JP2009247548A - Game system, game program, and information storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game system, a game program, and an information storage medium which are capable of preventing concentration of inappropriate match-up on a specific player. <P>SOLUTION: The game system is for executing a match-up game in which a plurality of players fight against one another. The game system includes operating parts 250 to be operated by the respective players, a match-up control part 221 for executing the match-up game based on the operation instruction by the players operating the operating parts 250, and a match-up processing part 313 for determining match-up of the plurality of players to participate in the match-up game based on the past match-up information of the respective players. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a game system, a game program, and an information storage medium in which a plurality of players participate to play a game.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a game system that performs a person-to-person game by combining a plurality of players that operate a plurality of game devices connected via a network (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In this specification, a process of combining a plurality of players is referred to as a “matching process”. In the game system of Patent Document 1, a suitable player is selected and organized from among players participating in the game based on personal information of a plurality of players. Further, in the game system of Patent Document 2, when a matching process is performed in which a plurality of players form a team, the level average value is set to be approximately the same.
JP 2001-344372 A (page 4-6, FIG. 1-5) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-229040 (page 7-19, FIG. 1-21)

  By the way, in the interpersonal / competitive game disclosed in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, players with similar levels are combined, but depending on the number of players who want to participate, the desired combination is always performed. It may not be possible. For example, when there is only one upper-level player with a lot of play experience and one lower-level player with a little play experience, these two players are combined, or the players operated by the game device itself are combined with each player. Therefore, an unfavorable matching process is performed for a player who desires a match with a player of the same level. In particular, in a game device for business use, the probability of occurrence of such an unfavorable matching process increases in a time zone where the number of players is relatively small (for example, a time zone immediately after the start of business). Such an unfavorable matching process is randomly generated for each player, and if it is evenly distributed to each player, it is desirable that the degree of dissatisfaction of each player can also be dispersed. There is a problem that processing may concentrate on a specific player.

  The present invention was created in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a game system, a game program, and an information storage medium capable of preventing undesired matching from being concentrated on a specific player. There is to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a game system according to the present invention is a game system that performs a battle-type game in which player characters corresponding to each of a plurality of players battle each other, and each of the plurality of players operates. A combination of a plurality of operation means, a battle control means for playing a battle-type game based on an operation instruction of the player performed by operating the plurality of operation means, and a plurality of players participating in the battle-type game, Player combination determining means for determining based on the combination information.

  In the game system of the present invention, a plurality of game devices and a game server are connected via a network, and a battle-type game is performed in which a plurality of player characters corresponding to players who operate each of the plurality of game devices battle each other. . Each of the plurality of game devices includes an operation unit that is operated by a player corresponding to the own device, and a battle control unit that performs a battle-type game based on an operation instruction of the player performed by operating the operation unit. The game server includes a player combination determining unit that determines a combination of a plurality of players participating in the competitive game based on past combination information of each player.

  The game program of the present invention includes a battle control means for playing a battle game based on operation instructions of a plurality of players operated by operating each of the plurality of operation means on a computer, and a plurality of players participating in the battle game. The player combination is made to function as a player combination determining means for determining based on past combination information of each player.

  In the above-described game system and game program, it is possible to know whether or not an unfavorable combination has been made for each player based on past combination information, and therefore unfavorable combinations (matching) concentrate on a specific player. This can be prevented.

  Further, the above-mentioned player combination determining means gives priority to a player who has made an unfavorable combination in the past, and determines a combination of a plurality of players so that the combination of the players is a combination suitable for a competitive game. desirable. This makes it possible to distribute the frequency with which undesirable combinations are made to each player.

