the character progresses.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Characters appearing in a game include a character (a hero) operated by the player himself and a character that cannot be operated by the player himself.
The latter character is generally NPC (Non Player Chara
cter). For example, soldiers working with the protagonist are NPCs. NPC is not limited to humanoids, but applies to all characters appearing in the game, such as weapons and creatures. In this specification, the character operated by the player and the NP
C is generically called a character.

[0003] In many conventional games, the shape or graphic of such a character (hereinafter simply referred to as a shape) changes in several stages as the character grows. For example, infantry becomes heavy infantry. The fact that the shape changes as the character grows or levels up is visually easy and convenient for the player.

FIG. 27 shows an example of a change in the shape of a character. The childhood character 11A becomes a young character 11B as it grows up, and eventually becomes an adult character 11C.

The transition of the character shown in FIG. 27 is uniform, and although the growth process of the character can be understood, the player changes the same shape regardless of which player handles the character. There is a problem that personality is not.

FIG. 28 shows another example of the change of the character proposed to solve such a problem. In this example, the character 11A of the childhood is
Will be a gully character (big head) 11BA who will be educated as a genius, but if he is raised with special training in sports, he will be a physical education (muscularly developed) character 11BA.
BB. These characters are active in society and grow into adult characters 11C.

In the transition of the character shown in FIG. 28, the character 11A in the childhood or the character before the operation becomes characters 11BA and 11BB having different characteristics or shapes depending on how the player operates. However, these characters 11BA, 11
The shape of the BB does not change in various ways, but eventually changes to the ideal character 11C as it grows.

[0008]

As described above, some of the characters handled or proposed in the conventional game apparatus change their shape in the process of growing or level-up, but the change is uniform. Although the shape temporarily changes in the middle of what should be called a fluctuating period, it eventually changes to one fixed shape. However, in the real world, for example, even in the case of a plant, the manner of its growth differs depending on the place where the seed fell, and the size, taste, and final shape of the plant usually differ.

In the above description, the change in the shape of the character has been considered. However, there is a similar problem in the conventional game as to the ability value as the value indicating the ability to climb a mountain, swim in the sea, and the like. Was.

An object of the present invention is to provide a game device having a character whose shape and ability value change according to a place as one of the environments where the user has spent, an information recording medium on which such a character is recorded, It is another object of the present invention to provide a character ability value changing method and a character shape changing method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game device having a character having an ability and an outer shape adapted to a place where a battle has been made, an information recording medium on which such a character is recorded, and a character recording medium. An object of the present invention is to provide an ability value changing method and a character shape changing method.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, (a) ability value storage means for storing an ability value representing the ability of a game character, and (b) the character satisfies a predetermined condition. A game device comprising: a location discriminating means for discriminating the location of the character each time; and (c) an ability value changing means for changing the ability value of the character stored in the ability value storage means according to the location determined by the location discriminating means. Prepare for.

[0013] In other words, according to the first aspect of the present invention, each time a predetermined condition such as a character leveling up, picking up an item, or ten minutes after the game is satisfied, the location of the character is determined. Is done. The ability value of the character stored in the ability value storage means is changed according to the determined location. For example, the longer the character is in the sea, the higher the ability value of swimming and fishing. This makes it possible to realize a unique character whose ability value changes depending on the place.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the ability value storage means corresponds to a predetermined storage area of a memory constituting the game apparatus, and the location discriminating means and the ability value changing means are, for example, C.
A PU (Central Processing Unit) corresponds to this.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, (a) ability value storage means for storing ability values separately representing a plurality of abilities of a game character, and (b) each time the character satisfies a predetermined condition. Location determining means for determining whether the location where the character is located is one of a plurality of predetermined locations, and (c) a location capability representing the correspondence between the plurality of predetermined locations and the plurality of capability values. (D) a capability value reading unit that searches the location capability value table each time the location determination unit determines a location and reads out a capability value that is not stored in the capability value storage unit, if any, E) The game device is provided with ability value changing means for changing the ability of the character corresponding to the ability value read by the ability value reading means.

In other words, according to the second aspect of the present invention, each time a predetermined condition such as leveling up, picking up an item, or ten minutes after the game is satisfied, the location of the character is determined. Is done. In the case of the invention described in claim 2, a table called a location capability value table is prepared, and the correspondence between a plurality of predetermined locations and a plurality of capability values is described therein. Each time the location where the character is present is determined, the location capability value table is checked, and a capability value other than the capability value already stored in the capability value storage means storing the capability value of the character is applicable. In this case, this reading is performed. For example, it is assumed that the location of a certain character has been determined on the mountain and that the location has been newly determined on the sea. In this case, the ability value related to swimming is considered as the ability value of the character in addition to the ability value related to mountain climbing, and the ability value is changed. As a mode of changing the ability value, there is a case where the character grows up to a character who is good at climbing and swimming, and a case where the ability of swimming is improved and the ability of swimming is improved accordingly. The ability value may be indicated by a specific numerical value, or the type of ability (for example, arm strength, leg strength, etc.) may be indicated corresponding to the location. At a place where the numerical value of the ability value is also present, the amount of change in the ability corresponding to the place may be shown, such as how much the arm strength and how much the leg strength.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the capability value storage means, the location determining means and the capability value changing means can be constituted as described in the first aspect of the invention. The location capability value table is, for example, a CD-
It can be configured in advance on a ROM, and can be expanded in a predetermined storage area such as a main memory. As the capability value reading means, for example, a CPU can be used.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, (a) shape storage means for storing a shape of a character in a game; and (b) location determination means for determining a location where the character is in a specific state. And (c) providing the game apparatus with shape changing means for changing the shape of the character stored in the shape storage means corresponding to the location determined by the location determining means.