  Further, the above-described unfavorable combinations include combinations of players whose difference in the number of times of playing a battle game in the past exceeds a predetermined value. Alternatively, the above-mentioned unfavorable combinations include combinations of players whose level value difference determined based on the past performance of a competitive game exceeds a predetermined value. The above-mentioned unfavorable combinations include combinations in the case where a setting that does not match hope is made when a competitive game has been performed in the past. The player combination determination means described above determines to combine one player with a virtual enemy character controlled by the battle control means when there is no other player that meets the predetermined combination condition. Such an unfavorable combination includes a combination with a virtual enemy character as an opponent when a battle-type game has been performed in the past. In addition, it is desirable that the above-described player combination determination unit performs determination based on combination information corresponding to the most recent predetermined number of combinations. Alternatively, it is desirable that the above-described player combination determination unit performs determination based on combination information corresponding to combinations in the most recent predetermined period. By determining the presence or absence of an unfavorable combination for these specific cases, it is possible to easily and reliably determine whether or not an unsuitable combination is applicable.

  The computer-readable information storage medium of the present invention stores the above-described game program.

  Hereinafter, a game system according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a game system according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the game system of this embodiment includes a plurality of game devices 200 and a game server 300, and these are connected via a network 100. The network 100 may be the Internet, a dedicated line, a public line, a LAN, or a combination of these as long as the game apparatus 200 and the game server 300 can be connected to each other. The game device 200 is a business game device provided with, for example, a dedicated housing and a display unit, and is installed in a game center or the like. A part or the whole may be replaced with a home game device or a personal computer operating as a game device.

  The game server 300 is configured using a known server computer system, manages the game device 200 participating in the interpersonal / matching network game performed in the game system of the present embodiment, and the like, and controls the entire game system. Control.

  The game device 200 has an operation unit operated by each player, and has a function of connecting to the network 100 and a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from the game server 300 and other game devices 200.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the game server 300. As shown in FIG. 2, the game server 300 includes a processing unit 310, a storage unit 320, and a communication unit 330.

  The processing unit 310 controls the game server 300 as a whole based on game programs and data stored in the storage unit 320, data sent from each game device 200 connected to the game server 300, and the like. Various processes such as instructions to each functional unit in the server 300, data transfer, and control of the entire game system are performed. The function of the processing unit 310 is realized by executing a predetermined program by various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.).

  The processing unit 310 includes a player management unit 311, a ghost character management unit 312, a matching processing unit 313, a game progress processing unit 314, and a timer 315 as main functional units.

  The player management unit 311 manages information related to players who have participated in the interpersonal / competitive game. Specifically, based on the play ID of the player registered when the player operating the game device 200 first accesses the game server 300, information related to the game play of the player is managed. In the present embodiment, a player purchases a player card in which a play ID is stored in advance, and sets the player card at a predetermined position on the game apparatus 200 to access the game system. The game device 200 reads the play ID stored in the set player card and transmits it to the game server 300. The player management unit 311 performs data management using the play ID sent from the game device 200 as a key, identifies the player, the player character selected by the player, and the like, and subsequently records the game content history information (game). The date and time of play and data of play results (win / loss information) are updated for each play ID.

  The ghost character management unit 312 manages information related to the ghost character of each player who participated in the interpersonal / competitive game. In this specification, a ghost character is a registered character associated with information (player pattern information) on the tendency of operation input of any player participating in the interpersonal / competitive game. In the interpersonal / competitive game of the present embodiment, each character (player character) operated by the player corresponding to each game device 200 battles, but in some cases (for example, the number of players does not reach a predetermined number) ), A character (a CPU character as a virtual enemy character) operated by each game device 200 in accordance with a predetermined processing routine may participate in the game instead of the player character. Since the CPU character movement pattern is controlled according to a predetermined processing routine, it tends to be uniform. Therefore, the ghost character is obtained by adding the tendency of the operation input of each player to the action pattern of the CPU character, and each game device 200 considers the player pattern information when executing a predetermined processing routine. The motion pattern of the ghost character as a virtual enemy character is controlled. Further, in the present embodiment, each player is specified based on the player ID, so that a ghost character corresponding to this player is also managed based on the player ID.

  The matching processing unit 313 recruits players to participate in the interpersonal / competitive game, and performs matching processing by selecting and combining a predetermined number of players from among the many players who have applied for this recruitment. When the predetermined number is not reached, the above-mentioned ghost character (or CPU character) participates in the game instead of the player characters corresponding to the shortage.