That is, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the shape of the game character stored in the shape storage means is changed according to the location determined by the location determination means. For example, when a certain character performs level-up at the seaside to determine the location, the character is changed to a shape suitable for swimming with a “fin” attached to the foot.

Further, as means for solving the above-mentioned problems, a display device, an input device, an output device, a control device,
A machine-readable information recording medium that records a program to be executed by a general-purpose computer or a general-purpose game device having a storage device or the like is disclosed.

With this information recording medium, the information recording medium can be easily distributed and sold as a software product independently of a hardware device. In addition, by using this software using existing hardware resources, the game of the present invention as a new application can be easily executed on existing hardware. When the program recorded on the information recording medium of the present invention is executed by a general-purpose computer or a general-purpose game device, the game device according to the first to third aspects of the present invention can be realized.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, (a) each time a character in the game satisfies a predetermined condition, it is determined which of a plurality of predetermined places the character is located in. A change amount at which the location determined according to the determination result should give a change to the ability value of the character is calculated, and (c) the ability value of the character is changed according to the calculation result.

That is, according to the present invention, each time a predetermined condition such as a level-up of a character, picking up an item, or a lapse of 10 minutes from a game is satisfied, the place where the character is present is determined. Then, a change amount at which the location determined according to the result should change the character's ability value is calculated, and the character's ability value is changed according to the calculation result. Since the location is determined when the condition is satisfied, even if the location is long, for example, if the user is sleeping, the location can be excluded from the determination. In addition, devising to intentionally go to a place when the condition for determining the place is satisfied may have an effect to obtain a desired ability value, and the game development can be made more devised. .

In the invention according to claim 8, (a) each time a character in the game satisfies a predetermined condition, it is determined which of a plurality of predetermined places the character is located in, and (b) Each time the above-described determination is performed based on the correspondence between the determined plurality of places and the ability value of the game character, the ability value associated with the location of the character is determined, and (c) the determined ability It is characterized in that an ability value preset for the character is changed depending on the value.

That is, in the invention according to claim 8, the correspondence between the plurality of places and the ability values of the game characters is set in advance, and when the place where the character exists is determined, the correspondence is determined based on the correspondence. Thus, the ability value is determined, and a preset ability value is changed. When the ability value is obtained at a new place, it is natural that the type may be different from the previously obtained ability value. Also,
In some cases, the acquired values are different even for the same type of ability value. By setting various correspondences with respect to the ability value in accordance with the location, a change in the ability value can be promptly processed.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, (a) the shape of the character in the game is stored, and (b) the place where the character is in a specific state is determined.
(C) The stored character shape is changed corresponding to the determined location.

That is, in the ninth aspect of the invention, each time the character satisfies a predetermined condition, the location where the character exists is determined, and the shape of the character itself is changed according to the location. For example, if the character has been identified many times in the sea, the flippers will gradually become larger and change into a shape that is more convenient for swimming. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the shape of the character itself changes, there is an advantage that the player can easily determine the ability visually.

[0028]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This game device includes a display control device main body 21. Display control device body 21
Is connected to a display 22 and a controller 23, and one or more memory cards 24 as an external memory can be added as necessary.

FIG. 2 shows a more detailed configuration of the game device. The display control device main body 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31 for performing various controls. CPU31
Is connected to a GTE (GeomeTric Engine; graphics data generation processor) 32 and to various circuit devices in the device via a bus 33 such as a system bus. Here, the GTE 32, as a coprocessor of the CPU 31, executes at a high speed a fixed-point format matrix, vector, and other operations related to coordinate transformation, light source calculation, and the like by a parallel processing mechanism. The main processing performed by the GTE 32 is as follows. With respect to the two-dimensional or three-dimensional image data sent from the CPU 31, the display address of the image is obtained based on the coordinate data of the vertices, the movement amount data, and the rotation amount data. There are a process, a process of returning the address data obtained by this process to the CPU 31, a process of calculating the brightness of the target image according to the distance and the angle from the virtually set light source, and the like.

The GPU (Graphic) connected to the bus 33
A cs Processing Unit (graphics drawing processor) 34 executes a drawing process using a frame buffer 35 based on the coordinates and color information obtained by the GTE 32 in accordance with a polygon drawing command sent from the CPU 31. At this time, the GPU 34 executes a rendering process for one screen (one frame) every 1/30 second, and places the image data (polygon graphics data or the like) drawn in the frame buffer 35 on the display 22. Display sequentially. The frame buffer 35 forms a memory area in which image data displayed on the display 22 is mapped.

An SPU (Sound Processing Unit) 37 is supplied from a CD-ROM drive 42 via a CD-ROM decoder 39 to a CD-RO.
ADPCM (Adaptive D) read into the M buffer 43
ifferential PCM data and PCM (Pulse Code Modul)
ation) The sound buffer 38 executes sound (including sound) reproduction processing based on sound source data such as data, and outputs the reproduced sound from the speaker 41.
The CD-ROM decoder 39 has a CD-ROM drive 42 for reading data such as program data, image data and sound source data from the CD-ROM, and a CD-ROM buffer 43 for temporarily storing the read data and the like. And are connected.