  The game progress processing unit 314 controls the progress of the interpersonal / matching game. Specifically, the game progress processing unit 314 establishes communication with the game device 200 corresponding to each player determined to participate in the game by the matching processing unit 313, and executes the interpersonal / matching game. Start. In addition, the game progress processing unit 314 monitors the elapsed time, determines a win / loss after the lapse of the required time, and performs a process of ending the game.

  The storage unit 320 stores a game program and various data for realizing each functional unit of the processing unit 310. The storage unit 320 stores each data of the player DB (database) 321, the ghost character DB 322, and the number of matching times 323. Contains. The storage unit 320 is realized by a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like. The player DB 321 stores history information for each play ID managed by the player management unit 311. The ghost character DB 322 stores ghost character data corresponding to each player for each play ID. When a player character of a certain player is switched (replaced) to a ghost character, the player's play ID corresponding to the player character is specified, and ghost character data corresponding to this play ID is read from the ghost character DB 322. The number of matching times 323 is data indicating the number of times the matching process is repeated by the matching processing unit 313. Specifically, a player-to-player game is played by a plurality of players combined by the matching process, but the number of times when the matching process is re-executed before the game is over is stored as the number of matching times 323. The Note that since the matching process is re-executed, it is a special case, and the matching count 323 may be omitted if such a case is not assumed. Further, the matching count 323 may be stored only for a game for which matching processing has been redone.

  The communication unit 330 performs control for transmitting / receiving data to / from each game device 200 via the network 100, and has a communication control function and a line termination function corresponding to the connection line. The connection line may be wired or wireless.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the game apparatus 200. As shown in FIG. 3, the game device 200 includes a processing unit 210, a storage unit 240, an operation unit 250, a coin slot 252, a card reading unit 254, a display unit 260, a sound output unit 262, and a communication unit 270. .

  The operation unit 250 is used by a player who operates the game apparatus 200 to input various operation instructions relating to the game, and an operation signal corresponding to the operation instruction is input to the processing unit 210. The operation unit 250 includes, for example, a button switch, a lever, a dial, and the like. The coin insertion slot 252 is for a player playing a game to insert coins. When a coin is inserted into the coin insertion slot 252, this coin insertion is detected by a sensor (not shown) and a coin insertion signal is input to the processing unit 210. The card reading unit 254 reads the play ID stored in the player card 256 when the player card 256 possessed by the player is inserted from the insertion slot. In the present embodiment, the player history information other than the play ID is stored in the game server 300, but a part or the front of the player history information may be stored in the player card 256. The read play ID is input to the processing unit 210.

  The processing unit 210 controls the game device 200 as a whole based on game programs and data stored in the storage unit 240, data sent from the game server 300, and other functional units in the game device 200. Various processes such as instruction, image processing, and sound processing are performed. The function of the processing unit 210 is realized by executing a predetermined program by various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.).

  The processing unit 210 includes a game calculation unit 220, an image generation unit 230, and a sound generation unit 232 as main functional units, and generates one image every frame time (for example, 1/60 seconds). While outputting toward the display part 260, control which outputs a sound effect and BGM toward the sound output part 262 suitably is performed.

  The game calculation unit 220 is connected via an operation signal input from the operation unit 250, a coin insertion signal input at the time of coin insertion, a game program or various data read from the storage unit 240, or a communication unit 270. Based on data sent from the game server 300 or the other game device 200, various game processes for realizing a person-to-person game are executed. Examples of game processing include virtual space setting processing, object placement processing in virtual space, object intersection determination processing (hit check processing), character action control, game result calculation processing, viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction Includes decision processing.

  The game calculation unit 220 includes a battle control unit 221 and a ghost character management unit 222. The battle control unit 221 controls a battle between player characters (or a player character and a ghost character (CPU character)). Specifically, the battle control unit 221 determines the content of the execution command based on the operation signal input from the operation unit 250, and the player character corresponding to the player who operates the operation unit 250 based on the execution command. The behavior of the player character or the ghost character (CPU character) corresponding to the player of the other game device 200 is controlled. Information about each player and player character is stored in the storage unit 240 as player information 241 and is read out to the battle control unit 221 as necessary.