The controller 23 and the memory card 24 shown in FIG. 1 are connected to the communication controller 44. The memory card 24 is constituted by a non-volatile memory, and retains data stored therein even when it is removed from the communication control device 44 or when the power of the display control device main body 21 is turned off. Is available.

The bus 33 also includes a peripheral device 4
6. Main memory 47, OS-ROM (Operating System)
em-Read Only Memory (48), MDEC (Motion DECod)
er; data decompression engine) 49, PIO (Parallel Inp)
ut Output; extended parallel port) 51 and SIO
(Serial Input Output; extended serial port) 52 is connected. The OS-ROM 48 is a memory that stores an operation system.
Is an engine that executes inverse DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) operation at high speed. This M
In DEC49, JPEG (Joint Photographic Exper
t Group) format and MPEG (Motion Picture Expert Gro
up) Performs decompression processing on image data compressed in the format.

FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the controller used in this embodiment. The controller 23 includes a direction key 62, a triangle (triangle) button 63, a circle (circle) button 64, and a cross (x) button 6 on the front of the controller main body 61.
5, a square button 66, a start button 67, and a select button 68 are arranged. In FIG. 3, the other four buttons 71 to 74 are arranged on the upper surface side. The connection cable 75 of the controller main body 61 is detachably connected to the display control device main body 21 shown in FIG.

A direction key 62 arranged on the controller main body 61 is a key for instructing a cursor or the like to move up, down, left and right on the screen of the display 22. ○ Button 6
4 is a key for instructing execution or confirmation, and the X button 65 is for instructing cancellation or dash. The △ button 63 and the □ button 66 are buttons used for inputting a predetermined instruction such as screen switching. The start button 67 is a button used to start a program of the game device, and the select button 68 is a button used to set the difficulty level of the game. Other four buttons 7
Buttons 1 to 74 are used to input predetermined instructions determined by the contents of each program.

In order to use the game apparatus having the above configuration, a predetermined CD-ROM (not shown) in which a game program is recorded is set in the CD-ROM drive 42 shown in FIG. Then, a power button (not shown) of the display control device main body 21 is turned on. With this, CD-RO
The M drive 42 reads the program from the CD-ROM, and the CD-ROM decoder 39 decodes the program. Then, a predetermined opening screen is displayed on the display 22 based on the decoded program, and when the start button 67 is pressed, the screen shifts to the menu screen.

Next, the progress of the game used in this embodiment will be described. In this game, the main character starts an adventure with a plurality of villagers. Villager characters are NPCs that cannot be operated by the player
It is. Hereinafter, the villager character is simply called NPC,
The main character is simply called a main character. The main character drags the NPC and wanders in various places (stages) such as the sea, caves, and forests, and battles in each stage. To clear one stage and move on to the next,
PCs need to be adapted to their environment, grow and have special abilities.

FIG. 4 shows each stage (place) and N
FIG. 3 shows an outline of a location capability value table showing a relationship with a special capability (capability value) that can be obtained by a PC. FIG. For example, NPCs can initially swim like normal humans on the sea stage, but gain special abilities each time they win a battle and level up. The first special ability that can be obtained is "walking on the water", and the second is the "dive underwater" special ability. And finally, you will gain the special ability to do a torpedo attack. By defeating the enemy by this torpedo attack, the main character can proceed to the next cave stage.

At the cave stage, the NPC first gains the special ability of "illumination" to lighten the hit. Next, obtain the special ability of "sound listening" to detect the presence of the enemy in the dark, and finally obtain the special ability of "ultrasonic attack" to defeat the final enemy in this stage and You will proceed to the stage.

FIG. 5 shows the number of battles required for the NPC to perform a level up in the game apparatus of the present embodiment. For example, in the first sea stage, each time you win 10 battles, you level up. Each time the level is upgraded, the NPC normally increases the provided ability, but each time the level is increased a predetermined number of times, the NPC obtains a further special ability as described with reference to FIG. Each time an NPC gains a special ability, that N
The PC changes shape to match the obtained special ability. This will be described later. On the cave stage, NPCs are upgraded each time you win 5 battles, and you gain special abilities each time you advance a certain number of levels. The same applies hereinafter.

In the desert stage near the final stage and the final iceberg stage, the NPC level is not increased. In these stages, the main character confronts the enemy one after another while utilizing the special abilities of the NPCs that have been developed so far. It should be noted that the NPCs appearing in this game device need not necessarily be those who have been drawn from the first sea stage,
C can be newly added to the group. Such new NPCs are affected by the place (stage) where they lived or drifted, and may have some special abilities to help. If the number of NPCs accompanying the stage is limited depending on the stage, it is possible to replace some or all of the NPCs with NPCs that appear in the middle.

In this embodiment, when the NPC satisfies a predetermined condition, the function of discriminating the location where the NPC exists, the function of changing the capability value and shape of the NPC, and the function of reading the capability value from the location capability value table are performed by the CPU 31. Is executed by The special ability (capacity value) and shape of the NPC and the location ability value table are stored in a predetermined area of the main memory 47.

FIG. 6 shows, as an example, the relationship between the level-up of the NPC and the change in the outer shape at the sea stage. In the sea stage, the NPC level starts from “1” and has a normal shape up to level “5”.
As described above, the normal abilities of the NPC such as "swiftness", "skill", and "defense" are improved at each level-up such as when the level changes from the level "1" to the level "2". When the level is increased from level "5" to level "6", the NPC acquires special abilities and the outer shape changes accordingly. This example will now be described with reference to the drawings along with the progress of the game.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which one of the NPCs land on a marine island with a main character (not shown) by boat. FIG. 8 shows the outer shape of the NPC at this time. At this time, the NPC 101 cannot walk underwater, and the outer shape is similar to that of a normal villager.

FIG. 9 shows a state in which the NPC having the outer shape in the initial state is fighting an enemy on an island. The NPC 101 cannot be directly operated by the player. Therefore, in a state where the main character (not shown) is fighting another enemy, FIG.
CPU 31 communicates with another enemy 102 in accordance with the program loaded from CD-ROM drive 42 by NPC.
This means that the battle of 101 is controlled.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a state in which the hit points are improved by the NPC winning the battle, and the level is raised. Here the hit point (H
P) represents the physical strength of the character. The HP is reduced by being attacked by the enemy, but can be recovered by using a predetermined item such as a nutrient or medicine item. The maximum value of the hit points to be recovered is called “maximum HP”. Such level up is performed several times, and NPC
When the level of 101 becomes "6", its shape changes.

FIG. 11 shows a change in the outer shape when the NPC level becomes "6" and a special ability for walking in water is provided. NPC101 has special flippers 10
It has changed to 3. By using these flippers 103, N
The PC 101 can walk in the water and fight against the enemy. FIG. 12 shows the shape change when the NPC has acquired the ability to dive underwater. NPC
101 is provided with a hand fin 104 in addition to the flip fin 103, so that it can freely swim around underwater. FIG. 13 shows a shape change when the NPC acquires the special ability of torpedo attack as the last special ability on the sea stage. NPC 101 is flippers 103
In addition to the fins 104, the shooting cap 105 is provided so that the enemy can be torpedoed.

FIG. 14 shows a state of an outer shape change accompanying the growth of the NPC which participated in the cave for the first time on the main character side. The external shape of the NPC 101 shown in FIG. 9A is the same as that shown in FIG. FIG. 14 (b)
The NPC 101 acquires the special ability of the lighting and the lamp 111
The figure shows the external shape when the camera is attached to the head. NPC10
1 then has a large ear 112 as shown in FIG. 3 (c), and acquires the special ability of listening to sounds when deciding a course at a fork in a cave, for example. As shown in ()), the wings 113 are grown to acquire the special ability of the ultrasonic attack. By following the NPC shown in FIG. 3D, the main character can make it possible to conquer, for example, a castle existing under the ground.

In FIG. 14, for the sake of simplicity, the NPC which participated in the main character for the first time in the cave is shown.
Was shown as an example. Regarding the NPC that accompanied the main character from the sea stage to the cave stage, the past special abilities will continue to degenerate over time, and the outer shape will change accordingly.

FIG. 15 shows an example of a change when the NPC having the outer shape shown in FIG. 13 enters a cave. The NPC 101 shown in FIG.
It has the same outer shape as 101. When the NPC 101 acquires the special ability of lighting by leveling up in the cave and attaches the lamp 111 to the head, the firing cap 105 is degenerated and disappears instead, as shown in FIG.
In FIG. 9C, the NPC 101 acquires the special ability of listening to sound, has a large ear 112, and degenerates the hand fin 104 shown in FIG. In FIG. 4D, the flippers 103 are degenerated and the wings 113 are replaced.
Is added, and the overall shape is changed to the shape shown in FIG.

However, the acquisition and loss of special abilities in such NPC does not always progress in one pattern. For example, suppose an NPC fought an enemy in a pond in a cave. In this case, if the flippers 103 are useful for walking underwater, the acquisition of the next special ability may be the hand flips 104 instead of the ramp 111 and the large ears 112.
This is because it is effective for the NPC 101 to acquire the special ability to swim underwater in the cave by adding the hand fin 104 to the NPC 101 because the attributes of the sea and the water are mixed in the attribute of the place called the cave. This is because it is possible that As described above, the shape of each NPC may be variously changed depending on the place where the NPC fights or lives. Similarly big ears 1
Depending on the game, a mode of leveling up special abilities, such as changing the shape of the 12 to a bigger ear by leveling up, is also possible. In addition, for simplicity of explanation, in the present embodiment, the description of the change in the shape of the NPC is narrowed down, but it is natural that the main character can also change its shape or special ability depending on the place (stage). .

FIG. 16 shows an outline of the control of the shape when displaying the NPC in this embodiment. Predetermined N
When a PC is displayed on the display 22 (FIG. 2) for the first time, an initial shape of the NPC is created by combining components in an initial state such as a head, a hand, and a foot (step S101). This is stored in a dedicated memory area of the main memory 47 (FIG. 2) (step S102). Thereafter, the CPU 31 (FIG. 2) adds the specific shape of the NPC, enlarges or reduces the specific shape (step S103), deletes the specific shape (step S104), or N
It is sequentially checked whether the overall shape of the PC is enlarged or changed (step S105), or whether the NPC itself is erased (step S106).