  The ghost character management unit 222 manages information about the ghost character (ghost character information) when the player character operating the other game device 200 is replaced with the ghost character. The ghost character information necessary for the replacement is acquired from the game server 300 and stored as ghost character information 242 in the storage unit 240.

  The image generation unit 230 is realized by, for example, hardware such as a CPU and a DSP, a control program for the hardware, a drawing frame IC memory such as a frame buffer, and the like. The image generation unit 230 generates a 3DCG image (or 2DCG image) for displaying the game screen based on the processing result by the game calculation unit 220. An image signal corresponding to the generated image is output to the display unit 260.

  The sound generation unit 232 is realized by, for example, hardware such as a CPU or DSP and a control program thereof. The sound generation unit 232 generates game sounds such as sound effects and BGM used during the game based on the processing result by the game calculation unit 220. A sound signal corresponding to the generated game sound is output toward the sound output unit 262.

  The storage unit 240 is for storing a game program and various data for realizing each functional unit of the processing unit 210, and includes player information 241 and ghost character information 242. The storage unit 240 is realized by a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like. The player information 241 is history information for each player managed for each play ID, and the content is updated each time the player plays a game.

  The display unit 260 displays various game screens based on the image signal input from the image generation unit 230. For example, it is realized by an LCD, an ELD, or the like. The player plays a battle game by operating the operation unit 250 while watching the game screen displayed on the display unit 260. The sound output unit 262 outputs sound effects and BGM based on the sound signal input from the sound generation unit 232. For example, it is realized by a speaker.

  The communication unit 270 performs control for transmitting and receiving data to and from the game server 300 and other game devices 200 via the network 100, and has a communication control function and a line termination function corresponding to the connection line. . The connection line may be wired or wireless.

  The operation unit 250 provided in each of the plurality of game apparatuses 200 described above corresponds to a plurality of operation units, the battle control unit 221 corresponds to the battle control unit, and the matching processing unit 313 corresponds to the player combination determination unit.

  The game system of this embodiment has such a configuration, and the operation thereof will be described next. In the game system of the present embodiment, a combination of a plurality of players participating in the interpersonal / competitive game (matching process) is determined based on past combination information of each player, so that there are combinations that are not desirable for a specific player. I try not to concentrate. Hereinafter, specific examples will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the matching process that collects and combines a plurality of players participating in the interpersonal / matching game, and shows an operation procedure mainly performed by the matching processing unit 313 of the game server 300. .

  The matching processing unit 313 starts matching processing (step 100). For example, data indicating that the matching process is started is sent to each game device 200. In each game device 200, a screen including at least matching processing and the remaining time until the end of the matching processing is displayed on the display unit 260.

  Next, the matching processing unit 313 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (step 101). For example, “5 minutes” is set as the predetermined time, and the matching processing unit 313 determines whether 5 minutes have elapsed since the start of the matching process. A negative determination is made until 5 minutes have elapsed, and this determination is repeated. When 5 minutes have elapsed, an affirmative determination is made, and then the matching processing unit 313 determines whether or not there is a player who wants to participate in the game (step 102). If no player wishes to participate, a negative determination is made, and the matching process ends. If there is at least one player who wants to participate, an affirmative determination is made in the determination of step 102.

  Next, the matching processing unit 313 determines whether or not a priority player is included in the players who wish to participate (step 103). Here, the priority player is a player that is preferentially combined when performing matching processing. A player in which an unfavorable combination has been performed in the past matching processing corresponds to a priority player. For example, a player corresponding to any of the specific cases shown below corresponds to this priority player.

  (1) Each player in which a combination of players in which the difference in the number of times of playing this battle game in the past exceeds a predetermined value is performed. For example, in the case of a competitive game in which two players participate, the game experience level is extremely different, such as when one player has 100 games and the other player has 10 games. . In this case, in addition to a case where only a player with a small number of games is set as a priority player, both players may be set as priority players. This is because in the latter case, the content of the battle game may feel boring even for a strong player who has played against a weaker opponent player. In addition, when determining whether or not the player is a priority player using the number of games in this way, the premise is that the number of games played so far for each player (the number of games of each player is “past combination information”). Must be held in the game system. For example, the player DB 321 stored in the storage unit 320 of the game server 300 includes the number of games for each player, and the value of the number of games is updated every time each player plays a battle game. It has become. This update process is performed by the player management unit 311.