Here, the addition of the specific shape is performed, for example, by referring to FIG.
1 refers to a shape addition process for adding the flippers 103, and enlargement / reduction refers to a shape change such that the flippers 103 are enlarged or reduced. When it is determined that addition or enlargement / reduction of a specific shape is performed (step S103; Ye
s), and a process therefor is performed (step S10)
7). Deletion of a specific shape refers to a case where the shape becomes unnecessary due to degeneration of a special function. If it is determined that the specific shape is to be deleted (step S104; Yes)
s), the processing is executed (step S108). Enlarging the overall shape means that the shape of the NPC changes as it grows. In such a case (Step S105; Yes), enlargement processing of the entire shape is performed (Step S109). The case where the shape of the NPC itself is erased refers to the case where the NPC dies or disappears. In this case, (Step S106; Ye
s) A process of releasing the dedicated memory area allocated to the NPC for another use is performed (step S110).

If processing other than the NPC removal is executed (steps S107 to S109), the NPC
NP stored in the dedicated memory area allocated to
The shape of C is changed according to the processing result (step S11)
1). Then, the process returns to step S103 again in order to respond to the change in the shape of the NPC.

FIG. 17 specifically shows the addition or enlargement / reduction processing of the specific shape shown in step S107 of FIG. The CPU 31 shown in FIG. 2 monitors whether or not a special shape is added to the NPC appearing in the game and a situation where a part of the shape is added or a part of the shape is enlarged or reduced occurs. (Step S20
1). When an additional situation of the shape occurs (step S201; Yes), the shape data of the corresponding additional component is read from the CD-ROM (step S2).
02). This reading is performed in advance and the main memory 4
7 (FIG. 2), the shape data of the additional component is extracted from this area. When the shape data of the additional component is read, a process for replacing the corresponding shape portion of the NPC with the shape is performed (step S203). And FIG.
In step S111, the shape of the NPC in the dedicated memory area for the NPC is changed. By such a shape change, for example, the normal foot of the NPC shown in FIG.
Will be changed to the special flippers 103 shown in FIG.

On the other hand, if the enlargement / reduction has been instructed for a part of the shape of the NPC (step S201; N
o), it is determined whether the component corresponding to the current NPC can be scaled (step S204). If scaling is possible (step S204;
Yes), the component is enlarged or reduced by one step as instructed (step S205). And
In step S111 in FIG. 16, the shape of the NPC in the dedicated memory area for the NPC is changed.

FIG. 18 shows an example in which specific components of the NPC are sequentially enlarged. Here, the NPC in the same initial state as shown in FIG.
(A) shows a shape change that improves the ability to cut a tree in the forest in order. In FIG. 3B, the NPC 101 is holding a small saw 121A. This means that you have acquired the ability to cut twigs. In FIG. 9C, the NPC 101 is a medium saw 121B.
In hand, indicating that it has acquired the ability to cut trees other than large trees. In the same figure (d), NPC
101 indicates that the large saw 121C is grasped in the hand, and that it has acquired the ability to cut a large tree.

FIG. 18 shows an example of changing the shape of a component (enlarging the shape) in the expansion of the special ability of cutting as described above. However, it is also possible to reduce the shape of the component due to the degeneration of the special ability. is there. If it is determined in step S204 that the shape of the component cannot be enlarged / reduced, if there is a request for enlargement, the component is kept in the maximum shape and a request for reduction is made in the state of the smallest component. If there is, a process of erasing the component and returning the portion to the shape of the portion of the NPC in the initial state is performed (step S206). Then, step S1 in FIG.
At 11, the shape of the NPC in the dedicated memory area for the NPC is changed.

FIG. 19 specifically shows the process of deleting a specific shape in step S104 of FIG.
The specific shape deletion process is performed when the special ability is degraded except when the special ability expands or contracts as shown in FIG. In this case, as described in step S206, the component having the specific shape is
A process for returning to the shape of that part of C is performed (step S)
301).

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of step S105 in FIG.
FIG. 9 specifically shows processing when it is determined that enlargement or change of the overall shape of the PC is performed. CPU31
Determines whether a simple enlargement of the NPC by a similar shape is performed (step S401). If the simple enlargement is performed, the image is enlarged by one step at a predetermined magnification based on the data of the original whole shape. (Step S
402). At this time, if the NPC before the enlargement processing indicates a change in the shape of each component due to the special ability, the enlargement processing of the shape is also performed on these components at the same enlargement factor. Thereafter, the shape of the NPC in the dedicated memory area for the NPC is changed in step S111 in FIG. Depending on the game device, the shape of the NPC in the dedicated memory area is left as it is, and this is
5 (FIG. 2) may be enlarged by software.

FIG. 21 shows how the overall shape of the NPC is enlarged by a similar shape. When the outline of a NPC such as a villager grows and grows, and the outline shows a similar change, the NPC 1 as shown in FIGS.
01 is gradually enlarged. Such expansion may be performed at the time of stage switching,
It may be performed at a point in time when the level up is performed a predetermined number of times.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the simple enlargement of the NPC by the similar shape is not performed (step S4).
01; No), the one-step shape of the NPC is taken from the CD-ROM (step S403).
If the NPC indicates a change in shape of each component due to the special ability, a process of adding these components to the NPC having a new shape is performed (step S404). That is, as described above with reference to FIG. 27, in the case where the outer shape changes greatly from the semi-larval stage to the adult stage due to the growth of NPC, the overall shape of each changes, and On the other hand, each component is added. If it is difficult to add a conventional component due to a change in the overall shape of the NPC, a new component corresponding to the new overall shape will be added. After the above processing is performed, the shape of the NPC is changed in the dedicated memory area for the NPC in step S111 in FIG.

FIG. 22 shows a flow of control in accordance with an NPC level up. CPU 31 shown in FIG.
Monitors the time when the level up is performed for each NPC (step S501). Then, when the level up is performed, the level up display processing shown in FIG. 10 is performed (step S502). At the same time, the CPU 31 records the location (stage) of the NPC that has been upgraded in a predetermined area of the main memory 47 (FIG. 2) (step S503). Then, it is determined whether or not the level has been increased more than a specified number of times at that location (step S504). This determination is made as shown in FIG.
Are determined with reference to a table (not shown) indicating the number of level-ups required for the NPC shown in (1) to acquire the special ability (ability value). For example, on the sea stage,
As shown in FIG. 5, the level is raised each time the NPC wins 10 battles, and the outer shape of the NPC changes each time the level is performed 5 times.

In the case of this embodiment, for example, when the level is increased five times at the sea stage and the level of the NPC changes from "5" to "6" (step S504; Ye)
s), and retrieves the location capability value table shown in FIG. 4 (step S505). In the place ability value table, if there is a value that has not been set as the NPC ability value as a result of the search in which the relationship between the predetermined plurality of places and the plurality of ability values is described (step S506; Yes) ), The capability value is read and acquired as a special capability (capability value) of the NPC (step S507).

Next, an instruction is given to add a new component corresponding to the special ability (capacity value), or to enlarge the component when the component is to be enlarged. If there is an unused component to be degenerated, an instruction is given to delete or reduce it (step S508). In response to an instruction for adding or scaling components to the NPC, processing for addition or scaling is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the location capability value table is searched in step S505 and the capability value stored in the location capability value table has already been set as a special capability of the NPC (step S506; No), the special capability of the NPC is changed. Then, the process immediately proceeds to step S508 to perform the process of adding or scaling components to the NPC.
In the place ability value table shown in FIG. 4, the correspondence between a plurality of predetermined places and a plurality of special abilities is described, but the place ability value table is not limited to this. . For example, each special ability may be divided into a plurality of parts according to the magnitude of the effect, and numerical data indicating the magnitude of the effect of the special ability may be stored for each of the divisions.

Deformability of the invention

In the embodiment described above, the places where the characters such as the NPCs have battled and won a predetermined number of times and the level has been improved are recorded (step S50).
3) Based on this, the shape related to the place is changed in component units, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the location of the character may be sequentially detected under conditions other than battle or level-up, and the shape of the character may be changed simply by using the time spent in the same location as a factor. Also, record the number of battles for each place where the character's battle took place,
A change in shape or a change in ability value corresponding to the location where the maximum number of battles has been recorded may be made. In such a case, the change in the character's outer shape and the change in the ability value such as the special ability may be synchronized, or the shape of the character may be changed irrespective of the change in the ability value.

In the embodiment, various shape changes are realized by decomposing the character shape into components and replacing the image for each component.
It is also possible to prepare in advance in a storage medium such as an OM and to select this at any time to realize the current shape of the character.

Further, in the embodiment, the case has been described where the capability is gradually increased by the change in shape. However, a shape change in which the capability is reduced with time is also effective.
For example, if NPCs as infantry remain in the cave for a long time without fighting, there is a possibility that the body gradually becomes thinner and the combat ability decreases,
Performing such a shape change is also effective for character differentiation.

Further, in the embodiment, it has been described that when the character fights in each place, the special ability advantageous to those places is acquired and the shape of the character itself changes in accordance with the special ability. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. For example, for a place to play an active part in the future, perform special training and surgery to demonstrate special abilities in other places to achieve special abilities and corresponding shape changes, and then go to the corresponding place Is also good. For example, if the main character wants to realize water walking in the sea, select a volcano as the stage to go ahead of, and obtain a rough pumice stone here, and perform an operation to attach it to the foot at the hospital stage Then, you may go to the stage on the sea and play an active part. In short, the shape of this character changes freely according to the path that the character has taken in the course of the game played by the player, so that the character having a shape unique to each player can play an active role in the game. What should I do?

Further, in the embodiment, the special abilities that can be acquired for each stage and the shape change in component units due to the special abilities are specified. However, even in one stage, the shape and abilities of the character itself are changed according to the characteristics of the place where the character exists. It is also effective. For example, even at a castle stage, a character whose coverage is a castle wall and a character whose coverage is a pond or moat can have the same shape and ability change as a mountain or sea stage.

In the above description, the place where the character's outer shape changes, the place where a predetermined level has been raised, the place where the maximum number of battles has occurred, and the stay time of each stage are listed. Various locations can be selected as a base point other than the above, but it is also possible to select a location where a predetermined event is performed as a location where the shape changes. Take an example. When a predetermined event is performed after the target character has reached the reference level, the shape of the character is changed according to the location. For example, if an event of fitting an item to a sea tower is performed at a place where the sea tower exists, the outer shape of the character changes to a shape related to the sea tower.