  (2) Each player in which a combination of players in which a difference in level value determined based on a record of playing a battle game in the past exceeds a predetermined value is performed. For example, it is assumed that the level value increases in order from 1 as the number of times a player who participates in a competitive game wins increases, and reaches level 10 in the strongest case. In the case of a competitive game in which two players participate, the level of game experience is extremely different as when the level value of one player is 10 and the level value of the other player is 1. In this case, in addition to the case where only the player having a small level value is set as the priority player, both players may be set as the priority players. This is because in the latter case, the content of the battle game may feel boring even for a strong player who has played against a weaker opponent player. In addition, when determining whether or not the player is a priority player using the level value as described above, as a premise, the level value determined for each player based on the win / loss of the game so far (for each player) The level value (corresponding to “past combination information”) needs to be held in the game system. For example, the player DB 321 stored in the storage unit 320 of the game server 300 includes a level value for each player, and the level value is updated to a large value every time each player plays a battle game. Each time you lose, the level value is updated to a smaller value. This update process is performed by the player management unit 311.

  (3) Each player that has been combined with a setting that does not match his wishes when he has played a competitive game in the past. For example, when a quiz game is considered as a battle-type game, it is possible to specify a genre (a genre for which participation is desired) when performing matching processing. In such a case, there are cases where the combination of players cannot be determined so that all players have the desired genre, and the player who cannot play the game in the desired genre becomes the priority player. Note that when determining whether or not the player is such a priority player, as a precondition, data indicating whether or not matching processing that has not been performed for each player has been performed so far (this data of each player). Corresponds to “past combination information”) in the game system. For example, the player DB 321 stored in the storage unit 320 of the game server 300 includes this data for each player, and this data is updated each time each player participates in the battle game. Yes. This update process is performed by the player management unit 311.

  (4) When an opponent-type game has been performed in the past, there is a case where a matching process using a ghost character (or CPU character) as an opponent is performed when there is no suitable opponent player that meets a predetermined combination condition. Such a player corresponds to a priority player. Note that when determining whether or not the player is such a priority player, as a premise, data indicating whether or not a game has been played with a ghost character (or CPU character) as an opponent for each player ( This data of each player must correspond to “past combination information”) in the game system. For example, the player DB 321 stored in the storage unit 320 of the game server 300 includes this data for each player, and this data is updated each time each player participates in the battle game. Yes. This update process is performed by the player management unit 311.

  By the way, the determination of whether or not the player is a priority player in step 103 differs depending on how long the past history of each player is referred to. Specifically, the case where the most recent predetermined number of combination contents is referred to for each player, or the case where the combination contents for the most recent predetermined period are referred to for each player, can be considered.

  If no priority player is included, a negative determination is made in the determination of step 103, and then the matching processing unit 313 performs a normal matching process (not considering the priority player) in consideration of the level value for each player. The player combination is determined (step 104).

  On the other hand, if a priority player is included, an affirmative determination is made in the determination of step 103, and then the matching processing unit 313 performs a matching process that prioritizes the priority player, and the combination including the priority player is a competitive game. The combination of the priority player and the other player is determined so as to obtain a combination suitable for (step 105).

  It should be noted that “a combination suitable for a competitive game” is a combination of players having a similar number of games or a combination of players having a similar level value, that is, a combination in which this player is no longer a priority player after the next time. It corresponds to “a combination suitable for a competitive game”.

  Further, when there are a plurality of priority players, the priority order is further determined, and the priority player is further treated according to the determined priority order. For example, when determining whether or not the player is a priority player based on the number of games and the level value, a player with a larger difference in the number of games or a level value has a higher priority than a player with a smaller difference. In addition, when both the player who lost the game and the winning player are treated as priority players in these cases, the losing player has higher priority than the winning player. In addition, when determining whether each player is a priority player by referring to the combination contents in the most recent predetermined period, the player who has a higher number of times corresponding to the priority player in this predetermined period has priority over the player with a smaller number. The ranking becomes higher.

  When the matching process in step 104 or 105 is completed, a battle game is started for each player combined by the matching process under the control of the game progress processing unit 314.

  Thus, in the game system of this embodiment, since it is possible to know whether or not an unfavorable combination has been made for each player based on past combination information, a combination (matching) unfavorable for a specific player. Can be prevented from concentrating.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation implementation is possible within the range of the summary of this invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a game system in which a plurality of game devices 200 and a game server 300 are connected via the network 100 has been described. However, these functions are provided in one game device (computer). It may be. A plurality of operation units are connected to this game apparatus, and the present invention can be applied when a plurality of players play a person-to-person game.

It is a figure showing the whole game system composition of one embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of a game server. It is a figure which shows the structure of a game device. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the matching process which collects and combines the some player who participates in an interpersonal-match game.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Network 200 Multiple game devices 210, 310 Processing part 220 Game operation part 221 Battle control part 222, 312 Ghost character management part 230 Image generation part 232 Sound generation part 240, 320 Storage part 250 Operation part 252 Coin slot 254 Card reading Unit 260 display unit 262 sound output unit 270, 330 communication unit 300 game server 311 player management unit 313 matching processing unit 314 game progress processing unit

Claims (12)

A game system for performing a battle-type game in which player characters corresponding to each of a plurality of players battle each other,
A plurality of operating means operated by each of the plurality of players;
Battle control means for playing the battle game based on operation instructions of the player performed by operating the plurality of operation means;
Player combination determination means for determining a combination of the plurality of players participating in the competitive game based on past combination information of each player;
A game system comprising: A game system for performing a battle game in which a plurality of game devices and a game server are connected via a network, and a plurality of player characters corresponding to a player who operates each of the plurality of game devices are played.
Each of the plurality of game devices includes
Operating means operated by the player corresponding to the device;
Battle control means for performing the battle game based on an operation instruction of the player performed by operating the operation means,
The game system includes a player combination determining unit that determines a combination of the plurality of players participating in the competitive game based on past combination information of each player. In claim 1 or 2,
The player combination determination means prioritizes the player that has been subjected to an unfavorable combination in the past, and determines the combination of the plurality of players so that the combination of the players is a combination suitable for the competitive game. Feature game system. In any one of Claims 1-3,
The game system according to claim 1, wherein the unfavorable combination is a combination of the players in which a difference in the number of games played in the past exceeds a predetermined value. In any one of Claims 1-3,
The game system characterized in that the unfavorable combination is a combination of the players in which a difference in level value determined based on a past performance of the competitive game exceeds a predetermined value. In any one of Claims 1-3,
The game system according to claim 1, wherein the unfavorable combination is a combination in a case where a setting that does not meet the hope is made when the competitive game has been performed in the past. In any one of Claims 1-3,
The player combination determining unit determines to combine one player with a virtual enemy character controlled by the battle control unit when there is no other player that meets a predetermined combination condition.
The game system characterized in that the unfavorable combination is a combination with the virtual enemy character as an opponent when the competitive game has been performed in the past. In any one of Claims 1-7,
The game system according to claim 1, wherein the player combination determination means performs determination based on the combination information corresponding to the most recent predetermined number of combinations. In any one of Claims 1-7,
The game system according to claim 1, wherein the player combination determination unit performs determination based on the combination information corresponding to a combination in the latest predetermined period. Computer
Battle control means for playing a battle game based on operation instructions of a plurality of players operated by operating each of the plurality of operation means;
Player combination determination means for determining a combination of the plurality of players participating in the competitive game based on past combination information of each player;
Game program to make it function. In claim 10,
The player combination determining means gives priority to the player in which an unfavorable combination has been made in the past, and determines a combination of the plurality of players so that the combination of the players becomes a combination suitable for the competitive game .   A computer-readable information storage medium storing the game program according to claim 10 or 11.

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