FIG. 23 shows how the size of each component of the character is adjusted in the modification of the present invention. In this modified example, each component of the character changes freely according to the ratio of the place where it has been. That is, in this modified example, every time the CPU 31 shown in FIG. 2 detects a time point for changing the shape (step S601; Yes), the character from the last time the shape change was performed to the present time is used for each sampling. Scores indicating where and how many times they were at the time are counted (step S602). If this is the first time, the points indicating where and how many times the character has been from the start of the game to the present are totaled.

Each location and each component constituting the character correspond to each other. For example, if a character is in a cram school, wisdom is mainly used,
The place called cram school corresponds to the head component. The torso often corresponds to a component that indicates the length of the torso in the horizontal direction, since the torso often becomes thicker when going to the eating and drinking area. The longer the time in the schoolyard, the more opportunities to play and the more legs will grow, so the schoolyard will accommodate the components of the feet. When the character is in the classroom, the longer the hand is, the more prominent the hand can be for studying, so the classroom corresponds to the hand component.

After the scores for each place are totaled, the rate of increase / decrease for these places this time is calculated based on the average of the total values for those places (step S60).
3). For example, if the character only goes to the cram school, the rate of increase for the head component increases. After calculating the rate of change for each component in this way,
By multiplying the actual value of each component up to the previous time by the change rate of each component, the changed size of each component is calculated as a percentage (step S60).
4). Then, the shape of the character is displayed in the size of those components (step S605).

FIGS. 24 and 25 illustrate a change in the size of each component. 24 of these
Represents the previous performance value, and for simplicity of description, each performance value of the head, the body, the foot, and the hand indicates 50% as an average value. In this state, if the character increases the rate of attending the cram school and shortens the time playing in the schoolyard, the proportion of the head component increases,
For the foot component, the proportion decreases. FIG. 25 shows an example of the result.

FIG. 26 shows a shape change corresponding to FIG. 25 when it is assumed that the shape of the character corresponding to FIG. 24 is the standard shape shown in FIG.
It can be seen that the length of the head component is larger than that shown in FIG. 8 and the length of the foot component is smaller. Accordingly, the NPC 101 of this example is
Means that the ability value of "skill" increases and the ability value of "swiftness" decreases.

In the embodiment described above, the display control device body 21 is connected to the display 22 such as a television, the controller 13 and the memory card 24, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example,
The display control device main body 21 may include a large-capacity memory inside like a general personal computer. In this case, the memory card 24 itself may not be necessary, or it may be replaced with another removable recording medium such as a floppy disk or an optical disk. Further, the present invention can be naturally applied to not only general-purpose computers such as personal computers, but also to portable information terminals such as arcade game machines, mobile phones and electronic organizers, and devices such as car navigation systems. . In addition, the controller 13 used in the present embodiment
It is also free to replace it with another input device such as a normal keyboard for character input or a mouse with some buttons. The recording medium on which the game program is recorded is not limited to a CD-ROM, but may be another magnetic or optical recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or the like. Furthermore, the game program may be configured to receive and store from another device connected via a communication line or the like, or to record the game program on another device side connected via a communication line or the like. It is also possible to provide a recording medium and use the game program recorded on the recording medium via a communication line or the like.

[0082]

As described above, claims 1 to 9 are as described above.
According to the described invention, the ability value or shape of the character is changed in association with the location where the character exists. The shape and characteristics of not only animals and plants but also weapons, for example, often change depending on whether they are in the desert or near the sea. Therefore, a change in the ability value or shape of the character due to the place is perceived by the player without any incongruity, and if the character can move arbitrarily in the place, the change in the place causes the ability value or shape change to be rich in individuality. Thus, individual characters can be differentiated. In many cases, it is possible to infer from the ability or appearance of the character what kind of place the character has followed, and it is also possible to detect the character's personality and characteristics and use it for the progress of the game. Also, since the location is determined when the conditions are met,
There is no need to continuously perform the processing for changing the ability value and shape of the character, and there is an advantage that the processing is simplified. Further, a device such as intentionally going to a location when the condition for determining a location is satisfied may have an effect to obtain a desired ability value, and thus the game development can be more creative.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a table called a location capability value table is prepared, and the correspondence between a plurality of predetermined locations and a plurality of capability values is described therein. For this reason, the change of the ability value can be easily processed by searching the table. Further, by exchanging the tables, it is possible to easily cope with the change of the ability value for various characters.

Further, according to the third and ninth aspects of the invention, the shape of the character itself is changed according to the location. For example, if the character has been identified many times in the sea, the flippers will gradually become larger and change into a shape that is more convenient for swimming. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the shape of the character itself changes, there is an advantage that the player can easily determine the ability visually.

Further, according to the present invention, as means for solving the above-mentioned problems, a general-purpose computer or a general-purpose computer having a display device, an input device, an output device, a control device, a storage device, and the like are provided. An information recording medium on which a program executable by a game device is recorded is disclosed.

This information recording medium makes it possible to easily distribute and sell this information as a software product independently of the hardware device. In addition, by using this software using existing hardware resources, the game of the present invention as a new application can be easily executed on existing hardware. When the program recorded on the information recording medium of the present invention is executed by a general-purpose computer or a general-purpose game device, the game device according to the first to third aspects of the present invention can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific circuit configuration of the game device of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an appearance of a controller used in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows each stage (place) and NP in this embodiment.
It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the place ability value table showing the relationship with the special ability (ability value) which C can obtain.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the number of battles required for the NPC to perform a level up in the game device of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows an example of N in a sea stage as an example in the present embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a level up of a PC and a change in external shape.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state in which one of the NPCs land on a marine island with a main character (not shown) by boat in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an outer shape in an initial state as an outer shape of the NPC at the time of landing in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state in which an NPC having an outer shape in an initial state is fighting an enemy on an island in this embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an example of a state in which an NPC is leveled up in the present embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a shape change when the NPC level is “6” and a special ability for underwater walking is provided in the present embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a shape change when the NPC has the ability to dive in water in the present embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a shape change when the NPC has acquired the special ability of torpedo attack on the sea stage in this embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of a shape change accompanying growth when the NPC of the present embodiment participates in the cave for the first time on the main character side.

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing an example of a change when the NPC having the outer shape shown in FIG. 13 enters a cave.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an outline of control of the shape of an NPC when displaying the NPC in the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart specifically showing a process of adding or enlarging or reducing a specific shape shown in step S107 of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a plan view showing an example of a specific component of the NPC being sequentially enlarged in the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart specifically showing a process of deleting a specific shape in step S108 of FIG. 16;

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example in which NP is set in step S109 of FIG. 16;
9 is a flowchart specifically showing a process when it is determined that the entire shape of C is to be enlarged or changed.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the overall shape of the NPC is enlarged by a similar shape.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a flow of control according to an NPC level up in the present embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating a state of control for adjusting the size of each component of the character according to the modification of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where each component has a size of 50% in a modification of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the number of head components increases and the number of foot components decreases from the example of FIG. 24;

26 shows a case where the shape of the character corresponding to FIG. 24 is assumed to be the standard shape shown in FIG. 8;
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a shape change corresponding to FIG.

FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a change in the shape of a character proposed in the past.

FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a change in the shape of a character proposed in the past.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 31 CPU 35 Frame buffer 42 CD-ROM drive 47 Main memory 101 NPC 103 Special flippers 104 Hand flip 105 Shooting cap 111 Lamp 112 Big ear 113 Wings 121 Saw

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Katsuyoshi Kawahara 19-19, Chaya-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Applause Tower Inside Square Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masashi Koda 19-19, Chaya-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka, Osaka No. Applause Tower Square Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2C001 AA17 BB00 BB05 BC00 BC05 BC10 CB01 CB03 CC02 CC08

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An ability value storage means for storing an ability value representing an ability of a character of a game, a location determination means for determining a location where the character satisfies a predetermined condition each time the character satisfies a predetermined condition; A game device comprising: an ability value changing unit that changes an ability value of the character stored in the ability value storage unit according to the determined location. 2. An ability value storage means for storing ability values separately representing a plurality of abilities of a game character, and a plurality of locations where the character exists are determined each time the character satisfies a predetermined condition. Location determining means for determining which of the locations the location is, a location capability value table representing the correspondence between the plurality of predetermined locations and the plurality of capability values, and each time the location determining means determines a location A location capability value table, and if there is a capability value that is not stored in the capability value storage device, a capability value reading device that reads the capability value, and a capability value read by the capability value reading device. A game device comprising: ability value changing means for changing a corresponding ability. 3. A shape storage means for storing a shape of a game character, a location determination means for determining a location of the character when the character is in a specific state, and a location corresponding to the location determined by the location determination means. And a shape changing means for changing the shape of the character stored in the shape storage means. 4. A place determining step of determining a place where a character of a game satisfies a predetermined condition, and an ability value representing the ability of the character is changed according to the place determined in the place determining step. A machine-readable information recording medium on which a program for executing the capability value changing step is recorded. 5. A place discriminating step of discriminating a place where the character of a game satisfies a predetermined condition each time the character is present, and a place discriminating step. A capability value discriminating step of discriminating a capability value associated with a location of the character based on a correspondence relationship between a predetermined plurality of locations and the capability value of the game character each time; A machine-readable information recording medium for recording a program for executing a skill value changing step of changing a skill value preset for the character based on the determined skill value. 6. A shape storing step of storing a shape of a character in a game, a location determining step of determining a location of the character when the character enters a specific state, and a location corresponding to the location determined in the location determining step. And a shape change step of changing the shape of the character stored in the shape storage step. 7. Each time a character of a game satisfies a predetermined condition, it is determined which of a plurality of predetermined places the character is in, and the determined location is determined based on the result of the determination. A character ability value changing method, comprising calculating a change amount that should give a change to the ability value of the character, and changing the ability value of the character according to the calculation result. 8. Each time a game character satisfies a predetermined condition, it is determined which of a plurality of predetermined places the character is in, and the predetermined plurality of places and the ability value of the game character are determined. Each time the determination is performed based on the correspondence relationship with the character, the ability value associated with the location of the character is determined, and the ability value preset for the character is changed based on the determined ability value. Characteristic ability value changing method. 9. A game character shape is stored, and when the character enters a specific state, a location where the character is present is determined, and the stored character shape is changed according to the determined location. A character shape changing method characterized by causing a character shape to be changed.